Rampage pushes the PG-13 line

Movie Title:   Rampage

Grade:   B

Rating: PG-13, 
1 hour 47 minutes

In a Nutshell:   My 4 sons used to play the 1997 Midway Rampage video game, so I was curious to see how well director Brad Peyton would adapt the game to a movie for the fans. 

Historically, movies that take video games to the Big Screen are horrible.  Well, yeah.  This movie requires you to turn off your brain and not care.  If you just want to see some monsters destroy a city and watch the ROCK do his thing (he’s awesome), then this movie is for you.  If storytelling and character development is important to you, then you’re going to have trouble watching this.  The monsters look great; it’s the humans in the movie that feel more like they’re in a video game.

                                    

Tips for parents: 

• George , the silverback gorilla, flips the bird several times.
• There is a HUGE body count.  There are a lot of bloody bodies and some of the deaths are almost portrayed as a joke, which was a bit alarming.  Lots of blood splatter.
• Lots and lots of destruction and violence
• Some profanity
• People in perilous situations
• Talk of poachers.  You’ll need to explain to your little ones what poachers are and why they’re so bad.
• Cleavage
• Inappropriate joke at the end.

Uplifting theme: 

• Family
• Friendship
• Loyalty
• Animal protection

                                                  

Things I liked:

• Some humor, although there could have been more since the movie already feels like a cartoon.   
• According to IMDB, an original cabinet of the Rampage arcade game can be seen in Claire Wyden’s office.  That’s a fun Easter egg for fans, but it doesn’t make sense for her to have it. Midway Arcade Origins - Xbox 360
• The movie shows George, the gorilla, living in the San Diego Wildlife Sanctuary.  As far as I know, that doesn’t really exist, but the San Diego zoo is fantastic.  They actually have a really good gorilla habitat there.  About 40 minutes outside San Diego is the awesome Wild Animal Park.  I used to live in San Diego and can highly recommend both!
• I think Malin Akerman’s eyes are so pretty.  I hated her stiff hair that looked like plastic.  Her character, unfortunately, was ridiculous.  If you're a Billions: Season One fan, you'll like that she gets to finally play the boss.
• Well done CGI.  The monsters look really cool.
• You see Dwayne Johnson get out of some zip ties.  First of all, his biceps are soooo massive!  Second, you actually can do it and big biceps aren’t required.  A former CIA agent taught me how.  Make sure the zip lock thing faces up.  Then, lift up your arms above your head and quickly pull them down to your hips, pulling your elbows back as fast as you can.  Ta da!
• SPOILER: Jeffrey Dean Morgan does a bad guy so well.  He was so maniacal in The Walking Dead Season 7 [DVD] that I had to stop watching the show.  Seriously evil.  Luckily, he has a heart in this movie.
• You’ll actually learn a little bit of sign language.  My niece married a deaf man, so I’m always thrilled when sign language is used in movies.  Another movie that uses sign language and is currently in theaters is A Quiet Place.  I thought it was really good!  You can read my movie review of A QUIET PLACE by clicking here.
• I thought it was a respectful nod that the city rampage occurs in Chicago, the headquarters of Midway video games.

Things I didn’t like:

• There were quite a few differences in the movie and game, although George and Ralph keep their names in the movie.  Lizzie’s name is never mentioned as the crocodile.  George was never an albino in the game.  The biggest difference is that the monsters in the video game were mutated humans, not mutated animals.
• The villains are terrible, but not in a good way. 
• Some characters are introduced in the beginning, but completely disappear from the story.
• There are some really dumb details that could have been easily fixed if anyone working on the movie had been paying attention or cared.
• The young male gorilla that is new at the Sanctuary in the beginning of the movie looks totally fake.  George looks much better.
• Naomie Harris doesn’t really do anything, other than run around and rely on the ROCK to come up with a plan.
• The clip in the movie trailer that shows the gorilla crack the crocodile’s jaws open like King Kong does to the dinosaur in his movie didn’t actually make it into this movie.

