Frank Moses & Co. are back, with a little additional help of some new and old "teammates" in R.E.D. 2, the sequel to the original R.E.D. How does it live up to its predecessor? Not that well. While the crew is still the same, the feel isn't. Oh, its got explosions, humor and all that. But it doesn't beat or match the level of fun that R.E.D. was at. I guess its because that was the introduction to these characters and it all seemed new & cool at the time. And while R.E.D. 2 had its moments, it pretty much just kept the same formula from the first movie.
With the addition of Catherine Zeta-Jones as Katya (Frank Moses' former flame, kinda) it was interesting but not enough. Then there's Korean action actor Byung Hyun Lee (Storm Shadow in the G.I. Joe movies) who adds youth and martial arts coolness and humor ("Where's my plane?") but cannot save the movie.
Don't get me wrong, its a OK movie but I was expecting something cooler.
I did like the fact the Helen Mirren and Brian Cox are together in this one...they're better than Bruce Willis and Mary-Louise Parker, even with what little screentime they had together.
Final shot: The decision on if I like a movie is usually if I decide that I'm buying it on Blu-ray when it comes out. Barring any ridiculous sale prices ($11.99 or lower? I'm THERE!), R.E.D.2 is a no-buy. When it drops to the $9.99 level, then we'll see.
Having suffered through the first movie, X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, with its twisty, somewhat inconsistent plot and just plain WTF sequences, I wasn't too hyped about this one. But after reading mostly favorable reviews, it started to pique my interest. And with the much anticipated X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE, PAST to be released next year, I decided to get into mutant hero mode and take the chance. Was it worth it?
YES.
I do not claim to be an X-Men fanboy but I read it when I was a kid and loved it. And you guessed it, Wolvie was my fave character becuz he didn't take sh!t from anyone. And I knew some of the storyline that was adapted for WOLVERINE but not all of it, so it was a nice surprise. I loved the female leads in Mariko (Tao Okamoto) and Yukio (Rila Fukushima), both were strong willed and a could fight (Yukio more than Mariko) and Logan himself shows some depth (What? In a comic book movie? Nooo) and you can actually relate to his pain and may even root for him (I did). Guest appearances by Jean Grey help convey his regret and loss.
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Final Shot: I'd buy this on Blu...but I still want it to be a good price...
Oh and stay for the epilogue during the credits. It's become a staple for EVERY Marvel movie.
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