FilmReviews: The Wolverine

The Hero. The Fugitive. The Warrior. The Survivor. The Legend...The Wolverine!

Alright,that's really not the tagline for the film but I just modified it to sound awesome. After belting his heart out by singing in the 2012 hit drama-musical Les Miserables,Oscar Nominee Hugh Jackman is back as our favorite clawed mutant in The Wolverine,the follow up to X-Men Origins: Wolverine.So,is Hugh's comeback as Wolverine good,better or best? Find out when we talk about it in a little while.For now,let me give you information about the film first.The Wolverine is directed by James Mangold (3:10 To Yuma/Walk The Line) and stars Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables/X-Men 2),Tao Okamoto,Rila Fukushima,Hiroyuki Sanada (The Last Samurai/Rush Hour 3),Svetlana Khodchenkova,Brian Tee (The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift),Hal Yamanouchi (The Way Back/Push),Will Yun Lee (Total Recall/Red Dawn) and Famke Janssen (X-Men: The Last Stand/Taken 2/GoldenEye).

The film's plot brings Wolverine to Japan as he is summoned by an old acquaintance,but upon arriving,he becomes embroiled in a conflict that forces him to confront his own demons.Well,okay a bit of  the plot sounds a bit familiar 'cause it was used in another recent Marvel movie which was Iron Man 3.And that's sort of the reason why it started to feel familiar and reminiscent,well I'm pertaining to the "facing his own demons" part of the plot which was executed properly and it fit the film quite well.It made the film serious and dark in tone.If one of X-Men Origins: Wolverine's weakest points was the storytelling,then that's the factor that The Wolverine gains the highest or at least the improved.Writers Mark Bomback and Scott Frank were able to strengthen the story really well by providing us a deeper story about Wolverine's past as well as his present and maybe his future.But one of the best parts of the plot that I loved was "Wolverine losing his immortality" story arc.It was sort of painful and interesting to see Wolverine struggle without his healing factor.But like any hero who loses his power in the beginning,his immortality is brought back in the film mid-way.Also,we get to see something that has never happened to Wolverine onscreen before.And that is losing his precious,sharp adamantium claws.It was shocking but in another way,interesting.So all in all,in terms of story,The Wolverine is able to present it excellently thanks to writers Mark Bomback and Scott Frank.

Like what I said earlier,Hugh Jackman is back once again in The Wolverine,but the question is: is his comeback good,better,or best? Easy question.For me,I would say better and best.Better than his performance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine,but best throughout his entire role as Wolverine in all X-films.Hugh Jackman was able to connect to Wolverine better this time by expressing the pain and struggle his character's been through and for that,I would give him two thumbs up.But for the aggresion as Wolverine,Jackman did it the best in this film than in any other X-film from the past.'Cause here,we get to see Wolverine like we've never seen him before,here he really kicks a lot of ass.Awesome.Star power aside,Tao Okamoto was good as Mariko,the granddaughter of Master Yashida.While I liked Rila Fukushima's performance more 'cause she was fierce and feisty as Yukio.Hiroyuki Sanada was dastardly evil as Shingen,but he still felt generic.Svetlana Khodchenkova was sorta weak as Viper.Her character didn't develop properly and she only served as a minor character.But still,she was able to excruciate Wolverine in pain.The Wolverine's main antagonist would be The Silver Samurai or Yashida.Yashida was played by Hal Yamanouchi and I can say that he portrayed the role well.His character has an obsession with Wolverine because of his immortality and in the film,Yashida's sorta dead body is immortalized in the form of The Silver Samurai.And his aggresion towards Wolverine was great.Their battle in the end was awesome and stunning.For Famke Janssen,her minor cameo served as big factor in Wolverine's story arc,for she was kind of responsible for haunting Wolverine in his dreams.Or nightmares rather.But speaking of her performance,her's was well.I loved the way how she haunted Wolverine in the film.For the performances,I would say that Jackman,Famke and Hal Yamanouchi anchored the film as well as Rila Fukushima.For the supporting cast,they were fine but their dialogue was well written,they just need to improve their acting.Not too bad though,just needs a bit of improvement.

