Godzilla vs. Kong

Plot Synopsis: 

When Godzilla begins acting irrationally, a team of businesspeople and scientists try to find a key to potentially defeat him, believing Kong can lead them to it. Along the way, the two giant monsters begin engaging in battle. Meanwhile, Madison (Mille Bobby Brown reprising her role from Godzilla: King of the Monsters) is trying to find out exactly why Godzilla's behavior has changed.

Positives: 

So, the first thing I really liked about this movie is the action. That is kind of the main reason people are here for this movie, so it's important to get that aspect down, which I think this movie does. The special effects are pretty good too. There aren't really any moments I can point to that look particularly off to me. I also think that, for the most part, the human characters are handled much better in this movie than they have been in previous movies in this MonsterVerse. They aren't deep or anything. But, they are played by good actors, which really helps. The new characters that are tied to Kong's story are the characters I think work the best. I also like that there's a backstory for the rivalry between Godzilla and Kong. It generally works for me. 

Mixed Aspects:

I kind of have mixed feelings about the humor used in the movie. Some of it worked and actually felt pretty natural for me. But, some of the humor also felt really forced, and I just kind of had to shrug it off. While I really liked the action in the movie, there were points where I was worried I wasn't going to get enough of it. Thankfully, the climax kind of rectifies that for me. 

Negatives: 

When I was watching this movie, I kind of wondered if this would have benefitted from an extra movie in this universe. It kind of felt like we skipped a lot involving Kong. I don't know. Maybe we should have had one more Kong movie before this one. It's not a huge negative on my part. It also doesn't help that all of our new characters are pretty much given an exposition dump to introduce them.

Final Thoughts:

This is definitely a movie where the things I like really shine through, and flaws aren't huge. The most important takeaway I had from this movie was that it was fun. It's currently on HBO Max, so I do recommend it. 

My Rating:

Pretty Good

Zack Snyder's Justice League

Basic Introduction: 

I want to take a different approach to reviewing this movie, and it's something I want to apply to the reviews I write going forward. There will be a lot of comparison to the theatrical cut of Justice League from 2017. It's just kind of hard to avoid.  

What I Liked: 

First off, Zack Snyder's Justice League feels so much more fleshed out than the theatrical cut. The core cast gets a lot more to do. Looking back at the theatrical cut of the movie from 2017, I have to wonder why they cut all but the bare bones of Cyborg's backstory. Here, he doesn't feel like an afterthought. He feels like a character. The same can also be said of the movie's main villain, Steppenwolf. In the theatrical cut, he was just a generic villain who just wanted to rule the world. In this version, he has a clear master in Darkseid, and is working to get himself back in Darkseid's good graces. Already, the movie's main heavy has a backstory. He has a motivation. While he won't go down as one of my all time favorite villains, this movie offers him a much needed redemption. This movie's also pretty well paced. It was four hours long, and I was glued to all four hours of it. It moved at a pretty solid pace. There were plenty of moments I remembered liking from the theatrical cut, that just feel like they are improved upon here. I should also say that a lot of the fan service worked for me as well. It didn't reach a point for me where it felt too distracting, especially when it easily could have. Finally, the Snyder cut had something I feel was sorely missing from the 2017 version, a soul. This felt like a director's creative vision and a story he wanted to tell from the beginning, especially when compared to the theatrical cut (which I think can best be described as the cliff notes version of this movie). 

What I Didn't Like: 

So, my complaints are pretty minor, all things considered. But, I do still have some issues with this version of the movie. First off, there were a couple of lines here and there that I would have bet money Joss Whedon wrote when trying to give the film more humor, but they exist Zack Snyder's version, namely the line: "I am a black hole of snacks. I am a snack hole." Some of the CGI can look a little janky, though I can't harp on that too much because I think it's kind of amazing we even got this director's cut at all. Finally, let's address the elephant in the room: Amber Heard. Yes, I have my thoughts on her whole situation, and I am not a fan of who she is as a person. That is not why I'm talking about her in this section. I am talking about her in this section of my review because she was just bad in the movie. Fortunately, she's not in it very much. 

Final Thoughts: 

So yeah, I really liked Zack Snyder's Justice League. It got a much more emotional response out of me than the theatrical cut did. This version is on HBO Max, and is broken up into parts. If you have HBO Max, and you haven't already watched this, then just know I do have to recommend it.   

