‘Wicked’ Enthralls, Frustrates in Long-Awaited Film Adaptation

‘Wicked’ Enthralls, Frustrates in Long-Awaited Film Adaptation

By Lynn Venhaus

A dazzling spectacle based on the 2003 Broadway musical fantasy, “Wicked” is overproduced and padded with unnecessarily stretched out musical numbers and extended scenes to present the popular culture phenomenon as only the first act in a 2 hour, 30-minute film.

After years in development, this long-awaited adaptation surely could have been pruned without affecting the story arc. The second act, “Wicked: Part II,” is set for a Nov. 21, 2025, release. Did it need to be this long? No. Is it worth your time? Yes.

With ‘wow factor’ production values and sensational performances, this vivid re-imagining of the Land of Oz is a must-see event best-suited for the big screen.

After opening Oct. 30, 2003, on Broadway, the beloved musical captured theatregoers’ fancy with its imaginative and sharp-witted story about the unlikely friendship between the Glinda the Good Witch of the North and Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West. It draws from the familiar mythology based on the classic 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz” and L. Frank Baum’s series of 14 novels written between 1901-1917.

However, it is a prequel to those events, and takes place, for the most part, before farmgirl Dorothy Gale arrives from Kansas. But ‘Wicked,’ you see, is only a perception, and a misunderstood one at that. This inspired take fascinates with the green-skinned outcast Elphaba attending Shiz University, where she is taken on an unusual path, which leads to discovering her magical powers, and develops a bond with her mean-girl opportunist roommate Glinda, first known as “Galinda.”

As college students, the pair are exact opposite in looks, temperament, personality and values. Loosely based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel, the screenplay is adapted by Winnie Holzman, the original musical book writer, who smartly gave us so much to ponder, and and Dana Fox, whose most recent credit is “Cruella.” Holzman created the TV series “My So-Called Life” and wrote for the landmark TV series “thirtysomething” and “Once and Again.”

The centerpiece is the glorious songs – those heartfelt, soaring, beautifully crafted numbers from virtuoso composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz. He started his acclaimed five-decade career with “Godspell” in 1970, and has gone on to create “Pippin,” “Children of Eden,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “The Prince of Egypt,” and win an Oscar for “Colors of the Wind” from “Pocahontas.” This is arguably his masterpiece.

The film’s biggest strength is its perfectly cast triple-threat performers – Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp, Ariana Grande-Butera as Glinda Upland and Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero Tigelaar, a handsome prince whose subplot is best not spoiled.

Erivo’s knockout voice is her superpower. She won a Tony Award in 2016 as Celie in “The Color Purple” revival, the only non “Hamilton” cast member to win a musical acting trophy that year. She proves herself to be a gifted actress, as she leans into sympathetic Elphaba’s differences as a proud badge of honor, especially in her newfound activism against injustice.

Grande has sold more than 90 million records as a pop star and appeared on Nickelodeon and Broadway. If you’ve seen Grande host “Saturday Night Live,” you know she has terrific comic timing and unforced charm. As a singer, she has a four-octave vocal range and in this role, she inhabits the spoiled rich girl with a self-deprecating humor. She looks dainty, but there’s an intriguing power and intelligence behind the bubbly façade.

The charismatic Bailey, Emmy-nominated for “Fellow Travelers,” is known as the oldest son Anthony in the “Bridgerton” TV series, but in England, he is also an accomplished musical theater performer. He won an Olivier Award as Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for playing Jamie in the revival of “Company” in 2018. Fleet-footed and a nimble vocalist, he gives Fiyero an allure that wasn’t initially apparent on stage. (Fun fact: St. Louis’ own Norbert Leo Butz, two-time Tony winner, originated the role in its San Francisco tryout and on Broadway).

Outstanding in supporting roles are Jeff Goldblum as the morally compromised Wizard of Oz, who handles “A Sentimental Man” quite nicely, Michelle Yeoh as no-nonsense Shiz headmistress Madame Morrible, and Peter Dinklage, in a voice-over, as an animal professor, Dr. Dillamond, who’s frightened in “Something Bad,” tipping us off to sinister political forces (shades of authoritarianism and fascism ahead).

