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It was another week of stacked reviews, but which of them were worth checking out? Below are my thoughts on the new movies I saw this week. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

Ballerina (Theaters)
Starring: Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves, and Anjelica Huston
Synopsis: What started as a simple Reeves action film about a man who lost a dog and exacted revenge morphed into a huge franchise. We’ve gotten four features built around the hitman John Wick and now we’re getting an expansion to the world. But it is worth checking out? This latest film isn’t free from Wick, or Reeves, who appears in two key sequences. But this comes from a new writer—Shay Hatten—and a new director—Len Wiseman—built around a new star, Eve played by de Armas. But that’s about all that’s new in this summer action spectacle. The film introduces us to Eve as a child. A nefarious group led by The Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne) comes for Eve and her father. While her father is killed in the fighting, Eve manages to survive and escape. She’s rescued by Winston (Ian McShane) who brings her to The Director (Huston). There, she’s given the choice. She chooses to enter the company. Flash-forward 12 years later, and Eve is a promising recruit. She has talent, tenacity, and a viciousness that helps her thrive. It isn’t long before she is given her first assignment, which turns out to be a success. Soon, she’s pulling jobs and working full time. When she’s on a job and comes across the organization that killed her father, it opens old wounds. Despite being warned by the director to stay away, Eve follows the leads. She soon comes face-to-face with her old enemy, threatening to set off a civil war in the process. I remember when The Mandalorian was a huge success for Disney+. They soon looked for ways to expand the world, leading to The Book of Boba Fett. But it didn’t quite work, and about halfway through the original star characters returned to pick up the action. I thought about that quite a bit watching Ballerina. It’s from the world of John Wick, it shares a style with John Wick, and in the end, it needed a dose of John Wick to help the Third Act work. Or at least work as well as it did. There’s plenty of action here. There are also some stylish set pieces in a club at one point and in a snowy, remote village near the end. All that provides some visual flourishes that keep you engaged at times.  As the lead, de Armas is fine in the role. She’s not as dynamic as Reeves, nor is the character and story as interesting as most of the Wick films. In fact, the appearance of Wick in the Third Act was among the most interesting things in the final set piece, which was mostly a set of random violent sequences and predictable revelations. If you’re a fan of the larger John Wick world, this will be a welcome addition to summer. It’s not as good as any of those four films, but it follows a similar formula. Still, it’s hard to see the need to keep expanding this world if this is all we’re going to get.
Rating: Rated R for strong/bloody violence throughout, and language.
Verdict: Two stars out of five

Karate Kid: Legends (Theaters)
Starring: Ben Wang, Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio, and Joshua Jackson
Synopsis: For the past 30 years, we’ve seen a lot in the Karate Kid franchise. It kicked off in the 1980s with a trilogy starring Macchio and Pat Morita. That led to a spin-off in the 1990s with Hilary Swank and then a re-boot in 2010 starring Jaden Smith and Chan. But it wasn’t until recently that the interest in the world really sparked again. The series Cobra Kai, on Netflix, ran for six seasons starring original film actors Macchio and William Zabka. The popularity of the series renewed interest in the world which has led to another cinematic reboot. This one aims to tell a new story while blending the past. We begin with a deleted scene featuring Morita from The Karate Kid Part II in 1986. The film also stars Chan and Macchio, bringing together the original films and the re-boot. It even features a cameo from Zabka. But that bit of nostalgia merely sets the stage, what sets the film apart is the story it tells. Here, we follow Li Fong (Wang), a Kung Fu student from China who is going through a rough patch. He trains with Han (Chan) while trying to get over the grief of having lost his older brother. Soon, his mother (Ming Na-Wen) moves him to New York and tells him he needs to stop fighting and training. But that proves difficult. Li makes friends with Mia (Sadie Stanley), a fellow student whose father, Victor (Jackson), owns a neighborhood pizza place. Victor is a former boxer who is planning a return because he needs money. He asks Li to help train him, improving his speed and learning new moves. Li decides to train him in secret, and along the way finds new friends, family, and a place to belong. But when things go wrong, it brings up painful memories for Li. Soon, he finds himself needing to enter a large karate tournament to help his friends and square off against a local bully. He turns to Han for help, and Han in turn brings in an old friend, Daniel LaRusso (Macchio). Together they work to turn Li into a multi-faceted champion, helping him to overcome the demons from the past. This new film is a beautiful blend of nostalgia and an original story. I enjoyed the opening sequence, a deleted scene from earlier in the franchise sets the stage for the blending of these worlds. Incorporating Chan and Macchio, which mostly comes later in the film, is a nice touch, too. But this is really about a new, original story. I liked Wang in this role, and I enjoyed the way his story is told. His back-and-forth with Jackson and Stanley works well. I liked the set up and the blend of story and humor. I also enjoyed the training sequences and the fights, too. The original Karate Kid is a classic, but I haven’t always enjoyed the rest of the franchise. I didn’t have huge expectations going into this film, but I was really taken with the structure, story, and execution here. This is my favorite of the Karate Kid films and sets a new standard for the franchise. It’s a fun ride that runs a crisp 94 minutes. It’s worth checking out in theaters.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for martial arts violence and some language.
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

