During the opening minutes of Drive, I could tell I was watching something special. Movies like this just don't get made much anymore, and it's sad. Instead, year after year we get loud CGI laden insults to our intelligence. But Drive takes its time, builds its story and characters. It's almost a relief to watch. And, contrary to most action movies, there's no shaky cam either. If you can't tell, I loved Drive. It is easily my favorite film of the year so far.
The story centers around a nameless character played by Ryan Gossling. By day, he's a stunt driver for the movies (the story is set in LA). By night, he's a getaway driver for any criminals that are willing to pay for it. He lives a quiet meticulous life, until he starts hanging out with his neighbors. Meanwhile, his manager/boss (played by Bryan Cranston) gets involved with some really shady characters and things unravel from there.
Another thing this movie has going for it is the cast. It's damn perfect. Gossling plays his character with the quiet ferocity of a cobra, while the rest of the cast (including Ron Pearlman, Albert Brooks, and Christina Hendricks) chatter away around him. Gossling only says a handful of words in the entire thing, but there's so much going on in his head and it's mostly communicated non verbally. It's pretty fantastic not to have the entire story told to us through dialogue, which is common these days.
While I was watching, I couldn't help but wonder what this film would be like in the hands of someone like Michael Bay. I'm guessing it would be more explosiony with lots of spinning low angle shots. And then there's the violence.
Jesus, this movie is brutal. I won't give anything away, but I was shocked a couple of times. During the movie, I thought of a handful of other films that this is like. It's reminiscent of movies like Heat, True Romance, Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, and Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name movies. I don't feel like Drive is ripping them off, but that it deserves to be in their ranks. It's that damn good.
Drive is the kind of movie that reminds me of why I love movies. At the same time, it gives me hope that the movie industry isn't quite dead yet and can still amaze and inspire us. I really hope Drive wins Oscars, but I don't know if it's that kind of movie. Drive succeeds at being both a leftover B movie of the 70s and an independent art house movie at the same time. It's like a puzzle, and when you put the pieces together and take a step back, it's something really great. If you love movies like I do, this is something you shouldn't miss.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Fright Night '11
I'll be honest, I watched the original Fright Night (Which came out in 1985) for the first time a few months ago. I was intrigued by the trailer for the new one. I'm the kind of guy that always likes to see the originals or read the books if a movie is based on one. You know, so I can have some basis for comparison. That said, I really liked the original. It's campy, it's silly, it has vampires and 80s stuff. It's everything you'd hope from a movie trying to be a B grade horror flick. Seriously, if you haven't seen it, check it out. So the question is, how does the new one stack up?
Overall, the original is better, but the new one gets a lot of things right. The plot is pretty simple. A normal everyday teen discovers that his neighbor is a vampire once his friends start disappearing . He's drawn into a conflict with said vampire, and quickly realizes he may have bitten off more than he can chew. (Ha! Vampire jokes!) He goes to the only guy he knows who can help, and they try to take down the vamp for good. The 2011 one has a few minor changes to the story, but sticks to the structure of the '85 version.
The main thing the new one gets right is the casting. That's what made it work for me. Collin Ferrell is actually a perfect choice for the role of smarmy/douchey vampire next door. I never thought I'd say Ferrell is perfect choice for anyting, but he really seems to be having fun with the part. David Tennant (of Doctor Who fame) plays Peter Vincent, the magician/is he or is he not a vampire hunter. He is also a great choice, although his take on the character is much different than in the original. In this version, he's actually given more back story than before. This works, because it gives him more of a reason to be there. If you're wondering if he just plays The Doctor here, he doesn't. He is also a lot of fun to watch. The kid roles are fairly bland, and I think that might be the films weakest point. The kids were much more energetic in the original. Here, they seem like your average bland, mopey, teenagers.
