I just returned from the USA. Flynn graduated high school. It was a good trip home, and it was great to see a lot of friends and family while we were back.
I watched four films I hadn't seen before and one rewatch during both long-haul trans-Pacific flights. Here are a few thoughts. And no, not all of these movies are brand new, but they're ones I hadn't seen before.
Also, the films were edited for content so curse words were removed from the films. No comment on how dirty the films' language gets unedited.
On the flight to the US:
Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants (Tsui Hark, 2025)
Any surprise that this type of movie would be my first choice? Probably not. This was a fun wuxia action movie, with some well done stunts, CGI, and fight sequences. The story felt a bit jumbled or rushed at first, and sometimes it wasn't clear what was flashback and what was the current narrative. But once the protagonist Guo Jing and his love interest Huang Rong were introduced and the stakes were set, we get a pretty good martial arts/love triangle/political/war movie.
I suspect the English subtitles of the version I watched were AI translations, due to inconsistent usage and a few other clues. That may have contributed to the disjointed feeling of the beginning. Otherwise, a fun watch...but a little long, around 2.5 hours. Not bad if you're on a 13 hour flight.
Blade Runner 2049 (Denis Villeneuve, 2017)
One I'd been wanting to watch for almost a decade now, but just never found the time to sit down and watch. Well, after a considerable nap following Condor Heroes, I cued it up. I really enjoyed it. There was less action that what I had been expecting, but the mystery that the replicant detective Joe follows was compelling and made for a fitting continuation of the themes of the original film. Some great acting, moody set pieces, and just the right tone.
On the return flight to Korea:
The Naked Gun (Akiva Shafer, 2025)
A sequel/reboot of the classic Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker comedy franchise. It was pretty funny, I'm not gonna lie, and I think Liam Neeson was a good choice for Frank Drebin Jr. But honestly, the writing wasn't quite as sharp as I remember the originals [although it has been many years since I've seen them], or maybe Neeson's comedic timing just isn't as sharp as Leslie Nielson's was. I enjoyed it, but I think there could have been a bit more silliness and a bit tighter editing/pacing of the non-sequiturs may have improved it.
Tomorrowland (Brad Bird, 2015)
This one completely passed me by when it was released a decade ago. I didn't know anything about it other than the blurb on the in-flight menu [Something along the lines of "Older disgruntled scientist and optimistic teen team up to save a world outside time and space."] It's obviously inspired more or less in name only by the Tomorrowland Disney attraction, like the Pirates of the Caribbean films. And while it's a pretty typical Disney family-friendly feel-good movie, it was fun to watch and had some good character development. Bird is the creative mind behind The Incredibles, after all. I liked it, and the ending made me reminiscent of watching Disney stuff as a kid and feeling hopeful for the future.
Superman (James Gunn, 2025)
No notes. Go read my original review of the film for my thoughts.
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