Probably the worst comedy ever made.
-Smart boy: We should try again with small objects, and then bacteria, plants..
-Hot girl: Nah, let's try it ourselves!
-Smart boy: Ok!
The power of boner is stronger than reason.
Denis Villenueve. A solid lineup. A different take on first contact. I loved Sicario but went in expecting a cerebral epic sci-fi.
That was a mistake.
Good things:
- Some really nice visual scenes
- Interesting aliens Calligraphy aliens!
- Clear theme of communication is omnipresent
- A neat score that might be awesome in a different movie
Bad things:
- The acting
- The lack of emotional reaction to ALIENS! The students asking to turn on the TV, all of the main characters
- Lack of useful characters Only the aliens and Louise actually did anything the entire movie.
- Supporting characters are very stupid in an attempt to foil the main character slightly
- Very clumsy exposition. Genre-typical news reports, voice-overs, dumb characters asking stupid questions.
- Very slow pacing. This worked in parts of Sicario, but didn't work in this movie because there was no tension. The main characters never seemed remotely threatened.
- Lousie showing up at school thinking everyone will be there after aliens arrive and there's a state of emergency
- Why can't you translate alien language like you can translate Farsi. This is a paraphrase but in the spirit of what Colonel Weber was saying.
- Useless love interest when the costars have no chemistry.
- Ultrasecure military base lets someone steal a ton of explosives and put it in an ALIEN SPACECRAFT without anyone noticing.
- Many unbelievable plot points
- Poor dialogue Let's make a baby - real quote
- Poor handling of the major plot points Looking through time seems to undermine the fact that the aliens need help. Why did one have to die if they could see the future? Why did only one die when they were right next to each other?
- Very heavy handed moral messaging that didn't align with the rest of the movie.
- Why couldn't Ian also see into the future as he studied the language, or any of the others?
Overall extremely disappointing. I'm honestly surprised critics or general moviegoers like this. The premise was very good. It's a real shame the execution failed so miserably.
Pretty sure this isn't coming out in a couple weeks...
Contains major spoilers !!!!!
Huge and utterly dissapointing. After TFA I said this movie would make or break the story. For me it broke.
Where to begin? Let´s start with my biggest problem.
After that rebel cruisers bridge was hit and Leia was thrown into space we saw her drifting in the cold empty vacuum of space. This was a powerful scene and I had tears welling up in my eyes thinking that would be a great ending for the character dying how she always lived. Fighting. I did not realise, or care, that it would have been a huge coincidence had they written this scene at that point not knowing Carrie would pass away. But as I said powerful scene. And then she opens her eyes and floated back into the ship still beeing alive. At that point I was seriously considering leaving the cinema. It´s scifi but, please, without as much as a hint of an explanation that is just awful writing. It is Disney all over it. Anyway I stayed and watched the rest but in general I was done with the movie.
There are tons of other things I didn´t like.
way to much unnessesary and stupid humor. Most of the time it does not fit and just destroys scenes. Holding for General Hux - that might have been OK once but two or three times it just becomes goofy. And there is more of this througout the movie.
the writing was all over the place. So much things going on that do little to nothing for the general plot and just add playtime. Like that whole thing with the codebreaker, going to the casino. Just sugarcoating CGI.
and speaking of playtime - way too long. About five times towards the end I thought it was over. It could have ended when the reached the rebel base- no let´s add another battle. When they realised they where trapped. With Luke going out to face Kylo. At some point I would have been OK with the movie ending with the First Order defeating the rebels, everyone dying, and the franchise done with. But of course that is not happening and the movie ends.....no, just show us a kid with a broom looking at the stars and indicate he could be the hero of a future movie.
in many ways the continuation of storylines is not satisfiying. They introduce Snoke in the first movie without an explanation who he is, where he comes from and how he got there. Would have been OK, could have done later. So now he´s dead without so much as a fight and there are questions left to be answered.
what about Rey ? Are we really to believe her parents were some drunk and drifting scavengers that sold her for money like Ren said ? That would be very stupid because how in the universe could she master the Force in ways even the best Jedis or Sith couldn´t without as much as years of training. Another void in the storytelling.
too many, shall I call them, homage scenes ? A lot of times I felt I had already seen this movie. The scene in the throne room f.e. Snoke = Emperor, Rey = Luke, Ben = Vader, the destruction of the rebel fleet playing in the background and the Ben killing Snoke is like Vader killing the Emperor. I know that was said about TFA as well but I feel it´s much worse here. The Battle of Hoth reviseted would be another thing where they re-did some scenes to a T. All that was left was tow cables.
