This Weekend On-Screen: Missing will keep you guessing, apocalypse now on The Last Of Us

Plus, Servant appears to have already run out of steam and a discussion on how toxic fandoms are ruining conversations around film and TV

Jan 29, 2023

Missing' Review: Nia Long and Storm Reid in a Nerve-Jangling Thriller – The Hollywood Reporter

You should watch Searching. If you have already seen Searching, then you should go see it again. The outstanding 2018 thriller from first-time director Aneesh Chaganty told a father’s search for his missing daughter entirely through screens, ranging from computer screens to security camera footage (it’s a relief that Hollywood hasn’t followed up their found-footage obsessed era with a constant string of screensaver slashers). Set in the same universe and replicating its style, Missing reverses the roles with a story about a daughter investigating the truth about her mother’s disappearance. Luckily, the returning team (though Searching’s editors have stepped into the director’s chair, Chaganty and writer Sev Ohanian return as producers and have story credits) have crafted another inventive thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the credits start to roll. What continues to set this pair of thrillers apart from the rest of the pack is not simply its devotion to surrounding their story in technology, but its understanding of how the audience uses it. The authenticity is even more apparent here, with an understanding of how relationship dynamics can vary between different apps. Whether it’s a mouse hovering over a piece of text for a second too long, a text that starts to be written only to be promptly deleted with something less personal, or an image being cropped to block out a face, Missing has the advantage of being able to easily drop red herrings and deliver exposition without being overt. Most of all, the “gimmick” that Missing is saddled with for its entire runtime constantly winds up being its greatest asset: seeing all of the private impulses on a computer often says more than a line of dialogue could.

While the idea of setting a movie solely on screens sounds tiresome, the fast-paced editing keeps the mystery moving at a propulsive rate. Just as important is the relationship at the center of the movie, which sets up a realistically strained bond that you want to see resolved. Storm Reid conveys the desperation needed for the situation and keeps the movie chugging along with very few supporting characters to fall back on. This is especially helpful when paired with an airtight mystery, whose immersive intrigue keeps the movie watchable when tackling a tricky format. Aside from the occasional logic leap, the story is expertly fashioned to invest you in the moment and realize everything you missed later on. The cagey clues are placed to give you a big shock every few minutes, and though it momentarily seems like the plot is about to be derailed, it does the hard work to use that to make the final reveal satisfying. Though it doesn’t quite capture the lightning-in-a-bottle feeling of Searching, Missing continues to do what so many thrillers forget to do: it understands and trusts its audience enough to make them a piece of the puzzle. This one is worth solving.

Grade: B+

The Last Of Us (HBO Max)

Review: 'The Last of Us' Is a Zombie Thriller About Single Parenting - The New York Times

A deserted city. Moss-covered skyscrapers. Famous monuments that have been abandoned. A group of soldiers who have been defeated for years. You might look on the surface and think that The Last Of Us might be retreading territory that was already established in 28 Days Later and The Road. But, for all of its focus on the undead, everything about The Last Of Us is fresh. Even those corpses set themselves apart from the shambolic, slack-jawed zombies that trudged through Night of the Living Dead 55 years ago. These ones are sprinting, durable opponents with mushroom-shaped fungi sprouting from their heads and will use the winding tendrils in their mouth to make out with you before you die. If that sentence sends shivers down your spine, then the first two episodes may leave your nerves completely wrecked. Unlike some of the recently failed video game adaptations (Resident Evil, Halo), the higher budget that accompanies an HBO production gives the show an appropriate scope. The moody production is most evident in the second episode, where we encounter flooded hotels or a standout sequence that not only flaunts the outstanding sound design and makeup of the Clickers, but has built the needed suspense from its atmosphere before it descends into chaos (bonus: it finally addresses the issue of having to reload your gun in the apocalypse).

