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I’ve taken my Top 10 movies list from my profile tab and combined my reviews thread, made a few adjustments and am posting up my own emotionally based Top 20 Movies List. I've stuck in my favourite posters too.
#1: Young Guns.
For a start, the acting from all parties is spot on. Terrence Stamp as John Tunstall is (as always with Stamp) a very inviting character, mature, wise and mildly amusing.
Emilio Estevez as Kid is an inspired piece of casting, Estevez carries the Kids persona extremely well. Young, cheeky, trigger happy, streetwise and also naive.
Supporting/almost main actors include Jack Palance, Charlie Sheen (before he was apparently 'winning'), Kiefer Sutherland, Casey Siemaszko, Lou Diamond Phillips and Dermot Mulroney.
All in all, the handsome cast of 'good guys' teamed against Palance's group of grizzly, hairy bad guys makes you route for the Regulators even more.
The climactic gunfight scenes are wonderfully staged if a little slow to get going.
One thing that will throw the audience is that, what appears to be an OTT gunfight ending, actually happened in real life.
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#2: Robocop.
The movie in a whole is so far ahead of it’s time that at 20 odd years ago, when the movie was released, it seemed far-fetched with the police uniforms and cars and society’s views and Military tactics involved in the film.
An absolute masterclass in film making. Verhoeven’s take on the future is a spookily realistic and well visioned view of our future. Something Verhoeven is a master of.
Weller as the titular Robocop is another masterclass on the acting scale. Miming robotic bird movements and bringing a human element to a creature made almost entirely of titanium is a wonder.
What makes the movie really special are the quiet moments, where Robocop is reliving/dreaming some of his past ‘unerased’ memories. It’s something that really brings the audience on a par with Robo’s torn feelings of duty, love, humanity and sheer programming.
Even if sci-fi isn’t you thing, again I say, this is still a must see. You haven’t seen a movie until you’ve seen this one. Just make sure you’ve got the popcorn ready.
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#3: John Carpenter's The Thing.
Carpenter's masterpiece is a joy to behold. The tension of the cramped base corridors make the feeling of being watched all the more potent and the paranoia between the characters can be felt by the viewer, right down to the toes.
The movie's special effects are absolutely top notch, the collaboration between Rob Bottin and Stan Winston is very, very special.
Utilising animatronics, hand puppets and the very occasional ‘man in suit’ costume, the movie excels at putting the audience on the backfoot.
The acting is also spot on. Kurt Russell, who is mediocre at the best of times, is wonderfully 'take charge' and tough when needed, his brooding take on the strange sequence of events works brilliantly.
Star turns from Wilford A Brimley, Keith David, Richard Masur and Donald Moffet make the characters work even better, these guys really hit their roles with perfection.
Mix all that with Carpenter’s spooky soundtrack (a soundtrack that beats all of his others hands down) makes this another must see movie from me.
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#4: Predator.
Extremely guerrilla film making, relatively low budget with most of the cash spared for the special effects, this movie is an absolute must see for any sci-fi fan.
A well written yet extremely simple storyline make for even more entertainment.
The very well and simply written characters and their personas are even more of a bonus to the film.
Arnie is at his best, as too are the other actors for what they’re worth, the director John McTiernan has eeked the most and the best from the cast.
The special effects, even for the mid-80s, are spectacular and have even set the benchmark for every Predator film that has followed since, yet has never been bettered.
A sense of claustrophobia is felt throughout the entire movie, the jungle setting adds to that and the sci-fi feel never lets up as you always feel as though you’re being watched by something other-worldly. Awesome.
By far the best, and probably ever will be the best Predator movie made.
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#5: Tremors.
The cast involved are fantastic in the movie, they all play it real which makes the funny moments even funnier and the jumpy horror moments even more of a surprise when they happen.
The biggest surprise of the cast though, is Michael Gross as the gun loving survivalist Burt Gummer. In the past his acting has gone from mediocre to worse, his acting in the Tremors sequels is abysmal. In this film he is absolutely brilliant. He encapsulates his character with a seriousness and when needed, is able to carry the comedy too.
The comedy comes from real reactions and down to earth acting. The film’s funny moments are very well choreographed, Tremors utilises reality in unreal circumstances extremely well. A lot of the humour has an undertone of ‘tongue in cheek’ too. It’s lots of fun.
