MPOV: Ip Man 4: The Finale

My rating: 5/5
IMDb rating: 7.7/10
Released: Dec 20th, 2019
Director: Wilson Yip
Casts: Donnie Yen, Wu Yue, Scott Adkins, Danny Chan, Vanness Wu, Chris Collins
Category: PG-13

After the death of his wife, Ip Man discovers he has throat cancer from smoking. After his rebellious son Ip Chun fights back against a bully, he gets expelled, and Ip Man decides to travel to San Francisco, United States to look for a school. His student, Bruce Lee, has upset the local martial arts community in San Francisco by opening a Wing Chun school, teaching the Americans martial arts and writing a book on martial arts. [2] He discovers from an associate that a referral letter from the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association is needed to get access to the education system. Wan (Wu Yue), the president of the Association, refuses to write the letter as Ip Man does not agree with the grandmasters on Lee's actions. After a fight with Wan, he leaves.

While leaving the school from a meeting with the principal, he chances upon the daughter of Wan, Yonah being bullied by a rival cheerleader, Becky. Ip Man saves her and escorts her home, with Becky accidentally cutting herself with a pair of scissors. Wan accuses Ip Man of using his daughter to get the letter, and challenges him to a fight to get him to write the letter. The fight is disrupted by an earthquake, and Wan tells Ip Man they will finish their fight at the upcoming Midsummer Festival. Ip Man refuses, explains that he merely escorted his daughter home for her safety, and leaves.

Becky complains to her parents that she had been bullied. Her father Walters, who is an officer in the Immigration and Naturalization Service, is pressured into holding the Association responsible and deporting all Chinese associated with them. Meanwhile, Hartman (Vanness Wu), a Staff Sergeant in the United States Marines, attempts to convince Barton Geddes (Scott Adkins), a Marines instructor, to incorporate Chinese martial arts into their hand-to-hand combat training. Geddes proves that the marines' current Karate training is superior by asking him to fight the marines' Karate instructor, Colin Frater, who defeats Hartman. Hartman later convinces the commanding officer to do so, and is instructed to film the Midsummer Festival happening at the Association for research, upsetting Geddes.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

I can't believe this is the finale, such heart wrenching and yet nail biting with loads of fighting sequence! Though some moments were slow, it was compensated with much action. Totally enthralling, kept me on my toes from the start until the end of the movie!

The grass is definitely not always greener on the other side. Hence I do agree with Ip Man especially since being an alien on a foreign soil. Though much education was given on racism and what not, we are all humans who will inevitably judge and spur. Kudos to him for realizing it and not forcing his son to do so.

Overall, it's a melancholy one for me. Beautifully portrayed, leaving his legacy untarnished. Donnie Yen has done a marvelous job! So were the rest of the crews especially Vanness! He looked so young and so different!!! Anyway, if you have watched the earlier Ip Man movies, this finale is the closure.

MPOV: Spider-Man: Far From Home

My rating: 4/5
IMDb rating: 8.1/10
First released: June 28, 2019
Director: Jon Watts
Casts: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, Marisa Tomei and Samuel L. Jackson
Type: A 2019 superhero film based on a Marvel Comics character

In Ixtenco, Nick Fury and Maria Hill investigate an unnatural storm and later encounter the Earth Elemental. A super-powered man, Quentin Beck, arrives to fight the creature. Eight months later, in New York City, the Midtown School of Science and Technology restarts its academic year to accommodate the students who were among those resurrected in the Blip.[N 1] The school organizes a two-week summer field trip to Europe, where Peter Parker, still distraught over Tony Stark's death,[N 1] plans to confess his growing feelings for classmate MJ and avoid heroics. At a fundraiser for the homeless coordinated by his Aunt May, Parker is forewarned by Happy Hogan that he will be contacted by Nick Fury, but Parker chooses to ignore the call. Parker leaves after being overwhelmed by questions about Stark.

Parker and his friends travel to Venice, and are among those attacked by the Water Elemental, which proceeds to wreak havoc on the city. Beck arrives and destroys the creature, while Parker attempts to help. Fury meets with Parker and gives him Stark's glasses, which were meant for his successor. The glasses are equipped with the artificial intelligence E.D.I.T.H., which has access to all databases of Stark Industries and commands a large orbital weapons supply. Beck claims the Elementals killed his family and that he hails from a different reality, one among many in the Multiverse. Parker rejects Fury's call to arms, opting to rejoin his class, but Fury covertly redirects the school trip's itinerary to Prague, where the Fire Elemental is projected to strike. It appears at a carnival, but Beck, with Parker's help, destroys it. Fury and Hill invite Parker and Beck to Berlin to discuss the formation of a new superhero team. Parker considers Beck worthy of being Stark's successor and bequeaths him the E.D.I.T.H. glasses. Unbeknownst to him, Beck is revealed to be a former holographic-illusions specialist at Stark Industries who was fired for his unstable nature, now leading a team of disgruntled ex-Stark employees and using advanced projector drones to simulate the Elemental attacks.

MJ deduces Parker is Spider-Man. They discover that a piece of debris she retrieved during the carnival battle is a projector that presents a simulation of the Air Elemental, leading the two to realize Beck is a fraud. When preparing for another illusion, Beck discovers MJ took evidence of his deception. Parker travels to Berlin and meets with Fury, only to realize that the version before him is an illusion created by Beck. He battles multiple illusions before Nick Fury apparently subdues Beck. Fury forces Parker to reveal anyone who has knowledge of the deception before being revealed as another illusion; ultimately hit by a train, Parker survives, albeit badly injured, and falls unconscious in a train car. Awakening in a jail cell in the Netherlands, he breaks out and contacts Hogan. Hogan flies Parker to London and reveals a suit-manufacturing machine left behind by Stark, which Parker uses to synthesize a customized costume. In London, Beck orchestrates an Elemental Fusion, seeking to kill MJ and any others to whom she might have revealed his secret. Parker breaks through the illusion, regains control of E.D.I.T.H., and defeats Beck, who dies by a misfired drone gunshot. Parker returns to New York City and begins a relationship with MJ.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

This is by far the best Spider-Man movie of all time! Not only that, even the actors are much better than the previous ones! Tom Holland and Zendaya definitely have stepped up their game! It was so nice seeing them together, the whole awkward thingy to them being together with that boyish charm and all!

This movie definitely has been entertaining from the start to the end, except that the end had me clinging for more... can't wait for the next one with hints from the mid credit scene and another post credit scene. All kinds of anxieties with an enthralling story line made this movie more appealing. Highly recommended as it is worth every penny!

