Tag: movies

A Year in Film: 2022

Skye Collacott WilliamsonLeave a comment

First Published via HUB Magazine when I was Culture Editor.

Date Published: 10th February 2023.

Aftersun, directed by Charlotte Wells.

One of the best films of 2022 was Aftersun where Paul Mescal was nominated for his first Oscar for this performance.

Charlotte Wells’ debut feature film Aftersun stars Normal People’s Paul Mescal and rising star Frankie Corio. Sophie (Frankie Corio) reflects on her last holiday with her father, with the directional choice of old-school recordings here and there. This makes a stark difference between what can be perceived as Sophie’s faded memories and reality through the recorded footage. This is also the relationship with Paul Mescal’s character, who is the real him when he is not in the father role as he tries to hide his severe depression from his daughter. In many beautifully orchestrated shots, Sophie’s side has warm colours and lighting. In contrast, Paul Mescal has cold blue lighting to represent their mental mindsets and emotions.

Charlotte Wells uses reflection to produce unique shots creating an elegant effect. Though some might find the film slow-paced, as it slowly builds tension and they are waiting for something to happen and there is not a grand final. I found it beautifully paced and phenomenal. There was never a drop or break of the tension. It was only as they roll the credits that you understand how it ended. There’s so much pressure to have a big twist, but Aftersun does not do that, and for that, I love it even more.

The last fifteen minutes of this film are some of the most beautiful and heart-aching shots, with the soundtrack choice of ‘Under Pressure’ by Queen playing in the background. There is a mixture of shots blended into one. Paul begins dancing on their last night on holiday and he drags Sophie on the dance floor where they both appear happy and content.Then an image of Paul dancing in a crowded room with flashing lights which has been shown throughout the film but this time it is a continuous shot of Paul and the older version of Sophie. We can see the mental torment in Paul’s mind and his pain. This, paired with the holiday dancing scene, shows the intimacy between father and daughter relationships. I hold myself tight as I cry each time I watch it. It was so incredibly done.

Aftersun serves as a reminder to check on your loved ones, because you never truly know what is going on in someone’s mind.

This is Going to Hurt directed by Lucy Forbes and Tom Kingsley.

A perfect balance between comedy and tragedy with an overall cold and sorrowful tone in its use of blue and its simplicity in shots. If dark humour or sarcasm isn’t for you, don’t watch. This is Going to Hurt is a seven-episode mini-series based on a book by Adam Kay with some slight changes. It is a truly devastating look at how doctors, midwives, and nurses are treated in the NHS by patients, lack of funding from the government, and a massive gap in support. It also highlighted the stupidity of choosing what to do with your life at fifteen.

All the characters deserved better and were let down by the government. I would highly recommend this if you want to cry your heart out and have a laugh. The mini-series also brilliantly showed flawed characters; none are perfect, and all have unlikeable qualities. As the discussion around the importance of the NHS and funding is increasing, this film certainly can provide you with some insight.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, directed by Rian Johnson.

I would like to issue a statement:

Rian Johnson, I formally apologise and forgive you for the absolute mess that was Star Wars: The Last Jedi, because this film was enough for me.

Where Knives Out is a classic whodunit, Glass Onion aimed to be a satirical, campy, and fun detective story resembling Clue (1985). As a result, there was more of a build-up than Knives Out. However, the second and third act made it worth it. Glass Onion was more whimsical and group-oriented than Knives Out. Glass Onion takes place in 2020 on a Greek island owned by Edward Norton, who played Tyler Durden’s worse nightmare: an immoral, dumb, and money-hungry capitalist. Individuals have come to an island for a murder mystery only to turn it into a real-life crime scene.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, directed by Ryan Coogler.

Though I agree at some points that King T’challa was too noble, I’m not at all convinced that allowing Zumo and Namor to live are the same thing. After all, Zumo was just a man, and T’challa recognised the grief in Zumo’s eyes.

My favourite characters remained the Queen and M’Baku.

