In Which We Discuss James Wan's No Chill Movie (Feat. Gwendolyn Jae Stone) - Renegade Marquee #12
Tonight, on a CANCEROUS episode of Renegade Marquee, treasured guest Gwendolyn Jae Stone joins our Captain, the Streamin' Demon, Hades, as well as Haylee and Renegade Pop Culture newcomer Matt to discuss James Wan's blank check masterpiece: Malignant!
How’s it going, fellow Renegades? It’s THE DIRECTOR once again bringing you the latest releases of the past week being discussed by the gang! I know, I’ve been a bit late, but better late than never, amirite? We’ve honestly got a really fun episode with a bunch of guests here to help brave the waters that James Wan created for movie audiences everywhere!
Now before I kick it over to the Captain’s thoughts on the film, I did do an official review for the site and if you want to check that out, you can read it right here. For now, take it away Mike!
MALIGNANT (2021)
“I have to just come out and say it: this is James Wan's best film! You don't have to agree with me, hell you might not even like this if what I'm attempting to describe just isn't your cup of tea. But one thing that's for certain is that this movie could not possibly exist, had the director not delivered two billion dollar blockbusters for two separate franchises within roughly 3 years. That's not even counting the success he's had shepherding his own billion dollar franchise in The Conjuring. So with all that clout, it gave him all the freedom in the world to cut loose, creating something truly terrifying, but with the same manic energy as seen in Aquaman. Everyone in this movie brings their A-game, from Annabelle Wallis as the main protagonist, so supporting players like Maddie Hasson as Sydney Lake, George Young as Detective Kekoa Shaw, McKenna Grace as the younger Emily May, and the combination of physical performer Marina Mazepa and voice actor Ray Chase as Gabriel. As dark as this movie can get when dealing with themes of repressed trauma, screenwriter Akela Cooper, known previously for her work in television and the 2018 slasher Hell Fest, adds a nice touch of camp to the material. This is one of the reasons why both the opening scene and the entire third act are as memorable as they are, and why I'm thankful that the marketing gave none of this away. Without completely spoiling the third act, I'll just say that I want to see more of that in the future, and I hope studios are brave enough to give filmmakers the level of freedom as Wan was given here.” - Captain Kaye
Alright, that’ll do it for now! Keep a weather eye on the horizon, special thanks to all our guests for joining (you can check out Gwen’s YouTube channel right here), as well as Jacob for editing this episode, and we’ll see you guys in the next episode!
