Justice League Dark: The Mystical Side Of DC

Justice League Dark is an animated science fantasy superhero film. The plot revolves around a team of DC Superheroes, the more mystical ones, who have to investigate a pattern of strange behavior that has turned fatal. The Justice League themselves can’t understand the problem, so it is down to Batman (Jason O’Mara), and his strange collection of allies to save the day.

*Justice League Dark is one of my favourite DC comics, I have read many runs of the team over the years, so when I heard about this project, I knew I had to check it out. I was disappointed, this was an incredibly average film, nothing more, nothing less.

I will admit it was nice to see the team of Constantine (Matt Ryan), Zatanna (Camilla Luddington), and Deadman (Nicholas Turturro), get together; furthermore, it was nice to see Matt Ryan return to play Constantine, he is fairly synonymous with the character to me. However, my issue was the overall story just felt flat. The best issues of the comic have strong horror elements, but I didn’t get that here, other than the shades and a few other things it was mainly without horror.

What’s more though I liked Constantine I felt that a lot of the other characters were short-changed so that he could have more screen time. An example of this would be Swamp Thing (Roger Cross), who has been a major part of the team before in the comics, here only gets a few lines. Worst of all after he gets defeated, he just goes away and we don’t see him again, which feels like a big unresolved plot thread.

As I said before, this film is everything I would expect from a Justice League Dark film, a group of the more mystical DC heroes fighting against a supernatural opponent, but that isn’t enough to sustain my interest across the film’s runtime, I wanted more. More depth to the characters, more scope to the narrative, I don’t know exactly what but, something that felt better than bog standard.

Overall, this film fell short my expectations, it didn’t wow me in anyway, in fact it annoyed me a lot of the time. I wish they had put more time and energy into the characters and the story overall, if they had this might have been something special.

Pros.

Matt Ryan.

It is nice to see all of the characters team up.

A solid foundation.

Cons.

Other than Constantine and Zatanna very weak characters.

How they handled Swamp Thing.

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

BoJack Horseman: Back In 2014 Netflix Made The Best Animated Show

BoJack Horseman is an adult animated comedy series, which along with Big Mouth and a few other series make up the bulk of Netflix’s original animated content. The plot revolves around BoJack Horseman (Will Arnett), a past his prime actor that still likes to pretend he is relevant. Over the 6 seasons of BoJack so far, we have seen him be plagued by his demons and then try to overcome them. As well we have been introduced to a wide cast of characters that are all rich and varied, in many ways the supporting cast help to make the show what it is.

BoJack Horseman is known for being deep and mature, the show often goes to the darker side of life and has a lot to say while it is there; often times having a very nuanced take on said topics and themes. Part of what makes this show so special is how well it works as a character study, the character of BoJack has been broken down and rebuilt time and time again as such we feel like we, the audience, know him; he is a three dimensional character which is nice to see in an animated show. The other characters that appear in the show get as much development as the titular horse if not more, characters like Princess Carolyn (Amy Sedaris), have whole episodes dedicated to their characters as such we care deeply for them all.

What’s more the writing of the show present Hollywood, here called something slightly different, in a very realistic way, it does not sugar coat it. BoJack Horseman shows the ugly side of Hollywood, the side that can drive a person to drugs or alcohol or many other vices; it handles this in a very mature way. This is a show that can make you think/feel just as much as it can make you laugh.

Overall BoJack Horseman is one of Netflix’s best shows, it is one of the most widely praised as well, the writing is nothing sort of superb and does a lot of things that you wouldn’t expect to see from an animated series let alone an animated comedy series. It has made me personally consider things about my own life and has had an emotional connection with me, it is a real shame that the series is coming to an end tomorrow, as of the time of writing, I just hope that the series can end on a high note and becomes one of the best series of modern times.

I can’t rank the series as a whole yet, as it hasn’t ended and this is an overview of the show as a whole, as opposed to an individual series review, I can’t make a final judgement, but if I was ranking the seasons so far it would have to be a 5.

Reviewed By Luke

Lady And The Tramp: Disney’s Golden Age?

‘The Lady and The Tramp’ is an animated musical romance film. The plot follows Lady (Barbra Luddy), as she comes to terms with the fact that she might get overlooked when her master’s new baby arrives, during which time she ends up falling in love with Tramp (Larry Roberts).

