Author: Stan

“I’m telling you. This is how people die in movies.” —Alex

Today’s quick review: Rim of the World. Alex (Jack Gore), Dariush (Benjamin Flores, Jr.), Zhenzhen (Miya Cech), and Gabriel (Alessio Scalzotto) are at a summer camp in southern California when the world is ravaged by an alien invasion. Obeying the wishes of a dying astronaut, the teens embark on a perilous journey to deliver a key containing vital data to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

Rim of the World is a sci-fi adventure about four teens on a mission to save the world. Hounded by an alien monster and surrounded by destruction, Alex, Dariush, Zhenzhen, and Gabriel have to muster their courage and travel the 70 miles to their destination. Rim of the World mixes teen humor with special effect-laden destruction. In spite of some rough spots with its story, it manages to be a fun watch.

Rim of the World’s greatest strength is its characters. Alex, Dariush, Zhenzhen, and Gabriel have vastly different personalities, but they balance each other nicely. Their bickering and pop culture references give the movie a steady source of humor, while they are just resourceful enough to face the challenges in front of them. Their characterization is missing some subtlety, but they provide a solid foundation for the movie to build on.

Still, Rim of the World is clumsy in places. The story works well enough, but it revisits the same ideas too many times. So while the journey has a fair amount of variety, the incidents begin to feel repetitive because they use the same tricks to get the kids in and out of trouble. The movie also has some tonal issues, mashing up the humor and levity of a family adventure with the high stakes and body count of something more mature.

The end result is something fun but not as polished as it could have been. Rim of the World is a fine pick if you’re in the mood for a comedy-laced adventure about four teens tossed into the deep end. Its characters are likable enough, its humor has a decent hit rate, and in spite of some holes in its logic, the plot covers the ground it needs to. Just don’t go in expecting the careful story and character work seen in some similar films.

For a sci-fi movie that pits a group of teens against alien invaders, try Super 8 or Attack the Block. For an alien invasion on a grander scale, try Independence Day. For one with a friendlier tone, try Home. For a family fantasy adventure about a boy facing his fears, try The Pagemaster.

[5.2 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8179388/). I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for good characters, a fair plot, and a few rough edges.

Today’s quick review: Dark Skies. Lacy Barrett (Keri Russell), a struggling real estate agent, and her husband Daniel (Josh Hamilton), an unemployed architect, live in the suburbs with their sons Jesse (Dakota Goyo) and Sam (Kadan Rockett). After a series of bizarre intrusions at their home line up with Sam’s nightmares, Lacy and Daniel reluctantly seek answers from Edwin Pollard (J.K. Simmons), an expert on alien encounters.

Dark Skies is a sci-fi horror movie about one family’s brush with the unknown. Inexplicable incidents around the house escalate into blackouts and psychological symptoms that push the Barretts to their limits. Dark Skies features skillful character work, steady tension, and a suitably haunting mystery. Although Dark Skies is subdued for a horror movie, its sound judgment and craftsmanship make it a worthwhile watch.

Dark Skies has an eye for detail. Instead of drawing its story in broad strokes and leaving the rest for the audience to fill in, Dark Skies focuses on the countless details that bring its story to life. Every scene in the movie reveals more about the Barretts, ratchets up the tension, or both. The seeds that the movie plants early on bear fruit later, and the gradual escalation makes the events of the movie feel disturbingly plausible.

Dark Skies also hits a sweet spot with the mechanics of its plot. The early incidents are just ambiguous enough to keep the family and the audience on the hook without confirming anything specific. As the danger grows more acute, the Barretts find themselves running out of options, trapped in a situation they have no control over. The result is a well-scoped story with deliberate pacing and steady payoff.

For all its strengths, Dark Skies may have a hard time finding the right audience. The tone skews dark for a science fiction movie, with heavy doses of suspense and a few scares thrown in for good measure. However, some horror fans may find it too mundane. Instead of flashy special effects and major scares, Dark Skies opts for a slow boil with as much realism as it can manage.

Give Dark Skies a shot when you are in the mood for a dark and carefully crafted mystery. Dark Skies takes the right mix of fortitude and patience to get through, but the right viewer will appreciate what it does. Steer clear if you are looking for either flashier horror or a friendlier alien encounter.

