Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World Movie Review

Rating: 8.5

Scott Pilgrim vs. The world tells the story of Scott, a teenager dating a Chinese high schooler, Knives Chau, who still hasn’t recovered after his former girlfriend cheated on him. One day, Scott falls in love with Ramona Flowers. He must break up with Knives and defeat Ramona’s evil exes in order to win her heart.

I didn’t expect very much going in to see Scott Pilgrim vs. the world. I expected a good fun time move that I would forget in 2 hours. But I got a lot more than that. This is the film that stands out than any other films out there. It is different. It is unique. And it is original.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the world is an excellent film for what it needed to be. It was a fun time where I never had to look at my watch during the entire course of the movie. Edgar Wright, the acclaimed director of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the dead, did a magnificent job directing this movie. The visuals look great. The comedy was hilarious. The battle scenes were epic. The storyline was great. And the performances in this film were phenomenal.

With an ensemble cast of such up and coming actors as Michael Cera, Anna Kendrick, Chris Evans, and Brandon Routh, Scott Pilgrim is a film full of great performances. Everyone portrayed their respective roles very well especially Michael Cera, who portrayed the main character Scott in this film. He carried the film from the beginning to end, and portrayed Scott to perfection.

However, the main character is nothing without his/her supporting actors. Supporting actors including Johnny Simmons, Ellen Wong, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aubrey Plaza, Kieran Culkin, and Alison Pill, who helped Michael Cera carry the film. They all did great in their parts. A lot of them helped with the comedy aspect of the film. A special mention must go to Mary Elizabeth Winstead who was both good in both comedic and dramatic scenes.

The only complain I have for this film is that I hoped the battle scenes would get more epic as the film goes on. But it didn’t. They are all equally epic, which is not actually a bad thing at all, except the last battle scene with Gideon which is the most epic battle in the film.

The action scenes in this film are shot perfectly. They aren’t intense, real, action scenes you would normally see in an action movie. They are shot in a kinda cartoon-ish way. The visuals look like some video game we played as a kid which is all fun to watch. The film flows very well with all the gimmicky sequences, songs, and battle sequences the director put in.

All in all, Scott Pilgrim vs. the world is not a masterpiece by any means. It was just a well directed, acted, and written film. I recommend it to anyone who wants to escape reality and have fun for a couple of hours. The film is very well made, please see it if you haven’t already.

Whale Rider Dramatic Monologue - Kahu, Pai

I am about to perform the last act of the show , the most important one, the one I have been practicing for weeks, and he is not here. My Paka is not here. Can’t I be the most important thing in his life just for one night, this one night? Why can’t I matter just for this one night? I wish he would love me the way I love him.

My name is Kahu. I am named after the great Kahutia Te Rangi, the golden master, the original whale rider, who led our tribe to the land of Aotearoa ions ago. I am a proud descendent of Koro Apirana, whom I call Paka, the big chief of our tribe and town, Whangara.

I am a girl longing to be loved by my grandfather. The leaders of our tribe, since the time of my ancestor Paikea, have always been males. I understand that it is a sacred tradition for a grandfather to pass on his knowledge to his grandson; teach him how to fight, how to guide, and how to lead his tribe.

But it wasn’t my fault that I was born a girl. I didn’t have a choice. I am here now and I can’t change that. Why can’t I be the chief of our tribe like my Paka? Because I am a girl? I have the determination to learn the Maori culture and I have more leadership than the local boys. I have the courage, the strength, and the determination. What else does one need to become the big chief?

I love and respect my tribe and would do anything to save it, even if it costs my life. I believe in the power of the whales. I have a special connection to them passed down by my ancestor, Paikea. So what if I am a girl? If it is meant to be, it is meant to be. It was my born right to become the leader of our tribe. There is no changing that.

Women can do anything these days.  But according to Koro Apirana, it is not the Maori way. Women can’t do jobs that men do. Women can’t be tribe leaders. All we can do is cooking and gardening. But why? We can handle the pressure. We can handle the responsibilities.  We can do anything.

