donnelbr

I understand what was being attempted with this film, and I was ready for a silly, jump-scary ride. This film definitely had both of those, but it was also boring and not at all funny. There was almost nothing clever, interesting, or truly different about this film. If this is all that's left for the genre, then it may be as dead as Cocaine Bear's victims.

Seems like a film made FOR Hollywood to laugh at itself. Too bad it's not funny for the rest of us. Don't get me wrong, it's a somewhat interesting film, full of caricatures. It, and the plot, barely held my interest. The Channing Tatum dance scene leverages his talents, and is well directed. ...altogether a solid film. It's just that my date and I were looking at our watches the whole film, and time definitely did not fly. For a film so highly regarded by the critics, it was a slog for us.

This movie was terrible. Granted I went to the theater high, and so I actually enjoyed it. But the screenplay, directing, plot/story, and acting can be characterized by words such as lazy, formulaic, uninteresting, etc. The group that produced this film was completely taking the piss out of the audience, the majority of whom they clearly expect to be on the wrong side of 100 IQ. I too was laughing out loud in many parts because the dialogue was so ridiculous and apathetically delivered. It's like the actors didn't take their delivery of dialogue too seriously to save themselves the embarrassment of looking like they're trying to make it work. But hey, as long as we keep paying for movies like this, the studios will keep making them. Shame on us, really.

I came in with low expectations after having read reviews. I've never seen a film that put so much effort into special effects, and so little effort into the story. There was actually some interesting dialogue here and there, but was for the most part camp and unimaginative. While I found the film entertaining, I was left thinking that the producers were simply too lazy to put together a good story, and didn't think enough of us as the audience to care.

I've seen this film twice (friend really wanted to see it, though I already had). ...not because it was a great film. It was actually pretty boring. However, the acting is good, and script above average. For those who have read the book, they cut a lot out of the film, as you'd expect. For those who haven't, the feeling must be that splitting the book into two movies was a way to make more money. The truth in my opinion is less sinister. The third book of the series is actually not as good as the first couple. So the movie was going to be less than great no matter what. Splitting the book in two, made it less than that. In summary, I think the producers did a decent job. But it's by no means a great film.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Meh, the film is interesting, and it's fun to see so many stars in one film. But it falls short in the laughs department. It's silly, and cute, and oh so clever, but left me a bit bored. I have a feeling some of the high reviews are from folks who are pleased with hollywood taking them a little more seriously. However, for me it was a bit dull.

They ruined it. I've enjoyed every one of these films to date the lord of the rings trilogy, even the first half of the hobbit. However, what they've done here is a travesty. First of all, the film ends right at the climax. That made me angry. As result the film doesn't stand on it's own. If one was to divide up the Hobbit into three books, book 2 would be a gigantic question mark. In addition, I've read the book a couple of times, and found the film's version of the story nearly impossible to follow. The film is filled with so much "filler" (stuff that's not in the book, but in no way enhances the story), that it gets downright boring. The challenge with the Lord of the Rings was keeping all the nuggets of the story in. In this one, they filled it with garbage. I couldn't be more disappointed.

I didn't like this film, not because there was anything wrong with it. It was well made. The acting and script are good. However, I ultimately found myself rooting for the bad guys. The story itself is too much a "might makes right" story. ...the smug Navy putting the Captain's life in jeopardy justified only by the positive end result. The story itself is completely embellished. Read the real life accounts from former crew about who the "real" Captain Richard Phillips is. Altogether this reeked of Hollywood BS. The producers made a film that is designed only to make Americans feel good about themselves, and that this one delivers in that regard is entirely depressing to me.

Dumb story. ...right we build robots to fight monsters instead of just inventing really good bombs or missiles. If you can get over some of the plot ridiculousness, the action scenes are fun, acting just okay, script pretty juvenile, etc. I was mildly entertained, but was expecting a little more. I left feeling like the good reviews from the critics were the result of a little grade inflation due to the number of truly terrible movies currently on the market.

