Week 7: Robocop

The new RoboCop is a surprisingly good and entertaining sci-fi action thriller that appeals to the human heart by conveying emotions and the humanity side of Murphy, the main character who eventually becomes the titled cyborg law enforcer. The film ultimately wins for not trying to be the original (1987 version). The story of Murphy is similar (since it's a remake) but does its own thing to provide something new instead of retelling the same thing again. The film focuses more on the development of Murphy's character, his initial response to his cyborg body and relationship with his family, making the character more emotional and relatable to the audience. The film delves into the meaning of humanity, family themes, media influence on public opinion, corporate greed (capitalism), authoritarianism and corrupt law enforcement authorities. It provides a brief view of the struggles we might face with machines or digital surveillance of the future. It also briefly raises the question whether it's ethical or legal to eliminate the human factor in law enforcement to reduce crime rates by creating merciless cyborgs or robots to replace humans. The action sequences are updated with a higher body count, with better CGI and sound effects, making them cooler, stylish and more entertaining than the original. The new black tactical design of Robocop is found to be acceptable and nice...the updated Robocop is more agile, flexible and stronger compared to the original. However, I personally find the right human hand to be slightly distracting. (I prefer no human hand at all, entirely machine except the face) There's quite a lot of credible actors in this film: Abbie Cornish, Jay Baruchel, James Earle Haley, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton and Samuel L. Jackson all providing decent performances to this remake. Although it's hardly a ground-breaking film or a masterpiece, Robocop is a decent and satisfying remake that delivers on many levels. There's currently no plot problems, inconsistencies or plot holes found in this film at this time of writing this review. So, it's good enough for a recommendation to watch it. Rating: 7.5/10

Week 6: Divergent

Divergent is a sci fi/fantasy type movie that is set in a futuristic dystopic society where all the population of the world is divided into five factions that each represent different virtues. Teens who reach the requisite age have to decide if they want to stay in their given faction or switch to another, new faction, and either way that will be their faction for the rest of their lives. 

Beatrice (Tris) Prior and her fellow faction members have to live through various challenges in a highly competitive and dangerous initiation process to get the permission to live out the choice they have made. These tests include extreme physical and intense psychological challenges which affect them all profoundly. 

Beatrice's deadly secret is that she is "divergent", meaning she does not fit into any one particular faction alone. If the wrong people find out this terrible secret she will be sentenced to death immediately. As she discovers a growing conspiracy that threatens to unravel the entire world, this secret might come in handy to help her save the people she loves, or on the other hand it could destroy the entire world. Now when i heard about this move, i thought it was a Hunger Games ripoff, but i read some of the book and enjoyed it, so i got excited. I went to go see it and it was actually good, i would recommend people go see it. 

Rating: 8 out of 10

Week 5: Need for Speed

I went to go see Need For Speed expecting to see a really meh movie and I must say, despite a 2hr 10min running time, this film was extremely entertaining from start to finish. The film follows Toby Marshall, played by Aaron Paul, and his quest for revenge against a billionaire racer, played by Dominic Cooper, who killed his friend. The film's familiar plot gets excused for the mere fact that the action sequences in this film are amazing and keep you holding your breath. The lack of CGI is jaw dropping. It makes the action sequences in Fast & Furious 6 look like more of a video game than the basis for this film. It truly is amazing. Aaron Paul is very good in this film, while he is nowhere near the caliber of his famous Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad, he still proves that he is an amazing actor with great things ahead of him. Another surprise here is Kid Cudi, who gives a light hearted touch to the rough and tough story of revenge. Michael Keaton is another welcomed addition to this film as he lets the viewer get a better idea of who our anti-hero, Toby Marshall, truly is. Dominic Cooper is a down side of the film, unfortunately he weighs down the film with a typical evil billionaire performance, the only think he is missing is his pinky finger against his lips but it is just enough to overlook. Getting back to the basis of this movie, this is hands down the best video game adaptation ever made. It's hard to believe when watching it that this is a video game adaptation because it is actually good. This comes as proof that with good actors and directing, video games can be adapted correctly.
Rating:7.5 out of 10

Week 4: 300 Rise of an Empire

300: Rise of an Empire was a little different from what I initially expected. Assumed it was a sequel. However, it is more of a companion movie - a different view point of the events in 300 and the events after and some events before.

I found the story to be entertaining. The Persians are still attacking Greece, but this time we watch from the view point of Athenian Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton) while the events of 300 unfold elsewhere. The backstory of some old and some new characters were interesting to watch. The events which take place after 300 were awesome and led to some great battle scenes.

And whilst 300 had plenty of fantastic battle scenes, Rise has some equally fantastic naval battle scenes. Ships wrecks, beheadings, one on ones, and battles were all awesome and entertaining. Watching Themistocles engage in naval tactics was quite fun to watch. The one on one (or multiple) combats were a bit better than the original. I found them rougher and just more fun to watch. Eva green as Artemisia was amazing. She was terrifying at times and great fun to watch. 

However, I did find a few scenes felt out of place and unnecessary. In saying that, the confrontations Themistocles and Artemisia more than made up for it. 

The ending of the movie was satisfying and to repeat myself, so was the final battle scenes. They were incredibly fun to watch. 

