Road to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Review

 

Well folks, here we are. The end of the road.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a action-adventure movie and the fourth film in the Indiana Jones series. It was produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was written by George Lucas, David Koepp, and Jeff Nathanson and directed by Steven Spielberg.

The story is it's 1957, Indiana Jones has been informed by Mutt Williams that his mother and a former colleague of his have been captured after finding the crystal skull. Now Jones and Mutt not only need to save these two, but also unlock the mysteries of the crystal skull, all while trying to avoid the dangerous KGB.

• Negatives

I've got nothing here. Let's move on.

• Mix

There are three mixed bags here, and one of those is the CGI/green screen. There are quite a few times when it's actually not too bad, other times, there's no excuse. For instance, while the jungle chase is a fun action sequence, it's brought down by the fact the green screen makes the jungle look like a still background, as suppose to being a lively environment.

Then we have the new characters. Now characters such as Mac. Not only does he have a an amusing double agent gimmick, he also does have some pretty funny moments. Then you have Mutt. Now, I by no means hate this character, I actually do like him. The problem stems from the movie trying to convince you he'll be the replacement. While Shia LaBeouf does provide an entertaining performance, he's definitely not in the same league as Harrison Ford. Because of that aspect, both Shia and his character Mutt are better suited for a supporting character role.

Which now brings me to the last gray area, that being the sci-fi element. Now, when I first saw the movie in theaters back in 2008, that element of the story never bothered me. I mean, Indy has dealt with the mystical not once, not twice, but three times. So sci-fi really shouldn't have been that much of a stretch. So...then what's the issue? It's simple, while the alien story is pretty good, it does dive by the end of the movie, cause by then, they really overdo it. What Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and co. should've done is keep it just a tad bit mysterious.

• Positives

Now, let's write about the positives. One of those being the performances. While the script isn't the strongest like it was in the previous three films, the cast still provide some good acting to make up for the more lackluster stuff.

Then there's the humor. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull continued the tradition of having bits of humor throughout the movie. My favorite one being how Indy was upset that someone didn't make a character finish school. I would've provided more details/a clip, but it's better if you see that scene play out from watching the movie from beginning up to when Indy and co. are trapped in quicksand.

Even though I slightly criticized the CGI and green screen, that really wasn't enough for me not to get excited for the action. It's still as exciting as ever. Which really says something considering most of the cast was very old when making this. Sure some of it was most likely stunt doubles but still. The opening scene alone, will get you excited about what's to come.

I'm gonna keep this last part brief, because I really don't think I can provide anything insightful about John Williams' score that hasn't already been said. While all of the classic themes are in there, all of the newer stuff he composed is also amazing as well. But that's John Williams, so I guess that's not really all that surprising.

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is, from my point of view, much like the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Yes, there's no doubt there are flaws, but both products don't deserve the amount of hatred they get. There's still something to enjoy, even if they aren't masterpieces.

My final rating is, Okay.

So that's going to do it for me. Even though I have heard somethings regarding the leaks, I'm hoping some of it isn't true, and at the very least the Dial of Destiny is at the very least, decent. Also, come back on Thursday, May 11th, for my Underrated Films review of What About Bob? Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 Review

 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 is a comic book movie based on the Marvel Comics team. It's the third and final movie in the series, as well as the 32nd movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The movie's produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 is written and directed by James Gunn.

The story is the Guardians are adjusting to life on Knowhere. They later get into trouble when parts of Rocket's past has come back. Wanting to protect his friend, Star-Lord leads the team on a mission, one that if they fail, it'll lead to their dissolve.

Initial Reaction

Having enjoyed both Guardians movies, first one more than the second, I was curious about the third movie. Although I was a little worried too, because I figured much the second, it was gonna have too many jokes. I was hoping I'd be wrong.

