rafaytherman Reviews

Doctor Strange (2016)

The Mystical Side of Comic Book Lore Brought To Life, Right Before Our Very Eyes

[10/10 · 9 November 2016]

I'll be honest with you. Never, even in my wildest dreams, did I ever expect to see a character like Doctor Strange in the MCU. Just thinking about the scope of the worlds he inhabits, made me believe that this was a character that just wasn't feasible for a live action adaptation. I thought that even if they did introduce Strange into the MCU, he'd be a grounded character and confined to this universe alone, reduced to only doing Scarlet Witch 'hand wavy' magic (which tbh, looks pretty good).

Boy, was I wrong.

This movie is a game changer. Casual fans, or the general movie going audience might not realize the implication this film has on the entire landscape of the MCU. We now know that a Multiverse exist. Beings that are too 'spoilerific' to be mentioned here, have been watching over this universe. A vast plethora of villains and heroes of insurmountable strengths are, now suddenly, a possibility. Even crossovers from characters outside the MCU, can now be fit into the existing universe without any break or discrepancy in the continuity of the MCU. (I wouldn't hold my breath for that, but then again, Spider-Man happened)

OK, now that that's out of the way, let's talk about the movie itself. First off, what a cast. Give the casting guy a freaking medal, because EVERYBODY'S performance was so on point. Benedict is Doctor Strange. Period. Tilda Swanson, Mads Mikkelsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benadict Wong and McAdams were all great.

The story was a classic redemption, self discovery story, peppered with the trademark Marvel humor and quips, we've come to love and expect from each film the studio releases. One of my favorite characters in the film was actually The Cloak of Levitation. It's the JARVIS to Strange's Tony Stark. But the real high point in the story was in the third act. It diverged from the usual stock 'Blue beam shooting up into the sky' block buster ending. Instead, it offered something innovative, fresh and pretty damn imaginative.

Speaking of imagination, I think now's the appropriate time to mention the real star of the film. THE VISUALS. OH MY GOD. Watching Strange drift, whiz and fly through the Multiverse was like watching a painting in motion. The movie was full of breathtaking, sensory overloading, majestic and highly impacting scenes, that just left you dangling off of the edge of your seat. Really, the only way to watch this film is in IMAX 3D. No other way about it. The fight scenes were well choreographed and the film itself was beautifully shot. Scott Derrickson, take a bow, sir. You deserve all the praise you've been getting.

In closing, I'd like to say this. Doctor Strange was my most anticipated film of this year. Yes, even more that Civil War (This is coming from the biggest Spidey fan ever), or BvS, or even Deadpool for that matter. Simply because of the cast, director and the world building opportunity this film could provide to the MCU. And I'm ecstatic to say, that it did not disappoint. This is my favorite comic book movie of the year, and one of my favorite comic book movies of all time. Thank you, to everyone involved.

Ratings:

As a regular movie goer: 9/10

As a fan: 1,000,000/10

Don't Breathe (2016)

Fede Alvarez puts on a masterclass on how to craft a suspenseful film

[10/10 · 28 August 2016]

Let's break it down, shall we?

What makes a thriller good? It's the suspense, the nail-biting, tense situations the film presents that have the audience at the edge of their seats at all times. And I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that this film delivers just that. Whenever you feel like the scene is over, and that you have some breathing room, BOOM! Fede drops the characters in a much worse predicament, with the excellent and diverse score by Roque Baños pounding in the background. The score of the film elevates each scene and as the film progresses, the movie raises the bar and ups the ante with each passing moment. Once the characters enter the house, the film always has you in a vice grip and never lets go. It makes you feel what the characters are feeling; their dread, their helplessness; and that is a testament to how great a director, Fede is.

Let's move on to the actors. So the main cast consists of Stephen Lang, Jane Levy and Dylan Minnette, and each of them nailed their role. Stephen Lang, sir, hats off to you. The man looks like a bad ass without even trying. That's just what Mr. Lang is, a bad ass. But his performance in this film was much more nuanced. You could see that he was a much more complex character. He showed vulnerability, sadness, anger, depression and hopelessness, all through facial expressions, as his role did not require extensive dialogue. He was the star of the film. But equally so was Jane Levy. Now if you're a huge fan of her, like me, you've probably seen Evil Dead and all three seasons of Suburgatory, and you already know that she's a very diverse actress. But in this film, she took her performance to another level. The dread in her eyes, the anguish, as well as the determination to do what she had to do in the film, all were portrayed so well through physical acting and body language, and the same could be said for Dylan Minette's performance. A+'s all around.

