Film Review - Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter (2023)

Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter is based off of the log of the wooden ship Demeter from Bram Stokers Dracula novel and stars Corey Hawkins as a doctor who gets a job on the Demeter which is transporting some private cargo from Carpathia to London but one of those crates has the mark of the Dragon on it and it could lead to a dark time on this voyage.

Voyage of the Demeter isn’t the best horror film you’ll see but its also pretty solid and much of that is due to Andre Ordeval’s direction, he doesn’t rely on loud noises/quick cuts or jump scares as much as others do but instead he is actually willing to let the scenes breathe a little and build tension with the crew on the ship and the Demeter makes for an effective location as its out to sea with no sign of land and no other ships to come to its aid.

Also what works is the cast, though Hawkins at times sounds a little out of place with his accent he makes for a good doctor on board as does David Dastmalchian as the ships first officer, Liam Cunningham is also very good as the ships captain and Aisling Franciosi is good as Anna who has found her way on board and may have a strange connection with the beast Dragul played here by Javier Botet and he too is good in his role.

And so that was Dracula Voyage of the Demeter and it’s a good solid horror film that should satisfy fans enough for them to enjoy it, 3 out of 5.

Film Review - Gran Turismo (2023)

Gran Turismo is directed and co-written by Neil Blomkamp who came to prominence with 2009’s District 9 and is based off of the long running Playstation game series and stars Archie Madekwe as Jann Cunningham an avid Gran Turismo player who qualifies for the GT Academy where he will have the chance to become a proper racing car driver and is being spearheaded by Nissan executive Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom) but coaching them is former driver Jack Slater (David Harbour.)

Gran Turismo is far better than it has any right to be and a lot of that comes down to Blomkamp’s work on this movie, yes this is a classic underdog story but he finds a way to make it work for people who are familiar with playing Gran Turismo and people who haven’t, he also does some very interesting stuff with the films car race moments where at times you see the place indicator like you would in the game while at times the camera is positioned like the view on the track in the game.

What also helps is the cast, Madekwe makes for an appealing lead for the most part even if at times his deep voice makes his line readings sound a little stiff, Djimon Hounsou and Geri Halliwell are solid as his parents but the standouts in this movie are Bloom and Harbour who play off each other very well and have good scenes on their own, Harbour in particular is a lot of fun as the grizzled veteran ala Robert Duvall in Days of Thunder.

And so that was Gran Turismo and it’s a fun solid movie that does its job and doesn’t skid off the track, 3 out of 5.

Film Review - The Meg 2: The Trench (2023)

The Meg 2: The Trench sees Jason Statham return as Jonas from 2018’s The Meg and this time he and his team are planning to dive into the Trench, a previously unexplored area of the ocean floor but after an illegal mining operation detonates a thermal breach, Megalodon Sharks start swimming through and its up to Jonas and Co to save the day from the giant Sharks.

The Meg 2 is a bit of a mixed bag movie wise, I didn’t hate it per se but I also had issues with it but before I delve into those I will mention what I did like and that is mainly the films action sequences with the various creatures, they are fun to watch and have a snappy pace to them and I was rarely bored while watching the Stath fight the Sharks.

But what did bore me to some extent was the films script which desperately wants to be the new Aliens for a new generation in that you have returning characters, a bigger scope to events, a derelict station and a team struggling to survive before fighting it out in the last act but instead it feels more like the recent Jurassic World movies where those films became so bogged down in near pointless corporate intrigue sideplots that you didn’t have any interest in them at all.

And instead you just wanted a fun 90 to 100 minute The Stath vs The Giant Shark movie where the Giant Sharks run amok and the Stath has to fight them and save the day and countless sea goers from being gobbled up and those moments here are fun but don’t work as well as they should.

And so that was The Meg 2: The Trench and its fun in places and boring in others, 2 and a half out of 5.