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So Much Yes!!!! – SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK Movie Review

Originally, I chose to skip this movie since many people in my circles said it was terrible and the last time I saw a horror movie produced by Guillermo Del Toro, it resulted in Mama which was one of my least favorite horror movies ever made. The advertising really didn’t sell me on the film either so I just ignored the movie until I saw a couple clips that piqued my interest. Suffice to say, I feel like an idiot for not checking this one out…

MONSTER MASH

Finally….FINALLY! For years, I have been begging for a movie to finally bring back monsters, creatures, and anything that goes bumping that night besides the typical invisible ghosts and demons that have been overused for the last ten years.

I shouldn’t be surprised to see such beautiful special effects for monsters in a Guillermo Del Toro production, he always helps filmmakers make terrifying creature effects that make you both creeped out and intrigued. The mix of CGI and practical effects worked really well in this movie, I loved every single entity and creature that came from the stories.

SIMILAR TO GOOSEBUMPS BUT BETTER

I enjoyed the Goosebumps movie, it wasn’t perfect by any means but as someone who enjoyed the cheese of Goosebumps, it was satisfying but this is what I feel like Goosebumps SHOULD have been like: dark, creepy, and disturbing.

While there are similarities, I don’t quite understand the complaint that this movie was a ripoff of Goosebumps. If we’re being honest, Goosebumps got its concept from The Pagemaster….which 95% probably have no memory of.

Anyway, books and stories coming to life is hardly a new concept but I think this one did it well, setting a very unnerving tone from the moment it starts. I loved the 1960s period piece look and feel of the movie that is shot very well: this movie was beautiful from beginning to end. It’s a time when Night Of The Living Dead was considered the scariest movie for kids so it was refreshing to see a less jaded era in film. At least it wasn’t the 1980s for the millionth time in the last few years?

The whole history and lore behind the cursed book was also great to see which led to a mystery story that I felt was really engaging, even though the twist as to why this is all happening was just a tad bit of a cliche but I won’t spoil it here.

I WAS ACTUALLY CREEPED OUT?

I don’t scare easily, I’ve been watching horror movies since I was like…five? I had terrific parents. So it really surprised me that this movie got under my skin a couple of times: the first story featuring the scarecrow had me horrified towards the end of it, the Pale Lady was ominous, and even The Big Toe, actually had me on edge.

Plus you have the scariest subplot of them all: we actually get to see Nixon become President! Jesus…if that was written by the book, history suddenly makes so much sense. That makes the Jangly Man look like Baby Groot.

So if a new horror movie actually manages to get to me? I have to give it a horror movie fan salute. Well done, Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark.

SOLID PERFORMANCES

One reason I was worried about this movie was because I thought this movie was going for yet another Stranger Things-esque cast which was one of my only flaws with the Child’s Play reboot but instead, these kids felt more unique and mature than most teenage brats you tend to see in horror movies.

The only one I had a small gripe with at the beginning was the character of Chuck but he grew on me as the movie went on and I actually felt chills during his story when the curse comes for him.

QUICK FLAWS

I did have some issues: I mentioned that Chuck got on my nerves towards the beginning but then you have the other friend August who was a fine character and all but I felt that he deserved a bit more screentime and the same goes for the creature in his story. It’s there for literally seconds and I wanted more of it.

The music was bland, it was every horror movie soundtrack you’ve ever heard. I know not every soundtrack can be done by Bear McCreary but…a woman can dream, can’t she? Even then, movies like Sinister and The Conjuring had great use of simple yet terrifying music when things were going to hell.

The ending felt…mixed for me: it’s like it tries to set up a sequel while trying to have a happy ending but it comes off as just jarring to me. It’s also an abrupt ending that just kind says, “Oh yeah! We need an ending….THERE YA GO!” Plus I don’t get the ending of Ramon’s story arc: didn’t the movie establish multiple times that the Vietnam War was just a meat grinder yet he just goes to the war anyway? Ramon was my favorite character so I was a little annoyed that he wasn’t part of the team they were setting up for the sequel: no instead it’s this one character who I forgot existed after her story ended.

Oh yeah, the only one of the stories I didn’t like was this very tacked on story featuring the character of Ruth which starts off great and could have led to some cool monsters but it ends just as quickly as it begins without any kind of climax.

And this is more of a fault with the advertising but the trailer tries to sting you with this one creature that looks amazing but…it’s only on screen for a couple seconds at best and pretty much the entire screen-time is shown in the trailer. Not going to spoil it but yeah, that was disappointing.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

As a whole, this movie surprised me with it’s charm, likable cast, beautiful visuals, spectacular creature effects, and a thrilling horror romp through the 1960s. It’s not perfect, I wish it was about 10 to 15 minutes longer to give the creatures and stories just a little more screen time each.

If you spot this movie, I highly recommend it: I’m gonna the movie a solid 8/10. If you’re like me and you’re just wanting a true return of monster movies, then I’d say this movie’s for you.

The Beginning Of The End For Fox… – X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST (2014) Movie Review

With this movie now released on Disney+, I decided to give it a watch and see if maybe I’ll come around to liking it. Before I begin, however, I’d like to briefly go over my bittersweet history with Fox’s X-Men franchise: I used to like the first two when I was a kid but the older I got, the more I felt they aged like milk, X3: The Last Stand suffers from everything I don’t like about the first two but even worse, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is one of the worst comic book movies ever made, then FINALLY in 2011 we got X-Men: First Class which is still, in my opinion, the best X-Men movie ever made.

First Class was the reboot I had been hoping for….oh wait, it turns out it was a prequel to the original movies despite the many inconsistencies. I shrugged it off at the time, especially when they announced a crossover between the younger and older versions of these characters. I was excited…but then I saw the movie and while I enjoyed it the first time I watched it, it suffered from what I call “Avatar Syndrome” where it seems great on first viewing but when you watch it a second time with your brain turned back on, it’s a total one hundred eighty degrees. And after a third time? Yeah…it’s even worse.

As I try my hardest to keep my Bryan Singer jokes to a minimum, I will start with the positives.

BRILLIANT MAIN CAST

One thing these movies were always good for was the dedicated performances of great cast members: Hugh Jackman is great as Wolverine, James McAvoy and Patrick Stewart kill it as Xavier, same for Ian McKellan and Michael Fassbender as Magneto, Nicholas Hoult is the definitive Beast, and this is when Jennifer Lawrence was at her best as Mystique before she stopped trying. Everyone has great chemistry with one another; the banter between Logan and the rest of the characters is spot on.

