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The Top 10 Godzilla Team-Ups – Jet Jaguar, Rodan, Mothra & More | FirstShowing.net

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The Top 10 Godzilla Team-Ups – Jet Jaguar, Rodan, Mothra & More

by Aaron Neuwirth
March 28, 2024

While he is the irrefutable “King of the Monsters“, Godzilla has recently found himself in the spotlight quite a bit. Between Apple’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters series (streaming now), the Oscar-winning hit Godzilla: Minus One, and the upcoming Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, kaiju fans have had a lot of time to spend marveling in awe of Big G. With that in mind, this upcoming Legendary Pictures movie will presumably be featuring Godzilla partnering up with his previous rival, Kong. Sure, Godzilla has often found himself taking on other giant monsters on his own, or being a party to the destruction of major cities because he (or she) actually just wants to lay some eggs or topple towns because he’s a real mean bastard. However, when the going gets tough, Godzilla sometimes finds himself in a spot where it’s more beneficial for him to have a teammate handy to stop various three-headed dragons, giant cyborg claw beasts, robotic versions of himself, etc. Below is my list of Godzilla’s Best Team-Ups in the franchise’s 70-year history.

For more – read my rundown Stomping Through Godzilla History: Where to Begin & What to Watch.

10. Father and Son – Godzilla and Minilla
Godzilla and Minilla

Godzilla’s children had to make this list because when it comes down to it – they step in when needed. I feel like kids don’t really need an awkward-looking little monster to bring further appeal to an increasingly kid-friendly monster series, but that’s another story. Minilla is introduced in 1967’s Son of Godzilla and later returns in Destroy All Monsters (1968), All Monsters Attack (1969), Godzilla: Final Wars (2004). Born prematurely thanks to interference from Kamacuras (giant mantises), Minilla is trained by Godzilla to protect himself from other giant bugs. With no atomic breath like his pops, Minilla blows smoke loops, which are not a ton of help. All that said, he does get in his shots during a throwdown against King Ghidorah (it’s a long story) AND helps a latchkey kid stand up to bullies (that’s an even longer story). Not everyone’s favorite, and certainly not a looker, but as a part of the lighter side of things, Minilla is a well-meaning ally.

9. Father & Son Again… – Godzilla and Godzilla Jr.
Godzilla and Godzilla Jr.

First introduced as an egg in 1993’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, Godzilla’s other child (first known as Baby Godzilla) had quite the epic arc during the Heisei era. Having imprinted itself onto a biologist before birth, Godzilla Junior (then “Little Godzilla”) would go on to interact with the G-Force member through a psychic bond in the movie Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994). In the final Heisei Era film, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995), Junior is grown enough to be a very capable fighter against one of Godzilla’s biggest threats. However, Junior is killed at one point during the battle, only to be revived by the movie’s end as an adult taking over the family business. With more of a dinosaur-like look as it grows up, Junior felt more like the Dick Grayson / Tim Drake to Minilla’s Damian Wayne and certainly gave its all when a true villain was looking to take down the King. I don’t really know where Godzilla Junior would be now through the Heisei timeline as a full-size Godzilla replacement. Still, I’m sure it’s living up to its elder’s legacy.

8. RoboFriend – Godzilla and M.O.G.U.E.R.A.
Godzilla and M.O.G.U.E.R.A.

While Moguera (aka M.O.G.U.E.R.A.) first appeared way back in 1957’s The Mysterians film (directed by Godzilla’s own Ishirō Honda), the robot kaiju (operated by multiple pilots) would ultimately enter Godzilla’s universe in Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994), helping Big G take on the crystal-enhanced beast (see the gif above). However, even with the ability to split into two parts (Land Moguera and Star Falcon), it would eventually be defeated. Sure, this thing is fast & armed to the teeth, but weak armor is never helpful against an alien clone from outer space. Still, Moguera does end up destroying SpaceGodzilla’s main power source, allowing Godzilla to finish him off. Even with death on the line, teamwork can make the dream work.

7. Lion in the Toho – Godzilla and King Caesar
Godzilla and King Caesar

A guardian deity modeled after Japan’s stone lion statues, when you really look at it, King Caesar is pretty cool and a stand-up ally. For one, this is one of the few characters Godzilla doesn’t have any beef with from the start. True to life, this giant cat gets involved once it is woken up and deems a situation worth dealing with. In this case, we’re talking fighting Mechagodzilla in 1974’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. Granted, King Caesar is sadly not one of the stronger kaiju to team up with Godzilla, being beaten by Mechagodzilla on its own and then having Big G do most of the work while battling the alien robot together. Nonetheless, as a creature recruited to keep humans safe, the lack of drama between them goes a long way – long enough for him to let King Caesar live during its mind-controlled reappearance in 2004’s Godzilla: Final Wars.

6. The Two Kings – Godzilla and Kong
Godzilla and Kong

Here’s the thing with these two – they don’t see eye to eye, and they both see themselves as the best. While plenty of other adversaries are merely challengers to the throne, this IS the “King of the Monsters” vs “King Kong”. With that in mind, their time spent working together is minimal so far. While Godzilla x Kong implies the two will have to team up (no spoilers from me right now), 1962’s King Kong vs. Godzilla was all about the two fighting each other. 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong movie spent most of the time letting the two alphas battle it out (with Godzilla ultimately winning, natch). The real enemy of the film, however, was revealed to be a secret weapon developed by the Apex company, which, as it turned out, was Mechagodzilla (telepathically controlled by Apex’s chief technology officer using a dismembered skull from Ghidorah… it’s a whole thing). When Mechagodzilla started running wild (breaking free of its controller, because of course it did), Godzilla and Kong needed to work together to stop it. As it turns out, the two champions made for a natural pair, complete with combo moves, weapon assists, and more.

5. King and Queen Combine – Godzilla and Mothra
Godzilla and Mothra

Perhaps this is controversial, but Mothra is ultimately more of a peacekeeper than a true ally. Therefore, I see other team-ups as more worthy when considering the role the Queen of the Monsters has played in this series. Granted, it’s not for lack of appearances. Mothra has shown up a lot in Godzilla’s history (and even had her own Rebirth trilogy, along with starring in her own movie to begin with). As far as when Mothra has made her efforts to protect humanity by actually assisting Godzilla, 1964’s Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster found the giant butterfly actually talking Godzilla and Rodan into taking on the colossal dragon (more on that soon). In later entries, she also works with Godzilla to help him battle an upgraded Gigan and Monster X (aka Keizer Ghidorah – yup!) from Toho in Godzilla: Final Wars. In the MonsterVerse, in 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Mothra practically seems like an old girlfriend who decides to lend a hand to Godzilla during a battle with King Ghidorah and Rodan, sacrificing herself in the process (although Mothra does have a long history of being reborn in some way, so who knows if this is permanent).

4. Best Sidekick Ever – Godzilla and Anguirus
Godzilla and Anguirus

With a similar origin to Godzilla and a more diminutive stature than most other kaiju, Anguirus is more of a sidekick than a friend, but a good one. Think of him as the Robin to Godzilla’s Batman (yes, a second Caped Crusader reference for this article, but bear with me). While the two first battled it out in 1955’s Godzilla Raids Again (Godzilla’s first rival for the series), they quickly teamed up in multiple Showa Era films, including Destroy All Monsters and Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972). The latter would make for their most impressive adventure together, as they had quite the selection of opponents to take on. After talking it out (because Godzilla and Anguirus actually talk to each other in this one) and a little reconnaissance, the two take on Gigan and King Ghidorah together in a brutal battle that leads to a lot of bloodshed (it’s a pretty gory Godzilla movie) but ultimately a victory. The film practically predates Jaws having us watch Godzilla and Anguirus swim back to Monster Island together, having triumphed over their monstrous adversaries.

3. A Friend Forged in Fire – Godzilla and Rodan
Godzilla and Rodan

Like Mothra, Rodan also got his start in his own movie before going to the Godzilla-Verse. However, there’s a critical difference between the Queen and him that I’ve tried to make very clear over the years – Rodan is a dick. He relishes causing destruction and wears a smile while doing it. That’s never been more evident than in 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters, with his finest solo showcase action scene to date. However, Rodan and Godzilla did make for good friends. Initially enemies (as usual when it comes to Godzilla’s desire for dominance), Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964) found the two working together after some coaxing by Mothra. This carried over to 1965’s Invasion of Astro-Monster, which had them taking on King Ghidorah once again after Earth was duped into letting the Xiliens from Planet X “borrow” them to fight this battle in exchange for the cure for cancer (this ended up being an elaborate ruse). Even more notable are the events that occurred during the Heisei Era. In 1993’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, not only did Rodan essentially take a bullet for Baby Godzilla, but while dying, he would go on to let his life force regenerate Big G to help him get supercharged to take down the Super-Mechagodzilla. What a pal.

2. Get Me Everyone! – Godzilla and All of Monster Island
Godzilla and All of Monster Island

Before Marvel’s The Avengers, Toho gave us Destroy All Monsters, which put together an all-star roster of kaiju battling against King Ghidorah (firmly establishing the three-headed creature as Godzilla’s primary nemesis). In this film, following a whole section of the narrative where all the monsters are being mind-controlled by the Kilaaks (this series loves its alien names), a major showdown occurs on Monsterland (the Japanese island that has been converted into a confinement area where the monsters can be contained and researched). This is where Ghidorah must go up against Godzilla, Anguirus, Rodan, and Gorosaurus, along with some support from Minilla, Kumonga, and Mothra in larval form. Baragon, Varan, and Manda are also present but aren’t really needed for this incredible kaiju brawl. Now, granted, the odds were pretty stacked against Ghidorah at this point (not that he’d care, as he’s one cocky bastard). Still, as far as team-ups go, Godzilla had plenty of reason to put in the order for team jerseys after this one.

1. Instant Besties – Godzilla and Jet Jaguar
Godzilla and Jet Jaguar

🎵 Godzilla and Jaguar, they punch, punch, punch! They are the friends of justice! 🎵 Yes, Jet Jaguar may just be a kid-friendly creation by Toho to capitalize on the popularity of Ultraman at a rival studio, but this colorful robot is also 100% awesome. Only ever appearing in 1973’s Godzilla vs. Megalon movie, this friendly human-sized machine initially served as a companion to two scientists and a young boy, only to realize he would need help stopping a threat to Earth. With the arrival of Megalon and Gigan, Jet Jaguar gained sentience and grew to giant kaiju size so he could take on the others. And that’s not all! Jet Jaguar then decided to recruit Godzilla and form an alliance (literally shaking hands to seal the deal – see image above). Were Gigan and Megalon ready for this major bout of double trouble? No, no they weren’t. Cut to the duo stomping all over the villains, with the well-known epic finishing move of Jet Jaguar holding down Megalon while Godzilla lays out an impossible drop kick on the giant beetle. This instant friendship is a joy to see take place, and it’s a shame Jet Jaguar hasn’t returned since.

B-b-b-bonus! – Mothra, King Ghidorah & Baragon against Godzilla
Mothra, King Ghidorah & Baragon Against Godzilla

One more for the road, as 2001’s Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack has a unique set of allies worth mentioning. Part of the Millennium Era, basically an extended anthology series, this film functions as a direct sequel to Godzilla (1954), making Godzilla the villain against everything and everyone. In an exciting twist, Mothra, Baragon, and King Ghidorah (I know, right?) are now Guardian Monsters who must be awakened to stop Godzilla from destroying Japan. It’s not an easy battle for these monsters, with King Ghidorah ultimately getting a lift from Mothra’s sacrifice play (her standard move) to, at the very least, damage Godzilla enough for humans to take advantage of the situation and stop the devastation. A wild approach in one of the most memorable Godzilla films from early in the 21st century.

How will things turn out in terms of team-ups in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire? We’ll find out soon, as the film opens in theaters March 29th, 2024. Are Godzilla and Kong really going to be working together? More importantly, will this be a lasting friendship? One thing’s for sure: Godzilla may be King, but he does have a history of taking on an ally or two at a given moment. Perhaps it could lead to something more long-term. After all, who doesn’t need a hand when it’s time to, I don’t know, move a large refrigerator, or have a partner for monster pickleball? Anyway, a new Godzilla movie is opening soon. As always – let them fight.

Follow Aaron Neuwirth on Twitter + ask him anything about Godzilla movies – @AaronsPS4

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How ‘Dune’ became a beacon for the fledgling environmental movement

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“Dune,” widely considered one of the best sci-fi novels of all time, continues to influence how writers, artists and inventors envision the future.

Of course, there are Denis Villeneuve’s visually stunning films, “Dune: Part One” (2021) and “Dune: Part Two” (2024).

But Frank Herbert’s masterpiece also helped Afrofuturist novelist Octavia Butler imagine a future of conflict amid environmental catastrophe; it inspired Elon Musk to build SpaceX and Tesla and push humanity toward the stars and a greener future; and it’s hard not to see parallels in George Lucas’ “Star Wars” franchise, especially their fascination with desert planets and giant worms.

And yet when Herbert sat down in 1963 to start writing “Dune,” he wasn’t thinking about how to leave Earth behind. He was thinking about how to save it.

Herbert wanted to tell a story about the environmental crisis on our own planet, a world driven to the edge of ecological catastrophe. Technologies that had been inconceivable just 50 years prior had put the world at the edge of nuclear war and the environment on the brink of collapse; massive industries were sucking wealth from the ground and spewing toxic fumes into the sky.

When the book was published, these themes were front and center for readers, too. After all, they were living in the wake of both the Cuban missile crisis and the publication of “Silent Spring,” conservationist Rachel Carson’s landmark study of pollution and its threat to the environment and human health.

“Dune” soon became a beacon for the fledgling environmental movement and a rallying flag for the new science of ecology.

Indigenous wisdoms

Though the term “ecology” had been coined almost a century earlier, the first textbook on ecology was not written until 1953, and the field was rarely mentioned in newspapers or magazines at the time. Few readers had heard of the emerging science, and even fewer knew what it suggested about the future of our planet.

While studying “Dune” for a book I’m writing on the history of ecology, I was surprised to learn that Herbert didn’t learn about ecology as a student or as a journalist.

Instead, he was inspired to explore ecology by the conservation practices of the tribes of the Pacific Northwest. He learned about them from two friends in particular.

The first was Wilbur Ternyik, a descendant of Chief Coboway, the Clatsop leader who welcomed explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark when their expedition reached the West Coast in 1805. The second, Howard Hansen, was an art teacher and oral historian of the Quileute tribe.

Ternyik, who was also an expert field ecologist, took Herbert on a tour of Oregon’s dunes in 1958. There, he explained his work to build massive dunes of sand using beach grasses and other deep-rooted plants in order to prevent the sands from blowing into the nearby town of Florence – a terraforming technology described at length in “Dune.” As Ternyik explains in a handbook he wrote for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, his work in Oregon was part of an effort to heal landscapes scarred by European colonization, especially the large river jetties built by early settlers.

These structures disturbed coastal currents and created vast expanses of sand, turning stretches of the lush Pacific Northwest landscape into desert. This scenario is echoed in “Dune,” where the novel’s setting, the planet Arrakis, was similarly laid to waste by its first colonizers.

Hansen, who became the godfather to Herbert’s son, had closely studied the equally drastic impact logging had on the homelands of the Quileute people in coastal Washington. He encouraged Herbert to examine ecology carefully, giving him a copy of Paul B. Sears’ “Where There is Life,” from which Herbert gathered one of his favorite quotes: “The highest function of science is to give us an understanding of consequences.” The Fremen of “Dune,” who live in the deserts of Arrakis and carefully manage its ecosystem and wildlife, embody these teachings. In the fight to save their world, they expertly blend ecological science and Indigenous practices.

Treasures hidden in the sand

But the work that had the most profound impact on “Dune” was Leslie Reid’s 1962 ecological study “The Sociology of Nature.” In this landmark work, Reid explained ecology and ecosystem science for a popular audience, illustrating the complex interdependence of all creatures within the environment.

“The more deeply ecology is studied,” Reid writes, “the clearer does it become that mutual dependence is a governing principle, that animals are bound to one another by unbreakable ties of dependence.” In the pages of Reid’s book, Herbert found a model for the ecosystem of Arrakis in a surprising place: the guano islands of Peru. As Reid explains, the accumulated bird droppings found on these islands was an ideal fertilizer. Home to mountains of manure described as a new “white gold” and one of the most valuable substances on Earth, the guano islands became in the late 1800s ground zero for a series of resource wars between Spain and several of its former colonies, including Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador.

At the heart of the plot of “Dune” is a battle for control of the “spice,” a priceless resource. Harvested from the sands of the desert planet, it’s both a luxurious flavoring for food and a hallucinogenic drug that allows some people to bend space, making interstellar travel possible.

There is some irony in the fact that Herbert cooked up the idea of spice from bird droppings. But he was fascinated by Reid’s careful account of the unique and efficient ecosystem that produced a valuable – albeit noxious – commodity.

As the ecologist explains, frigid currents in the Pacific Ocean push nutrients to the surface of nearby waters, helping photosynthetic plankton thrive. These support an astounding population of fish that feed hordes of birds, along with whales.

In early drafts of “Dune,” Herbert combined all of these stages into the life cycle of the giant sandworms, football field-sized monsters that prowl the desert sands and devour everything in their path.

Herbert imagines each of these terrifying creatures beginning as small, photosynthetic plants that grow into larger “sand trout.” Eventually, they become immense sandworms that churn the desert sands, spewing spice onto the surface.

In both the book and “Dune: Part One,” soldier Gurney Halleck recites a cryptic verse that comments on this inversion of marine life and arid regimes of extraction: “For they shall suck of the abundance of the seas and of the treasure hid in the sand.”

‘Dune’ revolutions

After “Dune” was published in 1965, the environmental movement eagerly embraced it.

Herbert spoke at Philadelphia’s first Earth Day in 1970, and in the first edition of the Whole Earth Catalog – a famous DIY manual and bulletin for environmental activists – “Dune” was advertised with the tagline: “The metaphor is ecology. The theme revolution.” In the opening of Denis Villeneuve’s first adaptation, “Dune,” Chani, an indigenous Fremen played by Zendaya, asks a question that anticipates the violent conclusion of the second film: “Who will our next oppressors be?” The immediate cut to a sleeping Paul Atreides, the white protagonist who’s played by Timothée Chalamet, drives the pointed anti-colonial message home like a knife. In fact, both of Villeneuve’s movies expertly elaborate upon the anti-colonial themes of Herbert’s novels.

Unfortunately, the edge of their environmental critique is blunted. But Villeneuve has suggested that he might also adapt “Dune Messiah” for his next film in the series – a novel in which the ecological damage to Arrakis is glaringly obvious.

