The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

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The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part follows our heroes from the first film as they try to fight off an alien invasion, as well as the coming of "Armamageddon." Much like the first film as well as The Lego Batman Movie (I will admit that I haven’t seen The Lego Ninjago Movie), the humor is unbelievably on point. The first film seemed self aware of its status as a chosen one story, willingly following said story, and poking fun at it at the same time. The second film seems to have this self awareness towards post-apocalyptic stories, even if some of the jokes don’t really work as well this time around. I would say the best part of this movie is the film’s voice acting. Most of the cast from the first film returns, with the exceptions of Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson. Everyone in the movie is really good, and clearly invested in their roles. I do wish Will Ferrell played a little bit bigger part, though I understand why he didn’t. I also really have to compliment the film’s animation as well. At this point, I think the fact that the film’s animation is so good should go without saying. And yet, I still have to mention the animation for the purpose of look at this movie through a critical lens. At this point, I think it is worth talking about the movie’s faults because they are there. I mentioned that some of the jokes don’t work as well as they should. This leads into the main problem I have with this movie. It’s about ten minutes longer than the first film, and doesn’t feel like it’s paced quite as smoothly in some parts. A good place to start could be trimming out some of the jokes that don’t quite land as a way to trim the movie up a little bit. With all of that said, I still enjoyed The Lego Movie 2 (just not as much as I enjoyed the first film and The Lego Batman Movie). 

7 / 10 

Escape Room

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A group of strangers find themselves invited to participate in a series of increasingly immersive and increasingly dangerous escape rooms. This is a film I was actually pretty intrigued in from the beginning. The concept actually seemed really cool. The execution was…OK. I definitely didn’t hate this film, and I wasn’t really disappointed when I saw it. The actual escape rooms were genuinely unique, and I actually liked watching the characters have to try and find their ways out. The acting is solid, even if the characters themselves weren’t the greatest. I think there might have been one character I enjoyed more than the rest of them. I also have to appreciate that there was an attempt to develop our protagonists, some of them more than others, I will admit. Ultimately, these issues are a byproduct of the main issue I had with this film, the writing. As per usual with a film like this, there are attempts at levity. If anything, they mostly felt strange to me. It didn’t seem natural, so much as feeling like these characters are being forced to say certain things. The twist at the very end sets things up for a sequel, and as I write this review, I genuinely don’t know how I feel about it. There isn’t really much more for me to say. Escape Room feels best described as just good enough. It shows up and does its job. Am I curious about the sequel? Yes. Am I highly anticipating it? No. Escape Room feels like it is perfectly fine. It isn’t great. It isn’t bad. It’s somewhere in the middle. 

6 / 10 

Aladdin

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Aladdin is the newest in a long line of animated Disney movies to receive a live action remake. This may be the one I was the most curious about, as well as the most cautious. For those who may not know, the original Aladdin from 1992 is actually my favorite Disney movie, as well as one of my favorite movies of all time. So, this is a film that I think could have easily been a coin toss as to whether or not I liked it. OK, the final product is actually a movie I enjoyed. The film is legitimately well-acted, especially by Will Smith as the Genie and Naomi Scott as Jasmine. Will Smith as the Genie was something where I wasn't entirely sure how I would feel about it. Smith is one of my favorite actors, but the late, great Robin Williams is so linked to this character. I was also curious to see how Guy Ritchie did with directing this movie. In all honesty, his direction is fine. Some of weird quirks were a little distracting, and didn't feel like they added anything to the film. For the most part, I felt that the characters were in tact. However, there were two exceptions to this. Iago (voiced by Alan Tudyk) had lines here and there, but completely lacked personality. The same could be said of the Sultan (played by Navid Neghaban). I am far more likely to remember the lovable dimwit from the animated version than this version. The effects are a bit of mixed bag to me. There were points where I thought they worked well-enough, such as on the animals. On the other hand, some of the backgrounds were pretty noticeably fake. I know that my review for this movie has been pretty all over the place, but that also kind of mirrors my overall thoughts and feelings about this film. There is both a lot of good in this film and a lot of bad. Yes, I do think the good just barely outweighs the bad. It is enough for me to give this film a soft recommendation. Do I think you need to rush out and see this film? No. But, I would recommend renting it when it comes out on video.

