Home Video Catch Up: ROGUE ONE

If nothing else, we finally have a thoroughly good, occasionally great, Star Wars prequel now. Initially. when I saw it in theaters and to a certain extent afterwards, I thought that Rogue One was in the top five best Star Wars movies. Now, having had time to reflect on my initial thoughts and to rewatch the film on Blu-Ray, my opinion on the film has somewhat soured; that having been said, I will concede that Rogue One is still an exceptionally entertaining film that's only a few inches away from greatness.

Before I get to gushing over all the stuff I like about this movie, let me point out some of this film's biggest weak points. Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor make for two staggeringly bland leads. Come to think, none of the characters are well-developed to be described as three-dimensional. Forest Whitaker's voice is jarring and kind of laughable at times. The CGI used to bring back Grand Moff Tarkin is, while very impressive, perhaps TOO realistic (it's the whole "uncanny valley" effect once again). Finally, the first half of the film really drags the pacing down.

With all of that out of the way, Rogue One isn't without its redeeming qualities. Even the characters they're portraying aren't especially deep, the cast turns in some rather fine work. Personally, Alan Tudyk's gleefully sardonic work as K2SO and Donnie Yen's sheer awesomeness were my favorites out of the bunch. It should also be noted that Ben Mendelsohn makes for a great villain. And while the first half really does make the film feel longer than it actually is, the finally battle sequence is one of the best moments in the entire Star Wars franchise. Speaking of which, I must give credit where credit is due (considering that this movie gives the world what might be the best Darth Vader moment ever)*. Michael Giacchino once again proves why he's one of the best composers working nowadays with a rousing score (even if I still wish that the producers didn't scrap Alexandre Desplat's allegedly more unique compositions). Plus, it's all beautifully shot (it looks even better than Episode VII).

In the end, I do think that The Force Awakens is a better film overall; but, that isn't to say that Rogue One (I still refuse to call it "A Star Wars Story") is not worth your time. It's a good enough movie in the Star Wars saga that just a few strokes away from greatness.

ROGUE ONE gets a...
HEY, THAT'S PRETTY GOOD out of 10

*If you don't know what I'm talking about, watch this.

Home Video Catch Up: DOCTOR STRANGE

Doctor Strange is hands-down Marvel's best-looking film (and no, I'm not just saying that because Captain America: Civil War came out within the same timeframe and that looked about as drab as a comic book filtered through concrete). It's color palette is often and put into effectively great. To put it simply, this film deserves to be seen on the best screen possible, be it either in an IMAX theater or on an HD television that resides in a humble living room. Plus, the effects are so good, Oscar gold is practically gift-wrapped for them (sadly, The Jungle Book snatched that prize from this, but, oh well). Seriously, a lot of this movie's visuals look like the filmmakers pulled through the back catalogs of Steve Dikto's* original comic art, trippy rock album covers from the seventies & eighties, tons of surrealist artists (M.C. Escher and Salvador Dali, in particular) and even cult classics like Altered States & Enter The Void.

Besides the beautifully psychedelic visuals, Doctor Strange works for a lot of the same reasons many other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe work. The main characters are well-developed & likable and the action sequences are fun & inventive (that one is especially true in this film's case). Aside from the excellent effects, I was also pleasantly surprised by what this film does better than some of the other entries in the MCU. For example, Michael Giacchino's score is easily the most distinct, memorable score in the whole franchise (a lot of that is mainly seen, or rather heard, in the film's main theme). 

Of course, the cast also turns in some great work. Benedict Cumberbatch exceeds as Stephen Strange for much the same reason that Bruce Campbell succeeds in Army of Darkness (i.e. both actors pull off making their characters cocky but undeniably charismatic). Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Benedict Wong are all fantastic in their supporting roles (their characters and the mythology that surrounds them are, quite simply, some of the MCU's most interesting facets to date). Mads Mikkelsen brings a decent amount of gravitas to what is otherwise a typically one-note villain. Sadly, while Rachel McAdams' performance is perfectly serviceable, it does kind of feel like the script left her character as an afterthought rather than someone who's been fully realized. Still, that's a pretty minor gripe and it doesn't effect the movie as a whole.

Overall, Doctor Strange is easily in my Top Five Favorite Marvel Movies** and the mind-blowing visuals alone make the film worth at least one viewing.

