Clank_Zoka Reviews

Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024)

Pretty Good Fun But Not Quite Satisfying as a Kung Fu Panda Movie

[8/10 · 31 March 2024]

So... on Saturday I went to see the latest instalment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise "Kung Fu Panda 4", which features the returning voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Bryan Cranston and James Hong, along with Viola Davis and Awkwafina as new characters in this film, so before I start my review of this film, I should probably go over what I thought of the other Kung Fu Panda films, I grew up watching them and I really like them a lot!, they are super funny, beautiful to look at, emotional, action packed and with solid music and wonderful characters and voice acting, with the exception of 3 just being mostly quite good, the first two movies are quite flawless in their own right and I like them a lot!, so now we got number 4, which is a make or break at this point and so the movie was released earlier in the month and I heard it was good but fans weren't too pleased, but that didn't stop me from being excited and seeing it, so I went to see it and..... sorry KFP fans, I really enjoyed it, I found it to be pretty good, easily EASILY the weakest film of the franchise but I still had a fairly good time despite a few flaws that hold back this film from being great so let's talk about it!

Good things first off is the animation, it still looks just as spectacular as the previous films, still looking vibrant and stylised, it's not quite Puss in Boots 2 but it still remains the same looking animation but still fantastic and with new editions as huge standouts, the action and martial arts is creative and fun to watch as to be expected and the colours are certainly there!, the voice acting is once again top-notch, the characters we know and love are... no different but still their charming selves, the score by Hans Zimmer and Steve Mazzaro while not as good as the previous films' music is still nice and gets the energy going for the most part, the new characters weren't bad, I liked Zhan and the Chameleon they were decent characters that I enjoyed particularly from their vocal performances by Awkwafina and Viola Davis respectively, I did mainly chuckle and got a few laughs for the most part, it kept constant with the tone and energy for the most part, it was really nice to see these characters and this world again on the big screen after 8 years, it's lots of fun and I wasn't bored, I didn't checked my watch that much and I didn't wriggle about unlike a certain OTHER SEQUEL, it was a nice experience, maybe not as memorable as maybe the last movie but it was still good, it had a nice-ish conclusion that I did kind of like, plus the cover of "Baby One More Time" by Tenacious D is AWESOME!, absolutely love it!, they could do more covers because it's fantastic,

However!, there are flaws and a lot of people seem to point out, well not sure if everyone else has 'em but for me it's very VERY predictable like even before watching, I knew exactly what was going to happen, it follows the same format beat for beat and it's not hard to see why it doesn't standout like the previous films, it reminded me more of Cars 3 than anything else (Seriously think about it), while Zhen is a decent character, it's just another Awkwafina character that's kinda no different from other characters she voiced, she was good don't get me wrong but I'd prefer if we had the Furious Five once more because that would make more sense and then Zhen could join them or something?, but nope they are completely gone which is a shame but hey I wasn't completely bothered by it, Po and the rest of the previous characters are still good but don't add anything new of substance just... themselves, the inclusion of Tai Lung is interesting, hell even Lord Shen and Kai could've been better established here but... they feel like.. fan service and nothing else... I mean it's kinda cool to see them again?, but they contribute to almost nothing and really feels like a cop-out, plus while most of the humour work for me about 20% perfect didn't land or wasn't funny enough, the previous films at least balanced, humour, drama and action out nicely, this one does leave out drama which is what makes these films so memorable and super strong, the villain the Chameleon is decent and has a cool design and the animation on her is spectacular, she's just another villain but unlike the previous three, she does not have much of a connection to Po other than taking forms of previous masters, she was decent but nothing more than that, the Dads are fine but they contribute to almost nothing and could've easily been back at the Valley of Peace than follow Po, but those are the flaws I had with the film.

So despite how much of the film had quite a bit wrong going for it and how it could've been better established as a Kung Fu Panda movie with story, characters and conclusion could've been handled better, "Kung Fu Panda 4" is a pretty good, while yes it's the weakest of the films and less impactful, BUT.. I didn't mind it so much and I did have a fairly good time watching it, it has heart, humour (mostly), the great animation and characters we all know and love return and amazing music and action, everything else really doesn't come together as Kung Fu Panda movie and feels like they're doing it.. just because and cop-out at the very end with very not-so-special new characters I'll be honest, but just go in to have fun, even if you are a fan of Kung Fu Panda, just accept for what it is and I seen so much hatred for this film and even the director as well, I think it's a bit too far so chill out and just enjoy what you enjoy, maybe ignore the fourth film all together and stick with the first three?, I understand the disappointment and sharing so many opinions on it, but at the end of the day, it's gonna have it's fans so.. like what you like and let other people like what they like even if you don't like it, so yeah.... not a great movie but... pretty good, not sure the need for another film but maybe a series or short would make sense???, ehh skadoosh and all the rest of it, oh and by the way Mr. Beast cameo ruined the joke from Kung Fu Panda 3, if you know.., you know..

I'm going to be generous and give "Kung Fu Panda 4" a 8.2/10.

Home office (Hjemmekontor) (2023)

Fabulous Animated Short!!

[10/10 · 26 October 2023]

I saw this animated short called "Home Office" at the last day at Cambridge Film Festival and it's just wonderful!, really sweet and quite heartbreaking, probably one of the best shorts I seen at the festival let alone animated shorts.

It's has a difficult theme that's handled very maturely and with care, the animation is just beautifully crafted and full of wonderful style, it's really touching and has a charming look to it's visuals that really grabbed my attention, it's just magnificent, along with the soundtrack that's just beautiful and so easy on the ears, if you haven't go check out the soundtrack on YouTube, just search "Secret Guardian" on YouTube.

So yeah absolutely fantastic short that I was really engaged by it all the way through, check it out when and where you can, it's a must watch and I must applaud the filmmakers for their hard work and efforts.

I'm going to give Home Office a 10/10!

The Art Painting (2023)

Uniquely Strange If Not Slightly Original

[10/10 · 24 October 2023]

I saw this at Cambridge Film Festival today and it's definitely a interesting short that has a strange take on the arts and what it takes to become the best and release your full potential, it's quite a intriguing world and concept that's explored well enough.

It's a short that's better experienced if you watch it?, it's king of hard to explain, but it's unique enough to be interesting, it's well shot, it's quite creative, the acting is good for the most part with decent comedy and some fine editing here and there.

It's one of the best shorts I seen at the festival, it's definitely a very strong contender of a short and one I was quite engaged with it all the way through despite and I also do like the ending, so check it out if you get the chance.

I'm gonna give The Art Painting a 10/10.

Trolls Band Together (2023)

Fun Movie Overall But Kids Will Enjoy It More

[6/10 · 22 October 2023]

Well here we are.., another Trolls movie folks... as if DreamWorks' winning streak wasn't going to last, yeah.. so I went to watch Trolls: Band Together yesterday since I saw the first two trolls movies, also apparently the Trolls franchise is much bigger in the UK than anywhere else?, so this is why you're seeing a review of the film early if you live outside of Europe, bit strange really but anyways erm... the movie was... perfectly fine..

It's exactly what you're expecting from a Trolls movie, bright colours, funky characters and jukebox music to keep the little ones awake?.., yeah Trolls is not exactly Puss in Boots: The Last Wish now is it?, it's really just a colourful distraction for kids and I think it's fine it's not made for me but it is the best of the three films which isn't saying too much, I'll start with what I liked.

The animation is the best in all three movies, it's visually eye catching, it's creative and there are a few sequences that do use 2D animation and it's used well, there are some good laughs and some funny lines, the villains looked quite cool design wise, there's this hairy thingy that works for the villains called Crimp who is the best character in the movie and gets the best laughs with a unique design, good voice acting the soundtrack is pretty good and I enjoyed "Better Place" easily much better than "Can't Stop the Feeling" and that's it for positives, there's more good than bad so to speak.

