A great modern monster movie equal to any of the classics.
In this Chinese/American film scientists attempt to break into the deepest part
of the Mariana Trench. When they penetrate the thermocline layer covering the
bottom of the trench they accidently release a giant prehistoric shark, a megalodon,
into the modern world. As the “meg” wreaks havoc on the world. Our scientists,
now joined by rescue diver Jonas, must stop it before it kills too many people.
A great “popcorn” movie.
The third movie in Legandary’s MonsterVerse, this movie
establishes more of the lore of the previous films. They call these “monsters”
the Titans, referencing in a way ancient Greek mythology. The movie implies
that the titans are a way the earth “cleanses” itself of the disease of
humanity. A sort of antibody system if you will. There is certainly not much
plot here, but all the favorites of the Godzilla franchise make an appearance.
We have Godzilla, of course, but we also have Rodan and Mothra. Plus the main
monster villain is Ghidorah. They also keep Ghidorah’s origin story somewhat
intact. Ghidorah was an alien who came to earth eons ago. If you want a plot, I
do not suggest this movie. If you just want to see Godzilla beat up Ghidorah
and thrill at all the Easter eggs planted for devoted movie fans, then you will
enjoy this movie!
Most of you have probably heard of the 70’s movie The Thing.
This is the movie, based on the same novel, that predates it. It’s one of the
best horror science fiction movies, in my humble opinion. They’re in the Artic.
There’s a space ship. The scientists want to study the space ship and the space
man they find there. The soldiers are concerned with the potential danger if
the alien leaves the Artic. And when the alien starts murdering people? Well
then it’s a fight against the alien and each other as they plan out their next
move.
I think this is one of my favorite versions of this story.
The special effects are wonderful in this movie and the actors do such a great
job acting out this classic story. I also think it was smart to show the
bombing of London in the beginning of the movie. It explained why the kids had
to leave London in the first place. I also noticed that Peter used some of the
moves he saw in WWII in their final battle against the White Witch. This is
truly a timeless tale that can be told again and again.
If you are unfamiliar with the world of Narnia, The Lion,
the Witch, and the Wardrobe is either the first or the second book in the
series depending on if you are reading the books in publication order or
chronological order. During the bombings of London, the four main characters,
Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, are sent to the country to live with the
professor. While playing a game of hide and seek, Lucy finds an old wardrobe.
This wardrobe turns out to be a gateway to the magical land of Narnia that is
currently ruled by the evil White Witch who makes it always winter and never
Christmas. The four children learn that they are part of an ancient prophecy
destined to overcome the White Witch with the help of the real king of Narnia,
the mighty lion Aslan. It is a great story with betrayal, redemption, and a
message that good will always triumph over evil in the end.
My parents have been telling me about this movie for years.
I was thrilled to get a chance to actually watch it. Technically this is the
third movie in the British Quatermass trilogy, but you don’t need to see the
other two movies in the franchise to make sense of this one. I still haven’t
seen the other two and don’t know if I want to. In this science fiction horror
film, the British government is trying to build a new underground through a
“haunted” part of London. There have been sightings of weird things here for
centuries, from before there even was a London. The tunnel workers find a bunch
of primordial men and what appears to be a spaceship. Of course the government
wants to dismiss it as some sort of WWII propaganda. It’s either an unexploded
bomb or something the Germans cooked up to demoralize the British population.
It’s only Quartermass and his associates that figure out that the device is in
fact far far earlier than 20 years (try about 5 million years) and if they
don’t do something a horror will be released on London far more deadly than it
has ever known.
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010)
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice stars Nicholas Cage and Jay
Barchuel. It is based on the Mickey Fantasia clip of the same name. In fact Barchuel also plays out the scene
found in Fantasia. In this version of the movie Cage plays an ageless sorcerer,
Balthazar Blake, who finds out that you Dave Stutler is the “Prime Merlinean”
the magical successor to the wizard Merlin. Together they must defeat the evil
Morgan le Fay who wishes to destroy the world. The film did not do very well at
the box office, but it is still a fun fantastical movie. It was implied at the
end of the movie that there might be a sequel in a post credit scene, but it
never manifested, probably due to the poor reception.
Now let’s compare the two versions of the brook scene J.
Independence Day has got to be one of my all time favorite
movies. I watch it every year on the 4th of July. Essentially a
remake of War of the Worlds, Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum and the rest of the
supporting cast are just great in this movie. I have to say that Judd Hirsch is
one of my favorite actors. I also love Brent Spiner as the super quirky scientist
and feel it’s his best performance since he played Data on Next Generation. It
reminds us all that those extra terrestrials might not be friendly and viruses
can defeat them all. A must watch for any fan of alien films.
