Adventure
Warcraft: The Begining Review
“The world famous MMORPG comes to the big screen with a tale of 2 warirng tribes and both’s attempt to safeguard their own people. Is this THE long awaited ‘good’ video game movie we have yet to bare witness to?…”
Shalom and <insert some fantastical world greeting here> my fellow moviegoers MMORPGamers. I am Matt Gives You His Review, going against my comfort zones of knowledge on this one as I give my (belated) review of the hotly anticipated video game movie of the most renowned MMORPG; ‘Warcraft: The Beginning’. Is this the movie video game that is actually good & puts the other video game movies to shame, or is this another in a growing list of duds in this genre of movies? Well choose your character and prepare to be immersed by the fantasy world around as we sign on to find out,,,
“On the homeworld of the orcs, a portal is opened by the powerful orc warlock Gul’dan (Daniel Wu) allowing a warband of orcs to go through in order to capture prisoners to bring the rest of the orc horde through. Such an orc is the chieftain of the Frostwolf Clan Durotan (Toby Kibbell), who begins to have doubts about their leader and the future of their kind. Elsewhere on the same world a brave commander of the alliance of men, Anduin Lothar (Travis Fimmel), is made aware of the orcs existence and with the help of the young mage apprentice Khadgar (Ben Schnetzer) and the reclusive guardian of the world Medivh (Ben Foster) the trio must find a way to stop this new threat terrorizing their world. A chance to find peace presents itself in the form an alliance between the Frostwolf Clan of orcs and the alliance of men, one that would stop Gul’dan’s evil plans for the world and save thousands on both sides. Will an alliance between men and orcs be established? What has Gul’dan have planned not only for the world but the horde as well? Will there ever be peace in this time of war and violence?…”
So like what’s been mentioned a few times already on here, the movie genre based on video games has not been a greatly profitable nor liked one. I can’t recall a single video game movie that has been any good, personally or consensually. So naturally there is that apprehension going into this movie with that knowledge of video game movies being quite terrible, not that a movie should be judged solely on the genre that it is and rather the movie itself individually. After seeing the movie myself however I am left still unconvinced that we have a good video game movie here and it’s not from a lack of trying by all those involved in the movie. Going in I knew absolutely nothing about Warcraft or WoW as it is called (my only knowledge maybe being of some of the different races in the game but that’s more to do with the genre, fantasy, than anything else) and was hoping the movie would immerse me & guide me through the world, its lore, history, races, characters etc, which would thusly because of that make me more interested in the franchise/universe itself (much like how movies such as Star Wars or Lord Of The Rings did with their movies). I sadly however left the movie with more questions than answers and was because of this left confused as to what I was watching on screen (they reference a lot of events prior which I guess you’re just supposed to know going in? and they just showoff these people, their creatures and expect you to know what all these things are?). I do feel going in for it to be wise as to know a little about the WoW universe beforehand and that if you are a fan of the series you will like this movie a lot more than the average Joe who comes across this movie. This isn’t the only flaws with this movie however.
The movie itself feels really condensed and edited which upon discussing this movie with fans of the WoW series they do confirm they do leave out a lot or merely gloss over certain things, which makes the movie feel jumbled plot wise with scenes coming off as pointless in the long run. Pacing the movie is quite the mess too and never flowing smoothly (they start hitting the story right away expecting you to follow along to then go in and out different paces throughout the movie. It’s very inconsistent). On that note and driving on with what I was talking about before the movie just throws around names and characters expecting you know them and become invested in, but sadly this never happens (there’s a scene where a main character’s son is killed which is supposed to be your big emotional moment, but I was left wondering “who is this guy, why does he matter, have I seen him before somewhere?”). The movie spends its time focusing on the noble orc chieftain Durotan played by Toby Kebbell but his character doesn’t really do anything throughout the movie and his character’s arc from start to finish is much to be desired (he really does come off as time wasted, a pointless character which is fast becoming a trend from what I’m noticing). The CGI is obvious as always here (though hardly ‘THE’ thing to get worked up about here), the movie despite not as coherently telling it’s story feels too long than what it should and the movie’s ending is just not satisfying in any shape or form.
