Monday, December 20, 2021

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE: SPIDER-MAN - NO WAY HOME (2021)

MCU CHAPTER 32


Not too long ago I felt that Sony's approach to their Spider-Man films (Venom included) were outdated, somewhat stuck in the 2000's while Marvel Studios' films were forging ahead and paving the way for the future of the genre. When a deal was made between Sony and Marvel Studios, and Marvel Studios had a hand in crafting this latest Spider-Man trilogy, I thought that Marvel Studios had "saved" Spider-Man. I loved Homecoming and Far From Home, attributing their success more to Marvel Studios than to Sony.

Then Marvel Studios' 2019 slate came along and, while fine, began declining in quality. I'm in the minority here, but Captain Marvel was rather bland with some questionable story choices and muddying the continuity. And then Avengers: Endgame came along and, while sticking the landing (if only just barely), my opinion of it has only worsened with age. But then Far From Home came and was excellent through and through. My faith wasn't shaken in Marvel Studios, I just felt they had a bad year with the exception of Far From Home.

Phase 4 of the MCU began in earnest this year with WandaVision, Falcon & Winter Soldier, Loki, Black Widow, What If...?, Shang Chi, Eternals, and Hawkeye. The first two Disney + shows I did not enjoy and so I quit watching them (I haven't seen Loki, What If...?, nor Hawkeye and, quite frankly, I haven't heard much to convince me to watch them). I was tepid to the three feature films from Marvel Studios this year as well. Combined with their two films from 2019, my faith in them was shaken. And from everything I'm seeing from their plans, the future of Marvel Studios seems uncertain to me, approaching their content with caution rather than enthusiasm.

Weirdly, I went back and rewatched Venom, finding my original assessment of the film to be a little harsh. I actually really enjoyed Venom upon my second viewing. This last week I have been giving a lot of money to Sony it seems. I saw GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE and loved it! I blindly bought VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE and really enjoyed it too! The action scenes in particular were well done I thought.

And this last Friday I saw SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME. Given my feelings toward the MCU that I outlined above, I was understandably suspicious. After that first trailer for the film, I was worried that Doctor Strange would be turned into an ineffectual moron (which, the MCU has been doing to many of its characters of late). That, and the whole premise of No Way Home could've been instantly solved by the shapeshifting Talos of the Skrulls (who was present at the end of Far From Home). I liked the idea of bringing back the villains from the previous films, but I was worried the entire plot was going to be founded on a terrible idea. The writing in the MCU has been declining sharply as of late and I had all of Phase 4 as evidence to backup my trepidations. 

Please don't mistake my ramblings as "hating" on the MCU. I've supported the MCU for well over ten years, enthusiastically and passionately (just check out the links below for my previous MCU reviews). I'm critical because I care a lot about this franchise, its characters, and the source material. If I become apathetic towards the MCU then that means I truly don't care anymore. Clearly I still care or I wouldn't be writing this. But from the trailers of No Way Home I was led to believe this decline in writing and general quality dip would continue here.

I WAS WRONG!

I loved Spider-Man: No Way Home!


My worries were put to rest (the trailers were misleading) and I loved the way everything was handled herein. Spider-Man has a quality trilogy at last! And this is far and away the best chapter of the MCU since Far From Home (and handled far better than Endgame i.e. no rats that save the day).

And here's the weird part; I think Sony may have been the reason why this movie landed as well as it did as opposed to Marvel Studios (something I never would've said or even fathomed a few years ago). Since 2019, I personally feel that the best parts of the MCU have been the films coproduced with Sony.

Without getting into specifics, I loved how they handled everything. The movie did a lot but it never felt frenetic nor scatterbrained, giving scenes time to breathe and powerful moments to linger. The quotient of bathos was low too, which was a relief and very appreciated. All of the actors from the different films arrive on the scene feeling nigh picture perfect from how we last saw them (some almost 20 years ago!) both in terms of appearance and personality (albeit with one exception, which was an improvement in my opinion).

And the filmmakers give you exactly what you want. There's no pointless subversion of expectations or needless deconstructions of characters. The characters act and feel like they should, they are put through ordeals that challenge them and change them, and it feels natural and in keeping with who these characters are. There are moments that pay off beats from films that have been dangling for nearly ten years or more, which for someone whose seen all of these past films when they came out originally, felt shockingly satisfying.


