A Quiet Place Is The Years Most Breakthrough Horror Flick

      In a year where the most dominating movies at the box office happen to all be comic book films, it's nice to see a smaller budget film that's ambitious and totally confident in it's storytelling abilities breakout and become a success of its own both commercially and exceeding expectations in terms of how good it can be. A Quiet Place happens to be one of the years breakthrough hits and is sure to end up being one of 2018's greatest success when the year draws to a close. Easily the most successful horror film since last years IT, A Quiet Place is a horror flick that not only is entertaining to watch but surprises on many levels with how well done and crafted it is. It's nice to see a horror film come around that exercises both brilliance and creativity while showing an actors true talent both as the star of the film as well as being the director  and co-scriptwriter with John Krasinski hitting a home run with A Quiet Place.

      A Quiet Place is a horror film that's exciting from start go finish while moving at a brisk pace while allowing you to be drawn into the films nightmarish world while becoming emotionally invested in it's characters. A Quiet Place is a combination of films such as 10 Cloverfield Lane mixed with a touch of Signs mixed with The Road with all three influences morphing into it's own story that deserves major points for creativity, imagination, brilliance, cleverness, and ultimately managing to be surprising to the audience with it's twist and turns. The story for A Quiet Place takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where a family is forced to live in silence while hiding from monsters with ultra-sensitive hearing. The concept of a creature with extra special hearing searching for people while forcing them to use sigh language to communicate is both an original and genius concept that actually manages to bring something new to the horror genre. While it can be argued that the post-apocalyptic aspect of the story is a tad familiar to audiences as it's been done before with numerous other movies, A Quiet Place takes an already familiar setting yet delivers an engaging twist to the genre while allowing it's cast and filmmakers to rise to the occasion with their creative skills. John Krasinski shows audiences that there is much more to him than just a comedic actor and can actually craft a striking horror film that makes the audience think while placing them in the scenario presented in the story.

      As far as performances go, Krasinski is terrific here as he shows a great deal of emotional depth to his role as a father both dealing with grief while trying to protect his family from the outside forces pursuing them. Emily Blunt is terrific in the role of the wife and mother also dealing with grief and struggling to keep her family together while dealing with her pregnancy. The young child actors deliver strong performances bringing both believability to their roles while making you care about their safety during scenes where they come into contact with the creature. The films opening sequence beautifully sets up the tone for the rest of the film establishing the post-apocalyptic nature of the story as well as the silent family sticking together while being forced to communicate through sigh language, and the opening sequence ending with a shocking revelation that commands the audiences attention by the time the main title appears.

       In terms of writing and directing, John Kransinski writes the film beautifully in a way where not too much information is given about the backstory of the family nor what's happening, he gives the audience just enough information through news clippings and selected dialogue to make everything clear while forcing the audience to never take their eyes off the screen when the actors communicate through silent language. Such a move would normally prove to be a risky one by Hollywood's standards but here it's presented in a way that it's essential to the storyline and is done exceptionally well showcasing brilliance on the filmmakers end as well as their firm grip on the story. The films Cinematography and Art-Set Decoration is effective enough to convince the audience that the world their seeing has been overrun by monsters with enhanced hearing making the scenario both frightening and never tiresome to watch. The best thing that can be said about this film outside of it's stellar performances and solid production values, is the level of brains and intelligence that was poured into telling this story. What could've easily ended up being another generic horror film or been there and done that post-apocalyptic tale turns out to be that of a pleasant surprise that shows the horror genre still has some tricks up it's sleeve while being inspirational to other filmmakers in showing that creativity is not fully absent just yet.

