Rodent's Reviews

Yes disgusting

Not Dying But still a poor sick person feel better soon

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Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
Buddha

　
Review #62: Pitch Black (aka: The Chronicles Of Riddick: Pitch Black).

A space vessel that is transporting people in hypersleep crash-lands on a strange deserted, desert planet that has 3 suns.
The handful of survivors is faced with the prospect of dying of thirst unless they can find a way off the planet. With them is a bounty hunter and his pay cheque, a convicted murderer called Riddick. Riddick is no normal criminal though, he has strange glowing eyes and an inhuman strength, and he’s also extremely intelligent.
After Riddick manages to escape, certain members of the group begin to vanish and immediately they fear the convict is now hunting them. On later inspection of a nearby cave system they realise that something much worse is at play. With the addition of what appears to be a total eclipse of the planet, the group must rely on Riddick, to protect them from what hides in the caves.

It’s an extremely original piece of writing, especially for a sci-fi. The survival story of crash landing on a planet and having to find a way home is simplistic but that’s where the film leaves conventional storytelling at the door.
The whole relying on the ‘bad guy’ take, is extremely well put together, if a little cliché with why they had to rely on him, but the whole film is based around the premises of certain situations and events happening for a reason, or there could be no story.

The characters too are used nicely, they all have little secrets and hidden pasts that are revealed over the course of the movie and Riddick in particular is kept as a mystery throughout the film. Only the occasion insight into his character is shown but the viewer is never really sure if it’s true or not.

The effects are another plus point, though there are the occasional faults with some of the CGI, it’s still really well rendered and the puppetry work is also top notch.
As for the action, it shows small hits of excitement from time to time but the film is mainly based on running and hiding and the fears of something jumping out of the shadows. When it gets going though, it works and the tensions that the film works on are well conceived.
The film also doesn’t hold back with the gore when it's needed either.

As for the acting, Vin Diesel as Riddick is by far the best in show. He encapsulates the character brilliantly and makes the protagonist/antagonist role completely his. It’s the role that most people associate him with too.
Cole Hauser is a close second as the bullsh*tter bounty hunter William J Johns. Hauser is at his usual and hits his lines professionally.

One thing that lets the film down is the mildly confusing dialogue near the beginning, it seems to have been written without a wider audience in mind. Kind of like a language barrier.
Some of the shooting feels a little naive at times too, but this is an original film, so I guess it's passable.
Another fault is Rhiana Griffith as Jack, it’s extremely hard to believe "Jack’s secret" and Rhiana is wooden to the point of being annoying.

All in all a low-key and almost experimental sci-fi that works in some places but not in others but is still certainly a film worthy of a high rating.
My rating 85%

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Pitch Black is in my top 20, I really liked that movie and by far the best thing that Vin Diesel has done, really nice review, thanks.

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It's a strange one really. There's a few mistakes and the odd show of naivety from the makers but it's a cracking low budget sci-fi. Shame the sequel went all 'Hollywood' though.

Yeah the sequel was horrible IMO, I am curious to see what the 3rd one will be like.

Review #63: The Day After Tomorrow.

An American weather scientist makes the most important discovery of our time when strange storms start happening all over the planet. The usual happens with this sort of thing, nobody listens to him, especially when he says a Superstorm is coming and will kill almost everything in the Northern Hemisphere.
As it happens, his son is trapped in New York as the Superstorm strikes the Northern Hemisphere and he braves the extreme weather by trekking across America on foot to save his son.
Hence a big ‘told you so’ and a thumbs down for the U.S Government.

That’s really about as far as the plot goes and it’s carried out as well as it could have been.
The film is the usual Emmerich disaster film that shows various landmarks of America being smashed and hammered by natural disaster.

The movie borders at times on laugh out loud funny, but it’s unintentional sadly. Some of the ‘science’ used is cod at best and the dialogue is rip-roaringly cheesy.
If the viewer was to watch the film and imagine it as a spoof, it’s actually much more fun than watching it as a seriously made film.
It’s also extremely stereotypical with the portrayal of anything outside of the USA, which is another Emmerich touch that’s seen in Independence Day and 2012.

