My Thoughts on 2016 Movies: Part 1

2016 had some big movies coming out. Disney, Disney•Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek all had new movies last year. There were great films, and complete flops. I'm going to take a look back at the films I watched in the last year and give my thoughts on them.

As you may have noticed, this post is titled part one. That is mostly because I haven't seen all the movies from 2016 that I want to yet. Once I've watched more of them, I'll make a part two. Now, on to the post!

The Secret Life of Pets

Original Thoughts: The trailers for this one were pretty funny, but I wasn't sure what the plot was. However, I tried to watch this with an open mind.
Thoughts after Watching: It opened with Taylor Swift's "Welcome to New York", so I was immediately drawn in. It was the perfect way to start. This film wasn't spectacular, but it's meant to be more funny than deep. At that it exceeded. Snowball, Gidget, and Chloe were my personal favorite characters.
Recommendation: Great for a pick-me-up, or when you want a laugh. Kids and adults will enjoy this comedy. It also has our new favorite line for anything boring. (You'll have to watch it to figure out which one it is.)

Alice Through the Looking Glass

Original Thoughts: I can't wait. I've been a fan of Alice In Wonderland forever, and I loved the first movie, so I was excited to watch this one.
Thoughts after Watching: I loved it. Lots of people disliked this movie, which was different than the original movie. But Through the Looking Glass the book is different than the first one too. I thought it continued to be amazing, with good, solid rules about time travel.
Recommendation: A must watch for Alice fans. The plot can be a bit complicated, so younger kids might not get it, but the whole family can enjoy this one.

The Jungle Book

Original Thoughts: It looked fun, and the animals seemed quite realistic. But would they ruin the original movie?
Thoughts after Watching: Amazing. Disney once more did a great job of doing a live action version of the film. The thing I've liked most about their remakes is that they don't just try to redo the original. They add in parts of the fairytale and the movie to make something new and different. The animation in the movie was amazing. I could swear they were real animals in a real jungle.
Recommendation: You should watch this, even if you didn't like the animated film. But be careful with kids, because there are a lot of big animals in this film, especially a giant ape. (He even gave me the willies.) But it is a great movie.

Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice

Original Thoughts: The trailers looked awesome. Fighting, Lex Luthor, and Wonder Woman! I couldn't wait to see this.
Thoughts after Watching: I was. . . disappointed. The plot was meandering, the characters motivations were weak, and Batman basically acted like a bad guy. The whole movie was mostly Batman and Superman acting like kids. They were trying to set up for their Justice League movie, but they didn't half as good a job as Marvel did.
Recommendation: Definitely not a movie for kids. Teenagers to adults might enjoy watching this, if you look past the flaws. There's a lot of scary stuff and debates about power.  One thing I did like was all the actors they picked for Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. I'm looking forward to seeing them in the Justice League movie when it comes out. HISHE summed up the movie perfectly. In fact, go watch all their videos. They're hilarious.

Finding Dory

Original Thoughts: I'll wait and see. I didn't like Finding Nemo that much so I didn't think I'd like this one.
Thoughts after Watching: I actually liked it. The humor was spot on, the characters great, and I loved the plot. I especially thought Dory's parents were the best. Plus, baby Dory. So cute. Hank and Gerald were some of my favorite characters.

Recommendation: It's Disney•Pixar, which means the whole family can, and will, enjoy it. The animation is even better than the first one.

Zootopia

I've previously reviewed this movie on the blog, so I'm going to leave you the link above so you can read that.

Captain America: Civil War

Original Thoughts: I was so excited. I was a little worried too, because I didn't want anyone to win. (But Team Cap all the way for me.)
Thoughts after Watching: This was one of the movies we got to watch in the theater, something we rarely do. It was awesome. The movie was long, but the director managed to make it riveting. I don't think he could have changed the length without making it come out wrong. Spiderman was certainly a highlight, and though I didn't like watching everyone fight each other, I thought it was epic.
Recommendation: The whole family can watch this, though younger kids may get bored before it's done. They cover some interesting dilemmas with power and authority, which could lead to some great conversations.

What were some of your favorite movies from 2016? Which ones didn't you like? Let me know in the comments.