Godzilla (2014)

Although anime might be huge in America today, that was not the first thing that came over from Japan. In the 1950's,there was a Japanese movie the show cased a huge reptile tearing up Tokyo in epic fights against these big monsters called Kaijuu called Godzilla. There have been sequels and even an American remake that most people are trying to forget. However, Americans have tried their hand again in a remake of these Japanese films,and surprisingly, it turned out decently.

Our plot starts out in the Philippines in 1999 where a group of explorers discover a unusual uranium deposit that seemed to stronger once it was exposed to air. Underground, there was a massive  fossil, bigger than any animal known to man but in the fossil held an embryonic sac, which was the source of the uranium. The next scene cuts to Janjira, Japan where its a normal day as always, except the power plant where one of our main characters, Joe, works at starts reporting tremors from inside the earth. Everyone thinks it's just an earthquake, but when the power plant collapses with Joe's wife inside, he is convinced that it was not just a normal earthquake. Our plot after that point jumps to the year 2014 in San Francisco where Joe's son, Ford grew up with out any problems and has come home from a military tour over seas. However, on his first night home, he gets a phone call from Japan from his dad saying that his dad was arrested from going into a restricted area to get the data from fourteen years ago back. After the police arrest him, he meets up with one of his old co workers from the power plant and as it turns out, where the power plant use to be, there is now a pulsating cocoon belonging to the winged creature called muto which feeds off radiation. Switching scenes, there is another cocoon in Nevada which hatched into a bigger, however wingless muto. As the two travel on their way to meet up, the alpha predator,Godzilla is hot on the muto's trail, traveling across the Pacific, to cross paths with the female muto from Nevada for an epic battle over San Fransico. 

I will admit to that I haven't seen any of the Godzilla movies previously. I went in expecting two hours of monster fighting with maybe a little bit of plot thrown in. However, there was substantial lack of of monster fighting in this movie. When Godzilla him self only shows up three times, I felt like this was a movie more about the humans rather that Godzilla.This movie tried to play on the drama side and tried to show the human's side of the story, which did give our main characters a chance to develop. But when it tried too hard to pull the emotional strings a bit too hard. Another thing that irked me about the plot was the fact they pulled too many plot convenience strings, such as Ford falling off a bridge , being knocked out, and waking up just in time when the military troops walk by.   

The movies tried to play up the human character but they honestly came up as bland. Ford, our main character for majority of the movie was our typical marine guy coming home from a tour over seas. There is nothing that makes him stand out, and often times, I feel like if his character was written out, it might have been a little less bland. His dad, Joe, was slightly more interesting because he was that one guy who claimed to have a clue what was going on, but was looked at like he was crazy the whole entire movie. Unfortunately, all of the other human characters ended up kind of bland and forgettable. Godzilla himself only appeared three times but some things were explained, such as he was the alpha predator and the Muto were his prey.

Overall, I was entertained with this movie. Granted it had a generous amount of flaws,but seeing the big monster fight at the end almost made up for the fact that the human "character development" took up more time than it should have. I will say that the experience of going to the movie theater and having people cheer when Godzilla showed up was a blast. I would recommend it if you can over look some plot holes and enjoy colossal monsters fighting over the city. 

The Three Stooges

As a comedy lover, I am looking for the next big thing in the comedy world. It seems that now comedy is run by stoner comedy (movies such as the Hangover) or movies that are paired with romance. It's rare to find a pure comedy movie, however, I have found it. The Three Stooges, a classic, remade for modern times, filled to the brim with simple, but yet effective, slap-stick humor was a sure win for me.

Although it may be slap-stick humor, there is a story behind the humor, and a very good one at that. The Three Stooges, Moe, Curley and Larry start off in an orphanage, where they torment the orphanage nuns. After Moe nearly gets adopted, which a little boy named Ted gets adopted instead, ad the Three Stooges continue living in the orphanage as helpers, though they tend to make more trouble than they actually help. One day, the nuns tell the boys that they would have to leave due to the orphanage closing. The boys then set off in to the real world, trying to garner the 830,000 dollars required to keep the orphanage open, and along the way, meet some interesting people.

The characters were such a stand out in the movie, that I think they deserve an award for it. True, none of they didn’t have the character depth that most characters would get an award for, but the comedy style, and their interactions with each other was spectacular. The comedy style was amazing, and the actors carried it out very well. In fact, the characters were so funny that I don't think I stopped laughing the whole entire movie. I will give the characters credit, they manages to bash the whole Jersey Shore cast, and they managed to bash a  slew of things in popular culture, thus making the remake effective to today's time.

The story was decent in my mind, though I think that it played a big part but yet a little part in the movie. A big part due to the fact that half the skits had to do with them getting the money, but also, the slapstick humor could be used in any situation. While this might be a movie killer for some, it was personally a win for me, due to the fact that despite the humor being versatile and that it was too plot intensive, but just easy going with humor.

The acting was excellent in my mind. They were consistent with their accents, and the way they pronounced certain words, and their signature sound was also well done. The other actors besides the Stooges also did well, minus the Jersey Shore Cast, but they got beat up by Moe, so they served their purpose. The reactions of the characters to the Stooges stupidity were priceless, and while they couldn't have really done anything about it, they took it like pros. 

Overall, this has to be one of the best movies I have seen all year. The comedy was brilliant, the acting was phenomenal, and the movie, overall, made me laugh the whole entire time. If a movie can make a person laugh the whole entire movie, then it is a win in my book. I highly recommend that you go see it, and along with that, learn some comedy stunts from them. It was an very interesting watch, and I hope that the Three Stooges can become a franchise like it has in the past, due it being one of the best movies I have seen all year. 

Hunger Games

There have been many movies based off books, such as Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and even the dreaded Twilight started off as books once. At the turn of every year, it seems that they claim one of these books would be the next big movie, the next big thing that get people talking, the thing that could sell millions. This year, the world has Hunger Games fever, with the release of the movie coming out today. With all the hype it received, I naturally became curious, and read the book, and was impressed, and then proceeded to see the movie. How did it do?

The premise for the story is actually an unique,but depressing one, to be honest. After a rebellion, a treaty stated that each District would offer up two tributes, a boy and a girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen, for the Hunger Games, a televised survival fight between all of the contestants, and they fight each other to the death and the forces of nature, until one is deemed the victor. At the reaping, or selecting of the tributes, of the seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Katniss' sister, Primrose is selected as tribute. Katniss steps in for her and becomes the first ever voluntary tribute. Along with Peeta Mallark, the boy tribute from her district, they head to the capitol to compete in the seventy-fourth Hunger Games.

