Quick Reviews: Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Get Out, Fast 8

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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Verdict: Marvel almost fell into the DC films’ problem of adding way too many new characters and things going on without the intention of properly developing them. All antagonists here are as terribly written as most of the one-off villains in the MCU (a sentient planet fights with its fists?!). And come on, suddenly turning one of the baddies from the first film into a good guy? Even Piccolo and Vegeta needed dozens of episodes before they became Goku’s friends. Despite that and the predictable formula, this sequel is highly entertaining that’s so humourous even with sex jokes, I’d label it as a comedy more than a superhero flick. I totally enjoyed the film and laughed for most parts of the film. The backstories of the main characters are also very well clarified, giving us more reasons to care about them.

Second opinion: My girlfriend also felt that it’s fun and funny but the first one was better, which I agree.

Post-credit scenes: There are five scenes in between and after the closing credits, most of them are just jokes, easter eggs and teases of future characters than a buildup to Infinity War. One of them is sort of a character progression for Groot.

To watch in 3D? The film was shot with 8K resolution camera and certain screens were also shot in IMAX. Watching in IMAX 3D was an amazing visual experience to us.

Malaysian censorship: I doubt anything important was cut. Even penis jokes and severed finger were left intact (poor pun unintended).

Rating: 4 / 5

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Get Out

Verdict: Hands down, the best non-supernatural comedy horror in recent years. It’s scary, creepy, weird, compelling (if you didn’t watch the trailers) and satirically hilarious at the same time. It doesn’t overuse jump scares. It also explores the common racial stereotyping and tension that seem to be still happening in America. The performances of the cast are fantastic as well. I had a blast watching this. Get Out totally deserves its 99% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Second opinion: My girlfriend, who’s an anti-horror moviegoer, liked the film very much as well.

Malaysian censorship: Many graphically violent scenes are not cut. F-bombs are mostly left intact too. The film’s already rated 18 anyway.

What I would’ve named the film: “Ghost in Black Shell”

Rating: 4.5 / 5

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Fast & Furious 8 / The Fate of the Furious

Verdict: The franchise has come a long way from its first serious street racing-cum-undercover crime film to becoming this ridiculously over-the-top action-packed series featuring The Rock and Jason Statham. When we walked into the cinema, we expected it to be stupid without an original plot or memorable villain but that shouldn’t be an excuse for not setting up stakes in the story that we actually care about or general realism (like police helicopters to help out when there’s a major mayhem on the streets?!). Besides the verbal humour and awesome chemistry between the characters (though turning Han-killer Statham into a good guy is badly forced), I wasn’t engaged by the action sequences. I just didn’t find the film as fun as the last three films. The previous four instalments were far more entertaining than the first three and it would’ve been a perfect closure if they ended it with the 7th. But well, you know, can never make enough money.

Second opinion: My girlfriend, on the other hand, enjoyed it like its a Bollywood action movie and loved that ridiculous car-hacking scene.

Malaysian censorship: I don’t recall any awkward jumps but for a franchise that relied a lot on cars, muscles, butts and cleavages, this instalment seems too mild to be seriously censored. Still no F-bombs from these

What I would’ve named the film: “The Four Bald Guys, Manly Woman. Missandei and the Underground Street Racing Organiser who somehow became a High Tech Weapon Specialist”