Review: ‘Avengers: End Game’ a fitting final chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it4/23/2019  Marvel/Walt Disney, 2019. ”Avengers: End Game” is funny, exciting, a bit too long and a bit absurd...or in other words, it’s exactly what we’ve come to expect over the course of the 21 previous Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies. “End Game” is the 22nd MCU film and is billed as the “final” installment for this particular group of superheroes.
And while it's a crowd-pleaser through and through, what wasn’t expected was for this last chapter to pack such an emotional wallop. WARNING: What follows is a review of the film that DOES contain MILD SPOILERS, so proceed with caution.  Lionsgate, 2019. From the pits of Hell, I sort of wish "Hellboy" would have just stayed there.
 Walt Disney/LucasFilms, 2017. Read Tom's full review of this movie at the following link: https://www.axs.com/review-star-wars-the-last-jedi-the-resistance-is-not-futile-126396  Warner Bros. Pictures, 2017. Read Tom's full review of this movie at the following link: https://www.axs.com/movie-review-dc-s-wonder-woman-one-giant-leap-for-womankind-if-only-a--119263  Walt Disney Pictures, 2017. Read Tom's full review of this movie at the following link: https://www.axs.com/movie-review-yo-ho-oh-no-this-pirates-movie-stinks-118926  Warner Bros. Pictures, 2017. Read Tom's full review of this movie at the following link: https://www.axs.com/movie-review-king-arthur-given-a-dizzying-new-polish-by-director-guy-r-118447  Walt Disney Pictures, 2017. Read Tom's full review of this movie at the following link: https://www.axs.com/movie-review-beauty-and-the-beast-faithfully-recreates-the-classic-dis-116163  20th Century Fox, 2017. Read Tom's quick reviews of these movies at the following link: http://www.axs.com/movie-reviews-hidden-figures-and-a-monster-calls-headline-this-golden--112634 Read Tom's full review of this movie at the following link: http://www.axs.com/movie-review-harry-potter-fans-should-feel-insulted-by-the-disastrous--110195  Warner Bros. Pictures, 2016.  Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Roald Dahl's classic children's book "The BFG" comes to life in Steven Spielberg's latest film, The BFG (opening today). It's a fairly faithful adaptation ("BFG" stands for "Big Friendly Giant"), but on film, there is very little magic that translates to the big screen. If The BFG were a vegetable, it would be a giant snozzcumber. You won't recognize him, but the title character is portrayed by Mark Rylance, fresh off of his Oscar win for Best Supporting Actor in Bridge of Spies, which was also directed by Spielberg. Ruby Barnhill plays Sophie, a young but spirited young girl who lives at an orphanage in England. Breaking the house rules one night, Sophie spots BFG creeping around town, so he snatches her up, lest she tell others of his existence. "Whiffling" her away to the realm of giants, she realizes that he is of the gentle variety of giants. In fact, amongst his own kind, he's actually quite small and is referred to as "Runt" by the other vicious giants, such as Fleshlumpeater (Jemaine Clement) and Bloodbottler (Bill Hader). These thugs do not treat BFG kindly, not to mention that their favorite snack is human "beans." Beginning her relationship with BFG as his captive, Sophie soon warms to his kind soul and the two become friends. The BFG, with super-senses and a large horn at his disposal, has mastered the ability to capture dreams - good and bad - and he actually sneaks into town each night to fill the children's minds with happy dreams and joyful thoughts. Wanting to help her large companion, they concoct a plan to enlist the Queen of England (Penelope Wilton) to fight back against the bad giants and rid them from their lands, therefore allowing BFG to live in relative peace. While the visuals are stunning, The BFG is a stark reminder that it is incredibly difficult to invoke a sense of wonder at the movies these days, in an age of relentless CG and special effects. Spielberg is the master of wowing an audience, of creating characters and films that children marvel at and that make adults feel like kids again. But The BFG is no E.T. Today, it just doesn't seem all that impressive to see a giant interact with a human girl, even with the added element of 3D. Remember E.T., or Close Encounters of the Third Kind? Jurassic Park even? Instead of being impressed by The BFG, I spent a good portion of the film wondering if movies would ever have the same affect as they once did, back when we were all asked to use our imaginations from time to time. The limp story doesn't help either, nor does the unmemorable performance of child actor Ruby Barnhill. She does nothing wrong, but just isn't quite capable of carrying the film on her own. There are a few cute scenes, like when BFG and Sophie are guests of the Queen inside her Palace, and the waitstaff does what it can to accommodate their 24-foot-tall guest. But there is little to grasp on here to, even for young kids, who may find themselves drifting off into dreamworlds of their own, especially in the overly-talky first half of the film. Spielberg is in a class all of his own, but The BFG will fall closer to his failed The Adventures of Tin Tin than it will his parade of other classics that have defined movies for several generations. It's always a letdown when a director of his caliber fires off a dud. Or in this case, a giant one. Genre: Family, Adventure, Fantasy Run Time: 1 hours, 57 minutes, Rated PG Starring: Ruby Barnhill, Bill Hader, Rebecca Hall, Mark Rylance, Jemaine Clement, Penelope Wilton Based on the novel by Roald Dahl Written by Melissa Mathison (Kundun, The Indian in the Cupboard, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Black Stallion) Directed by Steven Spielberg (Bridge of Spies, Lincoln, War Horse, Munich, Minority Report, Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones I II III IV, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial) |
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tom santilli movie reviews
Tom Santilli is a professional film critic, TV personality and
the Executive Producer and host of Movie Show Plus.
He also appears weekly on FOX-2 in Detroit.
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