Fantastic Four Review Round-Up and First Impressions

Fantastic Four is out in theaters, so it is time to bring back my "Review Round-Up" post series where I take reviews by fellow critics in the movie reviewing community and look at the rating! If your review is not included below, comment with a link and I will add it. However, it seems that not many people actually went to watch and review it.

Review by Jordan: 4.5/10

Review by Rick: D-

Review by Daniel: D

Review by Child of the 70s: 2/5

In addition, this is a First Impressions post because I just to see the movie! While I will not go into detail yet, the overwhelming negative response is surprising. I watched the film knowing absolutely nothing of the critics’ reviews, and therefore, I expected a great movie, just like the X-Men. My viewing of the film was not tainted by preconceived notions of being ready to dislike the film, which is why the negative response is so surprising. I will expand on my thoughts tomorrow in the full review, so I will leave it at that.

Disclaimer: Any reviews with mature content will not be included.

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Lego Movie Review-Roundup

The Lego Movie is a movie that almost everyone is looking forward to and considering the reviews, it is not going to disappoint! Not yet have I read a negative review from one of my trusted critics and the general opinion is essentially positive. Without a doubt this movie is going to get an Oscar Nomination, and it might actually be in the running for the Best Animated Feature since Pixar is absent and Disney Animation is making a comic book movie, which the Academy hates. I am not sure if I will watch the movie in theaters. It really depends on whether or not my local theater decides to carry it and if I can find time that my college courses are taking up. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 99%: Wow! Normally Rotten Tomatoes is not always the best at determining whether or not a movie is good, but a 99% is just amazing! Literally one person thus far has given the movie a negative review; that is on par with the reviews for the Pixar movies when they actually were good. However, The Lego Movie is actually going to be incredibly funny, or at least I hope so. Please note though, that the Rotten Tomatoe meter is subject to change when more reviews are posted.

IGN.com: 9.0/10- "In the end, it’s heartening that despite all of the licensed characters, The LEGO Movie remembers there’s something much more enduring – and that’s LEGO itself. It really gets to the heart of what the toy is all about and why it has prospered for over 60 years. It’s a film that believes everyone can be creative; that everyone is special; and that imagination is so powerful it can flourish even within a system bound by rules."

Jeremy Jahns: Buy it on Blu-Ray: He liked the movie for the most part, although he had some problems with certain aspects of it.

 Christ Stuckmann: A-: Stuckmann praised the film for making fun of the typical tropes from Hollywood films and that the movie had a surprisingly heartwarming story.

SchomesKnow: 3.75/5 and 4/5- "They could have easily mailed this thing in and just made it for kids, but I thing when you grew up playing with Legos and you are an adult now, you can really have a lot of fun with this film, even if you go by yourself."

Are you going to see The Lego Movie? What are your thoughts on this overwhelming positive reception? Please comment below!

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The Wolverine Review Roundup.

The Wolverine is coming out in theaters today, what do the critics think? Well, most say that the Wolverine is a great movie. Despite everyone's expectations, the Wolverine turns out to be the standalone Wolverine movie everyone wanted. Some critics are praising it for its themes, handling of the source material, and fun, and mostly grounded, action scenes. After X-Men: Origins butchered Wolverine's origin story and several characters, the Wolverine actually not sucking it a huge surprise for most critics. Also after Man of Steel disappointed all but the most die-heart Nolanites, it is great to see the Wolverine does not disappoint. It is currently receiving better reviews than Man of Steel and about equal to, or slightly lower, than Iron Man 3. I definitely cannot wait to see the movie and from the looks of it, as long as you have seen the X-Men trilogy (not Origins), the movie should be easy to follow. Now for the critics reviews. 

 

The Wolverine Review by Jordan Rath: 8.0/10- "If you were worried about The Wolverine, and understandably so, you needn't worry anymore. It's one of the most satisfying trips to the movies you will have this summer and it's great to see Hugh Jackman in a GOOD Wolverine film again. With Days of Future Past looking like it might be one of the all time greats, things are looking up for the X-Men once again."

 

"The Wolverine" (2013) by Hamlette.

 

IGN: 8.5/10- IGN states that the Wolverine was "thematically compelling" and the ninja fight scenes were awesome. To sum up their review, the Wolverine is the standalone movie that the character deserves.  

 

Chris Stuckmann: -A: Except for the last 20 minutes, Stuckmann loved the Wolverine, saying that it perfectly captured the character and had a perfect mix of drama and action.

 

Jeremy Jahns: Buy It on Blu-Ray: Jahns gave the Wolverine the same score as Iron Man 3 and Man of Steel. He said that it was surprisingly a lot better than he expected and the only thing he disliked was one of the villains.

