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johannes_seywald
Reviews
The First Time (2012)
not working
A way too perfect and therefore boring male lead, a pale female lead, a non existent plot (for the most part), pacing issues, not funny nor touching in any way.
To sum it up: This film is not working as it was probably intended. The rating is far too high
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
8/10
Star Wars fans are a strange bunch as they never seem to be satisfied: Give them something original and new like in the prequel trilogy and they will certainly proclaim that this is not "their" original Star Wars. Give them something that is a lovely homage to the original trilogy -like this film- and they will certainly argue that it is not "new" enough.
The Force Awakens is a very good film all in all. Sure one can criticize the lack of an original story, but then again, what did you expect? Of course they could have done this or that, make Luke evil and stuff, but would that make the movie any better? I very much doubt it.
To me, they did a great job and I enjoyed the movie throughout, especially for its stunning visuals (I've never seen the 3D effect used any better than in this movie). I also liked the new characters, especially Kylo and Rey. Kylo is a great new addition to the Star Wars Universe, a character not being evil because he is just that, but because he feels lost. Something that never came across well enough in the films prior to this one. I also liked Rey, as we have never seen a young woman become a Jedi and also, because of the intensity in her performance. The old cast, foremost Han Solo, is doing a great job in carrying the movie as well. I've never seen his character being used any better than in this film, as I always thought he was more of a sidekick that is not really needed in the entire plot.
All in all this film is working very well, the only thing I would criticize is that they gave us very little story compared to the older films. Lucas made his films more independent from one another. With this one, I have a feeling that it was more an introduction of what's going to come. At least that's what I am hoping for. Since I don't know about that I give it a well deserved 8/10.
I am very curious with what they'll come up with in the next two movies!
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Not a comedy, not a drama.
Guardians of the Galaxy is an OK to good movie and worth the money you spend on seeing it, especially in 3D: The visual effects are great for the most part and the visual art is next to perfect: Fantastic new worlds (especially Xander), great looking 3D and special effects and exciting camera moves would make for a world class movie.
However -and to me that's a big letdown- the whole movie seems somewhat unrealized: After a fantastic start, the story becomes more and more predictable and uninteresting. It starts with the much too long and unneeded prison scene, which in particular holds up the whole movie and potential plot development. Tragically, from that moment on, the movie never really recovers, as we basically get to see one battle/action sequence after the other, with no meaningful, interesting or surprising story to unfold.
Also, I felt that -although I had some very good laughs- sometimes the humor was used in an attempt to save the whole movie. Furthermore, we are bombarded with too many names of characters, especially by some that play little to no role in the movie, which left me confused and uneasy. Maybe, if you have seen all the MARVEL films or read the comics, this in fact does make sense, but to me, it does not.
All in all I felt that the movie could/should have been so much better than it actually was. It had all the ingredients to be the absolute highlight of the year (or maybe even of all time), had it just had a better story, or -at least- would it have been a completely hilarious spoof. I cannot help but think that this must be one of the biggest opportunities missed in the whole movie history!
Hence, I give it 6,5/10, -7/10 rounded up- as this is probably a great movie for kids and teenagers, but definitely not for adults. For a comedy, it tries a little bit too hard at times and the serious moments don't fit, and for a drama/serious film, it misses depth in story and characters. Also, I feel that there are too many main characters in order to give them enough screen time to develop, especially that wrestler was ridiculously one dimensional, although he had some funny lines.
So, if you are up for a very, very light science fiction/action movie with stunning visuals and quite a bit of funny dialogue, then Guardians of the Galaxy is for you.
However, if you are looking for the next Star Wars/Blade Runner/Fith Element (which was my expectation after reading some of the comments here), I cannot recommend this film, as the other movies are much, much better. GotG however can't decide what it wants to be and therefore falls short.
What a pity!
One final word: Please don't compare this movie to Star Wars folks, it just shows that you haven't got the slightest clue that Star Wars has a much deeper meaning that goes beyond a few battles and stunning visuals. So don't make a fool of yourself.