If I made a list of the most anticipated movies of 2024, Nosferatu would probably be very close to the number one spot. I was excited about this movie for a while. I am a fan of Robert Eggers, so him making a remake of the classic Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1921) just made so much sense. And everything about it worked, even before seeing any trailers. Well, there was one thing I thought I might struggle with – originally, the main protagonist was meant to be Anya Taylor-Joy, and then she dropped out and was replaced by Lily-Rose Depp. And I wasn’t as familiar with Lily-Rose; the only thing I knew of hers was The Idol (2023), a show I haven’t seen yet but heard awful things about. But the moment this movie opened in the UK, I had to be among the first ones to see it, and now, I feel like I owe Lily-Rose an apology for ever doubting her. Nosferatu is a perfect example of how one movie can make many excellent decisions when it could have gone wrong.

I don’t even know where to start because I don’t know what to compliment first. Firstly, the movie looks stunning. Whether you love him or hate him, Eggers understands how to frame a shot, transport you back in time, and put you in a certain mind space, and Nosferatu does all of the above and does it superbly. Eggers is someone who I will watch anything he makes from now on, as his movies seem to be my vibe. The phrase “every frame a painting” gets thrown around a lot these days, but this movie deserves it because there are so many shots you could pause the film, print what’s on the screen, hang it on your wall and be happy about it. Jarin Blaschke (the director of photography who worked on all Eggers’ movies) is one to acknowledge as someone who should be much busier and shoot many more films.

I also loved how this remake honours the original film, but only with one or two scenes. Nothing over the top, the movie forges its own path, and it’s better for it. It stays true to the story of Count Orlok, but Eggers uses this film to talk about a clash of science and faith about love and sacrifice, and everything feels natural. Nosferatu is 132 minutes long, but I never felt that runtime. The movie definitely has a lot of setup, but because of its mood, vibe, call it whatever you want, I was in it, and not one scene felt useless or like something that could have been cut out. The pacing was as smooth as the blood on Lily-Rose’s mouth in some scenes.

It’s time to talk about all the performers, and let me start with Lily-Rose. I have already apologised for not believing in her, so let me just add this – she just gained a new fan. The way she commands the screen every time she is on is phenomenal. She felt vulnerable, and, at the same time, you can see her being a powerful woman who, if need be, can face someone like Count Orlok. Speaking of him, we need to mention Bill Skarsgård. For many, he will always be Pennywise from It movies (my reviews for the first It (2017) can be found here, and for It Chapter Two (2019) here), and even though he is brilliant in both, he is on another level in this film. That’s another decision the people behind this film did well – they never revealed Count Orlok’s look or voice. So the first time you hear him, it’s chilling. And then, later on, you finally see him, and all I can say is wow. Not only did the creature design work well, but there was a tiny thing about Count Orlok’s face that was a choice, but that choice made that already creepy character ultra creepy. I won’t spoil it, but it took me out from a movie for a bit but in the best way. And Bill transcends on the screen and portrays this pure evil so well; I wouldn’t hesitate to put him right next to Heath Ledger‘s Joker. He is menacing and calm; he is this bigger-than-life presence that is somehow felt throughout the movie, and even when he isn’t in the scene, it’s almost like you can feel his aura in every scene. Everything about this character is spot on.

The same goes for Nicholas Hoult, Willem Dafoe and Emma Corrin. They each get at least one scene where they shine, and it’s hard to say anything negative about either of these actors. But Nosferatu isn’t “their” movie; you will leave the cinema thinking about Bill’s and Lily-Rose’s performances the most. I must discuss Aaron Taylor-Johnson because, at first, he was the only performer I struggled with. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but he felt out of place, almost as if he was in a different movie than the rest of the cast. And then it hit me – his performance must be like that because he is us. He is the only “normal” character who tries desperately hard not to lose his mind when his world is collapsing and doesn’t believe immediately. The moment I realised it about his character was when I got on board with his choices.

