Freaky Works As Being A Surprisingly Effective Horror/Comedy That Places A Fun Spin On Its Slasher Concept

 

      Whereas typical horror films can be both fun and entertaining, horror flicks that not only incorporate humor into their plots but also manage to switch up the conventional dynamics of what typically goes in a scary flick are even more exciting and special. The key to any successful horror flick is meeting the audiences expectations of it being effectively scary and creepy, while also managing to be surprising in regards to both its storytelling and overall presentation. Examples of such recent horror films that got creative with their plots while mixing elements of horror with humor, as well as science fiction are the recent Happy Death Day films. While those were designed to be traditional slasher flicks, they managed to surprise with the amount of fun both movies appear to have with their plots, along with throwing some Back To The Future into the mix. With a plot like Freaky, the film aims to be a B movie style horror flick in the same vein as 80's classics like Prom Night with the plot carrying both a Freaky Friday and Face/Off style twist to it. While the end result doesn't end up being nearly as well-crafted as Happy Death Day, Freaky still offers large amounts of fun with its concept as well as the fun performances from its main cast, particularly Vince Vaughn in both a scary and hilariously fun role, that comes with a surprise twist. In a movie season that appears to be largely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic with no major Hollywood releases coming forward for a minute, Freaky feels like a much welcomed surprise that proves to be both a creative and slick effort.

      The plot for Freaky centers around a young teenage girl Millie (Played by Kathryn Newton), who ends up being attacked by a serial killer named the Blissfield Butcher (played by Vince Vaughn). During their encounter, both her and the killer magically switch bodies while proceeding to wreak havoc on a town while being the other person. The plot for Freaky is not just one that provides solid entertainment, but is full of creativity with it blending multiple genres together while doing so smoothly. The film bears strong similarities to both Happy Death Day films in regards to putting a darkly humorous spin on its concept, while going all Freaky Friday with it whereas Happy Death Day put a fun spin on the slasher concept. One of the key elements that made those films work were the strong yet edgy performances from its cast, most notably Jessica Rothe in the main lead who surprised with her impressive range as an actress. Freaky demonstrates a similar effect from its cast with Kathryn Newton doing very well as Millie. She conveys a similar type of edge that Rothe delivered with Vince Vaughn giving one of his funnest performances in years as the films main antagonist, the Blissfield Butcher. While the acting has much to do with why Freaky is as much fun as it turns out to be, it's also the clever gender-bending and body-swapping twist which accompanies the story, that ultimately makes it a winner. Given that the film could've gone the typical route of today's horror films in regards to relying on an excessive use of blood and gore in order to be satisfying to fans, Freaky bursts on the scene with a different approach that not only manages to switch things up, but does so in a way that's both compelling and admirable in its desire to provide something new for audiences. Although it may not fully live up to its potential of being an effective body swap horror film, Freaky still manages to thrive as being an extremely fun and reasonably gory horror romp, that'll catch horror fans by surprise with its concept that dares to go in a new direction with its slasher type story, while paying homage to classic Friday The 13th 80's style horror.

 

      One of the key elements that makes Freaky work as well as it does in terms of being a solid horror/comedy flick, are the fun and energetic performances from its main cast. The acting has much to do with why the film is so entertaining to watch with the actors helping to create characters, that are both appealing as well as likable. The strongest work comes from both Kathryn Newton and Vince Vaughn in the films main roles with Newton doing a solid job of playing bullied high school student Millie Kessler, whose trying to juggle with the sudden loss of her father along with being consistently tormented at school, and unintentionally switching bodies with the Blissfield Butcher. Newton does an impressive job of playing the vulnerable and sympathetic Millie, along with playing the Blissfield Butcher when they swap bodies. She's able to make her performance believably convincing with her inevitable switch being ultimately compelling to watch. Vaughn does great with his characters switch up from being the aging Blissfield Butcher to becoming Millie. Vaughn effectively portrays the Butcher as being both genuinely creepy, as well as intimidating with his physical presence with him being enormously fun to watch when he switches over to Millie's personality. Both actors do a fantastic job of playing their roles with their switch up being completely convincing. There's a true delight that audiences get out of watching both actors switch parts and play the opposite person. The rest of the supporting cast also manage to deliver fun performances, that make their side characters standout with Katie Finneran as Millie and her sister Char's alcoholic widowed mother Coral. Dana Drori does well as Millie's older sister Char's, a police officer who happens to be completely oblivious to the switch along with her mother. Other notable scene-stealing performances include Millie's trio of friends with both Celeste O' Connor and Misha Osherovich catching the audience eye with their hilariously fun roles as Millie's friends Nyla and her flamboyant gay friend Josh, with Uriah Shelton also playing Millie's crush Booker. Alan Ruck proves effective in his minimal performance as Millie's abusive and unsympathetic wood shop teacher Mr. Bernardi. The cast for Freaky brings a lot of charm and charisma to their parts with the actors all appearing to have a blast with the films concept. They go a long way with making the film delightful to watch, along with keeping the audience in suspense in regards to what happens next.

