I’m one of the very few people who actually enjoyed “Journey to the Center of the Earth” for what it was. It was nothing more than a ninety minute roller coaster ride with 3D specks that took the audience through some fun sights and sounds. “Journey 2” is basically the follow-up practicing that very routine all over again. It’s intent is to take you through the various dangers and awe inspiring wonders of the mysterious island before actually telling a story or exploring its characters. One thing it does have going for it, is that it makes reading and compiling information look sleek and exciting. If Dwayne Johnson is doing it, maybe the young audience this film appeals to, will.
Tag Archives: Adventure
True Lies (1994)
Shortly after the Columbine Massacre, Arnold Schwarzenegger decided that he was done with movies about guns. For a long period where his popularity was waning and he attempted to appeal to conservative audiences, Arnold placed a fatwa on guns in his movies. in at least three of his films, he completely avoids the use of firearms, and he’d made the decision to exclude the sight of firearms in promotional materials for his films. I mean for the love of god, in his horrible schlock fest “The 6th Day,” he keeps from killing a thug in front of his child, and walks off with the criminal lecturing him about gun violence before bringing him down off-screen!
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Though it’s true that the Joker is nowhere to be found in “The Dark Knight Rises,” this film is less about the character and much more about the taint he’s left on Gotham city as a whole. In the end of “The Dark Knight” the Joker won, even when he wasn’t able to prove that humanity is deep down a rotten vile stain on civilization. “The Dark Knight Rises” examines the fall out of the Joker’s reign of terror, and how it ultimately affects any attempts by the Dark Knight to thwart the new terrorist threat by the name of Bane. Eight years later Alfred is a crusty man servant, Commissioner Gordon is a grief stricken officer dealing with a painful divorce, and Bruce Wayne is a recluse who spends his days locked inside the mansion. When we meet Bruce again he’s aided by a walking stick and can barely find the strength to chase after Selina Kyle who makes use of his priceless jewels in one instance.
Ultimate Spider-Man: Excelsior Entertainment
“Ultimate Spider-Man” the comic, from what I remember, was an edgy, sleek and rather dramatic reboot of the entire Spider-Man universe. And odds are if you’re used to angsty stern Peter Parker from Sam Raimi’s films and the newest cinematic outing with Andrew Garfield, “Ultimate Spider-Man” the TV series might take some getting used to. In fact, “Ultimate Spider-Man” completely side steps most of the angst, drama, and melancholy that comes with the territory of Spider-Man’s world, and grabs a hold of the comedy by the throat and dives in head first.
Sci-Fi Invasion: 50 Movie Set (DVD)
Do me a favor. If and when you buy “Sci-Fi Invasion – 50 Movie Set,” be sure to skip all of the features temporarily and pop in the DVD of “Future Hunters.” This Robert Patrick vehicle is perhaps one of the most inept and inadvertently hilarious movies ever made with a plot so convoluted and nonsensical it’s a pedigree above sucky and dabbles occasionally in to retarded. There’s post-apocalyptic nomads fighting over a spear of some kind, and Robert Patrick getting his ass kicked by literally everyone as the film’s inept protagonist who helps a young archaeologist find a way to keep the sacred spear from some evil collectors.
Blasting off with the "Hypernauts"
Like ninety percent of all my great pop culture memories, I stumbled upon “Hypernauts” one very early Saturday morning in 1996. When I say early, I mean five in the morning on ABC TV in the US, and I recall finding it to be a rather entertaining and exciting science fiction series, then. It also helped my excitement that one of the primary stars of this action adventure series was the lovely Heidi Lucas who, kids my age at the time would remember her as one of the stars of the Nickelodeon comedy “Salute your Shorts.” This series is a long departure for her from the “Meatballs” summer camp comedy, approaching a more dramatic and gritty science fiction show that could appeal to young audiences.
Batman (1966)
So we learn in ten minutes of “Batman: The Movie” that Batman manages to store and keep handy a Bat Copter in a warehouse manned by a bunch of workers without actually giving away his identity as Bruce Wayne, office buildings oddly house a large group of scantily clad groupies all of whom will willingly stand on a launch pad to wave at Batman (so much for covert operations), and that Batman labels the ladder in his copter with “Bat Ladder.” Oh so this is the Bat Ladder! I often get it confused for the Hyena Ladder and the Panther Ladder. Good thing it’s labeled. Prudent. Also, even if a shark is robotic, it’s vulnerable to shark repellent.