Star Wars The Force Awakens Movie Review

A long time after the movie was released, I finally wrote a review…..

Okay so I saw Star Wars (a couple of weeks ago) and it is definitely something that needs to be talked about. I’m sorry I’m a little late with this one (and the Danger Days review is also on it’s way) but I was gone on vacation for the entire span of opening weekend and week. I had a good vacation though and now I’m back. Let the reviewing of one of the most hyped movies of this generation begin……

mv5bmjmyoti5mjc5nf5bml5banbnxkftztgwotu0oduznte-_v1__sx1303_sy591_
Rey (played by Daisey Ridley) and Finn (played by John Boyega) are running from a Tie Fighter Photo courtesy of IMDB found here.

The Story

Alright let me say this first: this movie is worth seeing. It is a way better experience than those prequels that plagued the screens all those years ago. J.J Abrams has brought a beloved series back from the dead and did a great job doing it. One thing I must admit, (because there is really no way around mentioning this) is that the story is very familiar. The writers of this movie seemed to have pulled a lot of story concepts from previous movies and put it into this movie. Now I won’t lie, the story is fun to watch and a great, nostalgic experience but with updated visuals and new characters. I won’t be explaining much of the plot of keeping this review spoiler free, but you should know that it is an enjoyable ride. When you look at the plot as a whole it can be easily confused with the plot of another Star Wars movie (trust me, you’ll know which one it is similar too).  In my opinion, it is the small story arcs that really made this story interesting to me. When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I had so many questions that needed answering. In this movie they were in fact answered, but the movie also gave me even more questions to be answered. Some of these questions are just for the pure joy of nitpicking but some of them are questions that I need answering NOW (and there’s still seventeen months to the next movie).  So yes, the story will feel familiar but there are also a ton of new things that will catch your attention. This is a new generation of Star Wars and frankly, I’m excited to see the universe continue to grow with new ideas.

The Characters/Actors

This movie was structured around introducing new faces and filled in with some old faces from the original trilogy. Your heart will flutter from seeing old faces such as Han and Chewbacca, and your mind will peak with interest from seeing new faces such as Rey and Kylo Ren. Everyone really does a spectacular job on the acting side. Despite the short screen time they have together, you can tell that Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Isaac) have this great chemistry. You can tell right from the get-go that the pair will make a great friendship for the movie trilogy. I look forward to seeing those two on screen yet again in 17 months. There was such a vibrant life on screen when those two were on it. I actually think that is one of my favorite things about the movie. Rey (Daisy Ridley) is surrounded in mystery which makes her all the more exciting to the viewer. Like the story, this movie leaves a lot of questions about the characters, specifically the new ones. Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Carrie Fisher return as well and it’s awesome.

mv5bmtyxotk4mdkxmf5bml5banbnxkftztgwnzu0oduznte-_v1__sx1303_sy591_
The new villain, Kylo Ren, is played by Adam Driver Photo is courtesy of Imdb found here.

They’re still the same characters but you can tell that it’s been a long thirty years full of history and happenings (Which I’m also really wanting to see or read about). Seeing these characters back on screen is amazing and a whole lot of fun. Oh and how could I forget our new villain, Kylo Ren? I love him. Yes, I said it. LOVE. I’ve seen more than a handful of wannabe critiques in comment sections just write him off as a little brat who has no character development but that’s not necessarily true. Trust me, he’s a brat but there’s a little more too him than that. For the sake of spoilers I won’t go in-depth about him. If you wanna read my opinion on that, then you’ll have to request a spoiler review. Overall, I was very satisfied with the acting and the characters in this movie. I’m excited to see what is yet to come for the characters in the series.

The Verdict………… 4.0 out of 5

  • Great build up to release
  • borrows elements from past Star Wars movies
  • New Actors play great characters
  • Han and Chewbacca are in it

Anyways that is my review for Star Wars The Force Awakens! Once again, I apologize about how late this review is. The funny thing is, I actually started this review a couple of weeks ago, right after I saw the movie. Anyways, thank you for reading. If you liked it, why don’t you just click the subscribe button on the sidebar over there? Yeah that’s the one. Share the review with your friends! What did you like about the movie (if you liked it at all that is)? What didn’t you like? Check out my other reviews!

Check out my movie reviews here!

Check out my music reviews here!

Check out my book reviews here!

Header image is courtesy of Imdb.com found here.

Star Wars The Force Awakens (New Trailer)

(My insides are bursting with joy!)

