Movie mass review - Suicide Squad, The Cabin in the Woods, Ant Man, Baby Driver

Here are some reviews of films I’ve seen recently . All full of spoilers. 

Suicide Squad

There are many ways in which this movie is bad, but it is by no means the worst movie ever. I wouldn’t suggest anyone part with money to see it at the cinema but if it comes up for free and you are at a loose end, it’s a reasonably entertaining way to pass the time. It’s colourful and has one actor whose performance stands out among the dross.

Does the set up or plot make sense? No. Team created to counter non- existent threat cause threat. Very dumb.

Does it have any positive depictions of women? No. All the female characters exist to be adjuncts to males except the unbelievable woman boss played by Viola Davis (waste of a great actress there)

and the Enchantress. Even the Enchantress feels the need to get her brother to help her out as she can’t quite manage on her own. Not impressive.

Is Jared Leto as the Joker any good? No, he really sucks. He has zero charisma, really not OK for an archvillain. Maybe that’s why he’s not in it much. Get someone else to play Joker next time. I’d like to see someone make the love story of Joker and Harley convincing – it so wasn’t.

This is a pig’s breakfast of a movie whose time in development hell pretty much rendered it unsalvageable. And yet… they managed to pull out something to put on the screen that was watchable. And it might not be going too far to say that this is almost entirely because of the enormous effort put in by Margot Robbie and her sheer talent and star quality. Will Smith does a very solid job and also deserves a bit of commendation for his work on helping this movie along.

Cabin in the Woods

Finally I caught up with this. And it wasn’t what I expected at all. I was expecting a satire on monster movies rather than an actual monster movie with satire sprinkles, and at the point where it was revealed that the monsters were indeed actual monsters I confess to being a little disappointed.

The idea of the archetypal figures needed for sacrifice was great and I was able to get on board for the monster fun in the end and enjoy the film for what it was.  It comes close to being a movie length/budget episode of Buffy. The best character who lands up in the Cabin is allowed to show a little more brain than the rest, if only because of his stoner habits, so was a sort of reverse Shaggy. The others were pretty unmemorable. Worth a watch, but don’t expect too much. Wish Whedon would commit at some time to not copping out on making a serious point or two. Finally, I was surprised at how highly rated this piece of fluff was on Rotten Tomatoes and that it had an R rating in the US. Have I seen a cut version on Netflix then?

A zombie from Cabin in the Woods

Ant Man

Considering its ill fortune with Edgar Wright leaving the production so late in the day the movie worked pretty well. It was entertaining and had enough thrills and stunts to keep me watching without getting bored.  The giant bathtub  probably looked even more impressive on a cinema screen, while I was watching at home on Netflix. I’d never read the comics and didn’t think a shrinking man had that much potential, but full imagination was used here and lots of fast and furious action goes on as the new Ant man trains to use his suit powers. Liked this bit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRm6ky59cUU

The movie was noticeably white for the present day Marvel universe and I wondered whether Falcon had been included for racial balance. Good fight scene anyway.

And as for the women, there is Wasp seen in flashback

but we are going to have to wait for next time as one Wasp is dead and the other yet to be…also it occurs to me that being a super heroine by being the inventor’s wife/daughter is a bit retro.

I rather like Evangeline Lilley

and look forward to her being Wasp. Hope she loses this terrible hair though, that looks like a bad wig.

There was supposed to be a moral question about burying inventions to spare the world, to give the film a centre (essential) but it was muddied and lost. What came across to me was ‘OK you might decide this tech is dangerous but so what , someone’s going to use it one day anyway so it might as well be you. (So, the right to bear arms etc).’  Could this be what Wright argued with them about? I’d love to know. Solid supporting work from barely recognisable bearded Michael Douglas as Hank Pym the original Ant Man/inventor

Baby Driver

This movie left me ecstatic. Just magnificent. So much visual fun and games, and all set to music. Edgar Wright does not need the likes of Marvel telling him how to make his movies. Baby Driver beats any of their offerings easily and I expect it to be up to its ears in awards. Since I saw it all I want to do is see it again and have already got the soundtrack. I’d say it’s right inside my head, like only a few things get right inside my head. (Ask me in two years, I probably won’t remember, because I get these infatuations. I know it’s a piece of entertaining trivia without any serious message but wow).

Ansel Elgort. Does he have a great future? Probably. I’m hoping this doesn’t turn out to be his finest hour because I see potential. No one can tell how it will go when you get launched into the world like this. Ansel, I’d like to think you’re old enough and bright enough to cope with the fame and not end up doing the drugs and debauchery thing.

https://tenor.com/view/baby-driver-movie-baby-driver-baby-driver-gifs-ansel-elgort-look-up-gif-8501686

I didn’t know much about John Hamm as I’d barely seen him in Mad Men. But his acting was more than enough here. Hamm as Buddy made a great antagonist for Baby and both of them were excellent. The other bad guys were a little underwritten and lacking in interest for me so I won’t judge their performances since they weren’t given much to work with. I think Bats should  have been a bit more interesting to work as a false antagonist.

Baby’s black deaf foster dad, played by deaf actor C J Jones – well you could arguably have left him out of the movie altogether but I’m glad he was there, it was all very warm and touching and added to Baby’s character. I hope Baby doesn’t just forget him in that old folks’ home. Was he still alive by the end of the movie? I think we are supposed to have forgotten him and think that the home was his happy ending but surely they would miss each other.  

The big flaw in my book was Kevin Spacey as the gangster boss Doc who has Baby in his thrall. I felt no commitment to the role from him and to me his performance was lazy and phoned in. Even ‘laconic gangster’ has to be worked at. I get angry with actors who think they don’t need to try. I’d have sacked him if I’d been Edgar and got someone who cared. This was all such a pity as it was quite a big role. I didn’t find his confession to being ‘in love once’ at all convincing as there had been no sign of humanity or change of expression in him up to that point. That scene was always going to be corny but it could have worked better than it did with someone else in the role.

I can forget that though, amongst all the glorious rest of the movie.

Female presence: this is a boys’ movie and there are two female characters, the good one and the bad one.

Baby’s girlfriend Deborah is simply ‘a good woman’, although she does get to chalk one up for knowing T Rex is not pronounced ‘trex’ and is actually a bit older than him.

(I thought she looked familiar but only just realised she was Lady Rose in Downton Abbey ).

Buddy’s wife ‘Darling’ is a stereotypical gangster’s moll type in appearance and habits, although she is allowed to kick ass as much as the men and there are diversity points to be awarded for casting a Latin actress Eiza Gonzalez. Is Hamm really only 46? I think he lied about his age. She looks more than 20 years younger than him.




 Wright could not really be said to be a pioneer for women whatever else his genius.

The final minutes went against the norm for an action movie with the hero having to go through a (very easy) ‘purgatory’ stage to get to a true happy ending. How satisfying to know he made it back into society and got to be with his true love. But then I am both sentimental and a moralist so naturally I loved  all that. My worst fear at that point – a Thelma and Louise ending.  Really an irrational fear as EW would not do that kind of thing to us.

If I ever rent the Everyman to show a movie for my friends I believe I will choose this one.

A last thought. If we are going to have all electric cars in the future, what will a car chase/heist movie look and sound like? Maybe this is nostalgia in the making.