Contrary to popular belief, and in the face of dwindling commercial receipts, there are still a few terrific superhero films being made. Films like Blue Beetle, for instance. The sort you suspect would have performed much better had they enjoyed release back in the halcyon days of the early 2010s. Madame Web does not exist in this category. When it flops – and it will flop – superhero fatigue ain’t the reason. It is, let’s be very clear, not simply a rubbish comic book flick but a diabolical feature in its own right. There’s either a thrilling behind the scenes story here or Sony put way too much faith in the director of thirty-seven episodes of Doctors.
Argylle opens bad. Seriously bad. Dead-on-arrival bad. Offered up is all-star – Dua Lipa! John Cena! Superman! – Grecian espionage but one woefully written, dismally acted and laden with risible special effects. But, wait! What’s this? A story within a story? Now we’re talking. There’s hope yet. Hold on to it. Sure enough, the film that follows improves not merely on the first five minutes but much of its director’s recent work. Matthew Vaughn’s, until now, unstoppable descent into distaste finally desists for Argylle, an overlong but mercifully entertaining romp.
If there’s one film certain to make an easy billion at the 2024 box office it’s Despicable Me 4, the latest in Illumination’s six-feature-strong string of massive hits. Minions make money. Lots and lots and lots of it. First though, comes a rarer thing. Migration is Illumination’s first original offering in eight years, sweeping into screens on the back of a girthy run of sequels, remakes and video game adaptations. Visually speaking, the film delights. Directed by French cartoonist Benjamin Renner, Migration is Illumination’s cheapest but most dazzling animation in a decade. In all other respects, it’s a monumental bore.
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