For a sci-fi thriller about a boy menaced by mysterious entities, try Knowing. For a more tonally balanced sci-fi thriller about a family fighting aliens, try Signs. For a circumpsect and mysterious tale of alien contact, try Close Encounters of the Third Kind. For a much lighter encounter between a suburban family and an alien, try E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. For a more defiant clash with aliens, try Attack the Block.

[6.3 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2387433/). I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for solid characters and a chilling story.

Today’s quick review: Alien Warfare. Lieutenant Chris Marks (David Meadows) leads a team of Navy SEALs including Jonesy (Daniel Washington), Thorpe (Scott Roe), and Chris’s hotheaded brother Mike (Clayton Snyder). When the entire staff of a top-secret government research lab vanishes into thin air, Chris and his men are sent to investigate. There they find a lone survivor (Larissa Andrade) and an alien device with immense destructive power.

Alien Warfare is a budget sci-fi action movie about a Navy SEAL team that has a hostile encounter with aliens. To make it home alive, Chris and his team must figure out what happened to the research staff, discover the true nature of the device they were studying, and find a way to overcome the alien soldiers sent to retrieve it. Limited vision and a highly constrained budget prevent the movie from having any real impact.

Alien Warfare struggles with the same problems as other budget films and does a poor job of coping with them. The cast feels understaffed, with only five major characters in a genre that would normally have a few soldiers to spare. The story takes place in a single building with nothing special about it. To make matters worse, the movie is stingy with its special effects and not especially creative with how it uses them.

Still, Alien Warfare puts in a good effort. There is a clear plot progression, albeit a sluggish one. The characters have distinct personalities, and while their interactions are largely a miss, there are glimmers of some fun dynamics. And while the movie’s science fiction is not too original, some of the details are viable. Alien Warfare simply fails to find a way to capitalize on its strengths and work within the constraints it is given.

Ultimately, Alien Warfare will have limited appeal, if any. Fans of budget science fiction will not find the innovative or ambitious movie they may be looking for, while those looking for major flubs will be disappointed by its sensible but underwhelming execution. As such, most viewers would be better off looking elsewhere.

For a more sinister trip into a malfunctioning facility, try Resident Evil. For a budget horror movie with a similar premise and a darker tone, try The Facility. For a budget alien invasion movie, try Occupation, Taking Earth, or Cosmic Sin. For one with a little more success, try The Darkest Hour or Extinction.

[2.6 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9562694/). I give it a 3.0 for an honest effort that ultimately has little to offer.

Today’s quick review: The Recall. Charlie (Jedidiah Goodacre), Annie (Laura Bilgeri), Brendan (RJ Mitte), Rob (Niko Pepaj), and Kara (Hannah Rose May) are staying at a cabin in the woods when a mysterious cloud formation heralds the arrival of an alien spacecraft. As aliens stalk the woods around the cabin, the friends must join forces with a paranoid hunter (Wesley Snipes) to survive the night.

The Recall is a budget sci-fi thriller that pits five young adults and a hunter against an alien abduction force. The Recall gets the basics right, with a viable setup, a few interesting ideas, and a good sense of anticipation. However, it struggles to weave these elements together into a cohesive whole. Pacing issues, weak thrills, and a general lack of payoff make The Recall a less-than-satisfying pick.

The Recall never figures out the right way to escalate. The groundwork is fine, but as soon as the aliens are introduced, the movie struggles. The brief encounters that are meant to build tension mostly fall flat, the main characters are given very little to do, and the explanations come a while after they would have been useful. As such, The Recall misses the chance to capitalize on its ideas. By the time they blossom, it is too late.

The Recall has glimmers of potential, enough to make it a fair pick for connoisseurs of budget sci-fi or horror. But the movie strikes out on the countless little details needed to make its ideas work. Viewers who are interested can do better for both thrills and mystery.

For a stranger horror movie about five friends being hunted in the woods, check out The Cabin in the Woods. For a more action-packed alien encounter that plays by similar rules, try Skyline or Predator. For a more thought-provoking brush with alien intelligence, try Chronicle, The Signal, or Solaris. For a non-science fiction thriller about a group of friends who tangle with a gunman in the woods, try Blood Money.

[4.2 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5669936/). I give it a 4.5 for workable ideas that are poorly executed.

Today’s quick review: Gallowwalkers. Aman (Wesley Snipes) sought revenge against the men who raped his lover, only for them to come back to life after he killed them. Now Aman turns to Fabulos (Riley Smith), a young gunslinger, and Angel (Tanit Phoenix), an imprisoned dancer, to bury Kansa (Kevin Howarth) and his gang for good.

