"Captain America: The First Avenger" review by Chris, Illustration by Tim

This summer someone in Hollywood seems obsessed with making movies about super heroes whose comics I haven’t read. And so enters, "Captain America: The First Avenger." Is this Marvel’s newest super hero masterpiece, or just another prelude to “The Avengers?”

Don't let the "First Avenger" part of the title scare you. This movie is all about Captain America. The Avenger part is only at the beginning and end to create a framework for the coming "Avengers" movie. The remaining film length is spent following Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) in his growth from a weakling wannabe warrior to the embodiment of America. For the first hour he barely sees any action, but these movie minutes are far from wasted. His dedication to freedom pushes him into overcoming adversity and learning to control his abilities. He soon becomes a hero everyone can root for.

Helping him on his journey is Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), who sees the hero he can be from the very beginning. Even when Steve disappoints her, she stands by his side and ends up unwittingly inspiring him to become the hero the world desperately needs. Standing in his way is Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving), also known as the Red Skull. His villainous plots rival those of the Nazis he works for. The Red Skull becomes the embodiment of pure evil, making him the perfect counterpart to Captain America.

Evans, Atwell and Weaving create a solid core for this film to revolve around. Joining them is Sebastian Stan, Tommy Lee Jones, Stanley Tucci and Dominic Cooper, who all deserve mention for their performances. Although Evans could have progressed Steve as a character without them, these side characters are what give the movie heart and soul, and create the world that Steve inhabits. They do such a great job that it's disappointing that the Avengers movie takes place seventy years later because consequently, this is their only chance to shine.

Captain America stories have felt dated for years. His best moments take place during WW2 or when he's alongside the Avengers. The creators seem aware of this, and the script takes a wartime film approach with comic book style dialogue. Don't expect the same non-stop wit of earlier marvel films — although there is plenty of humor to keep you smiling, this movie is all about Steve’s personal growth.

Everything isn't perfect with this latest Avenger epic. The action is well crafted and the Captain America’s unique shield fighting style works well on screen, but the balance of story and action is off. The first half of the film is extremely story heavy causing the second half to be mostly action. Many of the battle scenes feel unnecessarily long or unnecessary. Beyond that over compensation, the overall action is solid. There are a few moments of poor pacing and random cuts that slow the film down. It also seems like the inclusion of many traditional Captain America characters comes down to fan service and adds to the overall length of the film.

"Captain America: The First Avenger" is a solid addition to Marvel’s movie portfolio. It has a great story, exciting action and a hero for the ages. Its sprinkling of flaws keeps the movie from becoming the next big comic movie, but it's still a must see for fans of super heroes, action, or fun action films.

I give it four "Star Shields" out of five.

Written by Chris
Edited by Aaron

"Winnie the Pooh" Review by Tim

“Winnie the Pooh” is an interesting mix of old and new — the film is a return
to classic 2D animation and is a sequel to the anthology film, “The Many Adventures
of Winnie the Pooh.”

The movie goes to great lengths to tap into nostalgia: even the story is a
previously un-animated tale written by “Pooh” author A. A. Milne. The artistic style
and the voices have also been tweaked to mimic earlier adaptations, but for all
its reverence to past “Poohs,” not all things are as they were in The Hundred Acre
Wood.

Made 40-some years after the originals, this “Winnie the Pooh” features voice
actors from a new generation, but Jim Cummings proves himself a worthy successor
to Sterling Holloway’s Pooh. The new cast includes John Cleese as narrator, while
animator Bud Luckey fills in as the voice of Eeyore. Craig Ferguson plays Owl, and
strangely, Spongbob Squarepants’s voice actor Tom Kenny takes on the role of
Rabbit. At first Kenny’s casting didn’t make sense, but as the movie went on, it
became apparent that the voice of Spongebob was perfect as the Hundred Acre
Wood’s most neurotic resident.

In spite of its attempts to maintain continuity with the original
cartoons, “Winnie the Pooh” does throw in some updates here and there. Most
noticeable is the soundtrack, which seems to make a point of ensuring the songs are
entirely forgettable. From Zooey Deschanel’s airy, updated theme song to a scatting
of musical numbers, they fail to compare with the classic songs of the Sherman
brothers. Where voices and animation succeed in imitation, the music simply falls
short.

