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Rogue One (2016)
A forgettable action film with flat characters.
I liked Rogue One. I thought it was great. But there are many things in it that bothered me. The biggest flaw is the lack of character development: 1. The dynamic between Krennic and Galen was something I was looking forward to and I was hoping to see how their relationship falls apart. But we only get one flashback scene where they are buddy buddy to each other and then the rest of the movie they are enemies.
2. Rogue One crew itself was barely developed. Jyn Erso has the most character development out of all of them but it isn't much. Her character lacks a charm and charisma that main characters in Star Wars usually have. We don't learn much about her as a character other than the circumstances she was put through. Her relationship with her father and how she feels about him is about as far as they go.
3. Diego Luna and Felicity Jones should have had more chemistry. I was hoping to see a subtle developing love between them as the movie goes on much like Han and Leia in The Empire Strikes Back. But there was nothing. The death scene would have been so much more effective and heartbreaking had this been there.
4. The rest of the crew suffer from the same problems. A little bit more character development could have gone a long way. I wanted to know more about them, especially Donnie Yen whose character did a great job bringing the presence of the force to this film. (The force was personified through his character much like it was through Obi-wan in A New Hope. I absolutely love it.)
5. The pacing is a mess. The first half of the movie cuts from location to location way too fast. I wish the film could have stayed in one location for a bit longer. The second half of the films pacing starts to drag abit, making the pacing inconsistent. The fact that the film had extensive reshoots really shows.
6. Yes this a "war film" and everything isn't black and white but I think they went too far with the Rebellion. A lot of the things they do is out of character. For example, the way they interrogate people and how quick they were to surrender.
7. There's no title crawl. We known this before the movie came out but giving the nature of the films opening sequence and the events that happen before it, it would have been nice to have the title crawl. 8. The music score served this movie in some parts but overall it was forgettable. I understand Michael Giacchino only had 3 weeks to do the score (plus he had to come up with a balance of originality while also following the man himself-John Williams) and given his past work he has done on the Star Trek films ,if he was given more time, I don't doubt the score would have been much better. I was disappointed that there were very few queues to well known pieces of Star Wars music like Binary Sunset or the Imperial March.
But even with these flaws Rogue One still had tons of impressive moments and some of the best imagery ever done in live action Star Wars. Director Gareth Edwards outdid himself with the visuals.
Man of Steel (2013)
The Writers Don't Understand Superman
I hated MOS because it was crystal clear the writers didn't understand Superman at all. In the film he has no drive to start helping people. Instead we get the "you're gonna be great someday" dialouge from many many characters. We never once see why Clark wants to save people, just people telling him that he is destined to. John Kent was supposed to mold him into the Superman he becomes but instead he discourages him and then tells his son not to save him from a tornado. John Kent originally died from a heart attack, it was supposed to be something Superman couldn't prevent. A reminder that there ARE things he can't do. This humanizes him a bit. Instead it, "Watch me die by a tornado son even though you can save me and you look exactly the same as you will when you are Superman (not wearing glasses), so it wouldn't even matter if you saved me in front of everyone"
Then when he gets the costume and all he seems more interested in throwing Zod into buildings instead of saving people. Zack Synder made a bland, dry, dull action sci-fi movie instead of a solid Superman movie. Superman Returns was better than this, it least it was trying to be about something.
Assassin's Creed (2016)
Annoyingly Confusing
This film was like walking down the street and someone walks up to you and starts having a conversation but, they start the conversation in the middle and you don't know what the hell they are talking about because they never stop to explain what they are saying.
This movie has no character or story development. Newcomers to the story are left confused because the movie relies too much on assuming the audience knows the video game lore that they take no time to explain any of the concepts like the machine, Why going back in time and killing people for an apple will stop violence?, or why did the three team up at the end despite knowing nothing about each other? There was no development between these characters and all of the sudden they are a team now? The creed is barely explained as well.
The action scenes are terrible. Due to the shaky cam, its hard to tell what the hell is going on.
Steven Universe (2013)
A Remarkably Creative Show That Is Way More Than It Appears To Be
I didn't really start watching this show til very recently. But I have heard of it before. I never bothered to actually watch it because the animation style put me off (at first) and I thought it would be another low brow pandering kid show. After my friend introduced me to the series I learned I was very mistaken. Steven Universe is an amazing cartoon with exciting, relatable, characters, an astonishing setting, and beautiful animation. One of the biggest problems with kid cartons today is they don't let kids "figure it out" themselves. Everything is blatantly explained to them and they rarely allow for kid's to come to conclusions on their own. Steven Universe on the other hand is filled with some subtlety and nuance for adult viewers to enjoy without feeling like the show is shoving it's themes in your face, while also being charmingly lighthearted enough for younger children and older children to enjoy.
The characters are very well written and they do develop and change overtime (and these changes stick) which isn't very common in many kid's cartoons these days. Steven is a young kid who is learning his power as a crystal gem and learning about himself as he get's older. Steven is very much like a real life kid and his charm and naivety add tons of depth to his character. He lost his mother (who was also a powerful gem) before he can meet her and the show doesn't hold back when exploring this. Some of the best scenes (I've seen so far) are on this topic and I don't want to say much without spoiling the show.
Pearl, Amethyst and Garnett are fun characters as well. Despite being larger than life super powered beings, they all have aspects to their character that is down to earth and human. Pearl is the overprotective motherly type, who likes to be clean and tidy and do things properly, Garnett is strong and mysterious and also protective. Amethyst is younger, impulsive, care-free and is deep down, a caring person despite coming off as rude most of the time. I have only seen the 1st season and parts of the second season but I love these characters so far and I am looking forward to learning more about their past.
Steven Universe is a show that takes it's time when introducing things. The show set's up situations leaving viewers with questions, that are usually answered in a very clever way later on. Many kid's can relate to the characters (especially Steven) and see themselves in the colorful universe the show takes place in. The show carries a very lighthearted tone but it isn't afraid of creating genuinely heartfelt tear-jerker and heartwarming moments. I highly recommend giving it a watch.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
A film that starts off promising but turns into a Justice League commercial
I'll start off by explaining what I liked about this film before dwelling into why I was so disappointed.
Many scenes in this film are visual masterpieces. The cinematography in this film, especially the first half, is nothing short of amazing. Snyder's unique style of directing fits well for what this film is trying to be and the camera-work shines in many parts of the movie and doesn't feel as overwhelming and exhausting as Man of Steel did. This movie, despite being dark and grim in tone like Man of Steel, is a bit more visually colorful than it's predecessor. The score wasn't very bad either, it wasn't quite memorable but it blended seamlessly in this movie.
I enjoyed Ben Affleck's performance as Batman. Although, there are things I didn't like about the character of Batman in this film, Ben did a good job with what he was given. He was way better than I expected him to be. I was one of those people who threw a giant hissy fit in 2013 when it was announced that he would play The Caped Crusader. I was proved wrong. I think Ben added more depth to his performance than any of the other actors in this film. Cavill did a great job as well, I think he did good with the lines he were given especially since some of the lines (Superman's especially) are just terribly written. I did not enjoy Eisenburg as Lex Luthor. I felt like he was over the top and ridiculous for a movie that's trying to keep a dark, dreary tone.
The main problem with this movie is the writing, the story structure. It felt like a mess. A lot of the scenes without action were just bland, boring, dreary and filled with dry dialogue. I was hoping to see Batman and Superman duel it out (they hardly trade blows). I wanted to see more than just two great heroes fighting but also the clash between two battling ideologies and philosophies held by these heroes being driven with a powerful story. The film tried, but it was handled so poorly. It felt like 2 stories crammed into what could have been one great story between Batman and Superman. This is because they are setting up the Justice League,but at this point it feels rushed and undeserved. I could have done without the Superman's death, Batman's nightmare sequences, Wonder Woman, many of the Lex scenes that took away from what could have been a great Batman and Superman centered movie.
Batman's turn around (the "Martha" scene) seemed rushed and out of place, it was a great idea with a terrible execution. The writers knew to get Batman to turn you would need to reach his heart and by doing that you pull the "parents death" card. It just felt so halfassed here and it made no sense at all. Made worse when Lois comes in with her pointless exposition explaining that Martha is his mother. The film's tone overall is dark and depressing which makes the (few) humor lines seem very out of place. The pacing doesn't do the film a favor either, there were some parts where the film felt like it was dragging.
Snyder seems to be under the impression that a dark and gritty tone means realistic but writing well developed characters with understandable motives and good dialogue is what makes stories seem real, Regardless of the type of universe they are in. Snyder and Co. didn't do this, so they compensate for their poor writing by making everything dark and grim; giving the visual impression of a realistic looking film. Realistic comes from developing a character to the point where the audience understands their values and beliefs, and the motivations for taking any action are well understood. But more often than not, the film focuses on too many other things when it should be focusing on the titular characters more.
Rick and Morty (2013)
The Most Funniest Animated Show of This Decade
After all of the boring animated adult shows we have been getting lately and the dullness of the old classics like The Simpsons and Family Guy, Rick and Morty feels like a breath of fresh air. Never have I laughed so much watching a cartoon. This show has vivid art design and great hand drawn animation. The characters are fun and even have some depth to them at times. Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon created what could possibly be adult swims best show. The show mixes all different types of humor and it does dark humor very well. For those who love science fiction this show does a amazing job parodying many aspects from classic sci-fi shows while adding original concepts of it's own. I promise, you will find yourself laughing.
The Lego Movie (2014)
Way Better Than I'd Thought It would Be.
I went into this film thinking that it was going to be another soulless kid film filled to the brim with pop culture references that would be outdated in a year. I'm glad to say that Lego Movie isn't that at all. This film starts off with a really catchy song that you'll never be able to get out of your head and a main character who is actually relatable. The characters in this film who are licensed works like Batman and Superman are actually made into funny characters with their own personalities. The ending of this film, I won't say here, is sort of a twist but it's a twist that brings this film a strong sense of depth and astuteness that I totally wasn't expecting at all. I highly recommend this movie to kids and adults alike.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
The Best of the Worst in the Star Wars Saga
The first Star Wars movie in the prequel trilogy that actually feels like a Star Wars movie, only in look, but not in tone . This movie still has bland acting, dull characters and story flaws. The long lightsaber fight at the end seems more like a 20 minute dance off than an actual fighting scene with characters we are (supposed to be) emotionally invested in. The story seems rushed, especially Anakin's turning to the darkside. I find it hard to believe that the thought of losing Padme was enough to get Anakin to go on a murderous rampage and start killing children. The fact that no one can see that Palpatine is the master of all the evil in this movie is jarring and it makes all the characters seem stupid, but this is due to very bad writing on Lucas' part.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
Star Wars is back! It has some flaws but the good far outweighs the bad.
It was the same story but a good story with a few new elements. The character interactions, the practical effects, the cinematography, the music, it was all good. The acting was great too. Daisley Ridley really shines in this film and John Boyega was way better than I thought he was going to be. Oscar Issac's Poe Dameron was instantly likable.
This movie's biggest flaw is not being very original and it pulls lots from the original trilogy, but it still executes the story pretty damn well. Harrison Ford was amazing and Carrie Fisher was great as well. There is tons of back story behind this film that we are lightly exposed to and a great ending leaving you wanting some more. It was a billion times better than the prequels. Though the prequels had more original plot points, The Force Awakens has well written characters, great visuals and amazing performances that makes you feel engaged in the story and rooting for the heroes (Something the prequels always failed to do IMO). It brought the feeling of Star Wars back. JJ and Kasdan nailed it.