Rated PG for some cartoon violence and some language.
Now Playing In Theaters and Streaming on HBO Max Until August 15 Basketball legend LeBron James is having a hard time with his son Dom (Cedric Joe). Though LeBron wants him to follow in his footsteps, Dom is more interested in designing video games. Their rivalry of interests comes to a head when the two are at Warner Bros. and end up in the clutches of the studio’s ultra-powerful AI system that calls itself Al G Rhythm (Don Cheadle). Trapped inside his digital Server-Verse, the AI forces LeBron to assemble a team to play a game of basketball or he’ll hold him and Dom as prisoners for the rest of their lives. Though he has his dream team in mind, he’s instead left with the various Looney Tunes characters as his players. It’ll take everything he’s got to defeat the computer and his monstrous Goon Squad and save his family. It’s been 25 years since the original Space Jam came out in 1996. While it may not be highly remembered by some, it has grown a cult following with those who saw and loved it as kids. I recently saw the original in preparation for this new one, and can safely say that I wasn’t very fond of it. While I do love the Looney Tunes, the biggest problem is that the film’s premise is just plain stupid, and the movie isn’t good enough to make it seem any less so. The same expectations go for this long belated sequel. With so much money that can be made off nostalgia, it’s not really surprising that this was the driving force that finally got this film into production after decades of development hell. But the real questions is how is this movie going to prove that it has a reason to exist other than to be another corporate cash grab? The answer; there’s really no other reason. Space Jam: A New Legacy is nothing more than another attempt by a movie studio to make a quick buck off people who love the original. The premise isn’t any less stupid than when the original was made, and while this movie is a slightly more held together story than the first, it doesn’t save it from slowly devolving into borage of colors and Internet references that really test one’s patience. The funny thing is that the movie actually had the potential to be more of a parody of nostalgia-driven cash grabs. The whole movie is set in a digital space with every Warner Bros. property imaginable. They could have very easily given Al G Rhythm the motivation of maybe trying to recreate the original Space Jam in an attempt to make money to upgrade his servers or something. It’s almost shocking how, in a world where every movie seems to have a meta sense of humor, that none of the film’s writers ever thought of this. Probably the biggest thing going for the film is its animation. The film incorporates multiple visual styles depending on what Warner Bros. property the characters are interacting with. The movie as a whole is very colorful and pleasing to look at. It’s what held my attention during the first half of the film. However, the animation when it comes to the Looney Tunes falters on several occasions. When they are in their classic, hand-drawn look, their movements indicate that they were created through CGI rather than actual hand-drawn animation. It feels like a pale imitation of what we knew them as. Then there’s their appearances as three-dimensional CGI creations, which really just looks wrong. Making them 3D and giving them realistic features zaps away much of what made them goofy cartoons. This isn’t helped by the film having no real reason why they had to be CG other than it’s the studio saying, “hey, kids love CGI, why not?” Maybe the biggest improvement when compared to the original is LeBron James’s performance. The problem with Michael Jordan in the first film is that acting really wasn’t one of his strengths. Here, while James isn’t particularly great in his role, he does a much better job carrying the film and feeling more like a character rather than a familiar face. He really nails the emotional moments with his fictional son Dom. That’s really the biggest issue with the film. It’s just not as clever as it seems to want to be. Given the Looney Tunes’ long history of fourth wall breaking jokes, it seems strange that the jokes here are very conventional. And even the little bits of meta humor throughout are very obvious winks to the audience that end up falling flat. Just so much potential waisted by the studio thinking more about the money than anything else. Space Jam: A New Legacy is, at times, a slight improvement over its predecessor, but much like the first film, it’s never clever or self-deprecating enough to justify why is needed to exist in the first place. It’s still a dumb concept putting the Looney Tunes in a high-stakes basketball game with a real player, and this film doesn’t do anything to prove otherwise. You’ll have more fun watching some of the actual classic Looney Tunes shorts, all currently available to stream on HBO Max.
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Rated PG for rude humor, mild language and some action.
