mariusreviews

[mariusreviews]

“the visions are clear now. I see possible futures, all at once. our enemies are all around us, and in so many futures they prevail. but I do see a way, there is a narrow way through.”

dune: part two review.

as a massive fan of the books and having loved the first film by denis villeneuve, I would be lying if I said this wasn’t my most anticipated release of the year. the film picks up right where the first part concludes, with the fremen still transporting the body of jamis after he was defeated in a duel by our protagonist, paul atreides. after the destruction of their house by the hands of rivals house harkonnen, he and his mother, lady jessica, commence on a treacherous journey to avenge their fallen house. throughout the span of the film, the characters face a variety of issues delving into themes of fascism, imperialism, and resistance.

with dune: part two, denis villeneuve manages to create a visually breathtaking masterpiece that is distinctly his own. the film resonates with raw intensity, heightened by its immersive sound design and remarkable visual imagery. hans zimmer somehow manages to create an epic masterpiece yet again with this score, and he is undoubtedly one of the best to ever do it.

as of the acting everything was on point. rebecca ferguson as lady jessica is simply an outstanding casting choice. her performance in this film was ruthless, terrifying, and transcendental, just to put a few words on it. she managed to capture my attention in every single scene she was in with her very raw and real acting. timothée chalamet and zendaya both delivered solid performances as well. it is safe to say, that the future of the film industry is in good hands with these two leading the pack.

in terms of criticism there were a few scenes from the book I would have loved to see on screen, but I understand the implications, and some of them would have been hard to translate to the big screen. however, I do trust villeneuve's vision, and I still came out of the cinema feeling very good about it. It’s definitely the best book-to-screen adaptation I’ve watched in a very long time.

| 5STARS ***** |

[mariusreviews]

“there is no greater love than to give one's life for friends.”

based on a remarkable true story

the film “la sociedad de la nieve” directed by spanish filmmaker j.a bayona is about an uruguayan rugby team's ill-fated journey to chile and whilst flying over the andes, the aircraft ends up crashing in the middle of nowhere in the harsh, freezing wilderness. the survivors now face extreme conditions and somehow go on to survive 72 days before getting rescued. the characters face a relentless struggle to survive going to hell and back multiple times and coming up with some of the most extreme solutions.

the contrast between unwavering determination to live and the acceptance of impending death resonated deeply with me, portraying a poignant exploration of the human experience. the film is acted out so intricately and the entire cast deserves endless praises for their work.

in terms of the cinematography i only have praise. the action scenes in particular deserve commendation for their intensity and meticulous attention to detail. you can most definitely tell how much raw effort went into making the film stay as true as possible to the original story. the crash scene in particular was brilliantly shot and is absolutely horrifying to watch capturing the gravity of the situation so well leaving you bamboozled. adaptations of real life events can easily stray from the intentional meaning but nor the technical departments of the film falters and the heart and soul is very well kept throughout the entire thing. as a viewer you always have an understanding of the film's intentions.

| 5STARS ***** |

[mariusreviews]

“the path is made of many stones that look all the same. when you trod upon evil, do not rest or look down because goodness is only a step away. the next may bring ruin, the next joy, but these stones are not your destination, they are but your journey to the path’s end.”

| LIGHT BRINGER SPOILER-FREE REVIEW!|

pierce brown has done it again with the sixth book of his red rising saga being as, if not even more brutal, epic and thought provoking than the previous instalments. every time I sit down to read a pierce brown book he has me wanting to throw the book across the room in rage to then feeling a great sense of satisfaction and then everything all over again. there’s just something about his character work and storytelling that demands a verbal or physical reaction and light bringer was no different. It’s a story of hope, redemption, brotherhood and the lies we tell ourselves. set in such a far-away world from reality pierce brown still manages to explore the human spectrum of intricate emotions and complex relationships to such a detailed degree. light bringer strengthens the already intimate connection the reader has to the characters as we follow them on their different journeys to overcome various obstacles in their attempt to heal from everything they’ve been through throughout these six books. the action sequences were groundbreaking as usual and a true testament to pierce browns superb prose leading to a lot of shocking and devastating moments leaving you contemplating for days about what you just read.

my favourite characters continue to be darrow, virginia and cassius who all had incredible moments in this book, alone and with other characters. other than them the honourable diomedes au raa played a huge part in my enjoyment of the book. to evade spoilers all I can say is that he had an incredible arc of shifting alliances and difficult dilemmas, which in my opinion made him seem more human and overall made him a more enjoyable character than in the two previous books.

light bringer was my most anticipated release of the year and It did not disappoint in the slightest. pierce brown managed to exceed the endless amount of expectations I had coming in and once again managed to blow me away. I will never stop recommending this series and especially if you’re a fan of media such as game of thrones or dune. all I have to say is that if you haven’t read the red rising saga yet what are you waiting for?

| 5STARS ***** |

[mariusreviews]

“there must be no barriers to freedom of inquiry. there is no place for dogma in science. the scientist is free, and must be free to ask any question, to doubt any assertion, to seek for any evidence, to correct any errors.”

“oppenheimer”, christopher nolan's astonishing brand new biopic about “the father of the atomic bomb” j. robert oppenheimer is an absurdly immersive three hour cinematic experience, combined with outstanding performances from a star-studded cast. this film is not your normal biopic, but an insane character study taking a deeper look into the life and thoughts of one of the most vital figures in recent history. a monumental story brought to the grandest stage possible, which managed to blow me wholeheartedly away, figuratively and literally. as someone who wasn’t too familiar with oppenheimer prior to watching this I particularly enjoyed the level of detail put into the film meanwhile still upholding a very fast pace, never leaving me feeling bored or disinterested. 

as for standout performances, three actors in particular stood out to me. cillian murphy, emily blunt and robert downey jr all had oscar-worthy performances in my opinion and were the heart and soul of this film. the duality and complexity of the characters was acted out incredibly well by every single person involved emphasising the feeling of you questioning everything you just experienced for days after leaving the cinema.

overall “oppenheimer” is such a ridiculous achievement in filmmaking and chrisopher nolan should be proud to add another masterpiece to his already impressive collection. In the moment It felt like I was experiencing a future-classic and I can’t wait to revisit it.

| 5STARS ***** |

[mariusreviews]

“my greatest wish for humanity is not for peace or comfort or joy. It is that we all still die a little inside every time we witness the death of another. for only the pain of empathy will keep us human. there’s no version of god that can help us if we ever lose that.”

in a conflict-free world where humans have conquered death, scythes are tasked to keep the size of the population under control—and therefore, the only group of people who can end life. the story follows two teenagers, rowan and citra who are abruptly catapulted into the chaotic and treacherous world of scythes whilst trying to overcome all the different trials thrown against them on their way to master the “art” of taking a life.

in my opinion this book succeeded in almost every aspect of what a compelling science fiction story consists of. scythe is such a fun and interesting take on dystopian literature and neal shusterman successfully dissects our society in ways I haven’t experienced before in fiction. I really enjoyed how questions rooted in ethics and morals were the heart and soul of the story and it was really interesting experiencing and reflecting on these questions alongside the two main characters. some critics have expressed that the pacing was a little slow at times, but to me at least I found it necessary to properly establish the world and the characters. other than that scythe had me on my toes during the entire book and every time I thought I knew what direction the story was going in another plot twist happened and blew my mind into a hundred pieces.

my only complaint is that the romance between the characters felt a little forced but it’s not really something I’m that bothered about. overall this book was incredible and I would absolutely recommend everyone to give scythe a go.

| 4STARS **** |