Gallowwalkers is a budget Western action horror movie starring Wesley Snipes. The movie pits a vengeful gunslinger against the crew of outlaws he already killed once. Gallowwalkers aims to be a haunting tale packed with gore and malevolent forces. But its execution falls well short of the mark. Shoddy storytelling, low-budget action, and minimal acting to speak of leave the movie’s modest potential untapped.

Gallowwalkers’ main problem is that it does a poor job of conveying its ideas. The opening is a jumble of out-of-context encounters, flashbacks, and voiceovers that do almost nothing to orient the viewer. While answers come eventually, they are not worth the wait. The movie also has the habit of killing off characters before they have been introduced, turning the story into a jumble of strange ideas that are never given the chance to grow.

Even setting aside its story, Gallowwalkers struggles with the fundamentals. There is gore aplenty, but the villains are so ineffectual that it has no impact. The movie also takes a long time to explain the rules of the undead, meaning most of the early encounters have unclear stakes. Finally, none of the characters have complete arcs, giving Wesley Snipes and the rest of the cast little opportunity to act.

Gallowwalkers may hold some appeal for fans of schlocky, budget horror, but its muddled story and unimpressive action mean that the right audience will be hard to come by. Although there is some merit in its premise, and Snipes has played similar roles to good effect, Gallowwalkers’ execution leaves much to be desired. Most viewers should skip it.

For Wesley Snipes in a better supernatural role, try the Blade trilogy. For a Western action movie with similar elements of the supernatural, try Jonah Hex or BloodRayne: Deliverance. For a Western-themed action horror movie in a sci-fi setting, try Priest. For a superhero action horror movie with Western influences, try Ghost Rider or its sequel. For an unconventional Western with more imagination, try The Warrior’s Way.

[3.6 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0829176/). I give it a 3.5 for weak execution of serviceable premise.

Today’s quick review: The Batman. The Riddler (Paul Dano) shocks Gotham by killing the mayor just days before the election, the first in a series of high-profile crimes exposing corruption at the city’s highest levels. Batman (Robert Pattinson) assists Jim Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) with the police investigation. While following the Riddler’s clues, he tangles with Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz), a cat burglar looking for answers of her own.

The Batman is a superhero crime thriller set in a new version of the DC Universe. The film delves deeper into the seedy underbelly of Gotham: the corruption of its political elite, the madness stalking its streets, and the crime bosses like Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) and the Penguin (Colin Farrell) fueling it all. New ideas, a grounded setting, and a winding mystery make The Batman a solid entry into the franchise.

The Batman takes a different approach than previous incarnations of the character. Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne is very much an outsider, all but eschewing his civilian identity to spend his nights stalking the streets of Gotham. The film amplifies his outsider status in countless subtle ways, from his body language to the way the camera frames him. The result is someone who feels both more human and more alien than the average superhero.

The plot takes notes from other crime thrillers. The Riddler is reimagined as a serial killer with an agenda, and his riddles are a way of drawing Batman closer to the truth. The dynamic works surprisingly well. Each riddle deepens the mystery, while the competing agendas of Batman, Selina, The Riddler, the police, and Carmine Falcone make the situation volatile and unpredictable.

The Batman also scores points with its atmosphere and setting. Its version of Gotham is a sordid place where suffering is rampant and secrets lurk around every corner. Despite Bruce’s vigilante crusade, crime rates have continued to soar, and his father’s philanthropic legacy is all but dead. The film supplements its gritty setting with attentive camerawork that shows the characters and the city in a new light.

Still, the film has a few limitations. Pattinson’s take on Batman will not suit everyone. Young, intense, and tormented, he’s still a long way from the paragon of justice seen in other media. The combat vacillates between superhero rules and something a little closer to reality, leading to odd moments where Batman comes across as too human. And while the world and plot are both handled well, there is nothing truly iconic to latch onto.

The Batman may not be the best incarnation of the character, but it is an engaging one. Fans of superhero movies, action movies, or the crime genre will find something to like. The effort it puts into its world, its characters, and its story allow it to cover a lot of ground. While The Batman may not resonate with everyone, it makes its mark on the franchise with a healthy blend of new and classic ideas. Give it a try if you’re interested.

