Pacific Rim: Uprising

I went it with mild expectations, because I had heard mixed reviews. The general consensus seemed to be "meh." I thoroughly enjoyed this movie! Was it perfect? No. Could some of the writing have been better? Absolutely. But I knew what kind of film I was going into. I wasn't going into some intellectual film made to made you think. I was going into a cheesy popcorn flick, with action. And that's what I got. My expectations were met. I got exactly the kind of film I was hoping for. Was the first one better? Yes. Do I still like this one? Yes. It's a live action Saturday morning cartoon. Nothing more. If the first one was "Transformers" mixed with "Godzilaa", this is more of that, but with "Power Rangers"  thrown in there as well. Without spoiling anything, I will say I wish the last scene had been left out, or put on the Bluray as an alternate ending, because if the studio decides they don't want to make a 3rd one, that last scene was pointless and I will be disappointed. John Boyega was one of the best parts of this movie. His character is well written and you understand why he does what he does. He was actually the most interesting character in the movie. John Boyega has come a long way since "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and that was only 3 years ago. (He was also producer on this film as well. Good for him!) If you enjoyed the first one, you'll get pretty much of the same. Nothing more. Nothing less. It is on par with the first one. Neither better nor worse.

Grade: A-    9/10    4/5 stars

Tomb Raider (2018)

I went in with my expectations really low. This is a video game movie, after all. I went in with my expectations low and was still disappointed. I wanted to find something to enjoy about this movie, but I found nothing. The plot, when it finally got to the plot after an hour, was a beat-for-beat rip off of "Raiders of the Lost Ark." There's an ancient tomb/coffin, the bad guys (who in this one are not called Nazis but are basically Nazis) want to open it to unleash the power to control the world, archeologist tries to stop them, blah blah blah, you know the rest. This should have been called "Tomb Raiders of the Lost Ark". (Hey, Honest Trailers, I found your title for this movie.) The main character is so bland. She is such a Mary Sue. The actress did a fine job, it was just a badly written character. Lara Croft has no character flaws. She does everything perfectly. She's one-dimensional. She's boring. She is a knock off of Indiana Jones and Katniss Everdeen. (She even has the same bow and arrow!) The action sequences were filmed with the cursed shaky cam so you can't even tell what's going on when something is happening. I went with my friend who actually played the games, and even he thought it was terrible. I didn't play the games, and thought this movie was terrible. So if it can't satisfy fans of the game, and it can's satisfy a casual moviegoer, that should tell you all you need to know. This movie is better off buried and forgotten.
Grade: F+     0/10     0/5 stars

A Wrinkle in Time (2018)

I try to keep these reviews spoiler-free but since this is based on a book that has been out for over 50 years, I think I have a little bit more free reign. If you haven't read the book or seen the 2003 movie, be warned of mild spoilers. I try not to reveal anything too major, but some of the story must be spoiled mildly in order to compare/give my thoughts. If you want zero spoilers, do not read my review until after you've read the book or seen the movie.

I don't understand the critics' hate on this. I really enjoyed this movie. Almost all the acting was good, the effects were as trippy as they should have been, and the story was more-or-less the same as the book. My only complaints are that the actor who played Charles Wallace was not as creepy in the second half as he should have been. (But he's still a child, so I'm not going to be too harsh). I was worried when Michael Pena was cast as the villain, because generally his roles are comedic, and even when he's playing a villain, like in ''My Little Pony: The Movie" it's as the main villains' sidekick/comic relief. Surprisingly, he did a good job. The character in the story is supposed to be an allegory for the devil, and while he wasn't as creepy as I would have liked, he did add another element to the character by posing as friendly in order to tempt the main characters more. They also got rid of the part of the story with Aunt Beast. (Yay! Seriously. What were those things? Chewbacca's second cousins? Whatever they were, I always hated that part as I felt it slowed the plot down and added nothing. By cutting that part they proved how unnecessary it was and the story still works without it.) Being a Disney film, they of course toned down the creepiness of the planet Camazotz. (Boo!) I would have preferred it to be as scary as the book and 2003 film. It was still a bit unsettling, but not as much as it should have been. Overall, I thought this was a fine adaptation, albeit a slightly flawed one.

Grade: A-    9/10     3.5/5 stars