Dragonball Super: Broly Review

Re-imagined Broly, not only more powerful but more interesting

It’s the first proper movie review of 2019, and it’s not even Glass! Instead it’s a movie that I have more hype for than Avengers: Endgame and Star Wars: Episode 9 combined. Yes, a Dragonball Super movie of all things. Let it be known I’ve been on a Dragonball kick since late 2017, having watched Dragonball Super, Dragonball Z and Dragonball series since that time. I’m still trying to figure out why I’ve been drawn to it so strongly recently. It might warrant a future blog post.

Anyways, for those of you not familiar with Dragonball, Broly is a movie antagonist that has existed in a semi-canonical state. He is pretty much the DB equivalent of the Hulk and has been a fan-favorite since his first movie. Even though in my opinion, the original Broly movies are not very good. However, this movie marks his first appearance as approved canon with series creator Akira Toriyama writing the movie. Can Toriyama flesh out the classic yet blandly characterized antagonist?

The good:

  1. Easily the best animation in a Dragonball film ever. This film was absolutely stunning with some of the coolest looking power ups and fights in the entire series. Many people have criticized the animation quality of the recent series (Super) and rightfully so. But this movie is the best the series has ever looked.
  2. The film adds a lot of back story to the destruction of the Planet Vegeta, home of the Saiyan race which our main characters come from. Many were worried about the changes that were going to be made, but I felt that the story in the movie is still very much in line with the series. I thought it was fascinating to see that story unfold in a new way.
  3. In the previous movies Broly was nothing more than a meathead with absurd power and anger issues. While I can’t say that the new iteration of Broly is deep or complex, there is something more to him this time around. His motivations are understandable and there is enough humanity in his character to make him likable.
  4. The movie is quite funny at some spots, with some great character moments including Frieza, Vegeta and Bulma. Let’s just say that you won’t expect why the Dragonballs are being gathered this time.
  5. I toughed on the story in several of my points, overall the plot is definitely better than your average Dragonball movie. Motivations are clear, characters act as they should, and it was just fun.

The Bad:

  1. The structure is a bit weird in this movie. This is a minor nitpick mind you. This is very common for Dragonball movies, since the focus is often the fight with the bad guy, the third act is much longer than normal.
  2. A lot of characters are no shows this go around. Again, a minor nitpick, but the focus of this plot is on the Saiyan characters and Frieza. So anyone who isn’t involved was cut out. So favorites like Gohan and Krillin are no where in the movie.
  3. This movie takes place after the tournament of power arc in Dragonball Super, so people who aren’t up-to-date on Dragonball might be a bit confused.

Awkward Walk-In meter:

Other than the fact that people might be weirded out by a bunch of dudes screaming at each other, there’s nothing too graphic or offensive with this movie. One of the Frieza Force soldiers does offer some minor “fan service,” but isn’t explicit enough to get anyone in trouble. This movie was rated PG, mostly for violence. (2/5)

Overall Thoughts:

The Dragonball movies have been fairly “meh” for the most part. However the last three entries have actually felt like actual movies instead of direct-to-tv specials. This one is definitely high up on the top tier Dragonball movies. But is it a good movie in general? There’s a few things that holds it back, namely it is made and directed for Dragonball fans. If you are new to the series, there’s a large learning curve to truly appreciate the movie.

If you are a fan of Dragonball, then you really ought to watch it. I watched it very recently so I’m still high off the hype. Time will tell if the movie holds up (For example: The Last Jedi wouldn’t have made the top 10 of 2017 if I did that list now). But I have a feeling that this will go down as one of, if not, the best Dragonball movie thus far.

Ant-Man and the Wasp Review

Ant-Man and the Wasp

In 2015 we were introduced to one of Marvel’s lesser-known superheroes, Ant-Man. It was a lighter film with a very good mix of humor and action. Ant-Man also made an appearance in Captian America: Civil War, where he played a fairly important role. In Ant-Man and the Wasp, we’ll see the consequences of Scott Lang’s (Ant-Man’s) decisions and the introduction of the Wasp. Will this sequel suffer from some of the overdone humor that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 and Thor Ragnorok do? Or will we get that perfect mix of humor, action, and drama?

