Rodent's Reviews

Black Hawk Down For me, I don't know if you remember the soldier who an epilepsy fit? Now I have to take epilepsy medication. It's minor compared with most epileptics.

The Passion of the Christ I heard there was a up roar with the Jewish Communities...who knows? The only thing I can say...Jesus was Jewish (Meet the Parents) with...I forget with name? 2 brothers, one had a breakdown...his the best actor.

Black Hawk Down was such a great movie IMO, nice review Rodent.

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For my 80th, I've decided that another supersized review is on the cards, and being that I slammed time travel movies in a recent thread, I've decided to give you...

Review #80: Back To The Future Trilogy.


Back To The Future

Marty McFly, a 17 year old all American schoolboy, is thrown into a world of chaos when his best friend Doctor Emmett Brown, an eccentric scientist, creates a time machine out of a De Lorian car.
Through circumstances out of his control, Marty is sent back to 1955 and ends up throwing his own existence into peril when his own mother falls in love with him, rather than falling in love with his father.
Marty must track down the younger version of Doc to aid him in saving his family and help to get him...

... Back To The Future.

It's extremely well written in terms of storytelling. It's original right down to it's core and occassionally steps on uncomfortable ground.
Though, even when elements of incest are brought into the screenplay, it's still one romping adventure that makes the audience cringe, laugh and squirm with excitement.

The 80s time travel classic set the benchmark for coolness and made skateboards famous with the iconic imagery of McFly doing what he does best on a plank and the music is fantastically placed brilliantly executed.

The acting is by far the best of the trilogy.
Michael J Fox as Marty McFly became the guy every boy wants to be. He's cool and 'in' and yet has an incredible naivety when he's thrown into the incomfortable circumstances.
Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown is another plus point. Lloyd really makes the role come to life with his wacky behaviour and you can tell he had a lot of fun as the brilliant but slightly mad scientist.
Thomas F Wilson as the antagonist and school bully Biff Tannen is also magnificently dumb and punchy, and at times is highly unstable toward the end with some of his antics. Wilson also made it into my top 40 villains list.

With supporting cast from Lea Thompson and Crispin Glover as Marty's parents, the cast can't go wrong.

The effects though are what really surprised me when I first saw the movie. They're rarely used but when they're brought onto the screen they really take you with a delightful shock. They're wonderful.

All in all, it's not just an 80s classic, it's an originally original movie that has many never-before-seen ideas and touches, and even has Michael J Fox rocking out with a guitar too.
My rating 98%



Back To The Future 2

McFly is once again thrown into the circuits of time, this time with 'old' Doc by his side. Marty's family in the year 2015 is in peril and they must stop certain things from happening.
However, an old foe gets his hands on the time machine and manages to change the entire history of both his own, and Mcfly's family.
It's up to Doc and Marty to go back to 1955 and put things back to how they should be. This time though, a happy ending may not be on the cards.

For a sequel, it's an interesting one. It's well written, but it feels as though the filmmakers tried to cram too much into one movie. We see the future, the present, the past and even alternate realities. At times it gets a little too much.
It is handled really well though and the story itself is expanded wonderfully between the antagonists and the protagonists.
There's even a nice twist in the story with going back to the past again, with the problem of bumping into the 'other selves' from the first film.

The effects are improved massively in this one. The future scenes had to be of course with flying vehicals etc and the originality of the first movie is really expanded in this one too, some of the iconography is wonderfully playful.

The acting is about the same as the first. The cast this time round play themselves through 3 different points in time and Fox even plays his own daughter.
No show this time round from Crispin Glover though. The circumstances behind his absence was also a cause for a lawsuit too.

All in all it's far more expansive and broader than the first film and has many original ideas, but, sadly lacks the charm and coolness of the original, except of course for the futuristic take on skateboards.
My rating 85%



Back To The Future 3

After the downbeat but exciting cliffhanger ending of the second film, Marty has drawn young Doc into the adventure once again. This time the mission is to save older Doc, who has unfortunately found himself trapped in the wild west of 1885.
So this time it's Marty bringing Doc... Back To The Future.

Sadly, the film feels like a cashed-in 'let's see what else we can do with the time travel thing'.
Though the second movie sets this one up, it still feels rushed and gimmicky.
Even though some of the plot points and iconography are again, quite original, they feels as though the filmmakers were using up their last remaining drops of imagination.
Some of the ideas that were put in toward the end of the movie also feel like they're jumping the shark a little bit too.