The effects are top notch though and they’re actually quite thrilling to watch. The action too is pretty well choreographed and exciting, especially when tidal waves hit New York.

The acting sadly is pretty substandard. Jake Gyllenhaal is wooden and unbelievable as Dennis Quaid’s son.
Dennis Quaid is probably the best of the lot, though he has a look on his face that says "Why am I doing this?"
Still though, he hits his mark professionally.

All in all it’s a popcorn brainless CGI adventure that promises lots of flash, tries to have an air of scientific depth to it but simply just delivers, well, flashy CGI adventures and funny dialogue.
My rating 65%


Review #64: Independence Day (ID4).

A huge alien craft takes orbit around Earth and drops hundreds of city sized saucers onto the Earth that take their place hovering above all of our major cities.
Called into action is USAF Pilot Will Smith and scientist Jeff Goldblum to save the day, teaming up with the US President Bill Pullman.
Hence lots of Dogfights between Smith and the alien fighters and a big finale on the alien mothership.

It’s another simplistic alien attack movie and a disaster movie to boot. Emmerich basically made his name with ID4 and he really deserves the credit.

The plot is simple, the dialogue is even more simple and the writing is even more simplistic but, the way the movie is played out on screen, mixed with absolutely top notch effects makes a perfect popcorn no-brainer effects laden disaster epic.

Emmerich’s usual stereotypes of other non-USA cultures is present again and their dialogue also hits unintentionally funny but it’s still lots of fun.
Some of the dialogue reaches cringe-worthy at times, coming close to the olde saucer-film speeches.

The CGI and miniature work is bang on the money though. The good thing with ID4 is that there are practical effects involved, rather than Hollywood’s recent attempts at all out CGI.
The aliens too are a welcome addition. They’re very well designed and really quite spooky at times.

The action is also top notch, the dogfights between alien craft and USAF fighters is really exciting.

Will Smith as USAF Pilot Hiller is at his usual, loud, fun and energetic self. He’s lots of fun and you can tell he had fun during filming.
Jeff Goldblum is another plus point. His ‘cable repairman’ and scientist David Levinson is engaging and funny and he really hits the serious notes when needed.

All in all, another no-brainer CGI laden disaster movie from Emmerich but unlike all of the others of his that I’ve reviewed on here, this one really hits all the right notes. Fun, loud, brash and needs to be watched with sugary drinks and snacks.
My rating 88%

Review #65: Cat’s Eye.

Based on Stephen King’s novel of short stories, Cat’s Eye combines three short tales of a stray cat travelling around America spurned on by the vision of a little girl who appears to be in peril.

#1: Quitters Inc’ is based on a company who uses hard-fisted tactics in ‘helping’ smokers to quit their habit. The tactics include kidnapping the smoker’s wife and even cutting off various body parts until they quit. The cat in question is used as an example when they torture it to prove their hard-fisted ways are real.
#2: The Ledge is based on a man who is in debt with a mob boss and casino owner. The cat in question has won the mob boss some money by surviving a dangerous road crossing without being run over and as a ‘reward’ has been taken in by the boss and pampered. ‘The Ledge’ gets its name from, quite literally, the Ledge around the top of the building that the mob boss cruelly makes his victims crawl around in high winds, to settle their debts.
#3: The General is the third story, where the cat in question appears to have finally found the little girl who has been appearing in the visions. She names the stray cat ‘The General’ but is chastised by her mother for allowing the stray into her room at night. Eventually, more serious matters arise when it appears that a small Troll creature has made a home in the wall of the little girl’s bedroom. It’s up to General to save the child from the malevolent little creature.

As far as Stephen King novels-to-films go, it definitely one of the best. The screenplay feels very disparate with three completely different stories, but for a strange set of stories, it actually works very well.
The small elements of dark humour are a welcome addition too.

There’s no action so to speak but there are scenes of torture and sadism and the finale with the Troll is brilliantly played out.

