THE NAKED GUN : Tuesday 26th August 2025.

I saw the M Rated 'THE NAKED GUN' this week at my local independent movie theatre and this American action comedy film is Co-Written and Directed by Akiva Schaffer whose previous feature film Directorial credits include his debut in 2007 with 'Hot Rod', then 'The Watch' in 2012, 'Popstar : Never Stop Never Stopping' in 2016 and 'Chip 'n Dale : Rescue Rangers' in 2022. This film serves as a legacy sequel to 1994's 'Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult' and is the fourth instalment in 'The Naked Gun' franchise, with those first three films in the series grossing a combined US$477M at the global Box Office. This film was released Stateside on 1st August, here in Australia last week, has so far grossed US$89M off the back of a US$42M production budget and has generated positive critical acclaim. 

Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jnr. (Liam Neeson) of the LAPD Police Squad singlehandedly thwarts a bank robbery disguised as a young schoolgirl. Unknown to him at the time, this was a distraction to steal a gadget from a safe deposit box held in the banks vault called the 'P.L.O.T. Device' (Primordial Law Of Toughness).  Police Chief Davis (CCH Pounder) reassigns Drebin to traffic patrol when his over-the-top law enforcement becomes a legal liability. While paying tribute to his father Frank Drebin Sr., he prays to him to send him an owl as a sign of his approval.

Drebin, and his Captain Ed Hocken Jnr. (Paul Walter Hauser) investigate software engineer Simon Davenport's (Jason MacDonald) fatal car crash, deeming it suicide, but Drebin notices a matchbook at the scene. Simon's sister Beth (Pamela Anderson), a crime writer, argues against his claim, but Drebin dissuades her from investigating further. 

Drebin finds Richard Cane (Danny Huston), Simon's wealthy employer at Edentech, at the company's tech expo. After they both heap seemingly never ending praise on the Black Eyed Peas, Cane donates a self-driving electric car to Police Squad, which causes havoc with Drebin behind the wheel, and also recommends his personal nightclub. Drebin notices the matchbook found at Simon's crash site has the same logo as the nightclub.

Cane privately demonstrates how he will use the stolen P.L.O.T. Device to turn human against human and return them to their barbarian nature, culling the population save for his fellow billionaires, who will be insulated from harm inside his personal bunker which will be equipped with all the comforts of home, and then some. Drebin, interrogates one of the bank robbers, and learns about the deposit box, which was Simon's, connecting the two cases. At Cane's club, Beth distracts Cane with improvised, atrocious scat singing while Drebin fights many of Cane's henchmen in order to gain access to security footage, which reveals that Simon met discreetly with a journalist. Davis suspends Drebin for insubordination. Beth stays with the demoralised Drebin, and he considers finally moving on from memories of his late wife. Drebin and Beth spend a romantic weekend at an alpine lodge where they spend time frolicking in the snow, and building a life size snowman. They find a book of magical and mysterious incantations on a bookshelf and recite one, bringing their snowman to life, which at first is friendly enough but then turns murderous after they neglect it. They manage to decapitate the snowman, tossing its head into the hot tub, where is quickly melts away. 

Drebin visits the home of the journalist to find him murdered, and is easily tricked into incriminating himself. He flees in the electric car, but Cane overrides the controls and attempts to kill Drebin just as he did Simon. Drebin shoots out the windshield, but is trapped again by the car driving head-on into balloons, a swarm of bees, and a replacement windshield. Purely by accident, he activates Clippy, who helpfully unlocks the doors, allowing Drebin to jump free of the car before it drives headlong into the harbour. Meanwhile, Police Squad has been decommissioned. Beth reveals that Simon feared the misuse of the P.L.O.T. Device, but Drebin suspects that Beth is using him and angrily leaves her home.

Drebin captures Cane's henchman Gustafson (Kevin Durand) and frightens him into confessing to Cane's plan to activate the P.L.O.T. Device at the New Year's ball drop at a MMA match. Drebin heads to the match at the 'Ponzi-scheme.com Arena', equipped with an earpiece that blocks the wearer from the P.L.O.T. Device's frequency. Beth plans to kill Cane, but he sees this coming as recorded in her book. Drebin finds the P.L.O.T. Device inside the New Year's balls. As the balls drop, he snags his trouser leg on the winch at which he loses his pants as the balls drop, indecently exposing himself to the entire TV audience, and those watching live inside the arena, leading them to not respect his order to evacuate. The P.L.O.T. Device activates, and mindless violence erupts throughout the city. Drebin fights through innocents by ricocheting ejected handgun magazines, but cannot catch up with Cane and his associates who have all fled the scene on motorcycles. 

