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Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
CinePops user

Let me say this... It isn't a bad movie to watch at all.
Felt more like an after thought of the previous film than it's own film. It becomes messy trying to hear Venom cause he talks so fast. Carnage was bad ass... His love interest felt tacked on and cliche. Did we need Michelle Williams back? Not really. The ending... It set up a huge potential for a film I am sure fans would LOVE to see.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
CinePops user

I was really looking forward to this. I enjoyed the first one and the trails for this sequel looked fun... What happened? It is all over the place. It starts off promisingly enough with an enjoyable set piece with "Eddie" (Tom Hardy) and Michelle Williams ("Anne") - aided by some pithy one-liners from an unseen "Venom" but after we are introduced to "Cletus" (Woody Harrelson) the thing really hits the skids. The entertaining elements from the first film, the humour and - dare I say it, the symbiotic relationship/tolerance of man and amoeba are thrown under the bus for this angry CGI fest. Add to this pretty dry mix the rather pointless character of Harrelson's childhood sweetheart "Frances" (Naomie Harris) alias "the Scream" (remember the symbiotes don't like fire of sound), with her own agenda against copper "Mulligan" (Stephen Graham) and the whole thing just boils down to a very good looking film - but one with a plot that was almost non-existent, and that robbed the formidably sarcastic "Venom" of much of the charm that made the original work. Come to think on it - Hardy hardly features at all. I didn't hate it - it has a pace that passes 90 minutes effortlessly enough, but sorry, I was really disappointed.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
CinePops user

I didn't get as much entertainment from this as I did with its predecessor. Still narrowly good enough, though.
'Venom: Let There Be Carnage' - great title, fwiw - does retain the fun performance from Tom Hardy, while the introductions of Stephen Graham, Woody Harrelson and Naomie Harris are welcomed ones in terms of the cast; even if I think their characters, particularly the latter two, are a little hit-and-miss throughout.
The action and the fact that the film only lasts for around 90 minutes mean I didn't have a negative time watching this; it is sillier this time out, which also helps. Could be a 6/10 film, but for me it inches itself into 7/10 territory.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
CinePops user

I'm gonna give this Venom movie a not so great rating. I still love the character. Venom is the quintissential anti-hero. Once a bad guy (though not in this universe apparently) he now tries to do the right thing while keeping within acceptable norms to exist among humans.
This movie was a good attempt but, it came across as contrived and a bit cookie cutter as far as the bad guys, Woody Harrelson and Naomi Harris, were portrayed. Psychoes enjoying newfound freedom after a fail death sentence, and lifelong incarceration is soooooo....bland. In short, "It's been done (before)."
The story from there is hit 'n miss with comedy, plot, and tension. The movie pretty much happens in that manner as well. It jumps as if each of the scenes are little movies banded together with no smooth transitions : Hardy really needs to workout or pass the character to someone else; his age is showing. Harrelson and Harris' characters really didn't mesh, the half deaf cop never really fit into the story, we didn't hear enough from Carnage, and Venom's night out didn't actually go anywhere.
The vibe of the movie felt clunky.
I'll always like Venom. But this was not particularly thrilling. There is mixed opinion on which of the two movies is better. I'll have to fall into the camp of those who liked the first Venom movie. The second, more than not, simply let me down. So, I will wait and see if another company can do better with the character than its predecessors. 3/5 stars.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
CinePops user

Passably entertaining sequel that is better than the original though I found that one utterly bland. This one still has the issue of me checking out once you have a CGI character fighting another CGI character. However, the interaction between Brock and Venom was great and the effects work wasn't bad, though most of the time scenes were dimly lit. **3.25/5**

