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Film and stuff (30 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) in Movies
May 15, 2019
Better than prequels. Not so much the originals.
Starring: John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver and Harrison Ford.
With the weight of the entire franchise and fans who have been burnt once before, Abrams had a monumental task to achieve in revitalising the Star Wars saga. Having had a huge amount of success with Star Trek, Abrams was the obvious choice for Disney.
With elements from all three of the original films and completely ignoring the second trilogy in every way it could, it would appear that 'The force Awakens' knew what it was doing, with enough nostalgia to take anyone back to the 70's.
Unfortunately that's where things go wrong.
The film shifts tone with such regularity it just seems confused and panicked as to what needs to be done. Instead of moments of humour and clever nods to the previous films, it vomits bucket loads of both which is more distracting than entertaining.
This is possibly the closest you can get to a remake without calling it a remake, where the ethos just seems to be "make it the same but bigger."
Instead of a continuation of the story, we are offered a setting up film. Don't we have six of those?
With the weight of the entire franchise and fans who have been burnt once before, Abrams had a monumental task to achieve in revitalising the Star Wars saga. Having had a huge amount of success with Star Trek, Abrams was the obvious choice for Disney.
With elements from all three of the original films and completely ignoring the second trilogy in every way it could, it would appear that 'The force Awakens' knew what it was doing, with enough nostalgia to take anyone back to the 70's.
Unfortunately that's where things go wrong.
The film shifts tone with such regularity it just seems confused and panicked as to what needs to be done. Instead of moments of humour and clever nods to the previous films, it vomits bucket loads of both which is more distracting than entertaining.
This is possibly the closest you can get to a remake without calling it a remake, where the ethos just seems to be "make it the same but bigger."
Instead of a continuation of the story, we are offered a setting up film. Don't we have six of those?
Lewis John Hatchett (23 KP) rated Aladdin (2019) in Movies
May 23, 2019 (Updated May 23, 2019)
Unexpectedly Fun
As a fan of the original 1992 animated film, I came into this film with not much hype but enough that I'd come out enjoying the film. I came our of the film loving it.
The story is pretty much the same as the original but director Guy Ritchie has fleshed out the story extending it with a couple of songs (I'm hoping written by Tim Rice) that are slotted in perfectly.
Guy Ritchie does what he does best and mixes a perfect blend of action, comedic humor and family fun, as he's done in his previous films.
Now the pressing question of Will Smith's portrayal of the Genie. I was sceptical about it at first but the more I watched the trailer for the film the more I adjusted to him. I'm a full fledged fan of the late and great Robin Williams' version of the Genie and Will Smith's version is a perfect interpretation of that character (with some nods to William's animated classic) so I say well done to Mr Smith.
Overall I certainly recommend the film for all fans, old and new, and definitely say go see it and (pardon the pun) experience a whole new world. 9/10
The story is pretty much the same as the original but director Guy Ritchie has fleshed out the story extending it with a couple of songs (I'm hoping written by Tim Rice) that are slotted in perfectly.
Guy Ritchie does what he does best and mixes a perfect blend of action, comedic humor and family fun, as he's done in his previous films.
Now the pressing question of Will Smith's portrayal of the Genie. I was sceptical about it at first but the more I watched the trailer for the film the more I adjusted to him. I'm a full fledged fan of the late and great Robin Williams' version of the Genie and Will Smith's version is a perfect interpretation of that character (with some nods to William's animated classic) so I say well done to Mr Smith.
Overall I certainly recommend the film for all fans, old and new, and definitely say go see it and (pardon the pun) experience a whole new world. 9/10
Paul dixon (6 KP) rated Aladdin (2019) in Movies
Jun 11, 2019
Hi all. I must admit I , like a lot of others, was a bit skeptic when the first trailer for this appeared. My wife downright refused to watch it as the original animated version is one of her favourites. However she eventually came round and we popped along to give it a whirl.
While comparisons to the original are inevitable, this version should be watched as a stand alone movie and not a reboot. It’s great fun from start to finish. It looks great, obviously a lot of money has been spent on sets, costumes and effects, and Will Smith is great as the genie. He doesn’t try to out do robin williams, he makes the character his own and does his own thing.
