Movie Review - How To Train Your Dragon 2

How To Train Your Dragon 2  $$$ 1/2

 

PG

102 Minutes

Starring: Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, and America Ferrera.  

Director: Dean DeBlois. 

 

            Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), Toothless, and the rest of the inhabitants of Berk are back. This time Hiccup has to deal with the twin problems of being nominated as Stoick’s (Gerard Butler) successor and the threat of invasion by an evil dragon lord, Drago (Djimon Hounsou).

            As far as sequels go, I feel that this film succeeded, but liked the original better. However, my children thought that this was the better of the two movies.

            This is how I rated it.  

1. Fun – If you liked the first movie then I expect you’re going to like this one. It is more of the same, but with a different storyline. Drago and his army do introduce a darker element into the story than what we saw in the first one. Still, I felt it deserved a full MB for fun.  

2. Story – I really applaud the storyline. The writers have nicely woven the twin plots together into a single cohesive tale. While I prefer the father and son story I appreciated how they deftly contrasted the two dragon lords, leaving us with a powerful message. It earned a full MB for story.            

3. Technical – Without having gone back and watched the first movie again, I felt that the animation for this film was even better. I found myself being distracted by the rich detail of the terrain through which the characters traveled. The rest of the technical elements were quite good as well. I gave this film a full MB for Technical aspects.  

4. Acting – This is good cast and they did a fine job with the voice acting. However, I didn’t feel the sincerity of their performances as strongly as I did with the first film. I didn’t love the characters as much as I did the first time. I don’t know if this is a problem with the direction the actors received or a matter of some of them just wanting to collect a paycheck and go home. In either case, I give the film only half a MB for acting.       

 

            Add them up and How To Train Your Dragon 2 gets a total rating of 3 ½ Movie Bucks. If you’re anxious to see it then don’t wait for a matinee. Catch it first run at whatever time works best for you. Just go see it.

 

                        Randy’s Rating System 

$$$$   = Full Price    See this movie right away and pay full price, it’s worth it.

$$$     = Matinee      Catch this as a matinee or other discounted showing.

$$        = Discount     Wait until this movie reaches a discount theater near you.

$          = Rental         Wait until this movie reaches your local video rental outlet.

0          = No Sale       Don’t see this movie at any price.

 

Movie Review - Edge of Tomorrow

Edge of Tomorrow  $$$

 

PG-13

113 Minutes

Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, and Bill Paxton.

Director: Doug Liman.

 

            In Hollywood, movie concepts are pitched in simple terms; name two successful films that describe your story. For Edge of Tomorrow I suspect that they sold producers on this is War of the Worlds meets Groundhog Day. Or possibly even Matrix meets Groundhog Day. 

            Major Cage (Tom Cruise) serves his country and the world by using his charisma and personality to convince people to join the military and fight against the alien invaders. He does this to ensure that he won’t have to fight—and die.

 
           On the eve of the battle that is expected to turn the tide of the war, he is stripped of his rank and tossed into one of the units that will be dropping into battle the next day. The humans are routed in the battle and Cage dies. But that’s not the end; Cage wakes up and it is the day before the battle. He continues through the process of live, die, repeat until he saves Rita (Emily Blunt), the war’s most decorated hero, who tells him to find her when he wakes up.
 

             Together, they are humanity’s only hope of survival against the aliens.

 

            Even though I enjoyed Edge of Tomorrow, I had hoped for a contender for the best movie of the year and was disappointed on that account. Here is how I rated it.  

            1. Fun – It certainly entertained. There were no slow parts where I wished they would just get on with the story.  And if you always thought that Tom Cruise should die more in his movies this one definitely delivers.

            Edge of Tomorrow gets a full MB for fun.  

            2. Story – This is where the movie falls short. There is no explanation as to why Major Cage is suddenly thrown into a front line combat unit where it is very likely that he will die. Also, the explanation for how Cage gains the alien ability to reset time seems contrived. This film works much better if you turn your brain off when you watch it.

            Edge of Tomorrow gets half a MB for story.  

            3. Technical – Overall the special effects were spectacular. The one aspect I had problems with was the aliens. I think this was something that was better in concept than in realization. The aliens rapidly change shape and whip around with great speed. Cool. I appreciate the innovation, but they were difficult to follow. It was kind of like watching a kids scribble come to life.

            Edge of Tomorrow earned only half a MB for technical.  

