This has gotta be one of if not the single greatest episode of Doctor Who we've had in the past 6 years. I'm actually shocked that just 2 weeks ago we had to suffer "Space Babies" followed up with quite a mediocre musical episode. This is exactly what we want. High stakes, great dialogue, a simple yet unique plot, pretty good side characters and ACTUAL FUNNY DIALOGUE. I actually cared about Ruby this time rather than rolling my eyes every other scene. And somehow this felt so cinematic even within basically a single setting. Honestly I don't know why we haven't had an episode like this in recent years like some of the best episodes of the whole series include the Doctor basically trapped trying to talk his way out of a certain situation. Please Moffat I beg you have control over more episodes in the future. Like I said before, this is EXACTLY what we needed.
Reviews
21 Reviews
Avatar: The Last Airbender
(2005–2008)
Not everything is completely perfect but wow that payoff
1 April 2024
Usually when I give movies or shows a 10/10 it's because I have next to no issues with it. Like you have a series such as Breaking Bad where almost every episode is borderline perfect (obviously in my opinion) until you have that one Fly episode. Whilst it's not exactly as good as others, it's still a very well thought out piece of writing. Well ATLA is slightly different where many episodes aren't really that close to being as good as the best of the best and there are even a few that really aren't that great e.g. The Great Divide, Avatar Day etc. If that's the case then how could I possibly give this entire series a 10/10? Well...
The payoff is just that good. That final season is without a doubt one of the greatest seasons of television I've ever seen. Almost every character is given an opportunity to shine and round off their character arcs. Even more minor characters such as Ty Lee and Mei have more depth than you would initially expect. Characters are consistent and through to the end and make decisions clearly based on previous experiences. They make mistakes and are forced change to counter them. Even sometimes the opposite where they achieve at something and cause issues later on.
Besides just the writing, how can I talk about this series without acknowledging the action because it's insane. The writers and animators used the bending power system in so many unique ways (especially in episodes such as the S2 finale). And even in some basic villain confrontations the movements of the characters are so fluid and never downgrade in quality. They also did an amazing job showing off the progression of how powerful and skilled the characters become across each season.
What's also so charming about this series is that it's an animated show aimed at kids yet it takes itself so seriously and never really dumbs down to fit the younger audience. Instead it chooses to teach kids about real world conflicts and lets them make a decision on how they feel about certain situations. On a surface level, Zuko's entire character is the basic never judge a book by its cover trope and gives children an insight that people really can change if you give them a chance.
So, whilst every single episode or every scene is definitely not perfect, the conclusion to different storylines and character arcs is just so damn good that I can't rate it any lower. This is basically the perfect example of how a "kids show" should be written.
The payoff is just that good. That final season is without a doubt one of the greatest seasons of television I've ever seen. Almost every character is given an opportunity to shine and round off their character arcs. Even more minor characters such as Ty Lee and Mei have more depth than you would initially expect. Characters are consistent and through to the end and make decisions clearly based on previous experiences. They make mistakes and are forced change to counter them. Even sometimes the opposite where they achieve at something and cause issues later on.
Besides just the writing, how can I talk about this series without acknowledging the action because it's insane. The writers and animators used the bending power system in so many unique ways (especially in episodes such as the S2 finale). And even in some basic villain confrontations the movements of the characters are so fluid and never downgrade in quality. They also did an amazing job showing off the progression of how powerful and skilled the characters become across each season.
What's also so charming about this series is that it's an animated show aimed at kids yet it takes itself so seriously and never really dumbs down to fit the younger audience. Instead it chooses to teach kids about real world conflicts and lets them make a decision on how they feel about certain situations. On a surface level, Zuko's entire character is the basic never judge a book by its cover trope and gives children an insight that people really can change if you give them a chance.
So, whilst every single episode or every scene is definitely not perfect, the conclusion to different storylines and character arcs is just so damn good that I can't rate it any lower. This is basically the perfect example of how a "kids show" should be written.
Mean Girls
(2024)
Fun but literally the same movie
21 January 2024
I really really wanted to like this movie but I can't help see it as a lazy copy just with songs added in between scenes. Look don't get me wrong it's still funny and if you don't really remember much about the originally then yes you may enjoy this just like I did. But when you rewatch the original you'll see just how many jokes and plot points are copied. Hell even the script in a lot of scenes are the exact same just with normal dialogue to progress the story. It's still a good script but it's the same bs we get for live-action Disney remakes.
With that being said, the songs were actually some of the best parts of the movie. I mean most of the songs themselves weren't anything too special but visually and the choreography were so fun with great visual comedy. I will also admit that I found some aspects a bit more enjoyable like some jokes were just funnier and the over the top satire was also solid.
Also a nitpick but why literally say what the message of the movie is at the very end. We just watched the full 1 hour and 45 minute movie how dumb do they think the audience is that they have to sum up the entire meaning of the film??
So I guess I still "like" this movie to an extent but oof it's just the original with a different cast, songs, modern use of social media and a stronger sense of self awareness.
With that being said, the songs were actually some of the best parts of the movie. I mean most of the songs themselves weren't anything too special but visually and the choreography were so fun with great visual comedy. I will also admit that I found some aspects a bit more enjoyable like some jokes were just funnier and the over the top satire was also solid.
Also a nitpick but why literally say what the message of the movie is at the very end. We just watched the full 1 hour and 45 minute movie how dumb do they think the audience is that they have to sum up the entire meaning of the film??
So I guess I still "like" this movie to an extent but oof it's just the original with a different cast, songs, modern use of social media and a stronger sense of self awareness.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
(2022)
Wedding absolutely broke this movie
11 December 2023
Wow this film was great for both movie fans and Sonic fans. The action was fast paced and was visually impressive, the score was great with many callbacks to the games and the overall story with surrounding Knuckles and Sonic was very investing. This is easily should have been an 8 maybe even a 9/10 at a push...if it wasn't for the wedding sequence.
Guys...what were you doing? Why did they focus on a bunch of human side character who I have no interest with at all. They weren't present in the entire movie (other than for a couple of scenes just to show that they exist) and then all of a sudden it's the whole focus of the movie. They made it into some cliche boring comedy spy espionage that just came out of complete nowhere with a betrayal type twist which nobody cared about. Seriously this whole scene was like 15 minutes why am I sat here??
Also just a small nitpick, the dance scene was really overstayed it's welcome. Like it's kinda cute and its an easy way to show Sonic and Tails getting closer but oof it was a rough cringe fest.
Anyways, regardless of these few issues the movie still slaps. The adaptation of the games into real life was done so well especially with making Knuckles a much more serious and sympathetic character. I actually cared for Sonic, Tails and Knuckles which I honestly did not expect going into this. 7/10 but, again, could have been higher if not for the wedding scene.
Guys...what were you doing? Why did they focus on a bunch of human side character who I have no interest with at all. They weren't present in the entire movie (other than for a couple of scenes just to show that they exist) and then all of a sudden it's the whole focus of the movie. They made it into some cliche boring comedy spy espionage that just came out of complete nowhere with a betrayal type twist which nobody cared about. Seriously this whole scene was like 15 minutes why am I sat here??
Also just a small nitpick, the dance scene was really overstayed it's welcome. Like it's kinda cute and its an easy way to show Sonic and Tails getting closer but oof it was a rough cringe fest.
Anyways, regardless of these few issues the movie still slaps. The adaptation of the games into real life was done so well especially with making Knuckles a much more serious and sympathetic character. I actually cared for Sonic, Tails and Knuckles which I honestly did not expect going into this. 7/10 but, again, could have been higher if not for the wedding scene.
Hercules
(1997)
Possibly the single greatest thing released by Disney
29 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I'm speechless. This movie perhaps has the greatest qualities needed in an animated Disney musical. The songs are amazing. The story is amazing. The characters are amazing. The comedy is amazing. The villain is the absolute greatest. Even stuff like the colours and animation stand out aswell as the action having just enough to please the audience. I don't think I can explain just how perfect this movie is with just writing. I don't think there's a single unlikeable character in this movie (to be fair I can understand if people find Phil, Pain or Panic annoying but I honestly found them hilarious) since everyone has enough screen time to not only justify their existence but to actually entertain the audience.
