Kung Fu Panda 2: A Tale Of Maturity And Learning

Kung Fu Panda 2 is an animated martial arts family film directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson. The plot sees new Dragon Warrior Po (Jack Black), go on a voyage of self-discovery after finding out that he was adopted. Said journey brings him to an evil Peacock called Shen (Gary Oldman), who wants to wipe out Kung Fu and take over China; Shen also knows what happened to Po’s parents.

I admire this film for a lot of reasons, namely that it is a sequel that justifies its own existence being just as good if not better than the first film. Much like another DreamWorks sequel Shrek 2 this film doubles down on the characters and expands them in interesting ways. The mythology behind Po’s parents raises a lot of intriguing questions for the lore of this world and the response by Po as a character furthers his arc as he grows in maturity.

My one critique of this film would be that it does not show the same level of care and development towards the other characters, namely the Furious Five. I enjoyed the scenes that Po and Tigress (Angelina Jolie), have together and think that they have a promising amount of on-screen chemistry. However, as a character Tigress is vacant, the same can be said for Po’s other martial arts friends they do cool stuff, but we know very little about them and they suffer as a result.

Overall, it is nice to see Po’s character journey continue in a worthy sequel.

Pros

World building

Po’s journey

Justifies its existence

Is just as good if not better than the first film

Cons.

The wider cast are left out in the cold

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs: Eat It Up

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs is an animated family film directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. The film follows Flint (Bill Hader), an inventor who dreams of becoming a famous scientist. One day Flint invents a machine that can make food rain from the sky, everything seems to be going well, until the machine starts to malfunction.

I have been meaning to watch this for some time and a few nights ago I did, I have to say for the most part I enjoyed it, but there were a few issues that kept it from being great.

Firstly the imagination is commendable, I thought it was wonderfully unique and I have never seen anything else like this. The animation is also great, I thought it looked distinctive and well proportioned; the food also looked really appetising.

Secondly, this film has a lot of heart. I thought it handled the theme of fathers and sons really well and the final scene between Flint and his father was moving and brought a tear to my eye. However, the same flair for emotion wasn’t carried over into the other characters and Flint’s relationship with the other characters particularly Sam (Anna Faris), was weak and unconvincing.

My main issue with this film was the humour, it really didn’t land for me. Humour is subjective I know, but the humour in this film skewed towards kids and I didn’t find any layers to the comedy that might have appealed to me or other age groups.

Overall, a good effort with a lot heart, but the childish humour and the poor character development stop this film from being as good as it could be.

Pros.

The father son relation between Flint and his dad

The animation

The imagination

Cons.

The comedy

The poor side characters and weak interpersonal relationships

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Gnomeo & Juliet: The Cracks Are Showing

Gnomeo and Juliet is an animated family film directed by Kelly Asbury. The plot is basically a retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, but with garden gnomes and a huge amount of dated references.

You know a film is going to be good when it opens by slagging off Shakespeare. This is one of the most mind-numbing films I have ever seen; it is so dumb I can’t see how anyone would be entertained by this.

It is not funny or charming in any way, at least bad kids’ movies like Peter Rabbit have a so bad it’s good factor to them, this one is just aggressively average. Not a single one of the actors seems to be trying. I don’t blame them for just taking the cheque on this one though to be fair, but it will hardly be the highlight of their resumé.

Another thing that I found off-putting was how often the film tried to ram the music of Elton John down your throat. Yes, I like Elton John, Yes he has good songs, do I want to hear them bastardised and put on repeat? No, no I don’t. What makes this more egregious is that it forces in songs when they don’t even need them just for the hell of it, almost as though they’re trying to torture the audience.

Overall, this is incredibly low effort and it shows. There are plenty of animated family films that standout for their storytelling or for their animation or their message, but this just seems corporate, cynical and cheap. Don’t waste your time.

Pros.

One good unintentional laugh

Cons

It is so dumb

It’s lazy

None of the actors are trying

It is boring

1/5

Reviewed by Luke

Smallfoot: Bring Back Channing Tatum!

Smallfoot is an animated family fantasy film directed by Karey Kirkpatrick and Jason Reisig. The plot follows Migo (Channing Tatum), a young yeti who dares to think differently. Migo believes that creatures called Smallfoots (Humans), exist, a view that gets him banished from his village. So, he sets out into our world to capture and bring back a live Smallfoot to prove himself right.

This film is made good by the never-ending charm of Channing Tatum. Tatum hasn’t been in anything for a while, so I had forgotten what a fabulous on-screen presence he has. I kid you not, if a lesser actor has the role in his stead then the film would never have been able to rise above average. This film owes a lot to Tatum.

