'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' brings an amazing perspective on the Galactic War far, far away

I remember the first time that I was introduced to Star Wars. My mother took me to the 1997 remastered edition was released into theaters. Since then, fans new and old have been introduced to galaxy's beginnings in the underperforming prequel trilogy and treated with a resurgence, starting with last year's record-setting The Force Awakens. Taking advantage of the possible untold stories, spin-offs were made to shine a light on the corners of George Lucas' universe.

The first spin-off is about a band of rebels that we only heard about during A New Hope. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the story fans needed to see about the gritty underbelly of one of the most successful film series of all time. 

This story tells the tale of Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), the daughter of a research scientist, Galen (Mads Mikkelsen), who has been hidden since the Galactic Empire has taken her father. Rescued by the Rebel Alliance, Jyn joins up with a Rebel Intelligence officer Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and together, they recruit a ragtag group just as the Empire builds their ultimate weapon: a planet killer named the Death Star with the construction being overseen by Director Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn). With this threat to the galaxy, this band of warriors journey into enemy territory to steal the plans for the weapon and provide hope in the shadow of the Empire.

This spinoff firmly settles itself in the timeline between Episodes III and IV so it does nothing to disrupt the continuity of the series. At this point in time, the Galactic Empire has a firm presence in the galaxy, their troops and ships around the different systems to display their control. The image of a Star Destroyer hovering over the city in one scene is the perfect way to describe the Empire's presence throughout this film. The movie also gives us more of a backstory to the Death Star plans and how that flaw was placed into the weapon. This film introduces new worlds but also does a fantastic job for introducing the war aspect of this galactic struggle. While we have seen skirmishes in previous films and lightsaber duels, we have never gotten a full-scale luck at the early battles of the Empire versus the Alliance. It reminds you that this is actually a war, despite all that we have seen from previous films.

Each character had a shining moment, but there are characters that you instantly started to care about more than others. Everyone loved the sarcastic droid K-2SO, voiced by Alan Tudyk. From his introduction in rescuing Jyn to his final scene, he provided the comedic levity that was needed in this science fiction war film. Another standout character was Donnie Yen's Chirrut Imwe, a blind warrior who believes in the Force. At this point in the timeline, the Jedi are all but extinct (except for that one in solitude in the Outer Rim Territories) and belief in the Force has faded away into the darkness. Despite not being a Jedi himself, Imwe believes in what the Force stands for and has faith that it will protect him. He was the best thing we had to a Jedi in this film, reminding audiences that this is still a Star Wars film. Speaking of the Force, we cannot forget the Sith Lord that makes a decent cameo appearance: Darth Vader himself. Voiced by James Earl Jones, we see the menacing, full-on evil side of the Sith Lord, especially in the final scene. The viciousness and cruelty that he enacts is something that we haven't seen in any of the previous films.

Rogue One earned critical acclaim and stellar reviews based on the action scenes, acting, darker tone, and visual effects. Director Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) did a great job with all of these elements. I think the Star Wars universe needed to explore that darker tone in the farthest corners of the universe that George Lucas created so long ago. This film delves deep into the Star Wars mythology. It is filled with fan service, but fan service done correctly. It provides the spirit and emotional, lived-in feeling that made everyone fall in love with the original trilogy. I watched this film twice and it was phenomenal each time. It's definitely a thrilling movie with all the the pieces needed to please all fans.

'Spider-Man: Homecoming', 'Fate of the Furious' and others headline the early Summer Movie slate

Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope you all had a great Christmas with your families. While I've tried to fight for Die Hard as a Christmas movie, I finally have enough down time to put up a brand-new post for you all!

Normally, I would have individual trailer previews but I've decided to do something a little different. A lot of previews have hit the internet over the last few weeks, especially those that have found their place in the summer. So, this post will include all of the trailers that have been released specifically for the summer.

We all know Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 leads the pack by officially opening the summer movie season, but that's just the start. Christopher Nolan returns with a war epic, Dwayne Johnson launches a raunchy 90's reboot, Vin Diesel revs up another Furious installment, and Marvel welcomes the web-slinger home. Does that all sound good to you? It sure does to me!

So let's get started.

The Fate of the Furious - April 14, 2017

The first Fast and Furious film after Paul Walker's tragic death continues the new direction of the franchise. Looking at this trailer, it seems that the team is continuing its globetrotting ways now that they have been exonerated after the events of Furious 7, but this time is different. A mysterious new woman (Charlize Theron) seduces Dom (Vin Diesel) into betraying his team and going to the dark side. In order save Dom, the team will have to join forces with unlikely allies to stop the man that turned them into a family. Featuring returning series stars Michelle Rodriguez, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, Dwayne Johnson, and Tyrese Gibson, we also see the return of Kurt Russell's Mr. Nobody and Jason Statham's Deckard Shaw along with welcoming Charlize Theron. Helen Mirren's role was not shown, but you can imagine that will be saved for another preview. Just when you think this franchise had run out of gas, it shows that it still has a few surprises left.

The Circle - April 28, 2017

A woman (Emma Watson) lands a job at a powerful tech company called The Circle, where she becomes involved with a mysterious man. That is the basic synopsis of this film and the trailer should be enough to interest people. Featuring a stellar cast led by Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, and John Boyega, this film targets a general problem that surrounds our world now with connection and how available information is to everyone. Based on the novel by Dave Eggers, this film will be one that many could relate to and could surprise people.

Alien: Covenant - May 19, 2017

It's safe to say that 2012's Prometheus was a successful reboot for the Alien film series so we can only hope it can just get better with the second installment in the prequel series. It's not revealed when this film is taking after the events of Prometheus, but we see Michael Fassbender return as David, the android from the previous film. Following the expected but successful plot of space travel to a remote world, the crew of the colony ship, Covenant, believes they have found a hidden paradise. What they discover is a dark and dangerous world. The film also stars Fantastic Beasts breakout star Katherine Waterston along with Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, and returning Prometheus stars Noomi Rapace and Guy Pearce. Welcome back to Ridley Scott's Alien universe!

Baywatch - May 26, 2017

Hollywood Viagra himself, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, is truly on a roll as he helps reboot a 90's classic television series for the silver screen. Johnson plays Mitch Buchannon, the role made famous by David Hasselhoff in the original series. The veteran Baywatch leader works to restore the name of the lifesaving business by the beach. He takes on a young man, Matt Brody (Zac Efron), as his partner and it looks like we are in for some raunchy comedy as the unlikely duo works to save Baywatch. Featuring Alexandra Daddario, Kelly Rohrbach, and Quantico's Priyanka Chopra, this comedy could be a summer surprise and continue to solidify Johnson's place as Hollywood's most bankable actor right now.

The Mummy - June 9, 2017

Universal Studios has had talks about rebooting all of their classic film monsters and it looks like The Mummy will be the start. This reboot is set in modern day with new characters. From this trailer, Tom Cruise stars as Nick Morton, the adventurer who discovers the sarcophagus of an ancient mummy. This mummy, Princess Ahmanet (Star Trek Beyond's Sofia Boutella)  seems to have the plagues following them as well and becomes fully unleashed when awoken. Russell Crowe also stars in this film. Talks have also surrounded the classic monsters being in a shared universe, but let's see how this reboot goes first.

Transformers: The Last Knight - June 23, 2017

 
How much longer can this go on? I mean, really? I think Michael Bay is asking the same question since this is to be his last Transformers film. I will admire his dedication to this franchise and the history of these pop culture icons and putting IMAX on the map. With Bay's sacrifice of story and plot for cool action scenes and destructive special effects, it makes these near three-hour movies tough to sit through. Moving on, this installment looks to go into more of the medieval times and their possible relation to the Robots in Disguise. Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) also seems to go off the deep end when he attacks Bumblebee. Returning stars including Age of Extincition's Mark Wahlberg and Stanley Tucci, franchise veterans Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, and John Turturro, and new comers Anthony Hopkins along with young Isabela Moner. How much destruction are we going to cause this time around in Bay's final go-around?

War for the Planet of the Apes - July 14, 2017

The third installment of the Planet of the Apes reboot series looks to be as emotionally charged and filled will enough action to keep fans of this series happy. Following the events of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Caesar (Andy Serkis) looks to give into his darker instincts to avenge the losses as his ape colony deal with their heavy losses. This sets him against the humans' leader, the Colonel (Woody Harrelson) , to determine the fate of their species and the Earth's future. I've been a fan of the reboot series and I think this film will contain more of the same things that has led to others embracing the reboot.

Spider-Man: Homecoming - July 7, 2017

If you haven't seen Captain America: Civil War, you can catch it on Netflix right now. The reason I bring this up is because this will give audiences the proper introduction into Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. I am so excited that Sony has agreed to share the web-slinger with Marvel and now we have him in the same world as the Marvel Cinematic Universe with our other heroes. This time around, we find Peter (Tom Holland) in high school, trying to find a balance in his life as a high school student and fighting crime as Spider-Man with the help of his mentor, Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr). While trying to find this balance, a new threat, the Vulture (Michael Keaton), emerges. I'm so excited for this film and to see how Spider-Man interacts with this universe. I love Tony Stark, but I don't want him to take over this film so a healthy amount of Iron Man will definitely help the film while Spider-Man establishes himself along with his other heroes. We also get the web-winged suit!

Dunkirk - July 21, 2017

I had heard that Christopher Nolan was filming a new film, but it was kept under tight wraps that no one knew much about it; not the premise or the cast. And then, during the IMAX 3D premiere of Rogue One, audiences were introduced to Nolan's return to the director's chair. The official premise of this war film covers Operation Dynamo as Allied soldiers from Britain, Belgium and France are surrounded by the German army on the beaches on Dunkirk and evacuated in the operation during the early days of World War II. As far as the cast, it's stellar with Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Jack Lowden, Mark Rylance, and Harry Styles. I think this will be the one non-superhero movie that could possibly top the box office this summer.

Well, there you have it! What do you all think about the movies that we have coming up during April to July for the summer? Which ones are you looking forward to the most?

