X-Men: Apocalypse Review

IMDb

Title: X-Men: Apocalypse
Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox
Director: Bryan Singer
Writer(s): Simon Kinberg (screenplay) and Bryan Singer (story).
Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Oscar Isaac, Rose Byrne, Evan Peters, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Lucas Till, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ben Hardy, Alexandra Shipp, and Olivia Munn.
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of violence, action and destruction, brief strong language and some suggestive images.  
Running Time: 144 min
Synopsis: With the emergence of the world's first mutant, Apocalypse, the X-Men must unite to defeat his extinction level plan.

What Others Are Saying? 

Rotten Tomatoes: 48% "Fresh", Top Critics: 36% "Fresh", Audience: 74% "Liked It"
Metacritic: Critics: 52 out of 100, Users: 7.2 out of 10
MRQE: 58 out of 100

My Review

Source Material: Characters based on Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's design. The story was inspired by the X-men comics.  

Entertaining Value: 8

• Action Elements:  The action felt much like a roller coaster ride, but overall it was fairly entertaining.  

• Comedy Elements: There were some well-placed one-liners. It wasn't as light hearted as most of the films in the MCU.  

• Dramatic Elements: The "dramatic" moments could have been slightly better. For me, this is where some of the writing falls flat.

• Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: This film explores further down the comic book rabbit hole. With the X-men films, many different superhero abilities are showcased. 

Cinematic Value:

• Acting and Dialogue: 7: I would like to compare and contrast the old face with the new faces. Frist of all, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender has some of the best acting onscreen. I totally buy into them being younger versions of Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen. The onscreen friendship between Charles and Erik is echoed through all the X-men films. Which says a lot about James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender's acting chops. I really enjoyed Evan Peters as Quicksilver again. His character was one the best characters onscreen, especially his dialogue. The weakest performance out of the old faces was Jennifer Lawrence. I felt like JLaw wasn't feeling her character anymore. Her performance was fairly emotionless and kind of flat. Don't get me wrong, Jennifer Lawrence is a very talented actress and her performance in this film overall was decent, there was just an atmosphere of "not caring." I'm a bit torn on what the actual problem was her acting or how her character was written.

The new faces were a delight. Oscar Isaac is having a killer career right now. He goes from being the best fighter pilot in the galaxy, Poe Dameron, to the most powerful mutant to ever live, Apocalypse. I thought his performance as Apocalypse was spot on. I enjoyed most of the new cast, the two that stood out the most was Tye Sheridan and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Sheridan captured a young Scott Summers nicely, but it was Smit-McPhee's Nightcrawler that captured my attention. The joy I experienced from Quicksilver in Days of Future Past is about equal to the joy I experienced from Nightcrawler in this film. The both of them together created good comic relief.        

• Cinematography: 7: I know what I'm about to praise belongs more to Production Design or even Costume Design. I really liked the design of each character minus Psylocke. I will give them props for being accurate to the comic book design. I thought it a bit odd that Psylocke doesn't get the same treatment as the other horsemen, cosmetically speaking. The other three horsemen gain bad ass battle armor-esk upgrades, Psylocke gains a leotard. I don't mind seeing Olivia Munn in that outfit, but it felt somewhat out of place, especially during the Auschwitz scene. I know there was a lot of hate going around the internet about Apocalypse costume looking like Ivan Ooze, not the case in the actual film. I also enjoy the set pieces. I really enjoyed the Egypt scene at the beginning. I guess I need more epic films set in Egypt. As far as the cinematography goes, the subject meant for this section of the review, it was adequate. The filmmakers use old school camera tricks to convey Superspeed, which added to the Quicksilver scenes.   

• Direction: 7: When I look at Bryan Singer's career, I see The Usual Suspects, a cinematic masterpiece to most, X-Men, X2: X-Men United, which was in my top five best comic book movies until the MCU happened. Continuing down the list of movies from Singer's filmography, I can say he's a decent director. I say that even with the few "duds" he directed, which in my opinion are Superman Returns and Jack the Giant Slayer. I was one of the few excited that he returned to the X-Men universe with X-Men: Days of Future Past. Since that movie was hit amongst critic and fans, I went into this film with high expectations. Unfortunately, I left slightly disappointed. I felt his directing chops wasn't on par with this film. Even though this sounds negative, a seven on my scale is good.             

