jo007r Reviews

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)

Sad note for the Man of Steel to go out on...

[5/10 · 21 August 2000]

The final adventure of Superman is by far his worst. Granted Superman III isn't much better, but at least it was not as contrived as this one.

First of all, let's look at the good parts of this movie, it is a short list. Christopher Reeve came up with an excellent story for this film and it reflected the times that the world was facing. Riding the world of nuclear weapons was a good start, a nice foundation to build on; unfortunately there was not enough money to finish the film and it was released unfinished.

The other nice things about this film are the return of Lex Luthor,and the return to seriousness in the film series. One can only wonder how this movie would have turned out had all the necessary funding been there.

The special effects are just plain horrible, and the audience winces as Superman makes his 'dramatic entrance' by saving a space capsule from spinning into the Earth's atmosphere and rescuing a man falling into space. Everytime Reeve is in flight, the animated Superman is obvious to everyone, and it is sad to see this; for the audience no longer believes a man can fly, but that a cartoon can instead.

So many scenes are deleted from this movie that it is confusing to understand just how certain key elements of the film are executed, or worse yet, why!

The only scene which holds interest for a little while is the climatic battle between Superman and Nuclear Man, at best the scene gets a mediocre.

So far this has been the final entry of the Superman series, and although the film is exceptionally weak. Christopher Reeve once again sparkles as the Man of Steel. He always gave an excellent performance as Superman even when the movies where sub-par, and that speaks plenty.

At least the ending to this movie is done well with Superman flying out of the Earth and smiling at us as he flies off into space, protecting the world; that alone will always inspire some kind of hope to people.

Superman III (1983)

Watered down Man of Steel sequel.

[6/10 · 21 August 2000]

Either way you look at it, this film fails to live up to its expectations. If you are wanting to watch an epic Superman adventure, you will be disappointed, if you are wanting to watch a comedy/adventure, you will also be disappointed.

Superman II had enough balance of comedy, most of it funny, and action, most of it exciting, to entertain its audience members. Yet for some reason the producers decided to go overboard on comedy in Superman III.

Richard Pryor does his best to entertain audiences with all of his antics, and some of them are funny; the best is when he falls off the top of a skyscraper and lands in the street unharmed. However the rest of the film suffers from the over abundance of the painfully misplaced comedy. The opening sequence is the best example of this.

Christopher Reeve is wonderful as Superman/Clark Kent, like always! Here in this movie he gives his best job at portraying Clark Kent. The scenes with him and his old girl-friend from high school, Lana Lang, are nicely executed and show the evolution of Clark Kent's character, by adding more depth and dimension, especially when the audience realizes she falls for Clark and not his alter ego.

Some of the scenes are moderately entertaining, the scene with Superman taking on the chemical plant fire is amusing, but pales in comparison with his other two previous outings. Rescuing Ricky from the combines is also another example, it almost seems that the producers decided to quit inventing ways for Superman to 'save the day' and just rehash old ideas.

There is hardly any plot to this movie, viewers will eventually stumble across one about 2/3s of the way through it, and will yawn at the lack of creativity and excitement of it. There is only one scene that will place viewers on the edge of their seats...

The scene when Superman is split into two different personalities, one evil and one good, is actually very interesting to watch. When I first saw this movie back in 1983 I was actually scared of the evil Superman! The scene where the moral side of Superman, Clark Kent, and the evil side of Superman, the tar infected Superman, do a fight to the death in an automobile grave yard, generates lots of excitement as well as goose bumps when Clark prevails. This scene stands alone, and the contrast Christopher Reeve gives between the two Supermen is incredible, his contributions to the scene and the movie can not be overstated.

As for the rest of the movie, Robert Vaughn does well for a villain, but is no Gene Hackman. And the finale with the 'Ultimate Computer' is rather lame. It can be argued that the climax of Superman III is the battle between the two Supermen.

The special effects are not so stunning this time around, and the wires that hold Reeve and make him fly are visible in nearly every scene! The bluescreens are not executed so well either, one can tell that Superman is flying in front of screen rather than appear to be flying in the actual location.

