• Night Raiders (2021)

    Night Raiders is a dystopian science-fiction film that serves as analogy to portray the horrors of residential schools for First Nations throughout Canada. The film was written and directed by Danis Goluet, a young woman of Cree and Metis origins from La Ronge, Saskatchewan. The movie also features numerous First Nation actresses and actors which makes for an authentic result. However, this ambitious film suffers from its extremely slow pace and strange conclusion that asks more questions than it actually answers.

    The story revolves around single mother Niska and her young teenage daughter Waseese who are living in a camper in an isolated forest somewhere in the Canadian North. However, the totalitarian government expects every child to be sent to boarding schools starting at age four. That's why the government is using drones to discover children who have not been sent to those schools and their parents who are disobeying the law. One day, Waseese gets injured while hunting in the woods and needs medical help. Niska and her daughter have to get to a nearby city to get help but they soon get tracked down by drones and Niska has to give her daughter up. Instead of returning to the security of the woods or taking the opportunity to make it out of that horrible place with fake identity papers, Niska joins a group of First Nation guerillas who are kidnapping First Nation children from the boarding schools and hopes to rescue her own daughter.

    This film convinces on a few levels. First of all, the locations have been chosen with care from the endless wilderness in the north as opposed to the poor, dirty and destroyed ghettos in the south and the cold boarding schools that look like prisons. Up next, the elements honouring First Nation cultures such as colourful clothing or dynamic chants have been incorporated with great care into the movie. Some of the acting performances are also very good and especially Brooklyn Letexier-Hart as resilient teenage daughter stands out as the film's greatest actress.

    On the other side, this movie isn't without its flaws. First and foremost, the movie has extremely slow pace despite a rather short running time. The entire movie could have been shown in a sixty-minute episode of a dystopian television series such as Black Mirror. Up next, the movie offers few information regarding the background of the totalitarian regime and its ultimate goals as the dystopian world only seems to serve as an analogy related to the horrors First Nation members had to endure throughout the past centuries. Finally, the movie ends on a supernatural note that doesn't blend in with the rest of the film and comes as an odd twist that will leave most viewers scratching their heads. The ending refers to elements of magic that are present in many First Nation tales but this transition is poorly done in this movie and doesn't lead to a proper conclusion.

    At the end of the day, Night Raiders is only interesting for those who deeply care about First Nation cultures, identities and issues. The idea behind the movie is very positive but the final result has too many flaws to make for a truly enjoyable cinematic experience. This film suffers from slow pace, weak plot and unsatisfactory resolution. There are other contemporary films dealing with First Nation and Inuit issues such as Indian Horse or The Grizzlies that are much better than Night Raiders.

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  • Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)

    Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is a reboot and prequel to the movie series based upon the Japanese video game franchise. This seventh instalment is closely inspired by the first two video games and should certainly please genre fans. For those unfamiliar with the video game and movie franchise, this new movie is however of a rather average quality and they should certainly discover the franchise chronologically.

    The plot revolves around Claire Redfield who grew up in an orphanage in Raccoon City with her brother after her parents died in an accident. As a child, she met a strange woman who claimed to live below the city where scientists from the Umbrella Corporation that had founded the city were conducting secret experiments on human beings. When the young girl realized that she was going to be chosen for such odd procedures as well, she decided to escape and never come back. As an adult, she has decided to change her mind when she heard about a potential virus that might menace the entire population, including her estranged brother who has become a police officer. Claire Redfield takes a ride from a perverted truck driver to get back to town in order to save her suspicious brother. As soon as she arrives however, she doesn't only have to confront the demons of her past but must also fight for her survival through a deadly night that will change the lives of the resident of Raccoon City forever.

    This movie convinces on quite a few levels. First of all, the movie is closer to the original video games than any predecessor which makes it a highlight for faithful fans. The movie has a perfect running time of one hour and forty-seven minutes without any lengths. The locations are well chosen and vary from desolate houses over an abandoned police station to a mysterious mansion on a hill in the middle of the forest. This film has a few efficient action scenes, such as the confrontations in the orphanage, the duels in the catacombs and the final train ride that ends the movie on a high note.

    On the other side, the film also has its flaws. Even though it was advertised as a truly scary movie, the film might ooze with atmosphere but never ever really gets tense or even terrifying. The few jump scares are quite predictable. The special effects are also rather underwhelming and would rather fit into a vintage video game than on a big screen. Especially the monsters don't look impressive at all. The story itself is also by the numbers and mostly feels like a mixture of a documentary about Chernobyl and some zombie apocalypse b-movie.

    At the end of the day, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City should please fans of the movie and video game franchise and is entertaining from start to finish. However, it's neither among the franchise's best nor its worst movies and might not bring in new fans. Anyone unfamiliar with the franchise should simply discover it in chronological order as the very first movie is still the best by a mile.

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  • Reminiscence (2021)

    Reminiscence is a dystopian science-fiction thriller with romantic undertones. The first feature film by Lisa Joy features a very charismatic Hugh Jackman and an intriguingly enigmatic femme fatale played by Rebecca Ferguson.

