Final Destination - Series Retrospective

Every October, I try to do a horror-themed post in recognition of the Halloween season. However, for reasons that even I don’t really understand, I wasn’t able to do one last year. There were only three posts that were published on this site last October and they were all reviews for films that weren’t even close to being a part of the horror genre. With that in mind, I wanted to make up for the lack of horror content last year by making sure that I do have something horror-related for you guys this year. Technically speaking, I already sort of did one a few weeks back with my retrospective on The Addams Family films since, as I noted in that post, the live-action Addams Family films from the ’90s have become staples of the Halloween programming blocks for several networks. However, since that’s more of a family-friendly franchise, I also wanted to do a post that would cover a horror franchise for the older demographic. Back in 2018, I did a retrospective on one of the most iconic horror franchises of all-time, Halloween, just in time for its latest installment. Naturally, this could have potentially led to me doing a retrospective on another classic horror franchise such as Friday the 13^th or A Nightmare on Elm Street. However, when it comes to those franchises in particular, there’s a bit of a complication that fans of both franchises will undoubtedly recognize; the fact that their iconic antagonists had a full-blown crossover film that was released in 2003, Freddy vs. Jason. Because of this, I feel that if I was ever going to discuss those franchises, I’d have to do both so that I can cover them in their entirety, and at this point, I really don’t have any time to do something like that for this year’s Halloween. After all, we are talking about a pair of franchises that have at least 8 or more films to their name. So instead, I decided to cover a franchise that has a much smaller amount of films to cover. Plus, the franchise in question is one that I’m a lot more familiar with as it was one of the first big horror franchises that I ever watched. And so, with that in mind, for this year’s Halloween post on Rhode Island Movie Corner, I’ll be tackling the Final Destination franchise.

As I’ve noted plenty of times over the past few years, it was only until recently that I started to gain a greater affection for the horror genre. Nevertheless, I did watch a few of the big-name horror films in the early 2010s when I was first truly getting into the field of film criticism, and if you were to ask me which horror franchises were the ones that officially kicked things off for me, there were two in particular. First, there were the Scream films, which is a franchise that I covered on this site way back in 2014, and then there’s the topic of today’s post, the Final Destination series. This is a franchise that is based around a simple but effective hook. In each installment, a group of characters ends up surviving a fatal accident such as a plane crash or highway pile-up because one of them has a premonition where they witness it happen. But while they manage to survive that initial brush with Death, they’re eventually picked off one by one in a series of elaborately staged accidents. This premise is what bolstered the franchise for its initial five-film run from 2000 to 2011, and while none of the films were necessarily big hits with critics, they did do quite well with audiences. In other words, all five films were solid hits at the box-office, collectively grossing over $665 million worldwide, and while it’s been nearly a decade since the franchise’s most recent outing, there have been talks of a potential follow-up. It’s also been reported that this new film will shift things up a bit by focusing on first responders who, unlike the traditional protagonists of these films, experience death regularly. But until then, we have the first five films of this series which, as we’ll soon find out, end up varying quite a bit when it comes to their overall quality. With all that in mind, be mindful that death could be around any corner (and yes, I fully recognize that saying that is tragically ironic given our current worldwide predicament…) and remember that, “In death, there are no accidents, no coincidences, no mishaps, and no escapes…” as we look at the Final Destination films.

FINAL DESTINATION (2000)

It all begins, of course, with the original Final Destination from 2000, which was spawned from a script that writer Jeffrey Reddick had written for a potential episode of The X-Files. Said script was then reworked by director James Wong and producer Glen Morgan into the film that we know today. It’s a film that certainly fits the bill of being a ‘franchise-starter’ since it effectively sets up many of this franchise’s definitive aspects, such as its main premise (represented in this instance by a group of high-school students (plus one of their teachers) surviving a plane crash) and its elaborate Rube Goldberg-esque kills. Admittedly, it’s far from perfect, mostly due to some undercooked plot-threads (e.g. the main protagonist being hounded by a pair of FBI agents) and director James Wong’s habit of relying a bit too heavily on foreshadowing. But in the case of the former, it seems like this was mostly due to poor test screenings that resulted in some plot-points being cut and, most notably, a fully reshot finale that, to its credit, is superior to the film’s original ending. With that in mind, the film works quite well as a horror-thriller with some excellent death-centric set pieces that still manage to stand out even when compared to some of the most iconic and FAR more graphic moments from the sequels. It also has one of the better ensembles of the franchise as led by Devon Sawa as Alex Browning, this film’s main protagonist whose deadly premonition is what kicks everything into motion, and Ali Larter as Alex’s fellow survivor and eventual love interest Clear Rivers. There’s also a key appearance by horror icon Tony Todd (AKA ‘The Candyman’) as William Bludworth, an enigmatic mortician who offers Alex and Clear some cryptic insights on Death’s grand design. And so, in conclusion, the best thing that I can say about the first Final Destination is that when compared to its sequels, its admirably straightforward in its approach. While I wouldn’t necessarily call this the ‘best’ installment of the franchise, it’s still a generally well-polished film that, as noted before, effectively got the ball rolling for one of the most prominent horror franchises of the 2000s.

Rating: 4/5

FINAL DESTINATION 2 (2003)

With both director James Wong and writer/producer Glen Morgan occupied with other projects, Final Destination 2 underwent a notable change in direction. Directorial duties were taken over by the late David R. Ellis, a long-time stunt coordinator/second unit director who would then go on to direct 2006’s internet sensation, Snakes on a Plane. Sure enough, Ellis’ background in stunts contributes greatly to this film’s set-pieces, with many of them being some of the best in the entire franchise. For one thing, it certainly helps that they were largely done with practical effects, especially since the same cannot be said for some of the kills in the sequels. However, the best of the bunch is this film’s big accident sequence, which comes in the form of a massive highway pile-up. The film also does a nice job of feeling like a natural continuation of the franchise, whether it’s the reveal that the events of the first film spared the lives of this film’s group of survivors or by having Ali Larter return as Clear, the sole survivor of the first film’s main protagonists. Larter’s return makes up for the film having some of the weaker main characters of the series, although this is technically more of a script issue rather than anything having to do with the actors playing them. Nevertheless, while Final Destination 2 was, ironically, the lowest-grossing installment of the series (it’s the only entry that didn’t gross over $100 million worldwide), it’s widely regarded by fans as a superior sequel, and really, it’s easy to see why. Not only does it feature some of the best examples of what these films are mainly known for (i.e. their kills) but its efforts to expand upon the franchise’s lore results in a film that is arguably a lot more narratively consistent than its predecessor. And because of this, it is easily one of the franchise’s best installments, especially when compared to the next few films.

Rating: 4/5

FINAL DESTINATION 3 (2006)

After being unavailable for the second film, co-writers James Wong and Glen Morgan returned for the third Final Destination film in their respective roles of director and producer. But while Final Destination 2 successfully managed to be a natural follow-up to the first film, Wong and Morgan elected to have the third film adopt a ‘back to basics’ approach. Because of this, Final Destination 3 largely feels like it’s taking a step backward as far as this series’ progression is concerned. In other words, while Wong and Morgan do succeed in making it feel more in line with the first film, that also means that it carries over the same issues from that film which, for the most part, had been fixed in the second film. So once again, some plotlines don’t get the attention that they probably should’ve while James Wong’s over-reliance on foreshadowing is even more apparent here than it was in the first film. And if that wasn’t enough, this is where the one thing that is arguably the biggest problem with some of the later Final Destination films officially starts coming into play; the fact that most of its characters are wholly unlikable and are just there to be killed off. However, if there’s one exception to this, it would be this film’s main protagonist, Wendy Christensen, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead in her first leading role. Winstead does a terrific job in making Wendy one of the more sympathetic protagonists of the franchise, especially since the same cannot be said for all the other characters in this film. Plus, to the film’s credit, it does have its fair share of memorable set-pieces, whether it’s a fiery pair of kills that occur at a tanning salon or this installment’s big accident sequence on a high-speed roller-coaster (occasional gaps in logic notwithstanding). Thus, while I’ll admit that there may be a bit of bias in the following statement since this was the first of the series that I ever watched, I’d say that Final Destination 3 is a decent albeit forgettable entry in the franchise. While it certainly boasts many of the issues that would end up becoming even worse in the next film, it manages to do just enough to avoid being a total disaster. It’s by no means the best film in the series… but it’s also far from being its worst.

