BEAST OF WAR: A Solid Slab of Sharksploitation

BEAST OF WAR (Blu-ray)

2025 / 87 min

Well Go USA

Review by Mr. Bonnie, the Bigger Boat😸

Ah…another day, another low budget shark movie.

I generally don’t mind reviewing these things, because even the bad ones (which is most of ‘em) are usually good for a few shits & giggles, often at their own expense. And like many of you, I never go in expecting another Jaws because that’s never gonna happen.

Beast of War hails from Australia and purports to be “based on a true story.” Fans of ferocious fish probably don’t care how much of the “true” part ends up in the movie, as long as there’s plenty of shark action, which this one eventually serves up in abundance.

I say eventually because the first act takes time to introduce its main characters. Set during World War II, a squad of new recruits are training for an upcoming mission. Leo (David Coles Smith) is an indigenous Australian haunted by a past tragedy involving a shark, Will (Joel Nankervis) is a smart but inexperienced young man who Leo takes under his wing, and Des (Sam Delich) is a racist, self-aggrandizing bully. Though other characters mostly exist to be fish food, the narrative does an excellent job fleshing out these three, assuring that we’re invested in their survival…or horrible deaths. 

A Farewell to Arm.

On the way to the mission, the troop’s ship is torpedoed by Japanese forces and sinks, stranding a half-dozen survivors on a slab of debris in the middle of the Pacific. They have little food and no fresh water, but their more immediate concern lurks under the surface: a great white shark that might just be the hungriest fish in movie history, relentlessly stalking these guys and putting the bitedown on anyone unfortunate enough to end up in the water.

Because bad shark movies far outweigh the good ones, I kept waiting for Beast of War to descend into silliness or stupidity, but it never does. Though there are lapses in plausibility, it was around the halfway point that I found myself thinking, Hey, this is actually pretty good. Sometimes really good, in fact. In addition to engaging characters and decent overall performances, writer-director Kiah Roache-Turner manages to create plenty of tension and atmosphere despite obvious budgetary limitations. Best of all, this one doesn’t appear to rely too much on CGI. The shark isn’t always convincing, but at least we feel it’s physically sharing the screen with the cast. Additionally, the attack scenes are brutal and bloody, punctuated by pretty realistic gore effects. 

I don’t know much much of this true story is actually true, nor do I care. What ultimately matters is that Beast of War is a surprisingly solid slab of sharksploitation. Running a lean 87 minutes, it benefits from a brisk pace, and other than an amusing aside depicting how these guys manage to solve their thirst problem, a mostly serious approach to its premise.

PRISONER OF WAR: Scott Adkins, the Pizza Man

PRISONER OF WAR (Blu-ray)

2025 / 113 min

Well Go USA

Review by Mr. Bonnie, the Brawler😼

My wife works a couple of evenings a week, and on those days, I am tasked with making dinner. Being the creative culinary Jedi that I am, that means we’re having frozen pizza on Thursdays. It may not be as delicious as some of the fancier pizzerias in town, but it’s cheap, easy and does its job of tasting more or less like a pizza.

When it comes to action movies, Scott Adkins is kinda like the guy who actually makes the pizzas we passively consume once a week. There’s nothing particularly outstanding or memorable about the B-movie brawls he stars in, but more often than not, you can count on them doing the job of serving-up perfunctory action, violence and, of course, Adkins' considerable martial arts skills. 

For Prisoner of War, the title and cover art tells all, just as the photo on that pizza box shows what it’s supposed look like once it's heated up. Here, Adkins plays British WWII fighter pilot James Wright, who gets shot down and ends up in a Japanese prison camp run by sadistic colonel Benjiro Ito (Peter Shinkoda). But instead of executing him - though he threatens to daily - Ito repeatedly forces Wright to fight other Japanese soldiers. Unsurprisingly, Wright whips their asses every time.

This pizza man delivers...pain.

Meanwhile, Wright hatches an escape plan with his fellow POWs, some of whom are provided personalities, but this is mostly just the Scott Adkins show. That oughta suit his fans just fine, who’d probably be just as happy if the film had him fighting his way out of a staff meeting that could’ve been an email. And unlike some of his direct-to-video contemporaries, Adkins is a fairly decent actor, so when not snapping limbs, at least he’s capable of delivering his lines without making the viewer cringe.

Prisoners of War runs a little longer than necessary, especially with a superfluous prologue and epilogue. But for the most part, it delivers exactly what you’d expect from a Scott Adkins fightfest. Like the frozen pizza I heat up for the family every Thursday, we won’t give it another thought afterwards, but it’s adequately satisfying in the moment.

