Round Up Movie Reviews: Blade Runner 2049, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, and Geostorm

It's been a while since I've tackled movie reviews and done a post on this blog - and I've caught up with a couple that I thoroughly enjoyed in cinemas in the past month and recently that should be seen by moviegoers and fans of these franchises! We have two sequels and a nice disaster movie to talk about, so here comes the mini-reviews!

Big thanks again to 20th Century Fox PH, Columbia Pictures PH, and Warner Bros. PH respectively for letting me see these films during their runs!

Movie: Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Opened: September 20, 2017

Released By: 20th Century Fox PH

I really liked the first Kingsman film, and it was quite a surprise to see that that movie based on the Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons' graphic novel got a sequel with "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" - which brings back Matthew Vaughn as director and picks things up a year later where the British Secret Service agency faces a new enemy in the fictitious Golden Circle. Unfortunately the spy organization is all but destroyed thanks to the new threat's sneak attack, forcing the surviving Kingsman to seek assistance from their American counterparts - the Statesman. 

It's always a joy to see action films that go beyond anything ordinary and deliver some action-packed, over the top moments - and Kingsman: The Golden Circle delivers that in spades. You have an all-star cast too, with Taron Egerton reprising his role as Eggsy and Colin Firth making a comeback as his mentor Harry Hart. Then you have a powerful supporting cast in Mark Strong, Jeff Bridges, Channing Tatum, Halle Berry, Pedro Pascal, and Julianne Moore... And it's quite the visual treat. This film doesn't actually best the 2014 original, but it doesn't disappoint either. A great sequel on all accounts.

Rating - 4/5

Movie: Blade Runner 2049

Opened: October 6, 2017

Released By: Columbia Pictures Philippines

Dystopian future films give us moviegoers a possible and fascinating glimpse of what could come years later if humanity progressed to a point where the line between what is real and what is artificial is blurred and we question our existence in this world. That's pretty much what "Blade Runner 2049" conveys with its stellar presentation and neo-noir tale of a cop who works to "retire" rogue artificial people known as "replicants"- only to be embroiled in a mystery that could change the very world they live in. It's the long awaited sequel to Ridley Scott's 1982 ambitious sci-fi wonder "Blade Runner"- which starred Hollywood acting legend Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard and left a lot of questions in its wake.

Now comes this sequel, and it's a visual spectacle to behold. Set 30 years after the events of the first movie, Ryan Gosling is the new protagonist in the saddle as "K" - a Blade Runner with a mysterious past who gets caught up in a case that could possibly change the world as we know it - which is filled with humans and replicants alike in addition to several advances in technology that blur the line between what is real and what is not real. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, this movie is really for those who like to think as they watch, and it's better appreciated if you see the original Blade Runner before walking into this one. It's all star cast line-up with Jared Leto, Robin Wright, Ana de Armas, Dave Bautista, and the returning Harrison Ford as Deckard only serve to make this one more enjoyable as a sci-fi visual treat for those who like to see a glimpse of what the future could be.

Rating - 4/5

Movie: Geostorm

Opened: October 12, 2017

Released By: Warner Bros. Philippines

This is one film that is really made for those who want to experience 4DX at its finest. Directed by one of the men responsible for the "Independence Day" films, Geostorm is a movie where man-made satellites control the Earth's weather - only to become corrupt and cause catastrophic weather changes and attacks on the planet that Gerard Butler and his supporting cast have to find a way to stop. It's over-the-top special effects and grinding make for some of the best popcorn moments you can experience for a disaster film - where it's just visually stunning to see places like Moscow melt with an intense heatwave or the Middle East experiencing a great flood coming its way. Definitely a film that should be for those moviegoers looking for action and intensity.

Rating - 3/5

Movie Review: IT (2017)

One of the most terrifying works by acclaimed American author Stephen King finally sees itself come to fruition thanks to Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, Vertigo Entertainment, and "Mama" director Andy Muschietti, and that is the supernatural horror classic "It" - which many fans will know as the story of a group of "Losers" who live in the fictional town of Derry, Maine and are terrorized by a shapeshifting creature that preys on children and consumes them after exploiting their worst fears. This film adaptation follows a successful two-part 1990 horror drama series which saw famed English actor Tim Curry take on the role of Pennywise The Dancing Clown, and has remained a memorable scary role of his long storied career in theater and cinema.

Thanks to Warner Bros. Philippines, I was able to enter and experience the 2017 version of "It" - which chronicles the first chapter of the story and gives it a 1980's update to make it modernized and relatable... Eventually setting it up for the events of the inevitable sequel that sees the group of friends encountering the creature again. In the photo above, I am beside both "Old" and "New" versions of Pennywise - both equally horrifying and awesome to look at. Now in theaters, here is my review of "It", and of course beware of potential SPOILERS.

Movie Review: Dunkirk (2017)

In this day and age where superhero films and big action films seem to generate the most noise, leave it to director Christopher Nolan to do another blockbuster that takes us back to a period in history where hope and the bravery of good men led to one of the most documented events in the early days of World War II. Way after finishing "The Dark Knight Trilogy" and following his space adventure flick "Interstellar", the British-American director gives us "Dunkirk" - his latest film epic that details the story of "Operation Dynamo"  - the evacuation of Allied soldiers in the seaside city that the film is named after.

Thanks to Warner Bros., I got to see this spectacular piece of cinematic beauty through IMAX - a format Nolan has mastered and perfected since utilizing first nearly a decade ago with "The Dark Knight". If there was ever a time Nolan maximized his use of IMAX cameras, "Dunkirk" is a shining example of that because 75% of the film was shot using it and is the most compared to his previous films. Now on its second week, this is truly a historical drama that deserves to be viewed and seen - just for how much tension, action, suspense, and fear was put into creating something audiences will find immersive and breathtaking as they see three perspectives covered telling the entire story of this 1940 war film.