I usually have a good handle on how I judge a certain movie. But I don't know what to think of this movie. Is it good? Is it bad? Here are my thoughts on Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Star Wars is one of the most popular franchises in the world. Every episodic movie that's been released up to this point follows this thought process: It's accepted that the first three films (Episodes IV-VI) are great; It's accepted, for the most part, that the next three films are hit or miss, depending on who you talk to; It's accepted that, as much as I love The Force Awakens, Episode VII is just a rehash of A New Hope. However, this new movie is the most divisive that I've seen, not only between the critic and the audiences, but between hardcore fans themselves. Before I continue, I'd like to state that I am not a hardcore Star Wars fan nor am I going to pretend that I understand the entire universe regarding Star Wars. With all of that being said, I cannot conclusively come to a decision about how I felt about this film. There were great moments in the film but there were also a lot of questionable decisions made on director Rian Johnson's part. Some of the plot points seemed unnecessary and felt like it was just padding on time. Some plot points were just stupid and unreasonable. Some scenes definitely could've been trimmed for cohesiveness or cut for the fact that they were just dumb. The movie just didn't flow right and it had a strangely uneven pace throughout the film. The casino planet story arc should've just...never happened. There was a social justice warrior plot line in the film that didn't fit nor should it have been included in the film. Above everything, it was LONG. It felt like there was a point where it should've ended, but then didn't. However, with that being said, I thought the visuals were astounding. The action scenes were shot beautifully, especially the fight scene with Rey and Kylo Ren. The music was great, the acting was excellent (even Rose, I liked her but I know a lot of people didn't), and I really really liked Mark Hamill's return as Luke Skywalker. I know people have criticized his "drastic" character change by the usage of humor, but Mark Hamill pulls it off so well that I don't think it's an issue for me. Rey and Luke's storyline was great and hands down the best storyline in the movie. I also appreciated the scenes between Rey and Kylo Ren because they were so well executed and acted. There's a cameo from an iconic character that has one of the best scenes in the film. There were definitely scenes where I was at a loss for words for how great those particular scenes were. In fact, one of the best scenes in the movie is probably one of the best scenes I've seen in a Star Wars movie. So overall, I cannot give this movie a proper rating yet. I have no clue how to rate this because I feel like I need to watch this movie again. I'm conflicted because I don't know if the good outweighs the bad or vice versa. So the rating will have to come later. Rating: ???/10
0 Comments
For the longest time, Spider-Man 2 was my favorite Spider-Man movie and Tobey Maguire was my Spider-Man. Not anymore. Sorry Tobey. Here are my thoughts on Spider-Man Homecoming:
About time we FINALLY get a movie that matches a quality Spider-Man with a quality movie. As much as I liked Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man, his movies could not even come close to matching his quality performance. Introduced in Captain America: Civil War, Tom Holland is by far the best Spider-Man we've gotten so far. He's charming, he's funny, he's got charisma, and he's closer to the age where he's supposed to be (ironically, Holland is also British like Garfield, but that's beside the point). He really captures the character and the spirit of the Spider-Man that everyone knows and loves. The story is fantastically written and well-paced enough where there wasn't a single boring moment in the movie. Nowhere in the movie did I ever think "man when will this movie end" (unlike Wonder Woman). The script is snappy and witty and the action is bright and vividly shot (except for the end). And for once, we don't get an origin story. Everyone at this point should know what happened to Peter Parker and how he became Spider-Man. Everyone should know that with great power comes great responsibility. We got an original Spider-Man story that didn't revolve around "oh here's how Uncle Ben dies" or "how did he get his powers". It perfectly blends coming of age, superhero, and high school comedy all into one film. Before Killmonger came into brilliant existence in Black Panther, Homecoming delivered a decent Marvel villain with Michael Keaton's Vulture. We get a villain who isn't the generic run-of-the-mill superhero villain that we've seen over and over again in every DC and Marvel movie. He's got character, intrigue, heart, and is actually INTERESTING. It also helps that Michael Keaton is a fantastic actor so he's able to sell the character and create a sympathetic performance. The car scene between Holland and Keaton is one of best scenes I've seen in the MCU, possibly ever. I've never felt more tension or suspense in an MCU movie before, and Holland and Keaton are able to elevate it to a godlike cinematic masterpiece of a scene. I also really liked the sidekick Jacob Batalon as Ned, who brought some great levity and humor to the movie, and Zendaya, who isn't in it much admittedly, is hilarious and sarcastic. Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau (good to see Happy again) and the always excellent Robert Downey Jr. also deliver great performances. The only criticism I have with the film is that there's one of the action scene at the end that's very hard to see. Maybe that was how it was supposed to be, but it struck me as jarring. A minor knock on an otherwise fantastic film. Best Spider-Man movie of the bunch, which is saying a lot considering how much I love Spider-Man 2. Thank God it's not an origin story. Rating: 9.8/10 I would argue that there are parts of this movie that could possibly rival that of Marvel's best movies. But it ultimately suffers from the same problems that have been plaguing the rest of DC's movies. Here are my thoughts on Wonder Woman.