There are more-to-develop turns by Ethan Slater as Boq Woodsman, a Munchkin in love with Glinda, and Marissa Bode as Nessarose, Elphaba’s paraplegic younger sister. Slater was Tony-nominated and won a Drama Desk Award for his role as SpongeBob SquarePants in the 2017 Broadway musical. Stay tuned for some interesting twists with these two in Act 2.

New roles include Glinda’s fawning sycophants — Bowen Yang of SNL fame is Pfannee and Bronwyn James of CBS’ “Ghosts” is ShenShen.

As one who has seen the stage musical seven times, with an inaugural voyage to Chicago for the first national tour in May 2005 and the remainder at the Fabulous Fox in St. Louis, the film is faithful to the source material. (BTW, “Wicked” is considered “St. Louis’ favorite musical” after record-breaking runs here).

“One Short Day” is a grand introduction to the breathtaking art-deco Emerald City, Erivo’s emotional gravitas is displayed in “I’m Not That Girl,” and her humorous duet with Grande on a crisply delivered “What Is This Feeling?” is a highlight. Grande also shines in the peppy “Popular,” her signature song.

But the dramatic opener “No One Mourns the Wicked,” a too-heavy CGI-enhanced “The Wizard and I,” and an acrobatic “Dancing Through Life” set on library staircases are overstuffed. The choreography is in the contemporary style of elaborate and athletic dance moves with distinctive razzle-dazzle that is mega-staged for maximum effect.

That said, the defining showstopper, “Defying Gravity,” is everything you want it to be, an enthralling way to end, just before the curtain comes down on stage, but here with a “To be continued” card stunning the audience who doesn’t realize it’s only half.

Now the fourth longest-running musical of all-time, “Wicked” continues to draw packed houses in theaters around the world. While plans for a film adaptation started in 2012, the project did not kick off in earnest until 2021.

Jonathan M. Chu was hired to direct, after his successes with “Step Up 2 In the Streets,” “Step Up 3D,” “Crazy Rich Asians” and “In the Heights.” That was when it was decided to split the film into two parts to “meet the demands of the story’s epic scope and to expand upon the journeys of and relationships between the characters, without cutting any songs and major plot points” (I quote press here).

The second half is when more dark secrets and identities will be revealed, and features the moving “For Good” number. (No spoiler alert here, nor will I reveal cameos).

Highlights of Part 1 include the magnificent costume designs by Paul Tazewell, Tony Award winner for “Hamilton.” He must be the frontrunner for year-end awards, for each intricate outfit is stunning in detail.

The visual effects, while often over-the-top, are eye-popping. With today’s audiences conditioned for blockbuster franchise films, such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Harry Potter series, and new “Star Wars” chapters, these are the flamboyant excesses people expect, but I find them overdone.

The everlasting appeal of “Wicked” will always be as a timeless tale of love and friendship, and its brilliant way of presenting the proverbial “two sides to every story.” Those who cherish the musical can find moments to savor.

“Wicked” is a 2024 musical fantasy directed by Jon Chu and starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande-Butera, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James. It is rated PG for some scary action, thematic material and brief suggestive material, and its runtime is 2 hours, 40 minutes. It opens in theatres Nov. 22. Lynn’s Grade: B+

Hercule Poirot’s Back in Spookily Fun Whodunit ‘A Haunting in Venice’

Hercule Poirot’s Back in Spookily Fun Whodunit ‘A Haunting in Venice’

By Alex McPherson

Featuring skillfully disorienting filmmaking, excellent performances, and wry charm, director Kenneth Branagh’s third Hercule Poirot outing, “A Haunting in Venice,” is reliably enjoyable, if undercutting its emotional beats through rushed pacing.

Based on Agatha Christie’s 1969 novel “Hallowe’en Party,” Branagh’s film moves the action from 1960s England to 1947 Venice, with the trauma of World War II still lingering fresh. The strikingly mustached, thick-accented Poirot (Branagh) is now retired, attempting to live an isolated life distanced from prospective clients. His Italian bodyguard, Vitale Portfoglio (Riccardo Scamarcio), is ferocious in warding off any sap who tries to get Poirot’s attention, knocking them into Venetian canals if need be.