      The films directing by Christopher Landon comes across as being fairly decent with him proving to be effective at generating a horror style atmosphere to the story, while giving it a teen High School feel to it that draws strong comparisons to Freaky Friday. Landon keeps the suspense going with creating a fun atmosphere for the audience to enjoy seeing these characters interact with when they do the swap with the film also earning its R rating, making it stay true to its chosen genre. Landon exercises zero restraint in going over-the-top with the gore department with the editing not cutting away from any of the gruesome shots, along with close-ups of gory wounds being used. The violence also consists of old-school weapons being used in a traditional horror flick such as household items, chainsaws, and cursed knives with the death scenes showing bold creativity behind them. The pacing is well-handled with the story remaining fast-paced, keeping the audience on their feet with Millie's character as she desperately tries to figure out a way to reverse the switch. The editing gives the film a consistent rhythm that separates each major scare sequence in between moments of both character and plot development. The films soundtrack consists of various songs and a score, that effectively adds suspense to the story. The directing by Landon works so well because of his ability to understand the material he's working with, along with rightfully giving it an atmospheric feel which not only draws the audience in but makes it hard for them to lose interest in the plot unfolding. With the R rating, Landon goes all in and embraces the over-the-top goriness of the plot while exercising both craftsmanship and creativity in executing the story. On a technical front, Freaky is a well put together and assembled horror/ comedy flick that looks appealing visually with it carrying a pace that zips along. Watching the film, one feels that Landon crafted the story as being a romantic letter to classic 80's slasher flicks while giving it a surprising level of heart with the stories emotional core, and a generational upgrade with its story in regards to certain character tropes. While Landon's work doesn't rank as being John Carpenter status nor Wes Craven's in regards to craftsmanship, he does a solid enough job of making the story work as being a homage to those directors works, while being effective on its own.

      The screenplay by Christopher Landon and Michael Kennedy is notably strong for its ability for blend multiple genres together, while giving audiences characters that they can grow to care about and ultimately survive the mayhem. The character of Millie is well established as being a sympathetic figure that audiences can get behind with her characters switch up being a great twist in the story. All of the key characters are fairly developed with each person getting their opportunity to shine in the script. Some of the themes that Freaky dives into consists of loss, death of a loved one, grief, bullying, letting go, moving on, and ultimately growing up. The script for Freaky does an admirable job of exploring these themes while adding an extra layer to its story besides being just a mindless horror flick. In the midst of the films main spectacle, lies a thoughtful message about moving on from losing a loved one with the film showing how both family and friends are essential needs in one's life. Another area where the script does well in is leaving the backstory of the Blissfield Butcher ambiguous with the audience not knowing a whole lot about him other than just urban legends and gossip being spread around. The scripts main issue where it finds itself struggling is the supernatural aspect of the story regarding the possessed knife, that carries the power to swap people in different bodies. While the concept itself works in regards to explaining the films key plot point with both Millie and the Butcher becoming the opposite person , it can often become a bit cheesy and forced for the audience to digest. The script for Freaky carries with it camp (Particularly within the death scenes), which its never ashamed of nor attempts to shy away from with the audience getting their maximum moneys worth in regards to being entertained. The films dialogue stands as being one of its strongest points with it being full of snarky lines and random bits designed to erupt enormous laughter from the audience such as Millie's friends proclaiming that they're "black" or "gay" when being chased by what they presume to be the Butcher, but is actually Millie inside his body trying to explain the situation to them. While some of the dialogue comes across as being a miss such as the "biting beavers" bit in describing the High School football team mascot, most of it works with much of the humor landing while adding to the fun camp nature of the story. The script also makes it a key point to show the inventiveness of the killer whether it's Vince Vaughn or Vaughn in Millie's body with his character shown as being resourceful, as well as creative in finding different ways to off those he comes into contact with such as the use of a toilet seat. Whereas many horror films find themselves struggling within the writing department, Freaky thrives in numerous levels while breaking down gender barriers by placing LGBT characters front and center with Millie's friend Josh carrying some of the films most memorable lines, along with Nyla giving African-Americans a more predominant role in a horror film. The script for Freaky is one that's brilliantly well-written with it clearly being shown to have lots of fun exploring both its concept and characters, but also serves as a film that's self-aware of the culture its surrounded by.