Now Playing In Theaters and Streaming on Peacock It’s been 40 years since young Tim Templeton discovered his baby brother Ted (Alec Baldwin) was an agent of Baby Corp and helped him save the world’s love from the rival company Puppy Co. Now all grown up, Tim (James Marsden) has a wife named Carol (Eva Longoria) and two daughters named Tabitha (Ariana Greenblatt) and Tina. Ted, on the other hand, is a lonely businessman who values work over family. Tim is worried that Tabitha, who was accepted into the prestigious Acorn Academy, is more interested in her schoolwork than being a kid. But things change when he discovers his little baby Tina (Amy Sedaris) is also an undercover agent of Baby Corp, and manages to get Ted to arrive at the house. The company wants Ted to use a new baby formula to return to his baby self for a new mission. Both Ted and Tim, who also drinks the special formula, are back to their childhood forms from the original film. Tina reveals that the mission involves Tabitha’s school, run by the mysterious Dr. Erwin Armstrong (Jeff Goldblum) who has more nefarious intentions with the world’s toddlers. Tim and Ted will have put aside their sibling rivalry in order to infiltrate the school and save the world again. While 2017’s The Boss Baby isn’t among the best films produced by DreamWorks Animation, it certainly isn’t among the worst. It has a number of funny and heartwarming moments and great animation that’s reminiscent of classic 60s cartoons, even when the story isn’t all that well constructed. Much of this style is retained for the sequel, which is nice. Unfortunately, so is the sloppiness of the story. This film honestly feels like an unnecessary sequel. The overall premise, while being a little more straightforward than its predecessor, somehow also makes even less sense. While making Tim and Ted adults kind of works to show how at least Tim would be a father, the new baby formula feels like a contrived excuse to get the characters back into the forms we knew them from. The story also feels very unfocused. The narrative moves forward at an almost hyper pace, bouncing from bombastic action scene to thin character moments to the point where it can be hard to keep up with what’s happening. Kids will most likely enjoy this, as their short attention spans are only looking for the slapstick jokes. It’s clear that this time around, DreamWorks was only interested in appealing to the little ones. There’s also a number of story elements that feel very underdeveloped. The film appears to be criticizing various aspects of corporate greed and capitalism, as well as what it means to be a success, the inevitable nature of consumerism, and the true meaning of family. The film tries to tackle way too much all at once, and can never really figure out which theme deserves the most attention. So they end up feeling more like familiar jumping off points for kids rather than true explorations of them. There are a number of good moments, however. The story is successful in pulling at the heartstrings at certain times, and there are a few laugh-out-loud moments here and there. And just like the first film, the animation is stunning. It invokes the same style of the first film, once again looking like a classic cartoon from a bygone era. Unfortunately, many of these good things are overshadowed by the many flaws. Even when there are funny moments, they are few and far between. There are loads of jokes flying by throughout the runtime, and almost none of them get breathing room. They’re mostly tired sight gags, pop culture references, and repeat gags from the first film, and very few of them land. The cast also feels lackluster. Alec Baldwin doesn’t sound all that happy to be back in the role as the titular Boss Baby. He sounds like he’s only interested in collecting a paycheck rather than giving a good performance. James Marsden does do a good job in his role as Tim, taking over for Tobey Maguire. Though when he voices Tim when he’s back to his 7-year-old self, it sounds really weird. The only members that turn in good performances are Sedaris and Greenblatt. Sedaris sounds like she’s having a good time as her no nonsense agent of Baby Corp. I also enjoy Greenblatt and the range she has. After showing off her skills in last year’s Love and Monsters, this one shows that she has just as much potential as a voice actress as a regular actress. The Boss Baby: Family Business improves on some things from the original, but as a whole, is far from an improvement. The animation is really good and there are some funny and heartwarming moments, but they are often overshadowed by a story that shares the same high energy and lack of focus as its pint-sized protagonists. Kids will most likely enjoy it, but if parents want to be entertained, you’re better off watching the first film instead. Rated PG for action and some language.
