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Life on Our Planet (2023)
Disappointed
I wanted to like it and there were parts that I enjoyed, such as the realistic CGI for the ancient critters, but... there was not nearly enough. 85% of the show was footage of animals currently living despite the fact that the voice over of much of those segments was referring to adaptations or time periods from far, far prior. None of that footage was unique either. I've seen cheetahs and owls hunting hundreds of times. I've seen videos of hummingbirds foraging and whales swimming. There wasn't a single segment of live action footage that I saw that I hadn't seen before which is why I think this doc suffered from the lack of animated segments.
The other main issue I have is that there is nothing new presented in this doc. I could watch dozens of other paleo documentaries and get the same information. That made getting through the last few episodes a real struggle and I ended up watching them sped up 1.5x or just skipped segments entirely. It was boring and I'm really disappointed to say it. I know it's the same story that I've heard before (since it's literally history) but at least in other docs there's enough there to make it interesting to watch despite knowing what happens. Again, the doc suffered from a major lack of animated segments containing the animals that people flock to these kinds of shows to see.
Overall, I would not watch it again. The CGI was good, but not worth sitting through all the other footage.
Castlevania: Nocturne (2023)
I'm waiting for the next part
Right now it's a 6/10 for me, though I'd be willing to change it based on how the followup season(s) go. Right now I'm a little disappointed in how the characters were handled. For a show that is supposed to star (not to mention prominently features in all the promotional materials) Richter Belmont, there's surprisingly little focus on him. Instead, 99% of all character development and focus is put on Annette and her backstory and motivations. She is pulled from the lore at least (where she is the love interest of Richter/his fiancé) but other than that there are very little similarities. She feels more like she was molded to fit the writers' desire to insert dialogue about colonization and slavery into the show instead of just writing a series about slaying vampires. It feels a bit too forced and takes away from the vampire plot line we're all here for. I am also hoping that they will explain what is going on with Edouard because it is rather irritating how convenient his whole situation is, because there is a LOT of time put into him for how little he does. What also left a bad taste in my mouth was how the writing subtly tried to imply that somehow Richter having watched his mother be slaughtered by a vampire and being forced to run away was somehow not as bad as Annette watching her mother be slaughtered by a vampire and then forced to run away? I'm for empowering female characters, but this ain't it.
The animation is still top notch. Visually speaking, the character designs are... different from the first Castlevania animated series. Clearly some people in the design room have certain preferences and they are not shy about showing them (and you know what? Drolta can step on me any time, and I say that as a straight woman) but it does make things feel a little out of place. A lot of the designs don't feel like they fit into the world we know of Castlevania and it dangerously treads towards fan fiction parody. A lot of effort was put into the fighting sequences and I applaud the artists, though I hope as time progresses and we get to a climax that we see that step up that made the Castlevania finale so incredible to watch and visually stand apart.
The quick wit and humor from the first series are unfortunately lost, at least in these first 8 episodes. A lot of exposition is needing to be dumped, of course, given that we only have this short season to hook the audience, but I was not left impressed by the writing. Some of it was very much rushed, as were the relationships between the characters. Richter/Annette and Olrox/Mizrak, for example. I'm hoping that once it's renewed for another season we can work on those a bit more so it's not just forced for the sake of having it.
All in all, it's meh. I'd sooner rewatch the first series, but I'm not going to knock it fully until I see the whole story.
That all being said, my favorite recurring gag would have to be the Marquis and his wife. Somehow that ended up being the thing that made me chuckle most.
Elemental (2023)
It's cute
I think we can all say there are some serious Zootopia vibes to this movie and it clearly shows, though it is at least different enough in some aspects that it's not too similar at the end of the day. The visuals are quite nice and the way the characters move in response to their element is a decent touch. This movie had its moments that made me smile which is a plus in my opinion, but I don't think it's something I'd sit down and watch again for the laughs.
The overall plot is a little outdated. It's literal opposites attract, which already in of itself is a bit of an eye roll. Ember being fire with a temper is a little too on the nose with Wade being overly emotional and crying all the time getting annoying at various points in the movie. The immigrant story is what's supposed to stand out, and it does to a fair degree, but it does get outshined by the romance aspect towards the end.
It's a solid film, if not a little too basic. That last joke by the fire dad at the end though, that made me giggle.
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023)
Mid at best
It was Turning Red, but in the ocean. Plot was mid overall with nothing new to add and the "twist" villain wasn't a twist at all. Visually it had its moments, but otherwise was very bland. It felt like there was more that should have been added to clear up certain plot points (I'm mainly looking at the overbearing grandmother queen) but it's never addressed again despite it being the whole driving point of why the Gillmans are forced to live on land in the first place.
