The Iron Giant Review
Grand Total: 9 ¼
Technical
Engaging 6
Moving +1
Thought-provoking +1
Kids movie +1
An amazing scene (the deer) +½
Great performance/character (the iron giant) +½
Amazing animation +½
Too short -1
Total: 9 ½
Overall impression
The Iron Giant tells the story of a young boy named Hogarth, who meets a robot from another world and quickly realizes that perhaps even robots can have thoughts and emotions. This movie is pretty impressive for how much it made me think. I mean, a kids movie that really makes you think about it, whether it be because of the messages or because of the complexity of its simple story, is impressive. At first, I wasn’t sure if I would like this movie, because the setup felt a little rushed. I realize, though, that it was because the movie wanted to get to the relationship between Hogarth and the Iron Giant; once that aspect of the movie got some focus,, this movie had me in its clutches. The simple story, well-developed characters, and great messages had me getting really wrapped up in the movie. Actually, the movie impressively handles some pretty heavy topics including death, what it means to die, what it means to kill, and what it means to be human. When it comes to questions like “what it means to be human”, it becomes clear that this movie is going to be mostly about judging unknown creatures/things without seeing that they are actually quite a bit like us. I suppose, at the end of the day, the bad guy is those who judge something just by what they see, without understanding it. I guess that’s why this movie reminded me a lot of E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, though it was a lot shorter. Speaking of length, one “issue” I had with the film was that it was too short and I have the word “issue” in quotes because this problem is actually a bit of a compliment. This movie has a very simple story that creates a few characters really well and develops a nice story that I wanted more of. I say that this is kind of a compliment because this movie is “too short” not because there’s barely anything there but because there was a lot there and it’s rushed to meet the shorter runtime of a kids movie; I would have liked to have seen more. Still, the messages are some of the most impressive and definitely outweigh the movie’s few issues. Oh and the animation is wonderful. The animators manage to give so much personality and heart into this giant robot that it’s almost perfect. I gave this movie an “amazing scene” for the “deer scene”. This scene entails the Iron Giant witnessing a deer being killed, which segways into a scene about what death is. I think that this scene plays out a hundred times better than the much more famous scene in Bambi. It’s a shame that movie is so well-known and this film isn’t when there really isn’t any comparison to make between the two; The Iron Giant blows it away in every category I can think of. I mean seriously, this movie is such a heavy hitter, why is it so underrated? In short, I think this is a movie I will be rewatched a few more times in the near future; I definitely enjoyed it and got way more out of it than I expected.
Total: 9
Shaun The Sheep Movie Review
Grand Total: 5 ¾
Technical
Watchable 4
Moving +1
Kids movie +1
An amazing scene (sheep singing) +½
Really funny +½
Great music +½
Amazing animation +½
Too long -1
Boring part -½
Total: 6 ½
Overall impression
Shaun the Sheep Movie tells the story of Shaun the Sheep, a sheep among a flock of sheep on the farm of some unnamed farmer. None of the characters in this movie have names, by the way, as there is no dialogue to be found during the entire runtime of the movie. Their lives are incredibly rote and boring, so one day Shaun the Sheep and his fellow sheep decide to take the day off. In order to do that, they have to put their owner to sleep, move him into a caravan where he can’t see them, and then enjoy their day. Unfortunately, the caravan is turned loose and somehow rolls all the way into the nearby city (which is wonderfully animated). Shaun the Sheep and company must then travel to the city and bring the farmer back. It’s a simple story, but the movie is so creative that it manages to find ways to entertain even without dialogue. A particular scene in which the group of sheep actually sing is particularly memorable. This movie really plays up the comedy as the randomness and strange believability of the story produce many laughs. As this is a movie without any dialogue in it, the music and sound effects are the most important fillers as they drive the tone of the film. The music especially does a great job of moving things along. And yet, all of this still isn’t enough to make the film anything more than decent. The movie sometimes hints at getting serious or deep but never commits. The movie was pleasant to watch, but there wasn’t a lot to get invested in, and so the short runtime of an hour and twenty-five minutes felt too long. At the end of the day, this movie is cute, but not especially good or memorable. There just isn’t much to get invested in. The music, comedy, and a touching scene here and there kept it from being boring, but the movie was never engaging.
