Movie Thoughts Bundle (2024) #1

In this collection of short reviews, we’ll explore the year 2024 where we saw the release of a horror movie that ironically came out close to a competing title with similar ideas, a new entry for the Monsterverse franchise that improves in some areas while barely pushing the needle of excitement forward, a thrilling action prequel that surprisingly lives up to its predecessor, and a highly anticipated horror movie that didn't entirely hit the mark that was hoped for. 

1. Immaculate - 6/10 

With The First Omen coming out in the same year only weeks apart, Immaculate had an interesting challenge on its shoulders. It had the advantage of coming out first, but it also had to face off against a movie that seemed similar thematically in its marketing and also has a recognizable brand connection (The Omen franchise) whereas Immaculate was a new IP. Ironically, both movies ended up actually be pretty similar in many ways even down to some of their general narrative concepts. However, what stood out to me in relation to this irony was the fact that both movies just so happened to have some of the same positive points of admiration.

Both movies are very well directed in its overall visuals taking full advantage of its use of cathedral settings. Through the beautiful architectural and artistic elements of the surroundings as well as the atmospheric creep factor of its darker cinematic sections, both movies knew exactly how to live up to its production value potential. Both movies also have a strong lead performance revolving around their central character being someone who is innocent that gets manipulated into something sinister and the emotional turmoil that comes as a result. In the case of Immaculate, we have Sydney Sweeney who delivers a more than solid performance throughout (especially towards the ending's explosive moment of emotional release) that helps carry a lot of the weight of the movie forward. 

Where we get into the negatives however leans more on the story direction. The story of The First Omen went into some very compelling thought provoking ideas that unfortunately didn't get fleshed out more deeply but still lead to some satisfying enough places. Immaculate, on the other hand gets into a few similar ideas but takes a more generic approach with its villainous reveals and ends up feeling a bit artificial and shock value driven. Whereas the first two thirds of the movie had me curious about how things would escalate further, the actual final act just felt kinda over the top contrasting with its well defining build up. The scares are also pretty forgettable making this one of the more easily discarded horror titles in that regard. At the end of the day, you have a strong lead performance with solid visual direction. Everything else leaves much to be desired. 

2. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire - 7/10

Acting as our first crossover sequel in the Monsterverse franchise (our Age of Ultron if you're keeping track using the MCU as a reference point) Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire improves in a few areas while barely building excitement in others. In terms of notable positive highlights comes the human cast which, this time around, isn't as annoying and distracting to watch as previous entries. Considering the fact that the entire franchise since 2014's Godzilla has had issues concerning its focus on certain forcefully comedic or downright boring human characters far too often, this was certainly a small step up in the right direction. The New Empire gives us a more monster driven movie where the humans mostly blend into the background to build on the mythology as the kaijus (Kong more so in this case) gets to shine as characters.

This is exactly what I've been asking for since this whole series started having me to believe that the studio is at the very least paying attention to the criticisms of previous titles. There's really only one character here (Bernie) who felt highly unnecessary and forced in, but thankfully he gets overshadowed as the other characters actually try to offer something of substance to the larger world. Now as for the monsters themselves, and this is largely due to the fact that I saw this movie on an airplane seat monitor, I sadly didn't find them to be as spectacular to behold as before. However, I'm almost certain that a second viewing in a more cinematically appropriate environment would change my perspective on this. On a side note, I will say that I did think the villains could've benefited from a slightly better design upgrade in parts. 

In regards to the story, I quite enjoyed the idea of Kong's untold ancestral mythology being fleshed out further through lore expansion surrounding Hollow Earth and the reveal of a hidden empire and civilization. The idea of Kong having a longing for family now encountering a villainous dictating king towering over his own species was intriguing. It allowed for him to be challenged in a more dramatically progressive manner making this a solid Kong sequel. And although this movie doesn't do much for Godzilla's character, we did have 4 releases prior that gave him a lot to work with, so this wasn't too much of an issue for me. Overall, there's enough entertainment value to enjoy and world building to absorb resulting in Godzilla X Kong being a fairly decent watch altogether. However, I do feel a small sense of fatigue kicking in for the Monsterverse where something monumental needs to happen soon. Perhaps now might be the time to finally bring in Destoryah? 

3. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga - 9/10

It brings me great joy, speaking as someone who loved Mad Max: Fury Road, to say that Furiosa mostly lives up to the standards that were established by its predecessor. Engaging action and spectacle as one would hope to see coming into this prequel is delightfully put on display here. This is coupled with a great origin story narrative for the titular character that offers up an excellent sense of adventure through intriguing lore expansion of the setting and a constantly progressing quest for vengeance. We also have an entertaining villain in Dementus thanks to Chris Hemsworth who delivers a scene stealing charismatic performance in addition to some interesting character writing surrounding his personality and mentality. 

Despite having a couple of CGI/green screen nitpicks here and there, the movie delivers exactly where it needs to in its vehicular carnage and post apocalyptic imagery. With all said and done, Furiosa more than proves itself as being a worthy follow up to the huge success of Fury Road making this a must-see entry for fans. It also acts as a pretty solid entry point for newcomers of the series.

4. Longlegs - 7/10

Coming into 2024, Longlegs, thanks to its brilliantly enticing marketing, immediately became one of my most anticipated horror movies in quite a long time. It was one of those rare special moments in cinema history where a movie pops up out of seemingly nowhere advertising in a cleverly teasing fashion grabbing everyone's attention. For me, what was coming across from those mysterious earlier promos was the promise of something truly unnerving and game changing for the horror genre. Eerie imagery followed a puzzle-like experience with phrases from each of the short trailers giving audiences something chilling to ponder over. There was an engaging sense of mystery and creep factor looming over the film and therefore ended up going on the priority watchlist for many horror nerds like myself. 

So, did it deliver on its tantalizingly trailers? Well, outside of an effectively creepy opening scene...not entirely. Longlegs is the perfect example of why it's sometimes important to leave expectations and excitement at the door prior to watching a new movie. Whereas my intrigue for this leaned upon a potentially frightening supernatural horror movie that can lift the genre up to the higher standards where it should be today, I was instead given something a little bit...different. To my surprise, this was more of a detective crime mystery film along the same vein as Zodiac or Silence of the Lambs with elements of supernatural horror sprinkled in. But as potential-filled as that might sound in thought, sadly there's just not enough here to really jump up and down over.

The cast is mostly solid enough (with some mixed feelings towards Nicholas Cage's performance). The overall direction is positively minimalistic imbuing a grounded sense of tone which heightened the immersion factor. The storytelling is pretty interesting especially after certain revelations are made encouraging viewers to rewatch earlier scenes. Although, I will say that the actual execution of some of these disturbing concepts could've been presented in a much more frightening manner. This is due to the villain(s) not being as consistent in their creepy presentation as I'd hoped. Still, Longlegs is a well directed film that is made with a thoughtful approach to audience engagement. Sadly, the film leaves much to be desired in its scares in addition to some of its more compelling narrative context needing to be sought out through external sources. This is one of those cases where an extended cut almost feels like a necessity.