My rating: 

In 2028 Detroit, when Alex Murphy – a loving husband, father and good cop – is critically injured in the line of duty, the global corporation of OmniCorp, which Alex had worked for, sees their chance for a part-man, part-robot police officer. The film’s cast includes The Killing’s Joel Kinnaman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy‘s Gary Oldman, Batman’s Michael Keaton, Sucker Punch‘s Abbie Cornish, The Avengers‘s Samuel L. Jackson, Watchmen‘s Jackie Earle Haley, Snitch‘s Michael K. Williams, The King’s Speech‘s Jennifer Ehle, and This Is The End‘s Jay Baruchel.

I enjoyed this film, mainly because its action; some scenes seem like a campaign level of Call of Duty, with all that shooting and moving around going on. But I didn’t love this movie.  There is a sense that the director didn’t do a good job remaking the original. Some parts are a little slow, but others are very entertaining. There were also some funny parts.  I would recommend this movie for kids 13 and up, because there is lots of violence (some blood, but hardly any), one sex scene (no nudity), and some language.

Here is the film’s site.

My rating: 

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is a reboot of and with a different plot than the original Jack Ryan movies (The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, and The Sum of All Fears), which starred Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, and Ben Affleck as the CIA analyst. In Shadow Recruit, Ryan (played by Chris Pine this time), who is also a veteran Wall Street executive,  finds out about a Russian plot, led by Viktor Cherevin (played by Kenneth Branagh, who also directed the film) to crash the US economy and start the second Great Depression. Ryan travels to Moscow, and with the help of CIA agent Thomas Harper (played by Kevin Costner), he must stop Cherevin.

I really enjoyed this movie and sat on the edge of my seat at some points of the movie. The movie was kind of slow, though, at other points. The action is great and tense and will definetley satisfy fans of other Jack Ryan movies. This movie is well-acted and very entertaining, but like I said, a little slow. I think all action/spy fans will enjoy this movie like I did. I would recommend this movie for all actions fans 13 and up, since I think it is too violent for younger kids.

Here is the film’s site and trailer.

My rating: 

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire begins as Katniss Everdeen has returned home safe after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark. Winning means that they must turn around and leave their family and close friends, embarking on a “Victory Tour” of the districts. Along the way Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering, but the Capitol is still very much in control as President Snow prepares the 75th Annual Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell) – a competition that could change Panem forever.

I saw this movie this week with my friend. We both really enjoyed it, even though it was really long and slower than the first film. The costume design and soundtrack are both great. Jennifer Lawrence pulls off an amazing performance as Katniss, but the rest of the casting is okay. For example, the actress who played Wiress looked a little too old to have the role. But overall, the movie was great. I think it was even better than the first film. I think any fan of the book series (like me) will enjoy the movie. But if you haven’t read the books, I still think you will enjoy the movie. I would recommend this movie for kids 12 and up, because their is some action in the movie, but it isn’t bloody, except for one scene when Gale (Katniss’ childhood BFF) is being whipped in public because he tackled a Peacekeeper to save an old lady, and lots of blood is shown on his back after getting whipped.

Here is the film’s site and trailer.

My rating: 

In the future, Earth barely survived an alien invasion, and 50 years later, the planet’s military commanders, led by Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford), are expecting another attack any day. To prepare, they’ve recruited child-soldiers whose minds are especially agile and suited for a new brand of warfare. Andrew “Ender” Wiggin (Hugo’s Asa Butterfield) is one of those kids, who attends a school where students learn about the aliens and play strategy games, and the best students are chosen by Colonel Graff and his colleague, Major Anderson (Viola Davis), to go to train at Battle School, a space station where students train to battle against the aliens. Ender is chosen by Graff to go to Battle School and train. In Battle School, he makes some friends, including Petra (Academy Award Nominee Hailee Steinfeld) and Bean (Aramis Knight), and some enemies as well, mainly Bonzo (Hannah Montana‘s Moises Arias). Eventually, Ender is promoted to Command School, where he must lead his own army, which includes Petra, Bean, and his former enemy Bernard, to defeat the aliens once and for all. This movie also stars Ben Kingsley and Abigail Breslin.

This film, which is directed by Gavin Hood (the director of X-Men Origins: Wolverine), was very enjoyable, especially for someone like me, who has read the novel that the movie is based on. I did, though, notice a few changes the filmmakers made. One of them is that Viola Davis’ character, Major Anderson, is a male in the book but for no reason at all, Anderson was changed to a female! Also, in the book, the aliens are known as the Buggers, but in the movie, they are known as the Formics. But overall, for someone like me who has read the book, I was pretty satisfied. The film was better than I expected. The visual effects and music are great! So, in conclusion, if you have or haven’t read the book Ender’s Game, then you will definetley enjoy the movie! I would recommend this movie for kids 12 and up, because there are some violent scenes.

Here is the film’s trailer.

My rating: 

In the near future, giant creatures called the Kaiju (which is the Japanese word for monster) arrive on Earth via portal in the bottom of the Pacific ocean and attack Earth, taking millions of lives. To end this apocalypse, Stacker Pentecost (played by Idris Elba) creates the Jaeger (which is the German word for hunter) Program. Jaegars are huge robots who are piloted by two humans whose minds are connected. One of the Jaegers, Gipsy Danger, is piloted by Raleigh Becket (played by Charlie Hunnam) and his brother, Yancy. One day, Yancy is killed by a Kaiju, and Raleigh retires from being Gipsy Danger’s pilot. 5 years later, Raleigh is rerecruited by Pentecost to pilot Gipsy Danger along with Pentecost’s adopted daughter, Mako Mori, who’s family was killed by a Kaiju when she was a kid. Now it is  up to them to defeat the remaining Kaijus and destroy the portal.

I saw this movie recently with my grandfather. We both really enjoyed it. It was funny and had great visual effects. The 3D and acting were also great. Even though Guillermo del Toro’s movies aren’t the best, I have to admit that this one was really good. I would recommend this movie for anyone who loves science fiction movies.