Movie Review: The Avengers (2012)

Hello and happy March!

I’m back with my goal of reviewing as many Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies that I can in 2021! This particular film is one of the biggest and most famous. 

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. Because of this I will be vague in a few places to not give away things from earlier movies. This is absolutely spoiler-free! You will still get all of the surprises from watching the movie even after you’ve read this review.

If you've read my other Marvel reviews then you know the drill: you have to watch them in a certain way. This is one of those “do what I say, donʼt do what I do” because I watched them in the most random order, but I want you to get a good experience out of it.

There are two recommended ways for watching Marvel movies. They are:

In the order which they were made:

Iron Man (2008), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Thor: Dark World (2013), Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 (2014), Avengers: The Age of Ultron (2015), Ant-Man (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Dr. Strange (2016), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Spider-man: Homecoming (2017), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), Captain Marvel (2019), Avengers: Endgame (2019), & Spider-man: Far From Home (2019).

Or chronological order:

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Captain Marvel (2019), Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), The Incredible Hulk (2008), The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Thor: Dark World (2013), Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Avengers: The Age of Ultron (2015), Ant-Man (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Black Panther (2018), Spider-man: Homecoming (2017), Dr. Strange (2016), Thor: Ragnorok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), & Spider-man: Far From Home (2019).

If you've never seen a Marvel movie before but want to try it, then this is a great film for that! In fact, I'd say that most fans started with this one (not me, I do everything backwards). If you haven't seen Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) or Thor (2011) then you might be confused in a few spots, but it will be cleared up pretty soon.

The Avengers (2012):

Based on: The Avengers comics - by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
The Tesseract, a powerful tool that no one knows how to control, has been taken by force from S.H.E.I.L.D. headquarters. Nick Fury goes into action along with Agent Coulson who start to assemble a team to fight off these otherworldly threats. Good people are working against them, though, under the power of mind control. The chosen group has many skills and weapons to bring to the table, but disagree on many things and are just as likely to turn against each other. They each have a past that haunts them, so will they be able to forget that and focus on the future? Will this team break apart before they are fully formed? How can so few hope to beat one with mischief in his veins and in control of an army?

“Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on.”

Genres: Superhero, Action, Science-Fiction.
Length: approx. 143 minutes.
Script: 7. The script itself is genius (I’ll talk about that more in a minute) but there is a smattering of bad words. Not the worst that I’ve heard, I’m just a little annoyed with it because it is unnecessary.

‘“Is everything a joke to you?”

“Funny things are.”’

(aka, my reaction to everything)

Crew: Directed by: Joss Whedon. Written by: Joss Whedon & Zak Penn.
Starring: (I have been thinking lately about changing up my system for saying who is in a movie. Sometimes, especially with the Marvel movies, knowing the characters in each film are major spoilers! For right now I’m only going to list the ten most important characters, like I do for TV shows. What do you think of this? Any suggestions?)
1. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark.

‘“Stark, we need a plan of attack!”

“I have a plan: attack!”’

2. Chris Evans as Steve Rogers.

3. Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner.

4. Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff.

5. Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton.

6. Chris Hemsworth as Thor.

7. Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.
8. Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson.
9. Tom Hiddleston as Loki.
10. Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill.
Costumes: 7. There’s a scene where someone isn’t wearing anything, but the audience doesn’t see any of that. Each character's suits are fitting to their abilities!
Cinematography: 9. I didn’t notice it until it was pointed out to me, but there is one scene that is truly a masterpiece with constantly changing angles to reflect how everyone is feeling. It’s an action movie so there are a lot of fight scenes which are well choreographed. I absolutely love all of what is done with Hawkeye’s weapon, a bow and arrows!

Cinematography by: Seamus McGarvey.
Music: 10. I’ve been listening to the score while I write this and it is just epic all around!
Music by: Alan Silvestri.
Notes: Be on the look out for a cameo from Stan Lee, and don’t forget about the post credits scenes! There are also a lot of references to other things, to which we all do this:

Quotability: 10. Everything that comes out of these characters’ mouths are iconic! Tony Stark’s nicknames for everyone are hilarious. The context behind this had a great build-up!:

‘“I thought we were having a moment.”

