Showing posts with label Online. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Online. Show all posts
Can you believe it's been eight years since this blog was created? I started this website as a hobby in my PR class as a way to help develop my writing and express my passions in content. Originally, my writing was sub-par, had glaring errors in it, and I covered a lot of broad topics from daily life to news. The progression naturally turned to my geek interests, like TV, movies, gaming, and other highlights in nerdom/geekdom. As I grew in life, so did this blog.
September 2018 marks eight years since when this blog originally launched as The Unwritten Journal. Even the name focused on being more of a personal blog that covered my daily life and interests. Four years after that launch, I rebranded the site to become City Boy Geekiness, and the content became more streamlined to cover geek topics. A year after that rebranding, my writing passion expanded beyond blogging into freelance writing and journalism. Though, now life has reached to this moment.
For the last several months, I've been focusing a lot on my priorities and taking a bigger interest in my well-being. Yoga, meditation, and organization have helped to balance things out; it's also pushed me to realign and focus on my goals in life. I'm a determined and ambitious type of person - I love keeping busy and signing up for new opportunities/experiences. Arguably, this has been both a blessing and a curse because I get to develop my skills and passions, but I also take on too much as an active person. If you head into the archived posts timeline, you can see when the lack of blog posts began.
As much as I love writing on this blog, other priorities came up that felt more closely attuned to where I was in life. The blog has tried to stay in the loop, but it's come to the point that I need to admit the truth: City Boy Geekiness, as an active viable blog, needs to end.
It's been a great eight years posting along with you, but my focus mainly is going to be elsewhere in the journalism world. I'll update this site with some new page links, and there might be an occasional post or two in the future. But, this is my metaphorical goodbye message.
Keep in touch with me on any of my social channels (links are above)! Also, follow along with my contributor/staff writer posts. Let's stay geeky together, and don't forget to be geeky always. :)
The superheroes are back in full force! Fourteen years have passed for one of my favorite animated films to finally return with a long-awaited sequel. Seriously, why the long wait?! I love The Incredibles. So, when the news came that a sequel would be released after all these years, I eagerly waited for new developments. But, was the latest installment worth the wait?
The movie I will be reviewing today is the animated superhero flick: The Incredibles 2.
The Premise: After the return of superheroes were made public, Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl join Frozone in a campaign to make superheroes legal again. However, a mysterious foe is brainwashing the world's most influential people and they could pose a problem in their plans.
The Results: 3.5/5!
The Incredibles 2 is a cheeky and heartwarming flick that still captures the tone from the original movie. All of the main cast members stayed true to the first film, and they each had a few quippy lines that made them shine. In some cases, certain characters (like Jack Jack) got more attention!
The problem, however, is that The Incredibles 2 pales in comparison to the plot of the first film. Whereas every member of the family is utilized together to stop the villain or embark on the mission in the original, The Incredibles 2 feels disjointed for a large majority of the plot. There are two completely different stories with contrasting tones happening at the same time - as a viewer, it felt exhausting jumping back and forth from excited to sad many times. Also, much of the cast were underutilized in their superhero elements; they basically were glorified supporting characters.
That's not to say The Incredibles 2 was a bad movie. I quite enjoyed the flick and appreciated the nostalgia of seeing this superhero family once again, as well as Edna Mode. You should check out this animated flick because it is fun, entertaining, and a good return to a refreshing series.
Blockbuster sequels have a huge hill to climb to conquer the shadow of their predecessor. Some films have broken through those barriers and continued the train of success while others failed to measure up. So, when a much-anticipated sequel is announced for an extremely popular movie, the expectations are usually set pretty high. Luckily, we didn't have anything to fear this time around.
The next installment for this campy superhero flick stuck to its style of raunchy jokes, quick wit, and its tradition of breaking the fourth wall. On the other hand, while the film had everything we wanted for this superhero series, the final product didn't stand out more than the original movie. The move I will be writing about today is the sequel to the foul-mouthed and fun superhero Deadpool series: Deadpool 2.
The Premise: After a shocking death shakes up his life, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) assembles a group of misfit superheroes to do some good and save the life of a tortured Mutant. Unfortunately for him, the mysterious Cable (Josh Brolin) returns from the future to stop his plans.
The Good: Deadpool 2 is a movie defined by its raunchy attitude and quick-witted zingers. The sequel stuck to its style with plenty of fun moments that added a lot of humour and heart to this hilarious anti-hero. Ryan Reynolds excelled in his role as Deadpool. You could tell that he had a lot more fun revisiting this character now that he proved a Deadpool movie could work and that people loved the character.