• Editing: 6.5: There was a lot going on. The were a least three for four different storylines, which meant jumping between them. Some of the jumps were disruptive to what was happening on screen. I'm glad this aspect of the editing started to disappear near the middle of the act two when the storyline began to converge.

• Screenplay: 6: I think the weakest part of the story was character development. This wasn't a problem across the board. I thought Professor X, Magneto, and Apocalypse's stories and motives were the most fleshed out. On the other hand, I wasn't that interested in Mystique storyline, that may be due to JLaw's performance. Apocalypse horsemen weren't the most fleshed out either. Storm has aspirations to be a strong female hero, Angel / Archangel is down on his luck since his wings are broken, and Psylocke is sexy, I really don't know what is going on with her character. The characters on the X-men side of the fight were better, except for Jubilee. I'm curious to know the reasoning behind why the filmmakers cut the mall scene from the film. That would have driven home, the fact that these are teens.

• Sound and Music: 7: I really enjoyed the music selection. I'm glad they use Quicksilver as a window into the time period musically.   

• VFX: 8: The best scenes in the film are the Quicksilver scenes. I liked how they achieved the superspeed in the film. My understanding is it was a camera trick mixed with some visual effects. There were some really good particle effects as well. The Jungle Book sets the bar for the best visual effects of this year. So far, no film has quite hit that mark of quality in visual effects.

Overall: 7: I had a good time at the theater. As of right now, here is where I rank the films in the X-men franchise:

1. X-Men: Day of Future Pat
2. X2: X-Men United
3. X-Men: First Class
4. Deadpool
5. X-Men
6. X-Men: Apocalypse
7. X-Men: The Last Stand
8. The Wolverine
9.  X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Hopefully, that give you a better idea of how much I liked / disliked this film. Overall it wasn't that bad of a film.    

Captain America: Civil War Review

IMDb

Title: Captain America: Civil War
Distributor: Marvel Studios (Disney)
Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Writer(s): Christopher Markus,Stephen McFeely
Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr.,Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Daniel Brühl, and Tom Holland
MPAA Rating: PG-13 
Running Time: 146 min
Synopsis: Political interference in the Avengers' activities causes a rift between former allies Captain America and Iron Man.

What Others Are Saying? 

Rotten Tomatoes: 92% "Fresh", Top Critics: 89% "Fresh", Audience: 90% "Liked It"
Metacritic: Critics: 75 out of 100, Users: 8.4 out of 10
MRQE: 77 out of 100

My Review

Preface: I'm going to try my very best to do a spoiler free review. With that being said, there may be a few minor spoilers that pop-up as part of negatives with the film. You have been warned.

Source Material: Inspired by the Civil War comic written by Mark Miller. Character based off of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby work.

Entertaining Value: 8.5

• Action Elements: The action in this film isn't non-stop but there is quite a bit. I have to note that the action in this film was well choreographed. There was some shaky cam, but it was well placed. I liked how the action made sense relative to the story. I didn't really get the vibe that there was action, for action's sake.

• Comedy Elements: What this film did well for me was balancing the various cinematic elements. The filmmaker's allowed the comedic character's to be the comic relief. Everyone doesn't need to be quipping all the time to make funny moments. Which has been a part of Marvel's formula for a while. It was nice to see the comedic moments play out slightly different than the normal Marvel wheel-house of comedy.

• Dramatic Elements: The tension and dramatic moments were better in this film than other Marvel film. This is a summer blockbuster, action thriller, comic book movie, I wasn't expecting much drama.

• Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: What I'm liking about  "stand-alone" films of the MCU is that they feel more like non-comic book movie. For Example Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a spy thriller starring Captian America, and Ant-Man was a heist film starring Ant-man. What I'm pointing out is that each of these films, comic book fantasies isn't bogging down the story, they are enhancing them. Captain America: Civil War is no exception.

