Finding Dory

Finding Dory

Review Written By: Adolph Vega
 

 

 

3D

This animated movie uses three-dimensional cinematography in a conservative yet enjoyable fashion. The movie is mostly set within the ocean and has fish and other plant life moving within different layers of depth based 3D. The movie only had one truly memorable 3D moment, which involved a truck in free fall. I wish the movie played up the 3D element further with more fish popping out , use of bubbles or under water foliage. Overall I can midly recommend the 3D element of this movie.

Final Verdict: Good 3D

 

 

Movie

Finding Dory takes place about a year later than its predecessor; Finding Nemo . This movie in many ways feels like a retread of the original, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing; considering that Finding Nemo is considered by most to be a modern classic. Both "finding" movies follow similar story beats with many of the same characters.

This movie is focused on the fish named Dory as she is trying to reunite with her parents. Dory has an interesting character quirk in that she suffers from short term memory loss. This character aspect is interesting but leads to some issues with the plot. The amount of time Dory forgets is very dependent on what the story needs her to remember at any given time, and this element is incredibly inconsistent within the movie. Dory at times forgets things only seconds after they occur and other times her memory resets after several minutes.

A small issue that I had with the movie was with how far fetched some of the scenarios were presented within the movie. I know it's animated film aimed for children , but I found it hard to believe that no humans noticed or questioned the events within the storyline. It seems a little too convenient that the humans within this movie are totally oblivious to what is happening during many key scenes.

The movie has a fantastic emotional arch that is both satisfying and enjoyable. The plot has many call backs to previous scenes and it feels rewarding to the audience. Many scenes within the movie involve flashbacks with a younger Dory and her parents. These scenes are incredibly touching, sweet and are simply a joy to watch. It's a shame the movie doesn't use these flashbacks to explain how Dory got her disability. The movie never tried to define or establish the rules regarding her short term memory loss. Was Dory born with this memory condition ? Did something happen to Dory to cause this disability? Why can her short term memory range from a few seconds to a few minutes? It's a shame that all these questions were left unanswered within the movie . A few lines of dialogue could have solved these unresolved mysteries. 

One of the best aspects of the movie is the characters who are distinct and interesting.  The movie handles the large cast well and knows how to focus on key elements to make all the characters enjoyable and memorable. Dory's parents which I mentioned earlier have stand out performances and are great characters .  I enjoy how the movie presents the different animals and gives them characteristics that fit their perspective species.  The story has great flow and I was always entertained and never bored by the movie . 

The movie looks beautiful with excellent animation and a wonderful art style that gives it personality. The movie looks better than its predecessor but also remains true to how the previous movie looks. At times the visuals are photorealistic and have stunning visuals. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie, even with the small problems that it had. I wish the story elements were more unique and not just a redo of its predecessor. I also wanted more explanation on Dory's condition.  Finding Dory works well as both a stand alone movie and a sequel because it's a well made movie with lots of heart and laughs . Finding Dory is a entertaining sweet movie that the entire family can enjoy .

Final Verdict : 8/10 

© 2016 DISNEY / Pixar , ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, DISNEY MOVIES

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Independence Day Resurgence

Independence Day Resurgence

Review Written By: Adolph Vega

 

 

3D

The stereoscopic visuals are consistent within this movie but were never impressive or memorable. You clearly see and distinguish between a few different levels of 3D, as people and space ships are going in between the different layers of 3D. The 3D visuals look clean and sharp, but I don't remember any specific scene that wowed me or caught my eye.  Overall, I did like how the 3D was presented, even if it didn't impress me. It is evident that they tried to make a good-looking 3D movie, but it just didn't blow me away.

 

Final Verdict: Good 3D

 

Movie

First before I begin this review I want to state that I don't have any problem enjoying summer action movies. I can enjoy dumb fun action movies that being said I couldn't enjoy myself when I watched this movie.

Independence Day was a huge summer blockbuster when it released in 1996. I remember enjoying that movie when I watched it twenty years ago. It was a fun dumb action movie that had great special effects and entertaining action scenes. This sequel takes place twenty years after the events of the original movie. In many ways this movie tries to capture the old glory of that movie and ultimately fails. The movie is completely dependent on the first movie and constantly reminds you of that movie. This film can't escape the shadow of the original, so much so that it never feels like it's own movie. 

The movie has many major problems that make it difficult to enjoy even if you "leave your brain at the door". First of all the movie does a poor job of balancing it's huge cast of characters. Very little if any time is given to character development. Most of the character's names are either not mentioned at all or only briefly mentioned. Many characters return to reprise their roles from that previous movie. Sadly all the characters are clichés, stereotypes, archetypes or tropes from a typical action movie. I found none of the characters interesting or above average in quality. One missing character is that of Will Smith as Captain Steven Hiller. The movie spends way too much time referencing this character and it becomes strange, awkward and off-putting. The second major issue I had with this movie was the acting, which was amateurish and badly executed. The lines of dialogue are either delivered in an over the top fashion or fall totally flat. Overall the writing is corny, simplistic and entirely generic.  Brent Spinner's portrayal of Dr. Brackish is especially painful to watch on screen. Dr. Brackish is eccentric and just too over the top it. Dr. Brackish is an annoying and cringe inducing character. Jeff Goldblum is clearly not even trying to act. Finally, the movie has a very cliché and predictable storyline with very few surprises. The movie is essentially everything you expect it to be and nothing more.

