My Green Lantern review

My Green Lantern review 

Intro: Come on WB if you want to compete with Marvel Studios you have to do better than this. 

Green Lantern: This movie is centered on an Air Force Pilot name Hal Jordan who's in trouble for screwing up a presentation. His day is about to get worse when he meets an alien who's a part of the Green Lantern core gives him his ring that has powers and the ring sends him to Plant Oa home of the Lantern core where he learns how to use its power. Meanwhile, a cloud-looking alien name Parallax is set free and he's heading towards Earth, so Hal has to master the ring's powers before it's too late. 

I don't think this movie is as bad as people make it out to be. The story is fine what hurts it is the way the director translates it on screen. This movie feels like it was made for kids because of how the movie was directed. The movie is also similar to Iron Man but not as good. The CGI is a mixed bag for me, sometimes it's fine and other times it made my eyes bloodshot. Speaking of CGI why did Hal Jordan's mask need to be CGI? Another thing I'm not crazy about is the Green Lantern suits because they have too much green on them. The movie did a bad job at making fear a theme, you have to do more than have characters say that word over and over again. The movie sets up plot points but doesn't focus on them. Because this movie has a lot of ground to cover, we get a lot of exposition. There is a plot hole with the Green Lantern rings that I can't get into without spoiling anything. This movie tried to do two villains but failed at it. 

Hal Jordan/Green Lantern is like Tony Stark but without the charm and punchable face. The only complaint I have with him is the writers didn't do the best job with his subplots. The things he did in the movie serve no purpose.   

Carol Ferris is Hal's childhood friend, she doesn't do much beyond being a supporting character. 

I don't have much to say about Hector Hammond because we only know three things about him. They are he's smart, has daddy issues and he envies Hal. Why he envies him I don't know. My beef with him is he could have been a better adversary if the writers rewrote him. 

Kilowog (one of the Green Lanterns) is a trainer of the new recruits. I like him because he's like his comic book counterpart as far as I know. 

Sinestro (another member of the Green Lantern Core) is a strict and ruthless leader of the Core. 

Parallax (the main villain.) is a forgettable villain, that's a shame because he does build suspects in the movie. 

Here are some good things about this movie. I'm happy that Sinestro isn't the big bad in this movie because he's the only Green Lantern villain I know about. The movie has some funny moments. I like what the movie has done on Oa as far as how it looks. This movie could have been better if Hal earns his place with the other Green Lanterns and make Hector Hammond the main villain. 

Overall, this was a missed opportunity, that's sad because I want other DC characters to shine besides Batman.    

Rating = Rental 

My Review of the X-Men films

My Review of the X-Men films

Intro: I wonder what this movie would look like if it came out in 1989. For those of you who don't know this movie was suppose to be released in 1989 but that didn’t happen because the special effects company at that time went bankrupt.

X-Men: This movie is about a political figure name Senator Kelly who wants to start a mutant restriction act, because he believes mutants are a threat to humanity because of their unnatural abilities. Meanwhile, Magneto has a plan to prevent that, but it involves harming humans, so the X-Men have to stop him. 

This is a classic X-Men story! This movie feels and looks more like a pilot episode than a movie and it also has worldbuilding. There are moments in the movie where it feels like it was made for X-Men fans. I'm also fond of the twist in this movie because it's played as a miss direct. It's clever how the movie uses Wolverine to see this world through the audience's eyes. This movie address prejudice without being heavy-handed about it. The conflict between humans and mutants is not black and white it's understandable why people want this restriction act to pass and we get the idea that having superpowers have its ups and downs. 

Logan/Wolverine is a hot heated loner with a heart and no memory of his life. My gripe with him is I don't know why he's into Jean Grey it seems like he just wants to bone her, I mean braid her hair.  

Rouge is a timid runaway due to her powers, because she put others around her endanger. I like the dynamic between Logan and Rouge because they have opposite abilities and we see how those abilities affect them. 

Professor X is the X-Men's mentor. He dedicates his life to helping Mutants and trying to find a way for humans and mutants to co-exist. He also has a history with Magneto. 

