A Look Back at Dune (1984)

 

With Denis Villeneuve's Dune arriving in theaters and HBO Max in October, it's time for me to once again look back at a movie that came before it.

Dune is a 1984 science fiction film based on Frank Herbert's 1965 novel of the same name. The movie was produced by Dino De Laurentiis Corporation and distributed by Universal Pictures. Dune was written and directed by David Lynch.

The story is in the distant future, two rival nobles families battle for control on the planet called Arrakis aka Dune. During this battle between royals, Paul Atreides soon discovers the truth about the war between the royals and Dune itself.

• Negatives

The biggest problem with the movie is the script. I think David Lynch really should've had a co-writer for this one. Cause the script is the thing that hurts the movie the most. It's very jumbled, confusing, and there were even times when I forgot who was who, and what was going on. Which I think that's were most critics and fans have issued with the film.

The other huge issue with Dune was the pacing. It's all over the place. One moment we're taking our time to tell the story, next moment we're dragging on and on about the same subject, and then we quickly wrap up a portion of the story through narration. I remember part where the narration went (and I'm paraphrasing here) "And Paul and Chani's love grew", and I thought to myself "Hold on! Wait a minute! When did they fall in love?!".

• Mix

The only mix bag was the special effects. For a good majority of the film they're really great. At first I was confused when I looked up old reviews when the movie first came out, and they sad the special effects were awful. Like I said for the most part they're great. I think what they were referring to was the blue screen. Cause yeah, that's where things look pretty rough. And also not very convincing.

• Positives

One positive with Dune was the score. Both Toto and Brian Eno made fantastic music. This'll probably come as no surprise but, I absolutely loved the Prophecy theme. It was both beautiful and epic.

Another good aspect of the film is the performances. Despite the script not being very good, everyone really did their best for this movie, in matter of fact some of the performances where the main reason why I continued to watch the movie from start to finish.

Dune (1984) isn't the worst sci-fi movie I've ever seen. A title like that is best suited for other really bad sci-fi films but, it's really lackluster. The script really needed a polishing and the pacing was dreadful, and because of those two issues, the movie suffers in a big way. The special effects are quite good, but the blue screen could've used a lot more work. The saving graces for Dune was the score and the actors/actress.

My final rating is Bad.

Hopefully Denis Villeneuve's verison is much better. Anyhow, that's going to do it for me. Come back on Saturday, Oct 2nd for my review of the much anticipated Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to Ghostbusters: Afterlife - Ghostbusters II Review

 

Ghostbusters II is a 1989 supernatural comedy, the sequel to Ghostbusters, as well as the second movie in the Ghostbusters franchise. The movie was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures. Ghostbusters II was written by Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd and directed by Ivan Reitman.

The story is it's been five years since the events of the last movie, and the Ghostbusters have taking other jobs since they got sued for property damage which also would cause them to no longer investigate the paranormal. However, when a new evil has been awakened the Ghostbuster have to suit up once again and stop him, or else not only will New York be conquered but so will the rest of the world.

• Negatives

My only complaint with the movie was how the Ghostbusters were being treated from the New York. I can maybe understand the property damage part but, the parts where people where calling them fakes or phonies was a plot point that never made any sense to me. How can they be considered phonies? Everybody in New York saw a marshmallow man they size of Godzilla stomping around the city, nobody absolutely nobody could've possibility faked that.

• Mix

My mix issues with the film was Vigo. He's not really a bad villain, cause he's got a good look and there is a pretty interesting backstory with him. But after rewatching the movie, I do wish they did more with him. A little more background, what else can he do power wise, and how did the slime connect with him? Stuff like that.

• Positives

Now for the more positives that came with Ghostbusters II are that was the special effects. I firmly believe this was a huge improvement when compared to the first movie. A lot of great stuff from practical to using miniatures, and what I came to love about them even more is much like the first movie's production, their were quite a lot of issues going on, but the special effects team still pulled off an amazing job.

What I also liked about the film was the music. Two of my favorites being Run DMC's version of the Ghostbusters theme song, and of course Bobby Brown's On Our Own. The latter of which I actually find myself singing along too, such a classic.

