Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

28 Years Later 

This film is going to be among one of my favourites of the year as Danny Boyle and Alex Garland have struck gold once again crafting an incredible story that takes place within the world of 28 Days Later and builds upon the lore with new characters, a brand new setting that works so well for the plot and has great jump scares but at the heart of it is about humanity and the human condition. The actors brought together for this film is also solid as you have the likes of Aaron Taylor - Johnson, Jodie Comer and newcomer Alfie Williams who gives a tremendous screen debut that is among one of the best young actor performances I have seen all year! This film draws you in the moment it starts and refuses to let go and then scares the daylights out of you effectively and then breaks your heart and brings you to tears 28 Years Later is one of the most complex and sharply written Zombie Films I have ever seen! 

Firstly, The approach taken to bring people back into the landscape of 28 days later I thought was masterfully done as Danny Boyle brings a great visual flare with pulse pounding direction here that made that first film such a cult classic and then coming back with Alex Garland who gives a razor sharp screenplay and expanding the world of the rage virus by making it be set in a whole new setting with a brand new set of characters I thought was a great way into the story in order to keep it fresh and not just be a retread of what we have already seen. The film has many deep rooted themes that are very well touched upon within the course of the story from Family, Death, humanity and as I mentioned the human spirit is a big one and the way that it is presented visually onscreen is honestly so moving in it’s execution. A lot of people have voiced their dislike for the direction this film takes as a lot of people were hoping for a more fast paced gritty bloody and gore fest which this film does have a lot of violence and gore for sure but it is not by any means a fast paced horror thriller. This film I would categorize it more in the area of a slow burn film that has the backdrop of a horror film for sure and their are parts that will genuinely scare the audience but it is about a mother and son dynamic and the emotional love they have for one another and a lot of people were not expecting that approach to this franchise and honestly I found it so refreshing. The film takes it’s time in telling the events of this narrative as the film is mostly told through the perspective of Spike the young kid in the film and what makes it so compelling to me was how the film has a kid who has strictly only been raised in a post apocalyptic world only known isolation and having to follow strict rules and living far outside of what we deem normal society. So when a character later asks him about what a cell phone is or the mail service or things of that nature he has no way to respond to that as his way of living has always been in a wold of the rage virus which is so fascinating from a character perspective. The film also makes you question the community he resides in and that it may be cult like in its approach to how they train the kids to basically become soldiers and Spike runs at his first opportunity when he sees the lies and mislead parenting being done in large part by his father. The way the film has the picture be a story about him wanting to help his mom who is severely ill is very touching and it delves into as I mentioned themes of death and mortality the way they go about these themes was very raw and emotionally moving that moved me greatly. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland do deliver with the thrills and scares their is no doubt with that but what made these films stand out compared to your typical Zombie film is that it has always been about the human connection and how one goes about surviving in these very tough living conditions and I think they bring that theme into places we haven’t seen them go with it in 28 years later that is phenomenal. As it expands the world of the lore while also giving us new characters to fall in love with and fleshing them out and of course leave us on a cliffhanger of an ending to have us hungry for what comes next and the set up for the sequel was perfectly done. The film also on a technical level is gorgeously shot aside form Sinners this is the second best shot horror film I have seen all year it is beautiful the way the are able to use the camera to really present the setting the film resides in. Aside from the great imagery the editing once again is frantic and intoxicating while keeping you on edge the entire way through. The way this film delivers with the bold new direction, great screenplay and fantastic look and feel of it 28 years later delivers on all fronts. 

Secondly, The performances from the whole cast are splendid! Now  I will start with  Aaron Taylor -  Johnson who plays the father of the film and does a heartbreaking performance at showing his complicated relationship with his son and wife. We see him in the beginning wanting his son to hunt and kill and be able to do what he does and when his son sees him for who he really is their is a growing resentment that builds between the two. Aaron Taylor Johnson shows that loving proud father quality in his eyes and tone in the first 20 minutes when they go hunting but he also has a stern quality that can be pretty harsh but he brings that characteristic to the character with such fierce emotion. He has a great scene with Alfie Williams in the stairwell at the top of the house in the first half of this film and both of them work off each other so well when their sharing the screen that scene is a tremendous talent of both performers as Alfie is delivering the hard hitting dialogue and all Aaron Taylor has to do is react to what he is being told and the way the emotion hits him like a wave is so powerful. Aaron Taylor Johnson once again brings his A game and gives a terrific performance that I hope we see explored more of going forward as he is so so good in this film. Then their is Jodie Comer who I remember seeing in Banshees a few years back and being blown away with her talent and ever since have been keeping a eye on her and here she plays a mother sick and just wanting to be a good mother to Spike despite her illness she has. A lot of her performance is shown through what she does not say verbally it is through looks and how she emotes with her body language as you can tell whatever she is sick with is taking a mental toll on her as the film progresses her speech and memory worsen. Jodie brings such a tender emotional vulnerability to the character that has you ache for her as she is trying her best to hold on for her son despite the dire situation she is in and the way that she delivers this character to the screen is amazing as you can see the sheer emotional and psychical pain she goes through. Jodie Comer does a tremendous Job at brining this role of Spike’s mother to life in a truly moving performance that is among some of the best I have seen from her. Then you have the star of the film Alfie Williams who plays Spike and wow does he do a splendid Job he is the heartbeat of this film and plays the role of a kid grown up in a post apocalyptic world perfectly. He has never known what “ normal society” is and seeing him face challenges mentally and psychically that test him constantly as amazing to witness as for a kid who has never really had much onscreen experience he is a total natural. Alfie Williams plays the role with such emotional sincerity and great leadership as he is very young and to be leading a huge film like this is no easy feat and he knocks it out of the park with his onscreen performance. Everyone in this film is great even Ralph Fiennes who plays a small role in this film pivotal to the plot he may not have much screen time but his impact is huge. Each actor in this film did a terrific Job no weak links at all in the whole cast. 

Lastly, 28 Years Later is a film that pushes the franchise to go to new limits in exploring the human condition, It also shows the places people will go emotionally for the ones they love in such dire times and the way that Danny Boyle and Alex Garland were able to still even after all this time still find new places to bring this franchise is truly amazing to see. As Danny Boyle injects the film with that frantic tone needed for this kind of material and then Alex Garland rips through the screen with his amazingly well done screenplay that brings these fresh characters into places emotionally that will move you while still serving that classic terror and scares we have come to expect from these films but at the same time give audiences something new without just giving the exact same thing we have seen before. 28 Years Later is a film about what happens when you push a community to have to adapt to a unbearable new reality and what would happen if a child was raised in that environment what that would do to them mentally and how they would adapt to that setting. With Death all around them it is easy to loose focus on things like humanity and looking out for each other despite the bleak situation surrounding them it perfectly describes the human spirit and 28 Years later is a film that is breathtaking, terrifying, emotional and a film that will have you wanting to see what happens next the moment it is over this film is a freaking masterful film Danny Boyle and Alex Garland did a tremendous Job with this film. 