So all that said this movie probably has nothing going for it you might think? Not completely true as there are some things I did find enjoyable or liked in the movie. Travis Fimmel’s Sir Anduin Lothar was by far the standout performance in the movie and was an easily likeable character. Ben Foster’s Medivh was an interesting role as well and I did enjoy anything to do with any type of magic in this movie (it was visually pleasing to watch every time it is used). While as stated it is blatantly obvious, visually the CGI is wonderful and they do make the world feel massive and epic. The designs on all the different races & creatures feels unique and doesn’t look like anything rehashed or copied from a different fantasy series (a thing that often happens between other movies of this genre). The action was decent as was the music and while I by no means would claim this movie great or grand by any means, I am still curious to see this series play out see where it goes to from here (here’s hoping next time around it is done better if they are given the chance to do more movies).
So long short of it, the movie is a disappointment and a box office one for the film studios that invested in this movie. I don’t know if this movie will get it’s planned for sequels after its rather lacklustre stint in cinemas but I guess we will see. But I have to rate this movie and I am not going to sugar-coat it, the movie for me from me is worth only a just shy off halfway 5.5 outta 10. For others I am sure will rate this movie higher and I’m not saying I would avoid this movie if I was to see it being played somewhere, I just don’t think it was anything people we’re hoping it to be. But I digress folks, what are your thoughts on this fantasy epic? Is there enough here for tis to be an enjoyable flick for you or are you with everyone else and think this movie is just not going to change the consensus of video game movies? Well be sure to let your thoughts on the matter be heard by any means necessary. This has been Matt, it has taken me far too long to get this one out but I thank you for your patience and hope you do stay tuned for more reviews soon…
The Legend Of Tarzan Review
“Its back to the jungle swinging as a now civilised Tarzan has to not only save the woman but the entire Congo as well. Well, judging by that 6 pack he sure has enough muscles to do it … not jealous, jus saying …”
Shalom and greetings fellow moviegoers. Me be Matt Gives You His Review (half hairy man & half avid reviewer) here today to give my review, whether I have to shout it from the treetops if I have to, of the latest jungle adventure from our favourite vine swinging hero in the loincloth: ‘The Legend Of Tarzan’. Is this an adventure well worth the exploits of the half man, half ape hero or is this a movie that had been better lost deep in the farthest part of the wild? Well let out your best animal call and strip to your underdaks as we swing in to find out,,,
“It is an uncertain time for the people and lands of the Congo as both the United Kingdom and Belgium seek to divide the country up in efforts to acquire the country’s vast supply of rich mineral deposits. An American envoy, George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson), seeks the aide of the former ‘Man Of The Jungle’, now a Lord in London, Tarzan/Lord Greystoke (Alexander Skarsgård) due to the rising suspicion of the Belgians enslaving the Congolese populace. Returning to the jungle with his wife Jane (Margot Robbie) the trio attempt to discover what is going on in the Congo, only for Jane to be taken prisoner by the Belgians envoy, and his hired mercenaries, named Léon Rom (Christopher Waltz) who does so in an effort to lure Tarzan to tribal leader and sworn enemy Chief Mbonga (Djimon Hounsou) in exchange for rare diamonds which would help Belgium’s crippling bankruptcy. With George Williams helping him out and the animals of the wild as his allies its up to Tarzan to save his wife and expose the Belgians schemes for the Congo. Can Tarzan save his wife from the clutches & schemes of Léon Rom? Can the trio expose the Belgians plans for the Congo and its people? Is Tarzan even able to be Tarzan anymore?…”
So this movie sorta spurred out of nowhere really for me (it wasn’t like I was following the production for this or knew of its existence prior to a trailer) but it was one movie I was actually looking forward to see come out. So actually seeing the movie finally I left impressed. Not as blown away as I was hoping but nevertheless greatly admiring the finished project. Things I was most impressed was in fact Tarzan himself, or rather the guy playing him Alexander Skarsgård. While his accent at times gets a lil wobbly in parts I felt Alec was still damn decent in the role and yes, I like any man who saw this movie was damn envious of those abs & muscles he was sporting (but im not jealous. I’M NOT OK!!!). Margot Robbie was a welcome interpretation of Tarzan’s wife Jane and Christopher Waltz was more than passable as the moustache twirling villain in the movie. The biggest surprise and most liked addition I had for the movie was Samuel L. Muthaf***ing Jackson as essentially Tarzan’s sidekick in the movie. He had a lot of funny lines/deliveries in the movie and I still remain greatly impressed by just the work ethic and hustle this guy has after so many years & movies (for a guy nearly on the verge of 70 he sure ain’t slowing down anytime soon judging by all these movies his been doing lately huh. RESPECT!), Not to mention that the cinematography at times was breathtaking (the Congo looks massive, beautiful, mysterious and dangerous all at once) and the flashback sequences shedding a different take on Tarzan’s origin than what some people may be used to or yet know.