Likes

Adam

  1. I like the conflict of Scott Lang. He is paying the price of his decision to help Captain America in Civil War. He has 2 different groups that need his help and he doesn’t feel he can help one without hurting the other. Does he have to pick one and let go of the other? I felt that this was an interesting struggle, and I liked the decision he made in the end.
  2. The fight and action sequences were fantastic. With the ability to grow and shrink it added different dimensions to each sequence. They were all visually stunning and very interesting to watch.
  3. The humor. They did bring the humor level up a little bit from Ant-Man but due to Marvel setting our expectations in Ant-Man I expected this level of humor. So instead of going over the top like a couple of the previous Marvel films, Ant-Man and the Wasp was right at the level that I was ready for.
  4. Casting. They did a great job casting Ant-Man and all of the returning characters are great but the new characters were also very good.

Luke

  1. The comedy in this movie was pretty good, I was laughing for a good portion of it. It was a fun movie to boot. Everything you would want from a Marvel movie.
  2. I agree with the casting, everyone played their part very well.

Dislikes

Adam

  1. The mid-credit and post-credit scenes. All I can say is I called that something like this would happen and I am not happy that I was right.
  2. Bobby Cannavale’s Character. The change in his and Scott’s relationship from the last movie to this one was somewhat drastic. It was jarring for me and took me out of the moment every time.

Luke

  1. The villain was a sizable let down. I was hoping that Marvel was finally figuring out how to make interesting antagonists, this one was very forgettable in comparison to Killmonger and Thanos.
  2. These might be the least heroic superhero film that I’ve ever watched. The whole premise is all about serving the self-interests of the Pym family. Ant-man was kind of pulled in for the ride is by no means the protagonist in the film. While this isn’t a deal breaker on its own, the problem was that the story was trying to be about Scott Lang but he was only reacting to the events around him. He did not really drive the plot at all. The Wasp is more of a protagonist than Antman was. (Again, not a bad thing if the focus was on her.)

Awkward Walk-in Meter: 2/5

Adam

The action was normal for a Marvel movie. A little kissing but nothing crazy. Ghost and the Quantum Realm was a little psychedelic but not to bad. I didn’t have any issues bringing my kids to this film.

Overall

Adam

I really enjoyed this film. I went expecting to have fun and laugh and it totally delivered. It didn’t feel like the humor was too overboard because that is what I expect from Ant-Man. I felt like Ant-Man’s character developed and grew and progressed. Ant-Man and the Wasp is definitely worth seeing in the theater and a worthy addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Luke

This was a fun movie, but most of the MCU is and doesn’t mean they will have longevity. This is one that I think may be forgotten in the long run, especially since it’s in the shadow of two of Marvel’s most successful films to date. But if you want the action comedy of Deadpool without the crudeness, this would be the best thing to watch this summer.

Check out our other movie reviews here

Avengers: Infinity War Review

Avengers: Infinity War

In 2008, two important events happened. I married my wonderful wife (Adam speaking) and on May 2 Iron Man came out in U.S. theaters. This film kicked off a unique cinematic experiment that has created the most expansive and connected film universe in history. Avengers: Infinity War is the film that all previous films have been leading to. We have been getting hints for the past 10 years about Thanos and the Infinity Stones. The tension has been growing and the time has finally come for us to get to see what this has all been leading to. Is it everything we have hoped for? We’ll keep it spoiler free.

Likes:

Adam

  1. I was surprised. There was more than one occasion where I did not see something coming. I was expecting certain tropes to happen several times and then they didn’t.
  2. Combination of groups. There are a lot of different groups of heroes and it was cool and interesting how they came together in an organic natural way.
  3. The emotion. Infinity War has a lot of emotional tones. There is humor but this movie let itself be more serious. The situation is more grave than it has ever been and the film embraced it. I  felt my heartstrings plucked more than once.
  4. Thanos. As villains go he is in my top 3. There is so much more to him than we have been privy to and we really get to see him flushed out. It is a lot less black and white than we have been lead to believe.

Luke

  1. The movie was entertaining throughout, and it gave opportunities for different characters who haven’t interacted together to have some screen time together. Thor with the Guardians of the Galaxy has some interesting chemistry (not spoilers since it was in the trailer).
  2. Thanos was a far more interesting villain than most of what Marvel has offered thus far. Between him and Killmonger, Marvel has finally produced some interesting villains.

Dislikes:

Adam

  1. The power of one specific character never seems to be up to where it had been in previous movies. It was a little off-putting for me because I like this character.
  2. The ending. Can’t really say more than that at this point.