While it plays out just as expected and I did enjoy most of it, the opening song and even the climax felt like just a generic kids film using the familiar formula, it's not bad but since it flowed rather nicely and felt like a fun movie, just had a rather meh opening and meh climax, the two Bergens from the first movie Gristle and Bridget are in this a fair bit and a kind of unnecessary except they're getting married but even so, they're just a plot device, at least they scale back the other main characters which I am thankful for but still, could've done with them since we had enough new characters that worked fine.

So yeah.. I think it's passable, definitely a improvement over the first two films but not by much really, it has the energy, creativity, fun and exciting catchy songs that work with some funny moments here and there, but at the end of the day, it's just playing it safe, not like Paw Patrol safe but mostly as to be expected, so... yeah, take the kids to see it they'll enjoy it more than anyone else, it's not made for me and I wouldn't say it's Puss in Boots 2 or Bad Guys, but this and Ruby Gillman proves that DreamWorks are going back to making basic kids films which is a shame, but hopefully they'll get back to making great stuff.

I'm going to give Trolls: Band Together a 6.9/10.

Freedom on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom (2022)

Beautiful, Heartbreaking and Special Documentary That's Quite Important

[10/10 · 8 September 2023]

I don't really have any words to describe how heartbreaking, devastating, and hard is it for these survivors, my heart goes out to them and to the brave soldiers of Ukraine.

Anyways this documentary is outstanding, the presentation is beautifully well handled, with each survivor/interviewee explaining this situation and how they think it's effecting Ukraine and how it really should be handled, I cannot express how disturbed, haunted and actually really scared I was when seeing all those poor souls who died or got severely injured, it's something that did not need to happen at all and watching this makes me hate You-Know-Know even more, this is really vile and evil what he is doing to these people.

But at least there's good people who are willing to help and protect the people from the Russians, bring food, drinks, blankets etc, the documentary truly shines when it doesn't shy away from the heavy imagery and the shocking sites of dead bodies and destroyed buildings and burned land, it's like it's saying "this is not movie, this is real life and this is what they are doing to it", it's truly harrowing how this is somewhat still going (as far as I know) and knowing that there is no sign of ending is just devastating.

Anyways the documentary is terrific, heartbreaking and powerfully scary in how the effects are impactful, truly incredible piece of film that I was truly effected by, I hope the people of Ukraine will get their victory and continue to fight for their country that they love and are proud to be from, I hope one day, it'll be their day to win.

It gets an easy 10/10.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

Big Film that left a Big Impact on Me!

[10/10 · 4 June 2023]

I love Into the Spider-Verse, it's one of my favourite animated films of all time, it was so impressive and very entertaining , so of course expectations are high with Across the Spider-Verse, I saw it yesterday in IMAX and.. I think I love it as much as Into the Spider-Verse, it not better, it was definitely a full blown experience that was worth every second of it.

It has everything that makes animation just special and unique, the big story, outstanding visual styles, gripping drama and amazing characters with funny comedy, I was engaged throughout the film and by the end, I did need to have a think about this unforgettable experience, since it left me with so much mixed emotions, laugher, tears, chills and even getting shocked in some places, it just shows how a sequel can be so much effective and big.

So yeah, love it, absolutely love it!, exactly the kind of film we need, it respects animation and cinema at it's best, the best film of the year and nothing can beat it I'm sure, go see it when you can, it's worth the big screen experience.

It deservedly gets 10/10.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

Disney Take Note!

[10/10 · 10 February 2023]

It's been a while since I reviewed something on here but since everyone is saying the say things about this particular film, I thought I'd quickly say my thoughts on the film, it was recently released in the UK last Friday and I managed to see on release date and... yeah I'm with everyone else, it's spectacular!

The animation is stylised and colourful!, the characters have good depth and are very entertaining while the new characters are highly memorable along with great voice acting!, the humour is back to it's old Shrek and is incredibly funny and makes good meta humour, the themes are quite mature and handled with great emotion and tension, the score by Heitor Pereira is simply his best and the songs are wonderful!, the story is gripping and executed perfectly with fantasy and fun!, it's incredibly epic in the scale and world, also there are some nice cameos and good Disney references and jokes too, always a plus.

Yeah, this is the best DreamWorks yet, best Shrek film since Shrek 2, it's perfect for all ages and better than anything Disney and Pixar put out recently with their rather average and forgettable films, this is how you do animation, it's films like this makes me miss just how fresh and new cinema can be and bring to new heights!, it's my favourite film of the year and animated film for that matter, also now being one of my favourite animated films of all time!, go check it when ya can, it's really worth watching on the big screen!, so apparently they are going to make a Shrek 5, in which it doesn't need to exist but if it's anything like Puss in Boots 2, than I am all for it, but especially I want more of this and Bad Guys, and less more of Boss Baby and Trolls (oh wait..), we need more stylised, mature and different animations than just the same cash grab sequels just for money.

I'm more than happy to give Puss in Boots: The Last Wish a 10/10.

Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)

Didn't Need to Exist, But It Surprisingly Wasn't a Waste of Time At All!

[8/10 · 3 July 2022]

Ahh Minions, remember them?, no?, well they still exist somehow, I don't mind them exactly and I enjoy the Despicable Me films for how charming, funny they are and the first Minions film is pretty okay and watchable at best so to speak, but I did not think we needed another one?, I think one film was enough, but I like most of Illumination's films enough so I guess I cannot judge too much really and I still like them enough, however it was delayed two years ago so I'll give them credit that they are still dedicated to cinema so at least there is that, so I went to go and see it yesterday in an almost packed cinema with no guys in suits and... I'll be darned I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun I had, oh flawed yes but way better then it had any right to be, so let's talk about it!

The first thing to say is that it felt so good to be in a almost crowded cinema and by the time the credits came on, the crowd actually applauded which is a very rare thing to see and do in a cinema, never had that in a while, anyways that was good but also the film had more interesting and entertaining elements to it to make it worth all the great laughs and enjoyment, first off it was legit funny from start to finish, of course not every funny moment was funny especially with the fart and toilet humour but most of the humour and jokes really hit spectacularly, it also helps that the characters are hilarious and really fun, I liked Wild Knuckles the most, he was interesting, hilarious and his relationship with Gru is quite sweet in a father/son bonding kind of way and it's rather nice, the minions are surprisingly not annoying at all which I am happy about and they are amusing especially the main three from the prequel and Otto, the Vicious 6 are pretty creative and hilarious, I like the cameo characters from the Despicable Me films and the voice acting is very well done as to be expected from everyone like Alan Arkin, Steve Carrell, Danny Trejo, Michelle Yeoh, Taraji P. Henson and of course Pierre Coffin, the animation is really nice and definitely the best looking from Illumination, it's legit pretty, colourful, full of style and creativity and it really works well, quite a great looking film on the big screen, along with a killer soundtrack and excellent score, the story is quite interesting and makes the references in the future films more apparent and quite cool, the third act battle is quite fun and ending is pretty good, it went in a direction that I didn't expect but knowing this film, it wouldn't go that far, I'll put it that way.

However as much fun as I had with this film, there are a few flaws I had with this that just bothered, besides the fact that it's toilet humour is just simply not funny in the slightest, I know it's for the target audience but still, also as cool as the cameos and references are, they kinda don't make a load of sentence and make the future films kinda weird, also the story does get tiresomely cliched by the third act break up, as fun as it got, I felt the running time towards the end and it got predictable, along with a few characters who could've been more established are just stuck to supporting characters or minor characters who have no purpose other then just to help other characters in the story.

So yeah.., I legit had a pretty good with this film, much MUCH better then Minions 1, but not quite as great as Despicable Me, but very VERY close, Minions: The Rise of Gru is a much more accurate prequel to the Despicable Me then Minions 1 with better humour, visual more interesting animation, great and fun characters, killer soundtrack, enjoyable story with nice cameos and references, but despite it's fun, it's still flawed with it's toilet humour and it's rather obvious third act cliches just make it feel like 90 minutes and references which don't make too much sense, but with that said, I was generally surprised by how much I had and it's generally one of the better Illumination films, not perfect but surprisingly way better then it had any right to be, if you have kids or if you are a fan of the little guys, check it out and have a good time, I hope it's the last Minions related movie we see since I think five movies is just enough, more would just over stay the welcome, but all I can say is that this was at least a film that is more of a Despicable Me film then Minions.

