elliotrobinson-67147 Reviews

The Lorax (2012)

A poorly told tale with so much missed potential.

[5/10 · 6 October 2023]

I watched this movie around the time I was seven. I remember I only got interested in the visuals and was unaware that the main story is about environmentalism.

At 18, I can now see that it is poorly told, but all of its cut content could've made it better. Most of what I say is partially taken from Nostalgia Critic's review, which I highly recommend you watch.

I'd learned a lot about the cut content of the movie from some videos, and I think stuff like making Thneedville a more dystopian and miserable city could've improved the narrative more. Also, maybe they could've done stuff like get rid of the whole crush dynamic between Ted and Audrey (especially considering the age gap), and have it so that the citizens don't actually like living in Thneedville. Also, maybe Ted shouldn't have an actual name, as he is meant to represent the future generations as a whole and what we as people can do to help improve the environment.

Another problem is how the Once-ler is portrayed, due to it contradicting a theme in the original story. The Once-ler never reveals his face in the original story because he's meant to represent how anyone can destroy the environment if they're not careful enough. Giving him a face reveal isn't very compelling, even if there was a whole fandom of teenage girls who found him attractive.

One example of his horrible portrayal is cutting the song "Biggering" from the movie. It is a great song that shows the Once-ler being consumed by his greed. Despite The Lorax warning him about the consequences, he brushes it off and is consumed by his fame and fortune, while completely choosing to ignore the damage he's doing to the environment. But no, they gave him "How Bad Can I Be?" instead, which is such a disappointment, as "Biggering" details his fall to corporate greed much better.

Also, the pop culture references used in the movie kinda just make the movie's message muddled, like when the Once-let tells Ted that he should be doing stuff like "playing the Donkey Kongs" instead of annoying him, or when some fish hum the "Mission: Impossible" theme while dragging the Once-ler into the river in an attempt to kill him for chopping down a tree. They could've been removed and the message would improve as a result.

Another issue is that the movie runs slightly longer than it needs to, even if they used the book's most famous line, "unless someone like you cares an awful lot, nothing's going to get better, it's not". It could've ended after the Once-let gives Ted the last Truffula tree seed, and it would've helped it more. But no.

Overall, it's not the best movie in regards to story. While I haven't read the book yet, I think it should've been darker than what happened in it. If someone could remake the movie and include "Biggering", because that would make the movie even better.

Yo-kai Watch 3 (2018 Video Game)

Nostalgic, fun and heavily underrated.

[10/10 · 17 July 2023]

Yo-Kai Watch 3 is without a doubt one of the greatest games on the Nintendo 3DS, and one of the most underrated franchises in general.

It used to be a huge success in the West when it launched in 2013, though I didn't get into it at first. Initially, like most people, I thought it was a Pokémon rip-off, but when I got the first game for the 3ds, I inexplicably fell in love with the series, and still do to this day.

The concept of the series is very interesting, about an average boy named Nate who gets hold of the Yo-kai Watch to discover spirits that mess with everyday life. It was popular during its run, resulting in stuff like mangas, toys, and an anime. Unfortunately, things didn't last well for the series.

In the animated series "South Park", which is one of my favourite shows of all time, the episode "Chinpokomon's" main message was that Pokémon is a pointless fad that will eventually fade into obscurity. While this is an outdated message in today's world (the episode aired in 1999), it's message works in the context of Yo-kai Watch, as it unfortunately became the accidental target of the episode's message. When Yo-kai Watch 3 was given an international release in 2018, it suffered poor sales, though the release of the Nintendo Switch probably did it.

South Park: Pip (2000) Season 4, Episode 14

Give some respect to the young laddie.

[10/10 · 13 May 2023]

I don't understand why people don't like this episode. I enjoyed for what it's worth, but that was because I like Pip as a character, especially in the early seasons. I liked how in the show, Pip has so much crap thrown his way, yet always has a smile on his face. Sure, I get that Butters technically took his place, but Pip had a good time in the spotlight during Season 1. I think an issue with including Pip as a primary character in the episode is the fact that his previous prominent role was in "Two Guys Naked in a Hot Tub", which was in Season 3, and early on at that, and then only getting a minor speaking role in "Cartman's Silly Hate Crime 2000". Whenever he gets a speaking role, it's just pleasant to see Pip try to behave like a nice gentleman even after what happens to him. It's why I found moments like when he says "Oh dear. I've cracked me noggin" hilarious in "The Unaired Pilot". While I wouldn't understand the faithfulness to Great Expectations since I have only read the Carol Ann Duffy poem "Havisham", I still enjoyed it. It's such a shame that Pip's prominence kinda faded after this episode, since I'm aware his only other major prominent role was being a playable character in the game "South Park Let's Go Tower Defence Play". Unfortunately, fans of the show will not get to know what happens to Pip, given that "201" is such a controversial episode that it's literally impossible to find legally. It's not available on streaming services, on DVD, and on the official South Park website.