Okay so if you haven’t heard yet, a new Star Wars trailer premiered last night during monday night football. Let me just say that this is the best one yet. The trailer introduces the new characters with a bit of dialogue to give you a hint about their story. Rey (played by Daisy Ridley) seems to be some sort of scavenger on Tatooine. Finn (played by John Boyega) is a stormtrooper that seems to have “nothing left to fight for.” We finally get to hear Kylo Ren speak which was pretty awesome! His voice kind of reminds me of Darth Vader’s voice actually. There is breathing that resembles Darth Vader’s in the trailer but I don’t know it it’s Kylo Ren’s breathing or Darth Vader’s. Probably Darth Vader’s. Then Han Solo shows up to tell Rey and Finn that all of the stories they have heard about the wars were true. Does that mean that the wars that have happened in the past (i.e the Clone Wars, the Galactic Civil War) were secret? If so then how? I mean the battles that took place were pretty large scale and took place across the galaxy. I’m just speculating on the possibilities here. The rest of the trailer shows various scenes in the movie. A lot of action scenes of TIE fighters being shot down by X-wings. Another scene of the Millennium Falcon flying around a wrecked star destroyer. One of my favorite scenes was the one where Leia is hugging Han Solo. I was so excited when they announced that Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and Mark Hamill would be reprising their roles in this movie and I am very much looking forward to seeing it on the screen! What are your thoughts on the trailer? What was your favorite part of the trailer? CHeck it out below and leave a comment! Thank you!

By the way, I’m really sorry that I haven’t been posting much lately. I’ve been focused on a lot of other things lately such as school and my band Just Alice. I promise I’ll start posting a little more!      

Inside Out Review

Pixar?!?!?

I almost did not see this movie actually. When I first saw the trailers, there was nothing that convinced me to see it, besides the fact that it was Pixar. Eventually I gave in and decided to see it. I do not regret it. I’d even go as far as saying this movie is now one of my favorite Pixar movies of a time. This movie was an absolutely brilliant piece of work that is worthy of capturing all audience’s attention. If you have a family, this movie is perfect for you! If you don’t, this movie is still perfect for you! Let me just lay it out for you, and you can just decide for yourself.

The story

The story starts with the birth of Riley (played by Kaitlyn Dias). Riley is thee main character kind of. Shortly after Riley is born, Joy (played by Amy Poehler) is created in Riley’s head. Joy can make Riley feel joy by pressing a button in the control room (Riley’s mind). Pretty soon after Joy is created, she is joined by others, such as: Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust. Together, they become responsible for what Riley is feeling. For example, if Riley is scared, it’s because Fear pressed the button in the control room. If Riley is sad, it’s because Sadness pressed the button, and so on. I think it goes without saying that this is a really original concept. Pixar executes it perfectly too. It’s not only a light hearted comedy about your emotions going berserk, but it also has several touching moments that will make you tear up (they made me). Throughout Riley’s life, she is controlled by the emotions in her head, which in turn creates memories which are stored in her mind. The memory could be a joyful one, a fearful one, a sad one, an angry one, or a disgusting one. There are also core memories, which are the very important memories. They are the kind of memories that add to Riley’s personality, and make her who she is. Long story short, the core memories, along with Joy and Sadness, are sucked out of the control room and end up in some other part of Riley’s mind. With the core memories gone, Riley starts to fall apart, and with only Anger, Disgust, and Fear there to control her emotions, things get pretty out of hand. Joy and Sadness have to find a way to fix them and get back to the control room, before it’s too late and Riley does something irrational. Like I said, it’s a pretty original concept filled with laugh out loud moments and touching moments.

The Characters

Pixar had the perfect cast for every one of these characters. Everyone does an excellent job of portraying and voicing their characters. I absolutely loved Lewis Black as Anger (I think Anger was my favorite character) along with Bill Hader as Fear. These two characters stuck out to me the most because those actors did such an awesome job at voicing them. The rest of the cast did just as well, following an awesome script written by awesome people. I think that every character made me laugh at one point in the movie, and I liked that. It was a very colorful cast of characters (literally) that will keep you smiling till the end.

The Verdict……….5.0 out of 5.0

I really enjoyed this movie. I think it’s the best Pixar movie they’ve made in awhile, and I hope they continue to think like this in the future. This is a great movie for anyone and I’d recommend it to anyone who has a love for Pixar. So who was your favorite character in this movie? How did I do on this review? Leave a comment below! Share this with your friends if you liked it! Subscribe if you want to see more in the future! And last but not least, thank you for reading this! It means so much! you are awesome! Check out my other reviews as well!

Check out my movie reviews here!

Check out my music reviews here!

Check out my book reviews here!

Furious 7 Review

LONG LIVE FAST AND FURIOUS! 

This blockbuster movie franchise seems to be turning into one of those series that will continue on no matter what. This is the 7th installment in the Fast and Furious franchise, which means they have made as much installments as the Saw franchise (so forgive me if I’m wrong but shouldn’t that mean that we should start making jokes about how long this movie franchise is now?). The franchise is still making a ton of money so that probably means that there will be more on the way (yes even after what happened to Paul Walker). But for now, let’s just review this one.