Honestly the only problem with this movie is the Deus Ex Machina stuff at the very end. Like I get it, Hercules is back and the prophecy said Hades cannot win if he lives to fight but come on. Man had a flying horse and a sword and it's enough to run face first into a bunch of literal titans?? They gave him enough time to run up to an entire enormous tornado just for him to clutch onto his legs, suck up the other titans and launch them all into space defeating all of them in one go??? They could've made him and Zeus help eachother in tactically taking them all down 1 by 1 but nah we'll just make a big tian soup and blow them up in space. It just seems kind of lazy is all. But oh well, at least it was nice to look at.
Overall, this is possibly peak Disney easily rivalling other films like The Lion King and Aladdin. 10/10.
Honestly the only problem with this movie is the Deus Ex Machina stuff at the very end. Like I get it, Hercules is back and the prophecy said Hades cannot win if he lives to fight but come on. Man had a flying horse and a sword and it's enough to run face first into a bunch of literal titans?? They gave him enough time to run up to an entire enormous tornado just for him to clutch onto his legs, suck up the other titans and launch them all into space defeating all of them in one go??? They could've made him and Zeus help eachother in tactically taking them all down 1 by 1 but nah we'll just make a big tian soup and blow them up in space. It just seems kind of lazy is all. But oh well, at least it was nice to look at.
Overall, this is possibly peak Disney easily rivalling other films like The Lion King and Aladdin. 10/10.
The Greatest Showman
(2017)
Honestly a guilty pleasure of mine
29 October 2023
This movie just fills me up with so much joy. When it comes to story and characters its "decent" whilst also acting as a meh adaptation of Barnum's story. But honestly I could not care less. The amount of emotion that is poured into this movie and it's characters was surprisingly moving. Watching the first 15 or so minutes following Barnum's life as a child/teenager into an adult actually got me really invested with his character.
But honestly that's just a small reason why people watch this movie. You watch this purely for the music. Oh my god THE MUSIC. My boy Hugh's got some vocals like this is such a weird switch up from his usual growling as Logan. But honestly it wasn't just the songs that made it enjoyable but it also the cinematography, choreography and clips used alongside each song that gave it the cherry on top.
I know this isn't a cinematic masterpiece or anything but honestly the songs and the emotions (and why not, the simplistic political messages) all made this movie that much enjoyable. Normally I even reviews off with some sort of negative point or criticism but I don't actually have that many which made this movie any worse. 8/10.
But honestly that's just a small reason why people watch this movie. You watch this purely for the music. Oh my god THE MUSIC. My boy Hugh's got some vocals like this is such a weird switch up from his usual growling as Logan. But honestly it wasn't just the songs that made it enjoyable but it also the cinematography, choreography and clips used alongside each song that gave it the cherry on top.
I know this isn't a cinematic masterpiece or anything but honestly the songs and the emotions (and why not, the simplistic political messages) all made this movie that much enjoyable. Normally I even reviews off with some sort of negative point or criticism but I don't actually have that many which made this movie any worse. 8/10.
Without a doubt the worst episode up to this point...
19 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I'm sorry but what? Did they just...No way they...Huh...So I guess zombies are silent until you see them??? Look I'm fine with Tyreese getting bit and eventually dying but the fact they made a loud ass moaning walker creep up on this guy and take time to bite him is the stupidest thing imaginable. And this isn't just a guy in the apocalypse: this is Tyreese...TYREESE! My guy got forced out of a room with no weapons and killed a group of zombies with pure brute strength. This is the guy who killed an entire overwhelming herd of walkers completely surrounding him with a single hammer. But I guess the writers decided to bin every bit of survival instinct left in his body in order for him to die.
What's also annoying is that we just lost Beth who had an entire storyline and build up to her death. She made choices that impacted her and others character which eventually caused her own death. Now all of a sudden we get this random episode about Noah's group just for Tyreese to die with no impact on the story. Sure he influences Sasha's character but honestly she acts the same way as when she lost Bob so nothing really changed. It's just such an awkwardly placed episode used to kill off a major character who had so much potential.
Ok ok so the episode wasn't all bad (since I didn't give it a 1/10). First of all I love how they gave us the view that good men like Tyreese cannot and will not survive in a world like this and that maybe their death is what's for the best. He basically chose to leave this world rather than to change and lose himself like others have such as the Terminus group, Lizzie and The Governor who he sees in his hallucinations. That's also what I liked giving us small cameos for lost characters who helped build up Tyreese as a character. This is a man who refused to let the new world get to him and unfortunately believes that he made decisions that negatively impacted others for example Bob. It was also just a well made episode with a unique structure compared to a standard episode giving the audiences a range of flashbacks that we recognise.
I just don't get why they did it. They couldn't have just at least taken his arm off and then given him a proper death that was actually relevant to the story? Even T-Dog had a more relevant death and Glenn was the only character who seemed to actually care that he was gone. Oh well. At least it was a beautiful send off to this absolute unit of a character.
What's also annoying is that we just lost Beth who had an entire storyline and build up to her death. She made choices that impacted her and others character which eventually caused her own death. Now all of a sudden we get this random episode about Noah's group just for Tyreese to die with no impact on the story. Sure he influences Sasha's character but honestly she acts the same way as when she lost Bob so nothing really changed. It's just such an awkwardly placed episode used to kill off a major character who had so much potential.
Ok ok so the episode wasn't all bad (since I didn't give it a 1/10). First of all I love how they gave us the view that good men like Tyreese cannot and will not survive in a world like this and that maybe their death is what's for the best. He basically chose to leave this world rather than to change and lose himself like others have such as the Terminus group, Lizzie and The Governor who he sees in his hallucinations. That's also what I liked giving us small cameos for lost characters who helped build up Tyreese as a character. This is a man who refused to let the new world get to him and unfortunately believes that he made decisions that negatively impacted others for example Bob. It was also just a well made episode with a unique structure compared to a standard episode giving the audiences a range of flashbacks that we recognise.
I just don't get why they did it. They couldn't have just at least taken his arm off and then given him a proper death that was actually relevant to the story? Even T-Dog had a more relevant death and Glenn was the only character who seemed to actually care that he was gone. Oh well. At least it was a beautiful send off to this absolute unit of a character.
Cobweb
(2023)
Good until the last 30 minutes...
6 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
So for the most part this was actually quite an interesting horror story which provided a few key mysteries. What's up with the parents? What's the knocking and the voice? As you keep watching you notice new disturbing parts about this family and I was actually quite invested in what was going on and what would happen. The cinematography and lighting was quite good and worked for the horror element. There were a couple of bad acting and script in some areas but the story as a whole was good enough to outweigh these issues. The main problems occur after the 1 hour mark.
How did you guys mess this up?? For some reason the story turned into this slasher movie where different characters find themselves getting killed in different gory ways. I really thought they were gonna be more creative than that but whatever at least the gore was mildly entertaining. That doesn't change the fact that they replaced an interesting story with a cliche bit where a group of people get killed off one by one leading to an underwhelming final fight against the monster.
What's worse is that I never fully understood the whole story. Did the monster come back to life or was skeleton found a different person? If so then how many people were killed or locked away? Why were they killed? Why did she look like that? I don't know if I missed something but they didn't make these main mysteries very clear.
Overall this movie just felt like a waist of time. The overall story was fine but lead to nothing. It felt like they built up a unique conflict but gave up halfway through right as it was about to get interesting. Without the ending this would have been a 6/10 but the ending was such a waste that it's a 4/10.
How did you guys mess this up?? For some reason the story turned into this slasher movie where different characters find themselves getting killed in different gory ways. I really thought they were gonna be more creative than that but whatever at least the gore was mildly entertaining. That doesn't change the fact that they replaced an interesting story with a cliche bit where a group of people get killed off one by one leading to an underwhelming final fight against the monster.
What's worse is that I never fully understood the whole story. Did the monster come back to life or was skeleton found a different person? If so then how many people were killed or locked away? Why were they killed? Why did she look like that? I don't know if I missed something but they didn't make these main mysteries very clear.
Overall this movie just felt like a waist of time. The overall story was fine but lead to nothing. It felt like they built up a unique conflict but gave up halfway through right as it was about to get interesting. Without the ending this would have been a 6/10 but the ending was such a waste that it's a 4/10.