His father's spirit arrives as an owl, airlifting Drebin now in hot pursuit. Hanging on to one leg of the owl, he tells it to take a dump on Cane, which blinds Cane across his visor with bird crap, causing him to crash his motorbike. Cane and Drebin face off, with Cane doubling up in agony after just one punch to the gut. Beth nearly shoots Cane in revenge, but Drebin talks her down. Drebin and Beth use the P.L.O.T. Device to calm the crowd and embrace lovingly as Cane is arrested. In the aftermath, Davis announces to a gathered crowd of the media that Police Squad has been reinstated, although Drebin faces 'investigation' by 'Internal Affairs' – which is actually the name of a tropical resort, where he spends his time with Beth.

'The Naked Gun' for me had a small number of laugh out loud moments, and the rest of this legacy sequel just left me feeling, well 'meh'! Liam Neeson does a respectable job of following in the footsteps of Leslie Nielsen, and brings his comedic A-game to the role playing it straight-laced while delivering some humorous verbal touches and sight gags. For those of us (and I include myself here) old enough to remember the first film in the franchise which opened in 1988 this film represents a fair nod to that classic of 37 years ago now in all its slapstick, quick witted, non-sensical tongue planted firmly in cheek humour that made the original movie so appealing. But for audiences not familiar with those first three films, I can see that this style of Police procedural parody might fail to launch, especially in this era of political correctness . . . or perhaps not! This is an old-school, silly screwball spoof crime caper comedy that has its moments, but for the most part left me wondering why I paid the price of cinema entry when I could have waited a few short weeks to see at home on my chosen streaming platform - if I was so inclined.

'The Naked Gun' merits two claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE CROW : Tuesday 3rd September 2024.

I saw the MA15+ rated 'THE CROW' at my local multiplex earlier this week, and this American gothic superhero film is Directed by Rupert Sanders who made his Directorial debut with 'Snow White and the Huntsman' in 2012 and followed this up with 'Ghost in the Shell' in 2017. This film is a reboot of 'The Crow' film series, it is the fifth film in the franchise, and is the second film, after the 1994 original film Directed by Alex Proyas, to adapt the 1989 comic book series by James O'Barr. This film adaptation saw its World Premiere in New York City on 20th August, was released in the US on 23rd August, here in Australia on 29th August, and has generated negative reviews from critics and has bombed at the Box Office, grossing so far just US$18M globally from a production budget of US$50M.

The film opens with Shelly (FKA Twigs) receiving a video-text from her friend Zadie (Isabella Wei) that incriminates Vincent Roeg (Danny Huston), a crime lord posing as a musical aristocrat. Choosing to save the video, despite knowing that possessing it would mean her death, Shelly attempts to go into hiding but is pursued soon afterwards by Roeg's henchmen. They call off their pursuit when Shelly is arrested for drug possession. Meanwhile Eric (Bill Skarsgard), an addict with a far from ideal childhood, struggles to maintain a grip on his life, suffers nightmares at a rehab centre, and is relentlessly picked on by other patients and staff alike. Zadie is captured and interrogated by Roeg. He reveals that, centuries ago, he had made a pact with the Devil to send innocent souls to Hell in exchange for eternal life. He forces Zadie to kill herself by whispering incantations in her ear. 

Shelly, a musician suffering similar issues to Eric is sent to the same rehab centre where Eric is housed. The two quickly form a firm bond. When Marian (Laura Birn), Roeg's right-hand woman, suddenly appears at the institution, Shelly panics and convinces Eric to help her escape. Breaking through a laundry window and over razor wire, they take refuge in the vacant home of one of Shelly's friends who is away indefinitely in Antigua, and the two soon fall in love and attempt to live a carefree life together, but are soon found by Roeg's men and suffocated to death. 

Eric wakes in a purgatory-like disused rail yard where Kronos (Sami Bouajila), a spirit guide, explains that Eric will have to kill Roeg and all of his associates in order to be reunited with Shelly. Revived and possessing the ability to rapidly self-heal from injuries, Eric visits Sophia (Josette Simon), Shelly's mother, who accompanied Marian to the rehab centre. Sophia reveals that she made a deal with Roeg - wealth in exchange for Shelly's soul. After Eric leaves, Roeg visits Sophia to ask about Eric and then forces her to jump off the roof to her death when dissatisfied with her answers. Eric proceeds to hunt down and kill several of Roeg's men, and afterwards finds Shelly's phone with the incriminating video revealing that Roeg had previously forced Shelly to kill a woman, having whispered incantations into her ear. 

Suddenly doubting his love for Shelly, Eric loses his ability to heal and is again killed. Returned to the afterlife, Eric makes a deal with Kronos to take Shelly's place in Hell in exchange for another chance to kill Roeg. Kronos grants Eric his wish saying that he will forever be banished to the depths of Hell, that his blood will run black, but that his superhuman strength and his ability to self-heal will be returned. 