This film centres around the rage virus 28 years after it’s initial outbreak and how the world has had to figure out a way to stay away from the infected and be able to still live their lives

Rated R : Grisly Images|Graphic Nudity|Brief Sexuality|Language|Strong Bloody Violence

Alfie Williams : Alfie gives a sensational breakout performance as Spike in this film! Now keep in mind he has not much prior acting experience before this film came out as he is a new face within the industry. To take on a massive franchise like this is no easy feat and he is the starring role of the film whose co stars are Ralph Fiennes, Aaron Taylor Johnson and Jodie Comer to stand toe to toe with those acclaimed actors at the age of 12 is so impressive. Now he plays a kid that only knows a world in where he has been quarantined but to him that is his sense of normal he has no real memory of what life was before the rage virus spread across the country. He brings Spike to life with such wonder in his eyes in the beginning but the more he sees the real world that he was kept from the more that sense of joy drains from his eyes and he goes into full on survival mode. When his father feels he is of age to hunt and kill an infected as in a way of looking at it like it is some sort of sport he goes along but the entire time he has no idea what he is doing and feels almost sick in a way to be killing a person as he is not used to doing something of that nature. You can see him hesitate to shoot them and is quivering as he dose not want to cause harm but his dad think’s it will be a good bonding experience and toughen him up in the process if anything it terrifies him and does it sharpen his skills sure but his father clearly went about teaching that lesson the wrong way. As after they return home and their is a massive celebration he feels his dad is not telling him the full truth of what is going on and he grows resentment towards his fathers for his laps in judgement of how he looks after his family. Spike feels he has to step up as the “man” of the house and take proper care of his mother if his dad is not going to he knows he has no choice but having to step into that role and he and his mother sneak off to the mainland to try to see if they can treat her illness. Alfie Williams shows such emotional distraught in his eyes and you can see the genuine concern he has for his mother but also the sheer love that he is willing to put his life on the line to save her and he won’t rest until she gets the care she needs. Willliams brings this emotional tenderness to the role that makes you want to just huh him and tell him everything  will be okay as he has never had to fight for his existence until now as he has no father to look out for him as his dad did not do what he was supposed to as a father so now he has to fend for himself. Everything he encounters is his first time when he is running from infected ones to camping out for the night he is doing things his father taught him for years and Is putting those skills to use. In a way it is very tragic as to see a kid be stripped of his childhood like this and to know he will never be able to have a normal childhood and this grim reality his all he will ever know. Alfie also is able to rip your heart out in the dramatic heavy scenes so well as the moments with the father early on was emotionally powerful in his presentation of showing how disappointed he was with his father and how sharp his tone was to the sheer anger seething in his voice. But when he is around his mom he never gets mad at her he is so sweet and gentle and knows that she has had a hard life and wants to make it easier on her by trying to make her smile even though the world around them is not the happiest situation. Alfie Williams’s character Spike has such a tremendous arc he is set on from the first frame and in the beginning he is this terrified kid who has no idea what he has gotten himself into and is petrified of what is lurking around every corner and by the end he has perfected the art of survival and how to keep himself alive his a entirely different person he is a fully realized character by the last act and even though this film ends on a cliffhanger I am so excited to see the places he explores with the character in the next films. As their are so many things about Spike that can be explored and without giving anything away their is a very heavy emotional scene in the mid point of the film that almost brought me to tears and the reason it did was in large part due to how well Alfie Williams can just strip his soul bare onscreen emotionally and be so incredibly vulnerable and just give himself over to the scene and fully wrap himself up into it as you can feel the thick emotional sadness weighing on him. Alfie Williams delivers a performance that is among one of the greatest young performances I have seen from an actor ever and he has such a bright future ahead of him I cannot wait to see what he does next all I do know if this was a taste of what he can do wow he did a incredible job. Alfie Williams is phenomenal giving a mesmerizing leading performance that will have you stunned. 

Danny Boyle : Boyle has given a return to form with 28 years later. Now I think Danny Boyle is one of the most underrated filmmakers to ever come out of the UK as he has given such great films from Trainspotting, 127 Hours, Steve Jobs and his Oscar winning film SlumDog Millionaire he has shown time and time again he can entertain an audience with a truly captivating story as he has such an intriguing style to his films that just pop out. Now he did the first film in this franchise many many years ago but did not do the film directly after it but was kept on creatively to oversee it and I love how involved he has been in the process of these films and his passion and excitement for the films you can feel in each frame of his films especially this one. He did not want to just do a legacy sequel that was retreading the same water we saw from previous instalments that so many legacy sequels have done he instead took an approach with Alex Garland and they worked together to make a film that yes takes place within the same universe but make a whole new trilogy with a new set of characters for the audience to get invested into. The film takes a big swing at having the film centre around a son and his ailing mother and their close bond along with trying to survive in a world that is very grim around them. It still has the scares and pulse pounding horror for sure but Danny places it in parts where you least expect it that catches you off guard and when you see the gore it is brutal and gory but he never makes the violence the showmanship aspect of the film where the heartbeat of the film lies is within Alfie Williams’ character Spike we are seeing everything from his perspective and some may think it is not a great direction for the film to go but I think it is great as taking a child who was born after the virus had infected the world and telling the film from his perspective is unique. Their is also so many themes that are brought to the surface that of Love, Death wanting to find the truth in a world full of lies, survival and grief and all of those tones are shown in brutally real ways that Boyle never sugarcoats I will say in all of his films when he discusses deep themes he never does it in a glamorous way  it is shown in very raw ways and I respect his approach to his storytelling and he has that same mindset here once again. The visual’s of the film are also so well done on a technical level from the score, editing and cinematography it brings the audience in with its breathtaking views and jarring editing and a haunting score. Danny Boyle brings an amazing sense of style and vision to this film and explores the human experience with such emotion that will emotionally impact the audience. Overall Danny Boyle brings a fresh look on this franchise and leaves the views wanting more with a truly great cliffhanger ending Danny Boyle did a terrific job bringing this tale to the screen. 

Materialists

This film is one of the most emotionally honest takes on love and the complicated subject matter of relationships I have seen put to screen. Coming off the heels of their critical hit Past Lives Celine Song brings a New York story to life with these three roles played greatly by Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal and Dakota Johnson who I think gives one of her finest performances I have seen in this film. It is not a film that is designed to puff up material and be a walk along the clouds romantic film but it has a lot to say with its deep commentary on trying to find your soulmate in a time where people have become incredibly picky and judgmental and won’t settle unless they check all the boxes they have in their mind for their ideal partner. Materialists is a film that I think will become a classic of its genre while at the same time having a lot to say that will for sure spark discussion for what it has to say. 