James McAvoy is the star of the show; every time he’s given time to shine as Charles Xavier, he knocks it out of the park: particularly when he and Patrick Stewart speak face to face with each other. McAvoy is one of the best actors working today and scenes like that showcase his immense talent.

VISUALLY STUNNING

One thing that I can always give Bryan Singer credit for (even though I don’t want to) is that he knows how to point a camera and paint a good picture. This whole movie looks like it could be straight from a comic book with many iconic shots and dynamic angles that keep your eyes glued to the screen.

Of course, the movie has to be beautiful in order to have a sequence as well done as the Quicksilver kitchen scene. Yes, it is amazing and everybody has complimented the scene perfectly in every way so I would just be repeating them at this point.

And that’s all I’ve got in terms of positives…so let’s begin the negatives.

EVERY OTHER CHARACTER IS WASTED

Remember how everyone had an issue with Cyclops having five minutes of screentime only to be killed off from the movie entirely? That’s this entire movie. Let’s do a headcount, shall we?

Hi, Iceman, nice to see you again, and look, you finally have your ice body and ice slide! Cool! Oh wait, we’re going back to the past now so you can just stand around doing nothing off-screen only to die in the climax…okay then.

Oh sweet! Bishop! One of the best characters from the comics…..and he just shows up with no explanation only to be cast aside when Wolverine goes back in time. And also dies in the climax.

Storm! Nice, after the Thor movies, they could easily make her lightning awesome! Nope, she’s criminally nerfed to the point of being useless as she has ONE mildly entertaining attack before being killed off. Did she even have any dialogue in this movie?

Okay well, we have Kitty Pryde, the most important character in the Days Of Future Past storyline, surely they will finally treat this character with respect. Hm? What’s that? She just sits there and sends Wolverine back in time? Sigh….great, because of course, Wolverine HAS to be the main star of the movie. Nobody else is allowed to be the main character.

Blink? Sunspot? Colossus? They have the best parts during the future segments but all take a back seat to Wolverine because, again, Wolverine is the poster child, he’s all that mattered to Fox.

Timey Wimey, Wibbly Wobbly Mess

I love time travel, I find it to be one of the most fun concepts to use in a story but it has to be done correctly with the rules of time travel laid out flat for the audience to understand. Well, this movie certainly is not Back To The Future…

Where to begin: okay so this movie establishes that the Sentinels were created in the 70s because of what Magneto did in Cuba and the JFK assassination. Interesting, seeing how the first X-Men movies made it seem like Magneto and the Brotherhood of Mutants didn’t make a name for themselves until 2000.

Speaking of the original films: Bolivar Trask, the creator of the sentinels was actually in X3 played by Bill Duke but yet in Days Of Future Past, he’s played by the legendary Peter Dinklage. Are we sure Trask isn’t a mutant as well? Because apparently, time does some interesting things to the character. Trask apparently presented the sentinels in 1973 and…what, no mutant ever talked about it? Where were these purple air conditioners during the events of X3? Oh wait, even better, if Mystique killed Trask in 1973, how was Trask alive in 2006 to be a character in The Last Stand?!?

Side note: When Bryan Singer left the franchise, Brett Ratner took over as director for The Last Stand….ouch. I hope Matthew Vaughn doesn’t have any skeletons in the closet.

Toad is in the movie as well but you wouldn’t know that because the actor looks absolutely nothing like Ray Park did in the first X-Men and Toad even has a completely different design. Isn’t this supposed to be a prequel?

Quicksilver is in this movie and yeah, he’s amazing but it is confirmed that he is Magneto’s son. So….where the hell was this character through the original trilogy? Oh, apparently, he never figured it out without time travel? What sense does that make?

Kitty Pryde can now use her powers to send a person’s consciousness back through time….ahem, excuse me but where did this come from? How do TARDIS hands fit with her intangibility powers? You’re just never going to explain it? Oh, okay.

I know that Days Of Future Past was meant to restart everything and “fix” all the plot holes that came from these movies but in doing so, they created even more plot holes that dig themselves even deeper. You know what would have made it all simpler? Instead of trying to compete with the MCU to create some giant crossover event, just make First Class a total reboot of the series.

Think about it: Matthew Vaughn created an origin for the X-Men that looks, sounds, and feels completely different from what Bryan Singer had created. Nothing about that movie really suggests that it is meant to be a prequel to the 2000 movie except for maybe Wolverine’s cameo and the opening scene with Magneto. No, instead we get a time travel plot that manages to make this whole timeline thing as screwed up as possible with more plot holes appearing in the sequels but…less said about those movies, the better.

THE SCORE IS A SNOOZE-FEST

It’s the ultimate assembly of all the X-Men…and there is not a single memorable piece of music in the entire movie. I know there are fans of the main theme which carries over from the other Bryan Singer movies but I personally cannot remember a single tune from the theme to hum. Of all movies, don’t you think this would have been the ONE time we’d hear the classic X-Men theme from the 90s?

THE SENTINELS…

I’m not somebody who needs everything to be identical to the comics, I’m all for filmmakers bringing their own visions for these universes to life but I HATED the designs for the Sentinels in both the past and future.

The past Sentinels look like giant toys with air conditioners in their stomachs that made me laugh when they started flying but then you have the future once that are basically just the Destroyer from Thor mixed with the T-1000 painted black. At least the ones in the future were a tad intimidating for the five minutes they are on screen.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

Is it terrible? No, I’d say that the movie just comes as a rushed, mediocre mess. It feels like the movie should have been split into two movies: one that shows the downfall of Earth via the Sentinels, show the reunion of the classic X-Men characters and their years of struggle in the war, then end it with the tease of time travel.

Then the second movie has Logan traveling back in time, then maybe a third movie where we see the classic X-Men actors all back together for one more adventure so that fixing the timeline wasn’t a pointless effort.

I already am not that fond of the Fox era of X-Men movies so this basically just showcased why the series continued to go downhill after this. Everyone asked to bring back Bryan Singer but I think that’s what killed the series and now I gladly accept when Disney and 20th Century Studios end up rebooting this franchise and actually put care and effort into it. I give Days Of Future Past a 4/10.

