Skyscraper 3D Movie Review

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Skyscraper 3D Movie Review

Written By: Jake Jarvis 

Watch our podcast review of Skycraper via Youtube below: 

3D

 

The 3D visuals for this movie are rather disappointing. The 3D looked good in the trailer, but in the actual theater the 3D was quite flat. A few scenes really popped out, but there are too few and far between to warrant springing for a 3D ticket. It’s a real pity, with more depth separation, this movie could have looked spectacular in 3D.

 

Final Verdict: 

Weak 3D 2D Recommended   

Movie

 

Skyscraper is the latest action film from Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. At the rate he's getting movies out to the cinemas, “The Rock” is going to become the Tyler Perry of action films.

 

Skyscraper is another big budget movie from the long list of Die Hard homages/rip-offs released over the last 30 years. This time the action returns to a building and throws in a few classic homages to classic Hong Kong martial art action films from the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. Most of the Hong Kong inspiration comes notably from Jet Li's High Risk and Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon movies.  If you've seen the trailer you basically know the whole plot. Terrorists want to destroy the building and Dwayne Johnson as Will Sawyer tries to stop them and simultaneously tries to save his family from the burning building. It’s all rather predictable, cliché and your typical action movie starring “The Rock”. There are no surprises here. Okay, there is one notable surprise. Neve Campbell character of Sarah Sawyer ("The Rocks" wife) is pretty good . Sarah is a combat surgeon, and she really holds her own in the various action scenes. This film is surprisingly grim. Skyscraper takes itself way too seriously. It really could have used a Kevin Hart comedic type of character or a flamboyant Alan Rickman type of villain to break up the dreariness. Sadly this movie lacks the fun slapstick hijinks of the Jackie Chan or Wong Jing movies. It has the enjoyable action scenes but lacks the levity. Most of the character development for Will Sawyer and his son Henry are limited to their disabilities, which are mostly used as plot devices to try and create suspense or tension.

 

Overall I can only recommend this movie for hardcore fans of  Dwayne Johnson or fans of Hong Kong action movies.

 

Final Verdict:

4/10

Click here to download and listen to our podcast review of Skyscraper
Official Skyscraper Movie Website

 

© 2018 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

 

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Mission Impossible Fallout 3D Movie Review

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Mission Impossible Fallout 3D Movie Review

Written By: Adolph Vega

Watch our podcast review on Youtube below:

 

Updated August 5th 2018:

This updated version has a new 3D section, and a few new additional sentences in the movie section. 

3D

 

This is the first Mission Impossible movie to be available to watch in 3D. Sadly the stereoscopic 3D visuals for this movie are simply not worthwhile. The 3D is used mostly for highlighting certain characters and how close or far away they are to the viewer. Some close up camera shots are more effective because of the 3D. The filmmaker’s overuse of lens flare in in several scenes can become distracting and irritating to see in 3D. The quality of the 3D varies dramatically in different scenes. Within this movie I would say 20% of the 3D looks good, 50% is decent and 30% is awful. At one point during the movie my eyes were strained so much from the awful 3D that I had to take the glasses off, close my eyes for a moment and rub my eyes to get some temporary relief. The 3D aspect of this movie is clearly an afterthought. Don’t watch this movie in 3D. 

 

First  Verdict:

Weak 3D 2D Recommended

 Update:


Recently I rewatched Mission Impossible Fallout in a different theater and had a different 3D experience. Unfortunately the implementation of 3D in the theaters can vary dramatically from theater to theater. When it comes to going to the cinema to watch some movies you can take for granted certain things such as the audio syncing perfectly with the visuals , however you cannot assume the 3D visuals will be equally enjoyable in every cinema. In my first 3D viewing the movie seemed slightly blurry and overall subpar. Were these issues the fault of the specific theater or the fault of the 3D visuals? After posting the review I noticed that many people really enjoyed the 3D aspect of this movie and I wondered if my review was unfair and not an accurate representation of the quality of the 3D. I usually don’t second guess myself, but in this instance I thought it would be prudent to rewatch the movie and see if the 3D was significantly better than my initial review. So I rewatched the movie in 3D in a different theater and I had a superior experience. The experience is so superior that I feel comfortable changing my final review score for the 3D aspect of this movie. During this second viewing I noticed more 3D depth and more pop out 3D elements. I can appreciate the acting and facial expressions of the actors more because of the close up shots used 3D. The movie uses pop out 3D in several fun scenes. Several scenes show debris flying out of the screen in eye popping 3D. Many times guns were pointed towards the audience and they really popped out of the screen. Many establishing shots use 3D to showcase objects being closer or farther away from the viewer. The movie uses a few layers of 3D to make a more compelling visual presentation, with many locations and characters who appear in different layers of 3D. The 3D does help you feel more immersed into the action and care more about the characters because they aren’t flat but appear more lifelike. The 3D is far from perfect with some problems with the lighting in many scenes. The use of lens flare in the movie was awful. I hated it in my first viewing of the movie, and I hated it again now in my second viewing. Some people may not be bothered by lens flares but I found it to be very annoying in this movie and it’s obviously an intentional aspect of the lighting in many scenes. The lens flares are more than a slight visual annoyance as it gets in the way of the actors in the movie and it becomes a distraction. If they decide to make another 3D Mission Impossible movie I would greatly prefer they actually shoot it in 3D. The movie was not shot in 3D and for a live action conversion it is as good as it probably could be. You can only do so much with a 3D conversion like this, but all in all I think they did a very nice job. This isn’t the best 3D of 2018, but it’s pretty good for what it is. If it wasn’t for the stupid lens flair and lighting issues this 3D presentation would be great. I don’t plan on double guessing and rewatching future movies so this will be on a case by case occasion. Overall I enjoyed the 3D presentation of this movie on my second viewing.  I can now feel comfortable recommending the 3D aspect of this movie . 


Final Verdict: Good 3D

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Movie

 

The Mission Impossible film franchise has thrilling fans for over 20 years. With the exception of the second film I have enjoyed all the previous Mission Impossible films. Fallout is more of the same formula and is one thrilling exciting movie. 

 

Fallout is the sixth film in the franchise. Don’t worry if you haven’t seen the previous five entries or don’t recall the last movie, because this movie is fairly self-contained. Tom Cruise has been the lead character in every Mission Impossible film, and he is incredible in the role of Ethan Hunt. The story for this movie is your typical spy espionage action flick. A terrorist organization has gained access to nuclear bombs and the “Impossible Mission Force (IMF)” is trying to take control of this situation and prevent tragedy. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is now assisting within the mission and this causes conflict. The character of August Walker (Henry Cavill) joins Ethan Hunt and his team in the mission. This story has many twists and turns. Will Ethan Hunt and his team be able to stop the terrorists and prevent tragedy? You will have to watch the movie to find out.

 

Mission Impossible Fallout is one hell of a thrill ride. The action scenes are well choreographed and are amazing to watch. The movie mostly uses practical special effects and superb camera work to make some truly spectacular set pieces. The movie works not only because of the intense action, but also because of the many excellent character moments. Henry Cavill as August Walker is just super. The rivalry between August and Ethan is a pure delight to watch. Benji (Simon Pegg) is pure comedy gold. Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) is one cool charismatic character. The character of the White Widow (Vanessa Kirby) is complex, fun and has excellent chemistry with Ethan Hunt. On my second viewing I really enjoyed the performance of Angela Bassett as Erica Sloan the CIA director. She has a strong performance  and has real presence on screen. I don’t want to go into detail on all the characters within this movie, because of spoilers but I really enjoyed the entire cast of this movie. This is an all-star cast and everyone is bringing their A game. The acting in this movie is great. The characters shine as they interact with each other. The dialogue is well written and is well delivered. The action scenes work because I like and care about these characters. This action movie knows how to showcase and juggle its large case of characters. The movie is action packed and is simply a joy to watch.

