dudedazzreviews Reviews

Shrek 2 (2004)

A fantastic sequel!

[9/10 · 12 October 2010]

Princess Fiona's parents invite their daughter and her new husband Shrek to her homeland of Far Far Away in order to celebrate their marriage. However, there's more than meets the eye in this fairytale kingdom and Shrek & Fiona are about to stumble into some rather awkward social situations!

"Beg for mercy from Puss….in Boots!" Shrek is definitely one of the best family movies of all-time but can Shrek 2 out-do Shrek? Well, the story is a great story and it's definitely on par with the first movie. The characters are yet again lovable as well as the added characters such as Puss In Boots and the evil Fairy Godmother. The cast are yet again perfect for their characters and makes the movie so much more funnier. The writing and the script is brilliant and the jokes and funny scenes are just as funny as the first movie. Shrek 2 may not be as good or as original as the first Shrek but with Shrek 2's brilliant characters and hilarious jokes, it's fantastic in its own right and is definitely up there with the first movie.

I loved the second Shrek just as much as the first one, maybe a bit more. I do honestly think that it's a fantastic family movie and it's guaranteed to make you laugh in all the right places. The voice acting really does add some brilliance to the movie. Antonio Banderas as Puss In Boots and Eddie Murphy as Donkey are both hilarious when they're together and Jennifer Saunders as the Fairy Godmother was just fantastic. All in all, Shrek 2 is a total success. I think that it's better than the first movie in my opinion, it's funnier with some fantastic characters added with brilliant voice acting. This is a must for families and animated movie lovers!

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Shrek (2001)

Great family entertainment!

[9/10 · 12 October 2010]

Lord Farquaad is searching for a wife. Because of a complicated situation he needs a mate so he can qualify as king of the land. The 3-foot-tall despot has already banished all the fairy tale characters from his land, resulting in a mass of familiar bedtime figures. Shrek and the obnoxious Donkey factor in when Farquaad concludes that he needs dragon-slaying assistance. The woman he wants is the beautiful Princess Fiona, who's imprisoned in a castle by said dragon. To cut a deal to keep his house, the antisocial Shrek accepts the mission, except he falls in love with the princess he's been ordered to find!

"We can stay up late, swapping manly stories, and in the morning, I'm making waffles!" Since Shrek Forever After will be the final chapter in the series, I've decided to watch the past Shrek movies starting with where it all began: Shrek. The story is brilliant and original and puts a modern spin on classic fairy tales. The characters were instantly lovable and were a joy to watch, especially Donkey, who is voiced as the brilliantly funny Eddie Murphy. The voice acting was fantastic and their voices fitted the characters perfectly, the cast couldn't have been any better for their roles. The animation is brilliant with bright colours and great designs. With some hilarious scenes and funny jokes and one-liners, Shrek is a success and is definitely guaranteed to keep the kids' attention as well as the adults.

I really enjoyed Shrek and I think that the writing was fantastic and it definitely achieved its target to keep adults and children happy. The jokes were brilliant and the story was great as well and I laughed all the way through the movie. Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz were perfectly cast as their characters and it was comic viewing to watch their characters. Eddie Murphy was just fantastic and memorable as Donkey and was probably the funniest in the whole movie. All in all, Shrek is a family movie that shouldn't be missed by anybody!

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Sex and the City (2008)

Not absolutely terrible...but I can't see why women find it amazing...

[4/10 · 12 October 2010]

Several years have passed since viewers last saw Carrie and company, though she's still involved with Mr. Big and completely consumed by her obsession for name-brand accessories. Meanwhile, Miranda is adjusting to married life and motherhood, Charlotte is still clinging to her dreams, and Samantha and handsome, steely eyed TV star Smith Jerrod are now living together out in L.A. Of course, when the girls all come together, it's just like old times.

…and so I thought, since the first release of the upcoming Sex and the City 2 trailer, should I brave it out and watch the first movie and see what all the fuss is about? My answer was obviously yes, I wouldn't be reviewing it otherwise. Take in mind that this is from a straight guy's perspective and from someone who has never seen any Sex and the City episodes. The story is actually not bad but it's not good either, it centres around Sarah Jessica Parker's character getting married to Mr. Big and her other three friends undergoing some sort of marriage or home crisis of their own. The acting was very good and the four main actresses kept a solid performance throughout in my opinion. The characters are mostly fixated on name-brand shoes and clothes, marriage, money, shopping and—of course—their sex lives, they were written okay, however there was very little character development and after a while, they start to get a little irritating and stereotypical. The direction and cinematography was great as the movie had the feel that it was a longer episode from the television series. The writing isn't bad either, I thought the script wasn't badly written and the story was mediocre.

Before watching this movie, I saw the trailer for it and I did think that I might not like it. However I still gave it a chance and it wasn't that bad but it is definitely the biggest chick flick I have ever seen (and it was expected to be, after all, it is Sex and the City). A massive flaw for this movie, in my opinion, is the runtime. Two and a half hours is way too long for this movie, it should have been shorter. I found myself starting to drift in and out of the movie after an hour and a half. Also, as much as I like Jennifer Hudson, I felt that her character, which was the assistant of Sarah Jessica Parker's character, was kind of pointless. It just felt like she was there for no reason, she should have been in the movie a lot more than she was. However, in saying this, Sex and the City: The Movie is supposed to be about the four main women and each had their fair share of runtime so it wasn't really a massive problem. Did I enjoy it? It wasn't bad but it was nowhere near good. Don't get me wrong, I can watch chick flicks and I can enjoy them but this wasn't very enjoyable at all, it's pretty much stereotypical. I don't see how women can find this so fascinating. Overall, it's pretty much below average.

