We start off with Loki’s arrival on Earth – his first order of business is to kill a few guards, control a few minds, and steal the Cosmic Cube. Nick Fury knows that’s bad news, so he calls his agents and they begin to round up the heroes we’ve been meeting in individual stories the last few years. The first half of the film is driven by Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye struggling to come together in time to figure out what Loki is up to and how to prevent his plan from moving forward.

Things don’t go so smoothly, as you can imagine. Having all these different personalities/perspectives/approaches doesn’t help much either, but it’s entertaining to watch these disparate heroes continue to fail to truly come together. Writer/director Whedon does exactly what he needs to with the story and pushes it to the limit, to the point where we aren’t really sure if they can all ever work together, and we even start to wonder if any of these people can still be considered “heroes”.

Of course, twists and turns later they find themselves facing no choice but to band together to face the common threat. When it counts, you can count on them. It may seem bland or cliche, but really it’s their flawed personalities and inability to immediately work with each other that make the Avengers so interesting as individuals and as a group, and it makes their teamwork that much more gratifying and enjoyable.

And boy is it enjoyable. The climactic battle is without a doubt the best of the Marvel movies so far (as you would expect from the biggest movie so far), and if you’ve been underwhelmed by some of the earlier films or incarnations of the characters (Iron Man, for me) then this movie will live up to your expectations – and then some. If you were a fan of the “prequels” to this, then you’ll still be more than satisfied with the action and characterization at play.

Hulk definitely steals the show with the best portrayal and approach to the character that we’ve seen so far in the movies. Black Widow and Hawkeye hold their own even though they technically don’t have superpowers (though keep an eye out on his arrows in that last set piece). Nick Fury has some secrets that give him surprising complexity in the film, much more so than expected.

The middle does feel like it drags at times, but I don’t agree with the complaints about the first half of the film. I didn’t think it was slow as a whole, or that overall the pacing or storytelling was off in any way. I was a bit anxious, but that was more excitement than anything else. And I think that’s the main problem for quite a few fans; we started out bringing everyone together and exploring why it shouldn’t work, and after the characters and plot developed further we arrived at the end and capped it all off with an amazingly entertaining finish. Going in, we knew that epic battle was coming and we couldn’t wait to get there. But if you cut out that first hour, the movie would be awful. All climax and no buildup with this team just wouldn’t have been nearly as entertaining. I for one am glad that the movie was a full, legit film. Because now that it’s conquered the box office, it’s proof that superhero movies can be well done and entertaining films that are worthy of mass audiences – and they don’t all have to be as dark and gritty as Nolan’s Batman series. Simply put, The Avengers is a great gift to movies. We can all be fanboys now.

The movie starts off with Perseus and his son living in a small village, leading a quiet life. Then Zeus shows up and essentially says that the gods are dying (from the lack of human faith) and that the Titans are going to get out. Perseus doesn’t care, because he wants to protect his son from ever being in danger. (So you’d think he’d react more to the news of an impending swarm of monstrous beings, creatures that it had taken gods to capture the first time around, but no, he brushes it off).

Then one of the big baddies happens to land in the village and a fight scene ensues. It would be the best one of the movie if it wasn’t so confusing. Half the time Perseus is chasing the chimera, and half the time he’s trying to get his son away from it. Unfortunately, the entire time the battle is going on we can’t really tell from the footage we see whether the kid is in any danger or totally clear – in fact through the majority of the struggle I had no idea where the kid even was in relation to the monster. Which made the movements of Perseus all the more confusing to me. All I know is that he was doing TONS of running for being in such a small village.

But in the end Perseus wins the day and totally gets that there’s a real threat he has to fight. It just so happens that while he was fighting the chimera, Zeus was betrayed by Hades and Ares and imprisoned so that Kronos could feed off his life force. Which we were previously told was waning due to the humans’ lack of faith, but whatever.

The rest of the movie follows Perseus as he joins up with others in a quest to reach the depths of Tartarus and rescue Zeus. This journey is intercut with Kronos and the others taking an exceptionally long time to drain Zeus dry. By the end our heroes are able to free Zeus but now they all have to face Kronos and even more Titans! Oh no!

The final battle is the most ludicrous. Gods fight amongst men, Titans destroy everything in sight (which makes sense), and Kronos roars a lot and throws magma from his armcracks. Perseus does hero stuff. Designed to be a battle of epic proportions, it takes place on a little plain and is pretty underwhelming. Kronos is a big anthropomorphic volcano-man. The father of the most powerful Greek gods is just another Titan, but bigger than everyone else?