Firstly, Right off the bat so many people have had issues with how this film was marketed as a ton of people thought it would be a love triangle between Pedro Chris and Dakota with great fun humour and be in ways like a Nora Ephron film which this is not even slightly. I can’t even confidently call it a rom com as it has not much humour in it the film is more within the genre of romance drama and that is where it lost a good amount of people. They just wanted to see a film that was like Ghost of girlfriends past or even When Harry Met Sally they didn’t think this would be a deep meditation on love which it is and it is not a fast paced 90 minute film it is instead a slow burn film about the emotions of these three people and how they feel emotionally at this time in their life. Now for me I liked the approach the film took their are routes they go that is a bit stereotypical of the genre but aside from those few things I like that it didn’t fall into what most romance films do which is just repeat the same thing over and over again I am in the mindset if we are going to revisit this genre show me something new we have yet to see be explored from this genre which it did. The way Celine Song captures the aching pain of wanting to grow old with someone but told though a landscape through this dating guru played by Dakota Johnson I thought was incredibly emotionally impactful due to how she shows how society has got to a point where we prioritize Materialistic things before the person’s personality but at the same time people who have been hurt in the pain just start putting a list of what their ideal partner is and if they don’t fit that criteria they aren’t going to romantically pursue them. Then it gets to a point when your at an age and you just want someone to grow old with and their is a inner struggle Dakota’s character faces that makes her revaluate her  entire outlook on love and what she thinks it means to her. The film really lies best in the writing in my opinion as the film is not trying to be this sleek stylistic film that has tons of jukebox tunes that transition from one scene to the next their are long stretches of silences in the film where you can feel the emotion in those long pauses of silence. The writing by Celine Song is top notch as she has great character growth for it’s central Lead and she is able to write dialogue in a way that is perfectly catered to that specific actor as she knows how they would deliver it in their tone that would also work best in the interest of the character also. The film shows themes of self identity crisis, depression, Love lost along with love found, being hyper focused on things that don’t matter in the scheme of things. The film calls out the utter nonsense of how outlandish the dating scene has become and I feel a lot of people will feel seen in this film in one way or another if it is Dakota’s character Chris’s character or the clients she represents their is something that everyone can relate to from a human connection level of the topic of love and wanting to be loved which this film is able to hit on it’s head perfectly that just rings true to it’s topic in a way that I haven’t seen shown in such a realistic space like this in quite sometime. The way it discusses how materialism has overtaken how people evaluate relationships is shown in brutal truth and sure this is not the rom com people may have envisioned but it is better then that as we have seen films of that time and time again this film is a mediation on love and the many complexities that come with it told from the perspective of a love guru which I think is so refreshing and had me hooked from the first frame to it’s final shot. The way the writing is done to the sheer great character arcs all three leads go on is terrific Celine Song has captured what people have been chasing after which is to belong to someone to love them back and their is a primal relatability  to the material Celine Song captures so beautifully that I think is such incredible writing that has a style to it but is done in a subtle way The sheer way the themes were tackled and the message of the film is executed was terrific again one of the biggest strengths of this film lies within the written word that is done by the person at the helm of it all Celine Song. 

Secondly, This film has a stacked three actor line up from Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal to Chris Evans all of them give solid work in different ways that contribute greatly to the screen. Now Pedro Pascal is not in this film for what many may think is a lot but I thought he was in it for the right amount of time as he is not supposed to be one of the main characters through the whole film we learn from who he is and he serves a great purpose to the narrative for sure but the way they use him onscreen I thought was smarty done. He comes onto the screen with such charm and sexual energy that oozes confidence and Pedro taps into it in such a greatly subtle and soft spoken way that just has you glued to him the whole time he is onscreen due to the way he carries himself. He never even raises his voice in the film he is this soft spoken gentleman that sure comes from money but is constantly trying to say that does not define him as a person he wants to be liked for his personality and not what he has. Pedro portrays this character with a great tenderness as he is very gentle and floats in a scene with his great line delivery and ability to just win over the audience with that twinkle in his eye but he also gives this character as much depth as he could for the screen time he had I think he did a solid job. Then Chris Evans who we haven’t seen really do anything dramatic like this since post endgame was refreshing to see as we saw him in Knives Out but that was about it and was 6 years ago now so it has been quite sometime since we have seen Evans really stand out in a film. Here he plays the best friend and ex of Dakota Johnson and he is the stark contrast to who Pedro is as if Pedro perfectly describes what wealth and the rich lifestyle is he shows the polar opposite of that in how incredibly poor he is and how he is just scraping by in life. Chris Evans has this puppy like quality to when he is around Dakota Johnson’s character as we see him with his roommates being easily set off but the moment he is around her this softer side to him emerges and you can see he likes who he is around her. Chris brings this emotional vulnerability to his eyes that tells you everything he is feeling without having to say a word and it is powerfully conveyed onscreen Chris Evans delivers a high caliber act that I would go as far as saying is one of his finest performances of his career. Then you have the star of the film my favourite performance of the entire film which is Dakota Johnson who plays this matchmaker guru who thinks she has a firm grasp on the topic of love and what people desire most in relationships and yet that may be her Job within her personal life her dating life is extremely complicated. Dakota shines amazingly well in this film she has had a rocky last couple of years with the fifty shades film to Madam Web she needed a hit even if it is just a critical hit and she hits gold with this film showing audiences she has quite a great range emotionally and can deliver a terrific performance under the right director and if the material is right for her which it is and she gives a sensational turn in this film that is so damn good. Overall the whole cast give solid performances and each of them stand out in their own special way. 

Lastly, Materialists is not your run of the mill romance film which people may of expected it is a slow meditation on love and companionship and how it is complicated, messy, not always perfect and sometimes just sometimes you may end up finding the love of your life and the way Celine Song weaves that narrative together is magic. The way the screenplay is crafted is a massive highlight for me her ability to write the perfect dialogue for her characters is amazing and then on top of the great direction and writing on the film you have amazing performances from all 3 central actors Pedro Pascal is charismatic, Chris Evans gives one of his finest performances and Dakota Johnson is electric in this film. Overall the film shows love at it’s most intimate and personal ways and that is why I think it is one of the best takes on love I have seen in a very long time Materialist is a film I will be revisiting for sure and a film that I think will find it’s audience in years to come. I recommended people who loved Celine Song’s Past Lives to check this out or if you just love a great romance tale to see this film. 

This film centres around a woman who is a love guru who puts people on dates for who they think would best suit them while her love life is an absolute overcomplicated mess of her own trying to navigate both worlds of her own

