The Northman: Neon NZ Review

VVitch director Robert Eggers returns to an oeuvre he knows well for The Northman, a simple revenge tale painted large on an epic canvas.

Alexander Skarsgard is Amleth, a prince who sees his king father (Ethan Hawke, memorable in only a handful of scenes) murdered by his uncle Fjolnir (Bang) and his mother (nicole Kidman, underutilised) kidnapped in front of him. Fleeing the scene and swearing revenge, Amleth becomes part of a marauding group of killers, who ransack villages, pillage and take what they want.

But as Amleth finesses his plan for revenge, he finds an opportunity when he discovers his uncle has been outlawed and is living outlawed in Iceland...

Based on the legend of Amleth, Eggers fills his film with grandiose Norse mythology, talk of Valhalla and mountains of superstition and pagan ceremonies. Building on the work done by The VVitch, Eggers expands his canvas and throws everything into the production and look of The Northman. This is not a film that holds back from the realities of the times, and is all the better for it. 

This is a film that goes for scope, achieves it, and then some - there will hardly ever be another film that matches the look and feel of this Norse storyline, without others comparing it to Eggers' work. (It's also worth noting that Taylor-Joy reunites with both Eggers and Ralph Ineson from The VVitch.)

Unfortunately though, it's saddled with a script that is barely one note and which does little more than its quest for revenge storyline. 

Skarsgard spends most of the film simply skulking and hulking around, roaring and ranting in between fighting. Dialogue is guttural, muttered and in all honesty, stilted as it tries to inject mythos into the simplicity of the revenge tale. 

It may be part of Eggers' examination of masculinity in the Viking world and the cunning of women to survive that threads through large swathes of The Northman, and shows the dichotomy of the world they inhabit.

It doesn't quite work, and leaves parts of The Northman feeling drawn out in its 140 minute run time.

(There are latter portions of this too, which feel extremely reminiscent of parts of The VVitch, as Amleth stalks around a farmstead, various superstitions come into play and talk of evil haunts the air.)

But ultimately, The Northman is a visceral and gnarly knotted ride that's worth taking. There won't be any other film that looks like what Robert Eggers has committed to screen - and in truth, the grit and the grime may leave you feeling like the MCU has missed a trick with their iteration of Thor.

Morbius: Neon NZ Review

Much-delayed by the pandemic and finally released without much fanfare except derision, Jared Leto's outing as Marvel's Dr Michael Morbius marks somewhat of a new low for the Sony association with the MCU.

Leto is Michael Morbius, a brilliant biochemist who is suffering from a rare blood disease, that's slowly destroying his body and has marked his time in the world.

When Morbius catches a herd of vampire bats, he begins splicing the genes together, in a dangerous and illegal experiment that only gets worse when he injects it into his own veins.

Initially emboldened by the transfer Morbius soon struggles with the darker side of the power given to him, which forces a craving for human blood and a need for killing to survive.

Things are further complicated when long-term friend Milo (Doctor Who's Matt Smith, who hams it up at times), suffering from the same affliction, decides to steal the blood treatment which sets him on a collision course with Morbius.

Muddled, dark and messy, Morbius is a vampire tale which sucks the life out of an origin story without much work.

A lack of any real clarity of execution and depth of character really robs the film of the intimate level it's going for - especially as the film is essentially centred in the face-off between Smith's Milo and Leto's Morbius.

But the absence of any emotional heft and the use of only cursory amounts of backstory and expositional flashbacks doesn't help build anything resembling character for Leto's man-bun wearing, junkie Messiah posing Morbius, a character so bland that it's hard to care when he turns or faces inner turmoil.

Uses of misty blur FX for running, eyes glazing over for Morbius to channel the bat-sensors like listening or radar and morphing facials don't work nearly as well as they should thanks to Espinosa's desire to soak the whole thing in darkness.

Throw in a series of mid-credits scene that scream shameless tie-in to the wider world, and you've got the main reasons why Morbius fails - this tale should focus on the moral dilemma and the potential conflict of all concerned.

What it manages solely to do is simply convey a feeling of utter anaemia from beginning to end. Despite what you may hope for, this tale of vampirism was exsanguinated at birth.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: Disney+ Review

Cast: Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, Lupita N'Yongo, Tenoch Huerta, Danai Gurira, Micaela Coel, Martin Freeman, Julia Louis Dreyfus
Director: Ryan Coogler

Born out of necessity than narrative need, Black Panther 2 aka Wakanda Forever faces an insurmountable task as it tackles both the real-life death of its protagonist and the challenge of toppling its Oscar-nominated 2018 outing.

