Movie Review: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

It's been three years since fans returned to the island of Isla Nublar and saw a theme park with dinosaurs realized anew with "Jurassic World" - but like its predecessor "Jurassic Park" two decades ago, something amiss happens that causes any concept of controlling dinosaurs to be overruled and the human made attraction piece destroyed in the process. It took guts to retell Steven Spielberg's in a brand new film series that reignited interest in the franchise, but the 2015 was very successful and sequels were definitely going to happen as a result of that success.

Fast forward to 2018, and Spanish director J.A. Bayona takes over from fellow director Colin Trevorrow in continuing the story with the new follow-up called "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" - set exactly three years after the events of "Jurassic World" and seeing fans revisit the dinosaur inhabited island one last time as it faces the threat of destruction through volcanic eruption. Familiar faces return in Chris Pratt,  Bryce Dallas Howard, and even a cameo by veteran Jurassic Park movie star Jeff Goldblum - who reprises his role as Dr. Ian Malcolm. Naturally, there's more to just saving the dinosaurs and getting them off an island - as those with hidden agendas act on their own interests once again that sets up a formula for chaos and destruction because of man's own hubris and selfishness.

Thanks to UIP Philippines and Columbia Pictures Philippines, I got to see the film in IMAX 3D and it was simply another breathtaking experience to see all the dinosaurs in action - from the Tyrannosaurus Rex to Blue the Velociraptor! Much like its predecessors, Jurassic World falls on the category of giving viewers and dinosaur fans a chance to see these creatures brought to back life in the big screen millions of years after they became extinct. Does it hold up to its promise of bigger and better? Check out the review below!

Movie Review: Solo: A Star Wars Story

Even famous smugglers and a certain "scruffy nerf herder" need an origin story to tell the tale of their early adventures, and a famous Star Wars character like Han Solo is certainly no exception to this rule. After The Walt Disney Company bought the rights to Lucasfilm and the Star Wars franchise, they set plans to not only make new movies continuing the story set in a galaxy far, far away - but also a series of "spin-offs" that would feature events set in between that main films that have come and gone through the years. The first of these was in 2016 with "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" - which came before the events of "Episode IV: A New Hope" and showed just how the Rebel Alliance got their hands on the plans to the Galactic Empire's most dangerous weapon - The Death Star.

Fast forward to 2018, and now the second spin-off film finally graces theaters. Telling the story of a younger Han just before his days as an outlaw and the self-proclaimed "best pilot in the glaxy", Solo: A Star Wars Story undewent many changes and development hiccups before it finally saw the light of day in cinemas. Originally under the helm of "The Lego Movie" directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the movie eventually came under the direction of veteran Hollywood director Ron Howard. The end result is a film, without putting too much expectation into it, very entertaining and serviceable - fitting into the Star Wars mold nicely and presenting an origin story that should please fans of Han Solo as well as his pals Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, and their "piece of junk" ship in the Millennium Falcon.

Thanks to Walt Disney Studios PH I got to see the film early on in the week before it opened, and again during its opening day. Here's my quick review and thoughts on a pretty good spin-off, which you should definitely catch in theaters!

Movie Review: Deadpool 2

Ever since he made the "R-Rated" schtick look cool and awesome with his 2016 superhero landing hit film "Deadpool", The X-Men Movies spinoff was destined to have a sequel with Ryan Reynolds back in the role as "The Merc with a Mouth" along with some new elements added to make it more bombastic and insane than ever. How about adding Josh Brolin as Cable, and Zazie Beetz as Domino? Not enough - HOW ABOUT X-FORCE?! That's going to put in more chimichangas up the ass than anyone ever asked for - and with the return of Weasel, Dopinder Colossus, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and of course Wade Wilson's sweetheart Vanessa, there's a lot riding in this follow up that should make fans very happy.

Thanks to 20th Century Fox PH, I got to see this AWESOME SEQUEL not once but TWICE - for the worldwide celebrated "Deadpool 2 Fan Event" last May 11th, and then on May 15th a day before the movie opened officially in theaters! Words cannot describe how much of an experience that was for me and my pals - and I got to do an impromptu cosplay of Cable as he appears in the film. He's a total badass, and Josh Brolin getting to play ANOTHER comic book character after wielding the Infinity Gauntlet AS THANOS in Avengers: Infinity War just blows my mind!

So now going on Week 2 (with the film earning a WHOPPING $300 plus million in the worldwide box office), here's my review on Deadpool 2!