My desire to see this film declined every single time a new promo or trailer or clip was released. It looked serious and awesome then it began to look cheesy and silly and just plain stupid. However, I have kids who wanted to see it, and I had nothing else to do, so here we go. I cannot remember the last time I left the theater feeling so conflicted on how I felt about what I had just seen. I enjoyed the story, the look of the turtles, the action involving the turtles, and the comedy. I did not enjoy Shredder or Splinter. I will say Megan Fox was very lovely. She did fantastic as April O'Neil. The tempo of the film was its strong suit. It didn't take a half hour to meet the turtles. The action sequences were timed well with the comedic scenes, and the origin of the turtles flashback scenes I actually enjoyed. The dynamic of the turtles was mostly the same that I remember from the old days with the exception of Donatello. In this version he was a tech genius which helps a lot with their missions. Leo is still the leader and though Johnny Knoxville didn't steal the show, he did a good job with that character. Mikey provided 100% of the comedy and I really enjoyed his dialogue and jokes. He cracked us up loads of times. However, they absolutely nailed Raphael as the brooding second fiddle who is generally pissed off. He was awesome and his attitude worked well with the general lightheartedness of his 3 brothers. He had the look and provided the most ass whoopings. As good as the CG was for the turtles, it was equally awful for Splinter. I found myself loathing scenes when he was on screen. It looked like they copy and pasted him from the original movie in 1990. As for Shredder, I liked what they did with the character in the beginning, but what ruined him for me was his ridiculous suit of armor....and lack of cape. He had way too much going on, and it angered me when he was fighting. However, in my personal opinion the bad does not outweigh the good. I had a fun time watching the turtles back on the big screen, seeing my kids sit completely still and laughing at Michelangelo's antics while quoting the jokes immediately after, so all in all, it's a decent movie experience.
NBM rates TMNT Awesome which relates to 3/5
I was so looking forward to this sequel until it received astronomically good reviews and then I made the decision that I would see it in the theater at any cost. Though it took me 4 weeks, it was worth the wait. This film picks up 10 years after James Franco released Caesar into the woods on good terms after the Golden Gate bridge debacle between the newly educated apes and the humans. Now, other than knowing the apes have evolved even more than when we left them last, I wasn't sure how much. I wasn't sure what the new ape society looked like. I didn't know how much time was between the end of the first film and the beginning of the second. Honestly, I didn't know a whole lot about this film. Why Franco wasn't in it? Who Jason Clarke and Gary Oldman played? Luckily, it does a fantastic job in the opening credits explaining everything you may have questions about and then into the film we go. I was actually really impressed how this was written. Being able to go that far into the future and seeing a world that has basically been all but extinct of human activity is awesome. The scenery of San Francisco all grown over with vegetation looked great, but I was surprised at how little the ape population had evolved. With the rapid brain growth in the first film, one would expect in ten years, they may be running the world, but it is a much different story than that. They are still establishing themselves as a hierarchy in civilization, though they aren't even aware how smart they have become. They still live among the trees (kick ass tree houses, but still the woods) and believe all humans are gone for good. This is when it gets interesting. Humans cross the apes path in the woods and decisions are made. Not by the humans, but by Caesar, leader of the apes. The relationship Caesar embraces with this film's hero, Malcolm (Jason Clarke) is quite astonishing. It is like two governments talking peace treaties. Caesar is the most intelligent ape, but some of the apes do not agree with his views on the humans and this causes strife among them. Not only do we get to see the evolution of the apes, but also of the relationships between the apes and humans, the humans and humans, and the apes and apes. It really is like watching the birth of coexisting civilizations. This is most definitely the second film in what could be wrapped up nicely in a trilogy, but could also extend to a fourth film. The digital effects are flawless and there is no better visual than apes riding horses. The film does not fall short anywhere in my opinion. It runs a little long, but I'm not sure what I would cut. It all seems relevant. A+ performances by all involved and Andy Serkis should be recognized for an Oscar as Caesar. The motion capture suit actors work as hard or harder than the other actors on the screen but are not recognized for any awards. If anything, add a new category to Oscar night specifically for these unsung heroes of today's CG heavy cinema experience. If you like the Franco film, you will LOVE this one. More action, more drama, flawless effects. The whole 9 yards of good movie making. I cannot wait for the third film and to see what direction they take it.