Another issue I had with this remake is that it plays it straight. The original was part comedy, and I don't think the new film makers got that. The comedy angle was a big part of it's charm, and that's why it still holds up after 26 years. It's true that times are different now, and movies aren't the same as they were in the 80s. I certainly don't mind a film playing it straight, but it does make me nostalgic. Also, I've heard the 3D print is quite a bit darker than the 2D. I've read that 3D prints are generally darker. If most of the movie takes place at night , it's tough to make things out. I saw the 2D print, so I'd recommend that one.
This movie is by no means perfect, but it is a lot of fun. If vampires are your thing, you could do a lot worse than this.
Overall, the original is better, but the new one gets a lot of things right. The plot is pretty simple. A normal everyday teen discovers that his neighbor is a vampire once his friends start disappearing . He's drawn into a conflict with said vampire, and quickly realizes he may have bitten off more than he can chew. (Ha! Vampire jokes!) He goes to the only guy he knows who can help, and they try to take down the vamp for good. The 2011 one has a few minor changes to the story, but sticks to the structure of the '85 version.
The main thing the new one gets right is the casting. That's what made it work for me. Collin Ferrell is actually a perfect choice for the role of smarmy/douchey vampire next door. I never thought I'd say Ferrell is perfect choice for anyting, but he really seems to be having fun with the part. David Tennant (of Doctor Who fame) plays Peter Vincent, the magician/is he or is he not a vampire hunter. He is also a great choice, although his take on the character is much different than in the original. In this version, he's actually given more back story than before. This works, because it gives him more of a reason to be there. If you're wondering if he just plays The Doctor here, he doesn't. He is also a lot of fun to watch. The kid roles are fairly bland, and I think that might be the films weakest point. The kids were much more energetic in the original. Here, they seem like your average bland, mopey, teenagers.
Another issue I had with this remake is that it plays it straight. The original was part comedy, and I don't think the new film makers got that. The comedy angle was a big part of it's charm, and that's why it still holds up after 26 years. It's true that times are different now, and movies aren't the same as they were in the 80s. I certainly don't mind a film playing it straight, but it does make me nostalgic. Also, I've heard the 3D print is quite a bit darker than the 2D. I've read that 3D prints are generally darker. If most of the movie takes place at night , it's tough to make things out. I saw the 2D print, so I'd recommend that one.
This movie is by no means perfect, but it is a lot of fun. If vampires are your thing, you could do a lot worse than this.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Captain America
I tried to like this one, I really did. I've mostly enjoyed the marvel movies up til now. My favorite was Iron Man, but Thor was pretty good, too. I had high hopes going in. Reviews were good, it looked cool from the trailers. The first hour or so of the movie wasn't bad. It's your typical "superhero origin" story that we've seen countless times already-but they did it in a fresh way. They made it look like a military propaganda film from the 40s. What could go wrong?
The answer is the second half. The film fell apart for me here. It took major leaps forward with the character that it didn't earn. I almost suspect that chunks of the script were cut so it wouldn't seem slow, and that's probably where everything was explained. Little things, like who characters were, what their abilities were, why they were doing what they're doing. You know, things a film is supposed to tell you, even if they do it subtly.
I admit, I don't know much about this comic book. I think people who are familiar with Cap and his exploits will get more out of this film than I did, but for the most part, I spent the last hour of this movie saying "What?" to myself, over and over. It's really astounding. In all fairness, I didn't know much about Thor either before seeing that, but I never felt confused during that flick. A lot of the problems with the second half for me were because of the villain, Red Skull. They barely explained why he looked the way he did. He was given almost no motivation for being the villain. It's lazy writing at its worst. Also, I felt that the film looked too clean for a WW2 movie. The effects in the second half all looked fake (I will praise the movie for the first half, they did a great job of making Chris Evans look like a scrawny 12 year old). Overall, I felt like nothing was at stake, and I think that's the movie's greatest flaw. It made me not care. As a lead in to The Avengers next year, that's a dangerous place to put a fan who has seen six Avenger prequel films already (counting the originals, reboots, and sequels).
