I came into it really excited for the film, and was completely satisfied with it from start to finish. The action was phenomenal with the heighten budget, and the humor and new characters were top notch in introductions and delivery. The music was absolutely beautiful and amazing to hear on the big screen with characters so lovable I couldn't help but smile at every turn, especially when you wouldn't expect it. Aside from a very funny but overextended poop joke, this fits perfectly into the franchise as one that will be loved by fans and anime-goers alike. Definitely recommend it, especially at the theater.
Reviews
52 Reviews
Blue Beetle
(2023)
An Emotional Joyride with Refreshing New DC Air
26 August 2023
This movie was a blast to watch. The characters were so easy to connect with. I laughed with them, I cried with them, and got excited with them too. The overall story was pretty good with minor bumps here and there. There were some typical superhero cliches that, while noticeable, did not put a damper on the great quality of this film. The antagonists were serviceable but deserved greater presence that would've made them far more imposing. This was something that was very much needed for superhero movies, and that being just a good one. No major set up for anything else or dependence on other projects. Just a good standalone superhero movie.
Fun Turtle Action with Some Issues Here & There
7 August 2023
The movie was, overall, pretty fun to watch. The characters were interesting and unique, the story was pretty good, and the action and animation with the unique art style really made it stand out. However, the major themes of fear, hatred and acceptance are swept under the rug for a lot of jokes that didn't entirely land and a lot of lingo and references to cater more to kids and teens. Which isn't a bad thing, but it was laid on really thick and made it where the movie was trying too hard to seem cool at times. It hurt the movie even more when the characterizations of the villains were more played for laughs than anything else, especially with the main one. The change of making the turtles act and sound like actual teens was a perfect change, but we didn't see enough of the ninja in the mix. A really good start, but if more of these are gonna be made, they've got to balance it out more with the jokes, characters, drama and action or it's gonna start losing people.
I Don't Know What I Watched, But it Wasn't Good
21 May 2023
I understood the theme they were going for, but I just could not understand anything that was going on from how bizarre I felt. Everything was so weird in all the wrong ways. The camera angles were weird. The facial expressions and tones were weird. The body "horror" was weird. Nothing was any semblance of normal, which made it to where I didn't know how to feel about anything going on as I just went through the motions of this fever dream of an episode. Whoever worked on this definitely has something going on in their head that I don't want any part of and I just need to watch some actual good and normal TV to wash off how I'm feeling from this.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
(2023)
A Near Perfect Adaptation with Iffy Music in Places
5 April 2023
The story was simple, but worked wonders with the excellent characters that perfectly reflected their game counterparts. They even had unique aspects given to them that helped them stand out in all the right ways. The action was phenomenal with great depth and detail that shows how much work was put into this. There were so many nods and references to other classic Nintendo properties that you'd want to go back to find them all. And Charles Martinet is in this with a small but great role. But with all that said, it does mess up its flow with some of the music. Definitely not the original score though, since it mixes the classic music with an epic and emotional tone. But the copyrighted music Illumination probably payed a third of their budget for felt out of place in this film and took me out of the experience a couple times. Other than that, it's an amazing that I'll gladly watch again.
Dexter: New Blood
(2021–2022)
Not That Much Better Than the Original Ending
19 February 2023
I would say that a lot of the story and concepts were pretty good. But the overall execution and pacing of the whole thing left a lot to be desired in bringing back the titular character. A lot of the newer characters (especially the young ones) were relatively unlikeable and stereotypical that I patiently waited for the characters I actually cared about to come back on screen. The villain was interesting enough, but not all too special compared to the quality of previous killers in presentation and writing. Most of the situations that caused conflict were simply for the plot to move forward, even if they didn't entirely make sense. Not only that, but it ended so abruptly with some bits coming out of nowhere and some story threads not even being utilized in the end. Even the divisive ending of the original series was better than how this turned out. I welcomed New Blood with open arms when I first heard about it, but now I want to throw it out in the cold and let it be forgotten.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
(2022)
Perfect Wish to a Film We Never Knew We Wanted
28 January 2023
This film was so jam-packed with thrills, sadness, and heart that I couldn't help but see it twice. Puss and the Gang, the Three Bears Family, Death, and even Jack Horner are so captivating and interesting that you just want to see more of them. Especially Death with how strong of an impression he left despite how little he was in the film. So on the character side it's perfect, and so is the narrative and animation side. Especially since the story and pacing is so quick yet strong, simple yet elegant in its presentation. And the art and animation took so much inspiration from Spider-Verse with its style that makes it all the better in its fantastical setting and makes the more action-packed portions even more exciting. An amazing film that was just right every step of the way.