The story its self is something unique to teen fiction now-a-days, due to the paranormal romance craze, so this brings something refreshing to the table. Granted, the story was not without its romance, but it played both a major role and a minor role; it was a huge factor in the games, but it did not overtake the story. The romance between Peeta and Katniss was cute, but it wasn't portrayed seriously nor adorably. I think they tried to add some romance between Katniss and Cinna in the movie that wasn't in the book, but little stuff I can forgive.

Along with adding little romance, the movie also added bits and pieces of additional information that was not in the novel, such as the Gamemakers controlling the terrain of the Arena that the contestants fought in, and the the hosts of the show adding in their commentary, elements that were not in the novel.

The acting for this movie was one of main things that irked me through out the movie. It was dry, flat, and awkward, at best. It had so many awkward silences, and the characters were just staring off into space. Peeta, although a "main" character did not really act, and was about as lively as a piece of cardboard. Katniss was a bit better, but she still came off flat. The rest of the cast was barely memorable in my opinion, except for Haymitch, who had to be one of the best actors in this cast, even though he was barely sober half the movie.

The other thing that bothered me was the musical score for the movie. Where I thought there should have been music to fill in for the awkward acting there was none. I come to the movies not for awkward silences between the characters; I come for good music and liveliness. The musical score was barely memorable either;it was almost dead and it could have been greatly improved.

I do blame one factor alone for the poor execution of the movie: the way the book was written. The book was written from the first person, so we experience everything that Katniss feels and sees when she sees it. While I love books told like that, in movie execution, it fails in my mind due to the fact that in the movie you have to show the whole world, not just from her point of view. When you broaden the field of vision, you loose some things that were evident in the novel, such as internal monologue, and explanations behind some of the things in this world. While they tried to do some explanations through the telecasters of the "show," it lost its effect and made the movie feel like an overall T.V. show, which was not the effect the book gave off.

Overall, I was not pleased with the movie, and I was expecting a lot more from the cast and the movie its self with all the hype it received. It received a lot of hype, saying it would be the next big thing; in my mind, it is not worth the hype. A decent movie overall, with nothing standing out about it besides the premise of the movie due the fact it is dark enough to grab someone's attention without them sayings a horror movie and it is aimed at mostly female teenagers, and it isn't Twilight or romance in general.


                                                  May the odds be ever in your favor 

Eiga Suite Precure: Torimodose! Kokoro no Tsunaku Kiseki no Melody!

It is no secret that I am a sucker for mahou shoujou anime, that is an accepted fact by now. When I saw that they came out with a Suite Precure movie, I couldn't help but to watch it because it looked like an interesting movie to be honest, and hopefully better than the other two anime movies I have watched.

To be honest, I was skeptical because it was a Precure Movie, and overall, the Precure series is not that strong plot wise, and even lacks some field in the characters department for the fact it is really aimed at kids. The movie was not all that different, though a bit more plot driven than the TV series.

The plot for the movie was solid enough for me to like, but yet loose enough to where kids can follow it. Major Land is being robbed of all music, causing Major Land and the real world to fall silent. It turns out that the queen is apparently taking the music away from Major Land and the Real world.  Hibiki, Kanade, Ako, and Ellen try to find the music while trying to prove the Queen's innocence.

The plot for this movie was pretty solid for a movie that was directed at children. It wasn't overly loose like in the Negima! Movie or suddenly pick up on the plot at the end like in the Sora no Otoshimono movie. It kept steady through out the movie, and it was well paced, I will admit. The plot held steady throughout the movie, and it wrapped up nicely at the end. The plot was easy to follow, and they kept the explanations short and simple, and they did not spend too much time on dialogue.

The characters for the movei were the same as in the TV series: mahou shoujo and trying to save the world with good music. As it being a movie, they did not make any considerable development character wise, but they were solid. Each one was distinguishable, of course, but I do feel
like the writers do favor Hibiki the most, and for obvious reasons.

The animation was solid, except with a few flaws here and there. The characters were well drawn, and each was distinguishable. Also, the enemy had an interesting design,though I think his final form was just a bit too cartoon-y for my tastes, but that beside the point,because over all the art was pleasing over all in my mind. The final form of the Precure was also beautiful to me in the fact that it glowed and was just overall pleasing.

The movie was overall pretty good, though there was one thing that bothered me: the light stick effect. At the beginning of the movie, Hummy, the Suite Precure Mascot, comes on screen with an announce ment saying when the Precure were in trouble, wave the light stick that had a light up music note in order to cheer on the Precure. While this was cute in the beginning, I did not expect them to actually enact that during the movie, with Hummy and the Fairy Tones saying Ganbare Ganbare, Precure (Go for it, or good luck Precure) with the fairy tones waving their own light stick that popped out of no where.

I will say that overall, I was pleased with the movie because it was right up my alley with the theme. The art was visually pleasing to me and the characters were well done, even though this was a movie that was supposed to be watched in between episodes. They did not recap the TV series, and they did not utterly butcher the characters, and that, my friends, is how a movie based on an anime series is supposed to be done.

Anime Movies: Good or Bad?

As you know, over the past month, I have seen quite a few anime movies, ranging from Secret World of Arriety to Sora no Otoshimono: Tokeikake no Angeloid, and while they all may vary, from source material, to quality of the movie, and while they all may be anime, I will admit, they are weak in varying degrees. From weak plots, to weak characters, anime movies still have a long ways to go in order to perfect these values.

In my mind, there are two types of anime movies: those based off series, and those that stand alone. They bring different attributes to the table movie wise, both story wise, and character wise, and even art wise. While I may prefer the movies that are stand alone movies, the ones based off an anime series also have their own charm.

First, we shall shall start with those based off an existing anime series. These movies in my mind are very weak, and could easily be pased off as an OVA, due to length of actual plot. While in the Negima! movie, they did use most of the time for the plot development, but it could have easily condensed the movie into an OVA due to the fact that most of it was just them discussing what might happen, and while it was a good showcase for the classmates, it still could have done with out the extra showcases. In the case of the Sora no Otoshimono movie, the actual plot was less than thirty minutes. The part that made me upset was the fact that the first half of the movie was just a recap from the stalker's point of view, and that the second half of the movie was so epic with the action and suspense, but I felt like a lot of stuff was left unexplained to the audience. The last movie I would like to put into consideration was the Suite Precure movie, which overall, was the best out of the three. It had the most solid plot out of the three movies, and it did not butcher the the characters or plot. The animation was fluid and clean. It had its flaws, yes, but compared to the train wrecks known as the Sora no Otoshimono Movie, or the Negima! Final Movie.

As for the movies that are just stand alones, such as Secret World of Arrietty, they are slightly better in the presentation of the material, and the animation is a bit more fluid, however, the characters feel a bit underdeveloped. In the case of Arrietty, they characters just felt two-dementional and somethings just felt like they were unexplained. Also, the characters felt underdeveloped, but they do try to make the best of the time that they had in the movie to present the characters.

