Category: Paramount

Sonic the Hedgehog - Review

2/15/2020

Released: February 14, 2020

Ready For More! (Kinda)

The Sonic the Hedgehog movie is a weird anomaly for Hollywood. In an unprecedented move, the entire picture was altered to replace a CG character before it was released. The release date got pushed back, the internet rejoiced, and the special effects house that did all the work closed down after they completed the job. The result is a dumb kids movie that would have been entirely identical to the original disaster. The kids in my theater did have a great time, so I guess it hit its target audience.

The most significant surprise for me was how uncartoonish it was before Jim Carrey appeared on screen. Sure, the story was being told by a talking hedgehog that can run fast, but it was the introduction of Dr. Robotnic that made the whole ordeal feel like something a kid would watch on cable television. The over the top performance fell flat more often than it worked and should have been reigned in. You can keep the crazy dancing that is shown off in the trailer, but the moment to moment interactions needed to be less unhinged. Most people like everything that Jim Carrey did, but it just didn't work for me.

Other notable things about the picture include "action scenes". It felt like there were too many of these as they were used as plot devices to speed up events or to keep the children's attention. One of these sequences is lifted from the X-Men movies, specifically the effect that is used for Quicksilver to show off how fast he is. Its use here is less inventive with little spectacle, which has it come off as an inferior copy.

Deadpool is another property that Sonic the Hedgehog copies as it comes across as the children's version of that series. The number of jokes, the voice over, the visual gags, it's all there. In no way am I insinuating that I would have liked a rated R Sonic feature film, but this impersonation just doesn't work for me.

Everything wasn't all bad, though, as some of the jokes did land, and the VFX were pretty good. I even like that the movie alludes to potential sequels, something that should never happen unless its a sure thing. While a follow up to Sonic's first outing isn't guaranteed, I do like the idea of expanding the world to refine what is here.

Overall, if you have children, this will be a pretty good time for them. If you're an adult, there might be some fun to be had, but it's less than you would hope for. Nothing about Sonic the Hedgehog is specifically horrible, its mostly just not funny and a little boring. It's very comparable to another kid's movie that came out this year, Dolittle. If you had to choose between the two, this one is it.

3/10
The intimidation joke was when it peaked

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Dora and the Lost City of Gold - Review

8/16/2019

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Release Date: August 9, 2019

I Was Kidnapped

My friend invited me out for lunch, and since we live close to each other, we decided to carpool. As soon as I got into his car, he locked the doors and told me I was being kidnapped to go and see Dora and the Lost City of Gold. Now that you understand the condition in which I saw this movie, you will trust me when I say that this is the only way to see this film. This suggestion only applies to adults, I do not support kidnapping children, but your friends however-do that. On to actually watching it.

Dora is a children's movie that gets very annoying by the second act. Don't watch it unless you are taking a child to see it.

3/10
I guess it was better than Godzilla

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Bumblebee - Review

12/10/2018

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Release Date: December 21, 2018

The Softest Reboot

Fans are pretending Bumblebee is the best movie in the Transformers franchise. That the fun quirky nature which channels the 90s is the fresh take they were looking for. How delusional can you get? The Transformers series was known for the unintelligible action, the paper-thin plots, and the over-sexualization of women. Two of those things are not okay, but we can all agree that audiences wanted to see stuff blow up. But Bumblebee didn’t even keep that; it decided that having a paper-thin plot was the aspect worth saving in a soft reboot. Bumblebee is a straight up failure and does not right the wrongs that the Transformers brand has committed to the mainstream, moviegoing audiences.

It might not be the worst movie in the series, but that was a pretty low bar to begin with. Bumblebee was just plain boring throughout most of its runtime. Events will happen unprompted and come without reason, only to be forgotten by the next scene. It’s filled with cliches and unsuccessfully tries to fit itself into the Transformers’ timeline.

It is pretty funny, though it helps to have a theater full of children to laugh along with. Sadly, the jokes don’t always land; most only draw out single exhales of acknowledgment. The ‘on the nose’ references that pass over most of the audiences’ heads, don’t help much either. So even though it does elicit a few laughs, it doesn’t achieve the campy vibe it strives for the viewers to experience.

Bumblebee is really boring. With action being one of the franchise’s hallmarks, the absence of it left only a middling story that could put me to sleep. I was ready for a Transformers movie that accurately depicted the source material, but perhaps that was too tall an order. This movie only fills me with trepidation for the upcoming Birds of Prey film since the screenplays are written by the same person. Overall, I can’t wait to forget the little of the movie I can actually remember.

4/10
Should have just been a CGI fest on Cybertron

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Mission: Impossible - Fallout

7/26/2018

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Release Date: July 26, 2018

What I Was Waiting For?