Rated R : Brief Sexual Material|Language

Dakota Johnson : Dakota finally shows us she is capable of giving a truly solid performance when the right material falls into her lap! Now I have seen the last couple rocky years that were the Fifty Shades of grey trilogy and then their was the disastrous Madam Web and so It was not looking good for roles that Dakota was getting and she sure needed a hit on her hands if that was a box office hit or critically and here she has a big hit on her hands finally showing people that she has what it takes to lead a film dramatically and be able to show her chops that best suit her. Here she plays this matchmaker that as we first see her has a grasp on her career and feels she knows what people desire most in their romantic partners and has shown successfully how to pair the right people with one another. As she goes to a celebration of one of her clients she is awe struck by a guy working the room played by Pedro Pascal and she sees how not only he checks off all the boxes of her own personal list he is kind of a enigma that she can’t figure out in how he is so perfect. She herself has no idea how to approach her dating life especially when it comes to speaking to him as no one has ever come this close to being so smooth in everything they do but she still engages with him to see what he is about at the same party she also sees her ex boyfriend who is seeming to be catering the event and catches up with him as we can see he has never really gotten over here regardless of all the time that has passed between the two. As the film progresses something terrible happens to a client of hers during a date she set her up with and it makes her reevaluate her entire way of approaching the dating world as she thinks maybe she was wrong about her attitude towards it and it gets to a point where she lashes out at her clients and can’t function the way she used to at her job all the while juggling all this stuff with the man she is talking to and her ex boyfriend trying to move himself back into her life. She sees that love us complicated and messy and not always what you think it was and she sees first hand the way she had used love as a selling point to her clients may of just been a tactic to get people engaged with her business and their comes the question does she really believe in the words she uses to sell her clients on or is it just all fluff. She also has these incredibly high expectations she puts on men that she gets romantically involved with that they have to meet or else she is not interested at all and that is all due to her past experiences and we see first hand she does not want to be as she calls it broke or fighting over money all the time but once she sees how she tries that rich lifestyle is nice and it offers great things it does not fill her up as she is noticing her life is just wanting to have nice things but at the end of the day having a meaningful connection and being able to open up to someone emotionally  is more satisfying to her then anything because then she knows she can confide in them in a way she cant with just anyone which is something she deeply needs. Dakota Johnson explores all these areas of the character in such an engaging way you cant help but get wrapped up in her arc that we see her set on as she goes from this super confident woman that seems so sure of herself to wanting to see how the rich and stylish side lives and when she explores that eventually and at first seems exciting and fun it does not last the way she thought it would. Until we see her broken down and have to look back on who she is emotionally does she finally find the answer of what makes her fulfilled.  Johnson is able to explore the depths of her heart in all these Many layers with such fantastic emotional grit that has you wrapped around her finger and she knocks it out of the park as she is able to present so many versions of herself we the audience had never seen before while also giving a fully realized look of this character by the end that is satisfying and Dakota delivers in spades when she is at the bottom of her ropes and is desperate to make sense of the madness that is her life we see the life drained from her eyes and her on the brink of tears and Dakota brings that emotional desperation to want to just figure things out so well that you are wanting her to find peace with herself within her love life by the end. Dakota brings what I think is her finest work to date to the screen as you get to see her just peel back the layers of this character more and more and she really shows her heart onscreen and bares herself emotionally it is a performance that is so well timed emotionally as her arc goes through many peaks and valleys and we learn at the core of it she just wants to be loved like everyone else. Dakota Johnson finds the truth of that character in such a terrific way you can’t help but be mesmerized by her work onscreen an overall incredibly strong performance by Dakota Johnson.

Celine Song : Celine did a tremendous job at brining this film to the screen! As I have been praising already the sheer way the dialogue is crafted for each specific actor onscreen was masterfully done as well as shaping a film that comments on the outlook of modern dating and critiquing the many problems of how people look at relationships when searching for love. This film was not trying to go out of it’s way to be the next Sleepless in Seattle we have seen that film and many of them from that genre so the way to go about this film is how can you visit a genre people love to go to but bring something new to the genre that keeps it refreshing and what Celine shows is how utterly messy the dating world has become in todays day and age. The film is not looking down on how people have so many expectations sure their is some light humour at how ridiculous people can be when making their standards for the perfect partner that she comments on but she more explores of how people have lost their way in wanting human connection and while people are making a list that is so long of what best suits their needs they know in the deepest parts of their heart at the centre of it they don’t want to be alone they want companionship so when you take away the huge amount of expectation your left with people just longing to love and be loved in return that is what each single person that Dakota Johnson’s clients all have in common and Celine Song puts a spotlight on that and sure their will be a large amount of people when watching this film feel either seen or called out as they can see maybe a bit to much of themselves in the material onscreen. But the film is not wanting to just be another run of the mill Rom com that we have seen time and time again but instead operate as a think piece on the expectation of the dating world and the many forms and complications love takes on which I thought was a beautiful outlook to the picture. Pedro Pascal represents high society and Chris Evans is a look on the average person just getting by and then the girl thrown in the middle is Dakota Johnson seeing both worlds but which is the one that is more accessible to her on an emotional level and we see both sides of that coin throughout the whole film. I think Celine Song captured amazingly well the commentary that had to eventually be done on how the hunt for love has lost sight of what is important and she breaks it down to it’s core values of what matters most which is fantastic and it is presented through the three central roles and this is a film that some may like some may not but I give her massive credit for having the courage to be the person to finally call out the competitive, and to a degree ridiculous expectation that been put on dating for years now and this film just calls it out for what it is no sugar coating but brutal honesty and Celine Song once again gives a great film about the human condition shown through the lens of modern dating a truly well rounded directed film.

The Phoenician Scheme 

Wes Anderson has crafted one of his finest films in years! Now I think Wes Anderson has been doing a lot better recently since the French Dispatch as I was not a fan of that film whatsoever. When he did Astroid City back in 2023 I thought that was the step in the right direction and with his work now on his latest The Phoenician Scheme It feels like one of his strongest he has done in quite sometime. The film has a great set of characters that are worth investing into and leave a great impression on the audience that is memorable and the story itself has a great sense of heart and an amazing amount of emotion behind it as well. Wes Anderson gives a film that may not be his finest hour as a filmmaker but it is a film I can see myself revisiting due to the enjoyment I had with this picture. 

Firstly, This film to no surprise at all presents the film around family strains which a lot of Wes Anderson’s films are built around which is not an issue as it never feels repetitive of past films he has done he sure is revisiting a tone we are used to but is accessing it in a way that still feels fresh. The film takes on for the first time a father and daughter dynamic and I loved that take on the way he discusses family hardship through their relationship and the father is a business tycoon is constantly put in danger for his not so great reputation and is faced with putting his daughter to be the heir to his estate of who he has not met until he called upon her and we see how very different they are in terms of personality. The film also has a bit of touch of religion put into the film which is shown through the daughter’s perspective which is something Wes Anderson has never really taken the time to tackle in his films previously. The reason I had such a issue with the French Dispatch when I saw that film was it’s inability to get any of the characters to be remotely fleshed out where here their are 3 main characters we are constantly following along the entire way through and their is a progression of the character arcs for Benicio Del Toro, Mia Threapleton and Michael Cera whom all give tremendous performances in their own right due to the great writing at hand by Wes Anderson. The film discusses themes of family, legacy and a touch of religion I think it is the best character development I have seen from a Wes Anderson film since Isle Of Dogs which more people should seek out that is a terrific film but I do think this film’s strength lies within the characters and how greatly they get along and how likeable they are which is due in heavy part from the writing yes but also the great commitment from the cast of actors as well. The tone of this film is in a way still very much Wes Anderson style which has in a way become self parody at this point but he does it in a way that does not feel as indulgent. The writing and tone set for this specific story was among his best in quite sometime. 