Poirot is clearly worn down from his years of sleuthing, and the personal costs his work has rendered on his well-being are on full display. The detective is content to live out his remaining days in peace, until his old friend, the quick-witted, fast-talking author Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey) shows up and invites him to a séance with the goal of having Poirot deduce if the “medium,” a world-famous weirdo named Mrs. Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh), is a fraud.

The site is a labyrinthine palazzo that’s the rumored subject of a curse (and a playplace for children’s Halloween festivities with an accompanying puppet show). The séance is for a young girl, Alicia Drake, who fell off a balcony there and drowned a year earlier, either from suicide or murder.

The attendees include Alicia’s despondent mother, a former opera singer named Rowena (Kelly Reilly), the caring and religious housekeeper Olga Seminoff (Camille Cottin), Mrs. Reynold’s immigrant helper Desdemona (Emma Laird), Alicia’s PTSD-stricken doctor Leslie Ferrier (Jamie Dornan), Leslie’s creepily observant son Leopold (Jude Hill of “Belfast” fame), and Alicia’s easily angered ex-fiancé Maxime (Kyle Allen).

Despite some aggressively irritating clangs and bangs — the jumpy sound design in “A Haunting in Venice” irritates as much as it immerses — things seem to be going pretty well on Poirot’s end, until, well, there’s another death on the premises.

Kelly Reilly

Potentially supernatural happenings are afoot — something that Poirot might not be able to reason his way out of before the dark and stormy night runs its course — as everyone reckons with ghosts and past decisions that haunt their psyches — just not to the level of, for example, “Talk to Me,” which released earlier this year. Branagh’s film is never exactly scary, but there’s much to appreciate about “A Haunting in Venice,” particularly regarding Branagh’s skills as a director.

The post-war time period is vividly realized with striking colors and production design;  the warmth of daylight flows into a stormy night with Haris Zambarloukos’ crisp cinematography and Lucy Donaldson’s snappy editing, wind buffeting aged windows and flashes of lightning illuminating danger, real or not. Branagh has fun deploying visual tricks to catch viewers off guard throughout, including ominous shapes/figures lurking in the background, as visual red herrings. Hildur Guðnadóttir’s string-filled score adds an extra layer of foreboding. 

Branagh and Zambarloukos frame the action in wide-shots and canted angles, playing around with camera techniques and points-of-view to reflect Poirot’s increasing discombobulation. Despite all this, Branagh reverts to surface-level shocks — plates shattering, doors blowing open, light bulbs exploding, etc. — that don’t fully capitalize on the setting, even though the actors were allegedly unprepared for some surprises on-set.  

Indeed, “A Haunting in Venice” is content to startle, rather than disturb, held back from showing anything truly shocking through the PG-13 rating and refusing to deviate all that much from Poirot’s detective story roots. This renders the film’s horror-inflected touches somewhat muted on a visceral level, if harmlessly entertaining. More notably, the approach plays into Branagh’s exploration of Poirot as a character and his place in the world.

Poirot, jaded in his profession and gradually losing faith in his own ability for rational explanation of what’s happening, is as off-kilter as the camerawork — unsteady and struggling for balance. But he never gives up, fighting for reason over superstition, and familiarity over the unfamiliar, not unlike the film’s comforting return to formula in its second half.

Michelle Yeoh as medium Mrs Reynolds

As a result, Branagh’s straddling of different genres reflects Poirot’s internal struggle. The palazzo’s creaks, groans, and apparitions dare our lovable detective to surrender to the madness, but he refuses to, ultimately discovering his reason for being on the other side of it all.

Branagh’s performance, as Poirot, remains thoroughly engaging, maintaining a self-awareness that strikes a fine balance between cartoonishness and seriousness. It’s an excellent turn, barring some muffled dialogue: a larger-than-life character in a larger-than-life situation. 

The remaining ensemble shines along to varying degrees — Fey, Yeoh, and Hill make strong impressions, with Hill perfectly embodying the creepy and erudite Leopold — each character reckoning with regret, trauma, and confronting their pasts to find new paths forward, morally corrupt though they might be. 

