Category Archives: Fantasy

2015, Action, Adam Driver, Adventure, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, Domhnall Gleeson, Fantasy, Harrison Ford, John Boyega, Max von Sydow, Oscar Isaac, Science Fiction, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)

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Honestly, there is no point in reading this review until after you’ve seen the movie. There is no way that my review of a Star Wars movie will influence your decision to see it or not. So this review will have spoilers. To be clear, this is not a review to belittle, but rather my honest thoughts on the film, not a recommendation on whether you should see it. If you come here quickly to look at the score, I gave it an 89/100. Undoubtedly, if you’ve watched the other films, you’ll want to see this one in the theater. If you’re new to the franchise and wonder which movies you need to see before watching Episode VII, I would recommend watching IV, V, and VI. Those are the ones that will help you best understand this film. You don’t need to see I, II, or III. I’m not sure if you can fully appreciate VII without seeing IV, V, and VI first. It is assumed that you have seen these films. If you haven’t, there is no real effort or desire to explain anything that happened in the past.

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2015, Academy Award Nominees, Aksel Hennie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Fantasy, Jeff Daniels, Jessica Chastain, Kate Mara, Kristin Wiig, Mackenzie Davis, Matt Damon, Michael Pena, Ridley Scott, Science Fiction, Sean Bean, Sebastian Stan, The Martian

The Martian (2015)

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Fans of the self-published debut novel will not be disappointed by Ridley Scott’s (Alien, Gladiator) adaptation of Andy Weir’s The Martian. This is a good movie that should be viewed in 3D on the largest screen that you can see it on. While it doesn’t come close to delivering the same experience as Gravity or even Interstellar, it is one of the rare movies that truly benefits from being seen in 3D. Before I get into this review, I want to mention that I will try to write it from the standpoint of someone who has not read the fictional novel as best as I can, as I know this is something that most people have not read. With that said, I will refer to the book.

I will present some spoilers, but I will provide notice before diving into any of these. If you read around the paragraphs marked spoilers, you will be okay with reading this review before seeing this movie. The Martian is a very good movie, but it is not great. I was not disappointed by it. If I hadn’t read the novel, I think that maybe the trailers and the hype would have left me wanting more. This movie currently sits as my #6 movie of 2015, but I believe there is less than a 1% chance it will finish in my end-of-year top 10. It didn’t have the emotional impact Gravity had, nor does it have the What did I miss? I need to watch this movie again type of feeling Interstellar had. Also, as I will touch on later, something was missing from the performances overall, especially given that Scott landed the cast of the year. While I will heavily critique this movie, I really liked it. It was a very good adaptation of the book. It held my interest throughout its 2 hours and 15 minutes.

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2015, Action, Adventure, Ansel Elgort, Fantasy, Insurgent, Jai Courtney, Kate Winslet, Mekhi Phifer, Miles Teller, Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, Robert Schwentke, Shailene Woodley, Theo James

Insurgent (2015)

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As I mentioned near the end of my review on Divergent, what is Kate Winslet (The Reader, Little Children) doing in a movie franchise like this? Anybody could have played the role of this minor character. There isn’t any depth to her character. The movie isn’t going to win any awards. And Winslet could be spending her time in films that showcase her acting prowess. I understand it from the film’s standpoint. Why not get another big name? Even if it costs 10+ times as much money as getting an unknown actor, it makes sense. The movie covers its costs in the first week or two anyway.

I’ve always come back to the fact that appearing in movies such as Insurgent allows her to sustain her way of life to take on more roles in independent films that can’t afford to pay her as much because they won’t make as much at the box office. And if this is the reason, then I am cool with it. I am willing to give Naomi Watts (The Ring, The Impossible), who also appears in this movie, the same leeway. It does bother me that these talented actresses are merely supporting less-talented actors and actresses in a film that relies on young-adult fantasy and adventure scenes rather than their leads’ performances. Nonetheless, I’m willing to accept this, hoping that Winslet and Watts will continue to deliver Oscar-contending performances in future films.

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2015, Action, Ant Man, Anthony Mackie, Bobby Cannavale, Comedy, Corey Stoll, Evangeline Lilly, Fantasy, Michael Douglas, Michael Pena, Paul Rudd, Peyton Reed, Science Fiction

Ant-Man (2015)

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I’ll preface this review by saying that I liked Ant-Man, but that I know that if I do end up seeing Ant-Man 2, I won’t enjoy it. I say that because traditionally I like superhero origin stories (except for when that same character gets retold over and over and over again like Superman, which, on a side note, I have yet to see a Superman movie that I’ve even remotely enjoyed, but I am expecting huge things from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice). However, as with over 90% of movies that have sequels, superhero movies generally get worse (usually much worse) with each subsequent release.

Of course, there are exceptions. Batman Begins was fantastic, but The Dark Knight is my favorite superhero movie. Iron Man and Spider-Man are both incredible movies, but there wasn’t much drop-off to Iron Man 2 or Spider-Man 2. Now Iron Man 3 and Spider-Man 3 were both much worse. But when you think about it, when is the 5th, 4th, or 3rd movie of a franchise ever really the best one? Hardly ever. 90% of the time, it’s the first franchise movie that is the best. I wish viewer franchises would make movies. I want to see even fewer remakes. But that is a different topic for another day. Continue reading Ant-Man (2015) →

2015, Action, Adventure, B.D. Wong, Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt, Colin Trevorrow, Fantasy, Irfan Khan, Jurassic World, Nick Robinson, Science Fiction, Suspense, Ty Simpkins, Vincent D'Onofrio

Jurassic World (2015)

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It’s been 12 years since we last saw the Tyrannosaurus Rex tearing up the supposedly revamped dinosaur park in Jurassic Park III. While much better than the 50% rating it earned on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie signaled the end of the franchise. Gone were Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum. There was talk over the last decade to reinvigorate the series, but nothing ever materialized. Then came the decision to call this Jurassic World rather than Jurassic Park IV and add all-new players to the game.

Had this movie been released in 2005 (to continue the pattern of every three years), this movie would have stunk. Even with its 2015 release date, it still could have stunk. But it didn’t stink. It wasn’t the original (93% on Rotten Tomatoes and $350 million domestically + another $50 million on re-release in 2013, not to mention the millions it earned overseas and through rentals). However, it was still very, very good. If this were the first movie with “Jurassic” in the title, it would have earned a higher rating than its respectable 71% on Rotten Tomatoes. With over $200 million drawn on opening weekend, it’s likely to smash any of its predecessors at the box office (by contrast, Jurassic Park earned just $50 million in its first weekend). Regardless, if the movie received a rating of over 65% fresh, it would probably do very well at the ticket office. I didn’t think it would do this well. But it deserves its positive reviews and its revenue. It was a very entertaining movie, and I recommend seeing it on the big screen.

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