Welcome to Screen Talk Central. A one stop shop for all things TV and film. My ideas on whats going on in the worlds on screen. You get my theories, thoughts on rumors and news, and whatever else I feel like talking about on the topics of science-fiction, fantasy, drama, action, and adventure.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. debuted this past week around the world and it was fun. Its hard to describe though. Its a Cold War spy movie where an American agent has to team up with a Soviet agent to take down a criminal organization planning on selling an atomic bomb to a Nazi remnant hiding in South America. Imagine James Bond films of the 60's but more stylized and with a slightly heavier tone. There was beautiful women, cool action sequences, car chases, boat chases, a couple gadget gags. A lot of the movie revolved around the relationship between the two spies as they tried to interact with each other despite a history of trying to kill each other.
The movie is a pleasant action adventure. Henry Cavill plays an American Agent. I found this surprising as a British actor, but he was believable and entertaining. He played a smart-ass character with a bit of an attitude. Then there is Armie Hammer. I thought his fake Russian accent would be bad, but it didn't really bother me. He was fun as an adversary for Cavill and he felt like a Russian spy. It made sense. My favorite cast member was Alicia Vikander as Gaby. Her character is awesome. She is mysterious and interesting. She is strong-willed and knows she can take care of herself. She does a great job with a character who you believe is one person, but then you realize that the character is completely different as the movie progresses. She is the highlight of this movie, and it is the second time she has outshined her co-stars in a movie this year, as she did that in Ex Machina as Eva. She is so good and I can't wait to see what she does next.
As for the story, it wasn't that complicated and actually not completely memorable. It was your classic style spy movie with good action. But the story wasn't the highlight, it was the stylized nature of the editing that was memorable. At times there were scenes where you followed both spies through their activities on different parts of the set and the screen was split like a comic book. There were frames and different things happened in different frames and actors would cross from frame to frame. It was actually really cool. It could have been really corny, but they did a great job with it and it wasn't something I had seen done like that for an action movie before.
This movie also felt more like a set up for a franchise than anything else. It stands alone, but it ends and you get the feeling that the next film will be better. I wouldn't mind seeing another and I would definitely go, but I kind of feel this movie is evident of an issue the studios have these days. They are so interested in creating the next billion dollar franchise that they forget to just create a good singular movie. They are so focused on "Where do we go next?" that they forget about "What are we doing now?". Eventually that will be fixed but this movie suffers from that trend. The movie could have used more work on making the story better so that it was more memorable and interesting. It was too cookie cutter. The characters were interesting, the villain had potential, but you never felt suspense. There was never any weight to the story. A little more attention could have done this film some good.
Overall, I had a fun time seeing this movie. It was interesting enough to keep me captivated and was a good time a the theater, especially since I had never seen it before and it wasn't a sequel. It felt fresh and I appreciated that. If you are looking for something to do on a quiet Sunday, go see this. If your wallet is tight, then wait for it on cable. This should do well on cable. I give it a 3/5.
So Trainwreck staring Amy Schumer finally came out here in the UK, so I went to see it, and I was pleasantly surprised. This was a thoughtful, endearing comedy that pulled all the right strings, was cast very very well, and was a successful comedy in a year that was seriously lacking them.
To start off, I didn't really know what to expect from this film. I saw the trailer and wasn't blown away, so I was worried this would turn into a stupid gross-out comedy that tried to make the simple jokes. Instead we got a movie that actually makes a point and is strong and doesn't take the easy jokes, most of the time. There were a few moments that did, but you expect that in a movie like this. I tend to not like Amy Schumer's comedy. It has nothing to do with her personally, but for some reason I just don't laugh. However, I thought she was really funny in this movie. Her character was interesting and I loved how she played it. The progression her character takes was great and you saw an attitude shift in her as she gained more and more life experience. She shined in every scene. This was the perfect role for her. But the funniest parts of this movie involved scenes with other characters in it. Bill Hader was great in this. He was really funny and played a great second lead in this movie. He add more weight to Schumer's performance and added to the scenes he was in. His scene with Matthew Broderick and LeBron James in the intervention scene was comic gold.
The smaller roles were great too. John Cena played one of Amy's boyfriends and was spectacular. He has a squeaky clean image in real life, so it was jarring to see him play a dirtier role in this kind of movie, but he was great. I laughed every time he was on the screen. The movie theater bit was particularly scene stealing. The biggest surprise however was LeBron James. He was playing an exaggerated version of himself, but he was really really funny. He has great comedic timing and was the shock of this film. It was a breakout performance for him. He was the comic relief alongside Bill Hader, which is different, but it totally worked I didn't stop laughing when he was onscreen.
I thought this movie was really funny, but sometimes I felt they did take the easy route towards jokes. I really like it when any type of comedy movie or tv show makes jokes about social issues by putting characters in situations where the absurdity of that issue is clearly visible and understandable without the viewer having to be directly told by the writers. The best comedies let the absurdity of social inequality speak for itself, but this film blatantly verbalizes the joke even though it was already evident what they were doing. When this film did it, it didn't feel like the joke was natural. It felt pushed and forced and was jarring and took me out of the movie. I immediately felt like the social critique was being explained to me like I was some sort of idiot. It was disappointing mostly because those scenes had already made their point successfully and didn't need the unnecessary tag.
Overall, this movie was really funny. Was it the funniest movie ever, no. But it was a really good, really smart, socially aware comedy that was well written, directed, cast, and acted. If you are looking for a fun movie for a Friday night go see this. If you are looking for something to see instead of Fantastic Four, see this movie. As for a rating, I give this movie a 3.25 out of 5. Very enjoyable and captivating. Worth a trip to the theater.
Here is my review of Fantastic 4. One of, if not the worst superhero movies of all time. This movie is a complete trainwreck. For more in depth analysis, check out my full video review below. I rate this movie a 1/5 stars. So far it is the worst movie I have seen this year. If you haven't seen it yet, don't waste your time and spend your hard earned money on a good movie like Mission Impossible Rogue Nation or anything else for that matter. This movie is just bad.
Tom Cruise still has it. He is still a blockbuster MOVIE STAR. He, his team, and Bad Robot may have created the best Mission Impossible movie ever. This movie was great and it re-solidified Cruise's position as a movie star.
Mission Impossible Rogue Nation is a bunch of fun. The movie starts of fast and never slows down. The clip of Cruise hanging off the side of the airplane happens in the first 60 seconds of the film. And if you were wondering, Cruise did all his stunts including hanging of an airplane for all 9 takes of the scene. The story in this film revolves around Ethan Hunt becoming a rogue agent hunting down a secret organization of rogue agents. It sounds similar to every M:I movie which all involve some level of rogue agents, but this film takes the theme in a new and refreshing way. The story progresses well and makes logical steps and doesn't become too unbelievable. There are very few plotholes and overall the story makes sense. It is a spy film, a revenge film, a heist film, and a mystery film. It plays with story tropes from all these types of films, mixes them together, and produces a wonderfully enjoyable film that is captivating and interesting.