The mystery itself is compelling, albeit rather simplistic. Observant viewers will be rewarded, but Branagh aims for accessibility over nuance. Additionally, Michael Green’s screenplay lacks subtlety in revealing character motives and larger themes, streamlining the mystery so that threads don’t become overwhelming. What’s sacrificed is time spent developing any individual character, Poirot among them, on a more poignant level. At least there’s a shout-out to St. Louis!

“A Haunting in Venice” is more about the journey than the destination, with Branagh’s directing and haunted-house mood-setting taking center stage, but there’s little denying the pure entertainment value of Poirot’s latest case. It doesn’t take much thinking to deduce that “A Haunting in Venice” is worth watching on the big screen in a packed theater, everyone squirming during jump scares and embarking on a good old fashioned whodunit with a director and cast rising to the challenge.

“A Haunting in Venice” is a 2023 mystery-thriller directed by Kenneth Branagh and starring Branagh, Tina Fey, Keilly Reilly, Jamie Dornan, Jude Hill, Michelle Yeoh, Camille Cottin and Kyle Allen. It is rated PG-13 for some strong violence, disturbing images and thematic elements, and the run time is 1 hour, 43 minutes. It opens in theatres Sept. 15. Alex’s Grade: B+.

Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot

‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ Earns Five Awards, Including Best Film, from St Louis Film Critics Assn.

‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ Earns Five Awards, Including Best Film, from St Louis Film Critics Assn.

The wild action, sci-fi and comedic adventure “Everything Everywhere All at Once” has been named Best Film of 2022 by the St. Louis Film Critics Association.

Writer-directors The Daniels’ chaotic tale of an overworked Chinese immigrant’s multiverse journey won five awards overall, including Michelle Yeoh for best actress. She plays Evelyn Wang, whose business is struggling, her marriage is on the rocks, and she has complicated relationships with her daughter and father.

As Evelyn’s milquetoast husband, Ke Huy Quan won supporting actor while Paul Rogers won for editing and The Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), who directed, were named in a tie for best original screenplay.

SLFCA announced its awards in 23 categories on Dec. 18, with honors spread out among 13 films.

“The Banshees of Inisherin,” “Elvis” and “Women Talking” each received three awards.

 Martin McDonagh tied with the Daniels for original screenplay, for his pitch-black comedy “The Banshees of Inisherin,” which is about friends at an impasse, who live on a remote Irish island in 1923, while Kerry Condon won best supporting actress as the smart and feisty Siobhan, sister to Colin Farrell’s Padraic, and Ben Davis won for his moody and rugged cinematography.

This is the third year the group has selected a woman for its director award — Chloe Zhao, “Nomadland,” in 2020; Jane Campion for “The Power of the Dog” in 2021; and now, Sarah Polley for “Women Talking.”

“Women Talking,” about the women in an isolated religious community deciding on what action to take after a series of sexual assaults in 2010, also won for best ensemble cast and for Hildur Guðnadóttir’s acoustic music score that taps into community and hope.

Catherine Martin won for designing costumes and with Karen Murphy for production design on her husband Baz Luhrmann’s electric “Elvis” biopic, which was also singled out for best soundtrack.

For best actor, Brendan Fraser was selected for his bravura performance in “The Whale,” playing a 600-lb. recluse grappling with loss and guilt while trying to reconnect with his daughter.

The regional critics group announced its annual nominations Dec. 11, with “The Banshees of Inisherin” leading with 11 nominations, followed by ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ with 10; ‘Women Talking’ and ‘The Fabelmans’ earned eight each. Those nominations are listed here: http://www.stlfilmcritics.org/awards.

For Special Merit recognition, the St. Louis Film Critics selected three people for the honor:  imprisoned Iranian director Jafar Panahi, whistleblower actress Ashley Judd and posthumously, influential musician-actor David Bowie.

SLFCA President Jim Tudor said the group wanted to recognize filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who was sentenced to six years in prison by the Iranian government for inquiring about the arrests of his fellow filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad.

The international film community has denounced his imprisonment as unjust. His latest work, “No Bears,” was shown at the Venice Film Festival and New York Film Festival this fall.

