Netflix isn't having the best of luck with its recent genre-focused original movies. Bright--starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton as buddy cops, one of which is an orc--was shredded by critics upon release. Still, the streaming service claims the movie is a success and ordered a sequel. After that, the streamer released The Cloverfield Paradox with little warning, and it suffered a similar critical fate.
Many were hoping this course would change with the arrival of Mute, the new film by Moon, Source Code, and Warcraft director Duncan Jones. Both Moon and Source Code received critical acclaim upon their release. Given that Mute had been positioned as something of a spiritual sequel to the former, it seemed like a home run.
And yet, somehow, things went horribly wrong. The first Mute reviews are in and they aren't exactly glowing. With a score of 35 on GameSpot sister site Metacritic, it's hard to find anyone who loved the movie. Before you decide whether to invest the time yourself, take a look at a sampling of reviews below.
Movie: Mute
Studio: Netflix
Release date: February 23
GameSpot
"From Netflix and Duncan Jones, Mute promised to be a return to form for the director and writer behind the instant classic 2009 mind-bender Moon (and, more recently, the less-than-classic Warcraft). Unfortunately, Mute is a cartoonish, nonsensical, tone-deaf, derivative, outrageously awful nightmare without a single redeeming quality. Bummer, right?" -- Michael Rougeau [Full review]
IGN
"The main problem with Mute is that it doesn't use its technologically-advanced backdrop to say anything new. There are hints of a war in Kandahar via a news video, problems with cloning, and a large number of American soldiers going AWOL, but other than those brief glimpses, co-writer/director Duncan Jones (Warcraft, Moon) has created a world that feels empty." -- David Griffin [Full review]
The Guardian
"In the parallel universe where everything's gone right for Jones, this long-labored-over passion project would have been his magnum opus, an idiosyncratically imagined futuro-fantasia worthy of the Blade Runner comparisons it so shamelessly courts. But while Jones has never been lacking in ambition, here that quality seems more like a willingness to 'go for it'. The depth of his creative commitment hasn't turned shallow, but it has been applied to a collection of perilously bad impulses." -- Charles Bramesco [Full review]
Uproxx
"Here's where I should be clear that Mute isn't a good movie. It manages to be both bizarre and boring. While I admire Jones' inventive details like a bowling ball that looks like a giant die, or a severed cow cartoon shilling for steak, or the way cell phones have advanced to where people don't acknowledge they've answered a ring before screaming hello into a startled room, the film simply looks cheap." -- Amy Nicholson [Full review]
The Wrap
"A dystopian noir that's neither especially compelling as a vision of the future nor as a hard-bitten mystery — much less as a quirky tale about a woodwork-gifted anti-hero — its arrival on Netflix this weekend suggests that the content-ravenous streaming service add a new category alongside 'Trending Now' and 'See It Again': 'Because You Literally Have Nothing Else To Watch.'" -- Robert Abele [Full review]
Slashfilm
"Mute is a disjointed, nihilistic trip through two distinct storylines that have almost nothing to do with each other--save for the fact that they inhabit the same world. Slowly, these storylines do come together, but never in a convincing or satisfying way. The end result is a frustrating film--one loaded with potential, but lacking distinction." -- Chris Evangelista [Full review]
Variety
"Got an old screenplay in your bottom drawer that's been rejected by practically everyone in town? Now's your chance: Netflix seems to be greenlighting second-rate 'content' like cinema was going out of style (and if the company's stream-at-home strategy succeeds, it just might). The latest beneficiary is Moon director Duncan Jones, who dusted off a 15-year-old idea, attached a few name actors, and delivered the latest disappointing Netflix Original with alliterative Mute, an over-designed but otherwise uninspired slice of sci-fi noir." -- Peter Debruge [Full review]
One of the many challenges with creating a hero shooter like Overwatch is ensuring that each character is distinct and unique. Blizzard has done an admirable job in this regard, drawing on different cultures and inspirations to create the members of the roster. Zenyatta is particularly notable in this regard, as he's the only character to never set foot on the ground. Thanks to Blizzard, he's finally done so, and it's unsettling, to say to the least.
