brailsford Reviews

Fatman (2020)

This movie is amazing

[10/10 · 29 November 2021]

You know all those phony grind house movie previews that are for movies that would never get made because of the absurdity of the plot? This movie is the embodiment of that idea.

In this movie Mel Gibson play a grim dark Santa Clause.\ whose desperate to save Christmas to the point that he would go as far as to contract out his Elves to the US military.

In addition to this he has a hitman gunning for him who was hired by a child who he gave coal for Christmas.

The story is over the top to the point of absolute absurdity but played straight faced.

The atmosphere of the scenery is spot on, darker colors every where, muted colors of red and green.

It needs to be clear this is a dark comedy before approaching this one. But this is one I'm adding to the list.

Dragnet: The Big Hate (1953) Season 2, Episode 14

One of the darkest stories told by Dragnet

[7/10 · 13 July 2021]

When you consider these stories are adapted from real case files the tragic nature of this story hits a lot harder. A young man is found holding a significantly older woman, he is brought in for interrogation and initially remains silent before claiming to have murdered the woman. By the end of the story its revealed this man is not at all well and has an uncomfortable unconventional relationship with the deceased. As his family is reveled it's shown there isn't ally of love between the suspect and his father, eventually the revelation comes the woman died of other complications related to heart disease brought on from alcoholism. While the suspect is acquitted his declining mental state displayed during his interrogation and probable being cut off by his father left the boy to take his own life. I'd rank this in the top 3 darkest Dragnet Cases of all time.

The Order (2019–2020)

Had alot of potential with the story, didn't deliver though

[4/10 · 20 March 2019]

The idea of a secret fraternity society that does magic seemed like a cool idea and in the beginning it had everything going for it even if the dialogue or acting wasn't the best. The series about peeked after the protagonist also joined the Werewolves and from that point the series started going down hill.

If you've seen other shows like this you know the normal formula is a monster of the week building up to a big bad with a few scenes per episode to a whole episode about defeating such, but instead The Order differed by sticking to straight The Werewolves vs the Order. The main bad guy was quite possibly the most cliché villain ever literally wanting to become absolute magical power. Any time the plot deviated from going after him to a side plot the show was very convenient about wrapping up said plot in no more then 2 episodes making the season wrap up with very little left to be interested seeing followed up on.

The season ends with the heros stopping the Villian in one of the most anticlimactic battles almost to the point of boring. Then the episode ends with the order using their magical amnesia powder on all the werewolves including the protagonist which kind of left a bad taste in my mouth (the protagonist doesn't even know who he is, how is he supposed to control his werewolf when it goes off?). The show had some moments especially early on but near the end of the season it felt like the actors themselves were getting bored as no one seemed sincere or interested. There are far to many better shows that have come and gone that didn't get renewed, I won't be upset if this one doesn't either.

Dirk Gently (2010–2012)

It's the Pink Panter meets the Twighlight Zone

[9/10 · 23 February 2019]

This series is amazingly bizarre, Amazingly Funny and leaves you guessing where the story is going often leading you down a rabbit hole that only concludes when you've looked at the most improbable solution to the problem possible. Dirk Gently is a detective who solves cases Holistically believing every thing is interconnected in the universe and that by pursuing every solution for one case he will often solve other cases, while this often appears to his partner McDuff like he is doing nothing on one he has a way of one thing from one case coming back and helping him work the other cases. His cases aren't always simple cases with obvious clues though as they often result in super science and solutions that push improbability to the limits.

The two lead characters personalities play off each other well and the actors do a good job establishing these traits.

Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost (2019 Video)

I waited 34 years for this conclusion... all I got was this Chest of Demons Cooler

[1/10 · 9 February 2019]

To appreciate why this movie might bother some of us who saw it you have to understand the original show this movie is supposed to be paying homage to and follow up. This era came from the peak of the Scooby, Shaggy (red shirt), and of course Scrappy Doo. This was pre Zombie island but yet ghosts and magic was real. The stories were also a lot sillier. Vincent Van Ghoul was a warlock with significant power.

