Our very own #Calyxium took to the cinema to watch the new Marvel blockbuster Guardians Of The Galaxy. Let's see if it holds up to the criticism of TVBF's finest.
Despite being a huge Marvel, superhero, and sci-fi fan, I regarded the buzz for Guardians of the Galaxy with a lot of scepticism. Two of the heroes are a giant tree and a talking raccoon, for goodness' sake, and I consider myself well past the age when it is appropriate to find anthropomorphic foliage and furry critters charming. Imagine my chagrin, therefore, when I find myself forced to say that the walking plant and the talking raccoon really do steal the show. Guardians of the Galaxy Genre: Comedy, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Action. Age Certification: PG-13 / 12A. Director: James Gunn. Writers: James Gunn, Nicole Perlman, based on the comic book by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. Notable Actors: Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana. Released: 31st July 2014, English. Plot Outline: Light years from Earth, 26 years after being abducted, Peter Quill - an intergalactic scavenger and outlaw - finds he's bitten off more than he can chew when his newest score is being hunted by the terrifying Ronan the Accuser. Review Acting: 6.8/10 The acting in this film is incredibly polarized. On the one hand, the performance Bradley Cooper gives for his character is outstanding. Rocket, ironically, is by far the most believable, human character and Cooper delivers perfectly. Likewise, against all odds Vin Diesel (playing a sentient tree!) manages to bring the character of Groot to life and make him seem considerably more human than any of the human characters, although how much of that is Vin Diesel and how much is excellent CG1, I have no idea. Chris Pratt as Peter Quill does the best he can with the writing he's given, and pulls off most of the comic moments very well. In contrast, Zoe Saldana's performance is flat and mediocre, Lee Pace as Ronan is another pedestrian supervillain with confused and unclear motives, and does nothing to inject life or menace into his character. Michael Rooker, best known for his role on The Walking Dead, gives an astonishingly poor performance, over-acting to the point of disbelief, and delivering one cringe-worthy cheesy moment after another. It's all downhill from there, with the rest of the supporting cast only adding to the embarrassing cheese-fest. Writing: 5.6/10 When the writing is good, it's wonderful, but when it's bad, it's dreadful. This is a long entry, so I'm splitting it into sections to score individually.
Sound/Music: 8/10 Although the music wasn't to my personal taste, it was a plot point and the music selections and timing perfectly punctuated the tone of the film, and of certain action sequences, as well as adding to the character of Peter Quill. Visuals: 10/10 I'd like to rate this higher. This was, without doubt, the best visual cinematic experience I've had. Avatar at the IMAX, eat your heart out. I saw this in 3D and was impressed by just how much 3D technology has improved in the last couple of years. The special effects were magnificent, the CGI and costuming were absolutely perfect, which was of particular importance in adding emotional depth to the characters of Rocket and Groot. Beyond that, the visual design for characters, costumes, ships and objects, and in particular the huge settings and starscapes were absolutely breathtaking. They were ingenious, creative, colourful and stunningly beautiful. "Feels": 3/10 Feels is something I really look for in a film. I want to emotionally connect with the characters, care about them, worry for them, hurt with them. I didn't get that here. This could partially be because I had part of the film spoiled for me before I watched it, but when that scene came I thought it was handled clunkily at first. There was only one moment when I actually connected with a character and felt something beyond the general humour and fun of the film. Personal Experience: [MILD PLOT SPOILERS] So far, this review has been pretty critical. I should stress that I hugely enjoyed this film, and I had a great time watching it. If I was only scoring "comedy", "fun", and "visuals" it'd be a resounding 10/10. Unfortunately that's not the case, and the film does have its problems. In spite of that, however, it's extremely fun to watch with non-stop, beautifully choreographed action, genuinely funny humour, absolutely amazing visuals, and some really great characters. I particularly enjoyed the ships that connected together to form the huge shield, and the visual design of Knowhere was as ingenious as it was gorgeous. While the outlaw crew of space cowboys isn't a new idea (*coughFireflycough*) it's still an incredibly fun premise to watch, and a nice change from the previous Marvel films. I was hoping to connect more emotionally with it, but the only moment I did, and consequently my favourite part of the film was watching Rocket have a vulnerable moment when he expresses his frustration at being constantly reviewed as a rodent when he had no control over his creation. This film set-up events for future Marvel films, and I will be really excited to see the Guardians of the Galaxy return, and see them tackle Thanos with the Avengers. I spent almost every moment of the film delighted, either by the action sequences, stunning design and visuals, or laughing. The moments that I didn't, however, I was cringing at the awful support characters, confused by the plot holes or annoyed by the lazy writing of poorer characters or character decisions that didn't make sense. Would you recommend this movie to others? I'd definitely recommend this film to others. Although I suspect it was aimed at a younger audience, and I missed some of the humour, there was plenty for adults to enjoy. It certainly wasn't perfect, but in spite of its flaws it was incredibly enjoyable, a 2 hour fun-fest of action, genuinely funny humour and the most breathtakingly-stunning visuals I've ever seen. I'd recommend it based on the visuals alone, but the film also brings plenty of fun, a couple of genuinely loveable characters and a lot of humour as well. Overall Rating: 6.7/10 Averaged from above scores. However, as I said, this film was incredibly enjoyable and I'd certainly recommend seeing it. Captain Amurica is taking time out of his busy schedule fighting HYDRA to tell us what he thinks about his web-slinging pal, The Amazing Spider-Man.
