moelsawy Reviews

Suicide Squad (2016)

Neither here nor there

[6/10 · 5 August 2016]

OK so here's my non-spoiler Suicide Squad review. After reading a lot of the negative reviews, I told myself I would not let my excitement die down, especially being a DC fan. I would go and form my own opinion and hope to prove the critics wrong like with BvS. Unfortunately I can't really do that! I won't go as far as to say that the movie is the 'worst of the worst' as one critic has said. But I won't say it was great either, it was somewhere in-between, a 6/10 from me!

I really wanted to enjoy it, I thought the animated movie, Assault on Arkham was great and that they would follow that sort of storyline, with some bits taken from the Batman: Arkham games. But what we got was an incoherent storyline, with plot holes, poor editing and a Killer Croc that was more 'Tame Croc' than Killer.

After watching it, I really wished it was a 15 rating. When you have a group of villains, who pretty much assassinate and brutally murder people for a living, and replace the violence with forced jokes and music, you end up with an all-over-the place movie that doesn't deliver.

The main take-away from the movie was the acting... I loved the portrayal of Joker by Jared Leto, which is probably the closest to the comics I've seen (minus the tats and clothing). And Margot Robbie's Harley at times, I was like 'woah, this is really Harley', she did a great job. Amanda Waller was really good minus the unnecessary joke scene. Deadshot was pretty much Will Smith being Will Smith aka Hancock. El Diablo was actually really good, one of the better characters of the movie, probably because they didn't force any jokes on his character. Enchantress was quite good I thought, at least to begin with. Captain Boomerang was a laugh, which you expect from the character. And the rest were just okay. I really expected more from the movie and it could have been so much more, but it fell short, because they wanted to Marvel-ise it and make it funny to please the masses. In doing so, they alienated their true fans and made a movie with no heart, just wasted talent.

The Magicians (2015–2020)

Best new series of recent years

[8/10 · 31 May 2016]

This out of the ordinary roller coaster of a ride, unexpected and violent TV series is as thrilling as it gets. I thoroughly enjoyed this series, which had me gripped from the very first episode. I went into it not knowing what to expect, as someone who has not read the books, I expected a slightly grown up version of Harry Potter. Though what I got was an intense ride with emotion, twists, deaths, violence, sex, drama, geekiness and of course lots of magic. Set in a college for gifted people. It's a story about a chosen few who are given an exam, that if passed will allow them a place in this college. The college is separated into many sections, with mind readers, practical magic users, Travelers etc. Though there is a being much like Voldemort whom everyone is afraid of and who a select few try to locate and defeat during the series. It is a must watch for fantasy enthusiasts and drama lovers alike.

Lucifer (2016–2021)

A fun-to-watch supernatural detective show

[7/10 · 31 May 2016]

If you're a fan of detective shows and flirt a bit with fiction then this is the show for you. It's a fun light-hearted drama series based on the fallen Angel himself Lucifer played by British actor Tom Ellis. He decides to take a break from hell and stay in Las Angeles where he buys a club and lives a life of sin. He soon meets a detective by the name of Chloe Decker played by Lauren German. It takes a while to get used to her, as her acting skills aren't exactly polished. Though you tend to give her the benefit of the doubt due to her stunning eyes, but she does grow into her role.

The two start working together on cases in an unconventional way at first, with Lucifer liking the thrill of hunting bad guys and the fact the Chloe bats away his advances, which no other woman can resist, including Psychiatrist Linda Martin played by Rachel Harris. Chloe and Lucifer interrogate her and then she becomes a series regular whereby she listens and tries to help Lucifer and his so called 'delusions' of being the Devil and in return he ahem...

The series develops with a not-so-fallen Angel trying to return Lucifer back to guard the gates of hell, which he had abandoned. However Lucifer is in no desire to leave the freedom of earth, he's enjoying himself way too much. Tom Ellis' performance really brings out the best of this character and is a joy to watch his arrogant, self-centered character go from just that to develop certain human-like traits as the show progresses. You tend to sympathise with him, which is weird because he is the Devil and the Devil is probably the last person you'd ever think to identify yourself with. A good all round show with an interesting cliffhanger that will keep you waiting for Season 2.

