NYFF Review: Scarlet (2025)

A sword-wielding princess embarks on a dangerous quest to avenge the death of her father. She soon meets an idealistic young man who shows her the possibility of a future free of bitterness and rage.

New York Film Festival Review

Scarlet is directed by Mamoru Hosoda director of One Piece: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island (2005), The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006), Summer Wars (2009), Wolf Children (2012), The Boy and the Beast (2015), Mirai (2018) and Belle (2021)

Mamoru Hosoda is a director who has delivered consistently with tons of great films that lead to some fantastic and mesmerizing experiences, however coming off of Hosoda’s previous film Belle (2021) his newest film Scarlet is quite a big disappointment. The film undeniably has some gorgeous animation that leads to some strong sequences and the final act ends up being a bit better than the movie’s rough middle portion. However Scarlet is ultimately a very watered down version of Willam Shakespeare’s Hamlet that does not add anything new or compelling.

The voice cast is all around great, with such a shallow script the cast does what they can a while there are some well done moments and the side characters get some admittedly cute moments. It’s Scarlet herself that just does not have enough character writing to make for an investing character, during the first 30 minutes or so we get some decent character building for her and then afterwards it almost feels like the movie completely stops. So many different themes and characters are thrown at the viewer that the movie loses focus on its main character, Hijiri is a fine enough secondary main character but the whole plot point with him is incredibly predictable and can be seen coming from a mile away.

The writing wants to be more than a watered down Hamlet but fails to do so in any unique or interesting way, there’s a pop song sequence that seemingly comes out of nowhere and takes the viewer completely out of the film. The villains of the story are shallowly written most of them are nothing more but bloodthirsty henchmen and Claudius the big bad of the movie does get a solid introduction but is not seen again until the movie is almost over making any sort of intrigue as a character next to impossible.

The animation is without a doubt the best part of the movie, as I said before it leads to some genuinely stunning moments and fun sequences. The attention to detail is sharp, clear and makes the movie’s world stand out a bit more. But that’s about as far as it goes, the animation can really only do so much when you have such a shallow script that fails to elaborate on any of its characters.

Scarlet is a disappointment, it’s a shame because there was potential for something great here. The right materials are here and the way the movie tackles life and death is genuinely interesting. But unfortunately the middle portion heavily lacks strong writing and is way to forgettable for its own good.

Scarlet releases in theaters December 12th (Limited) and February 6th (Wide)

5/10 C

Elio (2025) Film Review

Elio, an underdog with an active imagination, finds himself inadvertently beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide. Mistakenly identified as Earth’s ambassador to the rest of the universe, he starts to form new bonds with eccentric aliens while discovering who he’s truly meant to be.

Elio is directed by Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi which is the former’s directorial debut with the latter previously directing Turning Red (2022).

Elio is a pretty solid addition to the Pixar library, while there might not be anything new thematically or even story wise going on here, the huge amount of charm is undeniable and it all adds up to make an incredibly fun and adventurous experience for the viewer.

First and foremost the voice cast does a pretty solid job here, Yonas Kibreab plays Elio a character that the viewer can quickly relate to as soon as the film starts. Losing both his parents at a very young age, Elio’s imagination roams free which leads to some genuinely raw moments that, he’s obsessed with communicating with the outside world. Something a lot of kids did when I was growing up and I’m sure the viewer will have the same sort of feeling. The film portrays all of this in such a beautiful way that makes Elio feel like a very real character, yes the film does take liberties in throwing in fantasy elements when it gets to the aliens. But throughout the film the raw feeling of Elio as a character never goes away.

Zoe Saldaña as Olga Solís (Elio’s aunt) is a very important part in this story, there’s sort of an emotional separation between Olga and Elio. Olga gave up on her dreams of becoming an astronaut so she can raise her nephew. Elio’s obsession nearly costs Olga’s job which causes a distance between them. The film explores the pain of both sides incredibly well, it’s done in this thoughtful and genuinely touching way that really makes the viewer immediately care for Elio and Olga.