Secondly, The performances from the cast are all so fun! Now the two people who give a good job is Benicio Del Toro who delivers one of his finest performances in years with his take on this eccentric businessman who is known to deceive people at any moment if it means he gets himself something out of it but also knows it is the best course of action for himself and his brand. Del Toro has a great sense of comedic timing he is known for doing more dramatic things which he is great in but seeing him deliver such dry wit worked so well here as he is able to be both funny but have a tinge of heart at the end of his dialogue delivery. I think he is a tremendous lead and I would love to see him in more dry comedies like this as it suits him well we saw what he was capable of within a more lighter setting with the French Dispatch and here he is on full display giving a terrific leading performance of a father that is a man of secrets but longs for human connection and the way Del Toro is able to show that onscreen was so so entertaining and very touching overall a truly fun performance adding another great performance to his great body of work. Then you have Michael Cera who you would of thought would of been in one of Wes Anderson’s films long ago due to his specific comedic timing which works for Anderson’s films as this man has built a career from deadpan humour and the fun awkward characters he has perfected to a freaking T he is magnificent in this film! He plays this eccentric tutor that is thrust into the action and has this childlike innocence to him and he knows exactly when to inject that fish out of water charm to the scene to really make it stand out he is someone that is for sure one of the strongest parts of the film in terms of performance and he gives such a loveable performance of this endearing character in a witty and fun performance that was tailor made to his strengths. Then we have the big standout of the film that is my personal favourite which is Mia Threapleton who gives in my opinion the finest work in the entire film! She plays this young woman who devotes her life to the church in wanting to be a nun and at the same time is also trying to sort out her relationship with her estranged father and the longer she hangs around him the more his charm rubs off on her and she cant help but feel the need to develop their relationship more since she was robbed of it at such a young age. Mia soars in this film with no prior acting experience she is a natural on the screen holding her own next to Michael Cera and Oscar winner Benicio Del Toro is no easy feat and she is able to dig deep into the depths of who this character is and fully flesh out where her heart lies in this amazing turn that is for sure to be a massive accomplishment for her career. I cannot wait to see what she does next as her work on this film was truly spectacular. Each actor did a great job and in like most Wes Anderson fashion he brings his friends along to each film he does the cast is huge and even if some actors only have a scene they make the most of what is given to shine with the material they are given to work with their is no weak link in this film.

Lastly, The Phoenician Scheme is one of Wes Anderson’s strongest films character and plot wise I have seen in quite some time! Benicio Del Toro is a powerhouse giving a terrific leading performance that showcases his comedic timing in a way we have not seen before, Michael Cera finally gets to make his mark on Wes Anderson film and he is perfectly fit for the zany world he always paints it is mind-blowing he has never been in one up until now and Mia Threapleton gives a damn great breakout performance that is among one of my favourites of the year. This film has an over the top premise that is so fun with a ton of laughs so much heart and characters that you will fall in love with in minutes of them being onscreen. This film finally shows the family dynamic through the lens of a father daughter relationship and the way it is tackled is so so good. The Phoenician Scheme is so much fun to be had this is a Wes Anderson film I will find myself revisiting more then once for sure I also recommend people who are fans of his work and are just fans of great comedies mixed with dramatic depth seek this film out as June is a big month for film and this one I fear will get lost among the shuffle of films. 

This film centres on a business Tycoon that has to confront a bunch of business associates and get work done before he Is taken out at the same time rework his relationship with his daughter whom he wants to leave his family fortune to

Rated PG - 13 : Smoking Throughout|Nude Images|Bloody Images|Some Sexual Material|Violent Content

Mia Threapleton : Mia gives a truly outstanding breakout performance that is destined to make her a huge star! Now I have mentioned this a few times now because she has had only one other film in terms of prior acting work before this film and wow does she do an incredible job onscreen that comes across like she has been doing this for years. She plays this practicing Nun that hopes to work herself further into the church and devote herself fully to her practice but she has been summoned by her father to take over his estate in case something is to happen to him which for her she Is so curious why out of all this time he has picked now to finally form a bond with her. The way Mia Presents this character onscreen was so great as she has a dry sense of amusement on her face at all times throughout he film and it is In part due to not wanting to be associated with her dad’s schemes and also because she is so guarded after so many years of him not bring present in her life. She is very serious of devoting her life to the church and her father constantly questions why she has become such a devote to the practice of Faith and their is a line in the film where she utters it is about devotion and essentially staying loyal to a practice. He sees that as a massive thing for him as in his line of work loyalty is a big thing for him. We see that she again keeps a lot to herself and as the film progresses and they spend more time with one another that shield of emotional guard just veers itself down and we see her talk more and she isn’t as stern and you can see her curiosity peaking into why her father is the way he is. We see their relationship blossom in a way that is benefiting for him sure but massively improves her heartache of not having a father in her life for such a long period. The way Mia is able to show the depth and complexity of this character was so well presented as she in the first half like mentioned has this dry short wit to her that comes across in a dramatic fashion but has this certain comedic landing to the way she delivers the lines that is a perfect blend of humour and dramatic weight all at once. You can see the pain in her eyes early on and as the film furthers we see her becoming softer and letting her emotions be more on display and she just seems like such perfect fit for a Wes Anderson film you would of thought she had been doing this for ages. She is also curious to know how her mother perished which is another reason why she embarked on this journey with her dad to begin with to get closure over the family tragedy that has been itching the back of her brain for years and Mia Therapleton delivers a performance that at points had me laughing greatly due to her great timing of her humour that again is a result of her dry delivery that both can be taken as dramatic or comedy she walks a fine line between that and she also has such a great eye for letting her outer emotions speak for itself their is a ton she is saying at times without having to say a word and it is amazingly well tapped into onscreen. She also has great chemistry with Benicio Del Toro as they really make you believe their father daughter dynamic and they gell so well together I cannot wait to see what the future holds for Mia as if this film was an indicator of her talents her future is bright for sure her performance is amazing and she gives a knockout turn that is among one of my favourite Wes Anderson characters to ever grace the screen.

Wes Anderson : Wes gives one of his strongest narratives in quite sometime! Now as previously mentioned Wes is no stranger to the themes of family estrangement and here he taps into it from the father daughter relationship which he never really has explored before. The film also operates in a few ways like a mystery film as their are constant attempts on the main character’s life but we never figure out who is behind that until the last few minutes of the film so I liked that element to the story that we had not seen from any of his prior films which was very refreshing on top of the way he was able to capture the family themes without it feeling overly exhausted at this point. He again assembles the many collaborators he is known for working with on his projects and the list of A listers just grows longer and here the film is all about a father wanting his daughter to trust him again while also ensuring his family legacy is in order. The issue I had with the French Dispatch was that he had not much character development from any of the great actors onscreen so their was no attachment for me to have to any of them which made them very forgettable by the final frame of the picture. Then in 2023 he made the film Astroid City which is his commentary on a husband mourning the loss of his wife and is heavily about grief. Here the film’s overarching theme is about yes the daughter dad dynamic and her hesitating to trust him again after so long and this is the first character driven film I have seen from him in a while as the 3 main actors play characters that leave a great impression on the audience that  by the end of the film you are well invested into their individual arcs they set out on. He does not capture the magic of Fantastic Mr Fox or The Royal Tenenbaums but he isn’t trying to do that either he is just trying to tell a great well rounded story With yes fun characters and themes with a touching message for the audience to get behind which I think he does exceptionally well at achieving. The film also discusses themes of religion as well which at this point in his career I am surprised he has decided to tap into but I love the curiosity he has about it and is able to explore that through the daughter the film is so much fun and I enjoyed his signature style once again and I will admit this is among some of the best character work I have seen from him In at least 7 years as a lot of hi recent films have been very flashy but not much work in terms of character which this film thankfully does not have that issue with. Wes Anderson finally after years is putting the characters first and style second which has been a big issue of his as I mentioned as of recent. Overall I love the heart and fun antics the characters get into all while telling a touching story about a father just wanting to reconnect with his daughter. The great thing about Wes Anderson is even though he may get lost among the style the heart never gets lost and here it is more front and centre and I love that overall another well done directed film by Wes Anderson once again with some of his most memorable characters that are destined to become fan favourites.

