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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
Great start to an all-new series from the Harry Potter Universe
I went to see this film with ONE expectation: make me feel magical like HP films did. Bring the magic! Well, Fantastic Beasts delivered.
First of all, let me write down a few lines about Eddie Redmayne's performance and about his Newt Scamander. Eddie was just amazing. He nailed the character. His expression, non-verbal language and kindness bought me over almost instantly. He is shy, closed person who absolutely loves all sorts of fantastic animals and more importantly - understands them. It was a treat seeing him in every single frame he was in. Bravo!
Moving on to Colin Farrell, aka Percival Graves. The moment you first meet him you know this guy means business. He is focused and powerful. What I liked personally was that throughout the whole story you weren't really sure whether Graves is bad or sort of good... I find this morally gray personality compelling, especially in times where we live in Disney Star Wars and Disney Marvel, both featuring pretty damn bland protagonists and antagonists. Breath of fresh air indeed.
No-Maj was outright fun and interactions between Newt and him simply put a big ol smile on my face. That is the kind of humour I do like and enjoy. Great fun!
Now the picture itself. Look, it's nothing ground-breaking, even a little predictable at times, but it's the execution that plays the main role here. Special effects are sharp, clean and very subtle. Beasts are colorful, properly magical and perfectly voiced. You will get lost in Newt's zoo, never wanting to go back to real life. Every character has its logical place and pacing makes sense.
I have yet to create a final opinion about Johnny Depp being casted as Gellert Grindelwald, as I'm not fond of his acting skills. However, this did not hurt my overall rating of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Go see it in IMAX, you will get magically rewarded.
Merlin (2008)
As pure as it can be
As the title says, it is so pure, it almost feels like out of this world.. Something beautiful. The chemistry between two main characters, Merlin and Arthur, is so believable, organic and humane that you can't help but get hooked, right from the beginning.
Sure, the screenplay is not the best, it suffers from occasional plot-hole, inconsistency or outright illogical actions, but that's not the point. It was made with passion, acting is great and there are genuinely smart witty comedic moments, mostly between Arthur and Merlin, which add so much needed depth and character development.
Special effects are very decent for a low-budget TV series, sets are well-crafted and it overall looks great. It certainly doesn't come like cheap.
I've rewatched entire series twice along with my mother and we became fans for life. I will love "Merlin" for the rest of my life and I will sure as hell be rewatching it multiple times. This comes from a man who dislikes TV series in general.
I would like to say "Thank you" to every single member of the cast and crew for creating such a warm experience. Thank you!
Suicide Squad (2016)
Nowhere near the level of the greatness of the Dawn of Justice. Brings more jokes, though.
Yes, I love Batman V Superman (both cuts, with the Ultimate one being superior), and I have to say that this is the weakest link in the establishing DCEU so far.
The Editing. Quite funny, considering if done right, you don't even notice the editing in the final product. However, anytime it's bad - it's noticeable. And boy, bad editing stands out in this one. It makes a few sequences look really out of place, like shoehorned in. Whoever did the job needs to seriously punished.
Lack of the Joker. Seriously, you hired an Oscar-winning guy to play the Clown prince of crime, basically were promoting entire film with him... aaand you cut out maybe 50 % of his scenes. Seriously, the hell is wrong with you, WB? Leto as Joker was fine, I think, based on those few scenes we got, but the exact lack of those didn't convince me that he is better than late Ledger. Which is unfortunate, because I was looking forward to Leto becoming the final Joker. This is essentially my biggest gripe - not enough of Joker. When I think about it, he is pretty much pointless to the ..."plot" of the film. Makes no impact, whatsoever.
The plot. It was going to be simple, sure. I mean, so was Mad max Fury Road and look good that one turned out to be. BvS was aiming for greatness, and say what you want about it, it reached the epic of the clash of the World's finest. Suicide Squad? Basically makes fun of itself, which is NOT the way to go. First half is the actual team-up process, with all the origins stories, setting up and introducing each member. Other half is trying desperately to catch up to the rest of the story and offers very little suspension. There are a lot of plot devices just to make the story moving forward, and that's cheap. Don't get me started on the final fight between the Squad and the main villain - it was retarded. Like, Marvel-level retarded.