A movie's story is important, but it doesn't matter if the characters are not well rounded and connect with the audience. You don't have to worry about the Ethan Hunt character. He has been around long enough that it is pretty much a guarantee. The same goes for Luther. Both characters are established and connect the moment they appear on screen. The other characters though need to be good, and every one succeeds in this movie. Simon Pegg's Benji is a great character. He was a surprise in Ghost Protocol, so the character needed to progress in this film and play a more important role. I really felt that he was the second lead in this film behind Cruise. Benji was great. He provided comic relief and helped connect the audience to the crazy world of Mission Impossible. While he is talented at his job, his character comes off as the regular man and is the most relatable character in the film. You care about this character and feel like you are along for the ride with him. The other character that needed to succeed and did was Rebecca Ferguson's Ilsa. Each new movie introduces a new bad-ass female character and this one, in my opinion, is the best one yet. She is a complete ass kicker. She is mysterious, strong, powerful, captivating, and interesting. You think you know her, but you are never quite sure until the very end. She is a character that I hope they bring back from now on. Lets stop replacing the women each time and make her a regular. She was that good and awesome.
The final piece needed for a great action film is awesome action sequences and this film was full of them! You have the awesome airplane opening sequence. A cool fight in the torture dungeon. The fight above the opera stage that felt both beautiful and creepy with the overlaid opera music. It felt like a dance and was really cool. Then you have the insane water scene and then the nuts motorcycle chase through the streets of Casablanca and the surrounding countryside. The action was thrilling and fun. With every movie they keep upping the intensity and insanity of the stunts. I cannot fathom what they will do next, but I have great confidence that it will be spectacularly awesome! And we shouldn't have to wait too long, as Cruise wants to start filming the 6th movie next summer!
Overall, Mission Impossible Rogue Nation is an awesome summer action blockbuster. It was originally set to open in December, but the studio moved it up almost 6 months. This was supportive move as they thought it would be a huge summer hit. And they were right. This movie was really well made and kept you interested from beginning to end. It is one of the best Mission Impossible movies and may be the best. I give this film 4.5/5 stars! If you haven't seen it, GO! It's totally worth it. I can't wait to see what they do next!
Because I currently live in the UK, some movies come out at odd times. Inside Out just came out here even though it has been out in the States for a month. I finally saw this movie and I have one reaction for Inside Out.
Inside Out was fantastic. Pixar did it again and I think they outdid themselves. I absolutely loved this movie, but first I want to talk about the short that played before the movie.
I loved this short and I forgot that they do this. Its been a while since I last saw a Pixar movie in a theater so I wasn't expecting this. I loved the short story and thought it was beautiful that the whole piece was done in song. It is a simple love story and was strikingly, gorgeously animated. The short animated film is an art in its own right and this one is awesome.
Now lets get back to the main feature. Inside out was great and was great for a number of reasons:
1. Characters.
The characters in this film were an achievement. The characters are emotions, so going in I questioned how they were going to bring these emotions to life as full fledged characters. How do you give a full range of emotions to a character that is supposed to be a single emotion? Can you give joy fear, anger, sadness? These were my questions going into the film and boy were they answered. The film makers did a great job giving each emotion character motivations and overall personality with complex emotions. Joy could be happy and sad and confused and angry and afraid. Their most significant trait was their base emotion, which makes sense, but they carefully crafted each character into full blown complex characters.
2. The Premise
The premise of this movie is really unique. It follows a group of characters, which control the emotions of a person, who live inside a young girl, Reilly's, brain. They help control the emotional reactions of Reilly and and make sure that she lives as great a life as possible. I love the idea of a story that follows the shenanigans and adventures of the emotions in Reilly's head. It was great.
3. The Story
The story in this film was great and it was based on two interlocking stories. Reilly and her family moved from Minnesota to San Francisco and her story followed how she dealt with the changes in her life. The other story was about the mistakes and subsequent adventure that Reilly's emotions went on. The two stories tied together because just as Reilly made the move, problems began to happen for the emotions which in turn caused more problems for Reilly. As more and more went wrong for the emotions, Reilly's experiences in San Fran got worse. The story did a great job getting the audience invested in all the characters and the audience cared what happened to everyone.
Inside Out was amazing and once again Pixar was not afraid of dealing with complex concepts. The film deals with complex emotions and can be seen as an example of how emotions work. It shows how emotions are not simple and have complex and different results. I could really see this film being used to teach kids about emotions and used to help kids control, rationalize, and understand their own feelings. The film even deals with death and the emotions that result from that. I thought this film was really powerful and potentially one of the most influential Pixar films yet. It had lots of great moments and was overall one of their best. I give Inside Out a 5/5. This movie was amazing and if you haven't seen it yet please go now!
Today I am
reviewing Marvel’s newest masterpiece, Ant-Man. And I am not using the word
Masterpiece lightly. Ant-Man is absolutely fantastic! All parts of this film
were great including the story, the characters, the actors, and the special
effects. But this movie was never a guaranteed success due to early production
problems and setbacks and honestly the character Ant-Man is an odd concept. The
first director and writer for the film was Edgar Wright and after years of
development he left the project due to creative differences with Marvel.
Production of Ant-Man started years ago before what we now know as the Marvel
Cinematic Universe had coalesced into what we see today. Edgar’s vision for
Ant-Man no longer matched the thematic and tonal characteristics of Marvel
studios, so it was better for both parties to go their separate ways.
After Edgar
left, Marvel hired Payton Reed to direct the film and brought in Adam McKay
along with their leading actor Paul Rudd to rewrite the screenplay originally
written by Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish. McKay and Rudd stated that they
rewrote the film in order to make it fit better into the MCU but that they
maintained the heart and core of Wright’s version. We will never know exactly
what was included in the original version and what was added or changed in
McKay and Rudd’s version but whatever the mixture was created a great story
that translated into a great film.
The story of
this film is broken down into a few simple tropes. First it is a heist film.
Our heroes Hank Pym, Hope Pym, and Scott Lang attempt to break into a top
secret facility in order to steal shrinking technology that would send the
world into chaos. We get all the classic heist film motifs involving planning
the heist, training for the heist, and even having to break into another
facility to recover the one tool needed to complete the job. This particular
scene was one of the highlights of the film. Scott must break into an old Stark
facility to steal a piece of tech that will allow them to completely wipe
Darren Cross’s memory core. But nothing is ever that simple. The facility turns
out to be the new Avengers base seen at the end of Age of Ultron. Scott goes up
against Falcon, beats Falcon, and recovers the device. What ensues is a classic
heist where the heist goes wrong, the villain goes after our hero’s loved ones,
and the hero must step up and put his or her life on the line to save the day. The
other highlight of the film was the climatic fight scene. What was so great
about this scene was it is a great fight between Ant-Man and Yellow Jacket
inside a young girl’s bedroom. It is one of the coolest fight scenes in a movie
I think I have ever seen. The whole idea of putting a fight inside a bedroom is
genius and it would only work in the context of this film. The results are that
the heist failed, but Scott saves the day, stops Yellow Jackets, and becomes a
true hero.
Another
theme is that the film is a redemption story. Scott is a criminal. He has been
in prison and has difficulty separating himself from the lifestyle of crime.
But Hank Pym gives him a chance to change and become a better man. He
eventually takes the offer and becomes that better man. He is redeemed in the
eyes of Hope, his friends, his ex-wife, and her new husband.
