 It's probably plain to most people after my 'Lion King' ('19) review that the original '94 film, for yours truly, cannot be touched as far as quality goes, even if the new animation is admittedly breathtakingly beautiful. So, when I saw the trailer for this film, I was indifferent. On the one hand, it's digging up known and beloved characters for what seems to be an easy money grab. On the other hand, despite said beloved characters and familiarity, this IS an original story. While everyone else was wondering, "Who's asking for this?" I was in the minority saying, "Me?"
The film opens with a dedication to the memory of the late great James Earl Jones, who famously lent his voice to Mufasa in both the '94 and '19 versions of 'The Lion King. With that in mind, it moves on to some pretty familiar territory, as the animals of the African savanna all gather around Pride Rock, as Simba (Donald Glover) has an announcement to make; he and Nala (Beyoncé) are about to have their second cub, which means Simba has to take off to meet Nala at the birthing ground. This event leaves their first cub, Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter), whom some may remember from 'Simba's Pride,' in the babysitting hands of Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen), who are sadly irritating in this film whenever they're on screen. There's a laugh or two, but most of that is after Rafiki (John Kani) comes in to join them to tell the story, reacting to their stupidity. But hey, what can you do? Some of this annoyance is bound to happen, being a film aimed at kids. Moving on, Rafiki tells Kiara the story of her grandfather, Mufasa, and how he came to be King. Mufasa (Braelyn Rankins /Aaron Pierre) and his parents, Masego (Keith David) and Afia (Anika Noni Rose) live in a pretty barren African savanna in the middle of a drought. Mufasa's parents tell him of a lush land called Milele and that they will find it one day. Think of the Great Valley from 'The Land Before Time.' One day, a disastrous flood strikes at the watering hole, whisking Mufasa away from his parents, home, and everything he knows. Lost and floating down a river, he eventually meets up with another cub named Taka (Theo Somolu/Kelvin Harrison Jr.). As Mufasa and Taka grow up together, they become brothers, but Mufasa gets shunned by their King, Obasi (Lennie James), who sends Simba off with the females, where, guess what? He learns many valuable techniques from Queen Eshe (Thandiwe Newton) about tracking, hunting, etc. Meanwhile, Taka wants to join them, but Obasi tells him it's a waste, as one day he'll be King, and all he'll have to do is laze around all day. This negative attitude continues until, one day, the pride is met with some white lions, forcing Mufasa and Taka into exile. From here, the story turns into Mufasa and Taka searching for Milele (which translates to "forever"), eventually stumbling on the familiar characters of Sarabi (Tiffany Boone) and Zazu (Preston Nyman - voiced by John Oliver last time, which I failed to mention). Ultimately, a love triangle occurs between the three lions, leading Taka to become Scar (not a spoiler, as evident from the get-go). Not much about the story ends up surprising, as Sarabi choosing Mufasa over Scar is mentioned in the 2019 'Lion King,' in one of the very few additional bits to the film. With so much "copy + paste" technique given to Disney's live-action remakes, I found this movie kinda refreshing. It reminds me of how I felt about 'Last Jedi' when it came out. It may not have been the best movie, but I have to give the filmmakers credit for attempting to step outside that comfort zone and try out some unfamiliarity for once. That said, I met this one with about the same reception I did the 2019 remake - it's beautiful to look at, but the effects aren't enough to make it great. I'll still stick to the 1994 classic, but kudos to this film for the attempt. 3/5
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 I'm gonna go ahead and begin this review by saying that if you're a reader who's unfamiliar with, or disinterested completely by any 'Lord of the Rings' books and/or films, nothing about this movie is gonna mean anything much to you. Despite the fact that it takes place 183 years before the events of 'Lord of the Rings,' and about 123 before 'The Hobbit,' the story here is a sidestep away from anything to really do with the One Ring, and delves into a story of events that once happened in Rohan; Rohan being most prominently remembered from 'Two Towers.'