Overall, I can confidently say, this is the best film I've experienced in the cinema, this year. Give this film all the money you can. These people deserve it. Thank you to everyone involved, for this experience.

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Felt like a mid season finale... A REALLY GOOD MID SEASON FINALE

[10/10 · 6 May 2016]

This film served as a "mid season finale" to both the Avengers films, the Captain America Trilogy and the Iron Man trilogy.

First and foremost, this is a sequel to Captain America: Winter Soldier. We see a clear impact of the events of the previous film on Cap and influencing very important decisions he makes throughout the course of the film. We also see character arcs coming full circle in the film. Cap's interaction with Bucky, Sam (Falcon), Natasha and the Carter girls really highlights and builds upon the relationships that had been established in the earlier movies.

Secondly, this was a sequel to the Iron Man films, as well as to the Avengers flicks. We see Tony's character in a much different state of mind than he was when he was first introduced to us in 2008. We see how each of his actions, in the events in the films that led to this one, have taken a toll on him and made him more somber. We also see some form of resolution and expansion to the relationships he had at the end of Iron Man 3.

Scarlet Witch and Vision really helped tie in the Avengers films' story into the story. I felt the interplay between the two was done really well, and the film just established Wanda as powerhouse. She was intimidating and just flat out overpowered. I LOVED every moment she was on screen. One of the best characters in the film. Furthermore, the film also ties in the catastrophic events that occurred during both the Avengers flicks.

In my opinion, you need to watch all the Avengers, Captain America and Iron Man films in order to enjoy this film to its fullest and to be invested in the character motivations in the film. But even on it's own, this film rocks. Spider-Man's role in the film was so beautifully handled with love and care. He was the star whenever he was on screen. Spider-Man is essentially Marvel, and Marvel is Spider-Man. Ant-Man had some fantastic scenes. Black Panther / T'Challa just had a presence about him. Chadwick Boseman really highlighted the character's regal decent as well as the warrior aspect. Definitely another epic addition to the MCU. Black Widow was great as always, and by now has solidified herself as a legitimate badass.

Overall, this film was brilliant. It had the perfect balance of emotions, humor, grit, and action. The action in this movie was so meticulously crafted, so well handled, I feel that this film is, hands down, one of the greatest action movies ever made. What really elevated the action, were the emotional beats as well as the humor that was peppered throughout the film. It never felt like it dragged on. One slight nitpick, that I do have, is the fact that the ending of the film felt slightly abrupt. I would've liked them to have lingered at some shots, to really let the moment sink in at the end. The villain served a purpose. He was functional for the film.

I'd give this film a 9.7/10 You're in for a treat .

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

In one word, EPIC.

[8/10 · 25 March 2016]

First of all, this is a film for people who know the comic book lore. Others might get lost, as the film does have some jarring editing. In one word, this film is EPIC. Superman and Lex were the standouts. Henry Cavill stole the whole show. His performance was heartfelt and utterly brilliant. If you liked Eisenberg's performance in the trailer (Which I did), you'll love him in the film. Ben Affleck is the definitive version of The Dark Knight, although beating Bale wasn't that hard. There are quite a few pacing/editing issues in the first half of the film, but I think those will be rectified by the 3 hour ultimate cut. The ending is probably the ballsiest move ever made by a comic book movie. Simply put, it's AMAZING. If you don't watch Batman v Superman based on a bunch of critic reviews, you're missing out on an experience of a lifetime

Man of Steel (2013)

One of the best superhero films I've ever seen.

[10/10 · 10 July 2015]

Man Of Steel is the best Superman movie till date. But it is still too early to say whether Henry Cavill is the better Superman or not. Christopher Reeve was a master at playing both Superman and Clark Kent, simply because he was a great actor. But I'm sorry to say that none of the old film hold their own against Man Of Steel. The acting all around is pretty good. The story was complex and well adapted from the comics. The pacing of the movie was also well done. Furthermore, the opening sequence on Krypton really added depth to the story and added depth to the Jor-El character, which was an important factor in making the audience invest in the story itself.

Moving on, This movie actually made Superman, the hero, the star and not the villain. Recently, many of the superhero movies focus on the villain more than the hero (Prime example: Nolanverse Batman trilogy. The only reason those movies worked as well as they did was because of the baddies. TBH Bale's performance deteriorated with each film.).

Last but not least, THE EPIC FIGHT SCENES! This movie literally had the best Superhero fights of all time! The cinematography was spot on. The way the camera focused on every punch and always followed the action till the end, giving us close ups and making us feel each impact, was amazing.

Overall it was a very well made film. One that I watched 5 times in the cinema and countless times at home. Don't get all the unnecessary hate it gets.