Overall, anime movies are either a hit or a miss for me. On one hand, I get to see a full length movie of anime, and the ones based off of series give me a full length movie with the characters I love. On the other hand, the anime movies based off of series tend to butcher to characters, and overall are just dry. The ones that stand alone are decent, but still have their flaws.

Sora no Otoshimono: Tokeikake no Angeloid

To be honest, ecchi series are almost a guilty pleasure for me sometimes. There is just something about it that just appeals to me. Maybe it's a lack of story that falls into comedy, or maybe that wide grin I get because I know that guys are enjoying the panty shots and boobs, in which I see those everyday no problem, or maybe it's because it's just senseless fun that helps me enjoy this so much. When I heard one of my favorite ecchi series was getting a movie, I couldn't help but to think that this was an advancement for the genre on a whole. However I think they took the steps in the wrong directions.

Our plot is almost non-existent, which in ecchi, not always a bad thing, but in this movie did not work at all. The first half of the movies was a recap of the first two seasons of the anime through the eyes of Sakurai Tomoki's stalker,Kazane Hiyori. The next part of the plot after the recap is her joining the club Tomoki is in, and her adventures there.

Where to begin on this train wreck of misfortune. The plot was weak, seeing as it was over half the movie recaping the first two seasons of the anime. While yes, it was good to have a refresher, I think they should have made the recap portion shorter, because if you skip the recap, you essentially have a thirty-five minute to a forty-five minute OVA, not an hour and a half movie.

The art for the movie was basically the same as the anime series, with Sakurai going chibi at random monets through out, and the weird censors. It was fluid, and clean. The characters were well designed, and they each were distinguishable.

In the characters department, I don't think they advanced that far for two reasons: one is the fact that yes, half the movie is recap, and that limits how much they could develop. Also, I don't think they could develop the characters too much because it's a movie, and they could not deviate too much from the source material aa the manga. I can respect this, but it still doesn't change the fact that the side characters hardly got any development, let alone screen time. I think they could have incorporated the side side characters more into the story. I wish Kazane's story was a bit more explained out, in which  I will not spoil anything, but they did a weak job on her character.

Overall, this movie was a let down. Not a good story or character development was present, nor did the characters do well overall. I would recommend this to the hard-core fans, and even then, this movie is a let down. The characters were weak, the plot was non existent, and this movie, honestly though I hate to admit it, since I'm very glad that an ecchi anime got a movie, but this could have easily worked as an OVA or maybe this arc could have been incorporated in the third season. What ever the case may be, I just honestly pray that the third season is better than the movie.

John Carter

Though I am not a science fiction fan, I will admit that it does have its appeals. When I heard about John Carter, at first I will admit, I was skeptical, due to the fact it looked like an Avatar rip-off. However, that may not be the case with this movie, though it does bear a striking resemblance to several other movies that I have seen.

Our story begins with Edgar inheriting his uncle's, John Carter, journal that was left to him after Carter's death. The journal then explains in great detail about John's adventures about a mysterious world and how he got there. He was a confederate soldier in 1861, and got held hostage by the Union to fight for them, and though he refuses, he does try to make peace. While negotiations go wrong, he then finds a cave of gold, and there a man just pops out of nowhere, and John shoots him, and when he grabs the medalion, he is transported to a mysterious world caled Barsoom, which we learn later is Mars. Due to lower gravitational pull on Mars than there is on Earth, he can jump to extraordinary heights, and he is hailed as one of the strongest by the local aliens, the Tharks. While on Mars, he tries to stop the marriage between Dejah Thoris, and Sab Than, the tyranical prince of Zondanga, the state warring with Helium, the state of which Dejah Thoris is from. All the while, he is still looking for a way back home.

I'll be the first to admit, I thought that this was going to be like Avatar, though once the movie started I had Cowboys and Aliens in mind, due the fact it was set in the Midwest at first, and there were going to be aliens, however, once he got to Mars, it reminded me of something that you would see in Star Wars or Avatar, though the planet in this case was not as colorful as Pandora. However, the movie had its own charm and flare to it. The technology was handled well, along with the design of the city and the world its self.

The characters in my mind were a bit developed in the right and wrong places. John Carter was a bit bland in my mind, though being a Confederate soldier and the people on the planet were not that well defined. In fact, at a point, only John Carter, the Thern, and the princess were distinguishable. The Tharks all looked the same, to tell the truth, and even though they made four arms look plausible, it still looked a bit weird in my mind. The Thern was another character that I think needs to be explained a bit more, and the theory of how the people and animals got on the planet should have been explained more.

Another problem I have with this movie is repetition in jokes and even actions. John always tries repeatedly to escape from the people who have captured him, and it always it the same attempt: jumping or brute force. Also, the Tharks, they keep calling him "Virginia" because he introduces him self from being from there, and they fail to get that is not his name. While I find a bit humorous, as being from Virginia, and nothing brings me greater joy than to hear my home state mentioned in a movie, they over did it. Just call him "John Carter" and leave it at that. They also seem to repeat a lot on the fact that he can jump super high, even exaggerating it a bit much.

The scenery in the movie, I will give credit to being actually pretty good. The IMAX made it better, but they do need to work on distance lighting and getting everything in focus to make it 3D. (Turn up aperture!!) There was definitely depth to the picture, and there were layers to the scenes, i.e. the characters stood out from the background, but it just felt lacking in the 3D aspect. Granted, it didn't make me sick like Avatar did, but the motion scenes felt like they were not that compatible with the 3D.

A minor note I would like to bring up is the fact that Disney made the film. While I still associate Disney handling animated films, such as The Little Mermaid, or Snow White, they also produced Pirates of the Carribean. I do think this is one of their weaker films, but it still a good attempt at a sci-fi film.

Overall, for science fiction fans, this is probably going to be one of the biggest films of the year, besides Iron Sky. I think Disney did a good job handling the film overall. Though I do smell sequels to this film if does does well enough, because I feel like they did not explain all that much about Mars or the people on it. Hopefully, this film can get the sequels needed for explanation, though that could potentially ruin it I have to admit. SO, have fun on Mars, and take an adventure.

The Lorax

"UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it's not"~Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss's works are classic to many people, from books like Green Eggs and Ham to The Cat in the Hat. These books have a charm to them that no other person can replicate, and also makes them an amusing read. The rhyme scheme and unique art make is all that more fun to read. Most of these works are very hard to adapt properly. When I heard the studio who made Despicable Me was going to adapt Dr. Seuss's The Lorax, I could not help but to get excited, due the fact I absolutely loved Despicable Me. So, how does it fair off in my mind?

