Paradise PD: Are You Edgy Enough To Enjoy This Show?

Written by Luke Barnes

Paradise PD is an animated tv show created by Waco O’ Guin and Roger Black. The plot follows the wacky goings on in a small town police department.

Paradise PD and Brickleberry are both very divisive shows. The comedy of this show often goes very dark and tries to out edgy itself, as nothing is off limits; it makes programs like Family Guy look tame.

Usually edgy humour doesn’t bother me, if anything I enjoy it. However, the third season of this show, which is the primary review focus of this piece, took it too far and put me off. It was not a particular thing that was said, but rather the wider attitude of the show. The jokes felt lazy, they were just trying to be as offensive as possible with no wider thought than that: they point this out numerous times with fourth wall breaks, but as I have said in previous reviews pointing out bad writing or in this case bad jokes doesn’t suddenly make them good.

Continuing on in that vein I thought this season was the worst of the show as well in terms of meta-comedy. The previously mentioned fourth wall breaks are used to a point of becoming insufferable here, they have been used in the show before, but now a reference to how the world actually exists as an animated tv show every few minutes, and it really isn’t as clever as the show clearly thinks it is.

Overall, hopefully much like Brickleberry this series will only run for 3 seasons and it won’t go on to tarnish itself.

Pros

One or two good jokes

It was nice to see Gina move beyond her infatuation with Dusty

Cons.

It mostly isn’t funny anymore

It is irritating

The plot for the most part seems unable to advance and has to repeat the same points over and over again

1.5/5 (for season 3) higher for the series as a whole.

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Despicable Me 3: Throwing In A Long Lost Brother When You Run Out Of Ideas

Written by Luke Barnes

Despicable Me 3 is an animated family film directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda. The plot sees Gru (Steve Carell), be fired from his job in the Anti-Villain League and have to find a way to prove to the new boss he has what it takes, to get his job back. The plot also sees Gru find out that he has a long lost twin brother called Dru (Steve Carell), who he never knew about.

All the same issues for the previous two films, that I have gone into detail about in my other reviews, are still here however, the new villain voiced by Trey Parker of South Park fame does provide a nice distraction.

Maybe I am bias, as I am a big South Park fan, but I really do think that Parker makes this film. He brings such an energy to his character of Balthazar Bratt, a faded 80’s child star who played the evil villain on TV and has tried to replicate it in his real adult life. Bratt is manic and zany and has some of the best lines in the series.

Overall, the sequels aren’t really any better or any worse for the most part they are of a consistent level, the good and bad factors still stay the same, so if you liked the other films you will like this to.

Pros.

Trey Parker

It is watchable

A few funny lines

Cons.

The character design

The needless side characters

Gru and Dru’s arc really goes nowhere

2.5/5

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Despicable Me 2: Adding In Kristen Wiig And A Fair Few Cultural Stereotypes

Written by Luke Barnes

Despicable Me 2is an animated family film directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud. The plot follows the adventures of Gru (Steve Carell), as he now tries to fight for the otherside becoming a member of the Anti-Villain League. There is also a subplot about Gru searching for love.

The antisemitism of the character designs is still present here, but now only in Gru himself, however this film also adds in a number of hurtful cultural stereotypes which further puts me off the film.

I think in many ways, from story to execution, this film was weaker than the first. Really, it is just more of the same, the slight difference being now Gru makes Jam for half the film and there is a serum that turns the Minions evil. Neither of these plotlines are particularly interesting and that same can be said for the film as a whole.

I thought the introduction of Kristen Wiig’s Lucy Wilde helped the film somewhat. Wiig is not as cringey as she normally is here, though she is still to a degree, and her character pairs with Gru quite nicely. Do I buy their romance? No. Do I buy their snap immediate wedding? Again no, but I thought it was suitably sweet and easy to turn off your mind to.

My feelings towards the Minions themselves remain quite unchanged in many respects, my complaints from the previous film’s review still stand, however, I did find them slightly more entertaining this time around.

