Leave The World Behind | Review by: Benjamin Garrett

A good mystery has you digging for answers - analyzing every little detail and theorizing about countless possible outcomes for the questions being raised. Leave the World Behind builds an engaging and thought provoking mystery that’ll instantly pull you in, but its answers may have you walking away underwhelmed.

This film comes from Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail, and shares a lot thematically with the hit series. He’s even stated that it takes place in the same fictional universe. This apocalyptic thriller has a lot to say about current geo-political relations and our world’s reliance on connected technology. The commentary is all highly relevant, but ultimately adds nothing new to this existing discourse. There are also numerous red herrings that serve no purpose other than building a further sense of intrigue. These disappointing bait-and-switch tactics are something the film could’ve done without.

Thankfully, this movie is gorgeously and creatively shot, with some of the best camera work of the year. Esmail and cinematographer Tod Campbell went above and beyond, with inspired visual flair that constantly wows. The camera’s placement and movement both become integral in how the story is told. It’s all meticulously calculated in a way that enhances every moment and serves to highlight the film’s cautionary themes.

The small group of characters are interestingly developed, and portrayed wonderfully by this impressive collection of talent. Each has a distinct personality that contrasts with the others, creating an often hostile dynamic of mistrust and skepticism. I really enjoyed watching the group interact as a whole, and then seeing them branch off into pairs for one-on-one conversations.

Leave the World Behind sets up an intriguing mystery and creates an ominous sense of dread, but as pieces of its puzzle fall into place, the answers become a bit less interesting than the questions being raised. Despite its flaws, the movie works well thanks to an all-star cast and exceptional direction from Sam Esmail.

3.5/5

Review by: Benjamin Garrett

#review #toronto

Rating all V/H/S/Halloween Segments

Like sorting through your candy after a night of trick-or-treating, V/H/S/ Halloween is a mixed bag. The eighth instalment in this cult-favourite horror anthology series comes up short of previous entries, but there are still a couple of treats in here that should satisfy your twisted cravings. A chilling still from V/H/S/ Halloween . Diet Phantasma This wraparound segment follows an R&D team testing a new low-calorie soda made with “real ghosts.” It’s silly fun, but gets a bit repetitive with each new test subject. The commercial playing during the end credits was a nice touch. Rating: ★★½☆ Coochie Coochie Coo This short feels like walking through a haunted house — but not in a good way. The plot is like something torn from a creepypasta thread. Everything is constantly being spelled out in a painfully obvious way. The practical effects and makeup are decent, and this is probably the only segment that comes close to being scary...

The Mandalorian Season 3 Review

Listen, I love Star Wars. I will always love Star Wars. The original and prequel trilogies were a big part of my childhood, and helped shape my love of cinema. While The Mandalorian isn’t among my favourites in the franchise, I thought it had a promising first season and a significantly stronger season two. Season three had so much potential, but a frustrating lack of focus held it back from greatness. This show’s always had a bit of an identity crisis, but it’s never been as clear as it is here. Does it want to be a procedural-style adventure of the week, or tell an epic, multi-season spanning arc? Season one leaned toward the former, while Season two found a satisfying balance of both. Season three tries to find that balance, but the overarching story it wants to tell is bigger than the few episodes allotted to do so. There are only 8 chapters, some barely over 30 min. That’s a fair...

Boss Level Film Review

Boss Level is a new addition to the time loop genre, with a twist. Ex-special forces officer, Roy Pulver, played by Frank Grillo, relives the same day until he dies. Every day he is hunted by assassins and when killed, he wakes up back in his bed where he started, only to have to try and survive all over again. Roy has no idea why he is stuck in this infinite time loop but he must do what he can to survive, and the longer he survives, the more he uncovers about his particular situation. Unlike most action films that take time to build up, this film gets right into it and offers tons of non-stop combat sequences that would satisfy any lover of action films. Its erratic flow makes for some fun action scenes which come out of nowhere since Roy can expect the assassins to attack at any moment. If you play video games often and have ever been stuck on a level for hours or even days, you know the feeling of having to repeat the same thing over and over again u...

1st Reviews

Search This Blog