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Showing posts with label fourth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fourth. Show all posts

Saturday, March 21, 2009

4th and Goal: Omen- The Awakening

Almost done. I can make it! I can make it!
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This movie is just really bad, but you must be warned. It has come from the belly of the beast and will eat alive lesser critics. It is the horror and tragedy that is...
Omen 4: The Awakening
First things first- this movie gets everything wrong. For one thing, they dropped the word 'The' from the title. Why? Good question. I guess they figured that one 'The' was just too many. I know these seems like a pointless argument in semantics. That's because it is.
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The movie itself is a lot like "Jaws 4"...I mean, "Jaws: The Revenge." It tries to copy parts of the original, it changes the gender of its lead and it just outright sucks. This movie also adds a good supporting actor in hopes of covering up for the lead. In this case, it is Jim Byrnes aka 'Joe' from "Highlander: The Series." He plays a hippie that uses his New Age mindset to help battle the Anti-Christ.
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The evil child in this film is a girl...although it isn't really. For most of the movie, you are meant to believe that she is Damien's illegitimate child. As it turns out, a doctor implanted Damien's seed into the child in the womb, allowing a second kid to be inborn in her. Say it with me: WHAAAA????
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The worst part about the movie is how pretty good actors are actually in it. The mother is the doctor from "V," Don S. Davis- of "Stargate" fame- plays a role and character actor Michael Lerner is in it too. On top of that, the ending is depressing. Despite the third film ending with Damien's death and the apparent return of Christ to bring about the Rapture, all is normal again here. Sure, that makes sense.
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Someone even made a TV pilot to keep this franchise afloat. It apparently takes the "Friday the 13th: Part 7" route and has the Anti-Christ as a floating spirit that possesses people. Yeah, nobody bought it. This saves me the trouble of reviewing that too.
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This ends the Fourquel series...for now. Stay tuned...

Friday, March 20, 2009

4th and Goal: Critters 4

We're just over halfway through. Must...survive...movies.
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Another series had been pushing its luck by trying to keep going. They had changed the setting three times and needed something fresh. When in doubt, go into space! This is the case with today's film...
This title should tell you all you need to know, huh? Well, it is actually better than it sounds. Anyone who really likes sci-fi and cannot handle sub-par acting may not agree. That is certainly reasonable. But still, screw you anyways.
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The film starts off with the dorky hero of the first three films- he has Robert Englund Syndrome, I guess- getting stuck in a pod with the last two of the Critters. He gets frozen in hibernation for over fifty years. Holy Futurama, Batman! This is where he stays until the pod is opened. I wonder where this is going.Oh, right. Meanwhile, the pod is found by the crew of a salvage spaceship. The crew consists of a lecherous Captain, the black lady navigator, a drug addict, a questionable science expert and a kid. Yeah, a kid. Well, he's about 15, but still...really? I should mention that nobody on the ship are related to him. So he's on the ship...why?
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They call in a company, who is very happy to get the pod back. The tiny crew goes to a space station, which is oddly unmanned. They wander around while waiting for the boss to come. The captain has the good idea to open the pod. Yeah, he dies. The deaths come intermittently throughout, though the small cast plays against the idea of a big body count.
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All of this builds up to a strange third act. The boss comes back, complete with a group of guards right out of 'Fallout 3.' The scientist decides to yell at the evil businessman. Yeah, he dies. Our nice heroes trick the guards into being killed by the beasts. Hurray for moral ambiguity! All the monsters die and the villain dies too. The film ends with the kid, the un-frozen schmuck and the lady flying off to safety...until the idiot hits the controls. So they're dead now? I don't get it.
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This definitely could have been worse. Then again, so can Stage 2 Diabetes. I cannot wholeheartedly recommend the movie in all good conscience. Fortunately, I don't have one. Rent away, suckas!
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One more to go & it involves a demon. Who could it be? Oh, I don't know. Could it be...SATAN. Stay tuned...