The movie is by no means without it’s faults though. The pacing at times is sluggish in areas and those very same flashbacks (which are cut in at different points in the movie which can be very jarring or out of place for audiences) also come off as a more promising movie we do not get to see which can be seen as a disappointment. The story for that matter is nothing special and rather lacklustre in consideration, though watchable enough at least In my view to keep ones attention throughout at least. There’s not much else really I can recall that I didn’t like about the movie aside from those few mentioned things, though personally for me there’s just this feeling about it I can’t quite define that just doesn’t scream ‘watch again asap!!!’ or ‘found awesome’. It sort of just happened I guess, but out of the lineup so far this year it’s probably just another what is fast becoming ‘The Year Of Disappointments’. But please don’t feel deterred by that last bit there, the movie is still damn visual pleasing to watch and Tarzan’s abs (or Margot Robbie’s infectious glow about her, take your pick) should keep your attention start to finish.
Was a tough one to recall and review (I am sad to say but as I write this it has nearly been a month since ive gotten this review out. I feel really slack and off my game for some reason, but am I hoping the lacklustre effort is on the turnaround now) but I still think the movie is solid. There have been worse movies, there have been better movies, which is why I think I’ll just give the movie the most average score off the top of my head with that being an 8 outta 10. So fellow vine swingers or adventurers, what are your thoughts on this lil adventure flick? One well worth the trek through the jungle or a story you’d much rather see devoured by the scary animals in the darkest part of the wild? Feel free to beat your jungle drums to let me know either way (just don’t wake your neighbours up doing it), or better yet comment below in the conveniently provided comment section. This has been Matt, thanking you for your patience on this one, bidding you so long and fareW-E-E-E-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-!-!-!…
Alice Through The Looking Glass Review
“It’s once more down the rabbit hole as we partake on another wondrously mad adventure through ‘Wonderland’ and it’s past, present and future. Now we musn’t dawdle now or we’ll be terribly late for tea…”
Greetings and salutations moviegoers & mad people alike. I am Matt Gives You His Review, here today to share my views through the looking glass of the adventure that goes once more down the rabbit hole, and where it ends up well who would know?; ‘Alice Through The Looking Glass’. Is this the time travelling adventure through Wonderland we’ve been searching for or is this one tale of madness too many to be any good? Well mind your step and be careful how much you drink or eat as we find out,,,
“Alice Kingsleigh (Mia Wasikowska) having spent the last 3 years sailing the world and going on many adventures has finally returned home to London, only to find her home is soon to be no longer home as her ex-fiancé has taken over her father’s company and plans to take it from her unless she sells her father’s ship. Overwhelmed by the situation she recognizes a butterfly which she follows through a mirror into ‘Underland’ where the butterfly Absolem (the late Alan Rickman) informs Alice that all does not bode well for her friends in Underland. She eventually finds out that her friend Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) has become depressed & ill, believing that his family is still alive somewhere despite no one believing him, including Alice. Determined to help her friend she is told by the White Queen (Anne Hathaway) if she was to take a Chronosphere from Time (Sacha Baron Cohen) himself, she could use it to travel back in time and save the Hatter’s family from the Jabberwocky. However, upon taking the device and being told from Time that there is no way to change the past but learn from it she travels through Underland’s history, which reaches the attention of the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) who desires the Chronosphere for her own devious ends. Will Alice find a way to reunite the Mad Hatter with his family? Will Time get the Chronosphere back in time before Underland is plunged into chaos? What evil plans does the Red Queen have for Alice, her friends and all of Underland itself?…”