The plot is a simple one, I will admit. It follows the story of a young boy named Ted, who lives in a town where there is no nature; everything is synthetic and artificial. His romantic interest, Audrey, starts to tell him how she wants to see a real tree, and inspired to try and gain her love, he goes on a quest to get a tree.

To be quite honest, I actually hated this movie. The plot was so ridiculous that it made me cry. Yes, I do understand that they have never seen real trees, and this girl wants to see one, but the consequences of him trying to get the tree were quite ridiculous. Also, the one person who can tell him how to get a tree, the Once-ler, makes him jump through hoops in order to get the tree. I guess they needed to fill up about another forty-five minutes discussing why the trees were gone.

The music in this movie actually comes in two parts. On one hand, I could not stand the musical numbers about how great having fake stuff is, to how bad can cutting down all the trees be. I feel like they copied The Muppets in this style, and they imitated it badly. However, the background music was well done, fitting the mood for each scene, and some of it admittedly had me tapping my foot in rhythm to it. However, the background music does not make a movie, but the musical numbers can kill it in the first five minutes.

The animation was well done in the sceneries aspect. They were well done, vibrant, and fit the upbeat mood of the movie very well.   The character designs were well done, and they also blended well with the back ground. However, I did go see this in 3D (not IMAX), and I feel like although I could tell the levels of depth, the 3D really did not work for me. It seemed to be lacking, but since it is not IMAX, I will give it some lee-way.

Character wise, this movie was a let down. The characters were cookie cutter characters in my mind, and they were easily forgotten. Ted was this kid who would do anything for the girl he loves, which is not that original. Also, his dialogue is not that good either, between (failed) pick up likes and screaming, he doesn't contribute much. Then we have Audrey, the idealistic girl who wants the world to be perfect, and really doesn't contribute to her cause. We have the bad guy, Mr. O'Hare, the guy who sells people fresh air because the real air quality is that bad, but as always, he is only out for money. The Once-ler and the Lorax had to be the most interesting, and even then, they are kind of flat.

The voice acting in this movie was alright. I do not like Zac Efron as Ted, because he turns Ted into this flat, high school boy, who only knows how to do crappy pick up lines, and they are poorly executed at best. Taylor Swift did an alright job at Audrey, but still, she felt like she was awkward, and it just felt wrong to be honest. The rest of the cast did well, and the Lorax's voice did fit him, and they did well with execution. Now, if we could work on the two main characters....

The message that the movie incorporated in it was a common message that is popping up over and over again in movies: Protect the environment. While yes, I do agree that we need to take care of it, I think the movie industry is going overboard with this message. This movie is perfect example, because they exploited it in the wrong way. The Once-ler destroyed the trees for a stupid, useless scarf-thing. I think if they are going to propaganda saving the environment and not ruin it because of human actions, I think they could have done it a bit better. Since this is a kids movie, I guess they just wanted to make sure kids understood it, and could act on not destroying the trees, however, they must be assuming their audience is a bunch of dimwits.

Overall, unless you were a little kid, I would not recommend this movie to anyone but little kids, or unless you were super keen on saving the environment, and even then, it's a terrible movie.

Mahou Sensei Negima! Anime Final

When I first got into anime and manga, one of the first titles I actually got into was Mahou Sensei Negima!? After a disappointing T.V. series run by the producing company Xebec (It still does not exist in my mind) and an excellent run of multiple OVA series, the anime movie conclusion was a film I had been long anticipating since it came out. After it finally got subbed, I immediately watched this film, and let me admit, it was not at all what I was expecting.

The story picks up where Mou Hitotsu no Sekai left off. Asuna is safe and sound, and everyone returns to the school, happy and safe. When they get back, they start planning for the graduation ceremony. because they are in their last year of middle school. However, Negi is told that he has to pick one girl to make a permanent Pactio with one of the girls, and all the other girls would loose their memories. As Negi struggles to make his decision, Mars start hurdling towards Earth.


The plot for this movie is one of the weakest plots I have ever seen in a movie, American or Japanese. I know that it is a "sequel" to the OVA, but you would think that they would end this movie better instead of focusing on the slice of life part of it. Honestly,this could have been a regular T.V. Anime and I think that the plot could not have changed a bit, and it still would have worked.

Besides the plot, I have two major problems with this movie. One is the fact yes, the girls will loose their memories if Negi does not pick them, but some of the girls are magical to begin with, so why were they so worried? Also, a good chunk of the class did not have a pactio with Negi anyways, so why are they still trying to compete for his affection? But why people like Asuna, Konoka, Setsuna, Natsumi and Chahamaru are worried confuses me. Asuna is the Imperial Twilight Princess, Konoka is a healing mage, Setsuna has a Pactio with Konoka, Natsumi has a pactio with Kotarou,and Chachamaru runs off magic, and if I'm not mistaken has a "doll pactio" with Evangeline, just to name a few, given that half the class is magical anyways, so they would not loose their memories because of Negi.

The other problem I have with the movie is why is Mars hurdling towards Earth? Yes, it does provide the only bit of action for the movie, and yes it does help provide the solution for Negi's big problem, but in my mind, it just doesn't make any sense.

Animation for this movie was inferior to the OVA's. True, while the OVA's had a bigger budget, but the animation for the movie was just off. It still kept true to the manga, like for colors of hair, and looks, but it was lower grade quality. I think that they could have down way better, especially since the fans (such as my self) were waiting for this, and waiting to see an awesome grade movie. One animation point I will give, however, was when then girls used their patio, which came across mahou shoujo like, and it wasn't just boring instantaneous.

Overall, I think this movie was a let down for fans of the manga. It copped out big time on the solution to Negi's problem, and the plot was not that good too boot. If they're going to make a movie about Negima, please, don't glaze over the Negi vs. Fate fight, and please make a better plot and better animation. All of the anime series concerning Negima! have been failures in mind, and the movie is no different.

Chronicle

Imagine if you and your friends one day come across a giant hole, and then you decided to go in it. All of a sudden, you all find a bright lit up mass, and you all decide to touch it, just to realize that the next day you have telekinesis powers.You and your friends experiment on what you guys can do, starting off small, then moving things as big as cars. Finally, you guys learn to take to the skies.  After a while of using your powers, you start to become cocky due to the influence of your friends, and eventually lead to your doom.

The story of Chronicle follows Andrew, Matt, and Steven who come across telekinetic powers by accident. They then start using their powers, but they have nosebleeds as a result of using it too much, but as they get stronger, they don't have as many nose bleeds. As Andrew begins to delve deeper in using his powers, a question arises: the lion does not feel guilty about killing the gazelle, then why do humans feel guilty about killing other humans? As he tries to struggle with the question, and other events going on around him, such as his violent father, and his dying mother, his friends have to save him from the ultimate weapon: himself.

