Category Archives: Animated Movie Reviews

Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League Review

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It’s time to explore the world of anime Batman once more and it’s still really impressive that the first Batman Ninja got a sequel in general. This one definitely has fun going crazy right from the start and I like how over the top it is. The rule of cool is definitely the highest priority for this movie and you know what? That’s not a bad thing! It’s important to have priorities and this means we get a lot of fun fights so you can’t go wrong with that.

The movie doesn’t waste time as within a few minutes we have Batman confirm that the multiverse is intact but things have changed in the timestream. There are Yakuza cyclones that spawn on top of Gotham and Japan no longer exists. Batman and Robin will have to jump across dimensions once more to fix things but this time they have to deal with an alternate reality version of the Justice League. This will not be easy…or at least that’s what Robin says. Batman is more optimistic and admits that defeating the Justice League will be a piece of cake. Well now it’s time for him to put that bravado to the test.

You can tell that the writers are big Batman fans. Right from the start he is shown to be incredibly confident, knowledgeable, resourceful, and powerful. The fact that he doesn’t bat an eye when going up against the Justice League is impressive. Batman isn’t phased by anything that happens during the movie, if anything he always seems to have expected this in one way or another. This is definitely a Batman portrayal that his fans will enjoy. He can basically do whatever he wants. Now that’s not to say that he’s invincible. He does get saved at different points but his confidence never comes into question.

Batman just appears as a natural leader which is really hype. His assortment of Robins also do pretty well. Red Hood is able to handle the Flash quite easily and then you have the main Robin not falling for any of Ra’s tough talk. Robin knows what side he is on and doesn’t waver. Nightwing and Red Robin get a lot of fun moments too. In general it’s just nice to have all of them showing up like this. The Bat Family is really a tough force for justice and by this point they are proving to be possibly as good as the Justice League.

Now obviously you do have to excuse a ton of power level issues for a fight like this. Obviously Flash should not be losing to a few guys in costumes and Superman should be able to easily end Batman. So you just have to turn your brain off and enjoy all the big action scenes. Fortunately there is a lot to enjoy with these fight scenes so that’s not really a problem. As far as the animation goes, well that part is a bit weak. The CG looks super off putting when you first start the movie. It gets a little more manageable as the movie goes on and you get used to it but yeah this is definitely not a top tier production.

While the character models are really rough, the film does a good job with the speed effects and the shockwaves after each blow. For example, someone like Superman actually does feel very powerful with all of those effects. Naturally it also does make the fights more intense as well. The energy effects look good too so you can really feel how intense this would be if it was hand drawn. Especially with the large amounts of action that this film had. The movie does have fun with different art styles for some gags though. The biggest one was definitely when the artstyle changed to look like the Superfriends and classic anime. That was a really good tribute.

In general there are a lot of good homages to different Japan/anime tropes. You’ve also got the moment where two characters are laughing together and then suddenly a fight starts. That was a really good cut with how fast the battle started. The film is fairly short but still gives you enough time to really know all of the characters. Sometimes the editing could be a little distracting though as you would be in one plot for 5 seconds, then switch to another plot for an instant, only to go back to the first plot. Sometimes it felt like you just didn’t need to switch that often because it was only an instant like that.

As always Gotham PD looks pretty bad here. The fact that the first film just happened but Joker and Harley Quinn are already out of jail is crazy. Definitely some commentary on Arkham going on there, I can feel it. Harley is a true wild card as always with how unpredictable she is. She really comes in handy at different points in the film though. Without her, it’s no exaggeration to say that the heroes would have been doomed. Even Joker really comes through in a pinch.

As for the Justice League themselves, they were mostly likable. Wonder Woman looks the best as she retained her good soul even in the new origin. It shows what a strong character she had as she would continue to be on the side of justice no matter how things changed. Her abilities also get a great deal of respect as she holds her own with the likes of Superman and the others. Definitely not an easy feat. Superman definitely bought into the Yakuza logic wholeheartedly. He made for a fun villain though and I dare say his character had the most fun with the new role.

Some of the others are basically just the same character but evil while he had a completely different personality. It worked really well and made the guy interesting. I also liked the contrast when we got a glimpse of the real Superman. Green Lantern was another fun character here as her abilities are always fun to watch. Somehow Harley Quinn gives her a good fight for a while there but otherwise she should usually crush Harley.

Aquaman is basically the same character. He’s okay but definitely tends to be more on the unreasonable side and never backs down. I did like the way that he controls the water directly instead of having to rely on talking to animals or anything like that. Using water directly is absolutely the best way to go about it. Then for the Flash, he gets the least to do I would say. His loss against the Robins also has to be the cheesiest fight of the film. You just don’t buy that for even half a second. There’s no way that the Flash would lose under any circumstances. He’s just not that guy.

Ra’s doesn’t have a ton to do here but I thought the character was handled well enough. He actually had a bit of humor this time around like how he trolled Robin with the sushi. He’s a guy with a lot of charisma this time who likes fighting for style points. It would help if he could fight a little more though but next to the Yakuza league he comes across as more forgettable. He’s really just a stepping stone for Batman to crush once the league is taken down. They were the ones with the bigger focus and he’s basically just a final boss to fill in the numbers.

Ra’s does make sense as the final boss here with messing with reality but he just needed more time. Finally the soundtrack was pretty fun. Some real fast paced tracks like when Batman fought Green Lantern. The lyrics were more on the weak side but I appreciated the beat. It was a lot faster than anything you would have expected in this time period so that was really appreciated. You should not have to worry about the timeline when coming up with good tracks. A good track is a good track no matter what the context, that’s something you’ll want to remember for future use.

Overall, Batman vs Yakuza League was a pretty good film. It delivered on having loads of action and just got right to it without waiting for any kind of intro. It’s bonkers in all the right ways. The short runtime also works as it could probably get exhausting if it was too long but this was the right amount. I would say I enjoyed it more than the first film and this one definitely has a whole lot of replay value. Just seeing the Justice League running around in their alternate costumes is a lot of fun after all. Id definitely be down with more films in this continuity. I’m guessing it takes a while to prepare the animation with how frantic the pace of the whole thing is but it definitely ends up being worth the wait. As long as you like Batman then you’ll definitely enjoy this adventure.

