Reviews

This review contains spoilers.

Voyagers is a science-fiction thriller movie that premiered in 2021. The movie is about a crew tasked with a multigenerational mission that seeks an inhabitable planet. The crew are composed of children brought up in an isolated environment. As the children age, they grapple with new problems in their environment.

Voyagers is a competently constructed movie production wise. This movie has sets and uniforms that are believable. The audience will believe that the cast is in space with new technology. The set also reflects the cramped and claustrophobic nature of the spaceship. The set design, and costume design are easily the best part of the movie.

The movie falters in almost every other way. The plot becomes like an adaptation of Lord of the Flies but with worse motivations. The ending is clearly influenced by Lord of the Flies. The split between the two boys happens almost exactly like it was in Lord of the Flies. The movie did not have anything substantial to comment or say about the mission. In fact, it had ample material to analyze. This is a movie that wanted to be deep, but instead became a young cast playground.

The way that the entire mission deteriorates is laughable. The crew members stop taking a drug and from there, they begin feeling emotion. The unbelievable turn is that the boys begin harassing other crew members and they all remove their medication. The chief, an older man, knows that the boys have stopped their medication but continues to try and fix a risky component. The movie became laughable as each scene unfolded and this had to be seen to be believed.

I would not recommend "Voyagers".

Grade: D.

This review contains spoilers.

America: The Motion Picture is a 2021 comedy animation that premiered on Netflix. The movie tells the fictional story of the founding of the United States. Many prominent citizens of the United States are featured in the founding as they help to overthrow British rule.

America: The Motion Picture is a messy movie. This movie is absolutely not a historically accurate movie. From the first opening scene, the movie makes Benedict Arnold to be the true villain in the American Revolution. The movie's script also makes Benedict Arnold a werewolf that can transform at will. Additionally, many of the founding fathers are killed by Benedict Arnold's scheme. The movie makes Benedict Arnold to be a mastermind that nearly thwarted the American Revolution. This is not a movie meant for learning anything historical about the American Revolution.

The jokes in America: The Motion Picture are hit-and-miss. There are some funny jokes but the majority are missed as the movie is not firmly grounded. The movie will throw ridiculous situations onto the audience in order to get a laugh. This made the entire movie poorly paced as the movie seemingly chose to escalate the insanity with every passing scene. For instance, the British seek to crush the rebellion by making every American British by dropping tea on them. Benedict Arnold kills the king to cement himself as the true villain. The movie made no sense even in its own internal logic. This felt like a movie meant to be watched on its clips and not as a whole.

I would not recommend "America: The Motion Picture".

Grade: D.

This review contains spoilers.

Willy's Wonderland is a 2021 comedy action horror movie. The movie stars Nicolas Cage as a quiet drifter that is convinced to clean up a family entertainment building. Secretly the family entertainment building is occupied by homicidal animatronic machines.

Willy's Wonderland is a movie that centers around the drifter played by Nicolas Cage. He is the audience's action man that destroys the homicidal animatronics and cleans up the family entertainment center. Nicolas Cage is entirely mute for the entire movie. He does not communicate to any of the other characters other than to grunt or nod. Nicolas Cage is here to destroy the animatronics in fun and creative action scenes. In addition to providing a character for audiences to enjoy his breaks.

The other characters in this movie only serve to be killed by the animatronics. With the exception of Liv, the other characters conduct stupid actions that the audience can see why they perish. The audience collectively cringes as these characters are on the screen and the animatronics lurk in the background. These characters do incredibly dumb things such as wanting to leave Willy's Wonderland but then later having sex inside the dangerous building. This action made no sense. Another character chooses to believe one of the animatronics that is trying to lure him out. These characters talked about the evil animatronics, but then they would put themselves in danger. If the movie's goal was to use the characters as comedy then the movie has somewhat succeeded as these scenes are ridiculous.

The animatronics in the movie are solid. These animatronics are a blend of creepiness and intimidation as they move and attack. They move with a robotic-ness that the audience would expect from an animatronic. Each of the animatronics also have unique designs that are creative to see. However, their story does not make sense. The movie made it seem that the animatronics were immortal as the town would sacrifice people to them. Later one of the owners of Willy's Wonderland and person that brokered the deal were happy that he saw the animatronics dead. The implication being that they could have destroyed the animatronics at any time.

I would recommend "Willy's Wonderland", this is a solid movie with a fun theme.

Grade: B.

This review contains spoilers.

Godzilla vs. Kong is a 2021 monster action movie. The movie premiered in theaters and on HBO Max. The movie follows up on Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Godzilla has killed or dominated the other titans leaving Kong as the last one. The movie chronicles the conflict between Godzilla vs. Kong.

Godzilla vs. Kong is a spectacle movie. The movie absolutely is all about the spectacle that the audience sees. This movie does this well and the audience sees action scenes with the two titans explode vibrantly on the screen. Any action scene with these two titans is pretty to watch and forms the basis for the reason to watch Godzilla vs. Kong. The action is incredible from solo Godzilla moments to solo Kong moments. The computer generated imagery does not disappoint in this regard. The movie has explanations for the action, but the audience knows that this is not the reason for the movie's existence.

