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This is easily one of the most gripping, intense, and heart-racing films I have ever seen. Directed by Greengrass, Captain Phillips doesn't just entertain; it fully immerses you in this experience

For the first half, everything about this film was pitch-perfect down to every detail. Whenever the pirates appeared on screen, it fully immersed me in the experience, almost as if I were there on the boat: hands down, one of the most gripping scenes in Hollywood. The directing was just phenomenal in every sense of the word. Even the camera angles and style were perfect. Always recording from the perspective of the crew or the pirates. Captain Philips certainly doesn't hold back from making this as down-to-earth and human as possible

The pacing does falter a bit in the 2nd act, and Philips' calmness for a good portion does saturate it a little bit, and downplays the gravity of the situation. But even with that said, Captain Philips never drags in its 134 run time. It always innovates with its storytelling. And as soon as the navy showed up, the film became even more intense than it already was. Especially that last 30 minutes when Philips' life comes under danger, oh man, that's just peak cinema, might even be the top 5 climaxes of all time, and no, I'm not joking

Of course, a major part of what makes Captain Phillips such a grand film is the acting. This is quietly one of Tom Hanks' strongest performances of his career. He's never overplaying it, always grounded and dramatic when he needs to. The pirates, especially the captain, also deliver an awe-inspiring performance. Even the side characters in this documentary-style feature were handled well. The kid who has an injured foot, the crew, you name it

Overall, Captain Phillips is a powerhouse in modern storytelling. It just doesn't dramatize real events; it makes you feel them. If you enjoy character-driven suspense with real-world stakes, this is well worth your time. Truly splendid

Story- 10, Characters- 9, Visuals- 10, Accuracy- 9, Enjoyability- 9.5

Overall score: 9.5/10.

It's pretty weird how I've indulged myself in Kaiju films for my entire life, and yet I went this long without checking out Pacific Rim. So, as a decade-late review, how does the feature hold up?

The premise is simple on paper: giant monsters vs giant robots, but if fully committed, can make for one heck of an action-packed adventure. The film does a commendable job of introducing the premise and establishing Raleigh's character and his struggles. Unfortunately, though, Pacific Rim suffers heavily from tiresome cliches and a simple script. From that, it makes the entire 2nd half of the feature predictable at every turn.

Action in this film is also very minimal. I do admire the clever designs of the Jaegers/kaijus, high-quality CGI, and stunning fight scenes, but for the majority of the run time, it's too distracted from giving the characters arcs to deliver action. I also felt like the action sequences just ended too fast, not even 30 seconds in, and one of them is out

Surprisingly, I found the characters to be the biggest strength of Pacific Rim, minus Mako. Even an insignificant side character like Dr. Newton was given care in the script. But out of all of the roles, Idris Elba's Marshal stood out the most for me. The Marshal has the best one-liners of the entire film, aided by Elba's unsurprising amazing acting skills. His character could have maybe been explored a little further, but I'm happy with what we got. Raleigh was fine. But the only character I have an issue with is Mako. She just decided to become Raleigh's girlfriend one day, and has a shockingly low relevance to the story. Anyone else could have co-piloted with Raleigh, and the results would remain the same

Overall, Pacific Rim is a film that has structural issues, but still manages to stand out from having great visuals and an awesome cast. If you're interested in checking this out, then I'd say do so

Story- 4, Characters- 8, Visuals- 8, Themes- 6 Enjoyability- 6.5

Overall score: 6.5/10.

I have never read any of the comics, so this film is purely from the perspective of a newcomer who might not understand everything. Dog Man is certainly one of the more interesting movies of this year

The animation is most certainly its defining trait. Not only does it do a fantastic job of bringing 2D characters to the 3rd dimension exceptionally well, but what it does with the animation is also great. There are a lot of comic-style visual effects throughout, and a plentiful amount of decent action sequences that can get creative at times. It also nails the physical comedy, speaking of which

The humor is another solid part of the picture. There are a few potty jokes sprinkled here and there, but it's brilliant most of the time. The comedic timing truly elevates the whole experience alongside its impressive visuals

Petey and little Petey are the best characters by a long shot. The film's heart and messages are from the duo, and they both have a significant amount of screen time, which makes them likable. But that means in this 90-minute film, everyone else had less care, which includes Dog Man. He's adorable and likable as ever, don't get me wrong, but he feels like a side character. He doesn't have an arc, nor a backstory, except for the first 5 minutes. Dare I say, Dog Man felt like a plot tool, not a prominent character

The comedy is very strong, like I said, but the actual story is not very good. The pacing is too fast to let the moments sink in, and crowded with its conflicts sometimes

But overall, Dog Man is an exhilarating experience that delivers one of the sharpest comedies and visuals from DreamWorks and Jellyfish. It may have its issues, but its qualities overshadow it. I'd say this is worth checking out for both casual viewers and fans of the comics

Story- 6, Visuals- 10, Characters- 5, Themes- 8, Enjoyability- 7.5

Overall score: 7.4/10.