Another aspect of the movie that was good was the humor. I really didn't understand the reviews back in 1989 where they said something like this humor was "softening" compared to the original. Cause I found myself laughing at this one just as much as I did the first one. One of my many favorites being and it's just a simple piece of dialogue, and it's how Egon once had a slinky but he straightened it. I don't know why but even now as I'm typing this I just can't contain the grin that's growing on my face.

The last thing I'll give Ghostbusters II credit for is the performances. Once again Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson chemistry is again, a highlight to the movie. Rick Moranis provided another hilarious performance playing Louis, and Peter MacNicol was also awesome as Janosz. The over the top accent he gave that character was just amazing, and was one of the hilarious highlights.

I honestly don't understand why Ghostbusters II gets such a bad rap. It has great special effects, wonderful music, it's hilarious, and the performances are just as good here as they were in the first. I do wish there was more to Vigo, and my only complaint is that subplot where the Ghostbusters were unfairly punished. But this is a movie where I think the good for the most part out weights the bad.

My final rating is Good.

Well, I'm all done here. Come back on Monday, Sept 27th for my A Look Back at review of 1984's Dune. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

A Look Back at Doom Patrol - Season 2

 

With season 3 of Doom Patrol arriving on HBO Max in three days, it's time to look back at the second season of the show.

Doom Patrol is a streaming tv series created by Jeremy Carver for both the DC Universe app and HBO Max. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television, Berlanti Productions, Jeremy Carver Productions, DC Entertainment and distributed by Warner Bros. Television Distribution. This season consist of nine episodes.

The story is Nile's daughter Dorothy is now living with the Doom Patrol. The team is not in a good place right now after the shocking revelations from last season, because of this they all have their own issues to sort out. But there may be a bigger problem at hand when Dorothy's powers may possibly unleash an unspeakable and powerful entity known as the Candlemaker.

• Negatives

I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

• Mix

One thing I'm mixed is once again it's the special effects. Again, I understand because they've got a tv budget, so of course things aren't going to look their best. Now, that's not to say all of it looks bad, there are times when the CGI looks good and you don't mind that it's not something practical.

Another thing I'm a little bit mixed is the number of episodes. I kind felt like there just could've been one more episode to this season, however what I got was good enough. So I didn't mind that this season had less episodes than the last one.

• Positives

Now to get into the positives one of those being the humor. Once again we get a lot of hilarious moments. Moments that make both laugh and go "what the f*ck". And much like last season, what especially made those more funnier moments go was the felt appropriate at the time they were at. The humor by no means ruins the more dramatic moments, it's there when it's needed.

What was also go about this season was once again we got spectacular performances. Our regular cast those being Brendan Fraser, Matt Bomer, Diane Guerrero, April Bowlby, and Jovian Wade they all do an amazing job being there characters and really nailing the parts where they're gonna be fleshed out. The other performances I enjoyed was between Timothy Dalton (as Niles Caulder) and Abi Monterey (as Dorothy). Seeing them play this father and daughter duo was great, they could both really be dramatic and at the same time give some very sweet moments.

Another thing that made this season worth watching was the Candlemaker. It's got everything you want in a villain. A creepy look, a very horrifying personality, and a very scary voice. I can't go into detail because it's spoiler territory (yes, I know this season has been out for over a year now, but still), all I will say it's a pretty good bad guy, and I liked him just as much as I liked Mr. Nobody.

The other aspect that made season two good was the character development. Just when I thought we couldn't get any more the writers once again flesh out the characters both new and old. We get to learn my about the past such as more backstory for Larry and Jane, we get to see how Cliff is going to handle the revelations about his daughter, who Dorothy is and why Niles is always treating like she's made out of glass, and so forth.

Doom Patrol - Season 2 was really good. The good definitely out weights the more mix bag of things, what with great humor, amazing performances, a great villain, and character development that could rival the first season. The gray areas are the special effects and they feeling that maybe there could've been one if not two more episodes, but you can blow off that feeling if I'm honest.

My final rating is Great.

Okay, that's going to do it for me. Come back on Thursday, Sept 23rd for part two the Road to Ghostbusters: Afterlife with my review of Ghostbusters II. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Cry Macho Review

 

Cry Macho is a neo-Western drama film based on N. Richard Nash's 1975 novel of the same name. The movie is produced by Malpaso Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Cry Macho is written by N. Richard Nash and Nick Schenk and directed by Clint Eastwood.

