Jurassic World Review

Jurassic World brings bigger and better effects to tell the story of the largely expanded island that holds the attention of the public over 20 years after the original Jurassic Park. The movie holds your attention, keeps you on the edge of your seat, and keeps the wish that you could experience the park, but not in the way the movie shows it. (This post does contain spoilers for Jurassic World)

Watching the movie without reading any reviews prior, I didn't know what the critic's view of the film was. I wanted to go in as a fan and experience it without any prior influence. This review is entirely from a fan's view of the movie.

As a fan, I really enjoyed it. The effects were great. The film relies on these effects and one of the biggest scenes is mainly between dinosaurs. It's important that these be good. When a movie has so much CGI, as this one does, that some of the main players aren't actually existing, the actors have to be able to make it seem like they are. Each actor/actress did so. It made it believable that the dinosaurs were actually there.

There were definitely some scenes with Zach and Gray (Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins) in the film that didn't need to be there. For example, Zach staring at the girls when they're on line for a ride at the park and Gray embarrasses him. The divorce plot wasn't needed to bring the brothers together, the fact that they could quite possibly be dead soon accomplished that. They also made the incredibly stupid decision to continue in their sphere through the ride after being given a warning that everyone needed to get off the ride. Not only did they stay, but they also went through a gate that was clearly clawed down a dinosaur.  Zach's character development wasn't drastic, but you could still notice how he changed throughout the film. He went from finding his younger brother annoying to realizing how important a role he played in his life. He went from being a teenager that didn't really care to having to do something to keep them alive.

The movie had its romantic moments between Claire and Owen (Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt), but they were minuscule. It wasn't overpowering to the rest of the film. It was hinted that they had something before the period of time we see in the movie, but that something went wrong. It took their teamwork and it took them both listening to each other to help save the park. Owen was in charge of the velociraptors and though it seemed they may betray him at first, they stood by his side when he needed it. The main bond of the movie really seemed to be the loyalty of the velociraptors to Owen and how he was able to train them.

The movie also pays tribute to the original Jurassic Park bringing nostalgia for fans of the older films. There were various parallels and easter eggs throughout the film. Zach and Gray find the original main building from Jurassic Park now covered with vines. It's here they discover things from the original film, like the fallen banner, night vision goggles, and the painting of a raptor. The easter eggs, parallels, and scene that takes place in the original building all do a great job in bring nostalgia to the screen.

Overall, I really only had one problem walking out of the movie. The marketing was so obvious. Every time a Mercedes showed up on screen you knew it was the focus for a few shots when they would zoom in on the logo. It doesn't bother me that brands were marketed during the film. That happens with every movie. It was just how obvious it was. It's a great idea for all of the companies to gain more customers from a major film, but I found it a little bit too much. 

The movie wasn't perfect. There were some plot holes and time jumps which left the viewer with missing information. It wasn't as suspenseful as the original, but it did bring a thrill to those who watched. It definitely has its share of scary scenes. It was fun and payed homage to the originals. Could it have been better? It could have been, I won't deny that. Overall, I'd give the movie an 8.0/10.   It's almost a given that there will be another after the success at the box office. It'll be interesting to see if any of the other highly anticipated films this year beat it out for that top spot. 

The Avengers: Age of Ultron Review

The Avengers: Age of Ultron opened at the box office in the United States this weekend and superhero fans everywhere were preparing to see the sequel to the first film that was released in 2012. Though many countries received it earlier and the internet was filled with spoilers if you weren't careful, I managed to avoid the talk of the film before getting to see it for myself on opening night. (This post will remain as spoiler free as possible, though very minor spoilers may be present.) 

Let me start out by getting one thing out there. I guess you could call it a disclaimer. I am in no way a film critic. I'm a 17-year old girl who loves superhero-related things. I'm a fan who enjoys sharing her opinion. So with that said, let's get into the review.

The film begins with a fight scene, and it is an action film, so let's start there. The fight scenes are incredible. They're amazingly choreographed and are one of the things that brings the sets a standard. They're exciting. The movie spends time on scenes, even though they tend to be fast moving at times. I didn't have a problem following them and that's important for a viewer. When there is so much going on in a scene, it's hard to decide what to focus on, but that wasn't an issue with this film. Each Avenger is given time for individual combat scenes amidst the scenes in which they share the screen.

CGI is a must with big films like this, but the quality of it is so important to making the film good. The effects were outstanding. The technology has advanced so much that everything is so clear and appears to be so real. It's fun to watch because of the quality it has. Ultron, his army, the Hulk, Quicksilver's speed, Scarlet Witch's powers, were all so well executed in addition to the fight scenes. I think the first thing my dad and I talked about were the effects and each of us just said, "Wow." If this is what the second movie looks like in comparison to the first effects-wise, I can only imagine Avengers: Infinity War will look like when it's released in 2018 and 2019 since it will be in two parts.