In Defense Of: Jackie Earle Haley’s Freddy Krueger

Ah, the Nightmare On Elm Street remake: a movie that was torn apart when it was released in 2010 and even to this day has it’s critics. For me, I never understood the absolute hatred that this movie receives at times; I mean you would have thought this was the Batman & Robin of Freddy Krueger movies which makes me tilt my head seeing how I’ve witnessed Freddy’s Dead in my lifetime and that movie revives the character via dog urine.

To sum up my thoughts: I think Nightmare On Elm Street (2010) is a decent horror flick with some impressively dedicated performances, some neat visuals (barring a couple dated CGI effects), some decent kills, and a Freddy Krueger that does not get enough credit. My biggest flaws are the aforementioned CGI in spots, sometimes the movie plays things a little too close to the original, and an over-reliance on jumpscares.

I firmly believe that a lot of the hate came from the silly stigma towards remakes/reboots and the fact that it wasn’t Robert Englund who, don’t get me wrong, is a legend but much like the Joker or Jason Voorhees, the performance should not be limited to only one actor. Now rather than discuss the movie itself, I thought I would take this time to defend Jackie Earle Haley’s incarnation of the Springwood Slasher and explain why I personally think fans were too harsh on it.

JACKIE BROUGHT BACK MENACE AND FEAR

Let’s all be honest here, the later Nightmare movies of the first canon turned Krueger into a Deadpool who haunts dreams. Sure, there might have been some impressive visuals but Krueger himself became a one-liner spewing clown of a villain who provided more chuckles than scares. In 2010’s version, Jackie Earle Haley brought the character back to his roots where the jokes and bits of humor he dishes out are more sinister and dark.

Rather than focusing on cheap gags, this Freddy Krueger felt more like a villain you would be scared of. Though the scares are sometimes ruined by the jumpscares but for every jumpscare, there are at least 5-10 minutes of Krueger being a true threat such as when he kills Jesse or when he stalks Kris for almost 15 minutes of the movie a la the original.

HE DOESN’T TRY TO REPLICATE ENGLUND

I’ve always believed that if you’re going to reboot an iconic character completely, don’t try to mimic what was done before. Jackie did just that: he took Freddy and made it his own portrayal with added traits like twitching his claws, a different voice altogether, and even having different means of instilling fear into the children of Springwood.

I’m aware of the complaint that his voice is barely different than what he uses as Rorschach which is a fair enough point but that doesn’t bother me since actors do that all the time. There’s not much difference in performances between Clint Eastwood in Good, Bad, & The Ugly and Dirty Harry or the little to no difference between most of Bruce Willis’ roles over the years so, to me, that wasn’t really a problem. Even then, I feel his performance was different enough from Rorschach to stand out on its own.

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THE MAKEUP AND DESIGN IS NOT BAD

The biggest complaint I ever hear about Freddy in the reboot is the way he looks since the filmmakers, yet again, did not try to replicate Robert Englund 100%. Usually, this complaint is that though: that he looks too different from Englund’s Freddy Krueger which I don’t particularly understand. Have you ever watched ANY of the original Nightmare On Elm Street movies? Not once except for maybe the second movie does Robert Englund look like a burnt corpse but more like an overdone pepperoni. It simply worked well enough for the limitations at the time.

With Jackie Earle Haley, his Freddy Krueger looks like a real-life burn victim would; he literally looks like the results if you were to set Haley on fire and keep the corpse from turning to ashes. Is it different than the original? Yes but I don’t see why that immediately makes his design bad.

THE TWISTS AND TURNS

The other big complaint I see a lot is the added backstory that Freddy Krueger was a child molester when he was alive which…is an odd complaint to me. I mean, I always felt like that was the intent of Freddy from the very beginning: I don’t see why confirming it makes it a crime against the character when he already was killing kids to begin with.

My only complaint with this twist is that they actually setup the idea that maybe Freddy was innocent and wrongfully murdered by the parents of Springwood because of what the kids said about him. To me, that would have been a brilliant twist as it would have made Freddy’s quest for revenge make more sense but due to a last minute script change, they kept that he was a pedophile.

From that point of view, I sort of understand frustration there but people just seem disgusted by the fact he was a child molester even when he’s evil when it’s not that hard to believe. It’s not like Freddy ever had any dignity as a villain in the original series.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

Jackie Earle Haley’s performance was not given enough credit: he was a threatening villain that brought about some great lines and memorable scenes for the character that I am actually sad never got at least one sequel or reprise except for maybe the DLC character in Mortal Kombat 9. I think Jackie performed well and cemented his portrayal of the character right alongside Englund’s version. Say what you will about the movie itself but in my opinion, Jackie was a great revival of Freddy Krueger.

A quick thing I want to talk about is: if you haven’t seen the alternate ending to the reboot, go find it on YouTube because it is one of those cases where the alternate version definitely should have been left in the final cut in my opinion as it used Jackie Earle Haley’s immense talent better than the original ending.

You’re all SO SWEET for making it this far and I hope you all enjoyed this review! I write about anything geek related, especially comic book related stuff so if you want to stay up to date with all the reviews, news breakdowns, and lists I do, make sure to follow this blog or follow me on Twitter @MelodyMacReady ! Love you all!

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Practically Perfect – PREDATOR (1987) Movie Review

There are some movies that show their age as the decades go by, either the special effects don’t hold up or the script suffers from being dated in the period it was written but then you have movies like this one which still manages to be just as impressive in 2020 as it was in 1987.

John McTiernan’s Predator starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura, and Shane Black is one of those movies I can put on at any time and never be bored by it. From the moment it starts to the second that the credits start rolling, my eyes are glued to the screen. Is it a movie I should have been allowed to watch when I was six years old? Probably not but I’m glad I was because now I am a lifelong fan of this franchise.

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A GREAT WAR THRILLER…AT FIRST

Most movies that feature a monster or alien creature would try to skip all the setup and get right to the action with the titular monster. That is most definitely not the case with this movie; I’ve always respected how this movie starts with Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer and his team of special forces deploying into the Guatemalan jungles of Val Verde to accomplish a mission without any hint of an alien hunter until later.