Rating: 3/5

THE FINAL DESTINATION (2009)

When it was first released, it was reported that The Final Destination was going to be, fittingly enough, the final installment of the franchise… although this only lasted about a year or so once it was confirmed that a fifth film was in the works. It may have had something to do with the fact that this ended up being the highest-grossing installment of the franchise, especially since it was filmed and presented in 3-D right in the midst of the medium’s resurgence. At the same time, though, it was downright savaged by critics… and they weren’t wrong about this one. Like Final Destination 3, this film is largely undone by how frustratingly by-the-numbers it is. Without any noteworthy attempts at expanding upon this well-established premise, it’s nothing but a rehash of the previous films with some of the most mediocre set-pieces in the franchise’s history. Aside from only a few exceptions, none of them even come close to being as memorable as the ones from previous films (not even this film’s big accident sequence, which is just a simple auto race crash). It also doesn’t help that a lot of them were CG-based with effects that, to be perfectly blunt, didn’t even look good at the time. But just like Final Destination 3, this film’s biggest shortcoming is that you don’t give a single crap about any of the characters. Apart from Mykelti Williamson as a good-natured security guard named George with a tragic backstory, the rest of the characters in this film are way too one-dimensional and, in some cases, not particularly well-acted. Because of all this, it goes without saying that The Final Destination is easily the worst installment of the franchise. Sure, it may have seen the return of Final Destination 2 director David R. Ellis, but overall, it’s basically the antithesis of everything that worked in that film.

Rating: 0.5/5

(And before you ask, I didn’t see this film (or the next one, for that matter…) in 3-D, which means that, just like Jaws 3-D, watching this in 2-D means that we’re left with a film that tries a bit too hard to go all-out with its 3-D effects).

FINAL DESTINATION 5 (2011)

And so, as noted earlier, the commercial success of The Final Destination paved the way for the fifth film in 2011, but for this one, there was another big change in direction. Instead of just maintaining the directorial pattern of shifting between James Wong and David R. Ellis, this film served as the directorial debut of Steven Quale, who was previously known for his work as a second-unit director, most notably on James Cameron’s Titanic and Avatar. And because of this pivotal change in direction, Final Destination 5 is a massive improvement over the franchise’s last two outings in every possible way. For starters, it boasts a whole bunch of terrific set-pieces, including, of course, its big accident sequence involving a bridge collapse. And yes, a few of these are still a bit CG-heavy, but unlike the last film, there is, at the very least, a better balance between practical and digital effects. But perhaps the biggest improvement here is that, after two films that were full of utterly detestable characters who were nothing more than kill fodder, this film features some of the franchise’s better characters. Sure, there are still quite a few one-note meat bags here and there, but the film makes up for this with two of the franchise’s most sympathetic leads, main protagonist Sam (Nicholas D’Agosto) and his girlfriend Molly (Emma Bell). Plus, there’s also a solid human antagonist in Sam’s best friend Peter (Miles Fisher), who’s so affected by these proceedings that he ends up taking some truly drastic measures, and we even get Tony Todd returning for another cameo as Bludworth the mortician. The latter development is especially significant since the character didn’t appear in the last two films (although Todd did make a notable voice cameo in 3). And then, to top it all off, there’s this film’s excellent final twist, which I won’t spoil here for those who haven’t seen it but will note that it does a fantastic job of connecting this film to the rest of the franchise. With all this in mind, Final Destination 5 is, in every way imaginable, the best installment of the franchise. Like Final Destination 2, it successfully manages to be a natural follow-up to its predecessors but it’s also arguably the most polished entry of the bunch thanks to the solid direction from Steven Quale, its great set-pieces, and one of the franchise’s best ensemble casts. Plus, until the long-rumored sixth film comes out, this one allowed the franchise’s original run to end on a great note rather than a terrible one.

Rating: 4.5/5

The Mandalorian: Season 1 Review (Disney+)

 

“This is the way.”

WARNING: FOR THOSE WHO ARE NEW TO THIS SITE, WHENEVER I REVIEW A SEASON OF A TV SHOW, I USUALLY TEND TO DIVE RIGHT INTO SPOILER TERRITORY TO PROPERLY DISCUSS EVERY KEY DETAIL OF THAT SEASON. WITH THAT IN MIND, IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED SEASON 1 OF THE MANDALORIAN YET, MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

(So… you’re probably wondering why it took me nearly a full year to get around to this. Well, you can primarily chalk that up to me being consistently preoccupied with other projects like my Top 12 of 2019 list and the retrospectives that I’ve done for franchises such as Scooby-Doo, National Treasure, and Bill & Ted. And yes, I know how incredibly ironic that argument is given the fact that COVID-19 basically left us with a lot more free time on our hands, but I guess you could say that I’m just one of those folks who likes to finish the projects that I’m currently working on before starting a new one. But now, with Season 2 set to debut on October 30^th, the time has finally come for me to tackle the Star Wars franchise’s first live-action TV series.)

At this point, I really don’t need to explain how big of a franchise Star Wars has been for the past four decades since its enduring cultural legacy and monumental impact on practically every major form of media clearly does the job for me. However, some of you might be surprised to learn that the one facet of the media landscape that Star Wars hasn’t really delved into until recently is live-action television. Yes, for the longest time, the Star Wars franchise’s forays into television were primarily animated. This included, among others, the two spin-off series in the ’80s that were produced by the Canadian animation studio Nelvana, Droids and Ewoks, Genndy Tartakovsky’s critically-acclaimed Clone Wars series which ran from 2003 to 2005, and the various shows that have been produced by Dave Filoni such as The Clone Wars and Rebels. Now, to be clear, this doesn’t mean that there haven’t been any live-action Star Wars TV projects… it’s just that it’s been quite a while since they were made. For starters, there were a pair of made-for-television films centered around the Ewoks, Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure in 1984 and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor in 1985. But for the longest time, the Star Wars franchise’s biggest connection to live-action television was the infamous 1978 production that was the Star Wars Holiday Special, and to mirror George Lucas’ own thoughts about it… the less said about it, the better. However, in 2005, not long before the release of Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, plans for a new live-action TV series set in the Star Wars universe were announced at that year’s Star Wars Celebration. Officially titled Star Wars: Underworld in 2012, it was reported that the show would be set in-between the events of the prequel and original trilogies and, unlike the films, was going to be more of a noir-inspired show that focused on both the criminal and political conflicts occurring all over a galaxy far, far away.