Warcraft (2016)

The video-game-movie adaptation curse has been lifted!

[7/10 · 31 May 2016]

So I went to see Warcraft last night, although with tentative expectations. I had read some reviews beforehand and they weren't exactly glowing. As someone who had never played the game before, I didn't really know what to expect, but I liked the trailers so thought I'd give it a try. I was really surprised at how engrossed I was in the movie and at the all round balanced storyline. Starting off briefly introducing the characters and with an explanation of the magic force known as Fel. The Orcs although created using CGI were really believable characters and I especially felt invested in Durotan's character. These mammoth beings make for really stunning fight scenes, which were made exceptionally well, keeping me excited throughout them. Paula Patton's character Garona, a half- Orc was really enjoyable to watch, seeing her integrate with both the humans and the Orcs unsure of where she stands amongst all of the chaos. Her emotions really carried the movie along with Toby Kebbel as Durotan and his wife played by Anna Van Hooft. On the human side of things I was a little disappointed, I thought the main actor Travis Fimmel was a bit flat as Anduin Lothar and Ben Schnetzer as Khadgar was OK, but nothing spectacular. Although Dominic Cooper's character I really enjoyed watching, I think he's a phenomenal actor and with his recent TV series Preacher, he's definitely going places. The movie had a somewhat Lord of the Rings/ Avatar kind of feel to it and from someone who really enjoyed LOT, I felt that Warcraft didn't lose itself trying to be something it's not. It took the game's main concepts and turned it into a movie deserved of the big screen. This probably has to be the best game- turned-movie to date, and only Michael Fassbender's Assassin's Creed coming later this year could possibly top it. It's a 7/10 from me with a bit of work on the acting side of things, but an overall enjoyable, fun and interesting film.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016)

Fun movie to watch - Mostly for kids

[6/10 · 30 May 2016]

So I just saw the second instalment of TMNT and thought I'd give you a bit of how I felt after the movie. It was very much a Michael Bay movie. And before anyone jumps at me to say David Green directed it not Bay, I know, but he's an executive producer on it and it has Bay written all over it. He's known to recycle his movie styles/ effects and I swear it has the exact same score as in the Transformers!? Anyway, I thought it was a fun movie, much like the first one. Me and my friend both left the cinema saying pretty much the same thing. A fun movie, but a pretty forgettable fun movie. I don't know what Bay's interest in Megan Fox is, but for some reason he keeps using her and she is pretty bad in this, though more tolerable than in the first movie. Imo nothing more than eye candy for the viewers, which is visible from one of the very first scenes of her in a school girl outfit. The story line was very Avengers like, we've seen it a million times already, so like I said before, fun to watch, but almost instantly forgettable. Bebop and Rocksteady looked cool, though I would've maybe liked a bigger fight between them and the Turtles. Krang looked awesome and even sounded cool, it's typical Krang really, so was happy with that. Stephen Amell as Casey Jones I guess did the best he could with what he was given, though I couldn't help thinking he was going to pull out his bow and arrow every time he was on. At one point he says "my only goal is to" and I almost blurt out 'to save this city'!! OK, so now to what I enjoyed the most about the movie, the Turtles themselves. I enjoyed all of their portrayals. They all did a very good job in bringing out their personalities in this movie. From Michelangelo's humour to Raphael's bad- assery to Donatello's smarts and Leonardo's command. They were very identifiable characters and I like seeing their chemistry on screen. Overall I give the movie a 6.5 for keeping me entertained, yet I think it's one for the kids more so than the adults.