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Sex and the City 2 (2010)

If you thought the first movie was bad, it's nothing compared to the second movie!

[2/10 · 12 October 2010]

So I've seen Sex and the City: The Movie and I thought it was below average (4/10) but does the second one improve from the first movie's flaws? No, it doesn't! If anything, it's added more flaws. The story was very basic and not in a good way, it was boring and not interesting in the slightest. The girls basically moaned about their lives so Samantha manages to bag the women a holiday to Abu Dhabi where they moaned even more (except for a couple of scenes). The characters were poorly written this time round as all of them did nothing but nag, moan and bitch about everything in their lives. If they weren't bitching to their families, the women would get together over lunch and have a good bitch at their lives. The acting was so-so, there were a couple of okay moments when the actresses didn't do a bad job but there were a lot of moments when it was bad. The direction is rubbish, the writing is a joke and the script isn't fun at all.

Sex and the City 2 tries to be something it's not: Fun, sexy and smart. The worst thing about the movie is, yet again, the runtime. Two and a half hours is simply too long for this movie and the plot was very thin. I could have very easily cut sixty minutes out of the movie and you wouldn't miss anything. The only reason why I saw this was because I saw the first and I very stupidly thought that it could improve, but it didn't. Another thing that bugged me was the stuff they were wearing. This movie is supposed to be all about glamorous fashion and things but half the stuff they were wearing looked horrible, I couldn't see any woman with a sane mind wearing half the stuff they displayed in the movie. The characters were yet again stereotypical but this time, it was more blatant and in-your-face. The acting wasn't very good at all, they did a better job in the first movie. The 'funny' scenes aren't funny at all, except for the parts with Erin the Irish Nanny who made Samantha jealous. Overall, one of the worst movies this year and possibly one of the worst chick flicks I have ever seen and in even worse news, if the rumours are true, it's possible that it could be a trilogy! God help the world of cinema!

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Shank (2010)

A brilliant idea but the end result was very poor!

[3/10 · 12 October 2010]

Have you ever heard of the phrase "All the gear, no idea"? This film is the definition of what it means. The idea of Shank is a great one and it could have been a brilliant gritty movie but it's executed very poorly. While the movie questions you to ask yourself "what if this decision was made and this happened" and tries to send strong messages about anti-violence and such, it fails to do so and succeeds in doing the opposite, just like 1 Day. So the movie is set in 2015 and the gangs have taken over, the story revolves around Junior who witnesses his brother Rager being murdered by Tugz and so he goes out on a vengeance mission to find Tugz and kill him. Shank had a brilliant idea and it was interesting that it was a British gang culture movie set in the near future but everything about it was just terrible, from the acting to the directing. Let's start with the plot, it's very thin and has been done loads of times before and done much better, you only have to watch Kidulthood or Adulthood as evidence to this. Shank starts off okay with Junior narrating about how tough life is on the streets of 2015 and how he's part of a non-violent gang known as The Paper Chaserz and how his brother, Rager, and his other 'brothers' don't condone the 'postcode war'. That is until Tugz, the leader of a rival gang, stabs Rager, the leader of The Paper Chaserz, and Junior wants to kill Tugz. That was when the movie started to go downhill. It just felt like an excuse to make a movie involving teen gang violence, stealing, drugs and sex. This movie is basically the Daily Mail reader's worst nightmare.

The characters in Shank were just uninteresting, everything about them was unlikeable. Yes they may have did one or two things that the characters did that made you laugh a little but other than that, you weren't bothered about any of them and they remain unlikeable throughout the movie. Also, it seems that they can't make up their minds whether they want to be violent or not. One minute they're saying they don't want to stand and fight and the next, they're threatening other gangs and dog fighting. While we're on the subject about the characters in this movie, the names given to them are terrible and sound a lot like nicknames a ten-year-old would give to look tough. Junior is alright but Rager? Kickz? Tugz? Craze? Whisper? They sound a little bit childish. Also, the gangs were named a bit ridiculous as well: Slaughter Gurlz, Paper Chaserz…what's wrong with the letter S? Is it against the law to use S on the end of names? Personally, changing Kickz to Kicks looks better to me. Another thing that annoyed me about Shank was when Junior introduces characters, he'd always say they're tough, mean or psychopaths. This is supposed to be Broken Britain when gangs are extremely violent and killing people, you'd think you get the picture without him telling us they're mean.