Luke

  1. It’s hard to get into some stuff without getting into major spoilers, so it may be better not to discuss it at all (meaning warning, I could imply spoilers). As vague as I can make it, let us just say that I felt the ending was the big budget form of the “gunshot fade to black” trope found in student films.
  2. This really can’t be helped since you’re putting in so much into one movie, but the plot was scattered all over the place. You’re dealing with up to 5 different subplots happening simultaneously, while it isn’t as messy as it could be, it would be really hard to follow if you’re not up-to-date on the Marvel movies.

Awkward Walk-In Meter: 3/5

Adam

This film is a normal Marvel PG-13 except for two things that are briefly glimpsed in the trailer. There is a scene with Doctor Strange that has mild torture. Also, the creatures you see in Wakanda are a little gruesome. These two scenes can be a little intense for kids.

Infinity War Overall:

Adam

Coming out of the theater I really wanted to love this movie. If I’m being totally honest I don’t fully understand all of my feelings for this movie and it is going to take me time to process. There was a lot of great stuff in this movie and I enjoyed watching it. I was on the edge of my seat for a lot of it. I felt like the humor and seriousness of the film was well balanced. I loved a lot of the new character combinations. The end is where I have the hardest time figuring out my feelings. Sadly, I have to say my overall feeling is unsatisfied.

Luke

Honestly, I still don’t know what to make of this movie. I’m sure many will call it bold and like what they did, but I don’t feel satisfied by the ending. Let’s just say that there is no catharsis awaiting you in this movie. There are some fun moments of characters interacting for the first time, the action is intense and there’s plenty of humor. But I didn’t feel good coming out of this movie (which is why people go to see these movies). The only way I can fully articulate my feelings leaving the theater was this internet meme:

Ready Player One Movie Review

ready player one movie poster

It’s been a long time since I’ve done one of these. There are a few reasons, one is I’m back in school and work has been busy. But since Spielberg’s newest film, Ready Player One, is a homage to all things geek culture, I figure I better do a proper review. Based on the book Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, this is an adventure set in the future where everyone goes to a VR world to meet, interact, shop and yes even play games. I was particularly interested in this movie since I made a movie in school based on a similar premise. Virtual worlds are an interesting subject for me, so does this hold up to my expectations? Game Start!

Likes:

  1. The most important thing that this movie needed to do was to do proper world building. This takes place in a somewhat dystopian future where the protagonist lives in the “stacks” a huge trailer park with several trailers stacked on top of each other. I must say that the world outside the oasis and inside the oasis was both very cool and fascinating.
  2. I think the fact that half of the movie contains CGI might be a turn off for people really sick of its overuse. But it works in this most since half the movie takes place in a virtual world. Besides that, the CGI is actually really well done and makes for a visual treat.
  3. There are tons of pop-culture references in this movie, and for those of us who follow pop culture closely will have a ton a fun spotting them and also makes for some really fun moments in the movie. I’ll just say that fans of The Shining and Gundam are in for a treat.
  4. The story isn’t anything too deep but it is very satisfying. It isn’t a movie that dives deep into the philosophical implications that a virtual world entails but the characters are likable, the villains are fun to hate and an ending that has an important message for our time.

Dislikes:

  1. There are some plot details that aren’t fully explained during the first viewing. This may be fixed upon further viewings but there were definitely moments of plot convenience. I won’t go into the details for spoiler’s sake but for as big and worldwide as the oasis is, everyone important just happens to live close together.
  2. If you aren’t up to date on pop culture, then you’re going to miss a lot of the inside jokes and references that give the film much of its charm.

Awkward Walk-In Meter: 3/5

It is a PG-13 movie that has above-average language (including one F-bomb) and a few scenes that are suggestive (including a homage to a scene from another movie that is R rated). The violence oddly enough is the most withheld. There is no gore and only a little blood drawn in the real world. But bodies burst into gold coins in a unique substitute for blood and gore.

Overall:

Ready Player One was a fun and enjoyable movie to watch. It’s a love letter to all things geek-culture, especially video games and movies. As a major geek myself, I was able to follow the homages and references that made the experience that much more fun. However, I’m unsure how older or audiences that aren’t into geek-culture would react to the film. It does have enough action to get most people excited but it’s like having pizza without any toppings. Your going to miss out on some of the best the film has to offer if you aren’t in the know. But if you follow us at all, I’m confident that you’ll have a blast at this movie. Just know that your non-geek SO will more than likely have a lot of questions.

Justice League Movie Review

Justice League

The world’s finest finally come together on the big screen, albeit it has been a really bumpy road. With Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice being a critical failure, and the DCU generally under-performing (with exception of Wonder Woman). Will the previous movies bog down this one and is DC several years too late to the superhero team movie?