 

The movie is far from perfect. I accurately predicted a few plot twists. At times the story can become cliché. The movie has some issues with pacing where it can occasionally drag and become dull. The movie also feels too long for what it is. The story is overly convoluted and at times feels unbelievable and contrived. Upon my second viewing I was still able to enjoy myself even if I knew all upcoming twists and turns. The issues I have with the movie are minor and overall don’t ruin the movie.

 

Simply put Mission Impossible Fallout is a great action movie. Small things keep it from achieving cinematic perfection. This is a must watch action movie. After watching this movie a second time I still enjoyed it equally as much as the first viewing. The movie is just a blast from beginning to end . This is the best Mission Impossible movie in the franchise. Don’t miss this epic awesome movie!

 

Final Verdict: 8/10

Click here to listen and download our updated audio podcast 3D review of Mission Impossible Fallout

Mission Impossible Fallout Official Websites :

 

 © 2018 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Ant-Man and the Wasp 3D Movie Review

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Ant-Man and the Wasp

3D Movie Review 

Written By: Adolph Vega

Watch our podcast review via Youtube below:

3D

 

Depth based 3D is the main star of this show and it works well for this movie. The depth gives the viewer a greater sense of scale which is an important factor for a movie where the main characters can shrink and or become gigantic. Pop out 3D is rarely used within this movie. One car chase toward the end of the movie looks especially strong in 3D. Other CGI scenes in the quantum realm also look very nice in 3D. The 3D aspect is always present but not always apparent and in many scenes it’s fairly subtle. One interesting use of the 3D is how they present the character of the Wasp when she is flying around in a miniature state. It appears that the wasp character is in a different layer of 3D and doesn’t easily blend in with the background. Many people may not catch this detail, but I did and found it to be ingenious. I imagine watching this movie in 2D it might be difficult at times to see the Wasp buzz around because she might blend in with elements of the background. The 3D never wows the audience but it’s a nice visual enhancement and I can recommend it.

 

Final Verdict: Good 3D 

Movie

 

 Ant-Man and the Wasp is the direct sequel to the 2015 Ant-Man movie but in many ways this movie is also a mini sequel to Captain America Civil War. For anyone wondering this movie takes place shortly before the events of Avengers Infinity War but is relatively self-contained. Ant-Man (Scott Lang) is in house arrest after being caught fighting with the Avengers. Dr. Hank Pym has needs the assistance of Scott Lang in getting a specialized quantum part to help him in a personal mission within the quantum realm. A villain called Ghost wants the specialized quantum part and attempts to intercept it from Dr. Pym, Ant-Man and the Wasp. The movie has a secondary villain which is a gangster that wants to use Hank Pym’s advanced technology for his shady purposes . Another antagonist is the FBI which is keeping track on Scott Lang and wants to make sure he stays at home. The movie has allot of things happen at the same time .


Easily the best aspect of the movie is the comedic element . I haven’t laughed this often or this hard in years. The jokes and comedic elements feel natural because of the excellent dialogue, writing, and excellent character moments. The comedic aspect is interwoven brilliantly into the action scenes. Speaking of which I found the action scenes to be very well executed and clever . The movie fully utilized the micro / macro element of the characters and scenario. The original Ant-Man movie was a very funny movie but I thought this movie was funnier.


Sadly the plot is the weakest aspect of the movie. The movie juggles many story aspects and sadly drops the ball on a few key plot points. The idea behind the ghost villain is intriguing but the execution of this character is fairly generic and underwhelming. The secondary villain is poorly acted and is mostly frivolous. The FBI element is a somewhat fun game of cat and mouse.  Will they or won’t they catch Scott Lang this time ? The FBI dynamic is cute at first but they over do it. The movie is overstuffed with too many characters and unnecessary subplots that are underdeveloped and simply not needed.


Overall I really enjoyed the movie despite its flaws. The comedic aspect and action are superb . The story sadly falls apart and is subpar.

 

Final Verdict: 7/10

 © 2018 MARVEL / © Disney. All rights reserved.

Official Ant-Man and the Wasp Movie website
Click here to download & listen to our audio podcast review of Ant-Man and the Wasp
Click here to download and listen to our Spoiler filled review of Ant-Man and the Wasp