I've heard people complain that these movies are two hour teasers for The Avengers, but I haven't felt that until now. Because there was a teaser for The Avengers after the credits. A shaky, 30 second, cut-so-fast-you-think-you're-having-a-seizure kind of trailer. But I think Iron Man was in it. I could write pages upon pages about the "stupid logic" this movie operates on, but I'll just say it didn't work for me. This film has me worried whether or not The Avengers will be worth it, but I'm in too deep to not see it. Hopefully, Captain America is just an unfortunate bump in the road. Don't take my word for it. Lots of people seemed to like it, so, maybe you will. And hey, more power to you if you do. I just couldn't get on the train.
The answer is the second half. The film fell apart for me here. It took major leaps forward with the character that it didn't earn. I almost suspect that chunks of the script were cut so it wouldn't seem slow, and that's probably where everything was explained. Little things, like who characters were, what their abilities were, why they were doing what they're doing. You know, things a film is supposed to tell you, even if they do it subtly.
I admit, I don't know much about this comic book. I think people who are familiar with Cap and his exploits will get more out of this film than I did, but for the most part, I spent the last hour of this movie saying "What?" to myself, over and over. It's really astounding. In all fairness, I didn't know much about Thor either before seeing that, but I never felt confused during that flick. A lot of the problems with the second half for me were because of the villain, Red Skull. They barely explained why he looked the way he did. He was given almost no motivation for being the villain. It's lazy writing at its worst. Also, I felt that the film looked too clean for a WW2 movie. The effects in the second half all looked fake (I will praise the movie for the first half, they did a great job of making Chris Evans look like a scrawny 12 year old). Overall, I felt like nothing was at stake, and I think that's the movie's greatest flaw. It made me not care. As a lead in to The Avengers next year, that's a dangerous place to put a fan who has seen six Avenger prequel films already (counting the originals, reboots, and sequels).
I've heard people complain that these movies are two hour teasers for The Avengers, but I haven't felt that until now. Because there was a teaser for The Avengers after the credits. A shaky, 30 second, cut-so-fast-you-think-you're-having-a-seizure kind of trailer. But I think Iron Man was in it. I could write pages upon pages about the "stupid logic" this movie operates on, but I'll just say it didn't work for me. This film has me worried whether or not The Avengers will be worth it, but I'm in too deep to not see it. Hopefully, Captain America is just an unfortunate bump in the road. Don't take my word for it. Lots of people seemed to like it, so, maybe you will. And hey, more power to you if you do. I just couldn't get on the train.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Favorite Breaking Bad moments
In honor of the season 4 premiere, which was shockingly awesome, I thought I'd list my favorite moments from this show. There have been a ton of shocking things that happened, and they keep finding ways to do it. So, caution- spoilers ahead. Also, these aren't in order.
1. Jesse destroys a corpse in his bathtub with acid
Walt gave Jesse very specific instructions for this task. He had to get a certain kind of plastic tub for this. Jesse isn't that bright and ignored the part about the tub, thinking his bathtub would be stronger than plastic. As a result, we all got a horrific lesson in science that episode. The lesson- always listen to Walt!
2. Walt blows up Tucco's office with a piece of meth
Walt confronts gangster Tucco in this episode, who had just beaten Jesse to a pulp. He attempts to sell him some meth, but as an insurance policy, throws in some explosives for good measure. As Walt says to Tucco- "It's just a little tweak of the chemistry". Boom!
3. Tio's Bell
In one of the best episodes of the show, Walt and Jesse are held at gunpoint by crazy Tucco. Tucco has his Tio watch them. Tio appears to be unresponsive, due to being in a wheelchair. That doesn't stop him from overhearing Walt and Jesse plan to murder Tucco and escape. He tries to warn Tucco with his bell. Ding! Who would've thought a bell could be that suspensul?
4. Hank's shoot out with the cousins
Walt's brother in law Hank, who works for the DEA, becomes the targets of international assassins who were after Walt. Someone alerts him to their attack exactly one minute before it happens. The result is one of the most suspenseful shoot outs ever. Black Death, indeed.