Audiences and critics alike were wowed by this movie. It received a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. There was talk of it being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Patty Jenkins has been heralded as the best female director in Hollywood. A majority of people have said that this is the best superhero movie ever made. I can wholeheartedly agree with exactly one of those claims. Patty Jenkins is a fantastic director, there is absolutely no doubt about that. I think she did a wonderful job with the material and crafted a film that is SIGNIFICANTLY better than the previous DCEU movies. But that's where it ends with me. I was not wowed and amazed by this movie as a whole. Yes, there are parts of this movie that I was impressed with, but it is not the best superhero movie ever made, nor do I think that this should've been anywhere near talks of being nominated for Best Picture. The great parts of this movie are truly great though. The best part of the movie, as it was with Batman V. Superman, is the charismatic Gal Gadot as the titular character. She delivers a flawless performance that allows the audience to emotionally and mentally connect with her character. I do not think that anyone at this point could portray a better Wonder Woman than Gal Gadot (sorry Lynda Carter fans if you're reading this). Chris Pine as Steve Trevor is a wonderful addition as well, but above that, his chemistry with Gadot seems real and legitimate. The relationship drives the film into depths that the DCEU has been so unsuccessful with before: a romance that the audiences can buy into (sorry, but I'm not buying Amy Adams and Henry Cavill at all). The action scenes were really well done (for about 85% of it) and I did like how they dealt with the topic of war and had it be an integral part of the story rather than just an accessory. Unfortunately, great convincing lead performances and great action scenes can't save this movie from the same issues that have been tormenting the DCEU. The plot is convoluted and messy and the pacing is inconsistent and moves extremely slow at times. Some plot points were never expanded upon or, even worse, some things were ultimately left unexplained. The twist with the villain is one of the most idiotic and predictable parts of the entire movie. Not to mention his plan makes absolutely no sense. Also, there's like three villains in this movie, which is pushing into Spider-Man 3 territory (yuck). And of course, all of this leads to a 20 minute CGI-maxed fight scene that's just big and loud and really really really ugly (I had to check my phone for the time and it was exactly 20 minutes on the nose). Although Marvel does pretty much the same thing with the final act fight scenes, at least there's some color and it doesn't look like a completely hideous nightmare. I will say that this movie actually felt like a coherent watchable MOVIE, unlike the disasters that were BvS and Suicide Squad. It's an improvement, and that in itself is a success. Wonder Woman feels like the most fleshed out character so far in the DCEU so there is promise that there can be success. Overall, there were great things about it, but I felt short changed by the final product, which is ultimately disappointing granted how great it COULD'VE been. Rating 6.8/10 A story about a woman falling in love with a fish man won Best Picture.
Never did I think I was going to type those words. Anyways, here are my thoughts on The Shape of Water. The Shape of Water, the story of a mute woman named Elisa (Sally Hawkins) who falls in love with an amphibious man (Doug Jones), was nominated for 13 Academy Awards. It won 4 of those nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director for Guillermo Del Toro. On paper, this is an extremely strange concept for a movie. And I'm not gonna lie, this is an unusual movie. However, if anyone could pull this off with panache, it could only be Guillermo Del Toro. Del Toro has proven that he can craft ravishingly grim stories like he did with Pan's Labyrinth. He's also proven that he's one of the most imaginative directors in Hollywood with movies like Pacific Rim and the Hellboy franchise. He has a dynamic gothic direction style that can only be defined as Del Toro's. This direction style coupled with his combination of grit and beauty works well for an odd concept like The Shape of Water. The story is beautifully told through Del Toro's direction and the script, written by Del Toro and Vanessa Taylor, is one of the best of the year. Alexandre Desplat's music is GORGEOUS and he was deservedly rewarded with an Oscar for Best Original Score because it's breathtaking from start to finish. The movie could not be what it was without the astounding acting performances. Each individual performance is phenomenal. The real hero is Sally Hawkins, who absolutely dominates without saying one word throughout her performance. Body language is a powerful communication device, and that's all she needs to sell her incredible performance as Elisa. There is one scene in particular where she has an argument with Giles (the always immaculate Richard Jenkins) that is nothing short of jaw-dropping. Every emotion is wrung on her face and she just sells the entire scene with aplomb. The supporting performances from Octavia Spencer, Richard Jenkins, the criminally underrated Michael Stuhlbarg, and Michael Shannon are just spectacular as well. The fact that Michael Shannon DIDN'T get nominated for an Oscar for his role as the villainous Strickland is a huge oversight on the Academy's part. Also, shout out to Doug Jones because he truly doesn't get enough love for his brilliant motion capture performances (kinda like Andy Serkis). As said before, the movie won 4 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Guillermo Del Toro. As MUCH as I did love and appreciate this film, I'm not sure if it should've beaten films like the spectacular Dunkirk or the revolutionary Get Out, directed by Christopher Nolan and first timer Jordan Peele respectively. The Shape of Water just seemed like the safe choice, which isn't new territory for the Academy. They often sideline the riskier picks and choose the easier films to stomach. Perfect examples: Crash over Brokeback Mountain in 2004; Shakespeare in Love over Saving Private Ryan in 1998; Forrest Gump over Pulp Fiction and Shawshank Redemption in 1994. Not saying that Shape of Water is a bad film at all because it really isn't, but it should not have won over films like Dunkirk or Get Out. This could've been an extremely silly film, but it's executed so well that it makes up for the silly sounding premise of the film (I tried saying it out loud to one of my friends and I realized how ludicrous it sounded). Yes, there are movies that I love much more than this, but that doesn't make this any less of a great film. It is a cinematic triumph and it truly solidifies Guillermo Del Toro as one of the best in Hollywood at the moment. Just imagine what a Del Toro-directed Hobbit trilogy would've been like... Rating: 10/10 |
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
June 2020
Categories
All
|
"Every great film should seem new every time you see it."
-Roger Ebert
Copyright © 2015