10 years ago we started the Marvel Cinematic Universe with 2008’s Iron Man, and unexpected hit which launched a brand new, multi-billion dollar movie universe. Over the last decade we have seen movies on our favorite superheroes, Iron Man, Captain America, Spiderman, Thor, and more, and also have seen them in huge team-up movies like The Avengers. The MCU has also launched new characters such as the Guardians Of The Galaxy in which they introduced brand new characters and made them household names. The same can go about the endless amount of actors, previously unknown, who via the MCU has become a mainstream name for years. Avengers: Endgame is not only a continuation of last year’s Avengers: Infinity War but also is the culmination of over 10 years of Marvel movies. Avengers: Endgame is about how the remaining members of the Snap (Infinity War) have to find a way to bring back 50% of all living things who were killed. That’s as much as I can say. Nevertheless, this movie was perfect.

Without spoiling anything, I believe that this movie is the best Marvel movie we have ever witnessed. This movie was 3 hours long, and yet it felt as if it as 15 minutes. It has the best pacing I have ever seen in a film and it helps with the fact that the story is equally as excellent. From the first scene of the movie, it was set up as an experience with emotional impact. Throughout the movie, we see reactions from our heroes. Some sad from the fact that their friends are dead, whereas others move on to their own life. Certain characters also have transformations due to the experiences of the Snap, ultimately creating conflict when on their final mission. The music, special effects, and acting were all phenomenal. Yes, there were a few issues such as the time-traveling, and that at times the movie did not feel consistent but I still enjoyed this movie.

In the end, I am going to give Avengers: Endgame an A-.

Rights Belong to Disney/Marvel

Coming off of the massively successful Get Out, Jordan Peele brings us another anticipated horror film: Us. This movie was the talk of the year (well before Endgame) and was highly anticipated. I did not have the chance to see it for a while simply because, well, school. But this summer I finally got the chance to see it along with some friends and well, here’s what I think:

Before I get to my thoughts here’s a brief synopsis: “Accompanied by her husband, son, and daughter, Adelaide Wilson returns to the beachfront home where she grew up as a child. Haunted by a traumatic experience from the past, Adelaide grows increasingly concerned that something bad is going to happen. Her worst fears soon become a reality when four masked strangers descend upon the house, forcing the Wilsons into a fight for survival. When the masks come off, the family is horrified to learn that each attacker takes the appearance of one of them.”

I thought this movie was overhyped. It was an okay watch. Before I talk about the positives, I thought that this movie was too long. While I did not mind the pacing at the beginning of the movie (as most horror movies start slow), many scenes featuring the family were far too long and unnecessary. Another thing I found annoying with the movie was that it simply was not scary. Now, a horror movie can be good and not scary. Movies such as It did not feature scenes which appeared to be frightening but rather used shock value to grab the audience’s attention. This movie, however, featured antagonists who were laughable. Their voices were so bizarre I started laughing.

Another thing I found shocking was the poor editing. There was a fight at the end of the movie which was intercut with a ballet sequence which I found weird and it took me out of the movie. The special effects were mostly fine and while I know that the budget of this movie was not high (20 million), there was an overlap in a scene featuring two characters played by the same actress. The point of the scene was to show the protagonist’s body language while showing the antagonist’s facial expressions when talking. The issue with this scene was the proportions in that it seemed fake as to how the face seemed oversized even though it was an over-the-shoulder shot. These flaws disappointed me as I thought that the rest of the movie was fantastic.

The music for one was great as it blended perfectly with the action that was to come. Another amazing aspect of this movie was the great acting, especially considering that everyone in this movie had to play two characters, themselves and their doppelgängers. The action too was very interesting to watch and the cinematography was impressive. The twist at the end was also good and thought-provoking too. Us was also a fun watch with friends (as mentioned above) and overall I still had a fun time watching this movie.

In the end, I am going to give Us a B. 

Rights Belong to Universal Pictures

It’s been 9 years since Toy Story 3 released, ultimately ending the trilogy of Toy Story movies. However, when Toy Story 4 was announced a few years back, fans became worried, as they did not want this movie to ruin the otherwise fantastic send-off to the trilogy. Regardless, I was curious myself to check this movie out, and let’s just say, it was pretty good.

Before I get into my review, here is the plot of Toy Story 4: Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the rest of the gang embark on a road trip with Bonnie and a new toy named Forky. The adventurous journey turns into an unexpected reunion as Woody’s slight detour leads him to his long-lost friend Bo Peep. As Woody and Bo discuss the old days, they soon start to realize that they’re worlds apart when it comes to what they want from life as a toy.

