May 2023 Movies Ranked

With May at a close, I wanted to share my thoughts and ranking of the 4 May new releases that I saw. I didn't get to see as many movies as I wanted as I was just busy this month. Most of the movies I saw were big blockbuster franchise films, but I did manage to see one small-scale film. With that being said, here are my thoughts and ranking of the 4 May releases that I saw.

4. Hypnotic

Hypnotic was the only small-scale film I saw this month but also the worst film of the month. The movie has an interesting premise with a detective trying to stop a villain that can use hypnotics to control people. I liked the detective thriller vibe of the first half of the film. The first half made for a lot of interesting twists and turns. However, this movie really falls apart in the second half of the film. It goes really hard into its big twist but just does not work at all to the point where it doesn't even feel like a detective story anymore. The second half just feels like complete nonsense. Aside from that, the two main characters have no chemistry together. They both give very bland performances and have no charm together, I felt that all of the characters were very dull and bland but the two main characters were the worst of them all. Finally, I felt that the movie gets a little too deep in the weeds when trying to explain the hypnotic concept and the organization behind it. I felt that simpler would have been better in the explanations. In the end, this was a movie with an interesting premise but unfortunately, it really falls apart in the second half and makes for a bad movie.

Score: 5/10 Grade: C

3. Fast X

Fast X is the newest film in the franchise and manages to step back slightly from the extreme absurdity of the previous 3 films. Much like the most recent 5 films, this movie is still very goofy and over the top but its action sequences are more on the level of Fast 5-7 as opposed to 8 and 9. Regardless, it is still entertaining to watch. The best part of this movie is Jason Mamoa as Dante. He has so much fun in his role as the villain and is probably my favorite villain in the franchise. He plays a pretty goofy character but goes all in on it that it is just so much fun to watch. The film feels a bit like Avengers: Infinity War just in its plot structure and separation of characters. However, the main issue with this film is the fact that we don't get to see everyone all together. We have 4 different character storylines going on and none of them seem to connect at all. There is no common enemy they are working against with their own goal to be to get back together. It just makes the plot feel a bit disconnected. I also felt that the action sequences weren't as memorable as previous films. They were fun just not really anything standout. Overall, this story was fun but is really lacking in a connected story. Since this is just part 1 of the story, my thoughts may change when I get to see the end of the story but for the time being this film has to sit lower.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

2. The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid was a perfectly fine live-action remake. It doesn't do anything really terrible but it doesn't do anything to stand out either. Halle Bailey does a great job as Ariel. She captures the energy and charm that Ariel has in the original film. The other characters are fun enough as well. None of them feel miscast and portray an accurate version of their character. I really liked how the film handled Eric's character. He is given an actual character arc and has a goal about what he wants to do. Because of this, he and Ariel connect in a much better way than they do in the original. The movie also manages the flesh out the romance between Eric and Ariel and gives Eric a backstory. One of the main things that holds this film back is that it is too long. The film somehow manages to add 50 minutes to the runtime without adding any extra plot. There are extra songs and stretched-out moments that feel like they are only there to pad the runtime and don't add any substance to the film. I also didn't think that the underwater sequences looked very good. The CGI was a bit questionable and the lighting was off at times. Finally, the movie doesn't capture the energy of the classic songs. They feel like covers that aren't as good more so than doing something different with the songs. In the end, the movie didn't do anything terrible but it still isn't without its flaws. Regardless, it does its job of delivering an entertaining film.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

I. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 is easily the best film of May. The other films don't come anywhere close. This movie was a great return to form for the MCU and shows that Marvel can still make fantastic films. This movie does a great job of closing out the story of the past two Guardians films. It gives each character an arc as well as a natural end to their story if any characters decide not to return in the future. We also get to dive deep into Rocket's backstory and really show how he came to be. I felt this was done really well and really changes the way you view Rocket in all of the other films. As with the other MCU films, this movie delivers a lot of funny moments. However, while some of the other films struggle with tonal shifts, this movie does a great job of not cutting the tension too much for a joke. The movie also delivers a lot of emotional moments, mostly with Rocket and his story. I also really liked the villain of the film. I think the actor that plays him does a great job of toeing the line between a mad scientist and someone who wants to make the perfect world. Finally, I felt that movie gave a really sweet ending that gives you a great feeling when you leave the movie. In the end, this film was a great trilogy capper and does a great job of closing out the stories of all of the Guardians characters. Not only is this the best film of the month, but it is also a top-tier MCU film.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-