Fifty-one years ago, director Tobe Hooper and his cast and crew spent a blisteringly hot Texas summer working to bring us one of the greatest horror films ever made, the 1974 classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (watch it HERE)… and to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the release of the film, NECA is releasing new action figures of the Leatherface and Hitchhiker characters! These action figures won’t actually make their way onto collectors’ shelves until May 2025, but they’re available for pre-order through Entertainment Earth and Big Bad Toy Store.
Directed by Hooper from a script he wrote with Kim Henkel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has the following synopsis: When Sally hears that her grandfather’s grave may have been vandalized, she and her paraplegic brother, Franklin, set out with their friends to investigate. After a detour to their family’s old farmhouse, they discover a group of crazed, murderous outcasts living next door. As the group is attacked one by one by the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface, who wears a mask of human skin, the survivors must do everything they can to escape.
The film stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Jim Siedow, Edwin Neal, William Vail, Teri McMinn, Allen Danziger, John Dugan, and Gunnar Hansen.
One new action figure from NECA is the Texas Chainsaw Massacre – 50th Anniversary Pretty Woman Leatherface 8″ Clothed Action Figure. Celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre! The classic 1974 slasher film by Tobe Hooper changed horror cinema forever. Own a piece of its history with this Leatherface clothed action figure from NECA! This anniversary edition figure is dressed in tailored fabric clothing similar to the retro toy lines that helped define the licensed action figure market in the 1970s. Wearing his infamous “Pretty Woman” mask and dress suit, the fully poseable 8-inch figure includes chainsaw and hammer accessories. Comes in window box packaging. You can pre-order that one through Entertainment Earth at THIS LINK and Big Bad Toy Store HERE.
The other is the Texas Chainsaw Massacre – 50th Anniversary Hitchhiker 8” Clothed Action Figure. Celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre! The classic 1974 slasher film by Tobe Hooper changed horror cinema forever. Own a piece of its history with this Hitchhiker clothed action figure from NECA! This anniversary edition figure of Nubbins Sawyer, the murderous cannibal, grave robber, and brother of Leatherface, is dressed in tailored fabric clothing similar to the retro toy lines that helped define the licensed action figure market in the 1970s. The fully poseable 8-inch figure includes camera, satchel, and straight razor accessories. Comes in window box packaging. That one can be pre-ordered through Entertainment Earth HERE and through Big Bad Toy Store HERE.
Images of the action figures can be seen below, and more can be found at the links.
Will you be buying either of these Texas Chainsaw Massacre 50th anniversary action figures? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Here at JoBlo Horror Originals we talk a lot about gateway horror films. Depending on the generation you belong to, that can be a few different things. Kids of the 70s will always have Jaws as an introduction to horror and that movie is still a great way to introduce newer generations to the genre after almost 50 years. Two of my favorites from the 80’s, and two films that both my sons have seen, are The Gate and The Monster Squad. Again, both great and both still hold up as not only fun horror flicks but great ways to ease in the younger crowd. As a kid born in 1985, I am much more a child of the 90s so even if you hadn’t read the title of the video you clicked, you could probably guess that I saw Jurassic Park in theaters, it scared and enthralled me and made me want more. It became a billion-dollar franchise just in films but spawned comics, video games, toys, amusement park attractions, and nearly everything else you can license. It started as a massive blockbuster novel from one of sci-fi’s greatest and the adaptation was a sure thing. Both are regarded as musts in their respective medias, but which is better and how well did they get it from page to screen? Hold on to your butts as we see if the creators were so preoccupied with if they could adapt this work that they never asked if they should as we find out what happened to this adaptation.
The Movie
Steven Spielberg already had a relationship with famed author Michael Crichton before they worked on the film adaptation of Jurassic Park together. The two actually worked on creating the TV show ER and that’s when Spielberg learned of his author pal’s idea about dinosaurs being brought back to life for a theme park. Crichton, ever the smart businessman, knew what his 1990 novel had the potential to be so he asked for 1.5 million and a fairly large % of the movies theatrical gross for the option rights. Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, and Columbia all threw out bids along with their top talent to direct with Tim Burton, Joe Dante, and Richard Donner respectively all in the mix. Universal would win out with Spielberg, who famously had done a blockbuster or two, with James Cameron apparently missing out just hours before the bidding was won. The author was given an additional 500k to write the first screenplay.
