I’m honestly surprised that we have a third film in this franchise since the last film was a complete bomb. I guess they thought the fans wanted one more, and the result is Venom: The Last Dance. This is writer Kelly Marcel’s directorial debut while writing the story with Tom Hardy.

Before we meet up with Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) a new character is introduced to the Venom Universe called Knull (Andy Serki). You learn that Knull is the creator of the alien symbiotes and became their prisoner on the planet Klintar. Knull’s goal is to send out these parasitic creatures to find an item called the “Codex” that can free him from his prison. Once that is all explained we then find Eddie in Mexico after the events from the last film. He is on the run from the government after being accused of killing an officer when he defeated Carnage. His and Venom’s goal now is to leave Mexico and make it to New York to avoid being arrested, but that all changes once these parasites show up to Earth to hunt him and Venom down. There is a secondary plot that follows scientist Dr. Teddy Paine (Juno Temple) and Stickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who have captured and studied other symbiotes that have crashed landed on Earth over the years. They learn about Knull from Detective Mulligan (Stephen Graham) who was in the last film and is infected with a symbiote called “Toxin”. They learn that if either Eddie or Venom is killed, Knull will not be able to obtain the Codex and stay in prison forever. Stricklands goal is to kill Eddie but that will be difficult to do with the parasitic creatures around. Will this tear Venom and Eddie apart? Or will they survive these unfortunate circumstances?

Like I said before, it’s crazy that we have three Venom movies after the first one did okay at the box office and the last one was completely unwatchable. This time around it felt like they combined the two first films together and there were some great moments which were mostly between Brock and Venom. Then there were moments that just made you scratch your head. Especially with the pacing of the film where they either let scenes go on too long or not long enough. Part of the story felt unnecessary too and I found it odd that they would now introduce a big-time villain like Knull in the third installment. If they really thought things through, Knull would have been introduced in the first film and would have been the main villain in the third movie. Supposedly Knull will be back for future movies, but they should have gone that route back in 2018 instead of waiting until 2024. The best part of the movie is Tom Hardy’s performance which is why these Venom movies do so well. He does a great job portraying both characters and really makes you believe that they both care for each other. I just wish the writing and story was better.

If you’re someone who enjoys Marvel and the Venom character, go ahead and see this in theaters, but don’t expect much from the franchise’s last installment. Maybe wait until it comes out on Disney+.

Rating: 3 out of 5

It’s been 2 years since we last saw the unsettling smirk on the big screen. With Smile 2, Parker Finn (director of Smile and Laura Hasn’t Slept) is back to bring the scares once again.

The film starts where we left off with the smile entity passing into the police officer Joel (Kyle Gallner). Joel witnessed the previously infected, Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon), take her own life. Joel tries his best to pass the curse onto someone else by figuring out a loophole where he doesn’t have to take himself out. The plan backfires and the entity passes on to a drug dealer, Lewis (Lukas Gage), who witnesses Joel’s attempt to trick the entity. This is when we are introduced to our main character, pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott). Riley is back in the spotlight a year after surviving a car crash that killed her boyfriend and making it through rehab from a severe drug addiction. Now, she’s preparing for a new world tour while still coping with the trauma of her past. As she deals with the mental trauma, she also must manage the physical trauma, because her body is still not 100% recovered from the accident. As a result, she meets up with drug dealer Lukas to score some pain-relieving drugs. What was supposed to be a simple visit becomes her worst nightmare. Riley witnesses Lukas taking his own life and the smile entity enters her. Now under the entity’s influence, she will see things that aren’t there, have vivid flashbacks to the day of the crash, and become completely paranoid that someone is out to ruin her career. How can she overcome this entity that has already taken the lives of so many people? Is it possible to break the chain? Or will this entity continue to wreak havoc on society?

Sometimes sequels are good or are bombs. In this instance I’d say they knocked this one out of the park. From start to finish the movie sucks you in with how high the stakes are with this entity. The last film was more of a slow burn that led up to a big finale, but this time around they do a good job by taking everything up a peg. There were a lot of moments in the film where I didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t real. I was left guessing about when a jump scare would be around the corner. I think Naomi Scott did an amazing job in this film and should be given more roles in the future based on this performance. It was not an easy script to bring to life and she really brought her A-game to make you feel like you were experiencing what her character was experiencing. The only issue I had with the film was that there were some pacing issues, and the last 20 minutes of the film make you question what was real and what wasn’t real. I had to watch a YouTube video to get a better understanding of the events that lead to the conclusion of film. That’s the only blemish I felt hurt the film. Other than that, it was a very solid horror movie.

Only a couple more days of the spooky season are left, and this is a film you should check out in theaters if you’re a horror movie fan.

Rating: 4 out 5

Directors Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedgui piece together a beautiful documentary commemorating the true Man of Steel with Super/Man the Christopher Reeve Story.

Christopher Reeve's story is told through his sons Will and Matt Reeve, his daughter Alexandra Reeve Givens, and a variety of celebrity friends he made over the years. The documentary starts off with his injury and then jumps back and forth comparing his Superman character to how he dealt with his paralysis. The documentary also delves into Reeve's childhood and that he grew up in a broken home. All he dreamed about was becoming an actor. We do learn a lot about the high points of his life, but also learn about his lowest moments - from not wanting to be Superman anymore to abandoning his family when his acting career wasn't going in the direction he wanted it to go. That's when we are introduced to his wife, Dana Reeve, who stuck with him through the good times and bad once he became paralyzed. Even though this story is mainly about Christopher, they make it a point to state that this is also Dana's story too. From being a wife, mother, and caregiver. We watch Christopher's story all the way to his final day alive and the impact of his death on society. 

