Darkmatters Top 10 FIlms 2020

 

Matt’s Top Ten Films 2020

10. Color Out of Space

Director Richard ‘Dust Devil’ Stanley is a fascinating guy. After making the superb robo-terror flick Hardware and following up with an excellent supernatural serial killer in Dust Devil he got fired from the troubled H.G. Wells adaptation of The Island of Dr Moreau in 1996. He hasn’t made a film since. But now he’s back and he’s come back strong with a freak0ut sci-fi horror based on a weird short story by H.P. Lovecraft.

"the remake of 'The Colour Purple' was extreme'

Color Out of Space is a cosmic tale of what happens when a meteor lands in the grounds of ex-artist Nathan Gardner (Nic ‘Mandy’ Cage)’s rural alpaca farm. The titular ‘Color’ is slowly unleashed and proves to be an extra-terrestrial organism that spreads madness and violence.

The results are a mash-up of grisly body-horror and psych-out – shot through with laugh-out-loud humour. Basically, this is a perfect Friday night entertainment. 

9. The Droving

When Martin (Daniel ‘Hex’ Oldroyd) returns from the military to search for his missing sister Meg (Amy Tyger), he gets caught up in a strange traditional folk festival called 'The Droving', nothing good can come of it…

Based on the actual Winter Droving event that takes place in Penrith – this newest entry into the growing Folk-em-up horror genre that includes classics like The Wicker Man and Midsommer adds some revenge motive violence to the mix.

'stunning use of scenery'

As the second feature from indy production company Rubicon Films, this is an exciting slice of high tension that slow burns with a voodoo menace right up until the occult climax. Other reviewers have cited the excellent Dead Man’s Shoes as a reference point and I totally get that, I’d add Ben Wheatley’s Kill List too.

8. Mank 

Gary Oldman delivers a screen-eating performance as Herman ‘Mank’ Mankiewicz, spitting cynical wisecracks from his motel bed, where he is holed up with a broken leg, trying to finish the screenplay for Citizen Kane. Fincher brings his A-Game loading the cast with excellent female talent too such as long-suffering wife (a great turn from Tuppence Middleton), his female muse Marion Davies (Amanda Seyfried) and Rita Alexander (Lily Collins), the prim British secretary assigned to take his dictation. 

'harsh audience'

It’s an irresistibly watchable film, told with a heartfelt drama as Mank struggles first with his creation whilst often under the influence and then to get his ‘writer’ credit on the final production. Let this film take you back to a golden era of Hollywood and it’ll warm the soul of any creatives out there! 

7. How to Build A Girl

This year’s diamond in the rough comedy-drama is set on a Wolverhampton council estate in the 1990s - which I was not expecting… Telling the tale of sixteen-year-old Johanna (Beanie ‘Book Smart’ Feldstein) loves her family but is desperate to outgrow the confines of secondary school. Things look up when she’s hired by a prestigious, male-run music magazine, but she has to reinvent herself with the pen name ‘Dolly Wilde’ - a flame-haired uber harsh critic in a top hat and corset. 

'this is me...'

Johanna might live in council-housing ignominy in the British Midlands with a feckless father (the always awesome Paddy Considine), a postnatally depressed mother (Sarah Solemani) and her confused brother. But the film flies when Feldstein riffs on the material - and there is an excellent Carter USM poster in one scene that made me grin! 

6. Queen & Slim

As Empire says: ‘Of all the films released in 2020, Queen & Slim was perhaps the 2020-est.’ It’s the tale of Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) who meet on a Tinder date and get plunged into a nightmare when a cop pulls them over. 

'on the wrong end of police attention'

Queen & Slim deals in brutality, injustice and beauty amidst an exciting and heart-breaking exposure of an all too authentic feeling Black experience. Packed with stunning visuals this is a road movie with a ton of heart.

5. TENET

Christopher Nolan tore up the rule book of plotting with this spy-em-up palindromic pulse-pounder / brain-scrambler. A super smart and slightly feverish time-travel action flick that delivered some unforgettable set pieces which simultaneously blew the doors off and threw down the gauntlet to the dormant-Bond franchise.