In addition to Deadpool, a majority of the supporting cast did an excellent job rounding out the ensemble. Out of the new characters, Josh Brolin as Cable mixed the darkness of the character with a nice light-hearted approach to be a good hero/villain, Yukio (Shioli Kutsuna) offered funny gags, and Domino (Zazie Beetz) was the perfect new addition in her seriously underrated role. Plus, the return of returning favourites, like Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand), were always a pleasure to see after their stand out portrayals in the first film.
The Bad: Whereas a large portion of the cast was on their A-game, some of the new characters fell flat. In particular, Firefist (Julian Dennison) didn't have the same punch. He's still pretty new to the world of acting, so we can give him some slack in this regard. However, there were times were he was over-acting or trying to measure up to the talent of his co-stars.
The biggest problem for Deadpool 2, however, is the plot. As compared to the first film, the stakes for the sequel were substantially lessened. There was no clear villain or threat for much of the film, and Deadpool was left adrift until he decided what mission he wanted to set himself on. For a superhero movie, Deadpool 2 didn't utilize the potential for what the character of Deadpool, and his group of heroes, could bring to the screen.
Also, the sequel presented a HUGE plot hole that did not make near the end of the film. Without giving too much away in spoilers, a certain action made by a character should have negated the events of the film. But, that's a debate for another day.
The Results: 4/5!
Deadpool 2 returned to offer fans an entertaining adventure. All of the tropes you've come to a expect from a Deadpool movie returned, like death, action, nudity, dirty jokes and zingers. When it came to the plot, there wasn't much substance to keep the story afloat and at times, the cast was left adrift waiting until a purpose was made. If you like superhero movies and mindless comedy, Deadpool 2 is the movie for you. Don't go into the theatre expecting anything groundbreaking, this is a popcorn blockbuster and you will get your laugh in the end.
Marvel's MCU is back at it again with the next hero in their long list of movie releases. After making his big debut in Captain America: Civil War, this superhero burst into the scene with one of the most anticipated films of the year. And, it was all worth the hype! The movie we will be discussing today is the action-packed superhero flick: Black Panther.
The Plot: After several Wakanda artifacts are stolen from a museum, Black Panther (played by Chadwick Boseman) and his allies' search for the robber leads them to a bigger mystery involving a powerful and deadly mastermind, Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan).
The Results: 5/5!
Black Panther is one of the best movies to be released by the MCU yet. If I could rate this film higher than a perfect score, I would. T'Challa/Black Panther was an inspiring and fun hero to follow through his adventure. The supporting characters were equally as amazing and well-written, with Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira, Lupito Nyong'o, and Winston Duke being some of the best additions to the MCU. In fact, every performer featured in Black Panther stood out as a great addition to the series!
When it came to the villain, Killmonger might be one of the best villains in the MCU. The only downside, however, was the strange plot treatment to Okoyo's (Danai Gurira) love interest - the story should have stuck to what was originally written in the first draft. If you like action films (or superhero films in general), you should check out Black Panther.
If you can believe it or not, I've never played a game of Dungeons & Dragons before. I've seen them enough in the past; they're littered across TV series and movies. Twitch also has a steady stream of content, some even created by the likes of Geek & Sundry and Nerdist, to get your fill. But as a gamer, this was a series I never fully played through firsthand myself. (There was that one time my high school friends tried to start one. We failed MISERABLY and gave up 10 minutes in!)
As of this year, one of the websites I write for - The Young Folks - started up their own D&D adventure. I jumped at the chance to sign up. You know me: I love games, trying new things and I'm a bit competitive. All of that was right up my alley.
We're already six episodes deeps (my character joined in the third) and things are getting pretty heated. I play Alexandrus Tillart, a human cleric who serves the Grave domain for Kelemvor. I won't get too deep into my character's backstory, but let's just say there's a mission I need to complete and things will get a bit spooky.
If you want to join in and watch, we stream Mondays starting at 9 p.m. ET. You can check out past episodes on Twitch, YouTube and can download the podcasts on Apple Podcasts, to name a few.
It's October and you know what that means: Horror movies! I love scary movies. In fact, this blog is filled with countless posts about horror movie reviews and lists. Slasher movies are my favourite from the genre. Even though it can be a little generic and cheesy, watching the Final Girl try to survive always pulls me into the story. This latest movie review is no exception. The film I will be reviewing today is the time-jumping slasher flick: Happy Death Day.
