Archive for October 2013
Ender's Game (2013) reviewed by Megan Kaniasty
Ender’s Game (2013)
Cast: Harrison Ford,
Asa Butterfield, and Hailee Steinfeld
Director: Gavin Hood
Synopsis: Based on a
military science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card, Asa Butterfield stars as
the perfect young recruit whom the International Military has been searching
for. Between a brother who shows too much brutality, and a sister who shows too
much emotion, Ender Wiggin is the perfect balance, and in having one of the
smartest minds, may be the last hope for the human race against an impending
alien attack.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4 /5
reels.
Review:
“In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him” –Ender’s Game.
“In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him” –Ender’s Game.
Gavin Hood is not new
to bringing the world of science fiction to the big screen. Having directed X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and working on
Stargate SG-1, Hood takes the genre
to a whole new level in his adaptation of Ender’s
Game, with crazy stunts and amazing computer-generated imagery (CGI).
A bug-like alien race
has attacked future Earth, devastating the human race. For fifty years Earth
has been searching for the perfect soldier to lead a counter attack against the
alien race. War strategies and battle school are the way of life, and only the
brightest and fiercest are accepted. Ender Wiggin, played by Asa Butterfield,
comes in fifty years after the first attack on Earth. He is one of the
youngest, smallest, and smartest to quickly climb the ranks in battle school.
Asa Butterfield is
brilliant in the role, revealing the very depth of Ender’s soul with his
piercing blue eyes and subtle facial expressions through triumph, victory,
defeat, and heartbreak. Petra Arkanian, the strong female lead played by Hailee
Steinfeld, is the toughest girl in battle school. She befriends Ender and gives
him pointers that help him to quickly excel in the training room. Although this
is not a love story, the two romantic leads have incredible chemistry.
The only downside to Ender’s Game is the predictable underdog
storyline. It is no spoiler that this young boy set out to save humanity will
do just that, it is his journey along the way that makes this mundane plot so
captivating and original—that and the story taking place in a futuristic Earth
and space travel. The special effects in this film are magnificent and only add
to the ambience of the film as a whole.
Ender’s Game,
just shy of two hours in length is a must see. This PG-13 film is jam packed
with action. It's both a physical and psychological drama that explores the age-old
battle between good and evil. Ender's Game is a GO!
By: Megan Kaniasty
World War Z (2013) reviewed by Leanne Villalba
World War Z (2013)
Cast: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz,
James Badge Dale, Ludi Boeken, Matthew Fox, Fana Mokoena, Sterling Jerins,
Abigail Hargrove, Fabrizio Zacharee Guido
Director: Marc Forster
Synopsis: Brad Pitt stars as Gerry Lane, a United
Nations employee and ex-marine, who finds himself in the middle of a pandemic
turned zombie apocalypse. He and his family are saved from the infected city
just in time and are taken to a naval base. After initially refusing to help,
Gerry finds that he must follow the command of the United Nations general,
Thierry Umutoni ( Fana Mokoena), or have his family removed from the safety of
the ship. Gerry agrees and is then sent across the globe in hopes of finding a
cure.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3.5/5 Reels
Review:
Overall, World
War Z has great effects and a suspenseful element that the director, Mark
Forster develops well. Zombies constantly pop out of no where, infecting masses
of people, causing the infected to twitch before their eyes cloud over before
suddenly turning into flesh eating monsters.
The actors were top notch and clearly
experienced. Brad Pitt does an amazing job of giving Gerry a strong, yet family
centered demeanor that permeates his character.
He is willing to go around the globe fighting hordes of undead, blowing
up the plane he is on, and ultimately infecting himself with a deadly pathogen,
all to keep his family safe.
The filming of this movie was great however the
reason for the low rating is due to the unoriginality of the plot. Though
action filled, the plot was the same structure of all the other zombie movies
that have been released in the past decade. A virus breaks out, kills the
person who contracts it, the virus takes control of the undead host and spreads
the virus through bite. The hero of the story must fight of hordes of zombies
to discover the cure, which is usually right in front of them the whole time.
Watching this movie was like watching a mash-up of I am Legend and The Walking
Dead. The ending is clear as soon as the movie started for anyone who is
into the current zombie fad.
Though the plot lacked in originality, the makeup
and effects did not disappoint. There is a scene in a lab where the viewer gets
a closeup of an infected doctor. The skin of the zombie appears stretched and
void of moisture, which one would expect in an individual who has not had food
or water for days. His eyes are void of human consciousness even though he is
still in his lab suit. Seeing these creatures up close is enough to send chills
down the spines of even the most seasoned zombie moviegoer.
The special effects were also incredible. The
most memorable scene was thousands of zombies piling on top of one another
trying to get past a wall hundreds of feet tall that surrounds Jerusalem. The
camera pans out and it is seen that the whole city on the outside of the walls
is completely composed of infected individuals. The ability to create masses of
zombies added an aspect of awe to the film because one comes to the realization
of what it would really look like if millions were affected.
Other than the film not being terribly original,
World War Z was a thrilling, suspenseful, exciting glimpse into what a zombie
apocalypse could look like. The film managed to captured the various aspects of
human nature and emotion during crisis. Overall, this movie would be best
enjoyed by someone who isn't deep into the zombie culture so that the cliché
aspects could be overlooked.
By: Leanne Villalba