'Mary' Reviews: Film "isn't really Mary's story in any way that counts or that feels distinct from the version we already know"

         On December 6, 2024, Netflix released 'Mary', which has received a mixed reception from critics. In the film, "Mary is shunned following an otherworldly conception and forced to flee when Herod's insatiable thirst for power ignites a murderous pursuit for the newborn." The ensemble cast includes Anthony Hopkins, Noa Cohen, Eamon Farren, and Ido Tako. But what did the critics say?

Photo by Chris Sowder on Unsplash

        Isabella Soares of Collider says, "With an underbaked script by Timothy Michael Hayes and several add-ons to the biblical narrative that harm more than elevate the plot, the cast doesn't get the opportunity to impress or show an inspiring new take on Mary's trajectory." Adding, "The truth is, despite Mary being the title of Caruso's latest directorial effort, there is little that the filmmaker does to help audiences who are both aware and unaware of this story have a more nuanced understanding of its central figure. Aside from a scene during Mary's youth, in which she shows compassion to the poor by bringing them bread, the movie doesn't give you further insight into her character or even her internal conflict about her pregnancy. Despite being looked down upon by the people in her community and having no luck finding a place to stay to give birth to Jesus, viewers never get to know what is going through the character's head or how she is growing from this experience. A coming-of-age project should focus on the protagonist's personal growth, which doesn't happen here."

       Catherine Bray of Guardian notes, "You know the way Dracula likes to deliver a dramatic speech, then turns into a bat, and flies away? It turns out that the angel Gabriel does something similar, only he turns into a blue scarf, the same kind of snazzy number you might get in Monsoon as a birthday present for your mum. Whoosh! Away he goes. Unfortunately, Gabriel-as-knitwear is about as entertaining as it gets in this fairly straightforward biblical adaptation of the early years of Mary, mother of Christ. Actually that’s not quite fair. Anthony Hopkins as Herod understands the assignment, bellowing lines such as “KNEEEEEEEL!” with requisite gusto. We’ve seen him serve more fully flavoured ham before, however, in lavish tosh like The Silence of the Lambs sequels Hannibal and Red Dragon; this is more ham-lite, the sort of villainy Hopkins can deliver in his sleep. Not that it’s not pleasurable to watch, but his Herod could have used at least twice as much screen time as he gets." Adding, "The titular Mary (Noa Cohen) is a bit of a drag, prone to pieties such as “I find pleasure every day in the mysteries of the Lord.” Fair enough, she’s the future mother of God. But when she tells a man who has just been brutally blinded by Herod that “vision comes in many forms”, you can see how people end up so virulently anti-religion. A very late stage swerve into Marvel heroine vernacular – “You may think you know my story. Trust me, you don’t” – doesn’t help matters either. It does, however, come right after the film’s best sequence, in which the infant Christ is saved from the swords of Herod’s minions as Bethlehem burns and our heroes get the hell out of the raging inferno on a horse. There is also a good bit where Mary is urged to stick baby Jesus in a wicker basket and lob him off a roof. Alas, you have to sit through a lot of turgid Bible studies dramatisations of bits of scripture to get to the good stuff. All in all, last year’s Journey to Bethlehem, a musical covering the same material with Antonio Banderas as Herod, represents more bang for your biblical buck."

