A Review of “All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)”

What interested me most about watching this film was that it was WWI, which we don’t see as much in films compared to WWII, and the fact it was from the German side instead.

What stands out the most is the amazing production value. The set design, the costumes and the setpieces are all phenomenal. They perfectly portray the horrific, dirty and brutal nature of the war. The actors are all great in their roles as well. Felix Kammerer plays the main character, Paul Bäumer, and he gives a terrific performance in showing Paul’s gradual loss of idealism throughout the movie. The cinematography by James Friend is oddly beautiful with some gorgeous wide shots that contrast the closeup shots of the War with its grimness. The music score by Volker Bertelmann is quite odd as well with its sudden thumping horns but they work in elevating the tension by foreboding what’s coming.

My only complaint is that the film is quite predictable. It goes through every trope you would expect from a ‘War is bad" movie and nothing in the plot surprised me whatsoever. It’s also a little difficult to care for the characters as we barely spend enough time with them apart from the main character and an older soldier called “Kat”.

Apart from that, it is quite a stellar war movie that still delivers on the cruelty of World War I.

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A “QUICK!” Review of “Boy Kills World (2024)”

Bill Skarsgard in an action movie? Yes Please! The story is a generic revenge flick with an interesting concept of a mute and deaf protagonist. The main character has an inner voice which is voiced by H. Jon Benjamin of Archer and Bob’s Burger fame. This sounds interesting on paper but the problem is that the lines are so obnoxious and there are too many. It is always some kind of stupid quip or stating an obvious. It has a lot of comedy but most didn’t land for me. However, you are here for the action and it delivers on those. It has a lot of gore, gunplay, martial arts and over-the-top set pieces. It really shines in the 3rd act in both the story and the action. The final fight is a top-tier choreographed fight. In the end, Boy Kills World knows what it is and gives you exactly that. A bloody, fun action comedy!

A “QUICK!” Review of “Badland Hunters (2024)“

Ma Dong-Seok is one of the coolest dudes in Korean cinema. I do think the film is a little disappointing as the post-apocalyptic setting isn’t used in an exciting way. The plot is also nothing special. It is incredibly dumb and predictable while also having minimal explanation about anything. The characters are also very bland. There is barely any exploration of any of the characters including the main character. Due to this, they all come off as one-dimensional and this makes it very difficult to care about anyone. However, it has some incredibly well-choreographed and fun action sequences. Who doesn’t want to see Ma Dong-seok kick ass!

A “QUICK!” Review of “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024)”

When I found out after watching, that this was based on a Manhua (Chinese Comic book), it started to make sense. Characters that feel straightforward, the action scenes that defy physics in every way, the power of friendship, straight-up superpowered abilities, and countless flashbacks. The film suffers from juggling too many things. We have this fish out of water, self-discovery story with our main character. We have this gang conflict between those in the Walled City and the Triads. We have a revenge plot. We have a man dealing with his past—the growing of bonds. Unfortunately, the story is all incredibly predictable and lacks real depth. The constant talk about the past conflict sounded more interesting than the main plot. The ending is lacklustre and the final fight is so weird with the unexplained superpowers. However, if you like martial arts movies then there is certainly fun to be had here.

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