Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

When "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was released in 1981, everyone knew that it would be a success, considering Steven Spielberg was directing and the wizardry of the visual effects were to be designed by the now, legendary ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic), who is used for the effects of this film as well. Fast forward to 2023, and we have the fifth installment of the franchise, "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny". Who knew this franchise would continue for 40 plus years?

Experience the return of legendary hero, Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones (Harrison Ford), in the fifth installment of his beloved swashbuckling series of films. Finding himself in a new era, 1969 to be exact, approaching retirement, Indy wrestles with fitting into a world that seems to have outgrown him. But as the tentacles of an all-too-familiar evil return in the form of an old rival, Dr. Jurgen Voller (Mads Mikkelson), Indy must don his fedora and pick up his whip once more to make sure an ancient and powerful artifact doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Jones races against time to retrieve a legendary dial that can change the course of history. Accompanied by his goddaughter, Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), he soon finds himself squaring off against Voller, who just happens to be a former Nazi who works as a scientist for NASA.

Others to round out the cast are Antonio Banderas as Renaldo, Karen Allen as Marion, John Rhys-Davies as Sallah, Shawnette Renee Wilson as Agent Mason, Toby Jones as Basil Shaw, Boyd Holbrook as Klaber, Thomas Kretschmann as Colonel Weber, Eth ann Isidore as Teddy, Olivier Richters as Hauke and Martin McDougall as Durkin. 

This was grippingly and intensely directed by James Mangold ("Heavy" '95, "Cop Land" '97, "Girl, Interrupted" '99, "Kate & Leopold" '01, "Identity" '03, "Walk the Line" '05, "3:10 to Yuma" '07, "Knight and Day" '10, "The Wolverine" '13, "Ford v Ferrari" '19) plus TV. Considering this filmmaker hasn't been involved with this franchise clearly speaks volumes of his ability as a fine and detailed director. Of course, Harrison Ford knows Indy like the back of his hand, but it is still fine directing that showcases this director's ability to show his audience the 'at ease' in which Ford portrayed this character. His last film, "Ford v Ferrari" was amazingly well directed, so it wasn't much of a stretch to believe that this film would have the same quality. If you like this director's brand, his "Star Wars: Down of the Jedi" is in pre production. This was equally well penned by writers Jez Butterwork, John-Henry Butterworth, David Koepp and James Mangold. With only one of these writers being an alumni of this franchise--Koepp who wrote one other Indy film, and with so many writers involved, it' was written so effortlessly that one would've assumed that it was written by all alumni of past Indy films. Considering the vast experience each of these writers have, it's no surprise that it was delineated well. Usually if there is more that two writers involved in any given script, the story has a tendency to become mired with inconsistencies and confusion--too many chefs in the kitchen, but because these writers are seasoned to the degree in which they are, we have been given a tight, cohesive and well thought out screenplay. And, like aforementioned, the visual effects predominantly designed by ILM, were seamless, especially in the sequences where both AI and older footage of Harrison Ford were used. The score, which was created by John Williams, who wrote the music for the original, was moving and definitely helped showcase the story.

Certainly, if you are an Indy fan, you'll love this, but even not, and you yearn for more escapism when going to the multiplex, this definitely fits the bill. Was it as good as the original? No, but it definitely kept me glued for the two and a half hour running time. Ford says, this is the end of Indy Jones, but it is too bad since it's a fascinating franchise. This was executive produced by Spielberg and Lucas. How bad could this be? You be the judge.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                            Rated: PG-13                                       154mins.

 

No Hard Feelings

Comedies happen to be my favorite genre, and, while most of today's comedies truly aren't funny simply because the writer's are attempting to force their jokes at us, "No Hard Feelings" is one of those projects that, isn't incredibly funny, it still has a great chemistry between these two individuals that need to grow up--one being a teen and the other an adult.

On the brink of losing her childhood home due to back property taxes to be paid, Maddie Barker (Jennifer Lawrence) discovers an intriguing job listing: wealthy helicopter parents, Allison Becker (Laura Benanti) and Laird Becker (Matthew Broderick) looking for someone to "date" their introverted, socially-stunted 19-year-old son, Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman), before he leaves for college, Maddie soon discovers the awkward Percy is no sure thing. Maddie has one summer to make Percy a man, or die trying.

Others to round out the cast are Natalie Morales as Sara, Scott MacArthur as Jim, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Gary, Kyle Mooney as Jody, Hasan Minhaj as Doug Kahn, Jordan Mendoza as Crispin, Amalia Yoo as Natalie, Alysia Joy Powell as Fern and Quincy Dunn-Baker as Travis.