It’s a good twenty minutes before we get the reveal of our extraterrestrial being and even then, we only see the creature’s thermal point of view. Then you have the firefight itself against the guerillas which is glorious to watch with so many memorable kills, one-liners, and intensity that gets you pumped up for the best war movie of the 1980s. Then BOOM! Alien movie! Wait…a movie about an alien creature not a movie from the Alien franchise but will end up being connected to that series later on…you know what I mean.

THE HUNT IS ON

Once the titular antagonist enters the picture, this movie already goes from great to a spectacle with each of Schaefer’s unit being picked off one by one. Even when the movie slows down, you’re still at the edge of your seat wondering if the Predator is about to show up and kill someone. Even though this movie is labeled as a sci-fi action film (and definitely belongs in that genre), it does have horror elements that keep the Predator from feeling like a stock villain. This thing is a relentless hunter who is determined to get his prey and that’s earned him a spot as one of cinema’s most iconic villains.

For a villain as great as the Predator, you also need an equally memorable hero and at a time when Arnold was known for just playing the big tough guy who barely shows emotion or speaks a word, this is actually one of his first times displaying how capable he is as an actor. When he’s on screen, Arnold does a great job portraying a man you could see as the leader of a spec ops unit: he’s a good man but he brings authority and determination to this unit, keeping them together even as their being picked apart.

While Dutch is a badass hero, he’s not some indestructible superhuman who you know is going to live. He feels fear (which Arnold displays very well), he gets wounded, he gets overwhelmed by the Predator, and he has to use his wits to overcome his enemy rather than like his character in Commando where all he had to do was point a gun and shoot to save the day. Sure Commando is a fun movie but you don’t feel the same kind of intensity in that movie that you do in Predator.

Seeing Dutch use both his mind and his body to outsmart the Predator makes for one of the greatest final acts of a film ever made. Your eyes are wide open and incapable of blinking because you might miss something, your hands are sweating from holding your seat, and you even find you are breathing a little heavier. It’s just that good! And when that alien hunter removes his mask for the final confrontation of the movie, it always has me like…

The rest of the cast is great too: Carl Weathers remains of my personal favorite actors who does NOT get enough starring roles, you gotta love Bill Duke as Mac, and the rest of the squad are all filled with so much personality and charisma that it’s impossible to hate any of them.

ONE HELL OF A PRESENTATION

I haven’t even gotten to the score which I personally think not enough people talk about when reviewing this movie: Alan Silvestri’s score is stunningly good. The main theme of the movie always gets stuck in my head but the rest of the movie’s score always fits with what’s happening: it can be intense for big action set pieces, quiet and ominous for the scarier and tension-filled scenes, it has so much flavor and never gets stale.

The same goes for John McTiernan’s direction which remains gorgeous to this very day: the cinematography is and framing is perfect, the colors, the tone, the fluidity in everything. I know his film Die Hard is brilliant and deserves its spot as a top tier action movie but in my personal opinion? I think Predator is McTiernan’s best.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

If there are any flaws with this movie, I certainly never find them and I ignore the tiny minuscule and very few nitpicks that I can spot in the movie because this movie is a masterpiece. I find myself watching it once a year usually if not more and I’m pretty sure I’ll continue to love it until the day I die. It easily gets my ranking of a 10/10 film. If you haven’t seen it…then what are you waiting for? C’mon! Do it! DO IT! C’mon, it’s right there, C’MON! WATCH IT!

You’re all SO SWEET for making it this far and I hope you all enjoyed this article! I write about anything geek-related, especially comic book-related stuff so if you want to stay up to date with all the reviews, news breakdowns, and lists I do, make sure to follow this blog or follow me on Twitter @MelodyMacReady where I am much more active! Love you all!

It Has Begun Again! – MORTAL KOMBAT 11: AFTERMATH Review

NetherRealm Studios decided to surprise players with their first ever expansion pack that includes more than just another set of characters but a second campaign. Is it the expansion the game needed? Let’s find out!

Before we begin however, I’d like to quickly give my thoughts on Mortal Kombat 11‘s first season, I guess one could call it. I loved it: it was fun, the gameplay was smooth, pretty much every character felt diverse and unique to play, the DLC characters were all perfectly done, and it featured the best story by NetherRealm thus far…well…almost the best. now onto Aftermath!

THE TERRIFIC TRIO

I was shocked at the announcement of RoboCop joining the kombat and I was even skeptical as to how he could play but after playing him both in the Towers Of Time and the online, I have to say that he is easily one of my favorites in the game: his gear is all great, I love his many abilities that feel straight out of his world, and Peter Weller returning to the role is just glorious.

Sheeva was a character I was genuinely excited for after her appearance in the MK11 story. MK11 had done such a good job in taking characters whose gameplay I usually never cared for like Nightwolf, Liu Kang, and Shao Kahn and made them completely fun to play so I was curious about how they’d tackle Sheeva. Suffice to say: I was pleasantly surprised that she turned out to be as fun as she is. It’s like NetherRealm took everything that was great about Goro from MKX and added it to a more agile and diverse character. Her gear isn’t bad but it’s far from my favorite in the game.

Finally, you have the character I was the most excited to play since he was one of my favorite characters to play in MK: Armageddon: Fujin, the God of Wind and the brother of Raiden. At first, I was a little worried about his gameplay after I saw how different they made him but after just a little while in the game, he is easily one of my mains in the MK11 roster. Visually stunning special moves, great designs, and beautiful gear along with an amazing role in the story mode make this exceed all expectations for the character! I love Fujin!

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AN EVEN BETTER STORY THAN BEFORE!

If Mortal Kombat 11‘s story was the Infinity War of Mortal Kombat, then Aftermath is, in my opinion, the Endgame of Mortal Kombat. Picking up the literal second MK11 left off, the story just gets right into it and provides an incredibly fun and intriguing time travel plot that had me so hooked, I played the game in one four to five hour long sitting and I loved every moment of it!

The story pays very close attention to the details of time travel and how this story effects events from MK11. It reminds me a lot of Back To The Future II in that regard and I mean that in the best way possible! Fujin really shines here as one of the main characters including a moment with Jax that I personally think fixes what I felt was a weak motivation in that part of the story. Nightwolf is great, Sindel steals the show, but let’s talk about the real star of the story…

Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa is back as Shang Tsung and twenty five years later, he still owns the role with perfect suave and charisma that’s both inviting and menacing at the same time. To me, Tagawa’s Shang Tsung is up there with the likes of The Joker, The T-1000, Thanos, and Darth Sidious as one of the greatest villains to ever exist and Aftermath proves he belongs up there. If there is any reason to play this expansion, it’s for Cary Tagawa’s return to Shang Tsung.

