Brevin_Campbell Reviews

The Hunt (II) (2020)

The Hunt has no chill

[7/10 · 25 April 2020]

The Hunt film is a "Hunger Games" esque political comedy in which a bunch of liberal elite attempt to round up the conservative degenerates to try and kill them off in a game. And so from this idea we get the feeling that this film is one that won't be holding back on what it is trying to say about our current political landscape.

From the start of the film the movie begins murdering off a slew of characters one by one as you try to figure out who are the main characters of the story. In this murder spree you get a sense that this is a comedy as many of the deaths are very over the top and comedic. A lot of time is spent making fun of the conservative mindset in this sequence as many character rally together to try and protect themselves. These scenes are also used to set up the world we are in and who are our antagonist going to be.

Despite the scenes of making fun of the conservative party the film also does a lot to make fun of the liberal party and their innate hypocrisy. These are rich progressives who only act for these causes when they feel like it would benefit them in some way, but in reality they don't really care for the causes. There are many scenes within this film that defiantly feel like they are leaning right into the more pro-conservative camp than the liberal one. And by doing this the film forces the liberal party to look out their own innate problems that they have.

However this is still a Damon Lindeloff who has just finished of the exceptional "Watchmen" show based on the amazing graphic novel. The Watchmen show was a very liberal leaning show, and you can still see a lot of those liberal ideas being formed in the female protagonist introduced played by Betty Gilpin. While this character does side with the conservative faction we do get many scenes showing that she has many more of the traits that are given to female heroes on the left. She doesn't show the hate to the muslim faction that her conservative friends do, and she seems to not take crap from her more oppressive male counterparts. She comes off as a Sarah Conner or a female John Wick type of character. She shows that she only has one passion and that is violence.

The film does have a myriad of problems. There are many questions raised throughout the movie especially with Betty Gilpin's character and her sidekick. Betty's character doesn't really give us a lot of insight to what is going on in her head. She doesn't come with a lot answers about her past. And when her sidekick seemingly betrays her we don't really get a direct answer if he really did or not, but neither of these questions match the very strange and unorthodox ending we get that really only acts to confuse the viewer even more to what is going on here.

In conclusion "The Hunt" isn't a perfect film, but it is a solid and fun movie with tons of violence, and a fun twisted look at the conservative and liberal parties that could act as a warning of a very real future that could happen if we don't change our way of thinking.

Parasite (2019)

Parasite crafts a dark but brilliant story about our society

[9/10 · 7 April 2020]

This film got a lot of praise going into the Oscars season this year for not only being a commentary of society in the same way Joker does, but doing it through the lens of a Korean family. by doing this it forces the film to have a different feel from any film of its type. Many Americans don't understand the class system of other countries, and getting to see another countries class system being represented on screen gives the film a very different type of feel.

In Korea there are a lot of stricter gun laws that stop people from getting to them so in order to make a kill you would have to use other methods, and that does play a role within the context of this film and adds to the complete and utter fear that can come from it.

There are also a issue for more flooding for the poor in Korea in which this film also addresses in a lot of big and massive ways throughout the film as it becomes the catalyst for why the family makes many of the choices that they choose to make within it.

Parasite really does manage to capture the essence of what truly matters in our society for the poor and the rich and their differences

Men in Black: International (2019)

A pretty meh blockbuster

[4/10 · 19 June 2019]

When going into Men In Black International I didn't have many expectations for the film. I had never really watched any of the Men In Black movies aside from the film halve of the first film. However I wanted to enjoy this film hoping it would reenergize the franchise and give us many more MIB movies. There was also the factor that the movie had Thor and Valkerie in it who had just made me laugh and chuckle a lot in Thor Ragnorok. So going in I was pretty interested in it. Of course the reviews were very poor, but I tried to stay stern. I still was going to see this film and judge it for myself.

And I was very disappointed. I really tried my hardest to connect with the film on some emotional level, but that never came for me. I wanted to have fun with this movies, and for all intensive purposes it wasn't doing anything I hated. There wasn't anything about the structure that felt off and the jokes weren't bad. In fact a lot of them were funny. I especially loved the "girl power" line from Chris Hemsworth's character to Tessa Thompson's character. But at the end of the day I just didn't like this film.

Tessa's character was probably the biggest issue I had with this movie. The movie was all about her, but I found that I just couldn't connect with her emotionally. She has a decent backstory, she has great lines, and how she get into MIB was solid, but even with all of that I just never once cared about her. She just doesn't work.

In contrast Chris Hemsworth's character does work for me. I found his lines were far stronger and funnier. His lazy attitude and stuck uppityness was a treat to see. In many ways he felt like he should have been in this movie more. Sadly he doesn't even come in until after we get done with boring Molly's backstory. Also his name being Agent H like Agent Hemsworth was funny to me.

The villains are pretty bland. Not much more to say there

There is a twist in the film that I didn't see coming, but at the same time it also does a bit of damage to rest of the movie as a whole and feels like the twist hurts other better scenes in the film.

In conclusion MIB International is a pretty meh and average blockbuster with not much to offer itself. The best thing about it was Chris Hemsworth's character while everyone else comes off very plain.