A very entertaining movie, especially since I was lucky to be able to watch them back to back on the big screen.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Week 2: The Matrix

The Matrix...when I first heard about it, I expected just another sci-fi action thriller. Good and filled with insane stunts, but not terribly intelligent.

Boy, was I wrong. Oh, the stunts are there in spades, all right, and yes, they are awesome. And the special effects are absolutely amazing (even if similar ones have been used in other movies as a result- and not explained as well).

But the movie has plot as well. It has characters that I cared about, from Keanu Reeves' excellent portrayal of Neo, the man trying to come to grips with his own identity, to Lawrence Fishburne's mysterious Morpheus, and even the creepy Agents, everyone does a stellar job of making their characters more than just the usual action "hero that kicks butt" and "cannon fodder" roles. I cared about each and every one of the heroes, and hated the villains with a passion. It has a plot, and it has a meaning...and lo and behold, a plot does help the fight scenes! Just try it, if you haven't seen the movie before. Watch one of the fight scenes. Then watch the whole movie. There's a big difference in the feeling and excitement of the scenes- sure, they're great as standalones, but the whole thing put together is an experience unlike just about everything else that's come to the theaters. Think about it next time you're watching one of the more brainless action flicks...think how much better it COULD be.

All I can say is WATCH THIS MOVIE. If you haven't, you're missing out on one of the best films of all time. It isn't just special effects.
Rating: 10 out of 10

Week 1: Man of Steel

I know what the critics have said. They complained about too much action, superman being too serious, lack of romance, etc. Since Zack Snyder directed this movie, I don't think he cared about the critics. Don't get me wrong, he DOES care about the fans' opinion.It seems like he really wanted to really satisfy the fans. I can see why critics complained about too much action. For me it's just his way to satisfy the viewers. This is the kind of movie that is just really satisfying. When the movie ended, I got that 'satisfying' feeling instead of the 'wanting more' feeling.  

Even Snyder's best movies (before this) which were 300 & Watchmen had mixed critic ratings. I think the fans should have anticipated the bad reviews. His style is actually what critics hate. The over the top action and CGI is his trademark. So, even from the beginning, I think this is actually the kind of movie the producers wanted. About the lack of romance, I really do think it's saved for the sequel. The sequel will definitely explore more about the relationship between Clark and Lois and introduce Batman, Wonder Woman, and Lex Luthor. This film focused on 2 aspects: the origin (krypton,his struggle finding his place) & the action (Zod and his army). Don't expect much humor or romance.

The visuals were spectacular! The best about this movie is its action scenes. The action was just relentless. I think the fans won't be disappointed at all, especially after Superman Returns. Yes, I know there are only a few comedic scenes this movie but that actually doesn't even matter. The battle between Superman & Zod will definitely 'wow' everyone but the critics. I mean who cares about the critics opinion? A superhero movie MUST NOT be judged by the critics opinion, what's more important is the audience's opinion about the movie and especially the fans'. I think the movie really delivered. Most people will probably like this movie. I am really sure that many fanboys will consider this as the best superman movie. This is a MUST SEE for people who like action movie. The action was on par with 2012's The Avengers. 

The sequel really has great potential. Considering the minimum amount of romance in this movie (since they just knew each other, and superman was also more focused on Zod), the next movie could explore more of that. One of the things missing from the movie was also the presence of Clark Kent at the daily planet. It's one of the trade marks. But, I believe the sequel will show more scenes in the Daily Planet which is interesting to see. They could also explore the Dc universe with future movies.

In conclusion, I think Man of Steel is so far one of the best the action movies from 2013. This movie really is a Snyder movie. But it also has a quite lot of Nolan-esque feel to it especially in the around first 45 minutes.This is a must own on Blu-Ray, and i can't wait for the sequel in 2016!

Rating: 9.5.

Week 8: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

  The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug connects you better to the characters than the first in an entertaining ride with more danger, excitement, and humor. The action is well done, and the 3D adds to it, especially in the "water rafting" scene. That part and the whole movie has good editing and amazing visuals. In this one, two of the non-King dwarfs' presence is stronger (Balin and Kili). The she-elf warrior Tauriel and what comes with her works, adding some heart to the film. 
Besides Richard Armitage leading the way as the King under the Mountain with his great chemistry with fellow cast members, there are three actors who give specially noteworthy live-action performances. Lee Pace is one of the true highlights as Thranduil, who is an Elf King that deals with foreboding in a way that is different from Elrond. Ian McKellen's acting is comparable to him in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, as he takes advantage of Gandalf getting his own storyline and heart-pounding action scene. Martin Freeman is good once again as the brave titular character, and actually slightly better. 
The confrontation with Smaug is very enjoyable. It is a long movie, but the finale is the high point. Benedict Cumberbatch does an excellent job with the arrogant beast's voice, continuing to be one of my favorite actors , and the dragon looks really cool in 3D. I personally think that they ended it at the perfect place. When they divide a book up, it will inevitably result in a cliffhanger feeling, which is the second time in a row that this has happened. But, I am satisfied with how they handled it here, and it makes me excited for the third movie, "There and Back Again."

Score: 9 out of 10