The Beekeeper (2024)

The Beekeeper is an action movie released in the dumping ground for movies.

David Ayer has a good amount of movies under his belt and the production of this film didn't have the faith to really put any marketing behind it, especially with the risk of using Emmy Raver-Lampman, who overacted her way through Umbrella Academy. Ayer notoriously had issues with production with Suicide Squad and this just cements the fact that Ayer can't carry a film by name alone.

The film had a solid action writer in Kurt Wimmer but the scenes that were supposed to be dialogue-heavy or character-developing were lacking. Wimmer wrote Equilibrium, Expend4bles, the Point Break and Total Recall remakes, and the bizarre Ultraviolet. There is some pretty cringe-worthy dialogue and there are some weird allusions to both Donald Trump and Joe Biden with the son of the president even snorting coke in the white house.

Jason Statham plays the Beekeeper, basically James Bond who lives in America. He plays the same character he plays in all of his movies: tough and very British. Jeremy Irons and Josh Hutcherson come in to play villains. Irons puts forth more effort than anyone else in the film and I can't think of a film he's phoned in on, while Hutcherson plays a character that I guess Gen Z is supposed to identify with but why they should be identifying with a villain I don't understand. Perhaps this is similar to how movies in the 80s the glorification of cops getting rid of crime.

The film tries to be "written for a modern" audience but fails to entertain. Result: C-

Comments

Colony (2026)

Colony is written and directed by Yeon Sang-ho , the director behind the cult classic Train to Busan . While Train to Busan has become the more celebrated film, Colony shows how much Yeon has improved as both a writer and a director. The story is stronger, the filmmaking feels more confident, and the way he builds the world gives the movie more substance than I expected going in. Jun Ji-hyun is the clear standout of the cast. She does a fantastic job conveying emotion through subtle movements and expressions rather than relying on exaggerated acting. That is not surprising considering she is one of South Korea's best actresses, but she still manages to make the character feel grounded and believable. She carries much of the emotional weight of the film. I did not recognize many of the other actors, and unfortunately, none of them really stood out enough to make much of an impression. That is not necessarily a knock against the cast as much as it is a testament to how much Jun ...

Verity (2026)

Verity was a surprise for me. Normally, the authors who turn their books into movies that I actually enjoy are Stephen King or Michael Crichton , but Colleen Hoover has been doing surprisingly well with the last four movies adaptations from her work. One thing I appreciate about her writing is that she knows how to write male characters who aren't weak or simply there to be punching bags for feminist talking points. That alone makes the characters feel more believable and gives the story a better balance. Dakota Johnson plays an up and coming writer who is brought in to ghostwrite for Anne Hathaway's character. This is easily Johnson's best performance yet. She does a good job carrying the movie and making the character's uncertainty and curiosity believable as the mystery around the house starts to unfold. Anne Hathaway does not have a huge amount to do because of her character's condition, but whenever she is actually on screen, she brings the energy you wo...

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is a continuation of the 80s hit police comedy. Unknown director Mark Molloy came out of nowhere to direct the film. He is blessed to use a stellar cast for his first film. He must be a part of some Illuminati or know someone important because who gets this picture to be their first film? Will Beall has updated the film for modern audiences but not in an overt way. He's the writer for Justice League and Bad Boys: Ride or Die , so this is his better film. Eddie Murphy is back and with old jokes and callbacks. He's funny sure but it's mostly nostalgia. His daughter is played by Taylour Paige is probably the worst actor in the film even including Judge Reinhold. She's best known for her inability to smile and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. The Robin to Axel is Joseph Gordon-Levitt who plays a sidekick really well, but his character is unlikeable, much like Kevin Bacon's villain, they're both not meant to be liked and both did...

Movies, Film, and Chili

Search This Blog