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Reviews
Escape Room (2019)
A Surprisingly Entertaining January Horror/Thriller
In comparison to other January thrillers, Escape Room definitely stands out against the others. It excels ahead of Insidious: The Last Key, The Bye Bye Man, The Forest, And The Woman In Black 2: Angel Of Death, which are all January releases. Granted, Escape Room isn't amazing, not even great, but it is definitely a step forward in the right direction. I would definitely recommend this if you like thrillers, and if you are on the fence, go see it. It's not great, but if you go in not expecting much, it's pretty enjoyable.
The first thing that really stands out is the set design. Each of the rooms has its own distinctive style, filled up with small objects that make the rooms feel more realistic, but not too crowded. They feel like real escape rooms, and each room was thought out as to how they would affect a certain character and their thoughts. The characters were also fine, the movie did just the right amount of backstory, providing enough information so we know the characters and some of their backstories, but not too much so the thrills don't get bogged down by an overload of emotions. The actors themselves do an okay job, the standouts being Deborah Ann Woll and Logan Miller. The only really bad performance was Nik Dodani, but it was obvious that no thought was really put into the character, because he was just a throwaway. The deaths in the movie were also good, because there wasn't much of a focus on the gore (to keep the PG-13 rating) but it actually works out, so the movie doesn't really slow down at any point to show bleeding out characters, or have long emotional scenes. There is really only one sentimental death, but it also doesnt stay too long on that. The brisk pace of the movie keeps everything going, never stopping, so it stays entertaining. That alone is probably the best part of the movie, it never loses it entertainment value. It's fun to watch characters solve their way through the rooms, just narrowly escaping death. Even though the characters are very one dimensional, you still root for them. The last great thing about this movie is that it knows what it is. It doesn't try to be a super sophisticated twisty thriller. There were so many opportunities for it to have huge twists, but it ignored those, and just kept moving along. That made the movie a lot easier to enjoy.
The movie does falter though, and it does especially during the third act. There are huge plot holes that leave so many questions, and that aspect was really frustrating. It became unrealistic at one point, and there were just lazy excuses made to cover it up. This all happened toward the end, which factors into the ending. I personally don't think that the ending was as terrible as everyone says, but it still wasn't very good. It spent the final minutes setting up for a sequel, instead of creating a satisfying conclusion. It just branches farther and farther out, making a million different possibilities for sequels and franchises. Even though the ending was bad, I'd go pay to see the sequel
Overall, I'd definitely recommend Escape Room. It's isn't great, but it is better then most January movies, and if you like horror movies or thrillers, go see this. If you go into it with no expectations whatsoever, you'll probably come out pleasantly surprised.
Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018)
A weak ending to a so-so series
I really enjoyed the Maze Runner. I liked the Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials. I did not like the Maze Runner: The Death Cure. The series has been continuously getting worse. The plots are less and less original, and the movies keep getting more boring. The main problem with these movies, is that they stray way too far from the source material. I would've enjoyed the movie a lot more if it had followed the path the book had, so I could get a visual of what was happening in the book. Instead, the movie goes in its own direction, which usually I don't mind, but if a movie goes in that direction, it has to be good. There really isn't much of a plot here, just a lot of mindless action and when that is stretched into 2 hours and 23 minutes, it becomes a total drag. The movie also doesn't make that much sense, bringing back characters that were killed, which doesn't make that much sense. They don't even explain how they came back, which was very unsatisfying. I also didn't like how there was barley any time spent showing cranks. Those were a major element of the books, and one of the most entertaining parts. In the movie there is only one short scene with them, which kind of wasted a huge enjoyment factor with removing them. Also, the movie is just so long, especially with such a threadbare plot. There are so many boring parts, and so many repetitive parts, which made the movie really bad. There were a couple good things though. The first one is that the visuals are pretty good. If the visuals weren't good, the movie could've been even worse. They are sufficient because they aren't an eyesore, and not distracting. The other good thing was that the fight and action scenes were really well put together. They were heart pounding and interesting to watch, with new elements thrown in. In short, Maze Runner: The Death Cure is just one really long fight scene without a big entertainment or enjoyment value.
