The Martian & Intern & Other Movie Reviews

It’s been ages since I posted movie reviews, so I’ll review all the movies I saw in the cinema starting from last night then backwards till August. 🎬

The Martian

Synopsis
When astronauts blast off from the planet Mars, they leave behind Mark Watney (Matt Damon), presumed dead after a fierce storm. With only a meager amount of supplies, the stranded visitor must utilize his wits and spirit to find a way to survive on the hostile planet.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, members of NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring him home, while his crew mates hatch their own plan for a daring rescue mission.

Verdict
I highly recommend this movie. 👍🏼👍🏼 

It’s an intelligent, heartwarming film about survival and it’s the most realistic space film I’ve seen so far. 🚀

I laughed 😄, I cried 😢, I held my breath at suspenseful scenes 🙊 and cringed with my eyes closed behind my fingers at gruesome scenes 🙈. It’s a lengthy film at 2 hours and 22 minutes, but interesting for all that time.

I also cracked up at the song they chose to play for the credits – I will Survive. How apt! 😂

Bonus: funny post a teammate forwarded. 😂  

Ratings: 94%·Rotten Tomatoes | 8.5/10·IMDb | 81%·Metacritic

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The Intern

Synopsis
Starting a new job can be a difficult challenge, especially if you’re already retired. Looking to get back into the game, 70-year-old widower Ben Whittaker (Robert De Niro) seizes the opportunity to become a senior intern at an online fashion site.

Ben soon becomes popular with his younger co-workers, including Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway), the boss and founder of the company. Whittaker’s charm, wisdom and sense of humor help him develop a special bond and growing friendship with Jules.

Verdict
This was a light film which was also kind of deep. Am I making any sense? Let me try to explain. It has the light feel of a rom com (but it’s not one), but it has some depth to it in the sense that it has some life lessons to impart. Get what I mean now?

Also, I’ve always loved Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro’s acting.

Ratings: 58%·Rotten Tomatoes | 7.5/10·IMDb | 51%·Metacritic

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Maze Runner: Scorch Trials

Synopsis
Transported to a remote fortified outpost, Thomas and his fellow teenage Gladers find themselves in trouble after uncovering a diabolical plot from the mysterious and powerful organization WCKD.

With help from a new ally, the Gladers stage a daring escape into the Scorch, a desolate landscape filled with dangerous obstacles and crawling with the virus-infected Cranks. The Gladers only hope may be to find the Right Hand, a group of resistance fighters who can help them battle WCKD.

Verdict
This movie was okay, I guess, in the sense that it’s always moving because they’re literally running everywhere every time. 🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻🏃🏻

But that seems to be all they ever do which quite frankly becomes a bit tiring after a while, even though I’m not even the one running. 😒

There’s also a sense of mystery because you’re not sure what’s going on, which is a good thing or a bad thing? I can’t decide, actually.

This movie was not a complete waste of money but there are a plenty of other better movies in the same genre. 

Ratings: 50%·Rotten Tomatoes | 7/10·IMDb | 43%·Metacritic

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The Man from Uncle

Synopsis
At the height of the Cold War, a mysterious criminal organization plans to use nuclear weapons and technology to upset the fragile balance of power between the United States and Soviet Union. 

CIA agent Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and KGB agent Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) are forced to put aside their hostilities and work together to stop the evildoers in their tracks. 

The duo’s only lead is the daughter of a missing German scientist, whom they must find soon to prevent a global catastrophe.

Verdict
This was a hilarious spy movie which was made even more watchable by the two eye candy male leads. 😉😉

There’s plenty of action, suspense, and mystery, and even a bit of a romance angle. 😍

Worth a watch if you enjoy spy films set in the olden days.

Ratings: 68%·Rotten Tomatoes | 7.6/10·IMDb | 55%·Metacritic

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Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

Synopsis
With the IMF now disbanded and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) out in the cold, a new threat – called the Syndicate – soon emerges. 

The Syndicate is a network of highly skilled operatives who are dedicated to establishing a new world order via an escalating series of terrorist attacks.

Faced with what may be the most impossible mission yet, Ethan gathers his team and joins forces with Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), a disavowed British agent who may or may not be a member of this deadly rogue nation.

Verdict
This is another hilarious spy action movie, my second favorite one this year (next to Kingsman). 

I loved the funny lines, breathtaking suspense and action, great stunts and special effects, gorgeous female lead 💃, and beautiful location shots all over Europe. ✈️

I definitely highly recommend this film. 👍🏼👍🏼

Ratings: 92%·Rotten Tomatoes | 7.7/10·IMDb | 75%·Metacritic

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Fantastic Four

Synopsis
Transported to an alternate universe, four young outsiders gain superhuman powers as they alter their physical form in shocking ways. 

Reed Richards becomes Mr. Fantastic, able to stretch and twist his body at will, while pal Ben Grimm gains immense strength as the Thing. Johnny Storm becomes the Human Torch, able to control and project fire, while his sister Sue becomes the Invisible Woman. 

Together, the team must harness their new abilities to prevent Doctor Doom from destroying the Earth.

Verdict
Do yourself a favor and stay away from this movie. It’s the most boring superhero movie I have ever seen in my life, the very opposite of fantastic. Barely ten minutes into the film, I wanted to crawl out of the movie theatre because it was that bad. 😒

I mistakenly thought it was a Marvel movie, but it’s not. Yes, it’s a Marvel comic, but the movie was not made by Marvel, hence no Stan Lee cameos and after-credit scenes to tie in with the Marvel cinematic universe and witty one-liners or awesome special effects.

If you don’t believe me, just look at the ratings. It actually got a score of 4 on IMDB, same as its title. 👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼

Ratings: 9%·Rotten Tomatoes | 4.1/10·IMDb | 27%·Metacritic

 

Have you seen any of these films? What movies have you watched recently which you would highly recommend?