Rurextrexx34 Reviews

Jumanji (1995)

What happened to Robin?

[4/10 · 23 May 2020]

The movie is structured as a series of special effects sequences involving whatever dangerous manifestation results from each person's turn rolling the dice. They all scramble frantically in the face of new dangers every ten or fifteen minutes or so, then the dangers disappear neatly for the next person to take their turn, and so on until the end of the movie. It's not exactly the most imaginative structuring going on here, but I will admit that the ending has a little twist that, while it includes one of the cheapest happy Hollywood copout moves in movies (they also pulled the same thing in Click), I would be lying if I said it wasn't at least a little heartwarming.

Unfortunately, a lot of the movie is geared toward kids around 10 years old, the same age as the kids in the movie, but it also contains some imagery and some situations that kids that age would find much too frightening or intense. There is a scene involving giant spiders that admittedly look like nothing other than big plastic spider-puppets but that is still just as creepy as anything in Arachnophobia. So beware if you have a fear of creepy crawlies!

I would be lying if I said the movie wasn't at all fun or entertaining. The story is told in an unconventional way, but it's also true that it's an unconventional story, which at least makes it a little more interesting. But in retrospect it's a little hard to get over how perfectly everything is arranged as a setup for the ending. The relationships between Alan and Sarah and between the two of them and the other two kids who, needless to say, are orphans, will seem a little too perfect for some people. The characters are not uninteresting and the performances are satisfactory, but unfortunately they all take second billing to an ambitious special effects team that doesn't seem to know when their half-baked digital creations are helping to drive the movie along and when they're just swallowing everything else up.

Hancock (2008)

So much wasted potential

[4/10 · 23 May 2020]

OK seeing Will Smith movie "Hancock" my expectations were quite high having heard great things over the last few years about this being an under appreciated "gem" of a film....

The premise behind the film certainly had enough promise and potential. It had a "something new" and fresh appeal to it. We also had arguable the biggest box office star going attached to the films title character, so it surely going to be an awesome spectacle and the hit of the summer.

Well I can't quite comment wither or not the film will be the box office smash of the year, but I certainly can state in my opinion that it AIN'T the "awesome spectacle" I initially thought it could be. So what went wrong?

The film has no soul, from the very start to the ending credits the film feels empty. No emotion attached to the project, no feeling of awe. Can't quite put my finger on the spot but something major was lacking in the movie experience for the viewer regarding the overall feel of the flick.

No character arc's worth mentioning, I know we are supposed to not be that keen on the Hancock character, but there must be something in the character that we will grow to love. There ain't, Hancock has an effect flat-line arc. This is exactly the same with the other major players in the movie. Nobody gets developed fully or even slightly throughout the rather short 90 minutes or so running time.

The score was also terrible, from start to end.

The Superhero back story again was extremely weak.

Villains were so weak, we didn't really need anybody with super-powers to deal with them.

The first half or so of the movie was at least enjoyable popcorn fun, but the latter half was particularly weak. When the film became "serious" when the drama kicked off the film just became severely lost. It lost structure, it didn't know what genre it wanted to be, action, drama, continued comedy or suspense. Unfortunately for the viewer it was none of them so just became pointless and irritating. They really should have padded out the idea of the first 45 minutes with some more evolved ideas from the part of the story and we might well have had a good movie. Unfortunately they didn't and they padded the film out with a tangent story-line that made no coherence or sense.

There are positives, Will Smith for what he had to play with was as usual entertaining to watch. The Jason Bateman character was likable and also enjoyable to watch, well up until the third act when he frittered away to a cardboard cutout. Special effects were more than adequate, and at times quite spectacular. There was also a few laugh out loud moments, particularly the Youtube scenes.

Overall this film had so much potential, this movie could have and should have been great, but unfortunately it was very poorly handled and executed. The blame must fall down to the direction, and script.

