War Films - Back to Back

War for the Planet of the Apes

Last week we saw the final chapter of the current Planet of the Apes saga. We were extremely excited about this film because we are fans of the previous Planet of the Apes movies about Caesar.

This movie had a much different tone from the previous two movies. The title gives you a good guess on the film's genre. Although don't expect giant battle scenes. The film had more quiet, intense moments as the story follows a small group of apes on a mission within a much larger war.

War for the Planet of the Apes gets E - Exceptional

It completes the story we have been following for the past three movies. As these movies made the Apes the protagonists showing us a different side of this story. You'll be happy with the ending but maybe a bit sad to see the Caesar's origin story come to a close.

Dunkirk

Then we saw a much different war film this week.

Dunkirk gets E - Exceptional

This movie is phenomenal. The story is about the careful evacuation of hundreds of thousands of British soldiers on a French beach that was surrounded my enemy forces during World War II. Now that movie description could sound a little boring and it could be a very boring film, that is if it was created by anyone other than Christopher Nolan.

Nolan brings you right into what it felt like to be part of this war.  The movie is loud, but also quiet. It's also very suspenseful and heart pounding. You need to see it on the big screen. It's the only way to engulf yourself into the film.

Next up ... Atomic Blonde. I'm hoping it's going to be good. Also we got a bit distracted with all the San Diego Comic Con breaking news and trailers that we may see Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets sometime this week.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Spectacular!

Sensational!

Amazing!

If you haven't seen Spider-Man: Homecoming yet, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Stop reading this! Go to a theater and see this movie, right now!

Finally Spider-Man movie that we all were waiting to see.

I will admit that I enjoyed all the previous Spidey movies, even the hated Spider-Man 3, but the past few movies seemed to promise a lot only to leave us all with the feeling that something was missing. We were wishing for more. No more wishing required. I can confidently say this is the best Spider-Man movie to date.

This movie delivered and more. It was funny. There was plenty of action. It even provided twists and reveals that you expect from a great movie.

Plus the best Marvel villain.... Michael Keaton was phenomenal as the Vulture.
Many thought that the Vulture wouldn't be tough enough to be a Big Bad, but Keaton will prove them all wrong.

Spider-Man: Homecoming gets L - Legendary

Rebooting a beloved character is difficult. Just look at Superman as an example. Although it is true this Spidey is the third version of within the past decade. Also true this Spidey sorta already premiered in the MCU a year ago.  But Marvel has been able to bring its most popular character into the MCU and did so in stunning fashion. It all points toward a larger Amazing Spider-Man/Avenger universe yet to come with less rebooting and more story-telling.

Make Mine Marvel!!

Next week: War for the Planet of the Apes! Hoping for another great movie from this franchise

Transformers: The Last Knight

I believe I have said this before.
The one thing I like about the Transformers movies... the Transformers.
The one thing I hate about the Transformers movies... the humans.

This Transformers sequel is awful.

Most of the robot fighting action in the movie is great. That's all I want to see when I go to a movie titled Transformers.

Most of the human interacting with Transformers and other humans is dreadful.

I get that alien robots coming to Earth need to interact with humans living on the planet, but those alien robots don't need humans causing problems for them as they are engaged in an intergalactic battle.

Why does this movie need long introductions of new characters?
What happened to the new characters from the last movie?
Why can't there be more Transformers fighting each other?

There doesn't need to be any more time spent on this.

Transformers: The Last Knight gets n - Nugatory

I would suggest you wait until it airs on a basic cable channel.

Next week.... The House and/or Baby Driver

*Side note* The Bad Batch only opened to 30 theaters nationwide... so... didn't see it.

The Mummy

So begins the Dark Universe.

For those who didn't know, The Mummy is the beginning of a new cinematic universe containing every monster in the Universal Studios catalog. Classic monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolfman, the Invisible Man, and Creature from the Black Lagoon will soon be reintroduced to movie audiences. Each getting new stand along movies with hopes to have all the monsters exist in the same  movie universe.

Although this isn't the first attempt to re-boot the monster universe.
Remember The Wolfman (2010)?
Maybe you heard of Dracula Untold (2014)?
Of course, what ever happened to the blockbuster The Mummy (1999)? Which had two sequels!