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
CinePops user

_Venom: Let There Be Carnage_ never tries to be anything other than a dumb superhero film, but if you hated the first film, the sequel won’t make you feel any differently about Marvel’s lethal protector.
Hardy, in dual roles, is what makes these films worthwhile in the slightest, as his intricately comical self-chemistry is insane. The film also boasts what feels like an accelerated pace that moves the story from action sequence to action sequence before coming to an end rather quickly, leaving _Venom: Let There Be Carnage_ to stand as one of those a special kind of stupid blockbuster endeavors that, every so often, strikes idiotic gold.
The sequel is a definite improvement over the first film in the sense that it totally embraces its stupidity resulting in a comic book film that feels light, silly, and amusingly psychotic all at the same time.
**Full review:** https://boundingintocomics.com/2021/10/05/venom-let-there-be-carnage-review-idiotic-gold/

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
CinePops user

I liked it very much, so I add my top ten to the already existing positive reviews. The film is great in its genre. After the first viewing, it seemed to me that the second film would be stronger than the first. Duo Hardy-Harrelson = aerobatics. In the end, from the abundance of excellent jokes, my facial muscles ached (by the way, special thanks to the translators for the texts). I'm waiting for the continuation, it's very interesting to know what other capabilities Venom will demonstrate.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
CinePops user

**Yes . . . This Is A Big Fun Film, Period. But Given Cletus's BARBARIC Convenience Store Murder~
{ A L O N E❗} How Is It Rated "PG13" Or Below 😲 . . . IN -{ THESE }- MANY DARN COUNTRIES❓**
A **-{ _B I G_ }-** Screen **MINI** Review ; Film Seen By Me -{ Twice }- ; First On Oct.20, And Then Nov. 04, '21.
______________________________________________________
Venom : "Time to die!!!" ( said by him as he and Eddie verge on a full on "War-charge" of the -genuinely- "Terrifying" looking Carnage ).
Eddie : " That’s the spirit ! ! "
Venom : "I mean us. **-{ W E }-** are going to die!!!".
______________________________________________________
**A " UPSIDES-1ST, If You Please { I write " Exclusively Constructive ✅ " Reviews ; Here're Some Of The Movie's Plus-Points, Right Up Front } " :** 1 : There's a LOT of -Very- entertaining humour right the way through "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" ( to be referred to henceforth as 'V2' ) . . . . from 'Eddie Brock' ( Tom Hardy )'s "Odd Couple" style interactions with 'Venom' ( also played by -Him- , of course ) . . . . to some often tender, and occasionally even genuinely -Moving- banter, within the undeniably funny **"Love-quadrangle"** of Eddie and Venom , along with 'Anne Weying' and 'Dr. Dan Lewis' ( Michelle Wiilliams and Reid Scott, respectively ). 