Overall 7/10

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim Review

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This film had me shellshocked from start to finish. A Lord of the Rings film with good characters? A film that actually had an interesting story and good graphics? Even cool setup for the actual films to mess up later? What??? If you told me this was not a Lord of the Rings film initially but converted in post I would believe you because it is legions better than the previous films. Now it still does make its share of mistakes like some unfortunate animal violence but the difference is still night and day.

The movie starts off by introducing us to Hera who is the princess to the mighty Rohan kingdom. This kingdom is ruled by the mighty king Helm and his two sons Haleth and Hama are each formidable as well. These 4 members of royalty all have the blood of the gods within them which allows them to fight with superhuman strength and stamina. Helm has laid waste to entire armies in the past. Well, not everyone is happy about this and a rival province wants to have Hera married to Wulf to unite these kingdoms. They were childhood friends once but Hera points out that they are only friends. Wulf’s father dies in one blow to Helm when they fight and now Wulf has sworn revenge. He will destroy the entire kingdom. Can they stop him?

Right away I have to give major credit to the animation which is quite excellent. In particular Hera’s red hair really stands out by being several shades brighter than any other object in the entire film. She radiates main character energy the whole time and definitely does well as the lead. The battles look good as well and so this is a film that looks way better than I ever would have assumed. This animation would stay consistent throughout the movie. While the soundtrack may have been more forgettable, the animation more than makes up for this.

As I mentioned before, the film also isn’t a total bore fest like the live action films. I think in large part this also comes down to the animation because the film actually looks good unlike the others which all take place in dreary areas with no color. Everyone sounds boring in those films and the characters have no passion. There is nothing like that here as we have a fairly large cast that all have interesting personalities. The only real negative here is the animal violence which is unfortunately significant enough to notch the film down 2 stars.

Whenever you see a film that takes place in an old school fantasy land you can unfortunately assume that there will be casualties. In this case that means a few of the giant elephants running around. These beasts have a whole lot of power but are mainly still terrorized by everyone else. One is eaten whole by another monster which was quite brutal and two of them take blows to the face as one is stabbed to death. I definitely would have preferred for these beasts to not have been in the film at all. That would have been my preference at the very least. You could show the abilities of the various characters in other ways.

I will say that this is the first film in the series where the superhuman fighters actually feel strong. Yes, we know that several of the creature races are stronger than the others but in the live action films they all look like humans. Here we see Helm going toe to toe with a giant orc and you can feel his power. Likewise when he was taking down numerous foes in his warrior’s madness form. Those were impressive moments and likewise his two sons showed that they had far more power than the average fighter. It’s little elements like this which also made the movie more fun.

Hera is far more likable than Bilbo and Frodo. She knows what it takes to lead a country and never gives up. She comes out with plan after plan and also knows how to fight. Just because Hera was not picked to lead the country doesn’t mean that she slacked off on training. If anything she was glad not to have to rule the kingdom because this way she had her freedom. She didn’t agree to an arranged marriage or act docile at all throughout the movie. She kept on fighting and was only willing to make concessions to save her people. You couldn’t ask for a much better character than that. She may have been a little too curious at times and got the characters into trouble at times but that’s what happens when you’re an adventurer.

Her main defender was Olwyn, a powerful shield bearer from the past. Olwyn looks really solid here as she holds her own against the villains and comes in clutch to help Hera. This is the kind of fighter that you want on your side. She was still powerful even after decades of fighting which is not something that you can say for most characters. She was just in a league of her own and had a whole lot of confidence about her.

Meanwhile Haleth and Hama were also really solid. Haleth was always careful to look out for his sister and seemed to be a very reasonable fighter. He was the first to notice that they didn’t have as many soldiers as expected before the big battle and was the only one to take down one of the elephants in one on one combat. It’s a shame the way that he went out but it makes sense that the villains would use cheap tricks. In one on one combat none of the villains would have been close to his level. Likewise Hama was a great fighter although he seemed to be more of a long range specialist compared to his brother. Ultimately not investing in a stronger horse came back to hurt him but he never showed any fear in front of the enemy.

Helm was the most powerful character in the film and I appreciated that the film didn’t try to make him some faultless king. He had his issues like not listening to others and being quick to anger. The events of the film could have been way different if he had less pride and would listen to wise counsel. Of course this is likely also how he became King since you need a very strong will to pull that off. All in all I liked him. Yes he could be quite mean all the time but in his own way he was looking after the kingdom. The fact that he took out so many enemies amidst the freezing cold was really quite the feat. I dare say he would have finished the whole army if not for Hera’s rare misstep.

Frealaf was one character who suffered from Helm’s mistimed outburst. The guy was real loyal and having him around could have really changed the tide of battle. Perhaps they would have still lost as it wasn’t a huge squad but he was shown to be quite skilled and versatile with different weapons. I appreciated that his loyalty to the king and country were completely unaverred even after basically being told that he was useless. He had the mental fortitude of a strong warrior.

As for the villains, I can’t say as much for them. Wulf only does well in the film because of sheer numbers. It is made clear time and time again that they need dozens more men on their side to equal the fighting prowess of the heroes. Wulf basically loses every fight that he is in. He can’t defeat Hera in a straight fight, let alone someone like Helm or his two sons. He was struggling heavily against Olwyn as well. Wulf comes off as super whiny throughout the movie. You have to remember that his whole swearing revenge thing came out of a fair fight in which his father lost. There were no underhanded moves or anything of the sort. How are you going to be upset when you lose a fair fight like that?

Meanwhile he was expecting Hera to marry him because they were friends when they were kids? Nah that’s going far as well and even when they were kids he lost control of himself rather quickly. I ended up not liking Wulf pretty much at all when initially I thought he was going to be a really interesting villain. He services the plot well but that’s really all I can say for him. The guy also gets lucky on more than one occasion.

His general Targg was definitely wasted on such a man. Targg actually had good plans and words of wisdom. If Wulf had listened to him then he would have won the film several times over. Targg did look rather dumb in his last scene but in every moment before then he had looked good. It’s clear why he was well respected as a top general. The guy earned his station and ultimately just let his guard down a bit too soon.