Cinematic Value:

• Acting and Dialogue: 8: We have seen a lot of these actors / actresses multiple times as their character in the MCU, for me, I think most have stepped up their game. I use to call Chris Evans, the "bro" of Hollywood because he basically played that type of character in all of his roles. Let's face it, he will always be remembered as Captain America. I have to take a minute to praise the newcomers. This film introduced T'Challa / Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), and Peter Parker / Spider-Man (Tom Holland) to the MCU. Chadwick Boseman is definitely on the uprise as a star. Before this role he played to iconic roles of Jackie Robinson in 42, and James Brown in Get on Up. The newest newcomer, Tom Holland, was perfect as both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Some of the credit here has to be given to the writers, as well, but it was Holland's portrayal that got be excited for a Spider-Man Homecoming.

• Cinematography: 8.5: Two things have to be right when it comes to this type of movie. One, the filmmakers have to capture iconic images from the source material. This film did that well. Secondly, they have to capture action that flows well. From that standpoint, I thought The Winter Soldier executed that aspect better, but overall the action shots in this film were great. The opening action sequence I would have eliminated, not for its action, but for it writing, I will explain why later.

• Direction: 8: The one aspect I have to give props to the Russo brother for is their ability to film action. We saw this ability in full force during The Winter Soldier. It was heavily prevalent in this film as well. Which still baffles me, since they guys were known for comedies such as the television show, Community. I'm glad Marvel is moving forward with these two for Infinity War Parts I and II. Nothing against Joss Whedon but Age of Ultron was a bit of a visual overload when it came to the action. I hope the Russo brother take what they have learned on this film and The Winter Soldier and apply it to Infinity War Parts I and II, without getting burnt out like Joss. Action aside, I think the Russo's did a great job at the other aspect of directing. They got the best performance out the actors/ actresses that served the story. They also told a fairly compelling visual story. That two aspect is basally all I ask from any director.

• Editing: 8: It wasn't a mess like BvS. The flashbacks actually made sense.

• Screenplay: 7: I think overall the story was fine. There would have been a few areas I would have changed. First of all the fight vs Crossbones was more or less pointless, in my opinion. I understand why that scene was there, but the characters involved, primarily Crossbones, was out of place. Second I wish the film felt a little more warlike. I felt the film was more like "Captain America: Civil Dispute." Yes, there are some really cool battle sequences, one of which is the airport scene from the trailer. That scene is a huge battle. You may go into the film rooting for one team and come out rooting for the other. Even though the film, delivering on those aspects of war, I still did get a war atmosphere. I think raising the stakes by killing an Avenger would have been very impactful. Let's face it, Quicksilver's death in Age of Ultron had no impact. No one even mentions his death, including his sister, Wanda aka Scarlet Witch. I think killing off Rhodey aka War Machine or Bucky aka The Winter Soldier would have had a major influence on the Avengers emotionally. This death could have lead to Captain America surrendering, therefore, signing the Sokovia Accords ending the Civil War. That ending would have aligned more with the comic book. Third Marvel needs better-written villains, Zemo was another weak villain.

• Sound and Music: 7: Nothing spectacular stood out musically or in the sound mixing.

• VFX: 9: I'm guessing there are more CGI effect shots then I realize, which is a good thing. The Hulk doesn't appear but Iron Man dose. The down aging of RDJ was kind of weird, but overall it worked. I'm sure this film will be considered for the shortlist of nominations for visual effects during award season. If I were to venture a guess right now I would say The Jungle Book takes home the prize. I think BFG, Warcraft, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will also be top contenders, as well.

Overall: 8.5: I really enjoyed this film overall. I recommend that you see this one in the theater. At the moment, this film has earned a spot in the Top Five best MCU Movies. I also want to remind you that this  film is the third movie in the Captain America trilogy while at the same time Avengers 2.5. The fact this film is basically both of those things is part of the reason it is good.

Review: Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice

IMDb

Title: Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice
Distributor: Warner Bros
Director: Zach Snyder
Writer(s): Chris Terrio, Davis S. Goyer
Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Laurence Fishburn, Jeremy Irons, Gal Gadot 
MPAA Rating: Warner Bros.
Running Time: 151 min
Synopsis: Fearing the actions of Superman are left unchecked, Batman takes on the man of steel, while the world wrestles with what kind of a hero it really needs. With Batman and Superman fighting each other, a new threat, Doomsday, is created by Lex Luthor. It's up to Superman and Batman to set aside their differences along with Wonder Woman to stop Lex Luthor and Doomsday from destroying Metropolis.