Cons

The only thing I truly hated about Vol.3 was Adam Warlock. Sweet baby Jesus! What a waste of a character. I mean it. He gets one really cool fight scene, then after that disappears for awhile, and then barely does anything during the climatic finale. Not to mention he was pretty much a joke character, which is insulting, because this guy played a huge part in big Marvel crossover events such as The Infinity Gauntlet, and it's two sequels The Infinity War and The Infinity Crusade. It's almost as bad as M.O.D.O.K. in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Middle Ground

Now, for the most part there is some pretty funny moments. Other parts are not only left unsaid, but really should've been cut out. Then there's the ultimate gray area with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3, and that's the story. Throughout the movie, three is indeed, a pretty good emotional story. In that story there's heart, there's sadness, and there's drama. But what brings it down was the previously mentioned humor. Don't get me wrong, you can have humor in a dramatic story, dramedy movies do it all the time. But what James Gunn needed to do was evenly balance the two, but he didn't. I don't remember if I wrote this before or not, but I'm really curious if Kevin Fiege has an absolute demand that all Marvel Studios movies must have comedy every other scene in them, even if it damages the tone of the movie.

Pros

The two highlights of the movie came from the action and the main villain, the High Evolutionary. The two best action scenes was the fight between the Guardians and Adam Warlock, and a pretty sweet hallway fight. And what I liked about the High Evolutionary was how twisted he was. He's a pretty good example of a mind scientist. Which is always a fun villainous character to write about.

While there's some good in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3, there was still some stuff that could've used more of a polish. It wasn't the worst way to end a trilogy, but it also wasn't really the best either. Much like a lot of trilogies I've reviewed, it's decent.

My final rating is, Okay.

That's all for now. Come back on Monday, May 8th, for the final part of the Road to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, with my review of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Peter Pan & Wendy Review

 

Peter Pan & Wendy is a fantasy adventure movie, as well as a live-action remake of the 1953 film, Peter Pan. It's produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Whitaker Entertainment, and Roth/Kirschenbaum Films and distributed by Disney+. Peter Pan & Wendy is written by David Lowery and Toby Halbrooks and directed by David Lowery.

The story is a young girl named Wendy is afraid to leave your childhood home behind. She along with her younger brothers John and Michael, soon meet Peter Pan. A boy who not only doesn't want to grow up, but can also fly. Wendy and her brothers soon join Peter to his journey back to Neverland, and just when they're all having fun, Captain Hook arrives and plans to get his revenge on Peter.

Initial Reaction

The reason why I wanted to review was because at this rate it's pretty much a tradition for me to review these remakes, so why stop now?

Cons

One of the three major issues with this, is Wendy. The movie seemed to be way more about her than Peter Pan. Sure, her name is part of the title, but she given second bill, but she treated as the main character. Seriously, if you ever watch this, really pay attention to how much we focus on Wendy, then we do Peter. It also didn't help that apparently she's just great at stuff. She's so good at sword fighting she can take on two full grown men at once, and the moment she's able to fly, absolutely perfect. No struggle at all, she can just fly. Oh apparently she just understands Tinkerbell more than Peter Pan, even though Peter and Tink have more history with each other, compared to Wendy and Tink, who've only known each other for, I don't know, a day or two? So if we're lead to believe that Wendy's good at this stuff, what was the point of even having Peter Pan be here? And the butchering of characters doesn't stop there, cause they also did the same to Captain Hook. They had the nerve to give him a backstory. A backstory where were supposed to feel sad for him. Now writing a sympathetic villain can work, it's been down before. Just look at comic book villains such as DC's Mr. Freeze and Marvel's The Lizard. Here, we're not gonna feel sympathetic for the guy, because we know he's willing to kill innocent children and then not feel any sort of remorse for it. Then there's the changes to the story. Now it's not like changing the story can't work, Hell, the 1953 film did a lot of changes, but it worked cause they still kept somethings from the book. Here, the changes weren't need. For instance and this is a change most of you are probably aware, the Lost Boys now also have girls in their group. That change makes no sense, because in the book and I think (although there's a possibility I'm wrong), even the '53 film said girls couldn't be in the Lost Boys because girls are too smart to get lost. So the classics are saying girls are too smart, and guess this one's saying girls are just as dumb as the boys. So when it came to the changes, characters, and the overall story, the movie just suffers.

