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Justice League (2017)
Much better than y'all hearing
Im gonna drop the negatives now so I can progress from then on. Movie should've been at least 20 minutes longer so it would paced more comfortably. The CGI could've been much better.
Now, the good stuff. Humor felt natural, not forced. Each character shines. They all have their moment. Few nods for doe hard fans but the story itself wasn't hard to follow if your a casual moviegoer. World just keeps expanding exquisitely. Everything that had to do with superman was beautiful. While the plot and narrative was simple it still have its smart writing moments. They didn't downplayed Barry Allen's brilliance to make it just comedic relief. And even cyborg who's the less known character was presented and developed in a fairly complete and satisfying way. Gal is delightful. In the end, the movie it's fun but it doesn't compromise storytelling to force humor or lightheartedness. Seems like critic wanted to hate it no matter what it was like. Judge it for yourself
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
Good for your health
The thing about Kong movies so far is that you either feel for Kong or the humans but this time I felt for both equally. The human characters are likable as heck, you just want most of them to survive. At the same time Kong is also likable because even though he doesn't speak you can really get his situation and either feel sorry for him or totally comprehend his nature. It touches a bit on Kong's backstory and it really builds up to a whole new world of extraordinary things while keeping you entertained with action, humor and intrigue. Nothing feels forced. I feared John C. Reilly would be too "him" but he's actually one of the characters I like the most. And even though they take time to build up chemistry and relationships it doesn't feel like it drags. Oh and when it's time to throw down they THROW DOWN!!!
Power Rangers (2017)
Fun, exciting and fairly satisfying
Don't go in expecting top notch acting, effects or writing. This movie was never meant to be an example of film making excellence. It's a great teen movie. It combines elements of the drama kids go through nowadays and of course heroism and supernatural fiction. It's like Breakfast Club, Chronicles, Pacific Rim and even a bit of Toy Story 3 all combined. I laughed, teared up, threw my hands in the air, and even though I acknowledge it has its issues I enjoyed the heck out of it. The kids have to work on their acting, tho. The comedy was cheesy here and there but it's Power Rangers so what you expect? Also they touch very relevant issues, like mental illness, peer pressure, bullying, etc. And the importance of friendship and unity. It gets pretty emotional here and there. And it doesn't really piggyback that much on the nostalgia element, but when it does it hits you square in the Yay! bone. Go watch it. It's silly entertainment and cheesy fun at its best. Like the first Transformers. I even like it more than the first Transformers actually.
Suicide Squad (2016)
Not perfect. But very entertaining
This is not the "savior" of DC films. So far I've liked both MOS and BvS but it's more likely than not that I'm in the minority. Out comes Suicide Squad and though it's not a home run that's gonna turn the game around, it's a solid hit. It has comedy that doesn't feel forced (looking at you Civil War) it doesn't jeopardize the character's villainous demeanor to make them more likable but they don't exploit the bad guy cliché either to a point where you can't relate to them unless you're pure evil. It's got some heart warming moments. The action is insane. Shaky cam a bit annoying sometimes, tho. Leto's Joker works but it's not as "Joker-y" as I guess most people expects. There are certain scenes where you kinda expect more to happen but yet it unfolds in quite a satisfying rhythm. Waller... *shivers* The villain was not that great. All skwad member have their moment to shine. It's got some pleasant surprises. The soundtrack is amazing!!! I'll definitely watch it again. I implore all of you, if you wanna watch it, do it. Don't let the critics influence your decision. Don't expect the movie to be perfect either and expand your perspective. You might not love it but you might at least enjoy the experience.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Just kinda fun... That's it.
Honestly, Civil War is like a huge roller coaster that gets you super high and never has a big drop. Entertaining, yes, but annoyingly predictable, absurdly convenient and cheesy as hell. Annoying shaky cam, annoying one liners, annoying forced jokes amid fights and no high stakes. No depth. No emotional weight. Just loop after loop after loop. In the end, it was fun but not challenging. Seriously, at some points I was actually calling things before they happened. And at this point I thought they had learned to stop making it seem like something's gonna happen and then they back pedal from it, like they're not willing to take risks in the story to make you go "wow, I can't believe they went there." And in the end all kinda falls flat, like all the development and tense build up lead to nothing big. It's just a puddle they drag through for a while and then they come out at the other side conveniently squeaky clean. I can't get emotionally invested anymore in these marvel movies.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Have a smart open mind and you'll love it
Watching this movie after seeing so many negative reviews makes me realize there's something very wrong with society. They're so used to having their pieces set on a flat board that they weren't prepared to have somebody like Snyder give it shapes. This is a superhero drama/thriller/extravaganza. Its complex and in certain ways abstract. It's development is weirdly crafted in an exquisite way and it's challenging, perhaps too much for the narrow minded tunnel vision simpletons that go to the movies today. This movie is not just for fans, it's for truly immerse and ingenious enthusiasts of the immensity of superhero and comic book brilliance.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
Great, not perfect. Still great.
