Scream 4 :: A 63 Review

Original View Date: June 14th, 2011

SPOILERS throughout review.



Plot (4/5):
Scream 4 is extremely intelligently written and has the brutal moments the fans crave for. It feels like a low quality B-movie by the end and it certainly didn't have me leave the theater in a good mood. As a then-average-viewer (I'm a big fan of the Scream series now) I found the satirical writing extremely clever. Wes Craven twists and turns cliches into great moments with such simple alterations. For example instead of having the killer come out from the back, have him come directly from the front. It's a jump scare and a good laugh at the same time.

Let's get to our biggest question: how can the same crap happen to the same girl four times? Well, the movie acknowledges this too. The characters know this has happened way too much...but you know what? With all the fun that's happening this question can be overlooked.

Scream 4 is not just a lazy slasher film. It may seem like a simple kill and run kinda film but it can outsmart you sometimes. By the way, the plot twist turns out to be stale yet it was unexpected. It's been done before but here I am writing about how I got fooled twice!

Characters (3/5):
The franchise characters are back and I can imagine the nostalgia factor the fans would feel. Scream 4 has its basic slasher characters. It has the suspicious boyfriend who climbs into windows at night. It has the two movie geeks who know all the new rules. Basically all the characters from the first film are back in different..."characters". We certainly get a diversity and while it's starting to get old, it's still fun nevertheless.

Performances (4/5):
Highly laudable performances are seen in Scream 4. The casting seems greatly done; all the killers who reveal themselves get into character really well. It's disturbing just to see their facial expressions change and it's that moment where we all went "oh, damn she's not the same person we thought she was. She's a psychopath."

By the way it was great seeing Courtney Cox again...miss her from 'Friends'. Glad she's on good terms with her husband, David Arquette who's also a major character in this movie. The duo will always be the icons of this franchise along with Sidney Prescott (Campbell).

Specifics (3/5):
Let's just say the opening is a super kick-ass way to start a movie. The satirical part of the movie is the best I've seen so far from this franchise. The jokes are hilarious and the purposely used cliches are likewise enjoyable through groans and predictions.

Theme (3/5):
I felt a little tingling at the end where it looked like the filmmakers were going somewhere with the story. There was a slight feel of "theme" in Scream 4 towards the end. They didn't really focus on it and believe me none of us want any of that in a Scream movie. But the "moral" I saw was along the lines of this "publicity might look nice but it sure is a hell hole". It was nice coming from a horror movie and certainly adds to the high quality satire.

Overall (3.5/5):
Hilarious, smart and full of tension, Scream 4 is perfect for friends to watch together on a weekend night. Kudos to Craven for keeping this franchise alive.

X-Men First Class :: A 63 Review

Original View Date: June 1st, 2011

SPOILERS throughout review.

Note: When I first watched the movie in the theaters, X-Men First Class was at an unbelievable 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Plot (4/5):

It's a blast! I was never bored or uninterested; this movie has very few flaws. This X-men movie serves as a prequel to the rest. It's about Charles Xavier starting his school for mutants all the while exploring Magneto's origins. It's riveting to see the friendship between Charles and Erik while knowing they will break apart soon. The tension between the two builds up while they still get their friendly moments.

The biggest problem I had was Mystique's decision to join Magneto. I understand that the writers wanted to keep the running time short. However Mystique was an underdeveloped character. Her scenes feel extremely rushed, especially when Mystique decides to leave with Magneto even at a circumstance where her brother is lying on the ground with a bullet stuck in his hip. No, the writers do not completely neglect Mystique. She gets a few scenes where she shows that she wants to be accepted in society. But this is a point where Erik has suddenly gone off track from the original mission; it was an unexpected event. She's given a sudden choice whether to stay with her brother she was living with since they were children or to go join Magneto in wiping out the human race. Mystique is actually a nice person in this movie and I hated to see her just leave the stage like that. It was a moment that made me question the movie but it was overlooked. I mean there are so many redeemable qualities in this film.

Characters (4/5):

This movie really reminded me of the Star Wars prequel movies as Erik here is the Anakin Skywalker of this movie. He can't let go of the past, he's hungry for revenge and he's got a dark side in him which will eventually cause him to turn completely. We all know how this character will end up but the movie makes us to not want him to change. It's been done before but it always works so well and the climax of this movie just proves how well their characters were developed.

Despite Charles and Erik being well developed, Mystique is yet missing something. In fact the whole X-men students are underdeveloped. They aren't really distinguishable except through their powers and we don't really see them interacting.

Performances (5/5):

The child actors were great in setting the mood (especially Erik). The tension, the anger, the grief, the humour...I felt them too. The performances were convincing and the casting was well chosen.

Specifics (5/5):

The action sequences are amusing, the soundtrack is awesome and the special effects were used well in quantity and in quality. There are some sequences where the CGI can be really appreciated (for example: the climactic scene where missiles are fired towards the mutants and Magneto stops them in mid-air). The movie is very smart with action sequences; it's magical to see what the mutants can do by combining their powers.

Theme (4/5):

Yeah, yeah, yeah the theme of the X-men franchise is getting stale...the whole process of overcoming insecurities and dealing with being a minority. But you know what? It still works and it's still believable when characters are undergoing their internal conflicts. Beast and Mystique are the key players here and their subplot works in building the theme. Also the whole Cold War background works amiably, especially when Charles and Erik are going through a cold war of their own.

Overall (4/5):

This is the fifth and so far the best X-men movie ever made. It's background of the Cold War fits in so well with the "cold war" going on between the mutants. Very emotionally gripping and entertaining film with excellent performances delivered by the actors.