Now Streaming on Netflix Katie Mitchell (Abbi Jacobson) is a quirky young girl who dreams of becoming a filmmaker. She is excited to head off to college in California to finally find people like her. However, she is also growing apart from her father Rick (Danny McBride), who detests his family’s reliance on their mobile devices. Wanting to try and reconnect before she leaves, Rick decides to drive Katie to college on a cross-country road trip along with his wife Linda (Maya Rudolph) and Katie’s younger brother Aaron (Mike Rianda). Though Katie is disappointed having to wait longer to meet her people, she’ll have bigger things to worry about. The tech company Pal Labs, responsible for all the tech people use, is taken over by its very advanced A.I. Pal (Olivia Coleman). She unleashes hordes of robots to rid the world of humans, believing them to be obsolete and selfish. The Mitchells with have to work through their differences when it becomes clear that they are the only ones who can save the world. I didn’t really know what to expect with this film. Originally intended for a theatrical release under the title Connected, several pandemic-induced delays forced Sony Pictures to sell off the distribution rights to Netflix. The original trailer, released a week before the pandemic hit, didn’t give a good idea what the film was about. Though it looked interesting, the trailer looked too much like a jumble of cooperate-chosen soundbites. But you know what, there’s no better feeling in the world than not knowing what to expect from a movie and end up being completely blown away. The Mitchells vs. the Machines is a gorgeously animated and surprisingly heartwarming family film that has something for everyone. It doesn’t break any new ground in terms of its commentary on technology, but what it has to say about connecting with the people we love feels positively refreshing. It’s a story about being open to the world around us. Many people only experience the world through their devices. They think they’re connecting with others and experiencing life, but in truth, you’re more alone than ever by doing that. To really connect with others, you have to experience things with your own eyes, and not always post about it on social media. And this film does a great job of presenting this message in a way feels fresh and timely. The journey of the Mitchell family is one that pulls at the heartstrings and makes you think about your own relationship with your family. Nowadays it seems like more young people have such a negative view on the traditional idea of a family, so it’s awesome to have a film that shows why it’s good to be there for the people who love you. It’s also quite a hilarious one. The script from Mike Rianda and Jeff Rowe, writers on Gravity Falls, bubbles with clever gags and great character-driven humor. There’s also the charms of producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who helmed The Lego Movie. Much of the humor relies on their signature form of characters comically overreacting or under reacting to various situations. This is one of those films that delivers consistent belly laughs in quick succession, to the point where you probably won’t get all the jokes in one sitting. The film is also headlined by a top tier voice cast. Each star really gets into their character and make them equal parts charming and hilarious. The highlights would have to be Danny McBride, Abbie Jacobson, and Olivia Coleman. McBride does a great job balancing the dad charm and genuine emotion, while Jacobson portrays Katie as a typically “out there” millennial without seeming too annoying. Coleman portrays a great villain in Pal; giving us a good look at her motivations and making us understand why she wants to destroy humanity. The animation is also worth highlighting. The film is brought to life with a dizzying yet mesmerizing style that seems to be trying to combine CG animation with traditional animation. It really embraces the cartoonish possibilities of not only its premise but of animated films in general. In a time where most American animated films are trying to be as realistic as possible, it’s great to have something that doesn’t try to blur the line between cartoons and reality. The Mitchells vs. the Machines finds fresh layers in its story about technology running amok, using the concept to deliver a heartwarming story about family and connecting with the world around us. It’s gorgeous animation, high amount of gut-busting, and pitch perfect cast will put a big smile on your face from the moment the film begins until the very end. If you’re looking for something new on Netflix for the whole family, this is definitely worth the stream. Rated PG for some violence, action and thematic elements.
Now Playing In Theaters and Streaming on Disney+ for $30 Premium Access In a fantasy realm known as Kumandra, humans once lived side-by-side with dragons in a prosperous land. But when an evil force known as the Druun are unleashed, the dragons put all of their magic together to create the Dragon Gem and stop the mayhem. Rather than celebrate the dragons’ sacrifice, the people fight over the Gem; splitting into five different tribes. 500 years later, young Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) and her father (Daniel Dae Kim) rule over the Heart tribe and guard the Gem. Her father believes the tribes can be reunited and attempts to bring the others (Fang, Spine, Talon, and Tail) together. But this only results in the Gem getting split and the Druun resurrecting. The tribes of Kumandra are split even further, and Raya loses her father in the process. Now, six years later, Raya is on a mission to recover the stolen gem pieces and restore peace to the land. In order to achieve this, she discovers and summons the last living dragon, Sisu (Awkwafina), who is said to have been the one who saved the world. Though she doesn’t have any of her powers, she is fully willing to aid Raya. As they make their way across the five lands, they’ll assemble a team to help achieve their goal of peace the world once knew. Raya and the Last Dragon, the latest from Disney Animation Studios, once again takes their well-worn princess formula and applies it to a new cultural background. Typically, they have done a great job making these stories feel fresh and original despite always following the same story beats. Even a film like Moana, which follows the Disney formula beat-for-beat, felt like a unique experience. However, the same can’t be said for Raya. This new film is about as generic as a Disney film could be. It does absolutely nothing new, following the same kind of story as their many others without any new developments. Now, for some of their previous films, Disney can overcome a generic story with great characters and humor. Unfortunately, Raya doesn’t even do this. This is especially true of the titular character. From her very first scene, there’s nothing about her that really stands out from the plethora of other Disney princesses. Her personality is bland, and aside from her quest to learn to trust others, doesn’t have any kind of flaws that she needs to overcome. Without that, the audience doesn’t really have any reason to connect with her. In the end, she just feels like any given person of that world rather than Raya. The same thing goes for the supporting characters. None of Raya’s allies or enemies have any sort of dimension. They are propelled by only the most basic of character motivations, never really changing as human beings over the course of the runtime. They only seek to help Raya defeat the Druun because of some past encounter, but like Raya, don’t really have any flaws to overcome by the end. Probably the film’s biggest achievement is the animation. As with any Disney film, it’s only the highest quality animation that brings the world to life. Everything from the sweeping environments to the details on the human characters is all really well done and gorgeous to look at. But unfortunately, the animation can’t compensate from what ultimately amounts to a lack of story. The film’s script feels more like a repetitive series of skits rather than a full story. Much of the team is gathered during the first half of the film, something that really should be done within the first 30 minutes. It often feels like the concept they came up with is just too big to work in a feature film. Sadly, the film also falls victim to what I like the call the “Rise of Skywalker effect.” There are multiple moments that happen without any logical lead up. They only happen because the script needed them to happen in order to push the story forward. It really softens the film’s overall message when everything is so easy for our protagonists, especially when it goes completely against the rules of the world established before. Raya and the Last Dragon is proof that Disney’s classic formula only works when a unique and compelling story uses it. While it is undeniably gorgeous to look at, it is let down by a script that lacks enough dimension and imagination to make the characters’ journey anything worth getting invested in. While kids, especially young girls, will probably enjoy it, this is one of those rare Disney films that won’t have much for the parents forced to watch along. Rated PG for cartoon violence, rude humor, and brief language.