I hope Herbert’s prescient ecological warning, which resonated so powerfully with readers back in the 1960s, will be unsheathed in “Dune 3.”

By Devin Griffiths, Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Los Angeles

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On the Philosophy of ‘Dune: Part Two’ – Power, Control, Fate & Love | FirstShowing.net

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On the Philosophy of ‘Dune: Part Two’ – Power, Control, Fate & Love

by Alex Billington
March 14, 2024

“Consider what you are about to do, Paul Atreides…” Be wary of the path you are headed down, Muad’Dib… As with the two biggest movies of last year (Barbie & Oppenheimer), the biggest movie of 2024 so far is also an extremely dense, philosophically compelling, morally complex work of cinematic art. It’s exhilarating and fascinating to ponder its epic story of control over the planet Arrakis, and even more exciting realizing that audiences are eating this up. Even if the philosophical ideas may not land as deeply with each viewer, it’s proof that truly believing in moviegoers as smart people is actually the right path to take nowadays. Dune: Part Two is playing in theaters worldwide and after watching it three times at the cinema, I must dig into its philosophical side. The most obvious themes are power & control, along with fate & destiny. However, it also makes me wonder about a bigger quandary: what does it really take to overthrow an oppressor and is there actually a successful way to achieve peace & freedom for all? Or will it always lead to more oppression?

One important note before going on – I have not read Frank Herbert’s books. I am familiar with where the story goes and the general ideas within the books, however my thoughts in this article are based entirely on what we’re shown in Denis Villeneuve’s two movies. Dune: Part Two is adapted by Denis Villeneuve along with sci-fi screenwriter Jon Spaihts. I also agree with this point made in Clint Gage’s editorial on Dune: Part Two and the differences from the book published on IGN: “The bigger philosophical point about adaptations though is that they should be different… Villeneuve and Spaihts wrote the two parts of Dune with an eye on the past and future that would make the Kwisatz Haderach proud, by adapting the source material through space, time and a dose of spice.” Even if there are certain philosophical ideas brought up or explained in the books, my conversation is based purely on what Villeneuve and Spaihts have chosen to show on screen, and how Paul’s arc progresses over these two movies so far. Of course, I’m familiar with where it leads with Paul (it ain’t good) which reminds me to indicate that there will be full-on spoilers from here on out. Obviously.

Dune: Part Two continues a modern sci-fi trend where it asks a whole bunch of intriguing questions, brings up plenty of fascinating ideas and concerns for viewers to contemplate, while refusing to provide more clear or useful answers to these concerns, or an optimistic path to follow (in our real world or imaginations). It goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway) that our planet is not in a good place right now – with wars and tumult and troubles on nearly every last continent. An epic sci-fi movie like this, while obviously based on books that were inspired by the oil-obsessed days of the 1950s & 60s, is commenting on our life as humans on Planet Earth and is telling a story that we can relate to as we fight for freedom and peace – just as Paul & Chani do in the first half of Part Two. However, as much as it might be a good story about Fremen fighting back on Arrakis, it turns into something else and becomes a cautionary tale. Unfortunately this means it is not a guide for how to achieve peace and equality. And many of the philosophical ideas in it are questions rather than answers. I can’t provide definitive answers either, but I am still enticed by the questions anyway.

The two main philosophical themes found within Dune: Part Two are: fate / destiny, your chosen path as an individual, how much control you have over it, and how much you just should succumb to and follow it. Along with power / control, the obsessive pursuit of it, the “calculus” of power (as referred to in a line of dialogue), and how chasing power can cause those pursuing it to lose all control or humility. The question of fate and fatalism is most prominent, a common theme in many, many sci-fi films. The Matrix is also about this exact same philosophical conundrum as well. Does Neo have free will – even if he decides to leave his predestined path behind? What does free will even mean? Can he exercise that free will? Is he destined to become “The One”, the hero of Zion and humanity? Can he decide to become that hero or not? What control does he have over his own life if it is a prophecy he will fulfill simply by existing? Paul Atreides deals with these kinds of heavy “hero” questions as well throughout both of Villeneuve’s Dune movies so far. With an extra caveat thrown in – the Bene Gesserit: whispering & plotting & planning & controlling the galaxy for millennia. They “planted” him generations ago and thus he doesn’t have power over his destiny. Or does he?

Dune: Part Two - Paul Atreides

There is one aspect of Dune: Part Two that I’ve been arguing about ever since my very first watch. Viewers who have read the books know he is about to become an evil “Space Hitler-esque” oppressive leader in the next story. “He is not the good guy!” they proclaim. “Will audiences understand this?” Yes, of course, but he has to become the bad guy first. In this movie we only see him confront the Emperor after drinking the blue water to gain clarity with his visions. In the final act, he starts veering towards being the evil bastard that he’s destined (perhaps? perhaps not?) to become. Thanks to the Bene Gesserit’s whispers & plans. However, up until that moment, up until he drinks the “worm piss”, he actually is a “good guy.” Really. Take a closer look when you watch Part Two again. He refuses to go south knowing it will take him to a very bad place. He fights for the Fremen, with the Fremen, adopting their ideals and mindset. He expresses his desire to help them and be an example of an important fighter, even if he is killed, so the next generation may follow in his footsteps. He wants to do good. He admires the Fremen and their ways. He is trying his hardest not to turn evil – but the Bene Gesserit get the best of him and he falls for their whispers. And, well, the rest is history…

This is when the movie digs deeper into the darker side of the galaxy. My third viewing brought a harrowing question to mind: Can someone wield this much extraordinary power (e.g. control over Spice) and be good? Or will they inevitably always be evil? Essentially, is oppression required in a sense to successfully exploit, sell, and manage an extremely valuable resource? This is the core of Dune: Part Two overall. The opening phrase uttered in this dark, guttural alien language before the Warner Bros logo comes up states: “Power over Spice is power over all.” Yes, this means that power & control are intertwined, and there really is no way to control the Spice without having way too much power (since it’s a vital resource needed for intergalactic space travel). There is even a moment in this movie where Paul quietly mutters that he is not worried about gaining control over Arrakis, he is worried about having too much power and this power will corrupt him. Let’s not forget the classic quote: “Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely,” stated by British historian Lord Acton. Even on Earth, it seems to be an absolute truth, thus extended into the Dune universe, it does make you wonder: is there really any way Paul could gain enough power to free the Fremen and Arrakis and not be corrupted by that much power? Herbert’s novels say: no.

Those familiar with the books know that the story is essentially a breakdown of the savior trope, showing there is no practicality of a real hero. It is impossible for there to be a holy savior on Arrakis. The Fremen believe in one, because of course, as Chani states in Part Two – the Bene Gesserit have planted this thought and it gives them some false hope to hold onto and wait for. Even if that means waiting centuries. Once you step back and examine Paul’s arc in Part Two, it really is a great tragedy, akin to Shakespeare’s tragedies of great men falling into spirals of despair & insanity. One compelling reaction from a viewer on Twitter states: “Dune: Part Two has left me in artistic euphoria, and also philosophical heartbreak. THAT is what true art is for. To remind us what it is to be human.” Referring to what happens as “philosophical heartbreak” is interesting because it’s trying to reckon with Paul’s great struggle in this movie: attempt to save the Fremen, take down the Emperor, change the galaxy forever; but to do that strategically he must marry the Emperor’s daughter, which means betraying Chani, which means betraying the Fremen. This is slightly different from the book, but it’s still an emotional wallop and quite overwhelming when you sit through it for the first time.

As spectacularly entertaining & awesome as Dune: Part Two is as a sci-fi blockbuster, it’s also chock full of heavy emotions and fascinating philosophical implications. I am in awe of what I’m seeing on screen, while also in awe of all that is racing through my mind with regards to the Fremen and their fight on Arrakis and the control of Spice. In the first movie, I loved seeing Paul rise to the call to lead a revolution, going down a path he was not expecting to take. In the second movie, I’m rocked by his turn, and how his fate seems to be out of his control, no matter how hard he tries. I don’t like this idea that our fate isn’t ours to control, much like Neo in The Matrix. Unlike The Matrix, though, Paul’s path leads him to darkness no matter what hope I have watching his story. The Emperor explains near the end that Duke Leto Atreides ruled from the heart, and that made him “weak”, ergo he had to be eradicated. I want Paul to rule from his heart, to be a leader who brings good to the galaxy. But perhaps that is not possible when half the people on a planet look up to you as a God. At the end of this second movie, we’re left wondering what will happen next when Paul decides to start a Holy War against the other Houses of the galaxy. Alas, the books tell us his future isn’t a good one.

Chani is right all along: “This ‘prophecy’ is how they enslave us!” No one wants to listen, or accept it, but she knows the truth. Even though she loves Paul and even though she knows him well, the scary truth is that his path will lead them farther from where they want to be, towards even darker times for the Fremen. This tragic story continues to make me wonder: how do we actually defeat oppressors and achieve peace and freedom for all? Can a violent revolution even result in peace in the end? Or will it always lead to more war?

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How Chinese science fiction went from underground magazines to Netflix extravaganza

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For a few days in October 2023, the capital of the science fiction world was Chengdu, China. Fans traveled from around the world as Worldcon, sci-fi’s biggest annual event, was held in the country for the first time.

It was a rare moment when Chinese and international fans could get together without worrying about the increasingly fraught politics of China’s relationship with the West or Beijing’s tightening grip on expression.

