War of the Worlds creates a very powerful, renewed image of the whole alien invasion genre, with its larger, more realistic scope and its attention to detail... and its tight action. Add to that underlying superb acting, and an uncanny sense of...
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War of the Worlds creates a very powerful, renewed image of the whole alien invasion genre, with its larger, more realistic scope and its attention to detail... and its tight action. Add to that underlying superb acting, and an uncanny sense of horror mixed in... and you get a much better than average alien flick.

The cast works so great in this movie... the movie isn't stereotyped by the action hero, or by a pathetic government attempting to stop things... the entire movie is so well thought out. Instead we have a small family, who express a sort of uneventful relationship with each other, and watch them form and try to keep together even among the chaos.

The enemy itself is awesome... the tripods feel and well, sound dangerous, large, and seem invincible. Most shots of the tripods are from lower angles... and since they are in no short supply, you're hammered with a feeling of immersion. Their design is fairly fresh, while still maintaining a distinctly alien look.

However, the plot and story itself isn't exactly top notch. While it's somewhat predictable, it's not anything spectacular in the events that the family lead by Tom Cruise go through. Nevertheless, it's particularly entertaining so it comes as a moot point.

War of the Worlds is certainly a better than average movie in its own right. But in its own genre, it basically takes the lead in special effects and movie making overall. Certainly worth seeing, though certainly not Spielberg's best though.

Augh, for its time it was massively popular... but Power Rangers now... look elsewhere for your entertainment, especially if you're old enough to have watched this movie when it first came out.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie...
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Augh, for its time it was massively popular... but Power Rangers now... look elsewhere for your entertainment, especially if you're old enough to have watched this movie when it first came out.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: a longer than average episode. In fact, it plays out just like one with the exception that there are no commercials and there aren't any terribly placed cliff hangers.

The production quality is better for a change, but overall the film struggles for an audience. But now, seeing as how the formula is EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY overused... yeah.

Not quite worth a view now, if only for nostalgic purposes. Other than that, its a definitive archive of why Power Rangers used to be popular.

Crocodile is nothing more than a common, yet somewhat better B-Movie... with its less than stellar effects, somewhat goofy lines and such... it doesn't get too far, but its still a decent budget film for cable TV.

The plot is overused...
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Crocodile is nothing more than a common, yet somewhat better B-Movie... with its less than stellar effects, somewhat goofy lines and such... it doesn't get too far, but its still a decent budget film for cable TV.

The plot is overused and simple... a group of college students are out on vacation on a remote lake, and they disturb a huge croc. Croc hunts them down, eats some of them, and eventually gets what it wants from them, an egg they stole. That's pretty much it...

But sinisterly, some of the cast, well, you're awaiting their demise. Sometimes you root for the croc, despite its rare full appearance on screen. And when it does... its not that spectacular. But the film does do a sneaky job at limiting those moments, but when they do come, its painful.

Not to fear however, the movie even has its fair share of nigh-impossible moments... just enough to make this movie worth watching for a good laugh. Either way, there's much better stuff around than this, and if you can bear the cringing nature of this budget movie, than you can probably stomach this craptastic film.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl comes as a fun little adventure, full of all sorts of satisfying action and humor, without coming out as overly cheesy or overused.

Quite possibly, Captain Jack Sparrow is without...
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Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl comes as a fun little adventure, full of all sorts of satisfying action and humor, without coming out as overly cheesy or overused.

Quite possibly, Captain Jack Sparrow is without a doubt the most enduring and witty sort of pirate you could ever imagine... and yet, without seeming overly emphasized, he takes a side seat with the other characters, which is a plus in this movie. While there are several characters who by the end of the movie become very strong and stuck to the whole film, the primary characters never lose the spotlight.

Among the charismatic acting and the nice 17th century feel to the movie, its action scenes come out to be somewhat tacked on, but necessary. The cursed pirates are rendered fairly well under the moonlight, with no obvious CG work, which is a plus.

The Black Pearl's soundtrack is definitely one of the more memorable orchestral scores in a long time: its catchy melodies and exciting nature, and its avoidance of stereotypical pirate themes forms a very nice undertone with the music.