2 : Tom Hardy succeeds **-Phenomenally-** , in delivering his "super-symbiotic" performance ; with an -{ ABSOLUTE }- degree of credibility. How I wish more people would only appreciate how **( -Incredibly- )** difficult it is to emote for two -very- different entities, -near- simultaneously, that exist within just -{ ONE SINGLE }- body. 3 : Venom's "Mardi-Gras Themed Nightclub Scene". Simply stated, it's just absofreakinglutely -{ H I 💥 😂 - larious }. What's more, if you're a -passionate- progressive ( in real life ), like me, then you are almost -certain- to completely -{ Adore }- the 'horrible yet affable' Antihero's -equally- passionate appeal to stop "Cruelty Against **ALIENS**" . . . just a 'Glorious', ( albeit somewhat implicit ) message about the need to be -'Kinder'- to immigrants, documented or otherwise, delivered just -as- 'Gloriously' . . . ( Need I really say more ? ).
**B " ( _PLEASE_ ) , Let There Be Common Sense ! " :** 1 : There are some -{ Extreme }- abuse & violence related thematic elements in a film that is rated 'PG-13' ( Or Below ! ) in at least -Fifteen- countries, & that's -just- on IMDb's -very limited- "Certications" list, -{ ALONE ! }- . 2 : In a nutshell : the ( entirety ) of the -Story- , per se , feels a little too **-{ " SIMPLISTIC 🤷 ♂️ " }-** ; not to mention the picture's almost -{ "Confoundingly" }- short, & somewhat "Disappointing", frankly, runtime of 97 minutes ; for what is essentially a -{ MARVEL }- cinematic offering. So here is perhaps -{ The }- most significant reason for -Why- that was the case, in my best estimation. Tom Hardy and Kelly Marcel, V2's storywriters . . . . -{ collectively }- lacked the requisite experience to rise to the indubitably -gargantuan- task of ( -Adequately- ) enthralling a whole -Planet- ; one that has now become -Altogether- used to watching 'PHENOMENALLY' entertaining Marvel fare, and there's really no other way to say it. Tom, ( whom I 'Admire To Death' as a -performer- , I definitely ought to point out here ), had only two✌ **-STORY-** writing credits to his name prior to V2 , with Kelly logging just three👌 . . . { counting 'Individual' TV Series, but -Not- counting 'Shorts' ( short films ), of course }. 3 : A " MASSIVE " Missed Opportunity : It is -indeed- not all that often that we see a quintessential 'Popcorn-blockbuster' flick make a -significant- effort to -Humanize- the villain by way of their -{ Early Childhood Experiences }- , no matter -how- evil they nay be shown as being. For V2 to first -very- SUCCESSFULLY achieve this with the "Supremely" prolific actor Woody Harrelson's 'Carnage' ...( finalé )... only to have said moment -Utterly- invalidated just a few cinematic beats later ( -you'll know when you see it- ) was quite the let down, 'Alas' 😔
**C " FINAL SUMMARY " :** I have absolutely -{ N O }- doubt in my mind that had V2 been roughly 'a good 23 minutes' longer ( -At Least- , in order to make for a more "Marvel-like" runtime of Two-full-hours ) ; that I would have given it a mimimum score of '8 out of 10', without a moment's thought. -That- , in addition of course, to my "Titular-gripe" . . . ( me being the -Doting- parent that I like to think I am ), brings me to the conclusion that this -nonetheless- **{ Undeniably }** Fun, Exciting, "Idiosyncratic Delight" of a Movie is -Still- most definitely worthy of -{ 7.50 'Rock-Solid' Marks Out Of 10 }- **. . . . NOTWITHSTANDING 🔥**

