trw-98462 Reviews

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)

The Circle of Mediocrity is Now Complete

[4/10 · 21 December 2019]

Oh Disney, what have you done to Star Wars? It's crazy to think how I went from being incredibly excited to watch episode seven to completely indifferent going into episode nine. I've always thought that it would be nigh impossible to botch up Star Wars, but congrats Jar Jar Abrams and company, you did it with this movie!

Of course, I didn't think it was bad per say. Just painfully mediocre. The visual effects and soundtrack are top notch, and original characters like C-3PO actually had some really solid moments. I also like how an attempt seemed to have been made to actually care about Star Wars lore by including Sith holocrons and the like. And yes, adding Palpatine was a terrible decision, but I did enjoy seeing him again, even if his actions were...questionable.

Unfortunately, there was just too much that held this film back. It felt rushed, especially at the beginning, and the movie thought it would be a good idea to randomly include two new girls who contributed next to nothing. I mean, were we supposed to care about them or something? Speaking of not caring, I never really felt a connection with the main cast. They just remain stagnant and never develop. Watching characters grow throughout a movie can be what really draws audiences in, but this saga utterly fails in that regard. Rey is the best example of this, and her omnipotent Mary Sue powers really reduce the stakes and tension in the movie since you know she will kick everyone's butt. And I'm sure Kylo's behind has been sore for the past two movies now.

Unlike The Last Jedi, I don't think that this movie did anything egregious (like ruining Luke's character), but it didn't do anything great either. It still had it's moments, but sadly fails to live up to the Star Wars name.

And that's quite disappointing.

Incredibles 2 (2018)

A Simply Super Movie

[7/10 · 22 June 2018]

Having grown up in the 2000s and being an advid fan of animation and superheroes, I'd be lying if I told you that I wasn't entranced by Disney Pixar's Incredibles from 2004. Fast forward fourteen years and I found myself sitting in a movie theatre with a bunch of other twenty year olds excitedly waiting to watch its sequel. But was Incredibles 2 able to reach the high bar set by its predecessor?

I'd personally say yes. This movie was an incredible success!

I just love how Incredibles is able to expertly mix superhero action with the struggles faced by your average family. When they're not fighting crime, the members of the Parr family find themselves dealing with basic human predicaments, like trying to raise a baby and figuring out how to do math homework. These two genres may not seem compatible on paper, but Incredibles is just able to make it work. This results in Incredibles being a truly unique feature.

Of course originality alone isn't enough to make a film great, especially if the writers are unable to compose a comprehensible story for their film. Thankfully, the plot of Incredibles 2 was able to exceed the basic fundamental requirements of storytelling, especially for a superhero film. Yes, the plot is somewhat predictable and it is honestly quite simplistic at its core. Nonetheless, the story is executed quite well, and there are relatively no plot holes present in the movie. Although the story is fine, what I found to be a major highlight of the film would definitely be the characters, specifically the protagonists.

Each of the main characters added their own little flair to the movie. Helen takes the spotlight for a decent portion of the film, and viewers got to see her awesome crime fighting abilities as Elastigirl. Violet was pretty amazing in this movie. She went through development as a person, as a superhero, and had some pretty hilarious moments like when she squirted water out of her nose. Dash also showed some character growth in the film and he ended up being an enjoyable presence. When it comes to Bob, I do wish that the creators would have showed off his prowess as Mr. Incredible a bit more in the film. But since he got some enjoyable scenes as a stressed dad trying to take care of his children and was the primary focus of the first movie, it didn't bother me too much.

The biggest surprise for me ended up being how great I found the Jack-Jack scenes to be. I couldn't believe how entertained I was by the antics of a baby in a movie, and he actually wound up being one of the most memorable parts of the film for me. Returning characters like Frozone and Edna maintained their charm from the previous movie, and some of the new characters ended up being pretty decent as well.

I simply can't finish this review without talking about the breathtaking aesthetics of the film. The animators really outdid themselves with the movie's technical aspects. Expressions, movements, and scenery were impressively well animated, and the visuals have set a new standard for animated movies. Of course, this is to be expected. The creators did have a solid fourteen years to make this film as spectacular as possible you know.

Overall, I was genuinely satisfied with Incredibles 2. It maintained the quality of the first film and even surpassed it in some aspects. Pixar did a lot of things right with this movie. And if you're unsure of whether or not to watch it because "it's for kids," I would wholeheartedly recommend giving this movie a shot. I doubt that you'll be dissapointed by it. It is a pretty incredible movie after all.