After a rather mixed month of cinema, in which the summer slump hit with full force, the blockbuster potential returns to the screen in September. It starts with the third part of the equally charming and successful surprise hit “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. After the Orient Express and Nile, mustache investigator Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh, 62) experiences his third case in “A Haunting in Venice”. For the fourth (and probably last) time there is in “The Expendables 4” by Sylvester Stallone (77) and Co. on the cap. Finally, “The Creator” continues to explore how AI could rule us one day – or is it the other way around?
“We’re going to Greece!” In My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, the Chicago Portokalos clan embarks on a quest to find their roots, fulfilling the dying wish of the late family patriarch Gus: the family visit his home village in Greece. In addition to Gus’ daughter Toula (Nia Vardalos, 60), her husband Ian (John Corbett, 62), who married into the Greek clan in part one, is of course also present. At the airport they meet a young woman who is very closely related to the Portokalos. But the search for Gus’ home village turns out to be more difficult than expected.
Assessment:
With the exception of Gus actor Michael Constantine, who died in August 2021 at the age of 94, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3” brings together all the shrill and lovable characters from the previous parts. It remains to be seen whether the well-known “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” formula can also work a third time. In any case, the prerequisites for this are more than given with the new setting. Especially since part three was directed for the first time by leading actress and screenwriter Nia Vardalos herself.
The latest exciting case for master detective Hercule Poirot (Branagh) takes place in dark, eerie post-war Venice on the evening before All Saints Day. Poirot, now retired, lives in self-imposed exile in the most glamorous city in the world. On that evening he reluctantly takes part in a séance in a dilapidated palazzo that is said to be haunted. When one of the guests is murdered, the detective finds himself in a mysterious world full of shadows and secrets.
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Opinions differed on the new editions that started in the form of “Murder on the Orient Express” (2017) and on the “Death on the Nile” remake last year. Will everyone be appeased with the third film adaptation of a crime story by Agatha Christie (1890-1976), once again by and with Kenneth Branagh? After all: “A Haunting in Venice” is based on Christie’s “The Snow White Party”, which may not be as present as the two previous cases.
Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on and the skills to wield them, the Expendables are the ultimate defense team – called upon to save the world when all other options are gone. The mercenary troupe around Barney Ross (Stallone) is now on for one last big job in which Lee Christmas (Jason Statham, 56) has to take responsibility. At his side: Lots of new team members with unusual fighting styles and tactics.
Assessment:
Sly’s task force in “The Expendables 4” has become much younger compared to its predecessors, but it hasn’t necessarily become more well-known. For example, Harrison Ford (81), Mel Gibson (67), Antonio Banderas (63), Jet Li (60) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (76) are no longer part of the party. Megan Fox (37), Andy Garcia (67) and Curtis Jackson – better known as 50 Cent (48) – are now fighting in their place. Will the well-known draft horses Stallone, Statham and Dolph Lundgren (65) get the cart pulled again? Definitely worth a look for fans of the series, but they too should slowly come to the conclusion that the “Expendables” are slowly “expired”.
In the midst of a future war between humanity and the forces of artificial intelligence, Joshua (John David Washington, 39), a mellow former Special Forces agent, is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator. The Creator, an elusive architect of advanced AI, developed a mysterious weapon that, while capable of ending war, would also wipe out humanity altogether. Joshua and his team traverse enemy lines and delve into the dark heart of AI-occupied territory… only to find that the world-changing weapon he is tasked with destroying is an AI in the form of a small child.
Assessment:
What dimensions will the rapid development of artificial intelligence take? This question is not new in the science fiction genre, James Cameron’s (69) “Terminator” films say hello. Instead of Skynet and Terminators, in “The Creator” another AI unleashes its bombs and tin henchmen on humanity. In it, however, less black and white is painted and the question of the raison d’être of artificial life is pursued. Not new either, if you take a look at “Blade Runner” and various similar films. However, given the recent AI advances in real life, the topic is perhaps more relevant than ever.
