When Jurassic Park, based off of Michael Crichton's novel, was released in 1993, the world had never seen a movie quite like it before. It had great characters, many memorable moments, amazing special and practical effects that still hold up to this day, and above all, it was an entertaining thrill ride. It became a box office hit and has been highly regarded as a cinematic masterpiece and one of Steven Spielberg's finest films. 25 years later, and now the franchise has become a shell of what it was before. Here are my thoughts on Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
When Jurassic World came out in 2015, it marked the first Jurassic Park movie released in 12 years. While it wasn't a perfect movie by any stretch of the means, it did prove to be entertaining and a solid reboot of an otherwise dead franchise. It injected some much needed energy after the slog that was Jurassic Park III and it solidified Chris Pratt as a bonafide action star. It had some excellent moments of action and the story was engaging and enthralling. I remember I saw it twice in theaters and both times I walked out of the theater satisfied. Again, not perfect, but I didn't need it to be perfect. I needed it to be better than Jurassic Park III, which it was most certainly was. Fast forward three years, and we have an appallingly lifeless movie in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Honestly, there isn't really much to talk about because this movie didn't deliver much in terms of entertainment value or engaging story. The story is a jumbled mess, mindlessly going from one empty plot point to another empty plot point. There's also nothing interesting about the story: heroes Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard have to go back to Isla Nublar and then must stop yet another hybrid dinosaur from escaping into the world. Doesn't that sound...familiar? Like the plot of the first Jurassic World movie? Most of the "humor" lands with an enormous T-Rex-sized thud. Things happen for the sake of happening, but they don't really make much sense nor are they portrayed as being that important. There was one moment where an important plot point was stated so quickly that it might as well have not been mentioned at all because it was so haphazardly shoehorned into the movie. The characters in the first movie weren't all that interesting, but they were at least interesting enough that you cared about them a little bit. They also had personality. JWFK delivers some of the blandest (read: no personality) one-dimensional characters I've ever seen in a movie, so much so that I didn't care about any of them. The villains might as well just have mustaches and twirl them because that's how OBVIOUS it is that they're the villains. There's no depth or dimension to them. They're villains for the sake of being villains. There's no character development on any of the characters, including Pratt and Howard. The two new sidekicks to Pratt and Howard were irritating and riddled with cliches. Characters would think about doing a thing, I would literally think "they probably shouldn't do that but they're probably going to do it", and, wouldn't you know it, they'd do the thing. I might as well have written the movie because it was that predictable. More often than not, those things would be so asinine that it made me question what the writers were even thinking. As predictable as this movie may have been, I will give director J.A. Bayona props for delivering some awesome camera work and damn near gothic horror movie vibes during the last act of the movie. While the suspense and tension wasn't executed well within the vast majority of the movie (because, you know, you could see what was happening from a mile away), there are some dynamite moments and an interesting twist during the last third. With that being said, the ending is such a train wreck that it negated everything made the last third somewhat interesting. While I had kept my expectations particularly low, I was still disappointed by how pedestrian and unexciting this movie was. What this movie has shown me is that now the franchise is banking more on the name and mindless generic action pieces than making an actually good and coherent cinematic experience. Check the box office numbers: it made a billion dollars worldwide and over 400 million domestically. This franchise shows no signs of stopping, but while that may be the case, the most recent movies are quite lacking in terms of story, characters, and overall entertainment value. There's only so many times I can watch the same Jurassic Park movie that has a predictable story with a hybrid dinosaur at its core. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom may deliver some exciting moments, but overall it just turns out to be an uninteresting bore of a cash grab. Man, not even a Jeff Goldblum cameo could save this movie. Rating: 3/10
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A24 has been on the rise for the last five years or so, producing and releasing award-winning films such as Moonlight and The Disaster Artist. In 2015, the movie Room was released, receiving widespread critical acclaim for its direction, story, and dynamite performances. I had been wanting to watch this movie for quite some time and when I saw that it was on Netflix, I took the opportunity. Here are my thoughts on Room (2015).