The story was quite interesting really. I liked how the people who came across the super powers were just average guys, with no ulterior motive in to using them. Often times in super hero movies, the guys who receive the super hero powers are often times the self-sacrificing types, and while they might use their powers for good and try to beat the bad guys, I think that is actually boring at a point because no regular person thinks like that. No, this story is about three kids who find the power, and then try and use it for their benefit, not the world's.

The film its self was done in an odd way. The way the story was told was that Andrew had a camera, and you saw everything from the camera's point of view. Also, when his camera was not in use, you still did not have that many "professional" cameras capturing the action; you still had to rely on the cameras around, such as security cameras and T.V. cameras capturing the news, which made the experience unlike any I have ever had before watching a movie. The way it was presented made it feel like this could have very well happened in real life, and that some one was just there to film it. 

The characters are well done and they actually grow and progress through out the movie. Andrew  is kind of silent, and the kid with a camera, and then as the movie progresses, he starts to come out of his shell. Steven is the out going kid who wants to be student president. Matt, Andrew's cousin, is kind of the popular kid, however, he is less out going than Steven. Given all the diverse personalities, I think they actually got along pretty well, and even had their share of disputes.

The green screen for the effects was very well done. When they took to the skies, it actually looked like they were actually flying and just not on a green screen. Also, the effects of them moving the stuff like cars and such was very fluid; it was like they were actually moving them telekinetically. Also, the wire effects were well done, and it made everything look decently real.

Over all, I say that this is a must see movie. It has action, and it has a unique was of presenting the story through cameras. It also has that coming of age feel that we all love in movies. I highly recommend it to any one who wants to go see it, you will not be disappointed. 

Secret World of Arrietty

For anime movies, there is one name synonymous with good quality movies, and that name is studio Ghibli. In case you didn't know, they did such movies like Howl's Moving Castle  and Spirited Away, and who can forget the lovable adventure of Ponyo. All these movies have been well known to the anime community and has made Studio Ghibli one of the most well known for movies in the anime community. When I came across Kariguarashi no Arrietty or The Secret World of Arrietty, I had problems finding the subtitled versions, so I waited for the English release, which just so happened to fall on the Valentine's Day weekend, I was stoked to be honest.

The story follows Shawn, or Shou in the original Japanese version, who has come to the country side in order to recuperate before his sugery on his heart. Also, we follow Arrietty, an adventurous pint sized girl, literally, or a borrower. Her and her family survive by taking little things that the humans, or being will not miss, like cookies, tissue paper, or sugar cubes. As she goes out with her papa on her first borrowing, Shawn sees her and the whole mission is aborted, and they return home empty handed. Shawn learns later from his folks that there is a legend of the little people, and that his grandfather believed in it so much to even make a fully functioning house for them. Shawn and Arrietty meet, and this creates a problem for Arriety and her family because, because as the humans steadily become aware of their existence, Arrietty and her family have to move, because it is a law among Borrowers that thy have to move if the beings find them due to the beings curiosity. However, before they can get away from the house they borrow from, Haru finds the Borrowers, and then goes to the extreme route of trying to exterminate them. As Shawn and Arreitty try to save her family, it starts to foster a forbidden bond between the two of them.

To be honest, I was expectinggreat things from the movie its self due to the fact it was made by Studio Ghibli. However, since Disney took up the dub, I was a bit scared because they have a tendency to make awful dubs. I will admit however, they did a decent job on the voice acting and each voice fit the character well. The only complaint I have about the dub is the fact they changed some of the named to better fit American audiences.

The characters were each well designed in the Studio Ghibli way, although Shawn looks like a typical harem lead, even though this is not a harem. Arreitty was well designed as well, along with each of her family memebers. I will also give studio Ghibli credit for animation consistency, which always important in movies like this. Also, the sceneries were all well drawn and vibrant and well matched for the tone of the movie.

The music track was also very good. It fit each scene very well, and the opening and end themes also fit the movie very well. The only complaint is the last song for the American version quite frankly plucked my my nerves, however, the music track was also very good.

I will this is a good family film. The film does handle the adult messages very well, and can be an enjoyable film as well. I recommend this film to all ages, from young kids to the elderly adults.

Red Tails

World World II was  a dark and fearful time for the United States. We were fighting a war on two fronts: Germany and Japan, and we were in need of the best of the best soldiers. Though we were craving the best of the best, we still limited our forces to white men only, leaving women to work in the factories, and the African-American soldiers were forced to serve behind the lines, and stuck doing the grunt work. However, the 332nd Fighter Group, as known as the Tuskegee Airmen, were the first African-American fighter pilots in US Army, and were allowed to pilot fighter planes. They were unique; painting the tails of their plane red, giving them the name " The Red Tails." More than half a century later, a full length movie is being made about their story.

The plot line is simple: the African-Americans trying to become important in the US Army. They basically fly around at first, missing all the good bits of action and trying to be heroes. They have the old planes that are out of date, though still flyable and have decent guns. The main crew consist of nine or ten African-American men who aspire for greatness. They go on missions, though none of them bring them any type of greatness,when they get a great mission to accompany the white pilots on a dangerous mission over Berlin.

Now, the plot sounds decent right? It sounds like that it would be a good movie, and the best part: it has some truth behind it, right? Wrong. The movie was bland in my mind, the best part being the explosions. The story barely moves at all, besides the fact that thtey get new and better fighter jets, but other than that, the story moves at 5 Centimeters per Second. Also, the side of the love story is almost unneeded, though it give some characters more depth, not much though.

The acting in this movie is where I will tear this movie apart. It was horrible! The African-American actors were awkward and stiff at best. The white fighter pilots' acting horrible due the fact that it was bland as heck. The lines were also generic, and the execution of said lines was horrible. Also, writing of all the lines was horrible.

Honestly, I wish they had shown more, such as the basic training of the soldiers and perhaps more of the racial tension between the white men and the African-Americans; there was almost none, except two scenes, and that's it. At this time, as you may know, the racial tension in the military was heavy as hell, and the white men shouldn't have been so accepting as there were in the movie, because we all know that they encountered problems with integration in services. The white men were not all hunky-dory with the African-Americans joining the unit in real life like they were in the movie.

There is one last think I would like to offer towards the movie: If you're going to subtitle the German in the movie, why not the Italian? Granted, the meaning behind the Italian was very easy to understand due to it being basic Italian, but still? Were they trying to show us what one of the American Characters had to go through in order to date the chick or what? And on the subject of the Italian, which brings up the Italian chick the pilot was trying to get: Why was the love story there? It added nothing to the plot and I honestly came to this movie wanting explosions and war and such, not some love story that felt like it took up half the time.

