Travis Knight – GOAT Film Reviews

Uncharted may actually be happening. After numerous stops and starts, the video game adaptation starring Tom Holland and directed by Travis Knight is starting to gain steam. Now, it seems that the film may be adding Mark Wahlberg to the cast. It’s interesting because Mark Wahlberg is the kind of guy that I would have expected to play Nathan Drake, the lead, but with Tom Holland in that role, so I didn’t know who Wahlberg would play.

Variety’s report states that Wahlberg’s character would be Victor “Sully” Sullivan, an American treasure hunter and mentor to Holland’s Drake.

Having not played the Uncharted games, this seems like an interesting move here with Wahlberg as an Obi-Wan Kenobi to Drake’s Luke Skywalker. I could see the styles of Holland and Wahlberg mixing really well onscreen, so I’m all for it.

Then there’s the question of how much Wahlberg would actually be in the film. There’s still so many factors at play here, but it seems that Sony wants to move the needle pretty fast on this one and continue the great working relationship with Holland, who will also play Peter Parker in a third solo Spider-Man film with the MCU/Sony deal.

As soon as it seemed that Travis Knight was actually set to direct and not depart as so many before had, I became very excited for this whole project, and while the possible addition of Wahlberg doesn’t skyrocket my excitement, it does slightly raise it.

So what do you think? Have you played Uncharted, and is Wahlberg the right choice to play Sully? Let me know/Drop a comment below!

-Kyle A. Goethe

Hey, I’ll throw my hat in the mix too, why not?

Sony is meeting with several possible directors for Venom 2. Variety is reporting that Andy Serkis, Travis Knight, and Rupert Wyatt are all in talks for the upcoming sequel, which will see Tom Hardy returning as the vigilante anti-hero. Currently, there is no front-runner, but Sony will want to move fast as they hope to begin shooting this fall.

The director of the original Venom, Ruben Fleischer, will not be able to return as he is deep into post-production of the zombie sequel Zombieland: Double Tap (he also directed the original).

Venom 2 is a big-ticket win for Sony, which has struggled in the past to find viable franchises, and Venom, although not a winner with critics, certainly appealed to fans as it grossed over $800 million at the worldwide box office. Assumptions are that the film is aiming for an October 2020 release.

I’ll be the guy that says it. I still haven’t seen Venom yet, but given the box office, this is a good move for Sony, who, as I said, needs more franchises than just Spider-Man, even if they are trying to merge the two.

Looking at these filmmakers, I would say the best bet would be on Rupert Wyatt. As of yet, I haven’t caught Andy Serkis’s Mowgli, and as far as serious dark films, I’m not sure Travis Knight is the best pic, having only helmed Laika films and last year’s Bumblebee, a noticeably poppy and bright film. Wyatt, however, brought the Planet of the Apes franchise back to life, a very difficult task to complete.

So what do you think? Who should helm Venom 2? Let me know/Drop a comment below!

-Kyle A. Goethe

Director: Travis Knight

Cast: Charlize Theron, Art Parkinson, Ralph Fiennes, Rooney Mara, George Takei, Matthew McConaughey

Screenplay: Marc Haimes, Chris Butler

Runtime: NA. Rated PG for thematic elements, scary images, action and peril.

Well, I just got out of an advance screening for the upcoming Laika film Kubo and the Two Strings. Now Kubo has been hotly anticipated as a unique and original film for the stop-motion crew at Laika and the trailers have only furthered the excitement. So how does it stack up and should you see it on August 19th?

Kubo (Art Parkinson, TV’s Game of Thrones, Dracula Untold) is a young boy who lives on an island with his mother. Their lives are secluded and peaceful, until the vengeful Moon King (Ralph Fiennes, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Hail Caesar!), who stole Kubo’s eye as a baby, finds him once again. Kubo’s mother sends him away to find three pieces of mystical armor to defeat the Moon King and his daughters, The Sisters (both played by Rooney Mara, The Social Network, Pan). Along Kubo’s journey, he comes across companions like Monkey (Charlize Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Huntsman: Winter’s War) and Beetle (Matthew McConaughey, Interstellar, Free State of Jones) who aid him in the perilous and difficult path that lies before him. But can he defeat the Moon King, the evil force who killed his father?

Kubo and the Two Strings is the fourth film from Laika, and it may just be the best work yet. This is a gorgeously animated and stunningly told story steeped in classic Japanese folklore. Each of the environments actually breathe on their own, and function as a beautifully laid out tapestry of incredible visuals.

Kubo’s story directly takes from the Hero’s Journey, and he is given an interesting and action-packed set of tests to stop him from gaining the armor in time. Thankfully, it is the chemistry between Kubo, Monkey, and Beetle that make this movie a must-see. There is heart and soul, enough to compete with the lovely imagery.

The voice work is solid from Parkinson, and he is aided nicely by Theron and McConaughey. In fact, there isn’t a whole lot to turn one away from the film.

Now, Kubo can be seen as an animated film more so than a family or kid’s movie. There are some frightening images and sequences, but I’m not trying to tell you that younger children should avoid it.

My faults with the film? Really only one. There are a few story beats near the end of the film that I didn’t see the point in. But that didn’t take the enjoyment out of the experience.

You need to see Kubo and the Two Strings. It is breathtaking in its sights, but also wonderful in its sounds. Make sure to stay through the entire end credits. These animators put in hard work, and you get a chance to see how much. There’s also an amazing rendition of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by Regina Spektor. When Kubo hits your theater, take the whole family on an adventure that is original and spectacular, aided by a striking attack on the senses. Seriously, you should be standing in line for it right now.

4.5/5

-Kyle A. Goethe

Tag: Travis Knight

Uncharted in Talks to Add Mark Wahlberg

Sony Searches for a Venom 2 Director