Mission Impossible : Ghost Protocol

Mission Impossible : Ghost Protocolis the 4th offering of the popular action movie series Mission: Impossible. Starring Tom Cruise, who reprises his role as the main protagonist - Agent Ethan Hunt.

Year Released: 2011

Summary:
In this 4th installment of the popular Mission: Impossible franchise, Ethan Hunt and his team is assigned to discover the secret Moscow Kremlin archives to gather vital information about a person code-named "Cobalt". Half-way thru their mission, the team is unprepared for the counter attack of a dangerous terrorist named Hendricks, who has an access to Russian nuclear codes and is planning to strike United States.

When things turned horribly wrong and without any back-up, Ethan and his team are forced to continue the mission to find Hendricks and to stop him from starting a nuclear war.

Cast:
Tom Cruise
Jeremy Renner
Simon Pegg
Paula Patton
Michael Nyqvist

Director:
Brad Bird

Reviews & Ratings:
"Stylish, fast-paced, and loaded with gripping set pieces, the fourth Mission: Impossible is big-budget popcorn entertainment that really works."
~ Rotten Tomatoes on Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

7.9/10 - Ratings from IMDB

7.7/10 (93%) Tomatometer - Ratings from Rotten Tomatoes

With great movie reviews, it is indeed a must see action movie of the year.

Movie Trivia:

• Tom Cruise himself performed the sequence outside of the Burj Khalifa tower - without the use of a stunt double. The Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai is currenlty the tallest building in the world
• Kristin Kreuk was considered for the role of Jane Carter
• Chris Pine and Tom Hardy were considered for the role of Brandt
• Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames are the only actors to be part in all Mission: Impossible movies

Source: IMDB - Mission Impossible : Ghost Protocol

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight, which is part of Christopher Nolan's Batman film series is a follow-up to the action-hit Batman Begins (2005). Christian Bale reprises the role of the caped crusader - Batman.

Summary:
The film focuses on Batman's fight against a new villain, a psychopathic criminal named Joker (Heath Ledger), who is the mastermind of numerous organized crimes in Gotham City.

With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Batman sets out to eliminate and dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the city streets. Their partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as the Joker.

Year Released: 2008

Cast:
Christian Bale
Michael Caine
Heath Ledger
Aaron Eckhart
Gary Oldman
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Morgan Freeman

Director:
Christopher Nolan

Reviews & Ratings:
"Nolan has shown a new way to tell a superhero story, and it may turn out to be the only way to tell a story about heroes in this troublingly amoral time. We may want our white knights, but it's the dark knight that we need."
~ Katey Rich of CinemaBlend
 9/10 - Ratings from IMDB

8.5/10 (94%) Tomatometer - Ratings from Rotten Tomatoes

Movie Trivia:

• The Dark Knight is the first Batman movie without "Batman" in the title.
• Matt Damon was the first choice of Christopher Nolan to play the role of Harvey Dent but he turned it down.
• Other actors that were considered to have a part in the film are Jake Gyllenhaal, Hugh Jackman, John Lucas and Ryan Phillippe.

Source: IMDB - The Dark Knight 

Iron Man

Iron Man is an action-adventure movie based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Robert Downey Jr. played the lead role as Tony Stark - a billionaire industrialist who designs and manufactures weapons and becomes the technologically advanced superhero, Iron Man.

Summary:
Tony Stark lived a good life having the everything man has dreamt of - money, fortune and gorgeous women. But during a business trip to Afghanistan to demonstrate Stark Industries' new weapon, his convoy was attacked and captured by a terrorist group. As he awakened, Stark discovers an electromagnet attached to his chest, powered by a car battery and designed to keep the shrapnel from piercing his heart and killing him. He was tortured by the group and forced to build a Jericho missile for them - which is his most powerful weapon. With the help of a captor named Yinsen (Shaun Toub), they created a special iron suit instead that can withstand almost anything shot at it and it is loaded with an arsenal of weapons to destroy the terrorist camp and its inhabitants. With this amazing weapon he had built, suddenly his destiny shifts into something he didn't expected it to be.

Year Released: 2008

Cast:
Robert Downey Jr.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Jeff Bridges
Terrence Howard

Director:
Jon Favreau

Reviews & Ratings:
"It’s also refreshing to see a superhero flick in which the hero isn’t some angsty teenager or a borderline underwear model. Tony Stark is a mature man, with deep rooted flaws."
~ Josh Tyler of CinemaBlend
7.9/10 - Ratings from IMDB

7.6/10 (93%) Tomatometer - Ratings from Rotten Tomatoes

Movie Trivia:

• Nicolas Cage and Tom Cruise were interested in playing Iron Man.
• Quentin Tarantino, Joss Whedon, and Nick Cassavetes were approached to direct the film.
• Robert Downey Jr. spent five days a week in weight and martial arts training to get into shape as a preparation for his role as Iron Man.
• It's the first film released in 2008 to pass the $300 million mark at the domestic box office.

