A pair of action movies!
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning
With the world facing a new threat Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise, still in good running form) is deployed again to do the impossible... defeat AI? Yep. Decent humor and action scenes (except one sword / knife fight with too much slash grappling instead of stabbing) can be found here, and an alright story to boot. I'm glad they dialed down the "this is what we hope will happen" scenes this time around and all up I do think its a stronger story than the previous one, but while it has all the necessary story arcs it certainly is still a "Part I", as it clearly warns in the title sequence. :P
Captain America: Brave New World
With the world powers in a race to claim the resources (adamantium, said to be better than the Wakandan's vibranium) from the newly risen Celestial Island (from the Eternals), new-ish Captain America Sam Wilson (played by Anthony Mackie) becomes tangled in a plot to try keep the peace. Much like the audience he's very self aware that he's not a super soldier, and humorously that Ant-Man kicked his butt that one time. Despite having improved shielding thanks to Wakandan tech his survival in this movie is more dependent on his plot armor and reliance on bad guys missing completely or definitely hitting the center of his shield with bullets. Better than I thought it would be, but still only recommended if you are an Anthony Mackie fan.
Showing posts with label Tom Cruise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tom Cruise. Show all posts
Tuesday, 29 April 2025
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning and Captain America: Brave New World
Sunday, 10 July 2022
Top Gun: Maverick
Talk to me Goose.
Since Maverick (Tom Cruise) never got over the events from the previous movie, which you don't really need to watch as there are quick flashback sections for it, he remains at a rank where superiors can push him around and create drama. Luckily he is also the pilot with the most dog fighting experience in recent history which is why he is recruited back into "Top Gun" to train some top tier pilots to do one particularly difficult mission.
It's a simple premise when boiled down, but it does everything perfectly - especially the flight segments. There's good tension where there needs to be, good character building, decent humor, and is captivating and entertaining at the same time. Highly, highly recommended. I give this five geese out of five.
Thursday, 29 November 2018
Mission Impossible: Fallout
Getting hit by lightning is nothing!
Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is tasked in stopping a nuclear threat and assembles a team of familiar faces to do so. His plot armor has also grown thicker in this movie as things go his way through sheer dumb luck, especially towards the finale.
The cast do a good job though, as do all the stuntmen in the extended vehicle scenes and hand to hand combat near the start. Props to Tom for all that sprint training too!
The movie has a lot of gotcha moments which are both cool and annoying, having a penchant of showing 5 minutes chunks of events that don't actually happen.
Being the sixth in the franchise, it's obviously a good idea to watch the predecessors, and while its not one I'll actively seek to watch again, I suppose I will if nothing else is on. Definitely only for action and or MI fans, I give this 3 rubber masks out of 5.
Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is tasked in stopping a nuclear threat and assembles a team of familiar faces to do so. His plot armor has also grown thicker in this movie as things go his way through sheer dumb luck, especially towards the finale.
The cast do a good job though, as do all the stuntmen in the extended vehicle scenes and hand to hand combat near the start. Props to Tom for all that sprint training too!
He's really good at running!
The movie has a lot of gotcha moments which are both cool and annoying, having a penchant of showing 5 minutes chunks of events that don't actually happen.
Being the sixth in the franchise, it's obviously a good idea to watch the predecessors, and while its not one I'll actively seek to watch again, I suppose I will if nothing else is on. Definitely only for action and or MI fans, I give this 3 rubber masks out of 5.
Tuesday, 23 October 2018
The Mummy (2017)
One very confused movie.
Nick (Tom Cruise) is a greedy soldier who values wealth over all things and when he uncovers a sarcophagus of a cursed ancient Egyptian things get very bad, and very strange.
This is one reboot that definitely doesn't work for me with characters being stupid, scary things being funny, plot points not making sense, and surprisingly a lack of acting skill for some people. Tom Cruise is good, but his character is basically unlikable.
Adding Russel Crowe's character and organization is also just ... wrong. I suspect even he knew how absurd it was based on some of his scenes. Despite some comedy bits working well and decent enough effects this isn't one I'd watch again, and only give it out 1.5 camel spiders of 5.
