Reviews by johanlefourbe

I already saw this movie but, since it was a while back and since it was available on Disney+, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, I have to admit that it wasn’t such a huge disaster after all. However, it is pretty obvious that Disney back then was still struggling to get its mojo back and, even though this movie was an improvement on the really abysmal ‘Chicken Little’, it was still pretty weak though. At least, the animation was decent enough but it was still clearly a step back from the stellar animation delivered by Pixar, even back then. Eventually, the main issue was that the concept was just really misguided and the end-result was pretty much a convoluted mess. On top of that, the Bowler Hat Guy was probably one of the most pathetic bad guys ever delivered by Disney (seriously, the guy didn’t even have an actual name, for crying out loud). And yet, I have to admit that the idea of a young teenager going back in time and becoming his father’s best friend was actually really neat. Furthermore, if Lewis was terribly bland and uncharismatic, Wilbur was actually an entertaining character and I wonder how the whole thing would have turned out to be if it had been told from his point of view instead. On top of that, even though all the jokes were seriously random, some of them were actually pretty funny. Anyway, to conclude, even if it wasn’t the worst CGI feature delivered by Disney at that point, most of it still didn’t work and I don’t think it is really worth a look, except maybe if you have some really young kids to entertain.

Since 'The Blair Witch Project' turned out to be a surprising success, the found-footage genre has become really popular for movie makers but it is not  surprising since it is a very cheap way to make movies. I have to admit that I  have actually a weak spot for this genre and, not like many other viewers, I don't really mind the shaky-cam. Anyway, since this feature is pretty much a classic in this genre, I was really eager to check it out. Well, basically, the whole thing started like a very boring TV-show but then, thanks to the filming style and the total lack of music, the whole thing became spellbinding to watch. On top of that,  you get some seriously surprising and shocking scenes along the road. To be honest, most of the movie was not really scary but those few scenes I mentionned before were rather unsettling. Eventually, when you think about it, it was a just a rather basic zombie story which didn't add much to the genre but I have to admit that it was still quite entertaining. Furthermore, like 'Fragiles', one of the previous movies directed by Jaume Balaguero, the ending was also really awesome and quite impressive. Anyway, to conclude, if you don't mind the shaky-cam, it is a very well made and entertaining movie and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Back in the 90's, the Hughes Brothers impressed with their amazing directing début, 'Menace II society', which is, in my opinion, the best movie in this genre, even better than the acclaimed 'Boyz'n the Hood'. Unfortunately, in the next 20 years following this promising flick, they never really lived up to those expectations. However, after all these years, they finally managed to direct a big budget production starring no less than Denzel Washington. First of all, I must say it was, visually speaking, easily their most impressive movie so far. It was not really black and white but there were barely any color and it was a perfect fit for this futuristic world and they were some very nice shots throughout the whole movie. Furthermore, Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman were both delivered some decent performances. Unfortunately, the whole thing still turned out to be rather disappointing. I mean, I do have a weak spot for such post-apocalyptic movies but I have seen so many of them and if they really want to impress me, they should really bring something new to the formula. And that was the main issue here, the plot was nothing I haven't seen before so even if I wasn't really bored, I can’t say that I was seriously entertained either. They did try to add some religious angle but it was never really convincing. I mean, that Carnegie wanted to manipulate people with religion sounded like a good plan but did he really need a bible? Indeed, you can find enough gurus who founded their own cult, with their own rules and their own 'books'. Anyway, to conclude, even though it was nothing original whatsoever, it was still a well made post-apocalyptic flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.