Ironically displayed at the theater where we viewed The Mummy last night.

So why is there a need to re-boot the previously re-booted? More importantly, should you even go see it?

The Mummy get G - Gratifying

Tom Cruise gives the movie enough star power to entice an audience. Plus there are a few seat jumping scares, and the mummy character is creepy and terrifying at moments.  I think it helps that we sat close to the screen for those scares. I only had a problem with the ending. I feel the movie was going one direction and then takes an odd turn with no way to resolve it.

The classic monster movies of the 1930s were considered popcorn movies of their era. This movie is no different. You should grab a large bag of popcorn, sit real close to the screen, and enjoy the ride. Just don't expect the story to blow you away. It's just suppose to be two hours of fun.

Next week we have Cars 3.... I barely remember the second movie!

*NOTE* Baby Driver has moved from August to June 28th, and Dark Tower has moved  to August 4th. Don't know why??

Wonder Woman

Everyone's new favorite DC Cinematic Universe superhero is going to be Wonder Woman!!

I will admit that I didn't have high expectations for Wonder Woman. Not after seeing the forgettable Green Lantern, or the conflicted Man of Steel, and not even after what suppose to be greatest fight bout that was Batman v. Superman. The whole DC Universe felt rushed with too much thrown together too quickly. Then the film makers of Wonder Woman decided to take a step back and give us the foundational building block that we all wanted from their legendary characters.

From all the trailers, you would be excepting an origin story, and that's what you get, but... with so much more. This is not just another superhero movie. It had soft quiet moments and emotional scenes that helped develop the characters. It was a heart filled movie that could have easily been a fascinating drama rather than an action packed superhero movie.


Wonder Woman is L - Legendary!

It delivers to us the first stand alone female superhero origin story and she just may be the character that turns the corner for the entire Justice League franchise.

Next week The Mummy!!!

Here's hoping Brendan Fraser makes a cameo

Baywatch

This is definitely a late review. I wanted to do a double feature post this week but I failed to view the second feature of the double. I guess this is just a single feature then.

Do you like laughing at nonsense?
Does movie plot mean zero to you?
Do you enjoy watching beautiful Actors interact in raunchy situations?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you'll enjoy seeing Baywatch.

First you must realize, Baywatch is a comedy. It is also rated R. So might want to reconsider bringing the younglings to the show. Don't be like the woman who sat behind us with her 8-9 year old daughter. The first curse words came just minutes into the movie about the same time as the mature sexual conduct. We would hear gasps after each vulgar joke or scene. Followed by "what's that mommy?" questions.
I don't know why she even stayed in the theater.

Baywatch was fun. There is not much to the story. Although the movie knows what it is supposed to be and will even makes fun of its own premise.

Baywatch gets an e - Entertained

Watching this movie at home would be the best option.

*Note* We missed out on the Pirates of the Caribbean movie this week, but the word around the cineplex is that it isn't very good.

Up next Wonder Woman

ALIEN:COVENANT

It has been a strange week for SMS. First, everyone skipped on seeing King Arthur last week. Then this week no one could decide on which movie to go see. Of course I was pushing Alien: Covenant because...Come on, it's an ALIEN movie.

As for everyone else, the theme of it being too scary kept surfacing. So I decided to make it extra scary by seeing the movie alone. (Those silly wusses!)

I have a slight confession to make. I love the ALIEN franchise. There is just something about these movies that thrills me. It may be because of the first time I saw the movie ALIENS way back in the late 80's. I can't tell you the exact date and I didn't see it in the theater. You see, the late 80s was the rise of home VHS rentals and premium cable channels like HBO and Cinemax. Back then movies would be released in theaters. Then maybe a year later you would see those movies available at the video rental stores. Then, shortly after that the movies would then premiere on the cable channels, and if it was a good movie, it could play on those channels for years!!

That is where I saw ALIENS for the first time. It was awesome! It was an action packed thriller that involved a group of military people fighting a giant alien monsters with this legendary scene.


YES! Get away from her, you bitch!

