Blankments' Reviews, Y5 (Top 25 Completed!)

[Blankments]

Dawn of Oblivion:

Dawn of Oblivion is all I wanted the disappointing Avatar to be and more. Oblivion returns Cameron to the top of the pack in substance and hopefully will be his third $2B movie. Although it does explore themes similar to those of Titanic and Avatar, Oblivion's screenplay features much more substance and much more originality than the prior mentioned films, although the finale is quite similar to a typical disaster movie. The visuals are, as expected by Cameron, phenomenal, and I honestly think he has topped himself. The film is much closer to Titanic than any other Cameron film, thanks to the great romance between the leads, nicely named Adam and Eve.

The casting on the film is also above average for a Cameron movie; there's no terrible Sam Worthington here. However, I do wish someone else was cast as Adam. Don't get me wrong, Brad Pitt did a great job, but he's the biggest star in this movie, and he is kind of distracting. Also, at points the film reminded me of Benjamin Button, just because of the similar casting of the leads. Williams' score is servicable, but someone else could've been chosen, someone who would've tried harder and probably would make, dare I say it, a better score. I also wasn't a big fan of the opening and closing shots of the film, as I felt as though it was trying to be pretentious, which does not tonally match with the rest of the film. The writing on the romance is fine, but the subplot with James Franco's impeccably played president is surprisingly well-written for Cameron, and ended up being my favorite part of the film.

Dawn of Oblivion is a return-to-form from James Cameron, with great acting, visuals, and most surprisingly, acting. The film has some great action as well, and I guarantee you, you will not survive this movie without crying once. Looking forward for Cameron to once again sweep the Oscars: He deserves it.

9.5/10

[The Creator]

Great review. The opening is 8 minutes long and cost about 25 million alone to make.

[Blankments]

Killer Husband:

Killer Husband is a movie that had a lot of potential, but ends up failing most of it. First off, let me complain about the title. Killer Husband sounds like a horror movie or a comedy, not the infidelity drama you get out of this movie. It also spoils the end of the movie, which is supposed to come as a twist. It really doesn't effect my score, but I wanted to get that out of the way. One issue I have with this movie is that it just feels like a TV movie. The actors are fine, but they are mostly TV actors, and there's nothing that really screams MOVIE to me. The only performance of note is Elizabeth Banks, but unfortunately, the viewer is meant to hate her for no apparent reason.

However, the main issue I have with this movie is the ending. Absolutely nothing was building up to the final scene where Rick kills his wife and best friend. I didn't believe Rick had gotten that crazy, both due to the writing and John Krasinski's average acting skills. Yet, the real thing I hate about the ending is how it ends up the entire time, the romantic trip was a surprise Amanda was planning for him. WHAT? The entire movie was built around Amanda cheating on Rick, and I admit, it made a lot of sense. However, with the twist ending, a lot of the previous actions make zero sense. I don't see why Amanda would act so suspicious about a surprise trip, or so hidden with Mark. That said, I did enjoy the interesting story structure with the five points, but overall, the movie just didn't do it for me.

4/10

[Blankments]

Sorry Electric, but I can't give you a long review on Warcraft... the following will have to do.

Warcraft: The Cataclysm:

Warcraft: The Cataclysm doesn't particularly do anything bad, but it's not particularly great either. The acting's servicable, and the story, while simple, does the job well. The film's strongest suit is the visuals, which look quite gorgeous, and makes the world of Warcraft quite inticing. It's a shame the movie overall didn't quite catch my attention, but I'm not a big fantasy guy.

7/10

[Alpha]

Red Pyramid, Claustrophobia, Edward Tulane, Tyrant

[Ezen Baklattan]

Killer Husband:

Killer Husband is a movie that had a lot of potential, but ends up failing most of it. First off, let me complain about the title. Killer Husband sounds like a horror movie or a comedy, not the infidelity drama you get out of this movie. It also spoils the end of the movie, which is supposed to come as a twist. It really doesn't effect my score, but I wanted to get that out of the way. One issue I have with this movie is that it just feels like a TV movie. The actors are fine, but they are mostly TV actors, and there's nothing that really screams MOVIE to me. The only performance of note is Elizabeth Banks, but unfortunately, the viewer is meant to hate her for no apparent reason.