What Others Are Saying? 

Rotten Tomatoes: 30% "Fresh", Top Critics: 26% "Fresh", Audience: 74% "Liked It"
Metacritic: Critics: 44 out of 100, Users: 7.3 out of 10
MRQE: 49 out of 100

My Review

Preface: There may be SPOILERS ahead, so read at your own risk.

Source Material: Based on the comic book characters written by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster.

Entertaining Value: 7

• Action Elements: Damn, there is a lot of action in this film, especially in last 45 min or so. The action in this film has the same appeal as Man of Steel.

• Comedy Elements: I felt most of the "jokes" in the film feel flat. I laugh out loud at least once, maybe twice.

• Dramatic Elements: There was a handful of scenes that had the potential of being emotionally impacting.

• Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: This movie is a "comic book" movie set in the DC Cinematic Universe.

Cinematic Value:

• Acting and Dialogue: 6.5: Overall I think the actors gave good performances even with the bad dialogue. In my opinion, Ben Affleck was the strongest actor on screen. It's funny how the tables have turned. Most comic book fans were mad at the casting of Affleck as Batman. After seeing the film I can say he was perfect as Batman. Henry Cavill gave us an adequate performance as Superman, but unfortunately, he had the worst treatment of bad dialogue. He power through it and delivered them well, so it didn't seem as bad. For me, the worst performance was Jesse Eisenberg. His acting wasn't up to par with his other works. Also,I really disliked how this Lex Luthor was written. Lex needs to be calculating and the smartest man in the room, not a wacky and too smart for his own good type of guy. There were actually some decent lines that Lex had but Eisenberg's performance sank them into the ground. The biggest worry from an acting standpoint, Gal Gadot, wasn't that bad, granted she maybe had a total of fifteen lines. Her major entrance as Wonder Woman at the end of the film was spoiled by the trailer, along with the exchange between Batman and Superman.

• Cinematography: 7: Snyder is by far a visual director. Meaning he knows how to make beautiful shots. This film was beautiful from visually speaking. I personally liked that they capture some iconic images from the comic books in this film. What I didn't like was that a majority of this film takes place at night. I understand this is a darker movie in tone but, I personally would have liked lighter scenes.

• Direction: 5: The pacing of this film was slow, and I mean slow. The opening of the film felt about right, but the middle of the film and onward was bogged down. This film clocks in at roughly two and half hours, and every minute of that run time is felt. This is one of those movies that could have been 30 minutes shorter, easily. Zach Snyder's greatest weakness come out in this film. He's not the best at story elements and character development. I said it before this film worked visually, but the story elements and how it was put together was awful.

• Editing: 3: The editing was clunky. This movie felt like a bunch of random sequences firing off in rapid succession. The editing was so bad that it weakened the story. There are quite a few. "fill in the blank" moments, throughout this film. I sat through the entire film, and even I felt like saying, at parts: What just happened? Did I miss something? That didn't work. Maybe the 3-hour cut works better.

• Screenplay: 4: I want to point out the title of this film real quick, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. With that title, I went into this film expecting a huge fight between Batman and Superman at the film's climax, and an introduction to the Justice League at its conclusion. That is not what I got. I felt like I got four different DC comic book movies crammed into one. Frist off, the first hour or so of this film is basically a stand alone Batman film, which was the best part of the entire film. I think we, the audience, needed to see Bruce Wayne's perspective of the events that happen at the end of the Man of Steel. This is then followed by the sequel to the Man of Steel, which is basically Superman on trial. The third film is what we paid to watch, Batman vs Superman. The fourth and final film is The Dawn of Justice. I have to note that the introduction to the members of the Justice League was misplaced in the story (Which was more of an editing issue, in my opinion). Now, how they handled the introduction of each character overall, was kind of cool. I even liked some of the links to the DC Multiverse. Then again, for those general audience members, who hasn't read a comic book, will be lost, because this film doesn't give us a good introduction to that subject matter. It appears, then disappears moments later, with little to no explanation of what just happened. It's funny to think this is only the tip of the iceberg, on how bad the writing is in this film. I felt like most of the characters had no motives for their actions, or at least, their motives weren't developed. Even the Batman and Superman fight was forced. I thought the fight between Batman and Superman would have been more impactful if they were fighting over philosophical differences. The fight in the film ends up being a Lex Luther staged death match.

