The Empty Man (2020) Film Review: The Mostly-Full Movie...

 

Disney buying out 20th Century Fox has got to be one of the worst outcomes that has acquired in the past decade. Not only did it lead to countless jobs being lost and Blue Sky Studios being shut down, but any films completed prior or during the acquisition have little to no care put in them from Disney. The film that managed to get the worst treatment would have to be "The Empty Man". It had no marketing until a week before release, the release itself was in a middle of a global pandemic, and the few people and critics that did see it slammed it because it was not what they were expecting. Disney has so little faith in the film that there's not even a DVD release for it or even change the Fox opening to 20th Century Studios. However, is it really that horrendous? Based on the graphic novel of the same name (yet has nothing to do with the source material), the film follows James Lasombra, a former cop who is in a state of heavy depression due to the sins he has made in the past. When his friend's daughter disappears, he tries to find her, discovering the link between her, a mysterious and creepy cult, and an urban legend known as the Empty Man. I won't go into spoilers, since I do believe that the mystery contained in the film is super intriguing. I will admit however that the ending could lead people to a level of disappointment. Not only does the ending get extremely confusing for those not picking up the themes of the film and it feels like nothing was worth it by the end of the two hour plus film, but it also causes some inconsistency as it never explains why the Empty Man kills when it's said to unify all under one. Regardless of the ending, I actually got really invested in the mystery and wanting to find out more while also attempting to figure out what's been going on. The film takes itself seriously and it's not meant to be a straight-up horror film with jump-scares and cheesy dialogue. It's more built up on atmosphere and the somber tone rather than gory kills and overuse of fake-out creepy moments. 

James Badge Dale as James Lasombra does a great job as the grieving ex-cop who is fixated on solving this case and wanting some type of redemption. Dale helps add a bit of charm and personality to the character to keep him from being dull while also playing up a sense of vulnerability, which is hard to do for an adult lead protagonist in horror films. Marin Ireland as Nora Quail, the friend and former fling of James, is obviously a fantastic actress and does sell the grieving mother role really well. Newcomer Sasha Frolovo as Amanda Quail, Nora's teenaged daughter who disappears after summoning the Empty Man, is good in playing up the eerie dread that her character is experiencing and hopefully will continue to do more stand-out performances in the future. Ron Canada as Detective Villers is great as usual for the type-casted actor, but he doesn't really get to do much in the overall story. Lastly, there's Stephan Root as Arthur Parsons, the leader of the Pontifex Institute who only appears in one lengthy scene as he describes to James what the purpose of his cult is, to which Root does a fine job in controlling the scene. Aside of Amanda's friends and a few other minor side characters, that's really all the cast has to offer with Dale having the most amount of focus. All of the actors and actresses are talented and play their jobs well, but they don't exactly stick with you much after watching the movie. While I would chalk it up to a negative, the ending does actually help making the lack of memorability or care of the side characters work to its effect with James Lasombra being not an amazing, but still riveting, protagonist.

David Prior worked for Fox for decades in the home media department before finally managing to make his own movie thanks to befriending some of the biggest producers in the studio. The fact that Disney sabotaged his directorial debut should be a crime as Prior shows that he has a talented gift and vision. Despite this being his directorial debut, Prior completely nails the atmosphere and mood of the movie to have a creepy and, at times, terrifying nature to it. The colour is all washed out, but the shadows and gothic imagery pop out as Prior makes his film have this dream-like, almost ethereal aesthetic. There are tons of visual motifs that are sprinkled throughout the film that connects overall with the film's themes and it's practically genius on every level. The cinematography by Anastos N. Michos is fantastic with unique angles, pans, iconography, framing of people and objects, and some inventive transitions helped made possible by editors Prior and Andrew Buckland. I'm dumbfounded that Michos wasn't even nominated for an Oscar this year, because his camerawork is freaking phenomenal. The music by Christopher Young and Lustmord is perfectly eerie and foreboding that it feels like it's ripped out of a "Silent Hill" game. The audio design and editing is also pitch perfect with the whispering and subtle instrumental cues. There's not much in the way of effects, practical or digital, but whatever is seen in the film is pretty decent. The Empty Man himself is creepy in his cloaked form and the few deaths present in the film are really brutal yet creative in its imagery. While there are some dodgy digital effects with green-screen and the climax, it's not too distracting or out of place in the film. Overall, the filmmaking by Prior and the crew is fantastic and I hope Prior gets to direct more films in the future.

"The Empty Man" is not perfect and not for everyone. Aside from diehards of the obscure graphic novel that will offend them, the film does suffer from an ending that tends to not successfully pay off the otherwise brilliant mystery it had along with the film being too long and philosophical for the average horror movie. Despite these issues, I think this is a great film regardless. The suspense and premise hooked me right off the bat, the serious nature of the film and philosophical metaphors made me brainstorm and be in sync with the mind of the filmmaker, Dale is great in giving charisma and vulnerability to the character of James Lasombra, the rest of the cast are acted flawlessly for what characters they were given, the cinematography by Michos is brilliant on a visual and artistic level, the score by Young and Lustmord is perfect horror ambience, and Prior's directorial debut shows that he is a horror master in building atmosphere, dread, effective uses of dark colours, imaginative transitions, use of audio and visually-interesting horror and death sequences. This is a film that may have a bad ending, but everything is just so excellent that it doesn't make the film and the viewing experience awful. Disney is at its lowest point of creativity and respect of the filmmaker when they tossed this movie like trash rather than attempt to put their best efforts in making the film be seen in awe by audiences.