      There's much for audiences to enjoy with Freaky as it carries both a unique and thoughtful plot, that proves ideal for horror style entertainment. What really makes the film work so well is the charisma of its main cast with Vince Vaughn being totally likable in his part with Kathryn Newton largely impressing with her ability to switch from being regular Millie to corrupt Millie. The story literally takes the concept of Freaky Friday and puts its own spin on it in the style of being a solid horror/comedy flick. Those looking for a horror story that's fresh and exercises genuine creativity will find much to delight in with Freaky's plot, even if it does bear similarities to Freaky Friday, along with catching itself walking a familiar beat to other films with similar storylines (The audience already knows that Millie's friends will be scared of her new transformation at first with them assuming she's the Butcher until she reminds them of personal things that only the real Millie would know). The audience knows these twists as they've already been done before in other films mentioned, but it's the distinct way that the writers and director behind Freaky go about executing the story that makes it feel both fresh once again as well as effective. Freaky may have moments where it comes across as appearing formulaic as well as predictable with its plot, but the overall execution of it along with the energetic performances of its main cast more than compensates for its minor faults. It's a horror film that audiences won't expect much of going in, but will find themselves being thoroughly satisfied by how much fun it is to watch, as well as appreciating the different approach it takes with its story in comparison to the average horror flick. Whereas most slasher films stick to a basic formula with plot elements that often feel generic as well as repetitive, Freaky desires to switch things up and does so effectively. As a film that's designed to be a homage to classic 80's slasher flicks as well as Teen cinema, fans of both genres couldn't ask for a better tribute as Freaky surprises with how effective it is in regards to being solid horror entertainment, while carrying a noteworthy amount of heart.

Final Verdict: Horror fans will be surprised and find much enjoyment in Freaky as it puts a delightfully fun spin on the popular slasher genre.

Spenser Confidential Aims For Being A Memorable Buddy Cop Flick But Settles For Being Mildly Forgettable Entertainment

 

     When it comes to buddy action comedies, many of them tend to follow the same formula which often can result in most coming across as being by-the-numbers. What makes memorable ones such as 48 Hours, Lethal Weapon, Bad Boys, and Rush Hour standout are the chemistry that the main leads share with their plots being serviceable enough to make for an enjoyable ride. That doesn't appear to be the case with Netflix's Spenser Confidential, which stars Mark Wahlberg and Winston Duke. Marking Wahlberg's fifth collaboration with director Peter Berg, the talented pair aim to make magic happen again with their newest effort combining elements of action mixed with crime and comedy all rolled into one. Despite their noble efforts to deliver solid popcorn entertainment, the end result comes across as feeling like a mixed bag with Spenser Confidential ultimately passing as being serviceable entertainment even though the main leads lack the memorable chemistry, as well as the trademark back-and-forth bickering that generally accompanies the popular genre.

      Based on Robert B. Parker's 2013 novel Wonderland by author Ace Atkins, the plot for Spenser Confidential centers on a former Boston police officer (Played by Mark Wahlberg), whose released after serving a 5-year sentence with him trying to uncover a conspiracy involving widespread corruption that includes many police officers, politicians, and ruthless drug dealers. Carrying a story that feels ideal for a buddy cop action flick, Spenser Confidential provides enough reasonable entertainment for it to be considered passable, though never truly maximizes its full potential. The film often comes across as feeling standard for the genre with nothing new or fresh being brought to the table. Although the film boasts decent performances from its main cast, it can't help but shake the by-the-numbers feeling that one gets when watching it. The films single greatest fault besides operating as being just an average effort, lies with the fact that there isn't a compelling enough duo placed on the screen for audiences to rally behind nor truly care about. As an intended piece of entertainment, Spenser Confidential offers a temporary distraction but not enough to where one will be thinking about it afterwards.

      Despite the films shortcomings in regards to its writing, the acting performances from the main cast manage to be effective with them being appealing choices for their roles. Generally with a film like Spenser Confidential, the concept offers the main cast the opportunity to have some fun with playing their roles. Although that appears to be the case here, they also feel hindered by the scripts lack of character depth. In the films main role, Mark Wahlberg delivers a solid performance as ex-cop Spenser whose wrongfully jailed for attempting to call out the cover-up of a key case involving the murder of an activist. Wahlberg once again gives audiences his tough guy persona with him commanding the screen with his presence. He proves to be a natural at playing such a part as it helps that his presence is often likable in his films despite how audiences generally feel about him off screen. Winston Duke manages to be appealing as Spenders partner and sidekick Hawk. He makes his character both fun and likable to audiences despite his chemistry with Wahlberg sorely lacking in comparison to other buddy cop film pair ups. The rest of the cast deliver notably strong performances with comedic actress Lliza Shlesinger bringing energy to the screen with her performance as Spensers smack-talking and loud-mouthed on and off again girlfriend Cissy Davis. Even though audiences may find frustration with her characters attitude towards Spenser and other characters, Shlesinger still is able to make her appealing. Alan Arkin brings class to the ensemble with his role as Spensers friend Henry Cimoli. Where the chemistry between Wahlberg and Duke may fall short of its intended reaction, Arkin picks up the slack by providing humor, sarcasm, and charm with the scenes his characters in. Bokeem Woodbine does a solid job of playing Spensers partner turned antagonist Driscoll with Woodbine being believably convincing as a corrupt cop hiding his shady dealings behind the badge. As a whole, the cast for Spenser Confidential does a fairly solid job of playing their roles, along with trying to add some flavor to them. The strongest performances in the film come from both Wahlberg and Arkin with the latter being strong as the films righteous protagonist, who refuses to look the other way upon discovering shady misgivings going on within his own precinct. He plays his character being the smart, tough, and stubborn former Boston police officer to maximum effect. The film is ultimately watchable and carries a fair amount of entertainment value due to the effort the cast puts into trying to make the story work. 