So while there are no real direct ties to either trilogy, it's a bit of Middle Earth history between a couple of human races that the average 'LOTR' newcomer will probably be altogether unfamiliar with. Nevertheless, it's a pretty good, if simple story that still captures the spirit of Peter Jackson's cinematic creativity, ties in nicely, and makes me kinda hope there are more of these animated "side quests" some time in our future. I love this world, and I'm always down to see more of it! Our narrator here is Éowyn (Miranda Otto) of the Rohirrim, whom fans will remember fondly as the undercover woman who rode out to battle a vast army of Orcs, and took down the Witch King of Angmar in 'Return of the King.' Coinciding with her badassery, she begins the tale of Héra (Gaia Wise), the daughter of King Helm (Brian Cox) of Rohan. Héra is a sort of "lone wolf" character, a great fighter, lover of nature, potential shieldmaiden, and has been arranged to marry a lord of Gondor, which would bring their powerful kingdoms together. One day, a Dunlending (a race of humans who live in the wild) lord, Freca (Shaun Dooley) shows up with his son, and childhood friend of Héra's, Wulf (Luca Pasqualino). Freca suggests Héra change her mind, and marry Wulf instead, but Helm sees right through his, and knows he intends to steal the throne. This soon results in Helm and Freca "taking it outside," where Helm gives Freca one good, swift punch to the face, killing him instantly, and earning himself the nickname "Helm Hammerhand" (which is admittedly pretty badass). Afterward, Wulf swears revenge on Rohan for murdering his father, and isn't heard from for several years. To cut it a bit short, this is basically what eventually leads to the titular War of the Rohirrim. As one can imagine, Héra is basically the unlikely hero here, almost fitting right into Éowyn's shoes. So, in many ways, one could see this as a sort of "girl power" film, but I have to say that it does things very organically, nothing is forced, and it really is just a cool and interesting side story in Middle Earth's history. I would encourage fans of 'LOTR' to check this film out for themselves and try to ignore some of the more critical reviews out there. The fact of the matter was that this was rushed out in order for New Line to keep the rights to Tolkein's books, and between that and 2D animation taking over six live-action epics, it might be easy for a critic to brush this one aside. It didn't do well at the Box Office, either, being surrounded by titles like 'Moana 2,' 'Mufasa,' 'Sonic 3,' and 'Wicked.' But honestly, if you get a chance, check this out! Even if its streaming by the time you get to it. I might credit this one as one of the most underrated movies of the year, all considered. For yours truly, even though the live-action wasn't there, and it may not have sucked me in as much as the average 'LOTR' flick, I was happy to see more untold tales of this world that I personally love to escape into from time to time. For some of my friends and I, to see a 'LOTR' movie in the beginning of winter is a bit of a tradition, and it's kinda nice to keep that tradition alive. So, if you like this world, definitely check this out. It's no 'Return of the King,' but stylistically, and story-wise, it certainly holds its own. 4/5  Although I can admit that this was a title that didn't entirely live up to its predecessor, I do think that as a sequel, it's perfectly fine. This is another one I feel gets a bit worse of a rap that it truly deserves, but it's not without its faults, either. The original 'Moana,' much like with 'Frozen 2' and its predecessor, is a lot to live up to, so one has to try to give it a bit of slack. That said, much like it is with many other Disney fans, I would really like to see some more new, new material from the studio, and not just another live-action remake, or sequel.
