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Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
2013 | Action, Sci-Fi
Story: Thor: The Dark World starts as Thor (Hemsworth) must restore the power in Asgard after Loki’s (Hiddleston) actions, this has made him in the position he should be, waiting to take over his father Odin’s (Hopkins) role. Meanwhile on Earth Jane (Portman) is trying to move with her life, but in London she discovers an unusual series of events which ends up taking her to Elf world.

When Jane becomes cursed, Thor takes her to Asgard to find a cure, which gives Malekith (Eccleston) a chance to lead his army back into combat so he can return the universe back to darkness. Thor must turn to Loki t help him defeat Malekith and save the universe.

 

Thoughts on Thor: The Dark World

 

Characters – Thor is once again preparing to take his throne in Asgard, he has restored faith in the nine realms, but he still misses Jane. When she becomes cursed, he returns to Earth to save her, which only brings back an ancient enemy to the Asgardians in the Dark Elves, he must disobey his father once again to end the threat and save the woman he loves. Jane is trying to get on with her life now, her research has taken her to London where she is trying to get over Thor, her investigation sees her cursed and taken to Asgard to learn about Thor’s home world. Loki is locked up for his actions, after his mother is murdered, Thor turns to him for help to get vengeance. Malekith is the leader of the Dark Elves, he has waited for his chance to bring the universe into darkness once again, killing Frigga the mother of Thor.

Performances – Chris Hemsworth continues to make Thor one of the most entertaining character in the universe. Natalie Portman was known to not be interested in being in the film, it does show in her performance which does disappoint. Tom Hiddleston brings another dimension to his character here which is only going to make him a more loved character. Christopher Eccleston does give us a basic villain, one that is only after power and is mostly under make up, making his performance harder to judge.

Story – The story here follows Thor on his latest adventure, one where he must face an ancient enemy who wants to put the universe into darkness, while finally returning to Jane who has become cursed by the Dark Elves magic. This is another sequel that does address the previous films in the franchise by showing the hints the Thor and Loki could still rebuild their bond even after what Loki has done, we address forbidden relationships between Thor and Jane, have a villain that is obsessed with power, though isn’t the most three-dimensional and see Thor needing to learn more about his responsibilities as a potential king. This is everything you would expect a sequel to be in this universe.

Action/Fantasy – The action involved in this film is mostly big CGI chases sequences between spacecrafts, we do get Thor doing the hammer routine which works well enough for the film. the fantasy side of the film continues to build on the idea that the worlds above have been fighting longer than people could imagine with fresh enemies waiting in the shadows.

Settings – The film uses Asgard, the home world of the Dark Elves and London as the main settings, each has its own action sequences which also shows what Thor is fighting for.

Special Effects – The effects are not as strong as previous films, but we do get some very impressive scenes none the less, the certain moments of weakness do hold the marks up though,


Scene of the Movie – London battle.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The villain isn’t as interesting as previous ones.

Final Thoughts – This is still an entertaining sequel, it might not be as strong as some of the previous films, but it entertains throughout.

 

Overall: Fantasy Filled Sequel.
  
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
1968 | Family, Musical, Sci-Fi
Contains spoilers, click to show
This was the first time that I've seen this children's classic since I was a child, and I suppose that I'd hoped that it would live up to its reputation. In all fairness though, I din't like it that much when I was a child, if I'm honest and my children, though some DO like it, others seemed to have mixed feelings. At best, it's likable but never lovable and at worst, it just isn't liked at all.

So, as an adult I watched this loose adaptation of James Bond's, Ian Flemming's novel, with every good intention, but in the end was left disappointed. Firstly, at 2 hours and 20 minutes long, it feels like an epic, and a completely unnecessary one at that. Its intermission is turned into a Batfink or Adam West's Batman styled cliffhanger rather than a thematic or narrative break that it traditionally should have been, even going so far as to recap the action in the second act!

The songs weren't great either, generally bordering on tedium rather than holding my interest. The story seems to be a little off kilter too, with a seemingly fatal crash destroying the eponymous car before its eventual restoration by Dick van Dyke. This was the culmination of a five-minute title sequence showcasing the early Grand Prix's of 1907 and '08 which for a family film seemed to drag somewhat.

But after an hour of songs and character development, we finally take off in the flying car to the fantasy land of Vulgaria, only for the whole experience to be a fantastical story told by Van Dyke's, Caractacus Potts! All in all, this was a strange film, but not in an entertaining way like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, the connection being Roald Dahl's involvement with the screenplay, but in a rather boring way, with events just seeing to happen without any really cause or need. One hour of story, then another one of fantasy. How many other films can boast this kind narrative twist and get away with it. It just seemed to be indulgent and plodding.

It would defiantly have been improved if the car was actually magical and did actually take them on this adventure rather than suggesting that it is perfectly okay to sing and dance around the real world but it's a stretch too far to have a flying car! It should have been a fantasy through and through rather than six of one and half a dozen of the other.

Ultimately, Overrated in my opinion and since the view of FOUR children, boys and girls ranging from 7 – 15, is that it's watchable rather than fully enjoyable, I suspect that this film is being viewed through rose tinted glasses.
  
The Crystal Flame
The Crystal Flame
Shirley Ponthieu McCoy | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Crystal Flame by Shirley Ponthieu McCoy
The Crystal Flame starts off as a tale about two opposites - fire and ice, or Finn and Lyssa as they are known in this book. For reasons unknown (at the time), Finn has travelled to find Lyssa. It turns out that he thinks that she could be his wife and partner. The one person who can help him control his flame, the same as he helps her control her ice. Working together, they both gain control over their powers, as well as fall in love. However, and it's quite a big however, Finn has left his own kingdom behind, in the care of his best friend and advisor, and his sick mother. And just what are they supposed to do when a coup takes place? Fight back of course, in any way they can!

This book held my interest from the very beginning, but it quickly became apparent that it wasn't 'just' a romance, but had action, adventure, subterfuge, betrayal, and all other wonderful things going on. There were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. The story itself flowed, with a smooth pace from one setting and situation to the next. All of the characters, whether you liked or loathed them, were well-rounded and fully believable.

This story was a delight to read, and I absolutely recommend it for all #Fantasy fans out there.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
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Merissa (13123 KP) rated Fallen Autumn in Books

Dec 17, 2018  
FA
Fallen Autumn
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
First of all, I'm not exactly sure what genre to put this book in as it could be so many - young adult, fiction, fantasy, mythology, action, adventure, nature/environment - either way, it was absolutely brilliant. A slow burner, yes, but absolutely brilliant.

There are parts of the story taken from Greek mythology, fairy tales, Noah's ark and somehow they all seem to fit together perfectly.

The book asks you the question of when will we stop treating the earth as something which owes us and when we will start trying to preserve what we have and to bring back what we have lost but it does it in such a way that you don't feel bashed over the head with it.

The journey for Petra as she learns who she is and what she needs to do is amazing. She has the support of her lifelong friend Ty and recent frenemy, Isabel, as well as that of her grandmother, Demi. You learn how Petra's fate and that of the Polar Bear Queen, Nanuk, are intermingled and you will hold your breath as Petra tries to get to help in time. There was one part of the story that I had to re-read, this time with a tissue wiping away my tears before they could block the words out. And it only got worse when I read the epilogue of the book and saw that this part was based on fact - which I can remember watching on the news.

This is a story to be told and I'm really hoping that there will be another installment! Wonderful.
  
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