Friendship 

This is one of the funniest and most emotionally relatable films of the year! Now the film is going to resonate with so many people due to the great tones woven into this story while also giving side splitting comedy from the talents of Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson. The film is about isolation, friendship and the many stages of how hard it can be to feel not accepted by someone who just does not want to hang with you by causing them to feel uncomfortable. Even though it may be a mistake that is forever altering the relationship and beyond repairing it and now only just furthering the embarrassment for the one person Friendship shows the ups and downs of how emotionally exhausting it can be to feel unwanted by someone and how it can also unravel in your home life. This film will be a favourite comedy for many people but it isn’t just a straight forward comedy it speaks to a lot of hard hitting relatable content  that will resonate with a ton of people. 

Firstly, Friendship delves deep into what it is like to be an outcast by everyone in your life and the way the film touches on that is so dead on accurate for many who have either dealt with a situation like this or witnessed someone else go through it. The film is able to bring a lot of serious depth to a story that wears comedy on its sleeve but is not just that single tone it is able to have great moments of comedic expression that come out of the social awareness nature of the lead character we follow. The film is not afraid to delve into the nature of how damaging rejection can feel when wanting to feel accepted by someone especially as a friend. We see this guy in his day to day life he lives a pretty routine life but when he has the opportunity to have someone to give some flavour and excitement to his life he sees how much he alters the way he carries himself and the positive impact he has on his life at first by showing him this sense of adventure and awakens him to be more engaging within his home life to. The moment he embarrasses himself at a party in a moment where he thought he could just be funny but instead pushes things to far his newfound friend distances himself from him and the entirety of the remaining time of the film is him not dealing well with the rejection of why this guy won’t talk to him and in many ways tries to force himself to talk to him in many situations which just makes him come across incredibly inappropriate in his approach which only hurts his chances of him wanting to further communicate with him and also it damages his home life hugely. For instance his wife who is battling a illness sees a spark in him when he was hanging out with his new friend she never finds out why he isn’t friends with her husband anymore when he creates that moment of embarrassment she just sees her husband go back into his old routines and starts becoming very erratic in his behaviour. The film also discusses how relatable his character is for many as the film is built off cringy and laughter that is formed from uncomfortable laughter and it works because many can relate to seeing themselves in this specific character at times maybe not to this extreme extent but their is a definite sense of connection between the audience and the character that is done in such a great way that will make many feel seen. The Film is able to also again showcase  great amounts of humour out of the quiet uncomfortable silence’s that lands in an amazing way that is well timed and placed and never feels forced. The sheer tone this film sets for itself along with the way it delves into the serious damage it takes on a person emotional state and how lost they feel but also the extreme ways they will seek out an answer if they themselves do not get it from that one specific person and this film shows that cranked up to an eleven but is brings the right amount of relatability, Humour, heart and amazingly well written content in terms of plot and character work that is among some of the best I have seen all year. 

Secondly, This film has two great central performances from both Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd both giving a very different type of performance than you would expect from the two. Tim Robinson firstly gives a fantastic leading role of a man that wants to find his place among people socially but does not know how to access that due to his ability of not being able to read social cues and and thinking something is funny when it’s not. He gives a funny but at times heartbreaking performance of a man that is his own friend due to his inability to know how to form relationships then you have Paul Rudd who plays the neighbour who seems like a fun guy and he is but he seeks adventure and wants to have a good time but once that disconnect between him and Tim happens the damage is to great to try to hang with him after that. Paul is able to channel a guy that wants a friend but not one that will make him feel socially awkward and ruin his reputation with his other friends. Rudd soars in a solid performance that both channels comedy and drama in a great balance and use of his talents and everyone else gives solid work but it is the great leading roles from Rudd and Robinson that makes this film really shine and they have a natural onscreen dynamic that you will be surprised works so well as they bounce off each other effortlessly.

Lastly, Friendship is a film that is a commentary on the devastating blow that will happen to a person if you are unaware you are the reason people don’t want to hang out and having that social deafness to not be able to read the room of why that is as this film explores the highs and lows of that to a very relatable degree for many. The film also shows a great pairing between Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd that both also give fantastic performances that are both dramatic and comedically hilarious and will have you wanting to see more from these two due to their ability to work so well onscreen together. Friendship is one of the most painfully relatable films about social awareness and what happens when you are unable to socialize with people in the way you thought you could this film is amazingly well written and greatly acted and will no doubt be a film I will be talking about all year long. Friendship is a film I recommend people check out if you love a comedy that also has something with a message and a ton of heart you will love this. 

This film centres on a suburban dad that is very much kept to himself and has no friends the moment he steps out of his comfort zone to talk to someone new it is both the greatest thing to happen to him and also the worst and the many degrees it explores about that. 

Rated R : Language|Some Drug Content

Tim Robinson : Robinson delivers a performance that is both comedically genius and dramatically heartbreaking! Tim Robinson is known for his outlandish comedic timing and his ability to chew the scenery in a scene with sense of knowing how to make an audience genuinely laugh with his talents. Here he plays a Suburban dad that keeps to himself and does his routine day in and day out until the opportunity presents it to himself that he has to confront a neighbour about a package that is wrongly addressed to his house that then sparks a conversation among the two and they both get intertwined in their lives in ways both couldn’t of predicted. Tim Robinson plays this character in a way that is both reliable and devastatingly heartbreaking with humour wrapped around his personality in such a smart way. What I mean by that is Robinson is able to showcase the unfortunate reality of a man that cannot seem to grasp when someone does not wants to hangout with him and he refuses to accept the answer he is dealt and in many ways forces himself to stay involved in their life because of how the person made him feel when he was with that specific person. As when they are no longer in his life he feels that freeing purpose he had is non existent and that he is back to feeling lifeless and now he is able to access that emotional frustration in a way that is so raw and emotionally sincere in his delivery while having a comedic wit at the tail end of a lot of hid dialogue. The comedy is usually results from him lashing out at the ones closest to him in severe moments of frustration and he lets it out in a way that is funny yes but again is derived from the serious aspects of what is going on and he does not make the sad reality he is in funny but in the sheer way he delivers the dialogue has a dry sense of humour to it that just hits in all the right areas without it feeling forced or corny in any sense. The comedy flows so smoothly and naturally that there are ,multiple areas of great humour in his performance due to his great timing onscreen. The Dramatic weight though of what his character goes through is in my opinion far more compelling then the humorous aspect’s of what he brings onscreen as seeing his decent into madness is a unique journey as he shows it slowly overtime by the more he looses things in his life from the loss of respect from his family life, his work life and then yes very heavily his social life where he tries his best to make work but it just never materializes for him in what he had hoped for. Robinson brings a sad clown quality to this role and it is so fitting as the character itself is relatable to multiple people for many reasons and he is able to just breath such life and comedy and an outstanding amount of dramatic depth to who this guy is in a way that captivates you at times feel bad for him and also make you laugh all at once. It is a performance that is a damn good one and I hope he explores more roles like this as it is not a one trick performance where you are just seeing him give a comedic performance their is layers to this role and we see multiple sides of who he is in different situations that makes him so quirky in separate social settings.You can see he wants to just have a happy and fun social life but is going about it in all the wrong ways the only person that does not know that is him and the deaf social awareness he plays in is perfectly executed by him in an onscreen performance that is among one of the most brilliant multi layered comedic and dramatically driven performances I have seen all year Tim Robinson is phenomenal and I cannot wait to see what he does next as he is so freaking good in this film. 