Dragon Ball Super: Broly (2018)

Akira gives Broly depth

[8/10 · 10 February 2019]

When it comes to Japanese animation the franchise of Dragon Ball is probably one of the biggest if not already the most massive. The series, Dragon Ball Z, ran on television from 1996-2003 across 291 episodes and was a cultural phenomenon. The series has sense had a total of 15 movies and loads of merchandising. It was no surprise to most fans of japanese cartoons that the film managed to land in the top 5 making 11 million dollars domestically. (Box Office Mojo) The film does quite a lot to please both old fans and new ones. And in comparison to the older film Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan this film is not only surpasses it but create a more compelling narrative. It does this with its more compelling characters and backstories for this universe.

The film starts out by giving us a bit of backstory on not only the enemy but the world that the Dragon Ball Universe inhabits as it gives us the history on a alien race called "Saiyans" or "Saiyajin"for the japanese audience. It talks about a tyrannical ruler named Frieza who becomes the ruler of this planet of saiyans after their father, King Cold, grants them this authority. This entire halve allows people who have never watched Dragon Ball before to have more of a clear idea of what is going on in the film. Allowing the viewer to get a strong sense for what this franchise is all about. It however also changes the lore up for old fans so that way they stay entertained throughout this first halve by giving us new characters such as the main character, Goku, having a mother, or giving us a better idea of how the saiyan race tends to operate.

But what makes the Dragon Ball movie truly more sophisticated than the simple brawls that the series has been known for is its deep dive into its main antagonist, Broly, who is given a rich and complex backstory that will leave many non fans quite impressed as the film attempts to pull on your heart strings. It is probably one of the few times that the writer, Akira Toriyama, has attempted to create such a interesting character. If you look at the original film Broly is much more of this one note brute who only says "Kakarot" over and over, and is simply used as a plot device who the heroes must defeat, but here Broly is a person who has been forced into battle by his father, but we see scenes in the film that Broly doesn't want to fight for his dad, and would rather live a more peaceful life. These are aspects of Broly that really help us understand the character being crafted on screen. The film also gives us some new additions like Cheelai who ends up being a pretty great new addition to the rest of the cast and plays a prominent role in Broly's character development. There is a scene between Broly and her when they are at a cafeteria in which Cheelai takes interest and Broly and shows that she finds herself caring a lot for the brute even being willing to protect him. Now the film is still at the end of the day a Dragon Ball film and because of that there is still a big action fight in the 3rd act and its pretty great, but unlike the action scenes in previous Dragon Ball films this act has more weight to it because you care about the character involved. This gives the action more weight in the big explosive battle.The animation in the final fight also looks incredibly beautiful. When you see the main character and Broly going at each other you can't help but get immersed in the fight and take in all the action. Your eyes wander throughout the screen trying to take in every color change, every deviation of position of the characters, and it becomes both overwhelming but also engaging in a way that allows you to have a clear understanding of what each character is doing, and for that reason alone it is extremely entertaining.

There are some areas of the film were the animation dropped in quality mainly for the more comedic moments during the action halve. It was obvious a decent amount of the budget had to go the main character and antagonist punching each other and because of that everything going on around the fight had to be have its quality diminished which was quite disappointing for me as a fan. And while the fights were cool to look at it and the backstory does help them it is a very extensive fight. The movie is 1 hour and 41 mins and the fight takes up pretty much the entire 41 minutes. And it actually ends up being quite glorious the way they manage it. And I must give the director, Tatsuya Nagamine, a lot of props for managing to pull something like this off because it couldn't have been easy.

In conclusion Dragon Ball Super: Broly works pretty well as a Dragon Ball film, and even manages to break some expectations giving us a more complex antagonist with a rich and endearing backstory to go along with it. The animation isn't always perfect and the action long winded, but is a great and enjoyable time at the theater and one that I feels really works in spades. And rather you are a new fan or a older one both groups will get something from it.

Bumblebee (I) (2018)

This movie hit me in the perfect way

[10/10 · 1 January 2019]

Before Edge of Seventeen I didn't know who Hailee Steinfeld was. I had seen her face in music videos and heard her voice in songs, but I had no idea who she was let alone that she was a actress. And yet this year showed us what this little girl could do by being in both this film and in Spider-Verse. And after seeing her in these three films I got to say that I am defiantly a fan of her. Even her cover song "Bring me back to Life" was really good. So call me impressed.

This film really felt like a Transformers movie even more than any of the other films. The look of the robots is more in tune with the animated series, the way the action is choreographed is visually pleasing to the eye, and the human characters actually have development and feel more realistic that any of the others. It just a far more sweet hearted film. It feels more like a passion project from a fan of the Transformers cartoon who was given a lot of money to make it to its fullest extent. And in that way it really works.

There are a lot of really emotional moments within the film. The entire concept of the movie is about a girl and her robot and how she starts to connect with the machine in a more earnest way. Throughout the film you can really tell that there is a sweet bond between these two that I just really loved. And the movie does a really great job of highlighting that.

Many critics will say that this movie is to much like E.T or the Iron Giant, but for me I didn't really see a problem with that. To me what made those films work is what makes this film feel just as impactful and it not like we have seen many films take from those in awhile anyway so as long as it didn't feel like a lifeless copy I still found the similarities to work. Because after no matter if those issues were big or small I still was able to emotionally connect with this film and leave out of it feeling nice and happy.

