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BenNicholson123
Reviews
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008)
Pilot gives mixed feelings
With a series as epic as Terminator it will be hard for the TV-series to live up to the standard set by the first two movies. That said it does a good job.
Ill start with Summer Glau, because she is by far the best and most interesting character. Shes the best actress and portrays the emotionless and unstoppable Terminator very well. I was worried in her first scene, but she definitely has turned into the beginnings of a great character.
Lena Headey as Sarah Connor... is nothing like the original Sarah, but she plays a hardheaded and brave (if foolhardy) mother pretty well. Other than that i cant say much at this time, shes not bad, not at all... but shes yet to prove herself.
My big problem is with Thomas Dekker. I cant stand his teenager noncy bull. Its like he is out of a scene from High School Musical, all his acting stinks of teenage rebel, and not in the interesting way, in the way that makes you want to throttle him. The writers made the mistake of trying to use him to appeal to the 14 - 16 crowd, and it kinda ruins the show.
Im hoping in later episodes he will man up, mature up, and act like the hero hes supposed to be. Right now hes just a moody child, which i don't think is logical to the story due to his upbringing.
Other points: The bad-ass terminator sent to kill them... seemed a bit too bad-ass. Its better when they have no emotions, this guy is just arrogant. Which adds to the clichéd feel. Other than that hes okay.
Though it starts off like T3, its definitely not the same story. Ill be interested to see how it moves on.
Plot holes due to time travel are a given. They were rife in the original series, and they are here. They are obvious if you look for them, but honestly it doesn't ruin the show. Maybe some questions will be answered later... but its not necessary.
So there's my views. Good potential so long as they don't pander to kids, and focus on the fact that its a grown-ups series.
Gladiator (2000)
If I Could Give This Movie 11/10, It Would Be A 12!
Gladiator! A thrilling tale of a Roman general who must battle against all thinkable odds to avenge the death of his family and restore justice to the empire. The plot is simple, legendary general Maximus Decimus Meridius, after many victorious campaigns and battles wants to return to his peaceful home in Spain, However the kind, fair and dying Emperor Marcus Aurelius wishes to bestow his title on him over his cruel son, Commodus. Commodus is understandably annoyed and kills his father calming the title of Emperor. Maximus is sentenced to death along with the rest of his family back at his home in Spain. Maximus escapes but is unable to save his wife and son. His loss of will to live makes him an east target for slavers and he is soon sold as a gladiator. He fights his way into the coliseum in Rome were he wins over the crowd and uses his celebrity status to defy the Emperor, to whom he swears his vengeance for the death of his family, after many battles and political backstabbing he gets his chance to fight the Emperor in the Arena.
This is just such an amazing film, it captures every emotion possible in only the way an expert director can achieve, we can go on for whole scenes without the need for speaking, everything is told through the genuine body language and expressions. And when there is conversing we get such emotion and wonderfully powerful quotes "What we do in life, echoes in eternity" Wow.
The opening scene is spellbinding, showing the true gore of battle, the fight scenes are marvellously realistic, discarding the popular "pretty" sword fighting for brutal aggressive force. The audience in the arena express every emotion, surprise, anger, and enjoyment. The cast is brilliantly chosen; we can really see Russell Crowe as a gladiator, in Commodus, Joaquin Phoenix gives us a man we can really hate, Connie Nielson shows real emotion and passion in the role of Lucilla. So apart from the spellbinding acting, scarily realistic fight scenes and the amazing script, what else can we look for? The music is just stunning, its exactly what we need brought in at exactly the right time, truly wonderful directing. And then we have the stunning special effects, we can really visualise the greatness that is Rome, the fight scenes really make you believe. Some critics have condemned the lack of historical fact, for instance an emperor would never fight a gladiator, and these comments cannot be denied, its true.
But I think we can forgive them that one fault for such an amazing movie. Without hesitation I give this movie a truly deserved 10/10!
Starship Troopers (1997)
Whaddanamazingmovie!!
Starship Troopers! Its one of those movies which you just love or hate, personally - i loved it. I first whatched it at a friends, i just walked into his house and was presented by a big fat bug sucking someones brain out an i was instantly interested :P i whatched the whole thing shortly after and by the end of the film i had a grin the size of a banana, i think for most people the first time they watch this movie they see the gore and the blood and not much else, the second and third times you've seen the fight scenes you can look past the flying legs and see the deep storyline and issues for instance you can decide which are the good and bad guys - the bugs are peaceful until the humans attack their world, while we see images of hatred from the humans, "The only good bug is a dead bug!" and "Kill em' all". We can follow the path of the hero Johnny Rico, how he joined up for a girl and how he became a man through rigorous military training. Overall a stunning movie with an intense plot, wonderful effects and a great message. However it is incredibly gory (One of the first scenes is a news reporter being torn apart by a bug) and i wouldn't recommend it to younger views or people who are offended by that sort of thing. But i would recommend it to everyone else :D 10/10