The plot of this movie is very simple, as it revolves around space aliens attacking Earth again. These space aliens are the same aliens from the previous movie. Within this movie the aliens are given some basic motivation, and a sentence or two of back-story. These space aliens have no culture or depth and are essentially one-dimensional monsters for the humans to defeat. The aliens do have more powerful weapons and more impressive war ships, which the humans must defeat in elaborate action set piece scenes. When the movie doesn't showcase action, the scenes drag on because I didn't really become emotionally invested with any of the characters. That said, the action scenes are choreographed in an exciting fashion and are entertaining and fun to watch. The special effects are nice and the devastation they cause is a massive visual feast. The feast is entirely empty of substance but it is pretty to look at.

Many scenes are incredibly ridiculous and make little sense. The movie has massive plot holes that can't be ignored. I laughed at and rolled my eyes at campy aspect of this movie. The movie at times is self aware of its over the top nature. The movie is basically proud of its mediocrity and never tried to be anything more than a stupid action movie. I do appreciate that some major characters die within the movie so they up the stakes, but how other characters are able to survive really makes the overall narrative seem ludicrous.

The movie just feels dated and doesn't belong to this era of higher caliber action movies. The movie tries and fails to be campy fun and is just a bland average action movie. Independence Day: Resurgence feels like an unnecessary sequel with totally worthless characters, one page plot and is a pathetic rehash of the original movie. The action and special effects are well done, but it can't carry this movie. This movie is totally lackluster and forgettable silly action movie that simply isn't fun or interesting enough to justify its own existence.

Final Score: 4/10

™ and © 2016 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved. Property of Fox.

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X-Men Apocalypse 3D Movie Review

X-Men Apocalypse 3D Movie Review

Written By: Adolph Vega

3D

X-Men Apocalypse is one of the few movies to be filmed in 3D this year. That being said, just because it’s filmed in 3D doesn’t automatically make for a fantastic 3D visual experience. A few scenes wowed me with compelling 3D, and how it balanced depth and pop out effects. In other scenes, the 3D was muted and not an issue. Specifically, one scene where the camera travels into a tunnel looks fantastic in 3D. Overall I enjoyed the 3D element of the movie, but I was not completely wowed by it.

Final Verdict: Good 3D

Movie

The X-Movies have a long cinematic history with a confusing convoluted narrative. Don’t get me wrong; for the most part, I enjoy the different movies within the series, but it’s incredibly hard to explain the over arching storyline of the X-Men movies .

This movie takes place in the 1980’s, and introduces the first mutant named Apocalypse. This 1980's time period isn’t a major factor in this story, unlike other recent X-men movies. The movie reintroduces major X-men characters to the franchise, including Jean Gray, Scott Summers (Cyclops) and Kurt Wagner (Night Crawler,) just to name a few.

The main characters from the previous two X-men movies return. James McAvoy returns to play Charles Xavier (Professor X). Michael Fassbender returns as Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto), and Jennifer Lawrence returns to play Raven (Mystique). Apocalypse is collecting super powered mutants to take over the world.

The movie has a slow start, but I actually enjoyed how much character development was portrayed within this first half. I especially enjoyed how the character of Magneto was portrayed. The internal conflict of Magneto, and how he struggles to live with humanity is interesting, sympathetic and well handled. Magneto's complex relationship with Professor Xavier is a fantastic dynamic, that I enjoyed watching them interact on screen. The introduction of Cyclops into the school of gifted youngsters is well done, and made him an interesting character. I also enjoyed the portrayal of Night Crawler and his sweet innocence. Mystique’s role was elevated to more of a leader of the youngsters. The character of Quicksilver returns from the previous movie to have another funny and enjoyable super speed scene.

With such a huge cast of characters, unfortunately not all of them were given enough screen time to shine. Sadly, the mutant Psylocke was given no backstory or information to what her powers are. The character of Angel is totally one dimensional and underdeveloped. I wasn’t a fan of the actress who was Jean Gray and her acting ability; it just wasn’t compelling or charismatic, but the movie’s biggest problem was in the main villain, Apocalypse. The powers and abilities of Apocalypse were never defined. I understand this element is also true in the comics, but for a movie having an all powerful villain makes for a boring story, because you never know his limitations.The motivations of Apocalypse were paper-thin and consist of him being the new leader of the world. I also had a problem with how the character looked and sounded on screen. His voice seemed to change pitch and tone at times to be robotic, which was never explained. Apocalypse's costume and appearance seemed too strange to be taken seriously. Apocalypse is the weakest part of the movie, and he was a major aspect of the story. Some of the action scenes seemed very cliché and were predictable in nature with computer graphics that seemed fake and out of place in 2016. Apocalypse is a poorly developed villain and fits more in with the Disney Marvel league of pathetic villains .When you look at Apocalypse and Magneto, it’s hard to imagine them being from the same film universe, because Magneto is clearly a more established and likable villain.

I enjoyed many aspects of this movie, especially the first half but I really disliked the villain. The Apocalypse character basically ruins what could have been a good movie.  

Final Verdict: 6/10

™ and © 2016 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved. Property of Fox.