Zenyatta is different from all other Overwatch characters in that he floats in a zen-like position in mid-air; he never physically walks anywhere. A fan in attendance at a recent Overwatch League event brought with him a sign that called for Blizzard to finally let him walk, and so the company has obliged, as you can see below.
Now that you've got that image stuck in your brain forever, there is potentially more meaningful news on the Overwatch front. Blizzard has released a teaser in the form of an "after-action report" for something called Operation White Dome. It remains to be seen what this will actually turn out to be, but the speculation is that it could be setting up the reveal for a new Overwatch character. Game director Jeff Kaplan previously said that the game's next hero was already in testing back in January. He didn't offer any specifics but did say the character is "very needed."
We're currently in the midst of the game's new Lunar New Year event. That brought back a revamped CTF mode and introduced a lot of new Year of the Dog skins and cosmetics that you can still get your hands on for a limited time.
By Anonymous on Feb 23, 2018 11:02 pm This week we dive into Monster Hunter: World to take on a tempered Pink Rathian and a Legiana and more with you the community.
Since its release in late January, Dragon Ball FighterZ has suffered from issues relating to online multiplayer. These are still present almost a month later, but Bandai Namco has reassured fans that it's both aware of the problems and working on updates to resolve them--the first of which should be out quite soon.
In a video discussing the upcoming roadmap for FigherZ patches, producer Tomoko Hiroki states, "We've heard all of your feedback since the release, and we're fully aware of the online issues that you're having, such as the matching in Ring Match or being disconnected from the lobby. We're aware of the situation, and keen to resolve them with all our might."
The first step toward fixing the problems will come before the end of February, when a new update is scheduled for release. Hiroki doesn't specify what this will do precisely or which of the problems it will address, nor was a specific release date provided--she only says it'll be out in "late February."
"Please bear in mind that this first patch might not fix everything at once," she continues. "Therefore, we're also planning to release another patch in mid-[to]-late March to gradually resolve the issue. Rest assured that we will not stop until the fix has been completed."
Following the release of its first DLC pack, The Hidden Ones, another Assassin's Creed Origins DLC is on the way, this one called The Curse of the Pharaohs. With its launch on PS4, Xbox One, and PC drawing near, we recently got to check it out.
In the video above, you can see about half an hour of gameplay from two different main story missions. These feature totally new locations you won't have ventured through previously, and they're home to some notable encounters. Those include one with some giant scorpions and a boss fight against an undead Nefertiti.
The Curse of the Pharaohs differs from The Hidden Ones in that it introduces a totally new storyline that is separate from that of the main game. You'll take on a variety of Egyptian beasts and famous pharaohs as you try to figure out why the dead are being brought back to life. In addition to the new areas, story, and enemies, you'll be able to acquire new outfits, gear, and weapons. Furthermore, it raises the level cap to 55.
Curse of the Pharaohs is due out on March 6 and is included in the $20 season pass or as a separate purchase. Before its release, everyone will be able to take part in an introductory quest called Lights Among the Dunes, which will be added as part of a free Origins update on February 27. [Update: The DLC itself has been delayed slightly and is now due out on March 13.]
This DLC comes not long after the release of Discovery Tour, a free update that allows you to play through the game without any quests or combat. It effectively transforms the game into a learning experience as you're able to explore ancient Egypt and even take part in guided tours that will teach you about the world. If you'd prefer something different, Ubisoft has also released a New Game Plus mode for Origins.
With the second Pokemon Go Community Day approaching, developer Niantic has announced another, unrelated event that is now underway. And if you missed out on the opportunity to catch two of the previous Legendary Pokemon that were available in the game, you're in luck, as they're back for a limited time.
As part of Pokemon Go Legendary Week, which is now underway, both Kyogre and Groudon have returned to Raid Battles, where they can be found alongside Rayquaza. Groudon was the first Gen 3 Legendary added to the game and was available to face during December and January. Kyogre then took its place until mid-February, when it was replaced by Rayquaza, which will stick around until March 16.
Despite the name, Legendary Week will last more than a week--it runs from now until March 5, giving you a total of about 10 days to get your hands on the returning Legendaries. To further mix things up, the specific Legendaries that are taken down during that period will have an additional effect. Should Rayquaza be defeated more than Kyogre and Groudon combined, eggs hatched from March 5-16 will be more likely to contain "Pokemon that typically prefer windy weather," such as Bagon. Alternatively, Pokemon who like sunny or rainy weather (Trapinch or Lotad, for example) will be more likely to hatch.