The Amazing Spider-Man Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi Age Certification: PG-13 Director: Marc Webb Writers: James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent, Steve Kloves Notable Actors: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen, Sally Field Release: 4/16/2012(Tokyo), 5/2/2012(US), English Synopsis: Peter Parker is an average teenager who attempts to discover his father's secrets which lead him to his destiny of becoming Spider-Man. Review Acting: 9/10 Each character felt brilliantly cast and I felt with each character with the exception of the Lizard. This isn't an acting problem but more of a writing one. I didn't connect with him that well, he didn't express much personality and he wasn't fleshed out. Other than that, everyone was cast perfectly and played their roles really well. Writing: 9/10 The story was really good and well written but again, I feel like they could've fleshed out the Lizard more, but this is a minor issue compared to everything else and it was a great story that kept me interested. Sound/Music: 8/10 I'm not one to pick out music from the background of a movie, simply because I'm too invested in the story, but I felt like this movie had a good soundtrack and fit the movie and the scenes rather well. Visuals: 10/10 I loved the visuals and the action sequences. They were awesome and they felt really well made. It looked very impressively made and I give props to Marc Webb for the great visuals. "Feels": 10/10 [MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS] The feels were good in the movie. I really felt bad for Peter as Uncle Ben died and as Captain Stacey gave a dying wish to leave Gwen alone was touching and I felt for him. This was a great thing as I don't often have feels in these movies but this was well executed. Personal Experiences: I never read comic books as a kid so these kinds of movies are somewhat new to me but I love them all the same and this movie was no exception. One thing I did like is how they toned down the action sequences to focus more on the story. There's obvious action still and it was awesome but I loved the greater emphasis on story. It made for a nice change of pace with the usual superhero movies these days. Would I recommend it? Yes I would because it has awesome action, a surprisingly good story,and it has awesome visuals and effects. For the superhero movie fan this movie is gonna be awesome. If you're not you may still find entertainment in the story. This is a great movie I recommend for anyone to check out. Overall Rating: 9.5/10 The incredible %Limbo Hengoku has yet another review lined up. I wonder if he turns green while writing those!
The Incredible Hulk Genre: Sci-fi, Thriller, Action Age Certification: PG 13 Director: Louis Leterrier Writer: Zak Penn, Based on The Incredible Hulk by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby Notable Actors: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, Tim Blake Nelson, Ty Burrell, William Hurt Release: 6/13/2008, English Plot Outline: Dr. Bruce Banner, thanks to a gamma ray experiment gone wrong, transforms into a giant green-skinned hulk whenever his heart rate gets too high. Meanwhile, a soldier uses the same technology to become an evil version of the original. Review Acting: 9/10 The acting was good and the actors are believable. Edward Norton was a really good Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk. He fit his role perfectly. Everyone else was good, too, but I felt like it could've been better. I also enjoyed the Hulk's voice over. Writing: 9/10 The story was interesting and the characters were introduced. There was decent character development and there are no unnecessary scenes. Sound/Music: 10/10 The sound track was enjoyable and fit each scene perfectly. It influenced each moment in a good way and the sound effects were cool, too. Visuals: 9/10 Everything looked great and added to overall experience. CGI was decent, but could've been better. "Feels": 7/10 I did feel emotionally invested because The Incredible Hulk had very touching moments. The relationship between Bruce Banner/The Hulk and Betty Ross was really touching. This movie as a whole was exciting and kept me at the edge of my seat. It pretty much had me happy the entire time. Personal Experiences: One of the things I loved about this movie was how they illustrated Bruce Banner dealing with The Hulk on a daily basis. I also loved the big contrast between Bruce Banner and The Hulk and also liked him as Bruce Banner. Furthermore, I enjoyed how, whenever Betty was involved in bad situations, The Hulk tries his hardest to protect her from any form of harm. I liked seeing Bruce Banner trying to cure himself and I love it when he "hulks out" and starts wrecking things. I'd say my least favorite part was when The Hulk and Abomination fought in all their CGI glory. It was entertaining and cool to watch but to me it was the least interesting part of the movie. But all in all this movie pleased me well. Overall rating: 8.5/10 Would I recommend it? Yes I would recommend because this is a movie that everyone should give a shot at. It's worth the watch. %Limbo Hengoku is on a review spree! He has taken it upon himself to review the 2012 Marvel movie The Avengers.
