[divider]#04 – Rogue One[/divider]
Apprehension. That’s pretty much all I felt when the Star Wars Anthology series was announced. Sure, on paper it sounded like a great idea. I mean, bringing more sans-Skywalker stories to the mainstream, theatre-going audience couldn’t be a bad idea. Not only were Clone Wars and Rebels great, but this would allow Star Wars to show off exactly how multi-faceted it was as a universe.
On the other hand: the prequels.
Thankfully, Rogue One proved to be closer to the quality of the originals, not only pulling off a great story, but going out of its way to pay respects to the Original Trilogy, securing much faith in the now re-named “A Star Wars Story” brand.
Guanny: A spin-off, yet with the quality of an Episode. (Well, not the prequels.) Rogue One thrills with its rebellious story, add to it its attention to minute detail, and you get a loving ode to the galaxy far, far away.
Hijanah: A splendid venture into the story-never-told, a true essence of honour and heroism. Melded with hyper-realistic graphics and Michael Giacchino’s truly ingenious score, the movie was fully capable of producing raw emotion and attachment to its unlikely team of characters within just 133 minutes.
Kanesh: A great way to end off 2016 with this one. It was entertaining and filled with great action and characters
Sathya: I’m not a Star Wars fan per se. As in I’ve watched the movies but not super into it. But I found it entertaining in the sense that it had humour, had that inspiring feel, gave the audience a look into the forgotten heroes behind the Death Star plans. And it was such an inspiring story.
[divider]#03 – Pete’s Dragon[/divider]
For a movie with the word “Dragon” in its name, the only thing badass about this flick was the amount of manly tears that were pouring.
Not exactly an adaptation or a remake of the book or older movie, Pete’s Dragon is a fresh take on an almost forgotten fairy tale. While it isn’t actually one of the animated classics-to-live action remake that we’ve been seeing Disney put out recently (like The Jungle Book), it certainly holds few lessons that those efforts could learn from.
Hijanah: Pete’s Dragon was not entirely the remake that I’d expected, but what ensued was sheer magic. It displayed remarkable realism, pushing past the conventions of the typical CGI beast, and mocking the expected, tacky sap that comes with every child and pet story.
[divider]#02 – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them[/divider]
The Rogue One of the Harry Potter universe also sees creator J. K. Rowling’s first stab at screenwriting… and it works brilliantly.
Not only was it a pleasant experience to finally watch a Harry Potter movie that the books haven’t already spoiled for me, but it was nice to finally watch something on the big screen that is definitely canon!
Guanny: A brilliant entry to the Wizarding World, J.K. Rowling’s screenwriting début accomplishes with aplomb—at once unique yet familiar, sparking imagination while adding layers to Rowling’s fictional universe.
Hijanah: I’m not sure how this fairs in comparison to the other Harry Potter movies (this is actually my first HP movie), but Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them left me in awe with its entrancing graphics, action and whimsical characters. Then again, I might just’ve been fan-girling because it was the first time I’d seen the books’ magic come to life – other aspects were somewhat inferior/messy.
Mohit: What a way for the Harry Potter franchise to return! While it may not have checked all my boxes in terms of expectations, it is still a very strong film to kickstart the next series in the Wizarding World.
Kanesh: Good screenplay with some good humour but pacing was a bit slow for me… maybe because I was watching it at 11pm.
Sathya: Good ground work for a Voldemort origin story and a very unique side story.