The 2-week span between Spider-Man: Far From Home and the Lion King sees the releases of little indie films trying to break out amongst the box-office behemoths.
I am going to try something unique for my next couple of reviews – not giving a score to a particular movie. I find that unnecessary comparisons tend to arise when I give a movie, for example, a 4/5 as opposed to a 3/5. In essence, everything boils down to a simple number which people are giving more stock to and I am starting to find that very disheartening. Instead, I will succinctly yet effectively convey my opinion in such a way that the reader will know my thoughts of something without necessarily reducing it to a number.
Crawl
The basic story of Crawl is simply this – Haley (played by Kaya Scodelario) tries to rescue her father during a Category 5 hurricane but soon realizes that the rising water/high winds are far from her biggest concern – it’s freaking alligators and they’ve got her family surrounded! When I first saw the trailer for Crawl, I became mildly interested. After all, the premise sounded simple and it didn’t really look as schlocky or campy as the “beloved” Sharknado or the Piranha films or Ghost Shark, etc. Color me surprised, this is easily the most surprisingly entertaining film of 2019.
The 1:27 run-time for Crawl was absolutely perfect and there weren’t many, if any, scenes that dragged the movie down. Albeit a little shallow (ha, puns!), the relationship between Haley and her dad is endearing and the 2 deliver solid performances. In addition, this movie has terrific visual effects (for a $13.5 million budgeted film). Not only do the alligators look real and absolutely terrifying, so does the hurricane. If you were concerned about the kind of movie this is, I can assure you that the VFX in Crawl aren’t like the ones in the Sharnado films. Note to Hollywood studios, Crawl demonstrates that you don’t need $100+ million for an effects-heavy film. The direction is top-notch and there isn’t much filler. The white-knuckle tension and suspense are absolutely palpable and there are sequences in Crawl that are downright, more scarier than any supernatural horror film this year.
Even though Crawl is certainly enjoyable, it isn’t without its problems.
Often times, the movie follows the tropes in the genre – characters making stupid decisions, which is definitely prevalent in this one as well. In addition, the 2 main characters are tussling with the gators numerous times but often get away with (fairly) minor injuries, as opposed to being dead. It seems as if the gators know that Haley and her dad are ‘unkillable’ till the third act. Crawl is also one of the examples of Murphy’s law. If some of you are unaware of the ‘Murphy’s Law,’ it means “whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.” Minor nitpick but, in the first 15-20 mins of the film, Haley is casually driving around the streets of Florida in a Category 5 hurricane!
Overall, I had a great time watching Crawl. The movie is extremely well-directed, has terrific visuals effects, and is easily the best horror/suspenseful film this year.
Midsommar
Ari Aster’s directorial debut, Hereditary, was such a fantastic film exploring the death of a family member, mental illnesses, etc. In Midsommar, a group of young adults goes to a once in a lifetime (every 90 years to be precise) festival in a remote part of Sweden. Initially, the local villagers seem open and nice but soon, they reveal their true, sinister intent.
Technical-ly speaking, this movie is a pure cinematic masterpiece. The cinematography, the editing, the shot-selection are all immaculate and this is simply a gorgeous film to look at. Even though multiple viewings are recommended, one can still catch a lot of little details in their first watch. At its core, this movie is about the tumultuous relationship between 2 individuals and their inevitable-but-not-yet break-up. The performances are pretty subdued for a huge chunk of the film and great, but it’s Will Poulter’s comedic timing that made me partly “enjoy” this film.
However, this is a poor follow-up to Hereditary for a melangè of reasons. Aster chooses to explain very little throughout the film and as a result, I was left scratching my head a number of times. Oh, and don’t get me started on the characters. They are quite idiotic and never seem to follow logic or common-sense. The pacing is also off, as the 2:27 run-time is quite tedious. In addition, this movie has some really twisted, weird scenes that had me laughing and not in a good way.
Midsommar is totally a movie I understand why most might love but it simply wasn’t for me. The snail-like pacing and the lack of details/explanation ultimately affected my enjoyment for the film.
Stuber
Stuber, starring Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick) and Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers 3 and 4) is about a law-enforcement officer, Vic, who recently underwent Lasik surgery but also ends up finding a clue, regarding a killer he’s been tracking for years, on the same day. As a result of the surgery, Vic orders an Uber but little does Stu (the driver) realize that this isn’t is his regular rides.
Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista have excellent chemistry and comedic timing. If it weren’t for these 2 carrying the bulk of the film, it would surely have faltered. Their back-and-forth is fun to watch. This movie explores the themes of toxic masculinity and is surprisingly endearing. Vic is the tough-cop, machismo character that has a hard time expressing emotions to his family, while Stu is basically the opposite. As a result, the duo has to learn to work alongside each other and change.
Unfortunately, Stuber has narrative issues and a couple of storylines that are allocated a lot of time, without necessarily having an impact. The movie also has really predictable story-beats. In addition, the reason for Stu to stay with Vic is pretty shallow. He’s after the much-coveted 5-star rating from his rides and is really hoping to not drop below a 4, which will lead to his termination. Speaking of Vic, the hard-edged cop does some pretty crazy shit, especially use excess police force on a bunch of Mexicans in one scene, but there aren’t any repercussions for that.
Overall, Stuber is a pretty enjoyable film with terrific comedic pairing in Nanjiani and Bautista. Most of the jokes land, the message is resonant, and the performances are solid.
Naman's Movie reviews 