Verdict: 8/10. Really good, but keep in mind of how disappointing the ending can be. Still one of the best horror movies I've seen in recent years!

Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) Spoiler-Filled Review/Rant: An Avatar Ripoff That Needed To Be A Show...

 

Ever since "Zootopia", Disney Animation has kind of slumped for the past few years. "Moana" was decent, but not really great in regards to themes or tone, and the sequels to "Wreck-It Ralph" and "Frozen" are just god awful. "Raya and the Last Dragon" however appeared to be the studio's most ambitious yet with an action-adventure approach, a non-musical story, and an East Asian-inspired setting. However, this film is yet another product of untapped potential by a studio that has gone lazy.

Positives:

• The animation. Disney always has great animation and this film is no exception. Considering the smaller budget and COVID-19 forcing the animators to work from home, it looks really good. Not only does the film has the more realistic approach to the animation, but there is also some anime-inspired shots and stylization.
• The setting. Kumandra is a really distinct world and the five distinct nations named after the specific regions of the dragon lake offers both character, flair, and colour to each country.
• The music by James Newton Howard. Howard is a fantastic composer and his contributions to this film is no exception. It may not be the best or most memorable of his work, but the dramatic and action tracks are really nice to listen to and the original song, "Lead the Way", is fairly decent.
• The side characters. They outshine the main characters so much that they really more time to be spent on them. From the young shrimp cook, Boun, to the baby con-artist, Little Noi, and the giant yet humble warrior, Tong, the side cast of allies are perhaps the only enjoyable element of the film, which is unfortunate to say the least.

Negatives:

• The story. The premise itself isn't bad, but it's the execution. Raya is a warrior princess who needs to find all five pieces of the Dragon Gem in order to save the lives lost by the Drunn, including her father. To aid her, she needs to find the last living dragon named Sisu as well as a new group of people that she needs to learn to trust as her childhood rival, Namarri, is also after the pieces to seek glory for her region of Fang. The issue with the story is that it's basically an "Avatar: The Last Airbender" clone, but made into a single film. While the story works as a movie, it really needed to have been a show or mini-series as the pacing is too fast to let certain characters or regions grow with you. On top of that, the story carries one of the biggest plot holes I've ever seen in a Disney film, which I will explain when I discuss the Drunn.
• The tone. While the film takes itself seriously for the most part, the comedy centring on Raya and Sisu really drags the quality as the dialogue gets really modern and out-of-place for this fantasy world. The whole banter between Raya and Namarri is so modern that it almost seems like it was written for a completely different film. The comedy that centres on the side cast is good, but it gets cancelled out by how bad the modern jokes are.
• Raya as a protagonist. While Kelly Marie Tran does a great job voice acting, the character herself is just a complete idiot. Her entire arc and the whole message of the film is to trust others, which she has stopped doing ever since Namarri betrayed her as a kid. Here's the problem: There's a clear difference between being naive/not wanting to trust others and being stupid and Raya fits in the latter. From the choice to show Namarri the Dragon Gem as a kid, telling Namarri that she found Sisu (despite the latter not believing her initially), and stupidly antagonizing Namarri when she was holding Sisu at gunpoint, Raya has got to be one of the worst Disney protagonists simply due to how braindead she can be for such a badass, female-empowered lead.
• Sisu. Where to start with this character? For one, the character design really doesn't suit the rest of the film. Second of all, the jokes she makes can be painful at times. Third of all, her role is completely ridiculous once she reveals her backstory as why she is the last dragon. And finally, Awkwafina is clearly miscasted in this role. I don't hate the actress, but her raspy voice doesn't suit the character, especially with the cartoonish design of the dragon.
• Namarri. While she's fine for the most part as a villain/obstacle for Raya, the climax really drops the ball on her intelligence. For one, she agrees to meet up with Raya by using a firework to show that she got the message. That same firework though was used to alert her guards in the beginning of the film and a firework is way too loud to alert someone for a secret meeting. Second, she tries to betray Raya and the others all by herself with only a crossbow as leverage. Thirdly, she blames Raya for partially killing Sisu, even though she was squeezing the trigger before Raya interfered. The choice to make the character sympathetic really hurts her role as a villain and the film in the long run.
• The Drunn. These purple evil cloud things are described as a plague that seeks after souls and turns people into statues. Not only are the Drunn just a lame excuse for an overarching "villain", but their weakness is so pathetically stupid. You want to know what it is? Water. You know, the most plentiful element in the planet. The reveal isn't even treated as a surprise for the end. Raya's father literally tells the audience by the beginning so it explains why Raya and the others can't get attacked on boat. Not only is it such a lazy writing excuse for the Drunn not to attack the main characters, but the world six years past the beginning doesn't use their weakness of water for combat. It gets even worse when you find out that Sisu's brother was able to control rain as his power. And yet her brother not only wasn't able to stop the Drunn, but decides to sacrifice himself rather than Sisu just to have a female dragon to join Raya.
• The action sequences. Considering how much the marketing pushes on the action and epic nature, you'd think the action would be a highlight. But it's extremely underwhelming. Aside from a fun montage scene with a cool art style and some neat shots, the action as a whole is pretty lame and standard as it's just generic sword-fighting and martial arts with no brutality or uniqueness.
• The ending. For a film that takes itself pretty seriously in the emotional beats, the ending is one of the most sappiest shit I've ever seen. After realizing that they need to trust each other as a nation, the heroes sacrifice themselves to activate the Dragon Gem without relaying on the dead Sisu. The Gem brings everyone who has turned to stone back to life as predicted, but the dragons also come back for literally no reason. Keep in mind, 500 years prior, the dragons never returned back to life when the same act was done. But only now did the dragons come back just to resurrect Sisu? GET OUT OF HERE! So, the ending allows everyone to live happily ever after as everyone turned to stone is back alive, the dragons are now alive again, and the nations reconnect as one. In fact, the one person that actually stays dead in the movie is... A BLACK PERSON! No joke, the leader of Tail, who is a black woman, literally is the only character to die in the entire film because she was reduced to a skeleton rather than becoming a statue. Pretty racist if you ask me!