So its surprising to see this sequel actually exist, especially seeing how loathed the first movie was in 2010 (Alice In Wonderland). I admit my own feelings towards that movie has been conflicted & changed with myself liking it initially when it came out (mainly cause of Johnny Depp & Tim Burton), to then being influenced by the warranted criticisms from critics which made me grow to dislike the movie itself. So with that in mind I did have some blaring apprehension about this movie before going in and was hoping for this movie to at least learn from the predecessor’s faults. So did it? In some ways it did but in others it merely only amplified the problems with these movies. To touch on the positives I will say that by the best element to me was Sacha Baron Cohen as Time. He was an interesting character, neither a good or a bad guy (like the trailers tried to make you believe, that he was the villain this time around) but just what his name suggests, the keeper of Time. I felt this was a well thought out move by the filmmakers seeing how easy it could have been just to make him the big bad bad guy chasing after Alice where really the guy is just trying to protect time and Underland itself from being destroyed (in a sense you could nearly say Alice was the villain here, but there’s sadly someone else and I’ll get to her in a bit). I felt Mia Wasikowska, while still not the greatest here, did far better this time around portraying Alice than her bland & forgettable showing in the first movie. I liked the whole travelling in time aspect of the movie, seeing the diversity while traveling through the different time periods and I applaud the movie for actually being colourful and wondrous this time around (a fault that was quite blatant in the first movie).
Where the movie seems to not work and at times really annoy is everywhere else in this movie. Again the movie tries to make purpose and sense of the madness which is Wonderland (I’m sick of calling it ‘Underland’, its Wonderland muthaf***ers, SAY IT RIGHT!!!) which defeats the purpose of this fantasy world. There is not supposed to be logic, laws, politics etc in a place which is supposed to be crazy. The other cast members here vary in their performances from wtf? To downright unpleasantly obnoxious. I’m usually a fan of Johnny Depp and his kooky acting and I actually did like his take of the Mad Hatter in the first movie, but here the whole time he was on screen and speaking in that strange soft like voice I just wanted to shake the weirdness out of him while going “WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO JOHNNY DEPP?!”. If that wasn’t bad enough Helena Bonham Carter here is atrocious. She yells all lines and is nothing but loud, it’s horrendous and annoying to sit through. Even the side characters here are non-existent to the point of underplayed or pointless and those that do get some spotlight act more out there than what they we’re like in the first movie (*COUGH* Anne Hathaway *COUGH* wtf are you doing b***h? *COUGH*). All these just make the final cut a cluster mess where you’re left wondering “did I enjoy that movie or hate it?”, and judging from the critical response I’d say a lot of people are leaning towards hate.
I’m usually the biggest overlooker when it comes to these sort of things, so long as the movie is enjoyable is really all I truly care about. Here I am unsure as to how to go. On the one hand I did enjoy seeing the movie and there was definitely a visual spectacle or 2, but the fact that everyone’s acting here is not the best which makes the movie at times a pain to sit through really does cloud ones opinion. I am not as harsh as the more professional of critics but even I can’t In good taste give this movie anything higher than a 5.5 outta 10. I am curious though to hear my fellow moviegoers, what did you think of this movie? Was this movie wondrous enough for your liking or is this one no better than the CGI puke fest that was the first one? Be sure to leave your thoughts & opinions anywhere/way you can. This has been as always Matt, thanks for reading my review and pay no attention to the disappearing cat down belo- Hey wait a sec…
… well you don’t see that everyday huh?
