Lockout (2012)

Lockout

5/10

 

Starring

Guy Pearce

Maggie Grace

Vincent Regan

Joseph Gilgun

Directed by James Mather and Stephen St. Leger

I do not know why I thought this was going to be a good watch, because after a lot of thought, I finally took the time to see this Die Hard look-alike hopeful, Fortress 1 & 2 let’s-not-forget Escape from New York rip-off, and I have to be honest — this is not a good rip-off, neither can it pass as a good movie.

The idea of a prison in space named MS: ONE was meant to be a good idea. Hey, it was written by Luc Besson, who was the principal author of Taken and its sequel Taken 2 (both starred Liam Neeson), so you’d expect a masterpiece in the making. But nope. We were given a loose-ended movie, with a script that lacked innovation, a never-ending mayhem, and a bunch of prisoners with no idea of what is important.

Set in the near future, Lockout stars Guy Pearce, who plays Snow, a military operative wrongly accused of killing a high-ranking official and awaiting a prison sentence.
Emily (Maggie Grace) was visiting MS: ONE to confirm whether long-term stasis has neurological effects on the prisoners.

While she was there, the prisoners managed to break free from their warden and the officers, taking over the space prison with the president’s daughter still on board.

The movie took a turn for the worse when that happened. The prisoners either had no idea what to do or were just dumb. This is the writers' fault, as they put together a movie with a rescue mission and a bunch of prisoners who asked for nothing but ran around killing and getting killed.

The CGI and action sequences were good, if I may add, but that was not enough to save the movie, meaning they did not matter at all.

Although the movie is a useless waste of cinema time, the actors and extras were really into it. They probably thought they were in another movie, because all I saw was great acting by the entire cast but a bad script.

Guy Pearce was tactful in his presentation of the protagonist. The movie had all the old tricks packaged into one: I punch the good guy a million times and he remains standing. I punch the bad guy once and he’s out cold.

All in all, this movie was meant to be a direct-to-DVD release, but the producers just wanted to waste our poor cinema time.

The Avengers (2012)

The Avengers (2012)

8/10

Starring

Robert Downey, Jr.

Chris Evans

Mark Ruffalo

Chris Hemsworth

Scarlett Johansson

Directed by Joss Wheldon

Earth's Mightiest Heroes come together to stop Asgardian outlaw and lord of mischief, Loki.

Let me sum up this movie in two words: Ridiculous fun.

Marvel's The Avengers is the payoff to years of teasers and easter eggs since Iron Man in 2008. It’s been a long wait, and anticipation was volcanic. The movie had a big challenge trying to meet expectations. Glad to say it delivers. Big time.

What happens when you put Bruce Banner and Thor in a vessel way up in the sky, and then Banner sets Hulk loose?

Answer: Chaos like no other.

This movie is a CGI invasion. Almost everything in the final battle was CGI. But it was so well done, and the actors blended in so well, it worked effortlessly.

Loki arrives on Earth at a top-secret SHIELD base, takes over the personnel, and destroys the site. He also acquires a powerful energy source called the Tesseract, which he plans to use for evil. All this in the first 10 minutes. So SHIELD Director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) initiates the Avengers project. It sounds very comic-booky, like something only nerds would enjoy. But it’s easy to follow.

The Avengers is a testament to Joss Whedon's skill. He not only wrote a fast-paced, funny script, he also gave the characters depth and flaws. That helps the audience connect, even if they’ve never read a comic.

Watch out for cool camera angles — one had Captain America assessing a scene through a reflection.

The screenplay is classic comic book: a world-ending threat, funny lines, alien invaders, high-tech gear, and wild battles.

One challenge was juggling seven main characters and their arcs. In someone else’s hands, this would be a mess. But Whedon brings out their personalities, gives them screen time, and keeps the dialogue true. The story — crazy god steals doomsday device, superheroes team up — is a bit generic. I enjoyed the screenplay, but the plot is too straightforward. No twists or turns.

The effects were amazing. From Thor's lightning to the wear on Iron Man’s armor to Hulk transformations — everything looked sharp. It was like the VFX team was saying, “Look at me, aren’t I pretty?” If I had to nitpick, the alien designs were generic. Felt like they ran out of ideas.

The cast crushed it. Tom Hiddleston (Loki) was excellent, just like in Thor (2011). Hopefully we see more of him. Sadly, Samuel L. Jackson was the weakest. Mark Ruffalo was the best. Chris Evans played Cap with confidence, and Robert Downey Jr. made every second count, even if some lines went over my head. Cap stepped up and showed why everyone (especially Coulson) respects him. His old-school vibe and pop culture confusion nailed the “man out of time” story. Thor was graceful. Hulk was the icing on the cake.