For another crime-oriented take on Batman, try Batman Begins or The Dark Knight. For a version of the character that’s older, more accomplished, and even more isolated, try Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. For an animated superhero movie with a similar sense of mystery, try Batman: The Long Halloween or Batman: Hush.

[8.5 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1877830/). I give it a 7.5 to 8.0 for a strong mystery, a rich world, and a fresh direction for the character.

“Yes, man. Get it, man.” —Obike Fixx

Today’s quick review: Futuresport. Ten years after Obike Fixx (Wesley Snipes) invented Futuresport, Tre Ramzey (Dean Cain) has become its star. But in the process, he has alienated Alex Torres (Vanessa L. Williams), his ex-girlfriend and a dedicated reporter. Tre and Alex are forced to set aside their differences when Eric Sythe (J.R. Bourne), the leader of the Hawaiian Liberation Organization, targets them for his latest terrorist attack.

Futuresport is a sci-fi sports action movie set in the year 2025. The titular sport is a violent mix of handball and skateboarding used to settle disputes between street gangs. The plot revolves around Tre, an egotistical Futuresport champion who must return to his roots to foil the plans of the HLO. Futuresport is a light movie that earns points with its outlandish vision of the future but squanders them with mediocre craftsmanship.

Futuresport’s flaws are numerous. Tre makes for an oddly static protagonist. His character arc is supposed to be about him learning to be a team player, but his cocky attitude never changes. The props, sets, and special effects look flimsy, resulting in blatantly artificial action scenes. Even the sport itself is dealt a bad hand; the movie rushes through its Futuresport games, and they are never given the weight they deserve.

Still, for all its faults, Futuresport has a charm that only a handful of other movies attain. The world-building is audacious, daring to rearrange geopolitics in ludicrous ways. The plot is optimistic, positing that one athlete can change the world through the love of his sport. The characters are designed around specific personality traits and never deviate from them. The end result is a movie that’s cheesy in all the right ways.

Futuresport is ultimately a movie with niche appeal. If you go into it looking for sensible speculation, resonant characters, and polished action, you will be sorely disappointed. But those with a taste for schlocky sci-fi may find that it’s a fun movie, even if not for the right reasons. Give it a shot if you’re curious.

For another science fiction movie about a violence, futuristic sport, try either version of Rollerball. For a similarly wild use of Wesley Snipes, try Demolition Man. For another offbeat vision of the future, try Johnny Mnemonic, Judge Dredd, Super Mario Bros., or Escape from L.A. For another high-stakes game with more intentional comedy, try Space Jam.

[4.1 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158409/). I give it a 5.5 for flaky quality offset by unexpected charm.

Today’s quick review: Game of Death. CIA agent Marcus Jones (Wesley Snipes) goes undercover as the head of security for Frank Smith (Robert Davi), a notorious arms dealer, to intercept an illegal deal with a Detroit hedge fund. But the mission goes sideways when Zander (Gary Daniels), Floria (Zoe Bell), and the rest of Marcus’s team betray him and take Smith hostage so they can steal the money for themselves.

Game of Death is a budget action thriller starring Wesley Snipes. After his team betrays him, Marcus Jones must take them down by himself. Game of Death aims to be a tense and chaotic thriller that pits one highly-skilled operative against several. In practice, though, it is a lackluster action flick with no character work, weak choreography, and a plot that doesn’t hold up to even basic scrutiny.

Game of Death strikes out hard with its villains. Bluntly put, Zander and Floria are inept. They kill civilians with reckless abandon, attempt to bribe Marcus while trying to kill him, and make threats that actively hinder their goals. They show no subtlety or forethought, and the only reason their rampage continues for as long as it does is because the movie treats the witnesses around them as deaf and clueless.

Marcus fares only a little better. He acquits himself well against Zander and Floria’s thugs, but he shows little real personality. He also never figures out a way to get ahead of the curve, leaving Zander and Floria to drive the tempo of the movie. As for the action, it is unsatisfying. The movie has a fair number of firefights and hand-to-hand brawls, but the few interesting stunts are interrupted by choppy camerawork.

The end result is an action thriller with nothing to fall back on. Game of Death misplays its story, and the high volume of its action cannot make up for its poor quality. As such, Game of Death is at best a middling pick for fans of the budget action genre. Most viewers would be better off looking elsewhere. For a Wesley Snipes action thriller in the same vein, try The Contractor, The Marksman, The Detonator, or 7 Seconds.