The story is Mike Milo is an ex-rodeo star just living life. One day his former boss comes to him for help wanting to get his son Rafael, out of Mexico and get him away from his acholic mother. During this journey back to Texas, Mike teaches the boy what it really means to be a good man.

Initial Reaction

My main reason for wanting to see this is because of Clint Eastwood. And what else do I have to say other than that? But seriously, I'm interested in Clint as an actor, but whenever I hear that he also directed my curiosity goes up even more because I really want to see what he did behind the camera just as much as in front.

Cons

My only real complaint with Cry Macho is this really should've been just a tad bit longer. Maybe an extra 30 or 40 minutes, cause when the movie was over I felt like there was still more story to be told.

Middle Ground

One mix bag was the performances. I thought Clint was good. Eduardo Minett (who plays Rafael) was okay I just thought there were times when he could've been better. Some of the other performances could be a little wooden. The other gray area was the character development. We get some character, but there was still a lot of room for more of that. Cause what we got was just decent.

Pros

One thing I liked was the scenery. We get a lot of great shots of either small towns, a small church, and these deserts. Clint did a really good job showcasing all of that. What also another positive for Cry Macho is that it's very simple and straightforward. I've seen a lot of people take issue with that and I don't know why? Cause the trailer and marketing clearly showed this wasn't gonna be some explosive, grand adventure with twist and turns, that will all lead to huge conspiracy theory that just might end the entire world! So I liked that we just got this journey of two characters getting to know one another, and the older one giving the young guy some advice. The last thing I'll give the movie credit for is the bond between Mike and Rafael. Those scenes of them understanding each other, and Mike almost be a father-figure to Rafael were really the best parts of the entire movie.

With Cry Macho we get a film that is decent. Not something great, but nothing terrible. We've got a lot of great scenery, a straightforward story, and a great bonding experience between our two main characters. The mix bags were the performances and character development. The only issue was this is one of those movies that should've been longer.

My final rating is Okay.

So that's all for now. Come back on Monday, Sept 20th, for my Look Back at review of season two of Doom Patrol. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog Review

 

Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog is an animated direct-to-video movie that's a crossover between Scooby-Doo and Courage the Cowardly Dog. It's also the thirty-third direct-to-video Scooby-Doo flick. The film is produced by Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, and Stretch Films and distributed by Warner Home Video. Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog is written by Michael Ryan and directed by Cecilia Aranovich.

The story is Mystery Inc. go to Nowhere, Kansas to look for Scooby-Doo. When they finally do find him they also meet Courage and his family, Muriel and Eustace Bagge...oh there's also giant size swarm of Cicadas flying around wreaking havoc all over the place. Now the gang along the Bagge family must put a stop to this and find out who set this whole thing up.

Initial Reaction

Now as a kid I always wanted these two to meet. It was just one of those perfect crossovers. I remember one time they had a skit on Cartoon Network where Courage and the Scooby gang were just chatting around, and something was HEAVILY implied to have happened between Fred and Daphne. So when I saw the trailer the little kid in me was really excited, although I was a bit worried because Courage creator John R. Dilworth wasn't involved, but I still had hope that this'll be good.

Cons

My only issue with it was it can get repetitive at times. Like they Eustace does his ooga booga booga shtick like I think four times throughout the movie. It would've been fine if it did two times but that many really did get old pretty quick.

Middle Ground

The only mix bag was the animation. It looked really great on Scooby and the gang, but it really takes some getting use to with Courage and his group. It didn't look bad by any means it was just a different style when compared to the show.

Pros

One of the more positive things about the movie is the humor. Now, sure you do get a joke that doesn't work but for me, I found myself laughing quite a lot. What also worked for Straight Outta Nowhere was the voice work. Everyone not only did a fantastic job voicing there characters, but there was a lot of good chemistry with the cast. The best chemistry being among Shaggy, Scooby, and Courage. Really did enjoy the scenes with them a lot more than I thought I would. Now, the one thing I was incredibly worried, which I think we were all worried about is would this respect the Courage series, and I do believe it did. You did get a feeling that the writers actually did like Courage the Cowardly Dog, so much so that, during a battle nearing the end of the movie Courage is the one who mainly gets the spotlight, in matter of fact you could say that he's the one who saved the day.

Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog is flawed, but yet I still liked it. It had good humor, a great voice cast, and they was a level of respecting Courage the Cowardly Dog. The animation is good on Scooby and co. but you will have to get use to it with Courage, Muriel, and Eustace. The only downside is when things got repetitive.