"Raya and the Last Dragon" is not the worst film from Disney Animation, but it's nowhere near its best. While the animation is Disney-quality, the setting is vibrant and unique, the score by Howard is great as always, and the side cast is more enjoyable than the main cast, everything else is just plain awful. The story is paced way too fast for a "Avatar" rip-off, the tone is uneven as the mature and serious aspects of the story gets completely ruined by a sappy ending, the humour is hit-and-miss with the latter being cringe at times, the character of Raya is just brainless, Sisu is both miscast and annoyingly voiced by Awkwafina, Namarri is also just as stupid as Raya with the third act degrading her role as a serious threat, the Drunn are some of the dumbest monsters I have ever seen in a movie with their weakness of water and lack of character, the action sequences are lame as hell, and the film contains some of the biggest plot holes that can rival "Avengers: Endgame"! If the story was just made into a show and expanded upon, it would have actually been pretty good. As it is, it will just be a disappointing installment to Disney's never-ending empire.

Verdict: 5/10. Average animated film, but extremely poor for an "original" Disney film. If you think this is a masterpiece, you're in for a rude awakening...

V For Vendetta (2005) Film Review: An Aged Adaptation That Is Even More Relevant Today Than Ever Before...

 

Alan Moore is perhaps the hardest person to cater towards with film adaptations of his iconic work. Whether his reasons make sense or not in regards to the changes the films make to the graphic novels, alterations doesn't equal a tarnished movie. While there have been decent adaptations of his works such as "Watchmen", it's the 2005 adaptation of his 1988 hit that I feel is the strongest to date. In a dystopian future, the U.K is a totalitarian regime with strict laws and neo-facist views. A woman named Evey is roped into an ideological and political battle after she is rescued by a vigilante known as V. V is hoping that he can wake people up from their average lives and realize the corruptive nature of their government that needs to be changed with the act of destroying Parliament in one year's time. In the meantime, Evey is forced to take refuge with V while the vigilante seeks revenge on the people who have made him the man he is today. While the story is largely the same like the source material, aspects of the characters and political context has changed to respond to the Bush administration in the early 2000's. This context has also managed to age brilliantly with the Trump administration and even the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in some capacity that makes sure that this movie will not leave the spotlight for a long time. The tone takes itself seriously for the most part in regards to the political agenda, but V's eccentric personality does add a bit of levity to a film dealing with heavy and relevant subject matter.

Natalie Portman is an actress who is hit-or-miss in regards to her performances. Sometimes, she can be really good like in "Black Swan". Other times, she can be pretty bad like in the "Thor" and "Star Wars" movies. Her performance as Evey is one of her better ones, but still flawed in areas. Portman easily delivers on the naivety of the character and her overall growth throughout the story from being a victim to V's protege. The issue is really that Portman doesn't act that wrathful or arrogant in the scenes where Evey shows extreme hatred to V for the circumstances she is put in, which makes her performance a bit awkward in areas. Hugo Weaving  however is fantastic as the titular V, mainly due to the vocal and physical performance. While the body language expresses the more theatrical and playful aspects of the character, Weaving's voice acting adds that playful energy and a hint of anguish of the character. Stephen Rea as Chief Inspector Finch is also doing a great job as he sells the reluctant yet determined detective who is both pursuing V as a criminal while questioning the government he has worked for in his lifetime career. Stephen Fry as Gordan Deitrich, Evey's boss who hides his political views and sexuality to keep her show, adds a good bit of humour and character to the world-building and the spread of V's message. Lastly, the late John Hurt plays Adam Sutler, the High Chancellor who is always seen via a television screen with diluted pupils and a bitter rage about V's influence on the public. Hurt knows how to ham up his roles and Sutler is perhaps his most hammiest yet effective in the appearance and position of power. As a whole, the cast is great for the most part with Weaving and Rea doing some of the best performances in their career. The only one that's a bit behind is Portman, who needs to channel more rage in critical moments of the film. 

