Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

7/10

Starring

Robert Downey Jr.

Chris Evans

Mark Ruffalo

Chris Hemsworth

Scarlett Johansson

Directed by Anthony Russo and Joseph Russo

It has been over a decade since the release of the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and we have been taken on a ride of twenty-one films leading to this twenty-second. The Infinity Saga has come to an end and it was a grand journey.

Marvel decided to wrap up this in such grand style, the movie is three hours long and you will not want to miss a minute of it.

The jokes are packed, the drama is top class and the action is the best I have seen in the MCU. The role of Captain Marvel in the film cannot be underplayed as she did have a great effect.

This movie is just marvelous, every idea or hope you may have had on how this movie was going to turn out, get ready to have them smashed. Avengers Endgame does not play to the tune of any fan theory, but charts its own course, and does it magnificently.

Our heroes were up against what seemed like an impossible task to find Thanos and undo what he has done in Avengers: Infinity War (2018). It seemed like a simple plot, if Thanos by a snap of a finger can make half the universe population disappear then another snap of the fingers with the stones can bring them back.

Here is the challenge, Thanos was found but he was powerless to face the remaining Avengers left as the snap of the finger with the stones took a whole lot out of him. Also, he further made drained himself by destroying the stones.

With that plan hitting a dead end, the team decided to keep the universe in order as the disappearance of half its occupant was causing a lot of chaos.

Remember many things were happening around the world when Thanos snapped his finger, and we get to see Scott Lang (Antman) return from the quantum realm and he is confused.

It has been fives years since Thanos snapped his finger and Scott upon his return could tell that something was wrong. He goes to the Avengers compound and he is briefed of what has happened since he has been gone. He tells them that time in the quantum realm is not the same in the real world. He says the five years it was in the real world was to him five hours. He then suggest that they can use this knowledge to see if they can make a time machine.

Here is where this film changes things we all know about movies when it comes to time travel. We then get schooled on why every movie we know, Back to the Future, Terminator and more have lied to us. Because, if you travel to the past, that past becomes your future and your former present becomes the past, which can’t now be changed by your new future.

Amazing stuff this movie. It is a critical and commercial success breaking box office records everywhere. It is set to make over $2 billion and we are left to guess where it will end.

The movie has no end scenes and we are left to wonder what the next phase will be and with the exit of some characters what’s next?

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

7/10

Starring

Robert Downey Jr.

Chris Hemsworth

Mark Ruffalo

Chris Evans

Scarlett Johansson

Benedict Cumberbatch

Don Cheadle

Tom Holland

Chadwick Boseman

Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo

There have been many mentions of the infinity stones and their powers. If you have seen Avengers Age of Ultron, you will have come across Vision (a merge of J.A.R.V.I.S., Ultron, and the Mind Stone). Then if you have seen Doctor Strange (2016), you definitely will have come across the power of the Time Stone. Then there is a Titan named Thanos who wants to harness the power of all the infinity stones and use it to save the Universe. The problem with his method of trying to save the Universe is to use the power of the stones to wipe out at random half of the universe occupants. You know if you look at it from another angle, Thanos is not much of a bad guy, just that his solution to the problem of limiting resources is random genocide.

The stones were the first thing to exist before the Universe and they have the power to make the same Universe extinct. Avengers Infinity War is the first of a two part Avengers story to sum up the story of the Infinity Stones.

It continues the tale of our heroes from 2012's The Avengers and 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron, and it is the nineteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The movie has cool graphics with a very engaging story-line. Put together this is one amazing movie to see. Now the movie sets the path to the next Avengers movie, but also introduces a new character Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel which we get to see their origin tale in Captain Marvel. Although we do not get to see her in the movie, but this movie end scene showed a message being sent to her from Nick Fury.

Now the movie plot has been summarized above, with Thanos hunting the universe looking for the stones. He came to Asgard, which is now a flying ship and with his men killed almost all the Asgardians to collect one of the stones. Then he sent his men to earth to retrieve the Mind and Time stone, while he went after the Soul stone.

Thor and Hulk were able to get away not killed in the Thanos raid. And they regrouped with as much heroes they could find to take down Thanos and his men.

