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Sunday, January 12, 2014

Quick Reviews: 2013 Movies [PART 04]

The Purge (2013) - The premise is decent and sort of unique, the acting is adequate, and the setting is fairly claustrophobic, but unfortunately "The Purge" is neither scary, nor very thrilling... it's just a sadistic 'home invasion' flick, that's hardly memorable. (5.00/10)

Beautiful Creatures (2013) - The "Twilight"-ish romance doesn't really work, the story is neither enchanting, nor horrorish, and the running time is way overlong, but at least "Beautiful Creatures" has a cool gothic feel, and delightfully muted cinematography. (5.00/10)

Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) - Despite its vibrant and colorful imagery, and some imaginative ideas, "Oz The Great and Powerful" is a surprisingly dull fantasy fare, with no real heart and soul, or magic, and also Sam Raimi's weakest film in years. (5.25/10)

Curse of Chucky (2013) - The limited setting gets a bit tiresome after a while, but other than that "Curse of Chucky" is a bloody, at times cruel, but always fun and watchable sequel, and a welcome return for the well beloved, if spent horror franchise. (5.50/10)

47 Ronin [3D] (2013) - Exquisitely pretty to look at, yet muddled, unengaging, badly-acted, and hollow, "47 Ronin" is an underwhelming 3D f/x-travaganza lacking in action, that will most likely put you to sleep, or even worse -- bore you to death. (5.50/10)

G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013) - It may be loud, messy, and brainless, but "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" delivers exactly what it promises -- fast pacing, frantic action, startling explosions, cool ninjas and even cooler stunts, all accompanied by its charming cast. (6.50/10)

Dark Skies (2013) - "Dark Skies" is an almost non-stop thrill ride with never a dull moment, and some truly solid performances. Prepare to be frightened, and thoroughly entertained by easily one of the better horror movies involving aliens of this decade. (7.00/10)

Man of Steel (2013) - Yeah, "Man of Steel" is too much, but too much of awesomeness! The sci-fi-ish approach feels different, the ambitious story keeps you drawn in, Snyder's visual style is slick as usual, the CGIs are flawless, and the action is kinetic. (8.50/10)

Pacific Rim (2013) - Giant robots, even more ginormous sea monsters, confident characters, stunning visuals, stupendous action, sensational special effects, and all this directed by the uber-imaginative Guillermo del Toro. What not to like really?!? (8.75/10)

Frozen [3D] (2013) - With its magically adventurous, yet sweet story, charming characters, breathtaking and richly detailed animation and phenomenal use of 3D, "Frozen" is the very best animated feature of 2013, and also one of Disney's finest! (9.25/10)

4 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

That's right! Giant monsters and giant robots fighting. If you're a guy and that doesn't just make you giddy with excitement, you have no soul.

venoms5 said...

I definitely dug PACIFIC RIM and wished I'd of paid to see it in theaters instead of 47 RONIN. Although I thought I'd dislike it intently, I was hoping for the best; and seeing Sanada Hiroyuki on the big screen was the best part of it for me. That's the only two I've seen on this list, George. I do intend to check out DARK SKIES, though.

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

Alex, exactly!

George Beremov [Nebular] said...

venoms5, I had high expectations about Pacific Rim, and it didn't disappoint. 47 Ronin did though. Its stunning visuals aside, it was pretty bland, and I hated the fact that it was in English. That took away of its authenticity with about 70%. Dark Skies rocked! You have to give ita go.