revan-rose Reviews

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)

The Force is fun with this one...

[8/10 · 17 October 2008]

Okay, so it's not Revenge of the Sith. It's not A New Hope & it most certainly isn't The Empire Strikes Back...

What this is however is an exceedingly fun Star Wars experience. Now I know i'm up against a horde of reviewers who detested this movie with a passion usually reserved only for Ewoks & JarJar but I honestly don't see where they're coming from.

The only part of the negative reviews that I would agree upon myself would be the rather wooden animation style which although works brilliantly for the clones (in amour) & the vehicles/spacecrafts of the SW universe... but not so well for human characters (specially faces). A second concession I would grant to the negative reviewers is that Ziro the Hutt really does seem like a joke gone horribly wrong. Hearing a Hutt speak English is bad enough, but hearing him speak like an ol' Southern Belle with a hint of Jamaican was just disastrous. Enjoyable in a "laugh at him not so much with him" kinda way, but definitely something the SW universe could have lived without.

Now for the good stuff... The movie is arguably more explosive than either of the prequels. Not in a "Michael Bay - let's just blow up buildings for the heck of it" kinda way, but in a "this is THE Clone Wars..." kinda way. The scale of War is expressed vividly right from the start & you virtually never see a Clone or a Droid that isn't engaged in battle. Speaking of Droids, we have speaking droids here & they're hysterical! They offer the comic relief in the same way that JarJar didn't. They're full of mindless one-liners & albeit having the Klankers (as the Clowns call 'em) speak is a bit much for the SW puritans to swallow, they're immensely fun in my books.

Finally, the story although very reminiscent of the TV show isn't all bad & while not as great as WALL.E, it's excusable enough to enjoy!

Don't go into this expecting a operatic space saga... just go in & watch a droid scream "Why???" as he is force pushed to his grave! Wait, that sounds rater macabre... Go in to watch ObiWan treat his duel with Ventress like an elaborate dance sequence!

Bridge to Terabithia (2007)

Close your eyes, but keep your mind wide open . . .

[9/10 · 18 February 2007]

Bridge To Terabithia

I have not read the book and did not see this movie with many expectations.

To begin with, this is a story of Jesse Aarons (Josh Hutcherson). Jesse is the fastest runner in his class and very proud of being so. Frequently picked on by the local bullies, troubled with the financial situation back home and oft ignored by all but one of his 5 sisters, he immerses himself within his drawings as an escape... Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb)is the new-kid in his class. She has a panache for writing which coupled by her ability to outrun all the guys in her class (including Jesse) ensures that she doesn't have the best luck making new friends. However, with their affinity to be picked on, Jesse and Leslie soon find themselves extremely fond of each other and off looking for a place of their own... This is Terabithia...

And this is where I'll end my summary for I do not wish to go into the spoilers for the movie.

All the kids in the movie really shine in their respective roles. As many reviewers have said before me, Josh and AnnaSophia are a wonderful pair! I would also like to mention the young Bailee Madison (playing Josh's younger sister) for her portrayal of May Belle.

However, what truly lifts this movie from "good" to "great" is the simplicity of the whole story. This is a children's movie through and through and but do not expect a typical Disney feel-good comedy. Do not also expect huge CG sequences like say, The Chronicles of Narnia.

This movie is full of heart and everything about it is shown from the eyes of a child. Life, is not a pretty thing and more than the magical kingdom of Terabithia, this is a tale of a young kids' coming to terms with matters of being bullied, being loved, having a true friend and even trying to understand death.

By the end of it all, many people around me were moved to tears and I myself was trying desperately to hold back. The movie, its message and its delivery are all beautiful.

On a critical note, the only thing about the movie that I didn't particularly love was the music. The music in general wasn't very well suited and certain songs were just not needed, but I suppose thats what the MTv culture demands.

In conclusion, I highly recommend it. Go and watch this movie and if you have them, take your children... They'll love it!

9/10