Steve Rogers/Captain America came to know of this threat and he was able to bring his team with the people of Wakanda to stop the rage of the Titan. While all of this was going on Iron Man, Spider Man and Strange are also going up against Thanos to try and stop him.

But, you have to see all the movie has to offer to see what led to the second part.

The movie was both a critical and commercial success for Disney in a huge way and because we are aware of the presence of Captain Marvel audience flocked to the movies to see what she will bring to the last movie of this two part saga, Avengers: Endgame (2019).

Bird on a Wire (1990)

Bird on a Wire (1990)

3/10

Starring

Mel Gibson

Goldie Hawn

Directed by John Badham

With Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn on the lead roles this movie was a box office hit in 1990 which that is all that was back then.

Bird on a Wire lacked the needed excitement needed to keep you glued from the start to finish. The whole shady FBI office having the ability to do so much damage to a witness protection program was just too flimsy. I do not know much about witness protection, but if someone’s life can be ruined because the lead office had dementia then what kind of system are there running in the FBI.

Add to that the chase which the bad guys always seem to have a heads up on the location of our get away pips was just way too easy to be annoying.

The acting by the others seem lackadaisical too matter and even the two leads seem to be handling the life threatening situation a little too easy. The best person for a witness protection program is our lead act here Rick (Mel Gibson) as we see through the movie he as a jack of all trades in the places he worked under the program. As a matter of fact he was so good at his jobs none of them wanted him to leave and he was the best there all ever had, what a coincidence.

The movie is about a man who was set to be married fifteen years ago when he was sucked into the witness protection program leaving his wife to be at the altar.

Now she (Marianne – Goldie Hawn) got on with life with the believe that he was dead and became a high flying lawyer.

When she was handling a client in another city, she pulled into a gas station and there he was her man who left her at the altar. She confronted him, but he just denied it having changed his appearance a little it seemed easy and she believed him. Although the before and after picture of himself is just different with a shave.

Around the same time the man he testified against got out on parole, he called his contact in the FBI who didn’t know where Rick was, but by coincidence Rick called the FBI office at around the same time. After Marianne sees him he calls to be relocated and the corrupt agent happens to be the one who gets the call transfer. He tells Rick that the officer in charge in the Bureau has retied and he is now the one handling the case. He gets Rick current location and sends the bad guys after him.

The show up the same time Marianne shows up to confront Rick again that she was lying and he is who she thinks he is, some guns go off and both of them are now on the run together.

The amount of coincidence that has to happen for this movie to start being a chase was way too much for you to just enjoy it. Skip this one.

Bulworth (1998)

Bulworth (1998)

6/10

Starring

Warren Beatty

Halle Berry

Don Cheadle

Directed by Warren Beatty

Here is the irony, if you get to watch the 1980 first series of the Tv Show Yes, Minister you kind of get a glimpse of the political climate in Britain under this Brexit nonsense. Then if you get to watch this 1998 movie Bulworth you get a glimpse of the political climate in the USA. The Democrats cannot seem to get their act together to handle Trump, and how people love it when someone (Trump) says his mind and goes off record. It is safe to say the comedy of the 80s and 90s predicted the chaos of the present political climate. That aside Bulworth is a movie that will rob many people the wrong way, but for the more discerning crowd who want to be entertained by some political comedy – It is a cool movie to see.

The acting of Warren Beatty as Bulworth is what is most captivating as we see him go through a phase of nervous breakdown to losing his mind and then finding peace for it all to then end.

The movie does not waste time in introducing the chaos ahead. It starts with Jay Bulworth alone and crying because he hated his life. He has lost favor with the voters and his fake marital life where both couple see other people doesn’t seem to matter anymore.

Feeling suicidal he decided to do something about it, negatively. He negotiated an insurance on his life for $10 million which he said to be paid to his only child his daughter. He was able to get this high claim by selling the insurance companies his vote on some legislative. Knowing suicide will nullify the insurance claim, he then contacts a man who can help make this insurance claim for his daughter doable.

He paid for his own assassination and set the date for it. Unknown to him, his life was about to take another turn. Since he had nothing else to live for, he decided to live life. Jay Bulworth decided to enjoy his last days, going out and speaking the truth about what he feels. The problem with this was, the speaking the truth part. He exposed so much about how the government work and how the government cares less about the people and care more about the money, the co-operations and lobbyist.

