Movie Review: Miss Heregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Rating: PG-13

Score: ❤❤❤❤❤

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Hello, everyone! So today is a day that I have been looking forward to all month and pretty much ever since I first read the book about a year or two ago. The release day of the Miss Peregrine movie. GET ME TO A THEATER NOW!!!

I literally just now got back from seeing the movie and immediately hopped onto my laptop to write this review up for you guys since I'm so darn excited about talking about this movie I can't contain it any longer. I hope you guys enjoy my review of the movie so please enjoy!

1. The first thing I seriously freaking LOVED about the movie was the casting. I honestly can't picture any other actor playing any of the characters. They were all so well cast that the actors pretty much became their characters and I thought that was just awesome. They really brought the characters to life and gave them the perfect on-screen personalities that made them such unique characters in the book. I have to say my favorite portrayal was that of Miss Peregrine herself. I might just be a tad bit of a fangirl when it comes to Eva Green and her awesomeness . . .

So yes, I quite liked the cast a lot. Especially Eva Green. She's perfect.

2. Can we just talk about those Hollows though? They were seriously SO COOL and creepy, but still VERY COOL. They looked exactly like how I pictured them in my head while reading the book and my brother noted they looked like something straight out of Silent Hill. Which I was very happy about since the Hollows aren't exactly the most cuddly creatures. They eat eyeballs for goodness sake. The editing for all the other effects such as the kids' superpowers, the giant literal bomb dropping, the action scenes, and all the little details in between was so fun to watch play out on screen and it felt like I was glued to the screen the entire time I was watching. 

3. The movie was just so entertaining and worth every second of it. I thought the pace was great, although a little bit of a weird jump from event to event in the beginning of the movie but it wasn't anything to ruin the movie itself. There were also some subtle changes to the characters such as changing the ages of Olivia, Hugh, and Fiona, switching the powers of Emma and Olivia, and changing up a few details and the way some events play out but once again, nothing huge and actually some of the differences made sense in hindsight for the film. I think even if you aren't a fan of the Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series, this movie is totally a great one to see if you love sci-fi, action, mystery, adventure stories.

4. I think the only problem I really had with the film which I'm actually not mad about was the way the movie ended. If you've read the book, the last few chapters set up the story for the second book in the series, Hollow City, which takes place just after the first books ends. The ending of the movie was pretty different from the actual book and while it was pretty neat to watch the new ending and be surprised, I really wish the movie had been left open for a sequel should the studio go ahead with making a second installment in the film series. As of right now, there isn't any talk of a sequel that I've heard about but it would have been nice to have the movie end with the hope of a sequel since I seriously want a sequel. Like, right now.

Overall, I really loved the movie though the book was better. Then again, the book is always better so it's not surprising. I think huge mega fans of the series will love this movie since I'm pretty much obsessed with the books and I was dying to see the movie ever since it was announced that it was in development. I think people who haven't even read or heard of the books could really enjoy the movie and find at least one thing they loved about the film. I'm a huge Tim Burton fan so I might just be biased in saying it's one of his greatest films but I don't care. Tim Burton is a mastermind and I think he did an amazing job of capturing everything I loved about the book for a screen adaptation.

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So I hope you guys enjoyed my little mini-review of the movie and let me know what you thought about the movie if you saw it in the comments! I would love to know! Read on, bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

NERVE: Movie Review!

Rating: PG-13

Release: July 27, 2016

Hello, everybody! Today, I was finally able to head to the theater after long last to not only see a new movie but of course, to see a new book-to-movie adaptation that I've been anticipating for a little while now! I was super excited about this movie after I found out it was based on a book, which you can check out the book review for by clicking the link. So, anyhoo, I just love books and storylines that have to do with games such as Sword Art Online (1st season), The Eye Of Minds by James Dashner, and a few others. I get that players being stuck in a game of a sort isn't the most original idea ever but I still very much enjoy them from time to time.

So, obviously, I had to pick up NERVE and read it because I just loved the synopsis for the book and, well, the movie was coming out soon. I somehow managed to get my brother to read the book after showing him the trailer for the movie and he ended up loving it and we both went to see the movie earlier today and, surprise, I can't decide if I like the book or the movie better. For the first time ever I can't decide if I prefer the book to the movie or not. Like, what is this madness?