Starting on February 24, Niantic will offer a new special box for purchase that contains Raid Passes "to help you prepare." No further specifics were shared. February 24 is also the date of the next Community Day event. This three-hour event will provide various bonuses and, more notably, the opportunity to catch or evolve a rare Pokemon with a special move. For this event, it'll be the Dragon-type Dragonite, who can learn Draco Meteor.
As Netflix adds more and more original content every week, the streaming service is also removing a lot of popular titles from its library. March is no different, with dozens of films and TV shows being removed.
Among the most notable departure is the Jaws franchise of films. All four movies will disappear from Netflix on March 1. Likewise, the movies Less Than Zero, Baby's Day Out, and Ferngully: The Last Rainforest will be removed at the beginning of the month. Later in the month, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, The Good Son, and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou will go away, as well.
When it comes to TV, seasons of Archer, The Killing, Life In Pieces, The Carmichael Show, and The Finder will no longer be available to stream. You can take a look at everything leaving Netflix in March below. After that, check out every title the service is adding next month. Arrivals on the service include new seasons of Marvel's Jessica Jones and Santa Clarita Diet. Additionally, you can see what both Hulu and Amazon Prime are debuting in March.
Leaving Netflix in March
March 1
A Gang Story
Anastasia
Baby's Day Out
Eyewitness
FernGully: The Last Rainforest
First Response
Forget and Forgive
Hitch
Jaws
Jaws 2
Jaws 3
Jaws: The Revenge
Less Than Zero
Memento
Slums of Beverly Hills
The Chase
The Craft
The Panic in Needle Park
Trigger Point
Two Wrongs
xXx
March 4
Chloe
Safe Haven
March 6
The Finest Hours
March 8
Victoria
March 11
Believe
Glitch
March 12
Standby
Disney's The Santa Clause
Disney's The Santa Clause 2
Disney's The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
March 13
Breakout Kings: Season 1
City of God: 10 Years Later
London Has Fallen
The Killing: Seasons 1-2
March 14
Archer: Seasons 1-7
March 19
V/H/S: Viral
March 20
Zootopia
March 22
Steve Jobs: One Last Thing
March 24
Voltron 84: Season 1
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
March 26
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
March 29
The Gates: Season 1
March 30
Life in Pieces: Season 1
March 31
Awake: Season 1
Bordertown: Season 1
Breakout Kings: Season 2
Brickleberry: Seasons 1-3
Cooper Barrett's Guide to Surviving Life: Season 1
Fortnite's next big update has launched on all platforms, bringing new content and improvements to Battle Royale and Save the World. Players of the former mode will find that Season 3 has begun, introducing a new Battle Pass on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Along with that, there are a ton of new items to acquire.
As with previous Battle Passes, this one includes a limited selection of content that anyone can unlock. The vast majority of rewards, however, are limited to players who purchase the full Battle Pass, which costs 950 V-Bucks (or just around $10). If you owned the Season 2 Battle Pass, you'll automatically get five tiers' worth of progress for free. Additional tiers can be earned by collecting stars by playing and fulfilling specific objectives, or by purchasing them with additional V-Bucks.
Among the items you'll find in the premium tier of the Battle Pass are new pickaxes, skins, gliders, emotes, and much more. There's also Back Bling, which is a new category of item added as part of the 3.0.0 update alongside skydiving trails and loading screens. In the images above, you can see all of the major new items included in the Season 3 Battle Pass. Bear in mind, these are all cosmetic; nothing will actually impact gameplay directly. If you're a fan of references, though, you're in luck, as you'll find skins clearly meant to resemble the likes of John Wick and Guardians of the Galaxy's Star-Lord.
In terms of playable content, Fortnite has received some new additions. Battle Royale now has a new weapon, the Hand Cannon, that uses Heavy ammo. Some notable improvements have also been made to building (which also extends to Save the World), and a 60 FPS framerate is now the default option for all console players. You can see everything the update does in the Fortnite 3.0.0 patch notes.
The Curse of the Pharaohs, the second and final expansion for Assassin's Creed: Origins, is not going to launch on time. Ubisoft announced today that the expansion has been delayed by a week, shifting from March 6 to March 13.
A spokesperson for Ubisoft told GameSpot that the delay was necessary so as to "deliver the best experience possible to our players." The expansion is included in Origins' $20 season pass or as a separate purchase on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. Before its release, everyone will be able to take part in an introductory quest called Lights Among the Dunes, which will be added as part of a free Origins update on February 27. It is unclear if this date is still accurate given the delay for The Curse of the Pharaohs, but we've followed up with Ubisoft to try to find out.
The Curse of the Pharaohs adds completely new locations, including Aaru, which is the heaven-like paradise filled with beautiful reed fields...and giant scorpions. Players will also face off against an undead Nefertiti in a boss battle of sorts. You can see all of that in our Curse of the Pharaohs 4K gameplay video.
The Curse of the Pharaohs differs from previous DLC, The Hidden Ones, in that it introduces a totally new storyline that is separate from that of the main game. You'll take on a variety of Egyptian beasts and famous pharaohs as you try to figure out why the dead are being brought back to life. In addition to the new areas, story, and enemies, you'll be able to acquire new outfits, gear, and weapons. Furthermore, it raises the level cap to 55.
This DLC comes not long after the release of Discovery Tour, a free update that allows you to play through the game without any quests or combat. It effectively transforms the game into a learning experience as you're able to explore ancient Egypt and even take part in guided tours that will teach you about the world. If you'd prefer something different, Ubisoft has also released a New Game Plus mode for Origins.
At first glance, Kingdom Come: Deliverance bears more than a passing resemblance to other medieval RPGs, particularly the Elder Scrolls series. Both share a first-person viewpoint and take place in a sprawling, European-inspired world inhabited by an extensive cast of characters going about their daily lives. Beyond those superficial similarities, however, Kingdom Come is an entirely different experience, carving out its own identity by removing fantasy elements entirely in favor of a historically accurate setting and gameplay.
Where most other medieval RPGs populate their worlds with magic and dragons, Kingdom Come eschews all of the fantasy trappings typically associated with the genre for a story that's firmly rooted in history. The game takes place in 15th century Bohemia, with players assuming the role of a lowly blacksmith's son as the country becomes embroiled in a brutal civil war. This emphasis on realism extends into the gameplay systems; combat has a steep learning curve, and you must learn how to bandage up wounds to keep from bleeding out if you happen to get struck by an arrow.
Unfortunately, as is often the case with such ambitious titles, Kingdom Come is also burdened by its share of bugs, which will undoubtedly turn some players away. In the video above, GameSpot's Peter Brown, Jean-Luc Seipke, and Rob Handlery discuss their experience with the title, particularly their initial impressions and how, despite its many technical issues, they eventually came around on the game after spending more time with it.
Kingdom Come is available now for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Critic Brett Todd called it "a rewarding, one-of-a-kind game" in GameSpot's Kingdom Come review. "It's an impressive and unflinching look at the medieval era that transports you inside the compelling story of a real person caught in the middle of a civil war. As such, this is one of those rare, memorable games that stays with you long after you stop playing," he wrote.
Between Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, and Altered Carbon, we've had a pretty good run of science fiction entertainment over the last few years. One of the most memorable modern sci-fi movies is Ex Machina, written and directed by Alex Garland. Three years after its release, Garland's next movie, Annihilation, is gearing up for release, and it looks to be just as ambitious.
Based on the novel of the same name, Annihilation follows a biologist, an anthropologist, a psychologist, a surveyor, and a linguist as they investigate a strange, uncharted stretch of land. What they find there, however, promises to take viewers on a mild-melting sci-fi journey.
Garland, who video game fans may also know for his work on Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and DmC: Devil May Cry, recently visited the GameSpot offices and sat down with us to discuss his film, specifically the approach to adapting the book for the big screen, and what attracted him to the story.
On top of that, he also takes the time to address a controversy surround the movie's production relating to the whitewashing of a character. Garland discusses his feelings on the issue of whitewashing as a whole and the issue as it pertains to his movie. There's also a chat about the rise of Netflix as a distribution service for movies, and how it fits into the type of entertainment he makes and we consume.
Netflix may be primarily known for its award-winning series, but the streaming service also provides quite a few movies that are worth your time. The streaming giant puts out more original movies than any of us realized, but don't worry, we will have you up to date with everything coming to a streaming device near you.
Starting with January, we're highlighting every Netflix original movie the company releases this year--as well as a few notable ones Netflix didn't produce but has distribution rights to--and including a few of our thoughts about the shows we've seen. Here are the original movies you can currently watch on Netflix, right now.
Based on a true story, The Polka King follows Jan Lewan (Jack Black), a polka band leader who was imprisoned in the mid-'00s for running a Ponzi scheme.
The Polka King is pretty mediocre. At times, it can be funny, but its appeal seems to be to people that find Polka either the worst or best music genre of all time, even though it's not the primary focus of the story. It's a letdown as the real-life story the movie is based on is fascinating.
Step Sisters
Release Date: January 18
Genre: Comedy
Megalyn Echikunwoke (Arrow, Vixen) plays a Harvard Law student helps a sorority win a step dance championship by teaching them to step.
The Open House
Release Date: January 19
Genre: Horror
A mother and her teenage son move into a secluded mansion in the mountains. They find someone else is at the house as well--someone who wants to harm them.
Blockbuster
Release Date: January 24
Genre: Romantic Comedy
After being dumped by his girlfriend, a man devices a plan to get back his girlfriend, Lola, who loves superheroes.
A Futile and Stupid Gesture
Release Date: January 26
Genre: Comedy
Based on a true story, A Futile and Stupid Gesture follows comedy writer Doug Kenny (Will Forte), the mind behind National Lampoon magazine.
The Cloverfield Paradox
Release Date: February 4
Genre: Sci-Fi/Horror
The Earth is in crisis and a group of the brightest scientists heads to space in order to test technology that could provide the planet with infinite power. However, the tech creates a paradox which has some unwanted effects.
GameSpot's Mike Rougeau said in his review, "By the time The Cloverfield Paradox limps lamely to its nonsensical yet somehow predictable conclusion, you'll probably already have stopped paying attention."
The Ritual
Release Date: February 9
Genre: Horror
A group of friends reunites and takes a trip to Sweden where they hike through a national park. They find a menacing creature stalking them throughout their journey.
Note: Netflix is the international distributor for this movie.
Seeing Allred
Release Date: February 9
Genre: Documentary
Seeing Allred follows women's rights attorney Gloria Allred--who has devoted four decades to her work--as her life is chronicled, and she takes on powerful men accused of sexual assault.
When We First Met
Release Date: February 9
Genre: Comedy
At her engagement party, Avery Martin (Alexandra Daddario) recalls the first time she met her fiance Noah Ashby (Adam DeVine) at a Halloween party.
Love Per Square Foot
Release Date: February 14
Genre: Romantic Comedy
The Hindi-language movie follows a young man and woman searching for a house in Mumbai.
Irreplaceable You
Release Date: February 16
Genre: Drama
Irreplaceable You follows an engaged couple, Abbie and Sam, who have been best friends since childhood. Abbie learns she has terminal cancer and tries to find someone to replace her in Sam's life.
Fullmetal Alchemist
Release Date: February 19
Genre: Live-Action Anime
In a world where alchemy is real, two brothers go on a quest for the Philosopher's Stone, after failing to revive their dead mother.
GameSpot's Mike Rougeau said in his review, "Despite its high profile and fan hunger, Fullmetal Alchemist is everything wrong with live-action anime adaptations. It both adds nothing to the original and does a poor job imitating it."
Note: Netflix is the international distributor for this movie.
Mute
Release Date: February 23
Genre: Sci-Fi
40 years in the future, a mute bartender searches for his missing girlfriend. The director Duncan Jones has called this a spiritual sequel to his 2009 film Moon.
GameSpot's Mike Rougeau said in his review, "Mute is a bad joke about itself, the movie version of a Weird Al Yankovic song (an "Amish Paradise" sequel set in the future?), only if the filmmaker wasn't aware it was supposed to be a parody."