The Wolverine's trailer provided us a handful of stunning action shots and in the film,we get to see them all (obviously).But sad to say,those stunning action-packed shots in the trailer were all there is.But the good thing is,in the film,all those action shots looked cool.If not,cooler.The bullet train fight scene was amazing above all (IMO),I loved how they played it in silence by not accompanying it with the music.Therefore,it worked perfectly.All the music were replaced by whooshing sounds.And Wolverine was awesome in that scene.If there would have to be another,I would say it would be the awesome ambush at Yashida's funeral.In that scene is where we really see Wolverine kick ass like never before.He just releases the beast within him.Totally cool.Honorable mention for the action scenes would be The Silver Samurai fight scene.It was good to see Wolverine face his real opponent in the film.And the part where he loses his adamantium claws was kinda shocking.In terms of special effects,The Wolverine vastly improved in this department.The special effects look cool during the bullet train scene and also,Wolverine's claws never looked more awesome than before.But his real bone claws make another appearance here,but it looks improved than in the last film.Good job to the SFX designers.One of the technical things I loved in The Wolverine was Marco Beltrami's amazing score,I would have to say he did a wonderful job on the score by making it sound authentically Japanese with a bit of guitar strummings and other oriental music instruments.Thus,I would like to give two thumbs up.The cinematography for the movie was fine,particularly during the high-speed bullet train fight scene.Even though it looks obviously CGI-ed,the camera work in that particular scene was cool.But to sum it all up,the cinematography was amazing.That's all.So,for the visuals,it was definitely cool 'cause they were able to make Wolverine's sharp claws look better than usual and the SFX were vastly improved after the first film's failure in terms of such.As for the music,it was fine but it could've been better.So,yeah the visuals will wow you.That's it.But wait...If you're looking for a Stan Lee cameo,you won't get it,but do stay tuned for the end credits 'cause it'll definitely be shocking and relieving.Seriously.

For the direction,I would like to salute James Mangold for giving us the Wolverine movie we've always wanted.He provided us a Wolverine movie with nice storytelling,amazing visuals,great character development (Particularly with the clawed mutant) and yes,Wolverine kicking a lot of ass.If there would ever be another Wolvie movie,I hope he would return to do it once again.

All in all,The Wolverine is a relieving sequel after the disappointment which was X-Men Origins: Wolverine.It has everything you would want for in a Wolverine movie: great action,nice character development,fine storytelling and Wolverine going berserk! This is a must-see specially if you're an X-Men fan or a Wolverine rager.Or if you just wanna have a good time.

SNIKT! The Wolverine gets 7.5 over 10 stars.

*Like what I said,don't dare to leave your seat while the credits are rolling.You'll miss one of the best things in the film.

Theatrically distributed by 20th Century Fox (Philippines) through Warner Bros. Pictures (Philippines),The Wolverine is now slashing its' way through theaters in 3D and 2D.

*See where it all began in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and follow his adventures with the X-Men in X-Men,X-2: United and X-Men: The Last Stand.Available to own on DVD & Blu-Ray distributed by Viva Video Inc.Look for X-Men: First Class as well to see Wolverine flip off.

**Catch Wolverine,the past X-Men and the future X-Men fight off a new evil force in X-Men: Days of Future Past.Coming to theaters in 3D May 2014.Stay Tuned.

For now,check out this awesome video clip of a scene from the film:




*Video courtesy of Movieclips.com,20th Century Fox & Marvel.

(C) 2013 20th Century Fox/Marvel/Dune Entertainment

MoviePix: Comic Con Posters for 300 Sequel

Currently,Comic-Con 2013 is heating up right now and recently,four new posters exclusive to Comic-Con has been released.Check them out:

Comic-Con Poster 1: Protosamurai/Masked Persian Warrior.Whatever this guy's name is.I know you've probably seen this days ago,but I have to include this since it's one of the posters exclusive to the convention."Fear Us!" is what he screams through his mask.
 

Comic-Con Poster 2: Rodrigo Santoro as Xerxes."Athens Will Burn!" is what he shouts out loud in this fiery poster.I love that freakin' tough tiger look of his.I can't wait to see more from his character in the sequel.


Comic-Con Poster 3: Lena Headey as Queen Gorgo.Avenge Him! So...this sequel would be a real "sequel" rather than a prequel.'Cause those words may possibly refer to Leonidas.The fallen leader of the Spartans in the first film.I don't know yet,she may be referring to a new character also.'Cause that may be possible.But heads or tails,it's probably definitely Leonidas.Whatever works.


