Keanue Reeves Played A Neo-Noir Superhero In The Enjoyable Constantine

DC Comics has struggled to get quite as many of its comic book characters to spawn big-screen franchises compared to their Marvel Comics counterpart (2010s Red was the first DC Comics adaptation that wasn't based on Superman, Batman or Swamp-Thing to spawn a sequel), but they've still got a bevy of memorable standalone movies to their name. Case in point: the 2005 Francis Lawrence directorial effort Constantine based on the comic book character of the same name. Though initially, it received mixed reviews and fanboy disdain for deviating from the comics, it's since garnered cult classic status and for very good reason.

Red Sparrow Is An Empty Spy Thriller With Only A Dark Tone And Poor Treatment of Women To Its Name

CONTENT WARNING: DESCRIPTIONS AND DISCUSSIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT ARE BELOW 

A dour tone is not a bad element for a movie to have. It can be a quite useful element in fact! Just look at classic movies like Bicycle Thieves, Ordet or Au Hasard Balthazar, all motion pictures with a somber atmosphere that make that downtrodden aesthetic because it suits the story they're telling. A well-done bleak movie can be incredibly powerful to watch, but on the other hand, a film that mistakes the act of being grim for being inherently contemplative is one that can get tiring to watch awful quickly. Red Sparrow, the newest collaboration between director Francis Lawrence and Jennifer Lawrence after their work together on the Hunger Games sequels, is very much one of those movies that doesn't know how to properly use its solemn tone.

I Am Legend Is A Really Good Post-Apocalyptic Thriller Until It Isn't

The world itself has come to an end. A supposed cure for cancer has instead mutated into an airborne virus that is killing the vast majority of humanity off instantly while turning a small portion of the populace into feral monstrous creatures that hate the sunlight and feed on living flesh. An even tinier slice of the human race has proven to be resistant to the virus and Dr. Robert Neville (Will Smith) belongs to that part of his species as he's managed to be immune to the sickness that has ravaged the planet. Now, three years after the apocalyptic pandemic began, he roams the streets of an abandoned New York City with only his loyal dog by his side.

The Hunger Games Mockingjay: Part One Just Got A Freaking Awesome New Trailer

I really did not care for the first Hunger Games movie, with it's poorly written characters and terrible camerawork, but oh my God, I adored the second movie. Catching Fire was easily The Dark Knight of these Hunger Games films, going much deeper into the struggles of the cast of characters to excellent results. Considering the director of Catching Fire (Francis Lawrence) is in charge of both Mockingjay movies, I'm super pumped for the next Katniss adventure, and that excitement has only gone up with this newest trailer that you can watch below.