This film is classic Disney, it came out during that Golden Age for Disney which saw the release of things like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. I have seen this film but twice in my life, once when I was very young and then much more recently last weekend. I have to say it is not how I remember it and, not in a good way.

No, I am not going to go on about how it is outdated and then talk about the racist cat song: because ultimately that was just a feature of a lot of films from that time period. Instead I am going to talk about how I felt it was lacking a lot of the warmth and heart that a lot of those other classic Disney films have.

Lady and Tramp are both likable as protagonists, but I never found myself caring about them. There are two scenes in the film’s third act that both deal with the supposed death of a character. One of these scenes features Tramp being taken away to the pound to be put down, the other sees Trusty (Bill Baucorn), almost sacrifice his life to save Tramp. Out of these two scenes the one that should have more emotional impact is the one where Tramp faces death as he is one of our main characters, that we spent a lot of time with, but this just isn’t the case.

What’s more this film has no real business calling itself a musical, it doesn’t feature many songs at all. Moreover, the few songs that the film does have are not at all memorable and are mostly flat.

Overall, this film wasn’t what I remembered it to be, it lacked a lot of the warmth and the heart I remember it having, for the few good moments it has and the heart warming ending I will still give it an above average score, but it really isn’t a must see.

Pros.

The Classic Disney Animation.

The Happy Wholesome Ending.

Cons.

You Don’t Care About The Main Characters.

It Lacks Any Real Warmth.

It Doesn’t Have That Disney Magic.

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Chicken Run: Who Is Really Escaping Who

‘Chicken Run’ is a stop-motion animated comedy film, focusing on the efforts of a group of Chickens to escape the farm they live on before they get turned into pies. ‘Chicken Run’ is Aardman Animation’s first film as such, it set the benchmark for the studio.

Though many love this film, I think it is a weak start for the studio. I think though the film is serviceable and, not offputtingly bad, it pales in comparison to Aardman’s later works.

Stop-motion animation for me is hit or miss, sometimes in the case of things like ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’ it can work well and enhance the film overall, whereas in films like ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ it can be vile and off-putting. This film I would say is more like the latter than the former the stop-motion animation, for the most part, is good, much like the studios later work with Wallace and Gromit, but there is something off about the human characters; specifically their faces.

The two main human characters are Mr Tweedy (Tony Haygarth), and Mrs Tweedy (Miranda Richardson), they’re both serving the antagonist role; while they’re meant to be threatening, they’re not meant to be creepy. However, there is something about the stop-motion animation with these characters that gives them an unsettling look; there is something about their cold dead eyes and manic facial design that is deeply off-putting and, I can only assume that this was unintentional; as this is not a horror film.

However, the stop-motion animation of the chickens is fine, so at least that is a small mercy. My issue with the chickens is that I don’t find them likeable, they never connected with me, the humour that characters like Fowler (Benjamin Whitrow), provide does nothing for me at all, it doesn’t land.

A lot of the chicken characters are annoying stereotypes this is best shown in Babs, (Jane Horrocks), who is there to provide comedic relief but the whole joke is that she is dumb. Overall I found this to be a very charmless film. What’s more, the fact that they include Mel Gibson as an American Rooster called Rocky feels forced in as though having a big Hollywood name on the poster would sell more tickets. It feels like more of a Dreamworks decision rather than an Aardman Animation one.

Overall this film will do fine entertaining small children but, anything beyond that is a harder sell. The main issue with this film is that it lacks any kind of charm at all. At least Aardman Animations film’s after this improved.

Pros.
It Is Watchable.

Cons.
It Is Strangely Creepy.
The Humour Doesn’t Work.
The Characters Are Unlikable.
Mel Gibson Feels Out Of Place.

1.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Fantastic Mr. Fox: Redefining The Word ‘Fantastic’

‘Fantastic Mr Fox’ is a stop-motion animated comedy film, adapting the Roald Dahl beloved children’s book of the same name. The plot follows Mr Fox (George Clooney), as he tries to get back into the business of stealing from the local farmers; after he had given up that lifestyle when his first cub was born.

