Describing a particularly surreal film as a ‘head trip’ is par for the course, but it feels particularly appropriate for Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor (2020), a science fiction film about a professional killer literally taking a ride inside other people’s minds. … Continue reading REVIEW: Possessor (2020)
There is a persistent rumour that Walt Disney Studios forced a name change on their 2012 science fiction epic John Carter of Mars to simply John Carter because they believed audiences were not interested in films about Mars. The supposed proof? The failure of … Continue reading REVIEW: Mission to Mars (2000)
While Toho’s long-running Godzilla franchise offered viewers a relatively repetitive string of giant rubber suit monster fights, from film to film there were regular changes in focus and tone. The so-called ‘Heisei era’ had kicked off with 1985’s serious Return of Godzilla … Continue reading REVIEW: Godzilla vs Mothra (1992)
Back in the 1980s cheaply-made post-apocalyptic movies were a dime a dozen, all cashing in on the success of George Miller’s Mad Max franchise and taking advantage of the comparative ease with which a filmmaker could throw some actors in mad costumes … Continue reading REVIEW: Molly (2017)
Let us jump back a decade. Of the four superheroes launched in Marvel Studio’s initial production schedule, Thor stood out as the most challenging to adapt. Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk were effectively no-brainers, and Captain America was easily … Continue reading REVIEW: Thor (2011)
Found footage films represent a particularly divisive form of cinema. Usually exploited for horror purposes more than anything else, they are typified by a deliberately amateurish quality and a first-person perspective in which the viewer’s visibility of the action is … Continue reading REVIEW: Phoenix Forgotten (2017)
In Ishiro Honda’s science fiction film Atragon (1963) the Earth faces the threat of a hidden underwater empire, but all things considered it is a somewhat middling threat – and a fairly mediocre movie. Honda absolutely holds the pedigree to pull … Continue reading REVIEW: Atragon (1963)
Let us cut right to the chase: if you are a fan of speculative fiction – science fiction, fantasy, and horror – and you do not watch the films of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, then you are essentially failing … Continue reading REVIEW: Synchronic (2019)
While horror sequel Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) was poorly received, it was financially successful. No surprise, then, that Sony subsiduary Screen Gems distributed a third Resident Evil in 2007. Written once again by Paul W.S. Anderson and boasting a fresh director in the shape of … Continue reading REVIEW: Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
Timeline, a Richard Donner film adapted from the Michael Crichton novel, was a critical and commercial failure upon release. I have never been entirely certain as to why. Certainly the film is no masterpiece but it tells a reasonably smart … Continue reading REVIEW: Timeline (2003)
