David Iacono – Movies of the Soul

Vampire Owl: Are we going to see the dinosaurs again?

Vampire Bat: Yes, and they continue to remind us of dragons.

Vampire Owl: Do you feel that dragons really existed in the realm?

Vampire Bat: Yes, they could be summoned by the witches if they are powerful enough.

Vampire Owl: So, dragons originally became extinct like the dinosaurs?

Vampire Bat: The legends do not exactly mention dragons ceasing to exist.

Vampire Owl: So, have you ever seen one and inspire a Dragon Park like the Jurassic one?

Vampire Bat: You know that creatures of magic always coexist without you seeing them, right?

Vampire Owl: If they come back at some point, I would call it necromancy.

Vampire Bat: It would be just simple magic as they are not really gone forever.

[Gets a Bourbon biscuit and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: It is seen that in a dinosaur genetics laboratory located on Ile Saint-Hubert, an island in the Atlantic Ocean, a six-limbed Tyrannosaurus called Distortus rex escapes the secure containment due to the careless dealings of an employee. It kills the same employee and forces all the active scientific and military personnel to abandon the island. But many years later, there is a plan to return to area around this island. As the Earth’s climate seems to be inappropriate for the dinosaurs, most of them are restricted to equatorial areas which got climate which suits them and resembles more of the pre-historic age. These areas become exclusion zones for the creatures where humans do not go, and are also restricted by laws. Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend), an executive at a pharmaceutical company plans a classified mission to collect some biomaterial samples from three huge dinosaurs, which would help in a cardiovascular disease treatment as heart diseases have been on the increase among humans with a lot of deaths occurring at young ages, and people have been willing to pay a lot for the same.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: On his mission, he recruits Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson), a former government agent who is in need for some quick money and a paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey) who feels that his job is lost due to nobody caring about the ancient species with dinosaurs rarely attractions any more. Zora recruits an old friend and assassin Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali), maritime pilot LeClerc (Bechir Sylvain), skilled mercenary Nina (Philippine Velge) and security expert Bobby Atwater (Ed Skrein) as the mission would take a lot of effort in a dangerous environment. While they are traveling through the seas, another boat is journeying far into the ocean, as Reuben Delgado (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) is sailing nearby together with his daughters Teresa Garcia-Rulfo (Luna Blaise) and Isabella Garcia-Rulfo (Audrina Miranda), along with Teresa’s boyfriend, Xavier Dobbs (David Iacono). When a Mosasaurus attacks and overturns their sailboat, they are found by the team, but are further attacked by a group of dinosaurs teaming up as one, leading the boat to crash. Now, can they make it out alive with or without samples?

The defence of Jurassic World Rebirth :: The movie, with the strength of nostalgia, transports us to a world that we would remember for what we see around, with memories nicely coming back to us from years ago. The world detail and the dinosaurs created here are very good as usual. The island is something that will stay with us for a long time, and the jungle environment provides us some nice vibes, not that away from the natural, but providing a feeling of something beyond the usual. This is that kind of a movie which is standalone, but us connected really well to the rest of the universe. The movie also manages to have one of the best crow-pullers at the top as the main character and there is also some extra sense of danger added with a family with a kid also in trouble and a little dinosaur also around. The danger and action are also not overdone, and the battles here are more realistic than ever, even in a fictional world full of strange creatures. The ending is also satisfactory, and brings together what happened in the very beginning of the movie. There is also that scope for a fine sequel created around here.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does seem to repeat a pattern with which we are a lot familiar, and it is more or less like seeing something we have watched some time ago, but with divergences here and there, yet staying close to the core. Even after so many years, it does not add anything extraordinary or special post the first flick. This is why a comparison would only serve the purpose of hype and better initial collections rather than let people see the improvement. A follow-up to the initial moments of the movie would have also been great, as it was too good. The action does feel to be a little less and walking and talking seems to be a little more than needed, which makes this movie a little big longer than one would expect. The characters are also not that much interesting, and there is not much of a detail provided about them to keep us invested in them. The family feels that just an unnecessary addition, especially as it has that kid to raise the tension, and it has that unruly daughter and strange choice of a boyfriend, the kind that has been on the reels in Kerala for quite a long time.

The performers of the soul :: The movie is led by Scarlett Johansson, and makes one wonder if there was any other film in the franchise which would have more hype for the leading actress than anything related to its content. As the one person who has played Black Widow and has been there for so many Avengers movies, and even in the films with other superheroes, she gets into this role with ease in a mercenary mode. Jonathan Bailey also comes up with a fine display of that character who feels less important due to the society ignoring its past, but fights to save his world against all odds. Luna Blaise manages the irritating daughter who has fallen in dumb love well, and remains a symbol of disobedient children. David Iacono provides some humour as the useless boyfriend, while the child actor Audrina Miranda shines as the little girl with brain and empathy. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s father role works very well and often feels for him for having ungrateful teenage daughter around. Rupert Friend scores well as the only fully negative human being of the movie, and becomes the symbol of a corporate world of medicine which serves the most elite of society. Philippine Velge getting killed too early was disappointing, and we hope to see her in an action flick staying for longer periods of time.

How it finishes :: We have all been loving a lot of Jurassic Park movies in the recent past, and it is that love which we have had from childhood itself, as nostalgia lives on in relation to such creatures, even more than what Godzilla, dragons and wyverns have provided us – they have left us with enough for a life-time. The idea of the Jurassic Park coming right of a novel, had created something we were not going to forget, and so much was to come with the same on the screen with what felt like unlimited sequels. With this nostalgia running through, supported by improved classic visuals and an environment of unlimited danger that exists, this one makes the mission really interesting, thus remaining entertaining throughout the run. Transporting oneself to a world of dinosaurs will never get old, even though we do change from children of that first movie to adults watching this one. Well, this one is a little bit too derivative and repetitive, and thus if one feels that there has been too much of dinosaurs around here, one would not be complaining, but otherwise, this one nicely keeps the spark alive for the creatures from that far back in time.

