Films watched in 2024

I went into this with very low expectations. I was pleasantly surprised. It was fun. All-out action flick with enough not-so-subtle nods to the original. Silly in parts, but you can look past it and enjoy it for what it is. Never really felt the peril and sweaty palm tension the first was able to conjure up, but we're a long way past that with film making now.

I think I'm done with Hollywood films. This had the formula and all the ingredients for a great film, and although it was enjoyable, it lacked substance. Almost felt like I was watching a dream or a 2 hour long trailer. Cruise was good, as was the sporting cast, but the script was about as uninspiring and unoriginal as you'd expect. The backstory and harks back to the original felt a bit laboured. Some good action scenes and some very farfetched, if predictable, plot direction. It was a fun Saturday night film but not one that will live long in the memory.

A little lost on me. Needlessly hard to follow at times and an overly complicated backstory. A visual masterpiece with a wonderful soundscape but with a 3 hour runtime, I got bored in all honesty. It's a blockbuster, but without the fun and memorability.

This felt poignant but it didn't really resonate. Interesting premise that didn't really unfold very far. Great lead performances from Kano and Jediah Bannerman, and a nice cameo from Ian Wright. I think I missed some of the subtleties of the story.

Harrowing. Been a while since I've watched a horror and this was a really smart one. Unassuming, typical teenage party scene opening, but things soon get sinister. The premise could've been a bit silly, but it delivered expertly. Really good tension and excellent acting throughout. Had me hooked and didn't let me go. Chilling in just the right measure.

Nah, this wasn't it. Was waiting for it to get going the whole way through. Started OK but steadily got worse as it progressed. The twist was desperately needed but so late it did little to rescue the film. This kind of brooding, meandering vapid plot was lost on me. Some solid acting though.

A little slow and overly sentimental for me. Hadn't realised it was a Spanish film (the title translates to "Alone"). Some good action scenes and a nice bit of survival peril. But nothing groundbreaking in the genre. Despite it being based on a true story, I didn't really find myself massively rooting for the protagonist; his backstory was a little thin.

Bizarre. This flew right over my head. A "comedy" of sorts, but not funny at all, just a bit weird and quirky. An odd story from start to finish, a strange, meandering plot. Artfully well done, with a calm aesthetic of the era. The only saving grace was the family dynamic, which was sweet.

I think this was good. Had a nice style to it. But the plot did somewhat lose its way. Fassbender was good as the lead. Very little character development outside of it. Enjoyable, but not really much more to it than your John Wick / Taken style revenge flick.