The animation is stunning, the use of color is very top notch, when the film reaches the space portion of the film it really does feel like you are in another world. While yes the space theme does feel a bit familiar in a lot of ways, what Sharafian and Shi are able to do with it is what makes it so fun, they are able to bring this fun aesthetic and a silly atmosphere that it’s enjoyable. You have your heartwarming moments as well to even things out. It’s some nice world building that while may not going into very deep territory, is still solid enough to capture the main mood of the film’s world.

The writing has many themes going on here such as feeling out of place, loss and loneliness all of which the film does a pretty solid job of exploring. The theme of feeling out of place in particular is beautifully done, combining it with the whole space theme is a smart move as well. Elio is in this spot where he doesn’t know where he belongs due to the loss of his parents, his connection to the outside world can only help him so much. This all leads to beautiful moments that are captured quite well and really are striking in their own ways.

The main criticism here comes from most of the aliens, outside of Gordon who does get quite a bit of development. The rest of the aliens don’t really get a huge amount of development, sure they have a few key differences from on another but there really is not anything that stands out. The antagonist Lord Grigon is just kind of there, he’s fine and he gets the job done but that’s really about it. I do find it interesting that the world itself has a lot more personality and gets more development than most of its inhabitants.

But as it stands Elio is a very strong addition to Pixar’s library, it’s touching, heartwarming and such a sweet film that you can’t help but smile after watching.

Elio is available on all VOD platforms.

8/10 B+

The Bad Guys 2 (2025) Film Review

Reformed criminals Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Shark and Ms. Tarantula are trying very hard to be good. However, they soon find themselves hijacked into a high-stakes heist that’s masterminded by a new team of delinquents they never saw coming — the Bad Girls.

The Bad Guys 2 is directed by Pierre Perifel director of The Bad Guys (2022).

The Bad Guys (2022) was a surprise, it ended up being one of my favorite films of 2022 a year that was a filled with lots of fantastic releases. The Bad Guys 2 follows a lot of what made the first film so great, there are times where there is a bit of familiarity. However that does not outweigh the positives this film has to offer.

The voice cast is just as good as it was from the first film, Sam Rockwell does such a fantastic job as Mr. Wolf he brings this cool style that always feels fun and this relaxing vibe as well. Some new additions like Danielle Brooks as Kitty Kat, Natasha Lyonne as Doom/Susan and Maria Bakalova are also incredibly great here. They bring these characters their own fun personalities without feeling like almost identical to the main group, in fact I would go as far as to say that The Bad Girls were effective antagonists, while yes some get more development than others I do think for a film that attempted to go with an “opposite team or person” sort of idea this is one of the times where the film nails it.

The animation is just as stunning as it was in the first film, a lot of what I said about the animation from the first film can be applied here. Right at the beginning there’s tons of attention to detail, the colors all pop out incredibly well and the energetic vibe of it all really ties this whole film into a nice little package. The animation is so well done and even expands the film’s world even further from the first film.

The writing is also quite strong here as well, the dynamic between Mr. Wolf and Diane Foxington is genuinely interesting. Their little banter and bond is genuinely heartwarming at times and makes you root for them. The film definitely has a Mission Impossible sort of vibe especially towards the end when things get incredibly chaotic (I mean that in a good way), there really isn’t anything incredible here when it comes to themes. The film is mostly focused on entertaining the viewer which is not a bad thing at all, the film knows its goal and accomplishes it within a matter of seconds.

Overall The Bad Guys 2 is a worthy sequel to a fantastic predecessor, I don’t think this one is as good as the first film simply because it does feel a bit familiar in some areas. However that does not mean this is a bad film, it’s a strong sequel that if you loved the first film you will absolutely fall in love with this one.

The Bad Guys 2 is available on all VOD platforms.

