I love this movie. It really nails the high school feeling. It has its own style and doesn't try to be anything that its not. That's part of the reason why I love this movie so much, its a self contained movie that doesn't have the end of the world on the line. It does have a lot of connections to the MCU but in the end Spider-Man is just trying to save people and be a normal high schooler. Tom Holland just kills it as Peter Parker, my personal favorite Peter Parker, and Michael Keaton is Fantastic villain (I hope he comes back in the sequel). Marisa Tomei's (hot) Aunt May was a lot of fun too. RDJ doing his thing, you either love him or are tired of him. Zendaya as MJ will be interesting to see how it plays out in the sequel, I'm not sure how I feel yet. And Donald Glover as Aaron Davis aka Miles Morales' uncle. I hope we see Miles sooner rather than later. This is one of the most fun movies I've seen in a while and I can't wait to see more Spider-Man in Infinity War and Spider-Man 2 (Michael Mando looks promising as Scorpion, any Better Call Saul fans will be excited to see more of him).
"This is not going to go the way you think"
That's what kept happening to me. I thought one thing was going to happen and then something entirely different happens. I find that very entertaining. I really liked the way this was shot, the editing was fantastic. It was a little long. I really liked what Rian Johnson was able to expand on this universe while still focusing on a Skywalker story. I think the new Star Wars trilogy he is in charge of is in good hands.
I need a little more time to digest the movie and I would like to see it again before I give all my thoughts on the story. This felt like its own story and not a rehash at all. I think this is going into a very interesting direction. I look forward to seeing what J.J. Abrams can do.
EDIT:
After a second viewing I still really like this. I think it moves the story and universe forward. Not much happens directly happens between the First Order and the Resistance. A lot of resistance die and their base is blown up but that’s nothing new for them and they did blow up the First Order’s base in TFA. The main point of the movie is character development. Like Kylo Ren said, "Let the past die." I think that is what this movie does. And not just because Luke dies or Snoke dies but they aren't going to rely on the original trilogy for everything.
I think part of the reason this movie having some fan backlash is because this movie does its own thing. It takes what The Force Awakens sets up and just kills certain plot points people have been theorizing about for 2 years. If you just sit back and go with what the movie is trying to accomplish then you will have a better time then trying to fight everything this movie does.
Rey's Parents: Nobodies. Unexpected but I can totally buy i . Especially with the last shot on the orphan kid with force powers. The Force was trying to balance itself matching Kylo Ren with Rey. I know people wanted her to be a Kenobi but I think this is more interesting.
Snoke's backstory: We got nothing. He is killed off without finding out anything about how he rose to power. Was he someone we would of known from before or are we just spoiled and expect him to be someone? Did Kylo Ren want his power or was he just trying to get away from him.
Luke training Rey: We all thought this was going to be like Yoda training Luke in Empire Strikes Back but it goes in an unexpected direction. There really wasn't any training. Rey has the Jedi books but will that help her? Maybe Luke will come back as a Force Ghost to coach her like Ben did for him.
Yoda coming back, as a puppet, was great to see. Luke and Leia's "reunion" was also nice to see. The Crait landscape was really cool with all the salt and red dirt. Crystal Critters and Porgs are specifically in here to sell toys. I totally thought they were going to be annoying but I was surprised and I actually really like Porgs.
There were some things I thought were a little stupid. Leia saving herself using the force to fly? I was genuinely shocked because I knew they weren't going kill her off after Carrie Fisher's unfortunate death but I thought maybe they would. Her having strong force powers I assumed but her never really using them and then all of a sudden flying to save her life was a little Deus Ex Machina.
Finn and Rose's story was my least favorite of the three main plot lines. It felt a little point less. Why did Finn call Maz too? He barley knows her. So they go find a code breaker, which happened to be played by Justin Theroux and I got super excited because I love The Leftovers TV show, but it just was a cameo. Benicio Del Toro's DJ was an interesting character. He is right, there are no good guys and bad guys, only people who are looking for personal gain whether it is ruling the Galaxy or more money. Is Phasma dead now? She fell into fire but I hope she can come back. She still really hasn't done much. It really is this plot line that expands the universe with weapon dealers and Force sensitive orphans and most of new creatures. I think this is what Rian Johnson's new trilogy could be the most like, more of a political drama with interesting new planets and creatures then a space epic. That might not be what people want from Star Wars but as a fan of Sci-fi I'm excited to see what he can do.
If The Force Awakens was about looking back and connecting it to the past, The Last Jedi was about looking forward and looking to the future.
