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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Honest Feedback From Someone Who Loved It, But Admits It Has Flaws
I just saw the film and I have to say, I enjoyed it a lot. But I'll be a grownup about it and admit that it has flaws. What film doesn't? You want my honest opinion on how to actually enjoy this film? - you have to treat it like you're reading a comic. Don't do what everyone always does and make such a big deal about how the film has to be some kind of ultimate adaptation. Like they have to get everything right or its going to be ruined.
There's thousands of different variations on the Superman/Batman story in the DC universe. They're not all universally beloved. This is no different. What we're seeing is one artists take on the story. If its not something you enjoyed, then thats fine. But don't go around saying its horrible and therefore nobody else should like it either. That's just childish. Its silly how some people will react to a movie like they've been cheated out of something they were owed.
I enjoyed this film a lot. It had plenty of "man, that was awesome" moments. Some parts were definitely rushed and could have been developed more instead of shoehorning in other story aspects. But rather than complain about its shortcomings I always tend to focus on the elements that I like.
Ben Affleck is phenomenal, both as Bruce Wayne and as Batman. The most brutal Batman ever put to screen. A Batman that I think a lot of people have been waiting to see.
Jeremy Irons is amazing as Alfred. Very refreshing to see a take on the character that is as involved in Batman's exploits as Bruce is.
Wonder Woman was only briefly on screen, but her scenes were enjoyable. I think her presence in this film is going to leave a lot of people wanting more of her. Perhaps not the best way to introduce a character to a film, but I think now that people have had a taste of her it will bode well for her in future films.
Jesse Eisenburg, IMO, was an enjoyable take on the Lex Luthor character. Yes, he was quirky and borderline annoying at times. But overall I preferred the fact that they tried to do something different with the character than previous incarnations. Lex Luthor has always been a character driven by greed and selfishness. This film seemed to insinuate that he was psychotic and driven by his inner turmoil.
Superman probably could have been developed more. People rip on the fact that its such a dark story, despite being about Superman. But I'm alright with it. Its something different. I would have liked to see more emotion out of Henry Cavill.
I'm giving the film a 9/10. Not because its a great film, but because I enjoyed it. And the rule of thumb is that a film doesn't have to be great, by filmmaking standards, to be enjoyable. IMO the critics are being too harsh with this film. If I were to rate it with the mindset of a film critic, I'd say it deserves a 6/10.
Please don't write this film off entirely just because of negative reviews. There are plenty of elements to be enjoyed.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)
This Film Was Great: A Non-Fanatical Turtle Fan's Review In Brief
I loved this film. It delivered exactly what I wanted to see. Was it perfect? No. But very few films adapted from comic books are truly done perfectly and in a way that satisfies true fans.
There were just the right number of "Hell Ya" moments from the turtles. The action was great, the fight scenes were terrific and their character portrayals were bang on. Nothing will ever outdo the original 1990 film in terms of creativity and charisma for its time, but the action in this film felt so much more satisfying to watch. One of the best was seeing Splinter totally kick ass for the first time in a film. As much as I loved the wise old mentor archetype from the 1990 film, there was something totally awesome about seeing the radical rat brought to life like that.
Meghan Fox? Totally passable. She gets more hate than she deserves. April O'Neil is always a damsel in distress character and Meghan Fox was as good as any other actress for this role. Her character was under developed but that's the writers and producers fault, not Fox's. My nod to her character comes from the fact that she wasn't relegated to merely being eye candy like she was in Transformers.
The film came up short in the villain category unfortunately. Like many other folks have said, Shredder's back story was non-existent and the character was extremely underdeveloped. The shredder armour was over-the-top but we still got to see him fight in a more vigorous and robust way that previous films always left us wanting more of.
In terms of changes to the original back story, there were plenty of artistic license moments but when you consider how many different iterations there have been on the original story - this film is no worse than the lot of them. While it feels unnecessary to always tie the characters together with plot convenient back-stories, its a forgivable alteration when you consider the film as a whole and what its trying to accomplish in terms of entertainment and that's where it succeeds.
My only other complaint would be of the unnecessary inflation of the character of Vernon Fenwick. Just because they had Will Arnett in the role they felt they needed to escalate his presence in the film. It became old really quick. If less time had been spent on the character of Vernon and more on developing April's relationship with the turtles or perhaps the back-story of the villain this film would have been much better.
In sum, this film was fun and I enjoyed it a lot. A solid 7/10. There aren't nearly as many reasons to hate this film as people will lead you to believe. If you're a turtles fan, go and see it; but with an open mind.
Its supposed to be fun. Its okay to let yourself have a little.
Hercules (2014)
Try The New and Improved"Hercules"! Now Completely 'Mythology' Free!
If you're a fan of the Mythology of Hercules in any way, shape or form and expect to see it in this film, you will be sorely disappointed. This film has pulled a complete "World-War-Z" and left absolutely EVERYTHING about the original mythology out except for the fact that it is called "Hercules".
But what about all that awesome trailer footage? You know, of Hercules and his amazing feats of heroism? Surprise! Nothing but trailer fodder that is all over in the first 2 minutes of the film. The main focus and theme of the film is how Hercules is NOT the Hercules from myth and legend. So right off the bat the trailer has straight up lied to you.
But don't worry, what they leave out from the actual mythology of Hercules they more than make up for in plot points that are VERY BLATANTLY stolen from every other medieval/ancient era epic film made in the last 20 years. Everything from beginning the film with the ever popular "you think you know the story of Hercules? Here's the REAL story of Hercules" narrative, to timeless cliché classics like "sidekick leaves due to differing views but returns during climactic battle to save the day".
Even if you aren't looking for a true-to-its-roots Hercules movie, this movie is so completely generic you could substitute just about any other epic of the same genre and you'd swear it was the same movie. Right down to the costumes and battle sequences. The story is painfully predictable, the jokes are hammy and don't fit the tone of the genre, the characters are stock, wooden and forgettable, the fight scenes are boring, the action is unsatisfying.
Bottom line, if you aren't a Hercules fan looking for actual Hercules action then you'll be less disappointed than I, but I would still recommend skipping it and saving your money by simply watching Troy/Braveheart/Kingdom of Heaven/Beowulf/Robin Hood/300 instead; the experience will be the same, I promise. However, if you have ever enjoyed the mythology of Hercules and want to see some of it brought to life then this is not the film for you. It is the cinematic equivalent of biting into a chocolate chip cookie only to find out they're actually raisins.
Hannibal Rising (2007)
Weak Origin Story, Poor Homage To Original Character and Films
This movie was just plain weak. I found nothing about it to be a proper way to explain the origins of the character and to lead into the original films. The acting was terrible; from the completely wooden and expressionless main and supporting characters to the downright laughably bad Russian accents attempted by actors of just about every European nationality EXCEPT Russian.
The story itself did nothing to actually depict the progression of Lector from an innocent child to a corrupted monster. It basically just happened without explanation. As a viewer, you form no emotional connection with the main character; he's almost instantly unlikeable, despite the horrific events he endures at the start. The same applies to the actual traumatic events themselves. They happen so quickly that there is no time for the viewer to develop any sort of attachment to the characters, therefore completely removing any sort of emotional impact it would have on the viewer.
Additionally there seems to be no attempt by the actor to mirror the character and personality of the original character played by the original actor. Anthony Hopkins version of Lector was a sophisticated intellectual who had an extreme appreciation for high art and culture and was well spoken with a vocabulary consistent with a man of supreme intellect. The Hannibal seen in this film was reduced to an almost barbaric individual who spoke infrequently and spoke in a very low brow manner. His personality was completely mismatched with the extremely evident attempt to depict him as a sophisticated individual, like Hopkins Lector was; merely throwing in the fact that he was accepted to medical school, was a gifted artist and appreciator of classical music with no pretext or prior indication of any such aspects of his personality. It was as if the film makers threw it in because they needed something similar to the original Lector's character to be present - without it there would be little indication that it was the same character at all.
The films completely misses the point when it comes to showing the progression of how Lector spiralled into becoming a merciless killer. The film can't seem to make up its mind as to whether he is a killer because he is a psychopath and enjoys it, because of his childhood trauma or because he is seeking revenge. His motivations are impossible to pin down. The forced love interest aspect near the end completely clashes with the direction the character is apparently being taken; that he is becoming a monster devoid of human emotion and sympathetic qualities. Quite the contrary, the film seems to attempt to simultaneously portray him as a monster and a hero. There is no clear conversion from one to the other; that is, beginning as a sympathetic character who is heroic to a corrupted monster. He is, at times, depicted as villainous and heroic.
Conclusively this film was handled poorly as an origin story. With unlikeable characters, bad acting, confusing motives, disorganized and messy story telling and disjointed character development this film stands apart from the entire Hannibal Lector saga as a film that has little to no connection to the original films in any way except perhaps by name only.
Man of Steel (2013)
The Superman film i've waited for since I was a kid
I have followed the progress of this film since it was in its 'rumored' stages. After the disaster of "Superman Returns" I was wondering if my favorite superhero would ever get a fair shake on the big screen. This movie has everything that every other Superman film did not, and a lot more. Action, good actors, relatable and likable characters.
Christopher Reeve's Superman was iconic for its time, but the effects are extremely dated and the tone of those films was very campy. Acceptable for the old image of Superman as the stereotypical All-American hero. But after the success of Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, we wanted something "real". "Superman Returns" is hardly worth mentioning as it can be summed up in one word; bland. No action, boring characters giving uninterested performances (except of course for Kevin Spacey), and a carbon-copied story.
"Man of Steel" delivers on every front. Right off the start we get to see more of Krypton and the back story of his parents and the culture of Krypton than every before seen in any film - an important aspect of the entire film's story; not something that is forgotten about once that part of the film is done.
We get a different perspective of how it could have been like for Superman growing up. It wasn't given the teen-romance/scooby-doo mysteries treatment like "Smallville" did for it. This was gritty and realistic.
We're shown how life is not just "different" for Superman (as all other incarnations have done) but down right miserable. He hides his identity not just for some stereotypical comic book reasons - but because he's afraid of being rejected and hated by humanity. He's lonely and spends his life running and hiding.
When he finally decides to take a risk and expose himself to humanity, the reaction is treated with dignity and respect. His presence isn't perceived as "oh, a guy with super powers... that's cool. Lets get own with our day", like most incarnations. No, everyone freaks the heck out. He's treated like an enemy and a threat to the world. Something (IMO) like what would happen in real life.
The lines of good/evil are heavily blurred in this film as well. Its not cut and dry. The actions of the protagonist aren't necessarily predictable in a sense. He's given a moral choice to make. Does he rejoin his fellow Kryptonians, his kin, the only others like him in the universe - and help them rebuild their civilization? Or does he fight against them to save a world that is afraid of him and views him as a threat?
Lastly, we finally get to see the Superman we've always wanted to see. The powerful superhero that he is. We get to see his limits tested by worthy adversaries. We get to see his powers portrayed in full and in all their awesomeness.
Granted, the film has its predictable moments, and there are parts of the story that felt rushed and glossed over. Characters that would have been great, had they been given more development time. However, the flaws are dwarfed by the praiseworthy elements of the film.
This film has finally given Superman the fair chance he deserves to explode onto the big screen and blow us all away like i've always known he could.
Now You See Me (2013)
Now You See Me... kinda wish I hadn't...
This movie really leads you to believe that its going to be exciting, intriguing and thrilling. Instead, you may come out of it feeling like you yourself have had a magic trick played on you.
The characters are cocky and annoying. Its hard to develop any sort of connection with them. All the magic tricks and illusions are very unrealistic. The "romantic" element of the story is incredibly forced; almost thrown in at the last moment because the producers were like "oh ya! we forgot to add the romance".
There's nothing subtle about the tone of the movie. You're constantly reminded that there is a mysterious element that you are not seeing. And when it is finally revealed at the end, there is hardly any surprise at all.
Worst of all, there are too many things that happen in the movie inexplicably. You find yourself waiting for information that never comes. Questions are posed that leave you wondering why something happened, but then they're just abandoned and never reexamined.
This movie made me angry. I felt like it was condescending to me the entire time. Fast talking "quick witted" characters using dialogue spoken so fast with convoluted vocabulary, camera shots that were shaky and always moving. It was trying to confuse me with smoke and mirrors to make me think that it was exciting, intriguing and thrilling, but realistically it was not.