Those are just some examples of the things I disliked and maybe there could be satisfactory explanation later. There is a lot more but it would take too much time to write it down. But I doubt I will go to the cinema for the next one.
To be fair there where some positives in this movie.
I liked the scenes with Rey and Luke althought they did not really lead anywhere. But some nice insights into Lukes story after ROTJ.
The conversations between Kylo and Rey where very interesting and I thought there was really potential to steer the story to something new and exciting. Not happening.
So overall I was not satisfied. I really like TFA, it built some expectations that where all crushed with this. As far as I am concerned I am done with this new story. I am not not very eager to find out what else the canibalise and how they try to write themselves out of this. There is nothing left.
This is my view of the movie. If you liked it I´m happy for you.
May the Force be with us. Always.
So obviously, I had to see Lady Bird being the RT/MC snob that I am with a weakness for these independent films. Since it had a 100% RT fresh and 94% MC rating, I had to see what was all the fuss. I definitely enjoyed the film quite a bit and it definitely hit home with a lot of the emotional life situations the protagonist Lady Bird goes/stumbles through (even though I'm a guy). Saoirse Ronan has always been one of my favorite actresses and she kills it here. Her chemistry with Laurie Metcalf, who plays her tough loving and, at times, overly critical mother is fantastic and their relationship forms one of the major cruxes of the film.
The story is essentially about a girl learning (the hard way many times) what is truly important to her in this world (and, more specifically, in the town of Sacramento) and realizing to not take for granted what she has even though she is coming from an unideal situation. However, this theme is explored in a funny, witty and non-pretentious manner to the viewer that allows you to really relate and sympathize with the protagonist (while chuckling along as well). So many times, I was like "ohhhh man, that is just not a good decision, but I totally did the same stupid thing when I was younger..." moments that just really resonated with me throughout. It's a coming-of-age story that really progresses the protagonist but by using what seems like "common and mundane" life events that we've all undoubtedly experienced before at one point of our lives. They took a lot of cliche coming-of-age scenarios (gay boyfriend, going to a Catholic school, confronted by a nun, etc) but put a nice and realistic spin on them different from other movies. This relatability is what really sold the film for me.
In a short time, the viewer experiences a profound yet truly realistic and believable transformation of the protagonist, Lady Bird. I am reminded of another movie, The Edge of Seventeen, that I watched last year and didn't really enjoy or connect with, where the main female character undergoes a similar "journey", but I felt like I could connect (and, thus, sympathize) far more with Saoirse Ronan's complicated and stumbling character than Hailee Steinfeld's edgey for-the-sake-of-being-edgey interpretation of her protagonist.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this movie, and highly recommend giving it a shot. I think that it will really resonate with viewers who have experienced some financial and social difficulties at some point in life, and have gone through the embarrassing pains and those seemingly obvious and avoidable mistakes when trying to "grow up".
This has to go down as an expensive misfire. Sequels have already been announced, but unless they want to call the next film Dull, they need to lay down a better story. There wasn't a lot of room for imaginative world building here, and there were too many bullets over the magic. Clunky dialogue threatened to sink it, but a few bright moments lifted the film from the surprisingly mundane setting.
This film has garnered a lot of great reviews, but for me, it was only partly successful. It's certainly well made, but by its very nature, is more suited to stage or a dance recital than a movie. Impressive performances, and a good music score, but as a story it only works in fits and starts.
Initial reaction.
The good: Great opening, good concept, okay to superb acting.
The bad: Forgettable popcorn flick, bad delivery, overlooked plot holes, uncomfortable transitions between locations, terrible dialogue, crappy taping of a fantastic franchise to a mundane sci-fi horror, horrendous tension and character building, overall typical space movie that makes 'LIFE' look fantastic.
