Category: Action

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back: The IMAX Experience

In this second installment based on the Lee Child’s best-selling novel “Never Go Back”, Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) makes his way back to Washington DC to visit Major Turner. When he arrives at Major Turner’s office, Reacher finds out that the Major has been arrested and faces court-marshal. Not understanding this situation Jack starts doing his own investigation into the supposed charges. As he starts to uncover information, he finds out that there is a paternity suit against the army naming him as the father to a daughter that he isn’t aware of.

As Jack continues to dig a lot of people get nervous and they plot to get Jack Reacher out of the way using any means possible. The story unfolds from there…

“Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” should not have come back! It’s not Tom Cruise’s fault. He does everything he can with the story and script he was given. The problem is that the main plot gets messed up and becomes a plot among the many sub-plots.

I commend Tom Cruise because he does all of his own stunts! There is a fair amount of action, suspense and intrigue, but the execution somehow got lost. The movie seems a lot longer than the 1 hour and fifty eight minutes running time.

The first Jack Reacher that came out in 2012 was directed by Christopher McQuarrie. That installment was excellent. This installment was directed by Edward Zwick and its execution is a departure from the first installment.

Unfortunately “Jack Reacher” Never Go Back” only rates a Cable or DVD or Blue Ray viewing.

This is a 2 Star Movie!

Deepwater Horizon

“Deepwater Horizon” is based on the true story about the worst oil spill in American History. The events are played out in the movie in painful fashion. Director Peter Berg really gives you an inside look at the good, bad and the very ugly of a horrific event.

As the events play out you will be on the edge of your seat. The tension mounts in pain-staking fashion. You will also be disgusted at how this all happened. Corporate (BP) greed takes center stage. Eleven lives were lost in this event. Those eleven lives were recognized at the end of the movie. The oil spill continued for 87 Days.

“Deepwater Horizon” is one of the better disaster movies. The movie is executed very well. The performances were awesome. There are many great panoramic views and the camera angles are mystifying. You won’t be bored.

If you can stand seeing a horrific event play out on the big screen, I say check out “Deepwater Horizon”.

This is a 4 Star Movie!

The Magnificent Seven (2016): The IMAX Experience

Remakes are never as good as the original upon which they are based, but the remake of the 1960’s The Magnificent Seven does a pretty good job. It’s pure “Pop Corn Entertainment”.

The cast is awesome. Think the “Wild, Wild West” of 1897 or better yet think “Gun Smoke”, “Dodge City” and Sheriff Matt Dillon.

The little western mining town, Rose Creek is under siege by a greedy tyrant named Bartholomew Bogue. He and his merry band of men over throw the town’s sheriff and his deputies. All of the town is in jeopardy, but one resident, Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) and other desperate residents seek out the help of a Bounty Hunter who comes through town looking for one of his Bounties. The Bounty Hunter finds out he knows Bartholomew Bogue and agrees to help the town out. The story unfolds from there…

“The Magnificent Seven (2016)” does what it’s supposed to do. It provides great entertainment. There are no special effects, CGI’s or anything that would remotely remind you that we are in 2016. This is a good old-fashioned western. It’s not perfect, but the cast makes the movie worth watching. There is lots of western style violence, action and blood-shed. There is even a bit of comic relief.

If you like Westerns, you should enjoy “The Magnificent Seven (2016)”.

This is a 4 Star Movie!

Sully

“Sully” recounts the events that led up to US Airways Flight 1549 landing in the Hudson River. The flight’s destination was Charlotte, NC, but a “Bird Strike” hit the Airbus 320 Engines as it was climbing to reach its cruising altitude. The “Bird Strike” caused both engines to fail. The airplane was not able to make it to Teterboro or back to LaGuardia, so the next best option was to land in the Hudson River. The story unfolds from there…

The movie at times is a “Nail Biter”, but that is to be expected given what the movie is about. There is definitely some suspense and tense moments.

Tom Hanks gives a wonderful performance as Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger the Captain on US Airways Flight 1549.

This is actually a very well executed 96 minutes. The movie could have actually gone a bit longer as the ending was a bit strange. Kudos to Clint Eastwood. He still has the directing bug and he is excellent at it.

This is a 4 Star Movie!

Mechanic: Resurrection

Arthur Bishop, The Mechanic (Jason Statham) is forced to come out of his 5 year retirement.

An old nemesis, Riah Crain wants three of the most dangerous men in the world assassinated.
Of course there is a beautiful woman, (Jessica Alba) being used as a pawn to get the Mechanic to take the job. The Story unfolds from there…

There is some great cinematography, nice panoramic views of some exotic locations, and some decent stunts and action, but unfortunately the movie has no substance. There isn’t really a plot. Why kill those three men? That is not explained.

The best things about “Mechanic: Resurrection” are Jason Statham with his chiseled body and great charisma, Tommy Lee Jones looking suave as an aged hippie. It’s too bad that Tommy Lee Jones appears really late in the movie. When he showed up things got real interesting.

All in all “Mechanic: Resurrection” is a B-grade movie with some decent action, a few stunts and some good views, but no substance.

“Mechanic Resurrection” will be great on Cable or DVD.

This is a 2 Star Movie!

Suicide Squad in 3D

This is another edition of “Thursday Night at the Movies with The Movie Warrior”.

What was I thinking…DC Comics are not as good as Marvel Comics.

“Suicide Squad” is not entertainment, it’s just plain “Suicide”!!

The villains in this movie are just plain awful. You will be yawning before things really get going.

The movie has a great cast that tries to do something with nothing, but at the end of the day it’s just plain bad. The problem with “Suicide Squad” is the muddled plot. What am I thinking…there was no plot. The movie just rambles. The characters are not fully developed. This leaves you to guess. I did not go to see “Suicide Squad” to guess. There are some humorous moments, but not enough to sink $17 dollars into a ticket.

