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BlackHawk847
Reviews
Hancock (2008)
Solid popcorn flick
I saw the movie tonight and enjoyed it a lot so here's my take:
Pro's:
Good special effects (even though there not all done)
Excellent hour and fifteen minutes (the movie is probably 100 minutes in length if I had to estimate the pacing in that time period was spot on)
Good combination of humor and action (I'd say more humor though say in the vein of Beverely Hills Cop, which had a good mix of humor and action) Will Smith nails the character (even if the character goes through a number of sudden changes out of nowhere)
Even though there weren't as many action sequences as expected they all were pretty memorable especially a fight between Hancock and another superhero (I won't spoil it)
A really good twist that I didn't see coming at all (when you see it you'll understand)
Cons: The villain wasn't fleshed out at all in any way (they really didn't need to have one in the first place and could have changed a few of the last scenes)
The last 25 minutes shifted more into a drama and didn't totally fit the character of Hacock of the first hour of the movie
Charleze Theron didn't have much to work on for the first forty-five minutes besides not liking Hancock
The relationship of Jason Bateman's character, Ray and his wife Mary isn't fully fleshed out and the chemistry isn't all there (towards the end Will Smith has better chemistry with her and there scenes together are juicy and easily the best parts of the last twenty five minutes)
Overall I'd give the film an 8.5/10 because it was an innovative look at a superhero other then all the Batman's and Supermen we're given a truly conflicted character who isn't fully invincible. There are many quotable scenes, funny moments, and good special effects that you haven't seen in other movies before. I expect this film to make a lot of money at the box office this summer and please many Will Smith fans along with action fans or people who are looking for a solid popcorn flick.
The Brave One (2007)
Tense Thriller
Jodie Foster is amazing as Erica who had lost her fiancé to men who wouldn't give them her dog back.
As the story goes on Erica buys a gun and becomes a vigilante.
The way the world of New York City at night is descripted is incredible and you feel the fear of what can happen to Erica as she does to herself.
One can say the morales of this movie are off, but until you lose someone you deeply love you never know how you'll react.
Terrific acting as well by Terrance Howard who is the cop trying to track Erica/Subway Shooter down.
He starts to get close to her and both actor's chemistry on the screen shine and it is great to watch.
Rush Hour 3 (2007)
Sort of Fun
Don't get me wrong this movie isn't better then the first two in any sort of way.
The humor is still good and the action is good, but the gags are getting old sort of.
The acting is alright, I mean you don't go into Rush Hour movies looking for character studies or anything like that.
As the other films they throw in a twist that you can see coming quite a while before it happens.
The action in this film is a step up over the previous two films I must say including the hospital shoot-out (Hard Boiled reference maybe?) and the fight at the end added more fun to this movie then lots of films I've seen this summer.
Bottom Line: Good popcorn flick that is fun while it lasts and definitely recommended to Rush Hour fans out there for sure.
Hostel: Part II (2007)
For Hostel Fans
Going into this film I didn't really know what to expect, but after the first five minutes I was pleasantly surprised how the movie started. Now after the first five minutes the movie seems to start slowing down, but only to develop the characters like in the first movie for example. There are three main girl characters as there were 3 main male characters in the first so there are similarities which is nice. The girls in there roles do a decent job for a horror movie especially Lauren German who gets the most screen time, but for good reason as she isn't the typical horror damsel in distress. Another thing I've always liked about this series is the fact the majority of the characters are realistic and are like normal people in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now a key difference in this movie compared to the first is it shows us what the buyers who are going to kill these people are like and it's fun to watch how the act before and after because it was something just touched upon in the first movie that was greatly satisfying to watch. Now for all you gore lovers, Hostel: Part II will not disappoint at all. You will see a sadistic girl cutting another one hanging upside down having an orgasm to what she is doing which is only the beginning and all I'll tell you. The things that happen in Hostel Part II need to be experienced to have any effect at all on you and that is basically why if you enjoyed Hostel you'll probably end up liking Hostel Part II just as much as I did.
Half-Life: Counter-Strike (2000)
Best multiplayer game
Yes, to me this is better then World of Warcraft, Halo 2, or any other game for the most part. The game is really just about the multiplayer so if you like good single player games go play both Half-Life's for that. This game has been popular for a long time for many reasons. The first being the mod community who help better the replay value. Second it's hard to perfect the game since their are so many damn good people online. Lastly the gameplay itself is addictive and once it pulls you in, it won'r let go.
Gameplay: Counter-Strike may at first appear to be just like a lot of other FPS's, boring and generic. Whoever would think that after playing the game for a little while would have to be on drugs to think that. The game has you choose to be a Terrorist or Counter Terrorist. The best thing of each side is both sides have their own set of objectives depending on the map you are playing. The Terrorists on many maps have to plant a bomb and defend it from the Counter Terrorists who try and disarm the bomb. While this may sound simple there is a lot of strategy to this especially if you have only a few members on whatever side your on. The shooting in the game is great as well as you get like twenty weapons on each side which include pistols, machine gun, sniper rifles, ak-47, silencer, dual pistols, and many other great weapons. The firefights in the game are intense and when playing things get very suspenseful since you can get sniped from far away and not even see it coming.