My final rating is Okay.

Alright, I'm all done here. Please come back on Saturday, Sept 18th for my review of the newest Clint Eastwood movie, Cry Macho. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

A Look Back at Courage the Cowardly Dog

 

With Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog making it's debut soon, I decided to look back at one of my childhood favorite cartoons.

Courage the Cowardly Dog was an animated horror comedy series that premiered on Cartoon Network on Nov 12th, 1999 and ended on Nov 22nd, 2002. Giving the show a total of four seasons and 52 episodes. Courage the Cowardly Dog was produced by Stretch Films and distributed by Warner Bros. Television Distribution. The series was created by John R. Dilworth.

The story is Courage lives out in the middle of Nowhere with elderly couple Muriel and Eustace Bagge. Just when things seem like they could be a normal day for Courage something spooky comes along. Despite being easily freighted Courage will do whatever it takes to protect his family, whether the threat be a ghost, a monster, or an alien chicken from outer space.

• Negatives

I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

• Mix

I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

• Positives

One thing to praise about the show is the humor. There were a lot of funny things that would happen in Courage that even now I still laugh about. And what I also liked about it was this show along with another Cartoon Network show, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy introduced more dark comedy.

What also made the show so great was it could actually be scary. When I was a kid there were things it that scared me, and when I rewatched the show I still got kinda of scared. Hell, when before I rewatched it I still to do this day couldn't get whatever....that thing was in the episode, Perfect. I'm not showing you an image, trust me you'll be better off without one.

The other aspect of Courage the Cowardly Dog that made it work was the animation. Not only did the 2D stuff look great, but there were times when the animation team used different styles. One episode we could get traditionally animation, another episode could have flash, the next one could go more with stop-motion. And all of it was done so great that you really do need to give the animation department their credit.

The last thing I'll praise the show and this is the best thing about, and that was you didn't know what to expect. Yes, the show followed a formula but, the writers were always doing something anything to throw you a curve ball. There could be a situation where Courage had to get physical or solve the problem by finding another solution to will make both him and the enemy-of-the-week happy. And that level of unexpectedness really made the jokes even better. We could get the scariest entrance from a villain and instead of doing something horrifying to Courage, he could just challenge him to a game of tennis or something like that.

Guys, Courage the Cowardly Dog is one of my many favorite cartoons. It has good humor, scary moments that can actually scare you, amazing animation, and above all else it kept you guessing of what's going to happen next.

My final rating is A Must Watch.

That's all for me everybody. Come back on Thursday, Sept 16th for my review of Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day, and give Courage a watch if you haven't already.

Malignant Review

 

Malignant is a supernatural slasher movie that is produced by Atomic Monster Productions, New Line Cinema, Starlight Media, and Midas Innovation and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Malignant is written by Akela Cooper and directed by James Wan.

The story is a woman named Madison is having terrifying visions of grisly murders committed by a man named Gabriel. At first she believes they're just nightmares, but she soon realizes that these aren't nightmares but realities. Can Madison find a way to overcome this terrifying experience or will Gabriel win in the end?

Initial Reaction

My one true reason for wanting to see this was James Wan. The guy can just direct horror. Saw was a horror movie that kids at my school who somehow managed to see was all they could talk about, I liked Insidious, I don't think I really need to say anything about The Conjuring. And even if the movie isn't in the horror genre the guy nails it. Everybody I know loves Furious 7, and he killed it with Aquaman.

Cons

I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

Middle Ground

The one and only thing that's a gray area is the movie does start off pretty slow, but once we start to learn more and more about Gabriel things not only start picking up, but also get completely insane. So I think you'll be willing to forgive the movie for that slow beginning.

Pros

One thing I absolutely want to praise the film is this one of the most crazies and most unpredictable horror movies I've seen this year. At first I thought I had everything figured out, but nope. The movie truly does keep you guessing of what's going to happen next. Speaking of guessing, I want to give praise to the twist. At first I thought I figured it out, and I was somewhat right I was just a little bit off. I won't of course give it away, but what I will say is the twist is gonna make you scream "WHAT THE F*CK?!,". What I also enjoyed about Malignant was this is an original story. I can't tell you how much I was loving this brand new story, and the lore that both James Wans and Akela Cooper brought to us. It was quite a refreshing horror story. Since I brought up James Wants that's a perfect time to bring up his directing. Once again with his previous horror films, this one shows that the guy just knows how to direct horror. He sets up a lot of suspense. And he also shot an amazing prison escape sequence, that was a scene I could watch on repeat and never get bored. The last thing I'll give Malignant credit for is the score. Joseph Bishara gave what I believe an amazing set of music for the movie. I especially liked the opening song, "It's Happened Before", and "In My House".

