X-Men: Days of Future Past - The Rogue Cut

***DISCLAIMER*** The following review is entirely my opinion. If you comment (which I encourage you to do) be respectful. If you don't agree with my opinion (or other commenters), that's fine. To each their own. These reviews are not meant to be statements of facts or endorsements, I am just sharing my opinions and my perspective when watching the film and is not meant to reflect how these films should be viewed. Finally, the reviews are given on a scale of 0-5. 0, of course, being unwatchable. 1, being terrible. 2, being not great. 3, being okay. 4, being great and 5, being epic! And if you enjoy these reviews feel free to share them and follow the blog or follow me on Twitter (@RevRonster) for links to my reviews and the occasional live-Tweet session of the movie I'm watching!  Next time I go to the barber, I'll ask for The Rogue Cut.  I'll laugh and laugh and the barber will kick me out because I'm an idiot.

X-Men:  Days of Future Past ? The Rogue Cut ? 5 out of 5

I know, I know, loyal reader.  I already reviewed X-Men:  Days of Future Past when I saw it in the theater in the summer of 2014 and I sang its praises about how awesome it was and how cool it was to have Bryan Singer once again at the helm of an X-film.  However, recently I purchased The Rogue Cut on Blu-Ray and decided to watch it back-to-back with the Theatrical Cut of the film.  I wanted to see what was different and whether or not this is a more definitive version of the story?and then I decided to would review it because that?s just what I do.

                                                                                                                     20th Century Fox
It's on my bucket list to hug Ian McKellen.  Get ready, Ian, because it's going
to happen and it's going to be awesome!

                                                                                        20th Century Fox
Hey look!  It's Rogue!

In the future, mutant kind is at risk of extinction after deadly robot Sentinels run wild and hunt all mutants.  In a last ditch effort to save their kind, Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) use the powers of Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) to send the consciousness of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) into his younger body in the 70s.  In that time, he will seek out a younger Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) and get them to stop Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from assassinating the man who creates the Sentinels; Dr. Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage).  However, along the way Kitty is hurt and doesn?t have the strength to keep Wolverine in the past and the team must rescue the power-stealing mutant Rogue (Anna Paquin) to help finish the job before the Sentinels descend on them and kill them, preserving a world where mutants are hunted like animals.

                                                                                                                     20th Century Fox
Michael Fassbender contains a of level of cool that is impossible for a mortal like
me to ever achieve.

In this cut of the film, everything that makes Days of Future Past so awesome that I completely forget that Brett Ratner nearly killed this franchise with X-Men:  The Last Stand (although, I will always say how awesome Kelsey Grammar was as Beast) is still here.  It's all still here in this awesome adaptation of the classic comic book storyline:  The great acting, the killer special effects and, of course, Evan Peters stealing the film as Quicksilver and that endlessly amusing and fantastic scene in the Pentagon kitchen set to ?Time in a Bottle.?  However, this cut of the film isn?t just a mad-dash for extra cash and something to convince fans to buy another copy of the film by adding a quick one-minute scene of Rogue?No, this is much more and it might actually be a better version of an already awesome film!

                                                                                                                      20th Century Fox
Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite moments in all of comic book movie history.

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Blink must be really good at Portal.

Most notable about The Rogue Cut is how it changes the third act of the film with the inclusion of Rogue.  This results in a new and very exciting action sequence where they rescue Rogue from Charles Xavier?s school (which is now occupied by the Anti-Mutant agenda).  This scene is edited together with the scene from the Theatrical Cut of Magneto going to reclaim his helmet and it makes for a nice parallel to the rescue and makes the already cool scene of Erik getting his gear that much cooler.  This new cut may change when a certain character in the future dies but it also allows characters like Warpath (Booboo Stewart), Blink (Bingbing Fan), Colossus (Daniel Cudmore), Sunspot (Adan Canto) and Bishop (Omar Sy) get a few more lines of dialogue when they are coming up with the plan to send Wolvie back in time and that results in making the whole journey and adventure have a greater sense of weight to it and how truly important it is that they succeed?and also how deep the risks truly are.

