jediboy

Epic swash-buckling fantasy adventure in the true sword & sorcery style. Arnold personifies Robert E. Howard's Conan like no one else could and delivers what the target audience expects. Visceral Combat, One-liners and a camel-punch or two. Right up there with "The Princess Bride" and "Ladyhawke."

Saoirse Ronan & Eric Bana breath life into this Bourne-style espionage thriller. Starts off well, with a Blade-like feel to it, but quickly loses its impetus as Hanna mixes with kids her own age, stows away with a family and goes through the Star Wars cliche of Mother and Father issues. In the end, I think the director took his foot off the gas, or didn't have the budget to keep the adrenaline flowing. Could have been so much better, but in the end not horrible. Oh, and its got a Chemical Brothers soundtrack, which helps.

This movie is a poor piece of film, over-hyped by critics for no other reason save that the director's father is Francis Ford Coppola. Features Bill Murray and Scarlett Johannson in Tokyo for separate reasons. Japan and the Japanese are portrayed in a poor (and stereotyping) fashion, (video games, karaoke, gadgets, and the misprounciations of "Ls" as "Rs"). There is borderline racism in this movie, as the way these two lead roles act, as if lost, estranged, abandoned, or stranded on the moon surrounded by Aliens. I've been to Japan (I'm a western European) and found no such culture shock. That is really the premise that this movie is built on - culture shock of White Western people finding themselves in Japan. And that is where it fell down for me. In terms of comedy, it was billed as "Bill Murray - comedy genius - at his best." Far from it. I like Murray (Quick Change, Stripes, Caddyshack, etc.) This was just not funny, and I do not think there is any attempt for him to be funny. Scarlett. Well she does not do anything wrong, but does not do anything right either. All in all, a very poor script. Very poor direction. A complete lack of substance, with ignorance and racism creeping in at times. Such a time sink.

Its slick. Very 1960's James Bond feel to the entire film. Set against the backdrop of the Cuban missile crisis and an escalating Cold War - we see the emergence of a privileged Charles Xavier, contrasted with a Holocaust-surviving Magneto. While the other mutants are recruited and their back-stories and characters are fleshed out - you could really care less. This is really all about Magneto seeking vengeance and Charles trying to pacify and humanise him. Think Obi-Wan and Darth Vader. Kevin Bacon excels in his part as the film's core villain. And there's even a Logan cameo for the fan-boys. All in all a 7/10.

I watched the original about 2 weeks prior to watching this sequel. Great visuals, great sounds (way to go Daft Punk), great acting from Jeff Bridges who really makes the movie. Not amazing, or ground-breaking by any means, but a polished and well-treated production.

Draws the viewer in from the get-go and never lets up. Dark, atmospheric, tense and intense its almost **** worthy. Central protagonist and antagonist are evenly matched, at least for the bulk of the film. Peripheral characters (Tommy Lee Jones, etc.) do a great job. Before you watch, shake of all predeterminations, and let this movie entertain you fully.

This movie is so under-appreciated it is a crime. There is a plot, its detailed, and develops well. There are characters, protagonists antagonists, etc. In short it has all the standard trimmings of a story/movie. Where this movie excels and possibly puts people off, is the graphic and nearly-over-the-top manner in which the combat/fight scenes are executed. Yes there is violence. Lots of it. Too much? well thats subjective. In the end, I think this is the best treatment of the Ninja "legend" inclusive of hints of mysticism (shadow-jumping etc.) that I have seen. If you liked The Matrix movies you'll love this. Do not listen to these absurd reviews saying the movie was bad. It was one of the best martial arts movies I have ever seen. Pure non-stop action and a simple but good plot (a lot more than expected). When I first went to see the movie I knew it would be good but I did not know I would like it this much! I cannot wait to buy it when it comes to DVD and hope they make a second one.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]