There were a lot of changes the movie adaptation made but overall, there was an equal amount of things we both liked about the movie and the book themselves. For starters, even though there were a lot of changes, the movie still kept the main plot points, pace, characters of course, and the themes and dares, even though there were different settings and the dares were different than in the book. Other changes included what our main character Vee is interested in such as in the book, she's set on going to fashion school. In the movie, her passion is photography and she rocks at it. The whole deal with her wanting to go to an expensive art school is still the same, though Vee's family life is changed a bit with her living with only her mom, no dad, and having a deceased older brother.

Some of the changes didn't really seem all that necessary but then again, it added some emotion, drama, and made Vee's character more willing to play NERVE since there was only one source of income and her mother was scared to let Vee go off to an expensive school for fear of not being able to pay the bills as well as still dealing with a death in the family. The dares were different than in the book but I didn't mind it that much since they were more realistic than in the book. The game is played in New York instead than in the original story, Ian's background is a little bit different and his reason for playing NERVE is also a little bit darker but the changes worked with the adaptation from page to screen.

I really liked the casting for all the characters. The pace, romance, excitement, and the overall story was well translated without getting boring or cheesy and the dares were exciting, even having me cringe just watching the characters do some of the dares and almost dying a few times in the process of playing the game. I would honestly go see this movie again since I really loved it despite the ending being totally different than the book and the way NERVE is operated being tweaked a little bit. I loved the book as well and I would say that the movie is good just as it's own thing, maybe not the best adaptation, but well worth watching for sure. I would give the movie about four stars based on just how much I personally enjoyed it. Even my brother, who's very picky just like me about book-to-movie adaptations, really liked it and enjoyed a lot of the changes.

So, do you think you would play NERVE if it was real? Let me if you're a player or a watcher in the comments. Read on, bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

Allegiant: Movie Review (Divergent #3)

Rating: PG-13

The day is finally here! I've been very excited for March 18 for many reasons, including the release of Allegiant! I've been dying for it to hit theaters ever since seeing the trailer for it months ago and I'm happy that I've finally been able to watch it! Let's get the review started!

The first thing I want to say is if you're expecting as good of an adaptation that the first movie was, don't hold your breath. This third movie is more accurate to the book than Insurgent was, still having changes but having the overall same premise and plot points that made up the story itself but not as good as the first movie. Allegiant is actually tied with the first book as my favorite out of the series simply because I honestly thought it was a really good book. Yes, it is hard to follow since there's a lot of information being thrown at you every single chapter but I enjoyed that aspect since I like knowing how things work, call it my inner Erudite if you want. The movie, however, breaks everything down in an oversimplified way for the audience to follow which is nice since the book holds a ton of information. 

There is also a ton more technology than in the actual book which is something that kind of lost me since I was trying to filter through the events that happen to bring you guys a more accurate movie review. I do have to say that the flying pods, ships and drones were all really cool and I really want a lot of the stuff that was used. Like seriously, I want the drone thingamabobs! But at the same time, some of it was a little overwhelming but if you like technology then I'm sure it won't bother you at all.

Another thing is that the movie did its own thing while still staying truer to the story than Insurgent did. It was a slower paced movie since not a ton happens in the book but I still really loved seeing everything play out. A lot of the build up to the plot points happen very differently than in the book but they still follow along the lines of the book such as Caleb's trial, Tris meeting David and Four going to the Fringe. If you've read the book then you know how all this plays out but I'm being vague for the sake of not wanting to spoil anyone who hasn't read the series yet or the third book. This movie was a little easier to follow than the previous two but at the same time, there was still a lot of information and revelations being thrown at you that it made it somewhat overwhelming. I really enjoyed this movie but then again, I actually loved the book unlike most people so some might have problems with the movie still or you might even love the movie a lot more than the book. 

Lastly, the movie did have a pretty abrupt ending and it felt pretty short. The second part, Ascendant, comes to theaters in 2017 so I'm guessing that's why it felt so short. Duh, you're only getting half of what happens in the book. But I think it could've had just a tad bit more of a smoother ending instead of showing some scenes with dialogue and then cutting to the credits in a snap. 

I would give this movie a seven out of ten for being more accurate to the book, being interesting enough of a movie to watch and overall, a decent adaptation. Could it have been better? Yes, yes it could have. Do I wish this movie was as good as Divergent? Hands down yes. But of course, the world isn't perfect, which is pointed out very thoroughly in the movie might I add, so we just have to take what we get. I would honestly see this movie again because I found it interesting than maybe most people will but it has been getting some pretty good reviews from people so maybe I'm not alone. I'm excited for the conclusion to this movie franchise next year but at the same time kind of sad knowing it's ending. It is my favorite trilogy after all!

