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| It was really hard to choose which poster to use because they're all pretty awesome. But the Indominus Rex is nowhere near that big in the movie, just FYI. |
A new theme park is built on the original site of Jurassic Park. Everything is going well until the park's newest attraction--a genetically modified giant stealth killing machine--escapes containment and goes on a killing spree.
My rating: 4.5 out of 5
This movie exceeded my expectations in some ways, but was a letdown in others. I went in to it having avoided watching any TV spots or "First Look" clips online, because I wanted to see this thing in theaters and have it be as mind-glowingly awesome as I imagine the original Jurassic Park was for those lucky people who saw it for the first time in theaters.
I was well aware of the two sides on social media, though--there were those who were convinced that this was the greatest thing since sliced bread, and there were others who thought it would just be a cheap moneymaking grab with old jokes and stupid CGI.
I tried to go into it as impartial as I possibly could, but I was also SUPER excited and SUPER hopeful that it would exceed my expectations.
For the most part, I wasn't disappointed. The "Jurassic World" park looked pretty amazing (and if you haven't checked out their official website, you really should. It's awesome). The characters had more depth than I expected, and the story--which I thought was going to be pretty predictable--kept me on the edge of my seat a couple times.
I'm really glad that even though the trailers all spoiled the epic moment of Chris Pratt leading a pack of velociraptors on a motorcycle, that that scene wasn't all that met the eye. It provided some great action.
There were a lot of recycled jokes, but there were also a bunch of fun nods to the original movie. I especially loved how Dr. Wu was there, and that he addressed the biggest complaint of movie nerds--that the dinosaurs don't look like they would in real life. Overall, it didn't feel like a rehashed sequel--it felt like a unique, original story that just happened to be based in the same world as "Jurassic Park."
My biggest disappointment was in the CGI. It didn't look so bad the second time, but the first time I watched this movie I was like, "Where's the realism? Where are the animatronics? Where's the quality from the first movie we were promised??" The dinosaurs never even once looked real enough to suspend disbelief. They looked so fake. Apparently the moviemakers used animatronics, but then they CGI'd over them. Which kind of defeats the purpose.
Also, the I-Rex wasn't nearly as terrifying as I expected it to be. I mean, that T-Rex in the first movie is so realistic in its chaotic, predatory grace, that it's genuinely terrifying, even when you've seen the movie a dozen times. The I-Rex looked fake. It looked like a dozen other movie monsters. They didn't even show its full body very much, which especially reminded me of those old monster movies where they knew it would look stupid, so they just show its paw swiping someone off screen or zoom in on its feet as it chases people. It was the exact same thing here.
But I liked it. The ending can only be described as epic, if a little crazy over-the-top. I left the theater ultimately thinking, "THAT'S how a 'Jurassic Park' sequel should be done!" Here's hoping that the sequels to this sequel get even better (and make the dinosaurs look real).
Ant-Man was one of those movies that I had absolutely no expectations for. All I knew about it was that it was a Marvel movie, so it probably wouldn't be a waste of my money. Seriously. That was all I thought going into it. "It's a movie about a superhero I know nothing about, and I really can't imagine a movie about a guy who can shrink and talk to ants being spectacular, but hey, it's a Marvel movie, so it's probably good. I mean, they made me enjoy a movie about a tree and a talking raccoon, so I'm sure they'll make a movie about ants work."
And, as I'm sure you've heard from the critics already, Marvel did it again! It was an awesome movie!
Synopsis:
Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, cat burglar Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.My rating: 4.5 out of 5
I don't know why I'm taking off half a star. There's really nothing I can point to and say, "I didn't like that." I guess it's just that the movie did exceed my expectations, but it didn't exactly blow me away with its awesomeness.
That being said, I was really impressed that they made this movie work. It was action-packed, it was emotional, and it was hilarious.
I loved all the Marvel Canon Universe tie-ins (like when we get to see aging Peggy Carter and Howard Stark). But what I probably loved the most was their approach to introducing us to the Ant-Man. Instead of our main character being a science whiz who for whatever reason wants a shrinking suit, we get Scott Lang, who inadvertently inherits the technology from the original Ant-Man, Hank Pym. This means that we're thrown into the conflict very quickly, and while we do get the training montage typical of any new superhero film, he has someone there to teach him what to do the whole time and show him the possibilities right off the bat. It was pretty awesome.
And the ants! I never had a phobia of ants before (except, I guess, of being eaten alive by a swarm of army ants--that would terrify anyone), but now I actually quite appreciate them. They were as much the stars of the movie as Scott was, and the moviemakers were very creative in their application of Scott's abilities, both to communicate with the ants and to rapidly change his size.
There was a bit more language than parents might like their kids to hear, but it was otherwise very clean, and the humor was great. I especially loved how Scott would shrink down and be doing something totally dangerous and intense, only for the camera to cut back and show the real scale of things and how ridiculous it looked. It never got old.
Just as with "Guardians of the Galaxy," Marvel introduced me to a very obscure superhero that was probably really lame in the beginning, and they made me really love him. I can't wait to see where he fits into the rest of the MCU, and I hope to see him in "Captain America: Civil War," if not in "Avengers 3."
