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JantheMan3
Reviews
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
Quit yer snivlin'
There have been many complaints about this flick that are just plain ridiculous. The aspect most often whined about is the title: 'Attack of the Clones' being cheesy. I actually thought that was a good sign when I heard the title. There was another Star Wars movie made in 1980 with an equally cheesy title: 'The Empire Strikes Back'. Please, don't even attempt to philosophize that the EP. 5 title is superior. People have also criticized the romance between Amidala and Anakin as being unbelievable. There is no one alive who can say with a straight face that the God awful romance development between Han Solo and Princess Leia was any more convincing. And the dry delivery of lines? Anyone remember, "scruffy looking nerf herder!" The point is, all those elements are essential ingredients to a Star Wars flick. They were part of the original trilogy, and they are a part of AOTC. This movie is the best since EP. 5. Period.
What? The unnecessary silliness with 3PO in the end? Anyone remember the line: "Slow down, you wooly!"?
Resident Evil (2002)
That's it? Are you sure you finished it?
Just when I'm getting immersed in the story, the movie is over! "Resident Evil" easily holds the title for the best "video game movie" (which isn't hard to do). Apparently, Paul Anderson didn't ignore what video game fans didn't like about the movie version of "Mortal Kombat". But he basically took a crappy script for RE and modified it to be coherent with the video game storyline. He did a decent job, but RE still can only be considered "good, for a video game movie". One negative aspect is that many of the plot elements that were developed over the span of four video games (over 12 hours of game time) are quickly introduced in the movie. The buildup becomes too redundant for RE fans, and too confusing and slow for newcomers. Alice, the main character, is never developed enough for us to really have any reason to care about her. There are glimpses about who she is that build interest, but are not explored enough. In the games, the characters always still had a mystery that was not explained at the end, but the character was developed enough that the player felt they knew the character. Unfortunately, this isn't the case with the movie. The music also wasn't as effective as the music in the games (especially RE2).
On the plus side, the movie does do some things the games never did. The movie made me more truly feel the terror of seeing a person eaten alive by zombies (this is a great zombie flick). The movie also has many references to the games, and begins to explain some parts of the existing plot. This is the first video game movie that at least looks like its makers have actually taken the time to play the video game. But the most exciting part is the end! Just when it's getting really good, it's over. It's like it's only Disc 1 of the movie. There had better be a sequel, or this movie will end up being just another "video game movie". As long as Capcom doesn't decide to contradict the storyline with future games, and the new script follows from this movie, the sequel will make this movie better, and it will be a sweet movie itself.
Zorro (1990)
Awesome version of the story
I loved this version of the Zorro story. It was such a shame that the show ended right when it was reaching a climax. Don Diego was about to reveal to his father and Victoria Escelante that he was Zorro. The episode in the last season where his lost brother discovered his identity was awesome. This series, unfortunately, was cancelled without a desperately needed resolution. I really wish they at least would do a reunion movie to tie up he loose ends, but unfortunately, it will never happen.
Saved by the Bell: The College Years (1993)
This show deserved another chance...
I liked this show. "Saved By The Bell" had a hard time with the transition from daytime to prime time, but this show was a lot better than the original series. It was so far out there, but that's what made it great. I wish it lasted longer than it did.
Manhunter (1986)
Not a bad interpretation of the book
"Red Dragon" is about twice as long of a book than "Silence of the Lambs", and squashing it into a two hour movie would have been nearly impossible. The characters are portrayed pretty well by the actors, and I feel Brian Cox fills the role of Lecter perfectly as it was described in "Red Dragon". Lecter is a little different in this story. The main flaw of this movie is that it left out the background information and motivation for Dolarhyde's actions. The whole significance of the Red Dragon has been removed, which also may be a reason for changing the title. Also, for some unknown reason, the makers of this movie decided to change the spellings of many of the charater's names. As for the new ending; I feel it was an improvement. The ending to "Red Dragon" was a total letdown, and Michael Mann rightly decided to make it end the way it should have. This was also a good decision for "Hannibal". Overall, I dig this movie...
Wild Bill (1995)
A disappointment
I was excited when this film was first announced, because I've always been fascinated with the character of Wild Bill Hickok. But the movie is a disaster. It is presented as a historical account of Hickok's life, and it is completely inaccurate. I can see embellishing the truth a bit for a movie, but it was just done totally wrong in this movie. The only good thing about it is that Jeff Bridges looked almost exactly like the real Wild Bill...
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
Good for a video-game adaption
This is probably the best movie adaption of a video game yet. The movie is well-done for the most part. The bad parts are the boring plot-building sequences and some of the cheesy CGI effects in certain scenes. While I am not a fan of Angelina Jolie, I must admit she did a great job in this role. I need to play the video games now to see how close they kept this movie to the original idea. The main problem I had was Jolie's obviously enhanced breasts. Weird shapes protruded from her shirts in scenes, and sometimes, her breasts would be absurdly lopsided. When portraying Lara Croft, I firmly believe this is an area that deserves perfection... Other than that, a pretty decent video game adaption.
Highlander: Endgame (2000)
Not for series fans, not for movie fans, not for new fans...
Here is the problem with Endgame: It isn't a sequel to the original Highlander or the series. Basically, fans have to recall some of what they've seen before, but forget other parts of it. The biggest problem is that the movie is set in the present, so we have to forget that Connor won the Prize in HL1 (which was pretty much the whole point of that movie...). It also contradicts things we've learned from the series. The only way they could have seemlessly combined these different universes (connected only by the fact that Connor and Duncan are related) was by setting the whole story before the 20th century. If they really felt they couldn't make a Highlander movie without setting it in the present, then they shouldn't have even had Connor in it. Plus the writers completely changed Connor's character to make him more despaired, and less capable than he was in the original film. While the movie is enjoyble, it's not a continuation of anything. "Highlander: The Final Dimension" is the closest thing we'll get for a sequel to "Highlander". It's better than "Endgame"...
If you want to look at how Endgame should have been done, pick up Jason Henderson's book "The Element of Fire". This is an adventure featuring both Highlanders over the centuries. It is written in a way that it doesn't contradict either plotline (movie vs. series) and will be enjoyable to ALL Highlander fans. Not just fans who like HL1, but like to forget the end of it, fans who like to forget the first episode of the series, etc...
Highlander (1992)
Duncan is not as cool as Connor
This was a great show to get into if you never saw the original movie. The series acknowledges the events from the movie and makes them insignificant. The show is entertaining, but Adrian Paul was never as convincing ad Christopher Lambert when playing a centuries old immortal. The series was made from a romantic standpoint, while the movie had a much darker view of the concept of immortality. It depends on which viewpoint appeals more to you. To enjoy both, one really must view the movie and the series as their own separate stories...
Highlander III: The Sorcerer (1994)
Better than Highlander 2
This sequel has one thing going for it: It is a sequel to the original Highlander that doesn't expect the viewer to forget the significance of the original story. The original script was by Brad Mirman, and it was ten times better. He still received credit for the story, but it was severely butchered. The final sword fight is great, and it's good to see Connor in action. The only thing is that a lot of it is revamped versions of scenes from the original, and the soundtrack is severely lacking.