Captain America: The Winter Soldier Review

Steve Rogers returns as Captain America, but this time he must face a familiar foe except this time he doesn't know who he can trust.

Sorry for the brief and cryptic plot synopsis, but so much stuff happens that I don't want to give any of it away. This movie has great action, great acting, and a conspiracy plot that I have been waiting a long time for. The fight scenes are each different and honestly get better and better with each one - be it a simple fist fight or a man with wings fighting a jet. Chris Evans does another phenomenal job as the Captain and same with the rest of the cast. The chemistry between Evans and Scarlett Johansson is some of the best I've seen without it having to get all mushy. As for the conspiracy plot, I thought the biggest plot twist was going to be the identity of the Winter Soldier which a simple wikipedia search would've spoiled for you. The biggest plot twist is much bigger and much more vast.

There really isn't too much more say. If you are a fan of the television program Agents of SHIELD, then watching this movie is a level 10 priority! (As a side note, if you thought Agents of SHIELD wasn't that good at the beginning, it gets a whole lot better.) It was also fun to see all the little nods that Agents of SHIELD expanded upon like security levels and whatnot. The main cast doesn't show up in the film, but there is a character introduced in Thor but greatly expanded upon in the TV show that becomes a very relevant character despite how short it is.

Since this is a Marvel movie, it is worth noting that you should probably stick around for at least the mid-credits scene which not only introduces a new villain but also two new possible Avengers. There is a post-credit scene too which while interesting is not really vital. 

I think this movie is better than The Avengers, and I don't care what your plans are, you need to see this movie. It's that good.

I give this 5 stars out of 5

---

1 star = I hated it. Avoid it at all costs.
2 stars = I didn't like it, but you might.
3 stars = I liked it. Doesn't warrant a repeat viewing.
4 stars = I really liked. Has rewatchability.
5 stars = I loved it. Make plans to watch it.

Noah Review

I will preface this review by pointing out that I am a devout Christian and this may affect my personal opinion of the movie.

Noah (directed by Darren Aronofsky) follows the story from the Bible generally well but does take several artistic liberties - some good and some bad. The movie begins with a brief history pointing out that the descendents of Cain have thrived greatly over the descendents of Seth (Adam's two living sons since Cain killed Abel) with the help of the Watchers (a combination of fallen angels and the Nephilim). Noah (played by Russel Crowe) - the last descendent of Seth - receives a vision in a dream of a global deluge that will not destroy creation but cleanse it. He believes he is chosen by God (Who is referred to as 'The Creator' in the movie) to help carry out God's Will by building an Ark to restore God's creation after the flood. When he realizes that his sons need wives in order to repopulate the Earth, he journeys to a nearby village where he sees all manner of evil. Mankind has ravaged the Earth utilizing virtually all natural resources and even resorting to cannibalism. This convinces Noah that perhaps it is God's intention for Noah's family to be the last humans.

There are practically two separate plots in this movie. The first half is about figuring out Noah's dream and building the Ark in order to save creation. The second half of the movie is about Noah's cold condemnation of humanity which amalgamates to if his grandchild is a girl, he will kill her in order to prevent her from becoming a mother to mankind.

Before I talk more about the first half of the film, I really need to address what I feel is its worst aspect. The Watchers are some of the poorest CGI creations I have ever seen in a movie and seem really out-of-place in this biblical epic. I can give the added complaint that the Watchers are nothing like their counterparts in the Bible. In the movie, they wanted to help mankind so much that they rebelled against God in order to do so whereas in Genesis they rebelled in order to lay with human women. The Nephilim don't really exist in this movie, but the fallen angels become these horrible looking stone giants (a translation for Nephilim) but not the "mighty men who were of old, men of renown". Admittedly when I was reading about the Noah movie, I was really excited to see that Semyaza and the other fallen angels who are mentioned more in the book of Enoch (part of the apocrypha - not the Bible) would appear in the movie only to be sorely disappointed by this interpretation. Ignoring my disappointing preconceptions, the Watchers have descent motivations but their look honestly ruined every scene with them. Besides looking out-of-place, the way they interacted with the film reminded me of really bad animation in live-action movies from several decades ago. I can forgive their unbiblical premise, but I cannot forgive their screen presence. 

Despite the Watchers, the first half drowns this movie. It is very slow and not a whole lot is happening in it. It starts with exposition which helps explain Darren Aronofsky's view of the antediluvian world. The vision that Noah dreamed turns into a quest to find Noah's grandfather which seems like Noah and his family walking around surrounded by nothing. They add a little tension by having them be chased, but I couldn't feel any. When they finally reach Methuselah (played by Anthony Hopkins), he saves the first half a little bit because he is very charming and adds some humor. The movie slows down again when they are building the ark.