The story and human characters in this movie are paper thin. The human characters are an excuse for the titans to fight. One of the more ludicrous scenes in the movie is Kong being placed on a freight ship and moved with a heavy naval escort. The naval escort includes aircraft carriers, and destroyers. The idea that a nation would be willing to escort Kong with aircraft carriers is ludicrous. However this does not stop the movie from being fun and entertaining. One has to accept ridiculous situations and commitments from the human characters. There is a requirement of the audience to accept that the destruction is there for eye candy.

The human characters are paper thin and they only contribute to the plot by uncovering more action scenes. It was nice to see the characters from the earlier monsterverse movies return in this movie. However, the characters do not undergo any significant character arcs.

I would recommend "Godzilla vs. Kong", audiences should know they are entering into the movie for the action.

Grade: B.

This review contains spoilers.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a monster movie that premiered in 2019. The movie is directed by Michael Dougherty, and is based on the monsters written by Toho. The movie stars Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, and Millie Bobby Brown. The movie takes place after Godzilla 2014 and the public is aware of the organization known as Monarch that tracked the titans. The world has rebuilt but is still adjusting to the world of monsters. An ancient monster awakens resulting in a conflict with the titans.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a well-directed and shot movie. The movie's editing and shots maximize the action that is seen in this movie. The 2014 Godzilla movie was often criticized for not featuring Godzilla enough. In this movie Godzilla is in the movie much more than in the 2014 movie. This movie features Godzilla a lot and Godzilla is a focal point in both the story and as a character. There is not a character arc that Godzilla embarks on. Godzilla is instead meant to overcome his greatest threat in King Ghidorah. The movie's designs of all the monsters are awesome and they really come to life in the computer generated imagery. This is the movie's greatest asset when it features massive battles between the titans. The audience feels like they are in the midst of titans duking it out in a city.

The production and sets in this movie are top notch. It felt like a maelstrom of chaos and destruction that was carried over from the first Godzilla movie in the monsterverse. The action by the human military and even the monsters are fun to watch. They are awe inspiring in small doses.

The story in this movie leaves much to be desired. The movie is centered around Madison Russell played by Millie Bobby Brown. The character goes from siding with her mother in Dr. Emma Russell played by Vera Farmiga to helping her father, Dr. Mark Russell played by Kyle Chandler. This was not an immersing story as the two parents simply have different opinions about the titans. It was strange to see Dr. Emma Russell deciding to aid the eco-terrorists in causing an apocalypse to happen. This did not make much sense as Dr. Emma Russell could have utilized the more appropriate revenge angle in awaking King Ghidorah to destroy Godzilla. Dr. Mark Russell on the other hand feels like he only exists in the story rather than actually playing an important part. The story suffered from the same problems as Godzilla 1998 in that it focused too much on the human characters. The story kept finding ridiculous ways for the human characters to be involved.

The movie serves as the third movie in Legendary's monsterverse. Although Godzilla 2014 and Godzilla: King of the Monsters does not feel the same, the story can get old. It appeals to audiences that enjoy watching destruction but outside of this there are no important story beats and characters experienced. This movie kills off the characters that it established in Godzilla 2014. The Dr. Vivienne Graham played by Sally Hawkins and Dr. Ishiro Serizawa played by Ken Watanabe are killed off in this movie. It was incredibly disappointing watching the way these characters died as it was forced to happen by the writing.

I would recommend Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

Grade: C.

This review contains spoilers.

Kong: Skull Island is a monster movie centered around a mysterious island housing a monstrous sized ape. The movie opens with a dogfight during the second World War as the pair discover the mysterious Skull Island. Eventually at the end of the Vietnam War, an expedition is dispatched to find Kong and Skull Island.

Kong: Skull Island is a spectacle movie. The movie focuses on human characters however it is the spectacle of seeing Kong and the monsters of Skull Island that the movie excels at. The movie's fast pacing is a testament to the rush towards spectacle and characters are present to offer background to the monsters. This approach to moviemaking has its merits but the audience should know the movie is about the monsters and not the human characters.

The human characters are the weakest part of the movie. Colonel Packard is the military character played by Samuel L. Jackson. He has the most character and it can be emphasized as obsessed with killing Kong. He does not grow much as a character and although he is fun to watch, he is a paper thin character. The civilians fare slightly better with the group encountering the Iwi natives and Marlow, a downed World War Two pilot. The characters appear to grow but do not complete a story arc. The character of San seemed to play a large role however by the end of the movie she did not have any important role. The movie feels like a large amount of bloat was added.

The action in Kong: Skull Island is entertaining and impressive to watch. The start of the movie began roughly with terrible computer generated imagery. However the helicopter scene when Kong encounters the fleet of Hueys is so fun to watch. This gets better as the movie has the characters encountering monsters of Skull Island. These monsters are intimidating and frightful. These are easily the best parts of Kong: Skull Island.

I would recommend "Kong: Skull Island".

Grade: B.

This review contains spoilers.

Godzilla is a 2014 monster movie that is directed by Gareth Edwards. The movie's screenplay is by Max Borenstein, and the story is written by David Callaham. The movie stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Bryan Cranston, and Elizabeth Olsen. A nuclear power plant suffers a catastrophic failure leading to several deaths in the power plant staff. A father and his son investigate and discover evidence of titanic monsters.

