Bumblebee: The Best Transformers Movie Most Will Probably Never See

  Transformers has a bit of a rocky relationship with it's audience. Myself included.  I wanted so badly to hate the first film in 2007. Michael Bay made Bumblebee a camaro and I was convinced he ruined my childhood. That was not the case. The first movie had some heart, a decent story, and big robots that leaped off of the screen. The follow up (Revenge of The Fallen) lacked in almost every way, but I loved Dark Of The Moon. I like Mark Wahlberg, but the the last two installments were awful. The Last Knight being the worst of the franchise.

   The story became convoluted. Characters that we loved were ruined or done completely wrong.  I think Michael Bay did it on purpose. He love to give the finger to just about anyone who has a problem with his movies. I actually like him as a director, but he had run this franchise into the ground. The robot designs were always messy. The overall narrative, beyond the first and third, lacked heart.  After the financial and critical failure of The Last Knight, Bay said goodbye.

 Travis Knight takes over and is tasked with saving or relaunching the franchise. We get a different looking Bumblebee, new characters, and a fresh take. Hailee Steinfeld and John Cena lead the cast with a story set 30 years before the 2007 film.

 When Bumblebee opens we get to visit Cybertron. We got a version in the Bay films, but this time we literally get the 80's cartoon version brought to life. We see some faces that will be familiar to anyone who watched those original cartoons. The beginning alone did a great job to set the tone. As usual, the autobots are losing the war and Optimus Prime ( Peter Cullen) sends B-127(Bumblebee) to earth to establish a safe house for the dying autobots.

  Bee (Dylan O'brien ) arrives and accidentally causes conflict with Agent Burns (John Cena). He is tracked by another Decepticon and is damaged to the point he can no longer speak. A point from the previous films that is finally explained. Bee goes into hiding until he is found by Charlie (Hailee Seinfeld).  After being tracked by two decepticons, he finds himself captured by the government. Now Bee and his friends must escape and stop his decepticon pursuers from calling an evil army to earth.

 So much of this movie works. I could go into great detail, but I am not here to spoil. The best thing about the movie is the relationship between Bee and Charlie. Watching them bond is fun. We get the idea of who both of these people are and see them grow. They are both essentially lost for different reasons. The two of them give this franchise something it has been lacking. Heart. They are the heart of the story and there is a great chemistry between them. CGI robot or not, it works.

  The rest of the cast fits too. Charlie's family is entertaining, but not annoying. John Cena works well too. He is not asked to win an academy award. He is asked to play a soldier with an ax to grind. He is the villain, but at his core a good guy. The star of the show is Bumblebee. It is his story and he shines.

 We get glimpses of other transformers, but not overbearing. We don't get Megatron, but we shouldn't. This movie is all about letting secondary characters from the myths shine. Optimus has a presence, but he isn't really missed.

 The film is filled with little Easter eggs and throwbacks to other Transformers media. The soundtrack is the best! It is filled with great 80's songs and each one works. While the overall threat looms, the movie never takes itself too seriously. That is why it all worked so well. Transformers is supposed to be fun.

 The design is much better. The story either works as a stand alone, launching in a new direction, or setting up what we saw in 2007. Bumblebee has a lot to over come. Transformers fatigue has set in. The last few films have done more harm to the franchise than good. It's biggest problem though will come from it's competition. Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse is going strong and competes for the same audience. Mary Poppins is, well unfortunate. Aquaman is equally fantastic and also pulls the same audience.  My prediction is that Bumblebee will fall short and get lost. That is really a shame.
It is a little Iron Giant, a lot of fun, and exactly what this franchise needed.

Mission Impossible: The Franchise That Keeps Getting Better

 The fuse was lit on Mission Impossible back in 1996. We've seen Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) covertly save the world on five different occasions, but the sixth might be the best yet. A franchise that has thrived despite Tom's wavering public opinion. People might not love the Scientology cloud that surrounds him, but there is no denying the guy makes a good movie.  With an aging cast, you might ask how much further the franchise can go?  Fallout goes next level.


 After the events of Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, Hunt and the team face the challenge of rounding up the remains of the syndicate. Things escalate with the threat of nuclear weapons and a government that is losing faith in them to fix the problem. Can Hunt and the team defeat and old enemy, a new threat, and a looming nuclear disaster?

