Tag: Action

REVIEW: Despite Some Good Moments, ‘The Last Jedi’ As A Whole Is Largely Flawed

The honeymoon appears to be over with the new “Star Wars” trilogy, at least from this reviewer’s perspective.

The latest film in the saga is “The Last Jedi” and it takes place shortly after the events of “The Force Awakens.” The Resistance, a military branch that was created to defend the peaceful republic government, is on the ropes to The First Order, a faction of Imperial remnants. The movie begins with the Resistance evacuating their base and getting chased by large spacecraft from The First Order.

Meanwhile, in another sector of the galaxy, new force user Rey (Daisy Ridley) is pleading with the Jedi Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) for training. The problem, though, is that Luke is more or less retired now. As Rey tries to connect with Skywalker, members of the Resistance Finn (John Boyega) and Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) go on a special mission to help their faction escape. However, the two are on the clock because the last Resistance ships are being chased by larger crafts from the First Order.

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REVIEW: ‘Justice League’ Never Rises Above Average

If “Justice League” had come out roughly 10 to 15 years ago, it may be considered a better super hero film.

However, with the existence of the Marvel series, the Nolan “Batman” films and even attempts such as what FOX has done with “Logan” and “Deadpool,” “Justice League” largely pales in comparison.

For a bit of a refresher, “Justice League” comes after the events of “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.” Superman is now dead and as a result, Batman (Ben Affleck) begins noticing an uptick in strange creatures causing havoc. It’s soon discovered that these creatures are appearing because of Steppenwolf, an ancient alien with conquest on his mind.

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REVIEW: ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ Rocks!

It’s no secret, I wasn’t really a fan of the first two “Thor” movies. That’s not the case with the latest installment, though, as “Thor: Ragnarok” fires on all cylinders.

“Ragnarok” begins with the titular character Thor (Chris Hemsworth) searching for the mystical Infinity Stones and defeating monsters that have been rising up across the galaxy lately. The reason for the monsters returning is that Thor’s father is no longer in control of his homeland Asgard. Instead, it’s Thor’s brother Loki (Tom Hiddlleston) who took charge of the land.

After Thor calls out Loki for what he’s done, the two agree to find their father Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Unfortunately, Odin dies shortly after the two brothers find him. Making matters worse, Odin’s death allows his daughter Hela (Cate Blanchett) to escape an ancient prison and seek the throne of Asgard for herself.

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REVIEW: ‘Blade Runner’s’ Return Is Remarkable

There have been a lot of sequels lately that have revisited properties that were long left dormant, including “Jurassic World,” “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “Creed.” This sequel to the 80s cult classic “Blade Runner,” though, might be the best one yet.

The new “Blade Runner” takes place 30 years after the original, hence the title. Replicants, the bioengineered humans that were featured in the original, are once again present in the movie and this time more integrated into society. The main example of this is the movie’s protagonist, K (Ryan Gosling). K is a replicant who works for the Los Angeles Police Department and is tasked with hunting down older replicant models.

In his latest investigation, K discovers a clue that relates to events in the first film. As a result, K is sent down a rabbit hole where he finds out information that could change the entire world.

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REVIEW: ‘Kingsman’ Sequel Isn’t Golden, But It’s Still Pretty Good

“Kingsman: The Secret Service,” one of the more fun and fresh action flicks in the past few years, got a sequel this weekend. However, while there’s a lot to like in this part 2, dubbed “The Golden Circle,” it doesn’t live up to the first picture

In this entry, helmed by returning director Matthew Vaughn, the lead character Eggsy (Taron Egerton) is now a full fledged Kingsman and is hard at work in his role with the secret spy organization. Trouble begins to mount, though, when a new enemy emerges in the form of a drug lord named Poppy (Julianne Moore), who manages to find and destroy their headquarters.

As a result, Eggsy, together with the Kingsman tech expert Merlin (Mark Strong), have to travel to the United States to meet with their agency’s American counterpart, Statesman. Together, the spies start a joint effort to take down Poppy before she can complete a plan that would result in the deaths of millions.

