Isaac's Film Reviews

Gru's turn good goes bad. Full, spoiler-free review by Isaac Handelman If 2010’s Despicable Me was Illumination Entertainment’s way of proving their ability to produce quality animated content on par with industry heavyweights Pixar and Dreamworks, then this year’s Despicable Me 2 is proof that the 2010 surprise hit was a fluke. Illumination’s spotty track record since the first Despicable consists of misfires Hop and The Lorax , which should have warned us of the potential disappointment this sequel would bring. Alas, Despicable Me 2 has arrived, and with it Illumination gives us a perfect demonstration of how difficult it is to make lightning strike twice. As would be expected, Gru takes center stage, voiced by Steve Carell in another impressively dedicated performance in his faux-unidentifiable-accent. The entire supporting voice cast is strong, bolstered by the likes of Kristen Wiig and Russell Brand. This time around, Gru’s three adopted daughters, Margo, Edith and ...

Go big or go silent. Full, spoiler-free review by Isaac Handelman Guillermo del Toro has proven himself capable of melding creative, over-the-top science fiction/fantasy elements with well-crafted narratives and endearing characters. With Pacific Rim , the director hits the former category with a greater impact than he (and anyone else in recent memory, for that matter) has before. As far as the latter -- well, it doesn’t fare as well. All things considered, though, Pacific Rim delivers exactly what is promised, and that’s all that most viewers will care about. In the film’s alternate reality universe, gigantic, trans-dimensional abominations, dubbed “kaiju,” have been invading Earth through an underwater rift in the titular Pacific Rim. In order to combat the beasts, humanity constructs hulking super-robots called “jaeger,” each piloted by a team of two elite combatants whose minds are together fused to the steel body of the jaeger. The base narrative of Pacific Rim isn’t any...

Pirates of the Wild West Full, spoiler-free review by Isaac Handelman Pirates of the Caribbean, the first product of Jerry Bruckheimer/Gore Verbinski collaboration, is one of the more impressive blockbuster success stories of the last decade. Based upon a Disneyland ride, the Pirates franchise has become one of Hollywood’s most enduring and consistently successful, and the series reached those heights with a deft mixture of swashbuckling action/adventure and offbeat humor. In the years since Pirates ’ debut, Bruckheimer has poured millions into fostering other projects in hopes that they could achieve what Pirates did, and the disappointing performances of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice serve as demonstrations of just how difficult it can be to kickstart a multi-million dollar franchise as effortlessly as Pirates did. Bruckheimer’s latest non- Pirates gamble sees the producer re-teaming with Pirates director Gore Verbinski and star Johnny Depp ...