  The cast is outstanding as usual. The chemistry between Simon Pegg, Cruise, and Ving Rhames is on point. We do miss Jeremy Renner, but do to his commitment on Avengers, he was unable to be a part of this. Instead, we get Henry Cavill as the predictable bad guy. Superman is a nice addition. Seeing this group on screen still doesn't get old. The comedy is done well and fits into the situations.
The action is what you would expect from the franchise and the story is one of the best they've told.

  We get nods to the first film in a very clever way and we revisit characters from the past. All of it comes together in a near flawless film. You have to suspend belief with some of the stunts, but they are still fun to watch. The car chase is one of the best I have ever seemed filmed. It is cut together and edited so perfectly. The whole film is very well paced. The twists, while sometimes predictable, are fun to see play out. 

   Henry Cavil is good, but I spent a lot of time staring at the mustache that caused so much problems for Justice League. He plays a good bad guy, but one thing ran through my head constantly. Superman wouldn't do that!  All kidding aside, Mission Impossible: Fallout is top notch. The fact that Tom Cruise can pull this off at age 56 is incredible. It is hands down one of the best movies of the summer!  Your mission, should you choose to accept it? See this movie while it is in theaters on the big screen. This review will not self destruct in five seconds. Hopefully.

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP : MARVEL DOESN'T MISS

   Marvel just gets it right. Avengers: Infinity War is the biggest movie of the year. We have to wait another year to see what happens to our favorite heroes. One of whom, was missing from the epic battles. The Ant-Man sequel takes place at the same time as the events of Infinity War. Do we get any answers? Does it tie? Is it good? Let's take a look.

 Scott Lang ( Paul Rudd) has followed up Captain America: Civil War with a 2 year house arrest stint. He has all but stopped being Ant-Man and has earned the ire of  Hank Pym and Hope Van Dyne. After a dream about Hope's mom prompts the team to reunite to bring her out of the sub atomic world she's been trapped in for the last 30 years. A strange new villain and and evil clandestine group make the rescue even more of a challenge.

  Like every Marvel movie, the effects are top notch. The shrinking, growing, and fighting scenes are fun to watch. Ghost is no Thanos, she is a villain worthy of sympathy. The overall story is good and takes steps to expand the microscopic universe that the previous film established. There are a lot of science terms that make it hard to understand, but the fun is the fact that the lead hero doesn't understand either.  The star of this film is it's cast.

  Laurence Fishburne is a welcome edition and the returning cast is great.  Michelle Pfiefer has a small, but pivotal role. The film even digitally recreates younger versions of her and Michael Douglas. It is cool to see, but I am not crazy about the door it opens. Evangeline Lily steals the show and works nicely as The Wasp. Overall, it is lighthearted fun that fits nicely into the existing Marvel Cinematic Universe.  The mid-credit scene links it nicely to Infinity War and drops a few hints as to what comes next.  Well played Marvel. Well played again.

Jurassic World: Ridiculous Kingdom

Big dinosaurs are back on the big screen! It sound like an exciting concept. Jurassic World make tons of money and the sequel is expected to do the same. My take on this, the magic seems to have faded from this franchise a bit. Keep in mind, there were already two sequels to the original Jurassic Park. Jurassic World, in a lot of ways, was a carbon copy of the original. It just happened to hit at the right time. This weekend we get the follow up.


 The park has been shut down. There is an ongoing movement to save the dinosaurs. A volcano has become active and will erupt destroying there island home. A team is assembled to collect the 11 species and transplant them to a new home. Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) is recruited and asks Owen (Chris Pratt) to join. He reluctantly agrees and the two set off to save the newly created species. Things go wrong and must find a way to save not only the dinosaurs, but themselves as well.

  The cast is ok, but it feels like it is all being done for a pay check. Justice Smith and Daniella Pineda join the team as tech support and a dino doctor, respectively. The franchise seems to be out of gas. We get a animal rights story for animals that don't exist. We get a bad plot to weaponize dinosaurs for money. We get cloning. We get jokes that don't land and two hours of time that we won't get back.
It feels like a bad Syfy Channel movie with a better budget. They probably could've hired Ian Zeiring for much less than Pratt.

