Nez-Alpha Reviews

Star Trek (2009)

Enjoyable even for non trekkies

[7/10 · 15 February 2010]

I'd like to start off this review by saying I am not a fan of the Star Trek franchise and never have been. I have seen random episodes of several of the many series carrying the title, but was never really grasped by any of the series. Other than knowing the names of the iconic crew members such as Captain Kirk, Spock, Sulu, Uhura etc. I do not posses much knowledge of the history of Star Trek. Having said that, I went into this movie with little to no expectations, which may explain why I could find few faults with this movie. I enjoyed the plot and although the transition of Kirk from simple cadet to captain felt a little rushed, it did not hurt the storyline in my opinion.

I can imagine that fans of the Star Trek franchise might have more trouble with this movie due to possible inaccuracies when compared to "actual" history from the series. However as I stated I am not one of these fans, and judging by the scores the movie received in several reviews I read, I will take the liberty to assume that both hardcore fans and newcomers enjoyed this movie for what it was as I did.

I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a good sci-fi movie every now and then, not only to Star Trek fans and I believe it has what it takes to draw younger generations to the Star Trek franchise, and consider it a worthy reboot.

7/10 - Good for what it is, not looking at possible inaccuracies when compared to the original series.

Turtles Forever (2009 TV Movie)

Old meets New

[7/10 · 23 November 2009]

Having grown up watching the old 1988 series, it was great to see the specific characters of the turtles and their villains then, in the universe of the new more serious turtles that kids watch today. The whole thing is animated well and has an interesting enough storyline.

The only thing I slightly disliked about this movie, was that the older versions of the characters, both good and bad, are depicted as being somewhat helpless in the 21st century Turtle universe. They mostly get the goofy lines and carefree attitude. However, to be fair the old show was never as serious as the newer one apparently is, and there were excellent tributes to the old show. One running gag in the movie I really enjoyed, was that the older turtles would sometimes direct their attention to the viewer, which would confuse the 21st generation characters. At some point a turtle is actually asked; "Who are you talking to? There is nobody there!"

Although there is definite goofiness and corniness present, this movie offers a nice look at the turtles through time, and is a nice way to end this saga of the turtles (as Nickelodeon is apparently planning to make the next show fully CGI).

Stardust (2007)

Best movie I've seen lately

[10/10 · 2 December 2007]

This is without a doubt the best movie I have seen in a long time, and I watch a lot of movies. There was a perfect balance between fantasy, action , comedy and love. When going to see this movie I was expecting one of the simple entertaining fantasies of which you see so many these days, but it was so much more. Bot the story and the acting were great. The casting was also superb, as all actors fit their roles perfectly. Even DeNiro, who is already a well known actor might surprise people in more ways than one with his performance. I will wrap up, before giving away plot details. All I'll say is this; Of course everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I could honestly not understand how someone could not love this movie.

Free Jimmy (2006)

Flat story, childish jokes, bad movie.

[2/10 · 25 June 2007]

I had never even heard of this film before I watched it, and I must say, I understand why the movie wasn't hyped here in the Netherlands. It is an extremely bad movie. The occasions where I actually laughed at a joke were extremely rare. I have heard that a lot of the jokes were especially targeted at the Scandinavian audience, but I do not recall hearing any jokes which I did not get (although perhaps some words may have several meanings in the Norwegian version). The only reason I gave this movie two stars rather than one (as 0 is not a possibility) is because the animation was actually really well done (although the character models were a little too over the top in my opinion). I strongly recommend people who have not yet seen this movie, to keep it that way. I honestly feel that the time I spend watching this film was completely wasted. Too few laughs, Flat story and immature comedy make this movie, which in essence could've been entertaining, in to a complete failure.

Bridge to Terabithia (2007)

Story over effects.

[7/10 · 24 April 2007]

When I sat down to watch Bridge to Terabithia, I did not know quite what to expect. From what I had seen in the trailers, I thought the movie would be about two kids that end up in some magical world, similar to the Chronicles of Narnia (clearly, I did not read the book). Needless to say that I was surprised when actually seeing the movie. I shall not spoil the story for those who have yet to see the movie, but I will say that, in my opinion, this movie is for a more mature audience than one would think. Rather than being a fairytale for youngsters, the movie actually gives the viewer an inside look in a young boy's life and all the troubles he faces, concerning school, family and friends. The setting overall was a lot darker than expected as well. I can be short about the acting. The child-stars that play the lead roles did a great job and really brought the characters to life. On this subject I must give some credit to the director as well, as it is very difficult to work with children and to get them to play the part exactly the way you want them too. One final aspect of the movie that deserves mentioning is the fact that it does not lean on special effects. Although there is a fair amount of nice CGI present in the film, the story dominates. Which in my opinion, is a lot better than the other way around. Overall, I found the movie very enjoyable, but I would advise parents of young children to find out more about the movie, before deciding on whether or not you'll let your kids watch it.