DB Reviews- Star Trek Beyond

My next review is for Star Trek Beyond, the 3rd installment of the most recent trio of Trek films. In this film, Captain Kirk and his crew are stranded on a planet that's ruled by a ruthless dictator who was a former Starfleet captain who's looking to get rid of Starfleet. It's in theaters now as of this post.

I felt that this movie was more like a film from the Next Generation series. The costumes for the main villains almost resembled the Borg, while the henchmen wore suits that were almost Iron Man like. The action was also like the action in a Next Generation movie. I liked TNG, so that was a plus for me.

I think Leonard Nimoy chose his Spock successor wisely. Zachary Quinto took the Vulcan mantle and made it his own! He brought the style of Spock, a style that Nimoy created, to a new generation while keeping true to the character that Nimoy brought to small tvs in the 60s. He even gave us a bit of emotion when he learned that Ambassador Spock, Nimoy's character in these new films, passed away, following what happened in the real world.

They even honored Nimoy by using a photo of the original 60s show cast. I thought that was nice, but some people might find that a bit confusing, since the stars of this film were supposed to be playing the roles the stars of the TV show used to play.

Chris Pine plays a good Kirk, though he does not have the same voice as William Shatner did in the TV show. Pines portrayal of Kirk was professional. He was in control during the pivotal scenes of the film. Pines Kirk knew that he and the crew were in trouble and he was prepared to get them out of it! What I'm saying is that I thought Pine did a good job as Kirk in this film.

The story was good. It was written in the Next Generation style, with action and a plot that was easy to follow once you get it.

Overall, I give this film 4 stars. The acting was great, the story was good and the film itself reminded me of the films of the Next Generation Era, the era that came after Kirk. This film even brought back the USS Franklin, which may have been seen in TNG!

My review: GO SEE THIS FILM!

DB Reviews- Ghostbusters 2016

image by befreestlouis.com

Over 30 years ago, a group of scientists (Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Remis, Ernie Hudson) took on the evil of the paranormal world and took it down! Now, a new team of scientists takes the mantle! Welcome to my review of the reboot of one of pop cultures most successful franchises, Ghostbusters! 

Melissa McCarthy and Kristin Wiig lead a new team to battle evil ghosts haunting New York in this. I must say, they did an OK job. Not only did they take over fo Aykroyd and Murray, they also acted like Aykroyd and Murray's characters from the original film. I'm not a big McCarthy fan, but I do think this was some of her better work. Wiig did OK too in this film. I thought that her character in the beginning of the film wasn't all that good, but when she joined the Ghostbusters, she stepped up! 

I could definitely tell that Kate McKinnon played the Egon of the group, with her character's knowledge of all the tech that the Ghostbusters used throughout the film. She did pretty good at that. I felt that her character was a bit too wonky though, but in the science realm (which was Egon's thing too), she did excellent! 

Leslie Jones was the Winston Zeddemore of this new group. I liked her character. She was energetic and willing to help the Ghostbusters in any way she can. Jones's character was hired just like Zeddemore from the original film. I think I could see Jones in the future with movies. Probably comedies. 

The one character that I felt wasn't too great was the receptionist, played by Chris Hemsworth (aka Thor). I felt that this character was too "dumb" for Hemsworth to play. He was better when he got controlled by a ghost, but other than that, I think this wasn't a Hemsworth worthy role. However, this was pretty much the only big thing that I didn't like about the film. Some of the jokes were a bit dirty, but not as bad as Hemsworth's receptionist. 

The thing that put this film over the top for me was all the little references to the original film. They had every single original Ghostbusters film thing you can think of in this film! Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, and the original receptionist all made cameos! Slimer was in this and he even got a girlfriend (lucky ghost)! Also, a head bust was made of Harold Remis to honor his memory. The only thing missing was Rick Moranis! Even the Marshmallow Man made an appearance in the form of a balloon. Also, Ray Parker, Jr's song was in it! They had to add that! It wouldn't be a Ghostbusters movie without that hit song! 

Another thing I liked in this film was that the writers decided to use the ghost in the Ghostbusters logo as the final big ghost the Busters had to fight. Really nice! This was the part played by the Marshmallow Man in the original film. This thing was more fierce then the Marshmallow Man, mainly because technology today is more advanced then it was back in the early 80s. 

The special effects were on point! The guys who handled the effects certainly did their homework cause they knew what color should the streams be, how the ghosts were presented, etc. I give their work 2 big time streams up! 

The story itself was easy to follow, especially if you saw the original film. Why? Because it seemed to match itself to the original film with every step. They had a big ghost at the end, they had a ghost battle at a hotel during an event (albeit the events differed) and they started with one professor being fired before the Busters even began! Dejavu for fans of the original? Possibly. 

Overall, I give this film 4 "ghostly" stars! The cast was good, the set replaced Times Square and even the story was easy to follow. Who you gonna call? Definitely this team of Ghostbusters! Thanks for reading! 

DB Reviews- The BFG

Hello, movie goers! It's me, DB, and I'm back to bring you another cool review. This time, I'm reviewing the BFG!

Before I get to the review, I must talk about the theater where I went to see this film. The Showcase Cinemas had a brand new style of theater, which was based on those 4D shows you see in theme parks. It's called Showcase MX4D and it's tagline was "Unlock Every Dimension". Boy, does it mean it!

I took this at the theater. 

Whoever thought of bringing the idea of 4D shows into regular theaters was a genius! This made watching the BFG fun! Not only will you see the film in 3D, but you'll also feel the effects (air puffs, water and strobe lights) hard! I recommend you go to your nearest Showcase Cinemas location and try it out! 

Now,on to the review. 

This image came from pop.inquirer.net

First off, let's talk about the story. It's a simple one that's about a young girl who befriends a tall, dream catching giant. That girl teaches the giant to stand up for himself when the bigger giants bully him. I thought that was good, though the beginning could use some work. Younger children could be a bit frightened by the giant in the beginning. 

Also, the girl helps the giant save London, England from an attack by the same bigger giants seen before. He does so by warning the queen by issuing a dream into her head using a trumpet and some visual effects (which I'll talk about later). That part of the story was good, I thought. It kept the movie going and it added a little action to this fantasy tale. Not the blow-up kind of action, but still. 

Next, the acting. I'm not sure if the little girl (Sophie) will get another role, but who knows. I thought Mark Rylance was pretty good as the BFG himself. He was a little nasty in the beginning, but as his character started to become the true BFG, so did he. I think he could line up more work in the future, especially with Disney. 

Now, let's talk about the visual effects of the film. I thought they were stunning! I would not be surprised if this film got an Academy Award nomination for best visual effects. If it does, then I hope it wins! These effects were amazing! Colorful, even and there were plenty of colors used to represent the dreams the giant catches! 

Let's add this to Steven Spielberg's list of better films. It's not as good as ET, but it still fits the bill as a good Spielburg movie! Spielberg has made tons of other films in the past as well, such as Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, and Jaws. I'd say the BFG beats Jurassic Park because I don't like films with blood in them. 

So overall, I'd give this film 4 stars because of the directing and the visual effects, especially the effects! 

Thanks for reading! Catch you for my next review!