I understand that it is against the Maori culture for a female to become a tribe leader. But this is not the old days anymore. This is the present. Things change, people change, and rules change as well. We have to adapt the Maori culture to fit the modern society, not the other way around. It is the time for equality, justice, and fairness.

It doesn’t matter what I think or what any women think we can do. Men still think we are not capable of doing hard work. We have to show them what we can do and prove them wrong. So I’m not going to argue with Paka or any of the boys and prove that I am meant to be the tribe leader. I am going to do it. I’m going to learn all about the Maori culture. I’m going to work hard and learn about Maori leadership and the traditions passed down from our ancestor, even if Paka tries to stop me. Let it be done.

Die Hard movie review

Rating: 9/10

Die hard is a movie I have been dying to see for years. All I heard about the movie was praise. Some say it was the best action movie ever. Some say it is the best movie of the 80’s. Some say this was Bruce Willis’ best performance. Last night I had the chance to see this film and I was not disappointed.

Die hard follows the story of John McClain, a New York cop, who visits his family in California on Christmas. He goes to the Nakatomi building to visit his wife where a group of terrorists led by Hans Gruber takes everyone in the building hostage in order to steal 600 million dollars in the building. It is up to John McClain to stop the terrorists and save the hostages. The plot of this movie is the perfect premise for a good action movie. It is simple and easy to understand.

    

Die hard did not disappoint. It met my expectations and even surpassed it. Before watching the film, I expected a good fun thrill ride that I will enjoy and probably forget in a day or two. But no, this movie is not forgettable at all and it is not just a fun thrill ride. The movie has heart and that’s what actions movies or just movies in general lack these days. I almost cried in this film. Yes, I almost cried in an action film. The movie stuck with me. Every time I think about it, it gave me chills. It gave me that feeling where you are excited and at the edge of your seat.

Bruce Willis shined in this film. This might not be his best performance ever but this is certainly the role that brought him to the world’s attention. He showed the audience what he was capable of doing; the emotional scenes, funny scenes, and actions sequences. He was everything in this film and that’s what makes John McClain such a memorable character.

John McClain is just a normal person. He is no superhero. He has a troubled relationship with his wife. He nearly died a couple of times in the film. He is a dad. And this is why he is so easy to root for and relate to. You feel for him for the whole movie. You feel how hopeless and lonely he feels. He doesn’t know what to do yet he feels like it is his responsibility to save all the people. This is the reason why he is not a two-dimensional character and why this movie works so well.

Reginald VelJohnson was also great in this film as Sergeant Al Powell who believed in John McClain throughout the whole movie when no one didn’t. The storyline between Al and John was great. The chemistry between them was also great although they could only talk through radio. And when they actually met in person, you could feel their friendship that bonded during the movie.

Another performance that stood out in the film was Alan Rickman who portrayed the evil terrorist, Hans Gruber. Some might know him from the Harry Potter franchise. I thought Snape was evil, but Hans Gruber was even more evil. Alan Rickman was perfect as the leader of the terrorist group. He was menacing, scary, and even funny when the role called him to be.

The action in this film was non-stop. When they finished introducing us all the characters and building up the plot, it was all action from there.  The pacing in this film was perfect. I was not once bored. I did not look at my watch a single time. I was always at the edge of my seat, rooting for John McClain, and always curious to see what is going to happen next.

The music only added more intensity to the action sequences. It was perfect. The camera work in this film is also very well done. It is not shaking and moving like crazy where you can hardly see what is happening. It was nice and slow but fast when it needed to be. The direction was perfect. The writing was perfect. The dialogue was perfect in funny scenes and it was perfect in emotional scenes.

Die hard is easily one of the best action movies I have seen, maybe even the best action movie I have seen. It is not the type of movie that you would forget in two days. The movie sticks with you. There are some well written characters in this movie ranging from funny to evil. It was a good thrill ride with perfect direction, writing, and acting. I recommend anyone who hasn’t seen this film already to see it. You will not be disappointed. Everything about this film is great.