That’s quite a lot of characters to develop in this film and so for a change I can say that the film properly utilized its long runtime. This was a movie that really needed the two hours and used it wisely. The film had a solid start, great setup, epic battles, and a satisfying climax. Like I said before, this doesn’t sound like a Lord of the Rings film. I was very impressed and I can say now that it’s time for more animated movies like this. Forget Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf, and the rest of the realms. Lets do more prequels back when you had the age of the gods and more big fights like this.

Overall, This was a rather epic film. I can finally see why people like these classic war type movies. Now granted, for now I see this as an exception to the rule but what an exception it was. Honestly it would have been awesome if retroactively they made Hera the one to take down Sauron at the start of the first film. We did already have a cool twist with the name of the stronghold though so I can be satisfied with that. Yes, I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a solid fantasy film. It’ll really surprise you just how good this movie can get.

Overall 6/10

The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes Review

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It’s time for a really great romance film. I often say that romance is handled rather badly in movies and so it’s always good to have an anime film show up to remind me that this kind of a story can be done well. The title is a real mouthful but it is a great movie through and through. Get ready for a lot of emotional punches to be thrown at you throughout the movie.

The film starts by explaining there there is a secret tunnel in this one town. When you go inside it, you are disconnected from time itself. You can reclaim anything that you have lost within that tunnel but it will cost you something in return…your time. 3 seconds in there is close to 2 hours in the real world. So that’s a great deal of time. If you trip or spend too much time in there, well you will have been gone for a very long time. You would have to be crazy to believe that this tunnel really exists….and even crazier to give it a try. You should not dwell on the past…..

BUT THAT”S HOW A NORMIE WOULD THINK!!!! Kaoru realizes that this is how he can bring his sister Karen back to life. She dies when they were children in a tragic accident that tore his family apart. His father is constantly drunk now and beats him while his mother left a long time ago. There is no bringing the past back to life but bringing Karen into existence might be able to help things. A new transfer student named Anzu shows up to class and she’s interested in the tunnel as well. Her goals remain a mystery to Kaoru but he is happy to have company. Still, can he really allow this girl to throw her life away? Going far enough into the tunnel to find Karen could mean that decades and decades of time will have passed. Possibly even hundreds of years.

First up one of the things that I liked about the film was that it didn’t try to really prove why you should not dwell on the past. Some films can be heavy handed about this but in this case the movie didn’t seem to have a problem with the goal itself. Kaoru needed some closure and so the tunnel was the way he would need to go in order to get it. When you have something that can change reality like the tunnel then I’d argue that you probably need to use it. Why wouldn’t you use something like that right? It just makes perfect sense.

The tunnel itself is certainly scary but we see how Kaoru really has nothing to lose. Yes he has a friend at school but there are no other serious connections. It only makes sense that he would be fine with tossing his life into the void. I’d probably have at least stuffed some money into a savings account so I’d have a nice sum upon my return but beyond that you might as well jump into the void. You could say that Anzu is the only real complication here since now he is slowly having a reason to keep on existing in the present.

Anzu is rather depressed and also doesn’t really have any friends or close family to keep her tethered to this world. That said, this slowly does begin to change as the film goes on. It leads to a really selfish move on Kaoru’s part though. I can definitely say that he made a huge mistake there and I wouldn’t blame Anzu for holding a grudge over that. She ends up being a really standout character not just for her tough personality in the present but for her loyalty and perseverance in the future as well. A lot of characters would have cracked or given in to rebounds sooner but not her.

I also liked that she stood up to the bullies right away in her school. That was a good way to solve the issue as opposed to just taking it or something like that. I always like when a character is guarded and tough to start out with. Anzu wasn’t accepting favors from anyone without a fight and she could defend herself. So that made for a high quality character. Meanwhile I also thought Kaoru was a really solid main character. Again I really appreciated his determination. He had a goal and was really determined to see it through. He didn’t waiver but he also gave Anzu the choice to turn back when he saw that she was having doubts as well.

Kaoru had to endure a whole lot over the years and he never let any of it crush him. That can definitely be tough to handle. Now I do think he should have ensured that he recovered what was lost and then went back to the real world. Based on how the tunnel works this should have been possible. I actually thought Anzu was going to be the one to save him by virtue of her “losing him” which would fit the criteria. Some pretty interesting ways it could have ended but the way it was handled was also good. We got enough repercussions where it didn’t feel like the movie had a cop out here.

It instead feels like an ending where none of the characters will have any regrets. It’s a super satisfying ending and yes it was a really well developed romance. I can say that it clears almost every romance I’ve seen in a very long time. The relationship took a while to develop and made sense with what they had gone through together. It’s just easy to root for. Meanwhile Karen may never have appeared in the present but she still left a good impact. It’s clear that she was a really good character and you can see why Kaoru missed her. It’s always nice to see a character like that who looks on the bright side of things and keeps the vibe light.

Kaoru’s father unfortunately got worse and worse as the film went on. Naturally it goes without saying that there is no excuse to get so drunk that you hit your son. It also sounds like this wasn’t the first time that he hit him. Then showing up later on with a surprise wife? Even the way he handled Kaoru when the latter was throwing up (Throwing him out of the room) showed how crazy he was. I was expecting some kind of redemption arc for the guy but it never happened. At least thanks to the way the ending goes, Kaoru shouldn’t have to deal with this.

The animation is pretty solid here. The film gets to really show off with the tunnel which looked really nice. The colors were striking and it definitely had a good air of mystery about it. I also liked how the flip phone looked which is always a retro design. The whole thing looks nice. The soundtrack is a little more forgettable but the lyrical song at the end is solid. The movie does well enough on the technicals.

Overall, I always enjoy a good film about time travel. It’s more appropriate to say this was about time displacement though as there is no actual travelling through time here. Regardless, you get the idea though. The concept was really interesting and the story is super engaging. The film has its share of sad and happy moments along with a great ending to tie it all together. I would definitely recommend this one. It’s a great title and you won’t be forgetting it anytime soon after you have watched the movie.

Overall 8/10

My Hero Academia: You’re Next Review

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It’s time for the next movie in the My Hero series. As the main series edges closer to the end of its run, the movies have to deal with the stronger incarnations of each hero. Will they be able to bring in more quirk fighters to handle the strongest fighters in the verse? Well they do bring in some strong fighters but you do have to suspend a little more disbelief than the last times that these guy can actually hold their own. It’s a great movie with lots of action as you’d expect though.

The movie starts with the heroes taking down some more villains as usual but then they bump into a girl who is being held hostage by a guy who is acting like he’s the new All Might. He calls himself Dark Might and wants to be a new symbol of peace…using fear. His villain organization intends to dominate this world so Deku has to stop them and save the girl. The rest of the heroes are ready to help along with the addition of the mysterious Giulio but is this guy really an ally they can depend on or is he just another criminal to mop up?

Since the power levels are a fairly big thing here lets get into them first. The villains all have rather intense quirks that seem to have no real drawback. You could argue that they basically break the balance of the verse. All Might’s successor, Stars and Stripes, All for One, and One for All are basically the 3 strongest quirks in the verse. Nothing is really on their level as the latter two were built over whole generations while Stars and Stripes is just super busted for no reason. Shigaraki’s decay quirk is also super good but he does have to grab you. The powers these guys have just don’t seem to have any limitations.

For example one girl can look at you and send you into a dream world where you are completely helpless. She could then stab or shoot you and it would be all over. Even Deku with all the other spirits residing within him was unable to break out so it was up to Giulio to do his thing. The idea that his robotic parts can activate on their own and do something was pretty handy but you can see how this power is fairly broken. She would be able to dominate most fighters with ease in any setting.

Then you have the guy who can effectively stop time. He makes a wide area around him slow down to the point of being negligible. Deku had to really go at full power to even stand a chance and the guy being shocked was the only reason it started to work. Seems like it doesn’t drain much stamina with how long the guy can keep this up and of course he can move at normal speeds so he can easily murder you while the time slow is active.

We also have a teleporter who can teleport instantaneously everywhere that he can see. It’s also fairly busted but normal in the sense that every verse has some kind of a teleporter running around. His partner with the telekinesis was probably the most normal one. There is a guy who sets up an RPG land but I was a little unclear on if his power was summoning/reality warping or if that was incidental because the monsters kept getting generated even once he was gone. The sheer infinite numbers of them was intense though.

There is also a guy who can erase quirks like Eraser but it’s a bit different. He shuts off powers over a wide range and then keeps them on if you are next to him. Great in team competitions especially with how wide the range is. It’s impressively deep so it would be really hard for this guy to lose so long as his partners are at least halfway decent. If they let up at all then he is a sitting duck though so it’s good that he’s part of a team.

So these guys are all very powerful with their hax abilities but what about Dark Might? Well, he uses energy coins of sorts which he can use to form energy objects. He can make punches, barriers, etc. It’s a very versatile weapon but he does have to be throwing them around. He has no super strength or speed of his own. The film never quite convinces you why Deku can’t just speedblitz the life out of this guy and end things in a moment. I would say he feels like a downgrade compared to the villains from the previous films.

I was also surprised we didn’t get more of a battle of ideologies with him and Deku. It quickly becomes apparent that this won’t be a thing that happens when Dark Might quickly turned into a generic villain who just wants to conquer the world though. I was surprised they didn’t go for some kind of a justice parallel. At least make Dark Might think that he is the hero of justice before Deku exposes his flaws or something. Instead he’s basically just pure evil the whole time. So I like the concept of the character but thought the execution was off.

Regardless the fight scenes were excellent though. It’s always great to see the big 3 teaming up and in general Deku always provides the best fight scenes with his speed. The fire and ice effects were also solid from his helpers and you can tell that the movie got a really solid budget. They were not holding anything back here which is as it should be. The soundtrack is solid as always too so you definitely had no worries on the technical aspects.

The side characters all get some moments here including the pro heroes. It’s always nice to see them show up and use their signature attacks even just for the acknowledgement that they are around. Always better to have a cameo than to just not appear. Now should they have done a little better in stopping the ship? Probably, but at the same time I do think Deku has long since surpassed all of the pros here so if he was having a hard time then we can buy it a bit more for these guys.

Giulio is the main OC for this film and he’s not bad. I think he gives up a little too quickly though in terms of jumping right to trying to murder the girl. He definitely needed to think of other options. Why not call in the pro heroes? In some cases that’s not always easy but this seemed like one without any real downsides. Surely they would be able to help out a little bit. The guy has a solid character arc and I like his gruff personality but it was still hard to look past the murder attempts. It’s kind of a big deal when you think about it. The heroine here is okay but doesn’t really get much to do. She’s being mind controlled for 99% of the movie and every time she snaps out of it she is kidnapped and mind controlled again. Quite the cycle when you think about it. So not really her fault, but she didn’t have a chance to shine.

When you pop in a movie like this you’re mainly looking forward to the big fight scenes and the film definitely delivers. While there is some down time between fights, it never goes on for too long or anything like that. So you can really sit back and enjoy the fireworks. Power levels are things you contemplate during the movie but they don’t end up hurting a film. I’m just glad that we got the action and that the villains had fairly inventive quirks. You could make a case that they would wash the League of Villains if they fought but it would be interesting to see how all of the hax go up against each other.

Overall, My Hero Academia churns out a lot of consistently great movies and this one is definitely no exception. The action really doesn’t let up and you get to enjoy seeing Deku and friend fight off against the most powerful villains out there. I’ll definitely be eager to see what film comes out next. Hopefully some kind of a crossover with the Vigilantes cast because that would have a ton of potential. If it takes place completely after the main series it would be a good way to expand the world development. In the meantime, definitely check this one out.

Overall 8/10

The Secret of NIMH Review

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It’s time for a pretty well known animated film. It actually took me a little while to check this one out but I’ve finally done it. Ultimately it’s a good movie, but I didn’t find it to be as much of an all star as I usually hear. I dunno it felt a bit uneventful might be the best way to put it. It didn’t make any wrong decisions or have any big issues. It just wasn’t quite as engaging as some of the other animated movies that I’ve seen recently. I suppose that’s just how it goes sometimes though and the film is fairly short as it’s under an hour and a half so it never drags on. I do think they could have made this into a franchise if they wanted to and maybe that would have improved this one’s stocks retroactively. Not like it’s a competition though, as long as it’s a good movie that’s what counts.