Then there’s the jumpy/horror moments, they’re very well put together. They’re ‘actiony’ as well as gory, but they also give the viewer a real sense of excitement and the occasional fright.
The special effects are, like most films of the time, all practical, there’s no CGI used in the film and the effects certainly don’t let the viewer down. They’re raw, gory, slimy and very well modelled.
All in all a joy ride of a comedy-horror. Lot’s of fun and well worth 90 minutes of your time.
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#6: The Dark Knight.
The movie is shot perfectly, this time round they used IMAX cameras to give the screen a depth to it. It looks beautiful and detailed.
The expansion of certain characters is worked on, especially Gordon. You see how he goes from being a standard cop to the Commissioner Gordon we all know and love.
As too is Alfred, though it’s brief, there is a small insight to his background.
The writing is fantastically put together.
The Joker’s evil twist on literally pitting everyone against everyone is an absolute masterclass in how to write a real villain.
The way The Joker destroys Harvey Dent at a personal level is very well conceived.
As for the acting…
Star turns again from Bale, Oldman and Caine. Katie Holmes is replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal, a wise move.
There’s a wonderful turn from Aaron Eckhart too, who acts both of his roles absolutely perfectly as ‘Gotham’s White Knight’ Harvey Dent.
Now, The Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger, who made it to #2 in my top 40 Villains, is by far the best thing in the movie.
Ledger’s portrayal of a hyperactive, giggling psychopath is almost primordial and is very disturbing. Especially his eyes and the little ‘ticks’ he occasionally shows.
All in all, better than the first and even if Batman isn’t your thing, it’s worth watching for Ledger’s performance.
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#7: Ghostbusters.
The whole movie is one long, very well written joke.
The dialogue is extremely funny and very well delivered by the cast.
The action, though quite short and sweet, is well choreographed. Ivan Reitman’s direction is superb. It’s exciting and staged brilliantly.
The actors too are extremely comfortable in their roles.
Murray in particular is at his absolute best.
A special mention should go out to Rick Moranis. His character, Louis Tulley, is very, very funny.
Moranis actually ad-libbed most of his dialogue and movement too, which makes the character even funnier.
All in all, an absolute classic 80s film. Funny, engaging and brilliantly cast.
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#8: Alien 3, The Definitive Edition.
Fincher was put to making two similar beginnings to the movie, the theatrical version being the one the studio wanted, this 'definitive' edition being Fincher's prefered.
The dog in the theatrical version is never seen in this version, instead, an ox (used as a tractor by the prisoners) is the Facehugger's choice of gestation.
The story in the Def Edition is expanded between the audience and pretty much all the characters. Most of the nameless prisoners now have speaking lines and the storyline feels much more finished and that more time has actually been taken in making it work.
A huge chunk of the middle of the film contains the same scenes as the theatrical release but with the extra/original scenes added back in, it gives the entire movie a completely different aura.
Give it a go. I did, and even though I like the threatrical version, I'll never be going back to it now.
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#9: The Pirates Of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.
As a whole it’s bigger, brasher, funnier and grander than the first movie and hits the nail on the head in almost every respect.
The action is brilliantly choreographed and the CGI is even better. The movie does tend to rely on more CGI than it’s predecessor, but it’s utilised perfectly for Jones and his crew, who mirror Barbossa’s crew from the first film as being cursed (to an extent).
Again, the acting from all parties is bang on the money. There’s expansion on some of the existing characters and a few new faces to add to the various pirate crews, though it’s easy to follow and fun to watch, the writing is brilliantly put to screen.
Nighy in particular, as the Scottish ghost-boat Captain Davy Jones, made it to #1 in my top 40 movie villains of all time. He’s absolutely brilliant.
All in all it hits the same places as the first movie but is a better movie and a brilliant piece of writing again from Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio.
Verbinski’s direction is another piece of artwork.
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#10: Starship Troopers.
As usual with Verhoeven, the movie undertones itself on political and social failures. Something not understood is destroyed or imprisoned.
Characters in the movie are totally blind to what the viewer is seeing, which makes the movie work as it gives it a sense of realism.
The special effects in the movie, from giant spacecraft fleets and CGI soldiers to giant insects to even bigger beetles, all work with a relative ease. The CGI is flawless.