The Phoenician Scheme (Theaters)
Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Mia Threapleton, and Michael Cera
Synopsis: After all these years and films, we know what we’re going to get with a Wes Anderson film. It’s not just a movie, it’s an experience. He builds quirky, complex, and unique worlds, populated by interesting characters. You feel transported to somewhere else in the best way. It’s been two years since his last film—Asteroid City—appeared mid-summer. Now, he’s back with another dose of comedy in The Phoenician Scheme. Like his other recent films, this one crackles with a fun story, some amazing dialogue, and a unique perspective on the world. In the film, we follow Zsa-zsa Korda (Del Toro), a businessman who is on the cusp of realizing his greatest vision. That’s if he can stay alive long enough to pull it off. He’s the target of assassins and those who want to thwart his plan. So, he’s thinking about the future. He summons his estranged daughter, Liesl (Threapleton), who is nearly ready to take her vows. Her mother died years ago, and they haven’t been connected. But Zsa-zsa sees something in Liesl and makes her his heir, teaching her the family business. That soon becomes complex. When outside forces manipulate the market, it throws the whole plan in disarray. That leads Zsa-zsa and Liesl to hit the road, with their aide Bjorn (Cera), to connect with all the plan’s partners. The goal is to keep the plan moving forward while finding a way to pass along the excess costs, all while solving the mystery of what happened to Liesl’s mother and trying to avoid potential assassins. There is nothing like an Anderson film. It’s an adventure, and always one you’re not expecting. But there is wonder and delight in the journey. That’s certainly the case with this film, which is as funny and engaging as it is wild. And it’s buoyed by a spectacular cast of characters. We meet so many interesting people along the way, with so many delightful cameos. Tom Hanks and Bryan Cranston play basketball enthusiast brothers, Jeffrey Wright is a colorful sea captain, and Scarlett Johansson is the lynchpin of the plan, and Benedict Cumberbatch is the nefarious brother, among others. Each pops up and delivers a fascinating and fantastic scene that pushes the story forward. But this is really about the three main performers. Del Toro is fantastic with the deadpan dialogue in the lead. Threapleton is a lot of fun as Liesl, and their dynamic back-and-forth is a delight. But, perhaps, the find of the film is Cera. He was born to play in Anderson’s sandbox, and he makes the most of his opportunities here. Anderson is talented and has a singular vision for the kinds of stories he wants to tell. The visuals here are often stunning and no detail—however small—is overlooked. It creates a rich, beautiful, and unique world. And this is also the most charmingly funny film of the year.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for violent content, bloody images, some sexual material, nude images, and smoking throughout.
Verdict: Three and a half stars out of five

Predator: Killer of Killers (Hulu)
Starring: Lindsay LaVanchy, Louis Ozawa, and Rick Gomez
Synopsis: With the release of Prey in 2022, the world of Predator got a bit, new expansion. It took the formula, the world, and the action in a new direction. But what comes next? We’re soon to get a live action follow up. But in the meantime, today, we get a new animated anthology from the team behind Prey, including writer/director Dan Trachtenberg. This one introduces us to new characters and, again, expands the world of Predator. It drops today on Hulu. In the film, we get three stories set in three different time periods. First, we meet Ursa (LaVanchy), a Viking warrior who is guiding her son Anders (Damien Haas) on a battle mission. She’s also trying to impart skills and the world on him. They are nearly successful in battle, when a Predator arrives. In the next vignette, we are taken to feudal Japan and the conflict between close friends and brothers, Kenji and Kiyoshi (Ozawa). A rift forms between them as youths when they’re vying for a spot as a samurai. Twenty years later, when their mentor dies, they clash again. But before they can settle their differences, a Predator arrives. Finally, we’re taken to World War II and young pilot named Torres (Gonzalez). When his squad comes under attack, he takes to the air. They are set to battle a mysterious technologically advanced ship flown by a Predator. Can they survive? We see each of these stories play out and find out their connection in a third act that takes us to the heart of the Predator planet. The film also includes a nod toward Prey in the closing moments that will provide connective tissue and fan service. But this is a story, or set of stories, that stand out their own. The animation style is unique, following more of an Eastern look. It’s not quite manga, but it looks set apart from the typical Western animated style. It works for this production, which does a nice job of telling different stories in different periods and bringing them all together. If you’re a fan of the world of Predator, this will be a fun expansion. It didn’t work quite as well for me as Prey, and it’s not quite as dynamic, but it was an interesting ride that made some emotional connections. It’s worth checking out for fans and makes for a quick binge, clocking in just under 90 minutes.
Rating: Rated R for strong bloody violence, some gore and language.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five