Top 5 movies of the year

Hey, I usually don't cover entertainment news, but like most people, I enjoy the movies. It's also said you can tell a lot about a person by the kinds of movies they like, so this might be a look at myself.

1. Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith
Release: May 19th, 2005
Rating: PG-13
US Gross: $380,262,555
Plot: The greatest Jedi of the Clone Wars, Anikin Skywalker turns to the dark side to find a cure for his wife, Padme Amidala. The Chancellor of the Republic is revealed to be the Sith Lord, and the Jedi try to remove him from office. They fail and nearly the entire Jedi Order is destroyed. Yoda confronts Darth Sideous, and Obi-Wan Kenobi travels to Mustafar to take out Anikin Skywalker, his former apprentice and one-time best friend. Obi-Wan cripples Anikin, but Anikin survies with the help of a bio-mechanical suit. With the Jedi destroyed, the Sith have control of the galaxy, and Darth Vader rises from the ashes to become the terror of the classic trilogy.

This was a movie I had been waiting a long time for. Quite possibly the best of the Star Wars series, it had everything I was hoping for. The story was excellent, the fighting was incredible, and the emotions were real. (Mostly, anyways) The droids were back in character, with R2-D2 delivering and impressive performance. General Greivous was well done, and a credible threat to Obi-Wan. The sound effects were incredible, it just makes the world seem real. John Wiliams also turned in an incredible soundtrack, capturing the spirit of the movie, as well as providing suspense and action to the sences that needed it. ROTS also tied the strings between the Prequels and the classic trilogy. The acting was much improved, and the CGI was some of the best ever. George Lucas's epic story has come to a close, and did so with a wonderful ending.

2. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Release: December 9, 2005
Rating: PG
US Gross: (Still counting, over 76,000,000)
Plot: The Pevensie children, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are sent to the english countryside during WWII. Lucy finds the door to Narnia, and the others soon follow. Edmund betrays the rest to the White Witch, Jadis, who holds narnia in an iron fist. However, not all is lost, as Aslan has returned to Narnia, and an army of the good creatures are with him. The Sons of Adam take the field of command, and valiently fight Jadis. Aslan brings reinforcements, and destroys Jadis.

I have loved this story since I read it when I was 6, and the movie fulfilled each expectation. The characters were great, the battles were superior to even the Return of the King, and the creatures were incredible. Aslan himself was voiced by Liam Nesson, who did a great job giving a depth to the character. The Bevers were just totally cool, and a well nigh perfect representation of the book's bevers. Jadis was the evil one, and her character was flawless. There was one scene, in which Jadis just casually turns a butterfly to stone, that just showed her evilness. The visuals were incredible, and the props just looked real. The soundtrack was lacking, but the sound effects themselves were excellent. This was the movie I wanted to see. If it hadn't been the same year as Star Wars, it would have been the best movie of the year.

3. Batman Begins
Release date: July 15, 2005
Rating: PG-13
US Gross: $205,343,774
Plot: Bruce Wayne's father is killed, sending him on an anger spree in asia, fighting petty criminals. He is taken in by Ra's Al Guhl, the leader of the League of Shadows, a ninja group that claims to have effected world history, even bringing the fall of rome. After alienating the League, Bruce returns to Gotham to take out the crime lords of the city. He gets a bunch of super spiffy equipment, and beats up a bunch of people. The city water system is poisened with a mind altering agent, that is released by steam. So, the league microwaves the water system, and Batman must stop Ra's Al Guhl from destroying the Wayne Induistry's headquarters, and the city with it.

The Darkest Knight returns, and it was great. This is the only movie here that I didn't see in theaters. The DVD version was great. The acting was great, the fights above average, and the story was not typical of a comic book movie. The sound track was great, I need to find it somewhere. Batman would probably earn my 2nd place, except that the character of Scarecrow was just unbelievable of a lot of levels, and the deal with Rachael was confusing. Otherwise, great movie.

4. War of the Worlds
Release Date: June 29, 2005
Rating: PG-13
US Gross: $234,277,056
Plot: Ray Ferrier is a divorced dock worker, and has custody of his kids, Robbie and Rachael for the weekend. Robbie is a hateful teenager, and Rachael does not know what to think. The aliens hatch there plan, and begin taking over earth. Ray tries to protect the children. Because of the shields, the alien machines are invulnerable to harm. They are destroyed because the aliens get diseased and die.

I was looking forward to this movie ever since I saw the prieview in the Yahoo Instant Messenger window while chatting with Hannah Beth of Sold Out . I was looking for more fighting, and battle. but what I got was an excellent look at a dysfunctional family, and a father trying his aboslute hardest to protect his family, and the entrie freaking world going against him. The story was engrossing, and drew me in from the first couple of minutes. The special effects were simply the absolute best I have ever seen, and the sound effects were matching. The sound track was good, and gave the story a lot of expense. However, while I loved the story, it's painful to watch because you can feel the emotions. I guess that means Speilberg did his job, and it's a great movie.


5. Madagascar
Release date: May 27th, 2005
Rating: PG
US Gross: $193 million
Plot: A bossy lion, a practical hippo, a paranoid giraffe, and a spunky zebra are given the idea of escapeing the zoo by a couple of psycho penguins. They are exported to another zoo, but the ship is taken over by the penquins, who turn to set sail for antartica, and empty the cargo near madagascar, including our favorite funny animals. They then adjust to life on the island.

I was looking forward to this movie, just because it was sooo funny in the trailers. It was still funny in the movie, but the plot was weak, and some of the humor was pretty crude. Never the less, I laughed about the entire time, and the penguins were hilarious.




Well, that wraps up my top 5 movies. If you have another nomination for 5th, post it.
Munich may find a place on this list, once I see it. Possibly King Kong, but I doubt it.