There were, reportedly, around 100 episodes planned with at least half of them having nearly completed scripts (according to prequel trilogy producer Rick McCallum, they were in the ‘second draft’ stage). However, the series soon found itself hitting a brick wall when it became clear that it would be way too expensive of a show to be produced for either network or cable television. And while it was reportedly still in the works following Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm in 2012, Underworld ultimately never saw the light of day. The only noteworthy elements that came out of it were plotlines that influenced the franchise’s future anthology films, Rogue One and Solo. However, this did not stop Lucasfilm from making another attempt at developing the first official live-action Star Wars TV series, which finally came to be in the form of The Mandalorian, arguably the biggest project to headline the launch day content of Disney’s new streaming service, Disney+. The show is primarily the brainchild of Jon Favreau, AKA the man responsible for kick-starting the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the original Iron Man and other hits such as the modern holiday classic Elf and the live-action remake of Disney’s The Jungle Book. As the title suggests, the show largely focuses on the titular group of warriors within the Star Wars universe who often work as bounty hunters. Mandalorian culture was first introduced in Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back through the character of Boba Fett who, while not technically an official Mandalorian, has consistently been one of the franchise’s most popular characters despite his admittedly limited role in the original trilogy. But now there’s a new Mandalorian bounty hunter on the scene thanks to a show that not only does a wonderful job of expanding upon the considerably massive Star Wars universe, but also delivers on everything else that fans have come to expect from the biggest franchise in cinematic history.

The Mandalorian takes place about five years after the events of Episode VI – Return of the Jedi. While it’s still plenty of years before the remnants of the Galactic Empire reunite to form the First Order, the galaxy is still rife with plenty of lawless individuals. It is in this environment that Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), a member of the Mandalorian tribe who is solely referred to by others as ‘The Mandalorian’, goes about his business as one of the galaxy’s most revered bounty hunters. After delivering his latest bounties to his primary associate on the planet Nevarro, Bounty Hunters’ Guild leader Greef Karga (Carl Weathers), Karga directs The Mandalorian to his newest client, a mysterious, unnamed man (Werner Herzog) who’s revealed to be a former member of the Empire. Said client promises the Mandalorian a large amount of Beskar steel, the material used to craft Mandalorian armor, in exchange for the capture and return of his target, and while he isn’t given much information about the target apart from its age and last known location, the Mandalorian promptly embarks on his new assignment. But while he does manage to successfully find the target, he is surprised to discover that it is a young green-skinned alien with large ears. And while the Mandalorian does obey the Bounty Hunter code by delivering the target back to the Client without any questions asked, he soon begins to form a bond with ‘The Child’ and ultimately decides to protect it when he begins to grow concerned about what the Client plans to do with it, especially once he learns that it possesses some mysterious abilities. Naturally, though, this promptly makes them two of the biggest targets in the galaxy as they are forced to go on the run from anyone daring enough to try and hunt them down.

To properly discuss this show, I’m going to have to mention something that is guaranteed to rile up the Star Wars fandom… subverting expectations. It’s a concept that has almost single-handedly fueled the flames of the franchise’s annoyingly vocal group of haters following the release of The Last Jedi, AKA another Star Wars release that made headlines for going against the fandom’s expectations. At the same time, though, it has also arguably become the internet’s new standard for how all future Star Wars projects are to be judged given the largely polarizing reaction towards The Rise of Skywalker. And yet, while none of this has ever had a significant impact on my thoughts towards the franchise’s recent outings, The Mandalorian is, indeed, another case where those involved genuinely managed to take us by surprise. In other words, I have the feeling that, going into this show, a lot of folks were primarily expecting it to be something along the lines of a gritty western given the fact that it would be focusing on one of the Star Wars galaxy’s many bounty hunters. And while that is very much an accurate description of the show in terms of both its plot and overall atmosphere, the reveal at the end of Chapter 1 regarding ‘The Child’, who is shown to be from the same race as Yoda, adds a unique additional layer to what this series is ultimately about. Instead of just being a story of an emotionally distant bounty hunter traversing the galaxy and hunting down his targets, it’s also about that same bounty hunter learning to take on the responsibility of being a father figure for the far more innocent being that he was originally sent to capture. Sure enough, this is what  gives this show the kind of emotional depth that has thoroughly bolstered the franchise’s best cinematic outings while still giving Jon Favreau and his crew plenty of great opportunities to showcase a different side of the Star Wars universe in a creatively satisfying manner.

Said story comes together phenomenally in this eight-episode season. That said, though, I am aware that there has been some criticism about the show’s pacing which, from what I can gather, often revolves around the fact that these episodes are usually about half an hour long at best. And yet, as cool as it would’ve been to have longer episodes that would have given us more time with these characters, I also feel that these shorter episodes allow for a much tighter overarching plot, which helps the show avoid any stretches where its proceedings start to drag. Sure, there are a few episodes around the halfway point that deviate a bit from the main plot, but as much as one could very well describe these as ‘filler’ episodes, they still manage to be just as engaging as the episodes where the Mandalorian contends with those who are hunting ‘The Child’. In fact, one of the best things that I can say about this show is that each of these episodes gives off a terrific episodic feel, which is an approach that has always worked wonderfully for Star Wars (almost all the films are referred to as ‘Episodes’, after all…). Of course, much of this is thanks to what Favreau has described as a “Dirty Dozen/Magnificent Seven type” crew of directors which consists of Dave Filoni, Rick Famuyiwa, Deborah Chow, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Taika Waititi. All five of them do a wonderful job of capturing that classic Star Wars feel in their respective episodes whether it’s thanks to the strong comedic banter between characters or the top-notch action sequences. The show also happens to boast some of the sharpest visuals from any Star Wars production to date. Much of this is due to how it was shot, with most sequences being filmed in front of a massive video wall that utilized fully rendered backgrounds courtesy of Epic Games’ Unreal Engine. It’s a technique that was clearly inspired by Favreau’s work on both The Jungle Book and The Lion King, and while this does mean that a lot of the show’s visuals are CG-based, the visual effects work here is so seamless that you’d legitimately never notice.

The show also follows in the footsteps of the franchise’s best outings by featuring a top-notch ensemble cast, although it is worth noting that, technically, Pedro Pascal is the only ‘main’ star since he’s the only one apart from ‘The Child’ (who, like Yoda before him, is a puppet) to appear in all eight episodes. And since the Mandalorian is always in full Mandalorian armor, sometimes it’s Pascal’s stunt doubles (Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder) in the suit instead of him. Nevertheless, Pascal (and, by extension, Wayne and Crowder) does a phenomenal job in the role as he perfectly conveys the character’s world-weary nature while simultaneously excelling at the physical demands that stem from a character who never shows his face but still manages to relay so much simply through his actions. Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring up the character that has clearly been the series’ breakout star, The Child, affectionately referred to by fans as ‘Baby Yoda’ for obvious reasons. Just like how Yoda was portrayed in the original trilogy (and The Last Jedi), The Child is brought to life by puppetry with only minimal CGI used… which can partially be attributed to the fact that co-star Werner Herzog straight-up called Favreau and his team ‘cowards’ for even considering going the full CGI route. Naturally, this is one of the many reasons why The Child instantly becomes an utterly adorable character and undeniable scene-stealer. As for everyone else in the cast, they very much make the most out of their roles even if they only appear in a few episodes. It all begins with the series’ female lead, Gina Carano as Cara Dune, a former Rebel shock trooper who’s later revealed to be from Princess Leia’s ill-fated home planet of Alderaan. Cara doesn’t appear until Episode 4 and only appears in 3 episodes overall, but that doesn’t stop Carano from being another fine addition to the franchise’s ever-growing line of terrific female heroines as her MMA background is a perfect match for a character who is immediately established as a no-nonsense, badass warrior.