Overall, for what I was expecting, the movie was terrible. I was expecting something great, something epic, and I got some watered down version of history. Overall, I would not recommend this movie to anyone except perhaps kids who need to learn about a part of military history, and even then, no. It had some explosions, but not enough, and it had some romance, but too much. If you want to go see this, I'm not stopping you, but you will probably regret it.

2011-A Year to Remember

The past year for me has been eventful, I will admit. Even though I haven't had this blog for a year, 2011, however is drawing to a close. Over the past  year, I feel like I have accomplished a lot, though it has not been without its pitfalls.

This past year has come many successes, such as graduating high school, and starting college. It might be a community college, but college none the less, and the next chapter in my life. Though both might seem like an easy feet, the stress that went with both was quite frankly horrendous, though I am glad I have done both. Though I treasure my time in high school, I am excited about completing my first semester at college. College is a new experience for me, due to the fact that everyone is more relaxed somewhat, and there is none of the high school drama, though it does have its own bit of drama. It's also a more diverse group of people in college, anyone from just out of high school people like me, to working adults, to even ex-military people. 

First of all, I would like to thank the wonderful people I have met in 2011. One of my best friends I actually met this year in high school, and he is amazingly kind to me, despite some rough patches. He was the one that introduced me to Team Fortress 2, and other computer games, because before I will honestly say I saw computer games as a waste of space on the computer's hard drive. He has also been there for me when I needed him, and we have really fun memories together.

Along with my best friend, I also met some wonderful people in my English class. These people were the party in my life, and even though they are quite insane, I still treasure that class dearly. Everyday was like a riot, a good riot though, due to the fact we would kind of pick on each other, though some of us got picked on more than others. (я ниет лоли). Besides the folks in my English class, my math class buddies were also amazingly nice. They knew how to joke around, and most of them were new to college, like me, and we had a rough time at first adjusting to the class, and some of us, like my self, had to drop the class. 

Also, this year, I have gotten into more American movies, and gotten more into different types of movies. Before I met my best friend, and also one of my friends on my English class, I usually stuck to anime, and I still tend to, though I am becoming more acquainted with American movies. (If you have any movies that you want me to see or review, email me). Also, I have come to appreciate torrenting a lot more for american movies, and not just downloading three hundred plus gigabytes of anime. 

In 2011, I started this blog. Taking inspiration from one of my friends and fellow blog writer, I have started my own blog. I realized that I could actually write(not that well) about movies, life, and anime. Although it's just a beginning blog, I hope to make this blog my own sort of ramblings about anime and movies, with a few game reviews in between(when I have time to play them...seriously). And even though I cannot write particularly well, this blog is a fun experience to try and become better at writing. 

This year, however, has not been with out its problems. Between my computer crashing, and huge amounts of stress and boredom, it probably has made me a stronger person (also taught me to back up my data regularly.) Along with my computer crashing, I am currently still working on building a computer (like built from scratch) and that has come with its problem; for example, it now lacks the BIOS systems, making it virtually living, but a vegetable. (Thank you infinite loops, you murderous killers). 

But as I look towards 2012, I actually do have a couple goals in mind, most of these revolving around my life and my future. One such goal is to go into the air force, though I doubt it will happen in 2012, though I want to talk to the recruiter. Also, I wanna complete my second semester at college, and do some summer classes so I can hurry up and graduate and go into the air force, due to the fact a college degree will make it easier to join. Along with getting on board with the military, I want to at least learn a language and become decently fluent in it, probably become more fluent in Japanese and Spanish, and maybe pick up the romance languages in my mind: German and Russian. (French is ugly thank you)

Overall, this year has been an excellent year, many mile stones I have gotten passed, and I have met many, many people over the past year. I can honestly say that I hope 2012 is as good, if not better than 2011, and I look forward on keeping the reader(s) posted on the movies I have seen. If you have any anime, movie, game, books, and any other stuff that you may want me to review, or even questions or comments,although I will ask you to make the subject of the email about the blog. (I don't read spam).

I'd Like to thank those who have stumbled across this blog, and hope to see some of you return. Until next year (or a few hours) have fun!

Sherlock Holmes-A Game of Shadows

When one says mysteries and detectives, one name usually comes to mind, and that name is Sherlock Holmes. He has wit, skill, and that just right stroke of luck. He has bizarre methods, some of which you may not think would work, but they also seem to pull through regardless. Watson, his side kick and the fellow doctor doesn't have that same streak of luck, though he is a vital part to the movie. In the second Sherlock Holmes movie, Sherlock has to battle the mysterious person who was pulling the strings in the first movie, and defeating this person, and even though his methods are a bit bizzarre, I have to admit, he really is the best detective the world has ever seen.

The movie starts off like the first one, in a mess of random events that seem to never correlate, though they do provide some laughs. After the death of Irene Adler, the possible love interest of Holmes, Sherlock looks into who did it, and he finds that his adversary this time is Professor Moriarty. Through the movie, Sherlock Holmes is probably faced with his greatest mystery yet, and while solving the mystery, he has to stop an international crisis from arising.

First off, in some ways, this is a direct sequel to the first movie. Some jokes, and even the bad guy, are brought over from the first movie. Although it may be advertised as something such as a Bond movie, it really is not. The first movie will explain a lot to you, and it is a good watch in my personal opinion

I will admit, I especially liked the comedic bits, because Sherlock is never serious. He is like Captain Jack Sparrow when it comes to his methods of going through with some stuff. Also, some of the stuff he does may not make sense at first, though you might have just have to roll with it, because everything will make sense by the end of the movie. Even though his plans may not make sense at first, you just have to trust that everything will make sense by the end, just like any good mystery movie.

Also, the weapons aspect of it was very good. Although I am no gun nut, I went with a friend who was and he could explain some of the weapons. At one point, the bad guy was shooting at Watson with a sniper rifles, though Watson quickly finds the Howitzer, which is basically a canon, and fires it at the sniper. The sniper's last words, sadly, were "This isn't fair." Now, for some reason that made me laugh, along with Sherlock's attempts to use a semi-auto gun.

This movie is the perfect combination of mystery, action, and even a bit of comedy, and in my opinion, well worth the movie tickets. They say that sequels are never as good as the originals, but in the case of this movie, I digress: it is on par, and somewhat better than the first. So, if you're in the mood for a mystery, and semi-action film, then go see Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows, now playing in a theater near you!

The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo

Along with Tintin, I also had the pleasure of seeing one of the greatest movies I have ever seen this week. This movie had style, humor, mystery, and even some other dark elements that will take you by surprise. The movie, of course, was the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, based off the acclaimed books by Stieg Larsson. The movie had me hooked on the mystery that was involved, and had me guessing until the final clue was revealed.