The Plot: University student "Tree" (played by Jessica Rothe) wakes up after a hard night of partying and lives her full day on campus, which just so happens to be her birthday. The problem, however, is that she's murdered by a mysterious masked individual. Instead of dying, she is forced to repeat the same day again and again to stop her death from happening.
The Results: 3/5!
Happy Death Day is exactly what it looks to be: A cheeky horror film inspired by the film, Groundhog Day. Beyond the rewind twist, this was a standard slasher flick with a killer going after the same one person. You're not going to get much originality from that. However, Tree was a fun and engaging lead character; I liked rooting for her to solve the murder and her interactions with all of the other supporting characters. She really carried the film and brought life to the adventure. Happy Death Day is a movie that won't change the horror genre, but it is one that you should check out and add to your slasher rotation. It's fun, cheeky, and adds a good bit of humour to the horror tone.
Period pieces, and especially films about war, are not my typical movie choices when heading to theatres. Give me horror movies, superhero flicks, and any endless array of sci-fi/fantasy/action/teen drama blockbusters to fill my time - you can never go wrong. So, it's surprising to see that I agreed to check out the biggest war movie of the summer this week. My hesitations were for naught. The movie I will be reviewing today is the WWII war drama: Dunkirk.
The Plot: Set through three interconnected stories at the Battle of Dunkirk, Dunkirk follows the devastating series of events as soldiers try to make their escape from the deadly battle.
The Results: 4/5!
Dunkirk is a visually beautiful war film. Not much is needed with words to show the extent of how terrifying and deadly the battle is for these soldiers. Starting from the beginning of the film to the end, viewers will be hooked as you follow the journey of these interconnected characters. I preferred the story of the foot soldiers and their many attempts to escape off the beach.
Whereas the film was beautifully edited and captured, I think it lacked in the plot direction. Dunkirk brings viewers right into the war and the early stages of the main character's arrival at the beach. However, it took a long time to realize what was going on, what these characters were trying to do and how it was all connected. There was no main overall plot except to escape and fight the enemy; it was pretty bare bones. If you like war films and a thrilling introduction to this period in history, you should check out Dunkirk. There's no doubt it will do well at this year's Academy Awards.
Bring on the superhero movies. I would watch them all day, every day if I could. Well, it depends on the superhero. This might surprise a lot of you to hear, but I haven’t watched every crime-fighting flick. The Hulk, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, and the Iron Man films are some I’ve missed. I won’t be returning my Geek Card just yet – there’s still plenty of time to get this done. (Though, the Iron Man films are still near the bottom of my list. #SorryNotSorry)
Most recently, one of DC’s most notable superheroes has hit the big screen with their own solo adventure. We saw her cameo in Batman vs. Superman – and it was EVERYTHING! The movie I will be reviewing today is the action-packed time period piece: Wonder Woman.
The Plot: Diana (Gal Gadot) is an Amazonian trained to fight an unknown ensuing battle of the Gods. After a U.S. agent washes ashore on the island, she takes on the role of Wonder Woman and enters the battle of World War II to stop a potential apocalyptic destruction.
The Results: 5/5!
Wonder Woman is incredible! I don’t give out perfect scores often, but Wonder Woman earns it (and even more). Gal Gadot shines in her leading role and adds plenty of heart/depth to the character. The writing isn’t cheesy, the special effects and fight scenes are perfectly designed, and the supporting cast each have their own personality. Wonder Woman is the DC action movie we’ve needed in a long time – more films need to be created like this. You need to see it. We need another sequel. Let’s make it happen.
I grew up watching Power Rangers. I don't just mean Mighty Morphin Power Rangers...I watched A LOT of this show. Power Rangers meant a lot to me as a child since it showed me adventure, action and the chance to do good as a teenager. Let's just say I was hooked for many years. A big screen movie has already been created about five fighting teenagers, but that was a long time ago in the 90s. This time, a reboot was created to get new people invested in the series and for others (like me!), to relive the nostalgia. The movie I will be reviewing today is the teen action adventure: Power Rangers.
The Plot: Nestled in the quiet town of Angel Grove, five teenagers stumble upon magical glowing rocks that grant them superhero powers. Unbeknownst to them, the rocks have chosen them to become the Power Rangers, a group of evil-fighting heroes. When the villainous Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks) plans to steal the Earth's life force, the team suits up to stop her.
The Results: 3.5/5!