8/10 B+

Fixed (2025) Film Review

After learning he’s getting neutered, a dog has 24 hours to squeeze in one last balls-to-the-wall adventure with the boys.

Fixed is directed by Genndy Tartakovsky director of The Hotel Transylvania movies (2012-2022) and tons of TV work such as Dexter’s Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, Samurai Jack and Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003).

Much like a lot of people Tartakovsky was a part of my childhood, if you grew up with Cartoon Network there’s a huge chance that you have at least seen some of his work. His style of animation was always appealing to the eye, the characters were exciting, had some surprisingly well thought out development that audiences can appreciate. Whether it was something silly and fun like Dexter’s Laboratory or something more dark in tone like Samurai Jack Tartakovsky always had a way to tell a story through animation.

So it makes it all the more puzzling on how Fixed came to be, it’s the direct opposite of what Tartakovsky usually does. Which I do understand directors trying to go for something completely different, the idea of a Tartakovsky directed adult cartoon is not necessarily a bad one. But a lot of what made Tartakovsky such a great director and creator is just not present at all in Fixed, instead we get a movie that somehow makes Sausage Party (2016) look like a masterpiece in comparison.

I will say that the 2D animation is genuinely great, it’s a shame it’s used for a movie that essentially boils down to “haha dog balls” or “haha dick joke” but there are times where the animation is creatively used, unfortunately those moments do not go far enough. One moment you have some genuinely striking animation and the next moment you have dog balls shoved in your face. In fact that goes for more than the animation, every time the movie is trying to have a somewhat serious moment it’s always proceeded by an unfunny joke that completely deflates the feel of the scene that just occurred.

The jokes are basically dick jokes, dog balls or dogs having sex, with none of these jokes being clever at the slightest. With the exception of one genuinely decent joke that isn’t sex related, every single other joke falls flat on its face. It’s an absolute shame because there was a lot of potential here, unfortunately when you have a script that feels like it was written by edgy teenagers you can only do so much.

The voice acting is not terrible, but it’s most certainly not anything to write home about. Idris Elba, Kathryn Hahn, River Gallo and Fred Armisen are all very talented actors but the material they are given here is flat out terrible. Adam DeVine as the lead is annoying, easily one of the worst parts of the movie (and that’s saying something) and just painful to listen to. None of these characters have any meaningful development, all of it is cliche character types that you have already seen.

Overall Fixed is nothing but 85 minutes of the exact same joke over and over again, the story fails to invest the viewer and could have easily been put into a 30 minute TV episode. As annoying as Sausage Party (2016) got at the very least there was a creative angle the movie took even if it wasn’t very often. Fixed is basically the exact same thing except it’s not clever and never tries to be. Even if you are a fan of adult animation this is something I don’t recommend.

Fixed is available on Netflix.

2/10 F

The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie

Porky Pig and Daffy Duck become Earth’s only hope when their antics at the local bubble-gum factory uncover a secret alien mind-control plot. Faced with cosmic odds, they must save their town and the world while not driving each other totally looney.

The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is directed by Pete Browngardt which although it is his feature directorial debut he has worked on many shows you would recognize such as Futurama, The Venture Bros, Chowder, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, Adventure Time and is the creator of Uncle Grandpa.

Believe it or not The Day The Earth Blew Up is the first fully animated and theatrical released Looney Tunes film, which is something that does not sound real but sure enough it is. If there’s one word to describe this film it’s charming, what Browngardt did with the Looney Tunes here is absolutely well done and incredibly imaginative. It has this sense of nostalgia without feeling like it’s trying to bait the audience and throw half a dozen easter eggs at you, it’s a film where long time fans and newcomers can really enjoy and walk away from the film loving the Looney Tunes all over again or wanting to get into them more.