This movie was great. First of all, the animation was mind-blowing. I am serious when I say that I thought this movie was shot in the real world. From the rain effects to the lighting, and even minuscule details such as hair, the animation was flawless. Another aspect I found enjoyable about the movie was the acting, as everyone in the cast (including Keanu Reeves) were fantastic in the voice roles they were given. I also loved the themes of the movie regarding friendship and treating others with respect.

However, I did find a few flaws with this movie. While the ending was good (no spoilers), I did find with the run-time of this movie that the ending did not pay off at all. Another part I found disappointing with the movie was the lack of interaction between Buzz Lightyear and Woody. While this movie was not about those two characters, it would have been nice to see some more scenes with them, especially since this is (as of June 24, 2019) the last movie in the Toy Story franchise.

Still, I recommend you go see this movie and I am going to give it an A-.

Rights Belong to Disney/Pixar

Remember the days in elementary school exchanging Pokémon cards and playing the game? Remember playing the video games on our Nintendo DS? Pokémon for us has been another childhood franchise in which all of us got hooked on, and have loved ever since. Granted, over time we grew out of it, but still, it’s fun to remember our past and the fun we had. Now in 2019, we live in an age where every single media property can be transformed into a blockbuster film, and Pokémon Detective Pikachu is no exception.

What did I think of this movie? It was boring. 

Before I talk about this movie here is the plot: Ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son, Tim, to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry’s former Pokémon partner, wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth Detective Pikachu. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to work together, as Tim is the only human who can talk with Pikachu, they join forces to unravel the tangled mystery.

This movie was not very exciting. The pacing was slow and dull. The music was questionable and there was a huge missed opportunity for not having the actual theme. The main character played by Justice Smith was annoying. Additionally, some of the CGI seemed unfinished and from a fan film. But the worst part was the unexciting subpar story. The way the plot traveled was dry and the character choices created frustrating moments rather than twists. The primary feature that saved this movie was Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu who did a great job acting and doing the voice work for this film.

In the end, I am going to give this movie a C-. 

Rights Belong to Warner Bros Prictures

Coming off of the success of 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, as well as this year’s massive blockbuster Avengers: Endgame, came a new film highlighting Peter Parker’s adventures throughout high school. While the promotional material for this movie did not look the greatest, I am happy to say that this movie was exceptional.

Here’s the plot: Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever.

This movie was very fun. This is the first Spider-Man movie to take place primarily outside New York, as Peter Parker and his friends go to Europe for a class trip. When outside forces attack Earth, Spider-Man steps up to save the day. The special effects, music, story, and pacing in this movie were flawless. The movie was a blast and I believe that this movie is better than Homecoming, as it was more entertaining. The acting in this movie was great and made this movie even more enjoyable. The new character introduced in this movie, longtime Spider-Man foe “Mysterio” (played by Jake Gyllenhal) was also excellent. His position in the film creates an interesting dynamic in terms of how his relationship with Peter fluctuates throughout the movie, creating more and more twists and turns.

In terms of flaws, there were very few but I do have to say that the first half did feel too much like a high school comedy rather than a superhero movie, which created uneven tones throughout the film.

In the end, I am going to give this movie an A. (This was written before Spider-Man went back to Sony.)

Rights Belong to Sony Pictures/Marvel

In a time where superheroes are a normal form of mainstream media, as every year companies such as Disney create family-friendly movies with superheroes that mint billions of dollars every year. However, it’s very rare to find a combination of horror and superheroes. That’s where Brightburn comes in.

The plot of Brightburn is: What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister? With Brightburn, the visionary filmmaker of Guardians of the Galaxy and Slither presents a startling, subversive take on a radical new genre: superhero horror.

Right off the bat, I have to say that I am impressed how much this movie was able to accomplish with special effects with only 6 million dollars. The acting in this movie was also great as the kid/superhero Brandon Breyer (Jackson A. Dunn) and his mother Tori Breyer (Elizabeth Banks) portray an interesting relationship regarding what would happen if someone close to you was an indestructible killer. The kills in the movie were also “cool” to look at and were entertaining and created the perfect horror atmosphere for this film. The pacing was alright and the writing and overall concept perfectly fit the tone for this movie.

The primary flaws were that I felt the score of the movie was weak and did not create anything memorable. Another part I wish this movie could have done better was to create more horror regarding the concept. While I found the kills and sinister tone to be fine, I wish that the movie further expanded on the idea of Superman being evil. Another small gripe was that the pacing, in the beginning, could have picked up as the first “kill” of the movie wasn’t until 45 minutes in.