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
CinePops user

Let There be Carnage!
It is a not bad movie to watch. The story regarding the birth of Carnage is different than the comic but works in the time they used to show this story. The movie does not give a ton of back story on the dual villains in the story but they show the love they have for one another.
The movie is short and very fast pace. It also has plenty of comedy between the hosts and the symbiotes.
Overall the movie sets up for a Venom 3 and an inclusion of Venom into the MCU. If the relationship between Sony & Marvel can continue to be good fans of the franchise will have a bright future ahead.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
CinePops user

When audiences last saw Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy); the journalist and his parasitic symbiote Venom; had just saved the day and cemented their unusual bond with one another.
In the new film “Venom: Let There Be Carnage”; Eddie and Venom are at the end of their Honeymoon phase as Venom is lingering to be free to eat bad people and do what is natural for him. Eddie meanwhile wants a more conservative approach feeding Venom chicken and chocolate as he knows the eyes of the authorities are still upon him and he has to convince the world that Venom is dead and no longer a threat.
At the same time; serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) has selected Eddie to interview him in San Quentin and the two form an unusual connection as Cletus cryptically speaks to Eddie which underlines a deeper motivation.
With the help of Venom; Eddie is able to decipher clues found on the walls of Cletus’s cell which leads authorities to several of his victims. This results in a rapid rise in status for Eddie and fast tracks Cletus for execution as his main means of leverage is now gone.
This leads to a rift where Eddie and Venom split and each has to struggle to adjust to life without one another.
At this point, the film has mainly been odd bits of whimsy between Venom and Eddie around the establishment of the plot and threat. However, things go into chaos mode when Cletus becomes infected with a Symbiote and turns into a destruction spewing death machine known as “Carnage”.
Cletus and Carnage both have their own agendas and Cletus uses Carnage to exact his revenge as well as locate a figure from his past that is as big a danger as he is.
As any fan of films of this genre knows; this scenario leads to a showdown between the central characters which are awash in abundant CGI, loud noises, and destruction. While this is not a bad thing and certainly one of the main reasons I enjoy films of this type; the film never seemed to fully click for me and as such was not as good as I thought it could have been.
In many ways, the film reminded me of how comic-based films were done before Marvel started their own studios and their phenomenal run of hits based on their work.
There have been multiple attempts to adapt comics into films over the last few decades and many of them have not lived up to expectations or failed outright. One of the biggest reasons is in my opinion is that those behind the projects were hindered by the studio, wanted to put their own spin on the material and strayed from the source; or failed to show the attributes that made the characters so appealing to fans.
What we often get is action sequences and CGI galore but without stories or characters that fully draw in the audience and fail to capture the essence of the comics.
Director Andy Serkis has done a great job with the visuals of the film but the tone seems off. The early part of the film is filled with comedic moments that are either hit or miss. Some of which was almost to the point where I wondered if it was supposed to be a parody.
The plot is fairly linear with nothing unexpected as it is simply bad guys get loose; bad guys cause death and destruction, can the heroes stop them. The climactic scene lacks any “wow” moments for me as it was mainly CGI characters rapidly moving around causing damage to one another and their environment. There was no real tension for me and the ultimate resolution seemed a bit anti-climactic.
For me the best moment of the film was a mid-credits scene that really popped as it sets up all sorts of interesting options and indicates that Venom may be about to graduate to bigger and better things.
For now; the cast is solid as is the CGI; I just wish the story was more engaging as it had the potential to be so much more.
3 stars out of 5

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
CinePops user

Somehow not all that entertaining.
A film titled 'Godzilla vs. Kong' really should be a lot of fun. For me, unfortunately, it was quite the disappointment. I personally feel they should've literally have made this one whole wall-to-wall battle between the two monsters with minimal human screen time... it felt like we got the opposite of that.
The trio of characters portrayed by Alexander Skarsgård, Rebecca Hall and Kaylee Hottle are passable if a little boring, they are at least decent. The opposite is true for the three of Millie Bobby Brown, Brian Tyree Henry and Julian Dennison - their whole side of the story just didn't do anything for me, so forgettable. Either way, there are too many non-monster characters in this.
The stuff directly with Godzilla and Kong is alright. I could've done with less humanising of the latter though, I prefer the idea of them being these titanic behemoths that just aren't that interested in humans. The two aren't equals so it feels unnecessary to try and bridge that gap.
My rating feels a tiny bit harsh, but for a movie that has a less than 113 minute run time it did drag a fair deal - and the film's 'best' element, the two titular names, aren't shown enough or portrayed interestingly enough to fulfill what I wanted. Perhaps they'll do it better in the next installment?

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
CinePops user

Godzilla vs Kong a rematch 60 years in the making . I think this is the movie a lot of people wanted to see especially seeing that the last time is to where in a movie together was in 1962.
The fights in the movie are amazing the standout being the fight in Hong Kong between Godzilla and King Kong but the boat battle and the mechagodzilla Fight are also very well done as well.
The characters are fine noting amazing but noting awful my favorite being the mom and the daughter their relationship was very well done overall, this movie just gave me what I wanted, which was a rematch between the two most iconic movie monsters, Godzilla and King Kong

