NEW THIS WEEK
Based
on the immensely popular online game of the same name, Warcraft tells the high
fantasy story of how the epic war between the Humans and Orcs came to be.
We Said: “Hopes were that Warcraft
would be the first truly great video game adaptation. That's a ton of pressure
to put on any director, and while Duncan Jones doesn't quite live up to those
lofty expectations, the game's avid fan base will likely fall under its spell.”
Rating: 3 out of 5
The Good: I admit that I am
neither a fan of high fantasy or the Warcraft series of games, so I knew going
in that this movie was not made for me. With that in mind, there are a great
many people who are massive fans of both, and really seemed to be having a
great time with Warcraft, so if you share those interests, perhaps you’ll enjoy
the movie. Director Duncan Jones is a brilliant visual storyteller, and he
brings his usual mind-melting epic style to the look of this film. Beautifully
constructed destruction is a universal language, so even if you’re like me and
don’t know a single thing about what you’re watching, director Jones manages to
still let you in on the spectacle during the battle scenes. Similar to 2009’s Avatar,
it seems everyone can find something to enjoy in watching a pretty fantasy
landscape explode. The war scenes of Warcraft is the movie’s strongest
suit.
The Bad: Having never played
the games before, I was entirely lost by the plot. The movie seems to be less telling
a story to its entire audience, and more retelling the story exclusively to
those who’ve played it before. It is incredibly inaccessible, hard to follow,
and ultimately uninteresting to anyone unfamiliar with the property. I truly
only enjoyed the fight scenes, and that just wasn’t enough to hold my interest
for two and half hours.
Overall: If you’re already
a fan of the series, or interested in seeing some truly visually stunning
fantasy battle sequences, Warcraft just might be the movie for
you. Everyone else… you should really watch a different movie.
Zac
Efron and Adam DeVine star as Mike and Dave, two brothers, best friends, and
consistent bad influences on each other. In an attempt to keep the pair from
ruining their sister’s Hawaiian wedding with their usual hijinks, the brothers’
parents force them to bring actual wedding dates to keep them in line. Mike and
Dave soon find themselves being played by two uncontrollable wild cards (Anna
Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza) who are pretending to be “good girls” in order to
piggyback on their Hawaiian vacation.
We Said: “Surprisingly funny,
[what] Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates […] has going for it are four
inspired lead performances, a welcome reversal of gender roles, and Zac Efron,
who has turned hunky oafishness into an art form.” Rating: 3 out of 5
The Good: This movie really
surprised me with just how funny it was. A vast majority of the jokes in Mike
and Dave land brilliant, in a way I juts didn’t see coming from a
wedding bro comedy. All four leads are top of their comedic game, with everyone
getting a moment to shine. It’s just an extremely satisfying comedy. I
thoroughly enjoyed Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates.
The Bad: My biggest problem
with modern comedies is that so many of them have this tendency to shift the
tone toward the end of the movie, and have some more dramatic, character driven
moments instead of straight laughs. This barely ever works, but happens all too
often. Unfortunately, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
does try for this kind of thing in its third act. On the plus side, they do
handle this better than most other comedies do, since the dramatic moments are
book-ended by some of the biggest laughs in the movie. It’s a very specific
trope to be bothered by, I know, but luckily the movie doesn’t entirely derail
itself by using it.
Overall: Mike
and Dave Need Wedding Dates is a shockingly funny and smart movie.
While it does occasionally slip into typical bro-comedy traps, it never stays
there long enough to really detract from its otherwise awesome run-time.
Blake
Lively fights a shark.
We Said: “The
Shallows isn't quite scary enough to keep you out of the water, but
it'll at least make you think twice about it.” Rating: 3 out of 5
The Good: The Shallows
knows what kind of movie it is. It goes all out with the exploitation of its
silly premise, and makes for a fun b-movie throwback. Blake Lively goes hard,
basically carrying an entire movie by herself, and really helps sell the terror
of the situation. The suspense is intense, and the visuals actually rather impressive.
There’s a lot in The Shallows that looks really interesting, when it really didn’t
need to. Especially when considering how cheap movies like this are typically
made, the thought that went into some of the visuals is really surprising and
great. It’s not the most compelling movie ever, certainly, or the smartest, but
The
Shallows is certainly a lot of fun.
The Bad: Though most of the movie
knows it’s kind of silly and has fun playing into it, there are several points
in which The Shallows treats its plot-line way too self-seriously. It’s
easy to get wrapped up in the suspense of a lone woman trying to outwit the
ocean’s greatest predator, but it’s very hard to be even the slightest bit
invested in her paper thin characterization. I give credit to the campy moments
in the film that are played for the biggest possible effect, but several of the
most egregious plot-points are handled with deathly earnestness that just doesn’t
sit right. Tonally, it’s kind of all over the place.
Overall: Mostly fun for
mostly intentional reasons, The Shallows is exactly the kind of
suspenseful, well acted, well shot, summer spectacle of a movie you’d want it to
be.
Also Available: Central Intelligence,
The Neon Demon, Cell, Grimm: Season Five, and Welcome to Monster High!