       In an era where most breakthrough films or blockbusters are normally sequels, comic book movies, and franchises, it's nice to see a film with a reasonably creative concept with a healthy dose of originality take the center stage in showing that there is still room for smaller stories that can have a significant impact on it's audience long after the credits roll. Despite the movie being only 90 mins, the film does a very good job of pulling the audience into this world and bringing them along the journey this helpless family endures while making them become invested with them while generating some solid squares and suspense. The creatures intelligent feature is a clever twist with the family forced into being silent proving to be an ingenius twist that is done exceptionally well. A Quiet Place is a horror take that's beautifully written, directed, and acted in a way that makes it feel artfully done. Whereas most horror movies in today's generation rely on jump scares and gore, A Quiet Place shows that you don't need those elements to make a movie scary and sometimes the silence of the moment can genuinely be just as creepy or more. The film is a triumph in the sense that it successfully manages to make the audience care about the characters while making the story both tense and exciting to audiences despite the lack of dialogue. Easily one of the years best films thus far and could actually be good enough to warrant some attention come awards time. For horror fans and audiences, it's the films originality and level of thoughtfulness that went into making it that makes it a unique yet special experience for them. Hopefully the talent that John Kransinski brings to the table with this film both infront and behind the camera will encourage other actors and filmmakers you would least expect to test and discover their own potential.

                                                                                                                     Final Verdict: See It

     

Ant Man And The Wasp Is The Much Needed Dessert After Infinity War

For Marvel fans as well as the studio itself, 2018 has proven to be both a groundbreaking and defining year for the MCU as the universe has reached it's full ten years of functioning. With it's tenth year currently two thirds finished, the results have been nothing short of phenomenal with Marvel's Black Panther scoring both critical and box office success and Infinity War becoming the most successful Avengers film to date while also marking a massive improvement over Age Of Ultron. With Last years Spiderman Homecoming and Thor: Ragnarock proving to be giant hits along with Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War, the expectation is there for Ant- Man And The Wasp to deliver a similar splash with audiences both in terms of box office success while living up to the standards set by Marvel's recent phase of movies quality wise. Having seen Ant-Man And The Wasp, one can safely say that the sequel to the 2015 smash hit doesn't disappoint but it also doesn't reach the cinematic heights of the previous Marvel films released earlier this year.

      Ant-Man And The Wasp is a solid sequel to the first film that feels like it carries much more freedom with it in regards to creativity and also serves to be a lighter and more colorful Marvel film that what was dished out to audiences earlier this year with Black Panther despite being awesome, dives into important social themes and Infinity War carrying an Empire Strikes Back feel to it with an insane climax. For those who were still recovering from the latter films closing sequence, Ant- Man And The Wasp was the appropriate antidote needed to help recover from the shock of that film's revelation. The plot for Ant-Man And The Wasp centers around the character of Scott Lang played by Paul Rudd, find himself balancing two different lives with the first being a Super Hero with the other being a father figure. He soon finds himself being presented with an urgent new mission by Hope Van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym, that places the Ant-Man teaming up with the Wasp to uncover secrets from their past. Much like the first Ant-Man which was enjoyable though not thought-provoking nor deep in regards to carrying social themes, the sequel retains the same kind of lightheartedness the previous film had while carrying with it a Honey I Shrunk The Kids feel to it. Both films are hands down a joy to watch on the big screen with them both being solid yet light entries in the expanding Marvel universe with the films mainly working thanks to the strong writing which also includes Paul Rudd's input as a screenwriter much like Ryan Reynolds with Deadpool, and the easygoing chemistry that the films main cast shares.

      As far as the casting goes, Ant-Man thrives off the performances of it's main leads with Paul Rudd once again proving to be the perfect choice for the title role with him blending both comedy and heart with his performance with perfect comedic timing. Evangeline Levy does a solid job playing Hope Van Dyne with Michael Douglas turning in a strong performance as her father Hank. Michael Pena once again shines in his supporting role as well as Michelle Pfeiffer as Hopes long lost mother and Hanks wife. What makes the cast work so well in this film is the fact that they all share charisma together. Rudd and Lily make a perfect superhero duo and love interests with Hannah John-Kamen shining in her supporting role along with Walton Goggins as the films antagonists. It also helps that the films source material allows for the actors and actresses to have fun playing their parts as the audience can clearly see and feel the energy that is poured onto the screen from the performances.

