Today's review: Kon-Tiki

 Here's another review I wrote for MovieScene the other day:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/145872/kon-tiki_-_recensie

Im pretty hapy with how this review turned out, as I am equally pleased with how the movie itself turned out. It was a blast to watch and to review, something I already anticipated considering its fascinating topic: a genuine mix between history and adventure on the high seas, with all kinds of adorable marine creatures to make us wonder. Of course, a bit of spectacle and theatrics has been added to the story to make it more of a true adrenaline rushed adventure flick at times. I don't mind, since no historically themed movie is fully 100% accurate. It's just not possible to make them like that, and as long as they aren't twisting the truth 180 degrees just for entertainment's sake - or worse, for nefarious ideological reasons-  slight alterations I deem to be acceptable. Except for J.J. Abrams' Star Trek of course.

Amistad

Rating ***/*****, or 7/10

Spielberg's testimonial against the nineteenth-century African slavery industry. On the slaver vessel La Amistad in 1839, a group of slaves revolted, after which the ship was steered towards the USA, where a lengthy string of courtroom sessions controlled the mutineers' fate. Spielberg unfortunately lets the courtroom scenes dominate the film too much, which makes for a rather static and lengthy view that often fails to compel its audience, but the flashback scenes that illustrate the deplorable suffering of Africans aboard slaver ships fully underscores the horrors they underwent and the issues at stake for the Amistad slaves, and feels like a fist punch in the face of viewers who might otherwise have fallen asleep. The various parties involved, including the Southern and Northern American states, the British Navy and the Spanish royalty provide for an historically intriguing but narratively chaotic overall plot line. Spielberg made this film with the best intentions, but it's obviously not as much his cup of tea as the Second World War or the Holocaust proved to be. The movie does include some powerful performances though, both by veteran actors the likes of Anthony Hopkins and Morgan Freeman, as well as relative newcomers Matthew McConaughey and Djimon Hounsou.

Starring: Morgan Freeman, Djimon Hounsou, Anthony Hopkins

Directed by Steven Spielberg

USA: Dreamworks SKG, 1997

The Abyss

Rating: ****/*****, or 8/10

Spooky, action-packed deep sea science fiction picture: a nuclear sub goes missing near an ocean trench and a party of underwater experts is dispatched to solve the mystery of its demise. It turns out there's an extra-terrestrial intelligence down below with unknown purposes. First theatrical motion picture to use genuine Computer Generated Imagery, courtesy of FX pioneer James Cameron (Aliens, Titanic, Avatar). 

Starring: Ed Harris, Mary Elizaberth Mastrantonio and Michael Biehn. 

Directed by James Cameron

USA: 20th Century Fox, 1989