Guillermo Del Toro is one of fantasy cinema's great modern directors. From acclaimed Spanish language movies such as The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth to high profile Hollywood blockbusters like Pacific Rim and Hellboy films, Del Toro's gift for imaginative, exciting, scary, and often deeply moving cinema is unrivalled. He's also delivered some of the most memorable monsters of recent times too. By tapping into the great tradition of movie creatures that goes back to the likes of Frankenstein and Creature From the Black Lagoon, Del Toro has ensured that his creations are a vital part of his storytelling and frequently unlike anything we've seen on screen before.
His latest movie, The Shape of Water, is another masterpiece. Part period drama, part sci-fi thriller, part offbeat love story, it features another fantastic monster creation, played by the director's regular creature collaborator, Doug Jones. So with the film nominated for 13 awards at the upcoming Oscars, let's take a look at some of the other amazing monster creations in Del Toro's filmography.
12. Cathedral-Head (Hellboy II: The Golden Army, 2008)
Hellboy II is packed with weird and wonderful monstrous creations; so many that some of the best are on screen only fleetingly. Cathedral-Head is one of Del Toro's most hilariously odd creatures. He runs a map shop in the Troll Market, and yes, has a cathedral for a head. Del Toro originally planned an even more lavish design for this creation: "Originally the idea was to have little humans running around the ramparts," he said. "But the budget wouldn't allow it."
11. Karl Ruprecht Kroenen (Hellboy, 2004)
Although Kroenen appeared in Mike Mingola's Hellboy comics, he was dramatically reworked by Del Toro into the one of the first movie's main bad guys. On the page he's just a scientist in a gasmask, but on screen he became--to use Del Toro's words--a "mechanical clockwork Nazi zombie." We approve.
10. The Last Elemental (Hellboy II: The Golden Army, 2008)
One of Del Toro's greatest skills is his ability to make his monsters more than just weird and scary. He frequently treats them as he does his human characters, giving them personalities and even making them sympathetic and relatable. Hellboy II's Last Elemental is a great example. Despite its destructive nature, this gigantic tree god is the last of its kind, and Hellboy's decision to kill it is a haunting, tragic moment.
9. Ghosts (Crimson Peak, 2015)
Crimson Peak is Del Toro's least-loved movie. It was a box office failure, and was met by mixed reviews from critics who found the mix of gore, scares, humor, and gothic romance a little uneven. But there is much to like, including the gruesome ghosts which haunt the movie's Gothic mansion. These bloody phantoms are both visceral and otherworldly, their high-contrast red design a world away from more familiar cinematic spectres.
8. Behemoth (Hellboy, 2004)
This terrifying tentacled beast is perhaps as close as we'll get to seeing what Del Toro would have done if he'd had the chance to direct his passion project, At the Mountains of Madness. Sadly that H.P. Lovecraft adaptation never happened, but we do have the Behemoth. One of the 369 children of the demonic entities known as the Ogdru Jahad, it was inspired by the interdimensional horrors of Lovecraft's stories, and made its appearance in Hellboy by bursting out of the body of Hellboy's nemesis Rasputin.
7. Trespasser (Pacific Rim, 2013)
Pacific Rim is packed with cool kaiju, but none have quite the initial onscreen impact as the Trespasser. It's the first creature we see, and this towering beast--also known as Axehead--gives us the perfect introduction to the destructive power of the kaiju. Trespasser lays waste to San Francisco, and because he pre-dates the Jaegers, lives to fight another day.
6. Faun (Pan's Labyrinth, 2006)
This goat-like creature was played by Doug Jones and formed a major part of Pan's Labyrinth's poster campaign. He towers above Ofelia as he leads her into the labyrinth and. despite Del Toro's insistence that the Faun is "neither good or evil," there is a strong suggestion that he harbours unhealthy desires for the young girl.
5. Reapers (Blade 2, 2002)
With Del Toro in charge of the second Blade movie, he made sure that his vampires were way more memorable than those in its predecessor. The Reapers are genetically enhanced bloodsuckers with three-part jaws that split their heads wide open, to allow a proboscis-like tongue to hoover up their victim's blood. Tasty.