Great but something's missing...
2 August 2023
I think from the initial teaser I could tell this was gonna be an amazing animated movie since it adopted the "Spiderverse" style fantastically aswell as adding its own charm. And after watching it I can safely say that it is...almost amazing.
First of all, the animation is very clearly gorgeous and was another great addition to the animated Disney rebellion we've been having over the past few years. The action sequences were also very good and expressed each characters unique fighting style very well. The voice acting was also surprisingly amazing from both the main 4 characters and the villains. The comedy was solid it didn't really have much that made me laugh out loud but at least it consistently made me smile. The story was actually very good aswell. Sure it's got the cliche "I want to be accepted in society" plot line but they actually do a good job at making me feel for these characters during just the first 15 minutes of the movie. The script was...well it was mostly good (I'll explain the issues later). The chemistry between the brothers is great and the villain's dialogue was amazing. So from the sound of it this movie is amazing, right?
Well a couple of issues I had like I mentioned before was the script. So for a large portion of the movie they kept adding as many pop culture references as possible within their speech mentioning a huge range of movies and shows specifically like Attack On Titan. Whilst these are fun at first, it just keeps happening again and again and like I get it they're all nerds but just calm down a bit.
Also one of the main problems I had was the music. You have these big over the top colourful action sequences yet you're listening to the most boring emotionless music on top of them. WHY? They had a massive opportunity to create something unbelievably special to rival something like Spiderverse yet kept the music to a minimum. I've always said that music can make or break a scene. You can have one of the greatest scenes visually in cinematic history but if the music misses and doesn't match with the emotion of the scene, it DRASTICALLY reduces the quality of that scene. I felt next to no emotion during most of the climax since the music was just boring and didn't really feel like there was any build up.
The other big problem was the lack of character arcs within each brother. I get that they're all in this together but I would have liked to see some specific character moments in the climax that act as pay offs to their own characters. We did get a great character moment for Splinter but that's about it.
Overall this movie is just a very fun and unique movie with a somewhat lack of emotional depth. The characters are solid and help to create an engaging quite funny story. Solid 7/10. Could have been an 8 if the music was improved.
First of all, the animation is very clearly gorgeous and was another great addition to the animated Disney rebellion we've been having over the past few years. The action sequences were also very good and expressed each characters unique fighting style very well. The voice acting was also surprisingly amazing from both the main 4 characters and the villains. The comedy was solid it didn't really have much that made me laugh out loud but at least it consistently made me smile. The story was actually very good aswell. Sure it's got the cliche "I want to be accepted in society" plot line but they actually do a good job at making me feel for these characters during just the first 15 minutes of the movie. The script was...well it was mostly good (I'll explain the issues later). The chemistry between the brothers is great and the villain's dialogue was amazing. So from the sound of it this movie is amazing, right?
Well a couple of issues I had like I mentioned before was the script. So for a large portion of the movie they kept adding as many pop culture references as possible within their speech mentioning a huge range of movies and shows specifically like Attack On Titan. Whilst these are fun at first, it just keeps happening again and again and like I get it they're all nerds but just calm down a bit.
Also one of the main problems I had was the music. You have these big over the top colourful action sequences yet you're listening to the most boring emotionless music on top of them. WHY? They had a massive opportunity to create something unbelievably special to rival something like Spiderverse yet kept the music to a minimum. I've always said that music can make or break a scene. You can have one of the greatest scenes visually in cinematic history but if the music misses and doesn't match with the emotion of the scene, it DRASTICALLY reduces the quality of that scene. I felt next to no emotion during most of the climax since the music was just boring and didn't really feel like there was any build up.
The other big problem was the lack of character arcs within each brother. I get that they're all in this together but I would have liked to see some specific character moments in the climax that act as pay offs to their own characters. We did get a great character moment for Splinter but that's about it.
Overall this movie is just a very fun and unique movie with a somewhat lack of emotional depth. The characters are solid and help to create an engaging quite funny story. Solid 7/10. Could have been an 8 if the music was improved.
"They fly now?"
1 August 2023
This line has got to be one of the stupidest lines in movie history. I'm sorry but I get that they were using it as a joke and I get that many people did find this funny but it makes absolutely no sense and just summarises the stupidity of not only this trilogy but all of these characters. They have been flying for a solid 50 years now what are you talking about?? You're telling me that during their entire time in the resistance not a single person had learned about jump/jet/rocket troopers? And what's worse is that C3PO is even confused like WHAT you have been in this Rebellion for over 30 years how do you not know this???
Anyway as for the rest of the movie it's aight.
Anyway as for the rest of the movie it's aight.
Talk to Me
(I) (2022)
WHERE DID THIS COME FROM???
30 July 2023
I'm shocked. Like actually shocked. I didn't see a single piece of marketing for this movie, I was just browsing the Cineworld app and "ooh there's a knew horror movie out lets have a look..." IT WAS SO GOOD!
The cinematography was very good, the acting was AMAZING, the story was actually investing since the characters were also great and the horror: oh my days the horror. First of all, yeah there are jumpscares but that's not why the horror is good, it's the aesthetic that makes this whole situation so disturbing. I tensed up during so many scenes even when there wasn't anything exactly "scary" going on. The fire was also great and once again added to the disturbing feel of this movie. I'm still just baffled that I didn't see a single piece of advertisement and it felt so unique and engaging compared to other movies that have released this year.
And WOW THE ENDING WAS SO GOOD! It wasn't exactly a plot twist but it still shocking nonetheless!
As much as I'm giving this movie positives there were still a few issues. Some parts of the script felt very random and characters just kinda said things because the plot demands it. But really that's about it. I guess it had a fairly slow start but I'm used to that when watching these type of horror movies.
Overall just a great movie. Definitely not absolutely groundbreaking but I think my bar can be way too high for any movie to reach that. 8/10 definitely a must watch.
The cinematography was very good, the acting was AMAZING, the story was actually investing since the characters were also great and the horror: oh my days the horror. First of all, yeah there are jumpscares but that's not why the horror is good, it's the aesthetic that makes this whole situation so disturbing. I tensed up during so many scenes even when there wasn't anything exactly "scary" going on. The fire was also great and once again added to the disturbing feel of this movie. I'm still just baffled that I didn't see a single piece of advertisement and it felt so unique and engaging compared to other movies that have released this year.
And WOW THE ENDING WAS SO GOOD! It wasn't exactly a plot twist but it still shocking nonetheless!
As much as I'm giving this movie positives there were still a few issues. Some parts of the script felt very random and characters just kinda said things because the plot demands it. But really that's about it. I guess it had a fairly slow start but I'm used to that when watching these type of horror movies.
Overall just a great movie. Definitely not absolutely groundbreaking but I think my bar can be way too high for any movie to reach that. 8/10 definitely a must watch.
Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken
(2023)
Honestly don't have much to say about this...
11 July 2023
This sure was...a movie. I don't really know what to say. The story was fine. The animation was fine. The music was was fine. The voice acting varied from decent to awful. The character designs were awful outside of the Gillmans and the mermaid. The dialogue was unbelievably cringe. That's about it. It had one of the most basic plots in Dreamworks library and that's saying a lot. I'm just struggling to find anything relevant to say for a review that's how lackluster this movie was.
I guess the training montage was quite fun and had cool visuals and sound design?
None of the characters really felt very relevant outside of Ruby, her grandmother and the mermaid. Everyone either had light relevance or was just used to fill in gaps and stretch the movie out to an hour and a half. There was an entire subplot with the sea captain guy and the men in the family which ultimately led to nothing and was mildly entertaining until you realise it's completely filler.
That's literally it. Maybe if I was a 10 year old girl then I could have had a better time but that doesn't change the fact that this movie had little to no depth or an interesting message or even plot. I can't believe I'm saying this but I almost fell asleep and that honestly never happens with me. Basically you can tell exactly why this was barely advertised... 4/10 since there were honestly more negatives than positives.
I guess the training montage was quite fun and had cool visuals and sound design?
None of the characters really felt very relevant outside of Ruby, her grandmother and the mermaid. Everyone either had light relevance or was just used to fill in gaps and stretch the movie out to an hour and a half. There was an entire subplot with the sea captain guy and the men in the family which ultimately led to nothing and was mildly entertaining until you realise it's completely filler.
