justinpkelly Reviews

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

Disappointing and underwhelming

[7/10 · 22 December 2017]

So Star Wars: The Last Jedi came out. I've seen it twice, and I have some strong opinions about it. This review will contain absolutely no spoilers and will be as vague as I can possibly make it. You will not read this review and know anything that would hurt your moviegoing experience. Everything that I mention has been in the two trailers or has been released by Lucasfilm.

Let me preface the review with some backstory about myself as a Star Wars fan. I am a GIGANTIC Star Wars fan. The amount that I think about Star Wars in any given day is honestly kinda ridiculous and a bit sad. But I don't care! It's Star Wars! I was SO HYPED for The Last Jedi, but not just because it's a Star Wars film; Force Awakens set up excellent characters and got me back into this universe in the first place. To sum it up, I am still in love with that movie and consider it to be one of the best in the franchise so far. However, I don't just go into every Star Wars movie ready to blindly love it. That's never been me, and it never will be me. I love good Star Wars movies. Just because it has the label Star Wars slapped onto it doesn't mean I will automatically say it's the best thing ever. In fact, I didn't really even like Rogue One, which, prior to Last Jedi, was the most recent Star Wars film. Even if it's from a franchise that is so near and dear to my heart, I am going to admit when a Star Wars movie is not up to snuff, even if it will absolutely crush me to do so. On the other hand, when a movie from this franchise rocks like Force Awakens did, it'll make it that much more special.

I went into this movie with an open mind, ready to be blown away. I didn't read or watch a single review, only taking a look at the Rotten Tomatoes score every now and then. My first viewing was this past Thursday, which was before the fan reactions came out. All I saw was that giant "94%" plastered like a badge of honor on the official page. That being said, I think Last Jedi was a major, major letdown for many different reasons. It has some absolutely incredible moments and at the same time disappoints narratively. Let's break this thing down.

Let's start with the positives. First of all, the direction is hands-down the best in the entire franchise. To say that this film looks gorgeous is a MAJOR understatement. There are so many memorable shots as well as incredible creative elements, like its sound editing. When you see the movie, I think you'll see this within just the opening scene alone. By the way, not that this really matters that much, but the opening crawl was great. Just saying.

The performances were also generally great, especially the ones from the actors playing the main characters: Daisy Ridley, Mark Hamill, John Boyega, Carrie Fisher, and Adam Driver were the standouts for me. The passing of Carrie Fisher hit all of us hard, but I can definitely say that she is wonderful in this movie. Mark Hamill is also fantastic as Luke Skywalker, who is not quite the same person as he was in the original trilogy. The soundtrack is also really good; I thought it was probably on-par with Force Awakens, if not a bit better. The special effects, CGI, and action sequences are all completely gorgeous. The fight choreography is off-the-charts great, and I have a particular sequence in mind that will be sure to wow audiences. Snoke in particular looks much better in this movie; the CGI is actually not that noticeable. The practical creatures and puppets all look stellar as well. The creatures on Canto Bight really gave that location personality and I was happy to yet again see Disney's devotion to making the films feel dirty, practical, and real. The movie also never has a dull moment; it's thoroughly entertaining all the way through.

This movie has a ton of problems though. It's hard to talk about these without spoilers, but I'll still work around them and stay vague. Firstly, there is something that I fully expected to be in the movie that wasn't, and its absence made the movie very narratively unsound. It made the accomplishments for certain characters seem nullified. Also, there is a plotline in this movie that literally goes nowhere and feels like filler. It's fun and entertaining filler, but filler nonetheless. During this plotline, there is humor that also doesn't land and it bothered me. In fact, there's a lot of humor in this movie that feels out-of-place. There's also a peculiar scene in the first act that, upon first watch, I liked. But after seeing it again, I thought it was a bit goofy, even if it was well-intentioned. I like the idea of the scene, but it should have happened in a different location and in a different way. Also, I didn't think Finn had enough character development at all.

Overall, I (kinda) like The Last Jedi. It takes a ton of risks, some of which REALLY work, and some of which don't. I know that the fan reactions have been negative so far, but this is one of those movies that you just have to see for yourself before you can make a judgement. It's certainly never a downright bad movie, but some of the choices made were questionable, I needed more character depth from Finn, and the story overall needed to be reworked a bit in order for it to have been a truly great movie.

Grade: B-

Saw (2004)

A classic of the genre that is still underrated

[8/10 · 27 October 2017]

James Wan has proved himself to be one of the best horror directors out there with The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2. But his first feature film, Saw, is almost always overlooked. I think the reason for this is that people hear the title and automatically assume that it is a grotesquely violent movie like its sequels. But this one avoids using too much violence and leaves quite a bit up to the imagination. It's a really well-thought-out, exciting, and intelligent movie. In fact, I'd even go as far as to say that this is one of the greatest low-budget horror films of all time. Look, there's no denying that the Saw sequels are bad movies. I'd actually be shocked if the new sequel Jigsaw, which is the eighth movie in the franchise, was legitimately good. The sequels may be incredibly entertaining as fun, gross-out Halloween guilty pleasure films, but the writing and acting are generally both terrible in each sequel. But this one is so far beyond a mindless guilty pleasure movie.

