First off was Thor. Another Marvel movie. The almost audible groan was heard world wide when it was announced. I went to see it regardless. Me, I'm a comic book geek. Have been since I was seven and old enough to read and comprehend the panels. Thor was true to the comics, and paid homage to the Norse mythos at the same time. Anthony Hopkins, Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard and Tom Hiddleston worked well together. When this one comes out on dvd, it's going directly into my collection.
Priest: I saw Thor and Priest in the same night. Both in Dolby 3D. If you are a fan of vampires, like a twist on a "classic" monster, this is for you. Set in a post apocalyptic world where mankind has sealed it's self off into massive walled cities following a war with vampires that waged for centuries, a warrior caste of the Church ended the war. But the cost was that after they made the world safe for humanity, they became social pariahs. The title character, The Priest gets word that his niece has been abducted by vampires. He defies the Church's authority and takes on the quest to rescue her. Same old plot right? Neo-apocalyptic Dracula? Wrong. While at times resembling a spaghetti western, Priest was a excellent movie. The fight choreography was superb. Paul Bettany, Maggie Q, Cam Gigandet, and Karl Urban are great on screen. The only flop for me was Stephen Moyer. First he plays Bill Compton on HBO's True Blood, and then a vampire victim in Priest? I think that after four seasons thus far of having fangs, you'd want to branch out. Not that I am a particular fan of his anyway. Over all, the movie is great. But if you startle easy, might shy from the 3D.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides- Fourth in Disney's POTC franchise. We have a cross dressing Penelope Cruz within the first 45 minutes of the movie, doing a pretty good job of channeling her inner Jack Sparrow. In a convoluted plot that involves mermaids tears, bottled ships and Blackbeard, Captain Jack finds himself in the middle of yet another epic adventure. This time to stop dread pirate Blackbeard from finding the Fountain of Youth and becoming immortal. Great graphics, sluggish storyline, but great repartee between Jack and Angelica. Bruckheimer is milking his cash cow for all it's worth. It's an enjoyable movie, but not stellar.
X-Men First Class: Finally a backstory as to how the Xavier Institute for Gifted Children came to be. As if decades of comic books never gave us that story, over and over again. Wait, why am I complaining? I LOVED this movie. Professor X in the prime of his youth, trying to save the world, pick up a few chicks and help fellow mutants come into their own. I was happily surprised by the casting of Brit actor Nicholas Hoult (About A Boy, A Single Man, Skins UK) as Hank McCoy. The Wolverine cameo is HILARIOUS.
Overall grades:
Thor: A
Priest: A
Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides: B-
X-Men First Class: A+
No comments:
Post a Comment