I also need to mention the soundtrack, which is beautifully haunting. However, another smart decision about this movie is that Eggers understands when to have none of it, resulting in some moments/scenes with no music, and it’s just as effective, maybe even more. I thought Robin Carolan did a stellar job, as it doesn’t sound like your stereotypical “spooky medieval vampire horror”.

If you couldn’t guess by now, I adore this movie, which is a bit strange because my expectations were extremely high going into it. But everything from the casting, camera work, soundtrack, atmosphere, story… it clicked for me and formed a unique cinema experience where the horror is almost secondary. This is, first and foremost, a story about control, love, modern thinking vs “old fashioned” one, and what strength looks like. It’s hauntingly beautiful, and it’s a film I definitely must own when it comes out on 4K.

Overall, Nosferatu is one of the best movies of 2024. I haven’t seen all the major ones yet, but I can’t imagine many would top the experience I had with this movie. I am glad when I am proven wrong, and Lily-Rose in this film proved me wrong. Any other tiny concerns I had also disappeared, and this film is a must-see in the cinema. Funnily enough, despite this being a vampire horror film, this might be Eggers’ most “audience friendly” movie yet, and that is saying something about his wild filmography of only four movies, but each one is unique in its own way. Nosferatu is one hell of an experience.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

This movie wasn’t on my radar at first because it takes something special to get my ass into the cinema to watch an animated film. Mostly, that something special either must have “Spider-Man” in its title or Pixar producing it. DreamWorks has had some great films, but historically, their catalogue is full of fine-ish movies. But that seems to be slowly turning, and lately, they have been coming out with new, innovative animated movies, and The Wild Robot feels like the most Pixar film DreamWorks has done to date.

Ever since Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), many animated films have started experimenting with their animation style and incorporating different techniques, making their animation stand out. This movie is no exception. Sure, for the most part, it’s beautifully “conventional” animation, but even here, you can find hints of different styles and frame rates, and I always appreciate those little touches. Needless to say, The Wild Robot looks incredibly beautiful. There were sequences where you just wished you could live in such a vivid and animated world.

I also loved this movie’s dark sense of humour. I think where this movie stands out is that sense of humour, which, many times, gets derived from death or how some animals should be killing others. That is not something you would often see in a mainstream animated movie, but here, it fits. It almost felt like the parody movies of the golden years, where characters say the most outrageous/funniest stuff with this dry, deadpan delivery. The film is aware that death is a very natural and frequent occurrence in the animal world, and it doesn’t shy away from it, and by talking about it and making fun of it, it feels honest.

Whoever decided to cast Lupita Nyong’o in the leading role of Roz deserves a nice, chunky Xmas bonus. Her line readings hit every time, and she puts so much into her performance that you can tell how much that robot evolves throughout this movie. There is a believable growth with Roz’s character, and you will quickly fall in love with her. A special shout-out also goes to Pedro Pascal, as his Fink character plays well off anyone he encounters.

But the main selling point and the reason I absolutely loved this movie was the story and how effortlessly this film talks about so many different things. From parenthood, AI, environment, class system, adoption… You find all these themes in this film and more, but the film meshes them so well with each other that I never felt like it was hitting me over the head with anything in particular. The story flew naturally; the pacing was spot on, and I can’t say I would change anything about this movie. The Wild Robot is one of those rare movies that feels perfect. It’s almost like you have a giant puzzle and put all the pieces together; you can’t just replace one or two pieces, as the entire picture gets ruined.

