Tag / james wan

by Jaime Rebanal

‘Aquaman’ Review: Working with Too Much Within Too Little

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There’s a lot about Aquaman that easily should have placed it above most other films from the DC Extended Universe, but even if that were the case it also shows how much they still have yet to overcome after starting off with a rather rocky note. In bringing the underwater superhero to the big screen, James Wan does the very best that he can in order to try and improve upon the rather rough introduction that we got from him through the halfway-completed Justice League but even the roughest patches of Aquaman still ended up reminding me of what held back Justice League from being as great as it could have been. Yet despite that, it’s also a case where the film’s weirdest moments also churn out some of the more fascinating aspects to come out from the film because it’s hard enough having any clear idea what’s going on, the least of what can be said when you have so much going on underwater with so much dramatic heft. You’re left wondering how much of this really is necessary, and how much actually means anything.

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by Jaime Rebanal

Jigsaw – Review

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If by this point you were expecting so much more out of a franchise whose prime gimmick is the gory death of people within otherwise elaborate traps then you’re only set to be very disappointed with Jigsaw. But for a film that succeeds a franchise whose supposed final chapter was seven years ago, I’m pretty sure that a sense of self-awareness would have been present so that at least expectations before coming in can already be set. To what extent does that make the Spierig brothers’ own Saw movie anything more than the previous entries, though? Perhaps it would be present in the fact that it seems to know how the best Saw films have worked and just seeks only to exploit said aspects however they can. Does it always work? No, but is it wholly boring? Surprisingly, the answer is again, a “no.”

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by Jaime Rebanal

The Conjuring 2 – Review

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Continuing on with the dread that filled up the first film, could James Wan have done himself much better? I would not have thought so but The Conjuring 2 has proven me wrong for he indeed provided a rare instance where the sequel may have improved upon its own predecessor. Like the predecessor, there are many things to be expected of the haunted house subgenre of horror films but where James Wan allows for forgiveness from what appears already as familiarity arises come from his understanding of the effectiveness that shaped the genre. What I can say about James Wan is that within the future, I can only expect greater things for the horror genre under his own hands. You can’t expect another Exorcist for few horror films (or few films in general) ever can match its own legacy, but The Conjuring 2 provides what the first gave off, and a little bit more at that too. Continue reading →

by Jaime Rebanal

The Conjuring – Review

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James Wan’s The Conjuring may not be the most original horror film especially when the superior The Exorcist already exists, but surprisingly what comes out is rather effective. The horror genre is a rather difficult one to perfect but it seems as if James Wan understands what makes the most effective horror films work, at least from an observation of his previous films he has slowly been improving himself. While there’s no doubt that other films have done what The Conjuring is doing much better, what we’re still left with is a rise above most mainstream horror nowadays since it almost seems rather rare to find one that actually works for its position in a lamentable state. Continue reading →