Katherine Marra's Movie Reviews

The Avengers unite to save the day in Marvel’s newest action adventure film “The Avengers”. This superhero group is made up of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) puts all of these super humans together when Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thor’s brother, tries to take over Earth. 

Loki plans on achieving this goal by using the Tesseract, an energy-filled cube, which was discovered in the ocean in “Captain America”, to bring alien invaders to Earth in order to destroy the planet. Loki even casts a spell on one of the Avengers, making him assist Loki in any way possible.

All of the unique superheroes are supposed to work together, however many of their egos clash, leading to several disagreements that hinder their progress with the task at hand. It is especially difficult for Bruce Banner under these circumstances to keep calm and not transform into a giant, green monster.

The special affects are quite impressive, but the main plot is noncreative. It was clever to incorporate Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, etc. into one movie, yet why would their job be to protect Manhattan from an alien invasion like in so many other contemporary movies? In addition, even thought the script has classic superhero clichés, it gets to be extremely cheesy. I found myself laughing at many of the foolish lines. 

My initial reaction to this film was not a good one. I actually couldn’t wait to get out of the theater. I was so bored and unimpressed after hearing all the hype about this “epic” movie and being let down. After asking around, I’ve heard mixed reactions. I’ve done some research and reevaluating and now I give “The Avengers” a 7 out of 10.

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There seems to be a consistent trend in the movies based on Nicholas Sparks’ romance novels. They all contain sappy clichés and a lack of substance. There are two main elements that are repetitive in these novels: the relationship between two soul mates and the sickness/death of a loved one. From what I’ve heard, the books are exceptional, however, the movies always fall short.

Logan (Zac Efron) is a marine who serves three tours in Iraq. During the war, he happens to find a photograph of a beautiful girl and “keep safe” is written on the back. Directly after he picks it up, there is an explosion right where he had been standing before he found the picture. Logan asks around, desperately trying to find whose picture it is, but nobody claims it.

Now that he has the picture in his possession, he is invincible and his luck in the treacherous circumstances of war is incredible. After surviving his three tours, Logan is determined to find the girl in the picture to personally thank her for the good luck she brought him. He recognizes a tower in the picture and walks with his German shepherd, Zeus, from Colorado all the way to Louisiana.

Of course, Logan and the woman, Beth (Taylor Schilling), fall deeply in love, but struggle through the conflicts that arise. Sadly, most of this movie is revealed in the trailer, which seems to happen quite often these days.

Zac Efron does a decent job playing the character of Logan, however, he just can’t pull off the tough-guy look that is essential in this film. He will always be remembered as Troy Bolton from “High School Musical”. In any case, this is a tear-jerking, cheesy movie that most teenage girls would enjoy. It’s not terrible, yet nothing special. I give “The Lucky One” a 6 out of 10.

The Titanic sets sail again, this time in 3D. The rerelease of the epic “Titanic” written and directed by James Cameron commemorates the hundredth anniversary of the ship’s sinking. It stars all-time favorites, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Both of their careers were launched as a result of this 11 Oscar winning film. Originally released in 1997, the movie contains elements of romance, drama, comedy, and tragedy.

For those of you who haven’t seen “Titanic”, it is a love story about Jack (DiCaprio) and Rose (Winslet) who are initially opposites in every way. Like Romeo and Juliet, Jack and Rose are not socially permitted to be together. When the supposedly unsinkable ship hits an iceberg, Jack and Rose realize that they have to stick together to be sure that they both will survive. They refuse to separate during a time as traumatic as this.

For those of you who have seen this classic film, I definitely recommend seeing it on the big screen in 3D. I am not normally a fan of 3D movies, but in this case, it enhanced “Titanic”. Yes, it is difficult to keep the 3D glasses on for 3 hours and 15 minutes, but the effects make the people in the audience feel as if they are on the Titanic fighting for their lives along with Jack and Rose.

I should warn you that the 3D effects can be a bit nauseating and you might want to take a migraine pill before hand. It is a very intense and exhausting film, but also a tearjerker. Bring tissues if you cry easily.

I give “Titanic 3D” a 9 out of 10. It is a must-see, no matter what genre of movies you like. It is absolutely worth the extra money.

Life’s all about moments, of impact, and how they change our lives forever. But what if one day you could no longer remember any of them? Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams star in “The Vow”, the newest ‘romantic tragedy’ about a married couple, Leo and Paige, who get in a disastrous car accident. Leo (Tatum) wakes up intact, however, when Paige (McAdams) wakes up from a coma, she has no recollection of the last five years of her life. These five years conveniently include her entire relationship with Leo.

The last part of Paige’s life that she can remember is going to law school and being engaged to a man named Jeremy (Scott Speedman). As this time, she is closest with her family because they are the only people in her life that she can clearly remember.

Leo believes that spending time with him in their home and going through her daily routine might help Paige remember the last five years of her life. When she tries living with Leo, who is a complete stranger to her, she has extreme difficulty feeling comfortable.

