Less Incredible, But Still Good

Brad Bird has returned to the director’s chair, this time for a sequel of one of his most acclaimed animated movies – 2004’s The Incredibles. Incredibles 2 is no match to the original, but Bird does deliver a story that is as smart as it is entertaining. Christian Tesfaye awards 8 out of 10 stars.

The power of political satires to help us see officials as public servants and government as an end to the state, is often underestimated. The significance of having a much overdue debate on politically hot-button issues cannot be overstated at this point. Min Litazez, a half an hour sitcom, has risen to the occasion and is doing so pretty humorously. Christian Tesfaye awards 7 out of 10 stars.

Solo: A Star Wars Story entertaining as well as touching. It has fun characters and an uncommon plot. But it is also the fourth Star Wars film since 2015, and thus individual movies have not been able to shine longer. Christian Tesfaye awards 7 out of 10 stars.

Deadpool is as outrageous as ever in his second outing. The film has a fantastic ending but trails from the perspective of its prequel. Christian Tesfaye gives 6 out of 10 stars.

Movies draw too attractive a picture of colleges. They are usually depicted as a place for making lifelong friends, academically excelling and lots of partying. This cannot be far from…

The wait is over and Avengers: Infinity War has hit cinemas. No one is claiming that it is not a good film. But there is no hiding the fact that the movie is predictable. Christian Tesfaye awards 7 out of 10 stars.

For reasons that the director of Ethiopique: Revolt of the Soul, Maciek Bochniak, could not comprehend, there has never been a film made about musicians that are nostalgically remembered by the public and are imitated by contemporary musicians. Christian Tesfaye found the documentary enlightening but also felt that Girma Beyene’s part should have received more prominence within the film. He awards 7 out of 10 stars.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is back. This time around he is battling giant monsters together with his colossal-sized gorilla buddy, George. By the sounds of the plot, audiences may be resistant anticipating that the film is poorly plotted, acted and directed. Rampage is worse though. Christian Tesfaye awards 4 out of 10 stars.

Noise becomes terrifying in A Quiet Place. The film introduces a world where the villains hunt by sound and characters have to remain super inaudible. But the film is not as dull as it sounds. Christian Tesfaye found it one of the scariest this decade, awarding 8 out of 10 stars.

Many have tried to reflect upon the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and many have failed to do as such intelligently. 7 Days in Entebbe is one such movie. It has misplaced scenes, a bad third act and is too tame. Christian Tesfaye awards 4 out of 10 stars.

Steven Spielberg is back, more charming than he has been in a while. His latest movies is Ready Player One, the sort that reminded Christian Tesfaye of the Hollywood titan’s vitality. He awards 8 out of 10 stars.

Pacific Rim was not a great film, but it had good visuals and a nice score. Take both away, and we have Pacific Rim Uprising. It gives each one of the Transformers movies a run for their money, not in the right direction though. Christian Tesfaye awards 4 out of 10 stars.

The Tomb Raider franchise has been resurrected, ditching Angelina Jolie for Alicia Vikander. The film, Christian Tesfaye found, was just as unsophisticated as all the previous video game adaptations ever made. He awards 4 out of 10 stars.

Gringo is a welcome respite from superhero and based-on-a-true-story movies. It is about a guy that has been unlucky most of his life but makes up for lost serendipity in a couple of days. Christian Tesfaye found the protagonist unique but the plot fantastical. He awards 6 out of 10 stars.

Is it The Spy Who Came in from the Cold? Is it The Manchurian Candidate? No, it is just Red Sparrow, a Jennifer Lawrence vehicle, that is not worth the ticket price. This is a movie about a Russian spy but remains too shallow to be immersive. Christian Tesfaye awards 4 out of 10 stars.

If all that existed were mainstream movies, then 2017 was a terrible year for cinema. Fortunately, there were many great movies with exceptional humour, plot, characters and visuals that graced the big screen. Unfortunately, they have all remained under the radar. Christian Tesfaye sheds some light.