MPOV: Godzilla: King of the Monsters

My rating: 4/5
IMDb rating: 6.7/10
Released: May 29, 2019
Director: Michael Dougherty
Casts: Millie Bobby Brown, Vera Farmiga, Zhang Ziyi, Charles Dance, Kyle Chandler
Category: P-13

Paleobiologist Emma Russell works for crypto-zoological organization Monarch, tracking down and studying Titans, gigantic creatures that once dominated the Earth. She and her daughter Madison witness the birth of a giant larva dubbed Mothra. Emma calms Mothra down with a device, the "Orca", which is capable of emitting frequencies that can attract or alter Titan behavior. A group of eco-terrorists, led by Alan Jonah, attacks and kidnaps both Emma and Madison. Mothra manages to escape and cocoon herself. Monarch scientists Dr. Ishirō Serizawa and Dr. Vivienne Graham approach Mark Russell, Emma's ex-husband and Madison's father, to track them down. Mark is reluctant, due to his hatred for Godzilla after his son Andrew was killed during the 2014 attack on San Francisco.

They follow Godzilla to Antarctica where Jonah intends to free a Titan encased in ice codenamed "Monster Zero". Emma frees and awakens Monster Zero, who kills several Monarch members, including Dr. Graham, before engaging Godzilla in a fight. The Monarch team realizes that Emma was not kidnapped by the terrorists; she was working with them. Emma argues that the Titans will cull humanity and return the planet to its untainted state; all to avenge Andrew. Jonah and Emma awaken Rodan, in a volcano in Mexico. Monarch lures Rodan into fighting the approaching Monster Zero, but it swiftly defeats Rodan before being ambushed by Godzilla, who severs one of its heads. The Navy launches an "Oxygen Destroyer" missile, seemingly killing Godzilla. Monster Zero survives, regrows its head, and awakens other dormant Titans around the world, with Rodan submitting to its rule and causing Madison to disown her mother.

Through mythological texts, Dr. Ilene Chen discovers that Monster Zero is Ghidorah, an ancient alien seeking to terraform the planet now that its primary rival Godzilla is disposed of. Mothra emerges from her cocoon and flies to Monarch's Bermuda facility to communicate with Godzilla, who had survived the detonation and is recuperating in an ancient underwater city. Monarch decides to revive Godzilla so as to contest Ghidorah's influence over the other Titans. Traveling via submarine, Monarch locates Godzilla's undersea lair, where the whole area around him is highly radioactive. They deduce it will take years for Godzilla to absorb enough radiation to fully heal on his own. Monarch decides to detonate a nuclear weapon to speed up his healing process. Dr. Serizawa sacrifices himself by manually detonating the weapon, which revives Godzilla and increases his power.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

This is absolutely an amazing and entertaining movie! I've totally enjoyed the overall movie plot and pace. Some might find it a bore but it does require each other to move on. I only find that the ending a little off with how they saved the civilians and how Maddie could just disappear without anyone realising. I guess by then they omitted to look into the details as the main plot was the legendary fighting scenes.

This time around, there are many close-ups of the monsters especially Godzilla. He definitely looked regal and majestic with his awesome nuclear powers! My favourite Tyranitar from Pokemon Go sure looks like him LOL!!! Anyway, CGI was tip top and everything blend in nicely!

Do stay until the end if you are not in a rush as there is a post credit scene which will lead to a sequel. Not sure if this is it but Godzilla vs Kong is scheduled to be released in March 2020.

MPOV: Aladdin

My rating: 4/5
IMDb rating: 7.4/10

Released: May 22, 2019
Director: Guy Ritchie
Casts: Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Will Smith, Marwan Kenzari
Type: PG-13

A man with his wife and two children are sailing around the world. The children watch a much bigger and more lavish ship pass by. After the man hears them comment on how much better their ship is, he decides to tell them the story of Aladdin and how bigger isn’t always better.

Aladdin (Mena Massoud), a kind-hearted young street rat living in the desert kingdom of Agrabah, along with his pet monkey Abu, rescues and befriends Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott), who has snuck out of the palace, growing tired of her sheltered life. She hides her true identity, allowing Aladdin to believe that she is the princess's handmaiden. However, Jasmine rushes home after seeing Prince Anders (Billy Magnussen) has come to court the princess and asks Aladdin to give back her bracelet that he used as collateral to rescue her earlier (which was formerly her mother’s bracelet). However, Abu stole the bracelet back from Aladdin, so Aladdin is unable to give it back to her. Jasmine angrily tells Aladdin that he is a thief and that she was naive to think he was her friend.

Meanwhile, the Grand Vizier Jafar (Marwan Kenzari) grows tired of being "second best". He and his parrot Iago (Alan Tudyk) thus seek a magic lamp hidden within the Cave of Wonders to become Sultan. Only one person is worthy to enter: "the diamond in the rough", whom Jafar later identifies as Aladdin. Later, Aladdin returns Jasmine's bracelet and the palace guards capture him on Jafar's orders. Jafar, after telling Aladdin that he can make him rich enough to impress Jasmine, revealing her true identity to him, has him retrieve the lamp. Inside the cave, Aladdin finds a magic carpet and obtains the lamp. Defying Aladdin's instruction to touch nothing but the lamp, Abu grabs a ruby. Aladdin, Abu, and the carpet rush to escape the cave as it collapses. Aladdin gives the lamp to Jafar, but Jafar throws them back into the cave, but not before Abu steals the lamp back.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

This movie is definitely comparable to the previous animated movie of the same name. It's so realistic with the right pacing though at times a little off, not as engaging but overall a fantastic movie.

I've thoroughly enjoyed Mena Massoud's interpretation of Aladdin and he's definitely cute too with that dimple! I'm surprised with Naomi Scott's vocal ability!!! She sings so damn well with much gusto and that range coming from someone petite! The rest of the casts reprised their roles well especially Will Smith as the eccentric Genie who is the 'life' of this movie! Without him, I think Aladdin would be a damper and dull.

I've always loved musicals and this movie is no exception. I was thoroughly entertained from the start and I've enjoyed the songs especially that magic carpet moment... a whole new world... those beautiful monumental moments *goosebumps*

MPOV: Pokemon: Detective Pikachu

My rating: 4/5
IMDb rating: 7.5/10
Released in Malaysia: 8th May 2019

Director: Rob Letterman
Casts: Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Rita Ora
Category: P-13

I've finally watched this long awaited Pokemon movie!!! Definitely different from the previous Red's movies/ TV series as this movie takes on a whole new fresh script.

In Ryme City, humans and Pokemons are partners (kinda reminded me of the movie, The Golden Compass), living in harmony and there are no Pokemon battles nor exploitation by humans. Tim Goodman received news of his father's demise in line of duty and headed to Ryme City to claim and clean his late father's apartment. After accidentally bumping into Lucy and then chance upon Pikachu, all is not what it seems and Tim realised his father may not be dead after all!