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I'm not going to make a joke here but rather talk about how cool Sunspot looks in the film.

The Rogue Cut also offers up some new gags?including a fun mid-credit sequence with Peter Dinklage? and some fun fan service by offering up a hint that Quicksilver?s sister; Scarlet Witch, was around the whole time but off-screen in her room upstairs in the Maximoff household.   Occasionally, these new or alternate scenes can slow the film down?like an additional scene where Mystique shows up at the X-mansion?but, even then, the slowdown isn?t that bad or distracting enough to harm the film.  There?s also times when edits in the Theatrical Cut can come off awkward but this is only noticeable if you watch The Rogue Cut first and know that the scene was originally meant to go longer.  This is ultimately balanced though because there are scenes that just feel stronger in TRC than in the original edit.

                                                                                         20th Century Fox
The movie did a great job of showing the unbridled passion that pretty much defined
the character of Beast in the comics.

Overall, The Rogue Cut of X-Men:  Days of Future Past is pretty freakin? rad?yes, I just said ?rad.?  The original film is already amazing as it not only helped bring back the X-films as a legitimate superhero franchise (something that was started by X-Men:  First Class?look, X3 did a lot of damage) but it also did something cool by combining the old films' cast with the prequel cast in a marriage of amazing (and plot holes and continuity errors?as good as this franchise is, there?s a lot of plot holes in it).  Is The Rogue Cut better?  That?s hard to say because that sort of thing is really just personal preference.  The Theatrical Cut is already amazing beyond amazing but, from a personal standpoint, The Rogue Cut is my preferred version of the film.

Movie Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens..with renewed vigour

As you sit in the hall watching the beloved spectacle unfold on the screen, you are more and more convinced that this revival was the right thing to do. This franchise has captured the imagination of millions in its glory days and if you can do justice to it ? then moving the franchise forward is simply the right thing to do. The great news is that with JJ Abrams at the helm ? the early indications sure do look promising.

Taking the storyline itself into the future after Return of the Jedi was a bold and very risky move. There is a lot of nostalgia attached with the old characters and this would?ve been a sensitive one to negotiate. However, I think Abrams has done an admirable job of meshing the old and the new. It tugs at the heartstrings for just a bit but keeps the focus firmly on the action. So much so that this movie simply seems a continuation of the franchise. It is refreshing to see that Abrams is not trying to change much which seems to be the trend with all the reboots and story advances the other franchises are having these days.

The art direction and cinematography is excellent. You quickly get immersed in this distinctly different world and with the technological advances over the years, the action looks simply spectacular. Screen transitions are very much like the earlier movies as well. While the 3D is hardly there, you should catch this one in IMAX if you can, simply because the giant screen would make the action much more immersive. I wish though, that the sequels that follow are even shot in an Avatar-esque 3D camera ? that would really be something.

The story has new characters albeit in familiar plotlines. There are references to what has already happened but not to such an extent that you can?t follow the plot without watching or more likely, still remembering the original storyline. There are some pretty large plot gaps and convenient twists that make this new story pretty average. The climax disappoints in terms of content but the visuals look even more spectacular. One does get the distinct feeling however that this movie is packaged to be an opener to a new chapter of the franchise with more explosive and story laden sequels to follow.

The focus of this movie is largely on the action and the visuals so there isn?t much acting to do per se. However, everybody including the newcomers to the franchise, do a decent job. BB8 is probably going to become the next beloved mascot of this new generation of the series.