Power Rangers is a guilty pleasure action movie. There are plenty of fighting scenes, teen drama and build-up included it that leads to the climactic battle. I liked the performances of the main five teenagers who make up the new team; we learned a lot about them to get their individual personalities and why we should care about them. Elizabeth Banks and Bryan Cranston also did a great job as Rita and Zordon, respectively.
The tone, on the other hand, does come across as too cheesy and teen angsty at times; the same can also be said for the special effects. It fits the Powers Rangers TV show feel, but for those new to the series, it may look weird. However, Power Rangers (the movie) is an addictive popcorn flick. The movie provides some genuine fun and a good start for a potential movie franchise. Though, some major tweaks will be needed to keep this series fresh and mature.
Can you believe it's been a year already? I have posted about Tuesday Tunes in a really long time. I've kept this series on hold to give it some breathing room and a chance to focus on other writing. There are other geeky topics I usually write about more on this blog, like TV and gaming for instance. However, I've been missing this series. I do love music too, after all.
As a little refresher to the series, Tuesday Tunes is a way to showcase three videos I find online that have a focus on music. It could be a TV show, a movie, music videos or even a parody. Really! It could be anything as long as there is music featured somehow. This time, I'm going to focus on Ariana Grande.
Here are the three videos I've chosen today:
1. Ariana Grande imitates celebrities on Saturday Night Live
2. "Into You"
3. "Everyday"
It's that time of year again! Prepare yourselves for a bit of frustration and patience: I'm updating the layout of the website. (I can hear your groans now.)
The current design of the blog has served its purpose, but I've reached the point where I need a bit of change. Something with colour, a redesigned (and more in-tuned) SEO, and updated features. Surprisingly, I've kept the current layout around for longer than I expected. Though, it could be due to being incredibly busy with my freelance writing the last year.
Don't get me wrong, I do like this blog layout! This could be the layout that's been used the longest out of the last three/four design changes. However, I need something a bit easier to use, especially design wise.
Stay tuned for changes to come. I don't know when I will be starting the update; I still need to search for a new layout. If you have any suggestions, flip your recommendations my way.
I've never been the biggest fan of the Wolverine movies. After the destruction of the first movie's timeline and the strange plot of the second movie, I didn't have high expectations for the third and final film in the series. In fact, I wasn't originally going to watch it. If it had not been out of sheer curiosity, who knows what would have happened. Though, based on my mini movie review today, I'm glad that I did. The movie I will be reviewing today is the last installment in the mutant superhero trilogy: Logan.
The Plot: Set in the near future, Logan (played by Hugh Jackman) is retired, a drunk, and works as a limo driver to make a living. After responding to a ride order, he encounters a mysterious woman with a small child, named Laura (played by Dafne Keen), who are being hunted by a military group. Logan teams up with familiar friends and new to protect Laura.
The Results: 5/5!
Logan is a dark and gritty action-filled thrill ride that will keep you hooked until the very end. The final part of the Wolverine trilogy makes up for the two lackluster films which proceeded it. Hugh Jackman brings emotional heart to this tired character we've seen for over a decade now, and this may be the first time an X-Men movie has reached a perfect mix of thoughtful drama and action. Dafne Keen does an amazing job of working alongside Jackman, especially with the few words she utters throughout the movie. The action is stunning, the pace is thought out, and the ending is emotionally gripping (there may have been some tears). However, if you're not one for bloody superhero fights and a grittier side to these X-Men characters, you may not initially enjoy the flick.
I would recommend to check out Logan. It's the last film in the trilogy and the last one featuring some of the iconic actors (this is Patrick Stewart's and Hugh Jackman's last X-Men role). This a fun popcorn flick to see in theatres.
I love London. There's something about the culture or the accent that pulls me in; it's always been on my bucket list to visit it someday. Before this year and trip, I had never traveled to the city, to Europe, or even across the ocean to another continent. This was a first for me and a trip that was LONG overdue. I don't get to travel often, so this was a gift to myself. The problem now is that I miss it so much - I want to go back!
After 10 days of walking around the city and sightseeing, my camera was obviously by my side to snap a bunch of photos. And being the geeky guy that I am, I made a point to see (or, in some cases, stumble upon) equally geek and nerdy places.
