What Was This Movie?

The basic gist of this movie is that three women whose husband’s get sent off to prison decide to get mixed up in organized crime so they can provide for their families. The main mobster, who is supposed to provide money in case something like this happens, doesn’t cough up enough cash for the three wives so they form an alliance to make some collections and… That’s literally the whole movie… This is honestly one of the worst movies I have seen all year. I could not tell what was going on half the time and the pacing just killed the movie. If you thought the Star Wars prequels were boring where a bunch of people sat down and talked for ten minutes about nonsense then check this shit out. I might have found a runner up for possibly the most sleep inducing movie ever made and that is no exaggeration. The majority of the movie takes place inside tiny rooms where a few of the main characters sit and converse with other mobster people about whatever they plan on doing next. The pacing is all over the place, too, and I found it hilarious being that one moment they walk into a store to collect money and the next they go out partying like no tomorrow. When that happened I was like, “What the fuck happened? Did I miss something?” That is the whole movie in a nutshell… The perfect summary to this movie is a giant bag of “what the fuck just happened”. I have no idea what the director was smoking while making this movie because whoever thought this was a finished cohesive story must be either insane or high on something. I am going with the latter on that one and if anybody wants to defend her then be my guest down below in the comments section, but be warned I might question if you are on anything if you consider this movie passable. Before I blow a gasket talking about this dumpster fire I will go ahead and give you a few minor things that didn’t make me want to jump out the window.

Some Minor Things I Found Okay…

1. You have to love movies that make you feel like you are living in a certain time and this movie does have a neat setting in the late 1970’s.
2. One of the wives I could sort of feel for because her husband was abusive and I felt genuinely sad for her character.
3. The performances were alright and I do not blame the actresses for this piece of shit movie. They are not the problem in any way, shape, or form. They may not have shared much chemistry but their delivery was fine and I didn’t think they did a half bad job with the script given to them.

What Sucked About the Film?

• The three main characters shared zero chemistry with each other. I can barely remember any of their names, except maybe Ruby (played by Tiffany Haddish). If there are no characters to root for then you might as well be staring at the wall for ninety minutes and that is exactly how I felt while watching this movie, except I think staring at the wall would have been more entertaining.
• The pacing is all over the place. I already mentioned the party montage coming right after a collection scene which doesn’t flow right, but I didn’t mention the other montages in the film. For whatever reason, the director decided to brush right past the murder scenes to get to more walking and talking. Why the fuck would anybody in their right mind want to skip past the most entertaining sequences in the movie? Sure, they wouldn’t make the movie any better but it definitely would have given me a reason to show a little bit more interest. Other problems stem from following each character walk up down the street, sometimes together, other times by themselves smiling at the camera. Who is going to want to pay money to watch a bunch of women walk and talk for almost two hours with almost no stand out performances or tension? I know I wouldn’t want to…
• There are some dumb twists at the end that come out of nowhere and make no sense. The movie tries to give you a flashback sequence like something out of Scooby Doo to try and make the twist out to be some kind of clever scheme but it didn’t work. I won’t spoil it in case you are curious to see this piece of shit… This movie isn’t even so bad that it’s good so be sure you know what you are getting yourself into when you check it out. It is one of the most boring films I have ever sat through and nobody should bare witness to this chore of a movie.
• The lack of tension killed the movie, too. If you ever watched a movie involving the mob then you should know how terrifying the movies can be. Take Goodfellas, for example. I’m funny how? That scene was flat out scary and hilarious all at once and the actors took it seriously. There were no moments like that anywhere in this film and it seriously hurt this film because tension is what drives the story in a movie like this.
  

In Conclusion

Stay the fuck away from this movie because there is almost nothing redeemable about it. The small positives don’t help the film in any way; it’s like covering a turd in sprinkles. I remember how painful Stuber was but this film is painful on a whole other level, being that it is so boring. Sure, they are two completely different genres but they do share some similarities when it comes to forgettable dialogue and being an overall shit show of boring. I felt no tension in this movie even when there were things happening on screen other than walking and talking. I didn’t feel like the women were in any danger and if there is no danger in a mob related movie then something is fucked up. I honestly feel like no one edited the script when they turned it in for the final draft. I mean, this was a great concept where mobster wives get to take over the world, but this was the most shallow attempt at drama I have ever seen. I couldn’t tell what was going on and my brain just wanted to shut off several times but I pressed on so I can tell you guys not to watch this stain on human existence. I am going to give this horrid piece of shit one star out of five… I thought it was bad when I saw it but after thinking about it for more than five seconds I just found myself hating it more and more. Stay away from this movie… I think I would rather watch Stuber than this and you all know how great I thought that film was. If you don’t I will share a link down below. If you enjoyed my review then be sure to share this article around on social media! I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you!

The Plot and Then Some

This is a film about a football star named Brian Banks (played by Aldis Hodge) who was wrongfully convicted of raping a girl at the age of 16. The film deals with his struggle to prove his innocence by contacting Justin Brooks (played by Greg Kinnear) so he can look into his case to find a way to prove his innocence. After doing a little bit of research, I have to say that the majority of the film is pretty authentic to the real life events of Brian Banks. I went into the movie knowing that it was going to be based on a true story so I wasn’t necessarily looking for action or great visual effects, but rather an intriguing story. I will admit that when the credits rolled I didn’t know what to make of the movie because I thought to myself, “Do I judge the movie based on entertainment value or authenticity?” True stories are really tricky to criticize because there are only so many ways to translate a real life story onto the big screen, and in this film’s case, I must admit that while it does get a lot of the facts right, there isn’t much of a reason to go out and watch the movie on the big screen. This isn’t a bad movie… It is just forgettable and could have gone straight to Netflix. I was literally the only one in the theater and this film almost slipped under my radar because I didn’t hear anything about it. It was only when I found out it was playing at my local theater that I decided to go out and watch it. I am sure that a lot of people watched the trailer and immediately shrugged the movie off because they knew exactly what it was going to be: A story about a football player who was robbed of pretty much everything and has to do whatever he can to prove his innocence. They knew that the film would not be worth seeing on the big screen because true stories are truly hit and miss. If they were so interested in the life of Brian Banks then they would have just googled his story, instead of paying money to watch his story unfold. This film had some good performances but I felt like there were segments that dragged on way too long making the movie feel like twice its length.

What Did I Like?

1. I thought the performances were great! Morgan Freeman is good in every movie he is in even if he isn’t in the movie very much. He basically plays a motivational speaker role and who is a better pick to inspire hope than Morgan Freeman. I thought everybody else did a spectacular job, too. I really felt like Brian Banks was desperate to get his life back so he can fulfill his dream of playing in the NFL. I felt sorry for him because his life was pretty much ruined. If you can’t get a job or work towards making your dream come true then there isn’t much of a point in going on and I bought that sign of frustration in his character. His mother was loving and I could tell she really wanted her son to be happy, especially after all he had gone through. I thought Banks’ love interest, Karina was very well acted, too. I didn’t much care for her character since she seemed like she was only there to give Banks a romantic interest and not much else, but her performance was not bad.
2. The authenticity of the story is spot on. There are some minor differences because of legal reasons, like changing the name of the ‘victim’ but none that detracted from the overall story. I did some research on the film because I was curious to see how much they changed in the movie and I was surprised how spot on they were when it came to the facts. I have to give the film credit for giving the movie an authentic touch when they could have easily disrespected the story of Brian Banks by rewriting the story to give it that Hollywood melodramatic edge which most moviegoers, including myself, are sick of.

What I Didn’t Like?