Really good movie. Highly recommend.

A Thousand Words (2012)

A Thousand Words

3/10

Starring

Eddie Murphy
Kerry Washington
Cliff Curtis
Clark Duke
Allison Janney
Ruby Dee

Directed by Brian Robbins

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so most definitely a moving picture is worth more than a million.

I’m sad to say I’m short of words when it comes to the movie A Thousand Words, because it comes off as a movie way below the Eddie Murphy standard.

The thing is, Eddie has lost it and he’s trying hard to get it back in my view, but a lot of the movies he is dropping are misses, I think he should consider a more serious role and not all these pure comedic movies, which make him and his acting look silly.

Eddie plays Jack McCall, a motor mouth who can talk people into doing what he wants. One day, he’s sent to get a trending religious figure for his publishing company.

He goes, says all he has to say, tells some lies, and then suddenly gets cursed (yeah, right). He goes home and in his backyard, he sees a tree — which appears out of the blue. Sad thing is, we actually see it grow out of the ground. It looks like one he saw in the religious man’s home.

He calls the man over to see the tree, and they notice that as he speaks, the leaves fall off. So what happens when all the leaves fall? What happens to Jack as he has to mind his words? Well, same as all the feel-good movies you and I have seen.

He loses his job because he can’t behave normally, his girl leaves him, and he finally learns what’s important in life.

The movie, mind you, was done in 2008 — four years before now — meaning it was made before Tower Heist, a film where Eddie Murphy’s performance was a great improvement. Due to some studio issues, including changes in marketing strategy and post-production, A Thousand Words ended up being released in 2012.

A Thousand Words is directed by Brian Robbins, who also worked with Murphy on Norbit and Meet Dave — both of which were as useless a watch as cinnamon is to the taste. Murphy was originally announced as a host for the 2012 Oscars but stepped down. The speculation is that it was due to scheduling conflicts and the poor reception of his recent films, so Billy Crystal returned to host instead.

The script for A Thousand Words is a shamble. If you’ve seen Liar Liar or other feel-good movies, then you’ve seen this before. Same trend, same ideology, different cast.

What a waste of time watching this movie was. I advise everyone not to join people like me who were unfortunate enough to have seen it.

The Three Stooges (2012)

The Three Stooges

4/10

Starring

Chris Diamantopoulos
Sean Hayes
Will Sasso

Directed by Farrelly Brothers

Could have been better …

It is clear after seeing The Three Stooges that the Farrelly brothers’ love for the original Stooges is a little too much. The brothers, to me, have been a little shy of delivery in their movies since Something About Mary (1998). Before this was Hall Pass, which was also a drag.

If you’re a huge fan of the original Stooges and don’t believe in remakes, I’d advise you to stay clear of this movie. If you’ve never seen the Stooges before and decide this will be your first… you may not like this picture. But if you love slapstick comedy, go ahead.

One thing I must say is the performance given by Chris Diamantopoulos, Sean Hayes, and Will Sasso as Moe, Larry, and Curly respectively is so so good and so like the original that I actually applauded them for their work. Another high point in the movie is the mastery and well-choreographed eye pokes, knuckle sandwiches, elbow nudges, and stunts. I was thrilled by them.

The story is plain and simple, as all Stooges stories start, until the trio makes a mess of things. The trio needed to raise $830,000 to save their orphanage from closing, a task they took upon themselves to save their home.

They decided to do all it would take to raise the money, and so began the journey of the Stooges.

Their journey led them to the show Jersey Shore, where they had to interact with the cast. We saw eye poking, punching, head hitting all over the place, and I just couldn’t wait for it to end.

If we decide to look at why this movie is lacking the Midas touch, the big issue for me is too much recycling of the old Stooges flicks when they could have done things differently. The reality is, if I need to see the old Stooges, I just need to visit the nearest video store. This movie bringing it back, to me, was a waste. An irritating screenplay that makes me wonder why anyone would think spraying baby urine and using it as squirt guns would be funny. Even Sofía Vergara’s performance as the villain became boring after a while.

The use of Larry David (maker of Seinfeld) as one of the nuns was weird to me, and the joke of using Jennifer Hudson as one of the singing nuns went over my head. I still haven’t figured it out.

At the very end of the movie, I just appreciated the actors for their work more than the movie for what it was meant to be. That is, funny (because it wasn’t).

Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows (2012)

Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows

8/10

Starring

Robert Downey, Jr.
Jude Law
Noomi Rapace
Jared Harris
Stephen Fry
Kelly Reilly
Rachel McAdams

Directed by Guy Ritchie

One thing you have to love about A Game of Shadows is the pitch with which it starts. The touch of comedy makes it enticing to the eyes and ears. With over 2 hours of watch time, Holmes delivered enough juice to keep you watching.

With fight scenes more like Jackie Chan’s, lovely disguises by Holmes, and the fun of seeing the dynamic duo battle together in a sheer masculine type of male bonding, Watson plays the joker in every scene, introducing jokes and fun as the plot untangles.

Holmes’ brother Mycroft was also introduced. As in the books, Sherlock Holmes’ brother was more in touch with his power of observation than Sherlock himself. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle made Holmes’ brother smarter and better than Holmes in his books, the only difference being he had more political ambition than Holmes and less interest in being a detective.

Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) is up against a criminal mastermind, Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris), who is Holmes' intellectual equal. The story starts off with the death of the Crown Prince of Austria. Holmes deduces that the prince has been the victim of Professor Moriarty.

Holmes goes after Moriarty but always seems to be one step behind. The two masterminds start a game of who will succeed, a game in which Moriarty’s lack of conscience leads to chaos and death.

The movie did have an initial face-off between the two major players, Holmes and Moriarty — a face-off that was less exciting than I hoped.

No need to say anything about the acting, as it was the main steed in the movie. It rode hard and strong till it crossed the finish line in front. The acting was something extraordinary, with good delivery of lines, wonderful facial expressions, and grand gestures, making the actors more like the characters they represent rather than being distant from the movie. What I'm saying in few words is the actors were the bomb.

The scenery was well crafted to fit and suit the screenplay, which was a grand gesture of mastery. Directing must have been made easy for Guy Ritchie (who directed the first Sherlock Holmes), as the screenplay to me did the main task. The script and dialogue won’t bore you, that’s for sure, and the cat-and-mouse game between Holmes and Moriarty was good to watch.

The effects were great, and the tragedy was endless as the collateral damage grew intensively in this movie. There was a scene that felt like a war was going on.

The negative things about the movie have to be the way Ritchie made Holmes look like a clumsy mercenary, overusing the slow-motion theme and putting too much emphasis on guns. The addition of all these, made some scenes looked too off when it comes to the character Sherlock Holmes. Holmes in the books and the idea we have of him is one of class, this version is very gritty, which I did not like.

At the end of this movie, all I have to say to the producers is, "a little of all this in the next Sherlock Holmes, please."

If, like me, you delayed seeing this masterpiece, I advise you do so now before it gets away from the cinema — if it hasn’t already.

Alien Resurrection (1997)

Alien Resurrection (1997)

7/10

Starring

Sigourney Weaver
Winona Ryder
Ron Perlman
Dominique Pinon
Gary Dourdan
Michael Wincott
Brad Dourif

Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet

If you have missed this movie then you need to backtrack and make sure you do see it. The fourth installment in the Alien franchise was this 1997 film titled Alien Resurrection, which had Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) cloned after she died 200 years ago in the incidents of Alien 3. The cloned Ripley had in her the DNA of the Alien, so what the company had “CLONED” was a hybrid, a human and Alien DNA mixed.

The new Ripley had in her chest the Queen embryo, which was removed as soon as the cloning process was a success. She was studied, and she bred a new kind of Alien, a hybrid that was part human and part Alien, making this film thrilling as you're eager to see what will happen next. As we all expect, the aliens break loose as they always have.

Well, the company also had Alien eggs and they captured men in hyper-sleep and used them to breed the Aliens. They caged them and tried to train them, but soon the Aliens got smart and broke free and again all hell broke loose.

What makes this last installment in the franchise good was the suspense. At every turn, there’s something you think you’ve figured out, till it changes the next second, making the story dynamic as it twists and brings in each twist excitement. Now, that being said, the movie as a whole is somewhat predictable, what I am referring to as suspense are some of the elements in the general story arc. As you would expect, the aliens to break loose and Ripley will be there to help stop them.

The film is written by Joss Whedon, who had worked on Buffy the Vampire Slayer before this. The story and screenplay had enough action to keep you on the edge of your seat.

The actors were on their toes throughout the movie, delivering their lines and their interpretation of the characters with finesse. Another thing that did it for me was the idea to use the Alien’s blood as part of the script. Not much about this acid blood had occurred in the previous two installments, but here it played a vital role in the story.

It was also directed by another director, a French director Jean-Pierre, who I have to give kudos to, as he did a fine job in delivery.

The CGI and effects in this installment were better than all previous three put together, and it has to be said even though this is not better than part 2 (Aliens (1986)), it redeemed the image of the franchise. Another thing to note is that, not all the characters get a well grounded story, some are more shaollow than others.

This was the last time we saw Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and it was a wonderful exit for her.

American Reunion (2012)

American Reunion

6/10

Starring

Jason Biggs

Thomas Ian Nicholas

Chris Klien

Seann William Scott

Eddie Kaye Thomas

Directed by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg

After watching this movie I came to the conclusion that American Pie 1 was the best out of all four movies in the franchise and it is safe to say that American Pie 3 (American Wedding) to me was far better than two, but this new American Pie (Reunion) is better than two but not three.

The original cast all reprise their roles, giving us the same deal as the first three, nothing new:

Masturbation (check): In fact the first scene has it occurring twice Jim watching porn (check): that has been a staple in all American Pie Stifler (check): not growing up at all, he is still obnoxious and out of his senses defecating in some teenager's drink cooler Sex (check) and nudity (check).

Nothing much can be said about the movie's plot without dropping spoilers, just that all our characters have grown, some are married, and Jim and Michelle had a two-year-old son.

The gang decided to have a 1999 reunion party, which brought back old feelings, causing some to reunite and others to stay friends. Stifler gets to pull one over on Finch which is the main twist in the movie. Finch, who since American Pie 1 has been going to bed with Stifler's mum.

In 1999 it began with losing virginity and the raping of a pie, then moved to a weird weekend getaway and eventually the marriage between Jim and Michelle, where Stifler planned to milk a lady going moo, moo (in American Pie 3). With all this in the past, we now see them in a different light, an old and kind of boring light.

Well if you are looking for a good storyline, know that American Pie has never tried to offer any, nor has the acting been extraordinary as most of the cast behaved like overgrown kids. The directing is not exceptional as the movie is juvenile and the plot is just over-the-top ridiculous. But hey! What were you expecting? It is American Pie.

One thing though, if you are in the mood for some juvenile high school kind of movie, 21 Jump Street is a good movie for you, because that too had grown-ups behaving like misplaced juvenile youths.

Did I enjoy this movie? Yes. Because for me, I grew up in the 90s and this was a big part of it, and the silly jokes kind of reminded me of that time, which made me smile. Although I say the jokes were silly, some made me laugh as I sit and think back to the time when things were simple.

If you are a fan of the older versions then this can slip by as a movie you may like, but if you are not a fan of the whole "Pie" raping scheme, then maybe another movie will be just right for you.

Alien 3 (1992)

Alien 3 (1992)

4/10

Starring

Sigourney Weaver
Winona Ryder
Ron Perlman
Dominique Pinon
Gary Dourdan
Michael Wincott
Brad Dourif

Directed by David Fincher

If for any reason other than watching the entire movie in the Alien franchise, I'd suggest you to skip this movie.

I still have a bad aftertaste and a feeling that I’ll throw up from all I have seen.
It may have been a big-budget production, but what a waste it was. This movie is a far cry from interesting or effective compared to the others in its franchise.

As usual, the pod heading for Earth got delayed, and an alien was onboard and killed most of the crew.

Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) survived and brought with her to Fiorina 'Fury' 161, a foundry facility and penal colony inhabited by all-male inmates, the Alien.

All hell breaks loose as usual — people running here and there, death everywhere, chaos, pandemonium, and something growing where it should not.

My very candid thought on this movie is this:
I did not like this movie regardless of the action being fun, and Ripley as expected delivered, wonderful acting from Weaver, who has mastered this character and never delivers anything less than A-class acting when playing it.

The suspense part of the movie was not there and the horror genre in my view was gone and replaced with drama, which was supposed to give the movie more depth, but just made things a bit boring. Like the dialogues being too long with so many pauses in between. Now, I am not saying the movie did not have the horror genre or the suspense, but for me after watching enough of these movies, it felt too below the bar.

Another issue I had with this movie is that it is not evenly paced, and the ending unbelievably annoyingly.