Nick (Tom Cruise) is a greedy soldier who values wealth over all things and when he uncovers a sarcophagus of a cursed ancient Egyptian things get very bad, and very strange.
This is one reboot that definitely doesn't work for me with characters being stupid, scary things being funny, plot points not making sense, and surprisingly a lack of acting skill for some people. Tom Cruise is good, but his character is basically unlikable.
Just kill me know sand storm. Kill me now.
Adding Russel Crowe's character and organization is also just ... wrong. I suspect even he knew how absurd it was based on some of his scenes. Despite some comedy bits working well and decent enough effects this isn't one I'd watch again, and only give it out 1.5 camel spiders of 5.
Wednesday, 17 February 2016
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
Because Logic loses to Entertainment!
Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is back with to fight "the Syndicate", an evil version of the IMF (Impossible Mission Force) just as the CIA manages to disbands the good IMF due to their unsanctioned methods. Why? Because a fully powered IMF would make this story redundant. It's also the reason why Ethan is usually cut off from their support at the start of each movie (this is the fifth installment).
While the action is great and manages to show off Rebecca Ferguson's legs at every opportunity, the plot is only "ok" for me. The first problem is the bad guy. While I do quite like how he gets his comeuppance at the end (because its a Mission Impossible movie), his entire end game and the whole reason he picks a fight with Ethan is... stupid. I thought this guy was resourceful?
Second, the security system of the place Ethan has to break into (because its a Mission Impossible movie) is ridiculous. Can you imagine trying to maintain it? Idiotic design in that one, but definitely entertaining movie wise. Why there was a time limit on Simon Pegg's part was also dumb: he could have easily waited for Ethan to finish first but hey... its a Mission Impossible movie!
The most glaring problem for me though is Ethan's ridiculous level of plot armor. After all the previous movies where normal men would have already perished this one just ups it to eleven and goes over the line of unbelievable to totally BS. Still an OK movie to watch for action buffs I guess. All up I give it three stunts out of five, and yes I would watch it again.
Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is back with to fight "the Syndicate", an evil version of the IMF (Impossible Mission Force) just as the CIA manages to disbands the good IMF due to their unsanctioned methods. Why? Because a fully powered IMF would make this story redundant. It's also the reason why Ethan is usually cut off from their support at the start of each movie (this is the fifth installment).
While the action is great and manages to show off Rebecca Ferguson's legs at every opportunity, the plot is only "ok" for me. The first problem is the bad guy. While I do quite like how he gets his comeuppance at the end (because its a Mission Impossible movie), his entire end game and the whole reason he picks a fight with Ethan is... stupid. I thought this guy was resourceful?
It's to stabilize the rifle. *cough*
Second, the security system of the place Ethan has to break into (because its a Mission Impossible movie) is ridiculous. Can you imagine trying to maintain it? Idiotic design in that one, but definitely entertaining movie wise. Why there was a time limit on Simon Pegg's part was also dumb: he could have easily waited for Ethan to finish first but hey... its a Mission Impossible movie!
The most glaring problem for me though is Ethan's ridiculous level of plot armor. After all the previous movies where normal men would have already perished this one just ups it to eleven and goes over the line of unbelievable to totally BS. Still an OK movie to watch for action buffs I guess. All up I give it three stunts out of five, and yes I would watch it again.
Wednesday, 24 June 2015
Jack Reacher
Starts out strong but becomes more and more silly as the running time goes by.
A sniper decides to take down five people in the middle of a city. After being quickly apprehended, the suspect asks for the ghost, ex-military police officer Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) . This is a pretty odd move considering Reacher actually is predisposed to leaving said sniper to his guilt, but is eventually persuaded by the sniper's somewhat dumb defense attorney (Rosamund Pike) to help her investigate the case impartially. Why does he choose to help?