The timing here is kinda brutal too, as this is also followed closely by the Disney prequel that is 'Mufasa: The Lion King.' In both cases, new ideas, sure, but still a part of something that already exists. And I'm mostly looking at Disney here, about this gripe, not so much Pixar, who released 'Inside Out 2' earlier this year, which I felt actually outdid the original. But I digress; the bottom line is that even though this was fine, it was something I felt didn't need to exist, because 'Moana' was such an instant classic as a stand-alone. The story here picks up three years after the events of the first film. Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) has since put her lessons about way-finding from Maui (Dwayne Johnson) to work, setting sail with animal companions Heihei (Alan Tudyk) and Pua, the adorable little piggy. She travels in search of other civilizations, connected to the ocean. One day, she manages to find a broken piece of pottery with a symbol of a couple of mountains on it, proving that somewhere out there, other civilizations exist. Her ancestor, Tautai Vasa (Gerald Faitala Ramsey) comes to her one day in a vision, during a brutal lightning storm, revealing why there's a lack of connection to other people of the ocean. This time, it's the fault of a storm God named Nalo, who sunk an island called Motufetu in an attempt to gain power over the mortals. Motufetu, itself, was once an island that connected the people of the ocean, and their islands, and since its sinking things have been stressful for those living the seaside life. If Moana can't travel to Motufetu's location and raise it, life on her home island of Motunui will slowly die out. Evidently, the whole first movie was just Moana's first step towards greatness. To accomplish this, she'll need a crew, consisting of a smart, if pretty annoying craftswoman named Loto (Rose Matafeo), a historian named Moni (Hualalai Chung), who's also obsessed with Maui, and a grouchy farmer and elder named Kele (David Fane). And yeah, as one can easily predict, Maui eventually joins the crew as well, because... how else are they gonna raise the island? Along the way, the encounter several obstacles, including another, rather different experience with the Kakamora tribe (a tribe of anthropomorphic coconuts), a vampire bat type being named Matangi (Awhimai Fraser), and a whole realm that takes place within a giant clam, where Gramma Tala (Rachel House) can't use the ocean to help Moana anymore. All in all, once the crew reaches the giant clam and has their encounter with the Kakamora, things get a little bit confusing, or perhaps even convenient for the crew to keep moving. My one real gripe with it is just that. It seemed that whenever the chips were down here, some kind of miraculous moment would happen that spares them. It all just feels too damn easy. After a while, there's no sense of dread or potential failure from this like you had with the first. It's still bright, flashy, beautifully animated, and the songs are mostly kinda catchy. But if you go into this thinking its gonna be the same, or better quality than the first, it's not. This one could have done the "straight-to-D+" thing, really. But still, it's decent for what it is, and I do think the youthful fans of the original will enjoy it just fine. 3/5  Every once in a while, a movie comes along that just leaves me with a big smile on my face, and 'The Wild Robot' here is a shining example of such a movie. Such films tend to include a vast innocence about them, but have the occasional adult joke, or over-the-top sight gag built in, so it can appeal to older audiences as well. The other thing about them is how clever the writing and storytelling is, in that while they can be good movies for kids, there's nothing about them I see as an adult as being so called "kid's stuff."
Generally speaking, Pixar is the undisputed king company of such animated movies. But DreamWorks did a great job with this trailer in reminding us that they can definitely deliver the goods as well, with groundbreaking series like 'How to Train Your Dragon,' (which really made us appreciate how good flight looked in 3D) and 'Shrek' (which began the "Best Animated Picture" Oscar category). 'The Wild Robot' here is absolutely the next in line for the go-to DreamWorks series. Between it being ultimately successful, and based on a book series, a sequel is already in the works as I write this. It all begins when a cargo ship crashes somewhere in the wilderness, losing six "ROZZUM" robots; AI robots that can assist with more physical tasks in order to make our lives easier. One day, one such robot is accidentally activated by the local wildlife, and would eventually become known as "Roz" (Lupita Nyong'o). In attempting to help the animals, she ends up scaring them all instead. On one failed attempt, she's sent tumbling into a goose nest, crushing everything except for one lone egg. Eventually the egg hatches, and an adorable gosling eventually named "Brightbill" imprints on Roz, giving her purpose to essentially serve as Brightbill's "mother" until he's ready to fly south with the other geese for the winter season. She even gets help from a reluctant fox named Fink (Pedro Pascal), who would normally see Brightbill as a meal. The whole process of getting the little guy up and flying is cute, often funny, and often heartwarming. Best of all though, you'd think that would be all there was to the movie, but there's actually quite a bit more. Brightbill actually takes off on his flight about half way through the movie, but that doesn't make Roz's learning experience end. She further learns about the harshness of winter, and what it means to hybernate, while she awaits the arrival of her little gosling, which is months away. During this time, she works with the rest of the local wildlife in an attempt to create peace among them. Meanwhile, a lot of Brightbill's abilities are tested on his flight when he faces danger here and there, and is made to move up from his underdog position in the flock. I could see this as a learning experience about facing inexperience and the anxieties that come with it. Roz, a robot, has to become a mother figure to Brightbill, and the old tale about AI growing emotion is a part of it, but in a much more positive way than we usually see. Brightbill has to try to learn to fly with an improper teacher, and learn to be among strangers who tend to dislike him. Fink, perhaps harshest of all, has to learn to go against his most basic instincts as a predator, and it does not end with Brightbill looking tasty. This was a title that warmed my heart, left me smiling, and further shows that animated movies aren't just "cartoons for kids." This was a pretty great story that covers a lot of ground, and it comes as a high recommendation from yours truly for something a little more family friendly. I'd put it somewhere between 'The Iron Giant' and 'WALL-E' as far as what it reminds me of in quality, and those are two of my all-time faves. So get the family together and check it out, because there's a lot to appreciate about it! 5/5  It's kinda crazy to think of myself as a guy who appreciates imagination after having grown up with a LOT of imaginative and creative material, yet never hearing of 'Harold and the Purple Crayon' until this movie came along. Not only is it a famous kids book, but it was also adapted into a series of shorts over the years, featured on 'Captain Kangaroo' (not that I really watched it), and even featured as a short-run animated series in 2001, narrated by Sharon Stone. You'd think just word of mouth would have gotten to me, eventually.