5. Walt kills some dealers
At the end of season 3, Jesse figures out who exactly killed his dealer Combo in season 2. It's two rival dealers who happen to work for their new boss, Gus. Jesse decides to get revenge anyway, knowing there's a good chance he won't survive. Walt shows up at the last minute and murders them both. He crosses a line he hadn't before and there's no going back for him now. It's truly a shocker.
1. Jesse destroys a corpse in his bathtub with acid
Walt gave Jesse very specific instructions for this task. He had to get a certain kind of plastic tub for this. Jesse isn't that bright and ignored the part about the tub, thinking his bathtub would be stronger than plastic. As a result, we all got a horrific lesson in science that episode. The lesson- always listen to Walt!
2. Walt blows up Tucco's office with a piece of meth
Walt confronts gangster Tucco in this episode, who had just beaten Jesse to a pulp. He attempts to sell him some meth, but as an insurance policy, throws in some explosives for good measure. As Walt says to Tucco- "It's just a little tweak of the chemistry". Boom!
3. Tio's Bell
In one of the best episodes of the show, Walt and Jesse are held at gunpoint by crazy Tucco. Tucco has his Tio watch them. Tio appears to be unresponsive, due to being in a wheelchair. That doesn't stop him from overhearing Walt and Jesse plan to murder Tucco and escape. He tries to warn Tucco with his bell. Ding! Who would've thought a bell could be that suspensul?
4. Hank's shoot out with the cousins
Walt's brother in law Hank, who works for the DEA, becomes the targets of international assassins who were after Walt. Someone alerts him to their attack exactly one minute before it happens. The result is one of the most suspenseful shoot outs ever. Black Death, indeed.
5. Walt kills some dealers
At the end of season 3, Jesse figures out who exactly killed his dealer Combo in season 2. It's two rival dealers who happen to work for their new boss, Gus. Jesse decides to get revenge anyway, knowing there's a good chance he won't survive. Walt shows up at the last minute and murders them both. He crosses a line he hadn't before and there's no going back for him now. It's truly a shocker.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Transfomers 3
I should start this by saying that I enjoyed the first Transformers, but I thought the second was a mess. It's even harder to sit through on a second viewing. So I came to Transformers 3 with my guard up, but cautiously optimistic that it might not suck. And it wasn't all bad. The action scenes were fun for the most part. The 3D looked awesome. It was up to Avatar standards. Seriously folks, if you're going to do 3D, shoot it in 3D. That post conversion stuff looks like crap. If I can say something good about Michael Bay it's that he knows visuals. Film making is a visual art, so he's got part of it down. And there were actually wide shots in this movie- sometimes I could totally tell what was going on. Does this mean Mr. Bay maturing as a director?
This movie is not great. While half of film making is visuals, the other half is story telling. That's something Bay doesn't seem to give a fuck about. My biggest complaint of this movie is that it is around 2 and a half hours. If you're going to keep me in a theater that long, you better have a story to back it up. And Bay doesn't. There are many story lines that are introduced but go nowhere. The pacing is choppy. In the end, it doesn't really matter- we're here to see giant robots beat the shit out of each other. But that's kind of the point. If that's why we're here, why do we need an hour on seeing Sam trying to find a job? We know he's going to end up right in the middle of the robot fight anyway. Get on with it! I could have probably cut this movie down by a half hour and not lost anything. Another minor detail that bothered me is that this time, the robots bled when hit. What? ROBOTS DON'T BLEED!! I mean come on. Also, I'm pretty sure I heard Shockwave referred to as Soundwave by someone. You'll remember that Soundwave was in the last one and died. I sure hope someone got fired for that blunder. *braces for wedgie* That may go to the fact that most of the transformers look similar, and it's hard to tell them apart. This movie has its fun spots, but its bogged down by long sections of pointlessness that don't amount to anything. At best, it's a fun escapist action movie. At worst, it's a 2 and a half hour poorly written toy commercial. I'm stuck somewhere in the middle.