Graphics: They are good for the time and were updated by the great people at Valve. Yet, many new CS's came out, but this version still looks good and can hold its own against many other FPS's right now on the market.
Overall: 5/5
Fahrenheit (2005)
Amazing
This game is the reason why many people around the world play video games. For experiences like playing Indigo Prophecy which is a superb game in many different ways.
Story: Unlike in many games, Indigo Prophecy has a brilliant story about an ordinary guy Lucas Kane who kills a man in a bathroom located in a restaurant. The thing is Lucas doesn't even know the man and had no control over killing him. This opens many layers as you can alter the choices you make affecting the story. For example in the beginning the restaurant waitress won't recognize you say you pay a tip, but if you forget she will remember your face and the cops will have a better chance of tracking you down. That is just a small sample of how innovative this game is. The story in the end isn't as simple as it sounds. You'll have cops chasing you, run from demons, and even at the end of the game or towards the end will fight using the unique analog control system. The only con about the story is the end may leave some going "What the ****!" Still not a terrible ending that ruins the story, but if there is any complaint that would have to be it.
Gameplay: This game may seem at first like any normal game, but what you quickly realize after beating it is the fact you felt like you were controlling a movie. The control system is very hard to describe in words, but you use two analog sticks and have to time everyone to do the sequence you're supposed to do in the scene. The way you play as a criminal then switch to the police officers is a good twist in a game of this nature. It makes you feel weird because you don't know who to root for as you keep switching back and forth. The characters in the game big or small are great and some you interact with provide some fun addictive mini games. Lastly the game is pretty average sized only 8 to 12 hours, but the way you can change the story is enough to play through it over and over again.
Overall: 5/5
Halo 2 (2004)
Half-Life 2 is much better
This needs to be addressed as this is the absolute truth. Halo 2 is the sequel to the excellent Halo which launched back in 2001 with the Xbox right when it came out. Many today think of Halo as the game that made people buy an Xbox in the first place so why wouldn't expectations for its sequel be high? The critics hailed the game, while many gamers including myself were deeply disappointed. The story doesn't make any sense especially towards the end. The gameplay hasn't been deeply improved besides adding new tweaks here and there. The biggest change is the Xbox Live multiplayer which is the high point of a rather weak game. This game unlike many other Xbox Live game has many different options which can add replay value to anyone who loves shooters. These options include different weapons you can turn on and off, put vehicles on or off, or even all or disable respawns. These options as well as many other save Halo 2. Though in 2004 I remember another FPS that is highly underrated compared to this game. It's called Half-Life 2 and boasts an amazing single player which has an excellent story and brings innovation to the market unlike Halo 2. The multiplayer in HL2 is just as good or even better then Halo 2's. In the end Halo 2 ends up being a disappointing sequel only saved by an excellent multiplayer. 3.5/5
Fantastic Four (2005)
Better then Daredevil...
That right there isn't saying much though. The movie doesn't really follow closely to the comic book at all either. The movie isn't terrible though and when there is action for the most part the film is fun. Especially one scene where The Thing saves a fire truck from following off a bridge and the scene shows all of the different abilities the group has. The movie starts off very slowly with the audience having to listen to this science crap which nobody gives a **** about in the first place. The movie has quite a few of these scenes which may make some sleepy. Everybody knows when the scientists travel to space something bad happens to them only its kind of a good thing. The premise of the film is quite simple: The Fantastic Four must stop Dr. Doom who is a crazy guy who can control metal items. The acting in the film is average about what'd you expect from a superhero film. The action in the movie is the real saving point and really the only reason you should rent this film. Though there are like three action sequences they are well done enough for you to sit through all of the terrible jokes/one liners and what the hell moments which there are plenty of. One includes Jonny Storm going to an X-Games event for no reason or as he says to show off. This scene doesn't belong in the film and should have been deleted. Even with all of its shortcomings Fantastic Four is a decent enough movie that when there is action is top notch. When it relies on story though it just plain sucks. Overall: ***/*****
Doom (2005)
"Doomed"
That is what this movie is after coming out of the movie theater this weekend. Being sort of a fan of the video game's even hurts more knowing this was probably worse then Resident Evil. I'll admit Karl Urban did a good job with a crappy script and the horror parts in the beginning were good enough. Now the story is complete crap and is hard to even describe. All I can say is these marines are sent to see this problem thats going on in this facility. There is much more stupid stuff to the story though that includes terrible jokes, hand to hand fighting sequences, and for the most part god awful acting. The terrible acting in a strong sense is lead by The Rock's performance which is terrible. He says the worst lines as well, but thats not to say many of the other characters don't as well. The FPS sequence is about five minutes long give or take and if you watch the film really didn't fit into the ninety minutes in the film. This film would have been much better if fifteen minutes were taken out. This includes the fighting sequence with The Rock and the main character Reaper/John Grimm, the FPS sequence which while well done doesn't belong in the film, and the lame ass jokes. Overall 2.5/5