Last but not definitely the least Comic-Con Poster 4: Jack O'Connell as Calisto.The new fearless character screams his battle cry "War Is In My Blood!".Now that's a great one.And a nice homage to Leonidas' fearlessness.Whoever this character may serve to be,well I don't know yet.But the moment I gazed at his wonderful poster,I got excited to see what this character's got in store.I expect it to be quite brutal.
In 300: Rise of an Empire,The Greek general Themistocles battles an invading army of Persians under the mortal-turned-god, Xerxes. 

300: Rise of an Empire is directed by Noam Murro with a screenplay from writers Zack Snyder & Kurt Johnstad.The film stars Lena Headey (Dredd 3D),Eva Green (Casino Royale),Rodrigo Santoro (Rio/Che),Andrei Claude,David Wenham,Sullivan Stapleton,Jack O' Connell & Hans Matheson.
Expect more posters/trailers for the film soon.300: Rise of an Empire invades theaters March 2014 in 3D & select IMAX 3D theaters to be theatrically distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures (Philippines).

*The first film,300 is available to own on DVD & Blu-Ray distributed for home video by Magnavision Home Video.

MoviePix: New Posters For Godzilla

In the last few days,Godzilla director Gareth Edwards has teased that there is "something big happening" and now,the Mondo of the film is revealed.Take a look at it:

That poster looks monstrous doesn't it? Anyway,this poster will be debuting this week in San Diego for the Comic Con 2013.From what I sense,this might be the Pacific Rim of the next summer in terms of "monstrosity" and greatness.

From what I know so far,the film wouldn't be related to the 1998 American re-make from Roland Emmerich as the film would be a reboot of the 1954 Godzilla franchise.

BTW,I wasn't able to finish this post up last night and just today,a new poster for the film has hit the 'net.Best thing is,it reveals more of the creature's gigantuar monstrosity.It would be better if it was a teaser trailer though.But we have to wait.Sigh.Take a peek at the new poster:


Freakin' whoa! That's one big scaly monster! Talk about huge! Btw,those helicopters in the background somehow reminds me of one of WWZ's posters added with a glimpse of Godzilla's tailside.I can't wait to see what will he look like.So far,two "revealing" posters have been released,so sooner or later we can expect a trailer or two.

Godzilla will be directed by Gareth Edwards (Monsters) and will star Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass/Savages),Bryan Cranston (Argo/TV's Breaking Bad),Elizabeth Olsen,Juliette Binoche (Cosmopolis) and Ken Watanabe (Inception/Batman Begins).

ROAAAAR! Godzilla will be stomping into theaters Summer 2014 or to be more specific, May 2014 to be distributed theatrically by Warner Bros. Pictures (Philippines).It is yet to be defined whether this will be in 3D or not.But I can already bet that WB will convert this in 3D.

FilmReviews: Pacific Rim (2D)

*Note: This movie review may contain spoilers,so for those who haven't seen the film,proceed reading at your own risk...

Go Big or Go Extinct.

Yes,that is Pacific Rim's tagline and it does indeed prove that it's big.Before I talk about the film,I just wanna say first and foremost that Pacific Rim is great as a summer movie.For those who haven't heard about the film (I doubt),Pacific Rim is about man fighting in machines called "Jaegers" against legendary monsters called Kaijus.That's about as brief as the film's synopsis can get.Anyway,Pacific Rim is directed by Guillermo Del Toro (Hellboy/Blade II) and stars Charlie Hunnam (Green Street Hooligans/TV's Sons of Anarchy),Idris Elba (Prometheus/Thor),Rinko Kikuchi,Charlie Day (Horrible Bosses),Burn Gorman (The Dark Knight Rises) and Ron Per(Drive/Blade II)