Likes:

Luke

  1. I’ll preface this review with the fact that I do in fact like the DC characters more than the Marvel Heroes. So it’s no surprise that I really enjoyed having the DC characters together on the big screen. I really enjoyed these versions of the characters I love. Aquaman, Flash and Cyborg  were all well acted and brought different personalities to the team. While the story may be lacking, the saving grace in this movie for me is the characters.
  2. It doesn’t have the same tone of dread that BvS did. It was a lighter tone in the same vain as Wonder Woman, which I feel is needed for this film.
  3. (Spoiler-ish) Superman does superman things and is likable.

Adam

  1. This was a fun, lighter toned film. This film didn’t take itself as seriously as Dawn of Justice did, but didn’t get as silly as some of the newer Marvel movies have. I felt that it was the perfect blend, and appreciated how they didn’t go too far either way.
  2. I really enjoyed the new members of the team: Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg. They are all interesting and enjoyable to watch. They may not have been developed quite as much as I’d like but in the time they had, I felt that they did a good job.
  3. I felt like the characters were closer to how their characters have been portrayed in the past and in the comic books. Dawn of Justice showed most of the characters in very different way that I didn’t like, but in this movie I feel like we got closer to the source material.

Dislikes:

Luke

  1. The main villain, Steppenwolf, is pretty boring and generic. His motivations aren’t really made clear and it’s the same old renew-the-earth-by-destroying-it plot. The story is fairly weak and predictable. But as mentioned before, the characters sell it and the pacing is good enough that it doesn’t drag.
  2. Not enough J.K. Simmons.

Adam

  1. The storyline was a little lacking and unsurprisingly foreseeable. There was only one part that actually surprised me.
  2. Minor thing, but I don’t like how flash runs. His arm motion doesn’t look natural.

Awkward Walk-In Meter: 2/5

This film is your typical superhero action movie, there’s some language at parts and the violence is on par with most PG-13 films. There are a few bits of adult humor that will go over the kids’ heads.

Overall:

Luke:

It’s hard to say if this movie will be remembered in a decade or so. The Avengers was the first of this kind of big superhero multi-franchise team up so this movie will probably be overshadowed by it. However I am very fond of the characters. I love these heroes and to see them on the big screen was a delight even though its slightly above average at best. It’s entertaining, action-packed and should please you for 2 hours. If you love the DC heroes, it’s definitely worth a watch. But if you’re feeling super hero fatigue, then this film will probably bore you.

Adam: 

I did enjoy this movie. I honestly went in with low expectations but was pleasantly surprised. This is definitely one that is worth going to see in the theater. DC is moving in the right direction and I have hope that the DC Cinematic Universe will continue to improve.

 

Spider-man: Homecoming Review

Spider-man: Homecoming

Spider-man has had many faces in the past. Each actor who has played him has had a different take on who Spider-man is. Who is this new Spider-man going to be? We have already had a little taste of who our new Spider-man is in Captain America: Civil War but as we really get to know him in Spider-man: Homecoming how will he compare to the others? Let’s dive in and find out.

Likes:

Adam

  1. This is the youngest Spider-man that we have seen. In Homecoming Peter Parker is a sophomore in high school and only 15 years old. The previous two Spider-men were seniors and high school grads. Having him this young with so many parts of regular life left to figure out and sort through was fun and interesting. We also get the youngest Aunt May as well.
  2. Spider-man doesn’t have all of the answers. He like any kid that age is really trying to figure every thing out. Tom Holland really sells that he is a 15 year old, he does the teenage rebellion, taking on more than he can chew, angst, and so much more so well. He deals with things that every teenager deals with on top of his super powers. It felt very real and relatable.
  3. The way Peter was portrayed as an outsider was way more realistic. In the past two Spider-man series, Peter is usually picked on in fairly exaggerated and violent way. In Homecoming he is more verbally and emotionally bullied which is, in my experience, far more realistic.
  4. The effects and fights overall were really cool to watch and looked great.
  5. It was pretty funny but not too over the top like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was.

Luke

  1. I would say that Tom Holland has become my favorite Spider-man. Not only does he pull of a geeky yet likable Peter Parker, he also has the energy and quips for a good Spider-man.
  2. The villains for the Marvel movies are usually fairly weak (except for Loki of course). I wasn’t sure how they’d pull off Vulture as he was a B-list Villain at best. But Michael Keaton pulled off a performance that made him much more likable and memorable than most other villains in the MCU.