The Antagonist. Haven't delivered, not one bit. You see all that build-up, expositions of how damn strong he/she is, showing off all them sweet powers and abilities, rendering the villain almost Superman-level OP. His/her plan is silly, with no real reasons to do that, it just happens, and you kinda go with it, because the film itself is entertaining, but.. that just ain't enough.
Some members of the Skwad. are beyond useless and out of place. The one is there only just to serve as a comedic relief, another one is wasted in like first 5 minutes after the team is deployed into action (I know it's in the cannon, but this is a film - act like you give a damn), and some other that is seriously underused and looks like he is there just to do that one thing the plot requires in order for the Skwad to succeed.
The Music. I was afraid this would be an issue, and I called it. The whole film made an impression of a 2-hour MTV music-video-mash-up. It was refreshing for the first 40 minutes, but then it keeps on going and going, playing another tune after another, with no particular need, it's just there to "lighten-up" the mood of the film - I call bullshit. On the other hand, the movie made a damn good job of making me guess all of the classic hits from the past, so props for that!
Batman cameos. You are going to see Batman from a different perspective, they said. You will get to experience the fear and thrill the bad guys experience when they see The Bat show up, they said. None of that happens. You get regular "Batman interacting with the bad guys" sequences, that do NOT stand out. Another wasted potential.
The pluses are: visuals - those are top-notch (obivously, Mr. Snyder was involved as an exec. producer)
Deadshot, Harley, Joker (given the screen time he had..), Amanda Waller (you are going to hate her.. A LOT. Makes Nick Fury from the friendly Marvel neighbor look like one-eyed tooth-fairy), El Diablo (surprisingly enough, he is the MVP during the last 30 minutes), soundtrack (good choice of tracks and spot-on timing) and that's pretty much it.
Final thoughts. It is obvious that for some reason, this film turned out to compete with the Guardians of the Galaxy instead of being full-scaled dark action thriller with formidable Bad Guy, bad-ass team that gets stuff done, supervillains acting like..you know, supervillains (not some wanna-be heroes they ARE NOT), and an occasional one-liner here and there for the healthy laugh. Instead we got the DCEU version of GoTG with far more music and far less chemistry.
I still liked this film, took it for what it was. It just didn't deliver. The entire mid-credit scene was somewhat good, but at the same time unnecessary.
Bottom Line: Batman V Superman remains on the top of the DCEU (and entire comic-book films genre for me) food chain. Here's hoping that Patty Jenkin's "Wonder Woman" will be better (which for now seems like will happen) and that the Justice League will be the best comic book film ever made, finally topping The Dark Knight.
Interesting fact: Zack Snyder directed Flash's cameo scene in this film - one of the good parts of the Suicide Squad.
The Legend of Tarzan (2016)
Beautiful, a great pleasure!
I'm a simple man, if I like the film, I give it 10/10. This film definitely deserves to be liked. I've always wanted a mature film- version of this great story. I must say that CGI was top-notch. Animals were sharp, landscape colorful and filled with life. But what really surprised was the actual storytelling and the chemistry between the actors. It all was so believable, I forgot I was at the cinema. By the end of this movie I was desperate to find some liana to tag along with Tarzan, it was that immersive.
WHile I did enjoy The Jungle Book, this was miles ahead of that one. As I described at the top - I had great pleasure watching and experiencing this.
P.S. Definitely go see 3D version. It's so worth it!
Man of Steel (2013)
Glorious
If there is one scene I have to pick and choose as an answer for "What does it mean to be a Superman?", I'd definitely pick "Man of Steel Destroying The World Engine".. Better than say a thousand words.
This is the superman we deserve.
Perfect visuals
Solid acting (I WILL FIND HIM!!)
Interesting story-line
Great villain that actually makes you RESPECT him
Midn-blowing aerial and ground battles
Soundtrack is out of this universe.. Hans Zimmer, DCEU will never be the same again without you
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
The first film I walked out of..
I kinda liked MCU when it was in the phase of Iron Man - Avengers 1. Those were just good films with somewhat decent humour and sick new fighting scenes, all caked up with stunning visuals and, of course, superb acting (as in, RDJ, Mark Ruffalo and Sam Jakcson ONLY!, others were just watchable). Those films were truly good, I enjoyed them for what the were, mostly because of the fact that they didn't take themselves very seriously (note: does not mean they were dumb). That is until recently, when thing got fuc*ed up royally..