This flick starts out super strong for me. I especially like that it is very long before a single word is even uttered, and the way they film their panning shots makes for interesting viewing. It's also very entertaining to watch Reacher use his Sherlock skills and close quarter combat throughout the piece, yet still have a number of humorous pieces throughout a supposedly serious movie. There's also little computer generated stuff here, relying on stunt drivers and people which makes it pretty grounded: thumbs up for me there.
Unfortunately the great start is undone somewhat by the really dumb bad guys. I can forgive the lower level fools for screwing up but when the big bad "boogeyman" (who is actually quite a cripple when you think about it) starts screwing up big time by being too jumpy it lessens the tension somewhat. Off the top of my head I could think of a few alternatives he could have done to prevent his whole ploy falling like a house of cards but nope - he's a moron. I guess they couldn't think of any other way to fit the action pieces in there and to let Reacher actually win. Anywho, it's a good enough film to watch once - but not really any more than that. I give Jack Reacher two and a half bullets out of five.
A sniper decides to take down five people in the middle of a city. After being quickly apprehended, the suspect asks for the ghost, ex-military police officer Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) . This is a pretty odd move considering Reacher actually is predisposed to leaving said sniper to his guilt, but is eventually persuaded by the sniper's somewhat dumb defense attorney (Rosamund Pike) to help her investigate the case impartially. Why does he choose to help?
*sarcastic* No idea at all.
This flick starts out super strong for me. I especially like that it is very long before a single word is even uttered, and the way they film their panning shots makes for interesting viewing. It's also very entertaining to watch Reacher use his Sherlock skills and close quarter combat throughout the piece, yet still have a number of humorous pieces throughout a supposedly serious movie. There's also little computer generated stuff here, relying on stunt drivers and people which makes it pretty grounded: thumbs up for me there.
Unfortunately the great start is undone somewhat by the really dumb bad guys. I can forgive the lower level fools for screwing up but when the big bad "boogeyman" (who is actually quite a cripple when you think about it) starts screwing up big time by being too jumpy it lessens the tension somewhat. Off the top of my head I could think of a few alternatives he could have done to prevent his whole ploy falling like a house of cards but nope - he's a moron. I guess they couldn't think of any other way to fit the action pieces in there and to let Reacher actually win. Anywho, it's a good enough film to watch once - but not really any more than that. I give Jack Reacher two and a half bullets out of five.
Monday, 8 June 2015
Edge of Tomorrow
He can live forever if he just dies everyday!
Aliens have invaded the world (possibly by accident) and are doing an exceptional job of conquest due to their unique nature. Tom Cruise, who is nowhere close to a battle ready soldier, is sent to the front and by chance gains the ability to reset the day... by dying. This actually takes away some of the concern the audience may have for the characters and indeed it is played out for some pretty funny laughs. The resets are also a clever way to reuse CGI with just a few changes, and one I didn't mind at all.
Apart from the time shifting part though, it's a pretty standard fare for an "alien invasion" theme where they happen to have one (or very few) lynchpin(s) that, once overcome by the heroes, suddenly means the aliens are screwed. That's not to say it's a bad movie. It's pretty entertaining, violent, and pretty cool to see Cruise's character improve and get ever more tired with each iteration of the day. I give it three funny deaths out of five, and while I'm not rushing out the door to buy its DVD, I wouldn't mind watching it again.
Aliens have invaded the world (possibly by accident) and are doing an exceptional job of conquest due to their unique nature. Tom Cruise, who is nowhere close to a battle ready soldier, is sent to the front and by chance gains the ability to reset the day... by dying. This actually takes away some of the concern the audience may have for the characters and indeed it is played out for some pretty funny laughs. The resets are also a clever way to reuse CGI with just a few changes, and one I didn't mind at all.
His multiple deaths make the movie better than it should be.
Apart from the time shifting part though, it's a pretty standard fare for an "alien invasion" theme where they happen to have one (or very few) lynchpin(s) that, once overcome by the heroes, suddenly means the aliens are screwed. That's not to say it's a bad movie. It's pretty entertaining, violent, and pretty cool to see Cruise's character improve and get ever more tired with each iteration of the day. I give it three funny deaths out of five, and while I'm not rushing out the door to buy its DVD, I wouldn't mind watching it again.