There’s also brilliant ‘scene crossing’ where the ‘miniature’ man-in-suit Troll is seen with a full sized child and it plays out flawlessly. The fact that no CGI is used throughout those particular scenes makes for a more real feeling.
The acting is another bonus.

James Woods, Robert Hays and Drew Barrymore are just a few Hollywood names on the list and they all make for great viewing.
Woods in particular steals the entire film for his part in Quitters Inc'.
The one (and only) thing that lets the film down though is the acting at the end from Candy Clarke, who plays the little girl’s mother. She’s extremely wooden.

All in all, one of the best Stephen King based movies. Very different in tone to anything else I’ve ever seen and will certainly live with the viewer for a long time, though it can be a little difficult to get into for some, it’s definitely worth a watch.
My rating 89%

Review #66: Equilibrium.

Set in a dystopian futuristic city after a Third World War, humanity itself has been suppressed using drugs that obliterate human emotions.
The reasoning is that human emotion is the cause of war, suffering and death, and must be eradicated, along with any form of human emotion including creativity, paintings, music and film.
A special police force has also been created called the Grammaton Clerics, used for dealing with anyone who has ‘ceased the dose’ and has begun ‘feeling’ again. The Clerics are a super-trained elite force at stopping anyone and anything that threatens the tranquillity of the city.
Head of the Clerics is John Preston. He’s the best there is, but hunting down and killing ‘Feelers’ for as long as he has, he himself decides to ‘cease the dose’ and turns his new found feelings, along with his super-skills against his peers and take down the oppressive and fascist ‘government’.

It’s an interesting movie for what it is. Many say it’s a Matrix style action flick but deep down it’s something more. It has an almost political message and a philosophical outlook on humanity.
The style of action is similar to The Matrix with almost superhuman movements and martial arts, but that’s as far as it goes.
The story itself is the thing that makes the movie worth watching, though extremely implausible in the way it has been played out, it borders on brainless cod politics, but it works brilliantly.

The acting is a little dodgy at times though.
Christian Bale is at his usual self, playing it deadly serious throughout but as an emotionless police officer, he still shows signs of emotion. When his character ceases to dose though, Bale really nails the part.
Taye Diggs as Bale’s partner is terrible as an apparently emotionless Cleric. He just smiles smarmily throughout and tends to show a lot of anger for someone who is dosing on emotion suppressing drugs.

The martial arts action is really what the film is about. It’s brilliantly choreographed and exciting. If anything, it’s better than The Matrix and has a more grounded and real feel to it too.

What lets the film down is that there are a number of questions raised about the rest of the world outside the city. Similar in vein to the questions raised by Demolition Man.
It all doesn’t quite make sense. Though, if you can look past all the plot holes…

All in all it’s a relatively low-key effort and it’s hard to see where the massive budget went, but for anyone who’s after a relatively brainless but thought-provoking actioner, it’s worth a watch.
My rating 80%

Synopsis:


A team of scientists lead by Will Rodman, have been testing genetically engineered viruses on Apes in the quest to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Will’s Father is also suffering from the disease.
In the process, an infant is born to one of the tested Apes and is found to be incredibly clever, at only a few days old he is feeding himself and using tools.

Raised from birth with Will and his Father, he is named Caesar and becomes disillusioned with his role in the family unit. Is he a pet? Is he just some thing that lives with them? What is his background? Many questions trouble Caesar, and he must come to terms with what Will reveals.


A while later after certain tragedies strike, the now fully grown Caesar is placed in a primate centre where he plots his escape and masters a plan to become the Alpha Male in this new world of Apes in which he now lives.

Review:


I was dubious about the rebooting of the series, especially after the Markymark remake that pretty much killed it off before it began. Man that film was gash!


I’m glad to say though that I was wrong, I was very wrong indeed.


The story is exactly that: A story.
It’s written brilliantly and plays out relatively simply so it’s easy to follow, but the steps that the movie goes through to make the build-up possible is perfectly executed and extremely believable.


There are also homages of the original franchise with occasional glimpses of the Icarus Space Shuttle shown on various news broadcasts and newspapers, some of the Apes’ names seen throughout and a few lines of dialogue too.