The story followed Michael Blomkvist, a journalist who recently got busted for libel against Wennerström, a wealthy business man. However he then gets hired by Henrik Vanger, a wealthy man who hires Blomkvist to do his memoirs, though the ultimate task is to try and figure out the forty year old mystery of who killed his niece, Harriet Vanger. Along the line of solving this mystery, Blomkvist encounters the punk hacker, Elisabeth Salander. Together, they solve the mystery of who murdered Vanger's beloved niece.

As the original novel and story was set in Sweden, I am pleased to say that the American movie adaptation was also set in Sweden, which I'll give them credit for not trying to Americanize it. They also kept to Elisabeth's punk appearance, and some of her outfits were nothing short of amazing.

In the begining of the movie, the story seems to be split in two parts: Michael's story and his struggle of trying to get reliability back, and Elisabeth, or Lisabeth trying to make ends meet financially. Blomkvist's part of the story might seem boring at first, such as him just wandering around Sweden Some parts with Lisabeth made me highly uncomfortable, such as her doing sexual favors for the person that she was getting money from, and her revenge on the guy was making her do such favors was a bit cringe worthy, even among the guys in the audience.

The one thing that made this film highly enjoyable, and probably one of the best films I have ever watched, was  the fact even though the beginning was slow, it had an an excellent pace, humor at just the right places, and the serious parts where they counted. The msytery had me gripped, my mind frantically working out the case before the cast did, and it turned out, at every twist and turn, there was something new to consider. Overall, the atmosphere was amazing, and well planned out.

The acting was superb in the anime. First, you have one of my all time favorite actors, Daniel Craig, playing Michael Blomkvist. Mara Roony was Lisabth Salander, and she did an excellent job portraying the character of a top notch hacker, and the rest of the supporting cast did well. The only complaint I honest have with the cast is that the Vangers seemed to blend together, and everyone else seemed not important or got caught up in the mix.

If you're looking for a mystery, with some romance, and even some some humor here and there, then I say go see this movie. The movie will keep you on the edge of your seats, and leave you wanting more of the characters. 

The Adventures of Tintin

We have all wanted to go on a grand a grand adventure in our lives, whether it be to the jungle, or perhaps a trip on the high seas. Sometimes, we take these trips willingly, with lots and lots of planning, or we take them as due to circumstances. Tintin, a boy and grad adventurer embarks on a journey, a journey of epic proportions.

Tintin is a reporter in Great Britain, and his dog Snowy, embark on a grand adventure after Tintin buys a model boat of the Unicorn, a legendary ship that sunk mysteriously. After he buys it, people are drawn to the ship, offering him double what he paid for originally or naming his own price. He refuses offer takes home, and while Snowy was chasing a stray cat, the ship topples over, breaking the middle mast. After he and Snowy return from another errand, the ship goes missing. Snowy points out a silver tube that had fallen behind the dresser when the ship broke, and in the tube was a piece of paper. A little while later, he goes to see the old abandoned manor, where he sees the ship that had broken, though this ship seemed to be in one piece. It is deduced that the Captain Francis Haddock, the original captain of the ship made three copies of the ship. In his quest to find the treasure rumored to be with the ship, he recruits the help of Captain Francis Haddock's descendant, Captain Haddock,in order to solve the mystery behind the ships and to find the treasure!

The first thing I must say about this movie is that you must go see it in Imax 3D. I had the pleasure of doing so, and the effects in the movie were amazing. At some points, I felt as though I was there, even though it was an animated movie. the dust particles moving around in front of me, the waves almost being able to reach me, and the sand could have been played in if i took a few steps towards the screen, were all thrills of the movie. The layer sof the scenes was also very well done, like Tintin was distinct from the surroundings, and everything was layered properly. Although usually I do not watch 3D, this movie was well worth it to go see it in 3D.

The story of Tintin in my mind could be divided into two parts: The main course which was Tintin and Haddock's adventure for the ships, but also about the local pickpocket. The main story was interesting, due to the fact that they keep going after these clues to the treasure. It had wit, action,and even a few jokes and sayings, such as "It only took a day in the Sahara to make you sober," or "I'm not optimist, I'm a realist," made me laugh and realize that the latter was an application to some of my views in life. The second, and perhaps sort of side story, was the two policemen, Thomson and Thompson, trying to catch a local pickpocket, who had been stealing everyone's wallets. The two police men are actually the source of comic relief in the movie when Captain Haddock's drinking problem fails.

The voice acting was superb in the movie. Captain Haddock's voice fit his character very well, as well as Tintin's. Their adversary, Sakharine, was voiced by the one and only James Bond,Daniel Craig, though I had a hard time recognizing the voice at first. But for the other characters, the voice acting was also superb.

As for the art of the movie, sometimes I started to question if was animated or not. The eyes for the characters were very well detailed, and the people looked natural, save for the noses. Those noses were unnatural, and kind of hideous if you ask me. But the sceneries and the effects in the animation was superb, especially in 3D as I have said before.

The movie was an excellent watch, and well worth the money to see in Imax 3D. If you can and are able to watch 3D, I recommend it highly, and it is a good family film. 

The Muppet's Movie

It seems lately in the movie industry that they have been making seemingly kids movies, but the undertones are aimed directly at adults, or at least teenagers, The Muppet's Movie is no exception to this trend. Even though the Muppet's is a childhood classic for those kids like me, there are some obvious adult undertones to the movie, those that provided laughs, and some made me go What were the creators on?

The movie starts out with Gary and his muppet "brother" Walter growing up. While Walter stays the same height, Gary grows taller, though they are still close as, well, brothers. Now, this sadly bothers me a bit. Gary still is attached to his muppet, even when he is about thirty or forty, and this relationship kind of continues through out the movie.

After the growing up preview, we are then brought to modern day California, with Gary, now a teacher of an overly studious group of kids, and his girlfriend, Mary, also a teacher, are planning on going to Los Angeles for their anniversary. Gary invites his brother without his girl friends approval first, because Gary thinks that they could go see the Muppet's set, because like me and a lot of other kids, he grew up on the Muppets. After a musical number, ending hilariously in "They're finally gone" from the other people involved in the number, they board the bus to Los Angeles.

When they get there, they go directly to the Muppet studio, much to Mary's disdain. But instead of it being glamorous and shiny like it was on the tapes Walter had watched, it was abandoned and run down. On the tour, Walter strays from the group and goes into Kermit's office, where a guy named Richman and his goonies  are talking with the two old men about selling the set because they claim they want to make a musem, and that if the Muppets wanted to stop them, then they would have to raise 10 million dollars. Now, the two old men plow straight through the fourth wall, or they reference the audience directly, by implying they not only ruined plot for the audience, but also implying that half the audience is dead.