I think this is a promising start to a new chapter of the franchise. By staying true to its roots, paying homage to its original story and characters, rather than trying to replace them, Abrams has made quite the fanboy movie and given the series the respect it deserves. May the Force be with him as he now takes on the even trickier job of building a complex plotline in the sequels that are bound to follow.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

***DISCLAIMER*** The following review is entirely my opinion. If you comment (which I encourage you to do) be respectful. If you don't agree with my opinion, that's fine. To each their own. These reviews are not meant to be statements of facts or endorsements, I am just sharing my opinions and my perspective when watching the film and is not meant to reflect how these films should be viewed. Finally, the reviews are given on a scale of 0-5. 0, of course, being unwatchable. 1, being terrible. 2, being not great. 3, being okay. 4, being great and 5, being epic! And if you enjoy these reviews feel free to share them and follow the blog or follow me on Twitter (@RevRonster) for links to my reviews and the occasional live-Tweet session of the movie I'm watching.  *Sigh*  Goodbye, Middle-earth.  I'll miss you...and visit you again when you hit Blu-Ray.

The Hobbit:  The Battle of the Five Armies ? 4 out of 5

It?s sad to see that my three year engagement to return to Middle-earth is now over?again.  While denizens of the internet screamed with violent rage about Peter Jackson milking The Hobbit franchise by splitting up a film that could have easily existed in a single film (or make two really great films that left room for the expansion that Jackson was truly craving for this franchise), I saw this as an opportunity to head to one of my favorite geek locales for a guaranteed three years?so having three Hobbit films didn?t really bother me but rather excited me and filled me with anticipation.  So, anyway, the final film?The Battle of the Five Armies?has been released and it was a bittersweet farewell to say the least.

                                                       New Line Cinema/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/WingNut Films
"Wake up, I know you're faking."

When we last left the adventures of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and the company of dwarves he was with that was lead by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), we watched as the devious dragon Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) was forced from the Lonely Mountain and he soared towards Lake Town.  The beginning of the film sees Bard (Luke Evans) fulfilling his destiny and slaying Smaug but, with the death of the dragon, word has spread all over the lands that the Lonely Mountain and its vast collection of treasure is now left in the hands of only a few dwarves.  Quickly, armies of men, elves, and orcs converge on the land and a mighty war takes place for control of the wealth.  Can Bilbo Baggins survive long enough where he can pass down the One Ring to Frodo and the events of The Lord of the Rings can happen?  Actually, that?s a stupid question because we all know he does survive and I apologize for trying to be mysterious.

                                                       New Line Cinema/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/WingNut Films
No make-up selfies, amirite?!?

I am so sorry for that terrible joke.  It was in really bad taste.

While I was one of the few who didn?t get upset when it was announced that Peter Jackson was making the short adventure of Bilbo Baggins into three gigantic epic films, I have to say that this final film in the series was the first time it really felt like a needless move for the franchise.  I absolutely love An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug but this will go down as my least favorite in the franchise.  Of course, as you can see from the score, that doesn?t mean I don?t like it; there were just things about this one that kept me from giving it the perfect score I gave the other two.

                                                        New Line Cinema/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/WingNut Films
Please don't hurt me for a slight drop in score, Thorin.

I know there has been a lot of trash talking on the ?net about the computer effects in these films but, in Journey and Desolation, I never felt the special effects looked terrible.  Sure, the melted gold that coated Smaug in the second film looked cheesy but, for the most part, I really dug the special effects.  However, this time around I did find some elements of the effects to be distracting; mostly the large group of battlers in the war.  Too often my eyes would catch large groups of soldiers (whether it be orc, dwarf, or elf) all moving in a very creepy unison.  Their footfalls all matched, the way their arms swung when running matched, and they even all seem to be wearing frighteningly identical armor and wielding clone weapons.  It looked a little lazy to me because you see a swarm of attackers all moving like they went for a copy and paste style visual effect.  However, this never took me out of the film because the mo-cap and other elements like Smaug?s complete obliteration of Lake Town were an utter feast for my old eyeballs.  And since I mentioned the battle?

                                                        New Line Cinema/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/WingNut Films
All battles should be fought while riding an armored ram, in my opinion.