This film could have been so much more, even with Pryor in it. However, poor writing and directing plague this sequel in nearly every faucet of it. It is such a shame that Christopher Reeve give an incredible performance in such a weak film. Had this film been up to par with the other two Superman films, chances are the Superman series would not have died a slow quiet death.

Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

One big misstep...Second best of the Odds

[7/10 · 16 August 2000]

Alright, Insurrection is not the greatest of the Treks, but it is not the worst either. That honor is between The Motionless Picture and Final Frontier. Insurrection is a little bit better than Generations also. So where did this movie go wrong? I don't know.

After the monster success of First Contact, maybe producers felt that people would watch anything dealing with Star Trek. The movie did have a good premise, protecting a planet that gave eternal youth, from our own Federation! Good idea, great foundation to start building on, unfortunately the screen writers thought that humor should be involved with this concept as well.

There are an incredible number of jokes in this film, an even split between good ones and bad ones. Some slapstick here and there also. A lot of the humor resorts back to Final Frontier where there was an overabundance of it, the nice thing is none of the characters are really being made fun of that much as they were in the film formerly mentioned. Still, a lot of the humor seems to be painfully out of place, like how Worf and Picard capture Data, Worf's Klingon pimple, and Picard's bead necklace. The humor is so out of place that it seems our heros have forgotten that a mad man is orbiting the planet and is intent on killing off all of its inhabitants. Which brings me to my next point, the villain.

F. Murray Abraham is an outstanding actor and he does a good job convincing the audience that he is an alien Hitler. Yet there are so many opportunities the writers never took advantage of in making him that scary of a villain. We are never given much of a background on him, and are uncertain as to what is his driving motive for wanting to destroy the Baku, is it revenge or the desire to stay healthy and young forever?

The screenplay is unforgivably weak, and leaves audiences feeling cheated. The rekindling of Riker and Troi's relationship is handled so poorly that we are glad to see it so briefly, another missed opportunity by the producers. This could have been excellent sub-plot to the movie, instead the viewers are treated to Picard developing a possible relationship.

Picard meets woman on the planet he is protecting and the two fall of each other. This handled with a little more care than Riker and Troi were, the chemistry between Stewart and Murphy is commendable, but never really attracts much attention. (What about Picard and Crusher? They had more chemistry between them than Picard and Anij) You never see these two kiss on screen and you are almost glad to see it not happen.

The special effects in this film are good, but by no means spectacular as they were in First Contact. The reason behind this is the fact that producers didn't utilize ILM's wizardry, and it shows, especially when watching this film on television. Star Trek has not used ILM three times in the past, Insurrection, Final Frontier, and Motion Picture, and all of these films have failed to measure up to their hype. There is a message there if anyone is listening.

Despite all of its shortcomings, and there are a lot! Insurrection does offer a nice change of pace for Trekkers, instead of an action packed film, you are given a nice quiet little adventure that will make you laugh along the way. If you thought First Contact was a little too dark and haunting, then Insurrection is for you. Even diehard Trekkers will sit through it and find it...amusing. Although it is no First Contact, it not a Motion Picture, Generation or Final Frontier, either, which makes this the second best of the Odd numbered Treks!

Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

By far the greatest cinematic outing of any Star Trek film..

[10/10 · 16 August 2000]

This is the movie that Star Trek should measure all of its standards by. There are wonderful characters in this film, the Borg Queen, Lily, and Cockrane, all of them exceed any other guest character in previous films.

Once again Brent Spiner and Patrick Stewart dominate the film with their acting, but that is fine all the same, Jonathan Frakes spends a lot of his time in the sun also, everyone does.

The plot once again involves time traveling, this time to stop the Borg from preventing the first warp flight of man kind. Granted that anyone who watches this movie will be able to predict the victory of Picard and company over the Borg, but who could have ever thought of meeting the man who made warp speed possible, this is an excellent sub-plot in the movie.

