Kym:
*Cracks Whip*
Rob:
Alright, alright, so I've fallen a little bit behind in posting our movie escapades. I'm going to use the copout that most of the movies were as we expected, and the reviews would be quite short.
Kym:
So this time we're going to have quite a few movies, to wrap up the early summer movies out there.
Rob:
If everyone felt the ground shake around May 6th, it was the sound of every woman in America's hormones bouncing around at once.
Kym:
It's difficult to top Jacob, the shirtless werewolf, but damn does Chris Hemsworth come close. No need for 'Green Lantern' CGI pecs here. Thor's 100% natural.
Rob:
SO ANYWAY....I like what they did with the story and characters. I mean, it's not like they would have been able to surprise the audience with who betrayed everyone. Hmm...was it Xena girl, asian guy, the fencer, the barbarian, or Loki the God of chaos and mischief? The mind boggles.
Kym:
They did change things around a bit, adding a few surprises here and there, but the main thing I like is they didn't just make another super hero movie. This movie's more of an adventure/fantasy, and it worked really well.
Rob:
Some of the fights were a little disappointing, but overall it was quite good. Any superhero movie that doesn't include the line 'with great power comes great responsibility' is alright in my book. Only one movie is allowed to have that line, and one only.
Kym:
Spiderman?
Rob:
Kung-Fu Hustle.
Kym:
*Sigh*
...
Rob's Rating (school style): B+
Kym's Rating (buy/rent/ignore): buy
...
Rob:
It's basically what you expect. No new surprises, aside from a standout performance from Penelope Cruz. They could have easily cut the movie length down a bit though. Several parts really drag, usually when Johnny Depp isn't on camera, and some scenes were completely unnecessary at all.
Kym: It was a good movie though, with fun action scenes, a few nice twists, and a typically hilarious performance from Johnny Depp.
Rob:
Whether you're there for Johnny Depp's humerous antics, or Penelope Cruz's glorious cleavage, you won't go away disappointed.
...
Rob's Rating (school style): C+
Kym's Rating (buy/rent/ignore): it all depends on how you like the Pirates series. For me, it's a buy.
...
Kym:
Wow! What a great movie!
Rob:
Indeed! I went in expecting a 'good' superhero movie, but was pleasantly surprised when I was instead served a fantastic cold-war spy thriller!
Kym:
They took some liberties with the story and characters, but it was all for the best, with Magneto being the haunted loose cannon, Professor X being the fun loving genius, and a great cast of supporting characters to keep everything moving along.
Rob:
I really liked how they expanded Mystique's character...although you would have thought that Professor X would have mentioned at some point that he grew up with Mystique, living as brother and sister.
Kym:
Yeah, and although Professor X and Magneto were supposed to build Cerebro together, according to X-Men 1, instead it was made entirely by Beast. All these issues are forgivable though, since the story and cast is so strong.
Rob:
The biggest surprise was seeing Kevin Bacon as the villain! That wasn't even advertised!
Kym:
I think they wanted to focus on the two male leads playing Magneto and Professor X.
Rob:
In an attempt to get girls interested, no doubt. I haven't seen this much sexual tension between two male leads since 'Sherlock Holmes'.
...
Rob's Rating (school style): A
Kym's Rating (buy/rent/ignore): BUY!
...
Kym:
Standard kids fare. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. The word I'd use is 'painless'. The animation is nice, but not anywhere near Pixar quality (then again, what is?). It's a little weird that the movie suggests that Pandas are nearly extinct because a villain killed them. The real reason is because of lost habitat, limited food supply, and an unwillingness to mate.
Rob:
If the males are all voiced by Jack Black, then you can't really blame them.
...
Rob's Rating (school style): C-
Kym's Rating (buy/rent/ignore): ignore unless a child related to you makes you go
...
Kym:
Another surprise hit, with great special effects, a nice plot, and fantastic direction!
Rob:
For me, the real standout performances in the film were all from the kids. I really liked that they spoke with each other just like real 12 year old boys do. They're crude, immature, and often ridiculous, without lowering themselves to sitcom levels.
Kym:
Their personalities really stood out as well. Like the the short spaz who loved fireworks and guns....
Rob:
I knew that kid.
Kym:
The quiet and emotional kid who likes models and is the first to fall in love.....
Rob:
I knew that kid.
Kym:
The scared kid who throws up a lot....
Rob:
I knew that kid.
Kym:
And the weird, chubby, obsessive kid who has a crush on the girl he has no chance with....
Rob:
I was that kid.
Kym:
This movie is a real crowd pleaser, without sinking to overly crude humor or gooey violence. Some people thought it was a little too similar to sci-fi movies of the past, but I think it's more than unique enough to stand on its own.
Rob:
The only complaints I had with the otherwise nearly flawless movie was that the big train wreck near the beginning seemed a little 'fake', and the alien, although being reasonably unique, was a bit to similar to the Cloverfield monster in many ways, which was also made by the same film studio, Bad Robot.
Kym:
These are nitpicky issues though. It's a wonderful film, and you should definitely see it, if you haven't already.
...
Rob's Rating (school style): A-
Kym's Rating (buy/rent/ignore): buy
...
ROB CRACKED UP KYM WHEN:
*In Thor, when Natalie Portman's character's life work is taken away, and she's emotionally crushed.*
Rob:
If 'Black Swan' is any indication, this will not go well.