For Chinese fans like Tao Bolin, an influencer who flew from the southern province of Guangdong for the event, it felt like the world finally wanted to read Chinese literature. Fans and authors mingled in a brand new Science Fiction Museum, designed by the prestigious Zaha Hadid Architects in the shape of a huge steel starburst over a lake.

But three months later, much of that goodwill turned sour as a scandal erupted over allegations that organizers of the Hugo awards — sci-fi’s biggest prize, awarded at Worldcon — disqualified candidates to placate Chinese censors.

The event embodied the contradictions that Chinese science fiction has faced for decades. In 40 years, it’s gone from a politically suspect niche to one of China’s most successful cultural exports, with author Liu Cixin gaining an international following that includes fans like Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg. But it’s had to overcome obstacles created by geopolitics for just as long.

With a big-budget Netflix adaptation of his “The Three-Body Problem” set to drop in March, produced by the same showrunners as “Game of Thrones,” Chinese sci-fi could reach its biggest audience yet.

Getting there took decades of work by dedicated authors, editors and cultural bureaucrats who believed that science fiction could bring people together.

“Sci-fi has always been a bridge between different cultures and countries,” says Yao Haijun, the editor-in-chief of Science Fiction World, China’s oldest sci-fi magazine.

Chinese sci-fi’s journey abroad started with another convention in Chengdu three decades ago, but politics nearly derailed that one before it could get off the ground.

Science Fiction World planned to host a writers’ conference in the city in 1991. But as news of the brutal crackdown on student protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square circled the globe in 1989, foreign speakers were dropping out.

The magazine sent a small delegation to Worldcon 1990, hosted in The Hague, to save the conference.

Its leader was Shen Zaiwang, an English translator in Sichuan province’s Foreign Affairs Department who fell in love with sci-fi as a child. He packed instant noodles for the weeks-long train journey across China and the fragmenting Soviet Union.

In The Hague, Shen used toy pandas and postcards of Chengdu to make the case that the city — more than 1,800 kilometers (1,000 miles) from Beijing — was friendly and safe to visit.

“We tried to introduce our province as a safe place, and that the people in Sichuan really hope the foreign science fiction writers can come and have a look and encourage Chinese young people to read more science fiction novels,” Shen says.

In the end, a dozen foreign authors attended the conference. It was a small start, but it was more than anyone could have imagined a few years earlier.

China’s science fiction community faced suspicion at home as well.

Science fiction magazines such as Chengdu’s Science Fiction World started being launched in the late 1970s and early 1980s, as China began opening to the world after the Mao era.

But in the early 1980s, Beijing initiated a nationwide “spiritual pollution cleaning” campaign to quash the influence of the decadent West, and sci-fi was accused of being unscientific and out of line with official ideology. Most of the young publications were shuttered.

Science Fiction World’s editors kept going.

“They believed if China wanted to develop, it needed to be an innovative country — it needed science fiction,” Mr. Yao, the editor, said in a recorded public address in 2017.

In 1997, the magazine organized another international event in Beijing, headlined by U.S. and Russian astronauts. The conference got attention in the Chinese press, giving sci-fi a cool new aura of innovation, exploration and imagination, Mr. Yao says.

China’s growing sci-fi fandom was devouring translated works from abroad, but few people abroad were reading Chinese stories. Liu Cixin was going to change that.

A soft-spoken engineer at a power plant in the coal-dominated province of Shanxi, his stories were hits with genre fans.

But “The Three-Body Problem,” first serialized by Science Fiction World in 2006, reached a new level of popularity, says Yao.

Authorities took note. The China Educational Publications Import & Export Corporation, the state-owned publications exporter, picked up the novel and its two sequels.

The translations were intended from the start as “a big cultural export from China to the world, something very highly visible,” says Joel Martinsen, who translated the trilogy’s second volume, “The Dark Forest.”

But no one could have anticipated the critical and popular success: In 2015, Liu became the first Asian author to win a Hugo Award for a novel.

“There was something quite fresh and raw and eye-catching, and even sometimes very dark and ruthless in his work,” says Mr. Song Mingwei, a professor of Chinese literature at Wellesley College.

The next year, Beijing-based writer Hao Jingfang beat Stephen King to win a Hugo for short fiction with a story about social inequality in a surreal version of China’s capital.

Liu’s translations were also a political breakthrough for the genre: In two decades, it had gone from barely tolerated to a flagship export of China’s official cultural machine.

The government encouraged the growth of an “industry” spanning movies, video games, books, magazines and exhibits, and set up an official research center in 2020 to track its rise.

Worldcon Chengdu was to be the crowning achievement of these efforts.

The event itself was seen as a success. But in January, when the Hugo committee disclosed vote totals, the critics’ suspicions seemed to be confirmed. It turned out several candidates had been disqualified, raising censorship concerns. They included New York Times bestselling authors R. F. Kuang and Xiran Jay Zhao, both politically active writers with family ties to China.

Leaked internal emails — which The Associated Press could not independently verify — appeared to show that the awards committee spent weeks checking nominees’ works and social media profiles for statements that could offend Beijing, and sent reports on these to Chinese counterparts, according to an investigation by two sci-fi authors and journalists. They don’t show how the reports were used or who made the decisions about disqualification.

The Hugo awards organizers did not respond to requests for comment by the AP.

Despite the frictions, Chinese sci-fi remains poised to continue its international rise. Netflix’s adaptation of the “The Three-Body Problem” could bring it to a vast new audience, a coming-out orders of magnitude bigger than Shen Zaiwang’s trip to The Hague.

And insiders like Mr. Song and Mr. Yao are looking forward to a new generation of Chinese sci-fi authors that’s starting to be translated into English now.

It’s led by younger, female writers who were educated abroad such as Regina Kanyu Wang and Tang Fei. Their works explore themes that resonate with younger audiences, Mr. Song says, such as gender fluidity and climate catastrophes.

“When doing anything with the endorsement of either the market or the government, imagination can dry up very quickly,” Mr. Song says. “I think often the important thing happens on the margin.”

Mr. Yao continues to believe in sci-fi’s role as a bridge between cultures, even in turbulent times.

“As long as there is communication,” he says, “we’ll be able to find some things in common.”

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Berlinale 2024: ‘Spaceman’ is Giant Space Spider Therapist: The Film | FirstShowing.net

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Berlinale 2024: ‘Spaceman’ is Giant Space Spider Therapist: The Film

by Alex Billington
February 21, 2024

One of the strangest films paying at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival is a Netflix sci-fi offering from a Swedish filmmaker named Johan Renck. It’s a strange pick not because the film is experimental or unconventional, it’s strange because it doesn’t make sense this film is playing at a festival. Spaceman will streaming be on Netflix in a few more weeks (starting March 1st). It’s another mostly middle-of-the-road, easily-forgettable Netflix Original, and it doesn’t really do anything crazy or exciting or clever that would make it worthy of a major festival premiere. It’s also just a really strange film because it’s about a giant, benevolent space spider (!!) that appears inside a spaceship that is traveling near Jupiter – astronaut Jakub is on a year-long solo mission to investigate a purple cloud of mysterious space dust that appeared near Jupiter a few years before. It’s actually based on a true story, sort of, about the the country’s first astronaut, Jakub Procházka, raised in the Czech countryside. But this intriguing backstory has nothing to do with what is happening in this movie.

Directed by Swedish filmmaker Johan Renck (of Downloading Nancy, “Chernobyl”, “Breaking Bad”), from a screenplay by Colby Day, adapted from the book “Spaceman of Bohemia” by Jaroslav Kalfar – Spaceman is a sleepy, lonely, unremarkable sci-fi film about a space traveler. Adam Sandler stars as Jakub Procházka, a Czech astronaut on a lengthy trip to investigate a purple cloud that appeared in our solar system. While the sets and VFX do look quite good, and Sandler does his job well as a tired and lonely “spaceman”, the film reveals itself to actually be a therapy session. It’s not really sci-fi, it’s not really about a Czech astronaut / cosmonaut, it’s not really about where this space spider comes from. It’s about a guy who seriously needs therapy because he misses his wife so much, and after rejecting it for so long, he’s forced to have a therapy session with this big, fuzzy, friendly spider that appears randomly on his ship. He decides to name it Hanus (and it’s wonderfully voiced by Paul Dano) then the creature forces him to revisit memories and moments in his mind that haunt him. He needs to confront the past to move on, and apparently this is the only way…

As a vehement hater of spiders, the most prominent question that plagued my mind: what is the whole point of visualizing his troubled psyche as a spider? Is it some kind of generic and obvious version of “his deepest, darkest fears manifested in physical form?” That would be my therapist confronting me, for sure. The film never really addresses this because it doesn’t want to, it’s about this space creature being an unexplainable mystery, and no answers will be given. Fine. Fair enough. Thankfully this spider isn’t as scary as it may seem – not only is he a fairly kind, harmless creature, they animate his dialogue by giving him a cute little mouth that is clearly visible in a few scenes (they also learned some lessons from the Sonic mistake). And hearing Paul Dano’s voice coming out of this thing just soothes me. Which I suppose is the point, after all… But it’s still odd and so ridiculous there are a few scenes that may make viewers burst out laughing. Why, out of all the possibilities for space creatures or aliens or entities to encounter, did they have to use a spider (!!) as his guide? Whatever the reason, at least it’s a nice spider that helps Jakub on his mission and his mental health.