Their characters are well written and have a connection with the audience.
Supporting roles from Neil Patrick Harris, Michael Ironside, Clancy Brown and Dina Meyer give the movie some more well written and well played characters for the audience to care about.
All in all a well made movie, perfect CGI, borrowing from a wonderful novel and Verhoeven is definitely at his best.
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#11: Batman Begins.
Batman Begins is literally that, how he becomes the Bat. Borrowing from the source material (the comics) and some of Burton’s Batman too, mixing in a few new things and an updated selection of Bat-Gadgets on the Utility-Belt, Batman Begins really hits the nail on the head on how to make a super-hero movie.
The movie is very well shot.
The Gothic feel of past Batman movies has been dropped slightly, it’s more brooding and moody than being Gothic.
The action feels a little held back but when it gets going, it really goes well. The filmmakers had the sense to make the action ‘just enough’ rather than going into the first movie with all guns blazing. It’s very cleverly put together.
The acting also is fantastic.
Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman is a brilliant choice.
Michael Caine as Wayne’s Butler, Alfred, is a perfect choice.
Gary Oldman as Detective Gordon is a marvel. He looks and acts like he’s jumped directly from the page of the comic book. Absolutely brilliant.
The little cliff-hanger at the end between Batpants and Gordon really makes you yearn to watch the sequel.
All in all a near perfect starter for a super-hero franchise.
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#12: Jurassic Park.
The movie as a whole is extremely well made. The character build up and strong acting make the movie very weighty.
Sam Neill with Ariana Richards and Joseph Mazzello are a chalk, chalk and cheese buddy movie in their own right.
The story adapted from the novel differs to the novel in many respects but is still extremely well written.
The cast is not just extremely good at what they’re doing, they fit the theme.
The movie is also shot beautifully. It’s very grand in feeling. Some of the sets are also extremely spooky.
The special effects still beat most movies of modern times.
Most of the computer work for the dinosaurs had to be created solely for the movie (albeit adapted from existing technology). What makes the movie’s CGI special is that the movie-makers asked a very simple question: "What is impossible?". Then they achieved the impossible.
At time of release, the movie itself was so big it stayed in cinemas in my local town for nearly two years.
All in all a popcorn movie with a decent story and some genuine scary bits.
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#13: The ‘Burbs.
Starring Tom Hanks, Rick Ducommon, Bruce Dern, Corey Feldman, Henry Gibson, Brother Theodore, Wendy Schaal and Carrie Fisher.
It's an odd design for a movie but it makes well with the feeling of paranoia that lives in every suburban area; Never knowing who your neighbours are.
The unreal premise is dealt with decently by getting the characters to do things you might like to do when wierd people move into your area.
The movie is also very, very funny with Hanks, Ducommon, Dern and Feldman on absolutely top form by playing it serious, which makes the whole, completely unreal premise even funnier and even more engaging and makes well with the slapstick comedy that comes through from time to time.
Directed by Joe Dante, the movie can't go wrong.
Certainly one of my favourites.
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#14: Terminator 2: Judgement Day.
Again, Cameron hits the nail right on the head. The movie drops most of the horror genre and goes on full out sci-fi action with only the occasional horror touch.
A bigger budget, utilised by the filmmakers perfectly, gives T2 even better effects and this time round, there’s beautifully rendered CGI in the form of the bad guy: A ‘liquid metal’ Terminator for Arnie to have a rumble with.
The action, when it gets going is fast, furious amd explosive.
Arnie as the Terminator is again, wonderfully wooden at the beginning, though as the movie progresses, like with Reese and Connor in the first movie, he is able to take on and learn characteristics of those around him. Eventually he becomes more humane than the humans in the movie.
Robert Patrick as the liquid metal T1000 is an absolute wonder to watch. He has the emotion the original Terminator and has such a menace about him, you can’t take your eyes off him.
All in all a sci-fi popcorn wonder and comes in above the orignal.
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#15: The Terminator.
The film does suffer from slightly dodgy special effects. The stop-motion Terminator was mediocre at best even for the standard of the 80s, but I don't care.
What really makes the film’s effects a success though, is Stan Winston’s prosthetics on Arnold Swarzenegger.
Mix to that, not just the way the movie is written, but the way the movie is made. The direction, scene placing and overall aura of the subject matter are a joy to watch.
