Justice League 3D Movie Review

Justice League 3D Movie Review

Written By: Adolph Vega

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3D

Overall the 3D visuals look nice and add to the enjoyment of the movie. The 3D presentation doesn’t do much with 3D depth, but it does have a good amount of pop out 3D. The pop out 3D is never overly gimmicky or excessive and it feels natural to the scenes presented within the movie. No specific scene wowed me or I found to be especially memorable because of the 3D. Justice League isn’t the best 3D presentation, but it is far from the worst and I can mildly recommend watching this movie in 3D.

Final Verdict: Good 3D

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Movie

Justice League has been a popular comic book series since it’s debut in 1960. For several decades Warner Brothers has tried and failed to make a Justice League movie. In 2017 finally a Justice League movie was released, so how is it ? Does it live up to the hype? Can it satisfy the hopes and dreams of the fans? Recently DC comic book movies have been a fairly controversial so can this movie be something that is universally loved?

Justice League is the latest in the DC comics extended universe of movies and is a sequel to both Wonder Woman and Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice. The movie takes place after the events of Batman v Superman. The movie starts as Batman and Wonder Woman are trying to assemble a team of super powered humans to help fight against an alien invasion. The alien invasion is from the character of Steppenwolf who is the conquerer of worlds. Can this league of super heroes put aside there differences and successfully stop the invasion? The main story of Justice League is fairly strait forward and go by fairly quickly. This movie is the first movie we have seen Aquaman, The Flash and Cyborg in a live action big budget movie. The movie spends an adequate amount of time introducing these iconic characters, but I wish we had more time with them. I feel like the characters have good chemistry with one another on screen. I enjoyed some of the dialog between Wonder Woman and Batman. The flash is portrayed as comic relief and for the most part I enjoyed his jokes. I really enjoyed Aquaman and found him to be both formidable and charming. Cyborg is still trying to find his place in society and is not comfortable with powers and abilities and who he is. The Flash and Cyborg bond well with one another as they are both younger characters. The movie introduces many minor characters and at times feels overstuffed. Overall I enjoyed the characters within the movie. 

The worst aspect of the movie is the villain. Steppenwolf is a generic alien invader and is a weak main villain. In fairness to the movie, I have never liked the character of Steppenwolf even in the comics I found him to be largely forgettable. Steppenwolf is more or less the mid-boss to the real major villain which is Darksied. The movie goes to many locations around the world, but I don’t really feel like the world is really in danger. Steppenwolf seems powerful but not menacing and the scale doesn’t really seem global. 

The movie has many enjoyable action scenes and set pieces. I do feel like the characters do a good job working as a team. However the movie doesn’t do enough to highlight the specific powers and abilities of each of the heroes. Flash is fast, but he can do so much more with that ability that isn’t shown within this movie. The movie has several action scenes and they all go by so fast. Again I feel like the movie is too rushed with the action scenes. 

The movie has a strange sense of humor. At times it feels like a Marvel movie with the humor and how it presents itself. Some of the humor feels natural and other times it feels forced. The flash is generally a lighter more humorous character but I feel like this movie version plays it up too much. Aquaman has some very excellent timing and is more funny than I expected. Some of the humor makes the tone of the movie feel odd and unlike previous DC movies. The tone of the movie feels more like a Marvel movie and less like the darker more gritty DC movies of the last few years.

Justice League has many problems yet I really enjoyed myself. I was very much entertained from start to finish. The movie is rushed but it also feels tight and without much fat. The comedy is sometimes great, sometimes cringe worthy but overall I enjoyed it. The tone is all over the place, but overall I liked how it built upon the previous movies. I enjoyed my time with Justice League but I cannot deny its imperfections. I hope future DC comics movies build upon on what worked and what didn’t work within this movie and I am more optimistic on what the future holds for DC movies.

Final Verdict: 8/10

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TM & © 2017 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.

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Thor Ragnarok

Thor Ragnarok
3D Movie Review

Written By James Tate

3D

Thor Ragnarok, following the trend of the more recent Marvel Cinematic Universe films, makes an effort to appeal to audiences experiencing the film in 3D. For this film though I actually believe that viewing this in 3D improves the overall experience. The action scenes especially, with people flying around and punching people across the room it just looks a lot better because of the 3D. I enjoyed the use of multiple layers of 3D and overall how good looking the 3D visuals are within this movie. I’m impressed with this 3D, and would actually recommend seeing it with the 3D glasses than without.