Without sharing every single photo I took, here are seven moments that I think you might like:
1. THE HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD SIGN
2. STUMBLING UPON THE BBC
3. PLATFORM 9 3/4
4. RESISTING THE URGE TO BUY EVERYTHING RAVENCLAW AT PLATFORM 9 3/4
5. THE SET OF THE SPICE GIRLS' "WANNABE"
6. WATCHING ALADDIN
7. FINDING THIS HOME ALONE SIGN
The tale as old as time has found its release date and first official trailer. This is amazing news because I love Disney movies! I grew up during the time of Aladdin, Lion King and other films during the Disney cartoon resurgence - it's always had a special place in my heart. When Disney started to create live-action remakes of their films, I've been a bit mixed on the subject. Some have been enjoyable (Cinderella) while others missed the mark (Maleficent). Beauty and the Beast is one such film I've eagerly waited for since I heard it went into production.
For those unfamiliar with the tale, Beauty and the Beast is a remake of the cartoon with the same name. It follows the story of Belle (played by Emma Watson) who becomes a prisoner of the Beast (Dan Stevens) and their growing infatuation for each other as he learns to love again and she looks beyond his appearance. The original cartoon is still one of the only Disney cartoons (or any cartoon, in fact) to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
The movie is going to be released March 17, 2017 - which means a lot to me because it is near a special day for me. You can check out the trailer below to get a look at the official trailer.
November is going to be a busy time for me (but when is it never busy?). While new posts on this blog have become few and far between, it doesn't mean I've stopped writing. Neither have I given up on this blog - I will, always will be, City Boy Geekiness.
As I mentioned in previous blog posts, I've been building out my freelance writing and journalism career with news, entertainment and geeky articles. I've updated the section on this site so that you can follow along with all the new pieces I'm creating online. I'm no longer with EW's The Community, but I'm still creating ongoing content for The Young Folks. In addition to that, I've joined two new places: One as a freelance contributor and the other as a Staff Writer.
I don't want to give any hints for the contributor site just yet. However, the first post for the Staff Writer position is now up. I'll be covering Salem for TV Fanatic! Here is the link to the article: HERE. I hope you follow along.
Don't fret! I'll be scheduling a few more posts for this site during this weekend. Stay tuned!
Happy Halloween!
I love this holiday. Everything from dressing up to the scary movies to the overall feel of the day. Yesterday's Halloween celebration ends a weekend of costumes and horror movies. As a geek I should like creating costumes, like for Fan Expo, but I only do it for Halloween. I'm not sure why...
This year, I went as The Riddler from Batman. For those unfamiliar with the green Batman villain, The Riddler is the inquisitive Edward Nygma, who loves to challenge the Dark Knight with life-threatening puzzles and games marked with his iconic green question mark. I've dressed up as a few heroes and characters over the years; it's nice to try a villain once again (my last villainous Halloween costume was as the puppet from Saw).
Even though Halloween is over, there's always movies like Hocus Pocus and The Nightmare Before Christmas to keep me entertained. You can also watch this old CollegeHumor video to enjoy a quick laugh!
The most anticipated movie I've been waiting for all year is finally here and it's...interesting. Take a splash of familiar villainous characters, add a bit of cheeky humour, set them all in the DC world and what you get is a highly debated comic book that nobody can agree on. I have my opinions (as well as the rest of you), so let's jump right into this review. Today's movie review will be on the DC super-villain blockbuster flick: Suicide Squad.
The Plot: Grouped together by the cold-hearted Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), a band of misfit and dangerous villains must make their way through the streets of Midway City to stop the Enchantress (Cara Delevigne) from eradicating humanity. Making up the eclectic group includes Deadshot (Will Smith), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), El Diablo (Jay Hernandez) and Rick Flag (Joel Kinnamen) to name a few.
The Results: 3.5/5!
Suicide Squad isn't as bad as everyone says it is. Sure, there are some problems with the plot and the tone of the film goes all over the place (one minute it's a dark comedy, but the next it's a serious action flick). I'm still not sure the significance of banding the group together and the Enchantress didn't seem that menacing of a villain. However, I found the film to be enjoyable for what it is. Suicide Squad introduced some great characters to the DC film universe. Margot Robbie, Jared Leto as the Joker, Viola Davis and Will Smith did an amazing job in their parts; they stand out as highlights in this ensemble cast! I hope they return to future films or even have their own films. Though, Jared Leto as the Joker was seriously underutilized in Suicide Squad and, based on the rumours of the countless extra footage, he could've had his own movie with Harley Quinn. With a bit of editing for a Director's Cut or something along the lines, I think Suicide Squad could work as a great movie. For now, it's a popcorn flick you can enjoy for the time being until the next DC films are released.
