Whenever someone says they have problems with excessive sequels, I always bring up “Kung Fu Panda 2” (2011) as an example of how a sequel can surpass the original. The first film, released in 2008 was good, but “Kung Fu Panda 2” was even better and is one of my favorite animated films ever.
So does part 3 live up to its predecessor? Unfortunately, no.
Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ Lags Behind Its Predecessors”
Known for her work in “The Walking Dead,” Lauren Cohan switches to the big screen in “The Boy,” playing a recently hired nanny who is being sent to work for a family in a rural area of the United Kingdom. Her life takes an unexpected turn, though, when the young women, named Greta, finds out that her employers want her to look after a doll.
The problem is that her employers, Mr. and Mrs. Heelshire (Jim Norton and Diana Hardcastle) actually think the doll is their real child Brahms and subsequently, want Greta to treat the object as a real boy, too. While Greta is skeptical at first, strange occurrences start to make her believe there is more to the doll than she initially thought.
While the first act of “The Boy” comes off as a bit silly and hokey because of its obnoxious subject matter, the film does in fact start to get really good in the second act. Despite having a wacky story about a doll that may be alive, the movie is able to build up a pretty solid, creepy atmosphere and it was actually interesting to watch Greta’s character lose her mind because of the doll. Heading into the final act, the film had won me over.
An alien race, only referred to as The Others, has attacked Earth in “The 5th Wave” using different methods to do so. These include cutting off electricity, causing natural disasters and a mega-virus. The film picks up after these first three “waves” with the character Cassie (Chloe Grace Moretz), who is one of the remaining human survivors, along with her father Oliver (Ron Livingston) and her brother Sam (Zackary Arthur).
After an incident at a refugee camp for human survivors, Cassie’s family gets separated and she is sent on the run with the goal of saving her brother. Along the way she begins to learn what the 4th and 5th Waves are, that The Others are using humans as hosts and are tricking other human survivors.
While “The 5th Wave” does use a plot similar to other sci-fi flicks such as “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” and “The Faculty,” it still starts off strong enough. Cassie is introduced as a good protagonist and her tale of survival is engaging and exciting and made the first half or so a solid experience.
Matthew Liedke on Film 