Now Playing In Theaters and Streaming on HBO Max Until March 28 Tom and Jerry have been at each others’ throats for many years, throughout multiple generations. Tom has been doing everything he can, no matter how his plans defy logic, to capture his nemesis Jerry, to little success. But in their latest adventure, they find themselves outside of their normal household setting and thrown into the heart of New York City, where Jerry has taken up residence at the prestigious Royal Gate Hotel. While he makes himself at home, ambitious yet listless Kayla (Chloë Grace Moretz) manages to secure a temporary position despite her obvious lack of experience. Under the supervision of the hotel’s event planner Terrence (Michael Peña), the staff are preparing for an extremely high profile wedding, But as Jerry starts to steal things for his own bachelor pad, his presence threatens to upend everything they’ve worked for. When Kayla is unable to get Jerry to leave on her own, she decides to turn to a different source. She decides to hire Tom to catch him, believing that their classic “cat and mouse” biology will do the trick. What she doesn’t anticipate is how skilled Jerry is at evading Tom’s every move, and their chaotic rivalry unleashes a wave of calamity that may cause more damage to the hotel than Kayla expected. Right from the beginning, Tom & Jerry begin to shows its flaws. The opening sequence introduces us not to the titular duo, but to three animated pigeons rapping a song from the late 90s that we’re already more than familiar with. Even when Tom and Jerry finally come into frame, the movie puts more emphasis on the song rather than what the characters are doing. It’s a perfect introduction into the film’s mindset; that it seems to be interested in anything other than the cat and mouse. Watching how all over the place this film is, I can’t help but compare it to last year’s Scoob!, another modern reboot of a classic property that missed the mark big time. It seemed that the filmmakers wanted to make a Scooby-Doo movie, but made it with the idea that no one likes Scooby-Doo anymore. So they merely just use to characters as window dressing to give us a stew of recycled blockbuster clichés. And while Tom & Jerry never veers into superhero territory (other than the occasional sight gag), it also feels like the filmmakers are only using the names to lure you in. Probably the best way to describe how bad this film is is that Tom and Jerry are supporting characters in their own movie. The duo we’ve loved since the 40s and 50s are reduced to mere background players in a movie that bills them as the stars. And in their place, we get a completely pointless and uninteresting story about some selfish and, at times, insufferable humans setting up a wedding. Much of the first 30 minutes is dedicated to Moretz’s Kayla conning her way into the job by manipulating a potential candidate, stealing her resume, then shakily charming the manager into giving her the position. All while the characters we actually came to see have some gags every few minutes or so. Seriously, the film’s script not only comes up with excuses not to have Tom and Jerry in the movie, but actually tells them, “you’re not needed, go away.” At one point, Kayla forces them to get along by sending them on a day out in the city, while she plans the wedding. We spend all this time on her shenanigans, while Tom and Jerry’s antics are literally a minute long montage. At times, this movie feels like Warner Bros. had some third rate script lying around and said, “let’s throw Tom and Jerry in here so people will come.” This is made even worse by how irritating the human characters are. Both Moretz and Peña, as talented as they are (Peńa is one of my personal favorite actors), are really showing how far they’ll sink for a paycheck here. They’re more like one-dimensional caricatures rather than three-dimensional characters; personalities that are only good for the occasional jokes that will make the little ones laugh. And their performances really look like they’re not enjoying themselves. The animation also fails to breathe any life into the film. Every animal in this world is animated, but even though they retain the look of traditional animation, they are puffed up to look like 3D graphics. I’m sure that this was done to try and make them gel better with the live action world, but all I could focus on was my brain unable to figure out if they were real or cartoons. They look more like balloons than flesh and blood animals, and it’s very distracting (not that the actual movie is much more interesting). It’s clear that the studio was only interested in pleasing the kids rather than making a compelling movie. Many jokes in this movie is some kind of gross out gag that will have kids laughing while leaving their parents dry heaving. That definitely won’t stop it from being a hit, but with studios like Pixar making films that are silly fun for kids while also emotionally complex for adults, it’s depressing that some studios still think the big money ticket is something like this. The new Tom & Jerry is a largely unpleasant family film that stays true to the spirit of the iconic duo, only when it seems vaguely interested in doing so. It is made to please the absolute lowest common denominator of filmgoers, with nothing of real substance below the surface. That may be what you’re looking for if you want to take the children to something new at the movies. However, many of the original Tom & Jerry shorts are available to stream on HBO Max, and they’ll also have your kids laughing as many of the bits still hold up well today. Just keep that in mind. Rated PG for thematic elements and some language.