I know, I know, I was thinking way too much while watching the movie. But forgive me for wanting a fantastical plot that had some sort of entertaining logic/believability to it. My suspension of disbelief is only capable of doing so much, you know?

One thing I will say for this movie – I never once thought about Sam Worthington’s accent! Finally, a movie where the director, editor, and actor all coalesce to provide a cohesive character experience! I didn’t realize it until the end, but it made me happy. Good for them for accomplishing something that some other HUGE movies failed to do.

Overall, this sequel doesn’t surpass the first installment in any way other than effective marketing. The battles aren’t really impressive, the story is somewhat fleshed out but still doesn’t make much sense, and a lot of what happens seems to just because something needs to happen next. The trailers made it look a lot more fun and exciting than it ended up being. I guess I should have known based on Clash, but I really wanted to give this one the benefit of the doubt. I hope the math of the titans doesn’t result in a third entry in the series, because the sales will surely go down. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, and I’m not going to allow myself to be that stupid next time.

Most reviews I’ve read say they avoid any spoilers, but they’re lying. They all describe or at least mention the opening scene/characters, and that’s the biggest spoiler of the entire movie. Because it informs everything else that follows. The trailers pretty much gave it away, so if you’ve read anything or seen the trailers then once the title flashes up on the screen you’ll know pretty much exactly where this movie is going to go – the problem is that if you are expecting more huge surprises and twists throughout the film, your expectations will not be met. And you will struggle with that after the lights come back on.

Unfortunately you have to market movies in order to inform people that they exist and that they should see them, so there’s not really any easy way to preserve the surprise in its entirety for most people. And with our culture of sampling before you take the plunge (especially with movies, though it’s not just limited to entertainment) coupled with the ubiquity of information available through the internet, it’s an even more challenging task to go in fresh these days than it ever has been before.

But it’s so worth it. So so worth it. Because your entire experience can be colored by how much or how little you know about this movie going in. Unfortunately I had seen a lot of trailers and read reviews, so I was irreversibly tainted without even realizing it. And I struggled with disappointed expectations after it was over, because I was expecting a game changer of a movie – I wasn’t sure how they were going to get there or do it, and that was what excited me so much. Then I saw the movie and it was great, but I didn’t it to be revolutionary. It took time (and a night’s sleep), but I eventually was able to come to terms with my expectations versus actual movie experience. So just to reiterate, see it with as little information as possible.

If you have seen it already, you know just how fun a ride it really is. Cliches and stereotypes are embraced one moment, subverted the next, then cleverly resumed once again. The beginning of the third act is phenomenal if you’re a fan of the genre. It’s chaotic and giddy, and repeat viewings will offer up plenty of eye candy. Honestly, I would say that for any genre fan that sequence alone is worth seeing the movie for, especially considering how let down you may feel about certain baddies leading up to those moments.

My biggest complaint is that the rising action in the third act ends up being far more exciting and energetic than the final confrontation itself. But was that on purpose? Was the ending supposed to be so meh? I’d like to think so, based on the overall tone and on the way the final title screen presents itself – almost as if it’s a punchline – and because like the rest of the film, the ending follows the established overall pattern of many horror movies even if it goes about it in a slightly different way.

All that being said, it’s a great addition to the genre and one that many will be adding to their collection when the time comes. Even if you know more than you should before you see this movie, I hope you forget your expectations and allow yourself to enjoy the experience.

It was nearly ten years ago, and I was trying to come up with different stories to tell when an idea hit me: what if the dinosaurs aren’t all dead? What if they just aren’t here anymore? I found the thought of dinosaurs meeting man to be fascinating – as a starting point. And not in a Jurassic Park/genetic engineering way, in a broader and wilder sense, on a larger scale. The challenging part (and the most fun) would be the dinosaurs. How are there any still alive? What would they look and act like with an additional 65 million years of evolution? How would we come across them? Where (in space)? How would that meeting go? What would it mean for Earth?

I thought the possibilities were hugely fun, so I started writing out something (at the time it was in book form, and not particularly good). I didn’t make it all the way through because it was too big for me at the time. I understand now that it’s because I was envisioning the kind of story I grew up on – a summer blockbuster. An interesting premise with amazing visuals and exciting action, because of course, if you are going to have an energetic third act (or third film?), it only makes sense for the story to find its way back to Earth and culminate in a huge battle.

Is it kind of stupid? Yes. But hey, it’s supposed to be the kind of popcorn flick you watch in the summer with your friends. Is it any more ridiculous than a movie about giant alien robots coming to earth to fight each other, or aliens coming to earth to fight our Navy? Those movies were based on toys and a board game. So why not super-evolved dinosaurs vs. humans? The Earth’s past and present colliding, the ultimate showdown to determine the planet’s future – and ours.