Final Verdict: Great 3D

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Movie

Thor Ragnarok is the third film in the Thor franchise, and possibly the best of the series? Thor Ragnarok picks up where we left him in Avengers Age of Ultron. Thor has now been searching the galaxy for the infinity stones for about two years now but to no luck. Returning home to Asgard he meets up with his brother Loki and they both get themselves into a mess of trouble when they accidentally meet up with the character of Hela. Hela is stronger than either of them and seeks to rule Asgard . Thor eventually finds himself stranded on a gladiator planet where he meets Hulk as well as another asgardian. Thor must gather a team, return to asgard, and save the day from Hela.

Typically the films in the Thor series have just been okay in quality . In the previous Thor Movies many of the story elements fell flat, and it always felt like the filmmakers were holding something back. Like if they weren't fully comfortable embracing the Thor character or his mythos. To a large degree the previous two Thor films have taken themselves a little too seriously. Ragnarok fully embraces the Thor mythos while adding its own spin on the character and even the lore. Another thing that Thor Ragnarok can be praised for is the fact it doesn't take itself completely seriously and puts in the right amount of comedy. And it's not an overdose of comedy either, like the case with the film Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2.

I'd have to say that this is the best MCU ( Marvel Cinematic Universe) film of 2017, and arguably the best sequel to a film series. It's not a disappointment like Guardians of the galaxy  2  and its a stronger film than Spiderman Homecoming, Thor 3 has it all. It has a great cast, great humor, many great actions scenes, and to its credit it has a very memorable villain. This is why I have to give this movie a 10/10. Thor Ragnarok is my favorite film of this entire year(2017) and is everything I could want from a Marvel movie . 

Final Verdict: 10/10

©2017 MARVEL © Disney. All rights reserved.

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Blade Runner 2049 3D Movie Review

Blade Runner 2049

3D Movie Review Written By Adolph Vega

 

3D

The 3D visuals for this movie are subtle and limited in scope. Most of the time I forgot the 3D was present because it’s such a minor aspect of this movie. At times certain parts of the environment will appear farther or closer away to the viewer. The 3D depth is limited to only a few layers. Some scenes with rain or snow look especially nice in 3D as the partial effects give the viewer the illusion of being emerged within the scene. Other times the 3D is used to highlight the actors faces during close-ups. The 3D helps make the actors appear more realistic and give the viewer a better sense of their emotions. Artistically the 3D is nice addition to this movie, but I just don’t care. I really didn’t gain much of anything by watching this movie in 3D. It’s not a terrible 3D presentation but it’s not all that interesting. Overall the 3D is just too subtle and too forgettable to recommend. 

Final Verdict: Weak 3D, 2D Recommended

 

Movie

Blade Runner 2049 is a fascinating movie and a stunning sequel. 

Before I discuss this new movie, I need to quickly talk about the original Blade Runner. The original Blade Runner (1982) is a hugely influential science fiction movie . To be honest I am not a big fan of the original Blade Runner. I found the original Blade Runner to be slow and pretentious. I was born after the release (1983) so everything I heard about the original Blade Runner was based on the post release hype. I do enjoy science fiction, and I do enjoy movies that make you think, but I could not enjoy the original Blade Runner movie. The story of Blade Runner is based on a book from Phillip K Dick (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?) which I never read. I went into this sequel with an open mind and hoping that I could enjoy 2049 on its own merit. I am happy to report that Blade Runner 2049 is a vastly superior movie compared to its predecessor.

