Green Lantern (2011)

Directed by Martin Campbell. Starring Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard.

One thing is for certain.   Christopher Nolan took the bar and threw it up so high that it's been impossible for anyone to reach for years now concerning superhero movies.  Batman Begins and The Dark Knight were fabulous DC Comics movies that seemed to have a realism that no one else can achieve.  That being said though, Green Lantern was still pretty good.  I know most other critics did not like this movie.  I went with low expectations because of that, but came out feeling pretty good.  Ryan Reynolds did a great job acting and the special effects were pretty good too.  It definitely had a more "Marvel movie" feel to it though.  Not as gritty or realistic as the Batman series.  Still, it had some great visuals and a good storyline.  There's also room for a sequel, although I don't know if that will happen because of the bad reviews out there.  A great movie can still flop depending on the timing of when it's released.  This could have been the GREATEST MOVIE OF THE SUMMER...if it was released 2 years ago, but this one is in the midst of a superhero summer.  I do feel as if it did hold its own though.  Younger kids might get scared and the big bad puffy cloud guy (see below), but overall I think it's a pretty family friendly movie as well.

Overall Rating:

Directing: 85 out of 100 legs
Acting: 80 out of 100 legs
Special Effects: 85 out of 100 legs
Script/Story: 75 out of 100 legs
Family friendly: 90 out of 100 legs

Super 8 (2011)

Directed by J.J. Abrams. Starring Joel Courtney, Jessica Tuck, Joel McKinnon Miller.

I didn't know what to expect coming to this movie.  I had read no reviews but seen snippets of trailer info.  I was glad that I seen this in the movie theater.  Some people think that a movie needs good special effects to worth seeing in the theater (which this film has), but I think it also needs something else.  Sound!  The sound effects were awesome in this movie.  Top notch.  If you see this movie at home covered in 7.1 surround you'll still be missing something.  That being said, the overall movie was great.  A lot of "make you jump" scenes.  The kids did a great job acting like well....kids.  The only complaints are the story (which I won't spoil here) and the language.  It's a great story but it's one that been done many times over.  And the language was unnecessary in my opinion.  But overall, a great movie that teens to adults can enjoy.  



Overall Rating:
 
Directing: 85 out of 100 legs
Acting: 70 out of 100 legs
Special Effects: 85 out of 100 legs
Script/Story: 50 out of 100 legs
Family friendly: 70 out of 100 legs (language)

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

Directed by Rob Marshall. Starring Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush.

I know that the Pirates of the Caribbean series has made a lot of money, but i think that has more to do with a masterful stroke of marketing and timing with whatever else is currently playing.  Instead of a having a series of movies with a story continuing throughout, you have several movies kind of just "put together" with the face of Johnny Depp to sell tickets.  It's the same re-hashed pirate movie but this time with fewer familiar faces.  I personally was entertained while in my seat but didn't leave with that feeling of fulfillment a great movie gives you.  There's so many things that could make a movie great, but i think the people behind these movies have money on their minds more than passion.  - Kevin the Human Centipede

Overall Rating:
 
Directing: 75 out of 100 legs
Acting: 60 out of 100 legs
Special Effects: 65 out of 100 legs
Script/Story: 40 out of 100 legs
Family friendly: 60 out of 100 legs  

The King's Speech (2010)

Directed by Tom Hooper. Starring Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Derek Jacobi, Geoffrey Rush.

What really surprised me with this movie was the fact that I not only watched it all, but was glad I did when the end credits started to roll.  Not at all an effects movie but mostly based on a good script and storyline.  It’s based on history for those types of people that love the past.  Great acting by Geoffrey Rush while Helena Bonham Carter (Fight Club and Alice in Wonderland) seems to be taking more serious roles now, which is fine by me because she’s a great actress.  I’m not too much into foreign hierarchy but was still able to keep up with the plot.  There’s no need for a degree in the King George lineup!  Another great movie of overcoming life’s obstacles.  – Kevin The Human Centipede

Overall Rating:

Directing: 80 out of 100 legs
Acting: 90 out of 100 legs
Special Effects: 30 out of 100 legs
Script/Story: 85 out of 100 legs
Family friendly: 80 out of 100 legs 

X-Men: First Class (2011)

Directed by Matthew Vaughn. Starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Bill Milner, and Kevin Bacon.


I was told that this movie was going to rival the DC Comics recently refreshed Batman series.  Hearing that beforehand, I quickly grew very high expectations.  The fourth installment in the X-Men franchise definitely came through.  With a great script and great directing the movie was a perfect balance between action, and tying this prequel to the other X-Men movies already developed.  If you were a hardcore comic reader of the X-Men series, you will notice several differences, but that is one thing the comic world is used to.  Even comic books will re-spin a character from time to time to show them from diffrent angles and takes.  The one negative thing I can say about this series is the flagrant misuse of actors and characters between films.  In the first X-Men movie, sabertooth was a villian.  In X-Men: Origins, he was Wolverines brother played by an eniterly different actor.  But if you can get past those issues, X-Men: First Class is a top notch action comic adaptation that is neither too long or too short.  It ties up any loose ends at the end of the movie that may be there, while making room for more movies in between this one and the first X-Men movie.  - Kevin the Human Centipede


Overall Rating:


Directing: 80 out of 100 legs
Acting: 75 out of 100 legs
Special Effects: 70 out of 100 legs
Script/Story: 80 out of 100 legs
Family friendly: 75 out of 100 legs