Saw's story is absolutely awesome. The movie unravels the Jigsaw killer's motivations without beating the audience over the head with them or making them too obvious. The idea of a serial killer doing horrible things based on what they believe is right has been a terrifying story element in many previous movies. Saw, despite clearly homaging classic thriller movies like Seven, still feels like an extremely unique and clever vision that stands on its own. The fact that Jigsaw makes victims hurt themselves or others may be an even more terrifying prospect than him just doing it himself. The traps that Jigsaw sets for his victims are truly terrifying, but it's not because of an excessive amount of gore. There is some violence, of course, but it is often shown off-screen or isn't shown up close. That is something that the Saw sequels did that made them feel like they were just trying to gross out the audience rather than having them be engaged in the story. The scene involving Amanda is truly one of the best scenes in the history of horror because of how psychologically disturbing it is. Would you be willing to kill an innocent person to save your own life? Saw makes you ask questions like this that will make your stomach churn. I also have to mention Billy the Puppet, who is, in my opinion, the greatest horror movie puppet ever put to screen. The way he seemingly operates by himself makes him feel alive despite the fact that the viewer knows that it's just a puppet. The design of Billy has become incredibly iconic and, whenever he is in a scene in this movie, he adds a lot to the atmosphere. Seeing the main characters, Adam and Dr. Gordon, trying to figure out how to escape their trap is incredibly thrilling as well. But it's not just because it's well directed and involves creepy and disturbing tasks; the characters have a ton of personality and are actually quite deep. Upon rewatch, I realized how little I appreciated the character writing in this film during previous viewings. Also, the twist at the end of this movie is still one of the great movie twists of all time. If you've never seen the movie before, you will be caught completely off-guard.

The movie's not perfect, though. Some of the line delivery is bad on occasion and I feel like overall the acting left a bit to be desired. Don't get me wrong; there's a lot of good acting in this movie. But I feel like having truly excellent performances could have elevated this movie to yet another level. Also, I would have liked the storyline involving Detective Tapp, played by Donald Glover, to have been stronger. It was entertaining, but it felt like the most cliché element of this movie and they could have gone a little deeper with that. Overall, Saw is a must-watch around Halloween time. It is one of the best horror films ever made and I highly suggest that you check it out if you've never seen it before. It's an extremely riveting ride from start to finish. 8/10 Grade: A-

Alien (1979)

A Horror Masterpiece

[9/10 · 27 October 2017]

In space, no one will hear you creep downstairs to watch Alien on the night before Halloween. Alien is one of the true masterpieces of the horror genre, from a direction, acting, and writing standpoint. You'd be very hard-pressed to find a "best horror movies" list that doesn't include this movie. Although there are quite a few other movies in the franchise, none of them match the quality of Alien (Not even James Cameron's fantastic Aliens). Pretty much everything about this movie is iconic now; the poster alone has become permanently burned into the memories of people who have never even seen the movie. The film's many strengths stem from Ridley Scott's impeccable direction. Although people have criticized Scott in recent years for his latest movies, not a single person can deny that his direction is absolutely gorgeous. For example, the scene in which the characters explore the crashed Alien ship looks beautiful due to way Scott portrays its gigantic scale. The set design also adds to the tense atmospheres of the movie. The inside of the USCSS Nostromo, the ship that is the main setting of the film, is incredibly creepy and feels extremely realistic. And the main monster of the movie, the Xenomorph, has one of the coolest creature designs ever put to film. Although many movies are able to effectively create tension without showing the creature, the Xenomorph looks so scary that it works even when it is shown. The performances are also completely perfect and truly sell the claustrophobic terror of the movie. My favorite scene in the entire movie is the famous chest-bursting scene; the idea of a creature that grows in your stomach and ruptures it when leaving is so unnerving. After watching the movie, any stomaches that you may have will likely cause you a bit of anxiety. I also think that the twist involving Ash gives the movie an added layer of complexity and keeps it from being a movie that solely relies on a monster eating people. If you haven't seen Alien, I highly suggest watching it this Halloween season. It truly is one of the all-time greats and there is a pretty slim chance that any horror movie set in space ever tops it.

Insidious (I) (2010)

A pretty bland movie with few legitimate scares

[6/10 · 14 October 2017]

I went into Insidious really excited- I love James Wan and I think both "Conjuring" movies are incredibly well-directed thrill rides. Although Insidious is considered to be one of the scariest movies in recent years, unfortunately, I felt that the scares in this movie were really cheap and the characters were too thin.

Although "The Conjuring" may not have the greatest characters, that movie is so well-directed with such incredible atmosphere and pacing that it was a non-stop thrill ride. The scares were legitimately frightening and were not just loud sound effects. Unfortunately, the scares in "Insidious" are more like the latter; they are all accompanied by an ear-splitting noise that honestly annoyed me every time it happened. There were some scenes, like the scene in which the ghost is standing behind the crib early on in the movie, that were ruined by the ridiculously loud piano bang noise. That scene would have been so much creepier if the ghost was shown just standing there in complete silence. Having the loud noise only distracts the viewer from what is really scary about the scene. If the jumpscares were only occasional, I probably would have been able to disregard them. But it got to the point where practically every scary scene involved a loud jolting noise and there were few subtle scenes in between. The creepiest moment in the movie was when Josh's mom showed him the pictures of the old lady demon standing beside him. That was an incredibly scary scene and did not include a headache-inducing bang; the creepy subtly was enough to make the scene work.

The characters were also very bland. I would have been able to overlook the cheap nature of the scares if I felt emotionally attached to the story, but I didn't. We were supposed to care about Josh because of his past encounters with that old lady I suppose, but it was set up really poorly. In fact, the beginning of the movie was really weak in general. The characters were first shown in really sloppy fashion and I never really felt hooked like I have in previous James Wan movies.

There was a lot of creativity in this movie, though. The third act, in particular, was quite entertaining and the "ghost dimension" had a great atmosphere. It separated this movie from typical haunted house films. The designs of the creatures and ghosts were all great, although I must admit the main demon creature looked far too similar to Darth Maul and it is incredibly obvious that James Wan ripped off that design (that's not to say that it isn't scary, though). I also hate the fact that the movie ended in a cliffhanger. We never got any resolution to the film and they might as well have had the words "Tune in for Part 2!!" show up on the screen at the end. Despite the creative elements in that third act, to be completely honest, there were too many similarities to Poltergeist and it should have been toned down by a lot. It didn't feel like a loving homage so much as it felt like it was ripping it off.

Overall, Insidious is just OK. I was incredibly disappointed with the lack of truly scary scenes in the movie and I hope that James Wan never reverts to the techniques he used here.

5.5/10 Grade: C+

The Conjuring (2013)

An incredibly well-made, well-paced, and well-acted scarefest

[8/10 · 8 October 2017]

I saw this movie rather late based on numerous recommendations- I tend to watch older horror movies more than new ones. Since I love James Wan, I was really looking forward to seeing this one. And it definitely lived up to my expectations; The Conjuring is a really good horror movie and I fully recommend it to anyone that loves creepy movies.

Firstly, the acting is great all across the board. Aside from the two women in the beginning of the movie that talked about the Annabelle doll (I didn't think they were particularly good), everyone was top-notch. The direction is also incredible- James Wan has already proved himself and I look forward to seeing his other films. There are some incredibly intricate and mesmerizing shots that added to the sense of unease that I got while I was watching it. The pacing is also absolutely impeccable- there were very few dull moments in the movie and everything built up to the very intense third act beautifully. I also really liked Ed and Lorraine Warren a lot- they were great characters. A lot of the scares were also very creative and did not feel cliché at all (the infamous clap scene is one of the best jump scares I have ever seen).

I do have some problems with the movie, though. First of all, the actual family (the Perrons) were never really fleshed out as characters. I thought that they were fine and I did find myself rooting for them when things were going wrong, but I feel like there could have been so much more emotional weight throughout the film if I got to know those characters. Also, there were some scare scenes were very repetitive to the point where I actually think some of them should have been cut from the movie. I really did not need to see 7-8 scenes in which a door slams shut- I think that 1 or 2 would have done the trick. There were also some questions raised that were not answered (I don't know if they are addressed in the sequel since I have not seen it). For example, what did Lorraine see that scarred her so deeply? I was so invested in that mystery and not finding out what she saw was pretty deflating. The movie also isn't all that original; the fact that it is based off of a true story definitely separates it from typical haunted house movies, but I really don't mind the fact that it's not entirely unique since it was such a well-made movie.

Overall, The Conjuring is a really creepy and effective horror movie. I really wish that all horror movies nowadays had as much effort put into them as this movie clearly did. Although I have yet to see the sequel, this movie was so good that I cannot wait to see what the next one brings to the table.

8.2/10 Grade: B+

It (I) (2017)

Beep Beep, Richie!!!!

[8/10 · 10 September 2017]

Here it is! The most anticipated horror movie of all-time? But did it live up to the hype??

I can answer that question with a resounding "yes." For those of whom wanted a movie full heart, creativity, and fun, this movie will be very satisfying for you. I thought the characters were very fun and that I really had bonded with (most of them) by the end of the film. Beverley, Eddie, and Bill were the standout characters for me and thought that they were great. Pennywise was also very well-represented; he was definitely creepy but was also very funny in a couple of scenes which I thought was great since he is a clown. All of the creatures and weird things that Pennywise morphs into were also so devilishly creative and creepy. I also loved 99% of the CGI effects for Pennywise with the exception of when Pennywise kills Georgie (I thought the CGI in that scene was horrible). The movie was just a breath of fresh air when compared to most horror movies nowadays which are filled to the brim with clichés and feel incredibly predictable. It was so much more creative than most horror movies are and was even a little insane (in a good way). It's also ridiculously well- directed and looks gorgeous.

The movie's not perfect though, and I do have some problems with it. First of all, the music and sound effects were a huge problem. They were all loud, obnoxious, and annoying and it was completely unnecessary. That was one of the things about the movie that felt very "2017" to me since so many crappy horror movies add those ridiculous loud noises to make the scene feel scary when it's not needed. There were also some scenes that seemed to tonally conflict with the rest of the movie like when they clean up the blood in Beverley's bathroom to 80's music. That rock throwing scene was also just ridiculous and should not have been in the movie. I was OK with the fact that this movie had fun and even comical scenes sometimes, but those scenes in particular stood out as out of place and it was quite bothersome. I also felt like some of the characters were never really fleshed out, particularly Richie, Mike, and Stanley. After leaving the movie, I felt like I never really got to know them on a personal level, unlike some of the other characters. Also, Henry was used in the movie pretty poorly in my opinion. I guess they kinda tried to flesh him out by showing how afraid of his father he was, but it honestly just wasn't enough. Then he kinda just goes insane and starts trying to kill anyone (and I don't care if the book explained what happened to him, the movie does not and so I have to ding it for that). I also have to admit that Beverley waking up just from receiving a kiss from Ben felt a little lazy and I think that could have been better.

Overall, I had an absolute blast with "IT". I think it's a really fun movie and was a lot better than most horror movies that we get nowadays, but it was not without its problems. I hope that the next part of this story will be even better and I can't wait to see the characters as well as Pennywise back on the screen once again.

8/10 Grade: B+

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Spidey is back, baby!!

[9/10 · 6 July 2017]

In my opinion, there has not been a good Spider-Man movie since Spider-Man 2. I love the original two Raimi movies and grew up with them. Unfortunately, the three that would follow those movies were incredibly disappointing and lacked the spirit of the character. As a result, there was a ton of pressure on this film to succeed, and it does with flying colors.

Firstly, I have to give praise to Tom Holland. He absolutely nailed the character of Peter Parker. When he was in the Spidey costume, he also absolutely rocked it. The look of the character (the actual suit itself) is awesome and he throws quips all the time without it feeling gimmicky or forced like it did in the Amazing Spider-Man movies. The supporting characters also were fantastic. Michelle was a very fun side character who had some fun moments (although I really did not like the fact that she ended up being MJ as she acts nothing like that character), as were Liz and Ned. Those characters really added emotional weight to Peter's story and I thought that it was incredibly well-handled.

The action was grade-A Marvel. Although I would not definitively say that the action in this film is quite as good as it was in Raimi's, it is extremely well-choreographed and, when CGI was necessary (which was often), it looked top-notch. The humor, as it usually is in MCU movies, was also fantastic and there were a lot of laughs in the theater that I saw it in. The final post credit scene was also really funny.

The main twist of the movie was obviously the fact that the Vulture was Liz's father. I get the sense that many people will be upset about this since it is a huge coincidence, but there have been coincidences all throughout Spider-Man lore in the movies, cartoons, and comics. Let's not forget that Peter's best friend's dad in the comics, Norman Osborn, ends up being his archnemesis. The Vulture as a character, unfortunately, did leave me slightly underwhelmed. He is definitely a top-tier Marvel villain, as he at least has a personality and clear goals unlike previous characters in the MCU, but I felt like there should have been more to his character. He was two- dimensional, which is better than one-dimensional, but I think that he could have been even better. However, the look of the character is absolutely perfect and Michael Keaton was really good in the film. The scene where Peter finds out that he is Michelle's dad had so much tension and was very well-handled.

I also have a gripe with the references made to the MCU throughout the film. They were all very fun and creative, but I think that there were some that were just unnecessary. I almost feel like that is Sony's doing since they have really wanted to drive home the fact that this film takes place in the MCU. It takes away the standalone nature of the film to a certain extent. However, Tony Stark was in the movie for just the right amount and never changed the focus of the film. Towards the end, I thought it was perfect to have Stark and Peter together in the new Avengers facility. The fact that they were also able to incorporate an arc for Tony's character in this film despite his extremely limited screen time was really impressive and I look forward to seeing his relationship with Spider-Man grow even more.

Overall, I was extremely pleased with Spider-Man homecoming and I think it is probably the second or third best movie in the MCU. Spider-Man fans finally now have another film that will be almost universally loved.

9/10 Grade: A-

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

An epic & emotionally satisfying conclusion

[8/10 · 1 July 2017]

The Dark Knight was an absolute masterpiece and is widely considered to be the greatest comic book movie of all time. Not only is that film my favorite movie of the 2000's, but it is also one of my top 3 favorite movies of all time. Not only that, but I think that Batman Begins is also absolutely stellar. The Dark Knight Rises had a lot to live up to because of how fantastic both of those movies were and, although I do not think it is quite as good as those two movies, it is a very satisfying end to an utterly masterful trilogy.

The hardest thing that this movie had to accomplish was creating a villain that could follow up the Joker from The Dark Knight. Heath Ledger was absolutely brilliant and that movie and created a character that transcended the "superhero genre" and is, in my opinion, the greatest movie villain ever. It is a crime that we lost such an incredible actor so soon. Christopher Nolan was able to successfully move on from that with Bane who is the second best villain of the Dark Knight trilogy. Not only was he extremely physically intimidating but, like other villains in the Dark Knight Trilogy, he is able to psychologically toy with characters throughout the film, including Batman himself. The scene in which he "breaks the bat" is really heart-wrenching and well-made. Although Tom Hardy was behind a mask for nearly the entire film, a huge amount credit must be given to him. His voice was awesome and the way he used just his eyes to express Bane's emotions was really fantastic. He really was a scary villain.

The character of Bruce Wayne I think is at his strongest in this film out of all three. The way he constantly pushes himself to his physical and mental limits throughout the movie was amazing and actually very inspirational. My favorite scene involving Bruce Wayne throughout the whole film is when he makes it out of the pit. Who could have thought that a scene in which a character climbs up some rocks out of a whole in the ground could be so emotional and so excitingly thrilling? The whole storyline of Bruce "rising" from the emotional distress left over from the extreme sadness left in The Dark Knight's wake as well as from being physically broken several times throughout the movie was perfect for the end of this trilogy in my opinion. The world came crashing down on Bruce in the Dark Knight in every possible way; his true love died when he could have saved her, he broke his one rule by killing Harvey Dent, people across the entire city questioned whether Batman should even exist, and Alfred even covered up the truth about Rachel. By the end of the film, it really feels satisfying to know that Bruce Wayne overcame all of that and saved his beloved city.

The other characters in the film are all stellar. Gary Oldman was once again excellent as Commissioner Gordon and he brought a lot of emotional heft to the film. Anne Hathaway as Catwoman was absolute perfect casting and her character was also a ton of fun. Lucius Fox, Alfred, and John Blake were all fantastic side characters as well. Each and every character brought a lot of depth to the film that proves that Batman was not the only key component in this films.

The third act of this movie is still one of the best acts in film history. It is so unbelievably thrilling that I get chills every time I watch it. The final fight between Batman and Bane is emotionally riveting and the Bat blowing up tumblers was also epic. The down-to-the-wire nature of the third act is what makes it so fantastic. The ending of the movie was also handled perfectly: Alfred seeing Bruce at the restaurant is the perfect way of revealing that Bruce survived the explosion at the end.

I do have problems with this film, however, and there are quite a few messy elements. The biggest problem with the Dark Knight Rises, in my opinion, is the actual construct of the film. There are a lot of unnecessary characters and subplots that could have been taken out of the movie; Philip Stryver and Foley in particular really had no place in the film. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight generally feel more focused than this movie- both just feel less bloated since every character and subplot felt completely necessary to the overall story. Also, the movie suffers from serious pacing issues which begin at about halfway through the film. The first half is well-paced, but the second half awkwardly zooms through about five month's worth of time up until the day of the detonation of the bomb. I also had somewhat of a problem with Bane and Talia's motivations throughout the film. They constantly refer to Gotham as "corrupt," but we really are not shown where that corruption is coming from. Sure, Gordon lied about Harvey Dent, but Bane only found out about that after his plan had already been set in motion. I think the film would have been better if the League of Shadows found out about that lie and, as a result, made the plan to destroy Gotham rather than to have them find out thirty minutes into the film. They successfully show how Gotham is "decadent" though, and so I can buy into Bane and Talia's motivations to an extent. Bane's voice also could have sounded better; there are lines throughout the film that I still do not understand even after seeing the film many times.

Overall, despite the negatives that I have with the movie, it is still one of the best comic book films ever made. I love The Dark Knight Rises and have an absolute blast every time I watch it.

8/10 Grade: A-

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

An improvement over the sequels, but not as good as the first

[6/10 · 27 June 2017]

I was INSANELY pumped for this movie. The first Pirates of the Caribbean film (the Curse of the Black pearl) is one of my top 20 favorite movies of all time. It is nearly a perfect film; its characters are fun and lively, the story is engaging and interesting, and the action setpieces work marvelously. Unfortunately, the sequels really did not even come close to reaching that level of filmmaking. They were overly convoluted with an overabundance of CGI and uninteresting, boring stories. They also got the character of Jack Sparrow wrong. They weren't awful movies, but they were certainly not good either.

The trailers and what I had heard about the production of this film had me hyped. It was clear from both of those that they were going for the look and feel of the first film. The fact that they had cast Javier Bardem as the villain also greatly intrigued me. Unfortunately, this film is not as good as the Curse of the Black Pearl. I did enjoy watching the film, however, and I think it improved many of the bad elements of the sequels.

Firstly, the character of Jack Sparrow is improved here. He's not as fantastic as he was in the first film, but he is not just a bumbling idiot who "accidentally" succeeds like he did in the last three movies. He has moments like that, which was disappointing, but there were a few that made him look like the Sparrow of old, who was badass, clever, and occasionally silly in a lovable way. If they do decide to make a sequel to this, they really need to focus on improving him even further.

The side characters were actually quite good in this film. In "On Stranger Tides," some of the characters felt like an afterthought, like the writers knew that they needed side characters and wrote them in two seconds. The side characters here were really awesome. Henry and Carina were fantastic new characters and I actually really cared about both of them. Barbossa was also a major bright spot. Salazar, played by Bardem, was a cool villain with very clear motivations and I enjoyed his presence.

The action was really fun as well. There was definitely a lot more practicality in the setpieces than there was in the sequels. I would have liked the action to have had more emotional weight to them, though, and I felt that the only time where that was the case was in the last half hour. There was nothing insanely remarkable about the action and it was not quite as good as it was in the first movie, but I still enjoyed it.

The special effects have always been a staple of this franchise, and I would say that this film has the best. The ship-to-ship battles looked phenomenal and the CG for Salazar's pirate army also looked a lot better than I thought it would.

Unfortunately, however, this movie is a gigantic mess. There are far too many subplots and the film felt extremely bloated. The last 30 minutes were absolutely phenomenal, but the rest of the movie dragged along without anything really happening. I loved Carina being Barbossa's daughter and thought that his death was actually really emotional, but I wanted even more of that. The way they searched for the Trident of Poseidon was also ridiculously convoluted to the point where I honestly do not even fully understand it. A lot of things are left unexplained as well; for example, The Devil's Triangle was never explained and I guess that we were supposed to accept the fact that it just curses people.

The humor also did not fully work for me. The first film was clever and was extremely funny, and this movie has moments like that. But there were a lot of jokes that really did not land for me.

All in all, I was disappointed by Dead Men Tell no Tales; it should have been slimmed down and simplified. The last half hour, like I said, was absolutely awesome. I just wish the whole movie could have been like that.

5.5/10 Grade: C+

Wonder Woman (2017)

Inspirational and heart-wrenching

[8/10 · 4 June 2017]

It's no secret that the DCEU had a rough start. I personally did not like Suicide Squad or Man of Steel and, although I enjoyed Batman vs. Superman, I know that it is not a very good movie. Wonder Woman needed to be good. This universe was in dire need of a win and they absolutely got one with this movie.

First off, Wonder Woman herself was absolutely brilliant in this film. She was bright, hopeful, and innocent and was unbelievably likable. Gal Gadot played her wonderfully and I cannot wait to see more of her. I really felt that I had connected with this character on so many levels. Chris Pine's character was not particularly deep, but I still cared about him and loved his relationship with Diana Prince. They had fantastic chemistry and the way that they taught each other about each other's worlds was brilliant and made for some excellent comedy as well. I was incredibly saddened when Chris Pine's character sacrificed himself at the end of the film and Wonder Woman's tear- jerking reaction was very emotionally involving.

The action was fantastic, but that was no surprise since it looked so good in the trailers. The World War I sequence was ridiculously entertaining and I wish I could have seen more of it. The final sequence with Ares was also extremely exciting.

My favorite scene in the film was when Steve warned Diana not to cross No Man's Land and she climbs the ladder anyway. I got goosebumps all over and was on the edge of my seat. That scene was Grade-A filmmaking. Wonder Woman is extremely inspirational in this movie and that scene embodies her character. Scenes like that were the most memorable for me. As awesome as the action was, the moments that flesh out her character and her relationship with Steve were the best part of the film.

My main issues with the film mostly involve the villains. Dr. Poison seemed like she would be an intriguing character, but felt very bland and the movie never revealed what her true motivations were. General Ludendorff was an actual person in WWI, but his presence felt somewhat unnecessary and I did not feel that he was a great villain. The gas that he used to give him strength was also not needed and felt utterly pointless and out of place in the movie. I liked Ares, but the reveal of who his character actually was somewhat cheap. His motivations for showing the ugly side of humanity were very similar to Heath Ledger's Joker and I did enjoy that. My other main negative was that I also would have liked more emotional moments while Wonder Woman was on Themyscira, but I was satisfied with what we got in that particular part of the movie.

Another great element of this movie was the fact that it stands on its own. There's no forced reveal of any of the Justice League characters nor is there an unnecessary setup for that movie. You could argue that this is because of the time period that this movie takes place in, but I think that Patty Jenkins really wanted to make a film that was separated from the other DCEU movies. I absolutely loved the opening scene in which she opens up a suitcase from Bruce Wayne and views the picture of her from WWI. It was the perfect way to tie the film into DCEU without going overboard. It was also the perfect way to set the stage for Diana Prince's story. The closing scene where she thanked Wayne via Email was also cool.

The movie is also incredibly well-directed. Patty Jenkins is a true talent and I look forward to seeing what else she does in the DCEU and beyond. The movie is colorful, vibrant, and lively and looks utterly gorgeous. I loved the stark contrast between the clean, tropical Themyscira and the dirty, war-torn locations outside of it.

Overall, Wonder Woman really gave the DCEU the push it needed. Wonder Woman now has a fantastic backstory which will really add to her character going forward. I cannot wait to see this character in Justice League and I look forward to seeing the movie many more times.

8/10 Grade: A-

Alien: Covenant (2017)

A solid, satisfying sequel to Prometheus

[6/10 · 19 May 2017]

Alien: Covenant was easily one of my most anticipated movies of the year. I wasn't the biggest fan of Prometheus, but I was very much looking forward to seeing how they would continue that storyline. I also love the original Alien and Aliens, so that contributed to my hype as well. Despite being slightly concerned by the somewhat mixed reviews that the movie was getting before seeing it, I left Covenant feeling like I pretty much got what I wanted.

Firstly, I need to give credit to Michael Fassbender. He was amazing in the movie as both Walter and David, the two android characters that played a major part in the movie. Every single time David, in particular, was on screen, I was completely sucked into the movie. The chemistry between those two characters, despite both being played by only one actor, was absolutely incredible, and the way David tries to change the way Walter feels about mankind was fantastic.

The big reveal of the movie is that David essentially created the Xenomorph. The way they explained how he did it was glossed over pretty quickly, but I was able to mostly understand that he basically cross-bred creatures that were created by the black goo to make them. To be completely honest, I did not need to know where the Xenomorphs came from. The scariest thing to humans is what we do not know and what we don't understand. That is why the way the Alien was introduced in the original Alien was so perfect: they were just sitting in eggs in a spaceship on a deserted planet. The fact that we do not know why they are on that ship or where they came from makes the creatures so much more scary. It also adds to the idea that we really do not know what exists in outer space. Nonetheless, we got the explanation, but I actually found it extremely satisfying, mostly because David is such an intriguing character.

Although I loved David and Walter, not a whole lot of the other characters were given enough to make me care about them. I liked Daniels and Tennessee, but I barely remember any of the side characters and some of them felt like they were in the movie for the sole purpose of dying. I think having better characters would have elevated the movie to another level but unfortunately, 90% of the character focus went towards Walter and David and I would have liked it if some more attention was given to the other characters (although, as I mentioned, I LOVED every scene involving those two characters).

Another problem that I had with the movie was a relatively minor one, which was that the creatures in the movie were entirely CGI and looked terrible. When I had heard that the Xenomorph was going to be completely rendered on a computer rather than being a combo of animatronic puppetry and CGI, I became nervous. And my fears were realized: the aliens in the movie look completely and utterly fake, particularly the Neomorph. The Alien animatronic from 1979 looks 100x better than the computer generated one in Covenant, and there is no excuse for that since the movie came out a little under 40 years ago.

Despite the issues that I have with the film, I still really like Alien: Covenant. It felt like a combination of Prometheus and Alien, with an added intensity that was not seen in either of those two movies. I am beginning to get tired of this franchise, and I hope Ridley Scott doesn't make more than two or three more movies, but I was still very much satisfied with this movie and I look forward to seeing how its story continues.

6.8/10 Grade: B-

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

The sum is better than its parts

[7/10 · 7 May 2017]

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is an incredibly entertaining ride that I thoroughly enjoyed watching, although it is not perfect. I really liked the first Guardians because of the fantastic characters and well-written story. Vol. 2 doesn't quite live up to the first one, but it delivered on many of the elements that I was excited to see.

Firstly, the humor in this movie was top-notch. Nearly every single joke in this movie worked and there were so many memorable hilarious moments. Vol. 2 is 10x funnier than Guardians 1, and that says something because the latter was also hysterically funny. However, despite it working very well, I do think that they used a little too much humor in the movie. There are moments that feel unnecessary that are simply there so a joke can be said and the placement of these jokes becomes very predictable by about halfway through the movie.

The characters, once again, are fantastic. They all have the same quirks and personalities that made audiences fall in love with them the first time around and are given even more depth in this movie than they had in the first. One of my favorites in Guardians 1 was Drax, and he still is after seeing Vol. 2. He was absolutely hilarious and had countless moments that had audiences in stitches during my viewing. Star Lord was also one of my favorites because he was the deepest character, and he continues to succeed as an excellent main character in Guardians 2. But the truth is, every single major character in the movie was great and each one had their standout moments. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the villains. Ego, who was revealed to be Star Lord's father, just spewed exposition and was a flimsy character. Not enough focus was given to the writing of his character to make the father-son relationship between him and Star-Lord feel tangible and emotionally involving. The reveal of him as the actual main villain of the movie should have been more emotionally impactful on the audience. The secondary villains of the movie, the gold aliens, felt somewhat unnecessary and dull, although there was some unexpectedly well- written humor involving them that I enjoyed.

The story was somewhat messy and felt as though it was going in ten different directions at once. I think that a more simplified plot would have benefited Vol. 2. The gold aliens in particular muddled the story and added a plot element that probably should not have been in the movie. The mutany involving Yondu's crew also felt somewhat misplaced and blurred the focus of the film even further. There were also many moments that felt placed just for humor purposes that should have been taken out of the movie to help it flow better. The third act, however, felt very focused and did not have these same issues. I also felt that some of the emotional moments at the end of the movie were not completely earned. The relationship between Star-Lord and Yondu was supposed to be the emotional core of the movie, but those two characters were barely on screen together and this element was not given the time it needed to blossom.

The action was all top-notch and was better than it was in the first movie. The sequence involving the asteroid belt was extremely fun and the Yondu arrow sequence is honestly one of my top five favorite Marvel set pieces to date. The third act has nonstop action and it all works ridiculously well.

Surprisingly, the universe building was also one of my favorite things in this movie. The costume and creature design as well as the set design are both perfect. The universe feels even more limitless after Vol. 2 and there were so many creative and exciting locations.

Ultimately, Vol. 2 is a somewhat messy and choppy movie that perhaps could have been slimmed down, but there is no denying the fact that it is a thoroughly entertaining and fun addition to the MCU. I look forward to seeing it again and I cannot wait to see the Guardians again in Infinity War.

7.4/10 Grade: B+

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Good as a prequel, just OK on its own

[6/10 · 30 April 2017]

This movie was my most anticipated movie of 2016. I was insanely excited to see where they'd go with the story and with the characters who, based on the trailers, looked like unique and deep additions to the Star Wars universe. Unfortunately, I feel as though they only got it partially right.

As far as positives go, I loved what this movie did for the universe. We got multiple great new locations that all felt tangible, dirty and real: Scarif, Jedha, Eadu, and Ring of Kafrene were my favorites. The creatures, costume design, and set design were all top notch just like they were in the Force Awakens. The acting was also great across the board; I don't think there was a single performance that wasn't as good as the rest. The action is also the best in the entire franchise by far. I enjoyed every action sequence in the movie, especially the stuff on Scarif. I thought that there were two great characters in the movie: K2SO and Director Krennic. Krennic is one of the best Star Wars bad guys that we have gotten to date; his ambitions feel so grounded and he is a very different kind of character than we've seen in the past. I loved K2 because of his sarcastic personality; he is one of my favorite Star Wars droids to date. Also, this movie enhances a New Hope in so many ways. We get so much rich history on the Death Star and the intentional flaw added so much to the overall story of it.

The biggest problem with this movie, however, is the characters. They, for the most part, were bland, boring, and distant. Jyn Erso's backstory is fairly confusing and is not conveyed in a way that would make the audience connect with her. She also basically has no personality; she goes from a semi-jaded Han Solo-type character in the beginning to hopefully idealistic general in the end without any real charisma. She doesn't feel like a real person. Cassian seemed to be intriguing at the beginning, but they really did not give him much of an arc and he was incredibly one- dimensional. Bodhi is the one character that was truly given nothing. He is just there as a plot device. Chirrut and Baze were fine, but were really there for humor and action and nothing else (although their friendship felt so real and tangible). The first act is also incredibly choppy and jumps between locations way too quickly. The plot really doesn't get going until the beginning of the third act because of how much they had stuffed into the first two acts. The movie just feels too overcrowded with ideas and it could have benefited from being more simple. Also, Tarkin looks fake to the point where I feel as though he should have had a smaller role. The movie, in general, also has way too much fan service. Having a cool Darth Vader scene does not make for a great movie; having great characters, on the other hand, does.

Overall, Rogue One was a massive disappointment, especially after the excellently written and lively Force Awakens. Rogue One's positives outweighed the negatives, but just barely. If the characters were great, would have been able to easily overlook some of the flaws I have listed (such as the choppy story), but the characters are what make Star Wars the franchise that it is and unfortunately this movie dropped the ball in that area.

5.5/10 Grade: C+

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

An incredible movie full of great action and excellent characters

[10/10 · 16 March 2016]

This is one of my top 10 favorite movies ever for sure. I actually like it better than Raiders even though I think raiders is an all-around better movie.

What makes this movie so special is the chemistry between Indy and his father. Although I loved Marion from raiders, I firmly believe that Henry Jones Sr. is the best Indy sidekick of all time. Their relationship is sorely missed in the other movies.

Just like the other two original Indy films, Spielberg made sure that this movie felt practical and real. Even though it may seem like a small thing, having real rats in the library scene went a long way. That scene feels much more real than the cgi ant scene from Crystal Skull. Spielberg also included real practical action. This meant real tanks, real horses, and real explosions. There is some cgi that doesn't really hold up (i.e. The plane scene) but for the most part the action is totally practical just like the other two films and it is awesome.

The main complaint about this film is that it is too much like Raiders. Although it looks and feels similar, the actual story itself is quite different from Raiders. The characters also encountered a lot of new things in this movie and went to different locations that Indy had never visited before (i.e. italy, Germany, Austria). In fact, besides the desert locations, decaying temples with traps, the return of some old characters, Nazis as an enemy, and the search for a famous Christian artifact, there really aren't as many similarities between the two movies as people say. Except for those five similarities, almost everything is different or is at least done in a way that feels different.

To be honest, the Indiana Jones villains have never been particularly complicated. They're all one-dimensional assholes who want to capture a famous artifact before Indy does. Donavan is not a bad villain but is nothing super special. He's exactly what you'd expect from an Indiana jones film. Sure, they could've fleshed him out a little more and made him a more interesting character, but whatever.

I loved the return of Sallah and Marcus Brody because it gave the movie that classic raiders feel again. I also liked the fact that these characters are in this movie because it made Indy feel like an underdog. Brody in particular was a total fish out of water. They were kind of shoehorned in but they added to the story rather than taking away from it. I liken them being in the movie to C-3PO and R2-D2 being in the Force Awakens. Was it necessary for them to be in it? Not at all, but them being in it added to the movie and made it feel more like Star Wars.

This is also by far the most funny Indy film to date. All of them have had their comedic moments but this one has some of the best. The majority of the film is lighthearted fun but, whenever a serious scene comes along, like when Henry Jones Sr. is shot, the jokes instantly go away. My main complaint about the film is that it does go a little overboard in some scenes, but, for the most part, I enjoy the humor. That was clearly added into this movie just like all of the raiders similarities in order to counteract the dark, depressing atmosphere of Temple of Doom. I actually love temple of doom, but I like how this film feels more like an Indy movie.

Overall, this is an incredible film and I love it to death. I just hope Indy 5 recaptures the spirit of the original films like this one.

10/10 Grade: A+

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

The worst of the Star Wars saga

[2/10 · 15 March 2016]

I really do appreciate George Lucas' attempts to create an entirely different, brand new trilogy in the prequel trilogy. However, I did not like any of the three movies and, in my opinion, this one is the worst.

The biggest problem in this film is the characters. There are countless other flaws in this movie ranging from small to horribly large, however, this one is what, ultimately, in my opinion, ruined the prequel trilogy. In the original trilogy, Darth Vader was quiet, methodical, and always kept calm no matter what the situation. In this movie, he is depicted as a whiny, annoying, impulsive brat that is extremely difficult to like or relate with. He complains about everything and has very few heroic moments in the film to make up for it. I could deal with the awful romantic dialogue and poorly done action sequences if these characters were simply likable. Padme is extremely boring and basically has no personality. Other boring characters include Mace Windu, Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Count Dooku. These characters simply aren't relatable or likable, and that says something because Yoda is one of the best characters in cinematic history.

Although I am glad that Lucas got rid of all of the terrible slapstick humor from the first movie, which included giving Jar Jar the boot, it results in a dry movie that is completely void of humor. Although the originals didn't have a ton of jokes, the ones that were included were creative and funny. The one that I liked the most was when Han was talking over the intercom while pretending he was a stormtrooper. Although getting rid of the awful slapstick humor was a good choice, I wish Lucas included at least a few jokes to lighten up the mood. There is that one hilarious scene that I love where Obi-Wan does the Jedi mind-trick on some drug dealer. I just wish they Included more humor like this.

One of my favorite things from the originals was how they set up an incredible world with realistic aliens, droids, technology, and planets. This was all replaced with cgi in the prequel trilogy. I have absolutely no problem with cgi and I understand that movies would not be the same without it. This does not mean I think it is a good idea to use it in every scene of a movie like in Attack of the Clones. Even the Phantom Menace used less of it, not to mention how bad the cgi looks in this movie in particular. This is also why I did not care for the action sequences. They're full of cgi and look completely fake. New super Mario bros for the DS looks better than that crap.

I liked the lightsaber fight in the Phantom Menace despite its dance-like choreography. Sure, it looked fake and was void of emotion until the very end, but it looked cool and it was exciting so whatever. But tthe duels in this movie are probably the worst of the saga. Anakin and Obi-Wan fighting Dooku was extremely overly choreographed and did not look like real people trying to survive. That is what I loved so much about the fight in the Force Awakens: it brought back that realness and actually looked and felt like people fighting for their lives. They also ruined Yoda's character by having him fight with a lightsaber. In the originals, Yoda proved that the force had the power to make a small creature like him a warrior. He even made a point as to show Luke why the force was more powerful than any weapon he could own.

The romantic dialogue is also awful. I need not say more.

There weren't any redeeming qualities in the movie either. I really didn't like very much about this movie in all honesty. I guess some of the droids were creative and cool-looking and Lucas did make an honest effort to flesh out the Star Wars universe. But that's about it.

Overall, this is a bad movie but, ultimately, it led to the return of the characters we love and for that reason I really can't complain.

2.2/10 Grade: D

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

An outstanding reintroduction into the Star Wars universe

[9/10 · 6 March 2016]

This review contains spoilers.

If you do not like this movie, it is perfectly OK. People are allowed to have an opinion and to explain them.That being said, I don't really understand why people hate this movie so much. I respect their opinions, but I don't quite understand them.

The characters in this movie are one of the biggest improvements from the prequels. Despite the fact that I don't like the prequels, I do know quite a few people that do. One of my main complaints about those movies was the fact that the characters weren't likable. Some of them were just bland and boring (Mace Windu, Padme, Yoda) and some were legitimately annoying and poorly written (jar jar, Anakin). The characters in The Force Awakens are great. They are extremely likable and they make the movie much more emotional. Rey was a character that you just had to root for due how terrible her life was on Jakku and how it affected her emotionally. Finn was a very funny character who Clearly cared about the characters around him. What I liked about him was the fact that he constantly loses. He gets his ass kicked by a stormtrooper only to be saved by Han Solo and the same thing happens when he goes up against Kylo Ren. The fact that he continues to try to help his friends even after losing constantly is what makes him such a great character. My favorite character in this movie, however, was Han Solo. Harrison Ford may have given the best Han Solo performance ever in this movie. Before the movie, I did not expect him to act like the character of old. However, Han Solo was by far the best part of this movie and his death was extremely Emotional. He has the same mannerisms as the Han Solo of old whilst being a character whose life has changed since Return of the Jedi. I also absolutely love Kylo Ren. Throughout the movie he seems to have two sides: a light side and a dark side and he struggles between which side is his true self. He also looked and felt like Darth Vader whilst being a very different character and I thought that having him as the villain was the best possible way to move on from the death of Vader.

The writing was also exponentially better in this movie than in the prequels. The dialogue is great and the story moves along quickly.

My favorite change over the prequels, however, was the addition of real props and real locations. There is quite a bit of cgi used in the movie but it looks great and blends with the real effects without you being able to notice that it's there. To me, Maz Kanata did not look as real as she should have. She does, however, look much better than anything in the prequels. Snoke's cgi face did not look great but it looked better than Maz Kanata in my opinion. My favorite practical effects include the happabore and the forest setting of the final confrontation between Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren.

There are, however, some complaints that I have about the film. I thought that blowing up a third Death Star felt a little ridiculous, that Rey should have struggled more whilst learning to use the force, and that there should have been more exposition about what happened after the events of Return of the Jedi.

Besides that, I loved this film and, although it was very similar to A New Hope, that doesn't bother me and I think that using the same ideas from that movie was a good way of starting off this new trilogy. It is one of my favorite all-time films and my favorite film of the year.

9/10 Grade: A