• Even though her performance was good, I did not think Karina was necessary in the film. She does have a scene where she shares a story about her, too, being a victim but then her character just slips into the background for the rest of the run time. After doing some research, I found out that her story was fabricated for the film to give her character some ties to Banks; a way for them to share some similarities. It felt thrown in just to give him a training buddy and a romantic interest and I thought the film makers could have done a better job with her character.
• The film comes to a screeching halt during the second half when the movie flashes back to when Banks was in prison. I get what they were going for by giving Banks a reason to go on because of his teacher’s words, but it didn’t really work for me. It felt stale and I just wanted the movie to carry on from that point.
• I am not big into the law but I found it kind of sketchy when the police broke into Banks’ home to arrest him in such an over the top manner. I was thinking to myself, “Don’t they need some kind of warrant to arrest him?” and it kind of took me out of the movie. I could be wrong, but the scene was just way too over the top and it felt like Hollywood was tampering with the film to give it a more dramatic feel, but it came off as silly to me. Comment down below if you found the scene a tad bit over the top like I did.
• I felt like Brian Banks’ parole officer was good in the movie but I felt like he was there to put pressure on Banks the whole movie and that’s it. There were scenes where he showed up to add a bit more tension and drama and I did not buy into it since it seemed like his sole purpose was to provide some kind of road block for Banks. The performance was good but I thought he was a tacked on obstacle and the film would have been better with the removal of his character entirely.
  
  

In Conclusion

I found the authenticity of the film and the performances to be a highlight, but I would not recommend you to spend money at the theater to see it. It can be viewed at home if you are interested in the story of Brian Banks and you might enjoy it for what it is. I walked out of the movie with mediocre thoughts but after researching the story a bit, I decided to judge this movie based on authenticity rather than entertainment value. I would recommend you to watch it at home if you are interested in a visual representation of Banks’ story. His story can be inspirational to some because he is a character willing to do whatever it takes to be free and fulfill his lifelong dream. If you like true stories about real people then wait until it comes out on DVD to pick it up for a cheap watch. The movie is not terrible, but neither is it good. It falls somewhere in between so make sure you keep that in mind and don’t expect to be blown away. Take it for what it is and you should walk away with an okay feeling at the end. I am going to give this movie 3 stars out of 5 because of the performances and the authenticity of the story. I felt bad for Brian Banks and I did feel happy by the end of the film for his character. If you enjoyed my review of this film then be sure to pass this around on social media! I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you!

I Did Not Get What I Was Expecting

If you ever wanted to watch a movie where a bunch of kids have to face their fear after reading from a creepy old book then this is the film for you! I didn’t watch any trailers or watch any reviews so I am about to share with you my first impressions after walking out of the movie theater. I have to admit that I did not get what I was expecting from this movie because I expected an average PG-13 film with cheap jump scares and laughable dialogue. This was one of two movies this year that got a standing ovation from the audience once the film ended and I was quite surprised myself at how good the movie turned out. The film had many creepy moments, memorable characters, an intriguing mystery element, and spectacular visual effects. I was invested while watching the movie and I was genuinely spooked during certain segments, especially the scene with the Pale Lady even though her goofy smile made me chuckle a little bit. Let me go ahead and talk a little bit about the plot before I get into what I loved about this movie.

A Bit About the Plot

The year is 1968 and it is Halloween, a time for scary stories and tricks and treats! A group of teenagers decide to visit a spooky old house because what better way to celebrate Halloween than by rummaging around a desolate looking house. That is what kids like to do, right? I know I didn’t when I was growing up. These kids have nothing better to do so they decide to break in to take a gander at the haunted house when one of the teens, Stella (played by Zoe Margaret Colletti) pulls out a mysterious looking book for the rest of the group to read. She is a horror fan and supposedly knows a little bit about a girl named Sarah who ended up hanging herself back in 1898, which evoked some kind of curse born of rage. We learn pretty fast that the book contains a bunch of scary stories and in true teenage fashion, Stella asks Sarah to tell her a story since she is pretty naive about the whole haunted story concept. This enables a curse that is placed on all the teenagers inside the house where their greatest fear is portrayed in reality. Pennywise, anyone? It also kind of reminded me of The Mummy from 1999 because it, too, was about a bunch of people getting picked off all because they tampered with something they shouldn’t have. Stella discovers that the book has a mind of its own as it starts writing terrifying stories about her friends. Whatever happens in the story seems to happen for real, so the kids must find a way to stop this curse before they all get picked off one by one. Pretty interesting concept, don’t you think? I was on board with the movie once the stories started taking shape. I was getting major Final Destination vibes because every character gets picked off in interesting ways and there is no way to stop it from happening. That is a very scary concept because it is almost like your destiny is being tampered with by evil forces you have no control over. I appreciated this concept and it seemed very unique and scary to me. Now it is time to get into what I enjoyed about the movie!

What Was Good?

1. The monster designs were fantastic! I was a big fan of the Pale Lady and her segment was probably the best in the whole film. There is nothing scarier than a naked fat lady taking her sweet time to give you the hug of a century. Try to name something scarier down in the comments section!
2. The characters were memorable in their own way with my favorite being Stella, as a horror fanatic who blames herself for her mother abandoning both her and her father. She also seemed to be the smartest one in the group and there is nothing more satisfying in a horror movie than a character who doesn’t make dumb decisions. She actually tried returning the book back to the house rather than keeping it and that made me like her character a lot more because I would have done the same thing. The others in her group fit their role just fine and I don’t have anything bad to say about them.
3. There were a lot of moments where I was on the edge of my seat because there was a great deal of tension in this movie. I felt like there were times where the monster could pop up out of nowhere and there was no irritating jump scare music to indicate when the scare was going to take place. I appreciated that in the film because jump scares can get old after a while and I only counted three effective jump scares which is anything but a negative. Most of the scares come from atmosphere and the creature effects. Whenever a monster showed up, all I could hear in the theater was sheer terror. A few people in the row in front of me had to turn away a few times in the movie and that can only mean that the film is doing its job.
4. I thought the pacing was excellent in the film! It is impossible to be bored while watching this film because the scares are clever and the tension is high throughout the course of the movie.
5. The CGI was superb and I never felt like the visuals looked too computer generated. This is no where near the levels of Matrix Reloaded bad when it comes to visual effects. If it would have been horrendously bad then the film would have been ruined. If a movie looks like a video game then it is nearly impossible to take it seriously, especially if it’s in the horror genre.
6. The dialogue felt very natural and the delivery was top notch. I felt like every actor did a great job portraying terrified kids with no means of escape. There was one kid that made me laugh whenever he spoke because of how bad his delivery was but he gets taken out almost instantly, which is a fantastic death scene.

What Wasn’t So Good?

• Some of the humor was flat out bad… One character happens to be wearing a clown outfit and they kept reusing the same, “I am not a clown, I am this” shtick and I did not find it funny in the slightest. When a movie thinks something is funny when it isn’t and keeps shoving the joke down your throat then it gets rather annoying after a while. Thankfully, once Halloween is over with, the movie abandons the whole mistaken clown identity joke that doesn’t land.
• Tommy was a typical bully and I felt like the actor portraying him wanted to fall asleep while delivering his lines. Seriously, what was he thinking when he gave that dull performance? Every line from the guy seemed so under-cooked with almost no emotion attached to the line. I already got enough of that in the Lion King remake. I don’t need any more of that. His performance was laughable when he tried to act threatening because he mumbled most of his lines. I just wanted to reach inside the screen with a megaphone to tell the movie to cut just so he can add some spice to his lines. Tommy was a joke and I am glad he died off early on, otherwise, the movie would have suffered whenever he popped on screen.

In Conclusion

I found the movie to be way more enjoyable than I thought it was going to be. I felt a real connection with the characters, especially Stella, I appreciated the tension throughout the film, I loved the creature effects, and I was genuinely terrified during certain scenes. I can not think of anything wrong with this movie other than Gabriel Rush’s portrayal of Tommy in the film. He was so monotone to me and I feel like he could have given a much better performance with much more emotion. I also didn’t much like the ending because it doesn’t quite tie everything together as good as it could have. I won’t spoil anything but I feel like they are trying to bait the audience in for a sequel and I hate it when movies do that. There should be a satisfying end to a movie and if the movie is good then you can possibly tease a sequel without going full on sequel bait. Everything else was good in the movie and I will have to give this movie a recommendation. I suggest checking this movie out if you are a big into horror and enjoy being spooked out of your mind. I am going to give this movie 4 stars out of 5! If you enjoyed my review then be sure to share this article around on social media! I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you!