Just about every scene in this movie stands alone, and the viewers are treated with a brand new Enterprise. From the first shot of the bridge you will be impressed.

The screenplay is the best out of all the other Star Treks, and it is wonderful seeing Picard make the transition from captain of the Enterprise to a self-destructive obsessive hunter, thirsty for revenge. Kirk and company never looked this great! The best dramatic scene is the one where Picard and Lily talk about abandoning the Enterprise and destroying it. Patrick Stewart shows not only viewers but critics that he truly is a gifted actor. The scene is one of the movie's best, and will always be remembered amongst Trekkers. With dazzling special effects, wonderful dialogue,an excellent score, an exciting plot, important messages and captivating action sequences. This trek outing will satisfy even the most uptight trekkers.

If only Star Trek could always be this good.

Superman II (1980)

Just as good, if not better than the original

[10/10 · 16 August 2000]

This movie picks up right where the first one left off. Most of the special effects in this movie will seems dated again, but they are better than the ones from the original.

Christopher Reeve once again shows off his acting ability as he does an even better job of his portrayal as the Man of Steel and the Mild Mannered Clark Kent. He not only looks bigger in this movie, but he also dominates every scene he is in with incredible poise.

The three villains he is pitted against, are all unique in their own way and they hold their own. The best out of these three villains is Terence Stamp, General Zod, the leader of three rogue Kryptonians. He and Reeve are the ones who really treat the movie goers to this film.

Gene Hackman is also back, but his role is even less demanding this time around. Yet he still provides loads of entertainment with each of his scenes.

The screenplay involves Superman falling for Lois Lane and abandoning his powers while the three rogues from Krypton tear the Earth apart. The only thing that is confusing about this sub-plot is the fact that Lois Lane is in love with Superman, yet he gives up everything which makes him that! That is the one hole I can find whenever I watch this movie, other than that it is incredible.

Finally the showdown between Superman and the three rogues in Metropolis is the best scene of the entire movie and probably the best scene out of the whole series. Up to this point in the movie there has been incredible hype about the final showdown between these four people, and it exceeds everyone's expectation. This fight just about destroys most of Metropolis.

The final scene between Clark and Lois is extremely poignant and very touching to see how these two characters say 'I love you' in their own unique way. The love story is not excellent in this comic book film, but it also stands up to other ROMANTIC films as well.

By the end of the film, as we see Superman fly off and smile at us before he disappears, we are given this heart warm feeling that somewhere up above us, he is actually looking out for us all.

Superman (1978)

You will believe a man can fly!

[8/10 · 16 August 2000]

That was the tagline for 'Superman The Movie' back in 1978. By todays standards, the special effects are a little dated, but the story and screenplay hold up and make this film a timeless classic.

Despite the incredible length of the opening credits, the audience is treated to one of John Williams' best musical scores, and we are all psyched and ready after hearing the Superman theme.

This film takes its time in introducing us to Superman as a child, and his parents. Glen Ford is excellent as his father Jonathan Kent. The younger Clark Kent Jeff East looks perfect as a younger Superman, was his voice dubbed by Christopher Reeve?

The scenes with Brando in this film are nicely executed, and he is convincing as Superman's father. The funny thing is that by the time we see Superman as an adult nearly 30 minutes of the film have gone by.

Christopher Reeve is incredible as Superman and Clark Kent, this film not only propelled him to stardom, but also showed off his acting skills by contradicting Superman and Clark Kent, the scene with him and Lois being pulled into the alley is incredibly hilarious, mainly due to Reeve's interpretation of Kent. As Superman he shows us more heart and emotion than any other Superman before him. His smile lights up every woman's heart who sees it, and his relationship with Lois Lane is incredibly convincing and nicely written.

Gene Hackman does a wonderful job at portraying Lex Luthor, though his scenes are not that challenging nor demanding, they are very entertaining. The chemistry between Reeve and Hackman is great. Just about everything in this movie is wonderful, and will entertain you time and time again.