The voice acting is top notch, Eric Bauza who voices both Daffy Duck and Porky Pig is the best he’s ever been, there’s so much charm to the characters and it’s all captured in the familiar voices of the characters. Having Daffy Duck and Porky Pig together is also quite neat, I grew up with Duck Dodgers a show that was on Cartoon Network that also had Daffy and Porky as the main characters. So it does bring a sense of nostalgia to see the two on screen together again and much like in Duck Dodgers they are both excellent here. The humor, their two personalities and the writing really brings out everything that we all love about these two characters. Candi Milo as Petunia Pig is a nice mix as well, Peter MacNicol as The Invader gives some great laughs over the course of the film.

The humor is very well done and is pretty spot on when capturing the spirit of the Looney Tunes. Even when the film goes for more of the newer type of humor it still works, one particular scene of (Everything I Do) I Do It For You by Bryan Adams showing up is genuinely hilarious and works in this fun way. There’s some fourth wall breaking jokes that are actually pretty charming, I don’t think these jokes would have worked nearly as well had this not been a Looney Tunes film but due to the charm and the way they are executed they work well here and match the tone.

The charm of the film is ultimately what makes the film, you can tell Browngardt and the many other writers wanted to make this special as well as a tribute to the Looney Tunes franchise as a whole. Not only does the film accomplish that it does its own thing, as I said earlier the film does not rely on nostalgia or easter eggs to bring the viewer in. It relies on classic Looney Tunes shenanigans, humor and energetic voice acting to bring it all together. The animation is also filled to the brim of charm with so much detail and so much to look at it’s incredibly pleasing to the eyes.

Overall The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is such a fun film that any Looney Tunes fan will love, there’s so much passion put here and respect for the franchise. Definitely be sure to check this one out!

The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is available on all VOD platforms.

8/10 B+

Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League (2025) Film Review

Batman and his allies battle to save Gotham from the Yakuza League, a group of superpowered individuals resembling the Justice League.

Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League is directed by Junpei Mizusaki and Shinji Takagi. Mizusaki previously directed Batman Ninja (2018) and Takagi previously directed Steamboy (2004). The film serves as a sequel to Batman Ninja (2018).

Batman Ninja (2018) I always found to be one of the better DC animated films to come out in recent years, so I was pretty interested (kind of surprised as well) that a sequel was actually coming out. While it’s not as good as the first movie simply because the idea was more fresh with the first movie. I do think Yakuza League is a pretty solid sequel that continues to use the bizarre idea in an interesting way!

Much like the first film the voice acting and the animation style is pretty great. The anime references thrown in this time around are charming and add to the style, it never becomes way too much instead it adds details to the characters which have some quite interesting designs such as Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Aquaman with their Yakuza counterparts.

The story is just as fun as it was with the first film only I would argue this one is a bit more self aware, which does lead to some decently fun sequences and styles. Some editing styles reminiscent of Shonen anime and Japanese TV shows of the 70s and 80s, that does take away from some character arcs especially towards Batman’s family. But it’s a fair trade off considering that the rest of the film is quite decent with how the idea is executed.

The action scenes are fun, creative and pop out incredibly well, the dialogue holds the viewer’s interest throughout the film. There isn’t anything mind blowing going on here, some of the characters like Joker and Harley Quinn feel a bit shoehorned in (Joker really isn’t as interesting as a character as he was in the first film.) the movie does admittedly start to lose a bit of steam towards the end, but at the very least the movie does not overstay its welcome with a runtime of 89 minutes it’s enough to get to the point and wrap things up at a nice pace.

Overall Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League is a bit weaker than its predecessor but still manages to keep the qualities of what made the first one great. If you liked the first film you will probably like this one as well.

Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League is available on all VOD platforms.

7/10 B

Plankton: The Movie (2025) Film Review

Plankton’s tangled love story with his sentient computer wife goes sideways when she takes a stand and decides to destroy the world without him.

Plankton: The Movie is directed by Dave Needham director of The Loud House Movie (2021).

After the disaster that was last year’s Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie (2024) I went into this one expecting the same sort of disaster..luckily that was not the case here. That doesn’t mean to say that it’s necessarily a good movie but talk about an improvement.