This movie on the other hand decided to go with the more common tropes of the current wave of Shovel Stories, introducing new characters, making the story into a solveable mystery and nerfing as much of the supernatural as possible. Fred and Velma really are the biggest problem in this movie, Velma's skepticism constantly having to be reasonably satisfied and Fred's constantly needing to feel important in the mystery solving process.

The movie begins with a backstory of Vince and a new character Mortimer and giving some info on the 13th ghost. It then follows up with giving the gang a reason for needing a reason for the gang to retire, that brings up unnecessary questions about passage of time. The gang messes up a case and proceeds to give up solving mysteries and have a yard sale where they sell the mystery machine, show off a series of Easter eggs and find the crystal ball where we see a return of Vincent Van Ghoul. The gang of course immediately goes there skeptical of Scooby, Shaggy and Daphnee's adventures as ghost hunters from when they were split up.

They find VanGhoul's place decked out with fake stuff to make it spooky even going beyond classic scooby doo for making it obviously tricks. They then find Vince tied up in a coffin, he informs them they will need the chest of demons to get the last ghost. They come to realize they need to go to the Himalayas which is actually a throwback to the first episode of 13 ghosts of Scooby-Doo, alas no town filled with werewolves this time or Bogle and Weerd. At this point it becomes clear there isn't much of story as the search for the chest of demons consumes the majority of the rest of the story, we soon get to see Fred and Velma meet Flim Flam who has aged a significant amount but yet remains as obnoxious and a conartist. That said being an offensive middle eastern stereotype, he also is a weapons dealer. As if the Impersonation of Vincent Price wasn't bad enough in this film, the song Scoobystition felt a lot like a rip off Thriller so there is that too.

But perhaps nothing is worse than the ending where the gang unmasks the 13th ghost,who turns out to be Mortimer who faked his own death to steal it so he could sell it for a lot of money (10 million to be exact), of course being an expert on the chest being one of the discoverers of it he couldn't tell the difference between the real chest and one of Flim Flam's coolers.

The 13th ghost shows up just at the end in what felt like a tacked on wrap up to the story that ties into the book that Velma was reading that also was invented for the movie. The ghost rather then needing to be locked up in the chest just needed to find peace by making amends with his descendant.

As a fan of the classic series since it was one of the first original series I was alive for the first airing syndication of, it holds a special place in my memory, one I had watched enough times I could quote it line for line at one point as a kid, this movie was beyond a let down. This movie is basically the same as every rushed scooby doo movie released today, an extended episode obsessed with giving characters unnecessary depth and not worried about having a good story. Scrappy Doo who was a major part of this series got one mention, if you don't want to have Scrappy Warner Brothers then don't make a 13 ghosts movie, even worse there was nothing on Bogle or Weerd, who were as significant unique characters to this series as Vincent and Flim Flam. Deep down I was really hoping this could be another movie in the vain of Reluctant Werewolf, Ghoul School or Boo Brothers, but alas I realize now Warner doesn't get the surreal nature of the late 80s Scooby. Vincent no longer is the most powerful warlock ever as for much of the movie he barely had enough power to open a door. The movie doesn't even get around to resolving their conflict with the sheriff who was hassling them about messing up the case at the beginning despite teasing they would all the way til the credits roll. Nothing about this felt like 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo, it all feels like another one of the many direct to video movies which are long tv episodes.

Inspector Clouseau (1968)

Arkin's Not as pittiful in the role as Martin... but it's not good

[4/10 · 29 December 2018]

Peter Seller's has big shoes to fill, you can't just replace the character, Despite that there have been 4 movies made in the original series without him (granted 2 of them tried with outtake footage from other movies). Arkin tried, you could tell he put in effort, but you can't just fake the character, Peter Sellers made Clouseau an extension of himself, and given the movie was called Inspector Clouseau you can't just have a second rate portrayal of the title character. That said as wooden as his portrayal was, it wasn't as bad as Steve Martin's, but occasionally (especially in the second one) there were some funny moments with Steve Martin, the same can't be said for this movie sadly.