This was humorously directed by Gene Stupnitsky ("Good Boys" '19) plus TV. This filmmaker is one of several writers that have transitioned from writing to the directing field and Stupnitsky has excelled well in the crossover. His pacing and staging are well thought out and his ability to showcase his lead actors to emit those many emotions needed to convey their totally different personas made for a very funny combination. He will receive more work. It was written with heart and pathos by Gene Stupnitsky ("Year One" '09, "Bad Teacher" '11, "Hello Ladies: The Movie" '14, "Gorgeous Morons" (TV movie) '16, "Good Boys" '19) plus TV and John Phillips ("Dirty Grandpa" '16). Obviously, because Stupnitsky spearheading the lion's share of the experience here over Phillips, he received top billing. I'm sure Phillips was pivotal with the input he provided, however, this was clearly Stupnitsky's baby. Certainly, by his very resume, he is definitely within the confines of his comfort zone and that's OK, because he then can give us what he does best. This was well sequenced as it was a tight script. Was it perfect? No, not at all, but it was exceedingly better written and therefore much funnier that I ever expected. Even with the brief nudity and some of the expletives, I feel they were mostly used for an effective reason, than just there to sell seats. Mind you, this is definitely not for the kids so beware. 

If you like comedies, you'll love this. The best thing about this is the chemistry between Lawrence and Feldman. Lawrence was great in this comedy and should perform in more of them. It was a rights-of-passage film for both of them, seeing as how Percy needed to come out of his shell, and Maddie clearly needed more maturity in her life. As they were getting to know one another more, they were able to become the friends they were destined to be. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                           Rated: R                                          103mins.

Asteroid City

One of Hollywood's most eclectic and quirky filmmakers is that of Wes Anderson. Each and every one of his films have an odd uniqueness to them, and assuredly all are definitively original. But, while many other of his films, albeit odd, are incredibly written, "Asteroid City" simply fell apart attempting to find a film.

Following a writer, Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman) on his world famous fictional play, about a grieving father who travels with his tech-obsessed family, including his son, Woodrow (Jake Ryan) to small rural Asteroid City in order to compete in a junior stargazing event, only to have his world view be disrupted forever. The star gazing event is a fellowship to bring students and their parents together, and while parents such as Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson), Roger Cho (Stephen Park), J.J. Kellogg (Liev Shreiber) and Sandy Borden (Hope Davis) aren't necessarily tech savvy, they still obtained this eclectic connection with each other while being there. This is all told to us via a host (Bryan Cranston) explaining how this playwright, Conrad Earp (Edward Norton) came up with this idea for a story

Others to round out the cast are Tom Hanks as Stanley Zak, Jeffrey Wright as General Gibson, Grace Edwards as Dinah, Tilda Swinton as Dr. Hickenlooper, Adrien Brody as Schubert Green, Rupert Friend as Montana, Aristou Meehan as Clifford and Erhan Josh Lee as Ricky.

This was directed with the usual dead-pan style that we've all come to expect by Wes Anderson ("Bottle Rocket" '96, "Rushmore" '98, "The Royal Tenenbaums" '01, "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" '04, "The Darjeeling Limited" '07, "Fantastic Mr. Fox" '09, "Moonrise Kingdom" '12, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" '14, "Isle of Dogs" '18, "The French Dispatch" '21) plus shorts, a video and a music video, based on a story by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola. Anderson, like some other directors, has his own distinct style which is that dead-pan effect from his actors, the way the project is filmed looking like it was shot in the fifties or sixties even though the setting might be present day with a lot of pastel colors used. I love his particular style because it truly works with the storyline. The reason why his style works with each projects' story is because Anderson writes his films, this being no exception. In fact, there is no reason to list the films he's written since he writes all films he directs. While the vast majority of Anderson's films are very creative, yet quirky, this film had far too many issues. There was a good film in this--I get where he was attempting to go with this, kind of a play within a play which was a movie, however, this concept simply became mired down with choppiness and confusion. Some of the actors looked as though they might have been having issues with this production themselves. Maybe I was just tired and didn't see what he was trying to convey to us, but since I typically have a huge respect for this filmmaker, I'm not sure. A bad day at the laptop? Not sure, but if you want to see well written films of Anderson, Netflix "The RoyalTenebaums" or "The Grand Budapest Hotel". This was extremely well photographed by Robert Yeoman asc, who has photographed a vast majority of Anderson's work, and with that gives us that similar feel we've all grown to love. 