The voice cast does a really solid job here, there isn’t necessarily any standouts it’s very much what you expect from anything SpongeBob related but unlike the Sandy Cheeks Movie there was actual charm here. The relationship between Plankton and Karen is actually explored decently well, again nothing mind blowing but the fact they even bothered at all considering how lacking in writing the last movie was deserves some credit.

The animation styles used are decent, some of the 3D animation does feel a bit empty at times. It’s moments like those that you kind of wish the movie was the typical SpongeBob 2D animation style, but at the very least some of those moments are made up with some song sequences. The music numbers are a mixed bag for me in terms of the songs themselves, but I do think what’s going on the background and the different styles being used are quite great as well as creative at times. The songs themselves are never going to reach the quality and fun feel of the songs from the show, but they are at least tolerable and don’t overstay their welcome (you will more than likely forget about them as soon as the movie is over anyway.)

Finally it’s nice to see that there’s still some charm from the show here, for one thing the voice acting was much more lively especially from Tom Kenny who sounds much more awake than he was in the Sandy Cheeks Movie (2024) leading to this movie just having more entertaining moments. Plus there are some moments that are genuinely funny, nothing that’s going to knock your socks off but entertaining at the very least.

Not much else to say here, Plankton: The Movie is probably the most 5/10 movie ever made but given just how dreadful the last movie was. That should be taken as a compliment.

Plankton: The Movie is available on Netflix!

5/10 C

Dog Man (2025) Film Review

When a police officer and his faithful police dog get injured in the line of duty, a harebrained but life-saving surgery fuses the two of them together — and Dog Man is born. As Dog Man learns to embrace his new identity, he must stop feline supervillain Petey the Cat from cloning himself and going on a crime spree.

Dog Man is directed by Peter Hastings director of The Country Bears (2003). Dog Man is a spin-off and story within a story of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017) and serves as the second film in the Captain Underpants franchise.

Dog Man was a nice surprise, it’s not anything groundbreaking but I would be lying if I said it did not have any charm. There is a lot of detail that went into this movie and much like Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017) it’s just a whole lot of fun from start to finish.

The voice cast is pretty strong here, Lil Rel Howery is quite fun here that gives a decent amount of laughs. Pete Davidson is the standout here and actually gives a pretty solid performance as Petey, Petey at first is your basic rival to the hero but eventually does grow into his own character. Davidson’s voice acting does some great work here he gives the character this emotional punch needed to really pull it off while also fitting the atmosphere of the source material, there isn’t really anything new being said about his character but it’s still charming nevertheless.

The animation is gorgeous and has a lot of attention detail put into it, the film manages to capture the spirit of the illustrations from the books and translates it well into CG animation. It’s described as “high-end handmade” and you can really see that while watching, the crafting is incredibly well done here and gives these characters life especially with the range of emotions shown here. It captures the world of the books incredibly well and lets a lot of the animation do the talking even when the characters are talking on screen.

The story is also quite a lot of fun, Dog Man himself doesn’t talk but he still makes the story incredibly entertaining to watch and we can still piece together his character through his emotions. It’s enough to connect the viewer to the character and make you root for him, as I said earlier there really is not anything ground breaking that’s being said here very usual power of love and friendship. Although I do like the theme of loneliness being discussed here, it’s not incredibly deep but showing how lonely Dog Man is or Li’l Petey feeling like a mistake or a unwanted child at times really does give the film the emotional core it needs.

Overall Dog Man is a blast, there was clearly a lot of passion put into the film and the love for the source material just like with the previous film Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017), really benefits the film incredibly well!

Dog Man is available on all VOD platforms.

6/10 C+

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024) Film Review!

Gromit’s concern that Wallace has become over-dependent on his inventions proves justified, when Wallace invents a smart gnome that seems to develop a mind of its own.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is directed by Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham. Nick Park has previously directed Chicken Run (2000), Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit (2005) and Early Man (2018). While this film is Crossingham’s directorial debut.