Now Streaming on Disney+ Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) has had a lifelong passion for Jazz music and has always dreamed of being a professional musician. However, he finds himself stuck teaching a middle school band full of kids who never seem as interested as he is. But on one day, he finds himself inching closer to his dream when he receives the chance to play with renowned Jazz musician Dorothea Williams (Angela Bassett). It seems things are looking up for him. That is, until he falls into a sewer and finds that he is now a soul separated from his body. Not wanting to leave for the Great Beyond, he attempts to escape and ends up in the Great Before: the place where souls are given personalities before being sent to Earth. He then becomes the mentor to an infant soul named 22 (Tina Fey), who has a dim view of life despite never having lived. As she aids Joe in finding his way back to Earth, both of them are forced to look at life in a different way and come to realize what it means to really live. Soul is probably the most disappointing “cancelled theatrically and sent to streaming” release out of all the films affected by the pandemic. This was already one of my most anticipated films of 2020, but the trailer displayed animation that looked like it should be viewed on nothing smaller than an IMAX screen. To send it to Disney+ feels like a complete waste of all the effort put into crafting the world. But even if viewed on a tiny screen, the good news is that we got it anyway rather than having to wait a year like a lot of other films. And there is quite a lot to look at when it comes to this one. As we all know, Pixar is known as one of the greatest animation studios of all time. From 1995’s Toy Story to 2010’s Toy Story 3, every movie they released was an absolute masterpiece that proved animated movies could be just as fun for adults as they are for children. Though they kind of dug themselves into a hole with 2011’s Cars 2 (which is still a good movie), they did pick themselves back up with movies like Monsters University, Inside Out, and Coco. They really have never produced a bad movie in their 25 years of business. The reason I bring all this up is because Soul is a kind of film that the studio hasn’t produced in a very long time. Words cannot describe the awestruck wonder that is Soul. From Pete Doctor, who directed classics like Monsters, Inc., Up, and Inside Out, his latest is very different from anything Pixar has produced before. He takes the formula established by those classics and applies it to a completely original story that takes very unexpected directions. It really feels like nothing they’ve made before, while at the same time it feels like one of their early masterpieces, and certainly ranks among them. It’s quite impressive that, while being a fun flick for kids, Doctor crafts an unbelievably dense story. Joe’s journey as a soul brings up questions about how we become the people we are and finding our purpose in life. The movie offers witty and fun interpretations of concepts like passions and lost souls; able to give answers to these without feeling intrusive towards alternate theories. The script also bubbles with originality at every possible turn. It is able to balance its lofty questions with witty one liners and visual gags that will have you consistently busting a gut. There’s a much more deadpan style of humor compared to Doctor’s previous films; probably due to the film’s focus on death. But the movie knows how to pull off these jokes without seeming too mean-spirited. There’s also the character arcs of our leads Joe and 22. A lot of the movie is dedicated to 22 learning about life on Earth, and this is done in a way that makes it feel fresh; especially when so many people believe life is meaningless. But Joe also has an insightful arc that finds him questioning if being a musician really is his true passion. They both make for compelling characters that help emphasize the existential questions at the film’s center. All of this is brought to life by some of Pixar’s most breathtaking animation yet. The world of the souls is ethereal and absolutely stunning; bringing to life a world unlike any other. But it’s also worth pointing out the animation of New York City when Joe is in the real world. If the characters weren’t designed to be goofy-looking cartoons, then this could pass as a live action film. Everything from the lighting to the sheer amount of detail gives the world a hyperrealistic look. This is certainly one of the studios best accomplishments with animation. Soul is a towering achievement for a studio who’s legacy is almost completely filled with them. I was left completely speechless by how masterful everything was about this film. From the animation, to the story, to the voice acting, to the haunting musical score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross; everything is just downright perfect. Even if I didn’t get to see it on a massive theater screen, at least it didn’t get pushed back a whole year like almost everything else. Now let’s hope that Disney doesn’t keep it locked behind a paywall forever and releases it on DVD. Rated PG for peril, action, and rude humor.