Funny lines:

• “Of course the wolf flies!” – Davis Okoye (Dwayne Johnson) 
• “You know there are other ways of dealing with people, don’t you?” – Dr. Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris)

“Of course I do, but that’s no fun.” – Davis

• “That’s a big arm.  Don’t fight it.” – Davis
• “Who are you?  Homeland? CIA?  Justice League?” – Dr. Kate Caldwell  
• “Girls love him.  I should shave my head.” -  Nelson  (P.J. Byrne)

         

  

                                        
                                         @trinaboice

The Great Wall opens in China first

Movie Title:  The Great Wall

Grade:  C+

Rating:  PG-13, 104 minutes

In a Nutshell:  China!  I went on a little speaking tour in China last summer and fell in love with the country, so it was fun to see bits of China again, even if a lot of it was through CGI.  

Still, there are some beautiful Chinese elements throughout the movie, including a lot of Mandarin, which is something I have been trying to learn for many months.

This visually stunning film was released in China first and features some of the biggest blockbuster actors in China.  Directed by Yimou Zhang, the film was made in China and cost the equivalent of $150 million dollars, the most money China has ever spent on a movie.  It’s only the second time an American-Chinese collaboration has created a feature film (the first one was Skiptrace, which I saw while I was in China).  Unfortunately, both movies fall short for most Americans.  Will it make a lot of money?  Absolutely…in China.  Not so much in the USA.

Here is a picture of me and my two sons when we were in China!

Uplifting theme: 

• “All we can do is prepare.” – Strategist Wang (Andy Lau)
• “Trust in each other in all ways and in all times.” – Commander Lin Mei (the beautiful Jing Tian)
• Honor, respect, trust.

Things I liked:

• I love Matt Daman in anything. 
• I love Willem Dafoe in anything, although he’s a mousy coward in this one.  In fact, he was super annoying and I wanted him to die.
• Beautiful, colorful costumes by Mayes Rubeo! 
• Gives new meaning to base jumping.
• Fun slow-mo shots.
• You get to see the monsters up close.
• I’ve always wanted to go to a Chinese lantern festival.  This scene in the film is so pretty.  Hopefully next summer I’ll see one when I go back to China!
• Lots of humor.
• It’s fun to see in 3D and on the big screen.  Visually, it’s impressive.
• The musical score was invigorating.

Things I didn’t like:

• A lot of the CGI and stunts look really good, but sometimes it’s pretty fake-looking.
• Jurassic Park meets China.
• The Chinese characters hold the moral high ground over the white guys in the movie.
• The characters are very one-dimensional who suffer from poor dialogue that doesn’t give us much back story or reason to care about them.  The story could have really benefited from time spent exploring the theme of honor, respect, and trust.
• The First Act was intriguing.  The Second Act was ok.  The 3^rd Act was extremely predictable and silly.
• There’s a lot of exposition.  don't TELL us everything. SHOW us.
• I asked one of my friends in China what he thought of the movie.  He said, “It sucked.”   

Interesting lines:

• “This is the first war I’ve seen worth fighting.” – William Garin (Matt Daman)
• “I am alive because I trust no one.” – William Garin

Funny lines:

• “I haven’t surrendered in a while.” – Pero Tovar (Pedro Pascal)

“It’ll come back to you.” – William Garin

• “Maybe they’ll hang us now.  I could use the rest.” – Pero Tovar
• “You smell like animals.” – (Willem Dafoe)

“Thank you.” – William

• “I didn’t sign up for this.” – Pero

‘Which part?”- William

“All of it….but mostly the monsters.” – Pero

• “We are honored to be honored.” – William

“Is that the best you’ve got?” – Pero

• “So, how’s life without me?” – William

“A little slow.” - Pero

Tips for parents:

• There are some scary monsters that might scare young children.

Underworld: Blood Wars is more of the same

Movie Title:  Underworld: Blood Wars

Grade:  D+

Rating:  PG-13, 91 minutes

In a Nutshell:  Fans of this franchise will be glad to see more of the story.  Fans of the beautiful Kate Beckinsale will get to watch her kick butt wearing black leather some more. Fans of vampires and Lycans will enjoy it.  Anyone else may want to pass on this one.

Uplifting theme: 

• You’ll ask yourself, “Why can’t we all just get along?”
• Family, loyalty.
• Blood is life.

Things I liked:

• The first 90 seconds give you a very quick overview of what happened in prior movies.     
• Cool special effects.  Most of them look great, although a few moments look awkward.
• I think it’s cool how one drop of blood can show so many memories of a character’s life.  There is a LOT of blood and talk of blood in this movie, lending great meaning to this film’s title.