Holy shit that was a waste of time. And i even skipped a bit
For all the people that are saying this movie is horrible...You are WAY too serious. This movie is hilarious in numerous ways. I've watched enough "romantic comedies" to get all the jokes and see how stupid most of those movies actually are. The movie is not meant to be serious, so if you don't like spoofs, then don't watch the movie, Eggfarts.
Exciting, beautifully shot and entertaining for the most part, but it fails to reach it's full potential because of a wasted villain, forced romance and messy plot which culminates in a terrible third act.
For a Steven Spielberg film starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks... Boring.
Okay. Here's the thing. You go in knowing this is a Jackass movie so stupid stunts. You see the commercials and think "Hey! It's Meatballs, but with a theme park." The original Action Park is such an interesting story, you figure this will be fun.
But not really.
It is not really fun. First, a completely unnecessary wraparound story is thrown on this thing. Unneeded except I think they wanted to make sure it was feature length. Then there are the stunts which look painful, but with it being a narrative film...you just don't care. The jokes are all rather flat and the SLOBS vs. SNOBS theme is more "Ernest Goes To Camp" than "Meatballs." Most interesting...this was an R rated comedy but I didn't see any nudity, the violence was of the variety the Three Stooges has, and maybe one or two drug references. So it must have came down to the cursing and the references to drunken and reckless behavior. The only sex onscreen was between 2 doggies, so I guess it gets an R, but surprising this is how they went about it.
Overall, not painful to watch, but didn't bring much joy either.
I'm surprised at the number of positive to almost glowing reviews. While the end is a great twist, I'm not sure it makes up for the rest of the film. Far too long, and the terrible accents were incredibly disappointing and distracting (perhaps, hire an actor that actually speaks the language and can act?!). I never bought Jennifer Lawrence as a spy/ballerina/deadly weapon of the state, it just never felt plausible. With so many incredible movies out, unless you're a die-hard Lawrence fan or Russian-moviephile, don't go out of your way to watch this one.
This film is a alternative of the pixar film UP, how it should of been between the old man, and the boy ha so this is where Sam Neill got to, from hunting dinosaurs.. to now hunting wild pigs while on the run in the bush with a kid that calls him uncle.. This film takes you on a crazy, funny, wtf adventure, you also get a good sound track on the way, and you'll meet some weird characters on the way like Psycho Sam... yes that's what he calls himself..
I wanted to love this so much, but it just felt... Empty. The characters didn't connect at all and the Fantastic Beasts themselves felt like an afterthought to the franchise they're actually trying to build.
Overall a watchable movie with some charming moments but damaged by a muddy story and atrocious pacing. I expected more from the HP universe.
I was surprised by how much I liked this. I went in with low expectations of just a dumb action movie, which it still kinda is, but it is also a decent sci-fi and the action is pretty great. The beginning is a little slow but once Grey gets Stem then it picks up. Logan Marshall-Green (or better known as the Tom Hardy look-alike, Tom Hardly) does a good job here. He moves like a robot pretty well. The action is great. There are plenty of action scenes and the short runtime makes it move fast. There are a few decent laughs too. The cinematography was very interesting too. The way the camera moves in certain action scenes are really cool, it makes a normal scene stick out as something special. One of the best things was the world it set up. Modifying humans with different upgrades is really cool. The whole gun in the arm is stupid but a crazy, cool stupid and I want to see more of that. I would like a sequel.
This is one of the movies that is really hard to rate for me, and I am torn between two sides. On the positives:
I liked the acting of this rather unknown cast. Acting for a normal movie is hard enough, and I believe that musicals are the supreme discipline, as you do not only have to have the ability to be a good actor, but you also need to both, be able to sing and dance and it has to sound good and look good. And here I have to say: They are excellent. All dance choreographies where really challenging, and had really funny ideas that made me smile a number of times. Comparing it to other musicals I have seen in the last year I have to say, those choreographies where even better than those in the beloved La La Land. Those choreographies where also well designed and scripted - for instance take the very first dance choreography in the high school - it is used to convey all the relationships of the different characters and their (hidden) feelings for each other, which I think was really great.
And speaking about great ideas - the entire movie is a absolutely great idea - when did you ever see a Christmas-High-School-Coming-of-Age Musical with Zombies? A really innovative idea, creating something new, which is really hard, in today's movie landscape.
