Tag

You're it - even if this movie isn't.

Hoagie (Ed Helms) prepares to be tagged by Jake Johnson's 'Chilli' as they crash an AA meeting to try and get their man - from Tag

Reminder for reviews: I'm only really going to talk about what stood out to me, so anything I don't bring up is most likely just fine.

If an issue isn't bad enough to detract from the experience, then that's a good thing - just like something not standing out as being noteworthy doesn't necessarily make it a bad thing.

It's perfectly fine for a thing to serve its purpose and nothing more.

MOVIES

- Tag plot summary: A small group of former classmates organize an elaborate, annual game of tag that requires some to travel all over the country. (IMDb)

- I didn't know what to expect from Tag, but arguably the biggest surprise was finding out in the end credits that it was based on a real life news story.

- Bizarre as it seems, this comedy movie is actually somewhat of a dramatisation of real events, including some of the more outlandish sequences in the movie.

- As for the film itself, it's one of those movies that I'd say is just fine.

- There's nothing wrong with that (see the reminder above), but I would say that while it's nothing you should rush to see, you probably won't feel like your time's been wasted when it's over.

- The standouts of the guys in the cast for me was Jon Hamm as Bob, with it being nice to see him in a less serious role for once.

- But the real standout performer of the movie is Isla Fisher as Anna, playing the wife of Ed Helms' character, Hogan,

- While the rest of the cast feel pretty normal, she is absolutely larger than life and all the better for it, with some of the best lines and being responsible for some of the biggest laughs.

- In fact, seeing how good she is as a physical performer here too, I'd really like to see her in an action movie now as I think she'd be pretty bloody good at it.

- Kind of balancing things out are two weak links in the cast, including Hannibal Buress as Kevin, who feels like he should be in a completely different movie.

- The other is Leslie Bibb as bride-to-be for Jeremy Renner's Jerry, who proves to be vital late on despite not seeming like anything other than a supporting character until that point.

- In fact, the intervention she makes in the proceedings feels so awkward and ill-fitting that it almost derailed the entire movie for me.

- As it is, the movie just about manages to get by thanks to most of the cast looking like they had a great time making it.

- I don't know if the intention was to keep things as grounded as possible, but I really feel like the movie could've done with more characters like Fisher's Anna to really liven things up.

- From the creative direction taken, what's here is a perfectly serviceable movie that I'd be okay watching again if it happened to be on.

- Tag is a decent film filled with decent performances (exceptions above aside) and you'll probably have a decent amount of fun watching it. [6/10]

GAMES

- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is done and that is one hell of a mixed bag of a game that I'll be writing about more in a few weeks' time.

- I'm still powering through Baldur's Gate 3 far faster than before and am still astonished at how different this game can feel from one playthrough to the next.

- Up next is probably Shenmue I & II, which will be a nice blast from the past for me having played the original on the Dreamcast back in the day.