“I was having 12% of a moment.”’

Content: 6. This has a lot of fighting which includes physical violence, explosions, and killing. Briefly, there are a few suggestive lines and a mention of attempted suicide. There is also the fact that there are “gods” in here. I don’t believe in those myths at all, but I accept it here as fantasy. Plus, as Captain America says:

“There's only one God, ma'am, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that.”

Originality: 9. Movies where a team has to come together are really awesome, and this is one of the best! All of the dynamics and problems are extremely original and creative. All of the elements and powers merge together so well!

Good For: My first response to this category is usually to say fans of the genre, but as a really insightful post of Sam’s (read it HERE, but be warned that there are spoilers for Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)) pointed out, you don’t have to be a fan of action to love this! It has a compelling story about bravery, sacrifice, and friendship. The characters are amazing and unique! Tony Stark can be hard to like for some, but that is who he is. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good story filled with depth!
Age Range: This is PG-13 for all of the violence and scary things, and I would agree with that. BUT, it all depends on each individual’s tolerance level! I know I would’ve been fine with seeing this when I was 10, but others might be more comfortable around it at 15. Don’t let that worry you too much, and focus on the core of the story and not what is happening on the surface.
Overall Score: 8.5!

Worth watching?: Sure thing! The amount of detail and subtlety in here went past me the first time I watched it. I can’t believe that I thought, “That was cool.” and just moved on! It is so much more than “cool”!
Will I watch again?: Is this even a question? Yes! The last time I watched it I did an exercise routine, so anytime certain characters say particular phrases then I had to do an assigned exercise. It was fun, but exhausting and I’m looking forward to being able to watch it without all of that.
Bonus thoughts:
I feel like I’ve been so ecstatic in this whole review, so there’s not much to add! This movie broke records and changed the way that we saw superhero films. It is a valuable part of the MCU!



Thank you for reading! Let’s chat and you can tell me what you love about this movie if you’ve seen it before. If you haven’t, then tell me if you would now be interested in doing so! Who else loves Hawkeye in this because he is the best ever? Who gets annoyed with Tony here and who (aka me) really thinks that he is awesome? Have a good day!

MovieCritic

Movie Trilogy Review: Iron Man

Hello, readers!

It is time for my first review of 2021, and you will be getting three of them. Weʼre starting off with a bang! That is almost literal, too, because all of these movies have explosions.

In 2020 my goal on this blog was to review more Foreign films, and while it didnʼt happen as much as I wanted, I did talk about 6! They were: January: La Belle et la Bête [Beauty and the Beast] (1946) [French film]. March: Waking Ned Devine (1998), The Secret of Kells (2009), and Shergar (1999) [all Irish films]. May: Okkoʼs Inn (2018) [Japanese film]. October: Spirited Away (2001) [Japanese film].

I had a request for more silent films, and while I only got one reviewed, 7th Heaven (1927), I hope to do more of that.

My 2021 goal for this blog is to review as many Marvel movies as I can! In the last few years I've been trying to watch all of them and a few days ago I finally completed that task! I reviewed one in 2020, Black Panther (2018), but youʼll see more this year.

Iʼm not done talking yet because when it comes to Marvel movies, you have to watch them in a certain way. This is one of those “do what I say, donʼt do what I do” because I watched them in the most random order, but I want you to get a good experience out of it.

There are two recommended ways for watching Marvel movies. They are:

In the order which they were made:

Iron Man (2008), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Thor: Dark World (2014), Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 (2014), Avengers: The Age of Ultron (2015), Ant-Man (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Dr. Strange (2016), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Spider-man: Homecoming (2017), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), Captain Marvel (2019), Avengers: Endgame (2019), & Spider-man: Far From Home (2019).