While the promotion and screenplay seems like the Wachowskis are behind the whole film, the directing duty actually went to James McTeigue, a long-time assistant director for various projects before this film taking up his official directorial debut. This is easily McTeigue's best film to date, both by the quality and overall skill he presents for the film. The goal was clearly to make the film both visually stylized while making it feel extremely grounded in its imagery and palette. The world is devoid of colour with the only striking colours being red, white and black as everything else is muted, almost like a film noir. V's hideout is perhaps the only pleasant location in the film, due to the various art and antiques the terrorist has "liberated" for himself in a windowless environment. However, the film can offer some surreal and iconic images from V's "birth" and the use of the Scarlet Carsons. The transitions and editing by Martin Walsh can be excellent at times, particularly with the seamless cuts and parallels with V, Evey and Finch. The cinematography by Adrian Biddle captures the look of the graphic novel by having a static camera with slight pans. The score by Dario Marianelli is good in the suspense/intense tracks, but is practically overshadowed by the use of 1812 Overture during the film's most iconic sequences. The visual effects are quite obvious, whether it's the green screen, compositing, or armies of V's supporters, but it's not done so much in the film that it's distracting. The action sequences are also on the weaker side, considering that the film is more of a political thriller rather than a superhero beat-em-up. The first action scene where V saves Evey feels way too cheesy and out of place for the character and film, almost like it came from Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man". The second in the television station is cool for V's intelligence and quick movements, but it's way too short. Lastly, the climatic showdown between him and Sutler's right-hand man involves some cool use of slow-motion and suspense, but the obvious blood effects and slowed-down grunts make it a bit too silly to take seriously. Even though the effects and action are underwhelming, it's not a huge issue given the film's modest budget as well as the rest of the quality filmmaking handled by McTiegue and the others.

"V For Vendetta" is a flawed yet almost excellent adaptation of Moore's work. From the story being left intact while being updated for the modern climate, the tone being both serious and comical when it needs to be, V is brought to life by the charismatic Weaving, the side cast are generally well-acted and have organic roles and development for the overarching narrative, the editing by Walsh is well-timed and matched to the film's pace and thematic threads of the characters, Biddle's cinematography perfectly captures the graphic novel origins onscreen, the score by Marianelli offers some nice tension to the respective scenes, and McTeigue's direction allows both wonderful stylization and gritty reality to co-exist in this dystopic setting. There are issues to be called out though, as the film does take liberties with the source material, Portman's performance as Evey is decent but lacking some emotional energy in the more demanding scenes, the CGI is very noticeable, and the action set-pieces aren't anything mind-blowing or well-executed in contrast to the rest of the film. With that said, this is still an amazing adaptation that, whether he would accept it or not, Moore needs to be proud of.

Verdict: 8/10. A great comic-book adaptation and political thriller. Watch it for the first time or a repeat viewing, especially after the year that was 2020.

Willy's Wonderland (2021) Film Review: As Good As A FNAF Movie Could Really Get...

 

"Five Nights at Freddy's" is an iconic franchise that, regardless of its questionable lore and never-ending sequels, will stand the test of time. It has done so well that fans still anticipate the live-action adaptation from Blumhouse Studios. However, considering the film has yet to even begin filming as of this writing, it's going to take a while before it will ever see the light of day. Because of the long delay, other studios managed to take the opportunity to make their FNAF-inspired films with WB's "The Banana Splits Movie" and now this latest attempt from Screen Media Films. When a mute drifter gets his tires blown out in a small town, he is given a deal to clean up a run-down family entertainment centre known as Willy's Wonderland in exchange to pay for his expensive bill. The drifter takes a strange pride in his work to the point that he's unfazed by the killer animatronics that reside in the building nor the multiple warnings given to him by the local youth. Because as one of the characters quote later in the film; "He's trapped with them, they are trapped with him." The story is simple as a FNAF rip-off can be and the short runtime complements the simplicity. There is a lore and conspiracy revolving the run-down facility, which I won't go into, but I will admit it's far better than what the FNAF games have done for the past years. The tone however doesn't really play up to the story's full potential. It has its fair share of camp and cheese, especially in regards to the drifter, but the film is still a horror-comedy at the end of the day and it is contrived by the genre cliches from it, mainly in regards to the side cast, which I will get into right now.

Nicholas Cage as the nameless drifter/janitor is one of the actor's most unique performances to date, purely by how bizarre it is. The janitor is played up as a mysterious yet charismatic badass who doesn't utter a word and chooses to remain inside the building and clean up the entire place for unknown reasons. Cage plays up the apparent badass and goofy aspects of the character in both the action and montage sequences. He is the true attraction of the film, which is a huge win, especially given how awful the rest of the characters are. Emily Tosta as Liv, the teenage protagonist who wants to save the Janitor and burn the building down, is as generic of a final girl trope as you can get. Granted, I have seen worse characters and performances from the genre, so Liv isn't really a big problem. Beth Grant as Sheriff Elosie does a good job as the bitter and despicable sheriff, but her motivations are rather confusing in wanting the janitor to be killed instead of him continuing to destroy the animatronics. As for the deputy and Liv's group of friends, they are practically "nothing" characters. We all know that a ton of people die in horror films, but at least make an effort in making characters or space their deaths out throughout the movie to keep people guessing for a bit. Not only do Liv's friends all die in a ten-minute span of runtime, but some of them don't even have a chance to get a hint of character or personality. On top of that, their acting ranges from okay to abysmal. It's issues like this that really make the film get bogged down. I won't go over the animatronics much as they don't really have a personality, but I appreciate the creativity given to their designs and representations for being realistic characters in that type of business. Overall, Cage is the only person from the entire cast that's putting effort in saving this film, all without any line of dialogue. 