I've totally enjoyed the wholesome goodness, funny, exciting, hilarious and sad moments of this movie! It may not be as in-depth but the entertaining factor is awesome enough which is the whole point of this movie, right?! All the Pokemons in the movie looked so real, I wished I have them as my partner too! Especially Pikachu! The new young casts were good and they didn't look as stiff as others I've watched in lesser known fantasy movies. Definitely a feel good movie - aka stress reliever - to watch in the cinema with the family!

The only gap I've noticed is the ending... what happens to Mewtwo after that? FYI, a sequel has been confirmed and in the making so I guess it closes that gap then. Well, Mewtwo is the greatest Pokemon of all so such a benign role does not fit him fully LOL!

After the movie ended, we realised Pikachu and Charizard were with us all this while watching the movie too LOL!!! In fact, they were good buddies!!! Oh well, I'm just surprised that somebody actually turned up in costume for this movie... they must be hardcore Pokemon fans!

MPOV: Avengers: Endgame

My rating: 5/5
IMDb rating: 9.2/10
Released: April 24th, 2019
Directors: Anthony and Joe Russo
Casts: Scarlett Johannson, Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Brie Larson, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Karen Gillan, Gwyneth Paltrow, Josh Brolin
Category: P-13

The movie started where it had left off in Infinity War. With the remaining Avengers trying their best to move on, ensuring the remaining human race continue with their everyday life and peace on Earth while still trying to look out for Thanos. They have ran out of ideas until a breakthrough came about and all has been set to motion again!

What can I say...

Avengers: Endgame is an epic movie, awesome max with many emotional roller-coasters! From melancholy to happiness to hatred, all kinds of feels you can experience in an action-packed superhero movie! That's definitely a rare one! The whole CGI was cool and so real with so much going around at the right pacing.

I honestly enjoyed it from the start to the end as it was nail-biting and so engaging that I forgot to eat my chips LOL! I finally get my closure for this epic saga though I would have preferred it to end differently. Nevertheless my assumption was true though with much unexpected twist that I wasn't prepared for.

As this is the finale, there are no post credit trailers but supposedly a sound came through right at the end which I didn't wait to catch. I'm just glad that the chase has finally ended so this is The End for Avengers. The curtain has finally drawn...

MPOV: Shazam!

My rating: 3/5
IMDb rating: 8.3/10
Released: March 27, 2019
Director: David Sandberg
Casts: Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Mark Strong, Djimon Hounsou
Category: PG-13

While playing with his Magic 8 ball, a young Thaddeus Sivana is magically transported to the Rock of Eternity, where he meets the wizard Shazam, who introduces him to the mystical statues containing the spirits of the Seven Deadly Sins: Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, and Sloth. The last of a council of seven, Shazam spent centuries searching for a new champion. Put to a test to see if he is pure of heart, Sivana attempts to touch the Eye of Envy, failing the test. When he is transported back to the car, he causes a scene when he tries to go back, causing his father to be injured.

In present-day Philadelphia, Billy Batson is arrested by child services after he lures and traps police officers to assist in his search for his mother. He is adopted by the Grazers, and he shares a room with Freddie Freeman, a paraplegic. Meanwhile, using testimonies by those rejected by Shazam, Sivana returns to the Rock of Eternity and frees the Sins, allowing them to use his body as a vessel to escape. With his power, he kills his father and brother for the abuse he suffered as a child.

While at school, Freddie is bullied by a group of kids. Billy intervenes and flees onto the subway, where he is summoned by Shazam. Shazam has Billy grab his staff and say, "Shazam!", which transforms Billy into an adult with multiple superpowers. With Freddie's help, Billy begins to learn the full extent of those powers. Freddie posts videos of Shazam’s powers, which go viral. However, after Freddie claims to know Shazam at school, he and Billy get into an argument at the dinner table over Freddie using Billy for his newfound powers. Billy begins to skip school to enjoy being Shazam, humiliating Freddie. Shazam accidentally causes a bus to fall off a bridge before saving it, causing Freddie to promptly reprimand him for abusing his powers. Upon seeing Shazam on the news, Sivana attacks him. Shazam is easily defeated, but he transforms back into Billy to blend into the fleeing crowd. However, Sivana captures Freddie, who was looking for Billy.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

Overall, it was witty and funny so definitely entertaining. However, it did lacked something for me, somehow missing that oomph! Though it's family oriented but with some vulgarity in it. Maybe I was just too tired to fully immersed in the movie but I did enjoy the funny puns.

So just to say it is an entertaining superhero movie with lots of action and family hits + misses + hugs! Great casts, no doubt about that with realistic and superlative CGIs. There are 2 post credit scenes so just stay back to watch it as it does lead to a sequel though no dates have been confirmed as yet.

MPOV: Captain Marvel

My rating: 4/5
IMDb rating: 6.4/10
Released: March 7, 2019
Directors: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Casts: Brie Larson, Jude Law, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Gemma Chan, Annette Bening
Category: 2019 fantasy, science fiction film

In 1995, on the Kree Empire's capital planet of Hala, Starforce member Vers suffers from recurring nightmares involving an older woman. Yon-Rogg, her mentor and commander, trains her to control her abilities while the Supreme Intelligence, an organic artificial intelligence who acts as the ruler of the Kree, urges her to keep her emotions in check.

During a mission to rescue an undercover Kree operative infiltrating a group of Skrulls, alien shapeshifters with whom the Kree have been fighting for centuries, Vers is captured by Skrull commander Talos and forcibly subjected to a memory probe. She manages to escape and inadvertently pilots a pod to Earth, crashing in Los Angeles. Her presence attracts the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Nick Fury and Phil Coulson, whose investigation is interrupted by a Skrull attack. In the ensuing chase, Vers recovers a crystal containing her extracted memories and Fury kills a Skrull impersonating Coulson. Talos, disguised as S.H.I.E.L.D. operative Keller, convinces Fury to meet and work with Vers.

Using Fury's security clearance, Vers discovers she was a U.S. Air Force pilot who was presumed dead after testing an experimental engine designed by Dr. Wendy Lawson, whom she recognizes as the older woman from her nightmares and a friend of former pilot Maria Rambeau. The two escape from Talos in a cargo jet, with Lawson's cat Goose stowing away, and fly to New Orleans, Louisiana to meet Rambeau.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

Unexpectedly, I've watched this movie on the eve of International Women's Day LOL! TBH, I truly enjoyed the whole movie and it's plot plus the casts were really good!