      Directed by Peter Berg who worked with Wahlberg previously on projects such as Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon, Patriots Day, and Mile 22, the inseparable filmmaking pair continue the trend once again with their fifth collaboration together. Berg and Wahlberg appear to be an ideal duo, who both understand how to work off each other in regards to achieving the desired effect for the stories they bring to the screen. Unfortunately their latest effort ranks as being one of their weaker efforts rather than being one of their strongest. Berg's directing here falls within the category of being unexceptional as nothing about his work on the film warrants strong praise. Here, he keeps the story moving at a slow yet steady pace which allows the story to gradually unfold as the film progresses. The cinematography is both entertaining and fairly well-handled with the films local scenery being well photographed, along with the action sequences being on point with them also showcasing decent choreography. The violence serves as being one of the main centerpieces of the story with the main antagonists (Crooked cops and drug dealers) shown committing savage beatings, as well as showing surprising creativity such as them wielding machetes with Wahlberg's character being able to overpower them in a comic book style fashion. Although thrilling at first, the action later becomes predictable with the audience automatically assuming that Wahlberg's character will either overpower the group of baddies trying to kill him or his big muscular partner will conveniently show up to the rescue. The rest of the films action consists of decently-filmed though typical car chases, shootouts, and fist fights occurring one after another. Berg keeps the action consistent throughout the story with him spreading it out long enough for the story to develop in between each sequence. The editing is handled with great restraint in regards to the film maintaining a steady pace, while not feeling too jarring in regards to the quick cutting during the films action scenes. Berg's directorial work here for the most part is decent with audiences getting the chance to see glimpses of his skills as a director in regards to staging solidly effective action sequences with Wahlberg helping to deflect from the films glaring issues in regards to its writing. 

      The screenplay by Sean O' Keefe and Brian Helgeland serves as being both a hit-and-miss effort with the script being at its strongest when establishing the films main plot. Beyond that, the biggest issues with the writing stem from its severe lack of humor given that the story is aimed to be a buddy cop action flick. The film itself appears to not only struggle in this regard, but also feels confused in whether it wants to be seen as a comedy or straight action flick with there being very little chemistry between Wahlberg's character and Duke's. The script carries a noble message which says that certain people are truly righteous ones who'll stop at nothing in the pursuit of justice. With Wahlberg's character, the audience effectively see's his determination to bring the crooked cops to justice regardless of the fact that he's not only outnumbered but essentially going up against a corrupt system. Despite the script wanting to deliver a powerful condemnation of police corruption, the writers don't go all in with doing so, and appear confused on what type of film they want Spenser Confidential to be. The lack of a true partnership between Wahlberg and Duke's characters becomes a glaring issue that holds the film back in terms of being as entertaining and memorable as it could've been. The script for Spenser Confidential feels like a half-hearted attempt to be both an entertaining and deep buddy cop action flick, but often finds itself relying on both predictable and generic cliches such as the audience figuring that Wahlberg's partner (Bokeem Woodbine) will inevitably end up being revealed as one of the films main crooked cops, along with Alan Arkin's character becoming a hostage bargain given the way his character is built up throughout the film. The writing for Spenser Confidential for the most part isn't terrible, it just feels lazily written and uninspired with it relying on generic plot and character tropes from other movies within the genre. Instead of going all in and embracing the buddy cop aspect of the story, the script takes a half step rather than a full one and it shows. 

      Considering that both Paul Berg and Mark Wahlberg achieved success with previous strong efforts such as Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon, and Patriots Day, it's a bit disappointing to see their latest effort pale in comparison to their past work. At best, Spenser Confidential serves as being an okay effort but lacks the charm, charisma, and heart of previous buddy cop flicks to make it a genuinely solid movie. The story ultimately finds itself going through the motions with the audience being left scratching their heads while wondering when the films humor will arrive (Which it almost never does). One of the films rare scenes of intended humor involves a comically awkward sex scene involving Wahlberg's character and Shlesinger's with them attempting to perform sexual intercourse in a public restroom. The scene both proves effective in being fun to watch while also coming across as being an awkward moment in the story. Spenser Confidential desires to be both serious and comedic at the same time with it feeling as if it can't choose on what exactly it wants to be. What saves it from being a complete disaster is the appeal, as well as the effort its main cast puts into trying to make it work. For the most part, they manage to succeed at making it a watchable effort though certainly not one that audiences will remember in the long run. One hopes that for Berg and Wahlberg's next inevitable outing, they choose a much stronger and more consistent script to work with as their talents feel somewhat wasted here.

Final Verdict: For Mark Wahlberg fans as well as those of the buddy cop film genre, Netflix's Spenser Confidential offers mild entertainment, but largely pales in comparison to other stronger films within the genre.

Honest Thief ls A Serviceable Action Flick That Relies Heavily On Its Main Lead To Be Entertaining

 

      When it comes to action/revenge style movies, most tend to fall in the category of being entertaining yet average works with some managing to surpass expectations in regards to quality with the rest often relying on their main stars to elevate them into being something watchable. With action films like Taken, Non-Stop, and The Commuter, they rely heavily on the appeal of their main star Liam Neeson in both the action and dramatic department, to sell their concepts to the audience. While the films themselves may not come across as being anything particularly groundbreaking in regards to script and plot (Taken was a fast-paced and tightly edited film, that worked because of the kinetic energy the story possessed), they ended up being watchable to thoroughly entertaining films because of Neeson's ability to not only play his characters well, but perform some impressive action sequences involving hand-to-hand combat. Since the release of the first Taken, Neeson has often been looked at as being one of the most appealing action movie stars of the 2010's era with him playing down the formula of being the middle-aged man thrown into a situation where the odds are being heavily stacked against him, giving him no other alternative but to fight his way out of situations and ultimately save the day. That trend which Neeson style action films often follow continues with his latest action/crime thriller titled Honest Thief. While the film isn't anything special to gloat about in the story or writing department, Neeson largely helps with making it be a watchable though fun action flick that unfortunately, never rises above the level of being just plain average.

      The plot for Honest Thief centers around a non-violent yet notorious bank robber (Played by Liam Neeson), who falls in love and decides to turn himself in for his past crimes in hopes of receiving reduced sentencing so they can get on with their life together. His plans however, end up being derailed when two rogue FBI agents (Played by Jai Courtney and Anthony Ramos) are assigned to verify the legitimacy of his claims with them stealing the money that he stole previously, along with killing a fellow agent who stumbled onto their plot. Threatening both him and his girlfriend (Played by Kate Walsh), the former thief begins pursuing justice with the use of the special set of skills that he used prior which made him a successful thief. The plot for Honest Thief is nothing that audiences haven't seen before with it being riddled with numerous subplots and cliches, that have been shamefully lifted from other action/crime flicks with similar premises. The film doesn't offer audiences anything new, but is made to be fairly watchable largely thanks to Neeson carrying the film with his charismatic performance as the films main lead turned vengeful hero. It's always wise to keep in mind when watching a Liam Neeson action flick, that audiences shouldn't look to those films stories for in-depth plot and character exploration with them just going along for the ride and receive fair entertainment for the films 90 minute running time. Honest Thief honesty, doesn't do much to differentiate itself from Neeson's previous action works, but that doesn't make it an outright failure or waste of time. The film is as fun to watch as its plot and production allows it to be with Neeson once again delivering a gripping dramatic performance mixed with his engaging action persona, that's stuck with him since 2008's Taken. How much one enjoys this film depends on their tolerance of the previous Neeson action films that have been released this far.

      Regardless of how one feels about Neeson's previous action flicks, it can be said that the one element of these films that always shines through whether the films manage to do so or not are the performances from the main cast with Honest Thief proving to be no exception. Both Neeson and the rest of the supporting cast attempt to do the best with their given in terms of their roles and main story. For the most part, they all succeed in being effective with the strongest presence in the film easily going to Liam Neeson. He excels in the role of playing aging thief Tom Dolan, also known as the "In-and-Out Bandit". Neeson does a solid job of making his character appear as being both transformed, as well as remorseful of his past actions with him becoming increasingly frustrated at the lack of seriousness being directed at his claims of being the actual bandit. The film rests solely on his shoulders in terms of being a decent watch with him once again utilizing his traditional action persona on screen. Kate Walsh gives a likable performance as Tom's love interest Annie Wilkins with Walsh nicely conveying her characters confusion, shock, and understanding in regards to learning about Tom's true profession. Her chemistry with Neeson also manages to come across as being relatively decent. The rest of the supporting cast do solid work with what they're given with Jai Courtney and Anthony Ramos both impressing as corrupt FBI agents John Nivens and Ramon Hall. Of the two, Courtney plays the more sleazier and corrupt officer with Ramos providing the audience with the conscience of the two as his character struggles with what his partner talked themselves into while struggling with doing the right thing. Jeffrey Donovan does well in his role as Agent Sean Meyers with his character beginning to suspect that misconduct and murder has happened within his own department while chasing Tom. Although his role is a minimal one in comparison to the others, Robert Patrick does good with playing Agent Sam Baker with his character finding out the truth about agents Nivens and Hall before being murdered. Jasmine Cephas Jones is effective in her small part as Ramon's wife Beth Hall, who senses that something's off with her husband and reminds him of what he would always tell her in regards to doing the right thing. As a whole, the cast for Honest Thief does the best they can with what's handed to them with everyone getting their moment to shine despite the bulk of the screentime going to Neeson's character. Neeson alone is the main reason to see the film with everyone else working off his energy. The cast has much to do with why the film ends up being passably entertaining rather than being completely unwatchable.