As someone who has never played the video games, showrunners Craig Mazin and game creator Neil Druckmann’s decision to adhere closely to the acclaimed source material is not only appeasing fans, but is translating extremely well for newcomers. The sequences that have been directly translated from the games have packed a needed punch, yet the added material also works to expand the episodes (the prologues that detail the initial reaction of the virus are reminiscent of Mazin’s work in Chernobyl). Mazin and Druckmann do an excellent job of moving the episodes at a breakneck pace but making enough time for character development. Even if someone isn’t being chased by Clickers, the audience is still engrossed in the dialogue between Joel and Ellie and the exploration of this fallen world. Joel and Ellie are immediately interesting perspectives into a dystopia, with the tortured pasts of the duo fully transcending the semi-familiar pair of a gruff survivalist with a snarky child. Only two episodes in, The Last Of Us has already set a standard for further video game adaptations. Even better, the stellar storytelling promises to make this series HBO’s next hit and give new life to a genre about the dead.

Grade: A

Servant (Apple TV+)

Servant Season 4 Review: M. Night Shyamalan Serves Up Frights and Brutality

Last month, I wrote about Servant’s nervy third season in my list about the best TV shows of the year. Even though the show’s gleeful teasing of its long-awaited answers has certainly tested my patience, the show seemed to be ramping up in that season for what will be a climactic final run. After the first two episodes of season 4, it seems that Servant is more intent on returning to the second season’s lethargic pace rather that kicking into high gear. Thus far, the show keeps hitting the exact same notes that we have seen for the past three seasons. Leanne’s hatred of Dorothy, Sean’s gross-out cooking, Dorothy’s endless wailing, Julian’s mildly amusing commentary on Leanne’s weirdness—everything feels like the writers stalling for time until reaching the inevitable conclusion. When they attempt to raise the stakes, the writers only throw weird imagery at the screen. This used to work in restraint, but the entire first episode consisted of bizarre visuals that quickly diminished in intrigue and became laughable in its exaggeration. The show’s direction still looks great, and the touches of dark comedy strangely still add to the atmosphere. However, after the high of the last season, season 4 already feels like Servant’s bag of tricks is officially empty and it’s refusing to do anything to elevate the material.

Grade: C+

This week’s discussion: A plea to toxic fandoms

Velma puts the girls (and their queerness) front and center - Polygon

As I said above, this is not a discussion. This is a plea. With the recent release of Velma, the internet has found the latest piece of entertainment to passionately hate. Mindy Kaling’s latest project has drawn criticism for the changing the sexualities and races of the classic Scooby-Doo gang, as well as putting them into a show with a far raunchier tone. Unfortunately, this is the next victim of the continuing obsession in film and TV discourse: an endless supply of hate from toxic fandoms. Almost every critic agreed that The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power wasn’t as interesting as the furor around its existence. The uproar after the controversial release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi led to death threats directed at Rian Johnson and some of the stars being bullied off social media. Seemingly unaware that Homelander was the series’ main antagonist, fans of The Boys had a meltdown when the writers started comparing his perceived “patriotism” and “power” to Donald Trump (they also seemed to be confused that racist supe Blue Hawk wasn’t justified in his actions). The Little Mermaid prompted hatred from adults who have nothing better to do than to concern themselves with the skin color of mermaids. Long before the film even released, angry YouTubers preemptively determined their hatred for Prey due to the lead being a Native American woman.

To be fair, this isn’t a one-sided issue. By all metrics, Velma is a terrible cartoon that represents a beloved IP using cheap humor and desperate attempts to be politically correct. When She-Hulk first premiered, both the “woke” and “anti-woke” crowds immediately showed their worst colors after a scene where She-Hulk explains to Bruce Banner that her daily experiences of being a woman has made her “infinitely” better at controlling her anger. The writers were clearly eager to state their message about the difficulties women face, but having her compare her plight to the hero that the audience loves not only makes her unlikable, but also undermines the message (not to mention that his experiences of spending years as a fugitive, being enslaved as a gladiator, and losing Thanos makes She-Hulk’s message about “catcalling” and “mansplaining” miniscule in comparison). This scene drew enraged reactions from trolls online who adamantly opposed the feminist message, while also drawing overjoyed reactions from fans who claimed that any critics of the show means that they must be one of the misogynists that the show mocks, eventually both drowning themselves out in the process. Nearly every movie or show must now be embroiled in these culture wars, mostly from the fans who are devoted to criticizing everything about the franchises that they “love” and the “anti-woke” crowd who politicize of everything to ensure that it won’t fit into their slim narrative. To everyone who is insisting on making modern entertainment a headache: please grow up. And maybe find something better to do than worrying about mermaids and Scooby-Doo.