When I first watched the teasers and trailers, I did not get the story itself which felt like there were many gaps. After watching the movie, now I know!!! How all this Avengers started! How Fury had that left eye injured! How Marvel supposedly got it's name! So many 'how' answered in this movie! Not forgetting Coulson too as a rookie then!

It may be slow to some but I find the pace just right. May be a little tame with less action but I felt it was just right too. And it all boils down to The Avengers' Endgame. Please take note that there are 2 post credit scenes so you would have to watch till the end.

Overall, it's serious, funny and entertaining, all blended in just right. I would not have it any other way. Aside from Gal Gadot, Brie Larson is now one of my favourite actresses! I just loved the way her power glows and flows! I wasn't expecting quite a number of funny scenes too but Goose was just so entertaining! The unexpected plots really made the movie awesome pawsome!!!

Now, I just can't wait for Endgame next month! Anyway, Happy International Women's Day ladies!!! Girl Power!!!

MPOV: Bumblebee

My rating: 4/5
IMDb rating: 7.2/10
First released: December 3rd, 2018
Director: Travis Knight
Casts: Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Gracie Dzienny, John Ortiz, Peter Cullen
Category: PG-13

On Cybertron, the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, are on the verge of losing their civil war against their enemies, the Decepticons, and begin making preparations to leave the planet. The Decepticons ambush them during the evacuation, and Optimus sends a young scout, B-127, to Earth in order to set up a base of operations where the Autobots can regroup. B-127 reaches Earth alone in 1987, crash-landing in California and disrupting a training exercise being conducted by Sector 7, a secret government agency that monitors extraterrestrial activity on Earth. Sector 7 lieutenant Jack Burns presumes him to be a hostile invader and attacks, driving B-127 into the forest, where he is then ambushed by the Decepticon Blitzwing. When B-127 refuses to disclose Optimus's whereabouts, Blitzwing spitefully tears out his vocal processors and damages his memory core. B-127 manages to destroy Blitzwing before collapsing from his wounds. Before entering stasis, B-127 scans and transforms into a nearby 1967 Volkswagen Beetle.

Charlie Watson, a teenage outcast traumatized by the death of her father and resentful of her mother Sally for remarrying, finds B-127 in his Beetle form in a scrapyard belonging to her friend Hank, who gives it to her as a birthday present, on the condition that Charlie repairs it. In doing so, Charlie accidentally activates a homing signal that is detected out in space by Decepticons Shatter and Dropkick, just as they are in the middle of interrogating the captive Autobot Cliffjumper. After executing Cliffjumper, the pair head to Earth, where they masquerade as peacekeepers to persuade Sector 7 to help them find and capture B-127, whom they claim is a dangerous criminal.

Meanwhile, Charlie revives and befriends the amnesiac B-127, whom she nicknames “Bumblebee”, and teaches him how to communicate through his radio. Together, they unlock a message from Optimus urging Bumblebee to defend Earth in their absence, which restores his memories. Charlie alerts Bumblebee about the importance of staying hidden, but he is later discovered by her neighbor Memo, who agrees to protect their secret due to his feelings for Charlie. Left alone, Bumblebee accidentally destroys Charlie’s living room and causes an energy spike that attracts Sector 7’s attention. Sally blames Charlie for the destruction, and she angrily leaves with Bumblebee and Memo, only to be intercepted by Sector 7, Shatter and Dropkick and knocked unconscious while trying to protect Bumblebee. When returned home, Charlie finally expresses her pain over her father’s death and makes amends with her mother, who decoys so Charlie can follow Burns to a Sector 7 outpost, where Shatter and Dropkick torture Bumblebee into revealing the Autobots’ whereabouts and leave him for dead after revealing their plan to bring the Decepticons to Earth. Charlie revives Bumblebee with one of Sector 7’s high voltage guns, and they set out to prevent Shatter and Dropkick from contacting the Decepticons with a beacon. Burns and his men also attempt to stop them, but Dropkick destroys their helicopter, and Bumblebee saves Burns.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

Overall, Bumblebee is an entertaining movie filled with funny banters and action packed plots. It does seemed like the movie centres itself on Charlie, basically her life struggle with Bee as her 'rock', replacing her dead dad. With the varied emotions throughout the movie, especially on how Bee lost his voice... it turned out to be fantastic especially with Bee rocking the 80's music!

The movie somehow reminded me of another girl + Beetle movie i.e. Herbie. Of course, this takes a different light, what with the classic 80's vibe and the original Transformers' ploy at the start of the movie. I honestly liked this movie best amongst all the Transformers movies made thus far! Bumblebee definitely captivated me in this movie!

Go watch Bumblebee with your family! It is definitely worth your while watching it in the cinema!

MPOV: Aquaman

My rating:
IMDb rating: 8.3/10
Released: December 13, 2018
Director: James Wan
Casts: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Category: PG 13; fantasy, science fiction

In Maine, lighthouse keeper Thomas Curry rescues Atlanna, the princess of the underwater nation of Atlantis, during a storm. They eventually fall in love and have a son, Arthur, who is born with the power to communicate with marine lifeforms. Atlanna is forced to abandon her family and return to Atlantis, entrusting to her loyal adviser Nuidis Vulko the mission of training Arthur. Under Vulko's guidance, Arthur becomes a skilled warrior but is rejected by the Atlanteans for being a half-breed and ultimately leaves Atlantis behind.

One year after Steppenwolf's invasion, Arthur confronts a group of pirates attempting to hijack a nuclear submarine. Their leader, Jesse Kane, dies during the confrontation while his son, David, vows revenge against Arthur. David later targets Atlantis at the behest of Orm, Arthur's younger half-brother and Atlantis' king who uses the attack as a pretext to declare war on the surface. King Nereus of Xebel swears allegiance to Orm's cause, but his daughter Mera, who has been betrothed to Orm, refuses to aide them and journeys to the surface to ask Arthur for help, earning his trust by saving Thomas from a tidal wave sent by Orm. Arthur reluctantly accompanies Mera to a rendezvous with Vulko, who urges Arthur to find the Trident of Atlan, a magic artifact that once belonged to Atlantis’ first ruler, in order to reclaim his rightful place as king. They are ambushed by Orm’s men, and Mera and Vulko escape, while Arthur is captured.