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

The Russo Brothers Did it Again

[8/10 · 22 May 2016]

After Captain America Winter Soldier, I didn't think they could top that with another Captain America movie. Maybe an Avengers movie, but not a Cap movie. I was wrong. Civil War is one of my favourite Superhero movies to date, it had a bit of everything. It had a good cast, developed characters, new character introductions, great fight scenes, a good villain, a good story for the most part. I left the cinema screening feeling like I needed to go back and enjoy it a second time, which I did, and a third. It hasn't replaced Avengers as my favourite Marvel movie, but it's definitely close. With the disappointment of Age of Ultron, I was so happy to see this movie succeed, I had high hopes for Ultron and was crushed by how it turned out, and this really made up for that. It even made Falcon and Scarlet Witch so much cooler than they were in Ag of Ultron. Although it's not an Avengers movie, it did have aspects of being one, but with the core focus on Captain America at all times. His relationship with Bucky, his struggle with his moralistic views and the signing of the Sokovia Accords. You really feel as though it is still a Cap movie, but with a really big cast. The Russo Brothers did a great job in bringing Black Panther to life on the big screen for the first time, you could really feel like they put effort in ensuring this Black Panther feels like the one we grew up with in the comics and cartoons. Whenever he was on screen, I had a big grin on my face, the way he moved, even Chadwick Boseman's acting and accent were fantastic.It makes me really look forward to Ryan Coogler's Black Panther solo movie. Spider-Man's first time on screen in the MCU was brilliant, even though I've enjoyed previous versions of Spider-Man, the 30 minutes of screen time that Tom Holland performed as Spider-Man made all of those other movies look like child's play in comparison. It was very much on point with what we've grown up and I am so excited to see Spider-Man Homecoming, especially now we have Michael Keaton confirmed as a villain, and the most likely inclusion of Downey Jr's Iron-Man. The fight scenes were pretty much on point, with the airport scene being one of the best on screen superhero scenes ever made, full of excitement, fun, humour and action. Ant-Man was fantastic too, we don't see much of him, but from what we do see, it's great, especially in the airport. Baron Zemo as a villain is, for someone with no Superpowers, a really intimidating, cold and calculating villain. I really liked what he did, his manipulation of the characters. It was refreshing to see a villain that wasn't bent on destroying the world, as with most villains in superhero comics. If i had any gripes about the movie, it would be that dots seemed to connect quite conveniently to Zemo's advantage and for the friction between the Avengers. But apart from that, an awesome experience of a movie leaving me very excited for what the Russo's have in store for us with Infinity Wars.

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

Good climax to the trilogy but could have been better

[7/10 · 22 May 2016]

After seeing the first two of the new X-Men movies, I had hoped that the third one in the trilogy would bring something slightly different to what we've already seen in previous movies. Apocalypse being one of my all time favourite comic villains, I couldn't wait to see this omnipotent being come to life on the big screen. First Class was great, DOFP was fantastic and I really wanted this to be exquisite, but unfortunately it fell short of exquisite to just being 'quite good'. I enjoyed it as part of a trilogy, as a good end to an otherwise great series. It had a lot of fanfare, which I really enjoyed, I loved that they included the retro comic book look of the characters. I really enjoyed the cameos of certain characters like Jubilee, who we all remember from comics and TV series. I even enjoyed the plot for the most part, but what I didn't much like much was Apocalypse himself. I always thought when watching the trailer that his look, voice and overall demeanour didn't really match what I would imagine an intimidating being would look like. I remember watching the cartoons and really feeling intimidated by this all powerful being, but I didn't much feel the same way whilst watching Oscar Isaacs version of him. That's not to say Isaac played him badly, on the contrary, I think he done a great job, but I think the character could have been made so much better than what he was. It just seemed like certain scenes were just squeezed in, with odd lines that Apocalypse would say, which didn't much fit with the scene in which he was saying it. The horsemen were really good, I really liked their looks and powers, very good interpretation of the comics. Though I thought that Psylocke and Angel were very underused and would liked to have seen more of them, perhaps a bit of back story. I enjoyed Alexandra Shipp's portrayal of Storm and her African accent was great, much better than Halle Berry's version in my opinion and I hope to see more of her in future instalments. There was a good amount of humour to the movie, which seemed at times a little forced, but overall understandable, as it needed to balance the really dark parts, which there were some. At times I even thought to myself that it could have actually been a 15 rating (R-rated) movie. Quicksilver, there's not much to say, but great as usual, funny, awesome, fast and his slow-mo scene cool, not DOFP awesome, but definitely very cool! The story was very good, very much an Age of Ultron type story, cleansing the world etc, but that was always Apocalypse' goal and they got that pretty much on point. The last fight scene will leave everyone pretty excited for the future of X'Men and the different story lines that could be adopted. I left the cinema feeling like I had a good time, but with something slightly missing. It's definitely worth watching, there is an after credit scene, which isn't really worth staying for, but you might as well.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Awesome set up for the Justice League