My Rating: 

Awesome

Artemis Fowl

 

"I'm Artemis Fowl, and I'm a criminal mastermind." I wanted to highlight this line from near the end of this movie. I want to highlight it because none of Artemis Fowl's actions really make this line feel earned. There were a lot of other things in this movie, very few of them being good. For example, the special effects are shoddy, at best. I have no idea what kind of performances Josh Gad and Judi Dench were giving. The action felt small scale. There were only a couple of locations in this movie, mainly Artemis's house. The villain has no dimension to her. She feels like a complete afterthought (probably because Artemis Fowl himself is the main antagonist of the book). The one character I actually did enjoy was the Holly Short character. She had a backstory that actually helped you to understand her drive, her motivations. The pacing is quite poor too. I feel like a lot of the film's plot beats are rushed, just so this movie can fit into an hour and a half time frame. Overall, there was very little about Artemis Fowl that worked for me, and I could honestly see why Disney dumped this onto their streaming service rather than delay its theatrical release. If you do happen to come across this movie on Disney+, just go ahead and skip it. 

2 / 10   

Freaky

Freaky is about a bullied teenage girl (played by Kathryn Newton) who swaps bodies with a serial killer (played by Vince Vaughn). The movie is co-written and directed by Christopher Landon, who also wrote and directed the Happy Death Day movies. One of the first things about this movie I loved is that it takes that extra step and goes for the R rating. The kills are nice and gory. Of course, the two leads are really what make this movie work for me, especially Vince Vaughn. It is so entertaining to see him act like a teenage girl. I do think the movie does a solid job of mixing the horror and the comedy, even if I won't go so far as to say it's done particularly great. My one real issue with the movie is that I don't think it does the best job in terms of family dynamics. It seems like that's what Landon was going for. However, our protagonist spends more time with her friends than her own family. However, the other part of this movie is the protagonist learning to come out of her shell a little bit more, and come to terms with needing to speak up for herself. I actually think that part of the movie works pretty well. Overall, Freaky has some bumps here and there, but the overall result is fun little slasher comedy.

8 / 10  

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

In the third movie in the Indiana Jones franchise, Indy goes on a quest to find both the holy grail and his missing father. First of all, I love the chemistry between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery. Despite the two only having a twelve year age gap between them, they have a pretty believable father and son dynamic. It's honestly a big part as to why this is my favorite of the Indiana Jones movies. I also quite like the Elsa character. It's really the only time in this franchise where the love interest was also one of the villains. I also think it helped make her a little more memorable than the movie's primary villain. He's not bad. He just doesn't stand out to me as much some of the other antagonists in the franchise. As usual, the action set pieces are also a ton of fun. My personal favorite is the scene in Venice. Sure, this movie may be a bit more lighthearted than the second movie. However, I actually believe that is a point in this film's favor. Overall, I adore this film. The acting, the action, and the writing are all in top form. It really is the relationship between Indy and his father that serves as the heart of the movie for me. 

9 / 10 

Gremlins 2: The New Batch

Gremlins 2 is pretty bonkers. The movie takes place a few years after the events of the first film. Billy has a new job in New York, and is in a committed relationship with his girl Kate. Billy also reunites with Gizmo after the mogwai's home is destroyed. Of course, things go awry and the gremlins wreak havoc on the skyscraper. This movie is just a ton of fun. It has some pretty damn entertaining meta jokes, including a moment where the movie flat out stops until Hulk Hogan threatens the gremlins. It is a bit more light-hearted because Joe Dante wanted the movie to be a different animal from the first movie. The cast is a lot of fun too. Aside from the returning cast members, we also have Christopher Lee in a small role. The movie's biggest flaw is that the horror elements are probably toned down a bit too much. If you're not into movies that are willing to go to really weird places, this probably is not the movie for you. If you do like some of those kinds of movies, then I would definitely recommend checking out this movie. 

7 / 10  

Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare

Can one truly call Freddy’s Dead a good movie in any sense of the word good? No. Yet, I have something of a soft spot for this flick. I can’t entirely put my finger on what it is. It isn’t a movie I have childhood nostalgia for. I was in my mid to late teens when I watched it for the first time. I really think Robert Englund is in top form as Freddy, as per usual, even if he was a bit too comedic. For the most part, I did also find the kills to pretty creative, something I would expect out of a Nightmare on Elm Street movie. I think the main issue with this film is that it’s a whole new cast of characters taking Freddy down. It isn’t really a plot point that had been established in previous films. And yes, I do think that’s a pretty major problem with this movie. However, I actually do like the new characters we spend time for the most part. Kind of adding to that point a little bit, I do get that Freddy was the star of the show at this point. But, having completely new people be the ones to kill him for good almost makes his death feel a little empty. The special effects can be pretty laughably bad too, especially the dream people. The last ten to fifteen minutes incorporate 3-D, and it really comes off as an afterthought. So, yes, Freddy’s Dead is a legitimately bad movie with a ton of problems that are pretty tough to ignore. But, I do see this as a personal guilty pleasure, and an enjoyably bad movie to watch around Halloween. I know I’m in the minority, but I don’t really care.  

