Unlike the disappointing attempt at a movie adaptation, this series demonstrates a thoughtful approach to condensing the expansive narrative of the original into just 8 episodes. It's important for viewers to recognize the constraints of this format; not every detail from the animated series can be replicated.
Despite these limitations, the adaptation succeeds in capturing the essence of the story, skillfully selecting key moments and seamlessly integrating multiple storylines, as seen in the treatment of Omashu. The fight choreography is commendable, and the CGI were pretty incredible, particularly in rendering beloved characters like Appa and Momo. Daniel Dae Kim, Ken Leung, and François Chau were enjoyable to see as I have seen some of their other works.
However, there are some missed opportunities. Aang's journey in waterbending, a central aspect of the original series' first season, was completely skipped here. While it's understandable that the series couldn't delve as deeply into this aspect within the limited episode count, a few more moments showcasing Aang's progression alongside Katara's training would have been appreciated.
Despite this flaw, the live-action adaptation of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" surpassed my expectations, offering a satisfying and enjoyable viewing experience. I felt that it successfully captured the spirit of the animated series while carving out its own place.
I had a lot of fun watching this film; I don't understand why people hate on it so much. Battleship was an excellent popcorn flick through and through. Yeah the story line was light but the special effects and action scenes were amazing and I found myself cheering for us (the human race) a couple of times throughout the film. There is just one scene in the whole movie which mirrors the game this film is based off of, but besides that one small scene nothing else about the game Battleship is used in the movie except for the title of the film. Instead everything else about this film is your typical science fiction/alien attack movie. As far as the acting goes, you can't go wrong with Liam Neeson and Alexander Skarsgård; Rihanna should just stick with her music career, and Taylor Kitsch was just OK for the lead, but I felt like they should of got someone else for the part. All in all, Battleship is a solid entertaining summer popcorn flick.
Very rarely does a sequel to a movie outperform the first, and in my opinion American Pie 2 does just that. The overall story and comedy was better than the classic hit of the first film and the acting got a lot better. This is my favorite film of the original trilogy.
This remake of Ocean's Eleven is the best heist film I have ever seen! Not only does it have a super cast and great acting, it also has an excellent plot as well. This film had smarts, great comedy, and serious attitude that mixed well. The cast all had great chemistry together especially Clooney and Pitt who seemed like they had a fun time working with each other. Ocean's Eleven is an instant classic that I'll never get tired of watching over and over again.
I have to admit, when I first watched The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift I hated it. None of the casts from the first two films are in the third one except for one actor who only shows up in the last ten seconds of the film in a cameo role. On top that the acting was much worse than the previous films and the story line was more lame and boring as well. It wasn't until after I got to see Tokyo Drift's successor Fast and Furious when it hit theaters that I found a new sense of appreciation for Tokyo Drift because of Kang's "Han" which gave the feeling that Tokyo Drift felt like it belong in the franchise whereas before it felt like it didn't... to me at least. Still with my new sense of appreciation Tokyo Drift still is the weak link in the franchise.
In my opinion American Reunion is the second best in the American Pie series just below the second film; better than the rest. Seeing the entire original cast back even if some of them were only on the screen for no more than minute felt very nostalgic, and American Reunion did a wonderful job playing off of it. If you are a fan of the series then you will love this film. This film was hilarious, and had a lot of good heart. As mostly others are saying, American Reunion is a very satisfying conclusion to the American Pie series.
Ever since The Fast and the Furious came out in 2001, Fast & Furious was the sequel I was hoping for. With four of the main cast members from the original film back Fast & Furious was just as entertaining as the first and better than 2 Fast 2 Furious and Tokyo Drift. Fast & Furious geared down on the usual street racing the franchise was built on and instead focused on a darker and compelling story line than previous films in the series. The lack of racing in involved in this film sucked but overall I can appreciate the change in format. The acting was stepped up a bit and while there were less street racing involved, there were plenty of action to go around. This shift in format brought new life for future sequels in the franchise to come.
This film although has the penitential to be a great heist film feel short of something special. While The Italian Job has an excellent cast and the heist themselves were entertaining to watch unfold, the plot seemed mild to me with the element of a revenge flick mixed in which it doesn't pull off well. Besides the plot overall The Italian Job was very thrilling to watch even for just seeing the cast and the heists themselves and still better than most other films in its genre.
Ocean's Eleven's sequel didn't have the same spark I thought that its predecessor had. The cast and acting are still amazing and some of the wit and smarts shows, but the story line wasn't as interesting to me this time around which made it less fun to watch compared to the other two films in the trilogy. Ocean's Twelve is still an entertaining film to watch through and through but it's my least favorite of the trilogy and a film I usually skip sometimes if I want to watch Ocean's Eleven and Ocean's Thirteen.
Ocean's Thirteen wasn't as great as the first one in the trilogy but it was a big step up to the second film. All the original cast is back again except for Roberts, which I was cool with the film should focus more on the core gang of thieves themselves. Once again the acting was great and the story line was a step up from Ocean's Twelve. It was an incredible and fun film to watch.