Godzilla is a movie that one watches for the spectacle. The spectacle here is impressive to watch with every scene having an epic feeling. The movie is shot incredibly well. The only disadvantage to the movie is it may appear too dark. This was not a problem for me as the movie wanted to have an apocalyptic feeling. The CGI and effects still hold up even in the overly dark cinematography of the movie. Godzilla and the MUTOs are impressive to watch and they cause many grand scenes to appear. Even the introduction of the military in observing the creatures is incredibly well done.

What separates this Godzilla movie from the 1998 Godzilla movie that was directed by Roland Emmerich is that this one focuses more on the human characters. The human characters have more important roles in this movie as they serve as gateways to the monsters and the audience's connection to them. Surprisingly they even help Godzilla deal with the threat of the MUTOs. It was important for the human characters to exist and they offer good characterization. Bryan Cranston delivers a great performance in this movie along with Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Elizabeth Olsen. The characters do not have deep characterization but they have enough to make the movie enjoyable.

The sound in this movie is awe-inspiring. Every military vehicle has a great distinct sound. The monsters are also impressive to hear. This movie is best enjoyed with a grand sound system as the movie wants to immerse the audience in a great auditory experience.

I would recommend Godzilla.

Grade: B.

This review contains spoilers.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is a stand-alone movie that tells the story of Han Solo before Star Wars: A New Hope. The story begins with Han Solo having a criminal career at Corellia and follows his famous Kessel run in the Millenium Falcon. Along the way, familiar faces of Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian become involved in the story.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is a generic movie. The story has a great setting and interesting characters. It was great to see a Star Wars story that did not have Jedis, the Force, or lightsabers. The story here concerns criminals and the Star Wars setting. This is a refreshing take on Star Wars as the criminal setting was never explored thoroughly before. I enjoyed this part of the story. The story did feel like it was restrained by the requirement that it had to follow Han Solo. The story had to tell the history of Han that was mentioned in the Star Wars original trilogy. If the story was not about Han Solo and it was instead about new criminal characters, the story could have been more creative and unpredictable.

The story had to make callbacks to the original trilogy and it could have been better telling an all new story. For example, a reveal with Qi'ra and Darth Maul at the end was cool, but it felt hollow as it seemed nothing could be followed up. This seemed like a reveal only to make a call to the prequel trilogy rather than trying to make a new legacy. The movie also felt too dark in its cinematography which detracted from its images and scenes.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is an acceptable chapter in the Star Wars franchise. Do not go into this movie expecting something unpredictable or creative.

Grade: C.

This review contains spoilers.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a science-fiction space opera movie set in the Star Wars universe. The movie takes place before Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. The movie is about a rag-tag group that takes on the Empire to steal the plans for the Death Star. The movie is directed by Gareth Edwards and stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, and Donnie Yen.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the different Star Wars movie from the rest of the Star Wars movie catalog. The movie is a focused story on the Death Star plans. The movie frequently has cameos of villains in the chronologically later movies. Among these are Empire officer Grand Moff Tarkin and Darth Vader. These cameos strangely take precedence over the story that Rogue One wants to tell. This is one of the detractions from the movie that prevents it from being able to stand alone.

The action scenes are the best aspect of this movie. It is visceral in the minute details and epic in the scope. The effects and setup for these action scenes were the best in the entire Star Wars series. This movie had solid effects, solid action setup, solid choreography, and solid story to explain these action scenes. The audience truly feels the scale of the Rebellions battles against the Empire in this movie. Gareth Edwards does a great job with presenting the situations that the protagonists find themselves in.

The fault with Rogue One is its plot and story. The plot and story are present here to provide the action scenes instead of the other way around. The action scenes are the driving force in this movie and plot and story are merely vehicles. This goes doubly so for the characters involved in this movie. There is simply not much to characterize them other than they want vengeance against the Empire. Each of the characters has different flavors of this vengeance, but ultimately they are all the same. One good aspect of this is that each of the characters do have distinctive traits about them. All of them are played decently as best they could have been. A distinction needs to be made for Forrest Whittaker's character of Saw Gerrera. The character felt like it should have been important, but was relegated to small roles in this movie. More fault is directed at the script rather than the actor as there was not much to work with.

Despite the story problems, I would recommend "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story".

Grade: C.

This review contains spoilers.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is the third installment in the Star Wars sequel trilogy that began with Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The movie is directed by J. J. Abrams, with the story being written by Derek Connolly, Colin Trevorrow, J. J. Abrams, and Chris Terrio. The movie stars Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker takes place a few months after the conclusion of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The resistance discovers the threat of a revived Emperor Palpatine and a doom armada of Star Destroyers. The resistance stages one last stand against the rising threat of Palpatine.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is not a good movie both as a movie itself and as a conclusion to a trilogy. The movie has many problems that are exacerbated by the story. The plot of the movie moves at a break-neck pace. Although the movie has 142 minutes of running time, the movie feels like it is covering so much material that it can easily be split into two movies. In addition the plot elements are not done tastefully or well. The plot elements are thrown in for the audience to consume rather than consider and enjoy.

