Blu ray movie review of How to Train Your Dragon

With gluttony of animated films flooding the market, How to Train Your Dragon is easily one of the most entertaining CG animated film in a long time. It seems like DreamWorks and other studios have consistently churned out CG animated films to keep up with Pixar’s stranglehold on the genre. While DreamWorks have had some success with Shrek franchise, it still lags far behind Pixar in terms of quality and entertainment. However, How To Train Your Dragon is on par with any of the Pixar’s offering. While the voice talent is as spectacular as some of the previous offerings, it does not lack any quality compared to other animated films.

The plot revolves around a young Viking named Hiccup. He is the son of fearless leader of his village named Stoik. Stoik is one the best warrior and most admired unlike Hiccup. While Hiccup might be lacking in physical prowess, he is a very talented in tinkering and inventing. The town, named Berk, is constantly under siege by the marauding dragons that steal their food supplies. In a constant battle with dragons, the village trains the youngster to fight dragons. In an attempt to receive his father’s attention, Hiccup unleashes his latest invention and manages to down a powerful Night Fury dragon. Instead of killing the dragon, Hiccup releases the dragon and befriends the dragon. He gets to know the secret behind the attacks and attempts to enlighten everyone on the reason behind the dragon attacks.

While the plot isn’t overly complicated or original, the story is fun enough to keep your attention from start to finish. The interaction between the dragon and Hiccup is very funny. The underdog story and the boy and his pet relationship is very well done. The animation was well done and the voice acting by Gerard Butle, Jay Baruchel, and America Ferrera are spot on. This is without a doubt one of my favorite animation film in a long time. I highly recommend this film to children as well as adults.

What do you think about this movie? Please leave your thoughts below.

Battle for Terra Blu Ray Review

Battle for Terra was buried under Pixar and DreamWorks animation in terms of recognition and buzz. Even with great voice actor line up, Battle for Terra flopped at the box office. It was mostly due to the market dominance by the Pixar and DreamWorks that contributed to the poor showing of Battle for Terra. Had Pixar or DreamWorks been behind this movie, I’m sure it could have done much better at the box office. The critics and the audiences that have watched the film have given it good reviews. While the plot was truly original, its execution was very good.

The plot of the movie is very similar to any science fiction fans. It’s about Earth destroying itself in a war and the few survivors looking for a new planet. It seems like the human race is destined to destroy ourselves in a war or some sort of ecological disaster. While I detest these doom and gloom view, Battle for Terra only uses this plot device as background story. The real story is the interaction between the human race and the native inhabitants. Earth ship arrives at an alien planet with intention to settle. Military faction wants to settle immediately without any consideration to the inhabitants. This eventually leads to a battle between the humans and the alien inhabitants.

While the ending is fairly predictable for a family friendly science fiction film, the overall story and animation quality is top notch. Overall voice acting was very good with the likes of Brian Cox, Chris Evans, Amanda Peet, Luke Wilson, and Evan Rachel woods lending their voice for the animation. The animation might not be as crisp as Pixar’s. However, it is still very good 3D animation compared to most animated films. If you missed this great animation film, this would be a good time to pick it up on the Blu-ray format.

What do you think about this movie? Please leave your thoughts below.

Monsters vs Aliens Blu Ray

Monsters vs Aliens Blu Ray Review

Aside from Shrek series, DreamWorks Animation hasn’t stacked up too well against Pixar animation films. Overall, Pixar has produced better films. That is why I was pleasantly surprised by Monsters vs Aliens. DreamWorks always boasted great animation and voice talents. They just failed to produce compelling stories. Monsters vs Aliens is a very good comedic film. Add in the 3D viewing and it makes for a good time for both children and adults.

While the story line isn’t as deep as some of the Pixar animation movies, it does have very funny and fresh story line. The entire movie borrows heavily from various pop culture and cult movies. The premise of the alien attacking and the bumbling president is very similar to Mars Attacks!. Susan Murphy gets struck by a meteor during her wedding day. This causes her to grow into a giant human being. Somehow, the Army gets this information and imprisons her with other “monsters.” The “monsters” include B.O.B, Dr. Cockroach, and The Missing Link. Together, they are imprisoned until Gallaxhar shows up to attack Earth. This causes panic and everyone turns to the “monsters” to take care of the threat.

I have not had chance to watch the film in 3D. The reviews for the 3D viewing were fairly positive across the board. Until we get the proper technology at home, it will hard to emulate the 3D effects seen in theater. Overall, the film is very entertaining. It is not just for kids and the adults will appreciate some of the more mature humor. The voice cast is excellent from top to bottom. I really enjoyed Stephen Colbert and Hugh Laurie as the President and Dr. Cockroach respectively. I could easily see this being a franchise like the ever popular Shrek.

What do you think about this movie? Please leave your thoughts below.