DOCTOR STRANGE gets a...

BADASS out of 10

 

*For those who don't know, Steve Ditko is the artist who co-created Doctor Strange with Stan Lee

**I may do a piece about that very topic in the near future. So, keep your eyes peeled. ;)

Home Video Catch Up: SPLIT

It should be noted that I, not as a critic but rather an individual human being, can't see everything in theaters. Part of this is owed to the fact that I don't have the clout to where I can be invited to press screenings, which means that I'm stuck with the mere mortals by paying ten bucks for each trip to the multiplex (well, that and I don't to blow ten greenbacks on a potential stinker). With that in mind, allow me to introduce a new occasional series of posts where I review movies that I didn't get to discuss while they were still making their rounds in theaters. I call it HOME VIDEO CATCH UP. Now, with that out of the way, let's get the ball rolling.

Boy, it's been a long time since M. Night Shyamalan made a movie that's worth watching unironically. After Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, his career seemed to take what is probably the most epic nosedive that I've ever seen, with most of his more recent films ranging from unintentionally hilarious disasters like The Happening or Lady in the Water or grating tests of endurance like After Earth or The Visit (that last one I turned off after only the first five minutes). Many people have described Split as a sort of arthouse B-movie or something of the sort. To be honest, that description is right on the money. Yeah, it's all very well shot, the score's fantastic and it's got some talented actors; but, when you think about the plot, this sounds more like material ripe for cheesy drive-in material rather than traditional studio-backed arthouse fare.

Granted, while I do agree with the majority of the Internet film community that this is a relatively solid flick and easily Shyamalan's best film in quite some time, some of his more negative quirks still pervade the proceedings. Like how the dialogue, while elegantly worded, doesn't sound like stuff normal people would say. There are some plot elements that (while I won't mention them by name for fear of spoilers) feel tone-deaf and contextually unsuitable. And, sometimes, it just feels awkward and uncomfortable (and not in the way its supposed to feel). But, with all of that said, Split still supplies its fair share of popcorn thrills.

James McAvoy absolutely shines in his role (or rather roles). This kind of role is difficult to pull off without making an actor look like the most foolish person in the room. Yet, McAvoy to lend gravitas to his portrayal of a man with multiple personalities who at one point dresses up as a woman and acts like a nine-year-old. Any actor with that level of skill to make something like this believable (or, at least, not cringeworthy) has to be commended. Betty Buckley also deserves a mention for her work as the nurturing psychologist trying to decode the mentality of McAvoy's numerous personalities. She turns in some pretty good work here.

And, with the exception of the twist involving Anya Taylor-Joy's character being completely ill-fitting and kind of grossly inappropriate, the finale is an utter thing to behold. Up until the third act, McAvoy's been the normal type of psycho (if there is such a thing); but, at the end, he figuratively and literally gets to cut loose. Also, that stinger at the end is something that's already blown the minds of my fellow cinephiles (once more, I won't give it away).

Overall, Split is an exceptionally entertaining bit of schlock horror cinema and a beyond welcome return to form for a prolific filmmaker.

SPLIT gets a...
SATISFACTORY out of TEN

GHOST IN THE SHELL Review (MILD SPOILERS)

BRIEF DISCLAIMER: Hey guys! I just wanted to say before we get to the nitty-gritty, there's going to be a spoiler or two in this review. So, if you want the short version (which isn't saying much considering that this review might end up being one of the shortest things I've written for this site yet): it's okay at best, stay for the eye-candy visuals and the fantastic score. With that out of the way, on with the show!

Up until its recent release, I was predicting that Ghost In The Shell would be this year's equivalent to the 2013 Tom Cruise sci-fi flick Oblivion. And, after finally having seen this long-awaited American adaptation of the much revered anime franchise, I can confidently say that I was... pretty much right.

For context, I use Oblivion as a comparison because both films are visually stunning works from competent directors backed up by fantastic scores from accomplished artists (no joke, Clint Mansell's work for this flick is absolutely solid)... that are rather unspectacular when you get right down to it.