Honestly I had an absolute blast with Malignant. It's insane and unpredictable, it's got a very disturbing twist, it's original, Wan once again shows how great he is at directing horror, and I loved the score. The slight downside is it does take a while to really get things going, but once we really get into gear oh boy, are we in for a trip.

My final rating is Good.

So yeah, I think you should give this movie a watch. Anyways, that's all for me. Come back on Monday, Sept 13th for A Look Back at review for one of my favorite childhood shows, Courage the Cowardly Dog. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to The Batman - Batman Begins Review

 

Batman Begins is a 2005 comic book movie based on the DC Comics' character, Batman. The movie is a reboot to the Batman film series and the first installment of The Dark Knight Trilogy. The film was produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Comics, Legendary Pictures, Syncopy, and Patalex III Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Batman Begins was written by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer and directed by Christopher Nolan.

The story is Bruce Wayne has returned to the city he loves after spending so many years away after the death of his parents. Bruce has one thing on his mind, to clean up Gotham City. He soon learns that his old teacher Henri Ducard and the League of Shadows have arrived in Gotham one reason and one reason only, to destroy it. Now Bruce must suit up as Batman to put a stop to this, while at the same time deal with the threat of Jonathan Crane, aka Scarecrow.

• Negatives

I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

• Mix

I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

• Positives

One thing that made Batman Begins such a great comic book movie was it really did bring Batman back to being a dark and gritty figure of the night. We get a real vibe that things in Gotham City are just awful, and the city is in a desperate need for a hero. And we have not one but two villains that actually feel like true bad guys and not cartoon characters from the last Batman movie I reviewed.

What also makes the movie so loved is Christopher Nolan's directing. There are two shots that I just loved in this movie. One was when a now adult Bruce first comes across the what would become the Batcave and bats are just flying around and he just stands there with no fear. The other shot is when Batman is standing a building looking at the city and the camera spins around him. We really did get a lot of great shots like the ones I mentioned previously throughout the movie, which just makes in beautiful.

Another to praise about the film and I don't know if anyone has every brought it up and that's the pacing. This movie clocks in at 2 hours and 20 minutes. But I really doesn't feel that long, everything goes at such a great pace that I completely got sucked into the movie, that by the time it was over I was surprise at what time it was.

One other aspect of Batman Begins that has been well received is the action. Rightfully so, there are plenty of good actions sequences. Two of my favorites was when Bruce was fighting the League of Shadows because he wouldn't kill someone who may have deserved it, and the other was the chase scene with the Batmobile (or the Tumbler as it's known by) and the police. That was such a great chase scene that I don't really know what's a good word to use when describing it.

Now in my humble opinion you can not review Batman Begins without mentioned the fantastic score by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard. Honestly, I don't know what to say about the score that hasn't already been said? It's great, it's awesome, it's every other positive word you can possibly think of. We get the memorable main theme in the Dark Knight Trilogy titled "Molossus", a song that no matter how hard I tried it's still stuck in my head.

The final thing I'll praise about the movie is it is a perfect Batman origin story. And what makes it a great origin tale is two things. 1) While it is cool we get to see Batman, what made this origin movie great was we really do focus on Bruce Wayne and how he transitions to become The Dark Knight. Because of that we do care about the man behind the cowl. 2) Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer truly did take bits and pieces from the comics. Mostly from the stories Batman: Year One and as Christopher Nolan puts it "his personally jumping off point" The Man Who Falls (which if you're curious you can find that story in Secret Origins of the World's Greatest Super-Heroes or Batman: Secrets of the Batcave).

Batman Begins is not only a spectacular Batman movie, but a spectacular comic book movie. It returned Batman to his dark and gritty roots, Nolan has amazing directing, the pacing is on-point, the action was great, the score is incredible, and it's an amazing Batman origin movie.

