The Video Game/Movie Review Blog

After the surprising success that was The Desolation of Smaug, I, once again, was not sure how to feel about this final chapter in the Hobbit story. It was very much a mixed bag, more like the first part was, although this one was better than that one. The story begins with Smaug, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, getting killed by Bard, played by Luke Evans. It's not a spoiler, since it's literally the opening portions of the film. Most of the plot is focused on the titular Battle of the Five Armies, which brings all the millions of plotlines together and it's...a lot. Thorin gets greedy after taking the mountain, turning against literally everyone to talk about how rich he is, and then there are orcs involved, and every race from Middle Earth wants some of Erebor's riches, and...I don't know. While the titular battle is very cool to see play out, it is so...long. Like I've never seen a battle go on for the majority of a film's runtime before, but that's ...

After the very uneven disappointment that was An Unexpected Journey, I was fully expecting this follow to kind of follow in its predecessor's footsteps. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised, and this film actually ended up being a lot better. The story continues the story of Bilbo, played by Martin Freeman, Thorin, played by Richard Armitage, and the rest of the dwarven company as they journey ever closer to the Lonely Mountain, home of the deadly dragon Smaug, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch. In addition, there are a few other plot threads that are there to set up things we would learn about in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. While I still have to dock this film points for having a ridiculous abundance of plot threads in it (I counted five as I was watching), there was a lot less dead space, and despite the fact that a lot of these scenes were embellishments over the source material, they still were engaging all the same, which made me a lot less bored with this one. Another thing...

I know it's spooky season, and everyone is probably waiting on Scream 4, but I wasn't feeling up to watching a horror film, so I decided to revive my fantasy reviews, because I have wanted to finish this up for all of you. This movie is definitely different, and I had a different reaction to it when I watched it than when I first saw it in the theaters almost 10 years ago. It has some things that work, and some things that really don't. The story acts as a prequel to The Lord of the Rings, and focuses on a younger Bilbo Baggins, played by Martin Freeman, who is convinced by the wizard Gandalf, played again by Ian McKellen, to join in an epic quest to reclaim the Dwarven kingdom of Erebor from the dragon Smaug in a company of 13 dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield, played by Richard Armitage. Along the way, they encounter many dangers, including a bounty set by a group of deadly orcs. Throughout all this, whispers of a mysterious evil known only as The Necromancer are heard wi...

How do these movies keep being good? I can't believe it, but this one is another winner for me. And, of the three I've watched, this one has been my favorite. Considering the series was originally supposed to be a trilogy, this film ends things off quite nicely. The story focuses on the cast of the fictional film Stab 3, because Hollywood in the Scream universe still banks on murder, who get picked off one by one, while also bringing previously unknown revelations about Sidney Prescott's past. Obviously, that means that Gail Weathers and Dewey are back as well, and arguably they have even bigger roles in this film on par with Sidney, which was very great because I love their characters so much. As with the previous two films, this is a slasher film that also is very self-aware about its film conventions, and this one is all about trilogies, since, again, this was originally supposed to be the last film in the series. Where the kills were more intense in the first couple of ...

Yes, I know, I said the Hobbit is coming and it is, but I'm on a horror kick right now so I felt I should review the sequel to Scream. I am actually impressed. This is one of the few horror sequels that actually was as good as, if not better than, the original film. The story follows Sidney Prescott, played once again by Neve Campbell, as she is now a student in college and, for some reason, a movie based on the events of the first film was made, called Stab. Naturally, this means a copycat Ghostface killer is here to cause more death and mayhem. I really enjoyed seeing where everything went in terms of story, and I was not prepared for the killer reveal at the end. I won't say much but I was not expecting it at all, and the whole final scene was amazing, featuring some strong acting and intense action from all actors involved. In addition to Neve Campbell, the reporter from the first film, as well as her police deputy love interest, played by Courteney Cox and David Arquette, ...

Okay, it's been a minute, and I've had to take time away from my reviews for my mental health. I legit love doing these reviews for everyone, but I've had to take time for myself. Things might be a little crazy for a bit, but thank you everyone for being so patient while I work through this. So, obviously, this is not the first Hobbit movie. That is still coming in the future, but for the time being, I don't know what will be coming next in terms of what I watch/review. Regardless, this was a lot better than I had thought it would be, with a slasher movie where the characters know the cliches of slasher movies. The story follows a girl named Sidney Prescott, played by Neve Campbell, who, after a shocking double murder of two of her fellow students, is consistently stalked by the same killer. The concept is very interesting, and I loved the way they played with the typical slasher concept. Now, I will fully admit that I have not watched many slasher movies (although I ha...