Jafar Panahi

The SLFCA statements on the three Special Merits:

Jafar Panahi

“In recognition of the courage of imprisoned Iranian director Jafar Panahi and all those film professionals confronting political oppression in the pursuit of free speech, human rights, and artistic expression.”

Ashley Judd

“We recognize Ashley Judd for the bravery and courage she demonstrated in portraying herself in ‘She Said.’”

David Bowie

“After nominating the experimental documentary “Moonage Daydream,” we want to also honor the expansive and continuing cinematic presence of singer-songwriter and actor David Bowie, whose life and music continues to permeate and enrich the cinema landscape.”

Here’s the list of our 2022 SLFCA Awards winners and runners-up:

Stephanie Hsu, Michelle Yeoh, Ke huy Quan of “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

BEST FILM

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Runner-up Women Talking

Best Director – Sarah Polley, “Women Talking”

Runner-up: The Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) , “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Best Actor – Brendan Fraser, “The Whale”

Runner-up: Austin Butler, “Elvis”

Best Actress – Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Runner-up: Danielle Deadwyler, “Till”

Best Supporting Actor – Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Runner-up: Brendan Gleeson, “The Banshees of Inisherin”

Best Supporting Actress – Kerry Condon, “The Banshees of Inisherin”

Runners-up: (tie) Angela Bassett, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and Janelle Monae, “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”

Women Talking

Best Ensemble – Women Talking

Runner-up: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Best Adapted Screenplay – She Said Rebecca Lenkiewicz; based on the book She Said by Jodi Cantor and Megan Twohey, and on the New York Times investigation by Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey, and Rebecca Corbett

Runner-up: Women Talking – Sarah Polley, adapted from book by Miriam Toews

Best Original Screenplay – tie “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Martin McDonagh, and The Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Runner-up: “The Menu,” Will Tracy and Seth Reiss

Best Cinematography – Ben Davis, “The Banshees of Inisherin”

Runner-up: Greig Fraser, “The Batman”

Best Editing – Paul Rogers, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Runner-up: Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond, “Elvis “

Best Production Design – Elvis, Catherine Martin and Karen Murphy 

Runner-up: “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” Rick Heinrichs

Best Costume Design – “Elvis,” Catherine Martin 

Runner-up: “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Ruth E. Carter

Best Visual Effects – Avatar: The Way of Water”

Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, and Daniel Barrett

Runner-Up: Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Music Score – “Women Talking,” Hilda Guðnadóttir

Runner up (tie): Carter Burwell, “The Banshees of Inisherin”;  Michael Giacchino, “The Batman” and John Williams, “The Fabelmans.”

Best Soundtrack – Elvis

Runner-up: Moonage Daydream

Best Action Film – Top Gun: Maverick
Runner-up: RRR

Best Comedy Film – Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

Runner-up: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Best Horror Film – Nope
Runner-up: X

Best Animated Film – Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

Runner-up: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On


Best International Feature – Decision to Leave

Runner-up: RRR


Best Documentary Feature – All the Beauty and the Bloodshed

Runner-up (tie): Good Night Oppy and Moonage Daydream


Best Scene – Sam Fabelman meets one of his idols on the studio lot in “The Fabelmans”

Runner-up: Iceman meets with Maverick in “Top Gun: Maverick”

Founded in 2004, the St. Louis Film Critics Association is a nonprofit organization of professional film reviewers who regularly publish current and timely film criticism, support local productions and festivals, and enhance public education, awareness, and appreciation of films. Vetted members are affiliated with qualifying media outlets in the St. Louis metropolitan region. (Note: PopLifeSTL.com critics Alex McPherson and Lynn Venhaus are members).

For the awards, eligible films are those that opened in the greater St. Louis area or had an online premiere during the 2022 calendar year – including those film that were given awards-qualifying runs in 2021 but were not available to all SLFCA members until 2022. Films slated for release in early 2023 are also eligible if a press screening, DVD screener, or screening link was provided to all SLFCA members.

For more information, visit http://www.stlfilmcritics.org

In addition, follow us on Twitter (@stlfilmcritics) and “Like” our Facebook page.