Drive Trailer Review

Drive is a movie starring Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan that is coming out in September. What i got from this trailer is that Drive has the potential to be a very good film. The trailer shows that Drive will be a fun action pack movie while also has a great emotional side to the story. Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan are among one of the best up and coming actors in Hollywood and i'm really interested to see these two star against each other in this film.

Ryan Gosling is one of my favorite actors. He has had a good career so far. I'm curious to see what he has to offer in this movie. He also has 3-4 movies coming in the next 2 years. He is a young actor with great potential. But he might be working just a little too hard. He has plenty of time. We don't want another case of Heath Ledger to happen.

Drive's trailer was absolutely a success. It tells us what the movie is about and the reason why we should go out and see this film. I'm pumped.

Drive Trailer:

Half Nelson movie review

Rating: 8.3/10

Half Nelson follows the story of Dan Dunne, a school teacher, with a drug problem he is trying to get rid of. He forms an unlikely relationship with one of her students, Drey, who one day finds out about her teacher’s drug habit. Complications rise as drugs overtake Dan’s life and Drey’s future is in jeopardy as she gets closer to her brother’s drug dealing friend.

Half Nelson is a terrific movie. It depicts one of the world’s biggest problems today, drugs. Drugs kill people every day, and it also kills the people that love you. Half Nelson shows how hard it is sometimes for someone to overcome their drug habit, or any problems that people have every day. And sometimes, a friend goes a long long way which Half Nelson tells us in this movie.

I have no problems with performances in this movie. No one apart from Ryan Gosling and Shareeka Epps stands out. The other actors, however, did a fine job and didn’t do any harm to the movie. They helped carry the movie well. This movie focuses on the lives of Dan and Drey anyway so Ryan Gosling and Shareeka Epps are in the spotlight. And they didn’t disappoint.

Ryan Gosling once again delivered a powerful performance as the troubled school teacher. He is extremely convincing on screen that I find myself caring for his character so much. Shareeka Epps also did a wonderful job as Drey, the quiet and mature school student. Shareeka Epps was brilliant in every scene she was in, whether it was a sad scene where she was crying, and a happy scene where she was laughing and cracking jokes. Ryan Gosling and Shareeka Epps carried this film to perfection.

I have no problem with this film. I think it was a well written piece of work. It was a slow film. If you had short attention span, you might lose yourself somewhere in the film. But that was not a problem for me. The story was so intriguing that I was paying attention the whole time. I was not bored. I was not looking at my watch. I was just sitting there, watching the film closely, and let the film show the magic.  

One small problem though, I wish the ending brings a little closure to the story. It was not that it wasn’t the Hollywood cliché that we see so often. It was a good ending but I just hope the filmmaker could give us a little closure, not left us hanging there, wondering, and surprised that the movie was finished. Another 2 minutes wouldn’t hurt anybody. Anyway I think it was still a good and realistic ending.

All in all, I think Half Nelson is a very well done film. It captivated the theme really well. It kept my attention the whole time. The script was wonderfully written. The acting was superb. The direction was genius. (I heard they filmed this movie handheld for most of the scenes) I absolutely liked this film. It sent out a good message. It’s a good low budget film that I suggest everyone to check out. 

Fargo Movie review

Rating: 8/10

Fargo follows the story of Jerry Lundegaard who Jerry works in his father in law’s car dealership company and has gotten himself in financial problems. He hires two henchmen to kidnap his own wife with hopes of his father in law paying off the ransom. While a pregnant police officer, Marge Gunderson, tries to find out the person behind this bloodshed.

I enjoyed Fargo. It was well written, well acted and well directed. From the moment the film starts and the score kicks in, you just know you are in for a chilling and relaxed drama/thriller. The film moves slowly and carefully introduces us the characters and the storyline. As the film progresses, it becomes more intense and intense.

