Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

My wife and I did a double feature today, and it was the perfect day for it to....hate rainy days. Well, another survival horror/action movie with dinosaurs. Did it shake me to the core with excitement, or does it need to finally be extinct at this point? Lets find out:

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom-  The first film debuted in 1993, and it is still going 25 years later for the next generation to enjoy. The concept of dinosaurs living among humans today, and how they would interact with our society. I was 13 years old when this genre began, and I still remember getting chills watching that cup of water rippling from heavy footsteps.

Plot- 3 years later, the island has been abandoned, after many people lost their lives during the rampage of the Indominus Rex. It has been discovered a volcano is about to erupt, wiping out all life on the island. A big political debate is going on, questioning to allow the dinosaurs to die off once again. An entrepreneur and part owner of Jurassic Park requests Claire to go and rescue 11 of the species. Most importantly the raptor, known as Blue, so she has to go and get Owen's help. Meanwhile, man is playing god once again, creating a new dinosaur once again. A new killing machine called the Indoraptor.

Honestly, this movie is mediocre at best. I am getting so tired of the same formula being used in these films. Humans show up, shenanigans ensue with comedic hero or heroine, and then everyone runs from the Raptors until they escape by outsmarting the beasts. Then a dinosaur roars at the camera for the final shot! Every single movie seems to do the same thing. Unfortunately, this will be the last one I see in theaters until they decide to finally change the formula. Plus, can someone tell me how the hell the T-rex seems to always sneak up on everyone? Its a 40 foot creature weighting in at a few tons...yet its a freaking ninja assassin.

Final Verdict- 5/10, though stimulating to the senses, it feels like the same old plot recycled and repackaged with a new bow. I would wait and save your money for Netflix.


A few more movies I wanted to see this summer, and I'll review them all. This is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have to!

The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Hey, its that time again! It's summer blockbuster season, and this season seems to have some whoppers coming for us! Well, I'm here to conqueror a sequel following a surprise Marvel hit. Did it remain as good as the first, or fall into that usual "meh" sequel? Let find out:

The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2- Oh, man. i remember seeing the first movie, not knowing what to expect, and I couldn't stop laughing from the casts' chemistry and one liners. Plus, all the mind numbing action sequences being thrown at me. The first film appeared to have it all for everyone to enjoy. Now, Marvel seems to still be going strong with their movies as they enter what they refer to as "Phrase 3".

Plot- Well, the Guardians are doing their thing by taking jobs from other worlds to be paid for their services. One mission they finish, Rocket decides to steal from them, which leads to a chase through space, and takes them to meet Ego (Kurt Russel). Here Peter (Chris Pratt) finds out about his heritage, while the team shows they have grown closer together.

Honestly, I love this cast, their chemistry and humor works on every level, and the action sequences were top notch. The only thing really lacking in this movie was a strong main plot. It felt more like if this was a series on Netflix, and this was just a random episode. The villain is completely forgettable, and these types of movies ONLY strive when you have a great villain. NOT HERE! It was worth seeing in theaters, but it was lacking something from the original.

Final Verdict- 8.4/10, great cast and humor, but really needed something more for this film to stand on its own.

That's it for now, see you guys for more reviews. This is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have to!

Guardians of the Galaxy

The summer block buster season is coming closer to an end. We are coming to the month, where the best of the best is thrown our way, and your favorite movie reviewer is there to get the info for you to save your money or not. Now this next movie, did i want to rejoice, or did I want to shoot a rocket into my eye? Lets find out as we dive into this review shall we:

Guardians of the Galaxy- To be honest, when i first heard about this movie I had mixed emotions, and I really leaned to not wanting to see it. Then I saw the trailers for it at the beginning of almost every movie this summer. I have to say I began to love the characters more and more. The trailer gave this very easy going, happy feeling with its perfect choice of a song, and the movie had that feeling literally the whole time.

The plot was simple yet engaging at the same time. It had the main character, Peter Quill aka Star Lord, stealing a mysterious floating orb from an old ruin. He is suddenly engaged by these men demanding he hands over the orb immediately. He is able to escape, but is now a wanted man! Then one by one enter all of the characters. Our heroes struggle to keep the orb, containing one of the infinity gems, away from a powerful villain named Ronan.

Each character had it own time to shine, and each had surprisingly enough time to show their personalities very well. Hell, in 2 hours and 2 minutes, there was a tremendous amount of character development. I mean, each of the five people you really kinda fell for them. Take the character, Rocket for example, you learn that he hates what he is, and hates the fact that he was even created. Don't you dare call him vermin or a pest! You really feel for him. The characters are, like I said, extremely likeable and charismatic. They all have their moments of comic relief and one liners. One of my many favorite lines in the movie was this:

Rocket: Don't bother explaining it to him. It will just go over his head.

Drax: It will never go over my head. I'm too fast! I will just catch it!

The line was delivered so well, with just a dry sense of humor that I just lost it when it was said. The movie overall was written well, and everything just flowed nicely. The action scenes were heart pounding with loads of eye candy, and then you mix that together with comic relief... BOOM, you got a hell of a combination there ladies and gentlemen for a summer block buster hit!






Final Verdict-10/10, It honestly has everything you want in a movie and more. Tons of action, great character development, and huge must see in theaters! Highly recommended for everyone!

That's it for now, loyal readers as I get ready to see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles this Friday... and I'll try to sneak that in before I go away to Europe for an entire month! This is Phil Goes to the Movies, so you don't have to!