Tag: JaredLeto

Masters of the Universe

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Based on the film, TV show and toy line from Mattel of the same name, Masters of the Universe has been totally revamped and is ready to enter the twenty first century. When his kingdom of Eternia is taken over by the evil Skeletor (Jared Leto), Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) is sent to Earth for his protection. Despite dealing with normal every day life as a human, Adam has never forgotten who he is. In order to save his kingdom, Adam must retrieve the Sword of Power. Only then can he return to Eternia and claim his rightful title as He-Man.

I was not the demographic for this franchise growing up. Though it came out a few years before I was born, it wasn’t ever anything I got invested in later on. I actually didn’t know much about the story or the lore beforehand. All I knew was that it had somewhat of a reputation for being corny and kind of terrible. Enter director Travis Knight. Having prior experience with adapting a toy line to a film series, he seemed like the perfect choice for a reboot. And boy did he knock it out of the park!

It’s been a hot minute since I was genuinely excited for a superhero/fantasy film. Marvel has been lacking and DC is still trying to find its footing after they decided to rework everything. This first foray back into the world of Eternia and these characters was such an enjoyable ride. As someone who didn’t know anything about it going in, I appreciated the origin story before diving into the main conflict. It helped set the scene, but it didn’t overstay its welcome and from there on out it progressed at a solid pace. I was just so intrigued with what was unfolding on screen in front of me.

Galitzine smashed it as Prince Adam. I’ve seen him play awkward before and he does it so well. I liked the juxtaposition between him as a very human individual and then seeing his transformation into the hero we grow to love. It was smart to have him not all of a sudden be the perfect fighter either, but instead hone his craft over time. His team consisted of a colorful variety of characters. Camila Mendes starred as Teela, Adam’s childhood friend and potential love interest. I thought she was so kick ass in this role and I was obsessed with her hair and eye color. Idris Elba portrayed Duncan, Teela’s father and a long time mentor of Adam’s. We’ve seen the down on their luck drunk bit before, but he did it well enough. I was still glad when he snapped himself out of it and got his mojo back. Kristen Wiig lended her voice talents to Roboto. She had some great one liners, however her character wasn’t featured as much as she could have been. Another character who could have been given more of a limelight was Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn. I was excited when I heard she was in the cast, but I didn’t understand the purpose she brought. She was just kind of there lingering in the background. Leto was hands down the scene stealer as Skeletor. Say what you will about him as a person, he gave it his absolute all. I don’t think I have ever seen such a well rounded villain before. He was menacing yet hilarious and I was vibing with everything he was doing.

What I liked the most about Masters of the Universe is the fact that it didn’t take itself too seriously. It was knew what it wanted to do and it achieved that. It leaned into the camp and silliness and while not all of the jokes worked, most of them did. I thought the casting choices were spot on and the world of Eternia and its surroundings was so well thought out and beautifully constructed. There is so much more to tell so I really hope we get a sequel.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️

Haunted Mansion

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I went to Disneyland Paris last year for Halloween and refused to go on the Haunted Mansion ride. The whole thing just gave me the creeps. When I heard that the 2003 film was getting a reboot, I felt like I’d be able to qualm my fears and, of course, to see what all the fuss was about.

Single mom Gabbie (Rosario Dawson) moves into a house that she’s pretty sure is haunted with her son Travis (Chase Dillon). She decides to hire a tour guide (LaKeith Stanfield), a psychic (Tiffany Haddish), a priest (Owen Wilson) and a historian (Danny DeVito), in hopes of exorcising the house before its too late.

While the film may feel a bit all over the place and is on the longer side, it did what it set out to do. The atmosphere of the house and the many ghosts that inhabit it had me jumping left, right and centre. The mystery was also interesting enough to keep me engaged more or less the whole way through even if it took awhile to get there.

With an ensemble cast as big as it was, some characters didn’t get as much focus as they should have. As brilliant as Stanfield was brilliant as our protagonist Ben and how outlandish and hilarious Haddish as Harriet, I wanted to learn more about the others too. We may have touched on Kent, Bruce and Gabbie, but not as much as they should have been. I also would have liked for Madame Leota (Jamie Lee Curtis) to have more screen time. At least we know we can always count on an unrecognizable Jared Leto to ham up a performance.

This updated version of Haunted Mansion has been getting a lot of flack and I don’t really understand why. It’s the perfect adventure flick the whole family can enjoy with some small jump scares and a lot of heartfelt moments. Has it convinced me to finally check out the ride? Yes, I think it may have…

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️

Morbius

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After many reshoots and delays, Morbius hit cinemas this weekend. The story follows Michael Morbius (Jared Leto), a doctor who has suffered from a rare blood disease his whole life. Working on a cure for himself and his best friend Milo (Matt Smith), he accidentally turns himself into a vampire when his experiment goes wrong.

This movie is getting a lot of hate. On some level, I can see the problems. The script was stilted at times. A lot of the lines were corny and the few jokes that were attempted didn’t land. The special effects, for a superhero movie, were mediocre at best. And the plot dragged at times. It started off strongly enough for any origin story and I thought okay, I can really get into this. However, by the third act, I was bored and wondering when something new was going to happen.

With that being said, I think the critics are being a bit harsh. There were some aspects that make this film worth watching. Jared Leto single handedly carried it on his back. I’ve always found him to be a dynamic actor and I think he did a great job as the titular character. Matt Smith, in yet another antagonist role, was fun to watch. He did get annoying after awhile, but you could tell he was giving it his all. I would have appreciated more from Adria Arjona as Martine though I suppose they are setting up a bigger arc for her in the potential sequel.

I also liked the way in which the echolocation was used. This form of heightened hearing was really interesting to watch and I thought it was one of the more impressive effects.

Is Morbius the best superhero movie I have ever seen? No. It’s not the worst one either though. I think there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to flesh everything out. It’ll be interesting to see where they go from here, especially since those post credit scenes didn’t give us much to go by.

Rating: ♥♥.5

House Of Gucci

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Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) is your average, hardworking Italian woman who always knew she was destined for more. When she meets Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver) at a party, she vows to do everything possible to land him as her husband. Marrying into the Gucci family will give her that stability and, most importantly, power. Over time it becomes apparent that Patrizia’s ambition is too much for the Guccis’ to handle causing a spiral of betrayal, and ultimately, murder.

Lady Gaga was the star in House Of Gucci. Despite her questionable Italian accent, her acting chops have stepped up even more since A Star Is Born. I couldn’t take my eyes off her and she really commanded every scene she was in. In a way it was almost as if Adam Driver wasn’t the best match for her, though you could tell he was trying his best. Another standout was in Jared Leto’s portrayal of Paolo. First of all, he’s completely unrecognizable in the role and he was hilarious too. I just wish we had had more of other supporting cast members in Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons and Salma Hayek. It didn’t seem like we got the full capacity of their talent.

My expectations for this movie were at an unbelievable high. What started off really strong unfortunately didn’t stay that way. The pacing slowed significantly and the run time was starting to wear on me. It definitely could have been cut down by about forty five minutes. It also seemed like there was a lot of build up for a short climax.

That being said, House Of Gucci was a fascinating take on the famous family. The only aspect I knew about their history was the murder and so I appreciated learning everything else. I truly believe that it is a film worth watching, if only for the performances. I can see some award show buzz in the future.

Rating: ♥♥♥