That screenplay wasn’t the final product although Crichton was given a credit for the screenplay. After Hook screenwriter Malia Marmo was given a go at it in 1991, the studio decided to also bring in David Koepp to further tweak the screenplay. While Crichton felt that only 10 to 20% of the book would be able to be put on screen, Koepp was able to make it with only a couple major scenes left out even if, as you will see, the movie is quite different from the book overall. Koepp has a long and fun resume that also includes Carlito’s Way, The Shadow, the first Mission: Impossible, Panic Room, and Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man to name a few. Spielberg is obviously a known entity and his other movies that dip their toe in horror or suspense are also mostly great with Duel, Jaws, and War of the Worlds all being worth your time. Crichton, as we discussed in Congo, also has Westworld, The Great Train Robbery which was based on his book and boy did I screw that up last time, Coma, and Looker to name only a few.
The cast is iconic in their roles, enough to bring back over and over again, but many of them were not the first choices. Sam Neill would play Dr. Alan Grant, but that role almost went to William Hurt, Kurt Russell, Richard Dryfuss, Harrison Ford, and Tim Robbins. Neill has also done great genre work with In the Mouth of Madness, Dead Calm, Possession, and The Omen III. Laura Dern was the first choice for Dr. Ellie Sattler, but it almost went to Robin Wright, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Helen Hunt. Dern hasn’t done much horror but did show up in Grizzly II and Inland Empire is nightmare fuel. Jeff Goldblum beat out Jim Carrey, Richard Attenborough was the only choice for Hammond, and Wayne Knight was cast after Spielberg saw his performance in Basic Instinct. Bob Peck, Samuel L. Jackson, Martin Ferrero, Ariana Richards, Joseph Mazello, and B.D. Wong were also cast, and they all do wonderful jobs in their roles.
The movie was released wide on June 11th, 1993, on a 63-million-dollar budget and, to put it lightly, became one of the biggest films of all time. After a couple re-releases it sits at over a billion dollars at the box office and won all 3 Oscars it was nominated for with best sound, best effects sound editing, and best effects for visual effects that went to greats like Stan Winston and Phil Tippett. Also lost in the awards shuffle is an incredible score from John Williams. As stated before there were immediate toys, video games, comics, and the movie series continues with its seventh movie coming out in 2025.
The Book
We discussed Michael Crichton at length last time so let’s focus a bit on the development of the book itself. Crichton actually wrote the first version as a screenplay in 1983 about a graduate student who ends up recreating a dinosaur. This changed when he felt that the science behind it would be extremely expensive and that there was no practical need for a dinosaur. People will still do things when they don’t make any sense so the author reasoned that dinosaurs would be brought back as entertainment and so the theme park angle was thrown in too. The book was originally from the perspective of a child but anyone that read the first few drafts felt that an adult’s view would capture more.
The book is what the author is most known for and is one of his best received. It is seen as a Frankenstein allegory with Dr. Henry Wu tinkering with things he doesn’t understand by bringing back the dinosaurs from extinction without actually knowing that what they do will or in some cases what to call them. It follows a similar vein in that humanity pays the price for the carelessness of men playing God. The characters were seen as mostly inserts and not very well fleshed out, something that Crichton had to deal with his whole career but the entertainment value and understandable science behind the scenes made it more palatable. One critic did say that the movie would be a trashy cash-in, so that aged well. Crichton would actually release a sequel called The Lost World that would also get the movie treatment that would also be directed by Spielberg. While Crichton would be productive in books and film for a good while after, Jurassic Park will always be the first line of his legacy.
What is the Same?