Seriously, it hasn't even been 24 hours since I've seen this thing and I'm already having to scour Wikipedia and Reddit just to remember what the plot was. Going back to Oblivion for a moment, while I'm admittedly unfamiliar with the source material, Ghost in the Shell seems to share even the basic story beats of that forgotten affair (i.e. Main character works for big company/organization, ends up uncovering some big secret about his/her existence, and spends the rest of the proceedings exacting revenge). Side note relating to the revenge stuff: am I the only person who thinks this movie should've have been much more R-rated. Honestly, the action here is so dull and lifeless, that it feels like adding just a tiny bit of bloodshed would've made things just a little more interesting.

And now, let's talk about the elephant in the room: casting Scarlet Johansson as the franchise's traditionally Japanese protagonist. Now, let be clear, I am NOT the guy to approach when it comes to the subject of how race is handled in movies or "whitewashing" (if you want more thoughtful looks into that sort of territory, there are plenty of other movie news rags with plenty of other writeups on it); but, suffice it to say, Johansson (like pretty much everyone else in this movie) is basically sleepwalking through this. Oh well, at least she and the rest of the cast have been in better motion pictures.

Overall, my suggestion would be to wait until this thing hits Redbox or Amazon Video (AKA the point where the world at large forgets this was a thing that existed) to check it out; however, the visuals and score* are strong enough to earn at least the price of a matinee showing I suppose. As for me, I'm just content in the knowledge that I'll be getting a better version of this sort of cyperpunk fare once Blade Runner 2049 hits theaters about six months from now.


GHOST IN THE SHELL gets a...
MEDIOCRE out of 10

*Message to Paramount: Why haven't you released Clint Mansell's work for this yet? Most film scores are already released either ahead of/after the movie comes out or on the day of. Seriously, why are you holding it back? Just release it already.

POWER RANGERS Review

Well... that was certainly better than I expected it to be.

Let me clear when I say that this IS a good movie despite some many flaws that, if seen elsewhere, could kill an entire movie. Is the script sharp? Nope. In fact, some of the dialogue is so bad, I'm surprised it made it through any part of the rewrite phase of production (which brings me to a fun fact that the script to this flick has gone through so many hands, that even Max Landis did a few drafts at one point). Speaking of Landis, does it use elements from other better movies in the genre? Oh, without question, yes. Case in point, half of this movie feels like Chronicle and the other half feels like a lighter version of Man of Steel (at least in terms of the visuals). Also, the camerawork does get a bit dodgy at times; it almost feels like constant movement is just thrown in case someone in the audience might be losing interest (short version: feels like the filmmakers are basically dangling keys in the face of its audience). Plus, one of the film's biggest plot points involves a subtle-as-a-jackhammer promotion for Krispy Kreme; that's a move so slimy and gleefully shameless that I couldn't tell if I should be furious or absolutely astonished that the creative team behind this thing had the chutzpah to actually to put this in the actual movie.

Even with all of that negativity, Power Rangers is still compelling and fun enough to succeed as a decent movie in spite of those flaws. While it's not Oscar-worthy by any stretch of the imagination, there is some pretty solid acting in this. Again, not on the level of Laurence Olivier, but good enough to effectively sell the chemistry between the protagonists and that these are actually teenagers with real issues rather than the Wonderbread personas from past incarnations of the franchise. Actually, let me take a moment to talk more about the actual Power Rangers in this movie. Mainly because the fact the movie does take its time to establish likable, interesting enough leads is easily one of the movie's biggest strong points. Aside from the main characters, there's still some positive things I can say about the rest of the cast. Bryan Cranston is always good in pretty much anything. Bill Hader gets a few chuckles as Alpha-5 (even if the character's redesign is so ghastly, I'm shocked wasn't used in one of the Star Wars prequels). Now, let's get to the elephant in the room: Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa. Oh, how do I describe her in this movie? Just picture Charlize Theron in those Huntsman movies combined with the maniacal mannerisms and cackling of a demon from the Evil Dead movies.Whenever she's onscreen, I was instantly jumping for joy. Every frame she inhabits clearly shows that she's having a ball just playing up how deliciously evil the character is.

And how about the action? Well, for what little of it we actually get, it's pretty good. Until about the third act, there's really no action sequences outside of a couple car crashes and some training montages. While it is a tad disappointing to realize how little action there is when all is said and done, the film ultimately survives by learning a lesson from other films in the genre: if the pre-action origin parts are well-paced and entertaining enough, your movie will be fine. Outside of that, the climax is basically an episode of the original TV series pumped to cinematic proportion and I mean that in the most way imaginable.