Overall, the film was rather slowed-paced compared to most Marvel films. Especially once you compare it with the first film. The superhero going for revenge, only to change their mind at the last-minute plot line is overplayed and tiring. It has already been done in this phase with Shang-Chi and Spider-Man. Arguably, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was much more hearbreaking and necessary for the story.

The comparison between the first and second films shows that Marvel is leaving behind its superhero comedic tragedies. If you would like a comedy, I suggest watching Thor.

There was many heartbreaking moments that brought tears to my eyes.

It is inspiring to many young girls, as this film is dominantly women. It presents the strength in women and finds this strength in emotions. Shuri puts off having too many emotions about her brother’s death, whereas the other women in the film were fuelled by power through their emotions.

Not Okay, directed by Quinn Shephard.

Zoey Deutch and Dylan O’Brien, sign me up! This film was a solid three-star film. Zoey, desperate for Dylan O’Brien’s attention (I mean, who isn’t), faked a trip to Paris, which quickly went wrong when a terrorist attack occured in Paris. Instead of admitting that she lied to get time off work or simply saying she wasn’t in that part of Paris, she lied by saying she was near the terrorist attack to get attention from work, her parents, and Dylan O’Brien. I personally would have said I post my stories much later so I don’t get stalked, but that’s just me. I liked this film. I understand the criticism that some jokes don’t land correctly due to the time difference, but I am okay with it. Overall, it’s an easy and interesting watch, Dylan O’Brien looks insanely hot, and this film criticises Gen Z’s use of social media. Against popular opinion, not every film needs to be a five-star or Oscar-worthy film to be good. I like bad films with good actors.

Don’t Worry Darling, directed by Olivia Wilde.

Florence Pugh is an incredible actor who I truly believe will be one of the greatest of this generation. However, Harry Styles fell flat at every turn of this film. It was simply a miscast. This film could have been one of my favourites of the year if Harry Styles could give some emotion. Florence Pugh gave the performance of a lifetime, whereas Harry Styles was monotoned. I enjoyed Olivia Wilde both as an actor and director. The failure of this film was not her directorial style, but a miscast. I felt it was an overly artsy film, created by a film student who got a big budget and wanted to be the next Jordan Peele. Despite this I found the concepts and cinematography enjoyable.

This film needed a lot of trimming in certain areas, as it wasn’t very clear overall with its intentions. Don’t Worry Darling was an attempt to mix Groundhog Day and The Truman Show. It jumped into the world without building a society or tension. The second act began with a transition from the mind control operation to Florence Pugh coming out of surgery as a doctor. This is where the film should have started.

Cretton, Destin Daniel. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Marvel Studios, 2021.

Coogler, Ryan. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Marvel Studios, 2022.

Forbes, Lucy and Tom Kingsley. This is Going to Hurt. AMC Studios, 2022.

Johnson, Rian. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Lionsgate, 2022.

Johnson, Rian. Knives Out. Lionsgates, 2019.

Johnson, Rian. Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Lucasfilm, 2017.

Lynn, Jonathan. Clue. Paramount, 1985.

Ramis, Harold. Groundhog Day. Columbia Pictures, 1993.

Sherpard, Quinn. Not Okay. Searchlight Pictures, 2022.

Watts, Jon. Spider-Man: No Way Home. Columbia Pictures, 2021.

Wells, Charlotte. Aftersun. BBC Film, 2022.

Weir, Peter. The Truman Show. Paramount, 1998.

Wilde, Olivia. Don’t Worry Darling. Warner Bros Pictures, 2022.

A Year in Horror Films.

Skye Collacott WilliamsonLeave a comment

First Published via HUB Magazine when I was Culture Editor.

Date Published: 27th January 2023.

It was a great year for horror, the return of the infamous Scream, the cost-of-living crisis, and well, Chris Pratt’s performance in Jurassic World. 

Barbarian, directed by Zach Cregger. 

