Reviews
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
More Robots than the First, Less Plot
I did not grow up with the original Transformers cartoons. My older brother did and I was able to watch the cartoon somewhat when I was little, but it was not enough to make me a huge fan. Enough to make me like it, but that's about it. When I saw the first Transformers, I was impressed. Yes, the robots played second fiddle to the human characters, but the movie had a plot to follow. The humor was there but not in your face and the comic-relief characters were actually funny. Now, the 'fanboys' of the Transformers cartoon had a tendency to hate the movie because there weren't enough Transformers and said they wanted more of them.
Well, they got their wish.
"Revenge of the Fallen" definitely has more robots than the first one. Where they came from is briefly explained before it is dropped, however, and unless you were a die-hard fan of the cartoon, you wouldn't know who these new characters were because the audience is never completely introduced to them! My brother had to tell me the names of most of them. Not only are they not introduced, but, except for a handful of them, they only get a short time on screen. The Autobots from the first film, except for Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, only appear briefly, if at all. The new Autobot Twins fall short of doing their job. I'm sure they were meant for the kids and for comic-relief, but they were just annoying, even to me and I have a high tolerance for annoying characters (I actually did not mind Jar Jar in Star Wars, to give you an idea.) They served no purpose to the plot whatsoever. They were fine when they were introduced in the beginning fight, but they never left. They just tagged along with the protagonists and were pretty much ignored by everyone. Wheelie, a small Decepticon with a smart ass attitude, wasn't really annoying, especially compared to the Twins. He would have been good for comic-relief and he actually has a role in the film. Not a large one, but he does do something for the plot.
Speaking of plot, this movie has a poor excuse for one. It's there, but it's difficult to follow. The first thirty to forty-five minutes or so was decent. It was a nice setup and connected well to the first film. But once the conflict was introduced, everything became chaotic. The romance is not engaging at all as any issue Sam and Mikaela have to deal with is solved within a scene or two. Issues and characters are dropped with no explanation as soon as they have no importance to the plot anymore, while characters like Leo stay in the entire movie yet contributes nothing to the film. The plot builds up sloppily and the ending is anti-climatic. They obviously wanted to wrap up the plot completely at the end and they are obviously setting up for a sequel. The anti-climatic ending could've been fixed, I feel, if Micheal Bay would have left some plot points, what few there were, open to conclude in the next film, similar to "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." It wouldn't have save the messy and weak plot, but it might have made the ending less of a disappointment.
One thing that bothered me more than the lack of plot was the excessive amount of swearing and sexual humor. If the first film would've been similar, this wouldn't bother me. But because the first film had only a handful of scenes dealing with swearing and sexual humor, it comes off as very immature in this film. No, this is not a kids film, but considering its popularity with children, you'd think Micheal Bay would've toned such things down, not jack it up. It adds a very tacky dimension to the film.
There are a few redeeming qualities. Visually the film is wonderful. The robots are just as impressive as the first film and the fight scenes are just as epic. The music was good. Those who wished for more robots than humans got it. There are many nods to the cartoons which fans will appreciate. The acting isn't horrible, in fact it's pretty good, even though the characters are flat.
Overall, this is what I expected the first film to be like. I'm sure many people did and when we all saw the first film, we were blown away at how surprisingly complex it was for a film based on toys and an 80s cartoon. This film, however, is no where near that impressive. Is it worth seeing? Sure, especially if you're a Transformers fan, but don't waste your time and money to go to a theater to see it. Wait for it to come out on DVD and buy it then or rent it. It's nothing amazing, but it's not the worst movie out there. It's a good movie to watch on a rainy day, but not one to see over and over.
The Replacements (2006)
Not a master piece, but not absolutely horrible
When I first saw this show, my reaction was 'WTF?' The animation style wasn't attractive to me in the least and the whole idea of replacing adults all the time was the worst ideas for a plot. However, after it's been on for, what, a year now?, it's grown on me.
The animation, despite it's style being different from normal Disney, is smooth. I actually like the backgrounds, but that's more my artistic style talking, because I think it's cool you can see paint strokes. But, anyway, the jokes on this show are, for the most part, not the best. Though there will be something that comes up once in awhile that are truly funny- though I also have a weird sense of humor. The characters, actually, are decent. Yes, they're rather flat characters, but each have distinct personalities, at least. The plots each episode are rather weak, though recently they've gotten a little bit better. One thing I really like about this show are continuities. For example, early episodes call the school George Washington Middle School. Then, after an episode when Todd insists the first presidents last name was Stapler, the school has been called George Stapler Middle School.
I certainly don't watch it religiously, or even when it just happens to be on. But I don't cringe watching it like some others, especially since it's improved just a little.
Original rating- 4/10 New rating- 5/10
Shaun the Sheep (2007)
Cute Fun for Everyone
I never really liked Wallace and Gromit. No offense to the people who like it, which is many, I know, but I always found it boring. The only humor I found was in Gromit. So when I heard about this, I was less than excited. I thought it would be the same. Boy, was I wrong.
This show is very entertaining. It's very cute and all the animals have unique personalities. The lack of dialogue adds to the show. Each character is exspressive, so dialogue would be a waste.
Each plot is five minutes long and deals with schemes made up by Shaun. Each episode is unique, however, not all are interesting. The first two I saw on Disney Channel made me feel like I was watching Wallace and Gromit again. But as I saw more, I really got into it. It's refreshing after watching cheesy punch lines or the foul-mouthed, sex oriented jokes of other stations. This can be enjoyed by anyone.
I recommend this to anyone who likes claymation, Wallace and Gromit, or just everyone who likes some good natured fun. If you're someone who bad-mouths anything that doesn't drop an f-bomb every ten seconds, then stay away.