MCU is just not meant to be serious. Stick to what you are good at: fun family film - making with gloriously dumb one-liners. Let all the seriousness and darkness of the real world to the Zack Snyder's et al. DCEU vision. BvS, for all the hate and so- called, the worst plot- holes and editing bashing it received, in my eyes, handled its very idea - being dark (thus realistic) reflection of the Real world - very, very satisfyingly. It is not the best comic-book film, no (Justice League is meant to be that :D), but out of the CW and Batman v Superman, I must go with Dawn of Justice. That film is simply superior to Civil War in any aspect, especially fight scenes (airport - ehm - "fighting" was really a downer for me).
Finally, I do not think that the title Civil War is appropriate, when the highest number of assailants appearing on the screen in the same time is...12 or something. That-Is-Not-A-War, let alone civil.
And, yeah,..I will forever remember this film, for it made me leave my IMAX seat and walk out of a screening for the very first time in my life. If it is of an interest to you, I decided to pack my things right after the utterly shitty airport drunk brawl.
Warcraft (2016)
The next big thing since the LOTR film-saga!
I only played "Warcraft III". Thoroughly enjoyed it, I used to load it up every day I returned from school. So, that being said, I ain't much of an expert on this world nor I am some huge fan. No.
Though, I happen to be a film fan and I simply enjoy good filmmaking. With Warcraft, this is the case. Outsdandingly good film-craft. There is everything in the fantasy flick needs to be - stunning visuals, interesting and relatable characters, solid story and tons of ACTUAL magic. Story pacing is just fine, there is not much of a character development though, but hey, that's because mostly all of the main heroes and villains are already established, and that is perfectly fine with me. Neved did I feel bored or underwhelmed. I personally didn't have any problems following the plot and understanding all the reasons within the film itself.
A subject on its own is the soundtrack. I divide the OSt into 2 groups - the ones I hear in a film and right after the screening almost instantly forget, and then, there are those SPECIAL which you never forget. And in Warcraft there is an AMAZINGLY brilliant soundtrack.
Actors are great. They really sunk into their respective roles. My favorites are Lothar and surprisingly Gul'dan - his voice-acting and overall appearance were mind-blowing. A perfect villain for the film that is establishing the cinematic universe.
Summarizing, I have a feeling that this film is the case of BvS which launched earlier this year - critics buried it instantly, while fans and average moviegoers wholeheartedly enjoyed and accepted it. I am just so glad that there is going to be a sequel for this excellent fantasy flick and that it is successful in the international box-office.
Do yourself a service - forget the critics' "valuable and knowledgeable" opinions and go give this film a chance. You live only once to let someone else's opinion influence your own view on the matter - Do no be a sheep.
I give this film a 10/10 not because it was flawless (cause it was flawed), not because it is a masterpiece (which it isn't, none of the existing films are, actually), but because it simply made my life a little bit better and more meaningful. And that, I can say about only a few films out of those thousands and thousand I've ever seen. Be buying this on Blu-Ray and keep re- watching this and BvS while waiting for the respective sequels.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
The Apex of (not only) comic-books adaptations.
"How do you know when the film is great? You do not want it to end!"
This film was visionary, without a doubt. The way it presented the story, developed characters.. I like it, when my mind is challenged with deep philosophical questions about morality, humanity and divinity. And this flick made just that. It makes you THINK, question yourself, our standards and, ultimately, what it is to be a Hero.. No matter how hard you try, you end up being the bad guy/No matter how much justice you ACTUALLY do, people see you as Evil.
The build-up to an epic clash was pretty humane, and most of us can understand the motives of Bruce Wayne. I mean, his entire office house was annihilated, people died that day when Clark battled Zod. Obviously, he will see Superman as a threat. Batfleck was the BEST Batman to date. Grimm, brutal, ruthless, smart and overall BAD-ASS. This is the Batman I longed for.
Superman was just perfect. Divine, mighty, pure-hearted and just,.. y'know, "god-like". Top notch acting from Mr. Cavill right there.
The actual battle between the two was magnificent. The whole cinema was electrified. It really looked EPIC, no abuse of the meaning of the word.
Overall, I liked this film even more than Mad Max, which legitimately makes it my No. 1 film of all times. Do NOT believe the critics, go watch for yourself and judge for yourself. I don't have enough room here to express how much I love this film and how great it is. I'll just go see another screening.
Doubt someone will be able to top this.