JURASSIC WORLD Review

Jurassic Park will forever be known as the film that brought dinosaurs to the big screen, Yes there had been movies prior to it which featured them, but JP was the first to truly show them realistically. It demonstrated how effective CGI could be used in bringing the creatures to life. Steven Spielberg delivered a family adventure. It was one, like the children in the film felt, kids could feel in awe when watching the creatures. Subsequently, the sequels lessened that family atmosphere and became darker. Jurassic World is the fourth film in the franchise, bringing back the series after fourteen years. There had been very little dinosaur films in-between, which goes to show that Park is forever the king of this sub-genre. Director Colin Trevorrow attempts to bring back the tone of the original film with the atmosphere and the usage of kids. Sadly, in trying to do that the film falters. It's not a bad movie, but is actually the worst written of the series.

Steven Spielberg returns to executive produce the long-awaited next installment of his groundbreaking Jurassic Park series, Jurassic World. Colin Trevorrow directs the epic action-adventure based on characters created by Michael Crichton. The screenplay is by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver and Trevorrow & Derek Connolly, and the story is by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver. Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley join the team as producers.

The major problem with this film is the writing. Some of the character concepts aren't bad, but how they're handled is the key. Obviously when one walks into a movie about dinosaurs the main thing the former cares about are the creatures. The film satisfies there, but the humans definitely do not. The perfect kind of monster film is when the creatures' plot directly interacts with the well-written and engaging human characters. Unfortunately, Jurassic World doesn't do wonders here. Like the first movie, there are a few main characters. The most popular one is of course Owen Grady, Chris Pratt's character. If you've seen the trailers and clips, then you know exactly what to expect. He isn't bad, but isn't Oscar-worthy. The relationship established between him and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) is bizarre. I say this because not much is established beforehand and then literally in the middle of a frantic scene where pterodactyls are literally grabbing and chomping on people he kisses her. Not only is this extremely unrealistic, it's stereotypical summer movie fare.

Claire isn't bad, but not particularly memorable either. Her "empowerment" moment maybe was supposed to be funny, but ended up being more laughable. Still, she's a masterpiece when compared to Zach. (Nick Robinson.) Not only was he terrible, he also further the stereotypes of high-schoolers being mean, flirty, and disobedient. Robinson doesn't even play that part well, because in almost every scene he's in he looks extremely bored with everything. (The fact that some people think he should play Spider-Man is truly frightening.) His little brother Gray (Ty Simpkins) fares much better. Like Timothy in the first film, he represents the awe children have in the theater when seeing these creatures on the big screen. While the kids in the first film when viewed today are a little on the cheesy side, they're still better than what is seen here.

The "antagonist" is Vic Hoskins. After Vincent D'Onofrio's fantastic portrayal of Wilson Fisk in Daredevil recently, one would think that quality would follow here. Unfortunately, this is an example of a mediocre script the actor just can't seem to make work. By the end he's reduced to being a cartoony villain with outlandish goals. To even call him generic would be a disservice to all generic villains out there. There are of course other characters that get important scenes. Lowery is perhaps the worst, with poorly written lines and is just plain annoying. Simon Masrani was one of the more likable characters, whom unfortunately stops appearing before he can become a highlight. Ironically the best written character is one whom has less than 4 minutes of screen time, Karen, Zach and Gray's mother. When she heard that Claire wasn't with her sons, the viewer could really feel her sadness when she shed tears. This brings us to a rather wasted part. On board the train Gray mentions that he heard something about his parents getting divorced. This is not made evident in the film at all, and after that scene it's never mentioned again. Unless it's brought up in a sequel, it's a wasted plot point.

How about the dinosaur action? Like the first film, the violence is rather quick and not too graphic. As stated in the opening paragraph, the two sequels got noticeably darker and more violent (in The Lost World two T-Rexes actually rip a character in half!) so it was interesting to see the film be more like the first one. This doesn't mean we don't get intense scenes. The pterodactyl sequence where they attack the running tourists was well-done. Though, one character death here is rather distasteful and just felt wrong & unneeded. The main action scenes of course include the Indominus Rex. This hybrid dinosaur was the most hyped aspect of the film, and she definitely doesn't disappoint.

The idea of a super hybrid dinosaur is obviously quite a cool concept. The fact that she is very intelligent is reminiscent of the shark movie Deep Blue Sea where the creatures think like humans. This gives the main dinosaur more dimension other than just being a big obstacle. Every scene she's in she steals. Unlike all other dinosaurs seen before, she can actually grab humans and throw them away, which made for some unique and intense sequences. A highlight is her short skirmish with the Ankylosaurus in the woods. The third film introduced the concept of an epic dinosaur vs. dinosaur fight scene, so it was great seeing a battle here like that.

