Mini Movie Reviews - 2014 March to May

Godzilla - Representing pure existential terror, Godzilla can be a stand-in for nuclear bombs, climate change, global warming, etc. Adding the conspiracy angle to the monster movie genre was a masterstroke & Bryan Cranston gives a paranoid, emotional centre to the 1st act which carries the movie till the end. Though on the outside, it is a Suspenseful, Really Entertaining Movie (note that i did not say blockbuster), on the inside, it is a serious movie that speaks about the real world (hence). The slow 2nd act might make you wonder where this is all going but the 3rd act's Grand Action Climax will make the wait worth it for you (that roar can shake anything!) Final Verdict - Full credit should go to the director for his genuine vision, the script for respecting the Japanese legacy & giving a fitting update to the legendary monster, & to the composer for the gloomy, appropriate music. Successfully makes you forget the 98 version & you could find some good ideas about contemporary fears in here (Note that wherever the nuclear bomb goes, something bad happens) Should you go? Yes, Definitely! Bring your brain too, because Godzilla is a Thrilla!

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - 1st things 1st, the music chokes the screen in the action sequences, the most important relationship in the movie gets the least importance so when something critical happens at the end, its not as shocking as it should be, before he transforms Jamie Foxx is way too campy, the director again confirms that he is best suited for light-hearted romantic comedy dramas etc., BUT overall this is a much bigger enterprise than the last & despite having many villains, it saves itself from the Spider-Man 3 curse, the action sequences have eye-popping graphics that light up the screen, Harry Osborn is much more compelling now & has the most interesting storyline, but what really saves the movie is still the romantic chemistry between Andrew Garfield & Emma Stone as Peter Parker & Gwen Stacy. Plus Spider-man gets a lot of funny one-liners like in the comics & Electro is a now a sympathetic, psychotic villain that steals every moment he is on screen. Final Verdict - The f/x action over-kill takes away from the emotional side of the story & makes you wonder if they sacrificed the story for blockbuster purposes but you do get to see an important emotional moment in the Spider-Man mythology. If you are looking for a visual pyromania/commercial blockbuster without much expectations, then yes, as a weekend distraction this will do. The Timepass Spider-Man!

Transcendence - good visuals do not a good movie make... It takes a story-line you are interested (logically or emotionally) in to make a good movie, that's what this movie has forgotten. When Nolan's long time cameraman Wally Pfister became a director, he brought his visual sense but not much strong storytelling abilities. Despite having Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, many other characters etc., there's only one character you feel something for (Paul Bettany) & Morgan Freeman plays just a 'Morgan Freeman' role. There are so many characters moving here & there but you just don't feel any movement. The sad thing is that this is actually a 'big idea' movie that claims it has something but forgets to give its main big idea any focus at all, so when the ending comes you don't really give a damn. Though the final action climax is ok, other than that there really isn't much to remember about this movie. What's really more sad is that this movie doesn't need Johnny Depp, at all. Just by the interval, the audience reaction was unmistakably Disinterested. Final Verdict - Perhaps in the hands of a more capable director this could have been interesting Sci-Fi but for now it's just 'ya whatever'. If you like taking something from here and there (visually or idea-wise) then you can try it as a weekend distraction. Other than that, they had a good idea but it is a bad movie.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier - the best compliment for it is that the directors seem to have forgotten that this was a superhero movie & that's the best thing about it. It's 1/4 Conspiracy movie + 1/4 Spy movie + 1/4 Sci-Fi Action movie + 1/4 Techno Thriller = 1 different, Conspiracy Action Thriller! Despite the 1st act having chop-heavy editing style action & 3D underwhelming the movie, Chris Evans could have carried the picture all by himself but add Falcon (a funny, old school soldier just like him), Black Widow (who gets to display her action side) & Nick Fury finally getting a meaty role+ Robert Redford enjoying his interesting role & the title villain who comes & goes just like in a comic book & above all, just like in the best conspiracy movies, when the hero has no one he can trust & starts wondering about the price worth giving for freedom, that's an appreciable aim for a mainstream blockbuster. Final Verdict - It uses all of its different sides to make a comic book movie which is Interesting & Realistic, with more practical effects over CGI (a thrilling 10 second knife-fight, crunching punches, etc.) so u can really believe that something is happening. A High-Energy Sequel that gives Full Entertainment without sacrificing its soul for commercial purposes. The Best Phase 2 Movie & above all, an enjoyable Conspiracy Action Thriller. (Aren't those the best 3 words together? Even gives 'I Love You' competition.)

Need for Speed - it's got a thick-headed hero who when he tries to act intense looks like he's really crazy, a villain who seems to be enjoying more than the hero, laughable dialogue, a proto-basic storyline that would put videogames to shame & logically the movie is preposterous, BUT how can a movie so ridiculous really be So Entertaining? The answer - the racing is AWESOME!!! The director, an ex-stunt performer, has made all the car stunts authentic, without graphics & so has brought a level of 'being on the track' feeling to the races & the turns, the driving, everything in it related to racing is Intense & Attention Keeping. Final Verdict - Any Single Car in this movie looks better than the cars of the entire F&F series! Really cool cars, music full of screechin' tyres & burnin' roads & despite all the cliches & plot holes, overall it's an enjoyable 'car' movie that is Really Good For Racing Fans. This weekend what you need, is A Need for Speed!

300: Rise of an Empire - the 2nd half is like from a totally different movie from the 1st one... Despite not having the visual madness of Zack Snyder or the presence of Gerald Butler of the 1st one, this one uses all the other characters played by less known actors to move the storyline from before, during & after the events of 300. Though the first half is like a B movie or an uninteresting boring video game where nothing catches your attention except a cold, dangerous villainess by Eva Green, the 2nd half saves the movie by attacking graphics, naval warfare scenes, thumping background music by Junkie XL & the mind games of two strategically cunning generals from both sides. Final Verdict - though it screws up the historical side of the story, it gets the action side right in the 2nd half. If you are going for a movie like this, you know what you want. You want carnage? You got carnage! Keep low to mid range expectations, survive the 1st half & yeah, as a weekend timepass action movie, this will do.

TBA... most probably Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Thank you for reading Mini Movie Reviews - 2014 March to May. Hope you have enjoyed it and had a good time with my movie reviews. There are 2 opinion polls below regarding which movie you thought was the best movie and what you thought about my article of movie reviews, so please feel free to take them, comment and give your opinions. Hope to see you soon on another article about movie reviews. Have a good day and once again, thank you for reading Mini Movie Reviews - 2014 March to May.

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