Bryan Tyler's score is pretty good even if it isn't entirely original (certain musical cues seem to be directly borrowed from Tron: Legacy, Stranger Things and even the composer's previous work from Avengers: Age of Ultron). And, that's probably the best way to sum up this whole thing in a nutshell. Power Rangers feels like a mish-mash of dozens of other things that amounts to something more coherent and enganging than it had any right to be.

POWER RANGERS gets a...
GOOD TIME out of 10

Check it out, especially if you have kids, they'll probably eat this up!

KONG: SKULL ISLAND review

First things first, let me quickly address the main criticism of this movie: the characters aren't interesting enough. Here's my brief rebuttal: IT. IS. A. MONSTER. MOVIE! Who cares? I'll probably go into more detail about why this criticism is nonsense at a later date; but, I thought it'd be wrong if this elephant in the room went ignored. Anyway, on with the show...

Legendary Pictures' "MonsterVerse" has been one of the more interesting factors in a post-Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster world. It's probably the only franchise I can think of that's started out with such a thoroughly average movie like Gareth Edwards' Godzilla and yet I'm still completely stoked to see what happens next. And, with Kong: Skull Island, it appears that my anticipation has now been rightly justified. Functioning mainly as a classier version of old school, B-movie popcorn fare, Kong: Skull Island frequently fires on all cylinders. Does it have its problems? Sure. The mostly witty screenplay does occasionally have a few bad lines and the characters could use a little more depth.

While Skull Island is by no means a straight-up remake of the 1933 original, its story does follow some of the same beats; yet, it doesn't feel too much like previous cinematic incarnations of the titular ape. The characters are undoubtedly archetypal; but, the combined efforts of the cast and the script make sure they aren't completely without personality.

In my humble opinion, almost any shot of this movie could featured on One Perfect Shot. Cinematographer Larry Fong crafts countless instantly iconic shots (some of which you've seen in the trailers), each of which could be hung and framed. In my humble opinion, almost any shot of this movie could featured on One Perfect Shot. Speaking of which, the whole looks absolutely stunning. The crew behind it have claimed to be inspired by Apocalypse Now and that reverence is clearly on display.

Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts has only made one film prior to this; yet, here, he shows off like a seasoned professional (and I mean that in only the most positive of ways). Every frame exudes a sense of confidence and gleeful audacity so rarely seen in the world of modern popcorn flicks, at least not in the usual manner. Some of this can also be seen in the film's editing (seriously, there's a part where Kong is about to eat a few army guys and it cuts to someone eating a sandwich). Delightful quirks like that pleasantly reminded me of what Peter Jackson in his ambitious 2005 remake.

Aside from the visuals, boy, does this picture sound marvelous. Every roar and every gunshot consumes the theater, enhancing the viewer's immersion. This doesn't even apply to only the sound design. Apart from the undeniable satisfying needle drops, Henry Jackman's score is also quite exceptional. His compositions give the proceedings an extra triumphant boost, a suspenseful cue or whatever the story needs at that time.

Also, while most of the characters are your typical B-movie archetypes, the cast brings the goods. Tom Hiddleston does fine as a pulpy protagonist. Brie Larson brings some really warmth and tenacity to a self-proclaimed "anti-war photographer". Sam Jackson is compelling as this movie's equivalent of Colonel Kurtz. John Goodman is also quite good as an enjoyable crazy government stooge, think a good version of his character from 10 Cloverfield Lane mixed with Carl Denham. Terry Notary also delivers some good mo-cap work as the titular ape. With all of that being said, the real standout in Kong: Skull Island is John C. Reilly. And, to anyone worried that his presence might be this movie's jump-the-shark moment, you can settle down. His character provides some much needed humanity to proceedings as well dishing out some of the film's biggest laughs.

Speaking of which, unlike 2014's adequate version of Godzilla, approaches its monsters with absolutely no pretense; although, its depiction of its creatures being more in common with animals reacting to interlopers rather than malicious beasts was quite refreshing. The clashes between these fantastic creatures are more than worth the price of admission (from Kong starting out by throwing down on a squad of helicopters while Black Sabbath blasts in the background to him struggling against a giant squid and then slurping up its remains like calamari).