Kevin Lewis isn't really known for his previous work on obscure projects and this venture might not aid him that much. The issue with Lewis's directing is that there's no sense of style or polish aside from the scenes with Cage. For the most part, the film looks rather cheap and uninspired and looks like it was straight out of YouTube. However, the editing by Ryan Liebert manages to go all out on the silliness of the film whenever Cage is on screen. Liebert would have weird uses of lens flairs, colours, and transitions that actually aid the film's enjoyment, aside from one awful strobe-light sequence. The cinematography by David Newbert is also on the same approach as Liebert. Whenever it's centred on Cage and the various scenes and montages, it's actually done well with clever close-ups, distancing and pans. When Cage isn't on screen, it just becomes really amateur and lame. The music by Émoi is actually really good. The 80's synth is a blast to listen to and the original songs created in-universe for Willy's can be ear-worms for some. I hope Émoi can get to do more films, because they did a fantastic job in all fronts. The practical effects and make-up is a mixed bag. On the one hand, the animatronics look perfectly aged and dated with some great gore effects on them during the action sequences. On the other hand, the kills presented in the film, aside from the animatronics, are on a creative dead-end. Most kills just have the animatronics bite or claw at their victims with fair blood effects, but some will be entirely off-screen and one even had their victim breath normally for a dead guy. I wouldn't give too much slack if the budget was so low that this was the best they can do, but the budget was actually a decent $5 million. To put in perspective, the horror-comedy, "Freaky", had a budget of $6 million and that film contained some imaginative and practical gore-filled kills. The team might have run out of money by the time they needed to film the kills, but it's still not a great excuse and look for the film, especially compared to others of the genre with similar budgets. Overall, the filmmaking is both uninspired and full of character depending on the elements.

"Willy's Wonderland" strangely could have been far better than what we got at the end. While the story is a fun hook, the tone can be perfectly cheesy at times, Cage as the nameless and mute janitor is simply a joy to watch, the editing by Liebert is on the same level of strange as Cage, Émoi's score and songs are actually really solid with the setting and 80's synth, and the designs and character of the animatronics feel pretty legit in their appearance and inspirations, the film suffers from the typical tropes of the horror genre, Liz is a generic lead, Sheriff Elosie is weirdly written, Liz's friends are laughably pointless in their brief appearances, the deaths have no budget to them with some having no gore or being off-screen, and Lewis has no direction outside from the scenes including Cage. At the end of the day, if you just want to see a silent Nick Cage killing animatronics and cleaning up a restaurant, you will get some enjoyment out of it for sure. However, that's all you're really going to get, because it doesn't fair well in comparison with other horror-comedies.

Verdict: 5.5/10. Great as a Cage project, pretty average for a straight-up horror comedy. At least it's better than "The Banana Splits Movie"...

The Croods: A New Age (2020) Film Review: The Age Of Quality Has Arrived...

 

If there was any surprise release that 2020 brought to cinemas, it would be the sequel to the 2013 "The Croods". While the first film made a good amount of money, it received a lukewarm reception and the proposed sequel by Chris Sanders was left in developmental limbo due to the studio and Universal being unsure of the film's success. Despite a brief cancellation, the sequel actually managed to be released last year in theatres. But, what was the seven year hiatus worth it? The story picks up from before with the Croods family still searching for a place to call home while surviving the treacherous wildlife. When Grug manages to find an oasis containing an endless supply of food, the family is shocked to find another family, the Bettermans. The Bettermans are a condescending couple who flex their intelligence and lifestyle to the brutish and unintelligent Croods, while also trying to hook up their teenage daughter with the long-lost Guy. The family tension continues to rise until a turn of events forces the squabbling family to partner together for a new adventure. I haven't even begun to mention everything that the story contains and it's already an improvement from the original. True, the sequel tends to borrow elements from other Dreamworks hits such as "Over the Hedge" and "How To Train Your Dragon", but the story is constantly shifting at a fast pace, which helps to the film's comedic edge. Unlike in the first film, where it was half goofy comedy and half serious drama, the sequel goes all the way into the comedy and goofy nature and it manages to really shine because of it. There are little dramatic elements and heartwarming moments, but they don't override the film compared to the first film. On top of that, the comedy probably makes this one of Dreamwork's funniest films to date with well-written banter, deliveries, innuendos, and slapstick.

One of the biggest surprises that the sequel offers is the full return of the cast reprising their roles, including the now A-list Ryan Reynolds and Emma Stone. Stone returning as Eep continues to offer her charisma and the rebellious nature of the character is now played up for comedy rather than drama. Reynolds as Guy feels far more in nature with the actor's persona and makes Guy the wholesome yet clueless partner of the blossoming romance. Nicholas Cage as Grug almost steals the entire film as Cage manages to go full "Cage" and overact like never before. Grug was already enjoyable, but now he's one of my favourite characters that Dreamworks has put out. Another neat surprise is that some of the side cast has actually improved from before. Catherine Keener as Ugga manages to get a lot of milage from her rivalvry with Mrs. Betterman and her bond with Grug and Eep. Cloris Leachman, in one of her last performances, completely hams it up as Gran and her fixation of the female-empowered clan she once took part of known as "the Thunder Sisters". Even Chunky the Death Cat and Douglass have more personality as the loyal pet and mode of transportation for the family. However, the same can't be said for Belt and Thunk. Belt is far more minor compared to the previous film (mainly due to Sander's lack of involvement in the story), which is good since the sloth's humour was a bit hit-and-miss. But Clark Duke's Thunk has actually reduced in his character as his running gag is that he's obsessed with his window/screen. To be fair, Thunk does have some of the funniest moments of the film, but you almost forget that he is a character in the film since he's the only one to not have a type of arc or relevance in the film. And then there are the Bettermans, who some people can't stand because of their awful personality. However, I think it's their personality that actually makes them so enjoyable as well as their mini-character arcs for accepting the Croods. Peter Dinklage is practically competing with Cage in how much he can overact as the laid-back and egocentric Phil, Leslie Mann is hilarious as the passive-aggressive Hope, and Kelly Marie Tran is so loveable as the bubbly and carefree Dawn who manages to befriend Eep rather than spite her. Overall, I think the characters (minus Thunk) manages to greatly improve from before as the returning actors and actresses are far more comfortable in their roles and the energy of the sequel, and the newcomers are talented enough to be on par with the seasoned cast and making their characters stand out.