Source: IMDB - Iron Man

Rambo

Rambo is the fourth installment of the popular franchise of the same title starring Sylvester Stallone as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo.

Summary:
After twenty years since the last film of the famous action movie series, Vietnam war veteran John Rambo has retreated to northern Thailand, and become a boatman at Salween River in Myanmar. He accompanied a group of mercenaries for a resue mission to help the people of a damaged village. The mission goes well until the Burmese army attacks the village, killing innocent villagers and some members of missionaries. When the missionaries fail to come back after ten days, their pastor comes to Rambo, tells him what has transpired, and asks for his assistance in guiding hired mercenaries to the village to rescue other survivors who had been kidnapped by the Burmese. Despite the fact that he already sworn off all forms of violence, he had no choice but to help the kidnapped mercenaries from the enemies...he knows what he must do and this is his most dangerous mission to date.

Year Released: 2008

Cast:
Sylvester Stallone
Julie Benz
Matthew Marsden

Director:
Sylvester Stallone

Reviews & Ratings:
"Rambo is the king of mindless action movies and its viciousness has set a new high point for action movies. All the action films that have come before it are an embarrassment in comparison to Rambo’s excess."

~ MovieCynics on Rambo

7.1/10 - Ratings from IMDB

Movie Trivia:

• This is the first Rambo film directed by Sylvester Stallone.
• In some countries like France & Germany, the film is called "John Rambo". While in Russia, it is called "Rambo 4"
• Julie Benz was cast to play Sarah because Sylvester Stallone was a big fan of her TV show Dexter.

Source: IMDB - Rambo

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

Star Wars is an action sci-fi film created by George Lucas during the 1970's and was eventually expanded and became one of the most popular film franchises thru time. It features some elements that are related to the archetypes of the fantasy genre such as Jedi knights, princesses, robots, spaceships and other creatures, as well as the futuristic settings of the universe.

It was inspired and influenced by several known sci-fi films like Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress, Yojimbo, John Ford's The Searchers, and the original Flash Gordon series.

Year Released: 1977 (Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope)

Cast:
Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Director:
George Lucas

Reviews & Ratings:
"A legendarily expansive and ambitious start to the sci-fi saga, George Lucas opened our eyes to the possiblites of blockbuster filmmaking and things have never been the same."
~ RottenTomatoes on Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

8.8/10 - Ratings from IMDB

8.3/10 (93%) Tomatometer - Ratings from Rotten Tomatoes

Movie Trivia:

• Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope is the only movie of the Star Wars franchise to be nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award
• According to George Lucas, originally Luke was a girl, Han Solo was an Alien, the wookiees were called Jawas, and R2-D2 and C-3PO were called A-2 and C-3
• Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill performed the swing stunt themselves, shooting it in just one take.

Source: IMDB - Star Wars

Casino Royale (2006)

Casino Royale
Movie Information

Genre:
Action | Adventure

Main Cast:
Daniel Craig as James Bond
Director:
Martin Campbell
About the movie:

Casino Royale is the 21st movie of the Bond franchise which stars Daniel Craig as the popular secret agent James Bond. The film was based on a 1953 novel written by Ian Fleming with the same title and it's the third adaptation of the novel (first as a 1954 TV episode and a 1967 satirical film).
Casino Royale bring in James Bond before he holds his license to kill. As he is raised to '00' status, 'M'(Judi Dench), head of the British Secret Service, send him to Madagascar for his first mission as a newly-promoted secret agent where he is to spy on a terrorist. He decided to do the investigation independently out of the MI6 (Military Intelligence, Section 6) agency to trace the rest of the terrorist cell. He landed to Montenegro to face Le Chiffre, a ruthless financier under threat from his terrorist clients who attempts to restore his funds by playing a high-stake poker game at Casino Royale. Then 'M' assigned Vesper Lynd to watch out for Bond, his stake for the game and for the government's money. As they face and survive danger together, Bond's interest towards her deepens while Le Chiffre's cruelty has heightens in a way Bond could never imagine and thru this, he learns his most important lesson: Trust no one.
Though there are some negative comments about Daniel Craig's potential as an actor to portray the famous secret agent 007, his worthiness showed up and washes out all the controversies as the film was released- leaving the critics in awed by his acting which is explosive with emotions.