All in all, this is undoubtedly one of the finest examples of popcorn flicks in recent years. For this review, I've decided to introduce a new rating to my criteria.

KONG: SKULL ISLAND gets a...
GOOD TIME out of 10

Also, be sure to say through the credits. Without giving anything away, I'll just say that this might be my favorite post-credits scene since Guardians of the Galaxy. Go see it! Have a good time!

LOGAN review

I'll be upfront when I say that I'm not too keen on the X-Men movies. The first two films are boring products of their time. The Last Stand was actually fun, but not a particularly good film. Origins: Wolverine is the absolute nadir of this mediocre franchise. Apocalypse had one good scene and nifty costume design, but nothing else. First Class, The Wolverine and Deadpool were easily the only entries in this series that even remotely approach greatness. I say this to give you a sense of where I'm coming from when approaching Logan. After having seen it and having some time to process it, I can say with confidence that this might be the best X-Men movie yet, partially for a reason that's been the main problem with the entire franchise. To put it simply, Logan succeeds by repeating what's been the dominant flaw of the previous movies: it strips out almost all of the elements that made the X-Men comics so unique in order to focus on a different vision. Now you may be asking why I think it works here and not in the other movies, allow me to elaborate. My problem lies not in a filmmaker using only the bare essentials of a source material and inserting their own distinct hang-ups into the mix; to be honest, I'm completely fine when filmmakers do that after all. After all, its thinking like that that gave us masterworks like the Dark Knight trilogy, Constantine, The Godfather, Jurassic Park, you get the picture. And that doesn't mean that you couldn't do that well for X-Men; it's just that the creative team behind it hasn't. Instead, they threw in a lot of the most dated aspects of that era in mainstream filmmaking. Needlessly slow pacing? Check. Indistinct black rubber costume design? Check. Preposterously overblown need to be seen as serious/mature? You bet that's a check. Point is, the creative vision for this franchise was just boring, pseudo-serious rubbish.

Logan, on the other hand, uses this model to work like a well-oiled machine. It's a comic book flick in only the loosest sense of the term, seamlessly fusing different elements of Westerns, dystopian sci-fi, neo-noir and familial road trip dramas. Much of these influences can be found in John Mathieson's striking cinematography. He manages to fill the 137 minute runtime with plenty of bold, instantly iconic shots, all of which could be hung and framed. There's talk of a black-and-white cut for this and you can easily why that would fit well. Along with the excellent camerawork, Credit should also be given to Marco Beltrami's eclectic score, giving certain scenes a lot more depth.

The performances are just as great as you would expect going in. Hugh Jackman has always been one of the best parts of these movies; but, he brings something a little different to the table this round. Sure, he definitely gets his fair share of awesome moments; yet, there seems to be more to him this time than just the most badass X-Man in existence. For his final stint as the character, Jackman imbues Wolverine with a more complex brand of the seasoned tough-guy routine. Think Clint Eastwood or Phillip Marlowe (specifically Elliot Gould's interpretation) with razor-sharp claws. Patrick Stewart also adds some new layers to Professor X, in ways that are as humorous as they are tragic. Boyd Holbrook makes for a great villain, with a deliciously slimy demeanor and a cool robot hand to boot. Nevertheless, the real standout performance in Logan comes from newcomer Dafne Keen. Her work as Laura (aka X-23) is quite versatile, fluently transitioning from astoundingly fierce to subtly innocent; she's easily one of the best child characters to come out of any recent movie that isn't directed by Shane Black or Michael Dougherty.

With that all out of the way, let's address the elephant in the room: this is undoubtedly an R-rated movie, Blood drenches the frame and F-bombs are dropped frequently; yet, it feels (for lack of a better word) appropriate. It's one of the few quote unquote "mature" superhero movies that actually feels adult, both in ideas and themes as well as in content.

If there's one complaint I do have with the movie, it's that the third act feels slightly incongruous. Thankfully, its not really THAT jarring; but, it does kind of feel like someone stitched together the first two acts of Hell or High Water and the final act of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Still, its a minor complaint and it barely keeps the rest of the film from being absolutely marvelous.



Logan is, without a doubt, a fantastic sendoff to one of the biggest icons of modern cinema. Underneath its downbeat exterior lies a more soulful, moving experience.