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

4th and Goal: Highlander 4: Endgame

Another fourthquel already? If you insist.
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While the characters in this series can live forever, the longevity of the films is questionable. Without further ado, I bring you:
Highlander 4: Endgame
First off, let me address the obvious. While this is the fourth movie, it is often just called as 'Highlander: Endgame.' There are a couple of reasons for this. For one thing, people are wary to refers to movies as numeric sequels. Second, the series is so convoluted that the film connections are tenuous at best. In "Highlander," Connor McCleod becomes the last immortal and gains 'the prize.' In the sequel, it is the future and he has the prize, but gives it up. In the third film, it is the past and he loses the prize. I'm confused.
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This film is even more confusing because it ties into the television series. The series, you see, took the continuity of the film and warped it. Instead of one immortal, there are now thousands. Connor does not have the prize, but is friends with a clansman named Duncan. A little known fact is that the TV show pilot initially began as "Highlander 4," but was sold to television instead. So, the attempt to make "Highlander 4" eventually gave us..."Highlander 4." Amazing.
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Oh, you actually want to know about the movie itself? Basically, an immortal's father was killed 600ish years ago and he has held a grudge since then. Since he is a slow planner, he is only now taking his shot. He kills Connor's friends and finally tries to actually, you know, kill him. His hired guns- including famed kung-fu master Donnie Yen- battle Duncan, but he manages to escape.
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The film relies on re-shot flashbacks and new ones (consider that for a moment- new flashbacks) to pad the film and build up all the character interaction. The actual scenes in the present tend to rehash story aspects from the TV show for neophytes (i.e. me) or contain fight scenes. The latter are not bad, but they are rarely great. The whole thing builds up the villain Kell as nearly unstoppable so that our two heroes might fight until only one is standing. The final battle is pretty good, though there is an overabundance of sparks and a reliance on one move built up in a flashback.
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While the movie does not suck, it is just not that great either. It is too bogged down in back-story for newcomers and too reliant on rehashing for all but the most forgiving on series fans. When the actual story begins, it is a very complex setup to a simple revenge scheme that builds up to one fight. Say it with me: whatever.
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More movies to come. Demon children, space a-holes and evil doctors. Stay tuned...

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

4th and Goal: Leprechaun 4- In Space

You know when a series gets bad? Any film series that goes four parts is clearly going to be in trouble. Every good idea they have has been drained out and pureed for all that it is worth. That is when they start to get...weird. Ironically, I have four examples of this. Let's start off with a timely one...
This movie is just all kinds of strange. In previous films, the eponymous villain has chased a girl that unknowingly stole a gold coin of his, chased down a girl to marry her as part of some ancient ceremony and gone to Las Vegas. Now, as the title implies, he is in space. Why? Good question. The simple answer is: because he wants to be.
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The plot involves the imp kidnapping a space princess in order to make her marry him. Why? Because he wants to be a King, of course. She is naturally horrified, but changes her tune when she is promised lots of gold. Say it with me: what a bitch! The plan goes awry when the cavalry comes to save her. Oh, the irony.
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They take her on her ship and her ability to regrow limbs draws the attention of their crazy, scientist boss. Meanwhile, the evil beast is killing the space marines one-by-one in pursuit of his lady. It all builds up to the third act where lots of crap happens at once. The scientist is turned into a giant spider-alien, the leprechaun grows huge and the ship is set to self-destruct. In the middle of all that, the male lead takes his shirt off and the busty blond loses her pants.
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"Leprechaun 4" is a bizarre, bizarre movie. The monster has the power of 'deus ex machina,' which makes me question how lazy the writer was. You want the marine boss to dress in drag and sing? The leprechaun can make it happen. Want two different shots of the Leprechaun exploding? He can regenerate. That sure is convenient, huh? The film is also full of tons of references, songs and half-assed jokes. It thinks that it is funny and clever, but we all know better. However, the ridiculous plot and bad writing can be funny in its own way.
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If you have standards, you will not particularly like the film. If you want to see an evil Leprechaun sing 'Danny Boy' while hunting down a space marine, this is your movie. You can do worse. I mean, have you seen "Leprechaun in the Hood?" My point exactly.
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More fourquels to come including fur balls....in space. Stay tuned...