The cast of Shank aren't the best actors in the world and they don't do the best job with their characters. Adam Deacon and Michael Socha do a couple of entertaining scenes as their characters Kickz and Craze but other than that, the rest of the cast doesn't bring much to the screens. The acting isn't terrible but it is quite bad, especially Kaya Scodelario which came as a surprise considering she's a good actress in Skins. The direction wasn't really great either, the whole movie just felt like a feature-length music video (well, it is directed by music video director Mo Ali, what do you expect?). Shank should have been serious, what with the story and the messages but there were a few things in the movie that took the seriousness away. This is because there were some scenes including a dog fight with computer-game beat-em-up energy bars (you don't see the dogs fight, just spectators screaming at the camera) and a confusing Grand Theft Auto-like scene when Junior steals a BMX. Another thing Shank didn't have was a decent script, the lines were very lazy and didn't aspire or mean anything bar a couple of scenes. Shank is a good idea and, in the hands of somebody like Noel Clarke who had written Kidulthood and Adulthood, could have been a great movie but in the end, it was dull, boring in most parts and offers nothing new. I really wanted to like this movie because I thought the idea was brilliant but unfortunately, I was very disappointed with this monstrous mess. Teenagers will probably love this movie but I doubt adults will like it. If you want to watch a better movie than this, watch Crank, The Warriors and Adulthood since it's those movies combined together. I pray British movies do better than this attempt from now on! Read more reviews at: www.dudedazzmoviereviews.wordpress.com

Saw VI (2009)

SAW is back, let's hope the quality of this movie keeps up in SAW VII

[7/10 · 12 October 2010]

I don't think this really needs an introduction as every Halloween, you know there'll be yet another Saw movie in the cinemas but have they finally stopped writing mediocre stories and uninteresting characters? Maybe…just maybe. The story is so much better than the last two movies and makes a lot more sense. Also, it clears up any confusion that you might have had watching the previous movies and doesn't ask many questions for Saw VII. The acting is so much better in this one too and Tobin Bell, once again, is fantastic as the twisted Jigsaw and VH1's Scream Queen winner Tanedra Howard was a delight to watch. The characters are better written as you actually cared for them and their situation. There isn't much character development but there is enough to keep you intrigued and interested in the characters. The direction has improved since Saw IV and the special effects and gore scenes are still very much realistic and shocking. The traps are quite clever and it makes you wonder how someone could come up with something so twisted. It worries you a little but it makes for a great horror movie.

Saw VI puts the Saw series back on track, which I'm quite glad about because as a series, it's not bad. Everything about the movie has improved from the dire movies Saw IV and V. The best thing is the ending wasn't predictable which I loved. The end to the trap was truly shocking and probably the worst scene for blood and gore in the Saw movies since the third. The end of the story I didn't see coming so I'm glad it's got it's unpredictability back and I'm glad Saw VI put the series back on track, however the first remains the best movies in the series for me but this is a close second. Let's hope the next movie keeps it at this level of quality.

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Repo Men (2010)

Not bad but I've seen much better!

[6/10 · 12 October 2010]

Repo Men is set in the near future with Jude Law and Forest Whitaker being the main characters in the movie. The story and the idea is a great one and depicts the story of the hunter becoming the hunted, however there were some points in the movie when it felt like it was steering out of control but luckily enough, it steered back on track. The acting was great and Forest Whitaker was brilliant, as he is in all of his movies and Jude Law surprised me with his good performance as Remy, he doesn't deserve any awards but he was good to watch and he made you believe his character. The characters were well created and you liked who you were supposed to like and hated who you were supposed to hate. The direction is great and the visualisation of a near future like this is quite a scary aspect. The greatest thing in the movie was the unexpected ending as it added a nice touch to a great idea.

Repo Men is a good thriller movie that's a little heavy on the action but in a good way. Forest Whitaker is brilliant as the tough Jake and Jude Law's performance surprised me as he played Remy fantastically. Even though the acting is without a fault, the movie just wasn't so strong. Some of the action scenes were cool and slick but there were one or two scenes that I found a little ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, the movie was very enjoyable but it's not a movie that I'd remember in ten years time and it's not a movie that I'd watch again in a hurry.

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Resident Evil (2002)

Not much to do with the game series and as a zombie flick, not bad at all...

[5/10 · 12 October 2010]

Quite an entertaining movie but the fans of the game may find it disappointing as this doesn't necessarily stick to the games. In fact, the things that this movie and the games have in common is the T-Virus, zombies, the monsters and Umbrella, not the story. The story wasn't so well-thought but W.S Anderson's twist on the Resident Evil universe works to an extent. While trying to make the movie his own, it felt like it was driving away from the Resident Evil universe and started being its own movie (which isn't really such a bad thing). The music added the tension and added more 'oomph' to the action scenes which fit the movie quite well. 'Resident Evil' didn't exactly have you waiting for more but at the same time, it didn't make you turn it off. There were two or three scenes that were kind of boring and pointless but other scenes were well-executed.

One thing I couldn't really fault was the acting for some of the actors. Milla Jovovich being the star of the movie and Michelle Rodriguez following close-second were brilliant. Their on-screen 'friendship' made it entertaining to watch and also the scenes between Milla Jovovich as Alice and Eric Mabius as Matt was also good. I couldn't say much for the others like Colin Salmon and Martin Crewes who were just average. The special effects and make-up in the movie were done brilliantly and added such a dark and cold tone. The design of the monsters were done well as were the make-up for the zombies.

The movie ended quite well and wasn't exactly predictable like some of the scenes in the movie was. The ending wasn't exactly so shocking that you would remember it but for a movie that was above average, it ended well and it felt like it went smoothly with the movie.

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Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)

The best out of the series!