I'm going to give Minions: The Rise of Gru a 8/10.

Lightyear (2022)

Pretty Inoffensive and Perfectly Watchable But Nothing More Then That

[6/10 · 19 June 2022]

I am a huge Pixar fan of course, I like most of their films to a high standard like Inside Out, Up, Coco, Incredibles and more, there films are always just big classics for me!, nothing more then less!, however with Lightyear, it's quite interesting since it's a spin off film taking place within the same universe as Toy Story, it's the movie Andy watched and eventually got the toy that we all know and love, I dunno, it didn't seem like something that anyone asked for, but since it's actually now out in cinemas finally, of course I have to go and check it out surely, it must be good obviously, maybe?.., so I went to see it at the cinema (can't believe I just said that!!) and... unfortunately I found it to be quite ordinary, NOT terrible, just didn't emotionally engage me as the other Pixar classics, so let's talk about it.

The only positive elements I enjoyed from the movie are it's animation still shows that Pixar's animation is just dead gorgeous and shows how far they have come in the world of animation, it's unbelievable!, the designs, the atmosphere and the colours, it's all rather welcoming and it makes the environment very beautiful, I also like Sox (Peter Sohn) who is the only legit great character in the entire film, he has the best laughs and line deliveries in here which I really enjoyed, plus the voice acting is pretty solid acting with Chris Evans doing a decent enough job as Buzz and sounds close enough to Tim Allen, others like Keke Palmer, Taikia Waititi and Bill Hader are all great as always, the score by Michael Giacchino is fantastic and I love his music, there are individual scenes of cool action and big visual spectacles, along with a twist that I didn't see coming and was slightly interesting in a way, annnnd that's about it for positive things to say.

The big issue of the film is that it really doesn't feel or look like a Pixar film, it seems like a video game cinematic trailer then a movie, the story's twist which was interesting but then there isn't much else to it and they scrap it quickly, if it was revealed a little earlier then it could've work, as great as the animation is, it feels like a Disney animated film not a Pixar film, granted the last few Pixar films had some rather awkward designs but you do get used to them and they looked unique enough, here they're fine I guess but no different to what you see from Disney, which is distracting, also it's creatively lacking in new worlds and environments, it feels like they are in the same area that feels like Star Wars or something, nothing stands out or feels unique enough to be spectacular, the characters besides Sox aren't very interesting even the main character is the "protagonist on the mission who likes to do things alone turns out he needs goofy comic reliefs along way" and he's not as iconic or interesting compared to the actual Buzz, Izzy is secondary character who is related to some who Buzz knew and she's like every other bright hopeful rookie and Mo and Darby are the forgettable comic reliefs who aren't that funny and make the film kinda unbearable, finally a lot of the sequences that happen are quite standard Pixar stuff but not as emotionally engaging or as inventive as past Pixar films, so you just feel nothing as a result.

So yeah, Lightyear is not quality Pixar nor is it garbage, it's passable.., kinda, Lightyear is a very mild of the road film that doesn't surpass anything big or incredible to Pixar's work, it just does it job and then after watching it, you kinda forget about it, but it's better then Cars 2, Sox is great, the animation is mostly quality Pixar, the score is beautiful, there are a few interesting themes and a decent twist, but it has a huge miss opportunity to be a legit great stand alone film, it feels plain ordinary with it's weak writing, not very influential characters, it's not very funny at all and the whole film feels formulaic, so yeah..., it's not very good or bad, it's just... fine, kids will really enjoy it probably big nothing outstanding or grand will stand out, I sure hope the next film from Pixar will be much better then this.

I'm going to give Lightyear a 6.5/10.

The Bob's Burgers Movie (2022)

As Great as It Gets for a Bob's Burgers Movie But Not Quite Cinematic Enough

[9/10 · 29 May 2022]

I love the animated series of Bob's Burgers, probably one of my favourite American animated series, with it's dry awkward humour, likeable as heck characters, really odd animation that has a unique flair to the style, along with many relatable episodes and strangely enjoyable ones, I'd say it's waay funnier then like Family Guy and all that, definitely one of the best animated series that's still going strong, now we come to the movie, which was heavily delayed from 2020 to 2021, but now it's finally out and we can go and see it!, exciting!, so I went to see it yesterday and..., yeah I really liked it, gave me exaclty what I needed as a Bob's Burgers fan, but there are a few things that does need work, so let's talk about it.

What I like very much is that what we know and love about the show like the humour, characters and the art style all remains intact, which makes the film feel like how a film of the show would go, it's snapping on the constant humour which just gets funnier with every characters here, my favourite character was always Louise (Kristen Schaal), she's chaotic, adventurous and hilarious, in here she definitely has a arch when it comes to her hat which makes me like her even more and no, the results is not what you think it is, but still funny, the other characters are still great like the always unpredictably funny Gene (Eugene Mirman), the socially awkward Tina (Dan Mintz), the always uplifting and cheery Linda (John Roberts) and the down on his luck and often negative main character Bob (H. Jon Benjamin), the family still have their weird but slightly relatable family dynamics which makes them so likeable, the other major characters from the show are all still hilarious while always playing a key role to the big story like Mr. Fischoeder (Kevin Kline) and Teddy (Larry Murphy) along with a few cameo characters from previous episodes is always a treat, the animation is just as good as the show but with loads of 3D animation to make it blend in with the 2D animation which works fine, the characters still look the same but with actual smooth movements and big treat colours that gives the film a nice big screen look to the world of Bob's Burgers which I liked very much and it's also nice to see more 2D animation in cinemas once again, really gives the cinema experience a nice change, the story does play out like any other episode of the show but feels rather expended but works in it's own unique way that fans can get behind and the story works and is interesting enough to be movie worthy.. kind of, also this film is a musical, not much of a surprise since the show has songs in them but this one is a full blown musical and takes full advantage of it and makes the songs not only catchy but hilarious in the way that only the writers can make it, most of them are really solid.

However with that said, there are a few things that felt that it might need some work on, like example, as well crafted as the film is for a Bob's Burgers film, it feels kinda underwhelming as a cinematic films, films like The Simpsons Movie while feeling like a longer episode of the series felt very much cinematic and big in terms of story and sequences, this one feels quite short and not just from how much fun I had, but I dunno I thought there would of been more of a cinematic flair to it to make it stand out, but also there is actually a bit too much going and too many plots, as entertaining as they all were, the one with Tina trying to ask Jimmy Jr. To be her summer boyfriend could've been cut out and nothing would change, that and it doesn't quite go anyway, despite it being awkwardly funny, also there is a villain song which kinda dragged on a bit and also couldn't been cut down short.

But with that said, The Bob's Burgers Movie is the film we all definitely needed from the show and it's near perfect, despite the lack of cinematic flair and moments that felt either it dragged on or could've been cut despite too much going, but it is really a delightfully entertaining film that fans will love, with the amazing songs, the characters we all know and love, the animation that is just as good as the show and maybe even more so, good story and fun little plots that tie everything together nice while also staying true to the spirit of the show and being hilarious as ever!, if you are a fan of the show then definitely check it out, if not then give it a watch anyway, but I think non-fans might not get the humour of it all, but still go see it, way better then most films based off animated shows.

I'm going to give The Bob's Burgers Movie a 9.4/10.

Encanto (2021)

A Highly Imaginative But Very Short Disney FIlm

[6/10 · 2 May 2022]

(Original date of review 28/11/21)

Encanto is the new Disney which is finally out, it has songs by Lin-Manual Miranda, it's directed by Jared Bush, Byron Howard who worked on Bolt, Tangled and Zootropolis, this looks a lot more interesting then Raya and the Last Dragon despite how much i enjoyed that, so this shoud be a fun and creative but also interesting watch!, so i watched it yesterday and... i really liked it, a bit more then Raya but not without it's few to be expected flaws, so let's talk about it.

