Martinez Tribune The website of the Martinez Tribune.
BY TYLER HENSON
Resident Evil took a surprise step down to number two over this last weekend with the re-release of Avengers Endgame (2019), now playing in an expanded Encore presentation. This seems to bode well for Doomsday in December. But most of the weekend’s new lineup wasn’t particularly strong. Brad Pitt’s dog-centric survivalist vehicle Heart of the Beast isn’t terribly impressive, and the latest DreamWorks Animation release Forgotten Island is perhaps too frantic for its own good. Primetime, still on this critic’s watchlist, did much better comparatively. It’s a lower budget release and the buzz surrounding Robert Pattinson’s performance as Chris Hansen seems to be driving much discussion. Look forward to our full review on Friday.
This weekend will see the release of the hotly anticipated (and potentially divisive) satire Digger, directed by two-time Oscar winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu and led by an unrecognizable Tom Cruise, as well as the latest Colleen Hoover adaptation Verity, a darker romance sure to drive the author’s built-in audience out to theaters. We’ll be covering these titles next week.
Heart of the Beast (101mins)
Retired Special Forces officer James Belmont (Brad Pitt) becomes stranded in the Alaskan wilds following a plane crash, and attempts a hazardous trek back to civilization with his loyal combat dog Odin. James and Odin, both of them scarred physically and emotionally by their wartime experiences, share an intimate, unbreakable bond. Together, they will brave dangerous storms, deadly rapids, ferocious wolves, and more, each surviving to ensure the safety of the other.
There are few actors who could lead a film solo as effortlessly as Brad Pitt. There is not much here to challenge him, at least from an acting standpoint, but even when he’s coasting his star charisma lets him hold the screen with ease. However, it’s his canine co-star that’s the real hero of the film, and Pitt seems comfortable letting Odin be the center of attention. Their relationship is believable, and many of their scenes together are quite touching.
There is nothing fatally wrong with this film. It’s adequate. Some things are superfluous, like an oddly brief appearance by J.K. Simmons (in kooky old man autopilot), but nothing stands out as terrible. Its only real problem is that nothing is done particularly well. The major sequences are standard survivalist fare, handled without much imagination or panache. Only one or two moments, such as a scene where James must set a broken bone with Odin’s help, offer any kind of interesting variation on the formula. Great dog performance aside, there’s a much better wilderness survival film playing right now, called The Weight, and compared to that film, Heart of the Best presents no compelling reason to be seen.
Resident Evil (95mins)
This latest adaptation of the Resident Evil video game franchise stars Austin Abrams as Bryan, a medical courier tasked with delivering a mysterious and important package to Raccoon City Hospital. On route through dark snowbound backwoods, he accidentally runs into a woman not altogether human. The obvious clues that something is wrong elude Bryan for a comically long time. Fans of the games will know where his night is heading; a virus has escaped the labs of the Umbrella Corporation and is turning the population into ravenous zombies.
Writer/director Zach Cregger, who scored big with last year’s Weapons (2025), has another hit on his hands. Resident Evil has a spotty record on film, but Cregger’s version has been made with a savvy understanding of both video game and horror movie convention. Bryan’s mission is video game-like in its simplicity, and his journey is filled with the expected roadblocks and detours, including stubborn padlocks and quick scavenger hunts for ammo. Cregger builds high anticipation for each scare by making his zombies unpredictably mutating creatures, always springing a nasty new surprise on Bryan in every major scene.
The only thing the movie needed was more sincerity. It’s funny and scary, but it doesn’t have an emotional core. Bryan’s only dimension as a person comes through occasional phone conversations with his pregnant girlfriend, and these scenes only ever feel like screenplay devices. The story is hollow, and the ending leaves one feeling slightly cheated. This might be a more fatal issue in a film with loftier ambitions, but Resident Evil only wants to provide scares, laughs, and a fun night at the movies. On that front, it is a success.