       The scriptwriting by Gabriel Ferrari, Andrew Barrer, and Erik Sommer works effectively in regards to the films main plot being fun-spirited and never taking itself too seriously. Given the emotional investment that audiences had with Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War, perhaps its refreshing that the MCU has a film that is all heart and is made with the intention of just being playful for the fans with no emotional ties required. The film mainly consists of laughs and impressive action sequences requiring impressive CGI surrounded by the effects of Paul Rudd's characters suit that allows him to both shrink and double in size. As far as the films technical aspects go, the visuals once again dazzle which is the expected norm when dealing with an MCU film with the Cinematography giving it the look of a comic book movie brought to life. The makeup effects are often quite impressive particularly when Michael Douglas character is shown to look much younger for key flashback sequences.

       Perhaps the fact that both this film and Ant-Man are too lighthearted for the MCU given their recent movies have delved into deeper themes, is ultimately a factor that works against them as these films while being a great deal of fun as well as harmless, don't have the same kind of impact the recent Marvel films have on audiences. Despite that shortcoming, the first Ant-Man as well as Ant-Man And The Wasp work great together as their own story within the MCU. Perhaps alittle fun for the fans was needed after being taken on an emotional journey with the previous films that stayed with the audience long after the credits finish rolling. If one was to look at Ant-Man And The Wasp through those lens, it could very well be described as being the sweetest dessert for the audience after enduring Infinity War. It was the palate cleanser the MCU needed to make it's fans laugh and be hopeful again after what they experienced with the previous two films. Perhaps with the scope of the MCU universe, Ant-Man And The Wasp being just a simple superhero movie with funny laughs and solid action sequences may seem like a step back given how much more mature and serious the universe has come with incorporating serious themes into it's stories, but given the wild ride that Marvel has put it's fanbase through as well as the general moviegoing audience, one cannot help but feel Ant-Man And The Wasp was necessary in order to change up the current flavor. As a sequel to the original, it's solid and holds it's own as being just as good as the original, however much like that film, it doesn't go beyond both movies amounting to just being fun experiences with the occasional nod to the rest of the MCU.

                                                                                                      Final Verdict: See IT

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Entertains But Shows The Series Is Running Out Of ideas

The summer 2018 box office season has hit it's peak with blockbusters such as Avengers: Infinity War, Deadpool ll, Incredibles ll, while also surprising with box office flops such as Solo: A Star Wars Story. With June, the release of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the anticipation was high that it would continue the upward box office trend of the season while delivering a strong sequel to Jurassic World which not only became a huge box office success, but surprised audiences by being a strong sequel and reboot to the iconic dinosaur movie franchise. While no sequel can reach the cinematic heights of the first Jurassic Park film, Jurassic World came the closest to retaining some of the magic of that film while playing off it's nostalgia and introducing a unique scenario to audiences, that questioned what if a park full of dinosaurs was opened to the public and proved to be successful. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom hopes to build upon the concept of Jurassic World, but instead feels like a step downward while also feeling like a remake of Steven Spielberg's lackluster sequel to the first film The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