A Big Batch of ERROL FLYNN

6-FILM COLLECTION: ERROL FLYNN (Blu-ray)

1938-1948 / 709 min (6 movies)

Warner Archive Collection

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Mr. Paws😺

Is this a collection of Errol Flynn’s greatest work? Not by a longshot, nor is it intended to be. Instead, this set gathers six Blu-ray titles that were previously released separately. So while we might scream “What?? No Captain Blood??” (there’s still no Blu-ray for that one), this does offer a varied selection of movies Flynn did during his tenure at Warner Brothers. 

Of course, it would have been a crime not to include The Adventures of Robin Hood, which many feel is his greatest film. While I’m not inclined to agree, it remains the definitive telling of the mythical Saxon outlaw. Filled with action, humor, romance and Flynn at his most charismatic (all in beautiful Technicolor), it’s impossible not to be swept along, even 87 years later. Since we don’t get Captain Blood, at least there’s 1940’s The Sea Hawk, which I do think is Flynn's greatest film. Released at the height of his popularity, The Sea Hawk is an epic adventure with Flynn as sea captain Geoffrey Thorpe, England's most infamous privateer, defending his country against enemies through piracy. The final showdown remains one of the greatest sword fights ever filmed.

Yet another collaboration with director Michael Curtiz, 1940’s Santa Fe Trail is a historical drama that plays fast and loose with history, with Flynn as confederate general Jeb Stuart and Raymond Massey as abolitionist John Brown. While not a great film, it’s certainly watchable, though I personally think Flynn is miscast. Flynn fairs much better in 1943’s Edge of Darkness, though he’s just one part of a uniformly excellent cast. Aptly titled, the film is somber in tone and occasionally infuriating when depicting injustice against a Norwegian town at the hands of the Nazis, but this leads to a stunning - and surprisingly violent - final act once they've been pushed too far. This one ranks among Flynn’s best films.

"Yo, Guy! Read between the lines!"

If you’ve seen Northwest Passage with Spencer Tracy, then you’ve seen 1945’s Objective, Burma!, which tells the same story, with Flynn leading his squad as Captain Nelson. Though I doubt anyone would argue that Flynn’s a better actor than Tracy, this one is ultimately more entertaining (though a little too long). Rounding out the set is 1948’s Adventures of Don Juan, and who better to take the role of the world’s most famous womanizing swordsman? Considering his own reputation and behavior, he’s arguably just playing a version of himself. And that’s just fine, because the movie’s a hell of a lot of fun.

Again, none of the Blu-rays in this collection are new. The restorations and transfers (generally pretty excellent) are identical to previous releases, as are the bonus features. Quantity and quality of the content varies, running the gamut from loaded (Robin Hood) to bare-bones (Santa Fe Trail). Robin Hood, Don Juan and The Sea Hawk also include “Warner Night at the Movies” as a great viewing option, with a cartoon, newsreel, short subject and trailers preceding the feature, just like the ol’ days. While the set isn't definitive, it's worth grabbing if you don't already have most of these particular titles.

INVASION U.S.A. and the Propaganda Machine

INVASION U.S.A. and ROCKET ATTACK U.S.A. (Blu-ray)

1952-1960 / 136 min (2 movies)

Film Masters

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Mr. Paws😼

With this release, Film Masters unearths a big batch of Cold War propaganda with two silly slabs of budget-conscious buffoonery and some great bonus material for historical context. The overall quality of both films is kinda chuckleworthy, but considering today’s polarizing political climate, the blatant nationalism on display doesn’t feel quite as archaic as it should.

Of the two, 1952’s Invasion USA features better performances and production values. Still, it’s mostly a paranoid patchwork of stock footage and isolated scenes of its main characters’ reactions to a full scale attack by an unnamed communist enemy (though obviously the Soviet Union). America is getting her ass handed to her for most of the running time, at least until a final scene reveals the entire film to be a cautionary (and heavy-handed) call to action. But despite the dumb denouement, it’s still better than Chuck Norris’ braindead debacle with the same title and premise.

"We're here to stop you from decorating any more rooms."

Invasion USA is a Palme d’or contender compared to 1960’s Rocket Attack USA, depicting an American spy’s attempt to thwart Russia’s plans to nuke New York City. Hampered by shoddy production design, amateur-night performances and muddy camerawork, this is an interminable endurance test that feels much longer than its hour-long running time. On the plus side, the movie is made more watchable with the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode included as a bonus feature. It ain’t Joel and the robots at their best, but it sure beats enduring the film without them.

Speaking of which…as with many Film Masters Blu-ray releases, the additional supplemental material might be the real treasure here. Not only do they provide historical context, they are generally more interesting than the movies themselves. Jf nothing else, this two-disc set serves up a look back at an era of American propaganda that, if we’re lucky, will remain history.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - Better Dead Than Red: Hollywood vs. Communism in the 1950s looks back at how the “Red Scare” affected people in the movie business; A Matter of Minutes: Remembering Gerald Mohr is an interview his the actor’s son.