THE IRON BOY AND THE PROBLEM WITH THE MCU SPIDER-MAN

I've liked Spider-Man since I was a kid and always felt he was a good character, but Spidey has never been a favorite of mine personally. I know and recognize that he may be the greatest super-hero of all-time, but my heart has always belonged to other characters. I've enjoyed each one of the MCU's Spidey appearances, loving how well he was integrated into the MCU as a whole, demonstrating some of the best execution of MCU continuity. I liked how connected he was with Iron Man, Happy Hogan, Doctor Strange, and the others.

But remember, I'm not a big Spider-Man fan. I've heard criticisms laid against the MCU's (Tom Holland's) Spider-Man from legitimate Spider-Man aficionados, many of which despise what Marvel Studios were doing to the character. In a nutshell, the core of Spidey was wrong. Instead of the guilt of Uncle Ben hanging over him, he was a charmed boy who succeeded and often got what he wanted. He did not live by his creedo nor seem to struggle much. He had inherited the wealth and resources of Tony Stark and was a team player on the Avengers. All of these things, more or less, are not who Spider-Man is in the eyes of many. To many in the Spider-Man community, he was Iron Boy rather than Spider-Man.

I am not unsympathetic to this. I feel many of my favorite characters from the comics have been bastardized with the MCU incarnations to the point that they scarcely resemble the characters I loved from the comics. And perhaps the greatest achievement of No Way Home is that, by the end, they fix Spider-Man. By that I mean Peter Parker ends the film in a place that more closely resembles a comics accurate Spider-Man (or Spider-Man as he should be).

No Way Home still functions and feels similar to Homecoming and Far From Home, yet pays homage to the Spider-Man films that came before them and the legacy that began in 2002 with Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film all the while moving Tom Holland's Spider-Man forward with genuine character growth. By the end of this film, Tom Holland feels more like Spider-Man than he ever has before. The journey that the MCU's Spider-Man has undertaken may have been backwards and, at times, anathema to how the character should be. But at the time of its release, such an approach felt necessary to a degree. At last though he is finally where he should be (if only they'd "fix" all of my favorite heroes in the MCU too. I highly doubt it).

All in all, the more you know about the Sony Spider-Man movie legacy the more No Way Home gives back to you.

Overall Ranking: 9 out of 10

I loved it. The best chapter of Phase 4 with a bullet and easily among the top five best MCU films. Sony has been batting a thousand of late in my opinion. I hope they can keep this going with Morbius and Across the Spider-Verse (especially Morbius because, unlike Spidey, I actually do love Morbius). 


I can't wait for Morbius in a month! And I'm cautious and a bit nervous about Doctor Strange 2 (worried Marvel Studios will continue down their current path and ruin another of my favorite characters in the name of character deconstruction and the subversion of expectations). Even so, Doctor Strange 2 is the only slated film from Marvel Studios that I'm most excited for coming up. Not to be pessimistic but I honestly feel Doctor Strange 2 is going to be straw that breaks my back and be where I get off of the MCU train... to paraphrase what MJ keeps saying in No Way Home, "If you expect disappointment then you'll never be disappointed."

Fingers crossed that Marvel Studios nails Doctor Strange 2 and that Sony continues their hot-streak with Morbius!

And for more of my thoughts on comic book films, Sony super hero films, and the MCU, check out the posts linked below!

And always leave a comment below and let's discuss!

THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE (MCU)


 
Fox-Marvel, Sony-Marvel, and other stuff too!


 


THE DC EXTENDED UNIVERSE (DCEU)
 

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Sunday, November 28, 2021

DEFACER ~ An Original Novel from Blood Work


An Original Novel from Blood Work

 

Blood Work, since its very first post, has been a space dedicated to the appreciation and critique of film, comic books, video games, and more (basically where we can discuss all of the things we love). While we don't always gush over everything, we're always honest and sincere. This space has always meant to be a place for an honest and true celebration of the things we love. This space only exists because we want it to, born of the love and enthusiasm we have for these movies, video games, comics, and more. 

