The Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian
While most people loved The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe the sequel tended to be snubbed which is a shame. This movie has excellent action sequences, breathtaking effects (both practical and CGI). The performances in this movie are all absolutely incredible. A lot of people forget this but Peter Dinklage is in this movie as the dwarf Trumpkin and he gives a really good performance as he always does. In many ways, this movie actually reminds me of Game of Thrones but more family-friendly of course. That being the case it's still very entertaining and worth a watch. Ben Barnes as Caspian gives a good performance. Sergio Castellitto as Miraz gives an excellent performance as the antagonist Miraz. This movie includes quite a few European actors that aren't too well known in the United States. What I love about the casting choices is that by using lesser-known actors it allows us to focus more on the characters.
The soundtrack to this movie is absolutely incredible and majestic. Harry Gregson-Williams always delivers incredible music (as does his brother). The music really helps give the setting a fantasy vibe. Another thing I like about the movie is the character development. I feel that the main characters that reprised their roles from the first movie got way more character development than they did in the first one. This film has quite a few funny moments as well as moments that will make you cheer. This film gives the emotion-rich action that fans crave.
There is a lot of action in this movie and the final battle in this movie definitely feels like a proper battle for a fantasy epic. The sets in this movie are also really incredible. The castles and other sites in this world are so amazing. Even if not all the lore is explained in the movie the sets make the world of Narnia feel lived in and like a real realm. This movie features plenty of likable characters and a story about a Prince that wishes to claim his rightful place to the throne. Anyone that like medieval fantasy type of films should definitely see this movie.
I absolutely love this movie and honestly, I probably like it slightly better than the first.
My rating 8.5/10
The Book of Life
This movie has eye-catching visuals, likable characters, good music, and a really colorful representation of Mexican culture. The movie features a very talented voice cast featuring Diego Luna as Manolo Sanchez, Zoe Saldana as Maria Posada, and Channing Tatum as Jaoquin and especially Ron Perlman as Xibalba. All the voice cast gives life to these characters. All of the protagonists are indeed quite likable and fun to watch. The animation is also very enjoyable to watch. I love how they narrated the movie like a book and how it felt like a fantasy epic. The way the characters are animated is true quite a marvel and the landscapes and other visuals are quite a sight to behold.
I admit that the story could have been a little better in some ways. Without giving to much away the antagonist is honestly kind of boring but honestly, he isn't really there for much other than to be a challenge for the protagonists to overcome but still they could have made the villain more interesting. Even with the story leaving a tad more to be desired the animation, the songs, and the characters are more than enough to make up for that. I was one of the few people that went to see this in theaters and I'm so glad I did. I absolutely fell in love with this movie. I've noticed that the few others that have seen it love it as well. I've yet to meet anyone that didn't like it. This movie exhibits a colorful and positive portrayal of Mexican culture that isn't seen in movies enough. While it is a fantasy film and not everything can be taken at face value it is nice to have films that celebrate other cultures. It's so neat having a movie that talks about death that is actually very positive and beautiful. This movie is highly underrated and it deserves more recognition for sure.
My rating 8/10
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
This movie is incredibly imaginative. I was astonished at how different each and every world presented in this movie was. The city of a thousand planets is absolutely stunning to see. I remember watching some special features talking about how different artists all created different parts of the city and the result shows something incredibly creative and wonderful. Luc Besson is known for making movies with a very special creative touch. It really shows in this movie. In the beginning, we get to see how the city is created and it is absolutely incredible.
This film is funny, entertaining, likable, and filled with so many eye-catching visuals. Seriously it's one of the best-looking films I've seen from Avatar. One planet featured in the movie actually reminds me very much of Avatar. Now many people may see this film and think "Hey this is a rip off of Star Wars". In reality, this movie is based on some French comics of Valerian and Laureline which actually inspired George Lucas to make Star Wars.
The performances in this film are pretty good, particularly from Cara Delevingne. Her character Laureline is very tough and strong-willed. Personally I've always liked tough female characters that are capable of a fight. Something about them is very appealing. On the flip side, one of my few complaints about the film is Dane DeHaan's character Valerian is kind of lackluster. If this movie can produce a tough yet likable woman why not have the guy be the same way too? I still think his character was okay but he could have been written a little better. Another small complaint is some of the dialogs can be a bit weird at times. Rihanna's appearance in the film is a surprise to be sure but a welcome one. Her appearance didn't feel like a random cameo but actually added to the plot and her character was very likable and added to the weirdness of the movie.
This film is very fun and likable. What I love about this film is that it has an optimistic portrayal of the future. Most sci-fi films are dystopian and all dark. In Hollywood these days there seems to be a trend of making everything dark and brooding and having a film like Valerian that bucks the trend is really nice. To me, I like films that inspire creativity and show a fun bright future. Dystopian films are interesting but I'll take the high energy bright sci-fi fun and weird film any day. If you haven't seen Valerian and the City of a Thousand planets than definitely do so. Especially if you like anything that is a lot of fun and really weird. This movie has lots of creativity and imagination and it's a must-see for any sci-fi and fantasy films. I definitely see this film gaining cult status in a couple of years so I might as well hop on board now and enjoy the ride.
My rating 9.5/10