While its certainly a bit too intense for younger audiences, the Black Pearl doesn't quite have an age target. But that makes it so much better, since it can appeal to most everyone... even if they're simply not interested in pirate movies. And well, it comes as a better than average movie overall, a good investment of time to watch.

The Matrix Revolutions is more or less an acceptable and exciting conclusion to the up and coming trilogy... but it certainly isn't going to help considering there's more confusion to go around.

Being the last of the three Matrix...
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The Matrix Revolutions is more or less an acceptable and exciting conclusion to the up and coming trilogy... but it certainly isn't going to help considering there's more confusion to go around.

Being the last of the three Matrix movies, most watching this last film have seen the others, so the story is pretty much the same. Only thing that is different is that now, instead of everything being pushed off for a next movie... it's all happening. The Sentinels (finally!) reach Zion and beging trashing the place, and amidst that there is a very exciting and thrilling action scene. With that, adding the triumphant return of Morpheus and everyone else, and then Neo's eventual trip to the Machine City.

It's all very action based and fun, but for story wise and character development, it falls flat. Near the end of the movie comes some very satisfying tying of some loose ends... basically the whole Smith thing is finally resolved, and with it comes the somewhat confusing end of the movie.

Apart from that, it's very satisfying... in fact, if the action and the great fight between Neo and Smith weren't present in their current forms, this movie would have been a significant stepdown.

But otherwise, it exceeds the other two Matrix movies in action, but not so much in its storytelling... but it's one hell of a ride, certainly another big release.

Once you enter the world of the Matrix... it doesn't let you go. The absolute creativeness of the Matrix's storyline and the raw amount of work put into creating this whole "new" world is simply awe inspiring.

Without...
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Once you enter the world of the Matrix... it doesn't let you go. The absolute creativeness of the Matrix's storyline and the raw amount of work put into creating this whole "new" world is simply awe inspiring.

Without spoiling the main plot, it simply takes a normal, would-be life and turns it inside out showing them the TRUTH... that the world that we live in is a fake reality. That alone does a mindjob to an audience... it succeeds in starting a feeling... that we may be under something like that too, a coverup. And there's where the Matrix succeeds, among other places.

The special effects are up to the point where they're satisfyingly sufficient, yet still above the normal bar. Most of the main characters get into at least one major fight, in which you're given an illusion as to think they're floating in air, or punching or kicking at insane speeds.

The soundtrack is equally important as well, as another dimension of immersion to further suck you into the world of the Matrix, and to believe what is happening in front of you is really happening.

And there's also a small romance which is further emphasized in later films, but has its roots here. It isn't overly pushed here, and thats a plus. The movie comes out as a nail-biting action film, with action scene right after another. Adding to that as well, the main enemy in the film occupies a rare void where they're not monsters... but they're still not human, and the actors do a terrific job at giving off the aura of NOT being human.

Overall, the Matrix either catches you, or doesn't. Its plot is hit and miss, meaning that some may be alienated by its winding but deep and technical aspects. But nevertheless, understanding and becoming a part of the Matrix is so easy... and that's easily the strongest part of this movie, which is solid in all other aspects.

Godzilla... a huge name, for a huge movie. But in this case... has it been a huge blunder? It steers far away from the original Toho version, and attempts to make an identity for itself, and for the most part succeeds.

Roland Emmerich...
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Godzilla... a huge name, for a huge movie. But in this case... has it been a huge blunder? It steers far away from the original Toho version, and attempts to make an identity for itself, and for the most part succeeds.

Roland Emmerich and his team set out to tear apart the old image of a lumbering giant, and created a lean, fast and more animal like Godzilla. In that aspect, they succeeded: this new Godzilla takes advantage of all recent technologies and advancements in computer technology and creates one of the more memorable creatures realized through CG effects.

However, the movie does succeed elsewhere, in its simple, yet childish approach: just the plain "destroy the monster" scheme. It doesn't really need too much character development, but yet, it's there for the main characters. We're given background and a sense of depth at least in the relationship between Nick and Audrey, but really, no one else.