      The plot for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom picks up three years after the events of Jurassic World with the island's active volcano beginning to erupt, forcing the survivors from the first film Owen and Claire played by Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard to mount a campaign to save the remaining dinosaurs from extinction. On paper, the plot for Fallen Kingdom sounds interesting but the overall execution of the film despite being overall entertaining feels like a live action version of Disney's 2000 forgotten animated classic Dinosaur which also dealt with the plot of dinosaurs fighting to avoid extinction, mixed with what looks and feels like a remake of The Lost World: Jurassic Park with a touch of Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes brought into the mix. It's not that Fallen Kingdom is a weak follow-up to the first Jurassic World that surprised audiences largely with it's quality, it's that it doesn't feel like the sequel to that film you would expect. Perhaps it's because Jurassic World much like JJ Abrams The Force Awakens did a very good job of creating a reboot for their franchises that relied heavily on people's nostalgia of the previous films to not only make them remember why they loved Star Wars or Jurassic Park in the first place but also to bring them into the future. Jurassic World wasn't as expertly directed or written as the Spielberg film nor matches it in terms of being innovative and impactful with it's audience, but it honored the legacy that came before it while proving to be an entertaining, thrilling, and visually stimulating popcorn blockbuster. It also helped that it's director Colin Trevorrow is a fan of the series, giving the audience exactly what they wanted to see with the film while finding a way to continue the franchise through a different lense. Despite some of that films flaws, the movie largely succeeded as being the true sequel to Jurassic Park while opening doors for future sequels to explore the aftermath of what's essentially an amusement park gone bad.

      Directed by J.A Bayona who helmed The Impossible and The Orphanage taking over the directorial reigns from Trevorrow, Fallen Kingdom proves to be a darker and more intense sequel to it's predecessor that poses ethical questions regarding whether dinosaurs should be saved from extinction or left to be doomed as human and dinosaurs are not mean't to co-exist. The first half of Fallen Kingdom proves to be stronger than the second half despite the retreat back to the island gives a strong been there and done that feel to it. The plot for the film feels like The Lost World with the main lead character going back to the island to not save his girlfriend this time but the dinosaurs that inhabit the island from being exterminated with his ex gf being the person that helps him. Much like that film, the subplot involving taking the dinosaurs off the island and bringing them back to the mainland to be poached is nearly identical except Fallen kingdoms plot packs a more powerful punch to it. The movie contains intense and visually breathtaking moments such as the volcano erupting, and the dinosaurs running to escape extinction with our main characters attempting to guide them along the way. One of the films most powerful yet disturbing moments is a sequence involving the Brachiosaurus being left on the island to die from the volcano's eruption that comes full circle with the first Jurassic Park as they were the first dinosaurs the main characters saw on the island with them now being the last ones as the island is destroyed. That sequence is not only symbolic and serves as a sign for the audience saying that the franchise is cutting loose the binds of being connected to the timeline of the previous Jurassic Park films and creating a newer one that embraces the concept of the Jurassic World series in which the dinosaurs will now roam free on the mainland.

      The second half of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom feels like a horror type monster movie mixed in a Jurassic World film with the dinosaurs being held captive by corrupt scientists with the intentions of being sold on the market. Fallen Kingdom's problem is that it feels like a cut and paste type sequel in which it's story feels scattered with a relatively uneven narrative. Besides the desire to save the dinosaurs from being killed on the island from the volcanic explosion, there is no real reason for the humans to return to the island as the dinosaurs are roaming free and taking control of the park. As Jeff Goldblum's character Ian Malcom brilliantly puts it in his surprise cameo in the film, wouldn't it make more sense to let the dinosaurs remain on the island and let nature run it's course so that the threat of dinosaurs running rampant across mankind doesn't become a reality. As far as performances go, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard deliver strong performances as their characters remain likeable and developed enough for the audience to care about in the sequel while virtually everyone else feeling like cardboard cutouts of previous side characters and villains seen in previous films. The subplot however featuring the clone later revealed in the story proves to be useless and out of place in this films story as it holds virtually no relevance to the situation in the story involving the dinosaurs. Daniella Pineda and Justice Smith deliver likeable performances in supporting roles despite their characters having little to no depth at all with James Cromwell and Rafe Spall churning out serviceable performances with the latter playing a sleazy businessman role that's been done to death in the series. The real shame however is seeing talented actors such as Toby Jones, Ted Levine, and B.D Wong have their talents wasted in what are essentially pointless roles (B.D Wong's character despite getting an unusual upgrade in Jurassic World compared to the first film in terms of screentime is completely wasted here as his character could've made for a terrific villain in the Jurassic Park universe. Instead he rather comes off as being a misguided scientist that's more concerned with breakhroughs rather than seeing the error of his ways. Even that aspect of his character is underdeveloped).