The one thing that does let it down are the new songs. They aren’t in the same league as the other, more well known songs and to me seem forced into the movie. I had forgot all about them before leaving the cinema, they definitely won’t be held in such high esteem as the other songs, a friend like me etc.
Overall go see it, make up your own mind and forget the trailer even exists
While comparisons to the original are inevitable, this version should be watched as a stand alone movie and not a reboot. It’s great fun from start to finish. It looks great, obviously a lot of money has been spent on sets, costumes and effects, and Will Smith is great as the genie. He doesn’t try to out do robin williams, he makes the character his own and does his own thing.
The one thing that does let it down are the new songs. They aren’t in the same league as the other, more well known songs and to me seem forced into the movie. I had forgot all about them before leaving the cinema, they definitely won’t be held in such high esteem as the other songs, a friend like me etc.
Overall go see it, make up your own mind and forget the trailer even exists
Awix (3310 KP) rated Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) in Movies
Mar 24, 2018 (Updated Mar 25, 2018)
Final movie in the first Godzilla series often gets some stick for supposedly killing off the original continuity, but is actually not that bad. Bacofoil-wearing aliens team up with mad scientist and his cyborg daughter to conquer the world; there are many opportunities for evil laughter at the planning meetings. The usual strategy of using giant monsters as invasion weapons is employed, despite it having utterly failed in at least five previous movies.
Original director Honda comes back and at least ensures this film has a degree of dignity and craft to it: pretty good monster suits and model work, but the back projection is terrible. There's slightly more focus on character than usual (particularly that of the tragic cyborg girl), which the film seems unsure how to handle. To be honest, one of the main problems is that it's not really about Godzilla any more - he just turns up to fight the bad guys at the end and everyone else takes him for granted. By no means the worst Godzilla movie even of the 1970s, but you can see why Toho decided to take a break. Best line (possibly in the whole of cinema): 'Please kill me - Mechagodzilla's brain is installed in my stomach!'
Original director Honda comes back and at least ensures this film has a degree of dignity and craft to it: pretty good monster suits and model work, but the back projection is terrible. There's slightly more focus on character than usual (particularly that of the tragic cyborg girl), which the film seems unsure how to handle. To be honest, one of the main problems is that it's not really about Godzilla any more - he just turns up to fight the bad guys at the end and everyone else takes him for granted. By no means the worst Godzilla movie even of the 1970s, but you can see why Toho decided to take a break. Best line (possibly in the whole of cinema): 'Please kill me - Mechagodzilla's brain is installed in my stomach!'
Awix (3310 KP) rated Star Trek Beyond (2016) in Movies
Feb 25, 2018 (Updated Feb 25, 2018)
'You know what the problem is with this Star Trek movie script for the 50th anniversary Star Trek movie,' said the studio executives to the writers of this film. 'It's just a bit too Star Trek-y. Go away and make the new Star Trek film less like Star Trek.' Well, heaven forbid a Star Trek film should actually be Star Trek-y. One imagines that the studio was pretty happy with the finished product, as it is certainly not very Star Trek-y. It's a bit Star Wars-y and very Guardians of the Galaxy-y, to the point where you wonder why they bothered putting the Star Trek name on this at all.
Well, okay, as a knockabout sci-fi adventure it is not too bad, I suppose, but very undistinguished and really lacking in its own identity. The karaoke performances of some of the cast as the original Star Trek characters are also impressively faithful. But the fact remains that while you're watching it, the only bits which carry any kind of emotional resonance are the ones inherited from previous iterations of the franchise, and you never forget that. An indifferent tribute to the original series; as a celebration of Star Trek as a whole, really poor.
Well, okay, as a knockabout sci-fi adventure it is not too bad, I suppose, but very undistinguished and really lacking in its own identity. The karaoke performances of some of the cast as the original Star Trek characters are also impressively faithful. But the fact remains that while you're watching it, the only bits which carry any kind of emotional resonance are the ones inherited from previous iterations of the franchise, and you never forget that. An indifferent tribute to the original series; as a celebration of Star Trek as a whole, really poor.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Cloverfield Paradox (2018) in Movies
Feb 11, 2018
Totally unnecessary
What have we done to deserve yet another Cloverfield film? The first one was a surprise hit, but all these sequels/spin offs or whatever you want to call them are doing is cheapening the original.