He soon started to feel better about himself and here is the problem, there is a hit man trying to kill him.

The fun in the movie is how he keeps trying not to get killed and still go on TV and speak his mind on what is going on in the government.

Bulworth is a movie fun to see, for everything it brings to the table.

The Out-of-Towners (1999)

The Out-of-Towners (1999)

3/10

Starring

Steve Martin

Goldie Hawn

Directed by Sam Weisman

The screenplay is very similar to the 1970 original of the same name except that it starts slower than the original and it could not keep pace with it. The whole train ride in the original was removed and we got instead a car drive that meant nothing. The chemistry between Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn is nothing compared to that of Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis. The acting of Sandy as a wife facing a difficult time was amusing to see than Goldie Hawn depiction of the same character.

This 1999 version also relied on some physical mishaps in an attempt to drive home the comedy, but they were in the end a waste. It is hard to compare both movies because the first movie was more interested in the dynamics between Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis, while here the actors failed to replicate the same chemistry.

The movie had a different ending to the original, so get ready for a ride that ended differently. Which I wonder why they changed the idea of the original where things never stopped getting worse than it was until the end. Our couple Henry (Martin) and Nancy Clark (Hawn) were heading to New York for a job interview for Henry. Henry has lost his job in Ohio and since their two children are now adults there was nothing for him there in Ohio. He didn’t tell his family his recent bad luck, but felt he can wing it. He tells them the interview in New York is for a job promotion and relocation to New York.

Here is how the couple get to New York. Only Henry was going at first, he had a plan and going by himself will make it easy for his lie to flow. Nancy, feeling bored of her life and current situation decided to sneak on the plane with him. Her idea was a trip to New York for the two will reignite something for their marriage.

The trip was a disaster as the plane was rerouted to Boston. Upon getting off in Boston they realized that their luggage is lost. They decided to head to their hotel, but their delay in Boston caused them to loose their booking. They get mugged at gunpoint, get involved in a get away robbery and they found out that their daughter has maxed out their credit card.

Things didn't get better when Henry get arrested and missed his meeting. Also add to it that he had to reveal to Nancy that he has lost his job in Ohio and this New York job interview is a do or die affair.

The movie was a commercial and critical failure and I do not see any reason for anyone to bother seeing this movie.

The Out-of-Towners (1970)

The Out-of-Towners (1970)

7/10

Starring

Jack Lemmon

Sandy Dennis

Directed by Arthur Hiller

The don’t come any faster or crazier than The Out-of-Towners. This 1970 film has two couples having an unbelievable bad day, which turned to a bad night and continued the day after. Even when you think it is over, their bad luck still ran through to the very end of the movie.

This comedy film was written by Neil Simon the man behind The Odd Couple franchise whose comic work is not just to make you laugh at the ridiculousness of what is happening, but the characters involved themselves.

The movie starts with a bang, it looked like something plain and simple, but the moment things start getting wrong you are left asking yourself, can things get any worse than this and they usually do. With George Kellerman (Jack Lemmon) wanting to sue everyone. Then we have his wife Gwen (Sandy Dennis) you watch this movie from the beginning to the end and you still cannot place her person.

The plot start with George and Gwen heading to the airport for their flight from Ohio to New York. George is being offered a job promotion there and he was heading for the interview. His desire is to get the job and move his family to New York with the hope for a better life.

He was always moving fast, rushing Gwen along and making it hard for her to get any meal or do anything she wants. He had planned every detail and wanted her ready for the lunch and dinner plans he had made for them.

Things started to go wrong when the plane was finding it hard to land in New York. George starts loosing his cool in the plane because he the interview is at 9:00am the next day. Finally they landed, but not in New York, in Boston. Now George must find a way to get from Boston to New York via train, a fit that was just a mountain for him and his wife to scale.

They get to New York to discover that, their luggage has been lost by the airline and their hotel room had been given out because they didn’t call for them to hold their reservations. It didn’t stop there for these two, as they now have no accommodation, at one time had to wrestle a dog for food, were chased by an officer for being suspected pedophiles, also they got mugged more than once.

