As a lifelong movie and TV show-enthusiast, I’ve had the privilege of watching a number of hit Hollywood blockbusters in my day. In doing so, with my trusty Xfinity Triple Play subscription, I have not only been inspired by their takeaway message, but also by their artistic merit.
A movie’s storyline is important. However, equally essential are the production’s total acting-sequences, and how these performances fall in sync with its graphical and musical scores. On all of these fronts, Hollywood screenings are by far some of the best examples of showbiz content.
Movies that Stick Out – for One Reason or Another
Some movies and TV shows are only worth their weight in graphics or background songs. Then there are others that showcase a more successful execution of all their constituents. This latter category is more memorable and consists of titles that people love to watch again and again.
Out of all the movies that I have seen so far in 2018, as well as in the last quarter of the preceding year, 3 stuck out. If you’ve already watched these films, there is a good chance you may disagree with my take. To each his/her own, right? But in case you haven’t, rest assured that I’ll only discuss their general themes, and won’t go into any specifics. So no major spoiler alerts required for this piece!
The Good, the Not-so-Good, and the Plain Ugly
The three movies that struck a chord with me, for all the good and bad reasons, are as follows:
- Avengers: Infinity War
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi
- Fifty Shades Freed
To put the long story short, I absolutely loved Infinity Wars, though the Last Jedi was okay. But I constantly cringed watching the last installment of the Fifty Shades saga. And you’d think human beings, with all their fully-bared, dirty and complicated laundry, would be more relatable!
Clearly not the case here.
Avengers: Infinity Wars – a Soulful Journey into a Believable Fictional Universe
Avengers: Infinity Wars was the converging point of Marvel’s wildly popular Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor, Captain America, The Amazing Spiderman, and The Guardians of the Galaxy series. It pits their recognizable superheroes against their greatest adversary. Thanks, the feared yet strangely endearing cosmic being bent on universal annihilation and restructuring, makes his anticipated appearance on the heroes’ homeworlds. His objective: to claim the awesome power of the fabled infinity stones as his own – at any cost.
The Avengers team-up to engage in battle with their seemingly godly enemy. They experience the high of sudden wins and the gut-wrenching rigors of loss. The themes of parenting, death, resurrection, new beginnings and unavoidable compromises are found in the film – and leave audiences reeling at the edge of their seats.
If you missed your chance to watch Infinity Wars on the big screen, wait for the Blu-Ray version (intended for home release in August this year).
Star Wars: The Last Jedi – leaves something wanting
I’ve been a fan of the Star Wars saga since the public debut of its first installment A New Hope back in 1977. Like many others, I have voraciously consumed all of the series’ official and unauthorized sequels & spinoffs since. At the ripe old age of 48, I still like to swish & swing with my childhood lightsaber toy! Just kidding!
But watching The Last Jedi left me wanting for something more. More character or story development…I still can’t wrap my fingers around it! And the exercise is infuriating (to say the least), and bothersome. Out of all of the characters, I found the aged Princess Leia’s CGI performance to be the most striking. Perhaps this has something to do with my heartbreak over Carrie Fisher’s sudden death. The antagonistic duo of Rey and Kylo Ren (the budding Jedi Knight and Sith Lord, respectively) are tolerable. Fin barely registers on the acting radar, and the now-wizened Luke Skywalker seems at times to have gone completely gaga.
I liked the action sequences. In that, they were pretty much Star Wars staple, and the musical score nostalgic – but that was about it. The production crew and story writers could have done a much better job by staying true to the George Lucas filming orientation. Perhaps the next sequel, scheduled for release in 2019, will pick up the pace.
Fifty Shades Freed – Shallow Eroticism without any Substance
If there’s one thing I hate, it’s having to deal with superficial productions. This latest installment of the Fifty Shades series is a continuation of its central theme of mindless, primarily feminine-centered, eroticism. It also takes plot/storyline tackiness to a whole new level!
The sexually-unquenchable Greys have finally decided to tie their nuptials and take on the luxury lifestyle. But then Christian Grey’s unruly past turns up to haunt him (yet again). Lies, secrecy, shady business dealings, familiar issues, and an unrelenting flame from the past, all threaten to break up his marriage with Anastacia Steele.
The storyline (or what little there is of it) is predictable and eventually concludes in an unremarkable climax. The acting-sequences are just plain bad and frequently come out over-the-top. The graphical & musical scores are passable.
Overall, the movie is a bad investment of time and money. So if you do decide to watch it, bear in mind that you’ve been warned!
Catch the film productions reviewed here, or thousands of other blockbuster Movie & TV show titles, by subscribing to an affordable Spectrum TV Packages.