Let me get this out of the way first: Room is not an easy movie to watch. In fact, this might be one of the hardest movies I've ever had to watch. However, I don't quit at watching a movie. Granted, I've done it before (Couldn't finish Click or Wedding Crashers), but for 98.9% of the time once I'm strapped in for the ride I'm in it for the long haul. This movie isn't a hard movie to watch because it's bad because that's not the case at all. In fact, this is a fantastic movie, wonderfully made on every aspect of filmmaking. The topic of the story is hard to digest, so let's dissect what makes this movie so great yet so distressing. Room stars Brie Larson as Joy Newsome, a woman who has been held captive by "Old Nick" for seven years in a shed that's known as "Room". Her five-year-old son Jack, played by Jacob Tremblay, was born in captivity due to Old Nick constantly raping Joy and knows nothing about the real world and has only been exposed to what's on the TV. Shortly after his fifth birthday, Joy starts plotting an escape with Jack, who is more hesitant about leaving due to his connection with Room. After a failed attempt, they are successful and Jack is allowed to experience the outside world for the first time. Joy must deal with her anger and depression while readjusting to her old life and Jack must adjust to life outside of Room. First and foremost, the acting in this movie is beyond phenomenal. Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay turn in two of the most convincing and powerful performances I have seen in quite some time. Their performances are drenched with layers of emotion, committing themselves to the core of their characters and the story. I've always liked Brie Larson, but never did I think that she was this good. Her performance in particular is gut wrenching, sincere, and brutal as the tortured mother. It's truly a thing of wonder, so it should be no surprise that she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. While Larson is magnificent, Jacob Tremblay is just as great. It should be noted that Tremblay was eight years old during the filming process, but his performance is just as engaging and genuine as Larson's. I actually made a mention about this in my Wrinkle of Time review, but child actors are extremely hit or miss in this day and age, but Tremblay does a pristine job. He steals the show every time he's on screen and is able to match Larson in terms of acting prowess and talent. It's also no wonder that he was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award (he didn't win, but he certainly deserved the nomination). It should also be noted that Joan Allen does an excellent job as Joy's caring mother Nancy. The movie is based off of Emma Donoghue's 2010 novel Room, who also wrote the screenplay for the film. The storytelling is immaculate. It is uncompromising in its execution, showing unpromising circumstances one after another without much breathing room in between. The drama within the film is big and profound, poetic and unsettling. It's bright and optimistic one minute and then grim and desolate the next minute. There are plenty of tender moments to be found between Joy and Jack, but there are also plenty of unpleasant interactions between mother and child. It's realistically bleak, which makes this movie incredibly difficult to watch. However, as devastating as this movie can be, it is an ultimately rewarding experience in the end. Honestly, its execution reminds me of The Pursuit of Happyness with Will and Jaden Smith. That movie literally did not have a happy moment until the last 5 minutes and, while there were incredibly hard moments to watch (and trust me there were A LOT), it ended up being a rewarding cinematic experience. However, Happyness was a bit too melodramatic at times and Room never had that soap operatic feel. It felt blisteringly real, and that's all thanks to Donoghue's brilliant storytelling and director Lenny Abrahamson's remarkable execution. Aside from acting and story, this movie excels on everything else as well. Stephen Rennicks' musical score hums perfectly with the grim atmosphere of the movie. The cinematography is beautifully shot. While the movie doesn't move at a quick pace, I never felt that it needed to. I never felt like it needed to rush. It had to take its time telling the story and really make you feel everything that Joy and Jake were going through. In the end, I felt that Room was a fantastic film that was able to triumph thanks to superb lead performances from Larson and Tremblay and a heartbreaking story that delivered uplifting and joyful moments while also depicting one of the most harrowing situations that I've ever seen mother and son go through. Rating: 10/10 I have seen great books turned into awful films. Ella Enchanted is a perfect example of a terrible and soulless adaptation of a wonderful and charming book. Eragon and Inkheart are also prime examples of the beloved source material being completely ignored in exchange for a disheartening cinematic experience. But this movie...this movie in my opinion takes the cake for worst adaptation of all time. Here are my thoughts on A Wrinkle in Time.