There is an accident that has to do with the impending opening of a nature preserve/theme park called Jurassic Park that is being planned to be opened and funded by John Hammond. He has found a way to bring dinosaurs back by extracting their DNA from fossilized mosquitos that have been stuck and preserved in amber. The investors in the park have become worried due to these issues and ask for specialists in specific fields to be brought in to sign off on the opening to the public. These include paleontologist Alan Grant, Paleobotanist Ellie Sattler, Mathematician Ian Malcolm who specializes in chaos theory, and lawyer Donald Generro. The park has light staffing that includes main engineer Arnold, biotech Henry Wu, Game Warden Robert Muldoon, lead park vet Harding, and main programmer Dennis Nedry. The park is also hosting Hammond’s Grandchildren Tim and Lex.
A tour begins and the weather turns while Nedry turns off all the security in the park and steals DNA samples as he thinks he is underpaid and underappreciated by Hammond. He acts as a spy and covert employee for Biosyn and agent Lewis Dodson who is the chief rival to Hammonds Ingen. The power being shut down results in the tour group being attacked and the race being on to get off the island. The dinosaurs have also somehow begun to breed which was thought impossible due to the nature of them being brought back by science but it is theorized that the extra DNA that was used to fill the gap by frogs was a species that could change their gender and the dinosaurs also did that. Several of the characters die in the process including Nedry by a Dilophosaurus, Arnold by Raptors, and others but the group eventually does make it off the island while avoiding T-rex and Velociraptors.
What is different?
Sorry to my oldest son and one of my closest friends who are reading the book soon but here be spoilers. I won’t go into every single detail as this isn’t that type of video and it would be too long but while the main idea and story is the same from page to screen, the journey and many of the characters are quite different. The opening incident in the book is an attack on a child in Costa Rica that initially is the reason that Grant and Sattler are brought in, to identify the injuries to specific animals. The movie opens with an accident while moving some of the dinos into the park and it is very Spielberg and reminiscent of Jaws. Another smaller change that doesn’t make or break for the title is that Hammond’s grandkids are switched around a bit with Tim being older than Lex and also being the one that can hack security while Lex is the little sister. These roles are reversed in the film with Lex being older and having knowledge of computers.
Getting into some of the bigger plot changes we have Grant and the kids taking the river back to the main center to try and escape as well as an end scene with several characters using nerve gas to kill off the remaining raptors. In terms of characters, Harding has a much larger role in the novel and the character of Gennero plays the role of two book characters. While Donald Generro is the lawyer from the book, he is also a strong and caring character who makes it to the end and helps save people and destroy dinos. The character that shares a similar death as well as the cowardly aspects of movie Generro is publicist Ed Regis who does not exist at all in the movie. Characters also have different fates between the two worlds with Muldoon living in the book but Wu, Malcolm, and even Hammond all dying in different ways. Finally, the character Hammond is also more of a careless villain in the book as opposed to his movie counterpart who is stubborn, but ultimately understanding and cares more about the people than the park. There are many other changes, but the big ones make the two different enough experiences to hopefully get you to explore both.
Legacy
It is difficult to say which one is better particularly when they are as different as these two are. I remember reading the book in high school almost 10 years after watching the movie and being very confused. I personally think this is one of the rare cases where the movie is objectively better than the book, but I can easily see where if you read the novel first, that would be your preference. Both are mandatory to read and watch and you will be entertained either way. There is also countless other avenues to quench your Jurassic needs should you want more. As Weird Al said, Jurassic Park is frightening in the dark but this is a trip worth sparing no expense for.
A couple of the previous episodes of What Happened to This Adaptation? can be seen below. To see the other shows we have to offer, head over to the JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!
For about a decade, Leonardo DiCaprio was attached to produce a big screen reboot of the classic genre property The Twilight Zone through his company Appian Way. Multiple drafts of the script were written and Joseph Kosinski was set to direct the film… but it never made it into production. The Twilight Zone got a small screen reboot from producer Jordan Peele and his company Monkeypaw Productions instead. But DiCaprio isn’t leaving the Twilight Zone behind entirely, as IndieWire reports that he is now producing a documentary about the show’s creator, Rod Serling!
