- Beowulf (2007)
[4/10]
"The low quality animation made me feel like I was watching a cut scene from a video game. For the entire film, I kept getting the feeling that at any moment the cut scene would end, and I would have to take up the game controller to battle the monsters."
- Black Cauldron, The by Lloyd Alexander (1965)
[4/10]
"In The Black Cauldron, Alexander tries to show that real men don't seek honor in war; rather, they demonstrate their honor through their character and actions."
- Clash of Kings, A by George R. R. Martin (1999)
[6/10]
"Even though A Clash of Kings pales in comparison to A Game of Thrones, don't think that Martin doesn't tell a compelling story. In light of the underdeveloped characters, the plot works overtime to bring the tensions between the kings to an interesting climax, and Martin does set up the characters for an interesting beginning to the third book."
- Day of Reckoning by Myung-Jin Lee, Richard A. Knaak (2002)
[6/10]
"This second volume has much better scene to scene continuity than the first volume, but I still have some problems with the presentation."
- Eldest by Christopher Paolini (2005)
[7/10]
"Eldest provides much easier reading than Eragon, but you still encounter some passages so clichéd that you groan out loud. Paolini's skill at storytelling encourages you to move quickly past the problems to find out what happens next."
- Eragon by Christopher Paolini (2003)
[6/10]
"Paolini's plot has good pacing, interesting highs and lows, and most importantly you like Eragon and care about what happens to him -- in spite of his stupid teenage blundering."
- Eragon directed by Stefen Fangmeier (2006)
[5/10]
"If you have never read the book Eragon, then the movie provides a simple yet satisfying teen adventure story."
- Eve of Apocalypse by Myung-Jin Lee, Richard A. Knaak (2002)
[5/10]
"This first volume in the Ragnarök series tries to pack a lot of information into a small space and tends to lose the reader along the way."
- Game of Thrones, A by George R. R. Martin (1996)
[9/10]
"Martin's characters drive this story. I often tire easily in a fantasy story where the characters have high morals and never waver from their course in the book. Martin's characters all have faults, act impulsively on occasion, and exceed their capabilities on others. Truly, I haven't read characters this round in a long time."
- Gladiator directed by Ridley Scott (2000)
[8/10]
"Gladiator succeeds as a hero story, and Louis DiGiaimo should get some recognition for casting actors into perfect parts for their characters. I enjoyed the battles and the recreation of 2nd century Rome, but Gladiator doesn't carry the depth of feeling you get from other hero movies, such as Spartacus or Braveheart, and probably won't endure time as well as Alien, Blade Runner, or some other Ridley Scott films. "
- Hamlet by William Shakespeare (1970)
[8/10]
"While the accepted Aristotelian idea of the 'tragic flaw' provides a convenient means to discuss the characters in Hamlet, none of the characters actually demonstrate the 'tragic flaw' as defined by Aristotle."
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling (2007)
[7/10]
"Rowling has created an interesting universe and a story that surely will never go out of print. I certainly will probably read the entire series several more times in my lifetime, in spite of the numerous problems that a more careful writer would have addressed."
- Henry V directed by Kenneth Branagh (1989)
[8/10]
"Branagh plays Henry V with and easy elegance, and he delivers the king's motivational speeches with marvelous interpretation and dynamics."
- Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World directed by Peter Weir (2003)
[9/10]
"Master and Commander excels at presenting a picture of life on a nineteenth century naval vessel: close quarters, dirty living conditions, and a high likelihood of receiving severe wounds or dying."
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest directed by Gore Verbinski (2006)
[6/10]
"If you want action and don't care much about plot or character development, then see Dead Man's Chest. If you like your action movies to have some purpose behind the action, then you will probably find this movie runs a bit long -- like I did."
- Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis (1951)
[9/10]
"I found Prince Caspian, one of the most satisfying stories in the series because it follows two separate plot lines that merge into a satisfying conclusion."
- Shi mian mai fu [House of Flying Daggers] directed by Yimou Zhang (2004)
[6/10]
"Even if I weren't tired of watching martial artists dancing in the treetops, Yimou Zhang's House of Flying Daggers lacks the depth of story found in many of the recent Hong Kong martial arts epics such as Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and even his own Hero."
- Three Musketeers, The by Alexandre Dumas (1844)
[7/10]
"Dumas weaves action and intrigue (and almost no character development) into a classic story that still fascinates."
- Wo Hu Cang Long [Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon] directed by Ang Lee (2000)
[9/10]
"I have tried to watch Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with a critical eye, but the engaging story and the absolutely gorgeous cinematography always distract me from my critical view and by the end, I just sigh like you would after taking a bite of the most succulent cheesecake."
Average score: 6.79