      As far as technical aspects go, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a visually breathtaking film with impressive sound and special effects that's become custom with any Jurassic Park film (It is especially nice to see that animatronic dinosaurs have made their return here). The cinematography is stunning with the Jurassic Park/Jurassic World's island being destroyed by the volcano delivering some truly beautiful imagery with moments such as the original Jurassic Park jeep flipped over from the first movie when Dr. Grant saved Tim from the tree being shown here destroyed by the volcano hitting hard with the audience in an emotional level. The score by Michael Giacchino feels like a letdown this time around compared to his surprisingly emotional score from the previous film that carried with it a mixture of a homage to John Williams work in the first Jurassic Park while creating Jurassic World's new theme. While today's visual effects are more advanced than they were when the first Jurassic Park movie premiered, nothing can ever touch the inventiveness and shock the first carried when audiences first laid eyes on the Brachiosaurus, the Triceratops, The T-Rex, and the Velociraptors.

      Overall Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is not a terrible film nor the worst Jurassic Park movie ever made (That honor goes to The Lost World: Jurassic Park as Spielberg has reportedly stated that he became bored with the film through production), it also doesn't live up to the cinematic heights of Jurassic Park nor the sheer popcorn entertainment quality that Jurassic World provided audiences. There will never be a Jurassic Park sequel that reaches the heights of the original but one certainly feels that the filmmakers behind Fallen Kingdom certainly could've worked harder to provide a more satisfactory sequel to the previous film, which surprised in being a solid reboot for the franchise. One of the questions that Jurassic World left open was where could the story go now that the dinosaurs have taken over Jurassic World and drove the humans off the island. If Fallen Kingdom's storyline was any indication, perhaps it's best that the resurrection of the franchise ends with the next chapter, hopefully with a much stronger script. The films climax while impressive that the writers took the franchise to newer heights with that twist feels like an attempt to channel the successful modern Planet Of The Apes trilogy with Blue feeling like a dinosaur type Ceasar. While the films ending certainly leaves the audience feeling a tad optimistic about the next film, the real shame is that this sequel could've been more epic but instead feels like one last attempt to cash in on the whole lets go back to the island subplot for no other reason than to generate a few genuine thrills before moving the franchise into a different direction. While that direction is certainly one that will leave people curious as to where the story goes from here now that the dinosaurs are off the island, one hopes that the third and what will most likely be the final chapter in the Jurassic World trilogy is more creative and thought-out than this film. Fallen Kingdom serves as being a resonably entertaining popcorn thriller but as a sequel to Jurassic World, it falls short of it's full potential. If you're a fan of the Jurassic Park franchise, see it once in theaters then retreat back to the original film. You're honestly not missing much if you choose to wait for redbox. It doesn't hold the same kind of impact that Jurassic World had when you watch it.

P.S, The new hybrid dinosaur is cool but he is shown so little in the films second half that he doesn't have enough time to really leave an impact on the audience. It's great to see the original T-Rex again even if he feels underused in this one as well.

                                                                                                     VERDICT : See It

      