Though, all that said, the movie is still very entertaining. The comedy elements and acting are still top drawer and the action is also exciting when it gets going.
The wild west setting does give a different flavour to the movie, kind of the same way the future gave the second movie it's own touch.

The acting is a good point though too.
The cast seem to have had a bit more fun with this one. They're very tongue in cheek and mildly cheesy and even Christopher Lloyd seems to have turned his character more comic like.

There's not a great deal in the film when it comes to special effects due to the 1885 setting, but toward the end there is a big steamtrain sequence that combines 1980s tech, 1880s tech and tech from 2015 too, and by far it's the most exciting action sequence of the trilogy.

The little touch at the end is also a bit of a cliffhanger, leaving the audience to imagine.

All in all, a mildly cashed in affair, a step back from the second and definitely a step back from the first, but it's still exciting and has the best action scene toward the end and actually has a pretty good overall ending to the story, even after it looked as though it was going to fail.
My rating 80%

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I love the entire Back To The Future, even if that third part is a bit weak. My favourite would be Part II, because it's very imaginative and I love that whole sequence in Biff's Casino. But as I said, I love all of them.

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"George, this is a little too much for me. Escaped convicts, fugitive sex... I've got a cockfight to focus on."

Wow. I've hit the 80 mark, never thought I'd get this far... so here's a quick runover of the movies I've covered so far, in order from page one, up to this page.
Not sure what to do next to take me up to 100.

1 Young Guns
2 A Nightmare On Elm Street Remake
3 2012
4 Cowboys And Aliens
5 Cloverfield
6 Leon
7 Dreamcatcher
8 Alien 3 Definitive Version Vs Theatrical Release
9 The 'Burbs
10 Starship Troopers
11 Predator
12 Robocop
13 John Carpenter's The Thing
14 Alien Vs Predator and Aliens Vs Predator Requiem
15 Terminator Franchise (1-4)
16 The Fourth Kind
17 Jurassic Park
18 Pirates Of The Caribbean Original Trilogy (1-3)
19 The Dark Crystal
20 Tremors
21 Paul
22 Full Metal Jacket
23 Demolition Man
24 Dumb And Dumber
25 Ridley Scott's Robin Hood
26 Christopher Reeve Superman Franchise (1-4) And Superman Returns
27 Batman Begins
28 The Dark Knight
29 Ghostbusters
30 Star Wars Franchise (1-6)
31 Critters
32 Matrix Franchise (1-3)
33 Arachnophobia
34 Super 8
35 The Shawshank Redemption
36 The Abyss
37 Troll Hunter
38 John Carpenter's The Fog
39 Dog Soldiers
40 The Shining
41 Indiana Jones Franchise (1-4)
42 Robert Rodriguez' Predators
43 Sam Raimi's Spider Man Franchise (1-3)
44 Rocky Franchise (1-5 And Rocky Balboa)
45 The Lost Boys
46 Evolution
47 Alien Franchise (1-4 Including A Rerun Of Review 8)
48 Jurassic Park Franchise (1-3 Including A Rerun Of Review 17)
49 Gremlins Franchise (1 & 2)
50 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Original Movie)
51 30 Days Of Night
52 From Dusk Till Dawn
53 I, Robot
54 Steven Spielberg's War Of The Worlds
55 Bladerunner
56 Armageddon
57 Signs
58 The Quick And The Dead
59 Ransom
60 The Big Lebowski
61 Ghostbusters Franchise (1 & 2 Including A Rerun Of Review 29)
62 Pitch Black
63 The Day After Tomorrow
64 Independence Day
65 Cat's Eye
66 Equilibrium
67 Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
68 The Karate Kid (Original Movie)
69 Die Hard Franchise (1-4)
70 Poltergeist
71 The Passion Of The Christ
72 Paranormal Activity
73 Paranormal Activity 2
74 Pulp Fiction
75 Critters Franchise (1-4 Including A Rerun Of Review 31)
76 Unforgiven
77 Black Hawk Down
78 The Fly (1986)
79 Lake Placid
80 Back To The Future Franchise (1-3)

Review #81: Lethal Weapon Franchise.