That's literally it. Maybe if I was a 10 year old girl then I could have had a better time but that doesn't change the fact that this movie had little to no depth or an interesting message or even plot. I can't believe I'm saying this but I almost fell asleep and that honestly never happens with me. Basically you can tell exactly why this was barely advertised... 4/10 since there were honestly more negatives than positives.
Elemental
(2023)
Good but definitely not a classic
9 July 2023
Elemental has all of the components that make a movie a great watch: gorgeous visuals, solid voice acting, an impressive score and an engaging romance. Obviously it's Pixar so it's gonna excell with the animation and textures of this new large world to explore. The voice cast wasn't anything special but did a very good job with the (occasionally generic) script given to them. The music was also actually very good with a couple of pop songs we've all heard and a few new ones that fit the tone of the movie aswell.
The romance was definitely the highlight of this movie. So the whole point is that both protagonists are from opposite communities and have the whole "hedgehog effect" (the closer they get the more they hurt eachother) obviously due to one being fire and the other water. This sounds very basic and not anything that unique yet I couldn't help actually feel engaged by their relationship with eachother. They're both fairly likeable characters with certain personalities that help create quite a fun level of chemistry. It also does feel quite natural with how they become more comfortable with eachother for the first half of the movie. I could see the argument that maybe it felt a little bit rushed but it still worked nonetheless. The only issue I had was their relationship was during the third act of the movie which had the cliche "I love you but we shouldn't be together" conflict. Obviously it made sense with the type of characters they were but the argument just felt completely out of nowhere which almost made my eyes roll.
Also surprisingly the comedy was very good for the most part. Wade turned out to be hilarious and the line deliveries within these scenes were great. He also had a large amount of visual comedy which somehow got me laughing more than anything else. However outside of Wade the rest of the movie lacked with the comedic side. There were a couple of moments that made me chuckle with characters such as Ember and Wade's family but there wasn't really much else.
One of the problems for me was the dialogue especially between Ember and Wade. It wasn't the worst thing I've ever heard but it felt so generic and sometimes cringeworthy during certain scenes.
The story was also admittedly a bit all over the place. There were many times when we would go from one scene to another with little build up so it would feel quite unnatural and random. There were also entire scenes which just felt completely irrelevant even if stuff like the visuals or comedy was really good. There's a scene later in the movie where Wade and Ember are travelling around an area with really nice visuals but it just felt stretched out for the sake of "looking good". It did nothing for either of the characters and seemed to only be there to move on to the next scene.
Characters were also a bit of a hit or miss. Really the only highlights are Ember, Wade, Ember's Dad and that's probably about it. Everyone else just kinda showed up and left in the next scene. Nobody else felt very relevant to the plot nor were they actually very entertaining to watch (outside of Wade's family who got out a few laughs). Even Wade, the secondary protagonist, didn't have that interesting of a character. Sure he was fun but he had a lack of depth.
So to sum it up, Elemental is a pretty good romcom with great visuals and surprisingly good music. It had a somewhat generic (yet enjoyable) plot with few memorable characters outside of the 2 protagonists. 7/10 maybe a 6.5/10 but the animation was just that good.
The romance was definitely the highlight of this movie. So the whole point is that both protagonists are from opposite communities and have the whole "hedgehog effect" (the closer they get the more they hurt eachother) obviously due to one being fire and the other water. This sounds very basic and not anything that unique yet I couldn't help actually feel engaged by their relationship with eachother. They're both fairly likeable characters with certain personalities that help create quite a fun level of chemistry. It also does feel quite natural with how they become more comfortable with eachother for the first half of the movie. I could see the argument that maybe it felt a little bit rushed but it still worked nonetheless. The only issue I had was their relationship was during the third act of the movie which had the cliche "I love you but we shouldn't be together" conflict. Obviously it made sense with the type of characters they were but the argument just felt completely out of nowhere which almost made my eyes roll.
Also surprisingly the comedy was very good for the most part. Wade turned out to be hilarious and the line deliveries within these scenes were great. He also had a large amount of visual comedy which somehow got me laughing more than anything else. However outside of Wade the rest of the movie lacked with the comedic side. There were a couple of moments that made me chuckle with characters such as Ember and Wade's family but there wasn't really much else.
One of the problems for me was the dialogue especially between Ember and Wade. It wasn't the worst thing I've ever heard but it felt so generic and sometimes cringeworthy during certain scenes.
The story was also admittedly a bit all over the place. There were many times when we would go from one scene to another with little build up so it would feel quite unnatural and random. There were also entire scenes which just felt completely irrelevant even if stuff like the visuals or comedy was really good. There's a scene later in the movie where Wade and Ember are travelling around an area with really nice visuals but it just felt stretched out for the sake of "looking good". It did nothing for either of the characters and seemed to only be there to move on to the next scene.
Characters were also a bit of a hit or miss. Really the only highlights are Ember, Wade, Ember's Dad and that's probably about it. Everyone else just kinda showed up and left in the next scene. Nobody else felt very relevant to the plot nor were they actually very entertaining to watch (outside of Wade's family who got out a few laughs). Even Wade, the secondary protagonist, didn't have that interesting of a character. Sure he was fun but he had a lack of depth.
So to sum it up, Elemental is a pretty good romcom with great visuals and surprisingly good music. It had a somewhat generic (yet enjoyable) plot with few memorable characters outside of the 2 protagonists. 7/10 maybe a 6.5/10 but the animation was just that good.
The Little Mermaid
(I) (2023)
No clue what I was expecting...
5 July 2023
It's just The Little Mermaid but stripped from everything that made the original animated movie a hit. Unbelievably loaded with cgi which helps prove that some things should be left animated, for example: Sebastian and Flounder looked horrendous and have perhaps the most unoriginal boring character designs I've ever seen, many scenes had such a dark tone that you couldn't even admire the decent looking cgi and it attempted to be as colourful and magical as the original yet failed since (believe it or not) it is live action.
The story was the same with a couple of changes which improved some aspects and also made some parts much worse. Eric had a much more in depth character and even had his own song which was ok which drastically improved his character. However, there were many changes which didn't do anything justice. Ariel had a new song after just losing her voice where she's describing how she feels. Why's this an issue? No reason except from the fact it completely destroys the fact she LOST HER VOICE! I get it's all in her head but why does she need to tell us what she thinks? We could have been left to understand what she is thinking by her actions or facial expressions. But no instead they give her a song after removing her ability to sing? You could have made her play instruments instead if you wanted another musical score since that would have reinforced her musical creativity and her way of exploring the land but I guess that's too creative for modern Disney?
There was a part I thought was pretty great about this movie and that was Ursula. For almost all of her scenes she basically stole the audiences eyes and ears. The actress' performance was great and she was just entertaining to watch from both her lines and physical expressions. Definitely a downgrade from the original but still great nonetheless.
Next is the comedy. I kid you not I had like 2 laughs from this movie and they were both light chuckles. You could tell the writers really wanted to play it safe when it came to the jokes like I guess I found a few more scenes funny but not enough to make me to actually burst out in laughter. This overall just made most of the movie boring and since I've already seen the exact same movie from 30 odd years ago, it felt like I had no other reasons to keep watching.
Also Scuttlebut is probably one of the worst things I've ever heard I honestly have no clue what the writers were thinking when giving Awkwafina a whole song. I'm sure she had fun with it and it's nothing against the actress at all I think she's great but her voice very clearly shouldn't be used for singing especially as the lead singer.
Speaking of the songs, most of them were pretty good (outside of the obvious 2 I have mentioned). Halle Bailey had an amazing singing voice and made every song she sang actually nice to listen to. Kiss The Girl had always been my personal favourite and this movie did it somewhat justice. I still enjoyed it but the visuals weren't as engaging as the original. The singing was still solid and I'm glad Sebastian, Flounder and Scuttle were all singing together. Eric's song was ok nothing much going on visually and the autone sounded much more obvious than other songs for me. Under The Sea wasn't that impressive in my opinion. I was never the biggest fan of that song but I could at least appreciate the style. This version was practically the same but with complete use of cgi which just got uninteresting fast (outside of the dark glowing part). But since it's practically the same song except using a bunch of cgi it's ultimately worse.