The film starts off with a mouse named Brisby finding out that her son has pneumonia. It’s a pretty serious case of it too. This is bad timing because the mice need to vacate their homes since it’s plowing season. The pesky humans are going to be destroying everything as always but it’s not really safe to transport the kid right now. Fortunately she runs into a nice bird named Jeremy who may be a bit of a klutz but he means well. He’ll take her to see the wise Great Owl and then to meet the Rats who may be able to help with their high tech. Will they help her though?

I can say right now that it’s really lucky for Brisby that her late husband was such an important man. In pretty much every encounter, the other person is dismissive until they find out the connection. The Great Owl? “You’re all doomed”…”Oh you were Jonathan’s wife? Sure we can find a solution, go ask the rats”. She goes to the rats. “Get lost mouse!” “Oh you’re Jonathan’s wife? Sure we’ll go in and save the day”. It really shows how much clout Jonathan got as a proud warrior and a fine man. He managed to help protect his family even past death.

I also give a lot of credit to Brisby of course for going on this dangerous quest. Most of these animals are all several times bigger and stronger than her. They could eat her in an instant but she will go through any trial in order to save her kid. Brisby takes a pretty positive outlook on life and definitely sees the glass as half full. She’s also a quick thinker and will usually have an idea when in a pinch. Her quick reflexes definitely came in clutch when a rat monster randomly tried to murder her when she first entered the forest looking for Nicodemus. Did I mention how mean every character is? There is really a culture of just looking out for yourself here.

Meanwhile Jeremy is just plain likable. He comes in clutch once in a while but also gets himself into trouble constantly. Nearly chokes on different pieces of fabric twice. Without his flying ability Brisby wouldn’t have even been in position to save the day so we have to give good credit there. His romance scene at the end is super cheesy but I guess the film really wanted to give him a super happy ending. He adds a lot of the humor to the film so his presence was definitely appreciated.

The Great Owl didn’t live up to his hype to be honest so not much to say about that guy. Yeah he gave some direction but considering how much hype he got at first, I was just expecting more. At least we finally got a nice character in Justin. The guy has a good attitude about him and likes making jokes. He is stuck with some poor company though. Jenner is one of those guys. A classic power hungry villain but I was glad to see him because this ensured some action would be coming out way. The guy didn’t disappoint. Sometimes it’s nice to have what I’d call a basic villain here.

He wants power and when he sees an opening he takes it. It’s an effective piece of motivation. Interestingly, this also isn’t one of those “Animals can talk and do science just because” kind of films. We actually get a rather detailed backstory similar to TMNT about how they were mutated and this started the whole rat society. It’s pretty interesting and it’s also rare for humans to actually be getting a big role like this. Their presence is felt the whole time even in the meanwhile scenes are they are preparing to destroy the area.

The animation is unsurprisingly really good. The characters are very expressive the whole time and the movements go by really quickly. It’s this kind of hand drawn animation that I always miss as the years go by. It was really able to do so much here and the film holds up incredibly well. If you showed me a film with an alternate style I doubt it would be able to say the same, at least not to this degree. We even get some action scenes and energy effects thanks to the electricity. The music is more of a non factor but they can’t all be standouts there I suppose. Nothing immersion breaking or anything like that, it’s just that none of the tracks will stay in your head.

Overall, The Secret of NIMH is a fun movie. It has some danger throughout and the adventure is a good one. I think going into it without any knowledge of its big reputation will probably help you out a bit. Regardless it is well crafted. It may not have the same level of energy as some of the other big titles but being enjoyable is the most important part here. Thanks in part to the short length and of course the quality writing, there is a lot of replay value to be had here. There’s no reason to be skipping out on this one so just give it a whirl and see what you think.

Overall 6/10

Princess Arete Review

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Princess Arete is definitely a unique title. It’s sort of like what would happen if you had an adventure film where the main heroine herself was actually captured for almost all of it. It’s definitely a way to stand out but at the same time I found the film to be a little uneventful at times as a result of this. Dare I say it approached being boring at times? I would say it’s a film that just focuses too much on set up for an adventure that never happens and you don’t have any loud characters to run in and shake things up. This could have used a Shonen lead type of character.

The movie first introduces us to Princess Arete whose life has been completely restrained by her father the king. He keeps her inside a tower and doesn’t let her leave the castle grounds. Instead she just has to wait as many suitors keep on visiting her over and over again. She has no interest in any of them and these guys all do seem pretty desperate for power. It might just be the animation style but she also just looks like a total kid next to all of these guys. It’s only natural that she won’t be interested. Well, unfortunately a wizard named Boax shows up and uses his magic to hypnotize Arete and the King so that he can marry her. He then takes her and locks her up in another tower so that she live up to the prophecy. Can she snap the mind control and get out of there?

It’s a bit of a long summary but I wasn’t really sure exactly where I should stop. In a way you could say this is where the main story begins but at the same time this is after a decent amount of time in the film has elapsed. You can also see why the whole thing is a bit annoying because Arete isn’t really getting to do much here. We do see that she is really interested in the outside world and so that’s nice but she wasn’t able to fight for her freedom there anyway. In a world of magic you’d think the King would have some defensive measures but the world seems to mostly be normal so maybe I can give him a slight pass.

I didn’t think the main villain’s plan made a whole lot of sense though. So the prophecy states that Arete will somehow undo Boax’s complete immortality so he locks her up to prevent that. At the same time we see that he is really lonely and is hoping to find another wizard. Maybe he wouldn’t be so lonely if he wasn’t immortal? In a way that’s what really makes it worse and of course he is also evil by hoarding the water supply. If he had friends then they could help him find more magicians.

Basically it doesn’t seem like Boax really thought anything through. He’s not a particularly interesting villain and the whole time you will be shaking your head at the guy. Meanwhile for Arete, I can’t say I was very impressed with her either. Yeah she made one attempt to escape the tower but I would have liked to have seen her be way more proactive. Honestly when the first guy broke in through the window, she should have knocked him out or tricked him and then used his escape method. Getting mind controlled isn’t totally her fault I suppose but it was annoying to see her basically be a zombie for a while there. It’s only in the climax where she gets to really help out.