It’s essentially just a 106 minute shrink session with a lonely, depressed Adam Sandler astronaut. The other big problem with Spaceman is that the other side of the story is its weakest link. Somehow Renck was able to cast Carey Mulligan as Lenka, Jakub’s pregnant wife stuck down on Earth while he is away for a year (or more) on this mission. She is not happy about this, she is not happy about anything about his career or life. There is no chemistry at all between the two of them. For most of this movie, I was sure Sandler and Mulligan had shot their scenes in separate movie studios on opposite sides of the world at entirely different times. Lenka always seems to be upset with Jakub doing anything besides staying home and taking care of her, which is rather strange when he is (supposed to be) the Czech Republic’s first astronaut – something she should be entirely supportive of. Right? Perhaps this is part of way Jakub is feeling so depressed and hopeless out there. Thankfully Hanus helps him understand what went wrong with his wife, and although he’s about to make the most remarkable discovery any human being has ever made, none of that matters because he was wrong to leave his pregnant wife to begin with. Well, okay… That’s all the wisdom to offer?

As a sci-fi fan, I’m particularly tired of all these modern sci-fi movies that take someone extreme distances for some spectacular discovery out in space, only for the finale to be that oh wait, there’s nothing out there, and it’s more important you go home and take care of your loved ones and your family. Yeah, yeah, we get it. Family and significant others and kids are super important. But why do they have to cram this concept into high concept sci-fi scripts? Why aren’t there a few sci-fi movies that are only about making some incredible discovery out in deep space that does change everything? Then bring that knowledge back to Earth and let everything be affected by how amazing this space stuff is. I wish that was the Spaceman movie we could all be watching. But it’s not. Instead, we get Adam Sandler learning how to overcome his past with the help of Paul Dano as a compassionate, hairy spider that also loves the Czech Nutella stored on the ship. Despite my many complaints, I don’t dislike this movie, it’s nothing I would label as “bad”. It’s just not that good either.

Alex’s Berlinale 2024 Rating: 6.5 out of 10
Follow Alex on Twitter – @firstshowing / Or Letterboxd – @firstshowing

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Looking Ahead: 10 Movies Opening in 2024 That Will Blow You Away | FirstShowing.net

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Looking Ahead: 10 Movies Opening in 2024 That Will Blow You Away

by Alex Billington
December 28, 2023

“Let me fight beside you.” The calm before the storm… 2024 is just around the corner, the New Year ready to welcome us whether we like it or not. In celebration of New Years and the begining of 2024, we’re taking a quick look ahead at some of our Most Anticipated Movies of 2024. Hollywood is in a tumultuous time, coming out of two big strikes in 2023 not to mention myriad other issues related to streaming & storytelling & beyond. So they don’t confirm release dates as far in advance as they used to. The December 2024 line-up is remarkable sparse right now, and plenty of other movies initially set for release in 2024 are just going into production due to the strikes preventing them from filming. The 2024 Release Schedule is always subject to changes and updates, as usual, but for now – these 10 exciting movies below should still arrive in theaters sometime next year. Plenty more to come as Hollywood reveals their surprises waiting in the wings. I tend to focus on sci-fi, since it’s my favorite genre, and 2024 has some sci-fi movies ready to rock theaters.

2024 will be FirstShowing’s 18th year in operation as a movie website. Hopefully it continues to be a good resource for updates and information on upcoming movies, as our goal is to remain a high quality site that is accessible to anyone (no paywalls and no locked content) without resorting to clickbait. It’s in our nature to always look forward to whatever the next highly anticipated “first showing” opening night is, so here we go…

Dune: Part Two (Dir. Denis Villeneuve) – Opening March 1st, 2024

10 Movies in 2024 - Dune: Part Two

THE BIG ONE!! While this sequel was originally supposed to be a 2023 movie, it will now be one of the best cinematic experiences of 2024 – guaranteed. I’ve got a very good feeling about this one. Most importantly, Denis Villeneuve seems confident as well. In a few interviews, he’s already been talking about how this is a “better” movie with more action, more of the sci-fi storytelling he has been waiting to get into after making the first half. I often still think about how Dune: Part One is one of the best sci-fi movies in a long time, and this is going to be even better. Sandworm armies! Emperor Shaddam IV! The rise of the Muad’Dib! If you haven’t read the book, you have no idea what we’re in for… The cast should be enough to get anyone excited: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Tim Blake Nelson, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Léa Seydoux. [Watch the trailer]

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (Dir. George Miller) – Opening May 24th, 2024

10 Movies in 2024 - Furiosa

Let’s go, George Miller! Bring on Furiosa! When this opens, it will be 9 years since Mad Max: Fury Road opened and instantly found its place high on the list of best action movies ever made. Much like Fury Road, Furiosa was plagued with production problems and setbacks. They finally shot it in 2022 down in Australia, and it has been getting ready for release ever since. Warner Bros held onto it and set it for 2024 instead of 2024, which might be the right move. This prequel is also based on a screenplay that was written years ago before Miller even made Fury Road, and apparently the crew have been anxiously awaiting this one. As it will be the real deal. A glimpse of footage from the first teaser confirms this is going to rock. Furiosa stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Imperator Furiosa, Chris Hemsworth as Dementus, with Tom Burke, Alyla Browne, Nathan Jones as Rictus Erectus, Angus Sampson as The Organic Mechanic. Can’t! Wait! [Watch the teaser]

Megalopolis (Dir. Francis Ford Coppola) – No Release Date Set Yet

10 Movies in 2024 - Megalopolis

Yep – 2024 is the year of Francis Ford Coppola. While he did make a few experimental indie films in the late 00s (Youth Without Youth, Tetro, Twixt), this is his first major production since 1997’s The Rainmaker. The early rumor is that this is expected to premiere at Cannes 2024, making it this year’s Killers of the Flower Moon – a beloved American filmmaker bringing his ambitious, expensive new project to debut at the festival. Coppola had to finance most of this himself, as the budget is rumored to be over $100M. The sci-fi spectacle is set in NYC and apparently deals a lot with what’s happening in the world now. “In New York, a woman is divided between loyalties to her father, who has a classical view of society, and her architect lover, who is more progressive & ready for the future.” Plus the massive ensemble cast is to die for: Adam Driver, Forest Whitaker, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jason Schwartzman, Talia Shire, Dustin Hoffman, D.B. Sweeney, and Giancarlo Esposito. I am so curious about it.

Joker: Folie à Deux (Dir. Todd Phillips) – Opening October 4th, 2024

10 Movies in 2024 - Joker: Folie à Deux

Arthur Fleck is back for more mayhem. More clown masks. More jokes. More of… everything. Co-writer / director Todd Phillips got actor Joaquin Phoenix back to make this highly anticipated sequel, and it’s now set to open in October, same as the first Joker movie in 2019. Instead of calling it Joker 2, the new title is Joker: Folie à Deux, because it’ll be introducing Joker’s partner-in-crime: Lady Gaga as Dr. Harleen Quinzel aka the DC villain Harley Quinn. The main cast also includes Zazie Beets returning, with Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland, and Harry Lawtey. Cinematographer Lawrence Sher returns, along with composer Hildur Guðnadóttir. Will this be less controversial, more entertaining? Doubtful. I expect it to be even more controversial, but that sounds good to me, as the obnoxious stir the first movie caused was annoying but also brought more people to it and helped cement it as a major moment in cinema.

Alien: Romulus (Dir. Fede Alvarez) – Opening August 16th, 2024

10 Movies in 2024 - Alien: Romulus

Another Alien movie is ready! This new one isn’t directed by Ridley Scott (he’s finishing up Gladiator 2 also scheduled for release in 2024). While the title Alien: Romulus isn’t official or confirmed yet, this is the working title they’ve been using. This standalone movie is set between the events of Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986), though not many other confirmed details are known about the plot yet. Perhaps another spaceship thriller where a crew is overrun by a xenomorph? Acclaimed Uruguayan horror filmmaker Fede Álvarez (of Evil Dead, Don’t Breathe) is writing & directing. In March 2022, it was announced that Álvarez would be making the film after pitching his own story, “unconnected” to the previous films in the franchise. Filming is finished, with an August opening in theaters. Starring Cailee Spaeny (from Priscilla), Isabela Merced, David Jonsson, and Archie Renaux. Expect to see a teaser trailer sometime in the first months of 2024.

