Reviews

This show mainly has a ton of intense action and some very serious moments, but otherwise, it's a great show that tweens can watch and enjoy every second of. Some of the episodes feel longer and more forgettable, but there are many great episodes that overshadow all of the bad ones.

A lot of people have complained about this show's overly rapid pacing. WellIfullygetthatfactbutIpolitelydisagree. The show constantly introducing new characters and plots make every episode a rollercoaster ride, and most of these characters have distinct, fun personalities, on top of having solid depth in a few cases. Speaking of, this show is also really good in the story department, taking the basic plot of Dead End season 2 and actually making it good. (Yeah, I like Dead End less the more I think about it.). It's as simple as angels versus demons, made better by the fact that the villain is basically just a tween in wolf's clothing and how all the plot twists AREN'T crammed into the very last episode. That's not even mentioning the animation, which is consistently great and makes every character come to life. However, this show still gets some things wrong. For starters, while the show can be funny, it also leans heavily on shock value over humor, which is a detriment to it, especially in the finale. Also, the songs are pretty hit and miss, and that sucks considering the show prides itself on them. Not to mention how this show is only appropriate for adults, running the full gamut of drugs, language, violence and one scene that was so sexual, I had to switch to the computer (If you watched this, you know the one.). But, if you're old enough and don't mind a couple of flaws, then this show is undoubtedly worth your time.

Let's stick to positives first. The animation is positively gorgeous, bringing the Garfield characters to stylized CGI like never before. A lot of the jokes made me laugh, although every time they referenced modern pop culture, I wanted Garfield to drown in lasagna (Catflix not withstanding.). The villains are great, with one being a big Cruella de Ville reference and the other being a big Aardman reference. Not to mention how the twist with them is pretty clever. No, no, no. The problem lies with the story. The basic premise isn't horrible, but it's kind of simple. The film "remedies" this by drawing out every serious scene until all emotion is sucked out and it becomes weirdly convoluted. Doesn't help how a lot of the story is told through exposition, lessening its effect. Also, in hindsight, I do not care for the two bulls at all. The purple one has some funny lines, but overall.... They're just kinda there for the sake of giving Aardwoman things to do. Anyways, this movie is appropriate even for younger kids, with the only things holding it back being some slapstick and romance elements, as well as brands. They'll get a lot out of this, but I got something out of this too, so that's not bad.

Now, the original Chicken Run wasn't a masterpiece. It was good, but had its faults. This sequel takes those faults, worsens them and removes what was good about the first. The female chickens in the film have FAR less agency, with a lot of the initiative plans coming from the men. The humor is still funny some of the time, but there are a lot more bad jokes than last time as well. The dark, oppressive atmosphere from the first movie? It's entirely gone now, with the villain's base being so toned down it's borderline comical. It doesn't help that the main villain himself is a bumbling buffoon. The story is bland and predictable, and why are the rats on the chickens' side now, exactly? It all adds up to a bland, yet annoying movie that just ends up feeling like a waste of time. Parents should know that young kids can watch this movie without having watched the first, since this is far tamer than the first and even recaps it at the beginning. But it's also far lamer than the first, so I'd recommend just watching the first instead.

I loved the movie, and I had high hopes for this show. So did it deliver? Yes.... For the first three episodes, that is. Those episodes had a good balance of action and comedy, as well as actually developing the story in interesting ways, and while the rest of the show can still be pretty funny, everything else takes a downward spiral. The good action in the first few episodes is now only shown in glimpses, taking a backseat to a story that's too simple for its own good. It's padded out with flashbacks and a mystery that's not really all that intriguing. That mystery then ends on one of the dumbest plot twists I've ever seen, and the show's over. Sometimes, things should just stay simple, but this show doesn't realize that. Parents should know that this show is geared towards the same audience as the movie, not having as much violence, but doubling down on the sexual connotations and having more swearing. Either way, it's just kinda eh.

