Shadow in the Cloud movie review

The movie is currently available in select theaters and for rent or purchase on Fandango Now, Google Play, and iTunes.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 23 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: C-

IN A NUTSHELL:

This quirky film is part horror, action, fantasy, and war movie. And yes, of course, it’s another movie about female empowerment. Some critics are describing the movie as pulp ridiculousness, yet still a fun ride. They’re right.

If you’re looking for realism, skip this one. If you want mindless nonsense to distract you from Covid and are willing to suspend your disbelief, here you go!

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Tons of profanity and F-bombs
Super crude, sexist language, and conversations
You see a baby nursing on a woman’s breast.

THEMES:

Anti-sexism
Tenacity, persistence
Infidelity
Being proactive
Motherhood

THINGS I LIKED:

I’ve always been a fan of Chloe Grace Moretz. She does a great job in this crazy film and is perfectly suited for the role with her physicality from Kick-Ass and natural appeal. She looks great and gave a fierce performance. The majority of Acts 1 & 2 feature only Chloe in the small belly gunner of an airplane communicating with the rest of the crew over an intercom system. I wondered if the entire movie was going to be that way, but Act 3 really opens up.
I loved the cartoon announcement opener, in the beginning, to really give you a sense of watching the movies during WWII in America.
It’s delightfully unpredictable.
It’s impressive how anyone can make a movie in such tight spaces.
The airplane is appropriately named “The Fool’s Errand.”
Keep watching during the rolling credits to see real footage of female pilots during the war and in later decades. During WWII, the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) was created by the Air Force providing female pilots to fly fighters, bombers, spotters, and non-combat transporters.
It made me laugh to see the look on the faces of the guys when they see her do something super fierce and crazy as if they are actually afraid of her because she was such a bada$$.
A lot of World War II movies use color grading that is desaturated and this one does too, giving it a look of a much older film.
The film does a great job building tension until it becomes laughable.
Fun fact: There is a real Maude Garrett in the entertainment industry but the movie is not based on her. Her name was used because it sounded old-fashioned and fitting for the time period.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

There is a lot of screaming that will make you laugh.
Chloe’s British accent isn’t very good and I was rolling my eyes, but then you learn later on in the story why that’s so and I actually bought it.
The music is super annoying at one part of the movie which completely distracted me and pulled me out of the film.
The crude language and dialogue are extreme and even downright offensive and exhausting.
The special effects are not that great and you can actually tell when green screens have been used in certain scenes.
There are quite a few over-the-top action scenes that are just laughable.
The plot is absurd.
The reveal of what’s in the top-secret box was disappointing and ridiculous.
The movie completely disregards the law of physics.
You’ll laugh AT the movie more than WITH the movie.
Max Landis was completely distanced from the film due to the sexual harassment allegations made against him. The screenplay was heavily rewritten by the director, Roseanne Liang.