Category: Action

The Expendables 3: An IMAX Experience

The Testosterone filled franchise is back!! “It’s Old Dogs, Young Dogs and New Tricks”; in this third installment.

In this installment Barney (Stallone) and the team come face to face with an enemy, Conrad Stonebanks (Gibson) they thought was long since dead. Years ago Conrad and Barney co-founded The Expendables, but some bad blood caused them to separate and Barney was forced to kill Conrad several years ago, or so he thought.

Stonebanks (Gibson) has eluded death and resurfaced and is making it his mission to get rid of “The Expendables” for good, but Barney (Stallone) has other ideas. The story unfolds from there…

The movie starts great and has a strong ending, but the middle is just a muddle of senior moments. I have to say that there are a few good comedic moments, some interesting cinematography, some eye opening stunts and questionable special effects.

I find this installment to be better than the previous one. There is lots of non-stop action and some intrigue. There are a few new faces and the on-screen chemistry is interesting. There is a new female member to the team and she is pretty cool!!

I believe that when Sylvester Stallone signed up to do this franchise there were only going to be 3, but the door appears to be open for a 4th.

Maybe if there is a 4th installment it will continue to get better.
If you are a fan of “The Expendables” franchise, this installment should not be missed.

This is a 3 Star Movie

Lucy

I am really not sure what I expected from the movie “Lucy”. There haven’t been many previews, but the ones I did see were intriguing…

“Lucy” (Scarlett Johansson) accidentally gets caught in a “dark” situation not of her own making. Circumstances present themselves and Lucy turns the tables on her captors. She is then able to transform herself into a merciless assassin that defies logic and reason. The story unfolds from there…

“Lucy” contains lots of action, suspense and intrigue. It’s also very bloody.
There is a pretty intense car chase through the streets of Paris France that will remind you of a Jason Bourne Movie. There are plenty of special effects.

The problem with “Lucy” is that you are not given any background or foundation for the events leading up to Lucy’s situation. Nothing really makes any sense. There is no plot.

“Lucy” is an ok movie, it’s not great!

This is a 2 1/2 stars movie

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes IMAX 3D

Caesar and his colony are back!

Continuing from the 2011 installment “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” there was a war brewing and the Simian flu all but wiped out most of humanity. There are some humans left. They are in San Francisco and trying to survive. Caesar wants to live peaceably, but there is dissention amongst his colony.

The people in San Francisco have no idea that there are apes living near them. It’s been determined that in order to restore power to the city a tactical team will need to travel into the deep forest to a location where a power plant and dam exist. What they don’t know is that Caeser and his colony have established a home right next to and around the power plant.

In order to get to the power plant and get the dormant dam operational, the team is going to have to deal with Caesar and his colony. One of the young apes is mistakenly shot by a human who feels threatened. This causes a bit of an up rise, but Caesar convinces the colony that the humans are not a threat and they should remain apart. The tactical team temporarily retreats, but after regrouping they return to the forest in an attempt to get to the dam. The story unfolds from there…
This is another one of those franchises that I am “Luke Warm” about. I did not care for the first two installments choosing to watch them on cable as opposed to spending money in a theater. This installment wasn’t even on my “Watch List”.

“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” is really good. There is a real story, plot and intrigue. The CGI’s are excellent. The cinematography is really good. The movie is tension filled with edge of your seat action.

“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” is a must see in IMAX, but not 3D.

This is a 4 Star movie

Transformers: Age of Extinction IMAX 3D

I have always been “Luke Warm” to the Transformer franchise. With Director Michael Bay retooling the franchise, there were high hopes that this installment would match the first installment. “Transformers: Age of Extinction” does not match the first installment, not even close, but it’s definitely better than the previous two installments.

From the last installment an epic battle between the Transformers and Decepticons left a major city torn, but with the world saved. As humanity picks up the pieces and tries to go on with life, there is a group who is trying to change the course of history, while another group attempts to exploit the use of the transformer technology to build war weapons.

Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) is a Mechanic/Scientist who stumbles upon an old worn diesel truck. He has the truck towed to his farm and after a few days of tinkering with the truck discovers the diesel truck to be an old broken down transformer. The story unfolds from there…

“Transformer: Age of Extinction” is a CGI extravaganza. There is tons of non-stop action, wild crazy special effects and eye popping cinematography. This is the best part of the movie, because the plot and story are stupid. You are not setup at the beginning properly for everything to fall in place and make sense.

Michael Bay has stated that this installment will kick off another series. If it takes this long to save earth, we are in trouble.

If you are a fan of the Transformer Franchise, then by all means do see “Transformers: Age of Extinction”. It’s a must see in IMAX, but you can skip the 3D.

This is a 2 Star movie

Edge of Tomorrow the IMAX Experience

“Edge of Tomorrow” is “Superbly Executed”

Once again Earth is under attack. This time it’s in the near future and the alien race comes calling. They strike in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. They must be stopped before they reach North America and beyond.

Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat, but he has strong ideas of how to attack and kill the alien invaders. Because of his ideas, Major Cage is unwillingly dropped into the middle of the combat action and forced into what appears to be a suicide mission. It is literally “Live, Die, Repeat” on a daily basis. It’s a time loop that keeps going. The story unfolds from there…

I am usually “Luke-Warm” about a Tom Cruise movie, but he is awesome in “Edge of Tomorrow”. This is because he doesn’t bring as much intensity to his character as he usually does. He really shows a range of emotions in this movie.
You really must pay attention. Because of the “Time Loop” you don’t want to miss a thing. This is superbly executed. The special effects, action and cinematography are great! Emily Blunt and Tom Cruise have good “on-screen” chemistry.

“Edge of Tomorrow” is a wild ride on the edge of your seat! It’s definitely a must see in IMAX. If you like “Sci-Fi” Action, this is your movie.

This is a 4 star movie.

X-Men: Days of Future Past 3D

“X-Men: Days of Future Past” is Excellent!!

The X-Men ensemble fights a war for survival across two time periods. In an attempt to change the course of history and to assure their species survives, the X-Men from the original installment must join forces with their younger selves from the past, X-Men First-Class. The story unfolds from there…

This movie has substance. It’s solid. You get time travel!! It’s very entertaining, has tons of action and is fun to watch. The cinematography and special effects are great! By far this is the best “X-Men” movie in the franchise.

This is a 4 1/2 star movie!

The Amazing Spider-Man 2: IMAX 3D

In this installment of “The Amazing Spider-Man” The Corporation known as OsCorp is the root of all problems both past and present. This is the company where Peter Parker’s Dad once worked as a renowned Scientist. The story unfolds from there…

There are lots of surprises and unexpected villains in this installment of “The Amazing Spider-Man”. This alone keeps the web slinger hustling. There is a lot of action and violence. The cinematography, visual and special effects are very good.

The problem with “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” is that it’s over the top and after while you get tired of the nonsense.

This installment also mixes Spiderman’s heroic efforts with his romantic interest. The story constantly goes back and forth.

While I think this installment is pretty good. I am Luke-warm to the entire “The Amazing Spider-Man” franchise because it’s been done before.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier The 3D IMAX Experience

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is action packed, a wild ride and very entertaining!

This installment finds Steve Rogers aka Captain America (Chris Evans) living in the Nation’s Capital trying to adjust to modern life.

There is an attack on S.H.I.E.L.D that could put the entire world at risk. Captain America joins forces with the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and an new ally the Falcon together they struggle to get to the bottom of this latest ploy before all man-kind is eliminated. They soon find out that things are not what they seem and they are up against an unexpected enemy. The story unfolds from there…

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” contains non-stop action, suspense and intrigue. There is a lot more butt kicking going on than in the previous installment. Things are not what they seem. There are plenty of twists and turns. You will be on the edge of your seat!
Don’t be too quick to exit when the credits start to roll…there is a nice lead into the next installment at the very end. This sets things up nicely for next year’s Avengers installment.

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is a MUST SEE in IMAX. It’s definitely better than the first installment.

Sabotage

“Sabotage” is Sabotage to your wallet. 😦

Breacher (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is the leader of an elite DEA task force that works at capturing the world’s most vicious drug criminals. The team successfully executes a high-stakes raid on a drug cartel safe house, they think their work is complete, but they later find out they are being accused of stealing 10 million dollars from the cartel safe house.

Each team member is thoroughly investigated but nothing was found. They are all given back their badges, guns and equipment. They go back to work, but then one by one they are mysteriously eliminated. As the body count rises, everyone is a suspect. The story unfolds from there…
The story gets off to a bad start…The plot is non-existent until you are half way through the movie. “Sabotage is “In Your Face Bloody”. It’s so bloody that I found myself turning away from the screen several times. The violence is crazy! I have to applaud the cinematography because the views you get are very grisly. Everything looks so realistic. There is plenty of suspense and some intrigue, but the story is lacking substance and depth.

“Sabotage” disappoints. It’s not as good as I had hoped it would be. It’s collateral damage in the worst way.

If you are an Arnold Schwarzenegger fan, “Sabotage” is your movie.

Divergent: The iMAX Experience

“Divergent” is not bad, but it could be better.

Image living in a world where you live in a distinct faction based on your virtues. Once a person reaches adulthood, they are tested. After testing they are given the chance to choose between 5 distinct factions in which to live out the rest of their lives. Once your choice has been made you must leave the family you grew up with. This includes your Mother, Father and any siblings.

Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) chooses her faction, but during her initiation of her chosen faction she discovers a conspiracy by a faction leader (Kate Winslet) to destroy all “Divergents”. Tris must gain an ally in her training leader who calls himself “Four”(Theo James). Together they must figure out a way to stop the Divergent faction from being destroyed. The story unfolds from there…

“Divergent” is lacking in foundation. Events are not really put in proper perspective. The main actors are great. The problem is the story and how it unfolds. The cinematography and camera angles are excellent.

The running time (2:20) of “Divergent” is a bit long for what you get.