The movie is fun and I can safely say that it aged well. Some of the occurrences in the movie were in tune with the happenings in New York at that time. Take a dose of this movie, you will be glad you did.

Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves (1997)

Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves (1997)

4/10

Starring

Rick Moranis

Eve Gordon

Bug Hall

Robin Bartlett

Directed by Dean Cundey

Disney decided to round up the whole shrinking and making bigger movies with a final movie making it a trilogy of the adventures of Wayne Szalinski (Rick Moranis) lab malfunctions. After Honey, I Shrunk the Kids in 1989 and Honey, I Blew Up the Kid in 1992, Disney decided to cut back on the huge expenses. They deployed so much money in the making of the second hoping it will be a huge hit like the first movie, but it was a miss. This last movie in the franchise cost way less than half what it cost to make the first movie.

For me this movie too is below par in comparison to the first movie, but it is was not as good as the second. Disney went back to a smaller idea here and allowing the now shrunk adults to deal with just making it through the house.

Many things have changed in this final movie, with the new focus children being Adam and his cousins. Amy and Nick have moved out and the new focus is on Wayne’s extended family. Rick Moranis is the only recurring cast in this movie.

The plot starts with an intro to the new people involved, we see the new Adam, his cousins, aunt and uncle. Wayne’s wife and sister-in-law were going to go on vacation and the men were to care for the kids when they are gone.

Wayne was also told to get rid of a statue he bought, which Wayne likes. When the women were out heading for the vacation, Wayne tricks the kids to go buy toothpicks in the mall so he can take his statue and shrink it. He felt that way he can keep it and his wife will no longer see it.

Things did not go as planned as you could guess, certain things led to the women going back home and they got shrunk along with the men. Now they have to find their way around the house to get their kids to see them and help undo the shrink.

In the end, the franchise spawn a TV series on the Disney Channel which ran for three seasons and was more focused on the first film, with no Adam.

The scaling it down idea of this movie was Disney’s way of testing direct-to-video live action films. This was their first direct-to-video live action film and it did well for them even though the movie was a critical bomb and didn’t do much good producing it from my view.

Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992)

Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992)

5/10

Starring

Rick Moranis

Marcia Strassman

Lloyd Bridges

Robert Oliveri

John Shea

Directed by Randal Kleiser

Here Disney decided to throw out the single neighbor and settle for a ton of people.

I assume the executives looked at the financial proceeds that got from the first film and believe bigger will be better.

They must have been like – lets get rid of a small family problem and make everything bigger. Other than Rick Moranis character making his last born son grow big from a child who was like 3 feet tall, to 7 feet then 14 and then 50 – Disney did likewise in their assumed steady growth in the movies depiction of happenings.

The first movie cost $18 million this one cost $40 million to produce and you can see where everything went to in this movie, the cast were more the special effects needed to cover all the places the child went to were more and then we had helicopters, news coverage, destruction of property and more cast. This movie was way too big for such a small tale. The bigger will be better idea was not cool on screen either because the movie was nowhere as good as the previous film.

After the event of the first film we see the family two years after the day with mum and dad having a more stable relationship. The issue on the horizon is Dad and work. Wayne is having issues with one of the managers who seem to be interested in making the new item on the horizon making stuff big work without Wayne.

They are running into some challenges at work and Wayne who now has a new baby in the picture a two-year-old Adam who seems to love breaking things as he explores his surroundings, wanted to know what was gong on.

Wayne breaks into his lab at work to see what the challenge was in the new make big ray that the company is so invested in. While testing the machine on Adam’s favorite stuffed animal, things didnt go as planned. Adam wanting his toy back crawled/walked to where the bunny was placed and as his father was absent mindlessly focusing on something else and Adam got hit by the ray.

Things didn’t take effect until Adam found himself in front of anything emitting electromagnetic flux, which made him bigger than normal. Things got worse when they got home and have to deal with mum.

The movie was not a critical and commercial success like the first film, making over $70 million in the box office making Disney not risk the third movie in the franchise on a theatrical release, but instead a direct-to-video.

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)

6/10

Starring

Rick Moranis

Matt Frewer

Marcia Strassman

Kristine Sutherland

Directed by Joe Johnston

In 1989 Disney pulled off one lucky sleeper hit called Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. The movie starred Rick Moranis and although it was nothing spectacular, it was different and cool. The concept and idea were not something I was too familiar with and I recall how much it was worth seeing some years after on VHS.