That being said, I had a fun time watching this movie and I am going to give it a B.

Rights Belong to Sony Pictures/Screen Gems

The trend for the last few years by Disney is to remake all of your favorite animated classics into live-action blockbusters, some of which include Beauty and the Beast, The Jungle Book, and also Aladdin. There was a lot of backlash regarding the CGI, music, and acting in this movie. While that was all fine, what got most people worried was Will Smith as the Genie, seeing as Robin Williams played the original genie and well was amazing. However, I have to say that I mostly enjoyed this movie.

You most likely know the plot of this movie but if you don’t: Aladdin is a lovable street urchin who meets Princess Jasmine, the beautiful daughter of the Sultan of Agrabah. While visiting her exotic palace, Aladdin stumbles upon a magic oil lamp that unleashes a powerful, wisecracking, larger-than-life genie. As Aladdin and the genie start to become friends, they must soon embark on a dangerous mission to stop the evil sorcerer Jafar from overthrowing young Jasmine’s kingdom.

This movie was a fun 2 hours. Will Smith as the genie was great and carried this movie, adding charisma and his own charm onto the role. The music, while mostly the same, still felt fresh throughout the film. The CGI was okay and not very distracting. The acting, for me, was 50/50. Some characters such as Princess Jasmine (played by Naomi Scott) were great but other characters like our main hero Aladdin (played by Mena Massoud) were okay and didn’t add anything to the story, which is a shame as he is the main character.

The worst part about this movie by far is the villain Jafar. He essentially felt like a brat and did not resemble a villain like the original. Throughout the movie, he was too boring to watch and his monologues about “being accepted” were dull. Unfortunately, this made the movie uninteresting and ruined its pacing, as the first hour of the movie felt like an eternity. In terms of the story, I can’t say much seeing as it is a remake of the original, but since everything is the same, it was fine to me.

In the end, I enjoyed this movie. However, the issues with the acting and the god-awful villain ultimately made the movie worse than it could’ve been. In the end, I am going to give Aladdin a B-.

Rights Belong to Disney

Continuing the hype that is of the Disney remakes, we now have The Lion King. The director of this movie, Jon Favreau (who also directed The Jungle Book), uses dazzling special effects and featured terrific talents such as Donald Glover, Beyoncé, James Earl Jones (from the original), Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejofer, and more. The movie also features some of the best CGI I have ever seen with photo-realistic animals fully animated throughout the movie which helped and hurt the movie (more on that later). Without further ado, let’s get on with the review.

If you already don’t know the full plot of The Lion King, here it is: Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny on the plains of Africa. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub’s arrival. Scar, Mufasa’s brother — and former heir to the throne — has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is soon ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba’s exile. Now, with the help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba must figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.

This movie, like Aladdin, has mediocre reviews from critics and raving reviews from the audience. And while I didn’t hate that movie as much as the critics, I most definitely didn’t enjoy it like the audience. Those same thoughts apply here. The best parts about the movie are the songs, featuring once again a revamped, modern version of the original. The CGI was great and the technical features the animators achieved were simply astonishing. The voice acting was also good (say for Scar), but better for Timon and Pumbaa.

The negatives of this movie mostly revolve around the fact that the villain, Scar, seemed much less menacing as the voice actor simply could not achieve the sinister tone of the original. Another issue was the expressions of the characters were worse, as they were monotone and carried no emotion, which the realistic special effects hurt. Finally, I found that the story did not carry the same emotion as the original and rather worsened the story by not including some of the best scenes from the original.

In the end, while I enjoyed this movie, I still feel it is much inferior to the original. The music and special effects saved the movie. As a result, I am going to give The Lion King a B.

Rights Belong to Disney

Continuing Warner Bros.’ Franchise known as the Monsterverse comes to the 3rd movie after 2014’s Godzilla and 2017’s Kong Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters. This movie was surrounded by hype as it promised to deliver more monsters, action, and fun. While the critics, being “objective” as always, said that this movie was an absolute waste of time and money, the audiences enjoyed the film and deferred what the critics said. Who do I agree with? Let’s find out.

The plot of this movie is: Members of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super-species-thought to be mere myths-rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity’s very existence hanging in the balance.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters was enjoyable. I had fun watching CGI monsters cause destruction and, well, fight other CGI monsters. Sure, the performances weren’t anything special, but I don’t think anyone goes to a Godzilla movie expecting Oscar level performances.