The film also successfully builds a sense of philosophy when it comes to Caesar actually being more humane than some of the Humans he comes into contact with.
It’s actually that good you find yourself on the side of the Apes rather than the humans and gives the viewer a completely different depth and outlook to the Apes' Franchise Legacy.


There’s also the side of the Humans laced into it too which allows the viewer to see things from all sides. Good and bad Humans, and also good and bad Apes… it’s very broad in the story telling and emotions of the characters.
There’s also the occasional shock in the plotline too, especially with Caesar’s abilities. At one point I actually said ‘Whoa’ out loud.


One thing missing though is the Female Chimp called Cornelia. There’s a small hint about a connection between her and Caesar, but it’s incredibly glimpsing and I get the impression something was snipped from the final cut of the movie.




The acting is another bang-on-the-money bonus.
James Franco who is mediocre in my book is very likable and engaging. It’s by far his best role outside of 127 Hours. Definitely a worthy leading man.
Tom Felton feels a little typecast as a worker at the primate centre. He does his Draco Malfoy thing from Harry Potter but he’s very slimy and smarmy and really makes for a good ‘baddy’.
John Lithgow makes a welcome appearance as Franco’s ill Father. He’s very loveable and you really make a connection with the character as he flits between normal and confused and frustrates and worries Will at the same time. I loved Lithgow in this film.


By far, of course, the best acting comes from Andy Serkis as Caesar. Imagine King Kong but with more of a personality and man-sized rather than 30 feet tall. Then multiply that performance by 100 and you’re getting relatively close. Serkis is absolutely fantastic.
You can also strangely tell it’s Serkis doing it. The role reeks of him, but in a very, very good way.


Backup comes from Brian Cox as the primate centre owner, Freida Pinto as Will’s new squeeze and David Oyelowo as Will’s Boss. There’s also too-many-to-count mime artists and motion capture people involved, but they all do a magnificent job.




As for the effects, well, where to begin?
You can tell that the Apes are CGI but it’s extremely stylish and works fantastically with the tone of the movie.


The action is another plus point. It’s exciting and very well choreographed. It’s also smile-renderingly paced and contains some imaginative hints by the filmmakers. The end scene on the bridge and how the Apes use their surroundings is also wonderfully original.


The whole lot of action is held together brilliantly though with the acting involved and the fact you care, or hate, the respective characters involved. It’s also all held back in reality and doesn’t go all Hollywood-Michael-Bay-OTT.


The soundtrack is also heart pounding and edgy.


The only downer is that the film is only 90 minutes long. It could really do with another hour, at least.

Could not agree more with your review of Apes. I absolutely loved it. Like you I was dubious when I first heard about it, but what a wonderful surprise it turned out to be. Definitely up there for my favourite film of 2011.

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Review #68: The Karate Kid.

The original and the best of the Karate Kid Franchise revolves around Daniel LaRusso, a young school boy who finds himself in strange surroundings when his mother gets a new job in a new city.
At school a rich-kid ‘in’ crowd made up of slightly older boys bullies him relentlessly due to Daniel’s smaller stature and smaller bank account and that he has taken a liking to the ex-girlfriend of the leader of the crowd.
This crowd also happens to be martial arts students of a man called John Kreese, a brutal and hard-nosed instructor who teaches the boys to hit first and show no mercy to their enemy.
During one of Daniel’s particular encounters with the crowd, an old Japanese man called Mr Myagi, who works as a maintenance man in Daniel’s apartment block, appears out of nowhere and saves Daniel from quite literally being beaten to death. Mr Myagi agrees to go to visit Kreese with Daniel to put a stop the bullying but ends up challenging Kreese in a martial arts showdown in an upcoming tournament between Daniel and Kreese’s students.

It’s a pretty simple story of beating the odds, and the wimpy kid getting turned into a stronger person, both physically and mentally with the help of a wise old wizard of a character. Being that the movie was put together by pretty much the same team that put Rocky together gives you an idea of what to expect.

