Hangover 2- Meh- too much of the same and not as funny this time around
I hate to say it..given i really love the Hangover, but Hangover 2 was just not as good. It is almost literally the same storyline BUT with very few real laughs. I think there were only 1 or 2 parts that i actually laughed out loud..unfortunately there seemed to be more focus on being shocking/gross vs funny.
If you are going to see it…go in with very low expectations and you may be ok with it…otherwise get ready for a repeat of the first movie.
One thing i think they really didnt do well were the cameos. They were supposed to have a Mel Gibson or Robert Downey cameo..those all fell through and they ended up with one very awkward one at the end…and one with the tattoo artist that no one really knows! (i wont name him here to ruin it..but he’s a semi famous director few people other than movie buffs like me would even recognize)
I hear they are goin for a trilogy..but hope if they do they get some unique laughs in…they didnt use alan (Zack Galifankis’s character) enough this time. Ed Helms was on..but again little to work with
Ninis
Priest- lots of potential but too much lost to setting up a sequel
Priest could have been great…but it ended up just being so so. There was definitely not enough action using the actual powers of the priests first off. To set us up for them being such bad ass characters and weapons..you barely see any of their actual “powers” against the vampires. The characters came off almost “jedi” like in the movie in their reputation etc..but without any of the pay off any real unique strength/speed etc. The movie itself wasnt bad overall with some ok action scenes.. but the last portion of the film just killed it.
Instead of truly giving us an epic fight scene at the end and some closure to the story elements, it gave us one of the biggest things i hate about some movies/directors/hollywood now–the overt setup for a sequel. How come people dont want to just finish movies anymore? You can set up a sequel just as well by closing the story you started better! Especially given these days the odds of a sequel are always low.
Im a big fan of Karl Urban and Paul Bettany- just wish the movie fit the talent!
Wait for DVD or Netflix on this one
Ninis
Thor- good for the most part but the Earth scenes were a let down!
I did like Thor it wasnt bad but it didnt blow me away like I was hoping…..it felt like the scenes when Thor was on earth were a complete let down! It made me feel like they didnt use his powers enough and there werent enough fight scenes!
But then when the movie went to Asgard the fight scenes were cool and the flying scenes were great. My big issue there was that they didnt showcase his strength enough..he’s supposed to be super strong even without the hammer. It also seemed like at some points when he threw the hammer it was too slow…but then sometimes the speed was right on. I think there was a visual effects problem for lots of the fight scenes.
So good with a few hitches that to me keep it from being amazing…maybe Avengers will be better.
I will say the casting was good..Anthony Hopkins and Idris Elba specifically definitely stood out to me. And i wish they would have used Ray Stevenson more and dressed him down a bit less to not be so hokey looking.
Ninis
Fast Five- Awesome action and probably the best in series!
Say what you want about the Fast and Furious movies..but wow they know how to deliver what people want..fast cars..crazy action and fight scenes..and unlike almost every other sequel ridden movie franchise..these just keep gettin better and better! Justin Lin is clearly the right director for the job.
The sheer amount of destruction in this movie was amazing..it gives every fan (and non fan) a full dose of car chases. Plus having the Rock in this one was great..he got even bigger which is crazy..and the fight scenes with Vin Diesel were great! There was great humor added by the supporting cast..especially Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris…and the latin guys from the last movie were hilarious (didnt catch their names)
Something else i appreciated was the soundtrack..a great mix of latin dance/house music.
Definitely go see this..even if the last few movies got you not lovin the series..this will get you back into it.
I just hope the next one finally brings in Lucas Black..i thought he was good in Tokyo Drift..and its a shame all these new ones are prequels to that so he hasnt been in them. Even some kind of cameo would be good in the next one.
Ninis
Brown Movie Guy- Movie Reviews 