This film could have easily been a disaster, but thanks to hard work, wonderful writing and tremendous care being taken by the producers, this is the best comic book movie ever made!

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

Very, very nice. Great note to go out on.

[8/10 · 1 April 2000]

This final adventure of the original crew for the Enterprise is ALMOST their best one! Again, it is the even numbered Trek adventures are the best. What makes this movie so nice is that it actually FEELS like a movie, the references to the television series are toned down to a bare minimum and the script is ladened with tons of references to Shakespeare, making this an almost operatic sci-fi flick. This is the closest, the classic stars of Star Trek ever got to making an actual movie that wasn't in direct correlation with the television series.

William Shatner gives a commendable performance as Capt. Kirk, although his best one is in The Search For Spock. DeForest Kelley is wonderful in his final outing as Bones. Leonard Nimoy is also great to see in his final appearance as Spock. The one character though who gets his much deserved moment in the spotlight is George Takei, Sulu final gets his captaincy and commands the Excellsior. James Doohan, as always is pleasure to watch on screen as Scotty. Uhura is given some valuable lines in this movie instead of her usual 'Hailing on all frequencies Captain.' While Checkov is given some decent screen time as well. It is always nice to see everyone of these characters in the spotlight and having that sense of family about them. This movie captures that essence.

With impressive visual effects, and great acting by other familiar faces in the Star Family, this Trek movie will be one to watch over and over.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

Very bad, Trekkers wince everytime they see it.

[6/10 · 25 March 2000]

Alright, for the record lets just clear up some misguided thoughts about this film. This Trek adventure had an enormous budget! (32million). William Shatner is an arrogant, stuck-up actor, who thinks that Spock and Kirk are the only two people who make the whole damn thing work. (At one point while filming this movie, he wanted to kill off all the other characters, save for the two already mentioned, just to save money!) You can not have a director like that and expect him to deliver a masterpiece to audiences. This film sucked! What is up with Scotty and Uhura having a romantic relationship anyway? It was never covered beforehand and producers never went there again! Why is Uhura dancing naked with palm leaves? How come Sulu and Checkov get lost on earth and need Uhura to guide them back, eventhough these two are navigators? Why does Scotty claim to know the Enterprise 'like the back of my head.' then knock himself out walking into low metal bar? Fans will be so disapointed with this movie, watching their favorite characters being made fun of. William Shatner is totally responsible for this fiasco, notice how the only people not being laughed at are him, Spock, Bones and Sybok? The special effects are weak, but that is due to the fact that ILM was busy doing effects for Indiana Jones, and Ghostbusters. Still for all of their flaws, and there are a bunch of them, Final Frontier does give us a few nice scenes with our three main heroes, sitting around a camp-fire singing. This is one moment where Frontier does stand alone, and there are a few other nice scenes, but not many. Easily the second worse of the series ahead of Motion Picture, but behind Generations!

American Beauty (1999)

Hard to lose interest.

[7/10 · 23 March 2000]

For one of the most critically acclaimed movies of all time, I was surprised at how predictable it was. Usually whenever I watch a Kevin Spacey movie, I am totally perplexed until the movie ends, and then I have to see it over again to understand it as a whole. Spacey is fantastic in this dark comedy, the scene where he finally has a conversation at the dinner table with his family is incredible. He is able to get your full attention and you are pulled into his character for a few wonderful brief moments. Acting like that is rare, especially when you notice how passive his character is... This movie is wonderfully written, directed and acted, even Annette Benning is tolerable and entertaining in this timeless gem.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

How can you not enjoy this movie!

[9/10 · 23 March 2000]

How can you hate this movie? Granted it is about whales, but the message is there etched in stone. This movie is the one that did the best at the domestic box-office, why? It reflected some sort of pop-culture, this is one of the last movies of the 1980's that gave us some sort of identity as to who we were and what could lie ahead of us if we're not careful. The screenplay is so lighthearted and funny that we don't even take notice of some of the slap-stick humor. Everyone has their moment on camera in this movie, all except Sulu, who has to settle for flying a helicopter instead of meeting his greatgrand-father, it is unfortunate that the scene was not shot, still, everyone got a chance to show off their character. Although not as dramatically charged as 'Wrath of Khan' this is certainly easier to watch and fills you up with comedy. It is a movie you can watch over and over again, that is what makes this superior to Khan.