Much of what I just noted with Carano also applies to the other main characters in this show. Established veterans such as Carl Weathers and Nick Nolte (the latter of whom provides the voice of Kuiil (who’s portrayed physically by stuntwoman Misty Rosas), an Ugnaught moisture farmer who becomes one of the Mandalorian’s most loyal allies) are great as always in their respective roles. The same can be said for other standout supporting players such as Emily Swallow as the Mandalorian tribe’s wise Armorer and Taika Waititi as bounty hunter droid IG-11, who immediately proves to be another great addition to the franchise’s collection of droid characters. This cast is so terrific that even characters who are only in single episodes such as Bill Burr’s hot-headed mercenary Mayfeld (a casting choice that has been widely noted as incredibly ironic given his long-standing criticisms of the franchise) and Ming-Na Wen’s cold and calculating assassin Fennec Shand prove to be just as memorable as the main protagonists. Finally, we come to the two main antagonists of the season, both of whom fully succeed at making quite an impression even with their admittedly limited screen-time. First, there’s Werner Herzog (yes, that Werner Herzog) as the Mandalorian’s enigmatic new client. He only appears in a few episodes and could ultimately be considered as being more of a ‘red herring’ villain given how the story plays out, but Herzog steals the screen in every scene that he’s in thanks to his strong screen presence. This then brings us to the other villain of the season, Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff Gideon, a former member of the Empire’s secret police. This character doesn’t even appear until the penultimate episode of the season and yet Esposito still manages to immediately set him up as one of the most imposing antagonists in franchise history, especially since it’s recently been confirmed that he’ll play a much larger role in Season 2.

Given my affinity for the recent Star Wars films, it probably isn’t that surprising that I really loved Season 1 of The Mandalorian. However, before we go any further, I just want to elaborate a bit on what I mean by that. You see, as much as I love this show, that doesn’t automatically mean that I think that it’s the ‘best’ Star Wars project that has come out since Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012. Now to be clear, I’m not trying to discourage anyone who legitimately thinks that it is because, in the show’s defense, it truly is a sharply produced series that is quite arguably worthy of that honor. It’s just that, from experience, I find that this argument often tends to stem from all those wholly obnoxious Last Jedi haters who use it as part of their unwavering efforts to rag on the recent trilogy. It’s even gotten to the point where they’ve been touting Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni as the ones who will allegedly ‘save’ Star Wars even though I know damn well that they’ll just start hating on them if the two of them ever did something that they don’t like because… well, that’s just what they always do. So instead, I’m just going to focus on why The Mandalorian is simply yet another rousing success for the Star Wars franchise. Thanks to the strong creative guidance of Jon Favreau and the phenomenal work from his directorial crew, The Mandalorian is a highly compelling, for lack of a better term, ‘episodic saga’ that manages to deliver a genuinely unique spin on the classic Western genre of storytelling that it’s very much inspired by. Its breathtaking visuals rival those of the recent Star Wars films and it also boasts one of the franchise’s best ensemble casts, and because of all this, it definitively sets the stage for what is sure to be an exciting new era for the Star Wars franchise.

SEASON 1 RATING: 5/5!

Now, before we conclude today’s review, I wanted to do something along the lines of what I did a few years back when I reviewed the first few seasons of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and do a rankings list of my favorite episodes from this season. But since this season only consisted of eight episodes, I decided to rank them all instead of just doing a traditional Top 5. Before we continue, though, I need to stress one important detail. This will not be a case where I’ll be ranking them from ‘worst’ to ‘best’ because, as I alluded to earlier in this review, there were honestly no ‘bad’ episodes from this season. Each of these eight episodes were wonderfully crafted by their respective directors and are all memorable in their own unique ways, which is another reason why I decided to cover all of them instead of a select few.

8. CHAPTER 2: THE CHILD

We start this list off with Chapter 2, ‘The Child’, which was the first of two episodes directed by Rick Famuyiwa, fresh off 2015’s critically-acclaimed coming-of-age drama Dope. Precisely continuing from the pilot episode’s unforgettable cliffhanger, this episode sees the Mandalorian begin the journey back to Nevarro with The Child in tow. He does begin to run into some trouble, however, when he fights off a bunch of rival bounty hunters who are also after The Child. And if that wasn’t enough, he then discovers that his ship, the Razor Crest, has been thoroughly scavenged by Jawas, thus forcing him to try and negotiate with them (with the help of Kuiil) so that he can get it back in working order. As I noted earlier, this episode’s placement at the bottom of the list doesn’t mean that it’s a ‘bad’ episode. Sure, it may be a rather short one at just half an hour long, but it’s chock-full of great action sequences such as the Mandalorian’s first attempt at pursuing the Jawas, which promptly ends with him getting hit with a whole bunch of electric shocks that knock him right off the top of their Sandcrawler. There’s also a lot of great humorous moments, like when the Mandalorian gets so frustrated with the Jawas during their negotiation that he nearly sets some of them on fire with his flamethrower. Eventually, though, he and Kuiil manage to strike up a deal with them that results in him having to collect the egg of a vicious horned creature known as a Mudhorn. And while the Mudhorn does proceed to give him quite a bit of trouble, he ends up being aided by The Child, who manages to subdue it with the Force. Thus, the Mandalorian acquires the egg and gives it to the Jawas, who promptly devour its contents, and he and Kuiil manage to fix his ship, with the latter rejecting his offer to tag along as his new crew member. All in all, this is a really fun episode that, like the pilot, does a great job of slowly but surely revealing more of the overall story which, in this instance, namely stems from the reveal that The Child is one with the Force. Really, the only reason why it’s at the bottom of this list is that it simply ends up being outdone by the other 7 episodes.

7. CHAPTER 7: THE RECKONING

I realize that placing this episode at, fittingly enough, the number 7 spot on this list may be a bit controversial given the fact that it was one of two episodes this season that received a perfect 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But just like Chapter 2, this ultimately comes down to overall preference rather than me having anything bad to say about it. The episode begins with the Mandalorian being contacted by Greef Karga, who requests his help in taking down the Client and his Imperial forces on Nevarro in exchange for Greef clearing up their current predicament with the Bounty Hunters’ Guild. He then proceeds to recruit both Cara Dune and Kuiil to aid in the mission but is surprised to learn that the latter has rebuilt IG-11 after he’d destroyed it in Episode 1 and has reprogrammed it so that it can now serve as The Child’s protector. Naturally, he ends up taking issue with this, not only because IG-11 was originally intent on killing The Child but because he’s also been established as having a severe distrust of droids, which is ultimately expanded upon in the finale. It also ties into a recurring plot-point in this episode where the group is repeatedly riddled with personal conflicts, such as The Child force-choking Cara due to a misunderstanding and Kuiil revealing that he used to work for the Empire (albeit as an indentured servant), which doesn’t fly well with Cara given her history with the Rebels. Despite running the occasional risk of over-complicating these proceedings, these moments serve as some excellent bits of character development for the Mandalorian and his crew, especially since many of them are given highly effective pay-offs by the end of the season.

Anyway, the group eventually makes their way back to Nevarro, where they meet up with Greef and his crew and are informed that they’ll have to travel to the town on foot since it’s been completely overtaken by the Client’s troops. At one point, the group is attacked by a group of winged creatures and while Greef sustains some serious injuries from this encounter, The Child ends up healing him with the Force (On a side note, remember when Rey did the exact same thing in Rise of Skywalker and yet a lot of people gave her crap for it?). Because of this, Greef ultimately decides to go against his group’s ‘true’ plan of killing the Mandalorian by killing his associates instead and promising to legitimately help the Mandalorian and his crew protect The Child. However, instead of just ending with a traditional finale where the Mandalorian and crew successfully take down the Client by fooling him into thinking that they’ve brought The Child to him, the episode ends up taking a much different route. During the meeting between the two parties, the Client receives a call from one of his associates… before he and his men are promptly annihilated by a barrage of gunfire. The Mandalorian, Cara, and Greef barely manage to survive this onslaught before finding themselves cornered by the Client’s associate, Moff Gideon, and his army of stormtroopers. Gideon proclaims that he’ll soon have The Child in his possession as we see a pair of scout troopers pursuing Kuiil as he brings The Child back to the Razor Crest. The episode ends on a tragic note as the Troopers kill Kuiil and grab The Child. And so, while this may not be my personal favorite episode from this season, its incredibly intense climax is an undisputed highlight as it perfectly sets the stage for an epic finale.