Besides the Tyrannosaurus, the dinosaur mascot of the series is the Raptor. Here we're introduced to an intriguing concept: the ability to build a relationship with them built on mutual respect. Owen has some cool scenes with this. One could make an argument it's a bit cheesy for them to listen to a human, but the way the story handles that aspect is quite engaging. The entire climax was fantastic and saves the film from dropping a point. Right when Claire tells Lowery to unlock the gate, the viewer can really feel the hype that something big is about to take place. Out of all the films, World's climax is definitely the most exciting and fun. The soundtrack is pretty standard. Outside the classic theme, (with a nice added soft choir) the rest is pretty typical.

Overall, Jurassic World is a fun movie sadly engulfed by mediocre characters. There are no stand out performances. Most of the characters have a stereotypical role. Zach is awful and furthers the fact that most films have high-schoolers be blatantly annoying. Vic as an antagonist is bad, truly bad. He goes to extremely generic levels where one groans for quality writing. Owen is decent enough, and works well with the raptor scenes. The CGI is more on the mixed side. Astonishingly, some of it actually looks worst than in the first film. Never once there did a viewer doubt the existence of the creatures, but here early on they looked like video game simulations. The Idominus Rex was fantastic however, and the entire climax was incredibly-executed. To sum up World, it tries to be like the first one but lacks the quality of the storytelling.

The LEGO Movie Review

LEGO is unarguably one of the most popular toys on the market. In recent years it has expanded itself to video games, TV, and more! Interestingly, there has been very little films. The most popular example is the Bionicle franchise. At its height it was the most popular Lego-related thing. (It's thanks to that series I started playing with Legos.) But those films were straight-to-DVD. The LEGO Movie is the first theatrical film to entirely star...Legos! Not many thought it would end up being in the top 10 movies of 2014. With guest stars, great characters, cool music and an excellent message, it's hard not to appreciate it.

The story follows Emmet, a seemingly nobody who's thrust into an adventure to save the universe from Lord Business. As shocking as it may be for him, he's the chosen one according to a prophecy. He might not think he's special, but he'll have to accept it because the fate of the world depends on him!

The overall message is evident from the start, but it doesn't take away from the powerful speech spoken by Emmet in the climax. It's easy to sometimes think you're not anyone special, but it's important to remember that you are and everyone is. It's quite a lovely moral that the film perfectly portrays. Emmet is a likable character throughout who gets fantastic development within the hour and forty minutes. The first major character he meets is Wyldstyle who is seemingly the complete opposite. The two grow on bond that nicely develops throughout the film. Of course, one of the most hyped things was the inclusion of a lot of guest stars...

How amazing is it to have a movie where Superman, a Ninja Turtle, and Gandalf are all in the same room? It's a true spectacle, though sadly of course some will get the shaft. While these are all parodies of characters, one has to wonder the reasoning for having Superman lose and get thrown in jail, that was disappointing. Still, one cannot deny how amazing and humorous it is to have all of them together. Once Emmet arrives in Cloud Cuckoo Land (try saying that with a straight face) is when the cast is established. We have him, Wyldstyle, Vitruvius, Batman, Benny, Metal Beard, and Unikitty. Batman was of course featured in a lot of the marketing. Will Arnett does an excellent job voicing him. And he was a lot of fun to have around, (surprisingly he didn't steal the spotlight from Emmet) but some of his portrayal was questionable. "Every man for himself" is one thing, but only saving Emmet because Wyldstyle convinced him to? I understand that he was a parody, but still in some aspects it went just a bit far. Still one cannot deny how great it was to have The Dark Knight feature in a film and be funny. (His last film appearance until 2016!)

Benny was a pretty humorous guy you have around. Metal Beard was solid too, contributing some great backstory in the middle of the movie. Unikitty however proved to be the most entertaining, and adorable. The scene where she tried to remain cheerful despite her world crumbling around her was both humorous and emotional. She was basically a Lego version of Pinkie Pie, (the most cheerful character of all time) which is always a great personality to have. Surprisingly, one of the best characters ended up being Bad Cop/Good Cop. Liam Neeson delivers an Oscar-worthy voice portrayal. It's a shame the villain only had a run-in with Batman once cause it was one of the most entertaining scenes of the film. Lord Business was a pretty solid villain. On the onset he didn't seem like much other than being a generic comic relief bad guy, but the scene where he threatened to throw Bad Cop into the oblivion put that fear to rest.

The LEGO Movie definitely had a strong cast! Ultimately though, while it's great to have all these diverse characters and guest starts, it's about Emmet's journey to realizing he actually is special. The climax does a bit of a 180, introducing a new factor. The inclusion of live individuals to contrast what's happening in the Lego world was an interesting move. It was touching to see as it went on, and I can't help but wonder if the story would have been better if the humans were established early on with some cutaways here and there. It's an interesting thought to ponder, but it ultimately doesn't matter. What we got is solid enough.

Like Wreck-It Ralph, the film boasts some unique animation. Since the world and characters are made of Legos, it makes for some interesting sequences. The action is stellar; it actually boasts some of the most impressive fight and chase scenes of 2014. The soundtrack is one of the many highlights of the film. It boasts some impressive disco-video-game-like themes throughout the film. And of course "Everything is awesome" is quite an awesome song. Last year was dominated by "Let it Go," this year it's "Everything is Awesome."