I'll be back with a few movie previews and reviews of movies that I've seen, along with a top 10 of 2016. Happy Holidays!

Update

Hey, movie lovers!

I know, I know. I've been away for a little while, battling the forces of evil that are grad school finals, holiday parties, and just life overall.

I have not forgotten any of you and wanted to let you know that I'll be making new review posts within the next few days. We've had some amazing new trailers released in the last few weeks, new movies that have entered theaters, and more (including my top 10 for 2016)!

Until then, stay warm, grab some popcorn, and go see a movie!

Happy Holidays!

It's Showtime in the first 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2' trailer

Two years ago, Marvel Studios introduced us to a group of intergalactic outlaws that most fans did not even know about. Like the first Iron Man movie, it was a huge risk to introduce a new team away from their well-known characters like Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor. With excellent directing, an entertaining and diverse cast of characters, and an amazing soundtrack, Guardians of the Galaxy became an instant classic and tops many lists as the best Marvel movie ever.

This summer, we continue the adventures of the galaxy's favorite band of misfits.

Set two months after the events of the first film, the Guardians of the Galaxy travel throughout the cosmos and struggle to keep their newfound family together, while helping Peter Quill learn more about his true parentage.

From the footage of this film in the teaser, we see the Guardians taking on a huge tentacle monster along with an army of spaceships. It definitely shows that a space battle will be happening in this sequel. We also see that the team is getting along a little more often but still as dysfunctional. Their banter made the movie work in the first film so I expect more of the same. No word yet on the songs for the soundtrack but the song for the teaser trailer, "Fox on the Run", has already topped the iTunes Rock Charts so it's possible that we got a taste of the awesomeness to come. Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana lead the returning cast that includes Dave Batista, the voice work of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel, along with Michael Rooker. New cast members include Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone.

And we cannot forget...Baby Groot!

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 comes out on May 5, 2017.

'Fantastic Beasts' provides a enjoyable magical experience for fans, old and new

Hello everyone! I know that I'm a little behind right now but now that I have time, let's get to some new reviews!

In one way or another, we all remember the first time that we watched a Harry Potter movie for the first time. From there, you are hooked into this magical escape from our world into a wizarding world of wonder. The Harry Potter film series dominated the box-office for nearly a decade with eight movies. While it was sad to see the series end, there is always another avenue to look at a world and that's from a new perspective. That's where the prequel comes in and the Harry Potter film services found new life with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

This prequel takes place in the 1920's and, instead of being across the pond, this film takes place in New York in America. British wizard, Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), comes to New York along with a case full of magical creatures under his protection. When one of the creatures gets loose in a bank, Scamander crosses paths with aspiring baker and No-Maj (the american equivalent to Muggle), Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler). From there, we are entered into the Wizarding world of America when demoted Auror Tina Goldstein arrests Newt for the unintentional release of several creatures. Along with Tina's sister, Queenie, the heroes work to recover the lost monsters in the big city but also contend with a dark threat that seeks to expose the world to the existence of wizards.

Overall, the film is not as strong as the previous Harry Potter films but just as enjoyable and very different. It starts with the setting being in America and there is an obvious difference between the two when it comes to those that possess magic. While those in England walk freely around, in America, those with magical powers live in hiding, governed by laws that are designed to "protect them". But their presence does not go unnoticed. A non-magical woman by the name of Mary Lou Barebone preaches to many people that wizards and witches walk among the non-magical and a danger to them. American wizards are also forbidden to marry or even interact with No-Majs, an situation audiences confront throughout the film but is more of a problem with two of our main characters.

Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne did a great portrayal of Newt, the eccentric magizoologist. Newt has a strong bond with the creatures in his case, getting along with them better than with other people. This even includes his fellow wizards, being highly introverted. I would definitely be interested to learning more about the future author of one of Harry Potter's textbooks. Queenie, played by Alison Sudol, was a surprising favorite character for me. The beautiful Legilimens (a wizard who is able to extract feelings and memories from another person's mind) had a contagious energy about her and you couldn't find a reason to not like her. Queenie was free-spirited and big hearted, just an all around lovable character. Colin Farrell's character, Auror Percival Graves was a welcomed addition to the Harry Potter film family, commanding his character with power and the experience of his years as an actor, looking comfortable as the protector of the wizards of New York. Ezra Miller's character, while important, did annoy me with his meekness but his relationship with Graves did add to his mystery.

David Yates, veteran director of the Harry Potter films, returned to helm this new film and his experience definitely assisted in bringing this different aspect of the Wizarding world but this was more about J.K. Rowling, As one of the many fans who bought the original screenplay for this film, Rowling did a wonderful job, integrating humor into this story but she did more than that. Over the years, Rowling has faced her share of critics and those who believe the reading of wizards and magic, even fictional ones, are corrupting today's youth and leading to the practice of witchcraft. In this film, she directly answered back to those critics of her successful work and characters. I don't think I have to tell Harry Potter fans to see this movie but this would also be a good film for those new to the series to start.