The battle of Gondor, the fight at the Black Gates, and Helm?s Deep in LOTR has become icons.  They were huge, exciting, amusing, fun, and kicked all kinds of ass.  It?s hard to top that because these battles happened with characters that you cared deeply for and you weren?t just watching the battle, you were experiencing it because you were a part of the Fellowship.  The Battle of the Five Armies isn?t any of these battles but felt like a lackluster spectacle of gratuity.  The core dwarves that have worked hard to reclaim Erebor don?t come in until the end, Bilbo and Gandalf only have a minor presence in the fight, and the only character that you really care about in the skirmish is Bard.  Aside from this, the film is mostly just faceless dwarves, elves, and orcs battling.  Too many elements of the battle, as well, are quickly thrown in and done nothing with.  For example, when the eagles arrive we see the good Doctor Radagast the Brown (Sylvester McCoy) riding one and we get to see the Skin-Changer Beorn (Mikael Persbrandt) rain down death as a bear but they are only shown briefly and so much more could have been shown with them (hopefully, the extended cut has more action with these two).  Sure, some of the sequences are really cool and there?s even some humor thrown in but, for the most part, it just felt empty.  However, it did allow us to finally see Billy Connolly as the dwarf Dain and his scenes in the battle were very entertaining?of course, it would be hard for them not to be because it?s Billy Freakin? Connolly and if you don?t like him I don?t want to know you or have your negativity infect my life.

                                                        New Line Cinema/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/WingNut Films
Also, Billy Connolly rides a pig...somehow reality didn't collapse from such awesomeness.

My final negative I have about the film is the fact I didn?t like how they changed the process of Bard eliminating Smaug from this mortal coil.  I?m not going to get all fanboy and whine about how it wasn?t true to the book because I?m a realist and understand that direct translation will never happen 100% because it just doesn?t work that way.  Often changes have to happen and sometimes I think the changes are better than the source material.  For example, I really like the inclusion of the brand new character Tauriel.  Evangeline Lilly was fantastic as the newly created elf and the budding romance she has with Kili (Ardan Turner) was a source of great drama, amusement, and entertainment.  However, I just didn?t dig the new way Bard took out Smaug.  Yes, he still kills him with an arrow to the scale-less portion of Smaug?s chest but it just wasn?t the same.  I?m trying to be vague here because I know how freaked out people are about spoilers (shit, me just saying that Smaug dies at Bard?s hand might piss some off even though it?s from the book that is now nearly 80 years old) but they added Bard?s family into the mix and, while this may illicit a decent emotional reaction to it, the end product came off a tad silly.

                                                        New Line Cinema/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/WingNut Films
Still...how silly can it be when you have a dragon that badass?

Now, enough of the bad and let?s get to what I loved about the film!

                                                       New Line Cinema/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/WingNut Films
What I loved?  The undeniable sex appeal this one had.

Like the previous two journeys, sets, costumes, and locales are once again spot on and made me feel like no time had passed between the moments Frodo tossed Gollum and the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom and when Bilbo first told Gandalf ?good morning? when the wizard came wandering into Hobbiton.  The locations are so breathtaking and gorgeous and the attention to detail that is done with the costumes had me trying to take in every single aspect of the surroundings and characters; it made for a, once again, very engrossing theater experience.  Also, it allowed me to catch a glimpse of Gloin (Peter Hambleton) sporting the armor we will later see Gimli rocking in LOTR.  And that's just fun and possibly a spoiler for the whinier types on the 'net.

                                                        New Line Cinema/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/WingNut Films
"Bilbo, I've called you hear to tell me the truth...is gold a bit gaudy?

