Category: Adventure

Pacific Rim Uprising in 3D

It’s been 5 years since the 2013 Pacific Rim installment although the movie plays it as if it’s been 10 years.

Jake Pentecost (John Boyega) the son of the legendary Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba) who gave his life in the first installment to save humanity from the monstrous “Kaiju” must find a way to move away from the criminal element after abandoning his Jaeger Pilot training.

A worst threat to humanity is about to make it’s self-known and Jake’s skills as well as current Jaeger Pilot Cadets in training must get ready to fight the battle of their lives. The story unfolds from there…

This is a classic case of the second installment is not as good as the first. There is action, special effects and some cool cinematography, but the back story to setup this installment is weak. It appears that the movie just wants to get to the dueling robots instead of providing an appropriate lead-in. The movie running time seemed longer than 111 minutes. John Boyega is the highlight of the movie.

“Pacific Rim Uprising” is a perfect movie for the “Bad Movie Club”. 😊

Wait for it to come out on DVD, Cable or Blue Ray.

This is a 2 Star Movie!

Tomb Raider (2018) In Real 3D

This re-booted version of Tomb Raider does not have the “WOW” factor that was present when Angelina Jolie starred in this adventure back in 2001.

Lara Croft (Alicia Vikander) must come to terms with the loss of her father. He has been missing for the past seven years. He is believed to be dead, but Lara won’t give up. Although Lara Croft is an heiress, she lives like a pauper, working as a bike courier, barely able to make ends meet.

After a meeting with the Croft legal-council, Lara discovers some cryptic messages inside a puzzle chamber. This leads to her father’s crypt where she finds a video recording of her father. The messages and the video lead Lara to follow what she believes is a lead to where her father may have last been. The wild adventures starts from there…

There is plenty of action, special effects and intrigue, but not enough entertainment to keep you on the edge of your seat. The story lacks foundation.

If you are a fan of the video game, you would be better suited playing the game or even watching the installments that were done by Angelina Jolie.

This is a 2 Star Movie!!

Death Wish (2018)

Bruce Willis is Dr. Paul Kersey. Dr. Kersey has a great life, he is a surgeon at a Chicago Hospital; Paul has a lovely wife and a daughter who has just been accepted to a New York University. Life is good!!

Dr. Kersey was called back to the hospital on the evening he had planned to celebrate his Birthday with his family, unbeknownst to the Kersey family a band of burglars had staked out their home for an invasion. The burglars broke in and a scuffle took place. Mother and daughter were both shot. When Dr. Kersey finds out what happened, he eventually puts a plan in place to deliver his own kind of justice and revenge. The story unfolds from there…

Charles Bronson will always be the best at the Death Wish movies, but this version with Bruce Willis is not bad!! There isn’t much in the way of new ground being covered, but the movie is still entertaining. You will find yourself rooting for the “Grim Reaper” Character that Dr. Kersey becomes.

There is plenty of suspense, action and intrigue. There is even some comic relief. My husband even found the movie enjoyable!!
Despite what the paid critics think, I say that this new installment of “Death Wish” is worth a look!

This is a 3 Star Movie!

Red Sparrow

“Red Sparrow” is a compilation of the following movies…””Black Swan”, “Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy”, “Atomic Blonde” and “Bridge of Spies”.

If you take something from each of those movies and put it all together, you get “Red Sparrow”.

Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence) wears many hats, she takes care of her crippled mother, is the principal dancer in the Russian Ballet and a master seductress and manipulator. A terrible accident befalls Dominika during a ballet performance. This accident ends her ballet career. Dominika is forced to seek other ways to provide for her mother. Dominika is invited to join the Sparrow School, a new Intelligence service that trains exceptional young people like her to use their minds and bodies as weapons. The fun really begins after Dominika emerges from the insane training. The story unfolds from there…

“Red Sparrow” is not “Fresh”. There are parts of this movie that have been seen before in other movies. The movie is suspenseful and intriguing. The casting of Jennifer Lawrence was spot on, but unfortunately the movie is boring at times and it drags. The running time is advertised as 2 hours and nineteen minutes, but it felt like 3 hours and nineteen minutes.

