Ride Along 2 (2016)

Ride Along 2 (2016)

2/10

Starring

Ice Cube

Kevin Hart

Directed by Tim Story

Ride Along 2 is not just boring and unfunny, the story is totally off and the screenplay is unbelievably weak, then there is a scene where Ben (Kevin Hart) is driving in a high speed chase and the whole scene turns to a video game animation. According to the writers Ben is visualizing the game and pulling off stunts in real life what he has mastered while playing the game and according to me the viewer that is total Bull…

The writers didn’t bother to improve on what they did in the first movie, this movie was more like the leftover parts of the first or deleted scenes that were too whack to be in a movie. Well, someone went and put all the scenes together and called it Ride Along 2.

The acting in the movie was off, for me the main cast struggled to get into character and seemed more like they were faking it.

I didn’t even smile while watching this movie as no scene impacted me enough to even giggle, the movie cruised on the bases that we were familiar with the actors and their style and failed to add anything new.

The plot starts with Ben on a radio watching and listening as James (Ice Cube) and his partner try to infiltrate a drug deal. When things got heated Ben leaves where he was told to stay-put and tries to help, but in the end got James partner shot.

James was then sent to Atlanta to follow-up on the crook that got away when Ben got involved, after some persuasion from his sister James allows Ben to come along, with Ben hoping to use this opportunity to show James that he is ready to be a detective.

In Atlanta the meddling duo turned the city to a sad note, as their presence resulted in harassments, a shootout at a night club and car explosions.

But remember it is a buddy cop movie which usually ends with both parties understanding each other more and getting closer, this movie didn’t miss out on that recipe. Remember how in buddy-cop movies one person takes a bullet for his partner? This movie has that too.

And yes the duo saved the day in the most unrealistic piece of police work there ever could be.

The movie in the end was panned by critics just like the first. But unlike the first where more than 60% of the audience on Rotten Tomatoes liked the movie, here it is less than 60%.

Notwithstanding Kevin Hart has made himself a bankable name as the movie made more than 3 times its $40 million budget in the box office. I wonder how long his name will be bankable if he doesn’t stop starring in crappy movies and start searching for high scale ones.

Zootopia (2016)

Zootopia (2016)

10/10

Starring the voice of:

Ginnifer Goodwin

Jason Bateman

Idris Elba

J.K. Simmons

Directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore

Zootopia is an animated movie with a story fit for young ones and appropriate for adults alike. With a story focusing on prejudice and stereotype, Zootopia shows how prejudice and stereotype can impede our reason as we watch this fast-paced, top-notch animation that you cannot help but love.

Disney has lately dominated the animation scene over their combo with their sister company Pixar to deliver stories and animations that will leave you running back for seconds with the kids.

The writers had everything lined up for a timely message on prejudice and stereotype to make you think on how we view others, then they added wonderful references to adult movies, so the adults watching will not be denied laughs as they sit back viewing with their children.

I, for one, was totally intrigued by the Godfather reference.

The animation in this movie was fluid and the movie’s depiction of each animal was amazing, I guess many would have seen the trailer which showed the sloth named Flash attending to Hopps and Nick, the scene is such a classic I found myself on YouTube after watching the movie to get another view.

Packing more laughs than an average animation should, Zootopia also has a message for you:

Keep believing in yourself when nobody else will and be a doer not a viewer. Another message from the movie I truly admired was when Hopp refused to see her current position as a meter-maid as a step down from her dream, she made sure she was the best meter-maid there was and when an opportunity made itself available to do more she did.

Zootopia is a place in a world of anthropomorphic mammals, Judy Hopp has always dreamed of being an officer of the law, even though rabbits are not considered suited for the job. She passed her classes and started off in Zootopia as a meter-maid, there she made an acquaintance of a fox named Nick. When the opportunity presented herself, Hopp got herself assigned to a case of the missing Mr. Otterton.

She conned Nick the fox to join in the search and safe return of Mr. Otterton and both got involved in a conspiracy that went high up in the government of Zootopia and unified their friendship.

Breaking box-office records for animation in different countries like China, the movie's three-day opening was the largest ever for Walt Disney Animation Studios.

The movie currently holds a 99% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. If you have not seen this movie this Easter period, I advise you do so with the kids before the break is over.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

4/10

Starring

Ben Affleck

Henry Cavill

Amy Adams

Jesse Eisenberg

Directed by Zack Snyder

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, is a movie that seem like the action scenes and the explosions were shot first before a story was written to join it all together and in the end the story didn’t work.

Sat through this movie expecting to like it regardless of what the critics say, but in the end I felt I have wasted two and a half hours of my life watching a constipated movie. Zack Synders had too many ideas and tried to lump it all into this movie and when things didn’t make much sense, explosions and counter explosions were used to fill in the gap. Add that disappointment to the immerse special effects and the all too cartoony Jesse Eisnberg’s Lex Luthor portrayal, get ready for: when things weren’t blowing up or buildings being destroyed you are going to be bored.

The Lex Luthor we know is a gentleman villain always working up some mean ideas and seemingly one step ahead of the viewers. This Lex is more like a joke in comparison, a sociopath who comes out as rich, spoilt and bored kid looking for some entertainment.

Disney pumped enough money to kick off the Marvel universe, and they are way ahead of DC in the formation of their earth heroes’ league, namely The Avengers. Warner Bros and DC realizing they have to catch up slumped everything together in this movie to introduce the characters that would be Justice League. In the end it is a good intro to the Justice League but a bad movie all together.

I guess we expected too much because unlike Man of Steel (2013) whose story was just as disjointed as this, the focus mainly was on Superman, discovering himself and taking down an enemy, so the whole picture worked in the end. Here the focus is divided across Clark Kent/Superman, Bruce Wayne/Batman, Lex Luther and add some Wonder Woman in the mix the disjointed story becomes more disjointed and doesn’t work as the story seems forced on the proposed action.

The movie kicks off after the events of Man of Steel (2013), Superman has made waste to the city while trying to save it. The law makers are worried about their new found hero and Bruce Wayne is not having an out of control alien on the loose without a leash. Lex too feels a need to put the man of steel in his place and in the end we have an all macho man showdown.

And if you are eager to see the fight between our two heroes, you will have to wait and endure long political brouhaha and our leads trying to discover themselves before it finally gets off.  

The best thing in this movie is not Batman or Superman it was the introduction of Wonder Woman, the three of them on screen at a time was what we looked forward to, (thanks to the trailers) and it was not great a sight, but ok.

Ben Affleck is not a bad Batman in the end, His character is well diced into the movie and his portrayal is not far-fetched and you will notice a more comfortable Superman in Henry Cavill.

This movie is a total waste of your time and a disappointment to its huge budget.