Roeg learns of Eric's supernatural abilities and orders Marian to lure him to them in order to seize Eric's powers. Eric tracks Marian to an opera house, brutally killing all of Roeg's henchmen with a Samurai sword to reach her, but not before being riddled with more bullets than you could possibly count, which of course he is immune to. Marian reluctantly states Roeg's location at his country estate before Eric decapitates her. 

Eric drives to Roeg's estate where a fight breaks out between them both with Roeg managing to subdue Eric and attempts to steal his powers before Eric is able to transport them both to the afterlife, where he quickly finishes Roeg who is then pulled down into the abyss of Hell, and saves Shelly's soul. After Shelly rises to the surface the lovers share a brief reunion, before Shelly is revived on the night of their deaths and mourns for Eric after Kronos, disguised as a medic, tells her that he gave his life for her. Eric willingly accepts his fate, content in his belief that their souls will one day be reunited.

Much has been written about this turkey of a movie that really we didn't need when we have the cult classic 1994 version featuring Brandon Lee who so tragically died during the films production. Here Director Rupert Sanders has opted for style over substance with this gothic revenge thriller and a slow paced hardly convincing love story that is heavy on the imagery and the visceral action sequences particularly in the third act, but light on in terms of plot points. Bill Skarsgard gives his all as the tortured lost soul hell bent on avenging the death of his beloved girlfriend and who is pumped so full of lead its a wonder he could walk and dispense with all those nasty followers of Roeg in such a violent bloodfest, but all the other characters are largely one dimensional. For those of us familiar with the original film, don't bother having your judgement clouded by this unnecessary reboot, and for those of us who aren't don't waste your money on the price of a cinema ticket when you can stream it in a couple of months for a lot less. 

'The Crow' warrants two claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

WONDER WOMAN : Tuesday 6th June 2017.

'WONDER WOMAN' which I saw last week had her beginnings as 'Wonder Woman' first appearing in the October 1941 edition of All Star Comics #8. Her origin story tells us that she was sculpted from clay by her mother Queen Hippolyta and given life by Aphrodite, along with superhuman powers as gifts by the Greek Gods. The character is a founding member of the Justice League, demigoddess, and warrior princess of the Amazonian people. In her homeland, she is Princess Diana of Themyscira, and outside of it, she is known by her civilian identity Diana Prince. And so now 'Wonder Woman' gets her very own feature length stand alone movie, having taken seventy years to first appear in 2016's 'Batman v. Superman : Dawn of Justice' although by then Diana Prince was a fully formed bona fide Superhero. This stand alone feature Directed by Patty Jenkins takes us back one hundred years or so to the origins of the character at the time of the First World War, albeit she is an immortal warrior thousands of years old. The film cost US$149M to make, has so far grossed US$436M, and is the first Superhero film to be Directed by a woman with a female protagonist. 'Wonder Woman' is the fourth film in the DC Extended Universe after 'Man of Steel', the aforementioned 'Batman v. Superman : Dawn of Justice' and 'Suicide Squad'.

Our film opens up in present day Paris, at The Louvre's Department of Antiquities which Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) presides over as Curator.  She receives a special package from Wayne Industries and inside is a hand written note from Bruce Wayne saying that he came across this old WWI era photographic plate and that one day, in her own time, she might tell him her story, and this photographic plate sets in the motion the Diana Prince/Wonder Woman back story. Whilst the photograph is one hundred years or so old, it shows a Diana Prince as fresh, young and attractive today, as she was back then.

Diana was born and raised on the secretly shrouded and hidden island of Themyscira, home to the Amazon race of warrior women created by the gods of Mount Olympus to protect humankind against the corruption of Ares, the God of War. Here Diana is an eight year old girl being raised by her mother Queen Hippolyta  (Connie Nielsen). Diana is the only child on the island, and there are no men - for they were forbidden to ever step foot on Themyscira by Aphrodite's Law. In the past Ares turned against his Gods and slew them all, but he was struck down by his mortally wounded father Zeus. Before dying of his sustained injuries Zeus left the Amazons a weapon that was capable of killing Ares - a sword, 'The Godkiller', for fear that one day he might return. Despite the young Diana being a feisty, energetic, and overly enthusiastic child she is forbidden by her mother to attend warrior training school with her Aunt, General Antiope (Robin Wright). We then fast forward to Diana as a twelve year old, still feisty, still energetic and still enthusiastic but ever more determined to take up warrior training, for which she shows a keen aptitude. We then fast forward again and Diana is a fully grown woman and by now has enjoyed years of warrior training with her Aunt and with the reluctant blessing of her mother.