Grief casts a pall over proceedings, which at times verge on funereal and leave you doubting whether in some parts, there was any acting needed. (The Marvel Studios opener is perhaps one of the most sombre ever presented, but is breathtaking in its respectful silence and tone.)

Tackling themes of colonialism, western incursions, politicking and destiny, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever wastes no time in opening with the offscreen death of Chadwick Boseman's King T'Challa, his scientist sister Shuri (Letitia Wright, easily the film's MVP) unable to save him, despite desperate DNA scrabbling.

With Queen Ramonda (a powerful Angela Bassett) forced to take power to heal the kingdom, Wakanda faces another set of challenges one year after T'Challa's death - the outside world fears the secretive kingdom because of its access to the potentially-weaponised vibranium and an attack on their own world in the form of a hitherto unknown neighbouring kingdom led by Tenoch Huerta's Namor.

When Namor threatens to kill a scientist outside Wakanda who has been building equipment to find Vibranium, Shuri, Ramonda and Okoye (a ferocious Danai Gurira) set out to save the day - and prevent war on all sides.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has a balancing act to manage.

And it does so in parts, but in truth, not always successfully with a story that's less than vital to extol. 

Feeling stretched and bloated in parts, while deeply mournful and respectful in others, this is a Marvel film that feels unlike anything else that's passed in the MCU. While it still has third act issues in that everything has to end with a major conflict, and large parts of the movie feel like they wouldn't be out of place in a James Cameron Avatar film, there's a lot of care that's gone into the depth of characters again - even if the story is more disposable.

Wright is easily the film's heart and soul, and she seizes on her reluctant moment with utter commitment. Wrestling grief for T'Challa, the sadness of destiny and the guardianship of her kingdom, Shuri becomes an exciting presence in Wakanda Forever, a careful and considerate would-be leader born out of the worst reasons.

Huerta's Namor is initially well-sketched out, with motivations stemming back from colonisation but at times, he becomes just a figurehead of another kind of invader, a man whose actions don't match his ethos.

The costuming throughout also deserves a mention, as Ruth Carter's vibrant outfits bring Wakanda vividly once again to life. And unfortunately, in the downtime of the film, there are many, many moments to admire what's being worn.

It comes down to this - regardless of the need to honour Boseman, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is too long; it could easily have lost some 20 minutes of story and not suffered - but it is probably one for the Marvel fans than those tired of the MCU cinematic dominance. It may be the most difficult MCU movie to have been made, and won't have a shot at repeating the Oscar potential of the first.

In truth, parts of the story feel utterly familiar and occasionally formulaic. Were it not for Wright and Bassett's performance which elevate proceedings beyond measure, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's desire to explore grief and suffering would have been one of the franchise's most conflicted entrants to date, with elements that don't quite come together and gel as perhaps they should have.

Knock At the Cabin: Movie Review

Cast: Dave Bautista, Rupert Grint, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Kristen Cui, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Abby Quinn

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

It may be to Knock At The Cabin's detriment that you spend a lot of the time awaiting a twist (as is usual of Shyamalan's oeuvre), but what's actually delivered over a 100 minute thriller is something that may surprise.

Adapted from Paul Tremblay's book, Knock At The Cabin is a simple story, one of a seemingly simple choice that has diabolical consequences. But while it purports to tackle themes of faith and trust, as well as belief, its expected horror edges will be where audiences are drawn.

Essentially a chamber piece set within a cabin in the woods, Bautista's softly-spoken Hulk-like Leonard sets proceedings in motion when he approaches little girl Wen (Cui) who's holidaying with her dads Eric and Andrew (Groff and Aldridge respectively).

Warning Wen that he's heartbroken at what he must do, Wen runs off back home - but soon Leonard and three others (Grint, Amuka-Bird and Quinn) are at the door, telling the trio they have an apocalyptic - and almost unthinkable - choice to make.

To say more is to rob Knock At The Cabin of its suspense, and its taut filmmaking.

Shyamalan has a wild streak of hits and misses in his catalogue, but it's usually due to audience expectations. Here, he puts all of that aside and concentrates more on delivering a film that is self-contained and tension-filled despite the somewhat ludicrous edges of the source material.