• Sound and Music: 6: The score was good if you were paying attention because I felt it was lost in all the action.

• VFX: 7: Overall the visual effect were good. I have very similar sentiments about the visual effects that I did with the cinematography. Based on his other works I know Snyder understands the CGI space. Like I said before Snyder is a great visual director just a bad storyteller.  With that being said I really didn't like the design for Doomsday, especially when he first appears.

Overall: 6: This film is fairly entertaining from an action "summer" blockbuster type of film, but that's about it. Don't get me wrong, I have seen worse films, and there is some good stuff to be had in this film. Just because I didn't like the film 100% don't mean you won't. This film got me excited for the standalone DC films in the future.

My 2015 Oscar Predictions

Here are my Oscar predictions for the 2015 calendar year. 

Oscar Challenge Ballot  

Best Picture: The Revenant

Runner-Up: Spotlight
Rooting For: The Martian

Actor in a Leading Role: Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant

Runner-Up: Michael Fassbender - Steve Jobs
Rooting For: Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant

Actress in a Leading Role: Brie Larson - Room

Runner-Up: Saoirse Ronan - Brooklyn
Rooting For: Cate Blanchett - Carol

Actor in a Supporting Role: Sylvester Stallone - Creed

Runner-Up: Mark Rylance - Bridge of Spies
Rooting For: Sylvester Stallone - Creed

Actress in a Supporting Role: Alicia Vikander - The Danish Girl 

Runner-Up: Kate Winslet - Steve Jobs
Rooting For: Alicia Vikander - The Danish Girl

Directing: Alejandro G. Iñárritu - The Revenant

Runner-Up: George Miller - Mad Max: Fury Road
Rooting For: George Miller - Mad Max: Fury Road 

Writing: Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short 

Runner-Up: Room
Rooting For: The Martian

Writing: Original Screenplay: Spotlight

Runner-Up: Inside Out
Rooting For: Ex Machina 

Cinematography: The Revenant

Runner-Up: Mad Max: Fury Road
Rooting For: The Revenant  

Film Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road

Runner-Up: The Big Short
Rooting For: Star Wars The Force Awakens

Visual Effects: Star Wars The Force Awakens

Runner-Up: Mad Max: Fury Road
Rooting For: Star Wars The Force Awakens

Production Design: Mad Max: Fury Road

Runner-Up: The Revenant
Rooting For: The Martian

Costume Design: Mad Max: Fury Road

Runner-Up: Cinderella
Rooting For: The Revenant

Makeup and Hairstyling: Mad Max: Fury Road

Runner-Up: The Revenant
Rooting For: The Revenant

Sound Editing: The Revenant

Runner-Up: Mad Max: Fury Road
Rooting For: Star Wars The Force Awakens

Sound Mixing: The Revenant

Runner-Up: Mad Max: Fury Road
Rooting For: Star Wars The Force Awakens

Music: Original Score: The Hateful Eight

Runner-Up: Star Wars The Force Awakens
Rooting For: Star Wars The Force Awakens

Music: Original Song: “Til It Happens To You,” - The Hunting Ground

Runner-Up: Writings on the Wall - Spectre
Rooting For: Writings on the Wall - Spectre

Animated Feature Film: Inside Out

Runner-Up: Anomalisa
Rooting For: Inside Out

Animated Short Film: Sanjay’s Super Team

Runner-Up: World of Tomorrow
Rooting For: Sanjay’s Super Team

Documentary Feature: Amy

Runner-Up: Cartel Land
Rooting For: Amy

Documentary Short: Body Team 12

Runner-Up: Chau Beyond the Lines
Rooting For: Chau Beyond the Lines

Foreign Language Film: Son of Saul

Runner-Up: Mustang
Rooting For: Son of Saul

Short Film: Ave Maria

Runner-Up: Shok
Rooting For: Shok

Review: Deadpool

IMDb

Title: Deadpool
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Director: Tim Miller
Writer(s): Rob Liefeld (character), Fabian Nicieza (character), Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick  
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller,  Ed Skrein
MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong violence and language throughout, sexual content and graphic nudity.
Running Time: 108 min
Synopsis: A former Special Forces operative turned mercenary is subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopting the alter-ego Deadpool.