Middle Ground

I've got nothing, so just scroll down.

Pros

There's two things the movie has going for and that's the performances and the cinematography. Despite the lackluster story, the actors and actress still managed to give us some pretty good performances, and there is a nice look to the movie. It's just sad these two things weren't given to a much better product.

Overall folks, while it's by no means the worst movie I've seen this year, it's not worth it. You can spend the rest of your life not seeing this and you wouldn't be missing anything.

My final rating is, Bad but Harmless.

While that's all for now. Come back on Saturday, May 6th, for my review of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - Transformers: Age of Extinction Review

 

Transformers: Age of Extinction is a sci-fi action movie and the fourth flick in the Transformers series. It was produced by Paramount Pictures, Hasbro Studios, and Di Bonaventura Pictures and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Transformers: Age of Extinction was written by Ehren Kruger and directed by Michael Bay.

The story is it's been five years after the Battle of Chicago, and humans are now viewing Transformers as hostile and have terminated all joint operations. Now the Autobots are being hunted by both a rouge CIA black ops division and a Cybertronian bounty hunter named Lockdown. If that wasn't bad enough, another threat is lurking in the shadows, and it could mean extinction for the human race.

• Negatives

Nothing here folks. Just move on.

• Mix

One gray area this time around is the villains. Now I still enjoyed the human bad guys, Lockdown, and the "newest" Decepticon, Galvatron and their stories. However, those two villainous storylines needed more of a balance. For the most part, it seemed like Lockdown and co. were the main threats, while Galvatron was just in the background.

Then there's the pacing. While we still get a lot of fast pace action, there were quite a few times when things slowed down when it felt like it didn't need to be.

• Positives

One positive comes from the characters. While I can understand why some wouldn't like the new human characters, I thought they were alright. But I especially liked the new Transformers. Mainly Hound, I like how gung ho he can be sometimes (😆). The best new Transformer or more specifically Decepticon, was Lockdown. That guy had a lot of brutal moments.

Then we have the CGI. While there was maybe two or three shots that didn't look right to me, they didn't ruin the experience like a lot of current movies do. So despite those shots, the CGI or special effects in general are still pretty good.

In typical Michael Bay fashion, we've got a big, awesome final battle. Filled with Transformers blowing up, gun fire, sword fights, and Bay's trademark explosions. I may not be as grand as the Battle of Chicago, but it was still a lot of fun.

The last thing I'll write about is how we were given new lore, or a mystery to the lore. The new lore is how we humans are able to make our own Transformers. While the mystery part comes from who made Optimus Prime and why they sent a bounty hunter to get him back. It actually made me interested in not only this story, but for the next movie.

While I did have some slight issues, overall I still liked this. It's not as good as the last one, but I still found some enjoyment to be had.

My final rating is, Okay.

That's going to do it for me. Come back on Saturday, Apr 29th, for my review of the newest Disney+ movie, Peter Pan & Wendy. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III Review

 

Oh boy, I've dreading this one folks. Ugh! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III is a comic book movie based on the the TMNT comics. It's the third movie in the original series. It was produced by Golden Harvest and distributed by New Line Cinema. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III was written and directed by Stuart Gillard.

The story it's been two years after the events of the last movie, with both the Shredder and the entire Clan defeated once and for all, the Turtles are once again enjoying the peace. One day April pays them a visit after a trip to the flea market and gives them gifts. However one gift in particular sends April back in time to 1603 feudal Japan. Now the Turtles set off to go get her back, all while dealing with a new threat.

• Negatives

Let's start off by going back to the previous films. Here's what the Turtles looked in the first movie.

Now here's what they looked like in the second movie.