So what did you think about this movie? What would you score it? Let me know in the comments if you're excited about this movie or if you liked it better than the book.

Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter! 

P.S. Another perk was there was a ton of close-ups of Theo James. 

The Fifth Wave: Movie Review

WARNING: Spoilers May Be Ahead

There's really nothing I love more than books except life itself, Disney, and going to the theater as often as possible to check out some new flicks. I also really love seeing specifically action films during the cold months, I don't really know why though. It could be just because it's exciting and makes me forget that I'm cold when things are blowing up every five seconds. Anyway, I read The Fifth Wave about a year or two ago and I wasn't all that impressed by it and didn't really understand why everyone was raving about it. I didn't think it was bad, it was just okay. I read quite a lot of sci-fy so it's a bit hard for me to be impressed by another alien/military/survival story. Regardless, I felt like I shouldn't give up on the series just yet before seeing the movie. I literally just now got home from the theater and I'm very excited to be writing this review for you guys, but for other reasons.

PROS:

1. Action

The movie is surprisingly faster paced than the book itself. Not a lot happens in the book and it's faster paced scenes are too drawn out for it to be as exciting as it could have been. However, I loved that the movie added a lot more intensity to the scenes, you know with all the bullets flying, kids going into war and all that jazz. Because most of the action takes place in Ben's POV, the movie wasted no time when it came to building up his character and story-line just like the book did but at a bit of a faster tempo. The movie is more exciting because of that and they were my favorite parts of the movie. 

2. Plot

The whole plot of The Fifth Wave is that aliens have officially invaded earth and are for some reason not making contact or even giving a reason for their mayhem, which is what drew me to the book in the first place. Aliens? Guns? Lots of 'what the heck; moments? That never gets old. The movie stayed pretty much even with the plot of the book, which was nice considering the trend with book-to-screen adaptations is to NOT follow the plot at all and do its own thing. I really liked that the movie didn't stray from the whole point of the aliens gearing up for who knows what. I'm not going to lie, I was not at all impressed with the trailer for this movie because it seemed that it wasn't going to follow the story but I'm happy to say that it kept a lot of the book in and only took out parts that I'm happy were skipped over since it wouldn't have added anything to the movie. 

That's pretty much all I liked about the movie sadly. I did like about half of the cast when it came to Ben, Sam, Teacup, and Ringer. But that's about it. I'm not a big Chloe Grace fan and I had no idea who any of the other people were so I can't say much about their performances.

CONS:

1. Romance

I'm not going to lie to you guys, I hate romance when it comes to survival books. I don't know what it is about the whole romance/end-of-the-world type thing but it always feels so forced and really cheesy. And this movie was no exception. I didn't like the romance in the book and now I pretty much hate it after seeing the movie. I thought the romance should've been toned down immensely in the movie, and it seemed that it was at first. But then you throw in a couple of Nicholas Sparks type lines and a scene that could've been taken straight out of Twilight and you pretty much have the romance in the movie. Throw in the fact that there was absolutely no build-up whatsoever and it was kind of like 'hey, sorry I shot you but I love you, okay, cool.'. 

2. POV's

My favorite character from the book/movie was Ben and Sam. I thought Ben's part of the story was so much more interesting considering he's actually at the army base and being trained along with his unit to go in and hunt down the enemies. During his time at the base, he meets Sam and pretty much takes him under his wing. I loved Ben's parts in the movie and book because you find out a lot of what's really going on with the aliens invading and what the fifth wave actually is or might be. Secrets are exposed, revelations made and once Ben figures it all out for himself, he takes action in fighting for what's right. I think the entire book would've been so much greater had Ben been the main character. I think it would've made an even more interesting adaptation instead of following Cassie who didn't really do anything to contribute to fighting back against the enemies. But that's just my personal opinion on things. 

  

Overall, this movie was an okay watch for me, definitely not something I'd see again or buy on DVD. I'd say that if you loved the book, you might want to watch out when it comes to seeing the movie and it really all depends on how much of it you can take. I personally didn't like the book so I was bound to be disappointed with the movie.

If you haven't read the book or didn't know it was a book and are considering seeing the movie, just know that it isn't that great of a movie on it's own. There are a couple of plot holes that I assume are later filled in the sequel of the book and may I remind you that it does get really cheesy at some points in the movie. Basically, take your chance on it and decide for yourself if you love it or hate it.

I hope you guys enjoyed this movie review! Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!