Wrath of Man

Actors: Jasion Statham, Holt McCallany, Jeffrey Donovan, Chris Reilly, Josh Hartnett, Laz Alonso, Raúl Castillo, DeObia Oparei, Eddie Marsan, Scott Eastwood

Rating: 7 out of 10, Wrath of Man features a constantly scowling Statham without his usual sneaky fun personae leaking through. You gradually learned the source of the scowl which causes him to take a job as an armored car guard where he quickly demonstrates other worldly/Stathamesque capabilities. This doesn’t have the director’s, Guy Ritchie, usual sense of whimsy as he seems to be emulating Michael Mann’s Heat. You slowly learn the backstory of the revenge quest through some fairly elaborate editing. If you’re not paying attention that could be confusing but the first third and the final act are crackling good action scenes with Statham being, well, Statham. The middle third wanders a bit but overall I really enjoyed another escape from reality thanks to Hollywood. It reminds me how much I’ve missed it over the past year.

MVP: Staham as the deadly H

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Actors: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Hugh Grant

Rating: 9 out of 10, When you hear the title, you automatically think this would be a geek fest of the highest order. While there is a bit of that, this was a very good movie in its own right. A lot of the credit for that goes to Chris Pine who plays against type as the least capable member of a team assembled to fight, what else, the ultimate evil. There is non-stop action livened up with incredibly funny dialogue. There’s also great brother/sister chemistry between Pine and Michele Rodriguez. A lively story moves the action right along, stopping by for a truly iconic, if short, cameo by a major film star which I won’t ruin by explaining here. Thoroughly enjoyable, one of my favorite movies of the year so far.

MVP: Pine as the harper Edgin

65

Actors: Adam Driver, Ariana Greenblatt.

Rating: 7 out of 10, The title refers to the number of million years ago the action took place. A member of a space going human race journeys through the solar system when his ship is damaged and forced to crash land on earth during the age of the dinosaurs. Adam Driver once again demonstrates his almost mysterious screen presence as the pilot. He finds only one other passenger has survived, a young girl, and they try to make their way through the constant threat of the dinosaurs to another part of their crashed ship that has an escape vehicle. The pilot has to rank with some of the unluckiest movie characters of all time. He has a profound level of technology to assist him but earth throws everything at him, constantly. His lack of luck culminates when he figures out he’s in the impact area of a massive incoming asteroid, the one that wiped out the dinosaurs. Like I said, unlucky. While kind of dour at times, this was a nice adventure yarn with some feisty dinosaurs, realistically portrayed.

MVP: Greenblatt as the feisty Koa

John Wick 4

Actors: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Lance Reddick, Rina Sawayama, Scott Adkins, Clancy Brown, Ian McShane

Rating: 10 out of 10, John Wick 4 is, well, a John Wick film, that takes all the ballistic themes from the first three films and ups the ante. The seemingly indestructible Wick launches on a revenge tour against the High Table, the highest level of the criminal empire that cost him a finger and tried to kill him for the last couple films. This a very long movie but you don’t notice the running time because, as usual, the action is relentless and Wick is such a compelling character. Reeves is at his coolest as he cuts a swath through the bad guys on four different continents. Somehow, the guy who shot him off the roof of the high-rise hotel to end the last movie ends up as his partner again as they take on the High Table. There are the usual fascinating supporting characters, including Donny Yen, who is so good in everything he does. There are some tributes to the earlier films including the welcome cameo by a very dangerous attack dog. Tribute was also paid to the 70’s movie, The Warriors. The ending sequence with Wick fighting his way through an army of assassins was amazing. I’ll never look at Paris the same way again.

MVP: Reeves, any doubt?

Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Actors: Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Rachel Zegler, Adam Brody, Ross Butler, D. J. Cotrona, Grace Caroline Currey, Meagan Good, Lucy Liu, Djimon Hounsou, Helen Mirren

Rating: 7 out of 10, A sequel to the surprisingly fresh first movie was always going to be tough. The sheer innocence of teenagers thrust into the bodies of superheroes was a neat concept and ably exploited in the first film. They try the same thing here but its not as successful. Luckily the superb cast lifts the material into an amusing experience. Zach Levi once again is tone perfect as the lead effortlessly capturing the teenage angst at loose within Shazam. There are some very funny moments as the group of superheroes deals with a trio of 6000 year old sisters bent on revenges played with appropriate aplomb by Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, and Rachel Zegler. Zegler proves that her West Side screen presence was no fluke. The usually dour DC universe needs this light touch and it was nice seeing the Phillies home park get smoked, but I digress. A lot of fun, an inch deep, but worth it.

MVP: Levi in title role is still compelling

Operation Fortune Ruse de Guerre

Actors: Jason Statham, Aubrey Plaza, Josh Hartnett, Cary Elwes, Bugzy Malone, Hugh Grant

Rating: 8 out of 10, A Jason Statham vehicle with a very interesting cast in a Guy Ritchie movie. Statham plays his usual superspy but he’s ably assisted by Aubrey Plaza who steals every scene she’s in. They are trying to retrieve the customary world threatening computer device from a dastardly arms dealer, played with smarmy relish by Hugh Grant. Ritchie and Grant make a great team. A self-important Hollywood movie star (is there any other kind?) portrayed by a funny Josh Hartnett is dragooned into the recovery effort. The action is well staged and the plot moves in typical Ritchie swoops. I really enjoyed it, a good movie.

MVP: Aubrey Plaza, as Sarah stealing every single scene

Antman and the Wasp Quantumania

Actors: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors, Kathryn Newton, David Dastmalchian, Katy O'Brian, William Jackson Harper, Bill Murray, Michelle Pfeiffer, Corey Stoll, Michael Douglas

Rating: 8 out of 10, I loved the first two Antman movies which tapped into Paul Ruud’s immense charisma and comic timing. This one suffers a bit by focusing too much on his daughter Cassie, who’s kind of annoying. The movie is rescued by old stalwarts Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer although Evangeline Lilly is criminally underused. Jonathan Majors steals virtually every scene he is in as a truly powerful villain. There are a couple very funny cameos as the entire group is sucked down into the sub-universe where Pfeiffer’s character was rescued from in the last movie. Soon they are immersed in a civil war that, being a Marvel movie, has reality-wide implications. While not as much fun as the earlier two movies this still delivers. Good movie.

MVP: Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne, so watchable