For some time now, we here at Blood Work have been shaping and crafting an original story of our own. With the same spirit that this space was created, DEFACER was born out of our love for the horror genre. While we love to provide commentary and appreciation for the mediums we enjoy, we have always longed to contribute to these worlds and stories. Just as with this blog, the intention behind this was to be honest and sincere in our efforts, no agendas or disingenuous motives, but no grandiose plans or world-changing intentions either.

Briefly, here's what you can expect to get in DEFACER:

~

"Jeremy's life wasn't always drenched in blood and littered with corpses. He led a quiet mundane life until becoming possessed by the Defacer; a dark entity with a desire to kill. When night comes the Defacer takes over, leaving him no choice but to obey. And someone dies. Every day since, he has been haunted by vengeful spirits and pursued by clawed shadowy creatures.

Jeremy's only wish is for the killing to stop, for the Defacer to leave, and for an end to the nightmare. As his hope and sanity slip further away, three people enter his life that could change everything. One of them could save him while another could bring an end to his suffering. And the third could unleash far worse horrors upon him.

As the body count rises and the creatures in the dark slither closer, a new terrifying threat looms over him. Jeremy's fate lies with these three strangers. Which of them will lead him to salvation? And which will lead him to damnation?"

~

Follow this link to purchase Defacer

Defacer is meant to be pure escapist entertainment. It is meant to be a love letter to the horror genre, yet infused with our passion for comic books, super heroes, video games, movies, and music. It is an amalgamation of everything we hold dear. 

Defacer is an original story of our own design with the hope and desire to convey our love and passion for these mediums to the reader. And, with any luck, generate the same feelings of love and enthusiasm for the story and characters within from the readers. If Defacer can do that or, at the very least, provide a few hours of escape from someone's daily grind then it will have served its purpose. 

A little history on the evolution of Defacer: 

Defacer has been a long time in coming. When pen was first set to paper, and the ideas were beginning to take shape, dates back to the fall of 2009 and first shared with others in 2010. The first iteration was a rough prose format written "20th Century" style on a physical piece of paper. The title and moniker "Defacer" was there from the very beginning. The original prose piece has only ever been seen by we here at Blood Work.

At the time of the idea's inception, there was a longing to create comic books. Gears were switched from prose to a comic book script format. The very first iteration to be shown to people outside of Blood Work was in this comic book script style. With firm determination to be a comic book writer (even though a graphic artist we are NOT), we set a monthly schedule for ourselves, producing a fully scripted serialized story each month set in the world of Defacer. This was in an attempt to train ourselves under the conditions with which a writer in the comic book medium would likely work under. We even practiced writing two separate ongoing series simultaneously, like many writers in comics do (some writers produce as many as four titles a month!). 

We produced two years worth (24 issues) of both titles before realizing no company would hire us to write comics without an artist or prior publishing credits. So we returned to the prose format in which those first ideas for Defacer were transcribed with the thought that, in prose, only a writer is needed and not dependent on an artist. Rather than start at the beginning again, we decided to continue chronicling the story of Defacer in this format, meaning that chapters 25, 26, 27, and 28 were novella sized. We did this because we didn't want to stop moving the story forward. We were so enthralled with the story we were telling that we didn't want to stop.

As we neared the end we realized that there was no way we could properly present this story without going back and rewriting those first 24 issues in prose format. So, after a few years of building the story of Defacer, the characters, the arcs, and the plot, we at last went back to the beginning to adapt the comic book scripts into novels. Having already written much of the story already, knowing the greater arc and endgame, getting feedback from the few readers we had, even knowing what worked and what didn't, the adaptation process began in earnest.

Naturally, the story and characters changed and evolved in various ways, but the intention and goal remained. Many years and many drafts later, Defacer was at last in a place where I felt it was ready to be shown to the world.

In today's world there are many avenues to distribute and publish one's work. Self-publishing on Amazon.com is very easy and user friendly. With a logo and cover in place, and a burning desire to release Defacer into the wild, to grow or die, we pulled the trigger and finally published it.

This leads us to the hear and now. Published only as an eBook at the moment, Defacer is available for purchase at the price of $2.99 or FREE if you have subscribed to Kindle Unlimited. Once we receive a bigger cover with not only the front, but the spine and back as well, we'll move to self-publishing a physical copy (a prospect that excites us beyond words). Until then, at the very least, the digital version will have to suffice.