Or chronological order:

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Captain Marvel (2019), Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), The Incredible Hulk (2008), The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Thor: Dark World (2014), Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Avengers: The Age of Ultron (2015), Ant-Man (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Black Panther (2018), Spider-man: Homecoming (2017), Dr. Strange (2016), Thor: Ragnorok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), & Spider-man: Far From Home (2019).

 If you have never seen a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie, but want to, then this trilogy is the perfect place to start! You can watch the first and second movies with no prior experience of the films. You could watch the third one as well, but you might be confused because it talks about The Avengers (2012) a lot.

I think that Iʼve explained as much as any of you wanted. Before we get further in, Iʼm going to mention one last thing:

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is spoiler free! On all of these reviews there are no spoilers for that particular film, or for any other films in the MCU.

I, myself, am wary for reading reviews for movies in a series, because they usually give things away! This review is going to be different. When talking about the second and third movies Iʼm going to be vague to not spoil anything in them or the first movie, but I will be listing any content concerns you may have.

Iron Man (2008):

Based on: The comics by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck, & Jack Kirby.

Tony Stark is a billionaire whose family made its fortune by selling weapons. He doesnʼt care about people and wants to have a good time, though he is a technological genius himself. After a demonstration for Stark technology he is kidnapped and ordered to make that same weapon that he had been showing off. Tony was injured and saved by a doctor who is a prisoner, too. Together they plan to make a suit of armor instead to bust them out of there. If they get out of there, will Tony be able to stop the terrorist attacks? How soon will the shrapnel in his chest reach his heart? How will he make the most of his life?

ʻ“I shouldn't do anything. They could kill you, they're gonna kill me, either way, and even if they don't, I'll probably be dead in a week.”

“Then this is a very important week for you, isn't it?”ʼ

Genre: Superhero, Action, Science Fiction.

Length: approx. 126 minutes.

Script: 7, there are some swear words, name calling, and names taken in vain, but not the worst that Iʼve ever heard.

Crew: Directed by: Jon Favreau. Written by: Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum, & Matt Holloway.

Starring:

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. “So you're a man who has everything... and nothing.” 

Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts.

Terrence Howard as Rhodey.

Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane.

Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan.

Shaun Toub as Ho Yinsen.

Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson.

Faran Tahir as Raza.

Paul Bettany as the voice of JARVIS.

Leslie Bibb as Christine Everhart.

Gerard Sanders as Howard Stark.

Peter Billingsley as William Ginter Riva.

Cameos: There are cameos from several famous people, but the most notable is Stan Lee because it is the start of a Marvel tradition. We also see Samuel L. Jackson.

Costumes: 8, the Iron Man suit is an iconic look, so points there. There are a few times when people are not wearing a lot of clothing.

“Iron Man. That's kind of catchy. It's got a nice ring to it. I mean it's not technically accurate. The suit's a gold titanium alloy, but it's kind of provocative, the imagery anyway.”

Cinematography: 9, I like the way that we start with a scene then flashback to see what lead up to that point.

Cinematography by: Matthew Libatique.

Music: 8, itʼs a little intense for my personal taste, but it fits Tonyʼs vibe to a T.

Music by: Ramin Djawadi.

Quotability: 7, I donʼt quote it on a regular basis, but if I watched it more frequently Iʼm sure that I would.

“I'm sorry. This is the fun-vee. The hum-drum-vee is back there.”

Content: 7, there is some suggestive content here including a “bed room” scene, but is only there for a few seconds. I think this is the first movie that I watched that I didnʼt mind it and thought that it was necessary to the story because it highlights Tonyʼs character (You are never going to see me say these words again). It shows him as a “playboy” and shows you a starting point to be able to measure his journey in the end. There is fighting involving violence, and death by killing.

Notes: There is a post-credits scene, so be sure to watch that!

Originality: 9, as the beginning of an era of superhero movies, this one surely stands out! While the plot can be predictable in places, it matters so much to Tony and affects him that you are invested the whole time.