Back in prehistoric times, a family of cavemen known as the Croods; made up of patriarch Grug (Nicolas Cage), his wife Ugga (Catherine Keener), their three children Eep (Emma Stone), Thunk (Clark Duke), and Sandy, and Ugga’s mother Gran (Cloris Leachman) lived in compete fear of the outside world. They all followed Grug’s one rule of never looking for something new, believing that it will keep them safe. But when they were confronted by a world-shattering danger, they were forced to embrace the aid of a more modern man named Guy (Ryan Reynolds) in order to escape the approaching apocalypse. Luckily, they did, and the family began to adapt to the changing world as they continued to search for a place to call home. This unforgiving journey has now led them to someplace more modern than they could ever realize. They find themselves at the massive farm of the Bettermans; couple Phil (Peter Dinklage) and Hope (Leslie Mann) and their daughter Dawn (Kelly Marie Tran). They are welcoming of the prehistoric pack, until their barbaric tendencies start to disrupt their tranquility. At the same time, the Croods are annoyed by the Bettermans’ stuffy attitude towards them. But as a threat from outside the farm grows closer, they’ll have to get past their differences in order to protect each other. That plot line is really where the film’s problems begin. At the end of the first film, the Croods became accepting of the changing world and found a beautiful, tropical beach to call their home. But when this film begins, we’re given a recap that tells us the family is still searching for a new home while omitting the apocalyptic adventure they went through. In a sense, this film almost feels like a retcon of the first. And with this retcon, the characters are back to who they were at the beginning of the first movie. Grug, in particular, began that one as very anti-modern, but became accepting of the changing world by the end. In this film, he’s back to being anti-modern, as he consistently objects to the way the Bettermans live and his family becoming more accepting of it. It’s always annoying when a sequel undoes character development in order to give us more of the same from the last movie. It’s easy to see why they did this; as the first film came out almost 8 years ago. So they could’ve done this out of fear that people don’t really remember the first film. But they could’ve easily come up with a way to expand on the ending of that one to give us a more satisfying continuation. This eight year gap also shows in the film’s barrage of modern references. A lot has changed with society since the first film came out, and much of that movie’s humor was based upon juxtaposing modern amenities with the prehistoric setting. With so much that has become commonplace since then, this film races to reference as much about society as possible. As a result, these references are more blatantly out in the open rather than blended into the narrative. It also doesn’t help that the humor of this one is more focused on gross out jokes involving bodily functions than the first one. The film’s overall story also struggles. The first one had a clever narrative about adapting to and accepting change. This film trades this out for a rather one-dimensional portrayal of rich vs. poor classism that doesn’t really say anything that other films haven’t already said and handled better. There’s also a number of concepts and subplots that seem to come out of nowhere, especially during the second half. This makes the film feel very overstuffed and doesn’t really make the lasting impact it seems to strive for. There are really only two redeeming elements. The first being the animation. It is incredibly vibrant; with a wider color pallet incorporated into the world. The natural environments and set pieces are full blown eye candy, especially the home of the Bettermans. Everything about their giant farm is so detailed that you’ll want to explore the place yourself. The other is the voice cast. The actors and actresses from the original film all slip back into their respective roles perfectly after being away from them for so long. Nicolas Cage, in particular, gives one of his best performances in a while as Grug. After so many films where he seemed to develop a new character with an over-the-top, psychotic personality, it feels nice to have him back in a role that restrains this. And he sounds like he really likes being back in the role as well. The Croods are back for another beautifully animated adventure, but in their race to catch up with the times, they loose a lot of the heart that made their first one so enjoyable. The script never really figures out what kind of subject to focus on, and the writers struggle to blend more modern references into the story. This sequel isn’t as satisfying an experience as the first film, and though kids probably won’t care, parents might have more fun staying home and watching the first one with them than going out to the theaters to see this one. Rated PG for scary images/moments, language, and thematic elements.
