ajs-10
Joined Jul 2000
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ajs-10's rating
The opening sequence of the film is very well done (IMO); it sets up the story very well and leaves enough mystery to keep the audience guessing. Unfortunately the film cannot sustain this level for long and pretty soon we're back to the usual 'big robots hitting each other in the streets of America' scenario that (personally) I've seen enough of.
On the plus side, there were some nice comic moments mainly provided by John Turturro and Alan Tudyk. I will also give a nod to the guys that did the CGI, it's all top-notch stuff and some of it is quite spectacular. On the downside I found many of the human characters irritating, in particular Sam Witwicky. He comes over as a bit of a petulant kid when he doesn't get the job he wants. Carly; well I guess she was just there to show off her curves, but as we all know, Michael Bay likes curves. I guess the whole franchise doesn't quite work for me because the filmmakers are so insistent on putting human traits on alien beings. Every robot, whether it be Autobot or Decepticon has to have a character and most of the time and in a lot of cases, it just makes them look stupid. Over all, not one I'll be watching again but I guess there will be a lot of fifteen year old boys out there that'll love it!... NOT RECOMMENDED.
My score: 4.2/10 IMDb Score: 6.3/10 (based on 141,806 votes at the time of going to press).
MetaScore: 42/100: (Based on 37 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes 'Tomatometer' Score: 35/100 (based on 235 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes 'Audience' Score: 67/100 (based on 124,673 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.
On the plus side, there were some nice comic moments mainly provided by John Turturro and Alan Tudyk. I will also give a nod to the guys that did the CGI, it's all top-notch stuff and some of it is quite spectacular. On the downside I found many of the human characters irritating, in particular Sam Witwicky. He comes over as a bit of a petulant kid when he doesn't get the job he wants. Carly; well I guess she was just there to show off her curves, but as we all know, Michael Bay likes curves. I guess the whole franchise doesn't quite work for me because the filmmakers are so insistent on putting human traits on alien beings. Every robot, whether it be Autobot or Decepticon has to have a character and most of the time and in a lot of cases, it just makes them look stupid. Over all, not one I'll be watching again but I guess there will be a lot of fifteen year old boys out there that'll love it!... NOT RECOMMENDED.
My score: 4.2/10 IMDb Score: 6.3/10 (based on 141,806 votes at the time of going to press).
MetaScore: 42/100: (Based on 37 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes 'Tomatometer' Score: 35/100 (based on 235 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes 'Audience' Score: 67/100 (based on 124,673 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.
Made in a very realistic style which, as with his directorial debut, 'Gone Baby Gone' (2007), matches the mood of the piece really well. All the performances were excellent, but I particularly liked Rebecca Hall as Claire Keesey, Jeremy Renner as James Coughlin and Blake Lively as his sister, Krista Coughlin; all three put in sterling performances. Of course, Ben Affleck proved once again what a fine actor he is as Doug MacRay. Also worthy of note were; Jon Hamm as FBI S.A. Adam Frawley, Slaine as Albert 'Gloansy' Magloan, Owen Burke as Desmond Elden, Titus Welliver as Dino Ciampa and finally a mention for Pete Postlethwaite as 'The Florist', Fergus 'Fergie' Colm in one of his last roles.
A complicated plot that's quite heavy on dialogue in places, but there are some very nicely put together action scenes in there too. There are several threads to the story that all tie up in the end, although the poignant ending does leave the audience guessing to some extent. I must say I did enjoy this film with its multi-layered plot and, at times, edgy style. It's certainly one I would give another viewing to at some point in the future Recommended.
My score: 8.3/10.
IMDb Score: 7.6/10 (based on 118,712 votes at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes 'Tomatometer' Score: 94/100 (based on 210 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes 'Audience' Score: 83/100 (based on 110,251 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.
A complicated plot that's quite heavy on dialogue in places, but there are some very nicely put together action scenes in there too. There are several threads to the story that all tie up in the end, although the poignant ending does leave the audience guessing to some extent. I must say I did enjoy this film with its multi-layered plot and, at times, edgy style. It's certainly one I would give another viewing to at some point in the future Recommended.
My score: 8.3/10.
IMDb Score: 7.6/10 (based on 118,712 votes at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes 'Tomatometer' Score: 94/100 (based on 210 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes 'Audience' Score: 83/100 (based on 110,251 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.
Very well shot with some truly spectacular driving stunts and special effects; the driving in this film is really excellent; hats off to all those involved in the stunt work! As for performances, well everybody did a decent job; Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto and Paul Walker as Brian O'Conner, reprising roles from previous instalments were just as good as they were in the first film. Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto did a decent job, as did Dwayne Johnson as the no-nonsense cop, Luke Hobbs. Also worthy of note were; Tyrese Gibson as Roman Pearce, Ludicrous as Tej Parker, Matt Schulze as Vince and Joaquim de Almeida as Hernen Reyes.
You'd have thought a film about big men driving fast cars wouldn't be all that appealing, but this one does have a bit of something about it. No, it's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it is entertaining in its own way and I can't knock it for that. The stunt work is excellent and the plot isn't all that bad as either. It does, however, require some knowledge of at least some of the previous films involving the main characters though. It works quite well as a caper/heist movie with a bit of an edge to it, although I did find a little too much time was spent with the 'good guys'. The city of Rio features very prominently and, for me, was also a bit of a star of the show. Over all, although it's not a great film, it's an entertaining film and one I have no problem in deeming Recommended.
My Score: 7.2/10 IMDb Score: 7.3/10 (based on 105,098 votes at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes 'Tomatometer' Score: 78/100 (based on 180 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes 'Audience' Score: 83/100 (based on 104,318 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.
You'd have thought a film about big men driving fast cars wouldn't be all that appealing, but this one does have a bit of something about it. No, it's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it is entertaining in its own way and I can't knock it for that. The stunt work is excellent and the plot isn't all that bad as either. It does, however, require some knowledge of at least some of the previous films involving the main characters though. It works quite well as a caper/heist movie with a bit of an edge to it, although I did find a little too much time was spent with the 'good guys'. The city of Rio features very prominently and, for me, was also a bit of a star of the show. Over all, although it's not a great film, it's an entertaining film and one I have no problem in deeming Recommended.
My Score: 7.2/10 IMDb Score: 7.3/10 (based on 105,098 votes at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes 'Tomatometer' Score: 78/100 (based on 180 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
Rotten Tomatoes 'Audience' Score: 83/100 (based on 104,318 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.