There isn’t really much of a supporting cast to back her up either. Yeah you have the King from the beginning but considering that he is pushing for arranged marriages, he’s not the best guy. You have Ample who helps out with a lot of the exposition and letting Arete know the main facts. Not a bad character but not a very interesting one either. Nothing wrong with the writing either, there just weren’t any standout characters and even the designs were rather bland.

The animation’s okay. The colors are fairly washed out so the whole product ends up looking rather dated but the movement is good. The backgrounds aren’t bad and of course it’s just always nice to see things that are hand drawn. Meanwhile the soundtrack is more forgettable but on the whole the technicals aren’t bad. The whole thing just doesn’t pop out. It feels like the kind of film you my see a character watching in another movie. I was so ready for things to happen that for a minute there I was actually hoping Arete would go on the long quest to find the ruby that Boax asked for.

For a second there, the film was actually teasing you with the idea of a true adventure and I was all for it. This is what I’ve been ready for! Instead she turned back to accomplish her true mission and yeah that was the right call but it wasn’t the most entertaining one. I could criticize Boax further on why he would even suggest she go on such a mission when the hypnosis could break at any moment but perhaps nobody had ever broken it before so he didn’t see any potential risks in that.

Overall, Princess Arete feels like a film that is really missing a middle act. It could have used another 30 minutes where we see Arete escaping at some point and having a full adventure before being recaptured. I think that would have gone a long way to really making her a fun heroine and also livening up the film a bit. There just isn’t a whole lot of fun times for the film here and it feels too much like an ancient fantasy tale without the adventure. If you want to check out a more interesting anime title, you should watch Bleach instead. All of those films go hard!

Overall 5/10

Titan A.E. Review

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It’s time for an old sci-fi adventure! After all the year is pretty old by this point. It’s been almost 30 years and so now this could even be called retro. Fortunately I can say that it is retro in a good way. The animation holds up quite nicely and the battle scenes are on point. It’s a strong film all around with solid execution across each field. If you haven’t seen it yet, this is one film that you don’t want to miss.

The film starts off with an alien race called the Drej showing up and exterminating the humans. They blow up Earth and so now there are very few Earthlings left alive. One of these is a guy named Cale, whose father died tragically during the big attack. Cale is now going through a rebellious phase where he’s just rude to everybody and doesn’t care much about his species. Well, this all changes when he is targeted for elimination by the Drej and is saved by another human named Joseph. Joseph has some kind of plan to flip everything around but is Cale really ready to risk his life against tremendous odds? It’s not exactly a safe option here.

Well, to be fair Cale also isn’t given much of a choice. If he didn’t go with Joseph then he would die on the spot and once he’s on the ship it’s not like he can ask them to turn around. Fortunately for Cale, he is a tough guy so he takes this in stride. The film has a whole lot of banter going on the whole time as Cale is constantly taking shots. The thing is, he isn’t really able to back up all the tough talk as humans appear to be far weaker than virtually all of the other species. Defeating Cale appears to be an easy feat for pretty much everybody. I still like his spunk though. Cale plays a good role in why the film is solid.

His character type is one that you’ve seen before. He starts off as a total punk but gradually starts to believe in the mission and even gets heroic. It’s a journey that works pretty well here and that is always crucial for a film like this since a lot of it is built around the main hero. Additionally this means we get quite a bit of nice banter between several characters. One of whom is the main heroine Akima. She’s also rather tough and so she doesn’t back down. This means we get quite a bit of intense dialogue between the two of them. Yeah you can assume this will turn into a cliche romance later on but initially the banter is still fun.

The animation also really pops out at you. I really enjoyed the designs for the Drej. They look like really cool cybernetic fighters which adds to the horror factor. Since they are made out of energy, you also can’t hope to defeat them through normal means. In fact, there are very few ways to stop them at all so it’s clear why humanity lost. While the average Drej fighter feels fairly character-less, they still make for good obstacles.

Meanwhile the music is also really good. The soundtrack definitely has a solid 80s feel to it and a lot of times animated films tend to sound rather standard. This one decided to be different and absolutely succeeded. Each song works really well and they also helped you feel the grand scale of the movie. The universe is at stake after all so it should sound like that. It’s things like this that can really help a film succeed.

Of course the same is true for characters so lets get back to those. Akima is definitely a fun heroine and I appreciated that she was a tough fighter as well. Definitely someone who doesn’t give up easily and was quick on the uptake. I also appreciated Joseph. At times it feels like his character was rushed a little bit when things could have moved slower but he definitely had a massive role in the story. His scenes were all really solid and definitely served as a good contrast to Cale. This guy is a lot more driven for his ambitions, but to a rather dangerous degree.

There were also a few more passengers in the crew but these guys were way slower on the draw. You had the science creature who was a little too annoying at times. He never picked up on any hints and also could take too long to get to the point of where they had to go. He was busy messing around and being mean to Cale the whole time. Then you had the weapons expert and she talked tough but let her guar down when it counted and never looked as impressive as you would have expected. The right hand man was solid though. Now there is a character who was always alert and ready.

Throughout the film you also have a sense of danger that can be rare in these animated films. We’ve really got huge stakes with the universe in the balance and Earth itself was blown up early. It’s not like the villains are threatening to destroy Earth throughout the movie, in this case they already did it. It adds a little more credibility to the villains right away. They also have good aim and actually land hits on the characters early on so you can’t hit them with the Storm Trooper allegations. Yes, this film really did a lot of things that was ight and helped to make the film more fun. It even does have time for humor on occasion which worked well thanks to the film’s solid writing.

Overall, Titan A.E. is a pretty good film. I would definitely recommend it. I always enjoy a good sci-fi so this was always going to be trending in the right direction but then throw in the solid execution across the board and this was a winner. I’d definitely be up for a sequel some day. There is more you can tell with this story and the characters. It’s a charming title all the way through with good pacing and a fun atmosphere. So if you haven’t seen the film yet, you need to fix that as soon as possible.