Overall, more of the same in both a good and bad sense, Wiig’s addition marginally improves the film, but it still lags behind its predecessor.

Pros.

Very watchable

Any scenes between Gru and his daughters

A strong emotional core

Cons.

Wiig’s character only marginally improves the film, and really the film did not need the subplot

The casual racism and continued antisemitism

3/5

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Despicable Me: Troublesome Character Design

Written by Luke Barnes

Despicable Me is an animated family film directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud. The plot follows the adventures of Gru (Steve Carell), a supervillain who is trying to prove he still has what it takes.

Before I get into it I just want to point something out. Personally, I thought it was a little suspect that all the characters in this film who are supposed to be supervillains, including Gru, have stereotypically over the top Jewish features in their designs. Now, I don’t know if this was done deliberately and I have asked others what they think and not everyone seems to notice it, but to me it reeks of cheap and fairly blatant antisemitism; if interested I advise you to look into the racism of the Despicable Me series as there is a fair bit written about it.

Setting that to one side for a minute, the film can actually be quite charming when it wants to be: the scenes between Gru and his adoptive daughters, particularly the scenes when he is reading to them with the cat finger print book are adorable and heart-warming.

The minions themselves seem to be love them or hate them, at least in terms of the online discussion. I found myself mixed. I did not like the fact they talk in gibberish, it reminded me of something like Shaun The Sheep which I also didn’t like for a similar reason- I prefer characters that talk. They do have some moments that allow you to warm toward them, but I was still indifferent to them by the end of the film.

Overall, there is some promise here, sadly the rather overt antisemitism spoils it.

Pros.

Some warm scenes between Gru and his daughters

The Minions have a few strong comedic moments

It is easy enough to watch

Cons.

The clear anti-Semitism

The Minions

3/5

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Star Wars The Clone Wars: The Prequels Were Actually Pretty Rad

Written by Luke Barnes

Star Wars The Clone Wars is an animated tv series created by George Lucas that explores the events in between episode 2 and episode 3 of the Star Wars prequels trilogy ending with the final moments of episode 3 and the order 66 purge.

I remember watching this when I was a kid and enjoying it a lot. However, for one reason or another I never ended up finishing it. Recently, I have been reconnecting with the Star Wars franchise, and my rewatch of this as well as the Mandalorian have been front and centre in that process; as I have always preferred Star Wars outside of the films, books, games, tv shows etc.

I enjoy the focus this show has on building up the wider lore of the prequel trilogy, with most of the interesting characters and events from those films being explored in a lot more detail here. I particularly enjoyed the Mandalore plot line and the return of Darth Maul: I think it was an inspired move that really adds to the wider Star Wars mythos.

Moreover, the new characters created for this show are also very welcome and serve to only boost the pre existing material.

Though it is nice to warmly reflect on this show from my childhood I would be deeply remiss if I did not point out the issues with it. Firstly the episodes are not in canonical order and are spread all over the place, this can be annoying when trying to work out what happens when, but it is widely ignorable. More egregiously however is the padding. Seasons are padded out with nothing b storylines that go nowhere and add very little, and this is a consistent problem throughout. You will break away from an interesting storyline about the wider war or universe and instead be given a plot about Jar Jar Binks or Padme doing something dull; suffice it to say this gets old quickly.

Overall, it is a fun animated show that fills in the blanks of the prequel trilogy nicely, however the padding and the episode sequencing do prove a challenge when binging.

Pros.

Developing the wider lore

Great character moments

An infectious love for all things Star Wars

Cons.

Multiple episodes of padding per season

The episode order is all wrong

3.5/5

Tom And Jerry: Cat On A Hot Hotel Roof

Written by Luke Barnes

Tom And Jerry is a live action hybrid animation film directed by Tim Story. The film serves to bring back the classic cartoon duo, but now in the real world fighting over hotel rooms. Yes, that’s right.

