Sicario

Just how dark, depressing and entirely bleak can one movie be?

MOVIES

- Wow, Sicario is about as bleak a movie as it's possible to imagine, which is saying something.

- It's not just the subject matter either, but the serious tone of the movie from start to finish.

- The biggest issue the movie has is that there isn't any respite from the depressing mood either, with levity almost non-existent.

- Without anything to break up that atmosphere though, it did actually start to get a little boring at times, as I wanted just something, anything, to change to mix things up.

- Even when the movie does change, it becomes a deathly serious action movie where Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro) reveals himself as a super assassin).

- That sequence felt out of place compared to the rest of the movie and almost Jason Bourne-like instead, where people are highly competent, but not action movie characters.

- Despite that, I did overall enjoy the film, although I might skip the sequel without Emily Blunt's character present, as most of the other characters are not the kind I'd want to spend two more hours with.

- That's not to discredit the performances from Del Toro or Josh Brolin, but their characters are not nice people at all and, honestly, not overly-interesting either.

- The movie does feel very 'mechanical' at times, with every piece serving its particular function and the characters are no exception to that.

- I will say that the film is gorgeous though, and the shot of the soldiers disappearing below ground at sunset is the absolute high point of the movie in terms of visuals.

- I don't think I'll ever watch Sicario again and I'm not sure I'd recommend it too enthusiastically either, unless you've got something more uplifting to do straight after watching. [6/10]

GAMES

- I is finished and a review will be coming soon, with it ultimately proving to be better than the Dark Pictures Anthology games, but not quite as good as Until Dawn.

- Following on from The Quarry, I've started Syberia: The World Before without playing the previous games in the series, but enjoying it nonetheless so far.

- Mass Effect 3 is also now underway in my Shepard trilogy playthrough and is still immense fun.