Overall 7/10

Robot Dreams Review

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It’s time for a largely wholesome film although the ending isn’t the most satisfying. We get to see a whole lot of New York City which can really be the highlight of the film even more than the story. There was a lot of good attention to detail here which allows you to feel nostalgic the whole time as the adventure plays through.

The movie starts by introducing us to a lonely dog who doesn’t really have any friends. This dog does his best to live on as he eats his macaroni and cheese but then one day decides to order himself a friend. He buys and assembles a robot who does end up being a great friend but unfortunately the Dog leaves him on a beach where he is deactivated. The Dog must now make it many months on his own before he can get back onto the beach and fix his friend. Will his friend still be there when the dog comes back though?

The dog is a good example of a main character who needs to find his own internal happiness before he can be truly happy. The guy just doesn’t know how to have a good time on his own and so that’s why he is really relying on the robot the whole time. This is tricky because when you are that reliant on another person then you stop improving yourself. Before finding a friend or even a romantic partner, you need to have a full life that you can keep satisfied on your own. This means having some hobbies and such so when your friend is hanging out with another friend group or just doing something on their own, you’re not just sitting around bored.

Dog does try a few times to find things to do but they never quite work out. He tries going fishing with someone but they don’t seem to connect all that much. At the same time, he did get a post card so maybe they would have been friends for longer. Going on the snow adventure didn’t work out either and so in the end he basically has to be by himself again. I would argue that the dog didn’t really get any character development throughout the movie. In fact, in a sense he didn’t move forward at all so his happiness is still short lived. Hopefully he is more careful this time. The film makes a point of showing how he could have worked harder to get to the robot since everyone else did.

Dog is a nice guy, but perhaps not very reliable. Meanwhile the robot gets the short end of the stick for most of the film but I would argue the happier ending. The robot always did a good job of looking at things positively so he will thrive in any environment. Additionally even his dreams were pretty fun. I disagreed with his final decision though since constantly having to be hiding could get old fast. You always need to face your fears, or in this case just face whatever is in front of you. It’s really the best way to go and just get it over with.

His new owner definitely seems like a good guy so I was glad things worked out for him too. He seems to be trying hard and doing what he can as well. So while the ending wasn’t satisfying for me due to the final choices, at least it didn’t go the crazy option like making it one last dream. The dreams were fun enough but that would have definitely been overdoing it a bit.

As I mentioned before though, the best part of the film is really the NYC backdrop. There are just so many fun elements to the city and the film really captures down all the right details. It’s nice seeing the various parks, the foods, and everything else. You can tell that the creators either got to visit New York City at some point or did an impressive amount of research because it all felt very authentic. It’s why even aside from the story you could watch it just for the backgrounds and little details that appear throughout.

The animation style is pretty nice here. It’s simple but effective. It’s always easy to follow what’s happening in the movie. There is even a pretty decent soundtrack with a number of songs and instrumental themes. They worked well in showing how much fun the city was during the montages. I also liked the way the robot would hum one of the tunes. There isn’t any real dialogue in this film which I do tend to miss but at least the film still managed to be very entertaining the whole time. The characters were able to clearly show what they were doing and thinking even without the dialogue.

Would dialogue have helped the film? Absolutely but at the end of the day when you can make a film that’s still good without any dialogue, then that’s a pretty impressive feat. It’s definitely not something that just anyone can do. I imagine a whole lot of people have probably tried and absolutely failed to pull it off. The stakes are also high because if you fail, the most likely outcome is that the film will be incredibly boring which can really hurt. So make sure you have an air tight premise and fun characters before even thinking of attempting this.

Overall, Robot Dreams is definitely an accurate title for this film with all of the dreams going on. At first it might even trick you if you forgot what the title was. The movie goes by fast and it tells a nice story. I would recommend checking it out. It’s a reminder of how even the most fun activities can seem boring if you haven’t learned how to do them on your own yet. In this case the focus was really on making friends which for Dog seems like a temporary solution while for Robot it seems like he will be good long term. NYC is definitely filled with never ending adventures if you know where to look.

Overall 7/10

Flow Review

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It’s time for an animated film that takes a very different approach compared to the average title. There is no dialogue here as the film follows a bunch of animals who are doing their best to survive as the world is thrown into chaos. It’s a very calm film and while it may not be one that you would watch too often, it’s definitely interesting enough to be a good movie.

The film mainly focuses on a cat that seems a little inexperienced as he wanders through the forest. He runs away from some dogs and is generally leading an ordinary life when suddenly the water levels begin to rise. The planet is changing quickly as the floods gain headway and it looks like all of creation will soon be underwater. The cat will have to team up with these other animals if they are to survive but can they all put aside their differences here? The animal food chain could become an issue.

One thing I really appreciate about the film from the jump is that it doesn’t go out of its way to explain things. That also makes a lot of sense because there are no humans here for exposition. This way you get to really think for yourself on why this is happening. Is some cosmic being trying to wipe out all life on the planet? If this something that just happens every generation on this world? Were the humans extinct first or are they also surviving all of this? By the end you won’t really have any answers and so you get to just think of all the possibilities.

I do like the idea of the humans being wiped out while the animals remain. They should be more resilient in a lot of ways after all but at the same time I wouldn’t say that these animals seem very street smart. Most of them don’t seem to be used to being on their own so much but I guess this kind of event is pretty drastic. As the film goes on we get to see their true characters. Some animals are willing to team up and be good sports while others ultimately decide to turn to their wild side.

In particular the biggest contrast is with the dogs. The main dog is a really nice guy who just wants to help out. He may seem a bit oblivious at times but he has a good heart and this shines through the whole time. Meanwhile his dog friends are not quite as solid and they appear as selfish and scatter brained. It’s not that they are openly antagonistic but they seem to really just be normal dogs who are led by their instincts while the main one was able to move past this to recognize an urgent situation and react appropriately. Naturally he was the standout character here.

The cat was also a lot of fun though. He was really doing a whole lot to try and survive which is tough since he is smaller than just about all of the other animals. He nearly dies on many occasions and ultimately has to live with the knowledge that another flood could come at any time. The cat did make some good friends through the journey though so at least he won’t be all alone anymore.