6. CHAPTER 1: THE MANDALORIAN

While the first episode of a new series usually ends up being overshadowed by the episodes that follow, that doesn’t mean that they can’t be just as great by comparison, and that certainly applies to The Mandalorian’s pilot episode, which served as Star Wars mainstay Dave Filoni’s live-action directorial debut. Thanks to this episode, we get an excellent introduction to the title character and the section of the Star Wars galaxy that he inhabits right from the opening sequence where he nabs an overly talkative bounty. This, of course, then paves the way for our first glimpses at the season’s main plot as the Mandalorian accepts a high-paying commission that’s being offered by a mysterious Client with former ties to the Empire. It’s the episode where we first meet the good-natured Kuiil, who helps the Mandalorian prepare for his journey by helping him learn how to ride a mountable creature known as a Blurrg. Ultimately, though, the biggest highlight of this episode is its action-packed climax in which the Mandalorian reaches his target’s location and proceeds to take on a whole bunch of goons with the help of droid bounty hunter IG-11. As he’s basically known to do nowadays, Taika Waititi is an utterly delightful standout as the no-nonsense assassin droid and the comedic rapport between IG-11 and the Mandalorian is fantastic, especially whenever the latter has to keep the former from initiating his self-destruct function. This, of course, then brings us to the episode’s instantly iconic finale as the two bounty hunters find their target and discover that it’s a young alien child. And while IG-11 intends on killing it, the Mandalorian proceeds to subdue his new associate since he intends on bringing The Child back alive. Thus, thanks to Dave Filoni’s excellent direction and the sharp script from Jon Favreau, this first episode is a brilliant kick-starter for this great new series.

5. CHAPTER 6: THE PRISONER

Rick Famuyiwa’s second episode of the season begins with the Mandalorian reuniting with one of his old colleagues, Ranzar ‘Ran’ Malk (Mark Boone Junior), who requests his help in teaming up with a bunch of his mercenaries to rescue one of their own from a New Republic prison ship. And while this is the only episode in which Ran’s crew of mercenaries appears, they instantly manage to be a solidly memorable gang of criminals. This includes Bill Burr’s ex-Imperial sharpshooter Mayfeld (“I wasn’t a stormtrooper, wise-ass!”), Natalia Tena’s Xi’an, a fiery Twi’lek who’s implied to be one of the Mandalorian’s old flames, Clancy Brown’s Burg, the group’s Devaronian muscle, and a protocol droid named Q9-O voiced by Richard Ayoade. Overall, this episode delivers a delightfully exciting heist plot as the crew infiltrates the ship, fights off its collection of guard droids, and rescues Xi’an’s brother Qin (Ismael Cruz Cordova), who’s shown to have a complicated history with the Mandalorian. Sure enough, the Mandalorian then finds himself double-crossed by Mayfeld and his crew but is eventually able to get back at them by subduing Mayfeld, Xi’an, and Burg and sticking them in one of the ship’s cells. And as for Q9-O, he gets destroyed when he attempts to kidnap The Child after learning about the Mandalorian’s current situation. The only one that he ‘spares’ is Qin, who is then brought back to Ran’s space station, and while Ran immediately sends a gunship after his old associate, he is instead met with a trio of X-Wing pilots who were ‘guided’ there by the Mandalorian thanks to a distress signal that he got from the prison ship and promptly attack his base of operations. Now admittedly, this is one of those episodes that, as I mentioned earlier, is more of a ‘filler’ type episode since it deviates quite a bit from the main plot. And unlike the other episode from this season that could also be described as a ‘filler’ episode, this one doesn’t open in a way that, at the very least, still feels somewhat connected to everything and there aren’t many allusions to what’s mainly going on apart from when the mercenaries discover The Child. Still, for what it’s worth, this is a highly entertaining episode that still managed to do quite a lot with its ‘B-plot’.  

(It’s also worth noting that this episode features a bunch of fun cameos from various veterans of the Star Wars universe. The lone human guard that the crew comes across while on the prison ship, Davan, is played by Matt Lanter who, of course, is best known for voicing Anakin Skywalker in The Clone Wars. And as for the three X-Wing pilots who attack Ran’s station, they’re played by series directors Dave Filoni, Rick Famuyiwa, and Deborah Chow.)

4. CHAPTER 3: THE SIN

Chapter 3 proved to be quite notable upon its debut as it was the first piece of live-action Star Wars material to be directed by a woman. In this case, the honor goes to Deborah Chow, who’s directed episodes for various shows over the years such as Mr. Robot and Jessica Jones and is set to headline the production of another upcoming Star Wars series centered on Obi-Wan Kenobi. And sure enough, as far as her role in the future of this franchise is concerned, she immediately makes one hell of an outstanding first impression thanks to this action-packed episode that also does a great job of officially setting some of the series’ biggest character beats into motion. While it opens with the Mandalorian finally returning to Nevarro and delivering The Child to his client, it ends with him openly defying the Bounty Hunter Code to rescue The Child out of concern for its safety. This then results in one of the best action sequences of the entire season as he infiltrates the client’s facility and takes out a whole bunch of his stormtroopers, including one that he thoroughly torches with his flamethrower. But the action doesn’t stop there as he soon finds himself cornered by Greef Karga and all the other bounty hunters in the area who now have a new target… him. And yet, at a point where it seems as if he’s fully outnumbered, he ends up being saved by his fellow Mandalorian warriors, which is a nice bit of payoff to an earlier scene where he was criticized by some of them for working with Imperials since their Tribe’s past conflict with the Empire, the Great Purge, was what forced them to go into hiding. Nevertheless, that doesn’t stop them from helping one of their own even if, as the Mandalorian points out, they’ll have to relocate now that they’ve made themselves known. This is, after all, the episode that properly establishes the Mandalorian tribe’s principles as best represented by what has easily become this show’s definitive quote, “This is the Way”. And with that, Chapter 3 is another standout piece of this great season thanks in large part to Deborah Chow’s fantastic direction.

3. CHAPTER 5: THE GUNSLINGER

Of these eight episodes, Chapter 5 has the lowest critical score of the bunch on Rotten Tomatoes with a 74% rating. While not panned, per se, the episode did catch quite a bit of flak from critics due to the one thing that has become the internet’s favorite topic when it comes to judging Star Wars, its use of nostalgia. But as I’ve said before, that sort of thing doesn’t affect my views on this franchise in the slightest, and because of that, I’d argue that this was a damn good episode regardless of how much it harkened back to the franchise’s past adventures. For one thing, it starts off on a fantastic note as the Mandalorian fends off a rival bounty hunter complete with a badass quip when the latter has the guts to use his “I can bring you in warm… or I can bring you in cold” line that he had used back in the first episode (“That’s my line!”). However, due to the damages that the Razor Crest sustained during the battle, the Mandalorian is forced to make a pit stop on Star Wars’ original sand planet, Tatooine, in that notoriously “wretched hive of scum and villainy”, Mos Eisley Spaceport. It is there that the Mandalorian meets a wannabe bounty hunter named Toro Calican (Jake Cannavale) who asks for his help in capturing mercenary Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), who’s worked with practically every crime syndicate in the galaxy, so that he can officially join the Bounty Hunters’ Guild. The dynamic that forms between these two is easily one of the best parts of this whole episode as it’s largely defined by the great contrast between the battle-hardened and fully experienced Mandalorian and the rookie Toro, who’s clearly shown to be in over his head when it comes to this line of work.