Hamilton, Biehn, Swarzenegger are all fantastic in their roles.
Hamilton is beautifully lost in the series of terrifying, far-out events and eventually becomes a tougher person as the movie progresses.
Biehn’s rough, tough, emotionless soldier of the future becomes more human-like as he spends more time with Connor.
Arnie is wonderfully wooden as the over-6-foot 500lb non stop killer machine.
All in all this fantastic roller coaster is one for the movie history books.
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#16: Dumb And Dumber.
One of the finest comedies ever made. The movie goes from funny, to laugh out loud, to hysterical, to pant wettingly hilarious. It’s incredibly well written in terms of humour.
Every line spoken in the movie is either a double entendre or is something that one of the duo has misunderstood.
It also has it’s fair share of buddy moments, Carrey and Daniels have brilliantly chemistry throughout the entire movie, they bounce off one another perfectly and when the occasional hit of tragedy strikes, you really feel for them.
The acting, overall, from all parties is spot on.
The only fault with the film as that it’s just not long enough. You want more and more and more.
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#17: Superman: The Movie.
It’s a beautifully shot movie, the action scenes are extremely well choreographed and the writing of the characters is absolutely spot on.
The story contains many aspects of great cinema, tragedy, seriousness and tongue in cheek humour. Mix to that a great cast who can carry all of these aspects, you’ve got something very, very special.
The acting too is fantastic.
Christopher Reeve as Superman/Clark Kent doesn’t just change his acting style, his physical appearance changes too. As the Supe he’s tall, powerful, confident and very charming. You genuinely believe he is indestructible. As Clark, he slouches, becomes uncomfortable and bumbling, incompetent in most situations and he carries the role in a way that nobody else could have even imagined. Reeve has the perfect split personality for a super-hero.
The movie’s effects are a little primitive by today’s standards, though at the time the effects were absolutely cutting edge. Though today, they do still work.
All in all, one the finest super-hero movies ever made. A definite must see.
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#18: Superman 2.
The film, like the first, is a masterclass in how to stage a super-hero movie. The writing and storyline are again near perfect. It starts off small and then rapidly grows in scale to something more thrilling.
Again the acting is bang on.
This time round the cast involves Terrence Stamp as Zod, Sarah Douglas as Ursa and Jack O’Halloran as the mute powerhouse Non.
Stamp made it into my top 40 movie villains at #15. He’s very camp, inhinged and is the epitome of the super-villain.
Sarah Douglas adds more sexy-class as a villain-ess and O’Halloran is perfect as a giant brute with absolutely no intelligence.
The special effects are utilised with more pizzazz than in the first. The money was very well spent, in particular on the four-way Metropolis fight.
All in all, believe it or not, it’s actually an improvement on the first but emotionally it has to come in a place below the original. Another definite must see.
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#19: The Pirates Of the Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl.
The movie is wonderfully playful, very tongue in cheek and, extremely well and beautifully shot.
The acting is absolutely spot on.
Johnny Depp in particular is fascinating as Jack Sparrow. Intelligent and sly yet loveable and beautifully charismatic.
As too is Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa. He’s the perfect south-western English pirate, evil, cunning and knows exactly what and where he’s going, only occasionally fooled by Sparrow.
As for the special effects, particularly when the computers are brought into play for the cursed crew, they certainly don’t fail the eye. They’re raw, animated and work extremely well for the subject matter. The one on one between Barbossa and Sparrow is fantastic.
All in all a fun ride with some perfect writing and characters that really hit the mark, definitely the modern Swashbuckler.
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#20: The Pirates Of the Caribbean: At World’s End.
The whole universe of the pirate world created by the writers is expanded on extensively, there’s more Swashbuckling, more wonderfully rendered CGI (in many ways the CGI is better) and the cast of actors are still, all hitting their roles with perfection.
The movie’s storyline is extremely well put together, it’s relatively complicated but easy to follow, the expansion of character storylines and additions of new characters is something that, as I said, the second movie lacked.
This one has it all in that respect but again, emotionally, it has to come in below the original film.
All in all it’s technically better than the first, but a step backward from the second, still though, it is a fun ride to take and wonderfully grand in scale.
#1: Young Guns.
For a start, the acting from all parties is spot on. Terrence Stamp as John Tunstall is (as always with Stamp) a very inviting character, mature, wise and mildly amusing.