What makes Karate Kid special is the writing and screenplay, it’s fantastically put together and you really get on the side of the protagonists and begin to care about them. The other thing with the writing is when Daniel is in peril, you really feel it.

Some of the ‘training techniques’ were written solely for the movie by an actual martial artist and seem a little cheesy at times, but they’re some of the most quoted phrases and movements in movie history. Even with the slight cheesyness, they actually work and give the audience something to relate to.

Another special thing about the movie is the acting.
Martine Kove as John Kreese isn’t seen on screen very much but his impact on the movie is lasting. Kove made it into my top 40 villains list too.
Ralph Macchio as LaRusso is another wise choice by the filmmakers. He’s weedy and puny and has a chip on his shoulder at the start but as the film progresses, Macchio really comes into his own and actually seems to grow with the character.

Noriyuki Pat Morita though as Mr Myagi is an absolute gem of a character and Morita absolutely nails the role and if it weren’t for the brilliant story writing he would almost steal the entire movie. The filmmakers almost didn’t cast Morita due to his comedy background but he really shows his worth as a serious actor and can show the subtle humorous side of Myagi brilliantly.

The soundtrack of the film is also bang on. Some of it is a little dated with the 80s pop tracks but the heavy bass pop-rock heard in the film’s final scenes and the oriental backing track that’s used throughout for Myagi and Daniel’s training, really give the movie some substance.

A big let down for The Karate Kid though is the sequels and the awful remake. The first and original movie should be treated as a stand-alone. To be honest, I don’t even own the sequels.

All in all it’s another 80s classic from me and has influenced the underdog genre since, and simply, it's just a lot of fun to watch.
My rating 95%

As you can see from my current avi that's another real favourite of mine.

For number 69, my favourite number ever, I've decided to do my usual special-review and pull apart an entire franchise in one go.


Review #69: Die Hard Franchise (Die Hard, Die Hard 2: Die Harder, Die Hard: With A Vengeance, Die Hard 4.0)

Die Hard

The movie is based around a New York cop called John McClane who is visiting his estranged wife at her workplace in a Los Angeles skyscraper, called the Nakatomi Plaza. It’s Christmas Eve and the top employees of the company are having a Christmas party when McClane arrives.
However, a terrorist group who is after the contents of the building’s Safe has also arrived just after McClane.
Unknown to the terrorist group though, is that during the hostile party crashing, McClane’s police training has urged him to take action. He manages to disappear, unseen into the building’s air conditioning system and various lift-shafts, and has now become the only hope for the group of hostages that the terrorists have taken. Among the hostages though is McClane’s wife, Holly.

It’s an exceptionally original movie. The storyline is relatively simple: A man with a background trying to save the one he loves from a more powerful force.
But the way the movie has been handled and researched with real life police officers as advisors for Willis make for a real feeling turn of events.

The humour of the film comes from the same police advisors too. It’s very situational and makes for a good chuckle throughout.

What makes this particular action movie special is that it’s relatively small scale and only occasionally goes for the larger bangs and explosions. Most action flicks are simply crash bang and wallop all the way through. Director McTiernan manages to balance every element of the movie brilliantly.

The first and original Die Hard movie made a household name of Bruce Willis across the world.
Originally intended as a sequel to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Commando, and sticking closely to the original source material of Roderick Thorp's novel called Nothing Lasts Forever, Die Hard is an 80s action classic and also manages to be a Christmas favourite too.

The acting is also a bonus. Willis is absolutely brilliant as the cop who’s out of his comfort zone who digs deep into his psyche to save his wife.
Alan Rickman is fantastic too as the terrorist leader. Rickman made it into my top 40 villains list.

All in all it’s one of the best action films ever made and has a delicate balance of over-the-top bangs, small-scale claustrophobia, combined with subtle humour and an actual sense of realism.
My rating 95%


Die Hard 2: Die Harder

McClane is once again thrown into the firing line on Christmas Eve while waiting for his wife Holly to arrive at Washington Dulles International Airport.
Another group of terrorists has hacked the airport’s computer systems and is demanding the release of a Val Verde Dictator, or they will give wrong co-ordinates to the circling aeroplanes, which will cause them to crash. Of course, with Holly being on one of the circling aeroplanes, John has to do anything he can to bring down the terrorists, as the airport police are inadequate at best.