My main flaw with the movie was that the pacing was not great and that the movie did drag at the beginning. Yet the story set up for the spectacular action set pieces and the performances were adequate enough for me. Another thing I want to mention is that not only were the special effects amazing but also that the music was awesome and improved the fights even more.

In the end, I am going to give Godzilla: King of the Monsters a B+. 

Rights Belong to Warner Bros Pictures

What was once a franchise about underground street races comes the ninth installment of the Fast & Furious series. However, instead of there being an actual sequel, the producers and The Rock (of course) decided to make a spin-off about The Rock’s character, Hobbs, and the bad guy turned good guy Shaw (played by Jason Statham). While I did watch this film, I had no intention to review it until I saw the box office numbers: $300 million (as of August 16, 2019) from a franchise which at one point made a billion dollars in 16 days (Furious 7). My point is that to the people who read this, please spend your money on this stupid yet entertaining movie.

Before we dive into the review, the plot of this movie is: Ever since hulking lawman Hobbs (Johnson), a loyal agent of America’s Diplomatic Security Service, and lawless outcast Shaw (Statham), a former British military elite operative, first faced off in 2015’s Furious 7, the duo have swapped smack talk and body blows as they’ve tried to take each other down. But when cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist Brixton (Idris Elba) gains control of an insidious bio-threat that could alter humanity forever — and bests a brilliant and fearless rogue MI6 agent (The Crown’s Vanessa Kirby), who just happens to be Shaw’s sister — these two sworn enemies will have to partner up to bring down the only guy who might be badder than themselves.

The action scenes in this film are so ridiculous that at one point you would think you’re watching a superhero movie. There is no other way to enjoy these movies other than to forget about everything and enjoy what’s on the screen. The acting was great with everyone, especially The Rock and Statham who gave their best performances. The pacing was nice and quick; the action, while frequent and CGI-heavy, was also well executed and overall it was a fun time.

Of course, there were flaws regarding the story in terms of how incoherent it was, but it also tried to cram too many plot points and setups to future movies. In the end, the story felt bloated. Still, I had a fun time watching this movie and I think you guys will too.

I am going to give Hobbs and Shaw a B-. 

Rights Belong to Universal Pictures

After Disney bought 20th Century Fox, they have been in charge of releasing all of the completed films Fox had already made. Now, one of the major reasons Disney bought Fox was for the X-Men, a comic book property within Marvel. Seeing as the 22-Billion-Dollar franchise known as the MCU has wrapped up the story of the Avengers, it was only fitting that the X-Men would fill their place. However, Fox was making their own X-Men movies which were doing fairly well and the last one they made was Dark Phoenix. The film was plagued with production issues and reshoots, an inflated budget, a critical disappointment, and a box office bomb making 250 million dollars from the 200 million dollar budget (this caused Disney fall short 700 million dollars of their Q3 earnings, ultimately leading them to cancel all Fox movies that were in pre-production). Regardless of the negativity surrounding this movie, I went ahead and watched the movie for myself and thought it was pretty okay.

Here’s the plot of Dark Phoenix. It’s the story of one of the X-Men’s most beloved characters, Jean Grey, as she evolves into the iconic Dark Phoenix. During a life-threatening rescue mission in space, Jean is hit by a cosmic force that transforms her into one of the most powerful mutants of all. Wrestling with this increasingly unstable power as well as her own personal demons, Jean spirals out of control, tearing the X-Men family apart and threatening to destroy the very fabric of our planet. The family of mutants that we’ve come to know and love must face their most devastating enemy yet — one of their own.

Dark Phoenix was a good standalone X-Men film but an underwhelming conclusion to the beloved X-Men saga. The great part of this movie are the acting. All the actors, especially Sophie Turner (who plays the main protagonist) is great as they made justice to the lines they were given. The special effects of this movie as well as the score by Hans Zimmer (scored Dunkirk, The Dark Knight, and more) were all fantastic. Finally, I personally felt that the pacing was mostly decent.

My issues with the film are that it couldn’t create a cohesive story apart from the intro. Due to the massive amounts of reshoots, it felt as if the writers kept on replacing plot points which were supposed to make sense, but ultimately made the story more and more confusing and dull. This also hurt some of the pacing, particularly in the middle of the film where practically no action happens and is simply set-up after set-up to something that was anticlimactic. Still, I do recommend checking this one out.

In the end, I am going to give this movie a C+.

Rights Belong to 20th Century Fox/Disney

I had a blast watching and reviewing these movies this past summer. Thank you for reading my reviews and as always, look forward to more coming soon!