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Reviews
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Don't miss this one
I've heard a lot of reviews about this being cheesy. I'm not going to disagree with them, however, there's a reason for the cheese. It's a period piece. That period happens to be the WWII Era in the United States. This is a period of time when Americans probably felt the most patriotic. We were sending our young men into war to save the world. Men signed up willingly and those who couldn't fight, found ways to contribute. I think that if any of us suddenly woke up in 1940s America, we'd find it a very different world.
With that said, Joe Johnston, Chris Evans and Tommy Lee Jones capture this era perfectly. Captain America is Steve Rogers, a spirited young man who despite not being blessed with even an average man's physique, still wants to contribute to the war effort. He loves his country and is fearless. It are these qualities that encompass Captain America.
The pacing of the movie is perfect. The movie runs just over 2 hours long and it doesn't feel like it. The scenery and environment (some obviously green screened) are perfectly done. And speaking of green screening, there is a lot of CGI in the movie, but it's not overdone and it doesn't draw your attention often.
I knew going in that it was an introduction to Captain America so I expected a lot of exposition and character development rather than a lot of fight scenes and action. The movie is similar to Thor for me. We get some background and some cool fight scenes, but we can't wait to see more.
The actors are perfect. Chris Evans is so far removed from his role as The Human Torch. It's weird to see him as a team player rather than a hot headed showoff. Hugo Weaving is great as usual. Though I'll always have a tough time not expecting "Mr. Anderson" to come out of his mouth at any given time. And I also really liked the young Howard Stark. You get to really see where Tony gets his charm and personality.
This movie is a must see simply for the fact that it is the last stand-alone film before they (Iron Man, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Thor and Cap) get together for The Avengers. And speaking of the Avengers, make sure to sit through the credits to get an extra scene and a teaser for the Avengers.
Here's my rank for the current Marvel movies so far:
1. Iron Man 2. Thor 3. Captain America 4. The Incredible Hulk 5. Iron Man II
Star Trek (2009)
To boldly go....
I like Hollywood's current idea of rebooting rotting franchises. Christopher Nolan has done a masterful job of injecting Batman with some life. Daniel Craig has given us new reasons to root for James Bond. J.J. Abrams has now given us a fresh look at the Star Trek universe. As a fan of Alias, Lost and his work on Mission: Impossible 3 I was excited to see what Abrams would do for Star Trek. I can sum it up in one simple word, "wow!"
This fresh look at Star Trek is just what the fans needed after Nemesis left a bitter taste in our mouths. A youthful and talented cast boldly takes Star Trek to a place where no other movie dared to go. I think this movie is exactly what Roddenberry would have created in the 1960s had the technology and money been available.
The movie was brilliantly acted by a new young cast. Zachary Quinto as Spock is by far the highlight of the film. Quinto's previous work as Sylar on "Heroes" has prepared him very well for the role of an almost emotionless character of Spock. Chris Pine is fantastic as Kirk (and he even looks like a young William Shatner). Zoe Saldana is great as Uhura, John Cho is awesome as Sulu, Karl Urban was hilarious as Leonard 'Bones' McCoy and Simon Pegg was very memorable as Montgomery Scott (despite the least amount of screen time). The cast works very well together due to a brilliant script and amazing direction.
The story itself is well written. I particularly like the movie because it allows the writers and director to take the Enterprise crew on new directions in later installments of this new franchise. Star Trek has always forced us to believe in fantasy and this new Star Trek is exactly that - fantastic.
The camera work in the movie is stunning. There is a breathtaking moment the first time the camera zooms on the Enterprise NCC-1701 on the hull of the ship. The space scenes are breathtaking in both their scope and visuals. I will admit that the use of lens flares is a bit overdone, but I was able to ignore it as there is a lot of other stuff to be focusing on anyway.
The movie is just over 2 hours long and after it was over I was disappointed simply because I could have watched 2 hours more. Abrams has created a new fantastic universe to enjoy. With the infusion of new cast and direction, I personally cannot wait until the next installment comes out in a few years (I'm guessing).
As Spock states in the movie, "Thrusters full ahead."
Amazing movie.
9.5/10
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Better than expected
Wolverine is a decent movie. It is worth the price of admission and the 2 hours of screen time. The movie works well as a prequel of the events of the X-Men movies. However, to enjoy the movie, one must suspend knowledge of the comic book material. The movie was made for the average movie-goer and a little for the ultra hardcore X-Men comic book reader. The story has everything anyone could want: family, a little romance, love, comedy, revenge and plenty of action.
I was pleased with most of the acting. I will admit that some dialogue seems forced from the minor cast, but the main characters - Wolverine, Sabretooth, etc. - all work well together. The story did seem a little rushed and choppy at times, however. The 1:45 time goes by quickly enough to feel like maybe the movie could have - and should have - been closer to 2:00.
The movie is as good as the first X-Men movie, and better than X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand. I am actually looking forward to seeing how they handle the Magneto origins movie that's being made. And I am really hoping that all of this work brings it together for a possible X-Men 4. I know you agree with me because after all, I know everyone is dying to see Apocalypse as the bad guy.