This is it. We have finally reached the grand finale of the Harry Potter series, and it definitely deserves that title. There is no better way they could have ended the story than the way they did with this one. The story continues where Deathly Hallows Part 1 left off with Harry, Ron, and Hermione searching for the last of Voldemort's horcruxes in an effort to finally destroy him and save the wizarding world from his cruelty. The best part about all this is that once it gets started, it just keeps on going, the action never stops until Voldemort is defeated, and that is this film's greatest strength. Where the first part of this story is very slow and kind of takes its time, this one goes from one plot point and action setpiece to another, and yet it doesn't feel excessive, especially because this is the shortest of the Harry Potter films. It's an adrenaline rush getting to see the break-in at the wizard bank Gringotts, the destruction of the final horcruxes, and the b...

This movie was definitely something. Like, I didn't hate it, for one thing, but compared to the previous two, it wasn't exactly overly amazing either. Hopefully my review can explain my feelings on it. The story focuses on siblings Edmund and Lucy, played again by Skandar Keynes and Georgie Henley, as well as their obnoxious cousin Eustace, played by a young Will Poulter, who once again journey to Narnia to do basically a video game fetch quest to find seven swords and bring them to a table to stop a weird curse or something. It's not a complex plot, but it feels pretty lazy, if I am being fully honest. For one thing, I loved the visual style of the first two films, but this one felt kind of...clean and washed out, more generic, if you will. It didn't really inspire feelings of a grand adventure, it felt more like a stage play, except with more CGI. The plot points were kind of random as well, with nothing really feeling like it mattered all that much, and I was more co...

We've finally gotten here. The beginning of the end. As can be expected, this is a pretty crazy movie, but it is still quite enjoyable. The story focuses on Harry, Ron, and Hermione, as they go off to search for horcruxes, special items that hold pieces of Voldemort's soul in them. If they are all destroyed, Voldemort is able to be killed. However, things aren't easy for them as they are constantly on the run from Death Eaters and Snatchers who want to capture them and take them to Voldemort. I feel that this movie is definitely a mixed bag, because it has some pretty strong scenes, like Ron destroying one of the horcruxes, the opening scene where Harry and his friends escape to a safe house while being pursued by Death Eaters, and the ending sequences are fantastic. At the same time, this is the first part of a two part story and so it does tend to feel like setup more often than not, and, although it leaves you wanting more, it definitely takes its time getting to its var...

Now we get to my personal favorite Harry Potter film in the lineup. This was the final film released before the two part finale, and the best way I can describe it is that it is the calm before the storm, while getting all the pieces in place. The story focuses on Harry, Ron, and Hermione's sixth year at Hogwarts, and, although there is no confrontation with Voldemort in this one, his presence is still felt, and it is quite clear that the wizarding world is getting less and less safe as the story goes on. The main plot point that is focused on is Voldemort's past, which Harry explores with the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, which is definitely the highlights, as the actors they got for the 11 year old and 16 year old versions of the character are appropriately creepy and unnerving. At the same time, despite the dark goings on, the film also goes out of its way to show what life is like for the students, and, as in any dark time, life goes on. Students fall in love, goof around, ...

Now this was an amazing change of pace. After the unexpected disappointment of the first film, this one felt like it actually took the franchise to a much more interesting place. When our four protagonists, siblings Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, return to the world of Narnia, they find it changed, as around 1300 years have passed in that world. Since then, a race of men known as the Telmarines have taken over the kingdom and have driven the magical beings into hiding. But one of them, a young man named Caspian, played by Ben Barnes, is prophesied to bring unity back to the land. Unfortunately, his treacherous uncle Miraz has plans to kill him and become king of the land in his place. I have to say that the fact that there were more personal stakes beyond good guys vs. bad guys really made me happy because that means Caspian gets more character development, having to grow into the king he is meant to be. It's not much, but it's more than the Pevensie kids who are still kind of...