Movie in 3D

 The Darkest Hour 3D

The Darkest Hour is a science fiction filmed with real 3D cameras, its special effects are truly amazing and I really recommend this film is seen in 3D, as long as you like the script and the storyline, which lack substance. This USA film with a budget of $40 million, is centred in Moscow, Russia, rather unusual for American films, maybe the Kazakhstan born producer Timur Nuruakhitovich Bekmambetov (Wanted, Night Watch) might have something to do with it. This is an added bonus as you get to appreciate the beauty of the city which features prominently in the film.

The whole movie looks like a remake of Skyline and LA Invasion, a low quality “Independence Day”, if you enjoy that kind of films with little plot where the characters spend their time attempting to survive, you might like “The Darkest Hour” too. I can predict however that they will not be winning any movie of the year award, this is a highly predictable movie with very few thrills, which is the entire point of action, sci-fi, horror stories. You might want to watch it if you have nothing better to do and you long for even more alien invasion films, just do not expect too many twists, the only thing that The Darkest Hour has over other similar movies, are the 3D effects which are very well done, it could have been a great film if it didn’t look like a remake of an over baked topic with poor acting skills. I quite liked the short free digital comic in The Darkest Hour film homepage, you might want to read it, it serves as an introduction to the film.

The Darkest Hour sci-fi 3D film

Synopsis: Five young travellers are stranded in Moscow, their lives will change for ever after a worldwide devastating alien attack destroys most of the city leaving everything in the dark with the youths emerging from hiding to start a fight for survival against an enemy they don’t know.

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Cars 2 3D review

A Pixar Animation Studios film distributed by Walt Disney, Cars 2 (2011) is the sequel to the successful Cars (2006) film involving much of the original cast, (out of respect for Paul Newman, who died in 2008, the Doc Hudson character does not appear in the film) this animated film is full of comedy action with lots of automotive puns, it appears geared towards young kids, Nascar fans might still like to watch it, and parents will not feel specially entertained, unlike the first part, Cars 2 fails to create complicity in between the characters and the audience, the story and script seem to have been put together in a week.

This CGI animated film seems to have been created just to pull money out of the success of Cars part 1 without placing too much effort into it, Cars 2 does not live up to the expectations it is definitely worse than the first part and one of the worst Pixar films, the 3D version of Cars 2 does not improve it excessively, besides some firewall explosions and awesome rendering of skylines and cities there isn’t much that justifies paying extra to watch this film in 3D, it sure enhances the experience but it does not produce enough WoW factors that make it a must see in 3D film, to top it up the film has a slight anti-oil and pro environment message which is not even appropriate for a car racing story and hypocritical from a company, Disney, who to be the best of my knowledge does not use recycled materials to produce Cars 2 merchandising.

It has been released too a Cars 2 soundtrack, with songs written and composed by Michael Giacchino, and a video game with the same name published by Disney Interactive Studios, the PlayStation 3 game of Cars 2 is compatible with 3D gameplay, the soundtrack is available in CD and digital download.

Synopsis: Star race Lightning McQueen and sidekick Mater leave small town Radiator Springs to compete in the World Grand Prix race leading them to travel around the world, they both get embroiled in an international espionage plot and find themselves torn in between winning the race and assisting in a top secret mission.

Director: John Lasseter & Brad Lewis
Scriptwriters: Ben Queen, John Lasseter, Brad Lewis, and Dan Fogelman
Voices: Owen Wilson (McQueen), Michael Caine (Finn McMissile), Lloyd Scherr (Fillmore)
Runtime: 113 minutes
MPAA Rating: G (General)

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Action film shot in real 3D

Drive Angry is an action packed movie shot in real 3D, it has a very similar plot to that of Ghost Rider (2007), where a Hell’s escapee goes onto create havoc on Earth, in both films Nicolas Cage plays the fugitive from Hell character, the paper suits him very well, caustic humour scenes, lots of action and a pretty female sidekick (Amber Heard), Drive Angry action starts at the first minutes and lasts until the end, non-stop.

There is nothing on this movie making it stand out from the crowd, just what you can expect from any Nicolas Cage action film, lots of shooting and cynical humour, I would call it entertaining for the average public and quite enjoyable for action movie fans but I would not go out of my way to watch it, I don’t see this film winning any kind of award.

The 3D version of Drive Angry produces a crystal-clear picture with very little eye strain, I didn’t think that the special effects were worth the extra money that a 3D film costs, only the more in-depth explosions and big firewalls can justify it.

Synopsis: Melon (Nicolas Cage) escapes from Hell to avenge his daughter’s murder and rescue her kidnapped granddaughter from a band of cult worshipping savages. A beautiful young woman, Piper, joins him along the way to pursue their path to redemption while being chased by a killer sent by the devil to retrieve Melon and send him back to Hell.

Director: Patrick Lussier
Writers: Todd Farmer, Patrick Lussier
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard and William Fichtner
Length: 104 minutes
Rating: R-rating (strong violence, sexual content, nudity)
Cars diven by Nicolas Cage in the film: 1964 Buick Riviera, 1969 Dodge Charger and a 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454

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Pirates of the Caribbean 3D film

Pirates of the Caribbean 4 is shot in 3D, it is not a converted movie, the film is being released in Disney Digital 3-D, IMAX 3D and the traditional 2D. This is the first Pirates of the Caribbean film where fictional characters are based on real life historical figures, the pirate Blackbeard, George II of Great Britain, Henry Pelham and Ferdinand VI of Spain they have all existed for real.

An action packed adventure 3D film under the direction of Rob Marshall, the return of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, Disney announced that Depp has been paid $55.5 million to return, Penélope Cruz as “Captain Jack’s equal”, Geoffrey Rush as Captain Hector Barbossa, Astrid Berges-Frisbey as a mermaid, Stephen Graham as “Scram” and Sam Claflin as “Philip, a youthful missionary”.

Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides was shot simultaneously in Hawaii, the United Kingdom, Puerto Rico, on the island of Palomino, and Los Angeles, California, the soundtrack was composed by Eric Whitacre with Hans Zimmer (second and third film soundtrack composer) and Whitacre’s wife, Hila Plitmann.

Fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean saga will love this film, there isn’t anything new that would push people to watch it otherwise, I found this film as good as the last three ones, with nothing exceptionally better or worse, more adventures, more fantasy, more humorous, beautifully shot scenes and spectacular fun for the whole family.

Synopsis: Captain Jack Sparrow  unexpectedly meets an old female friend, she unconventionally convinces him to get aboard of the legendary Blackbeard pirate ship to start a quest in search of the mythical Fountain of Youth, they will later discover that captain Hector Barbossa is after said fountain too on behalf of the King of England.

Technichal details:
Director: Rob Marshall
Writers: Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio
Starring: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz and Ian McShane
Music: Eric Whitacre, Hila Plitmann, Hans Zimmer
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 137 minutes

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