Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Movie Name: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Language: English
Genre: Drama, Action, Sci-fi

I saw Planet of the Apes long time back. I did not enjoy that movie much and I was not much enthusiastic about its prequel either. Yet I decided to watch it for the lack of any other fiction.

The story revolves around a genetics scientist named Will Rodman played by James Franco who is experimenting with drugs to cure Alzheimer diseases. He takes one newborn chimpanzee at his home and names it "Caesar" as its mother dies in an accident. The chimp retains the effects of the drugs that were administered to its mother. It evolves physically and mentally. Due to certain situation, Will is forced to leave Caesar with the animal care facility. There Caesar encounters firsthand human - cruelty and loneliness. His trust in humanity is destroyed. It uses its enhanced capabilities to save other apes and takes the role of their leader. The movie ends with the portrayal of spread of an infectious disease which affects only humans. In such way it demonstrates the start of a new era when Apes are destined to rule the planet.

I liked the movie due to great direction and script. It was way better than the first installment. The main cast is Caesar. Animation and graphics has done really great to show the inner turmoil and emotions of the animal which has far greater abilities than human, yet is being treated like a pet. Tom Felton has performed the despicable character of cruel animal care attendant very well. Others do not have much to do. Graphics sequences are great. This movie is a must for all cinema goers.

My ratings are 4.5/5.0

Captain America: The First Avenger

Movie Name: Captain America- The First Avenger
Language: English
Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-fi

I watched this movie with many expectations, as it is based on a popular comics character. The movie did well but it cannot be compared to other movies based on comics’ characters.

The movie is about Steve Rogers played by Chris Evans, who solely wants to serve his country. He tries several times to enlist into US Army during World War II yet he fails miserably due to his health problems and weak physical structure. An army scientist sees the potential of good in him and gives him the opportunity to serve the country by being a part of the experiment to create the super soldier. The experiment enhances his physique, strength, and speed thereby converting him into Captain America. Rest of the movie is about Captain America as he finds his place in society and serves his country with his life. The climax leaves the possibilities for future installments in the series.

The movie could have used some editing. Viewer has to wait for a long time to enjoy some action because much time is spent in building up the story until the creation of Captain America. Chris Evans has done well yet he does not have physique as portrayed in comics. Hugo Weaving has played the role of antagonist named Red Skull. He was not able to invent anything for the character and looked very much similar to Agent Smith in Matrix. The movie fails to make its place among various movies that are based on comics. Only hardcore fans of action or comics will appreciate the effort spent on making a movie that introduces a superhero, Captain America.

My ratings are 3.0/5.0

Transformers III - Dark of The Moon

Movie Name: Transformers III - Dark of The Moon
Genre: Action, Sci-fi, Romance
Language: English

Finally I got chance to watch the latest Transformers movie. I did not expect it to be so long (~150 Minutes), yet I liked the movie very much.

The story follows from the second part of the movie. Sam (played by Shia LaBeouf) is confused about his life as he does not want to continue to some mundane job after saving the planet in first two movies. He has broken up with his last girlfriend and is in relationship with Carly (played by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley). This time earth faces the danger from the new found member of Autobots, Centennial Prime. Megatron along with Shockwave, a new addition to Decepticons team helps Centennial Prime to bring Cybertron to earth. Rest of the plot, follows the ordeal of Sam and Autobots-team lead by Optimus Prime, as they thwart the plans of villains. The script beautifully contains the story within 2.5 hours. The story justifies the length of the movie.

The movie is all about action sequences which are directed beautifully. This time, movie does not dwell much on the dramatic sequences. There are many renowned actors in the movie, but the movie does not do any justification with all of them. Anyway, it is all about Transformers, not humans :-) In sum, for Transformers' fans it is a great movie but for others it is a bit complicated to understand and just a mix of great action sequences.

My ratings are 4.0/5.0

Paul

Movie Name: Paul
Genre: Action, Drama, Comedy, Sci-fi
Language: English

I was not specifically looking for this movie as already various movies are available about aliens. But I made a decision to watch the movie due to the story writes Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. I liked the story and the movie way more than other alien movies.

The movie is about two comic enthusiasts from England who travels to USA to visit Comic-con and travel across to the sites which are associated with aliens, such as Area 51. They meet “Paul”, a hitchhiking alien who was captured by human in 1950 in the way. He asks them to take him to some distinct place. Some government agents are following Paul to capture him. The whole movie is about chase to detain Paul. In the way they meet with variety of people, a father daughter duo who believes aliens are devil, some goofy agents, a woman who lived all her life proving existence of alien life. The movie reminds you E.T. but in the modern setting with much experience of human interactions. Paul smokes, curses and makes you laugh. He is an alien yet has all the human feelings of friendship, trust and loyalty. Paul makes you to fell in love with him instantly.

The acting is authentic by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. But the highlight of the movie is alien “Paul”. Seth Rogen has done brilliant voice acting work as Paul. The locations and set-up are authentic and characters funny. Story is great with some good direction. The movie stands firmly against so many other fantasy movie released recently. If you are fed up with low lying aliens or anti human aliens than go watch this movie. It gives a different take on the alien hypothesis. The movie is funny and witty. It is a great comic drama.

My ratings are 4.0/5.0

Source Code

Movie Name: Source Code
Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-fi
Language: English

Recently Jake Gyllenhaal has done some impressive work in the movies. Source Code can also be cited as one of them. The movie is all about his performance.

The story is about an Army captain who wakes up in a train to Chicago. He is in someone else body and after some time the train is destroyed in a bomb blast. Our hero wakes up again in some close bunker type of place where he is informed about some Army project “Source Code” which helps him to live as another person’s last 8 minutes of life which died in a bomb blast. The government is trying to find the bomber with the project to avoid another blast as the first one was just an indication. In due course, hero learns that he is also dead and being used in the project as his mind is still functioning. Rest of the movie is about various trips to the past and living the same moments again to find the bomber. During the mission hero falls in love with a fellow passenger and gains the will to live on. The movie ends with a happy note with a different explanation for future – present - past analogy.

The movie reminds me “Déjà vu” where Denzal Washingon tries the same with similar machine. The freshness is achieved as Jake can relive only the last 8 minutes of some person’s life. So he tries to utilize the same in various ways. The story is bounding but a bit difficult to grasp even for science fiction fans. The cinematography is great. Jake has emerged as excellent actor with the movie. There is nothing much to do for other actors. The movie is short and interesting but not entirely innovative, yet a must for science fiction fans.

My ratings are 3.5/5.0