Mockingbird Lane (2012 TV Movie)

If you liked the Munsters, you probably won't like this

[2/10 · 2 October 2018]

Mockingbird Lane could have been amazing, it was by the mind that gave us Wonderfalls and Dead Like Me. Instead, it felt like one of his projects masquerading as the Munsters. The Humor and horror were not well balanced and given the Munsters generally were considered the lighter hearted to the Adams family, this reimaging was darker then any interpretation of the Adams. The Munsters never killed anyone, here it happens and they treat it like nothing is happening. I'm not saying this couldn't have worked as a grimdark reinterpretation but here it just feels like it drops too much of the light heartedness with not enough warning that this time the munsters really are monsters.

Inspector Gadget 2 (2003 Video)

It's better then the first Movie.

[6/10 · 2 March 2018]

I don't understand how people insist this is worse then the other live action movie.... as it fixes so many things (not everything I mean they kept that offensive gadget mobile, but heck he even interacted better with Stewart) the biggest is French Stewart, how anyone can prefer Brodrick's performance to him makes me wonder if they even liked the original cartoon at all as Stewart nailed the role. Claw was also back in the shadows... where he belongs! The added female police robot woman was a bit of a dumb addition to say the least but still up to the level of idiocy in the first movie. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is a great movie that warrant's praise, but as an Inspector Gadget fan if I got this when I went to theaters I would have left less offended then I did.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

I liked everything about this movie... except spiderman.

[6/10 · 2 March 2018]

This movie had a good story, good characters, heck Iron Man was even likable in his cameo, the movie had a good version of the classic villain The Vulture. That said, spiderman was as annoying as he was in civil war (maybe even more so) the idea of spiderman being a kid about the age of the Runaways just isn't improving the character for me, also this entire reboot glossed over spiderman's origins even more then Batman's origins were in the Batman v. Superman (there wasn't even an Uncle Ben referenced). The nerdy buddy who knows his identity didn't really help the movie either. I just don't think Tom Holland's a good spiderman... but theres still a chance he might grow into the character.

The Perfect Host (2010)

I don't know about you but I'm having a hell of a good time.

[9/10 · 26 February 2018]

People will tell you the trailers give away too much if you watch them before seeing this as true... The truth is though what the trailer gives away only makes you think it's given away the real twist only to reveal it much later on in the film and that's what makes this movie so very good.

The movie begins feeling like a crime drama with a limited budget. A criminal, John, is bleeding from a wound to his foot and on the run from the police. While trying to find a place to lay low he comes across a house with an older gentlemen, Warwick, and uses a letter from his sister to invent a character to work himself in. He soon reveals after a bit that he is desperate criminal who needs to lay low, only to shortly afterwards realize he's been drugged. He then Wakes up to the reality Warwick is not the man he thinks he knows but rather a man who sees hallucinations of people and also sadistic and consumed with conducting various forms of torture on his physical guests. As the movie goes on it reveals more about both John and Warwick that reveal they are significantly deeper characters then the spoilers give away and even though I marked this as a spoiler I would feel horrible revealing such a wonderful twist as this movie delivers. All I can say is if you are looking for a dark comedy/suspense thriller you can't go wrong with the Perfect Host.

Inspector Gadget (1999)

No... No... Gadget Brodrick!

[1/10 · 26 February 2018]

There are adaptions and there are remakes of cartoons. This movie straight up defiles the cartoon it was based upon. If there were a porno based up the Inspector Gadget franchise, I'd find it'd be pressed hard to be more offensive then Matthew Brodrick's performance as Inspector Gadget. To put it into perspective... there was a direct to video sequel starring French Stewart as Gadget... that was infinitely better as it least French Stewart knows how to play a bumbling idiot. It would seem rather then been watch Get Smart, The Pink Panther movers and the Original series Brodrick instead decided to watch Rob Schneider Movies as he plays Gadget as some unlucky guy were supposed feel sorry for and hope he gets the girl. This enough is more then enough to upset the fans of the original show, but that wasn't enough for the people writing this film. Dr. Claw in the original series was always hidden in the shadows, making him one of the most iconic villains for not being seen... this movie didn't even wait a half hour to give him a face... or an excuse to have the claw name by having him lose his hand in a really really stupid way along with when Joe (yeah they thought that Gadget needed a name) got his cyborg body.