Dislikes:

Adam

  1. There were a couple of times when Spider-man is climbing up walls, and running across rooftops where his movements are somewhat unnatural and it is clearly computer generated. But other times he looks great. It would have been better if they could have kept those effects more consistent.

Luke

  1. Yeah we get it, Aunt May is hot. You don’t have to have 3 jokes back to back at the beginning about it.

Awkward Walk-in Meter: 1/5

Adam:

Spider-man: Homecoming was very clean and fun and the only thing that could be frighting at all is the peril that comes from Spider-man’s fights with the bad guys.

Luke:

Bullies have a nick name for Peter which is Penis Parker.

Overall:

Adam:

This movie was a lot of fun and in my opinion the best Spider-man yet. The humor was there as you would expect from Spider-man but it wasn’t over done. I felt he was way more relatable, and acted closer to how a teenager in this situation would really act. The story and arc for our hero is good. One major twist I did not see coming, and I’m happy that this one genuinely surprised me. Definitely go see this one and stay for the mid credit and post credit scenes.

Luke:

I think this may be equal to or even greater than Spiderman 2 in quality. It was obvious that Sony let Marvel do what they wanted and not ruin it. The humor was on point but still had a solid character arc about Peter learning what it means to be a hero. I was worried about Superhero fatigue until I saw Wonder Woman and Spiderman: Homecoming. So far 2017 has been a solid year for the comic book super hero films.

Mass Effect Andromeda Review

600 Years Through Dark Space

The only experience I have with the Mass Effect series is when I downloaded the demo for Mass Effect 3. I played a couple of minutes of it, had to put it down, then it was lost to memory until now. I’m not saying it was a terrible experience. I remember being fairly busy at the time. I was interrupted with something family related and just forgot to pick it back up. Mass Effect Andromeda’s story starts as the story of Mass Effect 2 concludes but before Mass Effect 3 starts. A rather creative approach as a lot of us, at this point, know how fairly hard it would be to continue after Mass Effect 3. This way, Bioware basically has a clean slate to keep this franchise going.

If only it was successful. I purchased the game on release day and before I could pop it in my PS4 to enjoy, it was already being torn apart by reviewers. A lot of which, if not all, were avid fans of the previous installments. Maybe this was just a case of nostalgia and longing for the glory that once was. The very case that plagues the Final Fantasy franchise. Having practically no experience of what Mass Effect really was about, I harbor no expectations and biased opinions towards the latest installment of the series and perhaps I can provide a different insight.

Minutes into the game and I am already annoyed. Aside from minor mission bugs that truthfully, weren’t game breaking in my case, we have dialog and all kinds of animation issues that start. That’s when I started to truly think about why this game is being ripped apart online.

Dialog:

The majority of which is very cheesy and, for a lack of better description, lifeless. The kind that brings a new and different appreciation for fan fiction authors (not all, but most) out there. Now couple that with lackluster voice acting and you have a recipe for a “skip every scene” button mash.

Animations:

One of the first things you’ll most likely notice is the glaringly awkward animations. Be it your Ryder taking a stroll, jumping, dodging bullets, or just plain talking, its flaw is prominent. At times, my pathfinder runs like a discombobulated clay doll with extremities flailing about seemingly broken. At first, it was actually quite hilarious. But after the 3rd, 4th, the 20th time it occurred, it was no longer as well received. It shouldn’t have been from the start but it had amusement value then. Still, the worst of it all was the facial animation. Games like these that offer character customization, play into the vanity of us gamers.

At least for me, I try to make my characters as good looking and least comical as possible. I understand that looks are subjective but unless it’s on purpose, most of us want a decent looking character. I will have to look at him or her the duration of my time in the game. First, you are provided with meager options on the customization. With what was provided, I tried my best to create a decent looking pathfinder in a decent amount of time. My Ryder somehow came out with a perpetually surprised look. His eyeballs were ready to pop out of their sockets at any given time. Kinda hard to take him seriously especially in solemn, somber scenes. Why even give the option of customization when you’ll just end up distorting and disfiguring us?

Gameplay:

Andromeda offered multiple classes to choose from that one can either customize according to play style or just settle for presets. Each class had its own passive and active skills, both defensive and offensive. I had a blast disposing of those that refused to be nothing more than a pebble in my shoe in fun and creative ways. It complimented the plethora of weapons Andromeda provides quite well. Where its lacking is armor. There are only a few to choose from and you can upgrade them to the max. You’ll need points that can be earned through missions(main and side), exploration, and discovery to upgrade your weapons and armor, so choose wisely where you allocate these points. The combat itself was average but I wasn’t expecting it to be breathtaking so it did its job. There isn’t much more to say really. One aspect I had nothing to gripe about.

