The story beats are as basic as i don't know what, the ending is laughably predictable and the performances barely passable. Seen strictly as a revenge movie however, it's immensely satisfying. It's Home Alone for grown ups.
The fact that it's quite gory doesn't hurt either.
"Put that cookie down. NOW!"
That is Arnold Schwarzenegger's best line ever.
This movie was everything I hoped it would be. Waited 19 years for it. Definitely not disappointed.
This was actually the worst movie I've ever seen.
A movie that never justifies its existence.
I have a lot of respect for what John Favreau did with The Jungle Book.
He managed to do something that every remake should aim for, but usually fails to do: improve upon its original.
This, however, is the exact same movie.
There was zero effort put into improving things, or even do anything different, for that matter.
And to some degree, I get it: the original is almost sacred to some people, and they’ll act autistically if you change too much.
There’s also an upside to that, which some critics don’t pick up on: if a story works in 1994, it still works in 2019.
But you could at the very least try some different shot compositions, or different music cues, or anything to not make this movie completely creatively hollow.
Yes, it looks just like a Discovery documentary.
At the same time, the realism strips the expressiveness of the animals away, so those things cancel each other out.
There’s just no reason to watch this over the original.
5.5/10
Visually impressive. Nothing else is though.
Tries hard to be deeper than it is.
Honestly after all the fuss, all the hype, all the money spent to finish this...we’ve essentially got basically the exact same movie.
Sure this fixes some of the issues with the theatrical version, removing the kinda pointless Russian family scenes for example. However instead it replaces them with other unnecessary scenes, like the Flash saving a woman who I think is supposed to be Iris West not that she ever says her name or does this have any bearing on the rest of the movie. Sprinkle in a little bit of Darkside where he wasn’t before and pad out with long slow mo sequences motion and establishment shots.
I’m not saying this is terrible, it’s not, just most of what works is already present in the theatrical cut, its just stretched out. I thought the theatrical was fine a 6/10 with some issues...this cut is the same a 6/10 improves on some aspects but is just a bit too long and replaces the old issues with slightly different ones.
Between these two different versions is a good 7/10 2 and a half to 3 hour movie somewhere.
Charlie day as Luigi and Jack black as bowser. Suddenly this is one of my most anticipated films of the year.
Finally a movie the brings the best of the east with a Hollywood favor. I love Asian movies that are just huge and entertaining with Epic battles and fantastic cinematography.
Matt Damon & Pedro Pascal played their roles perfectly around a fantastic cast of Chinese Actors like Hanyu Zhang and the likes. The mix was great and they pulled it off right, for once it didn't look like a cheap knock of a Hollywood Blockbuster!
Must watch for any fans of this Genre.
Let's hope for a sequel because they did the story justice, an unexpected twist which I enjoyed.
If you were to look up "mindfuck" in the dictionary, the dictionary woud bitchslap you into a coma then proceed to surgically insert The End of Evangelion DVD straight into your brain.
Overall, the movie was kinda bad. It has some good easter eggs (tho some of them are nonsense), but also too many cheesy-one liners noding the games (you know, "flawless victory", "fatality", "finish him"), kinda force them into it just to look cool. The acting was meh (except for Sanada, who seems the only one who can actually act); the story was rushed and without too much development. I liked they included some less-known characters like Reiko, Kabal and Nitara. The only cool thing is that the keep their promise on the bloody/gore side, so at least we had that. No more than a 5 over 10
The few seconds of return to childhood at the end was not worth the hour plus of bratty, violent, hypersexualized preteens you had to sit through to get there. Realistic depiction of some girls? Sure. I remember girls like that. But meaningful writing or filming to leave you feeling educated or wanting to act in some positive way to make a difference? Nope. You just can’t figure out why anyone let their kids do this film or how anyone could film it and not question why half the (very creepy) shots were necessary. I kept hoping it would redeem itself and the online outrage people had without seeing it was dramatic, but I’m going to have to say it was pretty spot on, unfortunately.