Okay, in all fairness, this movie starts out airtight. Mahito loses his mom in a fire, so he lives with a bunch of old ladies until he finds this heron who brings him to the world of the dead. Everything was lined up for this to be a great, emotional movie.... But it kinda missed the mark. (Unlike Mahito! AYO!). The Heron, cigar-addicted grandma and other characters are all funny and interesting in their own right, and there are still some very emotional scenes, but none of these things really mesh all that well with each other. We're given a bunch of lore about this world that sounds interesting on paper, but ultimately just makes said world (And the movie's message, or lack thereof) feel incredibly muddled. And near the end, the movie turns incredibly self-congratulatory and annoyingly meta, feeling like the director is just using this movie to celebrate himself. Despite all these criticisms, I'd hesitate to call this a bad movie by any means. Even aside from my aforementioned praises, the animation is really something to behold (Even if the food looked terrible, don't @ me.) and it makes me wish the whole movie was dialogueless, as The Red Turtle had no dialogue and ended up a slightly better movie. This movie is also noticeably not for kids, which I kinda like. There are scenes of death, self-harm, a weird fish gutting, drug addiction and even almost murder. But still, this definitely isn't best animated feature material, at least to me.

Now, it's not like this film wasn't good in the first two acts. The film was still pretty funny, the animation was spectacular and the representation was top-notch. However, there were a few glaring issues that prevented it from truly being exceptional. The story felt a bit generic (Just be yourself!) and I really don't like how the film takes place in the distant future. It feels like a lazy way to shoehorn in modern technology, and some of the jokes they make with it are borderline cringeworthy. For a while, I thought that this would just be a pretty good, four star film..... Then the ending came. Now, I won't tell you what happens because it needs to be seen to be believed, but this ending was the turning point for me. Between the thrilling climax, the raw emotion and the completely unpredictable twists, this ending shines a whole new light on everything you thought you knew and cranks it up to 11. This movie really just sneaks up on you and then hits you with an ending that'll blow you away. (Why, yes. That was a Dunkey reference.). It's a must-watch for older kids, as the film contains too much innuendo, violence, and censored swearing to be appropriate to anyone younger. But if your kid is old enough, they MUST see Shrek 5: Powerful in Pink on Netflix.

This movie.... It's something else entirely. It takes the same approach to tense storytelling with some of its scenes as the first Dune (Such as when this lady drinks the water of life), but still manages to tell a stronger, richer story overall. This movie's story tears apart the white savior trope by showing how blind faith in a prophecy can lead to ruin. You can see the indoctrination process happening to the Fremen people as Lisan-Al Gaib (Paul) slowly builds up more control over them, and the reverse happening to Chani as she doubts Paul's resolve. You can sense Paul's plan slowly coming into action, and you know it's gonna be catastrophic. But even besides having a fantastic story, this movie managed to pull me on the edge on my seat from beginning to end, something even the first Dune couldn't do. It intertwines stellar action, creepy concepts and thought-out storytelling so seamlessly, it's almost hard to believe it's a real movie. Admittedly, the Lisan-Al Gaib schtick does get a bit repetitive, but that's only a minor gripe. This movie is also slightly more adult than the first, with even more violent scenes and a darker plot. But for older teens, it's worth seeing this movie that easily stands equal to the first in terms of quality.

For real, I think this is the better movie. They're both great movies, it's just that this movie feels more focused and direct, despite it also being pretty complicated. The story honest to gosh made my heart break with how everything ended up related in the end like a perfect tapestry, but that's not the only good part about the movie. The characters are also very endearing, with my favorite being the grandma (Viva la revolucion!). They have a really fun dynamic, and are very funny as a result. I like how the music is mostly in Spanish, complimenting the atmosphere, and my favorite part is how the Blue Beetle's abilities just feel entirely made up (What beetle has anime swords and laser beams?!). Overall, this movie is highly recommended....If you're a teenager. There's some violence, a bit of it being more graphic (Including the scariest superhero transformation sequence of all time.) and a surprisingly large amount of sexual innuendo. Other than that, though, this film is a great superhero movie that fits like a glove for its target audience.