Dora And The Search For Sol Dorado: Boots Finally Talks

Dora, Samantha Lorraine, is back.

So this is not as good as the previous Dora The Explorer live action film from a few years ago, but that is not to say it is without charm. Whilst yes this one aims younger than the previous film and has a less well known cast, there is still a lot of things to enjoy. For example both Boots and Swiper get more expanded roles and Boots talks, being voiced by Gabriel Iglesias, which is a nice change up. This film does also draw far more heavily on the TV show than the previous film with one key exception, they don’t play the Dora Theme Music, I was waiting for it for the whole film and thought they might play it over the end credits but instead we got Camilla Cabello.

The dialogue and acting in this film are not very good with it sometimes getting pretty stupid for the dialogue and cringe for the acting. However, this is a straight to streaming Dora movie what did you expect? For me these two things add a so bad it is good kind of feel to the film, which I enjoyed.

Overall, a fun addition to the franchise.

3.5/5

Pros.

It is funny

Boots and Swiper

It feels truer to the cartoon

The so bad it is good factor

Cons.

It does assume the audience is braindead at times

They left out the Dora theme music

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How To Train Your Dragons: Dream Works Opens A Slop Factory

Summary

So I was not going to watch this film, but I needed to kill some time and it was on. However, don’t worry I am not trying to put animators out of business, as to make up for seeing this I also rented the original animated film to make sure they were getting money as well.

As I expected before going in to this it is a soulless rip-off of the original animated film, made with as much originality as one can expect from AI Hollywood these days, much like with Disney’s Lilo and Stitch the changes it does make come at the expense of the film rather than as a reason to see this version of it.

The race swaps for Astrid, and the lessening of Hiccup as a character in an effort to give Astrid more to do, and to push girlboss narratives don’t make the film any better and highlight the sort of negative changes I was talking about before.

It is the worst of both worlds both a shot for shot remake but also one that has some small ‘modernising’ changes to it which make it worse. The story is much the same and if you have seen the animation you will just see right through this film for the hollow imitation it is.

Overall, a trend that needs to die in Hollywood

1.5/5

Pros.

Toothless is still fun

It has the same beats as the first film which is good, but they are just hollow recycled parts

Cons.

It doesn’t need to exist

It is inferior to the animated version

The changes make it worse

The live action cast lack any kind of charm

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Minecraft: The Best Videogame Movie?

Summary

A group of people are brought into the game world of Minecraft.

For me this may have been one of the best films of the year, It had the perfect combination of heart, nostalgia and homage. It felt like a love letter to the game without feeling like a tick box list of hey remember this remember that, and the things it did include were incorporated in a way that made sense to the film.

I enjoyed seeing the Nether, although I would have left if for the sequel, I thought it felt as well realised as the actual main Minecraft world itself as well as the Overworld, regular Earth. I do wonder where they will go with a sequel perhaps to the Ender with the sequel villain being the dragon that guards it, who knows.

The only part of the film I was not into was the repeated gag of having Jennifer Coolidge be dating a villager, Matt Berry, whilst I am a Berry fan I thought that this gag went on for far too long and really was never funny, it should have been cut.

Overall, a lovely video game adaption that has respect for its source material and great performances across the board.

4.5/5

Pros.

The references

How well realised it is

It is funny

Great performances

It is pure fun

Cons.

The villager side plot

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In The Lost Lands: Zack Snyder Is That You?

Summary

Mila Jovovich is back for another fantasy action role, but can it live up to her past glories?

I enjoyed this film, I thought it had a great sense of style, and an interesting world rife for exploring. The issue, however, is that this feels like a film set in a world that you are already supposed to know, in other words it feels like a part two rather than a new film. This goes through every aspect of the film from characters to plot points, to the fact that magic and demons exist. None of this is really explored in any detail it is just there.

Jovovich still has it in terms of action and is believable as Sister Alice, however, her chemistry with Batista is none existent. To the point that when they somewhat get together at the end of the film it makes little to no sense.

In a sense despite being directed by Paul W.S Anderson, this feels like a Zack Snyder film. It has a lot of cool looking visuals and a great world ready to be explored, but in terms of storytelling, character development or sense it just is not there.

Overall, style over substance.

2/5.

Pros.

A cool world

Good visuals

The Badlands are interesting

Cons.

The characters are underdeveloped

The chemistry isn’t there

It makes no sense

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Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part Two: The End

Summary

The final battle.

So this the better one of the two-parter. They throw everything they have into the Battle of Hogwarts effects wise and that makes for some great action. I would have liked things to be a little more inventive, like these are wizards and witches who can conjure things out of thin air. Hagrid, Robbie Coltrane could have let lose her collection of magical creatures with a number of pay offs to previous films, but no.

I enjoyed that this film took things away the central trio and tried to give other characters moments this helped to make it feel less like another round of teen angst. I did not like seeing the flashforward at the end and seeing where all the characters ended up as I thought that it was underdeveloped and once again ignored world building to focus on the three characters.

Overall, a much better second half but not one that is perfect

3.5/5

Pros.

The battle

Giving other characters some spotlight

The tone

The pacing

Cons.

They could have done more

The flashforward is not explored enough

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Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part One: The Love Triangle That No One Needed

Summary

Harry, Ron, Rupert Grint, and Hermione set off to find the horcruxes.

So this film is a mess. From top to bottom.