So to sum it up, this movie is probably the most average a movie can get. A boring live action remake of an animated movie that was clearly animated for a reason with a couple decent changes, a few bad changes and a few VERY bad changes. If you have seen the original, don't expect much. 5/10 arguably a 4/10 just because it's literally a movie I have already seen so many times before just with less creativity.
The story was the same with a couple of changes which improved some aspects and also made some parts much worse. Eric had a much more in depth character and even had his own song which was ok which drastically improved his character. However, there were many changes which didn't do anything justice. Ariel had a new song after just losing her voice where she's describing how she feels. Why's this an issue? No reason except from the fact it completely destroys the fact she LOST HER VOICE! I get it's all in her head but why does she need to tell us what she thinks? We could have been left to understand what she is thinking by her actions or facial expressions. But no instead they give her a song after removing her ability to sing? You could have made her play instruments instead if you wanted another musical score since that would have reinforced her musical creativity and her way of exploring the land but I guess that's too creative for modern Disney?
There was a part I thought was pretty great about this movie and that was Ursula. For almost all of her scenes she basically stole the audiences eyes and ears. The actress' performance was great and she was just entertaining to watch from both her lines and physical expressions. Definitely a downgrade from the original but still great nonetheless.
Next is the comedy. I kid you not I had like 2 laughs from this movie and they were both light chuckles. You could tell the writers really wanted to play it safe when it came to the jokes like I guess I found a few more scenes funny but not enough to make me to actually burst out in laughter. This overall just made most of the movie boring and since I've already seen the exact same movie from 30 odd years ago, it felt like I had no other reasons to keep watching.
Also Scuttlebut is probably one of the worst things I've ever heard I honestly have no clue what the writers were thinking when giving Awkwafina a whole song. I'm sure she had fun with it and it's nothing against the actress at all I think she's great but her voice very clearly shouldn't be used for singing especially as the lead singer.
Speaking of the songs, most of them were pretty good (outside of the obvious 2 I have mentioned). Halle Bailey had an amazing singing voice and made every song she sang actually nice to listen to. Kiss The Girl had always been my personal favourite and this movie did it somewhat justice. I still enjoyed it but the visuals weren't as engaging as the original. The singing was still solid and I'm glad Sebastian, Flounder and Scuttle were all singing together. Eric's song was ok nothing much going on visually and the autone sounded much more obvious than other songs for me. Under The Sea wasn't that impressive in my opinion. I was never the biggest fan of that song but I could at least appreciate the style. This version was practically the same but with complete use of cgi which just got uninteresting fast (outside of the dark glowing part). But since it's practically the same song except using a bunch of cgi it's ultimately worse.
So to sum it up, this movie is probably the most average a movie can get. A boring live action remake of an animated movie that was clearly animated for a reason with a couple decent changes, a few bad changes and a few VERY bad changes. If you have seen the original, don't expect much. 5/10 arguably a 4/10 just because it's literally a movie I have already seen so many times before just with less creativity.
I have no clue how I enjoyed it this much...
2 July 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I think we can all universally agree that not a single live action Transformers movie can be considered a "masterpiece" or even be that close to one. The main reason for this is that they all seem to have the same similar issues as eachother: too much focus on the humans and little character or development for any Transformers outside of Optimus Prime and occasionally Bumblebee or Megatron. However, these issues (whilst still relevant when reviewing this movie) are less prevalent within Rise of the Beasts. Sure, Noah is the main character and still has most of the focus surrounding him but they still managed to supply us with solid characterisations for Optimus Prime, Primal, Mirage and Airazor. This was obviously a huge improvement from the Bayverse movies and (whilst it was nothing absolutely impressive) it was still engaging enough and had a very satisfying conclusion to Prime, Primal and Noah. However, this was really all that was there and characters such as Arcee, Wheeljack, Scourge and the other animal characters had little to no characterisation and to an extent relevance. Obviously Scourge was technically the main villain but he was still acting as just a henchman so he could've been literally any evil Transformer which was very disappointing.
Now to get to the main reason people choose to watch any piece of Transformers media: the action. Wow. I mean...wow. This is probably the best transformers action we've ever seen excluding the opening to Bumblebee. The first half of the movie did have quite a lack of fight scenes and was mostly used as set up for the rest of the plot, but WOW was it worth the wait. The final act has some of the coolest and most clean cgi fight scenes I've ever seen. The build up of different threats and supports for the heroes/villains was done tremendously and actually gave me goosebumps when a certain character joined in during the final battle. And the music during this climax only built up that hype since (as I always say) music can absolutely make a scene worth watching. If those sequences had basic superhero music/sound effects going on the background then it would have been drastically less engaging. And finally the part I'm sure many people had an issue with was the inclusion of Noah during the fights. Normally whenever a movie like this decides to let the weaker humans fight alongside the massive overpowering heroes, it feels unbelievably forced and just plain stupid with plot armour that forces the main villain to become weaker and dumber. However, this time it was actually done well (WHAT?). I'm sure many will disagree but (SPOILERS) when Noah gains Mirage's armour it actually felt somewhat natural and worked extremely well with Mirage's, Noah's and Optimus Primes characters. Both human and cybertronian who had very strong disagreements earlier in the movie choose to face the main threat together when they knew they would not be able to win alone (I know it can come off as kinda basic but still worked really well). And the best part was that Noah wasn't overpowered at all. The most he could do was light scratches and wounds whilst Optimus would not only deal the heavy hits but also take them. And the conclusion when Optimus decides to sacrifice himself and his chances of going home by destroying the beacon, both Noah and Primal choose to come back to help him even though they could easily die in the process. All 3 characters who were previously willing to die for this cause all helping eachother by the end even if they all have different views on what needs to be done. The more I look back the more poetic it actually seems and even whilst watching the movie I had a light tear coming from my eye whilst the iconic Bayverse Transformers theme started to play during the rescue...
So that's all well and good, but there are still quite a few problems with this movie. First of all, some of the acting/voice acting from characters such as Arcee and Elena were usually a hit or miss. Even Noah in the first half of the movie was actually quite dull and some of his line deliveries felt somewhat forced. That brings me to the next issue which was the script. I wanted to like it but most of the lines the characters had were the most basic boring cliches possible. Mirage had a couple of funny lines and thankfully wasn't as cringe as I thought he would be but still some of his lines felt so unrealistic and just plain stupid. Optimus Prime also suffered with quite a simple script to work with but wasn't the worst. The main issue I had though was the plot convenience. They instantly work out how to open the ruins in Peru with the most basic and simple puzzle that I refuse to believe nobody worked out for thousands of years. The humans also miraculously never die nor even get injured by the smaller spider henchman (or even the main villains) which could have easily killed them in seconds but they choose to wait in the dark or move as slow as possible. Elena also somehow opens and activated the first beacon with no explanation as to how she did it. Was it the machinery she was using? Did it detect the Transformers? Who knows.
And that's about it. Solid writing for quite a few characters, amazing action sequences saved for the second half and very good visuals across the runtime. It had a basic script with a couple of plot conveniences that didn't really impact the movie as a whole. Definitely in the top 3 transformers movies maybe even the best one. If you love transformers you'll probably at least like this movie. If you have no clue what a transformer is...good luck I guess. 7/10 actually surprised about how good it was.