'I can vouch this is a great place for a honeymoon btw'

The cast go about the rum time-bending business with aplomb - lots of credit to David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki and even Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh. Tenet is a film that can be enjoyed even more when watched again and is another excellent addition to the Nolan-verse of thrillers. 

4. The Lighthouse

Seafarer beware the beguiling light of The Lighthouse – this new tale of sinister goings-on, superstition and madness from Director Rober ‘The VVitch’ Eggers is salty fare.
Telling the tale of two Lighthouse keepers or ‘wickies’ who both have dark secrets. Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson) is a broken former lumberjack, whilst the grizzled experienced keeper Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe) seems to be unnaturally possessive of the upper light chamber... This mismatched duo must man the lighthouse on a strange grey islet off the coast of late-19th-century New England, but all might not be so straight forward as the last assistant wickie killed himself citing influence from bad omens and enchantments. 

'secrets and lies'

Folk tales work when the set-up is simple, but the underbelly is deep, packed with creeping dread, unnatural events and sights and sounds that will unnerve you. The Lighthouse is a brilliant but very odd film, presented in black and white on 35mm – immediately evoking David Lynch’s 1977 cult classic Eraserhead. The similarities don’t end there as both films take the viewer on a sensory assault, where at times you don’t even really know quite what’s going on…

3. Bad Boys for Life 

The infamous Bad Boys are back in town some 25 years since Bad Boys hit the cinema. Much has changed since then but this 3rd outing is kinda awesome in that it brings the wise-cracking, whiz-bang buddy cop formula up-to-date and makes it feel fresh again for whole new audience.

The 'boys' are back...

Of course, that’s not entirely true, as a huge fan of the original I’m sensing that the record-breaking box-office of this threequel is largely due to many other like me who have been waiting to see Mike
(Will Smith) and Marcus (Martin Lawrence) hit the streets again.

2. Jo Jo Rabbit

World War II really wasn’t a laughing matter but Taika ‘Hunt For The Wilderpeople’ Waititi somehow manages to deliver a superbly funny WW2 satire that tells the tale of lonely Hitler Youth enthusiast Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis). Jojo lives with his wildly independent single mother (Scarlett Johansson) in Germany as the end of the war approaches – and he is aghast to find out his mum is hiding a young Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in their attic. 

"if you're Nazi and you know it - jump"

Jojo has a secret, an idiotic imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler himself no less (played by Waititi) – who stokes the young lad’s ideological indoctrination. 

This comic Nazi-em-up might sound like being in poor taste but it goes full-throttle hilarious from the off and you’ll be caught up in the infectious madness before you know it. The premise is liable to make viewers uncomfortable as it makes fun of the horrific fascism, but clever writing is spot on and makes lots of really good points about the horror of war.

1. Possessor Uncut

The boundary between jaw-dropping sci-fi and freak-out horror is one that this extreme psychological thriller bursts through with style. One of the single most disturbing and brilliant viewing experience I’ve had for ages. Directed by son of the body-horror maestro David ‘Videodrome’ Cronenberg, Possessor a seriously unsettling contract-killer-em-up that delves into the psyches of people - expounding human nature in all its brutality. You see in the near future we have the ability to commandeer the minds of anyone and use them to commit crimes. 

'interlinked'

Andrea Riseborough is Tasya Vos, the best mind jumping killer out there - but she’s losing her grip much to the concern of her supervisor Girder (Jennifer Jason Leigh). When her next Colin Tate (Chris Abbott) manages to fight back control of his body and vow vengeance on her after his girlfriend Ava (Tuppence Middleton) and her father John Parse (Sean Bean) are targeted - things get very grim...

Do not approach if witnessing ultra-violence isn’t something you can do - Possessor is a pitch-black darkness that will haunt you after viewing. Highly recommended!

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Matt looks Behind Blue Eyes (review)

 

Behind Blue Eyes: A Cyberpunk Noir Novel

 Anna Mocikat (@anna_mocikat)

Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

 "…her face was the same, with its almost unearthly beauty and that eternally young, innocent look – hiding the most dangerous predator of Olympus."