Appian Way is teaming up with Goodlight, Grub Street Films, and Verdi Productions to make this documentary happen. DiCaprio is producing alongside Chad A. Verdi, Jennifer Davisson, Phillip Watson, Taylor DiGilio, Blake J. Harris, Michelle Verdi, Chad Verdi Jr., Paul Luba, and Jonah Tulis. Tulis, who previously directed GameStop: Rise of the Players and Console Wars, is at the helm. According to the IndieWire report, the producers “have received the full blessing of Serling’s daughters Jodi Serling and Anne Serling, who are executive producing the project.”
The Serling documentary will explore how Serling’s writing helped change television forever. The film will look at Serling’s humble beginnings in television and how he later used his platform to affect change both on and off the screen, including his battles with censors and how he grappled with thought provoking issues of racism, war, the dangers of technology, and morality via the genre-bending, sci-fi parables. But the Serling film will also be told in “his own words,” leaning on archival footage — provided by his estate — to have his own voice helping to guide the story. The film will also have re-enactments of moments of his life shot in black and white in the style of The Twilight Zone.
Jennifer Davisson provided the following statement: “We are excited to dive into the life of such a visionary who understood the role storytelling plays in pushing and challenging societal norms. Equipped with a vast and extensive collection of archival footage, we hope to capture the essence of a man who used The Twilight Zone so poignantly to drive social and political change.“
Chad A. Verdi added, “We are very excited to collaborate with Appian Way and provide an inside look on Rod Serling’s story with a personal narrative and footage that audiences have never seen before. This documentary will be the first of several projects that we plan on producing with this team.“
The Twilight Zone originally ran on CBS from 1959 to 1964. Serling was a prolific writer outside of the show he created as well, writing for many TV shows and TV movies. He also worked on the scripts for multiple films, including the original Planet of the Apes. He passed away in 1975, at the age of 50.
Are you looking forward to the Leonardo DiCaprio-produced Rod Serling documentary? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
Fans of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, both games and movies, are excited to see the next chapter of the film series, which brings in one of the games most popular characters, Shadow. Keanu Reeves joins the franchise as the voice of Shadow and wanted to remain faithful in his interpretation as director Jeff Fowler explained, “He really wanted to create a very fan-faithful version of the character. He did research.“ The anticipation grows as Paramount now releases a new poster of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and announces that tickets will go on sale on November 25. The movie races into theaters on December 20.
The official synopsis reads, “Sonic the Hedgehog returns to the big screen this holiday season in his most thrilling adventure yet. Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails reunite against a powerful new adversary, Shadow, a mysterious villain with powers unlike anything they have faced before. With their abilities outmatched in every way, Team Sonic must seek out an unlikely alliance in hopes of stopping Shadow and protecting the planet.”
Jeff Fowler returns to direct Sonic the Hedgehog 3 from a screenplay by Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington, based on a story by Casey and Miller. Ben Schwartz returns as the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog, with Idris Elba (Knuckles), Colleen O’Shaughnessey (Tails), James Marsden (Tom Wachowski), Tika Sumpter (Maddie Wachowski), Tom Butler (Commander Walters), Lee Majdoub (Agent Stone), and Jim Carrey (Dr. Robotnik). Newcomers to the fast-paced and family-friendly franchise include Keanu Reeves as Shadow the Hedgehog, Krysten Ritter as Captain Rockwell, and Alyla Browne as Maria.
Executive producers on this new entry include Haruki Satomi, Shuji Utsumi, Yukio Sugino, Jeff Fowler, Tommy Gormley and Tim Miller. Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, Toru Nakahara and Hitoshi Okuno are on board as the producers of this sequel.
With the recent Knuckles spin-off series and this new installment introducing Shadow, Sonic producer Toby Ascher has a vision that the property can grow to become “Avengers-level.” Ascher states, “We got really excited about the idea of expanding our characters in our world into television, specifically, because it gives us a platform to really do character studies. We knew that, with Shadow coming into Sonic 3 and some of the bigger things that we want to do, the Sonic franchise on the movie side is going to be these Avengers-level events. They’re going to be these big, exciting stories that have a lot of different characters.”
