World War Z Review

About a month ago I watched the movie World War Z. This review was a long time coming and I kind of haven't been able to sit down and actually write it.

World War Z was lightly based on the novel by Max Brooks. Well, at least I believe it's lightly based since it only seems to be based on the idea of the book based on what I've read so far.

At the beginning of the movie Gerry, a former government employee, is stuck in traffic with his family, made up of his wife and two young daughters. While there in traffic a police motorcycle drives past, taking out their side mirror while police helicopters fly above. Gerry, then gets out of the car to investigate when another police motorcycle drives by and the officer yells at him to get back into the car. However before the officer can say anything else a garbage truck barrels down the road killing the officers and creating a path through the traffic which Gerry uses to get out of the area. Before they can get too far they drive into the center of the chaos and wind up hit by a car.

The following scene is complete pandemonium. People running, people screaming, people being attacked by other people acting like rabid animals. During the chaos Gerry and his family manage to hijack an abandoned RV and escape the city. Soon after they stop at a grocery to get supplies before bunkering down at an apartment building where they are helped by a hispanic family with a young son. There Gerry gets in contact with a friend from his old job at the UN. His friend asks for his location so he can send a helicopter so that they can be taken to a US Navy Vessel for safety, but there's a catch.

When he arrive it is suggested that what has happened is a zombie outbreak caused by a virus. In order to stop it from spreading further his friend tells Gerry he was brought there was to help Dr Fassbach, who is a disease specialist, find the source of the outbreak so that they may create some sort of cure. Gerry reluctantly agrees to help when it is suggested that he and his family will be sent back into the chaos if he refused. From there with a group of military personnel and the doctor they set of to follow the various clues to find the cure. 

Now for what I thought. I personally loved the movie. I kind of liked the chaos it showed with the start of a zombie apocalypse. It felt different from the sort of chaos in Resident Evil or The Walking Dead though you could probably guess that's what Raccoon City or Atlanta looked like when the zombie outbreak started. People on their phones, stuck in traffic, no clue of what's to come. Another thing I liked was the zombies themselves. They weren't shuffling idiots that only reacted to sound. They could see. They could run. They could basically climb onto each other and make a huge zombie ladder to get over the wall of Jerusalem. These zombies actually scared me and made me question how well I'd survive in a zombie apocalypse.

As for things I didn't like. There are none and even if there was it's nothing significant enough that I actually remember. So, long story short it is a must see along with some of my other favorite zombie shows and movies.

Oblivion Review

A few weeks ago I saw the movie Oblivion starring Tom Cruise (who I always confuse with Brad Pitt for some reason) and Morgan Freeman.

Oblivion is set on a post-apocalyptic Earth where all humans now live on Saturn's moon, Titan, because of the planet being destroyed by aliens that they call Scavengers (Scavs). Tom Cruise's character, Jack, is one of the only humans left on Earth along with his partner, Victoria (Vika). They are on Earth to make sure that the drones continue to run and to keep the generators, used for energy in Titan, protected from the Scav. During their time on Earth Jack has dreams about a mysterious woman that he feels he should know despite him and Vika having their memories wiped before the mission. Not only that but Jack has a constant wonderment about the world he has never know, which Vika seems to not care for, putting a strain on their relationship.

In the day time Jack goes down to Earth to patrol, repair drones, and to find any drones that are missing, while Vika stays in the command center (which is also their home) to act as the middleman between Jack and their mission commander. At night he comes back to their home in the clouds (I think it may have been on a mountain but I'm not quite sure) where he and Vika share a strangely cold yet sensual relationship with each other. One day however they find out that the Scavs are signaling some sort of vessel which later crash lands onto Earth. When Jack reaches the vessel he finds... other humans in sleep chambers. One of them being the very woman he has been dreaming of, leading him to find out that the world he knew wasn't the world they thought it was at all.


Now for my opinion. The plot itself was very interesting if not a bit tragic. It was slightly predictable but not in a bad way. In fact I had no qualms with the movie up until the end which I think could have been better. I won't explain my problem with it since it would spoil the movie a bit even though it's not THAT big of a spoiler point. I thought the concept of the movie was wonderful as well and there were certain parts I didn't expect. I thought the acting was wonderful. The cinematics were wonderful as well.

Overall it wasn't a spectacular movie. It was good and for awhile kept me wondering. Even when it was predictable it was enjoyable to watch. Like I said my only qualms was the end for two reasons; the villain was not what I expected in a kind of boring way and two the woman who Jack loved got the short end of the stick. Really if you're not into apocalyptic movies or sci-fi type movies this wouldn't be for you but otherwise it's worth a shot.

Now You See Me Review

About a couple of weeks ago I saw the movie Now You See Me. In short it is about a group of four street magicians who are brought together by a secret organization to be the Robin Hoods of magicianry. All the while they are under the scrutiny of a police investigator and an ex-magician who has made it his mission to debunk their "magic tricks", starting with their robbery of a Paris bank while being in Vegas.

First off I have to say the movie was spectacular. The special effects and "magic tricks" were so good that at one point of the movie I felt like a child in awe of a birthday party magic show. In fact if the plot were bad (which it wasn't) the special effects alone may have been enough to make me watch the movie.

Secondly, the plot kept me guessing the entire time and by the end of the movie it took such an unexpected twist that my mind was blown, that is why I won't really reveal any plot details. From the beginning you sort of ask yourself, "Who brought them together?", "How did they do that?", "When did they get the chance to do that?"! And of course because of the character played by Morgan Freeman most of the questions get answered in time. In fact after he explains some things you might even think to yourself "That was so obvious," especially in some cases if you have at least a little experience from a childhood fascination with magic. 

Though, of course, some people may argue that some things don't make sense but there's a reason for suspension of disbelief. With a movie like Now You See Me, it's definitely a time to not nitpick at every detail because it's worth the viewing and even the little bit of brain work.
However my one complaint about the movie is, well, the secret organization, "The Eye", felt like a loose end that wasn't tied by the end of the movie. We never really learned who they were, or what they do other than they like to play "Robin Hood". BUT I've seen rumors of a sequel so perhaps it will all be revealed then. Besides if there really is a sequel I will definitely be along for the ride (as will my boyfriend who LOVED the movie)

TL;DR: Would recommend

For my other reviews I really hope to talk about things in the movie more but I feel like talking about Now You See Me with more detail will either make the movie sound bad because of all the holes everywhere or ruin the plot for not trying to leave all the holes.