And when the story draws to its climactic end, I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t applauding a few times. I adored this story and all I can say is…I cannot wait to see what they have in mind for the next game.

IS IT WORTH THE PRICE?

This is where I feel conflicted because without a doubt, Aftermath is one of the best expansions to a game I have ever played with great content, a story that blew my mind, and more. I have no regrets getting it…that being said, I would totally understand if someone still wanted to wait for it to go on sale. $40 was a steep price, that’s about the price of another game right there: I could have bought Maneater for that price. I was able to get passed it just because I really wanted to play and review it. Is it worth it? I’d say yes and no. If you’re someone who loves Mortal Kombat 11 like I do and you really want to get it, then I say go for it but if you think its too expensive, it is totally understandable.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

Mortal Kombat 11 was an already great game but now with Aftermath, I think the game is perfect: or at least, it’s qualities are amazing enough to help me forget my minor gripes that hardly matter. Aftermath is a great expansion that I cannot get enough of. I’m going to give the expansion an 11/11 because why stop at ten?

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The Change The Franchise Needed – SCOOB! Movie Review

As a lifelong Scooby-Doo fan, I had to watch this new movie and much to my surprise, it turned out much better than I ever expected it to be.

BEAUTIFUL ANIMATION

I’ve become a huge fan of Warner Animation Group after their work on things like The LEGO Movie franchise and Storks. Without a doubt, I can definitely say that this one of the most visually stunning animated movies I’ve seen in recent years: they do a great job of updating the look of things for modern day to please classic Hanna-Barbera fans but they add their own flavor to make it distinct for this movie.

Everything from the new character designs, the scenery, and the colors made this movie pop. Also, I love the way everything moved: it reminded me of the quick pace of the Hotel Transylvania movies. Slow enough when it needed to be but quick and zany throughout!

A Super Fun Scooby-Doo Adventure

First things first, I really liked the cast in this movie. Usually, I am not that fond of Will Forte, I find most things he does to be dry and weak so when he was announced to play Shaggy, one of my favorite characters in existence, I was skeptical but he quickly proved me wrong. While he’s nowhere on the same level as Matthew Lillard, he made this version of Shaggy his own and made me laugh and smile throughout. Same goes for the rest of the cast: Zac Efron had me busting with laughter a few times as Fred, Gina Rodriguez was a pretty good Velma, and Amanda Seyfried did a good job giving Daphne some much needed personality besides…the pretty one.

The story wasn’t anything groundbreaking but for a kids’ movie, it gets the job done in rebooting Scooby-Doo into a more adventure focused angle. However, they do honor the franchise with some classic staples of the old series, especially in the first twenty minutes where they show how Mystery Inc. first met and it is perfect. They even do a great recreation of the classic Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? intro sequence and I loved every second of it.

This movie definitely created a Hanna-Barbera universe and at first I was kind of worried about it since I felt that they should focus on Mystery Inc. first (I’ll bring this up later) then bring in characters like Blue Falcon and Dyno-Mutt but they provided some great comedy and some action along the way. Dyno-Mutt had some of my favorite jokes in the whole movie. Even the villain is a character from another Hanna-Barbera cartoon so get ready to count the easter eggs. #HexGirlsMoviePlease

This movie does deviate away from the old formula of schemers and bad guys in masks that has been a part of the franchise for so long that it’s become tiresome. While some of the animated movies are fun, they do tend to be “been there, done that” at times. So I personally appreciated how this movie tried to be different so it didn’t come off as…just another Scooby-Doo animated movie we’ve seen a million times by now. I know it will probably irritate some fans but as someone who grew up on things like Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island, I always loved when they delved into the more fantastical elements of their world so seeing them team up with superheroes to stop a villain felt fresh in my opinion. That said, I did have some issues…

It’s Mostly A Scooby And Shaggy Movie

Now it’s not uncommon for Scooby and Shaggy to take up most of the focus, I mean there were several movies and even shows where the others just weren’t there. However, I was a little annoyed because the cast and reimaginings of Fred, Daphne, and Velma were so good but they are sidelined to focus on Blue Falcon and Dyno-Mutt in their place which leads to my issue with the whole H.B.C.U. (Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe) concept. It probably would have been better if they stuck to an origin story movie then did Blue Flacon and Dyno Mutt for a sequel. Or at least another twenty minutes for the rest of the gang to shine because they were genuinely good.

My only other flaw and this is more of a mixed aspect is that there are a LOT of pop culture and more modern references which is fine but the gags used with them are either laugh your butt off funny…or kinda cringe-y. There was a tinder joke that genuinely had me laughing though so yeah, mixed aspect.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

This is not The LEGO Movie or The Iron Giant where I can put it on at anytime and have a blast watching. I still find more fun in Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island for that option but as it is, I had a fun time watching it and if my young nephews ever want to see it, I would have no problem watching it again with them. It was a good change for the franchise and I look forward to a possible sequel or spin-off in this new universe. I’m going to give Scoob! a solid 8/10: if you have kids, I highly recommend it!

Flawed But Fun – PREDATOR: HUNTING GROUNDS First Impressions

The newest game from Illfonic after Friday The 13th is Predator: Hunting Grounds, another 1v4 survivors vs killer multiplayer game in the same vein as Friday The 13th and Dead By Daylight. Does it match up to those two or is it a dishonorable hunt? To delve into this, I’m going to split this review into two sections for the two gameplay modes.

Fireteam Is Fun…But Too Strong

To get the negatives out of the way, I’m just going to be upfront about this: the Fireteam is too overpowered. It’s like Illfonic did the reverse from Friday The 13th where Jason was nearly impossible to kill in that game whereas if a Fireteam member is high leveled with something like the minigun or even an upgraded assault rifle? They can take down a Yautja Hunter in seconds which…is a little annoying. Sure, when you kill a Predator, it can feel satisfying but when you kill it so fast that the match only lasts a minute at the most? That makes it less fun.

Gameplay wise for Fireteam, I don’t have very many flaws: the animations are smooth, the gun gameplay is satisfying, I love the large variety of missions that come with being Fireteam and the attempt to get players to focus on your objectives while the Predator stalks you. Sometimes the interaction button will opt for reloading your weapon which can be annoying in a critical situation but other than that, playing as Fireteam is solid.