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
CinePops user

Godzilla vs. Kong is the biggest scam since Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It promises a battle of epic proportions, but doesn't have the balls to give us a winner. The late introduction of Mechagodzilla is meant to give the titular characters a common enemy, allowing them to put their differences – whatever these may be – aside and work together. They want to have their cake and eat it too.
The film tries to sell us on the idea that Earth is too small for two “alpha titans.” It doesn't occur to anyone that it might be too small for just one; then again, given that both Kong’s and Godzilla’s presence lacks weight, mass, volume, and depth, neither of them can be said to take up physical space on the planet (not to mention that most of the ‘real world’ surrounding them has been as unconvincingly rendered as they have).
It is, however, during an expedition to the so-called Hollow Earth that the VFX department really blows its CGI wad. There is no excess they won’t indulge in, and yet it’s not enough to hide the fact that Earth isn't the only hollow thing here – so is the script, which is unable to give us a single good reason why we should care about the skirmishes between a giant lizard and a giant gorilla.
You can't have two characters fight each other just because, no matter how ‘cool’ it might seem in theory; they must have a compelling motive, lest the audience loses interest in the outcome. This is such a basic concept that even the later, lesser Rocky installments understand it. But here, Godzilla and Kong just don't seem to like each other very much; even Tom and Jerry, who at least are natural enemies, have a better excuse for their enmity.
To sum up, 1) we don't know why a primate and a reptile would want to fight to the death; 2) the explanation the movie provides doesn’t make sense (I mean, Hollow Earth? Puh-lease!); 3) Kong and Godzilla are so phony-looking there is never any concern that they will hurt one another, however much they try; and 4) it's a foregone conclusion that neither is going to take a dive, needed as they are for the inevitable sequels. All things considered, why watch this movie when you can see Peter Griffin fight a giant chicken on YouTube?

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
CinePops user

If you liked the movies with Kong and Godzilla, you will enjoy this, complete with CGI and monsters against humans. Get your popcorn and soda and put your feet up, this is entertainment in every sense of the word. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
CinePops user

I have to admit that I expected not to like this movie. When Hollywood decides to pitch two characters, whether it’s superheroes or monsters, that are essentially good against each other it usually turns into crap. Take the absolutely abysmal Batman vs Superman for instance. Then we have Kong Skull Island which, while still being watchable, had a really lousy script.
But to my surprise I quite liked this movie. I really got worried when the movie started off with some nutcase activist that Hollywood likes to glorify. Then they had to kiss up to Communist News Network as well by giving them some product placement. Don’t use a real world news network in fiction movies please. Especially not a well known fake news and far left propaganda machine.
However, in the end it all turned out nicely. The nutcase activist was really a nutcase and really really annoying but he still turned out to be on the side of the good guys.
The story was not altogether bad and although this story of the hollow earth is really far out fantasy more than anything else, even more than the idea of Kong and Godzilla themselves, I liked it. It was quite cool actually and it allowed for some nice special effects other than just Godzilla and Kong beating each other up and wrecking a few cities in the process.
Speaking of special effects. They are really why you watch these kind of movies. Sure a half decent story and passable acting helps but the special effects are the bulk of the enjoyment. For me the movie didn’t disappoint in this area.
They were overall very good and actually quite balanced. Well balanced considering the kind of movie. You cannot have a Godzilla movie without at least a couple of city blocks getting demolished after all. Having an actual wet navy battleship showing up I do ascribe to the usual Hollywood writer stupidity of course but for the rest it was really cool. I especially liked the hollow earth scenes and the strange landscape with all the weird creatures.
Warning, spoiler ahead: The thing I really liked with the movie was that the writers didn’t go down the route of killing either Godzilla or Kong. Something I really feared and which would have reduced the movie to a rubbish rating as far as I am concerned. Instead they threw in Mechagodzilla which was quite cool albeit predictable at this point in the movie and one which united Godzilla and Kong. Also this weird, completely devoid of any (even fictional) science, link to Gidorah was quite a bit of a stretch.
Overall, watching this movie was two hours well spent as far as I am concerned.

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
CinePops user

So after many years of flukes and alright and great movies over a decade we officially get a face off between the 2 and it kicked ass. buildings came down people died and these 2 fought a mechanical version. it is the end to a good red vs blue kinda movie.