Now here's an abomination.

What happened?! They look terrible. How did we go from the Jim Henson's Creature Shop, to something that would only be suitable for a theme park? Also what's the black spots? They didn't have those in the previous movies. And if you think the puppets look bad, the animatronics are even worse. Whenever the mouths move, the jaws just goes up and down, and nothing else. So when the turtles talk it gives the impression of them being sock puppets.

Then we have the cinematography/the overall look of the movie. It's all so bland. I mean it folks, when you watch this movie there's nothing, absolutely nothing. There's no sense of style, no particular shots that really catch your eye, nothing. The style to this movie would be better suited for a cheap TV show, then for theaters. That's how lifeless it looks.

If you weren't entertained by the comedy from the first two movies, you'll have no luck with this one. The comedy for this is horrible. The jokes are absolutely terrible. Here's one that, apparently the filmmakers were proud of, because this joke was actually in the commercials when they were promoting the movie.

Now that joke makes perfect sense. Cause everybody always mixes up the Ninja Turtles, and the Addams Family.

Then there's the villains, Walker and Lord Norinaga. These two were terrible replacements for Shredder. They're just so uninspiring. There's nothing with their motivations or anything that makes them stand out from any other movie bad guys. If anything Super Shredder should've came back. Seriously that's what they should've done. Throw away the time travel plot, and give Shredder an ending that's less anticlimactic than what happened to him in Secret of the Ooze.

The previous movies provided you with fun action scenes. Sure, the second's action scenes were toned down, but at least they were entertaining. Here, there's barely any! The first had four action scenes, the second one upped it with five, but here, there's only three. And it's not like the movie was focusing on character development, or something that would add another layer to the overall story. No, all of the scenes in between the action, was focusing on either,

A) Bad comedy.

B) Generic as it gets story and/or subplots.

or

C) A combination of both.

So congratulations TMNT III, your lack of action scenes have bored both kids and adults, whether they were there on day one in '93 or not.

• Mix

Keep scrolling.

• Positives

There is not one. single. redeeming quality to this movie.

Whenever I read or hear someone say the 2014 reboot and it's sequel are terrible TMNT flicks, I laugh. I laugh because they've clearly never watched this movie. Don't get me wrong, those aren't masterpieces, but I'd watch those over TMNT III, any day of the week. Cause I'll be honest, I can find far more to enjoy from those movies, than with this one.

My final rating is, Destroy It!

Well, that sucked. Anyhow, come back on Thursday, Apr 27th, for part four of the Road to Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, with my review of Transformers: Age of Extinction. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Quasi Review

 

Quasi is a satirical comedy movie based on Victor Hugo's 1831 novel, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. It's produced by Searchlight Pictures and Broken Lizard and distributed by Hulu. Quasi is written by Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Jay Chandrasekhar, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske and directed by Kevin Heffernan.

The story is Quasimodo is a hapless hunchback yearning for love. This all changes when he suddenly finds himself stuck in the middle of a murderous feud between the Pope and the King of France, both of whom have ordered Quasimodo to kill the other.

Initial Reaction

The main reason why I wanted to see this was because of Broken Lizard. While I'm not their biggest fan even I got to admit they have made some pretty entertaining stuff. The big three being Super Troopers, Club Dread, and Beerfest. So when I heard they had a new movie coming to Hulu, I wanted to check it out.

Cons

Now while I still found enjoyment from this, the biggest issue is the movie would've probably got a big bump in quality, if there was more group work involved. Cause while Broken Lizard did pretty okay on their own, the scenes where they're altogether were really some of the better ones.

Middle Ground

For the most part, I really enjoyed the movie's humor. While there's definitely some stuff that just didn't work, for me I lot more good laughs than just sitting on my couch dead silent. My favorite bit was regarding a guard shooting his crossbow for a warning shot, and not going well. Another issue was the balance of the story. Yes, it makes sense that the primary focus was on Quasimodo, he is the title character. But they injected other storylines in this that just didn't get enough attention as some of them should've, or maybe could've been cut out.