Overall, the film will kill time if you're desperate. Otherwise there are far better Dreamsworks flicks out there. It's a little disappointing, to be honest. The plot fell into the unfortunate trap that is modern writing, leaving the characters to be flat, reused tropes that we've seen too often already in recent years. Despite the whole kaiju vibe that they were trying to get for the monster battles (I can see the Pacific Rim inspiration), it really didn't do much and I found I was getting really bored towards the end, even though it was the climax. Will it entertain kids? Sure. Will kids want to rewatch it endlessly on repeat? No, and that's probably a good thing.
Klaus (2019)
Beautiful
I was skeptical when I first saw ads for this movie, but after watching it I can say that this is one of the very few films that has come out in recent years that actually made me happy to watch. It was a refreshing story and not just some rehashed crap from three decades ago or yet another superhero movie being shoved out for a quick cash grab. The setting and characters were charming. The plot was a little linear and predictable at times, but it was enjoyable. Honestly a good movie. The most shocking part is that it's Netflix. Who would have thought?
Hellboy (2019)
Lacked Charm
Worst. English. Accents. I couldn't watch it without cringing. The story suffered from poor pacing and too much emphasis was placed on the "shock and gore factor" and not enough on the characters. What backstory there was turned out to be quick snippets of information that were practically useless to the viewer. It was hard to feel any form of connection to any character. While the trailers seemed promising, the actual film did not deliver.
The Grinch (2018)
Lack Luster
It was boring, bland, and unoriginal. Slapping some rap into the mix adds nothing and feels more like bad product placement for artists no one cares about anymore. The narration was lack luster and had no real... narrator vibes? A good narrator draws you in. They have THAT kind of voice. Williams... not so much. He seemed bored more than anything else and that shows.
The animation was good and the choices made with Max were actually great, but other than that this Grinch felt... not Grinchy. The backstory left the audience with more questions than answer and the side plot with the Who family was never really explored. New characters were added, but no one was expanded upon. It wasn't the worst movie to come out in 2018, but it's far from the best.
Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
Please No
The way Ralph and Vanellope's relationship was written made it feel more like an abusive relationship instead of friendship. You have a creepy old man being overly clingy with a young girl and controlling her life and their relationship (and while I know they're not real characters and they don't age given that they are essentially immortal game characters it still doesn't change the fact that it was written in such a way that just creeps me out).
And Ralph is so dumbed down in this movie. All the male characters are. It's so obvious that this was done to build up the female characters. You don't make a strong female character by making everyone else around them weak. (Here's an idea, instead of putting down other characters in order to build one up, why don't you actually just write a strong character in the first place? If you're having to nuke all the others to make this one good, then there's something wrong with that character in the first place.) Especially when you're focusing on Vanellope, a character who was barely tolerable in the first film due to her lack of maturity and selfish nature. While Ralph wasn't exactly Einstein in the first movie, he did have a level of maturity about him and actually learned how to be a better person and gain acceptance. All of that was lost in this film and he was basically reduced to the level that Vanellope was at in the first movie.
Ralph's sacrifice in the first movie was genuine and heart-felt. The sacrifice in the end of this one was just forced and felt more like the writers were trying to make Vanellope's potential sacrifice feel a LOT like an abused victim agreeing to go back to a controlling abuser and it was just icky to watch (especially when she does actually go back to that abuser and we're supposed to pretend like that's completely normal for a victim to end up in a good relationship with the person who was trying to control their life and nearly killed them). The entire undertone of this movie felt wrong and poorly handled. I've never walked away from a Disney movie thinking that a topic was so badly abused in a film, but this one takes the title of the first that makes me incredibly uncomfortable.
Please no more sequels.
Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018)
Not bad, but not better
I enjoyed the first movie. In a time where we're being bombarded with superhero movies and cheap thrillers, it was nice to see a giant monster/robot battle. The same holds true with this movie. It was nice and it was different from what else is out there today. That being said, the movie was rushed and disjointed. It felt like 98% of the original cast was cast aside in favor of rebooting the sequel with teenagers (we don't even get a mention of the main character from the last film). The story development focused solely on Pentecost this time around and even then that fell through. All other characters were just forgettable, even Mako.
The story itself was interesting enough. Kind of a far stretch, but something to grasp on to. It clearly sets itself up for a sequel, and, you know, I'll watch it because at the end of the day I enjoyed the monster battles. Hopefully, however, the sequel will have better battles than this movie because it paled in comparison to expectation, especially when you have to wait an hour just to see some fighting.
Overall, I'd rewatch the first movie over this one any day. But it is still an okay film.
