Rating: 6/10

Bumblebee (2018) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

Serving as both a prequel and a reboot of the ‘Transformers’ series as a whole, 2018’s ‘Bumblebee’ is a fresh take on the sci-fi/action film series. But, going off the back of its outstanding reviews and director Travis Scott’s prior film; ‘Kubo and the Two Strings,’ on my initial watch, I was expecting a little more, both in terms of storytelling and filmmaking.

Plot Summary: On the run from his alien home-world of ‘Cybertron’ in 1987, ‘Bumblebee’ manages to find refuge through a junkyard in a small California beach town. Where ‘Charlie,’ on the edge of turning eighteen and trying to find her place in the world, discovers him, battle-scarred and broken…

Whilst the film is definitely an improvement over Michael Bay’s various attempts at the shape-shifting machines, ‘Bumblebee’ isn’t overall anything outstanding. Mostly been a very comedic sci-fi action-adventure with a few emotional moments thrown in. This version almost seems to be leaning more towards the iconic cartoon series from 1984 to 1987, as many of the ‘Transformer’s designs are ripped straight from the beloved television show, even featuring a few cameos from classic characters.

Hailee Steinfeld and Jorge Lendeborg Jr. both portray young characters who attempt to help ‘Bumblebee’ finish his mission throughout the film, and while their characters of ‘Charlie’ and ‘Memo’ only receive a basic amount of development. They are likeable and serve their purpose within the story. A member of the cast I wasn’t aware of at first, however, was the infamous John Cena. Who, actually portrays one of the main antagonists of the film, aside from the ‘Decepticons’ themselves, and despite his mostly decent performance throughout the film, I simply just couldn’t take seriously, mostly due to his ‘meme’ status and internet reputation.

Luckily, the colourful visuals throughout the film definitely add to the cinematography by Enrique Chediak, as although the cinematography isn’t bad by any means, the cinematography is mostly generic for an action flick like this. But, due to the great lighting and colour palette, ‘Bumblebee’ is easily the most visually appealing entry in the blockbuster franchise, ditching the ugly Michael Bay blue and orange colour palette in exchange for more of a summer-like feel for nearly the entirety of its runtime.

The original score by Dario Marianelli is your generic score for an action flick, with some heroic tones alongside it. The soundtrack isn’t really anything memorable, and despite also not being anything amazing, I think I still prefer the original score for the 2007 ‘Transformers’ film by Steve Jablonsky, which has since been regarded by many as the primary theme for the ‘Transformers’ on-screen.

The action throughout the film is fun for the most part, not simply being another constant barrage of explosions and actually trying to utilise the various ‘Transformers’ abilities in different ways. However, it still doesn’t quite reach the level of fun the original cartoon series had, always feeling a little toned down. One compliment I can give the film, however, is the comedy. As again whilst not landing every joke, the film does have its fair share of funny moments, which did give me a short chuckle at times, and not simply just a sigh or a cringe as many of Michael Bay’s extremely poor attempts at humour did.

In summary, it’s definitely a pleasant surprise to have an entry in the ‘Transformers’ franchise that isn’t just explosions and loud noises from start-to-finish, with a great visual appeal and plenty of humour throughout, I could see most having a lot of fun with this film, especially families. However, it might be that I simply don’t have a huge love for these characters, but I although I found it enjoyable whilst watching, it wasn’t super memorable for me. Final Rating: 6/10.

bumblebee_ver6_xxlg

Pyewacket (2018) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

From director Adam MacDonald (Backcountry, Out Come the Wolves, This Is Not a Test) ‘Pyewacket’ is a Canadian, character-focused indie horror. The film mostly being a small-scale narrative, having a very refreshing look and feel for a modern horror, complete with an eerie location and a brilliantly tense atmosphere. Containing very little jump-scares, CG effects or gore, in favour of eerie silence and well-written dialogue.

Plot Summary: After Leah, a grieving, occult-obsessed teen, performs a ritual in the woods to summon a demon to kill her estranged, newly widowed mother in a fit of rage, she immediately regrets her impulsive act, attempting to undo the curse as strange, terrifying events escalate around her…

Although I’m personally not a huge fan of jump-scares, and I do very much appreciate the film’s draw towards creating an eerie atmosphere. I do feel one or two scattered throughout the film wouldn’t have done any harm, as I feel they would’ve done a great job of scaring the audience when they least expect it and would’ve broken-up some scenes of tension nicely. The film does succeed in creating tension in other ways, however, as MacDonald manages to incorporate darkness extremely well throughout the film, using dark lighting and colour palette to focus on the audience’s paranoia of what lurks in the dark corners of the screen. However, the scenes are never overly dark to the point of obscuring the audience’s view, and this works very effectively.

Nicole Muñoz portrays the protagonist; ‘Leah,’ as a mostly unknown actress, Nicole does a fantastic job of playing an angry teenager dealing with a broken family. Laurie Holden from AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’ is also surprisingly great as her mother, which I definitely wasn’t expecting as I never really cared much for her character in the TV show, believing her to be very annoying and unlikeable. But, it’s clear to me now that this was mostly an issue with the writing on the show, and not with her performance, as here she really does a well with her character.

Alongside the use of darkness and great performances, the film also has amazing cinematography by Christian Bielz, as the film always uses the camera to the best of its advantage to create fear and tension. One shot in particular was a fast-paced P.O.V. shot, which reminded me very heavily of the classic; ‘Evil Dead’ trilogy, and really sent a shiver down my spine when it first encounters one of the characters. The original score by Lee Malia is, unfortunately, nothing too memorable, however, coming across as a mostly cliché horror soundtrack with the odd emotional tone mixed in. 

My main issue with the film is the pacing, as the film is a rather slow build, it can sometimes drag. The film mostly does a good job at keeping the audience invested with that brilliant horror atmosphere and great character drama. But, some of the scenes set at ‘Leah’s’ high school can really feel somewhat bland and drawn out, especially when you compare these scenes to the scenes in the forest surrounding ‘Leah’ and her mother’s home, as these are always brimming with tension and are incredibly fun to experience at any point during the film’s runtime.

In addition to this, without spoiling anything, the ending of the film is also very memorable, as the film truly leaves the audience on a dark and shocking note, which is sure to stick with you long after the credits have rolled, and genuinely helps the film become far more of a standout when compared to similar film’s in its genre. The film also has many small details, one being the title of the film itself, as the name ‘Pyewacket’ comes from the 1647 British pamphlet; ‘The Discovery of Witches,’ in which author Matthew Hopkins claims to have interrogated witches in Essex County. One witch names many familiars, including the spirit; ‘Pyewacket,’ which appeared to her as some sort of animal.

In summary, although ‘Pyewacket’ probably isn’t one of my favourite all-time horror flicks, it is one I would recommend to most. Although the slow pace and lack of jump-scares may frustrate some viewers, the film does build up an amazing atmosphere, with great performances from the small cast and some decent dialogue to back it up. The film isn’t perfect but it does mostly contain what I personally desire from a modern horror film, and I think ‘Pyewacket’ can be a great watch for a ‘different’ kind of horror fan. Final Rating: 6/10.

pyewacket_xxlg