The Huntsman: Winter’s War Review
“Thor the Huntsman finds himself battling fairy-tales & evil queens again in the sequel/prequel to ‘Snow White And The Huntsman’. This time around his up against Queen Elsa, a queen who just couldn’t ‘Let It Go’…huh? huh? funny no? …”
Dearest moviegoers and friends of old, I bid you welcome to this site you behold. I be Matt, ‘He Who Gives You His Review’, here to once again give you my point of view. Today’s movie is one that has been foretold, about two queens in fairy-tale, one evil and one sooo cold; ‘The Huntsman: Winter’s War’. Is this a movie which is destined for glory, or is this movie so ‘frozen’ that it has no story? But surely there is amazement a plenty, enough to please both the poor and the wealthy? So with a turn of a page and a bit of magic as well, let us review this movie before where all sent to – … HEY!!! I’m not rhyming this whole review. Let’s get on with it, yes,,,
“Years prior to the events of ‘Snow White And The Huntsman’, the evil queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) has claimed another kingdom for her own, but feels her rule threatened when the magic mirror makes her aware that her younger sister Freya (Emily Blunt) has had a child and this child will surpass her. Going against the mirror’s warning she betrays her sister by framing her sister’s lover for murdering their child, inadvertently awakening her sister’s powers and thus transforming her into the Ice Queen. Claiming a land of her own far north and establishing an icy kingdom, the Ice Queen Freya has her men round up children from other kingdoms to be trained as her own personal army, an army of Huntsmen. 2 such Huntsmen, Eric (Chris Hemsworth) and Sara (Jessica Chastain), who grow to be her best Huntsmen fall in love with each other upon growing up, an act which is forbidden by the Ice Queen Freya. Seperating the 2 of them she shows Eric Sara perishing in battle and as such effectively exiles Eric from her kingdom. Now years later in the present Eric once again finds himself entangled within the Ice Queen Freya’s game as she desires her evil queen sister’s magic mirror and Eric, with the help of some dwarves Nion (Nick Frost) & Gryff (Rob Brydon), must now reacquire the mirror so it does not fall into the wrong hands again. Along the way on their quest they team up with 2 dwarf sisters, Bromwyn (Sheridan Smith) & Doreena (Alexandra Roach) and Eric’s long thought lost wife Sara and together the group vows to stop the evil Ice Queen from getting the mirror for her own ends. Will this fellowship stop the Ice Queen Freya from succeeding? Will Eric & Sara rekindle their relationship together or has their love been frozen forever? What fate awaits all those who tangle with the mirror and what will happen if it is unleashed?…”
So this has taken some time to write out (in that it has been a week later since ive attempted to write this review out) and truth be told I’m still unsure what to make of this movie. After watching it myself I have to say that I personally enjoyed it and found it better than its predecessor, yet from what I hear from the general consensus this movie’s critical reception is unfavourable for most and viewed as unnecessary. Not that I’ve ever been one to conform or agree fully with popular opinion (there are many reviews which are a testament to that on here), but needless to say it has done my head in trying to review it. Even before seeing this movie I like most people was questioning did this really warrant existing and in that the movie does feel forced to be make a series out of. The CGI here, while eye pleasing to behold (especially in areas where it is like a fantasy environment), is far too obvious that it’s not real and at times can look really half-arsed & shoddy (though I argue that’s just Hollywood in general with its CGI nowadays). Not only that but the movie does feel like a marketing ploy, as in studio execs going;
“What’s popular right now that will make people want to see our movie? Cause we have no new ideas we could try right? Ooo all these people are into this ‘Frozen’ movie, whatever the hell that is. Let’s just make an Ice Queen story and tie it in with our first movie, sound good yea?”
So in that sense, yeah the movie does feel like a ploy for more bums in the seats, not to mention for me personally the fantastical element side to this movie was more underplayed here than what I like, but that’s more a personal pet peeve for me. That and the movie is really formulaic to a degree.
So negative who-hah aside I still find myself really liking the movie, even with the obvious flaws visible for all to see (but in that sense much like the first movie). Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman Eric, much like his role as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is just so likeable you can’t help but like his character as he is going along on this lil adventure his on. Emily Blunt as the Ice Queen was a well-acted role and she looks spine chilling in the getup she wears, not to mention it is pre kewl when she is using her powers (though very little of that is used here). Charlize Theron yukking it up once again as the Evil Queen is just a role I’m sure she enjoys playing and one we enjoy seeing her go over the top with. The dwarves are a lil short (no pun intended) in number here but make up for it with the feisty dwarf Bromwyn played by Sheridan Smith who is just a riot playing off the rest of the group of heroes. Jessica Chastain (who I swear I’m seeing everywhere in everything. SHES STALKING ME!!! Jokes) does well as the Warrior & Eric’s wife and how could I forget the brilliant narration by Mr Liam motherf***ing Neeson (movie is instantly 10 points better because of it). The action is sharper, the humour is way funnier than last time around and I for one am all for a story of a misunderstood person who is portrayed as the bad guy (much like Elsa in Frozen was I guess).