Now to get to the main reason people choose to watch any piece of Transformers media: the action. Wow. I mean...wow. This is probably the best transformers action we've ever seen excluding the opening to Bumblebee. The first half of the movie did have quite a lack of fight scenes and was mostly used as set up for the rest of the plot, but WOW was it worth the wait. The final act has some of the coolest and most clean cgi fight scenes I've ever seen. The build up of different threats and supports for the heroes/villains was done tremendously and actually gave me goosebumps when a certain character joined in during the final battle. And the music during this climax only built up that hype since (as I always say) music can absolutely make a scene worth watching. If those sequences had basic superhero music/sound effects going on the background then it would have been drastically less engaging. And finally the part I'm sure many people had an issue with was the inclusion of Noah during the fights. Normally whenever a movie like this decides to let the weaker humans fight alongside the massive overpowering heroes, it feels unbelievably forced and just plain stupid with plot armour that forces the main villain to become weaker and dumber. However, this time it was actually done well (WHAT?). I'm sure many will disagree but (SPOILERS) when Noah gains Mirage's armour it actually felt somewhat natural and worked extremely well with Mirage's, Noah's and Optimus Primes characters. Both human and cybertronian who had very strong disagreements earlier in the movie choose to face the main threat together when they knew they would not be able to win alone (I know it can come off as kinda basic but still worked really well). And the best part was that Noah wasn't overpowered at all. The most he could do was light scratches and wounds whilst Optimus would not only deal the heavy hits but also take them. And the conclusion when Optimus decides to sacrifice himself and his chances of going home by destroying the beacon, both Noah and Primal choose to come back to help him even though they could easily die in the process. All 3 characters who were previously willing to die for this cause all helping eachother by the end even if they all have different views on what needs to be done. The more I look back the more poetic it actually seems and even whilst watching the movie I had a light tear coming from my eye whilst the iconic Bayverse Transformers theme started to play during the rescue...
So that's all well and good, but there are still quite a few problems with this movie. First of all, some of the acting/voice acting from characters such as Arcee and Elena were usually a hit or miss. Even Noah in the first half of the movie was actually quite dull and some of his line deliveries felt somewhat forced. That brings me to the next issue which was the script. I wanted to like it but most of the lines the characters had were the most basic boring cliches possible. Mirage had a couple of funny lines and thankfully wasn't as cringe as I thought he would be but still some of his lines felt so unrealistic and just plain stupid. Optimus Prime also suffered with quite a simple script to work with but wasn't the worst. The main issue I had though was the plot convenience. They instantly work out how to open the ruins in Peru with the most basic and simple puzzle that I refuse to believe nobody worked out for thousands of years. The humans also miraculously never die nor even get injured by the smaller spider henchman (or even the main villains) which could have easily killed them in seconds but they choose to wait in the dark or move as slow as possible. Elena also somehow opens and activated the first beacon with no explanation as to how she did it. Was it the machinery she was using? Did it detect the Transformers? Who knows.
And that's about it. Solid writing for quite a few characters, amazing action sequences saved for the second half and very good visuals across the runtime. It had a basic script with a couple of plot conveniences that didn't really impact the movie as a whole. Definitely in the top 3 transformers movies maybe even the best one. If you love transformers you'll probably at least like this movie. If you have no clue what a transformer is...good luck I guess. 7/10 actually surprised about how good it was.
I'm conflicted...
20 June 2023
So very clearly from the get go this just isn't a Black Mirror episode just the same as the previous stinker. They were both filled with fantasy and supernatural bs that Black Mirror absolutely isn't about. However, I can't lie that I actually really enjoyed this one. Mazey Day was completely and utterly idiotic with a pathetic magical twist during the last 10 minutes which came from absolutely nowhere so it didn't work at all. But this episode was a complete 180. The magic fantasy stuff was introduced about 10 minutes into it and whilst I was rolling my eyes to start with, it absolutely grew on me overtime. I was invested with not only how the story would pan out but if anything that was actually happening was real or not. The comedy was actually pretty good since it was only confined within the quirky comic relief and it never really felt that forced. The conflict surrounding the main character was also quite interesting especially during the last 30 minutes. I seriously have no clue how I enjoyed this as much as I did since it is so different compared to the others yet still had enough for me to enjoy.
If this wasn't a Black Mirror episode it would honestly be an 8 maybe a 9 at an absolute stretch, but since it is a Black Mirror story I just can't do it. At the end of the day, it is about supernatural demon stuff and has maybe a little bit too much comedy compared to the rest of the show so I'll have to give it a 7. But honestly that's a massive improvement to the previous episode and to an extent the rest of Season 6.
If this wasn't a Black Mirror episode it would honestly be an 8 maybe a 9 at an absolute stretch, but since it is a Black Mirror story I just can't do it. At the end of the day, it is about supernatural demon stuff and has maybe a little bit too much comedy compared to the rest of the show so I'll have to give it a 7. But honestly that's a massive improvement to the previous episode and to an extent the rest of Season 6.
Awful movie but great anime movie (if that makes any sense)
18 June 2023
I would just like to clarify that I absolutely love Black Clover and it's easily one of the best modern shonen anime.
After watching so many non-canon anime movies I've accepted that none are gonna be anywhere near masterpieces. However, this movie does do a very good job at purely giving fans amazing action sequences, but that's about it. I'm not joking when I say this but the only thing this movie has are fights. THAT IS IT. Sure most are very fun and have gorgeous animation but oh my days it gets so repetitive. I'm struggling to properly structure these sentences together because I honestly don't have any other positives to say about this movie except from the fights and...the fights? Did you know there are fights in this movie? Really? Well guess what: there are fights in this movie! Character development? Nah not needed. An interesting original story? Nope. Well characterised villains with emotional backstories and a great motive? Absolutely not. Emotion? No. EMOTION??? No. Even the dialogue is poorly written and unbelievably repetitive. The characters just say the same things over and over and over AND OVER AGAIN. For example:
"I must destroy the country!" "No don't do it!" "But I must!" "No you can't!" "Nobody can stop me!" "Yes I will!" "I'm about the kill everyone!" "I'm gonna stop you!"
You see what I mean? This is literally every single interaction between a hero and a villain outside of like one conversation near the end (and it has nothing to do with the main plot). Even the dialogue between other characters have no depth and is just words that everyone has already said. I can't even give any other examples because all you have to do is think of the most basic script and you've got Black Clover Sword Of The Wizard King. I'm just shocked that a movie with this much hype and this many characters can have such a lackluster...well, everything. At least with the My Hero Academia movies there's actual interesting new characters and have emotional heights that hit (a matter of fact, as I'm writing this I've just realised this movie is basically MHA Heroes Rising just with different characters and without the emotion). This movie just has mindless fights that (whilst look very cool) have little emotional depth. Even smaller things like the comedy was basically no existent and the music was underwhelming. This is Black Clover which is known to consistently have some of the best anime songs in the modern anime scene.
Incase you couldn't tell, this movie has no emotion (outside of visual hype) which I find is absolutely crucial when considering if a movie is a masterpiece or not. I thought maybe the villains would get some well thought out backstories that make you feel some sort of sympathy or anger for/towards them but no and instead we're left to imagine for ourselves why each of them have the EXACT same goal and why we should actually care. Sure they all have cool powers and, again, well animated fast paced fights but that's just it. And what's worse is that Asta has nothing new going on. His goal is the exact same and says the same things he does in all 170 episodes of the show. Nothing in this movie influenced any part of his character even for a short period of time adding little to no investment and EMOTION.
The one thing I will say though is that this is the first Black Clover movie so I guess it's understandable that the plot is the most basic it can get. I'm just concerned that this is all non canon shonen anime movies will be from now on which is just sad. I know they technically can't do anything that would impact the main story but still I just want something. This is why you add new characters and give them some sort of development or an interesting relationship with the main characters even if its really predictable. One Piece Red introduced Uta who wasn't the greatest character in the One Piece universe but still had enough depth and relations to other characters for the audience to be invested in. This movie basically just had "Asta but evil" with no intriguing conflict aswell as 3 filler villains who...existed I guess.
So if you love cool fights that look visually amazing, you will love this movie and I'm happy for you. But if you focus on literally anything else then you probably won't have a good time and I'm so sorry for you. I'm getting the feeling that most people who have given this movie a 10/10 are probably just biased for Black Clover. Like I said I absolutely love the show but I'm not delusional enough to say that this movie was basically perfect. I'm giving it a 6 since as a spin-off anime movie it's absolutely amazing but just as a movie that requires people to consciously engage in, it's awful. If the characters were given better development or emotion then this would be way higher but since it lacked any of that I just can't do it.