Does This Kid’s Show Translate to the Big Screen?

I was honestly very surprised by the amount of fun I had with this movie! I grew up watching the show and I never in a million years thought they would make a live action movie version of a TV show where a girl goes on crazy adventures with a talking monkey wearing rubber boots. I mean, I thought it wouldn’t translate to film very well because there wasn’t much of a plot to the show, given that every episode is not even twenty minutes long. I expected a whole lot of meandering to stretch the movie out because there are only so many ways to turn a half hour long show into a full length movie, so it seemed like an obvious tactic to pad the movie out. A little girl going on wacky adventures without supervision is a pretty sketchy premise but this movie found a way around the silliness of the show and delivered a solid adventure tale. Sure, the movie does have its silly moments and there are moments of predictability but I enjoyed this movie for what it was. I think many people are going to enjoy this film, especially those who love adventure films with nice looking visuals and set pieces. Let me go ahead and give you a plot synopsis of this film before I get into what I enjoyed.

The Plot

The movie is all about Dora (played by Isabela Moner) who has to venture out into the jungle to find her missing parents. The first quarter of this movie is a fish out of water scenario where Dora meets up with her cousin, Diego (played by Jeff Wahlberg) to try her hand at high school. Of course, she doesn’t fit in very well because of her peculiar peacock dance and overall excited demeanor. While she is on a scavenger hunt inside a museum, she gets captured along with a few of her classmates. A strange man sets the group free who claims to know Dora’s parents, thus, sets the group on an exciting adventure through the jungle to find her missing parents and a mysterious city of gold. It is a pretty simple plot but I didn’t mind since the show is all about getting from point A to B with some singing and dancing along the way.

What Did I Enjoy About the Movie?

• I appreciated the opening of the movie trying to be as faithful as possible to the TV show. The opening set the tone for the rest of the movie and it kind of reminded me of some of the openings to Toy Story where the first five minutes takes place inside the imagination of a child. I think kids who are fans of the show are going to really enjoy the opening sequence which features Swiper the Fox, Backpack, and the Map. I thought it was a pretty clever way to please the fans of Dora the Explorer by showing off some of the characters from the TV show.
• The movie is not only for children but I feel like adults will appreciate the movie, too, because I found myself laughing a few times throughout the film. There are some jokes thrown in to get the adults laughing as well as some cheesy ones for the kids to enjoy. The movie is perfectly balanced for both adults and children and that is nothing but a positive. I expected a cheesy movie for babies but I got a damn near excellent family film with a heartwarming message.
• I found certain segments to be pretty informative. There is a scene where the group gets trapped in quick sand and I loved how Dora explained a realistic way to escape the dangers of quick sand. It was like watching one of those How To videos on YouTube, but in movie form. I liked how the movie incorporated survival tips because not only is it a fun movie scenario to watch, but it’s also a great visual representation of what to do when trapped in quick sand. For anybody who finds themselves sinking in quick sand, all they have to do is think about what Dora would do in a similar situation. It’s a smart way to introduce survival techniques in a family movie.
• I liked how every other scene required the abilities of certain characters in the group. You could say it is a pretty big coincidence that every other trap requires a person with a particular skill to bypass, but I actually found it cute and the thought never crossed my mind while watching the movie because it gave the characters some interesting ways to show their usefulness. I loved the scene where Randy holds his breath to unlock a contraption under the water. It was probably the most tense moment in the movie because water is just so scary.
• The pacing is great! There was never a boring moment in the film and when it was over I felt like I wanted more. The movie did not feel sluggish in the slightest and that is always a positive because this film could have taken its sweet time to pad out the run time, but thankfully it never goes that route. I appreciate the film for being a straight forward adventure film with some fun segments and tense moments. The director knew what the fans wanted and he gave the fans exactly that!
• The sets were very interesting to look at! I was surprised how beautiful this movie looked and I thought the visuals along with the character of Dora were worth the price of admission alone.
  
  

What Didn’t Work?

• There were a few jokes that did not land in the slightest. Michael Pena’s scene where he reenacts a rave is pure cringe and it goes on for like 30 seconds. There was also a character that existed only for comic relief and I thought most of his comedy was more miss than hit.
• The movie has a supposed twist that I could see coming from a mile away. I understand this is a family movie intended for children but I thought the twist was super obvious. I am willing to bet money to see if children could see the twist coming right from the start because it is pretty obvious. When the twist happened I just couldn’t help but laugh because I did not expect to be right. I wanted to give the film a chance to go in some other direction with the plot but it was something that has been done in films time and time again.
• I thought some of the CGI looked pretty dated, especially on Swiper the Fox when he is running around with an artifact in his hand. It just reminded me of a cartoon, and yes I know it is based on a cartoon but this is supposed to be a live action movie. When there is a cartoon fox running around with a bunch of real people it is kind of hard to take seriously.
  

In Conclusion

I found myself laughing and on the edge of my seat while watching this movie. I expected a movie for babies but I got a very well paced adventure movie with an interesting lead in Dora along with amazing sets. I think this movie is worth seeing in the theater if you have children because they will find the visuals colorful, especially if they are fans of Dora the Explorer. There is a scene where the movie goes full on animation and I thought it was breathtaking to look at. I feel like the children will laugh and have fun along with the parents because it is very appealing to the eye and has jokes for the entire family to enjoy. I found the traps and the exploration to be the highlight of the film and I will say that it represented the show with flying colors. I am going to give this movie 4 stars out of 5! This was a much better movie than I thought it was going to be. The only drawbacks were that it’s highly predictable and the CGI didn’t always work but these were just minor flaws and had no affect on the overall movie. Go out and watch this movie for a fun time! If you enjoyed my review then be sure to share this article around on social media! I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you!

The Plot

Eight year old Hannibal Lecter and his sister, Mischa lose their family when a plane crashes into a tank outside their cottage. Shortly after, a group of war criminals take control of the cottage so they can hide out. When the group runs out of food they are left with no other choice but to eat one of the children to prevent themselves from starving to death. They choose Mischa to munch on and this sets Hannibal off on a revenge mission to hunt down every member of the group. The film cuts to Lecter as a young adult making due at Lecter Castle where he decides to live with his aunt Murasaki since the orphanage is too much of a pain in the ass for him. After about an hour, the movie decides to finally get the revenge mission started when Lecter figures out a way to refresh his memory in order for him to find the men who ate his sister. That is the basic plot… Generic revenge plot with Hannibal thrown in for a quick buck. Hope you enjoy…

What Did I Just Watch?

Well, I think I might have stumbled across one of the worst prequels ever made. You might be asking yourself, “This can’t be that bad, right? I mean, it’s a young Hannibal Lecter trying to get some revenge for the death of his sister. How bad can it possibly be?” Trust me when I say, this movie is one of the most boring, shallow, pointless, and sterile movies I have seen in a while. I went in feeling like the worst was behind me after enduring that lifeless ‘Hannibal’ film, but I quickly realized that the worst has yet to come. The plot is all about revenge since Hannibal wants to hunt down the men who made beef stew out of his sister in order to survive. A generic, simple revenge plot without a reason to care. In comparison, This movie makes ‘Hannibal’ look like a masterpiece and I sat through this laughable attempt at entertainment so you won’t have to. You can thank me later after I get into what I hated about this movie, so let’s begin shall we?