 The dinosaurs are the stars. They still look incredible and damn near real. The plot is predictable and the whole thing just felt unnecessary. It is a lot of rehashing with a few new dinosaurs thrown in. I think this franchise just needs to become extinct. There will probably be an inevitable third chapter, but there is only so far you can go. It already borders on silly. The next phase is probably Sharknado-esque.  The one good thing, at least Chris Pratt has another Gaurdian's Of The Galaxy on the horizon.

Solo: A Better Than Expected Star Wars Story

   Die hard Star Wars fans have had a tough go of it. The Disney owned Star Wars has been a financial success, but it hasn't done much to win the hearts of it's loyal fan base. In fact, it has been the opposite. Most people seem to think that they only make these for the guaranteed money. They are not wrong. They are not totally right either. The problem has been the fans need to decide what they want. The biggest criticism of The Force Awakens was the fact that it was pretty much a copy of a New Hope. Rogue One was a great movie that fans didn't even know they wanted or needed. What came next was the worst thing for the franchise. The Last Jedi.  This isn't about that. This is the story of a young Han Solo. Let's start there.

We meet a younger version of the lovable scoundrel on the streets of Corellia. He is trying to buy a way off world and out of the criminal underworld for him and his friend/girlfriend. Things go wrong, he joins the empire, flees the empire, joins up with criminals, and meets some well known friends ten years prior to the rebellion.

  The cast works for what it is. Alden Edenreich is now Han Solo. He is tasked with the nearly impossible. Don't mimic Harrison Ford, but don't be so different that we don't recognize the character. He does alright. It takes a minute to get used too, but he plays it well. Emilia Clarke is a predictable, but interesting character. Jon Favreau and Thandie Newton have minor, but impactful roles. Paul Bettany is serviceable villain for the story, but he doesn't get much screen time. Phoebe Waller-Bridge lends her voice to one of the best droids to grace the saga, L3-37. She is the first mate to Lando Calrissian.

 Donald Glover was made for this role. It is the Lando we expect and a little that we don't . He is the smoothest man in the galaxy and in just enough trouble to make it interesting. There are a few things from him that I wanted to see, but again it is 10-12 years before Empire Strikes Back.

 We do get to see the Lando's version of the Millennium Falcon. It is beyond a trip down memory lane. The big complaint has been how new it looks and the design. The latter serves as part of the story and it provides for a cool moment. The fresh new look is purely Lando. He made some modifications and has an image to uphold.

 The pacing in the beginning is a little sluggish, but it is fun when it kicks in. Ron Howard basically re-shot a big chunk of the movie. The action scenes seem to just pop up, but they are well done. The train heist is great and we get to understand the Kessel Run! Both of these are fun to see play out. It is a small and somewhat predictable story that connects to a much larger and more familiar universe.

  It is a bromance. Chewbacca finally gets his moments to shine and they are fantastic. We always new that he and Han were close, but we finally see where it begins. While fans might not have asked for this, it is fun to see how it began for one of the most well known duos in pop culture history.

 The film is good with twists. A few will be called predictable., but a few we didn't see coming. It also does a great job of connecting to the new and old cannon. A few of the Rebels and Clone Wars might go over the casual movie fan, but will be loved by the hardcore. We get character mentions and a cameo that had the audience with me gasping. We learn more about what we already knew. We get some great action and more than a few iconic moments.  The moment that Han and Chewie fly the Falcon for the first time is goose bump worthy.

  The Last Jedi had the hopes of fans at an all time high and then did a great job of taking a giant crap all over them. It was something that never felt like a Star Wars movie. It also divided a fan base that was loyal for over 30 years. That isn't easy to do. A few praised it for taking chances, but most did not. This is a franchise that you don';t take chances with. There are expectations to be met. While Solo has it's flaws, it feels more like Star Wars than that Rian Johnson abomination ever did. It is an almost by the numbers Star Wars movie. It starts slow, but finishes strong. A good cast. A decent story. A side of nostalgia. Overall worth climbing aboard for a jump to light speed.

Deadpool 2: Fun But Forgettable

 Deadpool 2 is exactly what I expected it to be. That is a good and bad thing. There is a lot to like, but there is also a lot that you shake your head at. I am going into mild spoiler territory so read at your own risk,. The best way I can some up DP2 is making The Hangover 2 comparison. It was fun and OK, but just not as good as the original.