Penny and Brain in the original show did most of the work so that Gadget could take the credit and be a hero. Here they almost weren't even present and you can't say it was they were too afraid at the idea of cgi effects (straight up abuse in this film) given what they did with brain in the credits. Chief Quimby was played up as a straight up jerk the whole movie too.

This issue I have is about a character but it gets its own point because of just how awful it was. In the cartoon Gadget near the end of the series got his "Scrappy Doo" of the time, Corporal Capeman, an obnoxious overweight man who boarders on being a vigilante but ends up extending Gadget's gross incompetence.... he would have been a welcome condition compared to what gadget got as a sidekick... namely the the gadget mobile. In the original cartoon the gadget mobile was quiet, it's most amazing feature was it was a police car that was up to racing specifications that could become a precursor to sub suv. Here they decided to turn it into an obnoxious, severely racist stereotype, wingman to Gadget. I know it was part of Disneys need to push some over the top magical character in kid's faces but It was obnoxious to some of us who were grown teens who grew up with the show and had this paste it character added.

The plot follows Joe Brown as a originally a pathetic security guard hoping to become a police officer but didn't have what it takes, so one day while working guarding a science firm working on building cybernetics controlled by psionic transferring chips allowing people to control robot parts with the human brain... he interrupts a robbery by Dr. Claw and his henchmen and he gets blown up after the scientist who made the parts gets murdered but his daughter sees the effort Joe went through to try and save her dad and insists they do unethical beyond belief things to save Joe's life turning him into something looking like a cross between Robocop and the Mask.

Joe becomes Inspector gadget, someone chief quimby treats like he deserves to be treated given he hasn't done anything at this point to make him more then mascot for the police force then anything. Gadget insists on trying to catch claw.

At some point as if Brodricks bad acting wasn't bad enough, a robo gadget shows up built by claws henchmen... it demonstrates that brodrick can play an evil version of gadget somehow even worse then his portrayal of good gadget.

Somewhere along the movie claw snaps the chip that lets gadget control his gadgets and it looks like he effectively dies... til magically he saved by his heart with the power of love or something. In the end he catches claw (can't they even get that right?) and saves the day.

To say this movie was bad would be like saying wisdom tooth surgery pain is a bit achy.

Freaky Friday (1976)

Disney truely was magical back in the day wasn't it?

[10/10 · 26 February 2018]

To this day the opening song for the movie still can reduce me to tears of happiness. This movie is part of a collection of films Disney Treasures enough to remake multiple times (2 so far) yet is too ashamed to widely rerelease for it shows it's age... which is so much of its charm. Disney treats this like it's something to be embarrassed about... something that wouldn't be cool enough for today's kids.... That's one of the major tradgedys of modern Disney.

The story follows a Tomboy who switches places with her mother for a day and the two are forced into better understanding each other by experiencing things through the other eyes. This in turn is treated with light hearted comedy and there are some real laugh out loud moments as well as some heart warming moments. By the end of it the two get back into there right bodies and have both learned something from the experience and grown.

Black Panther (2018)

An acceptable movie, but not deserving the Praise it gets.

[6/10 · 26 February 2018]

It's understandable given the month it came out that it would get a little bit of an "inflated score" but "Best Comic book movie ever" is just being silly. This movie has things for the comic book fan and delivers action, the problem is though, it's just ok, doesn't make the character any more interesting then he ever was. Ant Man made a character who is historically not likeable into an interesting character. Black Panther remains an "out of touch" with real people superhero. Yeah there are others like that, but how many super heros are also rulers of a secret super advance nation. Iron had issues with his drinking, relationship problems, issues with his dad. Hulk had anger issues, fear of abandonment. Heck even thor had a heck of a lot of relatable family problems. This hero is a natural warrior destined to be king, his dad was already taken out in civil war so it begins with him taking over as king, he is bestowed super human strength and reflex and has a super advanced costume. Heck even Spider-Man homecoming Peter had relatable problems so its not about starting wearing the mantle.

The plot being cookie cutter didn't help either, the villain being obvious villain up til the reveal of the less obvious main villain being still pretty obvious. In the end this movie doesn't really add anything necessary for the series or even interesting to the mcu.