Blu-Ray disc movie review of Horton Hears a Who

Seems like the Hollywood finally got it right with Dr. Seuss adaptation. They have failed spectacularly with The Grinch and The Cat in the Hat in my opinion. Filled with unfunny jokes and over the top acting, The Grinch and The Cat in the Hat both failed to deliver a satisfying Dr. Seuss story we've come to enjoy from our childhood. Maybe the live adaptation is not right for Dr. Seuss stories. Instead, the animation seems to be the answer. Horton Hears a Who is a far superior and enjoyable film than its predecessor.

Most of us are familiar with Dr. Seuss stories including Horton Hears a who. The story involves an outgoing elephant who accidentally hears a racy of tiny people known as the "whos" living on a flower. As the flower passes by he hears them talking and instinctively takes possession to protect the whoville. Opposing Horton is a mother Kangaroo who feels that Horton is a bad influence to the children. She thinks Horton is making it up and lying to the children. She is bent on destroying the flower while Horton protects the flower with all his might.

Jim Carey is hundred times better in the role as Horton than as The Grinch. He doesn't overact and shows tremendous heart portraying the caring elephant. Steve Carell is equally brilliant in his performance as the ever nervous mayor of the whoville. The interaction between both actors are funny and endearing. There are many supporting characters but the movie hinges on the performances and relationship between Horton and the Mayor.

With crisp and vibrant animation, Horton Hears a Who is perhaps the best adaptation of Dr. Seuss' story. This movie is really funny with original ideas and jokes that don't detract from the original work. It does away with toilet humors. The creators did an excellent job staying true to the message while making the film enjoyable and fresh. The creative people behind the film did an excellent job and they should be in charge of any future Dr. Seuss works.

What do you think about this movie? Please leave your thoughts below.

Click here to buy above blu ray movie at 20% off or more on Amazon.com!!

Blu-Ray movie review of Star Wars: The Clone Wars

George Lucas probably should have stopped making Star Wars movie after the Return of the Jedi. Granted Revenge of the Sith was fairly good movie compared to the two previous prequels. I'm not sure if this animated movie and the subsequent animated series on Cartoon Network is necessary. Star Wars: The Clone Wars is the animated movie that is launching point for the animated series. And, like other George Lucas films, most will clamor to see this film.

The story fits somewhere between the Attack of the Clones and Rvenge of the Sith. Count Dooku kidnaps son of Jaba the Hutt in order turn the Hutt criminal syndicate against the Republic. It is up to Anakin and Obi-wan to mount a rescue mission in order to avert a big fight between Hutt and Republic. The film contains no other recognizable characters from the Star Wars universe. Obviously, it wont have any characters from episodes 3 to 6. However, it would of have been nice to see some other characters from episode 1 and 2. The entire movie is primarily a set up to the animated series. We get the basic back story and some resolution at the end with the promise of continuation. The action is fairly good with above average animation and effects.

The voice work is fairly good. It is definitely above average as far as animation voice overs go. Very few actors from the episode one and two are brought in to do the voice over. Samuel L. Jackson comes back to voice the Mace Windu character. Other than that, I didn't recognize any other voices. The ever present music score from John Williams is missing. This is big loss for me as I always enjoy John Williams music.

All in all, it is Star Wars fun. But, it is lack luster effort. This feels like rushed job aimed at launching television show rather than a solid effort at a good movie. I, along with other Star Wars fans, will most likely follow the animated television show. Just because it's Star Wars. But soon or later I'm going to get tired of these lack luster efforts from Lucas.

What do you think about this movie? Please leave your thoughts below.

Click here to buy above blu ray movie at 20% off or more on Amazon.com!!

Blu-ray movie review of Pixar’s WALL E

Personally, I hate disaster movies such as The Day After Tomorrow. We get it. We ruined our planet. What will the penguins do? Give it a rest already. It's really tiring how Hollywood has taken this global warming and human excess to the extreme. It's trite and tiring at best. I avoid this type of movie like the plague. However, I loved Wall E. I can't help love the WALLE's determination and its display of what's best in humanity. Pixar is incapable of making a bad film it seems.

The story is about a robot assigned to clean up Earth long after humans have abandoned it due to pollution and over consumption. Combine this with global warming message and it seems like another cautionary tale. It is such tale but it is much more. It's about WALLE's struggle to find love. To find where he truely belong. One day a space ship arrives and drops of EVE. Eve's mission to search for a sign of life form on the planet. WALLE falls in love with EVE and follows her back to the main space ship. There, they struggle to convince the captain to return to Earth.

This movie cost around $180 million to make. And, there are virtually no dialogue. Imagine the cost if they had to hire bunch of actors to voice various characters. Even without dialogue, this movie works very well. WALLE and EVE convey every range of emotion. Sadness, happiness, fear, excitement, and any other emotion you can think of. They do it convincingly. I never thought movie could work with so little dialogue. Not in today's cinema. The director Andrew Stanton has done a great job. It must have been risky to pitch the idea of movie where there are so little dialogue.

As I've stated earlier, this movie does contain "save the earth" type of message. But, I think that just sets up a setting for the real story between WALLE and EVE. This is a love story. WALLE's determination to follow EVE and ultimately win her heart, or hard drive, not sure. Either way, this is a must watch movie of the year. The Blu-ray edition contain various extras including BD-LIVE content.