This Isn’t Hannibal

No disrespect to Gaspard Ulliel, but he was miscast as the demented psychopath, Hannibal Lecter. He came off to me as a random guy trying to hone in some good old fashioned revenge without the same kind of intellect or charm as the Lecter we all know and love. I felt like this guy was directed to be an emo version of Hannibal Lecter, which doesn’t work for me and there were times where his performance made me laugh but for all the wrong reasons. There is a scene where he looks directly at the camera then licks his blood soaked glove like it is supposed to be a creepy moment, but it came off as unintentionally hilarious. While that scene was going on I was just saying to myself, “Seriously, man? You are trying way too hard to be scary. You don’t see Hopkins walking around licking blood, do you?” It didn’t help that he was dead silent for a quarter of the movie, which goes against the Hannibal Lecter character. His character is supposed to be arrogant and snarky while this guy plays him like he is reserved and shy. Can you imagine Hannibal acting that way in ‘The Silence of the Lambs’? Imagine him just staring at Clarice awkwardly for minutes at a time. Pretty hard to take seriously, huh? When he does finally speak (when his aunt basically forces him to say something) I didn’t buy him as the intellectual he is supposed to be. Sure, he does end up going to school to become a doctor but he doesn’t really use his high powered perception to his advantage, which was pretty disappointing to me. It would have been interesting to have a scene similar to that of ‘Silence of the Lambs’ where he uses his psychiatric knowledge to persuade somebody to do what he wants. Instead, Hannibal learns about this serum that allows people to remember certain things about their past. Wow! That’s quite a coincidence because Hannibal is having trouble remembering the names of the men who ate his sister. It’s a good thing he happened to stumble upon a room where an inspector uses the serum on a man to refresh his memory, otherwise, he would be out of luck. His performance was generic and I feel like many of his scenes were forgettable. I could tell he was trying to be intimidating but while he was trying to scare the audience, Hopkins did so naturally without much effort. Maybe if Hollywood decides to do another prequel to Hannibal, they will listen to my criticism because I am sure there are lots of people who want to delve into the mind of Hannibal Lecter, instead of watch him play the anti-hero on the hunt for lesser foes.

The Other Characters

Almost everybody else in the movie sucked… I didn’t care about any of these characters and some even felt like cannon fodder since two of them barely had any lines of dialogue. The main baddie in the film isn’t very intimidating and I felt like Hannibal could have easily dispatched him at any time. This sucked all the tension out of the movie because if the villain isn’t much of a threat then there isn’t much of a point to watch the film. Once again, I am not blaming the actor for his performance, but I will blame the poor direction and the writing for not giving him much to do. Rhys Ifans can be great in a movie if he is used correctly, but he doesn’t have that magnetic presence a good villain should have. Li Gong was forgettable since she is only there to sympathize with Lecter because she lost her family to Hiroshima. She is also a love interest which really doesn’t click for me because there is no chemistry between her and Lecter. I found one scene laughable where she embraces Hannibal and begins sniffing him like a dog. I found that scene really odd and I had no idea what the director was going for by having her hover over his lips in a sexual way when she is, in fact, his aunt. Maybe the director thought Lady Murasaki felt attracted to him because of all the murders he had a part in? That is kind of messed up, don’t you think? That’s what I got out of their ‘chemistry’, at least. When Hannibal told her that he loved her I felt like jumping out of the window because there was nothing previously established other than them being physically attracted to each other. That isn’t much love as it is lust. There is nothing much left to say about the characters. They are boring, cliche, and forgettable including Hannibal himself.

What Didn’t I Like?

1. The story was bland and I have seen it many times before. How many times is Hollywood going to use the same old revenge plot?
2. Hannibal Lecter was miscast… He did okay for what he was given but he doesn’t have the same charisma or intimidation that Hopkins had in the other films. It is almost impossible to play a younger version of a beloved character but I believe it can be done and I feel like the dialogue could have been handled more effectively. Giving the actor more juicy lines to work with could have been beneficial to the overall character but he came off as the typical anti-hero plotting to get revenge.
3. Most of the characters were forgettable. I thought giving Hannibal pathetic foes to go against really hurt the film because it detracts from Hannibal’s aura of wit. I felt like anybody could have taken down these war criminals and when two of them got the drop on Hannibal I couldn’t help but shake my head when he made short work of them.
4. There is a plot hole I won’t go into since I don’t want to be the guy who spoils a movie for you. It bummed me out because it carries over into the other films and the fact that it is never addressed makes me yank the hairs out my head.
5. The kills were painfully average. After a while the kills were the only reason for me to get some form of entertainment but even the deaths were handled poorly. Death by decapitation sounds interesting but there wasn’t much creativity in the kill. Just a few slices and a final cut to the head… I thought it could have been more creative if Hannibal disabled him then tortured him a little bit before going in for the kill. I may be asking for a little much when it comes to the franchise but after a while of watching a bunch of boring scenes I guess a bit of gruesome brutality would wake anybody up from this miserable chore of a movie.

In Conclusion

The pacing killed the movie for me since it felt like I was sitting on my couch for half the day while watching this steaming pile of horse shit. The kills were lame, the acting was average and forgettable, the plot is the same old shit I have seen before when it comes to revenge, and the film felt so unnecessary. I wanted the movie to end 45 minutes in and when it kept going I was on the brink of shutting the movie off so I could do anything else with my time. This is easily the worst film in the franchise if you can even consider it a part of the Hannibal trilogy and it is probably up there for being one of the worst prequels ever made. This didn’t delve into the mindset of Hannibal Lecter and it depicted his character as some kind of anti-hero. Hannibal Lecter as an anti-hero? What was the director thinking when he came up with this sorry attempt for a movie? A basic 2 hour long slog fest about a guy hunting down a bunch of morons with the name Hannibal slapped on for more money. This is not worth watching and if I were you I would stay far away from this piece of garbage. Watch any of the other films in the franchise! I would even say to watch ‘Hannibal’ over this piece of shit. I am going to give this movie 1 star out of 5 for wasting my time. If you enjoyed my review of this garbage then be sure to share this article around on social media! I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you!

Mason Verger and A Bit About the Plot

Hannibal Lecter (played by Anthony Hopkins) is still at large and nobody seems to know where he is, so when his picture is removed from the ten most wanted page, Mason Verger (played by Gary Oldman) throws a fit since he is the only one who survived Hannibal’s wrath years back. Verger wants revenge because of what Hannibal did to him all those years ago; forcing him to peel his own face off with a broken piece of mirror. That is pretty nasty, don’t you think? Well, it would have been nasty if the movie handled the scene more effectively instead of speeding up the footage like some kind of amateur. The movie is rated R but half the time I felt like I was watching a PG-13 film because of this weird visual effect that accompanies every murder in the film. This effect makes at least two of the death scenes blurry and hard to make out which got on my nerves pretty fast. Sure, there are some moments where it gets pretty gory, but those scenes are few and far between. Anyway, Verger gets a hold of the FBI and they send Clarice Starling (played by Julianne Moore) to question him about Hannibal. After a pretty decent story about how Verger came to look like an open autopsy, we then cut to Florence where inspector Pazzi begins to suspect that Dr. Fell is the infamous Hannibal Lecter. One part of the film revolves around Starling trying to catch Hannibal in order to revive her career as an FBI agent since at the start of the film, she shoots a woman carrying a child. That, of course, is a big no no to the public eye even though she gives a compelling argument as to why she ended up shooting the woman. The other part of the story revolves around inspector Pazzi doing his best to turn Hannibal in for a handsome sum of money supplied by, you guessed it, Mason Verger. Okay, the basic plot is out of the way. How about I get into what I enjoyed about the film?

What Worked?

• Anthony Hopkins is perfect as the psychopathic cannibal! He commands this movie with ease and nobody comes close to his performance. Whenever he shows up on screen the movie gravitates toward him and he eats up every scene he stumbles on.
• The tension is still there in a way, especially the scene where Pazzi hires this guy to bump into Lecter to get his fingerprint. When he follows him down the crowded street I genuinely felt like it was a cat and mouse game. You got to love scenes like that!
• The music fits the film perfectly! That classical score from ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ makes a return in this film and it fits Hannibal’s character. The elegant tone of the music is iconic to the Hannibal character and whenever I hear something that resembles that kind of music I can’t help but think of Hannibal Lecter. The music is a character in a way since it is very synonymous with Hannibal.
  

