From Justice League to The Last Jedi.
In the second year—2017—of writing movie reviews, Akhil Arora was fully immersed in the DC and Marvel universes.
Bright
“Mistrust, class struggles, and social mobility appear to be important themes for Bright in the early going, and it indulges the idea of exploring the symptoms and consequences of that for the first half hour. But it eventually gives that up, and turns into a Will Smith-movie…a generic guns-blazing action thriller.”
The Last Jedi x Rian Johnson
“[It’s] clear that [Rian Johnson] is a talent to keep track of. [His] script is full of brilliant moments right off the bat, delivering exciting space battles, personal confrontations, and a touch of levity to the proceedings.”
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
“The Last Jedi embeds [Rian] Johnson’s view of the Star Wars saga into literal dialogue, smartly speaking to the millions of fans through a mighty-expensive studio vehicle for which nostalgia has always been the cornerstone.”
Spider-Man: Homecoming
“The film is about Spider-Man facing what it means to be a hero, and what that entails. But instead of saying it as a fancy dialogue, it shows how great power brings great responsibility.”
Logan
“[As] he rides into the sunset, it’ll be a struggle for anyone who lived through this period to imagine someone else in the role. Logan’s excellence in being the perfect send-off for Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine will make it harder still.”
War for the Planet of the Apes
“That the story ultimately transcends our hero—the trilogy has always made it easy to root for the apes—is more than fitting. [The film] builds on a central tenet—‘apes together strong’—and sends out resonating values that we can all learn something from.”
Coco
“The world of Coco is beautifully conceptualised and brought to life in a gorgeous, eye-popping fashion, with special mention for the aforementioned alebrije, which have their basis in Mexican folk art and have been rendered as multi-coloured fantastical creatures.”
Justice League
“It’s incapable of pushing the superhero genre like Logan did earlier this year, and it’s got too many cooks in the kitchen to produce something singular. All that ultimately results in a film that’s trying to make everyone happy by giving them what they enjoy, but lacks the required level of quality in nearly every department.”
Thor: Ragnarok
“The punchlines and one-liners keep rolling off the assembly line across Ragnarok, and most of the humour feels natural, with only bits and parts coming across a bit forced in their attempt to liven up the proceedings. […] Ragnarok’s excellence also stems from how it’s able to provide small, meaningful moments for its ensemble.”
Blade Runner 2049
“From its opening moments, Blade Runner 2049 is more interested in creating an experience than telling a story by the numbers. It’s why the director Denis Villeneuve and the film, in turn, bide their time, to slow you down and immerse in the dreary, eerie, and dystopian world of futuristic Los Angeles.”
Death Note
“Adam Wingard, who has spent over a decade dabbling in horror films, takes a similar approach to Death Note. That results in Final Destination-style killings involving gruesome violence and blood spatters, which shows that the creators didn’t spend any time understanding the manga’s overarching themes, let alone update the story for today’s age, and its Americanised depiction.”
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
“That Luc Besson managed to put together this undertaking on his own is a testament to his passion for the project, but its core failure of the relationship between Valerian and Laureline—and the lacklustre chemistry of DeHaan and Delevingne—is disappointing. For a world that brings together the four corners of the universe, it’s a shame that we’re being told the same empty tale that we’ve seen a thousand times.”
Transformers: The Last Knight
“The inability to let events properly play out causes a perennial rush. At times, it almost seems as if The Last Knight is wearing its editing choppiness as a badge of honour, daring you to make sense of the moments in between. Michael Bay further compounds the problem by never letting the film rest, and imbuing every other scene with so much incoherent action that you’ll most likely be left with a headache.”
The Mummy
“Drowning in material that’s meant to sound worrying, and filled with self-seriousness of its prophecies, rituals and ancient past drawl that it borders on parody, The Mummy comes across as a cheap horror take on a lesser Dan Brown novel. It’s unable to find the humour through it all, delivering with such infrequency that Tom Cruise’s traditional action-star performance dissolves in the sludge.”
Wonder Woman
“For a character that’s been around for eight decades, it’s a shame it took so long for a big screen solo debut, but its arrival is more than welcome to serve as a wonderful reminder of why we need more diversity amongst our heroes, both on and off-screen. Wonder Woman is far from a perfect film, but it’s brave and smart enough to be granted a well-deserved sequel.”
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
“[James] Gunn manages to pack an emotional punch in the end, delivering a character send-off that’s bound to bring most viewers to the verge of tears. But though the celestial action is grounded in relatable values, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’s central message—that family comes in all shapes and sizes—struggles to shine through, amid the cacophony.”
Ghost in the Shell
“If you want to call your film Ghost in the Shell, but are happy to leave the existential matter behind, it creates a product without much of a soul. That’s not something the Major would ever stand for.”
The Lego Batman Movie
“A lot of its blend of humour is directed at the Caped Crusader himself, and in its attempt to be eternally self-aware and skewer everything in its sight, The Lego Batman Movie doesn’t spare anything—with Batman even narrating over the studio logos before the first frame comes into view.”