My favourite thing in the entire world when you don’t watch the trailer is to play a game I like to call: Horror or Romance?  

Imagine this, Georgina Campbell arrives at an Airbnb where she is staying. Only to find that Bill Skarsgard is also there. The renter must have double-booked the Airbnb and now you are helplessly forced to share a house with the gorgeous, caring gentlemen Bill Skarsgard. 

Unless you have watched Andy Mushchietti’s IT, you might assume it’s a romance. 

If like me, you have seen IT a few too many times, you might have reason to believe Bill Skarsgard is the villain. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time he was on my screen. 

It is a monster in the basement horror. I don’t want to spoil much more. Watch it. If you want to watch one horror film from 2022, this is my recommendation. 

I love when films are divided into concrete acts. Others may disagree, they are allowed to disagree, but they are wrong. 

The first two acts show such originality in horror and are excellently acted. The second act includes Justin Long, which, if someone had told me I would have watched this when it came out. Justin Long does play a horrible person which the film seems to forget about. It sets up great social commentary in the second act, yet it never fulfils it in the third act. Even the third act sets up even more about class divide, money, and the police, however, it lets the audience think of its own commentary. 

Unlike Justin Long, there is no amount of money nor desperation for me to go into a basement the light is not working. Even further, he finds a secret door which he is chill with and then enters it which leads to tunnels. Justin Long is happyily exploring these scary and dark tunnels with his measuring tape. 

Horror films this year have taught me I am very afraid of naked elderly people. 

Scream, directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. 

The latest edition of Scream is directed by the same directors that brought Ready or Not, aka the best horror film I have ever seen. Although I did not have high hopes going into it, Scream has always been self-aware and it showcases interesting characters that we root for or begins to feel such betrayal.

Is it better than the original? It probably is; however, I love the first one like it’s my child. Though you cannot understand a lot of the characters if you have not seen the first, so it is one for the fans. 

Scream always combines the true beauty of horror: a group of teenagers being morons whilst a killer is on the loose, worrying about teenage drama and having original characters come back each time. 

X, directed by Ti West. 

Jenna Ortega is cementing herself as a scream queen in both her horror films this year. 

X combines the two types of horror. It is a combination of a typical slasher like Scream and a psychological eerie style similar to Ari Aster’s Hereditary or Midsommar. An old woman begins killing a group of young adults who are filming a film in her barn. 

This is Slasher with some nuance to keep the horror alive as it explores the patriarchal competition to pit women against one another with age and beauty. It also explores a new wave of feminism with sexual liberation and a similarity metaphor between violence and sex.  

Ti West does not aim for subtly in his metaphors nor drive away from the typical slasher execution. Many new slashers aim to try fresh and new ideas for Slasher films, even though the formula works. The collection of characters is not so complex nor 2D characters, the right amount to care what happens to them but are not afraid to lose. 

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, directed by Sam Raimi. 

It cannot be a Sam Raimi film without an eye shot, it is a must and I eat it up every time. Most people will know Sam Raimi for his Spider-man trilogy which is some of the best Spider-man films if it wasn’t for the last one. Yikes.  

The sequel of Doctor Strange with the hero turned villain Wanda Maximoff aka the Scarlet Witch. My main criticism is there was enough transition time from the Scarlet Witch in Wandavision to the villain of Multiverse of Madness. 

Wanda Maximoff wants to travel between the multiverse to find her children. For this, she needs power from a young girl called America, and Doctor Strange refuses for this to happen. Maybe I am a terrible person, but Wanda kills so many people just so Doctor Strange can protect one child, it doesn’t add up in my mind. 

Elizabeth Olsen gives a phenomenal performance, and it is visually beautiful. However, it could be improved if they leaned more into the horror features rather than the superhero conventions.  

This film would have made a better miniseries to really explore both the villainisation of Wanda Maximoff and the multiverses they travel in. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the film. I do love Benedict Cumberbatch. However, Elizabeth Olsen was the star of this film. Her line delivery was exquisite and powerful. 

