Blade Runner 2049, Ghost in The Shell, Fantastic Beasts

(Some quick looks are more recent movies)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) – J.K. Rowling begins her expansion of the Harry Potter Universe with a fun ride into America seven decades before Harry arrives at Hogwarts.  Eddie Redmayne stars as Newt Skamander, a specialist in magical beasts.  If I’ve seen anything Redmayne has done that I didn’t like, I can’t remember it.  He is wonderful here as well.  Mostly just a chance to chase outrageous CGI beasties around but Redmayne gives the whole movie both a center and a heart.  There’s a deftly handled romantic sub-plot that resolves nicely at the end.  Really enjoyed it.

Rating – **** Recommended

Ghost In The Shell (2017) – Reasons to see this movie – some pretty cool effects, lots of action and the feeling that you’ve almost seen Scarlett Johansson naked.  Beyond that?  There’s not much to like here.  Slow and too often dull.  I have never seen the source material or the earlier movie, so I come to this one without any baggage.  If you add in the questions about transforming the character of “Major” from an Asian to a Caucasian, there’s just less and less to recommend the movie.  Scarjo does pretty well (as usual) as an action hero.  Too bad they couldn’t give her a better vehicle for her talents.

Rating – ** Not Impressed

Blade Runner 2049 (2017) – I bring definite baggage to this movie.  I have been a fan of the original from the first time I watched it.  So I had real concerns about this sequel.  The original was sprawling and visually stunning.  Noir science fiction was brilliantly created by Ridley Scott, Harrison Ford, et al.  Have you noticed that I haven’t said much about the sequel yet?  Yeah.  While still visually impressive, they really lost the gritty feel of the original, gave Ryan Gosling a part where he has a perpetually flat aspect (cause that’s so interesting to watch) and fritters away the interesting ideas that are here.  The movie gets lost in the action sequences and special effects.  Maybe I expected too much because it feels like the movie came up short.

Rating – *** Worth A Look