[4.7 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1446072/). I give it a 4.0 for a basic setup and weak execution.

Today’s quick review: The Detonator. Sonni Griffith (Wesley Snipes), a DHS agent known for his cowboy tactics, travels to Romania to investigate Jozef Bostanescu (Tim Dutton), a millionaire arms dealer. To keep Griffith out of trouble, Shepard (William Hope), a CIA agent, and Flint (Michael Brandon), the CIA station chief, assign him to protect Nadia Cominski (Silvia Colloca), a CIA witness that Bostanescu wants dead.

The Detonator is an action thriller starring Wesley Snipes. While on a mission to Bucharest, Griffith is ambushed, forcing him to go on the run with the woman he was meant to protect. The Detonator colors within the lines when it comes to the action genre. Everything from the hero to the villain to the plot twist obeys convention. With that said, the movie does a fair job with the formula, especially given what appears to be a limited budget.

The Detonator’s greatest strength is that it avoid the missteps seen in other budget picks. Griffith is competent at both combat and tactics, making him a fine character to follow. Bostanescu resorts to generic villainy a little too much, but the story does a good job of making him a threat. The plot is not especially deep, but it does have a tangible progression. And while the action isn’t novel, there is quite a bit of it.

The result is a fine but highly forgettable action flick. Give The Detonator a shot if you’re a fan of the budget side of the action genre. It comes closer than some of its peers to the standard set by more ambitious films. But it fails to add anything new to the genre, making it a poor choice for fans looking for something new.

For a more compelling story about betrayal at a CIA safe house, try Safe House. For an action thriller about a killer protecting a wanted woman, try Hitman, Hitman: Agent 47, or The Transporter. For a Wesley Snipes thriller in a similar vein, try The Contractor, The Marksman, or 7 Seconds.

[4.7 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0345461/). I give it a 6.0 for generic but functional action.

Today’s quick review: Hard Luck. The sole survivor of an arms deal gone bad, Lucky (Wesley Snipes), a reformed criminal, gets away with two cases containing $500,000 in cash. Along the way, he carjacks Angela (Jacquelyn Quinones), a stripper who demands a share of the money. But their flight from the law takes a bad turn when they cross paths with Cass (Cybill Shepherd) and Chang (James Hiroyuki Liao), a pair of sadistic serial killers.

Hard Luck is a crime drama with black comedy elements. Wesley Snipes stars as Lucky, a New York hustler who made an honest effort to turn his life around, only to get dealt a bad hand. On the run from a crooked cop (Kevin Chapman) and an honest one (Mario Van Peebles), Lucky’s only ally is a stripper who barely trusts him. Stylized presentation and a suitably convoluted plot are offset by mismatched plot threads and an uneven tone.

Hard Luck has the makings of a fun movie. Lucky and Angela get along well: two strong, flawed personalities who are neither as cruel nor as greedy as the people around them. Seeing them gradually come to trust each other is satisfying, as is seeing them try to find a way out of the bind they are in. Hard Luck also spruces up its story with an active presentation style, using music, color, and camerawork to keep things fresh.

Where Hard Luck runs into problems is figuring out what to do with its setup. The movie attempts to marry two very different plots: Lucky’s race to get away with the cash, and Cass and Chang’s spree of kidnapping and torture. What it ends up with is jarring. Cass and Chang’s story is far darker than anything else in the movie. By indulging in it, Hard Luck not only sacrifices its jaunty tone but robs the main plot of a much-needed climax.

Hard Luck has the ingredients of a interesting crime flick, but it gambles them away on a darker and less compelling secondary plot thread. Those with a taste for the twisted will get something out of it, as will those who are willing to put up with the darker parts for the sake of the lighter ones. But anyone looking for a breezy adventure or a fully realized story will want to try elsewhere.

For a stylized crime drama and black comedy with similar ideas, try 68 Kill. For a thriller about a boy caught in a world of rapists and killers, try Running Scared. For a winding crime drama with better presentation, try Pulp Fiction or Jackie Brown. For a more comedic one, try Get Shorty. For a noir mystery with similar snatches of style, try The Big Bang. For a surreal satire about two loving serial killers, try Natural Born Killers.

[5.1 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0489070/). I give it a 6.0 for likable characters, snatches of style, and a mishandled tone.