This has a great cast, who are sadly very mis-used. The majority of the characters are undeveloped and those that aren't have slightly vague and irrational motivations. The sfx are okay although i think some of the physical props and costumes could have been better. The main issue with this film though is the plot. It is a little bit ridiculous and very confused. It uses alternate dimensions and realities as a general explanation for a load of weird things going on, which is such a poor justification and doesn't work. It seems to throw in as many sci-fi film cliches as it possibly can along with some oddly placed humour.
And the link to Cloverfield itself is there, albeit inferred until right at the end. And it doesn't quite go so far as explaining how this fits with the original film timeline wise and just isn't necessary. This is yet another stunning example of a completely pointless sequel/spin off.
This has a great cast, who are sadly very mis-used. The majority of the characters are undeveloped and those that aren't have slightly vague and irrational motivations. The sfx are okay although i think some of the physical props and costumes could have been better. The main issue with this film though is the plot. It is a little bit ridiculous and very confused. It uses alternate dimensions and realities as a general explanation for a load of weird things going on, which is such a poor justification and doesn't work. It seems to throw in as many sci-fi film cliches as it possibly can along with some oddly placed humour.
And the link to Cloverfield itself is there, albeit inferred until right at the end. And it doesn't quite go so far as explaining how this fits with the original film timeline wise and just isn't necessary. This is yet another stunning example of a completely pointless sequel/spin off.
FilmIntuition (33 KP) rated Darius the Great is Not Okay in Books
Sep 15, 2018
A Wholly Original Debut
Though it takes a little bit for the action to pick up in author Adib Khorram's debut work, much like the titular protagonist in this young adult coming-of-age novel, great things come both to Darius as well as the patient readers who wait.
Bursting with vivid imagery and a wholly original first-person point-of-view right from the start, Darius the Great is Not Okay - about a half Persian, half Caucasian teenager who travels with his family to visit his maternal grandparents for the first time in Iran - is sure to be one of the genre's breakout successes of 2018.
A timely, fresh, and relatable character driven work, the book centers on Darius Kellner's search for that one place in which he fits.
Understanding the complexity of being a teenager, Adib Khorram tackles Darius Kellner's "outsider" status from a variety of perspectives bound to ring true to readers from envying his younger sister's relationship with his father to being bullied or ridiculed on two continents.
Finding a true friend in the last place he expected, which causes him to learn more about himself in the process, Darius the Great's sensitivity and commitment to the people on and off the page makes it a standout for Fall.
Bursting with vivid imagery and a wholly original first-person point-of-view right from the start, Darius the Great is Not Okay - about a half Persian, half Caucasian teenager who travels with his family to visit his maternal grandparents for the first time in Iran - is sure to be one of the genre's breakout successes of 2018.
A timely, fresh, and relatable character driven work, the book centers on Darius Kellner's search for that one place in which he fits.
Understanding the complexity of being a teenager, Adib Khorram tackles Darius Kellner's "outsider" status from a variety of perspectives bound to ring true to readers from envying his younger sister's relationship with his father to being bullied or ridiculed on two continents.
Finding a true friend in the last place he expected, which causes him to learn more about himself in the process, Darius the Great's sensitivity and commitment to the people on and off the page makes it a standout for Fall.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) in Movies
Oct 19, 2018
Completely unnecessary
The original Nightmare on a Elm Street is a classic, so a reboot was always going to be a risky choice. There are parts of this that are actually not too bad, it’s just a shame the rest of the film is a mess.
So story wise, this does have a few nods to the original but yet also expands on the back story behind Freddy, which is definitely a good thing. The amount of gore is still very much present and a lot of the special effects are quite good, although there is a few dodgy patches of CGI. They’ve made Freddy very scary and creepy in this, and gotten rid of the jokes and humour, which really does work. The problem is that Jackie Earle Haley just isn’t Freddy. There was something about him, his look, that really didn’t work for me. And the rest of the casting wasn’t great either - I have no idea what Rooney Mara was doing in this but she was not likeable at all as Nancy. The story faltered too in the second half and dragged on, to the point where it became very boring. And the ending wasn’t a surprise. Yet another unnecessary reboot.