Writer/director Parker Finn’s sequel to his 2022 horror film Smile (read our review HERE, watch the movie HERE) reached theatres last month, with JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray praising the film as “one of the year’s best horror movies” in his 9/10 review. The movie has been doing well at the box office, pulling in about $132 million worldwide so far, and now we know when Smile 2 is going to be available to watch in the comfort of our own homes: Paramount is giving the film a digital release tomorrow, November 19th!
Smile was based on Finn’s short film Laura Hasn’t Slept (watch it HERE), which won the Special Jury Recognition Prize in SXSW’s Midnight Short category. Caitlin Stasey (Neighbours) played the title character in that short, and reprises the role in Smile, making it a follow-up of sorts. Smile has the following synopsis: After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can’t explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.
Here’s the Smile 2 synopsis: About to embark on a new world tour, global pop sensation Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.
Naomi Scott of Aladdin and Charlie’s Angels takes on the role of Skye Riley and is joined in the cast by Lukas Gage of The White Lotus and You, Rosemarie DeWitt of La La Land and the Poltergeist remake, Dylan Gelula of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Dream Scenario, Raúl Castillo of Army of the Dead and Knives Out, Miles Gutierrez-Riley of The Wilds and On The Come Up, and Kyle Gallner (Red State), reprising the role he played in the first movie. A featurette revealed that Drew Barrymore (Scream) also makes an appearance, playing herself and interviewing Skye Riley on her talk show.
Smile was produced by Temple Hill, and they produced Smile 2 as well.
A press release notes that “fans who purchase the film on Digital or 4K Ultra HD will have access to over 40 minutes of heart-pounding bonus content. Hear from cast and filmmakers as they break down the film’s most intense moments; go behind-the-scenes to see how the make-up, prosthetics, and visual effects bring the nightmare to life; check out deleted and extended scenes not seen in theatres, and more! Bonus content: – Commentary by Director Parker Finn: Take a peek behind the smile with commentary from writer/director Parker Finn as he goes through the gory details of this terrifying sequel. – Ear To Ear: Cast and filmmakers dive deep into the SMILE universe and discuss how they brought the director’s vision to life. – The Rise and Fall of Skye Riley: Naomi Scott brings you into the cursed life of popstar Skye Riley. – Behind The Music: Take an inside look at the music and choreography from the film. – A New Smile: SMILE veteran Kyle Gallner gives insight into his character’s gory return and filmmakers break down the film’s intense first moments. – Smiler: A New Monster: Bigger, bolder, and more insane! Take a behind-the-scenes look at the grotesque monster behind the smile. – Turn That Frown Upside Down: Meet Lewis, a friend of Skye, and get an in-depth look at the gruesome make-up and prosthetics behind his terrifying smile. – Show Me Your Teeth: Explore how the filmmakers captured the uniquely horrifying car crash. – Deleted and Extended Scenes.” (Availability of bonus content varies by digital retailer.)
Are you glad to hear that Smile 2 is getting a digital release this week? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
PLOT: A group of homeless misfits must fight for survival when they discover a plot to exterminate every homeless person in the city.
REVIEW: I’ve never understood why Studios remake great horror films when there are so many not-so-great ones out there with plenty of potential. Whether it’s due to budget, acting, or creative bankruptcy, a great concept can be squandered. So it’s exciting to see 1987’s Street Trash get a South African update as it’s a relatively unseen cult film. Because of that, they’re able to take the bones of the original, but not be beholden to any specific events or scenes. And the results are entertaining as hell.
The plot of Street Trash involves a group of homeless misfits who uncover a government scheme to take out homeless people. They each have a certain degree of charm that it’s easy to sympathize with them and their plight. The actors did a great job and really blew my expectations away. There were a couple of deaths that genuinely made me sad since they’d been such entertaining characters. It’s so difficult to actually get an audience to care about side characters yet this does a fantastic job of it. And then the villains are so blatantly evil that any comeuppance they get is so rewarding. I wouldn’t call any character deep yet they get across what they’re supposed to with relative ease.