 I was a big Fields of the Nephilim fan back in my teenage ‘goth’ phase (don’t ask) and have also always been fascinated about the fumbled interpretation of the word ‘Nephilim’ in the Bible – giants / demi-gods who mated with human women you say? It’s certainly a passage you don’t hear preached on often. 

But here Nephilim is something cooler, something more deadly and beautiful too… A Guardian Angel, taken as a child and enhanced with cyber augmentations to become more than human. A soldier for the forces of authority, an enforcer on the mean streets of Olympias and Old Town. 

'can you trust her?'

 Nephilim is revered as the ultimate death bringer – she uses her genetically and cybernetically enhanced abilities to mess up anyone who stands against the system. But things get messy when she’s shocked with an EMP and falls for a charming human in the shape of wide boy Jake. 

 What does a killer cyborg do when she begins to question her role in murderously enforcing the peace? This is an action-packed thrill ride through megacities, spewing dystopian themes like toxic fumes as violent battles for the future erupt.

I have got to know as we are both members of the Cyberpunk Coalition (look out for our anthology of short stories which hits in January 2021). Anna explained to me some of her inspiration for writing Behind Blue Eyes, she said: 

“I fell in love with the cyberpunk genre back in the late 90s when I saw Ghost in the Shell for the first time. I have seen and loved Tron and Blade Runner before, but Ghost in the Shell was the point of no return for me. The aesthetics and deep philosophical thoughts behind the movie blew my mind. Ever since, I wanted to write my own cyberpunk story in that style but somehow got distracted by other projects. 

When I finally started working on Behind Blue Eyes two years ago, it was like a creative explosion. Similar to Motoko in Ghost in the Shell, my main character Nephilim is a cyborg living in a futuristic mega-city. However, Nephilim is like a dark, twisted sister of Motoko. She’s a killer cyborg, designed to hunt down and kill humans who disagree with the “perfect” society. Like in Ghost in the Shell, the question about what makes us human is a central theme in my story. But the conclusion is much darker than in Ghost in the Shell. And way more cynical.” 

If you like your cyberpunk hard-boiled and breathless, Behind Blue Eyes should be your next book to read…

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööööö (5 - Cyberpunk you need in your life!) 

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Matt becomes one of Fiona's Guardians (Review)

Fiona’s Guardians

Dan Klefstad (@danklefstad)

 

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20) 

‘A group of masked men dragged a woman out of her home in broad daylight and set her on fire. This was in Michigan. They hooked her to a truck winch and say they didn’t use gasoline or anything – just the sun. They’re claiming she was a vampire.’ 

 You ever had a job that you hated so much you literally wished you were dead? Meet Daniel, he’s just a guy, who takes a mysterious role sourcing blood for his employer Fiona. I know right – sounds a bit dodgy, the kind of thing you’d only be asked to do for someone really ill, possibly for a blood loving freak, or maybe, no, surely not for a vampire? 

But 250-year-old Fiona isn’t your average employer and she really ‘needs’ those 10 pints of human blood every night!? And the job can be quite a strain on poor Daniel – having to look out for authorities and suspicious folk, when perhaps they should most of all be tracking that ancient order of monks dedicated to the extermination of vampires? 

With Fiona’s Guardians, Dan Klefstad has created a powerful and thrilling vamp-em-up which is as engaging and compelling as the best blood sucking fiction on the market. My favourite vampire tale (both book and film) is Let The Right One In – by John Ajvide Lindqvist. Like that epic opus on human / vampire interaction – it is the mortal humans who are caught in Fiona’s web that balance the story. 

Packing everything from modern tech like infrared imagining drones, through to fun wooden bullets that are potentially far more effective than the traditional stakes – Fiona’s enemies are on. a crusade to exterminate vampires. The plot cracks along at a good pace and the writing is as sharp as Fiona’s teeth. One chapter jumps back in time to give a whole heap of context for the modern-day action – a battle that has raged through time. 

