Reviews – The Greatest Showman, Insidious: The Last Key, & Father Figures (2017)

Hello from Wisconsin! I am currently living in a hotel for a month – as I am going through a rigorous job-training program. I’m unable to really write long reviews or even film them. Try uploading an HD video through hotel WiFi…yeah. Anyways, I have three short reviews for you, The Greatest Showman, Insidious: The Last Key, and Father Figures. First up is a musical I heard a little bit about, but never really knew more than that, it’s The Greatest Showman.

This film focuses on the man that breathed life into a new era – the freak show circus side act. Granted, it just sounds like a light version of American Horror Story: Freak Show, but in all honesty, it’s a lot more than that.

The main things I wanted to point out is that the music in question feels very modern and unlike most musicals these days, I actually really enjoyed each and every song – that doesn’t happen very often, folks. Usually, there’s a dud that you have to push through…not here, though. The movie is a lot of fun, even if it doesn’t always have a super-strong focus on where it’s headed. Whether you hate or love musicals, I think this is something that you can appreciate, if not just flat out love.

Total Score: 86

Guys, there are now four…count them, four Insidious movies out there, and I’m still bogging my mind trying to figure out how this is still a thing. Interestingly enough, I actually praised the third film the most for being different than the first two and being pretty decent…guys, I don’t even remember watching it. I remember the first two, but not the third. Anyways, the fourth film, entitled The Last Key is just that – a movie about a bunch of keys on the end of a creepy demon dude.

I won’t go too deep into the story here other than to say this film is a prequel, just like the third chapter, but it takes place after the third movie. So in chronological order, we have 3,4,1,2. Got it? Good. Now, this film brings us back to Elise’s home that she grew up in – where, of course, crazy crap has gone down – and she has to save the day again.

I don’t want to be a negative Nancy here, but this movie felt a little too much like it was a parody of itself. It tried to be a sitcom at times with the two sidekicks to the psychic, which is a little strange, given the dark nature of all the movies. I would buy it if it just stuck to the comedy – heck, that’s what Thor: Ragnarok did, right? Change things up, have fun with it, but it ultimately switches back and forth and I often feel like they weren’t sure where they were going with it. And the demon? Eh. The sight of it is decent enough but the key thing was just plain stupid.

Total Score: 55

Father Figures is a film all about paternity. When two brother discover their father is really alive, they go on a journey together to discover who he is.

Guys, this is a basic road-trip adventure comedy without much road-tripping going on. The guys do travel all over, but it’s not ever about the actual journey from A to B, as there are many Bs, Cs, Ds, you name it. Instead, it’s about the characters and their chemistry with one another, which I can’t really discredit. Everyone did a pretty decent job here, but nothing worth noting in regards to how memorable it is.

I’m a big fan of the cast. The cast was great, but in the long run, the basic R-rated comedy nature of it makes the entire thing feel a bit bland and forgettable in the end. It’s good for one watch, but I wouldn’t look too deeply into it.

Total Score: 69