Shadow in the Cloud (R)
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‘Shadow In The Cloud’ is one of the newest 2021 releases and is centered during WW2 in a similar world to ours, but one that includes enormous bats. Chloë Grace Moretz is on a secret mission and needs to deliver an important package, but will she be able to survive a bumpy flight to get there?
The beginning of the film really isn’t too shabby. We are thrust into the story of this unknown passenger Maude (Chloë Grace Moretz) boarding a plane with a mysterious package against a hostile crew that have no interest in keeping a girl aboard with them. Maude is confined to the lower gunner section of the plane. only able to talk with anyone through her headset.
The scope widens as the film goes, but the claustrophobic and smaller budget feel in the beginning I actually really enjoyed. It wasn’t until the story turned into a video game with characters that are immune to anything and the action feels completely CGI and unbelievable.
The creature design looks like it was completely ripped off from the scene in ‘Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice’ when Bruce visits his parents grave and a giant CGI bat comes out of the tomb and attacks him. The music which has a distinct cyberpunk feel to it just doesn’t work for the setting and time period they are in.
Writer Max Landis in my book has been hit or miss in his professional career, and this is for sure a miss as pungent as ‘Bright’ ended up being. Not to mention Landis’s questionable personal life, It just feels like he uses the same tropes of including fantasy and wokeness in a way that disappoints everyone. If you can overlook the cheesiness and go along with the story that is great, but for me I couldn’t, even though I love Chloë Grace Moretz.