I was let down that Scott Summers/Cyclops didn't get much focus due to him being the leader of the X-Men. I don't understand why he doesn't trust Logan despite the fact he was hitting on Jean. However, I enjoy most of their interaction. 

Magneto (The main villain.) is a mutant who believes that mutants are superior to Humans and he's fighting to protect mutants from mankind. It's understandable why he feels this way about humans after you see his backstory. What bugs me about him is that he doesn't want to put himself out there for his cause.   

I don't have much to say about the brotherhood (Magneto's allies.) because they barely talk.   

This complaint is so coma it's barely worth managing, I'll just say this focus on other characters besides Wolverine. This is a big issue because we don't know much about any of the other characters, they might as well be extras. Other problems I have with this movie involves plot holes, editing and magneto’s plan, I mean there was a smarter way to stop the restriction act and the creators showed us how towards the end of the film. 

Overall, this is an OK start to this franchise. I would recommend this if you like the first episode of X-Men the animated series because this movie reminds me of that.      

Rating = Average

X-2 X-Men United: After a mutant tried to attack the President, he wants to bring back the mutant restriction act. The X-Men suspect that Magneto is behind it, so they investigate to make sure. Meanwhile, they learn about a conspiracy that could endanger the mutants being led by William Striker. So, the X-Men have to stop him with the help of new allies and foes. 

This is one of the rare sequels that blows the original out of the water! I like how the movie did two villains in this movie. Magneto and William Striker are two sides of the same coin. The difference between the two is one is an extremist. Despite this movie being centered on Wolverine, it doesn’t make the other characters look useless like in the previous film. The way this movie ended got me excited for the next movie, I can't explain why without spoiling anything. I also enjoy the message of enemies working together for a common goal because everything isn't black and white. 

Wolverine's subplot continues in this movie, he has to choose between getting closure for his past or saving the X-Men.     

Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler is like his comic book counterpart as far as being a religious man. I wish the movie would use him for more than a running gag. 

Bobby/Iceman is a typical teenage boy and we see how his relationship with Rouge has grown. You will not like his family, you'll understand why when you see them. 

Lady Deathstrike (One of the villains.) is also underused, she's just the muscles in this movie.  

William Striker (The main baddie) is a Human version of Magneto who has a history with Professor X and Wolverine. My gripe with him is I'm having a hard time buying that he despises mutants because he works with them. Also, he came up with a way to control most of the Mutant. If I was him, I would focus on that, turn them into weapons and sell them to the Government instead of wanting to kill them off.       

I don’t understand why people complain that this movie is too centered on Wolverine, I mean he's a popular character I thought people wouldn’t mind. The problems I have with this movie are Cyclops and Professor X got shifted and plot holes. I didn't like the love triangle between Logan, Jean and Scott and I don't like it here. It's in the movies because it was in the comics. How Professor X's response to a tragedy was not comforting. Speaking of the tragedy, it lacks emotional weight for me. All in all, this is a good follow-up to the first film. I would recommend this if you found the first film underwhelming.  

Rating = Worth Seeing 

Intro: What gives Mr. Singer? 

X-Men The Last Stand: The story is about Political leaders who found an anti-bodied that will get rid of mutant’s unnatural abilities it called a cure. However, Magneto sees this as a weapon and tries to talk mutants out of taking the cure and of course that gets out of hand, Meanwhile, the X-Men learn that Jean is alive and her new powers are making her out of control. So, the X-Men have to stop Magneto and deal with Jean's new powers.  

Man, this movie was a mass, it took a step back from what was set up to reach this point, especially with the characters. The things that bother me about this movie are once again Cyclops and Professor X got shafted, fan service was handled badly and the tone in this movie is different from the first two, I mean it feels like a comic book movie. Another thing that bugs me about this movie is the battle sequence, it looked like the person who directed the battle scene in the third matrix film directed this one because both of them look stupid and gives you a headache. Tragic things happen in this movie, but it doesn't give us a chance to process them. What's the point of introducing a new character at the beginning of the film like we know who he is, but we don’t? Also, what happened to Nightcrawler? He disappeared from the movie like he wasn't in the second one. (If you want to know what happen to Nightcrawler you have to play the tie-in game to find out, I am not kidding about that.) 