The animation is frankly a huge improvement from before, despite it seeming like a downgrade at first. The first film had the odd decision to utilize motion-capture for the character animation in order to make them feel more realistic and grounded in their movements despite their cartoonish designs. Because of the pandemic and the reduced budget, the sequel completely ditches the motion-capture and just made the characters fully animated. This decision manages to benefit the movie in so many ways. Not only does the animation contrast better with the tone and elements, but it manages to actually make the film even funnier. The various expressions and exaggerations from the characters can be priceless at times and there are so many little gags in the facial responses alone that it makes the film ooze with personality. The only drawback of the switch in animation is that the textures of the characters aren't as detailed, aside from the hair, which is not a bad thing considering the uncanny valley the original film had to endure from people. The colours are also even more vibrant than ever and there's still variety in the use of colours depending on the setting and atmosphere. The world also manages to expand with the new vegetation, new animals such as the wolf-spiders and even expansion on established elements such as the punch-monkeys having their own society and agenda. The score by Mark Mothersbaugh replaces the one from Alan Silvestri with only a few renditions of Silvestri's work used in the sequel. While Mothersbaugh's music works fine for the film and respective scenes, Silvestri does have more memorable themes and cues from the first film. However, the soundtrack almost blows Silvestri's offerings out of the park as the sequel manages to use a spaced amount of established and original songs. "I Think I Love You" by the Partridge Family is so well utilized to enforce Eep and Guy's teen romance and the end credits uses an awesome cover version of the song by "Tenacious D". The film also has an original rock song called "Feel the Thunder" during the climax that actually works so well that I legitimately thought it was an already existing song from a couple decades ago. Overall, it's no secret that first-time director, Joel Crawford, made the sequel his own and has quickly been promoted to save another sequel from developmental hell, "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish".

"The Croods: A New Age" is shockingly great, despite the first film's reputation and the sequel's production troubles. While the story is a bit unoriginal at times, Thunk is still a nothing character, and Motherbaugh's score isn't as memorable as Silvestri's contributions, that's all the flaws the sequel endured. The tone is unapologetically goofy and fast-paced, the comedy is extremely sharp with dozens of jokes offered left and right, Eep and Guy offer a cute and funny relationship thanks to the talented Stone and Reynolds, Grug is even better than ever with Cage being himself as always, Ugga and Gran have much more to do now than just being reactionary characters, Phil and Hope are fantastically overracted by Dinklage and Mann, Dawn is so innocent and wholesome thanks to Trans's performance, the animation has improved extremely thanks to the revamped character movements and expressions, the colours and world-building are built up upon, and the lyrical songs introduced use a familiar favourite and a catchy original that add to the personality of the film. If the mistakes were patched up, this would actually be a comedic masterpiece. As is though, it serves as a healthy reminder that Dreamworks is still able to produce great content, even if it comes from the most unexpected of projects.

Verdict: 8.5/10. An amazing sequel to an average Dreamworks film. Hopefully this does sets a new age for the once-glorious animation studio...

Zootopia (2016) Film Review: More Than Just Furry Bait...

 

I haven't exactly been enjoying Disney as of late. From "Star Wars" to Marvel and their live-action remakes, the company has been releasing some pretty mediocre films or even bad ones as of late, with Pixar still being the only studio that has made mostly fantastic films for the past few years. Even their own animation studios has slumped into a stage of laziness with bad sequels and underwhelming new IPs. With all of that said, there's still potential for the studio to win me back as their last great film was only released five years ago. Said film just so happens to become a cultural phenomenon and launched a new wave a furries at the same time. Judy Hopps has always dreamed of becoming a police officer in the mega-metropolis known as Zootopia, a city known for the wide diversity of animals of all shapes and sizes living together in one community. While she has achieved her dream job, she is disappointed for being forced as a meter maid because she's the first bunny cop in the force. When various cases of missing predators begin to pile, Judy puts her job on the line to prove that she can solve at least one of the cases with the help of a con-artist fox named Nick Wilde. Little do the two know that the case will dive into a larger conspiracy that is tied into the division of predator and prey. In terms of the detective storyline, the film actually does a reasonable job in keeping things a mystery with twists and turns for both kids and adults. However, the film didn't get its praise for just being a good detective story as it's the themes of racism and prejudice that really speaks for itself. It may seem a bit too heavy-handed and preachy, but considering how ignorant a ton of people can be, the movie does, for the most part, a fantastic job on depicting prejudice in a realistic matter. The only issue with tackling this heavy subject matter is that the ending feels a bit too happy and anti-climatic when it comes to making things go back to the status quo. The movie isn't all about the deep message and drama, as it's also an energetic comedy where the jokes land quite a bit thanks to the personality and animation of the characters. The only problem with the humour is that there's way too many puns involving animals for my liking and some of them don't even make sense half the time like the "Zuber" ad.

