Warcraft

Listen, this isn't going to be "Lord of the Rings." It does have some similarities, but overall, it feels like its own thing. Keep in mind that prior to viewing this movie, I knew absolutely nothing about the World of Warcraft, so I can't say how true it is to the source material. But judging it on its own merit, I found it surprisingly entertaining. The battle sequences are huge (although one problem is they do tend to drag on a bit too long), the plot was surprisingly thought-provoking, and the scenery and the CGI are just so beautifully done. The Orcs have so much detail put into them, that for the most part the line between real and CGI is blurred. (However, this is just when the Orcs are in scenes by themselves. When they're with human characters, the CGI tends to look a bit faker.) There are some elements that are very obviously "borrowed" from Tolkien's work, but overall I thought it was a fun movie. It does have some of the cliches that are in every fantasy movie, but they're few. The battle sequences are just brutal! The death toll and the emotion in the battles really make you feel for the characters, whether they be human or Orc. There are heroes and villains on both sides of the conflict. and it doesn't matter which side you root for, because without giving anything away, I will say the film doesn't really have a resolution to the conflict, which left me feeling empty. I know they did this because they think it's going to be a trilogy (or more), but sadly I doubt this will get one. That's something I thought I'd never say. I want this story to continue. I want to see more of these characters and world. I won't play any of the games because on the 0.000001% chance this does end up getting a series of films, I want to judge them on their own merit, just as I did this one. It's only fair.
Grade: B. 8/10 4/5 stars

Split

I've had skepticism with M. Night Shamalayan lately. His films have been kind of hit-and-miss these past few years. I think if he does more of what he did with this movie, he can be back on top in a few years. This movie is crazy intense! It was actually a lot darker than I thought it would be. There are some extremely mature and dark themes and subject matter and it almost goes into rated R territory at points. However, it is these themes and subject matter that make these characters who they are, and explains why they act the way they do. James McAvoy's performance is particularly impressive. This film proves that he can play anyone a director needs him to play. There's moments where he's funny there's moments where he's chilling, and there's moments where his performance makes you hold your breath worried he'll harm you. The three young actresses in the film provide stellar performances as well. There's such range of emotion with them. You sympathize with them, you fear for them, you feel what they feel. Genuine, tearful performances, that actually look tearful and not like acting are hard to come by, and they pulled it off very well. Like I said, this film is very heavy. It's a hard PG-13. I don't want to advocate for this film due to the dark, heavy themes and subject matter so I don't want to say that it was a good movie. At times, it is very hard to watch. But judging it purely from a filmmaking standpoint of "Was it well made? Was it well written? Was it well acted? Was it well directed?" etc. the answer is yes. If you're a fan of M Night's earlier work, this hearkens back to that. It's still too early at this point to say if he's redeemed himself from the garbage that was "The Last Airbender" and "After Earth", but if he can keep doing what he did with this film, he just might.
Grade: B   8/10    4/5

A quick update

I know I said in my Rogue One review that it would be my last review for 2.5 years. However, I have changed my mind. There will still be reviews, however...they will be few and far between. There are only certain studios whose movies I am going to see. Disney, Fox, and WB are no nos, because they're trying to get VidAngel shut down and for the moment have succeeded. (For full details about why I think VidAngel is in the right, go to the Movie Madness Facebook page.) This also includes anything owned by those companies so no Marvel or Lucasfilm. (Although those will be coming out on my mission so I wouldn't be seeing them anyway). Universal, Lionsgate, Paramount and Sony have all privately expressed their full support of VidAngel. (too bad most of Sony's movies are terrible anyway. *cough* The Emoji Movie) If I review films, it will be from those companies. (Good thing too. I still have not seen Masterminds. It goes to Bluray in a few weeks). When I for sure leave I will post it. Until then enjoy my reviews, as few and far between as they may be.