Emilio Estevez as Kid is an inspired piece of casting, Estevez carries the Kids persona extremely well. Young, cheeky, trigger happy, streetwise and also naive.
Supporting/almost main actors include Jack Palance, Charlie Sheen (before he was apparently 'winning'), Kiefer Sutherland, Casey Siemaszko, Lou Diamond Phillips and Dermot Mulroney.
All in all, the handsome cast of 'good guys' teamed against Palance's group of grizzly, hairy bad guys makes you route for the Regulators even more.
The climactic gunfight scenes are wonderfully staged if a little slow to get going.
One thing that will throw the audience is that, what appears to be an OTT gunfight ending, actually happened in real life.
----------
#2: Robocop.
The movie in a whole is so far ahead of it’s time that at 20 odd years ago, when the movie was released, it seemed far-fetched with the police uniforms and cars and society’s views and Military tactics involved in the film.
An absolute masterclass in film making. Verhoeven’s take on the future is a spookily realistic and well visioned view of our future. Something Verhoeven is a master of.
Weller as the titular Robocop is another masterclass on the acting scale. Miming robotic bird movements and bringing a human element to a creature made almost entirely of titanium is a wonder.
What makes the movie really special are the quiet moments, where Robocop is reliving/dreaming some of his past ‘unerased’ memories. It’s something that really brings the audience on a par with Robo’s torn feelings of duty, love, humanity and sheer programming.
Even if sci-fi isn’t you thing, again I say, this is still a must see. You haven’t seen a movie until you’ve seen this one. Just make sure you’ve got the popcorn ready.
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#3: John Carpenter's The Thing.
Carpenter's masterpiece is a joy to behold. The tension of the cramped base corridors make the feeling of being watched all the more potent and the paranoia between the characters can be felt by the viewer, right down to the toes.
The movie's special effects are absolutely top notch, the collaboration between Rob Bottin and Stan Winston is very, very special.
Utilising animatronics, hand puppets and the very occasional ‘man in suit’ costume, the movie excels at putting the audience on the backfoot.
The acting is also spot on. Kurt Russell, who is mediocre at the best of times, is wonderfully 'take charge' and tough when needed, his brooding take on the strange sequence of events works brilliantly.
Star turns from Wilford A Brimley, Keith David, Richard Masur and Donald Moffet make the characters work even better, these guys really hit their roles with perfection.
Mix all that with Carpenter’s spooky soundtrack (a soundtrack that beats all of his others hands down) makes this another must see movie from me.
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#4: Predator.
Extremely guerrilla film making, relatively low budget with most of the cash spared for the special effects, this movie is an absolute must see for any sci-fi fan.
A well written yet extremely simple storyline make for even more entertainment.
The very well and simply written characters and their personas are even more of a bonus to the film.
Arnie is at his best, as too are the other actors for what they’re worth, the director John McTiernan has eeked the most and the best from the cast.
The special effects, even for the mid-80s, are spectacular and have even set the benchmark for every Predator film that has followed since, yet has never been bettered.
A sense of claustrophobia is felt throughout the entire movie, the jungle setting adds to that and the sci-fi feel never lets up as you always feel as though you’re being watched by something other-worldly. Awesome.
By far the best, and probably ever will be the best Predator movie made.
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#5: Tremors.
The cast involved are fantastic in the movie, they all play it real which makes the funny moments even funnier and the jumpy horror moments even more of a surprise when they happen.
The biggest surprise of the cast though, is Michael Gross as the gun loving survivalist Burt Gummer. In the past his acting has gone from mediocre to worse, his acting in the Tremors sequels is abysmal. In this film he is absolutely brilliant. He encapsulates his character with a seriousness and when needed, is able to carry the comedy too.
The comedy comes from real reactions and down to earth acting. The film’s funny moments are very well choreographed, Tremors utilises reality in unreal circumstances extremely well. A lot of the humour has an undertone of ‘tongue in cheek’ too. It’s lots of fun.
Then there’s the jumpy/horror moments, they’re very well put together. They’re ‘actiony’ as well as gory, but they also give the viewer a real sense of excitement and the occasional fright.
The special effects are, like most films of the time, all practical, there’s no CGI used in the film and the effects certainly don’t let the viewer down. They’re raw, gory, slimy and very well modelled.
All in all a joy ride of a comedy-horror. Lot’s of fun and well worth 90 minutes of your time.
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#6: The Dark Knight.
The movie is shot perfectly, this time round they used IMAX cameras to give the screen a depth to it. It looks beautiful and detailed.
The expansion of certain characters is worked on, especially Gordon. You see how he goes from being a standard cop to the Commissioner Gordon we all know and love.
As too is Alfred, though it’s brief, there is a small insight to his background.
The writing is fantastically put together.
The Joker’s evil twist on literally pitting everyone against everyone is an absolute masterclass in how to write a real villain.
The way The Joker destroys Harvey Dent at a personal level is very well conceived.
As for the acting…
Star turns again from Bale, Oldman and Caine. Katie Holmes is replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal, a wise move.
There’s a wonderful turn from Aaron Eckhart too, who acts both of his roles absolutely perfectly as ‘Gotham’s White Knight’ Harvey Dent.
Now, The Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger, who made it to #2 in my top 40 Villains, is by far the best thing in the movie.
Ledger’s portrayal of a hyperactive, giggling psychopath is almost primordial and is very disturbing. Especially his eyes and the little ‘ticks’ he occasionally shows.
All in all, better than the first and even if Batman isn’t your thing, it’s worth watching for Ledger’s performance.
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#7: Ghostbusters.
The whole movie is one long, very well written joke.
The dialogue is extremely funny and very well delivered by the cast.
The action, though quite short and sweet, is well choreographed. Ivan Reitman’s direction is superb. It’s exciting and staged brilliantly.
The actors too are extremely comfortable in their roles.
Murray in particular is at his absolute best.
A special mention should go out to Rick Moranis. His character, Louis Tulley, is very, very funny.
Moranis actually ad-libbed most of his dialogue and movement too, which makes the character even funnier.
All in all, an absolute classic 80s film. Funny, engaging and brilliantly cast.
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#8: Alien 3, The Definitive Edition.
Fincher was put to making two similar beginnings to the movie, the theatrical version being the one the studio wanted, this 'definitive' edition being Fincher's prefered.
The dog in the theatrical version is never seen in this version, instead, an ox (used as a tractor by the prisoners) is the Facehugger's choice of gestation.
The story in the Def Edition is expanded between the audience and pretty much all the characters. Most of the nameless prisoners now have speaking lines and the storyline feels much more finished and that more time has actually been taken in making it work.
A huge chunk of the middle of the film contains the same scenes as the theatrical release but with the extra/original scenes added back in, it gives the entire movie a completely different aura.
Give it a go. I did, and even though I like the threatrical version, I'll never be going back to it now.
----------
#9: The Pirates Of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.
As a whole it’s bigger, brasher, funnier and grander than the first movie and hits the nail on the head in almost every respect.
The action is brilliantly choreographed and the CGI is even better. The movie does tend to rely on more CGI than it’s predecessor, but it’s utilised perfectly for Jones and his crew, who mirror Barbossa’s crew from the first film as being cursed (to an extent).
Again, the acting from all parties is bang on the money. There’s expansion on some of the existing characters and a few new faces to add to the various pirate crews, though it’s easy to follow and fun to watch, the writing is brilliantly put to screen.
Nighy in particular, as the Scottish ghost-boat Captain Davy Jones, made it to #1 in my top 40 movie villains of all time. He’s absolutely brilliant.
All in all it hits the same places as the first movie but is a better movie and a brilliant piece of writing again from Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio.
Verbinski’s direction is another piece of artwork.
----------
#10: Starship Troopers.
As usual with Verhoeven, the movie undertones itself on political and social failures. Something not understood is destroyed or imprisoned.
Characters in the movie are totally blind to what the viewer is seeing, which makes the movie work as it gives it a sense of realism.
The special effects in the movie, from giant spacecraft fleets and CGI soldiers to giant insects to even bigger beetles, all work with a relative ease. The CGI is flawless.
Their characters are well written and have a connection with the audience.
Supporting roles from Neil Patrick Harris, Michael Ironside, Clancy Brown and Dina Meyer give the movie some more well written and well played characters for the audience to care about.
All in all a well made movie, perfect CGI, borrowing from a wonderful novel and Verhoeven is definitely at his best.
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#11: Batman Begins.
Batman Begins is literally that, how he becomes the Bat. Borrowing from the source material (the comics) and some of Burton’s Batman too, mixing in a few new things and an updated selection of Bat-Gadgets on the Utility-Belt, Batman Begins really hits the nail on the head on how to make a super-hero movie.
The movie is very well shot.
The Gothic feel of past Batman movies has been dropped slightly, it’s more brooding and moody than being Gothic.
The action feels a little held back but when it gets going, it really goes well. The filmmakers had the sense to make the action ‘just enough’ rather than going into the first movie with all guns blazing. It’s very cleverly put together.
The acting also is fantastic.
Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman is a brilliant choice.
Michael Caine as Wayne’s Butler, Alfred, is a perfect choice.
Gary Oldman as Detective Gordon is a marvel. He looks and acts like he’s jumped directly from the page of the comic book. Absolutely brilliant.
The little cliff-hanger at the end between Batpants and Gordon really makes you yearn to watch the sequel.
All in all a near perfect starter for a super-hero franchise.
----------
#12: Jurassic Park.
The movie as a whole is extremely well made. The character build up and strong acting make the movie very weighty.
Sam Neill with Ariana Richards and Joseph Mazzello are a chalk, chalk and cheese buddy movie in their own right.
The story adapted from the novel differs to the novel in many respects but is still extremely well written.
The cast is not just extremely good at what they’re doing, they fit the theme.
The movie is also shot beautifully. It’s very grand in feeling. Some of the sets are also extremely spooky.
The special effects still beat most movies of modern times.
Most of the computer work for the dinosaurs had to be created solely for the movie (albeit adapted from existing technology). What makes the movie’s CGI special is that the movie-makers asked a very simple question: "What is impossible?". Then they achieved the impossible.
At time of release, the movie itself was so big it stayed in cinemas in my local town for nearly two years.
All in all a popcorn movie with a decent story and some genuine scary bits.
----------
#13: The ‘Burbs.
Starring Tom Hanks, Rick Ducommon, Bruce Dern, Corey Feldman, Henry Gibson, Brother Theodore, Wendy Schaal and Carrie Fisher.
It's an odd design for a movie but it makes well with the feeling of paranoia that lives in every suburban area; Never knowing who your neighbours are.
The unreal premise is dealt with decently by getting the characters to do things you might like to do when wierd people move into your area.
The movie is also very, very funny with Hanks, Ducommon, Dern and Feldman on absolutely top form by playing it serious, which makes the whole, completely unreal premise even funnier and even more engaging and makes well with the slapstick comedy that comes through from time to time.
Directed by Joe Dante, the movie can't go wrong.
Certainly one of my favourites.
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#14: Terminator 2: Judgement Day.
Again, Cameron hits the nail right on the head. The movie drops most of the horror genre and goes on full out sci-fi action with only the occasional horror touch.
A bigger budget, utilised by the filmmakers perfectly, gives T2 even better effects and this time round, there’s beautifully rendered CGI in the form of the bad guy: A ‘liquid metal’ Terminator for Arnie to have a rumble with.
The action, when it gets going is fast, furious amd explosive.
Arnie as the Terminator is again, wonderfully wooden at the beginning, though as the movie progresses, like with Reese and Connor in the first movie, he is able to take on and learn characteristics of those around him. Eventually he becomes more humane than the humans in the movie.
Robert Patrick as the liquid metal T1000 is an absolute wonder to watch. He has the emotion the original Terminator and has such a menace about him, you can’t take your eyes off him.
All in all a sci-fi popcorn wonder and comes in above the orignal.
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#15: The Terminator.
The film does suffer from slightly dodgy special effects. The stop-motion Terminator was mediocre at best even for the standard of the 80s, but I don't care.
What really makes the film’s effects a success though, is Stan Winston’s prosthetics on Arnold Swarzenegger.
Mix to that, not just the way the movie is written, but the way the movie is made. The direction, scene placing and overall aura of the subject matter are a joy to watch.
Hamilton, Biehn, Swarzenegger are all fantastic in their roles.
Hamilton is beautifully lost in the series of terrifying, far-out events and eventually becomes a tougher person as the movie progresses.
Biehn’s rough, tough, emotionless soldier of the future becomes more human-like as he spends more time with Connor.