Total: 5
Technical
Engaging 6
Thought-provoking +1
An amazing scene (dream) +½
Great writing +½
Total: 8
Overall impression
It’s incredibly difficult to wrap your head around Anomalisa, as it’s an animated film that is, in no way, shape or form, for children, featuring the very adult themes of sex, lust, loss, and depression. It is a film about Michael Stone, a customer service expert who has recently written a massively successful book about the subject and is traveling around the country to give talks about it. However, he suffers from intense depression as he ironically can't, well, connect to anybody. Right away, you can tell that this is an incredibly deep and layered movie just by how it shows what other people sound like to Michael Stone; every other human in the film, male or female, sound exactly the same, except for Anomalisa, whom I’ll get to soon. All of the other people are voiced by the same, bland, male voice of Tom Noonan, who sounds like the kind of computerized voice you hear on your voicemail machine. Anomalisa is a woman who suffers from pretty bad self-esteem but has a voice that stands out to Stone, because it doesn't match the voice of everybody else. Anomalisa is about what Stone does about this anomaly in his life. Before I get into what he does and why it’s a huge problem, I must say that the beginning of this film, from the way everything is presented to the way the character interacts with other people, is endlessly interesting. There is so much intelligence going on in this movie that it is pretty amazing. I mean, I’m still thinking of different ways to interpret various scenes in the film while writing this review. Unfortunately, it’s in the interpretation that this film really starts to lose me. By treating other people as exactly the same, the film is its own downfall because it never considers anybody else other than Michael Stone. So when he does what he does, I couldn’t help but feel like the movie was going down the wrong path; it was promoting selfishness. Now I can’t really explain why, because that would spoil the movie, but let’s just say that Michael does something that is definitely harmful to a lot of people around him. The movie never stops to consider their side of the story because, to Michael, they aren’t even people. So that really hurt how I thought about the film. It’s still a brilliantly written and fascinating portrayal of depression, but it doesn’t take in ways that I think are pretty short-sighted. Because there is definitely a lot that is left to interpret here I would still recommend checking it out to see what you make of it. It just didn't agree with me.
Total: 7
Anomalisa Review
Grand Total: 7 ½
The Little Prince Review
Grand Total: 6
Technical
Engaging 6
Moving +1
Kids movie +1
Thought-provoking +1
An amazing scene (sunset) +½
Too long -1
Boring part -½
Obvious plothole -½
Uneven tone -½
Total: 7
Overall impression
The Little Prince is a modern adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry fantastic French short story that I and many other American students read a few times in various high school classes. This takes place way after the events in the book, which is instead retold to a little girl by an old man. This little girl lives in a heavily modernized town with all of the same houses. Her mother micromanages her life so that she will be ready to attend Werth Academy, the fancy school designed to make her “essential”.
If you’ve read the book, you can see how it will relate to this girl’s life. You see, The Little Prince is a book about emotion, memory, and seeing with the heart, all things absent in this girl’s life. The first half of the movie is dedicated to this girl discovering the book and all that it means. The book itself is adapted mostly straight from the book (some parts are omitted, which I will get to), and is just as incredibly engaging, moving, and thought-provoking on the big screen. Add in a terrific score by Hans Zimmer and, for this first hour or so of the film, I was completely locked in. Once the book finished, the film should have quickly wrapped up. It doesn’t.
Unfortunately, this film keeps going for another half hour or so, going places that are so over-the-top and uncharacteristic of what the book represented. I mean, it just gets ridiculous and blatant, taking its message and jamming it down your throat in a way that just doesn’t match anything that was happening in the first half of the film. This part of the film, despite all that was going on, just got boring because of how overtly dramatic it tried to be. It does eventually lead to a really nice moment, but that moment could have been achieved just by tagging it onto the end of the film; at that point, the message and meaning would have been clear from all that had already happened. It’s as if the film was underestimating the power of the book and making absolutely sure that you got what it was saying. That and it added a lot of runtime to the film, which bothered me some more. This adaptation doesn’t use all of short story but easily could have. If the filmmakers really wanted to make this film longer, they could have just included more of the story into it. Not only would it have been more tonally fitting than what we got, but it would have expanded the message instead of hammering in what was already said.
Overall, I was very pleased with the first hour of The Little Prince and then immediately let down by what followed. I don’t think it’s because this part deviated from the source material either; this part of the film just doesn’t fit the tone of the rest of the story. What’s worse is that it really adds nothing to the story that couldn’t have been told in five minutes to end the film nicely.
Total: 5
Sausage Party Movie Review
Grand Total: 6 ½
Technical
Engaging 6
An amazing scene (Terminator 2 cue) +½
Really funny +½
Great performance/character (gum) +½
Obvious plothole -½
Total: 7
Overall impression
The fact that Sausage Party got green-lit by a major studio and released to the world says wonders about the state of Hollywood today. That’s because this animated film is about a bunch of swearing, disgustingly lustful food items in a local supermarket who can’t wait to be bought by humans to be taken to “the great beyond”. Of course, they don’t know that “the great beyond” is where humans cut them up, cook them, and then eat them. This story is about them finding out.
