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

The Croods 2, A New Age: The Age Of Stone

The Crood 2, A New Age is an animated family film directed by Joel Crawford. The plot continues on from the first film, with the Crood family trying to find a new permanent home (or tomorrow as the film calls it). In this pursuit, Guy (Ryan Reynolds), runs into this adoptive family that took him in after his parents died, naturally the two families’ clash.

So, I was not very impressed by the first Croods film, it felt very generic and had no emotional impact. I am glad to say that I enjoyed this film a significant amount more and I think it made great strides to better the issues of the first film.

Yes, very much like the first film, the conflict is insanely predictable and cliché: where the first had a father needing to set aside, the second also has that but with the added dimension of question whether they need to change how they are and become more than just cave people. The emotional journey of this film is one you have seen done hundreds of times before and the resolution is exactly how you would expect.

This film does feel like it has more heart than the first film, that felt very much like it was trying to steal from other properties in a cold, corporate way. I felt a greater connection to the characters here and enjoyed seeing them interact on screen. I thought this was definitely Eep’s (Emma Stone), film and she was the character that kept me engaged in the plot.

The female empowerment angle towards the end of the film left me split. On the one hand it was a cool scene and came off as a nice final battle scene with all the female characters riding in on huge beasts and saving the day. However, at the same time it felt forced in and unnatural, it felt very much upon a second rewatch that the film was trying to set up this empowering moment throughout in the least subtle way possible- shoehorned in some might say.

Overall, this is a much-needed improvement over the first film and gives me some hope for the series going forward.

Pros.

Eep

The emotional connection/impact

Having a distinct set of personality

Being fun to watch

Cons.

The arc/ journey of the character is a little stale

The female empowerment sequence

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Soul: The Jazz Man

Soul is an animated family film directed by Pete Docter and Kemp Powers. The plot follows a part time teacher/ wannbe jazz musician Joe (Jamie Foxx), as he dies before he has a chance to achieve his dream of performing on stage. Whilst in the afterlife Joe meets 22 (Tina Fey), a young soul who is struggling to find their spark, together the two of them run away back to earth and go on a journey of self-discovery together.

This film almost made me cry, almost. The ending is beautiful and heartfelt, and it really brought Pixar back for me in a big way. Personally, I haven’t really enjoyed a Pixar film since Brave and even a few of the ones before that Ratatouille, Wall-E did nothing for me: I enjoyed a final trip to Toy Story but more for nostalgia then a strong story. However, I am pleased to say that this film bucks that trend and in my mind restores Pixar to its former glory.

I enjoyed seeing the bond develop between Joe and 22, I thought it was a incredibly well realised friendship and touched on the very real experience of what it means to be human. The individual character arcs of Joe and 22 are equally well done, and you are left staggered at the complexity of emotional impact they manage to elicit.

My one complaint would be that the soul world stuff is a bit dull at times, and it tends to drag on: you can’t help but think during these sequences that you would much rather they get back to the Earth storyline.

Overall, a film that resorted my faith not only in Pixar but in the animation genre in general.

Pros.

The emotions

The character journeys

The performances from Foxx and Fey

A return to form for Pixar
Cons.

The soul world plot could and should have been more interesting

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Boss Baby: I’m Pretty Sure This Kid Is The Antichrist

The Boss Baby is an animated family comedy film directed by Tom McGrath. The plot sees a family welcome a new baby into their lives, however there is something different about this baby he wears a suit and talks on the phone: he is a boss baby.

I truly do believe to enjoy or even understand this film you need a degree in some field of high concept science, as the logic of this film is nowhere to be found. Normally, I would not go after the logic of a kid’s film, but this is particularly egregious. It almost feels at times like the film is going out of its way to make itself more confusing then it already is, it piles on more and more baby lore until you reach a giving up point.

By making the film so convoluted and over the top it removes a sense of relatability the film might have for parents who remember what is it like to have a new baby or for children who remember when their parents brought their sibling home from the hospital. To that end, once the bright colours, and the vapid jokes about poo and things like that are over there is nothing left for the kids to enjoy, they too will see its hollowness.

Alec Baldwin is okay as the titular Boss Baby, he is serviceable, but this is not one of his better 2010 era roles. Furthermore, it is nice to see Tobey McGuire return to our screens even if it is just as a voice over narrator it has been too long.

Overall, I fail to see how this was popular, it takes itself far too seriously and makes things far too complicated baffling viewers whilst simultaneously putting them off the film.
Pros.

Baldwin and McGuire

Cons.

It is too complicated

The jokes aren’t funny

Most of the characters are irritating and not relatable or likeable in any way

It wastes its wider supporting cast

1/5

Reviewed by Luke