So to finally close the review, I see where everyone else is coming from and indeed the movie has no real purpose of existing (I personally think its bad advertising to advertise it as prequel when that’s really only the 1st quarter of the movie). I feel the stuff I personally like in the movie far outweigh any bad stuff in the movie and that’s why I have no reservations giving this movie a 7 outta 10. I may be alone in thinking the movie wasn’t as bad as the other critics say, I will gladly remain the only voice to say so if need be. So my fellow moviegoers and fairy-tale lovers, what did you think of this movie? Was this just the magical adventure you’ve been waiting to see or am I wrong and this movie is just a horrid CGI magical mess? Be sure to cast your comments below and please check out the other reviews on this site, there is only more to come (hopefully ones that want take as long to write out). Anyway folks, this has been Matt and best you all stay indoors because winter is coming and- …
… ok that is not cool Elsa. ice queens bitch
Zootopia Review
“Zootopia. A city of anthropomorphic animals. Animals are going missing all over the city, turning wild & savage. To solve the case and protect everyone in the city it falls to a no nonsense police bunny and her partner, a sly con artist fox. I’ve got a bbbbaaaadddd feeling about this…”
Hello and welcome everyone, from the avid moviegoer to the furriest of animals. I am Matt Gives You His Review, here today to give my review of the latest project from the magical land of Disney; ‘Zootopia’. With a near 100% from the people at ‘Rotten Tomatoes’ is this movie another certified hit from the house of mouse, or is there more than an animal control problem with this missing animal caper? Well get the nearest cuddly companion to join you on this adventure through the jungle, concrete jungle that is, as we solve the case and save the city,,,
“Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), a bunny from the lil rural area of Bunnyburrow, dreams as a kid to become the first bunny cop and make a difference in the world. Through sheer determination and never giving up she eventually is made a cop and is assigned to big city of Zootopia, a city full of every & any type of animal. However, despite her readiness to tackle the big missing animals case like every other cop is assigned to she is instead put on parking duty, filling out tickets and really not amounting to much. However when an opportunity arises to be put on the case she hops to the challenge to solve the case before 48hrs is up. Enlisting the help of a con artist fox named Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) the pair set out, following clues all over the city with the case turning out to be a lot bigger than just a missing animals case and with bigger issues not yet realized coming to light because of this caper. Will Judy & Nick solve the mystery and help protect the city from potential threats? Are the animals going missing getting kidnapped or is it something more savage? Are both predators and prey really living in harmony in the big city or are there some prejudices there not yet realized?…”
I remember seeing the trailer for this movie when it was first being advertised and finding the trailer to be both a bit of a gamble for Disney but also humorous enough that meh, I guess I might wanna see this. Now I say gamble in the sense that there are some pretty heavy themes addressed here that may fly over the little ones heads, or may cause some questions parents may be put on the spot to answer. Themes like a ‘natural’ animal club where animals wear no clothes unlike all the others, this whole them against us between predators & prey here etc, all things that are quite prominent today, in fact maybe even more so now than ever (with the whole election going on in America at the moment with Trump apparently in the lead, of all things folks, really?! Ya want that in the big house running the show?). Not that its wrong to be acknowledged and nor is it done bad here. On the contrary, its probably done it better than most other movies have done in the past, even adult ones at that. Though honestly for me it wasn’t the focus I was focusing on throughout the movie and I did find the lessons they were trying to teach here were good by Disney’s standards as you can expect. Not to make a big who who about it, but I do need to mention the elephant in the room … oops!