Again, the film has a very impressive cast and all of them are bringing their lovable fantasy characters to life and really making the pages feel like they came to the screen seamlessly.  The insanity that Thorin goes through and his realization of how wrong he is was done perfectly by Richard Armitage, Lee Pace is absolutely captivating as the Elf King Thranduil, Evangeline Lilly is once again amazing, the entire cast of the dwarves (although not as prevalent as in the previous films) as still a fun group, and old favorites who have had the privilege of being in this trilogy and the other trilogy?like Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, and Hugo Weaving?come off like they?ve never taken a day off from being Gandalf, Legolas, Galadriel, Saruman, and Elrond.  Hell, even the completely mo-capped actors like Manu Bennett and Lawrence Makoare as Bolg the son of Azog are incredible to watch because they are a great marriage of talented acting and incredible special effects.  Then, of course, there?s there likes of Stephen Fry and Billy Connolly in the film?neither are around long but the two men are unforgettable.  And, finally, you can?t NOT talk about Martin Freeman as Bilbo.

                                                        New Line Cinema/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/WingNut Films
"Guys, check it out!  Those wargs are doing it!"

YES!!!  Re-used that joke for all three reviews of The Hobbit!

I?m a big fan of Martin Freeman.  Loved him in The Office and Sherlock might be one of the greatest shows ever produced in history?plus, he was in the film adaptation of one of my favorite books!  Actually, make that two of my favorite books!  (In case you?re wondering, I?m talking about The Hobbit and The Hitchhiker?s Guide to the Galaxy.)  Freeman had some big hobbit feet to fill when he took over playing the role from Ian Holm.  Yes, the character is younger but Ian Holm is an amazing actor and was incredible in his short appearances as the hobbit in LOTR.  Since the first film, Freeman really proved he had what it took to play the role and make him sympathetic and a joy to watch.  There?s no denying the charm that Freeman has as an actor and he brings that to Bilbo and he continued to use that in order to make Bilbo the person you wanted to be with on this journey.  Finally, he really made for some amazing tender moments in the film when he is forced to say goodbye to not only someone who became his good friend but to say goodbye to the adventurer?s life.  Not bad for a people who aren?t known for their adventures!  Also, this happened and made me love him more.

                                                        New Line Cinema/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/WingNut Films
Poor Bilbo just realized he left all the lights on in his hobbit-hole when he left.

Now, while I admit the big battle itself wasn?t that exciting for me, the final fight scenes were incredibly amazing in The Battle of the Five Armies.  When the fights rolled away from being army against army and ended up being Legolas versus Bolg and we got to see the final brawl between Thorin and Azog (granted, these battles were not canon but who cares?  Not I.).  These fights, which also included Kili and Tauriel (to further move away from canon, I guess) were fist-pumpingly good and were all kinds of flashy and fun.  They were everything the main battle wasn?t and it really saved the film from a mediocre and kinda boring middle.

                                                        New Line Cinema/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/WingNut Films
Not to take away from the fight but check out that codpiece.

While The Battle of the Five Armies might not be my favorite in the series, it did provide a great closure to the trilogy and fantastic start up to LOTR.  Seeing Bilbo say goodbye to Gandalf with the One Ring in hand and seeing the beginning of the events that would see the king return to the realm of men was very satisfying and pretty emotional.  The images of Bilbo returning to his home and trying to settle back to the easy life of a hobbit were very bittersweet and I?d be lying if I said that a few tears didn?t escaped my eyes.  This also made up for an intro that, ultimately, felt like it should have been the end of the second film.  But that complaint isn?t that bad because I still got to see some Smaug action in this one and that?s enough for this geek!

                                                       New Line Cinema/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/WingNut Films
You know one of them has an itchy nose right now.

Okay, sure, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies isn?t the best one in the series and it didn?t get my perfect score like the other two but it was still a great movie.  It had its shortcomings that I couldn?t overlook but the film is still fun, funny, exciting, entertaining, and, most of all, another great excuse to take a vacation to Middle-earth.  It?s shorter running length came as a bit of a surprise and might have made the argument that this franchise could have been easily edited into two films if some elements were eliminated (like all the Sauron set-up, maybe) but it didn?t let itself drag out too bad or suffer from having too many endings (like a lot of people complain about in The Return of the King).  Overall, the film was a great closure to an eternal story.

                                                       New Line Cinema/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/WingNut Films
Yep, that's how I looked when I realized I won't be seeing a Tolkien film next year.