Voltron: Legendary Defender (2016)
Beautiful, but sad, ending to a rare animation treasure
This series was beautiful, there is no other way to put it. I have watched every season, every episode, and all the while I couldn't help but think things couldn't get more intense or fantastical. And yet the writers and show runners managed to always one-up themselves. Every battle, every mission, every character came together into something more. THIS is how cartoon reboots, and just cartoons in general, should be made. Wonderful animation and brilliant writing capture the hearts and minds of the viewers. I can't say that any other animated series that's come out in the past decade has had such an impact. This isn't some lazy cartoon where the one-dimensional main characters come together, sing a song, and wish the bad guys away. No, this has grit. It has battles with high stakes and losses. There is true sacrifice and moral lessons. It's not padded down by a political agenda of diversity or LGBTQ inclusion, though when included these topics were actually handled generally well without shoving it down throats.
This show has everything one needs for a GOOD story. It has likable characters with flaws, it has darkness and redemption, and it has a sense of power and depth that you don't find in cartoons nowadays.
While there are things about the ending I didn't like, I think it was fitting to the series itself and still goes down as one of the best I've seen. And I'm completely shocked. As someone who initially ignored this show when it first came out because I wrote it off as just another reboot cash-grab, I can happily say that this has become one of my favorite shows of all time. To see DreamWorks produce something this great is a real marvel, and yet at the same time I have to question how a division that can produce something on this level can also produce some of the worst rebooted shows I've seen. Whatever the convoluted reasons behind the other flops they released in recent months, I hope that the team that put together Voltron can at least go on to create something this great again. There is clearly a lot of talent here and if they can do Voltron, they can do anything.
I sincerely believe there is more good to come from the people behind Voltron and I believe there is still hope for the future of animation if we can produce works like this.
Mowgli (2018)
Emotional ride, however...
This was definitely a darker take of the classic, an angle Serkis was clearly going for. While I appreciate this tone, I am beginning to become disenchanted with the retellings of this story where they always end with Mowgli somehow or another killing Khan by fire or, in this case, knife (much more direct deaths than in the original book where Khan was trampled to death in a stampede). In fact, this movie goes very far out of its way to be dark and emotional to the point of overdoing it. I do not believe I've ever seen an adaptation of the Jungle Book where there was so much wanton death. What's worse is that the deaths were all easily avoidable and were only added in order to create emotional drama to the viewers.
The movie opens with an incredibly violent take on Khan's hunting of Mowgli's family. They didn't skimp on the blood with this one. Along the way we run into several animal deaths during hunts and one of the reoccurring themes in the movie is that it is important to watch a creature die so that it soul does not journey on alone. I understand the message, I'm just not certain that it was necessary to view time after time. And of course there's all the dead cows Khan leaves lying about the jungle. Then there were the multiple deaths when Akela was forced to fight his pack for leadership. At least three wolves, presumably some of whom were the pups of Mowgli's adopted mother, are killed without any sort of commentary. I guess we weren't supposed to like them given how often they bullied Mowgli and Bhoot, but still. A little too callously presented.
And then we get to the aforementioned Bhoot. It was hinted at in the movie that Bhoot would die. I was prepared for that. However, the way his death was presented was, I believe, meant to come as an emotional shock to the viewer. Serkis excelled in the execution of this and I applaud his ability to lead the audience through this emotional connection to the characters. However, what might leave a bad taste in viewers' mouths is the way Bhoot goes out. His fight with Mowgli is never resolved and his death is used as a plot-driving device to get people to hate the hunter and accept Mowgli's decision to have the man murdered (because, yes, at the end of the day this is what Mowgli does). The narrative surrounding our albino wolf pup was invented solely to be a heart-crushing plot device that ultimately was not needed. I understand the need to be shocking and new to an audience that has probably seen half a dozen JB remakes in their lifetime, but there was little basis for this version other than to manipulate the audience (something, again, which is executed excellently). There is also the point that the hunter himself was not evil. He was not aware that he had killed a thinking animal who was like a brother to Mowgli. He did not understand the connections of the jungle or its laws and people. In fact, he is the potential savior of these people, come to hunt Khan down and protect the village (albeit the light in which he is portrayed switches back and forth all the time). It just so happens that he hunts (and many, MANY people in those times who traveled the world would hunt and bring down trophies and specimens to carry home as part of research and study). At this point in time it's cliche to make the hunter the "bad guy" because it's such an overused and ultimately misguided direction to take. The message it sends is that hunters are evil, when in reality the only intentions the man had, as presented by the movie, were good. Sure, he drinks, but drinking and taxidermy do not make the man an evil being deserving to be murdered. And while, yes, he killed Bhoot, he didn't do so maliciously. Maybe if the movie had done a better job of establishing any kind of ill intent by someone other than Mowgli or Khan, I might feel a little better about how the movie ended. Something about this character just didn't click. He wasn't written in a way that was good or bad, yet somehow his actions justified Mowgli trading away his life in order to gain his own revenge. I'm left not liking Mowgli at all. He essentially turns into a revenge killer by the end of the film, much worse than anything the hunter could have been and I think that is the most egregious outcome of the whole Bhoot saga. And of course they end it with the hunter ultimately killing Akela and shooting Mowgli (all on accident too, which is even more perplexing). In no way did this character ever do anything inherently malicious or evil (he was even trying to save Mowgli at the end), yet we are to accept that it's okay what Mowgli ultimately did to him because he's a foreign white hunter who likes to drink. Heck, he is the one who tries to befriend Mowgli and teach him how to live among people. I'm really puzzled at this decision by the writers.
