In a summer oscillating between historic highs and shattering lows, several notable films were released into what will hopefully be the beginning of a new era in cinema. In eight months, we were graced with some true masterpieces from veteran and newcomer directors alike, while simultaneously being beset on all fronts by the most despicable of corporate interests and artless commercial filmmaking. While it is important to celebrate the triumphs, it is equally important to deride the disasters.
The five worst films of the summer
- “Alien: Romulus”: 2 out of 5 stars
The final installment of this summer’s trilogy of disappointing horror pastiche — including “Longlegs” and ”Maxxxine” — Alien: Romulus essentially runs a two-hour greatest hits compilation, ripping beats, lines and distinct frames from its more creative predecessors. “Romulus” does to sci-fi what “Longlegs” did to paranormal detective films and what “Maxxxine” did to giallo, lifelessly parroting the genre’s strongest images while injecting little to no flare of their own. The tragedy of “Romulus” however, is that the production is fantastic, some of the performances are stellar and the cinematography is stunning. Where every film in the Alien franchise felt like a strong thematic swing, even in its lowest moments, Romulus seems content to just play the hits, treading water in a pool built by stronger, bolder directors.
- “The Crow”: 1.5 out of 5 stars
Rupert Sanders’ reviled box office bomb remake of 1994 cult classic “The Crow,” is an insufferable mall goth, hot topic farce. Ugly visuals are smeared without a care onto the screen, the titular hero’s costumes evoke the worst alternative trends of the 2000s and the changes to the original story range from nonsensical to full-blown ridiculousness. It is a really dreadful time, and there is very little of value to wring from any of the film’s 111 minutes. Director of the original film Alex Proyas put it as succinctly as one possibly could, saying in a Facebook post, “I thought the remake was a cynical cash-grab. Not much cash to grab it seems.”
3.“Borderlands”: 1 out of 5 stars
Borderlands is another in a long line of films that were endlessly meddled with, tossed around to different writers, sliced down to make a PG-13 rating and took 10 years to even release. With a generally shoddy core premise, “Borderlands” reasonably was never anticipated to be anything above “mildly entertaining but nonetheless competent.” It, however, failed at being both of those things, delivering some of the tritest narrative beats and jokes, ones exhausted by every PG-13 family action adventure film released since 2010, and included some really bizarre production mistakes. The film feels incompetent, pedestrian and worse, dull.
- “It Ends With Us”: 1 out of 5 stars
What elevates the trashiness of “It Ends With Us” above the typical young adult romance novel adaptations is its lurid tastelessness in the face of incredibly serious subject matter. The film’s portrayal of domestic violence is offensively surface level, never truly exploring the emotional ramifications of the childhood traumas depicted. It simultaneously beats the viewer over the head with its incredibly new and important ideas that “domestic abuse is wrong,” while also refusing to dive into any of the power imbalances that exist in a patriarchal society. This leaves its central protagonist, Blake Lively’s character Lily Blossom Bloom, a vacuous vessel without proper interiority. Its heavy-handed resolution speaks to the film’s aspirations, to pat the viewer on the back and wrap everything up in a nice little bow, as the main character rides off into the sunset, feeling little to no complicated emotions, as most victims of domestic abuse do. Obviously.
- “Deadpool and Wolverine”: 1 out of 5 stars
In a titanic act of drain circling, Deadpool and Wolverine cynically dredges up the bottom of the barrel of comic book movie characters, and plasters them on the screen in Marvel Studios’ latest sickening cameo vomit-fest. Previously a sarcastic, misanthropic mercenary, “Deadpool and Wolverine” renders Deadpool a tail-kissing Avengers super fan. It used to be okay for him to mock other movies when they were just that, movies, but now that they are intellectual property, he meets each of the film’s ensemble heroes with the utmost respect and nerdish glee. The jokes no longer come at the expense of itself or its peers, rather the jokes have devolved into deliriously candid references to popular online fan-casts, and obscenely self-aggrandizing fan service. It is pathetic, devoid of soul, heart or anything that should exist at the core of a work of art. It is a cynical money-grubbing product. It is the same old joke, time and time again, they laugh at you, take your money, and laugh at you again.