Everyone did great in the acting department especially Frances McDormand, who won an Oscar for her role as Marge Gunderson, and William H. Macy. Steve Buscemi also did a great job as the funny looking tempered henchman along with his quiet but brutal partner, Gaear, played by Peter Stormare. Everyone nailed their roles in this film. They nailed the mannerisms, facial expressions, and especially the accent. I don’t know if the accent is right in this film, but it certainly is interesting to hear and even funny at times.

As I said earlier, I enjoyed Fargo. I think it was a well made film. But there was really nothing special about it. Yes, everything was great; the script and direction by the Coen brothers and the acting. But nothing stood out. When the climax of the film kicked in, I was at the edge of my seat. I didn’t want the pregnant police officer to die. I was really curious how the film is going to play out.

But between that climax and the last scene, the film lost my interest somewhere somehow. It just gave me a MEH feeling as the credits start rolling. I was not disappointed at the film. I thought it was a well put together film. But it didn’t really have an impact on me. I don’t understand the point of this movie. Everything just seems DULL.

Don’t get me wrong, I think the screenplay by the Coen brothers is incredibly well written. They created one of the likable and memorable characters of all time including Marge Gunderseon and jerry Lundegaard.

Maybe this is the type of film that grows on you.  It might improve upon a second viewing. But as of now, the film is just MEH. I don’t understand why people like this film so much and regard it as a masterpiece. Yes it’s well acted, directed, and written. And that’s about it. Nothing special. I didn’t particularly love this movie and I still liked it. I enjoyed the story and the characters. I think it’s a well crafted film that I hope will grow on me upon a second viewing. 

Adaptation movie review

Rating: 8.2/10

Adaptation follows the story of Charlie Kaufman, a Hollywood screenwriter who wants to be original and not follow all those Hollywood clichés. He one day was hired to adapt a nonfiction book called The Orchid Thief by Susan Orleans into a screenplay. The book’s about John Laroche who is passionately in love with plants and flowers. As Charlie struggles with his adaptation, he turns to his less talented brother, Donald Kaufman, who is easy-going and doesn’t take everything too seriously.

However, the plot of this movie is much more than that. In the real world, the real Charlie Kaufman was asked to adapt Susan Orleans’s The Orchid Thief and this film is basically what Charlie Kaufman came up with. He makes himself the main character and creates a fictional twin brother, Donald Kaufman. It was very interesting to see how this film would play out. And it did not disappoint.

As for performances in this film, Nicholas Cage turned out to be surprisingly good. I wasn’t sure at first. But this has to be one of his finest roles to date. He portrayed both Charlie and Donald with such emotions and both of their emotions are completely opposite. Charlie is most of the time depressed and sad while Donald is living the time of life, learning as he goes along. I read somewhere on the internet that Nic Cage ignored all his acting instincts and played the part as the director asked him to. Maybe if he did that in every movie he stars in, we would have more good movies from Nicholas Cage…

Meryl Streep stars as Susan Orlean , a lonely  writer looking for something to be passionately in love about. She then writes a book about John Loroche, played by Chris Cooper, who has a passion for flowers. Susan Orlean writes about John’s life while not being able to live her own. They both did a great job portraying these characters especially Chris Cooper who won an Oscar for his portrayal of John Laroche.

This movie is a hard one to criticize. Most of the film, we get to experience the way Charlie Kaufman lives.  It was slow, boring, and depressing. Until that last act came, where Charlie seeks the help of Donald, the movie then suddenly gets faster and falls into a whole lot of Hollywood clichés which is the way Donald would adapt his screenplay. Basically the film was separated into two parts, the first is the Charlie part, slow and depressing, and the Donald part, fast, silly, over the top, and sometimes fun.

It was hard for me to truly enjoy the movie. It was too slow at times and too fast at times. There was nothing in the middle. But I think this is the way the writer, Charlie Kaufman, wanted his film to be; to be a parody of big Hollywood blockbusters. Although, it was hard for me to enjoy this movie, the movie had a huge impact on me; the message the film is sending and the characters in this movie. Everything is so intriguing and thought provoking. 