      The films directing by Mark Williams comes across as being standard with nothing particularly impressive nor crafty being done here. Williams keeps the story fast-paced with the audience constantly being on the run with both Neeson and Walsh's characters. In comparison to previous Neeson action films, Honest Thief feels lighter and more straight-forward with the violence consisting of physical fighting mixed with traditional shootouts and car chases. The film rightfully earns its R rating with intensely violent moments such as a character being stabbed with scissors, or a woman's face getting smashed into a hard surface during a brutal fight. The cinematography proves effective in catching these intensely violent shots with both frantic and quick cuts accompanying the action scenes. The films score by Mark Isham proves effective in adding to the films mood regarding crime and mystery with it also giving more emotional power to the films dramatic scenes, as well as upping the adrenaline during the films intense action sequences. As a whole, the directing effort that Mark Williams gives the film is decent but feels pretty standard for this type of action/crime thriller. Besides the films violent action sequences being well-handled despite carrying a comic-book style feel to how they're executed, there isn't anything shown here regarding Williams directing that stands out as being particularly memorable. The directing for Honest Thief feels as standard and generic as the work done on all of Neeson's action films post Taken.

      Another main component of an action film that can make or break it in terms of being passable entertainment is its writing. The screenplay by Williams and Steve Allrich provides a plausible scenario for Neeson to go on full Taken mode once again with the main difference from the other films being that he's an antagonist himself, whose trying to atone for his past sins as a former thief. The script tackles interesting themes that are explored throughout the script such as lies, secrets, mistrust, honesty, doing what's right, love, and seeking ones redemption. Despite the film being designed to be an action vehicle for Liam Neeson, the script has something to say regarding how the love that one feels for another can make them change their old habits with the film also stating that police corruption in any form is bad. The script makes attempts to develop the side characters whenever Neeson isn't on the screen, though they still come across as feeling like stereotypical ones that are often found in numerous other action movies (The two dirty cops for example as well as Jeffrey Donovan's character, who starts off pursuing Neeson at first then begins to secretly support him upon learning the truth about his fellow agents and the missing money). The biggest problem with the writing for Honest Thief is how bland and predictable it comes across as being. Many of the films twists and reveals within the story are ones that audiences can ultimately see coming a mile away. Besides Neeson's character, the rest feel mechanical like they mainly exist to move the plot along. The little moments where the script feels like it wants to go more in-depth with their character exploration, are greatly overshadowed by the generic character tropes they perform. What the script does well for Honest Thief is provide a somewhat interesting scenario for Neeson to return to his trademark action mode. Despite its efforts, the screenplay never rises above being a serviceable effort with a solid premise ultimately being underwhelmed by a bare bones script.

      Whether audiences find Honest Thief to be a satisfying action/crime thriller depends on their own expectations of it going in, as well as their enjoyment of the previous Liam Neeson action films. There's​ nothing about Honest Thief that elevates it to the status of being a great film, nor is it a terrible one. It ultimately ends up being passable mainly due to its ability to lean on its main star for support with the rest of the film being a plain effort. Despite the films shortcomings regarding the lack of a strong script, it still delivers a fair amount of popcorn entertainment that'll fulfill ones craving for action in the moment, but will instantly become forgettable afterwards. The one element of the film that'll appeal to action/revenge fans is how unapologetic it comes across as being in regards to entertaining its audience despite how silly things tend to feel as they play out. As an action film that's designed to entertain, Honest Thief fulfills its duty in that regard, though should neither be taken seriously nor looked upon as being anything spectacular. If nothing else, it gives Liam Neeson an opportunity to remind audiences that despite his old age, he still has what it takes to deliver solid vengeful action in a fashion similar to old-school Charles Brosnan. Where Honest Thief is lacking in both story and character depth, it compensates as being a reasonably simple and effective piece of entertainment if one reevaluates their expectations of it going in.

Final Verdict: For action fans as well as Liam Neeson fans in general, Honest Thief temporarily fulfills their craving for some good old-fashioned revenge style action, though they shouldn't look for anything else outside of that.

Bill & Ted Face The Music Largely Surprises As Being The Rare Threequel That Lives Up To Its Predecessors

 

      Long distant sequels to cult-classic predecessors can prove to be both a dicey and tricky move as the new film must match up to as well as honor the legacy of the previous one. Such results have proven to be mixed with similar entries such as Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues and Zoolander 2 with the closest resemblance to this film being the long-Awaited sequel to Dumb and Dumber titled Dumber And Dumber To. While that film wasn't necessarily awful, it didn't quite live up to the cult status of the original nor its quality. In the case of Bill & Ted Face The Music, the film aims to pick up from where audiences last saw the main characters in 1991 and bring both them as well as the story into today's world with the new film maintaining the same goofy style mayhem and time-bending gimmick of its predecessors. The new Bill & Ted serves as being the long-awaited third installment of the popular series, that not only manages to match the quality of the previous films, but nicely rounds out the series as being both a fun and creative trilogy with it standing as being the best one since the first.

