Don't Breathe (2016)

Don't Breathe (2016)

Nail-biting thriller (8*)

Few horror movies can keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. This one does.

Thanks to the well-written story, the never-stopping pace and the very credible acting, the thriller will take you within the house of a blind man, defending himself against three ordinary burglars.

The characters have excellent depth. Stephen Lang (Avatar) does a terrific job as the blind ex-military, his lesser-known fellow actors are very authentic and have stories going of their own.

Clichés are avoided. Expect to be surprised many times. The typical silence before the surprise or action is very misleading, adding up to the tension as well as the creative story development.

If there's one remark to be made, it's the color in the movie. In some parts appropriate, in some parts a bit annoying.

Every few years, there's a really good thriller/horror movie made. Don't Breathe is one of them, even good for non-fans of the genre.

Suicide Squad (2016)

Suicide Squad (2016)

Cliché hero movie (6*)

The story is rather simple: gather a crew of bad guys and fight an evil wanting to end the world. Only few story lines are added to the main story.

Simple stories can still be good. However, the stories in Suicide Squad are too transparent, too predictable, and sometimes even boring.

Despite the thin plot, it is still a decent hero action film. Good special effects. Good CGI. Good action scenes. Decent acting. Nice action scenes. Good for an evening of entertainment, and certainly a good one for teenagers.

But it misses subtlety. It's too obvious. A perfect example is the music, where popular classic songs are used to 'beef up' the film. Little character development - a common trap for hero movies. It's like an average Bond movie: good action, but don't expect much more.

Some classic action movie mistakes were made: the sound goes minus 10 when in the battle scenes an actor has to say a line. Additionally, numerous inconsistencies: where does Harley Quinn get her smartphone from? And cliché dialogues all along the film.

A few positive points though: Jared Leto's Joker made a good appearance, even though it's not comparable to Heath Ledger's legendary performance in The Dark Knight (2008). The use of colours is experimental, maybe a little over the top but still inventive.

All in all a decent action movie, but the plot had more potential than the result.