Jaws

Jaws is a classic film directed by Steven Spielberg. It involves a small town that is terrorized by a gigantic shark. The movie begins with scenes that show the shark Jaws attacking humans. A fisherman, and a marine, are determined to go after the shark and kill it. The movie ends with Jaws being killed as the boat the men were using was destroyed from the shark.

Jaws became one of the most popular movies of all time. It also was a terrifying movie for its time. Many attribute the modern fear of sharks and their power to this movie. The plot of the movie was exceptional, following a classic Spielberg style that was carefully done and meticulous. The camera shots were good especially for a film done in 1975. The acting was not overly amazing, yet it did not have to be. The plot and effects of the movie made up for it.

The directing was phenomenal. Spielberg is widely considered one of the greatest directors of all time, and Jaws did not disappoint. One of the highest selling movies of its time, it started the modern blockbuster style movie. Spielberg uses a well-written plot to his advantage, adding great camera angles and strong effects to the movie. This is one of the main reasons Jaws will go down as one of the greatest Spielberg movies of all time.

Independence Day

Independence Day is a movie starring Will Smith, Bill Pullman, and Jeff Goldblum. The plot is an alien race travels to Earth, and humans, thinking they may not be hostile, try to get in contact with it. The aliens end up being hostile and destroying major cities around the world. The humans try to fight back, yet with the advanced technology, the aliens are unaffected. Later, Jeff Goldblum finds a way to bring down the alien technology and the humans fight back, defeating the alien race.

The acting in the movie was similar to typical Sci-Fi/Action movies, with one-liners and funny lines to keep the crowd entertained. Though nothing special, the acting was appropriate for the movie. The plot seemed to be easy to follow, yet no surprises along the way which can sometimes make the film boring for the audience. The special effects were very good, especially considering the movie was filmed in the 90s.

The director had a good balance for the actors, making sure each star was equally in scenes. The special effects never overpowered the movie, which some Sci-Fi movies tend to do. Even though the plot was fictional, the director made the film much more believable than many other alien invasion style films.

Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump is a film in the 90s that stars Tom Hanks. It is a very well known movie and received many Academy Award nominations and generally acclaimed by movie critics. The movie stars a boy named Forrest Gump who lives through the 60s and 70s. His life is filled with instances where he meets famous people and affects history. It is fictional, yet ties into history very well. Throughout his life, he influences and meets people such as Elvis, John Lennon, John F. Kennedy, and Richard Nixon. He plays football in college, serves in the Vietnam War, and plays ping pong for the USA team. Throughout the movie he continuously speaks about his love for his childhood sweetheart Jenny. He tells his life story on a bench to people who sit there, and at the end of the film he meets his son, whose mother is Jenny.

The film is simple to follow, and ties into American history exceptionally well. Tom Hanks does a phenomenal performance as Forrest Gump, and his character makes the audience fall in love with his care and love for people. The camera angles were nothing special, but the plot was done very well. It describes each time period well, and the music throughout the film defines each generation well also.

The director did a good job of using a well written plot and making it even better. The end ties into the beginning and makes the film seem cyclical, which makes the viewer enjoy the whole story. The character portrayed by Tom Hanks is inviting and likable. The viewer seems to cheer on the life of Forrest, and feel his emotion throughout the film.

Children of Men

Children of Men was a film with Clive Owen that takes place in the future. It deals with society that in the future does not have children, and women cannot give birth. There is also a strong central governmental entity that monitors the society, as well as fight rebels from outside of the society. Clive Owen, along with Julianne Moore, later in the movie must sneak a young woman to the rebels, yet he does not know why. He later finds out that this woman is actually pregnant, which shocks him and others because it was thought all women cannot give birth. He fights through many intense situations and though he dies, he is able to get her to escape with her newly born baby on a boat. 

The director does many things well in this movie. It is well known that this movie has one-shot camera styles where the entire scene is all done in one take without having to reshoot. This was prominent throughout the film and created very intense action scenes and it made the viewer feel as if he or she was in the scene. The acting was very strong from Clive Owen, and the writing seemed to be done well also. One area that could have been different was the somewhat confusing plot. The film seemed to get either confusing at times to keep up, making the viewer try and remember each scene from before in order to follow the rest of the movie.

Overall, the director made a good movie with the use of one-take scenes and good message throughout the film.