What I really enjoyed about this film is its heart. The inter character relationships are particularly strong amongst the main cast, with the bond between Migo and Percy (James Corden), perhaps being the most heartfelt of all. This is furthered by the fact that Corden is playing a toned-down version of his usual ‘character’, which really helps the character to be likeable and not grating.

The one area where the film falls down is in it’s supporting cast. There are plenty of talented names amongst this films’ supporting cast, but most of them have little more than one or two lines and leave no impression on you at all. It is an insult to the craft to even call a lot of these minor characters and they’re so paper thin that they might as well be non-existent.

Overall, a happy family film that will leave you feeling good.

Pros.

Tatum

Character relationships

A toned down Corden

Feel good message

Cons.

The side characters aren’t even characters

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Rio: Feeling Blu?

Rio is an animated family film directed by Carlos Saldanha. The plot sees nervous Blue McCaw Blu (Jessie Eisenberg), go on a trip to Rio to save his species. One he is there; he is kidnapped by poachers and must fight to return to his owner as well as save the other birds.

This film worked for me in a lot of different ways, right from the beginning when we see Blu as a little baby bird I was on board; it was so cute. Couple this with the fact that two of my favourite actors provide their voices to this film (Eisenberg and Jeamaine Clement), it was always going to be a hit for me.

I think the story of his wild animal learning to be wild again was really well done and I think the role was cast perfectly with Jessie Eisenberg. He has the shy, timid, neurotic nerd who will rise to the occasion and save everyone vibe down to a tee and it was perfect for this role. His Blu was loveable and relatable despite being an animal. He also had a lot of on-screen chemistry with Anne Hathaway who voiced the other Blue McCaw Jules.

Clement was everything that I would want him to be in this. He was the villain and evil Cockatoo with a chip on his shoulder and evil in his heart. Clement was wonderfully hammy and milked the role for everything it was worth, my one complaint would be that he only got one song; said song was excellent though.

Overall, this is a sweet film that really appealed to the animal lover in me, the voice cast did a really great job and I ended up really liking it!

Pros

Blu himself

Eisenberg

Clement

Eisenberg and Hathaway have great on-screen chemistry

Cons.

It just needed a little bit more

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Hotel Transylvania 3: Dead And Loving It

Hotel Transylvania 3 is an animated fantasy family film directed by Genndy Tartakovsky. The plot sees Dracula (Adam Sandler), and family go on a summer cruise as a means to unwind and spend more time together as a family. Dracula himself is on a quest to find love after he realises how lonely he is, however, the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with turns out to be the great granddaughter of his worst enemy.

The Hotel Transylvania trilogy is one of ups and downs, the first film was strong and had a keen emotional arc that worked, the second abandoned this and instead decided to focus on cheap jokes and walking back the character development of the first film. The third film, however, is the best of the 3, it loses the ensemble of the previous films, they are still there just not focused on, and instead tells a very personal story focusing on Dracula coming to terms with moving on after his wife’s death 100 years ago.

The concise storytelling allows for us to really go on the journey with Dracula and connect with him. Much like the first film the emotional heart of this film is strong and powerful, it made me feel something. I also thought having Mavis (Selena Gomez), come to terms with her dad dating again, to get another perspective on the issue, was a touch of genius from a writing point of view as it brought it all together.

Overall, this film learns from the mistakes of the previous films and betters them in every way, creating a film with something meaningful to say that will hit you with the same emotional weight as a good Pixar film.

Pros

The focus on Dracula

The strong emotional connection/ message

Mavis and how they use here

Moving the character development to interesting and new places

Cons.

I wish we got more of Dracula and Jonathan, Samberg and Sandler have great on-screen chemistry

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Wreck-It Ralph: Win The Game

Wreck-It Ralph is an animated adventure comedy film directed by Rich Moore. A classic arcade game villain Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly), decides he wants to reform and be a good guy, when he realises that his fellow video game character won’t accept him unless he has a medal he sets out to win one.

As someone who has played video games all his life I appreciated the references and appearances in this film. I found them to be delightful and the nostalgia factor of them never really wore out.

I thought a lot of the emotional beats in this film had been done before and I wasn’t very impressed with the storytelling or the characters, that is until about 15 minutes from the end. As Ralph is about to self-sacrifice to save his friends a powerful wave of emotion hit me hard and I realised that I had been caring this whole time, I had formed attachments to these characters.

I think the message of the film about accepting yourself for who you are is really well done and is communicated in a good way. I think children need films like this as I could have a strong positive impact on their self-esteem.

Other than Ralph and his best friend Vanellope (Sarah Silverman), I thought a lot of the other characters were weak and I lose interest when they were on screen; they took away from the A storyline.