Things I didn’t like:

• Kate gets beat up a lot.  Pretty flimsy plot to keep bringing her back…
• Lots of growling.  Ha ha
• SPOILER: It ends rather abruptly.  I wanted more of a satisfying conclusion, rather than a dangling finish that obviously leads into yet more sequels.
•  A LOT of CGI-enhanced stunts.
• It feels and looks more like a video game.
• Because the movie features vampires, there is very little light in this movie.  Each scene is very dark.  This movie will look terrible on a little computer screen.
• It's mostly vampires.  You don't get to see the lycans very much.

Interesting lines:

• “I’m finished with this war.” – Selene (Kate Beckinsale)

“Well, it’s not finished with you.” – David (Theo James)

• “Are you a slave?”  Then don’t act like one.”  - 
• “It’s strange to lose someone you feel like you’ve never known.” – David
• “I no longer fear death, for I have known it once already.” - Selene

Funny lines:

• “Don’t think.  You’ll hurt yourself.” – Semira (Lara Pulver) 

Tips for parents: 

• There is a LOT of violent fighting and splattering blood of various creatures.  Characters die in a lot of terrible ways.
• Semira wears a lot of skimpy clothes and kisses another woman.

@trinaboice 

Passengers explores outer space and the inner heart

Movie Title:   Passengers

Grade:   B

Rating:   PG-13, 116 minutes

In a Nutshell:  While some movie critics have argued that this film is tedious and boring, I would contend that the film intentionally captures a little bit of what it must feel like to be stranded alone on a spaceship like that.  That’s the point.  We need each other.  Life is meaningless, unless we have someone to share it with. 

I enjoyed the movie and tried to imagine myself in the same situations, wondering what I would do when faced with the same decisions.  It’s a movie less about discovering the great spaces in the universe, but more about humanity and what we find inside our heart.

Uplifting theme: 

• “We all have dreams.  We plan our futures like we’re captains of our fate, but we’re passengers.  We go where fate takes us.” - Aurora
• “You don’t have to do something amazing to be happy.” – Aurora’s best friend.  (The actress’ real name is Aurora!)
• You can’t get hung up on where you’d rather be that you don’t appreciate where you are.
• “Take a break from what you can’t control.” – Arthur (Michael Sheen)
• Humanity, companionship, sacrifice, love.

Things I liked:

• Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence are two of the most popular actors in Hollywood right now and I liked them together. They’re both extremely talented and charismatic.
• Incredible views of space.  The CGI and real life are blended very well.
• I wish I had that body scanner/repair machine!  I’d also like one of those Roomba-type floor vacuum robots!
• Jim eats dragon fruit for breakfast.  It’s that super alien-looking pink fruit cut in a square that is white on the inside with black polka dots on the inside.  Try some!
• It’s really good in 3D and on the big screen.
• I loved that swimming pool with a view!  It was pretty crazy when the anti-gravity kicked in.
• Directed by Morten Tyldum, the same guy who did The Imitation Game which I loved.
• The spaceship design is pretty cool-looking.
• Aurora is a writer, which always catches my attention (my 21^st book was just hit store shelves this month!)

• Aurora says, “Give me a cup of coffee and a view of the Chrysler building and I can write all day.” Jim provides that for her in a way which I thought was so sweet.  It’s those simple acts of kindness and thoughtfulness for another person that is the essence of love.

Things I didn’t like:

• What you see in the trailer is what you get.
• Some movie critics have said the film looks like it’s on auto-pilot. 
• If they told this story in a different order, it could have been even more interesting.
• The “thing” that happens in the third act is super brief.  I wish it had been explored more.
• SPOILER ALERT: I thought it was odd to cast Andy Garcia, because he didn’t even have a line in the movie; any Extra could have done as good a job in that spot.
• This movie script sat for a long time before anyone picked it up, making you wonder what other directors could have done with it.

Interesting lines:

• “No!  You die, I die!” – Aurora  (Sounds like a line from the The Hunger Games)
• “I think we tell each other stories to know we’re not alone, to make contact.”  - Aurora
• “Can’t slogans be true?” – Jim
• “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.  You kill me.” – Jim
• “Jim and I live in accidental happiness.” – Aurora

Funny lines:

• “Jim, these are not robot questions.” – Arthur
• “Jim, I’m not just a bartender.  I’m a gentleman.” – Arthur
• “You went shopping.” – Aurora

“I went shoplifting.” – Jim

• “I was giving you space.” – Jim

“Space – the one thing that I don’t need more of.” – Aurora

• “Ladies love the dress blues.” – Gus Mancuso (Laurence Fishburne)

Tips for parents:   

• There are a few moments of Aurora and Jim getting “romantic”, as well as a scene where you see hazy naked figures.
• Some profanity.

Rogue One rakes in 290 million opening weekend!

Movie Title:      Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Grade:   A

Rating:  PG-13, 133 minutes

In a Nutshell:  I’ve been looking forward to this movie ever since I first knew it was "a thing" many, many months ago.  Yep, I'm a bit of a Star Wars nerd.  

For those of you who aren't, the newest installment in the Star Wars universe takes place before the 1977 Episode IV and five years after the events of “Star Wars Rebels.”

The movie brought in an impressive $290 million worldwide during the debut weekend. Wait until it opens on Jan. 6 in China!  Cha-ching!  Have you bought any Disney stock?  

Star Wars’ Episode VIII is scheduled to open one year from now.  Can't wait!!!

Uplifting theme: 

•  "Trust goes both ways." - Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones)
• Friendship, trust, loyalty, right vs. wrong, unity, respect.
• "I am one with the Force.  The Force is with me." - (Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen)
• When we're part of something bigger than us, our actions have meaning and purpose, even if we never live to see the fruits of our labors.

Things I liked:

• The CGI and motion capture work are unbelievably amazing.
• The new characters are great.  There are also tons of fun prop creatures.  K-2S0 is instantly likable, voiced by the delightful Alan Tudyk.
• The brief references to prior Star Wars movies are there for you to pick up on, but they’re not overpowering.
• The set pieces look so tangible and real.
• Felicity Jones is terrific in everything.  She went through special martial arts training to prepare for her action sequences and has even been praised for her excellent trigger control on the weapons.
• Director Gareth Edwards does a great job showing scale.  He did a great job at that in his last Godzilla (2014) movie too.
• Lots of great action sequences.
• James Earl Jones!  We love you!  Welcome back!  Darth Vader with his light saber…classic awesomeness.
• Girls will be happy to see another female protagonist in this one, as well as in last year's feature Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• Ok, so that’s an interesting mind-reading, lie-detecting creature.
• Incredible motion capture work creating Grand Moff Tarkin and a young Princess Lea.  It was especially fun and crucial to see Peter Cushing in this film, as his presence was linked to the Death Star.  Well done, Lucas Films!
• Why the Death Star is capable of being destroyed is addressed in this movie.  This film answers a question that has bothered fans for years.   
• Hammer-head space ship.  Wow.
• One thing I've always liked about the Star Wars movies is that the people look real, not like glamorous celebrities acting.  Fingernails are dirty, hair is greasy, clothing is grimy. 

Things I didn’t like:

• It is well known that this film had many re-shoots and you can kind of feel it.  Some of the editing is choppy.
• The first 25 minutes of the movie are spent showing you a ton of planets and characters.  Be patient.  They'll all tie together eventually.
• I would have liked to see more back story behind some of the new characters so that we care about them and feel more invested in them. 
• What’s up with Forrest Whitaker’s voice lately?  It was noticeably weird in the movie Arrival too.  Is he just trying new things or what?
• Darth Vader is only in this movie for about 4 minutes.  What????
• This is the first Star Wars film to NOT be scored by John Williams.  The new composer, Michael Giacchino, only had 4 ½ weeks to compose the music for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.  Fans of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 might recognize his style.
• Jyn Erso has a Storm Trooper doll.  Wait, what?  Um…why?
• There are a TON of things in the trailers that are NOT in the movie.  What the heck?

Funny lines:

•  “This is a rebellion, isn’t it?  I rebel.”  - Jyn Erso
• “Don’t choke on your aspirations, Director.” – Darth Vader
•  "Congratulations.  You are being rescued.  Please do not resist." - K-2So
• "Are you kidding me?  I'm blind!" - Chirrut Imwe (as they put a bag over his head so he won't see.)
• "There's a problem on the horizon.  There is no horizon!" - K-2S0

Fun Facts:

• Two of the the working titles that were considered for Rogue One were “Red Cup” and “Dark Times.”
• To fill out the hangar, cardboard wings were used on some of the space craft.
• This is the very first Star Wars movie to actually mention the name of the film in the movie itself.
• This is the first Star Wars movie to not use or show Obi Wan in any form.
• This is the first Star Wars movie to not feature an opening crawl.  Ah, sad.
• Members of the British Armed Forces were hired as Extras to give the battle scenes more authenticity.
• The fake name that was used to secretly ship the films to theaters was “The Alamo” to discourage any would-be thieves.