The animation as expected is fantastic and highly fun, it's bright, creative and well rendered, the characters have that great classic Disney look for 3-D, especially their magic that thy uese which is quite fun, the characters are quite fun and very understandable as you like each and every one of them equally, along with tremdous voice acting especially from Stephanie Beatriz and John Leguizamo, of course the songs from Miranda are cheery and catchy and the score is rather nice, but also very funny in it's speed and slapstick which all works rather nicely and dramatically works well with the story, i also like how there is no villain in the film, at first you'd think there is but actually no there isn't it, which is a nice change, the story is interesting enough and also quite deep and thoughtprovoking.

However there are a few flaws that did bother me a little, like the fact that the movie felt... short, yeah it goes by so quickly that i thought there would be a bit more to it, but it oes wrap up rather quickly, maybe it might be i enjoyed it or becauase it took place in one area, not sure but i thought it'd be longer, also the movie does get predicable and you can easily see what's gonna happen and the film sometimes go on for a little bit long with some scenes that i dunno should of been a bit shorter really.

Yeah i really had a great time with Encanto, it's imaginative, fun, hillarious, touching, it has fun characters, great songs and wildly colourful animation, but despite how short it felt and being predictable as ever, i wanted more out of it really but with what we got, it's good enough, it's no Zootropolis or Moana but better then Raya and big hero 6 at least so i reccommend this to families and to Disney who will defintley get something out of it to enjoy, so go and see it and have a magical time!.. or try to anyways.

I'm going to give Encanto a 8.5/10.

Ice Age: Scrat Tales (2022–2024)

The Final Blue Sky Project That Went Out with a Big Laugh!

[10/10 · 15 April 2022]

These shorts from Scrat Tales were the final projects of Blue Sky Studios before they shut down over a year ago, it's nothing special or like it's gonna blow away people but it's such a nice and sweet final out for our ol' pal Scrat.

The animation may not of be up to Blue Sky's standards, but it still looks tons better then Buck Wild!, it's smoother and nicer and the expressions are out of this world fun, it's still got the good slapstick and humour that works on all levels, along with a new character that Scrat interacts with who is very cute and funny too, the stories are ridiculous but that's how I wanted them to be.

But honestly there isn't much else to say but a perfect final project not just for Blue Sky but for Ice Age and it's a better ending then Collision Course and especially Buck Wild (Even though that's not from Blue Sky), check out these shorts if you are a fan of the franchise, it'll give ya a good smile and laugh, also check out what Scrat finally did when he got his acorn, it's very unexpected and he finally earns in 20 years, thank you Blue Sky for all the creative animation, memorable characters and fun stories, you guys will still be missed...

The Bad Guys (2022)

A Return to Form from DreamWorks!

[10/10 · 27 March 2022]

The new DreamWorks film seems very ambitious and something that I have never seen from them before, which is crazy, so it's based on the wonderful book series by Aaron Blabey, along with a all star cast and directed by Pierre Perifel who worked on the Bilby short from the studio, most of their recent films have either been fun or mediocre, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World was the last DreamWorks film that was amazing with everything else in between being just not as strong and even forgettable, but with this there's definitely a lot of hype surrounding this film from the way it looks and the wacky sense of humour and I am very excited about this, I did read a few of the book in preparation for this film, so I saw it yesterday at a early preview or "see it first" if you will and..... no joke, this is the best DreamWorks film in years, I'm not kidding, this is exactly what I wanted and this is what I missed about their writing and style, so let's talk about it!

The biggest praise I can give to this film is the animation is quite mind blowing (no pun intended), it seems to take inspiration from the likes of Spider-Verse, Mitchells Vs. The Machines, Zootropolis and even Captain Underpants too, it's stylistic, it's bright, fast, with so much great attention to detail, along with superb characters designs since the bad guys look so unique and expressive in all the right ways, it has the zany cartoon effects too, the animation really takes advantage of cell shading, but it also makes the characters stand out as being memorable and funny as well, all the characters are fantastic, I loved all of them my favourites would Be Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell) Mr. Snake (Marc Maron) Diane (Zazie Beetz) and Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayoade), even the minor characters one are funny as heck, but it's thanks to the cast who brings these characters to live in a unique way!, Sam Rockwell is just charming as Mr. Wolf, Richard Ayoade is always a pleasure hearing his voice in anything, the rest like Anthony Ramos, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson and more are all great and have distinct personalities, heck a lot of them are almost identical to the original source characters, the score by Daniel Pemberton is really outstanding in many ways by how cool and easy on the ears it is, of course he did the score for Spider-Verse so it makes sense to bring him to compose the music for this film, along with a soundtrack that I very much dig, the story maybe the same ol' villain might be hero story like Megamind or Despicable Me, but this at least tries to do it differently and even the conclusion is very satisfying!, so the filmmaking with this story is incredible, this film is the definition of laugh out loud, every moment and joke was funny, even the toilet humour was unique and purposeful to stand out and actually be funny, while also having a nice heart to it, I mean the bad guys are doing good after all, along with a few good twists even the ones you know will eventually come, the action is incredible and so much fun to watch along with creativity also, it's what anyone would want in a film like this!, although with a few changes, it still keeps some elements of the book afloat which is really nice with some nice references too.

Guys what else can I say but this is nothing short of fantastic, the Bad Guys is the best DreamWorks film in a looooong time, it's definitely return to form in terms of well-written DreamWorks films!, it's stylistic, hilarious, new, unique, fun, visually wonderful and captures the spirit of the book rather well while bringing new elements to the world of the Bad Guys that'll make it more and more unique, along with excellent music and a strong cast of characters, I don't have any complaints at all, it's a perfect film for the family to watch, if you are a fan of the studio, see it today since it's early previews in the UK are still going or next week when it officially hits UK cinemas over here very soon, some of the other countries will have a wait a bit longer but it'll be worth it in the end, this is my favourite animated film of the year and one of the best films of the year also!, I'm happy to see a DreamWorks film that isn't in any way mediocre or boring, I loved this film so that I hope to see more of this and not more sequels, also Trolls related media.

I'm happy to give The Bad Guys a 10/10!

The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild (2022)

Awful in Every Conceivable Way

[1/10 · 26 March 2022]

So..., Ice Age is still a thing..., even without Blue Sky, it feels weird, so this new film is now... literally a Disney property, like even more so, it doesn't feel like it, for one 99% of the cast don't return, the animation is being sourced elsewhere and it has Disney's logo at the start of it!, what has the world come to?, it came out yesterday in the UK on Disney Plus, dunno why we had to wait that long but I'm not complaining and.... yeah, it's bad, like WOW!, it's soo lame, definitely the lowest of the Ice Age films, so let's talk about it.

Okay so a few positive notes is that at least Simon Pegg is the only one to return and seeing that he is one of my favourite actors, it's great to hear his voice coming out of that weasel again and Buck is still enjoyably goofy as usual, I like the opening which actually acknowledges the first film for once, in fact the replacement actors do try to sound like the original and while not all of them succeed, some of them do sound close, so I'll give them that, i did get one big laugh in the film and JUST ONE, I like the score fine even if it re uses some of John Powell's themes from before and... that's it for good things about this film...

This film should of been great, since I always wanted a Buck movie with just him and new characters in it, if Blue Sky wasn't shut down, the animation would be more spectacular and it would be fun, forget the original Ice Age characters and just focus on the weasel, but nope, it just had to include Crash and Eddie again?, who are just as annoying as ever, even all the characters excluding Buck are all unfunny and one dimenional, even the villain is generic, the animation is the definition of a cheap downgrade, why couldn't Disney animate it in their usual way with the big 3-D animations!, but no it's tacky, inconsistent and looks like TV animation and not in a good way, the story is predictably boring and you just don't care anymore, even the action is poorly executed, the conclusion didn't feel satisfying and there was moments of cringe where someone said "Über" and someone dabbed..., it just doesn't learn does it?, even Collision Course didn't stoop this low and that's reeeaaallly saying something.