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

Best of the odd numbered Trek adventures.

[7/10 · 23 March 2000]

This movie almost matches the caliber of an even numbered Trek movie, very things are wrong with this movie, and it contains high levels of drama in it as well. The destruction of the Enterprise is wonderfully filmed, David's sacrifice is a nice touch of drama and the stealing of the Enterprise is catchy. William Shatner does his best acting in this adventure, out of all the other Trek films, he gives Kirk new depth and another dimension. Christopher Lloyd is wonderful as the Klingon Commander Kruge, and the climatic battle between him and Kirk is very well choreographed. Wonderful special effects that are still entertaining by today's standards. Trekkers will be thoroughly entertained by this movie from beginning to end, although they will not say that it is the best of the movies.

Star Trek: Generations (1994)

Of all the Trek's, this one had the most going for it.

[6/10 · 16 March 2000]

How could one be so careless? The teaming up of Picard and Kirk could have been the single most important event in Trekker history! The audience members were expecting a 'Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid' team up, instead they get a two people meet 2/3 of the way through the movie and decide to join forces. Brent Spiner is the only one who gets to really show off his character, while Picard's emotions seem to take away the drama from the destruction of the Entreprise. Weak script, great special effects, but bad plot full of holes. This isn't the worst of the Trek's but it is one of the least satisfying, and most disappointing.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

This is what Star Trek is about!

[9/10 · 16 March 2000]

Wonderful movie. I thought that Ricardo Montelbon was excellent, by far he has been the most ruthless, cruel and evillest of the villains in the Star Trek Franchise. Dazzling special effects, and excellent space battles, the nebula scenes are the best ever in Star Trek. Saturated with emotion and depth, this movie shows that it is possible to learn from mistakes made in previous films!

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

The human adventure stumbled on it's first step.

[5/10 · 16 March 2000]

Trekkers had been on the edge of their seats for 10 years, waiting for some new adventure of Star Trek, and THIS is what we get?! This is the dullest of all the Trek movies, and driest, there is no humor, drama or even emotion in this movie, and it plays like it feels, slow and painful.

For a science fiction movie it had so much going for it, where does one draw the line between logic and faith, human sacrifice and dazzling special effects. But for God sake, why didn't they include a script that sounded like it had been done BEFORE production began, or wasn't improvised as they filmed. Even though this movies has several short comings, dullness and boredom are the main ones. It is nice to see everyone back on the bridge of the Enterprise. Even the truest of Trekkers will sit through this one, with white knuckles though.

Licence to Kill (1989)

Best of the Bonds since OHMSS

[10/10 · 1 March 2000]

Finally, a Bond film that can hold its own with the best of them. Too bad this movie was overlooked at the box office, it truly adds another dimension to Bond's character. Dalton was perfect for Bond, out of all the actors to play Bond, he was the deadliest, and most dangerous. This movie had a nice exchange of dialogue between Bond and his antagonist, Sanchez, as well as wonderfully filmed action sequences.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

Easily, one of the greatest movies ever made!

[10/10 · 15 February 2000]

Words can not do this movie justice, the greatest escape from reality is here! This movie captures the mind, and imagination from the opening shot. John Williams' score always gives me goose-bumps no matter how many times I have listened to it.

The special effects are still awesome even by today's standards, and of course watching the Millennium Falcon jump to light speed is always a monumental moment, one of the best in cinema history. Star Wars will always be the movie that other science fiction movies are measured by.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Positive, and to the point.

[10/10 · 14 February 2000]

Wonderful, wonderful movie, one of the greatest stories ever told. Terrific acting, and some of the best dialogue that I have ever heard before in a movie. Brillant screenplay and excellent directing. Why didn't this movie win Best Picture?