Poketto monsutâ (1997)
Better than it seems
Pokemon has a very simplistic plot that is easy for children to understand. This is probably why people hate it. I must agree that it's not as good as the games, but what show based on games have been good? The characters are flat and have simple personalities. The villains don't seem like villains and are more annoying than scary. Better and various antagonists would be nice. The romance is in and out. It does get annoying when Brock hits on every single girl (but there is some humor with Misty/Max pulling him back). Each episode is very familiar to each other.
But this is not the worst show ever! It does have its moments (Pikachu's Goodbye for example). Yes, the games are much better than the show and they sometimes are called childish because of the show. But there is something about the show that's appealing to people. Otherwise, it would have been canceled long ago.
The creators could make a show closer to the games, but this is pretty good show based on a game. Pokemon has gotten a bad reputation by people who bad mouth it all the time, and they might not have watched it! Yes, it has gone downhill since the first season, but giving it a chance would be good.
I personally am a bigger fan of the games and I don't like the anime too much, but I don't hate it. It does not promote slavery or animal abuse like some think (would they really show it in the US if it did?) It's underrated, but also more for kids under twelve, which is what it's aimed at. Personally, I think Spongebob is worse.
High School Musical (2006)
'Greece' in 2006
This is one of the best movies Disney Channel has given us. If you have seen the movie 'Greece' you'll notice that High School Musical is a modern version. There are differences but the basic plot is similar. A boy meets a girl during vacation and it turns out the girl goes to the same school as the boy. The two try to become more than friends but the boy dumps her because of his reputation. I haven't finished watching Greece but the part I've seen is similar to High School Musical. But this makes High School Musical a little unoriginal but it's still enjoyable. The thing I didn't like was the fact that the mom showed up in the beginning and didn't the rest of the movie. It didn't make sense she didn't intervene when Jack Bolton tried to get Troy to focus on basketball only and ignore everything else. That doesn't make sense.
The songs are really good! 'Get'cha Head in the Game' is an interesting part of the movie. It's the hip-hop part of the movie. The two songs sang by Sharpay and Ryan (Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabreel) are irritating at times, especially 'Bob to the Top' near the end. Choreography was good and fit with songs. The two best songs done with singing and choreography were 'Stick to the Status Quo' and 'We're All in this Together.' Those two are very fun to watch.
Acting and characterization were really good. Tisdale did excellent as a music snob and Grabeel did really well as her follower brother who's a little slow. Zac Effron and Vanessa Ann Hutchinson were good and were excellent with the singing. Alyson Reed was great as the overly dramatic drama teacher, Ms. Darbus. Overall the acting was great, better than other DCOMs.
This movie is definitely something you should check out. Overall rating- 9.5/10
Naturally, Sadie (2005)
Unique Teen Show
When I first saw Naturally Sadie I was naturally bored, but I slowly got into it. The show is not Disney's normal real-life-but-exaggerated-which-is-mainly-gags. The show is not centered around a teenage girl who is obsessed with looks, boys, and shopping. The main character, Sadie Harthorn, is quite the opposite. Sadie is into nature and science. In each episode she tries to figure out the strange ways of teenage life by comparing it to animals. Like most Disney Channel shows, this one has two stories going on. One with the main character and one with someone close to the main character, in this show it's usually one of Sadie's two friends. The show does tend to drag on and get boring at parts, but you need to remember that it is not much of a humor show like That's So Raven and Phil of the Future. It certainly is a naturally unique show.
Star Tours (1987)
Fun for anyone
Though this is not the most thrilling ride (Tower of Terror and Rockin' Rollar Coaster are much better for thrills)Star Tours is fun. It's a ride simulator, or something like that. It's mild thrill so everyone can enjoy it, even the little 4-year-olds. DON'T GET A FAST PASS! The attraction is just as enjoyable at the line as the actual ride. C-3PO and R2-D2 make a special appearance in the line, arguing as usual. Now the ride. You're a passenger on a StarSpeeder which is taking you to Endor. Your pilot, Rex, is a first-time pilot and messes up by taking the wrong turn. You fly through a hanger and, after much confusion, leave. You enter hyperspace, but fly past Endor. Great. You end up flying through a comet, breaking through ice. You exit the comet and what do know! Star Destroyers. You end up being a part of the battle that's going on between the Rebellion and the Empire. You go through the Death Star trench scene(except Luke is NOT blowing up the Death Star). You finally make it to a Star Tours station, but not without almost crashing. You then leave and get to a souvenirs shop. They have anything you can think of there. Now Star Tours is a little outdated. But it's still enjoyable. When I first went on it I was 8, hated Star Wars, and loved the ride. That's how fun it is. You don't have to be a fun of the saga to enjoy it. It's NOT something to pass by at Disney.
Twitches (2005)
Strong plot, but obvious
First off this was one of the better Disney Channel Original Movies(Dcoms). Instead of the believe in yourself, do the right thing type life lessons that you learn in elementary school with the same kind of stories, Twitches has an interesting plot and life lessons(Don't be afraid of change is one) that are not done in a cheesy and obvious way.
Tia and Tamera were excellent. If you like Sister, Sister, you'll probably like this. Twitches is a magical version of the show, with the twins meeting in a clothing store. Tamera's character is again rich, except Camryn lives in a mansion. Tia play's a has-just-enough-money-to-get-by character. Alex is hardworking and is looking for a job at the beginning, which leads her to the clothing store and meet Camryn.
It's quite funny to see Illeana eating so much food. Karsh and Illeana remind me of Ron and Hermione from Harry Potter. Both act like they hate each other then they like each other. Karsh is very serious while Illeana is laid back.
The ending is obvious. You can guess who the Darkness is once you meet him. Beside that Twitches is a must-see movie. I give it 9/10.