So yeah, I hate HATE this film, this should of been great, but it just... wasn't, it's boring, unfunny, unimaginative, cheap as hell, generic and feels unsatisfyingly disappointing, the writing, the characters are all unbelievable dull, besides Buck being himself with yet another great Pegg performance, one good line that made me laugh, cast that do sound close-ish to the original and the passable score, there's nothing to be remembered from this, just avoid it, worst Ice Age as of yet, even worse then Collision Course which is saying a lot!, stick to the other films even though they are not all great, but they get the job done, heck the first film has just 20 this year, re-watch that great animation classic!, just avoid this..., this should of been amazing, but I did not get any of the sort, so umm.., go Buck yourself film!

This rubbish gets a 1/10.

Turning Red (2022)

Not a Pixar Classic But Still Has a Lot of Heart!

[7/10 · 18 March 2022]

The new Pixar film is here (unfortunately not in cinemas) and being me, I'll check it out no matter what!, directed by Domee Shi who directed the Oscar winning short "Bao", which I found it to be the strangest short from Pixar, anyways this film looks pretty cute and could be creative, I kinda like the concept of it and this could be a nice heartwarming Pixar film, like most of their films, so it's on Disney Plus now and I gave it a watch and..., well it's not great or like a classic, but still has the same Pixar traits and charm that makes this film worth a while.

This is definitely a heartwarming film, especially the fact that Meilin (Rosalie Chiang) has her amazing three friends that she gets along with and her mother Ming (Sandra Oh), it definitely is relatable since Mei-Mei is going through a lot like wanting to see her favourite Boyband in town, but like lots of parents, they are in denial about that, so the child will be upset about that, but in this case, Ming is doing it for a good reason, but well... Mei-Mei gets turned into a Red Panda and I like the animation on her when she is turned into one, it's expressive and nicely designed, I love it, even the animation as a whole is... nice, the designs of the humans I'm still a bit iffy about but they are fast, nice enough to stand out and be different, which I like, I do like the city in Toronto, it's very nicely animated and bright, even with a few nods to anime which is cool, even the characters are really likeable and highly memorable with great voice work, along with 2000's nostalgia esc songs and a lovely score by Ludwig Göransson, the good sense of humour also helps with the feature too as it is rather loud and expressive which I quite like, the story is decent and has a good moral to it which anyone can relate to, i do like Pixar tries to add new elements to this story and the to movie as a whole still making it relatable but also creative and different, I do like the third act which is both epic and touching, along with a nice conclusion.

However there are just a few things that did bother me, like the concept of the movie has kinda been done lots of times before, but this one at least tried to stand out, but also sometimes it's weird humour does make the film a bit loud and annoying at times and I'm not a fan of the whole "someone hides something by acting very suspicious, so the person goes away", happens a bit too much in this film I think and once again, I'm a bit off put by the round head and big smiles in the characters, they look too much like Luca characters or from Steven Universe or The Amazing World of Gumball, it's a bit creepy.

But with all that, this is a pretty good film from Pixar, not a masterpiece or a classic, but better then a lot of their mediocre trash, it has the same elements that we expected from Pixar, it has the nice and creative animation, it's hilarious, it's got a very nice heart and relatability, likeable as heck characters with good voice work, a decent story and a lots of good music, but since the animation style is a bit off and sometimes it's humour and how it can be predictable, but even with all that, it's a solid film that I think fans will really enjoy and get into, I know I did, I hope the same can be said about the next feature...

I'm going to give Turning Red a 7.4/10.

Sing 2 (2021)

No Different from Any Other Illumination Movie, But I'd Be Lying If I Said I Really Like it More Then I Thought

[8/10 · 30 January 2022]

Sing 1 was a good movie, not great or amazing as people treat it, but it was a visual spectacle that had fun, heart and good singing from the cast, so it's definitely no Despicable Me, but it's enjoyable at least, so... was there really need for a sequel?, I personally don't think so but yet here it is, most of the original cast comes back, Garth Jennings is once again directing and it just got released in the UK on Friday, so I went to go and see it yesterday with very low expectations and..., it was surprisingly pretty good, no masterpiece but I had a good time with the film, so let's talk about it.

The animation is quite spectacular, it's very bright, colourful and full of visual spectacle that I enjoy, the new characters look quite cool like Calloway (Bono) and Crystal (Bobby Cannavale), it's very expressive and they move in their great unique way, the old characters still have strong designs and textures to 'em, it's one of the better looking Illumination movies in my mind, my favourite characters in the film are Nooshy (Letitia Wright), Crystal, Calloway, Klaus (Adam Buxton), Johnny (Taron Egerton) and Meena (Tori Kelly), they are all memorable, fun, funny and rather unique to me thanks to the great voice acting!, also this is definitely a pretty funny enough movie that I think people will have a good time getting some good laughs out of, there aren't like any cleaver jokes or cool background gags, but there are enough things in it that do work for me that it did leave me with a smile on my face, I also like the third act when it actually gets really fun and colourful in that Nativity! (2009) kind of way, I also like the songs they have chosen for this and the cast sing 'em really well in that feel good way, it's also rather engaging and even a bit intense especially with Crystal always on Buster Moon's (Matthew McConaughey) tail and what he'll do to him, so it's got conflict that's interesting and different enough, it's actually a bit touching when you know more about Calloway and it makes him a sympathetic, tragic character that many people will really like and Jody Talbot's score is very nice.

However with that said, it's still a Illumination movie, so there are flaws like.., so many of 'em, like Darius (Eric Andre), Afonso (Pherrell Williams) who are kinda there and both are not that memorable, Darius could of easily been cut out, Afonso is basically the love interest for Meena which is cute but he's barley in it, actually some characters could of easily been cut out, heck some of the characters from the first movie don't return like Eddie and Mike, which would of been nice to see him back but the only one who did come back is Nana (Jennifer Saunders) and even she isn't much to the story, same problem with Sing 1 is there is too much going on which also could of been cut out as well, like Rosita (Reese Witherspoon) getting over her fear of heights could of easily been cut out since it doesn't go on for very long, some of the stories in here could of worked better as different movie like with Johnny's story and maybe include Crystal in it like the first movie with Johnny's story and Mike and the Bears, that would of so cool to include Nooshy in the sequel as a secondary main character, but no it's all cluttered up with everything else going on, also some of the characters from the first movie kinda get worse?, Buster Moon may still be highly optimistic but is still kind of a horrible person who lies, granted the lie doesn't go on for too long here but he's still just kid of unlikeable, Gunter (Nick Kroll) and Mrs Crawley (Garth Jennings) are funny for the most part but again contribute to not a whole lot, despite the funny humour, sometimes it does get a bit annoying and goes on for too long, the film has been advertising this as being mostly about Calloway but he's in only in it for like six seven minutes?, so I wish he was in it more, lastly this company loves it's trailers spoiling the whole movie, which doesn't help that you know what's going to happen anyway so that doesn't help entirely with this film at hand.

So yeah, I was pleasantly surprised by this film, waaay better then I thought, it better written, the animation reaches it's full potential, the new characters and cast are tons of fun, it's entertaining and funny, touching, with great singing and all around vibrant third act that makes this film almost great, and I do mean almost, if it wasn't for too many things going on, Buster Moon's overly optimistic tone and being a bit mean, a cliched story and annoying humour at times, along with some characters who could of been cut from the movie, then this could be one of the few great Illumination films, it's no Despicable Me 1 & 2, but better then most of their movies in which I like, but this one did stand out a bit more and it is much better then the first movie, so if you love the first movie then I don't think you'll have a problem enjoying this, but if you absolutely hate Illumination, then you'll just get annoyed by this, so I'm happy this is actually pretty good, one of the better films from the company, I don't know if I can say the same about what they have lined up next for this year, but that's a story for another time.

I'm going to give Sing 2 a 8.4/10.

