Movies Reviewed: Spring 2008

Hubby and I have been to the movies several times in the last couple of months. And since the blog has been sorely lacking in words lately, I thought I'd take the opportunity to give a run-down of the movies we've seen and what I thought of them.

Prom Night

As slasher flicks go, this one was pretty good. Incredibly predictable and formulaic, but these days what slasher flick isn't? My main complaint had nothing to do with the film itself, but the row of 12 year old girls in front of us being the annoying 12 year old girls that they were.

The Strangers

This movie was supposedly inspired by true events, although the story itself is in fact fictional. It's your typical "quiet, quiet, quiet, BOOM!" type of scary movie, which is fine the first 3 or 4 times but starts to get old around the 12th go around. It's hard to get past the blatant stupidity of the victims. I mean, if you know that there are weirdos hanging around outside and you are intelligent enough to change out of your formal and into jeans and a flannel shirt, why would you stay barefoot? Put some shoes on, for crying out loud! I did like the fact that the killers' faces were never revealed to the audience - I think that added a nice touch to the whole "inspired by true events" and the fact that it seems as though they got away with it. If you have the same active imagination that I have, that can keep you creeped out for a good 10-15 minutes after leaving the theater. And I have to admit that I was glad we were going home to a well-populated apartment complex rather than a secluded farm such as the one I grew up on. But that's more my over-active imagination than the movie.

Iron Man

Hubby has dubbed this film "the best superhero film since Spiderman (1)." And I wholeheartedly agree. Without a doubt, this is my favorite movie that we have seen this year. Casting was perfect - there is no other actor on the planet better suited to portray Tony Stark than Robert Downy Jr. While I'm no expert on the world of comics, Hubby says they did a very good job of staying true to the storyline of the comics while making it relevant to today's world at the same time.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

I'm a huge fan of the Narnia series of children's books. C.S. Lewis was a literary genius. So of course, I'm one of those annoying moviegoers who expect the movie to stick fairly closely to the book. I mean, I can deal with a few deviations. It doesn't have to be exact. But I had problems with this one. The first movie followed the book so well that I was just sure they would follow suit with Prince Caspian. No. Caspian was too old. Battles that never happened in the book were rather pivotal in the movie. And can someone please explain to me why it was necessary to write in a romance subplot for Susan and Caspian? Just because the actress playing Susan has "developed" since the first movie does not mean that she HAS to have a romantic interest in the second movie. All in all, it's still a good movie - although I'm sure much more likeable if you've never read the books.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

You can't not like an Indy film. Even if it sucks, like Temple of Doom. And if I were to rate the Indiana Jones films, including this newest installment, Temple of Doom still comes out dead last. Crystal Skull is by no means the best of the adventures, but you have to take into consideration the time period portrayed. The first three films took place in the 1930s, complete with the only possible villains of that time period - the Nazis. Crystal Skull was set in the 1950s, so it only makes sense that the villains this time around are those darned Commies. And considering the 1950s context, it's understandable to have aliens and alien civilizations highlighted. Not exactly my cup of tea, but it is what it is. Nuclear war and alien lifeforms were what movies in the 50s were all about, so why not a movie set in the 50s? Besides, Harrison Ford may be getting up there, but he's still Indiana Jones. And that will always be hott.