  When we find Deadpool he is working with Dopinder, going place to place, and killing bad guys. He is still with Vanessa. He is still the merc with a mouth. He is as Deadpool as can be. One of his hits goes terribly wrong and he finds himself in a bad place. So bad that he sort of joins the X-Men. On his first mission he encounters a mutant kid who is more than emotionally disturbed. Although he is only a kid now, he attracts the attention of the time travelling mutant, Cable. This leads to Wade protecting the kid from Cable, who wants to kill him now to prevent a horrible future.

  The story is a mixed bag. It offers some great moments, but it also has it's fair share of moments that just make you shake your head. Comic book geeks like me were excited to see what they did with X-Force. We were getting Shatterstar and that was supposed to be great! We get a taste of Wade interviewing candidates in the trailer and it all looked hilarious. It was, but here come the spoilers. The trailer, unfortunately, gives us the only real glimpse of X-Force. The team does NOTHING! Outside of  Domino, who we will cover in a few, they are just there for comic relief.  They had so much potential to do more, but it is all cut short. They fix this in post credit scenes, but it still does not play well at all! Sorry Rob Liefeld. These characters were wasted.

 I think that there was a different version of the film that sees Bedlam and Shatterstar doing more. The pic above and some of the trailers lend credibility to this. We don't get to see that in the final version of the film. I really would have liked to see these guys throw down with Cable and the film's real big bad who we will spoil later. Peter, who just saw the ad, deserved a little better. X-Force was one of the jokes that the movie could have left out.

  The one member of the team that does shine is Domino. Zazzie Beets is fantastic! She is smokin hot, a bad ass, and holds her own comically. She steals every scene that she is in. Fanboys don't like her altered look, but it plays very well. She is a great character and is without a doubt, one of the best parts of the movie.

  Cable was also one of the things we were looking forward to seeing. Josh Brolin is good, but he will draw the Thanos performance which is better. No denying that. It is funny. Hugh Jackman embodied the character of Wolverine, but was physically much taller than the comic version. Brolin is the opposite. He is GREAT as the character, but is much shorter. He looks fantastic and kicks a lot of ass. His back story is altered a bit, but it works for what they are doing here. He is a highlight for sure, but I would have like to see his origin touched on a little more.

 Julian Dennison is good and I loved the return of Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead. Here comes the spoiler, Juggernaut was excellent! They really got that part right. The fight with Colossus was pretty solid. I go back to my earlier statement about X-force though. It would have been cool to seem them all throw down.

   Vanessa plays an important role in the story, but we don't get enough of her. I will not short change Ryan Reynolds either. He was born to play Wade Wilson. I love what he does, but the dick jokes and 12 year old boy humor doesn't play as well this time around. The comic references will be too much for the common movie goer. Sure, fanboys will get them all. The screening that I was full of people who didn't understand the references that were dropped. Bigger budget doesn't mean better movie. There are a couple of cool cameos, but all in all DP2 is just O.K. The post credit scenes are fun and some of the best in the film. The action sequences are good. The CGI is alright, but it just fails to capture the magic of the first one. 

 All of these characters are up in the air with the possible Disney merger. It is tough to plot out their long term futures. I for one, hope Comcast buys Fox. I don't want to see this universe Disney-fied.
I love the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fox has certainly done a great job of screwing up the mutant universe, but I don't want Disney controlling everything.

Anyway. Deadpool 2 is good. It's not great. It will not make as much financially as the first one did. It probably would have done better if it came out before Infinity War. Go see it, but think of it as Hangover 2 and lower your expectations.

Avengers : Infinity War and Beyond!

  It began 10 years ago when Robert Downey Jr. proclaimed to the world, "The truth is, I am Iron Man." He was correct and the Marvel Cinematic Universe born.  Comic Books and super heroes are American Mythology. It was a long journey to see the likes of Thor, Captain America, Hulk, and Spider-Man on the big screen. Putting them all on the same screen was thought to be impossible, but Marvel has done that.  It is a film series that has not only earned billions, but has told a story that has built for ten years.  The Infinity War is upon us.

 Let's get caught up quickly. If you haven't seen the entire span of movies, that's OK. I would advise you to check out The Avengers, Captain America : Civil War, Thor: Ragnarock, and Guardians of The Galaxy. Those will cover the basics.