Aladdin (2019)

Not bad but not really Great

[5/10 · 23 May 2020]

This is the second Disney live-action remake I've seen after Beauty and the Beast and probably the last one. Just to be clear, the original Aladdin isn't among my top favorite Disney movies, but it was simple enough and had its charm in its simplicity and of course it had Robin Williams in it. Also, all the characters were unique and likeable in their own way.

Overall, this remake gets very few good things from the original and sadly breaks a lot. Where the remake succeeded: +Will Smith was probably the most fun and enjoyable part of the whole movie. He managed to do a genie in his own way without trying to copy Robin Williams' from 1992. You can argue he was a bit too much himself, but I see nothing wrong with that. +Mena Massound played a decent Aladdin.

I'm guessing he could have done even better job if his character was written better, but sadly that was not the case. Some of the songs were a fresh addition considering the original didn't have that many. I also enjoyed the visuals especially watching it in 4K, even if CGI was too obvious at moments. Where they missed the mark, but still remains watchable:

Aladdin feels more like a Bollywood movie than anything else - from costumes to dances. I thought Agraba was in the Arabian Peninsula but apparently, they moved it to somewhere in South Asia. Naomi Scott, even though performing well, simply was not a good fit for playing Jasmine. The romance between the maid and the genie was completely unnecessary, distracting and quite forced. As a matter of fact her whole character was not needed and could have been left out. And Iago was turned into just a dumb CGI bird and his screen time taken by the one mentioned above. Mena Massoud did a decent role at times, but the chemistry between Aladdin and Jasmine wasn't really there. Didn't buy the whole flying carpet scene. The one in the 1992 version was much better. * It feels much less like a children's movie compared to the original. While it may appear more to parents, certainly won't be the same with kids.

Where they failed badly: The actor portraying Jaffar was what almost ruined the whole movie for me. Arguably a story is only as good as it's antagonist and Marwan Kenzari just didn't fit. He was too young to be a vizier and was neither convicting nor menacing at any point. To make bad even worse they decided to make him just another thief. In the cartoon version he treated Aladdin like vermin, while here he almost sympathies with him. Doesn't make any sense. They threw in so much needless extra stuff which made them rush the main story. The original was more fleshed out in 90 minutes than this one in over 130. What you get as an end result is a story burdened with additions that extend it by almost 40 minutes and still adding nothing of value to the movie. * How can some of the most memorable moments in the original be recreated so badly in the remake despite budget and everything. For example, the whole part of Aladdin in the cave, taking the lamp and escaping afterward felt rushed and boring.

Watch it on Disney+ if you have free time. It's not a terrible movie, but nowhere near a classic.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

Better then the first sorry

[6/10 · 23 May 2020]

The whole movie "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" was a much better story than the original "Home Alone", even though it did have a lot of the same dumb moments in the movie. Things like Kevin's supposed stories getting him access to a plane to New York and entry to an expensive hotel room. Then his family's insult to Florida with their supposed bad experience. For crying out loud, they whine about being stuck inside the hotel because of the rain in Florida, yet I hate to tell you this, but snow (which they seem to like) is simply frozen rain. Then, while they're still in Florida, Kevin can get things for himself by simply telling people stupid stories, and out of nowhere he has just what he needs to torture the hotel workers and the criminals.

It gets especially bad when he makes the remodeling house of his relatives the center of torture for the same criminals. The scenario is a lot like and maybe even worse than the original movie; he nearly does enough to murder the criminals and things that could possibly destroy the entire house itself.

Although I did like the characters like the Pigeon Lady and Mr. Duncan from the toy store, but that was about it. The scenarios with things like Kevin's tricks on the hotel employees (things that would hopefully get police called), alongside his supposed brilliant catch of the criminals using his torture. Note, after all of this he actually does call the police effortlessly. The whole movie is, for the most part, unbelievable and dumb as well

The Terminator (1984)

Original and Still the Best

[9/10 · 23 May 2020]

This movie has so many good action scenes, my favorite being the police massacre scene because it shows just how cold and relentless the Terminator is in pursuit of something it wants.