The Avengers Genre: Action, Fantasy, Sci-fi Age Certification: PG-13 Director: Joss Whedon Writers: Zak Penn, Joss Whedon Notable Actors: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgård, Samuel L. Jackson Release: 4/5/2012, English Plot Outline: Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. assembles a team of superheroes to save the planet from Loki and his army. Review Acting: 10/10 The acting was perfect and believable. everyone did a great job in The Avengers. Writing: 10/10 The story was interesting and the characters were introduced properly. Some good character development was included as well. Not only were all the characters relevant to the story and believable, there were absolutely no unnecessary scenes. Sound/Music: 10/10 The soundtrack was good and fit each scene perfectly. It influenced all scenes positively. Furthermore, the sound effects were amazing. Visuals: 10/10 Everything looked great in The Avengers it was a feast to the eyes. The cinematography was good as well, with great shots of the characters. "Feels": 8/10 This movie was hype and execting. It had me on the edge of my seat. It had some funny moment as well. I could relate to Thor because of his relationship with Loki. There were some touching moments in The Avengers, too. It was exciting as a whole and had me hyped up. I was very happy when watching this movie. Personal Experiences: The Avengers was really cool. I liked everyone in it and Loki is really bad ass. I liked him better here than I did in the Thor movie. From the moment he came on screen I was baffled as to how they were going tobeat him. Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner was very enjoyable, too. When he hulks out he is pretty bad ass. I honestly did not want this movie to end and there is nothing I did not like about it. Overall Rating: 9.5/10 He's your friendly neighbourhood reviewer, +Limbo Hengoku here to tell us about Spidey's latest film, Marvel's The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-fi Age Certification: PG-13 Director: Marc Webb Writers: Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner. Based on The Amazing Spider-Man by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko Notable Actors: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Campbell Scott, Embeth Davidtz, Colm Feore, Paul Giamatti, Sally Field Released: May 2, 2014, original language English Plot Outline: Peter Parker runs the gauntlet as the mysterious company Oscorp sends up a slew of super villains against him, impacting his life. Review Acting: 9/10 Acting was solid and believable. Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spider-Man was really good in the movie. Everyone did solid work overall as their respective characters. Also Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone worked really well together in this movie. Writing: 7/10 The story was interesting and introduced the characters well. Also had some good character development. There are moments when the story dragged on and it felt repetitive. It could have been condensed. Visuals: 9/10 The characters looked good in their own unique way. Also liked the cinematography as well. The movie looks really cool as well when Spider-Man does his Spider-Man things. When he free falls you see his spider suit rippling like he's really doing a free fall. On top of that the scenery also looked great as well. Sound/Music: 8/10 The soundtrack sounded really cool and fit each situation well, even influencing emotional moments or punctuating action scenes. The sound effects were good as well. I also really liked the Electro's theme song, it went really with him. Feels: 7/10 There were a couple of very touching moments in this movie and it feeds into it overall but I just feel like it went on for to long. Also liked the reconnecting relationship Peter and Harry had in this movie, it was very relate-able. There are very emotional scenes as well in this movie. I choked up in one part of the movie. Aside from that the whole movie kept me happy and excited. Would I recommend it? Yes I would recommend this movie because it is a cool movie. It looked great, it was exciting and has all the cool Spider-Manish things you would want in this movie and you will like it. Overall Rating: 7.5/10 Personal Experience: This movie had me conflicted. There were scenes I liked that were incredibly emotional and I thought they were very effective. However, there were also scenes or concepts that I didn't like, and thought that they were stupid, sloppy and poorly executed. In the end this movie was a fun time but wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. I wanted this movie to be like movie of the year or something. I wanted it to be the best Spider-Man experience. But I still enjoyed it anyway. My favorite parts were when Spider-Man used his Spider-sense. Guardians of the Galaxy is the newest film in the Marvel Universe, releasing most places on July 31st, and has generated a lot of hype. TVBF user Factor saw it and reviewed the movie for us!
Guardians Of The Galaxy Rating: PG-13 Director: John Gunn Writer: John Gunn Notable Actors: Chris Patt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, John C. Reilly. Released: August 1st, English Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-fi Synopsis: In the far reaches of space, an American pilot named Peter Quill finds himself the object of a manhunt after stealing an orb coveted by the villainous Ronan. Review Acting: 9/10 I felt that most of the characters were very believable and enjoyable to sit through and brought a very humorous experience. Writing: 7/10 The writing was very good but sometimes it felt out of place, but not enough to feel awkward and draw me away from the experience. There weren't many, if any, plot holes that would confuse viewers. Directing: 10/10 Everything was directed perfectly and the action was very well executed, I was hooked until the very end. Soundtrack: 10/10 The soundtrack was awesome and every time there was a song it fit very well with the scene that was playing and enhanced it spectacularly. Visuals: 8/10 The visuals were superb and made very well and looked very real in my honest opinion and look very detailed. "Feels": 8/10 I felt that I could bond with many characters very well and I felt what they felt most of the time and could easily analyze the characters. Would I recommend it? Of course, this movie is spectacular no doubt and should be seen by everyone, superhero fan or not because it lived up to the hype it was given and should be looked upon as a future classic in sci-fi adventure history. Overall Rating: 9/10 a must see! My Personal Experience: [MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS] Click "Read More" to view. |
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