Also this film doesn't some big bombastic final act with a light going to the sky like most movies have so that was a big yay for me too.

Aquaman (2018)

A fun generic blockbuster

[7/10 · 1 January 2019]

For a decent while now the DCEU has been subject to controversy with the only movie being loved by both fans and critics to be Wonder Woman. Beyond that each film has had some sort of issue in the filming process before its initial release. Rather that be Suicide Squad with all of the Joker scenes being cut or Justice League with its infamous Superman mustache issue. All of these factors and more led to these films getting poor reception from critics and a few fans. So going into Aquaman there were many who were very skeptical.

However with James Wan at the helm I had little worry. The man was known for making films that were commercially viable. The Conjuring 2 film made 320 million dollars on a 40 million dollar budget. Saw made 103 million on a meager 1.2 million dollar budget, and Furious 7 made over a billion dollars on its big budget 200 million dollar production cost. So there was little doubt that the film would do well. As far as quality Wan usually churns out quality work. His Saw series is beloved by many fans, his Conjuring work had been exceptional, and Insidious while not as beloved as Saw is also its own franchise. So I was pretty optimistic on him taking on the visual spectacle that was "Man who can talk to fish: The Movie."

In regards to visual effects the movie isn't all that spectacular. There were areas that I found to be very clunky. Mera from a purely special effects standpoint never looked real, there were a lot of water effects that looked fake. The designs of the home where Aquaman lived were nice looking, but still needed a bit more rendering to be done. The fight scenes I will admit are pretty bad ass. Every fight seemed to find a way to surprise me. The ones underwater seemed to impress me the most with their visual flares.

Jason Momoa also bolstered a lot of confidence and charisma in the role. His flirtatious attitude with Mera and his audacious approach to to his brother always put a smile on my face. He was defiantly perfectly cast in the role of a superhero.

Additionally the film tends to be very funny. It always knew how to make you feel good when you watched. There was a lot of great chemistry between Aquaman and other character that allowed for some really enjoyable sequence that made me grin from ear to ear. It was just a good, upbeat, and fun experience at the movies.

But my favorite aspect of the film was Black Manta. He was a marvelous villain. From start to finish he always kept me interested in the pain he was feeling at the loss of his father and how Aquaman chose not to save him. This anger fuels the antagonist and pushes him to vengeance. This desire makes the audience feel sympathetic to his plight and his desire for revenge.

King Orm wasn't nearly as compelling, but I did like his character. He was more your standard bad guy who wanted to become king for his own selfish reasons and hated the people on the surface. There is a part of me that wishes this was two movies instead of just one. Perhaps then King Orm would be a little bit more three dimensional than he turned out to be.

I really loved Aquaman and Mera's relationship. It was really sweet and funny. Jason played it more in the tone of him seeing her as a sexy catch and she was the sassy redhead who wanted him just as badly, and when looking at it through those eyes then they really work well for each other.

Overall though there isn't really anything surprising here. It pretty standard superhero stuff. There a big awesome fight at the end of the movie that was cool to see. Mera and Aquaman have a overly dramatic kiss, and the movie ends with Aquaman giving a hopeful monologue to the future. So it was good.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Spider-Verse revives people's love for Miles Morales

[9/10 · 24 December 2018]

A Review from a comic book nerd XD

When going into Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse I was very excited. I had been reading Miles Morales since 2014 alongside Kamala Khan, and while I never loved him as much as I loved Kamala I had always enjoyed the story of Miles in the Ultimate Universe. He felt different from Peter Parker as he was more grounded in his responsibility to his family first. He was never defined by some major death of a family member the way Peter was, but rather instead by the loss of his Peter Parker. He became Spider-Man to honor his Peter's legacy, and that felt like a solid motivation to me.

Back in the Ultimate Universe era Bendis was on a hot streak with Jessica Jones, Daredevil, and other street level heroes. This fine tuned writing really did well for the Ultimate Spider-Man as he would eventually create a really powerful bond between 616 Peter Parker and the 1610 one, and it was this relationship that I was elated to see get portrayed on the big screen.

However there was one major worry I had about this film, and that was the entire concept of the spider verse. I just never liked the idea of a billion spider characters all coming together in one big giant event, and I defiantly didn't want it in Miles's first movie when he should be the focus. It also made me feel like these writers didn't think Miles could stand on his own which also irked me. Luckily though in the film these other characters don't take away from the character of Miles Morales as the film still revolves around him. The other Spider characters are kind of just there to help felt the big bad, and because the film is still called "Into the Spider-Verse," but there not major. I did like Spider-Man Noir a lot, and also Penni Parker was cool too.

In regards to the animation for the film I felt it always looked pretty crisp and clean. I liked the style of allowing a comic book come to life in animation. It allows for it to feel more realistic, and for the colors to start to pop more. You can tell that the writers put a lot of love and care when crafting this film with the stylization in mind. It is something that is both amazing and spectacular. Pun intended. :-P

There is quite a lot in the film that pulls from Miles's story in the Ultimate Universe. I really enjoyed seeing Ultimate Green Goblin realized on the big screen, and his battle against Peter Parker was absolutely great. I also loved the death of Ultimate Peter Parker as it both dark and brutal. I literally started to have goosebumps in the theater when watching it. There was also the bond between Aaron Davis and Miles that was captured perfectly, and when Aaron died it felt like my soul left my body.

