I recently saw four movies that are currently in theaters. I'm ranking my reviews in the order that I enjoyed them from best to worst.
Top Gun: Maverick- I wasn't a huge fan of the original Top Gun when I saw it as a teenager. It's crazy that someone could do a sequel nearly 35 years after the original movie and it could be so successful. This movie has been postponed since 2020 because of Covid so I think people were ready to see it when it finally made it to theaters. I liked this sequel. I especially enjoyed the fighter scenes. They were so intense that I found myself clinching my muscles in the theater so I wouldn't pass out with the excessive G force. I hope Hollywood takes note at how successful this pro- America, toxic masculinity movie was and realizes not every film has to be politically correct and push a woke agenda. It was like going to the movies in the 80's again. I give it 7.8 stars.
The Gray Man- I only heard of this movie a week ago. I noticed it was playing in theaters but then realized it was also on Netflix so I watched it from home. This movie is extremely fake and predictable but I still liked it. There was more globe trotting around Europe than most James Bond movies. The action was non-stop and it was fun to see Chris Evans as the villain. I was thoroughly entertained and surprised at what had to be a huge budget for a Netflix movie. I give it 7.3 stars.
Dr. Strange In The Multitude of Madness- At least they named it accurately. The last Spider Man movie set a high bar for confusing plots spanning multiple universes and realities, and this movie tried to keep that concept going or even surpass it. I have not seen the WandaVision series on Disney so I'm sure I was missing something about her backstory which didn't help. It was interesting and action packed but I felt it was too busy and jumbled. I also didn't care for the new America Chavez character that much. It was ok but I only give it 6.8 stars.
Thor: Love and Thunder- There have been too many movies and spin off series from the Marvel Universe over the last 4 years. I feel they really hit their peak with End Game and have just been pumping out mediocre stuff since then. I liked Thor Ragnarok and appreciated the light hearted and humorous style. Korg was funny in that movie but is starting to turn into Jar Jar Binks the more we see him. Christian Bale was a great in his role and I wish he had more screen time. Some of the special effects were amazing but others, not so much. I usually like most stuff from Taika Waititi but some parts of this movie just bothered me. An example of this is Thor giving the kidnapped kids a big group hug and each of them shooting lighting out of their fingers and stuffed animals to kill the monsters. It's hard to take a superhero movie seriously when it's so whimsical and keeps changing gears. Also, it appears that Chris Hemsworth hogged all the budget for personal training, gear, and nutrition. He looked incredible, but he should have shared some of his secrets with Russell Crowe. I give Thor: Love and Thunder 6.4 stars.
