Justin's Log

Upgrade (2018) movie poster. Source: Universal Pictures. Used for review and commentary purposes. What if technology could make your body stronger and faster than ever before—but you were no longer completely sure who was in control? Leigh Whannell's Upgrade (2018) takes that idea and turns it into a fast, violent, and surprisingly thoughtful science-fiction action thriller. At first, the movie may look like a straightforward story about a man searching for answers after his life is suddenly destroyed. But underneath the fights and futuristic technology is a more interesting question about the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence. Logan Marshall-Green plays Grey Trace, a man who is uncomfortable with a world becoming increasingly dependent on technol...

District 9 (2009) movie poster. Source: Sony Pictures Releasing. Used for review and commentary purposes. District 9 takes a familiar science-fiction idea—aliens arriving on Earth—and turns it into something much more uncomfortable, realistic, and surprisingly human. What happens when visitors from another world arrive on Earth, but instead of being welcomed or feared as conquerors, they become unwanted outsiders? Neill Blomkamp's District 9 (2009) begins with a huge alien spacecraft hanging silently above Johannesburg, South Africa. That image sounds like the beginning of a traditional alien invasion movie, but this film quickly goes in a very different direction. The aliens are not powerful ...

Extraction 2 (2023) • Netflix Original Chris Hemsworth returns as Tyler Rake in a sequel that knows exactly what many viewers came to see: bold action, dangerous situations, and very little time to catch your breath. How do you make an action sequel feel bigger without simply adding more explosions? Extraction 2 has a pretty simple answer: put Tyler Rake in increasingly dangerous situations and keep pushing the action until you start wondering how much more punishment one man can possibly take. That may sound excessive, and sometimes it is. But that is also a big part of the fun. What impressed me most about this sequel was how bold the action was. The movie rarely seems satisfied with an ordinary fight or chase. Just when ...

Extraction (2020) movie poster. Source: Netflix. Used for review and commentary purposes. Some action movies spend a long time preparing for the big fight. Extraction does not seem very interested in waiting. Directed by Sam Hargrave and starring Chris Hemsworth, Extraction (2020) is a hard-hitting action thriller built around a dangerous rescue mission. The story is simple enough to follow, but the movie's real strength is the way it puts you close to the action and rarely gives you much time to relax. I especially enjoyed how the action becomes more intense as the movie moves toward its final stretch. The battle around the bridge was the sequence that stayed with me the most. Without giving away what happens, it feels like the danger, exhaustion, and pressure that have been building throughout the movie finally come together in one brutal confront...

Looper (2012) — Movie Poster. Source: IMP Awards Time-travel movies often come with complicated rules, multiple timelines, and enough explanations to make your head hurt. Looper (2012), written and directed by Rian Johnson, certainly has a complex idea at its center, but what impressed me most was not the science behind time travel. It was the choices people have to make because of it. The story felt fresh and unpredictable, and several moments took the movie in directions I did not expect. But what stayed with me most was a simple question after the movie ended: If I were in Joe's position, what decision would I have made? That question is one of the main reasons Looper worked so well for me. This review is spoiler-light and avoids the movie's major later developments and ending. 1. A Clever Idea That Quickly Gets Your A...