The Film Fix: Reviews of April’s Top Films in Theaters, Streaming
By JONATHAN W. HICKMAN, Special to The Paper
Below are reviews and capsules of various films this month in theaters and/or streaming.
Review rating … A “Fix” is recommended with a rating between 6 and 10. A “No Fix” is not recommended with a rating between 1 to 5.
In Theaters
Godzilla x Kong; The New Empire (now playing) – Fix Rating 6/10 – This monster movie installment is a marginal improvement over 2021’s “Godzilla vs. Kong.” Still, “The New Empire’s” heavily animated weightless special effects can’t hold a candle to recent Oscar winner “Godzilla Minus One.” And “Empire’s” story, if you can call it a story, lacks any attempt to be coherent or genuinely engaging.
This entry picks up in the years since the discovery of the subterranean world known as the Hollow Earth. Humans have cultivated a relationship with mortal enemies Godzilla and Kong.
To prevent the two from fighting and wrecking every major city on the globe, Kong has been banished to the Hollow Earth while the unmanageable Godzilla roams freely topside. Whenever another titan, a monster of enormous size, emerges, Godzilla acts as our planet’s protector, using his great strength and nuclear breath to vanquish dangerous forces.
But when a chasm opens in Kong’s new basement dwelling, a fresh group of monsters step forth. Will Kong and Godzilla join forces to save the day? Any fan will already know the answer to that question. But the fun is in watching Kong and Godzilla duke it out with each other and take on a colorful assortment of strange creatures. The silly, self-aware performances by actors Dan Stevens and Brian Tyree Henry help sell the film’s goofy tone. Their rolling commentary as the epic battles dominate acts as a good contrast against Rebecca Hall’s strait-laced scientist.
The problem here is the lack of any serious stakes. Possibly millions perish as the monsters destroy major cities, which is met with a slew of empty jokes. Gone is the pathos introduced in the opening sequence of 2014’s “Godzilla,” which started this new series of monster movies. And in giving up and giving into the base, temporary glee evoked when Kong repeatedly punches his skyscraper-sized opponent or those initially exhilarating moments when Godzilla’s nuclear breath is sprayed onto a fellow threatening kaiju, studios Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment shoot for low-hanging fruit when they should be aiming higher.
Streaming Selects
PARAMOUNT +
Star Trek: Discovery (Season 5 premiere April 4) – This “Star Trek” prequel and sequel series (that’s how things roll in the “Star Trek” universe) starring Sonequa Martin-Green and Doug Jones begins its fifth and final season on April 4. But Trekkies have nothing to fear; 2025 might deliver another space saga, “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy,” to keep things living long and hopefully prospering. And reports are that a fourth (new reboot cast) big-screen adventure is still planned.
PEACOCK
Migration (April 19) – At the end of last year, family audiences flocked to this animated tale of a family of ducks on vacation led by their overprotective father. Peacock gets the exclusive streaming debut of this full-feathered adventure.
NETFLIX
Ripley (April 4) – “Fleabag’s” sexy priest Andrew Scott plays Tom Ripley in this adaptation of novelist Patricia Highsmith’s most famous creation. While many viewers may be familiar with the nefarious character from 1999’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” where Matt Damon inhabited the role, it was far from the first attempt to bring the frightening grifter to the screen. Actor Alain Delon played him in “Purple Noon” in 1960, and Dennis Hopper took a turn in 1977’s “American Friend.” This new adaptation from Netflix comes from the pen of Oscar-winner Steven Zaillian (see “Schindler’s List”).
Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver (April 4) – Director/co-writer Zack Snyder finishes what he started last year with “Part One: A Child of Fire.” Few liked the first installment, and I wasn’t a fan, but maybe Snyder can right the ship. The story has Kora and the surviving heroes banding together to defend a peaceful settlement on the moon called Veldt.
AMAZON PRIME
Fallout (season 1, April 11) – While Netflix hopes to win over science fiction fans with Zack Snyder’s pricey “Rebel Moon” sequel, Amazon is betting big that video gamers will turnout for and turn on to “Fallout,” the handsomely produced adaptation of the popular role-playing adventure. Christopher Nolan’s brother Jonathan directs three installments of the eight-episode first season, which features prominent appearances by Walton Goggins and Kyle MacLachlan alongside an attractive, youthful cast. The story is set in a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles.
DISNEY PLUS
X-Men ‘97 (new episodes streaming weekly) – This series is a direct continuation of “X-Men: The Animated Series” that ran from 1992 through 1997. Fans have been bullish on this popular Marvel Comics franchise animated adaptation.
APPLE TV+
Franklin (April 12) – This lavishly produced historical series has a secret weapon, Michael Douglas in the lead as none other than Founding Father Benjamin Franklin. The story follows Franklin’s attempts to convince France to join the Americans in an alliance against the British in 1778. “A Quiet Place” star Noah Jupe and the always watchable English actor Eddie Marsan round out the cast.
VOD
Blood for Dust (April 19) – Director/co-writer Rod Blackhurst (see 2016’s effective and minimalist “Here Alone”) assembles an impressive cast that includes Josh Lucas, Kit Harington, Stephen Dorff, and Scoot McNairy in this atmospheric crime thriller. McNairy plays a family man named Cliff who takes a dangerous business opportunity from a friend named Ricky (“Game of Thrones” star Harington). Things go badly, and Cliff is forced to deal with criminal forces that threaten his future.
Theatrical Teasers
Monkey Man (April 5) – Dev Patel directs and stars in this gritty-looking action movie about an anonymous man who embarks on a bloody path of vengeance. The trailers tease “John Wick” style action.
The First Omen (April 5) – This isn’t the first “Omen” movie, but the fifth. After the awful “Exorcist” sequel crashed and burned last year, one wonders if an “Omen” franchise that began in 1976 has a chance. This installment purports to be a prequel following an American woman named Margaret (Apple TV+’s “Servant” star Nell Tiger Free), who, as part of her service to the church, is sent to Rome, where she stumbles onto the possible birth of the Antichrist.
Civil War (April 12) – This dystopian yarn takes place in the near future. It follows a group of reporters embedded with the military in America during a time when the country is fracturing. Parts of the nation have seceded, and nowhere is safe, even for well-meaning journalists. Word is that “Civil War” is more provocative than action-packed, and that makes sense, given that the director and writer is the Oscar-nominated Alex Garland (see 2016’s “Ex Machina”).
The People’s Joker (April 12) – Atlanta’s Plaza Theater is hosting a run for this controversial experimental feature that is a DC parody (made without permission of the copyright holders). The story casts the Joker (in the film identified as “Joker the Harlequin,” played by the film’s writer/director Vera Drew) struggling with gender identity questions and coming into conflict with a certain caped crusader.
Challengers (April 26) – Director Luca Guadagnino (see “Call Me by Your Name”) weaves a sexy story about a former tennis star (played by “Dune’s” Zendaya) faced with a dilemma when her tennis champion husband is confronted with a new threat on the court who has a past with his wife. Trailers tease a heated love triangle.
Boy Kills World (April 26) – “It” star Bill Skarsgård (he was Pennywise) plays the title Boy in this blood-soaked revenge actioner. The futuristic-looking film has Skarsgård as a deaf man who trains for an eventual showdown with the criminals who murdered his family. Trailers tease classic video game-style fights and thrills.
Jonathan W. Hickman is an entertainment attorney, filmmaker, college professor, and novelist. More about Jonathan can be found by visiting: filmproductionlaw.com.
