Hromino

I am probably not going to be the first or the last to have expected this movie to be just another commercial fantasy movie like The Chronicles of Narnia or Peter Pan. The trailer even looked like it was going to be just that. However, this really was not any kind of a rip-off – Bridge to Terabithia is an original movie that does not copy anything else and does not try to be what it really is not. The cast is excellent, especially AnnaSophia Robb, who seems to be a very talented actress. Josh Hutcherson is also good at evoking emotions (especially at the end) and Robert Patrick makes a great daddy-terminator. A very decent movie for kids over twelve, however, I do not know if younger kids could handle the terribly sad emotional ending.

My former class teacher called this a movie that dulls the senses. I partly agree with her, there is really little originality to it, but the production is more than satisfying for a Saturday movie night. This is popcorn entertainment that does not pretend to be anything more than what it is.

I liked the second installment in the Shrek franchise a lot more than the first one (which is a very rare occurrence for me), however, this is still a nice animated movie, an enjoyable experience that is not easily forgotten... and without which my favorite sequel could not have been made. :)

As a little cheeky bugger, I quite liked it, however, after watching it now after all these years, I feel queasy.

"Is that really what my hair looks like from the back?" –– Even though I am watching the third installment in the Potter franchise for at least the twentieth time, I still cannot get over the Cuaron exaltation. Rather, I would say he was just lucky to have one of the best books in the franchise, which had the potential to appeal to the widest possible audience. I am not entirely satisfied with the result, though. For one thing, the credit goes to Mr. Dumbass Kloves, whose typical screenwriting trademarks – his classic "catchphrases", weird sense of humor (the cleaning lady scene - I still have not figured out what the hell that was supposed to be about!) and the insensitive reduction of the book, have of course taken their toll (The absolute bare minimum of information about Harry's parents' past is given, and nowhere is it explained that it was actually Lupin, Harry's father and co. who were the people who created the Marauder’s Map!). Plus, then the other thing I am not entirely happy with is the director himself. What disappointed me was the occasional absence of emotion. Some of the scenes that should have been really atmospheric in some way – Harry’s flight on Buckbeak, the meeting in the Shrieking Shack, or Lupin's transformation left me cold as ice, they felt devoid of emotion, and often even laughable. I do not know how much of this is the fault of the director, the cast, or possibly the special effects people, but I did not expect to be so bored in some places. However, now for the good points: there is a great soundtrack by John Williams, Radcliffe finally got a little better at acting (although the "I'll kill him!" scene still looks ridiculous), there are nice exteriors and, except for Buckbeak and the who looked very digital, very nice special effects. The Dementors are okay, the atmosphere is passable, too, and while it seems like I was really critical previously and did not like the movie, I was not - I actually did like it. I just do not get the general hype around this installment. I could understand it with the fifth installment, but definitely not with this one.

"Yer a wizard, Harry." –– This is a beautiful tale about a wizard's apprentice that even after several years has not lost its original charm and atmosphere. When I watched it recently, believe me, I had the same wonderful feeling as when I first saw it. While I admit that the main trio does not exactly give Oscar-winning performances, they wonderfully make up for it with their childlike innocence – because, like the audience, they are gradually learning about this world of magic and enchantment, its many wonders, but also its dangers... I do not think I need to elaborate further in my review, because I do not believe anyone has not heard of this movie.

If you have not seen it, you have not lived. This was my gateway to the world of fantasy movies.

This was an incredible comedown from the first installment. All the fairytale atmosphere that wonderfully highlighted the first movie is gone, and the things that previously immersed the audience into the story – the beautiful sets and an interesting plot – are replaced by tedious mundanity. Instead, we are treated to crude, naturalistic, and barbaric fighting without any sense of purpose, which the majority of the plot consists of this time around. If it was rated PG-15 – so be it, however, how is it supposed to work as a movie aimed at a young audience?! The wannabe smartass clever camera tricks (arrow, flying over the battlefields, etc.) look awkward and all the visual effects, fantastical creatures, and other miscreants, which are, in the vast majority of cases, the movie’s main attraction for the audience, are bland and, apart from the beautiful water giant, completely lost in the course of the battles. Were it not for the slight improvement in the performances of the three leads, Ben Barnes, and the excellent soundtrack by Harry Gregson-Williams, I would have only awarded it one star. This is definitely the biggest cinematic disappointment of the year.

“How dare you speak his name?! You filthy half-blood!” –– Well, look. Steve Kloves was told to piss off somewhere, and behold, this is my favorite movie of the entire Potter saga, thanks to which I was finally, after all these long years of waiting for the right Potter movie to get me, immersed one hundred percent into J.K. Rowling’s fantasy world, and was able to award it five stars in good conscience. The previously unknown Mr. David Yates has emphasized the dark atmosphere of the movie, which really literally engulfs you. In addition, as soon as the amazing Dolores Umbridge, played by the incredible Imelda Staunton, starts to cast her spells on the screen and is so nice to everyone around her that she makes you want to throw up and laugh out loud at the same time, you will be surely reminded of at least one former teacher in it (well, I recognized several). I still remember sitting in the last row of the movie theater and my friends and I would sit in suspense every time Filch nailed Umbridge’s decrees to the wall, waiting impatiently for Filch’s ladder to finally fall. I thought the cast were the most likable in this installment so far, even more so when their ranks were perfectly complemented by Evanna Lynch (I just love that “completely out of it” look of hers!), my beloved weirdo Helena Bonham-Carter (as always, absolutely superb) and also Mr. Hooper’s great soundtrack, which, especially in the finale, perfectly underscored the whole atmosphere of the movie. It is just a real shame that the next installments are to be written by that dumbass Kloves again. –– Edit:  So after watching all eight installments of this franchise, I dare to say that this one outshines the others by a very wide country mile, and in fact it is the only installment where I felt the same excitement while watching it as I did while reading Rowling’s books. It is just so totally obvious that a different person was hired to write the screenplay for this movie.

For children under 12 years old, this is a wonderful spectacle. I am not going to deny that I enjoyed it immensely when I was quite young, and I daresay it even trumped Lord of the Rings for me – however, times change, and so do opinions. Today I would say it is just another cult movie alongside Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, but this time aimed at younger children. Adults will be a bit hesitant, teenagers will probably be rather disappointed. Why? The first stumbling block is the four child actors, the only one I liked was Anna Popplewell as Susan. The other three are just as demented as the families in The Simpsons, or even Family Guy. Skandar Keynes as Edmund is grumpy, obnoxious, and unlikable from the get-go, William Moseley comes across as a serious and wannabe classic-positive-character-with-whom-it-is-easy-to-identify-with type, and Georgie Henley, who is a slowly rising star in the US, and even compared to AnnaSophia Robb and Dakota Fanning, is lovely, but only when she has to be. Otherwise, she is so big-headed, pouty, and smug it is horrible to watch. On the other hand, Tilda Swinton is excellent and gives off a wonderfully icy impression, the digital treatment of Aslan and the magical creatures is breathtaking. The plot is, however, mediocre. All in all: this is an excellent movie for kids under twelve, and an average movie for most adults, the dissatisfied ones may mostly be teenagers or some adults or older people. Andrew Adamson should go back to Shrek. P.S In addition to all of that, another thing: Gregson-Williams' soundtrack is absolutely amazing (especially “The Battle”).