The theme and sub themes of this movie are so intriguing that I didn’t even care if I enjoyed the movie. I was fascinated by the real Charlie Kaufman, the way he chose to write his movie. He is a genius. This script is purely original. Charlie is so absorbed into searching for meaning, purpose, structure, and recognition that he forgets to actually live. He analyzes life. He thinks about what he should do in situations but doesn’t have the courage to do it. While Susan tried to see why John is so passionate about these flowers, but in the end, she just found that it was meaningless to her.

 I think what the movie is trying to say is it was meaningless to find the ghost orchid. The ghost orchid symbolizes the goal of any passionate life. However, Susan’s ghost orchid wasn’t about flowers. There are different “ghost orchid” for everyone. And to find the ghost orchid, it must come from out heart. You are what you love not what loves you.

There is always someone in the world that you want to be. You don’t want to be your old boring self as Charlie turns to his twin brother and loses his originality. Donald then adapts his book the way he would have adapted. This film is also about being true to yourself, be proud about who you are as everybody is different and unique in their own ways.  You are the main character in your life, not anybody else.

But to be true to yourself is often times a hard thing to do. There is always someone or something that will want to hold you down. The writer of this movie symbolizes this by creating the character of Donald. In my opinion, Donald represents the demands of Hollywood. As it is so hard to be original in Hollywood these days, writers and directors just cave in and turn into a clichéd and boring film maker who makes movies for money.

What I admire about Charlie Kaufman is that the statement I mentioned above is certainly not the case with him. He always comes up with pure and original ideas with his films including: Eternal sunshine the spotless mind, Synecdoche New York, and this film. This film is so twisted around the idea of reality and fiction that it has me confused sometimes. Charlie Kaufman creates himself as the main character. He then adapts screenplay about adapting screenplay. That’s just how much original Charlie Kaufman is.

As I mentioned, the film has so many heartfelt themes and subthemes. It had an impact on me after watching the film. But the fact still remains, I didn’t enjoy this movie while watching the movie. I did enjoy it to a certain extent, but not that much. I guess you can’t have your cake and eat it too. I wasn’t able to enjoy both the message of the film and the actual film. But all in all, Adaptation is still a solid, well directed, and certainly well-written film. It’s an original piece of work by Charlie Kaufman. I urge you to see all of Charlie Kaufman’s written work and directorial work. He is one of the remaining filmmakers in the industry that is still original today.

Big Fish movie review

Rating: 9/10

Directed by Tim Burton, Big fish revolves around a dying father, Edward Bloom, and son, Will Bloom, who tries to learn more about his father by putting together pieces of myths and stories he has been telling him from the day Will was born. Will Bloom has a rocky relationship with his dying father as he believes his father has been telling lies all his life. By reliving stories and myths Edward Bloom, told about his life, Will learns more about his father and discovers who he really is.

Big Fish is storytelling in all forms and aspects at its best: the cinematography, sound effects, special effects, the story itself, acting, and directing. Everything is beautifully put together which in the end produces one of the greatest piece of arts ever put on screen.

The acting in this film is spectacular. No one stands out in particular as this is an ensemble piece or work. Everyone brings their respective roles to life with perfection: including Ewan McGregor as the young ambitious Ed Bloom who is determined to do anything in life. Albert Finney as the old Ed Bloom who has a special talent of telling stories, Billy Crudup as Will Bloom who wants to get to know his father, Jessica Lange and Alison Lohman as Ed’s soulmate. Other great performances include Helena Bonham Carter, Marion Cotillard, and Matthew McGrory.

As I said, this film is an ensemble piece of work and it wouldn’t have worked if anyone in the cast doesn’t deliver. Therefore, I feel like it is my responsibility to mention them all. And it doesn’t end here. I believe everyone on this project deserves recognition. The writers of this film including Daniel Wallace (novel), John August (screenplay) did such a great job that I was not once bored while watching the film. And the beautiful direction of Tim Burton only made this film better.