What Others Are Saying? 

Rotten Tomatoes: 84% "Fresh", Top Critics: 76% "Fresh", Audience: 96% "Liked It"
Metacritic: Critics: 65 out of 100, Users: 8.4 out of 10
MRQE: 69 out of 100

My Review

Source Material: Based on the comic book character of the same name.

Entertaining Value:

• Action Elements: For being a "superhero" film this one doesn't have non-stop action like all the other one out there. It was nice to watch a film in this genre and not be exhausted from all the action. This film had nice bookend action sequences.

• Comedy Elements: This film was one of the funniest films I have seen in awhile. You know you are in for a good time during the opening credits.

• Dramatic Elements: There are a few heartfelt moments, there, not the best but you shouldn't be watching Deadpool for it's dramatic moments.

• Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: Deadpool lives in the same universe as the X-men, so expect those types of fantasy elements.

Cinematic Value:

• Acting and Dialogue: 8: Ryan Reynolds was born to play Deadpool. If you know the character of Deadpool you would agree. T.J Miller as Weasel was great. Some of the better scenes are the interactions between Reynolds and Miller. Them riffing off one another was hilarious. I always laugh when a film cast a "martial artist" (I'm including pro-wrestlers in that general term) and basically edits around their less than stellar acting. The filmmakers know what they are doing. If you need a built chick to throw some heavy punch you hire Gina Carano. For me, Ed Skrein did a decent job as Ajax, but that might not be 100% his fault because I though Ajax was a weak bad guy.

• Cinematography: 8: What I liked the most about the cinematography was how fluid it was during the action scenes. Sometimes it's better to allow the action to happen without bringing in the shaky cam. The open sequence highlights exactly what I'm talking about.

• Direction: 7: For his first major film as a director, Tim Miller did a great job. When you watch the film you can tell Tim understands the strengths and weakness of VFX.

• Editing: 7: I liked the juxtaposed between the past and the present.

• Screenplay: 7: The screenwriters captured the character of Deadpool to a "t". The breaking the 4th wall knack that Deadpool has could have been cheesy and quite dumb after a while, but it wasn't. It was one of the funniest parts of this film. The comic timing in this film was perfect. As far as the story goes, well, in my opinion, it was an origin story, but funnier. For me, the weakest part of the story was the villain, but that a problem with Marvel Comics in general. (DC Comics has better villains.)

• Sound and Music: 8: A fun soundtrack that fits perfectly with what happens on screen. There are even a few jokes surrounding the music.

• VFX: 8: Very well done, and I would hope so with Tim Miller as the director. I'm not saying he is a well established visual effect artist, but based on this film and a few video games he helped on, I would say he knows enough to make it look good.

Overall: 7.5: I can't say, "Deadpool was the best comic book movies ever made." Yes, it's very entertaining movies. It's a very funny movie, with that being said, its humor is only going to work for certain types of people. (The people who get and like Deadpool as a character.) Also, the R rating is going to turn some people off (The filmmakers fully take advantage of their R rating) Overall, it was a very good movie, but it's not for everybody, and definitely not for children.

Best / Worst 2015 + Most Anticipated 2016

Preface: I haven't seen as many films this year as years past. This is partly due to the size of the town I live in and the availability of films at my local theater. Therefore, my list of the best and worst film of 2015 may not reflect the "popular" view. Before giving my list of best movies of 2015, let me share with you, my favorite films separated out via genre.      