As for the episode itself, we get a highly entertaining chase storyline as the two bounty hunters go after Fennec. They encounter some Tusken Raiders along the way (complete with a great humorous bit where Toro bad-mouths them before it’s revealed that a pair of them are standing right behind them) and unlike Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith, the Mandalorian recognizes exactly what they’re up against when it’s clear that Fennec… has the high ground. Sure, the finale of this episode is a rather predictable one as Fennec convinces Toro to turn on the Mandalorian by revealing his situation with The Child, which results in the Mandalorian promptly taking him out instead, but that doesn’t stop this from being a fun little subplot that nicely complements the main plot. Like Chapter 6, this could very well be described as a ‘filler’ episode but that doesn’t mean that it’s any lesser when compared to the other episodes just because it doesn’t focus too much on the Mandalorian and The Child’s predicament. Case in point, the whole opening sequence with the rival bounty hunter is what gives this episode the edge over Chapter 6 since it starts the episode off in a way that properly sets up its main conflict while still continuing to stress the fact that the Mandalorian is a wanted man. The other noteworthy aspect of this episode is Ming-Na Wen, who’s fantastic in the role of Fennec Shand, especially thanks to how she’s effectively established as a considerable foe for both the Mandalorian and Toro. Plus, while her role in this episode ultimately ends with her getting shot by Toro (who, at the very least, recognized the possibility of her betraying him), the episode ends with a mysterious figure approaching her body, implying that she may not be dead just yet. And so, with all this in mind, I’d argue that Chapter 5 is the most underrated episode of this season. I’m not denying that a lot of it is driven by that classic Star Wars nostalgia, but just like The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker, I don’t really see why that’s such a bad thing.

2. CHAPTER 4: SANCTUARY

Jon Favreau has noted that Chapter 4 was the most challenging episode of the season due to its large-scale action sequences and forest setting… which is why he intentionally gave it to the most untested director of the bunch, Bryce Dallas Howard (who, to be fair, has directed a few short films and the 2019 documentary Dads). Ultimately, though, Howard delivers a true gem of an episode that is not only a great action-packed affair but one that also delivers on some strong emotional poignancy. The episode begins with the Mandalorian and The Child, now firmly on the run from the Bounty Hunters’ Guild, landing on the forest planet Sorgan. It is here where we are first introduced to Cara Dune who, despite seeming hostile at first to the point where she and the Mandalorian get into a brief brawl, ends up becoming a friendly acquaintance. The bulk of the episode’s plot, however, revolves around the two of them being approached by members of a nearby village who ask for their help in fending off a band of Klatooinian raiders. And if that wasn’t enough, the Mandalorian and Cara then discover that the raiders also happen to possess an Imperial AT-ST. Thus, in a nod to classic films such as Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven, the two proceed to train the villagers so that they can fight back, resulting in a great nighttime battle where the group is able to take down the powerful walker. Ultimately, though, the biggest moment of this episode occurs right at the end when the Mandalorian reveals that he plans on leaving The Child at the village so that he can be safe. One of the villagers, widower Omera (Julia Jones), suggests that he stays as well to the point where she nearly becomes the first person to take off his helmet since he was a child before he ultimately stops her. Sadly, this chance at a peaceful life is tragically shattered when another bounty hunter arrives on the scene, and while he’s quickly taken down by Cara, the Mandalorian quickly realizes that he and The Child are still very much in danger. And so, the episode ends with the two of them bidding a somber farewell to the villagers as they head back to their ship. With a devastating yet powerful ending like that, it’s easy to see why Chapter 4 has been touted as one of the season’s best.

1. CHAPTER 8: REDEMPTION

While Chapter 4 certainly gives it some competition, the best episode of this season ends up being Chapter 8, which was brought to us by everyone’s favorite comedic genius from New Zealand, Taika Waititi. Sure enough, the episode starts off in true Waititi fashion with a great comedic bit where the two Scout Troopers who grabbed The Child (played by Adam Pally and Jason Sudeikis) impatiently wait outside the town to bring it to Moff Gideon. One of them continuously tries to get a peek at The Child and they both shoot at a nearby transmitter with the exact kind of piss-poor accuracy that stormtroopers are notoriously known to have. And sure, there are a few points where the troopers mistreat The Child (to the point where one of them straight-up punches him after he gets bitten), but the little one is thankfully saved by IG-11. IG-11 then proceeds to help the Mandalorian, Cara, and Greef by riding into town on one of the scout troopers’ speeder bikes and taking out a whole bunch of Gideon’s stormtroopers. That said, though, there’s a lot more to the ensuing battle between the two sides than just that. For starters, even though he was only introduced at the end of the previous episode, Gideon immediately proves to be one hell of an imposing villain by subtly revealing that he knows all about our heroes. He knows that Cara was originally from Alderaan, that Greef is a disgraced magistrate, and that the Mandalorian’s real name is Din Djarin. And while the gang manages to put up quite a fight against Gideon’s forces (complete with The Child using the Force to fight off a flamethrower-wielding stormtrooper), the Mandalorian ends up suffering a devastating head injury. But while he initially tells the others to go on without him, he’s ultimately healed by IG-11, who becomes the first being to take off his helmet. And while the Mandalorian promptly reminds IG-11 of the Mandalorian creed that says that no one is to ever see his face, IG-11 reasons that he can be the exception given that he’s not human. It’s also worth noting that, after a few glimpses of it in previous episodes, we finally witness Din Djarin’s backstory where it’s revealed that he was the sole survivor of a Separatist droid attack that killed his parents before being rescued by the Mandalorians, who adopted him into their tribe as a Mandalorian foundling.

The group then proceeds to head to the Mandalorian tribe’s hidden covert but is stunned to find it almost completely abandoned save for the Armorer. After being shown The Child for the first time, the Armorer informs the Mandalorian that he’s to return it to its own kind, and given its powers, she suggests that The Child hails from an ancient enemy of the Mandalorians… the Jedi. Until then, The Child is a Mandalorian foundling and the Mandalorian is his protector as the Armorer officially appoints him his signet (modeled after the Mudhorn that they fought in Chapter 2) that designates them as a ‘Clan of Two’. He’s also given an official Mandalorian jetpack, which is a nice callback to a key moment from the end of Chapter 3 (“I’ve got to get one of those…”). But once again, the action doesn’t stop there. In their efforts to escape, the group finds themselves facing down a whole bunch of stormtroopers at the end of their escape route in the sewers. This then results in a solidly effective emotional moment in which IG-11 nobly sacrifices himself by finally initiating his self-destruct function to take them all out. And while the group is then attacked by Gideon in his TIE fighter, the Mandalorian uses his newly acquired jetpack to great effect and successfully manages to crash Gideon’s ship. With no immediate threat on the horizon, the Mandalorian officially heads off to find whoever The Child truly belongs to (though not before giving Kuiil a proper burial) while Cara decides to stay on Nevarro and serve as Greef’s enforcer. But then, if that wasn’t enough, the episode ends with Gideon breaking out of his crashed TIE Fighter with the help of a key weapon from Star Wars’ past, the Darksaber. This distinctive black lightsaber first appeared in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and, over the course of both that show and Star Wars: Rebels, has been in the possession of several major characters such as Darth Maul. And while I’ll openly admit that I’m not exactly up to date on all of Dave Filoni’s Star Wars shows, I can still see why this big reveal must’ve been a huge deal for fans of the franchise. With all that in mind, it should go without saying that Chapter 8 is a kick-ass season finale. Admittedly, it does cover quite a lot of ground in just 46 minutes, but thanks to Waititi’s excellent direction, none of it ever feels rushed. Instead, it’s just a high-octane thrill ride of an episode that ends this outstanding first season on an equally outstanding note.

