Fresh Take - Blue Beetle (Spoiler Free Thoughts)

 Available in Theatres

Synopsis (from IMDB): An alien scarab chooses college graduate Jaime Reyes to be its symbiotic host, bestowing the teenager with a suit of armor that's capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the superhero known as Blue Beetle.

Thoughts

Look I'm going to say this movie is probably what The Flash should have been as far as a fun movie. I liked the atmosphere that they went with in the film and the theme of strong familial bonds. It clicked and made the story interesting and relevant without trying to beat you over the head with it. The movie has a great cast with the standouts being George Lopez's Rudy and Adriana Barraza's Nana. I liked the cinematography and the overall look as well. This movie is heavy on CG but it had to be and the visual effects were consistent which I can't say enough is a great thing to have in movies, consistency. The action is good too. If you watched the Young Justice series then you have a pretty good idea of who Jaime is and how the Scarab interacts with him. This movie feels like a mix of the New 52 comic and the Young Justice animated series, which works for me. 

Now what I didn't like is the villains of the film. Personally, I would have went with Black Beetle just because I think that would be a more interesting dynamic and maybe that is being saved for the sequel. Susan Sarandon's Victoria Kord just felt like a waste, not because of the actress but because we've seen that kind of villain before and nobody can ever seem to make them interesting. She does come off as cold hearted and in a way I guess that was what they were going for but her motivation is just so tropish and has been done to death in my opinion. Also, I felt like there were a couple scenes that got dropped that probably shouldn't have. For example, there is a scene where Jaime knows the Scarabs name and I felt like there were supposed to be a scene before that and we just didn't get it. There were a few times in the movie where I felt that something was missing. 

For Parents

This movie has a runtime of 2 hours and 7 minutes. Its rated PG-13 and outside of the initial transformation scene, which is in the trailer, I don't think that there is anything out of the norm for a superhero action movie. The movie is well paced and there aren't any points that dragged on. There is also one mid-credit scene I didn't see another one after the credits. 

Final Thoughts

This movie gets a MATINEE from me. Its a fun time and perfect for weekend afternoon. I think people will be able to enjoy this one even if you don't know that much about the character. Have you seen Blue Beetle? What did you think? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. 

Trailer

Fresh Take - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem (Spoiler Free Thoughts)

 Available in Theatres

Synopsis (from IMDB): The film follows the Turtle brothers as they work to earn the love of New York City while facing down an army of mutants.

I have been a fan of the TMNT franchise for a while and while I didn't start with the comics -I came in with the Saturday morning cartoon- I have been a fan of the material. Granted the movies have been hit or miss (looking at you 2014 & 2016), they, for the most part, have been fun films. This time around the film is animated and follows the brothers wanting to be accepted into the human world. Overall, I thought the film was fun. The animation is different and stylized, which I think works for what they were going with here in regards to the story being centered on the mutants. The soundtrack was amazing and I liked that they stuck with the New York City flow as I think it fits well. From a story perspective, it was pretty decent. It's not an overly complicated story and I think a lot of people will be able to relate to its themes. The voice acting is a highlight of the movie for me. I think they did a great job with the cast and they all did a great job with their roles. 

My only issue with this movie is that this is the Teenage Mutant Self-Defense Turtles. They're not ninjas and I think that is a big problem. It was one of my problems with those 2 Michael Bay-produced movies and a large reason why I think they didn't do well. There is no Hamato Yoshi and no Foot clan here. I understand that they wanted to focus on the mutants for this movie but the fact that for some reason the last 3 movies have left out this part of the story is, in all honesty, stupid. If this movie gets greenlit for a sequel and they bring in the Shredder he should mop the floor with them. None of them even Splinter should stand a chance against a trained ninja. 

For Parents

The movie is rated PG and has a runtime of an hour and thirty-nine minutes. The movie is paced very well, so there are no points where it drags. The action is well done and the animation is very well done too. There isn't any real gore and the jokes are funny as well.

Overall

I would give this a solid MATINEE. It's a fun film with a lot of good animation and action. The voice cast is very good. The soundtrack is amazing and I really think that fans both young and old will enjoy this one. Have you seen TMNT Mutant Mayhem? What's your favorite TMNT movie? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. 

Trailer