   The Infinity War is all about the Infinity Stones which are wielded with The Infinity Gauntlet. What are the stones? I am glad you asked.  After the big bang theory happened, the six  stones were created.  If one could wield them together, they could destroy the universe.  We have been seeing the stones for sometime. In case you missed them:

1. The Mind Stone is the yellow stone that is embedded in Visions head. It was the stone that was in Loki's scepter that we saw in the first Avengers. It's power is, among other things, controlling people's minds.

2. The Space Stone. It was the blue stone that was in the Tesseract. The cube that we Loki was using in the Avengers. It can teleport things through space.

3. The Reality Stone. It was the red, "ether," from Thor the Dark World and it has the power to yo pretty much decimate people and things.

4. The Power Stone is the purple stone from Guardians of the Galaxy. It has the power to destroy and entire planet.

5.  The Time stone is green. It was in the care of Dr. Strange and can be used to move forward and backward in time.

6. The Soul Stone. The stone is the only one that we have not seen. It allows it's wielder to take peoples souls and their powers.

 Thanos has been pulling the strings for a long time. He is on a quest to collect all six stones. His goal is to destroy half of the universe. He believes he is the only one who can put things in balance. The way intends to accomplish his balancing act is through genocide, hence why he is known as the mad titan.

 Infinity War is the culmination of the story that began with the first Avengers.  It is everything you want it to be and more. There are a few heroes missing, but I will not mention names for the sake of spoilers. There is a lot going on and it can be overwhelming at times. It takes some focus to keep up. The Russo Brothers do an amazing job of balancing the screen time. Each group has their own story arc and all are of equal importance.  The effects are top notch and two hours and forty minutes paces well.

  Infinity War is a great movie. There were some things that I wanted to see and they didn't happen. There were also things that I didn't see coming and loved! Story arcs are wrapped up and lives are lost. Some of which hold a lot of weight. It establishes the severity of the situation immediately. Thanos is every bit a bad ass and so are his inner circle. The movie has it's predictable moments, but it also zigs when you think it might zag.  It is an incredible roller coaster ride that will suck the air out of you and make you wishing you could go see the 4th installment tomorrow. There will be a 4th and it is not titled on purpose as to not spoil this one. 

In short, another win for Marvel.

READY PLAYER ONE...YES I AM

   Steven Spielberg has earned his place as one of history's greatest directors. E.T., Indiana Jones, Schindler's List, Jurassic Park,  and I could go on and on. He now is tasked with developing the popular Ernest Cline Novel, Ready Player One. Video games are a tough sell for the adult audience, but this time around could be different. Ready Player One is pure nostalgic yet futuristic fun! I am getting ahead of myself. Let's start from the beginning.

   2045 and the world is a different place. Especially in an over crowded trailer park in Columbus,OH.  The world's population spends the majority of its time in virtual reality. Everyone has an avatar. A video game version of themselves that usually looks vastly different. They all occupy a world called The Oasis. Wade Watts ( Tye Sheridan) discovers clues to a hidden game within the program that promises the winner full ownership of the OASIS. He joins several allies to try to complete the game before indentured players working for a large company, run by Nolan Sorrento ( Ben Mendelsohn), can do so.

 It has been awhile since I have had this much fun in a movie. Yes it is a lot of CGI. It has very cheesy moments and conveys a message. It was just fun. The video game world is filled with pop culture characters and references. The sound track is amazing. The best since the first Guardians of the Galaxy. 

 I was on sensory overload trying to see all the characters and references packed into this thing! Street Fighter, Ninja Turtles, Thundercats, and the list goes on and on. The plot is fairly simple and easy to follow. It is a throwback to a time when the story was simple. 

 Ben Mendelsohn does it again. He was great in Rogue One as the bad guy and is perfectly cast here. I love villains that have the right blend of likeability and sinister. You never root for him, but you want him to get what he deserves. 

    Overall, the cast is solid. I am not a fan of Tye Sheridan, but he is surrounded by the right people. There is a twist to one of the characters that I won't spoil, but it was fun. It plays well with the tone of the story and isn't forced at all.  T.J. Miller is great as the henchman. We never see the reveal of his human character and I wonder if that was intentional given the bad accusations that surround him. 

  Ready Player One does what it is supposed to do. It makes you forget about life for a couple of hours. It doesn't try to hard. It is beautiful to look at and most of all, it is fun! You might not catch all of the references on the first watch, but it is fun trying.  Suspend belief, enjoy the nostalgia, and play this game. Well, watch this movie.