Now, the swearing and crude sexual humor are ever-present in this film, but become far less shocking as the story turns into something with a little more substance: a religious allegory of sorts. The parallels are really similar: these food items don’t know what happens to them when they are taken from the grocery store (it’s never discussed what happens when they actually die) and have created a “the great beyond” religion of sorts, with many of the characters debating amongst themselves about whether they should be bound by the rules required to get into the great beyond. For a while, this actually had me pleasantly surprised, because this movie that I had thought was made simply to be cheap entertainment was actually going some clever places and making genuine commentary. But then, just as the shock value and humor of the film couldn’t quite sustain themselves, the religious allegory couldn’t either, though for different reasons.
The humor gets a little stale because that’s what happens when you’re exposed to the same thing over and over again. I mean, there are plenty of laughs to be had the entire way around, my favorite being a hilarious Terminator 2: Judgement Day reference. But I couldn’t help but feel that the film’s humor lost steam after the first half hour or so (it comes back at the end in a big way though).
The religious commentary also began to fall apart the longer this film went along. That was simply because it stopped applying to the movie, but kept thinking that it did. I mean, you can’t really have a debate about what lies beyond if you already know what lies beyond, but Sausage Party still tries to keep the commentary alive anyway. I just didn’t think it worked quite as well as the film intended.
Still, it’s pretty admirable that Sausage Party, a vulgar film meant to offend and disgust, intended to have deeper meaning at all. This film was a pretty good time, with some great shock-value and gross-out humor, a few nice references, and some commentary while it lasts. There is an unnecessary villain in this film and the humor isn’t quite as strong as the film progresses, but if this type of humor is for you, then this film is worth seeing; you'll walk out of the theatre feeling dirty.
Total: 6
Kubo and the Two Strings Review
Grand Total: 6 ½
Technical
Engaging 6
Suspenseful +1
Kids movie +1
An amazing scene (enter The Sisters) +½
Great performance/character (mother) +½
Amazing animation +½
Too short -1
Obvious plothole -½
Bad performance/character (grandfather) -½
Uneven tone -½
Total: 7
Overall impression
Kubo and the Two Strings tells the tale of Kubo, a fatherless kid who has to use his magic to care for his injured mother. His magic involves him playing a small guitar-like instrument with two strings that allows him to manipulate objects, like sheets of paper, or leaves. His mother gives him a few rules to go by, including to not go out after dark. Kubo can’t help it though, as he wants to learn more about his family, both those he’s lost (his father), and those who may be still after him.
This film is difficult to review because everything about it is worth talking about. The animation, first of all, is amazing. Laika Animation uses Stop-Motion to animate their characters and a lot of the surroundings. While not all of this film is achieved through this method, a lot of it is, giving it a really original and different look. But the film, along with all of Laika’s other films, also told an original story with tons of interesting elements that could have been made their own movies. There is a scene in this film involving eyes that was just an amazing idea. The only real problem here is that this eye scene is maybe a minute long; it doesn’t have enough time to fully develop. A lot of the elements in the story were like that, where an element was really interesting but was given so little time that you couldn’t really see how it fit into the overall story.
Sadly, just like a lot of children’s films, this problem melts down to a lack of focus on a central story. The opening is great, properly exploring Kubo’s life and also his mother’s injury, which is depicted very effectively. Once Kubo breaks one of his mother’s rules (in a delightfully creepy scene) and begins his quest, things start to get a little unfocused. For example, the main quest of this story, once Kubo is on his own, is to find a set of armor. Kubo’s search for each piece of the armor is what drives the story. But the armor itself, once all is said and done, is almost irrelevant; the ending doesn’t utilize it at all. Sadly, the ending is another sore spot, as it just fails to resolve many of the questions raised in the film. What’s worse is that the ending is built up to involve Kubo’s grandfather, who is completely wasted with little real motivation. All of these story problems really hurt a movie that otherwise was very entertaining, full of creativity, and incredibly well animated.
Overall, Kubo and the Two Strings was a very creative film that was entertaining to watch (with some good humor too) but that just didn’t have enough time to utilize all it brought to the table. The animation was fantastic and there were some genuinely great scenes and creepy characters, but they weren’t properly explored. Many of the elements didn’t feel like they belonged in the overall story, a story that didn’t know how to tie up the many loose ends it produced along the way.