Easter Eggs you might have missed:

 Interesting lines:

• “What will you do when they catch you?  What will you do if they break you? Will you continue to fight?  If you keep fighting, what will you become?” – Saw Gerrera   (these lines were in the trailer, but not in the actual movie)
•  "You're confusing peace with terror." - Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen)
• "There is only one kind of prison.  I sense that you carry yours wherever you go." - Chirrut Imwe
• "Rebellions are built on hope." - Jyn Erso

Tips for parents:

• There are some subtitles you might need to read for your young kids.
• There is a lot of hand-to-hand fighting, shooting, and destroying of things.  You’ve seen Star Wars before, right?

Warcraft movie is job security for my son

Movie Title:      Warcraft

Grade:  B- (I can't bring myself to give it a C)

Rating:   PG-13, 1 hour 40 minutes

In a Nutshell:  Big Disclaimer….my son is actually one of the computer animation artists for Blizzard (I know, super cool, right?), so I’m completely biased and want this movie to do well at the box office. 

For what it’s worth, my son didn’t work on this movie.  Instead, he works on the actual World of Warcraft video game.  I’m so happy that he has a job he loves and gets paid to use his amazing talents!  By the way, if you’re a WOW fan, you HAVE to go to Blizz Con.  I don’t even play the game, but I went last year and had a blast!

In case you didn’t know, director Duncan Jones is the son of the late singer/songwriter David Bowie.  For the horde!

Uplifting theme: 

• “If love is what you need, you must be willing to travel to the ends of the earth for it.” – Guardian Medivh (Ben Foster)
• “No one can stand against the darkness alone.” – Alodi (Glenn Close)

Things I liked:

• The fan service is substantial and impressive.        There are tons of Easter eggs in the film, I'm told. The film made $45 million at the box office in ONE DAY in China alone!
• I thought the CGI blended well with the live actors.  The motion capture work was really great.
• The 3D aspect enhanced the visual experience.  See it on the biggest screen you can.
• I loved the cool wolves and the detail of Durotan’s fingers running through the fur.  In fact, the detail of all of the animation was awesome (and I’m not just saying that because my son is an animation artist).  All of their video games are like that too.  The world-building talent is truly amazing.
• I love the vibrant, ethereal glowing blue and green colors, which is a classic Blizzard look.
• While Paula Patton (Garona) only gave us a surface-level performance, I thought Ben Schnetzer (Khadgar) showed us some depth.
• I loved Durotan and thought his character was the most intriguing.  Is it weird that I loved his hairy, muscular chest? When you see him take off his wolf fur cloak, his back looks almost real.  He's a striking, almost handsome creature that you fall in love with. 
• During an awesome battle scene, Garona (Paula Patton) thrusts a sword through a “bad guy” and green blood splatters on the “camera”.  I thought that was a cool effect to make you believe it was live footage, rather than CGI.
• Glenn Close?  How did THAT happen?
• You feel the weight of heavy weapons, which is hard to do in animated film.  The battle scenes are pretty epic.

Things I didn’t like:

• Despite the fact that my son works on World of Warcraft, I’ve never played the video game, so I was unfamiliar with most of the characters, the lore, and the worlds.  I wish the film somehow gave us newbies a primer on the “world” in the beginning of the movie.  Most “uninitiated” viewers will be a bit confused.  It’s kind of like watching “The Lord of the Rings” where the lands and characters have unusual names and it takes some time to figure out who the good guys are and what’s going on.  (I loved the LOTR trilogy, by the way!)  The good news is there isn’t a quiz at the end of watching this movie, but you WILL feel like a nerd for watching it.  There are hundreds of hours of game development which, you can imagine, would be hard to cram into a 90 minute movie.
• Ben Foster’s character, the Guardian, has a really bad CGI moment and does a lot of over-the-top acting. 
• Sometimes it’s really hard to understand what the characters are saying.
• It’s hard to become truly invested in most of the characters, because we aren’t told very much about them and they begin fighting immediately.  There are a couple of protagonists who experience personal growth, but many of the others are paper thin.
• The emerging romance was awkward.