I have always had a soft spot for Wallace & Gromit from the charming atmosphere to the beautifully done stop motion animation it’s always been able to put a smile on my face. Which is why I found it quite exciting when a new film was announced and it absolutely lived up to expectations.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl has the atmosphere we all know and love when it comes to Wallace & Gromit the charming and humorous atmosphere that has this cozy feel too it, the movie starts off immediately with a bang as Feathers McGraw from The Wrong Trousers (1993) makes his return and takes his revenge on Wallace and Gromit. McGraw is such a fun villain here, him being just a Penguin with a glove on his head while also being dangerous is just a humorous combination that makes for some wonderful gags throughout the film.

What makes this film work is mainly a lot of the gags, whether it’s commentary on AI, just a bunch of puns or the dialogue in general. The film always finds a way to get a laugh out of the viewer, not every single joke lands but even the ones that don’t still have their charm too them. Wallace and Gromit as characters help keep the jokes fun with their charming feel and likable personalities (although Wallace does get obsessed with the robotic garden gnomes).

As far as the plot goes it’s not anything new, it’s very much a story about someone getting too caught up with AI and heavily relying on it. However the way the film tackles it is still very entertaining and there was clearly so much love and passion put into it, the film moves at an incredible nice pace with a 79 minute running time. The beginning is definitely the weakest bit of the film however it still does serve as a nice re-introduction to the characters we all know and love.

Overall there really isn’t much else to say here. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is incredibly entertaining and a film that fans will absolutely love.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is available on Netflix.

8/10 B+

Flow (2024) Film Review

Cat is a solitary animal, but as its home is devastated by a great flood, he finds refuge on a boat populated by various species, and will have to team up with them despite their differences.

Flow is directed by Gints Zilbalodis Director of Away (2019).

Flow is one of those films that completely brings you into its world, the story being told here is told flawlessly without a single line of dialogue and puts you on this journey with the animals who get their own character traits in such simple yet fascinating ways.

It goes without saying but the film is beautifully animated, there is so much detail to every single part of this film. The way the water flows, the details on the characters and the world around them is flawless, the details helps build the world around the characters and leads to some jaw dropping moments that are a huge showcase of how beautiful and grand the world of this film really is.

The characters are simple, you have a Black Cat, a Labrador Retriever, a Capybara, Lemur and a Secretarybird. The Black Cat is our main character and the one that the film wants you to see from its perspective, each of the characters are given some fun character traits that are told in this natural way. The cat however is the one who is truly compelling, simply by interacting with the other animals and seeing the world through its eyes is enough to leave the viewer in awe. One particular scene with the cat and secretarybird in particular speaks for these beautiful character, just through the music, actions, atmosphere and such you can tell how these characters are feeling and what they are saying when they make noises. The black cat’s journey and the discoveries and how to live in this world is truly beautiful and compelling.

The film’s world really brings you to the adventures you would go on outside when you were a kid, the adventurous atmosphere is absolutely nailed down here and is quite often breathtaking, whether the black cat is on a high place or just on the ground we are given such beautiful looks into this film’s world. The film’s score also does a fantastic job of setting certain moods, it reflects the character’s feelings quite well. From wondrous, to happy, to sad the film combines these characters incredibly well with the music and sound.

The film also has these moments that almost feel personal to director Zilbalodis, this black cat taking the viewer along for the ride as we discover what exactly is in this giant world. It shows the beauty of the planet and really seems like Zilbalodis wants us to travel with this cat, the film accomplishes this incredibly well and really does make you feel like you are right there with the animals.

Overall Flow is a brilliant film, it might seem like a simple story but what makes it so special is how it’s told. Plus the black cat is just such a fascinating main character to follow that you will instantly connect with.

Flow is available in theaters.

10/10 A+