The Wait For Predator Is Not Worth It At Times

Due to the overpowered nature of the Fireteam, the super long wait times for matchmaking as a Predator feels unworthy because of the many matches where I would spawn, cloak, find my human prey only to be gunned down almost instantly. I couldn’t even outrun their gaze which kind of defeats the purpose of being a Predator when I’m slower and weaker than the human soldiers.

However, when you don’t have overpowered humans gunning you down, stalking from the trees, using the alien weaponry, traversing the jungle, killing the Fireteam all feels super smooth and fun to control. The leaping and running through the treetops is actually the most fun aspect about the game that I wish there was more to do with it and that leads me to my biggest flaw with playing as a Predator.

There’s only one objective: kill the humans. Now I know, that’s pretty much the only goal for the Predator in the movie but if you’re able to give the Fireteam so many varying mission objectives, I feel like you could have down the same for the Predator.

Gorgeous Visuals, Though Repetitive With Maps

The Predator is perfectly animated and created with a good customization system to create your perfect hunter. I would like to see more armor options and masks in the future but I like what we got so far! As for Fireteam, the models look great but the customization for them is VERY limited. I’d like to see more options there with maybe skins for famous characters from the movies like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny Glover, or even Adrian Brody.

Speaking of limited, I love the design of the maps as they perfectly immerse you into a setting similar to the first movie…but I would be lying if I said that I wish we had more variety. It helps that there are a variety of missions but I personally would love to see a city map similar to Predator 2 or an alien jungle map to hark back to Predators (2010), etc. Just to freshen things up here and there.

Overall Thoughts

It’s not perfect but despite its flaws, I do have a lot of fun with the game. There does need to be better balance between Predator and Fireteam, maybe less damage from Fireteam and more health for the Predator because right now, it’s more fun playing as Fireteam which shouldn’t be the case. They also need to find a way to fix the waiting times for Predator matches.

Luckily, most multiplayer games start off completely different than they are a year later so I have hope that the game will get updated and patched to become more fun and balanced with some extra content. I’m going to give the game a 7/10. I recommend you get it at discounted price or at full price of $40 if you’re just that excited to play it.

Why I Hate The Arkham Knight As A Villain

I usually avoid doing posts like this where I just talk about something that I hate since I try to promote positive thoughts when I can but this is one that I have to get off my chest since it has been bugging me since 2015. SPOILER WARNING FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT PLAYED THE GAME!

Batman: Arkham Knight is a great game that I still have a blast playing every year but I will always say that the weakest part of the game is with the titular character himself: The Arkham Knight. This is not me hating on what Troy Baker brings to the table as the character, since the performance is far from bad, it is great talent wasted on a terribly written character.

His Identity Is Too Predictable

The big aspect that’s supposed to hook you into the story is “Who is the Arkham Knight?” Who the hell is this guy? Why does he hate Batman so much? Why does he call himself the Arkham Knight? Is it someone we’ve met, or is this a brand-new villain? Rocksteady, all the way to until the game launched, claimed that the Arkham Knight is someone we’ve never met before. Unfortunately, the truth about the Arkham Knight is a major letdown, stemming from the fact that I predicted his identity from the first time I saw him in marketing materials.

Yes, I called it that he was Jason Todd, also known as the second Robin, who would eventually become the Red Hood in the comics. Now you might be wondering, “Well, why would Melody hate Jason Todd? He’s one of the best villains from the comics, right?” Yes, he is, but when your big mystery can be predicted in the first ten minutes of the game? That’s not good. Combine that with this being a very poorly written and watered-down version of Jason, and it just ruins the character for me.

Now I would agree that maybe I predicted the Arkham Knight’s identity because I’m a comic book fan, but the game itself does a poor job of hiding it when, out of nowhere, Batman starts having flashbacks to Jason Todd’s torture and death when there has been ZERO mention of Jason once in any previous game in the series! At that point, you might as well have a sticker on Jason Todd’s chest saying, “I AM THE ARKHAM KNIGHT!”

He’s Not A Threat In The Least

And then you have his voice, which would have been much better if it had just been Troy Baker doing his thing. But no, they decide to give the character a voice modulator, not just any, but one that has a grating, scratchy, high-pitched effect that constantly screams in your ear—since that’s all Arkham Knight does.

He lacks the calm, cocky, and threatening presence that Jason Todd is known for, and instead, he just shouts and rants like a twelve-year-old throwing a temper tantrum.

Lastly, his suit has a messy design. The visor is somewhat cool, but he ends up wearing two helmets—one for the Arkham Knight and one for Red Hood. So, Arkham Knight was just a convoluted way to hide that he’s essentially a re-skinned Red Hood? The rest of his suit is just as busy and unappealing.

Horrible Boss Fights

Hey, so this is Jason Todd, right? The guy that Batman trained, which would make him one of the most skilled martial artists on the planet, right? So why the hell am I constantly fighting him in vehicles? I should be battling him in a boss fight that makes the Deathstroke fight from Origins look tame, but instead I’m stuck in the Batmobile, dealing with either the easiest or most tedious vehicle bosses in the whole game. I love the Batmobile in the game but this was the one time I could have gone without!

And even when we finally get a face-to-face fight with Jason, it’s just a simple predator room that’s easier than some of the previous predator encounters in the game and all you have to do to beat Jason is grapple up to him three times. THAT’S IT! There’s not even any quick time events, it’s all just the same three actions all scripted! LAAAAME!

His Identity Reveal Raises A Lot Of Questions

Why does he call himself the Arkham Knight? Think about it: the name is never explained because the moment you learn that he’s Jason Todd and beat him, you never speak with him again so…literally was he called Arkham Knight just to be a way to throw you off the scent of Jason Todd?

So wait…Batman had three Robins in 12 years? Yes, Arkham Knight is supposed to take place in Batman’s twelfth year as Gotham’s Guardian and if that’s not already dumb enough seeing how he ends his career in this game, we’re supposed to believe that in twelve years: Batman trained Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, and Tim Drake along with Barbara Gordon as Oracle/Batgirl in a twelve year span? Yeah, no. Especially since Dick, Jason, and Tim are all around the same age.