A Capybara was another one of the main characters and it was nice to see him. These animals already have a strong reputation for getting along with basically every other kind of animal out there so it makes sense that he would be one of the big peace negotiators right from the start. He tends to sleep a lot and take everything in a very calm manner. Definitely the opposite of the Lemur who was panicking and stressed out the whole time. If you’re always stressed in a situation like this then you are definitely going to be in rough shape by the end of it. The Capybara really had the right idea of it here.

Then you have the big bird who looked rather intimidating at first but he was ready to defend the cat as needed. He certainly took some heavy blows from the rest of his clan as a result but he was a good hero. His injury remains throughout the movie which was probably the film’s way of nerfing him since otherwise he would have the easiest time in this situation. The floods are bad to be sure but when you can fly then it opens up the options a whole lot. The others are all relegated to staying on different boats as they go through.

So there is a good amount of danger but the film also balances it well so none of the animals are getting seriously hurt the whole time. The only main death of sorts here is handled in a very stylized way which was good so it wouldn’t really hurt the overall story. You could also make the case that it wasn’t really a death since again you have a lot of interpretive options here.

The animation is solid. It’s not going for a super detailed look and instead looks more arcade/streamlined style which works well here. The characters are all very expressive and the environmental effects are good. I definitely had no real issues here. The soundtrack is more on the forgettable side but this is going for a very natural feel. Having some hard rock themes or really hype tracks would likely have felt a little off. It would be worth it of course but I understand why the film wouldn’t have gone in that route.

A cliffhanger would have been cool but again this isn’t really that kind of film. This is one of those movies that you can just enjoy in a relaxing way. There is danger and such but you have a feeling that things will work out along the way. If they ever did come up with more films then I would check them out and this is also the kind of film you could easily recommend to anyone without any reservations.

Overall, Flow is a good movie. I am the kind of guy who likes a good amount of dialogue to really shake things up so that would have given this film a boost but it doesn’t really make any mistakes. I think it takes the concept of a wordless film about as far as it can go. You still get a good sense of the various characters and their personalities while also being able to understand the interesting plot. My view will always be that dialogue would further improve the film but that just wasn’t the artistic vision this time. If you like a good film about animals then I would definitely recommend checking this one out.

Overall 6/10

The Care Bears Movie Review

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Let me tell you something, you don’t want to mess with the Care Bears. The instant I knew I was going to watch a movie about these guys I knew I was in for a big adventure. Their magical abilities are quite formidable and the only reason they don’t win more fights is due to the genre. These films are for kids and about having fun rather than being big action blockbusters. If they were then this would be a whole different ballgame. The film is good old fashioned fun. I won’t say it’s great or anything but I had a good time with it.

The movie starts with the Cherrywoods telling a story to a bunch of kids. Back in the day there were two kids who were really lonely and they had a rough time of things because they were orphans. So the Care Bears decided to step in and get them to have friends. They took the kids on a tour of their world and helped them learn the true meaning of friendship. The problem is that they didn’t reach a kid named Nicholas in time. This kid ends up meeting a mysterious lady who lives in a book. She quickly begins to trick him into learning the dark arts and generally spreading misfortune into the world. He will now stop the world from caring about anything. Can the Care Bears stop him or is it game over?

The Care Bears have a lot of abilities like powerful lasers and high tech gadgets but they are lacking in confidence. For the most part they don’t want to deal the evil spirit directly. So throughout the film you see the Care Bears running around and panicking. They are definitely not the best allies to have on your side since they don’t really inspire any kind of confidence. At one point the two kids have to fend for themselves as Nicholas chases the around because none of the care bears are really doing anything.

Now granted, the world wasn’t in a very caring mood as the care levels went down but you’d still expect the bears to be able to do something. Instead they take a back seat in their own film for a while there. The movie isn’t too concerned about delivering a great story and it’s more about the vibes so lets talk about those. For starters the animation is pretty good. The hand drawn aspect still works pretty well after all these years. The scenes are very smooth and easy to follow. The action scenes that we do get look pretty good too.

The soundtrack is more of a mixed bag. Some of the songs really don’t work at all while some others are okay. Just don’t go in expecting anything too crazy here. As for the script, it’s fine enough. Everyth8ing can be a bit exaggerated but that works well enough. One character even gets a massive plot twist at the end which shows how he has really changed as a character. That was pretty wholesome all things considered. He really came a long way from when he was a kid.

The more I write about the story the more I have to admit it was a bit all over the place. At the same time that is part of the fun I suppose. This movie isn’t even worried about trying to have a huge narrative or telling a complete story. It’s just messing around and having a good time. I also give it points for not even trying to introduce the various care bears beyond their name. You either get the drift of what’s going on or you don’t. It all comes down to that.

I also appreciated the villain being straight up evil and this wasn’t all some kind of misunderstanding. She wants to achieve her ambitions and has no problems manipulating whoever it takes to complete that. That kind of unfeeling villain works well in the Care Bears as a complete foil to everything that the main characters represent. Her design was good and while it would have been nice to have had an explosive finale, I suppose that’s not really what this movie is all about.

The concept of the Care Bears will pretty much always beat the execution but perhaps one day that can change. In the meantime the important thing is that the film is fun and you’ll have a good time. I do wish they would skip the narration at the beginning though with the story book plot device because it does spoil the ending. I know it’s basically a foregone conclusion that things will go well but at the same time you still don’t have to actively show it like that.

Now will this end up making you a huge fan of the Care Bears themselves? Eh, probably not. They still aren’t super good at their jobs and basically get lucky a lot of the time. Considering the crazy amount of technology and super powers that they have, they should have a better handle on things. It’s another reason why the Ponies are higher since they do generally have solid control over the kingdom. They don’t have to rely on humans to bail them out every time as that would just be plain embarrassing.

Overall, The Care Bears is a good film. I won’t say it’s great or anything like that but by the end you will feel pretty satisfied with your experience. The Key Bear even came in clutch when it counted. The world of the Care Bears may be a deadly one as one town can completely tip the balance of power one way or the other but at the same time it also shows just how much difference one person can make. I don’t think the franchise will ever be at the level of My Little Pony or Strawberry Shortcake going forward since the premise just isn’t quite as hype but if you haven’t watched this movie yet, you should change that.

Overall 6/10