Forgotten Island (109mins)
DreamWorks Animation, and the directing team behind Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022), dip into Philippine mythology for this hyperactive comedy adventure. Two trouble-making best friends, the rambunctious Jo (H.E.R.) and bookish, responsible Raissa (Liza Soberano), fall through a magical portal and become trapped on a mystical island populated by folk tale creatures. They make friends with a misfit dog-boy named Raww (Dave Franco), get chased by a menacing vampire called Manang (Lea Salonga), and discover the memory demon Batiba (Jenny Slate), who can return them home provided they’re willing to sacrifice their most precious memories together.
The impact of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) can be felt all over this movie. Spider-Verse borrowed the visual techniques of comic books and translated them into fast and colorful 3D motion. Forgotten Island does the same with Japanese sources. Most of its manic stylization comes from the pages of manga and the 2D world of anime. The lively visuals are combined with comedic cultural reference points that include 80’s action movies and 90’s hip hop. Since this is a DreamWorks film, aimed primarily at teens and twenty-somethings, it goes a little farther with its adult content. The humor is slightly more suggestive, and some of the action is scarier than would be allowed in an all-ages Disney production.
There is clearly a youthful target audience for this movie, and based on the reaction heard by this critic in the theater, it seems to play well to that audience. But you must know a shocking fact; you’re reading the opinion of someone who didn’t like Spider-Verse. The problems I had with that film are repeated in Forgotten Island. The characters have charm and personality, but the animation is too busy and the story is overwrought with action climaxes. After a certain point, it becomes exhausting and repetitive. Maybe it’s age. The visual overstimulation probably works better on younger eyes.
The Weight (112mins)
It is the Great Depression and times are tough for Samuel Murphy (Ethan Hawke) and his daughter Penny (Avy-Berry Worrall). When a grave misunderstanding lands Samuel in a prison labor camp, he faces the possibility of losing Penny forever. A shifty warden (Russell Crowe) offers him a deal. Samuel must lead a small group of prisoners through the Oregon woods to illegally transport some gold. If all goes well, he’ll be reunited with his daughter, but the journey will be fraught with peril, paranoia, and greed.
Evoking the feel of a vintage thriller from the 1970s, The Weight is a movie that could have easily starred Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman back in their heyday. It’s grizzled, tough, and not without a sense of fun beneath the hard scowling. There’s real intelligence to the screenplay and rock solid confidence in the direction. Tension is constant, and many an inspired choice heightens the suspense. Even familiar setups, like the scene where a rickety old wooden bridge must be crossed, are reinvented through cunning execution.
Hawke leads the story with natural movie star presence. He and Crowe have both aged into the kind of performers who wouldn’t be out of place in a wilderness Western like The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) or a prison suspense thriller like Escape from Alcatraz (1979). In fact, put those two movies together and you pretty much have the recipe for The Weight. Sound intriguing? Then don’t miss it. This is excellent old-school filmmaking.
Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom (81mins)
Shaun the Sheep gets into the spooky spirit with his third big screen adventure. Shaun plays mad scientist this time around, creating a growth formula that will supercharge the flock’s pumpkin patch just in time for Halloween. This leads to trouble when the Farmer mistakes Shaun’s formula for a hair growth solution. Unrecognizable beneath a coat of endlessly growing hair, the Farmer is mistaken for a monster by the townspeople ! It’s up to Shaun and the animals to save the day.
This is the latest feature by Aardman Animations, the stop motion company behind perennial family favorites Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run (2000). Once again, their lovingly hand-crafted clay characters and the quaint little world surrounding them conjure irresistible charm. Monster movie dads will get a big kick out of this one. Beast of Mossy Bottom contains many knowing references to classic horror. The original Universal monster movies are singled out for special tribute, especially Frankenstein (1931). This might be a fun way to find out if you have a monster kid on your hands.
The movie is lighthearted and sweet, and its scares are played as innocent farce. If you’re not familiar with the Shaun the Sheep series, it’s important to know the stories are essentially silent comedies. Dialogue is limited to some nonsensical babbling. Story is cleverly conveyed through visual means and witty sight gags come at a quick pace. Viewers of any age will be able to understand what’s happening, and you don’t have to be familiar with previous entries to enjoy this one. Families would do well to seek out this early Halloween treat.