Judy, voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin, is one of Disney's best animated protagonists to date, which is thanks to the loveable personality and growth of the character. Quirks such as her range of expressions, taking pride in her meter maid position, fast-planning, and selflessness actually makes Judy a great animated role model of sorts along with Goodwin's perfect vocal performance. Nick, voiced by Jason Bateman, almost rivals Judy in the same department. From his snarky comebacks, his underestimation of Judy as a cop, and his usefulness in solving the case, Nick is just as prominent and loveable as Judy. The chemistry between Judy and Nick is also just perfect with the two constantly upping one another and growing to care for each other as friends, so much so that many fans would ship them(I'm not one of them). Aside from Judy and Nick, the rest of the film offers a large cast of side characters, both reoccurring and one-scene wonders. From Chief Bogo, Judy's brutish police captain, Benjamin Clawhauser, the fat, upbeat desk sergeant, Stu and Bonnie Hopps, the "supportive" parents of Judy, Lionheart, the mayor of Zootopia, Mr. Big, a mobster shrew who parodies "The Godfather", Flash, Nick's sloth friend who works at the DMV, and Gazelle, who is just Shakira as a gazelle. These characters alone barely scratch the surface of how many side characters there are. The only character to really go in depth about aside of Nick and Judy is Dawn Bellwether, the assistant mayor to Lionheart and the film's twist villain, voiced by Jenny Slate. While I do think Bellwether works fine as a villain in terms of the film's themes, the really late reveal makes her a bit hard to take seriously as a threat. Despite the lackluster twist villain, the large cast of memorable side characters and the fantastic lead duo of Judy and Nick gives the film, well, a lot of character.

Disney typically has two different types of animation in their movies. Depending on the film and tone, they are either more realistic in textures and character movement with a set colour palette or they are more cartoonish in design and movement while offering a more vivid colour palette. "Zootopia" is one of the more unique entries as even though the film is more on the comedic side and the characters are all anthropomorphic animals, the strong message and relatable characters offer a blend of both cartoony fun and maturity. This blend is also present in the animation. The first thing that grabs your attention is the city of Zootopia itself, which is both widely creative in design yet looks like a functioning world despite the various ecosystems and sizes of the various inhabitants. The designs are also a mix of hyper-realism and simplistic as the textures of each animal feels life-like withe the individual fur and cloth threads, yet the animals themselves are designed in a cartoonish way that makes them feel just enough like their real-life counterparts. The character animation switches back and forth on realistic and silly, depending if there's action involved. So, all of the characters have far more relaxed and somber movements, but can become zany and over-the-top if need be. The use of colours is also breath-taking as the world just glows with colour. Daytime is bright and yellow, while nighttime is atmospheric and somber. The colour also affects the mood of the characters as the light-hearted and comedic sequences are full of life while the slower and dramatic moments are subdued of colour or overcome with darkness. The score by Micheal Giacchino is by no means his best, but it's quite upbeat and loose. It's pretty good for the movie as a whole, it's just that Giacchino has made more recognizable music in the past. The original song by Shakira, "Try Everything", is honestly pretty nice to listen to. It fits both the artist and the film's identity nicely to a fault, even if it's no classic from the legendary artist. Overall, the animation is simply the perfect blend of fast-paced, cartoony animation and grounded, hyper-realism.

"Zootopia" manages to be one of my favourites from Disney for a large list of reasons. The story is engaging as a detective mystery, the boldness to tackle race and prejudice in a mature and accessible way, the charm and humour, Judy is one of, if not, the best protagonist in a Disney movie for various reasons, Nick is just as great as the rabbit's foil and partner, the chemistry between Judy and Nick is wholesome and hilarious, the large side cast are capable of stealing entire scenes due to their comedy or vocal performance, the vivid animation is brilliant with the blend of cartoonish and realism in terms of character animation and textures, and the score by Giacchino is good right alongside Shakira's single. The only issues the film carries is that the multitude of puns can be too much at times, Bellwether as the twist villain serves as a mixed bag in regards to the impact of the character in exchange for the message of the film, and the ending of the film in general eliminates the tension raised unrealistically quickly due to the majority of Disney films needing a super-happy ending. Despite the few missteps, this is as close to a masterpiece you can get from modern Disney and I just hope that the studio can just continue to make films on the same par rather than lazy sequels and uneven stand-alone features.

Verdict: 9/10. Almost perfection if the powerful themes resulted in a powerful ending. Still destined to be a modern classic in the medium.   

Iron Man (2008) Film Review: The Film That Crafted An Empire...

 

The MCU is a juggernaut in the film industry with more than twenty-three films and counting with no signs of slow-down. As much as I had my issues and concerns with the franchise, I will admit that there are a few films I do tend to go back to rewatch. One of these is the film that started it all. Tony Stark is the CEO of Stark Industries, a weapons contractor inherited from his deceased father. While Tony is a gifted inventor, he spends more time as a playboy celebrity than a responsible leader. When he gets kidnapped and threatened by a terrorist group known as the Ten Rings who demand for him to make a deadly missile, Tony builds a protective armoured suit to escape the facility and reach back to civilization. After the realization of Stark weapons being used by enemy forces across the world, Tony ceases all weapons development much to the dismay of his manager, Obadiah Stane. However, despite the executive decision, Tony continues to improve on his brand new invention in secret for his quest to save the people. The story is pretty good for an origin-centric film based on the character as plenty of things happen during the film in a reasonable pace. Aside from S.H.I.E.L.D, there's barely any plug-ins for future films and the stand-alone nature feels like a huge breath of fresh air in contrast to the franchise it would spawn. The tone establishes the "MCU formula" with a mix of seriousness and heavy doses of comedy. Although the comedy isn't as effective when compared to other films of the franchise, it works decently enough along with the more intense sequences of Tony's imprisonment by the terrorists.

