Category: Fantasy

Wicked for Good in AMC Dolby

Wicked for Good in AMC Dolby

This final installment is darker and gloomier than its predecessor and a lot less dazzling, but that does not diminish the movie.

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo still dazzle.

This installment finds the Wicked Witch, Elphaba living in exile, hidden within the Ozian forest while continuing her fight for freedom of the silenced animals and desperately trying to expose the truth that she knows about the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum).

Meanwhile Glinda has become the glamorous symbol of all things good for the Land of Oz. She lives at the Palace in Emerald City and revels in the perks of fame and popularity. Madame Morrible deploys Glinda to serve as an effervescent comfort to Oz. Reassuring the masses that all is right with the World, but is it really… The Story unfolds from there…

It’s a good story; the music, costumes and set designs are breath-taking at times. The cinematography is on point. If you saw the first installment, then you do not want to miss the finale.

This is a 4 Star Movie!!

The Fantastic Four: First Steps in IMAX

The Fantastic Four: First Steps in IMAX

It’s been 10 years since the last attempt to bring the Fantastic Four to the big screen. You know the saying “Third Times a Charm”. Well, this is the third time since 2005 that there has been a Fantastic Four movie and YES!! This one is a Charm.

The movie back drop is set in the early 1960’s. It’s very retro-futuristic and cool. 

This installment introduces the “The First Family” Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch and The Thing. The team finds themselves trying to balance family, life and also protecting Earth. They are called upon to save the Planet from a Ravenous Space God known as Galactus and his enigmatic Herald the Silver Surfer. If Galactus’s plan to gobble up the entire planet and everyone on it isn’t enough, it suddenly gets very personal. The story unfolds from there…

The movie contains tons of action, suspense, intrigue and fantastic cinematography. There is also a fair amount of special effects, but they are tastefully executed. The IMAX Aspects are on Point!!

There are very few dead spots. The movie will keep you engaged.

I love the chemistry between the cast. I look forward to another installment. I hope it does not take another 10 years before there is another one.

Fantastic Four First Steps is worth a look!!

This is a 4 Star Movie!!

Disney’s Snow White in AMC Dolby

Disney’s Snow White in AMC Dolby

This is the third of potentially 4 Movie Reviews that I will post before March 31st.

Disney comes to us with another Live-Action/Musical Production of their classic film from 1937, Snow White.

This Live Action / Musical Version of the Classic is not as bad as the paid critics stated. The movie is a bit flat in some areas and some of the characters seem a bit flat and not as engaging or entertaining as you would expect in a movie like Snow White. The best character in the movie is Snow White who is played by Rachel Zegler, The Seven Dwarfs were cute and funny. I wanted to see the movie because Actress Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) plays the Evil Queen. I really like her as an actress and was excited to learn she was in the movie. I felt she was a bit flat in her role. I was hoping for a bit more from her.

The cinematography and special effects were very nice. The Costumes were definitely on point.

For Die-Hard Disney Fans this Rendition of “Snow White” is worth a look. Otherwise, you can wait for it to come out in Pay-Per-View or Stream it.

This is a 3 Star Movie!!

Captain America: Brave New World in IMAX

Captain America: Brave New World in IMAX

Anthony Mackie returns as the high-flying hero Sam Wilson who officially takes the mantle of Captain America and runs with it.

It’s a new day and a new President of the United States has been elected.

Captain America meets with the newly elected President, Thaddeus Ross. After the meeting, Sam finds himself in the middle of an International Incident. He must find out what the reason behind this nefarious global plot is before substantial lives are lost and the mastermind behind the plot has everyone seeing RED. The story unfolds from there…

This installment starts off ok, but then somewhere in the middle it tanks badly. I feel this is because of the lack of backstory related to the supposed plot. The story pieces don’t come together until close to the end.

You will be dazzled by the action, special effects and the cinematography. This Captain America has more artillery at his disposal along with a handsome sidekick.

The door was left open and there will be more installments with this new Captain America. This installment is a catalyst for the Hulk. I feel that Anthony Mackie did an excellent job with what was given to him. He is as adept with words as he is with his fists.

The IMAX Aspects are very good as well.

If you are a Marvel Universe Fan, then by all means do see “Captain America: Brave New World”

This is a 3 ½ Star Movie!!

Wicked in IMAX

Wicked in IMAX

“Wicked” is the long running highly successful Broadway Musical that has come to the Big Screen. 

“Wicked” is about the Witches of Oz before the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and Toto. 

The story is told in grand fashion. The main characters are complex frenemies, but Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo do such a fantastic job of lighting up the big screen. You will find yourself wanting to be in Oz.

The props and costumes are to ‘Die For”. The execution of the movie is brilliant. There are no lapses or gaps. It’s just non-stop music, movement, song and story.  

There are some extremely elaborate sets. Some of the views are breath-taking. The IMAX aspects are on point. You will feel like you are in Oz.

This is just Part 1. The movie does well to remind us that this is a continuing saga. How will it all end? Have to wait for the next installment to find out. Cynthia Erivo’s performance will probably earn her an Oscar nomination.

“Wicked” is worth a look.

This is a 5 Star Movie!!

Transformers One in AMC Dolby

Transformers One in AMC Dolby

Have you ever wondered how Optimus Prime came to be? Or what about Bumblebee and Megatron? Well…Transformers One is the Back Story on how the “Auto Bots” were born and Optimus Prime and Megatron became sworn enemies. Granted its 17 years late, but you know what they say… “Better Late Than Never!!”