‘Fantastic Mr Fox’ both the book and the film have a special place in my heart and, the film especially is amongst my favourite animated films of all time. There is so much life and vibrancy in the animation that it brings the book to life in the most beautiful way; this is in no small part because of the decision to use stop-motion animation, which not enough films do.

Many people prefer Wes Anderson’s other stop-motion animated film the ‘Isle Of Dogs’, but personally I don’t think that film has anywhere near the same level of charm as this. Yes, a lot of that charm comes from the voice cast Clooney is a great Mr Fox he has both the easy confidence for when things are going well and the steely determination/ gravitas for when things get serious. As well as Clooney the voice cast is also made up of people like Willem Dafoe, Billy Murray, Meryl Streep and, Jason Schwartzman. All of these big stars not only give it there all but also really make the characters memorable. Dafoe plays a Rat that serves as a sub-antagonist for Mr Fox, though he only has very limited screen time Dafoe not only makes us care about this character but, also gives him a personality.

There are several changes made to the story that keep it from being a fully faithful retelling of the book. However, I believe these changes serve the film well as they are often used to create character depth, which helps the characters seem more realised.
The best things about this film are because it has a very keen sense of identity, as well as a very specific sense of style. I truly believe that both of these things are owed wholly to Wes Anderson, who does a great job here and elevates this film into almost a masterpiece.

Overall, this film not only captures the nature of the book but also adds to it. Fantastic Mr Fox will make you care about foxes and badgers while also giving you a laugh or two along the way. This film is a testament to two things firstly the star-power of George Clooney, and secondly what a director with a sharp eye and a firm idea can do.

Pros.
Wes Anderson.
The Voice Cast.
The Beautiful Stop Motion Animation.
Making A Classic Out Of A Classic.

Cons.
Minor Pacing Issues In The Second And Early Third Act.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Paddington 2: Paddington Goes To Prison

‘Paddington 2’ is a live-action animated film and sequel to the 2014 Paddington film. The plot this time around sees Paddington (Ben Whishaw), be implicated in a crime, after a pop-up book of London, that Paddington was going to buy for this aunt’s birthday goes missing. This results in everyone’s favourite Peruvian bear going to prison and the Brown family having to try and prove his innocence.

‘Paddington 2’ is a very strange film to me, in many ways it is because I didn’t see the plot of this film coming. Not only was I not expecting to see Paddington as a jailbird this time around, but I also wasn’t expecting the shift in tone. Make no mistake this is still a happy family film, but there is definitely more of a sense of melancholy this time around; a sadness in the air. The reason why this moodier tone works is because of the first film; it made us care about Paddington as a character, perhaps more deeply than we first realised, as such when we see him lose the court trial and, go to prison it can’t help but break your heart.

The Villain of the film Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant), fixes my only issue with the first film, that being the villain was weak, Buchanan is a central part of the narrative throughout. Not only that but, he is much more threatening than Kidman’s villain from the first film, as he represents a real sense of danger to Paddington and his well being. Grant’s performance ranges from comedic and sympathetic, too loathsome and hateable, his Buchanan is an antagonist that you love to hate.

However, my issue with this film which I believe makes it worse than the first film, is that other than Paddington and Buchanan the rest of the cast are barely used. Whereas last time around each character had a moment to shine, without taking focus away from our hero, now these moments are few and far between; this is a shame as the series had amassed some real talent. What makes this issue more pronounced is the fact that while in prison in the film adds even more characters to its ensemble, which stretches the moments each character gets to shine even thinner.

Overall this is still a very good film and, the end of the film is very heartwarming and feel good. However, this is definitely the darker of the two films and also sadly the inferior. Still worth a watch.

Pros.
Paddington.
The Occasional Bits Of Humor.
Grant’s Villain.

Cons.
Over Crowded.
Wasted The Brown Family.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Paddington: AKA Marmalade, The Solution To All Of Life’s Problems

‘Paddington’ is a live-action animated comedy film based on the adventures of the iconic Peruvian bear. The plot this time around is an origin of sorts, in many ways a soft reboot of the franchise, it explains who Paddington (Ben Whishaw), is and details his first encounter with the Brown family.