Think of the themes and ideas you could tap in to, even if you don’t explore them fully: the vastness of the universe, man’s place in it, the secrets that could be right next door to us, the things we don’t know about our own planet, the differences and similarities between dominant species, the unfathomable links to other lifeforms in the universe, man’s connection to his fellow man (man in the collective sense, not gender specific).

I for one think that with the right story and execution, it could be pretty fun. And as long as it’s entertaining, wouldn’t you see it?

First of all, the chemistry between Hill and Channing Tatum is phenomenal. Tatum definitely has comedic talent, and kudos to Hill and company for seeing that in him and bringing it to the screen. Each line is delivered perfectly, the editing is tight and smooth, and the pace is brisk. Everything works just as it should in a fun comedy like this, and though a few moments may go too far for some, overall the laughs come frequently and the tone is balanced well, as ridiculous as it may be.

Honestly the lunacy of the plot is an easy pill to swallow – made all that much more so by the few self-referential jokes dotting the landscape of laughs. I particularly enjoyed the line explaining the origins of the undercover operation they’re going to join and its implications for the movie itself. Not only is it funny, but it makes the ride all that much more entertaining knowing that the people responsible for producing it were fully aware of both what they were doing and the likely public perception. Later on another joke isn’t quite as funny, but the cameo that brings it allows it to rise above what would have been a very flat gag otherwise.

They also play with stereotypes and expectations quite a bit, almost right from the outset – the opening proceeds as you’d expect, but once the duo is placed on the 21 Jump Street assignment they find that high school isn’t what it used to be. I love that, and I love that even though we’re thrown off by the switches that take place as we dive into their undercover world, everything plays out in really organic and hilarious ways to pay off in the end in both new and familiar ways.

What else is there really to say? It’s a ridiculous movie, but it’s aware of it and a lot of fun. Worth seeing and one that I will be adding to my DVD collection.

Yes, I know that’s typically the case. Yes, I know movies can be excellent even when the source material is better still (Lord of the Rings, Jurassic Park, etc.). And I hate to be one of those irritating jerks who never lets up about how much more captivating an experience the book is, but in this case I have to say I stick firmly to that position.

No wiggle room.

Which isn’t to say that the movie is bad, necessarily, just that it’s okay. If the book hadn’t existed, or you’d never read it, you’d probably see the flick and find it to be a pretty good time.

What works? The acting, first and foremost. Everyone embodies their roles well, at least within the limits set forth by the script. There are moments where exposition is thrown in because there was either no care taken to get into certain details earlier in the story or the filmmakers didn’t believe in the intelligence of the audience, but in any case the cast works with what they’re given and do their best. Stanley Tucci is clearly the one having the most fun and steals most of the movie – watch out for his obnoxious/incredibly awesome turn-smile and laugh.

The camerawork is smooth and efficient half the time and absolutely awful for the rest. I don’t know why it is that some filmmakers don’t understand that a gritty, hand-held look doesn’t necessarily equate with shaky shaky seizure cam. It’s really irritating, because rather than feeling involved and part of the story I kept getting bothered that I wasn’t able to see what was going on. If I’m part of the story and the action, shouldn’t I be able to see something? I get the intent – make it gritty and lose the tripod so it feels more organic and in line with the people of District 12, and avoid it looking sleek and glamorous like the super evil Capitol. But when it becomes so shaky that it’s unrealistic that a body could hold a camera and naturally function that way, and it encompasses half the movie, it just looks like crap.

The death that has a huge effect on Katniss in the middle of the story doesn’t really hold as much weight as it should have due to a lack of development between the two – the book spends more time with them talking and bonding, and while some things have to be cut down or cut out to better tell the story in film format, this relationship and how it ends has a huge effect on our main character, one that travels with her through the books, and therefore shouldn’t be sacrificed for the sake of time or convenience. It also lacks as much emotional punch because it’s hard to accept from a visual standpoint.

In the book this death is sudden and forceful. It’s violent, but in a cleaner way than some of the others. (Let’s just say that there is a difference between a spear and a stick with a sharp bit on the end.) It’s powerful and somewhat of a turning point for Katniss in the story. In the film it just sort of happens, she’s sad, then she goes on her way. Even if you cut down on the screen time devoted to their quickly developed bond, the visual needs to match what’s happening – and the action that leads up to death in the movie looks like it hurts, but it doesn’t look like a killing stroke. Which brings me to my biggest problem with the movie, and the reason that even if I ignore my other criticisms, I can’t at all see this as anything other than just an okay film – the violence. Or relative lack thereof.

