Star Trek: Beyond a Good Time

 I have to admit, I was never a, "Trekkie." I was always more of a Star Wars guy. I have been a fan of the Abrams reboots. I even liked the last one even though I agree it went, " Wrath of Kahn," too soon. The crew is back with Justin Lin at the helm and for the first time boldly goes where the other reboots haven't gone before. You see what I did there?


 Kirk is struggling with his purpose in the fleet. Spock is struggling with emotion and sense of duty. The crew has been in space for three years. They complete a peace mission and earn some downtime at a orbital space station. After receiving a distress call, they are thrust into a conflict that will either bring them together or tear them apart.

  The film is Kirk's movie. We finally see Chris Pine owning the role. It's taken three films, but it is worth it. The story is simple and goes back to the cinematic story telling that has made the franchise popular. It looks incredible. The space battles are cool and the look is superb. It's on par or better than anything we have seen.

 It does a good job of balancing comedy with the weight of the situation. This cast really gels together and it helps with the pacing of the movie. It doesn't feel like your dad's trek and that is why I like them. They do a great job of handling the passing of Leonard Nimoy and incorporate the original cast.

 Edris Ilba's villain is simple. He isn't frightening and has a twist that you can pick up on a mile away, but it still works. The one flaw I have was the need to make Sulu gay. It isn't because I don't think it's great to have a strong gay character, but he was better served as a strong Asian character. Him being gay is just not needed. George Takei, the original Sulu, is openly gay and felt the same way. All in all, it 's fun and what a summer movie should be. The Trek is back and beyond worth watching.

The Legend of Tarzan....Again

This is far from the first time that Tarzan has hit the big screen. He is one of the earliest characters to find his way on television and into cinema. He is a part of American Mythology. He is one of our earliest heroes like Zorro and The Lone Ranger. This might be part of the problem. We will revisit that concept later.

 This time around we join an older Tarzan who lives in his family home with his wife Jane. London is far from the African Congo, but when he is asked to be a special emissary he is called to return. The wild lands have been corrupted by greed and slavery. The home Tarzan left is different than the one he has returned to. When Jane is taken to lure him into a trap, he enlist the help of Samuel L. Jackson to save both his wife and the land he loves.

  When you watch the film, it is hard to believe that it was mostly shot on sound stages. It looks really solid. Obviously swinging through the jungles requires heavy CGI, but the it's the animals that look the best.  The interaction between real and computer generated characters is top notch. It is truly something to appreciate visually. The problem is an odd one. The leads. Alexander Skarsgard looks the part, but doesn't have much dialogue. Margot Robbie does her best to not be a typical damsel in distress, but that is Jane. Samuel Jackson has the most dialogue and is the most expressive. He is almost too Nick Fury for the time period. His character is based on a real person.

   Christoph Waltz is a good  bad guy. He is a liar, a cheat, and need diamonds to purchase an army. His goal is to enslave people for his monarch. Simple. The problem is simple. The plot is simple and drags. Tarzan's origin is covered nicely in flashback. It is a nice movie. It's a little long, but not complex at all. Tarzan suffers from a problem of relativity. He is a hero of a different time. He is your grand parent's hero. I think the movie is great, but I am not sure today's movie goer was begging to see a man swing through the jungle. He might look incredible doing it, but it's a tough sell. 

The Purge : An Election Almost as Scary as The Real Thing.

 

     The Purge movies strike a chord. This is obvious or they wouldn't keep making them. This year the election is a hot button for a lot of people so why not have this one based around politics. Secretly the government has been using the Purge to eliminate the poor and homeless. It's become a tool to shave billions off of the deficit. When one presidential candidate ( Elizabeth Mitchell) decides that it's time to end the Purge, the twelve hours of legal crime is used to try and end her. She gets help from random strangers and her head security (Frank Grillo). He is still living with the regrets he has about almost doing some horrible things in a previous purge.

   The scary part about these movies is their ability to make you think. A lot of the issues mirror today's state of affairs. We don't have twelve hours of legal crime. Thankfully. We do have a nation filled with racial tension and economically challenged people who can't seem to get ahead.  These movies are great for making you wonder, "What if?" It's violent and filled with creepy characters. The plot is simple. Survive. It is the same thing you've seen before, but that is what makes these things appealing. Enjoy this for what it is and hope that we fix some of the issues in this country so we never end up like this version of the U.S.A.

Independence Day: Redundance

   There are some people who have waited a long time for a sequel to Independence Day. Twenty years. I remember being a kid and walking into see Independence Day, with my friend Tim, and being blown away. It redefined the idea of a summer blockbuster. The look, the emotion, and the cast were all spot on. So here we are twenty years later. Houston we have a sequel...or more like a problem.