The movie immediately starts with a resurrected Palpatine being discovered by Kylo Ren. The meeting of these two would be a pivotal moment in Kylo Ren's story as he meets the man that corrupted Anakin Skywalker to the dark side. Instead the movie glosses over it immediately and continues. It is then revealed that Snoke, who had converted Ben Solo to the dark side was created by Palpatine. These reveals added nothing to the overall trilogy when it should have. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker began the movie with these plot elements and the rest of the movie does not get much better. The movie gets more contrived as the story attempts to tie everything together for one last installment.

The movie's good attribute is its good sound, set design, and effects. The Rise of Skywalker succeeds in maintaining the level of quality that both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi have. The actors and actresses all do an appreciable job in their roles. None of the actors have a standout performance but there are no weak performances.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a movie that really shows how the sequel trilogy is inferior to the original trilogy and prequel trilogy. The sequel trilogy failed to impress the audience because it did not have a plan for the entire trilogy. Although the prequel trilogy had bad dialogue and a messy plot, the prequel trilogy had a single writer that was able to merge the ideas together. The narrative was cohesive and it showed how a trilogy could be created. The original trilogy had a longer time between releases and the writing was considerate of the characters and the story they wanted to tell. The sequel trilogy does not have this aspect and it failed to deliver a cohesive narrative. The sequel trilogy frequently pulled the audience in multiple directions only for the unique aspects of the sequel trilogy to be written away.

I would not recommend 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'. The conclusion to the trilogy is a messy installment that highlights problems with the sequel trilogy.

Grade: D.

This review contains spoilers.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is sequel to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The movie is directed by Rian Johnson and stars the main cast from The Force Awakens. In this movie, we see Rey finally meet Luke Skywalker as the threat of the First Order looms over the galaxy.

This movie is riddled with problems. Long time fans of the series will be disappointed by the writing and dialogue choices of this movie. Luke Skywalker's character is handled poorly. A classic hero that undertook a suicide mission to redeem his father now chooses to kill Ben Solo, a force sensitive when he senses evil. This plot point was too much of a stretch without establishing character changes in Luke beforehand. Without any establishing character moments, Luke Skywalker is a separate character than when the audience had seen them. By completely changing the character, the writers had butchered audience emotion into Luke Skywalker. From the first time that the audience sees Luke, they see him as a Jedi that willfully disregards his past. This is a stretch from Luke Skywalker of the original trilogy where he was always willing to face his past and himself despite overwhelming odds. I do not understand why the writers thought that Luke should be changed to be this miserable husk of a Jedi master.

Along with this, the movie disregarded hints that Ben Solo turned to the dark side as a teenager then destroyed Luke's temple. A plot hint that was established in The Force Awakens. The entire knights of Ren story arc is removed or ignored by this movie. It felt as if the entire movie wanted to disregard the arcs that were setup in the previous movie, The Force Awakens.

The movie pulls the audience in many directions with its humor. With many scenes that should not be light hearted but it is. One of these scenes takes place in a casino with Finn and Rose. These characters nearly face death but continue to joke around. The movie opens with this tone with Poe Dameron talking to Hux in a humorous exchange.

Another mis-step is Leia's apparent death. The movie has Leia survive a direct hit on the bridge resulting in her and the rest of the crew's deaths. Somehow through the force, Leia is somehow able to survive. Leia survives by using the force and moving to the rebel ship. Leia never showed any Force powers up until this point and the movie decided to go in a completely crazy direction to save the character. The movie does these side-steps that make the plot appear to be pulled in may directions when the plot is in fact simplistic.

Any audiences looking for a big reveal with Snoke will be disappointed here. Snoke is killed off in a pointless manner to have Kylo Ren "bury the past". I do not understand why this was done as the mystery of Snoke was one of the more interesting parts of The Force Awakens.

The positives of this movie are competent directing, good acting, and great action. The writing drags the movie down and will cause long time fans to dislike it.

I would only recommend this movie to audiences that are not invested into the backstory of the series. Standing alone, the movie is acceptable. Overall I do not recommend Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi.

Grade: D.

This review contains spoilers.

Star Wars Episode VII - The Force Awakens is the sequel to Star Wars Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. The Force Awakens is the first entry to the Star Wars sequel trilogy. The movie is directed by J. J. Abrams and written by Lawrence Kasdan, J. J. Abrams, and Michael Arndt. The movie has Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, and Peter Mayhew reprising their roles of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, C-3PO, and Chewbacca respectively. The new cast is composed of Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn, and Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron. The story follows the rise of the First Order as they seek a missing Luke Skywalker.

The Force Awakens is a rehash of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. The plot and story structure is incredibly similar. Both movies start with a droid having an important object that wanters and encounters the character that will become a Jedi. The villains build a superweapon that destroys a planet. The movie ends with the characters destroying the superweapon. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens played it too safe. There is not much originality in this Star Wars episode. I am hard pressed to think of what story or plot that this movie does differently. The only things that are different are its environment, characters, and technology.

The environment looks the same and is named differently. Jakku and Tatooine function the same way with regards to its plot. Likewise, the movie explored different planets that are pretty to look at but are vapid. The characters in this movie are different. The highlight here is John Boyega as Finn. I enjoyed his character arc where he goes from a First Order trooper to a Resistance fighter. Poe Dameron does not get as much screen time but he does well in the movie. Daisy Ridley as Rey is the star in this movie and she does well in her role. What is not good is Rey as a character.