In 1960, Madeleine L'Engle was a struggling author shopping around her completed novel A Wrinkle in Time. She was rejected 30 times until her novel was finally accepted and published in 1962. It turned out to be her most successful novel, winning the Newberry Medal for literature. It is still revered as a classic today, blending science and L'Engle's Christian faith as well as depicting one of the first female protagonists in a science fiction novel. It's a fascinating and engrossing read, written with such great diction and strength, by far one of the best books I've ever read. Fast forward to 2018 and Disney has delivered one of the most atrocious movies I've ever had the displeasure of watching. That movie is A Wrinkle in Time, based on L'Engle's beloved novel. The film is directed by Ava DuVernay, a director hot off the success of critically acclaimed films such as Selma (2014) and 13th (2016). The cast is filled to the brim with stars such as Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey, Chris Pine, Michael Pena, and Zach Galifianakis. The script was written by Jennifer Lee, who directed a little Disney movie called Frozen and wrote Zootopia, one of my favorite movies of all time. With all of that talent involved, this should have been a runaway success. But it's not. In fact, it's quite the opposite. This movie is bad. This movie is really really really bad. So why is this movie bad? For one thing, it seems like absolutely no one read the novel. Parts were added into the movie that were not in the book, which sometimes isn't a huge problem in film adaptations of books (the elves were certainly not at Helm's Deep in Two Towers, but it doesn't bother me), but these new additions added absolutely nothing to the story and were unnecessary. Many of the characters in the movie acted nothing like their novel counterparts. For instance, Charles Wallace is portrayed as sincere, quiet, and intelligent in the novel, whereas in the movie he's portrayed as obnoxious, pretentious, and annoying. Which is a shame because Charles Wallace is one of the most important (and one of my favorite) characters in the novel. What bothered me the most, however, is that important parts from the novel are glossed over and completely cut from the movie. Where's Aunt Beast? She's the reason why Meg goes to Camazotz to save Charles Wallace in the first place! Instead it's replaced with a garish CGI-riddled confrontation between Meg and Charles Wallace that's laughably bad. Why is Calvin even there in the first place? Calvin is a great and strong-minded character in the book, but in the movie he's no more than a love interest for Meg that doesn't do anything of importance. You could've taken him out of the movie and there would've been nothing lost. Why in the world is the Happy Medium portrayed as a sarcastic stereotypical Zach Galifianakis character? Why is Mrs. Whatsit so unnecessarily mean to Meg when she wasn't that way in the book at all? What's the point of making Charles Wallace adopted when he's not in the book? Point is I could go on and on about how bad this adaptation is, but I need to talk about the other issues. The acting is so hit and miss in this film. I can see that everyone is trying their best (mostly), but the script really isn't doing them any favors. Instead of using L'Engle's intelligent and philosophical style, Lee substitutes that with safe cookie cutter writing that uses horrible dated references to attempt to get laughs and cliched concepts that would be more suited for cheesy Hallmark movies. The worst actors by far are the child actors. There are child actors who do great with their material (Jacob Tremblay in Room and Dafne Keen in Logan are prime examples), but that also has to do with how competent the filmmakers are in executing direction and script, which this films fails at on both aspects. It also has to do with the fact that Tremblay and Keen are naturally great actors. Storm Reid, who portrays Meg, is the better of the three leads by far and I feel like she's sincere in her performance for the most part. It's not great, but it's not awful. Levi Miller as Calvin is wooden and unmoving and Deric McCabe is just plain awful as Charles Wallace. Because of the stilted acting and the blundering script, I felt no emotional connection to any of the characters nor did any of the characters resonate with me. There were moments where, if it were any other movie, I definitely would've cried, but because of how poorly put together and emotionally shallow this movie was, I certainly did not. For a movie that was made with an $100 million dollar budget, this movie sure does look bad. The CGI is unbelievably appalling. Every time I saw Oprah the giant I would just laugh at how ridiculous she looked. Also didn't help that she was wearing what looked like a mermaid outfit. When Reese Witherspoon turned into a giant lettuce, I thought to myself "I don't think this is how I imagined it in the book". Terrible film adaptation comment aside, the flying giant lettuce monster looked ridiculous. I will admit, the bright color palette was appealing to the eye, but the problem is that it all looked so...fake. It was very clear that it was all green screened. It's like DuVernay didn't even try to make it look real. Lastly, the whole movie is BORING. The film moves slower than a snail's pace and some scenes took what felt like forever to get through, although that was probably because they were painful to watch as well. The musical score is generic and just downright tedious to listen to, which doesn't help the movie's already lethargic feel. And why why WHY did DuVernay feel the need to add pop songs to this movie??? Whenever I heard a pop song, it would immediately take me out of the movie, although honestly I was already tuning out about half an hour into the movie. It made it feel like I was watching an angsty teen drama instead of the deep science fiction epic that it was SUPPOSED to be. Is this the worst adaptation I've ever seen? Yes, yes it is. I cannot emphasize this enough: if Hollywood plans to hand the keys of a well beloved classic over to someone, those filmmakers better damn well read the source material and at least attempt to understand what made the source material so special in the first place. More than likely, audiences will appreciate it. Ava DuVernay and Jennifer Lee clearly did not understand that and delivered a horribly underwhelming and generic cinematic experience. If you want to see just how much audiences hated it, just look at the 4.2 IMDb score it has. This movie is close to being on the Bottom 100 list on IMDb. I gave it a 1, although I would've given it a 0 if I had been given the option. Disney doesn't usually deliver duds like this, but A Wrinkle in Time is an awful adaptation that is the epitome of failure on every level possible. Madeleine L'Engle must be rolling over in her grave now. Rating: 0/10 Bottom of the Barrel The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been around for 11 years now and has delivered some of the most entertaining and thrilling cinematic moments that I can recall. All starting with Iron Man in 2008, the MCU has developed into a box office juggernaut and has created some of the most memorable on-screen characters in recent memory. It is probably one of the most well-known franchises in cinema history and, unless you've been living under a rock for the last 11 years, you've probably seen at least ONE of the 23 movies in the MCU. While there are other great Marvel movies (Spider-Man 2) as well as horrendous ones (ALL of the Fantastic Four movies), I have tasked myself to only rank the MCU movies, ranked from "worst" to best. Remember, this is just my opinion, this is neither right nor wrong. So here goes (also there will be spoilers):
*updated 7/8/19 to include Endgame and Far From Home 23. The Incredible Hulk (2008): Edward Norton is admittedly better than Eric Bana, but we all know Mark Ruffalo is the REAL Hulk. This isn't an AWFUL movie, but it is pretty forgettable. You could take this film out of the MCU and you wouldn't be missing anything except maybe the post-credits scene. 22. Thor: The Dark World (2013): Another forgettable entry (although according to Endgame it's one of the more important ones). Also made me realize how much I REALLY don't like Natalie Portman in the MCU. She's not an awful actress, but her character is cloying and a nuisance. Thor's mother's funeral is a cool scene, as is the car turning scene in the beginning, but other than that, I'll just stick with Ragnarok. 21. Iron Man 2 (2010): Poor Sam Rockwell and Mickey Rourke's talents are absolutely wasted in this mediocre sequel to the movie that started it all. However, it does switch in Don Cheadle, taking over Terence Howard's role as Rhodes, which was a smart idea considering that Cheadle is a considerably better actor. Other than that, aside from the Whiplash racetrack scene, this movie is a jumbled mess. 20. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015): Too many unnecessary side plots, too many unnecessary characters, not enough of the wonderful James Spader as Ultron. Definitely an example of biting off more than you chew. It'd be different if it was all executed well...but unfortunately, it's not. Also, Quicksilver in Days of Future Past >>>> Quicksilver in Age of Ultron. However, just like Dark World, this movie turns out to be an important player in Endgame, particularly in THAT scene. 19. Captain Marvel (2019): A decent if not slightly uninspired introduction to what I assume will be the future leader of the Avengers. Brie Larson is fine, although the character herself is somewhat uninteresting and one-dimensional. Samuel L. Jackson is great as a young Nick Fury and there are some great moments in the film and the film doesn't end in a CGI fueled frenzy. Ben Mendelsohn continues to prove why everyone wants him in their movie by being one of the best and enjoyable parts of the movie. Overall, it's okay. 18. Thor (2011): This movie is definitely overshadowed by the vastly superior Ragnarok, but this movie has a glorious Shakespearean feel to it, with director Kenneth Branagh's classical theater imprint stamped all over it. It has great set direction and designs, wonderful performances, a top-notch story and introduces us to one of the best villains in the MCU. However, the problem is that it moves painfully slow and the pacing stalls for long periods of time. 17. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011): The introduction to one of the most revered members of the Avengers. Chris Evans absolutely nails his performance as the titular hero and it has excellent supporting performances from Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones, Sebastian Stan, and Hayley Atwell. There's actually nothing WRONG with this movie...but when compared to the other 2 Captain America films, it definitely lacks a certain pizazz that the other two possess. 