Orm visits Arthur in captivity and announces that Atlanna was executed for the crime of having a half-breed son, blaming Arthur and the surface for her death. He offers Arthur an opportunity to leave forever, but Arthur instead challenges him to a duel in a ring of underwater lava. Orm gains the upper hand and nearly kills Arthur before Mera rescues him. Together, Arthur and Mera journey to the Sahara desert, where the trident was forged, and unlock a holographic message that leads them to Sicily, where they retrieve the trident’s coordinates. Meanwhile, Orm provides David with Atlantean armor and weaponry and sends him to stop them, imprisons Vulko upon learning of his betrayal, and coerces the remaining five kingdoms of Atlantis to pledge allegiance to him and his campaign against the surface.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

My verdict? This is an awesome movie! Jason Momoa is born to be Aquaman! The character fits him like a glove! Honestly, not just because he's eye candy ya... not forgetting the beautifully created Atlantis which looked heavenly! Of course, I was happy to see Nicole Kidman in an action movie, something unexpected as she's usually all dolled up LOL! Amber Heard was really cool as a red head and William Dafoe was unexpectedly chuffed as a good guy LOL! The funny part for me was Black Manta, supposedly evil yet kinda weak.

Overall, it's an entertaining and engaging movie from the start till the end. Some may say the dialogue is shallow or too much CGI but then this is a superhero movie which doesn't require a full scale dialogue and you can't create such movie naturally aside from using CGI. Unless you want it to look like way back then i.e. Ultraman. Also it was funny at some point!

The best part, I liked it when Orm sent a massive tidal wave and washed up the Earth's rubbish to the surface! Totally liked the Mother Nature hint here :-) Overrated or not, it is a movie worth watching in the cinema. There is a mid post credit teaser leading to the sequel.

A sequel is in talks now so we shall wait and see... hopefully we don't have to wait too long.

MPOV: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

My rating: 4/5
IMDb rating: 7.9/10
Released: November 15th, 2018
Director: David Yates
Casts: Eddie Redmayne, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Ezra Miller, Zoe Kravitz, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler
Category: PG-13, fantasy film

At the end of the first film, the powerful dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald was captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), with the help of Newt Scamander. But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escaped custody again and has set about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards and witches up to rule over all non-magical beings.

In an effort to thwart Grindelwald's plans, Albus Dumbledore enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world.

The above from Wikipedia.

I've read many poor reviews prior to watching this movie and naturally, I've thwarted it. In fact, this movie turned out to be more entertaining and kept me on my toes! Overall, it's filled with dialogues mostly, being British and all. Aside from the wand actions, there were some funny moments and definitely, I was surprised at the end! Who would have thought that would occur? JK Rowling is at her element best and I can't wait for the 3rd one coming on November 20th, 2020! Btw, she confirmed there'll be 5 in total ya!!!

The movie itself was seamlessly CGI except for the starting when the shots were too closed-up. Other than that, perfect setting, perfect background. I was delighted Professor McGonagall appeared briefly, assuming that's Minerva's relative since she's too young to be teaching then. Depp made an impressive Grindelwald and Law a charismatic Dumbledore. Both definitely made a great pair! Even Nagini was so realistic!

Some say it's messy and some say it's boring. Well, if you prefer action-packed then this is not for you. This is a magic infused, drama plotted British Potterverse! The 'revelio' at the end was thoroughly unexpected and I hoped the third movie would shed some 'lumos'!

MPOV: Venom

My rating: 4/5
IMDb rating: 7.1/10
Initial release: 4/10/2018
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Casts: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Scott Haze, Reid Scott
Category: PG-13

While exploring space for new habitable worlds, a probe belonging to bioengineering corporation Life Foundation discovers a comet covered in symbiotic lifeforms. They bring four samples back to Earth, but one escapes and causes the ship to crash in Malaysia. The Life Foundation recovers the other three and transports them to their research facility in San Francisco, where CEO Carlton Drake learns that the symbiotes cannot survive without oxygen-breathing hosts, which often reject the symbiosis. Investigative journalist Eddie Brock reads about Drake's human trials in a classified document in the possession of his fiancée Anne Weying, an attorney involved in preparing a lawsuit defense for Life Foundation. Brock confronts Drake, leading to both Brock and Weying losing their jobs. Weying ends their relationship.

Six months later, Drake is getting closer to achieving successful symbiosis. Brock is approached by Dora Skirth, one of Drake's scientists who disagrees with his methods and wants to help Brock expose him. She helps Brock break into the research facility to search for evidence, and he learns that an acquaintance of his, a homeless woman named Maria, has become one of Drake's test subjects. Brock attempts to rescue Maria, but she attacks him and the symbiote possessing her transfers from her body to his, leaving her dead. Brock escapes, but he soon begins displaying strange symptoms and reaches out to Weying for help. Her new boyfriend, Dr. Dan Lewis, examines Brock and discovers the symbiote. Meanwhile, Drake executes Skirth for her betrayal by exposing her to the remaining symbiote, which ultimately dies. This leaves the symbiote inside Brock as the only known surviving specimen.

Drake sends mercenaries to retrieve the symbiote from Brock, but it takes over Brock's body and transforms him into a monstrous creature that fights off the attackers. Taking shelter outside the city, the symbiote communicates with Brock and introduces itself as Venom. It explains that the comet is an invasion force searching for new worlds where the symbiotes can possess and devour the inhabitants. Venom offers to spare Brock if he helps the symbiotes achieve their goal, and Brock soon comes to enjoy the superhuman attributes that the symbiote gives him. Brock breaks into his old workplace to turn in evidence of Drake's crimes, but he is surrounded by SWAT officers on the way out and transforms once again to escape. Weying witnesses this transformation and takes Brock back to Lewis's office, where they reveal to Brock that the symbiote is slowly rotting his internal organs. Brock also admits that the symbiote has two weaknesses: high-pitched noises and fire. Although the symbiote claims the organ damage is a fixable part of their symbiosis, Brock uses an MRI machine to weaken the symbiote long enough to separate from it. He is then captured by Drake's men.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

I've totally enjoyed the movie from the start until the end! FYI, there is a mid-credits scene ya...

Such a handsome portrayal of Eddie/ Venom by Tom Hardy! It was as though the character was made for him as it totally fits like a glove! He has that swagger in him that made Eddie Brock real plus he's English! Michelle, on the other hand, was kinda stiff... as stiff as her wig initially. She finally warmed up when the heat is on with Venom biting heads off and all!

Though rated PG-13, it wasn't as bad as Deadpool 2, the goriness I mean. In fact, Venom has more action, more gist and more depth to the story plots. Of course, there were some predictable ones but overall it was a good movie to watch in the cinema! Definitely can't wait for the next one with Carnage in it!

MPOV: Deadpool 2

My rating: 3/5
IMDb rating: 7.9/10
Released: May, 2018
Directed: David Leitch
Casts: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Zazie Beetz, Morena Baccarin

After successfully working as the mercenary Deadpool for two years, Wade Wilson fails to kill one of his targets on his anniversary with his girlfriend Vanessa. That night, after the pair decides to start a family together, the target tracks Wilson down and kills Vanessa. Wilson kills the man in revenge. He blames himself for her death and attempts to commit suicide six weeks later by blowing himself up. Wilson has a vision of Vanessa in the afterlife, but the pieces of his body remain alive and are put back together by Colossus. Wilson is left with only a Skee-Ball token, an anniversary gift, as a final memento of Vanessa.

Recovering at the X-Mansion, Wilson reluctantly agrees to join the X-Men as a form of healing. He, Colossus, and Negasonic Teenage Warhead respond to a standoff between authorities and the unstable young mutant Russell Collins / Firefist at an orphanage, labeled a "Mutant Reeducation Center". Wilson realizes that Collins has been abused by the orphanage staff, and kills one of the staff members. Colossus stops him from killing anyone else, and both Wilson and Collins are arrested. Restrained with collars that suppress their powers, they are taken to the Ice Box, an isolated prison for mutant criminals. Meanwhile, a cybernetic soldier from the future, Cable, whose family is murdered by an older Collins, travels back in time to kill the boy before Collins ever becomes a killer.

Cable breaks into the Ice Box and attacks Collins. Wilson, whose collar has broken in the melee, attempts to defend Collins. After Cable takes Vanessa's token, Wilson forces himself and Cable out of the prison, but not before Collins overhears Wilson deny that he cares for the young mutant. Near death again, Wilson has another vision of Vanessa in which she convinces him to help Collins. Wilson organizes a team called X-Force to break Collins out of a prison-transfer convoy and defend him from Cable. The team launches its assault on the convoy by parachute, but all of the members die during the landing except for Wilson and the lucky Domino. While they fight Cable, Collins frees fellow inmate Juggernaut, who agrees to help Collins kill the abusive orphanage headmaster. Juggernaut destroys the convoy, allowing himself and Collins to escape.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

A no-nonsense, straight to the point, foul-mouthed movie with it's trademark gory, slapstick stunts which made the movie phenomenal. It did felt like a little dragging at times especially the ending, as opposed to the first film which had more gory stunts and verbal abuse, perhaps due to the melancholy plot this time. So Deadpool is human after all LOL! Also, with a different director thus a different pace overall. With the new casts and X-Force, it is still an entertaining movie to watch.

Do note that there are 3 post credit scenes so keep a look out for it. It doesn't make much sense though except to hint on the next project and to bash on the previous failed one. Go figure!

MPOV: Big Brother

My rating: 4/5
IMDb rating: 7.1/10
Released: August 16, 2018
Director: Kam Ka-wai
Actors: Donnie Yen, Joe Chen, Kang Yu
Category: action, drama

A soldier-turned-high school teacher uses unusual methods to reach to a class of poor students, while dealing with a greedy entrepreneur and his gang of fighters as well as the government.

The above taken from IMDb.

Recently watched this unexpectedly entertaining movie which totally reminded me of Dangerous Minds starring Michelle Pfeiffer. Though the plots may differ, the gist of it is similar and both were truly touching in the end.

Big Brother was more relatable as it's Asian with a number of young new casts who were quite impressionable. Donnie Yen, being the main lead, did influenced the movie more with his butt-kicking, handsome charisma but then it did wane off eventually. The variety of casts made it more engaging with their various antiques.

The plot itself was genuinely refreshing from the previous gangster's theme lame story line. This one touches more of the social ills currently impacting students. Also highlighted more about life, about family responsibility, about living meaningfully... especially since we only live once.

So much so that I do believe Malaysian teachers and students MUST watch this movie!!! It's definitely eye-opening especially since Malaysians are so backward yet think they are so forward. As the saying goes 'Money in your pocket' for sure!

MPOV: Ant-Man and the Wasp

My rating: 3/5
IMDb rating: 7.7/10
Released: July 4, 2018
Director: Peyton Reed
Casts: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Hannah John-Kamen, Laurence Fishburne
Type: PG-13 fantasy science fiction

In 1987, Janet van Dyne / Wasp shrinks between the molecules of a Soviet nuclear missile, disabling it but becoming trapped in the microscopic quantum realm. Hank Pym / Ant-Man raises their daughter Hope assuming that Janet is dead. Years later, former criminal Scott Lang takes up the mantle of Ant-Man and discovers a way to both enter and return from the quantum realm. Pym and Hope begin work on repeating this feat, believing they may find Janet alive. Lang and Hope also start a romantic relationship and begin training to fight together as Ant-Man and the Wasp, until Lang secretly helps Captain America during a skirmish between the Avengers in violation of the Sokovia Accords. Lang is placed under house arrest, while Pym and Hope go into hiding and cut ties with Lang.

Two years later, Pym and Hope briefly manage to open a tunnel to the quantum realm. Lang receives an apparent message from Janet, who he is quantumly entangled with. Despite having only days left of house arrest, Lang decides to call Pym. Hope kidnaps Lang, leaving a decoy so as not to arouse suspicion from FBI agent Jimmy Woo. Seeing the message as confirmation that Janet is alive, Pym and Hope work to create a stable tunnel so they can take a vehicle to the quantum realm and retrieve Janet.

Hope arranges to buy a part needed for the tunnel from black market dealer Sonny Burch, but Burch has realized the potential profit that can be earned from Pym and Hope's research and double-crosses them. Hope fights Burch and his men off, until she is attacked by a quantumly unstable masked woman. Lang tries to help fight off this "ghost", but she escapes with Pym's portable lab.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

Watching this movie in Phuket was a pleasant experience as the movie-goers were civil with good manners... no rude shaking chair from behind nor extra narrators talking loudly. With the comfy cosy seats, I've truly enjoyed this movie from the start to the end!

Overall, it's totally hilarious! The plots, aside from action-packed CGI, were written with one end result in mind... to ENTERTAIN! It may not seemed perfect but it was entertaining from the start to the end of the movie. With Paul Rudd's straight face, it was unbelievably funny when he became someone else! Also, Michel Pena's character, though seemed dull, was actually funny in it's own quirky way! The characters totally blend in together and formed this awesome movie!

It's a movie worth watching with the family (aged 13 years and above ya) in the cinema. I've even watched it twice and I did enjoy it more the second time!

PSA: there are 2 post credit scenes ya so make sure you stay till the end which is related to Infinity War :-)

MPOV: Solo: A Star Wars Story

My rating: 3/5
IMDb rating: 7.2/10

Released: May 23, 2018
Director: Ron Howard
Casts: Alden Ehrenreich, Donald Glover, Emilia Clarke, Woodie Harrelson, Thandie Newton
Rated: PG-13
Category: A 2018 American space, western, fantasy, science fiction film

The galaxy is in a state of disorder, with criminal syndicates competing for valuable resources like the hyper fuel coaxium. On the shipbuilding world of Corellia, orphaned children are made to steal in order to survive as a young Han and his lover Qi'ra long to escape the clutches of a local criminal gang. They successfully bribe an Imperial officer with stolen coaxium in exchange for passage on an outgoing transport, but Qi'ra is apprehended by their pursuers before she can board. Han vows to return for her and joins the Imperial Navy as a flight cadet.

Three years later, Han has been expelled from the Imperial Flight Academy for insubordination. While serving as an infantryman during a battle on the planet Mimban, he encounters a gang of criminals posing as Imperial soldiers led by Tobias Beckett. He tries to blackmail them into taking him with them, but Beckett has him arrested for desertion and thrown into a pit to be fed to a beast – a Wookiee named Chewbacca. Han and Chewbacca work together to escape their confinement. In need of extra hands, Beckett rescues them and enlists them in the gang's plot to steal a shipment of coaxium on the planet Vandor. The plan goes awry when the marauder Enfys Nest and her Cloud-Riders show up, resulting in the deaths of two crew members and the destruction of the coaxium.

Beckett reveals he was ordered to steal the shipment for Dryden Vos, a high-ranking crime boss in the Crimson Dawn syndicate. Han and Chewbacca volunteer to help him steal another shipment. They travel to Vos' yacht where Han finds Qi'ra, who has joined Crimson Dawn. Han offers a risky plan to steal unrefined coaxium from the mines on Kessel; Vos insists that Qi'ra, his top lieutenant, accompanies them. Qi'ra leads the team to Lando Calrissian, an accomplished smuggler and pilot who she hopes will lend them his ship. Han challenges Lando to a game of sabacc, with the wager being Lando's ship. Lando cheats to win, but is convinced to join the mission in exchange for a share of the profits. The team boards his ship, the Millennium Falcon, and heads for Kessel. After reaching the planet and infiltrating the mine, Lando's droid co-pilot L3-37 instigates a riot. They use the confusion to steal a consignment of coaxium, but L3 is severely damaged and Lando is injured during the escape. Han pilots the ship through the Kessel Run, taking a dangerous route through an uncharted maelstrom in order to avoid an Imperial blockade. Although the Falcon receives severe damage during the journey, Han successfully navigates the run and the ship heads to Savareen to process the fuel.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

Overall, this movie seemed to be slow paced with a few actions here and there. The story went way back with a young Han with his then girlfriend, Qi'ra, trying to escape Corellia, how he found Chewbacca and finally got his hands on the Millennium Falcon. Basically, it's a summary of his life before Princess Leia.

Alden does has a very big shoe to fill in as Han Solo. Harrison Ford was born to be Han but Alden seemed short of Harrison's charismatic cavalier in bringing out the Han Solo in him. It was more of a wannabe and not quite believable for me. Donald, on the other hand, was truly magnetic as Lando... definitely as good as Billy Dee Williams!

With a much better CGI, the movie fared much better and realistically more believable. However it does lacked some 'oomph' here and there. Just can't pinpoint it but I guessed this movie is more for the Star Wars fanatics, unlike me lah. Just an average sci-fi movie in my books.

MPOV: The Greatest Showman

My rating: 4/5
IMDb rating: 7.8/10

Released: December 28, 2017
Director: Michael Gracey
Casts: Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Zendaya, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson
Category: musical, romance, drama
Rated: PG-13

P. T. Barnum and his troupe perform a show at the circus ("The Greatest Show"). In a flashback to Barnum's childhood where he and his father Philo, a tailor, work for the Hallett family, he becomes infatuated with their daughter, Charity. Though Charity is being sent to finishing school, Barnum reassures her they will not be separated. The two keep in touch through letters until they meet again in adulthood ("A Million Dreams"), eventually marrying and raising two daughters, Caroline and Helen, in New York City ("A Million Dreams" reprise). They live a humble life; though Charity is happy, Barnum dreams of more.

Barnum loses his job as a clerk at a shipping company after the company goes bankrupt. Taking a risky bet, he takes out a large loan from a bank, deceiving the bank into accepting his former employer's lost ships as collateral. He uses this loan to buy Barnum's American Museum in downtown Manhattan, an attraction showcasing various wax models. Initially, sales are slow; on the suggestion of his children to showcase something "alive", Barnum searches for "freaks" to serve as performers for his museum ("Come Alive"). This attracts a large audience despite protests and poor reviews, prompting Barnum to rename his venture "Barnum's Circus".

Searching for ways to further his reputation amongst the upper class, Barnum meets playwright Phillip Carlyle and convinces him to join his venture ("The Other Side"). Carlyle is enchanted with Anne Wheeler, an African-American trapeze artist, but he hides his feelings. During a trip Carlyle arranged for Barnum and his troupe to meet Queen Victoria, Barnum meets Jenny Lind, a famed Swedish singer, whom he convinces to perform in America, with him serving as her manager. Lind's first American performance is a rousing success ("Never Enough"). While Barnum gains favor with the aristocratic patrons, he begins to distance himself from his original troupe, refusing to socialize with them. Dejected, they decide to stand against their local harassers ("This Is Me").

The above taken from Wikipedia.

Finally watched this musical! Firstly, I love musicals! Secondly, I love watching musicals where the casts can actually sing! Except for Jenny Lind's part where I've just found out, 'Never enough' was sang by Loren Allred and not Rebecca Ferguson! All in all, the soundtracks were amazingly wonderful!

Alright, enough of exclamations LOL! The casts were rightly suited for the respective roles. They were splendid, making the movie so believable and me wishing I could swing from one end to the other while singing 'Rewrite the stars' with Zac Efron *fangirling sigh*

'This is me' was sang with much gusto and so right for that moment! It truly gave me goosebumps while watching them performing! So apt... I can definitely feel their pain and anguish! 'Never enough' was such a powerful ballad! Even the other songs were so suited for this movie... can't wait to download it on Spotify!

The story-line was definitely over-shadowed by the songs... some were predictable like when Jenny and Barnum went on tour, just had that hunch Jenny was up to no good. Also, Barnum's rise and fall was part and parcel of the plot. Overall, it was an amazing musical to watch and I definitely enjoyed it much!