The plot is too predictable though... there are hardly any unexpected turns... just a few moments where the movie begins to turn into B-movie type thing, where the infant Godzilla's begin chomping on the French military guys. It does give a bit of a different feel to it, but there's not the right amount of tension really... 200 babies, and not a single one gets out? Especially when there's about 60 of them crowded into an outer room with only one door between them and freedom.

Besides a few goofy plot points and some half attempted romances in between, Godzilla doesn't come out too bad. Purists will hate it nonetheless... but this is basically another side of Godzilla. If you ignore its roots, Godzilla is one of the better giant monster movies around.

The Mummy, apart from its attempts to remake an old movie, succeeds in making a somewhat witty, half scary and half humorous movie... which ends up with a movie that while has no obvious strengths, works with itself marvelously to create something...
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The Mummy, apart from its attempts to remake an old movie, succeeds in making a somewhat witty, half scary and half humorous movie... which ends up with a movie that while has no obvious strengths, works with itself marvelously to create something that's worthwhile.

Throw out all those old mummy stereotypes... this movie is hardly based on a mummy at all. The antagonist is a mummy for a relatively short time and then its just this bad-ass sort of powerful monster. But in the whole movie you see a lot of satisfying flashbacks and recreations of Ancient Egypt. Whether or not they're accurate to what it's supposed to look like, we don't know... all we know is that it looks good!

The movie is generally entertaining the whole way with its sometimes goofy humor and attempts to sway the audience to like the characters, and well, it succeeds, but for what reasons, it's unsure. While it suffers from a lot of fancy dialogue about references to Egyptology, most of the time you're not laughing at the crappy dialogue: its the placement of it. It's craptasticly funny, in a good way.

The special effects are tacked on there, literally. But they're good, and thats what counts and they don't attract too much attention to themselves. Large walls of sand, hordes of flesh eating scarabs, and then cutting out parts of an actor to see right through him. It's nothing horribly complicated.

In through all this, The Mummy, despite seeming to be designed for horror audiences... just doesn't fit that bill. It works more like and action/adventure film with some goofyness stuck in. And with the characters being so likeable, despite being a bit stereotypical in nature, the movie captures you.

The movie is in a void that its on the edge of being a flop, and on the edge of being rather successful. For its satisfying villain and characters, it rides on the successful edge, so it's an interesting movie to watch nonetheless.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park continues very much what seemed like a VERY promising franchise, and while it does its novel counterpart justice, it doesn't break really all that much new ground.

Based on the book by Michael Crichton,...
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The Lost World: Jurassic Park continues very much what seemed like a VERY promising franchise, and while it does its novel counterpart justice, it doesn't break really all that much new ground.

Based on the book by Michael Crichton, The Lost World takes a few returning characters and sticks them on a secret island, still owned by InGen, with dinosaurs roaming freely. While it's plot isn't very unique nor amusing, it presents some very interesting uses for dinosaurs. But well, isn't that what Lost World is meant for? Just to see more dinos?

In some ways, thats what it does masterfully; it packs a movie with even more dinos, and still doesn't make it feel crowded nor rushed. And of course, it keeps the stars of the previous movie intact, with the except of the Dilophosaur. And they're all animated and rendered with finesse, surpassing JP. So why isn't Lost World better than JP as a whole? It's fairly simple really: the awe factor is gone.

Audiences have seen dinos... they want more. This time, they get an even better performance on all fronts, yet, feedback isn't as good as before. John Williams made the score... Spielberg directed... returning characters... it's almost JP's equal. Hence, why in releases its bundled with its predecessor.

Nevertheless, it suffers from the same problem JP did: lack of character development. None of the characters really show a change from beginning to end, with only Roland Tembo showing an abrupt swing near the end. The character of Malcolm could've been expanded to include more of his cynical remarks present from the last movie. But the movie doesn't show that.

All said and done, it's pretty much a very solid sequel, if just a little on the underwhelming side in pushing new ground. While there are more dinos, more people and more effects to boot, as for a record breaking and genre defining movie: it surely isn't. But it's certainly another great entry into the dinosaur movie genre.