Story:

The potential for something amazing exists in Andromeda. I mean, quite literally, there’s a new galaxy for it. You travel over 600 years through dark space trying to escape the threat of extinction in Mass Effect 2. You awake from cryostasis to find yourself at war with a genocidal alien race. You are tasked with the title of Pathfinder and all the responsibilities that come with it. It is your burden to find a new home for the thousands of humans and aliens alike that boarded this expedition. You’re in a monumental adventure, making history, and you would think that your decisions would actually matter. Outside of the main storyline and even in some cases, within in it, it doesn’t. Colonists are being plagued by deserters turned bandits in a recent uprising. You, the Pathfinder, finds a path to quell the injustice and you receive a very forgettable display of gratitude. And if that wasn’t insulting enough, such tasks and requests are duplicated in the rest of the habitable planets in the galaxy. There is no real consequence to the decision you make despite the game’s effort in urging you that there is. You do your valiant grandeur. Speak your eloquently moving speech. They move on indifferently, in most situations,  and so do you to the next rehashed, reskinned call for help. I’ve noticed differences in dialog, so there’s that. Perhaps these adventures would be more meaningful and colorful if you brought along people to share the fun with. Well, you can have up to 6 characters that you can cycle through to form your party of 3 and go pathfinding. Each has their own unique backstory dictating their interactions with your Ryder’s decisions. Given the right response, sex, and preference, you can even have romantic relationships with them. Some of their conversations between each other can be humorous while others, annoying. I didn’t have any favorite and experimented with different combinations especially when doing their own personal quests to earn their utmost loyalty and still came out with generic results.

Replayability:

I suppose a sense of ownership and responsible expenditure saw to it and made sure I at least finished the game getting as much as I can out of my investment. But at some point, I had to tell myself that the fun was exceedingly fleeting when it was there and the rest resembles a Saturday morning chore. Some games rely on their replayability values through grinding for the best armor and the best weapon to own everyone that looked at you funny. And even in that same monotonous grind fun can be found if implemented correctly. A modicum amount can be found here and I feel like I’m being generous with that. It does have an online multiplayer function. But it has microtransaction temptations and nothing you accomplish there can be transferred to your offline file. It might as well be its own separate game.

Overall:

Andromeda was fun–sometimes. But it was overwhelmingly disappointing; mind you, I came into this game with no expectations so that’s saying something. Don’t rent it, don’t buy it. If you must, I’d say wait for that huge price drop and hope that they had fixed the abundance of flaws (I’d list more but they do go on) that are littered throughout the game.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Review

Dead Men Tell No Tales

Unlike the title of the fifth pirates movie, seemingly dead franchises still have tales to tell. It’s been 6 years since the last pirates movie and 10 years since the ending of the Will Turner trilogy. Dead Men Tell No Tales takes place 19-20 years after At World’s End. So was the brief hiatus what the series needed to turn out a sequel that wasn’t lackluster? Does it stack up with the first pirates movie (the only good one)? Let’s find out, eh shavvy?

Likes:

Luke

  1. The story is not a standalone Jack Sparrow adventure like the previous movie, but actually continues off the original trilogy where Will Turner is the captain of the flying dutchman, still cursed to ferry the dead at sea (an ending that I absolutely hated). The story continues with his son, Henry Turner, seeking the Trident of Poseidon, that has the power to break his father’s curse.  I love that the film is basically seeking to fix the ending that I hated so much.
  2. The new villain played by the brilliant Javier Bardem, is truly a foe worthy of his infamy among pirates. The problem that many of the previous pirate movies had (except the first one) was the insistent of adding antagonists to the point where it’s hard to keep track of everyone’s motivations. This movie starts off as having a secondary antagonist but half way through the movie is taken out of the picture. I was relieved to say at least the plot wasn’t a muddy mess that the previous movies were. By the end of the movie, it was very clear who the protagonists and the antagonists were.
  3. The action scenes were dynamic and unique. Some were really outlandish but I had to remind myself that this was a movie about ghost pirates seeking a mythical trident. If you loved the silly action set pieces from the previous movies, then you’ll be right at home with this one.

