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8/10
A fun, enjoyable action flick
4 December 2011
I attended a VIP screening of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol last night at the Darling Harbor IMAX Theater in Sydney, Australia. Before the movie started, there was an introduction by Director Brad Bird, and by actor Simon Pegg where they shared how much they enjoyed making the film and shooting scenes in the IMAX format.

I won't get into the story too much as I don't want to ruin it for anyone, but the basic plot is that the Kremlin in Russia is bombed by a terrorist group and IMF is framed for it. Because of these actions, the president decides to activate Operation Ghost Protocol, which essentially means that the entire IMF organisation is disavowed, meaning Ethan and his team are on their own, and like the tagline says "No Plan, No Backup, No Choice".

The story I found to be quite solid. Nothing groundbreaking but enough to keep the interest of your average movie-goer.

The performances were generally good all around. Simon Pegg was enjoyable as Benji and Tom Cruise is always great as Ethan Hunt. Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton also gave some great performances.

The action sequences are where the film really shines. Not all scenes were great, I thought the bombing of the Kremlin used some very fake looking CGI which made it more humorous then intense. Also, some scenes seemed a little too far-fetched and made me think that Tom Cruise must be made of steel or something. But if you try not to look into this too much, then chances are you will enjoy the action. The fight scenes were done very well, incredibly brutal and realistic looking. The sound for this film really helped as you could almost feel every punch and kick as well as the explosions. The greatest scene for me was Ethan climbing the hotel in Dubai, the worlds most tallest building. Shot in IMAX as well, I almost felt like I was right there next to Ethan looking down from above. Huge credit goes to Tom Cruise for performing this stunt himself!

Overall, I found the film very enjoyable. I enjoyed it a lot more than the 2nd and 3rd entries, but the 1st has always been the best one for me. I would have given this a perfect 10 but it loses 2 points for the some of the action scenes being a bit silly and unrealistic.
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Saw 3D (2010)
1/10
Worst Saw Film Ever
29 October 2010
Warning: Spoilers
If I could give this a rating of 0, I easily would. This was without a doubt the worst Saw film I have ever seen.

I've been a fan of the Saw films since the start and while i think they should have ended it at the first, I've still managed to catch each one, each year, to see what kind of new ideas they have brought to the franchise.

Unfortunately the ideas brought to this one were terrible.

The trap in the opening scene was just ridiculous, a girl should die since she was been two-timing her boyfriend with some other guy. So they have a choice, the guys can kill each other or kill the girl. These are the kind of ideas that just require no thought or imagination whatsoever.

Then, we are introduced to Bobby who was a survivor of a trap, yet we soon uncover that he was actually not in one of Jigsaws traps at all. He was merely trying to cash in on fame, by proclaiming he was one. Since the audience is introduced to this before Bobby must endure his test, we really don't feel anything for his character. As I was watching, I thought, I hope he fails and he is killed because it's awful to lie about that, simply to get yourself rich. But alas, he did not die! And at the end of it, I don't think he learned anything from his "game". Come to think of it, we never even see what happens to him. Instead we are brought to this.....

Dr Gordon has returned! Wow what a surprise! Ugh, no not really. It was obvious that the producers were going to bring him back when realizing this would be the last Saw film and that they would want to make it as huge as possible. Unfortunately, the moment I saw him, I immediately knew how the movie would end with him being involved. How did I know? Because most fans wanted that. It seems that the writers didn't have any ideas so they thought they would browse the forums, jot down the whole "Gordon being involved theory" and end the film that way. While I have no issue with giving the fans what they want, that only appeals to some movies. It just didn't work for this movie. I don't like watching a movie and knowing how it will end. The whole point of Saw was to catch you by surprise with its ending but i was not surprised in the slightest bit. If anything, it just left it open for a future sequel.

The acting in this film was also atrocious. The actor who played Gibson was awful, I laughed as he tried to pass himself off as serious. The other's were pretty much as average as always. Tobin Bell in my opinion is always the best actor in the Saw franchise. Was a shame we only saw him in 2 scenes though.

Also as usual with these sequels, each one tries to outdo the last with it's level of blood and gore. This one was no exception. Except, this time, we have the opportunity to witness it in 3D. The 3D was pretty poor to be honest, was way too gimmicky and just involved chunks of bone and flesh fly at you. One thing that really bothered me was just how over-the-top the violence was. Particularly when Bobby is removing his teeth and blood is literally gushing out of his mouth like a waterfall. While most Saw films to this point have been over-the-top, this was just plain stupid.

So to conclude, I did not enjoy this film at all and felt very disappointed once the credits rolled. For the final film, I expected it to be a huge surprise that would end the franchise on a high note. But it turned out to just be a lazily made film with a horrid ending. Hopefully this truly is the last Saw film because I will definitely not be going to see another after what they did to this one.
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Saw VI (2009)
8/10
Huge improvement
23 October 2009
I didn't really enjoy Saw V. I found it had too many flashbacks and the movie itself just felt like an excuse to make another Saw film.

However, Saw VI was a huge improvement over the last. The story was more interesting and the twists and turns were quite intriguing. One little problem i have with this film is that they went way too overboard with the blood and gore in this one, but i suppose that nowadays, thats what the Saw films are all about, which is a shame, considering the first film started off as a psychological thriller.

Apart from that, the film was quite enjoyable and there's definitely some little secrets that they will be able to use for more sequels. Bring on Saw VII i say!
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Saw IV (2007)
6/10
Not near as perfect as the earlier films
24 October 2007
I just came home from seeing an advance screening of Saw 4. I must say i was rather disappointed.

Im a huge fan of the Saw films, but this just really didn't wow me like the others did. I wont spoil anything for you but what i can tell you is that you can expect some new traps, rather gruesome in my opinion.

The traps were the only thing that really kept me watching, that and the story which kept you interested, until you get to the end and you think to yourself, "What the hell?".

Overall, by all means check the movie out, its worth the watch, however i feel i probably need to view it again because i feel i have missed something. Also the film just felt very rushed.
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10/10
Hostel ain't got nothing on this
17 November 2006
Yes its true. I wasn't exactly a fan of Hostel though i would admit some of the scenes were quite disturbing, especially for a horror movie these days. All that changed when i watched, TCM: The Beginning. I have seen some gory and violent movies, but nothing matched up to this.

If you want gore, then you've come to the right place. There were scenes where i said to myself "Nah they wont show that" but boy was i wrong! This film is everything it should be. Intense and horrific. In this film, Leatherface looks very terrifying, much more terrifying than the original or remake versions. Also, R.Lee.Ermey really takes the show as Sheriff Hoyt, he's performance is nail-biting as he shows what a true psychopath he can be.

All in all, were there any negative things about this movie? Well some scenes maybe could do without but other than that, sit back, relax (Unlikely) and enjoy the madness and macabre that is the Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.
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Cruel World (2005)
1/10
Complete Rubbish
18 March 2006
Warning: Spoilers
What can i say positive about this movie? Absolutely nothing. Acting was completely crap, storyline was completely crap. The only good acting probably came from Edward Furlong which was slightly believable as a psychopath, but other than that this movie was the biggest waste of 90 mins I've ever seen. It is violent, though nothing u wouldn't have already seen watching The Devils Rejects, which beats this movie by very far. SPOILER: Some of the violence in this movie was actually laughable, in a sick kinda way, when the blonde cowboy kid runs towards the fence, gets electrocuted and ends up flying right off it, looked almost comical. Agree with me you may not, but one things for sure, this movie absolutely sucked.
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