       Mark Dujsik of Mark Reviews Movies says, "Looked at from either a religious or a more realistic perspective, the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus, is a fascinating one. If some divine power was involved, here's a teenager who unexpectedly finds herself with the weight of becoming pregnant by heavenly intervention, giving birth to the spiritual savior of humanity, and knowing that her son's story will end in a violent death. If none of that is the case, here's a girl burdened with the societal stigma of being young, pregnant, and unwed but who overcomes all of that to raise a child who will become one of the most influential figures in all of history. In other words, Mary could choose either option for the foundation of its story—a religious or secular one—and have plenty to work with in regards to its eponymous character. That screenwriter Timothy Michael Hayes selects the religious angle, then, is of little concern to the potential success of this movie, because it's not as if Mary's life is of much concern to any official Christian scripture. There's plenty of room for interpretation and imagination to get at the heart of this young woman and her story." Concluding, "There's the exposition involving her parents. Her future husband Joseph (Ido Tako) spots her by a river one day, after Gabriel suggests he head in her general direction, is her partner by way of an arranged marriage, because Mary's parents hear him speak of the angel's guidance. She's banished from the temple, becomes a target of rumors and gossip, and is eventually forced to leave home to give birth, as Herod's megalomania reaches its apex. Even Lucifer (Eamon Farren) shows up on occasion to tempt some characters, including Mary, into giving up on all of this, but it's not much of a conflict when all of these characters simply accept the role put to them. Who is Mary here, if not simply someone being influenced, coerced, and pushed around by everyone and everything around her? That's a question the filmmakers seem to have little interest in answering. The movie's goal, it seems, isn't to turn Mary into an active figure in her own story or even to understand how an ordinary person might deal with the unthinkable pressure of being at the center of a divinely ordained plan. Cohen occasionally suggests some underlying doubts, fear, and resilience in her performance, but Caruso seems to have directed his star to mainly appear vulnerable and, as that old phrasing goes, full of grace. The movie looks fine enough, perhaps, and it feels sincere about its intentions in a general sort of way. Mary, though, isn't really Mary's story in any way that counts or that feels distinct from the version we already know." 

'Rebel Moon - Part Two: Director's Cut' Reviews: "a genuinely great film, a sweeping epic that makes this whole rollercoaster feel worth it"

        On August 2, 2024, Netflix released 'Rebel Moon - Part Two: Director's Cut', which is a re-release of the film with director Zack Snyder's added footage. Ironically, this cut has fared better than the original cut, currently holding at 40% on Rotten Tomatoes. For anyone unfamiliar with the franchise, it centers on rebels on a remote moon as they fight for their home. The ensemble cast includes Sofia Boutella, Anthony Hopkins, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Ray Fisher, and Bae Doo-na. But what did the critics say?

        Chase Hutchinson of Collider was less than impressed, stating, "It’s less a director’s cut that offers anything worth revisiting, and more Snyder's glorified rearranging of deck chairs on the Titanic. You might see a new piece of furniture as it sinks down, but it only descends all the faster from the dead weight." Concluding, "While more resonant than anything that preceded it and the subsequent tiresome final stinger of an added scene that plays more like a threat of more, a new song of mourning near the end would be best if it served as a farewell to this sad attempt at a sci-fi epic for good."

Photo by Kilyan Stockalingum on Unsplash

        James Preston Poole of But Why Tho? A Geek Community praises the film, stating, "When Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver hit Netflix in April 2024, it offered slight growth over the first film’s many failings. With both films hobbled by a bizarre Netflix deal where Zack Snyder would release compromised PG-13 cuts then get to release his full vision later, the whole enterprise feels bound to lose the audience. Now that the true versions of each part of the film are available, the time has come to see if this project was worth all the hoopla. Rebel Moon – Chapter One: Chalice of Blood (Director’s Cut) was a major improvement on its prior version that still couldn’t hide inherent structural issues. Rebel Moon – Chapter Two: Curse of Forgiveness (Rebel Moon – Chapter Two: Director’s Cut), on the other hand, is a genuinely great film, a sweeping epic that makes this whole rollercoaster feel worth it."

       William Bibbiani of The Wrap notes, "Still cloyingly derivative and relatively shallow, especially compared to their most obvious influences." Continuing, "Zack Snyder’s “Rebel Moon” movies are back, and this time they’re longer than ever. Not better, for the most part. Just longer. Unlike many director’s cuts — including Snyder’s own “Justice League” — the updated versions of “Rebel Moon” don’t change the narrative very much. There’s a little more backstory and a lot more fake-looking CGI blood, but “Rebel Moon — Chapter 1: Chalice of Blood” and “Rebel Moon — Chapter 2: Curse of Forgiveness” tell the same tale as before and make about as much of an impact."

       Luke Y. Thompson of SuperHeroHype says, "The newest Snyder cut plays like the most mindless faux-machismo video game in the universe, and that’s exactly what it wants to be. No stars for forcing us critics to watch the watered-down versions first, especially in a streaming era where theatrical age restrictions don’t matter. If you have any inner cinematic bloodlust, however, this should feed the beast. Pagan space Gods help me, but I kind of want to see what comes next, if anything."

‘Those About To Die’ Reviews: Series “absolutely must be watched on as large a screen as possible”

                                                         Photo by Georgia Vagim on Unsplash

On July 18, 2024, Peacock released ‘Those About to Die’, which has earned predominantly positive reviews, currently holding at 59% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the series, gladiatorial combat is examined and viewers are introduced to the entertainment aspect of the world famous proceedings. The ensemble cast includes Anthony Hopkins, Dimitri Leonidas, Jojo Macari, Gabriella Pession, Tom Hughes, Iwan Rheon, and Rupert Penry-Jones. But what did the critics say?

Harriet Addison of London Evening Standard praises the series, stating, “The script is sometimes clunky, and the drama a bit over-egged, but it’s also cinematic and powerful and exciting. It absolutely must be watched on as large a screen as possible.”

Nick Schager of The Daily Beast notes, “A swords-and-sandals epic that’s cast in a Game of Thrones mold—and strives to whet audiences’ appetites for Ridley Scott’s upcoming Gladiator II—Those About to Die delivers intrigue, deception, and coliseum carnage with an enthusiasm that’s offset by its derivativeness.” Concluding, “Most of its drama plays out in a manner that will be highly familiar to those who’ve spent time in Westeros and King’s Landing (or watched HBO’s short-lived Rome), albeit with an intermittent stolidness and unoriginality that cuts its suspense off at the knees. As for its action, directors Emmerich and Marco Kreuzpaintner provide regular, vicious clashes in Circus Maximus, with chariots crashing, burning, and mangling their human riders, and gladiators doing all they can to stay alive in fights to the death against the unkillable (and The Mountain-esque) goliath Flamma (Martyn Ford).”

Sam Barsanti of IGN Movies says, “Those About To Die has all the nudity, violence, and political intrigue you’d want from a post-Game of Thrones drama. But it’s all been done better elsewhere -- and with better use of Anthony Hopkins, to boot.” Adding, “The real star of Those About to Die is also a reminder of televised George R.R. Martin adaptations – because it’s Game of Thrones’ Iwan Rheon, a.k.a. the vile and villainous Ramsay Bolton. A lucky, late addition to the cast, Rheon plays a big-scheming social-climber named Tenax. He runs the gambling at Circus Maximus, Rome’s venue for chariot racing and effectively its main economic draw… for now. Major competition is on its way in the form of Emperor Vespasian’s Flavian Amphitheater, the arena for gladiatorial combat better known these days as The Colosseum. The Colosseum’s construction is a frequent topic in these episodes, and, to varying extents, it drives the plot for the various interconnected storylines that make up Those About to Die. The Emperor, along with his sons (one a scheming politician, the other an accomplished soldier with a short fuse), is building it to distract the unruly citizens of Rome and to leech some power and influence away from the four color-coded teams – Red, Blue, Green, and White – who race at Circus Maximus and have ties to the city’s cultural, political, and religious elites.”

Dave Nemetz of TV Line was less impressed, stating, “It seems to have learned all the wrong lessons from Thrones, though, leaning heavily on violence and nudity and delivering empty spectacle in the place of real human emotion. It’s a dispiritingly cynical piece of work: somehow both overstuffed and underbaked, simultaneously schlocky and dull.” Continuing, “You’d think that the Roman setting would offer plenty of chances for classically trained actors to flex their muscles, but the lifeless scripts don’t give them much to work with. Characters launch into long monologues about the state of Rome… and we lose interest midway through. Hopkins’ presence does lend the series a sheen of prestige, but he only shows up for a scant scene or two in each episode to grumble out a few lines and then disappears again, so don’t tune in expecting to see his next great performance. That leaves us with an ensemble of blandly interchangeable actors getting wrapped up in mysteries and conspiracies that we don’t care much about in between fights and races.”