New Movies Watched

This weekend I ended up with some uninterrupted time with the TV. So, I watched a few movies that I hadn’t seen yet, but had been wanting to. Here are my thoughts on these…

Sabotage (2014) – This Arnold Schwarzenegger actioner was actually pretty good. Very bloody and violent, with a cast of interesting characters, and a pretty interesting premise. Basically, a “bad boy” DEA Spec Ops team pulls off a heist in the middle of a Cartel raid. But the money ($10M) goes missing, and the hunt is on. Seemed like it was just going to be a straight-up chase film, but things get really mucked up really fast. After a few plot twists that I honestly didn’t see coming, the end is kind of a shocker. At least it was for me. But, I’m usually not very good at spotting plot holes, plot twists, or anything like that during my viewing, so YMMV. Probably the only problem I had with it was that this supposedly elite DEA team couldn’t hit shit. And there was a lot of unnecessary lead flying about. But, that was minor, and it did keep the tension pretty high. (3.5/5 stars)

War of the Worlds: Goliath (2012) – This animated film seemed like a western attempt at anime. Over all it succeeded, and it did manage to cut down on the amount of superfluous dialogue that plagues most anime. The premise was pretty damn cool. Basically, Martians invade in 1899, but we are able to beat them back thanks to Nikola Tesla (who only had a sadly brief appearance in the film) being able to reverse-engineer Martian technology. 15 years later, ARES is a multinational military unit (like SHIELD or GI Joe) set up to fight the Martians should they ever return. When WWI breaks out, ARES almost falls apart, but the Martians show up just in time to give them renewed purpose. Some of the plot points were a bit contrived, but the steampunk tech was cool. And any movie that features Teddy Roosevelt as an action hero is aces in my book. (4/5 stars)

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) – I had never got around to seeing these films, so when I went to the library and saw them both available, I checked them out. Watched this first one yesterday, and enjoyed it. Andrew Garfield is a fine Peter Parker, though a bit TOO goofy-looking for my tastes (with that HUGE hair!). The plot was good, though I did miss some of the elements that define the character, such as Pete being a scientific genius. In this one he kind of learns a bit of science here and there as he goes. Over all, it was a fun movie. Decent acting, cool visuals, and a serviceable story. And although I still prefer the first two Toby McGuire films (the third just doesn’t exist to me), I look forward to seeing the second one this week. (3.5/5 stars)

I, Frankenstein (2014) – This DTV film by the creator of Underworld, Kevin Grevioux (who also wrote the graphic novel, and played a part in the film) was actually pretty cool. Basically, it turns Frankenstein’s monster into a demon-hunter, who is backed (initially) by a coven of Gargoyles. The mythology is pretty solid, and grounded in Christian mythos. I liked the gargoyles a lot, and Adam (the name given to Frankenstein’s creation by the leader of the gargoyles) is a bad-ass character, played wonderfully by Aaron Eckhart. I’m sure there were plenty of plot holes, but I just didn’t notice them. I was having too much fun with the spectacle of it all. If you liked the Underworld films and Van Helsing, you’ll probably like this one. IMHO, well worth a rental (or a library checkout, like I did). (4/5 stars)