If you are a fan of Jennifer Lawrence, “Red Sparrow” is worth a look. It’s definitely better than her last movie “Mother!”

This is a 3 Star Movie!

12 Strong

Actors Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”) is Captain Mitch Nelson and Oscar nominee Michael Shannon (“Revolutionary Road” and “Nocturnal Animals”) is Hal Spencer lead the charge of a group of soldiers who’s acts of heroism highlight what “12 Strong” is about.

Based on the best-selling book Horse Soldiers, “12 Strong” is a powerful war drama that highlights the true events that unfold in the aftermath of 9/11.

Awesome story of sacrifice and bravery. “12 Strong” tells a sharp, heroic story. These men just go and get it done. “12 Strong” is one of the better war movies that has opened in recent years. “12 Strong” is worth a look.

This is a 3 Star Movie!

Den of Thieves

The Los Angeles Branch of the Federal Reserve takes roughly $120 million dollars out of circulation and destroys it every day. There is an elite band of bank robbers who believe they can pull of the ultimate heist and get the money before it’s destroyed, but they will have to do it under the noses of LA’s most elite Law enforcement group. The story unfolds from there…

“Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave When We are Trying to Deceive.” That about sums up “A Den of Thieves”. With the exception of a few dead spots the movie is entertaining, full of suspense, action and intrigue. There are a few surprise twists and turns also.

The paid critics were “Luke-Warm” about “Den of Thieves”, but I thought it was pretty good. It’s an enjoyable “Heist Drama”.

If you enjoyed the 1995 movie “Heat”, I say throw caution to the wind and check out “Den of Thieves”.

This is a 3 Star Movie!

Proud Mary

I had high hopes for “Proud Mary” I believe it’s going to be a Franchise for Taraji P. Henson. She deserves better because if this is the first installment there is nowhere to go, but up.

Taraji P. Henson is Mary a professional hit woman who works for a Major Crime family in the Boston area. Mary’s life becomes even more complicated when she meets a young boy when a professional hit goes all wrong. The story unfolds from there…

“Proud Mary” does not set the stage or provide any foundation for the story so that you will understand the character.

I find Taraji P. Henson’s talent wasted on this vehicle. She deserves better. The movie is choppy and lacks depth. The end is abrupt and does not close any open gaps.

This is a 2 Star Movie!

Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi in 3D

“Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi” continues the saga from The Force Awakens as those heroes join the galactic legends in what turns out to be an EPIC adventure. Age-old mysteries of the Force and un-told/unfinished stories from the past are unlocked. The story unfolds from there…

If you are a “Die-Hard” Star Wars fan, you will love “Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi”.

The movie is EPIC in its delivery and covers a lot of ground. There is plenty of thrilling action, super-cool special effects and breath-taking cinematography.

There are a lot of twists and turns which helps to keep a long-running (2:32) movie interesting.

A bit more of the “Dark-side” surfaces in this installment. This is the middle installment of a Trilogy. The door is open and set for the third installment. Mark Hamill does an excellent job paving the way for the new younger “Skywalkers” to come.

This is a 4 1/2 Star Movie!

Justice League in Real 3D

Out of the gate this is NOT one of the DC Universe’s best outings.

There is a new rising threat to humanity. Batman (Bruce Wayne) works with Wonder Woman (Diana Prince) so that they can find and assemble a team of meta-humans to stand and protect against this new rising threat.
Unfortunately the task is not easy. Even though a league of superheroes (Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash) has formed, it may not be enough to battle the new threat. The story unfolds from there…

Superhero Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) is the best element of the film. In this first outing I find the movie a bit lacking. The Justice League members are a bit disassembled in this first installment. The director (Patty Jenkins) for Wonder Woman was definitely missed. The story drags and is missing some foundation and there is too much CGI.

However I did find the cinematography and 3D aspects to be good. There was lots of action, but that too was sort of chaotic.

Hopefully the DC Universe will go back to the drawing board and clean this up before the next installment. I still prefer Christian Bale as Batman, but alas I found out that he does not want to play that role anymore. Earlier this year Wonder Woman set the bar high and it’s still the best film that came from the DC Universe in 2017.

This is a 2½ Star Movie!