Big Fish is divided into two main sections. One is the story that the dying Ed Bloom told about his life. And the other is the reality where Ed is dying, and Will wants to mend his relationship with his father. These two realities balance out so well that I was never bored with either one of them. I was always curious what’s going to happen to the old and young Ed Bloom next. And seeing those two realities connect each other is just so fascinating. Kudos to the exceptional work the writers did in this film. It truly is beautiful.

I believe that every film has a message it is trying to send whether intentionally or not. And I’m a sucker for this kind of thing. Big Fish sends out a touching, beautiful, and meaningful message about life. That life is as boring as the people living it. If you enjoy life, you will make ordinary things extraordinary. Life is what you make of it. It will surely leave people with a smile on their face as it did on mine. You will have such a good feeling towards life in general. You will want to just get out there like Ed did and live life the way you’ve always wanted.

I had no problem with this film. Everything is perfect. The acting, writing, directing, score, special effects. It’s beautiful. Everything is masterfully put together. I had a lot of fun with this film. I laughed a couple of times. And I cried a couple of times. It surely is one of the best films of the 2000’s. Please check this film out if you haven’t already.

Lars and the real girl Movie Review

Rating: 8/10

Lars and the real girl follows the story Lars, a young, socially awkward man, who one day buys a sex doll on the internet and makes her his girlfriend. His brother, Gus, along with his girlfriend, Karin, play along with Lars’ fantasy hoping he would one day get better. The two of them seeks the help of Dagmar, a local psychiatrist, with the whole community supporting lars.

Lars and the real girl is fantastic, one of the best films of 2007. It is well directed, well acted, and well written. The story is so good that the film doesn’t need anything else to drive the film. No special effects, CGI, sound effects. Just good old plain story. And the acting in this film only made it better.

Lars is both sad and funny, entertaining yet thought provoking. And it achieves this by the well written script and superb acting. It’s a low budget feel-good movie that will leave you with a smile on your face after watching the movie. However, that is after seeing the film.

When you’re watching the film, you will probably be depressed most of the time. You feel for Lars. You want him to get better. You feel embarrassed for him as he goes around the town with his doll. You want Gus, Karin, and Dagmar to help Lars become normal again. However, “abnormal” is probably not the term to describe Lars. Because, before he bought the doll, he was probably more abnormal than when he is with his girlfriend.

The acting in this film is superb. Ryan Gosling gave what I believe to be an Oscar worthy performance. And I’m surprised he didn’t get a nomination. The way he delivers his dialogue, his facial expression, his blinking OCD, are really spot on that you believe Lars is a real person. I don’t even know what is going on in Ryan Gosling’s head during filming. When I see him on screen, I don’t see Ryan Gosling, I see Lars. And that’s the sign of good acting.

Ryan Gosling, in my opinion, is one of the best young actors in Hollywood today. His career choices have been phenomenal. After the success of The Notebook, he could have chosen any role he wants, any Hollywood blockbuster movies. But instead he chose low budget indie movies like Half Nelson and Lars and the real girl. And I respect him for that.

Other well acted performances in this film include: Emily Mortimer, portrayed Karin, Lars’ sister in law who cares for Lars from the very beginning of the film till the end. It just makes me happy to see a person care for another person that much. You feel for her. You want her to help Lars get better.

Paul Schneider, Lars’ brother, who deals with the situation from a male point of view. He is like us, the audience, who can’t believe the brother he has known for all his life is crazy. He was angry at first. But as the film progresses, he learns to understand what Lars is going through and the real reason he is doing what he is doing.

Kelli Garner and Patricia Clarkson also gave fine performances as Lars’ colleague, Margo, and Lars’ psychiatrist, Dagmar. They have the same goal of helping Lars recover as soon as possible. You really feel for Margo, who was seen having interest in Lars in the beginning of the film, as she realizes something is not right about Lars. But she stays on to help as much as she can and realizes that Lars, although not sane, is a nice guy with his own set of moral conduct.