Funny lines:

• “Whatever you plan to do, do it now!” – Anduin Lothar (Travis Fimmel)
• “Can you hide your fat belly?” –  Durotan (Toby Kebbell from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes)

“Better than you can hide your fat head.” – Draka (Anna Galvin)

Interesting lines:

• “For orcs, there is no other life but war, but with the humans, there could be.” – Durotan
• “We fight together or we die together.” – Durotan
• “For years, our worlds have been at peace, but something is coming.  I feel it.” – King Llane Wrynn (Dominic Cooper)

·       “From light comes darkness and from darkness comes light.” – Alodi (Glenn Close)
*      "Broken bones heal stronger." - Garona

Tips for parents:   

• There are a LOT of scary looking creatures.
• There is a LOT of fantasy violence and fighting, sometimes gruesome.
• This movie will give your child the reason to play yet one more video game…

The Huntsman: Winter's War is a mixed prequel/sequel

Movie Title:  The Huntsman: Winter's War

Grade:  B

Rating:  PG-13, 2 hours 3 minutes

In a Nutshell:    This ain’t no Frozen Film critics are ripping this prequel/sequel to shreds, but I actually enjoyed it.  There is some humor, adventure, great CGI, beautiful landscapes, fun action sequences and even romance.

Sure, the story is a little messy and uneven, but it’s still entertaining and visually stunning, especially if you liked Snow White & The Huntsman .  It has more enchanted charm than the first one, even if it’s a sequel that viewers never asked for.

 Uplifting theme: 

• “Love doesn’t make you weak.  It’s all that ever gave me strength.” – Eric/The Huntsman
• What does the mirror show YOU?
• What is the source of YOUR power?
• “Love conquers all…so I’ve heard.” – Queen Freya   (It really does.)
• Jealousy and revenge hurt you more than the other person.

Things I liked:

• The majority of the CGI is really impressive.  Some of it is fake looking (the fog on people's breath), but most of it is really good and believable.  I thought it was cool (pun intended) how there are delicate snowflakes in the air wherever Queen Freya stands.
• The musical score by James Newton Howard is really good, noticeably good.
• I could watch Charlize Theron all day long.  I think she’s absolutely beautiful…the fairest of them all. Unfortunately, the story about how she comes back to life is a bit weak and vague. Who cares though, really?  We get to see Charlize in beautiful gowns looking wicked and glamorous.
•  I loved the river scene with the sprites and the enchanted forest scenes with the fairies.  Adorable turtle covered in moss.  (You might miss him if you're not paying attention to the background.) The film is from the same producer who worked on Maleficent and has that same feel.  You can read my movie review for Maleficent here.
• The dwarves offer plenty of comic relief.
• You get to learn a little bit more about Eric/the Huntsman and his back story. Chris Hemsworth works his charm and even has some funny lines.  I don't remember him talking with a Scottish accent in the first film, but he lays it on pretty thick in this one.
• I really like the title "Winter's War".  It refers to the coldness of heart and the internal battle between good and evil, love and hate, as well as the actual snowy winter scenes where battles are fought in the movie.

Things I didn’t like:

• They talk about Snow White, but you only get to see her from the back.  Apparently, Kristen Stewart didn’t want to have anything to do with this film, so they used a body double.
• I really like Emily Blunt, but her portrayal as Queen Freya was a bit...shall we say...cold?  She has a new movie coming out in October called The Girl on the Train  
• Lots of leather.  Lots.  Some of the clothing looked like new, fresh costumes and should have been messed up a little bit to look more authentic.  Queen Freya and the Evil Queen look wonderful.
• There is a fight scene in a tavern that has good action, but it’s filmed too close, so you can’t see everything that’s going on.  It has no music in the background, just fight noises, which actually was an interesting sound choice.
• Like Maleficent , the protagonist could teach young girls an important lesson in personal empowerment, yet becomes completely unhinged and evil because of a man who betrayed her.  Not exactly a good role model for our daughters.
• The beginning and end feel a bit heavy, but the middle feels like a magical adventure.