That said movie wasn't really awful... it just didn't deliver all the hype promised. If you must watch everything MCU, it's not going to be terrible, it won't likely be your favorite film though,

The Two Worlds of Jennie Logan (1979 TV Movie)

More like 2 hours of Sappy chick flick fantasy

[2/10 · 16 January 2018]

I imagine it might be a decent flick if you can stand these types of movies that aim to spice up sappy and stupid romance dramas with time travel... but when you get down to it, that's all this drivel is. The story is about a woman and a man who move into a house to help her get over the fact he was cheating on her, and a woman who discovers she can travel into the past and falls in love with a man who repeatedly almost runs her over as she keeps popping out in front of him in the past... this in turn causes him to save her and fall in love with him. She discovers he was murdered so she trys to figure out to save him before he dies so she can be his baby mama. She looks for clues in the future how to save him so in the end she ultimately get to stay in the past with him.

The background music is as desperate to make you feel bad as the movie is... it really feels like a bad tv movie from the 70s. I'm not exactly the best person to rate romance movies, so take this review with that... if they are your thing, you might enjoy this, the use of time travel doesn't really add anything except give a boring romance story a reason to exist in my opinion.

Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)

Basic panel by panel retelling of the comic with an unnecessary backstory from batgirl

[6/10 · 29 November 2017]

The second part of this movie is straight up right out of the comic, not even any real changes to the story, which in itself was kind of disappointing but not that big a deal. The problem lies with part one which deals with a story to empower Barbera and add a sort of weird sexual relationship between Bruce and Barbera, while showing her take out a badguy by herself. It I guess was to make her untimely assault and rape by the joker that more devastating, but in reality it didn't make the movie any better or have a real impact. For those wondering, does this fit with Batman the Animated Series given the stylistic choices the artists chose, Surprisingly Yes if... and only if, you don't factor in the rest of the DC animated universe, the events of what happen directly conflict with Barbera's appearance in Batman Beyond, and the events of Return of the Joker.

Anyway I can't really recommend this unless you are a hardcore batfan who needs to see all the batmerchandise.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Finally a Captain America Movie... that doesn't suck

[8/10 · 29 November 2017]

Looking back at the Captain America franchise over the years going all the way back to the characters creation a series of movie serial started a tradition of a more 40s type of hero, something that had a very hard time getting separated from the character. In the later comics the cap was preserved to be around in the future via getting frozen in ice. Travel forward to the 70s we have a 2 TV Movie that tries follow on the success of other live action TV Superhero shows like The Incredible Hulk and Spider-Man by making a sort of TV pilot for a modern day version of the character at that time. We wouldn't see another adaption til the 90s where we got another movie, that to be frank just wasn't very good.

I went in kind of skeptical that the character would get another one of these portrayals going with a friend after we actually rewatched those other series to see what it was getting compared to.

We left the theater pleasantly surprised The origin wasn't rushed but also didn't make it boring. It gave a backstory for the characters and in the end resulted in popularizing the Character of Samantha Carter enough to get her own TV Series later on in the franchise.

My biggest gripe was it kind of took Red Skull out of the series. I believe Hugo Weaving said he didn't want to do the character again... but given the comic story of him, it doesn't even need to be him, heck at some times he actually uses Steve Roger's body so perhaps they might consider again at some point in infinity wars... but for now we'll have to wait.

Wonder Woman (2017)

It had some fun moments and was a good watch, too long though

[7/10 · 29 November 2017]

This movie with the exception of Man of Steel is the best thing to come out of DC connected movie franchise so far. It has an interesting prequel to her appearance in Batman V. Superman where you get to see her history coming into being and what lead up to her becoming the super hero she is today.

It takes place back in WWII which makes some ways makes one think at times about Captain America: The First Avenger, although the problem here is the non action elements in some cases draw on too long and aren't entirely interesting or even all that relevant in the end.

The fights and the villain are entertaining though and it results in a satisfying ending in the end. If you can forgive it for dragging in places, you probably will like it overall.

Justice League (2017)

This movie reeks of desperation to compete with Marvel

[2/10 · 24 November 2017]

DC had a chance to be successful, not based on competing with the MCU, but by trying to make good stories for there characters, taking the time to build a universe that fans would want more of. Instead they run head long in after one good movie, try to directly compete with another franchises latest movie creating a crumby product. It's hard to believe the company that gave us the DC animated universe couldn't learn a lesson from it and realize how stupid it was to go head to head with Marvel. That is why we got garbage with Batman v. Superman, and that is why this one is as bad, maybe worse.

Humor is inserted this time, that feels forced, incredibly, unsubtly forced. It hasn't always been perfect in marvel, but overall it hasn't felt like ringing the last drop of water out of a dish rag. Drawing faces on people. Taking a serious scene and following a line like "Do you bleed?" with "Definitely feel something bleeding" 5 seconds later. It's like they couldn't even figure out when to be funny, when to be serious in a single scene.

This movie felt like it was checking off items on a list of things they thought they needed to make the movie as successful as Avengers.

That said it gets an extra star for being so bad... it's practically an mst3kable film with plenty of things to crack jokes about.

Some of you are not going to agree with this review, but there are also some out there so fanatically dedicated to this universe they can't criticize it when it drops the football like it has.

If you are willing to go in fairly watching this movie it has some cool special effects, a horrible script but on the plus side, it's significantly more coherent then B. V. S. Also more Alfred, Alfred is probably the best part of the movie.

I don't recommend this movie as a good superhero movie but rather as an experience... to see just how bad franchise can get in 5 movies.

Highlander: The Animated Series (1994–1996)

There can be only one, this wasn't it though

[4/10 · 15 October 2017]

Once upon a time, it was popular to make everything made for adults a kid friendly version. This extended to Conan, Beetlejuice, Robocop, Police Academy, even Highlander.

While hardly the worst kid friendly adaption of a movie for adults, this one was a tedious series to get through with adding an obnoxious forerunner for Jade Chan from Jackie Chan adventures, a stereotypical teacher character who looks like a younger knock off Sean Connery and a villain who looks like he is on his way to some kind of renaissance fair.

The show removes most of the epic fighting and all of the decapitation and mostly replaces with ultra preachy lessons the protagonist is supposed to learn.

If you don't mind how boring it is or whiny little girl characters who serve no other purpose then to be annoying, this show may be for you.

Batman and Harley Quinn (2017)

A fun revisit to the world of the DC Animated Universe

[8/10 · 15 October 2017]

While it Canonocity may be questionable, this movie is a lot of fun overall. Admittedly it can be all over the place with what type of movie it wants to be at times, seeming to have more dual personality issues then Two-Face, it does have some fun scenes in it.

Harrley is in perfect form in the movie, exactly how you would expect her to behave in animated series. Shes over the top, silly, but still can kick butt if it's needed or be down to earth and level headed. But overall throughout the film she is played as more of an anti-hero goof. While there isn't a set time it is given it takes place, it's possible it might be after the events of the flashback in Batman: Return of the Joker as Tim Drake and Barbara are nowhere to be seen which would call into question some of Bruce's behavior in this movie but it would explain Harley's reform.

The Film brought back classic characters such as Nightwing and Poison Ivy in addition to Harley. It also went for some deeper characters like floronic man and swamp thing. There's even a lot of background characters as Easter eggs with a whole minion bar full of Easter egg henchmen the likes of 60s henchmen and some from animated series.

While serious at the time, the movie overall goes towards silly to over the top at times in that department, but also at times does a complete 180 with serious moments that can give you whiplash they are so out of left field. Also is should be stated, this is not a kid's movie, despite the fart joke (which I'm ashamed to admit is one of the few that actually had me laughing when Konroy uttered the line "It smells like discipline"). Overall the chaotic movie might turn some off, but I find it similar to the likes of Deadpool and it really fits the character of Harley. Certainly not the best of the DCAU, but hardly a low point.

Batman vs. Two-Face (2017 Video)

Rest in Peace Caped Crusader

[9/10 · 15 October 2017]

We should feel very lucky to have 2 more depictions of the Caped Crusader 60's batman with Robin with their original voice actors, there will never be another person who can give that character life again. This movie was quite a way to go out to.