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
CinePops user

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/godzilla-vs-kong-spoiler-free-review
"Godzilla vs. Kong is the return to form from the divisive MonsterVerse. Max Borenstein and Eric Pearson manage to write an uncomplicated screenplay without absurd plot points or extremely dumb character decisions, which is all I ever asked for in this franchise, even if it carries tons of formulas and cliches. No one expects an Oscar-worthy script, but something that can serve as a companion piece to the massive battles between the Titans. Adam Wingard struggles to balance the unnecessary, irrelevant side stories that unfortunately affect the film's pacing and tone, but ultimately he's able to set up each fighting sequence nicely. Action-wise, it's the best entry of the saga, by far. From the genuinely impressive, eyegasmic CGI work to the exciting, adrenaline-pumping monster fights that will leave you at the edge of your seat, this movie is the definition of pure blockbuster entertainment. Extraordinary production value, as expected, and a perfect Junkie XL's score make this a clear recommendation."
Rating: B

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
CinePops user

The REAL Clash of the Titans!
It was spectacular! The two iconic monsters in Hollywood go head-to-head in an updated remake. Both a sequel AND a crossover!
The best part was when Godzilla and Kong fought in the city, with all them tall buildings. Talk about classic monster fight! Am I right?!
The second best part was when Kong came to Godzilla's aid and the two fought together against MechaGodzilla, right up to the end where Kong gave the final blow!
And yes, I am aware that I am putting a lot of exclamation marks in my review, but only because I really enjoyed this movie and they're my way of expressing of how frickin' awesome this film was for me! Especially for personal reason...
It has been 4 months since the third lockdown here in the UK, 4 months of cinemas everywhere closed. And in the week that every cinemas reopened the first film I wanted to see was Godzilla vs Kong.
I admit that there were a couple of bits that would've improved; like more screen time from Kyle Chandler.
And that other guy was supposed to be Serizawa's estranged son, but that was never acknowledged, despite the casting.
But other than that, not only was Godzilla vs Kong the first film I've seen since the cinemas reopened but also the best film I have seen, so far!

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
CinePops user

The worst part about this? Alexander Skarsgård delivering a career-low performance, over-acting (or maybe being over-directed??) nearly every single line.

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
CinePops user

Godzilla vs. Kong suffers from what other versus films such as Freddy vs. Jason or the Alien vs. Predator films also suffered from. These films put too much value in humans when the audience just wants to see more of the on-screen monsters they either paid hard money or chose to stream to see. That’s why if Legendary chooses to keep this franchise going they should do All Monsters Attack or something involving Monster Island next where humans can be spectators at best and monsters wreak havoc for up to two straight hours. Stop feeding fans unbearable human excretion and trying to pass it off as Godzilla gold.
Full review: https://godhatesgeeks.com/godzilla-vs-kong-review-monkey-good-humans-bad/

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
CinePops user

Oh Yeah!
THE monster movie of the year is here and just how good is it!
Is the plot predictable? Yep - I'd guessed 80% of it 2 months ago.
Is it silly? You bet.
Are the humans essential? Nah, but we didnt come here for them.
We came to see Kong and Godzilla slug it out. And we got that!
The scenes with the Kaiju are well thought out and choreographed (can we say that for digital fights?). And do they ever deck it out.
The devastation you see on the poster gives away how much of Hong Kong gets destroyed (there will be extra land available for building now).
The movie is directed and paced well - the first half sets things up for the multiple confrontation between the Kaiju; and the second half lets loose.
None of the actors are given much to do and most seem to sleepwalk through it, but Rebecca Hall is easily the best (she is always a delight to watch), Kyle Chandler channels Coach Taylor for a couple of scenes, Julian Dennison (from Hunt for the Wilderpeople) gets some good lines and Demian Bichir is having fun as the evil rich dude (never trust rich people...in movies or real life).
The sound design and score are both on point, but everything here subsides when the Kaiju are around. The CGI is great - and like Peter Jackson's Kong, you actually feel for the great big monkey.
This movie is some first class popcorn, needing to be enjoyed on the biggest screen you can find.