Action: Mad Max: Fury Road 
Adventure: Tomorrowland 
Animation: Inside Out 
Comedy: Ant-Man 
Comic Book: Ant-Man  
Crime / Mystery: Mr. Holmes 
Drama: Tentatively: Spotlight 
Fantasy: Star Wars: The Force Awakens 
Historical or Bio Pic: Straight Outta Compton  
Horror: It Follows 
Indie Film: Ex Machina 
Musical: Straight Outta Compton  
Sci-Fi: The Martian 
Thriller: Mission Impossible Rogue Nation 
Western: Tentatively: The Revenant

Notes: I still have a lot of films to catch up on that came out in 2015, hence why Spotlight and The Revenant have "Tentatively" attached to them. As far as Western go, The Hateful Eight could give The Revenant a run for its money, but then again I'm more anticipating The Revenant. The Drama genre has quite a few films that could slide in as my favorite, but Spotlight looks the most promising. The weakest genres this year was comedy, horror, and musicals. Most of the "pure" comedies in 2015 were stinkers critical, therefore, I didn't buy a ticket and watch them in the theater.

Best:

1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens 
2. Ex Machina 
3. The Martian 
4. Inside Out 
5. Ant-Man  
6. Mission Impossible Rogue Nation 
7. The Peanuts Movie 
8. Mad Max: Fury Road 
9. Kingsman: The Secret Service 
10. Straight Outta Compton  

Honorable Mentions: 

Avengers Age of Ultron 
Jurassic World 
Mr. Holmes

Notes: Let me start with my honorable mention. Avengers Age of Ultron and Jurassic World got me in the theater and gave me a good time while I was there, but didn't quite make my top ten. Mr. Holmes just barely made my list. Mr. Holmes was by far in my top films of 2015, but when I narrowed my list to 10 it didn't make the cut. Star Wars: The Force Awakens might not be the "best" film overall, but it impacted me on all levels. Personally, I think Ex Machina is a better film than Star Wars, but I was more entertained by Star Wars.

Worst: 

1. Fifty Shades of Grey 
2. Pixels 
3. Pan 
4. Jupiter Ascending 
5. Minions 
6. Fantastic 4 
7. Chappie 
8. Pitch Perfect 2 
9. The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials 
10. Tomorrowland

Notes: I got to be honest, I didn't watch half of these movies. Primarily because they had bad reviews across the board, including the people in my closest social circles. Some of you may be confused at seeing Tomorrowland on my worst list since it's on my favorites list above. Well, Tomorrowland, had really good adventure qualities, you may say the best of the year. Heck, overall Tomorrowland wasn't really that bad of a film, but it was very disappointing, hence why it's at the bottom of the list. Fun fact: Pixels was on my most anticipated list of last year, but sank to the bottom of the barrel after seeing the trailer.

Most Anticipated 2016: 

1. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 
2. Captain America: Civil War 
3. Deadpool 
4. X-Men: Apocalypse 
5. Warcraft 
6. Suicide Squad 
7. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 
8. The Jungle Book 
9. Doctor Strange (not sure if this trailer is the REAL official or not) 
10. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Notes: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice started near the top of this list but drop drastically once I saw the full trailer, and it revealed what seems to be the entire movie. I'm equally pumped and nervous for Captain America: Civil War. On one hand, it could be just as good Captain America: The Winter Soldier or it could swing the other way and just be Avenger 2.5 and focus too much time on the ancillary characters.   

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review

IMDb

Title: Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
Distributor: Lucasfilm (Disney)
Director: J.J. Abrams
Writer(s): Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams, and Michael Arndt  
Starring: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Max von Sydow, Peter Mayhew, and Gwendoline Christie.    
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence.
Running Time: 135 min
Synopsis: Three decades after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, a new threat arises. The First Order attempts to rule the galaxy and only a rag-tag group of heroes can stop them, along with the help of the Resistance.

What Others Are Saying? 

Rotten Tomatoes: 95% "Fresh", Top Critics: 91% "Fresh", Audience: 93% "Liked It"
Metacritic: Critics: 81 out of 100, Users: 7.6 out of 10
MRQE: 82 out of 100

My Review

Preface: I'm going to try my best to do this review spoiler free, but I may spill the beans if being vague become too complicated of a taste. So for those who haven't seen the film yet, you have been warned, there may be spoilers ahead. I also want to note that I'm writing this after only seeing the film once, so my opinion will most likely change after seeing it a couple more times.   

Source Material: Original story by Lawrence Kasdan, characters by George Lucas.

