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Dreamworks movies are an interesting thing. They try to capture the Pixar magic but in their own way. I felt as a whole this was a movie that had been done a million times before. A coming-of-age movie about a teenager that isn’t like the other girls. She has a niche of friends and her family holds a secret. She puts her faith in someone her parents told her to avoid. It feels unoriginal and is mostly saved by the visuals. That being said, they don’t have the borderline uncanny valley of a Pixar film. It is an okay movie but I’d personally prefer to watch it on streaming. Story - 16% Characters - 17% Pacing - 16% Spectacle - 18% Entertainment - 16% Total score: 83% Grade scale: 90%-100% = must watch 80%-89% = solid, but could be better 70%-79% = Not terrible, watch if the characters or story interests you 60%-69% = only watch for completionist reasons 0%-59% = just skip it, I find the positives and they don't exist here

Something about this movie just didn’t hit me right. It feels like an Indiana Jones adventure, but something just isn’t there. The best I can figure is it has that second farewell tour vibe. It is like a second tour to perform one last time since the last farewell wasn’t as good as they hoped. While this is solid, it just didn’t leave me satiated. I still firmly believe they should have ended the franchise at The Last Crusade. I’m surprised Indy can do the action since canon puts him at 70ish and Harrison Ford is 80. This is a fun adventure but just felt off. Story - 17% Characters - 17% Pacing - 17% Spectacle - 18% Entertainment - 17% Total score: 86% Grade scale: 90%-100% = must watch 80%-89% = solid, but could be better 70%-79% = Not terrible, watch if the characters or story interests you 60%-69% = only watch for completionist reasons 0%-59% = just skip it, I find the positives and they don't exist here

The movie that started a whole subgenre in the action world. I do feel watching now that there is a good bit of borderline slapstick. There is also a lot of stuff that has Final Destination level of ridiculous coincidences. Despite that, the film is a classic and is adored by millions around the world. The score is as classic as Star Wars and Jurassic Park scores. Almost like the same person made them. I remember as a kid not even watching the whole thing because the first 12 minutes were such a complete mini-movie, I thought the following scene was another episode or something. The character is iconic and a much watch for anyone that loves adventure movies. Story - 18% Characters - 18% Pacing - 18% Spectacle - 18% Entertainment - 18% Total score: 90% Grade scale: 90%-100% = must watch 80%-89% = solid, but could be better 70%-79% = Not terrible, watch if the characters or story interests you 60%-69% = only watch for completionist reasons 0%-59% = just skip it, I find the positives and they don't exist here

This is what a Transformers movie should have been. This is a coming-of-age story with Transformers action sprinkled in. This is very much the story of a broken girl who finds solace in an alien robot. The story and characters came first while saving the world was just a small piece of the bigger story. It did the prequel thing where it explains all the small details that led to the original first movie like Bumblebee’s name, how he lost his voice, and how he ended up a Camaro. I love everything about this movie. The humor and emotions were what really made this special. I never really felt emotional watching the other movies, but this one actually gets you to feel something which is a sign of great character development. The family was a little cringy and the bullies were 80s bullies. They need to make either more Transformers like this or give us a Fall of Cybertron movie/trilogy. It looks so awesome and badass in the few scenes they had on Cybertron. We need either that or more genre films with a Transformers coat. I highly recommend this movie paired with the 2007 movie. Story - 19% Characters - 18% Pacing - 18% Spectacle - 19% Entertainment - 20% Total score: 94% Grade scale: 90%-100% = must watch 80%-89% = solid, but could be better 70%-79% = Not terrible, watch if the characters or story interests you 60%-69% = only watch for completionist reasons 0%-59% = just skip it, I find the positives and they don't exist here