And this is where my Pixar comparison from earlier comes from. This is how I used to feel watching any of their movies. Sure, they still produce great ones, but lately, they haven’t hit me as much as they used to. You could argue it’s because I have grown, but that argument is rendered mute when I tell you The Wild Robot had me choked up about five times. Yep, it almost made me cry that many times because it understood the emotional peaks and valleys this story had to hit to nail all the emotions, and they did. It bares repeating not once I felt emotionally blackmailed or cheated; all of those emotions felt raw, and the movie earned them. I know this will be a long shot, but I know which animated film I will be rooting for at the 2025 Oscars. And as far as DreamWorks is concerned, I really hope they will produce more movies like The Wild Robot. Especially now, when Pixar won’t be taking many chances with original ideas, we desperately need a big animation studio to step up and take that mantle.

Overall, The Wild Robot is one of the most touching and delightful movies of 2024. Everything from the animation to the voice casting to the story and its themes worked for me beautifully, and I can’t wait to get my 4K copy and rewatch it. It’s one of those “proper” family movies where kids will laugh, and parents might cry just a tiny bit, but the entire family can have an absolutely great time with it. If you haven’t watched it yet, do yourself a favour and check it out.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

In the age where many movies look and feel the same, it doesn’t take much to stand out. But if you make a film that deals with several things surrounding women and package it in the “body horror” genre, you have something unique on your hands. The Substance is “that something unique”, and whilst watching it, I knew halfway through that this would become a cult classic and (hopefully) one of the reasons smart body horror movies might come back into the mainstream.

The biggest reason I loved this movie was how unapologetic, raw and sure of itself it was. Coralie Fargeat isn’t a name I was familiar with, but after watching this movie, I will remember her, and she gained a new fan. The sign of a great director is to create a living, breathing world within your movie where we can get lost in, but more importantly, one that feels real. Despite everything that happens in this movie (especially in the last 30 minutes), The Substance always felt grounded, poignant and sure of its world and what it was trying to say; it was easy to just let go and get lost in this stylised world.

Many times, I can be critical of movies that seem to shout their message in your face, and there are many movies that lack any subtlety. However, with this one, “it’s not a bug, it’s a feature”, as the IT saying goes. As far as the main themes, The Substance can feel like it has a megaphone and is shouting at you for most of its runtime. But that is very much the point. The themes of beauty standards, the pressure society (whether it’s Hollywood or not) puts on women to look a certain way, how we deal with age, and just replacing an older woman with a newer, “fresher” looking one… Those are the most prevalent, “loudest” themes this movie wants to examine, alongside seeing men as these caricatures. But it never felt simplistic because the movie doesn’t say it hates all men. The one man we get to know is almost a personification of the entire industry, rather than the “men bad, women good” message, and I thought this was one of the most fascinating choices.

The man in question is Dennis Quaid, and I enjoyed his performance so much. He is hamming it up, dialling this awful character up to 20 and not once winks at the camera. You are disgusted by him and laugh at him, but there are a few scenes where you understand just how much power he has. All I will say is I wonder how Ray Liotta would have portrayed this role as he was originally scheduled to portray this character, but sadly, he passed away before the shooting began.

But as much as I liked Dennis’ performance, it has nothing on our titular duo, Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. Let me start with the Hollywood legend herself as Demi bares it all (both literally and figuratively) and her slow descent into this… different characters throughout the movie felt raw, vulnerable and honest. There is a scene where her character is getting ready for a date. And without giving anything away, that was her standout performance in that one scene alone. It takes about five minutes; there is no dialogue. We simply watch Demi struggle with her image and constantly question herself. The Substance, for all its loudness and the “main” themes being shouted at you, also deals with many other things that are communicated/shown in a more subtle way. This was one of them as Demi’s character, this absolutely stunning woman, fails to see how stunning she is because she is comparing herself against this younger, beautiful woman. And each subsequent visit to the bathroom for “just a tiny bit more” make-up kills her and makes you understand and feel for her character.