This is the sort of novel-writing that oozes confidence and deserves to have the chance to resonate with a wide audience of readers. I’d love to see Fiona get a movie or TV adaptation – this is a rich seam of mythos that refreshes and invigorates the vampire lore and leaves a bloody body count in its wake. 

I recommend Fiona’s Guardians to anyone looking for something macabre this Halloween.

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööööö (5 - One bite and you're smitten) 

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Matt visits Axel Lennart and the Ice World (review)

Axel Lennart and the Ice World

D.M.Z. Liyanage (@z_liyanage)

Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

‘You are lucky….for now. Should we meet again like this, I will have no option but to subject you to further questioning at the appropriate facility.’

On the ice-world of Eleusis, where the wind blows cold and the atmosphere is arctic, an ancient magic stirs. 

Who or what is the 'Völvur' – tales are told of them being dark sorcerers from long ago but surely they are just tales, right? 

In Axel Lennart and the Ice World we jump into a galaxy far, far away as hotshot pilot Axel Lennart as he crosses paths with the Unity Regime – tyrant rulers of Eleusis. But when Axel hears that the Regime is searching for an ancient Völvur artefact buried deep within the ice wastes, he lets his curiosity get the better of him. What Axel doesn’t know is that Völvur’s might still be a thing and they want it on their side… 

 Cue a search for an artefact known as the X-06 - not the latest Xbox but rather a relic that contains the mythical powers of the fabled dark sorcery. Axel’s fate is tied into that of the mysterious person called Raven and his quest to unravel the mystery plays out like a great episode of Firefly (my all time fav sci-fi show) crossed with Star Wars: A New Hope (my fav sci-fi film). 

The references to classic sci-fi’s are multitude and fun to connect with – from the dangerous escaped Convict-5257 and fun range of droids – through to the weaponry and speeder bikes if you’re a sci-fi fan then there is plenty to make you happy here. 

The story bounces along and is a fun romp – recommended for anyone who’s ever dreamed of adventure in the stars.

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööööö (5 - May the Ice World be with you!) 

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Matt's life is enriched by Divine Souls (review)

DIVINE SOULS - All beyond proximities 

Ayesha F. Muskaan (@poetrybyayesha) 

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20) 

" There is a deep pain which he can read on her face but he does not prefer too, there is deep innocence too on her face just like that on face of Finas and those glittering eyes which are eager for his attention.”  

Divine souls is a joyfully life-enriching reading experience which follows the lives of Finas and Abraham. These two siblings don’t have it easy; they face prejudice and opposition from society but draw on their inner strength and that of their family to get through. 

In a place where the actions and decisions of their elders shape their options, Divine Souls is a fascinating and inspiring tale that greatly revolves around the planned marriage of Finas. With her well-meaning uncle Shroff (who was probably my favourite character) often on hand to dispense some wisdom and learning from the experiences of Rafita and Ziwar who married before them and faced lots of cultural issues. 

This is a book to lose yourself in, to be transported to another place and journey with some great young people finding love and all that goes with it. At a time when it feels as if there isn’t much love or peace to be found in our world, this tale is one that will leave you giving thanks when a family can find forgiveness and yes the love that binds them together. Isn’t that what matters most?  

I was enchanted by the cultural insights, the narrative drive and some really epic poetry which ends the book – e.g. ‘For the first time I fell in love with honesty , I became dishonest. (Honesty of Rafita)’

Recommended!! 

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööööö (5 - Life is rich and varied - enjoy!) 

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Matt finds himself an Alternate reality (review)

Alternate 

Christopher Buxton (@cbescapenovels)

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

"Back at Alternate HQ, the Operator excitedly placed his hands behind his head, feeling a small dose of astonishment. ‘It’s preposterous that it exists!’ he exclaimed."

What if we could jump between alternate timelines / universes? 