Rey is a bland character. I had hoped there would be more of a character arc with her, but this mostly involves her use of Force powers instead of interesting character interactions. The only good character interactions she had is with Han Solo. Even with her interaction it was all to show how adept she is at every skill she employs. This is the main difference and why I thought Finn is a better character. He had his shortcomings but still had a conflict. By the end of the movie, he had tried overcoming them and had more involved character interactions across the movie.

Even with the flaws above, the movie does a good job with everything else. The movie uses its action and effects well. Every action moment plays an important event in the story. The action is also well-shot and directed. J. J. Abrams can make an exciting science-fiction movie. The main scene that is well done is the X-Wing fight on Takodana.

Overall, I would recommend Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens

Grade: B.

This review contains spoilers.

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith premiered in 2005. The movie is the sequel to Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and marks the last chapter to the Star Wars prequel trilogy. The Clone Wars have begun with the Republic fighting against the separatists. Once again the movie follows Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padme Amidala, and Palpatine as the Sith strike backs against the Jedi. The movie is directed and written by George Lucas.

The third chapter to the prequel trilogy is an improvement compared with the first two movie installments. This movie does not have as many of the pointless story arcs that seemed to drone on and on. What is still here is the stunted and stilted dialogue. All of the characters in this movie suffer from this. At times it is hard and cringe-worthy to experience. At other times the dialogue is unintentionally hilarious. There is a scene at the end of the movie when Darth Vader receives his trademark suit from the original trilogy. The scene where the emperor and Vader and talk is ridiculously silly. I thought that this was a comedy movie with how funny the dialogue is.

The plot is much improved and more enjoyable this time. As said the story is not nearly as scattered as it was before. The story focuses on the rising evil of the Sith and Chancellor. This is a positive improvement. However, with every good that the prequel trilogy does, there are other poor aspects of the same category. The movie fails to make logical sense in the plot. Chancellor Palpatine is Darth Sidious and the Sith Lord that the Jedi have been searching for. Somehow the Jedi are not able to discover that the Senator craving more power is evil without Anakin telling them about it. This is not the only plot hole is only more is exposed as time goes on.

The thing that the movie does do well is the action and effects. The action and effects are incredibly fun to watch. There are many set pieces that will bedazzle the viewer with space battles, lightsaber duels and futuristic devices. It does feel too excessive at times and I wish that Star Wars stuck to it plot and story as its main strengths.

Overall I would recommend Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. The movie is an acceptable conclusion to the Star Wars prequel trilogy.

Grade: B

The prequel trilogy in general has been disappointing. The trilogy as a whole prioritized its effects rather than its plot.

This review contains spoilers.

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the clones is the sequel to 1999's Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. The Attack of the Clones premiered in 2001, and is the sequel is the middle chapter in the prequel trilogy. The movie is written and directed by George Lucas. The second episode stars Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson, and Christopher Lee. The movie takes place ten years after the events of The Phantom Menace. The Galactic Republic is threatened by a separatist movement up organized by a former Jedi master.

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones has the same problems as The Phantom Menace. Star Wars' fun and good effects are here but the writing suffers here. Anyone that hoped for a better written story will not find it here. Even audiences that liked The Phantom Menace will not find characters that are similar here. Each character only shares the name and nothing else. The last time the audience knew these characters is ten years ago in The Phantom Menace. Anakin and Padme are separate characters with different goals and motivations. Likewise Obi-Wan Kenobi's training of Anakin happened off-screen in the the ten years between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. The audience never get to see Anakin grow.

The plot is also dropped onto the audience. The conspiracy apparently was in place for a while before the story, but it does not have clear goals and plans. Every action taken against the main characters does not have any sense. For example the conspirators wanted to kill Padmé Amidala before she could vote on a motion to create an army to combat the separatists. The assassin tries to kill Padmé by snakes when it is later revealed that the assassin had a sniper rifle and that another assassin had a rocket. There are much better options to assassinate the senator but snakes were chosen that still left evidence that there is an attempt on Padme's life.

The above event triggers Anakin to accompany Padme back to Naboo and Obi-Wan to investigate the assassination. The Jedi Council that made this decision should have switched the two Jedis. It felt that the Jedi council made the worst decision possible for the wisest people in the galaxy. This leads to a slow romance from Anakin and Padme that is not enjoyable to watch.

Overall I would not recommend Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones.

Grade: D.

This review contains spoilers.

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace is directed and written by George Lucas. The movie is the first in the Star wars prequel trilogy. The movie stars Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, and Ian McDiarmid. The story takes place many years before the events of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. It follows the story of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker's youth.

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace is a movie with many problems. Although the movie is a return to the beloved Star Wars universe, the main problem is the poor writing in this movie. The main problem is that there is too much in the movie. The movie does not have a main character that the audience can follow and see grow. There is a massive dichotomy between the two Jedi characters of Qui-Gon Jinn, played by Liam Neeson, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, played by Ewan McGregor. These two characters have their own story, arc and much of it is a distraction from the main plot. In addition there are many strange choices that Qui-Gon Jinn makes that calls into question how he had become a Jedi master. Qui-Gon Jinn rigs games, and shuns his current apprentice for Anakin. These actions are not explained.