What do you think about this movie? Please leave your thoughts below.

Click here to purchase above blu ray movies at Amazon.com and save 30% or more!

Blu-ray movie review of Madagascar

This films emulates a lot of the recent animated blockbusters such as Finding Nemo, Shrek, and various other Dreamworks and Pixar animation efforts. The story is not terribly original but the people behind the works execute it very well. It targets the young audience but works equally well attracting teens to adults. So, it's movie that anyone can really enjoy and the sequel that's been just released is testament to the popularity of this original work.

This is a really fish out of water story. Bunch of zoo animals end up in the middle of Madagascar, an island near Africa. And you can imagine what follows when these "city" animals are introduced into the wild. Lots and lots of funny moments.

As with other animation works, music is pretty important and displayed prominently. Hanz Zimmer does fantastic job scoring and selecting music for this movie.

The voice actors are all fantastic. Popular Hollywood actors do fantastic job with the movie. Ben Stiller and Chris Rock voice the lion and zebra as the main characters. Jada Pinkett Smith's hippo and and David Schwimmer's giraffe are very capable secondary characters.

Even though I'm past the age where I should enjoy animation, I enjoyed this movie a lot. It was very funny money and Dreamworks animation tend to include jokes that are more targeted toward older audience ala Shrek. All in all, everyone should be able to enjoy this film.

What do you think about this movie? Please leave your thoughts below.

Click here to purchase above blu ray movies at Amazon.com and save 30% or more!

Blu-ray movie review of Space Chimps

The preview of this film was pretty funny so i thought this movie wouldn't be torture to sit through. Also, people behind this film were responsible for Shrek, which is pretty funny film. I'm not a huge animation fan as I'm over 20. But I do like well made animation films. This turned to be not a well made animation film. It didn't have heart like most Pixar films. And, it wasn't as funny as Shrek or other Dreamworks animations.

The plot was pretty thin. Ham is grandson of a famous chimp astronaut who happens to be the first chimp in the space. Three chimps, including Ham is sent into space to find out if ther is alien life form. Ham, Luna, and Titon are sent out into space. There are aliens, some funny goofy jokes, and happy ending. Nothing special.

This movie didn't do well in box office because it is a mediocre film at best. The animation quality not upto the offerings from Pixar or other Dreamworks animation. Also, the cast wasn't anything to write home about. At best, this is an average film that might be fun for 6 year olds.

What do you think about this movie? Please leave your thoughts below.

Click here to purchase above blu ray movies at Amazon.com and save 30% or more!

Dreamworks Kung Fu Panda Blu-ray movie review

Dreamworks has finally made a animation that can stand up to Pixar/Disney animation films. Sure, Shrek franchise has done very well for Dreamworks. However, I always felt that Dreamworks has always lagged behind Pixar in terms of story telling and overall execution of animation works. The animation quality, story line, actors involved in this movie is all top notch.

The story like any other animation story line is not overly complicated. It's classic underdog story line that's been done to death in animation and other family friendly movies. This however, does not mean it is borign or trite. The story is about a Chinese town in the valley with a flourishing kung-fu culture is about to be attacked by an evil kung fu master. Po, who dreams to be a kung fu master some how bumbles into the role of savior.

The script is excellent and Dreamworks does a great job in animation quality. It is very funny from start to finish. I think they did great job creating the look and feel of ancient China inhabited by talking animals. The fight sequences are great and very detailed. It's pretty refreshing to actually see a monkey practicing monkey style kung fu and preying mantis practicing preying mantis style kung fu. It's also pretty funny.

Overall it is a great film enhnaced by great voice work from Jack Black and Dustin Hoffman. My only gripe is that Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, and others A list actors that had very small roles in terms of screen time. It is mostly dominated by Jack Black. These other characters could have been nore fleshed out to utilize such great casting. Otherwise, it is a must own for Blu-ray owners.

What do you think about this movie? Please leave your thoughts below.

Click here to purchase above blu ray movies at Amazon.com and save 20% or more!

Animation hit Open Season on Blu-ray

Open Season uses more adult and over-the-edge-humor than any other animated movie released in the last 5 years. The characters are great and funny. Much better than some animated side kicks we've seen this year geared toward kids and toddlers. Ashton Kutcher, Martin Lawrance and Billy Conelly did a great job and were very funny. Also the music in this picture is very well done. The animation is brilliant vibrant.

Martin voices the lovable Boog in the film; he's the main attraction of a show at the zoo with his best friend, Beth voiced by Debra Messing. Boog also lives with Beth, equipped with his stuffed animal friend Dunkleman. On a completely side note, what would a Sony film be without a reference to one of their own. Before Boog settles in for his comfy night sleep, he checks out Pat Sajak on Wheel of Fortune.

I think this movie was much better than Chicken Little and some others I've seen in the past few years. Any movie that make a 4 year old and a 43 year old laugh at the same things must be doing something right. Recommeneded for any ages.

What do you think about this movie? Please leave your thoughts below.

Click here to purchase above blu ray movies at Amazon.com and save 30% or more!

Next Page »