After watching so many non-canon anime movies I've accepted that none are gonna be anywhere near masterpieces. However, this movie does do a very good job at purely giving fans amazing action sequences, but that's about it. I'm not joking when I say this but the only thing this movie has are fights. THAT IS IT. Sure most are very fun and have gorgeous animation but oh my days it gets so repetitive. I'm struggling to properly structure these sentences together because I honestly don't have any other positives to say about this movie except from the fights and...the fights? Did you know there are fights in this movie? Really? Well guess what: there are fights in this movie! Character development? Nah not needed. An interesting original story? Nope. Well characterised villains with emotional backstories and a great motive? Absolutely not. Emotion? No. EMOTION??? No. Even the dialogue is poorly written and unbelievably repetitive. The characters just say the same things over and over and over AND OVER AGAIN. For example:
"I must destroy the country!" "No don't do it!" "But I must!" "No you can't!" "Nobody can stop me!" "Yes I will!" "I'm about the kill everyone!" "I'm gonna stop you!"
You see what I mean? This is literally every single interaction between a hero and a villain outside of like one conversation near the end (and it has nothing to do with the main plot). Even the dialogue between other characters have no depth and is just words that everyone has already said. I can't even give any other examples because all you have to do is think of the most basic script and you've got Black Clover Sword Of The Wizard King. I'm just shocked that a movie with this much hype and this many characters can have such a lackluster...well, everything. At least with the My Hero Academia movies there's actual interesting new characters and have emotional heights that hit (a matter of fact, as I'm writing this I've just realised this movie is basically MHA Heroes Rising just with different characters and without the emotion). This movie just has mindless fights that (whilst look very cool) have little emotional depth. Even smaller things like the comedy was basically no existent and the music was underwhelming. This is Black Clover which is known to consistently have some of the best anime songs in the modern anime scene.
Incase you couldn't tell, this movie has no emotion (outside of visual hype) which I find is absolutely crucial when considering if a movie is a masterpiece or not. I thought maybe the villains would get some well thought out backstories that make you feel some sort of sympathy or anger for/towards them but no and instead we're left to imagine for ourselves why each of them have the EXACT same goal and why we should actually care. Sure they all have cool powers and, again, well animated fast paced fights but that's just it. And what's worse is that Asta has nothing new going on. His goal is the exact same and says the same things he does in all 170 episodes of the show. Nothing in this movie influenced any part of his character even for a short period of time adding little to no investment and EMOTION.
The one thing I will say though is that this is the first Black Clover movie so I guess it's understandable that the plot is the most basic it can get. I'm just concerned that this is all non canon shonen anime movies will be from now on which is just sad. I know they technically can't do anything that would impact the main story but still I just want something. This is why you add new characters and give them some sort of development or an interesting relationship with the main characters even if its really predictable. One Piece Red introduced Uta who wasn't the greatest character in the One Piece universe but still had enough depth and relations to other characters for the audience to be invested in. This movie basically just had "Asta but evil" with no intriguing conflict aswell as 3 filler villains who...existed I guess.
So if you love cool fights that look visually amazing, you will love this movie and I'm happy for you. But if you focus on literally anything else then you probably won't have a good time and I'm so sorry for you. I'm getting the feeling that most people who have given this movie a 10/10 are probably just biased for Black Clover. Like I said I absolutely love the show but I'm not delusional enough to say that this movie was basically perfect. I'm giving it a 6 since as a spin-off anime movie it's absolutely amazing but just as a movie that requires people to consciously engage in, it's awful. If the characters were given better development or emotion then this would be way higher but since it lacked any of that I just can't do it.
Entergalactic
(2022)
Great but lost interest near the end
31 May 2023
So going into this I knew it was gonna be good purely just from the animation and colours expressed from the advertisement. However, that seemed to be the only thing that excelled leaving the story (and to some extent the music) behind.
This movie is first and foremost a love story and does a pretty good job expressing the romance between the different characters and how some end up viewing romances and relationships in completely different ways. It was just wholesome and felt very honest compared to what people would expect. But if I'm gonna be honest, it felt VERY basic and cliche with nothing that unique going on. Sure the 2 main characters had great chemistry but the main conflict that sparks between them just ends up being a boring misunderstanding that could have easily been resolved if they talked to eachother (like anybody in the real world would have done). This just made me lose interest by the end since everything could have been avoided if they had common sense.
This movie is just one example of how Into The Spider-verse changed animation forever and it shows with the absolutely gorgeous visuals present for the majority of the movie. Throughout the runtime there were a few different sequences with overloading colours and cosmic themes which you could tell the animators were having so much fun with. I will say that some of the framer are drops were quite jarring and started to feel like actual budget cuts but that was only for a few scenes so wasn't really that big of an issue.
Now for the other big selling point of this movie: the music. If I'm being completely honest I wasn't a massive fan. Kid Cudi obviously has a massive fan base so many people will probably disagree but I just found majority of these songs too similar and nothing very special. They weren't exactly bad and they all captured the emotion of each scene perfectly but I wasn't listening to any of them thinking it deserves to go on my playlists. I guarantee though that some people will purely hate on this movie because of the overuse of Kid Cudi.
The comedy was great and didn't attempt to keep anything "family friendly" which is always quite refreshing for me.
So to sum up, Entergalactic is a good movie with some of the most visually appealing scenes I've seen in any movie for a while but paired with a somewhat basic plot. If you like Kid Cudi, you may like this more cause that's all you'll hear throughout the movie. 6.5/10 but 7/10 to round it up so definitely worth a watch.
This movie is first and foremost a love story and does a pretty good job expressing the romance between the different characters and how some end up viewing romances and relationships in completely different ways. It was just wholesome and felt very honest compared to what people would expect. But if I'm gonna be honest, it felt VERY basic and cliche with nothing that unique going on. Sure the 2 main characters had great chemistry but the main conflict that sparks between them just ends up being a boring misunderstanding that could have easily been resolved if they talked to eachother (like anybody in the real world would have done). This just made me lose interest by the end since everything could have been avoided if they had common sense.
This movie is just one example of how Into The Spider-verse changed animation forever and it shows with the absolutely gorgeous visuals present for the majority of the movie. Throughout the runtime there were a few different sequences with overloading colours and cosmic themes which you could tell the animators were having so much fun with. I will say that some of the framer are drops were quite jarring and started to feel like actual budget cuts but that was only for a few scenes so wasn't really that big of an issue.
Now for the other big selling point of this movie: the music. If I'm being completely honest I wasn't a massive fan. Kid Cudi obviously has a massive fan base so many people will probably disagree but I just found majority of these songs too similar and nothing very special. They weren't exactly bad and they all captured the emotion of each scene perfectly but I wasn't listening to any of them thinking it deserves to go on my playlists. I guarantee though that some people will purely hate on this movie because of the overuse of Kid Cudi.
The comedy was great and didn't attempt to keep anything "family friendly" which is always quite refreshing for me.
So to sum up, Entergalactic is a good movie with some of the most visually appealing scenes I've seen in any movie for a while but paired with a somewhat basic plot. If you like Kid Cudi, you may like this more cause that's all you'll hear throughout the movie. 6.5/10 but 7/10 to round it up so definitely worth a watch.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
(2023)
Amazing adaptation but a meh movie
14 April 2023
There's a massive difference between a "great movie" and a "great adaptation". In terms of what makes a movie great the Mario movie lacks an unbelievable amount whereas as an adaptation it was phenomenal and easily saved this film. The visuals, music and even voice acting where unbelievable and completely unexpected from Illumination standards. The amount of references and call backs to almost every Mario title was also amazing. The action and comedy was also very fun and the best Illumination has ever made. However, that's not really enough since there are so many structural problems with the overall story and pacing. Characters had no drive and simply did things because the plot needed it to happen (except from a few such as Bowser and Luigi). This just made almost every character bland with no layers or depth whatsoever. People say this isn't a good way to critique this movie because it's simply a Mario movie so what were we expecting? I'm sorry but that statement doesn't make sense if you also say this movie was almost a masterpiece. In order for a movie to be amazing it still has to have all the components that make a movie great and not only rely on cool references to pay homage to the Nintendo brand. It felt like this movie simply filled out a checklist of what to include in a Mario bros movie. Also a nitpick but the amount of licensed songs in this actually hurt me like why am I listening to take on me when being introduced this gorgeous and creative world populated by Kongs? So overall a next to perfect adaptation but a very bland and borderline bad plot.
Should not have been an Ant Man movie...
19 February 2023
Going into this movie I wasn't initially expecting much. I thought it would simply be a fun little adventure with solid comedy and enough action to please a 2 hour watch time. And yet I was somehow drastically disappointed.