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
CinePops user

Satisfying through and through. Also they seemed to learn from the past mistakes (with Godzilla and Godzilla: King of the Monsters) of doing too much with the human characters, here they are thankfully just window dressing for the battle between the two titans. **3.75/5**

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
CinePops user

As pure popcorn entertainment and the culmination of the Monsterverse saga, 'Godzilla vs. Kong' delivers the goods in an unexpectedly big way. This film is essential viewing for those who might like to watch a lizard punch an ape.
- Jake Watt
Read Jake's full article...
https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-godzilla-vs-kong-hugely-entertaining

Insurgent (2015) Insurgent (2015)
CinePops user

Insurgent is a decent follow-up in the Divergent series, keeping up the action and world-building while introducing new conflicts. The plot moves at a solid pace, but it sometimes feels like it’s setting up something bigger without fully delivering on it. There’s a clear act structure, but some moments lack the depth needed to really hit. Certain character arcs, especially in terms of growth and decision-making, feel a bit underdeveloped, which makes some story beats feel forced rather than earned. The directing keeps things engaging with a mix of intense action and emotional moments, though the execution doesn’t always match the ambition.
Shailene Woodley carries the film with a strong performance, making Tris a compelling lead even when the script doesn’t give her much to work with. The supporting cast is solid, though some characters, particularly Miles Teller’s, make choices that don’t fully make sense. Visually, the cinematography and VFX are well done, especially in key action sequences where the effects shine. The score and sound design do a great job of elevating the tension and giving the film a more immersive feel. Overall, Insurgent is entertaining with good performances and visuals, but it struggles with depth in its storytelling and character development.

Insurgent (2015) Insurgent (2015)
CinePops user

After their initial "Divergent" experience, the gang are still trying to stay one step ahead of the pursuing "Janine" (Kate Winslet) and this makes for perilous times for "Tris" (Shailene Woodley) and her two hunky sidekicks - brother "Caleb" (Ansel Elgort) and lover "Four" (Theo James). Now I could think of worse people to be on the run with as they traverse the wreckage of Chicago trying to find some allies to assist them in thwarting the dominant aspirations of the "Erudite" group who want to take over the world. To add to their woes, the menacing spectre that is "Eric" (Jai Courtney) is leading their would-be captors and so battle lines are quickly drawn. Except, well, they aren't really. This is a predicable and weak story made watchable by a sufficient soupçon of eye-candy and some perfectly choreographed, CGI augmented, action scenarios that do at least keep the pace moving for what did seem like a long-old two hours. There's some yellow duplicity from "Peter" (Miles Teller) to inject a little jeopardy, but that's all a bit of a damp squib when subsumed into the rest of this underwhelming adaptation of a series of novels that really did leave better to the imagination than Robert Schwentke has managed to concoct for us here. It's harmless fun to watch on the television when you're doing the ironing or writing your thesis on thermonuclear fission - it's not really worth watching for itself, though.

Insurgent (2015) Insurgent (2015)
CinePops user

Fugitives on the run now with really no factions in place any more. The movie was kind of boring but had a decent ending.

Insurgent (2015) Insurgent (2015)
CinePops user

> The mystery box and the power hungry leaders!
This is not a bad sequel, I quite enjoyed it, but I think I liked 'Divergent' better. The story continued a very short after where it ended in the first. In this part, it was all about power hungry where many try to get that top post. On the other side, there will be an attempt to open a mystery box that found which might reveal some important detail about them.
Looked like a very good storyline, unpredictable stuffs, but not utilised to its full potential. Though the actors were good, especially Shailene was sexy in her short hairs. I think she came straight out of 'The Fault in Our Stars' to take up this role where her brother in this film was a boyfriend in that.
Visually as well very captivating with those great graphics and it is first digital 3D film in the series. It has numerous small twists, especially during decrypting the mystery box. So I felt the middle parts were the best part of the film.
I thought this film would take place outside the wall, but a new story was developed and still kept the mystery about the rest of the world. I don't know the book, but that's my disappointment. I hope the next film in the series would go beyond the wall and explore some new things. So I'm looking forward for the 'Allegiant'.
6/10

