Change Your Image
jon_garza
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try againReviews
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
If is not broken, don't try to fix it. J.J. Abrams made another Star Wars film, seriously, again, exactly the same movie.
Only the opening crawl justifies the price of the ticket. The Force Awakens is a fantastic experience, made me feel like a child again.
As a geek, I must admit I felt chills when the soundtrack began, and as the story unfolds, my smile only grew more and more. But as a moviegoer, I was quite disappointed with the plot, finding that Episode VII it is actually Episode IV (JJ Millennial Remix). I dare say (omitting spoilers) that at least 75% of the story is exactly the same as the original "A New Hope", even new characters are remixed versions of their predecessors.
The only time that it felt like watching a sequel is when Han Solo, Leia, Chewbacca, and other original characters make an appearance. But the main plot, and at least three quarters of the movie, is a remake.
But make no mistake, I'm not talking about "Total Recall" or "Robocop", The Force Awakens is an enhanced version of A New Hope, the action scenes and wonderful visual effects are really at a higher level. A very smart direction from master entertainer J.J. Abrams and impeccable performances from the cast, excelling Daisy Ridley as a talented scavenger called Rey, and Adam Driver as the powerful but tormented Kylo Ren.
Episode VII is a satisfactory Star Wars film, maybe too much for his own good.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
This movie is faster than Quicksilver and weirder than Scarlet Witch, but is more fun than anything you've seen before
The best thing about Avengers: Age of Ultron, is also the worst. While Marvel followers like me will get satisfied by the excessive amount of action and super fighting, casual viewers could get lost between the intense battle and very quick references to other films from the franchise. Because even when Avengers: Age of Ultron is well crafted, can't stand on his own. It relies intensively in your knowledge of this universe and his colorful characters. It works as a sequel, but doesn't really move things forward, the villain, Ultron, for example, comes vaguely as a consequence of the Chitauri invasion from the last movie, but his presence don't really change anything, like other expendable villains in the MCU (Iron Monger, Whiplash, Killian, Red Skull, Malekith, Ronan, etc.), Ultron comes fast and goes even faster. The plot points are so many and the narrative is so fast that you can't hold a thought or really care about anything.
In the bright side, there's a lot of extended cameos and easter eggs, this is the most interconnected movie of the MCU so far. Also, this film introduces big players to the universe with Scarlett Witch, Quicksilver and of course The Vision, being this last one the most enjoyable surprise and probably the next fan favorite. There's very little dialog and almost no explanations, Age of Ultron is 90% action so the best you can do is switch the brain off and simply enjoy the fantastic ride.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Marvel Studios reach a new level in superhero adventure movies
The super awesome Star-Lord, sexy assassin Gamora, Drax The Destroyer, Groot the living tree and Rocket, the most badass Racoon in the universe are The Guardians of the Galaxy, a superhero team of space outlaws joining forces against an interplanetary terrorist and his attempt to destroy the entire world of Xandar using an ancient powerful gem.
For casual movie goers, is a fantastic ride and a visual spectacle at the level of Avatar and a funny story with a lot of heart like Back to the Future. This movie is beautiful piece of Sci-Fi cinema. More hardcore sci-fi fans, will appreciate the tribute to classics like Star Wars and Star Trek, while comic book readers will love the constant Marvel Universe references, cameos and easter eggs, just the Collector's place is full of surprises.
SFX are mind blowing, since the most likable characters are a 7ft. tree like creature and a talking Racoon. Other creatures, space ships, weapons and scenarios are outstanding examples of computer generated imagery. But not everything is digital, the Star-Lord's ship interiors, costumes and makeup are impressive as well, making this side of the galaxy a very real and believable place.
The main cast is great, Chris Pratt made a fantastic Flash Gordon / Han Solo / Captain Kirk kind of guy, sci-fi veteran Zoe Saldana is perfect as the dangerous Gamora, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel do a wonderful job with his voices giving life to Groot and Rocket, but the most pleasant surprise is definitely Dave Bautista, his performance as the revenge driven maniac, Drax A.K.A. the destroyer, a big dangerous killer who is also a loyal friend and a very sweet guy. The villains are terrifying, mostly Drew Pace as Ronan The Acusser, a genocidal fanatic and Karen Gillan as Gamora's evil sister, the unstoppable Nebula. The supporting cast includes the guarantied talent of Glenn Close, Benicio Del Toro, John C. Reilly and Michael Rooker.
The biggest effort of director James Gunn is a very exciting cosmic adventure and a solid action comedy, Guardians of the Galaxy is certified fun and a strong addition to Marvel catalog.
Justice League: War (2014)
The Justice League, not The Avengers
Forget all you know about this larger than life superheroes, the New Justice League is not as organized and serious as they used to be. They suffer a big influence from their front neighbors in Marvel. An imminent alien invasion is threatening the city and a group of outcast superheroes need to learn how to work together to save the world, sounds familiar?.
DC is trying hard to keep his characters up to date and some changes are been made. The new Superman is very impulsive and has no respect for city property damage, very similar to his Man of Steel counterpart. The same goes to the new comedic styled Green Lantern based on the Ryan Reynolds version. Probably the worst part is Wonder Woman who is now basically Marvel's Thor.
On the bright side, the animation and voice acting are both great and Batman (the obvious main character) are perfectly portrayed. Justice League War is entertaining and relevant for kids, just for the old comic book geeks like me, may be a little disappointing.
RoboCop (2014)
This is Robocop Light
I remember the first Robocop, a human-robot hybrid trying to keep the order in an ultra-violent city while claiming independence for his creators. The new Robocop is too busy dealing with bad publicity and malfunctioning software to get into action.
The way we deal with violence was the main focus on the original film, but is impossible to address this issues in a kid's movie, instead, they go for a media/political commentary that feels forced and weak. The dark humor is another missing feature, this Robocop is too serious and sometimes even close to boring.
Is a well crafted action movie but it lacks the visual impact and shocking plot of his predecessor, mainly because of his kid friendly rating. An unrated cut for home video could be nice.