I avoided reading the books for a long time because I had convinced myself that if they were geared toward young adults, there was no way this story was done justice. Kids killing kids in an arena is heavy, and the action of the story needs to match that in order for the themes and ideas within it to be properly explored. Thankfully, I was way wrong. Read the first book if you are concerned about the concept being done justice, because it truly is a great work of fiction.

The movie, on the other hand, sidesteps the brutal nature of the narrative in order to secure a lesser rating and reach a wider audience – and I find that fact pretty sick in its own right. This is a story about a society that pits children against one another, annual state-sponsored murder in order to maintain a sort of police state. There are great themes of individuality, freedom, rebellion, the dangers of complacency, it’s very rich – but everything works together, no part is more important than another, so when the violence is nothing but quick cuts or a few sound effects and far off shots, this is more like the Kidz Bop version of The Hunger Games. It’s not being done justice.

What’s more important? The love triangle? The games? The Capitol? Needless death? Without exploring this story in its truly brutal form, do audiences really get a feel for the depth of the consequences of it all? Do they really understand the stakes? Or is every dangerous scene in the movie just another fleeting moment of danger? “Don’t worry, Katniss will bow and arrow her way out of this one in a jiffy!”

We know where this conversation goes. The sequels will take a similar approach, whittling down important aspects of the story in order to achieve a lower rating and make more money. I just hope that after seeing this film take the box office by storm more people will discover the book and enjoy its author’s more fully realized vision in all its gruesome, captivating, and thought-provoking glory.

When Prometheus was in the development and pre-pro phase some of the tidbits and comments made to the press by the talents involved had me worried. I wasn’t sure they should explore certain themes or ideas more than others, especially in what seemed to be a pseudo-prequel to the Alien series.

Obviously it’s clear now that my worries were totally unfounded. The marketing for this film has been impeccable up to this point, each glimpse improving upon the last. It looks like Ridley Scott has returned to the genre he is most known for and he’s going to knock it out of the park once again. The small amount of cinematography we’re seeing in these trailers is breathtaking, imagine the scope and beauty of the rest of the film!

I know they’ve been downplaying the relationship to the Alien series, but this really seems like a prequel – just not in the straightforward way we’re used to seeing. Instead, they appear to be going the route of (gasp) a self-contained story! No winking toward the audience about how this is just a lead in. And I really like that. I could be wrong, but regardless of its ties to the other series, I think it’s safe to say based on this trailer alone that we can look forward to a superb film from a master storyteller.

First of all, let me be honest. I thought the Clash of the Titans remake was awful. I refer to it as “A Series of Things That Happen” due to the lack of a coherent storyline throughout the flick, a flaw heightened by the lack of quality acting, editing, or action sequences. It’s an example of talented filmmakers coming together and everything going wrong. And you know what? That happens. You just shake your head, say “that’s a shame,” and move on hoping that everyone learned something (including you as an audience member – three cheers for responsible movie-going!). Interestingly, it made so much money that Warner Bros. and Legendary moved forward with a sequel!

My initial reaction was one of dumbfounded astonishment. Clash received a lot of heat from the press and the audience for its underwhelming nature. I didn’t see it in 3D because there was 0% positive buzz about the gimmick’s use in the film, and also because I’m not a believer in 3D’s power to do much of anything except exist (if you want it to). So I’m thinking, great, a 3D sequel, I can see it now – Another Series of Things That Happen starring Sam Worthington and his oddly uncontrollable accent. (Seriously though, as a sidenote, do any of the directors that have worked with him pay attention to their actors? And do the editors ever say “wait, why don’t we use this other take where he doesn’t slip in and out of his accent”? Granted I’ve only seen his roles in Avatar, Terminator Salvation, and Clash, but the inconsistency is consistent across all three.) I’m sure Sam is a great guy and he is definitely talented, but man, somebody please direct the guy.

Anyway, imagine my surprise when this trailer first came out. My immediate cynical reaction was there, but after another view something happened. I started to really dig this trailer. And I’m going to see this movie.

Why? Well, watch the thing again. Notice how much insane crap is going down in the thing. There are some boring parts where Perseus fights Hades, but look at the different Titans and other giant creatures Perseus has no chance of defeating! For me, the amount of adversaries in this trailer implies that there will be no shortage of action sequences – which was one of my complaints with the first one. Yes, I want action in my action movies.