Robert Downey Jr literally is Iron Man in every sense of the world. The washed-up actor became a A-list overnight thanks to his improve and characterization of Tony Stark by making him a snarky philanthropist who is a larger-than-life character and womanizer. He's the definition of a loveable asshole thanks both to Downey's performance and the arc given to the character. Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts is also really likeable as the personal assistant and love interest for Tony. Their chemistry is perfect in that they don't make it overly-romantic or cliched in that they make the two kiss or get together as their roles make the blossoming romance hard to achieve. Terence Howard as James Rhodes in his only film in the franchise is honestly pretty good as Tony's best friend. While I like Don Cheadle in the later films, he never felt natural in regards to Howard's laid-back performance. Jeff Bridges does a great job as Obadiah Stane, Tony's manager and father figure who wants to replicate Tony's suit. While Bridges is a talented actor and makes Obadiah a natural mentor and rival of Tony, the character itself gets hijacked to be more evil and over-the-top by the end of the film, which avoids the character from going down as one of the best villains of the franchise. The side cast is fairly minimal surprisingly. Shaun Toub as Yinsen is a nice dramatic role in the first act of the film, Paul Bettany is enjoyable as the A.I known as J.A.R.V.I.S and Clark Gregg makes his iconic debut as Agent Phil Coulson. Leslie Bibb's Christine Everhart is a pretty obnoxious character as the film continues to make her relevant after the scene she and Tony smashed. And then there's the Ten Rings terrorist organization. Completely unrelated to the Mandarin from the comics, the Ten Rings are now just basic Arabic terrorists that reflect the War on Terror era. While it works fair enough for the origin, it really dates the movie in depicting these people as evil bad guys. Overall, the cast is fairly strong with great performances all around with Downey clearly making his most defining role of his career in this debut.

Jon Favreau is one of Disney's most prized directors and from his various works, you can see why. His job on "Iron Man" however might be not only be his best, but his most unique to date. While a large majority of the MCU films will look and act more cinematic or polished, Favreau embraces the era the film was made in. The film feels fairly independent rather than a big-budget superhero film, instead looking like a spruced-up television series aesthetically. The film almost feels as if Tony was behind the camera in its presentation and mid-2000's angst. While the editing by Dan Lebenthal is pretty solid for the majority of the film, there are some questionable choices throughout the film. The movie begins with Tony being captured by the terrorists only to show what happened a few days ago anyway, almost as if they believe audiences aren't patient to see an explosion anymore then two minutes in the film. There are also some uncalled cuts and transitions, particularly the scene where Pepper first finds out about Tony's invention. The cinematography by Matthew Libatique fits accordingly to Favreau's aesthetic of the film by having this digital look and almost handheld aesthetic to the scenes where it feels like we are with Tony throughout the film. The music by Ramin Djawadi is all rock music and guitar strings to make Tony feel like a rock star. While a superhero theme attached to the character could have been appreciated, it's still a good choice for the movie along with various songs used throughout such as "Back in Black" by AC/DC and "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath. The visual effects hold up extremely well almost fifteen years later. Not only is it because the CGI is polished and detailed, but the suits presented were sometimes there. This was actually one of the last films Stan Winston worked on before he died, gifting the film to have physical suits Downey can wear in contrast to the CGI creations in later films. The action sequences are also pretty solid with the escape from the terrorists being a horror-esque scene of the terrorists unable to kill the armoured Tony, the use of the MKIII suit on the terrorists and aerial dogfight, and the climatic showdown between Tony and Obadiah in their respective suits. While the effects and action are engaging, the only issue is that they feel kind of short in regards to the runtime and pace. The action sequences lack a sense of adrenaline or momentum in a way in that they leave the viewer breathless in a way. So, although the action is enjoyable, it doesn't carry that wow factor future films or even previous superhero films have achieved. Then again, this could be all due to Favreau's direction of keeping things grounded and minimal by focusing on Tony as a character rather than the superhero spectacle. 

"Iron Man" is a fairly strong start to the juggernaut that is the MCU. While it has a few issues here and there from Obadiah's progression as the villain, some odd decisions given for Christine and the Ten Rings, the editing by Lebenthal and the action sequences lacking momentum, they barely dent the impervious quality of the film. The story is extremely well-paced for the most part, the tone is just a nice blend of comedy and the serious narrative, Downey is perfect as Tony, the chemistry between Tony and Pepper is very charming and fresh, the side cast is performed greatly by their respective actors, the camerawork by Libatique makes you feel up close and personal with the characters, the score by Djawadi is completely characteristic of the titular character, the CGI holds up like aged wine, the practical effects for the suits and arc reactor from Winston is a nice touch of old-style filmmaking in this franchise, the action sequences are still entertaining when put in a vacuum, and Favreau's directing style makes the unique choice of having the film feel like a product of its time and having a television show approach to the narrative and aesthetic. It's not the best from the respective franchise, but if given a rewrite and tone-up, it would almost be. I'm still surprised to enjoy the film as much as I did, even when I'm not a huge fan of the MCU.

Verdict: 8/10. Great superhero film by itself and one of the best in the MCU personally. Give it a rewatch and see how things were both simple and different back then for this franchise.