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nicholasdesroches
Reviews
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Lots of problems stopped me from loving this movie
I'll try to be to the point. I know the basic Batman story and characters (like Bane), and have seen the other two movies of this trilogy. With "The Dark Knight Rises", they invented their own Bane, made too many moments where one had to try to suspend disbelief, had bad pacing, a bad-feeling sequence of events, etc. It didn't feel like a great movie overall, and I will make a few comments and ask a few questions...very specific ones:
How did Blake figure out who Batman was just from a look, when he was a kid? Too easy, too convenient.
They changed Bane into something that maybe made more sense (rather than insta-grow, classic Bane), but when Batman broke his painkiller mask, they could have capitalized on that a lot more blatantly...make it obvious that Bane could feel pain again and that Batman could maybe beat him in a fair (er) fight, when Bane could feel it...
Batman DOES use guns (or things stronger than them) a LOT...he used a thugs gun against him in "Batman Begins" while protecting Rachel...maybe just a foot shot, but it was there, with no real afterthought, but they push the "you don't use guns" down our throats.
The missiles should have easily caught his flying vehicle in the amount of time portrayed.
The "Scarecrow" as the judge was a needless nod to the first movie, with it being non-sense as the people would obviously not want him to be a judge.
1000 male convicts and 1 woman and she got out of the prison break completely unscathed? Really? Not even an explanation, a short scene...
How did Bruce get back to Manhattan from the prison? How far was that? He had NOTHING, not even money at that point. His private Jet would take hours, if he had it.
So Banes very old prisoners still follow his orders, do as he says, in that hellish pit?
Too many suicidals, including Talia. I get it that it's a cause, a cult, but still...
Why was there a counter on a bomb that was supposed to break down and (at some unknown point) degrade to the point of exploding? How could it be that precise?
Using "Robin" as a name for Batman's unofficial assistant...cute. Not clever, not interesting, not in line with characters who have been Robin in the books...just cute, and stupid.
A MAJOR police officer just lives at his old house? They're hunting cops. I think he'd be found.
On the note of finding people, that seemed to happen VERY easily, even for Bruce after he had been away a long time.
The "Batman voice" is still terrible. At one point he sounds like he's got a major disability of some sort when he says "Citizens". Banes voice is also bad. Distorted Darth Vader.
And more, I'm sure.
Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
Jumped the shark, and I guess the apocalypse comes with makeup and a personal trainer
I know this is based on the video game series, and so there is more to it than we've seen so far, but the movies for RE have jumped the shark. It's getting tired, it's done. I may or may not watch one more of their movies (I hope there's just one more).
Early on, Alice should have died. That killed the rest of the movie for me. Not a scratch, better off than Wesker (who still had his powers). If she really lost her powers, why is she so ass-kicky? How can she survive the axe man (what the hell was the axe man anyway?), and go toe to toe with Wesker? The 3D seemed like it would be cool, but they teased the audience with one good throwing star and the rest was practically unrecognizable as 3D.
"This is a trap" - why not leave the ship instead of going through an armoured door...deeper into the trap? Umbrella is sickeningly omnipotent and manipulative, even though there are so few people left to manipulate. One wonders what the point of their activities ultimately is. I guess it's just showing an extreme control-freak mindset.
A few cheap scares, some comments on human nature, obligatory overly beautiful and healthy-looking people somehow maintaining their looks in an insanely desperate and stressful world (they really have the food to allow for muscle-building exercise, the makeup is still plentiful, shaving's a priority, there's enough water for lengthy showers...?) I'd be happy simply reading "...this is what Umbrella was up to all along_____...this is who lived/died_____...here is how far the mutations went___" without another movie.
Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010)
Just not up to snuff. Rushed? Context? Making sense?
A lot of the recent DC movies "S/B:Public Enemies", "B: Under the Red Hood", "S: Doomsday", "GL: First flight", "Wonder Woman" (all of them!)were much better than this, in many ways.
The pacing is rushed in spots - minor complaint.
Darkseid might as well have been voiced by the same guy who voices Elmo - MAJOR complaint. They usually cast voices well, this was a HUGE miss.
They've "jumped the shark" on what Batman can now do. Did he get superpowers and I wasn't told? Time to power him back down.
Some scenes were just foolish. Darkseid is in the habit of hiding in farmhouses...really? Without his troops? Without his guard? In a farmhouse? Continuity with other movies - Which universe are we in? I know they tie it in as a sequel to "S/B: Public enemies", so how are Doomsday and Darkseid so well known? Did Superman even address the monster in "S: Doomsday" as "Doomsday", as though it were his name? He does now, apparently. Differing styles of animation from other recent movies, playing with story lines, and blatantly bouncing around between universes has left even seasoned DC fans scratching their heads about what's supposed to be known, and what context we're supposed to be taking things in.
If anything goes (and apparently it does), is this one after Darkseid tried to make Wonder Woman his bride and ended up with a little of her soul and compassion? That's a random story line that existed before this movie, so I guess it must be fair game for me to assume this movie is in this context.
Overall, this movie is okay, watchable for most people, but is nowhere near the quality of other recent animated DC movies, and definitely does not work as a "stand-alone" movie. Just alluding to "S/B: Public enemies" doesn't explain much of what's going on, and definitely doesn't make it a worthy sequel (if you can call it that).
Star Trek (2009)
Simply Awesome. So enjoyable, so fresh.
I was so happy with this movie. The characters as children and young adults were so fun to watch, and so many of the characters were played very well (Especially Bones). Nimoy's the man, it's good to see him back on the big screen. I've seen many of the original "Star Trek" episodes and movies, and although I can see why some die-hard trekkies and others wouldn't have enjoyed this movie for a few reasons, it's a real joyride, a great story, and as I have to re-iterate the characters were very well played. I got a kick out of Bones right away and all the way through. I would definitely go to see it again, and I suggest that anyone who likes ANY of the Star Trek franchise see it as well.
Angels & Demons (2009)
Watered down "Indiana Jones" with some special effects and a few twists
Possible spoiler alert.
I had given up on this movie by the third time the Prof. was frantically (with no suspense, enjoyment, etc. for the audience) rushing around looking for angels pointing. I realize the plot has him in a huge hurry, but other similar characters in movies were in huge hurries too, and those movie was still made such that the search and solving the mystery were enjoyable. It somewhat recovered itself near the end with a few twists of "good guy to bad guy" and vice versa. It gives some people something to think about, unless they're tired of the whole "we need to unite against a common enemy" idea that's being recycled and overused in films today.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
A fun ride with a few dumb scenes and ideas
Possible spoiler alert.
I really enjoyed this movie for the characters, some of the plot, and the action scenes. What could have been given more thought is the motivation of the characters, consistencies in the movie, etc. I'm pretty sure that if I announced "this is a mutant killer" to a very tough mutant, I'd have security around. Likewise, if I were a mutant and were told "this is a mutant killer" I'd do something other than walk away slowly. As usual, the characters and storyline has been changed from what the comics have written, but I've accepted long ago that this is how super-hero movies are going to be created.
Hulk Vs. (2009)
Well made, great action, cool characters, but one major piece of nonsense
These were really enjoyable stories, that give an audience a fun ride, some interesting lines, and a look at some of Marvel's oldest and best characters. I enjoyed both movies quite a lot, but I'd have to say that although Hulk vs. Wolverine makes "more sense" if you know all the characters, Hulk vs. Thor was just a more enjoyable ride for me. For those who've watched, I have to wonder if they caught the glaringly-nonsensical ending on vs. Thor. Bruce had refused to help Thor, was forced to by Hela, and then his job was to stand in one spot so that he and the Hulk would come into contact. I hardly think that Odin's speech of "Today a mortal showed the gods what legends are made of" is fitting for so little. It was great watching Wolverine duke it out with the Hulk like only he can. If you watch both, you see that Wolverine actually DID BETTER THAN A GOD against the Hulk. That's nonsensical, but awesome.