Update:
I saw the movie again and tried to relax instead of analyzing it as much as I could. The beginning of the movie gets a huge boost from me in a relaxed state, but story problems and weird writing still plague the movie. I also realized that there is even more footage missing than I originally thought from the trailer. I definitely had a better time on the second viewing and have updated the score. I'll probably will watch the movie again but wont leave another update.

Original:
This was the movie that I was looking forward to the most this year. A promise of a pedal to the metal stunt show that never stopped. The Super Bowl trailer did a lot to set those expectations really high. I believed in the vision of having a cinematic movie with crazy in-camera stunts. Mission: Impossible - Fallout delivers on that but also shoots itself in the leg.

The movie delivered amazing cinematography, color, and lighting that made the movie pop. It was exhilarating to watch Tom Cruise do all the crazy stunts without the help of CG work. The action punched hard making the movie surprise you with each blow. There is no doubt that this was a very strong showing for a franchise in its sixth entry. The problem then becomes almost everything else.

The first thing that threw me off was the edit of the movie. There were many unnecessary cuts. Whether it was to add inserts or juggle multiple events happening, it felt like the movie always cut right before it got to the apex of a shot. There were so many beautiful long single shots that cut too soon to a close-up. Or when it cuts from an intense action scene to one with no stakes. I do have to say that this movie has the most beautiful shot of Tom Cruise runng, and I'm not bringing it up as a joke either.

That leads me to another weird thing about this movie, it changed the trajectory of the franchise. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol brought the series back, paying homage to the trilogy before. Directed by Brad Bird of The Incredibles fame, it was an action set piece that was still about spies. Rogue Nation then decided to get rid of a singular set piece in favor of many throughout the movie. It added a new character and introduced elements that seem to be forming the base for the rest of the franchise going forward. Fallout takes the growing team franchise and focuses it right back to Tom Cruise. There is almost no room for anyone else and I think its a weird choice. The character concessions they have to make, where many don't get any development at all. It leads to weird moments in the movie that just don't fit.

I'm talking weird dialogue, characters saying things that don't make sense at the moment. To try and stay true to being a Mission: Impossible movie, it adds comedic relief in weird places that mess with its flow. The identity of the franchise is fading. I wouldn't have minded a reimagining but what's going on here is an identity crisis. In an attempt to make the movie more action-packed, more cinematic, the director borrowed from other movies. I'm talking about Skyfall, Spectre, and The Dark Knight. There could be other movies it takes from but these were the most obvious for me. It blatantly takes story elements, set pieces, and tones from those movies. They jumped out at me because I recognized them so easily. The director also pulls a Speilberg and has a sequence with no music and relies on sounds. For all the good that the movie does, it falters in so many other ways.

A thing that really bothered me was tone and treating lore. The movie was trying to make a big deal about all of the things that happened in past movies. In this instance, I'm talking about the characters' relationships with each other. The movie pretends that its predecessors weren't light-hearted movies that still had you on the edge of your seat. It goes full seriousness but fails because it had to add the comedy in.

In total, this movie is good. When the movie does have music, it uses it really well. There are really great scenes and shots, they just aren't used to their highest potential. The story takes weird turns with some bad dialogue and probably is the weakest in the franchise story wise. It just needed to focus itself not on Tom Cruise, but the cast as a whole. The final things I want to mention are that there are no surprises in the movie. You have seen all the big action stunts in the trailer, there is nothing left for you to discover by seeing it. There are also a couple of shots and scenes not in the movie from the trailer. They looked pretty important so I wonder how different the final cut is from the original. And I hated the intro graphic. Usually, Mission: Impossible movies have a really cool CG intro graphic that's fun to watch. Here, they just show you scenes from the movie that happen all throughout. It actively spoils the movie for you. I'm sad to say that I like it less and less the more I think about it. The problem is I can't not recommend this movie. There is a great movie in the final cut somewhere and if you don't watch it on a huge screen, you're not going to get the maximum enjoyment from it.

7.5/10
I am going to see it again and will update

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A Quiet Place - Review

4/6/2018

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Release Date: April 6, 2018

It's THAT Good

Some people might think this is a horror movie based on the trailers that have come out but it's not. A Quiet Place is more of a thriller that has some baked in horror elements. That means, while it might seem like a horror movie, it honestly isn't. The movie is, however, fantastic.

From the set design to the acting, this movie keeps your attention. It quickly sets up the stakes and you feel the urgency in the characters. There is an ever present danger that makes good on the threat of death. The movie keeps you on your toes, only letting you breathe sighs of relief for seconds. It really feels like anything can happen, that no one is safe.

The movie does a great job keeping tensions high, but some of the dialogue is not great. The story has a fantastic premise and is told well. It is a very good thing that there is little dialogue. This movie has the problem of relying on child actors to deliver dialogue meant for an adult. When this happens, the scene is brief and passes quickly. I'm nitpicking here because I enjoyed the movie so much.

The world feels lived in. You buy the fact the world has had monsters in it for over a year. It is such a captivating movie to watch. I loved so much about it that I have to recommend you see it. It doesn't pull any punches and keeps you on your toes, but it does not have gore or sensationalized violence. This is a great choice because it adds to the danger instead of letting you get accustomed to it.

Definitely see it in a setting that allows you to experience it the way it is meant to. In my theater, it turned all loud people quiet. It feels like the audience itself couldn't make noise. It really is a great movie.

8/10
I feel like the score should be higher

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Annihilation - Review

2/23/2018

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Release Date: February 23, 2018

As Good as Ex Machina?

The writer-director of this movie previously did Ex Machina. That movie was about what it means to be conscious, what it means to be alive and experience life. Annihilation tries to be cerebral in the same way with different questions. Those questions being, is there an end goal for life, does life and change want something, what makes a person themselves.

You will see a lot of people talk about how pretty this movie looks. This is an undeniable fact, the movie is gorgeous. it takes time for the movie to really reach its visual heights, but it gets there. With some really amazing imagery, it is no wonder the visuals are a focus of discussion surrounding the movie. I, on the other hand, will acknowledge it and move on to something more important.

Cohesive storytelling is more important than telling an interesting story. If a story makes sense and flows nicely, then the only thing you can complain about is it not being interesting. Annihilation doesn't really have any of these things. It doesn't flow and is not that interesting. In an attempt to be thought-provoking and mysterious, the story seems jumbled with no real cohesion. It's not very interesting and only becomes so towards the end where it digs itself a deeper hole. There are so many plot holes in this movie it's ridiculous. I can't list them because they are spoilers, but it breaks the movie if you try to rationalize them.

The last thing I want to touch on is acting. Everyone does a good enough job, no one deserves an award for their acting abilities. There is one character that just delivered her lines so charismatically that it really hurt the whole movie. It was probably a character choice but comes off like they are not even acting.

Stay away from this movie. I know that it is on Netflix for anyone not in the US or China, do not watch this thing. Even though The Cloverfield Paradox is not that good, watch that over this if you want to watch a Sci-fi movie. This movie really is bad.

3/10
This is what happens when you don't take studio notes

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The ClovERFIELD Paradox - Review

2/4/2018

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Release Date: February 4, 2018

To Boldy Go... Wrong Movie

I knew this movie under the working title of 'God Particle', but after some weird events between Netflix and Paramount Pictures, it is now The Cloverfield Paradox. I got so used to it being called God Particle that I am a little sad to see the name change but I am happy that Cloverfield is in the name. Why is this important? I have not seen the original Cloverfield movie but did really like 10 Cloverfield Lane. The Cloverfield brand has been converted into a vessel to tell interesting stories that no one would watch alone, but with the brand and some loose ties draws people in. Even the making of the movies are a secret, which really adds to the atmosphere of the brand. As the third movie in the anthology-like series, The Cloverfield Paradox follows in the footsteps of 10 Cloverfield Lane but strays from the path of telling a well-executed story.

Let's start off with the positives. The music is fantastic, it really gives the movie life. Immediately after the movie was over I checked who did the music and it turned out to be Bear McCreary. He is famous for his work on Battlestar Galactica, but I know him from 10 Cloverfield Lane and the upcoming God of War game.

The next good thing about this movie is its cast. Everyone does a great job playing their parts. No one is getting an Oscar but I believed what was happening.

The visuals and set design sold me that there was a crew on a space station. Though the budget for the movie is only around 26 million, I think they prioritized the right things. Focusing on the believability of the whole story coming together. This means CGI work where needed, but focusing on making the set feel alive.

The biggest problem I have with the movie is the story. There are unexplained points that aren't fully expanded on. 10 Cloverfield Lane is the superior Cloverfield movie because it has tighter storytelling that is coherent and makes everything clear. This movie is not as clear, sometimes on purpose and other times not. The movie tries to throw you off its scent but does a great job directing you to the conclusions you need to make, for the most part. There will be no spoilers here so I won't elaborate heavily. My complaint comes from a situation that happens to one character, and if you watch the movie you know which one.

My other story complaint is the main character's motivation. Her thought process doesn't make sense. The conclusion she comes to at the end of the second act makes no sense. There is exposition in the movie that states specifically why her thought process is not right, but she sticks to it anyway. This whole moment is "solved" with a trope to change the main characters' mind but it still bothers me. That trope's execution is pretty good because of the reasoning for the conflict that it incites is profound. You might guess the trope and action that come with it, but the reasoning behind it is kinda cool.

Overall, The Cloverfield Paradox continues a series that I am very interested in. It isn't even that long and it is on Netflix in the United States. I think Paramount selling US distribution to Netflix for this movie was a great idea and a win for Netflix users in the US. It is a really cool Sci-fi movie that depicts a really interesting paradox in space and time that probably wouldn't have been made without the Cloverfield name. You should definitely watch it.