If you are an ardent fan of Wes Anderson, you will certainly like this since the filming is quite similar to all his productions, but if you are fairly new to this filmmaker's work, I would probably steer clear of this project and, like I mentioned prior, Netflix other Anderson films that are far more captivating. 

Out of 4 Stars: 2                                         Rated: PG-13                                         105mins.

Elemental

Since Pixar Animation Studios released their first feature film, "Toy Story" in 1995, they have achieved, what other film companies dream of, a plethora of money. They could do no wrong, they were creative and were purely entertaining. Well, with "Lightyear", their last film released last year which flopped due to their political agenda, now they have released "Elemental", which has only grossed in their first weekend 29.5 million, again due to their political agenda. Will this company, and others for that matter, ever learn?

This story is set in Element City, where fire, water, land and air-residents live together. The story introduces Ember (Leah Lewis), a tough, quick-witted and fiery young woman, whose friendship with a fun, sappy, go-with-the-flow guy named Wade (Mamoudou Athie) challenges her beliefs about the world they live in. They, being fire and water, without the ability to entertain a relationship, strains to find a way this could happen. Meanwhile, Ember is striving to save her father, Bernie's (Ronnie Del Carmen) fire shop due to building inspection issues simply adds to her woes and makes it even more difficult to make her and Wade's relationship to work, especially since Bernie doesn't like Wade, him being water. 

Others to round out the cast are Shila Ommi as Cinder, Bernie's wife, Wendi McLendon Covey as Gale, Catherine O'Hara as Brook, Mason Wertheimer as Clod, Robobir Lahiri as Harold, Wilma Bonet as Flarrietta, Joe Pera as Fern, Matt Yang King as Alan and Clara Lin Ding as little kid Ember.

This was directed with wit and heart by Peter Sohn ("The Good Dinosaur" '15) plus shorts and a video. His pacing and staging of this film was amazing and flawless. It was colorful, photographed and animated with such perfection. Hey, it is Pixar. It was written by three writers who have virtually no feature film experience, John Hoberg, Kat Likkel and Brenda Hsueh, which is based on a story by Peter Sohn, John Hoberg, Kat Likkel and Brenda Hsueh. Considering  their lack of experience, film wise, they were still able to produce an amazing script. It was taught, concise and definitely showcased heart. I'm sure their vast amount of TV experience only helped in the creation of this film. As with "Lightyear", the only aspect I had an issue with was the fact that this is rated PG, is animated, so the audience are mostly children, I believe they should've kept the aspect of the two lesbian characters being girlfriends, left out. They were only in the film for a number of seconds, but since the two were not a part of the storyline, it definitely  wasn't necessary since they weren't part of the story at all, and since this idea didn't work for "Lightyear", what caused them to imagine that it would work in this film. Because these two characters had absolutely no connection with the story, this was obviously a political stunt. How much profit does Pixar or Disney have to lose before they get the hint. Leave your politics home and just entertain us. Period! 

Certainly, if you like Pixar films, you'll like this, just beware if you decide to bring the kids, because of these two specific characters. Otherwise, it was witty, fun while all representing heart. It's like Pixar is going back to what they do best, just leave out the non-binary characters it being geared toward children. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                             Rated: PG                                               107mins including a small 7min short "Carl's Day"

The Flash

The summer film season is upon us so we can feel the barrage of big-budget and animated flicks by the truckloads. This week alone, both Pixar's "Elemental" and "The Flash" have been released. The latter is yet, another of DC Comics superhero films replete with not only the Flash, but two different Batmans, which means two different Bruce Wayne's, Supergirl and a Wonder Woman cameo for good measure. And even with all of this going on, this was still able to be an interesting film.

Worlds collide in "The Flash" when Barry Allen/Flash (Ezra Miller) uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past, much to the chagrin of the present's Batman (Ben Affleck). But when his attempt to save his family, his mom, Nora (Maribel Verou) and dad, Henry (Ron Livingston), inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod (Michael Shannon) has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman (Michael Keaton) out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian, Supergirl (Sasha Calle)...albeit not the one he's looking for. Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry's only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?

Others to round out the cast are Kiersey Clemons as Iris West, Jeremy Irons as Alfred, Antje Traue as Paora-Ul, Saoirse-Monica Jackson as Patty Spivot, Rudy Mancuso as Albert Desmond and Ian Loh as young Barry.