This movie is right behind TFA for me. Here is a list of my personal rankings of all the Star Wars movies:
https://letterboxd.com/nmahoney416/list/star-wars-ranked/
"To be born is to have a soul, I guess"
EDIT: Third time seeing it and still in awe of how beautiful this movie is and how perfect the score is.
This is sci-fi done right. Everything from the cinematography to score to the color palette to the acting were all fantastic. Denis Villeneuve has another winner. It seems like he did the impossible and gave a worthy sequel to a classic. Hans Zimmer's score really sets the mood. The visuals are where this movie really shines. The colors, the landscapes, the holograms and even the ads are all beautiful and it really expands on what Ridley Scott was able to do 35 years ago. This deserves to be seen on the big screen. Ryan Gosling gives one of his best performances. Harrison Ford was good with his limited screen time but it was Sylvia Hoeks' Luv who really stood out.
I can't wait to see this again and see what new things I will catch. One of the best films of the year and one of the best sci-fi films so far this century.
EDIT: I saw it again, twice in three days, and it just got so much better the second time. Usually if I watch the same movie that close I get bored but I was so into it that the 2 hours and 43 minutes run time went by quick. I think it became my favorite movie this year so far. It still is a visual treat to watch and must be experienced on the big screen. What Roger Deakins was able to do is Oscar worthy and I hope he finally wins one.
Some things I picked up on the second were more of the symbolism of the two female leads, Joi and Luv. Joi isn't real and K has Joi that makes him happy and gives him joy. Even when K gives her the ability to move around freely and the go to the rooftop and have an intimate moment only to be ruined by a work call. That really is what joy is, an illusion of happiness, but it can be ruined by work or something else. Then there is Luv where she is determined to do what Wallace asked her. She ends up fighting with K and destroying Joi, whose last words were I love you. Love will destroy your joy and you will struggle with Love.
After K has been beaten and bruised and lost the only thing that made him happy he happens to run into another (large) Joi is just a slap in the face. Joi repeating phrases K's said earlier and saying he looks like a Joe. I think it is at this point he realized that Joi was never real. He realizes he can be more than human by fighting (and dying) for the right cause. He has to fight for what is real, Deckard and his daughter. This scene was beautiful but I think it has much more meaning and depth.
There really aren't any villians in this movie. Wallace is fighting to help human kind by making more replicants. Lieutenant Joshi is trying to keep the peace by not letting replicants reproduce. The old nexus replicants just want to live their lives in peace. K is caught in the middle of all of this.
P.S. When Ryan Gosling started to play the piano in Sapper's house I really wanted him to go full La La Land and play City of Stars.
"I thought we were in trouble there for a second, but it's fine. We're fine."
That is exactly what this movie is, could of been a huge bust with all the problems it had behind the scenes but it ends up a totally serviceable Star Wars movie. I really wish I could see what Lord and Miller would of done with this. Alden Ehrenreich is decent but no Harrison Ford, it could of been a lot worse. Donald Glover is great and there is not enough screen time for him but sometimes he felt a little off. Maybe that's just me and maybe after I see it again it will go away. Everyone else is fine except L3-37, she was super annoying. The story is predictable but also a little unexpected at the same time. Most of the action is good. The cinematography is ok but some of the movie was way too dark. The best thing about this movie is that it is a Star Wars movie and it has that world to reference and expand on. If this was just another sci fi movie it would be really mediocre.
THERE WERE WAY TOO MANY SHOTS OF THE GOLD DICE, WE GET IT GIVE IT A REST!
I loved the first Deadpool so I had very high expectations for this one. I was a little disappointed, I still enjoyed this movie a lot but I didn't love it like I thought I would. Maybe it is because the first one was so fresh and different and simple and the sequel is more of the same just more complicated. It could also be the promotion cycle just overloading on jokes and taking a little bit of the wind of the sails.
First off Ryan Reynolds is still perfect. He lives and breathes Deadpool. Josh Brolin is great too but just doesn't have a ton to do here. Hopefully we see more of him in the future. And a shout out to the fantastic Zazie Beetz. She is amazing in the show Atlanta and now I hope everyone gets to see how wonderful an actress she is. This movie also has a few great cameos too.
The movie itself is a mixed bag. The action is a lot better but the CGI can be pretty bad at times. The plot is bigger but more messy. It does some really unexpected things and I enjoyed that. The jokes are great, at least the ones that land. I think the first movie is constantly funny but this feels more like an action movie with a lot of jokes. There are a ton of references, which most are funny now but I wonder how they will age? The music is pretty good too. The opening credits James Bond rip off is really great.