Release date: 2nd July 2025
Running time: 133 minutes
Directed by: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Ed Skrein, David Iacono, Luna Blaise, Audrina Miranda, Philippine Velge, Bechir Sylvain

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Vampire Owl: I remember watching all those Fear Street movies.

Vampire Bat: Yes, they were good, and making some fine impact.

Vampire Owl: Three horror movies at once meant a lot then.

Vampire Bat: We are never really short of serial killers.

Vampire Owl: Each human being is a potential serial killer.

Vampire Bat: Well, a serial killer is a human thing.

Vampire Owl: It bothers me that humans have so many psychos.

Vampire Bat: It is natural in a fake world as they are all acting and not living.

Vampire Owl: We vampires need to have some psychos too.

Vampire Bat: We have lived so much that we know none of these matter in the end.

[Gets a chilly chicken puffs and three cups of Munnar tea].

What is the movie about? :: It is the year 1988, and Lori Granger (India Fowler) is an outcast who tries to run for prom queen for the senior class of Shadyside High School, with only her best friend Megan Rogers (Suzanna Son) by her side. Megan who is a horror enthusiast is also considered to be a freak by her classmates. Lori has her family history going against her, as the town believes that her mother stabbed her father on the face and killed him, even though there is no suitable evidence to support that claim. Tiffany Falconer (Fina Strazza) is the favourite to win the title, as she is supported by her wolfpack of young girls who are also competing to be the prom queen. Christy Renault (Ariana Greenblatt) is her biggest rival, as she seems to be someone whom nobody seems to dislike that much, even though she is known to be selling some drugs, and has been dating elder men regularly much to the dismay of the institution.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Megan creates situations with her arm being cut off and having Tiffany’s head in a bowl to make the environment feel weird, as she does not believe in this whole prom queen thing. But Lori is determined to bring a change to the whole situation by winning the title herself. Tiffany has her friends Melissa Mckendrick (Ella Rubin), Debbie Winters (Rebecca Ablack) and Linda Harper (Ilan O’Driscoll) trying to make sure that nobody from outside their gang wins the title, and it is then that Christy is murdered by a masked figure, but as the school only finds her missing, disqualifies her from the run for prom queen. At the same time, Melissa is disheartened to see Tiffany’s attitude towards Lori, and decides to help the outcast, much to the dismay of Tiffany. Her other two friends seem too much occupied with their boyfriends, while the school principal declares a strict adherence to the rules. But can they do so with so much hatred for each other running through with a psycho killer also around?

The defence of Fear Street: Prom Queen :: There might not be anything new with the franchise or the genre to be added here, but this one play along nicely as we watch its progress. The classic slasher mode returning to form is something that we would love to keep watching. The killer lurking in the shadows as a programme is taking place, will keep us going for long, like those old times, even during these days when the genre of horror has been weakened. The attire with the mask stands out reminding us of a past, but also add a classic variety. The twists are effective, even though there is a little bit too much information given in between. There are some fine dialogues added in between, and we also have some interesting characters added. The killings are all nicely done, with a fine classic serial killer effect. It seems to have scope to get more movies added in the list too, as we look at it closely.

The claws of flaw :: The movie could have used more innovation at work, as we would have the feeling of seeing the same thing again and again, at some points. The serial killer gives away more information than it should have, which affects some audience who had taken that into heart earlier. The final moments of the movie seem to be too usual for anyone’s liking as it may have been rushed to have that ending which is rather a common one, but is also the safe one. Some more innovative killings, and the usual moments of classic horror could have been part of this one too. After all, we are watching slasher movies to see its classic elements maintained. The movie could have also been scarier, with such evil wandering around, and with people not suspecting a thing. Well, too much focus on the safe side is restricting horror movies these days, isn’t it? But this is a world of innovations, and this franchise needs its wings extended further to fly higher.

The performers of the soul :: The one character that we would fall in love with is Suzanna Son, even though that might come as a surprise for many. She plays the only loyal character in the whole movie and there is something sinister about her all the time, with her love for horror keeping her apart, and as someone special. She manages this role really well. India Fowler plays the main character and faces the usual challenges of such a character which she manages with ease. Fina Strazza does make a fine impact in between, as she feels like the one evil wannabe prom queen that needs to be brought down, the villainy which she manages to perfection. Ariana Greenblatt should have had a bigger role, as she starts really well here. Ella Rubin has the normal likable character who is also on the other side. Katherine Waterston and Lili Taylor also have their moments. The male characters have much less to do as we look at them.

How it finishes :: Fear Street: Prom Queen coming to the OTT is a good relief for all the horror fans and for those who have been waiting to watch some good English movies in a world which rarely have Hollywood movies in theatres these days, mostly due to cheap imitations coming to the screens these days. There have been so a smaller number of English films in the theatres, and there is too much of a rush of local movies most of which nobody seems to have watched. Without the English movies in the theatres, we have to go back to the OTT platforms again, and this movie breathes some fresh air to the old style of slasher horror. If you are fans of those horror films which follow the old model, you are going to like this one, and if Fear Street Part One: 1994, Fear Street Part Two: 1978 and Fear Street Part Three: 1666 kept you going, you can also try this one, but there is more chance that those movies would interest you more than this one.

Release date: 23rd May 2025 (Netflix)
Running time: 90 minutes
Directed by: Matt Palmer
Starring: India Fowler, Suzanna Son, Fina Strazza, Chris Klein, David Iacono, Ella Rubin, Ariana Greenblatt, Lili Taylor, Katherine Waterston