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (2022)

It Really Overstayed It's Welcome Waaay Too Much

[5/10 · 14 January 2022]

I didn't think we needed another movie in this ongoing franchise, but yet here we are, this is the first movie not directed by Genndy Tartakovsky despite still being involved in it in creating the story and screenplay, Adam Sandler and Kevin James are not in it for some reason, it got delayed more then once and well..., it's on Prime IN JANUARY, isn't it supposed to be a Halloween movie or something?, i dunno anyways it's out now and i just want to get it over with, i watched it earlier and... yeah it's not good, definitely the worst of all the movies in the series, but not awful or completely terrible, yet still mediocre, so let's talk about it.

The biggest problem of the movie is that it's annoying and i think with everything!, the writing, the comedy, the animation, even the voice acting too, it just lost the charm and the fun of the other films and has just become a rather ordinary mediocre movie with not much laughs and being predicable as all heck, it's not super original although the idea is kinda interesting but even that doesn't really go anywhere fun, it's just Johnny turning into a monster, which looks cool but that's about it, the characters are either annoying or are only there for being a comic even the conclusion doesn't feel earnt and felt very rushed, it also gets cringey with rather old songs that aren't even a thing really, even the score by the talented Mark Mothersbaugh isn't very memorable.

With that said, it does have a few things that i kinda liked, despite how overly cartoony it is, the animation is still bright and expressive while also creative that is still nice to look at, despite the bad humour i did laugh a few times, the third act was a bit interesting, Van Helsing is still funny and even Brian Hull does a almost spot on impression of Sandler's Drac, along with the actor who replaces James as Frank.

But despite the good elements, it's still a rather mediocre and annoying movie at best, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania didn't need to exist in any way, it's lost the charm, it's not very funny, the animation cartoony slapstick gets old and tiresome, even the loudness gives you a headache, along with obnoxious characters and even loud acting, but with nice animation and some enjoyment from the comedy and Van-Helsing, even with Brian Hull's great Drac voice, it's not awful from Sony, but in terms of the Hotel Transylvania, it's worst one, if you like the other films, watch it i guess but don't expect great things from it, so I'm glad this series has finished, another one would be too much, hell this would of worked as a short feature, but now that it's over, we can put this franchise to rest, for now.

I'm going to give this unneeded sequel a 5/10.

Ron's Gone Wrong (2021)

A Good Start for LockSmith Animation

[7/10 · 16 October 2021]

So this is very interesting, there is a recent animation studio that goes by the name of LockSmith Animation, founded by Sarah Smith who directed Arthur Christmas, so this is should be a good film to start off this studio and see what they are capable of, this just came out yesterday in the UK and I got a chance to see it today with high hopes! And..., yeah it was good, a good film that is indeed a good start, but not without a few minor complaints, so let's talk about it.

First off the animation is quite impressive, there is a certain style and colour to it that looks rather extraordinary, the characters have a distinct cartoony design to them that I quite admire, the textures are nicely rendered, the B*Bots are wildly creative in how they look and move, it's very impressive and quite imaginative, I like the music too especially Henry Jackman's score and the song Sunshine by Liam Payne, the characters are easy to like even if they are cliched stereotypes, especially Ron (Zach Galifianakis) who is lovable and Barney (Jack Dylan Grazer) who is relatable in every way, thanks to the very solid voice acting, they carry the comedy and the drama rather well also, the story does have it's good heart and even stronger comedy, with also sweet moments that are quite admirable like i was surprised by how funny this film was, the film does get even more interesting and the steaks get bigger as it goes along, I like the ending a lot as it does fulfil the film's concept and message.

However there are a couple of things that are as wrong as Ron, like the movie has quite the cliches in it's story and it's quite predictable for the most part, that and the animation looks very similar to something like Arthur Christmas (hence Sarah Smith's involvement) heck Barney looks like him and Andrew (Rob Delaney) looked like Steve and Ron looked like Baymax, it also looks similar to Mitchells Vs. The Machines not just because of Olivia Colman's Involvement, the bully character can be annoying at times, also there are a few moments of very poor attempts to make fart jokes funny and it still doesn't work, I don't get it..., it's not very funny.

So yeah I did enjoy this movie for quite a bit and it was a good start for this animation studio, Ron's Gone Wrong is a enjoyable family animated feature that anyone can watch of any age, with it's impressive animation, a nice heart and message, a decently written story, likeable enough characters, very good voice acting, great comedy and a cool concept, but the silly moments of toilet humour, as to be expected cliches and easy to predict story doesn't give this film quite the magnum opus that LockSmith needs in a way, it's still a good animated movie that I can see everyone enjoying and remembering, but hey it's not perfect, so check it out when it comes out in the US, I certainly wish the best of luck to Locksmith for more potentially great animated features in the future!

I'm going to give Ron's Gone Wrong a 7.9/10.

The Addams Family 2 (2021)

Did Not Do a Thing For Me... Like At All..

[2/10 · 9 October 2021]

Okay, I am not too familiar with Addams Family that much, I have only seen the 2019 animated movie and it was... meh, very bland, boring, unfunny and just average as heck, the animation is fine, I did laugh a few times and got some enjoyment and the voice acting is really good, but it didn't convince me that the family are word and kooky in a good way, but now we have... *sighs* a sequel.., how original and it's a road trip movie too...., okay, so I saw it today since it came out yesterday in UK and..., it was awwwwful, really boring and pretty lifeless which left no impact on me at all, so let's talk about it.

The story is hugely problematic, it seems to have more then one plot, one is Wednesday (Chloë Grace Moretz) seeing if she is not an actual Addams and if her father is actually Cyrus Strange (Bill Hader), the other is Pugsley (Javon Walton) trying to find love with help from Fester (Nick Kroll) while Gomez (Oscar Isaac) and Morticia (Charlize Theron) enjoy their road trip and keep Wednesday from finding out about Strange, yeah you know how this'll end..., this is the most boring, average and cliched story you can imagine, what's worse is that you know the lesson in the end and it's so obvious, even if the story changes at the third act, it's also not very funny at all, I only got fo laughs and mainly chuckles, but a lot of it is cringey and painful to sit through, even with a few semi-entertainment moments, it's just annoying, loud and pointless moments, even with Strange's reason of wanting Wednesday is dumb, like super dumb, the animation looks no different from the first movie, not awful but very ugly (not the fun kind, the unintentional kind) and very bland to look at, it's very basic animation and it reminded me too much of Hotel Transylvania (and in some cases made me wish I was watching that instead...), the characters are annoying and just did nothing for me at all, even though Strange is a bit more interesting then the villain from the first movie, he's still stupid and dumb for his reasons..., along with a underwhelming score by Mychael and Jeff Danna who are usually making incredible scores, this is not one of their best, hell the song choices are obviously and pandering....

However there are just a few things that are just okay, the animation is decent with it's kooky look and cartoony style, Thing, Lurch and Fester did make me chuckle a little, but the voice actors do the best they could and they all do a great job especially Bill Hader and Oscar Isaac, I did find the third act a bit and I repeat a BIT interesting but since the writing isn't that great, it lost me at it's logic..., but that's as good as it gets.

Yeah, I kinda hate this movie and that's coming from someone who found the first movie boring and forgettable, this is 10 times worse, Addams Family 2 is a example of a sequel done poorly, with it's weak and dumb writing, painful modern humour, a story you don't care about along with the same ugly animation and enjoy less characters, even the music is underwhelming, even if the animation is okay looking, the voice acting is very good and I laughed a little, it's just too dumb and rubbish for me to appreciate it, oh who am I kidding I don't see anyone enjoying this, but if you like the family or the first movie then...., go watch it?, kids might like but might be a snooze fest for the adults, just skip it as my recommendation, I'm sure anything else other then the two animated movies are better, but hey I don't know that for sure, but I do know how to be bored by the family and these movie prove that!.

I'm giving this hot rubbish of a film a 2.6/10.