Overall, The LEGO Movie delivers plenty of fun and action. It's a unique film with a compelling protagonist as he learns a valuable life lesson: that everyone is special. The cast is diverse and engaging, with of course Batman being a highlight. It does feature some humor that is solely aimed at an extreme young audience, but nothing too bad. "Everything is Awesome" perfectly describes The LEGO Movie in three words.

4.5/5

Guardians of the Galaxy Review

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY when it was first announced garnered a pretty big surprise response from comic fans. The team has never been mainstream. One could say the same thing about Iron Man once upon a time, but at least he was a founding Avenger. These guys have never been that big or involved in many huge events. It was pretty much the definition of a "risk" for the studio. The first trailer captured a positive response for the most part. Marketing since then has been modest, but its over 90 million opening weekend speaks volumes. Guardians is the most unique film from Marvel yet. It somehow introduces brand new characters and gives them each notable scenes. THE AVENGERS had it off easy because the audience already knew the characters from previous movies. Somehow Guardians replicates what made the 2012 film so much fun. The comedy isn't forced like in Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World; it's actually pretty funny. The main characters are all likable and the main villain isn't a throwaway like Malekith. Director James Gunn delivers one of the best films from Marvel Studios yet.

The film opens up with a rather emotional scene. In fact, it might just be the saddest scene from any Marvel movie to date. 26 years later after Peter Quill, aka Star Lord (Chris Pratt) watches his mother die, he's put on a scavenger mission to retrieve an artifact which houses an Infinity Gem. This leads to spiral of events which puts him in the path of other "losers" such as Gamora, (Zoe Saldana) Drax, (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Groot. (Vin Diesel.) These five realize that in order to save the universe they'll have to work together and stop the Kree extremist known as Ronan the Accuser.

Peter Quill isn't the most well-known superhero, but after this film you'll be hard-pressed to find someone who didn't know the name 'Star-Lord.' When the first trailer came out some viewers accused him of being basically another Robert Downy Jr. Tony Stark. Thankfully from the time-skip in the opening it's evident that Chris Pratt brings a whole new, interesting character to the table. While he was a lot of fun for his love of 80's pop, each character brings something unique. Gamora at first from early marketing didn't seem like much other than a love interest for Quill. Thankfully that element has very little focus. Drax was solid, though despite arguably being the strongest brute-strength-wise, he didn't get to really showcase it as much as you would think. Still, he had some of the funniest scenes, such as not understanding Quill's Earth metaphors. 

"I am Groot!" Groot, like in the comics, is always an interesting character to have around. Despite only being able to utter three words, he displayed the most emotion from any of the characters. Of course, as expected, Rocket Raccoon was a highlight, perhaps the highlight. He steals the show in every scene he's in. One has to give credit to Bradley Cooper for such an incredible job; he perfectly nailed the character. At some point in time people would have laughed at the idea of a talking raccoon on the big screen; today they laugh with the character at almost every line he has. There are a couple other notable characters. Michael Rooker portrays Yondu: a bandit who could have been throwaway villain, but thankfully ended up being a little bit more. Karen Gillan as Nebula, the biological daughter of Thanos, was solid. She'll most definitely be appearing again; though it would have been nice if we had any idea of what she's going to do next. Also the film makes a point to bring up that Quill's father was not of Earth, yet the story doesn't delve into that. Hopefully in the sequel we'll get a little more backstory regarding this.

One thing that happens perhaps a little too fast is the Guardians deciding they need to work together. Rocket targets Quill, who is battling Gamora, then after they're all thrown in jail decide they need to team up. It's definitely feasible, but it happens rather quickly. It's just a minor thing, since by the middle of the film you're fully absorbed into the story and action. Ronan the Accuser is a big character in the comics, so fans were anxiously looking forward to his appearance here. I'm happy to say that he's one of the best Marvel antagonists to date. He has a commanding presence every time he's on screen, hats off to Lee Pace for delivering such a great portrayal. 

One of the most hyped things in this movie was the first talking appearance of Thanos. The titan first appeared in the after-credits scene of Avengers and fans have been eagerly awaiting his next appearance. In a scene just under 5 minutes he steals the show. It is a shame that the film teases a Ronan/Thanos fight, but doesn't actually happen. The soundtrack is very solid and unique since it utilizes a bunch of songs from the 70's & 80's. One thing that needs to be said is the incredible CGI. Groot and Rocket look fantastic and fit right alongside the actors. The scenery is beautiful, with Morag in the second part of the opening being a highlight. 

Guardians of the Galaxy delivers one of the most fun times I've ever had in the theater. Each main character brings something unique to the table. Marvel films are known for its comedy, but sometimes that humor is horribly forced. Most of the comedy here is natural; there's never a dull scene. As stated earlier, the film replicates the things which made The Avengers such an enjoyable movie. A year ago I didn't think I'd be saying this, but I'm more excited to see Star-Lord and his team's next adventure than Iron Man's or Thor's. Everyone involved deserves a thumbs up for churning out the most fun movie of the year.

4.5/5