And with that, we finally conclude this extensive review of Season 1 of The Mandalorian. Thanks for following along and be sure to sound off in the comments below with your own thoughts on the Star Wars franchise’s first live-action TV series. I also want to note that, unlike what happened here with Season 1, I will do my best to stay up-to-date on Season 2 so that I can get a review of that season published in a reasonable timeframe.

The Addams Family - Film Series Retrospective

There are a lot of ways that one could describe the characters who are the focus of today’s retrospective. Some might call them “creepy” and “kooky”. Others might say they’re “mysterious” and “spooky”. And yet, most would agree that “they’re altogether ooky”. Yes, folks, today we’re celebrating the classic franchise that is The Addams Family. It all began in 1938 when cartoonist Charles Addams first published a series of cartoons for The New Yorker which introduced audiences to the titular family of Morticia, Gomez, Wednesday, Pugsley, Uncle Fester, Grandmama, Thing, Lurch the butler, and Cousin Itt. The cartoons served as a satire of the all-American family by having the Addams Family fully embrace their macabre lifestyle without any regard for those who find their antics disturbing. Suffice it to say, they were a huge hit, resulting in the characters transitioning into other forms of media. Arguably their most famous spin-off is the classic TV series starring Carolyn Jones and John Astin as Morticia and Gomez that ran from 1964 to 1966. Aside from that, there were also a few animated series made by Hanna-Barbera (with one of them notably featuring a then 11-year-old Jodie Foster as Pugsley) and more recent works such as a Broadway musical in 2010. But for the purpose of today’s retrospective, we’ll be focusing on the characters’ appearances in feature films which, since the ’90s, have primarily consisted of two major cinematic incarnations. First, there’s the 1991 live-action adaptation that was followed by a sequel in 1993, resulting in a pair of films that have very much become staples of the Halloween programming blocks for networks like Freeform. Then, there’s the franchise’s recent animated outing that came out last year and is set to get a sequel sometime next year (you know, unless COVID-19 subjects it to the same issues that have plagued countless other upcoming releases). And so, without further ado, prepare to snap your fingers to Vic Mizzy’s iconic theme song as we look at the Addams Family films.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY (1991)

We begin with the first live-action film adaptation of The Addams Family, which was released in 1991 and was directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. Before he went on to direct films like the original Men in Black trilogy, this film served as his directorial debut after starting out in the industry as a cinematographer on many of the Coen brothers’ early films like Blood Simple and Raising Arizona and other classics such as Big and Misery. Unfortunately for him, though, the film’s production was consistently plagued with problems such as health issues for multiple members of the cast and crew, a change in cinematographers that even forced Sonnenfeld to step in and do it himself for a stretch of time and, most infamously, a change in the distributor. Originally handled by Orion Pictures, the studio ended up selling the film to Paramount out of fear that it would be another commercial flop for them at a time when they were struggling financially (sure enough, they would ultimately end up filing for bankruptcy that year). But upon its release, the film did quite well at the box-office as it grossed over $191 million worldwide on its relatively modest $30 million budget, and while its overall critical reception was mixed at best, it’s clear that it managed to be a hit with audiences and it’s easy to see why. Overall, the film does a great job of capturing the madcap atmosphere of the original show and the delightfully dark and twisted visual style of Charles Addams’ original cartoons right down to some spot-on recreations of key moments from the latter. Plus, it’s all bolstered by an excellent ensemble headlined by Raul Julia, who is delightfully theatrical as Gomez, and Angelica Huston, who’s a practically pitch-perfect fit for the role of Morticia. This makes up for what is easily the film’s biggest shortcoming in that anything that doesn’t directly involve the Addams family (namely, everything regarding the main antagonist, a loan shark who tries to disguise her adopted son as  the long-lost Uncle Fester to steal the Addams’ fortune) is a lot weaker by comparison. Ultimately, though, the film still manages to be a solidly entertaining (albeit far from perfect) romp that, at the end of the day, ends up being one of the better adaptations of an old television sitcom from the ’60s, a subgenre that notably trended in the ’90s as evident from other TV-to-film adaptations such as The Flintstones, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Dennis the Menace.

Rating: 3.5/5

ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES (1993)

Fueled by the first film’s success at the box-office, Paramount quickly developed a sequel, Addams Family Values, which hit theaters in 1993 and saw the return of both director Barry Sonnenfeld and most of the main cast from the previous film (save for Judith Malina, who was replaced in the role of Grandmama by Carol Kane). The film also took on a much different tone compared to its predecessor as it was more reliant on its macabre humor rather than its efforts to replicate the zany antics of the TV series, which is ultimately the catalyst behind it being one of the rare cases of a genuinely superior sequel. Yes, thanks to this pivotal change in direction, Family Values is a lot more consistent with its humor and, really, is just a better-made film, for the most part. Much of this has to do with it having a far superior villain than its predecessor thanks to Joan Cusack’s delightfully campy turn as Debbie, a gold-digging femme fatale who marries Uncle Fester with the intent of killing him to collect the inheritance. The only real downside, though, is that, because the film is largely focused on Fester and Debbie’s relationship, it results in Raul Julia and Angelica Huston not getting as much to do this time around as Gomez and Morticia. But at the very least, the film makes up for this by simultaneously giving Christina Ricci a larger role as the precociously cynical Wednesday. Ricci had already made a great impression in the role back in the first film, but thanks to this film’s subplot in which Wednesday and Pugsley are sent away to an overly chipper summer camp and, naturally, cause a whole bunch of chaos there, she’s far and away its biggest standout. With all this in mind, I can safely say that if you were among those who found to be the first live-action Addams Family film to be a bit underwhelming, I believe that you’ll probably get a lot more out of this one. It truly is a great example of a sequel that managed to improve upon its predecessor in almost every possible way and I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the film that was largely responsible for the positive reputation that this duology has maintained over the years.

Rating: 4.5/5

THE ADDAMS FAMILY (2019)

And finally, we cut to nearly three decades later when the Addams Family made their return to the big screen in a new animated feature, which served as the second outing for the directing duo of Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan after the smash hit that was 2016’s Sausage Party. Obviously, these two films are quite different from each other when it comes to both their target audiences and their overall sense of humor, but in this case, Vernon and Tiernan do manage to maintain much of the consistent humor that we saw from Sausage Party. Yes, there are quite a lot of modern references (as is admittedly the case with a lot of modern adaptations of older bits of source material), but for the most part, they don’t completely overtake the film to the point where they overshadow anything that made this franchise so popular in the first place. In other words, this new film does just as great of a job as the live-action films did when it comes to capturing the zany and macabre nature of the titular family, especially when it comes to its overall visual style. While there was some… to be perfectly blunt, rather hyperbolic backlash towards the Addams family’s character designs (which seemingly only stemmed from most folks’ fondness for the live-action films), these designs brilliantly match the look of Charles Addams’ original cartoons. And just like the live-action films, they’re brought to life by a terrific ensemble, from Oscar Isaac and Charlize Theron as Gomez and Morticia to Chloe Grace Moretz and Finn Wolfhard as Wednesday and Pugsley. Really, the only ‘negative’ thing that I can say about this film is that the main plot is your standard ‘fish out of water’ story with some blatantly obvious payoffs. Despite this, though, this new take on The Addams Family does manage to be a solidly entertaining family flick, and while I didn’t end up seeing this when it first came out exactly one year ago, I’m certainly interested in seeing what will come from next year’s sequel.

