Top 5 Action Movies: Just for Fun

I've wanted to do another post for a while, but nothing extremely insightful was coming to mind. So here I present to you all the top five action movies, in my opinion. Feel free to agree or disagree and tell me why! Then I can explain to you how you're wrong. :)

Here goes.

-1-

STAR TREK

"The Future Begins."

Year: 2009
Director: J.J Abrams

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto
Trailer

       Follow the early days of Captain James T. Kirk before he joined Enterprise. This story is a unique twist to the beginning of the expected storyline, creating an entirely open realm of possibilities. The acting is superb, with Quinto delivering a stunning performance of Spock, staying true to the essence of the character and yet making it his own, and no one can complain over Pine's save of William Shatner's attempt at a character. The action and the effects are top notch, the plot is fast paced and solid, and the recognizable humor of Bones (Karl Urban), Scotty (Simon Pegg), and Chekov (Anton Yelchin) captivates fans of the original series as well as pulls the attention of first time Trekkies.

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THE DARK KNIGHT

"Let's put a smile on that face."

Year: 2008
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart
Trailer

     The second installment of the very successful remake of Batman takes superheros, and super villains, to the next level. The Joker makes his appearance, quickly captivating audiences everywhere, almost outshining Batman as a character, though entirely evil. The story development and the character struggles are very real and intensely portrayed as the two battle for victory, in their wake causing damage to Rachel (Maggie Gyllenhaal), Bruce Wayne's love interest, and even creating a new villain in the process, Two Face. The special effects are riveting, and the late Heath Ledger's performance is breathtaking, earning him an academy award for best supporting actor, making him the first actor to win an award posthumously. The film leaves Batman at a precarious choice that will affect his reputation, setting it up nicely for the third film, The Dark Knight Rises (2012).

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The Matrix

"There is no spoon."

Year: 1999
Director: The Wachowski Brothers
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Ann Moss
Trailer


     Being an almost ancient movie, released 12 years ago, The Matrix is sometimes forgotten, but it should always be remembered as the movie that revolutionized sci-fi action fighting, as well as the visual effect known as "bullet time" and other similar concepts. The main idea of the film is that the world as you know it is not real, it is a computer program designed to trap your mind--designed by machines. The second two installments of the Matrix trilogy follow the battle for human freedom once more. The complexity and creativity of the real world and the matrix is what makes this movie fascinating, as well as its mind blowing, slow motion action sequences. For Reeves, this really was his one and only redeeming role in Hollywood history because it required him to be mostly emotionless. Some of the actors that turned down the three main roles of Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus, were Will Smith, Nicolas Cage, Sandra Bullock, Val Kilmer, and Sean Connery.

-4-

GLADIATOR

"What we do in life echoes in eternity."

Year: 2000

Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Russel Crowe, Joaquin Pheonix
Trailer


     The story of a Roman general who became a slave and had to fight for his life by participating in one of the most violent sports in history. Gladiators fight to the death for the enjoyment and spectacle of others, in this instance, corrupt and insane Emperor Commodus. The raw emotion portrayed in this film is what grasps at the hearts of everyone who sees it. Crowe and Pheonix deliver excellent performances, pulling you into a period of history that has captivated the imaginations for years. The plot pulls you along as you root and cheer for victory. The action and fighting is fast paced and nail biting, and the redemption at the end is more than satisfying.

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THE LORD OF THE RINGS I, II, & III

"One ring to rule them all."

Year: 2001-2003
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Andy Serkis, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys Davis, Cate Blanchett, Sean Astin, and tons of other people.
Trailer


     One of the most, if not the number one, fantasy story of all time, written by J.R.R. Tolkien. Known and loved world wide, the world and characters Tolkien has created are masterfully represented in the three films of Jackson's. The story follows a young Hobbit as he embarks on a quest to destroy an evil ring with his eclectic band of companions including a Wizard, a Dwarf, and Elf, a man who would eventually become King, and a strange little creature named Gollum-- a genius character brought to life by Serkis. The trilogy won 17 out of 30 Academy Awards, the final film "Return of the King" winning all 11 that it was nominated for. The all star cast pulls out the stoppers for this 8-year long film project, fully keeping up with the costumes, the make-up, the sets, and the overall "epicness" of this epic tale.


Thus endeth my opinion on the five best action movies of all time. Some of the movies that came close to being in my top were INCEPTION, THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, EQUILIBRIUM, and CAPTAIN AMERICA.


What do you guys think of that?