… sorry Gladys, didn’t mean you *gulp*
Honestly there is not much I can think of against this movie. Both Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde we’re great characters and the chemistry the pair had together was great. Idris Elba as Chief Bogo, this giant of a buffalo was just as deadpan as well as funny. The ‘Godfather’ bits with these artic shrews was hilarious for me and not to mention having to do with animals and their characteristics (like how wolves howl in packs, Elephants ‘supposedly’ never forget, bunnies multiply like rabbits etc all cute jokes that were cleverly done). And as stated earlier, the life lessons in here are well done, especially for kids & dreams. All in all ‘Zootopia’ is a surprise hit this early in the year. Disney has the mojo at the moment and we’ll see if this continues with there other movie known to come out this year (‘Moana’ I believe it to be called, looks like another ‘Disney princess’ thing but this one set with island tribes. Interesting me reckons). So keeping it short and sweet here like most childrens movies, better than ‘The Good Dinosaur‘that came out last year and well earning its 8 outta 10 from me. So my bad mammal jammals, what did you think of Disney’s latest movie to hit the cinemas? Another hit from the Mouse with the Walt, or was this a miss from the childrens entertainment giant? Please forward all complaints to Donald Duck (jokes on you Donald) and send all compliments & other comments to me, yours truly. Be sure to stay tuned for more movie reviews soon and if you’ll excuse me … yikes! … I got an angry bird on my hands. I’ve been Matt, please come again …
… Donald, calm down. No need to get upset …
Oz: The Great And Powerful Review
“Before a girl and her dog wish to go no place but home, a confidence trickster will find himself in the magical world of Oz and maybe, just maybe, he might discover the true greatness about him and true wizardry at his hands. It’s just one small step down the yellow brick road…”
Hey-howdy-ho and salutations the merry moviegoers & people of Oz (no, not that Oz, the magical one). I am The Great, The Powerful, The Magical, the wizard reviewer Matt Gives You His Review (… ok, im not all them things, can you fault a man trying to talk himself up on the internet?) I am here today to bring the first of many revisited of reviews of 2013, that one being the prequel origin Oz’s king and wizard: “Oz: The Great And Powerful”. Does this movie recapture the wonder & the magic of the first movie yet present its new look at the ‘Oz’ mythos, or had this movie be better avoided like tornadoes and Kansas in general? Well come follow me down the yellow brick road, as we battle witches & flying baboons to find out ,,,
“In the year 1905 in the simple town of Kansas, con man & showman Oz (James Franco) makes his living performing shows of mystique & wonder with a travelling circus, wanting more than the simple life and hoping the be a ‘great’ man like his idol Thomas Edison. While commandeering his hot air balloon after a show he suddenly is sucked up into a tornado and awakens to find himself in a strange & fantastical land called Oz. He comes across Theodora, The “Good” Witch (Mila Kunis), who believes Oz to be THE wizard of a prophecy to restore peace to lands & people of Oz and stop the Wicked Witch that is terrorizing the land. Tasked by Theodora’s sister Evanora, The Royal Advisor (Rachel Weisz) and secretly the actual Wicked Witch, to find the Wicked Witch and slay her to fulfil the prophecy and in turn lay claim to the throne of Emerald City, accompanied by his oath sworn helper/servant flying monkey Finley (Zach Braff) and an orphaned china doll named China Girl (Joey King), Oz seeks out the Witch to only find that she is in fact Glinda, The Actual Good Witch (Michele Williams) who is in fact the one protecting the good folk of Oz from Evanora and her witchcraft. In need of a wizard to lead the people of Oz against Evanora and her turned wicked sister Theodora, Oz, while not actually ‘The’ wizard foretold, agrees to help the people of Oz to stand against the wicked witches and restore peace to Oz. Will Oz and the people of Oz reclaim their lands and stop the evil witch sisters? Will the wicked witches destroy the wizard and Glinda for good, once and for all? Will Oz pull through and show his greatness or will he pull one last swindle over the merry ol’ land of Oz?…”
After so many years have passed I do still vaguely remember wanting to see this movie but struggled to find anyone interested to see it. I eventually for lack of a better word conned someone into seeing this movie with me (my own mother in fact, love you mum) and after seeing the movie for meself, I think I fast realised why I struggled to get someone to see this with me, though personally liking the movie more than what others criticize it for. I at the time didn’t understand why this was looked on so poorly, but maybe it’s the year’s difference that has made me come around to seeing more of the failures in the movie than what I first saw initially. I still have a good time watching this movie and find parts in it I actually highly favour, though not all bodes well with this return to the merry ole Land of Oz, some of these things in fact can prove quite detrimental to the movie as a whole itself.