Time wasn't wasted on reintroducing characters. A person who saw the movie without seeing the first would still understand who the characters were and their personalities. The movie definitely drew more attention to Hawkeye, Black Widow, and the Hulk. It's nice to see these characters get more screen time because they don't have films of their own. The romantic connection between Banner and
Natasha doesn't overpower the rest of the film. Sometimes the love interest can overshadow the true content of the movie, but that certainly wasn't the case here. It just existed. Also, I know a lot of people originally thought it would be Clint and Natasha who would get together, but this movie definitely answers the question as to why they don't and the value their relationship actually holds.

And how can you not mention the incredible cast? Chris Evans (Captain America/Steve Rogers), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man/Tony Stark), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye/Clint Barton), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff), and Mark Ruffalo (Hulk/Bruce Banner) all do an outstanding job playing their roles. Each person adds something to the film, but they all work together cohesively to produce such a great team. There were times where I had to remind myself that Steve Rogers wasn't an actual person, that I was watching Chris Evans act. This goes for the whole cast. They truly embody their heroes and portray them in such a way that makes them seem as though these characters are just being themselves on a movie screen.

While that covers the six leading players, there are three others worth mentioning. The first two being the Maximoff twins. Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch) does a really great job in her role. I was very impressed. Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver) was good, as well. Although I will say that I feel as though his character wasn't given much to say, rather his actions were the way the viewer learned more about his character. That's one of two things I didn't particularly like about the movie, but I understand that with a limited amount of time to tell a story, you can't dwell on things of lesser importance to the main plot. I've also only seen bits and pieces of Evan Peters in the role in X-Men, so I can't make a comparison between the two. I liked Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the role, I just wish we got to see more of him before the film was over.

Ultron (voiced by James Spader) is the big bad but he doesn't necessarily steal away the screen time from the Avengers. Though not my favorite villain, I did enjoy his role. He's the strongest version of artificial intelligence in existence, which makes him interesting. He has an ability to think for himself, but with that comes a very twisted logic.

And finally, the humor and darkness of it all. This movie was definitely a bit darker than the first, especially due to the powers of Scarlet Witch. Dark pasts and fears are revealed, allowing you to know just a little bit more about each character and what lies inside them, instead of what you see on the outside. I really enjoyed these scenes. The humor broke up these darker aspects and the action, which was needed. At times, it seemed to be a bit too much that the lines fell flat, which is my only other complaint. Other than those very minimal scenes, there was a good balance between the two.

I've been thinking about which film I like better, the first or the second, and it's definitely a tough decision. Usually, it's easy to decide, but in this case, it's harder, which to me means that it's at the same standard, at least, from my standpoint. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend buying a ticket. Overall, I think The Avengers: Age of Ultron is a great sequel. I loved it and would definitely pay to go see it again.

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The Maze Runner Movie Review

After waiting for The Maze Runner to be released in theaters for months, I was very excited to finally see one of my favorite series begin its journey on the big screen.  Those who have read the books are aware of how intense a story this is, and the movie portrayed just that.

Each and every second of the movie had you on the edge of your seat, a cliché, but completely true way to describe it.  In order to get this out of the way now before I continue the review, I want to point out that if you're a big fan of movies being completely true to a book with nothing different, you may not enjoy what was done to progress the movie along.  However, there is no way a 350 page book can be made into a movie with everything being exactly the same.  Each change that was made was made to benefit and move the movie along so that the story could be told.  Things didn't have to be perfect to the book in order to tell the story.  The changes made didn't bother me, but I know some people were annoyed certain scenes weren't accurate to the book.  I will say, however, that the one thing that was left out, or at least that I didn't notice, that bothered me was Newt's limp not being present.  For those of you who have read the series, you know that this is an extremely important component to his character.  Like I said, I may not have noticed it because I wasn't particularly looking for it, but I've seen some people say that they did notice it when he was running, while others say it wasn't there.  Whether it was there or not, this was the one thing I wish was more prominent in the film. 

The cast was absolutely incredible.  The casting team did a great job choosing who would play the characters and I couldn't of imagined a better group of people to portray them.  I would individually discuss how each played their character, but I've already tried and find myself saying that each was incredible and brought them to life so well.  

The Maze itself was incredible.  It was much larger than I expected it to be and also much more intense.  The visual effects were amazing.  For me personally, I felt as though the maze actually existed in its entirety, that it was an actual set you could go to and run yourself.  Along with the maze came the grievers and they were equally as freaky and disgusting as they sounded in the book.  The Glade was also massive in size, with each job having its section.  The adaptation of how everything looked was fascinating. 

I don't want to give away any spoilers for those of you who haven't seen the movie, so I'll prevent from talking about particular things that occur.  I will say that the movie made me very happy as a fan of the book in regards to how the story was presented.  If you haven't read the book, you won't have a problem understanding the story, but I highly recommend you read it because it's a great one.  I absolutely can't wait for The Scorch Trials, which is set to release on September 18, 2015.  The concept art for that looks incredible, as well.  As for my overall rating, I give it a 4.5/5.  The half point that I deducted was for little things that I personally wish were included from the book.  I highly recommend you go and see the movie if you haven't, whether you are a guy or girl, it's action packed, intense, and awesome.