NBM rates Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Phenomenal
Stay for the end credits scene!!! Do not expect anything magnificent or awe inspiring or, in my opinion, anything that even gives us a glimpse into future Marvel movies or future cameos. What it is, is the perfect end credits scene for a comedy like Guardians and I like it.
Now lets talk about the brilliant marketing scheme behind GotG. I knew without a doubt I was going to see this film. What I didn't know was what it was about. I never read the comics, ignored all articles based on plot points and theories, and I really tried to disconnect myself from the hype. What I now know, is Marvel gave us no indication of exactly what the Guardians were going to do, and that made the film all the more great. The super unknown to me as a viewer. I did know that we were supposed to get more Thanos (Josh Brolin voiced), and more of The Collector (Benicio Del Toro) as first introduced in Thor: The Dark World. What I didn't know was how little we would actually see them, and what little impact they would have on the actual plot. This movie is about Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) and his fight for World Universe domination. Lee Pace surprised me with his casting. The role that stands out in my mind was the short lived TV Dramedy "Pushing Daisies", and to take that and make him one of the most evil villains in the Marvel Universe made me concerned. Put that to bed. He is AWESOME.
This is where I may surprise you. This is the funniest comedy of the year, and with a sold out crowd and uproarious laughter, I am afraid I missed the follow up jokes and quips that would make it even better. This band of misfits are the Galaxy's rejects and they must band together to stop Ronan.
Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) is the only Earthling in the film and though all the trailers make him out to be the forefront of this film, he does get over shadowed. I'm not saying he isn't brilliant, because he is, but this cast just works fluidly together, he isn't relied on to carry the film on his shoulders.
Drax the Destroyer is played by professional wrestler Dave Bautista, and this casting made me nervous as well. All I was thinking was he may not have many lines or interaction other than being some visual muscle for the screen. Turns out, he was great as well. He delivered several memorable moments that adds to the whole of what the film wanted to be. Director James Gunn (who wrote the script as well) really got the best from all of his actors and sometimes that is difficult to do.
Gamora (Zoe Saldana) is the least interesting character to me. She is a master assassin that was engineered which was neat, but with everything else going on, she didn't add that much for me personally. A few scenes of comic relief, Wait, can you have comic relief in a comedy? Ok, let's just say she had a couple jokes that were fun.
I saved the best for last. Groot and Rocket. These two come as a pair and that is the way it has to be. These characters stole the show, specifically Rocket. An engineered Raccoon who doesn't know what a raccoon is. His sidekick and BFF Groot, it a semi talking tree that only says 3 words no matter what he asked or told. I AM GROOT. If anyone wondered how you could make a viable character that is a walking tree and only have 3 words of dialogue, will love this. His inflection in the 3 words just change, but it is the emotions in his face that are so beautifully crafted. Hands down, He and Rocket got the most laughs, but what I was most interested in was the performances that Vin Diesel brings to Groot. Voice over characters can make or break an entire film. Many times these performances are "phoned in" if you will. Merely seen as an easy payday for so many actors (I'm looking at you Megatron...Hugo Weaving). Bradly Cooper, however, did the best I have ever heard. So much attitude, and sarcasm, and confusion, and emotion. He brought Rocket to life and I really appreciated it. Vin Diesel on the other hand is as much of an "A-Lister" as can be, and to have the faith in a project that only requires 3 words over and over is pretty amazing. He really embraced it though. So much so, that he dubbed his lines in 5 other languages for the international cuts of the film. Watch all 5 clips here. That is commitment that he probably wasn't contracted to do, but he gives his characters everything he has.
As an action film, the movie is flawless. As a comedy it is also flawless. To be able to combine these two genres and have a film that knows what it is, is amazing. I will watch it again and again, mostly to hear those jokes I may have missed while laughing at the other jokes. Also it has the best soundtrack ever. All those promos with the golden oldies paying, plays a major part of the film and it is just another nuance that made Guardians so great.
NBM rates Guardians of the Galaxy - A Cinematic Work of Art. 5/5...10/10...etc, etc,etc
