A Wrinkle in Time Review

A Wrinkle in Time was a good adventure movie, but not without its terrible elements.  This movie is about three beings that send a girl named Meg, her brother, and her friend to find her father after his mysterious disappearance.  Storm Reid gives a great performance as Meg.  She does a fantastic job with the action as well as the emotional beats.  Deric McCabe gave a good performance as Meg’s brother, Charles Wallace.  His acting was stiff at first, but improved throughout the movie.  Levi Miller gave a decent performance as Meg’s friend Calvin, however, his character is given very little to do with the overall story.  Chris Pine gives a fantastic performance as Meg’s dad.  His relationship with his daughter is the emotional core of the film.  As for the three beings, Oprah Winfrey gives a passable performance as Mrs. Which.  Mindy Kaling was atrocious as Mrs. Who, the movie became immediately worse any time her character spoke.  Reese Witherspoon gives a good performance as Mrs. Whatsit; her character was easily the most likable and entertaining of the three.  Ava DuVernay’s directing is really good, but some of her choices are extremely questionable.  The screenplay by Jennifer Lee and Jeff Stockwell is a mixed bag.  Sometimes the movie has genuine emotion and excitement and in the next scene, it’ll go completely off the rails into pure garbage.  The visual effects, for the most part, are quite good although they are occasionally rough around the edges.  At 1 hour 49 minutes the movie moves along at a decent pace and never felt overlong.  Overall, A Wrinkle in Time is a fun but mixed bag of an adventure movie.

6.5/10

Tomb Raider Review

Tomb Raider is a fun adventure film and the best video game adaptation to date. This movie is about Lara Croft who must push herself beyond her limits when she finds herself on the island where her father disappeared. Alicia Vikander is fantastic in the title role. She embodies every aspect of her character perfectly. Daniel Wu gives a good performance as Lara’s friend on the island and they have good chemistry. Walton Goggins gives a great performance as the villain, but his character is slightly underwritten. Dominic West gives a decent performance as Lara’s father in a smaller role. The action sequences are fantastically shot and extremely thrilling to watch. The writing, for the most part, is quite strong although there was one decision I was not a fan of. Roar Uthaug did a fantastic job directing his first big budget feature. He keeps the story moving fast while making sure you are still invested in what’s going on. At 118 minutes the film flies by never slowing down. Overall, despite a couple questionable story decisions I had a blast with Tomb Raider.

8.5/10

Red Sparrow Review

Red Sparrow is a really good spy thriller, but is a rough viewing experience. This movie is about a Russian ballerina who is sent to a spy school where she must learn to use her body as a weapon. Her first mission is to get close to a C.I.A. agent to find a mole. Jennifer Lawrence gives a good performance in the title role. However, her Russian accent is occasionally distracting and can take you out of the movie. Joel Edgerton gives a great performance as the C.I.A. agent. He has fantastic chemistry with Lawrence and their dynamic is easily the strongest aspect of the film. Matthias Schoenaerts and Jeremy Irons both also give good performances in smaller side roles. Francis Lawrence does an excellent job directing. He handles the rougher material as tastefully as he can. The cinematography by Joe Willems was the standout. This is a beautiful movie to look at. The screenplay by Justin Haythe is good but demands patience. At 140 minutes the story moves at a solid slow pace though it does occasionally drag. I do also want to put a warning that this is a very graphic movie and isn’t for people with a weak stomach. Overall Red Sparrow was a compelling slow burn spy thriller that I was consistently intrigued by.

7.5/10

Pacific Rim Uprising Review

Pacific Rim Uprising is a dumb fun action movie, but is still a step down from the first film. This movie takes place 10 years after the first film as Jake Pentecost must reluctantly help train a new generation of Jaeger pilots to combat a new threat. John Boyega gives a good performance as Jake, our lead. He has a natural charisma and is fun to watch. Scott Eastwood gives an okay performance but does what the script requires of him. Cailee Spaeny gives a solid performance as Amara, our main recruit, we follow. Charlie Day returns with another great over the top entertaining performance. The action sequences here, while never mind-blowing, are competent and entertaining to watch. Steven S. DeKnight directs the movie very well and keeps everything moving at a decent pace. The script is pretty weak and is just an excuse to get to the next action scene. At 111 minutes the movie moves at a good pace though occasionally slows down in between action sequences. Overall Pacific Rim Uprising delivers as a dumb fun action movie and nothing more.

7/10

The Hurricane Heist Review

The Hurricane Heist is a terrible movie, but it’s not without its entertainment value. This movie is about a group of thieves who attempt a massive heist against the U.S. Treasury as a gigantic hurricane approaches. Maggie Grace is perfectly serviceable as our lead but nothing more. Toby Kebbell and Ryan Kwanten do a good job portraying brothers and manage to pull off their southern accents convincingly. The script in this movie is pure garbage though not shocking from a movie written by four people. There are some laughably bad moments in this movie. Sadly the movie never went as over the top as it needed to. Rob Cohen’s direction is competent but nothing more. The action sequences are filmed decently well but are very standard. This movie definitely has entertainment value in its stupidity.  However, due to the restrictions of the PG-13 rating it never achieved its campiness potential. Overall The Hurricane Heist is a bad movie that I cannot recommend. However, I also cannot deny I had fun.

5/10

Gringo Review

Gringo is a fun dramatic comedy that never achieved its full potential. This movie is about businessman Harold Soyinka whose life is thrown into turmoil after a trip to Mexico goes badly. David Oyelowo gives a great performance as our lead. He is clearly having a blast getting to play such an over the top comedic role. Joel Edgerton and Charlize Theron give good performances in surprisingly substantial roles as Harold’s bosses. Amanda Seyfried gives a serviceable performance but her character is given very little to do. Sharlto Copley steals this entire film. The movie gets a huge burst of fun energy every time he is on screen. Nash Edgerton does a good job directing his first bigger studio film. As for flaws, the 110 minutes running time drags way more than it should. Overall Gringo is a fun little movie, but not a must see theater experience.

7/10