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Acid_Lee
Reviews
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993)
I can't believe I watched this!
I'm ashamed. I was young and foolish to be pulled in by this show. Looking back on it now I realise what a load of rubbish it is! The acting is so lame and cheesy and OH MY GOD!!! And did you ever notice that they did the exact same thing in very episode, but with a few substitutions made?
Typical Script -
Scene 1: Power Rangers doing something wholesome and good like homework or building a youth centre.
Scene 2: The bad guy is plotting to destroy the city and wondering how to do it.
BAD GUY WITH CHEESY NAME I know I'll create a monster, but while I'm busy doing that I'll send the Putty Patrol to deal with the Power Rangers.
Scene 3: The wholesomeness is interrupted by the Putty Patrol. The Power Rangers kick bottom then decide to go see Zordon (who happens to be this big head in a jar) because something's not quite right here.
Scene 4: Zordon says stuff, whilst Alpha makes stupid noises.
Scene 5: Monster attacks city.
Scene 6: Morphing time! Takes up about 10 minutes of screen time ...
BLACK RANGER "I'm the hip-hop, all dancing, unlucky-in-love, token black guy of the group ... MASTADON!" (Hey isn't that the name of a heavy metal band?)
PINK RANGER "I'm the girlie, cute one who not-so-secretly fancies the green/white guy. He looks hot in all that Lycra! I get to do all the screaming and I always get captured by the bad guy. Why the heck am I Power Ranger in the first place? ... PTERODAYTL!"
BLUE RANGER "I'm a geek. I talk like a computer ... TRICERTOPS!"
YELLOW RANGER "I'm the token Asian ranger. My only other function is to provide a translator for the geeky one and a shopping buddy for the pink ranger. I hate my life ... SABRE-TOOTHED TIGER!"
RED RANGER "I'm the leader of the Power Rangers. I used to be cool until this green/white ranger came along. Grrr ... TYRANNOSAURUS!"
GREEN/WHITE RANGER "I'm the super powerful Power Ranger who makes the other characters look rubbish. I'm not the leader of the Power Rangers, but I should be because the kids love me ... DRAGONZORD/WHITE TIGER"
Scene 7: Power Rangers fight monster and beat it back for a few seconds using their weapons and some well choreographed arm movements.
Scene 8: The monster grows big with help of bad guy. It's magic!
Scene 9: Get the Zords out! Connect them all together to form a Megazord. (Does anyone else think that they stole that bit from Transformers?) This takes another 10 minutes of screen time.
Scene 10: A little sword fight with the monster. The poor monster has no chance! The monster is defeated, and the bad guy is rather angry because they've lost ... again.
Scene 11: Everything is back to normal and everyone learns a valuable lesson.
*End credits and cheesy theme music*
For a show that lasts 25 minutes, they've done well to cram all the plot into 5 minutes in 30 second bursts throughout the show. To think that something so cheesy and lame as this caused the downfall of Biker Mice From Mars - it's depressing!
War of the Worlds (2005)
A great popcorn movie!
Here we have another alien invasion story. Unlike the original 'War of the Worlds' (1953) or 'Independence Day' (1996), this film focuses on a family coming to terms with the fact that the world is being invaded from creatures beyond the stars. Yep, it's an emotional one, but never fear there are some pretty good action sequences too.
Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) is a dead-beat dad. He has no clue when it comes to his kids and has little interest in them. When the kids (played by Justin Chatwin and Dakota Fanning) come to stay for the weekend whilst Mum (Miranda Otto) and Step dad head to Boston, all hell breaks loose when a freak lightning storm sees the coming of aliens that are hell bent on destroying humanity. The story follows the trials and tribulations of the Ferrier family as they go on the run and try to survive this invasion.
The Special Effects peeps working on this film really pulled out all the stops. Explosions galore, car chases, riots, and random acts of violence - this is an action film with the trademark Spielberg sentimentality attached. ET has arrived and he's not being very friendly. The Tripod War Machines are amazingly designed and very intimidating. The only disappointment is that the Heat Ray isn't actually a heat ray, but more of a disintegrater.