Okay, enough about the writing and whatnot. The main reason for my low score simply comes down to the animation. There is no doubt that a lot of talent went into this movie. The director, the actors, the artists. However, the decision to give the animals such human facial features (especially their eyes) was distracting and unnerving (especially at this level of realistic CGI). While most of the effects are beautiful, this humanization was ugly and unappealing. I understand what the creative team was going for, but in the end it fell flat and made all of the animals awkward. It distracted me so badly during the movie that at times I couldn't pay attention to what was going on. Had the animation gone a different direction, I probably would have given this movie a 7/10, but unfortunately this was just one thing I couldn't sit with.
The Meg (2018)
Not Bad
Your typical blockbuster, I suppose. It at least had an interesting premise, if not a little over the top. You could make a half-decent drinking game of every time someone fell off a boat. The movie clearly was meant to pander to eastern audiences and you can see that in some of the decisions made at various parts in the film. It did have some pretty good action sequences and some pretty brutal deaths that you would expect of a movie starring a giant shark. That being said there wasn't a lot of character development. Actually, no, there was none at all. Pretty one-dimensional on that front, and it seems like some characters had more to their story, but it must have been cut for time.
Overall I'd watch it again if it came on TV or Netflix. It's better than a lot of other shark movies that came out in recent years.
Gnome Alone (2017)
Generally unexciting
In terms of visuals, I liked this movie. It was an overall smooth animation style, and, hey, by comparison to what else is around it's pretty good. That being said it's about the only redeeming factor.
In terms of writing the characters are very one-dimensional. None are likable, and honestly I'm a little surprised at some of the choices made. Chloe is very cliche for a character who has "moved around all her life with no time anywhere to make new friends and yet finds a true friend at her latest home". (Granted every character is pretty cliche.) She's also pretty narcissistic and that doesn't entirely change. Also Liam is a conundrum. For a day and age when we are trying to teach everyone that "no means no" the writers chose to create the most annoying and pushy male character I've ever seen that we're supposed to root for. And despite his pushy behavior and inability to take "no" for an answer, he ends up getting what he wants, that being the girl. It's really weird.
Not very memorable in the end. Can't say I'd recommend it or watch it again.
The Dragon Prince (2018)
Worth the binge
I was skeptical when I saw this announced and heard it was from Avatar creators. While The Last Airbender was a good show, I didn't want to see that recreated with dragons slapped on the label. While the show initially irked me by following the same "Book/Chapter" format to the seasons and titles along with having elemental sources of power, I was happily refreshed by how original everything else was. While there are design elements I don't necessarily like, all of the characters so far are so unique and unexpected. Who thinks to animate a mute warrior and have them use sign language in a cartoon? And it really works. Overall I really like the story and want to see more. And I, for one, enjoy the animation style. It draws me back to Dragon Booster and I love it.
Heathers (2018)
No...
Funnier than the original, but still very bad. Most of the jokes don't land and the characters are not likable. Save yourself some time and just listen to the musical.
Heathers (1988)
The musical was better...
Look... Whoever wrote this movie probably never attended a single class of proper script writing... and probably never watched a proper movie in their life. The opening of the film is... abrupt, to say the least, as is almost every transition in the film. Character relationships make no sense, the motivations of the characters make no sense, and it all falls apart a little too easily. I heard the songs from the musical and was intrigued by the characters and story so I decided to watch the movie. Big mistake. It's not compelling and by the end of it I found that there were no good characters, no "moral lesson", and I was bored. I think the only reason this has a cult following is because of the actors who were considered "sexy" at the time (and not gonna lie, Slater is hot in this, so it does get a little boost, but not enough to save the movie). Overall the film suffers from extremely poor writing choices. It could have been great if they'd just added in a bit more to give the story context. I get that they were going for a theme, but the humor in this didn't age well at all.
Trollhunters (2016)
Good show, but Claire is the worst...