[6/10 · 12 October 2010]

After watching the first, I thought that this sequel would be worse but to my surprise, this sequel is actually better…but not by much. The story is more-or-less the same as the first one (we need to get to point A to B by this time, fighting zombies along the way) but it's a little more stronger. The action sequences and explosions were good to watch but in some of the scenes felt like it was there to impress thirteen-year-old teenagers to keep their attention. I also noticed it follows the games a lot more in Apocalypse than it does with Resident Evil which is a plus since Resident Evil hardly followed any of the games. Gamers will be glad to see Nemesis, zombie dogs and Jill Valentine return on-screen and will also be glad that the design and make-up for Nemesis was superbly done. Yet again, Milla Jovovich was spot-on as bad-ass Alice as was Sienna Guillory who played as Jill Valentine and Mike Epps who added a little humour to this zombie action movie as L.J. The characters were done well but they wasn't done well enough that you would care about what happened to them.

The visual effects were done quite good and the action scenes were executed very well, especially the scenes in the church and the graveyard which showed great camera-work and special effects. The music wasn't very memorable and didn't fit some of the scenes well like the last movie although the theme tune was good.

The ending in this movie, for me, isn't much of an improvement from the last but it's good enough for a mediocre movie series. The start, middle and end felt like it was going at an average pace which is a good thing.

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Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)

Not as bad as Extinction but it's not far off....

[4/10 · 12 October 2010]

Resident Evil: Afterlife is one of the movies of 2010 that I have been quite intrigued in because, as well as wondering how the tedious series has yet again gotten another sequel, I actually started to wonder whether this could actually be the Resident Evil movie I've been waiting for. After watching a great trailer and some promising clips of the movie and then seeing the movie, I suggest you just stick with the clips and trailers because that way, you won't be disappointed. So taking off where Resident Evil: Extinction ended, Alice continues to fight against the Umbrella Corporation with the help of 'a few friends'. Following new information, she heads to Los Angeles to find a small group of survivors of the T-Virus outbreak. The survivors attempt to seek out more survivors, escape the zombie-infested city and bring down Umbrella once and for all. The first thing that sticks out like a sore thumb in Resident Evil: Afterlife is the story and how confusing it is at times. Luckily, I have seen Resident Evil, Resident Evil: Apocalypse and Resident Evil: Extinction but if you haven't seen those then you may not find it easy to follow the story. The flashbacks don't do the story any favours because, even though they're supposed to explain things, they just confuse matters and aren't really needed. Resident Evil: Afterlife is all action and even then, the action scenes aren't worth going to the cinema to watch as the best action scenes last about fifteen minutes (ten minutes if you take the slow-motion Matrix effect out, which I will talk about later in the review).

Granted that the Resident Evil movie series was more about action and less about story but at least the stories in the last three movies weren't confusing and looked like a bit of attention went into them. Resident Evil: Afterlife doesn't have that same attention and instead becomes a mess of all action and no story. The next thing the movie didn't have was hardly any character development or even characters, they were all written so badly. There are only two characters in the movie who have their own personality, Alice is obviously one of them as we see her fight zombies and monsters with a disadvantage and Wesker, fighting to make the T-Virus work for superhuman abilities shown in the previous movies. The other characters blend in with each other and you couldn't care about them at all, none of them stood out on their own and they were about as much use as a chocolate fireguard when it came to surviving against zombies but they did have their moments. Another thing about Resident Evil: Afterlife that isn't so great is the acting. Milla Jovovich and Shawn Roberts are great as Alice and Wesker but the same can not be said for the rest of the cast. Ali Larter plays Claire Redfield and she's very wooden throughout most of the movie and doesn't convince you of her character at all. Wentworth Miller plays Chris Redfield and has the same problem that Ali Larter has but his character isn't really given much to do, which is also another annoying thing about the movie. We're introduced to these characters and they're not given a proper story as to who they are and how they get there. They tell us about themselves in a sentence or two and we're supposed to understand the character straight away. The script feels so lazy and horrible and tries to answer questions only to have the opposite effect and raise more. The movie felt like it was three movies mixed into one: Alice bringing down Umbrella, Alice finding the survivors and trying to find Arcadia and the survivors battling Wesker and therefore didn't feel like I was watching an entire movie.

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Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008)

The Resident Evil movie fans have been waiting for!

[8/10 · 12 October 2010]

After watching the below-average Resident Evil movies, I prayed that the next Resident Evil movie would actually have something to do with the games. Fortunately for me, and probably many Resident Evil gamers out there, my prayers were answered. Claire Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy, two of the rare survivors of Raccoon City from the video games (shock!), are drawn into the intrigue as the airport in Harvardville comes under attack by a rogue warrior seeking revenge for the death of his family at Raccoon City. And as if the zombies created by the T-virus weren't enough, the deadly G-virus is also released and creates a new rampaging mutant.

Basically a must buy for fans of the game series and the movies and a must watch for those who like zombie movies. I loved how the movie kind of felt like an hour and a half cutscene from a game, it added a really nice touch. The CGI is actually quite impressive for a straight-to-DVD release and I'm sure there are quite a few people out there who would agree to this. The original voices of the characters from the videogames, I felt, made the movie more original although there were two or three times where the dialogue was just mediocre. The plot and story were great and easy to follow and the flow and timing of the movie was just right. The ending wasn't rushed at all and I felt that the movie-length was okay, it wasn't too long or too short. Some of the characters in the movie are quite good and yet there are one or two who you couldn't really care about. The music was quite good and yet again felt like it came straight out of the games (in a good way).