Overall I liked this movie a lot and want to see it again but not right away. I look forward to seeing more Deadpool and hopefully some X-Force movies.
P.S. This has one of the best mid credits scenes any movie has ever done.
Edit: Watched the Super Duper cut and I didn't notice that much difference. They did change some of the music, I like the original soundtrack better. Still the same Deadpool and some jokes are different. The first half drags and that extra time makes the movie feel a lot longer even though it really isn't.
Nobody makes movies like Tom Cruise. I was hooked the entire time. Great action throughout but the plot was a little hard to follow at first. There are too many separate characters to follow. I loved Hayley Atwell and hope she sticks around in the series but killing off Rebecca Ferguson should be a crime. Can't wait for part two.
Seeing this again confirmed my feelings that this is a great movie but not as great as the last few Mission Impossibles. Some loose thoughts:
I'm still mad they killed Ilsa. She is such a great counterpart to Ethan. She deserves better than to just be part of Ethan's motivation. I'm holding out hope that she could come back somehow in the next one.
Grace is cool but is no replacement Ilsa.
Plot feels a little rough overall.
The cops following Ethan felt unnecessary. Maybe they will have something more to do in the second but in this one they felt extra.
The AI is interesting and I want to know more on what it can do.
Gabriel's backstory and motivation are lacking. Hopefully part 2 makes him a better character.
The train scene was great. The jump was overhyped but still impressive. The car chase was fun. None of these lived up to Fallout's stunts and that's not fair.
The second one can definitely make this better but for now on its own, it's a great movie.
Martha!
Now since that is out of the way, I kinda liked this more than I remembered. I think I'm going to bump it up from a 6 to 7. I saw the original cut in theaters and I saw the Ultimate edition as soon as it came out and it didn't really change my opinion on the movie. Now that I've had a year to forget about it and I'm getting ready for Justice League I'm starting to think this movie is alright. Now I'm not saying it is great but it can be entertaining. There are so many small things that are wrong with the movie that keep it back from being one of the better superhero movies. Lex Luther still sucks. I really wish they would of cast Bryan Cranston and gone a different direction with Lex. It was so lazy to introduce all the other heros with 30 second clips. Snyder couldn't think of any way better. Come on I mean the subtitle is called "Dawn of Justice". Wonder Woman is great but I forgot how small a role she has in this movie. Luckily she has her own movie to shine. Also Batman's line "I thought she was with you" has got to be one of the stupidest lines. HE LITERALLY EMAILED HER LIKE 2 HOURS AGO.
EDIT: There has never been a movie like this that I didn't like but I really wanted to read and talk more about with other people. I guess Darren Aronofsky at least got people talking about his movie, even if people didn't like it.
What a weird movie. I really thought the sound design was great. Really creepy and creates great tension.
So Jenifer Lawerence is Mother Earth and Javier Bardem is God? Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer are Adam and Eve and the heart crystal is the apple of eden? I don't know much about the bible but that is what I got. I guess the message Daron Aronofsky is trying to say is we treat the Earth like shit. It is going to kill us all but its bound to repeat again? I don't know, it is a weird movie.
EDIT2: So after seeing this after a long time of not thinking about it I realized that Darren Aronofsky really hates humans. The bat shit crazy third act can not make up for the boring first two acts. And knowing that this is just the bible made it even worse. I don't hate this movie but I'm definitely not a fan.
EDIT: After seeing this a second time it is still a lot of fun with over the top action and humor. Still needs more Channing Tatum and Jeff Bridges.
First off, if you didn't like the first then this one isn't going to win you over. It is the same crazy action with some dirty humor and over the top plot. There aren't many movies that have the same stylized action scenes like Kingsman (even though there wasn't a scene like the church scene from the first). All the cast were great included the great Elton John. Not as great as the first, which I think is one of the best action movies of the last decade, but still a worthy follow up and I can't wait for the sequel.
Now for some spoilers:
I'm sad that they killed Roxy so quickly. If they can bring Harry back I hope they bring her back in the third. I laughed my ass off when I saw that Eggsy was dating the princess who let him do it in the asshole. By the end of the movie he married her and now is a prince, I wonder how that will play into the next. I thought Merlin's death was sad but built up very well and that led into the best scene of the movie. Julianne Moore's villain wasn't as good as Samuel L. Jackson's but I still thought she had some creepy style. Needed more statesman. We got a lot of Pedro Pascal but not enough Jeff Bridges and Channing Tatum, maybe next movie.