PAW Patrol: The Movie (2021)

Really Good Children's Film, But a Rather Decent-ish/Medicore Family Film

[6/10 · 22 August 2021]

I'm going to put it out there, I have never seen Paw Patrol since I am not a toddler which is ironic since I used to watch a lot of kid shows, but Paw Patrol is quite recent and it's very big let me tell ya, like Peppa Pig only not as annoying or in ya face, I suppose, so I think a movie is definitely needed, about time too, I seen the trailer and the screenshots and to be honest it looks pretty cute and could be a nice little movie for the young ones, so I saw it yesterday after it got released in the US a few days ago, but it was out in the UK for about two weeks now?, I know crazy..., and... it was alright, yeah it's a cute, nice, visually pleasing and a watchable animated film for the kiddies even if it's not good or above great, so let's about it.

The biggest praise I can give the movie is the animation is fantastic, it's very pretty and full of style and design, compared to the show, it looks ten times better, it's no Rango or the third SpongeBob movie in terms of Nickelodeon Movies animation, heck at times it reminded me a lot of Wonder Park in terms of some of the designs of the humans, but it's still a very pretty and nicely animated movie none the less, it also has very likeable characters that are not hatable, the pups are alright I like Chase and Skye the most, the villains are quite funny and has some personality, heck this film had some surprisingly funny moments that caught me off guard at time, the story is very simple for kids to follow and it has a epic but also a heartfelt tone to it which I kinda liked, along with a nice score by Hector Pereira and a great song near the end "Good Mood"! Along with a nice heart that leave viewers with a nice smile like I did, which is quite sweet.

However despite the positives, there are things that I both didn't like or couldn't get into, first off I did laugh about six or seven times, however most of the time it felt like the characters laugh at everything that happens, like if someone falls over or knocks something over, they start to giggle or laugh so the kids know when to laugh and all that, which I get but makes not a lot of sense but it's not much compared to the funny stuff, also I dunno if I'm only who notices this but the UK dub of this movie sounds very underwhelming compared to the other original, like it just sounds like any lifeless kiddie show voice acting, it doesn't help that the UK celebrities that have small cameos I. E Katie Price and Roman Keating are just there so parents will recognise their voices, as for the other well known celebrities like Dax Shepard, Randell Park, Tyler Perry, Jimmy Kimmel and even Kim Kardashian although they are fine in here, they sound quite bored and just want to get it all done and over with really, Chase can sometimes be a too whiny in terms of his character development, Ryder and the PAW Patrol and now that I think about it, the characters in general are all forgettable even if some of them are entertaining, also the story is exactly how you think it'll be in the end, it's a kiddie movie so there's no surprises about this movie that'll change anything for better or for worst.

Okay, I'll say this, for a kids movie, I think they'll enjoy it more then adults, as a family movie, it's kinda decent if so mediocre, Paw Patrol: The Movie is a harmless distraction kind of a movie that has really nice animation, a good heart, likeable characters, okay comedy at best, a simple story that didn't bore me at all and some very good music, but since it's a kids movie, it's too simple to the point of being very predictable and sometimes the humour plays it too safe to be funny, even with the characters being unmemorable and some rather stale but okay voice acting, if you want a complete safe piece of fluff that kids can enjoy without any worry then this isn't a bad one to watch with them, this isn't high standards for Nickelodeon Movies, it's not Rango, it's better then Monsters, but The Loud House Movie is better then this, so not a good movie but one that I can say that I didn't mind so much and it did leave me smiling after it finished so I don't regret watching it, I just don't think I'll watch it again.

I'm going to give Paw Patrol: The Movie a 6.4/10.

The Loud House Movie (2021)

A Few Years Too Late But Hey It Did It's Job Well!

[2/10 · 21 August 2021]

I used to watch The Loud House quite a bit back in the day, however I only watched all of season 1 and only a bit of season 2, but I still really liked and it was one of the better NickToons of the time, nowadays i haven't catched up with the show and I dunno much about what's going on, except with the controversy with it's creator and that spin off show too, now a movie in 2021 I think is a few years too late since I dunno if the show is still a thing at all, but a movie is definitely what the show needed anyways, so it finally came to Netflix with all it's loud and Scottishness and..., yeah I really liked it, it's a great film for a Loud House fan like me and even non fans, but I'd admit it's not quite the perfect film for the series, so let's talk about it.

I liked the story and what it ended up being, it's quite simple but still has that traditional Loud House style of humour and slapstick along with a different style of story telling that's cartoony in all the right places, it's also very funny with big lines and unexpected phrases that legit works, I really liked the opening too, sure it's the typical how did they meet and when did it all started kinda of a thing, but it's nice fan service and it's very sweet, the animation still contains the great visuals of the show while also adding new stuff in it like a bit of 3-D animation while also going to new locations like Scotland which looks outstanding along with wonderful lighting and a unique style that works well enough for a feature film!, along with the characters we know from the show who are all extremely funny, likeable and still have their distinct personality that works and are nice to Lincoln when he tries to help out, Leni being my favourite sister of them all, I dunno her sense of humour and personality really clicks with me, hell even Lincoln is quite relatable in trying to find what he is good at, along with two new additional characters who are delightful!, Angus (David Tennant) and Morag (Michelle Gomez) who steal the show with one who has great heart and one who is obviously the main villain ness, along with a fantastic with every song being catchy as heck and spectacular voice acting especially from Mr. Tennant!.

However there are still a few things that keep this away from being the most perfect Loud House movie, as good as the story can be, it's still predictable and quite cliched, which can make you guess exactly what will happen and sometimes the humour doesn't always land as it should and Bobby who is Lori's boyfriend is completely pointless even though he was in it for a funny reason, but he's not a bad addition in this, but he could of been in it more.

So the Loud House Movie is like the My Little Pony Movie (2017), it's a film that fans needed and it's one we wanted, it has our favourite characters in a new area with the same yet still hilarious humour, the stylistic and great animation, catchy and awesome songs, a good story that has at it's core a nice heart, but it's still a movie so it will be predictable, not always land a good joke despite it's sharp and quick gags, but still a great movie if you are a fan of the series or not, new comers will really get a kick of the wonderful sense of humour and the big visuals and fans I think will adore it, so go and check it out when ya can, it's not perfect but a great enough movie for the series, it's a film you can watch proud but also LOUD!

I'm giving the Loud House Movie a 8.1/10.

Vivo (I) (2021)

A Sweet and Charming Movie, Nothing More, Nothing Less

[7/10 · 7 August 2021]

So, new Sony animated movie is here on Netflix with music by and starring Lin-Manuel Miranda and the trailers for this movie looked super duper promising!, which I am very excited about, looks bright, colourful and looks like it'll have super catchy songs!, this is also the first musical from Sony Pictures Animation, which makes this even movie excited!, Sony seems to be on a roll this year after the highly engaging Mitchells vs the Machines, so it came to Netflix yesterday and I watched it yesterday and..., it was pretty good, not a masterpiece nothing that is a high achievement for Sony but still sweet and has a good heart so let's talk about it.

The story is simple but it works in a effective, the theme is about loss and also family, which this film handles in a very mature and I like that, the opening to this movie is fantastic and ends strong too, it also has some wonderful musical moments which lots of lively passion and big colours which I love, speaking of which the animation is stellar compared to the last film they released, it has lots of amazing detail, the characters almost have that Pixar quality especially the characters like Andrés, the characters are all uniquely designed and interesting, the backgrounds have great detail and capture the look of Cuba very well, the 2-D animation is also spectacular and kinda reminds me of Soul a little bit, the characters are fun and are charming especially the main character who is pretty cute and can bring in some good laughs, I like Andrés too who I thought should of been in the film longer but his screen presence was lovely and I also liked Marta too, voice acting is well done on everyone's behalf, Miranda does a good job as always, even Michael Rooker's small role is delightful and at least it was slightly longer then the Suicide Squad, Zoe Saldana also, everyone does great!, the music is delightful, most of the songs are catchy, highly memorable and fun!.