    The story revolves around scientist Nick Bannister who has developed a machine that enables people to relive moments from their past. He is assisted by his faithful colleague Emily Watts Sanders who has strong feelings for her boss who is however completely oblivious to them. One day, a mysterious woman named Mae comes into his office and Nick Bannister experiences love at first sight. Mae represents everything he has always been looking for. She is smart, cultivated and charming and they start to develop a tender romantic relationship. From one day to the other however, Mae disappears and leaves Nick broken, confused and worried. He attempts to find out what might have happened to her and soon uncovers a dangerous web of drugs, lies and murder.

    This movie convinces on numerous levels. First of all, the acting performances are credible and touching. Hugh Jackman is believable as the tough outsider who goes far and beyond to save the love of his life. Thandiwe Newton impresses as faithful colleague with some demons of her own who sees through the lies of the mysterious femme fatale. Rebecca Ferguson delivers the goods as enigmatic woman with multiple layers that are uncovered step by step.

    Up next, the cinematography of this movie is flawless. The film takes place in a flooded Miami that looks at times depressing but at other moments almost romantic. The machines shown in the film look particularly intriguing. The flashbacks are animated with a nostalgic touch in form of shaded colours and muffled sounds.

    The story comes around with a few twists and surprises as it keeps the audience guessing until the very end. The movie meanders from dramatic elements over romantic sections to breathtaking action sequences and offers a balanced genre mixture. The ending is quite unexpected and leaves room for discussions and debates.

    Obviously, this movie isn't perfect. It would have been great to get some background information on the dystopian future. The intriguing locations could have been more present in the film as well.

    The entire universe is so fascinating that it would perhaps make for an even greater television series than a potential sequel.

    At the end of the day, anyone who likes dystopian science-fiction cinema should certainly watch this movie at the cinema. This film will appeal as much to those who are looking for a gripping drama as to those who might rather be looking for a film noir with occasional action sequences. This timeless movie has the potential to stand the test of time and become a genre classic. Experience it on screen as soon as you can to get some welcome escapism in difficult times.

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  • Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)

    Godzilla vs. Kong is the greatest giant monster movie since Godzilla that was released seven years ago. One couldn't exactly see that coming since its immediate predecessor was filled with melodramatic subplots and the preceding spin-off was filled with extremely shallow characters. This movie however does everything right by focusing on the giant monsters and reducing the human characters to sidekicks.

    Genre fans will certainly get everything they could ask for. The locations are creative, diversified and spectacular. The visual and sound effects are at their very best and should be enjoyed at a local movie theatre. The numerous fight scenes between the giant monsters are dynamic, epic and gripping from start to finish. The film has excellent pace and entertains smoothly with a perfect running time just below two hours. This movie should be the convincing finale to a franchise that has been built up through the past seven years instead of attempting to continue milking the cow. I'm however curious to discover the next Japanese movie featuring Godzilla in the future.

    At the end of the day, don't expect any charismatic actresses and actors, don't look for a creative plot with twists and turns and don't pretend that this movie might be considered a future classic that will stand the test of time. What you get here however is one simple on paper but perfectly executed science-fiction action blockbuster that offers some welcome escapism in difficult times.

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  • Chaos Walking (2021)

    Chaos Walking is a science-fiction movie based upon the young adult novel series of the same title by Patrick Ness. The movie took several years to make, promote and release. The fact that the physical release includes about forty-five minutes of deleted scenes shows that many changes have been made.

    The final result is an above average to good genre flick that should appeal to teenagers and young adults. The story revolves around a colony on a distant planet two hundred years in the future. The viewers follow Todd Hewitt, a teenager working on a farm in Prentisstown. He believes that all women of the colony have been annihilated by a species known as Spackles. The surviving men experience a phenomenon known as the Noise: they can hear the thoughts of everyone around them. One day, a spaceship crashes next to Todd Hewitt's farm. Its only survivor is a mysterious female named Viola who doesn't have the Noise. While megalomaniac Mayor Prentiss and insane preacher Aaron want to catch and harm Viola, Todd Hewitt falls in love with her and decides to save her. The young couple goes on an epic journey that will help them understand their past, present and future.

    This film convinces on numerous levels. First of all, the locations are mostly intriguing and well-chosen, finding a good balance between futuristic and conservative environments. The special effects are immersive, both on the visual and especially on the auditory side. The actresses and actors are mostly convincing, especially the villains portrayed by a gritty Mads Mikkelsen and a psychopathic David Oyelowo. The movie has fluid pace and a perfect length just above an hour and a half.

    There are also a few flaws that need to be pointed out. The plot is overall quite predictable and seems like a mixture of multiple dystopian science-fiction novels and movies. Some side characters are poorly developed, such as the farmers Todd Hewitt grew up with or the intriguing character of the priest. The weakest actor in this film is lead actor Tom Holland. He is lacking charisma and seems to be quite exchangeable.

    At the end of the day, Chaos Walking is an entertaining dystopian science-fiction movie for genre fans as well as teenage and young adult audiences. The movie has received negative reviews from fans of the novel series which can be observed in most film adaptations of literary works. Once you ignore those who can never be pleased, you will realize that this is a decent movie but lacking creativity to truly leave a mark.

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