Movie Thoughts Bundle (2022) #1

In this collection of short reviews, we’ll explore the year 2022 where another video game adaptation fails to fully capture the source material, Marvel releases another fun and experimental project in their latest phase, and an insanely casted action movie comes out that almost perfectly embodies the energy of an anime brought to life. 

1. Bullet Train - 8/10

With the overall stylistic visual direction, kinetic pacing, multiple character subplot intersections, entertaining interaction scenes, and an insanely packed cast, Bullet Train comes across as a live action anime movie directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quinten Tarantino. To that I say, I had a pretty good time with this movie and happy that I decided to keep it on my watchlist. The amount of callbacks being thrown around here that constantly ties everything together in the grander narrative and action is absolutely absurd. And by absurd I mean that it’s highly entertaining in how ridiculous some of those elements are while other story points feel legitimately dramatic in tone. It just feels like a passionate and meticulous storyteller was behind this entire rollercoaster ride who also so happens to be a huge anime nerd with connections to a cinematically stylistic director.

And as a result, we get Brad Pitt as a comedically zen hit man on a train just trying to grab one simple item while encountering a bunch of other celebrity assassins as a web of storylines converge around him. It’s a damn work of art what they manage to do in this movie from a narrative standpoint taking what could’ve easily been a minimalistic action movie and turning it into a multilayered storytelling joyride. I won’t get into too many spoilers here so I’ll just say “Go check it out if you’re in the mood for a fun action packed movie with comedic elements and a colorful ensemble of characters”. And as a final little word of advice, the less you know, the better. I highly recommend against reading up on the cast list or you'll end up ruining the surprise factor which part of the fun of watching this. 

2. Uncharted - 7/10

Decent enough action and solid cinematography with beautiful settings gives Uncharted a very classic Indiana Jones, Mission Impossible, or 007 movie aesthetic. Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg steals the movie with a fun chemistry that gradually gets more entertaining to watch while the big set pieces and puzzle solving adventure component gives viewers something to anticipate. Yes, there are far greater movies of the action-adventure genre, but there’s just enough being offered here to grab the audience's attention throughout. Alright, with that out of the way, I think it's time to address the elephant in the room. 

The source material (the highly celebrated Uncharted series) isn’t completely successfully adapted here. The visuals are certainly there in parts and some of the character interactions definitely feel tonally fitting to the franchise to some degree (emphasis on "some"). However, the casting of Nathan and Sully was always gonna be a tough uphill battle to meet expectations. This is what happens when a property is so synonymous with a particular face and voice. Nolan North (who made a fun cameo in the movie) is Nathan Drake in voice and personality just as Richard McGonagle is Sully. There was always going to be a debate on which actors could closely match the characters (Nathan Fillion being the popular pick which I was completely onboard with). 

So yes, watching Tom and Mark just act as they typically would in several of their other movies as opposed to something more screen accurate was a challenge initially. The fact that Tom works better as a “young Nathan Drake” was just one of the many obstacles to face. However, I do think that the chemistry shared between the two leads is entertaining enough to enjoy on its own and can even act as a precursor towards something closer to the games. Thinking of this as a foundation to build on, I’d actually be curious to see where a franchise can lead to should they aim to slowly shape things into a more accurate adaptation.

3. The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special - 8/10

I’m just gonna start off by saying that Drax beating up on an Optimus Prime cosplayer in the street simply because robots killed his parents is one of the funniest things shown in 2022. This had me laughing out loud, so I must thank the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special for giving me this gift alone. Talking about the movie as a whole, I thought the special was delightful overall, beautifully directed with the sci-fi/Christmas imagery, and entertaining with a nice heartwarming revelation in the story. I loved the use of animation to tell Peter’s Christmas flashback story with Yondu which already felt like its own separate Christmas special blended in with the present day live action venture. It added a new emotional father-son layer to their relationship that we saw bits and pieces of in the series, and considering Vol. 2's ending, legitimately tug at my heartstrings. 

I also enjoyed getting to see Drax and Mantis have their own dynamic duo story away from the team highlighting their entertaining, contrasting sensibilities. I could easily see myself watching another special of just them getting into more crazy hi-jinks somewhere else in the world (the poster art of them being drunk on the sidewalk was enough to sell me). Much like Werewolf by Night, I feel like the MCU just opened up a whole new venue for fun, experimental storytelling. These specials are excellent companion pieces to dive into new and ”out there” side stories taking place in this universe, and for me, this entry was a wonderfully absurd and charming add-on to the Guardians series. 

Drax and Mantis kidnapping Kevin Bacon to give to Starlord as a Christmas present is the type of crazy premise that I never would imagine being green lit. And yet, they did…and I love them for that. Phase 4 is the MCU’s experimental phase and it’s one that I’ve deeply admired them for. I don’t have much more to say except that I enjoyed this special overall despite not being the biggest fan of some of the extensive musical numbers.