First of all I didn't completely hate this movie evident from me giving it a 5/10. So to get all of the good out of the way:
And unfortunately that's about it. I would go into detail but I don't want to spoil much people can still enjoy this movie. So now that the good is out of the way let's get into everything else.
To start with anything I'll just quickly mention that the script was so uninspired and dull. It was honestly hard to tell if the script was bad or the acting cause so much of the dialogue just sounded unrealistic.
Another point is the comedy. Some of it was quite funny and made me chuckle but nowhere near the quality of the first movie and even the second. Alot of this fell flat also just because of the bad script.
I honestly disliked most of the characters which is not saying much since there are only like 7 who actually do anything. Hank felt like a massive missed opportunity especially due to the lack of screen time or focus on his character. Cassie had a decent start but they provided us with little reason to relate and become attached to her. The secondary villain (who I won't state the name since they did not show up in much advertisement) became a full on joke outside of their introduction which was actually really cool. But what's worse is Hope. I don't have a massive issue with her character but that's because she barely did anything in a movie that's literally named after her??? I think she had even less dialogue than Hank. It just felt like a massive waste since i actually liked her in the previous movies.
I'm sorry but this should not have been an Ant Man movie. The previous films were much more grounded and that was respected and made sense. But this movie just felt too massive for Ant Man to be playing a significant role in. It's great that we got to see what was going on in the quantum realm but I just wish they used other characters for a plot like this.
The action was a mixed bag cause whilst I would say that the final act had some interesting and cool fight scenes, the rest of the movie falls flat and provided few fight scenes which were actually impressive or engaging. Even in the third act many of the fights were awkwardly split up in order to fit everything else going on. It felt as if they spent more time making cool cgi scenery rather than choreographing or developing well thought out and simply "cool" fights. They just felt underwhelming.
A small nitpick but the music was so boring and cliche compared to the other entries. The main Ant Man theme is amazing and has become an iconic piece of music for that specific character yet it barely shows up in this movie and when it does it just randomly stops to play some inconsistent pieces of music.
And that's about it. It consisted of a few impressive scenes and fights aswell as impressively introducing the main big bad for the upcoming MCU movies. However, it drastically reduced its rating with an underwhelming first and second act, sub par comedy and characters who were either wasted or treated as a joke. 5/10 but honestly close to a 4/10.
First of all I didn't completely hate this movie evident from me giving it a 5/10. So to get all of the good out of the way:
- Kang was amazing and basically every scene he was in was just really entertaining and were increasingly intense as the film continued
- There were a couple of good action scenes at the end of the movie
- I was really pleased with how relevant Janet was and she actually had a really good conflict with other characters
- Some of the comedy I was actually very good so it wasn't completely unfunny
- The cgi was surprisingly ok with the scenery looking well detailed and colourful
And unfortunately that's about it. I would go into detail but I don't want to spoil much people can still enjoy this movie. So now that the good is out of the way let's get into everything else.
To start with anything I'll just quickly mention that the script was so uninspired and dull. It was honestly hard to tell if the script was bad or the acting cause so much of the dialogue just sounded unrealistic.
Another point is the comedy. Some of it was quite funny and made me chuckle but nowhere near the quality of the first movie and even the second. Alot of this fell flat also just because of the bad script.
I honestly disliked most of the characters which is not saying much since there are only like 7 who actually do anything. Hank felt like a massive missed opportunity especially due to the lack of screen time or focus on his character. Cassie had a decent start but they provided us with little reason to relate and become attached to her. The secondary villain (who I won't state the name since they did not show up in much advertisement) became a full on joke outside of their introduction which was actually really cool. But what's worse is Hope. I don't have a massive issue with her character but that's because she barely did anything in a movie that's literally named after her??? I think she had even less dialogue than Hank. It just felt like a massive waste since i actually liked her in the previous movies.
I'm sorry but this should not have been an Ant Man movie. The previous films were much more grounded and that was respected and made sense. But this movie just felt too massive for Ant Man to be playing a significant role in. It's great that we got to see what was going on in the quantum realm but I just wish they used other characters for a plot like this.
The action was a mixed bag cause whilst I would say that the final act had some interesting and cool fight scenes, the rest of the movie falls flat and provided few fight scenes which were actually impressive or engaging. Even in the third act many of the fights were awkwardly split up in order to fit everything else going on. It felt as if they spent more time making cool cgi scenery rather than choreographing or developing well thought out and simply "cool" fights. They just felt underwhelming.
A small nitpick but the music was so boring and cliche compared to the other entries. The main Ant Man theme is amazing and has become an iconic piece of music for that specific character yet it barely shows up in this movie and when it does it just randomly stops to play some inconsistent pieces of music.
And that's about it. It consisted of a few impressive scenes and fights aswell as impressively introducing the main big bad for the upcoming MCU movies. However, it drastically reduced its rating with an underwhelming first and second act, sub par comedy and characters who were either wasted or treated as a joke. 5/10 but honestly close to a 4/10.
All of Us Are Dead
(2022– )
Amazing but has quite a few problems...
2 September 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This show is is unbelievably inventive with its usage of a zombie apocalypse set in a school. Characters escaping situations with different school equipment or furniture, an inventive twist for the zombie formula and an actual smart, strong and scary villain create an intense piece of fiction. The chemistry between the students and the adults is great and can provide the audience with a lot of comedic nature that doesn't feel completely out of place from a zombie horror show. I love how different characters have moments to shine and become important to the specific situation or overall story. It was also great to see different stories taken place all across the city providing more inventive ways people would do in this environment and the first 7 or 8 episodes show that very well. However, after the midway point of the show things start to get a bit messy and it felt very obvious.
First of all, so many side plots were just cut out later on and felt pointless to the overall story. I loved the side story of the detective and the cowardly student trying to get to the military and the different barriers they faced. However, their entire story arc just gets dropped and we don't see them in any sort of focus point ever again after the midpoint of the show.
Another example is the Firefighter trying to get to his daughter. It was investing to see him doing everything he could to reach the school in time and through his eyes we could really see how the city as a whole has been affected by the outbreak. But later in the show he completes his character arc in possibly one of the most uneventful ways with forced character decisions because the writers wanted certain things to happen in their show but it was done with little effort or common sense.
There were also many characters whose character arcs just ended with little impact to the overall story. I was excited to see how their teacher would impact the plot and development of these students but they never follow up her character after the first few episodes. And there were so many instances where a character goes missing or gets killed and nobody seems to bring them up ever again despite how long they've been in the show for.
Another thing to mention about this show is that some parts felt VERY slow as in they stay in one location for 2-3 episodes. I know they're trying to be careful and to be fair it does build up some character for the students but it just loses my focus when I realise how much time has been spent in one classroom.
Even though I stand with my criticisms about this series, I'd still say that it's definitely worth the watch and that the good overall outweighs the bad. Solid 7.5/10 so I just rounded it up to 8/10.
First of all, so many side plots were just cut out later on and felt pointless to the overall story. I loved the side story of the detective and the cowardly student trying to get to the military and the different barriers they faced. However, their entire story arc just gets dropped and we don't see them in any sort of focus point ever again after the midpoint of the show.
Another example is the Firefighter trying to get to his daughter. It was investing to see him doing everything he could to reach the school in time and through his eyes we could really see how the city as a whole has been affected by the outbreak. But later in the show he completes his character arc in possibly one of the most uneventful ways with forced character decisions because the writers wanted certain things to happen in their show but it was done with little effort or common sense.
There were also many characters whose character arcs just ended with little impact to the overall story. I was excited to see how their teacher would impact the plot and development of these students but they never follow up her character after the first few episodes. And there were so many instances where a character goes missing or gets killed and nobody seems to bring them up ever again despite how long they've been in the show for.
Another thing to mention about this show is that some parts felt VERY slow as in they stay in one location for 2-3 episodes. I know they're trying to be careful and to be fair it does build up some character for the students but it just loses my focus when I realise how much time has been spent in one classroom.
Even though I stand with my criticisms about this series, I'd still say that it's definitely worth the watch and that the good overall outweighs the bad. Solid 7.5/10 so I just rounded it up to 8/10.
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