From time to time I will do a Movie Mix which is actually a quickie review for at least 3 movies I’ve seen recently. Even though I usually write these for movies that are already released on DVD or BD, this time I will be reviewing 3 movies I caught in the cinema. Due to time constraints I won’t be able to write a full review like the one I did for John Carter (2012).

In today’s Movie Mix I will be reviewing The Hunger Games (2012), Battleship (2012) and The Avengers (2012).

The Hunger Games

Even though I did see the trailer, I didn’t do much research before I caught the full movie in the cinema. I should do that more often, because the movie definitely caught me off guard! I truly enjoyed the setting and loved seeing the story unfold. In no way it reminded me of Battle Royale (2000) which I’m actually a big fan of. Katniss is an awesome heroine who kicks ass, I can see how she is popular with young girls and boys. There’s actually no reason I can think of to not watch this movie :P You might not want to catch it in the cinema – I actually watched in the cinema twice – but be sure to catch it once it’s released on BD!

Battleship

I must be honest when I caught the trailer sometime last year I didn’t have high expectations. When I saw more trailers I still thought the special effects would be awesome and the story of the movie would totally suck. I still wanted to catch this one in the cinema, because a movie with great special effects should be watched in the cinema and not on a TV screen. After watching Battleship I have to say it’s a pretty decent movie. As an action flick the movie delivers and it wasn’t as bad as I expected it would be. I do think you need to watch it in the cinema so it still has that “woahhhhhh”-factor, not sure if it still has that when you watch it on BD.

The Avengers

If you only go the cinema once a year, be sure to watch The Avengers! Hahaha yup the message is short and sweet: go see this movie :P If you haven’t done so already. Even though the story is straightforward: The Avengers need to stop Loki and his creepy army, the execution makes it so much more than that. It’s so awesome to see all the famous super heroes with their own franchises together as a team in the same movie! The Avengers is probably even more awesome if you actually watched the separate super hero movies too, so if you have the time be sure to catch up. This is definitely a must see movie!

Samon Fishing in the Yemen (May 3rd), Dark Shadows (May 10th), The Dictator (May 16th), Men in Black III (May 23rd), Jiro Dreams of Sushi (May 31st) and Prometheus (May 31st). All dates mentioned are of the Dutch theatrical releases as listed on Pathé.nl .

What movies are you looking forward to? Feel free to let me know in the comments section below!

I adore this trailer! It not only showcases the very talented Michael Fassbender, but it might also give a glimpse of the character David in Prometheus. In the video he says:

I can do almost anything that could possibly be asked of me (…) I can carry out directives that my human counterparts might find… distressing or unethical.

Now that little sentence right there made me feel slightly uneasy *gulp* I don’t think Ridley Scott will create another Ash [spoiler] , but somehow androids or robots always seem to flip out. Needless to say I’m very curious how David will fit into the story!

[ please note ] This post contains spoilers !

Plot

John Carter is a retired Confederate Army cavalry officer. He no longer wishes to fight after losing more than he ever wanted to lose. Now he’s hunting for a cave filled with gold. But, the Confederate Army catches up with Carter and demands he does his duty. Carter stubbornly refuses and flees, with the cavalry hot on his trail he runs into a group of local Apache indians. The situation escalates, Carter manages to escape by seeking refuge in a cave. For the indians it’s a sacred place and they stop their pursuit.

Carter looks around and concludes it is the cave filled with gold, the cave he’s been looking for. A mysterious figure appears and attacks Carter! After a struggle Carter manages the kill his attacker. The man tries to whisper some final words in a medallion he’s carrying. Carter picks up the medallion and repeats the words more clearly. Suddenly Carter finds himself waking up at a different location than the cave he was in and soon learns he is no longer on Earth!

While Carter tries to find a way back to his cave of gold, he is captured by Tharks and manages to get himself involved in the war between Helium and Zodanga. Will John Carter be able to find his way back to Earth and his cave of gold? Or is he willing to pick a side in this ongoing war and save a princess at the same time?

Thoughts

I still remember seeing the trailer for John Carter in my ‘new videos’ list on YouTube. The name ‘John Carter’ caught my eye and I thought it was kinda old fashioned sounding. I still decided to watch the trailer and it just blew me away! I thought it looked awesome and I immediately tried to look up more information about this movie. I found out the movie is actually based on the books by Edgar Rice Burroughs who wrote them 100 years ago. The fact the movie would be released a century later got me really excited and it definitely influenced the way I looked at the movie. While watching the movie I always kept in mind that the story of John Carter came before Star Wars, before Star Trek, before Avatar – and how the original books influenced so many science fiction material that came after it.

Even though Carter is no anti-hero in the original books, I think it was a good idea to give him a dash of anti-hero in the movie. It kept the tension in there and also a bit of realism. Let’s be honest if you were transported to a different world, would you just throw yourself in a battle between groups you wouldn’t even know? Uhh, I would be hesitant as well! Sure everyone knows Carter would step up and save the princess, but I swear I heard lots of sighs of relieve in the cinema when people found out Carter didn’t immediately go back to Earth when Dejah gave him the key. I know some people thought the movie was old fashioned and felt outdated, I’m not sure if they actually kept in mind it is based on a story that’s 100 years old. I can imagine when someone just went to the cinema without looking into the story could feel disappointed. But this story isn’t simply about a guy who goes to Mars and sees red and green martians *sheees*

I really felt I was watching a great movie with classic storytelling. Sure that might be boring to some. But, who can’t enjoy a great story about a hero who saves the princess and falls in love with her? I truly enjoyed it! The movie has a great mix of action, romance and humor. It also has a cast of appealing characters even the badguy Matai Shang was mysteriously creepy awesome! I love the pacing of the movie and I’m glad they decided to take a full 132 minutes to tell the story. I always think it’s a good move when movie makers take their time to tell the story and not try to cramp it all in a short 90 minutes run. I really hope Disney will still invest in the planned trilogy or at least a second movie.

Verdict

John Carter (2012) has all its bases covered. The movie has a very nice classic story which is also executed perfectly! It’s not a movie for the only action fan, but if you enjoy heroic stories you should definitely catch it in the cinema while you’re still able. This is a must see movie!

I must be honest. When I saw Kristen Stewart play the role of Snow White I hesitated, I’m really not a fan of the Twilight Saga *ugh* But overall the setting of the movie looks & sounds very interesting. I’m looking forward to seeing a different version of the classic fairy tale!

Want to know more about this upcoming movie? Be sure to check out IMDb !