Arnie is wonderfully wooden as the over-6-foot 500lb non stop killer machine.
All in all this fantastic roller coaster is one for the movie history books.
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#16: Dumb And Dumber.
One of the finest comedies ever made. The movie goes from funny, to laugh out loud, to hysterical, to pant wettingly hilarious. It’s incredibly well written in terms of humour.
Every line spoken in the movie is either a double entendre or is something that one of the duo has misunderstood.
It also has it’s fair share of buddy moments, Carrey and Daniels have brilliantly chemistry throughout the entire movie, they bounce off one another perfectly and when the occasional hit of tragedy strikes, you really feel for them.
The acting, overall, from all parties is spot on.
The only fault with the film as that it’s just not long enough. You want more and more and more.
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#17: Superman: The Movie.
It’s a beautifully shot movie, the action scenes are extremely well choreographed and the writing of the characters is absolutely spot on.
The story contains many aspects of great cinema, tragedy, seriousness and tongue in cheek humour. Mix to that a great cast who can carry all of these aspects, you’ve got something very, very special.
The acting too is fantastic.
Christopher Reeve as Superman/Clark Kent doesn’t just change his acting style, his physical appearance changes too. As the Supe he’s tall, powerful, confident and very charming. You genuinely believe he is indestructible. As Clark, he slouches, becomes uncomfortable and bumbling, incompetent in most situations and he carries the role in a way that nobody else could have even imagined. Reeve has the perfect split personality for a super-hero.
The movie’s effects are a little primitive by today’s standards, though at the time the effects were absolutely cutting edge. Though today, they do still work.
All in all, one the finest super-hero movies ever made. A definite must see.
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#18: Superman 2.
The film, like the first, is a masterclass in how to stage a super-hero movie. The writing and storyline are again near perfect. It starts off small and then rapidly grows in scale to something more thrilling.
Again the acting is bang on.
This time round the cast involves Terrence Stamp as Zod, Sarah Douglas as Ursa and Jack O’Halloran as the mute powerhouse Non.
Stamp made it into my top 40 movie villains at #15. He’s very camp, inhinged and is the epitome of the super-villain.
Sarah Douglas adds more sexy-class as a villain-ess and O’Halloran is perfect as a giant brute with absolutely no intelligence.
The special effects are utilised with more pizzazz than in the first. The money was very well spent, in particular on the four-way Metropolis fight.
All in all, believe it or not, it’s actually an improvement on the first but emotionally it has to come in a place below the original. Another definite must see.
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#19: The Pirates Of the Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl.
The movie is wonderfully playful, very tongue in cheek and, extremely well and beautifully shot.
The acting is absolutely spot on.
Johnny Depp in particular is fascinating as Jack Sparrow. Intelligent and sly yet loveable and beautifully charismatic.
As too is Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa. He’s the perfect south-western English pirate, evil, cunning and knows exactly what and where he’s going, only occasionally fooled by Sparrow.
As for the special effects, particularly when the computers are brought into play for the cursed crew, they certainly don’t fail the eye. They’re raw, animated and work extremely well for the subject matter. The one on one between Barbossa and Sparrow is fantastic.
All in all a fun ride with some perfect writing and characters that really hit the mark, definitely the modern Swashbuckler.
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#20: The Pirates Of the Caribbean: At World’s End.
The whole universe of the pirate world created by the writers is expanded on extensively, there’s more Swashbuckling, more wonderfully rendered CGI (in many ways the CGI is better) and the cast of actors are still, all hitting their roles with perfection.
The movie’s storyline is extremely well put together, it’s relatively complicated but easy to follow, the expansion of character storylines and additions of new characters is something that, as I said, the second movie lacked.
This one has it all in that respect but again, emotionally, it has to come in below the original film.
All in all it’s technically better than the first, but a step backward from the second, still though, it is a fun ride to take and wonderfully grand in scale.
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Rodent's Reviews: Delivering The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly In Film
Rodent's Reviews: PART DEUX!
Rodent's 1950-Present Sci-Fi And Futuristic Fantasy Movies
Rodent's Reviews: PART DEUX!
Rodent's 1950-Present Sci-Fi And Futuristic Fantasy Movies
Resident Evil: Retribution was my one-pointer
but then it is your list 