Mortal Kombat is a major name in the gaming industry; but the age old question remains as it it's translated to film. How does it stack up in terms of the craptastic world of game to movie ports? In simply terms, fairly well, if just a bit... on...
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Mortal Kombat is a major name in the gaming industry; but the age old question remains as it it's translated to film. How does it stack up in terms of the craptastic world of game to movie ports? In simply terms, fairly well, if just a bit... on the painful side.

The story for Mortal Kombat is somewhat given justice here. Enough of the backstory is told to give the audience a clue of what's going on, but not enough to make watching the movie a substitue for the games. It takes a few well known characters, and slams them into an odd group and hopes that the power of its license holds through.

The action itself is acceptable and actually exciting for a while... for a movie not basing itself on action. It doesn't quite live up to the standards of other movies, even martial arts movies. But the movie fails in itself to keep it above a fan service movie. It leaves other things to chance.

The music is certainly not taken from the games, but the main theme heard once or twice in the movie is fairly catchy. If more music was in the movie like that, then we could be on to something. But its not, so music is disappointing.

Perhaps the worst thing about the movie is the video quality. For a movie created in the 1990's... it looks absolutely TERRIBLE. The film is grainy, and the overall look makes it seem as it was filmed in the 80's, when it wasn't. It works against the movie and for it...

As in pure value, its mostly a must buy for those familiar with Mortal Kombat. For everyone else... don't fret too much on missing it. At best its an acceptable port of a strong franchise name... and not much else.

Dead Man's Chest virtually takes everything that was good about the first film, and builds upon it without losing too much of the original charm of the first film. Its a rare sequel nonetheless, as sequels don't usually surpass or match the...
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Dead Man's Chest virtually takes everything that was good about the first film, and builds upon it without losing too much of the original charm of the first film. Its a rare sequel nonetheless, as sequels don't usually surpass or match the quality of their original.

Essentially, its a continuation, and it feels like it just got done with the first movie, avoiding that sort of jumping into a new storyline feel. And from there, it slowly molds itself into a new and fresh plot, which involves Jack owing a debt to legendary Davy Jones. From there, using traditional odd humor and action, it goes into this frenetic rush to get certain key objects to the story.

The visual effects are just as impressive as the first movie, but they aren't groundbreaking by any means. While its one of the better movies done largely on water and on ships, the attention to detail is very obvious when looking at characters like Davy Jones. Each and every one of the tentacles on his face move realistically, and they look mostly real.

Apart from that, the recognizable soundtrack is back, with perhaps a more upbeat kick to it, a more adventurous tune to it. The actors in the movie are mostly all the same as the previous movie, with most of the new characters being ones like Davy Jones in that they're part sea creatures. That means the same charismatic acting present in Curse of the Black Pearl is readily evident in Dead Man's Chest.

Make no mistake, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is every bit as entertaining as its predecessor. While it makes a few more leaps action wise, it's fairly equivalent to Curse of the Black Pearl, and a fun movie to watch despite its relative similarity to its predecessor.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is virtually a mega fan service movie... but it has enough basic action and does a fairly good job of allowing someone with basic knowledge of the Final Fantasy universe to jump right in and appreciate the...
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Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is virtually a mega fan service movie... but it has enough basic action and does a fairly good job of allowing someone with basic knowledge of the Final Fantasy universe to jump right in and appreciate the excellent quality of the movie.

For reference, I previously had no knowledge of Final Fantasy when I saw this movie. Nevertheless, its entirely possible to be immersed in its rich story, as the way the characters talk about past events so familiar to them, that it makes you as a viewer want to know more about it. It works to its advantage, unlike many other movies where knowing past storylines is a VERY important prerequisite to watching it.

The animation of the movie is very... awesome, for lack of a better word. Since it's very action oriented, the angles of the "camera" are very nicely done, with many epic shots, in which the characters do many things which would be nigh-impossible to do in real life. Add to this a miriad of subtle effects, and a semi real taste to it... creates a very rich atmosphere.

The voice acting is acceptable in the English version considering dubs are most often extremely terrible. While they aren't up to par as to what would sound seamless, they're still much better than other Japanese to English translations. While some lines are ingenious, some are painful to hear.

And apart from all that, the movie is a blast to watch. It includes numerous, very tight action sequences, in which the main hero Cloud Strife or others engage in battle with Kadaj, the movie's main antagonist. And at the end, a true fan service is made by bringing back a previous enemy... and it is a satisfying ending, even if one felt like the last battle should've lasted even longer.

In all, among its game to movie counterparts, its really the best. It succeeds in creating a sufficiently entrancing storyline without alienating a huge group of potentially interested people.

Aliens... the virtual heavyweight and high water mark of all alien movies... and arguably the best entry in the Alien series themselves, in its viscerally exciting and neverending action filled with top notch thought for a movie this side of...
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Aliens... the virtual heavyweight and high water mark of all alien movies... and arguably the best entry in the Alien series themselves, in its viscerally exciting and neverending action filled with top notch thought for a movie this side of Sci-Fi rift.

While Alien was a success for its scares and horror movie base, Aliens goes in a different direction. It goes for a more action driven adventure, which is no less appropriate than the approach taken in Alien. While the previous movie there was ONE Alien... this time, the cast will be put against a horde of Aliens, hence the title with the added "s".

Don't let down your guard in this movie. The movie barely loses pace, as it bombards you with more and more Alien encounters, action scenes, explosions, and some very suspenseful moments. Coupled with some fairly strong dialogue, non-iconic actors and well, enough Aliens to create two more movies with them, it really has a strong base.

The movie has a primarily dark, but not claustrophobic atmosphere. It happens mostly in the darker halls of the main complex on LV-426, the planet which the Nostromo set down upon in the previous movie. And its still set in the future, but despite their "technology", and their tough guy attitudes they have at the beginning, it still pays homage to the previous movie where few of the cast gets through the whole movie.

The soundtrack is ever as strong as it was in Alien, perhaps even stronger since there is more action in this movie.

However, possibly this movie's only downside lies in the limitations of special effects: some of the effects are awe inspiring for its time, but for an audience nowadays its in the painful area where you expect it to be better, but then it comes out odd. Its hard to describe, but you get a false feeling that the movie is newer and more recent than it is, and it works against it. Nevertheless, the Aliens themselves look fantastic, and that is where it counts.

Looking through and through the whole series, it stands at the top, and while it suffers from the mentality that "sequels usually suck", it surely doesn't, and it may actually exceed the quality found in the original Alien by a lot.

Reign of Fire is somewhat of a misleading and odd movie... it occupies the increasingly greater void of movies that are either fantastic, or craptastic. Its neither, but it was painfully close to realizing something that could've blown everyone...
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Reign of Fire is somewhat of a misleading and odd movie... it occupies the increasingly greater void of movies that are either fantastic, or craptastic. Its neither, but it was painfully close to realizing something that could've blown everyone away.

Reign of Fire is essentially, a dragon/end of the world movie. Basically, a giant dragon was awoken in London, and then their species spread throughout the world destroying everything in their path. All said and done, its a very interesting base, and the movie feels like it could very well happen... it has a very realistic edge to it.

On the other hand, the rest of the story isn't so widely acceptable. Most of the movie is spent concentrating on a pathetic group of people hiding out in this ash covered, mostly destroyed structure, with every 10 minutes interrupted by some dragon which decides to pop up over the mountain. Thats basically 3/4s of the movie; and the other 1/4 is spent developing the characters and finally going after the darn dragons themselves in London.

The dragons themselves are the strong part of this movie. They're nicely animated, and they feel powerful, fierce and fast. If only they weren't used to sparsly throughout the movie, meaning they come in one at a time to make their move, and then fly off. The fire they breath looks hot, and well, it is. However, Reign of Fire does too much to try and make the dragons the selling point of the movie, when they don't put enough of them in.

The characters are somewhat downplayed... you're left happy every time one of the dragons decide to come, because you know someone's going to die. Nevertheless, the main characters of Quint and Van Zan spend most of the time chewing themselves out, adding a half-attempted human drama into the movie.

Simply put, Reign of Fire could have been so much better. Given a longer running time, more scenes in London with the uber gigantic male dragon, and less pathetic characters, and a more interesting story and choice of cast... Reign of Fire could be reigning at the top of many creature features.

As it is... its good for those dragon movie fans, or even dinosaur fans. For everyone else, good for a one or two time view. There's not much else besides some tantalizing tastes of an almost very good movie.