Total: 6
The Boy & The Beast Movie Review
Grand Total: 5 ¼
Technical
Watchable 4
Suspenseful +1
An amazing scene (final showdown) +½
Amazing animation +½
Uneven tone -½
Total: 5 ½
Overall impression
The Boy & The Beast is about Ren, an angry and confused orphan who wanders into the world of monsters, hidden within the human world. In the monster world he finds Kumatetsu, one of two monsters chosen to succeed the grand master. Despite this potential responsibility, Kumatetsu is lonely and angry, taking on Ren as a disciple when it is suggested that this will help him.
There is a lot going on in this film and a lot of time passes, with many subplots and characters introduced nearly an hour into the film. By then, Ren has grown into an adult, having spent eight years in the monster world, unable to escape. When he finally does, the film just drastically switches directions. But that wasn’t what lost me. I just didn’t find any of the characters to be likable. Now, of course Kumatetsu and Ren both start out unlikable, but they never get any better. This type of story structure requires them to get better or at least make a comment on why they won’t get any better. But this film just can’t seem to figure out which path to take. It ends up spending quite a lot of time on this subject, actually, introducing some additional characters and subplots that don’t seem to quite fit with the rest of the film at all.
Still, there is a fair amount to appreciate. The animation is gorgeous and the ending of the film, though it makes little sense, is suspenseful and full of good action. There is humor sprinkled around this film as well, popping up in places you might not expect. This is a difficult film to recommend to anybody who isn’t already a fan of the genre, but you might find parts to enjoy.
Total: 5
The Lego Movie Review
Grand Total: 8 ½
Technical
Engaging 6
Kids movie +1
An amazing scene (introduction of Batman) +½
Really funny +½
Great performance/character (Batman) +½
Amazing animation +½
Total: 9
Overall impression
The Lego Movie is about Emmet, an everyday construction worker who always follows the instructions, never strays from what is expected, and stays perfectly normal. But then, on his construction site, he finds a strange girl and an artifact. Suddenly everyone thinks he’s the most original, ingenious person in the world, destined to save it from the evil Lord Business, who also serves as president of the world. Oh and the world, along with all of its characters, are made of Legos.
The premise is pretty ridiculous, but it plays with that to produce so much humor that make this one of the most consistently funny films I’ve ever seen. And almost all of the humor is self-aware and clever, which makes it even better. The film has a fantastic voice cast and uses the most of its Lego-ness to reproduce famous characters like Superman, Gandalf, and Green Lantern in Lego form. Easily the most hilarious of these characters is Batman, who has a pretty big role in the film.
And yet, the best part about this film is how it is actually able to tell a good story out of its premise; it doesn’t exist just for laughs. There is a lot of heart here! As I explained in the premise, this film is about a normal everyday guy who is suddenly put in a position where everyone thinks he is the savior of the world. So he has to come to terms with what it means to be special and what makes someone special.
The film’s breakneck pace keeps the laughs alive but doesn’t really give that much time for you to breathe, which can be a little tough as you’re being pounded by humor. As much as it all works, there is almost too much of it; the film just doesn’t have a proper balance. The film does slow down in one part, but to visit another world that lasts for about five minutes instead of developing the characters. Emmet is pretty fleshed out just from the premise, but the other characters are left a little thin. If the film had axed the new world it introduced for seemingly no reason and then spent that time developing the secondary characters, The Lego Movie would be near-perfect.
Overall, The Lego Movie is an incredible funny, well-made and incredibly well-animated movie that surprises with a story full of heart. It’s amazing that the film is as good as it is given the fact that it is essentially a feature-length advertisement. The main character is relatable, the ending is satisfying, and the animation is incredibly creative. I would definitely recommend this film; it’s just a great film for both kids and adults.
Total: 8
The Lego Batman Movie Review
Grand Total: 8 ½
Technical
Engaging 6
Kids movie +1
An amazing scene (teamwork) +½
Really funny +½
Great performance/character (Batman) +½
Amazing animation +½
Total: 9
Overall impression
The Lego Batman Movie is about Lego Batman, a billionaire by day, crime-fighter by night who goes around Gotham City beating up bad guys, saving the day, and above all, working alone. Much to the dismay of Alfred, his caretaker, and even The Joker, who just wants to be Batman’s arch-enemy, Batman just doesn’t care about anybody but himself. So when he accidentally adopts the orphan Dick Grayson, Batman must grapple with his fear of family and what that might mean for both him and his image.
