Movie reviews for ID2 and Free State of Jones
Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2016 6:32 pm
Saw Independence Day 2 and Free State of Jones on Friday because they had two of my favorite actors, Jeff Goldblum and Matthew McConaughey. Here are my two cents that probably aren't even worth that.
Independence Day 2: I walked into this managing my expectations knowing it wouldn't be as good as the original, especially since Will Smith wouldn't be in the picture and most of the rest of the cast being lightweights (with the exception of my guy Goldblum). With that being said, I was pleased with the action sequences, the graphics, and Goldblum's performance, but my praise ends there. The movie itself was just two hours, and given the amount of activity and backstories they tried to cram into that timeframe, the plot became a bit of a scrambled mess. The dialogue between the non-Goldblum characters was hilariously awful, and the "inspirational speech" before the final battle illustrates this perfectly. I and another couple moviegoers were chuckling by the end of it. I give it 2 out of 5. This may as well be Rocky 5.
Free State of Jones: this is the story about Newton Knight's (played by Matthew McConaughey) "rebellion" against the Confederacy during the Civil War in Jones County, Mississippi. I'm sure some creative liberties were taken with the film, as there's plenty of debate centering around Knight's true motives itself, so I won't comment on any potential historical inaccuracies. This was a much better film than ID2, and McConaughey's performance was very good to help carry the film. I also became emotionally invested in the other characters who also gave strong performances. I liked the mix between plot development and action and thought things were going very smoothly there, but my criticism comes after the War ends. The major theme of the movie was how Knight's "company" had been waging a fight against the Confederacy, but they decided to dedicate the last half hour to the transition during Reconstruction and how the various characters handled this (Knight's life, the black people's struggles with "apprenticeships", the right to vote, the Klan, etc). This time was poorly used and mentally checked out after the War ended. I would've left that part out and trimmed 20 min off the movie. It was still pretty good, however, and give it 4 out of 5.
Independence Day 2: I walked into this managing my expectations knowing it wouldn't be as good as the original, especially since Will Smith wouldn't be in the picture and most of the rest of the cast being lightweights (with the exception of my guy Goldblum). With that being said, I was pleased with the action sequences, the graphics, and Goldblum's performance, but my praise ends there. The movie itself was just two hours, and given the amount of activity and backstories they tried to cram into that timeframe, the plot became a bit of a scrambled mess. The dialogue between the non-Goldblum characters was hilariously awful, and the "inspirational speech" before the final battle illustrates this perfectly. I and another couple moviegoers were chuckling by the end of it. I give it 2 out of 5. This may as well be Rocky 5.
Free State of Jones: this is the story about Newton Knight's (played by Matthew McConaughey) "rebellion" against the Confederacy during the Civil War in Jones County, Mississippi. I'm sure some creative liberties were taken with the film, as there's plenty of debate centering around Knight's true motives itself, so I won't comment on any potential historical inaccuracies. This was a much better film than ID2, and McConaughey's performance was very good to help carry the film. I also became emotionally invested in the other characters who also gave strong performances. I liked the mix between plot development and action and thought things were going very smoothly there, but my criticism comes after the War ends. The major theme of the movie was how Knight's "company" had been waging a fight against the Confederacy, but they decided to dedicate the last half hour to the transition during Reconstruction and how the various characters handled this (Knight's life, the black people's struggles with "apprenticeships", the right to vote, the Klan, etc). This time was poorly used and mentally checked out after the War ended. I would've left that part out and trimmed 20 min off the movie. It was still pretty good, however, and give it 4 out of 5.