    On the twenty year anniversary of the War Of 1996, the world is very different. We reverse engineered the alien technology to build what we thought is a safer world. David Levinson, the former satellite engineer the saved the planet, is now the Director of Defense. President Whitmore is long retired and his daughter is grown up. So is Dillon Hiller. He is the son of the late Capt. Steven Hiller (Will Smith) and has become a pilot too. We have better planes, bigger weapons, and a world at peace. Levinson discovers an even bigger threat and humanity must once again stand against extinction. 

  The old cast is mixed with the new and something is just off. The original players, aside from Levinson and Whitmore, serve little purpose. The new cast seems to lack chemistry. These two things are not the movie's biggest problems. I am not really sure what is? It tries to do too much. It's too cheesy. It lacks heart. It suffers from a weak plot. There is too much CGI. Pick one and they all work to define this debacle. 

  The first movie broke ground. We have better CGI now, but the original some how looks better. The first film had heart. The first cast had chemistry. The cast here is just awful. The original cast is almost over the top on purpose. I hate to say it, but the film reminds me of Sharknado with a massive budget. It really feels loaded with that much cheese.

 

 One of the best moments from the original was the Whitmore Speech. They attempt to recreate it and rather than be one of the best moments in the film, It bombs. The entire film just feels off. The story lacks depth. It has been awhile since I have been this disappointed in a film.

   Will Smith declined to participate and he clearly knew something that we didn't. They had twenty years to make a sequel to a great film. They through together the same story with more CGI and a lackluster cast. It's a sequel that is just bad. Forget the popcorn and big explosions. This one won't even help you forget about life for awhile, In fact, after this you will want those two hours of your life back. Instead of resurgence, just save your money and watch the original again. You'll probably thank me for it.

Now You See Me 2: Now You Should

The first installment in the Now You See Me series was a lot of fun. I did say series. They have already begun planning a third. The story is a simple one. A group of illusionists expose corrupt individuals for the world to see. The story is simple. The magic tricks are again mind blowing, but does the sequel suffer from a case of, "been there done that?" Yes and no.

 After the first film, the horsemen find themselves with big trouble in China. Evil Harry Potter wants them to steal a chip that can control the world's computers. Dylan (Mark Ruffalo) again becomes entangled with Thaddeus (Morgan Freeman), who he blames for the death of his magician father. They must all foil the villain, clear their names, and discover the truth about the mysterious eye.

 Personally I thought casting Daniel Radcliffe as a villain with no magical powers in a film about magicians was brilliant. Considering he will always be Harry Potter to most people, it was fun to see him in this type of role. The fun with these films is seeing how they pull off the stunts. It can be confusing at times and I really only had one problem with the movie. Mark Ruffalo's character was more fun when you didn't know he was a horseman.

 That being said, the movie is still fun. Morgan Freeman is great, but he always is. They bring back Michael Caine and while it is still the same old villain, it's not the same old story. Isla Fisher couldn't do the film because she was pregnant so they replace her with Lizy Kaplan. Personally I liked Isla better, but Kaplan doesn't hurt the film.

 While the tricks in the first film played a little better, they still work the second time around. The water sequence and card sequences are really fun to watch. I would also watch Jessie Eisenberg play Daniel Atlas a hundred times over before I would ever want to watch him destroy Lex Luthor again. It feels a little like something that you have already seen, but it is still a good time. In my opinion, it's worth the watch. Grab some popcorn and just go have some fun.

TMNT: Out Of The Morning Cartoon You Remember

  The Ninja Turtles are back in a sequel that no one really asked for. Michael Bay brought another childhood cartoon to life and will no doubt receive the typical amount of backlash for it. People hate the guy for the sake of hating. The Transformer's franchise is not as horrible as you think. Make no mistake, this is not even close to Captain America: Civil War or X-Men: Apocalypse. It is not supposed to be. The biggest complaint from movies based off of cartoons is the fact that they are nowhere close to the cartoon. If you need proof, I offer you Jem and The Holograms. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of The Shadows is the cartoon you remember brought to life. That is why you will probably hate it.

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 The TMNT are trying to find their place in a city that would fear and persecute them. April O'Neil stumbles on a plot from the Foot Clan to free Shredder from prison with the help of evil genius Baxter Stockman. Krang, a bad guy from another dimension, comes to town and helps create bad mutants to fight the heroes in a half shell. Things get dire and with the help of Casey Jones, the turtles are called upon once again to save New York City.

 This movie is the cartoon you remember. It has pizza, skateboards, the Turtle Van, and a bunch of other things pulled straight out of animation. Krang is over the top and the design is cool for what it is. A villain like Krang should be over the top. Consider the source material. X-Men and The Avengers have villains that work in comic form, but wouldn't translate to their movie universes. Turtles clear doesn't share that burden. 

When you take a cartoon and bring it to life, you can recreate some fan favorite characters. Bee Bop and Rocksteady are the comic relief of the movie. It's hard to take a mutated rhino and wart hog seriously. You don't have to. They are simply hear to be enjoyed for what they are. 