Well in Alternate that’s exactly what humans have worked out how to do. Meet Caspian – one of the first explorers to make the leap across the multiverse. Unfortunately, it’s possible that you might not make it back… 

I asked Chris what his inspiration behind Alternate was: “My job is ok but doesn’t allow me to be creative. I got bored and fed up of not being able to produce something that was my own ideas. I had been reading and listening to books for 2 or 3 years, then one day watched a film called Bandersnatch. I thought it was something never done before, and so creative. And so became inspired to have a try at creating my own story - my own imagination etc. Also it was a healthy escape from reality for me. Writing and focusing on the story helped to block out the world and all the general stress of work - money - family - parenting etc.”  

'What if we're not the only universe out there?'

So, is Alternate a good read? I took a little while to get into it but once the reality jumping action kicked in, I found it a fun book which delivers lots of thought-provoking ideas and some solid sci-fi adventures. Jimmy Ray is the hero of the piece and he gets partnered up with a wild card female agent Cia whose father has been lost in an alternate universe. 

My favourite element was the internal AI assistant that the agents have embedded in their eyes which answers to the name ‘Lens’. The plot takes in mad scientists, alternate pubs and fire breathing dragons – it’s quite a mix. Chris’s writing style takes scientific details and fantasy and fuses them into a fascinating romp. It’s worth checking out.

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö

(4 - alternative reading for the sci-fi minded)

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Matt meets The Man With No Name (review)

 

The Man With No Name

Tanweer Dar (@Tanweer_Dar) 

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@cleric20)

“The neon lights cast a pink and blue glow over the glistening wet road…” 

The Man With No Name is a fun bite-sized cyberpunk novella in a world that owes a debt to a myriad near futures we’ve seen on screen. Author Tanweer is obviously a fan of movies and you get that cinematic almost script like feel. I enjoyed the virtually shared lore with Complete Darkness where everyone has a Headchip – except here one man remains unchipped – no prizes in guessing that this is our unnamed hero. 

In this bleak and sparsely populated tale, the titular Man With No Name fights a lonely battle to try and prevent our freedom being overwritten by a bio/tech fusion – this is a nice touch beginning to blur the lines between biology and technology. It all cracks along at a good pace and there are some good action set pieces. I felt in places the author over details passages – conversations are full of ‘he / she saids’ and the prose doesn’t flow easily. This is in contrast to the characters who don’t get much flesh on their bones. There are also some stock descriptions that come up again and again about the black muscle car the hero drives. Not being too complex does mean that this would be a good taster cyberpunk for young adult readers. 

Street drive...

I asked Tanweer about his inspiration for the book, he said: “The Man With No Name is a novella set in a dystopian world. It’s a world in which most people have surrendered control to an almost omnipotent corporation, which can track them and their actions at will. This is largely due to the fact that everyone is chipped. They gain access using their chips, are identified via their chips, and pay for transactions. 

Into this cyberpunk setting comes a shadowy figure, a man with no chip, and no name. Protected from the corporation by his mother, he now seeks to find justice for what happened to her – and in turn, him. Coupled with the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence, this quest leads to enormous, unintended consequences. 

In terms of inspiration, certainly, motifs and environments explored in films such as Drive and Blade Runner, and to a lesser extent post-apocalyptic action such as Mad Max, are evident in The Man With No Name. At its core, however, is the very human story of a mother-son relationship and the search for the essence of freedom.” 

If you’ve a hankering for a cyberpunk hit that you can consume in one sitting - this is a lightning-fast and enjoyable read. Will be interesting to see what Tanweer does with a longer novel.

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö

(4 - Short and sweet cyber tale)

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Matt says 'Trust Me on this one Emily' (review)

 

Trust Me On This One, Emily

Kathryn Barnett (@kittibarnett3) 

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@cleric20) 

“Research into new drugs, and in particular their teratogenic potential. That’s the future for me now…” 

Wow, I wasn’t emotionally prepared for this one. 

A fictional but well-researched account of what happens to Emily – a likeable lead character who takes thalidomide to ease her intense morning sickness. 

Working on writing her first novel before the birth of her child, it is her husband who proffers the drug as he works for Distillers who produce it. With the titular line of reassurance, she is persuaded by her husband Laurence, blissfully unaware of the devastating effects on her unborn baby Rex.