Lethal Weapon

A weathered and grumpy cop called Roger Murtaugh, who has just celebrated his 50th Birthday is reassigned a new partner, Martin Riggs.
Riggs, like Mutaugh, is a Vietnam Veteran but Riggs has suicidal tendencies due to his wife's recent death in a car crash.
Of course, this puts Murtaugh on the edge of dispair and the pair start out hating each other intensely.
When a crime hits close to home for Murtaugh, the disparate duo reconcile their differences, in the process gaining a mutual respect, and they go all out on a mission to save Murtaugh's young daughter.

The first of the franchise is one awesome film. The action is explosive, the choreography is fantastic, the humour is absolutely bang on and the acting is exactly what makes the film as good as it is.

For a start, the writing is simple, it's the typical buddy movie of the 80s. Two people hating each other, then finding common ground.
What makes Lethal Weapon so great is the screenplay and the chemisrty of the actors.
Danny Glover and Mel Gibson are brilliantly chalk and cheese. There's also no 'finding of feet' with the roles either. They're just there, fleshed out and very well written.

The other thing that really makes the movie work is the action.
Lethal Weapon is a borderline-no-brainer-action-up when the action starts, but with the wonderful writing behind the story and the characters, the action is extremely exciting and gets the audience on the edge of their seats.

The humour is also fantastically played. Some of it is laugh out loud, especially when Murtaugh and Riggs are in the thick of the action and Murtaugh is talking to himself.
A lot of the humour revolves around cheeky too. Riggs in particular has the best wind-ups for Murtaugh's grumpy nature.

The acting, as I said is brilliant I've mentioned Glover and Gibson but there's a few others that need a nod.
Gary Busey as Mr Joshua is brilliantly evil and brutal. He's broderline theatrical and is the perfect antagonist for Gibson's hero.
Mitchell Ryan as The General is another brilliant baddy to play off against Glover's Murtaugh. He's a simple baddy, but has a believable edge to him.
Steve Kahan as Riggs and Murtaugh's Police Captain is the typical shouty boss but he's got a likable side to his personality. His reactions to the main duo's antics is also funny.

As for any bad points, I can't really think of a great deal worth mentioning.

All in all it's another 80s classic from me and really set the tone for buddy-cop movies.
My rating 97%



Lethal Weapon 2

Riggs and Murtaugh have settled into their partnership and have stumbled upon a South African criminal organisation that is, sadly, protected by the law.
At the same time, the duo must protect Leo Getz, a witness in a money laundering scam while they're investigating the criminal organisation.
When it turns out that the South Africans are part of the money laundering that Leo was part of and Leo is also kidnapped, Riggs and Murtaugh go all out to save Leo and stop the organisation from escaping back to South Africa.

This sequel is a rare event of being better than the first. It's more explosive, the writing is broader and the characters have been given more of a horizon with their characteristics. Riggs in particular is expanded as a character and there's a twist in the history of his life too.

There's also more main characters for the main duo to play off and get grumpy with as well. Leo Getz is brilliantly comic and annoying for the pair, he too eventually becomes a stalwart friend.
The baddies of the film are a little cliche, though they're brilliantly acted and threatening.

The underlying humour of the first film is a little more prominent in this one, but with the louder action, it works fantastically.

The acting is another plus.
Joe Pesci as Leo Getz is by far at his funniest. He's half the size of Glover and Gibson but his charisma on screen really gives the other actors something to work against. Personally, he's my favourite character.
Joss Ackland is great as the South African leader Arjen Rudd. He's unbending in his mission and brutal when needed.
Derrick O'Connor as Ackland's righthand man Pieter Vorstedt is definitely a naturalistic bad guy. He plays off Gibson fantastically.

All in all, it's bigger and louder than the first and has more of a horizon with the characters' lives. Certainly the best of the entire series.
My rating 98%



Lethal Weapon 3

Three years after the second film, Riggs and Murtaugh stumble across illegal arms dealers during their interception of an attempted hijack of an armoured car.
It turns out that the arms dealers have developed a new type of bullet that can shoot through most substances, including metal and even bullet proof vests. Riggs and Murtaugh dub this new ammo 'cop killers'.
Of course, this also put all the cops in the area on high alert when it appears that the leader of these dealers is actually an ex-cop.
It's up to Riggs and Murtaugh and a new partner to take on these arms dealers, and stop the sale of 'cop killing bullets' across America.