Alien vs. Predator sounds like a spin-off, smells like one, and well, your senses don't lie to you; IT IS!!! Nevertheless, there's enough nostalgic material and enough of its own strength in combining two of the largest most successful alien type...
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Alien vs. Predator sounds like a spin-off, smells like one, and well, your senses don't lie to you; IT IS!!! Nevertheless, there's enough nostalgic material and enough of its own strength in combining two of the largest most successful alien type franchises of all time to warrant a decently entertaining action movie.

The premise... meh. The Weyland company assembles a team to investigate a heat bloom in Antartica. They get there, there's a big tunnel already dug in, they just shrug and go in. Turns out they walk into an ongoing "war" between the Aliens and the Predators. The story itself, is not particularly interesting, but its acceptable since there has to be some bending of source material in order to bring the two series together.

The Aliens are probably given justice the most in this movie. There are plenty of Aliens, only thing is that the movie kills off a couple of supporting characters in order for it to be possible. The Predators are visually stunning and imposing.

They carry their usual armor and such, and while may not be as dangerous and vicious seeming as the other Predators, they still are powerful. Only thing is, half the movie isn't even over and 2 out of the 3 Predators are dead. And the third... is pretty much screwed. Not a good way to do half the rest of the movie.

The actual visual effects in the movie are really good; the Aliens and the Predators haven't looked good, though I must comment on the visual style of one of the fight scenes. On the big screen, the main fight scene between a Predator and an Alien is just awfully presented. It leaves you dizzy, as the action is too close to the screen, its just too big. On a TV, it looks better though. Other than that, everything is pretty much seemless, including the Alien Queen, which has its debut in CG in this movie.

But other than, the movie kills off the characters so quick that even if they wanted character development, they couldn't do it. And the movie does so many miniscule errors like make the gestating period of the Alien a mere... 10 minutes!!! Absurd!!!

In all, if you look at it for its action standpoint, its pretty good. But look into it deeper, and look into factual evidence provided from previous movies... and you'll see its shortcomings. Hint to the wise: look at it as an action movie. It's so much better that way.

Alien... a powerful name only when referring the infamous series starting with the landmark movie made in 1979. Alien pretty much grabs an age old concept, turns it on its head, and creates a true edge of your seat sort of ride from beginning to...
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Alien... a powerful name only when referring the infamous series starting with the landmark movie made in 1979. Alien pretty much grabs an age old concept, turns it on its head, and creates a true edge of your seat sort of ride from beginning to end.

In 1979, the world of computer graphics... abysmal. Throwing that out, Alien is pretty much completely live action, with a few primitive computer effects in some places. The whole Alien franchise starts with a commercial towing spaceship which picks up a signal on a distant planet, and while investigating it, brings on board an alien from the ship.

This resulting creature then goes on a killing spree, killing the crew one by one, with scares overflowing in the movie. The Alien itself... ingeniously designed. Its so dissimilar to previous alien adaptations that it was soon patented almost... as the elongated head, no eyes, and bony body became an icon in the world of extraterrestrial life.

The majority of the movie is in a dark and mysterious environment... add to this a soundtrack that literally sends chills down your neck as you watch in horror as the Alien inevitably moves into its kill. The Alien is virtually only out to get you, its not like any sort of animal-turned monster movie, it IS a monster.

Add to this the way it comes into life... truly hits a part of your mind where you begin to squirm in your own skin... really a terrifying feeling.

Alien doesn't need special effects. The Alien rarely appears in full light, let alone completely even in the dark. Its always glimpses, shadows, and noises...

Alien is nothing to ignore; its a must see by any horror fan, and its even really recommended to anyone distinctly interested in suspense or science fiction. A true masterpiece of its time.

X-Men: The Last Stand is pretty much a fitting end to the whole series, even if it does feel a bit rushed to the end with so much unused storylines from the Marvel Comics. It still reaches an impressive scope and an interesting story.
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X-Men: The Last Stand is pretty much a fitting end to the whole series, even if it does feel a bit rushed to the end with so much unused storylines from the Marvel Comics. It still reaches an impressive scope and an interesting story.