The story (which is also the opening to the movie) involves four-year-old Harold, who has the power to create his own world, simply by drawing it with his purple crayon. He creates, and creates, but eventually gets tired and wants to go home to bed, so has to search for his bedroom window. Soon enough, he remembers where his bedroom window is, and makes himself a bed to dose off in, "the end." But the opening of the film continues Harold's (Zachary Levi) adventures, as he grows up and creates his two best friends, Moose (Lil Rel Howery) and Porcupine (Tanya Reynolds). As the opening shows you all of this in animation, it's being narrated by Alfred Molina; someone Harold can actually communicate with as he tells Harold's stories. One day, Harold tries calling out to the narrator, and realizes he seems to have gone missing. Knowing that the narrator lives in the real world, however, Harold comes up with a simple solution by drawing a door to the "Real World" and opening it up, providing him a portal to Earth as we know it. You wanna roll your eyes at the simplicity of it, but at the same time, I admire that they just went with it, because if they didn't, we'd be asking "why doesn't he just?" Harold enters the real world with Moose, who turns into a human, but Porcupine gets left behind. They immediately get into an accident with a lady named Terry (Zooey Deschanel) and her son, (*cringe*) Melvin (Benjamin Bottani), ultimately giving them a place to stay, once Harold uses his purple crayon to fix Terry's tire. By the way, Mel sees this, Terry doesn't, and that's something that gets repeated time and time again throughout the film to a fault. But anyway, Harold and Mel become friends, which may or may not be creepy depending on who you are, but it is at least addressed by Terry more than once. Eventually, Mel offers to help Harold find his "Dad" (the narrator), and that's essentially what the movie is all about, while on the side, Zooey Deschanel is basically reprising her role from 'Elf' as a somewhat bitter lady who needs to cheer up through the help of a colourful main character. Meanwhile, Porcupine does end up entering the real world, but her story is a bit more fun, as she basically becomes a criminal through her actions, but really, she's just doing what porcupines do. It's a bit like watching 'Smurfs' where live-action Gargamel is the best part of an otherwise typical fish-out-of-water story. A lot of logic really irked me with this one. So many moments involve Terry dismissing the purple crayon magic as nonsense, and somewhat shunning her own kid for his overactive imagination. But either Harold OR Mel (who gets his own piece of the crayon) could show her how it all works, and for some dumb reason don't, even when the climax his happening, involving our villain; a failed author named Gary (Jemaine Clement), whose motivation through the movie involves using the purple crayon to bring his imaginary world to life, and hopefully getting with Terry. But I must say, for as stupid as things like that come across, there's a particular innocence about the movie that can't be overlooked. As far as truly family-friendly movies go, despite an irksome moment or two, it's fine. It's generally harmless, kinda fun in a kid's movie kind of way, and it's a solid reminder of how well our imaginations can serve us in a time of need. 'IF' was very similar in tone and morality; this too is very much a kid's movie, and needs to be seen as such. For as irksome as some of the more obvious things can be, I can say with all honesty that I'd have eaten this movie up when I was a kid. 3/5  Even though we all know that this is just another chapter in a series that can make some serious bank off those Minions, it's nice to see that despite a couple of rough entries into the series, it hasn't entirely lost its heart. If I were to compare this to one of the chapters in the series as far as quality goes, I would probably put it up against 'DM2', as it offers more growth to Gru's family (without his annoying brother), balances the cute moments between the girls and the Minions well, and offers more genuine laughs while still being a warmhearted story.