I was startled by how good The Lego Movie ended up, but was still skeptical about this film, which seemed like it was just a sillier version of the same thing. Once again, I was surprised - The Lego Batman Movie is just as good as The Lego Movie, playing a lot of the same beats but taking the focus away from the story and onto Batman’s inner struggle. There are a lot of moments when you really feel for Batman and what it’s like to be admired by so many people but unable to connect to any of them.
The self-aware humor and cultural references in The Lego Movie are all back for this film. What worked really well in The Lego Movie works even better here as this film brings back all of Batman’s villains and then some, making fun of everything Batman. The slapstick comedy that was everywhere in the previous film is toned down a little bit in this film to make way for more Batman-related humor. The Joker’s relationship with Batman is hilarious and the other villains tie in pretty well. Even Sauron is in this film! How did they manage to get that to work?
A big change in this film is in the animation. It’s still mostly animated Legos, but there is a distinct camera now, making the film feel like it’s live-action. The lighting effects are really great this time around, and there are some wide shots of Batman flying that look gorgeous. The color scheme is different too, focusing on blacks and reds in contrast to the colorful feel of the previous film. All of these changes make you forget that you’re watching a movie animated from Lego blocks. So much of The Lego Movie revolved around building things with Legos; almost nothing in The Lego Batman Movie required them.
Overall, The Lego Batman Movie is a worthy follow-up to The Lego Movie. It keeps the same amount of humor but changes up the focus. The story itself is centered around Batman, which makes for good character development but a bit of a forgettable story. I really enjoyed the change in animation style, even though it begs the question “why even bother making it a Lego Movie?” I really had a blast with this film and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good time or just feeling a little lonely; you’ll finish the movie with a smile on your face.
Total: 8
Your Name Movie Review
Grand Total: 10
Technical
Engaging 6
Suspenseful +1
Moving +1
Kids movie +1
An amazing scene (Itomori realization) +½
Epic in scale +½
Really funny +½
Amazing story/plot +½
Great performance/character (Mitsuha) +½
Amazing animation +½
Total: 10 (12)
Overall impression
Every once in awhile a movie comes along with rave reviews, high expectations, and a few months before it makes it to my area. During that grace period, I slowly build up my excitement to see this film. It’s in a genre I have been getting more and more into, the animation is supposed to be amazing, the story is really great. All of these things I’m hearing were really making this an anticipated movie for me. And then, in an incredibly rare twist, this film exceeds my expectations. Your Name is the best anime film I’ve ever seen and one of the best traditionally-animated films ever made.
The premise is fairly easy to understand. Two people, one a country girl and one a city boy, randomly wake up inside each other’s bodies for a day at a time. Some days they’re swapped and some days they aren’t. They slowly learn more about each other and accidentally mess up days of each other's’ lives to great comedic effect. Each lead very different lives with different dreams and aspirations, which really blends well to make this story engaging. Due to some twists and turns in the story, they become determined to find each other. And all of this happens around a gorgeous comet event. It might seem a little cheesy, but it works for the movie. It certainly worked for me.
This film is perfectly paced. It draws you in from its first scene and never lets go. I was thoroughly invested in the characters and incredible premise right from the start. And just when it seems like a chapter in the story is going to overextend itself, there is some twist presented in the movie that blows your mind while simultaneously fitting perfectly into the story. The film wraps itself up in a nice bow that leaves you satisfied with what you’ve seen and eager to watch the film again just to go through the experience again. You really feel like a lot of time has passed in this story, and parts of it actually create a profound sense of nostalgia.
The technical aspects of the film were, as expected, fantastic. The animation leaps off the screen, especially in the rural landscapes where the girl lives around. There are so many gorgeous shots of the landscape that feel incredibly real. The animation also handles lighting very well. There is a scene at twilight and sunset that feel incredible, and the comet is illuminated beautifully in the sky as it passes overhead. There is just something incredibly magical about the way this film is animated. While there are plenty of computerized effects, they somehow blend with the traditional, hand-drawn animation really well and don’t feel jarring.
Something else that I found impressive about this film is how well it manages to flesh out its characters and put them in realistic relationships. Not once did a character’s actions feel contrived or strange. Instead, they just make sense. The differences in the lives of these characters is just so well-realized in this movie, which helps the events flow by seamlessly without confusion. Even though this type of story is on the complicated side, I never felt confused or lost at any point in the story; it was all clear and powerfully directed.
There is something in this movie for everyone. Whether it’s from the touching story, the great twists, the genuine mystery element that takes form when the two characters try to find each other, the gorgeous animation, or the premise alone, Your Name will leave it’s mark and you’ll never want it to end.
Total: 10