While it occasionally provides good laughs, this fourth "Shrek," like its main ogre, is confused and way beyond its prime. For its long-time followers, "Shrek Forever After" is passable entertainment. It is for those who grew up with the franchise and not the type that could easily add new toddler fans. In any case, the "Shrek" brand still works for the DVD and Blu-ray market with a potentially good spot for top home video sales charts. "Shrek Forever After" begins so mediocre.
Fantasy
‘Star Trek’ (2009) Film Review: Warpspeed wow!
Something old reboots as a glorious new. Reinventing a classic sci-fi series is prone to becoming victimized by the blackhole of franchise re-openings, but what this new "Star Trek" presents is a flaring shine of a supernova from start to end. The plot may be preposterous, but the way the film is constructed provides a genuinely rollicking adventure - a fine escapist entertainment that has just validated the tagline, "Live long and prosper." From the first stunning visuals of a pre-Enterprise time
‘Twilight’ Film Review: That willing teen bite
The swoony supernatural romance and the neo-horror motif of "Twilight" can both amuse and bemuse — depending on the type of viewer. From the initial fans of the book to the newly-recruited fans of the Edward-Bella love team, the teen bite of the tale clearly gets deep into their veins. The formula for this movie's charm is very much apparent. It offers that dose of ordinary girl-meets-extraordinary boy who turns out as the prince charming to the damsel in distress. It has
‘Beowulf’ (2007) Film Review: Motion-capture statement
"Beowulf" ambitiously blends CGI, motion-capture, and 3D technologies to bring a new level of hyperreality for the viewers to enjoy. Everybody knows, or at least, has already heard about the epic poem "Beowulf" in school, or perhaps, with the prior 2005 live-action offering "Beowulf and Grendel" starring Gerard Butler as Beowulf. This time, the Robert Zemeckis-helmed "Beowulf" utilizes the latest motion-control technology available to tell a tale approximately 1,400 years old in an astonishingly new way -- a sensory animation experience
‘Shrek the Third’ Film Review: The slapstick third
While it offers nothing new on the table, this third movie of the "Shrek" franchise compensates with its laid-back familiarity and comedy. The Shrek Franchise The best thing about the "Shrek" movies is that you are offered a patented comic blend of fairy tale tradition and pop-culture references. These recreate a comic flavor and moral implications for its wide commercial range of movie viewers. The franchise's main charm is its organic ability to mix fairy tale sweetness and pop-culture tradition with a
‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ Film Review: Dark, adolescent Potter film
This film adaptation of J.K. Rowling's fourth "Harry Potter" book is fantastically darker and more mature than its predecessors. Darker, a little more mature, and a little less magical, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” primarily deals with rejection and hormones as Harry and his friends struggle through transition from childhood to young adulthood. This motion picture focuses on the Hogwarts students in the seemingly awkward stage of their youth. The film’s look is less ostentatious than the previous installments. This time,
‘Corpse Bride’ Film Review: A charming grave fairy tale
This Tim Burton offering presents a morbid and romantic trip between the cold dwelling of the living and the colorful underground world of the dead. Behind its eerie theme, Tim Burton's "Corpse Bride" presents a morbid and romantic trip between the cold dwelling place of the living and the colorful underground realm of the dead. Fun, genial, expressive, and charming, this semi-musical stop-motion piece is set at death's door, saluting the liberating power of true love and sacrifice. The story revolves around
‘Brothers Grimm’ Film Review: A grim for Brothers Grimm
The only thing that makes "Brothers Grimm" a bit interesting is its fairytale theme. "Brothers Grimm" is shallow, bland, and disappointing. It is a fractured fairy tale that is unable to live up to its classic sources. There have been a few sparks of promise, but the muddled plot messes up its supposed intensity. Weaving throughout the film are a number of Grimm tales including: "The Little Red Riding Hood," "Hansel and Gretel," "The Frog Prince," "Rapunzel," "Sleeping Beauty," "Cinderella," "The Gingerbread
‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ Film Review: A chocolific, expressionistic confectionery
Director Tim Burton breathes new life to Roald Dahl's 1964 sweet tale and turns it into a new celluloid confectionery. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is a gothic yet colorful fantasy filled with the eccentricity only Burton gets to achieve in the Hollywood mainstream. Burton is undeniably a patron of German Expressionism with the film's pale make-up, weird props, sets and costumes, exaggerated moves, and out-of-this world characterizations. He creates a dream world inspired by some dark and cartoony elements. The
‘Blade Trinity’ Film Review: The wrestle to the end
Wesley Snipes in his third movie as the iconic vampire Hunter Blade isn't as "fanged" as the original. "Blade Trinity" turns out to be a generic end to the "Blade" trilogy. This third installment directed by David Goyer wrestles to its end as a flashy, suspense-free visual reel substituting quick-paced humor for some chills. Wesley Snipes returns as the iconic vampire hunter who literally makes vamps explode all over. The story kicks off with vampire leaders digging up Dracula, the original vampire who