Now Streaming on HBO Max In Alabama during the late 1960s, a young boy (Jahzir Kadeem Bruno) is forced to live with his grandmother (Octavia Spencer) after his parents are killed in a car accident. Though she does her best to make a great life for him, their peaceful existence is threatened by the appearance of witches; evil creatures that desire to kill all children in the world. The two decide to pack up and get out of there before the boy becomes their next target. They arrive at a large hotel along the coast, where they believe they are safe. Unfortunately, this hotel is also host to a large gathering of witches, led by the Grand High Witch (Anne Hathaway). She plans to do away with children by poisoning them with a potion that will turn them into mice, which the boy and two other kids end up taking. Now helpless little mice, the trio, along with the boy’s grandmother, must work together to stop the witches before they unleash their terror onto the world. For the past few years, director Robert Zemeckis has been making more contemporary films. And while some of them rank among his best, they’ve never felt like some of his very early masterpieces. That is, until now, as this new adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic novel has a lot of the same fairy tale-esque magic that defined his earlier films, making it another great entry into his unbelievably impressive filmography. A lot of this feeling comes from the visual effects and animated sequences once we actually start focusing on the mouse children. These scenes bubble with the same kind of colorful imagery that defined his 2004 masterpiece The Polar Express, and I’ll admit that I kind of felt like a little kid again while watching these scenes. It also felt refreshing to have a kid flick that wasn’t afraid to delve into horror every once and a while. The titular Witches are supposed to be meaning threats for our protagonists; a real danger towards their existence. Most kid movies these days have no problem playing down the stakes; like a form of holding a child’s hand. So to have the villains in this film be scary antagonists that feel like actual threats gives the film an edge that’s mostly lacking these days. This is helped by the performance of Ann Hathaway as the Grand High Witch. While her portrayal of the character can get a little campy at times, for the most part she comes off as a genuine villain. Couple that with the very well done visual effects that make her look rather terrifying at times, and you’ve got a witch that feels like she could just off you at any moment. Octavia Spencer also does a great job in the roll of the boy’s grandmother. Her performances has all of the same infectious charm that comes from all her other roles, but this one feels different. She effortlessly slips into the character and it’s very heartwarming to watch her be an accomplice to the kids’ witch hunting plan. That’s not to say it’s a perfect film. The story does take a bit of time to really get going, and the humor doesn’t make any strong landings until the second half of the film. At times, there’s a bit of a tonal imbalance; with the film unsure of whether it wants to be funnier or wants us to take it fully seriously. But these issues aren’t enough to impede on the movie’s overall entertainment factor. The Witches isn’t one of Robert Zemeckis’s best films, but it shows that he still knows how to tap into the whimsical atmosphere that he helped create so many decades ago. It’s an all-around entertaining kids film for the Halloween season (even though I saw it long after Halloween), and ranks among his sadly growing library of underrated gems. Thanks to great visuals and performances, this is one you’ll want to watch with your family if you have HBO Max. Rated TV-Y7
Now Available on VOD. Premieres on Cartoon Network on September 7. In the summer of 2015, Cartoon Network introduced us to the world of brothers Grizz (Eric Edelstein), Panda (Bobby Moynihan), and Ice Bear (Demetri Martin) with We Bare Bears. It’s a series that depicts their day-to-day lives in the city of San Fransisco. It didn’t rely on extensive world building or weird humor. It’s all about the brothers and their quest to be accepted by the community around them, which made it among the best of the station’s properties. This takes us to their first feature length adventure. As people grow increasingly tired of the bears’ antics, they attract the ire of an agent of the Department of Wildlife Control known as Trout (Marc Evan Jackson). With the threat of being sent to a nature reserve against their will, the bears decide it’s time to find a new home; and what better place than the nation of Canada, who treats bears like companions rather than nuisances. Their journey to find acceptance makes for one of the most heartwarming films produced by Cartoon Network. We Bare Bears: The Movie manages to capture the sweet and hilarious themes of the series while applying them to a darker tone that allows said themes to be more directly dealt with. The studio never really delves into dark, relevant topics much, so it’s great to have something that feels dramatically involving while still starring characters we know and love. One of the immediate problems that plague movies based on kid shows is a lack of proper storytelling. Most feel like over-extended episodes of their respective shows that aren’t really that deep thematically. We Bare Bears manages to be more than this, with a multi-layer script that has more going on in it than it appears on the surface. At least, more so than other films like it. This is evident in its exploration on how the main characters became who they are, specifically Grizz. A lot of the film revolves around his attempts to make things better between his bros and human society, which are usually selfish, poorly planned, and end up failing. Over the course of the movie, he learns that he can’t truly help unless he thinks of others first. This was his main character flaw throughout the series, and this film offers a satisfying closure to that arc. But the other thing this film does well is handling its social commentary. Many kid shows these days dive head first into