The third film is a little stale compared to the first two. The story is sound and the writing is top notch, but it's the screenplay that lets it down. It feels just on the border of gimmicky.
It's going toward being a parody of itself and feels a little cliche with the plot.

What lifts the movie though is again, the action scenes. They're choreographed brilliantly and the added extras of being up against arms dealers with super weapons gives the audience some butt-clenching moments too.

The acting, again is top drawer.
Joe Pesci returns as Leo, though he was nearly written out of the script. Gladly he's back and annoying the main duo.
Rene Russo makes a welcome appearance as Lorna Cole, a love interest for Gibson. Her chemistry with Gibson is fantastic and she's tough but also approachable at the same time.
Rent-a-baddy Stuart Wilson as the ex cop Jack Travis a little cliche but he does the job well enough.

The comedy this time is a little more comicbook but the subtle undertones of tongue-in-cheek humour between Gibson, Russo and Murtaugh really works well.

All in all nowhere near as good as the lead up but still worthy of the Lethal Weapon title.
My rating 90%



Lethal Weapon 4

Years after the third outing, Riggs and Murtaugh have now both become grizzled and old. Murtaugh is set to be a grandfather and Riggs and Lorna are also expecting their first child.
During a fishing trip, the duo, along with Leo are shot at from a passing ship. Upon the ship's crashing into the shore, they find the boat is full of illegal immigrants and they unwittingly expose a Chinese slave labour organisation.

The fourth movie is a slightly more welcome return to the serious side of the first two films.
The plot of the characters may feel well used but the overall writing of the screenplay really brings the movie to life.
There's some lovely little similarities between Riggs and Murtaugh's family lives too that give the whole film a nice depth.

The action is definitely the most exciting of the four films. Though it's not as explosive, it utilises overall action brilliantly. This time round it's Chinese Triads that the main cast are up against. Cue lots of brilliantly staged martial arts showdowns.

The humour is again very well used, the characters this time round are so well ingrained that the comedy just comes from the actors knowing where they are from the get go.

The acting is the same as the other films again, bang on the money.
This time we're treated to Jet Li as the main antagonist Wa Sing Ku. He's brilliantly evil and unbending in his quest to make money. When taunted though, he athletically becomes a force that both Riggs and Murtaugh combined, struggle to contain.
Chris Rock, an actor I can't stand, is actually quite entertaining as the father of Murtaugh's grandchild. He's funny, annoying for the main duo and plays off both Danny Glover and Joe Pesci fantastically.

The ending is also a plus point. It wraps up the franchise perfectly.

All in all, it's an improvment over the third outing and definitely worthy of the franchise name.
My rating 93%

Attachments

       

It's pretty well known around this neck of the woods that I love the Lethal Weapon franchise. They're all consistently entertaining films that, despite not being very original, remain rewatch able after countless viewings.

And we agree on the third one being the weakest. Still a good film, though.

I'm suffering with a touch of writers block at the minute. Not sure if I reviewed Lethal Weapon Franchise as well as I'd have liked.

Might be down to the fact I've been up all night.

Nice review of the Lethal Weapon series, I agree with everything except Lethal Weapon 4, I think they killed the series when they threw Chris Rock in, but that's just my opinion, again thanks for the review.

Was going to leave this one for Review #100, but I decided to go where no man has gone before. All 11 Star Trek movies in one big review...

... enjoy

Review #82: The Star Trek Movie Franchise


Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

A massive energy cloud advances toward Earth, leaving destruction in its wake, and the Enterprise must intercept it to determine what lies within, and what its intent might be.

After a long absence from anything new, and audiences having to make do with reruns of the TV series, demand for more Star Trek was yearned by fans.

What we got was a pretty outlandish set of events but something that set the tone for the franchise.
The writing is fantastic, it combines a more serious side to the mildest touch of the campness that was seen in the TV series, and still makes the audience feel excited.
The screenplay is a little touch and go throughout but it works with the tone of the film. The humour is another touch and go subject. Most of it comes from in-house humour between the cast, but you feel included in the little back and forth conversations involved.

What makes the film work though is definitely the chemistry between the actors. Not seen on screen greatly between the series and the movie, they still have a friendly and pally atmosphere about them. It's just like old friends doing what they do best, which makes the performances from all involved shine through wonderfully.

The effects also, still stand out today and gladly, are a billion times better than the series ever gave the fans.

