Movie Review - The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies  $$$ 1/2

 

 

PG-13

144 Minutes

Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, and Luke Evans.

Director: Peter Jackson.

          

            This is the final installment of The Hobbit series. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed the film I think it is the weakest of the three movies. That being said, I still think it is worth going to see.  

            The mighty dragon, Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch) has been awakened and the citizens of Laketown will suffer. Smaug torches the entire town, but is miraculously killed by the human, Bard (Luke Evans). With winter setting in  and the dragon dead the humans seek shelter among the ruins of the dwarven city. And they are not the only ones interested in Thorin’s (Richard Armitage) legacy. The elves have arrived, wanting the return of priceless elvish jewelry that are among the vast wealth of the dwarven coffers. On top of all of that drama, an immense army of orcs are on the way. Da-da-daaaaa.   

            For those of you who were counting, that’s only four armies. You want to know who else shows up for this bloody party, see the movie.

                      

            Here is how I ranked the The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies:

            1. Fun – As surprising as it sounds I’m only giving a Half a MB for fun. Don’t get me wrong, the movie was fun and held my attention, but it is too focused on action and doesn’t have enough of the other elements which make for a good story. What can you expect? This is an entire movie about the battle that happens at the end of The Hobbit. I don’t feel that it was intended to be an entire nearly 3-hour movie.

            The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies gets Half a MB for fun.

            2. Story – Here comes surprise number two, following on the heels of my comments about the movie being an extended action scene I am going to applaud the writers for putting in as many non-combat elements as they did. I enjoyed the interspecies romance between Kili (Aidan Turner) and  Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly).  The golden curse storyline with Thorin (Richard Armitage) is excellent. And adding Bard’s (Luke Evans) struggle to save the people of Laketown gives some of that human element every film needs to succeed. 

            The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies gets a Full MB for story.

            3. Technical – As with all of Peter Jackson’s films the visual effects are as beautiful as they are stunning. Fantasy creatures, picturesque landscapes, and the impressive innards of the dwarven halls under the mountain.  

            The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies gets a Full MB for Technical.

            4. Acting – Outstanding on all fronts. I can’t think of anyone who turned in a lackluster performance.            

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies  gets a Full MB for acting.

 

            The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies gets a rating of 3 ½  Movie Bucks. This is one of those films that really need to be seen at the theater. A large screen and state-of-the-art sound system will enhance you movie-going experience for this movie. I suggest a matinee, but paying full price would be alright too.

 

                        Randy’s Rating System

$$$$   = Full Price    See this movie right away and pay full price, it’s worth it.

$$$     = Matinee      Catch this as a matinee or other discounted showing.

$$        = Discount     Wait until this movie reaches a discount theater near you.

$          = Rental         Wait until this movie reaches your local video rental outlet.

0          = No Sale       Don’t see this movie at any price.

Movie Review - Penguins of Madagascar

Penguins of Madagascar $$$ 1/2  

 

 

PG

92 Minutes

Starring: Tom McGrath, Christopher Knights, John Malkovich, and Benedict Cumberbatch.  

Directors: Eric Darnell and Simon J. Smith.

  

            In my opinion, the penguins were the best part of any of the Madagascar films. They have their own television show. And now they have a movie. Hooray. 

            As far as a plot goes, to celebrate the birthday of Private (Christopher Knights) the penguins break into a highly-secure facility to obtain a rare treasure and are snagged by the evil mad-scientist, Dave (John Malkovich).

            Being the resourceful flightless birds that they are they escape and find themselves working at odds with a secret organization known as the North Wind. Both teams run afoul (pun intended) of one another as they attempt to prevent Dave from unleashing his diabolical plan upon the world.

     

            This is how I rated Penguins of Madagascar .

1. Fun – A movie like this might appeal to you if you like to laugh a lot. I know I certainly enjoyed it. Watch for the celebrity name dropping done by Dave whenever he speaks to his minions. I give it a Full MB for fun.

2. Story – The story really is only there to provide a vehicle for the penguins to travel around the globe creating havoc in their own unique way. I did like the plotline involving Private and his quest to be a valuable member of the team. I give it Half a MB for a decent, uncomplicated storyline.

3. Technical – Dreamworks puts out quality films with high expectations in the technical department. This movie is no exception. I give it a Full MB for visual and audio excellence.

4. Acting – Strong performances all around. You should already know what to expect from the penguins and they deliver. Perhaps a little more so from Private. John Malkovich does an outstanding job with Dave. Benedict Cumberbatch is great as Classified. The North Wind is well-represented with Peter Stormare as Corporal. I give a Full MB for the Dreamwork-standard voice work.

Put that all together and Penguins of Madagascar earns 3 ½ Movie Bucks. It is well worth the price of prime time ticket. Although, if you have several children you probably should consider catching it as a matinee.

                        Randy’s Rating System

$$$$   = Full Price    See this movie right away and pay full price, it’s worth it.

$$$     = Matinee      Catch this as a matinee or other discounted showing.

$$        = Discount     Wait until this movie reaches a discount theater near you.

$          = Rental         Wait until this movie reaches your local video rental outlet.

0          = No Sale       Don’t see this movie at any price.

 

 

Movie Review - The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1  $$$

 

PG-13

123 Minutes

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Director: Francis Lawrence.  

            Continuing in a fairly recent Hollywood tradition, the third book of the Hunger Games series has been split into two movies. If done well I have no problem with the practice. However, it is easy to walk away from the first half of a split novel film feeling unsatisfied. Mockingjay – Part 1 left me hanging. I’m not nearly as excited about seeing the next installment of this franchise as I had been to see Part 1.  

            In short, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) has joined the rebellion. Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) is being held in the Capitol. Both are being used as social and political weapons for the side that holds them. While there are some great emotional scenes the exploration of the media’s role in war makes for a rather slow-moving film.

 

            This is how I ranked The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1   

1. Fun – Interesting but slow. I enjoyed watching the movie, but it has no replay value for me. Watch for the scene where the rebels attack the power plant. Beautifully done and emotionally powerful.

            Mockingjay  gets Half a MB for fun.       

            2. Story – Both sides of the conflict pitting Katniss against Peeta is interesting and solid from a storytelling point of view. Unfortunately, that may not translate well into movie-going fun.  

            Mockingjay  gets a Full MB for story.  

            3. Technical – The film looked good. The direction of the film was good. The special effects were excellent. You definitely feel that you are in a different place when you watch this film and that is really the goal.  

            Mockingjay  gets a Full MB for the technical aspects of the film.  

            4. Acting – Solid performances all the way around. However, I wasn’t as wowed with the acting as much as I have been in the past. Perhaps because this focuses so much on Jennifer Lawrence and has less screen time for the actors that have really stood out in the previous movies. I would liked to have seen more Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, and Stanley Tucci. The footage they have of Philip Seymour Hoffman accounted for some of the strongest moments in the film.  

            Mockingjay  gets Half a MB for acting.  Jennifer Lawrence, with this character, is just too one-dimensional to support a whole movie.  

            Added together, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 gets a rating of 3 Movie Bucks. It has enough special effects to suggest seeing it on a big screen with a good sound system. A matinee showing of the movie would be ideal. It may be a little slow for younger children and at nearly 3 hours in length, that could be a drawback. 

 

                        Randy’s Rating System 

$$$$   = Full Price    See this movie right away and pay full price, it’s worth it.

$$$     = Matinee      Catch this as a matinee or other discounted showing.

$$        = Discount     Wait until this movie reaches a discount theater near you.

$          = Rental         Wait until this movie reaches your local video rental outlet.

0          = No Sale       Don’t see this movie at any price.