Valerian is a sugar rush

Movie Title:  Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

Grade:  B

Rating: PG-13, 137 minutes

• In a Nutshell:  Written and directed by Luc Besson, this sci-fi adventure takes you on a colorful journey with incredible creativity and imagination. 
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•  Unfortunately, it     misses the mark as an emotionally satisfying meal, but is a fun sugar rush.

 

Uplifting theme: 

• “Love is more powerful than anything.” – Laureline (Cara Delevingne)
• “Love – it’s the trust you place in someone else.” – Lauraline 

Things I liked:

• The French comics source material is extremely creative and this film does it justice.
• The opening sequence in the space station when the Americans were greeting visitors in space throughout the centuries was really cute.
• There is another sequence where Valerian smashes through a bunch of sections of the space station and you quickly see an impressive variety of environments.
• Cara Delevingne is beautiful to look at.  She wears mostly skimpy outfits that consist of a bikini with a sheer cover, but I thought the white dress she wore was really pretty.
• I loved all of the creative creatures.  This blows that orginal Star Wars bar scene out of the water....or universe in this case.
• Rihanna fans will love her character as “Bubble.”  Bubble puts on an amazing pole dance show and is a very sweet character.
• Good music choices.
• I LOVED Avatar and the people of Mul reminded me of them because of their sparkly skin and gentle spirits.  The animation was incredible.
• Beautiful colors and textures.
• The “Big Market” looked really interesting and kind of like a virtual 3D game.  That double barrel pistol in the market was cool.
• Cool K-Trons.
• China is such a HUGE movie market nowadays that I thought it was interesting that you see the Chinese flag two times in the movie.  Can you say Yuan?
• I wish I had someone like Alex to help me with everything!  Maybe the  Amazon Echo - Black is kind of like that?
• See in 3D if you can.
• The plot is fairly simple, but I thought the journey was a lot of fun.
• Ethan Hawke’s performance was a kick.

Things I didn’t like:

• A lot of the dialogue was really dumb.  
• Most of the lines that were supposed to add humor fell flat.
• Wow, I guess I’m getting really old, because the two stars of the movie (Valerian and Laureline) look like teenagers to me. They don't have believable chemistry together.  The casting just seemed off.  It's pretty ridiculous to believe they're the universe's most talented agent team.
• Laureline rolls her eyes a LOT.  In fact, both Valerian and Laureline are incredibly cocky and just not that likable.  We don’t see much character development, nor arc to show their growth.  The romance between them just wasn't convincing.
• Dane Dehaan sounded like a goofy Keanu Reeves and seemed very young and impish.  I thought his performance in A Cure for Wellness was much more mature and with more depth.
• There are so many creatures and side stories packed into this film that I would have loved to learn more about, but are quickly skimmed over. 

Funny lines:

• “For better or worse?” – Laureline

“Worse?  Is that negotiable?” – Valerian

“No.” – Laureline

• “Humans are so predictable.” – Doggendaggies

“Clearly, you’ve never met a woman.” - Laureline

Tips for parents: 

• This is a fun family film.
• No profanity.
• Skimpy clothing on all of the women.
• Sci-fi violence.

Want to read the graphic novel? Check it out here:
  Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets: The Official Movie Novelization

MOVIE REVIEW MOM   

@trinaboice 

Amazing Spiderman 2 squeezes Maguire's 2 & 3 into one flick

Movie Title:     The Amazing Spider-Man 2
PG-13, 2 hours 22 minutes

Grade:  B

In a Nutshell:   

This new installment of the Spider-Man franchise successfully makes you feel like you’re reading the panels of a comic book, but also has the effect of a choppy story that is common within that genre.  The flick is full of acrobatic stunts, impressive car crashes, and electrifying villains that young kids will get a kick out of.  I saw a few little ones walk into the theater wearing their Spidey costumes.  Adorable.  Most teens and parents who still have the Toby Maguire DVD sitting in their cabinet at home are asking “Why are they doing a remake so soon?” 