 

Rotten Tomatoes: 71%: "Although its final act succumbs to the usual cartoonish antics, The Wolverine is one superhero movie that manages to stay true to the comics while keeping casual viewers entertained."

 

Film: The Wolverine (2013) by Gypsy King: 4/5- "Most importantly, Jackman is still great to watch as Wolverine and shows no sign of stopping yet." Warning: Review contains spoilers.

 

Unfortunately, the Wolverine is not being shown at my local theater, so I will have to go out of town to see it hopefully on Tuesday or Wednesday.

 

If you have reviewed the movie, please leave a link in the comments and I will add your review to the list.

 

Do you plan to see the Wolverine in theaters? Are you surprised by the positive critical reception? Please comment below.

 

 

 

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Lone Ranger Review Coming and More.

Tonight I plan to go see the Lone Ranger, despite the overwhelmingly negative reviews. It currently holds a 24% on the Rotten Tomato Meter and most of the review scores are around a C, however some of my favorite reviewers have said it is not nearly as bad as some have said. This is kind of a mini review roundup for the Lone Ranger, so check out their ratings for the film and the upcoming posts on J and J Productions.

 

 

 The Lone Ranger Jordan at RATH'S REVIEWS: 7/10- "The Lone Ranger is not a 0/10 movie in the slightest. Not even a 3/10 movie. I rather enjoyed it (and several sites' user reviews would agree with me) despite some tremendous flaws and I would easily recommend it as a matinee viewing or a rental down the line."

 

Cindy Prascik’s Review of The Lone Ranger at Random Mexican’s Movie Reviews: 7.5/9- "As certain as I was that it would be awful, I'm delighted and surprised to call it one of my favorite films of the year so far."

 

"The Lone Ranger" (2013) Hamlette at Hamlette's Soliloquy: N/A- "Okay, so anyway, this was a really fun romp of a movie.  Did I love it? No. Did I like it?  Yes. Will I buy the DVD?  Definitely."

 

Note: If you have reviewed this film and want it featured with the ones above, please comment with a link to the review and preferably a excerpt or personal summery of the your review.

 

Monday: Doctor Who: "Girl in the Fireplace Review" (or a guest post)

Tuesday: The Lone Ranger Review

Wednesday: Man of Steel Sequel Villains: Part 1

Thursday: Firefly Review Part 2: The Characters

Friday: Alien (1979) Review

 

 

 

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Iron Man 3: Review Round-Up.

Iron Man 3, the biggest film of the summer and the first Marvel film to follow The Avengers. While most viewers like it however, there is a twist that is splitting audiences, which I do not know what it is. From the reviews there are two main opinions: 1: It is amazing, humorous, and almost equal to The Avengers. 2: It is good fun but the twist kept it from perfection. Basically, go see the film in theaters, it is a must see.

 

Jordan at Rath's Reviews: 9.5/10- This is what he said: "If Iron Man 3 is any indication as to what we can expect from Thor and the Cap in Phase II, then we are in for one hell of a good ride." Click here to read his review.

 

IGN: 9/10- IGN loved it, here is what they said:

"A comic-book movie that expertly melds action, comedy and drama to become the finest Iron Man movie yet."

 

Rotten Tomatoes: 80%: At first the Tomato meter was around 90%, now it has dropped to 80% surprisingly. Here is what they said, which is oddly different than what was there previously:

"With the help of its charismatic lead, some impressive action sequences, and even a few surprises, Iron Man 3 is a witty, entertaining adventure and a strong addition to the Marvel canon."

 

Ian Drury at Banon's Roar!: 3.5/4- "In the end, Iron Man 3 is a fantastic and fun action adventure, topping its predecessor and reaching for the heights set by The Avengers." Click here to read his review.

Daniel at Random Mexican's Movie Review Extravaganza: B: MOVIE REVIEW: IRON MAN 3

Vellvin at An Irish Maiden: Iron Man 3....It's not out yet, Oh wait in Australia it is!

Solace Utara at Prophets of the Force: Iron Man 3 Review (Spoiler Free)

 

If you have reviewed the film please comment and I will add a link to your review on this post (providing it does not contain strong profanity).

 

Unfortunately, I probably will not get to see it until the next week because the only 3D theater around is a few hours away, so I will write the review as soon as I can.

 

 

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42: Review Round-Up.

42, the story of Jackie Robinson, the first black player to break the baseball color barrier and the first to break it in a major sport. Being a baseball fan I really hoped that 42 would be a great baseball because there are very few out there and from the reviews, it is a good solid film. Although I do not plan to watch the film in theaters since I do not have much money, I cannot wait to rent it. If you have written a review of the film and want me to add it to the Review Round-Up below, please comment and I will add it.