All in all, it's a welcome return to the screen for original fans and has stood the test of time for close to 35 years.
My rating 85%




Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

Khan Noonien Singh, whom Kirk thwarted in his attempt to seize control of the Enterprise fifteen years earlier seeks his revenge and lays a cunning and sinister trap.

Another welcome return to the screen for fans and, so far, the best of the bunch.
The writing is top notch and the creases of the first movie have been ironed completely out.
The filmmakers also had the gumption to bring back a heavy hitting villain from the TV series too, rather than just the seperate adventure that the first movie gave us.

The acting from all parties is ramped up in this one too. Ghosts of the past and certain things going wrong for the main group of characters really give the cast something to get their teeth into dramatically and it makes the movie all the more potent for it.

Kirstie Alley (mmm) makes her big screen debut as a Vucan in this one.
Ricardo Montalban as Khan though is by far the most memorable actor in the film. Not just for the fact it's his character that is in the title though, it's his sheer enthusiasm and charisma in the role that makes the audience both love and hate him. He also brings an element of campness to the role that has been missed so far since the original TV series.

The effects are also improved massively.

All in all a vast improvement from the first movie and an absolute joyride of emotion and humour.
My rating 95%




Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock (1984)

When McCoy begins acting irrationally, Kirk learns that Spock, in his final moments, transfered his katra, his living spirit, to the doctor. In order to save McCoy from emotional ruin, Kirk and crew must steal the Enterprise and violate the quarantine of Genesis to retrieve Spock's body from the rapidly dying planet, in the hopes that body and soul can be rejoined. Bent on obtaining the secret of Genesis for themselves, however, a rogue Klingon and his crew interfere, with deadly consequences.

The third of the franchise makes for extremely downbeat viewing, then extremely mixed emotionally toward the end.

Acting as a 'part 2' to the second movie really makes this one stand out. It also makes the viewer feel all the more connected to the emotional struggle of the characters.
The cast too are on top form with the script and really show their worth in the series of events.

The movie itself has many levels of emotion for Kirk too. Shatner really stands out in the film because of the events happening around him.

What gets me though, is that the strange and unbelievable set of events surrounding the Genesis Planet and Spock are also, strangely, very believable due to the way the screenplay is put together. Thumbs up for that I say. That couldn't have been an easy task for the filmmakers.

The effects are about the same as the second film.

All in all, what starts out as a relatively sombre and downbeat adventure, it turns to an exciting but quite emotionally driven ending, but definitely worth a watch.
My rating 87%




Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home (1986)

While returning to stand court-martial for their actions in rescuing Spock, Kirk and crew learn that Earth is under the siege of a giant probe transmitting a destructive signal, intended for the long-extinct species of humpback whales. To save the planet, the crew must time-travel back to the 20th century to obtain a mating pair of these whales, along with a biologist to care for them.

Continuing Spock's story arc that started in The Wrath Of Khan, the cast being sidetracked from their return to Earth should have been an exciting and worthwhile adventure through space.
Sadly, The Voyage Home is laden with fish-out-of-water jokes and way too much comedy replacing the mild humour of the first three movies.
It's also very cliche and cheesy to the point that it's beginning to tilt back toward the original TV series again.

Though in saying that, the movie as it is, is still entertaining enough for any Star Trek fan and anyone who has enjoyed the lead up will experiance a relatively welcome breath of fresh air after the downbeat third movie.

The acting is good enough for the tone of the film and to be honest, I think the cast are in the same situation as the audience and seem to be enjoying the over-used humour.

The effects of the movie are somewhat improved again in this one. The miniature work and animation work involved is top notch for the time (1986) and still works today.

All in all, more humour orientated but makes for a nice upbeat change from the sombre predecessor.
My rating 83%




Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier (1989)

A man called Sybok believes he is summoned by God, and hijacks the brand-new (and problem-ridden) Enterprise-A to take it through the Great Barrier, at the center of the Milky Way, beyond which he believes his maker waits for him. Meanwhile, an ambitious young Klingon captain, seeking vengeance for the deaths of the Klingon crewmen at Genesis, sets his sights on Kirk.

This time eround, the audience is treated to a more action and peril orientated movie.
There's a great villain and a ghost from the past for the Enterprise's crew to deal with, and there are certain elements of expansion for certain characters too.

It makes for a more rounded storyline throughout and the acting involved, especially between Spock and Kirk, is all the more realistic and at times funny too.

The film does go towrd the feeling of the original movie though with the ending plotline. It's definitely leaning toward the outlandish feel of The Motion Picture.

The acting involved throughout though is at it's best. Lawrence Luckinbill deserves special mention for his role as Sybok. He's not a baddy as such, it's just that his demented and doughy-eyed persona putting everyone else at risk, makes him stand out from the crowd.

The effects in this one are used with a little more panache than the predecessors, especially toward the end.

All in all, not the perfect Trek movie, but certainly an improvment on the last one.
My rating 86%




Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

After their homeworld is wracked by an environmental disaster, the Klingons attempt to make peace with the Federation. When the Klingon Chancellor is assassinated, the crew of the Enterprise must race against time to uncover a massive conspiracy against the peace process, with plotters from both sides, led by Klingon General Chang, working with each other.

This is the Marmite movie for fans of the original movies series.
Looking at it the way it is, it's actually a very entertaining adventure.
The writing of the plotline and the screenplay are also good.
If anything, it's much better written than The Final Frontier and far outweighs The Voyage Home.

The welcome twist with this one is the murder mystery that the crew are having to figure out while Kirk and Bones are under arrest.
The other thing that works brilliantly is the way the film's plot is unravelled by the characters and the way it plays out for the audience.

The humour involved is also the kind that works, friendly, tongue in cheek and occasionally cheeky.

What lets the film down though is the slight cheesiness of the 'everyone should love one another' message that is layed on thick at the end.

The effects are massively improved in this outing too, though they're used sparingly they work brilliantly.

All in all, a fitting end to the adventures of Kirk's crew. Upbeat and entertaining.
My rating 89%




Star Trek Generations (1994)

Picard enlists the services of Kirk, who is presumed long dead but flourishes in an extradimensional realm, to prevent a madman from destroying a star and its planetary system in an attempt to enter that realm.

Ouch. What started as an anticipated movie comes an odd turn of events that leaves the audience wondering why.
It's more of a novelty act really. After audiences had gotten used to The Next Generation on their TV sets, the filmmakers decided that a handover between Kirk and Picard was needed for the stake in the movie franchise.
Ok the movie as a whole works, but it feels more of a 'written for the sake of writing it' film.

The action and choreography is top notch though and you can't help but get excited when Kirk and Picard are fighting alongside each other, but it's the circumstances leading up to the pact and the circumstances surrounding Kirk's actual presence that let the movie down.
It works to an extent, in the relms of Star Trek's Universe the audience has seen much more unbelievable things and have accepted them as they happened.

The effects are absolutely top drawer though and the acting from all parties is beyond awesome. It's good to see TNG's cast on the big screen for the first time too.

All in all, more of a passing of the torch kind of movie, sadly though, it almost didn't work.
My rating 78%




Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

The Borg attempt to enslave humanity in the past, before First Contact between Terrans and Vulcans; Picard must fight his demons from his assimilation into the Collective as he leads the Enterprise-E back in time to ensure that Zephram Cochrane's first warp test and subsequent meeting of the extraterrestrials take place.

This is another mediocre movie sadly. The plotline could have been exciting, especially involving the Borg going back into the past and changing things around but sadly all the audience got was a small scale actioner that's laden with badly written humour. The added extra of Picard and his past dealings with the Borg could have been worth while too, but, it wasn't really utilised very well.

The effects are also low in budget, or at least they seem to be. Most of the film is based in a forest somewhere on Earth, so there's no real area for a budget to be spent and some of the sets are as wobbly as the original 1960s TV series.

The acting though, I will say is top drawer. To be honest, it had to be for the sake of the poor script.

All in all, by far the worst of the entire series, really only watching if you're a Trek fan.
My rating 32%




Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

The crew of the Enterprise launch a rebellion on the Baku homeworld against Picard’s superior officer, Admiral Dougherty, and his Son'a cohort, Ru'afo who want to relocate the Baku to gain possession of the medicinal cosmic radiation that floods their planet.

This is more like it. The filmmakers gladly learned from their mistakes and actually wrote a proper story this time round.
It's pretty simplistic but certainly imaginative and has many new and unseen ideas, and original characters involved throughout.

The other plus point is the expanded relationships between the crew members and Picard finding a love interest.

