Showing posts with label kids' movie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kids' movie. Show all posts

Monday, May 5, 2014

The Amazing Spiderman 2: A new fangirl's review

SPOILER SHMOILER!

WE LOVE THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2!
I know that sounds pretty weird after writing a not-so-happy review about The Amazing Spiderman 1. But this time around, this all new version of the Spidey franchise floored us. Simply floored us.
The upside?

FIRST PERSON CAM
Gamer perspective! Every web-slinging feat is like riding on Spiderman's back. Sweet!

STUNTS!
Spiderman's moves are just way cooler now. The slow-fast-slow crawling, the crazy-wide leg-spread during leaps, the creativity in web manipulation, the ballerina-esque fight choreography, the jumping over speeding trucks in precise insect-like agility… *slow claps*

SCIENCE!
We're geeks. We totally dig it whenever Spiderman attempts to crack an enemy's code or enhance his web using batteries and what-nots --and then fails. Yuh.

BETTER PARKER
I'm a huge Toby fan. He was the only Peter Parker for me. When Garfield came around, I found him to be too cute and acted too cute to take his place. But then he shed that self-conscious shtick and went down to acting real. Loved how he delivered the jokes in the movie! He's actually funny now!

COOLER HARRY
Not just a pretty boy, this guy has angst. Not just avenging his dead father, he has his own inner demons. And he looks hot in a leather jacket. Good one!

THE GOBLIN DOESN'T WEAR A MASK
Instead, he wears the rotting face of a dying maniac. How. Cool. Is. That?!

GIRLFRIEND DIES
So much like the original Spidey, this lankier Spidey has issues with having a girlfriend, too. How do you solve that dilemma? Kill her off! Now that's realism for you.

COOL ENDING
That last frame where Spiderman catapulted into the air to bonk a good one right on Rhino's metal skull, and then the scene cuts to credits before impact. LOVE THAT!

Okay, okay… calm down. I'm making it sound like it's all perfect. Of course not!
Hello, downside.

ELECTRO
Sorry, I know he's the top bad guy in this story, but he just didn't do it for me. My kids liked him for the sheer electrical KZZT! AND FZZANG!, but for me, he didn't really have a focused evil plot. And you CANNOT be a villain without focus. First, he was pissed because he was being ignored. Second, he wanted to take revenge on the people who stole his plans for the grid. Third, he's just a whacked up job who couldn't deal with the fact that a) Spiderman forgot his name; b) Spiderman had more fans and more New York billboards' screen time, c) Spiderman set him up for a duel.
Dude, if you want to make it bad, find that single reason why you're mad. First lesson in Villainy 101. Look it up.

The Amazing Spiderman 2 is still webbed to cinemas. Sling yourself right over!

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Cars, In Planes' Sight

You've probably read it everywhere by now (maybe even saw it for yourself) --Planes is indeed Cars with wings. Observe these character spoilers!

HEROIC HAS BEEN
Doc is to Skipper as Skipper is to Doc. But we liked Skipper's back story better. Plus, he rose from it all and fought the bad guy in an aerial dogfight, creaking bolts and all. Coolness.

TOUR GUIDE LOVE
Sally toured McQueen down the Canyons. Ishani toured Dusty around India. Both to give emotional insights about the story and to create a spark towards a blooming love affair.

GREEN AND MEAN
Chick Hicks and Ripslinger. Separated at birth. Connected by... eeeeviiil!

RUNNING...er flying... JOKE
Mater and El Chupacabra are the comedians of each movie.  El Chupacabra is crazy in love while Mater is plain crazy.  El Chuppie, however, was given a better production number with a better singing voice.

Planes mirrored the formula Cars ran on except for the part where the hero, Dusty Crophopper, totally changed the game by going against what he's designed for to win an international race. That part is... 'Planes is Turbo with wings'. :P

Still, my boys loved this animation flick for its dynamic action scenes, brilliant colour, and that fact that it involved war planes. No plane can be cooler than fighter planes. And the scene where all the planes pitched in to help Dusty get back on his wings is a beautiful, genuine touch.

So, even if Planes is not the most original of Disney's offerings, I'm not totally knocking this movie out of the sky. It's for kids. And kids love airplanes!

Watch, release your inner child, and enjoy!