I’ll be perfectly honest: I don’t have exact recall of the original film but its connections feel rather light. I mostly just watched this as its own thing, but was obviously aware of the loose connections. There’s no mysterious booze that causes all of this, it’s actually a substance created by the government. There’s a fun reference to the genital mutilation scene from the ’87 film, firmly putting this film in the same world. It could practically be a sequel in that it doesn’t really conflict with anything in the first. And the director seems to agree.
Street Trash is surprisingly well shot given the cult origins of the original. The filmmakers clearly were making a point to get past the grindhouse style and provide more interesting visuals. The gore is absolutely fantastic, with plenty of ooey-gooey sliminess to satiate gorehounds. I love this style of practical FX so I couldn’t get enough of all the multi-colored carnage. It was such delightfully gory fun. But Street Trash is about more than just guts and gore; it actually has a very salient social message… even if it can be kind of lost at times in the silliness.
As much as there are evil characters, the film doesn’t do a good job of giving us a villain to work towards defeating. Whether it’s the Rat King or the actual Government Head, they don’t appear in the film for long enough times to feel like a fully formed threat. They mostly just check off a box versus making an actual impact in the film. This is too bad, because nearly every element outside of the bad guys works well. While the filmmakers are taking the technical side very seriously, the story still has that campy over-the-top tone that brings the fun. The Title Cards let us know right away that this is going outside of the norm of cinema with “a Ryan Kruger Thing” getting prominent placement.
Some may go into this expecting something of the so bad it’s good variety but it’s hard to call this bad. Sure, it’s very silly and over the top but the acting is competent and there are never any cheap edits or sets. This really moves past the grindhouse style of the 1987 film and gives it a different feel. They also take advantage of parts of South Africa to really add production value to their dystopic world. There’s still that indie charm of nearly every scene taking place in the same series of locations.
I had an absolute blast with 2024’s Street Trash. The original film never really spoke to me yet this is making me rethink my original take. Despite its low budget, the story never feels constrained. And the unambiguous black/white dynamic of good/evil really worked for me. While it’s still got cult movie vibes, there’s clearly a lot of love and talent behind the camera that pushes this above similar fare.
STREET TRASH WILL BE RELEASED DIGITALLY ON NOVEMBER 19TH, 2024.
Last month, in what seemed like an eternal battle for the soul of Kevin Smith’s film Dogma, Smith announced that he gained control of the film back from the Weinsteins and is setting up a tour of screenings sometime next year. He explained, “The movie has been bought away from the guy that had it for years and whatnot. The company that bought it, we met with them a couple months ago. They were like, ‘Would you be interested in re-releasing it and touring it like you do with your movies?’ I said ‘100 percent, are you kidding me? Touring a movie that I know people like, and it’s sentimental and nostalgic? Like, we’ll clean up.’”
Deadline is now reporting that Smith has revealed he is now working on a sequel to his 1999 film that drew controversy from Catholic groups. During his Dogma Confessional at the Vulture Festival, the Chasing Amy director expounded, “Some people will be like, ‘Don’t f—ing touch it. You’ll ruin it. And I’m here to tell you: I will. I’m f—ing tickled. I found a way in.”
Not only has he found a way in, but he also hopes that Ben Affleck and Matt Damon will return in — at least — some cameos. Smith expects them to find the time to participate after the director never lets them forget how he helped saved Good Will Hunting and never was acknowledged in either their Golden Globes or Oscar acceptances. Smith said, “I have been able to hold that over both their heads for 25 f—ing years, which is why they keep showing up in all the movies. Expect a cameo from them — more than a f—ing cameo. The only way we get a Dogma sequel made is if they’re there. So count on those guys being there.”
After Smith got back the rights, he hinted not just at a tour and a possible Blu-ray but also even TV versions, citing the cast of Affleck, Damon, Chris Rock and Selma Hayek as still active in the business and thus possibly more options to build on the world. And if not that, they could at least participate in the roadshow in some capacity. He noted that having the rights could mean “sequels, TV versions, in terms of extending the story. Something we could never do before. So, exciting man. And all those people who worked in it are still viable.”
PLOT: A father and son working as security guards for an armored truck company encounter a team of would-be robbers while on a bridge. They become trapped and must come up with a plan to escape and ensure their survival.