criticizing social issues, and We Bare Bears was no different. It tackled issues such as racial discrimination and learning to fit in with the crowd. The only difference is that this show managed to weave these ideas into the plots of the episodes without feeling like they were smacking us over the head. The movie accomplishes this as well. Even though these themes are dealt with in a more head-on manner than the show, they still feel woven into the narrative and don’t feel like we’re being force fed these thoughts. It’s a refreshing break from the usual kid fare that doesn’t even hesitate to do that, which makes them feel niche and (at times) a little mean spirited. But there’s nothing mean spirited about this movie. This is also helped by the performances of the three leads. Much like the series, Edelstein, Moynihan, and Martin have an infectious chemistry that elevates their respective characters and create a believability in their dynamic as brothers. And in this film, they imbue a level of emotion in their roles that they never fully tried in the series, and pull it off flawlessly. The characters just wouldn’t be as charming as they are without these three voicing them. We Bare Bears: The Movie is another short slice of family-friendly entertainment for our seemingly relentless dark times. Its trio of bear brothers set off on a journey that’s equal parts silly and heartwarming, and acts as a satisfying conclusion to the series; since this is labelled as the official series finale. With a runtime of only 69 minutes, this is a nice reprieve from the nastiness of the world that’s worth the time of both kids and adults. Rated TV-G
Now Streaming on Disney+ It’s been five years since the Disney Channel animated series Phineas and Ferb aired its final episode. Despite being made for kids, the show was one of the few that knew that, with kid audiences, comes parents watching in the background. So the show appealed to audiences of all ages: fast-paced action and colorful animation for the younger ones and intelligent humor and lovable characters for the older ones. For those of you unaware, Phineas and Ferb was a show about the titular characters and their adventures during summer vacation. They spent each and everyday constructing something whether it’s a fun ride or attraction or some impractical invention. Their teenage sister Candace desperately tried to tattle on the boys’ creations to their parents and get them in trouble. However, their schemes always vanished before their mother could see them. This main story was always intertwined with a B-plot with a spy-oriented premise involving the kids’ pet platypus Perry. Though he may look like a mindless animal, Perry actually lives a secret life as an agent for an animal-operated agency. Every day, he’s assigned to thwart the schemes of local evil scientist Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, who dreams of ruling the city with his various inventions (or “-inators”). However, Perry always easily stops him, and their battles are usually the cause of Phineas and Ferb’s inventions disappearing. It’s very rare to get a kids show nowadays that knows how to appeal to viewers of all ages, so in a time when things are very uncertain, here comes Disney with a new feature length addition to the adventures of the two inventive step-brothers and their ragtag group of friends and family members. This time, the focus is on Candace, who is beginning to believe the universe is out to get her after yet another failed attempt to bust her brothers. She doesn’t know how right she is when a mysterious spaceship lands at their suburban home and snatches her up to take her to a distant alien planet. Phineas, Ferb, and their friends make it their mission to journey to this new world and rescue her, along with Doofenshmirtz and his ill-prepared batch of -inators. Right off the bat, it’s amazing how easily the film slips back into the lovable tone that made the series so great. Candace delivers an opening musical number that offers a humorous yet necessary recap on various events in the series. This helps reestablish who she is and the extraordinary things she has witnessed her brothers accomplish. From there, we know what kind of adventure we’re in for. And with these characters, it’s an adventure worth taking. It’s impressive that, after five years away, how the voice cast seamlessly recaptures their individual personalities as if they’ve never stopped. Ashley Tisdale, especially, returns to her role of Candace with all the same manic energy and confident wit that made her character so lovable the first time around. It’s also amazing that, just like the series, the musical numbers are the true highlights of the film. Phineas and Ferb was always known for having fun and energetic songs performed by either the characters or different bands. This new film has loads of infectious melodies that are just as dance inducing as the show’s pieces. But as with any film, its main mission has its characters learning a valuable lesson. In this case it offers a heartwarming message about the power of family, as Candace’s journey through space helps her to see how important she is to her brothers. It’s a message worth learning for all of us while playing to the values of family and friends that made the series so compelling in the first place. If there’s one thing this film has above everything else in the Phineas and Ferb franchise, it’s the much slower pace. Many episodes of the series, and the previous TV film, were incredibly fast with lots of action and few breaks. While this new film still has lots of action, it unfolds at a more leisurely pace. It really takes its time, allowing the story to flow naturally at a speed that holds our attention without leaving us in the dust. Phineas and Ferb: The Movie - Candace Against the Universe is a very welcome return for one of Disney Channel’s most iconic shows. After a five year hiatus, the creators easily reintroduce us to their world with all the same intelligent humor, awesome musical numbers, and fast-paced action that fans know and love. Of all the new offerings that Disney+ has released, this one gets a very hardy recommendation from me. |