Just like what I said,Pacific Rim's brief synopsis would be about us,humans fighting in machines called Jaegers (German for "hunter") against giant monsters called "Kaijus" (Japanese for "strange beast").But just to give details about the whole Kaijus and Jaegers thing,the opening scene for the film tells about the first attack of the Kaijus,where they came from and of course,why the united governments initiated the whole "Jaeger" program.So I can pretty much say that the opening scene was ominously reminiscent of the Transformers Trilogy and Battleship for that matter.I don't know,but that's what I felt.Moving on from the opening scene,the movie also talks about Raleigh Becket (Played by Charlie Hunnam),brother of Yancy Becket who died from a Kaiju attack while defending the Alaskan coastline in a Gipsy Danger Jaeger while Raleigh saw his brother's death leaving Raleigh traumatized.After that incident,leaving the Gipsy Danger Jaeger deformed and destroyed,the Jaeger program is discontinued due the Jaegers' lack of effectiveness in defeating the Kaijus. Years later,the Jaeger program is reborn and Raleigh gets recruited once again by Stacker Pentecost.Well,does that sound familiar? Sure it does.Maybe.Actually,the whole "brother's death" theme instantly reminded me of Battleship.Only this one was much better.So far,I have found no plot holes whatsoever since almost all the questions raised about the Kaijus were answered.But still,the greatest mystery for the set-up sequel is...will there be more Kaijus? Well,yeah there would definitely be.But the question is in case there would be more Kaijus,where would they come from since their portal is (SPOILER ALERT) destroyed in the ending? Anyway,enough of that.In Pacific Rim,the two pilots of the Jaegers "drift".In the film,the merging of two brains is called "drifting",and one of the plot points of the film involves Dr.Newt (Charlie Day) drifting with a Kaiju brain.So needless to say,part of the plot is all about the neuro or the brain talk.In promotional material,Pacific Rim highly supports the rising up of humanity against the Kaijus,it may work in the trailers or TV spots,but in the film it seems that it isn't working well.In Transformers,it worked well but here,it just doesn't fit the hole that well.But it is still nice to see humanity kicking alien ass.Just for the sake of it,the ending seems to be have a little "been there,done that" feeling since well,the ending is somehow similar to Independence Day as the heroes destroy the invaders' mothership or in this film's case,the portal where they came from.But then again,it feels like Independence Day again. Pacific Rim's plot seems to be reminiscent to Transformers and other tentpole summer films of the previous summers.Talking about that,it maybe needs to have a little more improvement in the storytelling.But despite the plot's deja vu,it is mostly influenced by great creature features in the likes of Godzilla and King Kong even.In that way,it works well in homaging them.But for those who grew up watching Daimos,Gundam and Voltes V and other mecha themed animes, you will surely love the movie because of the way it will make you feel.It will give you a spark of nostalgia.All I can say about Pacific Rim's plot is that it is reminiscent and effective.

Pacific Rim doesn't have a lot of A-listers,but the cast was still a good choice.We have Charlie Hunnam,Idris Elba,Ron Perlman,Charlie Day,Burn Gorman and Rinko Kikuchi.Charlie Hunnam plays Raleigh Becket,the tough-headed brother of Yancy Becket.Charlie fits the role,he was tough,determined and awesome.Kinda like a stereotypical protagonist in these type of films.His performance in the film was good just in case you're asking.Then we have Idris Elba who plays Stacker Pentecost,Becket's commanding officer.Elba did a good job and this should be one of his finest performances yet.Ron Perlman serves as a small character with small screentime,but here he is still good despite lack of screen-time.Charlie Day portrays Dr.Newton Geiszler,a Kaiju-obssesed scientist who serves as both a comic-relief and an important character in the film.Charlie's performance was okay,I loved his humor and his scientific madness but I would love to see more of him in the sequel.Burn plays the more intelligent rival of Newt,Gottlieb.Burn and Charlie's charismatic chemistry was a relief in the film and it was good and fun to see these 2 mad scientists together onscreen.For Rinko,I would want to say that while she did well,she still needs to improve.Just sayin'.Pacific Rim has a B-rating cast but they still are good,though in the sequel,they need to cast more known stars.But good job to them though.