What Didn’t Work?

• The pacing in this film is all over the place… There were times in the movie where I just wanted the scene to end because it felt like padding. I felt like I was about to fall asleep half the time and that is never a good thing for a thriller. The scenes without Hannibal sucked me out of the movie because every other character is either dull or underwhelming.
• Julianne Moore was okay as Clarice Starling, but she doesn’t have the same amount of vulnerability that Jodie Foster had in the original film. It was almost like she was a whole other character. If you asked me to describe Starling in this film I would tell you that she is a generic veteran cop with nothing interesting to say or do.
• Mason Verger is the main villain but Gary Oldman’s performance is nothing special in the film either. He does have some pretty grizzly looking scars on his face, but he just came off as forgettable to me. None of his lines were memorable and the only scene worth anything comes at the end. I won’t spoil it but you might find it pretty gruesome when it comes to that part, even though the effects kind of take away from the horror aspect.
• I didn’t feel like Hannibal and Clarice shared the same kind of chemistry they displayed in ‘Silence of the Lambs’. Maybe it is because Jodie Foster was recast as Clarice, but all I know is I felt disappointed after watching the film. In ‘Silence of the Lambs’, I felt like Clarice was truly terrified of Hannibal, but she doesn’t share that same amount of vulnerability in this film and that weakens the overall narrative to me.
  
  
  

Fun Facts

• Julianne Moore is scared of cows! She said that her scene with cows scared her more than anything else in the film.
• During the scene Where Hannibal is playing his piano, there is a book open right next to him with a painting of the ‘Red Dragon’.
• Gary Oldman based Mason Verger’s voice on Katharine Hepburn!
• The make up designer based Mason Verger’s look on a fetus!
• Gary Oldman spent five hours in the makeup chair to become Mason Verger!
• The man-eating hogs were selected by producer and director Ridley Scott from an audition of over 6,000 other hogs.
• John Malkovich and Tim Roth were considered for Hannibal Lecter since Hopkins was reluctant to play Lecter since Jodie Foster and Jonathan Demme dropped out.
• The music during the opening credits was used during the prison break scene where Hannibal kills the two guards in Tennessee.
• Paul Krendler’s lake house is the same house used in ‘What About Bob?’
• Julianne Moore learned how to handle her sidearm from FBI agent Melissa Thomas, who was a consultant in the movie.

In Conclusion

I did not have a good time watching this film even if it does have its moments once in a while. The movie was an overall mess since the plot was a pretty generic cat and mouse game with some pretty lame kills. One kill was the highlight of the film but even that can’t do this movie any justice. Hannibal will always be a great character when he is played by Anthony Hopkins but the rest of the cast didn’t do it for me. Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling was a great casting choice, so when she was recast the movie was almost doomed from the start since many people, including myself, recognize Foster as the vulnerable but heroic Clarice Starling. I felt bored throughout the majority of the movie and I just wanted the movie to end several times. The ending does hint at a sequel but unfortunately, that movie never came and I am glad because this movie is a boring mess with only one reason to watch it, Hannibal Lecter. If you like thrillers then I recommend you go out and see the original ‘Silence of the Lambs’ or ‘Red Dragon’. Those films are much better made and they are never dull like this movie was. I am going to give this movie 2 stars out of 5… This was disappointing to sit through, given that I am a huge fan of the franchise. It is not all terrible since there are some entertaining sequences sprinkled throughout the film, but you can easily look those scenes up on YouTube. Trust me, you will be saving yourself a lot of time by just looking up a compilation of the best scenes in ‘Hannibal’. If you enjoyed my review then be sure to share this article around on social media! I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you!

A Bit About the Movie

Red Dragon is a prequel to ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ and revolves around a retired FBI agent named Will Graham (played by Edward Norton) who is on the hunt for a serial killer known as ‘The Tooth Fairy’ (played by Ralph Fiennes). Will can not apprehend this psychopath alone, so he asks everyone’s favorite psychiatrist, Hannibal Lecter (played by Anthony Hopkins) for a hand in the investigation, which is actually pretty similar to the plot for ‘Silence of the Lambs’. The only difference being that Graham and Hannibal share a violent history with one another. The movie starts off with Graham paying Hannibal a visit to discuss a case both he and Lecter have been working on. Graham informs Lecter that every single victim in the investigation all share a connection; they are all missing body parts that can be used in some form of cooking. Will learns that Hannibal is responsible for the murders when he takes a gander at some of Hannibal’s particular recipes and this, of course, leads to a struggle where Graham captures the infamous cannibal, but not without sustaining a life threatening wound. The movie then jumps several years into the future where Jack Crawford recruits Will to aid in the capture of another mysterious serial killer because of Will’s keen imagination; putting himself in the shoes of the murderer. We then learn about Crawford’s real plan to have Will converse with Hannibal about the murders since both men share such incredible history. If I were Hannibal, I would just toy with Will the whole movie and point him in the wrong direction on purpose, but for the sake of the plot, he agrees to help Will once more. That is the basic plot, so now it is time to get into why this movie is worth your time.

What I Found Interesting

I noticed some parallels in the film being that I am a fan of ‘The Silence of the Lambs’. Both serial killers share an interesting back story and there is a line uttered in both films explaining that these people weren’t born criminals, but rather made into them by years of systematic abuse. I found it very interesting when Graham told his wife about ‘The Tooth Fairy’ after reading his diary because what he says goes back to what Hannibal said in the prequel. It made me think about what Hannibal told Graham in this film, saying that both he and Graham are very much alike, and the reason Graham caught Hannibal is because of how similar they are. I find it interesting when the hero and the villain share a similar mindset because that concept makes me wonder about human nature and how there is a certain evil inside each and every one of us; Graham uses this “gift” to help people while Lecter uses it to slay and digest people. There was one other line in the movie that caught my eye where Hannibal says, “That blackout was an especially nice touch” and if you watched ‘Silence of the Lambs’ then you will know about a similar phrase he used when talking to Clarice. “Anthrax Island, that was an especially nice touch, Clarice”. It was almost like an Easter egg for fans of the franchise to catch so they could get a chuckle and I have to admit that I am one of them.

What Did I Enjoy About the Film

• I loved the characters in the film! Anthony Hopkins is brilliant as the psychopath, Hannibal Lecter and Edward Norton is memorable as the retired FBI agent who wants to help put away this ‘Tooth Fairy’ in order to save the lives of potential victims. I loved their dialogue in the film since it borrows a cliche I happen to enjoy very much; Monster and man working together to take down another monster with a few twists and turns thrown in. I also enjoyed the performance by Emma Watson as the romantic interest for ‘The Tooth Fairy’. She truly brings out the humanity in this monster and her performance carries every scene, especially since ‘The Tooth Fairy’ rarely speaks.
• I didn’t know it would be possible, but Ralph Fiennes as ‘The Tooth Fairy’ steals this film away from Lecter and the rest of the cast. I found his story to be very intriguing because the film puts you in his perspective multiple times and every time the movie cut back to him, I found myself glued to the screen. He is a tragic villain similar to how Buffalo Bill was in ‘Silence of the Lambs’, but in this film we get to delve into his character much further, which gives him more time to grow on the viewer. The movie makes you feel sorry for the villain even though he does many terrible things throughout the film. When he wanders around his house talking to inanimate objects I felt bad for the guy because he was trying desperately to be normal, but his troubled mind proved that task to be impossible.
• The movie has great pacing as well! I never felt like the movie dragged and the dialogue kept my interest up until the very end. When the film decides to halt for a moment, especially when Will is investigating the crime scenes, it felt necessary and not just useless padding.
• The introduction to the film had a great score! The music sets the tone for the kind of movie you are about to watch and I adored every minute of it. I loved how the introduction takes place inside the killer’s journal, which highlights Lecter’s trial and shows a glimpse of the killer’s psyche.