Presentable Through Story But Not Performances
18 January 2023
I came in expecting a pretty average watch since all the other related films were pretty average too. But this was worse. The story itself is interesting, but a story has to be carried by its characters, and none of the characters were interesting. It came mostly from the voice actors where none of them had any sense of enthusiasm, having every character sound bored when speaking and interacting with each other. And the rest was the characters having little personality and being mostly one note. I didn't like the art from the get-go, and the animation was so rigid and uninteresting that it made it visually worse and aesthetically boring. Don't bother with this film.
Halloween Ends
(2022)
Great Slasher Film But Not a Good Halloween Film
28 October 2022
I went into this movie not really expecting much with all the mediocre reviews. But it's honestly a really good slasher film with great characters, story, and killings. But the issue I found with it is that it hardly had anything to do with Michael Myers or the Halloween franchise. The movie doesn't start with Michael like it usually does and is on the back burner most of the time. And the movie focuses on a completely different killer for the majority of the film. And while I love the new killer and their character, he just took all the spotlight that should've gone to Michael instead. The only point that all eyes were on him was the grand finale, which just felt tacked on at the last second to remind you that this was a Halloween film. A great movie on how killers are made and the legacy of evil, but not by any means a good Halloween movie.
Black Adam
(2022)
An Entertaining Take It Or Leave It Out Of Ten
28 October 2022
This movie was pretty entertaining. The action was fun and I liked the Justice Society and Superman. But it was a very imbalanced movie that went places it really didn't need to. Most of non-superpowered main cast were just bland one note characters, especially the untalented child actors. The tone was fairly inconsistent throughout from the weird music choices and unnecessary comedy strewn about the more serious scenes. They even had a mcguffin and typical cgi bad guy be there just so Black Adam and the Justice Society could fight it in the 3rd act. They could've taken out the entire villain subplot and focused on Adam's backstory and moral dilemma, having it be a far better movie in actually fleshing out Black Adam as a character. With all this in mind, it's a take it or leave it for me.
The Almost Perfect Yugioh Movie
16 October 2022
Going back to watch this after so many years, I found it to be better than I remembered for how the two leads of Yugi and Kaiba were handled so perfectly after being in stasis for so many years. With their personalities and character development leading up to it from the original series being exactly what was needed and wanted of them, along with a story that does it's own thing but still helps elevate the familiar and make it an exciting spectacle for newcomers. But I still have an issue with it, and that is the supporting cast. With many of the supporting cast in the original series, it's par for the course to have many of the cast just be spectators. But with this movie, I think it could've worked to show Joey Wheeler's improved skill and strategies as a duelist after all these years along with Bakura having a more important role for what happens in the movie. Even with this issue, it's still an amazing ride that I constantly go back to in forms of clips or just the whole movie again, with both being worth it in my opinion.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
(2022)
The Writers & Directors Don't Understand She-Hulk
14 October 2022
When I watched this show, it was pretty easy to tell that so much of it was so poorly written. The characters were flat, uninteresting, and most times annoying (especially Jen unfortunately). And while I can tell they were trying to utilize her iconic 4th wall breaking effectively, it just came off as them making fun of themselves as an attempt to excuse their bad writing. On top of all that, it's just so amazingly rushed, less trying to make a compelling story and more to just set up the next big thing. I do understand it's kind of the standard for a lot of Marvel nowadays, but this was all just a poorly constructed distraction for that set up that would've been way better if anyone working on this had picked up even one She-Hulk comic instead of skimming her Wikipedia article. For your own well-being, you should just skim this show's Wikipedia or watch a synopsis instead of wasting 6 hours of your life.