Like another reviewer, I found the movie a bit flat. I felt like the screenplay was trying to kill time to compensate for the lack of a plot. I did chuckle a couple of times, but altogether the film wasn't really enjoyable for the adults, and eminently forgettable. ...though the kids enjoyed it.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

As stated in an earlier review, at worst, this is a long advert for Cirque du Soleil. For those who haven't seen it live though, this is a good substitute. I took a group of kids (5-11 yo) who had never seen Cirque before and they enjoyed it. As an aside, I doubt this film is aimed primarily at an American audience, as it seems the expectation of the producers is a much greater appreciation for the artistic creativity in Cirque than can be expected from the average American. Regardless, I don't regret the time or money spent on it, despite it bordering on boring at times.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

I'll keep this short and to the point. This movie is gratuitous fun. ...lot's of action, great special effects, a ridiculous plot, and some laughs. I am one of those people who hates when a movie doesn't take me seriously, especially when it's pretending to. This one doesn't pretend to, and was entertaining. This is one extreme of what the cinema was created for, and shame on you for feeling bad about yourself for enjoying it.

This is one dumb a$$ movie. Is it really so hard to come up with a story that makes a little sense? ...has some semblance of a plot? ...one that will only ask me to swallow a few fantastic premises, such as "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" rather than a whole bunch of ridiculous nonsense? While the special effects were impressive, I found myself counting the time for this film to finish. It was really tortuous. I felt bad about giving money to producers who were so clearly taking the pi$$. A stupid movie for stupid people.

Tough to say too much about this film. On the positive, the stunts and special effects are top notch. The story, screenplay, and acting are dumb. But what should I expect, right? I just think perhaps this genre of movie isn't for me. I can't help thinking of Mike Judge's Idiocracy when imagining the people who REALLY enjoy a film like this. ...and man has "The Rock" been juicing! He looks like a character from Gears of War.

Despite the reviews, this film is funny. While the director could have cut every scene not involving himself, Cassi Davis, David Mann, and Teyana Taylor, and not lost an ounce of comedy, it had me laughing out loud on several occassions, and I'm a suburban white guy. The rest of the time is spent on contrived, though run-of-the-mill, family drama, and church scenes, as with most Tyler Perry films (not my cup of tea). That being said, I'd see it again. Keep your eye out for Teyana Taylor, who plays with gusto Sabrina, a parasitic single-mom.

I'm not going to spend too much time on this review because this film has already taken too much time from my life. Needless to say, this is one of the worst films I've ever seen. It is a clear case of a studio "taking the piss". The story is weak/non-existent, the screenplay purile - like "Machete" (though I don't think it's intended), the directing and acting is third rate, and the action boring (my wife fell asleep). Even some of the special effects are reminiscent of 1950s sci-fi. Be prepared to see miniature B2 bombers flopping around the screen like butterflies in the wind. They spent $500k filming this and the rest of a low budget on special effects (some of which were adequate). In any case, I'll be boycotting Universal Pictures for a few months, as well as the producers/directors (Colin and Greg Strause) and writers (Joshua Cordes and Liam O'Donnell) permanently. I don't know why Scottie Thompson would let herself be associated with this mess.

This movie is two things wrapped into one - a caricature, and a commentary on the ridiculousness of culture and popular thinking on current issues in the United States, and an old-fashioned shock and laugh horror film. The target is illegal immigration, and the response to it in Arizona (what John Stewart called "the dumbest state in America"). In that respect, the movie is like club, it hits you over the head with its message, so that even an idiot can find the irony. In that respect, I applaud the creators for speaking to the level of the common man. However, no thinking person will be so impressed. Is the movie scary or funny? ...not really. ...though the audience is full of people laughing loud enough to make sure everyone else knows they get the joke. The dialogue is purposefully camp. I thought I would have had more fun than I did. I was left thinking this was a little too close to bad movies (trying not to be bad) for me not to feel like I'd wasted my $13. It was definitely forgettable. As an aside, I couldn't help thinking that a trailer from this film would have made a wonderful cameo in the movie Idiocracy. I can definitely see more "Machete's" coming out down the road.