Whether something comes of Defacer or not, it is at least out there for one or more readers to stumble across. And who knows what the future may bring. We're keeping our hopes modest and, for now, are keeping our noses hard at work on the next story.

Defacer was a story that we HAD to tell. We here at Blood Work love this story and these characters. And we hope you will too.

To everyone who takes a chance with this story, thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. And we hope you stick with us as we have a few more stories to tell!

Follow this link to purchase Defacer

Thank you so very much for your kindness and support!

We'll see you soon!

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Thursday, November 11, 2021

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE: ETERNALS (2021)

 MCU CHAPTER 30



I barely made it through writing the SHANG CHI review (my feelings have gotten worse towards that film, if you can believe that. Ask yourself, is Shang Chi actually heroic? Think about it). I just don't have the enthusiasm for the Marvel Cinematic Universe anymore. There are projects that still pique my curiosity here and there, but my faith and trust in the MCU has been shaken and it hasn't been repaired yet. Although, the second MORBIUS trailer has dropped (Sony Marvel as opposed to Disney Marvel) and it looks GREAT! 

ETERNALS was, and remains I think, Marvel's biggest question mark. The trailers did no favors for this film, nor the marketing or promotion. If you thought Marvel Studios' films were designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator, Eternals achieves a new height by literally trying to appeal to absolutely everyone the world over (except actual comic book fans). Yet, in doing so, they've made a film for everyone and no one.

I'm gonna keep this review short (as short as I can) because I just don't have the drive for the MCU like I used to. SPOILERS AHEAD so beware.

THE PLOT

The Deviants, long thought extinct, have returned, prompting the Eternals to come out of hiding. Battles rage across the globe as Eternals are being targeted and killed by the Deviants. Meanwhile, a cryptic message from the Celestial, Arishim, warns the Eternals that their mission on Earth is nearing its end. Will the Eternals survive against the Deviants long enough to see the end of their mission? And what is the end of their mission exactly?

INITIAL REACTIONS

You know what? I actually enjoyed this movie! Specifically, I like how it deviates from the typical MCU feel and formula. I liked the cosmic elements and grand scope of the film. I feel this was reactionary though as I am so sick and tired of the standard MCU formula. That, and I haven't really enjoyed anything from Marvel Studios since ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (counting Spider-Man: No Way Home as a Sony Marvel film, so separate). I think I needed to know that something "different" was possible and seeing that was a sigh of relief.

As a whole the film tries to do way too much, so much that it can't really find its footing. The story is constantly jumping through the ages of time but only for a little bit. It feels like a six episode television series without the benefits of a six episode series, that being six hours of runtime to properly explore the time periods, places, ideas, and characters. There's just too much going on and not enough time dedicated to anything here. In this regard, it feels like a typical DC movie, not a Marvel movie (which may account for the different flavor this movie presents, but probably not in the way Marvel Studios had intended). As a result, nothing really stands out, either good or bad, because we just didn't get enough time with anything.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

 However, there is one MAJOR issue I have with this film: IKARIS. Okay, I'm not the biggest Eternals comic book fan, but I do have some knowledge of them from the comics. Now, if there was one Eternal that stood out from the rest and was the "main" Eternal, it is Ikaris. Ikaris is the anchor and symbol of the Eternals, their greatest champion and stalwart hero. This movie turns him into a familicidal zealot. Luckily, I was forewarned of this ahead of time, otherwise I would've walked out of the theater saying, 'EFF THIS MOVIE!" It is still my most hated aspect of the film, made all the worse as it is completely unnecessary as the film already had a villain (which, in typical MCU fashion, they wasted and did nothing with). It is a major disservice to Jack Kirby's work and the comics, displaying yet again what Marvel Studios thinks of the comics and the fans. 

I enjoyed both post-credits scenes immensely! Never did I ever think that I would see PIP THE TROLL in a movie, looking and acting comic accurate to perfection! Having Pip introduce STARFOX a.k.a. EROS (Thanos' brother) was pretty amazing. And I actually thought Harry Styles looked pretty good as Starfox as well. Then, during the second post-credits stinger, seeing Dane Whitman receive the Ebony Blade and then hearing the voice of the vampire hunter, BLADE, was pretty amazing too. These two stingers helped ease my feelings toward the pointless Ikaris turnabout and help me leave the theater feeling positive.