So before, I get into this I just want to acknowledge that this film is aimed at kids, you can tell it is in several ways such as the constant references to youth culture (that feel very much hello there fellow kids), and just the whole vibe of the film, and that’s fine maybe kids would enjoy the mindlessness of it, but anyone else would be a much harder sell.

I did not think that this film was bad, nor did I think it was good, if anything I thought that it was painfully average to the point of being a bit boring. If you compare the spectacle of the old cartoons, and the escalating fight scenes that Tom and Jerry used to have this film feels even tamer. The best sequence would probably be when Tom is trying to get into Jerry’s room for the very first time and things escalate to them wrecking the room, but even then it feels basic.

Perhaps most damning of all is that I actually preferred the human characters to Tom and Jerry. Chloe Grace Mortez as Kayla was a lot of fun and had quite a few great moments: I hope Mortez hitches her wagon to this franchise and appears in any sequels going forward, as she has a good emotional rapport with the characters which is hard to establish as they don’t talk- yet she finds a way. Likewise Michael Pena is entertaining as the film’s villain Terrence, though Pena gets stuck with most of the hello fellow kids dialogue he also manages to have a few funny moments, and actually makes the film bearable.

Overall, if you need something to show your kids that’s bland, stick them in front of Raya and the Last Dragon (which is actually better than this), but if you don’t want to pay for premium access on Disney + then I guess this will do. Though don’t try and watch this if you are over the age of 10 as it might put you to sleep.

Pros.

Mortez

Pena

Cons.

The cartoon was better

This feels overly tame

The soundtrack is distracting

It is mind-numbing

2/5

Raya And The Last Dragon: A Win For Kelly Marie Tran, A Loss For Everyone Else

Written by Luke Barnes

Raya And The Last Dragon is an animated action adventure fantasy film directed by Don Hall and Carlos Lopez Estrada. We follow Raya (Kelly Marie Tran), a warrior who sets out to collect all the pieces of the dragon gem, to save the world from a dark evil.

So before I get into this review, I just want to say how nice it is to see Kelly Marie Tran come out swinging like this after all the hate she endured online, it is truly inspiring.

I enjoyed the premise and thought the story was a neat idea, it was original yet also a little familiar.

However, sadly that is where my praise for this film ends. I did not hate this film, but I did think it was very, very generic.

So firstly, none of the characters feel likeable- they just don’t click. They all have their moments here and there across the course of the film, but these aren’t enough and the second the film ends you forget all about it and its character’s none of them leave an impact on you.

Likewise the emotional heart of this film feels very hollow. The two big driving forces in terms of the heart of the film, are Raya being able to revive her dad and Raya’s rivalry with her arch enemy Nammari (Gemma Chan), both of these plot threads are resolved, but the payoff leaves you feeling cold and unmoved. Disney animation needs to take a few cues from Pixar to fix this.

Another fault of the film comes with ancient dragon Sisu (Awkwafina), who is the comedic side kick of Raya for most of the film. The issue with Sisu is that the narrative builds her and other dragons up to being these immensely powerful beings and yet they don’t show the dragons doing anything to justify this reputation. Moreover, Awkwafina is not funny in the role and doesn’t not nail the performance, her character feels like it is trying to be Eddie Murphy’s Mushu and Robin Williams’ The Genie, all at the same time and yet doesn’t bring the charm of either.

Overall, this is very watchable and is fine fare for families just looking for something easy to watch. However, I would not say it is worth the price point, as the film itself is deeply average. Wait till June.

Pros.

Kelly Marie Tran gives a good performance

The lore and the world is interesting

Cons.

The emotion doesn’t stick

Awkwafina is badly miscast

It is very safe and predicatable

2.5/5

Batman Soul Of The Dragon: Batman Outstays His Welcome

Batman Soul Of The Dragon is an animated superhero film directed by Simon Liu. The plot looks back to Bruce Wayne’s (David Giuntoli), days in training, when he was learning all of his martial arts prowess that would serve him well as the Dark Knight. We see that the mystic institution that Wayne was training at holds a terrible secret, a portal to hell (and or an evil other dimension), that a cult wants to opening.