Happy Death Day (2017)
A good and thoughtful PG-13 Horror Movie
I was pleasantly surprised by Happy Death Day. It had an interesting premise that wasn't undermined by its PG-13 rating restriction. The main element of this movies sucess was an great and possibly star making performance by Jessica Rothe. She portrays a mean girl with a sad backstory. This is usually a very cliche way to create characters, but she manages to make it unique. If she hadn't brought that factor to the movie, it could've been a lot, lot worse. The rest of the cast does a sufficient job, nothing amazing, but nothing that ruins the movie. Cliche people playing cliche roles. You have the rich, snotty and bratty girls, the nice guy, the creepy and suspicious roommate, the distant father and the handsome secret love interest. Some of these characters don't serve any purpose besides making the movie longer and making the main characters change more apparent. On another note, the plot is pretty interesting, but there are a couple spaces in the development in the characters and what is actually happening to Tree, and how it is happening. Maybe this will be explained in the sequel? I hope so. There wasn't too much gore in the movie, so if you're looking for a horror movie without blood, thus could be one of them. The kills are fine, but not really shown, because it wouldn't look realistic without blood, or the creators would have to add blood and change the rating to R. The movie itself isnt that scary, with a few jump scares. There are some scenes with good tension building, so at least that gives the film a slightly scary/creepy aspect. Finally, the ending isn't great. It doesn't answer that many questions, and is a bit unsatisfactory, as to who the killer is and how they did it. As or how the day keeps repeating itself, there is nothing to answer our connections. Again, hopefully they answer that question in the sequel.
La La Land (2016)
My Favorite Movie
This is my favorite movie ever. I love everything about it. The cast is perfect, the songs are amazingly written and performed, and the setting is beautiful. When I first saw this movie, I wasn't expecting anything special. I was absolutely wowed. I am not a huge fan of musicals, but this totally surprised me. First of, the plot is really interesting. It follows more of a real life path, with the couple not ending up together, like it does in almost every other movie. This feels more accurate, which makes the movie so much better. Second, the songs are amazing. I could have listened to the playlist over and over again. There is a huge focus on jazz, which is performed beautifully, in so many different ways, not just 'elevator music'. Also, the stars do an amazing job singing, especially since neither of the two main characters didn't start their career in singing. John Legend is great too, for his first real acting debut, and Light A Fire is performed really well. The movie starts off with a music number, Another Day of Sun, which is choreographed and filmed perfectly. Next, all of the shots are amazing, with scenery that really fills up the set. The lighting is also breathtaking, with one scene in particular which is breathtaking. Everything about this movie is perfect.
Black Panther (2018)
A visually stunning and culturally aware Marvel Movie
Black Panther stands out from all of the other MCU entries by taking a deep dive into culture, and making a villain who isn't necessarily the bad guy. Everyone on the cast does a really great job of bringing the characters to life. They aren't two-dimensional, and have rich backstories, that aren't cliche. My favorite part of this movie has to be Micheal B. Jordan as Killmonger. He does a really good job of portraying someone who has dealt with a tremendous loss in thier life, and is fueled by grief and rage. It's nice to see a villain who isn't really a villain, just a person who is doing bad things, but for (to some) good reason. The film itself is visually stunning, with long drawn out scenes of sunsets, and skylines. Unfortunately, the green screen effects don't always work, and that is a big disappointment, especially when some of the scenes are breathtaking. I personally don't love the films ending, but that didn't really make the movie any less enjoyable. This is one of my favorite Marvel movies so far.
The Meg (2018)
A good summer movie
I read the original book, by Steve Alten, and it is way different than this. The book was about a publicly humiliated scientist who was trying to prove a prieviously thought extinct 'megladon' is real. It eventually turns out that it is, and he is the only one who knows who to defeat it. The book focuses on the grief and shame of being called out by the public, marriages that are falling apart, and losing your friends. The movie has some of those elements in it, but it does not focus on those whatsoever. Instead, it becomes a monster movie. It is ridiculous, but not on sharknado levels. It also doesn't try to be Jaws, by any means, so it's kind of stuck in between being a stupid and funny shark flick, and a series character compelled thriller. The special effects are good enough to not distract, and the scenery is vibrant and colorful. The plot is very thin, but the action makes up for it, filling in the gaps. My main problems with The Meg were its focus on the shark and not the characters, and how far away it strays from the source material. At least it has Dwight in it.
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
Light, fun, and easy to follow
I watched this with out watching the original or reading the comics, so I didn't that much about the back story or characters. It didn't really matter all that much though, because it doesn't rely to heavily on other stories. The plot isn't overly complicated, and doesn't try to be some 'it's going to be the end of the world if you don't do this in a certain amount of time' movie. At its core, it is about finding and re-connecting with the loves ones you haven't been with in a long, long time. It's sweet, and funny, and a toned down family film. The action scenes are pretty exiting, with things growing and shrinking, and other things disappearing and appearing. It does pale in comparison to other better, more sophisticated marvel movies, due to its familiarity and no long term lasting impact.