Happy Thanksgiving in advance to our U.S. readers. 🍗🙂🦃
Watched SISU (2022, 4K UHD) early Thursday evening, then went to my local AMC theater to watch the just-released sequel, SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE (2025), on the big screen. "Sisu" holds up well for a simplistic World War ll Finland action/revenge exploitation hybrid. Jorma Tommila gives Liam Neeson and Harrison Ford a serious run as the most badass senior citizen working in movies today. Tommila's expressions and soulful eyes make it clear he'd rather not be doing any of the desperate feats of borderline-supernatural strength he pulls off to survive escaping Nazis torching his homeland as they chase after his just-discovered gold. But when push comes to shove(l), it's just plain fun watching Aatami slaughter Nazi scum while helping fellow countrywomen do likewise. That poor old horse! 🥺😭
"Sisu: Road to Revenge" feels like it's trying to be "The Road Warrior" to its predecessor's "Mad Max": bigger (physics-defying) set-pieces, better (but more CG-reliant) action spectacle, badder (and bloodier) mayhem. Sadly the final product feels closer to "The Mummy Returns" in execution. Set on 1946 Russia-occupied Finland with Red Army soldiers replacing Nazis (which ties into the prequel's myth build-up of Aatami as a legendary WWII headhunter of Stalin troops), our hero's quest to transport/rebuild his home within the redrawn borders of his homeland runs into one explosive, bloody action set-piece after another. Stephen Lang (looking old and fragile, unlilke Jorma Tommila's jacked-and-rejuvenated old man bod) is wasted as a big bad whose actions don't come close to matching his one-liner tough talk. Influences from other action classics ("Die Hard," "Raiders...," etc.) abound, culminating in a train-set finale that feels like the beginning of "Dial of Destiny" with sprinkles of "Crystal Skull" (!) for some reason. It's still an outrageous and entertaining exploitation bloodbath, but the heart/soul of its predecessor have been replaced with a sense of self-aware confidence. Shame. 🙄😔
Was so bummed by "Sisu 2" not living up to expectations that l had to get my mojo back with back-to-back viewings of the just-released DEATH WISH 3 (1985, KINO LORBER 4K UHD) and old reliable INVASION U.S.A. ('85, VINEGAR SYNDROME 4K UHD). Talk about the Twin Towers of Cannon's 80's exploitation heyday. 😁 Nothing's more therapeutic than watching the Chucks (Bronson and Norris, respectively) mowing down waves of street punks and/or terrorists on "American" streets. If l thought about the mindset of the stars/filmmakers then (particularly Ed Lauter's NYPD boss unleashing Kersey on the streets) with the current reality they'd be double bummers. But with the brain turned off these two are just plain fun, over-the-top, silly dated action fun. "Invasion U.S.A." holds up better in the pacing of its action set-pieces (that mall shoot-out/chase!) compared with the slower-than-expected first two acts of "DW3." When those final 20 minutes hit, though, Bronson's massacre of British extras and hiss-worthy villains (including Bill from "Bill & Ted" and Gavan O'Herlihy) is what Junesploitation! dreams are made of. 🤩😎
More reviews later today when l'm not on a NYC subway typing this on my way to work surrounded by stinky homeless dudes. 🥴🥵 It wasn't all death and mayhem, l did watch cool non-exploitation stuff.
Happy Thanksgiving in advance to our U.S. readers. 🍗🙂🦃
ReplyDeleteWatched SISU (2022, 4K UHD) early Thursday evening, then went to my local AMC theater to watch the just-released sequel, SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE (2025), on the big screen. "Sisu" holds up well for a simplistic World War ll Finland action/revenge exploitation hybrid. Jorma Tommila gives Liam Neeson and Harrison Ford a serious run as the most badass senior citizen working in movies today. Tommila's expressions and soulful eyes make it clear he'd rather not be doing any of the desperate feats of borderline-supernatural strength he pulls off to survive escaping Nazis torching his homeland as they chase after his just-discovered gold. But when push comes to shove(l), it's just plain fun watching Aatami slaughter Nazi scum while helping fellow countrywomen do likewise. That poor old horse! 🥺😭
"Sisu: Road to Revenge" feels like it's trying to be "The Road Warrior" to its predecessor's "Mad Max": bigger (physics-defying) set-pieces, better (but more CG-reliant) action spectacle, badder (and bloodier) mayhem. Sadly the final product feels closer to "The Mummy Returns" in execution. Set on 1946 Russia-occupied Finland with Red Army soldiers replacing Nazis (which ties into the prequel's myth build-up of Aatami as a legendary WWII headhunter of Stalin troops), our hero's quest to transport/rebuild his home within the redrawn borders of his homeland runs into one explosive, bloody action set-piece after another. Stephen Lang (looking old and fragile, unlilke Jorma Tommila's jacked-and-rejuvenated old man bod) is wasted as a big bad whose actions don't come close to matching his one-liner tough talk. Influences from other action classics ("Die Hard," "Raiders...," etc.) abound, culminating in a train-set finale that feels like the beginning of "Dial of Destiny" with sprinkles of "Crystal Skull" (!) for some reason. It's still an outrageous and entertaining exploitation bloodbath, but the heart/soul of its predecessor have been replaced with a sense of self-aware confidence. Shame. 🙄😔
Was so bummed by "Sisu 2" not living up to expectations that l had to get my mojo back with back-to-back viewings of the just-released DEATH WISH 3 (1985, KINO LORBER 4K UHD) and old reliable INVASION U.S.A. ('85, VINEGAR SYNDROME 4K UHD). Talk about the Twin Towers of Cannon's 80's exploitation heyday. 😁 Nothing's more therapeutic than watching the Chucks (Bronson and Norris, respectively) mowing down waves of street punks and/or terrorists on "American" streets. If l thought about the mindset of the stars/filmmakers then (particularly Ed Lauter's NYPD boss unleashing Kersey on the streets) with the current reality they'd be double bummers. But with the brain turned off these two are just plain fun, over-the-top, silly dated action fun. "Invasion U.S.A." holds up better in the pacing of its action set-pieces (that mall shoot-out/chase!) compared with the slower-than-expected first two acts of "DW3." When those final 20 minutes hit, though, Bronson's massacre of British extras and hiss-worthy villains (including Bill from "Bill & Ted" and Gavan O'Herlihy) is what Junesploitation! dreams are made of. 🤩😎
More reviews later today when l'm not on a NYC subway typing this on my way to work surrounded by stinky homeless dudes. 🥴🥵 It wasn't all death and mayhem, l did watch cool non-exploitation stuff.