Overall, it was a great movie but it's basically one for the gamers. Resident Evil fans (movie or games) would probably adore this movie but if you're not a fan of any of the games or movies, chances are you might not like it. This reviewer is a fan of the games (not the movies though, eurgh!) and this reviewer gives Degeneration two thumbs-up.

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Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)

"Mankind faces extinction" is the tagline for the movie but I was hoping it would say the movie series would face extinction!

[3/10 · 12 October 2010]

I've now watched Resident Evil and Resident Evil: Apocalypse which were both good movies in their own way. Resident Evil: Extinction, however, is the odd one out in the series as this isn't even remotely good. Resident Evil heroine Alice, along with a group of survivors from Raccoon City, attempt to travel across the desert wilderness to Alaska to escape a zombie apocalypse.

The story lacks a lot of everything, I could even go so far to say that there is no story at all as it is yet again pretty much the same as its last two movies. It has nothing to do with the games whatsoever so Resident Evil gamers will definitely find this movie disappointing. There were one or two great action sequences which kept you awake such as the fight in Las Vegas and the crows but otherwise it is yet again to impress the younger audience. The last two had something to do with the games but this one didn't, it just threw references at you just to remind you that the movie is Resident Evil such as Claire Redfield, Albert Wesker and the Tyrant from the first Resident Evil game.

The acting was above average except for Milla Jovovich who managed to brighten up this dull and boring movie a little. Ali Larter who played Claire Redfield was average as was the rest of the cast. There are so many problems with this movie but one of the main problems is that you couldn't care for the characters at all, not even for Alice. Resident Evil: Extinction has made a silly twist to the story of the movie series and has an even sillier ending. The start of the movie was surprisingly promising but in the end, disappointed. Everything about the movie could have been improved, even the make-up and design for the zombies but the worst case for this is the Tyrant near the end of the movie, it wasn't anywhere near scary or believable.

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Robin Hood (2010)

Am I missing something here?

[3/10 · 12 October 2010]

Robin Hood has been known to rob from the rich and give to the poor but there's one thing that Robin Hood can't give me and that is the two and a half hours I wasted on this movie. The story was average and gotten boring after the first ten minutes as all the characters did was nothing but talk (and unconvincingly at that). The characters weren't bad but you just couldn't care for them because they were boring, there wasn't much character development at all either so that didn't help. The acting is good, Russell Crowe does a good job playing Robin Hood but his performance strongly reminds you of when Crowe played Maximus in the movie Gladiator. Cate Blanchett does an average job as Maid Marion and Mark Strong does a great job as the bad guy Sir Godfrey. The action scenes were okay except for the end battle, which was brilliantly executed. However, the downside is they lasted about ten to twenty minutes each. The writing and direction weren't bad but I've seen Scott do much better.

It was very hard for me not to walk out halfway through the movie. I started falling asleep (no, seriously, I actually started falling asleep) about forty-five minutes into the movie but luckily I stayed awake and endured the movie. The only exciting thing in the movie was the brilliantly done battle at the end but it's not worth money to see as it only lasts twenty minutes and the movie is two and a half hours. The acting weren't really too bad and Russell Crowe makes an okay Robin Hood but I just couldn't care for any of the characters in the movie at all. I didn't care for the story either, as it didn't grip you at all. It was surprisingly boring. Ridley Scott has definitely done better in the past. Robin Hood disappoints which is a shame because it had so much potential to be something better. If you loved the past Robin Hood movies, then there is a chance you might like this.

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Saw (2004)

I urge you all to play the game!

[9/10 · 12 October 2010]

Based on a short film of the same name, Saw is now known as one of the most successful horror movies known to date. The story was very gripping and cleverly written and you couldn't wait to see what Jigsaw had up his sleeve, the characters were brilliant as the movie focused mainly on Lawrence and Adam who were played by the very talented Cary Elwes and Leigh Whannell. The acting was brilliant and the cast made you believe their characters and the one scene that stood out to me was Amanda's Reverse Bear Trap with a brilliant performance from Shawnee Smith. The direction was fantastic and the cinematography was brilliant as it kept that eerie feeling that you weren't really safe. The script was cleverly written and the ending was such a surprise and it wasn't obvious which I love in a movie. The special effects were great and it doesn't let up on the blood or gore so if you're squeamish, you might not want to see this.

Saw is one of the best horror movies I have seen for quite a while now and I think that it's brilliant. Everything from the music to the story is a scary thought and it manages to keep the realism that so many horror movies lack. I liked seeing the characters interact and working as a team to try and figure out and escape from the situation they were in. I believe that Saw is a very cleverly written and very gory horror movie with many twists and turns to keep you interested in the movie. Any movie fan who likes either a good story with twists or bloody and gory scare scenes would love this film. Armed with a clever story and script, a few good scares and a great ending, Saw really raises the bar for horror movies out there. For me, I am an official Saw fan and I will be reviewing the others.

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Saw II (2005)

A great sequel!

[8/10 · 12 October 2010]

Jigsaw is back. And more people will suffer. Detective Eric Matthews is investigating a crime scene, it's soon obvious this was the latest victim of Jigsaw, the serial killer who like to play games with his victims. The bigger picture soon reveals eight people being trapped in a shelter filled with booby traps. They have to find a way out, die trying or die from the lethal nerve gas they breath over time.