AND A VOICE SHALL BE HEARD - A short film that was shown with Invasion USA.

8 ATOMIC ERA PROPAGANDA SHORTS - Spread out over both discs, these are fascinating.

MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 EPISODE - Rocket Attack USA and the short, The Phantom Creeps.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - Invasion USA, by Jason A. Ney; Rocket Attack USA, by C. Cortney Joyner and Mark Jordan Legan.

SUPPLEMENTAL BOOKLET - Features a couple of essays by Don Stradley and Toby Roan.

TRAILERS

STILL GALLERY

WARFARE Gets Real

WARFARE (Blu-ray)

2025 / 95 min

A24 Films

Review by Mr. Bonnie, the Bradley Driver😸

Warfare tells a true story, as co-written and co-directed by a guy who was there. In 2006, Ray Mendoza was part of a Navy SEAL team deployed in Ramadi, Iraq. Ordered to support U.S. Marines, they commandeer a two-story house in the middle of town, which provides an optimum vantage point to keep surveillance on some suspicious locals. 

After a grenade is thrown into the house, injuring one of them, a brief firefight breaks out. During the lull, they realize they need to evacuate him and call in a CASEVAC. When it finally arrives, a few soldiers assist the injured man outside while other provide cover. However, the vehicle is suddenly bombed by the enemy. A few are killed and two others are seriously injured. The remaining soldiers retreat back into the house, dragging their screaming comrades out of harm’s way…for now.

Meanwhile, enemy fighters begin closing in. The remainder of the story focuses on the team’s efforts to get the hell out of there as soon as possible, especially since the two soldiers’ injuries are dire. But with other U.S. troops and SEAL teams dealing with conflicts of their own, getting two more CASEVACs to their location is easier said than done.

I haven’t actually named any of the characters. Of course they have names, but that’s literally the extent of any characterization provided for them. This isn’t about characters. It isn’t even really about a historical battle, nor the war they’re fighting. Comparatively speaking, the conflict depicted here would probably be considered a skirmish. However, Warfare is unlike any war movie I’ve ever seen. 

DoorDash has arrived.

Following a brief prologue, the entire story is presented in real time, and the obvious intention is to make the viewer feel like they’re right there with these men. As such, it succeeds brilliantly. The first act is almost lethargically uneventful, with snipers calmly keeping tabs on people across the street while others are more-or-less waiting around for something to happen. We get to know none of them personally. Hell, they barely even engage in any small talk. Nearly all of the film’s dialogue pertains to the situation, with a lot of military jargon, rapidly barked coordinates and radio chatter.

Then the film suddenly becomes chaotic and disorienting, exacerbated by the cinema verite style in which it's shot. Everything is up close & personal (including vivid bursts of violence) and the camera almost never stops moving. Dialogue, screaming and radio chatter frequently overlap each other, to the point the viewer isn’t always certain who is saying what. There are deceptively quiet respites from the mayhem here and there, but like these SEALs, the underlying tension keeps us from letting our guard down.

This is probably the closest most of us will ever get to experiencing what modern warfare is really like. The lack of characterization, dramatic flourishes and a music score makes everything look and sound even more authentic. Alex Garland co-directs with the same visceral blunt force he applied in Civil War, but this is obviously Ray Mendoza's film, the result of his and fellow SEALs’ recollection of that day.

There have been plenty of war movies that are more emotionally affecting, more incendiary, more thought provoking and certainly more spectacular. But Warfare is the first one I’ve ever seen where I felt like I was vicariously enduring what these guys did. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTE - Courage Under Fire: The Making of Warfare is an excellent 28 minute behind-the-scenes doc featuring interviews with co-writer/directors Ray Mendoza & Alex Garland and most of the main cast.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By co-writer/directors Ray Mendoza & Alex Garland.

6 POSTCARDS - Featuring behind-the-scenes photos.

FALLOUT Season One: It's Not Just For Gamers Anymore

FALLOUT Season One (4K SteelBook)

2024 / 450 min (8 episodes)

Warner Bros

Review by Mr. Bonnie, from the Brotherhood😺

Prior to watching Season One, everything I knew about the Fallout video game came from my oldest daughter, Natalie. She’s always been a hardcore gamer, and not only did she love this one, I seem to recall her owning some Vault Boy merch at one time. I don’t think she plays it much anymore, but was definitely interested in checking out the TV adaptation, which first debuted on Amazon Prime last year.