This was... great?!? I thought it would be a cheap nostalgia grab, but I couldn't have been more wrong. A fun, often hilarious movie that shows a hell of a lot of heart and does justice to the movies before it. Great feel-good movie, and just what the world needs in 2020.
Quite possibly my favourite comedy. I have seen this more than a dozen times and yet, it simply doesn't get old.
Mmmm yessss well... I'm going to need you to watch this ok? That'd be greeeat.
It is hard to come to a film like Psycho without at least some awareness of the likely surprises in store - the famous moment in the shower is so indelible in pop culture that it has lost its shock factor. Yet, in the context of the film it is still a surprising moment. What is so clever about Psycho is that the first half of the film suggests an entirely different genre and approach. Hitchcock creates a fascinating set-up and moral dilemma that keeps the audience intrigued so that by the time our heroine makes her decision to resolve this issue, you could be forgiven for forgetting the title of the film. But it is the arrival at the Bates Motel and Perkins’ entrance that immediately signals a change in tone, specifically a fascinating conversation between Perkins and Leigh in the motel parlour. It is Perkins’s nuanced performance throughout the film that suggest both a softly spoken innocence and a creepy underlying darkness to Norman Bates, and this is never more clear than in his introduction, as the focus of the audience shifts from Leigh’s character to Perkins. There is little to be added to the already iconic shower scene other than it is a masterclass in editing, music and performance (the shot that pulls back from the victim’s eye is still both horrifying and utterly mesmerising). The second half of the film could have struggled to live up to this and to a certain extent it does, but in the ensuing investigation, Hitchcock of course has one or two more surprises in store that are best left unspoiled and Perkins’ performance ensured that the loss of one great character would not be detrimental to the overall film. It is a shame the final scene feels the need to over explain the events of the film, but the final shot certainly leaves a great impression.
You have to watch the show before seeing this and you have to watch this after watching the show. This is arguably the best anime movie ever. I will not pretend to be an expert but it has everything. The action sequences are a million times better than anything in the show (Asuka's fight is incredible), the music is amazing, the religious symbolism and complex background metaphors are stronger than ever, and it stays true to what the show set forth. To be honest, I thought the final episodes to the show were some of the best and in my opinion it didn't need another ending but I am glad they made this. They made an already amazing ending, perfect. Fair warning, the movie is hard to watch at points and after the end it will piss you off but as you think about it more and more it just gets better and better. Watch this, it's a strong 9/10
This was definitely more for Godzilla fans than it was for critics. It was way better than the 2014 film that got Certified Fresh. The film is just badass. Not perfect but....bad ass.
They do over-do the family drama again though. Especially when the family drama makes no sense. Mark Russel (Kyle Chandler) blames Godzilla for the death of his son. He wants all monsters dead.
Mark’s wife Emma (Vera Farmiga) says screw mankind. The monsters will cure the planet of Climate Change. So yeah in another words who cares if anyone else loses family members. Due to her plan to unleash all monsters.
Her daughter Madison (Millie Bobbie Brown) sticks with her. Despite her mom teaming with some bad men with guns. Who kill some nice scientists right in front of her. So yeah, Mark is the sanest one in that family.
Even if there’s too much of the humans and a silly plot. This is the best of the Hollywood Godzilla movies. Critics are just wrong. One even said the Roland Emmerich version is better. What drugs is that critic on ?
The battles are some of the best done of any monster vs monster battle. Unlike the first film this one has a ton of Godzilla history to it. It shows him way more and shows the character great respect.
Immensely fun, would go see it again.
I've been a sonic fan since Sonic 1 and 2 on the Genesis, enjoying both the comics and some TV shows as well. This FELT like sonic to me. It captured his confident attitude and gave him a backstory that was really touching and a great character motivation. Fans of the Mobius universe will recognize more references to the franchise, but this film is great for casual fans or even newbies to the franchise too.
The most jarring element for me was Jim Carrey's Robotnik. He didn't feel like any iteration of Robotnik or Eggman that I know. He was a fun character all the same but aside from his final costume he felt maybe 5-15% Robotnik throughout the movie.