            4. Acting – The movie is Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. There are other actors in the film, to be sure, but they have a negligible impact on the overall story. Although, I did enjoy Bill Paxton’s stint as Master Sergeant Farell.

            Edge of Tomorrow earned a full MB for acting.  

 

            Edge of Tomorrow scores a final rating of 3 Movie Bucks. Even though the aliens might be easier to watch on the smaller screens at home, I still feel this is a film that benefits from the theater-going experience. I suggest catching it as a matinee or similar discount showing. 

 

                        Randy’s Rating System 

$$$$   = Full Price    See this movie right away and pay full price, it’s worth it.

$$$     = Matinee      Catch this as a matinee or other discounted showing.

$$        = Discount     Wait until this movie reaches a discount theater near you.

$          = Rental         Wait until this movie reaches your local video rental outlet.

0          = No Sale       Don’t see this movie at any price.

Movie Review - Godzilla

Godzilla  $$$

 

PG-13

123 Minutes

Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, and Ken Watanabe.

Director: Gareth Edwards. 

 

            With a purposeful grimace and a terrible sound

            He pulls the spitting high tension wires down 

            Oh no, they say he’s got to go - go go Godzilla

            Oh no, there goes Tokyo - go go Godzilla 

            * Godzilla lyrics by Blue Oyster Cult. 

           

            I guess it’s time for another reboot of the Big Green franchise. I’m a fan of the original 1954 film that introduced the atomic dinosaur. As far as I’m concerned it is the king of the monster B-movies. Maybe that is why they keep remaking it.  

            In this version Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) is working in a nuclear power plant when he is asked to investigate strange seismic readings that have been detected and could be the precursor to disaster.  They are.  The plant is ruined and the Brody family is forever scarred by the event.

            Fast forward 12 years and young Ford Brody (Aaron Taylor-Johson) returns home from his latest military assignment just in time to bail his father out of jail—in Japan. Joe is obsessed with the disaster that ruined his family and believes that something strange is going on.

            All of this leads to the hatching of a monster that feeds off radiation. Once loosed upon the world it wreaks havoc as it pursues yet another meal. And as if that isn’t bad enough it turns out that there is a second one. If the two of them meet they will be able to spawn thousands more and humanity can kiss their reign as Lords of the Planet goodbye.

            There is only one hope—Godzilla.  

            I found Godzilla surprisingly good. Here is how I rated it.  

            1. Fun – This reboot had the feel of the old Godzilla movies. Of all the reboots this was the most true to the spirit of the original movie that I’ve seen. Its weak point is that it didn’t have enough Godzilla in it. There are plenty of stories about people dealing with the problem, but not enough city-stomping scenes with the big guy.

            Godzilla gets half a MB for fun.  

            2. Story – Well, this is Godzilla. It’s not going to win an Oscar or a Nobel Peace Prize for the storyline. That being said, I think they did a great job with the subject matter. I especially enjoyed how they explained the early atomic testing in the Pacific. While I dinged them in the fun department for not having enough Godzilla I want to praise them here for taking a story about a giant monster and showcasing the humans. Ford Brody is the hero of the story and I really liked how the writers handled that character. 

            Godzilla gets a Full MB for not letting the CGI monster steal the show.  

            3. Technical – Big monsters. Wholesale destruction of cities. Lots of explosions. Wooo-Heee. And it all looked good.

            Godzilla gets a Full MB for the technical aspects of the film.   

            4. Acting – The vast bulk of the acting falls on the shoulders of Aaron Taylor-Johnson and I think he did a good job of it. He was believable and I liked him. Otherwise, only Bryan Cranston has enough lines to keep him out of the minor character category. His performance was decent, but failed to grab my sympathies.

            Godzilla earns only half a MB for acting. 

 

            Add them all up and you get a final rating of 3 Movie Bucks for Godzilla. This is definitely a big screen adventure, but I strongly recommend catching it as a matinee or other discount showing. If you are not a Godzilla fan and are taking the children you might even want to wait until it reaches the discount theaters.

            However, lest you think otherwise, I enjoyed the movie and plan to pick it up on DVD when it is released. This is an excellent addition to my limited collection of Godzilla movies.

 

                        Randy’s Rating System 

$$$$   = Full Price    See this movie right away and pay full price, it’s worth it.

$$$     = Matinee      Catch this as a matinee or other discounted showing.

$$        = Discount     Wait until this movie reaches a discount theater near you.

$          = Rental         Wait until this movie reaches your local video rental outlet.

0          = No Sale       Don’t see this movie at any price.