Green Lantern Review

Another superhero flick for the month; this one I only wish could be as super.

Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) is a test pilot who comes across a dying alien and member of the intergalactic Green Lantern Corp. Charged with succeeding the alien as a Green Lantern, Hal discovers he’s far less alone in the universe than he believed. Now, a force that the Green Lanterns have feared has broken loose, and Hal may be the only one that can stop it.

Let’s make this clear; this is not a bad superhero movie. This is a lame superhero movie. Many of the cast members feel very dry in their delivery and don’t appear to be having fun with their roles. Joined with clunky direction, it just makes for a dull first impression.

Even the movie’s villain, Hector Hammond, is practically wasted. Yeah, you heard me right. The movie’s antagonist was practically useless. Only with good prosthetic makeup on both him and the character of Sinestro are you really intrigued at looking at them.

Green Lantern features action that resembles that of a video game cinematic, save for maybe one or two fight scenes. And it’s juiciest visual effects lie in that of it’s alien landscapes and creature designs, which still have room to impress you. But at the end of the day, you’re still wishing that you could have gained more before the screen fades to black.

X-men: First Class Review

Admit it, you thought this movie was going to suck…we all did. But once again, I’m eating my own hat for my false prophecy as I praise with comments, X-men: First Class.

Set in the 1960s, the world has been recently shown to contain several humans that possess mutant abnormalities that grant them superpowers. Charles Xavier (James MacAvoy) sets out to find these mutants with the help of the CIA, who want to use their gifts to save the world from the threat of the Cold War. In the midst of this is Erik Lensher (Michael Fassenbender) who joins up with the team for his own agenda. Its in the partnership of these two that will eventually create two opposing forces in a war that will forever change the future of our world; the conflict between Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants and Professor X and his X-men.

With the fresh direction of Matthew Vaughan and X-men veteran Bryan Singer producing, this prequel/reboot captures the feel of the time period and at the same time doesn’t skimp out on giving us a good insight to these characters and their principles. Shades of grey are very evident in this film, with roles that will surprise you. Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique brings new flavour to our once all-but-silent shapeshifter, and Kevin Bacon as main antagonist Sebastian Shaw ties both sides together for great action.

Action here differs from the previous installments in that here, the mutant powers, both old and new, are seen from a wider perspective. And sprinkled with a wonderful soundtrack makes for a movie that revives a franchise that fans feared to be dead.

Super 8 Review

Did you grow up watching those Spielberg adventure classics like E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind or The Goonies. No? Well then, you have my pity. But just to get you up to date with the flavour of nostalgia, J.J. Abrams unites with Spielberg to bring 2011's movie goers, Super 8.

Set in sunny 1979, the American town of Lillian finds itself in the midst of an emergency following a train accident carrying materials and other unknown cargo from Area 51. The government quickly moves in to take control of the situation, intent on recovering anything...or anyone...that went missing from the crash. Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney) and his friends who witnessed the crash while filming a movie, go searching for answers while mysterious abductions begin to pop up around town.

Abrams may not have earned himself Spielberg's reputation in Hollywood just yet, but his credentials as a filmmaker are more than worthy of teaming up with the cinema legend. His style of direction with a love for action and all things visually groundbreaking work wonderfully to what his partner-in-crime brings to the film; a wonderful musical score with a likeable cast of preteen troublemakers.

Touches of the old classics that parents grew up watching as a kid can be found everywhere, and the art department really went all out in giving that 70s feel; everything from the Tab cans to the shag carpet. But for the generation of our kids, the maturity bar is raised a little bit higher than what you grew up with, which makes for Super 8 to be an impressive ride but a hit-and-miss when it comes to fun for the whole family.