Pacific Rim is visually rich as the trailer implied so in the movie,it proves that it is.The film is packed with non-stop mecha vs. giant beast action and the fight scenes between the Jaegers and the Kaijus are very well impressive.The opening scene in that shows the first Kaiju attack in San Francisco will definitely look stunning in 3D.You will feel the fighter jets swooping in as well as the Kaiju's deadly force.Sad to say that I didn't watch it in 3D due to lack of budget.Damn.Back to topic,as what I said earlier the film will make your jaws drop because of all the impressive top-notch visuals and most of the action scenes are placed mid-way in the film.Needless to say,this film may used the 3D well.But maybe not as good as Transformers: Dark of the Moon's.About the cinematography,it was good.But most of the camera angles in some scenes felt like I was watching Transformers again,it gave me a sense of Deja Vu.Perfect example of this is in the scene where the Jaeger falls down in a bridge or something like that.That scene made me feel like I was watching the opening scene of Transformers: ROTF.Only a little better with more kick.All I wanna say is that,Pacific Rim will make your jaws drop and will make you smile.Ramin Djawadi's score fit the film perfectly,it sounded a bit like the score he did in Iron Man added with more humanity and courageousness.Getting back on the cinematography,I just noticed that the film is "dim" dim as in dark in lighting.I don't know but maybe it needs a little light.But since it is set in a near-future Earth where there are only few cities standing,it seems to be a nice fitting for the film's color tone.Now I wanna talk about the giants in the movie,as in the Jaegers and the Kaijus.The Jaegers look terrificly gigantic.Their design may be very well influenced by anime mechas.And their weapons are anime-ish too such as the Gipsy Danger's sword.Talk about awesome.Correction 2,500 tons of awesome as Dr.Newt says in the film.About the Kaijus,they were amazing in detail and size.I just love their glowing blue mouth and their humongous destructive size.Both of the beasts of opposing forces look really amazing,that's all.Overall in terms of visuals and technicality,Pacific Rim is succeeds thanks to the heavy-action packed fight scenes,the rousing score and both of the beasts' awesomeness.

Guillermo Del Toro made Pacific Rim as maybe one of his best films as he directed it meticulously by giving it a spark of nostalgia,a lot of mecha anime references/influence and a ton of jaw-dropping visuals.So,to Guillermo Del Toro I would want to salute you for bringing me one of the best summer movies I have seen.I hope the sequel would be better and more heavier in terms of action.

Pacific Rim is gigantic in terms of scope,scale and size and just really visually stunning.Even though the performances seem a little "meh" and part of the plot points are reminiscent of previous films sorta similar to this,Pacific Rim redeems itself with all the stunning eye-candy.It will truly bring the inner-five year old inside of you.Also,if you're gonna see it this any day this week or someday soon,I suggest you see this in 3D.Better yet,go for IMAX 3D if you please.I dunno,decide for yourself.But best would be to see this in 3D.And those words came from someone who didn't see it in 3D.Sigh.So okay,Pacific Rim would be considered as one of those American movies influenced by Japanese animes,since the film is successful we would want us some real Dragonball movie sometime soon...

Crash,bang,boom! Pacific Rim gets 7.9 stars over 10.




A Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures presentation,Pacific Rim is now showing in cinemas in 2D,3D and IMAX 3D theatrically distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures .(Philippines)

*Check out some previous Del Toro flicks such as Hellboy I & II.Available on DVD & Blu-Ray distributed by Magnavision Home Video.Or if you're craving for more robot action,check out the Transformers Trilogy also available on DVD & Blu-Ray also distributed by said distributor.

**For now,check out this awesome clip from the film:



*Video clip courtesy of Movieclips.com & Warner Bros.Pictures/Legendary Pictures

(C) 2013 Warner Bros.Pictures/Legendary Pictures.

DVD Haul: June 27 & July 6,2013 (Late)

Umm...Well yeah,as the title suggests this is another one of my late posts.And this is gonna be another edition of "DVD Haul" since I haven't done another one in a while.Anyway,in this edition,I'm gonna show you my 2 recently purchased DVDs.One is from the last week of June and the other one is fresher,which I purchased last week.Anyway,here they are:

First up is the one I got last June 26 or 27,I think.Here it is:

 And it is...Die Hard With A Vengeance! Yes,the Die Hard film that has bad-ass Sam Jackson in it.Since I already have the first two Die Hard films,I decided that I should also get the third one as well since it is said to be better than Part 2.Die Hard With A Vengeance is available on DVD for P175-199 depending on the branch alongside Die Hard and Die Hard 2 distributed by Viva Video Inc.

Now,for the main course,which is the one I bought last week.July 6,2013 to be exact.Finally here it is...



Whew.After a long time of waiting,I finally got The Godfather Trilogy Boxset.This was the ONLY copy (yet) that I sighted in SM MOA.Astroplus didn't have it but thank God,Odyssey had it...But there are some slight catches though.This seems to be an old stock 'cause the box has got some dents on both the front and spine sides.Who cares anyway,what matters is that I can now finally watch the epic Godfather Trilogy.Well,just to be honest,I watched Part 1 with my Mom the day after I bought it.Haha.Well,that doesn't count,for me to do a review,I must and should definitely re-watch it again.Don't get mad at me,I'm not bragging this,I'm just really happy that I finally reached my biggest goal in terms of "DVDs I wanna watch & buy".So,keep calm.The DVD's quality is great.All 3 films are presented in full screen but from what I know,this boxset isn't the Coppola Restoration edition.I don't know yet,but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.Anyway,back to the box.I'm really digging the black and red motif on both the DVD's front and back sides.And that bloody splatter is just fittingly gorgeous.Bonus points also for the golden foil logos on the entire box.So yeah,that's the extra features when you get the boxset.But I forgot,the three films aren't being sold separately so you really have to get the entire boxset.