One day after contemplating another good day of warrior training, Diana witnesses a plane hurtling through the sky above the island, and sees it ditch in the ocean off shore and begin sinking to the depths below. She rescues the pilot, a Steve Trevor, (Chris Pine), a Captain with the American Expeditionary Forces who was working undercover to infiltrate a German deadly gas programme led by Chief Chemist Isabel Maru aka Doctor Poison (Elena Anaya), under the command of General Erich Ludendorff (Danny Huston). He managed to steal a notebook from the chemist containing formula's, plans and jottings which he needs to deliver to his superiors in London. The island is soon under attack by German forces hot on the tail of Steve Trevor. The Amazons fight back and win the day but not before Antiope is killed by a bullet intended for Diana. 

After the fracas, Steve Trevor is interrogated using the Lasoo of Truth, in which he reveals that he was acting as a spy against the Germans and that a world war is raging beyond the shores of the island in which tens of millions of men, women and child and being slaughtered needlessly across Europe. Diana is outraged by this and wants to act but is forbidden to intervene by her mother. Believing that Ares is behind the war, Diana takes The Godkiller sword, and sails off into the night with Steve Trevor, in an attempt to singlehandedly bring an end to the war time atrocities, death and destruction, and to dispense with Ares once and for all. 

The pair arrive in London, and after some much needed change of clothes and quick cultural lessons of the period, they deliver Maru's notebook to Steve's superiors, including Sir Patrick Morgan (David Thewlis), who is trying to negotiate an armistice with Germany. Diana translates Maru's notes and reveals that the Germans plan to release a new highly deadly gas at the warfront to reverse the German war effort in their favour. The commanding officers forbid Steve Trevor's intervention, but the pair decide to go anyway. Given limited funds to secure their passage and engage some much needed support, they enlist the services of French Moroccan spy Sameer (Said Taghmaoui), Scottish sharpshooter Charlie (Ewen Bremner) and native American smuggler Chief (Eugene Brave Rock).

Reaching the Western Front in Belgium, the team are halted from advancing by relentless enemy machine gun fire. Diana goes over the top anyway, pushing through the enemy lines despite the rapid gun fire and mortar bombs exploding all around her. The team and Allied Forces follow her, seeing that she is making headway, and together they liberate the village of Veld, celebrating with the locals who are now free of German occupation. It is here that the photograph is taken of Diana, Steve, Chief, Charlie and Sameer.

The team learns that a Gala Dinner is to be held at a close by German High Command headquarters. Steve, under disguise as a German Officer gains access to the party with the intention of locating the deadly new gas and destroying it. Diana, against Steve's wishes, also gains access to the party, and believing that Ludendorff is in fact Ares, goes armed with The Godkiller to dispense with the General, but Steve intervenes and halts her from doing so. Ludendorff meanwhile unleashes the deadly gas on Veld, wiping out all of its inhabitants. Diana blames Steve for the massacre at Veld, saying that he should not have stopped her from killing Ludendorff when she had the chance. 

Diana pursues Ludendorff to an air base where the gas is being loaded onto a bomber bound for London. She corners the General in a tower overlooking the airstrip. A fight breaks out and Diana is successful in killing The General with her sword. But the war did not end as its should have done with the death of Ares! How can this be? Diana is shocked and stunned. Sir Patrick emerges and reveals to Diana that he is in fact Ares. Diana retrieves the sword from Ludendorff's lifeless body and attempts to kill Ares with it, but he destroys it, saying the Diana is the real 'Godkiller'. The two do battle, and in the meantime the team destroy Dr. Maru's laboratory. Steve flies off into the moonlight in the bomber containing the consignment of gas, so ensuring that the gas never reached its destination nor had its desired effect. Ultimately good overcomes evil, and Diana overpowers Ares  and destroys him once and for all.

I was pleasantly surprised by 'Wonder Woman' and the origin story that traces Diana's somewhat secluded and naive view of the world as a would be warrior Princess to an intense inspirational Superhero of the modern world. The film moves along at a strong pace, looks good and delivers some messages about feminism and the futility and horrors of war, and is less about blockbuster apocalyptic end of the world annihilation than we have come to expect from other comic book Superhero franchises. Gadot and Pine are on fine form and share a screen presence that carries the film along in a believable and relatable way that is of the era in which the action is set, and Huston and Thewlis also add gravitas to their roles and the plot. Less can be said for Steve's team, who are really surplus to requirement and add little value other than plugging holes and filling time. Patty Jenkins has crafted a fine film, that looks and feels appropriate for WWI war torn Europe, interlaced with an origin story that remains true to the source material underpinned with solid performances from the principle cast, not least Gal Gadot in the title role whose looks and moves do Wonder Woman justice.  The film is Co-Produced by Zack and Deborah Snyder and the story was Co-Written by Zack Snyder. Wonder Woman will also be back in this November's release of 'Justice League'. This film is all upside for the DCEU, and long may it continue!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-