It's sometimes hard to find good documentaries to watch, and once this was announced I knew I had to go see it in theaters. I grew up on Chrisopher Reeve's Superman and was just a child when he passed away. I knew how much of an important figure he was in the comic book realm and in real life. While watching this I truly believed that Reeve was Superman on and off the screen. They make a great comparison of his paralysis as Kryptonite by using a CGI sculpture of Reeve and putting the green crystals in the areas where he could no longer feel anything. I thought that was brilliant to do and to use flashbacks that compared to what Reeve was currently dealing with after the incident. I also have to give it up for the music that played throughout because it just pulls at your heartstrings. The editing in this documentary was also top notch and the narration throughout was well done. There was not a moment where I felt like the film was dragging along. It really grabs your attention until the very end. 

If you get the chance to head to the movie theater make sure you check this film out. It is an amazing story even though it is tragic. Reeve never gave up. That's what the Man of Steel is known for. 

Rating: 5 out of 5

Director Todd Phillips is back with Joker: Folie A Deux, and boy was this an odd direction for this story to take.

We find ourselves back in Gotham with Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) sitting in a jail cell at the Arkham State Hospital awaiting trial for the 5 murders he committed during the first film. While we wait for the trial to begin, we watch Fleck get treated poorly by security guards and he collapses back into his less confident self like the the beginning of the first film. He has given up the Joker persona completely, but then he runs into Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga) while walking by a choir class for mental health patients. This ignites something in Arthur, and he starts to fantasize his relationship with Lee as a musical that continues throughout the film. Sometimes it is a fantasy and sometimes they're just randomly singing in real life to one another. Lee's purpose in this film is to help Arthur keep the Joker persona alive so people don't walk all over him. Then, he can be a hero for the little guy that gets screwed over by the law. For the back half of the film, we watch Arthur go through his trial to avoid the death penalty by using the Joker to claim a not guilty verdict. It's really a half musical and half courtroom drama, which makes for a very weird premise.

To say I'm disappointed in the outcome of this film is an understatement. I am a huge fan of the first film because it was a unique take on the Joker character. It did a great job paying homage to the comic books. Now, we have a film that is a romance turned musical and courtroom drama that undoes all of the development that took place in the first film. How is it that Arthur immediately reverts to being his less confident self after being in jail for only a couple of weeks after fully taking on the Joker persona? I just don't understand why that wasn't continued on.  Instead of implementing a musical aspect to the film they could have made it some type of Shawshank Redemption escape film where Lee and Arthur cause chaos at Arkham. Unfortunately, none of that happens and you as the viewer must sit through a 2 plus hour film with an ending that could have been tagged on to the first film. The only positives that came out of this movie were Phoenix's performance, the cinematography, and one scene that really hit hard emotionally. Other than that it was just a waste of $200 million to make a sequel.

The verdict, wait till this film comes out on one of the streaming services. Do not waste your time or money on this long boring musical that undoes everything that made the first film so great. This is why Todd Phillips is known for making bad sequels like the Hangover Part 2 and Part 3.

Rating: 2 out of 5

Who knew a story about a robot that crash lands on an island with wildlife would be extremely emotional - but that is what The Wild Robot brings to the table. This new Dreamwork Animations film is directed by Chris Sanders who is best known for working on Lilo & Stitch, Mulan, How to Train Your Dragon, and The Croods.

Our story begins when all-purpose robot, Rozzum (Lupita Nyong’o), crash lands on an island inhabited by thousands of animals. Rozzum believes that she has made it to her destination and seeks out her owner to be given a task to work on. As she makes her way through the forest, she continues to be denied by every animal she meets because of how different she is. To better understand her new acquaintances she learns the languages of all the inhabitants on the island. Even though that helps her better understand the creatures on the island, she still can’t find a being to give her a task. Then, during a storm, she accidentally stumbles upon an egg containing a baby goose. She finally figures out what her task is - save the egg from the slick fox, Fink (Pedro Pascal). Fink tries to steal and eat the egg but ends up becoming friends with Rozzum and helps her raise the youngling. The task evolves into getting food for the baby, teaching the baby to swim, and helping the baby learn to fly before the geese leave when wintertime arrives. Now, almost fully grown, Brightbill (Kit Connor), works as hard as he can to join his fellow geese and be accepted by them. His fellow geese believe he’s just a runt that has a weird robotic mother. This all sets up a magnificent journey of Brightbill becoming the goose he was meant to be by using the lessons Rozzum taught him. Rozzum is left alone on the island and ends up having a bigger role in protecting the habitants from the winter and the technology sent by her maker to retrieve her.

There are a lot of different storylines in this film that all serve a purpose to the overall plot. It may seem like a lot but in the long run it’s what makes this movie excellent. From the voice acting, animation, and music this film will make you feel all the emotions. It is extremely hard to make it through this film without shedding a tear because there are so many relatable lessons, and it can be a bit overwhelming. It’s just a beautiful story of a robot trying to find her place in the world while being the mother to this baby goose and trying to protect the creatures from the outside that threaten their very lives.

If this film does not receive any nominations come awards season, it will be very disappointing since it seems to be a very influential film. Please go see this movie with family or friends to experience a wholesome journey of self-awareness, friendship, and family.

Rating; 5 out of 5