Solo: A Star Wars Story Is A Fun Yet Flawed Space Aventure

      With the releases of Avengers: Infinity War and Deadpool 2, the 2018 box office summer movie season has gotten off to a promising start with the first two big releases meeting expectations and exceeding them. With the release of Solo: A Star Wars Story, a big question mark loomed over it's box office and critical prospects as the film experienced a deeply troubled production with the films original directors being fired by Disney due to creative differences and ultimately being replaced by Oscar Winning filmmaker Ron Howard, best known for his wide variety of works ranging from Splash to Cocoon, Willow, Far And Away, Backdraft Apollo 13, Ransom, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, A Beautiful Mind, The Davinci Code, Angels And Demons, Frost And Nixon, In The Heart Of The Sea, and Cinderella Man. With a resume like Howards, the producers of Solo were banking on the fact that he can reshoot the film while bringing the final product up to the standard the studio was hoping for. There's no denying that the films misfortune during it's production led to the film receiving a great deal of bad publicity before it's release. While the film has received a generally positive reception, that's in some cases more favorable than the reception Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi received 5 months prior, Solo has suffered largely at the box office due to the polarizing reception that film unleashed with the Star Wars fanbase becoming more divided than ever. The question that hovers over the Star Wars franchise, is whether franchise fatigue has kicked in or whether the film suffered due to the fact that someone else is playing the part of Harrison Ford or perhaps it's just that so many people dislike the previous Star Wars film before it. While all reasons listed above play their significant parts in the film underperforming at the box office, the actual movie itself is much better than the reputation that it's unfortunately stamped with.

      Solo: A Star Wars Story is not a perfect film by any means, but Ron Howard managed to salvage it as best as he could to deliver a space adventure, that's pure fun and thrills while not going too deep into it's story. The film was made with one specific purpose which is to entertain and satisfy fans of the franchise, while doing justice to it's iconic antihero turned hero, who largely thanks to the performance of Harrison Ford, sits as being one of the greatest characters turned heroes in movie history. Recasting the part of Han Solo with a younger actor to play the role famously played by Harrison Ford previously always proved to be a dicey move, as many fans were simply not willing to accept anyone else in the part regardless of how strong of an actor they are or how uncanny the physical appearance came across. The casting of Alden Ehrenreich proved to be a controversial one among hardcore Star Wars fans, as it was reported during production that his performance was so lackluster that an acting coach was required to help him deliver his lines (Why someone didn't make the same suggestion for Hayden Christensen for the Star Wars prequels is beyond me?). Surprisingly enough, Alden turns in a reasonably satisfying performance as a younger and less confident Han, whose still learning the ways of becoming a professional smuggler while showing traits of the Han fans later come to love in the original Star Wars trilogy. Alden doesn't come close to Harrison Ford's impeccable performance as the latter was born to play the part, but he does a good job of making the role his own while honoring the legacy of the character. The audience still cares about this character and will be happy to learn that his legacy is not tarnished nor destroyed here.

      The plot for Solo takes the universe ten years before the events of A New Hope with a young Han Solo meeting a younger Chewbacca and Lando, and first coming across the Millenium Falcon. Solo shows younger Han joining a gang of galactic smugglers years before he joins the rebellion. While Ron Howard and the writing team behind Solo deserve points for trying to add more backstory to the legecy of Han Solo to show audiences where he came from and how he ended up with the rebellion, the overall story proves to be a tad dry at times and unexciting. The film is lacking in a true villain which makes Solo's storyline seem less engaging outside of it going through the motions of feeling like a generic space adventure at times, blending Guardians Of The Galaxy with A New Hope. Despite the story feeling rather weak this time around, the film is elevated by the performances of the cast and the intriguing characters both new and familiar. The films key moments come when Han has his fateful meetings with Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, encountering the Millenium Falcon, and ultimately winning the Falcon from Lando in an intense card match. These moments were hinted before in the original trilogy, but seeing them on the big screen for the first time makes the experience of watching Solo a rewarding one. For example, Hans scene where he meets Chewbacca for the first time is both clever and well-staged thanks to Howards directing as well as the performances of the two actors.

      As far as acting performances go, Alden proves to be the ideal pick for Han Solo despite the fact that it's near impossible to look at that character and not picture Harrison Ford in the part. One suspects that's a big reason for the film underperforming as that would be like Hollywood remaking Casablanca and choosing to recast Humprey Bogart's character with someone else along with Ingrid Bergmans with the irony being no one can replace nor surpass them. Ehrenreich deserves major props for stepping into such a huge role and doing his best to honor that legacy while leaving his own stamp on the character. Contrary to what the rumors said about his performance during production, Alden does a solid job despite the fact that he doesn't come close to matching Harrison Ford's charisma in playing the part. The actor who does a great job of imitating the original actor playing his character is Donald Glover in a scene stealing performance that does the utmost justice to both Lando Calrissian and Billy Dee Williams work. Glover shines through the material and steals every scene he's in while working off Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelsen and Emilia Clarke deliver strong supporting roles with Harrelsen playing the mentor type role for young Han Solo, and Emilia Clarke doing a fine job playing Han's first true love, a smuggler herself, before meeting Princess Leia.