So…why was he taking orders from Scarecrow? Jason controls the militia and his entire purpose is to kill Batman. Why did he bother siding with Scarecrow when they had totally different plans? He could have stormed Gotham and killed everyone with his militia.

His Reasoning For Hating Batman Makes No Sense

I get that they couldn’t do the classic Red Hood story, what with Joker being dead and all, but that is no excuse for the most facepalm-worthy motive I’ve seen for a villain in some time: he’s mad because Batman “replaced” him with Tim Drake. Are you serious? THAT is the big motivator for storming Gotham with an occupation force? The reason you want to kill Batman? What next, Batman didn’t tuck you in enough?

This goes back to what I was saying before that Jason is like a child throwing a tantrum: it makes him so not imposing as a villain that you can’t take him seriously. Did he forget that he was basically a replacement for Dick Grayson? Now, one could make the argument that Joker turned Jason against Bruce which is not a bad idea but Jason doesn’t even commit to this! If he’s so mad about being replaced, why go after Barbara Gordon when he could have gone after Tim Drake (WHO WAS COMPLETELY WASTED IN THIS STORY UNTIL HIS DLC CHAPTER BY THE WAY -_- ) and made Batman choose between two sons! Instead, we get emo-Jason who doesn’t quite get the whole revenge thing.

Damian Wayne Should Have Been The Arkham Knight

Damian is my least favorite Bat-Family member of all time but at least him being the Arkham Knight would have actually been a decent twist! Think about it: who died in Arkham City? Talia Al Ghul And Ra’s Al Ghul. Hell, Ra’s was impaled by the Arkham logo! So let’s say that Arkham Knight took place during Batman’s twentieth year of his career instead of the twelfth. Damian never became Robin and he obviously would have a good reason for blaming Batman for both his mother and grandfather’s deaths. The Arkham Knight name could stem from him wanting to avenge his mother’s death and finish what his grandfather started with Arkham City! Sure, it would have been an odd change but at least it would have made more sense than Jason Todd.

Anyway, I think I’ve vented enough about this character. I know there are some who liked this portrayal of Jason Todd but me, I think it is a terrible villain from start to finish. What do you think? Do you like him or hate him? Let me know in the comments!

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Too Much All Wrapped Up In One – THE MUMMY (2017) Review

Have you ever watched a movie that you wanted to love so much but just couldn’t bring yourself to do it? Like you see many great ideas at play but also many terrible ideas that it becomes this mixed bag that leaves you disappointed? That’s The Mummy (2017) for me.

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After Dracula Untold, I was extremely excited for the future of a shared universe of the famous Universal Monsters all coming together for one great monster mash but then…this movie happened and shattered my dreams into pieces. One giant flop that killed the Dark Universe before it even began.

Let’s begin things with the positives.

I DON’T HATE IT

The general consensus for the movie is that it was one of the worst movies in years, rivaling movies like Batman & Robin or even The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and instantly, I will say that I do not think that at all. I find that to be a very extreme opinion about the movie as I did find myself enjoying the movie the first time I saw it though have grown to notice more and more flaws upon revisits.

A GOOD SETUP

I think this movie STARTS strong: it does a good job setting up this new mummy without it being a rehash of Imhotep from previous versions, I like that Tom Cruise’s character Nick is this selfish thief character who’s only in it for the money with room to grow thus giving him almost like a Nathan Drake feel to him, and I think his connection to Ahmanet (The Mummy) is a great idea.

AHMANET WAS A GREAT FIRST ANTAGONIST

I consider Sofia Boutella to be one of Hollywood’s most underrated badass women and this role shows what she’s capable of. From beginning to end, she is probably the best thing about the movie: Ahmanet’s a cold-hearted murdering witch who demonstrated some impressive powers, when she first rises from her sarcophagus it is genuinely creepy, and she proves to be an effective villain on her own in my opinion. She never feels like a watered down Imhotep, she is a new Mummy for this universe.

GREAT VISUALS AND FUN ACTION

I believe in credit where credit is due and I will still say that this movie was shot very well, had AMAZING set design, decent CGI, had some pretty fun chase sequences, some thrills that made me smile, and it showed lots of potential for the Dark Universe. Not nearly as well as Dracula Untold did but enough to see where it could have gone. I really liked the idea of Ahmanet reducing all the glass in London back to its original state as sand to create her sandstorms, it was something that I never would have thought of.

THE BEGINNING OF THE DARK UNIVERSE

This is more of a mixed aspect but I did like how this movie set up Nick as the next mummy who would have more than likely joined the likes of Frankenstein’s monster and The Invisible Man. Fusing him with Seth, the God of Death could have led to some great moments in a sequel or crossover and I really find it a shame that the Dark Universe was canceled. That being said…

We’re going to get into the negatives…

BIT OFF MORE THAN IT COULD CHEW

Everything involving Nick was a great set up but then you have everything else that this movie tries to cram into its first movie. So many ideas here that COULD have worked if executed differently but…ugh. Russell Crowe as Jekyll and Hyde was a great choice but the entire middle section of this movie where they basically try to shove you right smack dab in the middle of this universe proves to be just too much. The fight against Hyde was silly and unnecessary, the SHIELD-like organization of Prodigium is barely fleshed out, and this irritates me because this COULD have worked. I might do a whole post about this another time.

TONE?

Probably my biggest gripe about the movie was its tone: it had no idea if it wanted to be a dark epic, a horror-thriller, an action movie, an action-comedy, or whatever genre this movie tries to throw at you. At time it DOES manage to be effective like everything involving Ahmanet when she’s first risen and she’s all skeletal and creepy? That was cool. The chase through the forest was great! I loved the underwater segment despite my phobia of drowning.

But then you have things like Jake Johnson’s character. Oooooh boy. I love Jake Johnson but this movie used him so poorly, trying to go for this almost American Werewolf In London tribute where the ghost of the best friend is constantly coming back to taunt the friend. I got a couple chuckles but for the most part, I just found it annoying and there are other jokes they try to throw in there but they mostly fall flat except for a couple that Tom Cruise laid out that actually made me laugh.

WAY TOO FAST

The other big one is its pacing: this movie from the moment it starts moves at the same pace as a cheetah on three cases of Monster energy drink. It never takes the time to slow down and properly catch people up and even when it technically has a slow moment, they last like five minutes before ANOTHER action scene happens and we’re back to running from the mummy again. I think this movie would have benefited from another twenty or thirty minutes of runtime to give a slower but still thrilling pace.