The jokes were well done and there were times the wpile theater was in stitches. Lots of dad jokes, but the kind that makes you actually laugh.
Over all this is definitely a 10 for me, one I want to buy when it comes out and I am sorely hoping we get a sequel.
The kind of film that will make you think twice before beeping your horn at somebody. This is a crazy hell ride of a movie, and sadly, quite believable. Crowe is suitably unhinged, and his chilling menace makes the film worthwhile.
A master piece to show us what Christ suffered for our sins, for the salvation of the entire world.
This movie, right off the bat, makes some smart creative decisions: it doesn’t try to imitate the original too much, and it’s not a musical.
They even steer away from the usual Disney formula by taking away the funny sidekick.
And while the film is technically quite impressive (cinematography and score are top notch), I found it to be ultimately unengaging.
Also, there seems to be a correlation between big, feminist action movies and poor lead performances.
I mean, just do the math: Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel, and now Mulan.
Yes, I also find it important that more of these movies get made (not corporate, tame Disney films, but female driven action movies in general), but they deserve to be a lot better than this.
Problem is, if nobody sees it, chances are execs will take the wrong lesson from it, and think people don’t want to see female/Asian representation, or feminist themes.
So, we’re kinda fucked regardless, but I still don’t find that an excuse to give a heavy push to this mediocre movie, as I see some journalists doing.
5/10
Disgusting amounts of racism. The entire movie portrays white people as killers, Nazis, and politicians. And black people as 'the saviour's of the community' and a gross romanticsised view of gangs. Pay attention, you won't see one white person portrayed as helping the community, and you won't see one black person working with the government.
I also was disappointed at the amount of gorr or scare. I have seen a lot of shit, and this movie's darkest moments were absolutely basic and boring. An entire island can do anything they want, they wouldn't be nice. Society is far more degraded than this movie portrays, which disappointed me. I was expecting to see some realism, but experienced none of it.
(Note: This was the 70mm roadshow presentation of the film.)
This is a film about justice and tribalism and how the two lead to some strange, unsettling outcomes when the they are mixed together.
To the point, the film is filled with little moral thought experiments that underscore the idea of when we think it's wrong and right to kill, and explores how that's affected by which tribe they belong to. From Chris Mannix's tale of Major Warren burning down a prison, thereby killing a number of both Union and Confederate soldiers, to Warren himself goading General Smithers into trying to shoot him so he can shoot first, to Mobray's speech on dispassionate justice versus frontier justice, this is a film concerned with when dispensing lethal force is right.
But it's also concerned with how station and affiliation affect how others are treated and when something is truly just or honorable. Major West, despite his accomplishments and prowess, is derided and demeaned because of the color of his skin. Daisy Domergue is equal parts dismissed, patronized, and underestimated because she's a woman. It's no coincidence that one of the film's final scenes is a black former union soldier and a white rebel renegade cooperating to hang a woman in an excruciating fashion because it's the "right" way to honor a fallen comrade (who demeaned the both of them).
There's a lot to unpack in all of this. It's hard to say what Tarantino is saying beyond a broad level "who we are and where we're from shapes our view of what's right and who is fair game," but there's a lot there. The opening shot featuring a crucifix covered in snow hints at these broader themes, and details like the motley make up of Jody's gang to their wanton killing in order to save Jody's sibling lead in interesting thematic directions.
But apart from the larger thematic material, the film absolutely works at a basic narrative level. The first half of the film has a wonderful Clue vibe to it, with a series of characters slowly introduced and thrown together in interesting ways, where not everyone is what they seem, and the audience is left guessing, if not whodunnit, then who's going to do it.
The characters and performances are almost uniformly tremendous. Each of the major characters is well-sketched, and have interesting characteristics that lead to predictable but no less intriguing conflicts. The stand outs are Samuel L. Jackson, who is enthralling from the word go and nails the peak of the film with his monologue about the younger smithers; Jennifer Jason Leigh who gives a wonderfully unhinged performance as Daisy Domergue, and Tim Roth who has a delightful Christoph Waltz-ian flair to his bits of screen time. But everyone, from Russel to Goggins to Dern makes an impression.