THE VERDICT

While I liked the movie, I think those feelings stem from the film feeling different than the rest, not necessarily because it was a good movie. I'm interested in watching this movie again, although this is another MCU film that I feel would strongly benefit from a longer "SNYDER CUT" style extended edition. I feel that way about the Thor films and a few of the Avengers films as well. I will say that I enjoyed this film far more than Shang Chi and Black Widow (admittedly not high bars to surpass), but this movie is far from the solid films of the MCU's distant past.

Eternals' concept is far more ambitious than what could be achieved in a single film under three hours. Eternals attempts to tell a Lord of the Rings sized epic, and all three LOTR films at that, in a single two and a half hour long film. Remember when the MCU used to take six films to introduce six characters? Well this film tries to introduce twelve characters in one movie! And we thought Marvel knew better...

Overall Ranking: 6 out of 10

It's not the worst of the MCU films, but it's close. That being said, it is refreshing to see a movie in the MCU break the formula. And for someone who is so sick of the "Formula," this alone was worth it. But with how Ikaris was portrayed, it makes me fear for what Marvel Studios will do with Adam Warlock and other favorites from the comics. Again, my faith in the MCU remains, as Gamora put it, "FAITHLESS."



For more of our thoughts on the MCU (minus Loki and What If...? as I haven't yet watched them) check out the posts below.

And as always, please feel free to comment and discuss below. We'd love to hear different views and opinions on the movie and the MCU!

THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE (MCU)


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Monday, October 18, 2021

SILVER TONGUED SILVER SCREEN: HALLOWEEN KILLS (2021)

 HALLOWEEN KILLS (2021)

MY HALLOWEEN FANDOM

The Halloween franchise is one very near and dear to my heart. It was my gateway into modern horror cinema. I think it was when I was twelve years old that I first rented HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS and began my fascination with modern horror. From there I dove deeper and deeper into the genre. John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN from 1978 became one of my top ten favorite films and I became obsessed with the story of Michael Myers and Dr. Loomis, the Dracula and Van Helsing of this saga. For me, the true Halloween canon are films one through six. The series doesn't get any better than these six films. Everything after those films feels like "What if...?" stories to me. It's been a long time since a new Halloween film felt like it was true canon. But this is just my personal opinion.

Over the years the franchise has been rebooted and retooled again and again. The number of Halloween fans out there is ever-growing and evolving. Each fan has their own preferences and, given the multiple continuities, their own timeline they prefer. Maybe that's the strength of the series. While we fans may vehemently disagree on the best films in the franchise, perhaps we can all agree that Michael Myers is the core of the franchise. As long as Michael is treated well, we'll all be happy. Right?

THE BLUMHOUSE TRILOGY

HALLOWEEN KILLS is the sequel to the 2018 reboot simply titled HALLOWEEN. The twelfth film in the Halloween franchise has come, now tied with the FRIDAY THE 13TH franchise with twelve films each. And once the sequel to Halloween Kills comes, there'll be a new slasher king in town! And Halloween Kills feels like the gauntlet has been thrown in the face of Friday the 13th and Jason Voorhees.

Halloween 2018 was born in the conceit that Michael Myers and Laurie Strode were no longer connected as brother and sister, but rather connected through a random act of violence. In addition to this the filmmakers stated they wanted Michael Myers to be less supernatural and more human. All of the previous films were ignored with the exception of the 1978 original. All of these decisions were met with varied responses from fans. Some fans only enjoy the first film and, for these fans, this all sounded wonderful. Speaking for myself, I felt the filmmakers were shedding too much of the mythos.

Interestingly the filmmakers walk back these statements. And they should. Why bring back Laurie Strode if you're going to remove the whole reason why she's integral to the story? Why reduce Michael Myers to a simple human serial killer when even the original film threw his humanity into question? All of it was head-scratching to say the least.