Uplifting theme:   

• Peter Parker’s girlfriend, Gwen, gives the Valedictorian speech at her high school graduation that pretty much sums up the theme for the movie: “It’s easy to feel hopeful on a beautiful day like today, but there will be dark days ahead of us too.  There will be days when you feel all alone and that’s when hope is needed most.  No matter how bad it gets or how lost you feel, you must promise me that you will hold on to hope.  Keep it alive.  We have to be greater than what we suffer.  My wish for you is to become hope.  People need that.  And even if we fail, what better way is there to live?”

Things I liked:

• The beginning of the movie sheds more light on Peter Parker’s parents and their unique mission which caused them to leave their young son.
• The slow-motion sequences were really great.
• Where else can we see Jaime Foxx with bad comb-over?
• The audience I sat with thought it was hilarious when Spider-Man sticks to a vehicle while it drives down the road.  He says to Gwen on the phone “I got a little stuck in traffic.”
• I pretty much love Emma Stone in anything.  This is a much softer version of her sass.
• This installment in Spider-Man is stuffed with villains.  Some say too many.  I rather liked the fact that the formula wasn’t “fight bad guy-win-happy ending-the end.
• (No spoiler alert)  I loved the story line and ending with the brave little boy.

Things I didn’t like:

• While Garfield and Stone have some chemistry, there’s no magical kiss like the one Maguire/Dunst created in their famous upside-down scene.
• It’s hard for Spider-Man to be really amazing when we’ve seen so many truly awesome CGI movies lately….with and without Superheroes.
•  Is it just me or does it seem like all of the villains in movies lately aren’t really bad, but just misunderstood?
• Before the movie started at the Regal Theater I attended, a bizarre announcement played with Emma Stone and a drugged out looking Andrew Garfield with a fake British accent.  They were encouraging patrons to upgrade to a particular ticket after the movie with access to additional content.
• Spiderman’s clever banter with bad guys just isn’t very clever at all.
• Some of Spiderman’s webs magically hook onto thin air.  What the?
•  The story line turns Peter Parker’s girlfriend into a successful Valedictorian with a loving family, much different from the Kirsten Dunst's wounded character. 
• I love Paul Giamatti, so I thought he was seriously underutilized in this film.
• Peter and Aunt May (Sally Field) fight in almost every scene they're in.
• Why do evil scientists always speak with a German accent and laugh after every sentence?

Inspiring lines:

• “What makes life valuable is that it doesn’t last forever.  What makes it precious is that it ends.”  - Gwen’s graduation speech
• “Time is luck, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.   Make yours count for something.  Fight for what matters to you, no matter what. Because even if we fall short, what better way is there to live?” – Gwen’s graduation speech
• “You’re not a nobody.  You’re somebody.”   - Spiderman  
• “The world cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”   - Albert Einstein, as quoted by Norman Osborn

Funny lines:

• Max tells Spider-Man “I will be like a god to them.”  Spiderman quips “A god named Sparkles?”

Things to look for:

• I love it when Stan Lee makes his cameo performance in Marvel movies.  Look closely in the high school graduation scene.  Stan sees Peter Parker with his Spider-Man mask on and says “Hey, I think I know that guy!”
• Some of the high school students decorate their graduation caps with little toys or words.  My oldest son just graduated from college last weekend (proud mama!) and I didn’t see any of the students decorate their caps, but I thought it was a cute idea.
• Peter Parker’s ring tone on his cell phone.
• Peter Parker’s cute “Thrasher” t-shirt.
• Aidy Bryant from Saturday Night Live is wearing a Statue of Liberty costume and says to Spider-Man “Nice costume!”
• Don’t bother looking for a fun sneak peek at anything after the credits roll.  When the movie is over, it’s actually over. 

Tips for parents:   

• Kids can learn about battery power and electric charges…
• The profanity is lean with only a few “mild” bad words, but there is, of course, a lot of violence.  Young children with dreams of becoming the next Superhero may need to be counseled “Do not try this at home.”
• If you missed the first Andrew Garfield Spidey, you can get it here:

Want to see the Toby Maguire version? You can pick it up cheap right here: