Movie Review: World War Z

Pretty bland Zombie film, with very few scares and only a moderate amount of tension. Quick note, I have not read the novel that this film is based on, but I hear that it’s substantially different. The thing that usually makes zombie films scary is the overwhelming amount of the undead that plague the lead characters. While there is a global epidemic of death and destruction, we only see fleeting glimpse of it, and the heroes tend to avoid the worst of it. With the exception of wide shots, the zombies tend to be heard and not seen. Their high-pitch Tasmanian Devil-like sounds are unnerving, but they’re not on screen long enough to truly make an impact. Also, cutting from the characters out in the middle of the chaos and the ones in safety breaks too much of the tension. The story is OK, moving along at a logical pace, but it leads to hard to swallow tale of survival, luck and problem solving. While Brad Pitt is an interest protagonist, the rotating group of survivors he meets are either one –dimensional or intriguing but left behind as Pitt moves along with the story. Another thing that makes zombie movies terrifying is watching as the dead devour the living, but thanks the PG-13 rating, we see a few bites and very little blood. The final sequence is probably the most tension-filled point in the movie, but it’s too little, too late to pull the movie out of mediocrity.

** 1/2 out of *****

Movie Review: This Is the End

Pretty solid comedy. The concept of “real” actors facing the Apocalypse could’ve failed easily, but with the cast of this move, it’s works perfectly. Everybody plays a funny caricature of themselves, with Michael Cera an early standout. There’s a bit of a jarring shift in tone when all Hell breaks loose, which also removes most of the cast from the movie. It seems to put a stop to all that would’ve been funny here, but once it settles in, things get good again. Almost all the comedy comes from the characters interacting with each other and it’s one of those movies that you find yourself smiling throughout. There’s a few standout scenes that are funny on screen but don’t sound that great if you describe them. Sometimes, just some of the back and forth between the characters gets funnier as it goes on. Also, the soundtrack really adds something to the film, merging funny visuals with just the right music.

**** out of *****

Movie Review: Man of Steel

Pretty underwhelming. There was just something missing throughout this movie. It seemed to have no “soul.” All the actors did an OK job, but their characters never seemed to get fleshed out. Henry Cavil made a good Superman, but the overuse of flashback rushed Clark’s journey and made it difficult to identify with him. There’s a lot of changed to what one would expect from a Superman film, and I spent a lot of time wondering how they would “fix” some of this stuff going forward with a sequel in order to keep with the classic mythos. Luckily, the ending seemed to set things into the right direction. I was unimpressed with the Kryptonian designs. The planet itself was a Star Wars with a hint of The Matrix, while their armors were too “Alien space jockey.” The action is too out of focus and there’re too many zooming in shots. The climactic battle has some great moments, but them Superman and his foes repeatedly crashing thought buildings gets old, especially when it appears that a lot of innocent people die on the background. It seemed like Superman was too caught up in his fights too worry about who’s getting hurt around him. Sure he’s fighting for his life, but you would expect him to take the fight someplace private.

** 1/2 out of *****

Movie Review: Fast & Furious 6

Enjoyable, but nothing special. The story is fairly straightforward, despite the plot twists and the improbability of it all. There are a few good action sequences, but they are all so over the top that it’s almost unintentionally funny. The final action takes place at night, which makes it difficult to see what’s going on and keep track of who’s doing what. All the characters are likable, and get their chance to get involved, but Tyrese Gibson really brings some funny moments. There’s a final scene a few minutes into the credits that not only ties this film to one of the previous movies, but makes you really interested in a sequel.

** 1/2 out of *****

Movie Review: Star Trek Into Darkness

This movie did not disappoint. From start to finish, the action and the plots twists come at you at a steady pace. I found myself completely engaged with the characters and the story throughout. Benedict Cumberbatch is masterful in his role as the film’s villain. He is always one step ahead due to his brains and brawn. The interaction between the main characters is fun to watch. Whether it’s the jokes or the emotional moments, they are always entertaining. There are plenty of large and small nods to the Star Trek franchise that fanboys will love. This leads to one of the film’s only real weak spots: A reinterpretation of one of the most iconic Star Trek moment that moves away from homage and closer to a corny rip-off. Only the fantastic acting in the scene salvages it.

**** 1/2 out of *****

Movie Review: Iron Man 3

I’d describe this movie in two words, neither that I ever thought I’d use to describe it going in: Boring and lackluster. I loved the first “Iron Man” film. The second film was disappointing on my first viewing, but I appreciated it more after multiple viewings and I think it really helped tee up “The Avengers.” This movie gets off to a great start, with a really cool nod to the first film and the trademark humor we expect from the film series. After that, it’s just boring. It takes a long time to get to the first major action sequences, and when it arrives, it’s probably the best in the movie. Then it drags again, and the move battles two tough villains: Plot holes and the always cringe-worthy move of a hero relying on the help of a young kid. The final action sequence is good, but there’s a bit too much going on and most of it is irrelevant. This film also makes the Iron Man armors cardboard cutouts of the amazing suits we’ve seen before, and it doesn’t help that everyone and their mother seems to end up in one at some point. (Or, more often than not, nobody’s in them.) They seem to try too hard with the humor. They just keep trying until something finally works. Overall, the acting is solid. Ben Kingsley initially shines as the Mandarin, but after the direction they took with him, the less I say is better. There is a post-credit scene, but it’s more Shawarma than Thanos, so don’t get too excited.

** 1/2 out of *****

Movie Review: Evil Dead (2013)

Delivers on the gore and blood, and then some, but struggles when trying to simultaneously pay homage to the source material and create something new. It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen “The Evil Dead” or “The Evil Dead II,” so I really can’t comment much on any positive or negative changes they’ve made here. The gore level is at the high end: Ripped off jaws, severed limbs and so much blood that it just stops before being too over the top. Story wise, we get the basic story from the original films, so there’s no huge surprises there. The characters are weak. The acting seems hollow, the dialog is bad and the decision making quickly goes from sound, to stupid as Hell, to downright ludicrous. The sense of humor that is associated from the franchise is almost non-existent, although they squeeze in a few moments of macabre humor. The climax gets weird, with a few big plot holes. The final scene is pretty anticlimactic, giving us the closest thing we’ve seen to a happy ending for an Evil Dead film. There is a small scene after the credits that I missed, but it really didn’t sound like it was worth sticking around for.

*** out of *****

Movie Review: G.I. Joe: Retalliation (3D)

About what I expected: Entertaining action movie without a lot of substance. The story here isn’t too bad actually. They move things forward nicely from where they left off at the end of the first movie, streamlining things quite a bit. While the “Cobra tires to conquer the world with WMDs” was used once before, I actually liked the set up and payoff here. It was actually a pretty solid plan. The effects over all are good and the CGI isn’t as cartoony as the first film. The characters are a mixed bag here. Cobra Commander doesn’t really get all that much to do besides look cool, while Zartan is usually pretty fun to watch. Of the Joe’s, newcomer Flint is pretty forgettable and Lady Jaye is more or less the same character as Scarlett from the previous film: The hot, female soldier trying to prove herself. Bruce Willis and The Rock keep things interesting, using their natural charisma to play pretty much the same characters they always play, which helps keep things moving during the slower moments. The 3D was pretty much a waste. They tried to do a few new things with it, but ninjas falling off of a mountain and right into your lap just didn’t pay off. They ended up just being little splotches of red zipping by.

** 1/2 out of *****

Movie Review: Oz the Great and Powerful

A very uneven film, but I liked it more than I didn’t. The story itself was a bit weak. It has some strong moments, but gets lost quite a few times as well. James Franco does a good job as Oz. His natural charm allows you to root for the womanizing conman despite his flaws. Michelle Williams and Rachael Wiesz both have fairly good performances as their respective witch characters. Mila Kunis is the weakest link here. Her character is poorly conceived, never truly has a chance to connect with the audience and has a strange storyline that seems haphazardly put together in order to get her from point A to point B. While they both have a few moments to shine, the little porcelain “China Girl” and Finley the talking flying monkey are just not as memorable as the classic Tin man, Lion and Scarecrow of the original “The Wizard of OZ.” They are also involved with a scene that is a nod to the previous Oz that just seems shoehorned in. The effects are actually not well done. While everything is well designed, the CGI is obvious and everything, including some of the major characters, looks more like a cartoon than it should. There are some very well done set pieces, coupled with some surprisingly emotional moments that make the film very watchable. But overall, as far as prequels go, it’s reminiscent of the Star Wars films as they try to fill in the gaps to get these iconic characters where we all know they’ll end up. This includes overly cute characters, overdone CGI and a sympathetic origin for a classic villain.

** 1/2 out of *****

Movie Review: A Good Day to Die Hard

Held my interest throughout, but really didn’t stand out overall. The story itself isn’t as elaborate as some of the plots of previous installments in the series. It’s more of an “on the run” type of plot. However, there is a least one good twist that I didn’t see coming. The villains here are extremely bland and only flirt with becoming interesting. There are two or three big action sequences and the miss more than they hit. The movie’s humor is also toned done quite a bit and the “estranged father/son” story line never really gets fleshed out. We never really find out why there’s tension and don’t really care if it gets resolved.

** 1/2 out of *****