Like I said, Halloween 2018 didn't exactly do everything it said it was going to do, which I felt was a good thing. It was a mix of homage and fan-service, boarding on too much homage and fan-service. As I stated earlier, Halloween 2018 was just another "What if...?" story for me. Ultimately I thought Michael Myers was done well and that right there was enough for me. Was it perfect? Hell no. Was it a heaping pile of trash like some movies in the series? Hell no. It doesn't come close to touching the original six films, in my opinion. But I do feel it was perhaps the best of the films to have come after the original six.



THE HYPE AND THE DELIVERY

Leading up to Halloween Kills' release, I fell aboard the hype train and became pretty excited. This is a dangerous thing to do with a franchise one holds so near and dear to their hearts. Rarely do such films fulfill your expectations. I know this from experience, in recent memory as well. 

So, how did Halloween Kills live up to my expectations?

Well, the verdict is still out. I'm still processing it all. But, if I had to go with my gut reaction I'd have to say this movie is a mess. There's things I liked and others that I felt missed the mark. Overall, I think there's slightly more to like here. Ultimately it all fell on the shoulders of Michael Myers' portrayal. And while I do have gripes with elements of The Shape's portrayal, I feel the filmmakers did right by their charge.

I'm going to call Halloween Kills a success, if only by the skin of it's teeth.

THE SYNOPSIS

Laurie, her daughter Karen, and granddaughter Alison, are being taken to the hospital while Michael burns in the basement of Laurie's compound. Unbeknownst to them, Michael Myers has survived. After escaping the blazing inferno, Michael carves a bloody swath through Haddonfield. Mob mentality takes over the citizens of Haddonfield as they take the law into their own hands. Determined to kill Michael Myers, it's Haddonfield's last stand. Will it be Michael Myers' head on a pike? Or will the masked killer turn the entire town into a graveyard?

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

As I stated above, I am largely still processing this movie. And there is a lot to unpack, nuanced feelings to analyze, and plot points to dissect. Just a forewarning, there won't be a definitive opinion on this movie by the end of this post. Subsequent rewatches will be required as well as discussions. My gut reactions are mixed, neither filled with love or hate (as of now).

Like the previous film, there is a metric ton of fan-service and homage here. For some this will be easily too much. For others it will be applauded. For me it dances on the edge of being too much but not quite to the obnoxious point (although some choices feel cringe-worthy). This is in line with Halloween 2018 though.

THE MISSING PIECE

At the core of Halloween there are three elements: an incredible woman, an obsessive hunter of evil, and Michael Myers (evil on two legs). Since Donald Pleasence's passing the films haven't recaptured this triumvirate. Malcolm McDowell's Dr. Loomis was okay in the 2007 Halloween reboot but was written as a douche bag by 2009 sequel, ruining anything positive about the character. And Jamie Lee Curtis has been doing double duty carrying both roles, both the incredible woman and hunter of evil. And, for me, it doesn't quite work. Halloween 2018 lacked a competent male figure a la Dr. Loomis. And Halloween Kills fares no better. A suitable replacement for Donald Pleasence has still yet to be found (although Paul Rudd was the closest one to achieving this in my opinion).

THE 1978 FLASHBACKS AND MICHAEL'S REASON

But Dr. Loomis does make an appearance here. Halloween Kills revisits 1978, in particular what happens immediately after the ending of the original film. This is a source of confliction for me. A part of me wishes that no one touch or tamper with the original film. Leave it be. But, there were moments that I thought worked. I thought Michael Myers looked picture perfect. And the Myers house was brilliantly recreated. But the Donald Pleasence impersonator didn't work for me. It felt just off enough to feel wrong to me whereas Peter Cushing's lookalike in Rogue One felt just close enough to work. I didn't care for the retconned emphasis on the police, though I loved the idea presented during these scenes: Michael staring out the window overlooking Haddonfield. The question presented being: What was Michael really seeing?


This query was one of the more intriguing aspects of the film, one I found most fascinating. To be perfectly transparent, I never liked the idea of giving Michael Myers a backstory a la Rob Zombie's take. Conversely I love the slow reveal of the Curse of Thorn and the Druidic origins. I also love how it is never fully explained, much remaining shrouded in mystery. I think that is why I felt this "Staring out the window" treatise so interesting. It's never fully explained yet piques the curiosity. On the flip side of this is Laurie's "Loomis soliloquy" at the end about transcendence. I felt that speech was out of character coming from her, not to mention sounding utterly ridiculous (yet something tells me that, were it spoken by Donald Pleasence, it would flourish).

