Aliens (1986)

Genre

Action | Sci-Fi

Director

James Cameron

Country

USA | UK

Cast

Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, Carrie Henn, Bill Paxton, William Hope, Ricco Ross, Al Matthews, Jenette Goldstein, Mark Rolston, Colette Hiller, Daniel Kash

Storyline

Fifty seven years after she survived her disastrous ordeal, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) discovers The Company have colonised the moon from Alien but have lost contacts with the colony. So she is sent there with a team of Space Marines to find out what is going on.

Opinion

Most of the time sequels turn out to be a really bad idea. But this time James Cameron took over from Ridley Scott, and it was more than obvious that the result would be different, and so it was. In fact "Aliens" is a thrilling science-fiction flick as well as a good sequel.

Even though it's better to watch this only after seeing "Alien" because it follows those events, and despite it shares some points with its predecessor's, the plot is quite strong and will keep you interested throughout the entire film.

The film also introduces new, interesting and quite memorable characters, and one in particular, and the bond that grows between that character and Ripley, allows to develop the main character even further.

Unlike Scott, Cameron decided to focus mainly on the action, which becomes even more violent than before - if that's even possible -, going from a claustrophobic thriller to an almost war movie. However, at the same time, he still managed to keep that suspense that characterized "Aline" and that kept the viewer glued to the screen.

In addition to a paced story and fast, intense and exciting action, the film also features creepy locations, great special effects - even though I feel like they were better in the first film -, and mesmerizing, to say the least, music. The acting isn't anything special, but it's believable.

The Good Dinosaur (2015)

Genre

Adventure | Animation

Director

Peter Sohn

Country

USA

Voice Cast

Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, Sam Elliott, Anna Paquin, A.J. Buckley, Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Marcus Scribner, Ryan Teeple, Jack McGraw, Maleah Padilla, Steve Zahn, Mandy Freund, Steven Clay Hunter, Peter Sohn, Dave Boat, Carrie Paff, John Ratzenberger, Calm Mackenzie

Storyline

After a lot of accidents that changed his life, Arlo (Raymond Ochoa), an Apatosaurus who is afraid of everything, makes an unlikely human friend (Jack Bright).

Opinion

After delivering the spectacular "Inside Out", an animated film that is more likely to please adults than kids, Disney-Pixar released "The Good Dinosaur", probably hoping to make kids happy. Did they reach their goal? I'm not so sure about it.

The most shocking thing about this film is arguably the plot. Although the original concept was able to offer a wide - if not infinite - number of alternatives, the writers eventually went for an undeveloped, almost nonexistent plot that completely lacks originality. So, instead of experiencing an interesting adventure thought the eyes of Arlo, the good dinosaur, we find ourselves watching an already seen story that has no room for twists.

Another field the film lacks originality in is the themes. From the importance of friendship to that of family, to a growth of the main character, the themes "The Good Dinosaur" deals with are pretty much the same of "Inside Out". The only difference is that, perhaps, kids will understand them easily.

But once again, like I've already said a couple of times, the film lacks originality also regarding some scenes - when Arlo and Spot's heads touch is taken straight out of "How to Train Your Dragon".

The voice casting is another flaw. While most of them do a good job, I found Raymond Ochoa's voice utterly annoying, definitely a problem considering he is the voice of Arlo.

All of that being said, there is a thing that will always make a Pixar film stand out, the animation. And I have no complains about that. It easily is the best part of the film with Pixar's usual gorgeous colours, stunning backgrounds rich in detail, and visually appealing character.

The Santa Clause (1994)

Genre

Comedy | Fantasy

Director

John Pasquin

Country

USA

Cast

Tim Allen, Eric Lloyd, Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson, David Krumholtz, Paige Tamada, Peter Boyle, Larry Brandenburg, Jayne Eastwood, Kenny Vadas, Christ Benson

Storyline

When he inadvertently kills Santa on Christmas Eve, Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) finds himself magically transformed into Santa. 

Opinion

Having seen the sequels several times - they are on TV on Christmas time all the time -, I decided it was about time to give the original a try. I thought, who knows, maybe the first film is good. I was wrong. "The Santa Clause" is nothing but a predictable and uninspired Christmas film. Basically just like the sequels.

I don't know what the writers were thinking, but the plot is silly, strange and far, far away from being entertaining or somewhat interesting. Also the story progresses in a rather bizarre way, and things eventually go a little "Miracle on 34th Street".

But it really seems like Disney didn't care much for the story, or the characters, or clever writing, all they are interested in is making another typical Disney film with plenty of lame and dated jokes - and some subtle sex jokes as well -, and pointless subplots that are even less interesting than the main plot.

However, as stupid, clichéd and predictable it is, the film manages to be slightly funny at time. It doesn't have any big laugh, and most of the gags - other than being stupid - are not memorable, but you'll have a few laughs here and there. Kids will probably love those gags and jokes though.

Once again playing his typical Scrooge-like character, a workaholic who has a change of heart, Tim Allen does an average job: his acting leaves a lot to be desired, but his comedy is slightly better. The rest of the cast is just there.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Genre

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Director

Gareth Edwards

Country

USA

Cast

Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, Jiang Wen, Forest Whitaker, Jonathan Aris, Genevieve O'Reilly, Jimmy Smits, James Earl Jones

Storyline

After the formation of the Galactic Empire, the Rebel Alliance recruits Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) to work with a team including Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) to steal the design schematics of the Empire's new superweapon, the Death Star.

Opinion

While I still was very excited about it, I didn't have any expectations for this film. Maybe I was afraid it was going to be a disappointment, like pretty much the whole prequels trilogy, I don't know. But last night I returned home with a big smile on my face. Why? Because "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" is simply a spectacular addition to the saga.

First of all, kudos to the writers. Basing an entire film on a single quote from "A New Hope" certainly wasn't an easy task, but they did a wonderful job. In fact, this story about how the Rebel Alliance acquired the plans for the Death Star is engaging, gripping and refreshing, which is surprising since we already know the outcome.

I'm sure many will not enjoy it because of the film they'll find themselves watching. This film is more of a war drama than a science fiction adventure. Basically something one would not expect from Star Wars, and definitely something people are going to complain about it.

However, that doesn't mean the film isn't exciting. It indeed has plenty of action, and it's also spectacular. Not to mention the final climatic fight, just wonderful.

But let's move onto the thing I was excited the most about, the characters, in particular Jyn Erso, and I was happy with the result. Even though there isn't enough time - literally - to properly develop each one of them and maybe the writers should have focused on just a few instead of doing so many all together, overall they are good. Still I really wish they developed Chirrut more. But I loved what they did with Jyn. She is such a tough and reckless woman, exactly what the film needed. And unlike the others, she has a great backstory that provides her motivations.

Felicity Jones gives an incredible performance as Jyn Erso, bringing to life another memorable hero. The rest of the cast also does a good job, from Diego Luna as Cassian Andor, to Mads Mikkelsen as Galen Erso - I would have loved to see more of his character though -, to Alan Tudyk - he pulls off the role with some good comedic relief -, to Donnie Yen who easily steals the show as Chirrut, one of the best characters created in the new films.