The movie’s main advantage was the tale leading to the main event. It was not special having twists and turns with some dark suspense, but straight and easy to follow. The moment the kids got shrunk we were taken from what looked like a couple trying to solve their martial problem, to them trying to find their shrunk children.

The way the movie was done is that when the children were in the yard, we start seeing things from the perspective of being the size of an ant (smaller than an ant).

Everything from the way the actors reacted to their present situation and the way the director (on his debut) was able to craft and guide us on an unexpected journey can only be described as something if you can’t appreciate seeing it in this present time, you can never.

The movie plot starts with the introduction of a scientist/inventor (Wayne – played by Rick Moranis) who has turned his house and living area to his very own experimental lab. His obsession with work and results, led to him and his wife having some marital problems.

Their marriage has two children, an older teenage daughter and a much younger geeky son. Their neighbor has two sons who seem to be in the same age bracket as their own kids.

While their children were at home their neighbor broke the window while playing baseball. His elder brother dragged him to go apologize and that led them to go up to their father’s workspace. There in the workspace their father is working on a shrink ray. The baseball hit the machine putting it on and it shrunk everything before it. The moment the four children enter the room, they too got shrunk.

Their father coming home, was upset that he could not get the machine to work as he wanted and started destroying it. He swept the mess and the shrunk children into a waste bag (unknowingly) putting them outside by the yard.

The children got out and now must find a way to get back home and alert their father to reverse the machine ray.

As at the time of its release it was Disney’s highest grossing live action film for some years. It grossed over $220 million on a $18 million budget and it was a critical success. Disney could not let this success go untapped and had two sequels done, both not as good or original as the first.

Captain Marvel (2019)

Captain Marvel (2019)

7/10

Starring

Brie Larson

Samuel L. Jackson

Ben Mendelsohn

Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck

I took my time to see this because I wanted to watch this, Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and then see Endgame. I could not be bothered to wait for so long to see everything put together and end. That said, I read a lot about this movie being average, but after seeing it I have to say average my ass. This movie was fun to the max. The graphical work done on Fury is meant to be seen to be enjoyed, Samuel L. Jackson looked so young. Add to that Brie Larson who played Captain Marvel she was just amazing a cast.

Marvel has something D.C. seems not to have figured out, casting people to play roles and making the best out of those people. The financial investment Disney sunk into building the Marvel Cinematic Universe (this is the twenty-first movie in the MCU) is paying out while D.C. is just playing catch up.

The movie plot had the needed adventure, jolt of action and enough mystery to keep you glued from the first moment to the last. In the end you will be geared up to see the movie have another run at you to be sure you did not miss anything.

Set in 1995, the movie focuses on Carol Danvers as she discovers her past grow to become Captain Marvel as Earth is in the middle of a galactic war between two alien civilizations the Krees and the Skrulls.

The movie plot has a little back and forth going on, but it is best you see the movie itself to get the feel, here is the best I can do. Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel/Vers (Brie Larson) is a member of the Kree force who are trying to keep the Skrulls in check. The Skrulls are aliens who have the ability to shape shift into any organism down to their DNA.

During an attack on the Skrulls, Vers get captured and the Skrulls start to probe her memory looking for a certain woman named Lawson. It was during the probe that Vers sees a memory that she had a life on earth as Carol Danvers.

She breaks away from the Skrulls capture and follow them to Earth. There she is met by S.H.I.E.L.D agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Phil Coulson who is a Skrull.

Things did not go well from then on as we discover that the Skrull have infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. During their (Fury and Danvers) search for Lawson we find out more about Danvers and this discovery led us to find out more about the current Kree-Skrull war and we are left wondering what is going on.

Great movie to see and you will have a good time seeing it, prepare for some amazing acting and some awesome visuals.

Dumbo (2019)

Dumbo (2019)

5/10

Starring

Colin Farrell

Michael Keaton

Danny DeVito

Directed by Tim Burton

What Dumbo lacked in this live action remake of Disney’s 1941 animated film of the same name is holding power. The film seems crowded with too many characters and then add the uneven flow of the movie itself – it just lacked the magnificent of the Dumbo animation.

