MrHlad

The first film proved that audiences are still quite curious about this cinematic world and will gladly pay to return to it. So what do we do in the second one? What makes sense. We're gonna add in everything that we think people might like, to keep it wringing it out for a few years. This approach is fine, it's just what Hollywood does with big movies, but unfortunately the second Fantastic Beasts shows that it's not always for the best. For example, getting a film directed by the biggest routine artist Hollywood has at its disposal, or wanting to milk the studio so badly that it sets up a lot of plots, subplots, characters, heroes and creatures that there's no time at all for a plot that makes even rudimentary sense. The result is a bunch of mediocre, albeit good-looking action, a lot of twists and turns that would put the creators of Wild Angel to shame, and a cauldron of book and movie references that fans are likely to enjoy. That last thing makes The Crimes of Grindelwald rather good, and if you head to the cinema expecting someone to simply shove things you probably like and probably want to see under your nose, you'll enjoy it. As an attempt to kickstart a grand fantasy franchise, however, it brutally fails in practically every way. Boring movie, and perhaps even a little embarrassing at times.

Lisbeth Salander returns and is tasked with stealing an NSA program that its creator wants back. Unfortunately, members of a dangerous gang, who know Lisbeth better than she ever imagined, are also interested. The Girl in the Spider's Web is a lot less ambitious than the American version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and settles for being an entertaining, modern spy thriller with a surprising amount of good action. It's a bit sillier than David Fincher's version, but not boring in the slightest, just different. The two hours in the cinema passed quite pleasantly for me though.

Clara discovers a strange land full of magic and colours and finds out that she is to become its queen. But first she must stop the Gingerbread Woman, who wants to destroy the whole realm. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is by all accounts a mediocre fairy tale that has a functional but hackneyed story, often unnecessarily overwrought and almost cheesy visuals, and actors who can't act properly underneath all that makeup and weird costumes. You can see the money in it, but that's about it. It's an average fairy tale that doesn't offend, but it's nowhere near the top of the league.

The story of one of the greatest bands of all time, Queen, and its charismatic lead singer Freddie Mercury, is conceived as a grand celebration of their music, energy and camaraderie rather than a classic biopic. Instead of private information, dying of AIDS or escalating conflicts between the protagonists, there are concerts, singing and the film tries to entertain above all. Fans will probably appreciate this, but if you go to the cinema expecting to learn more or get any significant insight into Mercury's private life, you'll probably leave disappointed.

An average heist movie that fails to balance humor with suspense and occasionally forces the legendary cast to do things on the verge of awkwardness. As a heist movie, King of Thieves isn't very imaginative or suspenseful, and as a comedy, not very funny. Aside from a few directorial ideas and the natural charisma of the acting legends, it's hard to find anything that would elevate the film above average.

Dan Stevens goes to find his sister, who has been abducted by a strange cult from a remote island. But he discovers that this community has some ugly secrets that will soon raise hell. Action director Gareth Evans (The Raid) delivers a slow and very gritty film that isn't afraid to shy away from scares and relies on an interesting plot, good actors and a very uncomfortable atmosphere. Don't expect a classic horror film, though.

Rowan Atkinson's third time as the clumsy agent and, to be honest, it's not great. Johnny English Strikes Again has a couple of very good scenes, but on the whole it's a rather trite piece of entertainment that runs out of breath towards the end. When Atkinson is in Mr. Bean mode, though, it's great.

Mad killer Michael Myers is free and goes after Laurie Strode, who escaped him on his first spree. She's a mental wreck, but she's been preparing for this confrontation for 40 years. Only one can survive, but anyone can die... The new Halloween follows in the footsteps of the original one, refusing to conform to new trends and contemporary styles. It's old-school, unafraid to build tension for long, knows how to get under the skin and refuses cheap violence. Instead of gratuitous brutality, it relies on uncomfortable chills, excellent actors and the most traditional "Halloween" scares in the style of the classic first film. If you want modern horror, look elsewhere. But if you're a fan of Carpenter's film, you couldn't possibly get anything better in the cinema.

Several people arrive at a small hotel in the middle of nowhere. They have nothing in common at first glance, but in a few hours most of them will be dead, and the rest will be really upset. Drew Goddard directs a smart film in the style of Tarantino with interesting characters, good actors and fun direction. It does run out of breath a bit towards the end, but overall it manages to entertain quite nicely thanks to the ideas, the characters and a few rough twists. It probably won't be a genre classic like The Cabin in the Woods, though.

Tom Hardy has a problem, an alien parasite has attached itself to him and wants to start eating people, but there are some worse monsters out there, so Eddie Brock and Venom decide to join forces and become the most ordinary of superheroes. Venom manages to adapt a potentially interesting and darker character into a jaded hero who looks like a relic of the past and could have captured the attention of maybe twelve years ago. I don't really know what to praise about it, even the best elements of it are mediocre at best.