Smile
(V) (2022)
One of the Scariest Movies I've Seen in a Long Time
5 October 2022
This movie was a tense and unnerving ride from start to finish, which I think is perfect for a horror film. The camera work was always presented in a way that would make you think something awful is about to happen to constantly make you tense in the more calm points, and still scare the crap out of you when it finally does. The pacing was perfect with characters you could easily latch onto or understand pretty well. Even the ending was terrifically horrifying that you have to see it to believe it. I would say to avoid as much of the trailers as possible since it kind of ruins some of the bigger scares when watching, but that's a marketing issue and does not put a damper on the film. Watch this at your peril knowing it's gonna be one of the most terrifying experiences you've had in a while. Enjoy.
The Incredible Hulk
(2008)
Flawed, But Still the Best Live-Action Hulk Film
6 September 2022
The story was really solid, the action was spectacular, and the performances of Norton and Hurt were perfect. Even the cgi and designs really hold up, but there are still issues. While I did say that the story was good, there's still the issue of no proper explanation as to why anger specifically triggers Hulk transformations, just heightened heart rate, while it's 2003 predecessor explains it expertly. Not only that, it's bogged down by the supporting cast of Betty who is really uninteresting and has no personality whatsoever, along with Blonsky a little who isn't fully fleshed out enough to be a proper antagonist. Still a good movie that I would recommend.
Hulk
(2003)
Dull at Times and a Bit Too Comical
6 September 2022
Despite my criticisms, I think this movie had some really well done moments that sadly were a bit too far in between what was overly dull and unnecessarily comical. It dragged on with very dull and lifeless characters until it jumped into the action and transitions that were pulled from the comics in all the wrong ways, having it come off goofy where it's supposed to be serious. Especially with the Hulk himself that looked and acted like a giant buff baby. The themes of the Hulk's character were right on the money, but the overall execution of it and it's related concepts just came out as a movie that is a cheesy comic book rather than a proper comic book movie.
Really Entertaining, But Very Hollow
31 August 2022
I really enjoyed this film for its great action and characters (the Gamma Brothers specifically are so fun to watch). And it was really nice to have the supporting cast take center stage and make Pan good for once rather than be all about Goku and Vegeta again. But the story felt like it was dialogue dumping to give us the information needed to get to the fighting. And while many aspects of the story are good, they mostly are just hollow retreads of older Dragon Ball. Want the Red Ribbon Army to return again with even more powerful androids? There you go. Want Gohan to stop training again to obtain an arbitrary power boost? Boom. Want some more forms that come out of nowhere with no build up or even feel like they're earned? SHAZAM! It seems they could've done so much more for the future of Dragon Ball for these characters, but they instead just went with what they knew worked and not what could've been new and interesting. It honestly just comes off as a hollow distraction that, while fun, does nothing but remind you of Dragon Ball's stagnation as a franchise.
The Hobbit
(1977 TV Movie)
Everything The Hobbit Should Be As A Film
31 August 2022
I found this movie to be what is too me a great film adaptation of what I find to be my favorite book. While I found it to be a bit too awkwardly condensed in some areas for my liking at times, it doesn't take away from what is a genuinely good film with expert charm, intrigue, and character work. Even with the aged animation and art, it still is quite a sight to see. As a Hobbit fan, this is almost everything you could ever ask for in a Hobbit film. Honestly, the later Hobbit adaptations could learn quite a few things, if only in proper pacing or even keeping the story to a single film. Still a great film that is definitely worth a watch even if you're only a minor fantasy fan.