The bulk of the movie is about Paige trying to bring back the lost years. It gets quite depressing. There are very few scenes that make the audience smile; there is much more crying involved. 

This is definitely more of a chick flick, but not a very good one. The acting isn’t great, there is very little chemistry between McAdams and Tatum, and the script is poorly written. The story sure had high expectations. Every girl at my school was talking about this movie weeks in advance. Many thought it would be the next “The Notebook”. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come anywhere near its expectations. For this, I give “The Vow” a 4 out of 10.

Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds bring the house down in the new action crime film “Safe House”. Ryan Reynolds plays a rookie CIA agent named Matt Weston who has been waiting for his ‘big break’ to care for a fugitive in his safe house in Cape Town, South Africa. His wish is finally granted when Tobin Frost (Washington) comes along. Frost is a former CIA agent who went rogue because he was against the corruption in the government.

When Weston realizes that he has come into contact with such a frightening, powerful fugitive like Frost, it’s easy to see that he may not be as prepared as he thought he was. The only thing that could make him more nervous would be an attack on the safe house, which is exactly what happens.

The mercenaries who attack are after Frost for a reason Weston is unaware of. Since Weston is the host of the safe house and Frost is the houseguest, Weston is responsible for Frost. If anything happens to him, Weston is at fault.

Weston decides to find a way to escape while making sure Frost does not leave his sight. Frost entertains himself by constantly getting in Weston’s head, drawing connections between the two of them.

As usual, Denzel Washington’s performance is exceptional. The audience finds itself hating Frost at one moment and feeling sympathy for him at another. Ryan Reynolds does not seem like the type of actor who could play a rugged CIA agent. However, it is a pleasant surprise to see him toughen up and not be the comedic pretty boy again. Reynolds’ performance is much better than expected.

The only negative aspect of “Safe House” is the unoriginality of the plot. It seems that many contemporary films have a theme of government corruption. It would have been better if this film hadn’t included this topic. I give “Safe House” a 7 out of 10.

What would you hide to protect your family? Mark Wahlberg plays a former smuggler named Chris Farraday in the new action crime movie “Contraband”. Chris is married to Kate (Kate Beckinsale), whose little brother, Andy (Caleb Landry Jones), screwed up a drug deal. Andy’s merciless boss, Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi) wants his money and will do anything to make sure Andy gets it for him.

Chris specifically got out of this business because he has a wife and two kids. However, since Chris is known for his world-class smuggling, he realizes that he is Andy’s only hope. He decides to do one last job for the sake of his family. His best friend, Sebastian (Ben Foster), who is practically a brother to Chris, helps him assemble a team.

Chris takes a boat out to Panama and hopes to return with millions of counterfeit cash to give to Tim Briggs. Conflicts develop when people turn out to be different from what they seem and the clock keeps ticking. 

The main idea isn’t very inventive and the timing of some events seems to be a little too perfect. On the contrary, I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire movie. It’s extremely fast-paced and contains several shocking surprises that keep the audience drawn in. 

This film is rated R for violence, language, and drug use. There aren’t any frightening or disturbing scenes that would be unsuitable for a younger audience. I personally believe that it’s appropriate for teenagers in general.

Mark Wahlberg, Giovanni Ribisi, and Ben Foster are especially convincing in their interpretations of their characters. I felt as if I were in the movie, racing against the clock alongside Chris. I definitely recommend this film to those who enjoy heart-racing thrillers about criminals. I give “Contraband” a 7 out of 10.

No plan. No backup. No choice. Tom Cruise stars in the fourth installment of the Mission: Impossible series called “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”. He plays Ethan Hunt, an IMF (Impossible Missions Force) agent who is working with a team consisting of Benji (Simon Pegg), Jane (Paula Patton), and Brandt (Jeremy Renner). 

Ethan Hunt and his team’s mission, should they choose to accept it, is to stop Hendricks, a threatening terrorist who plans on bombing the Kremlin. Hendricks also has the opportunity to attack the United States. He has access to Russian nuclear launch codes that could very easily cause a nuclear war, resembling the Cold War of the 20^th century.

Once the Kremlin is bombed and the IMF is believed to be at fault, it is disavowed (no longer supported) by the President under Ghost Protocol. But of course, this does not stop Ethan and his team from tracking Hendricks down to protect life, as we know it.

This film is obviously jam-packed with action. The fact that Tom Cruise did his own stunts is extremely impressive. Especially when he is climbing up the Burj Khalifa, which is 2.5 times the height of the Empire State Building. The cinematography in that scene is so remarkable that it made me dizzy just watching him climb out the window.

Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg are my favorite actors in this movie. Renner is incredibly believable as his character of Brandt and Pegg is absolutely hilarious at all the right moments. Tom Cruise’s acting is decent, however Patton’s performance as Jane is unimpressive and unoriginal.

“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” is definitely a blockbuster. With futuristic cars, awesome technology, and Tom Cruise, how could it go wrong? I give “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” an 8 out of 10.