EECritic Reviews

Of Mice and Men (1992)

A beautifully executed classic

[10/10 · 16 August 2016]

I think this remake and execution of the novel 'Of Mice and Men' is rather solid and possibly up there with some of my favourite movies of all time.

When it comes to how it's written, it's pretty much like the novel. However, there were some things that were changed/extended and whilst that may seem unfaithful to the general audience, I don't think it's really a problem because it does give a different perspective of the novel and perhaps gives us a new insight of the novel.

The performances are also spot on. They seem genuinely realistic and do portray the characters very well IMO. The way they portray both George and Lennie does make us feel about them and their relationship was it does seem rather genuine.

I also think the characters are executed very well as they act just like how they are portrayed in the novels. They all have different emotions which makes them identifiable.

It also portrays the atmosphere during The Great Depression very well and we get a good idea of how the world is views in the eyes of 'the bindlestiffs'.

Overall, it's a brilliant movie and I would recommend checking it out if you have read the novel.

EastEnders (1985– )

From excellent to just meh.

[6/10 · 16 August 2016]

As a former fan of this show, it's rather sad for me to admit that this show has definitely gone downhill with lazier writing.

Before, EastEnders use to tackle a variety of things but made sure that it was built up instead of just popping out of nowhere. The cast also seemed more believable at the time and they've always managed to keep their viewers interested and entertained by clever pacing, twists, characters, performances and overall pacing.

Unfortunately, even EastEnders cannot stand on it's two feet for that long anymore. It has gotten to be pretty lazy with repetitive affair plots, pregnancy plots etc. For how repetitive the writing can be, it can also make it pretty unrealistic and that applies to he newer cast as well which is a shame because some characters like Vincent are really good.

Do I think this show can still improve? It depends on whether they can cook up something fresh or new because otherwise I'd say they need to take a break.

Beyblade: Metal Fusion (2009–2013)

Alright for kids, okay for me too.

[7/10 · 14 January 2016]

It's not too bad. I have seen the original one (from the 2000) and this really depends on your tastes. I think people only hate this because the premise is kinda silly (albeit still entertaining sometimes) or because they have watched the old series (and are therefore blinded with nostalgia). The characters are.. okay although most of them are cliché stereotypes. The story for the first one (Fusion) is silly but eh..., the second one (Masters) is written a lot better and the third one (Fury) is fine too.

No I'm not expecting it to be realistic (because it would be stupid and boring) so I can't hold a grudge on this show for having super natural powers.

Honestly, I don't think watching only two episodes does not give away a lot of the premise so yeah...

Overall a decent anime with some decent animation and action that tells a few decent messages although suffers from cliché characters. The dub is certainly better than the original series as it's more accurate and hey, it's still better than most other kids anime.

Foodfight! (2012)

...Oh my, now this is a bad one

[1/10 · 12 November 2015]

This is a movie so terrible, it makes you want to pierce your eyes out with it's retina- burning animation. I don't understand how this movie went wrong because this had an extremely high budget and 10 years of production so should there be an excuse for this movie's failure...? Besides the stolen hard drive, no there shouldn't be as they released this movie so the production isn't important to this review.

The animation looks absolutely dreadful, some of the worst I've seen with it's ugly colour scheme, hideous models and bleak environments.

The story is where Dex tries to figure out where his love interest is whilst flirting with another woman (who is the main antagonist), not too bad right? Well the characters make really silly decisions and has some of the worst plot twists EVER.

The jokes are pretty lame. I'll admit it had a couple of jokes I chuckled at because they were laughably bad but they are mostly a groaner. They are also based on inappropriate content because... kids really get these jokes (sarcasm).

The characters are racist stereotypes or just really forgettable. The only character I found kind of funny was Mr Clipboard but everyone else is a stereotype of any sort.

I don't even need to say anything, this movie is some of the worst. Whilst I was never nearly as annoyed when watching this as I was with The Reef (2006), this movie has the worst quality for animation along with Where The Dead Go To Die. Again, I find Where The Dead Go To Die worse than this but this is very close. If you want to watch a good animated movie based on food, watch the Cloudy With the Chance Of Meatballs series or hell, EVEN The Veggietales movie but stay away from this one.

The Reef (2006)

One of the worst things I have seen

[1/10 · 12 November 2015]

I remember seeing this in school when I was 10 and I hated this movie but years later, I decided to look back thinking that I might've been too harsh and I was so surprised that it was just as mind-numbingly awful as I remembered it to be.

The animation is ugly and I mean it is on par with A Fox's Tale and Foodfight. Everyone looks like cheap plastic and have ugly humanoid faces like it's from Seaman (Sega Dreamcast game). The animation is cheap looking and the background scenery is bland. I've also noticed the sky is a picture they got from the internet.., they're not even trying.

The story is incredibly cliché where the hero tries to win a girl from the bad guy except it is dumbed down. Oh and guess what, the one trying to hit on the female fish is a shark... I'm not even kidding. And if you're wondering, yes, this shark does eat fish making him some cannibal in their strange universe and the female fish even says "Your breath tastes like tuna!"... wait, how does she know what tuna tastes l-... oh my god.

The jokes are really unfunny such as that cruel "better place in the sushi bar" joke and the lame mussels joke. The characters are either bland or extremely annoying and some of them are racist stereotypes. The background music is... oh I can't remember it, so it's forgettable. The voice acting is pale and I'm sure they aren't even trying. The movie is inconsistent at times such as when Nerrisa the turtle says some corals can tear skin off even though Troy went through it without serious injuries... whoops!

I want to find some redeeming factors but there simply aren't any at all. It fails in all levels. It's not as bad as Where The Dead Go To Die (worst movie ever) in it's quality although it's pretty damn close but in terms of annoyance, it's the worst. This movie is up there with Where The Dead Go To Die, A Fox's Tale, Foodfight and Eight Crazy Nights in animation's hall of shame.