Bullet Train
(2022)
Really A Fun Time, But Very Dialogue Heavy
13 August 2022
This movie is such a wildly fun ride with its pulse-pounding action along with its many fun and interesting characters. But there lies an issue with how the story progresses, through the action and the dialogue. And while both are not problems, the dialogue makes itself a problem for the audience by taking us out of the experience of the action to read us an essay on past events or character backstories. And since there are so many characters, a lot of them get dialogue dumps while others get visual storytelling, which is a nice change of pace and fits the vibe of this movie but is rare. If there wasn't as much dialogue, the film would've been a far more entertaining experience.
Nope
(2022)
Good, But A Little Slow At First With A Pointless Subplot
13 August 2022
I really enjoyed this movie for its great talent and story, but I had my issues. First, the story takes so long to get to the point of the movie that you think it's almost over before it's even started. And secondly, there's a pointless subplot in the movie. And while it is very interesting, it doesn't tie into the movie at all and ends up going nowhere since it's never finished. It is a good watch, but be prepared to be a little bored, a little disappointed, and a little confused.
Pleasantville
(1998)
An Expert Social Commentary with Great Character and Emotion
11 August 2022
I had watched this years back and was too young to fully understand the true meaning of this amazing story, and that is change. And whether or not it's good or bad, change is inevitable and should be faced without fear, since without change nothing will get better and no one will grow. And having sitcom characters grow like people outside their written confines expertly shows the inevitable progress by the acceptance of "color" in their lives and moving past what is considered "pleasant". A great message everyone can learn from.
My Dress-Up Darling
(2022)
Pure Wholesomeness With Improved Cliches
11 August 2022
This series always gives you a warm feeling with the fun and genuine characters. Not only that, they actually tweak old anime cliches by having them in a more logical and relatable light. No more of someone realizing by the end they love someone, the feelings are already there. No punched faces from someone walking in on someone, just an awkward atmosphere. Just wholesome and relatable fun.
Predator
(1987)
Great Subversion of Genre with Amazing Storytelling
10 August 2022
I really liked how this movie started as a muscly army film that people knew well and twisted it into an unnerving horror. Thus having the great characters be broken down to the point where their expert military skills wouldn't save them from this deadly beast that was expertly visually conveyed in how dangerous it was. Those being through freaky POV shots on both sides with the Predator's unnerving the audience and the soldier's showing great fear in how much our of their depth they really were in seeing the Predator's aftermath. An expertly crafted film that anyone can appreciate.
Predator 2
(1990)
Weaker Than It's Predecessor, But Still Solid
10 August 2022
I found this movie to be very entertaining from its well written characters and doubled action compared to the first movie. But it a lot of the time tells us the story rather than showing us through some interesting yet unnecessary lines that could've been visually conveyed in interesting ways instead. Not only that, the Predator is put on the back burner for way too long since we already know about him and want him to be more fleshed out and explored. Watching the Predator hunt in the concrete jungle in the background was fun, but having him take center stage in that regard would've been pulse-poundingly exciting after previously skulking in the shadows of the jungle.
The Gray Man
(2022)
Typical Action Film with Great Stand Out Characters
5 August 2022
While this film has a typical secret agent story, the great cinematography and unique characters make the movie a pleasure to the eyes with the camera work and the ears with great line delivery and acting. Fair warning though, don't expect something amazing like Bourne Identity or John Wick, but enjoy the movie for what it does rather than what it is.
Prey
(I) (2022)
Barely Even a Predator Movie
5 August 2022
Starting off, the majority of the movie doesn't even have the Predator in it (if you can even call it that with how it looks like a bootleg version), with the fact that it could easily be taken out of the movie and little would change. Not only that, the story and characters are generic and boring with a Mary Sue for a protagonist that frankly caused the conflict in the movie since the "Predator" wasn't even hunting humans until she piqued its interest by trying to hunt it. And to add insult to injury, iconic lines and tactics from previous entries were used as if this crap earned the right to use them. Do not waste your time with this movie and just go back and watch Predator.
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