Holy Paradise
11-07-2008, 23:25
Alright, first of all, a disclaimer.
I'm no professional movie critic. I'm a 16-year-old guy from Nebraska.
However, I do know what I like and what I don't like.
So, here it is, my summer movie review...thus far...
I'll do two for now, but I'll add more later.
Warning, there may be spoilers.
Ok, let's begin.
Movie: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Starring: Harrison Ford, Shia Labeouf, Cate Blanchett
Average Critic Rating: B to B-
Release Date: May 26, 2008
Story/Setting: C+
Okay, so, I am a big fan of the Indiana Jones series. I always liked the story of each film. I loved the story in Indy 4 as well.
That is, until the aliens came up. When I realized that the crystal skulls were alien skulls, I really was disappointed. I had hoped the skulls would have just been some part of magic or Mayan religious ritual, but, no, they had to throw aliens into the mix.
Other than that, I thought the story was very good. I liked the switch of antagonists from Nazis to Soviets. I also really liked how the gap between the Last Crusade and Crystal Skull was reflected in the film. Each setting was accurate to its timeframe, for the most part.
Characters/Acting: A+
The best part about Indy 4 was the characters/acting. Harrison Ford lived up to my expectations and delivered an excellent performance as Indiana. He still has that combination of wit and fitness that really fits Indy. Shia Labeouf surprised me. I was worried that his character, Mutt Williams, would be an annoyance, but, he did very well. Cate Blanchett did a decent job of portraying the main villain, Irina Spalko, it was kind of cliche, but it wasn't too bad.
Sound/Special Effects/Music: A-
I liked how they stuck with good old fisticuffs and pistols for Indy 4. There wasn't a lot of CGI, as I had feared. Still, I expected at least some CGI, and what CGI there was, was pleasing to the eye. Sound was spot on. And who can dislike the Indiana Jones theme song?
Overall Grade: B
I really liked Indy 4. It was an enjoyable movie, and definately worth the money. However, I don't think it was of the same caliber as the original trilogy, but it's hard to live up to those films after 19 years of nothing. So, go see Indy 4. It's not mind-blowing, but it is a fun ride.
Movie: Iron Man
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges
Average Critic Rating: A
Release Date: May 2, 2008
Story/Setting: A
The story of a time-tested comic book is usually a good one, but Iron Man did a good job of making the story applicable to current events. Still, the movie follows the basic plot of the first few issues of Iron Man. Arms dealers and terrorists serve as the antagonists, an easy group to dislike. The movie takes it one step further. The fight scenes with the terrorists were so intense that I found it very easy to hate them and took particular relish when Iron Man arrived to pummel them. The settings of each scene are very good, especially in the Middle Eastern areas. The only reason this doesn't get an A+ is because the superhero concept isn't too original.
Characters/Acting: A+
Robert Downey Jr., an actor that for a while directors would avoid like the plague, was spectacular as Tony Stark/Iron Man. Throughout the movie, Downey Jr. is constantly delivering hilarious one-liners, and his emotions are very believable. Gwyneth Paltrow also does very well, playing Pepper Potts, Stark's assistant and budding love interest. Throughout the film, her character is likeable and innocent seeming. Jeff Bridges is Obadiah Stane, the film's lead antagonist. He does very well as a bad guy, and plays the part of "corrupt business man" very nicely.
Sound/Special Effects/Music: A+
The special effects were futuristic yet realistic, especially the suit. The special effects and sound give the entire movie a feeling of not just a superhero movie, but a military thriller as well. The explosion effects are, for lack of a better word, awesome, especially when Stark test fires his multiple-burst ground-based artillery unit, Jericho.
And the music? Well, they started off the film with AC/DC's Back In Black, and, as a huge AC/DC fan, this made the film perfect for me. The entire soundtrack is based around heavy metal/classic rock, with Black Sabbath's Iron Man played in the credits. I would have been disappointed if that song had not made an appearance in the movie at any point.
Overall Grade: A+
Iron Man is easily the best superhero movie I've ever seen. The entire movie is action-packed, intense, and witty. This film is the definition of an excellent movie. Everything fit together perfectly, there were only a few extremely minor flaws. You must see this movie.
Alright, now I'm going to do WALL-E. With movies that have a much more comedic intent, they're going to have another grading section: Humor. Here it goes.
Movie: WALL-E
Starring: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin
Average Critic Rating: A
Release Date: June 27, 2008
Story/Setting: A+
Basically, the premise of WALL-E is this: The entire Earth has been polluted by garbage, forcing the human population to leave while "Waste Allocation Load Lifter-Earth-Class" units clean-up our mess. Unfortunately, all but one has failed. The remaining WALL-E diligently continues in his work, yet, he is very lonely. Eventually, he is interrupted by an encounter with robot named EVE, sent by the humans to search for signs of hospitabilty. Eventually, WALL-E follows EVE to the Axiom, where the humans are located.
The humans have been waiting for 700 years, and have become fat and lazy. Their captain, B. McCrea, tries to get them back, but is prevented by the ship's HAL-like computer, AUTO. Eventually, WALL-E, EVE, and Captain McCrea succeed and lead humanity back to Earth.
Again, Pixar delivers an incredibly imaginative and intriguing story, making it 9 in a row for them. I have always liked Pixar, and consider them to be the most creative studio out there. With WALL-E, they have proved themselves yet again to be creative, modern, and intelligent. Two thumbs up.
Characters/Acting: A+
WALL-E, whose voice was engineered by Ben Burtt, is one of the most lovable and innocent characters I have ever seen, including other Pixar movies. WALL-E's compassion and child-like qualities make him an incredibly easy character to love. EVE, voiced by Elissa Knight, is also a very likeable character, and is obviously influenced by modern minimalist devices such as the iPod. At first stand-offish, EVE begins to acquire some of WALL-E's compassion and sweetness as the movie progresses. Captain McCrea, voiced by Jeff Garlin, is humorous and likeable. At first a lazy oaf, McCrea soon becomes determined and energetic. Props to Pixar for its loveable characters.
Humor: A+
Pixar has established a tradition of making movies that are humorous for both children and adults. WALL-E is no exception. Immediately, the social satire begins when we see that the entire plant is dominated by "Buy 'n Large" a Wal-Mart-esque mega-conglomerate that runs and owns everything. Also, Earth has been rendered pretty much inhabitable by trash and pollution, so it has a sort of dark humor to it. Obesity is also looked at in a funny way. Although many conservatives have attacked WALL-E for these satires, as a religious, capitalist conservative myself, I thought that the satire was funny, appropriate, and accurate. The message that we shouldn't pollute our planet with trash is a perfectly good one, and should be heeded.
But before I get into politics, I'm going to switch to the children's humor. WALL-E is the main provider of laughs for the kiddies, with his child-like innocence and curiosity. For example, when he finds a brassiere, WALL-E immediately puts it on his eyes, unsure of what its purpose is. WALL-E thankfully does not rely on dumb bathroom jokes and other such crude humor like many family films. The jokes are refined yet still very witty. The film is very rich with humor.
Sound/Special Effects/Music: A+
Pixar is synonymous with top-of-the-line computer animation and sound. They are one of the few animation studios that can animate humans without making them creepy. Every single detail of the film seems to have a lot of care and love put into it, from the dirt and rust on WALL-E's body to the sleek, futuristic, technologically advanced look of the human residency ship, the Axiom. Everything is very smooth, very detailed, and very well made.
Overall Grade: A+
WALL-E is probably the best film of the year. I gave Iron Man my vote for favorite film of the summer, but they are two different genres, so I couldn't really compare the two. I love WALL-E. It is an excellent film for all ages and all backgrounds. You must see WALL-E in theaters, then buy it on DVD. It is a classic, and will be treasured by everyone in your family.
Movie: Hancock
Starring: Will Smith, Jason Bateman, Charlize Theron
Average Critic Rating: C to C-
Release Date: July 2, 2008
Story/Setting: First Half: A+/Second Half: C
The movie starts off great: Hancock is a bum, a loser, with superhero abilities. It's imaginative, witty, and smart. The plot is amazing for the first hour or so.
Then, Hancock gets in a fight with his ex-wife/current wife/???. And the movie's story becomes the standard superhero plot from there on. It's not that the story is horrendous at that point, it's just that, after the first half of creativity and wit, it is really disappointing when the plot reverts to cliche stuff.
Characters/Acting: A-
Will Smith is one of my favorite actors, and he does very well in the role of John Hancock, a bum/superhero. He is humorous and mysterious at the same time. His performance really brightened up the movie. Jason Bateman does a good job as Ray Embray, a good-natured peace advocate that helps to improve Hancock's public image. Charlize Theron delivers a good job as Mary Embray (or Mary Hancock, depending on how you see it.) However, her character hurt the plot, so that's where the A- comes from.
Humor: A+
The movie is very funny, with a lot of satire and one-liners to keep me laughing, along with a few very funny visual gags. The part where Hancock actually shoves one of his attackers' heads into another attacker's ass, was hysterical. Will Smith continues to deliver well-placed humor, and in some cases, the cussing actually helped make the movie more humorous.
Sound/Special Effects/Music: A
The sound and music is pretty good, and the special effects are pretty good overall.
Overall Grade: B+
Hancock is an enjoyable movie, one I would recommend you see. However, it fails to achieve the caliber of Iron Man and Wall-E due to a strange plot twist and lack of direction in the second half of the movie.
I'm no professional movie critic. I'm a 16-year-old guy from Nebraska.
However, I do know what I like and what I don't like.
So, here it is, my summer movie review...thus far...
I'll do two for now, but I'll add more later.
Warning, there may be spoilers.
Ok, let's begin.
Movie: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Starring: Harrison Ford, Shia Labeouf, Cate Blanchett
Average Critic Rating: B to B-
Release Date: May 26, 2008
Story/Setting: C+
Okay, so, I am a big fan of the Indiana Jones series. I always liked the story of each film. I loved the story in Indy 4 as well.
That is, until the aliens came up. When I realized that the crystal skulls were alien skulls, I really was disappointed. I had hoped the skulls would have just been some part of magic or Mayan religious ritual, but, no, they had to throw aliens into the mix.
Other than that, I thought the story was very good. I liked the switch of antagonists from Nazis to Soviets. I also really liked how the gap between the Last Crusade and Crystal Skull was reflected in the film. Each setting was accurate to its timeframe, for the most part.
Characters/Acting: A+
The best part about Indy 4 was the characters/acting. Harrison Ford lived up to my expectations and delivered an excellent performance as Indiana. He still has that combination of wit and fitness that really fits Indy. Shia Labeouf surprised me. I was worried that his character, Mutt Williams, would be an annoyance, but, he did very well. Cate Blanchett did a decent job of portraying the main villain, Irina Spalko, it was kind of cliche, but it wasn't too bad.
Sound/Special Effects/Music: A-
I liked how they stuck with good old fisticuffs and pistols for Indy 4. There wasn't a lot of CGI, as I had feared. Still, I expected at least some CGI, and what CGI there was, was pleasing to the eye. Sound was spot on. And who can dislike the Indiana Jones theme song?
Overall Grade: B
I really liked Indy 4. It was an enjoyable movie, and definately worth the money. However, I don't think it was of the same caliber as the original trilogy, but it's hard to live up to those films after 19 years of nothing. So, go see Indy 4. It's not mind-blowing, but it is a fun ride.
Movie: Iron Man
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges
Average Critic Rating: A
Release Date: May 2, 2008
Story/Setting: A
The story of a time-tested comic book is usually a good one, but Iron Man did a good job of making the story applicable to current events. Still, the movie follows the basic plot of the first few issues of Iron Man. Arms dealers and terrorists serve as the antagonists, an easy group to dislike. The movie takes it one step further. The fight scenes with the terrorists were so intense that I found it very easy to hate them and took particular relish when Iron Man arrived to pummel them. The settings of each scene are very good, especially in the Middle Eastern areas. The only reason this doesn't get an A+ is because the superhero concept isn't too original.
Characters/Acting: A+
Robert Downey Jr., an actor that for a while directors would avoid like the plague, was spectacular as Tony Stark/Iron Man. Throughout the movie, Downey Jr. is constantly delivering hilarious one-liners, and his emotions are very believable. Gwyneth Paltrow also does very well, playing Pepper Potts, Stark's assistant and budding love interest. Throughout the film, her character is likeable and innocent seeming. Jeff Bridges is Obadiah Stane, the film's lead antagonist. He does very well as a bad guy, and plays the part of "corrupt business man" very nicely.
Sound/Special Effects/Music: A+
The special effects were futuristic yet realistic, especially the suit. The special effects and sound give the entire movie a feeling of not just a superhero movie, but a military thriller as well. The explosion effects are, for lack of a better word, awesome, especially when Stark test fires his multiple-burst ground-based artillery unit, Jericho.
And the music? Well, they started off the film with AC/DC's Back In Black, and, as a huge AC/DC fan, this made the film perfect for me. The entire soundtrack is based around heavy metal/classic rock, with Black Sabbath's Iron Man played in the credits. I would have been disappointed if that song had not made an appearance in the movie at any point.
Overall Grade: A+
Iron Man is easily the best superhero movie I've ever seen. The entire movie is action-packed, intense, and witty. This film is the definition of an excellent movie. Everything fit together perfectly, there were only a few extremely minor flaws. You must see this movie.
Alright, now I'm going to do WALL-E. With movies that have a much more comedic intent, they're going to have another grading section: Humor. Here it goes.
Movie: WALL-E
Starring: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin
Average Critic Rating: A
Release Date: June 27, 2008
Story/Setting: A+
Basically, the premise of WALL-E is this: The entire Earth has been polluted by garbage, forcing the human population to leave while "Waste Allocation Load Lifter-Earth-Class" units clean-up our mess. Unfortunately, all but one has failed. The remaining WALL-E diligently continues in his work, yet, he is very lonely. Eventually, he is interrupted by an encounter with robot named EVE, sent by the humans to search for signs of hospitabilty. Eventually, WALL-E follows EVE to the Axiom, where the humans are located.
The humans have been waiting for 700 years, and have become fat and lazy. Their captain, B. McCrea, tries to get them back, but is prevented by the ship's HAL-like computer, AUTO. Eventually, WALL-E, EVE, and Captain McCrea succeed and lead humanity back to Earth.
Again, Pixar delivers an incredibly imaginative and intriguing story, making it 9 in a row for them. I have always liked Pixar, and consider them to be the most creative studio out there. With WALL-E, they have proved themselves yet again to be creative, modern, and intelligent. Two thumbs up.
Characters/Acting: A+
WALL-E, whose voice was engineered by Ben Burtt, is one of the most lovable and innocent characters I have ever seen, including other Pixar movies. WALL-E's compassion and child-like qualities make him an incredibly easy character to love. EVE, voiced by Elissa Knight, is also a very likeable character, and is obviously influenced by modern minimalist devices such as the iPod. At first stand-offish, EVE begins to acquire some of WALL-E's compassion and sweetness as the movie progresses. Captain McCrea, voiced by Jeff Garlin, is humorous and likeable. At first a lazy oaf, McCrea soon becomes determined and energetic. Props to Pixar for its loveable characters.
Humor: A+
Pixar has established a tradition of making movies that are humorous for both children and adults. WALL-E is no exception. Immediately, the social satire begins when we see that the entire plant is dominated by "Buy 'n Large" a Wal-Mart-esque mega-conglomerate that runs and owns everything. Also, Earth has been rendered pretty much inhabitable by trash and pollution, so it has a sort of dark humor to it. Obesity is also looked at in a funny way. Although many conservatives have attacked WALL-E for these satires, as a religious, capitalist conservative myself, I thought that the satire was funny, appropriate, and accurate. The message that we shouldn't pollute our planet with trash is a perfectly good one, and should be heeded.
But before I get into politics, I'm going to switch to the children's humor. WALL-E is the main provider of laughs for the kiddies, with his child-like innocence and curiosity. For example, when he finds a brassiere, WALL-E immediately puts it on his eyes, unsure of what its purpose is. WALL-E thankfully does not rely on dumb bathroom jokes and other such crude humor like many family films. The jokes are refined yet still very witty. The film is very rich with humor.
Sound/Special Effects/Music: A+
Pixar is synonymous with top-of-the-line computer animation and sound. They are one of the few animation studios that can animate humans without making them creepy. Every single detail of the film seems to have a lot of care and love put into it, from the dirt and rust on WALL-E's body to the sleek, futuristic, technologically advanced look of the human residency ship, the Axiom. Everything is very smooth, very detailed, and very well made.
Overall Grade: A+
WALL-E is probably the best film of the year. I gave Iron Man my vote for favorite film of the summer, but they are two different genres, so I couldn't really compare the two. I love WALL-E. It is an excellent film for all ages and all backgrounds. You must see WALL-E in theaters, then buy it on DVD. It is a classic, and will be treasured by everyone in your family.
Movie: Hancock
Starring: Will Smith, Jason Bateman, Charlize Theron
Average Critic Rating: C to C-
Release Date: July 2, 2008
Story/Setting: First Half: A+/Second Half: C
The movie starts off great: Hancock is a bum, a loser, with superhero abilities. It's imaginative, witty, and smart. The plot is amazing for the first hour or so.
Then, Hancock gets in a fight with his ex-wife/current wife/???. And the movie's story becomes the standard superhero plot from there on. It's not that the story is horrendous at that point, it's just that, after the first half of creativity and wit, it is really disappointing when the plot reverts to cliche stuff.
Characters/Acting: A-
Will Smith is one of my favorite actors, and he does very well in the role of John Hancock, a bum/superhero. He is humorous and mysterious at the same time. His performance really brightened up the movie. Jason Bateman does a good job as Ray Embray, a good-natured peace advocate that helps to improve Hancock's public image. Charlize Theron delivers a good job as Mary Embray (or Mary Hancock, depending on how you see it.) However, her character hurt the plot, so that's where the A- comes from.
Humor: A+
The movie is very funny, with a lot of satire and one-liners to keep me laughing, along with a few very funny visual gags. The part where Hancock actually shoves one of his attackers' heads into another attacker's ass, was hysterical. Will Smith continues to deliver well-placed humor, and in some cases, the cussing actually helped make the movie more humorous.
Sound/Special Effects/Music: A
The sound and music is pretty good, and the special effects are pretty good overall.
Overall Grade: B+
Hancock is an enjoyable movie, one I would recommend you see. However, it fails to achieve the caliber of Iron Man and Wall-E due to a strange plot twist and lack of direction in the second half of the movie.