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Reviews
Prom Wars: Love Is a Battlefield (2008)
Funny with a solid message
Ignore FordPrefect's comments. I've watched this movie twice now, and it holds up to second viewing quite well. More importantly, the message that Myles Hainesworth tries to convey--fight for what you want, never take it for granted--is muted at times but valid none the less. What I particularly enjoyed about this movie was its basis in an actual school rivalry between two boys schools in Montreal, Selwyn House (Selby House in the film) and Lower Canada College (Lancaster College). The real girls school is ECS, instead of the ACS of the film. Alia Shawkat does not disappoint. It's good fun with a good message. And you can definitely watch it with your folks, provided they are understanding about strong language in a film with actors playing teenagers.
Fantastic Four (2005)
No. 2 Movie in the Genre
I have to admit that when I went to go see this movie I was expecting War of the Worlds like suckiness. Tons of hype before the film comes out usually equates to doo doo on the screen, but not the case here. And FYI, this movie is nothing like The Incredibles. Fantastic Four may not be as "Fantastic" as some of the reviewers- who I suspect have been paid by the studio to post here- claim it is, but it is definitely not a bad film...and it certainly is better than some other films of the superhero genre. I look forward to seeing what else they do with this series, since the book it is based on was a comic book staple (get it...staple) for so many kids. I'm sure if it does well at the box office this year, we'll be seeing another one in about 9 months or so.
If I had to rank this film it would probably come in 2nd behind the Spiderman series. Arguably the X-men series could also be considered 2nd, it's safe to say the two are tied for the silver medal. The Incredibles was a good movie too, but it's more of a homage to superhero's then a true superhero film. Just to give you my frame of reference here's what I think about some other superhero movies, with the exception of Batman, Batman Returns, &Batman Begins that entire series is garbage. The Blade series was very cool, but not for everyone. Daredevil was too true to the comic book and, as was the case with the book, didn't appeal to most audiences either...but I liked it. Elektra was just awful. The original Superman movies are classics and I love'em. The Hulk was bad...but not as bad as Elektra. Hope that gives you an idea of my perspective.
Digressing back to the subject, this movie is worth the cash. Go see it if you like Superhero movies or are a comic book fan like me. But if you just want a good action flick you might want to pass. However, There are some decent action sequences so you definitely wouldn't be bored, like I found myself being throughout WOTW. And it's not as dark as Batman Begins, so you can bring the kids if you have'em. All in all, decent summer popcorn flick. Not incredible, or stupendous, just a little fantastic (ok, so that wasn't funny either...sue me).
War of the Worlds (2005)
Wanted to like...really hated it
I really wanted to like this movie. I really did. But I found myself wanting to choke out the characters by the end of the film. Steven Spielberg's homage to the Orsen Wells radio hoax and George Pal B movie is shoddy at best.
First, the casting was suspect, with the exception of Dakota Fanning. I find it very had to believe that Tom Cruise is a dock worker from New Jersey, although the marital problems weren't a stretch at all. He has no pot belly, no accent, and his jeans don't let you see his butt crack.
Second, the first fifteen minutes of the movie- where the lightning storm and machines are first seen- is just completely unrealistic. Suspension of disbelief aside, there's no way you could tell me that all these people would just sit around and watch this giant menacing machine come out of the ground, tearing up an entire city block in the process, and not run away! There are also continuity errors during this sequence, mentioned in several other comments, in regards to an EMP cutting all power.
Third, I just never was able to believe the parental bond relationship between Cruise's character and the two children. While Fanning seemed very natural throughout, Cruise was in some Jerry Maguire meets Aliens alternate universe. And the son character was never fully developed, too many of his lines ended up on the cutting room floor I'd imagine.
Fourth, while the ending basically remained true to the George Pal original there were more continuity errors. It made the film seem too much like a children's movie when the rest of the movie tried to speak to adult sensibilities.
All in all I'm sure there are people who will speak volumes about how wonderful this film is but as someone who is a huge fan of the Wells radio show and the George Pal film from the 50's I was really disappointed. That's $7.50 I'll never get back!