That being said despite my love for this scene I did find Aaron's death to be a bit problematic. It makes Miles lose some of his individuality in my opinion. And with the movie trying so hard to get us to see that Miles is more than a Peter Parker knock off the idea that Miles would need another major loss to define him really undercuts his development. Especially when we have a more compelling story to tell with his relationship with his Uncle were Miles is caught between the world of crime and the world of a hero.

Going into some performances I thought everyone did a pretty solid job. I thought Chris Pine's portrayal of Peter Parker was very original and a different take on the character. I found Jake Johnson's Peter to be absolutely amazing and quite memorable too. Hailee Steinfeild as Gwen Stacy was perfect casting in my opinion, and her friendship that she created with Miles was really heartfelt. And I can't wait for that to be developed more if we ever get a sequel to this movie.

Overall this was a exceptional film with a really heartfelt story. It understands what makes Miles a really compelling character, and was just a lot of fun to watch on screen, and so for that reason and others I truly believe that this movie deserves many accolades.

Creed II (2018)

Creed 2 beats the odds

[7/10 · 18 December 2018]

When the first Creed was released in theaters it had an explosion of success. With Coogler's expert direction the film managed to achieve an impressive amount of emotional depth from the audience. Every character interaction felt authentic, and you really could connect with them on some deeper more intrinsic level. Each of the fights carried with them some baggage that allowed us to really care about every confrontation.

With these high standards set it was easy to become hesitant of the second film's ability to live up to its predecessor. This only worsened when when Ryan Coogler made the decision to leave the project and so he could work on the now highly acclaimed "Black Panther." With so much going against the anticipated sequel one could come to believe that Creed 2 had a shot at becoming one of the worst movies of 2018 or at least the most disappointing.

Now after three years I can proudly say that Creed 2 does successfully capture the feeling of the first by choosing to be a story about a man becoming a father. Adonis's relationship with his wife, Bianca, is put to the test when Bianca gets pregnant with a baby. This is becomes a issue for the young Adonis as he wrestles with being a boxer and raising his son.

Things become increasingly more precarious when his father's killer, Ivan Drago, comes to town wanting a fight with Adonis pushing the young man to make some pretty tough decisions in his choice to avenge his father's name or to give it all up so that way he can be a husband to his wife and a father to his child. This becomes the emotional hook to carry the story and help us get more enraptured with these characters. In the end Creed 2 is a exceptional film with a lot of intense drama and truly impactful moments that will leave you on the edge of your seat wanting more.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

Fantastic Beasts 2 is a slow paced, meandering sequel

[3/10 · 22 November 2018]

So once again JK Rowling and David Yates have teamed up for one of the most highly anticipated sequels to what was once one of the biggest franchises ever put to film The first Fantastic Beasts was a pretty fun film with a lot of wondrous creatures and interesting characters, but when it comes to this sequel it is anything but that.

This is a movie that really tries to drag out all of its plots, and because of that it comes off as this poorly paced mess of a film. There are a lot of needless sub plots in the film that go nowhere. The romance between the characters feel forced and uninteresting. Even some of the friendships that were created in the first film don't have the same spark anymore.

The Wizarding World as a whole feels pretty empty too. The first film still had this sort of magical flare to it that made each part of it somewhat enticing. This film drains that away and turns it into this empty shell of what it once was. It not fun, and not nearly as energetic either. It's just lifeless.

The main villain is fine. Johnny Depp I felt like did a decent job as him. He was not nearly as wild and cooky as he usually is, but it still left a lot to be desired, and because of that I ended up leaving the film feeling very lukewarm on him.

The movie makes a lot of really bad jump cuts through out. There times when we get a evil villain scene and it then cuts to our heroes then cuts to a entirely different scene with another group of characters, and it just felt too much for one film to handle. There is also a lot of exposition dumps in the film that really hurt the pace of the film too.

In Conclusion this film is just a jumbled mess of a movie. The characters aren't as interesting, the editing is poor, the dialogue feels very weak, and the villain feels like wasted potential. Overall I left the film feeling very disappointed as a result.

Venom (2018)

It so bad its good

[6/10 · 21 October 2018]

I am going to be real with you guys. This is not a good movie. Just as far as how well it is made it isn't good. Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock is one of the most unrealistic characters ever created. He supposed to be this accomplished guy at the beginning of the movie but he never comes off as that. He comes off more as a complete idiot and a total douchebag. And there are some lines in this movie that was just really stupid and there is also a lot of unintentional hilarious moments from the entire cast that makes no sense.

And yet this movie for some reason works for me. With all of its stupid and crude humor it comes off as a great little B movie. It cheesy and campy and feels like it comes right out of the Blade era of movies with things like Fantastic or and Daredevil. The bond between the symbiote and Eddie is amazing and there dynamic together just really works well.

The CGI in this movie is ok at best and awful at worst. The final battle in the movie feels really poorly put together like someone rushed there After Effects work and turned it in really fast.

The bond between Eddie and his girlfriend also kinda sorta worked for me. Mostly cause I think she is in love with symbiote and I think from the point when she finds Eddie with it onward the movie works perfectly.