6/10
What happened to the arm?

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Downsizing - Review

12/21/2017

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Release Date: December 22, 2017

What is the Point?

Matt Damon in a movie about people being shrunken down to a couple of inches tall. How could you not want to see this movie? The answer to that question is if you saw the trailers. There was something off about what the trailers would show of the movie. After seeing the film, it now makes total sense why the trailers are the way they are. But after seeing the movie you come away with a question. What was that movie even about?

Downsizing starts with two flash forwards. You know, two things that say "X Years Later". Within the first five minutes, there are two of these things. I usually take that as a sign that the movie ahead might not be that good. Aside from some good jokes, this movie is boring. It alludes to themes that make statements about the world we live in today. Whether it is about global warming, class division, or so many of the other things it touches on, it never chooses one.

This movie is literally about nothing. If you only follow the main character's journey, he goes from being a guy in a dysfunctional marriage to pretty much still being the same person at the end of the movie. There really is nothing to unpack here except for all those themes that the movie continuously alludes to. There is nothing special here, nothing worth watching the movie for. There are so many other movies that have themes similar to this one, only those are actually enjoyable to watch.

Overall, Downsizing was 2 hours of boring. Nothing stood out as a positive for this movie that would compel me to recommend other people see it.

4/10
Opening conflict wraps up in 5 minutes

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Baywatch - Review

6/2/2017

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Release Date: May 25, 2017

Back to the Bay

I don't want to hide my opinions of Dwayne Johnson so I am going to put them on the table right now. I don’t really like the guy. His movies are average and his true personality is a little “trying to hard”. When he said that “critics don’t get it [Baywatch]” and “it’s a movie for the fans”, that was a ton of garbage. Baywatch is a really bad movie, but it made me laugh so hard.

Don’t get me wrong, try to avoid paying a good chunk of change for this movie. Try to rent if for a couple of bucks, but don’t pay full price to see this thing. The complaints about the CGI is warranted because it really is terrible. Simple things like background replacement should be really easy but Baywatch struggles with even this. The acting is appropriate for this kind of movie and actually serves it quite well.

The movie is actually so crazy and dumb, in the bad way, that it is funny to laugh at the movie. There are some legitimately funny parts to the movie, but that doesn’t forgive the rest of the entire thing. As Johnson’s producer debut, I would be worried about his future produced movies.

Some pros to sprinkle on top of this silly sunday is that even though the entire movie was just too crazy, the script actually held a concept throughout the movie. It was a small thing, but it made sense and followed through. It’s not a huge achievement, but when big movies have so many script problems it is kind of nice to see a little thing make it through.

All in all Baywatch is as bad as everyone said it was and you should not pay much to see it. Rent it for less money or just skip it in general.

6/10
Just Laugh At It

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Ghost in the Shell - Review

4/8/2017

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Release Date: March 31, 2017

Has Your Ghost been Hacked?

Ghost in the Shell is a visual and audio wonderland. The creativity that went into bringing the world to life was boundless. From the costume design to how the world was depicted, visually Ghost in the Shell is a treat. The score for the movie was also very good too. The music really helped the movie along with get compositions and song choices.

Other than some fantastic CGI work and nice music there is not much else to enjoy about Ghost in the Shell. The main fault of the movie’s failure is fall directly on the screenwriter and director. The movie was not well written. It tried to inject a meaningful story into the shell of action but none of it resonated. This failure to capture the audience comes solely from a lack of letting the movie breath. The editing is the culprit here too. Jumping from scene to scene with little to string the movie together, it comes across as segmented rather than a cohesive experience.

Since CGI has become so inexpensive and a massive market, it’s really easy to make your movie look good. To distract the viewer with a cool fight that serves no real purpose. It has become so easy to mask a bad movie with some great CGI work. This is why it is so rare for a movie to be truly terrible in my book, at least for big budget productions. There is still so much to like about the movie, but what really should matter, the story takes a hit. The story doesn’t make you feel, in the sense that you don’t care for the characters in the movie. It tried to be deep but I just wanted the movie to get on with it. The movie felt long even though it has a short runtime, but the end felt rushed.

All in all Ghost in the Shell was not only a disappointment to me, but to everyone excited for a new direction in Hollywood. The only people to blame are the screenwriter and director. Sure the white washing was distracting, but if the movie was good no one would really bring it up.

6.75/10
I don't know any jokes to put here

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Movies In RevIew

Sonic the Hedgehog - Review

Dora and the Lost City of Gold - Review

Bumblebee - Review

Mission: Impossible - Fallout

A Quiet Place - Review

Annihilation - Review

The ClovERFIELD Paradox - Review

Downsizing - Review

Baywatch - Review

Ghost in the Shell - Review

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