‘Paddington Bear’ is a quintessentially British character, he has been a popular feature of media in our fair isles for well over 50 years as such he was bound to end up on the big screen sooner or, later. It pleases me to tell you that this is a fantastic reboot for the character reintroducing him to modern audiences, while still showing all the reasons he remains such a beloved character.

Paddington himself is handled in the same animated live-action way as something like Pikachu, in 2019’s ‘Detective Pikachu’. I believe that this is a good move as the animation always looks convincing, as in it looks like he is really there on screen with the other characters. However, the joy of this style of animation is that they can have this while still keeping the wacky over the top slapstickness of the character as well, a real best of both worlds situation. Ben Whishaw does a great job voicing Paddington, managing to capture the charm and, the innocence of the character, making him very lovable.

The human cast around the titular bear is like a who’s who of famous British actors including Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Jim Broadbent and Peter Capaldi. Each character has their own moment to shine whether it is Capaldi’s characters redemption or, Bonneville’s character growing to love Paddington over time. All of these individual moments are well done and, have a lot to offer the wider world of the film.

The standout for me amoungst the human cast is Sally Hawkins as Mary Brown. As the mother of the family, Mary gives off more warmth than the sun; she loves Paddington from the moment she sees him, the surrogate mother-son relationship they have is incredibly heartwarming.

My one fault with the film is that it never does much with its villain Millicent Clyde (Nicole Kidman), her motivation is that she is resentful because her family have become a laughing stock after having a run-in with Paddington’s family years prior. As such she seeks to kidnap Paddington so she can stuff him. There a few scenes where she is mildly threatening, but as the main antagonist, she is given very little to do.

Overall a stellar reimagining that brings Paddington lovingly into the 21st century.

Pros.
Paddington Himself.
The Animation.
Sally Hawkins.
This Being An Actual Good Reboot.

Cons.
Wasted Villain.

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Inside Out: A Peak Into The Mind Of A Child

‘Inside Out’ is an animated comedy-drama film, focusing on a young girl Riley, (Kaitlyn Dias), who moves away from all she knows and, ends up in a scary new land. The story is mostly told through the point of view of Riley’s emotions, who are all characters in their own right. The drama of the film comes when Joy, (Amy Poehler), and Sadness, (Phyllis Smith), lose Riley’s core memories, the memories that make her who she is, and, so have to go on a quest to get them back; going through everything from Imagination Land to Long Term Memory.

My issue with ‘Inside Out’ and, a lot of these sort of animated films is that they feel manipulative, by that I mean it feels as though they are designed to make you cry and, have a response; not to tell a story or, be entertaining, instead to pull on your heartstrings. Some moments do this well, tastefully, and had me tearing up a bit but, other moments felt so forced and, disingenuous that it left a bad taste in my mouth and, soured me on the film.

My other issue with the film is that Joy as a character is incredibly annoying. I understand that her character arc is supposed to be she thinks her way is the right and, the only way, which she then learns by the end of the film isn’t always correct, but in going through this arc she is just insufferable. Joy constantly forces her way on every single one of the other characters even when it is painfully clear to see she is wrong she goes on and, on and a lot of the time is actually quite unpleasant to the other characters. This isn’t the first film to feature an unlikable protagonist, but it is the first where I have actively wanted to turn it off because of it.

The one thing I will give ‘Inside Out’ credit for is that it captures what it is like having to face a change in your life really well. The filmmakers consulted with psychologists while making this film to try and, get Riley’s response just right and, you know what it works it works really well. All of the stages and, shifts in Riley’s emotions are very relatable and, easy to recognise from my own life.

Overall I think ‘Inside Out’ is deeply, deeply overrated, especially if you consider it won an Oscar, the plot often feels like it is trying too hard to make you feel something and, Joy as a character is unbearable from the moment she comes on screen. For anyone doing a Pixar films ranked list this belongs at the middling to the bottom end of it.

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Shrek Forever After: My Kind Of Fairytale

‘Shrek Forever After’ is an animated comedy film serving as both a concluding chapter in the Shrek franchise as well as a sequel to ‘Shrek 3’. The plot revolves around everyone’s favourite angry green ogre Shrek, (Mike Myers), who after the events of ‘Shrek 3’ has become a family man however, there is a part of him that yearns to be the feared ogre he once was again. Rumpelstiltskin, (Walt Dohrn), the villain this time around, tricks Shrek into signing a contract that would allow him to return to his glory days but, at a terrible cost.