"Oh yes…there will be blood!" The first Saw was deadly and very clever but does Saw II follow in its footsteps? The story is great and it's just as gripping as the first however, it isn't as good. The characters were written well and all had a strong connection to the story as well as each other and watching them interact with each other made the movie that little bit better. The acting was brilliant and I have to give credit to Shawnee Smith and Tobin Bell who play Amanda and Jigsaw, they brought their characters to life and made them believable. The actors and actresses did a fantastic job of making the audience feel for the characters and the situation they were in. The direction was just as good as the first and the script is also the same quality. The cinematography and the special effects were fantastically done and the traps were inventive. There are some scenes such as the traps, which are done brilliantly and the blood and gore and makeup is realistic but I'm afraid that it didn't keep the mystery like Saw did. Don't get me wrong, the ending was clever and wasn't predictable but in the first Saw movie, you were asking questions such as "Who would do this and why?" but in this one, you just hoped they would survive. Also, it's not as psychological or smart as the first one but it's still pretty clever.

I enjoyed Saw II but I do prefer Saw. However, in saying this, Saw II is better than most horror sequels out there today. The greatest thing about the movie, even though you wanted the characters to escape, is the fact that you couldn't help but feel sympathy towards Jigsaw because of the situation he is in. Also, Saw II manages to end unpredictably and adds a twist to the story. Overall, don't see if you're squeamish or scared of needles.

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Saw III (2006)

Not the strongest in the series but it's still an enjoyable horror flick!

[6/10 · 12 October 2010]

Saw is back for another installment in the series as Saw III carries on from Saw II however is it any good? The story is mediocre this time round and isn't very friendly to people who are watching the series for the first time. You'd have to watch the first two to actually make sense of the story. The characters aren't very well created except for Doctor Lynn and obviously John and Amanda who were in the first two movies. You didn't really feel connected much to the rest of the characters so you didn't really care much. The character development was okay but it was mainly between Amanda and John (or Jigsaw) as she starts to care for him like a daughter would care for her father, trying desperately to cure and heal him. The acting is average except for the talented Shawnee Smith as Amanda and Tobin Bell as Jigsaw, both of them were yet again brilliant and the relationship between them is great. The direction isn't bad and the writing is great except for the fact that the story is more for the people who watched the first two movies than newcomers. The special effects and the blood and gore were yet again realistic and the traps were inventive but there was one scene that I think could have pushed the blood and gore scenes a little too far.

Overall, I enjoyed it. It's a good horror movie but it's definitely the weakest at the moment. Another thing that was bad was the amount of blood and gore in this one. Even though I'm okay with blood and gore scenes in movies, there was one scene in particular which made me feel uncomfortable watching because it went a little too far (you'll know which scene I'm talking about if you watch the movie) and I felt that the movie didn't really need to cross that line as the story was very good anyway. The twists and turns in the movie won't let you down however, as there are plenty of them in the story.

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Saw IV (2007)

An average addition to the series

[5/10 · 12 October 2010]

The games have just begun and the games have gotten slightly more complex as Saw releases yet another movie: Saw IV. The story isn't as clever or as strong as the other movies, this one is a little bit boring but it's still an average addition to the series. Also, it's not friendly to newcomers of the series, people would need to at least watch the third movie before watching this. The characters were written okay and the way Jigsaw set the traps for the main character is a little bit clever but it just doesn't have the same intelligence as the first movie did although it tries to. There's little character development this time round and you aren't really very interested in the main character but more interested in the characters he has to save. The acting is very mediocre, as there were some scenes when the acting was undeniably quite bad but it picked up later on in the movie. However, the best actor in the movie is yet again Tobin Bell as Jigsaw. The direction was average and the writing isn't as good as it was in the first three movies. The special effects were done great and the traps were, yet again, inventive and each trap matched the personality of the person in the trap just like the other movies, which I found clever.

I didn't like this addition as much as I liked the other three and, even though watching Jigsaw's past and explaining why he did the things he did was all good, it just didn't feel the same. The movie didn't actually feel like a Saw movie. It actually felt more like it was supposed to be a television show more than a movie. I also felt it lost that little bit of intelligence and that spark that made the Saw movies great.

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Saw V (2008)

The worst in the series but it's still a little entertaining

[4/10 · 12 October 2010]

The new taglines for the latest Saw movies is now "If it's Halloween, it must be Saw" which is actually true since every Halloween, I know that a Saw movie isn't far round the corner. The story is by far the worst in the movies as they start to become more complicating yet answering some questions fans might have had in the previous movies. The acting isn't great at all and is probably the worst I've seen in the series, you just didn't care for the characters and they didn't feel connected to each other at all. The characters were written poorly except for Jigsaw whose past story has been in the last two or three movies. It yet again answers questions asked in the last movie only for them to be replaced with new questions. I liked seeing the traps as the five people were figuring out why they were there and fighting for their lives at the same time which added a nice twist. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough as there were poor character development and badly written characters. It would have been much better if they focused on one story instead of two (the characters in the traps and the Jigsaw story). The traps were brilliantly done and the special effects and blood and gore scenes were well executed.

Overall, I liked and hated the movie. I liked the traps and some of the story but other than that, Saw V is just very weak which is a shame to say. The thing I loved about the Saw movies was the unpredictable endings and for this movie's tagline, it says "you won't believe how it ends" yet I did believe it because I predicted it. I thought I would be wrong but I wasn't which surprised me since Saw is normally unpredictable sometimes. However, I shall probably be watching the series still, hoping they improve a little. The traps were good but other than that, this is definitely the weakest in the series

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Remember Me (I) (2010)

A great romantic drama that people will remember for a long time!