The movie is executed very well. Lots of information, the story flows and you get the full picture. There is plenty of action, tons of special effects and really nice cinematography. The movie dramatically satisfies any curiosity regarding the history of the Transformers and Auto Bots. This is a fully animated installment which is interesting since none of the other installments were. I love the fact that there was a great cast lending their voices to this project.

If you are a Transformers Fan, “Transformers One” should not be missed.

This is a 5 Star Movie!!

Inside Out 2 in AMC Dolby

Inside Out 2 in AMC Dolby

“Inside Out 2” is as brilliantly executed as its predecessor, the 2015 installment “Inside Out”. Continuing the rollercoaster ride of life, dealing with emotions.  

This installment finds Riley playing Ice Hockey. Her team wins and the 3 best players (Riley and 2 friends) are invited to attend an Ice Hockey Camp. At the camp things get messy. Riley meets some more sophisticated girls who try to entice her to join their squad, thus leaving her 2 friends to join a different squad. Riley is conflicted, but goes along. The story unfolds from there…  

All possible emotions play a role in this installment. Anxiety, Frustration, Anger, Happiness, Joy, Disgust, Fear, Sadness, Envy and Embarrassment. 

At one point Joy and Happiness are lost. Riley has to go through the complete range of emotions before Joy and Happiness returns once again.

“Inside Out 2” may be an animated movie, but there is a message for everyone young and old. 

The movie is cute, funny, thought provoking, meaningful and at times sad. The movie explores “Puberty” we have all had to go through “Puberty” in some form or another. Above all the movie is heart-warming.

Check out “Inside Out 2”.

This is a 5 Star Movie!!

Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom in IMAX

Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom in IMAX

Happy Holidays!!

I actually saw “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” on Christmas Eve. I needed to think about what I want to say about the movie, so here goes…


It’s been 5 years since the 1st Aquaman installment. In this installment we are reminded that the Black Manta failed to defeat Aquaman previously, so now he wields the power of an Ancient malevolent force that he believes is enough to take Aquaman down. Aquaman on the other hand is looking to end Black Manta’s reign of terror by forming an alliance with his brother, Orm the former King of Atlantis. Aquaman and Orm set aside their differences to join forces to try and take down the Black Manta and save their kingdom once and for all. The story unfolds from there…

The movie gets to the point in a hurry, but there is so much ground to cover that it’s a mess of scenes that are not cohesive. There were attempts of silly humor along the way that really did not make any sense. The scenes that were “Funny” probably weren’t supposed to be.

Unfortunately, this installment stopped trying and it just whimpers out. Jason Momoa does his part, but the movie does really cover any new ground. The IMAX Aspects were not worth the ticket price. This is not the worst DC Comics film, but it makes the Super Hero movie industry look floundering. I am usually excited after seeing a Super Hero episode, but after seeing this Aquaman installment, I will have to think long and hard about seeing another Super Hero movie. I wasn’t in a hurry to write my review because upon leaving the theater I was extremely disappointed. I needed to put everything in perspective before writing anything.

If you did not like the first Aquaman installment, this installment won’t win you over. If you are a DC Comics Hero Fan, then you will probably want to see this installment, so you can make your own judgement.

This is a 1 ½ Star Movie!!

The Marvels in AMC Dolby

The Marvels in AMC Dolby

I saw “The Marvels” on Friday Nov 10th, but I needed time to think about my review before I posted.

Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree Revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan, Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together with Nick Fury’s help, this unexpected trio must team-up and learn to work in together to save the Universe as “The Marvels.”

The Marvels is an at times vibrant addition to the Marvel Universe and at other times it appears to be a jumbled mess of a movie. Its chocked full of action, fantastic cinematography and well-timed special effects, but the story is disjointed. The movie does not come across as a sequel to the 2019 Captain Marvel. This causes confusion, because it’s not obvious where this installment should be in the saga. There is plenty of energy going with Captain Marvel (Brie), Ms. Marvel (Iman) and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah). The movie does have its entertaining moments.

The saving grace is that the movie is only 1 hour and 45 minutes running time. That was just long enough.

If you are a Marvel Universe Fan, then “The Marvels” should not be missed.

This is a 3 Star Movie!!

The Flash in AMC Dolby

The Flash in AMC Dolby

“The Flash” starts off with Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian… albeit not the one he’s looking for. Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry’s only hope is to race for his life. The story unfolds from there…

The first 80 minutes of the movie are slow and go. The real action doesn’t start until the movie is half over. The Dolby effects are awesome. The cinematography is very good. There was a ton of CGI used, sometimes it was a bit over kill. The story is jagged and does not have a real flow. There are too many lull spots in the first 80 minutes, but the action that ensues makes it worth the ticket.

I was surprised to see Michael Keaton as Batman. The current Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) makes an appearance, but why not bring back Linda Carter as Wonder Woman since Michael Keaton was brought back. I feel this is a casting mix match as Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman represents now and the future, where Linda Carter’s Wonder Woman represents the past just like Michael Keaton’s Batman.

This installment is a bit of Justice League, so you do get the opportunity to see a few Super Heroes in Action.

This is DC Comics not Marvel Universe. You decide for yourself.

This is a 3 Star Movie!!