LAURIE STRODE AND THE CITIZENS OF HADDONFIELD

I feel that the 2018 version of Laurie Strode is off somehow. She's far too "Sarah Conner" and today's cliché strong female character. Hollywood doesn't know how to do different kinds of strength anymore other than blunt physical force. What happened to Laurie's intelligence and booksmarts? She still maintains her resourcefulness but is far more bullish in her personality, like she would get in a fist fight with anyone at any time. Anyway, I was glad Laurie was sidelined for this movie and didn't shrug off that lethal wound of hers. The film could've easily gone in the direction it was seemingly heading by making Laurie an "invincible action hero" (hell, the trailers kind of led us to think that it was). Other than the speech at the end, I thought Laurie was handled better in this film than the last. Bringing in Officer Hawkins was a nice touch that I thought worked as well.

I'm torn on all of the guest spots, from Tommy Doyle, Officer Brackett, Lindsey Wallace, and Marion Chambers. Retconning Lonnie Elam as an important character seemed a little superfluous, but not in an off-putting way. I liked Lindsey and was glad she survived. They wasted Marion in a overdone bit of fan-service. And Tommy was fine until he went batshit crazy. I prefer Paul Rudd's Tommy, a man taking on the Loomis mantle better than anyone else in the series. The whole "mob mentality" allegory/social commentary was WAY overdone and too on the nose, to the point of parody rather than poignancy (but subtly does seem lost on must online commentators nowadays). And lastly, I didn't need Officer Brackett at all. Repeating his classic line didn't make much sense to me either, feeling jarringly inappropriate even.

The social commentary on mob mentality in today's world felt a little on the nose and beaten to death. I liked seeing how the town was effected as a whole and I felt a lot of it rings true to today's social media/online forums/comments sections. But ultimately it felt like a step too far. Halloween 4 handled the mob justice more cleanly. But then again, maybe that's exactly what this movie was going for, an over-exaggeration befitting today's social media outrage. Personally I prefer a gentler touch with my social commentary in films and television (or none at all). Again, this veers a little too close parody not poignancy.

THE SCORE

John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies' score once again steals the show in my opinion. It is one of the shining aspects of this film and is a soundtrack worth owning. The track Unkillable is one of my favorites. Listening to the soundtrack by itself, I can hear so many elements of Carpenter's work at play here, motifs that recall the soundtracks to Escape From New York and Prince of Darkness as well as other beloved scores. To me this makes the soundtrack all the richer, feeling Carpenter is pulling from his entire repertoire. The Halloween scores have always been a key element in the success or failure of these films, second only to Michael himself, and I feel this particular score is a big positive here. I need this soundtrack added to my collection!

THE SHAPE

And speaking of unkillable, let's talk about the one thing that matters most in these films: Michael Myers. Jamie Lee Curtis is amazing and she is one of my favorite actresses. It's great having her return to the series. But she has not been a consistent element in this series. This series has survived and will continue to endure after she's leaves (for the third time at that). This series isn't about Laurie Strode. It's about Michael Myers. He's the reason people go to these movies. He's the reason why these movies succeed. Obviously there's a combination of elements on top of this, but at the end of the day, this is Michael Myers' show, not Jamie Lee Curtis's or Laurie Strode's.

As such, I'm the most critical of how Michael Myers is portrayed in these films, to the point where my enjoyment of the films can hinge on Michael's portrayal. I've always been of the opinion that there is a difference between Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees, subtle sure, but a definitive difference. Jason, to me, is like the shark in JAWS. Jason is a beast with little to no thinking involved. And he's wonderful as such. But Michael Myers, to me, was always more calculating, cunning, and mysterious. Michael is observant and waits for the right moment to strike.


That said, I feel this movie took Michael's character a little too far at times to where his characterization felt more in line with Jason Voorhees. It didn't go so far as to make me feel I wasn't watching Michael Myers anymore, rather Jason instead, but it came real close. Michael was angry in this movie, the filmmakers dancing close to the Rob Zombie level of violence. But perhaps there's no going back after Rob Zombie's depiction. I guess he would be angry after getting beaten in the last film. 

