When you look back, the furore surrounding Chris Pratt's casting as Mario in The Super Mario Bros Movie based on his voice was all a bit silly. Throw in complicated family dynamics and Scream 6 used her questionable mental state as a wildcard, setting up a Final Girl that would be far different than anything this franchise has seen before. The absence of Neve Campbell's Sidney Prescott would be a detriment to any movie in the Scream franchise, but the "Core Four," specifically Melissa Barrera’s Sam Carpenter, gave new meaning to what it takes to be a survivor at the hands of Ghostface. The kills were more inventive and the stakes grew higher. Scream 6 ditched the nostalgic setting of Woodsboro and elected for uncharted territory by giving Ghostface a new playground in the form of New York City. While Scream 5 ushered new life into the series, the 2023 entry justified the notion that new Scream movies can still honor its predecessors while also elevating its meta-awareness to discuss the landscape of horror, and Hollywood as a whole. Not only did Scream 6 make its biggest splash at the box office in the series' history, but the franchise seems more popular now than ever before. It's remarkable to see a franchise remain relevant for nearly three decades, but it's even more impressive when that franchise is a slasher horror on its sixth installment. Everything comes together into an almost perfect fantasy adventure, making Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves a joy to watch. Hugh Grant absolutely revels as the conman Forge, and Daisy Head is spectacular as the Red Wizard Sofina. There's an excellent dynamic between Pine and Michelle Rodriguez, who plays Edgin's sidekick Holga, and the dynamic between the wizard Simon (Justice Smith) and the magical shapeshifter Doric (Sophia Lillis) is just as enjoyable. Related: 10 Reasons Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Bombed At The Box OfficeĬhris Pine is the perfect choice as Edgin, presenting as a would-be hero who's lost his idealism due to personal tragedy - but, of course, who gets it back. This quest takes an intrepid band of adventurers into countless classic D&D locations, meaning the story is absolutely packed with Easter eggs. The plot is a traditional fantasy one, a simple quest in which a group of scoundrels works to right wrongs - and discover the truth about their own nature to boot, becoming heroes. It wasn't exactly a box office hit - grossing only $208.2 million in the box office - but it had heart, and is sure to become a cult classic. As outrageous, hilarious, and deranged as it is masterful in horror cinema, M3GAN is, simply, a triumph.ĭungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was one of the most unexpectedly delightful movies of 2023. at precisely the moment the filmmakers wish it.ĭirector Gerard Johnstone, writers Akela Cooper and James Wan, and everyone else involved with M3GAN have already taken a victory lap, as the film dominated social media (while still being somehow underappreciated). That is, until all laughter and cheering are replaced by genuine tension, and unsettling gore. With M3GAN, the trope is elevated to a master class in uniting an audience against even the film's own leads, until the audience's collective longing to see despicable people punished seems to will it into existence. A slasher film giving a bully or jock what's coming to them is nothing new. But at its very best, it shows just what transcendent experiences are possible when filmmakers and their audience are lock-step through the tension, gore, laughter, and satisfaction of a well-told story. In every single scene, M3GAN delivers a showcase of what modern horror blockbusters aspire to. But what nobody saw coming was its mastery of absurdist comedy on a level reached only by the likes of Netflix's forever-viral I Think You Should Leave. Build it into a terrifying premise combining multiple modern fears of loneliness, digital isolation, amoral AI, and of course, old-fashioned killer toys. Start off with an unsettling doll artificially brought to life. It's hard to overstate just how much of a revelation M3GAN proved to be, from a premise easily dismissed as familiar, if not worn out.
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