Once thought to be “unfilmable” because of the immense imagination and detail of the Marvel universe, The Avengers Movie is the sixth installment of the Marvel movie franchise. Needless to say, the anticipation for the movie is prodigious and expectations  high, given that it kinda needed 5 films (2 for Iron Man, 1 for Thor, 1 for Hulk and 1 for Captain America) to set up the background for the massive history of The Avengers cast. While the first 5 films stand on their own, after seeing The Avengers Movie, they all dwindle down to nothing more than a “front act” for the awesomeness that this Marvel Fanboy’s dream-come-true movie has created.

Definitely one of the biggest congratulations must go to its amazing writer and director, Joss Whedon. Thanks to his brilliant screen writing and eye for detail, the movie actually flows and moves in a steady pace. There was no dull moment, no part that was lagging nor wanting. It was a steady story telling of an epic battle and nothing more. While the story itself was simplistic and formulaic, you kinda don’t notice that detail because of the fact that at every turn, something is being blown up or one of the characters quips a brilliantly funny line. 

Speaking of those funny lines, the script was just brilliant. Simple, very easy to follow, and very very funny. Everyone has a turn to be hilarious, even the most serious of them. I truly admire Joss Whedon’s ability to magnify a scene from high action, to suspense, to pure hilarity. The Cinematography, CGI, music, props, etc. They were all spot on. Alot of the elements of this film can only be described as immensely epic.

The cast was awesome of course. From Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and to Chris Evans as Captain America, each actor has been given time to immerse in the intricacies that make their major characters all the more powerful on screen. Mark Ruffalo does a great job as the hulk, but you have to admit, it’s the “other guy” that stole the show. Scarlett Johansson held her own as Black Widow and even had some quite amazing moments. The same is also true for the new addition to the franchise, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye. Of course Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury, Tom Hiddleston as Loki and Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson all played their part wonderfully and just completed the truly wonderful cast.

What I saw in The Avengers Movie was a compendium of what made the first 5 films awesome. You get the never ending wit and hilarity of the Iron Man movies,  the grandiose action style of Thor, the heart and emotion from the Captain America  movie and the epic action and destruction from all the movies combined. It was great to see the whole movie work without giving too much attention on just one of the characters. And from all of that comes this piece of gargantuan film making that cannot help but to please each and every one of us with it’s unrelenting fight scenes and astounding visuals.

If you havent’ guessed yet, The Avengers movie is definitely one of THE BEST movies to come out this year and is a whole lot more spectacular if viewed on the big screen. It was a thrill to watch and I enjoyed every moment of it! The Avengers Movie is one Marvelous Epic that you should definitely not miss.

96% infectious or 4.8 out of 5 stars

Sneezer: The lacking 4% is for a much more unique story line that I was looking for; very minor and can be completely overlooked. BTW, I think this is the first ever movie review I’ve done where I used the word EPIC to describe a movie and used so many different adjectives which basically say that the film was AWESOME. Fortunately it all fits perfectly.

Oh, and make sure to stay behind during the credits for some bonus scenes!

Battleship is an action movie based on a popular game with the same name. While I went into the movie not expecting a lot out of the film despite its a simple premise, I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed each moment of it despite its lack of proper character development, in-depth story line or even a convincing dialogue.

The movie centers on an invading alien race that protects itself with a barrier. The only things that can save the human race are a couple of battleships trapped inside the area with the aliens. While the story itself is thin and formulaic, the action and the suspense is relentless thanks to its expert hands of its director namely, Peter Berg. Cinematography was also spot on and of course the special effects.

Unfortunately, the overall performance of the actors were of no real note. I mean, I could select a whole other set of actors and it could work just as well. I’m still not convinced of Taylor Kitsch’s ability to play a leading role and carry a movie. I wouldn’t blame it all on the actors. Of course the script and the simple story is also at fault here.

The movie also makes use of patriotism and sacrifice very well. All in all, the movie is a nonstop action/suspense thrill ride that is absolutely entertaining and well worth your time and money. 

74% infectious or 3.7 out of 5 stars

Sneezer: I’m sure there are a lot of things to dislike about the movie, the idea here is that you should just enjoy the film is for what it is, a completely awesome CGI SFX action spectacular!

The Hunger Games is a movie adaptation based on a novel with the same name by Suzanne Collins. In hindsight, Books and their movie adaptations always have a sort of disconnect. I have yet to see a completely faithful manifestation of a book into a movie. This is probably because the two mediums, while both serve to provide the same purpose, fulfill different desires and audiences. The Hunger Games movie bridges the differences of written and visual style to create a film that satiates the die-hard fans of the book, and at the same time leaves the “uncaptured” audiences wanting to devour more.

As a fan of the Hunger Games novels myself, I was especially eager to see this one. There’s this certain thrill of seeing the once story on paper, with its characters and scenes, come to life in the big screen giving you a sort of visual proof that connects your imagination to the author’s. At least, in this very small sense, I get a slightly better understanding of the hype behind the Harry Potter and Twilight movies.

The movie had a very nitty-gritty, documentary feel to it. It looked unpolished, some scenes were shaky, and the framing was off. It complemented the movie beautifully. Cinematography was spot on. It enhances the atmosphere of a post-apocalyptic world where people had to do what they must to survive. This was the world of our heroine, and it was masterfully composed by the Director Gary Ross.

I also enjoyed the wonderful performances from the entire cast. Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley, Alexander Ludwig, Amandla Stenberg and rest of the supporting roles all complemented the lead actors and the movie very well. Speaking of lead actors, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark gave a strong, quiet performance, which complemented the stellar acting of Ms. Jennifer Lawrence as the heroine, Katniss Everdeen, being able to capture the power and intensity of the role. The moments when she opens up and lets her guard down are quiet absorbing.

The brilliant thing about the adaptation is that, since the book was written in the perspective of Katniss, readers are locked out to what’s happening in different areas of the story. The movie opens up that world and gives us more detail on what is happening beyond the heroine’s mind. Something that’s not afforded to readers of the book.

Now, the movie is not without its flaws. I found that the movie lost a lot of the substance and character development that the book had to offer. I found this almost unforgivable, because it really lessened the impact of the story, the magnitude of plot and the situations that the protagonists were in. It all felt rushed. I know they had to fit a whole book into a little over 2 hours, but they could’ve invested a few of those into strengthening the bond between the Peeta and Katniss through some long meaningful conversations here and there. The good thing here is, the movie didn’t miss any of the key scenes. It had a logical progression that will help those who have not read the book to understand the story and its underlying ideas. 

The Hunger Games movie is a welcome adaptation that does not involve magic or the supernatural. It gave life to an awesome book and at the same time adds a new component that only strengthens the narrative. With a powerful plot and cast to back it up, the movie succeeds more often than it fails. While the die-hard fans may have one or two hesitations about the movie, it is still a masterful adaptation that will leave both readers and casual movie goers hungry for more (sorry, I can’t help myself).

82% infectious or 4.1 out of 5 stars

Sneezer: the added humor from the supporting cast was great and so was their personal drama. But there are some gratuitous shots of Gale Hawthorne (played by Liam Hemsworth) that you know was only included to invoke reactions from the teen girls in the audience. While I don’t agree with it, I have to admit it works.