In 1992 Alien 3 was produced, and it was a mess. Directed by first-time movie director at that time David Fincher who later went on to direct hits like Seven (1995) and Fight Club (1999), in this movie did a job I think is worth getting sidelined for.

I regret seeing this movie. After seeing Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986) done by Ridley Scott and James Cameron respectively, I expected something better. This was supposed to be a follow-up to an already well-built story. All the writers and the director had to do was continue from where the two great directors stopped. But instead, they tried to do more and ended up wrecking it.

In conclusion, this movie dragged and makes you wish you didn’t hit play when you got the DVD.

Aliens (1986)

Aliens (1986)

9/10

Starring

Sigourney Weaver
Carrie Henn
Michael Biehn
Lance Henriksen
William Hope
Paul Reiser

Directed by James Cameron

How often is a sequel better than the previous part?

Happening after Ellen Ripley woke up from 57 years in hypersleep, Aliens — a sequel to Alien (1979, directed by Ridley Scott) — was directed by James Cameron. He had just finished working on The Terminator and was interested in doing a sequel to Alien.

The difference between Alien and Aliens (Alien II) is the genre. While the former was more horror with some action, Cameron went for more of an action movie, taking cues from The Terminator.

The action kicks off right from the start. After some quick introductions and setup, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is sent to LV-426, the planet where she and her crew first found the Alien eggs. She’s brought in as a consultant to escort a crew of marines to investigate a terraforming colony that has gone silent. As soon as they land, chaos breaks loose.

The mission feels off from the beginning. The colony is eerily quiet, and the deeper they go, the more the tension builds. Ripley, still haunted by her past, finds herself once again face-to-face with a threat no one else fully understands. The marines are confident, cocky even, but they're walking into something way beyond standard combat.

As things unravel, trust becomes shaky and decisions get desperate. The team is pushed to its limits in a setting that quickly turns from a rescue mission into a full-blown survival situation.

I have to say, even though I loved this movie, the switch of genre took away all the suspense from the first movie, which I actually liked and felt this movie would have also benefited from. Then there's very little to no character development for the rest of the cast, although they did their best to make their presence felt.

Cameron wrote a 45-page story and presented it to Fox. He was given a deadline and a minimal budget of $18 million to meet a 1986 release date. After ten months of production, Cameron pulled it off and met the deadline, despite issues with filming methods in England, where the movie was shot.

There was also the issue that Fox wanted to proceed without Sigourney Weaver, who wanted to be paid $1 million for the role. I’m glad they paid her, because I cannot imagine this movie without her. Her performance was amazing, and she really solidified the whole Ripley image in this franchise.

Aliens is a film I recommend, and it will keep you glued to your seat. A lot more improvement was done to the graphics, and the Aliens were given close-up shots where we get to see them move — unlike the previous version where they were mostly shown using camera work and lighting.

Alien (1979)

Alien (1979)

8/10

Starring

Tom Skerritt
Sigourney Weaver
Veronica Cartwright
Harry Dean Stanton
John Hurt
Ian Holm
Yaphet Kotto

Directed by Ridley Scott

The first Alien franchise film I saw was Resurrection in 1997, and I always craved to see what led to it.

In 1979, with the aid of great cinematography, Ridley Scott directed the first Alien film. I have to be honest, after you get over the first 50 minutes on intense suspense and thrill, the movie shifts to horror, and it had all it takes to make you quiver. You may not appreciate the graphics as it felt below standard in some places, but I can tell you one thing — they pulled it off in the end.

Sigourney Weaver, I just have to say, what a classic actress she is. She made sure that she conveyed the fear of being alone and chased by this creature to an extent that makes you the viewer shake as you pray for her survival.

The plot is simple. A crew is sent on a science exploration in space. They pick up a signal and divert to check it out (they didn’t really want to, but it was against their contract not to), only for one of the crew to get infected by an Alien. They bring him onboard to help him, and all hell breaks loose.

At first it is a crew, and as the creatures kills them off one at a time the movie drops down to Ripley and this alien battling it on this ship.

I have to give this movie thumbs up for execution. Nice story build-up, all leading to the inevitable — an Alien on board the ship horror chase.

Have in mind this was done in 1979, so the scenes that had the Alien had to be done with lighting and camera work to sell the threat. These days, that’s done with CGI, but back then they had a man in a costume, and production used cinematography, light and sound effects to make the scene scary.

The directing and acting in this film is what gave it the nudge that more parts needed to be done — and they were, leading to a franchise that has lasted decades and even crossed over into the Predator franchise.