In this story arc, a genetics company has found a permanent "cure", or a way to subdue the mutant gene forever. The Brotherhood of Mutants under the leadership of Magneto now attempt to stop its use, for they know that eventually it will be used against them, in a sort of forced extermination.

On the other side, the X-Men team find their thought to be dead Jean Grey, but after a bit it turns out she has become into a deadly and incredibly volatile force. This coupled with the end of some key characters leads to possibly the best story out of the previous movies.

The special effects are top notch as well, as in this case Jean undergoes a sort of transformation, and so her skin tone and eyes are changed to match, and therefore all the effects on the surrounding area are also expressed. Along with that, the moving of the Golden Gate Bridge by Magneto, and the destruction of Alcatraz really pulls some of the strongest visuals.

The sound takes a backseat, as though while its a good score and such, its not specifically recognizable. However, it may be that it works so well that it blends into the movie perfectly.

Together with its non-stopping action and large action scenes and its huge plot twists, X-Men: Last Stand is one of the better comic book based movies released, and it shouldn't be ignored even by those uninterested in comic book adaptations.

Jurassic Park is more or less the beginning and the collective culmination of the computer generated era... and defined the standards of all films from then on in the area of special effects. However, apart from that it has a general warm feeling...
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Jurassic Park is more or less the beginning and the collective culmination of the computer generated era... and defined the standards of all films from then on in the area of special effects. However, apart from that it has a general warm feeling to it, is that it succeeds in catching an innate interest shared by most audiences.

The thought of creating realistic, believable living creatures before JP was literally unfathomable. The most done before JP was liquid metal and other unsightly CG work. But Industrial Light and Magic succeeds in Jurassic Park by creating the very first believable, largely scientifically accurate dinosaurs ever to grace their presence on the big screen.

The story is completely plausible, as Michael Crichton developed an interesting and scientifically "possible" theory that dinosaurs could be genetically cloned with blood found in amber from mosquitos. This adds to a sense of realism, and a sense of awe. Not to mention in 1993, it really blew things away with its epic soundtrack, which to this day is one of the most recognizable soundtracks. John Williams is almost unanimously known for Jurassic Park's score, even to this day.

The characters in the movie aren't incredibly deep, but that is due to the heavier emphasis on the special effects. This is probably JP's biggest downside, in that while the characters are likeable and share a good ensemble, the novel does a good worth of character development, but it is lost in its transition to film.

Either way, its strengths far outweigh its shortcomings, and its really a satisfying ride from beginning to end, with its groundbreaking superb dinosaur models, and its novelty of bringing the beloved old school wonders back to life like never seen before.

While it has been 13 years since Jurassic Park released, the passage of time has not harmed its worth at the least. Looking back for its time, it broke records at the box office... dinosaur fanatic or not, this is something not to be forgotten among more recent films. Take the ride for a spin, and you won't regret it.

The Return of the King is by in large, one of the single greatest motion pictures ever created, pushing the boundaries of not only special effects, but story telling and action, and even faithful recreation. While it may be the end of one of the...
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The Return of the King is by in large, one of the single greatest motion pictures ever created, pushing the boundaries of not only special effects, but story telling and action, and even faithful recreation. While it may be the end of one of the most prominent and well known trilogies of its time, it certainly qualifies extremely well on its own.

The story sets off from the point of the end of the Two Towers, from the defeat of Saruman's forces to the inevitable end of the trilogy. While its slightly different in the actual context of the novel, its still faithfully recreated in its glory. The movie, in its extended format, clocks in at a massive 4 hours, a space of time that movies rarely ever hit.

But those 4 hours are packed full of truly gargantuan action scenes, probably what Return of the King is most famous for. The battle scene at Minas Tirith is mind blowing, with Sauron's army of orcs numbering in the hundred thousands, with the Rohirrim clashing in a last attempt to save the city.

Along the parallel action, there stands the two hobbits, perilously trecking toward Mount Doom through the many dangers in Mordor, in which their true bond of friendship is tested. This along with the continued side story of Aragorn taking his place as king, along with the rich history and culture of Gondor and the Elves, really makes the movie much more than just an action flick.

