Ed's Review Dot Com

Universal Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, Reliance Entertainment,

Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Paul Dano, Noah Ringer, Keith Carradine, Adam Beach, Clancy Brown

The year is 1873, it’s in the desert in Arizona and Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) wakes up with no idea who he is or where he came from. The only clue is a mysterious metal bracelet. Meanwhile, life goes on in the town, with some ruffians who think they own the town. Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) and his sons and helpers give fits to every decent citizen in the town, but especially Sheriff John Taggart. But there are bigger problems as a race of aliens have crash landed in the desert with a plan to take over the earth. It seems that everyone is going to have to work together to fight the aliens, and as Jake gradually remembers who he is and what he’s there for a mysterious woman (Ella Swenson) seems to know some of the secrets.

This is a very unusual story based on a very unusual book. I have never heard of a story set in the old west that involved outer space killer aliens, but why not? Why are the modern people and the ancient Aztec’s the only ones who could see aliens. I was very excited for this film to come out, but I missed catching it in the theater. There were just too many other films at the time. So now it’s available on DVD.

I am really torn on this film. In one way there is a lot of action, terrible alien creatures that are nightmare inspiring. Harrison Ford is really good, and the western in this film isn’t half bad. But there is something fatally wrong with this film, and it’s really hard for me to put my finger on it. There just doesn’t seem to be any heart here. There is no depth to the story, no meaning, and no feeling. They are fighting alien creatures without purpose other than just to save their skin. If there’s nothing noble or meaningful, then it’s just fighting. Director Jon Favreau is known for his action scenes in films like Iron Man and Iron Man 2, but in this film, there just seems to be action and violence without much purpose.

I don’t mean that it’s a bad movie. I am glad I watched it on DVD, and if you’re a fan of westerns (these are very few and far between in these days), or huge action films with guns and explosions and lots of thing getting blown up, the for sure, catch this if you haven’t seen it. But if you’re look for a touching story, or a real intense drama, I’m afraid this didn’t quite cut it in that department. Acting is passing, storyline is a bit weak, and explosions are plenty. A good action film, and worth the rental, for sure.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Nickelodeon Films, Paramount Studios, Blinding Edge Pictures

Noah Ringer, Dev Patel, Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone, Shaun Toub

The Last Airbender, long awaited as M. Night Shyamalan’s latest blockbuster? Well we’ll see.   Meanwhile, I must say up front that I had never heard of the Nickelodeon Series, Avatar, The Last Airbender as my youngest child is now 18 and way past the Nickelodeon stage (unless you want to count “Degrassi” which is her last hold on her childhood).  So I was not familiar with the story, and was dragged to the theater by a wife who heard how great it was.

It’s Night Shyamalan, so I never have an idea what to expect when I walk into a Shyamalan picture.  I have a habit of catching his movies opening weekend so that I don’t have any pre-conceived notions of the story, and let him surprise the heck out of me.

Sixth Sense,  Ok, I had no idea of the twist in the end, and felt like a fool that I missed it completely.  What fun!  The Village, That one blew me away, too.  I was convinced of a bunch of 17^th century pilgrims dealing with imaginary monsters (those things couldn’t be real!) but what if they were?  When Ron Howard’s kid walked out of the compound and into the future my jaw dropped.  What a surprise!

But this time, it’s a whole ‘nother ball of wax.  This time it’s more like an anime, or kung fu movie or whatever.  That being said, the actors did a pretty good job.  I feel for Aang, “The Last Airbender” though, as he sounded like they were giving him lines just before he had to say them. I thought he was not a great actor, but he handled the emotions and physical activity just fine.   No big stars is a plus for this story.  Of course one movie covers one year of the series, so we’re obviously in for more of these if this one makes a few bucks.

I must admit that I did watch the series (which is out as instant view on Netflix), and I must admin I really enjoyed the movie more.  The 20 episodes (10 hours) of cartoons had a lot more depth, but the movie covered all the highlights and the cinematograpy and special effects were spectacular.

Ok, so this is no Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter or Twilight, but again, it’s not that bad.  It was a really nice evening at the movies with some popcorn and nachos, and was a great escape.  The scenery is breathtaking and the effects are awesome.  3D was a nice effect, but didn’t add a great deal to the movie, and after a few minutes you get into the story and forget it’s even 3D.  Nice escape, but not an epic picture, but when the sequel comes out, I’ll be buying a ticket.  🙂