16. Iron Man 3 (2013): Totally underrated in my opinion. The comedy is top-notch and it boasts some great performances. I know people are divided on the Mandarin twist (I didn't mind it as much), but I actually enjoyed Ben Kingsley's giddy performance as the faux Mandarin. I think Shane Black's direction on this film was excellent. I think the last act of the film was a little over the top and there were too many ridiculous things happening at once, but it doesn't deter from the fact that this is an underrated gem in the MCU. 15. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017): I loved the first movie so I had high expectations for the second installment. The ensemble cast's chemistry continues to shine (love Kurt Russell as Ego), while the jokes fly a mile a minute. However, the humor does undercut the more serious moments of the movie and, while I love a good comedic moment, the comedic timing just wasn't as precise as it had been in the first movie (although that Mary Poppins line is killer). The end of the movie does deliver one of the most emotional moments in the MCU, so much so that I ALMOST cried (or maybe I did, I honestly don't remember). 14. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018): This movie had the unfortunate circumstance of being the first movie released after the bombshell that was Infinity War. With that being said, it's an enjoyable romp with Paul Rudd delivering another charming performance as Ant-Man and Evangeline Lilly shining as Wasp. I think this movie does suffer from unnecessary characters being stuffed in there, but one thing I can never get enough of is Michael Pena's dynamite performance as the hilarious Luis. Great action coupled with great humor and a great story, just like the surprisingly great first entry. 13. Doctor Strange (2016): Definitely one of the more complex and refreshing MCU stories that boasts some of the best and most breathtaking visual effects in the entire MCU. Benedict Cumberbatch is great as the titular hero (his accent is a little suspect), while the rest of the cast give excellent supporting performances. The villain is a little too generic for my taste and there definitely is some lull in the story, but the action scenes are great and the "Dormammu I've come to bargain" scene is truly one of the best MCU moments. 12. Ant-Man (2015): Was I expecting this movie to be this good when I first saw it? Absolutely not, but it's proven itself to be one of my favorites in the MCU. Paul Rudd is perfect as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, a role that could be played by no one else. The comedic elements are brilliant, which includes Michael Pena's Luis's scene stealing and hilarious storytelling flashback scenes. The movie zips along with thoughtful and clever action scenes. Admittedly, the villain is meh, but aside from that one little knock, this movie packs a big punch and works on every level. 11. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019): This movie had the unfortunate task of following up the biggest movie of the decade, and it delivers on the post-Endgame blues with aplomb. Tom Holland once again proves he is the best Spider-Man of all time (and no I won't hear anything differently) in a story that moves swiftly and deftly through clever writing, great cinematography, awesome fight scenes, and memorable performances. Although we won't get to see him again, it was awesome seeing Jake Gyllenhaal in the MCU, crafting a rather intriguing villain that proves to be great foil for Spider-Man. The shadow of Tony Stark is looming throughout the movie, allowing the story to center around our hero trying to figure out how to live his life while inheriting a huge chip on his shoulder, which is all handled extremely well. Also, both post-credits scenes? Genius. 10. Iron Man (2008): The movie that started it all, the Genesis of the MCU. Even though this movie is 10 years old, this movie has aged extremely well. Robert Downey Jr. delivers one of the best performances of his career and is perfect as the charismatic playboy billionaire Tony Stark. If it weren't for RDJ and his commitment to the role, I know this movie would not have succeeded as much as it did. A thought-provoking story mixed with awesome action scenes, visual effects, and top notch performances and you've got the recipe that has made the MCU so successful. 9. Captain America: the Winter Soldier (2012): The first movie was a great introductory story for Cap, but the sequels did an excellent job of crafting great stories and great characters to complement the first Avenger. The addition of characters like Sam Wilson/Falcon and Bucky Barnes' reincarnation as the Winter Soldier help flesh out Steve Rogers' character and as a result Chris Evans' performance is even better than before. It's also weird but strangely nice to see the incredible Robert Redford playing against type and portraying the villainous Alexander Pierce. This movie also possesses some of the MCU's best fight scenes, which includes the brilliant elevator fight scene. 8. Black Panther (2018): I'll be the first to say that I was all aboard the Black Panther hype train after his introduction in Civil War. Needless to say, this movie was able to live up to the hype and did not disappoint. Strong performances from the primarily black main and supporting cast, a wonderfully refreshing story, a dynamite soundtrack from Ludwig Goransson and Kendrick Lamar, great action scenes, and the breathtakingly and beautifully designed Wakanda helped turn this movie into one of the most culturally relevant films in recent history. Plus, Michael B. Jordan turned in one of THE best MCU performances as the sympathetic yet villainous Killmonger. No one can tell me differently. 