Entertaining Value:

• Action Elements: Star Wars is back! It may not be action-packed from open crawl to end credits, but there are a good amount of action sequences. These sequences actually move the story along, making for an exciting film.

• Comedy Elements: The comedy in this film works. The jokes are witty and come at the right moments in the film.

• Dramatic Elements: This is still the weakest aspect of Star Wars in general, but with that being said, I believe this film has some of the best dramatic scenes in Star Wars.

• Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: Star Wars has always been more of a fantasy in space than Sci-fi. Don't get me wrong, there is more than enough sci-fi elements as well. This film brings out those classic Star Wars tropes we were missing in the prequels.

Cinematic Value:

• Acting and Dialogue: 9: Let's be honest this is by far the best acted Star Wars film. I want to highlight the new talent in this film. The first is Daisy Ridley. This film was basically her frist movie. All her acting gigs before Star Wars was small screen and indie flicks. For me, Daisy Ridley turned out a great performance. The next one is John Boyega. I had a slightly bad feeling that Boyega was going to be the weakest link, but he is actually one of the strongest. I suggest watching Boyega's frist film Attack the Block, it's a fun sci-fi film. Every good fantasy needs a strong villain and Adam Driver is that villain as Kylo Ren. Adam Driver brought out the inner struggle that Kylo Ren was dealing with perfectly. Another face of evil is General Hux played by Domhnall Gleeson, who give one of the best speeches in the film. To bridge the gap between old and new is Oscar Isacc. Oscar Isacc is beginning to become a household name in Hollywood. I think this role is going to rocket ship himself there. Poe Dameron was my favorite heroic character. Now on to the old guys. Han Solo is back. You could tell Harrison Ford had a blast revisiting the Star Wars universe. Carrie Fisher, on the other hand, was the weakest link.

• Cinematography: 8: For me, one of the main reasons The Force Awakens felt like a Star Wars film was its use of cinematography and how it matches up with the original Star Wars trilogy. There was just enough fan-service to keep us fans happy without watering down film with a bunch of easter eggs and nods to the original trilogy. I personally, like action scenes where I can be a part of the action without being a part of the action, meaning the action unfolds before my eyes without the sensation of a first-person account of the event.

• Direction: 9: J.J. Abrams knows how to work with actors, bring out their strengths. This cast was primarily compiled of relatively new actors, and for the most part, you couldn't really tell. That's how you do your frist job as a director, getting the best performance out of your cast and crew. J.J. also excelled at the second job of a director, telling a good story.

• Editing: 8: I liked that they stuck to old school Star Wars transitions. From an editing standpoint, the film was ever so slightly too fast on its pacing. Overall it is well edited.

• Screenplay: 9: I love the story of this film, granted like the cinematography there are a lot of beats from the original trilogy woven in. I have heard some say the similarities to the original trilogy, story wise, was the weakest aspect of this film. I personally disagreed. I think the similarities creates a space of familiarity, drawing the audience back into the Star Wars universe. I'm glad that the writers retaught us with the Star Wars mythology, especially The Force. The film's title, after all, is The Force Awakens. The other positive aspect of the screenplay was the character development for the most part. Really, only two character that I can think of could have used a little more explanation: Lor San Tekka (Max von Sydow) and Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie). I felt that Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis), who had just as much screen time as those two characters, had more impact on the story, overall. Then again, that's just a bit nitpicky.

• Sound and Music: 10: The two major themes of this movies is Star Wars is back and mixing the new with the old. The sound and music follow that perfectly. John Willams mixed old iconic Star Wars themes with new themes, which brought me back to Star Wars even more than seeing Han and Chewie on screen.

• VFX: 9.5: Star Wars screams a lived in "future." I liked that J.J. made an effort to use as many real set and props as possible. I think using those types of effects brought depth to the scenes. I also like that every little detail had a story, for example, Kylo Ren's lightsaber was built to be dangerous. There were a few moments where you say to yourself, "that is 2015 CGI."

Overall: 9: As of right now, I would rank The Force Awaken as either the second or third best Star Wars film right behind The Empire Strikes Back. Hopefully by the time you read this review you have seen the film, if not go see today...May The Force Be With You.