The structure and performances help keep the tension high, whether in quiet moments in the stagecoach where it seems like things might become too rowdy, to the powder keg of the main cabin where mistrust grows and tempers flair. The first half of the film, where all the tension builds and is maintained, is more enjoyable than the second, where the answers are revealed, and the aftermath in interesting, but not nearly as engaging as the build of the mystery.
Still, despite (or perhaps because of) the usual Tarantino blood and guts and non-linear storytelling, the film in never boring, and while it works as a whole, the stage-like feeling of the production also allows individual scenes to feel like little vignettes, that could still be compelling or effective separated from the movie as a whole, even as they take on new meaning when juxtaposed.
I have my nits to pick -- Tatum feels a bit miscast (though his appearances are brief) and Tarantino's narration felt a bit obvious and unnecessary--but this is still a superb film from a great director. It's beautifully shot, with grand, frigid vistas that emphasize the isolation, and interesting camera movements that convey both the extra man spying on the proceedings and the heightened nerviness of individual scenes. It is also, for all its tension and thematic material, a damn funny movie, that had me chuckling more than a few times. I would not necessarily among my favorite Tarantino films, but that just speaks to the heights he's been able to hit. The Hateful Eight is still a fun, tense movie with some interesting thematic heft beneath the gunplay and quippy violence. It was well worth the cost of admission.
What? No Milla Jovovich? Wouldn't be the same.
Story: what story? It's art!
Characters: Nope. Let's focus on the walls instead.
Not scary in the slightest the only scares were jumpscares with loud music. I didn't care what happened to the two pairs of legs. If you're going to do a movie about a child's point of view put the camera on their forehead, not on the floor. The walls and ceilings got wayyy too much screen time. Painfully boring!
"Baggage", can be a GOOD thing when yours makes it on time across the pond with you on your flight from London, especially if it's first out of the chute and onto the pick up carousel. But, it's NOT such a good thing if one carries quantities of the negative kind into a new relationship, be it an IRL relationship, or, in THIS case, the relationship between a viewer and a filmmaker.
It was to be expected then, when, Anime fans and enthusiasts expressed trepidation after the trailer for "Alita: Battle Angel" dropped. They can all still recall the cringe-fest that was M. Night Shyamalan's, "The Last Airbender", which IMO was DOA from the moment it was cast, and, don't get them started on "Dragonball Z", lest you want a wall of text recounting it's cornucopia of cinema sins.
Now, I'm not here to go down the rabbit hole that is often expressed in the current virtue signaling trend of "whitewashing" outrage. We're not talking about the bad old days practice of Black or Yellow face, where obviously Caucasian actors were darkened or "Orientaled" up to play faux versions of the real deal, nor of instances where it is done for comedic irony, as in Robert Downey Jr's, "Tropic of Thunder' performance, nor, the Waynan's Brothers in "White Chicks". However I DO find it interesting that no one seems outraged in those two instances, or, that the same folks who express shock and dismay at ScarJo's casting as the titular "Ghost in the Shell", ALSO express outrage at those who expressed outrage, at the idea of casting Idris Elba as James Bond. Seems like there's no pleasing some folks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKvqhlhXq9s
But I digress....
My point is, that we, as consumers of visual media, often let ourselves be influenced by the BAGGAGE we carry with us, when watching a film or show. Our expectations, based on PRIOR experiences, can subtly, or even greatly influence our enjoyment of a given offering. I have to wonder how die hard Trekkies would react to STDISCO, if they had NEVER seen Star Trek ANYTHING before? I myself can recall dismissing Wild Wild West, the movie, as soon as I saw Will Smith was cast in the lead, because for me Robert Conrad would always be the personification of James West. Yet, I had the opposite reaction to seeing Denzel Washington cast in the lead of either the Equalizer, or The Magnificent Seven, perhaps because lack of familiarity had not left me ingrained as to who these characters were. (Both great movies IMO by the way) Or perhaps it is just the power of the Denzel. And, even with all the "outrage" over the casting of "Ghost in the Shell", I still enjoyed the movie overall, although it fell down in a few places. Again I was unfamiliar with the source material.