Adam

  1. Captain Hector Barbossa was magnificently played by Geoffrey Rush. The amount of acting that he could do with just his facial expressions and how much he could convey was simply amazing. He went through the whole range of emotions and I love the arc that he has made through the series. Any time that he is on screen is great.
  2. The effects for this movie were top notch. The way Captain Salazar and his crew looked and what they were able to do was just amazing. The overall look of the movie was beautiful.

Dislikes:

Luke

  1. While the new characters aren’t as boring as the previous movie, the next generation probably won’t have the lasting effect as the original characters. Carina, the new female lead was pretty good as the scientist astronomer which is different for the series. Henry Turner was just a less interesting Will Turner though. Jack Sparrow is beginning to lack his charm. They set up Jack to be a washed up has-been who is a dying breed of pirate which would have been interesting had they not promptly dropped it once the adventure started and he went about doing his usual thing. They really need to find a new angle for him, or maybe give him an arc for once, like the first movie.
  2. I don’t like the implications that the post credits scene made. The ending of this movie was quite satisfying and they’re trying to muddy it up with sequel bait.

Adam

  1. I was very disappointed with Jack in this film. In all of the other films he is almost always in control of the situation and if something doesn’t quite go his way he has back up plans. In this film he very rarely seemed to have a plan and when the plans he did have went wrong he didn’t have backup plans. I agree with Luke, he lost some of his charm and also some of his wit.
  2. The post credit scene was completely sequel bait and, I feel, didn’t make any sense based on how the movie ended. They are making and exception to the films resolution just for the sake of a sequel.

Awkward Walk-in Meter: 2/5

Luke:

There is some suggestive humor in it that will likely go over the kid’s heads. Pirates drinking rum is a mainstay of the series. Some parts might be too scary for the little ones. It’s your typical PG-13 movie.

Overall:

Luke: 

It’s safe to say that this movie is the second best pirates movie to date. Not hard to do as the last three were pretty lackluster. There are a lot of things this movie does right that the previous movies failed to do but it still doesn’t live up to the charm of the original pirates movie. If you were disappointed in the ending of At World’s End, you will want to see this movie as it delivers a much more satisfying conclusion for all your favorite characters from the first pirate films. So while this movie wasn’t great like the first movie, it was at the very least good.

Adam:

Dead Men Tell No Tales was a good attempt to return to what the was so good about the first film. It didn’t quite make it there but there was still a lot of good in it. There was several touching moments that were lacking from many of the other films and several character arc were excellent. The ending of the movie was extremely satisfying and clean. If you are a fan of Curse of the Black Pearl then go see this one in theaters.

Ghost In The Shell (2017) Movie Review

Ghost in the Shell

Here’s some context for Ghost in the Shell. It’s based off the classic anime film in 1995 with the same name. It’s a landmark anime classic that became cyberpunk stable. The deep philosophical themes elevated it past a cartoon and into one of the most beloved sci-fi animated films ever made. I recently watched it for the first time several weeks ago to prepare for this movie. I can say that I became a fan and watched the second movie and a few episodes of Stand Alone Complex, the TV anime series. So how does Hollywood’s adaptation compare to one of the most important anime ever made?

Likes:

  1. Let’s first address the elephant in the room concerning this movie. It’s been given a lot of backlash from fans of the anime for its controversial casting of Scarlet Johansson as The Major, a Japanese character being played by a white actor. I can understand why many people are upset by this. It follows a trend in Hollywood movies that white actors are needed to promote a film and casting minorities into major roles is financial suicide. Even though there are several examples where this isn’t the case, it has been an issue in American films since forever. If you are a fan planning on boycotting this movie because of the casting, I will ask you to reconsider. Without getting into spoilers, this is actually addressed in the film and I personally think they handled it brilliantly. I really want to watch this movie again with some Asian friends of mine and have a discussion about how this film dealt with the white-washing and get their opinions on it. I plan on writing about this further in detail with spoilers included next week when I get to have this discussion. I don’t wish to have this get political but our mission here at GMF is to promote inclusiveness across the spectrum of Geek culture. I think racial inclusivity is very much a part of that. I think this discussion will be both interesting and important. So yes I recommend seeing this movie so you can prepare for that discussion as well.
  2. That said, I think Scarlett Johansson’s performance of the Major was very well done. She had the confidence in her abilities and intellect that made her a badass. At the same time she showed the lack of confidence in her humanity that drove her to get answers about her identity and purpose in life. Both features that are shown in the anime.
  3. The main reason why I went to see this movie is because of the production design and it does not disappoint. This is the anime in live action, the sets are both beautiful and disturbing as any good cyberpunk should be where ads are littered everywhere but sitting behind the flashy holograms is a society that is dirty.
  4. The supporting cast I believe were all true to the characters in the original anime as well espeically Batou and Aramaki (The Chief). Aramaki by the way is played by Japanese actor Takeshi Kitano, speaks japanese throughout the whole movie and like the anime, is a badass that doesn’t take crap from anyone. I loved that character and how he was played in this.
  5. The pacing on this movie was good, I was engaged throughout the whole movie.