Rating: 4/5

*Snap Snap*

Tenet (2020) review

 

Well, folks, I recently did something that I haven’t done for more than half a year; I went into a theater setting to see the latest film release. To be clear, I’m not referring to the traditional movie theater since I’ll admit that I’m not yet ready to go back to that just yet given the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic is still far from over. Instead, I’m referring to the timeless tradition that is the drive-in theater. Prior to this year, one could’ve viewed the art of going to the drive-in as something that was becoming outdated due to the decreasing amount of drive-in theaters in the United States (case in point, the Rustic Tri-View Drive-In, which is conveniently located not too far from my home in Rhode Island, is the only drive-in left in the state). However, due to the need for social distancing, drive-ins have become a lot more popular recently since they provide what is quite arguably the safest method of viewing films with a crowd outside of the ‘watch party’ options that streaming services have started to implement. And while much of this year’s new releases have either been delayed to next year or moved to streaming services, some films have been daring enough to get released theatrically despite the odds, with the biggest of the bunch being Tenet, the latest outing from director Christopher Nolan. At this point, Nolan is someone who needs no introduction as he has very much established himself as one of the top filmmakers in the industry with a wide array of hugely successful films. Not only is he responsible for the successful revitalization of the Batman film franchise thanks to his Dark Knight trilogy, but he’s also been big on delivering original screenplays in an age of sequels, remakes, and reboots with hits such as Memento, Inception, and Dunkirk. This is once again apparent in his new film, Tenet, which is another premier display of his directorial talents… even if his knack for complex narratives does prove to be a bit of a problem this time around.

After an undercover operation at an opera house in Kyiv goes wrong, a lone, unnamed CIA agent (John David Washington) ends up being the sole survivor of his team and is captured by Russian mercenaries. When the agent (who’s also referred to as ‘the Protagonist’) tries to take a cyanide pill to avoid revealing classified information, he learns that this was all a test and that he’s now under the employment of a secret organization known as Tenet. Through the instructions of his new boss Fay (Martin Donovan), the Protagonist learns that he’s about to partake in a mission meant to ensure the survival of humanity by preventing the start of World War III. To do so, he must confront Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh), a key member of the Russian oligarchy who’s on the hunt for a series of mysterious artifacts tied to the various countries that possess nuclear weapons. Aided by his new handler Neil (Robert Pattinson) and art appraiser Katherine Barton (Elizabeth Debicki), Sator’s estranged wife, the Protagonist finds himself in a race against time to prevent Sator from collecting all these artifacts in his efforts to destroy the world. In the process, however, the Protagonist discovers that there’s a lot more to this operation than he was initially led to believe. After experiencing a unique anomaly during that previously mentioned undercover operation where he witnessed a bullet being ‘un-fired’ by an unknown operative, the Protagonist learns about the process of ‘inversion’ where people and objects can travel backwards through time. And if that wasn’t enough, the Protagonist learns that Sator is just as well-versed with the process and fully intends to use it to accomplish his sinister plot.

Tenet is very much a Christopher Nolan film in every conceivable aspect of its production, especially when it comes to its technical merits. Nolan is, after all, well-known for his preference towards practical special effects rather than CGI, which is once again on full display here in many of the film’s signature moments, such as an actual Boeing 747 crashing into a hangar. And just like his previous two films, Interstellar and Dunkirk, Tenet boasts excellent cinematography from Hoyte van Hoytema. While the consequences of our current worldwide predicament meant that I was sadly unable to see this in 70mm IMAX (which I’m sure would’ve looked amazing), that doesn’t stop the film from being another visually stunning outing from Nolan. However, if there’s one thing that does hold this film back, it’s its screenplay which, in true Nolan fashion, is a deeply layered and fully complex narrative with all sorts of twists and turns. Now, to be clear, I’m not saying that the problem is that this film’s plot is too complicated to the point where it’s practically incomprehensible because, to be perfectly frank, that’s not even close to being the case here. At the very least, it does get its main plot-points across in a succinct enough manner. In fact, the best thing that I can say about this film is that it does an excellent job with how certain plot-threads that it builds up result in top-notch payoffs, which ties in quite nicely with the whole time-bending concept. Really, the biggest problem with the script is that, for the most part, it feels like a non-stop barrage of exposition, and that’s even when taking the film’s hefty two-and-a-half-hour runtime into account. In other words, while it doesn’t really drag at any point, its rapid pacing can often leave you feeling quite overwhelmed at the worst possible times.

Another thing that people tend to bring up when it comes to Nolan films is that he’s usually more of a story-driven filmmaker than a character-driven one, which often results in the argument that his films tend to be a bit lacking when it comes to character development. And while that is quite arguably the case with this film as well, it still boasts a phenomenal ensemble. John David Washington headlines the film nicely as ‘the Protagonist’ who, admittedly, is mainly just an audience surrogate without any substantial backstory but the role still lets Washington convey the kind of strong charisma that he clearly must’ve inherited from his father, Denzel. He also has great camaraderie with Robert Pattinson as the Protagonist’s handler Neil, who does get a bit more to work with character-wise once the film starts to reveal more information about Neil’s true connection to the Protagonist. Moving on to the film’s female lead, Elizabeth Debicki as the main antagonist’s estranged wife Katherine, there’s been some debate on whether ‘Kat’ is just a ‘damsel in distress’. This is something that ties into yet another recurring argument surrounding Nolan films where, apart from a few select exceptions such as Selina Kyle in The Dark Knight Rises and Murphy Cooper in Interstellar, their female characters don’t really get much to work with in the grand scheme of things. But with Kat, though, I’d say that this is one of those exceptions. There’s only really one stretch of the film where she has to be rescued by the Protagonist, and overall, she gets to play a considerably large role in the plot given her tumultuous relationship with her husband and how she’s mainly driven by her desire to protect their son. Finally, speaking of her husband Andrei, Kenneth Branagh is another big standout of the cast as a villain who’s appropriately sinister without being too over-the-top.

I’m about to say something that I honestly believed I would never say. For the first time ever, I left a Christopher Nolan film feeling… rather indifferent about it. However, this doesn’t mean that I think that Tenet is ‘bad’ because, well, it isn’t. From a technical perspective, this film is practically flawless. Whether it’s the excellent cinematography or top-notch action sequences that were entirely done on a practical level, Tenet is another prime showcase of Nolan’s talents as a director. Ultimately, though, the biggest thing that hurts this film is its script as Nolan’s habit of overly complicated narratives ends up being a major hindrance this time around. It’s not that this film is so convoluted that you can’t understand it. The problem is that it tries to cram in so much information without ever stopping to take a break, which is something that its substantially long runtime offered it plenty of opportunities for. And to be perfectly clear, I don’t think that this sort of thing was ever a big issue with any of Nolan’s other notoriously ‘complex’ films such as Memento or Inception. Ultimately, though, while it really could’ve benefitted from some steadier pacing, Tenet is still the very definition of a film that’s an absolute must-see on the big screen… you know, if you can. Yes, it’s time to address the elephant in the room that is the continuing devastation that’s been brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic. While Christopher Nolan may arguably be the staunchest defender of the cinematic experience, Tenet has been royally screwed over by COVID-19 just as much as all the other films that were slated to come out this year. Sure, it may have managed to end up being the first blockbuster release to come out after the nationwide shutdown of theaters back in March, but it was still forced to push back its release date three separate times. And even then, Warner Bros. had to release it internationally first since, let’s face it, folks, other countries are handling this pandemic a hell of a lot better than we are here in the U.S. Thus, as much as I hate to admit it, I probably won’t be able to see this film again until after it hits the home video market. Despite this, though, I assure you that I’m very eager to see it again to see if my initial thoughts towards it end up changing in any way.

Rating: 3.5/5