So story wise, this does have a few nods to the original but yet also expands on the back story behind Freddy, which is definitely a good thing. The amount of gore is still very much present and a lot of the special effects are quite good, although there is a few dodgy patches of CGI. They’ve made Freddy very scary and creepy in this, and gotten rid of the jokes and humour, which really does work. The problem is that Jackie Earle Haley just isn’t Freddy. There was something about him, his look, that really didn’t work for me. And the rest of the casting wasn’t great either - I have no idea what Rooney Mara was doing in this but she was not likeable at all as Nancy. The story faltered too in the second half and dragged on, to the point where it became very boring. And the ending wasn’t a surprise. Yet another unnecessary reboot.
Caitlin Ann Cherniak (85 KP) rated Go Set A Watchman in Books
Oct 22, 2018
I was very disappointed in this book. I read To Kill a Mockingbird in high school, and it became one of my favorite books of all time because it tackled many issues of the time through the eyes of a child and it gave us one of Gregory Peck's most memorable characters of all time, Atticus Finch.
This book doesn't even sound like a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird. The cozy atmosphere is not there. The town drama is not there. Atticus Finch is now a washed up body in the book. The old characters are not there, or at least, not mentioned that often. Even Scout, or her real name Jean Louise, became hateable (I know that's not word), and that upsets me because Scout was a really awesome character from the original book. How do you turn a curious child into a twat? I would love to know!
I'm so angry because how does someone set up an American classic for failure like this? I'm sorry, Harper Lee. I still love you for the original known as To Kill a Mockingbird, but Go Set a Watchman did not do justice, not by a long shot.
This book doesn't even sound like a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird. The cozy atmosphere is not there. The town drama is not there. Atticus Finch is now a washed up body in the book. The old characters are not there, or at least, not mentioned that often. Even Scout, or her real name Jean Louise, became hateable (I know that's not word), and that upsets me because Scout was a really awesome character from the original book. How do you turn a curious child into a twat? I would love to know!
I'm so angry because how does someone set up an American classic for failure like this? I'm sorry, Harper Lee. I still love you for the original known as To Kill a Mockingbird, but Go Set a Watchman did not do justice, not by a long shot.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Incredibles 2 (2018) in Movies
Nov 10, 2018
A good sequel
I’ll be honest, the first Incredibles film was one of my least favourite Pixar films. Not because it was bad, but like Cars it never really appealed to me very much. But I’m pleased to say that I actually enjoyed the sequel much more than the original.
The plot itself is very similar to the original but with dad Bob being left at home to look after the kids. And for me, this is where most of the enjoyment and humour comes from this film. Watching Bob deal with the kids and Jack-Jack’s uncontrollable powers, and getting increasingly more frazzled, is a delight to watch. Indeed it’s Jack-Jack who is the star of this film and without him, this film would have actually been quite dull. Don’t get me wrong, the animation is top notch as you’d expect from Pixar, but the rest of the plot is a little bit predictable and unfortunately there have been far too many superhero films lately and this doesn’t feel like anything new.
That said, this is still a Pixar film and ultimately good, and will always be a lot more enjoyable than watching one of the latest DC films...
The plot itself is very similar to the original but with dad Bob being left at home to look after the kids. And for me, this is where most of the enjoyment and humour comes from this film. Watching Bob deal with the kids and Jack-Jack’s uncontrollable powers, and getting increasingly more frazzled, is a delight to watch. Indeed it’s Jack-Jack who is the star of this film and without him, this film would have actually been quite dull. Don’t get me wrong, the animation is top notch as you’d expect from Pixar, but the rest of the plot is a little bit predictable and unfortunately there have been far too many superhero films lately and this doesn’t feel like anything new.
That said, this is still a Pixar film and ultimately good, and will always be a lot more enjoyable than watching one of the latest DC films...