The movie sets up the world of Naboo with introductions to the Gungans and The Trade Federation. This also introduces the Naboo royalty in Queen Amidala. This world building would be fine, but none of it is used past this movie. The next two prequel trilogy movies eschew the world this had created for more familiar sights. As it stands this movie did a lot of building that turned out useless other than to introduce characters for the next two movies. This continues to other parts of the story as well.

Each events in this movie does not flow well. It seems the the movie needed to have them in order to setup the rest of the prequel trilogy. There are duels and action scenes with no consequence or stakes. This would be acceptable it the direction was decent but this is not the case here The direction is bland and does not capture the action well. There are many scenes that could be more tense but the direction does not help it.

The casting choices are well done, but the character themselves leave much to be desired. It is hard to understand what is motivating the characters as none of it is explained well. The only character that has clear motivations is Ian McDiarmid as Senator Palpatine. Other than that the characters are only there.

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace is a movie with a lot of problems. These problems distract from the movie and it cannot be recommended.

Grade: C.

This review contains spoilers.

The Return of the Jedi is episode six of the Star Wars saga. This movie is the sequel to 1980's The Empire Strikes Back and marks the concluding movie to the original trilogy. The movie picks up one year after the events of The Empire Strikes Back. Luke Skywalker has completed his Jedi training. The remaining rebels have banded together in an attempt to destroy the Empire once and for all.

The Return of the Jedi is a weak entry in the Star Wars original trilogy. This is still a good movie and conclusion to the original trilogy. The movie fully realizes the conclusion to Luke Skywalker's character arc by having him redeem his father in Lord Vader. This character arc can be strange to watch as Luke seemingly abandons any logic in an attempt to save his father from the dark side. I still liked this story and its conclusion.

All the familiar characters from, the previous two movies return here. Like Luke they have satisfying conclusions to their characters. Han Solo's romance with Princess Leia reaches its conclusion. The main focus is still on Luke Skywalker's story arc.

The movie itself is shot well, with the overall cinematography at a good standard. The sound design is at a high standard here. The soundtrack is nice with the highlight being Luke Skywalker's duel with Darth Vader.

There are elements of the story that do not make sense. I enjoyed the character of the emperor but his creation of a second Death Star is a horrible rehash of the first part of the original trilogy. The entire movie leads up to the confrontation on the second Death Star and Endor. It is the confrontation that leaves much to be desired. The movie could have been more creative.

Even with the minor flaws, I still recommend Star Wars: Episode VI - The Return of the Jedi.

Grade: A.

This review contains spoilers.

The Empire Strikes Back is the sequel to 1977's A New Hope. The Empire Strikes Back is the second Star Wars movie released and follows the same cast of characters from Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. Luke Skywalker has destroyed the Death Star and joined the Rebel, Alliance. Alongside Han Solo and Princess Leia, the three continue their adventure. Luke Skywalker seeks out an old Jedi master. Meanwhile the Empire retaliates against the Rebellion.

The Empire Strikes Back is the perfect sequel. This second chapter to the original trilogy has so much to offer to its viewers. The story, characters, and world are continued well here. The story's climax is among the best. It reveals much about every character and makes the journey worthwhile.

Mark Hamill plays Luke Skywalker incredibly well. He has a good acting range that is utilized well in this movie. His character goes through an impressive arc from escaping Hoth to learning from Yoda to the final duel with Lord Vader. Luke's character arc is impressive and Mark Hamill does a good job reflecting.

The rest of the characters do get good arcs in this movie. Every characters' arc converges onto the cloud city of Bespin. Han Solo is played well by Harrison Ford and he continues as the reluctant smuggler. Carrie Fisher plays Princess Leia as the Rebel Alliance is threatened. Viewers that enjoyed watching Lord Vader will enjoy that he returns here.

I highly recommend Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back. This movie is one of the best sequels across movie history.

Grade: A.

This review contains spoilers.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope is a science-fiction space opera film directed and written by George Lucas. The movie stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, and Alec Guinness. The movie is about a galaxy in a civil war as rebel spies find plans for the Empire's super weapon. A farmer named Luke Skywalker rises to his destiny as he and a local hermit embark on an adventure when they find a droid.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope is the classic hero's journey in a science-fiction form. This movie needs to be watched by anyone with even a passing interest in films. This film has the hero's journey packed in an incredibly accessible way. This film's plot is easy and engrossing to follow. The hero's journey of Luke Skywalker is reflected well in his characteristics and movie events. Luke Skywalker is one of the best heroic characters. Mark Hamill really made a name for himself by playing Luke Skywalker so convincingly. The rest of the cast does a great job. Harrison Ford plays Han Solo, a suave smuggler. Carrie Fisher plays Princess Leia of the Rebel Alliance.

The special effects are not perfect but do a good job in telling a special story. It was cool to watch the special effects used to immerse the viewer into the Star Wars universe. Likewise the props, practical effects, and costumes are of good quality here. Part of what made the story so successful is its effective use of the effects that are present.

I highly recommend Star Wars. Even with the later edits by George Lucas the movie continues to retain its magic and charm.

Grade: A.

This review contains spoilers.

The Social Dilemma is a documentary produced by Netflix that premiered in 2019. The documentary concerns the rise of social media and its effects on a free society. Numerous employees at the technology companies in question are interviewed that provide perspectives into the state of social media.