Grade: 3 out of 5 stars
This movie is not great. While half of film making is visuals, the other half is story telling. That's something Bay doesn't seem to give a fuck about. My biggest complaint of this movie is that it is around 2 and a half hours. If you're going to keep me in a theater that long, you better have a story to back it up. And Bay doesn't. There are many story lines that are introduced but go nowhere. The pacing is choppy. In the end, it doesn't really matter- we're here to see giant robots beat the shit out of each other. But that's kind of the point. If that's why we're here, why do we need an hour on seeing Sam trying to find a job? We know he's going to end up right in the middle of the robot fight anyway. Get on with it! I could have probably cut this movie down by a half hour and not lost anything. Another minor detail that bothered me is that this time, the robots bled when hit. What? ROBOTS DON'T BLEED!! I mean come on. Also, I'm pretty sure I heard Shockwave referred to as Soundwave by someone. You'll remember that Soundwave was in the last one and died. I sure hope someone got fired for that blunder. *braces for wedgie* That may go to the fact that most of the transformers look similar, and it's hard to tell them apart. This movie has its fun spots, but its bogged down by long sections of pointlessness that don't amount to anything. At best, it's a fun escapist action movie. At worst, it's a 2 and a half hour poorly written toy commercial. I'm stuck somewhere in the middle.
Grade: 3 out of 5 stars
Monday, June 27, 2011
True Blood: Season 4 Premiere
I'll say it right off the bat- I love this show. It's because of its no holds barred attitude. When you tune in every week, you really have no idea what they're going to throw at you. All you know is it's going to be a fun ride. This season appears to be no different, so I wanted to go over some of the twists from last night's episode. Spoilers ahead.
Fairy Land
At the end of last season, Sookie went off with her cousin Claudine to Fairy Land. It looks great when she gets there, but it takes her all of 5 seconds to figure out something is whack in Fairy Town. She manages to escape with her grandfather, who thinks he's only been there a week. It's really been 20 years. There's these glowing fruit things, and if you eat them, you're stuck. Sookie didn't, so she's fine, but Grandpa did. When they get home, he ages 20 years in a few minutes. Bummer. The real question is- how long has Sookie been gone, since Fairy Time is different than Human Time? The answer is a little over a year. Everyone in Bon Temps thinks she died at the hands of a Vamp (I.E. Bill). Jason (who's a cop now!) sold her house to a mysterious realtor company. What else has changed? This was my favorite development from the episode.
Bill's New Job
Bill has been busy during Sookie's absence. He's living in a fancy house now. Eric even listens to him at one point, which threw up a major red flag. At the end of the episode, he's addressed as "Your Majesty". We didn't see Queen Sophie Ann all episode, so the best guess is that she died during her duel with Bill at the end of last season. This is a major departure from the books. I figured they'd do something with Bill, because he kind of becomes a minor character from here out. I'm interested to see where this goes. No doubt Eric is planning a mutiny.
Tara's a lesbian now
Tara has been living in New Orleans for the year. She's a cage fighter and dating another female cage fighter. Everyone seems on the internet seems to be freaking out about this. I totally called it right away. Is anyone really surprised? Good for her, I say. I wonder how she'll fit into the story this season if she's this removed from it.
Merlotte's
It turns out Sam shot Tommy in the leg. Tommy has been living with Hoyt's crazy mom and appears to have changed his ways. Say what? How'd that happen? Sam has joined a group of Shifters and appears to be enjoying himself. Hmm. I'm guessing this doesn't go well.
Jason
Jason is a cop now. Weird. Andy is a V addict. He tries shaking down Lafayette for some, but Lafayette says he's clean. Jason is also still taking care of Hot Shot. No word on where Crystal is. She also shows up in the books later, so I bet she'll be back. While there, Jason gets clubbed over the head and locked in a refrigerator. It looks like he's getting the storyline from the book.
The Witches
Jesus has Lafayette join a covet of witches. It's headed up by Fiona Shaw (Aunt Petunia from the Harry Potter movies). She appears to be different than how she is in the book, but give her time. On Lafayette's first visit, she re-animates a dead bird and seems really happy about it. I bet there's plenty of crazy to come.