Some things I did enjoy about the movie was for one was the style and editing that played homage to the original movie (‘The Wizard Of Oz’, duh) and added a level of continuity to the movie (its starts in black and white and an old aspect ratio to eventually become colourful and widescreen. Clever things like that help sell the movie). The Land of Oz itself and its oddity of creatures & landmarks were colourful, visually pleasing and yet unique enough to be different compared to other fantasy worlds (It’s not all overly entirely necessary and completely obvious in its CGI, but its wondrous enough for you not care a bit while watching the movie). James Franco as the man Oz himself did well in the role, not only showcasing the wittiness & trickery of the character but also the human vulnerability his character faces in wanting to be a great man, yet only able to con people into thinking it. Michelle Williams does an actually nice portrayal as Glinda and does get some cool scenes using her powers. Other performances that were great was Zach Braff as the helpful monkey companion Finley and provides Oz with his moral challenges & humour and Joey King as China Girl, who not only was brilliantly designed & brought to life but just steals every scene she is in (her scenes bring a lot of the movie’s emotion and she kills it every time. She surprisingly has some funny lines here and there). The references and attention to detail to the first movie were clever, Tony Cox as the sourpuss named Knuck was hilarious, the music from the quirky Danny Elfman as always is impressive and the ending of the movie was actually a really well done climax, boasting impressive cinematography and tying things up together nicely at the end.
A shame it is however that the movie falters in every other aspect of itself. The major issue people have is Mila Kunis in the role playing not only Theodora but also (duh duh dum SPOILER ALERT) the Wicked Witch Of The West (yes, the green skinned one from the first movie). Truly I like to give benefit of the doubt to the actress actually trying to portray the iconic villain, but it doesn’t change the fact just how wrong in every way this choice of actress, design, voice etc was (and if that wasn’t bad enough her forced ‘high school’ like romance as her Theodora character really slows the movie down and proves uninteresting). Rachel Weisz is usually an actress I admire and like seeing in roles on screen, yet here she is really under played, does just ok in the role and gets completely over shadowed for the introduction of the Wicked Witch Of The West character. Theresa whole ‘liar revealed’ plot point which feels been done and there are a lot of scenes & choices that seem unneeded in the grand scheme of things. The movie introduces a prophecy into this fantasy world which I feel is the kiss of death to any simple fantasy stories where the focus was not on grand plots of foretold prophecies non-existent in previous works (‘Pan’ was such a movie that suffered from this, trying to introduce mythos that are unneeded in a story just to epicfy it). The movie also tonally feels off compared to the original, where ‘Wizard Of Oz’ was a musical adventure of wonder, here Oz is more a fantasy adventure where people can actually die? In this world (this is still all a dream right). On that note and really my only other pet peeve, to not try and spoil it but the movie does not end that it was all a dream like the other movie, sparking inconsistencies with the continuity of the 2 movies and fuelling more of the alarming tone change of the movie in comparison.
So there’s a fair bit wrong with the movie, but I’d be lying if I found no enjoyment in the movie. The things I do like with the movie I find enough to make the movie watchable to me, but I can still recognize the blaring issues as stated before. If for nothing else, the movie is at least a visually intriguing flick with 1 or more scenes showing brilliance (just riddled with problems throughout the rest of it) and is why I have no problem casting this movie what could be deemed witchcraft or magical, a 7 outta 10. But moviegoers and fellow ‘representatives of the lollipop guild’ (you know who you are), what did you think of this fantastical adventure? A trip down the yellow brick road well worth the adventure or more foul than any witch and her witchcraft could muster? Cast your opinions below and be sure to share this review to world and other fantastical one reachable (just don’t send this via tornado. They haven’t quite worked out how to make it work this way yet, as clearly obvious from the movie). This has been your wizard, your trickster, your Matt, bidding you my thanks and farewell … UNTIL THE NEXT REVIEWWWWWWWWWW ……………………………………….
… how do you drive this thing.HELPPP!!!!!!!!!
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