Hope (157mins)
Hope Harbor, a small town near the North Korean border, becomes the site of a monster attack in South Korean director Na Hong-jin’s rowdy mixture of sci-fi horror, high-octane action, and wickedly dark humor. Opening with a massive forty minute set piece, and closing with an equally ambitious chase on horseback through the woods, Hope achieves jaw-dropping levels of frenetic speed.
The film features some erratic CGI creature effects, which have been the subject of much criticism. The astonishing stunt work surrounding those effects, and the velocity of Na’s direction, make it hard to complain. The screenplay audaciously refuses to fully explain what’s going on in the story, and Na freely blends contrasting tone, often infusing serious moments with slapstick absurdity.
It’s a terrifically bumpy ride, perhaps too quirky and unwieldy for some. This critic felt it was one of the best movies of the year, an action epic of ambitious physical scale and first-rate artistry, comparable to Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). Hope doesn’t seem to be finding much of an audience yet, but it will probably score big once it moves to VOD and streaming. To get the full adrenal impact, try to see it on a theater screen while you have the chance.
Coyote vs. Acme (103mins)
The Looney Tunes return in another live-action/animation hybrid. Wile E. Coyote, fed up with his Acme products constantly backfiring on him, decides to take a break from chasing the Road Runner to seek some justice. He hires a shabby small claims attorney, Kevin Avery (Will Forte), and files a massive lawsuit against the corrupt megacorporation. The case seems hopeless, until they begin to uncover some of the company’s tightly guarded secrets.
Already famous for being buried by its original studio, until Ketchup Entertainment purchased it for release following a public backlash, Coyote vs. Acme has met with an extremely positive reception. This critic was one of the few dissenting opinions. Compared to previous Looney Tunes films, like Space Jam (1996) and Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003), the energy level is on the lower side. The Tunes’ anarchic irreverence has been restrained by an intricate conspiracy/legal thriller plotline, and the script spends too much time focusing on Kevin trying to overcome his own personal cynicism and burnout. The Coyote’s plight doesn’t get quite the foreground space it deserves.
Still, it’s a clever idea, filled with plenty of in-jokes for life long Looney Tunes fans to chuckle over. John Cena, as Acme’s slick and villainous attorney Buddy Crane, again proves his nimble capability as a comic performer. One scene features him verbally sparring with Tweety Bird and it’s probably the most delightful in the movie. The public goodwill towards this release, rescued as it was from the tax write-off trash bin of a major studio, appears to be resulting in a modestly successful box office performance. No matter the film’s flaws, the fact that it’s being seen and supported feels like justice served.
The Odyssey (173 mins)
Have you seen The Odyssey yet? Because almost everyone else has. Matt Damon stars as Odysseus, who survives the Trojan War only to endure the most protracted and challenging journey home anyone could imagine. He and his men face sirens, giants, a cyclops, and the wrath of the gods themselves. Year after year passes at sea and their numbers gradually dwindle.
Meanwhile, back home at Ithaca, Queen Penelope (Anne Hathaway) keeps at bay a horde of impatient potential suitors, including the conniving Antinous (Robert Pattinson), as her son Telemachus (Tom Holland) tries to figure out what happened to his dad. Christopher Nolan’s star-studded adaptation of Homer’s epic poem, one of the foundational texts of Western literature, features some of the most eye-popping images you’ll see all year. The scale of the production is incredible and the IMAX 70mm photography captures the massive scenes with remarkable detail and clarity.
The film was shot almost entirely on location and the majority of its effects were accomplished in-camera, so when you see hundreds of soldiers hauling the enormous Trojan horse over miles of landscape, you’re seeing it for real. Even fantastic creations like the cyclops have been done with puppetry and trick-perspective. Already a front runner for Best Picture and many other awards, The Odyssey, will likely be dominating the movie conversation for the rest of the year. It was made for theater screens, so make sure you don’t miss it.
All of the above movies except Hope and The Odyssey are currently playing at the Contra Costa Cinema. You can visit https://contracostacinema.com for both current and upcoming showtimes.