Something I Am Mixed About

This is not really a major problem, but I did feel like Will’s family could have been fleshed out a little bit more. There is an instance where Graham trains his wife to use a gun to protect herself, but there really isn’t anything in the movie to make me care about the family. The third act could have been much better if the film focused a little bit more on the family. It is only a minor nitpick but it was something I feel could have been executed a bit more effectively.

Fun Facts

1. Ralph Fiennes gained fifteen pounds of muscle for the role of Francis Dolarhyde. I could tell because he was a pretty build individual.
2. Ralph Fienne’s back tattoo took eight hours to apply! Wow, no bathroom breaks for eight hours? That must have been a fun day for him.
3. The Leeds’ house previously appeared in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off! Mind blown!
4. Michael Jackson lobbied for the role of Francis Dolarhyde! Don’t think I would have been able to take that seriously. Imagine Francis moon walking into every scene.
5. Anthony Hopkins said that this film would be his final portrayal of Hannibal Lecter! All hail Anthony Hopkins! You did a fantastic job playing the demented psychiatrist!
6. Did you know that it was originally written for Will to show his fear of Dr. Lecter? Norton decided that it was a better choice to have him not show his fear since he is a seasoned veteran. Brett Ratner came up with the idea of Graham having giant sweat stains following his meeting with Lecter.
7. Anthony Hopkins wanted the audience to see Lecter as being this evil serial killer instead of a likable anti-hero, so that was his goal while portraying Lecter for the final time. I think he succeeded with flying colors.
8. Edward Norton shares four scenes with Hannibal Lecter, the same number of times Clarice shared with Lecter in ‘Silence of the Lambs’. That is an eerie coincidence!
9. Michael Bay was offered the chance to direct! Imagine Hannibal Lecter followed by a bunch of explosions the entire film!
10. Many lines of Hannibal Lecter in this movie are original lines of Dr. Bloom in the book!

In Conclusion

I found this movie to be highly intriguing. Every time I watch it I find something new and interesting to talk about. I recently found out that there are some fun Easter eggs sprinkled in this film that ties back to the previous film. I loved all of the characters and Francis Dolarhyde steals this movie! Many of his scenes were tense, eerie, and interesting to watch. I felt generally sorry for the man even though he is a twisted monster with no empathy, whatsoever. Anthony Hopkins reprises his role for the final time in this film and he is great as the psychotic, Hannibal Lecter. I didn’t think it was possible for anybody to steal the movie away from Hopkins, but it definitely happened and that is nothing but a compliment to Ralph Fiennes. I thought that Edward Norton was memorable as a man with the ability to empathize with murderers. I could tell that there was some kind switch going off in his mind whenever he started piecing all the clues together. His imagination is both a gift and a curse and I completely bought his portrayal. There was one scene that made me wonder if he actually enjoyed being inside the mind of a killer, like he enjoys living out the fantasy shared by the killer. He had to stop himself at one point, otherwise, who knows what might have happened. He rides the line between good and evil and I enjoyed that aspect of his character very much. I think this is the best a prequel can possibly be without relying too much on the original movie. I recommend checking the movie out, especially if you love crime dramas. I am going to give this movie five stars out of five because it is so re-watchable and the characters are interesting. Make sure you add this film to your collection because it is well worthy of your time! If you enjoyed my review of this film then be sure to share this article around on social media! I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you!

Does This Movie Hold Up?

The answer to that question is an astounding yes! Keep in mind that I went into this movie with real high expectations so the fact that it surpasses those expectations with flying colors should tell you how amazing this movie is. I am still in love with the characters, the Tarantino dialogue, the stand out performances by both Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson, and how seamlessly the story kind of intertwined at certain spots. Only Tarantino knows how to draw you into the story and over deliver on pretty much everything else. The first time I saw this movie I fell in love almost instantly because of how different the movie was compared to everything else I happened to be watching at the time. The introduction had me hooked and this movie just didn’t want to let me go until the credits decided to show. After watching Tarantino’s latest film, I decided to go back to a movie I used to watch every other day and I have to say that I love this movie even more today than I did back when I first saw it. It was a hell of a lot funnier listening to Vincent (played by John Travolta) prattle on about foot massages to his partner, Jules (played by Samuel L. Jackson) and his conversation with Mrs. Wallace (played by Uma Thurman) at Jack Rabbit Slims felt organic. The dialogue in this movie is truly mesmerizing because many scenes just involve two characters talking to one another and it felt real, like there was no acting involved anywhere in this film. That’s the thing about Tarantino’s writing! He knows how people talk and it definitely shows in the script since I couldn’t think of one scene where it felt like an actor was just reading their lines to get to the next scene. I felt like I was hanging out with a bunch of ordinary people half the time, the other half laughing my ass off at how funny the dilemmas were. Alright, you know I love this movie, so how about I tell you a bit about the plot?

The Plot To Pulp Fiction

This is pretty tricky to talk about without giving away spoilers, so I will keep this as brief as possible. The story is about a bunch of wily characters who happen to cross paths at a certain point in the film. In this world, there is a powerful boss (played by Ving Rhames) who instructs a boxer named Butch (played by Bruce Willis) to take a dive in a fight, a couple of henchmen who have to retrieve a briefcase for the big boss man, and a certain big boss man’s wife who is a failed actress and needs to be taken care of while the boss man is out of town on business. Yeah, this movie is really difficult to explain because the movie doesn’t follow the basic three act structure. This is one of those movies that starts off at one point, then jumps forward, and then back again. It is by no means following a chronological order so trying to explain the plot is like trying to watch a Fifty Shades movie without exploding, impossible. The film is a collection of stories that happen to cross paths in an entertaining, tension driven way and there is no other film like it! It is damn near impossible to go into further detail without giving away spoilers, so I strongly advise you to see the film for yourself to come up with your own opinion. I am here to inform you on whether the film is worth buying or not, so after you finish up my article, make sure you go out and buy it. Okay, now that the plot is taken care of, I will get into what kicks ass about this movie!

The Good

1. Tarantino’s dialogue seems so organic! It’s almost like the actors weren’t reading from a script, but rather being themselves on set.
2. The film has grit! If you ever wanted to know what a person looks like when they are overdosing on a drug then you will get your chance in this film. This surprised me when I first saw it because of how graphic the movie gets at times. There is a scene where Vincent jabs a needle into his arm to get high and I couldn’t help but get a little squeamish. Hey, I hate needles…
3. The characters are absolutely fantastic! I loved every single one of them, with my personal favorite being Vincent Vega. All of these characters were so easy to relate to since most of them act like ordinary people aside from an occasional drug overdose. The scene at Jack Rabbit Slims was phenomenal and I strongly believe if you are on the ropes about watching this film then you should watch that scene and it will tell you all you need to know about the film. The interaction between Uma Thurman and John Travolta is top notch and I couldn’t get enough of them on screen. Their chemistry was incredible, as was most everybody else in the film.
4. The pacing made a 2 and a half hour long movie feel shorter than it actually was. There was not one scene that felt pointless and even moments that can be considered padding felt relevant given the character’s situation.
5. This movie has so many memorable scenes that can easily stand the test of time! It’s not often where you get a film where the majority of the movie is based solely on the interactions between characters, making every line of dialogue iconic. All you have to do is look up Pulp Fiction on YouTube and you will get at least ten great scenes of a few people talking. You might be saying to yourself, “Talking, that’s it” but just watch them and you will see what I am talking about. The lines are so quotable!Tarantino’s dialogue seems so organic! It’s almost like the actors weren’t reading from a script, but rather being themselves on set.
   

The Bad

I could really only think of one thing that takes me out of this movie. It could be a minor nitpick but I honestly hated the actress portraying Butch’s girlfriend. Her voice is so irritating to me and it completely put the movie on hold for me. Her scene goes on for five minutes and the more she talked, the more I wanted to put my fist through the screen. I might be the only one who thinks this about her character, but I gave her multiple chances to grow on me and every time she opened her mouth talking about blueberry pancakes I just wanted to turn the movie off to enjoy some peace and quiet. That is the only negative I have with the movie and it doesn’t hurt the film in any way, so I would consider it more of nitpick than a flaw. She is a minor character, anyway… So that’s that.