4. Judas Breed (Mimic, 1997)
Del Toro may not have had a happy experience directing his English-language debut Mimic, but the movie did deliver one of his scariest monsters. The Judas Breed are huge, human-hunting mutant termite/mantis hybrids that can imitate people by folding their wings and arms, shortly before they rip your head off.
3. The Angel of Death (Hellboy II: The Golden Army, 2008)
Played by Doug Jones once more, this demonic, grinning figure holds Hellboy's fate in her hands in a key scene towards the end of Hellboy II. Like Pan's Labyrinth's Pale Man, the Angel's eyes are located elsewhere on her body--in this case on her wings--with the top-half of her head replaced by a weird cracked organic disc. Or something.
2. Otachi (Pacific Rim, 2013)
Otachi is the meanest, deadliest, an coolest of all Pacific Rim's kaiju. She spits gallons of Jaeger-melting neon acid, can fly, has a lethal barbed tail, and just keeps on fighting. And, as we discover when she is finally stopped by Gipsy Danger, she did all this while pregnant!
1. Pale Man (Pan's Labyrinth, 2006)
Perhaps the most iconic and terrifying monster in Del Toro's filmography, the Pale Man is the child-eating humanoid creature that Ofelia must face in Pan's Labyrinth. Played, of course, by Doug Jones, the moment in which this creature places his eyeball-hands on his face remains a classic, unforgettably chilling moment.
Star Wars Episode IX was originally set to be directed by Jurassic World's Colin Trevorrow, but in September last year, Trevorrow was replaced by Force Awakens director JJ Abrams. The movie's release was pushed from May until December of 2019 as Abrams worked on a new script, but the director has now revealed that it is finished and the movie will begin production this summer.
Abrams appeared on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and was asked about progress on Episode IX. "We have a script, which is a big deal for me," he said. "It starts shooting end of July. Sometimes having the script in advance is something I haven't always been lucky enough to have. But I'm writing this with Chris Terrio, who's a genius, and I'm having a great time."
In October, Abrams hinted that he wouldn't play it safe with his second Star Wars film. "I feel like we need to approach this with the same excitement that we had when we were kids loving what these movies were," he said. "But at the same time, we have to take them places that they haven't gone, and that's sort of our responsibility."
Most of the key actors from both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi are expected to return for Episode IX, including Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac. Ridley has already stated that this will be her final Star Wars movie. "I am really, really excited to do the third thing and round it out, because ultimately, what I was signing on to was three films," she said in December. "So in my head, it's three films. I think it will feel like the right time to round it out."
Sometimes a sci-fi movie just barely misses the mark. Maybe it didn't hit quite the right tone, or it failed to provide satisfying answers to the thought-provoking questions it proposed. There are plenty of science fiction films that we enjoy despite their flaws, because there's some good in them, too. And then there's Mute.
From Netflix and Duncan Jones, Mute promised to be a return to form for the director and writer behind the instant classic 2009 mind-bender Moon (and, more recently, the less-than-classic Warcraft). Unfortunately, Mute is a cartoonish, nonsensical, tone-deaf, derivative, outrageously awful nightmare without a single redeeming quality. Bummer, right?
From beginning to end, Mute is simply hard to watch. It starts when a young Amish boy named Leo suffers a terrible boating accident that leaves his vocal cords permanently shredded. As an adult, Leo (Alexander Skarsgard) has emigrated to Germany. A brief fly-by on a newspaper clipping clumsily tells us that the German chancellor invited American Amish to relocate there en masse to bring a sense of "tradition" back to the country, and that's all the explanation we ever get for that.
After several early scenes of drippy, melodramatic flirting that would make Tommy Wiseau cringe, Leo sets out on a mission to find his missing girlfriend, a blue-haired cocktail waitress named Naadirah (Seyneb Saleh, whose acting is ridiculously, terribly over the top). Meanwhile, Cactus Bill (Paul Rudd, sporting an absurdly huge handlebar mustache) is an AWOL American soldier who does under-the-table surgeries for the mob in the hopes of getting papers for him and his daughter to return home. His friend Duck Teddington (Justin Theroux in an insanely bad wig) is also around, for reasons that become horrifyingly clear as the movie progresses.