With regards to the story, the plot sticks loosely to the book. We've still got the elements of the original story in there - tripods, heat ray, harvesting humans for food, the red weed, etc. There's no mention of the Thunder Child (the ship in the book that managed to disable one of the tripods after a tremendous battle), and the character of Oglivy (played brilliantly by Tim Robbins) is a combination of several key characters from the book - the Parson who is driven to madness, the Artilleryman who wants to create a brave new world underground and, of course, Oglivy the scientist. The aliens in the movie are never mentioned as Martians. In fact, the word 'alien' is never even mentioned, or at least I don't remember it being mentioned. They are always referred to as 'Them'.
There's lots of suspense. I literally chewed my nails down to the cuticles during some of the later scenes. There's nothing in here to make you jump, but it'll have you hanging on the edge of your seat, wondering if the terror that the characters are going through will ever end.
The emotional aspect of the movie heightens the suspense. We have a man who barely knows his kids, trying to bond with them during an extremely difficult time and he knows for a fact that they'd rather be off on their own than with him. This man is trying to keep it together for his kids, but can't and that is what eventually leads to a break-through between them.
The most harrowing scene is probably the scene at the ferry terminal. We have hundreds of desperate and scared people who are willing to do anything to escape, even if it means forcibly removing a man and his children from their car at gunpoint. It just goes to show that an individual person is smart and calm, but people are stupid and dangerous.
The major downside to the movie is the abruptness of the ending. It's over so quickly considering how drawn out everything else is. That's all I'm saying about it. I don't want to ruin it for you.
'War of the Worlds' is a great popcorn movie. As always, Tom Cruise delivers a good performance, but it would be nothing without the support of the wonderful Dakota Fanning.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
'Sith' does not disappoint
It's the final instalment in the prequel saga and George Lucas certainly doesn't disappoint. If you thought 'The Phantom Menance' and 'Attack of the Clones' were terrible, then you're going to knocked out of your socks by 'Revenge of the Sith' because it is absolutely awesome! Clearly good Ole George was saving all the best stuff until last.
'Sith' sees the final descent of Anakin Skywalker into the Darkside of the Force and finally becoming Darth Vader. Heavily influenced by the sinister Chancellor Palpatine and dreams of the untimely death of his beloved wife, Padme, Anakin questions his role as a Jedi. When his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Jedi Council start showing signs of mistrust in Anakin, he begins his final journey into darkness.
This movie is dark. Really, really dark. It's darker than 'Empire' and far more emotionally charged. There were several points in the movie when I was actually sympathising with the Sith! I thought the Jedi were being unreasonable and I was really rooting for the Sith Lords.
Hayden Christensen plays the role of Anakin/Vader brilliantly. Considering his somewhat lacking performance in 'Clones', the lad has redeemed himself here. I was most impressed. I really believed his performance going from humble Jedi Knight to psychotic Sith Lord. The emotions that come across are amazing. The worst acting has to go to Natalie Portman. I'm actually a fan of Natalie Portman. She's a great actress, but this time she came off as a bit of a wet blanket. She didn't have many scenes this time round, but in the ones she did, she seemed like a nagging house wife. The romantic scenes between her character Padme and Christensen's Anakin were some of her better moments. Maybe if she'd had a bit more screen time, she might have made more of an effort.
The problem with 'Sith', as with all prequels, is that with those who are familiar with Star Wars will already know what's going to happen. Finding out how and why it happens is the interesting bit. We know what's going to be the outcome, but we want to know how the characters get to that point. 'Phantom' and 'Clones' weren't, in all honesty, that good. They were just the back stories leading up to this sensational climax.
It's a little saddening when I think about it. Apparently, this will be the last Star Wars movie made, unless Lucas decides to make another three movies set after 'Jedi'. Now that 'the circle is complete', it's a bit of an anti-climax to see the end of such an awe-inspiring series.
The fight sequences are amazing, and there are so many favourites to chose from. Anything with Yoda or Anakin is guaranteed to have you sitting on the edge of your seat.