For a sequel, it’s about as good as it could have been. The writing is pretty cliché, it’s more of a rerun of the first movie in terms of plot but the action is certainly louder and more explosive.
Typical of the Hollywood sequel, forget about that delicate balancing act that made the first action movie so special, instead just go for all out guns and explosions.

The main thing missing is McTiernan as director, this time round it’s Renny Harlin at the helm. His repertoire contains films like The Long Kiss Goodnight, Cliffhanger and Deep Blue Sea (the shark film) so that should give you an idea of what brainless action to expect.

The acting is pretty bang on though. Willis is comfortable in the role.
William Saddler is ok as the terrorist leader but he’s very cliché like the script and doesn’t really feel much of a threat.

All in all it’s a good post pub film if nothing else is on, but feels more of a cashed in affair compared to the first film.
My rating 40%



Die Hard With A Vengeance

McClane is once again pulled into action when a terrorist group decides to start setting off bombs around New York.
This time round, the terrorist group is targeting McClane directly. It appears that at some point in McClane’s past, he has upset some pretty powerful and dangerous people who are after a double whammy of revenge against McClane and the theft of something valuable.
A ‘Good Samaritan’ shopkeeper called Zeus Carver unwittingly gets pulled into the explosive action after he saves McClane from a sure-fire beating, which gives an odd-couple-buddy-movie feel to the mix.

Die Hard makes a welcome return to the screen with this attempt. McTiernan is back at the helm thankfully and the story and plot have both been written with a little more thought than the second film had.

Ok, there are certain plots that are a little contrived and are used solely for franchise continuity, but they do work to an extent.

The action this time round is even more explosive than both predecessors combined and is much more furiously paced.
As too is the humour. It’s much louder but not wacky. A lot of the giggles that the audience gets are mixed into the furious pacing of the action.

Willis is on form again. He’s looking even more comfortable in the role and carries the action brilliantly.
Samuel L Jackson as McClane’s reluctant partner adds a brilliant touch of comedy to the mix and really knows how to play it cool and tough when needed.
Jeremy Irons as the terrorist leader is a little dodgy on the accent front, but he’s delightfully camp and theatrical.

All in all a vast improvement on the second movie and almost tops the original on an overall basis. It certainly tops the original in the action stakes though. What lets it down is the slightly cashed-in feel of the franchise continuity plotlines.
My rating 85%





Die Hard 4.0 (aka: Live Free Or Die Hard)

After FBI and Government computers are hacked by an unknown source, John McClane is called in by his Captain to bring in a known computer hacker for questioning.
As soon as McClane gets the young lad in his sights, assassins also appear on the scene, forcing McClane to have to defend the kid.
It’s now up to McClane and the hacker to find out exactly what’s going on with the FBI computers, why professional assassins have targeted the kid and other hackers around the city, and what exactly a group of cyber-terrorists is after.
Thrown into the mix is McClane’s grown up daughter Lucy, who is being held by the terrorists as a bargaining chip to keep McClane under control.

Another welcome return for the Die Hard Franchise, the story is a product of its time (albeit modern time) with cyber-terrorism and computer hacking but it’s extremely well handled and believable.

The fourth outing is definitely about explosive action though. It’s brilliantly staged and exciting and hardly lets up for more than a couple of minutes at a time. Unlike other action movies, it doesn’t start off small and get bigger as the movie progresses, it starts of big and blows the bloody doors off the usual Hollywood smash-em-ups.

A big fault with the movie, sadly, is the CGI work on a lot of the action scenes. Particularly at the end of the movie with the fighter-jet, it’s just too far, and too much.
It feels almost like the filmmakers are trying to turn McClane into a superhuman-actionman, rather than the everyman who knows how to kick @rse when needed. It destroys the feel of character-realism that the other movies tried so hard to build.

With Len Wiseman, director of the Underworld franchise at the helm, you’ll have an idea of the OTT action involved in the third act.