However like I said, this movie is not perfect, the story is well told but goes by too quickly and feels rather short, which is a good thing in a way, but also feels like there could of been more potential if it was longer but it does get to the point in a nice way I suppose, Gabi is a bit annoying mostly but not awful, she is performed well and she identifies with Vivo in which they both have something in common, the comedy after the great opening didn't do much for me, I laughed maybe three times but nothing else does it besides being modern and kinda cringey, some characters appear and leave quickly which is a shame because some of them are kinda cool, also some of the songs although mixing traditional and modern quite well can be a bit too much and all over the place really, but hey the music generally is very good.

So yeah, I liked the movie, I wish I loved but ehh, it could of been better, Vivo is a very charming, sweet, fun little family movie that has wonderful animation, great songs, charming characters, a wonderful opening and a beautiful ending, a good enough story with a nice heart to it and so decent comedy too, but despite how quick the film goes and gives little to other minor characters and comedy goes a bit cringey, especially to Gabi who isn't awful, some loud songs but not in a good way, so yeah not a perfect Sony animated movie like Mitchells vs the Machines but better then Wish Dragon at least, so give it a watch with the family of if you are a fan of Miranda work's then you'll get something out of it, I wish it was better but I did have a nice time with it at least!.

I'll give Vivo a 7.8/10.

Spirit Untamed (2021)

Who Asked for This?

[3/10 · 31 July 2021]

I liked the first Spirit movie, it has a unique story, beautiful animation and memorable characters, a very underrated DreamWorks film I must say, but who asked for a 3D animated movie?, even if it's related the show, it came out in the UK yesterday and I gave it a watch and... yeah..., it was boring.., super bland and forgettable...

The film has nothing new or original, it's the same old saving the animals from villain with a parent who won't listen and main character want to explore instead of following family tradition, it's predictable to the point that you can guess within the first few minutes and you can connect the dots, it's exactly that, it's not a funny movie at all, I didn't smile once or anything, it's that rubbish, the characters are designed blandly and don't stand out, they are quite boring with no personality and memorable lines, even the voice acting feels phoned in and the cast sound tired along with a basic bland and forgettable animation that has nothing worth remembering from DreamWorks, also I was bored incase you couldn't tell...

However there was a couple of things I can say positively, even though it's not funny at all, I did laugh once and I liked the nice bonding of Lucky & Spirit, that was okay, despite how basic and bland It looks, the animation is legit pretty to look at and Spirit looks good in 3D animation, so at least it's visually pleasant at best, along with decent voicing acting with Jake Gyllenhaal and Walton Goggins giving out their best performance here.

But yeah, I didn't like it, not the worst DreamWorks film but it's close, so I even need to say?, boring story, tiresome acting, forgettable animation and just dumb characters, this film might be fine for kids but boy is it boring, even with pretty animation and a okay bonding scene, it's still not a good film, far from it, almost as bad as Shark Tale, but at least it's not scary, but yeah don't waste your time on this, stick to the 2002 movie or the show if it's any good but I haven't seen it so I won't get around to watching it, but yeah definitely one of the worst DreamWorks films to date and one of the worst films of this year and one I will instantly forget quickly.

Spirit: Untamed gets a 3.9/10.

Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)

Not as Atrocious as the Ratings And Responses, But It's Strangely Fun!

[6/10 · 17 July 2021]

A sequel to Space Jam?, who asked for this?, well it's here so I dunno what to say other then Space Jam is actually kind of a bad movie, it's overrated unfunny strange junk that I do not get, but with this new sequel, maybe it could be better or worse?, well I saw it today and... wow I was pleasantly surprised by it, like it was actually kind of weirdly entertaining but not exactly solid good.

The comedy is much MUCH better then the first movie, it has the right tone and right kind of jokes to support the feature, I did laugh more then once which is more then what Space Jam did, the animation in 2D is quite spot on with the Looney Tunes and I love the Looney Tunes design, it's quite wonderful and rather smooth, along with strong movements and big expressions along with extraordinary different worlds Bugs and LeBron go to, the 3D animation is pretty good as well as looks good enough to be decent and stylish, the Looney Tunes themselves are just themselves but with tones of personality and laughs which is more then enough for me to like 'em, even Lola is better, LeBron himself is kinda charming and the villains are fun too, the voice both from the voice actors and the physical actors are great!, the story and sequences are more fun and entertaining then the first film, along with a pretty dope soundtrack.

However with all that said, a few things stop this from being great, as funny as it is, sometimes it does get cringey like the use of dabbing and a strange rap by Porky, which really makes this really insufferable at times.., which doesn't help, also the movie is quite predictable and very dull, but thanks to the execution it did work for the most part, also the first few minutes with James' family is boring and unspecial but not as boring and Jordan's in the first movie, speaking of, James is good in the movie but can be awkward in his deliveries but is mostly pretty good, sometimes the 3D on the Tunes can be cheaply odd but that's only the real complaint I have with the visuals.

So yeah..., this movie was.., surprisingly passable, I liked it more then I disliked it, it's a visual treat with the animation and special effects, it's funny and super clever at times, the Tunes are fun along with great acting and a surprisingly easy to listen to music, but it's still not quite perfect since it's dull, a bit boring at the beginning and it can get frustratingly annoying fast along with James being too awkward, but it's a perfectly weird fun time that I definitely had, also there are camos that are both unexpected but also super awesome too, like I was kinda surprised..., so yeah, go watch it, I know it's been slammed (pun intended) but it's really not awful it's actually much better then the first movie in my (possibly unpopular) opinion, kids will enjoy it but they may need explaining of the references and camos since some of them aren't for kids.., you'll what I mean when you say it, it's not the best Looney Tunes movie, Back in Action is the best one but this is a close second, but waaaay better then the last Warner Animation Group live action movie with a certain cat and mouse...

I'm happy to give Space Jam: A New Legacy a 6/10.

The Boss Baby: Family Business (2021)

What Else Can I Say Other Then... It's Passable?

[6/10 · 3 July 2021]

Usually my reviews are quite long in detail, but this it'll be short since there isn't much to say about it, so..., this is a sequel that didn't need to exist, even though I like the first Boss Baby fine, Tobey McGuire got replaced by James Marsden and erm.., yeah, the trailers didn't grab me at all and my expectations were low, so I watched it yesterday and erm.., it was actually not terrible, not good but pretty split in the middle.

I like the animation overall, it's nice and simple and colourful with nice use of Cartoon slapstick, it's pretty good, it has a few funny lines and moments sprinkled across, I like Tina she was a pretty fun and expressive character, Tabitha was cute and relatable I suppose, the voice acting was... fine, but the cast did do the most of what they can with Alec Baldwin and Amy Sadaris being the big standouts!, I liked the ending and the film's nice heart and tone, it's quite nice and gives you a nice warm feel and finally the chases and fights are quite amusing and fun to watch, along with a really lovely song "Together We Stand" and a decent score by Hans Zimmer & Steve Mazzaro.

However, there are things that hold this back, like a very recycled and predictable plot, the villain here isn't as good as the first movie's villain, Tim and Ted are kinda annoying and not that interesting, same can be said with everyone else who are very one dimensional with one trope/goal, not to mention about 80% of the humour isn't funny and just drags on, so kinda basic DreamWorks humour and even the animation gets rather too much with how bland their characters look (despite how well designed they are).

So yeah, it's not good, or bad, it's kinda passable, Boss Baby 2: Family Business is just a step down from the first movie, not awful, but.., nothing wowing or leaps off the screen to amaze you, y'know?, it does have a good message and heart to it, along with nice animation and few funny gags, however it's insanely predictable and all over the way and expect for Tina and maybe Tabitha, every other character is just forgettable with mostly tiresome humour and sometimes phones in acting, (especially Jeff Goldblum), so it's a totally fine kids film, I know people will trash the heck of this film for sure, but it's really not bad, there are FAR worse animated films out there believe me I know, so if you like the first film, you'll like this probably or if you are vice verse then you'll LOATHE this movie, kids will enjoy and parents will get something out of it, but other then that, it's just a mediocrely average film for DreamWorks, but hey, looks better then the next film I'll be seeing from THEM!.

I'm going to give Boss Baby 2: Family Business a 6.3/10.