MPOV: Avengers: Infinity War

My rating: 4/5
IMDb rating: 9.2/10

Released: April 23, 2018
Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Casts: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Pratt, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana, Scarlett Johansson, Chadwick Boseman
Type: PG-13

Following the destruction of Asgard, and having acquired the Power Stone from the planet Xandar after the defeat of Ronan, Thanos and his adoptive children Cull Obsidian, Ebony Maw, Proxima Midnight, and Corvus Glaive intercept the ship with the surviving Asgardians to extract the Space Stone from the Tesseract. Thor, Loki, and Hulk are powerless to stop them. Heimdall uses the Bifröst to send Hulk to Earth and is then killed by Glaive. Thanos kills Loki and takes the Space Stone before departing with his children and obliterating the ship.

Hulk crash-lands at the Sanctum Sanctorum where Stephen Strange and his major domo Wong in New York City, and reverts to Bruce Banner. After hearing of Thanos' intention to kill half of the universe's population, Strange enlists the help of Tony Stark. Maw and Obsidian arrive to retrieve the Time Stone that’s in Strange's possession. After a battle including Peter Parker, Maw captures Strange; Stark and Parker pursue Maw's spaceship while Wong remains to protect the sanctum. Banner contacts the other Avengers.

In Scotland, Midnight and Glaive ambush Wanda Maximoff and Vision. They are rescued by Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, and Sam Wilson and seek shelter with James Rhodes at Avengers headquarters. Although Vision offers to sacrifice himself by proposing that Maximoff destroy the Mind Stone in his forehead to keep Thanos from retrieving it, the group follows Rogers' suggestion to travel to Wakanda to try to remove the Stone without destroying Vision.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

Finally, the much anticipated movie has arrived! I had high expectation for it after watching the awesome trailer and true enough, it didn't fail me! Action packed from the start, nitty gritty plots with awesome casts, what more can I asked for? So many superheroes in 1 movie leh!!! CGI's were tops!!!

Unfortunately, with many highs, for sure there will be some lows but then the non-stop actions compensated for it. Illogical but can be overlooked lah... it's just a movie anyway. I just can't grasped the ending though... I know it leads to the next Avengers movie but then... why? Oh why??? I have to wait another 2 years for it... for closure LOL!

Do wait until the end of the credits ya... a post credit trailer for the next Avengers perhaps...

MPOV: Rampage

My rating: 3.5/5
IMDb rating: 6.4/10

Released: April 12, 2018
Director: Brad Peyton
Casts: Dwayne Johnson, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Breanne Hill, Naomie Harris
Rated: PG-13 (However, in Malaysia, such rating is pointless as there were many noisy toddlers and children in the cinema)

Athena-1, a research station owned by gene manipulation company Energyne, is destroyed after a laboratory rat mutates and wreaks havoc. A crew member, Dr Kerry Atkins, is ordered to retrieve research canisters containing a pathogen by CEO Claire Wyden. Atkins is able to flee in the escape pod, but it disintegrates upon reentry, killing her and leaving a trail of debris across the United States, including the Everglades, where a canister is consumed by a crocodile, and a forest in Wyoming, where a wolf is exposed to the pathogen.

Primatologist Davis Okoye, a former US military soldier and member of an anti-poaching unit, is a primatologist in a San Diego wildlife preserve. He befriends a rare albino gorilla named George, whom he saved from poachers. One night, as Davis drives home from work, one of the canisters crash lands in George's habitat. George is exposed to the pathogen when he checks it out.

George grows considerably larger and aggressive overnight. Davis is contacted by Dr. Kate Caldwell, a genetic engineer who explains that the pathogen was developed by Energyne to rewrite genes on a massive scale. She had hoped to advance CRISPR research as a potential cure for disease, but discovered that Energyne planned to use it as a biological weapon. The company fired her and sent her to prison for attempting to expose them. George escapes from captivity and goes on a rampage at the preserve. Davis calms him down but George is captured by a government team led by Agent Harvey Russell, and is put on a plane. Meanwhile, Claire and her brother Brett send a squad of mercenaries led by Burke to capture the mutated wolf, Ralph, but they are all killed.

The above was taken from Wikipedia.

Overall, it's thin plotted but action-packed with especially cool CGI! Truly entertaining and engaging from the start to the end. I so loved George and his cheeky little antics! Love-able yet scary at the same time! The casts were well rounded with The Rock being in the lead as usual though Agent Russell does take the cake for being the 'silent killer'! A movie worth watching at the cinema for the obvious reasons lah!

MPOV: Ferdinand

My rating: 3/5
IMDb rating: 6.7/10
Initial release: December 14th, 2017
Director: Carlos Saldanha
Voice casts: John Cena, Peyton Manning, Kate McKinnon, Gina Rodriquez, Daveed Diggs
Category: A 2017 American 3D computer-animated comedy/ drama/ adventure film

In Spain, a ranch owned by Moreno (Raúl Esparza) that trains bulls for bullfighting called Casa del Toro harbours a bull calf named Ferdinand (Colin H. Murphy). He is ridiculed by his fellow calves Bones (Nile Diaz), Guapo (Jet Jurgensmeyer), and Valiente (Jack Gore) for being non-confrontational and his tendency to smell and protect flowers. A saddened Ferdinand runs away from Casa del Toro after his father Raf (Jeremy Sisto) fails to return from a bullfight he was picked for and a flower he was fond of was smashed by Valiente after his own father was defeated by Raf. He eventually winds up at a florist's farm, and is adopted by the owner Juan (Juanes), his dog Paco (Jerrod Carmichael), and his daughter Nina (Julia Saldanha) with whom he shares a bond.

When Ferdinand (John Cena) eventually grows up into an enormous bull, he still retains his non-violent, flower-loving nature. Due to his size, he is left behind when Juan, Nina (Lily Day), and Paco go to Ronda for an annual flower festival. Ferdinand decides to go anyway, resulting in him getting stung by a bee and unintentionally wreaking havoc around town and is taken away back to Casa del Toro, much to his and Nina’s sadness.

Once back there, he finds that Bones (Anthony Anderson), Guapo (Peyton Manning), and Valiente (Bobby Cannavale) have also grown up and have been joined by a Scottish bull named Angus (David Tennant) and a silent but intimidating bull named Maquina (Tim Nordquist). Ferdinand is still disrespected by the bulls, but manages to befriend a crazy goat named Lupe (Kate McKinnon) who wants to be his coach in bullfighting despite his lack of interest and three hedgehogs named Una (Gina Rodriguez), Dos (Daveed Diggs), and Cuatro (Gabriel Iglesias) who frequently invade Casa del Toro to steal food. They used to have another brother named Tres, but they claimed him to be dead.

The above taken from Wikipedia.

A light-hearted animation with a simple storyline about a flower-loving bull and his adventure in escaping from a bullfighting ranch to return home to Nina. He faced many challenges due to his mild nature which is truly inspiring! It's a movie about being different, embracing it and overcoming the negative hurls. Definitely an awe-inspiring movie to watch with the family!