A lot of the humour of the Die Hard series has been dropped for a more rougher, edgier feel, only occasional giggles are put into the mix, usually through Justin Long being out of his depth in all the action.

Willis is back on form as the out-of-his-comfort-zone cop again. This time round he’s become old and grouchy and is way out of his depth with the cyber-terrorism that’s happening around him.
Justin Long is a welcome character as the young hacker, Matt Farrell. He’s basically the brains for McClane’s brawn and baby walks McClane through all the cyber-stuff while McClane shows the computer nerd how to be tough while away from a keyboard.
Timothy Olyphant as Thomas Gabriel is a good leading-villain though. He’s realistic and doesn’t try to copy the theatrical feel of previous Die Hard villains. Though not a physical threat to McClane, he’s certainly a dangerous opponent when at his computer.

All in all it’s a welcome return after a 12-year absence. Sadly the OTT CGI spoils the third act slightly but it’s certainly an improvement for the franchise.
My rating 87%

Why would 69 be your favourite number ever, I wonder.

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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."

I like all the Die Hards but the first and third are by far the best, I think.

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#31 on SC's Top 100 Mofos list!!

I'm the same, I love the Die Hard movies but from my criticalising point of view, the first is by far the best overall.
The fourth comes in second due to being really well choreographed and the shooting style is brilliant.
The third is definitely more exciting in the action stakes than all of them put together but I found it dropping to third place after the fourth movie came out.
The second movie comes in last sadly, it's a bit of a cash in, but worth a watch if you want a brainless smash 'em up after you've been out drinking.

Hopefully they won't go all silly-CGI for the fifth installment if it ever gets underway. I've heard it's billed for a Christmas 2014 release.

Finally got this one written. Strangely, my computer kept resetting itself while I was writing this review but here it is...

Review #70: Poltergeist.

The Freeling family find their home invaded by what appears to be a Spirit. Small occurrences around the home, chairs moving and strange noises coming from the television are fun at first but eventually the parents realise that their youngest daughter, Carol Anne, is actually being targeted by the Spirit.
One night, during a particularly horrific ‘occurrence’ that distracts the family, Carol Anne vanishes into thin air. The only proof that she is still alive is the sound of her voice coming from the television set.

The original and most memorable Poltergeist movie is an absolute gem in the horror genre. Directed by Tobe Hooper, a man who knows his way around tension, the movie excels at keeping the audience on the backfoot.
The writing too is absolutely fantastic. The screenplay really works with the tension and horror that the audience is experiencing and the dialogue writing adds more realism to the mix too.

The effects of the film are largely practical and feel extremely grounded in reality, which gives the film a more believable feel.
There are the occasional rotoscoped images and some animation too but the effects start small and get bigger as the film progresses.

What really makes the movie stand out though is the acting.
Craig T Nelson and JoBeth Williams as Steven and Diane Freeling (the parents) are wonderfully real and carry the horror brilliantly. Nelson in particular physically changes over the film as he becomes more and more worn down by the occurrences.
The kids in the film aren’t seen a great deal but when on screen, they really get into the roles. Dominique Dunne and Oliver Robins play the elder children with Heather O’Rourke as Carol-Anne.

A fault with the film is that there are an unusually large amount of mistakes throughout including cameramen and crew seen in shots and various continuity errors from scene to scene. It’s not an 'eagle eyed' fan that can spot the mistakes either, a lot of it is blatantly obvious.

All in all it’s a top shelf horror and wrote the rulebook on supernatural horrors. If it weren’t for the mistakes, it would be the perfect movie.
My rating is still 90% though

Huge fan of the Die Hard series. The first is terrific, pretty much the perfect action film. The third is really close behind as it's wonderfully good fun, and a great team-up with Willis and Jackson. The second and fourth are both very entertaining as well but I'd certainly have them on a level below those former two.

I'm probably one of the few people who likes Poltergeist 2 better. The original is good, though.

It's certainly on a par with the first one, but like most sequels, it doesn't top the original.
It's certainly a universe expander though. Kane is a spooky character.