And if he looks so screwed in all of these fights, it means there is a heightened sense of danger/it’s going to be awesome how randomly lucky he is in the midst of all these battles. That could be fun, right?

The biggest thing for me is the music. You know how it’s so completely wrong for this? And yet, it’s so wrong that it somehow works and gets you pumped up to see this. It’s a tricky thing, but I’m choosing to be positive and look at it as if everyone involved (including Warner Bros. and Legendary) learned from the missteps of the first go-around and have approached this sequel knowing exactly what it should be and what people want to see. First and foremost, a crazy action movie – but yes, with an acceptable amount of plot and character development. But mostly INSANE monsters and action. Now, if this movie doesn’t deliver I will be sad-fayced and probably feeling a bit betrayed by false advertising, but for now I choose to stay positive and give this one a chance based on this trailer. RELEASE THE SEQUEL.

We start off on Mars (Barsoom as it is known to the natives) with a brief scene setting up part of the plot, then we join John’s nephew, Edgar, as he arrives at his uncle’s estate and inherits both it and his uncle’s fortune, along with a journal. The journal takes us into the Arizona Territory after the Civil War, where John Carter searches for gold. Sounds like a convoluted opening sequence of events, for sure, but it’s really not too hard to follow on screen (even as unnecessary as the opening scene on Mars may be).

One thing leads to another and John finds himself on Barsoom, where different alien races, a few of which are humanoid, are at war with one another. He falls into this situation trying to avoid fighting for any cause or person and eventually is forced to reconcile his past with his present. An action sequence about midway through offers a master class in storytelling, with scenes intercut in such a way as to allow editing, scoring, and acting to truly coalesce. Honestly, that part alone is worth seeing the film for in my mind, and it’s just a bonus that the entire movie happens to be really fun.

The film is paced really well, with great performances by everyone involved – while it’s not without its flaws (some underdeveloped areas, a few bad green screen shots), director Andrew Stanton really succeeded in boiling the overarching story down into elements that would make a first film contained and enjoyable. There are parts that may seem confusing or too convoluted for those unfamiliar with the source material, but if you stick with it to the end it all makes sense in the context of this first adventure – any sequels would just build upon some of the interesting but less developed aspects.

For those who know the books, rest assured that the changes made to the story serve this adaptation well. You will recognize elements from the later books and changes to some of the more memorable events along the way, but everything serves the purposes of this story and forming a more coherent narrative than the chapter-by-chapter experience the novels provided. The fantastic nature of the story is as light and airy as it should be (a tone perfectly encapsulated in John Carter’s jumping abilities on Mars and its role in his adventures), and Woola and Tars Tarkas are the scene stealers you’d expect.

Though there is plenty of territory to be covered still with John Carter, this movie is a great example of the Disney PG-13 adventure and I definitely agree with those who have said it’s like the Star Wars of this generation. I can’t wait to watch this with my kids one day – I just hope that if it doesn’t perform as well as it deserves in the theater that it finds its footing on Blu-ray and the adventures on Barsoom continue.

The first real glimpse of MIB3 is here and the verdict is – cautious optimism. Could be worse, right? Each entry in this series is pretty conclusive and contained as far as its own plot goes, but you can’t say that the universe set up by the first movie wasn’t ripe for more stories and hilarity and that any and all sequels are unnecessary. I think the franchise has potential and could continue (and continue to live up to expectations), and I’m happy to see a glimpse of this third outing that isn’t more frightening than intriguing.

The second movie wasn’t terrible, but definitely a step down from the first. It would seem the studio recognized the audience’s lukewarm response, at least judging by the almost ten year gap between that sequel and this new one. Based on that, I think trepidation and hesitance on the part of the audience is completely legitimate in the face of the third. The reports that production began without a finished script are unnerving as well.

The first preview was pretty much useless, a taste of the main plot device and nothing more. This longer trailer has some more footage, some jokes, and sheds a little more light on the overall tone of the movie. It seems fun, the same kind of silly humor that fans enjoyed the first two go-arounds – and that’s a good thing, since MIB’s particular sense of humor is really a defining feature of the series.

While there are no moments in this that elevate the preview to “crazy awesome” levels (the main contender is the overall sense given to us that Josh Brolin is NAILING the Tommy Lee Jones impression, or at least, he’s nailing the part of Tommy Lee Jones in the part of Agent K). But the feel of MIB does seem to be there – the silly dialogue/moments, the weird aliens, the overly sleek production design – so while there’s nothing to 100% sell me on it yet, I have to admit that there isn’t anything in there that alarms me or disappoints me about the potential for this sequel. So until we see more I am sticking with being cautiously optimistic. How about you?