Thomas Jefferson

High School | Home of the Spartans

A Summer in Theaters

Posted 09/15/2011 by Cody Anderson

From the surprise success of Super 8 to the flop of The Green Lantern this summer had it all.

Super 8

Super 8

It’s the end of the school year and a group of kids are looking forward to the summer ahead of them. While filming a little scene for a movie the kids are making, an accident occurs that will rock the small town in which the children live. With everything starting to disappear and the military snooping around, a band of kids must solve a problem in a way that adults would never think of.

This movie was the must-see movie of the year; the acting was some of the best I had seen in a long time. These aspiring actors, for many of whom this is their first big movie, created this sense of the events actually happening to them, giving the movie the feel of a documentary compared to a sci-fi film. The special effects were incredible, but did not overshadow the astounding performances. Overall just a fantastic movie.

Rating: ★★★★★

 

Captain America, The First Avenger

Captain America

A world at war needs a hero, and for the Americans it’s Captain America. He started off as a tiny, weak guy who was constantly rejected from the Army because of a bunch of health conditions. He was approached by a group of scientist, along with a group of other American men, to test out a new chemical concoction that would develop his qualities into those befitting to a “Super Solider.” When something goes wrong and he is the only one to receive the dose, he must use the newfound strength to save the world.

This movie was something that any comic book fan boy would fall in love with.  It contains explosions and fight scenes, while also containing some character growth. This movie has been following Hollywood’s latest trend of comic book series made into movies. The acting was a bit generic and there were some bad special effects, but all in all, it was a good movie.

Rating:★★★☆☆

 

Hangover Part II

The Hangover Part II

A bachelor party, cautiously held, leads to a wild night that none of them can remember. When our group of companions wakes up, they are faced with a challenge they have faced before: tracing their steps to figure out what happened the night before.

In this sequel to the original blockbuster comedy, The Hangover Part II starts to leave audiences hanging. The jokes are still there, along with some new ones, keeping audiences laughing, but it is missing something that the first Hangover gave to the viewer. However, it was still good, worth seeing at least once.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

 

30 Minutes or Less:

 

30 Minutes or Less

A flamethrower, a couple of bombs, a car chase and crash, a pen gun and pizza is what the audience can expect when people go to see 30 Minutes or Less. While the movie does not prove to be shown in 30 minutes, it still is worth the time. The characters in this movie spend their time bickering and creating laughs to go around.

The acting is good, even though there is not a wide range of emotions needed. Though made to be a comedy, the movie does become serious for certain parts. The movie is worth the trip to the theaters, and the time to watch it is nothing.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

 

 

 

 

X-Men First Class

X-Men First Class

With mutant powers appearing all over the place while nuclear war is threatening to hit the world, the X-men save the world…again. From hairy feet to sonic screams, X-Men First Class shows us all how it is done.

The acting in this movie gave the characters some depth, the special effects blew the audience away, and the fight scenes had people on the edge of their seats. While some of the dramatic and supposedly heart wrenching scenes did not hit their full potential, the movie still was worth the view.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

 

 

 

 

Green Lantern

Green Lantern

A flash of green energy, saving the falling helicopter from crashing into the surrounding crowd is what is expected of the Green Lantern. But beyond that there is little action present. Over-playing ideas in a plot that has more wholes than Swiss cheese. The characters are transparent and the idea is bland.

This movie spends too much time on character development. There is almost no action. The acting was terrible. The movie was a waste of time, film, and money. There is no reason to go see. The movie industry promoted this movie, and then it completely let people down. Do not go see this movie. Let us all hope that there is not a sequel.

Rating:★☆☆☆☆