The movie is barely an hour long, so if you’re a hardcore fan of Disney’s
original “Pooh” cartoons, or have little kids who enjoy Pooh’s adventures, this movie
is for you. Otherwise, go see Harry Potter again.

3.5 HUNY pots out of 5!

Written by Tim
Edited by Aaron

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" review by Chris, Illustration by Tim

The Harry Potter series has been one of the highest grossing franchises of all time and has touched the hearts of many. But, fair warning: "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" does not stand without the first part, and it barely stands without knowledge of all the previous films. If you haven’t seen the earlier films, (seriously, where have you been?) go watch them. This movie was created for the fans, and idle moviegoers shouldn't waste their time.

Every actor brings their A game, but it’s difficult to feel a connection. The film relies on your previous attachment to the characters to make the big moments hit home. As much as I respect what they tried to do by dividing the film into two parts, what's been created is two half films. They don't function alone. The earlier films cut out significant chunks from the books to make them run smoothly, and this film may have fared better if they had used a similar technique. While non-readers are given most of the information they need to understand the story, small bits are still missing which can make the film a little confusing. However, the story flaws don't take away the enjoyment of the film. Harry's story gets the conclusion he deserves and most of the side character's stories do rap up nicely.

What “Part 1” lacked in action this one makes up for tenfold, and the visuals do bring Rowling’s book to life. The more magical aspects like multiplying objects and dragons are quite convincing, and tend to dazzle, while many of the spells used in battles are glorified light shows with no discernable use. But they do look pretty, and the spectacular wizarding battles are what keep this franchise magical.

The non-fans out there won’t understand perfectly what's happening, but let’s face it — by now most people are probably fans. If you’re not, you can enjoy the light show of excellent special effects. But what the lights and pretty visuals can’t cloak is how the side characters bog down the overall experience and don’t come into their own. This is an epic end to a historical franchise, but don't be surprised if you feel like you're missing something.

Three "Deathly Hallows" out of Five

"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" review by Chris

Hollywood is well known for beating dead horses, but with the "Transformers" franchise, Michael Bay started beating a dead horse before the first movie hit theaters. Can Michael Bay beat one last magical race out of the series or is "Dark of the Moon" just a zombie ready to eat up your time?

The story of "Dark of the Moon" is...well let's face it: we don't care about the story. Sam (Shia LaBeouf) returns, this time fresh out of college, but he still doesn’t connect with the audience in any meaningful way. What drives the film forward is the Decepticon invasion of the entire earth. The film wants you to believe it can be stopped, but it's clear early on that it can’t. It's all just passable. You won't love the plot, but you won't hate it either.

One thing that really kills the story is the overabundance of characters in the film. Almost every character from the first films returns, with a generous helping of new ones also thrown in. The reality is that it just becomes a movie about extras. I can't help but wonder — if we had spent the full 157 minutes with only the pivotal characters, could this story have been something special?

It's ok though, this is a Michael Bay film. As long as the jokes are funny and the actions explosive, we have a great popcorn piece. This film delivers on both, but there's still something missing. While early battles are well crafted, they are brief and infrequent, and later battles are chaotic and sometimes hard to follow. The final fight is so long you'll find yourself bored with the action. But have no fear, the robots look amazing and there are plenty of explosions.

Ehren Kruger writes a decent script. Many of the jokes had me laughing so loud I missed other bits of dialogue. The characters are less obsessed with sex humor this time around and they also interact more smoothly. Sadly, a lot of the biggest plot points come off cheesy. It also doesn't help that facts established in previous films have been abandoned to make this story flow better.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley more than fills Megan Fox's shoes as Sam's girlfriend. Although she is given very little to do, she does it well. She does seem to be oddly comfortable with many of the events around her, but that has more to do with the script than her acting. In scenes where she takes a more active part she really shines, but the film usually fails to do her justice.

I honestly wish I could give "Dark of the Moon" higher marks. It repairs a lot of the damages of the second film and has some genuinely enjoyable moments, but it still seems like the franchise should have ended after the first film. There was potential here for a film that could have redeemed the series, but it gets bogged down with useless characters and a ponderous plot to live up to expectations. It's a fine popcorn film for action fans, but don't expect to leave the theater in awe.

Two "Autobots" out of Five

Written By Chris
Edited by Aaron