 

Here are the reviews.

 

Jordan at Rath's Reviews: 7.5/10: Click here to read his review.

 

Check out this review on Random Mexican Reviewer.

 

Chris Stuckmann: B: Here is his review below.

 

 

 

Schmoes Know: 3.5/5: Here is their review below.

 

 

 

Beyond the Trailers: N/A: Grace Randolph does not give a score, rather a review of the film without a rating. Watch the review below. 

 

 

  

Rotten Tomatoes: 73%: Here is what they said:

"42 is an earnest, inspirational, and respectfully told biography of an influential American sports icon, though it might be a little too safe and old-fashioned for some."

 

 

 

  

 

 

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A Good Day to Die Hard Review Round-Up.

Heree is A Good Day to Die Hard Review Round-Up, where I take reviews from my favorite critics so you will know what to expect. While I wanted A Good Day to Die Hard to be a good movie, I

honestly did not expect it and from the reviews, it isn't pretty. Basically this is the worst Die Hard movie yet, or at least an average action film. Too bad though, since it had an awesome tag-line: "Yippee Ki-Yay Mother Russia." Also if you have written a review the movie, please comment and I will add a link to it below.


Jordan at Rath's Reviews: 5/10: A Good Day to Die Hard was in his words "Yippee Ki Yay Mother Average". Be sure to click here to read his full review.

Chris Stuckmann: D+: Stuckmann is a big Die Hard fan and likes every other Die Hard film, but said Die Hard 5 might be the most disappointing sequel he has ever seen (review below).

Schmoes Know: 2/5 and 2.25/5: Just like Stuckmann, the Schmoes were disappointed with Die Hard 5. However, they said that it did have the best villain of the series, the movie's director.

Jeremy Jahns: You Won't Remeber It in T-Minus 10 Minutes: Jahns said it had fun action but it didn't resemble a Die Hard movie.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Hobbit: An Unexpect Journey Review Round-Up.

From the reviews, it appears that the Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is "An

Unexpected Disappoint" to a certin extend. However, I have hope that it will at least one of the best movies of the year. The general opinion is that the movie takes 30-60 minutes before the movie's plot gets moving. But didn't the Fellowship of the Ring also start slowly? Guess we will have to wait and see, unless you have already watched it at midnight earlier today, if so please comment below with your spoiler free thoughts.

 

Chris Stuckmann: B-: Although he gave the Lord of the Rings trilogy an A+ he was vastly disappointed with The Hobbit resulting in the B- rating.

 

Jeremy Jahns: Buy it On Blu-Ray (basically 4 star rating): Jeremy Jahns is a massive Lord of the Rings fan and the trilogy is his favorite movie of all-time but it was not as great as expected.

 

Rotten Tomatoes: 69%: While Rotten Tomatoes is often vastly wrong in their ratings, it is surprising low rating. Here is what they said: "Peter Jackson's return to Middle-earth is visually resplendent and features strong performances from Martin Freeman and Ian McKellen, but the film's deliberate pace robs the material of some of its majesty."

 

Schmoes Know: 4/5 and 4.75/5: One Schomoe almost wanted to give the film a 5/5 rating.

 

IGN: 7.9/10: With IGN's complete lack consistency in their recent reviews, I hold their opinion in low regards.

 

Hopefully I will be seeing The Hobbit on Tuesday or Thusday in 3D. When will you be seeing the Hobbit? Please comment below. If you have already seen and reviewed the film, please comment below and I will try to add a link to your review among the ones above.

 

 

 

 

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Skyfall Review Round-Up

After the disappointing  Quantum of Solace the Bond franchise really needed to get back to Casino Royale form again and from the reviews it appears that Skyfall more than delivered. As I expected, there are basically no Bond fans on blogger but here are the links to my reviews from the last two days.

Quantum of Solace (22th Bond Film) Review

Casino Royale (21st Bond movie) Review.

After such stellar reviews for Skyfall, it seems that Bond has crushed Bourne this year. Also with all the amazing movies this year like The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider-Man and The Hobbit coming later this year, could 2012 be the best year ever in films? So far, so good.

 

 

Chris Stuckmann: A+: Stuckmann said Skyfall is one of the best films of the year and is one of only 16 movies to receive that rating.

Rotten Tomatoes: 93%: Rotten Tomatoes' reviews are holding steady at a an excellent 93%.

"Sam Mendes brings Bond surging back with a smart, sexy, riveting action thriller that qualifies as one of the best 007 films to date."

