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Reviews
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
My Expectations Were Defied
I came into this movie feeling rather unimpressed. After all, how could anyone try to hold a candle to the sheer charisma of Harrison Ford as Han Solo? Besides, the trailers left me feeling rather lukewarm.
Suffice it to say that I was completely startled (in a great way) by how good of a movie it was.
I mean, sure, it wasn't revolutionary in the history of filmmaking, but it was engaging and enjoyable. The plot was pretty well done and the worldbuilding was very intriguing to watch, not to mention the visuals. Alden Ehrenreich did a pretty good job of capturing how I would have imagined young Han Solo to behave, something I wasn't expecting. Certainly better than what I was expecting.
I'd advise going to see it. It's not Empire Strikes Back, but it is a very enjoyable and very engaging heist story that I think viewers will enjoy.
A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
You're Better Off With The Book
I grew up really loving "A Wrinkle in Time". It was my absolute favorite book. In fact, as I write this review right now, the same copy I was given as an 8 year old is on my desk, nice and familiar and reminding me of days long gone.
When I heard they were adapting it to a big-budget film with Disney, I was mostly excited, with a few reservations. Here was the chance to see this great story communicated through a new media!
However, I went to see the film and was sorely disappointed. To begin with, it didn't start on a dark and stormy night! One of the most iconic lines in literature, and they saved it for after a needless flashback that oversimplified and explained subtleties in the book.
Aside from that, the first half was pretty decent. It mostly followed the book, and I liked the characters of Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who, and Mrs Which. I wasn't expecting to like Mindy or Reese in their roles, but I feel they did a good job. And I did really like Oprah as Mrs Which, which I did have reservations about.
I started to have a bad feeling when they landed on Uriel. When Mrs Whatsit shifted into her "other form", it looked like a depressing, CGI version of a piece of flying lettuce. Not at all like the majestic Mrs Whatsit on my cover! However, I tried to hold on nonetheless.
While there were several little unsettling changes, it all started to veer quite far away from the book the moment they landed on Camazotz. Without going into terrible detail, let's just say that the filmmakers completely missed the point of what the book was originally trying to portray! Entire chapters were left out! Important character development was skipped! And all of Calvin's best scenes in the book were cut, making him some sort of useless tagalong!
With all of their skipping, it ruined the original plot and many other good points.
To its credit, however, it did have lovely visuals. The other worlds were very beautiful, and while Camazotz was completely inaccurate, it was gorgeous. I also didn't mind the majority of the casting, whether or not I'd agree with it. But, it just lacked the soul and subtlety of the original text.
Lego: The Adventures of Clutch Powers (2010)
Everyone's Being Rather Harsh...
All right, so this movie isn't Citizen Kane. Let's be real. It's a kid's movie. It never tries to advertise itself as anything else. Sure, it's not really deep, but it is amusing. I remember watching this movie as a young kid and enjoying it immensely. Not for its thought-provoking morals, not for its innovation in the animation industry, but for being a fun movie that I could enjoy. Sure, it's light, but not every movie needs to be heavy and deep and thought-provoking.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
Ignore the Haters! Worth a watch!
To be frank, when I walked out of the movie theater, I felt none of the negative emotions that so many of these other reviewers seem to have. I thought it was well-written, intriguing, and had excellent character development, with many interesting twists and turns and a new character that I liked.
Imagine my surprise to go onto IMDb and see that the reviews were swarmed with hordes of reviewers complaining about how it "didn't feel like a Star Wars movie"!
This frustrates me immensely. When TFA came out, these very same fans complained about how it was too much like the first few movies. Now, they complain that it's too different. I think that it was good to try new things, to show new abilities, and how the balance between light and dark can be re-examined and changed. It was intriguing and well-thought out.
In addition, the graphics were gorgeous! There were only a few instances in which I felt the CGI was disorienting. For the most part, they had a technically excellent film with lots of gorgeous shots and decisions with sound editing.
One complaint I can understand (and why this movie doesn't receive a ten out of ten from me) is what they did with Luke Skywalker's character. He acts completely differently from the Skywalker we know and love in the first trilogy, and while I think a disillusioned Skywalker could be interesting, he seemed to revert back to that whiny useless state he was in before all of his interesting character development. While he redeemed himself in the end, I didn't like his characterization.
Aside from that, I would HIGHLY recommend this film looking for something a little different and risk taking in a Star Wars film.
Dunkirk (2017)
Amazing! Totally worth a watch!
This movie was one of the best that I've had the pleasure of seeing in my life! Technically, it was gorgeous, with amazing cinematography including the aerial views. There wasn't much dialogue, but it was done artistically. I believe this movie will be looked back on as a classic years afterwards, between the cinematography, the artistic storytelling, and the score. Hans Zimmer outdid himself on this one. Highly recommend watching it!