LOGAN gets a...
MASTERWORK out of TEN

THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE Review (Spolier Free)

While I am one of the few bizarre individuals who has derived enjoyment from the much-derided DCEU, I'll admit that I had an absolute blast watching its overly self -serious nature get savagely mocked by its more lighthearted, animated counterpart. The Lego Batman Movie is an absolute treat from beginning to end. Even though it doesn't reach The Lego Movie's level of (for lack of a better word) transcendence, its still a colorful, hilarious and heartfelt little film on its own merits.

The film benefits a lot from its heavily frenetic pace. The gags come out at a rate so quick, you don't care if they all stick the landing because if there is a dud in the mix, its almost immediately overshadowed by a solid gutbuster. Yet, what keeps this film balanced is its emotional center. I won't give too much away here; but, suffice it to say, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the goofy children's film handles Batman more maturely than the current live-action version of the very same character. Kudos to the filmmakers on that alone.

Will Arnett is still a lot of fun as Batman and Michael Cera is absolutely adorable as Robin; it'd be disingenuous to ignore that a noticeable chunk of the movie's best jokes come from or revolve around him. The marvelous voice-work done here by the villains/supporting characters is almost too much material for a quick review such as this; that alone should tell you how good the cast is.

Yet, ultimately, I think that the ultimate reason why The Lego Batman Movie succeeds is that it both joyously celebrates and gleefully mocks almost everything in the Caped Crusader's extensive history as a pop culture icon. Almost half the fun of this film is just picking up on the countless in-jokes and background quirks. It is, in every sense of the word, a very loving parody.

The Lego Batman Movie gets an...
NICE JOB, MAN! out of 10

If you're looking for a good time at the multiplex, check this one out!

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2 Review (Spoiler Free)

There's about six or seven movies worth of greatness packed within the entire 122 minute runtime of John Wick: Chapter 2. Not only is this a great action flick (and even more than that in ways I'll get to in a moment), it's extremely close to being as good, if not better, than the first John Wick.

While its predecessor had heavy hints of neo-noir/comic book influences, Chapter 2 dives in with ceaseless momentum when it comes to genre expansion. It effortlessly switches from being an great action flick to a colorful yet moody noir to a globe-trekking adventure to even a demented black comedy. Speaking of which, I was surprised to find how many outright hilarious moments are contained in here. Then again, considering that the bloodletting is so absurdly excessive, how could you not find humor in it?

Do I even need to tell you that the action is great? Well, who cares? I'll tell you anyway. The phrase "You could teach a class on [insert movie and what it does exceptionally well here]" is incredibly trite; yet, like the first one, you really could teach a class on how great the direction and fight choreography in each individual action sequence is. One sequence in particular is best described as what if Nicolas Winding Refn and John Woo had remade The Lady From Shanghai's iconic mirror sequence (go watch the movie if you want to know what I mean). Earlier, I mentioned how bloody this flick is and I wasn't saying that lightly. Maybe this was what Rutger Hauer meant in Blade Runner when he said he'd "seen things you people wouldn't believe"... or maybe not. Needless to say, the R-rating here is well-earned.

Let it not go unheard that how terrific the cast is. Keanu Reeves is, as to be expected, great as the titular hitman. Common is fun as a recurring nemesis with an absurdly deadpan demeanor. Ruby Rose displays a lot of personality for a character that can be easily summed up as just a mute henchman. Even bitplayers like Peter Serafinowicz and Franco Nero are memorable, despite their miniscule amount of screentime. Also, Laurence Fishburne's cameo is easily one of the highlights of the film.

Do I have complaints? Totally. One or two scenes feel tone-deaf and the dialogue is a bit stale at times. Still, those are pretty minor nitpicks to be found in what is overall a fantastic package.

While calling this movie on par with Empire Strikes Back and Dark Knight in the pantheon of great sequels might be a bit hyperbolic, the ways it expertly expands upon its predecessor and how much of a bitter cliffhanger the ending turns out to be (again, go see the movie) might elevate it to the level of those classics within the coming years.

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2 gets a...
BADASS out of 10!

DO NOT MISS THIS ONE, FOLKS!

Breif addendum: I forgot to mention the absolutely breathtaking cinematography and the eclectic score from composers Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard. Just thought that those two positives deserved a mention.