As compared with many of the 'comic book films' previously, this film was directed with a good amount of heart and soul by Andy Mushietti ("Historias Breves 3" '99, "Mama" '13, "It" '17, "It Chapter Two" '19) plus shorts. Really, the last superhero film with as much heart and soul was "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3". Sure, this certainly incorporated the usual stunts, explosives and visuals we all come to expect which makes them thrilling, but the heart of the film threw me off--I didn't see it coming. This director certainly knows how to combine the heart-pounding  intensity while also giving us the heart that gives it that amazing escapism it houses. if you like his brand of directing, his "The Brave and the Bold" is in pre-production. It was also written with two seasoned writers, Christina Hodson ("Shut In" '16, "Unforgettable" '17, "Bumblebee" '18, "Bird of Prey" '20) and Joby Harold ("Awake" '07,"King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" '17, "Army of the Dead" '21, "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" (story) '23) plus TV, based on characters created by DC Comics. One of the reasons why this script was as taught as it was, was the fact that the film being written by two entirely different writers, they were able to pull from each other different ideas considering their diverse experience. Were there issues with this ? Sure, there were a couple of places that either couldn't be explained or there was a bit of choppiness, but considering they were having to cope with two Batmans, two Barrys, and so many other characters, this story simply moved right along even with it having a 144 minute running time. The visual effects predominantly designed by Scanline VFX, Double Negative and Weta FX were seamless and creative, especially when the Flash was running--what an absolutely cool effect.

Hold on to your theater seats, I know this is going to be a shock to you, but if you wait until the entire end credits roll, there is a small segment indicating that it looks like there will be another incarnation. What a shock! If you like 'comic book films' in general, you'll love this--it has it all: action, explosives, amazing stunts, adrenaline, heart and some humor all rolled up in a great escape film that screams popcorn when you walk into the theater. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                      Rated: PG-13                                         144mins.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

Who thought that a franchise based on a Hasbro action figure would be as huge as it has become? Who knew? "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" is now the sixth installment of the franchise with, apparently, more in the future. When it comes to films like these, if you take away the plethora of CGI, the film becomes 2-dimensional.

Returning to the action and spectacle that have captured moviegoers around the world, this incarnation of the franchise will take audiences on a 90's globetrotting adventure with the Autobots, including Optimus Prime (voice of Peter Cullen), Optimus Primal (voice of Ron Perlman), Maximal Airazor (voice of Michelle Yeoh), Mirage (voice of Pete Davidson) and Arcee (voice of Liza Koshy), all forming as allies in the existing battle for earth between Autobots and Decepticons headed up by Scourge (voice of Peter Dinklage). In this prequel, the protagonists are Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos and Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback).

Others to round out the cast are Luna Lauren Velez as Deanna Diaz, Noah's mom, Dean Scott Vazquez as Kris Diaz, Noah's younger brother, Tobe Nwigwe as Reek, Sarah Stiles as Jillian, Leni Parker as Ms. Greene and Michael Kelly as Agent Burke.

This was directed with grit and pure adrenaline by Steven Caple Jr. ("Class" (TV movie) '15, "The Land" '16, "Creed II" '18) plus TV, shorts and a music video. Even though this filmmaker has limited feature film experience, one certainly can't pigeon-hole him. His diversity with what type of film or what genre he tackles knows no boundaries and I definitely can respect anyone for that. This being the first big-budget type film he has helmed showed me that he could continue with this genre if interested. It was written with action as well as heart in mind by Joby Harold, Darnell Metayer, Josh Peters, Erich Hoeber and Jon Hoeber, based on a story by Joby Harold, which is based on Hasbro's Transformers action figures. After watching the trailer of this film, I thought it was simply going to be pure torture to get through this, but after the end end credits rolled, I must say it was truly better than I would've ever imagined. First of all, it was comprised of five writers-- count them--five. Usually if the tally of writers of a film extends beyond two, the story simply becomes convoluted and unoriginal--too many chefs in the kitchen I guess, but since most of these writers have a fair amount of feature film experience, I believe that was certainly part of it being as palatable as it was. Secondly, this being set in 1994, this had to be considered a prequel to the rest of the installments--all of those being shot in present day. Prequels can be fun because it can give an origin of the characters and find out more, in detail, about them. Were there flaws in this screenplay? Absolutely. There were a few areas of inconsistencies and some choppiness in the script, and, hey, that could've been that there were too many writers, but who knows? And, of course, the visual effects predominantly designed by MPC (Moving Picture Company), Weta FX and ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic) were seamless, but, as with this franchise's predecessors, upstaged the actors and story a bit too much. 