If you didn't already know: I love gaming. Board games. Video games. Digital games. I can't help it; I grew up with it. And one of my guilty pleasures is watching movies that have a "gaming" theme to them, whether it's a video game-to-movie adaptation or simply part of the plot. Well, after having a lonely Friday night without friends around, I decided to check out a brand new movie in theatres. (Yes, I went to the theatre by myself. Don't judge, we all do it!) This movie review is about a competitive digital thriller: NERVE.
The Plot: Vee (Emma Roberts) is shy and unadventurous high school student in Staten Island who wants to go to school to be a photographer. After her friends joke that she's too safe, Vee signs up to play a new digital reality game called "NERVE," an app that challenges players to dares (ranging from embarrassing to life-threatening) to win cash. NERVE covers the events of one as Vee competes in this dangerous game.
The Results: 3.75/5!
I liked NERVE more than I probably should have. Blame the likable cast, the bright colours, the New York setting, or even the concept of the game itself, I enjoyed watching the film. Emma Roberts did a great job leading the movie and I liked the supporting characters; Dave Franco's character, though, rubbed me the wrong way, but he did have great chemistry with Roberts. The only fault to the movie I had may have to do with the plot itself. The movie tried to give as much background as it could to explain NERVE (the game), but there were some persistent plot holes. Like, for instance, is the winner the only one to get money or do people who fail challenges also get money? If the game is so popular, why do most people seem not to know of it? Regardless, that could be explored if there is a sequel. NERVE is digital, techo-colour ride that offers some laughs and a could teen thriller to watch while having popcorn.
Remakes/reboots can be a hit-or-miss in the movie world. I tend to be on the fence before I see the final product - it's always good to have an open mind. However, if the original movie is a classic or near perfect, there are a lot of expectations set against it. The same can be said for the movie that I will be reviewing today. The film is the remake of the supernatural buddy comedy flick: Ghostbusters.
The Plot: After being fired from their jobs for discussions of the paranormal, a rag tag group of friends open up a ghost-hunting business to prove the existence of the ghosts. However, when ghosts start to terrorize the city, it is up to them to save everyone.
The Results: 2/5!
Ghostbusters isn't a bad movie; in fact, it's a good film and offers a few laughs. Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones all shine in their characters as the main four leading this adventure. And with these four, there were moments where I did genuinely laugh. The problem I have with Ghostbusters is simply that it was unnecessary. The movie didn't provide anything new to the series but explain the cause of these ghosts appearing in the city. The design and special effects detracted from the scariness of the ghosts and made them feel non-threatening whereas in the original, it felt more like a horror-comedy. When it came to the supporting or side characters, they were funny but didn't come across as real people; they were more as comedic pieces (especially the Chris Hemsworth character). Ghostbusters is a fun flick and I would suggest checking it out, but if there came a choice between watching this film or the original, you should absolutely watch the original.
Horror trilogies are a rarity in the movie genre. Certain films have been lucky enough to reach the threshold to tell their story in three parts (the Scream series, which is now debatable after the release of Scream 4) while others are a "one-and-done" or falter in their sequel (I Know What You Did Last Summer). The latest movie that I will be reviewing today is the third part to the futuristic horror society series: The Purge: Election Year.
The Plot: Several years after the events of The Purge: Anarchy, a political candidate (Elizabeth Mitchell) is gaining momentum in her election campaign toward becoming the next president. Her main goal: Ending the Purge. Unfortunately for her, the current regime—The New Founding Fathers—don't want to eliminate the Purge and they will do whatever it takes to eliminate her on the deadliest night of the year.
The Results: 2.5/5!
The Purge: Election Year is what you would expect from a typical Purge flick. There is blood, violence, crazy costumes, and an intentional need to survive against deranged people out to kill the main characters. The strength of the film has to be the design and development of the characters. Each of the main characters, including some of the supporting villains, are fleshed out well enough that you get a sense of who they are and a bit of their backstory. I liked the political candidate and the core group of heroes.
The downside, however, is that the film is overloaded with cheese factor. The villains aren't simply evil—they're deranged and psychotic! The first and second film in the series at least had their villains grounded enough that they had some sense of humanity paired with their evil; there is no such limit in Election Year. Particularly the scenes with the psychotic teenagers—I couldn't believe people descended into THAT level of madness that quickly.
If you're a fan of bloody horror movies or a fan of the Purge series, this movie is for you. It's a good popcorn flick for a bit of action during the summer. However, you shouldn't go in expecting anything news or groundbreaking—it's a Purge movie.