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jordan-allan84
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Godzilla (2014)
Godzilla (2014)
There hasn't been a good Godzilla movie for far too long. The whole 'monster movie' has actually been pretty dormant recently, with only a few movies like Pacific Rim to give the genre some life.
Now Godzilla is back; with solid action and CGI as well as a competent cast. The action is very well paced, and the monster itself moves in a realistic way; it feels like Godzilla is truly powerful as well as massive - reportedly the biggest it has ever been. The animation rarely calls itself into question too, and the massive amount of CGI used doesn't detract from the movie at all. The impact in the battles is so believable it made me flinch, if you're thinking of seeing Godzilla it has to be in 3D! Bryan Cranston does a great job in his role, as one expects, and the rest of the cast are okay too... most of the cast, anyway.
The human protagonist for much of the movie is Ford Brody, Bryan Cranston's character's son. Played by Aaron Taylor-Johnston, and I have to admit that this character wasn't up to scratch. I never got a connection from Taylor-Johnston at all, I genuinely didn't believe a word he said and I didn't buy into his motivations at all. I'm not a Taylor-Johnson fan, and the fact that he has been cast as Quicksilver of the Marvel Universe makes me nervous.
Godzilla is an overall good movie, dotted with some noticeable flaws. The two hour run-time contains loads of surprises that the trailers didn't give away too, which is nice. If you've read this far into my review then you must be interested - go see it, you'll regret missing it.
47 Ronin (2013)
I honestly can't decide
Watching 47 Ronin is a strange experience. In between sequences I often asked myself if I was enjoying the movie - and I'm still not sure. It was so... odd.
It seems to me that newbie director Carl Rinsch was slightly out of his depth on this project. Perhaps the task of condensing the massive Japanese legend into a viewer friendly chunk was too much; while the aim was to create a flowing tapestry of history, the movie turned out to be more of a patchwork quilt. There was an unexpected element of fantasy in '47 Ronin' which wasn't really advertised. Although what IS done is done well, the 'swords and sorcery' portions of the movie didn't really fit into place with the traditional settings and it all felt a little messy. It seemed that the creative team couldn't decide whether to keep it as a true representation or give it a fantastic spin.
There were a few things that worked well too. The visuals were outstanding throughout; the bright colours and costumes were awesome and the backdrops were perfect. If I could re-watch the movie on mute then I would. It might flow a bit better that way. Keanu Reeves doesn't disappoint, although no other member of the cast was particularly impressive, arguably with the exception of villain Tadanobu Asano.
In the end, I did enjoy the movie. I might have checked my watch more than a few times, and I might have laughed at some of the cliché lines, and I might have questioned certain parts of the movie, but I did enjoy it. If I could give it 6.5/10 then I would, but I can't, so it's a 6.
Doctor Who: The Long Game (2005)
Even If I Could, I Wouldn't Edit This One
This is by far my favourite episode of Season 1 of Dr Who for several reasons.
First of all, it steers clear of clichés, something that the creative teams behind "World War Three" and similar atrocities could learn from. Rose Tyler isn't her usual helpless self either and, sparingly, she isn't a big part of this episode.
I also loved the casting in this one too, Simon Pegg does a great job as the villain "The Editor", and the rest of the cast are impressive too.
With a few quips and a fast-paced and entertaining story, for me this is the stand-out episode of Season 1
The Watch (2012)
"The Watch" had potential, but in the end just got annoying
The fist words that come to mind when I try to describe this flick are, "I didn't hate it, but...". Now, I know that's not a glowing recommendation, but don't take it as a glowing bio-hazard warning sign just yet.
"The Watch" definitely has it's downfalls. The characters are very bland (I particularly disliked 'That-Guy-From-The-IT-Crowd' Richard Ayoade). The story holds up as well as a matchstick house, and the humour is, bluntly, sophomoric.
It's not all negative though. Other than Ayoade, I thought the casting was spot-on. Jonah Hill played his part very well and had me laughing with a few of his lines. Another positive is that the CGI, although there isn't a lot of it, looks great. The aliens look like an organic creature and interact with the cast really well.
All in all, "The Watch" just doesn't matter. There's a few good quips here and there but for the most-part it's an annoying, generic Ben Stiller movie.
It's not surprising that this movie only raked in half of it's estimated budget. If you choose to watch this one, do so with an open-mind, otherwise you'll hate it. If you decide to give it a miss though, you're not missing a whole lot.
Here Comes the Boom (2012)
The UFC's very own comedy movie is a fantastically fun-filled one
MMA doesn't lend itself to comedy particularly well, and with the director of the disastrous 'Click' at the helm it could seem like this movie was doomed from the start. The result is the opposite.
With an endearing protagonist, Scott (Kevin James) and a hilarious supporting cast, "Here Comes the Boom" is a triumph. There were many laughs to be had, especially from Henry Winkler and Bas Rutten's characters. The story progresses at a good pace and fills the time between matches with interesting dialogue and some great jokes.
The movie isn't perfect though; the plot is quite weak in places and, for an MMA movie, there isn't an awful lot of Octagon footage.
For any fan of the UFC this movie is a must. If you're not into MMA though, I can see how it might be hard to follow this one. Especially if you don't recognise any of the UFC stars, such as Joe Rogan and 'Stitch' who make cameos.
"Here Comes The Boom" may be slightly flawed, but it's a good time guaranteed for all fans of the sport.
Kick-Ass (2010)
Dark Horse Comics' Big Screen Triumph
DH Comics are a hugely under-rated brand. They have created amazing big- screen characters such as Hellboy, Scott Pilgrim, and Kick Ass himself. My personal favourite of their creations, Kick Ass, has possibly the best movie adaptation of any comic book character in this utterly brilliant flick.
The writers have stayed very true to the comic book roots of Kick Ass, which I love. Other superheroes are often referenced, jokes are scattered thoughtfully through the script and the action is wonderfully over the top and really 'comic-booky'.
Lovable characters that I can relate to are abundant too. Dave himself is just a regular kid that lives his dreams of being a superhero, and as corny as it is, he doesn't let anyone stand in his way.
As a big comic fan, I feel as though this is the perfect comic book movie. It's a must see for fans or newbies, highly recommended.