The Social Dilemma presents an interesting view into the nature of social media. All of the technology companies in the 21st century have a vast wealth of data and computing power at their disposal. At the beginning, the companies had altruistic goals which was to connect an individual with information. This was an admirable goal at the beginning, but then the goal had become corrupted. The Social Dilemma presents this as data driving customer usage of their services. This in turn allows more customer data to be sold for the purpose of advertisements. One of the examples used is Google.

Google has an incentive to keep customers to keep using their products. These products like Google Search or YouTube can drive the customers remaining on the platform for purposes of advertising. Google also has an incentive to keep a user on the platform to gain more data. At the start of Google's journey with Internet searching, this was done to keep a user searching to power generic advertisements. However as time went on, the change became to begin utilizing customer data to have targeted advertisements and catered search results. This setting is enabled by default. In addition, the tailored Internet search results became a driving force. This is such that a customer would spend more time on the platform to feed more data into the platform. Google had been a primary problem in The Social Dilemma as it used its powers to voluntarily or involuntarily place its users into bubbles of information. Anything that would displeasure a user would not be shown. However, this act pales in comparison to Facebook.

Facebook's usage of user data had become an extreme push from Google's principles. This usage of customer data absolutely drives customers into bubbles. Facebook also has private and personal information about its users at its disposal. Facebook uses this to great effect to entice users back into their platform. Facebook knows that personal updates on friends can drive increased usage of the platform. Facebook also chooses to only place users into bubbles to ensure that its users are docile and complacent in the platform. Facebook ensures all of this and collects user information for purposes of advertisements.

There are no solid proposed solutions presented by The Social Dilemma. All of the proposed solutions depend on the users being aware of their actions instead of being mindless users of social media. If there was a good criticism against this documentary, the dramatized accounts were not useful. The documentary did not present any grand solution. Instead the solution was to simply not use social media.

I would recommend "The Social Dilemma".

Grade: B.

This review contains spoilers.

The Irishman is a 2019 American epic crime movie. The movie is directed by Martin Scorcese and is based on the book I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt. The movie stars Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci. A delivery truck driver, Frank Sheeran, in Philadelphia sells the contents of his truck to a crime family. This introduces Frank Sheeran to the world of organized crime.

The Irishman is a wide sweeping epic crime movie. This movie paints a broad stroke with its 209 minutes of running time. This running time tells an epic story across the 1950s all the way to the early 1990s. The story follows Frank Sheeran and his interactions with the crime families and Jimmy Hoffa. This story is grand in scope and the movie executes this incredibly well. The actors and actresses have ageing and de-ageing technology that is applied to their faces. As the years continue they also act according to their age. It makes for an involved story as the audience can see that characters ageing before their eyes. It also reflects the changing nature of the characters as motivations and goals change.

The relationship between Frank Sheeran and Jimmy Hoffa is reflected incredibly well in this movie. The movie centers on this relationship as the movie unfolds. Both Robert De Niro and Al Pacino as Frank Sheeran and Jimmy Hoffa are believable and astounding in their roles. I bought into their relationship and it was painful that Frank Sheeran had to kill Jimmy Hoffa. Up until that point Frank Sheeran came to a respectful relation with Jimmy Hoffa and vice-versa. The two men and their families have chemistry on the screen. They also care about one another.

The directing in this movie is not as electric as other Martin Scorcese movies. This movie is much more flat in its direction than the movies such as Goodfellas or The Departed. I felt that the direction could be improved but the direction ultimately has the grand scope that makes the movie involved.

I would recommend 'The Irishman'. The length of this movie is definitely felt by any audience. However any audience that is willing to watch this movie needs to be patient and in the mood for a slow-burning story.

Grade: B.

This review contains spoilers.

The I-Land is a Netflix produced show that premiered in 2019. The series is about a group of death row inmates that find themselves in a simulation to redeem themselves.

The I-Land Season One

The I-Land's first season is an overall disaster. This season has many problems that were apparent in the first episode. The series has almost all unlikable characters. The only likable character was Moses as he is actually able to be a good person in the simulation. Even his crime was involuntary manslaughter as he did not want to cause harm to people. This character was killed off in an awful way with Cooper accidentally shooting Moses. The actor for this character aws also enjoyable to watch as he made the series more light-hearted. The other characters in this series are awfully antagonistic. The I-Land inhabitants do not seem to want to get along or even discover the mystery of why they are in the I-Land.

The first season fails in telling a cohesive story. There are many inconsistencies across the entire series. One of these is K. C. having a stab wound on her that is continued into the I-Land. Cooper has facial scarring that is not carried into the I-Land. This inconsistency is never explained in the series.

I would not recommend 'The I-Land'. The series has so bad it is good moments but these are not enough to make the series watchable.

Grade: D.

This review contains spoilers.

The I-Land's seventh episode and finale to the first season is entitled 'The Dark Backward'. The episode takes place after the conclusion of the last episode with Chase being awakened in the prison. She must deal with the Warden as he attempts to remove Chase.

The finale is incredibly messy. This finale takes place almost entirely in the real-world prison. The episode heavily features Chase as she navigates her release. The episode also features the return of the Warden as he tries to eliminate Chase. This plot thread in this episode makes no sense. The simulation of the I-Land was already being seen by the jurors. They also had talked to Chase before and Chase had told them already that the simulation was inhumane.