Movie Trivia:

• Casino Royale (released in 2006) is the highest grossing James Bond film to date

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Movie Information

Genre:
Action | AdventureMain Cast:
Harrison Ford
Karen Allen
Paul Freeman
Ronald Lacey
Wolf KahlerDirector:Steven Spielberg

About the movie:
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) is an action-adventure movie released in 1981 starring Harrison Ford. It is the first among the Indiana Jones movie series and its about a renowned archaeologist named Indiana Jones that oftens plunges into adventure to discover rare artifacts.
In this first chapter of the action-packed movie series, Indiana Jones go across the world to locate the ancient Ark of the Covenant - said to have remains of the sacred biblical item which is the Ten Commandments. However, the Nazis are also planning to hunt for the Ark of Covenant and to use it as a weapon because they believe that it carries an extremely powerful energy. Indiana Jones and his former girlfriend Marion set aboard to find the lost ark. But the mission is not that easy for them as they get involved in a series of chases and fights, and they must escape the bunch of the evil Nazis, to recover the precious artifact that could put the world in danger.
The Raiders of the Lost Ark is an adventure-filled movie with stunning special effects and a non-stop action stunts. A movie that is an epitome of real entertainment - one of the best action movies that you'll love to watch over and over again.

Aliens

Aliens
Movie Information

Genre:
Action | Sci-Fi

Main Cast:
Sigourney Weaver
Michael Biehn
Lance Henriksen
Carrie Henn
Paul Reiser
Bill Paxton

Director:
James Cameron


About the movie:

Aliens (1986) is a sequel of the action/sci-fi/horror movie Alien (1979 - directed by Ridley Scott). The film is set 57 years after Ellen Ripley's ordeal with the deadly extraterrestrial creature. With the combat-oriented structure of the movie, Aliens promoted the tagline: "This Time It's War."

After more than half-century after the events of 'Alien', Ellen Ripley, the sole survivor of a salvaged space freighter Nostromo, was found and rescued at LV-426, a planetoid where they encountered the alien eggs. Then a unit of space marines together with Ripley were set to a a mission to investigate LV-426's activities and to search for their contact. As they returned to the planetoid, they discovered a large Alien nest and they're unprepared as they encountered a mature alien, killing most members of the unit. The remaining survivors including Ellen were trapped in the alien infested territory, leaving them with no other choice but to fight the alien queen in order to survive.

Aliens offers a high-intensity thrill ride that set a new standard for action movies that is hard to match. Aliens is a sequel that surpass the success of the original movie Alien (1979) and it is even more powerful making it one of the best action movies ever made.

Mad Max 2 : The Road Warrior

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
Movie Information

Genre:
Action | Sci-Fi

Main Cast:
Mel Gibson
Michael Preston
Bruce Spence
Vernon Wells
Kjell Nilsson
Virginia Hey
Emil Minty

Director:
George Miller


About the movie:

Mad Max 2 (1981; also known as The Road Warrior), is a follow-up movie of Miller's sci-fi action movie Mad Max (1979). It's a post-apocalyptic action movie that eventually became a cult classic.

This is the continuation of Max's adventure and the summary of the events happened on the first movie that shed light on the political situation of the world - that a war has occurred. It features Max's life after the he loss his wife and son. This sequel is more intense than the predeccessor and the world's standing become worse. The highlight of this film is the pulse-pounding and breath-taking car chases, probably one of the greatest movies involving cars.

The movie has a stunning action sequences without a single ounce of computer graphics that is equally impressive by today's standards in action movies. It's a follow up movie that's even more exciting and intense than the first one and really a must-see for action buffs.

Kill Bill

Kill Bill

Movie Information

Genre:
Action | Crime

Main Cast:
Uma Thurman
David Carradine
Daryl Hannah
Michael Madsen
Lucy Liu
Vivica A. Fox
Michael Parks

Director:
Quentin Tarantino


About the movie:

Kill Bill is released in two separate volumes (Kill Bill Vol. 1 in 2003 and Kill Bill Vol. 2 in 2004). The plot is adapted from a Japanese action film Lady Snowblood (1973).

It is a revenge-themed action movie about the deadliest slayer of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad (DVAS) known as "The Bride" (played by Uma Thurman). When The Bride decided to quit the group to get married because she's pregnant, Bill (their boss) and her former colleagues ruined the entire wedding ceremony and killed everyone in there including her. The Bride survived that tragic event and was in a coma for several years. As the Bride awakens from her long 'sleep', her mind is set-up to take revenge on those who betrayed her - to kill the members DVAS and Bill.

The film consist of breathtaking violent scenes with a touch of different action movie genres or elements - kung fu fighting, spaghetti westerns and samurai battle.

Quentin Tarantino just got out of the action movie standards by creating an unusual form of film that grabbed the attention of the action movie fanatics. It's a bloody and violent movie but the style, the stunts and the over-all package are truly remarkable.