[7/10 · 12 October 2010]

No doubt Twilight fans flocked to see this in the cinema because Robert Pattinson was in it but I bet they were surprised when they didn't see him sparkle in the sunlight. However, Robert Pattinson proves that he can be more than a sparkling, moody, love-struck vampire. The story was great and told such a loving yet tragic tale about two young lovers who help each other through their ordeal of stress, anger and upset and the story was told very well. The acting was great and Emile De Ravin did a fantastic job as Ally and Robert Pattinson proves that he can act better than he can in any of the Twilight movies. Robert Pattinson did a great job and so did the rest of the cast who had taken part in this movie. The characters were written very well as we see the love between two people who have been struck with loss and tragedy grow and we see them help each other emotionally. The script was done very well and the direction was great. This is a must for romance lovers.

Remember Me is something that kind of shocked me because I didn't expect a couple of things that happened in the movie which kept a great element of surprise. Normally, I'm not really a massive fan of romance movies, I like them but I wouldn't go out of my way to watch one but Remember Me was a very pleasant surprise. Robert Pattinson and Emile De Ravin were fantastic as their characters and I thought they portrayed their characters well. This is a brilliant movie and is definitely a must-watch for romance fans and Robert Pattinson fans. Also guys, this would serve well as a first-date movie. Remember Me is a touching love story that is sure to tug on the old heartstrings.

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Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)

Make some time for this movie!

[12 October 2010]

I wasn't exactly sure what to make of this when I heard that it was going to be released because it was produced by the producers of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie and it's based from a very popular video game. However, after watching Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, I can see that I had nothing to worry about as it was a very enjoyable and action-packed ride. The story was very good and kept your attention all the way. The characters did their job and you felt how you were supposed to feel about them and the actors did a great job playing as their characters. I thought that Jake Gyllenhaal did a fantastic job as Dastan, the Prince of Persia as did Gemma Arterton who played Princess Tamina. The action sequences were brilliant to watch and the CGI was done rather well. The writing and the direction was great and it made for truly enjoyable viewing.

I absolutely love the Prince of Persia games and I very much enjoyed watching the movie. The most entertaining part of the movie for me was definitely the last forty-five minutes, it was brilliantly executed and action-packed. I have no idea how this got bad reviews, it was just great. Everybody would love this movie and if you aren't a fan of Pirates of the Caribbean and fear that it would be like it, then get those thoughts out of your head because you'll be pleased by this movie. Overall, I truly recommend this to everybody as it's enjoyable and it's something the whole family would love.

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Paranormal Activity (2007)

It just proves that horror can still scare you without the use of blood and guts!

[9/10 · 12 October 2010]

I first heard of this movie when I was reading the newspaper and I saw how much attention it got over America so I looked it up online and saw it was "The scariest movie ever made" and "You won't be able to sleep" and I thought, just like every other advertisement or review for a horror movie, that they would be wrong. Well this time, I am glad to say that I was wrong.

The story takes place with the two characters named Micah and Katie (the actor's real names) who move into their new home in California only to find out sooner rather than later, things start to go bump in the night.

Boo! Paranormal Activity is beyond a doubt one of the most scariest and most magnificent horror movies to have ever graced our screens. The actors were brilliant as was the cast and crew. The actor and actress who use their real names didn't know when the jumpy parts were about to happen themselves when filming so what you see is actually genuine, which I loved as it made it so much more believable. The dark and paranormal feel of the movie was definitely there and, though you knew when the scary parts were coming (timestamp in the corner), you were still spooked.

The story is very well written for a low-budget movie and the special effects were brilliant and used in the correct times. This movie, unsurprisingly, beats half of the movies that have been released last year. Well done to the cast and crew, they should be proud of this movie.

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Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)

Very average! There's nothing Godly about this!

[5/10 · 12 October 2010]

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is a star-studded movie based on the books by Rick Riordan. It's a good family movie but it not the best one out there. Percy Jackson discovers he is a demigod, the son of a mortal woman and the Greek god Poseidon. Percy and his friends go on a quest to prevent an apocalyptic war between the Greek gods Zeus, Poseidon and Hades.

The story and plot isn't bad for a family movie but there are plot holes in it and one or two useless scenes which would leave you asking questions and not getting answers. Chris Columbus has done a good job in directing Percy Jackson and the cinematography was okay. The characters are likable though sometimes irritating and the acting is very mediocre. I thought Logan Lerman and Alexandra Daddario could have been a little better but I thought Brandon T. Jackson gave out a great and funny performance as Grover. The special effects were very good and it was a little clever how they brought the Greek myths and made a modern spin on them. The timing is paced well and the action scenes were well executed and the locations and visuals in the movie were nice to look at.

I didn't like the movie but I didn't hate it either. It's very well done but it's one of those movies were it's very balanced, it's neither good or bad but just okay. People compare Percy Jackson to Harry Potter and there are one or two similarities but it isn't a rip-off. I also hear that it's nothing like the books either and that it shouldn't have been made into a movie. However, I enjoyed it.

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Precious (II) (2009)

Absolutely brilliant! This is how to make an emotional drama!