Overall while Venom isn't good it is at least fun so if you want to watch a fun movie with your friends then this is it.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)

A first timer's review

[8/10 · 29 July 2018]

So like..this was pretty much my first time seeing a Mission Impossible movie. Which is kinda crazy cause I have always been a huge fan of the spy drama since I was a little kid.So much that it is very strange when I find a spy franchise like this that has been around for so long, but hey....its fun not going to lie there.

The biggest positive I can see on this movie was the action is freaking amazing. Every scene feels truly brutal and powerful. I love movies with this very brutal action scenes that feel very much like John Wick or Winter Solder. Every punch given feels harder and it makes the stakes feel higher than they are. And Tom Cruise only adds to that with his action also not being perfect. He isn't the perfect fighter in the film. There are scenes where he falls and gets hurt and you feel that. Moments of just real intensity that just blow you away.

Henry Cavil also plays a great yang to Tom Cruise as his really ramps up every scene he is in and heck even steals the show at certain points and I absolutely love that.He pulls off every scene he is in with great flare and a mustache to boot to go along with it. Was the mustache needed? I don;t really think so, but it was a great add on anyway.

The movie's greatest weakness is its execution of its twist. The twist really feel forced and unneeded at times for me. More to give a big gasp over anything else. Im not going to give away the twist here, but there is a scene or rather a collection of scenes back to back when we get one twist after the other and it feels really dragging.

Overall though Mission Impossible is a fun time at the theater and one I'd highly recommend.

Paddington 2 (2017)

A really fun film but has some messy story points

[9/10 · 22 January 2018]

I really did enjoy this movie. Much like the first film it still has the wit and charm to it that makes it really fun to watch. It is very innocent and cute too. All the cast members give it there all in making this film come together and helping to create a more satisfying experience.

But this film has a major fault in its plot. There are things in it that don't make a lot of sense especially when the investigation comes together it is very messy and doesn't make a once of sense. I understand that this is a film about a talking bear so there is some suspension of disbelief that needs to be had, but when your plot is being focused on that part of the film needs to make some sense.

Now this doesn't change my love for the film at all. I just really wanted to give this movie a 10 and have found cause of this one mistake it made I really can not now. Still though the film has a very funny and entertaining villain that was very eccentric that I liked. And some of the prisoners were very good too.

Overall the Paddington sequel is a very great add on to the franchise.

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)

Star Wars the last Jedi is ballsy

[5/10 · 18 December 2017]

This movie is undoubtedly going to be divisive and coming out of this film my immediate reaction was very mixed on this film. There were some things about this film that I hated and other things about it that I loved. Rian Johnson really tried to do something different here in this movie and for that I applaud him, but that doesn't mean I have to like all the changes he made. I cannot talk about what I dislike about this movie without going into spoilers. I do recommend seeing it though just to see some of the things that are done.

CAREFUL FOR SPOILERS

The biggest issue I had with this film was the treatment of Leia. I found they way Leia was used in this film to be horrible and awful and almost disrespectful to Carrie Fisher. They had a chance to have her character die in this film, but instead they toyed with her death, and thus played with the audience. The scene where Leia opens her eyes and comes back to the ship was cartoonish and stupid. It was the dumbest stupid scene in the entire movie. Like what Leia is Superman now?

The handling of Luke Skywalker also isn't that great either. While I did gelt like this was Luke the choices they make with this character in the second half of the film is terrible for me. They have Luke face Kylo and not even actually face him instead choosing for it to just be simple force ghost and then have Luke die in a really lonesome way making him feel more like a coward than anything else.

There is also this forced romance between Finn and this girl named Rose that comes out of nowhere. And the character of Rose in general is poorly done.

Now lets talk about Rey......cause man...Rey is a really intriguing part of this film. The relationship between her and Kylo is really interesting and thought provoking. The bond they share for me was really nice and beautiful and kinda sweet too. Even if it all does kinda start to crumble down. Whenever it cut to them was when I really enjoyed the film.

There is of course the whole Kylo knowing Rey's parents stuff too which was really interesting, but the problem is that the movie itself leads you to believe it something bigger than it actually is so when the reveal happens your very much let down by it.

Also while Finn and Rose bond was meh the fight between Finn and Phasma was amazing!!! For me it really did redeem Phasma for me and make me like the character a lot more than before.

The film is very experimental in nature. There are a lot of interesting scenes like the weird mirror scene where we see multiple Reys is really something else, and asks a lot of different questions about Rey as a character.

The death of Snoke I also found to be really great as well and really cool look at Kylo's unsureness too. And Kylo being the leader of the first Order was a great choice as well

So for me this a pretty much half and half film. There is a lot of great stuff and a lot stuff I hated. And yet it is weird cause oddly enough I want to see it again and see where the story goes from here.

Daddy's Home 2 (2017)

Enjoyably dumb

[6/10 · 29 November 2017]

I saw the last Daddy's Home and enjoyed it and this sequel wasn't to much different for me. The comedy was pretty much exactly the same and so were a lot of the dynamics too. Mel Gibson was probably the best part. You thought that he would of gotten a little wacky, but he stayed the straight man throughout the entire movie and I really enjoyed it.

Im also giving this movie a plus for keeping up with its continuity and doing something with the cliffhanger it left at the end of the last one cause that too was great.

The movie does have a ending that is a bit much though. And made the entire movie go from level 8 silliness to level 20 and it didn't feel needed, but I defiantly enjoyed watching it all the same.

Justice League (2017)

Justice League is a Marvel film

[7/10 · 22 November 2017]

I have gone back and forth with the amount of praise and criticism I feel this film deserves. After a while of thought after seeing the movie I have come to say I think this movie was a lot of fun on its own. Its not Wonder Woman that is true and it does go darker than some Marvel films ever would, but Justice League is in fact a Marvel film through and through. Rather u like it or hate that.

Having a director like Joss Whedon come in and do re shoots on the film only helps this claim. This film is a result of a whole lot of criticism regarding this entire universe and how it was built. The foundation was never steady to begin with and as a result this film hurts because of that.

Luckily despite that Justice League still manages to come out with a lot of entertainment value that puts a smile on your face. The movie has a lot of funny scenes that do put a smile on your face and make the film a lot more enjoyable. The characters are far more interesting and I enjoy seeing them coming together making for a far better experience

The film does have a few issues tho. The entire second half of the film is a mess from a technical stand point. The editing is really poorly handled and so is the flying green screen overhead. Also mustaches for days. There are some weird cuts and slices and a few other problems that the film has.

Overall Justice League is still a enjoyable film despite some of its flaws that it had. I defiantly want to see it again. It was fun and light and I just really overall enjoyed my experience in the theater.

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Exactly what Thor needed

[8/10 · 5 November 2017]

So traditionally the Thor movies have typically been the weakest in the MCU, but when I saw the trailers for this film I knew that there is 90% chance this film would change Thor for the better. On top of that the director brought up how he never watched the previous Thor films and how this would reboot Thor for the better and it did.

Thor Ragnarok is a full on, no hold bars cosmic superhero story in space with some great action sequences and some beautiful and gorgeous visual effects. It takes my favorite parts of the Thor mythos and amps them all up by 500x making for a more fun and more entertaining movie overall and I loved it for that.

I love the fact that Thor isn't super stiff in this movie too. He is actually adding a lot to the comedy for the movie and making a lot more entertaining as well.

The acting in this movie is also quite good too. A lot of the actors really do merge well into there roles and it is quite amazing and I like it a lot.

Hela is such a great and evil villain too and her reasoning is really interesting as well. So is Valkerie in the film. She is also a great add on to the movie.

Overall I really enjoyed this film and would highly recommend it.

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

A surprisingly enjoyable flick

[6/10 · 4 November 2017]

So I did not like the original Blade Runner. I saw it a bit ago before I saw this movie. I kinda thought it had some cool ideas in it and I enjoyed the characters, but I never loved it the way I wanted to as a big sci fi fan. Along with that I have never really liked Dennis V's film I did not like Prisoners or Sicario much at all, but at the same time as a sci fi junkie I knew I wouldn't be able to help myself and with the recent Ghost in the Shell movie that came out I knew I had to see after that.

And Im glad I did cause this movie is pretty enjoyable. I did not think it was the greatest film ever like most critics say it is, but it deals with a lot of interesting ideas and Ryan Gosling dies a exceptional job as this new replicant character who we have to follow now.

Also you do not need to see the first Blade Runner to like this movie. The movie does a great job catching new viewers up on the events of the first one so that you can enjoy this one as its own movie. It doesn't feel like it is trying to set up a franchise either. It is defiantly its own thing and as that I kinda really liked it.

I thought Jared Leto also did a fine job in his scenes. He was not playing the Joker in this movie. His role was pretty intense and pretty contained. Defiantly found it to be a solid performance from this star.

Also Ana de Armas who plays the AI has a really emotional relationship with K that I found to be really good as well. It was a really interesting bond that I wanted to see more of throughout the film.

And Sylvia Hoekswas like OMG. She was probably my favorite performance in the whole film. She was truly frightening.

Overall I highly enjoyed this film. Did I think it was the greatest thing ever..no I did not, but with so much against it I felt it came out on top for me.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)

A fun flick even if it not as good as the first

[8/10 · 9 October 2017]

So if you guys ever look at all my reviews you would know I gave the first Kingsman movie a 10/10. It was literally my favorite movie of that year so I was defiantly looking forward to the next one. And I got to see I really loved this movie quite a bit. It was defiantly amazing.

Right off the back I love Taron Egerton as Eggsy. He is such a fun and cool character and that first half without Colin Firth being there was defiantly great. I really loved seeing a much more matured Eggsy fighting doing his own thing. It was a really enjoyable piece of the first half.

I also found that when Colin Firth did come back they found a way to bring him back in what I felt was reasonable. I also found his role in the movie quite really good too. It felt natural and it made sense for his character.

The movie is also really funny. I laughed so much throughout this movie and it made the experience all the sweeter. The jokes really hit hard and they each put a smile on your face. The movie also has a lot of pretty good emotional beats to it as well that really worked for me.

Now this movie is not without its cons though. For instance as much as I loved the first half of this movie I also will admit the pacing in it is really poor. Things move at a fast paced and you have no time to get reacquainted with your old characters before the movie makes the decision to sideline them for all these new characters and sadly...

these new characters just don't work as well.

Aside from maybe Poppy, Ginger and Champ the rest of the cast fells very weak in there roles. Elton Johns felt really forced like they were juts doing it cause we did it in the last movie and Channing Tatum felt pretty meh too. And there choice to sideline there older characters like Roxy I felt was this movie's biggest mistake.

There are also a number of scenes that feel to much like the original and they also feel forced. This movie needed to move these characters forward in a interesting way , but instead this film just feels to much like a rehash of the first.

Overall though I would highly recommend this film despite my negatives. It is a really fun time at the movies and really adored what they did here. I thought it was fun and silly and made the experience of this film all the better and I think more people should check it out.

It (I) (2017)

It just felt to much like Stranger Things

[6/10 · 20 September 2017]

Im going to be honest you guys I didn't love this one. I went into this with some relative interest in the story. I thought it seemed interesting and the concept was good too. Plus I enjoyed the trailer and the overall way it felt. I knew going in it wasn't going to be a straight horror in fact I wanted it to not be that. I wanted it to be like Stranger Things, but it just never clicked for me.

I will start with this the characters here are great. The kids are each very interesting and thought provoking characters in there own right and I really enjoyed that about the movie. I loved watching these kids interact with each other and I thought that was very well done.

The entity known as IT was also great too. Bill Skarsgard did a excellent job in his portrayal of this entity. He always had a presence throughout the whole movie and always was scary when he came up. It gave this feeling of intensity throughout that I really loved quite a bit.

All the acting was great. I thought everyone gave a exceptional performance in this movie.

But despite all of that something just always felt off to me about this movie. There were times when the characters would make certain choices that just felt way to cliché and made no sense. I no that this is a horror movie but at the same time I expected something beyond a simple cliché horror flick. I wanted something a little deeper and this movie just didn't go deep enough. It felt unsatisfying at times and I didn't like that.

The movie also feels like it has to hold back cause it trying to be true to the source material too. It like Andy Muschietti had this grand idea but had to pull back cause he needed to be true to the book and the series and so because of that and those factors he couldn't go as far as he wanted too.

I wanna say that I do like this movie though. There a lot of cool ideas here and the portrayal of adults in this film was fascinating and I really enjoyed that aspect of the film.

But even so the entire last act of this film feels like a strange derailing and was not nearly as interesting as what had built up to all of that. I also felt the ending was terrible too. I really didn't like the way it ended at all.

Overall IT was a disappointment for me. A few cool ideas going on but overall not what I really wanted.

Death Note (I) (2017)

Death Note is a rushed mixed bag

[5/10 · 26 August 2017]

So I was relatively looking forward to Netflix's Death Note adaptation because of director Adam Wingard. This is a director who I felt would be a good choice to work on the iconic Death Note live action movie. He seemed like a decent choice who would take the source material and go a different way with it.

Sadly he really doesn't and instead tries to merge his own creativity with the the ideas of the Death Note and the stuff the series had in it. Which was a very bad decision. This film actually is making me rethink my stance on Ghost in the Shell. For all of that movies issues it was still very true to the source material and did take the time to develop the characters.

The movie creates this meaningless relationship between Light and Mia that when you watch it you find it to be quite a weak relationship that doesn't seem to be rooted in much at all. In fact throughout the movie you feel like that there is no way these two are really in love, but that what kinda makes the ending so brilliant. Yup honestly if it wasn't for the way the film ended I probably would feel like the movie was eh..OK at best.

I think I probably had the most issue with the character of Light Turner. He defiantly wasn't the smart kid I thought he would be from the anime and instead seemed like a emo and depressed kid with a weird superiority complex. That being said I thought Nat Wolfe's performance did a decent job pulling if off. Actually all the acting in the film I found to be pretty decent IMO.

I also thought the characterization of L was also pretty great and pretty interesting too. It was very different from the source material, but I liked it.

Also I looooovveed Ryuk. OMG was Ryuk. I could just gush over those parts all days. They made me squee.

However I found that one legitimate problem that the film has is pacing. The movie just moves waayy to fast. It doesn't ever even once try to focus on a moment of character to get us really attached to one. To the point I thought if Light and Mia died I probably wouldn't care that much cause I feel like I didn't know them well enough.

Also the song choices were terrible. I mean god awful.

The entire first half is also all over the place. It was a real mess of a first act and made it hard to get through.

Overall this movie is a mixed bag of good and bad. I am still glad I watched it though. Id probably be more upset at the film if I didn't already have the amazing Japanese trilogy of films which I still can watch. If your one of the few people who still hasn't watched it I'd say give it a try. After all it only on Netflix.

Batman and Harley Quinn (2017)

What if Batman the animated series was a raunchy comedy?

[7/10 · 21 August 2017]

So when I went into this movie I was already going in with the expectation to pretty much despise it. I didn't like the Killing Joke and my faith in Bruce Timm was really beginning to weaken. So it comes as a shock to me when I did finally watch it that I kinda had fun with this.

No this is not the serious return to the world of Batman the animated series I wanted, but instead this feels more like a what if scenario. This movie is a comedy through and through. And it watches as one. It takes a minute for it to click though that you are really watching one and if you don't see it as one your probably going to call it a guilty pleasure. The film is riddled with nothing but dick jokes and crude and unusual humor too. Not all the jokes really hit, but the few that do really work.

I also must speak about the voice cast in this movie. And more specifically I want to talk about Harley Quinn's va known as Melissa Raunch whose entire casting should have signaled that this wasn't a movie to take seriously. Melissa gives a very fun performance in the movie and one that if she wasn't the voice I don't think this movie could of worked as well. She made the movie a lot more enjoyable for me. There is this song in the movie Harley has to sing and it really is just amazing and was probably my favorite part of the entire movie.

In fact the entire bar scene in the film was just amazing to watch. I t really was probably my favorite part of the film and was really when the film started to click with me.

I also couldn't not talk about this film without talking about the Nightwing x Harley scene. If Im being completely honest this scene worked for me weirdly enough. I thought it made sense for each of these characters and the situation they were in at the time. And it really just added on a new layer to the film as a whole.

Much like any comedy the plot is really just a background layer that is just there to keep things moving and doesn't have any real substance beyond that fact.

Overall this film really was a bit of a pleasant surprise. Was it silly? Yea. Was it kinda dumb? Yea. But I had defiantly had some fun with it which I didn't expect too.

Atomic Blonde (2017)

David Leitch is why I hated John Wick 1 and loved 2

[6/10 · 14 August 2017]

I get it now. I really do get it. When I cam out this film I came out feeling okay about it, but I didn't love it like I thought I would. And then I realized something. I disliked the first John Wick and this movie had a lot of shades of the first Wick and none of the fun that the second one gave me. David tries to give a more interesting story in this one, but it just doesn't work at all. The story instead becomes confusing and it drags a lot. It feels dull and uninteresting.

It not into the second act that the movie really heats up and becomes a somewhat competent action film that I started to enjoy it a bit more, and that is the reason I am still giving this film a positive score. But for the most part I am really disappointed in this film. It feels more like it wasted its potential than anything else. It could have been something truly engaging, but instead it feels half baked.

The main character is quite interesting though and Charlize Therron does a good job with what she is given and all the fights are good. I just wish the story was either more simple or just told better. Overall very disappointed.

Dunkirk (2017)

With a lack of character development Nolan manages to make the cinematography the star

[7/10 · 30 July 2017]

Christopher Nolan is a great filmmaker that is undoubtable to me. He had accomplished many amazing feats and this film is no different than those. However what his past films did have that this one lacks is a really care for the characters involved and what was going on in it. This film is lacking in that aspect and instead the camera angles and the overall feel of the film is what makes you care more than the characters themselves do.

I came out this film feeling a intense claustrophobic feeling throughout. There are many small areas that characters are in and the action feels so intense and it does this without any blood or gore. Instead it is all about the camera movement that makes you want to puke,tense up, and get scared for sheer life. Nolan uses the characters to put you inside the action and make you feel like you are there even if your not.

It is a amazing work of art and powerful as well. Dunkirk truly succeeds in every way of what it tries to accomplish.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Its nice and well done

[7/10 · 12 July 2017]

After seeing this film I didn't come out saying that it was the greatest film ever or the best one in the MCU, but instead saying this a a very cool take and also a very different take on the Spider Man character. Marvel defiantly understands Spider Man and understands his history and who he is supposed to be and I really felt that hear. It was nice to watch a Spider Man movie where the main actor really does feel like a kid who is just trying to survive life. And that much alone I really enjoyed and had a lot of fun.

The Vulture played by Micheal Keaton is also a very good villain for Peter Parker to face. The guy is truly scary and truly threatening as well and that was something I really enjoyed about the film. With most MCU films the villains are pretty meh for the most part, so it was nice to see a villain who was scary and made your worry for the hero's life. That was a definite positive. Also the fact that the villain didn't hurt the rest of the movie was good to. Cause Guardians had a good villain too but sadly it hurt the rest of the movie.

I also really enjoyed the Zendaya's character. I thought she was really charming and really funny too. She was a great and very interesting character to me who I defiantly enjoyed when she popped up on screen. There is also a twist with her character that I won't spoil.

Overall while not one of my favorite movies in the MCU I still had a good time. I had a lot of fun with it and would defiantly recommend it.

Baby Driver (2017)

The funnest getaway movie ever

[8/10 · 3 July 2017]

Baby Driver was one of the most joyful experiences I have had at a movie theater for quite some time. The main lead in Ansel Elgort brings a lot of energy to the role making him really fun and entertaining. The character is also just very well written. He is a very good and kind hearted person in the movie, but he is not so good that he lacks no edge. I mean the kid is in the getaway driver business so he has seen a lot of bad stuff happen.

Lily James plays a amazing role as the love interested for Ansel . I will say that her character through could have been given a little bit more to do than what she got, but I did believe that her performance told a lot about why she was willing to do some of the things she did and why she never ran way.

But the star of this film isn't Baby rather it is the music and Edgar Wright's amazing direction as the film's use of music adds a lot to the enjoyment of each scene along with the erratic action scenes that can go from calm and innocent to intense and scary. A very good balance that is pulled off by Edgar.

And it only bolstered by how much you care about the characters in the film too. Your with them and want to succeed with them till the very end.

Overall Baby Driver is a fun and fast paced film that will have you on the edge of your seats till its over.