Non-Spoiler Film Reviews - By Henry Godfrey-Evans

Avatar: The Way of Water Movies like this are guaranteed blockbusters, and it makes my blood boil. Not because it was bad, but because there have been many better.

The visuals were everything they were built up to be, photorealism yet set in a world that simply couldn’t be real. I couldn’t wrench my eyes away at first. Except once you remember you’re set to endure a 3-hour and 12-minute runtime, that’s when my eyes began to glaze over.

The verdict is that visuals can only take you so far, what also matters are characters that you try and work out, and dialogue that imparts wisdom or makes you laugh. The film had none of this, and it’s closing in on 1.5 billion at the box office. Sigh.

56/100

Empire of Light

Sam Mendes certainly has an eye for a good set, you may feel like watching this film just to revisit a theatre during the Thatcher era.

The plot is quite intriguing because for a long time, you don’t know where it’s going - and confusion is a popular choice for directors nowadays. It does find its feet, dipping into a few subplots, but nothing too amazing.

The comic relief was good and felt like ‘British comedy’, but the real selling point was Olivia Coleman, who was staggeringly good in certain scenes. If she isn’t up for awards I’ll be baffled. Do you go and watch entire films for a lead performance though? Up to you.

63/100

A Man Called Otto

Well, perhaps you do watch a movie for its lead, because Tom Hanks brings heaps of charm to a role that could have easily to drifted into the mundane.

Sometimes when you’re watching a film (this is magnified at the cinema) something clicks and you realise you’re enjoying every second. Now, this isn’t to say it stayed that way, or that it sustained a day or two after seeing, but there were 30-40 minutes of it where you feel everything you’re meant to feel. Quite impressive for a standard grumpy old man film.

Part of it might also be down to Mariana Trevino who was one of the best supporting roles I’ve seen recently. Charm, tragedy and comedy.

71/100

Till

You could split this film right down the middle into things that were great, and things that were ordinary.

Emotional beats? Brilliant. Filmmaking? Fine… Acting? Exemplary. Pacing? I struggled at times.

But I will happily sit through mediocrity to excavate those gems, and to come away rich with experiences. Danielle Deadwyler who played Emmett Till’s mother gradually grew into the film until she was unbelievable - I

guess that means very believable...

The bottom line is, with many of these sorts of films about historic events, is that it’s important to learn about them. And films are a great medium for feeling stories as well as just hearing them. I would emphasise the benefits of feeling a story like Emmett Till’s, rather than just hearing it.

65/100

M3GAN

An AI children’s toy, what could possibly go wrong? The concept is as generic as it sounds, as were the events that I could have ticked off of a bingo sheet as they happened.

But the thing is, my ‘critic brain’ suffered a few malfunctions during the film and I did find myself enjoying the small things. The comic relief characters were good, especially the boss, who earned a rare audible laugh from me. I was also pleasantly surprised at some of the smaller events and plot choices that could have easily been as predictable as the film seemed at face value.

Measuring my enjoyment during the film, it’s definitely not bad - and as much as we cinephiles can be a bit pretentious, enjoyment is generally what we turn up for.

65/100

Virisu

This was my first experience with a Bollywood-style film (it’s actually south Indian so separate to the genre) and it requires a suspension of disbelief. Action and dramatic storytelling were in uncharted territories to the point that I wasn’t sure if it was a parody of some sort.

While Hollywood films have been pressured into realism, these films remain instead on the side of pure unrestrained entertainment. Let me tell you I absolutely loved it. The music, including the dance numbers and just regular scenes, was indescribably good. The dialogue and directing, whilst cheesy and tough to adapt to, were so refreshing and fun.

‘Sticking the landing’ (so to speak) is a rarity in film, genuinely - but this one managed it. There were emotional beats throughout, but the final one hit home with effectiveness. I am now a fan of Indian cinema.

83/100

Babylon

Highly anticipated in the UK after it was released a month earlier in the USA, it gained a reputation for being extremely polarising, with film lovers completely divided between loving and hating it.

My non-spoiler summary is that elements of the film were pure 24-carat gold, and then the other, longer stretches of the film were just ‘pretty good’. It satarised Hollywood very much like Tarintino did in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, but this didn’t have the magnetism of Leo DiCaprio.

Should you take the three-hour plunge? Well it actually didn’t drag too much, and those aforementioned moments of gold really are worth it. Diego Calva did himself proud with his first Hollywood role, Brad Pitt is predictably hilarious, and this was also Margot Robbie’s best display of dramatic acting.

Almost incredible, I’ll relegate it to very good.

79/100

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix)

Rhian Johnson wasn’t a big fan of the second half of that title, he wanted it to be a completely standalone film like most whodunnits, and yet we will always compare it to the predecessor.

The summary I gave everyone is that this film is a little bit more complex, with a little bit less comedic charm than the first. Rest assured though, this series is full of both.

Glass Onion is so convoluted that it’s probably an attempt at being meta, spoofing the ridiculousness of most murder mysteries, but for the most part, it’s a joy.

Revealing anything would steal from the watching experience, but as far as 2-and-a-half-hour commitments go on streaming platforms, this would be a wise choice.

78/100 www.linktr.ee/bringamit