Andrew DeYoung : Andrew gives an amazing feature film debut! Now I know he has done a a24 hour long special but this is his first real feature film debut as a filmmaker in many ways and the way he tackles this film with the film Friendship is amazing! He writes, directs and produces this film for A24 and explores the journey of these two guys and how their lives intertwine in the best and worst ways now he didn’t just make a straightforward comedy as one would expect especially with the talents this film has paired up from Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson’s involvement. The film is not what you expect from them which I love it is unique in it’s approach of how they discuss the theme of friendship and how hard it can be and also devastatingly crushing to the soul if denied the ability to hangout with people and the sad reality of being socially deaf to not know you are the reason people don’t wanna talk to you and the film explores that is painfully relatable detail in a way I haven’t seen done to this extent in quite sometime. It brilliantly is able to walk the fine line between side splitting dry wit humour and then hard hitting drama and never letting one tone compromise the other in the way the story is told which results in a great mix of the two that compliments each other greatly. It is a film I can see being a favourite for many but I also can see if some may not be drawn to it due to it not being a over the top comedy as many may think this is a raunchy comedy due to the pairing onscreen but instead they want to tell a story and portray characters they usually don’t get the chance to do which I respect massively as if this was another run of the mill comedy sure it would of been good but we have seen that many times over so going in with the approach to get two well known comedians to do a comedy drama is a great way in as it challenges both actors to do something they don’t get to do much which is blend their comedic timing to their dramatic roots of their acting range. Both of which showcase great performances and they work off each other so well you would buy into them being friends instantly and the way the style and direction from Andrew was brought to the screen made it so compelling to watch these two as he also creates a great relationship between the viewer and the story as their are multiple situations the viewer could relate to being in socially and the film in many respects draws from real world situations people can relate too which makes the film more fun I find as then the viewer can connect more with the content and it’s characters in a accessible way that feels very grounded to the human experience. Andrew DeYoung did a exceptional job at crafting a comedy with serious dramatic roots that was not just another paint by numbers comedy but a story with a great message and great thematic themes people could walk away with and I cannot wait to see what he does next. The way this story is written was wickedly smart and the style and direction was splendid Andrew DeYoung did an outstanding job.  

Mission Impossible : Final Reckoning

This film is a beautiful send off to the franchise despite its pacing issues at times. As a fan of the brand that is Mission Impossible I think Christopher McuQurrie and Tom Cruise nailed it at bringing Ethan Hunt and all the characters we’ve come to love to a fitting end and putting itself firmly in the discussion for greatest action franchise of all time. This film may not be as good as previous entries but it is a damn solid Farewell that sticks the landing in terms of a great story that keeps you engaged the whole way through, big action set pieces that will amaze you and it is a thrill ride which is why we enjoy these films for constantly giving us fantastic stories wrapped with outstanding action sequences that never fails to blow the audience away. 

Firstly, The flaws I want to just say now and get out of the way as I did throughly enjoy this film but their area few things I would have changed. This film has a runtime being 10 minutes short of three hours in length and not that I have a issue with lengthy runtimes not at all but I did feel the first hour of the film did take a while to pick up in terms of story as the second and third act of the film was way more well paced in terms of the story and set pieces they set up but it did take a while for me to get into the rhythm of the story which never happens with these film. That being said I get why they take their time setting up the overarching story as this film is a culmination of 30 years of these films with Tom Cruise and is in many ways a celebration of what Tom has brought to the screen with this franchise I would just say if they runtime at least in the first hour was more tightly done I wouldn’t feel it drag a bit aside from that I would say that is my only gripe with the film. The film is also the only one that is directly connected to the previous film as most Mission films you could watch in any order and enjoy them this film does not do any recapping from the previous film it picks up exactly where the last one left off and starts just running with the plot. So it assumes you have seen the last film so don’t go into this film thinking you can just watch it out of order as you will get lost very quickly if you do that. Now The film gives us so much to look at from how smart and cunning this technological threat the entity is and how terrifying of a concept it is. Now when the last film came out Dead Reckoning it was released in 2023 and we hadn’t got to a point where artificial intelligence was so heavily at the forefront like it is now. Sure the concept of the entity still is a terrifying thought to have for sure as that film showed the dangerous of AI and what happens if it went to far and I still by the fact that it is the most realistic and terrifying antagonist I saw in a film that year for how terrifyingly accurate the horrors of that could become a reality if proper care and caution is not taken into account. Now in this entry we see that it wants global domination and to take over the world and have access to government and military documentation to make decisions that run the world on a much bigger scale then we previously thought. Ethan and his team is thrown into the situation where they have to go back to basics in terms of taking down this enemy since it is heavily relied on tech they have to find ways to go about their plans without the use of it or very limited use as the Entity can track their every move. So at any time it could try to disrupt or find them which is horrifying and the way they use accelerated technology as the enemy once again and fleshing out the sheer dangers of a system that is so smartly coded is bone chilling scary some may say it is a far fetched concept but in todays social climate it isn’t that far from the truth. Tom Cruise and the whole creative team involved all contribute greatly to this final outing as these characters as they are able to wrap up the cliffhanger we were left on back in 2023 and give a satisfying conclusion to that plot line while also bringing to close the entire franchise and giving longtime fans of the series a tremendous emotionally high that pays off in a great way Mission Impossible : The Final Reckoning goes full throttle with it’s incredible action set pieces and at times bloated but still fun story that sticks it’s landing giving a final film that demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible in order to properly soak in the fun of this final act Tom Cruise has in store. The sheer way the tone and exaction of this film is done Never left me feeling disappointed and actually had me swept up emotionally multiple times for how well the emotional beats of the story played out to fans who have been with the franchise for many years now. Tom Cruise and everyone involved in bringing this film to the big screen deserve massive credit as a film of this caliber and magnitude is not easy to make as we don’t get many action films like this and I can never say Tom does not think of the audience he knows how to thrill a crowd and bring people in to his films and the way he went about giving this finale of his beloved franchise was amazingly well captured. 