We're at a point in the game now where audiences are going to be split about a few things concerning the film. Most obviously, the Minions have been running amok in the public eye for years now, and it's understandable that many will just be tired enough by now to avoid seeing this. But beyond that, it has been going as a series since 2010, so by now, some people who enjoyed it as kids are also starting to really outgrow the cutesy stuff this series is so well-known for. I get that some people are just plain done with it. That said, I plan to review this as more of a hanger-on to the series, as I'm still a fan, so non-fans need not continue. As the film opens, Gru (Steve Carell) heads to a villain reunion at his old villain school Lycée Pas Bon (which translates quite literally to "Not Good High School"). Undercover, and still working for the Anti-Villain League, he's there to stop his old rival, Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) before he uses his newly applied cockroach powers to take over the world. Gru is successful in his arrest, but it doesn't last when Maxime is busted out of prison with the help of his girlfriend, Valentina (Sofía Vergara). Maxime has been holding onto a grudge against Gru for ages now, as Gru stole his act for the school talent show when they were kids. Now this grudge becomes tenfold, and Maxime intends on using a machine he's developed to turn people into human/cockroach hybrids directly on Gru and Lucy's newborn son, Gru Jr. With this, head of AVL, Silas Ramsbottom (Steve Coogan) forces Gru and his family into the witness protection program in order to protect Gru's growing family. With that, the family all take on new identities, even though Agnes (Madison Skyy Polan) has trouble with lying being "wrong," and five Minions who have been taken in by the AVL are subjected to a super serum that gives them each super powers. This may very well be the best part of the movie, as it eventually provides commentary on how destructive superheroes can be, even though they're trying to do what's right. Quite frankly, I found the Minions to funnier there than they've been in a while - especially the poor guy who gets caught in a vending machine that no one seems to care about. Something else I appreciated about this story was that the B story to it mostly involved Gru as well, instead of the movie playing on the cuteness of the girls/minions for it. While in witness protection, Gru meets a young neighbour girl named Poppy Prescott (Joey King) who knows who he is, and wants to learn from him on how to become a villain. I won't get into spoiler territory concerning what it all leads up to, but altogether, I appreciated seeing something that lent itself to a bit of character development as opposed to... y'know, looking for unicorns. I think as long as you're anything like me and still have that soft spot for these characters, it's a perfectly enjoyable film, and a huge step forward from 'DM3'. It is nice to see the series seemingly finding its footing again. I don't know how much more life this series has in it, but as long as it continues down this kind of path, I'll keep coming to these movies just for that breath of innocent and fun fresh air we all need once in a while. As long as we keep the Minions and the girls as cute side characters and not main focuses, I'm here for it. 3/5  Most who know me have understood that I had a certain connection with the first 'Inside Out'. It was one of Pixar's many movies that actually spoke to me in a deeper way about deeper things; in this case, one's emotions, using the base emotions of Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust and Anger. While I admired the film for having so many cool and original ideas as to how the brain worked by giving personality to these emotions, the big takeaway is that some of the more negative emotions are absolutely necessary for growth.