Originally when I saw the promotions for this show, I was skeptical. But then I started watching it and it was actually really good. I liked the characters, I loved the character designs for the most part, and I thought it was a very original concept and story. Jim isn't a cliche hero. He does fit some tropes, but other than that he's pretty well-rounded and likable. Toby comes off as funny instead of annoying, something that surprised me as I got deeper into it. The trolls are funny and unique as well, and balance out the rest of the cast. But Claire... Holy crap I've never done a quicker 180 turn on my feelings for a character. At first I thought she would be kinda cool. Before she knew about the trolls, I thought she had potential to be a cool character that could add something new to the team and be an interesting love interest to Jim while still holding her own story line and kicking butt. However... She is now a huge Mary Sue and is bringing down my enjoyment for the show. Her ability to just master everything she attempts, like troll language and the shadow staff, is irritating. Not to mention she comes off as bossy and arrogant. I really don't like the turn she's made and I hope things change in the future regarding her development.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
It was surprisingly good.
When I first heard they were making a reboot of Jumanji, I was skeptical. These days it seems like everything is getting a half-assed reboot or spinoff so when I went in to watch this movie I didn't expect anything life changing or original. And I was shocked with the results. This story was actually GOOD. It took the original concept that was Jumanji and made its own twists and turns and didn't actually butcher the original source. And I really enjoyed all the characters as well, which is something I couldn't exactly say about the original film. I was so surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie that honestly I find myself wanting to go back and re-watch it. When it comes to movies starring comedians, I don't really get very hopeful about the content and quality of the movie, especially these days when "comedians" turn out to mostly rely upon profanities and slap stick more than wit and actual humor. However, the jokes in this movie were on point and I really enjoyed Kevin Hart's performance as well as Dwayne Johnson's. They played well off one another and it wasn't over the top. And wow... I really did think Jack Black had hit the high point of his career back in Kung Fu Panda and was on the down slope, but he was easily one of the best parts of this movie. The casting for this movie was great overall.
Not only that, but this movie was more than the typical "comedy" movies you see nowadays that are all about getting drunk/spitting out as many curse words in a sentence as possible/being "shocking". There was a serious plot behind it with actual stakes and it played its serious moments very well. All of the characters went through important evolutions that were believable by the end of the film.
Now, it wasn't perfect. There are things that were a bit off in terms of continuity and if you know the first Jumanji then you might see where I'm getting at, but it wasn't enough to take away from the film itself. Overall this was a very enjoyable movie and I'd definitely watch it again. The movie was a tasteful update to the Jumanji franchise, and to be honest I'd love to see if they have plans for a sequel. I'd certainly watch it given how well they treated this movie.
Then again, I did watch Pitch Perfect 3 in the same night as this one, so this positive review might be a little biased when taking in both movies side by side in a short period of time.
Pitch Perfect 3 (2017)
Easily the worst...
I loved PP1 and was pleasantly surprised by PP2, but this movie... This movie was horrible. It's like they picked the things that were bad about the first two and focused solely on making those the main parts of the movie. I really wanted to like this movie, don't get me wrong. I went into watching it thinking that it would be a lovely hour and a half of good music and funny story. Instead there was... like... no music? Yeah, they sang a bit and there was kind of a competition, but in the end this movie focused on some weird out of left field backstory for Fat Amy that NOBODY wanted. At all. Like... why? Normally I don't get angry at movies, but this is the first exception I've had in a long time. So let's break it down.
First off, let's look at the group in general. The movie brings back most of the cast from the first and second movies. At least, the female cast. The love interests from the first two are completely gone and barely glossed over and one of the more interesting female characters gets written out because she's pregnant (And oh boy she's a whore so she doesn't know who the baby's dad is. So hilarious.... I guess.) Not that Stacie was the most interesting character around, but at least she was memorable. Not sure why she was written out (other than maybe political gripes), but I let it slide. To be fair, hardly anyone in the main cast gets much attention in this movie other than Beca, Fat Amy, and Chloe. Speaking of which, let's get down to the plot and sub-plots.
Let's address the elephant in the room. The drug dealer international criminal father background for Fat Amy was so far out of left field that it was not good. At all. It was surprising, but not in a good way. And then suddenly she's some kind of kung fu expert who can take down a ship full of bad guys? There is no way the Fat Amy in the first two movies is the same as this one. Not only that, but she's even more unlikeable in this movie. Her character went from funny in the first to okay in the second and now just completely unlikeable. Her incompetence and overall crappy freeloading attitude is just grating. I'm not sure why the main plot of the movie had to be a conflict between her and her estranged father.
Then there's Beca's will-they won't-they relationship with this new guy and the story of how she's an amazing music artist/producer and blah blah blah. As much as I like her, Beca's character fell flat in this movie as well. She was... more of a stiff board than anything else. I was very sad to find that she just didn't stand out and honestly I didn't find myself invested in anything she did. Her best part in the movie was in the first act where she quits her job. Everything else... is meh. And really, this new guy Theo is nothing compared to Jesse. There is no chemistry and it's so forced that it's painful to watch.
