Fall Movie Review
Elena Smith ~ The LEGO Ninjago Movie
Sunday, October 1st, my family and I ventured out to the Gallery Cinemas in search of a new movie to see. Being that I was accompanied by my eight-year-old brother and my eleven-year-old sister, there weren’t that many appropriate choices for the whole family. We went with The LEGO Ninjago Movie. This movie is about Lloyd and his other ninja friends who go on a quest to unlock their inner Spinjitzu in order to defeat the evil Lord Garmadon from taking over their small town of Ninjago. Incorporated into the movie are sly and very in-your-face jokes. It’s also quite child-friendly being rated PG. Since this movie is based on the television franchise, Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu, it drew in a younger audience. To be precise, seven and up, even though both in the movie and the television show the characters are around 16.
All in all, I did enjoy the movie. It provided a good outlet for those who don’t or can’t watch horror or R rated movies. A good aspect about this movie is that it appeals to all ages. You can be seven, or seventeen, and still like it. Plus, you don’t need to know anything about the characters or the show. They introduce all of the LEGO people and you can get a general idea of the plot right from the beginning. It was very easy to follow, and the language wasn’t that difficult. Also, the movie was made using a mixture of stop-motion and animation just like the other LEGO movies. This is where pictures are taken one frame at a time, and when put together create a sequence of rapid moving pictures. This, then, creates an illusion of movement.
On Rotten Tomatoes this movie received a score of 3.4 out of 5, about 54% of the audience liked it, giving it a 52% on the Tomatometer. The overall consensus being; “Despite ample charm and a few solid gags, The Lego Ninjago Movie suggests this franchise's formula isn't clicking like it used to.” I do agree with these ratings. Although the movie was quite good, there could've been improvements. Unlike the other LEGO movies, which promotes creativity, culture, and being yourself, the LEGO Ninjago Movie had a hint of destructiveness and self-promotion covered by cunning jokes. At times there would even be some rude humor.
On the other hand, this movie showed a growing bond between father and son. Even though Lord Garmadon, who is Lloyd’s father, is evil and Lloyd is good, they end up joining forces at the end. This can show kids that sometimes two completely different people can still end up being friends. It can open up their minds to new possibilities of friendship. Regarding the consensus, I don’t completely agree with it. Yes, it’s a bit different from the other two LEGO movies, but that doesn’t have to necessarily mean that “it isn’t clicking like it used to.” Unlike the other two movies, the latest stop-motion adaptation was actually based off of something. It had to relate and incorporate characters/enemies from the show LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu. So, of course, it was going to be different, it had different necessities to accommodate to. In the end, I would encourage those to watch it. Even if you are on the fence, watch it. It’s a fun, simplistic movie you can enjoy with family and friends.
Olivia Donahue ~ Flatliners
Recently, my interest in horror movies peaked, and a couple friends and I chose to see the recent remake of Flatliners. For months, I had been seeing ads for this upcoming movie, so I figured why not see what all of the fuss is about. The plot of the movie is much like its former adaptation, which was created in 1990.
This movie follows 5 medical students who are curious about life after death. They conduct experiments where they kill themselves in order to track brain activity when they die. The storyline intrigued me, for I had never seen something like this. But my expectations were pretty low because I heard multiple bad reviews about the movie and it only scored a 4% on Rotten Tomatoes, stating, “Flatliners falls flat as a horror movie and fails to improve upon its source material, rendering this reboot dead on arrival.” Compared to the 1990 version, which scored a 49%, the prospects of me actually enjoying this movie seemed nearly impossible. Nevertheless, I decided to judge it for myself and go see it.
After seeing the movie, I found myself delightfully surprised at how interesting I found it. Flatliners was packed with enough horror to keep watchers at the edge of their seats, but still wanting more. The stars of the movie Ellen Page, James Norton, Nina Dobrev, Diego Luna, and Kiersey Clemons all showed an amazing performance.The only thing I would really critique would be the ending. The movie felt unresolved, and the way it was wrapped up made all the work and hardships that the characters went through seem pointless. As bad as the ending may have been, the rest of the movie made up for it. It was equal parts interesting, entertaining, and packed with horror, which provided an almost perfect movie. I feel that Rotten Tomatoes didn’t do Flatliners justice. The reasoning for the bad score might’ve been because people found the 1990 version better and are disappointed that the follow up wasn’t as good, but because I haven’t seen the original, I cannot be the judge of that. Overall, the movie was good, but the resolution was sloppy. Although there were flaws, the goods definitely outweighed the bads and I definitely would recommend it to anyone who enjoys horrors or thrillers.
