Well, it's been a while since I've posted a review as life has been kind of crazy but I am back today with a review of three movies. Today, I will be reviewing two attempts at thrillers. I am, of course, referring to "No Good Deed" and "The Captive." I will also be reviewing "The Maze Runner" which is the latest young adult sort of sci-fi movie to be adapted for the big screen. Before I get started, I'd like to give a shoutout to the Free Gamer's Alliance YouTube channel. Their videos cover everything from walkthroughs, glitches, easter eggs, and various amusing video game related content, all of which is delivered with some colorful commentary while they have buckets of fun doing it. Here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/user/FreeGamersAlliance/.
Lets kick this off with "The Captive." Here is the trailer:
- While the movie is pretty predictable, there are a few things that you won't see coming.
The Bad:
- The acting is painful. I think the cast is trying way too hard to make this more dramatic than it can be and it ends up feeling rather laughable as a result.
- This movie is so ridiculously slow. It is under two hours but the pacing is such that it feels about three hours.
- The characters are either breathtakingly uninteresting or just so unlikeable that it really is impossible to become invested in anything going on.
- There are some enormous leaps in logic that will make you roll your eyes.
The Verdict:
"The Captive" is a really good example of an attempt at a thriller that undermines itself by trying way too hard to be smarter than it really is. This is absolutely not worth your time or money. I would say skip it.
Its time to move on to another attempt at a thriller. Here is the trailer for "No Good Deed."
- Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson were fantastic in their roles and were the only thing that kept me from throwing my drink at the screen.
The Bad:
- It really takes a while for anything to happen. Admittedly it is always good for a thriller to build up to the main story but this took way longer than it should have.
- There are some enormous leaps in logic that will leave you with your eyes rolling.
- The dialogue in this movie is absolutely horrendous. It really didn't feel authentic and instead felt distracting.
- The "plot twist" near the end is so anticlimactic that you will be thinking "thats it?"
- The characters are just so uninteresting that it is really impossible to get invested in anything going on.
- Finally, outside of Elba and Henson, the acting was pathetic. It felt like they either weren't even trying or trying way too hard.
The Verdict:
"No Good Deed" has an promising premise but it fails hard in execution thanks largely to really lazy writing. Skip this one, it is a massive waste of time.
Lastly, it is time to review "The Maze Runner." Here is the trailer:
- The acting here is absolutely on point. I believed everyone's performance and they all have great chemistry with each other.
- The characters are very interesting and incredibly easy to get invested in. I have to give the screenwriters and probably the author of the novel credit for this.
- The actions scenes are awesome and will have you on the edge of your seat.
- The sets and the visual effects are incredible and really help get the audience immersed in the world that the movie takes place in.
- Finally, this movie abandons the standard formula for movies based on young adult novels and it feels really refreshing.
The Bad:
- I wish there was less shaky-cam as I find that very obnoxious. I do have to say, however, that it isn't as excessive as it is in other movies.
- There are some things that happen at the end of the movie that make no sense. I haven't read the books but I would imagine that they are explained in the next books but if you haven't read them (like me) you may be a bit confused.
The Verdict:
I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by "The Maze Runner." While it has some flaws, those flaws are outweighed by the interesting characters, the action, the visuals, the acting, and the various other things that the movie does right. I absolutely recommend seeing this one in theaters!
Thanks for reading everyone!! As usual, feel free to leave a comment but please be advised that if you are going to read any potential comments that there may be spoilers.