Kelson Reviews Movies
- Beowulf (in 3D) Impressive monsters and realistic animation. Better than 300, a bit reminiscent of the recent Lord of the Rings films.
- Bride of Frankenstein It’s interesting to see just how much of the Frankenstein mythos not only isn’t in the book, but isn’t in the first movie.
- Captain America: The First Avenger ★★★★☆ Better than I remembered, Captain America stands out from the MCU both because it’s a war film and because the formula hadn’t solidified yet.
- Doctor Strange ★★★★☆ Surrealism is the best part. Creative use of Escher gravity, portals, astral projection, time manipulation, incredibly detailed alterations to reality, and effects that make it all look incredible.
- Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness ★★★☆☆ Not as bad as I expected, but the alternate realities weren’t as fun as the reality-bending in the first movie. And there was way too much reliance on the Idiot Ball.
- Dungeons & Dragons (2000 Movie) ★☆☆☆☆ So bad that the group of friends I was with started heckling the movie, and the rest of the audience joined in.
- Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves ★★★★☆ To my shock and surprise, this D&D movie was actually good!
- Edward Scissorhands ★★★★☆ The film still holds up: the fairy tale music, the contrast between ‘normal’ suburbia and Edward’s home, and the tension between appearances and heart.
- From Hell (Movie) ★★★☆☆ A fairly decent Jack the Ripper film (if there is such a thing), but tossed out the main themes of the graphic novel.
- Ghostbusters ★★★★★ The jokes are still funny, the story still works, and even the effects hold up pretty well.
- The House and the Spirits (Movie) ★☆☆☆☆ This should have been a great movie. Epic story, all-star cast…but it was intensely boring.
- House of Frankenstein A rather disjointed tale of revenge focusing on Dracula in one segment, the Wolfman in the other, and not much on Frankenstein’s monster.
- The Illusionist For the first hour I couldn’t get past lead characters being colossally stupid, but the ending totally made up for it.
- Justice League: The New Frontier (Movie) ★★★★☆ Cooke’s drawing style and the 1950s retro look to the artwork both translate well to the screen. A bit disjointed at first, but settles into a solid story about hope and trust.
- Les Misérables (Adaptations) Reviews of several Les Misérables movies, parodies, comic books, the 25th Anniversary production of the musical, a children’s book, a radio play and more.
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End ★★★★☆ A lot of fun, if hard to keep track of all the double-crosses. Doesn’t require intimate knowledge of the previous films, just knowing who the major players are.
- Rotten Tomatoes ★☆☆☆☆ Let’s see…worst movie I’ve ever seen in a theater. Top three candidates
- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Movie) ★★★★☆ It’s a fun mash-up of movie, comic book and video game sensibilities, though it does suffer from cramming six books into a single movie.
- Short Circuit ★★★★☆ The comedy about a robot coming to life and the humans trying to catch him or help him escape holds up better than I expected.
- Solo: A Star Wars Story ★★★☆☆ Solo isn’t high art, and it’s got some rough edges, but it’s a fun ride.
- Star Trek (2009 Movie) ★★★★☆
- Star Wars: Attack of the Clones ★★★☆☆ I think it’s the weakest of the prequels and of the six that George Lucas was actually involved in.
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi ★★★★☆ The performances are way better than most of the prequel trilogy, and the story is the first theatrical Star Wars to break new ground in ages.
- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace ★★★★☆ Better than I remember. It’s well constructed, and there are incredible subtleties and thematic elements hidden among the flashy (and cheesy) A-plot.
- Stardust (Movie) ★★★★★ Light-hearted fantasy adventure built around a love story, Stardust takes itself just a touch more seriously than The Princess Bride. Enjoyable on its own, and stays true to the heart of the book.
- Superman Returns ★★★☆☆ Enjoyed it, but no interest in seeing it again. It already felt like deja vu since there were so many references to the first two movies with Christopher Reeve.
- Thor: The Mighty Avenger ★★★☆☆ Amazing designs, intriguing concepts, but a plodding plot that tries to be a character piece but is required to be an action film.
- Transformers (Movie) ★★★☆☆ Better constructed than I expected, with impressive effects, plausible story logic, but a lot of the humor is forced and it feels like they missedthe big picture in trying to get the details right.
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ★☆☆☆☆ In some ways it wasn’t as awful as I’d heard, and in some ways it was worse. I’m glad I waited for the second-run showing and only spent $1.75.