Three Movies, Three Sequels, Three Scores

22 Jump Street - How to Train Your Dragon 2 - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 

Everyone needs to have a movie buff buddy so that they can go watch ten films a week every week. Sadly, I only went out for three movies this week, but boy were they some good ones. As a frequent movie goer, I accumulated enough points to score two free movies! In fact I could've easily seen Apes on Horses for free, but free tickets don't apply to new releases. Even so, I would've happily paid my hard earned money to see all of these films. I'm going make a quick fire review of each film and hopefully that'll be enough to convince you to watch them. Let's go! 

"From drug busters, to dragons, to friggin' apes on horses, this has been a good week." 

22 Jump Street - A High 3.5/5 

The newest instalment of Jump Street definitely does not suffer from "sequelitis". Instead of being a carbon copy of its predecessors like most sequels (The Hangover Part II), 22 Jump Street proves itself as more of an upgrade. The humour was fresh and built upon our memories of the first film. I applaud them for actually pulling this off since the plot in itself is pretty much "the exact same thing" as that of 21 Jump Street. 

Now I don't usually like giving modified scores like a "high four" or a "low five", because I like to go off my gut reaction to a film. The problem here lies in the fact that I rated Transformers Age of Extinction exactly the same! Coming out of the cinema I was full of Transformers hype, but in hindsight I can bring myself back to reason and realise the bigger flaws in the movie. My gut rating for 22 Jump Street is 3.5, but I'm not about to say that Transformers was on the same level. 22 Jump Street is the perfect example of how to do action and comedy in a tasteful and well paced manner. In the end, you could always take my rating as a pun. You know, because they're looking for drugs...  

How To Train Your Dragon 2 - 4/5 

I'll be honest with you. If you want to know what happens in this movie all you need to do is watch the trailer, assume the good guys win, and there you have it! The story in HTTYD2 is sub par, but the thing that pushes it up is its spectacular execution of its scenes. It truly is a sight to behold. From exploring the vast reaches of the world, to encountering a new colony of dragons, I can assure you that every scene is a spectacle. Coupled with kick ass action sequences and a simple theme this movie will push its way into your heart and make you leave the theatre smiling. 

So does How to Train Your Dragon 2 suffer from "sequelitis"? Well, that depends on what you're asking. Did the sequel improve of all the qualities of its predecessor? No. The first HTTYD had a much clearer story strengthened by solid themes. However, I do think that this sequel is much visually better. The action sequences are also taken up a notch and you know how much I love action. They both have their strengths and weaknesses, but one things for sure, "I want to ride dragon". 

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - 4/5 

Excuse me while I aboard the hype train. I loved this movie. The thing that really gets me about this sequel is the stellar motion capture performances. Almost half of the movie was facial expressions and reading subtitles, but I wasn't bored! Give Andy Serkis a medal, or an Oscar perhaps, because he killed it. This film constantly draws parallels between the apes and the humans. It all centres around the theme that, "ape more like human than we think". What better way to bring a hominid character to life than to actually cast human to play him. I'd say this is motion capture at its finest. With the Andy Serkis hype aside, there is actually real depth to this film. I guarantee you'll get a lot feels from watching this movie. 

Now was it better than the first one? I guess? To be honest I don't really remember the first apes film. Sure it was good and all, but it didn't leave a lasting impression on me. I'm not very invested in the Apes franchise so I don't really care that much. All I'm going to say is that this movie definitely deserves all the hype it gets. I mean it's friggin' Apes on horses. 

What about you? What movies have you gone out to see this week? Do you have a best pal that goes to movies with you all the time? What did you think of any of these films? Let me know in the comments!