Mini Movie Reviews | Passengers, Baby Driver, Before I Fall

Hey everyone and welcome back (or to!) my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be doing some mini movie reviews on what I have seen recently. I've been seeing a ton of movies with my sister since we're both off of school until the school year starts. Whether it is from redbox, on tv, or at the movies, I'll be reviewing some of the movies I've been seeing!

Passengers
Release Date: December 22, 2016
Run Time: 1 hour, 56 minutes
Genre: Scifi/Romance
Rating: PG-13

Spoiler: I really didn't like Passengers. I thought that Passengers would be this thrilling space opera, and instead it's a romance film just set in space. The main conflict isn't that the ship is breaking down, and death is imminent. Nope, the main conflict is a moral one! There is a lot of moping around and longing looks, and it was so irritating. Plus, this movie is sleep inducing. I mean, I was literally falling asleep watching this movie. Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence are huge talents, but the dialouge was flat, the plot mind-numbing, and the characters weren't compelling at all. It's obvious that Pratt and Lawrnece do the best with what they are given, but they're best isn't enough to make the movie good, even bearable. What this movie needs is a better script. I would have been fine watching a romance film in space with moral conflicts if the script was just written better. The script was the nail in the coffin for me. It didn't help that the pacing was all over the place either. There were some thrilling sequences, and then right after were slow, romance-y scenes. The tonal shift gave me whiplash. I give Passengers a D.


Baby Driver
Release Date: June 28, 2017
Run Time: 1 hour, 52 minutes
Genre: Action, Drama
Rating: R

Baby Driver has been getting so much hype, and let me tell you: it is all worth it. I had some pretty high expectations going into this movie after reading the rave reviews and seeing it had a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. Baby Driver did not disappoint me at all. The movie starts off with an amazing action sequence, and it immediately hooked me into the story. Keep this in mind though: while Baby Driver might be an action movie, the soul of the story is with Baby. Baby, played by Ansel Elgort, has been working as a getaway driver since his adolescence and is trying to get out of the business. Along the way, he falls in love with Debora, played by Lily James. Ansel Elgort really shines in Baby Driver. With barely any dialogue, Elgort is able to emote so much and drives the movie along, figuratively and literally. The romance between Baby and Debora is also so endearing, and allows for the perfect balance of romance and action. There is also quite a bit of humor in the movie, which I was not expecting. Several times I was laughing out loud. And last but not least, the soundtrack to the film is absolutely brilliant. It really sets the tone for the whole movie and takes the experience to the next level. Baby Driver is still in theaters, and I highly suggest you see it! I give Baby Driver an A+.


Before I Fall
Release Date: March 3, 2017
Run Time: 1 hour, 39 minutes
Genre: Drama,
Rating: PG-13

Before I Fall is the movie adaption of the novel with the same name by Lauren Kate. I read Before I Fall a very long time ago, when I first got my nook. The details were hazy when I put in the dvd for Beofre I Fall, but I do know that this was a very faithful adaption. Everything came rushing back to me while watching the movie and I thought this adaption was done excellently. What I loved about the movie was how well the book into film. Zoey Deustch does an excellent job with Sam, the main character. I had a hard time empathizing with her when reading the book, but I had no problem in the movie. The only pitfall of this movie is that it became redundant. If you didn't know, Sam relives the same day over and over again with the end result being the same: a car crash where she dies. While redudancy is pretty much inevitable, the movie would replay the same scenes over and over again. By the third time, I was getting bored. But just when the reptition would have ruined the movie for me, it stopped! What really worked for this movie was the tone and the message. Before I Fall stayed with me a while after reading the book in 2012, but I related to it more now that I'm older. Every day has a routine, and it's easy to fall into it and not live life to the fullest. This movie is a reminder to do so. The tone of the movie was also perfectly bittersweet and fleeting. You know the feeling where something good is ending and you don't want it to, but it's time? This movie gave me a similar feeling. The movie could have done for an extra twenty minutes for the audience to care more for the characters, but the movie still struck a chord for me. Because I read the book I didn't have a hard time empathizing, but I can imagine other viewers would. I give Before I Fall a B.  

Out of all of these movies, I liked Baby Driver the best. It is one of the best movies I have watched all year, along with Split and Get Out. I think Baby Diver is the perfect movie. At least, it is for me. There's romance, action, music...what more do you need? Passengers didn't make the mark for me, but I do want to see Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence work together again. Their chemistry was the only good thing in the movie for me, besides the long-range shots of space. Before I Fall did have it's downfalls, but it is a great adaption. However, it's only a good movie. It was adapted so faithfully that the pitfalls of the book were there in the movies as well. 

Have you seen any of these movies? What did you think of them?

Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Redy, Set, Read!