Micro Reviews #20: Better Watch Out, Bright & Killing Gunther (Micro Reviews)

Better Watch Out:

…This is one creatively messed up film.  It’s a twisted horror film with an early twist you’ll either love or hate.  I lean more towards the latter, but not without emphasizing that Better Watch Out is made to be an unpleasant film.  Character perspective is a major issue, as I would have immensely preferred the story told from the psychopath’s perspective over his victim(s).  In fact, the few instances where the film does showcase his viewpoint are far more entertaining and interesting.  That said, the psychopath is ripe with character contradictions that don’t add up to his previous demeanor.  It would have been far more interesting and believable to see the character gradually descend into villainy—similar to what occurred in Super Dark Times—rather than the abrupt 180 that occurs.  Better Watch Out is a messed up psychological horror with undertones of black comedy and characters either made to be unlikable and/or stock-tropes.  As with that other 2017 R-rated horror film, Better Watch Out is not my cup of tea, though I’m certain it’s right down some of your chimneys.

Bright:

Bright is a fun popcorn flick, which is weird considering its grim setting, brutal usage of violence and themes on racism.  Yet that’s how Bright ultimately succeeds—avoiding overindulging in its bleakness and melodrama while stopping short of being a comedy or satire.  The film contains some witty, humorous banter between its two leads (Will Smith and Joel Edgerton) and an interesting, creative take on the fantasy genre.  Bright is far from a masterpiece, but it is a surprisingly enjoyable film that leaves open a ton of sequel possibilities—and with Netflix officially ordering a sequel I can’t say I’m not a bit intrigued to see what they will do.

Killing Gunther:

A group of eccentric assassins team up to kill the world’s greatest hitman, Gunther, all while filming a documentary about it.  The premise sounds too ridiculous to not work, and sure enough, Killing Gunther succeeds as a wacky action-comedy.  The film’s best parts are simply learning about the assassins.  One is a skilled hitwoman with a helicopter dad who constantly follows and cheers her on.  Another assassin only uses poisons because he can’t stand the sight of blood—hilariously running after his targets ready to lob vials of poison at them.  The casual style in which the story is filmed—think The Office but with assassins—adds a madcap charm that overall helps the film succeed, even when the second half loses comedic traction (mostly due to its wittier assassins being killed off).  If I’ve interested you in Killing Gunther, and you haven’t looked anything up yet, I recommend viewing the film without any research to keep Gunther’s identity an amusing surprise for the finale.