This film was less entertaining than the first film in the franchise. With the entire main cast from The Fast and the Furious not in attendants for 2 Fast 2 Furious except for Walker I felt the film was missing some of its spark because of it. The acting was on the same level as the first and the story line was kind of the same rehashed story the first one had except for two or three changes. Nonetheless even though the cast mostly changed and the kind of same story line is there the eye-popping action this movie delivers was fun and thrilling to watch.
The Fast and the Furious is a great action blockbuster. The cast wasn't half bad with the acting sub-par. The story line was interesting to follow, and the races were fun to watch with eye-popping action. If you love car chases, races, or any kind of action film, you'll love this. The Fast and the Furious franchise is one of my favorite film franchises out there.
The first American Pie was hilarious funny and downright raunchy which works for a teen comedy like this. As I grew up since then and seen many films after this, looking back on this film from the late 1990's I can see the acting failed at times, more noticeably by Natasha Lyonne, but each one had their moments. I can't fault them, things in the movie business have changed since then; but nonetheless the cast was great and the story was well done. This film was born to become an instant classic. It really had shaped up some other movies like this in its wake, plus it created life to the term MILF which people use still to this day. Not many films can do that.
Iron Man was an excellent start for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel had pulled off a remarkable feat by taking their superheroes and started making their own movies in house, and they did it well. Iron Man (with the exception of Nolan's Batman movies and Spider-Man 1 & 2 [not the 3rd one]) is a fine example of what every superhero genre film needs to be. It had a great story line and amazing action scenes along with a great cast. Robert Downey Jr. was an excellent choice to play Tony Stark. I also enjoy how Marvel is making these movies with a thought out plan connecting this film with other superhero films' creating a franchise unlike anything has been seen in the movie business.
The Incredible Hulk is by far the weakest link in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise thus far for the five films that were released before The Avengers. This new version of the Hulk compared to the previous Hulk film that was released in 2003 (with Eric Bana as the lead and directed by Ang Lee) had a much darker and deeper tone to the story. By comparison between both Hulk films, The Incredible Hulk (2008) was a big improvement over The Hulk (2003). The story line and action scenes along with the directing of the 2008 Incredible Hulk film were all superior to the 2003 Hulk film which is a step in the right direction. Comparing The Incredible Hulk to the other four Marvel movies pre-The Avengers is a different story. Overall the story line and casting failed. Even though it was better than the 2003 film, it was still a bit hard to keep my interest going through the film. Also even though Norton is a brilliant actor I had a hard time believing he could be Bruce Banner, and the same could be said for Tyler as Betty Ross. The only people who I thought did their roles well were the villains (Roth, Hurt, and Nelson). Besides the darker tone in this film I thought the action scenes were top-notch; that finale climax fight scene was epic. Other than that, The Incredible Hulk just an OK film not as great as the other Avenger franchise films.
Captain America: The First Avenger is a great solid origin story. When it came to Marvel superheroes I never really cared for Captain America; Iron Man and Thor were my top favorite of the Marvel roster. With that said I have to admit that this film was very entertaining and enjoyable. The story line was great with some action thrown in -- but not a whole lot, and Chris Evans and the rest of the cast were awesome. This film was a great addition to the new Marvel Cinematic Universe that Marvel is creating.
If I had to sum up M:I IV in two words it would be "Mission: Accomplished", just like Ethan Hunt uttered towards the end of the film. Mission: Impossible IV Ghost Protocol was even more impressive then the last one, and the two before that; easily making it my favorite in the whole film franchise. Not only did it have a great story line plot, it was suspenseful, thrilling, and action packed. As with Mission: Impossible III you can definitely tell J.J. Abrams mark on the film; the dude knows how to make great movies.
(This review was written when this film was first released.)
Honestly I couldn't ask for a better Avengers film! Everyone in the cast fit together nicely with each other and Mark Ruffalo did a great job as the new Hulk replacement. The action was top-notch and the story line mixed in with some comedy parts was perfect for the film. I saw this film in 3D at the midnight release in America and heard from some of the people overseas that the 3D wasn't that great, but I would have to disagree. I thought the 3D conversion was done very well compared to other films I've seen in 3D. The Avengers is by far my favorite superhero film off all time, in fact I'll even go as far as my personal favorite movie period. My only problem with this film is that Marvel now has set the bar pretty high and I hope future Marvel films don't suffer from it. As fresh as this film is I really can't comment on some of the good stuff without spoiling the film, but this film definitely lives up to the hype; it is a must see!
Coming from a guy who doesn't mind seeing chick flicks; it wasn't that bad, but also very predictable.
As with the characters in this film, American Wedding is more grown up then the previous two films. It's less raunchy, and more heart filled than its predecessors. Missing from American Wedding is half the cast from the first two films without a mention to them in the film, but the film still remains to have its hilarious moments without them. Stifler, has a bigger role in this film, while others take a back seat this time. I enjoyed watching Stifler and Finch swap roles trying to win over Michelle's sister. It was enjoyable and entertaining, a nice end to the original trilogy.