There are hilarious moments in this episode mainly with the Marshals and the Warden. The Warden getting caught in this episode was hilarious as he advocates for the extermination of the death row inmates. Even when he knew that Chase was innocent it did not stop the Warden from wanting to kill her. In addition the Warden stating how great the cannibal was in the simulation, made for a hilarious few minutes as he said this during the juror hearing.

The final twist of Chase being an avatar made no sense. If she was actually in the prison system for a long time, then many events in the series made no sense. Cooper was Chase's husband and he had murdered Chase's mother. For some reason, Cooper still decided to not confess even after Chase was caught by law enforcement. Cooper in the simulation showed that he cared for Chase. However this was not reflected in this twist. In addition, the twist fails because Chase was able to do stunts that would be impossible for a woman her age. She was able to knock out and fight several guards. She was also able to jump out of a truck and roll. These stunts would cause her severe injury and she would not be fit to immediately continue.

I would not recommend the season one finale 'The Dark Backward'. The episode is a funny conclusion, however the episode fails in logic.

Grade: D.

This review contains spoilers.

1917 is a war movie that was directed by Sam Mendes. The movie is written by Sam Mendes, and Krysty Wilson-Cairns. The movie stars George MacKay, and Dean-Charles Chapman as two lance corporals in the British army that are sent to deliver a message across enemy lines.

1917 is an incredibly simple story. The story follows two lance corporals that are assigned a mission to deliver a message across enemy lines. The movie immediately begins with the two lance corporals as they awaken to the mission. Lance Corporal Blake has a brother in the second Devonshire battalion that is going over the top in the morning and assaulting the enemy lines. The two lance corporals race against time to deliver the message and prevent the attack from taking place. The story is not the main focus here as the story is incredibly basic without many twists and turns. The story is appropriate to the movie as the audience does feel the panic of the main characters as they are trying to overcome the time crunch.

The casting of this movie is excellent. Both George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman do a great job in their roles as the messengers. George MacKay deserves praise for carrying a stoic performance as he is plucked for a hellish mission. The movie uses George MacKay astoundingly as he has to navigate through enemy territory in a race against time to save the second Devonshire battalion. Dean-Charles Chapman did a good job for much of the movie until his character's death. The death scene is incredibly haunting as Schofield, played by George MacKay, has to deal with the death of his friend and uncertainty around his chances of succeeding in the mission.

The music and cinematography of this movie is bewildering. The music and cinematography work together in such a way as to create an invested experience for the audience. The use of a one-shot directing style did not feel like a gimmick. The one-shot style added to the experience as the directing showed the realities of trench warfare that Lance Corporal Schofield and Lance Corporal Blake had to endure. The audience also followed the journey of these two as they had to cross into enemy territory at risk of danger from the environment and German soldiers. The one-shot style is done in a way that will dazzle the eyes and senses. Of note is the scene in the ruins at night where Schofield has to run through the ruins in order to reach the second Devonshire battalion. This scene is impressive in the execution as flares were constantly fired into the air to reveal any presence in the ruins. This along with the soundtrack created a foreboding sense of tension that at any moment Schofield could have been hit by a bullet.

I highly recommend '1917'. This is one of the best war movies and one of the best movies in the 2010-2019 decade.

Grade: A.

This review contains spoilers.

Knives Out is a mystery movie that premiered in 2019. The movie is directed, written, and produced by Rian Johnson. The movie stars Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, and Ana de Armas. A wealthy crime novelist is found dead and the leading cause is suicide. A famous private detective by the name of Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig, is invited to investigate the death.

Knives Out is a great mystery that has many positive attributes. Knives Out's primary attribute is its snazzy writing. The writing is incredibly energetic and done well by Rian Johnson. The writing is the main draw to this story as the audience tries to piece together the mystery. Harlan Thrombey died after a family reunion which did not go perfectly. The story gradually uncovers facts such as the nurse Marta having accidentally killed Harlan. The movie unfolds these mysteries incredibly well and uses aspects such as Marta's inability to lie to great effect.

Ana de Armas as Marta Cabrera is an excellent actress in the role. She portrays the nurse that needs to stay one step ahead of the investigation incredibly. I found that all the scenes with her portrayed the desperation, humor, and deviousness in a way that was refreshing to see. Marta Cabrera had a funny innocence to the character as the mystery unfolded and she discovered she was being used.

The main highlight in the movie is Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc. The private detective has a southern drawl that is played to great effect by Daniel Craig. The movie uses this character effectively as Marta frequently tries to get ahead of the private investigator. I enjoyed all the scenes with Benoit Blanc and it is easy to get lost in the character's charm. Even when the character is acting lazily this is entertaining to watch.

I would recommend 'Knives Out'.

Grade: B.

This review contains spoilers.

Get Krackin' is hilarious at times but the overall package is lacking. There are great highlights in this show such as any sketch with the loony Helen Bidou. The Kates are great at times but they appear bored at others. The problem in the series is that the show as a whole does not have as much as energy as the Kates' last project of The Katering Show. There are a lot of great ideas in this show but not all of them may stick with the audience. The Katering Show is superior to Get Krackin' and I would recommend any person that enjoys Get Krackin's earlier episodes to watch The Katering Show instead.

Grade: C.