caseynicholson

I caught this on Turner Classic a couple of weeks ago, and went into it not really knowing much at all about the story of Cleopatra. I know I had to read Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" in high school, but I never really got into the more romantic side of the story of Cleopatra, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. I've also never seen the Elizabeth Taylor version of the film that comes thirty years or so after this movie, so I went into it quite blind.

I found the 1934 version of "Cleopatra" to be a real treat. The film tells a dramatic tale that is quite encompassing. The acting was good and the story quite developed. One of the best parts of the movie is the detailed and grandiose sets throughout the movie--all of which are quite ornate and extraordinary even by today's standards, let alone by 1934's. At the end of it all I found myself enlightened to a bit of world history that I did not know before the movie, and entertained throughout. The only reason I didn't rate the film higher is that despite it's being so well done, I can't really say that it stands out as a favorite or something I'd want to watch over and over again. Still, it's quite good for what it is, and certainly worthy of seven stars.

Like most on opening weekend, I went into "Rogue One" fairly blind. It was known that the story took place in between Episodes III and IV, but the characters were all unknown. As such, there was a lot that I was unsure of. How would this fit into the chronology? Would it be a completely standalone film, with no connection to the other movies at all? That was pretty much how the previews made it out to be.

That being said, as it turns out, "Rogue One" is the immediate prequel to Episode IV, the original Star Wars movie, "A New Hope". It absolutely is directly connected to that film, but tells its tale through a cast of characters that are mostly new (Vader and one imperial commander and a couple of reprisals of rebel leaders being the exceptions). And, the story and film are exceptional on the whole. The style is a bit more serious and gritty than the other episodes, and the first half of the film goes by a bit slow at times--but by end it gets very good!

About the only drawback to this movie is its use of what I like to call the "Bourne" camera-work. At points the camera wobbles incessantly as figures are in battle. That was annoying, but not so much that it completely took away from the movie. And so, all things said, I have to give "Rogue One" 9/10 stars. It's fantastic, and falls just short of being a perfect ten. You definitely should see it!

So--full disclosure: "Moana" is one of the few Disney "princess" movies that I've actually seen. That being the case, I really don't have a lot to compare this movie to, at least in terms of how she stacks up to other Disney-produced female leads. What I can say, though, is that as someone who is a fan of movies in general, this was a fantastic movie!

One thing you can expect from this movie is that it follows a tried and true formula of the heroine going on an adventure, having to defeat an evil antagonist, and there being lots of kid-friendly singing along the way. The movie nevertheless takes on this task in a way that feels fresh and welcoming, by telling the story of an island girl whose tale incorporates her tribe's ancient mythology into the adventure.

All in all I'm giving this movie 9/10 stars. It's fantastic, but just a tad bit shy of a perfect rating. Perhaps a bit less song and dance would have made it a perfect 10 for me. Still, a fantastic movie through and through.