elpravda

Admittedly, re-telling the story of Ben-Hur in modern cinema seems remarkably unnecessary since the original film was already so good in it's own merit. But to say that this is a bad movie would be a lie. There are plenty of powerful moments that portray betrayal and survival with its dialogue staying engaging and competent. Convincing acting from Jack Huston and Toby Kebbell helps establish a heartfelt brotherhood of joy and sadness that shines in key moments in all three acts. Even the supporting cast does a solid job establishing the tention of the conflict at hand. A serviceable soundtrack and action set pieces build to a good climax as well. I do agree with most that Timur Bekmambetov's frequent "free style" camera control is distracting with the consistent shaking and close-up shots rob what could have been sweeping epic shots to fuel the emotions of the film better. And the way some dialogue is delivered falls flat when the passage of time or awkward pacing steals their thunder. And of course, it's worth confirming that the CGI scenes are...pretty bad at times. In the end, why fix what isn't broken? It's tough to live up to an already fantastic film, and this 2016 adaptation of Ben-Hur will likely drown in history as another "Hollywood cash-grab". But if the story of Ben-Hur resonates within your soul, this adaptation is worth at least a single view.

As a disclaimer, I went into this film completely blind, with my only knowledge knowing that this was based on the short graphic novel. And it's...good. I love most of the Batman movies I've seen and video games I've played, and this film in comparison is just as engaging. Especially the last 10 minutes of the movie had me on the edge of my seat. Some cool action here and interesting character dynamics there, but let me just say this minor spoiler: the rape? The sex? It just doesn't seem right here. The payoff doesn't feel earned, and is in poor taste. I've heard others say the first half hour of the film is completely pointless and you can skip it, and...I would say it does add some depth to the stakes by the climax, but it doesn't tie into the main narrative almost at all. Oh, and FANTASTIC voice acting 💯 listening to Mark Hamil's Joker talk is music to my ears. It's worth a watch either way 🤷‍♂️

I must give a shout out to Moving Picture Company (and a moment of silence for them having to close their doors) for taking the time, money, and energy to fix Sonic's design, because it truely paid off in the end. Simply put, Sonic the Hedgehog is a good time! The banter between the characters feels organic, engaging, and honestly funny most of the time! My wife and I have always loved Jim Carrey's performance in the movies he stars in, and it was wonderful to see him return after a few silent years. Simple plot with cool shootouts to the fans, perhaps not as much as others could've hoped for. It's got good heart too, and nothing felt super cringy. It was nice to see a film that wasn't trying too hard to push any agendas or heavy morals, just a good-old fashion buddy trip film, and I really needed that. I recommend this film for the whole family, it's a good one 👍