The only side of this movie that is worth seeing is the visual play of Tim Burton, you will love the visuals of this movie, but wish the tale was more engaging and the characters had more depth. Even the animals in question, their tale lacked the depth needed for it to draw you in. The child actors seemed burdened with the role of adding drama to the movie.

Disney’s live action remake of their classics has finally hit a miss and I hope all the others expected for this year will not fall into the same hole.

The plot of the movie has been modified to be more real to the feel, which too me was just over playing that hand as the movie is about a flying elephant. This fantasy movie diverted enough from the animations plot but stayed true to Disney’s happy ending.

In a failing traveling circus lead by Max (Danny DeVito) a World War 1 amputee returns home to his family where his wife has died and his children (a boy and a girl) were cared for by the circus. Our soldier Holt (Colin Farrell) was a performer with his wife in the circus and now that he is back, he didn’t know which role he would play in the circus. Max had just bought a pregnant Asian Elephant and needed someone to care for it, he planned a new show around the expected baby elephant.

The birth of Dumbo with his big ears was a spectacle Max was not ready to entertain, he knew what would happen if the animal was seen and tried to cover up his ears. After a disastrous and tragic opening, Max sold Dumbo’s mother to try and recover some loss. Holt’s children took Dumbo under their wing and while caring for him, they noticed that the big ears made Dumbo fly when he was playing with a feather. That lead to a whole new adventure for the circus and Dumbo himself.

A reunion of Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito and Tim Burton is another thing Dumbo had going for it, this time the roles were switched for our actors in respect to Batman Returns (1992). Although both were supporting cast to Colin Farrell and his onscreen children, DeVito was the good guy and Keaton was the villain.

Dumbo had the Disney ending the kids will love, but the movie lacked the Disney magic of fun and good story telling.

Hellboy (2019)

Hellboy (2019)

4/10

Starring

David Harbour

Milla Jovovich

Ian McShane

Directed by Niel Marshall

This new Hellboy movie has many things missing to make it fun to watch and make me want to recommend it. This supernatural horror was trying very hard to walk close to the line of the comics and still stay far away from the del Toro's Hellboy.

It sucked too many monsters into one film, creating unneeded subplots and changing narrative when it was not needed. It created a pace that it could not keep up with and when it failed to make it all work the movie just ended with hope that we the viewers will like it enough to want to see a second part.

This movie was filled with too many daddy issues that it became annoying and distracting. The ending was so lame and after seeing this movie I wanted so bad to go and see the del Toro's Hellboy.

The movie plot introduces us to the lead anti-hero character Hellboy. Unlike del Toro's Hellboy the origin tale of our is broken into two. We get to see them at two different times, one tells us how he got to earth and the other how he was born.

Hellboy for those who do not know him, is a half demon character who has a tail, two horns, one hand bigger than the other and a red skin. He was created with a destiny to bring forth the apocalypse.

He works with the B.P.R.D (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense) and he is one of their lead investigators for taking down monsters.

One monster is brewing and is a hot cake for him to take down, her name is Nimue. She is the Blood Queen who was taken down (not killed and awaiting resurection) during the time of King Arthur. Thanks to the numerous enemies Hellboy has gained over the years, a few of them join forces to bring Nimue back to deal with Hellboy. What they did not know is that Nimue and Hellboy’s destiny is meant to meet and they are not mentioned in the meet.

Filled with annoying CGI and a very wasted cast, I think this movie had no chance. Even I cannot help but to put it up there with the two del Toro's Hellboy movies.

The last Hellboy movie was eleven years ago by writer and director Guillermo del Toro. The first and second movie had Ron Perlman playing the lead character Hellboy. Here we have a new director in Niel Marshall and for me David Harbour picked the wrong movie to be a hero in.

I feel the production studio should have allowed del Toro and Perlman to finish their Hellboy trilogy. This cooked up reboot which has already started with bad critical reviews and a low turnout at the box office, is a complete waste of time to see.

Shazam! (2019)

Shazam! (2019)

7/10

Starring

Zachary Levi

Mark Strong

Asher Angel

Jack Dylan Grazer

Directed by David F. Sandberg

Except you are biased based on the fact that this movie was supposed to be the Antman level of D.C. movies, you just have to admit this is the most fun you can get watching any D.C. movie. The plot and comedy is well crafted that you just forget the silliness of the movie.

Well directed by David F. Sandberg, this is the seventh installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The actors were just having as much fun as we the viewers were. Now I can say that the weak part of the movie is when the whole family became "Shazams" i just hated the acting at that point. It was just too many people being childish at the same time.

That aside the best D.C. movie I have seen so far. This is thanks to Zachary Levi who plays Shazam and Jack Dylan Grazer who played Freddy. Freddy is Billy's foster brother and best friend.

So the plot starts as thus, Shazam a wizard who is getting old and needs to send his power to a new bearer. He summons a young boy who is worthy of it the young boy is named Thaddeus (the old Thaddeus who is the movie’s villain is played by Mark Strong). The moment Thaddeus was to receive the power he gets tempted by the seven deadly sins and his heart was no longer pure. The Wizard rejects him.

Our soon to be hero (Billy played by Asher Angel) was a young foster child who is finding it hard to stay put. He keeps running away from the foster families looking for his mother. His new foster home had a young boy named Freddy who is all into superheroes.

When Billy gets summoned by the Wizard and found to be pure of heart, he is bestowed the power. To become the new Shazam. The first person he runs to was Freddy for guidance on being a hero. Things went sore between them at first, but the moment the villain appears, Billy had to step up from being an overgrown child to the hero he is supposed to be.

D.C. created a universe for their heroes and so far they have been struggling to keep the universe running smoothly. We have had recasts, reboots and the recast and reboots are not ending anytime soon.

We still don’t know who the new Batman and Superman will be. Suicide Squad is facing a reboot, it is just not going the way Disney/Marvel has it. Now Disney has gotten the rights to their X-Men universe back, Marvel is going to be going stronger.

To be fair, D.C. has managed to deliver in Wonder Woman (2017) and Aquaman (2018), but I can confidently say, this movie is the most fun I have had watching any D.C. movie.

Go see it, you will love it too.

Universal Soldier (1992)

Universal Soldier (1992)

6/10

Starring

Jean-Claude Van Damme

Dolph Lundgren

All Walker

Directed by Roland Emmerich

Coolest thing about the 90s were the action movies. They seem to have been a never ending rate to their production and we had so many action heroes to choose from. Universal Soldier falls under one of those movies of the 90s that was meant to be seen with such eyes.

If you see the movie now, you can get carried away being annoyed with the science and the way the plot just manages to skip things and go straight to the action.

Hey, thanks to the level of intelligence and insight that we all have now, this movie cannot be made today. To add to the possible annoying science we have such acting and lines that can be characterized as below par by any standard. All that said, this movies all around action is what keeps it as one of the movie from the 90s that you gotta see, during the 90s.

The movie plot starts with two of our leads Luc (Jean-Claude Van Damme) and Scott (Dolph Lundgren) as US army in the Vietnam war. Luc is on his last tour and is looking forward to going home, but his sergeant Scott, has lost it mentally. Scott is killing everyone including members of his own platoon calling them traitors.

When Luc faces up to him trying to calm Scott down, Scott orders him to kill some innocent Vietnamese which Luc refuses. Scott killed them and he and Luc faced up which ended in the death of both.

In the present day we see both them, now a member of an elite force called Universal Soldiers. This force consist of dead MIA soldiers brought to life by some weird science and made to follow orders. They are deployed on impossible missions for the living, which they triumph.

During one of such mission Luc had memory flashes, which caused him to not respond to orders, he looks back at Scott remembering what happened more than two decades ago.

The Army is proud of their Universal Soldiers and when one of the press persons (Veronica played by Ally Walker) decided to dig further she gets caught. The army sent Luc, Scott and other soldiers to apprehend them. Soon Scott starts to play out the events before his death, he shoots the camera man, Luc too started to play out the events before his death he attacks Scott and runs away with the lady.

Before long, the whole Universal Soldier program was a mess with Scott going rogue and Luc trying to get home and also save the lady.

Well, that’s the plot. It is not the best of plots, but the action and run was what made this movie memorable and fun.

Many other useless sequels were done after this and I stand my ground saying they were useless.