If you liked the original series, this is a movie you need to see.

Original fans of batman will remember his 60's series lacked two-face, but at the time there was a treatment for the character, it however was deemed to be too dark and graphic for the light hearted nature of the show at the time.

This movie while inspired by that treatment, was actually inspired more by other stories including Hugo Strange's story about unmasking batman's identity and selling it to the highest bidder.

The movie is filled with countless Easter eggs and classic villains. There is even an Easter egg with Hugo's assistant most comic fans will notice right off the top.

The film keeps the light hearted nature to heart and never goes too dark, but it isn't above poking fun of itself through modern cynicism at times much like the last animated adaption. Again what you are left with is a Batman story that feels like it could have been a series of episodes. This was a good year for animated batman releases.

Rings (2017)

Amazingly... boring.

[1/10 · 21 February 2017]

I liked The Ring, I even liked The Ring 2, neither were the best horror films ever made but they had suspense, they had scary parts, and there were some scenes I genuinely jumped. Rings was dull. While the teasers hinted there would be more then one Sammora.... this movie barely had one, and when she was in the movie it wasn't out of no where or scary and much of the story is about the protagonist trying to "Save her". On top of that the ending isn't just bad... it's predictably bad... adding to the boringness. There was no reason this movie needed to be made and watching it actually falls into the category of sequels that ruin a franchise (Son of the Mask, Home Alone 4, Halloween Resurrection, Ace Ventura Jr, Christmas Vacation 2 etc).

Thor (2011)

I didn't really know what to think going in, it was a good surprise

[8/10 · 11 November 2016]

I watched the first two movies in the MCU so I wanted to be ready by watching this one as well. I wasn't as aware of the character as I was of hulk (wasn't exactly knowledgeable about Iron Man either before that movie but I knew enough about him, Thor I knew he was based on a Norse god, that was about it). After finally seeing I have to say this was a good movie. It spent more time developing the villain then the previous 2 movies (which was important given the significance of the character in coming films). The actors were all at their best (everyone had a likable personality good guy or bad guy) The movie featured good fights... some awesome visual, like- able characters and a good set up for the Avengers movies (Iron Man was OK, The Incredible Hulk... Meh...). That said it stands on it's own as a good watch and essential to watch if you're serious about watching all the MCU films.

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Feels like a spiritual sequel, not the best in the series, but definitely not the worst either.

[6/10 · 11 November 2016]

This movie was intended to be a reboot, but it comes across feeling like a direct to video sequel in terms of the story. The action luckily was a bit better.

The story begins with Hulk where he ended up at the end of Hulk even though this is supposed to be a new story and a different hulk. This time around though the story is lighter but still not as light heart-ed as it could be. The story follows Bruce looking for a cure to his anger management with the help of a scientist he met online while his old enemy General Thadeus Ross continues his efforts to get him by recruiting a new soldier who he has enhanced to make him better equipped to take down the hulk. The movie covers what happens if the hulk were to temporarily lose his powers and if an enemy were introduced who could match hulk (Abomination). The story was watchable without getting too weird making it easier to watch then the other Hulk movie but it still wasn't as much fun as Iron Man. That said it was watchable even if not as memorable as Iron Man. It works as its own movie but it's really more a background noise or popcorn flick. I wouldn't say it was an improvement over Hulk.. just a different kind of movie.

Iron Man (2008)

Beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

[9/10 · 31 October 2016]

Iron Man was a pretty heavily hyped movie when it came out. It came at a time when Marvel was re-envisioning their series, and Ultimately creating a new universe in films (and later on TV and movie channels). Some efforts in the past have fallen flat.... Luckily Iron Man wasn't such a move. We get to see the story of how the iconic character goes from being a genius billionaire to a mobile suit wearing super hero. Robert Downey Jr nails the character, it's actually very hard to picture anyone else in the role. As it's an origin story it might not have the most interesting villain for the movie, but it still is someone interesting enough to offer a good story. Basically this movie is what one looks for in a good firsts movie in a major film series. It introduces other Major Characters in the series such as Phil Coulson, Nick Fury. A good movie to start a universe and a good movie all around.