The movie uses a lot of absurd ideas and interesting camera angles (e.g. the burning tire or a few of the deaths) and the humor that is conveyed using these angles was also really good. The movie doesn't take itself serious, there are a number of splatter scenes that are really funny, many things look unrealistic, because they avoid CGI and everything is made of practical effects (and those are simple) but with this I think they pay homage to the stage musical where you don't have CGI and use simple practical effects throughout - and also these things make the movie look even more funny.
And last but not least, the movie has a lot of soul, everybody seems to be really invested into this movie and giving his or her very best. It is a really charming movie.
If I point out that I have found a number of positive aspects that means that unfortunately I also have found some aspects that I consider negative:
Probably the most important one for me: The jokes that they made on purpose in movie where absolutely bad, and I couldn't laugh at any of the dialogues or one liners (e.g. "Oh no" - "What?" - "Justin Bieber is a zombie" - how is that even remotely funny?). I thought most of the jokes where either embarrassing, not funny at all or even annoying. And for me that really harms the movie.
Obviously Shaun of the Dead is an inspiration to this musical and it's even referenced. The parallels however are often really obvious and the problem with that is: Whenever Anna and the Apocalypse "copies" something we already know in Shaun of the Dead the later makes it so much better than this movie does. For instance they use the typical cut technique we know from Edgar Wright (e.g. in Worlds End where they order their beers and a water), but when they do, they do not try to convey a funny moment and therefore it seems unnecessary and wasted (for instance they use it in a random scene where the guys get into a car, which has no funny moment and does not compact something that needs to be shown).
Musicals are called musicals because they have music, and for me, a good musical has a song that captures me and that stays with me even after I've seen the movie for the first time (without rehering the soundtrack, etc.). Take La La Land, for instance. I've just seen that movie once, yet when I read the three words "City of Stars", I have an instant earworm that will stick with me the entire day. The Greatest Showman's "This is me" is equally catchy. With "Anna and the Apocalypse" there is no song that stood with me, no song that stood out, that captivated me, and a few weeks later if you'd play a song from this movie to me, I believe I wouldn't recognize them).
And when it comes to the genre of Zombie movies, this movie does not bring you anything new. And even for Zombie comedies there are a lot of better options to turn to. The only thing unique to this movie is it's setting at Christmas time, but they don't really cash in on the Christmas spirit, so other than the date and the decorations, this movie does not feel like a Christmas movie at all - take classics such as Home Alone, you can see that it is possible to convey a Christmas feeling even though your movie is not really about Christmas but cool action. And here - again - Anna and the Apocalypse falls short.
Last but not least - I am not really a musical fan. It's just not my genre. So convincing me is just as much harder, and in that aspect "La La Land" really did an excellent job, while all of the other current musicals didn't - this one included. I would have loved it to become a Christmas steady, I am always open for good new and unconventional Christmas movies (I feel like there are too few Christmas movies that I actually like - you can fill them into one evening, so I would love to have some additions to that list) but I am not sure if this movie could fill that spot - unfortunately.
Still I have to also honor all the positive aspects that I have mentioned, and I am sure that everyone who enjoys musicals will find this movie a great pick - it's no La La Land, no Shaun of the Dead and no Zombieland - but for a low budget independent movie with an entire cast of new inexperienced actors this movie this is really worth your time, so I would still recommend to give it a chance, and I am sure that it will find its fandom.
One of those movies that's almost too unique to really be good, but maybe that's ok. It's still plenty entertaining. There's some fun, gory, zombie kills and the musical numbers are generally pretty great. It's got a weird, good, off-kilter energy. I wasn't particularly satisfied by the time I finished it, but I didn't regret my time with it either. It's certainly unique - unlike anything else I've ever watched.
So, is it overly feministic? No, it isn't. I'd say Wonder Woman is more so than this film. It holds it's character strongly and does not diverge the audience's views when watching. The undertones are there sure, but it isn't in your face. Just thought I'd get that out of the way because some around me were wondering that themselves.