'Inside Out 2' brings all of your favourite emotions back, but this time with a couple of voice casting changes. While Joy, Sadness and Anger (Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith and Lewis Black, respectively) are the same voices coming back to the stage, replacements were done with Fear (now Tony Hale) and Disgust (now Liza Lapira). The five core emotions are on a role with their girl Riley (Kensington Tallman) as she's living her best life, now at 13, doing well in school, playing hockey, making new friends, Bree (Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green) and Grace (Grace Lu) and still giving lots of love to her Mom (Diane Lane) and Dad (Kyle MacLachlan). Through all of her development in the past couple of years, Riley has developed her "sense of self", which is home to her select memories that become core beliefs. Joy even creates a mechanism that will fire Riley's negative memories to the back of her mind, thus filling her sense of self with positivity. Riley is soon brought to a hockey skills camp to train with her best friends, but is challenged when, not only do her friends fess up to going to a different school in the next year, but the "cool girls" take notice of her, namely the somewhat legendary Valentina (Lilimar). This is where the Puberty Alarm we say at the end of the previous film springs into action, and new emotions come into play, including Embarassment (Paul Walter Hauser), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), and last but certainly not least, Anxiety (Maya Hawke). Due to the clashing ideas on how to run things in Riley's brain, Anxiety takes things over, most regularly teamed up with Envy, and sends the five core emotions to the back of the brain, along with Riley's sense of self. So this time, Joy and the others have to try to find Riley's good sense of self and get it back to Headquarters, making the execution somewhat similar. Having said that, however, the way this is all executed is nothing short of brilliant in my mind. I gave the first one a lot of credit for how it did things, but being one of those people who has had to find a way to curb his own anxiety, there was so much relatability to this movie, even to the point where I admittedly shed a few tears here and there because this was a film that completely understood what anxiety was and how it worked. The idea that Anxiety replaces Joy is sort of key, and there's even a few bits of dialogue here that tap into things. I also like what they did with Riley here because, like I'm sure many have done, I have gone through that exact thing. That inner struggle of whether you want to try to remain lyal to your good friends despite you feeling they may hold you back, or going with the popular kids to try to fit in and be what you think might be better. All things I've learned the hard way over time, and my sincerest apologies to those of my friends I've hurt along the way, due to my social blindness. It should be said that in many ways, this one is more mature than the first one. But I see this one a lot like I see 'Soul' in that regard. It's a movie that doesn't dumb anything down for the kids, involves some fairly mature themes, and will tug at one's heartstrings no matter what the age. But if you suffer from anything like depression or anxiety, I HIGHLY encourage you to check both of these movies out, especially this one, as it understand what you're going through, and may even provide comfort in its understanding. It reminds us that we're nor alone, and that while Anxiety can be a real bitch, Joy can be found if you look hard enough. 5/5  Now here's a movie that provides a good opportunity to remind people that just because Ryan Reynolds is Ryan Reynolds, his name is much more than the raunchy comedies, horror flicks (yes, I said horror) and the character we all recognize him as probably best at this point, Deadpool. While I have to admit this wasn't anything great, it was kinda nice to see Reynolds take on that family-friendly tone again here, showing more range with his work, much like with 'The Adam Project.'
My apologies, however, this isn't a Ryan Reynolds biography. I just wanted to mention it because I feel like a lot of people will flock to this movie because of Ryan Reynolds without fully realizing how much of a children's film it really is. And because of that, I can't help but give it a bit of leeway on my criticisms. I left the film thinking that it could have been much better, and expecting a "family film" more than the "kid's film" it turned out to be. But honestly, that's fine. It wasn't made for us adults in mind, and these types of movies are few and far between these days. Let the kids have it. The general synopsis involves Bea (Cailey Fleming) who's going through a bit of an 'Up'-like opening credit sequence, and it ends with her moving into her grandmother Margaret's (Fiona Shaw) apartment, while she waits for her father (John Krasinski - who also directs this far cry from 'A Quiet Place') to undergo heart surgery. She's 12 years old, and at that age where childhood starts slipping away, the more serious side of life starts being shown to her, and things start getting tough. That is until she encounters a strange creature, accompanying a strange man, whom she follows into her grandmother's apartment complex one day. Eventually the man is revealed to be a former clown named Cal (Reynolds) who heads a failing base of operations in which he finds homes for "IFs" (Imaginary Friends) by attempting to pair them up with kids who may need them, as their original kids have grown up and forgotten about them. The main two are the poster creature for this film, a giant, fluffy, purple guy named Blue (Steve Carell), and an old black & white cartoon-style butterfly named Blossom (Phoebe Waller-Bridge). The rest is pretty much just about Bea helping Cal with his operation. Along the way, Bea is introduced to several IFs, including a teddy bear named Lewis (Louis Gossett Jr.), who helps them both out and inspires Bea to use her imagination more, and the friendliest little kid named Benjamin (Alan Kim) who, if I'm perfectly honest, really does play a ray of sunshine in this movie. The kid is found with broken limbs in the hospital, and he just kinda jokes about falling a lot, perpetually seeing the bright side of life. He's basically where they start with trying to pair off IFs, and is very much a side character, but he'll leave you with a smile. If I have any real criticisms about the film, its that a lot of the jokes kinda fall flat. I can honestly say that nothing here gave me a good, genuine laugh. Aside from that, there's a scene or two that seemingly comes out of the blue and feels nonsensical despite the fact that there IS a reason for the scene. This is heaviest in a scene in which Bea uses her imagination to rebuild a facility for the IFs. It kinda just turns into a music video for a while, and took me out of the movie despite how creative it got. It was a scene I had no idea how to react to. Despite a few nitpicks and criticisms though, one must be reminded again that this IS a kid's film, depicting much more innocence than your average family film, which generally have a lesson or moral to in them. I think largely of Pixar films as an example. To me, this wasn't much more that a simple take on "don't grow up too fast" and "there's always room for imagination." It's all well and good for kids, but us adults won't get much more out of it than just being a sweet movie. It reminded me quite a bit of 'My Neighbour Totoro,' but Americanized. So take the kids and enjoy a bit of innocence. Just don't expect anything mind-blowing. 3/5  To this series credit, I can say with all honesty that I find it to be altogether pretty solid. And right off the bat, I'll tell you that this instalment may have been, altogether, my least favourite of the bunch. But it's still a lot of fun, and carries on Po's (Jack Black) story even further, just when we thought '3' might very well be about as far as Po could get, becoming a full-fledged "Dragon Warrior" and Grand Master of Kung Fu, becoming Master Oogway's successor. It's a "happily ever after" ending to things, and I didn't entirely expect much more from it.