The Shrek franchise is legendary not just for its films but, for its effect on the animated movie industry, the first Shrek film ripped up the rule book on fairy tale stories and, wrote something entirely new that took pop culture by storm. ‘Shrek’ and ‘Shrek 2’ were masterpieces in their own right they captured the idea of wanting to be someone else, but over time learning to love yourself as you are so so well this is what made a lot of people like them. Then ‘Shrek 3’ came out and, though I liked it personally a lot of people didn’t, a lot of people though the franchise should have ended after 2, so it could have gone out on a highnote; not being milked for all it was worth.

To those people, I say, “you want to check out ‘Shrek 4”, not only isn’t it a cynical corporate sellout, it arguably has the most soul of any of the films in the series. The plot of this film highlights how we all grow and, change as people as we get older, no doubt a nod to the audience that has grown up watching these films. As well as this ‘Forever After’ see the most character development for Shrek himself since the second film, Shrek realise the value of family and, what his life is without it; the choice to have true loves kiss not work the first time around is genius as it put Shrek in a real sense of danger, as well as uncharted territory narratively.

Also, this film finally gives Fiona, (Cameron Diaz), something to do, the other films had flirted with this idea in the past but, had mostly sidelined her character. It is nice to see her leading the resistance against Rumpelstiltskin as it finally gives her a purpose as a character beyond being a wife and mother and, occasional sidekick to Shrek.

‘Shrek Forever After’ lets the series go out on a high note, it has heart and, a much-needed message. A lot of people tuned out after ‘Shrek 3’ and, didn’t give this a chance but, that is a real tragedy, as this is a great instalment in the series and, one of the best-animated films of all time. I can’t wait for Shrek 5.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Klaus: Claus As You Have Never Seen Him Before

‘Klaus’ is an animated Christmas comedy film the plot follows a postman, the worst at the academy, called Jesper, (Jason Schwartzman, who is tasked with setting up a post office in Smeernsburg, a northern settlement that is torn between two rival families. While there Jesper befriends a reclusive old toymaker Klaus, (J.K Simmons), and the two of them join forces to try and, bring happiness to the children of the town.

The thing that this film does the best is its reinvention of the Santa Claus, or Father Christmas mythology. All of the traditional aspects are there the sleigh, the reindeer, the going to every house in one night, but they are all done in a new way. ‘Klaus’ explains away all the fantastical elements of Santa Claus, in fun and inventive ways. What the film does with the Mrs Claus character is not only touching and, sweet but, also helps to give Klaus as a character better motivation and serves to drive the plot forward.

Another thing I like about ‘Klaus’ is the friendship between Jesper and Margu, (Neda Margrethe Labba), a local Sami girl, the friendship between the two is deeply endearing and, it is nice to see The Sami community get more representation in film.

The animation style of ‘Klaus’ is beautiful as well, each scene seems like a painting, with vivid use of colour to a masterful degree. It is easily the best looking animated film I have seen all year, even surpassing the animation master class of last year’s ‘Into The Spiderverse’. The town of Smeernsburg is stunningly realised it has a distinctive look showcasing the slight beauty than can be found in a nightmarish hellscape. The character models are also really well done, Klaus himself has the gentle giant look down to a tee, and the members of the rival families are all very uniquely drawn each having a distinctive look.

The voice cast are all giving it their all, Schwartzman perfectly expresses Jesper’s character arc: as he goes from spoiled stuck up rich kid to a responsible caring young man, who genuinely cares about the kids he and Klaus are helping. J.K Simmons gives a reserved and, measured approach to Klaus himself, showcasing a man who is dealing with grief and, finding a way to carry one. Klaus may only say a few words throughout the runtime of the film, but he gives off so much emotion, and a lot of that is through the animation, that he doesn’t need to, easily becoming the highlight of the film.

Overall ‘Klaus’ is a thoughtful reinvention of the Santa Claus mythology, it has a good heart and, wears it on its sleeve. It is a testament to the power of animation and, a new Christmas classic. A must watch.

5/5

Reviewed by Luke