 

      The plot for Bill & Ted Face The Music brings the main characters to present day from where audiences last saw them traveling through time and saving the world in 1991, with the intrepid San Dimas rockers (Played by Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter), now being middle-aged and finding themselves having to save reality once again by creating their own song. They manage to do so with the assistance of their daughters (Played by Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine), their old grim reaper companion named Death (Played once again by William Sadler), and several eminent musicians from the past. The plot for Bill & Ted Face The Music works in regards to keeping in line with the original films, while managing to upgrade it with a more modern setting with showing where the main characters have ended up since when audiences last saw them. What makes the newest film work so well as a third installment of the series, is the fact that it's able to recapture much of the magic and goofy nature of the previous films without missing a beat. The new film stands as being one of the rare long-belated sequels that stands the test of being able to measure up to the legacy of its predecessors, while having something to say in regards to family, friendship, success, aging, and making life choices. For a third film that essentially had no real purpose to be made considering that the second Bill & Ted wrapped up their story nicely, it makes a solid case for justifying its existence with it being just as fun-spirited and good-hearted as the originals, while taking a more deeper tone with its story in regards to tackling themes pertaining to life and growing up. Bill & Ted Face The Music is sequel that absolutely didn't need to be made, but is one that audiences will ultimately be glad that it did.

      Besides the creativity of the Bill & Ted series, the main ingredient that always managed to make the films work in terms of being ridiculously fun to watch, are the hilariously charismatic performances of its main leads. Both Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves make for a terrific pair of main leads with them essentially being both the life and heart of the films. They not only manage to effectively convey the goofy nature of their characters, but also the wonder of experiencing the scenarios their characters end up becoming apart of throughout the series along with their amazement of seeing key historical figures come together in an effort to save the world once again through time-travel. For Keanu Reeves, the role of Ted Logan feels like the ideal match for him given that the former can essentially be himself and make his character comes across as being both likable and entertaining to watch. The same can be said about Alex Winter as Bill Preston with his chemistry with Reeves being spot-on in a vein similar to Mike Myers and Dana Carvey in Wayne's World. Both Reeves and Winter feel as if they naturally slip back into their characters with the time gap between the second and third film feeling almost non-existent with how well the performances match up. The rest of the cast does a great job of working off the energy of the films main leads along with adding to their enthusiasm with William Sadler's return as the Grim Reaper Death, being a welcomed one. Like Reeves and Winter, Sadler slips back into his iconic role and plays it just as effectively as before with all three actors making for a solid trio. Sadler also makes the fans empathize with his character upon learning of his fallout with Bill and Ted due to a lawsuit with their reconciliation being ultimately heartwarming. The new additions to the cast all manage to impress with Kristen Schaal delivering a noteworthy performance as Kelly, the daughter of Rufus from the previous two films as well as serving as being a messenger from the future warning Bill & Ted of her mother's (The Great Leader) intentions to kill them . Bridgette Lundy-Paine and Samara Weaving both manage to impress as Ted and Elizabeth's daughter Billie with Weaving playing Bill and Joanna's daughter Thea. Their roles were the most riskiest and challenging of the new members of the supporting cast with them having to not only work well together as a duo like Reeves and Winter, but imitate the latters personalities with the audience buying them as being the young daughters of the main characters. They not only manage to live up to the expectations placed on them with their parts, but also showcase strong chemistry of their own with the four working together as a fantastic ensemble. Anthony Carrigan proves to be genuinely fun to watch as Dennis Caleb McCoy, an emotionally insecure robot whose sent through time to kill Bill & Ted upon orders given by the Great Leader. Other new faces playing returning characters from the original films shine with Erinn Hayes as Ted's wife Elizabeth along with Jayma Mays as Bill's wife Princess Joanna Preston and Hal Landon Jr. reprising his role as Ted's father Chief Logan. Though their roles are minimal ones in comparison to the rest of the cast, the ensemble ones leave notable impressions such as Amy Stoch as Bill and Ted's former stepmother Missy, Holland Taylor as The Great Leader, Kid Cudi as himself, DazMann Still as Jimi Hendrix, Jeremiah Craft as Louis Armstrong, Daniel Dorr as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Sharon Gee as Ling Lun. The cast for Bill & Ted Face The Music has much to do with why the third film works so well as being a worthy installment of the series with everyone bringing their own style of energy to the film, along with working off the strength of both Reeves and Winter as the main leads. They're not only charming but charismatic in making their characters extremely entertaining to watch, as well as getting the audience to become invested in their adventure through time once again. Both actors also add a surprising amount of humility and heart to their roles with them playing older versions of their characters, who are becoming more self-reflective of their lives and accomplishments. Without their return, the sequel wouldn't have worked ultimately.