Thursday, 6 June 2013
Your reward is Crabs
Part of my Explorer of Tyria journal - you can find the rest here!
As the "Secret of Southsun" draws to a close I can only speculate on the many questions left unanswered by this living story arc, mainly "WTF was this crap?". With the cowards (ahem, refugees) from the previous storyline relocated into Consortium slave-labour of Southsun Cove all the action was taking place on that not so little island paradise/hell. Quelling riots and running about re-exploring the island for weird flora samples were actually the highlight for me, but really there was not a lot of quest direction given at all so for achievement hunters the best bet was still to go ask Dulfy. A new PvP game called Crab tossing was also introduced where you basically use the young of the highly dangerous local crustaceans as a ball which for me was ok entertainment but got dull really quick since I'm not a PvP sort of guy.
Story-wise there were basically only two main things to do: recapture the sylvari terrorist Canach personally (because the Lionguard and Consortium are completely inept) and escort the contract papers out to a waiting ship, which is a little weird given there was a working asura teleporter right there. Both of those were solo quests which is great, and the second one was actually pretty fun and had a good twist. The first one was quite crap, given that regardless of your class/previous experience in the game - the only thing you needed to be now is a minesweeper. Literally. Canach was on god mode, and the only way to beat him was with his -own- mines. If that doesn't make sense, wait till I tell you about the new Karka Queen Mega-Meta event where the only way to remove her armor is by throwing her own eggs at her. On second thought, I won't bother. It's amazing people are paid to make this stupidity.
I guess the storyline was successful in that it managed to bring people back to the island, but if people are going to voluntarily stay there afterwards despite the terrible wildlife and faecal rewards (an ANet staple as they have a serious aversion to handing out gold, or letting people gain wealth other than from the Trading Post) is another matter as there are easier places to get already. Coming up next, the Dragon Festival in the only city that matters to Anet: Lion's Arch... again. Starting to wonder why they bothered making the other cities to begin with. They could always cycle the location of the festival/events but nope.
As the "Secret of Southsun" draws to a close I can only speculate on the many questions left unanswered by this living story arc, mainly "WTF was this crap?". With the cowards (ahem, refugees) from the previous storyline relocated into Consortium slave-labour of Southsun Cove all the action was taking place on that not so little island paradise/hell. Quelling riots and running about re-exploring the island for weird flora samples were actually the highlight for me, but really there was not a lot of quest direction given at all so for achievement hunters the best bet was still to go ask Dulfy. A new PvP game called Crab tossing was also introduced where you basically use the young of the highly dangerous local crustaceans as a ball which for me was ok entertainment but got dull really quick since I'm not a PvP sort of guy.
Story-wise there were basically only two main things to do: recapture the sylvari terrorist Canach personally (because the Lionguard and Consortium are completely inept) and escort the contract papers out to a waiting ship, which is a little weird given there was a working asura teleporter right there. Both of those were solo quests which is great, and the second one was actually pretty fun and had a good twist. The first one was quite crap, given that regardless of your class/previous experience in the game - the only thing you needed to be now is a minesweeper. Literally. Canach was on god mode, and the only way to beat him was with his -own- mines. If that doesn't make sense, wait till I tell you about the new Karka Queen Mega-Meta event where the only way to remove her armor is by throwing her own eggs at her. On second thought, I won't bother. It's amazing people are paid to make this stupidity.
His defences are down NOW! Attack quickly before he gets a towel!
I guess the storyline was successful in that it managed to bring people back to the island, but if people are going to voluntarily stay there afterwards despite the terrible wildlife and faecal rewards (an ANet staple as they have a serious aversion to handing out gold, or letting people gain wealth other than from the Trading Post) is another matter as there are easier places to get already. Coming up next, the Dragon Festival in the only city that matters to Anet: Lion's Arch... again. Starting to wonder why they bothered making the other cities to begin with. They could always cycle the location of the festival/events but nope.
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