Let's get one thing out of the way: Leo being Amish has absolutely no bearing on the story whatsoever, and so boils down to a pointless, distracting, silly quirk. He works as a bartender, where he doesn't hesitate to skillfully beat up drunk guys who hit on Naadirah. He uses technology, albeit reluctantly. In other words, he could have been any random schmuck and the only thing about him they'd need to change is his suspenders.
Leo being mute doesn't really affect the story either; it just makes many scenes unnecessarily long as we wait for him to scribble his side of each conversation on a notepad. His lack of speech carries no thematic weight, and it never even hinders him plot-wise. It does have one positive effect, though, at least for Skarsgard: He doesn't have to say any of the lines in this terrible script.
Here's a small sampling of actual lines from this movie, all from relatively early on since the entire thing is like this and at a certain point you have to stop transcribing every single thing that every single character says:
"That's a real sexy hood ornament you've got dancing up there tonight."
"If my mom tried to stop me talking, I would f*** her up. And she's in a wheelchair."
"He doesn't need words. He's kind. Why wouldn't I love him?"
"School girls, babe. Itty bitty titties and smooth little p***ies. Then they grow up."
That last is said with a big sigh by Justin Theroux's character, a pediatric surgeon who's also a pedophile. The line is accompanied by an actual upskirt shot of a nearby school girl, the camera lingering on her behind as she bends over to pick up a bowling ball.
Mute treats Duck's preference for young girls as a joke for the movie's first half, like Matthew McConaughey's famous quote in Dazed and Confused about how high school girls always stay the same age, no matter how old you get. Except Theroux's character is literally filming pre-pubescent young girls in their underwear at his practice. The only thing that will make your stomach turn more than that fact is the flippant way the movie plays these scenes, almost as if it's supposed to be funny.
Halfway through, this subplot seems like it's about to take a major turn. Cactus--who has a young daughter--confronts Duck about his pedophilia, telling him firmly that he has just got to cut it out. Then they go to the mall, where they get drunk and steal some peanuts, like the previous scene never happened. As they leave, Cactus screams a homophobic slur at a security guard who confronts them.
Go ahead and re-read those sentences a couple more times and let them sink in. Now consider for a second that the entire movie is this bad. The biggest mystery is how Jones convinced these actors to go along with any of it.
Mute's futuristic setting itself has some promise, but it's utterly squandered. The movie doesn't have a single original idea, simply ripping shamelessly from great sci-fi and cyberpunk films that have come before it. Flying cars? Grungy neon? Sexy robots? Drones? A seedy city underbelly populated by prostitutes in crazy pseudo-futuristic outfits? Check, check, and check--although Mute could have easily been set in the present, or even in the past, since not one of these shallow sci-fi trappings has a single tangible effect on the story.
As Mute's plodding, meandering two-hour length comes to a close across multiple increasingly nonsensical climactic showdowns, nothing else will strike you so much as the baffling, swirling, inexplicable, disgusting mess of it all. Nothing anyone in this movie does makes a shred of sense, either logically or emotionally. Every single character is a one-dimensional caricature with no redeeming qualities. The effects look cheap. The score is forgettable. It's casually offensive, vulgar, gross, and mean for absolutely no reason. And it's unabashedly unaware--or uncaring--of the fact that you shouldn't play scenes about pedophiliac pediatricians and domestic abuse with the same weightless flippancy as a joke about robot strippers or a less-than-subtle cameo from Moon's Sam Rockwell.
And by the way, the fact that Mute and Moon apparently take place in the same "universe" doesn't make Mute any better (although this movie's existence may retroactively make Moon seem worse).
Mute is a bad joke about itself, the movie version of a Weird Al Yankovic song (an "Amish Paradise" sequel set in the future?), only if the filmmaker wasn't aware it was supposed to be a parody. It's like Mute underwent so many rewrites that the scenes and characters no longer match up--or like it's a first draft that never underwent a single edit, though considering how long Jones was trying to get this made--12 years!--the former seems more likely. At least now we have an idea why he had such a hard time.
The Good
The Bad
Paul Rudd is kind of funny once or twice
Nonsensical, stupid plot
Poorly written script filled with cringe-inducing lines
Ugly, unoriginal world
Cartoonish, one-dimensional characters
Totally derivative without a single original thought
Flippant portrayal of weighty subject matter
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