IGN: 9.0/10: IGN.com is not the best review website because of they are not consistent with their reviews, however from all the other reviews Skyfall seems to be a fantastic film. IGN even suggested that it might be the best Bond outing.
 

Schmoes Know: 4.5/5: Although they did not enjoy it as much as Casino Royale, they did say that Bond was to form after the disappointing Quantum of Solace.

Ian Drury at Banon's Roar!: 4/4: Fellow blogger and film critic Ian Drury gave an out standing review, citing that it may be the best Bond film yet.  Click here to read his review.
 

 

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The Bourne Legacy: Review Round-Up.

I have been looking forward to The Bourne Legacy since hearing about because I liked the other Bourne movies and Jeremy Renner was great as Hawkeye in The Avengers. However from the reviews, The Bourne Legacy looks like it is not going to be very good.

Chris Stuckmann: C: Stuckmann said that the movie only had 10 minutes of action in the whole movie! He is a fan of the original Bourne movies and was very disappointed with this one.

  

Jeremy Jahns: You Won't remember it in T-minus 2 Days: That rating from Jeremy basically means that it is a OK movie but nothing special.

Rotten Tomatoes: 60%: Rotten Tomatoes' reviews are not looking all that great right now, here is what they said.

"It isn't quite as compelling as the earlier trilogy, but The Bourne Legacy proves the franchise has stories left to tell -- and benefits from Jeremy Renner's magnetic work in the starring role."

IGN: 6.0/10: IGN.com is not the best review website because of they are not consistent with their reviews and even gave The Amazing Spider-Man just because they thought it was too soon to remake the movies. But IGN might be right on this one.

Schmoes Know: 3.2/5 and 3.8/5: One of the Schomoes was disappointed by the movie to some degree, but the other enjoyed it.

  

Because I already have half-off tickets that I need to use before they expire, I might go see The Bourne Legacy since there are not any other movies out that I would want to see. Also do you recommend any movies that are currently out in theaters other than The Dark Knight Rises or is coming soon.

If you have not read my reviews for the previous Bourne movies, please click on the link below and check the out.

The Bourne Identity Review.
The Bounre Supremacy Review.
The Bourne Ultimatum Review.

If you want to contact us or have any question please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

The Dark Knight Rises Review Round-Up.

My regular readers should be familiar with my "Review Round-Up" were I collect various reviews from multiple movie reviewers. It seems that the movie built up so much hype that it could not be the beyond perfect movie everyone expected. The reviews are mostly positive but some were disappointed. A few have said that it was their favorite from Nolan's Batman trilogy, while others were not so optimistic about it. If you have not read my for The Dark Knight, please click on the link, and thank you Helen, the one person who commented on that post.

Chris Stuckmann: A+: The Dark Knight Rises is one of Stuckmann's favorite movies of the year but he has not said if it was better than The Dark Knight yet.

 

Jeremy Jahns: Awesometacular: Jeremy basically said that The Dark Knight Rises was a great ending to the trilogy but not quite as good as The Dark Knight. Although he did not exactly say it, he did imply that it was not as good as The Avengers, but we will have see for sure after his Top 10 movies of the year.

Rotten Tomatoes: 87%: Although The Dark Knight Rises is not reaching the heights of The Avengers or The Dark Knight, it still looks like it is going to be a very good movie. Although it only holds a 78% from Rotten Tomatoes Top Critics, which is surprisingly low.

Below is what Rotten Tomatoes has said about it.

"The Dark Knight Rises is an ambitious, thoughtful, and potent action film that concludes Christopher Nolan's franchise in spectacular fashion, even if it doesn't quite meet the high standard set by its predecessor."

 

Roger Ebert: 3/4: Somewhat surprising that he did not like it as much as The Amazing Spider-Man considering all of the hype. Here is what he said.
"The film begins slowly with a murky plot and too many new characters, but builds to a sensational climax."

IGN: 9.0/10: IGN.com almost worships the Chris Nolan Batman movies and I am a little surprised that they did not give it a perfect rating.

Schmoes Know: 4/5 and 5/5: Both of the Schmoes enjoyed the film, but one did not even like it more than The Amazing Spider-Man and definitely not better than The Avengers for him. But it was the other Schmoes' favorite movie of the year.

Despite some of the not overly positive review, I believe that The Dark Knight Rises can be better than The Dark Knight. I have avoided all except the first two released trailers and the theatrical trailer. I have not read any spoilers or watched any clips. I have my hopes high that The Dark Knight Rises will be better than The Dark Knight but I generally try not to judge movies before I see them. Also if everything goes as planned, I will see the movie on Thursday.

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