Reviews

I've read the book and like most adaptations, it would be easy to say the book was better. This one is not the exception, unfortunately. But let's focus on the movie.

What ruined this movie is the simple fact that they spoiled the entire story in the trailers and marketing. "Their love is the cure". Seriously? Am I supposed to hope they DON'T fall in love? They could have based the trailers and marketing on the fact that "R" (Nicholas Hoult) is a self-aware, thinking and undead zombie and it would be enough to make me wonder what a zombie's life is about. They thought knowing the climax from the start wasn't a problem apparently.

For those who like to compare this to the Twilight franchise, personally I wouldn't. It's not meant to be neither epic or a "saga". Yes, it's a surreal teenager love story but they clearly don't have the same approach. If you look for Twi-like movies, watch the trailers before Warm Bodies and you'll find plenty.

This movie is still somewhat fun with some funny lines and expressions but quite inconsistent. The characters felt dry and shallow. The drama bits were barely affecting the characters or the story. The action is basic and mostly made of CGI. The story felt simply felt rushed and there was no tension to keep me entertained.

Maybe this flick will appeal to younger people and those who haven't read the book but as a movie on it's own, I can't give it more than a 6/10. It's an "ok" movie.

First of all this is NOT a movie about Colombia. The producers may have failed on representing it but this is not the POINT of this movie. It's an action movie about a girl from Colombia and that's pretty much it regarding Colombia. Don't get all frustrated with it. Here's my quick review:

1 - Trailer: I wanted to see this movie mostly based on the trailer which I found catchy. Action and sexy Zoe Saldana sells it all. Still I went on a cheap night because I wasn't convinced this would be worth the full price entry. What you see in the trailer is what you get. A lot of action left to be seen and overall it's a good intro to the movie.

2 - Cast & Characters: Ahhh Zoe Zoe! It's hard to watch her rather than just stare at her. She delivers a pretty solid performance in this movie. She goes all around sneaking up the bad guys and taking them out in creative and yet plausible ways unlike Angelina Jolie in Salt (2010) where her 100 pounds character takes out multiple 250 pounds guys in fist fights. The supporting characters are your "typical" Mexican (Colombian in this story!) guys that pretty much do nothing other than holding guns outside a villa and sipping on drink and cigars. Generic police guys fill the rest of the cast but I found Callum Blue quite enjoyable to watch.

3 - Plot & Story: I think the story is so generic that the little twists added to the script makes them even more surprising. You always feel like you know the next move but most of the time something unexpected happens. Unfortunately, the script as a whole is a bit sloppy and poorly paced. I didn't get bored at all in this movie and though the intrigue isn't much catchy, it was enough to keep me interested. There are many laughable moments (mostly intended) which is fun but the drama is really cheesy.

4 - Theme & Genre: As an action flick, this one stands right. It isn't a melting pot of car crashes and explosions out of nowhere. There is plenty of action and a good mix between Hollywood fireworks and realistic fights. The camera angles and editing sometimes get confusing but in some scenes they really add something cool to watch.

5 - Overall Appreciation: Alright let's face the obvious. There is no Oscars material here. This will get MTV Teen Choice Awards at best. It's a cheap night movie that is entertaining to watch and where you should not expect a classic in cinema. Did I appreciate it? Yes! Is it good? Not bad. I give it 6 out of 10 for Zoe Saldana, good fight scenes and cinematography. Too bad the supporting characters, cheesy drama and poor script kills it a bit.

1 - Trailer : I wanted to see this movie based on all the good critics it got rather than the trailer. The trailer isn't bad but I feel it makes this movie look way too dramatic and profound in a way that turns cliché and unnecessary. It doesn't make quite justice to the movie as it turned out way better than I expected.

2 - Characters & Cast : Though James Franco wasn't as great as in 127 Hours, it's still James Franco and he's a great actor. His character is well put but the real star in this movie is Caesar (Andy Serkis) the ape! Unlike most movie with an animal as the main character, this chimp really acts. You can feel his emotions and see the intelligence in his eyes. You fall in love with the baby ape and later get frighten at the angry grownup Caesar. This Motion-Capture technology is really adding to the CGI by turning the digitally made character in a real actor. Oh and I'm in love with Freida Pinto. Her role isn't major in the movie but as being a cute and tender girlfriend, you can't get better.

3 - Plot & Story : I've seen the original movies and though I can barely remember them, I'm sure the fans won't be disappointed. Honestly, with so many sequels, prequels, reboots and remakes in 2011, this is for sure on the top 3. This is an origin story and a very good start for a franchise. I found the plot well developed with a good pace that kept me intrigued the entire movie.

4 - Theme & Genre : I think the theme is the same as the originals on how humans are put down in the animal kingdom after thousands of years of ruling with cruelty. The genre is also well brought with good a dose of drama (nothing too cheesy), sci-fi that is realistic and believable and the action that really makes this movie enjoyable to it's potential and also realistic and well-thought of. Not just a bunch of random apesplosions (get it? APE-splosions haha OK sorry about that).

5 - Overall Appreciation : This movie may not be a piece of art but it's still a must see in my opinion. I was not a fan of the original franchise and the 2001 remake was OK but now I'm really excited for the upcoming movies. I enjoyed this movie and though CGI usually irritates me, it was astonishingly great. At some point I couldn't tell if it was CGI or a shot of a real ape! 9/10 for the action, CGI, solid story and a well balanced movie!

1 - Trailer The trailer is catchy and introduces you to the main story and characters without spoiling the best parts of it. You get what you expect though I found the movie a bit slow and not as intense overall as the trailer say. However the intensity is at its highest level in some short scenes.

2 - Cast / Characters Casey Affleck is not the best cold blood psycho we've seen but I think he was still good throughout the movie. You get a glimpse of Lou's background but the character, while much predictable, has no quest or motive for his actions which at some point made me loose interest in it. Jessica Alba did great and you will certainly enjoy the sexy scenes while Kate Hudson's character is more emotionally involved and well played too. The supporting characters add very little to nothing to the story. They just appear and disappear and make some parts of the story pointless.

3 - Plot / Story The story is told through Lou's point of view and is a bit confusing. You're thrown into the middle of it and you must figure out what's going on without much help from the characters. The first third of the movie is really good though and the action is quite shocking (maybe too much for some viewers) and I was prepared for a disturbing thriller but then the pace slows down and you're not so thrilled about the outcome anymore. The action is little to none for the rest of the film and there is no element of surprise that makes a good thriller.

4 - Theme & Genre The movie is set in a small town in the 1940s and they did a pretty good job on the settings and characters type. It's the usual sheriff-big boss-lady-money formula of the kind and there's nothing new there. This is more a thriller/crime than a drama since there isn't much emotion involved however I wasn't really thrilled about it. The texts aren't bad but there again not great. They could have used a bit of humour and make it more edgy.

5 - Overall appreciation This is not a must see and I wish it ended up better but it's watchable. It lacks something and for the genre and theme I'd better recommend No Country For Old Man if you haven't seen it. I give a 6 for the great erotic scenes, main characters, photography and the disturbing action (though it was brief).