My final rating is A Must Watch.

Okay, that's going to do it for me. Come back on Saturday, Sept 11th for my review of the newest James Wan horror film, Malignant. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to The Matrix Resurrections - The Matrix Reloaded Review

 

The Matrix Reloaded is a 2003 sci-fi action flick and the sequel to 1999's The Matrix. The movie was produced by Village Roadshow Pictures, NPV Entertainment, and Silver Pictures and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The Matrix Reloaded was written and directed by The Wachowskis Brothers.

The story is Morpheus, Neo, Trinity and the rest of their crew and humanity continue to fight on in their war against the machines. Things are getting worse when the last human city Zion is estimated to go under sieged from the machine army in 72 hours. And just make things even more horrifying, Neo finds out that Agent Smith has become a rogue program and can clone himself with either other agents or people inside the Matrix. Now humanity must find a way to stop both these threats or die.

• Negatives

I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

• Mix

One mix bag was the CGI. There were times when it was pretty good, other times no, it was bad. Really bad. I thought the CGI from the first movie was outdated, but this is worse.

The other gray area was the dialogue. There plenty of times when the more philosophical talk was actually done well. Then there were those bits when it just came off as pretentious, and those parts will make you roll your eyes because those are the parts where the movie was trying to be smarter than it is.

• Positives

Now to talk about the better aspects of The Matrix Reloaded and that was the directing. The Wachowskis did a fantastic job once again. One shot that I liked was when Smith was walking towards Neo, and there were all of these crows flying away from him. Such a badass shot.

What I also liked was the action. Even if the CGI was bothering me, I still dug a lot of what was happening during those scenes. My favorites were definitely Neo vs. Smith and his clones and that epic highway chase. That last one probably being the most insane.

Another thing that I've come to enjoy was the score. A lot of that music got stuck in my head when I first saw the movie, and after watching it again for this review it's stuck in there. My favorite one is "Burly Brawl".

The all time best thing about the film was Zion. Where the first movie gave us very little details about Zion, Reloaded gave us a full picture of the city. We get to see how it operates, what the government is like, and how people live normal or normalish lives. This aspect along with everything else we were told during the movie, really helped expand the world of the Matrix.

I feel as though The Matrix Reloaded gets way too much hate. Yes, the CGI is good in some scenes and bad in others, and sometimes the dialogue can either be pretty good or come as trying to be smart. However, I still enjoyed the Wachowskis' directing, the action, the beautiful score, and the world of Zion.

My final rating is Good.

Okay I'm all done here. Come back on Thursday, Sept 9th cause we'll be going on another road. That one being the Road to The Batman with my review of Batman Begins. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Review

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a comic book movie based on the Marvel Comics' character Shang-Chi, and the 25th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (aka the MCU). The movie is produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is written by Destin Daniel Cretton and David Callaham and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton.

The story is the past has come back to haunt Shang-Chi. The mysterious Ten Rings organization has been causing a lot of damage as of late, and Shang-Chi wants to put a stop to them. However, he'll have to go through a lot of trails in order to put a stop to this dangerous group.

Initial Reaction

I'm gonna be fully honest, this was one of my most anticipated movies but after a while the excitement just started to go down. The biggest reason is, the trailers and the marketing just weren't good. It all made the movie feel like it was going to be generic. And the last MCU movie I saw that being Black Widow wasn't very good but, like many movies before I was going to give it a chance.

Cons

One awful aspect of the film is the humor. Dear lord, I have never been so silent when it came to jokes in my entire life. There was one joke I liked, but it was not worth sitting all the way to the final battle to see. Speaking of the humor, this film shares an exact problem that I had with Black Widow. And that's because of these humorous moments you have no idea what tone this film is going for. One moment I'm being told a story about a family that was broken apart because of a tragic event, then what seems like it came out of nowhere a character or characters will make some sort of joke. So now all of a sudden I'm in a more lighthearted moment. The tone is unbalanced that I'm surprised the script even went pass filming. Now to tell you my final issue with this movie and that is this a very forgettable film. I've heard lots of things about how this MCU movie is forgettable or how that MCU movie is forgettable, but I truly believe this one will be a very forgettable Marvel Studios film. Cause other than the mid-credit scene (which I'll get into later), there's really nothing about this movie that's gonna help it be talked about in the next few weeks or even for this entire month. Even if this movie is gonna be apart of some big overarching story much like the previous films were for The Infinity Saga, I'm not gonna feel an absolute need to watch this again even if it essential chapter one.