That brings me to Margaret Qualley. I understand she’s been acting for a bit, and they were high-profile movies, but I hope this movie will be her “coming out” film because she was perfect. From all her little mannerisms to her showing us she’s willing to do whatever it takes, she rules in this movie. What I found fascinating, almost on a meta-level, is the fact that for her nude scenes, she had a breastplate. Let me quote IMDb:

Margaret Qualley has revealed in interviews that her breasts in the movie are not her own. They are a prosthetic designed by French makeup artist Pierre Olivier Persin. Qualley: “Unfortunately there is no magic boob potion, so we had to glue those on. Coralie (the movie’s director) found an incredible prosthetic team to endow me with the rack of a lifetime, just not my lifetime.”

Source: IMDb.com

The reason I am mentioning it is that it fits the theme of this movie so well. The idea that even someone as stunning as Margaret Qualley “had to” wear a breast prosthetic because she wasn’t “perfect enough” in the movie about self-love and how the pursuit of perfection can send you down a spiral you might not come back from… That is meta as fuck. Anyway, every time her character Sue is on the screen, you are glued to her. Margaret showcases her star quality, and I hope this will change the trajectory of her career, and she will get more challenging and intriguing roles.

One thing I expected (and got) was how we put pressure on women to look a certain way, no matter their age. What I didn’t expect was how the film openly talks about women hating other women, mainly at these high-profile jobs that are “based” on looks and how that goes back to societal pressure. It doesn’t take long for Elisabeth to despise Sue and vice versa, but as the movie keeps reminding us and them, they are one. It is the same person, except one is younger. That is where the theme of self-love, respecting your body and finding a healthy balance between living in the moment and not on the account of your future is very poignant.

I must touch briefly on the last 30 minutes because… the level of body horror this movie unleashes is next level. The best way to describe it would be “David Cronenberg‘s wet dream.” Again, without spoiling anything, the film goes insane, but in the best possible way, where it still has fun with all the craziness happening on the screen. I was so happy to watch this on the big screen because I guarantee you, this will be a future cult classic of this genre. Coralie Fargeat proved that she understood the assignment and delivered one hell of a movie that I will rewatch soon. We need people like her, especially in this day and age of “playing it safe” we need people like Coralie, who aren’t afraid to challenge us on our shit whilst having an absolute blast doing it. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Overall, The Substance is a movie I fell in love with the more I thought about the smaller things about it. It’s a film that won’t leave you cold, and you will either love it or be absolutely disgusted by it. It is a movie that proves that Demi can still be a leading lady and Margaret should be in the conversation as far as “future of Hollywood” goes. Most importantly, The Substance made me learn and memorize one name – Coralie Fargeat. Someone, please give her all the money and let her shoot anything she wants. The movie world desperately needs more unique voices like hers.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

I love stop-motion animation. I have always admired the amount of planning, work and patience that goes into it (this movie took seven years to make!), and the results rarely disappoint. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On seemed like a nice, cosy movie that would melt your heart, and that would be that. But imagine my surprise when this movie did more than that. It talks about deeper things like family, a sense of connection, and the bizarre relationship documentarians have with their subjects. Yep, on top of this movie being extremely adorable, funny, charming and emotional, it gives you something to ponder. I will tip my hand early and say this is a perfect movie for me.

It would have been so easy to make this into an uplifting and “dumb” movie that won’t give you much, but it makes you feel all the right emotions. There are many of these movies across different genres that exist for one purpose only. They don’t want you to learn any lesson or think too hard about much; those films exist simply to entertain you. But Marcel the Shell with Shoes On doesn’t fall into that trap, and from the start, you can tell you are in for something more than that. Whether it’s his relationship with his grandma, the genius way he learned to use his environment to his advantage (tennis ball as a form of transport is a brilliant idea) or the unexpected snark he comes up with every once in a while, Marcel is no ordinary shell. It would be so easy to dumb him down and infantilize his character, but no, he has an edge. Throughout the film, we can tell the filmmakers wanted us to believe he lived in this world for a while, so he goes through many emotions, and how he acts is not always adorable. And that’s a good thing!