I’m always down for binging with Natalie, and truth be told, I was also thankful she agreed to a few nights of Fallout with her old man, if for no other reason than to explain elements that only gamers would know. One big reason most video game adaptations suck is because they forget not everyone in the audience was born with a controller in their hand.

One notable exception was the first season of The Last of Us, which was really good. Besides gushing praise from Natalie, I knew nothing about the game, nor was it necessary. That show did a masterful job developing its characters and adapting the story. Comparatively speaking, I enjoyed Fallout even more.

Because of the origins and post-apocalyptic setting of both series, the comparison is warranted. Setting aside the fact that prior knowledge of the game is not required, Fallout is similarly character driven, well-cast and features first-rate production values. But while the overall tone of The Last of Us is pretty somber, Fallout features a lot of black humor (some of it really twisted), wild production design, interesting subplots and well-placed moments of shocking gore (often played for laughs).  

And unlike The Last of Us, Fallout tells an all new story in the same gaming universe. The main story arc takes place in 2296, a few centuries after nuclear war has destroyed most of Earth. What’s left of organized civilization lives in underground Vaults, hoping to someday return to the surface and guide humankind back to its former glory. Lawless chaos reigns above ground, populated by raiders, savages, mutants and “Ghouls” (who are sort-of undead, but not quite zombies). 

When the leader of Vault 33 (Kyle MacLachlan) is kidnapped by raiders, his daughter, Lucy (Ella Purnell), decides to go to the surface and find him. She ends up in a shantytown called Filly, where a renegade scientist has secret in his head (literally) that everyone seems to want. In fact, there’s a bounty on his head (again, literally) that a vicious gunslinging ghoul (Walton Goggins) plans to collect. There’s also a cult of warriors called the Brotherhood that want the device for their own use, as does Moldaver (Sarita Choudhury), the leader of the raiders who kidnapped Lucy’s dad in the first place.

Another wrong turn at Albuquerque.

Lucy wants the device to trade for her father, while Maximus (Aaron Moten), a Brotherhood squire who assumes the use of his dead knight’s armor, hopes to return with it to avoid being executed. While the device’s purpose is eventually revealed, it’s essentially a McGuffin, and the quest for it is just scratching the surface. There are numerous subplots throughout these eight episodes, some resolved, most left open-ended (a practice I typically can’t stand in serialized TV shows). The most interesting of them is the Ghoul’s backstory. He was once known as Cooper Howard, a popular western movie star whose wife worked for Vault-Tec. We also learn that there’s something sinister behind the seemingly idyllic life in Vault 33. 

Season One of Fallout is of full of surprises, many of them with ominous implications. It also does an especially good job slowly revealing that some of these characters aren’t quite who they seem. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention just how great the show looks, having never seen a post-apocalyptic world depicted quite like this. Natalie said that the show’s rendering of the game’s quasi-retro universe is spot-on, right down to the smallest details, such as the Pip-Boys (wrist computers worn by Vault dwellers).

Speaking of which, the story and characters may be new, but Fallout gamers will still get a huge kick out of familiar props, creatures, TV spots, and of course, the prominent (often ironic) use of ‘40s & ‘50s pop songs. And yes, Vault Boy is everywhere. However, I think I actually liked the show even more than Natalie did. The first episode had me wanting to binge the rest of them that evening (work be damned), while she was content with an episode or two each night. My only real quip is that nearly every plot thread ends on a cliffhanger. A little bit of closure on a few of 'em would have been nice.

I don’t know how Fallout looked and sounded on Amazon, but the overall 4K image is outstanding, as is the Dolby Atmos audio track. What you definitely don’t get on Amazon is the generous amount of bonus features related to nearly all aspects of the production. None of them are very long, but they’re pretty entertaining. We were sent the SteelBook edition for review, which is exclusive to Amazon and features impressive artwork both inside and out.

EXTRA KIBBLES

INSIDE EPISODE 1 - “THE END” - This is basically a commentary by director Jonathan Nolan and actor Walton Goggins.

FEATURETTES - Inside Season One runs just under 20 minutes and features numerous interviews with the cast, crew and Bethesda Games producer Todd Howard (who also exec-produced). Includes plenty of behind the scenes footage.  The rest of the featurettes are shorter, and the titles more-or-less tell-all, including: Creating the Wasteland, Safe and Sound, Set Your Sets on 2296, The Costumes of Fallout, Writing for the Wasteland, Meet the Filmmaker (and Fanatic) Jonathan Nolan, Prosthetics & Make-up Gone Nuclear, Becoming the Ghoul, Console to Camera, Welcome to the World of Fallout.

VAULT SELLER’S SURVIVAL GUIDE - A view amusing Vault-Tec promo pieces.

6 COLLECTIBLE ARTCARDS