The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

I
think the first two Narnia offer pretty much the same. In this 2008
adaptation of the popular C.S. Lewis children’s novel the four Pevensie
children (portrayed by William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes and
Georgie Henley) are called back to Narnia and this time they must aid Prince
Caspian (portrayed by Ben Barnes) in his struggle to dethrone his corrupt
uncle, King Miraz (portrayed by Sergio Castellitto), who plans to extinguish
the Narnians.

The
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
gave the audience a vast world filled with lots of very imaginative characters,
just like this film. In the first movie there are also great visuals, wardrobe,
special effects, sets and a vast roster of highly imaginative characters just
like in this one. But I think the thing that separates these flicks is the fact
that this second entry offers more action scenes than its predecessor, but that
doesn’t make any better or any less bad. The one thing I had a problem with was
the fight between Peter (played by William Moseley) and King Miraz which could
have been shot in a much better way. Another thing that kind of ticked me off a
bit was the song used when the children were leaving Narnia; I mean my God was
it a cheesy moment. Personally I don’t like pop sounding music in epic films.
Other than all of this the feature is just like its predecessor, a good movie
but not a perfect one.

Rating:
4 stars out of 5.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

Okay so I hadn’t seen this movie
because it didn’t grab my attention, but now that I have seen it I must say it
was good but not perfect. In this 2005 adaptation of C.S. Lewis popular children’s
novel we get the story of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy for siblings who have
found a passage to the magical world of Narnia a land which is inhabited by all
sorts of fantastical creatures including talking animals, dwarves, mermaids and
even Santa Claus himself. But the thing is that Narnia is currently being ruled
by the evil White Witch, so now the four children must now fulfill a prophecy
which will get the magical land out of its current state and back to its normal
happy filled way.

I must say this film is very, very
imaginative with all its characters. I never would have imagined creating such
magical place for a feature. Okay, so this flick as far as stories go is very
good, its character are very detailed and simple all at the same time leaving
everybody to enjoy the picture in a better much easier way. Now, although the
story is simple and whatnot it can get a bit boring which is I think the thing
that kind of slows it up. The things that really make this film are its
wardrobe, visuals, setting and its vast roster of very imaginative characters,
not to mention that it is very colorful for this type of movie. Overall the
movie is good but I can’t say that it is perfect because it had me yawning for
quite a while.

Rating:
4 stars out of 5.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)

Just like its predecessor, Pirates
of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, this third chapter in the blockbuster
series fails to provide a clear plot as well as too many character plotlines to
follow. In the second sequel to the 2003 epic adventure fantasy William “Will”
Turner (Orlando Bloom) and his future wife Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley)
along with the crew of the “Black Pearl” and the help of Captain Hector
Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) rescue Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from Davey
Jones’s locker and must then band together with the rest of the pirates in the
world so they can prepare themselves to fight the East India Trading Company,
led by Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) and Davey Jones (Bill Nighy), who plan to
extinguish piracy.

This film just like the previous
entry in the series fails to provide a comprehensible and balanced plot line.
Instead what it does is add a whole bunch of characters and it tries to develop
their backgrounds giving the audience too much to handle. This movie, just like
the first two, is yet another masterpiece when it comes to the wardrobe, sets,
music, action scenes, visuals and special effects. But again the story is just
too much, which is really what sort of kills the film a bit. Other than failed
attempt to balance out the plot, this flick is without a doubt an entertaining
fun filled ride, so in other words the film is great if it wasn’t for the
difficult to understand plot threads.

Rating:
3.5 stars out of 5.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)

This second entry in the series is
good but not better than its predecessor. In this 2006 sequel to the comedic
action fantasy epic Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
everyone’s favorite pirate Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) wishes to find the hidden
chest of Davey Jones which inside contains the fiend’s heart with which one can
control the monstrous beast of the seven seas known only as the Kraken. Whereas
Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) seeks it to free he and Elizabeth (Keira Knightley)
from incarceration for helping Jack escaped in their previous venture with the
inept pirate. Along the way there’s multiple plot twists that lead to a much
unexpected ending which even had me going crazy.

Now this second film in a series of
epics is well done and like its predecessor it is a fun adventure ride that
everybody would most likely enjoy. But the thing in this movie is that the plot
is a bit difficult and I figure the director had a bit of a hard time trying to
put the pieces together in a balanced way, which is why the flick feels a bit
odd at times for its lack of good storytelling. Like its predecessor this
feature offers lots of great jokes, action scenes, special effects and visuals.
But the one thing I fell really in love with in this picture was with the
monsters. Now I am not a big fan of computer-generated imagery (CGI), but Davey
Jones’s crew looks awesome and highly original I might add. Never had I
imagined such very well visually detailed characters as the ones in the “Flying
Dutchman” (Davey Jones’s ship). Overall the movie is a fun ride, but I think
the way the plot is told should have been done in a more balanced way if it
weren’t for that this feature would be flawless.

Rating:
4 stars out of 5.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

I had never seen this movie up until
now because it had never caught my attention I was more into The Lord of the
Rings than into pirates. But seeing as everybody loved the film so much I
said to myself “What the heck, let’s give it a try” and trust me I was very
satisfied with this action blockbuster. In the first of the Pirates
series we are introduced to Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) an inept pirate who
rescues Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) who is then kidnapped by the cursed
Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) captain of the “Black Pearl”. Barbossa and his
crew have been cursed to sail the seas as the living dead unless they make a
human sacrifice. Jack and William “Will” Turner band together along with a
small crew of pirate to save Ms. Swann and hopefully get back Jack’s former
ship the “Black Pearl”.

I was completely wrong not to have
seen this flick back when it came out. The picture is a great comedic
action-adventure epic fantasy film for the entire family that will have you
completely excited throughout the entire two hours of its greatness. Never had
I seen such a comedic introduction of a character, I mean when we are presented
to Jack Sparrow we see him looking like a king but what he doesn’t know is that
his little boat is sinking, that’s hilarious! The special effects in this
feature are beyond good and the visuals are stunning. One thing that has to be
pointed out is the awesome mise en-scene in this flick, I mean the costumes and
all the sets are simply gorgeous. And the soundtrack is so fascinating, oh my
god it just motivates you to turn into a pirate yourself. Overall it is a great
film, probably one of the best movies of the first decade of the new millennium
and without a doubt one of the finest of its kind.

Rating:
5 stars out of 5.