The five best films of the summer
- “Bad Boys: Ride or Die”: 4 out of 5 stars
The fourth entry into the gloriously maximalist buddy cop franchise is popcorn cinema perfection. Nearly every one of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s comedic moments hit bullseyes, and each manic camera movement knocks the viewer out of their seat. Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah take previous franchise leader Michael Bay’s frenetic camera work and run for the hills. Every second is gloriously entertaining, and with a bag of popcorn and a nice cold drink, it is heaven.
- “Furiosa: a Mad Max Saga”: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Furiosa shirks previous franchise milestone, “Fury Road,” for something altogether more classical and mature. Opting for long, clean shots, awe-inspiring digital effects and dense world building, “Furiosa” ends up closer to classic 50’s and 60’s epics, taking us through every step of the titular characters life, blended seamlessly between Alyla Browne and Anya Taylor-Joy, who beautifully portray the character younger and older respectively. Furiosa’s decade spanning revenge quest across the wastes is emotionally resonant in ways no other “Mad Max” film has ever been, with substantial credit being due to Taylor-Joy’s performance, equally channeling great action stars Toshiro Mifune and Clint Eastwood, not to mention Chris Hemsworth’s Dementus, the grimly hilarious antagonist. While its record-breakingly tragic box office returns may have put a dent in venerated veteran director George Miller’s plans for a sixth film in the franchise, Furiosa’s genius will permeate through film for years to come.
- “The Beast”: 5 out of 5 stars
Bertrand Bonello’s confounding adaptation of Henry James’ The Beast in the Jungle spins its numerous plates virtuosically, building its intricate themes and ideas slowly and subtly throughout its 146 minute runtime. The Beast is a massive film; it spans three time periods and touches on multiple genres. Each step of the journey mythologizes the emotions of the inimitable Lea Seydoux’s Gabrielle. It builds a timeless saga of fear, romance and loss, ruminating in the deepest and darkest of human impulses. It is a difficult film to process, and tenfold to discuss, but each viewing — of which there should be multiple — builds not only your understanding of its dreamlike narrative, but allows its ideas to sink into the subconscious. “The Beast” is a wildly ambitious film with so much to say and so much to feel. Beyond its cold impenetrable exterior, it is a transitive experience.
- “Challengers”: 5 out of 5 stars
From the opening minutes, the slow motion close ups, the warm 35mm cinematography and finally the breathtaking push in on Zendaya’s Tashi Duncan. Watching her two love interests, Josh O’Connor’s Patrick Zweig and Mike Faist’s Art Donaldson, as the serene choir music is overtaken by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ pulse-pounding electronic score, Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers barrels onto the screen at bullet train pace: and it never lets up. The visual language alone is enough for it to be considered one of the best of the decade, as director of photography Sayombhu Mukdeeprom photographs each segment of the infinitely interesting emotional tapestry with elegance and energy. It is as much about love as it is about tennis as it is about repression as it is about codependency. Enthralling is insufficient, a must see is an understatement, a masterpiece, however, is apt.
- “I Saw the TV Glow”: 5 out of 5 stars
In its specificity, “I Saw the TV Glow” becomes the most devastatingly poignant film to release this year so far. A beyond tragic portrait of trans youth in turmoil, Jane Schoenbrun’s powerhouse second feature film blows its contemporary Lynchian stabs out of the water, creating an altogether dreamy existential horror atmosphere that is one of a kind. Its visual language is powerful enough to carry the film on its own, but the performances and its music really take it to a whole other level. Once the heartstopping “double bill at the double lunch” scene graces the screen and ushers in this year’s finest narrative left turn, the film reveals itself to be something so different, so beautiful, so unlike any other films being made today. The originality on display cannot be remotely underestimated, and paired with “I Saw the TV Glow’s” real super-power, its specificity, it creates a one-of-a-kind experience. It gloriously alienates many of its viewers, content to operate in the realm of the subconscious and happily takes along any that wish to join.