The Story

SO if you don’t know the story behind the characters of Fast and Furious it is actually quite simple: just about every person that is in this movie is an adrenaline junkie. They know how to find a thrill and they have a great time doing it too. There was a very consistent story all the way to Fast 5, where in my opinion, the main story was concluded (Seriously Fast 5 had the best ending ever). If you saw the 6th movie then there isn’t a whole lot to catch up to. Turns out Shaw in the 6th movie has a big brother. Well once the big brother hears about the crew that took down his brother he decides to come after them too. That is the basic premise for the story, not much else. The story itself is super predictable and isn’t anything super significant. It’s actually a lot like the 6th one (I’m afraid they will all be a lot more similar after the 5th one). 

The Action

But who cares about the story right? We are all here for the action! And let me just say, the action does not disappoint. As unrealistic as the action sequences have become (there will be a few scenes that will make you question it, trust me) you still can’t help but have fun with it. This movie is made purely for action junkies and it does not disappoint. Even when you might be questioning if this would really happen this way, you can’t help but enjoy watching it. The movie knows it’s being unrealistic, and it uses that to it’s own advantage. There is a lot of cgi in this movie and you notice it but it doesn’t necessarily take away from the fun, just something you notice. All in all though, it is a great mindless action packed flick!

The Characters/Actors (and Dialogue)

We have all the classic characters back! Every actor from the past two Fast and Furious movies has come back to reprise their roles for this movie. The acting is spot on of course, since the same actors have been molding these characters into their own for the past few years. The movie has solid acting throughout. The actual characters are all very well done too. They all continue to contribute in some way to the story. Any time a character in this series dies you really feel the loss of that character. The crew just doesn’t feel the same without them, and I think that is all thanks to the actors and the writing and the chemistry that is had between the actors. You really grow to care about the characters which really helps the movie. The movie is filled with the most cheesy one liners too. It’s actually quite funny, but still just really cheesy.

The Verdict………. 3.8 out of 5

  • awesome action scenes
  • great acting
  • very cheesy dialogue (whether that adds or takes away is your opinion)
  • very unrealistic 
  • super predictable

Happy Easter!!!!!

So what did you guys think of my review? Have any comments of your own? Leave one below! If you liked the review share this with your friends! Help this website grow! Subscribe through your email! Check out my other reviews too!

Check out my movie reviews here!

Check out my music reviews here!

check out my book reviews here!

Follow me on Twitter! @clbjack97

The Weekend Pick

At the Theater: Furious 73098219447_a5218d049a_o

When I first saw this trailer, I must admit I got very excited, which is very big for me, because if you know me well enough, you know that I haven’t liked what they did with the Fast and Furious franchise (still wish they stopped at 5). Needless to say though, this is the big blockbuster that has hit the theaters this weekend. I have heard good things about it from a few people and I am actually going to the movies this weekend to see it myself. I will write my own review just for you guys and have it up soon! If you want to go to the movies, and are in the mood for an action blockbuster with some crazy ridiculously unrealistic stunts? I think Furious 7 is just the movie for you.

A Netflix Movie: How to Train Your Dragon 2

If you haven’t seen this academy-nominated movie yet, then now is your chance (if you saw the first one of course)! Many people might think they’d be too old for a movie like this but it isn’t true. This movie has been enjoyed by people of all ages, since it held morals and lessons for adults and kids alike. Plus, who doesn’t love a good ‘kids’ movie every once in awhile? This movie is perfect no matter how old you are! You should give the movie a chance if you haven’t seen it and even if you have seen it, watch it again (why not?)!

A Netflix3078317546_3ae4f052b5_o Show: Bloodline

So I don’t know if anyone has heard about this show or watched it (I haven’t heard anything from anyone), but when I first saw the trailer to this show my interest was drawn. I just started watching it and I am really enjoying it actually. This is the show I plan to binge this weekend and I recommend that you at least try it! You might be surprised! Basically the show is about a family that all live close together. The parents run a hotel and the children are grown up, married, have jobs. There is one sibling however, who is the “black sheep” of the family, who moved away and cut off almost all contact with his family. He comes back though, and a series of events start to unfold around his homecoming.

A Book: Looking for AlaskaIMG_0120

Ah yes, another John Green book for us to sink our teeth in. The writer of The Fault in Our Stars has written other books that will break your heart and this book is one of them. I have just finished reading this book, and I’m currently reviewing it for your pleasure. I would recommend this book for any book lover that loves a good story. Despite John’s ability to break our hearts, he is a very talented story teller. I may have already read this, but that doesn’t mean you can pick up a copy and spend a little time reading this weekend!

Thank you!

Thank you for reading my Weekend Pick! Comment below what you plan to do for Easter weekend? If you like this post, share it with your friends! if you didn’t like the post, leave a comment below telling me why, so I can see what I can do about that. Check out my other pages too! This website is slowly growing and I hope it only grows more! Subscribe through the email if you want to be notified whenever I publish a new review!

Check out my movie reviews here!

Check out my music reviews here!

follow me on Twitter! @clbjack97