REVIEW: Sylvester Stallone has been lucky not to have fallen completely down the micro-budget hole to which many other actors of his generation have been relegated. Stallone has been seen in big-screen projects ranging from the Creed series to The Expendables franchise and a great turn in Taylor Sheridan’s Tulsa King series on Paramount+ (read our review of the excellent second season HERE). With documentaries about his career and a reality show with his daughters, Stallone still has bills to pay. Sometimes, a paycheck comes around that you cannot pass up, especially when it requires limited effort. Armor is a generic action flick that benefits from the presence of Stallone and Jason Patric but cannot overcome underwhelming direction and a lack of energy to make it worth investing in despite being a rare villain performance from Stallone. With mediocre effects and lackluster writing, Armor is a misfire in every way.
Armor is a bundle of nonsense wrapped up in bad action and even worse dialogue. The plot centers on father and son armored truck guards James (Jason Patric) and Casey (Josh Wiggins). James is a former cop and an alcoholic, hiding the fact that he is still drinking from his son. James is distant after the tragic death of his wife in an accident years before and makes due driving an isolated route with minimal issues. One day, that route is held up when a crew of thieves, led by Rook (Sylvester Stallone), corners James and Casey on an old bridge in the middle of nowhere to steal what is hidden inside. Having just picked up an unmarked case from a local bank, James and Casey soon realize they are hauling much more than cash. Trapped inside the armored truck, James and Casey must contend with the thieves and the dwindling air as they try to survive.
Conceptually, the concept of Armor could have worked. The dynamic between Jason Patric and Josh Wiggins has some elements that could have stood out if they had been used for more than light character development. For the first half-hour, Armor tries to get us to understand why James drinks and why Casey wants to strengthen his relationship with his father. During these moments, we get prep scenes of Rook and his crew checking their guns and explosives as they get ready for what they expected to be an easy job. As soon as the crew runs down the armored truck, the film loses momentum as the story spends almost half of its running time with Stallone and the bad guys, including Dash Mihok, playing the broadest version of an insane criminal, as they pace the bridge and think of what to do next. Inside, James and Casey try to plot an escape and make time for a quick flashback to give us the context of what fractured their family years earlier. None of these elements are inherently bad, but they do not work well together.
While it clocks in at just under ninety minutes, Armor feels twice as long. There are too many scenes of the characters standing around or talking between a few bursts of action. More attention and time are spent on establishing James’ alcoholism, but it does not serve a real purpose in the film. I waited for Sylvester Stallone to scream or raise his energy level above a grumble, but the legendary actor sleepwalks his way through his scenes. Without divulging plot details, Rook is prepared to let James and Casey die multiple times before professing that he does not kill as he is not that type of person. There is also the fact that not a single vehicle or pedestrian passes the multi-hour standoff on the only river crossing for miles despite seeing houses nearby that would have heard gunfire or explosions. The sheer frequency of illogical and conflicting plot elements and motivations for the characters is enough to drive you crazy if you are not bored to death by the movie.
A quick online search will reveal details about Armor‘s tumultuous production, including the supposed $3.5 million pay Stallone earned for a single day’s work. Other details claim that director Justin Routt, who has not helmed a film since 2011, was not the actual filmmaker and that producer Randall Emmett performed those duties. For a film this small to have this many issues is probably not uncommon, but it does explain why there are over ten minutes worth of establishing shots to pad this film to a feature-length running time. Screenwriters Cory Todd Hughes and Adrian Speckert do not create a single plausible line of dialogue in the entire film, with every actor feeling restricted to a finite list of words they can utter. There is also the bizarre soundtrack, which fades one song out at multiple points and immediately goes into another.
Actors do what they do to get paid, but when a film at least makes an effort to be coherent and enjoyable, it can elevate a film from mediocre to tolerable. In the case of Armor, this film is nowhere near mediocre due to formulaic action that cannot even muster enough energy to keep attention on screen. Jason Patric and Sylvester Stallone still have solid screen presence and deserve much better than movies like Armor. Avoid this one unless you want to see many people talk through a wall between intermittent explosions and gunfire.