This is definitely Arnold Schwarzenegger's best role yet. He has yet been able to top it off. His performance in T2 was alright but it wasn't typical Schwarzenegger. Michael Biehn probably gives his best performance here also. His role in Aliens was pretty awesome, too. He did take a turn in The Abyss by playing a bad guy. Linda Hamilton, an extremely underused actress plays probably her most convincing role of her career. Her performance in T2 was great, but it's sad that she won't be appearing in the T3.

One final note about the Special Edition DVD. The many special features it has like the "Terminated" scenes and stuff is cool, but the sound quality of the remastered version is poor. The reason why I probably hate the remastered version so much is probably because I'm used to watching an old unmastered version of the movie that my dad taped off of Cinemax or HBO or something like that

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Kubrick does it again

[10/10 · 22 May 2020]

Wow. A War film done by Kubrick is the best. In fact, I was so traumatized by the experience that the next time I went to see it. Then years later, I saw the movie again when I was about 23-years old and I absolutely fell in love. The acting is incredible. The music is something that's stayed with me for years. Although, that's partly because I've watched this movie at least 15 times since I fell in love with it. Great movie with great attempt to SHOW WAR for what it truly is and I absolutely 1000000% recommend it to any war movie fans.

10/10

Modern Times (1936)

Chaplin's absolute Best

[8/10 · 22 May 2020]

There's some genuine slapstick brilliance with Chaplin bumbling about in his typical clumsy style. The comedy is marked by an innocence, not often seen anymore, that just makes you smile. The physical comedy is to an incredibly high standard and there are some some genuinely dangerous stunts, too, seen during an exciting chase sequence. There are some heart-string tugging moments as well, because this picture as a real heart to it. It's probably the most emotionally resonant of Chaplin's silent films, with a real emotional payoff. Of course the feature is dated, it is nearly a hundred years old, and there's a bizarre fantasy sequence towards the end that stands out as an odd and unnecessary aside. The piece's silent styling and heightened reality setting allows it to more-or-less totally stand the test of time and provide some honest enjoyment, though. It's an endearing and entertaining ride that definitely fulfils its opening promise of a 'smile and, perhaps, a tear.' 8/10

WALL·E (2008)

Holds its own still but flawed

[6/10 · 22 May 2020]

The stunning virtual world of Wall.E shows Pixar at the top of their creative graphic powers. Going over the beautiful CGI in my head, I'm still in awe of how the designers portrayed Wall.E's integrated world and their attention to detail will serve as a benchmark for years. That said, I'm less impressed by the simple and very predictable plot. Pixar/Disney married state-of-the-art visuals with a worn plot line from an early childhood fairy tale. I'm guessing the target audience for this movie is somewhere around 6th graders. Great summer family fare but not a great movie if you want something more substantial in terms of plot and character development.

Survive the Night (2020)

The bad guys here are seriously flawed - that's the point

[8/10 · 22 May 2020]

A taut family thriller set in one house. A simple story about a father/son and two brothers. Sometimes the simplest ideas can be very effective and produce great thrills because the script knows the boundaries and generates thrills by reminding us all the time that we are stuck within those boundaries. The two bad guys here are throughly vivid in their performances. Their imperfections give them a more realistic unpredictable sinister-ism than the typical scare movie villain with a mask.

It takes awhile to get started, but once it does, the suspense and mystery is undeniable. The soundtrack dictates a suspense atmosphere very adequately, and the actors are quite good (though no crazy standouts). The story, even clichéd, is still interesting and suspenseful. Worth a watch!

Home Alone (1990)

OMG who doesn't LOVE THIS

[9/10 · 12 December 2019]

I have to watch this every year. Soooooo good still. Love it and the story/themes and message. Can't get enough.

Trauma Center (2019)

Forget Ol' Bruce.... Nicky owns this one!

[6/10 · 9 December 2019]

I'm a sucker for tense single location thrillers and this delivered everything in the genre. The acting from the cast all around was superb Bruce while not his top shelf self was better then expected for the few scenes he's in, the action is very well done and the pacing and atmosphere was top notch. Awesome seeing Nicky own every scene she's in and build up to end where she kicks the guys asses!