Posts Tagged ‘Anthony Hopkins’
Movie Reviews and Ratings of Thor - The God of Thunder
Saturday, December 17th, 2011
Movie Review: Thor
Year: 2011
Genre: Fantasy/Action
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman
Snapshot of Story:
Thor is born into the royal family of the fabulous city of Asgard, a far distant planet from earth and possesses fantastic powers and strengths nothing like that seen on earth. He is cast out of the realm by his Father (King) for disobedience and has to battle with the evil elements of the universe before being restored to his full glory.
Movie Reviews and Ratings of Thor - The God of Thunder
Story:
Thor came about in the midst of many Marvel movies such as the Green Hornet, Captain America and has a unique quality and entertaining value all of its own. The story though typical is well executed by the director and adds a charm, romance and chivalry into one package that leaves you feeling satisfied at the end.
Unlike the other movies with the exception of the X-Men, the story telling of these much loved Marvel comic heroes can be difficult in the two hours permissible. The Green Hornet fell mercy to this but Thor takes you on a fantastic journey that propels you through the action including the romantic scenes between the two stars Thor and the scientist Jane Foster (played by Natalie Portman).
As always Anthony Hopkins manages to bring a strong presence to the role as King of Asgard and the characters of the two rival sons come out as both believable and strong. When Thor is evicted from his home planet and lands on earth we see a representation of a character that strives for more with his power but lacks the discipline of a responsible and a wise mature man. This is nicely carried forward into the predicament that he finds himself on earth and how his personality becomes shaped by people around him. In particular his gentle side of his character comes out when he is in the presence of Jane and the more toned down he becomes as he interacts with the other humans.
The final culmination of the movie happens when he is again given a chance to come back into his domain and kingdom and we can immediately see the new Thor. This was the very quality Thor’s father was looking for inside of his sone and it was a fitting end to the whole movie.
Final Thoughts:
Thor is an interesting movie in that it does not try to buck the standards of movie making but the director has taken a different approach and addressed the ‘plot’ which makes a good movie. Most other movie makers will attempt to use all the latest techniques of movie making and therefore overshadow the whole plot. One notable movie that does this is Transformers where the overuse of special effects can lead to a confusing plot as in the last helping of the Transformers series. The director Kenneth Branagh manages to capture a fantasy movie that encapsulates all the action, romance and chivalry into one highly entertaining package.
Rating:
7.5/10
A good movie to enjoy on your date
Tags: Anthony Hopkins, Chris Hemsworth, Kenneth Branagh, movie review and ratings of thor, Movie Reviews and Ratings of Thor - The God of Thunder, Natalie Portman
Horror Story of Learning Exorcism - The Rite
Thursday, December 15th, 2011
Movie: The Rite
Year: 2011
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Mikael Håfström
Stars: Colin O’Donoghue, Anthony Hopkins and Ciarán Hinds
Snapshot of Story:
An American seminary student arrives in Italy to attend a course in exorcism, something which he has many doubts and events ensue that leads him to question his very own faith.
Movie reviews and ratings of The Rite
Storyline:
Michael Kovak played by Colin O’Donoghue is a student of religious studies but has strong doubts about his faith in Christianity. His instructor at college insists that he goes to Italy on an exorcism course which he hoped will open his eyes more.
Once Michael arrives in Italy he is given an assignment to work with Father Lucas played by Anthony Hopkins who performs regular exorcism on the locals. When Michael witnesses his first exorcism that Father Lucas performs on the girl, he begins to doubt whether the condition is not just a simple medical one. He persists in believing that Father Lucas is cleverly manipulating the situation to make it appear that the person is possessed.
It is not until later after witnessing a few more exorcisms that Michael begins to believe this in himself, in particular the unexplained phenomenon of certain events happening during the exorcism procedure. He confides with another class mate on this matter and is drawn more and more into the mysterious set of events occurring all around him.
Father Lucas eventually becomes possessed by himself and now Michael is at the point where his faith and the belief in the devil become more paramount to his cause. Towards the end we see Michael and Father Lucas battle it out with the devil and both ultimately triumphs.
Final Thoughts:
The movie starts well with the story unfolding to reveal the truth in the possession but then loses its focus and leaves the audience confused. Although acting by both Anthony Hopkins and Colin O’Donoghue was on par, the confusing plot and the events towards the end were a bit of a let-down. Although dark and sinister in its portrayal of the horror genre, it had more potential than what was produced by the director.
Rating:
6/10
Tags: Anthony Hopkins, Ciarán Hinds, Colin O'Donoghue, Horror Story of Learning Exorcism - The Rite, Movie review and ratings of The Rite