Fun Facts

• Honey Bunny was named after an actual rabbit. Linda Chen, who typed up the script for the film, asked Tarantino to watch her rabbit but he refused. After the rabbit shortly died, he named Amanda Plummer’s character after the rabbit. How sweet of Tarantino, right?
• The film contains over 265 “F words”! And the award for most F bombs dropped in a motion picture goes to Pulp Fiction!
• Vega had a Chevelle Malibu which was actually Tarantino’s car in real life. It was stolen right after the film released and it finally turned up twenty years later in Oakland.
• The movie cost only 8.5 million dollars to make!
• Michael Madsen was originally supposed to play Vincent Vega but he dropped out two weeks prior to shooting so he could star in Wyatt Earp.
• Mr. Blonde from Reservoir Dogs is Vincent’s twin brother!
• Samuel L. Jackson almost lost his part to Paul Calderon! He actually flew to Los Angeles to give another audition out of desperation. When Sam wants a part, he takes it!

Conclusion

I love this movie! The only negative I could come up with was ‘pancake girl’ since her voice made me want to call Mr. Blonde so he could cut my ears off. Everything else was simply amazing! I haven’t been so blown away by a film since the first time I watched Star Wars! The characters are memorable, the dialogue is breathtaking, the structure of the story is handled very well, and the grit was turned up to eleven. I appreciate this film even more every time I revisit it and I will say that this is one of the greatest films ever made! I recommend you watch it for yourself and make it a part of your bucket list to own this film. You will not regret seeing this film, especially if it’s your first time! This is truly a Tarantino masterpiece and I can easily issue this film five stars out of five! If you enjoyed this review then be sure to do me a favor and pass this article around on social media! I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you!

Is This Film Bad

The movie did not even come close to being a bad film because of how involved I was with the action, the characters, and the overall narrative. Now when it comes to The Matrix Revolutions, I have to say that I was gravely disappointed in a way, not because of how bad the movie was, but by how average it turned out being. I expected these sequels to be terrible and in doing so I learned the importance of judging the film by my own eyes rather than just taking other people’s word for it. I guess you can say that I learned a valuable lesson while watching this franchise, so I should thank The Matrix sequels for helping me evolve into a better critic. I did happen to enjoy the movie for all the same reasons as I mentioned before: The choreography, the characters, the music, and I thought the CGI was handled much better in this film than the last one. Before I get into what I did like and what I think could have been done better, I will give you a synopsis of the plot.

The Plot and Some Minor Frustrations

The film picks up right where the last one left off where Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) faints after using what I would assume to be ‘the force’ to take out a few sentinels. He gets put into some kind of coma when the crew realizes that his brainwaves read like he is connected to The Matrix. We then cut to Neo waking up inside a strange train station where he learns pretty fast that he can’t leave. Purgatory, anyone? This is where we come to my first problem: How the hell did Neo end up at this particular place after taking out a few sentinels? I was patiently waiting for an answer and the only shred of an answer I got came from The Oracle when she said that he was not yet ready to use his power on the machines and that he should have died. I thought to myself, “Hang on, he can fly around like Superman, manipulate items around him, stop bullets, and see the coding inside The Matrix, but he can’t stop three or four sentinels in the real world?” I guess the directors thought it would be nice to give Neo some kind of weakness, other than having a random train man knock his ass out, so he is not overpowered. I thought Neo’s powers extended beyond The Matrix itself, which was shown at the end of the previous film. Why is he getting his ass kicked by some random program who transports other programs so they could avoid being deleted? The guy tells Neo that in his train station, he is God, and I just rolled my eyes because earlier in the franchise Neo took on a bunch of goons that worked for Merovingian(supposedly they are older programs). We learn that this train guy also works for him, so what makes him so special compared to everybody else Neo fought? We still don’t get an explanation as to how Neo’s mind was sent to the station, other than Merovingian having something to do with it. Okay, so we are to assume that after fainting, Merovingian trapped him inside the station? So, was Merovingian just waiting around for Neo to faint so he could snatch him up and place him in Purgatory as some sort of revenge for taking what Merovingian considered to be his? Was he working with the sentinels? What the hell is going on? I thought the opening act made no sense and it felt like useless padding to make the film longer than it needed to be. A war is coming to Zion and one part of the movie centers on the war against the sentinels and the other part deals with Neo and Trinity (played by Carrie-Anne Moss) making their way to the Machine City by any means necessary. Neo knows that he has to venture there for something but he doesn’t exactly know why, so, of course, Trinity decides to join him on his quest. Morpheus (played by Laurence Fishburne) travels back with the rest of the crew to aid in the Zion battle. Unfortunately, Morpheus doesn’t have much to do in this film and it seemed like his character was just sort of there for most of the film. It didn’t bother me much since there is only so much a guy can do riding shot gun inside a ship. So that is the basic plot: War against sentinels and Neo’s journey to the Machine City. Now let me get into what I did like about the film.

The Good

1. The action is great in this film! The fight choreography is superb, the music once again makes the fight scenes much more epic, and the war in Zion was a grand spectacle to watch. The final fight between Neo and Agent Smith (played by Hugo Weaving) was one of the best fight scenes I have ever seen even if the CGI doesn’t always work and is downright hilarious at times.
2. I loved the tension in this film! There were times where I was on the edge of my seat watching in amazement if the city was going to hold off the sentinels or fall. Every scene in Zion was incredible to look at and I felt attached to every character during their struggle to survive the constant waves of machines breaching the city.
3. I felt emotional for the characters during certain scenes. I got a little bottled up at one scene between Neo and Trinity, so the characters definitely held my interest.
4. The final fight is worth it in the end. I enjoyed seeing Neo and Smith fly around the city, breaking walls, punching the living hell out of each other, and the score used during that entire fight sequence gave me goosebumps.

The Bad

1. There were some holes that never got answered and they stuck out like a sore thumb. The entire first act is inconsistent and it only raised more questions when the film tried to explain Neo’s predicament at the train station. It left me with a bad taste in my mouth when I tried to piece things together, so I just gave in and accepted the fact that the movie has no explanation. Some scenes just expect the audience to accept what they are being told without an explanation and I really had a problem with that. I didn’t like it when Neo told The Oracle something The Architect never mentioned, if he did then it definitely wasn’t on screen, about how there was a time limit involved. I clearly heard The Architect mention that if Neo did not return to the source then there would be a system crash killing everybody connected to The Matrix. He never mentioned anything about midnight or 24 hours. That was just frustrating to me. Maybe I am looking too much into this but I am just stating my thoughts on the film.
2. There were some scenes where either I couldn’t tell what the hell was going on or it looked incredibly dated. When Morpheus and the rest of the crew were hovering toward Zion while firing their guns at the sentinels chasing them I felt like I was looking at a video game with a bunch of shit flying all over the screen. I couldn’t tell what was happening half the time during that scene and I just felt cheated out of a great battle. Since I couldn’t see what was going on due to there being a thousand things going on at the same time, there was no tension. When Neo and Smith fought there were some instances where I could notice how dated the CGI looked. When Neo punches Smith in slow motion, I could tell how fake it looked instantly.
3. I felt like there was way too much slow motion in this movie, especially during the final fight. I see what they were going for, trying to make the scene more epic, but it actually made the scene drag on. I would have been fine if they used the effect a couple times but not after every other punch.

In Conclusion

The film was alright but I didn’t care too much for the ending. I will not go into spoilers so I will let you decide if you liked it down in the comments section. Overall, the movie was a fun time and I don’t get why people think the sequels are terrible. Sure, you can nitpick these movies to death, but if the movie can hold your attention and make you care for the characters and what they are going through then the movie has done its job. Both sequels did not live up to the first movie but that is not their fault. People have to understand that when a movie as good as The Matrix comes out, it is like catching lightning in a bottle. Do you know how hard it is to catch the same kind of lightning? It seems like people only hate the sequels because they aren’t as good as the first in the franchise and that is pretty sad to me. Sequels are rarely better than the original… How many sequels can you name off the top of your head that exceed expectations? Terminator, Star Wars, and a handful of others. After watching this franchise, I learned that people can be harsh on a franchise and that tends to draw people away from watching them. I took a shot and I found myself enjoying the franchise as a whole. This may be the weakest film in the franchise because of some plot holes and the ending, but that doesn’t make it a bad film. I recommend you see this film for yourself to come up with your own opinion and not listen to others who bash this movie to death. Give it a chance and you might walk away liking the movies like I did. I am going to give this movie 3 stars out of 5. It could have been more but it is an okay movie for what it is. If you enjoyed my review than be sure to share my article around on social media! I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you!

Is the Movie Bad?

I heard nothing but terrible things about The Matrix sequels but I always remembered them as fun entertaining action flicks. I remember sitting in my living room laughing along having a good time and after about a ten year gap I decided to revisit a movie I used to watch every other day on HBO, The Matrix Reloaded. I went in with low expectations since I heard nothing but terrible things about this film and when the credits started to roll there was only one question going through my mind,”why is this film hailed as one of the worst sequels out there”. Sure there were some questionable decisions like that abysmal architect scene where he starts spouting out gibberish for five minutes and that one scene where Neo takes on a bunch of Smiths in one of the worst looking CGI fests I have ever seen, but is this seriously one of the worst sequels ever? I think that the public eye judges this film too harshly just because it doesn’t quite exceed the expectations set by the first movie. I will admit that this film is no where near as good as the first but you have to ask yourself one question, “Does that make it a bad film”. I don’t think this movie is worthy of the title “worst sequel ever” because there is just too much to love about this movie. I enjoyed the action sequences… Don’t hate me but I honestly found the action sequences in this film to be far better than the ones in the first film. The choreography was fantastic and it reminded me of a dance, the way each punch and kick kind of matched up with the musical beats, giving the fights more flavor and rhythm. I also thought the chemistry was still there between the three lead actors which is one of the main reasons why I loved the first movie so much. To me, you could have all the best action sequences but if your characters are boring and dull then I might as well be watching a bunch of rubber dummies fight each other, which actually does happen… That courtyard scene… Before I get to that scene let me get into the basic plot of the movie.

The Plot

The film opens with Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) having a nightmare where he watches Trinity (played by Carrie-Anne Moss) fall from a building with an agent firing at her. Apparently he doesn’t sleep very much because of the same relentless nightmare (dammit, Freddy) and this gives him plenty of time to think about his purpose. He has no idea what he is supposed to do so Morpheus (played by Laurence Fishburne) and the rest of his crew decides to leave a ship behind to await a call from The Oracle. The team schedules a meeting inside The Matrix so they can discuss what the machines plan on doing and we learn that over 250,000 machines are on their way to destroy the city of Zion and all of its inhabitants. We also learn that Smith never really died and has somehow managed to clone himself. What’s better than one Hugo Weaving? Well, a thousand Weavings, of course! After a pretty bad ass fight scene with three upgraded agents and one Neo, we are introduced to the city of Zion, the last human city where we get to meet the people and gaze in wonder at how desolate the city is since it has only been destroyed about five times before by the machines. I enjoyed the design of the city, especially the engine deck which looks like a factory that powers the universe. Getting to see Zion on screen for the first time was a welcome edition since it was only mentioned briefly in the first film. It was like a puzzle piece that finally made its way home, bringing satisfaction to all who wanted a visual representation of the last human city. A dance party breaks out, which goes on for a little too long in my opinion and soon after, Neo receives a message from the Oracle. Believe it or not, this is where the plot officially starts! Neo is informed by the Oracle that he has to travel to the source to end the war. That is the basic plot in a nutshell. The One must get from point A to point B to stop X Y and Z from happening. Okay, since the plot is out of the way, how about I get into what I enjoyed in the movie?

The Good

• The action sequences were great! I enjoyed almost every action set piece, my favorite being the fight in the second act where Neo takes on a bunch of henchmen near a staircase. Might be one of the best fight scenes I have ever seen in my life and the music really compliments the choreography.
• The chemistry is still there between Morpheus, Neo, and Trinity. I really felt like Morpheus truly believed in Neo when he disobeyed direct orders to give Neo his chance to speak with the Oracle. Trinity and Neo have good romantic chemistry and I bought that were in love and not just making googly eyes at each other.
• The camera work was amazing! I loved the scene where Trinity was speeding down the highway on a motorbike with the camera following right behind her, zipping underneath other cars. I felt like the camera was another character trying to keep up with the action.
• I loved the city of Zion and its design. It definitely did look like a city that has been through a war a few times and I did enjoy the time spent there, minus the cave dance scene, even though the caves did look pretty engaging.
• Hugo Weaving is back and just as good as I remembered him. He is such a good villain and it seemed like he was always one step ahead, constantly cloning himself to take on Neo. The action sequences were great! I enjoyed almost every action set piece, my favorite being the fight in the second act where Neo takes on a bunch of henchmen near a staircase. Might be one of the best fight scenes I have ever seen in my life and the music really compliments the choreography.

The Bad

• The CGI is downright terrible in certain scenes. That infamous courtyard scene with Neo battling a thousand Smiths was horrendous to look at in some shots. It looked like a video game half the time and some of the sound effects in the scene was laughable. There’s a point where Neo knocks a bunch of Smiths over with another Smith and I could hear the sound of bowling pins being knocked over. Seriously, movie? That scene along with another scene (which I am going to get to) completely took me out of the movie since it looked so fake.
• What the hell was with the Architect’s dialogue at the end? Why did the directors feel it necessary to have the Architect speak complete gibberish? Every other word was complete and utter artsy fartsy English. Nothing about that scene interested me and my brain just wanted to turn off at that point because it came off as pretentious to me. It felt completely unnecessary and I completely understand why people dismiss the movie based on this scene alone. The only positive I can think of when it comes to that scene is, of course, that it’s damn near the end of the movie. It is easily something you can skip over until the end of his speech since the gist of what he was talking about is summed up there. I dare you to watch that scene without going, “huh”!
• Some scenes went on way longer than necessary. The scene where Zion decides to have a dance party to mock the machines could have been cut a bit shorter. I understood what they were going for, but it felt like padding after three minutes of people grinding on each other. My reaction was, “Okay, we get it! Move along”.

Interesting Facts

• The highway chase scene took almost three months to shoot!
• Sean Connery was originally picked to play the role of the Architect but he turned it down since he didn’t get the concept of the movie. I don’t blame him! One look at the script would scare any great actor off.
• The fight scene between Neo and an army of Smiths took 27 days to shoot.
• The special effects cost one hundred million dollars.
• The inspiration for the morphing effect on the twins was jellyfish.
• Martial arts training for the lead actors took eight months after starting in November of 2000.
• Carrie-Anne Moss did some of her own driving on the motorcycle for the highway scene.
• The Matrix Reloaded is the highest grossing film in the franchise.
• The Zion rave involved over one thousand extras.The highway chase scene took almost three months to shoot!

In Conclusion

The movie was very entertaining to sit through for the most part, except for the infamous Architect speech. I honestly don’t think this movie is as bad as everybody says it is and I would have to say to check it out for yourself to come up with your own opinion on it. Just go in knowing that it’s not going to live up to the first movie, and you should be able to enjoy it for what it is. I went in with low expectations so if you go in with slightly higher expectations then you might be mildly disappointed. The action scenes were a spectacle, the music gave the action more flavor, the camera work was fantastic for both the fight scenes and that scene on the highway, and the characters are all good like they were in the first film. I am going to give this movie three stars out of five since the CGI is pretty dated and some of the dialogue towards the end sucked me out of the movie. Stop being overly pretentious… That can seriously bore the audience and take them out of the movie completely as it did me. If you enjoyed my review then be sure to share this article around on social media! I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you!