[10/10 · 12 October 2010]

Precious may be one of the hardest movies ever to watch but it is one of the most realistic, gritty, down-to-earth dramas I have ever encountered. Set in 1987 in Harlem lives a girl whose name is Claireece 'Precious' Jones who is a sixteen-year-old born and living a life which could only be imaginable in your worst nightmares. She's pregnant for the second time by her father who has vanished off the face of the earth and her mother, who is an evil woman, abuses her mentally and physically and makes Precious wait on her hand and foot. She is offered a place in an 'alternative' school called Each One/Teach One. Precious doesn't know what this means but she feels that it's the moment she's been waiting for. In the classroom taught by Ms. Blu Rain and students who quickly befriends Precious, she starts to travel down the road from hopelessness and pain to love, friendship and self-confidence.

Phenomenal movie. Some people may not be able to watch some scenes because it is a little disturbing. The story is just so real and powerful and sends a message of hope and light at the end of the tunnel. The plot was superb and the acting had absolutely no faults, Mo'Nique who played the evil mother and Gabourney Sidibe as Precious should both receive so many awards for their performances as they were so convincing as their characters. You really cared for Precious and you gave your heart out to her after witnessing her pain, troubles and woes through her life. The cast and crew really should give themselves a pat on the back for this sensational movie.

I loved every second of this movie and really enjoyed watching it as I got engrossed in the movie and hoped that Precious would get the life she deserved. I think everyone should watch this.

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Predator (1987)

The best Predator of them all!

[8/10 · 12 October 2010]

In the remote jungle of a Central American country, an elite group of commandos led by Major Dutch Schaeffer (Arnold Schwarzenegger), embarks on a CIA mission to clear out a guerrilla stronghold and rescue the remaining hostages. However, the hunters become the hunted when a highly intelligent, otherworldly being slowly and methodically starts killing off members of Dutch's team. Possessing a chameleonlike camouflaging ability and a deadly alien arsenal, the creature tracks down the soldiers one by one.

Since the movie Predators is going to be released next week, I shall be watching Predator, Predator 2, Aliens vs. Predators and Aliens vs. Predators 2: Requiem so let's start where it all started, with Arnold Schwarzenegger. The story is great and well written, it really kept your attention throughout the movie because you really wanted all of the characters to escape or kill the Predator. The characters were also done well as each of them had their own personalities and you cared what happened to them, which is fantastic in a movie. The acting was brilliant however there were a couple of parts that were mediocre but it doesn't spoil the film in any way. The direction is great, the writing is well done and the special effects were done well, considering this movie is from the eighties. Overall though, Predator is a winner.

The last time I saw this movie, I was eight years old and it was on the television one night and I vaguely remembered it but after watching the movie again, it's a mystery to me how I didn't remember it because it's such a brilliant movie. Arnold Schwarzenegger was brilliant as Dutch and the rest of the cast played their parts great, even if there were a couple of shaky moments. I just loved how you really cared for the characters and how you cared if they lived or died. The special effects were great and it was good to see a bit of eighties' special effects, it just shows how much times have changed. I also liked how the movie was set in the jungle where you could easily get Now, judging by the review I've just written, you'd say that there was hardly anything wrong with the movie, right? Wrong. There were a couple of scenes that bugged me but I'm pretty sure wouldn't bug others and I can't say what they are without spoiling however, this kind of spoiled the movie for me a little but I doubt it would for you. That's my only negative about it but this movie did have some great memorable scenes. If you like science-fiction horror movies, you need to pick this up because this would be a must-watch!

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Predator 2 (1990)

Predator should never have had a sequel!

[4/10 · 12 October 2010]

Last time it landed in the jungle. This time, it's chosen Los Angeles. Ravaged by open warfare between rival drug gangs, L.A. is the perfect killing ground for the Predator, who is drawn by heat and conflict. When the police find mutilated bodies, Lieutenant Mike Harrigan thinks it's the work of the feuding gangs. Then a mysterious government agent arrives and orders him to stay off the case. Instead, Harrigan sets out to learn what is really going on, and comes face to face with the savage alien in a climatic, electrifying confrontation… After watching the brilliant first Predator movie, I must admit that I didn't really have high hopes for this movie and I was right in doing so. The story is quite weak and has been done before in the first movie except for this time, it's in Los Angeles. The characters weren't written very well as you really couldn't care what they had to say or what happened to them at all. The acting was mediocre, Danny Glover gives out a great performance as usual in most of his movies but it's a shame that it can't be said for the rest of the cast who starred in this disastrous sequel. The writing wasn't really very good at all and the direction wasn't bad but it could have been better. There were some good action sequences but that's all Predator 2 really has to offer. All in all, a disappointing and pointless sequel to the brilliant Predator.

I really wanted to like this, I really did but I just couldn't get into it at all. I thought there were some okay scenes but it just wasn't enough as the story starts off weak and remains so to the end. I thought the acting was very average, Danny Glover did a good job as usual but the rest of the cast were pretty bad. It's very unfortunate for Danny Glover as his talents are just wasted in this movie. I think one of the big problems with Predator 2, except for the story, was the characters in the movie. I just didn't really care for any of them! I didn't care what they said, I didn't care whether they would stay in the movie or not, I just couldn't care for any of them. Everything was just bad except for Danny Glover and some of the scenes done in the movie. If you loved the first one and think the second one will be bigger and better, stop thinking that because it's not. If you keep your expectations very low, then there's a chance you may enjoy this, however I didn't. If you like sci-fi horror movies, you might like this.

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