Jeff Cooper

Small Spoiler Alert Visually, the film was amazing. Story-wise, it was dense…and I mean really dense. Lost in the story is Hope. She certainly has plenty of action scenes but she has so few meaningful lines that she’s nearly a non-factor in driving the story along; it felt like Hope was just along for the ride. While there are some solid comical moments, this outing is far less fun than the 1st film and its sequel. Absent from the film were Luis, Dave and Kurt, which is a huge subtraction from the film. However, Corey Stoll’s M.O.D.O.K. was absolutely fantastic, adding some very clever humor; killing him was a travesty because seeing him down the road would’ve been very welcomed. Jonathan Majors was great in the role of Kang, an important top-tier villain. Overall, the film is a 3 out of 5 due to a story that seems to not know where to go, and at times a little too contrived. MCU did “dark and moody” with the last two Avengers films, Dr. Strange Multiverse…, and Wakanda Forever. It’s time to bring back the clever humor while beating down super villains - it’s much more fun to watch.

Oh my word! This movie is a terrible addition to the franchise, and it’s a complete waste of time for the original cast members. The lazy, unimaginative plot revolving around an evil corporate CEO’s greed to control the world’s food supply is absolutely dreadful. I wanted to like the film because Jurassic Park is one of my all time favorites but I bring myself to. What made the original film so magical was that it bridged our imaginations with reality in a very convincing way. JWD is pure science fiction twaddle; a completely unnecessary addition to the Jurassic Park world, and I can’t unsee it.

I am very hyper critical when it comes to westerns because I was raised on them, so when I read the reviews of this film, I was intrigued enough to watch it. Old Henry is interesting because as a modern western film, it doesn’t rely on a slew A-list actors to pull in viewers. What it does, however, rely upon is a brilliant acting and a superior script. Weaving fiction in with history, Old Henry paints a curious picture of one of the wild west’s most notorious characters as he has turned away from his violent past to raise his son to be everything her wasn’t: honest and hard-working. Without giving anything away, there are some incredibly real moments between Henry and his son, moments where the viewer believes that a father will do just near anything to protect his son and his farm. Unlike many modern portrayals of frontier life, Old Henry felt like an authentic representation of facing off with danger on an isolated farm, where the only things one can rely upon are a gun and experience.

The tedious and murky story, coupled with an unclear antagonist, left me asking, “What is the point of all this?” The film wasn’t fun to watch, despite the attempts to inject moments of humor, because once again, Earth and humanity hang in the balance and this time it’s hinging on a linear rationale - a simple “if this, then that” argument. Good grief! I really expected more from this film. There was a lot character development left on the cutting room floor, and I imagine if there were fewer characters to flesh out, a better structured story could have emerged. For me, what holds the film at 3 stars instead of 2 is its acting. Overall, the cast did a really good job. There was a touching scene between Jolie and Lee that was well acted but poorly set up thanks to underdeveloped characters. I thought Robb Stark, I mean Richard Madden, did a fantastic job in his role, as did Gemma Chan. I enjoyed the trips through historical geography; the CGI creations of villages and cities on screen were exceptional. Overall, it was a swing and miss but with only 2.5 hours to introduce an audience to 10 fresh faces and develop them within a complex story, I’m not at all surprised. I’ll watch it again, for sure, but with much fewer expectations and just go along for the dreary ride.

Cliché after cliché fill up nearly every minute of a film that is wildly disjointed and runs all over the place, plot-wise. While the franchise desperately attempts to recreate the magic from the original, it falls short due to poor story-telling. While I liked the characters Charlie and Memo, John Cena’s Agent Burns is, well...a walking, talking dumb cliché. Charlie’s ridiculously awful parents... clichés. However, I enjoyed the acting of Hailee Steinfeld and Stephen Schneider who play Charlie and her stepdad, Ron, respectfully. The CGI is on par with the other movies in the franchise, and the music score is top notch. I sincerely wanted to like the movie, and I thought at times it was cute, but overall it’s a train wreck. Sadly, Bumblebee feels like an 80’s made-for-television movie; he really deserved better.