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Reviews
Blade Runner (1982)
The movie that started Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is one of my all time favorite genres, in movies, videogames, literature, in all art forms. And this movie made it all happen. The atmosphere of this movie alone makes for an enjoyable watching experience. It takes its time, and shows some really cool things that no other movie has done like this one, before it or since it. The only one that comes close is its sequel, Blade Runner 2049. It's beyond enjoyable. The characters are so well done. One of Harrison's best roles, and one that is often not mentioned alongside things such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones. The thing is, this movie stands right alongside those in its greatness, despite not making a whole franchise out of it.
Hellboy (2004)
So good it almost hurts
This is the first movie that I saw that made me want to watch comic book movies. It's absolutely frightening how fun it is to watch. The characters are incredibly memorable, the story is interesting, the way that supernatural characters interact with a real and believeable world around them is incredible. It's done in a way that permits humour to be used without breaking the tension when it's needed.
One of my all time favorites. If you think about it, it's incredible that you actually feel for a giant red guy with horns, a blue fish-man and some giant walking trees by the end of this movie, without having watched anything like it before-hand. This isn't part of some heavily set up universe like Marvel has done with its movies now. It's a completely standalone thing and it just works.
Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
Perfection
If there ever was a movie that did everything it was supposed to do perfectly, it's definitely Alita: Battle Angel. This movie has everything. It has a mesmerising setting, great characters, fantastic acting and performances, breathtaking visuals, intense action and choreographed fight sequences, touching moments and believeable romantic developments, engaging soundtrack, and most importantly, characters arcs exist! That is something many new movies completely forget to include. It feels so good you don't want it to end. I watched this so many times by now, but the most memorable was when I showed it to my family. The whole room was mesmerised, people of all walks of life and different tastes, all completely taken aback. My cousin asked me as the movie was ending, "IS THERE A SEQUEL OUT?" almost yelling at me, and that made me very, very happy. This movie really deserves a sequel. An actual 10/10, something I never thought I'd give to a movie before.
AVPR: Aliens vs Predator - Requiem (2007)
Don't watch
If you liked the first movie, you might want to skip the sequel. It's not just that the movie is bad, it's that it ditches everything that made the first Alien vs. Predator movie fun to watch. Instead of building mystery and having incredible fight sequences, this movie just goes for the overdone gore-centered non-scary horror genre. Now it's a real monster fight movie. Predators, at least, are pretty cool in this movie, but feel kind of weird, the frame cuts feel awkward, and the action isn't nearly as enticing as that of the previous movie. It doesn't give you the payoff you expect to receive after seeing its predecessor's ending. Bland.
AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004)
I must have watched it more than ten times
Incredible. Builds up mystery, overperforms on action sequences, and is overall just great. The main character and the relationship she builds with a character ho starts out as an atagonist is especially memorable. It's by far the best monster fight movie I have ever seen, and it even outperforms the original Predator and its sequel in the way it handles its mystery, characters and action sequences. It's one of those movies I can watch again after a long while like it was my first time watching. It never gets old. Stands right on par with Alien movies.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
This is not a reboot
I feel like this movie was treated like a total reboot of the franchise instead of being a sequel. And it is a sequel. It's a direct continuation of the story, although it feels completely unnatural and not true to the original trilogy's ending what-so-ever. The new characters are cool at the start. I mean watching the first few scenes of the movie is almost orgasmic. As a Star Wars fan, that's everything I could have asked for. However, the movie changes during its course. It's one thing to be mysteriously powerful, but a whole another to just completely destroy anything in your path. There is no build-up of anticipation after a certain point is reached. You can just assume the main character is always going to prevail no matter what, and despite all odds, without even breaking a sweat. It would be fine if someone had to work for it, but the characters are just handed everything they need, and buffed to meet their opposition whenever it's required. No character arcs, just immediate power changes. It's almost funny. Still a great watch and much better than its sequel. Its effects are astonishingly well done, but the fight scenes need better choreography.
Rogue One (2016)
Great idea, but feels a bit boring
A team of scoundrels from across the galaxy team up to do some good. Great setup, interesting charaters, and incredible visuals. Still, this movie comes off a bit bland. Having seen it, I didn't find it nearly as memorable as any of the other movies in the Star Wars franchise. It's just a fun one-time watch, and something I don't think I will try to see again, or buy on bluray, despite owning the entire Star Wars franchise on it. It's fine. Just a little sideline story that should have come out much sooner for it to be relevant. If you like Star Wars, watch it. You won't regret it, but it's not quite as good as getting a full-on sequel.
