They Saved The Last For Last..."Allegiant"

Allegiant (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Miles Teller, Naomi Watts, Jeff Daniels, Octavia Spencer,

Directed by Robert Schwentke

The Story:

Tris (Woodley), 4 (James) and their crew decide to leave the walled city of Chicago and see what truly lies on the other side. There they meet David (Daniels) who claims that Tris is the key to rebuilding the future. But can he be trusted?

At this point, can anyone in this franchise be trusted.

So, I've stuck with the franchise this long, you feel you might as well finish with it, am I right?

Well, judging by the box office, about half of the fans abandoned ship this go round.

Possible reasons?

Well for starters, Allegiant does not rhyme with Divergent or Insurgent. Clearly the pattern was broken, and people may have mistakenly thought this was a brand new Dystopian Future movie.

;)

More likely, people are simply tiring of the Young Adult books brought to cinematic life after all of the Hunger Games, this series, the Maze Runner and a few other films as well.

These aren't superhero movies. These are films about depressing futures.

Oh, so maybe they are just like DC superhero movies. ;)

Either way, perhaps the audience is growing tired of that genre.

Or perhaps they are simply getting tired of a storyline that seems just a bit padded at this point.

Because, quite frankly, it seems like the same thing that happened in the last movie happens in the next movie.

They escape the ruthless clutches of a power-mad leader, only to watch as all of the factions begin fighting amongst themsleves to see who becomes the new power-mad leader.

So the franchise is treading water.

And when you bring in less than 100 million dollars from your previous film, the 4th film in the franchise, 4th!!?? gets changed on the schedule from a next summer in theaters to a next year on tv as a springboard for a new TV show.

Good luck with that.

So on that note, I bid this series farewell.

Final Grade: C

Houston, We Have Another Problem... "The Martian"

The Martian (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Sean Bean, Michael Pena, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Donald Glover,

Directed by Ridley Scott

The Story:

During the latest manned mission to Mars, a violent storm forces an early evacuation by the crew. During the storm, Astronaut Mark Watney (Damon) is struck by debris and assumed dead when the captain (Chastain) is unable to locate him. They leave the planet and head home to Earth. However, Mark's death is slightly exaggerated and he recovers and finds himself alone on Mars. He must find a way to survive, make contact with NASA, and wait and hope for his eventual rescue with the next planned return to Mars in a few years!

The fun part about coming to review these movies so late in the game is that much of the furor has died down. "Greatest movie ever!" "It sucked!" All those varying opinions are out there, and I just brush them aside and figure out if I liked the movie or not. 

And I quite enjoyed it!

I will mention that this one is nearly 2 1/2 hours long, but it's one where it doesn't feel like it, so that's always a plus.

If you're going for distance, make that time spent on the movie an enjoyable one.

Ridley Scott directs a stellar (no pun intended) cast who all provide outstanding support to Damon.

Damon, however, does the bulk of the heavy lifting as he has to be the center of the movie, acting and reacting to dire situations as they arise during his stay on Mars.

That said, though this is essentially a drama, there is enough humor and levity both on Earth and Mars, that you keep smiling and laughing even as you're on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next and will they get to him in time.

Because quite frankly, if they don't rescue Watley, you're going to feel angry and upset when the film is over.

But, at least you know they tried.

It's quite the enjoyable ride, and if you haven't seen it yet, you're likely in for a great experience when you get around to watching it.

Or, you'll hate it.

:)

Final Grade:  B+

We Waited 20 Years For "Dumb And Dumber To" ?

Dumb and Dumber To (2014)

Rated PG-13

Starring Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Rob Riggle,

Directed by Bobby and Peter Farrelly

The Story:

Harry (Daniels) and Lloyd (Carrey) return after 20 years. It seems that Harry needs a transplant or he will die, but luckily he had a daughter about 20 years earlier that he is just now finding out about, so hopefully she will be a match.  The boys set off on a road trip filled with hijinks and cases of mistaken identity.

There's a joke in the film about how waiting 20 years for the punchline is the great payoff to a joke.

So was this sequel, often mentioned, never happened, really worth the weight?

Meh.

Hard to say.

I have to admit, I haven't seen the original since it first came out, so I have no idea how well it has aged.  I do remember laughing, hysterically in a few spots, throughout that film.

This one tries to recapture and repeat the magic, but a lot of the gags have been there, done that in the two decades since we first met this duo.

The Farrelly Brothers infuse the film with their signature touch of crude/touch of heart filmmaking, and that helps keep the movie moving along.

Carrey and Daniels easily revive their roles, and it's hard to not imagine "what if?" they had simply done this a decade earlier.  This could be the final act of a trilogy instead with a film every 10 years.

Rob Riggle is a welcome addition to the film as the heavy, and he is quickly turning into one of those character actors that shows up in many of this screwball comedies and makes the film that much better, at least when he's on screen.

While this film is worth a viewing, at least for the sake of nostalgia, if you didn't like the first one, I doubt there is anything here that would change your mind.

Final Grade: C+