7. The Avengers (2012): The first BIG movie that featured all of the superheroes in the same movie, this movie's success rides on great performances from all of the leads, wonderfully shot action scenes, larger than life visual effects, and a stacked yet smooth story that never seems to lose sight of the big picture (unlike Age of Ultron). The best way to sum up the film in one scene: the iconic and climactic camera panning lineup scene, surrounded by the enemies, ready to fight. It's the perfect way to describe not only the movie, but the entire MCU. 6. Captain America: Civil War (2016): Really an Avengers movie disguised as a Captain America movie. However, make no mistake, Cap is still the hero at the end of the day (Yes, I am Team Cap all day every day). What makes this film so significant is that it introduces two major players in the MCU: Tom Holland as Spider-Man and Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, both of whom immediately became fan favorites. There are too many great scenes to choose from in this movie: the airport fight scene, the climactic Iron Man-Cap fight at the end, the Bucky motorcycle flip, Cap stopping a helicopter with his bare hands, etc. What makes this film also great is the captivating story as well as a great balance of dramatic and comedic moments. Truly iconic. 5. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017): I'll admit, I really liked the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies. The Andrew Garfield Spider-Man movies are utter rubbish. But now, with Homecoming, we have a great Spider-Man in Tom Holland and a great movie in general. The story plays out like a coming of age superhero tale, perfectly mixing teenage angst and typical MCU action. The supporting cast is exceptional, which includes the great Michael Keaton as Vulture, the primary antagonist but not quite your typical run-of-the-mill MCU villain. Jacob Batalon is fantastic as Peter's best friend Ned and RDJ takes on the role as not just Tony Stark as Iron Man, but Tony Stark the mentor. Definitely the web slinger's best movie to date, and that's saying a lot considering how much I love Spider-Man 2. Also, the scene where Vulture confronts Peter in the car-one of the best scenes in the MCU. 4. Thor: Ragnarok (2017): I did not think I was going to enjoy this movie as much as I would. But fact of the matter is I love this movie. Instead of going bland like Dark World or Shakespearean like the first entry, this is a straight up full-blown comedy. It shouldn't work, but none of the comedic elements feel out of place nor does it bog down the story any. It commits to its humor 100%, thanks to director Taika Waititi's keen sense of comedy, and turns out to be the funniest entry in the MCU by far. Nothing feels out of place: the brilliant usage of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" as Thor's theme song, the gorgeous slow-mo shots, the bright and vibrant color palette, the slapstick comedy (the get help scene is slapstick at its finest), Jeff Goldblum. Everything works and I certainly wouldn't mind if Taika Waititi directed another movie in the MCU. 3. Avengers: Infinity War (2018): What more needs to be said about this movie? It's the (near) ultimate culmination of literally every single movie that's come out in the last 10 years. It's got the best villain in the entire MCU. It has so many iconic and memorable (and memeable) moments it's impossible to list down every single one in one short paragraph. The story has so many side plots that don't ever feel unnecessary and so many characters but it never feels too crowded. And the ending. Just wow. One of the only movies where I've ever walked out of the theaters absolutely shocked and dumbfounded. A movie for the ages. Top 50 #47 2. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014): Up until Endgame, this WAS the best movie in the MCU. I believe that this movie really set the standard for the MCU: great acting and ensemble cast, charismatic characters, wonderfully shot action, killer dialogue, heaps of well-timed and balanced humor, creative stories, beautiful visuals, and touching moments. It also features the best title sequence in the MCU and the best soundtrack (sorry Black Panther). Truly an iconic milestone in the MCU and one of my personal favorites. Top 50 #5 1. Avengers: Endgame (2019): I knew once Endgame came out it was going to take the number one spot, and I was certainly not proven wrong here. This is the perfect culmination of every movie in the MCU in the last 11 years. It perfectly ties up every story up to this point, not leaving any loose ends in the process. The Russo Brothers, masters of "Marvel miracles", gives the fans exactly what they want to see, albeit with a couple of familiar faces meeting their unfortunate end. There are iconic moments and shots that will not be forgotten any time soon, memorable quotes ("I love you 3000"), a hefty blend of action, humor, and drama, and it delivers the two best moments in the entire MCU ("I knew it!", "On your left"). If Infinity War set the bar high for monumental set pieces, emotionally draining endings, and endless memes, then Endgame breaks that bar and raises it to a point that I don't believe will ever be touched. This is the MCU's greatest achievement and I'm not sure any other movie will be able to dethrone this as number one. Top 50 #4 If you had told me that one of the best movies of 2018 would be a Mission Impossible movie, I would've said that you were insane. But here we are, in 2018, and one of the best movies of the year is a Mission Impossible movie. Here are my thoughts on Mission Impossible: Fallout.
