The Equalizer 3 Delivers A Fitting End To A Solid Rebooted Trilogy

      It seems that both fitting and acceptable endings to popular Hollywood franchises are hard to come by nowadays. Generally, most finales have audiences feeling a sense of disappointment with how they go about concluding their respective stories. That doesn't appear to be the case here as Sony Pictures has Denzel Washington and series director Antoine Fuqua concluding their popular rebooted  Equalizer trilogy in a thrilling fashion, delivering high-octane action that's comparable to that of the John Wick franchise. The Equalizer 3 delivers electrifying action as well as a satisfying curtain closer for Washington's character Robert McCall, that makes it the most solid action film released this year next to John Wick: Chapter 4.

        Loosely based on the television series of the same name, the plot has Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) giving up his previous life as a government assassin and living in Southern Italy. His life of peace is soon halted when he discovers that his newfound friends are being terrorized and controlled by local crime bosses. Known for the disbursing of justice on behalf of those oppressed, McCall becomes the local neighborhood protector by single-handedly taking on the mafia himself. Equalizer 3's plot feels like the perfect way to wrap up McCall's story by bringing everything full circle and allowing audiences one last opportunity to see him in top form. Although the story comes across as being formulaic, there's enough stunning action displayed along with beautiful scenery and a commanding screen presence from Denzel Washington to make up for any shortcomings the film carries with the end result being a solid action fare.

      With an action franchise like Equalizer, acting performances are crucial in regard to selling the intensity of the action as well as the believability of the story. Washington once again proves that he was born to play the role of Robert McCall with him depicting his character as being haunted by his past actions as a former government assassin yet finds himself being sucked back into the action while seeking peace in Southern Italy. He commands every scene that he's in and his reunion with Man on Fire co-star Dakota Fanning is a true delight to watch with the latter further demonstrating her talent as CIS officer Emma Collins, who gets tipped off by McCall regarding a winery's role in the illegal drug trade disguised as normal am business transactions in Sicily. Her chemistry with Washington remains spot-on with the audience genuinely feeling the excitement of seeing the two reunite nearly twenty years after their previous collaboration. The rest of the cast delivers terrific work with Eugenio Mastrandrea as local carabiniere Gio Bonucci, who rescues McCall after being shot. Other notable performances include David Denman as Collins CIA partner, Frank Conroy, Sonia Ben Ammar McCall's love interest Chiara Bonucci, Remo Girone as Enzo, Andrea Scarduzio as head of the Camorra, Vincent Quaranta, and Gaia Scodellaro as McCall's ally and doctor Aminah.

      In terms of directing, Fuqua brings the same style of kinetic action to the threequel while allowing Denzel to have enough free reign to dominate the screen. With the action, Fuqua keeps the violence relatively sparse but makes those moments notably effective with excessive amounts of gore being used. Some examples include individuals being shot, stabbed, and blown up in graphic and bloody fashions with over-the-top bits including a man having a fun shoved through his eyeball and several shots travelling through his head. The films cinematography stunningly captures the versatility and beautiful landscape of Italy. At 109 minutes, the story never feels like its slow-moving or boring with the action keeping audiences at the edge of their seat as they anticipate McCall to take out the Italian Mafia. Given that this marks both Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua's fifth collaboration together, it seems as if both men have a legitimate understanding of how to utilize the other in bringing out the best work possible. The latter delivers strong directorial work that audiences will unquestionably find to be skillful.

      The Equalizer 3's plot heavily revolves around themes pertaining to drug trafficking, the Mafia, pain, grief, vigilantism, and finding peace which McCall's character finds during his stay in Italy. Both the storyline and dialogue come across as being powerful at times with it legitimately feeling like the end for McCall's story. When it comes to the rest of the films characters, they come across as being thinly developed though serviceable figures whom the audience have seen before in other similar action features. The films Italian Mafia comes across as appearing rather simple and dull with them being the typical generic mafia henchmen, who hurt others for financial gain with nothing else shown beyond that. Although their characters aren't interesting, their actions help move things forward while building the audiences suspense in wanting to see them get killed off by McCall. While Equalizer 3's script doesn't do anything innovative with its story and finds itself largely sticking to formula and familiar character tropes, there's enough good elements present to make up for any of it shortcomings. 

      If one enjoyed the previous Equalizer films, they'll also do so here as it offers more of the same while giving more insight into McCall's mind. The stories most effective moments are those in which his character reflects on his past deeds, while also being shocked at the injustice surrounding him as he slowly realizes that he must clean up the streets once again. At one point in the film, he tells one of the main Italian monsters "I'm preparing you" as he prepares to take matters into his own hands. That warning serves not just the main villains, but the audience as well given that they know what's coming and will be anticipating the climax with pure adrenaline and excitement. It may not be as strong of a series capper as John Wick: Chapter 4, but as one that aims to conclude its own story, The Equalizer 3 respectably does so while leaving fans reasonably satisfied.

