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patentdragonIt's Double-Header Saturday! With no further ado...
Okay, so we didn't get the Green Lantern trailer (booo!), but I'm not going to mark this movie down, especially when it managed to exceed my diminished expectations. Yes, oh my Droogies, I actually enjoyed this one!
Covering more than half the book - the boring, emo bit, with lots of camping out and trudging about - this movie actually gets in a pretty good amount of the source material (as far as I can recall, having only read the book once), but it does lack something of a climax. That's to be expected from the first part of a two-part story, I suppose, so no penalties incurred for that. Also, there are moments, every now and then, that cry out "hey, this would have looked awesome in 3D - but we didn't get it done in time"; again, not even close to a fatal flaw. You'd have to really try to kill this golden snitch goose.
I had been concerned that several deaths in the story, including one I had entirely forgotten, would be glossed over, but there they were, laid out as written. I was a little disappointed by the "side-lining" of the death of Mad-Eye Moody, and the excision of the fate of his enchanted "mad" eye - even though it was seen in its "resting place", but this was the only complaint in an otherwise satisfying afternoon's entertainment.
The performances remain strong, even though the end of the story is fast approaching - they have always been a highlight of these movies - and the effects continue to be of an appropriately high quality. There are some powerful moments ahead, and I'm feeling they won't be damp squibs...
The Bottom Line... I'm going to say it - roll on Summer, and the final part of the most lucrative franchise in movie history. I am just about a believer again! Score: 8/10
And a couple of hours later...
I haven't seen any reviews of this movie, but I'm thinking it probably got the sh8-y end of the reviewing stick from the great and good: "grumble grumble Independence Day mutter mutter Cloverfield moan moan typical American trash..."
Well, up yours, reviewers. I enjoyed this. Granted, it wasn't the best alien invasion movie ever - the original '50s War Of The Worlds retains that title for the present - but nearing the end of a pretty thin year for "power blockbusters", you take what you can get, and this shouldn't let you down. Yes, it's far more of a human story, as the small cast of characters try to escape and survive a vast alien attack beyond their understanding, and you're looking at a seriously downbeat almost-ending, with an final upturn that just might've been tacked on after test showings - or maybe the result of trimming the movie to a tighter running time...
I get a Resident Evil vibe from this, at the very end. I also get the feeling that a sequel would be worth considering - at least in Independence Day, humanity got a chance to "whup ET's ass" (thank you, Will Smith). If you liked the aforementioned Cloverfield, check this one out.
The Bottom Line... Not perfect, but far from a failure. Solid entertainment, needing a sequel. Score: 8/10
All in all, a very satisfactory afternoon and evening's entertainment - and I got some writing done! No posting today, though, as it's just too late, but something will debut this week, I'm certain.
...and that's yer lot. Entering crash-out mode - I'm even too tired for a bath...
Okay, so we didn't get the Green Lantern trailer (booo!), but I'm not going to mark this movie down, especially when it managed to exceed my diminished expectations. Yes, oh my Droogies, I actually enjoyed this one!
Covering more than half the book - the boring, emo bit, with lots of camping out and trudging about - this movie actually gets in a pretty good amount of the source material (as far as I can recall, having only read the book once), but it does lack something of a climax. That's to be expected from the first part of a two-part story, I suppose, so no penalties incurred for that. Also, there are moments, every now and then, that cry out "hey, this would have looked awesome in 3D - but we didn't get it done in time"; again, not even close to a fatal flaw. You'd have to really try to kill this golden snitch goose.
I had been concerned that several deaths in the story, including one I had entirely forgotten, would be glossed over, but there they were, laid out as written. I was a little disappointed by the "side-lining" of the death of Mad-Eye Moody, and the excision of the fate of his enchanted "mad" eye - even though it was seen in its "resting place", but this was the only complaint in an otherwise satisfying afternoon's entertainment.
The performances remain strong, even though the end of the story is fast approaching - they have always been a highlight of these movies - and the effects continue to be of an appropriately high quality. There are some powerful moments ahead, and I'm feeling they won't be damp squibs...
The Bottom Line... I'm going to say it - roll on Summer, and the final part of the most lucrative franchise in movie history. I am just about a believer again! Score: 8/10
And a couple of hours later...
I haven't seen any reviews of this movie, but I'm thinking it probably got the sh8-y end of the reviewing stick from the great and good: "grumble grumble Independence Day mutter mutter Cloverfield moan moan typical American trash..."
Well, up yours, reviewers. I enjoyed this. Granted, it wasn't the best alien invasion movie ever - the original '50s War Of The Worlds retains that title for the present - but nearing the end of a pretty thin year for "power blockbusters", you take what you can get, and this shouldn't let you down. Yes, it's far more of a human story, as the small cast of characters try to escape and survive a vast alien attack beyond their understanding, and you're looking at a seriously downbeat almost-ending, with an final upturn that just might've been tacked on after test showings - or maybe the result of trimming the movie to a tighter running time...
I get a Resident Evil vibe from this, at the very end. I also get the feeling that a sequel would be worth considering - at least in Independence Day, humanity got a chance to "whup ET's ass" (thank you, Will Smith). If you liked the aforementioned Cloverfield, check this one out.
The Bottom Line... Not perfect, but far from a failure. Solid entertainment, needing a sequel. Score: 8/10
All in all, a very satisfactory afternoon and evening's entertainment - and I got some writing done! No posting today, though, as it's just too late, but something will debut this week, I'm certain.
...and that's yer lot. Entering crash-out mode - I'm even too tired for a bath...
