Lucy: in equal measures vapid, pretentious and needlessly violent, Luc Besson’s film is an unpleasant spectacle. The high-concept plot feels almost an afterthought, simply being the vessel for a lot of philosophic mumbo-jumbo. Scarlett Johanson plays not so much a character, but an all-powerful cypher; not much is known about her, making it hard to care, relate or worry about her fate. Morgan Freeman is not given much to do. Visually, the film is slick; the early interludes end up being distracting […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: action, sci fi

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Matt Reeves’ is a great accomplishment in many levels. The most obvious one is, of course, the special effects that create such level of authenticity with the ape characters; it’s hard to know when the special effects end and when the motion-capture performances of Andy Serkis and Toby Kebbell (just to mention the two that have more to do and therefore stand out the most) begin. Jason Clarke and Gary Oldman are good presences in the human side […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: action, sci fi

Snowpiercer: an interesting action film; Joon-ho Bong executes with great measures of violence what is a great concept of a dystopian world, one which violence is far from being simply a concept; as it so ofter happens with good science fiction, this one has also something to say about our present times. Set design is an important part of this film, and it’s quite well executed. The cast is generally interesting (and refreshingly mixed), but Tilda Swinton in particular is fun […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: action, sci fi

Edge of Tomorrow: while calling an adaptation (particularly one that is so clearly inspired by another movie as well) “original” may seem like a stretch, there is enough illusion of originality in this high-concept summer film to warrant that. Part of it comes from the playful tone that Doug Liman imprints in most of it; part from the smart way the high-concept is dealt with. Tom Cruise fits the role nicely, as does Emily Blunt; Bill Paxton chews the scenery […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: action, sci fi

Godzilla: when summer starts, the expressions “developed character” and “rich plot” usually go down the drain, as does logic. Needless to say that such is the case here: the star of the show is supposed to be the giant creatures, so human characters are left to second plan. That’s not to say that it’s not an interesting cast (there are plenty of good names around), but all they do is run from one crisis to the next or stare at […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: action, sci fi

Divergent: wearing its influences in the sleeve, this film results both a minute variation and a minor version of them. The main problem is that the dystopian society portrayed in the film is dull, and its dynamics don’t seem very relevant. The lack of imagination extends to the visual aspects chosen by Neil Burger: costume and set design, as well as the action scenes, are all pedestrian. Shailene Woodley doesn’t have much to do with her role (the rest of the cast, needless […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: action, sci fi

RoboCop: this is a well-crafted film; the sound design, visual effects and Lula Carvalho’s camerawork (for the most part; there are a few handheld shots that stuck out like a sore thumb) are solid. 

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: action, sci fi