MOVIE REVIEW: The Greatest Showman

Written by: Brandon Drapeau

   Recently, I saw the movie The Greatest Showman. Going into this movie, I didn't seem into it. I wasn't excited. I mean, how good could a movie about a circus be?
   Well, I was right. After about forty minutes in the theater, my dad and I got up and left. It was worse than I had thought. I thought it would at least incorporate some serious elements about a circus which I could tolerate. But when it turned into a musical, I personally couldn't stay there much longer. I feel like there is a fine line between movies and musicals and they should never mix.
   If there were fewer songs, I may have stayed. It was shocking to see Hugh Jackman stripped of his masculinity, especially being used to seeing him in his older X-Men movies where he was a vicious superhero with claws. However, if you like musicals, then this may be it for you. The concept was cool, that a man takes all these people with irregular features and brought them together to make money money and bring entertainment, but I couldn't quite stick it out.

JUSTICE LEAGUE REVIEW

Written by: Brandon Drapeau

On Friday night, I had the opportunity to finally see the long-awaited Justice League. If you remember, last week I told you that I would see the movie and tell you if I liked Justice League or Thor: Ragnarok better.

This movie picks up right after Superman’s death and the big fight with Doomsday. Batman, who finally has some faith restored in the world and a regret for his feud with Superman, encounters a battle with a bug-like feature who leaves a symbol he has been seeing all across the world in similar scenarios. After a battle in Wonder Woman's homeland with a villain known as Steppenwolf, he steals one of three cubes, which holds the power to infinite life. Wonder Woman and Batman meet up and realize they need to form a team to take down this powerful super being, who with all three cubes would destroy and rebuild Earth as his own planet. Wonder Woman and Batman travel the world, eventually gaining the allegiance of Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman. Having one of the cubes in their possession, they use it  for a secret - which won’t tell you because it will ruin the movie! It has a really intriguing ending - if you watched Batman vs Superman, you would love it.

Comparing both movies, it is very difficult to choose the best . Just the two mixtures of Hulk and Thor, and Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman were just too much fun to watch to really choose a side. But if I had to choose, it would most likely be Thor. I overall thought that Thor had a better story line and funnier characters, and the actors executed their roles better. Also, I personally like the Marvel movies more which may have a bias. Anyway, if you see me in the hallway, let me know which movie you liked better! There are not many good movies I see coming out before December 15th, AKA the day the new Star Wars comes out and I can’t wait to see it. I will definitely be letting you know how I feel about that.

Thor Ragnarok MOVIE REVIEW!

Written by: Brandon Drapeau 

Last week, my father and I took the thirty minute drive to AMC Rockaway to see the new Thor Ragnarok in the newly renovated Dolby theatre. The seats were incredibly comfortable and the sound quality was pretty good as well, adding to the intensity of the movie. The movie? I would say it was the best Marvel film to date.

If you haven’t been caught up with the Avengers timeline, Ultron, the villain from the previous Avengers movie, crashed a city into the ground; Hulk hopped into a jet and flew off and no one has seen him since; the world is starting to dislike super heroes for all the destruction they cause outweighs the good; and Thor has been off fighting battles on his own planet. This movie provides insight into what happened while Hulk and Thor were gone.

SPOILERS:

The basic idea of the movie is that when Odin’s impending death finally occurs, we find out that the banishment he has placed on his daughter Hela (Thor’s sister) has been released and she is free to claim her rightful heir to the throne. Odin has been using his power to seal Hela away from the Nine Realms because her power had grown too great and too dangerous. Hela happens to be the Goddess of Death, and she is so powerful she crushed Thor’s Hammer simply using her fist. After a fight, she sends Thor and Loki floating through the galaxy until Thor lands on a planet, which is used for Gladiator fights. Thor is sold to the Grand Master where he is told he will be fighting the best warrior the planet has ever seen. As Thor waits for the contender to come into the pit, Hulk comes smashing through. As an immortal,Thor doesn’t die, and Thor and Hulk wake up the next day in a huge room made for Hulk that he has been staying in.

Here is when we learn that Hulk has been in “Hulk-mode” for the last two cinematic years he has been gone. Since Thor has other issues to worry about, he teams up with Hulk, Loki and Valkyrie. They escape the planet and prepare for a battle with Hela and her army.

Well, my lips are sealed from here on out! It was one of the coolest action movies I've seen in awhile and I suggest everyone goes to their local theatre immediately. With the mixture of cool music, intense battle scenes, and my love for superhero movies, I would say it was my favorite movie I’ve seen so far this year.

If you see me in the hallway and you saw the movie, say hi and tell me what you thought!