The story of Blade Runner 2049 continues the narrative of the original movie and builds upon it. Sadly Blade Runner 2049 is dependent on its predecessor and barely makes any sense if you have not watched that original movie. The film starts with a few blocks of text on the screen. The text is a little small but it gives the viewer a huge amount of backstory. This backstory fills the gap in between the two Blade Runner movies . The use of several blocks of text to start a movie is far from the best way to introduce this universe. The movie takes place in a bleak futuristic city of Los Angeles. Ryan Gosling is K an android who is the Blade Runner and works for the Los Angeles police department. As a Blade Runner K must discontinue(kill) older model androids (replicants) who refuse to be slaves for humanity. K is a newer type of android who is not supposed to have free will. The movie follows K as he discovers the truth about the replicants and their evolution . This movie discusses many deep philosophical themes such as the concepts of free will, love, humanity, slavery , and more. Is it moral to use robots/androids as slaves when it's obvious that they are intelligent conscious beings? The movie is presented as a dramatic thriller that slowly unravels its mysteries. The movie is heavy with meaning and symbolism yet finds a way to make an interesting compelling narrative. The movie knows how to handle the deeper elements of the story but never feels overly preachy. At times the movie can be slow paced but overall it knows how to keep things flowing.  The world of Blade Runner 2049 is bleak and dire, but I was never bored by it. 

The characters within this movie do a fantastic job of bringing this story to life. Ryan Gosling as K gives a masterful performance. K might be an android but he has intelligence and commands the attention of the viewer. K doesn't act human but doesn't act overly robotic either. It’s difficult to explain but he walks the line between human and machine and gives one of the best performances of his career. Joi is the holographic girlfriend of K and is an amazing character. The special effects for Joi are simply incredible and are a major aspect of the character and how she is portrayed on screen. I have never seen any work of fiction that has made a holographic character so compelling and interesting. Harrison Ford reprises his role as Rick Deckard and is mesmerizing on screen. Jared Leto is Niander Wallace who is the mastermind behind the newer more advanced androids. His screen time is limited but he oozes charisma every second he is on screen and is an incredibly threating individual. Some of the characters are lacking depth but overall the acting is excellent with many interesting characters. I really enjoyed the entire cast of this movie and found all the performances to be strong and well done. 

The movie is gorgeous to look at both because of the special effects and the excellent cinematography. The visuals within this movie are spectacular. The world of Blade Runner looks lived in, realistic and authentic. I never questioned the computer graphics or the special effects within this movie.  I loved how technology was showcased within this movie. Technology is ever-present in this world, but it doesn't always work correctly. The movie is well shot and knows how to show off its gorgeous scenery. The action scenes are few and far between but I found them to be gripping and fun to watch and easy to follow. The visual design of this movie is rich and is well constructed. 

The movie deserves high praise but I did have some problems with it. One aspect I found strange within this movie was the excessive amount of female nudity. I have nothing against the beauty that is the female form, I have no problem with nudity on scene, but its overdone in this movie . The many nude women are beautiful and the shots are tasteful but it feels unnecessary for this story . Another aspect I found perplexing was a sex scene in the middle of the movie. I found the scene to be incredible to watch because of the special effects and interesting execution, but it was totally random. The scene is very sexy and well shot but is totally out of place and not earned for the characters involved. This scene leaves the viewer with more questions than answers. I also had problems with other scenes near the conclusion of the movie. Many aspects of the final act are lacking context for the viewer and it seems overly bloated. With a movie that is nearly three hours long, it feels like the final act was rushed. The durability of the androids/replicants is also something left ambiguous. I never really know how badly damaged any of the characters really are. The issues I have with this movie are minor and don't dramatically hurt the whole movie. This movie is very close to being perfect so many of my critiques can be considered nitpicking, but they bothered me enough to feel compelled to mention. 

In the end, I still loved my time with Blade Runner 2049. The story is amazing and successful resurrects Blade Runner for the modern era. I found the characters to be fascinating and the acting performances to be excellent. I had some problems with the movie but what I enjoyed greatly outweigh any negative aspects. Overall Blade Runner 2049 is one of the best movies of 2017 and it shouldn't be missed. 

Final Verdict: 9 / 10, Editors Choice Award

©2017 ALCON ENTERTAINMENT, LLC., WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC. AND COLUMBIA TRISTAR MARKETING GROUP, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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Update: 

After further thought I have updated this review to include an Editor's Choice Award for this movie. The more I thought about this movie, the more I like it (not enough to give it a 10) but I felt this movie is truly something special and shouldn't be missed.