Good For: fans of superheroes, fans of the actors.

Age Range: This is rated PG-13 and I fully agree with that.

Overall Score: 8.5!

Worth watching?: Oh, yeah! It is one of the first Marvel movies that I saw and it explains so much about Tonyʼs backstory and life in general. It has good messages and a solid story.

Will I watch again?: Of all of the Marvel movies, this is one of the ones that I can see myself coming back the most frequently. It doesnʼt get old seeing Tony grow, evolve, and create. This is totally in my top ten Marvel movies! It is pretty awesome, and I recommend it.

&

Iron Man 2 (2010):

Based on: The comics by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck, & Jack Kirby.

Tony Stark is having to make a lot of decisions. The army and other companies want to buy his technology, but he knows that they will use it as a weapon instead of a peacekeeper. Nick Fury is examining Tony to see if he is fit for a plan that Nick has for a team of superheroes. Tonyʼs troubles arenʼt over, as a man starts designing similar tech in order to get revenge on Tonyʼs father. Tony feels himself growing weaker each day as his suit poisons him and he is scared. What will happen next?

“Contrary to popular belief, I know exactly what Iʼm doing.”

Genre: Superhero, Action, Science Fiction.

Length: approx. 125 minutes.

Script: 7, one word is beeped out, but beside that there is a handful of other swearing.

ʻ“Did you just make that?”

 “Yeah, where do you think Iʼve been for three hours?”ʼ

Crew: Directed by: Jon Favreau. Written by: Justin Theroux.

Starring:

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. “Not everyone runs on batteries, Tony.”

Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts.

Don Cheadle as Rhodey.

Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko.

Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer.

Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.

Scarlett Johansson as Natalie Rushman.

Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson.

Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan.

John Slattery as Howard Stark.

Garry Shandling as Senator Stern.

Paul Bettany as the voice of JARVIS.

Leslie Bibb as Christine Everhart.

Eugene Lazarev as Anton Vanko.

Cameos: Once again, there are more cameos than you can count, but my favorite is Stan Lee!

Costumes: 7, there is some clothing that is short or low. But the armor is still cool! 

Cinematography: 7, I donʼt remember anything special about it that stuck out to me. 

Cinematography by: Matthew Libatique.

Music: 6, it has managed to be both more and less intense at the same time, but without the uniqueness that the first one has. Pretty forgettable.

Music by: John Debney.

Notes: There is an post-credits scene, so stay tuned for that!

Quotability: 8, my line that I quote to describe my life is when Tony says, “I think I did okay!” then there is an explosion.

Content: 7, there is violence, blood, and explosions caused by fighting. There is death, including suicide and killing. In addition to that there are a few suggestive comments and people getting intoxicated.

Originality: 8, it didnʼt make me think while watching it, “Iʼve never seen this before!”, but thinking about it afterwards it was pretty original.

Good For: fans of superheroes, fans of the actors, anyone who likes seeing good sequels.

Age Range: Itʼs rated PG-13, but I think that depending on the person it could be watched by a 10 year old and be fine.

Overall Score: 7.

Worth watching?: Yes. I liked seeing the characters, especially some that are introduced to the MCU for the first time in this movie. I know that a lot of people donʼt like this one, but I thought it was good! I would say that it isnʼt as resounding as the first movie, but I enjoyed how it took some “causes” from the first film and looked at the “effect”. To tell the truth, I kind of forgot what it was about, but the whole time watching it I enjoyed it.

Will I watch again?: I should because my memory is rusty! Maybe I wonʼt watch it as many times as the first one, but I will definitely see it again.

“No, itʼs your fault, I just wanted to say sorry.”

&

Iron Man 3 (2013):

Based on: The comics by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck, & Jack Kirby, and Extremis - by Warren Ellis & Adi Granov.