6 / 10  

The Avengers

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Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston) arrives on Earth seeking to rule the planet (along with some other elements to his plan that are admittedly fairly muddled). Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson) responds by assembling a group of heroes for what is called the Avengers Initiative. In comparison to the Avengers films that would follow, this film almost seems quaint. That isn't a bad thing, by any means. And I really don't want to downplay the importance this film truly has had on cinema as a whole. If this wasn't the movie it was, then the Marvel Cinematic Universe might have just died with this film. The characters are almost all well-established. I will admit that Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye feels a bit underutilized (especially because he's the character that was given the least amount of actual screen time in previous films). But, there is still a lot of things about this film that still hold seven years later. The actors still give good performances, and their chemistry with one another still holds up. It also helps that I am a fan of Joss Whedon's. Most of the writing he gives this film is still smart and extremely clever, especially when it comes to the dialogue. Something Joss Whedon really seemed to understand is that these people who all very different personalities are going to clash at first. As much as I love the action in this movie, I really think the character moments are where it shines. It doesn't really matter if it's two heroes talking, or a hero and our main villain. Many of these moments actually help progress things forward, and help get the plot going. Overall, despite a couple of minor flaws that have become more noticeable with time, The Avengers is still a really good movie that deserves the recognition it has gotten from Marvel fans over the years.

9 / 10 

Captain America: The First Avenger

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Last year, I reviewed most of the Marvel movies I had missed leading up to Avengers: Infinity War. Now that Avengers: Endgame has passed, I am going to go back to review the last couple films I have left in the franchise. Captain America: The First Avenger follows the origin of Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans) as he is chosen for the super soldier project that ultimately turns him into the superhero known as Captain America. He is set on a path that puts him at odds with the villainous Red Skull (played by Hugo Weaving). One of this movie's strongest elements is the tone it takes. The movie has something of an old school 1940s pulp adventure serial. The closest comparison I could possibly make is that of the Indiana Jones films. At the same time, this almost feels like it's one of the weaker Marvel movies. That doesn't make this film bad. Part of the reason could easily be knowing some of the Marvel movies that come later. More than anything, I can see this as a stepping stone in the larger Marvel Universe. Red Skull is a solid enough villain. Hugo Weaving does everything he can with what he is given. However, I also don't mind that Red Skull isn't one of the stronger villains. For a movie like this, it makes sense that he's a bit more one-dimensional than some of the other Marvel villains. Chris Evans as Captain America really is the element that makes this movie. He is just so good at playing the wholesome patriot who would do anything to fight his country. There is a lot about The First Avenger that works exceptionally well. I've discussed the film's acting and tone. I think it should also be noted that the film has pretty solid visual effects that mostly hold up. But, the film kind of suffers from being one of the films that is just kind of lost in the shuffle. Part of the issue could be director Joe Johnston. He doesn't do a terrible job by any means, but this is one of those films that easily could have been directed by anyone. It feels like he's almost trying to capture something of a Spielberg tone. Part of the issue is, he doesn't come off as a director with a style of his own. I would say this is probably his best film overall. Captain America: The First Avenger is a film that I can best describe as being good. Not great, but good.

7 / 10 

Avengers: Endgame

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In many ways, Endgame is sort of the end of an era. It is a cliche at this point, as everyone has said this, but this is the culmination of 22 Marvel films over the last 11 years. The Avengers must reassemble to find a way to reverse what Thanos (played by Josh Brolin) has done. For the record, there is a lot more to the plot, but going any further would force me to go into spoilers. One of the most daunting tasks a film can take is that of taking a film that is three hours long, and making it engaging. For me, this film is never boring. I feel as though negatives for me are really just minor nitpicks that I can easily forgive. Even then, I can’t really go into the small issues I have because, even then, those tie into spoilers that have a greater impact. I have to appreciate the marketing of this film as well. The trailers have shown some things, but nothing that reveals major plot points. Because of this, I felt that this movie offered genuine surprises. This is the last movie for some of the people who have been key players over the last decade. The sendoffs these characters are given carry an emotional weight in the best possible way. I really think major props should go to Robert Downey, Jr. (as usual) and Jeremy Renner. Hawkeye in this film feels like a different animal. Here, he’s a man whose experiences have changed him greatly, and he gets some fantastic moments where he shines. I don’t think it’s a secret that I’ve never exactly been the biggest fan of Hawkeye. So, I loved seeing him in such a different light. The man is given an emotional arc that really serves the film well. The third act is an incredible battle that seems to help bring everything up to this point to a fitting close. At the same time, Endgame still shows signs of a potential future for things that are yet to come. 

10 / 10