My only real complaint of the movie is that Gambit (my favorite X-Men character) did not have as much screen time as I'd hoped. He better either get his own movie, or make an appearance in a later Marvel movie.
Ignore the syndicated critics and the negativity surrounding this movie. I'm glad I did. Go see it. Don't let people scare you away from spending your money on this movie. Form your own opinions. Oh, and if you go, stay after the credits.
The Dark Knight (2008)
Believe the hype!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't even know where to begin with this movie. I have never been more excited to see a movie more than Iwas excited to see The Dark Knight. As soon as I saw Memento, I knew that Christopher Nolan was what all directors in Hollywood should aspire to. Batman Begins was incredible and who could forget the intricacies of The Prestige. Christopher Nolan, Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro and Ridley Scott are the class of Hollywood right now. Now for The Dark Knight
I was absolutely ecstatic when I heard Heath Ledger was going to portray The Joker. Heath's death was tragic in every way possible. We lost a true talent who would have captured the big screen for many many years to come. Early marketing was all hype for Ledger's Joker performance and rightly so. In all of the comic book world there is no more important hero/villain relationship than Batman/Joker. It's better than Superman/Lex Luthor, better than X-Men/Magneto, better than Fantastic 4/Dr. Doom, better than Spider-Man/Venom. You DO NOT have Batman without the Joker. With all the hype leading up to Ledger's Joker the question is raised: is it worth the hype? The answer, in a word is ABSOLUTELY. Jack Nicholson has nothing on Heath Ledger. The Joker steals the screen in every scene he is in. He also has the greatest entrance of any character possibly ever with his "disappearing pencil trick." It sets the tone for his character as dark, twisted, demented, sadistic and strangely funny. It is a OMG scene but you will have a very hard time not laughing. Ledger steals the movie, but in a very good way. He is over-the-top but you never ask him to apologize for it, in fact, you'll be thanking him for it. The Joker sums it up in one line when he says to Batman "you and I could do this forever." If the Acadamy does not recognize Heath Ledger posthumously for his role in The Dark Knight, then I vow to never watch the Oscars ever again.
Now for Christian Bale. After watching the '89 and 90's Batmans I always thought that if you could take Michael Keaton's Bruce Wayne character and mix it with Val Kilmer's Batman character that you'd have the perfect Batman/Bruce Wayne. Ladies and gentleman, I give you Christian Bale. He is the fun loving and smart Bruce Wayne that Micheal Keaton gave us and the brooding and unrelenting Batman that Val Kilmer gave us. Batman has always been my favorite hero because he has no superhuman powers. He is a vigilante but never crosses the dark line. However, at the same time he is angry with how his beloved Gotham City has been taken over by crime. I have always liked Christian Bale. In The Dark Knight we see Batman struggling with how the morals and ethics of being a hero, but not crossing the moral line and becoming a criminal himself. Much like in Batman Forever we see Bruce Wayne considering hanging up the mask forever. Batman goes from being the Caped Crusader to the title character of The Dark Knight. Bale pulls this role off flawlessly and you really start to feel for his struggle with donning the mask and cape.
Michael Caine is always brilliant, and he gives the role of Alfred Pennyworth his due course and adds in some humility, direction and even a little humor. I am glad Nolan gave him this role.
Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent is awesome. This was another casting that I was very excited for. Dent's character is perfect. If Batman is the Dark Knight, then Dent is Gotham's White Knight so to speak. Dent ruthlessly hunts down, in the legal realm, Gotham's criminals in an effort to clean the streets of crime and corruption. However, as we all know, Harvey Dent must eventually become Two-Face and you see his struggle with morality. Dent himself has a dark side that he must confront on several occasions. SPOILER HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dent does become Two-Face about 3/4ths of the way through the movie. It is not the cartoon-like Two-Face that Tommy Lee Jones gives us. Like the rest of the movie, it is dark and evil and when you see his face you might look away at first. It's not for the feint of heart. END SPOILER!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maggie Gyllenhaal is perfectly re-cast as Rachel Dawes. She seems to connect better with Bale than Holmes did. However, Nolan does not give her character much to do in the movie. She does have a cool encounter with The Joker, but overall her character is not extremely important to the movie as a whole.
Gary Oldman is another character that deserves an award for his role in The Dark Knight. His portrayal of Jim Gordon is awesome. For moments in the movie you actually forget that he's acting. He must find his own place in a corrupt police force that struggles with deciding to capture or honor Batman. Nolan hit the nail on the head again with this casting choice.
Overall, the story is a little convoluted, but it doesn't matter because once the Joker hits the scene, that's all you care about. The fights between Batman and Joker are epic. This is the blueprint of how all comic book/superhero movies must be made. Iron Man was cool, but I left this movie thinking to myself, "who's Iron Man?" This movie lives up to every hype possible and is required viewing for everyone and anyone who likes movies at all. This is one of the few movies I've seen that I cannot point out any flaws in the film-making.
A resounding 10/10
Heath Ledger 1979-2008 RIP