      In addition to the films decent acting, the directing by Dean Parisot comes across as being a solid effort with him doing a smooth job of blending the films comedic elements with both its adventure and fantasy ones. Like the previous two Bill & Teds, Parisot keeps the story fast-paced with the new film managing to clock in at 91 minutes like the others with the plot providing enough laughs and excitement to keep audiences engaged from start to finish. The films sharp cinematography is well-shot with it making both the sequences involving CGI and time-travel look impressive, along with its soft-focus use of lensing and crisp white lighting. One can definitely tell that this one was filmed in a high-definition style in comparison to the others. On a technological front, Bill & Ted Face The Music looks sharper and is more involved in comparison to the others in terms of its usage of CGI along with it blending with the rest of the film. Of all the Bill & Ted movies, this one serves as being the most impressively shot installment as well as being the most stunning visually. The films soundtrack is well-rounded and enhances both the comedic and dramatic aspects of the story, along with also building off its energy while driving the film further. As far as the directing goes, Dean Parisot's work proves effective in putting together a worthy installment in the Bill & Ted series that not only maintains the spirit of its predecessors, but feels more advanced in the technological department in regards to the films time-travel aspects of its story. He unequivocally gives audiences the best looking film of the series visually, while helping to make it feel more heartfelt in terms of story with it also remaining just as bizarre and fun-spirited as the others.

      Written by Chris Matheson and Men In Black's Ed Solomon, the writers do an effective job of bringing the characters back into a more modern setting while making their dynamics feel both relatable and relevant outside of the traditional time-travel story, that accompanies the trilogy as a whole. Though the films overall message saying that music can unite the world comes across as being light-hearted, the script is at its most interesting when exploring situations that many middle-aged people endure in regards to examining their success as well as their failures with concepts regarding the strength of family, friendship, and couples therapy being added to the mix. The writers succeed in showing how Bill & Ted have aged since audiences last saw them, with both now being family men who believe that their lives are fulfilled and perfect until they learn in couples therapy how unhappy their wives are. The writers present the main characters with common issues that many people in Bill & Ted's shoes experience, which make them so relatable with the script examining the characters feeling of not living up to expectations placed upon them in life. For the main characters, this serves as being an ideal theme for them as both Bill & Ted were never shown at the end of the second film to achieve a certain level of success in life outside of their past experiences nor meet their glorious destinies. The characters all remain consistent with their personas from the previous movies, though more emotion and heart is added to them, with the audience even caring about Reapers character with them can't help but being moved by the trios reconciliation of their differences. Though Bill & Ted Face The Music works as being a sequel to the previous films, it feels as if it carries a more emotional depth of the characters in comparison with the new additions to the cast being thoroughly developed enough for the audience to become connected with them. The characters of Thea and Billie are presented as being genuinely fun to watch with them serving as being just as dorky and likeable as their parents. The character of Kelly serves as being a worthy fill-in for the character of Rufus given the actors real-life passing with Kelly's​ character operating as the more millineal version of her family tree, who disagrees with her mother's decision to have Bill & Ted killed. Dennis McCoys character is also fun to watch with the audience getting a kick out of how insecure his character comes across as being. The plot for the new Bill & Ted wouldn't be ideal without a the concept of time-travel being utilized once again with the exploring of the background of music being a clever way to make the story feel fresh, as well as remaining true to the rest of the series. The subplot involving all the past musical legends all being brought together through time-travel to perform the song that'll save the universe is a clever twist that audiences will have enormous amounts of fun with. In terms of writing, the screenwriters behind Bill & Ted Face The Music do an exceptional job of connecting the newest film to the previous two, with them finding a way to move both the series and characters forward along with managing to explore the old ones, while introducing newer ones that catch the audiences eye. The writers clearly care about making the newest sequel work and manage to provide a fitting closure to the trilogy. In that case, they largely succeed in doing so while appearing to have a blast with writing these characters as much as the actors appear to have playing them.

      The best thing that can be said about the newest Bill & Ted is how much of a pleasant surprise it feels in regards to not only being a worthy addition to the series, but how it manages to carry the same goofy style of humor as the previous ones, while making the whole experience feel fresh for newer audiences. The filmmakers designed this one as being a bridge between the fans of the originals with them introducing the series to their own kids. Although the film is meant to be the final chapter in the Bill & Ted universe, it ends the franchise in a way that's both charming and fitting while welcoming a newer generation of audiences to discover the outrageously over-the-top​ and innocent nature of the series as a whole. The main characters of Bill & Ted are just as fun and ridiculous as when audiences last saw them with a tad more heart added to their character arcs. What could've easily ended up being a completely uninspired and money-driven Hollywood sequel, not only feels well-executed and thoughtful with the filmmakers actually questioning where these characters would be right now, but is one thats made with a clear labor of love for both the characters and story. For a third film in a popular series, Bill & Ted Face The Music works as being one of the rare sequels that manages to beat the odds of the third movie curse with them generally falling short of their predecessors quality, while being surprising with the direction it takes it's iconic duo. Whereas many high profile sequels try and ultimately fail to measure up to the standards of their previous entries, Face The Music both surprisingly and rightfully shows how its done.

Final Verdict: For fans of the Bill & Ted series, Bill & Ted Face The Music serves as being one of the rare threequels in a trilogy that actually works.