The Menu, directed by Mark Myload. 

I could not care less if I tried. The metaphor is so blatant that I was bored, it is about how food critics have ruined the food industry which is about the film industry. 

I personally agree with Anya Taylor’s character just like the food I don’t need films to be ridiculously smart and needlessly confusing. I just need them to be good. Objectively it was not a bad film, subjectivity I wasted two hours of my life when I could have just stared at the ceiling in my room. That probably would have drawn more meaning from my life. 

To sum up, rich people go to a fancy restaurant and something bad happens. I, however, cannot believe this made me feel slightly sad for rich people. If you can stomach an over-pretentious film, then go ahead and watch it. I understand it is being overly pretentious on purpose but that doesn’t make me like it anymore.  

Aster, Ari. Hereditary. PalmStar Media, 2018.

Aster, Ari. Midsommar. B-Reel Films, 2019.

Bettinelli-Olpin, Matt and Tyler Gillett. Ready or Not. Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2019.

Bettinelli-Olpin, Matt and Tyler Gillett. Scream. Paramount, 2022.

Craven, Wes. Scream. Dimension Films, 1996.

Cregger, Zach. Barbarian. 20th Century Studios, 2022.

Derrickson, Scott. Doctor Strange. Marvel Studios, 2016.

Mylod, Mark. The Menu. Searchlight Pictures, 2022.

Muschietti, Andy. IT. New Line Cinema, 2017.

Raimi, Sam. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Marvel Studios, 2022.

Raimi, Sam. Spider-Man. Marvel Enterprises, 2002.

Shakman, Matt. WandaVision. Marvel Studios, 2021.

Trevorrow, Colin. Jurassic World Dominion. Universal Pictures, 2022.

West, Ti. X. A24, 2022.

The Masculine and Feminine in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’

Skye Collacott WilliamsonLeave a comment

First Published via HUB Magazine when I was Culture Editor.

Date Published: 9th December 2022.

The film is set around Andrea Sachs played by Anne Hathaway who applies for a job with Runway despite her lack of inexperience in the fashion industry. She makes the point that, although she is not a fashion person, she is a writer and a hard worker. The beauty of this film is watching Andrea fall in love with fashion and her work.  

One might overlook the gender roles in The Devil Wears Prada, simply thinking it’s a feminine job role. While the job itself is in a feminine field, the opening credits of the film show the women getting dressed and putting on their high heels whilst their husbands lay in bed asleep as they are the breadwinners. The film shows women prioritizing a masculine stereotypical drive and career over the feminine stereotype of family and community. As seen in stereotypically ‘masculine’ films, take Fight Club and The Wolf of Wallstreet, the women are seen as living on coffee and cigarettes while they ignore meals. They are too busy making money and focused on their career. It gets to such an extreme point that Emily (Emily Blunt) ends up in a hospital due to her lack of eating. 

The film also portrays the importance of the fashion industry in terms of being proud of your sexuality and femininity. The Devil Wears Prada stars Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly, a powerhouse of a woman who is highly respected and determined. The film also portrays the masculine trying to take out the feminine, all the men except Stanley Tucci are after Miranda’s job and want to take her down. In fantastic brilliance, Miranda creates a list of models, designers, and photographers that will leave Runway if Miranda leaves. While Miranda is this powerhouse figure, there is a moment in the second act where she is vulnerable. She is dressed down and has no makeup on. This is where the audience acknowledges how strong a character Miranda is. 

The women in this film are powerful and will not take disrespect from the men. My main point of this film is the portrayal of Miranda as the villain. Personally, I think that role goes to Andrea’s boyfriend, Nate, played by Adrian Grenier. I believe that Nate is there as a stay in to show how Andrea develops as person and changes. Nate does not want Andrea to continue working at Runway and refuses to support her at every turn. I was worried at the end of the film that they would get back together. Thankfully the writers knew better and allowed Andrea to discover her new interests.  