Spirited Away (2001)

The true definition of "style over substance".

[2/10 · 6 May 2023]

I had to watch this movie twice before: Once in college in fifth year, and once in Media class in sixth year. I'm pretty sure I was already aware of how the large critical success before even seeing the movie, and through watching it, I've seen how highly overrated it is.

First off, I should go off the pros and cons of the movie.

The pros: The animation looks great, especially for 2001, and its locations look amazing for its plot. In addition, the soundtrack is pretty good, and most of it shows off some genuine emotion.

The cons: literally everything else.

Throughout the entirety of the story, I had no interest in any of the characters, as none of them got me invested in the plot. Chihiro was pretty generic, the villains were mostly generic, Noface didn't give me any emotion of fear, no matter how many people he eats, and I found it the story to be pretty bland overall.

I'd say a movie that it's job better is Song of the Sea. It was honestly a great movie with its incredibly gorgeous animation and interesting use of Irish folklore, and an interesting twist regarding the main character's sister. I'd highly recommend watching it, because it is actually worth your time, rather than this one.

And I'll just flat-out say it, Shrek, the movie that has spawned thousands of memes, is much better than Spirited Away. Despite how unappealing its animation might look, it still has a great plot and characters. Plus, despite coming out in the exact same year, it was the first movie to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. So yeah, Spirited Away just got Shrek'd.

At the end of the day, there is one simple question I have about this movie: why is it good and why did it win so many awards? Sure, it might have been influential for movies like Turning Red (which I haven't seen yet, btw), but my point still stands. Spirited Away is easily the most overrated animated movie I've seen, and I wholeheartedly mean it. I wanted to be nice to the movie, but it's safe to say it disappointed me in spectacular fashion.

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)

Easily the best musical I've watched, and I'm not even a fan of them for the most part

[10/10 · 26 April 2023]

Genuinely, South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut is a tie between Matilda: The Musical for my favourite musical. I kinda developed this feeling when I watched Grease, as I had the feeling of "Come on! Stop breaking into song and let the story go on!". However, I am aware that South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut is meant to be a musical since it parodies movies of the Disney Renaissance, and it works well. The movie has chock full of laugh out loud moments in the first half, like non-stop swearing from the children for seeing a movie they're too young for. In addition, the songs are good. "Kyle's Mom's a Bitch" was a song I burst into laughter hearing for the first time, and "Blame Canada" is a catchy song that was even nominated the Academy Award for Best Original Song. In addition, I found some of the moments entertaining and funny, like having the black soldiers as the human shields during the American-Canadian War, since it was a good offensive joke, and I found Sheila's actions over declaring war on Canada similar to a true Karen. Also, I found Saddam Hussein to a weirdly funny villain since he has the same proportions as the Canadians and also found it interesting that it was the first time we see Kenny with his hood down. Overall, South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut is a great musical with catchy songs and funny and rude humour, and it is a definite recommendation.

South Park: Freemium Isn't Free (2014) Season 18, Episode 6

If you're addicted to freemium purchases, watch this episode to give you a helpful lesson

[10/10 · 15 April 2023]

To be honest, Freemium Isn't Free has become one of my favourite South Park episodes, but that's because of the commentary they make on the addiction that mobile games can produce. The issue Stan comes across regarding his addiction to making purchases on Terrance and Phillip: Give Us Your Money (a title that to be honest, makes it look like a self aware cash grab), can be relatable, though I am a bit surprised at it was made when Terrance and Phillip state it was done without their permission. When I spent a lot of my money on mobile games, I felt like I was in the situation Stan got into when Randy and Sharon called him out for spending so much money (even more than I'd ever purchase on a mobile game), and he has to come to terms with it. I also found it interesting that Jimmy revealed that he fell into the same pitfall, spending all of his money on a mobile game he enjoyed. As an example, Dungeon Keeper Mobile (a game that was released on the same year as this episode), was notorious for it's shameless micro-transactions, and I'm surprised they didn't make satire on it, given that it was released 10 months before this episode. The commentary on comparing mobile games to drinking alcohol is an interesting aspect as well, and Satan giving commentary on gambling in an interesting point in the story, though I don't know why he needed to possess Stan's body to fight Beelzaboot. Sure, the commentary on the addiction of mobile gaming can be tarnished since South Park: Phone Destroyer was released three years after the episode aired, which is a mobile game with micro transactions whose ending is determined by how much money you spent on the game before beating the story, but I still highly recommend this episode. If you or someone you know (except kids, South Park is not for them) has an addiction to mobile purchases, watch this episode and it will both entertain and educate you on helping you use your money better.