The only problem with this film is that I think they tangled up the message of the film a little bit. There were many messages sent throughout the film, I believe they should have explained to us the major message the film was trying to convey. However, even though, the message is not literally implied. You still understand what the film is trying to say. The story is also incredibly written with smart dialogue. All this is due to Nancy Oliver, the incredible writer of this film who also wrote for the famous TV series, Six feet Under.

There is no fancy camera shot in this film. I will say this once again, it is all about the story. The film depends on the story. The director, Craig Gillespie, did a good job introducing the characters to us. We know who Lars is in just about 3-4 scenes. We know what his life consists of, the people around him, and what is wrong about him. He spent a great amount of deal building up the story. And when climax comes, it just blows me away. The last 30 minutes of this film is so intriguing you will not once take your eyes of the screen.

All in all, Lars and the real girl is a well made film. It will get you thinking about your life in general. Why people do what they do, and the support people give one another. Seeing the support the local community gives Lars is such a heartfelt feeling you wish people in the real world are more like this. It will get you feeling that there is still good in this world while people are killing each other in the real world. The film tells you that you can get through just about anything with the support and help of your loved ones.

Ryan Gosling gave one of the most heart breaking performances of the decade. He brought Lars to life with style. Lars teaches us that life is about letting go. Nothing lasts forever. And death is just a part of life. He didn’t know this at first of course, as he stated earlier in the film "Those aren't real so they last forever, isn't that neat". That basically sums of the whole movie. As we go through the journey with him, as he realizes that death is just another part of life. Lars and the real girl is a fantastic indie movie that is a little underrated. Please check out this film if you like watching an emotional film with good script and acting. Trust me, there’s nothing better than a well written low budget indie film.

X-Men 2 Movie Review

Rating: 7.75/10

An assassination attempt has been made on the president’s life. The X-men get together once again to find out who did it and for what reason. While, the Mutant Academy is attacked by military forces and Magneto is locked up in a plastic prison. Is Magneto behind this or is it someone else?

I had high expectations before watching X-Men 2 after the critical success of X-Men. I expected good action sequences, good character development, and good story. And I was not let down. After the success of the first intro movie, X-Men, the writers had the opportunity to add more storyline to the plot; hence why this movie is 2 hours and 13 minutes long.

As of performances in this film, everyone is good as usual. Everyone is on their A game. However, I found the outburst scene at the end of the movie of Cyclops, played by James Marsden, a little funny. And this is due to James Marsden’s performance. I’m not going to spoil what happened. But if you’ve seen the movie, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

I had the same trouble watching X-Men 2 as when I watched the first film, the soundtrack and sound effects in general. 

 I don’t know why but the first two X-Men series seem like movies from the 90’s not the 00’s. The music during the action sequences is incredibly lame. Maybe this is just Bryan Singer’s style of directing, I don’t know. But it really annoyed me throughout the movie.

The other problem I had while watching X-men 2 is I can’t seem to root for the characters in the movie. I couldn’t careless about what happens to the characters in the film. There’s a point in the film where I realized that I’m supposed to root for them to rescue Professor X and Cyclops. But that didn’t happen. I was just kinda going along with movie, thinking everything is going to turn out okay in the end.  I even felt bored at times.

Enough with the bad stuff, we get to see really cool sequences in this movie. There’s a scene involving Magneto which I find to be very well made. The action sequences are perfect. The character development is perfect. We get to see a lot of stuff happen in this movie. The bad guy becomes the good guy. The bad guy helps the good guys and etc.  And it was good, the story was well told.

X-Men 2 is a step better than X-Men 1. We get better action sequences and character development.  It’s always good to see a sequel outperformance the original film these days. Although, X-Men 3 and Origins are apparently not very well made and I won’t even bother watching them.  Overall, X-Men 2 is a good action movie but I hope it would involve the audience with the story a little bit more.

 Just like the first film, X-Men is the kind of movie that you would forget in about 2 days. It’s nothing more than a good time with your friends. If all you want is a good time with your friends, however, check out X-Men 2. And if you liked the first film, you will love this film. It has a much better plot, character development and a very emotional climax at the end.