Here are two movie reviews.
Pacific Rim
Imagine massive robots piloted by brave men and women fighting even bigger invading monsters in epic battles in order to save the world!
Well, your imagination is much much better than what this movie could possibly deliver.
It somehow manages to take a potentially entertaining concept and makes watching it feel like an absolute chore.
This is marketed as those fun 'leave your brain at the door' type of action movies which we all can enjoy once in a while. But instead it tries to add gravitas to it. Which unfortunately just means scenes with lots of talking and nothing really happening.
The acting is ok, it's got excellent CGI and a rather rousing soundtrack. But the fights themselves aren't really anything special.
In fact the whole highlight of the film for me was during one fight where a robot swings for a monster and it's fist goes through a building and ends up inches away from a Newton's Cradle on a desk which causes the balls to start swinging.
Yes ladies and gentlemen, swinging balls.
2 out of 5.
Man of Steel
The original 70's/80's Superman films starring Christopher Reeves had more cheese than a Dairylea factory.
In this reboot Superman is given the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight treatment and is made more serious, more realistic, more human. Which is interesting to see, considering that the character can fly faster than the speed of sound and shoot heat beams out of his eyes.
The story is more or less the standard one that we all know. Kal El is sent to Earth by his parents from his dying planet of Krypton. He grows up on Earth as Clark Kent and tries to fit in as a human whilst at the same time using his powers to save people around him who find themselves in danger. He soon discovers his alien heritage and dons the Superman suit. And then his fellow Kryptonian, General Zod, arrives on Earth.
And then the action starts. And that's what really sets this Superman movie apart from other live portrayals of the character. Here he is involved in some truly frenetic, high octane setpieces.
The acting is decent, the CGI is excellent and the soundtrack fits the epic, serious tone the film is going for. But there is nothing as memorable as the truly uplifting, smile inducing John William's theme tune.
The camera work could have been better. It's filmed in shaky cam which can get annoying as it can sometimes make it hard to follow the fast paced action scenes.
Overall, it's a rather 'swell' movie. But remember, this Superman doesn't talk like that.
3.5 out of 5.