This movie gets a lot of flack. Most of the issues stem from Lex-related things. The first two acts are about the fallout and fear people have after the events of Man of Steel. It’s a great way to continue the story and have an organic way to introduce Batman and Wonder Woman. This is also the first time in live-action the big three have stood together and it is amazing. The third act is mostly fan service which some worked and some didn’t. I actually really loved the idea of Doomsday being the ultimate threat. You need to up the stakes when Superman is involved. Also, can people stop acting like Batman will always beat Superman? If they were teleported to an arena and had to fight, Superman wins hands down. Batman needs prep time and even that only helps him get the upper hand sometimes. If they could have aged Lex a bit then it would have been fine in my opinion. He looks like a preppy grad student rather than an evil mastermind. This is honestly a great movie and it gave us great comic book moments. Sadly, movie quality is a roller coaster from here on out. Story - 16% Characters - 18% Pacing - 16% Spectacle - 20% Entertainment - 18% Total score: 88% Grade scale: 90%-100% = must watch 80%-89% = solid, but could be better 70%-79% = Not terrible, watch if the characters or story interests you 60%-69% = only watch for completionist reasons 0%-59% = just skip it, I find the positives and they don't exist here

This movie got a lot of flack for the Mandarin twist. I never hated it, but I see the issue. You have to admit Trevor is a treasure. The movie was a solid blockbuster that had to follow up The Avengers. I really enjoyed it and thought it was a solid Iron Man outing. Plenty of room for improvement but it was fun and entertaining. Story - 15% Characters - 17% Pacing - 15% Spectacle - 16% Entertainment - 17% Total score: 80% Grade scale: 90%-100% = must watch 80%-89% = solid, but could be better 70%-79% = Not terrible, watch if the characters or story interests you 60%-69% = only watch for completionist reasons 0%-59% = just skip it, I find the positives and they don't exist here

While the story beats are 100% expected for this movie’s basic plot, it is more about the unexpected moments between those beats. I was definitely not expecting a nude Jennifer Lawrence to body-slam someone on a beach, yet it exists here. That is the kind of outlandish humor you will see sprinkled throughout the movie. It follows the rom-com beats, but it really is about the unexpected humor moments that make this stand out. There is also some good character growth, particularly with Jennifer Lawrence’s character. I was not blown away by this movie, but I would definitely be willing to see it again. It was genuinely funny and had great unexpected moments. Story - 17% Characters - 18% Pacing - 18% Spectacle - 17% Entertainment - 18% Total score: 88% Grade scale: 90%-100% = must watch 80%-89% = solid, but could be better 70%-79% = Not terrible, watch if the characters or story interests you 60%-69% = only watch for completionist reasons 0%-59% = just skip it, I find the positives and they don't exist here

This is a quirky movie, to say the least. It has a very meta sense of storytelling. The movie you watch is part of a play that is being performed for a movie that is being made as it is being made. Like I said…quirky. The best part of the movie is the stylistic humor and cast. It has a lot of great drama actors scattered all over the place. It’s a “Where’s Waldo?” of famous actors. It is a 1950s sci-fi-inspired story. I don’t know what the plot is beyond kids at a famous asteroid crash site for a science competition thing. It is just…odd….but in a good way. I thoroughly enjoyed this quirky little comedy. It will probably go under a lot of radars but it is worth a watch. Story - 15% Characters - 18% Pacing - 16% Spectacle - 20% Entertainment - 18% Total score: 87% Grade scale: 90%-100% = must watch 80%-89% = solid, but could be better 70%-79% = Not terrible, watch if the characters or story interests you 60%-69% = only watch for completionist reasons 0%-59% = just skip it, I find the positives and they don't exist here