The action is a touch more toned down for a Star Trek movie, it's more about small skirmishes and running and hiding but it's the story, and especially the acting involved that make the movie watchable.

All in all an improvment, still not perfect but they're getting there.
My rating 80%




Star Trek Nemesis (2002)

Picard and company must thwart a seemingly familiar enemy, who has become leader of Romulus and is bent on obtaining DNA from Picard, at the cost of the captain's life, as well as the Federation's destruction.

Once again, another Marmite movie for fans. Nemesis is certainly more action orientated but contains a nice little twist in both Picard's past, and his fate.

The main plot of the film revolves around haunted histories, bettering yourself and has oodles of sentimental value. It's written perfectly though, it doesn't go into the 'cheesy' territory that The Undiscovered Country went into.

What really stands out in the film though is a young Tom Hardy as the antagonist and his right hand man played by Ron Perlman.
They're absolutely brilliant throughout and very good as villains.

The effects are absolutely top notch too. Some of the action scenes are very exciting and you can finally, at last, see where the budgets were spent too.

The overall acting from all parties is another plus point. They succesfull encapsulate their characters in the strange set of cicumstances and show the humour, and especially the tragedy, absolutely brilliantly.

All in all a rather downbeat but almost inspiring end to The Next Generation's legend. Still not perfect but definitely, personally, the best of TNG's films.
My rating 84%




Star Trek (2009)

When Vulcan is destroyed by Romulan thugs from the future, led by Nero, young Kirk and Spock must set aside their differences to prevent Earth from suffering the same fate.

Upon hearing about this movie I was extremely dubious. Before seeing the film I had the impression of it being a big middle finger to all the stalwart fans of Trek's history.

What the audience has been given though is a massively impressive rewrite of Star Trek lore and a brilliantly pieced together movie.

What makes the biggest impression is the cast involved. Chris Pine as Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock and Zoe Saldana as Uhura are extremely natural in the well known roles and certainly don't let the viewer down.

The story though is relatively simple. It's the typical Trek Time Travel plot but it's extremely well written and effective.
It also adds more depth to the viewing when you realise the effect that the time travewlling has had on the main character's lives.

The effects are absolutely bang on the money too. It's almost entirely CGI backgrounds and green-screen but it's handled with such style and substance, it gives the movie it's own aura.
The action too, though pitched at regular intervals isn't too over the top and certainly not boring either. It's balanced just right.

The nostalgic elements are another plus on the writing front. The film is very loyal to the Trek everyone knows and loves.

By far the stand out piece of the film is Eric Bana as Nero. He's brilliantly evil and really threatening as a baddy.

All in all a massive surprise, but definitely in a good way, very nostalgic and loyal, and an exciting movie when the action kicks in.
My rating, the highest of them all, 98%







I've kept them relatively short due to having 11 films in one. Hope you enjoyed reading though!!
Actually, I really do, it's taken me 2 and a half hours and a sore neck to write this up just now

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The main thing I find weird is that First Contact is obviously the best of the "Second Generation" flicks, but no biggie.

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

In the words of Luke Skywalker: Noooo!

Very nice and thorough reviews. For me the first two in the series were the ones I really liked. Never liked Chris Rock and even though his acting wasn't bad, his presence spoiled the fourth movie for me.
On another side, I like Spike Lee as a director but can't stand him as a human being.

Just catching up on some of your reviews Rodent. I absolutely love the Lethal Weapon franchise and especially love the Back to the Future trilogy (would rate all of them higher than you did).

While it's perhaps the weakest of the lot I've always really enjoyed the fourth Lethal Weapon, Jet Li being a good deal of the reason. And while he's nothing much on his own I enjoyed Chris Rock's interaction with Pesci.

Out of interest following Lethal Weapon, Back to the Future, Die Hard etc do you have any plans for another of my favourite 80s franchises - Beverly Hills Cop?

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Up next I'm doing Of Mice And Men of Cinemaafficionado.

Bev Hills never popped into my head, will add to my list and get it done soon.

Review #83: Of Mice And Men

George and Lenny, two soulmates who work from place to place, farm to farm in 1930s America, end up on the run when Lenny is accused of attempted rape.
Lenny is not a violent man though, he's mentally handicapped, and has a love of things that are soft.
Basically Lenny doesn't know his own strength and tends to get into trouble, George on the other hand sees to it that Lenny is looked after and that nothing happens to his simple friend.
When the duo find themselves more work, Lenny goes one step farther and ends up actually killing a young woman without even realising, it's up to George again to fix the problem, whether he wants to or not.