I won't go into very great detail on Po's development here, and the lessons and takeaways the three previous films give. For more on that, head over to my "Gearing Up" page for reviews on all three. Back to the point, however, it seems as though that "happily ever after" ending followed through, as we pick things up with Po being a hero to the Valley of Peace and bathing a little bit in his celebrty status which he also uses to help his adoptive goose Dad, Mr. Ping (James Hong), and his biological Dad, Li (Bryan Cranston) open a new and improved noodle restaurant. Soon, however, Po's sensei, Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) comes in, as usual, to drive the plot forward. Even though we may have thought Po's development couldn't go much further, it seems there's just one more thing he has to do, and that's to name a successor, as Oogway did, seemingly not to long ago with him. This will also mean passing down the mantle of "Dragon Warrior" to whoever it might be, and that's not something Po is entirely ready to do, illustrating quite plainly that for as much as Po has gone, he still has a bit of growing up to do. But this time, he will not have the Furious Five to help out, as they are each off on missions or just living their respective lives in different ways. Auditions are held, and the fighters are impressive, but Po's attention goes to a thief fox he catches in the act named Zhen (Awkwafina), instead. And with word of Tai Lung (Ian McShane) returning (the villain from the original film) demands Po to check it out, he uses the opportunity to bring Zhen along and teach her a thing or two along the way, generally having to do with attitude as opposed to fighting skills, which she shows she has. We soon find out that the actual culprit is a Chameleon named... the Chameleon (Viola Davis) who has the ability to shapeshift and use the abilities of Kung Fu masters she has bested. The Chameleon's motivation in all of this is to get her hands on Po's staff (which he received from Ooogway in the Spirit Realm in the previous film) which will giver her the ability to open the Spirit Realm and steal even more Chi (again, refer to 'Kung Fu Panda 3') from the deceased masters. Now it's up to Po to stop her with the help of his unlikely apprentice. In the meantime, there's a sidequest involving Mr. Ping and Li going after Po because they worry he might not be able to pull his mission off, and to that degree, it's a little more of the same. Ping has always been a it of an annoyand with that, and now Li's doing the same thing. I have a few other little nitpicks here and there, but they are nitpicks. For example, this is another animated movie that does the thing where we see a group of adorable, puppydog-eyed kids who ultimately become little terrors, which is something I tend to find fairly cliche at this point. But at the same time, it is one of those cliches I can put up with for a chuckle. I also missed the Furious Five in this, but of course, I do understand their absense. They weren't necessarily needed, and to be fair, it is quite a cast, just between those five characters. Again, these are minor nitpicks. I think the biggest takeaway from this is that at this point, 'Kung Fu Panda' should probably finally come to an end with this. It may be my least favourite of the bunch, but it's still surprisingly enjoyable if maybe a little, tiny bit stale after a 16-year run. Thankfully, the films have been spread far enough apart, however, which adds to the enjoyablity of it all. Don't flood us with things, make us want things. All in all, this is a super solid series of animated movies that provide themes on growth, acceptence, being an all-around good person, and even finding one's path in life. I can highly recommend it for anyone with some growing to do, and that includes some adults! 3/5 |
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