Unlike the disappointing experience with "The Last Airbender", which I went into being a FAN of the Nickelodeon series as well as "The Legend of Korra", I was completely without opinion concerning Alita: Battle Angel. What I DID know was, that it was produced by James Cameron, who doesn't put his name on stinkers, and was directed by Robert Rodriguez, whom I have liked since El Mariachi. BOTH know how to deliver epic, believable worlds and characters, so I put my faith in that, and went in unbiased, with no expectations either way.
And I am SO very GLAD I did!!!
I saw the movie in IMAX / 3D, and, while SOME movies / Directors throw obvious, rather lame 3D effects to boost a lame, insipid storyline, or, OVER use it to the point of distraction, here, they found the perfect balance, with the 3D adding an immersive depth to the already impressive "26% more IMAX picture". If you watch the trailers, you can pretty much figure out which scenes really WOW in this format.
To address the elephant in the room, yes, Alita's eyes DO remind one of a cross between a high tech sex doll (not that I would know) and Margaret Keane's "Big Eyes" waifs. (Cristoph Waltz was in that one too) Yet, here, you quickly become so immersed in the story that you no longer notice. The story begins with Waltz's Dr. Ido discovering Alita's discarded torso in a dump, while he is scavenging for parts to fix up the neighborhood cyborgs, which are plentiful, and not trying to assimilate anyone. Apparently in THIS world, if a body part breaks, gets diseased, or hijacked (yes I said hijacked) it can be replaced, much like a crumpled bumper in a fender bender. Dr. Ido just happens to have a teenager sized cyborg body handy which is explained later in the film, and, a little JB Weld here, and a couple of stitches there and Bobs your Uncle, .. instant Teenage Mutant Ninja Angel...., (sorry) Alita awakens, but has no memory, and, as many teenagers are, is all questions, curiosity, and hormones, all at once, especially when she meets the "polite, hard working", and, all around handy guy Hugo, who IS teenage, but NOT mutant.
A visit from Ido's Ex, Chiren, gives us some (slightly disturbing) back-story and we meet her boss, Vector, played by Mahershala Ali, once again being chauffeured around by Viggo Mortensen, (just kidding) but who IS apparently a big deal, with connections to the sky city of Zalem, which floats above them, and is "the place were the cool hang out, the SWASS like to play, and the rich flaunt clout!" This is where everyone wants to someday go, "by any means necessary", yet Dr. Ido and his ex were apparently exiled from there, no backstory given.
Thrown in are a nice mix of teenage discovery and bonding, combat sports, bounty hunters, robot dogs, robot bounty hunters, set piece fight scenes, featuring robot dogs and bounty hunters of the meat and robot varieties, vivisection, nanobots, betrayal, heartbreak, and general cinematographic carnage....., and just when it was getting REALLY good, the credits ran, and NO ONE MOVED, hoping for one more glimpse of this world, or a Marvel Comics style peek at what is to (hopefully) come.
When I got home, I immediately looked up Alita, both the Anime and the Manga, and found a 2 part 1990's era Anime, which the movie, with a few minor changes and liberties, seems to have followed almost shot for shot in places. So, Kudos for at least partially following the source material, even if changes were made to make a coherent, box office ready story.
Was it perfect for those with the baggage of their own expectations? That's up to them to decide. Did I find it to be an entertaining movie that allowed me to suspend disbelief and immerse myself in Alita's dystopian hive of scum and villainy, and root for her to be victorious in the end? Yes sir!! So, May we have another??? PLEEASE????
Enjoyable adaptation. Had horror, suspense, and a fair bit of drama too - guy below must've been watching a different movie...
This one has a far better plot than the original and everything else is also improved slightly. I don't get why everyone was bitching about it when it came out.
My fav movie. "It's game over man, it's game over"
It was so bad. I dont know why it had such good reviews. There was no sherlock element in the whole movie. Waste of time really.