The Banshees of Inisherin

Stylized ‘Gunpowder Milkshake’ Stumbles with Thin Characters

Stylized ‘Gunpowder Milkshake’ Stumbles with Thin Characters

By Lynn Venhaus
The pleasure of seeing actresses have a blast going gangster is one of the joys of the interestingly titled “Gunpowder Milkshake.”

However, that big plus can’t overcome the minuses. With a graphic novel-comic book-video game feel, the look is cool — but the characters are as thin as the by-the-numbers story.

As a professional assassin, Scarlet (Lena Headey), was forced to abandon her daughter Sam and go on the run. Cut to years later, and a grown-up Sam (Karen Gillan) is a cold-blooded hitwoman. Like mother, like daughter.

After a high-stake mission gone-wrong has unleashed a gang war, Sam has gone rogue, with an innocent 8-year-old Emily (Chloe Coleman) in tow. Sam reconnects with her mother and her former sidekicks, also lethal hitwomen with specific skill sets. An avenging war ensues.

This over-the-top action movie is heavy on fantasy. Seriously, how many females, dealing with numerous infirmities and adversity, can be relentless one-woman wrecking crews, even if they are professional assassins?

There is an excessive body count, featuring a plethora of bad guys’ heads rolling, squished, shot, stabbed and maimed in multiple bloodbaths. Some are in slow-motion, other fights are martial arts focused, and editor Nicolas De Toth makes sure blood spurts often.

Israeli director Navot Papushado, who also co-wrote the script with Ehud Lavski, must idolize kitschy maestro Quentin Tarantino, for he tries to emulate his blood-drenched films, in particular “Kill Bill, Vol. 1 and 2,” through a stylized – and farcical – approach.

Cinematographer Michael Seresin alternates between grit and an unreal quality to film the scenes, and David Scheunemann, the production designer, follows suit. The color palette is striking, using neon colors and artificial set pieces that resemble music videos, such as a diner, bowling alley, abandoned mall and an old-school library/museum.

But those diner milkshakes look fake, which is annoying.

Music is an incessant component in the movie, with Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart” effective to punctuate a brutal shoot-out. Composer Haim Frank Ilfman has propulsive music to escalate the combat and a keen ear for a hipster soundtrack.    

Lithe Karen Gillan, who made a name for herself as Amy Pond in “Doctor Who” and broke through as Nebula in “The Guardian of the Galaxy” films, demonstrates spunk and agility as she mows down the male goons.

An 8-year-old girl, who becomes Sam’s “apprentice,” is played with savvy and poise by veteran child actress Chloe Coleman, who was in last year’s “My Spy” and the HBO mini-series “Big Little Lies.”

The angle here is that three generations of women are empowered to fight for survival in this escalating gang war. But it is uneven in attention.

For instance, Sam’s mother, Scarlet, is played by “Game of Thrones” Lena Headey, but she is only seen in the beginning and then re-appears before two climactic showdowns. Yes, not one, but two.

Mom’s fierce sisterhood of Carla Gugino as Madeleine, Michelle Yeoh as Florence and Angela Bassett as Anna May are not used nearly enough, which is a shame, because they mow down guys with inventive implements of destruction once their ‘house’ is breached.

It is a lot, and wait, there’s more. Don’t try to make sense of it all because it is not going to add up.

The generic, formulaic script doesn’t help itself with the antagonists having such a bland name as The Firm ( the shady suits who direct the mayhem). Usually reliable Paul Giamatti, as their facilitator, doesn’t fare much better.

The director displays some panache, so it’s not all misguided. It needed a better, more substantive script to connect with the stylish format.

Nevertheless, fans of such genre films may not mind the lack of originality. At first glance, the film seemed to have potential as a female-heavy “Baby Driver,” but wound up a very lukewarm “John Wick” wannabe, a disappointment.

“Gunpowder Milkshake” is a 2021 action-thriller directed by Navot Papushado and stars Karen Gillan, Lena Headey, Carla Gugino, Paul Giamatti, Angela Bassett, Michelle Yeoh and Chloe Coleman. Rated R for strong bloody violence throughout and language, the runtime is 1 hour, 55 minutes. The film began streaming on Netflix July 14. Lynn’s Grade: C-.