Mission: Impossible has your average typical spy film story line. For a late 90's film the action scenes weren't that bad and some of the special effects seemed impressive for a film of this age. Mission: Impossible proves that you can make a great movie out of a television series. For a classic of a film this came to be, it was pretty entertaining to watch; which says a lot because I don't like watching old films. On top of all that, the Mission: Impossible (with the exception of Mission: Impossible II) sequels that follow get better and better which is rare in a film franchise.
The first sequel to the Mission: Impossible film series turns up the heat on the action and romance, and chills the story line way down. The second Mission: Impossible felt like it has a lot missing and the weakest film in the whole series thus far. With its flaws, Mission: Impossible II still kept me entertained enough with the ramped up action scenes until the credits started to roll. Overall, it wasn't that bad; just wasn't great either.
With J.J. Abrams directing this film, it is no wonder that Mission: Impossible III is excellent in every way. J.J. Abrams knows how to make a good television show and film. It was because of J.J. Abrams great work that I instantly became a fan of the Mission: Impossible franchise. The story line was perfectly balanced out with the action; which is a big improvement over the second film. Even though as a person Tom Cruise is a joke; when it comes to his acting there isn't anything to joke about. I enjoy how this guy does his own stunts and he does them well; this adds to the film experience, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman was an excellent choice to play the villain. Great story line, great cast, great acting, and above all else - great action scenes; all and all Mission: Impossible III was a welcome sequel to the franchise.
Thor as an excellent superhero film that it was, I felt like it could have improved in the story line more. The story line kept me interested throughout the film but wasn't as good as compared to say both Iron Man 1 & 2 and Captain America. Although in my opinion Captain America had a better story in its film, Thor was much more fun and entertaining to watch than Captain America. The cast was prefect, Hemsworth was an excellent choice for Thor, and Hiddleston played Loki so well along with Hopkins who was great as the great Odin; also Portman is great in anything she is in. With SHIELD more involved with this film than any other, it was a solid build up to The Avengers film and overall a great addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
With all of the main cast members from all previous four films joining together in Fast Five the fifth film in the franchise is top of the line pure epicness. With the addition of Dwayne Johnson Fast Five builds upon Fast & Furious format of less street racing and adds more car chases and now the element of a heist film. Fast Five continues to remain a little dark in its plot-line like its predecessor Fast & Furious but throws some extra comedy in the mix again like the earlier films in the franchise. Thus far Fast Five is my favorite in the series and if the trend continues hopefully the next film in the series will be even better.
I thought the movie was over rated, over hyped. I found myself a little bored watching some of the film. I have seen much better war movies than this. I read another reviewers comment, he said "...first 10 minutes are good the rest the same". He was actually right nothing really changes. The story line was weak. There is no way this film should have deserved the Oscars they received.
Although this sequel to Crank is entertaining in its own way, it was pretty much the same as the first one with just a few changes here and there. In an attempt to raise the bar for craziest and nuttiest action movie out there they up the ante on the gory violence and added these quirky interruptions like a Godzilla like fight scene and an interview type afternoon show like Jerry Springer periodicity throughout the film. I wasn't a fan of the latter addition. While it kept the same format from the first film, Crank: High Voltage slowed down just a little bit on the thrill ride compared to its predecessor. As I said at the start Crank: High Voltage was still entertaining in its own way; I had a lot of fun watching it. Hopefully they can make a third film some day.
With a mix of action-comedy and things blowing up Transformers turned out to be an entertaining blockbuster to watch. Michael Bay did a really good job bringing the robots to life. They looked as real as a CGI robot could possibly be. Because this is a Michael Bay film you can expect the acting and story line to be subpar. Bay's true talent is making great action scenes and he delivers them well. Still five years later the action in this movie gives me thrills every time I watch it.
Chronicle took me off guard and blew me away. It is the best "found footage" movie in my opinion, more enjoyable then Cloverfield was. It is a little slow to pick up, but once you get to the point when they get their abilities it picks up. It was funny, dark, and thrilling. Some of the scenes when they are using their abilities are a lot better than most superhero films I have seen. All around it was a fun movie that I loved a lot. I highly recommend this film! Go see it!
Epic fun party movie; the best party movie I have ever seen. I want to go to a party like this at least once in my life. There isn't much of a plot to this movie; it is just about two friends trying to put together a massive party for their friend's birthday that is it. The real purpose of this movie is the out of control, fantasy, over the top, unbelievable, crazy, insane party - and what a party it was! I thought the movie was awesomely funny, and enjoyed most of it. By most of it, like others have said the movie has a slow start and doesn't really pick up until just after the party starts. Once the party starts, the movie starts getting fun, and some moments I felt like I was there. This movie isn't for everyone (like the critics), it is mindless fun. The people behind Project X promoted this movie as the best epic party movie of all time, they never once claimed that this movie had an in depth story.
