The Pliley Review

  Genre: Action, Sci-fi Rating:   PG Synopsis: The untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, better known as sworn enemies, but who once were friends bonded like brothers who changed the fate of Cybertron forever. *** Any fan of the Transformers can guess where this story is headed, but is worth watching? I do want to give props to the cast as they did put their talents to good use and expressed the emotions of each character perfectly as they dealt with each situation that came up.  The animation was visually stunning and I appreciated the details that had some that only avid fans would recognize. Also hearing about the backstory of the transformers, and planet and some of its history was interesting to learn, while each robot design was beautiful in its own way.  Overall the movie was interesting, yet it was predictable on some key points that I do not think were supposed to be, and had story based moments that made no sense towards the end. It is hard to...

  Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller Rating:   TV-MA Synopsis: After a global pandemic destroys civilization, a hardened survivor takes charge of a 14-year-old girl who may be humanity's last hope. *** I will go on record immediately that I love this game and have played it through many times over the years. So when I heard about the TV show I was very excited.  I will admit that at first I was unsure about some of the casting choices, however it was clear very early on that each person played their parts beautifully. Both Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal did an amazing job in the lead roles. Gabriel Luna also played a great Tommy. Yet my heart could not stop the happiness when I saw the video game voice actors, Merle Dandridge as the same character  M arlene, Jeffrey Pierce the original Tommy as  Perry. And of course, the amazing  Ashley Johnson, the original Ellie, playing a new character of Anna and last but definately not least, the...

  Genre: Action, Comedy Rating:   PG-13 Synopsis: Former CIA spies Emily and Matt are pulled back into espionage after their secret identities are exposed. *** Immediately upon watching the trailer for this movie, I could not help but compare it to the recent Mark Wahlberg movie with a similar plot called The Family Plan. However, I love both Cameron and Jamie so decided to give it a chance.  Being blunt I will say that this movie was hard not to compare to the other and was not as good in my opinion, though it is hard to go into too much detail without giving spoilers. I felt like this movie was not as natural and every potential joke was forced.  Thankfully, I will say that the fight scenes and the chemistry between Cameron and Jamie was great to watch. Sadly, I feel that the chemistry between the child actors and the adults are what drove a wedge into the story for me. That mixed with the jokes that just didn’t land right and the fact that the spies were just te...

  Genre: Action, Romance Rating:   PG-13 Synopsis: Two highly-trained operatives become close after being sent to protect opposite sides of a mysterious gorge. When an evil emerges, they must work together to survive what lies within. *** From watching the trailer I was super intrigued about this story as it reminded me of The Great Wall in many ways. And it started with a bang which gave me high hopes.  I will say props to the main actors, both Anya Taylor-Joy as Drasa and Miles Teller as Levi. No matter what the writers threw at them they handled it with grace, though sadly I do not think it helped in the end.  As I suspected from the trailer this movie is about 80% ‘talking’ and 20% action so keep that in mind before viewing it. I was happy once some action started as it did add a new layer to the story and introduced some cool looking creatures.  Sadly, before the action started I was a little eye rolling as I could not help but wonder what kind of mercena...

  Genre: Action, Sci-Fi Rating:   PG-13 Synopsis:   Eddie and Venom are hunted by both of their worlds and forced into a decision to end their last dance. *** Just by the title of this movie I had a sinking feeling. Without spoilers, it was really cool to see the origins of venom, though it was a little disappointing to hear things from outside sources who, up until this point we had not once heard of.  I could watch a million venom movies but this one felt like it wasn’t really about him or Eddie at all. They were just a means to an end so the story felt very much like someone else’s. I came to the movie to connect more to them and I had hoped it was going in a certain direction but then it went nowhere. There is the military vs scientist trope that I both like and hate at the same time. I was glad to see in this movie that it was not completely what I expected.  Tom Hardy as both Eddie and Venom are always a pleasure to watch. I will say that Juno Temple as Dr...

  Genre:  Action, Sci-Fi Rating:   PG-13 Synopsis:   Eddie Brock is still struggling to coexist with the shape-shifting extraterrestrial Venom. When deranged serial killer Cletus Kasady also becomes host to an alien symbiote, Brock and Venom must put aside their differences to stop his reign of terror. *** Honestly, I had high hopes for this one even though it is a sequel. I was right to believe in the power of Venom.  Right off the bat, I have to give a huge s hout-out to Cletus, Woody Harrelson, and Frances, Naomie Harris, as they are an amazing power couple. Both brought an enormous range of emotions to their relationship and as individual characters. They knew how they wanted their characters to come across and they were played perfectly. Even the smallest facial expression conveyed the love and craziness hidden below the surface.  The plot was an interesting way to introduce a new symbiote without having more spaceships or astronauts involved...

  Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Thriller Rating:   R Synopsis: When a mysterious enemy frames their late captain for corruption, Miami cops Mike and Marcus go rogue to expose a conspiracy - and clear their own names.  *** Being the huge Bad Boys fan I am, I was excited to hear about this one.  Right out the gate, we’re back with the boys driving fast with their usual banter and I was living for it. They were not playing around and within the first few minutes, I was freaking out. The plot played out beautifully and with the right amount of tension, though knowing some of the actors it was not a stretch to predict some upcoming events.  Will Smith as Mike and Martin Lawrence as Marcus are a classic combination that just works in this type of setting. I secretly hope they continue these movies for years to come.  The most recent cast members Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Jacob Scipio, and Paola Nunez who joined during the last movie, all retu...

  Genre:  Action, Sci-fi Rating:   PG-13 Synopsis: Godzilla and the almighty Kong face a colossal threat hidden deep within the planet, challenging their very existence and the survival of the human race. *** I’m going to be a little hard on this movie considering we have had a few over the recent years and they all seem to suffer from similar issues.  Yes, this movie has both Kong and Godzilla doing what they do alone until they need to reunite and battle a greater enemy…again. However, like previous ones, this one is focused more on Kong. Which is fine, but give him the respect he deserves and give him his own movie.  With that being said Kaylee Hottle as Jia stole the show for me as far as the humans go. Her acting is pretty amazing to watch and her relationship with Kong makes for the best parts of the show. It is always good to see Dan Stevens so watching him as Trapper was a treat. And the returning mom of Jia, Rebecca Hall as Dr. IIene Andrews played the...