      As far as the films technical aspects go, the score by John Powell does a serviceable job of trying to bring the familiar tone of John Williams score to the new story with familiar ques settling in some of the films most thrilling moments such as the Millenium Falcon making the Kessell Run in less than 12 parsecs intercutting with music from both the Tie Fighter chase in A New Hope as well as the Asteroid run in The Empire Strikes Back. The films costume cesign and art-set decoration does a fine job of keeping consistency of the 70's look A New Hope gave off with it's sets and costumes. The films cinematography on the other hand feels inconsistent and is the weakest of the camera work presented in the Disney era of Star Wars films. Perhaps that could be attributed to the fact that the film had multiple directors juggling it and reshoots were conducted, but the end result shows the cinematography doesn't feel as impressive as other installments despite keeping the audience believing their witnessing a wild space adventure. The films visuals and sound effects once again shine with the use of actual practical effects and backgrounds being more effective and realistic than making everything CGI like the Star Wars prequels. The technical aspects of a Star Wars film never disappoints and Solo: A Star Wars Story proves to be no exception.

      Solo: A Star Wars Story is a light, enjoyable, and exciting space adventure, that will generally please the majority of fans willing to give it a chance. If one can look past the fact that someone else is playing a younger Han Solo other than Harrison Ford and that the movie does the best job it can at being a solid yet somewhat dry origin story of an iconic hero in film, then they'll have a reasonably good time watching it. It's not the best Star Wars movie forsure but for those who found great disappointment in The Last Jedi, Solo might be the medicine they need to move past the disappointment of that film while feeling good again about the Galaxy far far away. Solo: A Star Wars Story is not a perfect film by any means as it's script lacks depth, but the characters and the performances are enough for the audience to become invested in the story while having a fun experience in the cinema for two hours. Solo defies the odds of what Star Wars fans initially expected it to be going in, and is deserving of being a much bigger box office hit rather than going down as the first official box office bomb in the Star Wars franchise. One strongly suspects that the lack of Harrison Ford, the unwarranted origin story of Han Solo, and the polarizing reception to The Last Jedi had much to play with the film failing financially, but the fans that remain open-minded will discover that the movie is actually a decent entry in the universe. As the second non episode in the series, it's a step above Rogue One as it feels more energetic and less stiff. One of the Summers most underappreciated films.

                                                                                                              Final Verdict: SEE IT

Deadpool 2 is One Of The Rare Superhero Sequels That Outshines The Original

      The 2018 summer box office movie season has begun with Avengers: Infinity War making it's splash at the box office and conquering the first weekends of May. With Deadpool 2, the hope is that Infinity War will not only hand off the box office crown to Deadpool 2, but also that the sequel to the 2016 smash hit is not only as good as the first film but surpasses it while making a bigger splash with audiences. Now that Deadpool 2 has been released, the verdict is that the much anticipated sequel to the original is not only more action-packed and funnier than the first film, but surpasses it overall in terms of quality.

