Director: Anne Fletcher
Writer: Aline Brosh McKenna
Genre: Romance/Comedy

Story

Jane Nichols (Katherine Heigl) seems to find herself in just about every wedding imaginable, but she has never found the guy for her. She is sick and tired of being in other people’s weddings and when her sister falls for the one guy Jane really liked she has had enough. Along the way she meets Kevin Doyle (James Marsden), a writer of the wedding articles Jane admires so much. Jane has to figure out how to get over the guy that her sister is now going to marry and at the same time fall in love with Kevin.

Everything Else

27 Dresses could not have been more predictable even for romantic comedies. There was the classic rise and fall, the goofy girlfriend, and the sappy “oh everything is great now” ending. Aside from the movie failing to veer off of a path that has been overplayed and overused, the directing wasn’t half bad. There were situations in 27 Dresses as there usually are that seemed ridiculous and could have been a lot better if they had just been toned down a little.

The acting was average with no performances that could jump out at you. The sister, whom I have forgotten or never cared to know the name of, was particularly annoying. The character was over the top in an annoying way. Katherine Heigl and James Marsden did well together, but they have sold themselves short in this film. There is no challenge for either of them with the talent that I am sure they have buried deep inside somewhere.

The Real Deal

Although 27 Dresses was probably not on the top ten list of worse romantic comedies ever, I certainly found it to be terrible. There was nothing original about it (not surprising) and the directing, acting, and story left a lot to be desired. 27 Dresses has been compared to The Devil Wears Prada because of the screenwriter; however, this movie did not come close to being as well made. Pass this one up unless you are looking for a disappointment.

Dave’s Score: 4/10

Written by Dave of Dave’s Movie Reviews

Director: Andrew Adamson
Writer: Andrew Adamson and Christopher Markus
Genre: Adventure/Family/Fantasy

Story

The four children are back in Narnia, but this time the Narnians are near extinction and humans have taken over the world. Prince Caspian is the rightful heir to the throne, but his uncle sees an opportunity to take the thrown by killing him. Prince Caspian is forced to flee and comes into the care of some Narnians. When he blows a horn it calls the four children back from real life to the world of Narnia where they are restored as the kings and queens of the Narnians. Now they have to help Prince Caspian reclaim his thrown and save the Narnians.

Everything Else

The directing of Prince Caspian was certainly sound, but there is not a lot to brag about for Andrew Adamson who aside from the first two Narnia movies has had his hands in Shrek 1, 2, and 3. The action was good and the special effects were better than they were in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Adamson was also still able to make any blood or disturbing images almost completely non-existent. This is a children’s movie so he wanted it to be viewable by children (an interesting concept).

The acting was much like the first; the children still didn’t have great performances, but they fit into the roles just fine. It was good they were able to secure the same actors for Prince Caspian so the continuity was better. Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian held his own, but won’t win anything for his performance. Two notable performances were that of Peter Dinklage as Trumpkin and Warwick Davis as Nikabrik. For Davis Prince Caspian seemed a familiar role after being in a few movies you may have seen: Star Wars, Willow, Leprechaun, Ray, and others. Davis was even in the TV version of Prince Caspian in 1989. Dinklage is less often in a fantasy movie, but fit right in here.

Overall the writing, directing, and acting could have been better, but there was not a lot that can be called bad. Rather, it can all be called decent. Unfortunately, Adamson is making a movie out of a masterpiece, and it is easy to mess it up. Adamson could certainly learn a lot from Peter Jackson.

The Real Deal

Although it is hard to have any major complaints about Prince Caspian, it was much like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was for me; boring. Prince Caspian lacks a certain amount of emotion which is essential to most genres of movies, but especially an epic fantasy film such as this. You could argue it was so kids could enjoy it and it should have been toned down, but this seems like a cop-out. Either way you want to see it, there is no doubt the movie is lacking in the excitement department. It is difficult for the viewer to get attached to any of the characters. In fact, most of the characters seemed completely apathetic to the safety of the other characters they were supposed to love. If no one cares if a character dies, then why should I? The movie still provided enough action to keep me entertained and the movie was clean enough for any age to view it. If you liked the first one a lot then you are sure to like this one.

Dave’s score: 6/10

Written by Dave of Dave’s Movie Reviews