Speaking of forced romances, Chloe and Chicago were also a boring subplot. Are they a cute couple? Yes. Was it a believable relationship? Eh, depends on who you ask. At least someone ended up happy, I guess? I was also very annoyed that the Aubrey subplot with her father was only resolved in the ending credit scenes. Poorly played, but at least it was a satisfying ending unlike literally every other ending in the movie.
A lot about the story's plot really didn't do it for me. And the "competition" wasn't really a competition at all, or at least there was no real supporting story for it. We start out with the Bella's realizing these other artists are really good, even better than them, and then... Nothing happens? Somehow they still end up moving forward and Beca gets chosen as the winner? I mean, really, DSM was a far more compelling "rival" than anyone in this movie because you got to see the Bellas struggle against their adversaries and attempt to better themselves. In this movie the "rivals" were barely side characters and just there for a brief time to show that there was something more to the movie than Fat Amy's boring and unlikeable plot line. Not only that, but the Bellas did not evolve at all. There was no internal struggle or dealing with issues like in the past two films. It was like the Bellas themselves were just a backseat plot.
Speaking of boring, the music really suffered in this movie. I came into this expecting great musical numbers, but instead we got brief snippets of songs and no real finale song. Sure, there was a somewhat short final piece of Beca and her friends, but there was no production to it. I get the meaning behind it, but I wouldn't be bothered as much had there been an actual attempt at a big choreographed and well-written song scene in the movie. In fact, the music itself took a backseat to Fat Amy. Yes, her story rears its ugly head again in this review, but that's because this is how it was in the movie. You'd move on to the promise of music and the Bellas and then end up straight back in the awful Fat Amy drug smuggling daddy plot.
So all in all? This movie suffered a great deal due to Fat Amy and the backstory we never wanted. PP movies are about the music and the Bellas. Instead this may as well have been called "Fat Amy: The Movie". A movie, mind you, that nobody wanted. There was no good music pieces in it and there was no real story for the Bellas. It's like everything was being thrown in last minute and as a result nothing got the spotlight other than one poorly executed and unentertaining bit. I hate saying it, but I hated this movie. It wasn't worth my time or money and it is a sore disappointment as the end of the PP trilogy.
The Adventures of Puss in Boots (2015)
Cheesy, nonsensical, but gripping nonetheless in its own weird way.
I normally wouldn't write a review for a series like this. It's an over the top, childish, and makes-zero-sense kind of show. Yet somehow, just like All Hail King Julien, the series took a turn for a plot and end game. Yeah, it was a nonsensical ride, but it actually had some good characters and the way the story was written made it (and bear with me on this) so I was invested and actually wondering what would happen next. Having just binged the last season, I have to admit I'm kind of sad it's ending, but it makes sense. Somehow the writers for these DreamWorks spin offs have made something that is great in its own right (and in the case of AHKJ it exceeds the source material in likability). While I wouldn't say this is my favorite series ever, it was... nice. It certainly wasn't the drivel you see put on TV these days and after a long day of real life it's nice to just turn on Netflix and let my brain melt a little.
The entire style of the series was random and it didn't take itself too seriously, which was probably the best part about it all. However, I didn't give it 10 stars for a reason. I really didn't like some characters throughout the whole series. While some were written to be actually kind of fun despite their wacky tendencies, some were just... eh. Not a big fan. The orphans were probably my least favorite characters out of the whole thing and in a lot of the episodes where they were involved I just couldn't like them. Especially Toby. He's probably the main reason why I'm lowering my review score. I know it's a lot to downgrade something just based on a single character, but honestly I wish he hadn't been given such big roles in the last couple seasons.
At the end of the day, however, what I like most about this is that it gave us the ending that Samurai Jack wouldn't let us have. For that, I actually like this series more. How this all fits into the Shrek universe, I have no idea, but I can say that I'm quite happy that Puss and Dulcinea got to ride off into the sunset together in a proper happy ending. (I'm looking at you, Tartakovsky. You broke my soul.) I am a little sad that both this and AHKJ are now gone, but I'm hoping we get more things like this in the future. This style of writing is just fun all around and a pleasant change from main stream television.
Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions (2016)
This is pretty much the Kaiba movie, but I'm okay with that.
So overall, this was actually pretty good. I loved the visual upgrade the series' style got. I loved seeing all the characters again. I mean, my score basically shows that I liked it over all. However, there were a few things that detracted from it for me.
