Walking With Dinosaurs

MY RATING: NOT WORTH THE CASH

Walking With Dinosaurs was a huge disappointment for me, especially because I used to be a huge dinosaur fanatic when I was a kid. I am very disappointed by the film's lack of good story-telling and the fact that it did not do justice to the diverse world of the dinosaurs that exists millions of years ago. 

The story tells the life of a young Pachyrhinosaurus, named Pachi who was the weakest of the litter - you can see where this story is heading already - and the struggles he faced as he grew into adulthood. Basically, the story is a pedestrian and cliché one, of which I deduced the ending thirty minutes in. The story would probably only appeal to children below the age of five but even then some of the narratives seem a little too retarded even for a film meant for kids. 

What the film lacks in story, it tried to make up in visuals- well, barely. I watched the film in 2D and I can really tell that it is a film meant for 3D viewing. When compared to huge animations studios like Pixar and Dreamworks, the visuals are not entirely impressive but I'll give it a pass. 

What bothers me the most is that the film barely teaches the audience anything about the dinosaurs. The film does introduce the dinosaur name, its meaning, and the dinosaur's diet but that's pretty much it. It made almost no effort in making the audience want to know about these dinosaurs. The film also only touches upon a handful of dinosaurs - of which I can count with my two hands - and missed out on a lot of other types of dinosaurs people (or at least I) hoped to see such as the loud hadrosaur, Parasaurolophus or the head-butting champion, Pachycephalosaurus, which most likely do exists during that period and place. The film also showed only one large carnivorous dinosaur and an Ankylosaurus without its signature 'club' on its tail, which really disappointed me. 

In all, Walking With Dinosaurs is just a film best appreciated by very young kids. For children who have a keen interest in dinosaurs and palaeontology, I recommend parents buy or borrow books on dinosaurs which I believe would serve them much better than watching this film. 

How To Train Your Dragon 2 Trailer

How To Train Your Dragon is by far my favourite DreamWorks Animation film and I am very excited now that the trailer for its sequel is finally out. Hiccup is all grown up and I think puberty did him good, he looks much more confident as well. The film looks ambitious at first glance. I really liked the huge viking war scene and I am glad that it retains the same tone as its predecessor. The trailer does reveal a lot of the plot which looks pretty predictable, but I hope that there is a whole lot more to the film than what is shown to us. Never judge a film by its trailer. When it comes to animated films I like it when they either show huge plot twists or dwell deep into emotions. I really hope that How To Train Your Dragon 2 would impress me like its predecessor did. Check out the trailer below!

The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug

MY RATING: MUST WATCH

Words cannot describe how epic The Desolation of Smaug was. This film really captivated me with its intensity and stunning visuals. It was extremely enjoyable to watch and it is a definite must-watch for film-goers!

The Desolation of Smaug continues the events of An Unexpected Journey where we see Gandalf, Bilbo and the Dwarves of Erebor make their way to the Lonely Mountain to claim their homeland, Erebor, back from the dragon, Smaug. The plot for the film series is pretty straightforward, involving the slaying of the dragon and the events that lead up to the Lord of the Rings. I tend to like films that have really solid plot with entertaining plot twists. This film lacks a little in that area but more than makes up for it with its impressive CGI and adrenaline pumping scenes. Unlike its predecessor, The Desolation of Smaug is pumped up with a whole lot of action from the start to the end which makes the film a vast improvement from the first. I was basically on the edge of my seat the whole time with my eyes wide open, amazed by the immensity of it all. 

Smaug is hands down the most amazing dragon I have seen in film. What I am glad is that the film-makers gave a handsome amount of screen-time for the dragon which give us a lot more action to enjoy. If you think what you see of the dragon in the trailer was bad-ass, you ain't seen nothing yet! The film-makers couldn't have chosen a better voice actor for Smaug than Benedict Cumberbatch. He played Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness and his deep, intimidating voice is pefect for the dragon. 

In all, The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug is a totally enjoyable action-packed film. It is undoubtedly a step up from the first and I highly recommend it to any movie-goers looking for an exciting thrill. 

SPOILER ALERT FOR THE CONTENTS BELOW

Godzilla Trailer

The trailer for Godzilla has arrived!!! From the first look, one can tell its going to be leaps and bounds greater than any of the previous Godzilla films. I really do hope that this proves to be a good and enjoyable film. This is just the teaser trailer, so not much of the plot is revealed but I am sure glad that they show us the intensity of the film and also gave us a glimpse of the monster! Do check it out! 

The Amazing Spider Man 2 Trailer

Electro, Rhino and the Green Goblin! The Amazing Spider Man 2 is really shaping up to be a very exciting and action packed sequel and I cannot wait to watch this next year! The trailer just came out minutes ago and I want to share this to everyone as soon as I can!! What you can really see from this trailer is that you can notice what Sony and Marvel has install for future projects in The Amazing Spider Man series. You get to see what Oscorp is actually doing clandestinely and get a glimpse of what future villains Spiderman may encounter which I guess could possibly include Dr. Octopus, Vulture and Mysterio. Looks like a great Sinister Six showdown to me!! I am excited for Jamie Foxx to be Electro but I still have second thoughts about Dane DeHaan being Harry Osborne. He has totally different persona from what James Franco gave in the original film series but I shall still approach this with an open mind. Check out the trailer below!

Frozen

MY RATING: MUST WATCH

Frozen is a brilliant, beautiful and touching film that really warms every corner of your heart. To say that I enjoyed the film is a huge understatement. In fact, I walked out of the cinema so enchanted and amazed by the film that I forgot I left my unfinished drink by my seat. 

Frozen is Disney's loose adaptation of The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson. It tells the tale of two sisters, Elsa and Anna. Elsa is born with the power of ice that she cannot control and constantly hides from others, including Anna, in fear of hurting anyone. One day, she accidentally unleashes her powers to the people and freezes the entire kingdom. Elsa flees and it is up to Anna to find her and help her sister fix the winter she started. 

What I really love about this film is that the film steers away from the expected, which makes it really fresh and exciting. The film also focuses a lot more on the emotional aspects as compared to the humour and really brings across the message of family to the audience. Disney is making a huge transition towards the modern era, the female protagonists are taking on larger roles and are portrayed as more independent. Its films are also much bolder and sophisticated which I really enjoy as it really helps build the suspense and emotions. 

The animations were also pretty amazing, I love how they played close attention to how snow and ice is animated which makes the setting very realistic, although Anna's frozen dress in one of the scene did not look all too convincing. 

The music is my favourite part of the film. The cast does include few talented broadway singers such as Idina Menzel and Jonathan Groff. I have always loved Idina Menzel's amazing vocals and I am so happy she gets to show it off in this film. Elsa reminds me heavily of Elphaba from wicked, the way she felt like an outcast and a danger to the world, and I am gald that Idina brought some elements of Elphaba into her performance. Johnathan Groff did not have a huge musical number but I am glad he plays Kristoff because his voice fits the character so well. I also love Kristen Bell's singing voice. She plays Anna in the film and although her voice is not as powerful as Idina Menzel's but it manages to showcase her character's, juvenile and charismatic nature. 

In all, Disney has managed to put its audience (or at least me) in awe again with its movie magic and strongly recommend this to anyone who would love a great holiday film.

p.s. This is the highest rating I gave a film so far and I felt that this film really deserves it because the feeling I had when I walked out of this film was unlike any other. I strongly recommend everyone to watch this film. 

SPOILER ALERTS FOR THE CONTENTS BELOW