LOTR: The War of the Rohirrim (Dir. Kenji Kamiyama) – Opening December 13th, 2024

10 Movies in 2024 - The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim

Yes, there’s a brand new LOTR movie in 2024! The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is an animated movie produced by Warner Bros Animation. It’s directed by Kenji Kamiyama, a Japanese anime director best known for the “Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C.” series, Star Wars: Visions short “The Ninth Jedi”, and the Blade Runner: Black Lotus series most recently. Set 261 years before the events of The Two Towers, The War of the Rohirrim movie tells the story of Helm Hammerhand, a legendary King of Rohan who must defend against an army of Dunlendings. He becomes the namesake for the stronghold of Helm’s Deep. How awesome does that sound?! Sola Entertainment is behind the animation, using hand-drawn animation in a style reminiscent of traditional anime, with visual inspiration from the original trilogy. WB seems confident this might be a huge hit, scheduling it for a theatrical release in December when the original trilogy opened.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (Dir. Wes Ball) – Opening May 24th, 2024

10 Movies in 2024 - Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Apes together strong! Another Planet of the Apes movie, not too long after the last trilogy finished (with the brilliant War for the Planet of the Apes in 2017). The ambitious, talented VFX director Wes Ball takes over (after The Maze Runner trilogy), and continues the storyline about a descendant of Caesar far in the future when Apes have been ruling the planet for generations. The story in this next one seems to be similar to the original 1968 Planet of the Apes, where it’s about one ape befriending a human being and fighting back against other vicious ape tribes that do not want peace or prosperity. With most of the money being spent on VFX and production work, the cast is lead mostly by unknown or up-and-coming actors: Owen Teague as Noa, a young chimpanzee, Freya Allan as Mae, a feral young woman, Kevin Durand as Proximus Caesar, Lydia Peckham as Soona, a female chimpanzee, along with William H. Macy. [Watch the teaser trailer]

Twisters (Dir. Lee Isaac Chung) – Opening July 19th, 2024

10 Movies in 2024 - Twisters

They finally made a sequel to Twister! Yes, the 90s tornado movie starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton. After years in development with different filmmakers, Twisters finally went into production last year with Minari director Lee Isaac Chung. They started filming for a month, but then the actors’ strike shut down production. They only recently began shooting again and it’s likely they’ll push the release date back, as it will be tough to finish all of the post-production work and VFX by July (the May 2024 date seen on the fan-made art above was the original plan – no longer the case). You never know! This new Twisters stars Glen Powell, Kiernan Shipka, Maura Tierney, and Daisy Edgar-Jones. Powell states that it’s not really a sequel: “It’s a completely original story. There are no characters from the original movie back… It’s just its own standalone story in the modern day.” As a big fan of the original Twister, I have high hopes for this one.

Deadpool 3 (Dir. Shawn Levy) – Opening July 26th, 2024

10 Movies in 2024 - Deadpool 3

Another movie that had to pause production due to the actors’ strike in 2023. They filmed for a few months, then had to wait, and have JUST begun shooting again recently. It may be pushed back, but it’s also pretty clear Disney/20th Century wants this to be a big 2024 movie no matter what. Aside from Ryan Reynolds convincing Hugh Jackman to come back to play Wolverine again (with his vintage yellow costume), what I’m most excited about is the multiverse concept. Based on early set photos, Deadpool 3 looks to be riffing on the 20th Century Fox comic book movie era, with the old logo lying broken in the background of a set they’ve been filming on, and various characters from their movies appearing in this comedy crossover event. The rest of whatever happens we’ll wait to be surprised by whenever this lands in theaters. Whatever the case, even if you didn’t care for the other two Deadpool films, this is shaping up to be a clever comedic blast.

Mickey 17 (Dir. Bong Joon-ho) – Opening March 29th, 2024

10 Movies in 2024 - Mickey 17

A new Bong Joon-ho sci-fi movie!! Enough said. This is both written and directed by Bong Joon-ho, adapted from the high-concept sci-fi novel titled “Mickey7” written by Edward Ashton (described as “The Martian meets Multiplicity“). To be frank, I’m nervous abut Warner Bros handling this movie, as the Hollywood studio system could mess up Bong’s flow (Snowpiercer had a rough time). Nonetheless, I remain hopeful & excited to see what he’s cooking up, especially returning to science fiction with a story that’s intellectually intriguing. Robert Pattinson stars as Mickey Barnes, an “Expendable”: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. There can’t be more than two at the same time, but after he goes missing he comes back to discover another, and refuses to let his replacement clone take his place. Will Bong Joon-ho make some adjustments to the plot? We’ll have to wait and find out… [Watch the teaser]

Others not listed that we’re also looking forward to in 2024: Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2, Reinaldo Marcus Green’s Bob Marley: One Love (out soon), Gil Kenan’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (really hope it’s good), Adam Wingard’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers (held over from 2023), Alex Garland’s Civil War (will it be any good?), David Leitch’s The Fall Guy, Pixar’s Inside Out 2 (looking good), Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga (x2), Shyamalan’s Trap, Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice 2, DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot, Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man, Barry Levinson’s Alto Knights, Len Wiseman’s Ballerina Barry Jenkins’ Mufasa: The Lion King, Lynne Ramsay’s Polaris, and Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu. Plus of course the sequel Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse if they get it finished (it was set for March until the strikes, now it doesn’t have any release date – I hope they’ll take their time to do it right).

Keep an eye out for more updates on 2024 releases, and stay tuned for the latest trailers and reviews. Our mission with FirstShowing is to always keep everyone informed & excited about upcoming movies, year after year. Stay passionate, stay open-minded, stay interested. You never know which movies will surprise us (in good ways or bad ways), you never know which will end up really blowing us away. Maybe none of these 10 will? Maybe all of them will? It’s time to find out as we slide right into the New Year of movies that await us.

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Review: Sci-Fi Action ‘The Creator’ – This Movie Isn’t Really About A.I. | FirstShowing.net

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Review: Sci-Fi Action ‘The Creator’ – This Movie Isn’t Really About A.I.

by Alex Billington
September 28, 2023

“Whose side are you on, huh?” Let’s get right into it – time to dig into this one… For the record, I’ve been a huge fan of Gareth Edwards ever since his first feature Monsters, writing a glowing review out of Cannes 2010 after catching a small screening. Now 13 years later he’s back with another original sci-fi movie titled The Creator, a big budget studio picture that is entirely his idea. The script is credited to Gareth Edwards and Chris Weitz, but Edwards gets the sole “Story by” credit on this movie. First things first, The Creator is visually astonishing and deserves to be seen on the big screen for the visuals alone. However, the rest of the movie feels rather empty, without much of a story besides another Lone Wolf and Cub rehash built into a bigger A.I. vs humans / America vs Asia world. Despite the movie being set in the future where humanoid robots are as common as regular fleshy human beings, it needs to be stated clearly – this movie isn’t actually about Artificial Intelligence at all. It’s really another Vietnam War tale turned into an action sci-fi spectacle.

In an era of reboots, sequels, adaptation, and remakes, it’s really, really nice to see a completely original sci-fi movie. And this stands out being so big and bold and fresh. In terms of the visuals and world-building, this movie is off the charts spectacular. In terms of the story and script, this movie is underwhelming. It’s a good movie but lacks depth exploring any themes beyond just the basics. There’s not even that much to talk about after. Here’s a guy, who you don’t know much about (as usual with John David Washington in a lead role), who lost his wife, who we also don’t know much about. He just wants her back. That’s the main plot of this movie, wrapped around the “but there’s also robots & America hates them” near-future context. Edwards’ world-building is phenomenal because he builds it all around what they shot. He has explained in interviews for The Creator that they went out and shot all of it, then came back and created everything else and designed the world to make it feel big and exciting. Yes, that is exciting, and it’s enjoyable and satisfying to watch, but by the time it was over I felt empty. Even trying to discuss it, what is there get into? Not much.

Once the movie gets going, there’s a reveal part of the way in that it’s essentially America against Southeast Asia. They don’t like this generic “New Asia”, as it is known in the future, because they’re friendly with the A.I. and have learned to integrate and live with them. Americans don’t like this A.I. because, well, something happened and a nuke exploded in Los Angeles and they blame the A.I. All this context is based not only on America’s response to 9/11, but also America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. That is really what the film is about – American imperialism and military might. They even have this gigantic aerial battle-station called “NOMAD“, which is also an obvious reference to the very real “NORAD” located in a mountain in Colorado Springs. Except this one can fly anywhere around the planet and destroy anything. Somehow the American’s have unlimited, unchallenged authority to go wherever and attack anyone with this ship. This is also an interesting reference to what happened during the building of the atomic bomb – and why some scientists leaked info to the Russians, because they didn’t believe America should have complete, monopolistic control over the ultimate weapon. In this movie, they do. However, the how & why of this thing is left unexplained.

Going in to watch The Creator, I was thinking wow it’s impressive how Gareth Edwards was able to capture the zeitgeist of 2023 with its eerily relevant story about Artificial Intelligence. As everyone knows, A.I. has taken over the tech world in 2023, including in Hollywood – the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are partially about A.I. and how they will use it. However, watching this movie I realized – it doesn’t actually tap into the zeitgeist at all. Robots and A.I. have been a major part of sci-fi storytelling for decades. All of the conversations around The Creator involve everyone projecting 2023 thoughts about A.I. onto a movie that was conceived of years ago and filmed in early 2022. I’ve heard critics wondering if the movie is supposed to make us wonder if we should bow down to our benevolent A.I. overlords, instead of be against them (as is happening in the real world in 2023) because it depicts them as being so kind. One of them even says at one point that they would never harm humans, it’s not in their coding to do so (a reference to the first law of Isaac Asimov’s “Three Laws of Robotics“). But thinking this is missing the point of the entire movie. These robots aren’t really the same as A.I. in 2023, they’re actually foreigners: Vietnamese, Thai, and other Asians.

The Creator Review

The movie’s actual commentary and concept is about America’s perceived ultimate superiority and desire to eradicate anything it wants or deems a “threat”, including going to over to countries in Southeast Asia, like Vietnam, and killing Vietnamese people (estimates are that upwards of 3 million Vietnamese were killed in the Vietnam War). In The Creator, the “threat” is A.I., but only because the A.I. are supposedly responsible for the nuclear explosion in Los Angeles. Instead of the movie being about Artificial Intelligence, it’s using A.I. robots as the main metaphor for striking commentary on America’s militaristic ego and imperialism. It just so happens that A.I. became a major topic in 2023 and thus the movie found the right time to debut in theaters. Aside from the world-building, there is no actual dialogue or conversations or commentary in the movie about A.I. and what it means and how it works. The simple question of, can we co-exist with A.I., is a remarkably common question in most sci-fi; it’s something that almost every sci-fi writer over the last 60 years has pondered and considered in their work. This movie adds absolutely nothing to that conversation.

Ultimately, The Creator is just another sci-fi action spectacle with lots of guns and explosions that could use a much better script. Many of the quieter scenes where Joshua is laying low waiting for the next attack could have become scenes where they discuss Artificial Intelligence, technology, and the ‘bots that are everywhere. There’s not much backstory or explanation as to how the robots came to power, how they got blamed for the nuclear explosion in Los Angeles, how they got so advanced, how New Asia successfully integrated them into their society, how they learned how to be human-like, who invented them, who profits off of building them, etc. Movies like The Matrix and Blade Runner explore these topics right in the plot, but The Creator does not – it wants to be more of a cinematic experience based on sci-fi aesthetic than anything else. As for the script, it’s entirely about the connection between Joshua and the young robot he finds and names Alphie (played by Madeleine Yuna Voyles). The whole time, I could not stop thinking – this guy is a really bad dad. He never learns how to be a better caretaker of this kid, like Mando does in “The Mandalorian” series.

One of the movie’s highlights is Allison Janney starring as Colonel Howell, who is Joshua’s commanding officer from the government watching over the mission. Much like Stephan Lang’s iconic performance as the mean bastard Quaritch in Avatar, she’s another grizzled badass villain character in a big sci-fi movie that many will remember. While at first it may seem like unconventional casting, she handles the role with the right amount of grit and calm to stand out among the rest of the cast. There’s a scene in the first half where she connects with Joshua as they’re flying to Asia, as if she gets him and understands him. This bit of well-played empathy worked because it even got me, at first I thought she might end up being one of the “good guys.” Not much later we find out, oh right, she’s just another mean military tool whose jackboot mentality continues to threaten lives no matter where they go or what Joshua does to put an end to this dangerous pursuit. Madeleine’s performance as Alphie is also endearing, though at times she’s a bit hokey and phony.

If I’m honest, I do hope this movie ends up being a big hit anyway because it will mean good things for sci-fi and original storytelling. Hollywood needs to know a completely original creation like this is worth making and worth investing in, and movieogers will connect with it. That said, it’s far from the sci-fi masterpiece it could be, and I still must emphasize how simplistic and empty it is thematically. I wish was walking out of this movie engaging in deep philosophical discussions about Artificial Intelligence, but I’m not. Because it’s not about A.I., it’s about how America will exterminate anything it deems a threat to its way of life, without any desire to understand anything more beyond “they’re bad and we need to get rid of them.” Which is one of the lessons of this movie that is nice for humanity, but not right for real world tech. Earlier in 2023, one of the creators of modern A.I. left Google so he could “sound the alarm about A.I.” and its danger. This is the opposite of the message in The Creator because these are different conversations about different ideas, and we shouldn’t conflate the two. Enjoy this movie for how beautiful looks on screen, but not for anything else.

Alex’s Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Follow Alex on Twitter – @firstshowing / Or Letterboxd – @firstshowing

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Review: ‘Knock at the Cabin’ is Shyamalan’s Triumphant Comeback

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Review: ‘Knock at the Cabin’ is Shyamalan’s Triumphant Comeback

by Manuel São Bento
February 1, 2023

Typically, when people talk about their favorite filmmakers, names of directors with never-ending success come to mind – with careers full of culturally impactful and memorable movies that have marked an entire generation. M. Night Shyamalan is a somewhat popular name in these types of conversations, but much of his filmography suffers tremendously from inconsistent quality. At the turn of the millennium, he crafted a series of unforgettable masterpieces (The Sixth Sense in 1999, Unbreakable in 2000, Signs in 2002), but then went on a long hiatus returning with new films that were either quite divisive or downright disastrous. He’s back again in 2023 with Knock at the Cabin, an adaptation of the book written by Paul Tremblay.

In 2016, Shyamalan reemerged with Split, an unexpected sequel to Unbreakable that positively shocked an audience that had been waiting for the filmmaker’s big comeback for years. Unfortunately, Shyamalan failed to ride that new hype wave, since both Glass and Old were, in their own ways, disappointing. Given all this back and forth throughout the last few years, why do so many moviegoers continue to look up to M. Night Shyamalan with such admiration and respect, myself included? And where does his latest, Knock at the Cabin, fit into the unpredictable qualitative spectrum of his projects?

The last question is the easiest to answer and the one I really want to dwell on. Knock at the Cabin could easily be considered the best movie Shyamalan has made since Signs  – 21 years apart – but Split exists and has something to say in that regard. And no, this isn’t one of those cases where it’s “the best since *insert film title or date*” because there was no “competition”. Shyamalan actually manages to regain his aura with this adaptation of Paul G. Tremblay’s novel, titled in full The Cabin at the End of the World, which will surely receive a significantly positive reception from critics and audiences alike.

Knock at the Cabin focuses all its spotlight on a “simple” question: would you sacrifice someone you love to save the entire population of Earth? What if that question is posed by a group of strangers interrupting your peaceful family vacation? What would need to happen before you accepted that this insanity was, in fact, real? And what if it’s not? What if it’s all just a macabre movement by a religious cult? The questions are endless, as the moral dilemmas are impossible to answer momentarily.

Parents Eric (Jonathan Groff) and Andrew (Ben Aldridge), and their daughter, Wen (Kristen Cui), are the family chosen to deal with this emotionally devastating debacle, regardless of the decision ultimately taken. This theme is pushed to its limits to create shocking, traumatic scenes that send the main characters into an uncontrollable emotional spiral. Through long takes and extreme close-ups, Shyamalan generates a bubble-like atmosphere, ready to burst at any moment from the accumulated tension and suspense.

DP Jarin Blaschke’s cinematography stands out due to the lingering camera right on top of the actors, creating anxiety in viewers, who will nervously shake their legs, fidget uncomfortably, and bite their nails until the very last second. Composer Herdís Stefánsdóttir’s score and especially the sound design – it is particularly immersive in a 7.1 theater – contribute in an impactful manner to an uneasy environment that benefits even more from the unique location, a characteristic quite common throughout Shyamalan’s career.

The entire cast delivers astonishing performances, but if I had to identify the standout, it has to be Dave Bautista (also seen in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery recently). In interviews, the actor has expressed his intention to take on more dramatic roles and leave the inconsequentially comedic characters behind. In Knock at the Cabin, Bautista not only delivers the best performance of his career, but he also becomes my favorite wrestler-turned-actor. In a movie where appearances are deceiving, Bautista leads the “mission” of his group in a fascinating way, keeping viewers glued to the screen from the very first minute.

Not far behind him is Groff (also seen in The Matrix Resurrections recently). I’ve never particularly been a fan of the actor, but the greatest accumulation of emotions are found in his character. Gradually, Eric tries to interpret, judge, and decide what to do amid so much chaos. Following this character arc through Groff’s facial expressions becomes simultaneously frightening and captivating. His counterpart, played by Aldridge, takes on a more protective, aggressive role, forming an interesting balance between two characters who react distinctively to a stressful situation.

Knock at the Cabin Review

Nikki Amuka-Bird, Abby Quinn, and Rupert Grint contribute with equally notable performances, although I wish the latter had more screentime. With the help of writers Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman, Shyamalan co-authors a script that efficiently explores the characters in this situation, despite the transitions to certain flashbacks not always working. Either way, the character work is worthy of praise. Everyone has extremely relatable traits, which is one of the countless factors that enrich a taut atmosphere.

A few moments would benefit from more visual shock, but this is just an insignificant nitpick. Knock at the Cabin is more focused on playing with the horror aspects inherent in the premise, which doesn’t have any associated issues. That said, there’s a small attempt to explore the fact that the whole situation happens to a gay couple, as well as the clear religious context. Personally, I believe there was room for a more in-depth study of these topics, but it’s more of an idea that would be interesting to follow than any real flaw.

Knock at the Cabin is a perfect movie to once again allow anyone to champion M. Night Shyamalan as an outstanding director. Someone who knows how to build the ideal conditions for the cast to shine. Someone who knows how to use the little space and time at his disposal – he has an impressive ability to create absolutely mesmerizing single-location flicks. Someone who generates an immersive environment effortlessly. As a screenwriter, Shyamalan is recognized for his creative, bold decisions without any fear of a divisive reception, carrying the (bad?) tendency to completely change the movie with a last-minute twist.

And it’s on this subject that I want to end the review. Expectations are a major factor often ignored and undermined by viewers, as if having a predefined idea of what we anticipate watching doesn’t affect the final opinion that much. In the case of Knock at the Cabin, it’s relatively safe to assume that those who are familiar with Shyamalan’s filmography will walk into the theater expecting a third act that, for better or worse, will elicit a general reaction of “what the hell just happened?” The interesting part of this topic lies precisely in the public’s opinion about these same twists.

If Knock at the Cabin plays it safe, will it disappoint those who love these surprising moments and satisfy those who criticize the filmmaker’s obsession with this mechanism? What if it’s the opposite situation? The truth is more straightforward than one might imagine: it depends on the quality of the twist. Obviously, this is both vague and subjective, like everything else in film criticism. But as a fan of Shyamalan and all his qualities that are sometimes flaws and vice-versa, the conclusion of this movie manages to simultaneously leave me completely satisfied and… also asking for something more.

All of Shyamalan’s films are undeniably impactful, and Knock at the Cabin is no exception to this tradition. I easily imagine this one becoming a cult classic or, avoiding this potential overstatement, being watched and rewatched over and over again by fans of psychological, claustrophobic horror films. In the end, I’m genuinely happy that a filmmaker who sacrifices so much of his own life to bring imaginative stories to the big screen is back on the lips of the film world for good reasons.

Final Thoughts

Knock at the Cabin marks the triumphant comeback of M. Night Shyamalan, who possibly delivers his best movie since Signs in 2002. With the help of a superb cast led by the phenomenal Dave Bautista – with a career-best performance – the filmmaker explores the emotional complexity found in the profound moral dilemmas placed upon human beings when faced with life-and-death decisions. With a focus on a single location with persistent cinematography and immersive sound design, generating an atmosphere charged with excruciating tension. Extraordinarily gripping from start to finish. The next cult classic is born.

Manuel’s Rating: A-
Follow Manuel on Twitter – @msbreviews / Or Letterboxd – @msbreviews

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Review: ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ is a Must-See Cinematic Adventure

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Review: ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ is a Must-See Cinematic Adventure

by Manuel São Bento
December 16, 2022

James Cameron is arguably one of the most influential filmmakers in movie history. He’s also considered the sequel master – Aliens and Terminator 2: Judgment Day remain two of the best sequels ever made – and he’s one of the leading artists behind the technological evolution within this respective art, it would be absurd to not have Avatar: The Way of Water as one of your most anticipated films of the year. As a fan of the original, expectations for the continuation of the saga – which will have at least three more movies in addition to this one – were very high, and, for the most part, they were fulfilled… for better and for worse.

Regarding Avatar (2009): I don’t know the reasons behind the “popular to hate” and “does anyone care?” trend that emerged a few years ago. The truth is that I hadn’t reviewed the original for a long time, so I was curious to know how much my opinion had changed. After rewatching it the day before the sequel, I couldn’t have been more positively surprised. The visuals remain incredible even 13 years later. The score has never ceased to be memorably epic, and contrary to one of the points used to contest the film’s cultural impact, I remembered the story and characters perfectly.

Having written all this, The Way of Water lives up to my predictions. Technically, it’s practically impossible to point out any flaw. The same cannot be said about the sequel’s script, written by James Cameron, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver. Do I consider this the typical case of “quality over substance”? No. There are easily distinguishable themes, clear intentions, and important messages to convey. However, the levels of creativity, innovation, and dedication are so high on the technical side that the story suffers in comparison.

It doesn’t matter much if I start with discussing the visuals, sound, score, or any other element of this type, as they all stand out in a truly spectacular manner. Curiously, the visual effects in The Way of Water have been the most complimented feature – and the reasons are more than valid, of course – but for me personally, the sound design & sound mixing deserve the same amount of praise, especially in the aquatic environment, that is, in the water or under it. The movie may be 95% CGI, but the sound work is so immersive that viewers will easily forget that they are, in fact, watching a film.

Whether it’s the water splashing against rocks, giant waves lapping, underwater animals communicating, characters spattering on the surface, or moving around in the water, the sound design detail is astonishing – certain moments seem like they’re straight out of the iconic Blue Planet docu-series. Simon Franglen’s score compliments the original, the late James Horner’s score for the first Avatar, keeping the melodies and classic notes that impacted me so much in 2009. It contains all the chill-inducing characteristics that a blockbuster of this dimension requires, elevating stunning shots and adrenaline-charged action set pieces.

Avatar: The Way of Water Review

Of course, The Way of Water’s visuals are absolutely mesmerizing, too. The movie can be referenced as perfectly undeniable, incontestable proof that CGI can be an essential supplement in cinema and even the primary visual engine of an entire film. What Cameron has managed to create underwater is unbelievable, and it’s in this subaquatic environment that new technology and innovative filmmaking methods come into play. However, the Holy Grail is in the so-called “performance capture”.

As of this release, no other movie matches The Way of Water when it comes to capturing facial expressions in motion-capture renderings – which is saying a lot when Planet of the Apes and The Lord of the Rings did it so well, and the superhero genre constantly uses this technique as well. Contrary to what happens in other films, the simple fact that viewers are able to analyze the actors’ performances as if they were ordinary live-action interpretations is impressive in and of itself. Emotions are palpable through a mere look or posture in an incomparable manner to what Hollywood is producing elsewhere. The Oscar for Best Visual Effects is more than certain an well-deserved.

That said, The Way of Water is less impressive than the original work. In 2009, everything belonged to the “never seen before” category: the special use of 3D, the quality of CGI and performance capture, the creation of Pandora… every aspect of the first movie was shocking. Nothing left me in that state during the sequel, and I’m afraid the general audience might feel the same way. Is it visually striking? Undoubtedly. But not to the point of being a unique, unrepeatable experience. It’s “simply” a film with CGI prepared, tweaked, and tested over an entire decade, so obviously, it’s expected to look phenomenal.

The underwater sequences themselves will only truly impress more knowledgeable viewers, as without some research beforehand or acquaintance with what Cameron has brought new to the industry, this environment will just look like “great CGI”. Hence, I seriously disagree with the common go to line many journalists are using to try and get quoted: “The Way of Water surpasses the original in every way.” Any blockbuster of today has better visuals than most movies from decades past, so it’s unfair and even misleading to directly compare technical aspects individually and outside the context of the time of release, as this would mean that virtually all recent films are better than the originals.

In short, The Way of Water is a must-see movie on the biggest movie screen possible. It’s an experience that must be lived in a massive screening room with a giant screen, where the entertainment value increases tremendously. And don’t let the previous paragraphs deceive you: it’s one of the most visually immersive films of the century. To provoke such a feeling in the viewers, the cast is crucial. It’s hard to single out any one actor, however: Zoe Saldaña (Neytiri), Kate Winslet (Ronal), Sam Worthington (Jake Sully), and Sigourney Weaver (Kiri) all embody their characters superbly, with the first obliterating the others in terms of expressiveness and her emotional scale.

And it’s precisely in the characterization and development of each character that the movie shines, apart from all the technicalities. With the introduction of Jake and Neytiri’s children, The Way of Water could easily get lost with the amount of distinct, individual arcs. However, the concepts of family and parental protection are well explored through Jake and Neytiri’s uncertainty and fear, but also through Neteyam’s (Jamie Flatters) respect for this father, Lo’ak’s (Britain Dalton) search for validation, Tuk’s (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss) innocence, and Kiri’s spiritual connection to water.

Avatar: The Way of Water Review

The Way of Water delves into some characters more than others, but all receive proper attention during the just-over-three-hours runtime – Neytiri is the only one who ends up, unfortunately, having less screentime compared to others, but the last act compensates for her somewhat strange absence during the second hour. Jake’s different treatment of his eldest son, compared to Lo’ak, is quite relatable, being the most captivating common storyline of the entire film. I was emotionally invested in the stories of each of the Sully family members throughout the entire movie.

The same cannot be said about Kiri’s arc, though. Honestly, while the character has a distinctive personality and, in many ways, is the film’s spiritual soul, The Way of Water uses her too much as an object whose purpose is to demonstrate the $400M budget to the audience. Surely, this wasn’t Cameron’s intention, but considering that weaknesses are presented and quickly forgotten, as well as a few other storytelling details, it seems that the filmmaker occasionally gets lost amidst his extreme commitment to the technical areas.

In the end, the main problem with The Way of Water is its central plot. In addition to some logical issues raised by some character decisions, the real obstacle is the predictability and repetition of generic narrative points. Cameron, Jaffa, and Silver recycle a lot from the original, borrowing its structure, antagonist, and even many of its themes. Stephen Lang returns as Colonel Miles Quaritch and even has an intriguing angle but one that falls into the usual developments without any unexpected turns.

Honestly, I believe this sequel serves more as a reminder than a true continuation of the story presented 13 years ago. An attempt to “test the waters” by putting the audience through a similar experience to convince studios that it’s really worth investing in such an expensive saga. This perspective is understandable, but it’s difficult to hide the partial disappointment felt when leaving The Way of Water without being astounded at any point throughout the entire narrative.

However, Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water is still efficient in everything it does. The story revolves around Jake wanting to protect his family at all costs, following a path filled with tough lessons to learn and complex obstacles to overcome. Running away from your problems is never the right decision, and the screenplay tackles this topic in many satisfying ways. A final remark on the action: while I prefer the third act of the original in this regard, the energy, stunt work, and overall effects of the various sequences offer some of the best entertainment you can witnesss all year. Impeccable work.

Final Thoughts

Avatar: The Way of Water clearly sets itself apart from many other blockbusters, building on 13 years of preparation to deliver a memorable CINEMA experience. A visually, technically breathtaking adventure, particularly in the truly stunning underwater sequences. The score remains epic, and the authentic dynamic between the members of the Sully family helps viewers to be emotionally invested in them. The entire cast’s performances, namely Zoe Saldaña, are vital for the film’s success. Too bad the recycled, generic narrative doesn’t keep up with the creativity, dedication, and innovation levels allocated to the technical elements. Underwhelming to the point of making the three-hour runtime feel heavier than it should, but for fans of the original – which remains supreme – it’s far from ruining one of the year’s must-see theater experiences.

Manuel’s Rating: B+
Follow Manuel on Twitter – @msbreviews / Or Letterboxd – @msbreviews

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