Search

Search only in certain items:

The Incredibles 2 (2018)
The Incredibles 2 (2018)
2018 | Action, Animation, Comedy
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...
  
40x40

Erika (17788 KP) Nov 10, 2018

Your last paragraph just made me laugh out loud....

40x40

Beth Showman (2 KP) Apr 17, 2019

awesome movie

The Mummy Returns (2001)
The Mummy Returns (2001)
2001 | Action, Horror, Mystery
7
7.0 (26 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Brendan Fraser (6 more)
Rachel Weiss
John Hannah
Oded Fehr
Arnold Vosloo
Continuity of cast
Not as good as the first one, but still better than the next....
Introduction of concepts and elements that weren't present in the first - reincarnation, Rick's tattoo and it's significance, etc (1 more)
The Scorpion King's introduction looks like a PS2 cutscene.
A solid sequel
This is a solid sequel, even if it falls short of the mark set by it's predecessor. The entire (surviving) cast returns, which I appreciate in a franchise, and the story mostly delivers. There are a few frustrating elements, such as all of a sudden adding concepts such as reincarnation (especially given that the concurring reveal would have been relevant to the story of the first film) or Rick's tattoo that he's had since his childhood, except that he didn't have it in the first movie. Where this film really falls short, though, is a couple bad animation moments. Mostly the film is a lot like the first in terms of effects - decent animation for 2002, if occasionally dated, but a couple of sequences are jarringly bad, especially the Rock's entrance as the Scorpion King. Is it enough to keep me from watching? No. But I still cringe at that point every time.
  
Doctor Sleep (2019)
Doctor Sleep (2019)
2019 | Horror
What-time-d'you-call-this-then Shining sequel/follow-up doesn't have the magisterial formal brilliance of Kubrick, but scores consistently for solid storytelling and simple entertainment value. Many years on from the nastiness in the snow, Dan Torrance has tried to put his special faculties to good use, working in a hospice. However, a gifted young girl he has befriended becomes the target of a pack of inhuman killers who feed on the souls of psychics, and he finds himself compelled to intervene. Faced with a terrifying enemy, he finds he may have to make a reservation at a certain hotel.

The prospect of a two-and-a-half-hour sequel to a Kubrick movie, made by someone I hadn't really heard of gave me pause, to be honest, but Doctor Sleep rapidly develops into an engrossing and satisfying dark fantasy, with mostly good performances and impressive set piece sequences. Most impressive is the way it works hard to stand on its own merits, saving all the crowd-pleasing Shining references until late on, by which time it feels like it's earned them - almost. It's still probably self-indulgently overlong, and the climax likewise feels a bit overcooked, but this is still a cut above the majority of Stephen King movies.
  
Cube 2: Hypercube (2002)
Cube 2: Hypercube (2002)
2002 | Sci-Fi
3
5.1 (7 Ratings)
Movie Rating
A little too out there
The first Cube film for me was always an underrated low budget cult classic, and definitely a precursor for the likes of Saw etc. The original was a great idea with just enough maths and science to make it believable and not completely ridiculous. Sadly the same can’t be said about this sequel.

They’ve gone far too over the top on the science that whilst it does make some sense, it makes the whole idea of the cube a completely silly and ridiculous idea. And the ending itself as far as the cube goes is just laughably bizarre. There’s also the general plot and story, which seems to have left out all of the bits from the original that made it interesting - like the scary traps and numbered doors. Some of the characters are interesting, others are just carbon copies from the original or completely pointless and forgettable. You can tell they’ve got a bigger budget with the amount of CGI in this, it’s just a shame it’s rather poor and lacks the punch of the physical traps used in the original.

This is a rather sorry excuse for a sequel, and not one I’d recommend watching. The third film and prequel Cube Zero is a much better watch.
  
40x40

Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Venom (2018) in Movies

Feb 14, 2020 (Updated Feb 14, 2020)  
Venom (2018)
Venom (2018)
2018 | Action, Sci-Fi
They Ain't Gonna Know What Hit 'em
Venom- was okay, i mean we finally got a venom movie. We finally got a good looking venom. We got a small cameo by she-venom which was nice, but hopefully in the sequel we get more than 5-10 seconds of screen time of she-venom. Also in the sequel we are getting carange, which was teased in the post-credit sence at the end of this movie, with Woody Harrison weird and fake red wig. Tom Hardy was a better eddie brock than Topher Grace. So thats good. Just feel like both Tom Hardy and Michelle Williams were both wasted in this film. Their are such both great/excellent actors, and their just wasted in this film.

The plot: Journalist Eddie Brock is trying to take down Carlton Drake, the notorious and brilliant founder of the Life Foundation. While investigating one of Drake's experiments, Eddie's body merges with the alien Venom -- leaving him with superhuman strength and power. Twisted, dark and fueled by rage, Venom tries to control the new and dangerous abilities that Eddie finds so intoxicating.

I cant really anything else about Venom, its just okay overall and hopefullt venom 2 is better.
  
A Quiet Place: Part II (2021)
A Quiet Place: Part II (2021)
2021 | Horror, Thriller
A Quiet Place Part II is a wonderful example of a sequel done right. Everything that made the first one such a tense and fulfilling thriller experience is still present and correct, but Part II builds on those elements in every way.
The younger actors are fantastic, especial Millicent Simmonds. She essentially takes the lead this time around, and the film is richer for it. The narrative isn't too different to be honest, but it does expand on the general lore of the series and flirts a little with how the apocalypse came to be, something I wanted to see for sure.
With this sequel comes a bigger budget, and it certainly shows. The aliens look great, and the action is more abundant and chaotic. This is also a slight criticism - the set pieces are well done and entertaining, but it does mean that the quiet intensity of the first movie is pushed to the wayside a little. It's still there, but sits out more than I would have liked.

It's hard to say whether Part II is a superior film to it's predecessor or not, but as a pair of films, they make for a fantastic double viewing. I'm excited to see what comes next.
  
    Trial Xtreme 2 Free

    Trial Xtreme 2 Free

    Games

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    Top chart - #1 Racing game in more than 15 countries! With over 50,000,000 downloads for the Trial...

40x40

Sarah (7798 KP) rated Beyond Broadhall in Books

Aug 24, 2020  
Beyond Broadhall
Beyond Broadhall
Keith A Pearson | 2017 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
A fitting sequel
I was that excited to read this book that I’ve read and finished it across the space of 2 evenings, and that was purely because I made myself put it down on the first evening!

Like the first book, i struggled to put this down. It’s full of humour and heartwarming relationships, whilst Craig Pelling again tries to repair his damaged and broken life. I actually nearly shed a tear or two on more than one occasion. After the ending of the first book there’s really only a limited number of ways this sequel can pan out and this is the only real negative - unlike the first book which shocked me with how it ended, Beyond Broadhall is a tad predictable. That said, it’s the journey that matters in this book. Not everything pans out the way you’d expect and the entertainment stems from the investment you have in Craig. He really is a lovable and endearing character. I will admit that the ending of this book is making a tad cheesy and overly sweet and schmaltzy, but it’s nice to read how it turns out for Craig in the end. It’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed reading a book series as much as this one!