ALEX KURTZMAN

Much like with Wally Pfister and his dreadful Transcendence movie, I think this is another case of a man who works well behind the scenes of a movie but not directly behind the camera. I like what Alex Kurtzman tends to produce but I do not think he was ready to tackle a movie THIS huge for his first big blockbuster.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall, The Mummy is a movie that I still feel conflicted about due to the many good and bad aspects that it brings to the table. I really wanted to love this movie and hope that something great could come about in future Dark Universe movies but unfortunately, that universe is dead and buried. I doubt even the Book of the Amun Ra could bring it back.

I still don’t hate the movie but after all this time, I know just find the movie to be OKAY. Nothing great, just an okay adventure-thriller that could have led to great things if a better director were given the reins. I’m going to give the movie a 5.5/10.

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A Dark And Underrated Reboot – THE WOLFMAN (2010) Review

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“The Beast will have its day…the Beast will out.” ~John Talbot
The Wolfman (2010)

With the release of 2020’s The Invisible Man, I decided to revisit one of the last big reboots of the classic Universal monsters with 2010’s The Wolfman directed by Joe Johnston and starring Benicio Del Toro. Does it hold up after ten years or has it dated like old milk?

A CAST TO HOWL FOR

Right off the bat, the one thing this movie nails perfectly is its cast and their performances. The main lead is Benicio Del Toro who just excels every time he’s on screen as Lawrence Talbot: this was honestly one of the best performances I’ve seen from him and shows his range as an actor. From his calm but indifferent relationship with his father, the romance with Emily Blunt’s Gwen, or his struggle with the curse that’s befallen him. Del Toro performs excellently and does justice to the role that Lon Chaney Jr. established so well back in the Golden Age of Universal Monsters.

Insert better love story than Twilight joke here.

While not my favorite role of Emily Blunt’s, she provides a good supporting role as Talbot’s last bit of hope in this world after the curse has stricken him. Gwen, in my opinion, stands out much more in the last third of the film when she becomes more active in trying to help Talbot.

Hugo Weaving plays Aberline, the typical inspector/policeman character in Universal Monster movies but since its Hugo Weaving, he makes the role effective. My only gripe with him is that I wish he was in the movie just a bit longer but he’s great whenever he’s on screen.

Finally there’s Sir Anthony Hopkins, the legend himself as Sir John Talbot who…is great for the most part but there is something that happens in the final act that ruins his character for me but I won’t go into it here. Overall, he’s an interesting character that changes a lot throughout the movie.

A BLOODY GOOD TIME

One of the things I love about this movie by far is it’s CARNAGE CANDY. Johnston does not hold back with this reboot when Talbot wolfs out on the full moon; this is not some misunderstood animal that can be contained, this is a true monster that massacres anyone in its path and the kills are done with BEAUTIFULLY executed practical and CGI effects. Just watch the Wolfman’s rampage through London and you’ll get pretty much everything you came to see in a monster movie.

This also adds to Talbot’s character, making us feel sorry for him as he is not some secretly dark man who wants to hurt people, he’s just a lonely but kind actor who came home to mourn his brother and now he is eviscerating the innocent because of a curse he cannot control. It makes you root for his character…but you also love seeing the gory kills so it’s a win-win.

THE WOLF AMONG US

Taking inspiration from An American Werewolf in London, this movie makes its transformations from Talbot into the Wolfman brutal and painful with a good mixture of CGI and practical effects though relying more on CGI that sometimes is a little dated but overall, the transformations are glorious to watch because of all the different details gone into how he changes.

The Wolfman himself is primarily done through makeup which I definitely appreciate because he looks amazing. They could have easily gone with a design similar to the werewolves in movies like Van Helsing or The Howling but instead, they do a great job of honoring the original Lon Chaney Jr. design while updating it enough to make it distinguishable for this version and make him VERY menacing.

FAMILIAR AND FRESH AT THE SAME TIME

Growing up as a fan of the classic Universal Monsters, I found myself very surprised at how this movie acts as both a remake and a reboot. The first half plays very similar to the original 1941 film about Talbot coming home to mourn his brother when he’s attacked by a wolf creature that gives him the curse of the Wolfman. Pretty similar but then the last half of this movie takes things in a new direction that I ended up really liking…until the climax but more on that later.

Combined with the gorgeous Victorian era setting, it shows that Johnston really respected the original film and honored it unlike the new Invisible Man which I personally felt deviated so far from the Universal Monster icon to the point of losing its identity. Here, The Wolfman still looks and feels like the classic but doesn’t follow so close that it feels like no effort was put into it.

CLASSIC UNIVERSAL ATMOSPHERE

One thing I’ve always loved about the old Universal movies from Dracula to Creature of the Black Lagoon and of course, The Wolf Man was their great use of atmosphere and scenery to immerse you and fill you with tension. Still to this day, movies like Dracula ooze with atmosphere and I believe Joe Johnston nailed that.

The set design is Gothic and exquisite, the cinematography is beautiful yet ominous, the music feels like it belongs in a classic horror movie but amazing orchestrated for modern viewers, and everything just has the look and feel that I love from these movies. My favorite bits of this come in the middle when Lawrence is sent to London to be treated in an asylum. From his treatments to his rampage on London’s streets, it featured the best use of atmosphere by far.

GREAT BUT CURSED WITH FLAWS

No movie is perfect and this movie definitely fits that description as there were elements that I didn’t like or just felt that they could have handled better. The biggest one for me is the odd pacing: I know they wanted to feature as many uses of the Wolfman as possible but they expect me to believe that this movie takes place over the course of three months but it feels like three days between transformations at times.

SPOILER WARNING!!! I’ve hinted at this throughout the review but that ending fight between Lawrence and John Talbot as Wolfmen? It comes off as straight up cheesy, especially since Hopkins goes from sinister and quiet villain to a little over the top. And the way his Wolfman dies makes me laugh every time.

Some of the CGI is dated but not to the point of ruining the movie for me, just enough for me to notice it.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall, The Wolfman is a movie that I still find myself enjoying with a powerful lead that rivals the amazing Lon Chaney Jr., a talented cast overall, great scenery and atmosphere, AMAZING gore, and a great dark retelling of the Universal icon. I give the movie an 8/10 and recommend you all check it out if you haven’t!

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