Hoyt/Jessica
Hoyt and Jessica are still playing house, despite Hoyt's mother repeatedly trying to kill Jessica. Jessica appears to be restless. In one of my favorite scenes of the episode, Pam says that it's because Jessica's a hunter and can't be caged. Sooner or later, she's going to have to acknowledge that. This is one of the main themes of the show, that vamps can't really fight their true nature. No matter how much they lie to themselves.
The end
Eric can freely enter Sookie's house now. Turns out he owns the real-estate company that bought the house, so he no longer needs an invite. He declares that she's "his" now. That can't be good.
There's tons of good stuff here. I'm really looking forward to where the show goes and how much of the book they'll keep in this season. Till next time, drink up.
Fairy Land
At the end of last season, Sookie went off with her cousin Claudine to Fairy Land. It looks great when she gets there, but it takes her all of 5 seconds to figure out something is whack in Fairy Town. She manages to escape with her grandfather, who thinks he's only been there a week. It's really been 20 years. There's these glowing fruit things, and if you eat them, you're stuck. Sookie didn't, so she's fine, but Grandpa did. When they get home, he ages 20 years in a few minutes. Bummer. The real question is- how long has Sookie been gone, since Fairy Time is different than Human Time? The answer is a little over a year. Everyone in Bon Temps thinks she died at the hands of a Vamp (I.E. Bill). Jason (who's a cop now!) sold her house to a mysterious realtor company. What else has changed? This was my favorite development from the episode.
Bill's New Job
Bill has been busy during Sookie's absence. He's living in a fancy house now. Eric even listens to him at one point, which threw up a major red flag. At the end of the episode, he's addressed as "Your Majesty". We didn't see Queen Sophie Ann all episode, so the best guess is that she died during her duel with Bill at the end of last season. This is a major departure from the books. I figured they'd do something with Bill, because he kind of becomes a minor character from here out. I'm interested to see where this goes. No doubt Eric is planning a mutiny.
Tara's a lesbian now
Tara has been living in New Orleans for the year. She's a cage fighter and dating another female cage fighter. Everyone seems on the internet seems to be freaking out about this. I totally called it right away. Is anyone really surprised? Good for her, I say. I wonder how she'll fit into the story this season if she's this removed from it.
Merlotte's
It turns out Sam shot Tommy in the leg. Tommy has been living with Hoyt's crazy mom and appears to have changed his ways. Say what? How'd that happen? Sam has joined a group of Shifters and appears to be enjoying himself. Hmm. I'm guessing this doesn't go well.
Jason
Jason is a cop now. Weird. Andy is a V addict. He tries shaking down Lafayette for some, but Lafayette says he's clean. Jason is also still taking care of Hot Shot. No word on where Crystal is. She also shows up in the books later, so I bet she'll be back. While there, Jason gets clubbed over the head and locked in a refrigerator. It looks like he's getting the storyline from the book.
The Witches
Jesus has Lafayette join a covet of witches. It's headed up by Fiona Shaw (Aunt Petunia from the Harry Potter movies). She appears to be different than how she is in the book, but give her time. On Lafayette's first visit, she re-animates a dead bird and seems really happy about it. I bet there's plenty of crazy to come.
Hoyt/Jessica
Hoyt and Jessica are still playing house, despite Hoyt's mother repeatedly trying to kill Jessica. Jessica appears to be restless. In one of my favorite scenes of the episode, Pam says that it's because Jessica's a hunter and can't be caged. Sooner or later, she's going to have to acknowledge that. This is one of the main themes of the show, that vamps can't really fight their true nature. No matter how much they lie to themselves.
The end
Eric can freely enter Sookie's house now. Turns out he owns the real-estate company that bought the house, so he no longer needs an invite. He declares that she's "his" now. That can't be good.