A new threat looms on the horizon with the Mandarin, a terrorist who releases violent videos of him killing people and making threats. When Tony Stark gets annoyed with it, he challenges the Mandarin to “come get him”, which leads to the belief that Tony is dead. Stuck in Tennessee, he works with a kid, Harley, to try to stop The Mandarin before any more harm is done. However, Tony is suffering from PTSD and anxiety attacks. Will he be able to overcome, or will they get the best of him? What will happen when he meets The Mandarin face-to-face?

“A famous man once said that we create our own demons...” 

Genre: Superhero, Action, Science Fiction.

Length: approx. 130 minutes.

Script: 7. Same as the other two in the series.

Crew: Directed by: Shane Black. Written by: Drew Pearce & Shane Black. 

Starring:

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark.

Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts.

Don Cheadle as Rhodey.

Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian.

Ty Simpkins as Harley Keener.

Rebecca Hall as Maya Hansen.

Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin.

Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan.

Paul Bettany as the voice of JARVIS.

William Sadler as President Ellis.

Miguel Ferrer as Vice President Rodriguez.

Rockey Dickey Jr. as Rose Hill Deputy.

James Badge Dale as Savin.

Stephanie Szostak as Brandt.

Adam Pally as Gary the Cameraman.

Dale Dickey as Mrs. Davis.

Cameos: There are a multitude of them, but especially be on the look out for Stan Lee. 

Costumes: 6, in a couple scenes people arenʼt wearing a lot.

Cinematography: 7, nothing groundbreaking, but I liked elements that they worked in. Sure, some where kind of terrifying, but still.

Cinematography by: John Toll.

Music: 7, same as the others, yet verging on unremarkable.

Music by: Brian Tyler.

Notes: Donʼt skip the credits as there is a post-credits scene! Also, there is a reference to Downton Abbey which I thought was great.

Quotability: 6, I watched this for the first time fairly recently, so I could say N/A,

Content: 6, there is are some suggestive comments and actions (but only briefly), and violence involving lots of fighting and explosions. It includes some science fiction technology that is creepy because of what it does to humans.

Originality: 9, I was so invested the whole time! It kind of reminded me of something that you would see on Star Trek (who am I kidding, I never watch Star Trek), but I enjoyed it.

Good For: fans of superheroes, fans of the actors, anyone who likes seeing good sequels.

Age Range: This one is also rated PG-13, and I agree with that because there are some really scary parts. I know that it is CGI, but it still was startling, so you might not want to show this to someone younger than that.

Overall Score: 7.5!

Worth watching?: Yes! Tony and Harley working together was so cute! Tony is pretty rough, and him having a hard time is not a good excuse, but it is understandable.

Will I watch again?: You bet!

Overall Trilogy Review:

Isn't this post awesome?? (Source)

Script: 7. Costumes: 7. Cinematography: 8. Music: 7. Quotability: 7. Content: 7. Originality: 9.

Overall Score: 8!

Worth watching?: Certainly. I have so many reasons why listed above.

Will I watch again?: I will! It took me ages to be able to watch them all, so I don't know when my next opportunity will be, but one day.

Bonus thoughts:

This is a good example of a trilogy! It has the main character going through different situations and conflict each time while having a good beginning and ending. One of my favorite MCU trilogies!

For the blogathon:

There almost always is a method behind my madness! I'm reviewing this for ThunderbirdQueen and Miss Woodhouse's 23: An MCU Blogathon!

They are hosting it all month long, so go check out the other entries! This is the perfect opportunity for me to start reviewing all of the Marvel movies!

What do you guys think? Do you like the Iron Man trilogy? Is reviewing three movies all at once too much? Or do you like it? Thanks for reading!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)

Hello, everyone!

It has been a while since I reviewed a mystery, so it is time for another Sherlock Holmes! I saw this movie for the first time just over two years ago and have watched it at least 30 times since. This is a sequel, so check out my review of the first movie HERE.

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is spoiler free!


Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011):

Based on: Sherlock Holmes - by Arthur Conan Doyle.
"It is our last adventure, Watson, I plan to make the most of it."
Sherlock Holmes is trying to convince his best friend John Watson to solve one last case with him. After fighting an assassin who was trying to kill a gypsy, he and Watson follow that same gypsy to France. The learn that her brother might be wrapped up in a plot. What is it, though? Lurking in the shadows is Professor Moriarty who is in control of all of these happenings. Both Holmes and Moriarty are geniuses, but who will win this final game?
"Trust me, I do this for a living."

Genre: Mystery, Action, Adventure.
Length: approx. 129 minutes
Costumes: 7, there are a few times when a character isn't wearing a shirt or any clothing.
Costumes by: Jenny Beavan.
Script: 8, there is some name calling and one or two bad words.

'"Isn't this a bit conspicuous?"

"It's so overt, it's covert."'

Crew:
Directed by: Guy Ritchie.
Written by: Michele Mulroney & Kieran Mulroney.
Starring:
Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes.

Jude Law as Dr. John Watson.

Noomi Rapace as Madam Simza Heron.

Jared Harris as Professor James Moriarty.
Stephen Fry as Mycroft Holmes.

Paul Anderson as Colonel Sebastian Moran.

Kelly Reilly as Mary.
Geraldine James as Mrs. Hudson.
Eddie Marsan as Inspector Lestrade.
Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler.
William Houston as Constable Clark.
Wolf Kahler as Doctor Hoffmanstahl.
Jack Laskey as Carruthers.
Alexandre Carril as Twin.
Victor Carril as Twin.
Thorston Manderlay as Alfred Meinhard.
Afif Ben Badra as Tamas Morato.
Stanley Kaye as Stanley.
Thierry Neuvic as Claude Ravache.
Laurentiu Possa as Rene Heron.
Cinematography: 10, oh, this is so cool! All of the scenes are filmed in such an awesome way, I love it!

Cinematography by: Philippe Rousselot.
Music: 10! I love this score! It is in my top 10 favorites of all time.
Music by: Hans Zimmer.
Quotes: 9, my sister and I quote this movie often!

Watson: '"You seem--"

Holmes: "Excited?"

Watson: "Manic. Verging on--"

Holmes: "Ecstatic?"

Watson: "Psychotic."'

Content: 7, there is quite a bit of action meaning intense fighting scenes with death and killing, pain and torture. With that comes a few scenes with blood. There is also drinking, smoking, and a few suggestive things.
Originality: 10, the mystery is, how does Holmes say it?: "This is so deliciously complicated." I love including chess (because I love that game!) and all of the elements work so well together!

Good For: mystery lovers, Sherlock Holmes fans!
Age Range: Because there are so many intense scenes it is rated PG-13, but it depends on the person. My little sister refuses to watch this because she thought that the first movie Sherlock Holmes (2009) was really scary. I don't mind the action too much, though at times I do wince and look away.
Overall Score: 9!

Bonus thoughts:
Oh, I love this movie! I do think that the first one will always be my favorite, but this is a worthy sequel! The characters are so perfect as well as the actors who play them. The cinematography and music are A+! The twists will make you gasp and you are amazed at the brilliance! I saw the ending of this movie before I saw the beginning (Yeah, I don't know why), but even so, I was stumped by the mystery! It is also hilarious! My sister and I nearly die of laughter at a few parts. This is so awesome, just go watch it after you see the first one.


There you have it! Have any of you seen this? What are your thoughts? And, do you like this one or the first better?

Thanks for reading!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Hello all!

Today, I am going to review for you another one of my favorites! I just watched it a year and a half ago for the first time, but since then I have watched it at least thirty times.

Am I being mysterious? Good, because it's a mystery.

Are you curious to what it is? No, because you already read the title of the post.

Anyway...

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning.