First off, Kaiba's sudden overwhelming obsession to bring back the Pharaoh. I get it, he believes in the ancient Egypt stuff now, but... given how the series ended, I don't understand why he'd be obsessed with dueling the Pharaoh and not Yugi, the person who actually defeated our favorite puzzle spirit. Also to the point where he would risk his own life to travel through space and time just to duel the man again. This is almost insane levels of obsession to the point where it kind of detracts from his character. While duel monsters was always important to him before, in the series he never really went to these extremes for it. Still, his overall part in this story was pretty amazing. He was made out to be a complete bamf and earned every glorious second of it. Plus his intelligence was really shining based solely on the technological advances he's pioneered since the series. Like, dang, boy's got serious smarts. Also apparently some good one-liners.
Now on to the main conflict. Okay, so... This was pretty much entirely Kaiba's fault due to his obsession over bringing back the Pharaoh. The reasoning behind the antagonist's motives were somewhat flimsy. Kind of a basic "we don't want to lose our ultimate power" kind of thing on the surface (and holy cow was Diva OP as heck. It's a shock he didn't just wipe out the universe while he was at it). Props to the writers for finding a way to tie in the series and create this kind of mind-blowing story for Shadi, though. As to my thoughts on Diva and Shadi's child followers, well, they're a bit mixed. Diva (and a diva he truly is in terms of angst) is a character I can sympathize with. However I am a little disappointed that at the end of it all it was really the spirit of the millennium ring that issues the greatest threat.
The return of the Pharaoh was great. There really is no way to describe the scene so I really suggest that even if people don't watch the movie, they should just track down that scene and take it in. The build up and tension was amazing and honestly I'd watch this again multiple times.
As to my opinion on how the whole ending turns out, well, given the opening scene with Kaiba winning against hologram Yami/Atem and then him not losing to Yugi later on (and this purposefully being shown to the audience), I get the feeling the end probably actually is the time that Kaiba beats the real Pharaoh in a duel and redeems himself even though we never actually see the duel happen. This was basically a movie focused on Kaiba, after all, and it shows his change in attitude about the past and dueling into something akin to his own version of the heart of the cards, meaning he's finally dueling on a level that is equal to that of the Pharaoh. Heck, I'm actively rooting for him to win just based on all he's done and accomplished just to get that far. While I wish I could see that duel play out, I have little doubt about the outcome given all this movie has shown and hinted at.
My Little Pony: Equestria Girls - Legend of Everfree (2016)
Sunset is by far a better protagonist than Twilight and this movie proves it
First off, this is one of the better Equestria Girls movies. Probably my favorite of what has been released so far. That being said, this movie is probably the one where I find my aggravation levels caused by Twilight's character to be the highest. The entire series would have been better off not having Twilight at all. Sunset Shimmer is far and away a much more sympathetic protagonist and has the most developed and interesting story of any character related to the series.
What makes a good character is their story, and one of the reasons why characters like Luna and Sunset are so popular is because they have a base story of redemption. They went to the dark side, but have been redeemed and continuously are trying to better themselves and make up for their past. They are constantly moving forward while characters like Twilight are just... stagnant. I am incredibly disappointed at how Sunset was treated in this movie. First off, her "power" comes off as more of an afterthought than anything that makes sense. (I mean, really, the ability to touch someone and see into their mind? Compared to the abilities of everyone else, this is really bad. If anything it was only given to her to help smooth over bucketloads of exposition. Her power might as well be called "Exposition-finder-ex-machina" because that is ALL it's good for.) It's also pretty weak compared to Twilight who is given some pretty OP abilities that, to be honest, she has done nothing to even earn out of all the movies she has been present (and I mean this of her human character, not her pony character since her pony version actually did something to earn her powers). Sunset has worked the hardest to overcome adversity and is the true fighter in it all, but she's always being relegated to a back seat spot in favor of a character whose only contribution to the plot is allowing herself to be overcome with negativity.
Honestly? They should just make Sunset the alicorn of the Equestria Girls series. This is an alternate dimension, after all. Why does everything have to go by the pony universe? If another film is made (and I'm sure there will be so long as there is money to be had) then I hope more focus and ability is given to the characters who actually deserve it rather than just dumping more special snowflake dust on Twilight Sparkle. Forcibly shoving something like Twilight's inept character repeatedly down the throats of viewers is NOT the way to get people to like her more.
My Little Pony: The Movie (2017)
Decent enough
Marking this as spoilers just in case something I say could be construed as such.
I think at this point the writers for the show and movies are doing a far better job at creating more likable and interesting side characters than main characters. If I could have a movie or series based solely off of the redeemed villains and their adventures and struggles to overcome their differences and learn how to deal with life after their periods of evil, then I'd gladly take that over another "Look here at Princess Twilight! Isn't she great? WORSHIP HER." movie. At this point I feel like Twilight is being shoved down everyone's throats in the MLP movies and show and I dislike her even more now than ever. Her character traits only cause more problems than they solve and this movie is no different. She's just so unlikeable now that I was rooting for the bad guys to win the whole time just to end the Twi-fest. For once I'd like to see someone else take center stage for an MLP: FIM movie because so far no version of movie or TV Twilight (including in Equestria Girls) has any redeeming qualities or character development.