6 / 10

Hocus Pocus

Three witches (played by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker) find themselves resurrected three hundred years after their deaths, and they begin to wreak havoc on modern (circa 1993) Salem, Massachusetts. A couple of kids are the only ones who can stop them. This movie is just some good, dumb fun. It's probably better if this is a movie you have some form of nostalgia for. To give an example, I can easily recognize that some of the fish out of water humor with the witches can be inconsistent. Yet, this is something that has never really bothered me too much. The absolute best thing about the movie is the acting from Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker. These women are clearly having a ball. That's not to say the rest of the cast is bad. For example, I actually do enjoy Thora Birch as the little sister of the main protagonist. She does a pretty damn good job as the annoying, bratty little sister. It helps that she's just sympathetic enough that she can still be likable. In short, she actually feels like a kid to me. Some of the visual effects haven't entirely held up, but they don't look awful either. In short, this movie is just a fun little watch around Halloween, especially if you're looking for something to show to kids. 

6 / 10 

A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting

Teenager Kelly Ferguson has to find her charge when he is kidnapped by a monster on Halloween. This is a movie I could easily see kids getting a kick out of. There are some moments that I think work well enough to creep younger audiences out a little bit. Looking at this movie as an adult, I saw mostly as a fun little Halloween watch, nothing more. The best part of this movie is easily Tom Felton as the main villain. The man just seems like he is having a ton of fun. I do think there is something of an 80s vibe to it. There is some stuff in this movie I thought was actually pretty imaginative. I will say that the main character is just okay as a character. I actually think one of the supporting players would have worked better as the lead. She has a more interesting backstory, and a better tie to the main villain. The CGI isn't really anything special. I did find it to be less distracting as the film went on. Overall, I think this movie had just enough imagination to keep me interested while I watched. I also could see this being a decent gateway movie for younger kids trying to get into horror. 

7 / 10 

Fantasy Island

Where do I begin? Hm. This was written and directed by the same people behind 2018's Truth or Dare. I think that should speak to this movie's overall quality. For much of the running time, this felt like it was going to be nothing more than a generic horror movie put out by the Blumhouse machine. However, the last twenty minutes actually gave me exactly what I wanted. This is a movie that offers up a couple of different twists. Neither of them really work. The first one feels like it was kind of just made up on the spot. The other is so indescribable that I just sort of screamed "What!?" when the credits started to roll. Naturally, I won't give spoilers. I will say that I actually do think the cast works well enough. Michael Rooker is probably my favorite part of the movie, and there honestly wasn't enough of him. A lot of the dialogue is laughably dated. One of the lines in this 2020 movie is two characters sharing the line "YOLO," something that hasn't been said unironically since probably 2013. If the whole movie was more like the climax, I probably would have recommended this as a fun kind of bad movie. Judging the movie as a whole, It's mostly just generic, and really not worth your time.

2 / 10    

Secret Society of Second-Born Royals

Secret Society of Second-Born Royals follows a group of younger siblings of royals as they discover they have superpowers. I literally just watched this movie on Disney+ because it was there. The movie was alright. The acting was decent enough. Or, at least, it worked for this movie. This has something of a Disney Channel Original Movie feel. I should say that, in this case, it's not a terrible thing. I will also say that the characters worked well enough for me too. There actually was an attempt to give some of them genuine depth, especially the main protagonist, and her relationship with her older sister. Okay, it's not a ton of depth, but it's honestly more than I would have expected. The special effects in the movie are awful, worse than a movie like this probably should have. I was glad it was never too distracting, but they were bad enough that it was noticeable. Overall, I thought this movie was just okay. I watched it once out of pure curiosity, and don't really feel a need to ever watch it again. They do set up for a potential sequel, and the idea is interesting enough, I guess I'd be curious to see where it goes, and if it improves. But, yeah, this was a one-and-done movie for me.     

6 / 10   

Scoob!

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Scoob! is an animated reboot of the theatrical Scooby-Doo franchise. Scooby and Shaggy must team up with the Blue Falcon and Dyno-Mutt when Scooby finds himself in the crosshairs of the villainous Dick Dastardly. Let's start with the negatives. First, the mystery aspect of the movie is inconsequential. It isn't the main focus of the movie, which is a bit odd because this is a Scooby-Doo movie. Second, I didn't love Will Forte as Shaggy. He's not bad. It just feels odd to me when Matthew Lillard has been the official of the character since 2009. Third, I don't necessarily think the movie always knew what to do with Fred, Daphne, and Velma beyond having them in the movie. I wanted to get those out of the way because I legitimately really liked this movie. Now that I've seen it a couple of times, there are things I didn't notice on my first viewing. For the most part, I really loved the voice cast. My personal favorites were Jason Isaacs as Dick Dastardly and Mark Wahlberg as the Blue Falcon. I genuinely loved a lot of the film's writing as well. There are some great jokes that poke fun at the Scooby-Doo lore. The movie does serve as something of a set up for a larger Hanna-Barbera universe. This is something that isn't going to work for everybody. Personally, I kind of like the idea, and I have seen attempts at doing this that are much worse by comparison. So, yeah. I really did enjoy this movie quite a bit. It's not going to go down as one of my favorites of the year. But, I don't think it needs to. The movie does its job. That's about all I can say on the matter.

