Valkyrie

Star Rating *****

Anyone with the tiniest bit of interest in history would know how Valkyrie ends. So why would anyone be interested in watching it?

For many solid reasons.

Between the beginning and the end of each journey, there is the journey itself. This movie is about a journey, and its details, which in this case is extremely exciting to witness.

Tom Cruise has been telling us for years that he loves to make movies. With Valkyrie, which he produced and played the main character, he scored a triumph of true movie making, that we love to watch. He extraordinarily plays Colonel Stauffenberg, one of the players in an assassination attempt against Adolf Hitler during WWII. The rest of the cast give a similar performance that adds a super thrilling effect through experiencing the ride. Of the many great talents associated in this work, actors Bill Nighy, Terence Stamp, Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Izzard, Tom Wilkinson and Jamie Parker do an outstanding job playing the military men that were tormented between their oath to their fuehrer and their duty to their nation. David Bamber, although he has limited presence, he provides us with a Hitler as dangerous as we expect him to be. A standing ovation to the casting agents.

But this movie is not the cast’s movie. It was the director’s movie. It was Bryan Singer’s brilliance that turned a bit of history into a magical presentation that is very well weaved by the hands of the writers to give the viewer a relentless sequence of events and made it one of the most enjoyable movie watching experiences in the last few years. His maneuvering camera work takes the viewer into a realistic atmosphere through each step of the action sequences. Through this movie you would: feel the stomps of the advancing soldiers as you are one of them, hold you your breath in the presence of the mad dictator, live an extra jolt of Adrenaline while leaving the bunker, and experince the silence of failure.

If you are looking for action, then this is not your movie. If you are looking for the other elements that attract movie goers these days (anything between hot babes running in the woods in their under garments to giant robots), then you will be extremely disappointed. Now, if you are looking for a perfect thriller, that would surprise you even though you know the ending, then please watch Valkyrie.

Terminator Salvation

Star rating: *****

If you are a person who is not into Sci-Fi action movies, then do not watch Terminator Salvation, and start saving time and effort by not reading this review.

Now if you are a sci-fi action movie fan, then you will enjoy this movie, very much. Do yourself a favor and go see.

You may say Cameron is not directing. Arnold is not there. How can this be any good then? I’ll tell ya.

It is an expressway of non-stop action sequences from beginning to end, without needless distractions. No stop signs, no speed limits. The visual and sound effects are at their best, and unlike many movies of late, these effects have been a pleasure to watch where they have been used to strengthen the action sequences and the visual story telling instead of a digital show of force.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Terminator saga (where have you been? Mars?), the story revolves around a revolution led by the machines to terminate the “flaw” on the planet, that flaw being us, the human race. In the near future, Skynet, the machine villain, fails repeatedly to terminate the head of the resistance, a man named John Connor, so they try to use to get rid of him and/or his family line (mom Sarah Connor, dad Kyle Reese, wife Kate) in the by sending non-stop killing machines, to do the job, in the past (time travel). The story of Terminator Salvation meshes beautifully with the original storyline, so Terminator fans rest assured, the franchise is in good hands. The story of Salvation makes sense, in a Terminator-story-wise. It handles its characters carefully for the sake of the originality of the story and for the future of the franchise. The writers very clearly did a great job to fit the script with the characters, tailor-made fit.

In return, the cast does a great job, and Christian Bale is fantastic. McG, The director proves many Terminator fans, including myself, wrong when his effort shows more professionalism and more mature than his previous efforts in action movies. He offeres action sequences that top the competition of many other recently released action movies, with a strong anchor hold to many elements introduced to us in the previous Terminator movies, with a couple of hints to another favorite franchise of mine, and that is Mad Max.

How would a review about a new Terminator movie go without comparisons to the previous ones? So here it goes. Terminator Salvation fits perfectly as a sequel to the original movies, and as a great initiative to more movies of the franchise in the future. It is undeniably better than the third Terminator (Rise of the Machines) and is a great foundation for more sequels in the future.

The thing that keeps this movie from getting a ***** (check my rating system at the end of the article) is that it lacks the "Cameron touch", the method James Cameron used to direct his action sequences. With Cameron there is more of the viewer’s involvement with the action scenes and more attachment to the characters. “I saw a man, not a machine” and all the circumstances that led to it is the weakest link in the movie, story wise. And finally I miss the music in T2. The new soundtrack is not as haunting.

The last paragraph aside, this is a solid work that is absolutely worth watching for all action seeking viewrs, and Terminator fans, all thanks to the efforts of the captain of this ship, Mr. McG.

Star rating system:

* Go watch Jerry Springer

** Accteptable

*** Good

**** Very Good

***** Unmissable

***** Perfect, should be taught in film schools.