Armor will be in Theaters, On Digital, and On Demand on November 22, 2024.
A24 is set to deliver the “disaster comedy of the millennium” when their film Y2K reaches theatres on December 6th – and with that release date swiftly approaching, the marketing department has unveiled a batch of character posters – including one for Fred Durst, whose band Limp Bizkit was enjoying huge success at the time of the movie’s 1999-into-2000 setting.
The feature directorial debut of Saturday Night Live veteran Kyle Mooney, who also crafted the screenplay with Evan Winter, Y2K has the following official logline: On the last night of 1999, two high school juniors crash a New Years Eve party, only to find themselves fighting for their lives in this dial-up disaster comedy.
The film stars Jaeden Martell (Stephen King’s It), Rachel Zegler (West Side Story), Julian Dennison (Hunt for the Wilderpeople), Daniel Zolghadri (Tales from the Loop), Lachlan Watson (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, Eduardo Franco (The Package), Mason Gooding (Scream VI), Australian rapper The Kid Laroi, newcomer Lauren Balone, Alicia Silverstone (Clueless), Tim Heidecker (Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie), Maureen Sebastian (Revolution), Miles Robbins (Blockers), Ellie Ricker (A Christmas in Royal Fashion), Jacob Moskovitz (Magnum P.I.), Daniel Dale (Elsbeth), Luca R. Stagnitta (Life & Beth), Anzi DeBenedetto (FBI), newcomer Zachary Clark, Frank Langley (Voodoo Possession), Kevin Mangold (Red Clover), Sebastian Chacon (Daisy Jones & The Six), and Mooney himself.
Jonah Hill produced Y2K with Matt Dines, Alison Goodwin, Christopher Storer, Cooper Wehde, and Evan Winter. Steven Fine is co-producer, with James Price serving as executive producer.
I remember the Y2K concerns (and the reign of Limp Bizkit) very well and recall what it was like on the last night of 1999, waiting to see if anything was going to happen to the technology when the calendar switched over to 2000. It’s fun to see a comedic look back on that night 25 years later, although the things that happen in the Y2K trailers are not quite the sort of things people were actually worried about at the time.
Are you interested in Y2K, and will you be catching the movie on the big screen in December? Let us know by leaving a comment below – and take a look at these character posters while you’re scrolling down:
When there’s something strange in the neighborhood, the first people you’re gonna call are the Ghostbusters. But you better leave Ray Stantz off the list because Dan Aykroyd says he has no place in saving the world anymore.
Speaking with the New York Post, Dan Aykroyd confirmed that he doesn’t see a place for himself – or any of the original Ghostbusters – in the future of the franchise, simply because of how it has progressed over the last couple of entries. “I don’t see that coming. I don’t see where they would need us to carry it on. They’ve got a whole new cast, and they’ve got whole new ideas.”
While Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters – which Dan Aykroyd defends to this day – worked in cameos from the original surviving cast, none of them played their Ghostbusters characters, with Aykroyd as a taxi driver, Bill Murray as an anti-paranormal champion and Ernie Hudson as Leslie Jones’ uncle (Harold Ramis had passed away in 2014.). But the official sequels, 2021’s Afterlife and this year’s Frozen Empire, worked to pay respect to the original crew, using them as legacy characters who could help bring the Ghostbusters to a new generation.
And this is apparently working, as those two movies took in over $400 million worldwide. With a third entry moving forward, the team has established that the likes of Finn Wolfhard and Mckenna Grace are the future of the Ghostbusters franchise (hey, somebody’s got to stop those mini Stay-Pufts). With all of this lined up, the series doesn’t really need Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray or Ernie Hudson (sorry, Ernie, we know you got the shaft in the promos!), as much as it might pain us to say. Then again, it’s not as if we truly want them there anyway – what we really wanted was a legitimate Ghostbusters 3 in the ‘80s…
Across all five films in the series so far, the Ghostbusters movies have grossed over $1.1 billion worldwide, with 1984’s original actually standing as the top earner when adjusted for inflation.
Do you think the future of the Ghostbusters franchise needs the original members? Should it even continue?