Overall, this is a film with a good heart and a message everyone can relate to, the writing is a little shoddy in places and the side characters aren’t great, but Wreck-It Ralph still manages to be moving in its own way.

Pros.

The message

The surprising emotional payoff

Ralph and Vanellope

Cons.

The terrible side characters

The writing wasn’t good across the board

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Hotel Transylvania 2: A Little Bit More Dead

Hotel Transylvania 2 is an animated comedy fantasy film directed by Genndy Tartakovsky. The plot follows on from the events of the last film and sees Dracula’s (Adam Sandler) daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez), marry Jonathan (Andy Samberg) and have a baby. This is great news for Dracula, and he couldn’t be more excited, but as the baby is born he has to come to terms with the possibility that it might be human, and that Mavis and her child might move away.

I think this film is a step down from the first. Both in terms of emotional beats and also in terms of nuance. The first film really made Dracula a sympathetic character and his arc of coming to love Johnathan in his own way was really well done, however, in this film we have that same arc repeated just replacing Johnathan with Mavis’ baby. Moreover, this film back both Johnathan and Dracula act like dicks and it ruins any likability they had from the first film; I would assume this is easy plotting, but it cancelled out any kinship I felt with them.

Furthermore, the relations between humans and monsters in the first film had nuance, the way Dracula came to terms with humanity changing to love monsters was well done. Here the monster human divide is handled as incredibly in your face, poorly disguised social commentary that has all the subtly of a brick on fire breaking a window. I assume they must have taken on new writers for the second film. If so fire them, if it is the same people, have them reflect why they did this.

Overall, while the film is still good and fun in many ways, it feels like a step back. The character arcs don’t progress but regress in the worst way, the writing in this second film really is sub-par and it brings down the film overall as a result.

Pros.

More of the same

The humour is better

Some good emotional moments

Cons.

A lot of ham-fisted emotional moments

The characters regress

The social commentary is a bit too in your face for my tastes

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Rugrats Movie: Back In The 90’s

The Rugrats Movie is an animated adventure comedy film directed by Igor Kovalyov and Norton Virgein. The movie carries on the plot of the TV show and shows the introduction of new character Baby Dill. The plot details Tommy’s (Elizabeth Daily), struggle to adapt to having a new brother and no longer getting all of his parents’ attention, this struggle ends up with the kids in the woods depending on each other to survive.

I grew up watching the Rugrats cartoons on video, and I have seen all the movies countless times before. However, as a rewatched this recently it was almost as though I was seeing it for the first time. There are quite a lot of deep emotions on show in this film a lot of thoughtful topics being broached, that as a kid I would not have picked up on but watching it now I appreciate.

I enjoyed what this film had to say about having siblings and about familial bonds, whether it reflects your life or not, I think there is at least a small amount of relatability that we can all take away from it. I was genuinely surprised about how insightful this film was at times, it gives you far more to think about that your standard kids film.

Overall, I thought this was a fun film that reminded me why I liked the cartoon, I also enjoyed the fact that it wasn’t always an easy watch and that as an adult there was a whole other subtext to it that put everything in an entirely new perspective, there is certainly a hidden depth to it.

Pros.

The brother’s relationship

Capturing what I loved about the cartoon.

Funny jokes.

Surprisingly insightful.

Cons.

The supporting characters really didn’t have much to do.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Space Jam: Who Said Product Placement

Space Jam is a basketball themed live action CGI film directed by Joe Pytka. The plot sees acclaimed basketball player Michael Jordan be drafted into a match alongside characters from the Looney Tunes cartoons. Together they must defeat evil mutant aliens that have stolen the talent of some of the NBA’s best players.

I have not watched this film since I was a kid, watching it again now I have to say it is the embodiment of the hectic crazy 90’s spirit. None of it makes any sense and everything is either a mad dash for product placement or badly put together CGI. However, that is the charm.

The CGI is terrible, it is clear that Michael Jordan is not really there and a lot of the time there is a slight delay in between a Looney Tunes character saying something and Jordan’s reply, because he clearly isn’t in the same room as the voice actors and it has been badly put together. However, I won’t be too harsh on it because though it took me out of it, it was good for the time period.

I think in terms of Looney Tunes film I preferred Back In Action, as that had more of the manic energy of the cartoon and this seems to focus more on the basketball at the expense of said energy, other than a few moments that remind you these cartoon characters could be anyone.

Overall, this is a testament to the craziness of the early 90’s and its weirdness only adds to its charm, but as a Looney Tunes film it doesn’t live up to the cartoon.

Pros.

It’s a great basketball film.

Bill Murray.

The craziness of it all.

Cons.

It is not a good Looney Tunes film.

Most of the characters feel quite empty.

3/5

Reviewed by Luke