Magneto feels like a different character from the last two films. I say that because he did things that are out of character. The conflict over the cure wouldn't exist if he wasn't trying to pick a fight.

Speaking of out of character, Rouge is a jerk in this movie for contrived reasons. 

Professor X did something questionable I wish that it got more focus. 

Storm got more screen time too bad it amounts to nothing, what's the point of that if we learn nothing about her? 

Fans are not going to be happy with what this movie has done with Jean Grey because it creates a can of plot holes and contradicted what we knew about her. Personally, I wouldn't have minded the writers going in this direction if it had a better setup.    

The good thing I can say about this movie is that it makes you ask moral and ethical questions like if you had a choice to be like everyone else would you take it? Does it make you a coward or do you hate yourself? Also, we finally get to see the danger room and the movie has some funny lines. With all that said, this movie was a waste of potential, this should have been split into two movies because the writers took three or four X-Men stories and tried to put them in one film and this movie feels rushed. This movie could have been better if the writers focus on the cure story. 

Rating = Trash  

Intro: I should have known better, I mean what made me think 20th Century Fox wasn't going to screw this up? 

X-Men Origins Wolverine: This film is centered on Logan/Wolverine's life before he met the X-Men, he fought in so many wars. One day he quits and has a normal life, that got ruined when someone killed his girlfriend. So, he tries to find out who did it plus getting mixed up in a conspiracy. 

I'm really disappointed with this movie! I thought that Hollywood would do Wolverine right because of his popularity and the studio's focus on him in the previous films. We learn how he got his metal claws, his relationship with Sabretooth, Weapon X and so on and so four. The problem with that is the movie didn’t do a good job of telling this story because this movie is telling three different stories that don't flow well together. The title of this movie let us know this, I mean it's an X-Men movie first and a Wolverine movie second. This movie is an excuse to put X-Men characters that we haven’t seen yet on screen just for fan service not because they will serve the story. Also, the creators messed up another mutant’s backstory and there are head-scratching moments in the film. 

We don't learn anything new about Wolverine that we haven’t learned in the previous films. We see him cracking jokes with one of his former comrades I wish we got more of that. The writers tried to give him an arc about him struggling with his animal side and his human side, but it lacks focus. Warning this is a minor spoiler I don’t like that Logan has bone claws because that hurt what William Striker said in X2, he said and I quote " You were an animal then you’re an animal now I just give you claws."

I like how Victor Creed/Sabretooth is portrayed in this movie more than the first film because he talks and he has a wicked sense of humor. I'm not crazy about his dynamic with Wolverine because the movie wasted it. 

This movie has some entertaining moments despite this movie being a Soap Opera, you can tell the action scenes are done by wire works Wolverine’s claws look fake and one fight look like someone playing a video game. Despite my gripes with this movie, I enjoyed this more than the previous X-Men film just barely. 

Rating = Rental     

X-Men First Class: This film is about Erik Lahnsherr/Magneto going on a manhunt to find Sebastian Shaw. Meanwhile, he meets Charles Xavier and together they try to stop Sebastian Shaw from starting a war that could whip out the human race with the help of other mutants.  

This movie surprised me in a good way! That's saying a lot considering everything that's wrong with this movie at face value. I hope this movie will prove that you don't need Wolverine to make a good X-Men movie. Speaking of Wolverine, I enjoyed his cameo. This movie focus on the friendship between Charles Xavier and Erik Lahnsherr and the beginnings of the X-Men. It's sad to see they're falling out because we don't know what caused it until now, they may have different points of view they have the same goal.  

I like how the writers address prejudice in this movie better than the previous ones, that's due to this movie taking place in the 1960s a time when that was severe. Plus being a mutant is kind of seen as a handicap. This is an issue that we're still struggling with to this day, part of the reason is we have double standers. This movie would have ended differently if the characters were smarter. 

I'm fond of how Charles Xavier is like in his youth because I can buy this. In this movie, he's a party animal and ladies' man. Despite that, he's still the same person in the other films but not as experienced. 

