Jurassic World: Dominion

Concluding the second trilogy of the franchise, Jurassic World: Dominion is not strong in writing but still really fun. After dinosaurs have been set loose on Earth, humanity has a hard time adapting to the giant animals affecting them in different ways, all the while Owen and Claire have been taking care of Maisie, the cloned daughter of Hammond's partner. After Owen learns that Blue, a velociraptor he once trained, had a baby it and Maisie are kidnapped by mercenaries on behalf of Biosyn, corporation that is trying to control dinosaurs. At the same time, Ellie Sattler reconnects with Alan Grant to investigate giant locusts that have been going after a large number of crops. This leads them to Ian Malcolm, who is working with Biosyn, as they suspect the corporation being behind the crop attacks. In the end, the two parties eventually meet as they deal with both the dinosaurs, mercenaries, and locusts in order to defeat Biosyn. Lets face it, this trilogy wasn't the best compared to the first three, a lot of the writing was weak, the characters would be a bit over the top, and it often over relied on nostalgia. However, unlike most I did like the use of giant locusts since at least it was something new to this franchise and was handled rather well. The cast all provide really strong performances and having the original cast and the new one not meet until the end is done perfectly. Colin Trevorrow, who has been cowriter of the series since the first Jurassic World, returns to direct and does an okay job with the writing but his direction is really good and gives us memorable action scenes. As standard with this franchise, having lots of dinosaurs means lots of effects, with most of the CG and practical use being well done. If the franchise ever returns in the next decade or two, I wouldn't mind if they continued from where Jurassic World: Dominion left off but they at least fix the issues it had. Over all: 85%

2022 top list so far:

1. Top Gun: Maverick

2. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

3. The Northman

4. The Batman

5. Dog

6. Everything Everywhere All at Once

7. X 2022

8. Scream 2022

9. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

10. Jurassic World: Dominion

11. Sonic the Hedgehog 2

12. Uncharted

Top Gun: Maverick

With the original film having come out back in 1986, being the biggest film of that year and launching Tom Cruise as the box office star that the world knows him as, Top Gun: Maverick certainly had a lot to prove after over 30. Fortunately, this sequel is not only kick-ass but is strong in its writing, acting, direction, and accurate portrayal of how one flies Naval combat jets. The film sees Cruise's Pete "Maverick" Mitchell having to train young graduates from the same academy he attended, including the son of his best friend, who died in the first film. They all have to be precise and settle their differences in order to take part in a dangerous mission that could get them killed. Director Joseph Kosinski puts together a very elaborate action drama with a lot of heart and wonderful love letter to aviation. Regular Cruise collaborator Christopher McQuarrie cowrites with Ehren Kruger and Eric Warren Singer and they craft such a remarkable story that never feels like anything is unnecessary, with every single thing you see never feeling rushed or too slow, having good comedic bits balanced with great drama, and characters you get to know and fleshed out. One odd thing I do find is that they never state who their mission is against, whether it's another country or terrorist organization. The cinematography from Claudio Miranda is stunning, especially as he worked with the actors to set up the cameras in the jets to get actual shots in flight. With high octane action and piloting, it helps that editor Eddie Hamilton did a phenomenal job at not only pacing it well but how great the flight scenes are no matter how chaotic. Another collaboration in this film is the music done between Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga, Hans Zimmer, and Lorne Balfe who all create music that is a good mix of modern and 80s. Of course all that would not matter if it weren't for the performances from the cast whether they're returning like Cruise and Val Kilmer, or the newcomers like Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, and Glenn Powell who all provide so much to their characters that make them feel real. Very rarely does one find a film so perfect and with so little flaws, but Top Gun: Maverick is one of those rare ones. Over all: 100%

2022 top list so far:

1. Top Gun: Maverick

2. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

3. The Northman

4. The Batman

5. Dog

6. Everything Everywhere All at Once

7. X 2022

8. Scream 2022

9. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

10. Sonic the Hedgehog 2

11. Uncharted

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 picks up a few months after the first film, with Sonic trying to find his place in the world while living with Tom and Maddie, often doing heroic vigilante stuff without them knowing. All the while, Doctor Robotnik is rescued and teams up with Knuckles to take on Sonic and obtain the powerful Master Emerald. Aided by the tech savvy and friendly Tails, Sonic must defeat the two of them to keep his family safe and prevent mass destruction. The cast, directors, and writers all return from the first film, as well as the addition of Idris Elba voicing Knuckles and regular franchise veteran Colleen O'Shaughnessey brought in for Tails. Much of the writing is improved compared to previous film, though still in keeping with its children's film aesthetic. It doesn't rely too much on product placement and the story isn't just a copy and paste of the 2020 film, though some parts of the story could have been shortened or be left out entirely. There's an entire sequence related to Maddie's sister's wedding that is way out of place and feels like a completely different movie. It isn't terrible and many of the jokes work, but feels like it turns into a Tyler Perry movie halfway through and then comes back to Sonic. The performances from every actor are all good, especially Jim Carrey once again as Robotnik being hilarious and Idris Elba gives Knuckles a lovable meathead voice work. This sequel's action sequences are much more creative than the first's, and thanks to the well made effects are incredible and fun to watch. While being a much better constructed movie compared to its predecessor, I think Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is not as memorable as the first but is still incredible fun and continues to give video game adaptations a better shot than what has been done before. Over all: 84%

2022 top list so far:

1. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

2. The Northman

3. The Batman

4. Dog

5. Everything Everywhere All at Once

6. X 2022

7. Scream 2022

8. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

9. Sonic the Hedgehog 2

10. Uncharted