Dislikes:

  1. This movie had a few things that didn’t make sense like why they designed an interrogation collar that made it possible to bring one’s own neck. Then there was a character action or something that didn’t make sense that I can’t remember. But overall its pretty nit-picky things.

Awkward Walk-In Meter: 3/5

While the nudity was turned down considerably from the original to get the PG-13 rating, there are still plenty of spots where there is synthetic skin showing. Granted having an android body doesn’t include nipples, so it didn’t really count I guess? The cloaking suit The Major wears is skin tight but is covered. Overall it is actually tastefully done though. The violence is a bit harder than your typical PG-13 superhero movie but the blood which was in the trailer was cut out of the film. I would be interested to see if they release an R or Unrated Version down the line.

Overall:

The worst thing this movie could have been is boring, predictable and untrue to the source material. Fortunately none of these things are the case. As you can tell I actually loved this movie. I can’t say that it’s better than the original but it succeeded as an adaptation. I think a lot of critics are seeing this movie as a remake which is unfortunate. The philosophical themes of this movie on identity are different and unique to this version (which I will write about next week). So it doesn’t seek to imitate or replace the original but be its own unique version of the setting and characters of the beloved anime with an international lens. If you go into this movie with that mind set you will probably enjoy it. Again, if you are a fan that is boycotting for the whitewashing, do reconsider and check it out. You may be surprised with how smart this Hollywood blockbuster actually is.

Rogue One is Here!

The Holiday season has come and gone and we have received our now annual Star Wars gift. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was released on Friday December 16 (December 15 if you were able to catch an early screening). It is about the events that happen immediately before Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope. It is a stand alone Star Wars movie that is not one of the episodes. Let’s take a look at our Likes and Dislikes.

 

Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert! 

DO NOT READ ON IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS. 

Adam –

Likes

  1. I like that you weren’t hit head with an explanation for everything. In the Prequels I felt like there was so much exposition explaining everything. In A New Hope there are many things that are just mentioned but not explained like the Kessel Run and (initially) the Clone Wars. It left a lot to imagination. Jyn’s time with Saw growing up is not explained very much, and Mon Mothma and Bail Organa reference both Obi-Wan and Leia with out actually mentioning their name, to name a few examples.
  2. The more I think about it the more I like how they showed the darker side of the rebellion. Cassian killing an informant just to keep him quiet, General Draven ordering Jyn’s father killed, Cassian’s confession for the Rogue One strike team. It makes the rebellion just so much more realistic and believable.
  3. Darth Vader. I felt like this Vader was closer to the Empire Strikes Back Vader, not taking crap from anyone and more fully using his powers. I absolutely loved the scene when he appears in the rebel ship and starts taking on the the troopers.
  4. The space battle over Scarif. I loved the use of the classic X-wings and Y-wings, especially the use of the ion bombs to disable the Star Destroyer. I also loved the way they showed how desperate the situation way when they used a Blockade Runner to ram the Star Destroyer down into the shield generator.
  5. K-2SO. He was funny, sarcastic, full of personality, and ended up having a big heart.

Dislikes

  1. Saw Gerrara. I didn’t feel Saw was a well developed character and he seemed to out there. They could have gotten around using him.
  2. Saw’s mind/feeling reading beast, Bor Gullet. It was made out to be this menacing thing but is was short lived. Then the side effects of “going out of your mind” were overcome by 1-2 min of conversation.
  3. Princess Leia. I love the fact that she was in it but I didn’t like the lingering shot on her face. They did an amazing job. I was impressed with how close they were able get her face to the original Leia but it was still in uncanny valley and it bothered me. I would have been happier if they would have just shown her from the back.

My initial feeling for this movie was “Meh it was good. Not in my Star Wars tops but definitely not the worst either”. However as I have been thinking back on the movie, seeing it the second time and  playing parts of it back in my head, I have grown to like it more and more.