When the two old men walk away, Richman reveals that there is oil under the set, and that he wants to demolish it, and the only way the Muppets can stop him is if they buy the property back. luckily, Walter was there to overhear the plan to demolish the building. He then goes to his brother, who is currently more hung up on this astonishing plot point than the subplot of his girlfriend. yes, this is a "kids" movie, so of course the girlfriend takes back seat. While they go to find Kermit, who is hiding in plain sight, with the gates even having pictures of him and Mrs. Piggy, Kermit actually comes up behind them when they are at his house. They actually make him look like a God to Walter, which prompts typical fan-boy like reaction, and he faints, just to wake up in Kermit's house.

After telling Kermit the antagonist's plan, they decide to recruit the crew, starting with Ozzy, the joke-ster Muppet, who is singing at a club with imitations of the Muppets, the Moopets. Originality in naming, perhaps not, but these things scream evil, especially the Pig. next they recruit Gonzo, the hooked nose, pink spandex wearing Muppet, who has successfully started his plumbing company, though he nukes the company and strips out of his formal attire to the Pink spandex super hero uniform. They recruit the gang through a montage, and whats even funnier is that they even say the quickest way to do it is through a montage. After they have gotten everyone except Mrs. piggy, they decide to "travel by map" to Paris. I will admit, the idea is ingenious, due the the fact that when most most movies they usually abridge travel time to, well, a map.

When they find Mrs. Piggy, she refuses to join them, because she is happy with her life in Paris. Though the first attempt fails, she eventually decides to join them. When she does join them, she finds that they had gotten a stand in for her, and Mrs. Piggy then proceeds to fight the fake one.

When they finally get around to raising the money for the set, they have to jump through hoops trying to get a network deal, due the fact they aren't that popular anymore. Actually, I think this sort of reflects on real life, due the fact that if I went up to a kid, and said who is your favorite Muppet, they would probably give me a strange look and ask me who are the Muppets. This point is further exaggerated by the chart of the in group, and that the Muppets are way out there in never ever land, where no one knows them. They do manage to score a deal, and then the insanity ensues. What type of insanity, you're going to have to go see this movie, because it is worth every penny of a movie ticket

This movie I will praise for the comedic genius and musical numbers. The music was very Mary Poppins like, though I thoroughly enjoyed it because the music touched on everything from going on a vacation, to being all alone on your anniversary. They were catchy, and one of them had a hilarious end. The comedy had me laughing, like for example when they steam rolled through the fourth wall, and also they implied that tying up people for money is alright. (Which it is).

This weekend, or sometime while it's still in theaters, I highly recommend that you take you and your family to see this masterpiece of a movie, because you will not be disappointed, and it will be every penny well spent.

Pirates Of THe Carrabean IV-On Stranger Tides

Pirates series has to be among the darkest things Disney has produced. Although, over the years, we have come to love Jack Sparrow for his crazy antics, verging on the line of insane and brilliant. We have watched him battle various enemies, such as Captain Barbossa, and other crazy villains. The sheer insanity of it (and perhaps a few Johnny Depp fan-girls) has brought the series billions of dollars, and it has won the hearts of people everywhere. The fourth installment of the pirates movies is no different from the other three, bringing about insanity, super-natural beings, comedy,pirates and improv schemes that always seem to according to plan.

In beginning of the movie, Captain Jack Sparrow is supposed to be going up on trail for crimes of piracy, where in turn, Gibbs is actually taken in for Jack Sparrow. The judge then proceeds to convict him, but you can notice it is Jack Sparrow. Gibbs is then taken out, and you see the Jack had tied up the real judge and stolen his wig. Also, Jack joins Gibbs in the carriage, believing that they are going to a get away location, though as it turns out, the driver is a traitor, because they are then surrounded by the British Troops.

They bring Jack Sparrow to the hall of a great important British official, where you also find out that Captain Barbossa is now playing for the British. They offer him a great deal: a ship and crew, though at the expense that he would not be able to captain the ship. Jack then escapes, though not forgetting of the delicious cake things (Too be honest, it looked like a macaroon though I'm not sure). I will give Jack Sparrow credit where it's due: He can get him self out of any situation with pure luck and maybe a bit of genius.

Along the way, he meets up with a woman that he had some previous engagement as, though posing as him to get crew for her ship. The woman is Angelica, who is Black Beard's daughter. She wants to team up with him in order to find the fountain of youth, as you may know, grants the user eternal youth. The only twist is that you must gain the years of life from another person with the exchange of the water in the goblets, one with a mermaid tear, and the one without.

Jack Sparrow gets captured and he is then thrust upon Black Beard's ship. Also on the ship, it a captive mersonary named Phillip Swift. Now, I'll be honest, they treat him like shit through out the entire movie. You first meet him tied up on the mast of Black Beard's ship. He gets stabbed a few times, and just when you think he should be dead, he is alive again. Black Beard and his crew want to capture a mermaid, for the tear is essential for granting the eternal youth. They send a crew out to see on a little life boat, and then shine man made light on them, because apparently mermaids are attracted to man made light. In about an hour, and the mermaids are at the boat.  They try to lure the men to their deaths, because they will take a man to the deepest part of the ocean and then eat his soul. The original plan fails, though one mermaid is trapped in the rubble. She is then captured and then lugged around in a case of water, because they want a fresh mermiad tear.

As paths are crossed, and alliances are made, the movie provides an interesting watch. I'll even admit to it being on par with the first movie, and the third movie. It provided entertainment, and for once, I didn't have to deal with the romance between Will and Elizabeth, because their arc is over, because this movie is more or less a spin off, and centers around Jack Sparrow. It provided many laughs and the plot schemes are amazing, and I think that it is worth the buy.

One of the few complaints I had about the movie was that the whole fountain of youth thing. It's just bizarre, and then when they finally find it, the Spanish, who have been searching for it the entire time like they were in real history, show up. They are shown a few times through out the movie, though they just kind of show up, and go away. Along with the Spanish, the method of the gaining the youth. I thought that it was supposed to be that you take a few sips, and done. I guess this is just an interesting spin on the myth, though it seems stupid.

The other thing I didn't like about the Movie was that they kept trying to kill Phillip Swift. He gets stabbed repeatedly, and should have been dead from the start. Also, the romance between him and the mermaid, who he eventually dubbed Syrena, was sort of ok, but it felt rushed. I say more mermaid time, and less time on Phillip Swift getting stabbed, and moaning in pain.

Overall, this movie is a must buy/download. (Yes, for a pirate movie I highly recommend pirating)  It is probably one of the best pirates movies, even though there is only if there is only four of them. There is a possibility of a sequel, thought the end sort of completes it, even though it leaves a few open ends in regards to Phillip. I say go for it, because if you're a pirates fan and crave more Jack Sparrow, you will not regret sitting down and watching it.