Sherlock Holmes (2009):

(Loosely) Based on: the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
"There is nothing more elusive than an obvious fact."
Sherlock Holmes and his retiring partner John Watson have solved a mystery where Lord Blackwood was arrested and hanged for murder. They think that it is now in the past, but when Blackwood supposedly 'rises from the dead', they reopen the case. With criminal Irene Adler seeking Sherlock's help as well, will they find out how Blackwood survived and stop him before it is too late?
"Watson, what have you done?"

Genre: Mystery, Action.

Length: approx. 128 minutes.

Costumes: 6, there is a scene where someone is wearing no clothing, and a few low costumes, but good besides that!

Script: 9, I think that they use a name in vain once or twice.

'"I've been reviewing my notes, of our exploits over the last seven months. Would you like to know my conclusion? I am psychologically disturbed."

"How so?" 

"Why else would I be continually led into situations where you deliberately, withhold your plans from me?"'

Crew:

Directed by: Guy Ritchie.

Written by: Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, Simon Kinberg, & Lionel Wigram.

Starring:
Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes.

Jude Law as John Watson. "Relax, I'm a doctor."

I know that this is the typical picture but I love it so I'm putting it here anyway.

Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler.

Mark Strong as Lord Blackwood.
Kelly Reilly as Mary Morstan.

Eddie Marsan as Inspector Lestrade.
James Fox as Sir Thomas Rotheram.

Hans Matheson as Lord Coward. (Great name, right?)

Robert Maillet as Dredger.
William Hope as American Ambassador Standish.
William Houston as Constable Clark.
Geraldine James as Mrs. Hudson.

Cinematography: 10! The aesthetic of this movie is grungy, dirty, dark and light at the same time, with random blotches of color, but I totally dig it. 100%. It is awesome.

Cinematography by: Philippe Rousselot.

Music: 10! Oh, this music fits this movie perfectly! I can't imagine any other to replace it.

Music by: Hans Zimmer.

Quotes: 10! So, the reason that I don't have that many scattered through out this post is because they are so weird out of context. It is so quotable for anyone who has watched it, pretty much everyday my sister and I use a line from it, and whenever we watch it we are just saying the lines along with the actors. But, if you haven't seen it, it seems like we are all crazy.

'"More coal, doctor!"

"I see that you two are working hard."'

Notes: I'm not the ultimate Sherlock Holmes fan, but I did read the stories a few years ago, so I do notice a few things pointing directly to them:
The initials V. R..
In this movie Watson says to Mary, "Count those steps.", which is referring to one time in the stories (A Study in Scarlet?) Sherlock criticizes Watson for not noticing things, like how many steps there are.

Storyline: 6, there is a very suggestive thing where we see someone with no clothes on, drinking, smoking, use of drugs, murder, hanging, fighting, intense action, and general gruesome images. See more below!

Good For: Mystery lovers, Sherlock Holmes fans.

Age Range: My older sister, dad, and I love it. We watch it all the time. We convinced my little sister to watch it, and she hates it. She claims that it is super scary (see more below), and runs from the room anytime we watch it (when she saw me reviewing it right now she said "That's the scariest movie there ever was."). It is rated PG-13, so I'd go with that (my little sister is over 13, but still doesn't like it.) Just a heads up.
"How terrible is wisdom, when it brings no profit to the wise."

Overall Score: 8.5!

Bonus thoughts:
Now for all of that "see more below". This review is so hard to write without giving anything away! I'll try.

The reason that people fear Blackwood is because of his use of black magic. Don't run away! As a Catholic, I definitely do not like things that involve it, but remember, I love this movie. Watching it you will probably get freaked out a few times (I certainly did), but I cannot stress one thing enough: Watch it all the way to the end. I'm serious. This mystery is so awesome, you need to see everything to understand it. Some of Blackwood's ideas are Christian ideas twisted in a really bad way, so it shows that there are good ways to think about things, and bad ways.
Don't worry, just watch it and see what I'm talking about.


Thank you so much for reading! If you have seen this movie let me know so we can chat!

MovieCritic