Certainly if you like the Transformers franchise, you'll be right at home with this since, like the others, it has action, adrenaline, explosions, some humor and tons of CGI to last you for a while. The surprise here was that the amount of heart this obtained showcased an element of humanity this certainly conveyed. It's pure escapism at its finest. Head to the multiplex and grab the popcorn for this roller coaster ride. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                       Rated: PG-13                                            127mins.

 

You Hurt My Feelings

In a summer film season that is typically fraught with big-budget, high adrenaline or animated flicks, we have been offered a small, independent, subtle comedy/drama in the form of "You Hurt My feelings". Once in a while, it's certainly refreshing to see a film for the pure art form as opposed to just sitting back and totally escaping into a film, which during this film season, the vast majority of films are the huge commercial ones.

Beth Mitchell (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), a popular writer, and her husband Don (Tobias Menzies), a well-liked psychologist, share the kind of relationship that truly, seriously, for the love of God cannot be real: that is, they're actually in love. Even after decades of marriage, parenting, and their own successful careers, their physical spark has somehow not diminished. In fact, they seem to relish the opportunity to share a single ice cream cone and drive others--including their 23-year-old son, Eliot (Owen Teague)--mad. Should it come as a surprise then that their own marriage is in crisis? But when Beth discovers that Don has been untruthful to her about his opinion of her work for years--Beth's world comes crashing down. Has their whole relationship been a Big Fat Lie?

Others to round out the cast are Michaela Watkins as Sarah, Beth's sister, Arian Moayed as Mark, Sarah's husband, Jeannie Berlin as Georgia, Beth and Sarah's mom, Amber Tamlyn as Carolyn, David Cross as Jonathan, Zach Cherry as Jim, LaTalya Richardson Jackson as Sylvia, Sarah Steele as Frankie and Bryan Reynolds as Jared. 

This was directed with such subtlety and underlying emotions by Nicole Holofcener ("Walking and Talking" '96, "Lovely & Amazing" '01, "Friends with Money" '06, "Please Give" '10, "Enough Said" '13, "The Land of Steady Habits" '18) plus TV and a short. With the emotions in this, where they were consistently rising due to multiple issues by all, this filmmaker possessed the ability to showcase those underlying emotions which is difficult in order to convince your audience of the problems at hand that these characters were having to traverse. This certainly makes it more intense and volatile as opposed to making the characters over-the-top which is actually much easier. This was also creatively written by Nicole Holofcener ("Walking and Talking" '96, "Lovely & Amazing" '01, "Friends with Money" '06, "Please Give"'10, "Enough Said" '13, "Every Secret Thing" '14, "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" '18, "The Land of Steady Habits" '18, "The Last Duel" '21) plus TV and shorts. Again, Holofcener wrote this film with a very subtle, yet realistic approach in that emotions, whether they be in the form of hurt, fear, humor or sadness, came off as realistic and always striving for approval by each and every character. Other than a couple of very small places of slowness, this screenplay was spot on. It would've been a bit nicer if it were a little funnier, but that probably would've taken away the powder dry effect I believe Holofcener was attempting to convey. The entire cast was certainly chosen well, but it was Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jeannie Berlin as her mom that really showcased their ability to hold the audience's attention. 

If you're solely into commercial, big-budget, high adrenaline type films, you'll very likely be lost with this, however if a well crafted film (acting, writing, directing) is more to your liking, you will revel and be right at home with this little gem. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                            Rated: R                                           93mins.

Kandahar

Since the last couple of decades we have been fascinated with either espionage films or covert military films which have been aplenty, however sometimes the two cross paths and we then end up with "Kandahar"Films such as "Zero Dark Thirty" '12, "Lone Survivor" '13 and "13 Hours" '16 all come to mind as well, but this film divides the two aspects right down the middle.

An undercover CIA operative, Tom Harris (Gerard Butler) becomes stuck in hostile territory in Afghanistan after his mission is exposed. Accompanied by his translator Mohammed 'Mo' Doud Navid Negahban), he must fight enemy combatants as he attempts to reach an extraction point in Kandahar. If it wasn't for his translator, Roman Chalmers (Travis Fimmel) and Ismail Rabbani (Ray Hadatian) in assisting Tom, he wouldn't have made it at all. Is this a spoiler alert? He has to make it, but what hell must he go through to get there?

Others to round out the cast are Ali Fazal as Kahil Nasir, Bahador  Foladi as Farzad Asadi, Nina Toussaint White as Luna Cujai, Vassilis Koukalani as Bashar Hamadani, Mark Arnold as Mark Lowe, Corey Johnson as Chris Hoyt, Ravi Aujla as Siraj Agha, Tom Rhys Harris as Oliver Altman and Hakeem Jomah as Rasoul.

This was directed with grit and amazing intensity by Ric Roman Waugh ("In the Shadows" '01, "Felon" '08, "Switch" '13, "That Which I Love Destroys Me" '15, "Shot Caller" '17, "Angel Has Fallen" '19) plus a video. As per this filmmaker's resume, he certainly kept within the parameters of his comfort zone, and that's permissible. Otherwise we wouldn't receive the incredible realism which was showcased here. I can truly understand why Waugh is used consistently for this genre. It was written equally well with a brutal approach considering the subject matter by Mitchell LaFortune. Not only was this the first feature film this writer has ventured into, it is his first screenplay period. Other than a couple of very small inconsistencies in script, this story was handled in an amazing professional way. It was a story that did obtain brutality, however, it wasn't 'in your face' gratuitous about it which I can definitely respect. If this is LaFortune's first screenplay, I can't wait to see what he writes next, and there will be a next time. The aspect of the comraderie between Harris and Doud was quite unique and much needed, especially since the only other film I've seen this kind of comraderie between a soldier or operative and his translator was in the recently released "Guy Ritchie's The Covenant". 

Certainly if you like either espionage or war films, you'll love this. It's brutal, but then, isn't a wartime setting that way? It has a lot to say about war, comraderie, trust and simply doing the right thing even if it means suffering any potential consequences. It is truly a vehicle one would come to expect to see Butler in, but it's forgiving since he does these types of films so well.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                        Rated: R                                           119mins.

           

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Ever since Marvel Studios released the first "Spider-Man" with Tobey Maguire back 2002, there have been a plethora of Spider-Man flicks that have spawned since, whether live action or animated versions. Since then there have been six more films of this franchise. Surprisingly, I gave this films' predecessor, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" a 3.5 out of 4 star rating, however, with "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse", this won't come close.

Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) returns for the next chapter of the Spider-Verse saga, an adventure that will transport Brooklyn's full time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man across the Multiverse to join forces with Gwen Stacy Hailee Steinfeld) and a new team of Spider People including Miguel O'Hara (David Isaac), Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson), Jessica Drew (Issa Rae) and others,  to face off with a villain, Hobie Brown/Spider Punk (Daniel Kaluuya) more powerful than anything they have encountered. This basically involves canon events that, if disrupted, the other Spider-Verses begin to unravel.

 

others to round out the cast are Brian Tyree Henry as Jefferson Davis, Luna Lauren Velez as Rio Morales, Shea Whigham as George Stacy, Jason Schwartzman as Jonathan Ohnn/The Spot, Andy Samberg as Ben Reilly/Scarlet Spider, Taran Killam as Patrick O'Hara/Websliger and Rachel Dratch as Principal. 

This was adequately directed by virtual newcomers to the big screen, Joaquim Dos Santos (TV, shorts and videos), Kemp Powers ("Soul" (co-dir.) '20) and Justin K. Thompson. Powers does have "Soul" under his belt, however only having a co-direction to his credit. Considering the limited and/or lack of feature film experience, these filmmakers were certainly able to carry this film fairly well. Their staging and pacing was a bit off at times, but given more work, they should improve. The real culprit here is that of the writing. This was executed by writers, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Dave Callaham. This is surprising only on the other side of the spectrum. Although each of these writers have a fairly hefty resume, they just didn't pull this incarnation off. The script was, first of all, long-in-the-tooth, where it could've been cut to a two-hour running time and would've been fine. Secondly, the story involving multiple universes--in this case--spider-verses, it became convoluted, especially with all the different Spider People. Also, since the only way one could become a Spider Person would be to be bitten by a radioactive spider, there must be tons of those spiders around. Now, I realize each 'universe' has their own Sider-Man, however there were a plethora of them in each 'universe. How can that be? It was a cinematic treat for the eyes and the animation by Sony Pictures Imageworks was executed well. 

I don't know, maybe I wasn't there mentally or emotionally enough, but, I kept having to fight sleep in my seat and when you keep looking at your watch, this certainly isn't a good sign. This is the first of a two parter--the next being released next year. Let's hope that incarnation will be the end of the story that we will all want to see. And considering it will be directed and written by the same filmmakers, we can only hope for the best.

Out of 4 Stars: 2                                            Rated: PG                                      140mins.