While the first part stayed mostly true to the book the second part has been turned into an epic battle. It reminds me a bit of Return of the Jedi: after an initial action sequence and a short reprieve a one and a half hour final showdown begins. It  is full of action but still manages to find time for the important moments from the book although some details get lost of course.

Overall the movie is exciting but manages to slow down for the moving moments. It delivers the grand finale that I was waiting for.

X-Men: First Class tells the story of the founding of the X-Men and their school for mutants. At the beginning Charles Xavier is only a talented university student with telepathic abilities and an interest in genetics. He leads a relatively normal life until a CIA agent asks him for help to examine hostile mutant activity. During their first mission Xavier and his protégé Raven, later known as Mystique, encounter Erik Lehnsherr who will one day become the infamous mutant leader Magneto. Together they set out to find other mutants and bring them together for education and training. But the conflict with a violent group of misanthropical mutants and the human fear of mutants threatens Xavier’s idea of a peaceful coexistence.

The new X-Men movie takes much more time to portray the human aspects of the mutants. They are frequently scared of their own powers and fear and loathe rejection by normal people. Thanks to an ensemble of excellent actors this aspect of the film is neither boring nor corny. Of course there is also a lot of action and special effects, just as you would expect from an X-Men movie.

All in all X-Men: First Class is a very entertaining a movie and a must for all X-Men fans.

The movie of the same name finally unravels the mystery of the crater shown at the end of Iron Man 2. It was created by the impact of Mjölnir, Thor’s magical hammer. After Odin the king of Asgard banished Thor to earth for this arrogance and recklessness he sent the hammer to earth as well. But Thor can only reclaim his powerful weapon if he finally proves worthy of it. During Thor’s exile his brother Loki tries to seize power in Asgard at all costs.

Thor is a very entertaining action movie. Good actors and lots of special effects guarantee a lot of fun. The 3D effects are nicely done and avoid poking at your eyes. In between all the action there is even room for a bit of comedy and human relations.

We are looking forward to The Avengers to see what havoc Iron Man and Thor can wreak together.

1. The original novel is one of the best of the series. Its story is dark and except the lengthy camping part very exciting.
2. For the first time the producers decided to turn one of the books into a two-part film. I was hoping that this way the story wouldn’t be mutilated as e.g in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire movie.

Last Sunday Silke and I finally managed to go to the cinema. The film definitely picked up the dark mood of the original. It featured only small modifications to the book’s story, some were even for the better. The camping part seemed less long-winded than all those chapters in the novel. There were however some small inconsistencies mostly because previous movies left out too much of the plot.

All in all it was one of the best Harry Potter movies. But the final verdict will have to wait for the release of the second part.

Last Tuesday we could finally watch Iron Man 2 in a local cinema. Just like the first part it is full of humour, action and amazing special effects. Robert Downey Jr. delivers another brilliant performance as Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man. Tony Stark’s attitude towards his status as a super hero is still refreshingly relaxed and his worst enemy is once again his ego. Even after a healthy dose of self-discovery and the unavoidable fight against a supervillain he remains a big kid which really enjoys flying around in his armoured suit and doesn’t take life very serious. This refreshing attitude is what makes this film really enjoyable.

While Iron Man 2 is not quite as good as the first part it is still very entertaining and definitely worth seeing. According to The Internet Movie Database there will be a third movie as well which I’m looking forward to.

Law Abiding Citizen tells the story of a man who feels betrayed by the justice system after the murderer of his wife and daughter walks free due to a deal with the district attorney. He takes justice in his own hands and doesn’t only go after the criminals but also after the people who failed to prosecute the culprits.

The movie is a well done thriller. The main character Clyde Shelton is terrifying and likeable at the same time, hero and villain in one person. Gerard Butler‘s performance in this role is excellent. He manages to engage sympathy for a stone-cold killer.

If you like a good thriller with action and an original story you don’t to want miss Law Abiding Citizen.

District 9 has the usual ingredients: ugly aliens, ray-guns and space ships. But that is where the similarities with a lot of science fiction movies end. A large part of the movie has been shot to look like a documentary which makes the story appear very real. This is emphasized by the all too believable behaviour of the human characters. As the story develops you realise that real monsters often don’t look like monsters from the outside.

District 9 is well worth seeing and uses science fiction to reflect on human behaviour and its consequences.

The movie was just what he had hoped for: hilarious cartoon characters, breakneck action and a lot of humour presented in dizzying 3D. We had a really good time watching the film.

I’m only wondering how much of the fun will be lost when the 2D version is released on DVD or Blu-Ray …

And Star Trek didn’t disappoint me: action, humour and drama presented at Warp speed. The actors playing the crew of the enterprise are excellent, in particular Chris Pine. He plays James T. Kirk as a daredevil who you hate and love at the same time. He even manages to remind you of William Shatner without being sappy. After two hours which seem to pass in an instant a whole new universe opens up in front of you.

So far Star Trek is definitely the best movie I’ve seen this year.

Well, nothing really. Just like the X-Men movies X-Men Origins: Wolverine is full of action, humour and special effects. The movie reveals a lot about the events before the first X-Men movie including of course Logan’s past. If you liked the X-Men trilogy this movie is a must.