Pros

Now even though I said earlier in the review that Broken Lizard is mainly separated for a majority of the movie, I also did mention that when they are together it's pretty good. Which is why even though it's in small doses, they still deserve the credit for when their chemistry does shine through in the scenes that they're in.

While I still liked the movie for what it is, this isn't one of those must see right now. Even if you're a Broken Lizard fan. Still pretty entertaining none the less, but one you can watch at whatever time you feel like.

My final rating is, Okay.

So that's all for me. I'm hoping on Saturday, Apr 22nd, I'll have a review for Guy Ritchie's The Covenant. If not, then come back on Monday, Apr 24, for my review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

A Look Back at Peter Pan (1953)

 

Peter Pan & Wendy will be arriving just before we know it, so let's look at the classic that started it all.

Peter Pan is a 1953 an animated adventure fantasy film based on J.M. Barries's 1904 play, Peter Pan, or the Boy Wouldn't Grow Up. It's also Disney's 14th animated feature film. It was produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. Peter Pan was written by Ted Sears, Erdman Penner, Bill Peet, Winston Hibler, Joe Rinaldi, Milt Banta, and Ralph Wright and Bill Cottrell and directed by Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi, and Wilfred Jackson.

The story is after having a falling out with their parents, Wendy and her two brothers Michael and John want to never grow up. Later that night they meet Peter Pan after he was chasing his rebellious shadow, having hearing their problem, he convinces them to travel with him to Nederland. All seems fun, until the villainous Captain Hook and his crew are after them.

• Negatives

I've don't have anything negative to say, so just keep moving forward.

• Mix

Now I'm gonna drop a bit of a fun fact, Walt Disney wasn't a fan of the final product, because he thought Peter Pan's character was "cold". I don't agree with his wording, but I get where he was coming from. Peter isn't cold, but there are quite a few times when he's a cocky jerk. So with that it does get hard to like him as a character. But I think he's best moments do overshadow he's worst.

• Positives

One of the many great things about the film is the pacing. This movie goes by very quick, but not to the point where you'll miss something or you felt like the movie needs to slow down.

Then there's the performances. The cast was spectacular. Bobby Driscoll will always remain as the pinnacle of what Peter Pan's voice should be (which makes it all the more tragic in how he died), and the Kathryn Beaumont, Paul Collins, and Tommy Luske as the Darling kids also did a really good, I was especially surprised with Tommy. He was only six when they making this movie, and he was quite the pro despite being so young. Then there's Hans Conried as Captain Hook. His performance was just perfect, no other way to describe it, it's perfect.

Speaking of Captain Hook....I love this character. While he still gets his more evil moments to showcase why he's the big bad, there was still room for the character to have bits of comedy. Especially when he's paired up with Mr. Smee, the Crocodile, or both. When he's with those characters, you get some great slapstick. So yeah, Captain Hook, complete scene stealer.

It's been a while since I watched this film, and after rewatching it, I think this is a really great adventure story for kids. It's got magic, pirates, indians, and far away lands. If they found a way to fit in cowboys, superheroes, robots, ninjas, and a dinosaur or two, it would've been perfect. In all seriousness, I truly believe this is a great adventure story that kids even today can enjoy. You knows, maybe after watching this, they'll explore and fall in love with other adventure stories.

The last thing I'll praise is the animation. Not only did it elevate the adventurous and magical tone of the film, but there's so many breathtaking moments too. I mean just look at this.

That's absolutely gorgeous! There's a lot of animation we have right now that doesn't even come close to beating that. And let me remind you, this came out in 1953.

I really enjoyed this film. It's wonderful and just a really fun movie. It definitely deserves to be one of Disney's many classics.

My final rating is, Great.

That's all for now. Come back on Thursday, Apr 20th, for my review of the newest Hulu original movie, Quasi. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.