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Prey (2022)
A long-overdue return to basics
After umpteen gimmick-laden follow-ups, this is finally a true sequel to Predator. The slow, tense introduction establishes the characters, setting and stakes, then steadily escalating encounters with the Predator and other, more grounded threats ratchet up the drama and action. It finally explodes in a triple-whammy of inventive, tense and gore-splashed battle sequences. It's lean, it's mean, and I wish it was on the big screen.
Ghost Stories (2017)
Excellent supernatural mystery
A cut above the usual skeptic vs supernatural movie, necessarily episodic, with a good vein of comedy and a strong sense of dread. Like the rest of its little genre, it has interesting things to say about the social role of the paranormal, but it comes alive when it turns its attention to its protagonist.
Whiteout (2009)
CSI: Antarctica stumbles on storytelling, looks good
"SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE" intones the opening caption, indicating that the action takes place somewhere on the lower half of the planet Earth. Seconds in, and already I have the gnawing feeling that I am not about to meet a slickly-engineered, taut piece of storytelling like this summer's "District 9" or "Moon". "Whiteout" puts the standard "police procedural" plot in an interesting setting, but basic narrative failings, stiff dialogue, and inconsistent visuals rob it of its impact.
The structural failures seem to be the result of a poor translation from serial fiction. The action bumbles between locations with little or no time to establish any atmosphere, as though checking off events in a longer, more patient narrative. On one occasion, a villain is chased to one place only so the heroes can chase him back. On another, characters become trapped underground for a not-exactly-nail-biting ten minutes of screen time, long enough to realise what happened in the movie's pre-title sequence and flash back to it, before escaping. It goes without saying that this flashback is utterly unnecessary, given that we've seen the events in question about half an hour ago. The movie is littered with such re-runs, exposition speeches and dream sequences, reminding or summarising events which remain fresh in the memory. Although surely necessary when the plot was provided in weekly or monthly instalments, they were seemingly translated across to film with little regard for the absurdity of the result.
The acting throughout is competent, but the cast have little to work with. Dialogue is functional, existing to further the plot and providing essentially no characterisation, much less character development, for anyone but the lead. Her backstory is dealt with through an increasingly repetitive sequence of CSI-ish flashbacks that mercifully end around the half-way mark and which predictably explain the heroine's icy response to her partner. This iciness ends abruptly about a scene later.
Visually, the movie alternates between the glorious and the irritating. As befits a graphic novel adaptation, there are many wonderfully-composed shots - including several establishing shots which stumble out mid-flow simply to look good - but we move across or between them with no care or grace, and action degenerates into a sub-Transformers shaky-cam mess. There's much to like here, but I expect it comes straight from the comic.
My last word is for the setting. Apparently as a tie-in, my local cinema is screening Carpenter's "The Thing", a movie which derived great tension from the inhospitable isolation of the location. For much of its run-time, "Whiteout" depicts Antarctica as a close-knit network of outposts within a comfortable flight of each other. The danger is largely informed, that is, literally spelled out to us on screen, but rarely comes across in the action. A "boot camp" scene appears in the first act to spell out the behavioural effects of hypothermia, but the worst any character experiences is a plot-essential case of frostbite, and the entire exercise is undermined by the gratuitous and luxurious shower scene which played out a few hundred hards away five minutes previous. Isolation does kick in during the final act, but only long enough for a farcical action scene. No tension is derived from it.
"Whiteout" is a mess. The whodunnit plot is bolted, crudely, to a setting which is largely irrelevant, and is simply not told well. There are a few moments of visual splendour, but not enough to elevate the movie from the mediocre.
Sunshine (2007)
Amazing, fascinating, but far from perfect
Sunshine's first hour is an exhaustingly tense affair, mixing classic sci-fi tropes with its own startling ideas and incredible visuals. Backstory is left untold and characters are sketched at a breakneck pace to allow the movie to race on, focusing on the suicidally dangerous situation the crew have placed themselves in and its effect on them all. By the time the film twisted, I felt about as beaten-down as the crew, and there's a respite which finally releases the tension without losing it altogether. Sadly events take a turn for the straightforward at this stage, and the film falls into a plod. While it picks up at the climax, it never completely recovers its freshness, and the ending itself balances on a knife-edge between genuine emotion and triteness.
Nevertheless, it's an unforgettable experience, and one which only works on the big screen. The awesomeness and hostility of space has seldom been captured so well, and the soundtrack pushes emotional buttons home when the characters and plot twists don't quite succeed. As a pedantic geek, the best thing I can say about this film is that I was aware of dubious plot points and gross scientific errors throughout, but they were unable break the film's grip.
The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
A reasonable conclusion to a messy franchise
Revolutions isn't the film it should've been. Characters don't quite engage the way they might, the story doesn't thrill and enthrall as it should. Yet it still manages to be enjoyable- action sequences are well directed, particularly the central battle in the real world, which combines war movie cliche with jaw-dropping scale and scope with breathtaking effect.
How well you enjoy the rest of the movie depends on how much you enjoy Smith's snarkiness and feel for the leads- while I found it amusing, melancholy and uplifting in turns, if you were annoyed by Reloaded you'll be ready to strangle the Watchowski brothers by the finale. An affinity for Don Davis' score is a plus; giving yourself over to the emotions the (relatively tonal) music weaves improves the film immeasurably.
Fainaru fantajî VII (1997)
Fantastic
FF7 is epic in narrative and emotional scope, and is supported by a tightly-constructed magic system and distinctively capable characters. By moving on from the "jobs" system of previous FF games, it was able to stake new ground for the series. Few games have as varied a pace, and a distinctive sense of atmosphere. The soundtrack is truly incredible, with a unique style and emotional resonance. And the visuals? They manage to combine the functionality of the previous FF games with a whole new level of splendour and variety.
An absolutely unmissable game, although those determined to blast through will find themselves held back by the narrative, which is arguably the focus.
The Animatrix (2003)
Thought Bubbles
It goes without saying that The Animatrix is a mixed bag. Some of the shorts revel in obscure symbolism (Matriculated). Some are grounded tales of familiar Matrix themes (Kid's Story). In between are the majority, which explore familiar themes in an imaginative way (the lucid dream that is Beyond, for example), or indulge a director's penchant for a certain film genre (A Detective Story).
While there are some shorts that will do nothing but annoy certain people, they do nothing to reduce the quality of the collection as a whole- if you're after a bag of thought-provoking ideas with coo-inducing visual styles, look no further.
Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions (1999)
Puzzley action nuggets? Hmm...
While some would complain that MGS contained too much yak and not enough action, Special/ VR Missions suffers from the opposite problem- while it contains 300 subtly crafted, challenging and engaging missions, the lack of a storyline means it's all too easy to decide it's not worth the bother and give up. Which is a pity, as those bitten by the stealth bug will find much to love, from the purity of the weaponless sneaking missions to the joypad-tossing frustration of the Puzzle challenges.
More of an optional add-on pack for completists, its successor (MGS2: Substance) added more variety and a welcome injection of story-based missions.