Let's get the obvious out of the way. And this review will contain minor spoilers...
It indeed shares many parallels with the original Star Wars, which would be more of a complain from my part if the original Star Wars didn't have so many parallels with properties that don't even belong to Lucasfilm or any affiliate. It did bother me a bit that most of the things happening on screen had been seen before in the same franchise, the first time I saw it at least. But the more I thought about it, the more I came to accept it. Am I a bit biased because it's Star Wars? Perhaps. But sliding that aside, the movie is beautiful and astounding. The music as always was majestic, the visuals were amazing, the chemistry between characters was a charm, the newcomers really stuck. I particularly enjoyed how they made it part of the story the influence that the old trilogy has on the present/future. Kylo Ren can be describe as an unstable, dangerously emotional, Vader worshiping, problem child. He tries so hard to be like him that he goes beyond his desires to appear more menacing. Finn and Rey are a delight. They never felt force but they weren't shadowed by the nostalgic weight of the original cast, which was a treat. Poe Dameron was a great character too. He brought up the first humor element and it worked. All the humor worked organically. None of these new characters felt like they were being forced down our throats and they still blend into the whole landscape, making us feel invested on them and curious about what's on their future. The movie is an amazing setup for the new trilogy. It leaves more to the imagination than what unveils and it didn't rely on great plot twists or reveals to be entertaining. That's what it was more than anything, entertaining. It honored the memories of what we know of the franchise and it opened a door to the new generation with a lot of promise. It blossom from something that we recognized and shoots towards something that we'll discover together.
Iron Man Three (2013)
No, No and No!!! Bad closure to the Trilogy
I did not like this movie as much as I wanted to like it. Yes, it was fun and the action and effects were respectable, but it wanted to be more like an adventure comedy family film than a superhero action film. It did not follow the tone or the aspect of its predecessors and they wanted to make it more funny than it should have been. I did not like the villains, I felt them to be like too overpowered and their characteristics were like too much to swallow, but not enough chew. It was like you're all "there, you have powers" and I'm like "Why?" and you go "Because!! now get to it!!!" And the thing with the Mandarin it was just a big NO for me. It was nothing like what they offered me in the trailers. It's like when you go to the circus and the announcer tells you about this wild jungle cat and when you enter it's just a kitten with a wig. There was a kid in there and they wanted to make him all witty and funny and cute, but I personally hated him. I thought it was a completely unnecessary character. And another thing is that they were making funny comments when their lives were at stake or before a very intense near-death experience. I just didn't like that they wanted to be funny at inopportune moments of the story. I gave it a 5 out of 10 because it was a big disappointment, although it had very good action sequences. And to top it all, it was based on Christmas time. Seriously, a Christmas movie in the summer. It should've been called "Iron Man: Saving Pepper's Christmas" and leave the "Iron Man 3" title to someone who knows what to do with superhero films.
Man of Steel (2013)
At last, Superman is back!!!
There are a lot of things being said about this film. The critics have certainly had a field day with it. It has been said that the movie lacks depth and it doesn't deliver dramatically, it's been said that it closes with too much noise and exaggerated action and too much effects. But what some people had failed to notice is that this movie is quite rich in story and character purposes. I will admit that I thought it has some plot holes or the build-up felt kind of accelerated at some points, but when you have a superhero that's so recognized, you just don't need a lot of stuff to be aware of what he is about.
But even so, I thought that they developed the character pretty well. And they give him a majestic background, they really took the time to established the situation that came before him being sent to Earth by his natural parents. Some critics say that he lacks emotion and "passion" but if you really pay attention to the movie, you'll understand why he is the way he is. Other people has said that General Zod was not as stunning and impressive as they were expecting him to be, but I don't think that he needed to be this intensely evil character. I mean, he had a purpose, a belief, and he was a soldier, and I think that it was well established and portrayed. You only see his eyes and you can see how menacing and scary he can be. Another thing, Faora, Zod's right hand, was as hot as she was amazing.
And yes, the movie had a lot of action and effects, not as much as Transformers, but it was indeed loud and overwhelming, but I don't mean it in a bad way. But let's face it, if you had superpowers and some alien who's also super powerful comes down to Earth and he's like "I'm gonna get you and your whole planet" and starts causing problems, you're gonna go to town on this dude, and you're gonna break some stuff and have a super destructive fight. It was kinda painful to see how far the destruction went and it would've been decent to add like a line of dialogue or something to point out that the destruction was massive and probably a lot of people died.
So yeah, the movie had some things that might have been too much and some not enough, but it doesn't mean that the movie wasn't amazing and breath-taking. I believe that it was an excellent jump-start if they're planning on going with the whole justice league thing or if they'll do a sequel. I believe they really made the statement: Superman is back and here to stay. Go watch it.