Based on John Steinbeck's novel of the same name, the movie really captures the difficult relationship between George and Lenny.
What makes it all the more poignant is that the pair aren't even related, yet they act like brothers.
Near the start, you feel bad for Lenny and feel that George is too hard on him, if anything, George is almost bordering a protagonist but as the film progresses, you find an understanding between the characters and a connection with the audience.
Toward the end of the film you do feel more for George though, Gary Sinise's acting as George really hits the mark when things start going bad for the pair once again due to Lenny lack of understanding and you even feel George's frustration too.

The plot and screenplay, though loosely told at the top of this review, is another plus point. It delves into all of the characters and their relationships brilliantly and makes for a really good, well written drama.

Casey Siemaszko as Curly, the husband of the killed woman, is perfect as the real protagonist of the story, immediately taking a dislike to George and Lenny, at one point even having a rumble with Lenny.

The actor that really stands out though is John Malkovich as Lenny. Malkovich doesn't look like a brutal killing machine that he's accused of being and certainly doesn't have the stature as an immensly strong simpleton, but it's Malkovich's acting that makes the character believable. It's also when the going gets tough that you really believe the character's strength, Malkovich is that good.

With support from Sinise, Joe Morton, John Terry and Mark Boone Jr and also directed by Sinise himself, the movie almost can't go wrong.

All in all, a drama classic based on a classic novel and acted by some of the finest but underrated actors of modern time, Of Mice And Men is a low tone but occasionally funny and certainly heartbreaking story and is certainly a film to be seen.
My rating 96%

That's the Mouse I like. Very nice review, buddy and a man of his word. Props.

Review #84: An American Werewolf In London

Two American tourists, David and Jack, find themselves in the middle of nowhere in the English Countryside.
Happening upon a rather gothic looking pub called The Slaughtered Lamb, they meet a bunch of dark soulled locals who warn them to stay off the Moors at night.
The pair laugh it off as some sort of local paranoia and head off across the foggy wasteland on foot, giggling and laughing between them about the strange people they've just met.
Sadly though, they meet something unearthly and incredibly violent. Jack is killed and David is almost mortally wounded.
Upon waking in a London hospital, David realises a horrible truth about the thing that attacked him and his friend, and has to rely on a kindly nurse to help him.

The movie is an absolute classic in the Werewolf genre and wrote many of the current lores used in modern Werewolf movies.
What makes the movie work more than anything else is that it's incredible small in scope and relies mainly on using basic plot devices in very small amounts, love, fear, horror, urban legends etc.

It's when the small scale feel of the movie is mixed with the seriously impressive special effects that the movie really makes it's mark.
The transformation scene set the benchmark not just for Werewolf movies, but for all puppetry movies since, and is always the thing about the movie that people talk about.
The effects used for the wolf itself are also absolutely top notch.
By modern standard, I've yet to see a movie that makes such a statement in regard to puppetry and effects.
There are other effects utilised in the movie too when it comes to the undead. Especially the makeup used when Jack appears to David in visions.

As far as the actual storyline goes, it's very simplistic but really well put together. The movie itself is more about David's confusion and fear about what's happening to him and the horror factor of the Werewolf, though there is a small love story thrown in for good measure.

The acting is a little touch and go though.
David Naughton as the American Werewolf is a little wooden but strangely, it feels right. His naivety in the circumstances works brilliantly.
Jenny Agutter as the Nurse, Alex Price is at her usual. She's professional and is believable.
Some of the supporting actors are a little wooden too with the exception of the locals in the Slaughtered Lamb.
Brian Glover (Alien 3, Dixon Of Dock Green), David Schofield (Pirates Of The Caribbean, Gladiator, From Hell) and Rik Mayall (Bottom, Drop Dead Fred) are just a handful of future stars that make small appearances in the film.

With the obligatory sex scene with Agutter, the movie is definitely a must see

All in all, a genuinely scary-in-places horror and definitely a benchmark for special effects and makeup.
A simple story and low tone movie, but utilised brilliantly and is the Grandaddy of modern Werewolf Lore.
My rating 94%

American Werewolf... is great fun. Funny, sexy, scary and like you said very impressive on some technical levels (makeup, special effects etc)