The Olive Opinion

  Another Disney remake but this time on the big screen. The big question is if it is a hit or miss? Disney's reputation towards remakes of their iconic animated classics is self-explanatory and hopefully, The Little Mermaid can be seen in a positive way. Do I feel that way? That could be a loaded question.  This iteration of Ariel is CGI-heavy, more so than most of the remakes have utilized, especially for the first half of the film. At times it does feel a little wonky when compared to films like the Avatar sequel and Wakanda Forever, Mermaid does not stand a chance at being immersive in how real it looks because... it doesn't. However, the visuals are indeed striking and the colors pop enough to get the attention it needs. Still, the original animated film had more color, to begin with, and like most live-action iterations of a fairy tale, muted colors can take away the magic of scenes. Another comparison between this and the original is the sea creatures, such as Ariel'...

Almost 10 years since the debut of the Guardians of The Galaxy, when everyone was namesaking it as the MCu's first flop, and boy, were they wrong. Words like 'I am Groot' and underrated needle drops from the 70s to 80s have been introduced to a new generation of listeners. The Guardians return at an interesting for both Marvel and Disney but it might change the momentum of the companies that have dominated the box office for a decade.  Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3 is the swan song for James Gunn's iteration of the most scarce now staple characters within the Marvel IP. Dialing back the wacky parts of what MCU has been getting flack for, to twisting heartstrings the way Endgame did merely 4 years ago now.  In the midst of having one more adventure with the Guardians like Star-Lord, Drax, Gamora, Groot, and many more that have joined the team since then, Rocket is the sole protagonist of this sequel, going back to his origin story with the Guardians having to deal with ...

It is a little odd how Disney has been separating their live-action remake releases. The more accurate adaptations get the big-budget big-screen treatment while the rest are left to fend for themselves to find an audience on Disney Plus like Pinocchio. But here we are again as Peter Pan and Wendy , which was originally set to release in theaters, was bumped to an exclusive streaming release for an apparent reason that I thought would bring no harm to the film. I was wrong.  Pulling cues from the original novel and the 1953 animated film, Peter Pan and Wendy bring the classic tale to live action once again, this time by Disney, that charms well enough to have audiences intrigued but not in its entirety. The first 40 minutes might have viewers wanting to turn it off but if dedicated enough, the film does end up fairing better than expected once we have met all the characters. The premise stays the same as Wendy, George, and Michael are visited by Peter Pan who takes them to wondrous...

Universal has been having a streak of sleeper hits these last few months and despite what everyone thinks, Renfield is not an exception even when it stars Nicholas Hoult, Akwafina, and THE Nicholas Cage. It may seem weird when Renfield seems like a Halloween season feature releasing in April, but it does deserve the attention it needs especially from audiences that enjoyed Megan and Violent Night.  Following the point of view of poor Robert Montague Renfied's years as the servant of the oldest villain in the Universal Monster roster, the film modernizes the characters from Bram Stoker's classic in ways that appeal well enough. However, this narrative follows Renfield, seeing Dracula as an abusive boss while finally wanting to get out of this horrible job to live the normal life he deserves. In the process, the narrative shoves in a Mob Boss arc that involves Akwafina as a cop in order to have these two worlds colliding that would not be remembered even if you did enjoy the mov...

After Black Adam , anything part of the Shazam universe would be questionable. Shazam Fury of The Gods offers more than expected with its well-to-do plot and mythology-based fun. The sequel to an underrated connection to the DCEU, Fury of The Gods is anything but mediocre. Although not as iconic as the original, Shazam still brings magic and memorable family fun.  Taking place 2 years after the original film, the Shazam family is saving the world like every other superhero would only to be ridiculed by the public for not doing enough. Same old stuff but when Philadelphia is threatened by The Daughters of Atlas, Billy Batson is forced to face the possibility of his foster siblings not always being there while he struggles with turning 18 and not being part of the foster system anymore. Staying somewhat true to Greek Mythology and the lore of the comics, this superhero adventure is more adventurous than most despite its setting stuck in familiar Philly. (unlike most fictional cities...

Phase 5 has begun...through the perspectives of Scott Lang and the Ant Family. Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is the third in the trilogy, and the 31st movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as it expands further away from the palette cleansers this sub-franchise was known for into a Marvel epic that ventures into psychedelic sci-fi/fantasy proportions. Of course, previous cast members return with some new faces but the real reason most fans will be swarming to watch this will be to witness the rise of Kang played by the chameleon that is Jonathan Majors.  In this installment of the MCU, Scott is living his best life as a lauded hero and the author of his best-selling memoir while Hope is running PymVanDyne Foundation and of course, they are happily together. Cassie, now all grown up is an activist and like her father, keeps getting in trouble for doing the right thing. Hank and Janet are retired but Janet refuses to talk about her time in Quantum Realm after the attempt to resc...

Yes, my people. I am back after 2 months and writing from a new place. So, expect new Olive Opinion posts on whatever I had the time to watch and review like usual. To all the readers, Thank you for all the support lately, I hope you stick around.   M. Night Shyamalan has been no stranger to not bringing audiences to the big screen for people seem to be disappointed with what he has to offer these days, constantly comparing it to his seminal work on the Sixth Sense and Split while there are a few others that are mesmerized and happy to see what he presents next. Knock At The Cabin is not only a Shyamalan film but it was co-written and is an adaptation of the novel Cabin At The End Of The World by Paul G. Tremblay.  With a premise that involves a couple and their adopted daughter having a break-in by a bunch of 4 strangers, something is bound to intrigue audiences, right? With familiar talents like Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, and Servant alum Rupert Grint, the film has nothi...