The film also has an interesting portrayal of feminine friendships, the relationship between Emily and Andrea starts as a rivalry. Fashion and journalism are very competitive fields, yet Emily does help Andrea from time to time. At the end of the film there is a beautiful moment between Emily and the new assistant who is said to ‘have big shoes to fill’. I think it is intriguing that the film shows women supporting each other from a distance rather than obviously. My favourite moment of the entire film is at the end when Miranda and Andrea see each other again. Andrea smiles and waves at Miranda as she gets into a car, Miranda seems to ignore her, but we see the shot in the car when Miranda smiles. It is so simple yet brilliant. 

David Frankel’s directing style is very simple and at times too many montages. I love the montage of Miranda throwing jackets each morning onto Andrea’s desk. This sets up a parallel for the second act when she throws her jacket onto Emily’s desk to show that Andrea is now the first assistant and will be going to Paris with Miranda. Unfortunately, the other montages do not have this same pay off. 

The acting in this film is phenomenal and as it should be when it stars big names such Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, and Emily Blunt. 

My main problem with this film is the glamorisation of eating disorders. Especially when a film is aimed for young girls, the celebration of Andrea dropping two sizes from the first to the second act is wildly inappropriate. When there are impressable young people watching your film, you need to be careful discussing disordered eating, especially in regards in the fashion industry. While it is a prevailing problem, it could have been addressed differently. 

The Devil Wears Prada is one of the only films I would give five stars. I believe it is overlooked for two reasons. Firstly, it is a very feminine film with women on top and secondly it is a fashion film. I would describe it as a twenties coming of age film where you discover that your dreams are not rare. I have watched this film six times and I enjoy it more each time. 

Frankel, David. The Devil Wears Prada. 20th Century Fox Studios, 2006. 

Fincher, David. Fight Club. 20th Century Fox Studios, 1999.

Scorsese, Martin. The Wolf of Wallstreet. Paramount Pictures, 2013.

A Love Story About Divorce: Comparing Ticket to Paradise (2022) to Marriage Story (2019)

Skye Collacott WilliamsonLeave a comment

First Published via HUB Magazine when I was Culture Editor.

Date Published: 14th October 2022.

As soon as I saw the trailer, I knew it was going to be corny, but as Kate Winslet says in The Holiday (Nancy Meyers, 2006), “I like corny, I’m looking for corny in my life”. Ticket to Paradise (Ol Parker, 2022) is unapologetically corny. While it is easy to dismiss a corny film, I found that this film moved me deeply. 

This film follows the bickering divorced couple (played by Julia Roberts and George Clooney), who come together to stop their daughter’s wedding. While they continue to argue throughout the film, their love for each other is increasingly apparent to the audience. Ticket to Paradise plays with the fine line between love and hate, juxtaposing their displays of love in private settings with competitive hatred when in public. 

It’s interesting to see Lucas Bravo play a comedic role rather than the swoony romantic role he played in Emily in Paris. While here he was merely a side character playing Roberts’ rebound boyfriend, he still managed to bring life and humour to the performance. I was also pleasantly surprised by Kaitlyn Dever and Maxime Bouttier, as this was the first film of theirs that I have seen and do not disappoint. 

The film is set in Bali, making the cinematography breathtaking in every scene. However, those are not the shots that stood out to me. Instead, it was the lonely bar scene. Clooney sits at a bar with a neon bar backdrop, with only him and one bartender there. At this moment where the audience truly sees how lonely Clooney is. 

Whereas Roberts is peacefully asleep, Clooney is awake and frequenting a bar – having just realised that his ex-wife has finally moved on. When his daughter’s best friend approaches him, he describes how his marriage ended. The director portrays this change of emotion from the cold, lonely wide shot to a brighter shot featuring more close-ups. Clooney brilliantly conveys all the emotions of a divorce. This was the first time that I wept. This scene reminded me of the ending of Marriage Story (Noah Baumbach, 2019). There is something truly moving about seeing two divorced people with love still in their hearts. 