       Deadpool 2 is one of the rare comic book movie sequels, that outshines the original in nearly every aspect from action to storytelling. This time the budget is much bigger allowing for more creative freedom and a bigger scope for the filmmakers to play with. The storyline for Deadpool 2 takes place after the events of the first film with the main character bringing together a team of fellow mutant rogues to protect a young boy, possessing supernatural abilities, from the brutal time-traveling cyborg named Cable. Deadpool 2 feels like a combination of the first Deadpool mixed with the plot for Terminator 2: Judgment Day with a touch of X-Men: Days Of Future Past at the end, making for a helluva blockbuster ride. With Deadpool 2, Ryan Reynolds reprises the role he was born for and proves to be as equally engaging in this film as he was in the original. While the first Deadpool movie contained a much smaller budget, the story was more grounded allowing for the main character to be established as well as his romance with his one true love played by Morena Baccarin. Audiences fell in love with the character because unlike most comic book movies which are usually rated PG-13, Deadpool was obnoxious, uncensored, clever, and played like a satire of the comic book genre with Reynolds boasting undeniable charm in the role. His performance was so well received that the Golden Globe Awards nominated him for Best Actor in Musical or Comedy with the film ultimately receiving a Best Motion Picture nomination. Whereas many films flopped or disappointed at the box office in 2016, Deadpool proved to be one of the great yet unusual success stories of that year. Fast-Forward two years later to Deadpool 2.

      Deadpool 2 follows much of the formula that made the first film such a smash hit with the sequel getting an upgrade in the spectacle category. Taking over the directorial duties from newcomer Tim Miller, who helmed the first film, Deadpool 2 director David Leitch directs the sequel with the film having a similar look and feel that makes it feel like a true part 2 to the first film while delivering more explosions and special effects to go with the films mayhem. Despite the first movie being rightfully character-driven and story-based, the second film feels more personal than the previous despite the budget and scope being bigger this time. Reynolds carries the film on his shoulder once again with his charismatic performance with Josh Brolin defying fan expectations by turning in an effective performance as Cable. Much like the first film, Deadpool 2 is bold and unapologetic in his humor and lack of censorship, but it serves to stay true to the nature of the character.

      Whereas Robert Downey Jr. has proven to be the perfect choice to play the part of Iron Man in the Marvel Universe, Reynolds delivers the same impact with both movies demonstrating that he was the perfect choice for the role from the start, going as far as course correcting the awful Deadpool shown in the 2009 Wolverine: Origins film. As far as experiences go, Deadpool 2 proves to be a highly entertaining yet bombastic experience that builds upon what was established previously in the first film. Deadpool and Deadpool 2 are the equivalent of Bryan Singer's X-Men and X2: X-Men United with the first film being small in scope but does a strong job of establishing the story and characters with the sequel being bigger in almost every aspect. For audiences, the thrill is watching this character starting as being an antihero that answers to no one, but finds himself performing noble deeds that show deep down within all the potty-mouth antics, there's moments where Deadpools actions can be deemed to be that of a superhero.

      With endless amounts of laughs, pop culture references, and an upgrade in the characters and explosions, Deadpool 2 is the popcorn summer blockbuster entertainment, that adult comic book fans have been waiting for and desire to watch. In an era where comic book movies have dominated the box office while being more family-themed with their PG-13 ratings, it's refreshing to see an R rated comic book franchise meet the audience thirst for relentless commentary that's both clever, witty, and plays off the audiences knowledge of other movies and iconic characters. The Deadpool franchise was never intended to be aimed for kids and their successes show that there's an audience out there, that wants to see more adult-themed comic book characters on the big screen (Deadpool's success has helped speed up the development of rebooting Spawn). The film is fast-paced with the editing feeling as if the audience rarely has time to catch their breath with the mayhem unfolding on the big screen.

       Deadpool 2 is one of the rare sequels that successfully manages to meet the standards and expectations set forth by it's predecessor, while building upon that film's universe. Despite the film being bigger in scope, the story manages to feel just as personal or more than the original with Reynolds having much more creative freedom this time. His participation in this films production is evidenced by his name now appearing in the writing credits. Much like the first Deadpool, Deadpool 2 is not for everyone and should be seen strictly by those who love this character and thoroughly enjoyed the first film. If you're one of those who didn't find the first movie to be that great or overhyped, then this one could possibly win you over. One of the stronger films of 2018 thus far.

                                                                                                 
                                                                                                     FINAL VERDICT: SEE IT