This is the second time this year we have been treated to a DC Comic on the big screen. The March 2016 Batman vs. Superman was bad enough.

I am giving the movie 2 stars because of the strong cast. Margot Robbie was awesome. Otherwise the movie would get no stars from me.

“Suicide Squad” is best viewed on Cable or Blue-Ray. On second thought just Cable.

This is a 2 Star Movie!

Jason Bourne: The IMAX Experience

Jason Bourne is Back!!

The 2012 “Bourne Legacy” was not received very well, so it’s great that Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips) and Matt Damon came back to the Franchise that they together made great!

This installment finds Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) on a serious fact finding mission to get to the bottom of why he is who he is and how did he get there. Jason continues to have haunting memories of events past. He tries to put things together with the help of Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles). When the CIA receives an alert that their system has been breached and files are being copied, Director Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) calls on all of his available field assets to track down and stop the breach. This leads them to Greece where Jason Bourne just happens to be. The story unfolds from there…

“Jason Bourne” dos a good job of tying in events from “The Bourne Identity”, “The Bourne Supremacy” and “The Bourne Ultimatum”. While we live in a world where CGI is used a lot in movies, this is NOT the case with “Jason Bourne”. All of the scenes are real and the action is live and intense. The camera angles are awesome! The signature car chase is there. It’s good but not as good as the car chase that occurred thru Germany in “The Bourne Supremacy”.

The paid critics complained that “Jason Bourne” was more of the same, well that’s what we want. I say do not pay the paid critics any attention. “Jason Bourne” is good and I am very happy to see Matt Damon back in the role. The door was left open at the end.

“Jason Bourne” should be viewed in IMAX. Do you want to see Jason Bourne? Or do you want to ride with Jason Bourne thru the streets of Las Vegas?

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!

Star Trek Beyond: The IMAX 3D Experience

This is another Edition of “Thursday Night at the Movies with The Movie Warrior”

The Star Ship Enterprise is back!

Captain Kirk and his crew go out on what they believe is a rescue mission. They take in a supposed survivor from a wrecked ship. When the Enterprise heads to the planet where they believe they will be rescuing people, instead as they approach this unknown planet, the Enterprise is severely attacked.

Captain Kirk and his crew are forced to abandon ship. The Enterprise crash lands and the crew is scattered round this strange planet. Some of the crew are captured, others wonder looking for the others. The story unfolds from there…

“Star Trek Beyond” is full of suspense and intrigue. There is lots of Sci-Fi action and mayhem. The movie is visually entertaining and will satisfy any Star Trek fan. Although this is not your Father’s Star Trek, the Enterprise crew goes “Old School” to fight this unknown enemy. There is some cool throw-back special effects that are used from the old Star Trek TV Shows.

The original Dr Spock (Leonard Nimoy) was given a great send off, since he passed away last year. This movie closes that door to some extent.

Do you want to just see the movie? Or do you want to feel like you are riding on the Star Ship Enterprise? “Star Trek Beyond” is a must see in IMAX. The 3D aspects were not that great.

“Star Trek Beyond” is a “Bona-Fide” Summer Blockbuster that did not advertise very much.

This is 4 ½ Star Movie!

The Legend of Tarzan: The IMAX 3D Experience

“The Legend of Tarzan” was not on my original “Watch List”, but I decided to give it a look.

Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgard) became a modern man living as John Clayton III, Lord Greystoke with his lovely wife Jane (Margot Robbie). John has now been invited back to the Congo where he once called home to serve as a trade emissary of Parliament. John is unaware that he is the pawn in a crazy, deadly scheme of revenge and greed masterminded by Captain Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz). Unfortunately the people involved with Captain Leon Rom have no idea what’s in store for them when they try to take Tarzan or hurt anyone he loves. The story unfolds from there…

The story starts off painfully slow, in fact the first 40 minutes were useless. Once the story heats up and the action becomes lively, the movie becomes interesting. Samuel L. Jackson’s character does nothing more than provide comic relief. Christoph Waltz always gives his character in any movie he plays in everything he has. This installment is probably the best Tarzan movie of modern times.

There is plenty of action and lots of computer generated animals. You get that dark dank jungle locale and there are some stampeding scenes that remind me of one of the earlier Jurassic Park movies where the Dinosaurs are chasing after the Scientists.

In a lackluster summer of blockbusters thus far, Tarzan is probably the best movie ticket for the 4th of July Holiday weekend.

This is a 3 Star Movie!

Independence Day: Resurgence: The IMAX 3D Experience

Have you ever gone to the movies and while you were waiting for the movie to start, you have second thoughts…? That was my dilemma today. If I could have gotten my money back I would have left the theater. I just had my doubts about seeing this sequel.

It’s 20 years since “Independence Day” and we have taken up residence on the Moon. We have a fully operational Space Station with astronauts and scientists manning the station. Flights to the moon are routine. The current president of the United States is a Woman. A HUGH celebration is in effect honoring the fallen of 20 years ago.

On the Moon, we mistaken a friendly arrival from another planet who comes to warn Earth that an Intergalactic war is about to take place and Earth is in trouble. We fire upon the friendly ship destroying everything but its messenger. Once we find out what’s about to happen it’s too late. The Alien Ship with the “Queen” as already entered Earth’s air space. The story unfolds from there…

Bottom line…”Independence Day: Resurgence” attempts to match the same “End-Of-The-World” urgency that its predecessor did. It falls far short of even coming close.

While the movie is visually appealing and the CGI and Cinematography are stunning, the rest of the movie, story and plot are missing.

“Independence Day Resurgence” is best viewed on Cable.

This is a 1 Star Movie!