*The pic above shows the unfortunate "catch".Notice that slight wedge on the box's spine side.

Here's a groupie shot:



Now for the individuals:


*The first chapter in the epic,stirring Godfather Trilogy is of course,the one that started it all,Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece The Godfather.The film is indeed epic indeed in terms of scale and scope (Yeah,I saw it for the first time finally,I definitely need and want to re-watch it.).Anyway,I don't wanna talk about the entire film,I'm saving the words for the review.Haha.But seriously,this is the shit.And by shit,I mean the bomb.And by the bomb,I mean the great.


*Next up is: The Godfather Part II.The prequel-sequel to the first film.From what I know,this second chapter in the epic gangster movie trilogy is considered to be the greatest sequel of all time yet because of its' dedication to the first film.I have no doubts that this is going to be a great movie and a sequel too,since it looks really damn great.This DVD includes two discs.Disc 1 contains the first half and Disc 2 contains the other that concludes the film individually.If you're looking for the bonus features,this one doesn't have it.But wait,there's more.


*Then we have The Godfather Part III.Which is sadly,less compelling and motivated from what I hear from all the eavesdropping.No,seriously this is proclaimed to be one of the most disappointing films in moviedom.Part III concludes the epic trilogy anyway,so it still must be good on the other side.But still,I would have to see it to believe.


*Remember the "there's more" I'm talking about? Well,this is it.This bonus disc contains the bonus features for all 3 Godfather films.And yes,there are definitely featurettes and deleted scenes even.
Yep,that's what all the boxset contains.4 DVDs,5 Discs (Parts I & III are 1-Disc as well as the Bonus Disc,but Part II is 2-Disc since it is a long film).But not only that,but also the greatest film ever made yet.Well that is Part I I'm talking about.Oh,before I wrap this "Godfather insanity" all up,here's one last shot:


*The Godfather Trilogy is available to own on DVD for P1,200 distributed by Magnavision Home Video.
Say cheese! One more shot of both DVDs and it's all done:


Now folks,that's a wrap.
Stay tuned for my next DVD Haul...Thanks for reading.

FilmReviews: Despicable Me 2 (3D)

*Note: This review may contain spoilers,so for those who haven't seen the movie,proceed at your own risk.

"Back 2 Work"

Yeah,that's right.Gru and the Minions are back in Despicable Me 2 alongside new characters,but the question is...are they better this time around?? Well,okay.Just a quick answer to that question: "A little bit". But calm down and I'll talk about the factors that took the film down in a little while.Despicable Me 2 sees Gru's recruitment by the Anti-Villain League to help deal with a powerful new super criminal and is still directed by Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud and stars Steve Carell (The Campaign/Despicable Me),Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids),Benjamin Bratt (Traffic),Miranda Cosgrove (TV's iCarly),Russell Brand (Arthur),Ken Jeong (The Hangover) and Steve Coogan.



Despicable Me 2 picks up where the first left off and shows Gru leaving his villainous side to take his responsibilities on being a father to his 3 adopted daughters Margo,Agnes and Edith.So yeah,in this sequel,Gru's no longer a despicable super-villain,but is now a loving father with a legitimate business.But just when he thinks he's living an ordinary life,he is then recruited by the Anti-Villain League to help deal with a powerful new super-villain El Macho (played by Benjamin Bratt). First of all,the first had an exceptional concept that became unexpectedly good,and now the second takes that element then replaces the heart with the explosive action visuals.Sure,I loved the whole "Gru going undercover as a spy" plot,but I just had problems with the amount of "heart" 'cause they barely left it out.As if it was Cars 2 all over again.But nonetheless,it was still quite good.It's just that I missed all the heartfelt moments they had in the first film.If you're asking for the humor then Despicable Me 2 definitely has it.Tons of it! There.I said it. So even though Despicable Me 2 is less creative than the first,it still has a nice sequel touch that most animated movie sequels don't have these days.

In Despicable Me 2,we get to hear Steve Carell's voice work once again as Gru.And he is back and better than ever and I was definitely relieved to hear Steve Carell's wacky
accent as Gru.And his character's development from super-villain to super-dad is just great.Then we get to hear Russell Brand's voice talent again as Dr.Nefario,who in this movie sort of becomes a traitor but then again returns to the Gru's good side.Brand's voicework here is less good due to the fact that he sorta has little screentime.But the big reliever (for me) is,he sorta plays a fairly big role in the film's plot line.Now,let's get to the newbies...Well,in Despicable Me 2 we get to hear Kristen Wiig's voice talent  once again,only this time it's lent to a different & new character.If in the first film she lends her voice to Miss Hattie,here she plays the vivaciously fierce AVL agent Lucy Wilde.Her voice talent here is even better and her voice fits the character perfectly.Then we have newbies Benjamin Bratt and Steve Coogan.Like what I said when I was talking about the film's plot,Benjamin plays El Macho,the film's antagonist.Bratt's voice work was amazing as he sounded both authentically sinister and very Mexican.But,I sorta felt that even though he has an army of Evil Minions,I still felt that Jason Segel's Vector was the better villain.Vector was simple but effective whilst El Macho was typical but explosive.Also,in the newbies' section we have Steve Coogan playing Silas Ramsbottom,the head of the AVL.Steve Coogan did a wonderful job in giving voice to his character as if he sounded authentically like the head of a secret agency in a spy movie.Above all else,the wonderful cast gave life to the film alongside the nutty humor and the yellow Minions' cuteness overload.

Now let's go on to the film's technical side which includes the camera work,the 3D,the "wow!" inducing special effects and the music as well.The first film was released in 3D,so what would be a better option  for this film but to be released in the same secondary format that would enhance the film's viewing? Anyway,the first film sorta looked like a good 3D film (Despite the fact that I wasn't able to see it in theaters in 3D) but in this sequel,the 3D visuals improved.And the 3D somehow helps the film to improve.Now you can see all those cute Minions in 3D again.Enough of the 3D talk,and let's talk about the animation.The animation in DM2 looked even better and smoother than it was in the first film.If in the first film,the 3D animation still looked low-quality,here you can easily see that it is almost HD.All of the characters look even detailed than they were before.Alright,it's time to shift to the film's music department...Despicable Me had a funky-retro feel score handled by Heitor Pereira and R&B artist Pharrell Williams and that same music is back here in Despicable Me 2,only even better even by a bit 'cause almost the entire score from the first film is recycled here.Nonetheless,it was no big deal.But among the film's score/soundtrack,I loved the new track recorded for the film entitled "Happy" which is sung by Pharrell Williams and is played at one point in the film.So on a scale of 1 to 10,I give the film's score a 7/10 even though a lot of the scores here were recycled from the first film.But damn,I just really dig that "Despicable Me" theme.It sounds nefarious and simultaneously cool and funny.So overall,this sequel improved in terms of technicality,yes even the almost-recycled score.If I forgot to talk about the camera work or the special effects,they were good as well.

As how I would want to express,the directors of Despicable Me 2 sorta made themselves less creative and inventive after the last movie.This film had so much potential but all of it were wasted.No offense to the directors,I appreciate your directing efforts.I know it's not too easy to think of a film's concept.But despite the negative comments I gave this film,it still is a pretty good sequel to a beloved modern animated classic.

Despicable Me 2 isn't as good as the first but is still worth giving it a watch thanks to the charming,stress-relieving Minions and the still-effective and hilarious nutty humor.
This second outing for Gru and his Minions is still pretty good,therefore I would give it 7.6 stars over 10.Oh,definitely don't leave till the credits roll...You'll surely have a good time.



Having the 2nd biggest opening day for an animated movie in the Philippines,  Despicable Me 2 is now showing in Philippine theaters in 2D,3D and select IMAX 3D theaters theatrically distributed by Solar UIP Philippines .Rated G by the MTRCB. Have a break and catch the Minion mayhem while it's still here.

*See Gru steal the Moon and adopt 3 cute daughters in Despicable Me.Available to own on DVD & Blu-Ray distributed by Magnavision Home Video
**If you just can't get enough of the Minions,see their adventures pre-Despicable Me in their first full length solo film,Minions.Opens in theaters December 2014.

For now,check out this clip from the sequel:


Video & movie clip courtesy of Universal Pictures and Movieclips.com

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