Ticket to Paradise is a story about falling back in love. The film begins with the characters discussing their divorce, with side characters asking about their divorce and current relationship. This film asks why the good stuff should be left for later when you could do it now instead. This is incredibly different from the real world, where two people would have to discuss what getting back together would entail. 

This film maintains a similar concept to the one shown in Marriage Story. In the beginning, Scarlet Johansson and Adam Driver read out letters to the audience that they refuse read to each other, whether out of embarrassment or pride is unclear and frankly unimportant. This allows the audience to understand the full picture of their relationship and grow close to the couple themselves. Towards the film’s closing, Driver finds their son reading Johansson’s letter and even begins to cry when he reads that she still loves him. This full-circle moment allows Johansson and Driver to become civil and loving parents even if they are not together anymore.  

Both films have the reoccurring blue imagery, whether that’s the blue sea in Ticket to Paradise and his blue shirt or the blue walls and Driver’s blue shirt in the letter scene of Marriage Story. This blue could represent the calm that comes with finally having closure, whether that is restarting their relationship, such as in the former or remaining civil such as in the latter film. 

The mother’s feelings are equally important in both films, with both films reflecting on how the mothers feel as if they have lost themselves to motherhood. Johansson’s character emphasises that she feels lost in Driver’s life, reduced to simply a wife and mother rather than a person. Roberts leaves Clooney, also fearing the loss of individuality that comes with being a wife and mother. 

This concept has begun to be touched more in films, with one of the most obvious being Lili Reinhart’s performance in Look Both Ways (Wanuri Kahiu, 2022). These characters have felt so absorbed by motherhood that they are no longer a person, only a mother. While that sentiment is strongly felt, it is essential to note this does not define their love for their children. The love for their child that brings Clooney and Roberts back together. Ticket to Paradise emphasises the importance of communication in a marriage. Both parents were struggling with parenthood and having a partner. Neither wanted to stress their partner, leading both to crumble and break. This is reflected in the symbolism of the dream house burning, which they believed to show the lack of love in their marriage instead playing the part of the stress they both felt. 

I believe that Ticket to Paradise, through the electric chemistry between Roberts and Clooney, the remarkable cinematography, and the perfect balance of comedy and romance, is one of my favourite releases this year.  

References 

Baumbach, Noah. Marriage Story. Netflix, 2019. 

Fleming, Andrew. Emily in Paris. Netflix, 2020. 

Kahiu, Wanuri. Look Both Ways. Netflix, 2022. 

Parker, Ol. Ticket to Paradise. Universal Pictures, 2022. 

Meyers, Nancy. The Holiday. Universal Pictures, 2006. 

Marvel, Star Wars, and Jurassic Park: Do We Need Remakes and Sequels?

Skye Collacott WilliamsonLeave a comment

First Published via HUB Magazine when I was Culture Editor.

Date Published: 25th November 2022.

The latest possibility of remakes has been indulged by Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness where we are introduced to the similar face of Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and a different Reed Richards (John Krasinski) originally played by Ioan Gruffudd in the 2005’s Fantastic Four. The newest instalment of Fantastic Four will kick off Phase 6 in 2025, however, not starring John Krasinski. It really begs the question: do we really need more remakes? 

The perfect examples of why remakes and sequels do not always hit the mark are the Star Wars Sequels. I personally love the prequels more than the originals and I would classify Rogue One as a good example of recreating and continuing films for a new generation. The official sequels, however, seem to fall hard. How I see the Star Wars sequels is how I see the third Tobey Mcguire Spider-Man film. The third Spider-Man film is not THAT bad. However, if you watch the Spider-Man films in order, it looks terrible in comparison. The other Spider-Man films excel in acting, writing and fully developed characters. I believe this is the same for the sequels of Star Wars. I think the sequels by themselves are categorically good films. However, when you watch them as part of the entire franchise? It is bad. Personally, I will always say Revenge of the Sith is the best Star Wars film, however, Empire Strikes Back is one of the best films of all time. 

The Amazing Spider-Man is my all-time favourite Spider-Man film. I really think Andrew Garfield should be given another chance (and no that’s not just because he’s hot). I understand that the beginning story of Spider-Man is so well known that they did not bother with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, but I love the origin story. Tom Holland brings a childhood innocence to the role that Tobey and Andrew lacked. Though Andrew Garfield is objectively the best actor of the three, I absolutely love his cocky, intelligent Spider-Man. The Amazing Spider-Man also presents my favourite love interest, Gwen Stacey played by Emma Stone. As a child I wanted to be Gwen so badly; she was smart, decisive and magnificent. The difference between Tobey/ Andrew’s Spider-Man and Tom’s is simple, theirs feels like a Spider-Man film while Tom’s feels like a Marvel film. I think Tom Holland is a good actor, who has plenty of room for growth. The third film clearly shows his increasing skill. However, Marvel seems to present Spider-Man as a side film for mainstream Marvel Characters and A-List actors whether that is Robert Downey Jr, Jake Gyllenhaal or Benedict Cumberbatch.  

I think X-Men present the perfect example of knowing when to stop. Unfortunately, each film gets worse and worse. Nonetheless, I go see it in the cinema each time. I am excited to see X-Men in the MCU, however, some actors are not replaceable. James McAvoy is one of my favourite actors to watch and it would be a waste of talent to not recast him for the MCU.   

On the one hand, Jurassic World are decent sequels. On the other hand, once you have watched the latest instalment where they mix the originals with the remakes it all makes sense of what was missing. I am not a big fan of Chris Pratt’s work; at his core, I truly believe he is a personality actor and not a character actor. By that, I mean he is cast to play himself and not cast based on his acting abilities to play a variety of characters. Jurassic World is a reminder that nothing can beat the Original. I would label Jurassic Park as my fifth favourite film ever. I do not think it is possible to recreate the wonder and magic of watching Jurassic Park for the first time.  

The question remains: should the film industry continue with remakes and sequels? The answer is simple. If you are trying to recreate the original like Jurassic World and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, then it will most likely fail. You need to add something to grip people into the film. They have already seen the original. If I wanted to watch a good film, I’d watch the original, not the bad remake. A different approach is a multiverse approach in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Jurassic World Dominion. It allows for all generations to watch a film and it creates a different plot line than the originals and you can build/develop characters.  

References-  

Abrams, J.J. Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Lucasfilm, 2015.  

Edwards, Gareth. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Lucasfilm, 2016.  

Kershner, Irvin. The Empire Strikes Back. Lucasfilm, 1980.  

Lucas, George. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Lucasfilm, 2005.  

Raimi, Sam. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Marvel Studios, 2022.  

Raimi, Sam. Spider-Man. Sony Pictures, 2002.  

Raimi, Sam. Spider-Man 2. Sony Pictures, 2004.  

Raimi, Sam. Spider-Man 3. Sony Pictures, 2007.  

Shakman, Matt. Fantastic Four. Marvel Studios, 2025.  

Spielberg, Steven. Jurassic Park. Universal Pictures, 1993.  

Story, Tim. Fantastic Four. Fox, 2005.  

Trevorrow, Colin. Jurassic World. Universal Pictures, 2015.  

Trevorrow, Colin. Jurassic World Dominion. Universal Pictures, 2022.  

Watts, Jon. Spider-Man: Homecoming. Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios, 2017.  

Watts, Jon. Spider-Man: Far From Home. Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios, 2019.  

Watts, Jon. Spider-Man: No Way Home. Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios, 2021.  

Webb, Marc. The Amazing Spider-Man. Sony Pictures, 2012.  

Webb, Marc. The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Sony Pictures, 2014.  

Vaughn, Matthew. X-Men: First Class. 20th Century Studios, 2011.