There's tons of good stuff here. I'm really looking forward to where the show goes and how much of the book they'll keep in this season. Till next time, drink up.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Super 8 (Spoilers)
Watching Super 8 is like listening to a cover song. The original was great. The new version hits all the right notes and sounds the same, but something is missing. It feels...empty. And that's how I felt watching this movie. It's clear that J.J. Abrams (a guy whose work I mostly admire) is trying to do nothing more than recreate a Steven Spielberg movie from the 70s. It's kind of like E.T. meets The Goonies. It's like watching one of those fan made mash-ups on Youtube. You can appreciate that the makers love the source material, but theirs pales in comparison to the original to the point of being embarrassingly silly. And I came to this conclusion about 10 minutes into this thing. Then I realized there was still almost 2 hours left.
The main problem here is the characters. They have no personalities, just sort of things that happened to them. There's the kid who's mom died, the kid who pukes, and the kid who lights stuff on fire. These are not personality traits. Also, the kids have little impact on the story. It feels like the real movie is happening around them, but we don't see very much of it. By the end, I didn't care whether they lived or not.
This brings me to another point. When you don't show us the antagonist of the movie until the end, it better look damn spectacular. Or at least, we should have a sense of why we're afraid of it, like in Jaws. I think that's what they were going for with this, but here, it feels like a cheap gimmick. When we finally saw the alien thing, I laughed. It looked like a mash of really bad FX of aliens from other movies. This movie had so much hype surrounding it, I'm not really sure what would have sufficed, if anything.
This film is also so littered with cliches, it feels like it was written by a two year old. There's lines of dialogue like "I'm just trying really hard to save your life," and "You don't get it, do you?" Really. I feel dumber for having listened to you. Thanks. I realize they're kids, but even kids don't talk like that. Not to mention the numerous plot holes and flat out unbelievable situations that kept popping up. Sorry Abrams, but a truck won't derail a train. I'm also pretty sure that bikes and microwaves don't translate into "hull of a space ship."
I felt like this movie was a two hour attempt to manipulate me into liking it, based on my nostalgia for Speilberg's glory days. Sorry, guys, I'm not buying it. It's sad. I figured if anyone would like this movie, it'd be me. I love classic Spielberg like ET and Close Encounters and Raiders of the Lost Ark. This is none of those. It's a shell. A carbon copy at best. I don't think my opinion will matter, most will want to see it regardless. Just don't say I didn't warn you. I mean, God forbid we try something new instead of repackaging the classics. And while we're at, J.J., cool it with the lens flares. Jesus.
The main problem here is the characters. They have no personalities, just sort of things that happened to them. There's the kid who's mom died, the kid who pukes, and the kid who lights stuff on fire. These are not personality traits. Also, the kids have little impact on the story. It feels like the real movie is happening around them, but we don't see very much of it. By the end, I didn't care whether they lived or not.
This brings me to another point. When you don't show us the antagonist of the movie until the end, it better look damn spectacular. Or at least, we should have a sense of why we're afraid of it, like in Jaws. I think that's what they were going for with this, but here, it feels like a cheap gimmick. When we finally saw the alien thing, I laughed. It looked like a mash of really bad FX of aliens from other movies. This movie had so much hype surrounding it, I'm not really sure what would have sufficed, if anything.
This film is also so littered with cliches, it feels like it was written by a two year old. There's lines of dialogue like "I'm just trying really hard to save your life," and "You don't get it, do you?" Really. I feel dumber for having listened to you. Thanks. I realize they're kids, but even kids don't talk like that. Not to mention the numerous plot holes and flat out unbelievable situations that kept popping up. Sorry Abrams, but a truck won't derail a train. I'm also pretty sure that bikes and microwaves don't translate into "hull of a space ship."
I felt like this movie was a two hour attempt to manipulate me into liking it, based on my nostalgia for Speilberg's glory days. Sorry, guys, I'm not buying it. It's sad. I figured if anyone would like this movie, it'd be me. I love classic Spielberg like ET and Close Encounters and Raiders of the Lost Ark. This is none of those. It's a shell. A carbon copy at best. I don't think my opinion will matter, most will want to see it regardless. Just don't say I didn't warn you. I mean, God forbid we try something new instead of repackaging the classics. And while we're at, J.J., cool it with the lens flares. Jesus.
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