Carol Danvers is a great addition to the MCU. Not only has the studio thought long and hard about her placement, but also on how they can make her a defining character for our day and age. No doubt that in the future she will grow and see stronger days herself. But for now, we are left with a very fast paced story with Carol herself, not seeming quite right. There is something off about Brie Larson's performance, and I think it's because of the quick cutting of emotional stages she goes through. I know they are making an amnesia story (with a slim amount of tropes I might add!), but for some reason, she can't seem coherent enough in emotional performing to make this character fully likeable. Then again. it's an origin story. The way she is blunt with others is a plus though.
The villain is complicated here. While I'd say one of the better in the MCU. There are some drawbacks to how they interact with Carol. Not much I can say about them. But having a movie set in the past with a big threat like in the 3rd act was kind of stupid in my opinion. No stakes at all.
For the technical side of things, shots were nice. Too much cutting than I would have liked in fight scenes in hand to hand. The final fight was greatly done though. The music didn't stand out much and was unneeded in some scenes that would have benefitted from silence or a more subtle tone rather than an orchestral track. CGI was fairly good. But, Captain Marvel's powers make her look really fake when flying.
Young Nick Fury and Captain Marvel are, of course, the main highlight to take away. Like a buddy cop movie, but with more superpowers and cats. The chemistry between the two was funny and well put together. The final line said by Carol in the mid-credits scene is a nice callback earlier in the film to cement the two.
So yes duh, there is a mid-credits scene and an end-credits scene. But you could leave after the mid-credits. As the final scene is just a cutesy one. But if you want absolutely no spoilers at all and are the type to even avoid trailers for the new Avengers. It may not be the best play to watch the mid-credits.
Captain Marvel is a good introduction to the strong female lead Carol Danvers. A fun journey with a duo I'd love to see more of. As well as more of Carol's flaws in a visual medium, not vocal. It's no Iron Man, but I see a bit of that Tony Stark spark in this promising character.
Second Viewing Update
So after another look because of uncertainty. I can say now that I was frustrated with the lack of actual character build. Before I remarked the amnesia story being an excuse for the lacking of visual storytelling. But now it was getting to me. Carol Danvers deserves better. And I hope in Endgame she gets it. I have faith in the Russos to give her better development. If not, other instalments will hear our cries for giving this amazing promise, flaws. Downgrading my rating a bit as for a movie about this character, it focuses more on her abilities than her as a person.
7.2/10
6.8/10
Check here for my MCU rankings.
https://trakt.tv/users/corruptednoobie/lists/my-mcu-rankings?sort=rank,asc
Based on the trailer I thought it was going to be a silly kid movie but still fun to watch. Got earlier premier and decided to take a change.
Not what I was expecting, totally like the movie. Started slow with Billy Batson story and how he get to the foster home. Once Shazam appear you get good action scene and unexcepted funny moments. Overall it was a really good movie.
I’m not a big fan of super hero movies but I like this style of movie where is entertaining to watch. Similar to Deadpool, you have a mix of everything, drama, action, comedy, etc…
Perfect? No, but it is very good. One of the best films I have seen recently, this is both surprising and shocking. The fact that this has so far scored averagely on this site at the time of writing - 53% - is also surprising and shocking. This is a well-crafted film that deserves to be watched, especially by horror fans jaded by predictability.
First off, from a technical perspective, this is a masterpiece. Everything that is shot in a ship looks phenomenal. The moon landing itself is breathtaking. See this in IMAX if possible. That being said, everything outside a ship is just ok. The acting is good overall but I’m not sure if it Oscar worthy. Claire Foy really gives the best performance. It feels a little too long. They used shaky cam a little too much. It makes sense on the ship scenes but it felt overused on the ground drama. It might be my least favorite Chazelle movie but this is still a great movie.
This movie makes me never want to have kids. As a single 27 year old male with no kids I don't relate to this story as much as some people. It seems like a straight forward story but it is so much more than that. Charlize Theron is fantastic. She really sold the tired mother and went all out gaining 50 pounds for this role. Mackenzie Davis is also great. She is a lot of fun.
The twist when Tully is just her younger self really shocked me. I did pick up on just how similar they are and thought maybe Tully was just trying to be nice. This twist really makes the movie a whole lot better. Without it is would just be another typical mom story but to have protagonist saved by themselves is really interesting. It might be worth a rewatch to see what else I could pick up on.