If you’re a fan of seeing how things were done back in the day, try this for size. If you’re not... they were ahead of their time with this one, so you won’t feel taken for a ride, I recommend seeing this movie.

But I have to warn you ahead, the special effects may seem dated and the movie has a slow start, which goes on for a while and makes you think nothing will ever happen.

The Corridor (2010)

The Corridor (2010)

2/10

Starring

Matthew Amyotte

Nigel Bennett

Stephen Chambers

Directed by Evan Kelly

What is worse than having hot coffee poured on your lap on a hot day? A horrible movie splattered across your screen claiming to be a horror film. It happens once in a while, you see a movie and give it a try thinking it will be worth your time and now you cannot find a way to forget it.

Once in a while, we decide to give a horror B-movie flick a twirl, and at times we get our time and money’s worth. But then there are times we just feel like smashing the screen because of the mishap happening there that some producers want to pass off as movies.

The Corridor doesn’t try to make you like it. It just goes on and on till you wish you hadn’t seen it at all. No effort to impress from either the director or the actors. It’s like they all just wanted to make a movie and didn’t care what it was about or how it would be viewed on screen.

If you are reading this, then chances are you’ve either seen this movie or are planning to. If you’ve seen it and think you just saw a movie that is cool, well, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

My opinion is: "What was I thinking? After the first 30 minutes or so, I should have just walked away."

This movie lacks all the fun a movie should have and all the reasons a movie should be made. Acting was not okay. I must admit, all the guys would have been better off in another movie, as they showed they had what it takes, but here all you see is just waste.

But the idea that a corridor-like passage in the snowy woods can make you connect to things you never understood, and then send you down the path of insanity, came to someone’s mind and he wrote this!

What beats me is that he thought this through and felt it was a good movie idea.

It just escapes all my reasoning that a human being wrote this, and a studio picked it up and got someone to direct it. The movie is tagged horror. Trust me, I didn’t even blink at any scene.

If you haven’t gotten the idea before now that I don’t like or recommend this movie to anyone, then maybe you should read this review again, slowly, because it is better than the movie itself (the review, that is).

No scene in this movie is even worth remembering.

Men In Black (1997)

Men In Black (1997)

9/10

Starring

Tommy Lee Jones

Will Smith
Linda Fiorentino
Vincent D'Onofrio

Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld

It was the year 1997, and the greatest agent the world has ever known was planning to retire. He needed to acquire and train his replacement. Who better to fill his shoes than Agent Jay (Will Smith), a younger and more athletic character?

This movie made us understand why strange things and strange people roam around, with a solid plot that keeps you guessing.

"Where is the galaxy?"

"If it is here on Earth and it is meant to be millions of stars, where on Earth could you hide that?"

Leave it to the Men in Black. They not only found the galaxy and saved the world from the Arquillians, who were going to vaporize the whole planet to stop the bugs from getting the galaxy, they also made us understand that size isn’t everything.

The above run down is what this movie is about, a world where aliens and humans reside, a world where just a simple error can lead to the end of earth as we know it.

I loved this movie in 1997 and I still love it now. Listening to the soundtrack, doing the moves... all brings back fun memories of my youth. But the point I’m trying to make is, what makes a movie great is its ability to stand the test of time. No matter when you watch it, even 15 years after its release, it will always be a classic.

Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, who did a great job directing the screenplay written by Ed Solomon, this movie comes out well. Its combination of comedy, fantasy, and a lot of action makes you never feel bored while watching.

Comparing this to its part 2 would be unfair. Why?

Because Men in Black II lacked the action and comedy to keep you watching, something the first Men in Black had a lot of. I have to give kudos to the graphics — they are far better than what I saw in Men in Black II. Also, the screenplay is masterful. Each scene had enough happening to keep you hoping it would drag on longer. Problem was, the whole character of Jay was very annoying at first, his thinking outside the box behavior, did not come off as interesting as the movie wanted it to be, for me it came off annoying.

Also, I feel this movie will not be one of those ones that will transcend time based on how the plot developed, it moved very quickly, there was very little solid foundation built.

The producers are planning a Men in Black III, something I hope will be better than 2. The third movie, coming out in May 2012, is working with a huge budget of over 200 million dollars, something I hope will be put to good use.

The Men in Black movie led to the creation of the MIB animated series, which spanned 4 seasons and 53 episodes. What can I say? The franchise is a goldmine, one the producers want to dig until there’s nothing left.

I recommend seeing this movie, it is fun.