Saturday, October 19, 2013

Immediate Response: Machete Kills

I'm a bit late on this one, but it's still in Theaters and I damn sure wasn't going to miss it...dammit.

For a sequel to be made to a film that was made from a joke/pitch attached to a pair of films that weren't a financial success is amazing.  Let's see if this gets them a third...
The Good
* The film is pure, unadulterated ridiculous.  It's over-the-top in all of the right ways.  You can't always predict what will happen.
* All of the Stars are used quite well.  Some of them appear briefly, which makes them seem more impactful.
* The film really ups the ante from the first one with the creativity.  The CG Blood is 'flowing' and people meet some pretty ridiculous fates.  I won't SPOIL it, but some new weaponry comes into play.
* I thought it would be a lot more distracting to have Charlie Sheen (aka Carlos Estevez) here than it was.
* The film sets up the third (possible) film in a pretty big way.  That said...

The Bad
* It feels a bit underwhelming at the end, once you realize that you're not going to get full closure.
* If I'm being totally honest, the film forces call-back characters like the Twins and the Doctor from the first film.  They don't add a whole lot overall.

That's really all I've got.  The film aims for one goal: to be an entertaining and ridiculous movie.  On that note, it most certainly succeeds.  Rodriguez films often do best when they aim for one goal and one market.  It's why there are FOUR Spy Kids movies, after all, but only one Shark-Boy and Lava Girl.

In summary, if you've thought about seeing Machete Kills, but still haven't, then you need to.  Do it quickly too, as I don't know how long it's going to be around on the big screen.  It's a gory, ridiculous spectacle that definitely deserves to be seen with a raucous audience and/or one that doesn't know what they're in for.

2 comments:

  1. Danny Trejo is a bloody load of old rubbish.

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  2. I enjoyed it as well, and same as you, thought it was superior to the first, probably because Rodriguez directed the whole thing himself.

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