Rise of the Planet of the Apes :: A 63 Review

I've heard people say this is the Dark Knight of the year. Needless to say this movie was great but this is no Dark Knight. This review will at times will make it seem like I didn't like the movie. However I thoroughly enjoyed it and consider it to be one of the better summer films of this crappy film year.

I'm not sure where to begin. How do I review this without being redundant. There are already many things said about this film. Yes, this is a movie where the story gets very personal. The audience can become sypmathetic towards Caesar, the ape. The movie feels extremely short which has its pros and cons. The exposition, although argued to be long didn't feel that way. The exposition is the reason why we feel bad for the ape. It's also the reason why this movie feels anti-climactic. You expect the apes to take over the whole city by the end of this movie through various battles but it's actually a tease. The apes don't do much destruction; it's rather the virus (I'm not spoiling anything by the way) that does the damage.

The movie's a fun flick with distinguishable actors...except maybe Tom Felton. He's just playing a Muggle version of Malfoy in this movie. Does he really have to be that over-the-top? I guess that all contributes to the satisfying ending he gets. As for Andy Serkis, he's great at what he does as usual. You can't really call it a performance because it's so real. The special effects in this movie are amazingly good.

Personally I don't think the ape should've become *that* smart. If you've seen the movie you know what I'm talking about. He acts more human than he should've by the end. It provoked laughter in my theater...maybe it was too much. But that's a personal thing.

The major problem I can think of is James Franco's rash decisions. He's quick to change his mind through various stages of the film without much explanation. In one scene he's trying to do something that contradicts what he wanted to do before. And there's not a lot of motivation or logic involved here and I'm just like "why?" His character feels a little rushed.

However these addressed problems are, again, minor. They do not distract me from being entertained. I don't think this is a landmark film; it's got some memorable scene but this is something I wouldn't choose to watch again for some time (although I wouldn't mind watching it again).

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (ugh, I still hate the title though) has definitely brought attention to its franchise and probably gained a new fan base. I can see a sequel in the works with a new trilogy. For what I've seen, I'm all in for a sequel. Just bring a little more action next time that's all.

Cowboys & Aliens

No, seriously where are they? There are more Indians in this movie than cowboys. I see one cowboy and that's Harrison Ford. All the other non-alien characters in this movie are just wearing western clothing but act like any other American. Where's the western accent? Not that it would've improved the movie but I'm making a point that the selling point didn't work. This is not a western.

The opening was one of the greatest openings I've seen in a movie. It's right there with 'Predators' and 'The Half Blood Prince' in terms of movie openings. It begins with a lot of energy as we're quickly introduced to the main character who wakes up in the middle of nowhere. Perfect. Some bad guys appear with guns and Daniel Craig doesn't hesitate to kick some butt. Sadly this is one of the few good things about this movie.

The biggest problem are the characters. I'm fine with Daniel Craig. I'm one of the few people I know to like his performance in the 007 movies. But why is he playing James Bond in this movie? What's Olivia Wilde doing here, she didn't do anything! She's just standing around in the background. Wilde can be confused with other women in this movie various times. Where are the characters? I see one: Harrison Ford.

There are no explanations whatsoever in this movie. It's almost as bad as 'Vanishing on the 7th Street' in terms of explaining plot threads. Why are some characters able to save themselves from death? Why can't they do it the second time? And the amnesia Daniel Craig is suffering from is so plot convenient! The memories come back any time the plot needs it to. For example, the aliens attack and abduct the towns people. The survivors need to chase after the aliens, their motivation being that they need their loved ones back. But uh-oh, wait a second! Daniel Craig is suffering from amnesia, he doesn't know anybody. So..let's give him back a part of his memory of him being abducted by aliens so he can join the party. This is BAD WRITING.

This movie reminded me so much of 'Terminator Salvation'. Some action scenes in fact are very similar. These scenes are great eye candy and they present good special effects. But it's just like 'Terminator Salvation' or 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'; there are lots of things going on but we're not entertained.

To break it down, here are the things I liked about this movie. I liked Harrison Ford and Sam Rockwell. I liked the aliens and their technology. I liked the opening and the concept of this movie.

It seems like the movie was just made for the sake of its creative concept. Nothing is really developed here. I haven't seen the source material but I've heard it's nothing like the movie and in fact that the movie was better.

This is not a terrible movie but I didn't leave the theater satisfied. This should've been the 'Predators' of this year. I had high hopes for this movie; I liked the casting and the filmmakers, what happened?

Captain America: The First Avenger :: A 63 Review

Original View Date: July 29th, 2011



SPOILERS throughout review.

Plot (4/5):

The writing is extremely intelligent. The writers have turned the cliches around into wit. I walked into the theaters thinking Captain America being the silliest superhero of all time. I'm pretty sure it's a common thought. He doesn't have any "super' powers, he wears silly colors and has a shield for a weapon. Okay the silly costume stays but they gave him a sillier suit in the beginning just to make it relatively cool. And the whole 'Captain America' concept is very creatively done; the real life comic books, TV shows are shown as fiction within a fiction. Great, great work! I thought this movie was very short despite the average running time but unlike Thor which I thought was lacking, Captain America felt short because it was entertaining.

Characters (3/5):

Captain America is the most likable superhero. Maybe he's too perfect personality wise. We don't like Iron Man in a way because he's a playboy. We don't like the Hulk because he can lose it sometimes. We don't like Thor because he is arrogant. Captain America is...a great force of resilience. You cannot unlike that guy. This movie made him out to be a great leader, someone we can finally appreciate for being in the Avengers. The primary concern here is the Red Skull. He is extremely underdeveloped, his origins remain slightly touched and he proposes almost no threat.

Performances (5/5):

Hugo Weaving is a great actor. His German accent is 100% believable and I laud him for it. I loved Hayley Atwell.

Specifics (4/5):

I am so glad that I did not watch this movie in 3-D. There was only one scene where I thought was legit but it made me laugh. I knew it was coming, I joked about it before coming in and I joked about it when it came out. A shield comes flying right at us and I screamed "oohhh nooo I should have watched this in 3-D!" Great fun.

Theme (4/5):
Resilience, patriotism (minimal; thank God and the writers), leadership etc;

Overall (4/5):

Compared to the other Marvel Studios films, I'd say this one takes 2nd place right under 'Iron Man' (2008). 'The First Avenger' is smartly written, dramatic, heroic and entertaining.

Marvel Studios Film Ranking (so far):

1. Iron Man (5/5)

2. The First Avenger (4/5)

3. The Incredible Hulk (3.5/5)

4. Thor (3/5)

5. Iron Man 2 (3/5)

* Note: all these films were liked if not loved. These ranks are simply relative positions I would place them in if I had to.