7 / 10 

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

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It amazes me to watch this movie nearly 20 years later, and see just how well it holds up. I should start with my negatives with the movie because they are really just minor nitpicks. Some of the action felt a little bit choppy to me, and wasn't always the easiest for me to make out. Some of the choppy slow motion was also a little bit odd to me. Yep, that's about it for negatives for me. Everything just worked for me. The actors all felt perfectly suited to their respective roles. After nearly 20 years, the visuals are still incredible. In fact, I think a lot of the special effects look better than some movies that have only come out in the past couple of years. For the most part, I do think this movie stands on its own, which is not always the case. This movie does a great job building the world its characters inhabit. I also love the little teases to the greater lore of Middle-Earth that I really understand better as I have grown older. The characters feel so rich, even some of the smaller characters where I may not know a lot about them, but would love to know and learn more. Overall, there were a couple of editing and filmmaking choices that did feel a touch dated to me. However, everything else about the film still holds up from the perspective of 2020. I have always been a fan of these movies, and have never really gotten much of a chance to talk about them. 

9 / 10 

Jumanji: The Next Level

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Jumanji: The Next Level is one of those movies that came out last year that I missed. Well, I rented it on demand a couple days ago, and got a chance to watch it. After the events of the previous movie, Spencer (played again by Alex Wolff) has recovered the game, and has been attempting to repair it. His friends find out, and enter the game themselves. However, the game is still broken and pulls Spencer's grandpa Eddie (played by Danny Devito) and Eddie's former friend and business partner Milo (played by Danny Glover) into the game as well. One of my favorite aspects of this film is seeing the actors who played avatars in the previous film show off different personality traits. The action is still pretty fun, and the cast's chemistry is still really strong. The movie also has a similar flaw to the previous film in its antagonist. The villain this time around is still pretty weak. I like Rory McCann as an actor, but he feels underutilized. I would have to say that I think Jumanji: The Next Level is about on par with the previous film. It's a fun time that's worth a watch. It's not amazing, but it's some solid popcorn fun.

7 / 10 

Onward

I should preface this by saying: I saw this movie at the beginning of March, before things went crazy. I've had this review ready to go for awhile, and I just haven't been able to post it until now. 

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Onward is the latest film from Pixar. The movie takes place in a fantasy world where magic used to exist. The fantasy creatures that inhabit the world invented technology and simply use that because it’s easier than magic. Brothers Ian and Barley (voiced by Tom Holland and Chris Pratt respectively) find a a spell gifted to them by their long-dead father for them to see him for one more day. I love the world this movie sets up because it’s something I would have have never thought of, or considered. The humor really works well for me. One of my favorite things about the film is the biker gang made up entirely of pixies with anger issues. I also kind of love the idea of a centaur being so lazy he just kind of uses a car to drive everywhere. Because this is a Pixar movie, you also get those emotional moments, and those work really well. They are used effectively to help build the characters. In some respects, I didn’t necessarily see all of them coming. They work in the context of the story. The road trip and quest stories aren’t really anything new, I will admit. That said, for the story this movie presents, it works pretty well. I love the voice cast too. Naturally, Chris Pratt and Tom Holland are reliable in their roles. I also kind of love Octavia Spencer in the role of the manticore. The manticore is a pretty enjoyable character in and of herself. She used to be an adventurer, but gave it up to run a restaurant. Overall, the story might be somewhat familiar, but I don’t think it really matters that much in the case of Onward.

9 / 10 

Dolittle

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Dolittle stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Doctor Dolittle. He has to go on a journey to find something when the queen of England falls gravely ill because his home/animal sanctuary is on the line. Formulating my thoughts is surprisingly difficult. However, I will do my best. I don’t like this movie, but I was honestly expecting it to be much, much worse. Nothing about this movie made me outright angry. I just think it was too bland and uninteresting for that. I should note that I didn’t really think any of the acting was up to par. Even the usually reliable Robert Downey, Jr. wasn’t very good. The plot is weird to me. It feels like it’s trying to jump from plot point to plot point, and I just don’t care about any of it. It’s honestly pretty predictable as well. As soon as Michael Sheen shows up, I know he’s going to be the villain. A lot of the humor feels kind of out of place. OK, I don’t really have any more to say. Dolittle is bad in a bland way, despite a pretty bonkers ending. I don’t recommend it, and I think that’s that. 

4 / 10