Insurgent (2015) Insurgent (2015)
CinePops user

Briefing; this movie is just bad.
The first was not good either but this one continues the path open by the first. The special effects are quite noticeably rendered by computers and the actors are uncharismatic, other than that, the plot is just bad.
Another movie with quasi-teenager lead roles in a dystopic future in which stupidity is spread all along man-kind.
We just witness the struggle of our heroine with her self-imposed guilt with stupid enemies that let her survive at every moment so she can become the messiah she is meant to be.
I think the only positive part I can get from this movie is the preeminence of strong and important female characters. Other than that, just skip it.

Insurgent (2015) Insurgent (2015)
CinePops user

As I did in my review of the first instalment, in this movie series I should probably point out that I have not read the books. Some people claim that this movie do not follow the books but, obviously, I cannot comment on that. So my review is based on the movie and the movie alone. I have to confess that I mostly watched this movie because I did watch the first instalment and felt obliged to see where the story went.
This movie have quite a few fairly cool special effects, especially the ones when Tris is in the virtual reality world trying to open the cube with the message to the inhabitants in the closed up city. Unfortunately this pretty much sums up the good parts of the movie.
As with Divergent I found this movie to be fairly mediocre. One reviewer said that this was a movie dumbed down for the teenage audience. Unfortunately I feel that he was right. Also unfortunately I think many teenagers are a lot smarter than Hollywood believe they are.
The plot is, well, mediocre. The acting is fairly meh. The main character, Tris, really lacks any form of charisma and spends most of the movie going around in some state of melancholy feeling sorry for herself and everything that happens around her. Apart from Four most of the people were behaving immaturely, cluelessly, froze up or panicked whenever something nasty happened and switched allegiances back and forth like you changed shirts.
When Tris finally opened the cube I was expecting something cool and unexpected. What we got was a rather dull message about the city and its “purpose”. I complained in my review of divergent that we got absolutely no background information as to how the people had ended up in this ridiculous situation with a closed city and these factions that I still do not understand what they were supposed to solve. The message was supposed to explain this but it explained absolutely nothing except that the divergents were some kind of purpose or solution.
The ending? Well again this is a book series so it is not surprising that it ends in somewhat of a cliffhanger but it was really a cheap ending, one that you would expect from a TV series episode.
So I cannot say that I liked the movie very much. The virtual reality special effects scenes were fairly cool but that was about it.

Aladdin (2019) Aladdin (2019)
CinePops user

Recently, I finally took the time to watch the 2019 live adaptation of Aladdin. While I found it to be a fantastic film, I couldn't help but feel that it didn't quite capture all the magic of the original animated version from 1992.
The music in the live-action film was enjoyable, but it lacked some of the memorable moments and creativity that made the animated version so special. One major disappointment for me was the absence of the cobra transformation, a crucial element that was left out and downplayed in the movie.
On a positive note, Naomi Scott's portrayal of Princess Jasmine was exceptional. Her performance, especially during her solo song, added a powerful and empowering dimension to the character that I felt was missing in the animated version, where she often felt like a sidekick to Aladdin.
While Will Smith's portrayal of the Genie felt a bit odd to me, I appreciated the casting choices overall. I particularly enjoyed the portrayal of Aladdin and the impressive dance sequences. However, I do wish that the film had stayed truer to the original animated version, rather than feeling like a mere copy-and-paste job, similar to what was done with The Lion King.
In conclusion, while the 2019 live adaptation of Aladdin was a great film in its own right, I believe it could have benefited from staying more faithful to the beloved 1992 animated classic.