The one part where I feel they didn't get his character right was near the end when he was led into a trap. The character of Karen tricked him in the previous film, and I can allow that. But getting tricked again by the same character, being drawn into a trap yet again (and a far more obvious trap at that) felt like a disservice to Michael's character. C'mon, he's smarter than that! It didn't stop him though which makes it feel less egregious. Sadly though, that scene culminates in one of the worst filmed set-pieces (in my opinion) in the film. It's shot rather artistically which I felt diminished the impact. I would've rather seen a straight-forward approach, showing Michael's brutality and the fear and chaos spreading through the crowd. Anyway, I liked Michael Myers' depiction in this film overall and, for me, that's the most important element to get right in these films.

THE ENDING 

FULL SPOILER ALERT!

Michael doesn't die in this film. He even gets a few big kills like Tommy Doyle, Sheriff Brackett, Marion Chambers, and Karen. The big reveal at the end is that Michael is seemingly unkillable. One of the announcements for the 2018 film that had me leery was that the writer and director stated that they were removing Michael's supernatural characterization, in effect, making him a normal human. This was a huge source of contention with me, feeling that such a depiction was incongruous with even the original film. 

Well, it seems David Gordon Green and Danny McBride lied to us (unless there's a clever explanation in the next film). This is a lie I'm happy to have. I feel making Michael Myers a normal human is wrong and diminishes his character (although it did make me anxious that he may die, which I NEVER want to see). The reason I go to these movies and watch them over and over is for Michael Myers, just like I watch Frankenstein for The Monster, not Dr. Frankenstein (unless he's played by Peter Cushing that is), Godzilla for Godzilla, and a Nightmare on Elm Street for Freddy.

Karen's death at the very end and Michael standing triumphant left me with a positive feeling as I exited the movie theater. There's a shot just before then of Karen looking up into the Myers house, seeing a glimpse of Michael as a child in his clown costume staring out the window. That quick shot was haunting and subtle and wonderful. Soon thereafter an adult Michael kills Karen and is seen staring out of the same window. I thought that worked wonderfully and was a great way to end the film, canceling out Laurie's cringe "Transcendence" soliloquy and the terribly shot crowd massacre from a moment prior.

While this film stumbles at parts, it soars in others. As a Halloween fan since the early 90's (before Halloween 6 even!) I felt this film committed no cardinal sins and gave Michael an outing the scope of which he'd never had before. And ending it with Michael the victor was perfect. 

THE VERDICT

I started writing this post three days ago. At that time I was still actively processing the film, unsure of my precise feelings towards it. Truthfully, the film is a mixed bag (like most Halloween films). There are some great moments and some dumb moments (as with many Halloween films). Nowadays whenever a classic or beloved property from the past is resurrected by Hollywood or Netflix there's a strong degree of trepidation, and with good reason. In this era  so many classic properties have been rebooted and disastrously mismanaged. And no one is safe, from the highest of the high like Marvel and Star Wars, to niche favorites. To have one where I feel no grave sins were committed against the history of the franchise is now a miracle to me.

Halloween Kills had some missteps but it also had some successes. After letting the film simmer with me for a few days I feel the positives outweigh the negatives (if only just). Reading reactions online this weekend, there are many levying massive grievances upon it. I welcome any civil discourse about the film because I feel this movie generates a lot of discussion. But this is 2021. My hope for civil discourse (online at least) is low. But I'd love to discuss this film further.

I still need to see it again and I will later this week. With me wanting to see this movie a second time in a theater, I feel that's worth noting, especially nowadays where I feel that way about so few anymore. So, I still reserve my right to change my mind upon subsequent viewings. As of right now though, I'm sitting somewhere in this ballpark:

Overall Ranking: 6 out of 10


Before going to see Halloween Kills I watched Halloween 4 and Halloween 5 again. More on those films coming soon. For more of my feelings on the Halloween franchise, check out these other posts. And for more of my horror reviews, check out the posts linked further down!

THE HORROR MOVIE MASTER LIST

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