For two key reasons. Firstly, you have the fact that rather than focus on a world that Voldemort, Ralph Fiennes, has taken over and show us what that is like, or show us the Order of the Phoenix fighting back against Voldemort and his forces, we get to follow Ron, Harry and Hermione as they trapes over the countryside.

Secondly, and very much woven into the first reason is the fact that of the Ron, Harry and Hermione storyline a hell of a lot of it is taken up with the awkward sort of love triangle. This just feels far too YA and is not of any interest to anyone. It feels like needless filler to justify the need to split the book into two films. They could have spent that time showing us more of the world.

Something I will applaud the film for is that it does go to some quite dark places and handles the mature subject matter well. When Hermione is being tortured in Malfoy manner it feels very distressing and real, and in this moment the series really does manage to shed its childlike image.

Overall, forget worldbuilding lets have a love triangle instead.

2.5/5

Pros.

The mature tone

A few good battle scenes

The Deathly Hallows story animated is well done

Cons.

Too much angst

A deeply unnecessary love triangle

Little world building

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Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince: Killing Time Whilst J.K Rowling Gets Paid

Summary

Despite war being declared, Harry returns to Hogwarts for a 6th year.

This is only marginally better than the previous film, and you will find that the issues I had with that film crop back up here. For example, there is more filler, lots more. Whilst you may be wondering what Voldemort and co are up to, or how they’re taking over the world, you won’t see any of that. Instead, you get a Ron, Rupert Grint, love triangle and even more needless teen angst.

I will give this film that it at least fills in some of Snape’s, Alan Rickman, back story which is interesting and you get to see more of Voldemort’s horcruxes which again is welcome, however, it feels like the build up to another film. Even the death of Dumbledore, Michael Gambon, feels like it should lead to more but then the film just abruptly ends after the central trio decide to go and hunt down the remaining horcruxes.

The more we see of the Death Eaters the more interesting they appear and yet the film never allows us to spend much time with them, even less with the Order of the Phoenix members. Who get next to no screen time.

Overall, too much angst not enough exploration of characters outside the main trio.

2.5

Pros.

Some interesting wider world stuff

The horcrux plot line

More time with the Death Eaters

Cons.

It is slow

It has too much angst

It feels like filler

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Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix: The Wrath Of A Karen

Summary

Harry Potter faces his greatest nemesis yet a karen, Imelda Staunton.

This ties the first film for being the worst in my opinion, there is so much wrong with this from the fact of how the whole film is an act of filler, both in universe as people don’t believe Voldemort has returned, and also in a meta sense as this delays the inevitable war for future films pushing it down the road.

Furthermore, outside of the ending fight this film is a mess of teenage angst and Moody outbursts, it feels far more like a YA film than a fantasy adventure film. Once again I would like to see far more background on the Order members and get to know them, rather than have to go back to Hogwarts yet again.

Moreover, the idea that Dumbledore, Michael Gambon, would allow a teacher into the school who was hurting students as a means of discipline is just ridiculous, and the film goes oh he can’t do anything otherwise the Ministry of Magic will turn on him as a means of explanation. However, the films set him up as such a powerful force that the Ministry wouldn’t dare, and he would never allow a student to be harmed at Hogwarts. It just breaks its own logic.

The dementor scene at the beginning of the film is really the only good one of the entire film.

Overall, filler in everyway.

1/5

Pros.

The dementor scene

Cons.

It is boring

It breaks its own logic

It is filler

It has too much YA garbage in it

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Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire: A Traumatic One For The Twilight Fans

Summary

Harry enters the Tri Wizard Tournament and Voldemort is reborn.

So this Harry Potter film is easily the best, you have the expanding of the world by seeing the Quidditch World Cup and seeing other countries and how they use magic, as well as seeing the other schools and how they present. I would say though that this film marked the start of the teen angst which comes to linger and ruin the flow of the latter films, whereas at least here it is minor.

There does seem to be a genuine sense of threat during the tournament and the graveyard seen is able to capitalize on that, with it being quite harrowing to watch Voldemort’s return and the death of Cedric, Robert Pattinson. I would have to like to have seen more of the Death Eater trials but I suppose you have to streamline things for theatrical release.

I think the film manages to do a lot to keep the pace moving along nicely with a good mixture of action and character moments with it never slowing down too much as we will soon see with the later films.

Overall, the best Harry Potter has.

4.5/5

Pros.

It allows us to see more of the world

The graveyard scene

The tension

The pace

The opening sequence at the Quidditch World Cup

Cons.

The beginnings of angst.

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Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban: Rats And Dogs

Summary Harry meets his godfather.

This is easily the second best film in the series, I appreciate the more adult tone of it and think that seeing more of the wizarding world such as during the night-bus scene is a credit to the film. The dementors make for excellent monsters for Harry and co to face off with as they are both evil but also fairly unexplored, we know they are a threat without even needing to see them be threatening.

I thought the film almost had a paranoid thriller aspect to it with the prisoner being on the loose and supposedly out to do Harry harm. There was a great sense of tension particularly after the Fat Lady is attacked that really makes you share in the sense of peril.

Lupin, David Thewlis, is one of my favourite characters as he makes an impression right from the off and you really buy his connection to Harry. Finding out more about Lupin and Harry’s Dad as boys was also interesting. The twist is quite well done and you would not realise it unless you had seen it before, I am talking about Timothy Spall’s reveal of course.

Overall, a fun ride with a great gothic charm

4/5

Pros.

The twist

The atmosphere

Exploring more of the world

The past stuff

Cons.

The pacing is off

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