However, the main issue I have with this movie is the ending. Absolutely nothing was building up to the final scene where Rick kills his wife and best friend. I didn't believe Rick had gotten that crazy, both due to the writing and John Krasinski's average acting skills. Yet, the real thing I hate about the ending is how it ends up the entire time, the romantic trip was a surprise Amanda was planning for him. WHAT? The entire movie was built around Amanda cheating on Rick, and I admit, it made a lot of sense. However, with the twist ending, a lot of the previous actions make zero sense. I don't see why Amanda would act so suspicious about a surprise trip, or so hidden with Mark. That said, I did enjoy the interesting story structure with the five points, but overall, the movie just didn't do it for me.

4/10

I pretty much agree with this.

[riczhang]

I liked it.... It's a bit TV, but it is Tom Hooper so no surprise there.

[Water Bottle]

It also spoils the end of the movie, which is supposed to come as a twist.

No it's not. If I wanted it to be a surprise twist then I would have name it differently. If I failed at anything, it's failing to convince you through my writing that he went crazy with every single time he failed to get concrete evidence (according to the internet) that his wife was cheating on him.I'm not sure whether you just missed the whole point of the movie or whether that was a failure on my part. Edited November 14, 2012 by Water Bottle

[Blankments]

The writing did not clearly convey him going crazy. I'd be fine if it was a slow breakdown, but I did not read it that way. The ending honestly came out of nowhere to me, since everything up to that point didn't clearly show him becoming crazy. Sorry.

[Blankments]

All sequels will get short reviews, as I do not particularly want to go back and read the originals.

SpellForce - Shadow of the Phoenix:

SpellForce 3 is an excellent finale to the series, with some great 3D. The acting is fine, and the effects are good too. However, it doesn't really take any risks, which ultimately disappointing; also, I just don't really enjoy fantasy, sorry. Nevertheless, Wyatt delivers a good finale to the popular series, which is not to be missed in 3D.

7.5/10

[SilverShark]

Well it´s getting the same score +- 0.5 like the last two... so it should be very succesfull. Next year there are only original films (one is based on a game mod) so stay tuned

[Blankments]

Paradise Lost:

Paradise Lost caught me a good time. I just read the poem last weekend for homework, so it's nice to go directly from poem to movie. However, there's not really much reason for me to critique the script, as it's essentially by-the-poem, if not as dense. The story is still good though; there's a reason it is a literary classic. Twyker does a decent job bringing this world to the big screen, but I am a tad disappointed, considering how much more could be done with an adaptation. Still, as I already said it's servicable.

Liam Neeson seems a little typecast in the role of God, but he does it well. I do have to wonder how so many A-list actors got into this movie. Channing Tatum, Olivia Wilde, AND Ryan Gosling all have big roles in the movie, and they do a decent job. However, the visuals do get hurt by their prescence, as the $150M budget must cover their high salaries as well. The visuals, as a result, are servicable, which is the adjective to describe this movie. This is the second movie I have reviewed that has a montage of human history, but Paradise Lost does it better than Dawn of Oblivion, just because it fits in Paradise Lost's narrative a lot better than Dawn of Oblivion. However, that cannot save Paradise Lost from being a merely servicable movie.

6/10

[Blankments]

The Next Dimension:

The Next Dimension is one of the most creative blockbusters I've seen in a long time. It has an older man in the lead, has an awesome silhouette/shadow motif, and has a solid script. Kevin Spacey does a decent job in the main role, but the real star of the show is Aaron Eckhart as a fantastic villain. Eckhart should've been made a star with Dark Knight, and I hope this role gets him back in the limelight. The action, while trippy at points, is great too, although I wish some of the world's rules were explained better. I still don't quite understand weaves...

Technical wise, this movie was fantastic. The makeup on Michael Caine and Vera Farmiga is phenomenal, allowing one to truly believe their ages. The effects are great too; a fight on a train is a highlight, as it looks like they actually derailed a train in New York City, kind of like a Super Super 8. My main issue with the movie was the score. Hans Zimmer gives a typical Zimmer score, but I just have to wonder why Abrams (who was a great choice for directing) didn't use his collaborator. I would've loved a Giacchino score with this movie, but alas, Zimmer does a decent job, compared Giacchino's likely great job. Overall though, Next Dimension is a solid summer blockbuster.