The final
theme of the story is that it is a story about fathers and daughters. There are
two father/daughter relationships in this film. The first is between Scott and
his young daughter. All Scott wants to do is be there for his daughter. To
provide for her. But due to his past he has difficulty paying child support and
without it he is not allowed to spend time with her. She idolizes him, but he
isn’t the person she thinks he is. So he seeks to be the man she thinks he is,
and that is his motivation for becoming Ant-Man. He never needed to be redeemed
in his daughter’s eyes, but he wanted to be better for her and he becomes that
better man. He is able to provide for his daughter and be there for her and be
the man she always thought he was. The other father/daughter relationship in
this movie is between Hank and Hope. This relationship need more fixing as
there was decades of animosity built up between them. After Hank’s wife died,
he dove into his work to try to recover her, but kept everything that happened
to her and what he was doing from Hope. All she saw was a man who was not there
for her when she needed it the most and who didn’t care for her. Then she voted
him out of his own company and they were estranged for years until Darren Cross
attempted to recreate Hank’s shrinking tech. Through working together to stop
Cross, Hank and Hope finally talk about what happened to her mother and talked
through their differences. They mended the break between them, realized how
much they actually care for each other, and now have a future where they can
have a lasting relationship. In the first post-credit scene, Hank gives Hope a
prototype Wasp suit. This action symbolizes the mending of their relationship
and the trust and confidence they now have in each other.
The special
effects for this movie were spectacular and needed to be for this film. The
idea of Ant-Man pushes towards the absurd and the effects played a big part in
making this movie just believable enough that you could suspend your disbelief.
The shrinking effects had to be good and all the effects when Ant-man was small
needed to be really good. The effects in this film may be the best in any
Marvel movie. All the ant animations were great. The digital environments
looked real. The use of the effects to push the story forward and to add flavor
to the battle scenes was great. The constant switching between big and small
made sense and added a layer to the fights that isn’t possible in any other
story. It also allowed them to use the effects for comedic effect, such as
during the train sequence. The effects in Age of Ultron felt rushed and
incomplete, but here they were almost perfect. This film was beautiful and was
successful because of the effects.
The story and
themes in this movie are great and are classic pieces of filmmaking. The
effects are brilliant. But none of it would work without great characters and great
actors playing those characters and this film has all of that. Hank Pym played
by Michael Douglas. Scott Lang played by Paul Rudd. Hope Pym played by
Evangeline Lily. Michael Pena as Luis. Anthony Mackie as Falcon. Abby Ryder
Fortson as Scott’s daughter Cassie. All these actors shine as their characters.
Michael Douglas is really really good in this movie. He is perfect as Hank Pym.
When older actors sign on for these big films, I worry that they will just
phone it in, but Douglas does not. He took it seriously and that comes across.
He became Hank Pym. Evangeline Lily is awesome as Hope. She plays a great
character who is skeptical of Scott and knows she could do the job just as
good. She is a strong, independent character and Lily does a great job
portraying the changes her character goes through throughout the film and I
cannot wait to see her become The Wasp. She will be great at that! Paul Rudd
steals the show though. This is his best performance in a movie in my opinion. He
really becomes Scott Lang. He is charming and funny like you expect, but he
also is believably heroic. He expresses his motivations and you really
understand his character. The side characters are also really memorable.
Anthony Mackie’s appearance is great. Anytime he is in a Marvel movie is a
great time. Fortson steals every scene she is in. She is adorable as Cassie.
But the funniest person in this film was Michael Pena. His Luis character was
hilarious. Every time he was onscreen I was laughing. His sequences where he explained
how he got a tip were hysterical. His delivery was awesome and I hope he keeps
popping up throughout the MCU.
That all
being said Marvel still has a problem. They have trouble creating good villains.
Darren Cross is the villain in this movie, but he is not that developed. His
motivation is the perceived slight from Hank. It’s hard to believe that a perceived
slight would cause a guy to want to build a superweapon, want to kill Hank,
unleash chaos on the world, and threaten to kill a little, innocent girl. This
film’s villain fits into Marvel’s tendency for cookie-cutter villains. They
need to give their villains more depth. Hopefully Thanos will be good but as of
now their only great villain is Loki. Cross is ok and is definitely better than
most of Marvel’s villains, but he is still nothing spectacular. They really
need to up their game.
Overall this
is a great movie. I absolutely loved it. It has great story elements, beautiful
special effects, and many great characters. All of that including the mediocre
villain makes this one of my favorite Marvel movies. It is one of my top 5
favorite films and one of my top 3 favorite films of this year. As for a rating, I will give this movie 4.75
out of 5. If the villain had been better I would have went higher, but it is
still a great movie. I can’t wait to see it again and am excited to see what
Marvel does next with Captain America Civil War. Well, that’s all for now.
Mr. Holmes is not a big summer blockbuster. It is a smaller film made by Miramax and BBC Films. I didn't know this film was coming out, but about a month ago I saw a trailer for it while seeing another movie and was intrigued. The basis of the film is that it shows Sherlock Holmes trying to solve a few mysteries later in his life.
In actuality, Mr. Holmes follows three separate but interconnecting story lines. The film starts off with a 90+ year old Sherlock returning from a trip to his country home with his live-in housekeeper, Mrs. Munro, and her young son Roger, who is about 10-12 years old. He develops a bond with Roger over their mutual interest in bee keeping. As the film progresses it is revealed that Sherlock is suffering from a disease like Alzheimer's which is causing him to quickly loose parts of his memories, forget peoples' names, and whole conversations and that he is trying to stave off the effects for as long as he can so he can write the story of his final case as to correct the many fallacies that Dr. Watson included in his publications. This is one of the three storylines. The second unfolds as he remembers parts of his final case which occurred decades earlier. This storyline reveals what happened and what caused Sherlock to stop solving cases and move to the country in exile. The third storyline revolves the complex relationship he has with Roger and his mother. He is fond of the boy and encourages him to follow his interests and learn as much as he can and be observant of the world around him. Roger eagerly works with Sherlock follows his advice. This causes friction between Roger and his mother and between the mother and Sherlock as she believes Sherlock is a bad influence on her son.
By the end of the movie, Sherlock has remembered his final case and the reasons why he quit and went into hiding, he has come to terms with his deteriorating mind, and mended his relationship with Roger and Mrs. Munro, and finally learns the valuable social skills needed for interpersonal interaction that he lacked when he was younger.
This is a wonderful movie. Ian McKellen is great in this role. The way he portray's Sherlock Holmes is exactly how I would have envisioned him in his later years. He played him perfectly. It was some of the best casting I have seen in a movie this year. He was great. I like him a lot better as Sherlock than Robert Downy Jr. who was really fun too. The best modern Sherlock is still Benedict Cumberbatch, but McKellen was spectacular. Laura Linney was also really good in this movie. She plays Mrs. Munro and her character growth is wonderful. She does a great job portraying the characters changes over the course of the movie. She really does a great job evoking emotion from the audience and is really memorable. Milo Parker stole the show though. He plays the young boy Roger who befriends Sherlock. It is not an easy task to work alongside a great like Ian McKellen and hold your own and Milo does this wonderfully. You really like watching this character and pull for him to learn from Sherlock and climb higher than his social status traditionally would allow. When he argues with his mother and yells at her he plays the emotional roller coaster it sets him on with ease. You see his character grow and learn and plays a positive influence on both Sherlock and his mother. I really liked him and really succeeded in the critical role he played in the film.
Overall this movie is really good. It has a well thought out and executed story. It has really good characters and fantastic actors playing the roles. The director does a great job switching seamlessly between the different storylines and the different time periods. Set design was really good and Ian McKellen's make-up for this film was great. They made him look two different ages and if it wasn't successful the movie would have not been as believable. If you like movies and are looking for a quiet movie instead of the loud, bombastic summer blockbuster than this is the movie for you. My final rating of the film is 3.75/5.
Terminator Genisys was exactly what I feared it was going to be. Not very good. Actually looking back it was bad. A complete disappointment.
The Terminator franchise has so much potential. Terminator and Terminator 2 were great films. The first was a sci-fi horror action movie and the second was more of characteristic sci-fi action film. In my opinion they are two of the greatest films of the last 30 years. Masterpieces. With that type of heritage, expectations are raised for sequels. Terminator 3 was ok but not near as good as the first two. And then there is Terminator Salvation. I loved the idea of the movie. Show the war with the machines in the future after Judgement Day. But the execution was so so. I didn't hate that one but wasn't blown away either. It was kinda boring, and a Terminator movie being boring is a bad sign.
So now we have Terminator Genisys. An opportunity to right the ship and take Terminator back to glory. The filmmakers talked about how this was going to call back to the originals and feel like the originals and try and use the same tones as the originals. We were going to go back and visit recognizable characters like Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor. This movie had potential. It could very easily have been good, even with its stupidly spelled title. But it wasn't, so here is my breakdown of why this movie was bad.
1. The trailer: I know that this actually isn't the movie, but it pretty much was. The marketing department for this film was idiotic. If you haven't seen the full movie yet but you are familiar with the trailer, then you have pretty much seen the movie except for the final action sequence. It includes the money shots from almost every action sequence. Every surprise reveal. It even includes the biggest twist in the movie. If you have seen the trailer it effectively ruins the movie. All the dramatic tension and suspense is drained from the film because you know what to expect. It makes the movie a lot less enjoyable.
2. The Story: The story of this movie is terrible. Due to the crazy time travel dynamics in this film, they have erased the other films, including the original two movies. Similar to how J.J. Abram's Star Trek film created an alternate timeline, the events of this movie result in the events of the previous films never happening. Instead of taking what works and building upon it, they gutted the franchise and erased the parts of it that fans actually liked. The story was convoluted and confusing. It jumps around time periods too much and doesn't focus on the parts of the story that actually work. It didn't feel like a Terminator movie. It had Terminators in it, but that alone doesn't make it a Terminator film.
3. Jai Courtney: Can we please stop putting this guy in movies! His portrayal of Kyle Reese was terrible. He looked out of place, had no chemistry with the other actors, and dragged down scenes he was in, which is almost every one. And his character had no personality. But these are recurring problems for Jai. He had similar issues in Jack Reacher, has no personality or gravitas in Divergent, was terrible as John McClain's son in A Good Day to Die Hard, and in this he wasn't good. Maybe he will be better in Insurgent, but i'm not expecting anything. But he needs to be better in Suicide Squad. It might help that he will be surrounded by great actors and a great director for that, because he was really good on the Starz show Spartacus which had a large cast. Studios need to stop putting him in leading roles.
There were some things that were ok with this film. Here they are.
1. Emilia Clarke: Emilia Clarke is famous for her role as the Mother of Dragons on Game of Thrones, but she is not as spectacular in this role. At the beginning of the movie, it feels like she is doing a poor Linda Hamilton impersonation, but as the film progresses, she takes the role and makes it her own and she grows into it. By the end of the movie you believe that she is Sarah Connor, but it is not seamless. She is good in this movie but not great. If they make another one of these, she could be better, but I hope for the sake of her career that they don't. I like her as an action star and think she can pull it off. She needs however a better franchise that she can make her own, just like she made her character in Game of Thrones her own.
Things that were actually really good!
1. Arnold Schwarzenegger: This was the biggest surprise in this movie. Arnold was awesome. For a few years now Arnold has been trying to reestablish himself in the film industry and this is by far his best attempt. He was really good in this movie. His take on this Terminator, being older and more experienced, was a great character progression and he played it brilliantly. Even with a bad story around him, Arnold shined in this film. He was funny, you felt for his character, and he was shockingly relate-able. You understood his characters motivations and were able to connect with him. He was the best part of this movie. I just wish that the trailer wouldn't have ruined many of his best moments.
Overall this movie was not good. I was bored in the theater, but felt that if the trailer had not given the whole movie away ahead of time it would have been better. There was a whole 10 minutes in the middle where the audience is obviously not supposed to know what is going on so that they are as shocked as the characters are at the big twist. But because the trailer revealed the twist, the importance and magnitude of the sequence is lost. If I had never seen the trailer I think I would have given this movie a 2.5/5. But I did see the trailer and the movie suffered for it, my final grade for Terminator Genisys is 2/5.
Jurassic World was exactly what it needed to be. Fun. But that by no means makes it great or even good movie. It was completely OK. The effects looked OK, the acting was blah, and the plot was blah. But its a dinosaur disaster movie that felt like the original Jurassic Park movie. I had a great time watching this film. I loved the nostalgia and the dinosaur action scenes.
I want to talk about some of the controversial elements of this movie. First off is the "trained raptors". I thought this whole thing worked. The Raptors were not trained. They were working with Owen (Chris Pratt). Owen raised them from young and established himself as the Alpha of the pack. I thought of these like wolves. Wolves are pack hunters and have an alpha that can be challenged and replaced. The Raptors behave in similar ways. They established that raptors are intelligent in the previous movies and this takes it to the next level. It brings a human into a pack of dangerous animals. The turns all work when the raptors switch sides temporarily, but they still respect Owen in the end. The film does a great job of being about respect and not training like a dog. They treat these animals as intelligent beings.
The Indominous Rex: This dino was cool, and I totally bought that a corporation would use genetic manipulation to create an attraction that is bigger, badder, and meaner than anything before. However, my problem with this dino is she kept having more and more abilities. 1. She could mask her body heat. 2. She could camouflage. 3. She could communicate with the Raptors. 4. She knew where her tracker was. The Rex was used as a plot tool. Whenever the writing needed an escape they gave the Rex a new ability. It just got a little too wacky. It would have been better if it was just bigger faster and smarter than a T-Rex. But all the other stuff was needed work out of plot dead ends.
Like I said I like a lot of things and didn't like others, so here is a list of things because I don't want to get into detail.
Things I Liked:
-Every dino fight, especially the T-Rex Indominous Rex fight at the end.
-The shot of all the dino's dead after being killed for sport by the ID Rex.
-The giant sea dino
-The scene where the pterodactyls attacked the park guests.
-The death of the babysitter
-the throwbacks to the original movie
Things I hated
-Some of the effects
-The older brother who just creepily stared at girls the whole time.
-some of the plot
-All the product placement
-The terrible romance between Owen and Claire
I had a great time at this movie and it was awesome on IMAX but it is not a fantastic movie but not a bad one either. I give it a 3/5.
Its been a while since I last posted as I have been very very busy, but that doesn't mean I haven't been going to the movies. I have seen a few things recently, so there will be a few posts today. At the end of May I finished my last papers and celebrated by doing a double feature. I saw Mad Max and Tomorrowland, so we will first talk about Mad Max.
Mad Max Fury Road was INSANE! It is an adrenaline rush from beginning to end and was just spectacular. The best way to describe what this movie is as a two hour violent car chase. If you haven't seen this movie DO IT NOW! Stop reading this and go. Seriously. You can come back and finish reading this later. See Mad Max Fury Road.
Now to talk about the performances. Every actor was great in this movie, but the two leads were amazing. Even Rosie Huntington-Whiteley of Transformers: Dark of the Moon infamy was really good and believable. But the two stars of this movie were Tom Hardy as Max and Charlize Theron as Furiosa. Hardy's lines were few and far between, but each one progressed the story and were important. he had no wasted moments or screen time. Theron stole the show though. She was spectacular. She was so good and the movie was really hers. She kicked major ass and you rooted for her to succeed.
The most impressive part of this movie was the effects however. Most of the effects involving the cars were real. People were really jumping from car to car. Cars crashed. A guitar actually had a flamethrower on the end of it. There were moments were I thought some of the effects were digital when in fact they were real. It was great to see a movie push the limits of practical effects and show that practical effects are still usable and that they look just as good and if not better than digital effects. It was awesome. I don't know what else to say about this movie. It was almost perfect and I cannot use more words than INSANE to describe it. You have to see it to understand. I give this a 5/5 and it is currently one of my favorite movies of the year. SO SO SO GOOD!
Now for Tomorrowland. This was a completely different movie than Mad Max. I was really excited to see this movie. Based on the advertising, I thought it would be a sci-fi mystery adventure. And it was exactly that for the first half of the movie. The three main characters, Casey (Brit Robinson), Frank (George Clooney), and Athena (Raffey Cassidy), were well developed and interesting. I wanted to know more about them and the mystery surrounding them and Tomorrowland was captivating. But the movie looses it in the third act. The climax was lame and the payoff of the main mystery was a dud. During the whole movie we kept hearing that Casey was special. We saw she is a tech genius and brilliant. She is a strong female character that can take care of herself. We kept being told that Casey can save the world and that she is the only one that can do it. How does that pay off? She blows up the machine killing all hope by using a grenade. It was not inventive. I was waiting and waiting for a spectacular reveal and finish, but it was a complete failure of an ending.
The movie was beautiful. This film used a lot of digital effects and they were prefect. Everything looked real and I was completely into the beautiful futuristic world of Tomorrowland. I would go there. It was so cool looking.
Overall, this is definitely a children's movie. I wish it had been advertised better as that. Instead, I thought that it was a more mature movie on the level of a Young Adult movie, but it was definitely a tweener or children's movie. As the first two acts went on I thought it looked beautiful and the passing was very good and I was excited to see the story resolve. But the lackluster third act and the waste of the setup of Casey's importance really soured this movie for me. There was potential and there still is, but the end dropped the ball which lower's this films score. I give this movie a 3/5.
So my double feature was a mixed bag with two very different movies. Both were entertaining and should be seen by everyone. One was good. One was exceptional and may be one of the best action movies of all time. The main message of this post is to see Mad Max Fury Road. SEE IT!!!!!
They're BAAAACCCKKKKK! I was really looking forward to this movie. The original was very very good and it was quite the surprise. I remember not even being interested in the original until my college roommate forced me to watch it. I'm so glad he did because the movie was the funniest movie of that year and was a complete shock. Who knew that a movie making fun of a cappella could be so funny.
So that said, I was also worried. I'm not a big fan of comedy sequels and in general think they are a mistake. Too many times they just rehash the previous movie and make the gags/jokes more outlandish (See The Hangover 2 and 3). So I had the same worry about this movie.
As for the film itself I thought it was absolutely hilarious! I was laughing pretty much throughout the film. They didn't go with grotesque moments for cheap laughs which was a plus. The original did a few times and I never liked it. This movie was consistently funny and I honestly had a good time. Each character had their moment to shine and be funny. One of the best gags was the appearance of the Green Bay Packers and Clay Matthews singing in a a cappella duel. It was great. Once again Anna Kendrick was absolutely wonderful and really funny and engaging. Rebel Wilson also shines and was featured more than before. For the most part that is a good thing, but I wish they would have done more than sex and fat jokes with her. She can do way more.
Yes this movie was funny and a good time, but there were still some serious problems with it. One of my biggest problems with this film was the story. Even with the original being funny, its story was simple, made sense, and drove the movie forward. The odd group of girls came together to achieve a unified goal. This film seemed devoid of that unity. They get banned from the competition for something stupid, but have this odd loophole where they could regain their position if they win the world championship, which no American team had ever won before. If this had been the only motivation in the movie, that would have been great. Show the girls working together to accomplish this goal with shenanigans ensuing. But instead they added so much more. They introduced a rival group to add tension and another obstacle for the girls. First off this group wasn't funny. They were more annoying than good/entertaining/funny/ or useful. They felt more like a distraction. Another side story that was added that didn't feel authentic was the love story between Bumper and Amy. It didn't feel real and took screen time away for more important moments. I felt it was a waste of time an a distraction.
The addition of Hailee Steinfeld as Emily was welcome to add new blood to the group, but her meandering story-line and pointless love interest was distracting. She was funny as a wide-eyed newbee, which should have been her main role, and I loved how she was involved in helping Becca succeed at her new job. The love story distracted from her role in the group and was pointless. Plus it took significant screen time away from the relationship that had been built in the first movie between Becca and Jesse.
This series' main character and entry point for the audience is Becca played by Anna Kendrick. Just like the first movie, she has a side story along with the main plot. This should have been the only side plot in the movie. I really like it. Her story of trying to make it in the music industry was great. It was the perfect continuation of her story. Her interactions at the office were some of the best scenes and her boss was hysterical. Perfect writing and casting. My problem with Becca's storyline in this movie sat with the continuation of her relationship with Jesse. He appeared but didn't play a significant role at all. This movie was about the girls and it needed to be, but Jesse's use in this movie was a waste. If they are going to take the time to put him in the movie, they should have used him. It would have been better if he just wasn't in the movie at all and they wrote him off some how. All the other nonsense plot lines took valuable time away from the Becca/Jesse relationship which the audience actually cared about. Looking at this movie though, Jesse just shouldn't have been in the movie. Becca's story needed to be about her succeeding as a music producer, which it was. Jesse played no role and shouldn't have been around. I also wish they would have explored the conflict between Becca's career goals and her goals as a Bella more. They touched on it, but they could have made it more powerful and given the group a stronger reaction to it. I thought the problem was solved too simply. It needed more juice.
Overall, I thought the movie's plot was spotty and not connected well. Some parts were redeeming, but it felt disjointed with parts that didn't really need to be there. The film was packed with jokes, so it seems that the writers were more focused on putting in more jokes than streamlining the plot. Too many subplots can damage a movies flow, and I am a strong believer in simpler is better. This film needed a simpler plot. But it was really funny. I thought every joke was executed with precision and hit. I was laughing a ton and honestly had a good time at the movies. This movie was fun, and that is honestly all one should expect from a comedy, especially a comedy sequel. I really enjoyed myself. This is one of those movies which reminds you how much fun going to a movie can be. It doesn't matter if the plot is confusing or even non existent. A fun, funny, intelligent film can be just what you need to relax and have a great time. I would give this movie a solid 6/10. I have seen better, but I definitely have seen much much worse. This was the perfect summer comedy with a killer cast.
Here in the UK, Avengers has been in theaters for two weeks, and I have seen the movie twice already. It is incredibly fun and a great summer blockbuster and I really enjoyed it. But I have to say that this is not my favorite Marvel movie and definitely not the best of them, but it is definitely not the worst either. In fact it is probably the best of the second tier of Marvel movies. Here is how I would order the marvel movies:
1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (5/5)
2. The Avengers (4.85/5)
3. Iron Man (4.8/5)
4. Guardians of the Galaxy (4.5/5)
5. Avengers Age of Ultron (See bottom)
6. Iron Man 3 (4/5)
7. Thor (3.75/5)
8. Thor The Dark World (3.5/5)
9. The Incredible Hulk (3/5)
10. Captain America (2.5/5)
11. Iron Man 2 (2/5)
After getting that out of the way, Avengers Age of Ultron is a good movie. I really enjoyed it. There was a ton going on in this movie and Joss Whedon and his team had a tremendous challenge and they did the best job that they could have done in these circumstances. Whedon was in a tough spot. He had to set up a Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and conclude Phase 2 while creating a compelling story that gave each characters moments to shine and grow. He had to add new characters to the group and had to build up a new villain. Like i said, he had a lot to do. Overall, I thought he did a great job. Joss is moving on and will not direct any more movies for Marvel and I wish him the best. I would love if he continued, but it takes a lot of work and he wants to do more independent projects. I can't wait to see what he comes up with.
As for the movie there were a few things I did not like. I really thought that the movie was going to be darker than it was. I was convinced that a major Avenger would be killed during the movie and thought this would give a lot of emotional weight to this film. In the end the new Avenger Quicksilver sacrifices himself to save Hawkeye, and it was an emotional moment, but I thought a main hero would have been more impactful. The movie really needed to raise the stakes and I felt that the stakes weren't as high as they could have been. The death should have come in the second act of the film instead of the third. If it was in the second, there is a question if the rest of the team would have survived. Superhero movies are predictable in a way that the heroes will always survive, so I thought it would have been nice to change it up. Quicksilver did end up dying and it was a significant moment, but I thought it could have been better. That was my big problem. I just don't think the film had high enough stakes.
The film included tons of things I did expect. The banter between the team was great. Tony Stark had a quick wit and the team constantly were shooting barbs at each other. The entire movie was filled with gags and jokes. I was worried that the movie wouldn't have a lot of jokes, but it was filled with them. If you don't pay attention, you might even miss some. It was really really funny.
The movie starts off with an intense battle sequence where the Avengers take down the HYDRA base and Baron Von Strucker. The first time I saw this it was awesome, but I did feel a little disoriented. I wasn't really sure what was going on, why the team was there, and why Strucker had Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. It was just a little confusing. However, I saw the movie again this weekend after I saw last week's episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and the I viewed the beginning of the movie in a whole new light. It answered all of my questions and was the perfect set up for this movie. That is one of the benefits of the connected universe. It allows for Marvel to set up their movies without wasting time in the actual movies.
There wasn't much development for Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man. The three of them were themselves and their characters didn't really grow. The main focus for those characters was surviving this film and setting up their next adventures in Thor Ragnorok and Captain America Civil War. The only character development in this movie was between Tony Stark and Ultron. Tony tries to build an AI that will protect the world. He accidentally succeeds and creates Ultron. Ultron takes a dark interpretation of his mission and believes that to protect the world he must destroy it. Ultron really is what Tony Stark would be if he was a bad guy. He is very smart, very witty, and charismatic. Ultron is Tony's dark side and the interplay between the characters is great. Ultron could have used a little more development I thought and I think he could have been more menacing, but there was just not enough time.
I loved the development for both Bruce Banner and Black Widow. They were involved in a love story. I loved how they had vulnerable moments. Black Widow's reveal that she had been sterilized was heartbreaking and you realize that both character are very damaged and view themselves as monsters. You can really see that both characters really care for each other but are also having trouble being vulnerable. Natasha really tries to break down Bruce's emotional barriers, but Bruce puts up a fight. In the end Bruce runs off because he believes that he is too dangerous and wants to protect Natasha. I believe that Natasha really understands Bruce's reasoning even though he left without her. Based on her final scene with Nick Fury, I think she just wants to find Bruce and bring him back. I'm really interested in seeing where this storyline is going.
Then there is the addition of Vision, Quicksilver, and Scarlet Witch. I loved these characters. We didn't see much of Vision because he was introduced at the beginning of the third act. But he was really interesting. He is a naive character with a very good moral compass. Thor trusts him, as he can lift Thor's hammer. The gag revolving around the hammer was great and it was a great way to clearly show that Vision is a good character. Quicksilver was very interesting. I thought he was funny and you really understood his reasoning for his actions. He also grew up in the film. As the movie progressed, he realized his misguided ways and then in the end made the ultimate sacrifice and was killed in the process of saving Hawkeye and a child. It was a beautiful progression and I was surprised how much I cared for this character. Even though Quicksilver was an awesome addition, Scarlet Witch was the best addition to this franchise, and maybe Marvel yet. I love this character. She follows a similar arc to Quicksilver, but also is afraid. That fear crystalizes during the final battle and Hawkeye gives her this great pep talk. She eventually emerges and is amazing. She is so strong willed and incredibly powerful. I think Scarlet Witch has the potential to be the most powerful hero we have seen yet. Plus I though Elizabeth Olsen was captivating in this role. She was amazing. I loved every second she was on screen. She played the role perfectly. I absolutely love this character and can't wait to see her again. Elizabeth Olsen and Scarlet Witch completely blew me away.
With all of this, the stand out feature of this movie was Hawkeye. I am the first to admit that I have not been a fan of Hawkeye. I never really understood his role on the team. In Thor he had a minor role and then in Avengers he was a mind controlled zombie for most of the movie. When standing next to the others, he never really fit. I didn't understand his motivations for being an Avenger. It seemed like he was almost a sidekick trying to be a hero. That completely changes with this movie. They really developed his character in this movie. You find out he is married with children with another on the way. You realize that he is on the Avengers to protect his family and he feels responsible for the team. He became the glue for the team. He is almost a father figure for the Avengers. He has moments with most of the characters and his interaction with his wife is really revealing. His character also developed through his dialogue. You really got into his head. He had moments where he referenced his dislike of mind control. He quips about not having super powers and being left behind but Quicksilver. His talk with Scarlet Witch was brilliant. He realizes that it is absurd that he is on this team and using a bow and arrow. With this movie he becomes the common man's entrance into this team. Before it was Coulson and now it is Hawkeye. This movie did a great job growing this character, who was the least developed character in the entire franchise. I can now officially say that I am a fan of Hawkeye. I love this character now. The film also kept teasing that he was going to die to the point where I was convinced it was going to happen up until Quicksilver died. I really thought Hawkeye was going down and was relived when he didn't. The development was great. This movie almost became the Hawkeye movie.
Overall, this movie was really fun. It's story was complex but was consumable because the characters were very good. Everyone got a moment and the film was just loaded with gags and memorable moments. It was a pure, fun superhero movie that did a great job tying up Phase 2 and opening Phase 3. I cannot wait to see what comes next. I give this movie a 4.25 out of 5.
I saw Ex Machina, a film staring Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, and Alicia Vikander, just over a week ago. I'm doing the review now because I needed all this time to process the movie. It was a total mind-bender. The cast is incredibly small. Besides the three above, there are a handful of extras at the beginning and one actress who plays a mute housekeeper.
The story focuses on a computer programmer, Caleb, played by Domhnall Gleeson. He wins a contest to go spend a week with his boss, Nathan, played by Oscar Isaac, who is a tech genius who designed a search engine similar to Google and who lives in seclusion in an un-named mountainous region. You quickly discover that Nathan has built an artificial intelligence and he brought Caleb to his house to run the Turing Test. The Turing Test is an examination where the goal is to interact with an artificial intelligence is sentient or not. Caleb is then introduced to Ava, an attractive robot with an artificial intelligence played by Alicia Vikander, and over a few interview sessions Caleb begins to bond with Ava and starts to fall for her. During one of the sessions, Ava kills the power in the building and warns Caleb that Nathan is a bad person and that everything he says is a lie. From here on out the film turns into a thriller as Caleb tries to uncover the truth about what is going on in the house and what Nathan's true motives are. He uncovers that he didn't win a contest and was in fact selected by Nathan and that Ava's physical appearance was purposefully designed to attract him. He also discovers that Ava is not the first incarnation of the A.I. and that Nathan has violently destroyed previous models. He also discovers that the mute housekeeper is actually a robot as well. All of the experiences within the house cause him to question his own humanity and he finally decides that he will end the cycle and break Ava out of the compound and save her from being destroyed by Nathan. Knowing that Nathan is probably watching his every move, Caleb gets Nathan drunk, breaks into the compound control room, and rewrites the security protocols to unlock the compound in case of power failure. The next day he tells Ava that he will do what he already did and come get her that evening. Nathan catches on that something is wrong as he saw this conversation on a portable camera and then reveals to Caleb that Ava may be playing with his emotions and may just be trying to escape, which every previous model tried to do. Thinking he foiled Caleb's plan, Nathan gloats a bit, but then the power goes out and Caleb tells Nathan that the security protocols were changed the previous night and that we will now see what Ava's true intentions are and if she actually cares about Caleb. Nathan knocks out Caleb and picks up a dumb bell bar and goes off to stop Ava from leaving. Ava meets the housekeeper robot and together they confront Nathan. Nathan destroy's Ava's left arm and then the housekeeper robot shoves a knife into his back. Nathan hits the bot over the head, effectively killing her. Ava takes the knife and stabs Nathan through the heart and lets him bleed out on the floor. She then finds Caleb and tells him to watch her. She goes into Nathan's bedroom and opens the closets which contain the previous AI models, some of which have fake skin. She places the fake skin over her mechanical body, puts on a wig and a dress and walks out of the bedroom. Caleb slowly follows and Ava walks out a door and locks it behind her, effectively locking Caleb inside the compound without a way of getting out. Caleb screams and pleads with Ava to let him out but she just gets on the elevator and leaves the compound. She boards a helicopter and is taken to a city where for the first time she witnesses people interacting with her and she begins to experience the world.
This movie was a mind turner! From the very beginning this film takes you on a roller coaster ride. I was confused from the very beginning but not because the plot was confusing. The movie presents itself as a mystery thriller. Information is slowly revealed and the problems get more complicated before they are resolved. More and more facets are revealed which make the characters and their stories more and more complex. If you don't pay attention you could get lost, but paying attention is never a problem because the film is so captivating. It draws you in and doesn't let you go until the end. It was incredibly suspenseful and I haven't been that captivated by a movie in a long time. I have thought about this movie a lot. It made me question what it means to be intelligent and what it truly means to be human. And I never expected the ending. Ava leaving Caleb to die shocked me because Caleb wasn't a bad person. He was taken advantage of by Nathan and by Ava and left to die. Ava had been so mistreated by Nathan that she did not trust Caleb and used him to her own ends. But is it possible how all relationships are? Is it possible that humans build relationships to fulfill their own personal needs? I don't know and I hope that is not the case, but this film made me think about these types of existential questions.
Besides the message of the film, the acting was phenomenal. All three actors were impressive and played their characters perfectly. Each one was completely believable and had different shades. But Alicia Vikander was the breakout star of this movie. Her portrayal of Ava was spectacular. She was captivating and mysterious. She gave the character a playful naivete that was really a mask for a more sinister plot and personality. The shocking turn of leaving Caleb to die really surprised me. I did not see it coming as I honestly believed that Ava at least valued Caleb as a friend, so her betrayal really hit me. I haven't been that stunned by a film in years. This movie was fantastic in its own unique way. Its not a huge summer blockbuster with tons of action, but it is an intelligent exploration of the human condition and is a remarkable character driven film. A phenomenal film that I give a 4.8/5. This is one of those films that I will remember my feelings for a very long time.
Today was the best day ever. By now everyone probably knows that Lucasfilm released the second teaser trailer for Star Wars The Force Awakens earlier today. If you haven't watched it yet, its included above. But lets back up a bit. The trailer was released at the conclusion of the Star Wars The Force Awakens Panel at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim. Thousands of people gathered in Anaheim to listen to Kathleen Kennedy and J.J. Abrams discuss the upcoming film. The event was also broadcast online and in some special locations hundreds of Star Wars fans gathered to watch a satellite feed of the proceedings in movie theaters across the globe. I was lucky enough to be able to attend the screening in London, England.
The panel began at 10 AM Pacific Time, or 6 PM in London, so while everyone in America saw the trailer by early afternoon, those at the London screening event had already been celebrating for hours. I arrived at the Empire Theater in Leicester Square around noon to get in line. My friend from school came with and we were prepared to have a great day!
Not only did we get there early, but we were 17th and 18th in line and surrounded by many fun and interesting people. Oh, and I arrived looking like this!
Yes. That is me dressed up as Darth Maul!
Photo Credit to @happy_random on Twitter
We had to wait in line for 5 hours, but that time passed so quickly. We had interesting discussions with others in line and shared our love of Star Wars. About an hour before the doors opened the press and photographers from Disney showed up and took pictures and talked with the fans. Due to my costume, I was in high demand by the photographers. It was a ton of fun. I took pictures with other fans dressed as Jedi, Rebel pilots, Sith warriors, R2D2, C3PO, and one musician from the Cantina Band. Hopefully I will have more pictures soon.
Around 5PM we entered the theater to get ready for the screening. I have never seen a screen this big. Apparently it is the largest screen in England. It was HUGE.
This picture doesn't do it justice. I was zoomed all the way out and I still couldn't see the edges. It was massive. Before the show started there was a trivia contest moderated by Warwick Davis. He played Wicket the Ewok and Professor Flitwick in Harry Potter. Some may even recognize him from the original Leprechaun film. After the trivia contest, they had a costume contest. I was called down by Warwick Davis and got to meet him! It was so cool. I lost the contest though. The winner was a 5 year old boy dressed as Darth Vader. He was awesome. When asked his name he replied, "Darth Vader." Then Warwick asked him what his name was before he was Vader and the kid said, "Anakin Skywalker." He did all of it in a deep growly voice. It was really funny and he won, rightfully so!
Then the panel started. We didn't really learn anything new from the actors, except that Finn is actually as Stormtrooper, which means that he may switch sides. Its all very speculative at this time. J.J. made sure nothing was revealed. But the highlight of the panel was the reveal of the new droid BB-8. HOW THE HECK DOES THAT THING WORK! I was stunned. I heard that they made the droid a practical effect, but I didn't think it would work like that. I have no idea what makes that thing work. It is so cool! I wish I could have one! I was so impressed by that droid and am still blown away by it. Wow. We also go some cool still images, but again, nothing revealing. And I don't believe for one second that the planet they are on is or isn't Tatooine until I see the movie. J.J. is famous for bending the truth and hiding things until the release. I also don't believe some of the character names. But that is another discussion. The panel didn't really reveal anything which was ok, because the real reason we were there was to see a new trailer.
And that trailer was AMAZING! Seeing it on a massive screen before I saw it on my computer was so great. We watched it twice in the theater and I have watched it another 7 times since I got home. So, here it goes for my breakdown!
Opening scene: Desert shot with the crashed Star Destroyer. What a way to open this trailer. I was awestruck when I saw this shot. It was incredibly cool and instantly said "This is Star Wars". If you noticed, there is also a crashed X-Wing in the foreground. I think it is possible that the Star Destroyer may have crashed onto the planet surface during a battle with the Rebel Alliance, or The New Republic. And the speeder shooting across the scene looked like the speeder Rey gets on in the first teaser. It was a great establishing shot and really sets up both the movie and Rey's character. If the panel is to be believed, she is a junker living in a ship graveyard and a crashed Star Destroyer is a great location.
The voice over. It is Luke reciting a previous line from Return of the Jedi.
"The Force is strong in my family. My father has it." This voice over really sets the tone for the trailer. It gives it a sense of mystery and mysticism. What I thought was cool was the slight modulated echo of Luke's words. And the light Darth Vader breathing heard below the line. And the image of Vader's melted mask is very creepy. If you look carefully it looks like it is on some sort of pedestal and as the shot fades in there is an outline which in my opinion looks like the outline of a cloak. Could this be Kylo Ren, the main established bad guy for the movie? Is he collecting Sith relics, like Vader's mask? All these questions will be answered in the movie in December.
"I have it." This one was creepy. A hooded man sitting next to a fire with a droid that looks like R2D2. And then the man touches the robot with a robotic right hand. With all this information, it is safe to assume that the man is Luke Skywalker. The voice over says "I", the droid probably is R2, and Luke's right hand is robotic because Vader cut it off in the Cloud City. I really want to know what is going on in this scene. But once again, J.J. masterfully gives us a taste, making us want more, but doesn't give in. I love that about him. I'm pretty sure we will know nothing about this movie when it comes out in December. If all the trailers are like this I will be very happy. I want to know as little as possible when I go into the theater on December 18th. And what the heck happened to the fake skin on Luke's hand? That has to be an interesting story.
"My sister has it." This scene may be one of my favorites. If you look closely at the righthand side of the screen as the shot fades in, the being handing over the lightsaber is an alien. You get a quick glimpse of the face. It looks like a mix between a lizard and a Mon Calamarii (Think Admiral Ackbar). Its a very cool look that you could miss if you are not looking. As for the woman receiving the saber, I assume that is Leia at some point in her life. I don't think it could be anyone else because the previous two scenes were definitely Skywalkers and the dialogue says "sister". So Leia. And I say at some point in her life because it has been rumored that Carrie Fisher's daugher was brought in to play a young Leia in a flashback. But the lightsaber itself is what I find most interesting. If you look carefully, it is the same lightsaber given to Luke by Obi-wan Kenobi in the original film. Anakin Skywalker's weapon. The one Luke used in Cloud City and the one he lost when his had was cut off. Guess what guys... its back! The lightsaber sound at the end of the first teaser was confirmed to be the sound of the original lightsaber as well, so I think it is safe to say that this blade plays an important role in the film. I'm not sure how and I don't feel comfortable speculating. But it does seem important. It has now been featured twice.
"You have that power too." Who is he talking to!? That question is not answered and I can't wait to find out. There was no shot associated with this line, so I am now going to go shot for shot and give my reactions.
Poe Dameron flying an X-Wing over a lake. This looks like another shot from the scene featured in the first teaser. Another lake shot. And the X-Wing looks cool. I love the little yell he gives. It reminds me of the pilots from the original trilogy and their confidence and charisma. It also reminds me of the Han Solo "Yahoo" yell. Could this be a hint at parentage? Who knows. It was cool anyways!
Kylo Ren slashing something with his lightsaber. Cool quick shot. Could miss it if you blink. It doesn't show much except that Kylo Ren wields his saber using two hands.
Rey, Finn, and BB-8 running away from an explosion. What is going on? Looks like chaos, and I love a bit of chaos. Looks like a fun action scene.
Kylo Ren's "face" and The Force. Kylo Ren looks like he is using the Force here. On who? On what? Very interesting. But his face is what this shot is all about. He wears a mask, so we don't get to "see" him, but the mask should be important. For anyone familiar, it looks similar to the mask that a character from the Old Republic extended universe wears, Revan's mask. I think this mask looks strikingly similar to the mask Revan wore. What if it is Revan's mask, that Kylo Ren has Vader's helmet, and his lightsaber is actually also a relic of the past. Maybe Kylo Ren is a Sith who has an affinity for collecting and using ancient Sith artifacts. Kind of like an evil Indiana Jones.
The army of Stormtroopers. This shot was cool. It reminded me of the shot of all the clone troops in Attack of the Clones. The only difference is that this time they looked like they were actually there and not CGI. Actually, they are there! I love that this movie used real people, costumes, props, and sets.
Rey's look of dread. Something bad is going to happen. I wonder what she is looking at. The shot tells you nothing but sets up a feeling of foreboding.
TIE Fighters! The TIE shooting up other TIEs was awesome. I have no idea what the context for this scene is but its looks awesome. The shot does give a great view of the revamped TIE though. The wings look white like the stormtrooper and the cockpit looks like it is black instead of grey. They look really cool. Plus I really love the stormtrooper getting flipped through the air by the explosion. These effects look practical and the stunts look like they were actually performed. The look of this film alone has me really excited!
Finn taking off his helmet. I think this is the moment when he decides to switch sides. I think he no longer wants to be a trooper and runs away just after this.
The new look Star Destroyer and Shuttle. SOOO COOOL!! I love how this film is mixing the old, recognizable images and sounds but giving them new life and treating them as if time passes. Of course things would upgrade in 30 years. I really love that about this movie.
The Chrome Trooper. What a badass. Wow. That shot is so cool. I think this is Gwendoline Christie's character. Whoever this is is a force to be reckoned with. Only a badass could wear such armor.
BB-8 peaking around a corner. Who knows why this is happening, but its so cute! I love BB-8 but I already said that. It also shows that it will have a personality like R2 does. I can't wait to see what that personality is. The interesting part of this shot is that it is peaking around a corner of the Millennium Falcon! I would recognize the wall pads and the stairs to the gun turrets anywhere!
Rey reaching out to Finn. This is a strong moment. This shot truly establishes that Finn and Rey are significantly connected in this movie and they will be tied together for most of it. I love the dirty nature of the costumes and sets. Everything looks worn and lived in. Just perfect.
The Falcon being chased by TIE Fighters. This was the money shot of the sequence. This is Star Wars! This shot was just classic. The Falcon running from Imperial fighters by flying into the engines of what looks like the crashed Star Destroyer from the first scene. A tight space where they can cause the fighters to crash. This reminds me of the Trench Run from A New Hope, the Asteroid Belt chase from Empire Strikes Back, and the Death Star Tunnel Attack Run from Return of The Jedi. In fact it reminds me most of the Tunnel Run from Jedi. This shot was just so cool. Just Wow. I also love the cutback to the TIE fighter pilot. That reminds me so much of the original trilogy. That was missing from the prequels because the enemy ships were droids themselves. Seeing the enemy pilots always gives a "face" to the enemy which I like.
"Chewie. We're home." They didn't need this shot. They already had me hooked, but I am so glad they included it! It was honestly my favorite scene and being in a crowd when it happened was great. Everyone lost their minds! And so did I! It made me all sappy. It was a feel good scene that was the perfect ending. But it also presents an interesting problem. Why does Han say it? Why would he say "We're home." while him and Chewie are both carrying their weapons. Did they loose the Falcon? Did they have to fight to get it back? They almost look relieved, like they had been separated from the ship for a while. Plus it was a great to seen Han and Chewie on screen again! I can't wait for this movie!
That's my breakdown. Sorry for being so long winded, but this trailer was really really dense. But it was amazing. I give this trailer a 5/5. It was really cool and I am so glad I got to celebrate Star Wars with other fans today and see the trailer on the UK's biggest screen. Totally worth the 5 hours in line and the 3 hours it took to get into costume. What a day. What a trailer. I cannot wait for the next movie. I'm going to go watch the trailer again now! Bye!
PS: I did an interview with the BBC after the screening tonight. You can check out the article about it at the link below!