One of the best decisions was to make this film as this documentary, where it feels like we are there with him, just watching him go about his day and solving different problems. That documentary aspect also gives this movie “license” to talk about that specific aspect of this genre, where the “genuine” documentarian should never intervene or insert themselves into the story. But that creates this odd thing where we see Marcel struggle many times with some tasks, and our documentarian (Dean Fleischer Camp) could always help, but he can’t, and Marcel calls him out on that. The movie doesn’t spend too much time on this angle, but I found this fascinating, as that is why I always struggled with the few documentaries I have seen.

What I also thought was smart was that this movie showed us the difference between helping and sharing, being a fan and actually doing something productive. When Marcel goes viral, he makes a comment about how many people in the comments are saying nice stuff, but that doesn’t help him and his situation where he is still no closer to finding his family. Also, we then see many of those fans taking selfies in front of his house, just so they can say they were there. For a movie about a 1-inch shell that can talk and is looking for his lost family, those are surprising themes to comment on so openly, and I appreciated it.

But the heart of this movie is Marcel and his relationship with his grandma Connie (voiced by the legendary Isabella Rossellini), and that serves as a proxy to show us just how important family is to Marcel. Although we can tell what will happen (and you can too if you have seen any movie in your life), this film sets up everything so well that it still hurts when THAT scene happens. And without spoiling this movie too much, that is why the ending works; it feels so cathartic. I am not afraid to admit that Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is only the third movie (behind Coco (2017) and CODA (2021, my review here)) that made me cry, and it was during the end when something major happened. And although they were happy-ish tears and not as many, it still counts, and I must admit, this film hit me hard, and I enjoyed it.

I must mention Jenny Slate and her extraordinary voice performance. As someone who has known her mainly from Parks and Rec (2009 – 2015) and a couple of movies, I would have never recognised that was her. She did the voice of a five-year-old child so well that it was almost scary knowing it was her. But she makes Marcel work, and her voice is perfect for the character without being “perfect” – she nailed the mannerisms of kids and talks exactly like they would. And occasionally, she throws you a curve ball, whether it’s a snarky comment about a dog (“Every time I do this, that dog goes totally crazy. He sees something truly elegant in the sky, and this is his reaction? What a sad type of idiot.“) or that brilliant line about people being fans rather than community.

If you couldn’t tell by now, I loved this movie. I think the final “nail in the coffin” is the perfect runtime of 90 minutes (I believe it’s even less without the end credits), where this cute shell never overstays its welcome. We come in, get familiar with Marcel and his worldview, embark on this quest alongside him, and we are out, probably sobbing but still feeling like this journey was delightful and gave me things to think about on top of all the family stuff.

Overall, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is a beautiful movie. It touches you on a deeper level by having the main protagonist be a literal shell that can walk and talk, but that shell has been through a lot and is forced to grow up and search for his family. And it’s this journey and all the ups and downs you will enjoy; you may cry, but most importantly, you will feel like this movie is impossible to hate. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is like the movie equivalent of a hot cup of cocoa on a fall Sunday afternoon, and you just cosied up in front of the fireplace/TV/pick your favourite Sunday afternoon activity. Simply brilliant.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

When you talk about movies online and listen to/read other movie fans, you notice how some movies get mentioned more often than others. About Time was one of those films where it seemed like everyone but I had seen it already, and what’s more, they loved it. I knew the film’s premise, and I had the ending unintentionally spoiled for me as well. So maybe that is why it’s been on my watchlist forever. Well, when your girlfriend wants to watch a good rom-com, and you want to watch something you haven’t seen yet, this came to mind, and despite all I knew about this film, it still delivered. I would even say it surpassed my already high expectations; it is THAT good.

What I loved the most was the key ideas (cherish the time with your loved ones, and it’s only up to you how you tackle each day) aren’t anything new or groundbreaking. On paper, it feels like a bad/cheesy motivational poster. That is where the pedigree comes in in the form of the talent in front of the camera (Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy and Lydia Wilson are arguably the most important characters) and behind it (Richard Curtis). Let me start with the man in charge, Richard Curtis.