Final Verdict: A must see for action fans and those who enjoy Denzel Washington as an actor.

Images courtesy of Sony Pictures

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Provides Enjoyment And Fun For The Whole Family

      It feels as if it's been forever since the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise has had a solid film released that properly captured the spirit of the characters. Besides the classic 1990 live-action feature (Which still holds up today) and its fairly decent sequel, The Secret Of The Ooze, the series has experienced its share of ups and downs in regards to their recent film's overall quality with the 2007 TMNT animated film managing to be serviceable, and both Michael Bay produced adaptations committing a major disservice to the source material. With Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Paramount Pictures avoids the same fate and delivers what's arguably the best reiteration of the story in years. 

      Mutant Mayhem has the Turtle siblings going on a hunt in pursuit of a mysterious crime syndicate, but trouble arises when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them. Much like the 1990 live-action Turtles, Mayhem is less of an origin story and more of a reintroduction of the classic characters this time in animated form. Though nothing still tops the 1990 live-action classic, Mutant Mayhem successfully brings the series up to modern day standards while maintaining the spirit, charm, and heart of the characters that makes it an extremely enjoyable experience for the whole family while exhibiting massive visual appeal.

      When it comes to the voice performances, Mutant Mayhem's cast delivers terrific work with each actor/actress being completely spot on with nailing their characters personalities. Michah abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, and Brady Noon all churn out terrific work as the four goofy and fun-spirited turtle brothers with Jackie Chan making for an ideal casting choice as Splinter along with Ayo Edebiri as a younger and more relatable April O'Neil. Other noteworthy voice additions to Mayhem's cast include Maya Rudolph as Cynthia Utrom, Seth Rogen and John Cena as Bebop and Rocksteady with Rose Byrne as antagonist turned protagonist, Leatherhead, Natasia Demetriou as Wingnut, Giancarlo Esposito as mad scientist Baxter Stockman, Paul Rudd as antagonist turned Turtle ally Mondo Gecko, and Ice Cube as the Turtle's main antagonist, Superfly. Mayhem's charismatic cast, everyone does fantastic work here and brings something to the story that makes it feel fresh and energetic with the core four's chemistry being on-point.

      When it comes to the animation, director Jeff Rowe crafts a unique visual feast that's hard to take your eyes off with the films colors being extremely vibrant with the images being well-textured in a way that makes the images come alive and engulf young audiences in its world. The violence shown ranks as being standard for an action-packed animated film with lots of hand-to-hand combat shown along with characters being blown around during explosions. With a 1 hr and 39 minute running time, the story is always kept moving at a fast-paced with the soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross doing an effective job of matching the films gritty feel as well as providing an energy that matches that of the new teenage heroes. While the films animation doesn't rank as being anything groundbreaking nor stand out on the same level as Across The Spider-Verse, it still provides a visually striking experience that its young audience will undoubtedly be drawn to.

      With Mayhem's script, the story explores themes pertaining to family, acceptance, and the desire to fit in. The Turtles are shown to have been sheltered from the human world for most of their upbringing by their father-figure Splinter, whose reasons for mistrusting humans is explained in a powerful flashback. At it's heart, Mutant Mayhem's story is about the Turtle siblings setting out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and ultimately be accepted by society as normal young teenagers. The relationship between the Turtles and April O'Neil is well-deserved, and stays true to the comic book storyline with the latter helping them take on the mysterious crime syndicate much like the 1990 live-action film. Whereas that film has Shredder be the main villain of the story, the newest reboot has the Turtles battling an army of mutants that have been unleashed upon New York City. As a whole, Mayhem's script is well-written and reintroduces the Turtles in a way that makes them relatable to today's newer generation. Along with the films action and heart is a ton of hilarious gags and one-liners delivered by the Turtle siblings that captures their wacky sense of humor along with making them feel like actual teenagers. 

       As a whole, Mutant Mayhem entertains audiences while delivering a poignant message for children which says that it's ok to not fear something that's different and how people can change for the better if given the opportunity. The friendship that the Turtles share with April O' Neil is an example of this and adds an emotional layer to the story that both Bay produced films were largely devoid of. It doesn't beat the previous best Ninja Turtles film (The 1990 film still proudly wears that crown), but as a reimagining of the Ninja Turtles story that isn't afraid to embrace the modern era with little bits including kids using Tik- tok or April O' Neil being switched to African-American, or the addition of numerous Easter eggs for fans, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem represents a welcomed return to form for the franchise as well as its ironic heroes in a half shell. 

Final Verdict: A must watch for fans of the series and a totally enjoyable experience for families. 

Images courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Meg 2: The Trench Doubles Down On It's Predecessors Silly Fun Though Loses Some Of It's Bite

       If audiences found The Meg to be an outrageously fun experience that's unashamed of what it wants to be then they'll be enthusiastic to discover that it's sequel, Meg 2: The Trench is even more bonkers than the first while fulfilling its promise of delivering relentlessly campy fun that makes for ideal late summer popcorn entertainment. Released five years after the original Meg became an unexpected box office smash, the sequel brings back Jason Statham as the main lead and delivers twice the mayhem though with less of a bite this time around.

      Based on the 1999 novel The Trench by Steve Alten, Meg 2: The Trench has a group of scientists led by Jason Statham's character, outrunning the titular Megalodons when a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission and forces them into a high-stakes battle for survival. Meg 2 doubles down on the craziness of the first and feels even more absurd this time around with it delivering utter chaos in an extreme fashion, that draws comparisons to films such as Sharknado and Piranha. For those who've enjoyed the first film, they know what to expect here given that the sequel doubles down on the originals craziness, though doesn't quite feel as focused and narratively straightforward as the first.

       When it comes to performances, The Trench's stacked cast proves reliable in selling the absurdity and campiness of the plot. Jason Statham is charismatic as fearless scientist Jonas Taylor, whose now Meiying's stepfather since the events of the first, and the husband of the late Suyin Zhang. Statham is convincing here and channels his Transporter action hero persona, while being shown fighting environmental crimes. Statham is given strong support from Wu Jing and Shuya Sophi Cai who both give strong performances as Meiying's uncle, Jiuming Zhang, and Cai as the latter's niece and Jona's stepdaughter, Meiying. Other notable additions to the cast include returning faces including Cliff Curtis as Mana One operations manager, Mac, with Page Kennedy providing the comedic relief as DJ, an engineer at Mana One, Sergio Peris-Mencheta as mercenary, Montes, who's in charge of illegal mining operations, and Jess' partner, Skyler Samuels as Mana One Worker, Jess, whose actually part of Monte's mercenary group and a high ranking executive for Driscoll, Melissanthi Mahut as security officer at Mana One, Rigas, and Sienna Guillory as billionaire investor, Hillary Driscoll who is financing Jiuming's efforts in the Mana One. With a plot like The Trench's, the cast is always a key ingredient in bringing believability to the story no matter how silly things come across, and thankfully, Meg 2's talented ensemble comes through in adding more excitement and fun to the plot with everyone putting their comedic talents on full display. 

      Replacing original Meg director Jon Turteltaub is Ben Wheatley, who keeps the adrenaline rush high while maintaining the same B movie energy that made the first such a surprise hit with fans. Much like the original Meg, the sequels violence remains intense despite considerably less blood and gore this time around. What audiences are given is a culmination of people being eaten by multiple sharks and other creatures that outnumber what's been shown previously. We see characters masks implode along with slick martial arts moves that are mostly performed by Statham's character. Some of the films more visually stunning sequences include a fight between a giant shark and Octupus, that becomes one of the films key set-pieces with extreme over-the-top moments that include a shark being stabbed by a blade from a crashed helicopter. At 1 hour and 56 minutes, Meg 2 remains fast-paced with the action and story never letting up nor slowing down long enough for audiences to grow bored. Whereas Wheatley demonstrated himself as being skillful at generating monster mayhem, he leaves audiences feeling somewhat underwhelmed at times by the film's mixture of uneven CGI work that either looks convincing or just appears as being rather poor. Although he delivers on the promise of presenting audiences with more Megalodon creatures, his work doesn't feel as well-polished as Turteltaub's.

      With any Meg or shark type story, the expectation should always be to completely shut one's brain off and just go along for the ride as both the writing and characters are presumed to be thinly developed in these kinds of films with logic being completely non-existent here. Whereas the original had a certain level of seriousness to it in addition to being extreme in nature, the sequel abandons that serious tone and goes all in with being completely ludacris. What helps the characters feel a bit less one-dimensional here is the background that audiences already have of them from the previous Meg, though the script makes some questionable choices here such as killing off Suyin's character in between both movies without much information given regarding her death. Statham's character Jonas is shown to be going to great extremes to protect the environment and ecosystem with him going full Transporter in doing so against corrupt forces. The returning faces from the first Meg help in establishing a certain level of continuity with both films while providing the film with fun comedic bits. As far as the creatures go, Meg 2 gives audiences multiple monsters that are giant and terrifying with human versus creature fights that will leave audiences laughing and cheering, especially with some of the films shocking kills that occur on screen. Despite being a monster movie, fans will undoubtedly get a kick out of witnessing a Megalodon eating an unlikeable character.

      Whether one enjoys Meg 2: The Trench ultimately comes down to their liking of the first one. If you enjoyed the first Meg and embraced it's absurd style of monster mayhem then the chances are you will also enjoy the sequel, though find it to be a little less satisfying this time around.

Final Verdict: Worth a watch if one enjoyed the first Meg. 

        

Images courtesy Of Warner Brothers Pictures