Secondly,  The performances were great but the one person that walks away with the film once again is none other than mr Tom Cruise himself! Now he plays a man who has lost so much and is trying to just save the world one last time while also keeping whoever is left near him alive as he can’t deal with more heartache and Tom gives one of his best outings of the spy himself in such a emotionally charged way you cannot look away from. All the other actors did a good job but it is the work of Tom Cruise that has you captivated from start to finish! 

Lastly, Mission Impossible : The Final Reckoning is a tremendous farewell to these characters we have come to love and has am emotional heartbeat that is felt genuinely throughout the entire film giving thanks to the films that came before it as well as tying up loose ends of the previous film while giving great action set pieces that are shown on such a large scale you are in constant awe of how Tom Cruise and the team involved are able to pull them off the sheer stunt work and big scale action is amazingly well presented sure this film may not be perfect and has a bit of flaws but it goes out on a bang and establishes itself as one of the greatest action franchises to ever be put to screen. Overall Mission Impossible : The Final Reckoning is one hell of a ride you will want to see on the biggest screen you can with the best sound quality I recommend people who love previous entires of this film check it out you will love every moment of this film. 

This film centres around where we last saw Ethan and his MI team on taking down the technological threat that is the entity and how to keep himself and his team out of harms way without loosing anyone else and saving the world all at the same time

Rated PG - 13 : Bloody Images|Action|Brief Language|Sequences of Strong Violence

Tom Cruise : Tom once again gives another sensational performance as Ethan Hunt in the final outing of this film in a way that is among some of the best work he has given In the franchise! Now he has pretty much perfected how to play this character to a T so the question is what can he bring to this performance that we haven’t yet seen. Now here is a man that is very much so running out of time in terms of his one luck as he has lost more people lately and he used to be a man that would get in and out without a scratch and keep his team intact. Due to his lifetime commitment to being a field agent we see the sacrifices over the years he has made to secure the safety of the people he has lost out on the normalcy of a family, a loving relationship and he knows he is not made for a simple life as the moment he tired to he put his wife in danger and knew she would be better off without him in her life if he wanted to keep her safe his best bet would be to love her from afar. Here we see him way more emotionally strung out and at the ends of his ropes as sure he is still cunning and thinks 8 steps ahead of most people but you can see the scars weighing on him that he is knowing that he is much older now and wants to just end whatever this is and just exist in the shadows the way he always has. Tom Cruise’s Ethan has always been a person to unfortunately let his emotions get the best of him and think more with his heart and not his brain at times which is what gets him in some truly heartbreaking situations that has sadly costed lives in the process. That being said he knows that his field operatives has become his family in so many ways. His ability to have any sort of normal family will never happen so he turned his co workers he works with on his missions in a way to become the family he chose and he refuses to let them be in any sort of threat and that is when he will throw logic and any sort of normal decision making right out the window if it means to ensure their safety. Tom Cruise brings a tenderness and emotionality to Ethan Hunt this time around that was tapped into when doing Dead Reckoning but is on full display here as we can see that he has sacrificed and lost so much he just wants to put whatever is in his way to bed and live a quiet life. You can see the emotional hardship within his eyes and the shakiness in his voice that he has lost to much and he has no more emptiness in his heart for anything more to loose and so you can see that tough sadness wash over his face that he is devastated by loss but will stop at nothing to make sure that whatever it takes he will will be on the right side of this situation. Tom Cruise as I have already expressed as perfected his way of tackling this character so he knows what works best to make the role shine onscreen as we have seen him as a friend, a family man and as a co worker so this time he is mostly merging all aspects of his life we have seen him explore individually on full display. Tom wants to rid of the ghosts haunting him from his past but also get out before his luck runs out as he has devoted his life to this line of work and he knows that it is a thankless job but he signed up for it many years ago knowing that. Tom shows this aged spy still has tricks up his sleeve despite people thinking they have him all figured out he still knows how to turn the cards on them and always be ahead of them and that is what we love to see Tom showcase as this character and he does so again with such flair and great emotional depth that will touch your heart. Tom Cruise once again shows after all these years he still finds parts of the heart of this character to showcase that we had yet to see and he does it in such a phenomenal way. Tom Cruise soars in what I think is one of his best presentations of the character we have seen and he saved the best for last with a truly sensational turn as Ethan Hunt. 

Christopher McQuarrie : Christopher once again gives another truly terrific turn at the directors chair for the final outing of the Mission Franchise! McQuarrie has been behind the helm of these films for over 10 years now ever since the work on Rogue nation he has taken over directional duties full time and it has been shown that he is the right person to take creative control of this beloved franchise.  He has known exactly what to inject into this franchise that is needed to keep it fresh and exciting. The way he goes about his direction and sheer style is a perfect marriage between the material and the filmmaker involved as it seems like Christopher McQuarrie is a perfect fit for steering these films in the right direction. Here he explores what happens with Ethan Hunt at the end of his ropes as we have seen him in dire situations before but his friends are becoming smaller and smaller and he is getting older and the wear and tear on him is more evident then ever. The way Christopher made the film feel like a massive love letter to the franchise and also a big thank you to the fans for supporting their fans from the beginning all the way to the end was a fantastic touch as the film puts easter eggs and callbacks to the previous films from Mission 3 all the way to the first film and they at times have plot points from other mission films that do play a part in the arc of this film. The action is once again as spectacular as ever I don’t know how Christopher and Tom come up with these set pieces but they somehow are able to top the previous ones and go bigger and bolder and they always go places with the set pieces that are in the realm of reality it does not feel to overblown like the furious franchise where that is basically a fantasy. The Mission Films have prided themselves on remaining rooted in reality and also doing the stunts practically and you can see the blood sweat and tears the whole creative team put into it to go places With the audience they have yet to go to before while also turning up the dial with each set piece I think it is done so masterfully and incredibly well constructed. Christopher McQuarrie may not have replicated the genius of what I think was his peak in terms of direction that is Fallout but this film is still a damn good time and a lot of the credit is due to the creatives involved that worked tirelessly to make this film as fun and as thrilling as possible. The film is about finishing unfinished business while also making sure the small group of people he loves stays protected their are people lost but at the same time that is the price people in his line of work sadly get used too but does not mean it hurts any less and the emotionality of the franchise coming to a close is felt in each frame and Christopher captured amazing performances from his entire cast on their final outings as these characters while also bringing the franchise to new heights in terms of style we had yet to see it go and keep the story the central focus of the film the entire time never sacrificing plot for style. Christopher again brings another great amount of thrills and excitement to the franchise that no there director has brought to such thrilling highs like he has on this franchise and he brings it to s fitting close with an outstanding finale that will have people cheering McQuarrie knocked it out of the park. I cannot wait to see what Tom does with him moving forward in terms of other projects as they seem to really understand each other truly solid direction.