I don't have much to say about Raven/Mystique, she struggles with accepting being a mutant. My gripe with her is she's kind of promiscuous in this movie. 

Erik Lahnsherr is bloodthirsty in this movie that's understandable considering what he went through in his past. I have beef with how he tries to help Raven because it makes him look like he has a double stander.   

Hank Mccoy/Beast is like his comic book counterpart in this movie as far as being the smart one. A minor complaint I have with him is how he trains his ability I don't buy it. 

Sebastian Shaw (The Main Villain and part of the Hellfire club) is a Magneto Clone with charm and more extreme. What bugs me about him is that he keeps letting Erik get in his way instead of killing him what gives!?! Also, he tells his allies that we don't hurt mutants because he does, so do we hurt mutants or not? 

Emme Frost (Another member of the Hellfire club) is suppose to be seductive but she needs to work on that, there's more to it than showing off your body and calling man sweetie, honey and sugar. 

Azazel (Another baddie.) is the muscle.   

This movie had the same problem as the previous X-Men films like too many characters. I was outraged that the black characters got the cold shoulder, do I really have to explain why? This movie might make feminist outrage because it deals with how women are treated in this time period. The movie didn't do the best job with that because A there are some things women can't do and B the women in this movie were given a fair chance. 

The title X-Men shouldn’t be on this movie, because this wasn't the best X-Men adaptation, prequel, or reboot. I say that because of what this movie has done with the characters and what was established in the other films. The creators should have called this The First Spy Division with super-powered Humans. If this is a prequel, then there are continuity errors. I wish Charles and Erik's relationship would last longer because I'm not convinced that their friendship can be this strong in a short time. There are head-scratching moments in this movie. 

The bottom line is this is an entertaining movie, if you like OO7 films you're going to like this.

Rating = Worth seeing

My review of Atlantis the lost empire

 My review of Atlantis the lost empire 

Intro: A Disney movie with no song and dance. Plus, it's not based on any pre-existing book. Well, that's one way of reinventing yourself. 

Atlantis the lost empire: This movie is centered on a man name Milo Thatch who's a down-on-his-luck linguist. The reason why is he trying to prove that Atlantis is real, but everyone thinks he's crazy. He gets his chance when an associate of his grandfather proved him with the means to find it. This discovery is short-lived when outside forces want to exploit Atlantis at the expanse of its inhabitants. So, Milo has to protect Atlantis before it's gone forever. 

This movie isn't bad however it's not good enough to be considered underrated. I feel bad that it got bad reviews because people give it crap for breaking away from the Disney formula instead of appreciating what it's trying to do. I'm glad that the movie spends most of its time trying to get to Atlantis because doing that helps build suspense of how will they get to Atlantis? The movie balances the seriousness of the movie with the humor. That's another thing I don't get why people think this movie is too mature for kids, besides that high body count there's nothing in this movie that's inappropriate for kids for the most part. This movie deals with how good intentions can lead to bad things.  There is also has foreshadowing in this movie which will or will not surprise you. The animation in this movie is fine it did a good job at blending 2D animation with CGI. 

Milo Thatch is a brilliant but obnoxious man who has been dreaming about finding Atlantis for years due to his grandfather. I like that despite that he's a pushover he's willing to stand his ground. What bugs me about him is how everyone treats him. Yes! He can be annoying, but you don't alienate the navigator. Also, how he honors his grandfather is creepy.   

Kida is... is... Whoa! (My editor dumps ice on me.) 

Me: Hey! 

My editor: You were getting too excited stay focus! 

Anyway, Kida is a warrior princess of Atlantis. She's also playful and caring of her people. 

Comm. Rourke is a clam and collective. What bugs me about him is that the movie tried to paint him as the villain and he's not. Yes! What he's doing is wrong however he's not malicious about it. 

I don't have much to say about the rest of the characters because they feel like one-dimensional characters for the most part. 

One of the problems with this movie is that it has head-scratching moments. The movie could have been better if it was longer because there are parts of the film that feels rushed. All in all, this movie was overlooked and it should get a second chance. I would recommend this if you like Indiana Jones movies.  

Rating = Rental