I think I can safely write that there aren’t many others who understand the rom-com genre as well as he does. He’s mostly a screenwriter who has written or co-written over 70 movies, so naturally, there will be some average movies, too. But he only directed three features – this one, Love Actually (2003) and The Boat That Rocked (2009). A side note – if you haven’t seen The Boat That Rocked, stop everything and watch it; it’s such a great movie, and I don’t think it gets talked about enough. Anyway, these are all the movies he directed and what a resume. I think the reason I gravitate towards his films is the realness. The characters in all his movies frequently deal with love, sex, and life, but often in a relatable, awkward way. He understands that for us to feel something, he needs to make us fall in love with those characters, and he does it effortlessly. But, most importantly, all the main characters feel like people, not like we are watching Hollywood celebrities trying to be relatable. Sure, Rachel McAdams was a big name even in 2013, but About Time plays into her “girl next door” vibe, and that is why the contrast between her and someone like Margot Robbie worked because the movie (or rather the characters in it) point out how insanely stunning Margot is, so next to her, even someone as gorgeous as Rachel McAdams looks almost “generic”, despite the simple fact she isn’t. His style almost feels like he knows how to “turn down” the “rom-com” element and does it in a more subtle way, where the ending to his films always hits you.

Take me, for example. I knew THAT moment towards the end was coming; I was getting myself ready for it, but when it finally played out, I almost cried because the movie had earned my trust by then, and I loved all the characters. I won’t spoil anything, but you know what I am talking about if you have seen the movie. And that character work goes to the screenplay (Curtis again!) and the actors. Domhnall Gleeson has always been a great actor, and in this film, he simply confirms it as he plays the awkward yet charming character perfectly. When the movie started, I wasn’t sure whether I could see what women in this film did, but after a few scenes, I saw it too; his charm and charisma made it hard not to like/love him. Bill Nighy plays a dad everyone should have, or if you are like me, you wish you would have had. You can argue this movie is more of a father/son family film rather than a romantic comedy, and it would make sense to me. I also loved Lydia Wilson as her Kit Kat (what a fun nickname) was this bittersweet reminder of someone who tries to be happy but can’t.

However, I need to give a special shoutout to Rachel McAdams. She’s been a great actress for over two decades and is still not getting enough recognition because she has done mostly comedies and romantic comedies. I think there’s still the prejudice against this genre and how “easy” these movies are to do/be in. And sure, whilst you can find questionable acting performances in many of those movies, Rachel has always delivered. Even in this movie, I knew she was this cool actress, but she convinced me she was this dorky girl who loves this awkward guy. When I was watching About Time, I forgot that I was watching Rachel and instead believed there was a girl called Mary in London like her. My point is that Rachel McAdams is criminally underrated and deserves more praise and projects that would allow her to do whatever she wants.

The sign of a great movie, at least to me, is when the movie finishes and you still want to be in that world. When the movie is over, and you are thinking about the themes, story, and characters, you can tell how almost nothing (maybe besides that time-travelling element) was that groundbreaking, and yet, you want to rewatch that film again. Because movies aren’t just one thing. A mix of a couple of words filmed and then thrown on the screen. The great ones use everything in their toolbox to “lure you in”, and once they have you firmly in their grasp that is when they make you feel everything. About Time did that to me several times, and each time, I loved it. I can’t wait to rewatch it again.