The special effects, needlessly to say blow away what was done in the previous movies, which in themselves were superb. Along with this, the same, even more epic sounding orchestral score really brings out the true strengths of Return of the King. In some cases, the music makes what would be an already incredible scene seem that much more exciting and viscerally satisfied.

Possibly the only (irrelevant and moot) negative sides to Return of the King lie in its unpractical length, and the story. While its very possible to jump right in, watching Fellowship and the Two Towers is almost a given to watch before this.

All in all, it is the best of the best. Its extremely tough to surpass, and most everyone, Lord of the Rings fan or not, will certainly find something here, whether it be a good movie, or a superb one.

King Kong is essentially, a awesome remake of a classic movie. Whether or not it really exceeds the original, and excels in the tough competition today, is completely dependant how much credit you give to the presentation.

Granted, a...
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King Kong is essentially, a awesome remake of a classic movie. Whether or not it really exceeds the original, and excels in the tough competition today, is completely dependant how much credit you give to the presentation.

Granted, a remake should have the same story as an original, and more or less Peter Jackson stays true to the original in that New York and Skull Island are involved. The movie is set in the Depression era, 1933 more specifically. That means that it allows for a different sort of character development perspective than the usual movie set in current times. Part 1 of the movie is basically the New York part, and allows for the main characters to be introduced.

However, this first part feels somewhat detached from the rest of the movie, as its pacing is a tad too slow. However, having previous knowledge of the movie helps, as anticipation builds as the Venture ship leaves New York and heads out to Skull Island, with the main cast in tow.

The second part of the movie is probably the most satisfying part of the movie, as it picks up really quickly, with the cast having various deadly encounters with all sorts of downright nasty creatures. These include giant insects, various dinosaurs like the Vastatosaurus Rex, and of course, Kong.

King Kong is portrayed essentially as a gigantic, smart gorilla. The facial expressions are provided by Andy Serkis, and so it allows for a greater mode of expression through the computer graphics. Virtually every shot of Kong, from start to finish is seemless, even in the intense action scenes like with the 3 V-Rexes.

And the last part of the movie is the infamous New York disaster where Kong escapes and climbs the Empire State Building. And through it all, the movie changes from action to a more sweet undertone. The movie actually makes the ending seem tragic, it brilliantly forms an attachment to the viewer.

However, the movie is on the verge of being too drawn out. At a little over 3 hours, it seems as though Peter Jackson is trying to make long movies. Possibly the movie's sole flaw in its character development is its overly brief screen time for the other characters besides Ann.

Overall, the movie shines. The only drawbacks noticeable from the outset are pacing and somewhat shallow and some goofy dialogue. But that shouldn't discourage anyone from seeing the movie, as it excels in pretty much all other categories.

Among decades of painfully unrealistic and cheesy films created as thrillers with the same plot, comes Twister, possibly the single best movie created with the tornado as its main "character."

The basic outline is...
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Among decades of painfully unrealistic and cheesy films created as thrillers with the same plot, comes Twister, possibly the single best movie created with the tornado as its main "character."

The basic outline is "chase tornadoes, put a device in its path and run away"... more or less. But in it, there's a half-attempted story behind it, which involves the primary characters of Bill and Jo getting over their past differences to get back together amid their divorce. While it is an afterthought, at least the movie isn't without its soul.

The special effects are without a doubt possibly its strongest and weakest points. Never before have tornadoes looked so... realistically fake. Some of the shots are really epic and absolutely mind blowing, such as the shot where the very last tornado tears apart a barn. The particle effects and such are superb, but on some wide shots of some of the smaller tornadoes, you're left thinking "What?!" as some of them are dead giveaways as being computer generated. And one thing worth mentioning... the flying cow. Enough said.

The sound department does a good job with the music, with many eerie undertones heightening the tension. The tornadoes... well, they sound... like the average person would expect them to sound. However, the actual real sound a twister makes is probably radically different, but for the sake of not blowing out the audience's ears, its excusable.

All in all, in the company of all the other tornado flicks, its the best. Perhaps its due to its high budget, and its large scale. Either way, there's no shame in watching Twister, no matter if you're watching it for the tornadoes, or as an action movie.