SabeAmidala Reviews

Lilo & Stitch (2002)

Indeed, Disney has leaped from its deathbed in a fresh burst of life

[9/10 · 7 December 2002]

I've always been a fan of animated Disney families. But even my stubborn attachment has not blinded me from the harsh fact that the films have been going downhill for sometime now with only a very few pleasant surprises.

When I first saw trailors for this movies, I wanted to see, despite the nagging voice in my head that said it might not be that great. When it came out, I was met with plenty of great reviews. Unfortunately, my little college town is not known for a plethera of movie theatres, so summer passed and so did this film from theatre to video/DVD. When a friend purchased the DVD, only then did I get to see it.

What a gem! This twisted and poignant little tale is truly worthy of the name of Disney.

The story itself is surprisingly clever and original. That imagination alone is enough to love this movie. Then the makers go throw in a bunch of delightfully varying and quirky characters, plenty of humor, and more charm and heart than should be legal. You are able to understand the characters, know them, and, most of all, love them.

This isn't just quality entertainment. There are several great messages on the importance of family, no matter the kind, and redemption. That's something Disney rarely shows: Most of its heros are heroic at the beginning. Yeah, the learn something and grow a little bit, but not to the extent of Stitch, Lilo, and Nani. Stitch begins the movie as an evil and chaotic little alien. Lilo is a twisted little child who could have grown up to be the next Carrie. Nani is hardly the typical Disney female with her temper, frustration, and disorganization. But even as the characters learn and grow, you love them for exactly who they are.

The animation is to be appreciated. It's a tribute to classic Disney hand-drawn animation, with just a touch of computer to give it that nice edge and finish. Add plenty of Hawian color, and you got a film that is just great to stare at.

I don't know where Disney's been hiding for so long, but I'm glad it decided to crawl out and start actually working under its reputation.

This movie is with Disney's finest.

(I'm also happy to say that this film was not a one-time thing. I had the pleasant opportunity to see "Treasure Planet" last week. It's also top-notch.)

The Ring (2002)

Good old-fashioned scary movie with just a few bumps

[7/10 · 4 December 2002]

First off, I must say that I really enjoyed this movie. Overall, I found this a very frightening movie. It masters the technique of scaring people. The plot's absolutely brilliant.

I'll just get the faults over as quickly as I can:

Some stuff just doesn't make sense. There's a fairly good conclusion, but there are a few ropes here and there that just dangle loosely. I heard a rumor that this is part of a trilogy, so maybe I should just shutup and wait hopefully more explanation. But even then, there were occasionaly bits that just didn't really fit with the movie, were a painful attempt to be scary, and just should have been left out.

If you can ignore those, however, you will find this a scary and enjoyable movie.

Treasure Planet (2002)

They might have grabbed their artistic license and ran for it, but they won the marathon!

[10/10 · 4 December 2002]

I am a "Treasure Island" freak. In my opinion, it is one of the greatest books ever written. I am also a sci-fi freak. So when I saw the preview for this movie, I knew I had to see. Given, my love of Disney animation has not blinded me that they've recently been going-down hall (though they've picked up in the past couple years) so I was prepared to accept that this might not be the greatest movie ever made.

How very wrong I was. This is seriously the best Disney movie I've seen in years.

Like I said above, Disney took advantage of artistic license. But like another reviewer said, they followed Robert Lewis Stevenson's original plot to the best of their ability with this sci-fi twist and with still remaining typically Disney. What an awesome blend. The result was a very good story. Being a lover of the book, I was sad that Blind Pew and the Black Spot weren't that included, but I understand the time thing. There was also this thing with combining characters (The Dr. Doppler in this movie was actually a combination of Stevenson's Trelawney and Gray) but it made for a fun character, and it can be hard to work with too many. Doing Ben Gunn as a robot was also a clever twist. I also liked the little bit of romance. It was just cute and didn't get in the way of anything. All in all, Disney made good use of artistic license in this. Very good use.

What I really liked was the focus on the relationship between Jim Hawkins and John Silver. It was interesting to watch it develop. It's one of the best character relationships Disney has ever done!

Now for the technical stuff: This is incredible animation here. Even if, for some strange reason, you hate the story, just watch the animation. It really is a movie that's beautiful to watch. The soundtrack is wonderful as well and fits everything perfectly.

This movie has something for everyone: humor, danger, romance, tear-jerking stuff, big explosions, etc. This show proves that Disney is regaining its edge, and demonstrates this gem that has to be one of Disney's finest.

Charly (2002)

Best of all, Jack Weyland is proud

[10/10 · 16 November 2002]

Being this the first "adult" novel I ever read as a kid, you might say it's been my life's goal to see this movie. Which I think turned out to be a very worthy goal. I attend BYU-Idaho, where Jack Weyland, the guy who wrote the book the movie is based on, teaches. In fact, he was my bishop last semester. I'm sort of scared by movies based on books, but this one is worthy. And Jack Weyland liked it.

This movie is a love story of the purest kind. I believe someone already mentioned that this is what "A Walk to Remember" tried to be. I'm glad this gem succeeded over the other.

To my surprise, this did not force Mormonism like I feared it would. It expresses the LDS religion without being too preachy; it just kindly shares what the religion believes and teaches. If anyone was open-minded and wanting to see a quality romance, I can't see why they wouldn't enjoy this movie.

Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge (2001 TV Movie)

much better than the first!

[9/10 · 17 October 2001]

I'm really not sure how I wound up watching this one; After all, I despised the first movie. But somehow I always wind up watching the Disney Channel. And I have to say that I was really impressed by this one! It was just... different than the first. I thought the characters were more developed, and they weren't acting like idiots. And the plot... wow, this one actually had a plot.