Overall, About Time surpassed my high expectations and delivered one of the best rom-coms mixed with a great story about father and son with a unique quirk of time travel. Something that, on paper, doesn’t seem like it should work and mesh together as well, but it does. I don’t know if this is a heresy to write this, but this is my favourite Curtis movie. I think for many fans, it’s Love Actually, but for me, only on the strength of one viewing, it must be this film. If you are like me and haven’t watched this one yet, I can’t recommend it more highly.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

When I got into movies, I was your stereotypical nerd who wanted to see all the best-rated movies of all time, mainly those in the IMDb’s top 250. Naturally, I noticed this film and knew I had to watch it, so when I did about 15 or so years ago, I was stunned. I remember feeling tense as fuck, I remember admiring this film, and I also knew when I would eventually start collecting physical discs, The Wages of Fear (or Le salaire de la peur in original) must be part of my collection. And when I rewatched it for The Wasteland Retrospective (a podcast I appear on once a month with Shane Conto), I was amazed by how much I didn’t remember, but also how perfect this movie was.

This movie starts with an hour where “nothing happens”. Except for the fact that everything happens, and this is where the groundwork gets set up for this entire film. And that kind of setup I miss in most movies nowadays because this film takes its time to tell and show us everything. How dead and uneventful this city is, how poor everyone in it is, but most importantly, we get introduced to our protagonists, and more importantly, because of this long introduction, we somewhat understand them by the time we go into “action”. Yes, I didn’t remember that first hour, but I can’t imagine it not being there. And even if you wanted to shorten it, that would remove all the impact of the tense scenes later on because this movie does an excellent job of you getting invested in these flawed characters. If you aren’t invested, by the time they are behind the wheel of those two potential death machines, you will not enjoy this movie.

That was another great thing I appreciated about The Wages of Fear – the characters are (mostly) flawed. I feel like if they made a film like this one nowadays, they would all be the same person – rough on the outside, but on the inside, they have a heart of gold when it counts. No, most of these characters are not that. And yet, you can somehow understand them, as this movie makes it clear that each of them has gone through some stuff (mostly World War II), hence the reason why they ended up in the town where nothing happens.

Where this movie excels the most is, of course, the tension. The story is about hiring four random guys to drive two trucks full of nitroglycerine that can explode at any moment because it’s better than going through the unions (as said by the businessman in the movie: “Because those bums don’t have any union, nor any families. And if they blow up, nobody’ll come around bothering me for any contribution.“). What always fascinates me is how, in a movie that’s now 70+ years old, the themes are as relevant today as they were back then. A big company trying to bypass unions and potentially kill their workers…? That could never happen today, right…? Anyway, this film has three intense set pieces where you will be on the edge of your seat. You can feel every bump, every dangerous turn, and it’s still, 70 years later, one of the tensest movies I have ever seen.

What makes it effective is, again, all the setup in the first hour and then you have the directing, like shooting on locations (as it was custom at the time) where you can see everything wrong with their road. Sometimes, it’s too bumpy; other times, the turn seems impossible. There is always something that makes this ride thrilling and unforgettable. Every time something goes wrong, and they have to “troubleshoot” their way forward, you root for them, and it gets tense. There are a few moments of levity, where you can breathe for a bit, only for something else to happen entirely. All I will say is that it’s great to employ the “show, don’t tell” technique, but in this instance, you could call it “show and then show the audience the aftermath”. Never in the history of cinema was the shot of tobacco getting swiftly blown away from the cigarette paper more meaningful and chilling than here.

It was during this rewatch that I realised how this film could be viewed as a sort of purgatory for all our protagonists. The last 20 minutes, when they have to cross an oil leak and go through that with no time to clean themselves, just go, because they need to be at their destination as soon as possible and they also want this journey to end, is phenomenal. When our “heroes” finally reach the end and you see the contrast of fire and them, it clicked for me how one of the ways to “read” this movie is this was their purgatory, but they didn’t redeem themselves and ended up in hell. That’s when everything clicked for me why they must have been mostly flawed characters, as this was more than a journey. The money they were supposed to get for this dangerous task was enough to last them for most of their life, but is it worth it if you lose your soul or potentially your life in the process? That is what made The Wages of Fear so excellent on this rewatch for me because I only remembered the tense scenes. But when I re-discovered everything around that, I recognised how magnificent this movie was, and the fact it still plays just as well today as it did back in 1953 is either a miracle or proof of how talented Henri-Georges Clouzot was.