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
The worst original episode
The final episode starts with the most hilarious sequence of events you could come up with for a Star Wars movie. It's unnecessarily long, awkward, strange, convoluted and just ridiculous. It then continues on in this spirit, killing off interesting characters like they were nothing, showing off Luke's acquired strength at every turn (he's indestructible, but still seems like a clumsy kid), but that isn't to say this movie is bad. It's just not as good as the other entries in the franchise. What saves it is the storyline leading up to the final scene with Darth Vader, which is incredible. The rest of the movie isn't. The Ewoks especially are terrible. Not only do they look like puppets, they feel completely out of place. It's the only Star Wars movie during which you're taken completely out of the immersion by the movie itself, and it does this repeatedly, only to be saved at the last moment. Storm troopers are a joke.
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Hoth is really fun
The Battle of Hoth, which the movie begins with, is tremendously well done. The effects used for the creatures and the war machines don't hold up but the setting and story more than makes up for it. This movie is so much better than the first. The characters are great, and it just feels a good aftertaste. Great twists. Unlike in the new movies (I don't mean the prequels, but the new movie trilogy) where character arcs just jump ahead whenever it's required by the story, in this movie, you see the characters progress and become different. It's a must-watch. Really great, despite its aged appearance.
Star Wars (1977)
Great movie for its time, hasn't aged very well though
This movie immediately captures your attention with an incredible starting sequence after which you're left wondering what is going on. It sets up not just the story at hand, but a whole world far, far away. What makes this movie shine are the memorable settings, characters and locations. The effects were ahead of its time, but have not aged well. This shows the most during fight scenes. They are not choreographed very well and look just like a couple of old dudes trying to punch each other with sticks. It's done so much better in the prequels, less so in the new movies. The lightsabers feel like a traditional novelty more than like a weapon feared by the galaxy. What the movie does very well are its twists and pacing. Highly recommended, but not nearly as good a watch today compared to the prequels, which you should start with in my opinion.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Star Wars is fun again!
Man, this movie is great. I'd place it just below the first of the prequels in terms of how interesting it is to watch. It has incredible action and visual effects, interesting storylines, building anticipation and a payoff at the end. What really shines here are the combat sequences, which are easily the best out of all the Star Wars movies, new ones inluded. They are well coreographed and fun, characters try to outsmart their enemies instead of brute-forcing it (like they do in the new movies), and the ending leaves an impact. Even more than that, the setting of the movie is fun. It shows a lot of places that haven't seen the light of day before in Star Wars, the different fauna that lives in them, and characters interact with it. It's incredible. Recommended for any sci-fi fan!
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
It's fine
This movie, unlike the first in the prequel trilogy, feels very drawn out. The senate sequences are still pretty interesting to follow if it's your first watch but it gets tedious after a while. While it would be very interesting to see a planet-wide city in a Star Wars movie, this wasn't done very well. We're shown a few rooms, views through these rooms, views during chases that also feel bland, and not much else. The changes between scenery are appreciated, but not very well done, since we see very little of those different planets. They're just a backdrop. There is only one really intriguing part to the movie, and that is Obi Wan's journey into space to find a hidden space station. That's about it. There's not much to this movie, it serves to bridge the gap between two much better ones. It's the one I usually skip when rewatching the whole franchise.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
This is what Star Wars should be
Absolutely incredible movie. I remember when I first saw it. It was so ahead of its time with the special effects used in it. Everything about it is fantastic. From the story's pacing and setting, to the political intrigue that deepens the world, to the mesmerising shots of the various planets, it's all amazing. Pod racing was exhilirating to watch, and Anakin's character is really well done in this movie. Qui-Gon is the only character I would have liked to see more of in the movie, but the scenes he has are all incredible. The Jedi are no longer some old coots blabbering about resisting hate, these guys mean business. They will trick anyone into doing anything that's in their favor. They play political games. They use the Force while fighting to gain the advantage. The fight sequences are just incredible in this movie, especially the fight with Darth Maul. It made me want to own a lightsaber. And Jar Jar is hilarious! Oh man. I crack right up when that dude starts stumbling around. There's nothing really bad about this movie. It's almost perfect, and exactly what Star Wars needs. It's a galactic adventure across multiple planets with an intriguing storyline, fun twists, interesting characters, and an ominous feeling of what is to come being build up all the while. We should have more scenes with the characters exploring the strange planets they visit in Star Wars, like it was done in this movie with the underwater passages and the desert world traders. Highly recommended, a strong contender for the best movie in the whole Star Wars franchise!