South Park: The Fractured but Whole (2017 Video Game)

A great game, but is it better than The Stick of Truth?

[10/10 · 12 April 2023]

I played both South Park: The Stick of Truth and South Park: The Fractured But Whole, and it kinda helped me get into South Park as a show, and I've seen there's been a lot of debate between people over which game is better. To be honest, I think The Fractured But Whole is better, especially if you purchase the DLC. First off, The Stick of Truth is a great game in its own right, but I feel like in terms of content, The Fractured But Whole has more. First off, The Stick of Truth has a lot of missable collectibles that can impact one of the collectibles achievements in the game. Meanwhile, The Fractured But Whole has missable collectibles, but they're cosmetic, and overall easy to find. Both games have good combat gameplay, but I am a huge fan of Fire Emblem, so I guess I prefer the tactics gameplay rather than the turn based RPG gameplay. In addition, The Fractured But Whole has more bosses and enemies to fight. In The Stick of Truth, the only enemies you can really fight against in the postgame is the Dire Wolves, Bears and Snakes in Canada, whereas in The Fractured But Whole, you get more enemies to battle, and you even get a boss whose power is recommended for the postgame, Morgan Freeman himself. The Fractured But Whole even has two additional places to go with the DLC, Casa Bonita and Lake Tardicaca, and even more challenges with the Danger Deck DLC, having to fight holograms of enemies from across the game. Overall, I feel like The Fractured But Whole is better, just because it has hours of content compared to The Stick of Truth, but both games are good in their own right.

South Park: Breast Cancer Show Ever (2008) Season 12, Episode 9

A inexplicably entertaining episode, but Wendy did have a point

[10/10 · 12 April 2023]

I can't explain why, but I honestly really enjoyed this episode. However, Wendy did have a point in the episode: Why was Cartman constantly knocking her down and mocking breast cancer? Sure, Cartman is a complete scumbag, and this episode clearly shows it, but Wendy is right, Cartman had no reason to mock breast cancer, and if he stood up and apologised, the fight never would've happened. I guess I have a lot of respect for Wendy as a character, as she is encouraging and supportive, further supported by her appearance in South Park: The Fractured But Whole, as the sole reason she becomes Call Girl is because she knows that men are considered better superheroes than women, though she definitely did behave out of character and like a maniac in Tom's Rhinoplasty. Meanwhile, Cartman definitely deserved to be beaten up for joking about breast cancer, and as Kitty Monk stated, he had no reason to given that men can have it too. Overall, this was a funny episode, and an interesting look into the relationship dynamic between Wendy and Cartman, and a look into how they constantly are at each other's throats.

Red Dead Redemption II (2018 Video Game)

Overrated. That's it.

[10 April 2023]

I was recommended this game to my brother Harvey, and I heard of its status as one of the greatest games ever made, and through playing the first hour or two, I have made an opinion already: it's not one of the greatest games of all time, but it is one of the most overrated games all of all time. I got frustrated with the game moving at a snail's pace, and it got to the point where I thought to myself, "Wow, this game is boring as hell". The gameplay was so slow, that I lost interest in it immediately and besides, from what I saw in the story, it was lacklustre and boring. I can give two examples of what I mean: Fire Emblem Engage and Persona 5 Royal. Sure, Fire Emblem Engage's story was not very interesting (aside from the Fell Xenologue, which was pretty good, ngl), but the gameplay was still very fun, and with Persona 5 Royal, the story was complex and interesting, and the gameplay made me want to sink hours and hours into the game, because it's really fun. The gameplay in my opinion, can make the game a lot better than the story, if possible. However, Red Dead Redemption 2's gameplay was so boring, I have little to no interest in coming back to the gameplay. I'm surprised the citizens of South Park were willing to play it than ignore the rampage of ManBearPig. It's just not worth playing if you prefer gameplay over story.

Fire Emblem: Engage (2023 Video Game)

One of the best games in the series

[8/10 · 23 January 2023]

I have to admit, Fire Emblem Engage might be one of my favourite games in the series. The concept of collecting Emblem Rings and utilising the power of main Lords from across the franchise is fun concept, and the gameplay is easy to understand as well, and increasing the bonds of those allies is fun too, as it gives a unit useful abilities. However, the story can be a bit... confusing at points, as some points may not make sense at points, with characters like Veyle, though I'm excited to use her as a playable character. Aside from that, I give this game a high recommendation, for new or diehard fans.

Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Great Divide (2005) Season 1, Episode 11

I guess I can see why it has its haters

[7/10 · 17 December 2022]

I'm in the middle of watching Avatar: The Last Airbender since I have heard of its status as one of the greatest cartoons ever made, and it's anime-style animation. At first, I was a bit skeptical about watching The Great Divide, since I was aware that it is regarded as the show's worst episode, but after watching it, my feelings on the episode is pretty... mixed. Honestly, I can't think of a complete mix of feelings, as I have mostly positives, but not that many negatives. For example, Aang was still his heroic self, even if that infamous lie he told at the end of the episode wasn't necessarily justified, as he was trying his hardest to stop the tribes from arguing and bickering, even if it got him frustrated, something that I've normally haven't seen much in his character yet. I get that lying can be "the worst thing a human can do", according to my mum, but I personally don't agree, as that example with Aang's lie is that he just wanted the two factions to stop fighting, and to resolve their issues. This episode is mostly positives, very few negatives for me, as even though some of Aang and Katara's actions were a bit out of character, it was still a pretty good episode.

The Powerpuff Girls: Paste Makes Waste/Ice Sore (1999) Season 1, Episode 8

A quite unlikable moment for Buttercup/the Girls in general

[5/10 · 14 October 2022]

Paste Makes Waste is interestingly not one of the most hated episodes of The Powerpuff Girls, but it kinda should've been. Sure, what Elmer Skloo does is pretty disgusting and Ms Keane does make a fair point regarding how it is impressionable, but Buttercup is pretty unlikable in the episode, as when Mitch Mitchellson starts teasing Elmer for eating paste, Buttercup joins in on the teasing and throws a large chunk of paste at Elmer, which reduces him to tears, and for most of the episode, Buttercup is so much of a jerk, that she isn't willing to even say sorry for what she did until the end of the episode, when Elmer becomes a giant paste monster, and to be honest, Elmer did kinda have every right to fight back against Mitch Mitchellson during this time. Even though my mum did point out that Buttercup and the other two Powerpuff Girls are children, they most certainly don't have the intelligence of one, especially Blossom, so I don't know if that justification works. If Buttercup had either A, apologised to Elmer for teasing him earlier than when he did become a giant monster. Yes, Shadow Streak pointed out that the 2016 reboot version of Buttercup is a big jerk, but this episode makes me question why so many people love her the most out of the three Powerpuff Girls, since Paste Makes Waste is an example of her just being downright cruel for no reason, as she also loves to be mean to Bubbles, like in Boogie Frights, when she teases Bubbles's fear of The Boogey Man and scary stories in general, even though she was cowering over a zombie movie she watched with Blossom and Bubbles in Abracadaver.

As for Ice Sore, Bubbles and Buttercup shift a little out of character in the middle of the episode, as they have fun inside the house when they discover Blossom has ice breath and uses it to stop the heat wave in Townsville, but when they go to school, they start to grow jealous of Blossom and uncharacteristically pick on her simply because she had learned she has a new superpower, and they attempt to stop her from using unless it's in "an important situation", despite the fact the citizens were having to suffer in the heat of the sun. Even if they do apologise to her in the end, that doesn't at all justify their actions. If I had to make a list of the worst episodes of the original The Powerpuff Girls, both Paste Makes Waste and Ice Sore are good contenders.

The Powerpuff Girls: A Very Special Blossom/Daylight Savings (1999) Season 2, Episode 7

A little mixed

[7/10 · 12 October 2022]

I guess I could see why A Very Special Blossom is one of the most hated episodes in the show since Blossom, a superhero, committed theft, which superheroes obviously shouldn't do. However, you can clearly see that her heart was in the right place, even if her actions were unjustified and she behaved a little out-of-character, and maybe she did deserve getting sent to 8 days in community service, but it was just to make her father happy. As for Daylight Savings, I understand that both being at school and protecting Townsville as superheroes are clearly some of the most important things for the Powerpuff Girls to do, but sleep is important too, so Ms Keane obviously had her reasons to put the Girls on a curfew, but she also nearly put the entirety of Townsville at risk, so maybe Ms Keane was the villain for this episode, and Professor Utonium's cry on learning about the parent teacher conference was genuinely funny. Honestly, neither episode was particularly bad or good.

Senki Zessho Symphogear (2012)

An underrated gem!

[10/10 · 10 September 2022]

This anime is one of the most non talked about I've known, which is such a shame, as it is an amazing anime so far. The story may be highly graphic, but there are quite a large portion of likeable characters. Hibiki is a good main character, since she does what she can to help the world, Tsubasa is a tragic and stoic, yet understandable character since her best friend died in front of her, and Miku is a very kindhearted friend, and is so far one of the best best friend characters I've seen, since she can occasionally tolerate Hibiki's behaviour, and gives great advice to her. I've highly recommend it, as it deserves more popularity and love by anime fans. It also has some unique political commentary ideas, like mentioning events in the world such as World War II, and a later season mentions Ukraine going into conflict, which I believe foreshadowed the events of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, since from what I know, Symphogear is set in the 2030s-2050s.