Overall, The Wages of Fear is an excellent movie. If you have never seen it, do yourself a favour and watch it. If you have a BluRay player, there is a beautifully restored copy available that makes this movie pop. It’s one of the tensest movies you will ever see, one of the most beautiful movies you will see, and this rewatch confirmed this movie must be in my TOP 10/15 movies. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to write this is one of the best movies I have ever seen.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

If you are a movie person and like the zombie genre, it’s almost impossible not to know this title. It seemed like, ever since this movie came out, word of mouth spread like wildfire as many were praising Train to Busan as one of the best zombie movies ever made. Naturally, I was curious, and when I saw a Blu-Ray for a reasonable price, I knew I had to get it to finally watch it for myself. The result didn’t surprise me, but it still delivered everything I hoped for and then some.

This movie understands how to hook you in by focusing on several protagonists while everyone else is just a side character. As every great film does, it grounds itself in reality (here, it’s the father/daughter relationship), and everything else is “extra”. It’s the new reality our heroes must adapt to extremely fast; otherwise, they turn into zombies. One thing I appreciated was how quick the turn takes. In many other movies, people get bitten, they die, and after some time, they come back hungry for your brains. In Train to Busan, they don’t even have time to die; they effectively transform in front of our eyes into fast zombies that can’t be stopped.

That’s right, we are dealing with the “fast ones” in this movie, and the way those crowd zombie scenes are done, alongside the decent CGI, makes it terrifying. You feel like there is no way to stop them because they roll over everything and everyone who finds themselves in front of them. What also makes this film a bit unique is that it (mostly) takes place on a train. I know, shocker, right? Who would’ve thought with a title like Train to Busan? But that claustrophobic feeling, combined with the sheer violence, ferocity and the amount of zombies, worked. There are scenes when our heroes notice one weakness these zombies have (I won’t spoil anything) and have to go past them, and it is as tense of a scene as any I have seen in ages.

I must also acknowledge, as the title of this review says, that this movie doesn’t do anything “groundbreaking”. If you have seen a few zombie films and played some video games “featuring” zombies, nothing in this movie will surprise you. But it’s the way this movie plays those “hits” and how it makes you care about our main protagonist, combined with that powerful ending, where I realised that I didn’t mind. This movie is a brilliant example of how fans aren’t asking filmmakers to reinvent cinema every time they make a film. But if you put your spin on an idea (or, in this case, ideas), ground it with some realism and make us care about the protagonists, we are there. Well, at least I am, and I can honestly say I have enjoyed this film.

What also plays into this movie’s hand is that it came from South Korea. Although now I hope the country is getting more recognition (due to Parasite (2019), my review here, making Oscar history), I still believe it’s not enough because everything from the past almost two decades I have had the pleasure of seeing from South Korea was great to excellent. I would go as far as to say that if you have never seen a movie from there and are a horror movie fan, Train to Busan is an excellent movie to start with. It almost encapsulates everything I love about films from there. They always care about the protagonists first and build the story around them. I know that seems obvious but think about it like this. How many times have you seen a Hollywood movie with underdeveloped protagonists? Or someone you should be rooting for, and you are not? On top of that, they know how to shoot big movies and small movies, with CGI but not too much… Honestly, Hollywood should be paying closer attention to movies coming from here because there is variety, passion and excellence that, many times, can overshadow the biggest US blockbusters.

Overall, Train to Busan truly is one of the best zombie movies ever made and a brilliant addition to the zombie genre. The movie sets everything up just enough for you to care, then throws you into the action and doesn’t let go until the very end. Although you will see where everything is headed and how/when each character will die, you will still have fun with this film because it is just so well done. This film is a must-see for any horror movie fans.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke