Category Archives: Fantasy

12.20.14
by

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

ratings4

In the final installment of the Middle-Earth saga, Bilbo and Company are forced to engage in a war against an army of orcs and keep the terrifying Smaug from acquiring a kingdom of treasure and obliterating all of Middle-Earth.

I really enjoyed this movie. It was a bit short of what I expected, but I still thought it was great. It’s definitely not the best of the series, but not the worst, either. The acting in the movie is very good, like the other 2 movies. None of the important characters were underused, they all got a fair amount of screen time. The visual effects are absolutely amazing and very well done, and I would highly recommend the 3D. The action is suspenseful and intriguing, and kept me on the edge of my seat. The action scenes never dragged, and they were very well-directed and entertaining.

Despite being entertaining and well-made, the movie did have a few flaws. First. the first hour of the movie felt like an aftermath of Part 2. It was just wrapping up from where the second movie left off, and then eventually developing a new conflict. Second, the ending was not dramatic or a great farewell to Middle-Earth like I expected it to be. It was not such a great conclusion, and could have been better. The battle did wrap up things well, but the last 5 minutes is what could have been improved.

Overall, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is a great finale to the series. It’s not as good as the Desolation of Smaug, but still great, I would recommend it especially for ages 11-16.

The Hobbit - The Battle of the Five Armies.jpg

12.13.14
by

Exodus: Gods and Kings

ratings1

The defiant leader Moses rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses, setting 600,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.

Exodus: Gods and Kings was a huge disappointment. The marketing made it look awesome, but it turned out to be terrible. Ridley Scott didn’t even try. He used to make amazing movies, and he tricked us into thinking this one would be great too! He didn’t do a good job at all, neither did Christian Bale. If they’re in Egypt, why is everyone speaking with an English accent? Joel Edgerton and the rest of the cast were bad, too, except I thought Aaron Paul did a decent job. He wasn’t bad, but he wasn’t great, either. The plot was very bad. Nothing related to the original source, and they didn’t make a good story with the changes. When there is supposed to be drama, there isn’t. There is absolutely nothing going on for the first 40 minutes, and for the 50 minutes after that, there is some plot, but no interesting plot. The action was not intriguing at all. It feels more like the goofy action from this summer’s Hercules, rather than well-directed action like the one in Gladiator. The movie is 2 and a half hours long, but it did not feel long at all. But during the time I was in the theater, I was just bored out of my mind, and really wanted to walk out, but I was hoping it would get better by the end. Nothing moving or emotional has happened by the end, and it’s just a movie that you watch and move on with. I thought the movie would be more than fun, but it wasn’t. It wasn’t even fun at all. It was just boring, and turned out to be the biggest disappointment of the year. I really thought it would be better, but in the end, there was absolutely nothing that was good about the movie, not even the visuals, which I hoped would be great, but they were really nothing special.

Overall, Exodus: Gods and Kings is a terrible disappointment. The director, producers, and cast should have tried much harder. The trailers made it looks awesome, but instead it was awful. I really wanted more from an adaptation like this. But in the end, this movie was just a waste of time, potential, and money.

Exodus2014Poster.jpg

07.24.14
by

Hercules

My rating: ratings4

Having completed his twelve labors, Hercules, accompanied by his team, his hired by the King of Thrace to defeat a tyrannical warlord who threatens the people of Thrace. But soon Hercules relaizes that this war isn’t what it seems.

From the trailers, this movie looked bad. I didn’t think it would be good mainly because I don’t trust the director (Breet Ratner, director of movies that haven’t been good, including X-Men: The Last Stand), but this time, Ratner surprised me. I found myself enjoying this movie from the beginning to the end. The action scenes managed to enteratain me a lot. Dwayne Johnson (AKA The Rock) does what he’s best at: kicking ass. And when the Rock kicks ass, he’s an awesome action star.

When I saw the first trailer of this movie, I was thinking, “Not another Legend of Hercules!” The Legend of Hercules was dumb, had terrible acting and visuals, and felt more like a B-movie than a Hollywood movie. This Hercules flick is nothing like that. This one is actually entertaining, the actors are well-casted, and this time, it doesn’t fail to tell the epic legend of Hercules.

In conclusion, this movie is fun, entertaining, and has great charcters and action scenes. Brett Ratner has finally found himslef a good job.

Hercules (2014 film).jpg

06.17.14
by

How to Train Your Dragon 2

My rating: ratings4

How to Train Your Dragon 2 takes place five years after the events of How to Train Your Dragon: The citizens of the island of Berk now domesticate dragons instead of hunting them; Hiccup and his friends are now adults rather than teens (he’s 20); and he and Astrid are engaged. One day, while exploring new territories, Hiccup and his dragon bestie, Toothless, and Astrid and her dragon, Stormfly, discover both a fort covered in ice and, later, a dragon hunter named Eret, who accuses them of being the “dragon rider” who’s letting his dragon captives go. Hiccup and Astrid get away but soon discover that Eret’s maniacal boss, Drago, plans to declare war on Berk and steal all of the island’s dragons. Meanwhile, Hiccup makes an even bigger discovery: The “dragon rider” is actually none other than his presumed-dead mother, Valka, now a recluse who lives with dragons who are all commanded by a protective alpha. Against all odds, Hiccup and his crew must stand against Drago’s army and hope their dragons can resist the pull of the bloodthirsty alpha dragon under the warmonger’s control.

Sometimes it’s hard to enjoy sequels more than the original, especially if it’s an animated movies, since most animated sequels were pointless and dumb. But How to Train Your Dragon 2 is very enjoyable and makes us think more about the rest of the trilogy (most animated sequels have been crappy enough that the filmmakers decide not to continue the series). Unlike other animated movies, this one doesn’t have any humor, but that’s not what you need to look for in in this movie. The movie is filled with heart, has a great soundtrack and visuals. Dragons 2 feels like the Dark Knight of animated trilogies. It seems likely that Dragons will soon become an unforgettable movie trilogy, just like may others (X-Men, Hobbit, etc.).

Unlike animated rip-offs that have been only targeted for little kids (such as Rio 2 or Epic), Dragons 2 also includes themes that adults can relate to, like a mother-and-son relationship subplot. The fact that adults can enjoy this movie and not just kids makes this movie so much better to watch. From this movie, I can conclude one thing: DreamWorks will never stop making great movies.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 poster.jpg

12.15.13
by

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

My rating: ratings5

The dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim Erebor, their homeland, from Smaug. On their way, they meet Legolas and Tauriel, two elf archers who help battle the orc invasions from Dol Guldur. They also meet Bard, a bowman who is determined to kill the dragon after his ancestor failed to when Smaug took over Erebor and Dale. Meanwhile, Gandalf and Radagast battle the Necromancer and discover his true identity. Eventually, Bilbo and the dwarves reach the mountain, and finally battle Smaug. The film’s cast includes Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Luke Evans, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lily, Lee Pace, Benedict Cumberbatch, Cate Blanchett, and Sylvester McCoy.

I saw this movie on Friday (Dec. 13) with my friend, my dad, and my brother. We all really enjoyed the movie. I thought it was way better than the original Hobbit movie. The visual effects and soundtrack are just amazing! I enjoyed every moment of the movie! My favorite characters were Legolas and Tauriel. You can tell that they both have that bad-ass spirit that other movie characters have, such as Richard B. Riddick (played by Vin Diesel) from the Riddick movies, and Hit-Girl from the Kick-Ass movies. The film’s ending (don’t worry, I won’t spoil anything) is such a cliff-hanger that I absolutely cannot wait another year to watch the trilogy’s finale (which hits theaters next December). I think any fans of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies should watch this movie, since it’s a prequel to them. But you should only see it after you have seen the first Hobbit movie. I would recommend this movie for kids 12 and up, since there is a lot of violence, including slicing off heads (no blood shown).

Here is the film’s site and trailer.

Below is a picture of my friend, my brother (they both saw the movie with me), and I standing near a poster of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

20131213_193105_resized

12.07.13
by

Frozen

My rating: ratings3

Frozen, Disney’s latest animated movie, follows the story of princess sisters Elsa (soon-to-be Queen) and Anna in Arendelle. Elsa can create snow and ice, but has repressed her ability since a childhood accident. The climax of the movie occurs when Elsa let’s her powers get out of hand and freezes Arendelle into ice, cursing the kingdom with eternal winter. One of the movie’s antagonists, the Duke of Weselton, attempts to turn the people against Elsa, for personal gain. Anna, embarks of a journey to save her sister and the kingdom, meeting a handsome ice seller named Kristoff, his reindeer Sven and a snowman named Olaf along the way. The film’s cast includes Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Santino Fontana, Josh Gad, and Alan Tudyk.

I saw this movie this week with my family. We all liked the movie but my parents enjoyed it especially! The film has great animation, great songs, and a great story-line. I think kids and adults of all ages will enjoy the film!  I have to admit that I enjoyed the film more than Tangled, another Disney animated film with the same elements as Frozen, but not as much as other animated films this year, such as Despicable Me 2 and The Croods. I also have to admit that Frozen was better than I expected. At first when I saw the trailer for the movie, I thought it would just be another predictable Disney princess movie, but eventually I decided to give it a try. And then I watched the movie, and enjoyed it!

The animated short film that accompanies Frozen, a Mickey Mouse short titled Get a Horse, was very hilarious and clever, in ways that I don’t know how to explain. It is kind of like you are watching it in a theater, and when Mickey and other characters burst out of the screen, they are in CGI and no longer in black and white.

Here is Frozen’s trailer.

11.09.13
by

Thor: The Dark World

My rating: ratings4

Millennia ago, a villain named Malekith and his Dark Elves battled to bring the universe back into darkness (like it was before it was created), but were defeated by Odin(Anthony Hopkins)’s father, Bor, and his army. In the present days, Malekith has now been reawaken by a weapon called the Aether (which Malekith once possessed), which has now possessed Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), Thor(Chris Hemsworth)’s love interest in the first Thor movie. Thor soon realizes that Jane has been possessed and brings her to Asgard. Thor must now team up with his adoptive brother Loki (Tom Hiddleson), who was the antagonist in The Avengers, and defeat Malekith, get the Aether out of Jane, and save all Nine Realms!

I saw this movie on Friday and I really enjoyed it! The visual effects and the action scenes are awesome! Like many other Marvel movies, the film is filled with humor, but I think this one had the most! For example, there is one scene where Jane’s scientist friend, Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) has gone crazy and is running around the Stonehenge naked (private parts are blurred) on TV! There is also one scene when Loki, who apparently can shape-shift, starts shape-shifting into many people, and one of the people he shape-shifts into is actually Captain America (just for laughs, but only for, like, 10 seconds)! The villain in this movie turned out to be nothing close to interesting, but I still enjoyed this movie. I think this movie is definitely worth paying for! But if you do watch it, then I think it’s best to watch it in 3-D, because it is pretty awesome in 3-D. So, in conclusion, I think this is the best Marvel movie since The Avengers! I would recommend this movie for kids 11 and up because there is a lot of action.

Here is the film’s site and trailer.

09.14.13
by

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

My rating: ratings3

The film begins with 4 young Half-Bloods (Luke (Jake Abel), Grover (Brandon T. Jackson), Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario), and Thalia) running to Camp Half-Blood, but only 3 make it because Thalia sacrificed herself to get the other three Half-Bloods to the camp. Her father, Zeus, turns her into a tree which creates a barrier, protecting the camp from intruders. Seven years later, Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) discovers that the Tree of Thalia has been poisoned by Luke, and the only antidote is the Golden Fleece, which is located in the Sea of Monsters, what humans call the Bermuda Triangle. Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Clarisse (Leven Rambin), another Half-Blood and Tyson (Douglas Smith), a Cyclops who is Percy’s half-brother, must journey there to retrieve the Fleece.

I saw this movie last week. I liked it, but I thought that the first Percy Jackson movie was better. The film did have a few flaws, though, including that Pierce Brosnan isn’t in it! Instead, an old guy named Anthony Head plays Chiron. Also, Polympheus was way smaller than I imagined. And Anabeth’s hair is blond; in the first movie her hair is red.

But if you haven’t seen the first movie or read the bboks, you might enjoy it more than I did, like my friend, who saw the movie with me and hadn’t seen the first one yet or read the books, but still really enjoyed the film. There were also a few parts that made us laugh. I would recommend this movie for kids 11 and up, because the film is very violent, frightening, and has some language.

Here is the film’s site and trailer.

06.17.13
by

Man of Steel

My rating: ratings4

Clark Kent (biologically known as Kal-El, son of Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and played by Henry Cavill) is a Kryptonian who was sent to Earth by his parents before Krypton was destroyed and his parents were killed. He was adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent (Kevin Costner and Diane Lane)  many years later, Clark is now an adult and is hiding his powers while working at different jobs. But when Krypton’s military General, General Zod (Michael Shannon), send a threatening message to all humans, demanding that Kal-El surrender to him, or humanity will suffer the consequences, Kal-El now must become the hero Superman and save Earth from General Zod. The film’s cast also includes Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Lawrence Fishburne as Perry White, and Antje Traue as Faora, Zod’s second-in-command.

This film has good cinematography, visual effects, cast and action.  This movie may be a little long (it’s almost 2 and a half hours long), but it’s still worth watching until the end of the movie.  It is badly written, though, and it drags on for too long, but it’s still very entertaining.

Here is the film’s site and trailer.

The photo below features my friends (who saw the movie with me) and I in front of the Man of Steel poster.

Man of Steel pic 2

06.09.13
by

Star Trek Into Darkness

My rating: ratings4

After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain James T. Kirk (played by Chris Pine) leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon, John Harrison /Khan (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) of mass destruction.The film’s cast also includes Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Alice Eve, Bruce Greenwood and Peter Weller. This movie is rated PG-13.

This film has great visual effects and cast. This film also has a lot of humor. I really enjoyed this movie and gave it 4 pizza slices. In some ways, it is better than the first Star Trek movie and in some ways, it is as good as the first one. For example, I liked the visual effects in the second movie better than in the first movie. The 3-D visuals of this movie are also great. I would recommend this movie for kids my age and over, but it may be too intense for kids younger than that. I think that adults will also enjoy this amazing movie. Also, if you are a big fan of Star Trek, you might want to watch this movie, too.

Also, here is the film’s site and trailer.

??????????