You could argue there's not enough time devoted to the trio having to discuss their choices, and too much weight is put on them being a same-sex couple (thanks largely to one long discourse and flashbacks), but the tightly-constructed edges of Knock At The Cabin prove to be seat-clenchingly intriguing and at times, quite upsetting.

This is a film more about relationships and interactions rather than out-and-out horror and while the edges may be more psychological and occasionally hit and miss on that front, Knock At The Cabin is a propulsive thriller that stays the course rather than becoming tied up in its mystery.

Knock At The Cabin may feel like stripped-back Shyamalan and may benefit from coming from other source material rather than original fare, but Bautista's interesting approach to his character helps to keep you feeling uneasy and unsure about where it's all going.

It may be polarising to some, but for a ride that's compelling, this is one cabin in the woods you may well enjoy checking into more than you'd have expected to do so. And given his own back catalogue, that's perhaps the M Night Shyamalan twist none of us were expecting in 2023.

Win a double pass to see What's Love Got To Do With It?

To celebrate the release of romantic comedy What's Love Got To Do With It?, thanks to StudioCanal NZ you can win a double pass to see the film.

About What's Love Got To Do With It?

How do you find lasting love in today's world? For documentary filmmaker Zoe (Lily James), swiping right to find Mr Right has only delivered bad dates and funny anecdotes, much to her opinionated mother Cath's (Emma Thompson) dismay. 

For her childhood friend and neighbour Kazim (Shazad Latif), the answer is to follow his parents' example and opt for an assisted marriage with a bright and beautiful bride from Pakistan. 

As Zoe films his hopeful journey from London to Lahore to marry a stranger, chosen by his parents, she begins to wonder if she might have something to learn from a different approach to finding love.

What's Love Got To Do With It? is in cinemas February 16.

The Whale: Movie Review

Cast: Brendan Fraser, Hong Chau, Sadie Sink, Ty Simpkins, Samantha Morton
Director: Darren Aronofsky

Adapted from the Samuel D Hunter 2012 play of the same name, Darren Aronofsky's The Whale is a complicated beast that appears to struggle at times with its message.

Central to proceedings is Fraser's Charlie, a 600 pound gay morbidly obese man who is on the cusp of dying after abusing food for an unspecified amount of time. As the movie begins, Charlie appears to be on the last week of his life, teaching an online class from behind an apparently broken webcam. 

Telling the students to be honest, and striving for them to be original, he himself is railing against his own message, desperately seeking redemption for his mistreatment of his daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink) when he was younger.

Having reconnected with her against the wishes of his carer Liz (The Menu's stand out Hong Chau), Charlie is trying to do what's right - even though the anger and disgust of his daughter is barely disguised. Bribing her with the promise of money, and the chance to rewrite her school papers, Charlie is against the clock in more ways than one.

There's an odd tone to The Whale, a film that feels almost voyeuristic in its treatment of Charlie and how the camera sees him. As the audience is both repulsed and fascinated by the character, the film veers between empathy and eliciting large swathes of disgust at his plight. 

Labouring under the fat suit is Fraser, whose plaudits for the role are richly deserved. Using some physical tics and a great deal of subtlety, Fraser's able to ensure the character of Charlie has more depth than you'd expect - and there are great elements of compassion from the actor's performance. 

But it's more a chamber piece than anything massively cinematic, with Aronofsky gradually building a sense of sadness and claustrophobia from the fact Charlie can barely move off the couch. It also helps little than the gradual reveals of why he's ended up the way he has don't quite come together to give us too much insight into the tragedy that drove this man to be what he has become.

There is a sense of a soul falling apart here, but that's largely due to Fraser's poetic and pertinent work as the story unfolds over five days - Sink's Ellie feels largely one note as she spits and snaps at her errant father, matching both the petulance of a teenager with the hurt of an abandoned child.

There is complexity at work in The Whale, but its emotional cohesiveness never quite comes together in perhaps the way you'd expect, and while the story goes exactly the way you'd expect, its catharsis is not complicated or unexpected, more a punctuation mark to a dramatic flourish than a glowing full stop.

Ultimately, The Whale rises on Fraser's work alone - paired with Chau, the two are electric, reminders of what depths human empathy and compassion can sink and rise to. Whether that's enough for The Whale remains to be seen, but expect to see Fraser's work here rightly rewarded come award time - even if the film itself falls short.