This probably could have gotten a few more points if it didn’t have the cliche of a Romeo and Juliet-type story. I also noticed how extremely on the nose the characters were. The fire girl is hot-tempered and the water guy goes with the flow. I guess it’s to make it easy for the kids to maybe catch on as well. The characters are the best parts of this story. The big sacrifice play at the end had me in tears, not gonna lie. Pixar’s strength comes from the characters they create and the emotions that come with them. The plot devices were a bit generic and cliche. The world is vibrant and it had many subtle statements about society as well. I think this movie will be overlooked and not considered a classic like Toy Story or Cars. It tells a great love story and shows the importance of doing things for yourself and not just out of obligation to your parents. Definitely worth at least one watch. Story - 16% Characters - 20% Pacing - 17% Spectacle - 18% Entertainment - 18% Total score: 89% Grade scale: 90%-100% = must watch 80%-89% = solid, but could be better 70%-79% = Not terrible, watch if the characters or story interests you 60%-69% = only watch for completionist reasons 0%-59% = just skip it, I find the positives and they don't exist here

There are only so many ways you can introduce a previously unknown race of robots that want to turn Earth into Cybertron. I do like the use of historical moments to give you a feeling of history in this universe. I would prefer a movie based on Merlin and his robot dragon aiding King Arthur. This movie just felt the same old same old with movie tropes that are done to death that this movie used to make it feel different. People complain of superhero fatigue but at least Marvel and DC focus on the story and then the superheroing and not the other way around. These Transformers films keep telling the same story with different Transformers toys. They are needlessly long. At this point, stick to the first movie for your Transformers thrills and call it a day. Don’t spend 12.5 hours watching the same movie play out 5 times. None of the movies are terrible, they just lack originality. Story - 16% Characters - 16% Pacing - 14% Spectacle - 20% Entertainment - 16% Total score: 82% Grade scale: 90%-100% = must watch 80%-89% = solid, but could be better 70%-79% = Not terrible, watch if the characters or story interests you 60%-69% = only watch for completionist reasons 0%-59% = just skip it, I find the positives and they don't exist here

This go round, it was obvious they wanted to do something different. There is a new cast of human characters and it actually had an evil company leading the charge. Stanley Tucci was the standout for me since he had the perfect balance of malice, humor, and empathy. The filmmakers knew what they were doing when they put in robot dinosaurs. How do you not gush at the combination of every boy's favorite things as a kid? It ultimately felt like more of the same old song and dance but with the Autobots on the run after the events of the 3rd movie. The runtime was also unnecessarily long. I feel all these movies need to be trimmed down to a tight two hours. It just keeps moving from city to city with a new objective at every turn. I love the characters more this time around but this is an easy skip unless you need some dino Transformers in your life. Story - 15% Characters - 18% Pacing - 15% Spectacle - 20% Entertainment - 16% Total score: 84% Grade scale: 90%-100% = must watch 80%-89% = solid, but could be better 70%-79% = Not terrible, watch if the characters or story interests you 60%-69% = only watch for completionist reasons 0%-59% = just skip it, I find the positives and they don't exist here

I’m gonna be real, I forgot how good this movie was. The story of Clark coming into his powers and literally being told by his dad the world will never accept a super-powered alien. This movie hits harder in terms of both the literal punches and the emotional weight of being Superman. Clark is inexperienced at being a hero. He has the powers under control but he was going up against a trained group of people just like him. The weight of the world, both Earth and Krypton, literally rested on his shoulders. This movie had a controversial end to the conflict and honestly, I stand by it. It wasn’t an easy decision and the remorse he felt after holding back his whole life led to a raw, emotional moment. This movie perfectly encapsulates a raw version of Superman. He still stands for truth, justice, and the American way. It is just expressed in a newer, raw, realistic version. Man of Steel was the perfect movie to be DC’s answer to Iron Man and the Marvel universe. They rushed the world-building and sadly this turned into a mere footnote in more half-hazardly made DC movies. More on this issue as we hit more DCEU movies. Story - 20% Characters - 17% Pacing - 18% Spectacle - 18% Entertainment - 20% Total score: 93% Grade scale: 90%-100% = must watch 80%-89% = solid, but could be better 70%-79% = Not terrible, watch if the characters or story interests you 60%-69% = only watch for completionist reasons 0%-59% = just skip it, I find the positives and they don't exist here