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Reviews
I, Robot (2004)
Just because it doesn't follow the book doesn't mean that it is not good
From reading the comments posted by others I got the impression that people mainly rated it low because it did not follow the book. Just because a movie does not follow the original work like the Bible does not mean that the movie should not be given a chance. I read the Asimov book, and I went to the theater with my friend who has not. She enjoyed the movie just as much as I did, if not more. I was fascinated by the angle Proyas approached in the novel, and I did not mind one bit that the movie was completely different than the book.
Another element of the movie that receives an unfair "bad rap" is the acting. It's no worse than the acting in the Spider-Man movies. I am by no means a fan of Will Smith, but I was a fan of Willem Dafoe, and that mirror scene in Spider-Man made me cringe. Might of worked on stage, Willem, but not on the big screen. I did not find myself cringing at any acting in I, Robot. In fact, the only thing over-the-top sometimes was the special effects. Other than that, nothing made me slink down in my seat and cover my face in shame.
One actor that deserves a shout out is Alan Tudyk. I read many comments where people think he just voiced the character of Sonny. Actually, Tudyk pulled a Gollum. This means he put on a weird looking body suit and actually acting out the scenes. Later, CGI used his performance to model the computer graphic robot. Except for a few obvious actions scenes, Tudyk *was* Sonny. My complements to his performance.
Hopefully, people will give this movie the chance it really deserves, and not base their decisions on how close it followed the book. I give I, Robot a 7.5/10
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
A Surprising Gem
When I was first planning to view this film I must admit my expectations where not that high. After all, the title did give a cheesy feel to the whole thing. However, I must say that within 10 minutes of the film I was completely spellbound by the film, characters, and plot. The fight scenes where well done and not over dramatized, the animation of the skeletons was smoothly done, and the acting was incredible.
The most surprising factor was how Johnny Depp played his character Jack Sparrow. Normally I am not a Depp fan per say, I enjoy his work but I don't exactly find myself fascinated by it. This role, however, gave me a whole different view of how truly talented Depp is as an actor. Depp took on a whole different role that even varied in the way his character Sparrow carried himself and mastered it like it was nothing.
Bloom was also a pleasant surprise. A few minutes into the film in you completely forgot about the elf and focused on the character in front of us. After seeing Bloom in this film I can honestly say that he is not a typecast and will well be on his way to the top. Rush was excellent as usual and portrayed his role as `a captain so evil Hell spat him out' with such humanity you actually felt a bit sorry for the cursed pirate.
All in all, this film is a rare gem to come from behind the Disney vaults. Along with the superb acting the writing, camera movement, plot, and timing was perfect. Not once did you feel the length of the movie setting in like `Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' or like watching `The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' a third time. Humor, drama, action, and adventure where perfectly balanced out to make this film the movie of the summer.
The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Does Not Surpass Original
The Matrix Reloaded is one of the best action movies I have seen. Excellent fight scenes, great acting, and eye popping visuals. However, this movie has more fighting than a plot, which hurts the film more than you would expect. Also, a cheesey fights (Smith bowling pins) and a few scenes (the sex/orgy dance) could have been left out. Al in all, the second matrix movie is worth a theater viewing, but don't go expecting too much.
Threshold (2003)
Creative yet disappointing
Okay, first off, this is a Sci-Fi original. So that tells us right of the bat that this isn't exactly going to be The Empire Strikes Back. However, it did have a few good points. For example, the movie was very loyal. Whoever wrote the script knew what they where talking about, that being bugs of course. Also, the acting and effects where good in the main categories. There where also some creative twists and excellent camera work. Yet, as I said before, this isn't exactly Star Wars.
First of all, there was some pretty cheesey dialogue. Also, not the most gripping plot line. In my opinion the story kind of falls flat on it's face after the first hour or so. The ending was not at all well done. It just seemed like it was thrown together at the last possible second. Rather anti-climatic if you ask me. But then again, there wasn't much to build up on.
The Ref (1994)
Good movie destroyed by bad ending
First of all this movie was extremely well done. The script was well written, and actors were well cast. Kevin Spacey as always gave a great performance, and Dennis Leary was hilarious. That is, up until the ending.
SPOILER!!! When Kevin Spacey's character is going through his big moment where he decides he cares too much about Dennis Leary's character to hand him over to the police, the plot just dropped. Where did this whole caring issue come from? This ending was totally out of the blue and just felt false. Th ending just didn't work. As they say, the last 20 minutes of a film can either make it or break it. Sorry to say that this ending was the latter.