Raptor and Slacker
The Paw Print
Raptor and Slacker love movies. They REALLY love movies! And we have decided to share some of our movie thoughts with you. Sometimes we will watch new movies in theaters or on DVD, and sometimes we will watch some of our old favorites that we want to share with the world. If you have any suggestions for movies to review, please email them to raptorandslacker@gmail.com.
This week is all about aliens! We chose two recent movies that portray aliens in two different ways. Please enjoy our reviews on “Battle Los Angeles” and “Paul”.
“Battle Los Angeles” (2011)
“Battle Los Angeles” is an action packed movie about an alien invasion and potentially the end of the world. While Los Angeles and other coastal cities are being attacked by meteors and other unidentified objects, a Marine platoon is assigned to go in and rescue civilians who are trapped behind the aliens’ lines. Leading the platoon is Lt. Martinez (Ramon Rodriguez, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”) and Sgt. Nantz (Aaron Eckhart, “The Dark Knight”). Sgt. Nantz has just had his retirement approved and he was hoping to get some time to relax, but it doesn’t look like that is going to happen. With a group of Marines, all with back stories and solid motives to stay alive, they begin their trek across LA. Along the way, they meet up with a group of civilians and form a plan to get everyone out alive. As the aliens advance across the city, the question of survival becomes an issue. A number of epic battles follow one after another and everyone begins to wonder who will eventually win.
This movie was written by Christopher Bertolini. This was Bertolini’s first movie and is noteworthy due to the blockbuster reception that it received. It was directed by Jonathan Liebesman who also directed “Darkness Falls” (2003) and is currently working on “Clash of the Titans 2”.
Raptor: The biggest things I remember from this movie was explosions, guns, running and a little tiny hint at a plot. I mean, sure every movie needs to have some kind of plot to actually be a movie, but this one seemed like just an average, run-of-the-mill action movie where bigger explosions meant smaller plot. I know there were a few scenes that showed the back story of the different characters and there were a few connections between the characters, but that was it. Maybe I’m not a big fan of action movies, but I thought this one was rather pointless and plot-less. I do believe that action movies can have a deep and meaningful plot; this one just seemed to miss the mark a little… or a lot for my tastes. As far as the aliens go, I thought this was a typical portrayal of a “bad aliens come to take over” movies. I rate this movie a 5 out of 10.
Slacker: I did not want to see this movie when it first came out. It was completely stupid looking. I am glad that I gave it a chance because it was a different movie from what I usually watch. If you like action army movies this is for you. It has nothing to do with respecting the army but I did not like this movie. I would give this a movie 4 out of 10 just because there was a lot of pointless information for my liking.
“Paul” (2011)
“Paul” is about, well, Paul, an alien who is trying to get home. The back story is that he landed in Wyoming in 1947 and was taken by government scientists. He says that for years, they treated him like a guest at their facility. But now, they have all the information that they need and they are done with Paul. He escapes and tries to get home. The movie actually opens on Graeme (Simon Pegg, “Shaun of the Dead”) and Clive (Nick Frost, “Shaun of the Dead”) as they enjoy their time at Comic-Con. They decide to take a road trip across the American Southwest, visiting UFO hotspots. As they travel, they begin making enemies early. It begins with two hillbillies that they encounter in a diner. But soon after, the “bad guys” just start adding up. Graeme and Clive end up finding Paul on a dark highway in the middle of nowhere. Right away, Graeme believes everything Paul tells them and is ready to help without hesitation. But Clive is a little more resistant. However, he comes around and they begin meeting other people who help them. Finally, Graeme, Clive and Paul get to the secret place (Devils Tower, Wyoming) and Paul finally has the chance to get home.
“Paul” was written by Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, the men who also brought us “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz”. It was directed by Greg Mottola (“Superbad” and “Adventureland”).
Raptor: I have been a big fan of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost for a long time, and I’m a little ashamed to say that I didn’t realize this movie was by them. When it first came out, I didn’t pay much attention to it. But after a friend recommended it, I decided to give it a try. Right away the movie went up in my opinion because of these two genius filmmakers. But as the movie went on, it only got better and better. On one hand, I would say that I loved this movie because of its originality, mostly because I had a hard time thinking of another big, “friendly alien” movie since “ET”. However, I also loved how this movie took things from other alien movies (such as Paul’s ability to heal, the shape of his body and the use of Devils Tower), but still attributed them back to the originals through a clever plot trick. In short, I definitely liked this movie and I am still a big fan of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. I rate this movie 8 out of 10.
Slacker: This alien movie is like none you have seen before. I liked the alien go home and how much an alien can influence the main stream society. It was more like a guy road trip than scary Aliens attach. The actors were actually really good the voice for Paul was great. This was the first movie I liked Simon Pegg in. I did not like his funny big roles. The farther you get into the movie the funnier it gets. One of the funniest parts is when an over Christian farm girl gets involved in the whole save the alien chase. It is not for kids under the age of 16 for sure but for adults Paul is a must see. I would rate it a 8 out of 10 because of how funny it was and it was a good story.
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