22 years ago, the first Mission Impossible movie premiered. Tom Cruise portrayed Ethan Hunt, an agent who has been framed for the murder of his entire Impossible Missions Force (IMF) and thus must solve the mystery and clear his name. It was a box office success, but only received mixed reviews. However, it spawned the ever expanding Mission Impossible franchise, and with the exception of one movie (the dreadful second one), each new movie that's released is better than the last. As impossible as it may seem (pun intended), Fallout is undeniably the best in the series. So why is this movie so good? Well for one, Tom Cruise is the man. He is just so incredibly good as the dogged protagonist Hunt. While he's always been good, he's never been this good. It helps that Hunt is fleshed out and humanized in this movie, rather than just being portrayed as a one-dimensional action hero. Not that he hasn't been before, but the concept of Hunt the human being is much more emphasized in this movie. He's seen as a caring and loving individual who would do anything to protect the ones he love, which ultimately ends up being the reason why the conflict happens in the first place in the movie. Tom Cruise also proves that he is the most physically fit 56 year old man I've ever seen in a movie, performing most of his own stunts (which definitely left me saying "oh my god" many many times throughout the movie). Of course, it wouldn't be a Tom Cruise action film without a Tom Cruise running sequence, and man can this guy run. It made me run out of breath just watching him. While Tom Cruise is good, the rest of the supporting cast help bolster the excellence of the film. Returners Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, Alec Baldwin, Sean Harris, and Michelle Monaghan are great, as well as newbies Henry Cavill and Angela Bassett. It should be noted that Ving Rhames, who plays Hunt's loyal friend and partner Luther Stickell, is the only person other than Tom Cruise to be in every Mission Impossible movie. He has proven himself to not only be Hunt's conscience and confidant, but also a fan favorite in the franchise. Also, I just really love Ving Rhames, so the fact that he's still in the franchise after all this time makes me happy. The camaraderie between Pegg, Rhames, and Cruise is on full display in this film, playing off the best qualities of each of their characters and simply how well their chemistry works together. A lot of action movies nowadays have quick choppy editing and insane amounts of CGI to ruin the whole experience. Fallout, thankfully, does not fall into either of these categories. The action sequences are so well shot and choreographed, thanks to director Christopher McQuarrie's great eye for action and Tom Cruise's full commitment to the scene. Every scene also left me on the edge of my seat, literally putting my hands on my head in disbelief with every punch, every kick, and every car (or helicopter) chase. Here's where this movie succeeds the most with the action sequence: each sequence doesn't feel cheaply or poorly made or out of place, but rather an essential part of the story and the movie. It never slows down, doesn't bog down the pace, and, simply put, it's a mile-a-minute thrill ride. As much as I liked the last Mission Impossible film (Rogue Nation), I did find, at least to me, that the story was a little hard to follow at times. This time, Fallout's story, once again written by McQuarrie, is still just as methodical as Rogue Nation, but it is laid out in a much more friendly summer blockbuster formulaic manner (basically it's easier to follow). However, the complexities of the plot are not sacrificed and the story is enhanced by the excellent cast and the beautifully shot action as stated before. Mission Impossible: Fallout is without a doubt one of the best action movies I've ever seen. It's unbelievable to think that one of the best action movies in the last decade is a Mission Impossible film, a franchise that started 22 years ago with only an okay movie. But over time, this franchise has grown into one of the best cinematic franchises, blending complex stories with absolutely dynamite action sequences. The acting is phenomenal. The cinematography is top notch. The music, all based around Lalo Schifrin's iconic theme, is incredible. I would never ever say this unless I meant it, but I hope that this franchise never dies because I need it. Rating: 10/10 Top 50: #48 |
AuthorBuster Bigelow: 30 year old lover of movies, cinema, and music. Whether you agree or disagree with my reviews, I'd love to hear what you think in the comments! Archives
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