The ghost of Kevin Spacey will forever hang over this film.
This film has everything going for it. Beautiful cinematography by Dariusz Wolski. An engrossing score by Daniel Pemberton. Some wonderful performances from Michelle Williams, Romain Duris, Christopher Plummer and Charlie Plummer. But, the film just does not work. It feels shiny without any soul. It is a kidnapping film without thrill. It explores greed without substance. It is long, overbearing and in the end serviceable as a film, but not very entertaining. Mark Wahlberg is horribly miscast in his role and Scott could have done better there.
As for the Kevin Spacey thing, if I had not known about the history of the production of this film, I would not have even suspected the late recasting of his role to Christopher Plummer.
The real highlight is the cinematography. The story itself, while not uninteresting, is kind of a typical romance-that-should-not-be wrapped around events that are to be described as histrocial fiction.
Worth watching but nothing extraordinary.
Absolutely magnificent.
Hagen as a sleazeball drug kingpin just nails it, he is glorious and Skarsgård is splendid as always.
The mix of dark comedy and thriller is just perfect.
Easily one of the top five films to come out of Norway in recent years.
This movie clearly wanted to be a HBO mini-series. It's still a good watch, just the pacing is a bit weird.
Just to preface this, I thought A Force Awakens was emotionless trash that undermined the entire purpose of the original three films.
Rogue One was the opposite.
The best thing about this movie was the emotional impact. It underlined the sacrifices made to make the original trilogy possible. Some people have called it long, but that helped build up characters that you actually felt for, and who weren't carbon copy ripoffs (cough cough A Force Awakens). The final scenes as the two main characters face their fate, recognizing that it was worth it, gave such a high emotional payoff. Each major death scene actually made you feel something.
The second best thing was K-2SO. Very funny, and much needed comedic (but not goofy) relief.
The CGI for landscapes and the world creation was outstanding. When I see a movie like Star Wars I want to be amazed and see things that I haven't seen done before. I want to be impressed and drawn into new, beautifully crafted worlds. In this respect, the movie just kept delivering over and over.
The cinematography was great during the action sequences. The sequences looked epic, and the violence and sacrifice felt meaningful. The Vader fight sequence was intense.
It also had interesting ties to current events with its commentary on terrorism/rebellion/weapons of mass destruction. By the way, the science genius character realizing that he isn't priceless in developing some major device is fantastic. All of the movies with "only so-and-so can figure this out" are very disappointing.
The moral message of the movie was also very clear and well delivered.
I really enjoyed the movie overall and thought that it was a big step in the right direction. It was adventurous again, it was sometimes shocking, original, and most of all meaningful. A Force Awakens failed on all of those points. It's good to see a franchise movie that's taking a bit more risk than average. AFA was just like the new Star Trek films, shiny bling low-impact action movies that just happen to be set in space. Rogue One pushes far beyond to show the what drives the Rebellion in a world we know and love.
Despite the fact that I really liked the movie, it had some flaws:
- Tarkin face CGI
- Some of the acting in the first half.
- Tarkin face CGI
- Some of the cuts were really weird and the pacing felt off for portions of the first half.
- Tarkin face CGI
- Forest Whittaker just deciding to die instead of trying to escape.
- Tarkin face CGI
- A few unbelievable plot lines (thankfully most were minor). Like Cassian being sent to kill Galen for almost no reason, and then deciding not to for no reason, and then Jyn forgiving him surprisingly easily. How did she even know that he was trying to kill her father?
- Tarkin face CGI
- Does every Star Wars movie need to have a father character die? Why didn't Cass follow orders when he heartlessly killed someone else in his first scene?
- Tarkin face CGI
- Heavy handed political messaging.
- Tarkin face CGI
- Said "hope" too many times.
- Tarkin face CGI
- You can just push Star Destroyers that easily?
- Tarkin face CGI
- The word "Stardust"
- Tarkin face CGI
- Too many random worlds introduced that you don't have the time to get invested in.
- Tarkin face CGI
- Too much awkward fan service.
- Tarkin face CGI
- Darth Vader's voice sounded off.
- Tarkin face CGI
- Some of the dialogue was really terrible.
- Tarkin face CGI