That all being said, the animation was very good. It had the feel of the show, but on a higher level and I'd like to see another movie done in this style. The voice acting was great as well. The songs were generally decent and the singing was good. Overall forgettable tunes, to be honest, with the exception of Tempest's solo though. The addition of the new species and kingdoms was a huge plus as there was a great range of new characters and something other than ponies to look at for once. Going off of that, the character design aspect of all the new characters was on point, and, and maybe it's just me thinking this, but bold for an MLP piece. The decision to actually scar a pony and give them a physical alteration as a result of trauma is something new to MLP, but the story behind it as well as the overall character development because of it was spot on. Tempest, by far, is one of my all time favorites now up along with Sunset Shimmer. I was a little disappointed that she didn't get her horn back, but to be fair even without it she is a completely capable character with the ability to literally kick butt on a level that no other character has ever been able to accomplish before. It's sad to think we'll probably never see her again.
Overall my lower score is due to Twilight, pure and simple. She was just so unlikeable and really taught no lessons in this movie. So much focus was put upon her when really she was practically useless and was the central cause of many of the arguments, downfalls, and stress of the story. Yet for some reason we're supposed to treat her like some kind of god character that is integral to everything and who is the only one who can ever solve any problems. It's so aggravating at this point that only she is is made out to be the competent hero when clearly there are others who better deserve the spotlight. For example, Pinkie, Dash, and Rarity given that it was their contributions that led to the alliance of characters that successfully managed to save the kingdom in the end while Twilight did NOTHING other than go against the very thing she is a princess of, that being friendship. It's actually kind of sad that it was the other characters who went out and made friends and won the day while the "princess of friendship" only resorted to mistrust and thievery to try and accomplish her goals. While the former does make sense given the early betrayal by Capper, the latter is uncalled for given what she is supposed to stand for.
Anyway, rant over. The only redeemable qualities about this movie were the visuals, the side characters and villains, and the soundtrack.
Bright (2017)
I was hoping for more...
I had such high hopes for this movie, but at the end of the day my hopes were too high. I loved the idea of it all, but when I actually sat down to watch it I found myself wanting to stop less than half way through because it was just... boring. I feel like a lot of the culture and world could have been built up and better explained. It doesn't have to be spoon fed to the audience, but really... It would have been nice to have some lore other than some spray tags in the opening credits. I think the hints of the world created by the writers was incredibly fascinating, but all of it was wasted.
The concept was really neat and I was excited for it, but it was poorly executed. A lot of the scene changes and jump in plot was messy and didn't make sense other than to force a continuation of the story. There was some political commentary stuff. Not a ton, but the big points are kind of shoved in your face when they pop up. The jokes could have been delivered a lot better as well. I was hoping for some comedy, given the trailer, but in the end it just wasn't... A lot of characters were wasted. Some of them would have been really cool to just learn more about, but instead more screen time was split between less interesting characters that really only show up for two scenes and then die later.
Now that's not to say there weren't good points. The visuals were nice. As nice as visuals of people getting their guts blown out with a shotgun can be, I mean. And some of the music was good as well. There were some editing choices that seemed... odd to me, but I'll let them slide in this instance.
All in all? LotR meets Zootopia meets any buddy cop film ever made with neat visuals. For all its budget, I wish more time had been spent on reviewing the material from the point of view of an audience member so that some mistakes could have been avoided.
Strange Magic (2015)
Visuals were nice, but that's about it.
It wasn't a completely terrible movie, however, the story line was boring and left a lot to be desired. The visuals, however, were great and probably the only redeeming quality of the movie. The choice of songs included in the sound track were decent, but I think Trolls did a far better job of being "self-aware" of its own singing clichés.
The Bog King wasn't a likable character, despite the writers trying so hard to shoehorn in sympathy for him. Marianne had good potential, but in the end she pretty much reverted back to what she was in the beginning, thus trashing all her of character development. And Dawn... Dawn was a very sad stereotype. The Fairy King, I think, was my least favorite character just because of what a horrible father he was. If anything, he was even dumber than Dawn.
Overall, the plot was very predictable and tried far too hard to incorporate the "don't judge a book by its cover" theme. It tried to make an unconventional love story where the attractive guy is evil and the unattractive guy gets the girl, but it tried too hard and in the end we ended up with one dimensional and unlikable characters.
That being said, if you need to distract your kids for an hour or two then go ahead and plop them down in front of the screen. It'll keep them busy for awhile.