Following this movie there were releases of video games, and action figures all based on ALIENS. I was a fan of all it.
Then I heard that it was actually a sequel. Well I had to see the original! So I begged my mother to let me rent ALIEN (1979) from the local video rental store. She didn't want me to see it because she thought it would be too scary for me. After plenty of more begging and assurances that I wouldn't be scared, she finally broke down and let me rent it. And it didn't disappoint.

ALIEN was a much different film, and it most definitely terrified me. But after that I was hooked. I saw every Alien movie that was released after that. When Ridley Scott announced he was returning to the franchise that he created, I was extremely excited. Prometheus was released and I more confused than entertained so I was really hoping this next chapter in the franchise would return to its glory.

ALIEN: COVENANT does indeed return the franchises to its roots. There is a little bit of combining themes from both of the first and second films to give a good balance of action and terror. But I wouldn't say it is really that scary. Sure there are parts you may jump out of your seat, but there isn't any built up tension that gets the hairs on your neck to stand up. I would say the theme is more sinister than scary. The best character by far is the one played Michael Fassbender. He does a great job at being a malicious android.

ALIEN: COVENANT gets a G - Gratifying 

I would suggest viewing it in a theater. Maybe try a late night showtime to make it extra creepy.

Next week we have a double feature week with Baywatch & Pirates of the Caribbean 

Hopefully all SMSers can get on the same page this time!

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Opening weekend of the summer movie season always has a feeling of anticipation and excitement. It also helps to start the season with a great movie that sets the bar for the rest. For the past few years, Marvel Studios has been the standard with movies like Civil War and the Avengers 1 & 2. This year is no different.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is the best comedic Marvel film to date. It is intensely funny. Every character has an unique charm that will keep you cracking up. This sequel has also turned up the volume of the emotional investment toward each character. By the end of the movie you will learn more about each character and their past.

Although this film is part to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there is no real need to watch anything other the first GOTG before going to this one. I'm sure there are going to be Easter eggs and ties in, but nothing of great importance.... so far. There are a few good cameos, so be on the lookout for those.

This movie gets an E - Exceptional

You definitely should go see it in the theater.

It was teetering on the edge of Legendary status due to its exceptional soundtrack. The creators have picked out some great songs from the 1970's that help drive the emotions felt throughout the film. These songs were likely hits when they were release but all feel newly discovered, as if you are on the journey with Star-Lord.

Here's a reminder of the well tested ranking system

L - Legendary
E - Exceptional
G - Gratifying 
e - Entertained
n - Nugatory
d - Dreadful

NEXT WEEK: King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

SLMR IS BACK!!!!

Welcome to the new and improved Summer Legendary Movie Review!!

After a very long sabbatical, it is time for the entire Summer Movie Squad (SMS) to reassemble!

For any newcomers wondering, each and every week during the Summer Movie season the SMS crew gather together to view a new film on opening night. Then the next day a new post will be released on this blog documenting our movie going experience.

Typically, movie reviews tend to describe way too much information. You simply want to know if a film is worth spending your time and money, and then some over zealous critic spoils the whole film by detailing the entire plot. Not on this review! There will be NO SPOILERS given on any of the movies reviewed here.

This review is all about enjoying the movie experience. Each week's post will simply have a recommendation based on our well establish personal ranking system.

Here is the official SMS 2017 list.

May 5 - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

May 12 - King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

May 19 - Alien: Covenant

May 26* - Baywatch

      - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

June 2 - Wonder Woman

June 9* - The Mummy

             - World War Z 2 (possible date)

June 16 - Cars 3

June 23* - Transformers: The Last Knights

      - The Bad Batch

June 30 -  The House

July 7 - Spider-Man: Homecoming

July 14 - War for the Planet of the Apes

July 21* - Dunkirk

      - Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

July 28* - Atomic Blonde             

August 4 -  The Dark Tower

August 11 - Baby Driver

August 18 - The Hitman’s Bodyguard

August 25 - Tulip Fever

Bold - Must see Blockbusters

* - Double Feature week

The time has come to kick off this year's schedule. Make sure to check back later this week because first post of the the season will be Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2!!!!

Also feel free to revisit any of the previous season's posts.