Movie Review: Overlord

An overall entertaining film that starts strong, but stumbles to the finish line. The opening moments give a taste about what works for this movie. There are strong levels of grittiness, tension and violence that keep you on edge. They also do a great job of establishing characters and giving them defining characteristics. And unlike a lot of other movies that just give supporting characters a defining trait that makes them one-dimensional, the bits of backstory we get here are enough to allow you to feel like they all have lives outside of the film’s story. The story is where things are the most uneven. The plot seems lost at times, and the ticking clock that should be driving our heroes is rarely used effectively. Even though they only have a few hours to accomplish their mission, it feels like they can just take their time. And, while the build up to what awaits them inside the walls of the enemy base is intense and disturbing, the payoff is a bit weak. Things are just too vague and move to quickly to make an impact on the audience And, although the initial intros of the main characters is well done, we end up not finding out that much more about them as things progress. Overall, the finale is exciting and does wrap things up satisfactorily

*** out of *****

Movie Review: Bohemian Rhapsody

An unfocused, but occasionally brilliant film about one of the all-time great rock bands, that tends to feel more music video than music documentary. The pacing and tone are all over the place. It feels like only days pass between Freddie Mercury going from baggage handler to rock star. We only get the slightest taste of his voice and showmanship before the story leaps ahead to the band selling out local venues. A lot of important stuff happens behind the scenes. One minute they’re Smile, and then we get an offhand comment how they’re Queen now. Or out of nowhere Freddie has changed his name to Mercury. These seem like they had interesting stories behind them, but the blow right past them. When the film does slow down, it’s a mixed bag. Watching the creative process as Queen records some of its biggest hits is fascinating and a lot of fun. But when it slows down to focus on characters, it tends to drag. For as much time as we spend with Freddie, it feels like we only scratch the surface. Rami Malek does a fantastic job of bringing this flamboyant character to life, but we only catch glimpses of what really made him tick. This wouldn’t be so bad if the film was truly about the entire band Queen, but it’s not. They’re background characters, who never get fleshed out, or even appear on screen without Freddie. And yet we still learn so little about him. The directing is all over the place, less about substance and more about flash…and cats. Director Bryan Singer was fired midway through filming and replaced by Dexter Fletcher, which might explain the uneven final product. The movie finishes strong, but it’s too little, too late.

**1/2 out of *****