My Review of Monsters University

Note: Pixar almost always has animated shorts before there feature films. In Monsters University there was a very clever short called The Blue Umbrella. I really enjoyed it, especially the score that went with it. So make sure you are not late to the movie so you can see it. Also, stay for the end credits because there is a scene at the end of them. Lastly, I'd like to say that I saw this film in 2D.

I absolutely loved the movie, Monsters Inc., it's definitely one of my favorite Pixar films. So of course I was super stoked for the prequel to the movie, Monsters University. Although it's not an original Pixar film (like many are wanting), Monsters University is still Pixar's best movie since Toy Story 3.

My Review of Man of Steel

Note: I saw this film in 2D, so I can tell you if I liked or didn't like the 3D. But I have heard from different people that the 3D is not good because it was converted. So if I were you I would see it in 2D like I did. This is a Spoiler-Free Review.

Man of Steel was my most anticipated movie of the Summer. Mainly, because I have been wanting to see a REALLY good Superman movie for a long time. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed "Superman Returns", I just didn't love it. When I found out Zach Snyder (Director of 300 and Watchmen) would be directing Man of Steel and Christopher Nolan (Director of the Batman trilogy) was producing it, I got even more excited. I am a big fan of Christopher Nolan and occasionally a fan of Zach Snyder. I knew the movie would have lots of potential as long as Zach Snyder wasn't writing it, and he didn't, David S. Goyer wrote the screenplay, and I must say he did a great job. I can say that, Man of Steel is yet another great Summer movie, and a Superman movie I have been waiting for a long time to see.

My Review of Fast & Furious 6

Honestly, I am not a fan of the "Fast & Furious" series at all. I mean I have enjoyed some of the movies, but never thought they were really good. I didn't even like "Fast Five" which a lot of people really liked. So as you can probably figure, I was actually kind of hesitant to even see "Fast 6". But I decided to, and I can say that I really enjoyed it.

"Fast 6" begins with a flashback to all of the other "Fast & Furious" movies which I found to be a neat and effective way to start the movie. But anyway, "Fast 6" follows Hobbs (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson), who calls upon Dom (Vin Diesel) and Brian (Paul Walker) to reassemble their crew again, in order to take down a mastermind who commands an organization of mercenary drivers across 12 countries. If the mission succeeds the whole crew will get pardons for all their crimes. The story for "Fast 6" was actually pretty good, I was interested in the story the whole time and they even through in a couple interesting plot twists, along with some smart humor that I found to be very funny.

My Review of Star Trek Into Darkness

 

 

Note: See this film in IMAX 3D. The IMAX and the 3D add a great element to the film. I'd also like to say that this is a Spoiler-Free Review.

I really loved the first "Star Trek" film, but I will honestly say that I loved the second movie even more. I know a lot of people will REALLY disagree with me on this one but "Star Trek Into Darkness" was better due to the fantastic acting and some amazing action.

The movie follows the crew of the Enterprise as they are called back home from space, there they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving the world in a state of crisis. Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) then leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. Overall, I thought "Star Trek Into Darkness" had a fantastic story, that was very interesting.

My Review of Iron Man 3

 

 

Note: I saw this film in 2D, so I can't give my opinion on the 3D. Although, from several people I've heard the 3D was not good because Shane Black didn't shoot it that way. So if I was going to give you some advice I would say see the film in 2D, and save yourself some money. If your thinking about seeing it in 3D, be cautious. Also I'd like to say that this is a Spoiler-Free Review.

I am a pretty big fan of the "Iron Man" trilogy. I absolutely loved the first movie and I thought the second movie was pretty good, even though everyone else didn't like it. So I was actually pretty excited when I heard they were going ahead and making a third film. Especially after how amazing "The Avengers" was. "Iron Man 3" was a really good movie. I can't say it exceeded all my expectations; however, I can confidently say that "Iron Man 3" was a great way to start out the Summer 2013 movie season.

"Iron Man 3" picks up basically where "The Avengers" left off, Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) isn't doing so well after the incident in "The Avengers" and is struggling with constant anxiety attacks, in the movie you will find lots of references to "The Avengers" so I would recommend seeing it before "Iron Man 3" if you haven't already, because "Iron Man 3" actually seems like more of a sequel to "The Avengers" rather than the other two "Iron Man" movies. But anyway, in the movie, you will notice Tony Stark is not really involved in Stark Industries anymore, Pepper Pott's (Gwyneth Paltrow), Tony's girlfriend is now in charge, and Tony is now fighting against a new enemy, The Mandarin (Sir Ben Kingsley). When Stark finds his world is destroyed at the Mandarin's hands he embarks on a journey to find those responsible.

My Review of G.I. Joe: Retaliation

"G.I. Joe: Retaliation" is the sequel to 2009's "G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra". I must say that I thought "Cobra" was a terrible movie, so I was hesitant to even see the sequel, but I decided I should. The great news is "Retaliation" is 100x better then "Cobra". However, that doesn't mean the film was great.

To start off, you probably heard that this movie was delayed almost one year to be converted into 3D. Some say it was delayed for other reasons. But anyway, I didn't see it in 3D because it wasn't shot that way and I almost always hate 3D conversions. I have also heard from several people that it was terrible in 3D. So be cautious if your debating whether or not to see it in 3D.

But anyway, "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" follows the G.I. Joe's,  who were framed for crimes against there country, the G.I. Joe team is then terminated by the President's order, and the surviving G.I. Joe's must face off against Zartan (the main villain in the film), his accomplices, and the world leaders he has under his influences. I should also mention that in "Retaliation" there are LOTS of new characters. Sometimes, there are actually too many new characters introduced at once.

My Review of Oz the Great and Powerful

I am a big fan of the original 1939 film, "The Wizard of Oz", so when I found out they were making a prequel to that film I was a little skeptical. But slowly I became more confident that it would be good because I trust Sam Raimi (Director of the old Spider-Man Trilogy). I ended up being right, because I thought "Oz the Great and Powerful" was a great movie.

This prequel is the back story to the wizard character from L. Frank Baum's books. The movie follows Oscar Diggs/Oz (James Franco), a small-time circus magician, who is hurled away from Kansas in a tornado to the magical Land of Oz. When he arrives, he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyones been expecting. He is then drawn into the problems facing Oz and must find out who is good and who is evil, and of course, he meets some awesome friends along the way!

"Oz the Great and Powerful" starts in black and white, with a smaller aspect ratio (paying homage to "The Wizard of Oz"), and then the screen eventually widens and the movie goes from black and white to full color, all this happens when Oscar reaches the Land of Oz. I think this was a REALLY nice touch to the movie. It just added something to the beginning of the movie. A very clever choice made by Sam Raimi. I must also add that in the very beginning of the movie, there was a credits introduction that was in black and white and I thought it was really cool.