Reviews

Talk all the crap you want about the prequels but I actually liked them. Were they perfect? By no means. They had their issues but so did Return of the Jedi. The franchise as a whole started going downhill when Gary Kurtz was fired after Empire. Lucas chose adorable Ewoks as opposed to Wookies as the inhabitants of Endor. With that being said, regardless, it's his franchise and his rules I suppose. The prequels were his story whether you like it or not and what you got was a decent story that was overshadowed by overdone CGI and bad acting on the part of Hayden Christensen. Even with the prequels' problems they told a story of Palpatine's rise to power and Anakin Skywalker's journey to the dark side and transformation into Darth Vader. Could have it used tighter editing? Absolutely. Could they done without Jar Jar Binks? Certainly. Did it tell a decent story? I know it's my opinion but yes, I believe they did.

As for The Force Awakens, you get a predictable reboot that feels like a consolidated version of the original three movies. Death Star, check. Scary looking villain in mask, check. End lightsaber battle, check. All the elements of a classic Star Wars movie without the depth or character development of any of the previous films. All it really succeeds in doing is reintroducing the story for those that hadn't seen any Star Wars movies before. What's sad is that none of George Lucas' ideas were even used considering it's his creation to begin with. He sounds like a jerk but to completely go over his head is asinine.

Not only that but the lead female, Rey, somehow knows how to be a Jedi without any kind of training. Finn, who has training as a stormtropper, seems to be the useless token black guy in the movie. I'm all for strong female leads, Aliens is probably the best example but there was character development there. Sigourney Weaver's Ripley is awesome. With Rey, there is no development or depth. She is just given these powers and Finn is just her dumb sidekick along for the ride. Throw is a stupid villain that looks like JP from Grandma's Boy (who has a helmet fetish apparently) and it just adds to the stupidity.

I really had a lot of hope for this movie and I'm hoping that maybe this was just meant as an introduction for new fans. But somehow I think I will be disappointed. Disney has their hands in Star Wars and Marvel now. With DC trying to compete with the Batman vs. Superman movies et al, looks like there will be no original movies to see in the near future. Want to see a great movie? Check out a little movie called Ex Machina. Probably one of the best films I've seen in years. And it's original. What a thought!

I found Skyfall to be very overrated personally so I would rather not compare. I still think Casino Royale is the strongest of the reboot films. Spectre was good but does get a little weak after the second act. The good thing about it is it returns James Bond back to his roots. The action is more akin to the older movies as compared to the Jason Bourne-esque fight sequences of the previous Craig films. The thing that personally drives me crazy is that they are really grasping at straws at this point because the producers have run out of ideas. Spectre does a good job at closing out the Craig films and they should really just stop at this point. Bond finally meets a woman in this one that understands him and tell him she loves him. After walking out of the theater, I overheard someone next to me say "what's he going to do now, work for Doctors Without Borders." I thought that was pretty funny given the closure that they finally gave the character in this movie. I know it probably won't happen but I think James Bond has finally reached the end. There's nowhere else to go unless they just start remaking the old ones. But I guess we'll see.

When I saw Casino Royale two years ago I found it somewhat unusual for a Bond film compared to the previous twenty prior to it. However, the movie grew on me as a Bond flick and as a reboot of the series and as a movie in general it was excellent.

Coming into Quantum of Solace I was expecting the same if not better quality of a film. In general, it was good but Quantum was just way too all over the place. My roommate and I walked out of the film very confused and it took me some reading up on the plot on Wikipedia to really understood what went on.

The movie starts right off with a car chase as Bond delivers Mr. White to MI6 for evaluation. Just when they think they have Mr. White in custody, one of M's own body guards betrays them aiding in White's escape. That was the last point I understood what was going on. From there it was one action scene after the next and you really could not follow what was going on. It seemed like Bond was just going from place to place on the seam of his pants. There are some classic moments for example when Bond is at the opera house and discovers Greene's plot by listening on his organization's secret meeting (I will tell no more). However, the whole idea of rebooting the series and stepping away from Bond movies with all action and no solid plot seemed to be destroyed here. It's almost as if all this competition from the successful Bourne series makes the producers feel they need to try the same things. The thing is, it works for the Bourne series...not so much for the Bond series. Bond and Bourne are too very different series and should be kept this way. I just hope that by Bond 23 they realize this and go back to the same basic formula that was Casino Royale.

Spiderman 3 is a very interesting film. It's a great accomplishment in the way that it gets you thinking. Of course, it is complete fiction, but it relates to real life on a watered down level. Sam Raimi did successfully what Richard Donner mastered at in Superman the Movie. With just the right mix of humor and action, Spiderman 3 succeeds.

This movie is an experience, we go from seeing Spiderman be at the top of his game, to being tempted by evil, and finally to realizing his faults and starting over. Spiderman 3 gets you thinking as it allows you to see what temptation and the desire for revenge will do to a hero. Peter Parker turns to the dark side (excuse the Star Wars reference). He soaks himself in his greediness and acts in anger. This is a theme that has been repeated in so much literature and film but it is a true emotion. What is created in this film is a look at what happens when a hero is persuaded by the devil.

However, despite the apparent darkness Raimi provides comic relief so that people will be laughing anyway. Many people might take this as stupidity, but it is required otherwise this film would be a total drag. Honestly, if this film did not have comic relief, people would look at it as too dark. It is the balance of darkness and humor that gives this film its amazing feel. Unfortunately, there is not enough hours in the day to describe the emotions that this film evokes, but it is the central theme of love that can be taken away from this movie more than anything else.