I'm so glad I had the opportunity to experience the pre-movie atmosphere with a lot of like-minded people, to laugh, and cheer along with the rest of audience during the movie, and to join in a standing ovation at the end. This is a truly enjoyable movie, and one of my favourites of 2005!
Doctor Who (2005)
Fantastic!
It's been a long time since a TV show has engaged my imagination and taken over my life in such a way. My Saturday nights are now dominated by this show. I can't get enough of it! I've been a Doctor Who fan for a couple, having been introduced to the show by my husband. Imagine my joy to discover that a new series was in production. Waiting for it to appear on TV was like waiting for the new Star Wars movie, and I wasn't disappointed when it finally arrived.
Christopher Ecclestone is an absolute gem in the role of the Doctor. He's charismatic, cheeky, eccentric and ready for action. He also portrays the Doctor's sinister and secretive side extremely in a way that has the audience continually guessing.
Billie Piper is excellent as the Doctor's companion, Rose Tyler. She comes off brilliantly as a spunky London shop assistant, who leaves her mother and boyfriend behind to join the Doctor on his adventures through tiem and space.
From what I've seen so far, the new series has strong stories with interesting sub-plots. There seems to be individual sub-plots for both the Doctor and Rose. The Doctor's keeps referring to the 'Time Wars', and Rose's clearly has some issues with regard to her dead father. These sub-plots reveal that the Doctor and Rose both seem very lonely and clearly need each other. The chemistry between the pair is amazing, and there seems to be a lot of flirtation going on too!
Overall, the new series was well worth the wait. I can't wait for more.
Constantine (2005)
Not one for the comic books fans ...
This movie has been met with a lot of mixed opinions about its quality. There's certainly been a lot of aggro from dedicated fans of the comic book 'Hellblazer,' as they have discovered that their beloved Constantine is now an American living in Los Angeles with dark hair. Originally, he was from Liverpool and looked like Sting.
John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) is a chain-smoking, cynical exorcist who is gifted, or cursed as he sees it, with the ability to see things that are not of this world. Because he tried to commit suicide earlier in his life he is destined to go to Hell when he dies, which isn't too far off as he is dying of lung cancer. Wanting to avoid this fate, he goes round sending unruly demons back to Hell with the hope of buying his way into Heaven.
The story starts with the suicide of mental patient Isabel Dobson (Rachel Weisz). Isobel claimed to be psychic and could see things that others could not. Her twin sister, Angela (also played by Weisz) refuses to believe that her sister would take her own life and enlists the help of Constantine to investigate. Together they unravel a conspiracy that could bring an end to all life on Earth, as we know it.
Keanu Reeves plays the role of Constantine in pretty much the same way as he plays every other character he's ever played. His acting is lazy and void of emotion, but it suits the character of Constantine well, so it actually pays off this time round! Rachel Weisz was an excellent choice to play twins Angela and Isobel Dobson. The only downside with her performance is that her American accent isn't that good. Together Reeves and Weisz have great on screen chemistry. Anyone who has seen Chain Reaction, in which they previously starred together, will agree.
The film is almost stolen by two of the supporting characters. The archangel Gabriel (Tilda Swinton) is a bit of fruit and is not all s/he* appears to be. Satan (Peter Stormare) is slightly camp, but extremely sinister and utterly evil, which is what we would expect from the Prince of Darkness, wouldn't we? There are a lot of things that are left unexplained, and it is never made clear what Balthazar (Gavin Rossdale) has to do with the main plot. It's not even worth talking about the Bush front man's acting ability because he has absolutely none. There are also a lot of religious references in the movie that might make people want to switch off until the action starts, but unfortunately people need to pay attention to these as they are important to the story.
This is a movie that one would think consists of action, violence, etc. In truth, the movie is a thriller with little bits of action thrown in. There is a lot of violence, several suicide references, and even references to self-harm.
The special effects are quite good. There is good use of CGI, creating very real and quite horrifying looking demons. The depiction of Heaven and Hell is interesting to see.
If you're a fan of the comic book, this may probably anger you. If, like me, you've never read the comic book, you may find this to be an enjoyable film.
6/10 * Angels don't have genitalia; therefore they are neither male nor female.