As a parent I was really moved and heartbroken by this tale. Seeing Emily struggle to cope when she is abandoned by Laurence, who can’t deal with having a disabled son, her whole life becomes a battle, supported somewhere by her parents. Kathryn Barnett writes with a very readable and compelling style – whilst the subject matter is difficult, this isn’t a sensationalised account but rather feels like an honest account of what Emily and her son go through. Into the mix of hospital treatments and consultations, things like homeopathy, and alternative medicine are also explored. 

The journey Emily goes on as she starts to believe that despite her son’s disability, he could still live a full life is one I’d recommend to anyone looking for something that will challenge and engage. Hat’s off to this heroic novel, you’ll be rooting for Emily in her battle for compensation from Distillers and hoping against hope that young Rex might possibly find some kind of happy ending.

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööööö

(5 - Engaging and moving stuff)

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Netflix action off Extraction vs Project Power vs Old Guard

 

Extraction (15)

Dir. Sam Hargrave

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

"The best thing you can do is go put a bullet in his brain, make it painless. Because the animals out there are not going to be as kind to him."

Step this way for some heavy-duty shoot-em-up action.Sam 'might have seen me doing stunts n stuff on Avengers' Hargrave’s action-packed Extraction is a non-stop thrill ride. For two hours straight you'll be whisked from car chase to shoot out and back again as super merc Chris Hemsworth who plays Tyler Rake kills hundreds of baddies in his quest to save one young boy.

In a nice and simple plot - all Rake has to do is rescue and extract  a high powered drug lord’s son from a rival drug lord’s kidnapping - oh and shoot pretty much everyone he meets in the face along the way for good measure. Being shot in Bangladesh, this has a fun Bollywood feel at points as it delivers more action and male bonding than is safe for most people.

The extraction target Ovi (Rudhraksh Jaiswal), gets into all sorts of life-threatening jeopardy as he and Rake journey across Dhaka under intense gunfire for most of the time. Will hardened Rake be moved to sacrifice his life for the boy despite the fact that he will no longer receive payment for the mission? If you bet 'not' then you won't be surprised that a sequel has been greenlit. Great gung-ho fun!

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö

(4 - Shoot everyone and let God sort them out..)

Project Power (15)

Dir. Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

"They say there are no shortcuts in life. They say nothing is free. But I’m telling you right now, the deal I’m going to give you is the closest thing to free you’ll ever get."

Not content with one new superhero flick - see next review of The Old Guard - Netflix has dropped another new super-em-up. This one 'Project Power' stars the uber-cool Jamie Foxx and always great Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The premise is of a new drug that gives users a super-power but for just 5 mins - and that gives the directors licence to have people explode, hulk-out, flame-on, go invisible, super strength and more... it's a fun single dose movie that should make super-fans happy! 

Project Power might not be a classic like The Dark Knight but it's an adrenaline-packed adventure that cracks along at a breathtaking pace and looks cool whilst bring the super carnage to the screen. I'd certainly be keen to see this become a franchise!

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööö1/2

(3.5 - With great power comes 5 mins of great responsibility...)

The Old Guard (15)

Dir. Gina Prince-Bythewood

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

"I’ve been here before. Over and over again and each time the same question, is this it? Will this time be the one?"

This is a different kind of superhero movie. Well, I say different but it sure feels like a suped-up rehash of Highlander - even though it's based on the acclaimed comics from Greg Rucka. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood - the action follows a group of near-immortal warriors who have worked for centuries to fight for the betterment of humanity. 

 

There can be only one... 

So this super-assassin group led by Andy (played by Charlize Theron who doesn't even seem to age in real life, let alone in the movies but plays a cool ancient warrior) - she has to deal with a new younger Immortal who they want to sign up to the team. But Nile (Kiki Layne), is a headstrong free-wheeler and might not want to save the world (spoiler - she probably will though)...

Fun, action-packed but ever so slightly 'meh' despite the incredible Theron who can do no wrong in my book).

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööö

(3 - Being alive forever isn't necessarily a perk...)

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