Archive for the ‘Adventure’ Category

Review:     4 Stars     Rated:     PG

She’s back, and bigger than ever!  Or is she small, after all?  Tim Burton returns to the big screen with Alice in Wonderland, telling the story of Alice’s (Mia Wasikowska) return to Wonderland many years after her first adventure.  Although mostly CGI a bevy of famous actors play parts, including two of Burton’s favourites in Johnny Depp (Mad Hatter) and Helena Bonham Carter (Red Queen), with those two stealing the show as always.

Plot: Alice is now grown up but keeps having strange dreams of blue caterpillars and other strange creatures.  While at a party she follows a rabbit, wearing a waistcoat, and falls down a rabbit hole!  Those familiar with the original story will know what is coming for the next few minutes, but then the new adventures begin as Alice is whisked from place to place, meeting all the colourful characters again but without any memory of them, before finally reaching her destiny as the saviour of them all.

The start of the movie was a little slow, but, the scene did have to be set for what was to come, but it still did not feel to me that the movie really started until Alice fell down the rabbit hole.  From then on the story flowed fluidly and quickly, with humour, both dark and light, mixing well throughout.  As with most of Burton’s movies almost all the imagery throughout was a little surreal, but as always it worked.  Once Alice went down the rabbit hole it is just hard to find fault with this movie!

I saw it in 3D but there were few scenes were the 3D stood out (pun intended) and I think it would be just as good in 2D.  This movie is definitely Worth a Ticket to be sure you get the full effect.

-Andy Hughes

Review:    2.5 Stars     Rated:     PG

Unlike a Greek salad;  there’s some good fun in store in Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief .  A mythological adventure awaits in this story of young Percy Jackson, born 1/2 human, and 1/2 god.  This movie is based off a book series by Rick Riordan.

Plot: (Logan Lerman) is not just your average teen going through rough times, he’s got bigger problems.  Born the son of Poseidon Jackson has been blamed for steeling Zeus’s Bolt.  Zeus wants his toy back and if he doesn’t get it soon its going to be trouble for earth.

This movie was OK,  not that great and not that bad.  A good supporting cast, but not a lot of action in this film.  It was manly driven by the story of three friends venturing off on their quest.  It has a few good laughs and even better special effects.   I’m quite confident  it will be popular with the teens but unfortunately this movie didn’t have enough to warrant money well spent, and book readers will probably be disappointed as well, Wait For The DVD.

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-Dan Kersey

Review:     2.5 Stars     Rated:     R

30 years of walking through the sands of an aftermath is going to make your lips a little chapped.  The Book of Eli takes us on an adventure into a desolate post war future.

Eli (Denzel Washington), is carrying a book that holds great value to the post war survivors.  Most of them can’t read but for those who can, they want this book for reasons of their own; to them its worth more than its weight in water.  Eli is on a mission to take this book west to an unknown destination, but he’ll know it when he gets there.  On his little quest he picks up an unwanted tag-along,  Solara (Mila Kunis), who proves to be somewhat useful along the way.

Incredible post apocalyptic scenery and some cool action sequences; and, thats all I can say I liked about this film. Slow and dragged-out and the story had a lot of loose-ends, so needless to say, I was quite disappointed.  Defiantly Wait For the DVD, but its bordering on almost not worth renting.

- Dan Kersey

Review:     3.5 Stars     Rated: PG-13

Creativity in the hands of directer Terry Gilliam, (The Adventures of Baron Munchausen -and- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas),  gives us an interesting movie that can only be described as an adventuristic story in a fantastical imaginatory playground of quantitve proportions.

The great Dr. Parnassus, was granted immortality after winning a bet with the Devil.  The good Doctor falls in love, and the Devil wagers yet another deal to give up his mortality for youth.  But making a deal with the Devil never seems to go in ones own favour as now his only daughter is caught in her fathers selfish dealings.

NOTE: Johnny Depp,  Jude Law and Colin Farrell step up after Heath Ledger dies during the production.

Going into this movie with no expectations was the best thing I could have done.  I walked out of the theater still trying to figure out what I just saw, but, at the same time was very pleased with the level of unique and imaginary creativity that was done in this film.   Although the movie was a little slow I didn’t feel too bad paying to see such an interesting film, however, I think that most people will want to Wait For The DVD.

- Dan Kersey

Review:     5 Stars     Rated:     PG-13

Ready, Set, Animate! …. James Cameron, best know for the blockbuster  Titanic, has hit the screen again with an epic adventure called Avatar.

The human race, sometime in the future, have found a planet called Pandora and are mining it (so -to -speak) for its resources.  Failing to win the acceptance of the local natives, the Na’vi, the military send in a paraplegic soldier.  Jake Sully is connected to a Symbiont like body called an Avatar and accomplishes his mission only to find himself torn between two worlds, the one he’s from and the one he now loves.

One of  the most enjoyable films I have seen.  Seeing this movie in 3D was spectacular yet this film is visually impressive with or without the 3D magic.  Leave it to James to show up after taking a break and blow the silver off the screen.  Definitely worth a ticket.

- Dan Kersey

Review:     3 Stars

Almost like Harry Potter meets The Lost Boys in a laid back fantasy adventure story that rolls out nicely.  Also a good film for the non-Twilight fans.

Two friends that come from different sides of the track meet their destiny, or fate, when they venture out to see a Freak-Show.  They discover a Vampire that just wants to live a simple life, but there is a cold war going on between the Vampire clans,  and the two friends soon find themselves in the middle.

What kept this film interesting was how simple the story was and, even though slow, it moved along quite well.  No great action or fight scenes no spectacular special effects,  just a simple story.   The movie did lack a little on the exiting side of things and really had no climax.  As much as I liked this film, it had potential to be much better, and needed a bit more bite to it.   Wait for the DVD.

-Dan Kersey