This didn’t really feel like a Batman film, it felt like an animated martial arts movie and that is a good or bad statement depending on which of those you would rather watch. Personally, I went into it hoping for some top tier Batman content and was disappointed, this was not what I was expecting, and Batman was not really the main focus, rather it was Richard Dragon (Mark Dacascos), a figure from Wayne’s past.

However that is not to say it was bad either. I enjoyed the martial arts elements and the supernatural mysticism, I thought both were done well and really added to the project as a whole. The fight scenes were particularly impressive, and I am glad they did not censor the violence in anyway, it added a nice visceral edge to it.
I also thought the ending, which I won’t spoil here, was quite gutsy as it ended on a cliff hanger rather than neatly wrapping everything up.

Overall, I think there is a lot of good here, I think that it should have been its own standalone animated film that didn’t include Batman, it was strong enough to stand on its own. By having the Batman name front and centre it takes away from what the film is, as you go in with certain expectations that aren’t met, which is a shame as it is good otherwise.

Pros.

The ending

The fight scenes

Nice gory violence

The mysticism

Cons.

Batman should not be involved

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

South Park Bigger Longer Uncut: Singing Songs Of Madness

South Park Bigger Longer And Uncut is an animated musical film directed by Trey Parker. The plot sees the boys become caught up in a war between the parents of South Park and the Canadian Government after the kids see the new Terrance and Phillip (Matt Stone and Trey Parker). movie and it starts to influence and impact their behaviour. There is also a subplot about Satan (Parker), and Saddam Hussain (Stone), trying to take over the world.

I am a big South Park fan and have been for a while, however, I hadn’t seen this movie before and I pretty much forget it existed, but then the other day I was scrolling through Prime and saw it and thought I would put it on and give it a go, I had mixed reactions.

Usually when adult animated shows do songs they are good, there have been many hits (at least for me), from a number of different shows including Family Guy and American Dad, South Park too has had a number of funny songs over the years, this film sadly took this and then over did it to a point of killing it. Much like in the worst kind of musicals, there was a song every few minutes in this film, most of the time the song wouldn’t even be funny it would just be explaining what was going on on-screen, which feels lazy, and felt crammed in for the sake of it. It became irritating after a while.

The comedy is strong here though and that does redeem the film somewhat, in the non-singing moments there are a number of jokes that made me laugh out loud and a few that made me chuckle. I wanted more of these and less constant repetitive songs.

Overall, making this film a musical rather than just an extended episode not only handicapped it, it killed it.

Pros

A few funny jokes

An interesting premise

Cons.

It does not justify its existences

The songs are annoying

The ending feel cheap and unearned

The multi-episode storylines of later seasons are infinitely better

2/5

Reviewed by Luke

Wallace And Gromit Curse Of The Were Rabbit: Howling At The Moon

Wallace And Gromit Curse Of The Were Rabbit is a British stop motion animation film directed by Nick Park and Steve Box. The plot sees the duo set up a business catching and rehousing rabbits in their local area, protecting everyone’s green. However, one day during a failed science experiment Wallace (Peter Sallis), turns himself into a horrible man rabbit hybrid.

I remember watching this when I was a kid in the cinema, I must have gone at least 3 or 4 times to see it during its run; there is something about this film that places higher in my mind than the over Wallace and Gromit fare and even over other Aardman animations. What I think this something is, is the sense of British horror that is on display here ever so subtly. Throughout the film there are several references and homages to classic British horror films and moments, which a genre die hard like me can see and appreciate; I enjoy the tip of the hat.

I also enjoy the romance between Lady Tottington (Helena Bonham Carter), and Wallace. I thought it was nice and quite wholesome to see this love story play out on screen even if it does lead nowhere. It made me smile.

Overall, my favourite Wallace and Gromit film simply for the references to British horror, a great concept well executed.

Pros.

The horror and the references to horror

Wallace and Lady Tottington

The premise

It is well paced

Cons.

The villain feels familiar and uninspired

4/5

Reviewed by Luke