So many laugh out loud moments. Total Monty Python-type comedy. Robert Downey was awesome. Tom Cruise was great also, Tobey Maguire. The mock previews at the beginning were HILARIOUS, you just can’t help but laugh. But there was a lot of grossness too, your mom was put off by the gross bits. I didn’t think she was going to make it through the fake previews of Jack Black’s fart movies; thought she might walk out!

There are some really good parodies and some real black humor jolts where you think to yourself “I can’t believe they just did that” but at the same time you’re overwhelmed with laughter. They kept surprising you, some fun stuff with subtitles, some good slams.

However, I would say I thought it was kind of a cheap shot at Platoon, which was maybe over the top at times, but was a really moving movie. On the other hand, a great slam of Apocalypse Now.
It was kinda fun, I didn’t think it was too long. But you can get tired of the guy humor/gross joke stuff. Partly because the rest of it was so clever, it was like those jokes dragged it down to a lower level.

At times you would think “I can’t believe they’re going so far with that handicapped joke; I’ve never seen anybody do that so blatantly.” They just wouldn’t let it go. It’s so funny, but at the same time, you’re looking around thinking, “I hope there’s nobody handicapped sitting next to me.” [i.e., being offended by my laughing at this.]

[He kept telling me this was a “mixed” review. Finally I said: “So what about this is mixed? Sounds pretty positive to me!” He laughed and said “Yeah, I guess maybe I just feel like it SHOULD be more mixed. I really enjoyed it!!” This is definitely tops on my list to see…I mean except for the fact that I have just been slacking slacking slacking on going to movies lately. I suck.]

When I’m putting things like The Mummy 3 in my top 5, you know it’s been a bad year at the movies.

That said, the photography is just great. There’s a long prologue that takes place in 56 BC or something: it’s just filmed amazingly, knocks your eyes out. All the Asian actors are all really great, you just buy them as part of this epic. Really intense, especially the women, you can’t take your eyes off them. That section is really a highlight.

However, there is one point later on when the movie just stopped. They’re at the Fountain of Youth and all of a sudden they start talking about family stuff and I turned to your mother and said “Did the movie just stop?”

But everything else was enjoyable. Very “Indiana Jones meets Lord of the Rings”. The filming is tremendous, the special effects are out of sight, just wonderful and the credits are great, featuring this really cool Asian art.

Worth seeing, a nice ride.

[Wow, my dad can really sell a not-great movie on the few great things about it, can’t he? 🙂 Honestly, sometimes what I WANT in a movie is mainstream escapism for a few hours. And this certainly sounds like it was better than the new Indiana Jones.]