The lens flare was obnoxious though.

8.5/10

[4815162342]

The Next Dimension:

but the real star of the show is Aaron Eckhart as a fantastic villain. Eckhart should've been made a star with Dark Knight, and I hope this role gets him back in the limelight.

He was a Supporting Actor nominee in Year 3 so I say he already made it back!

[Blankments]

He was a Supporting Actor nominee in Year 3 so I say he already made it back!

I remember that! He should've won... :PWhat I meant is in the general public's eyes. I don't remember Fatal Rendezvous doing particularly well at the box office, but Next Dimension is sure to hit $250M minimum.

[Blankments]

Numbers, on a side note, when I get to Shark Mutiny, is knowledge of U.S.S. Seawolf required? It's a pseudo-sequel, so I don't know...

Dragon Age: Onslaught:

Dragon Age 2 proves to be the best sequel so far this year, with a nice progression in the story, and thrilling action scenes. The ensemble acting is fantastic, and Idris Elba is a highlight. Effects are great, and the action scenes are phenomenal. However, although it did progress the story well, once again, I felt like more risk could've been taken. That doesn't prevent it from being a great sequel, and a must watch for fans of the original.

8/10

[Alpha]

(top priority to bottom priority)The Red PyramidEdward TulaneClaustrophobia

[Blankments]

Sorry, Alpha, but I took your previous order as the order you wanted. Not changing it now, since my schedule is pretty set. Essentially the only difference will be reviewing Claustrophobia before Edward Tulane. Speaking of which...

The Red Pyramid:

The following review is "out-of-character": I've already reviewed CJohn's first film, and now we move onto the other new studio's first film, The Red Pyramid. Pyramid is very similar to one of my first movies, but not necessarily one you would expect. Pyramid reminds me of Leitmotif, my first OC. How, you may ask? Simply put, this movie spends way too much time getting a ridiculous amount of talent and too little time on fixing up its story. First off, let me just go over the talent. Shawn Levy directing, that makes sense... Wait, both Jonathan Nolan and J.J. Abrams wrote this? They've never done any work together before, and why are they collaborating on a YA fiction adaptation? The cast looks much like this too, with, ignoring the leads, we have Jeff Bridges (as a God the second summer in a row,) Morgan Freeman, Rachel Weisz, Dwayne Johnson, Jean Dujardin (yay), Max Von Sydow (who is a little too old for his role), Cillian Murphy (yay again), and then cameos for Martin Freeman, Naomi Watts, Betty White (who doesn't really fit), and most bizarrely of all, Clint Eastwood. Yes, this is a fantasy game, but we try to maintain some realism. Frankly, this movie's cast and crew is not near realistic at all...

Moving onto the actual film... it's fine. It's a typical fantasy storyline based off a good book, and the movie closely follows the book. One wonders though why they hired Abrams and Nolan to essentially rewrite perfectly a book, when they could've just hired the author, Rick Riordan. The best adaptations are done by the author directly, but I really can't complain much. The leads do a good job, but it's really clear who is the Oscar-winner (here's a hint: the kid doesn't really rich parents.) Of the supporting cast, Dwayne Johnson and Jean Dujardin are stand-outs, but everyone does an admirable job. Unfortunately, the movie is just too unrealistic for me to give it a high score.

6.5/10

[Alpha]

Things to point out:- Betty White were added as cameos just to add humor to the film.- Johnathan Nolan and J.J. Abrams have collaborated before, they are working on the hit TV show "Person of Interest."- Yes, the choices were odd, but this was meant to be an ensemble.- Max Von Sydow plays Iskandar, who is probably 2,000 years old. Sydow himself looks like he is 2,000 years old, so it makes perfect sense

[Blankments]

TV doesn't equal movies. They have such different styles, I don't really see them working together on a film, let alone one they're just writing. And for the ensemble, I would use more TV actors than big name stars, which is what you did. Sydow, in his age, I honestly don't see doing a blockbuster. Just like how I don't see Betty White doing a blockbuster...