 Stephen Amell seems to draw mixed reviews as Green Arrow. Personally, I think he plays a fine super hero and is great with his fans. His take on Casey Jones is different than what most will remember, but he does have the hero quality on stage. I did miss the bag of sports weapons that the character is famous for, but we do get the hockey mask. I am not sure why they can give him a wig for Arrow flashbacks, but not here. I am not dwelling on it though. He is one of the bright spots of the film. 

 Shredder is unfortunately not a bright spot. He is the turtles greatest enemy and is once again not done any justice. It's a shame. If you have ever read one of my reviews, you know that I appreciate a good villain. In a movie where everything is larger than life, Shredder is too small. 

 The movie is the cartoon brought to life and why people will hate it. You can tell the cast was having fun making it. They didn't take themselves too seriously and so we shouldn't take the film seriously. Walk into a theater with XD, grab popcorn, and enjoy the show.  It is the TMNT you remember from the cartoon and that is the problem. You were not thirty something when you used to sit in front of the T.V. before or after school watching TMNT. The things we loved as a kid sometimes are considered annoying when we are adulting. So for anyone who wanted to see the cartoons they remember brought to life, be careful what you wish for. 

X-Men: Apocalyptically Average

 X-men: Days of Future Past gave fans of the franchise hope that it was taking steps in the right direction. Fox has had control of this lucrative property for some time and have left comic fans angry at the way some of the characters have been portrayed. Brian Singer is once again in charge and after the last installment, things were looking up. I don't want to get off on the wrong foot. This is not a bad movie, but there are people who would like to see it fail. There are a group of fans that want to see Fox fail so that they do what Sony did with Spider-Man. Give control of the character back to Marvel.

 The X-men don't exist. They run a school for the gifted and after the events of 1973, are living a rather quiet existence. Mysitque (Jennifer Lawrence) is searching the world and saving mutants from persecution. When an old friend discovers the worlds first mutant and his extinction level plan unfolds, the mutants must stand against their greatest foe. Apocalypse.

    The titular villain is a comic fan favorite. He was the victim of several Power Ranger jokes, referenced by the photo above. He is a tough villain to do even with today's technology. He is not Ivan Ooze and Oscar Isaac does really well with him. He was very commanding and was fun to watch. I liked how his story began, but wasn't thrilled with the way it ended. He definitely looked better on screen than in the trailers.

  X-men: Apocalypse doesn't reset the table. It tries, but falls short on that front. It does a great job of connecting back to X-Men: First Class, but it is too much of the same thing. Let Magneto be the bad guy and stop trying to redeem him all of the time. Magneto is a great character, but they can't get beyond his bitterness and making him good in the end.

  The movie does change things up a bit. Sophie Turner is really good as a young Jean Grey, but it is tough to not see Sansa Stark from Game Of Thrones. The recast of Cyclops and Nightcrawler also works well. One has to assume that they have officially erased the events of X-Men and X2.  Andrea Shipp plays a good Storm, but her story is a bit too predictable. The problem with this whole movie is it's predictability. It suffers from, "been there done that." I will say for the people that groaned about the all black costumes, the work in the context of the film.

  The film does a great job of quietly erasing X-Men Origins: Wolverine. We see enough to figure out what happened after the end of the last movie when Stryker takes him. Hugh Jackman's cameo will be fun for comic fans. They got closer to Logan this time. The problem is that as much fun as it is to watch, it was just not needed. The whole segment was 30 minutes that could have been omitted. This movie's biggest flaw is waste.

  Civil War has a lot of characters and none of them are wasted. X-Men: Apocalypse wastes a lot of characters. Psylocke deserved better than she gets here. Jubilee was also a complete waste of time and I don't know what they were doing with Caliban. The biggest waste is unfortunately once again Angel. Warren Worthington is a great character. His origins are not touched on. He starts off looking cool, but gets left wasted as one of Apocalypse minions. This is another character that deserves so much better than he gets. Fox is notorious for dumping cool characters into these movies and under developing them. Days of Future Past being a little bit of an exception.

   Quicksilver again steals the show. He is the one character that Fox is doing better than Marvel. We get teased with the encounter we were hoping for, but it doesn't come to pass. The film doesn't need it. X-Men: Apocalypse is not bad. It is just not exceptional. It is entertaining enough, but it just doesn't get you fired up the way Days of Future Past did.  I feel like it tried to do too much. Singer seems to be trying to make up for too many of the franchise's mistakes in one film. It is visually cool and if you get a chance, see it in a theater with recliners and XD. It's a little too long and it certainly isn't something new, but it is far from a failure. I can even appreciate the shot it takes at X-Men: Last Stand. That one was so bad, it deserves all the negatives. In the end, it's no Civil War but is better than Batman V. Superman.