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REVIEW: Jackson And Reynolds Are Fun, But ‘the Hitman’s Bodyguard’ Isn’t Anything Special

Stop me if you’ve heard this one, a guy who’s more by the books has to team up with a loose cannon to do something resulting in an action comedy.

Yes, the Hitman’s Bodyguard is your basic buddy comedy, albeit one carrying a hard ‘R’ rating. The movie follows Michael (Ryan Reynolds), a bodyguard who’s extremely skilled, but has been disgraced after a job went wrong.

He’s forced into protecting a hitman, Darius (Samuel L. Jackson), who’s supposed to give a testimony against a brutal leader charged with war crimes. The two of course don’t get along but end up having to work together to make it through alive.

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REVIEW: ‘Wind River’ Works As Crime Drama And An Emotional Character Piece

Taylor Sheridan, who wrote two the great “Sicario” in 2015 and the superb “Hell or High Water” last year, returned to write a third movie and this time he directed, too.

The film is “Wind River” and the name is based on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming, where the picture takes place. The movie tells the story of Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner), a tracker and hunter working for the Bureau of Land Management who comes across the body of a murdered woman on the reservation.

As a result, Lambert gets in contact with the Tribal Police Chief Ben (Graham Greene) who in turn gets assistance from an FBI agent named Jane (Elizabeth Olsen). As the three conduct the joint investigation, Lambert’s background is expanded upon and the audience learns that he lost a daughter and she was discovered similarly to the woman that he found.

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REVIEW: ‘Dunkirk’ Is Technically Marvelous, But Lacking In Other Areas

Like Director Christopher Nolan’s other films, “Dunkirk” is a well crafted film. However, it’s not on the same level of his other great pictures.

As the title implies, “Dunkirk” is about the evacuation of British forces in early World War II after Germany invades France. The film opens with British troops preparing to evacuate across the English Channel before the German military has a chance to reach them. As this is taking place, the film also gives its focus to members of the Royal Air Force who did battle with the Luftwaffe to help the escape as well as a group of citizens who assisted in the rescue of soldiers from the battle field with their private vessel.

The picture develops by showing the hardships of the soldiers who were constantly under threat of the Luftwaffe while also displaying the bravery of citizens who helped the soldiers with their own ships.

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REVIEW: ‘Homecoming’ Is The Best ‘Spider-Man’ Movie In Years

After a failed attempt at a franchise with “The Amazing Spider-Man” movies, Sony Pictures decided to give the webslinging super hero another chance on the big screen. This time around, though, the film takes place in the Marvel universe already familiar to audiences thanks to “The Avengers.”

The film picks up shortly after the events of “Captain America: Civil War,” where Spider-Man (Tom Holland) helped Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in trying to apprehend Steve Rogers. Following that venture, Spider-Man returns to his life as the teenager Peter Parker and attempts to balance his life as New York City’s newer super hero while also attending high school.

While this is taking place, another character, Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton) is knee-deep in an underground weapons business where he sells arms that have been recovered from previous battle sites. Because this is also taking place in New York, Spider-Man soon finds out about the business. However, as the situation includes high-class weaponry, Stark advises Parker to not investigate the matter further.

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REVIEW: ‘Baby Driver’ Is A B-Movie With Grade-a Filmmaking

Baby is not exactly a conventional name for an action movie character, but then again, Director Edgar Wright’s films are rarely conventional.

The film of course follows the lead character who goes by the alias Baby, played by Ansel Elgort. As the title implies, Baby is a driver, but more specifically, he’s a getaway driver for heists. In doing so, the young protagonist is able to work off a debt to a crime leader named Doc (Kevin Spacey) and at the movie’s onset, Baby’s almost done.

Just as he’s coming close to getting out of the crime world, though, he’s pulled into more heist jobs by Doc. At the same time, Baby meets and falls in love with a woman named Debora (Lily James), which only causes him to seek even more ways out of the crime world.

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