[7/10 · 26 March 2016]

So I just finished watching BvS for the second time, so here's my non spoilery review. Oh and be easy, it's my first IMDb review. Here goes. So I saw Batman V Superman Dawn of Justice for the second time today. The first time around watching it, I honestly just left the cinema in a state of awe. I couldn't sum up my feelings for it, did I just witness one of the best depictions of comic book to big screen?! Or did it fall short of being an Epic, all out battle between the 2 most iconic DC characters of all time!? And I have to say, it's a bit of both really. That's not just me sitting on the bench. This is me really trying to sum up my feelings in a way where it takes everything into consideration. Not just what happens in this movie, but what is to be expected from future projects. I will say this though, Snyder had a near impossible task of using one movie to literally set up the whole of the Justice League, and that is where I have to give him credit. The set up is very very good. Now that I've seen it a second time, I'm able to really process everything I've seen and truly understand what we have in store for us. We were pretty much given a glimpse of Wonderwoman and her powers (btw is she going to be able to fly?) and the other character cameos, not to mention that Flash sequence. All for the bigger role at play, what it is we're going to get from the solo Wonderwoman/ Batman/ Flash/ Aquaman/ Cyborg movies and not to mention the Justice League movies. We all know what's coming and it was done in a way that we have to really pull all of the pieces together. If you're a comic book fan, then doing that is easy, but I can imagine for someone who isn't necessarily a comic book fan, not finding it as easy to connect the dots. The movie is essentially an Introduction for the rest of the Justice League rather than just a self contained Batman V Superman movie. I do think that if Snyder focused on the movie as being just that one movie, I really think we would have had something a lot more special, and I mean that in the sense of just really focusing on introducing Batman, Superman and Wonderwoman, leaving out the Justice League aspects. I can totally understand why people might feel that the movie may not have gelled well and the fact that it raises a lot of unanswered questions. But I think that was the purpose of it, to have questions that need to be answered in Justice League Part 1 and 2. The movie had stunning visuals and an amazing score. The depiction of Batman, Superman and Wonderwoman was nigh on perfect, creating the dream Trinity on the big screen with Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot doing a really great job at bringing those characters to life like we've never seen them before! Affleck really made it his own and with the short glimpse we saw of Gal's Wonderwoman really making me look forward to the Wonderwoman movie that much more! I will stick to my initial guns from seeing the trailers, there was way too many spoilery moments, which in a way, ruined the whole experience. It left a lot of OMG moments quite stale, like the introduction of Wonderwoman and the Batman fight scene. However, this is not an issue at all seeing it the second time around. I've deliberately left out Lex Luthor because I really don't know how to sum up Snyder's vision for this character. I honestly think they miscast-ed for that role, but that's all I'm going to say. Doomsday was beast mode, but really could have been made to look a lot better, more in line with the comic book version. Although his powers and strength and abilities were very much in line with the comics. I do think though there was so much story to tell and literally no more time to tell it, which is why I guess we're having an extra 30 minutes added on to the R-rated Blu-Ray Ultimate Cut coming in July. All in all, I thought the movie brought the characters to life in a really great way, which would make any comic book lover proud. And it paves the way for the rest of the DCEU, really making you think about and get excited for what is yet to come. If you've gone into this movie with the Marvel formula expectation then you will definitely be disappointed. Snyder and Co. are doing things very differently to Marvel and that is not a bad thing. Things will start to make more sense as the movies release and we start to realise why things were set up the way they were. It was definitely entertaining to watch and a true Cinematic experience and I will be seeing it again.