The second half of this movie almost made me like this movie. It's ironic that the first half wastes the wonders and mysteries of the antediluvian world, yet the second half takes place entirely inside of the ark and is an entirely more interesting story. Because of Man's evil, Noah is convinced that mankind should die with his family. When he learns that he may have grandchildren, he becomes very cold and states that if his grandchild is a girl, he will kill her in order to prevent her from becoming a mother for more humans. As you may have guessed, the protagonist of the movie has suddenly turned into the antagonist. Now needless to say, this is not the biblical version of Noah in any way shape or form, but I really liked this interpretation. You will literally hate Noah yet understand him at the same time. All of the actors are great.

There are some minor nit-picks like where did Methuselah get a flaming sword (and what happened to it) and why did Seth's descendents carry around the serpent skin from the Garden of Eden. I can also complain about how biblically inaccurate it is (as another example - in Genesis, all of Noah's children had wives who made it on the ark whereas in the film, they didn't), but the slow first half and the Watchers is what ruined the movie for me. I definitely could recommend this as a rental and you can choose to skip to the part where they're on the ark, but I can't really recommend seeing this in theaters.


I give this 2 stars out of 5

---

1 star = I hated it. Avoid it at all costs.
2 stars = I didn't like it, but you might.
3 stars = I liked it. Doesn't warrant a repeat viewing.
4 stars = I really liked. Has rewatchability.
5 stars = I loved it. Make plans to watch it.

The Lego Movie Review

The Lego Movie stars a normal lego figurine name Emmitt as he is told he is the only one who can stop Lord Business from destroying the world.

This movie takes place in a world full of legos. And while it may be all CGI, it looks like legos. Nostalgia, charm, and and plain good-feels make this a true family friendly movie. Full of cameos, this movie also has a sense of humor that plays on many movie tropes as well as the cameos (even with the voice actors) that I'm sure everyone will find funny. The Lego Movie did not insult my intelligence and I am confident that people of all ages would absolutely love this movie. In fact, the twist near the end was moving enough to almost bring me to tears.

Stylish, fun, something that people of all ages can enjoy. I don't think I can say enough good things about this movie. If you haven't already seen this movie, I highly suggest you do. And be sure to get your ticket early since theaters are still selling out even a month out.


I give this 5 stars out of 5

---

1 star = I hated it. Avoid it at all costs.
2 stars = I didn't like it, but you might.
3 stars = I liked it. Doesn't warrant a repeat viewing.
4 stars = I really liked. Has rewatchability.
5 stars = I loved it. Make plans to watch it.

300: Rise of an Empire Review

300: Rise of an Empire is the sequel/side story of 300. It follows Themistocles as he tries to unite the Greek city-states against the invading Persian armies of Xerxes. Rise of an Empire also sheds some light on the origins of Xerxes and why he proclaims himself as a god.

While there are some supernatural elements, they are extremely rare making this a much more realistic portrayal than its predecessor. A lot of the fantasy elements are gone which disappointed me the most since that's what made 300 great to me. The feel of 300 permeates through this movie mostly in the battle sequences, but Rise of an Empire doesn't depend on 300 which is a huge plus in my book. If someone has never seen 300, that person could just as easily follow this movie. However having seen 300, I thought the battle scenes were mostly boring. It is worth noting that the Spartans are notably absent only showing up a few times in the movie. It didn't make a whole lot of sense why the Athenians were so invincible in combat against the Persians, and the fake and exorbitant amounts of blood make a lot of fight scenes feel like a dumb video game. The lead villainess made the movie more interesting, but it wasn't enough to save it.

On a side note, I saw this movie in 3D and while it did work in a few scenes, there were a few scenes where a character was supposed to be out-of-focus but they also stood out which made the picture look really weird.

300 Rise of an Empire won't impress anybody, but the original was far superior. While this may have had the style of the original, it didn't have the same weight and emotion that its predecessor had. There are a few scenes that are worth watching, but there aren't enough to make me like this movie. I recommend just waiting for this to come out on video for rental.

I give this 2 stars out of 5

---

1 star = I hated it. Avoid it at all costs.
2 stars = I didn't like it, but you might.
3 stars = I liked it. Doesn't warrant a repeat viewing.
4 stars = I really liked. Has rewatchability.
5 stars = I loved it. Make plans to watch it.