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WlfPc187
Reviews
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002)
Whoa... Childhood flashbacks...
I saw the Pilot movie ("The Beginning") from my friend who had taped it. WHOA! I was transported instantly back to my childhood. Watching the new series, I don't feel 19 anymore... I feel like I'm 5 years old again, sitting in front of the TV with my electronic/Light-Up He-Man sword and chanting "By The Power Of Greyskull..." all over again. It's a trip.
The new series is strikingly true to the original series, save for some minor differences (Trapjaw and Man-At-Arm's Robotic limbs, Tri-Klops' doomseeker, and Teela actually being involved for once beyond being a background character!). The storyline, so far has stayed true to its roots, whilst trying to establish itself as something different at the same time. It's a true work of beauty.
And with all the different age groups (The old-and-want-to-relive-childhood group [18-25], the I-remember-having-to-buy-my-kids-that-crap group [35-50], and the new I-watch-Dragonball-Z-and-like-this-show-too group [below 18]) watching this show, Cartoon Network's sure to have a ratings bonanza, with this and the new Transformers series in the timeslot immediately after this.
THANK YOU CARTOON NETWORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Animal Farm (1999)
Great Movie, but at what cost?
I watched The TNT Original "Animal Farm" and I must say, WOW. I've read the book many times over, and this is a better adaptation than that cheesy animated movie. BUT let's see what they had to change, and what impact it had.
First off, an obvious thing is that they left out the entire Molly-Ribbon affair. Another thing is the TV/News Reels. The book was set when they didn't have TV or News Reels, but the addition of those in the movie added some comedy to it.
But the most obvious thing would be the ending. In the book, it ends with an apocolyptic scene in which Napoleon wears Human clothes and becomes just like a human. It says nothing about the animals becoming free. However, In the movie, the apocolyptic stuff is turned into a scene where Napoleon announces all animals on the farm are free. Is that screwed up or what?!?!?!
besides those minute mishaps and changes, the movie stayed very true to the book. And adding Pete Postlewaite as Farmer Jones was an excellent move, as he portrayed his character vividly, as he does with all of his roles. Patrick Stewart was a good choice for Napoleon's voice as well. Stewart could do good at anything, even portraying a rock!
That's all I have to say about "Animal Farm". On my scale of *****, I give this movie a ****½ rating.
Tarzan (1999)
A "Whole New Experience"...
I just saw Tarzan last week, and I can summarize it in one word... WOW. Disney broke all the limits and records with this movie. The 3-D animation they incorporated into it only further enhanced an already beautiful movie, in both storyline and animation. It was unlike (literally) any other Disney movie I have seen to date.
The animation alone is worth seeing the movie for. From the stunning trees that seem to "pop out" at you, to the breathtaking water animation, this movie is the epitome of an animated masterpiece. Forget "Snow White", push "Lady and the Tramp" out the way, because Tarzan deserves an instant spot in the Disney Masterpiece collection.
The storyline is very well written... which is unusual for a Disney movie. There were scenes in which I wanted to cry (very few movies can do that), and there were also the scenes where you want to laugh your head off. It was a very well balanced movie in terms of emotional scenes.
In characterization, Terk had to be my favorite... she portrays a VERY typical "best friend" type in the way she behaves around Tarzan. In some respects, however, Terk was also the proverbial "stick in the mud" of the movie. Her unwillingness to help Tarzan near the end was, in my eyes, cruel and uncalled for. Rosie O'Donnell was the perfect choice for her, in every aspect.
So, with all the above in mind, I give the movie my personal rating: ******½ out of a seven star system. Fine family fun for everyone.
Spawn (1997)
A slight disappointment
First off, let me say that this movie was a slight disappointment, as I am a HUGE fan of the comic book.
First off, Todd McFarlane should have gotten someone better to direct the movie. This A.Z. Dippé didn't capture the feel of the original comic. The comic wasn't as dark as the movie... it was darker.
Second off, John Leguizamo as the Clown? My Mom would've been a better person for the Clown! The Clown wasn't supposed to be as stupid as he was portrayed. He is a human disguise of a demon from hell... Leguizamo played him so much as a funny man that you forgot that he was a demon at all! And he could've scratched some of the jokes... they were (for the most part) sick and disgusting. I think a better candidate would be Warwick Davis, who has experience playing short bad guys.
Now on the flip side, Michael Jai White was a relief in the role of Al Simmons. He pulled off the "[angry] assassin" very well. Even in the death scene (which should've been different) he pulled off a good performance.
Martin Sheen was a good candidate for Wynn. He did a good job at being a supreme [jerk] and I commend him on that. He should've died, though.
All in all, I was slightly disappointed in the film as a whole. However, I hope Todd reads this and remembers it while doing Spawn 2.