April 2023 Movies Ranked

With April at an end, I wanted to go through and share my thoughts and ranking on the 6 April new releases that I saw. April was a bit of a lighter month in terms of big-name films, but I still managed to see a good amount of smaller-scale Indie films. There were a few other movies that I wanted to see (Paint, Beau is Afraid, How to Blow Up a Pipeline) but I either didn't have time or they didn't have a showing that worked with my schedule. Most of the films I did see were entertaining enough and there weren't any that were really all that bad. With that being said, here are my thoughts and ranking on the 6 April movies that I saw.

6. Peter Pan & Wendy

Peter Pan & Wendy is definitely the worst movie I saw this month. The positive aspect of this movie is that it does add more depth to the characters. It makes Captain Hook more sympathetic, makes Peter Pan a more vulnerable character, and allows Wendy to take center stage as the lead. However, the movie ultimately lacks any sort of charm or magic of the original movie. There are no standout performances in this movie. The biggest name is Jude Law and even doesn't do anything special with the Captain Hook character. The movie also lacks any story direction in its plot and just kind of wanders until the big climax. It also establishes a bunch of arcs for various characters that ultimately go nowhere. Peter Pan and Hook are both shown to have a bit of an arc but then end up abandoning it and staying the same as they were before. In the end, this movie really fails to capture any sort of charm that the original film has and ends up being another lifeless remake.

Grade: C Score: 5/10

5. Renfield

Renfield is probably one of the more disappointing films I saw this month. While it wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be, it was still very fun and goofy. The best part about the movie was Nicholas Cage as Dracula. He goes all in and over the top with this role and it is really fun to see. You can tell that he had a lot of fun in this movie. Aside from Nicholas Cage, there are a lot of really funny moments that made me laugh out loud. The action in this movie was a lot of fun to watch and also really graphic. There are a lot of scenes with Renfield chopping people's limbs off or stabbing them in the face but it is done in a vibrant way that is still very entertaining to watch. While it is a lot of fun, the movie as a whole is not super memorable. The funniest parts of the movie were shown in the trailer and there weren't many moments that made me go "Oh that was cool". The story itself is pretty basic and doesn't have much to it to make it stand out. I also thought that Awkwafina was wasted in her role. Normally, she plays very loud zany characters yet in this movie she is a very normal traffic cop. She just felt a bit neutered from what she normally does and I felt like they could have done more with her. In the end, while this movie kept me entertained, it isn't super memorable and likely won't go down as a top-tier Dracula film.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

4. Super Mario Bros. Movie

The Super Mario Bros Movie is the newest film from Illumination. I had a lot of fun with this film. It was just really fun to spend all of this time in the world of Mario. I thought it was cool that the movie managed to tie aspects from many different games such as Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, Luigi's Mansion as well as the original Mario Game. It was also really fun to hear the video game music at the right times throughout the movie. When we are at the mushroom kingdom, we hear that music. When Mario gets a certain power-up, we hear the music associated with that. It is all there. The movie also doesn't just shove aspects of the game in for no reason. Everything is there for a purpose and adds to the story. I also really enjoyed the hero's journey that Mario goes on. We get to see him grow and change and the overall arc for his character is really effective. The main issue I had with the film is that it wasn't long enough. I felt like we were rushing through various places and never got a chance to explore the world. I also wasn't a big fan of the direction they took Bowser. It almost verges on a parody version of him. Finally, I didn't like that they shoehorned a bunch of pop songs into the movie. With so many iconic sounds and songs in Mario, there really isn't a reason to have pop songs. In the end, this was a very good fun movie that I wish would have been a bit longer.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

3. Sisu

Sisu was a smaller-scale Indie film that I saw this month. It has a very simple story, has low stakes and most of the action is very practical yet still over the top in how certain sequences playout. The action sequences in this movie were really fun to watch. They were all very exciting with a lot of carnage. There is also just something really fun about seeing a bunch of Nazis getting destroyed. The movie also had some surprisingly funny moments. Nothing that was in your face funny but more subtle humor that got me to chuckle a few times. I also really enjoyed how simple to story was. It is very narrowly focused with no subplots or extraneous character growth. The movie tells a very easy-to-follow story and tells it very well. It almost has the feel of a short story more so than a movie. Finally, I really enjoyed the third act of the film. It has a majority of the action and lets us see the payoff that the movie sets up in the first two acts. One of the only issues that I had with this film was that It was a bit lighter on the action than I was expecting. The trailers seem like it's nonstop action but in reality, the first 45 minutes are a bit slow. I also thought some of the CGI in the plane sequence didn't look all that great. Overall, this delivers a fun ride for 90 minutes. It is not trying to be the best action movie ever but it still is very entertaining.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

2. The Covenant

The Covenant was definitely the most intense movie that I saw this month. This was a very different movie than what Guy Richie normally puts out but I was totally on board with it. The movie is very exciting, pretty much going nonstop from start to finish. The movie also does a great job of showing us the bond between the two main characters and the lengths they are willing to go to to ensure the other's survival. I got very invested in the middle act of this movie. I thought it was the most effective and really shows the loyalty between these two characters. I also really liked how the movie connected to events and issues of today. The soldiers in Afghanistan really did use interpreters in the field and this movie does a great job of showing the risks the interpreters put themselves and their families in. The movie also does a great job of showing some of the shortcomings of the government in terms of helping soldiers that have come home. The only issue I had with this film was that it feels very episodic. The points where the story transitions are very clear and a bit clunky and times. This story would have almost worked better as a TV series, just in the way it is structured. In the end, this was a very good movie with a great story but with being a bit episodic in the structure it probably would have been even better as a TV show.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

1. Air

Air was definitely the best movie I saw this month. It was surprisingly fun considering it is a movie about a shoe company. This movie also does a great job of making the story about a shoe interesting and able to keep everyone engaged. The acting in this film is top-notch. The movie has a great cast with Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris Tucker, Viola Davis, and Jason Bateman. They all give stellar performances with Matt Damon being the standout. I also thought the movie did a great job of handling Michael Jordan as a character. Being such an icon, it would be difficult to find someone to play him, so the movie makes the smart choice of never showing his face or having him talk. The movie also does a great job of drawing casual fans in. I do not care at all about basketball or shoes but still found this movie easy to follow and really fun to watch. Finally, the movie does a great job of capturing the feel of the 80s. From the technology to the products to the music, this whole movie just feels like an 80s time capsule. I think people who grew up in the 80s will definitely feel some nostalgia here. Overall, this is a movie that takes a somewhat boring topic and makes it interesting, easy to watch, and funny. Not only is this my favorite movie of the month but it is also currently my second favorite of the year.

Score: 9/10 Grade: A