Middle Ground

One decent thing about Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the action. I did very much enjoy that final fight near the end of the movie. The middle portions of action I thought were okay, I was somewhat invested in them. The worst one was the bus fight scene. That scene was really trying to be Jackie Chan fight scene but it lack the charm and the charisma. It also didn't help we had really bad rap music, unnecessary slow-mo, and a REALLY unfunny joke involving some sort of Twitch streamer....yes, that was actually in the movie, and it's as dumb as it sounds. Another okay thing was the mid-credit scene. It was interesting, it did get more curious. But it really didn't need a joke in it (again, the freakin' humor is this movie is what really hurts it).

Pros

Now there are three positives about the film. One of those were the performances. Despite how weak everything is, the actors and actress were clearly doing their best even though the script isn't up to par. What I also enjoyed was the very beginning about how Shang-Chi's mom and dad meet. That was a very good story with a very good tone to it. That opening sequence really does it's job of hooking you in. The last thing I'll give credit for is the post-credit scene. It made curious about what's gonna happen with the Ten Rings after this, and better yet, it was played 100% straight with no jokes whatsoever.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is definitely at the very bottom of my list from bad to good MCU movies. The jokes REALLY needed to cut of the film entirely, the tone is complete mess, and despite what reviews are saying this isn't going to be a memorable movie regardless of critics calling it a "triumph". The alright parts were the action and the mid-credit scene. The real good stuff was the acting, the beginning, and the post-credit scene.

My final rating is Bad.

So yeah, don't even bother this one folks. Even if you are a major MCU fan. Anyhow, that's going to do it for me. Come back on Monday, Sept 6th for part two of my Road to The Matrix: Resurrections with my review of The Matrix Reloaded. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms Review

 

Mortal Kombat: Battle of the Realms is a a direct-to-video adult animated martial arts film and the sequel to Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge. The movie is produced by Warner Bros. Animation and NetherRealm Studios and distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms is written by Jeremy Adams and directed by Ethan Spaulding.

The story is another tournament has begun, only this one is the tournament to end all tournaments. It's the final Mortal Kombat, the one that will decide the fate of the realms. Now, not matter what team it is one thing is certain, it's time to go all out and fight! But Scorpion has found out someone is trying to resurrect the One Being. If the One Being is resurrected than it means destruction for the entire universe.

Initial Reaction

The sole reason I was hyped for this movie was simply because the last movie, Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge was pretty good. Action, animation, and bloody/gory fights what more could a Mortal Kombat fan want in animated MK movie?

Cons

The movie's biggest issue is, that's it's not broken up into two parts when it really should've been. Cause on one hand you got the final tournament and they in the last couple of minutes we have the One Being causing havoc. Because of that things do get rushed in some areas. But had if they did where part one is the tournament, sprinkled with the One Being story, and then cliffhanger ending, and then part two could've been about the heroes war against the One Being.

Middle Ground

Now in all honest I still feel as though the movie is still put together despite the issue with the script. Cause when I really thought about it, this movie could've been so much worse. So I do think even though it's not the two parter it should've been, the filmmakers still found a way to make a lot of this material work out to a decent degree.

Pros

Now to tell you about the more positive aspects of the movie and that's the animation. It's the same style as Scorpion's Revenge and much in that movie, I still love this still, and if they ever make a third movie or maybe an animated series (and if that happens they better not make it like Defenders of the Realm) I would love to see this style again. Another one of the more positive things about Battle of the Realms is the voice cast. Once again Joel McHale kills it as Johnny Cage, Patrick Seitz to me has become the voice for Scorpion, and I even liked Fred Tatasciore as Shao Kahn. The last thing I'll give the movie credit for is the action. Much like the previous movie and the 2021 live-action flick, the movie earned that R-rating for all of they bloody action.

Overall, Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms is okay. We get great animation, a great voice cast, and plenty of bloody action. Even though there were issues with the script, the movie is still put together nicely. The only issue I had was this was really one of those that should've been broken into two parts.

My final rating is Okay.

So that's going to do it for me. Come back on Saturday, Sept 4th for my review of the newest MCU movie, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.