Funny lines:

• “This is the worst plan ever.” – Eric/The Huntsman
• “What are you going to do: take on two evil sisters and their entire armies?” – Sara (Jessica Chastain)

“Yeah, pretty much.” – Eric/Huntsman

Interesting lines:

• “Men have forgotten what it means to be afraid.” – Queen Freya
• “You may know much, Ravenna, but you do not know all.” – Queen Freya

“I’m afraid I do.” – Ravenna

• “If she could not raise a child, she would raise an army.” – narrator who is the wonderful Liam Neeson
• “In my kingdom, there is but one law: do not love.  It is a sin.” – Queen Freya

Tips for parents:   

•  Some profanity, as well as "colorful" Scottish insults
• The goblins might scare very young children
• There are some inappropriate sexual innuendoes, but they’re subtle and will probably fly over most kids’ heads.  There are two scenes when sex is implied, but you don’t really see anything.

The Jungle Book takes CGI to a new level

Movie Title:      The Jungle Book

Grade:   A

Rating:   PG, 1 hour 51 minutes

In a Nutshell:    What do you get when you mix 90% CGI with a Rudyard Kipling remake?  Surprisingly, a beautiful family friendly film.  

Director Jon Favreau gives a respectful nod to the 1967 Disney original, while crafting a new one that is fresh and full of heart.  See it in 3D if you can.

Uplifting theme: 

•  Baloo says, “Everyone’s got a song.” A strong message that comes out in the film is to be yourself, your best self.  We all have our unique strengths and others around us will be blessed when we are true to ourselves and use our talents.
• Another wise thing Baloo says is, “You say you want to go the man village.  I say you can be a man right here.”  We need to stop waiting for something to happen before we live up to our potential.
• Friendship, courage, love.

Things I liked:

• Neel Sethi plays Mowgli, the only human in the movie, yet there is great humanity in the film.  He does an excellent job and is completely adorable.  I love the realistic detail of some scars on his shoulder and chest.  
• Even if we don’t get to see the talented Ben Kingsley, it’s a pleasure to hear his voice as the protective teacher Bagheera.
• Who doesn’t love the carefree Baloo?  Bill Murray’s voice fits perfectly and provides plenty of comic relief, making the audience I sat with laugh almost every time the lovable bear was on the screen.  This ain’t no bear from The Revenant!
• Casting Christopher Walken as the creepy, funny King Louie was perfect. Walken has that reputation in Hollywood.
• Idris Elba voices the scary Shere Khan and provides a villain who is frightening, yet not so much that young children won’t be able to watch the movie.
• Scarlett Johansson’s soothing, tempting voice was also a great choice for Kaa.
• The wolf oath has been borrowed by the Boy Scouts of America, because it teaches some important principles still today!  The 8 year old boys in Cub Scouts repeat a somewhat different version each week in their gatherings.
• Adorable, yet realistic creatures in the jungle.  The porcupine was an especially popular character for the audience.   
• Pay close attention to this fascinating detail…there is a water scene where you actually see water splashes on the camera…but is there really a camera there or was it all CGI?
• Honey IS actually good for scratches and bee stings!

Things I didn’t like:

• There is nothing at the end of credits, so feel free to leave the theater after the last scene.  I was disappointed, because they could have easily added any number of fun nuggets to surprise and delight audiences.
• Some of the CGI looks a little fake, but most of it is actually stunning.

Funny lines:

•  “Bears don’t hibernate in the jungle.” – Bagheera 

“Not full hibernation, but I nap…a lot.” – Baloo

• “I realize you weren’t born a wolf, but couldn’t you just act like one?” - Bagheera
• “If you can’t learn to run with the pack, one of these days, you’ll be someone’s dinner.” – Bagheera
• “He’s walking on two legs!” – animal child at Peace Rock

“Don’t stare!” – animal’s shocked mother

• “What did I tell you?  He’s special.” – Baloo talking about Mowgli

“I know.  I raised him.” - Bagheera

Interesting lines:

• “If it’s meant to be, it will be.” – Raksha (Lupita Nyong’o)
• “You have never been a more endangered species than you are in this moment.” - Baloo 

Tips for parents:   

• There are some animal fight scenes that might frighten very young children.
• Shere Khan has a scarred eye that makes him look scary.
• No profanity.

Other great versions I loved of The Jungle Book :