The Boss Baby: Family Business (2021) Movie Review!

Now adults, Tim Templeton is a stay-at-home dad for two adorable daughters, while his estranged brother, Ted, is a big-shot CEO. They come together in an unexpected way when they take a magical formula that transforms them into babies for 48 hours. Joining forces with Tim’s secret-agent daughter, they must go under cover to prevent an evil genius from turning fellow toddlers into monstrous brats.

I’m going to be completely honest The Boss Baby Family Business wasn’t actually that terrible, is it a good movie? Absolutely not but it’s far better than the first movie, this one actually seemed like effort was put into it. There’s also a few jokes in the movie that actually worked and a few okay moments as well, having that said the rest of the movie is really not good at all. A lot of the jokes end up missing (a lot less bathroom jokes thank goodness) mostly due to either not being funny or just have very poor execution. The main problem with this movie is it ends up being an overall very generic kids movie despite some bizarre ideas that happen in the movie. Which I really do like those ideas it makes the movie have a bit more personality I just wish it could have stuck with it and did more with it as well. The animation is nice and actually detailed at times, the writing while not good isn’t horrendous. Overall The Boss Baby: Family Business isn’t the worst movie of the year, if it’s job was to be better than the first movie well it accomplished that. If it’s job was to be a good movie….it didn’t succeed.

The Boss Baby: Family Business is now available on Peacock!

4/10 D+

Luca (2021) Movie Review!

On the Italian Riviera, an unlikely but strong friendship grows between a human being and a sea monster disguised as a human.

Being who you are can be hard, coming out (in any given sense) and expressing who you are as a person is not easy. Luca is a film that does quite a fantastic job of showing just that, the animation is stunning and gives the characters, the environment and the interaction between the characters so much life. It gives off this raw feel to it which is actually not very common in a lot of animated films, the story is absolutely beautifully told. It’s told in this dreamlike feel to it that feels very real but also like a dream at the same time, it’s a very interesting approach and one that I definitely appreciated. As I said before Luca uses the theme of hiding who you really are and does it in such a clever way, as the movie goes on it uses the theme in a lot of interesting and clever ways. It is a common theme to use in a tv show or a movie but I would argue that Luca uses it in the most unique and far more interesting way. The character development is also spot on, instead of quickly rushing to meet several different characters the movie takes it’s time for the audience and the movie itself to get to know the characters. Luca gets more and more meaningful as it goes on which is truly something special, the writing has tons of powerful moments that did make me cry at times. Pixar really hit this one out of the park, Luca is one of my favorite films of the year! Definitely check this one out!!

Luca is now available on Disney+

10/10 A+

Spirit Untamed (2021) Movie Review!

Lucky Prescott’s life is changed forever when she moves from her home in the city to a small frontier town and befriends a wild mustang named Spirit.

Out of the several films I’ve watched so far this year Spirit Untamed is one of the movies where I got absolutely nothing out of it, it’s a movie that just sort of exists for the sake of existing. Spirit Untamed is based off the Netflix series (which I haven’t seen) I honestly don’t know what to say here in fact I’m struggling to even come up with something to say, the animation wasn’t very appealing at all, the writing was terrible and completely fails when it tries to be funny. There is absolutely nothing in this movie that hasn’t been done before, I do feel that parts of this movie was begging to get people who remember the original movie, the problem is the original movie while yes it does have it’s fans are nowhere near the amount of fans this movie makes it out to be. It’s a very weird hybrid of wanting to please fans of the original movie and to please fans of the Netflix series. All I know is that it isn’t a good movie and definitely one of the most forgettable movies of the year, this is a prime of example of a studio saying “we aren’t even going to try”

Spirit Untamed is now available on VOD Platforms!

3/10 D-

Batman The Long Halloween, Part One (2021) Movie Review!

During the holidays, a brutal series of murders strike fear into the city of Gotham. Batman sets out to pursue the serial killer with the support of police officer James Gordon and district attorney Harvey Dent.

Batman The Long Halloween, Part One is newest DC animated movie the animated movies have definitely had their ups and downs over the years, so I was very interested how this one would turn out. Luckily it’s a very solid one that does a lot quite a lot right to give a satisfying movie to a two part series. Naya Rivera (R.I.P.) was quite great as Catwoman she does pretty well diving into the character which is quite great. The rest of the cast did very well, the writing is a very interesting the story focuses on Batman doing detective work which I always appreciate when shown, the story itself is surprisingly a slow burn that I wasn’t sure if that was going to work but did end up working in this movie’s favor. The movie is a lot less action packed as it’s more plot development or looking at some of the information and background for certain characters, the animation I thought was also really solid especially when combined with the score and sound design, it gives the film a more interesting and unique feel to it that separates it from a lot of other DC animated movies. I’m really excited to see where Part Two goes with the story!

Batman The Long Halloween Part One is now available on VOD platforms!

Batman The Long Halloween Part Two releases July 27th on VOD Platforms!

7/10 B

Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway and Wish Dragon (2021) Movie Reviews!

Thomas and Bea are now married and living with Peter and his rabbit family. Bored of life in the garden, Peter goes to the big city, where he meets shady characters and ends up creating chaos for the whole family.

Everything I said about the first Peter Rabbit can be applied with this one as well, Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway is pretty much the first movie only much more wacky. The voice acting is all decent and delivers what’s promised, the setting combined with some of the filming is actually great to look at. The movie does use every kids movie cliche in the book and the last half of the movie can be predicted very early into the movie, however that doesn’t stop it from being at least pretty fun, with some actually okay jokes here and there. I do feel the movie drags on a bit and the pacing is very uneven in some areas (mostly the middle that feels like it drags on for a bit too long) with that said it’s a very harmless movie for kids, I do wish I had a lot more to say which leads to my main problem with this movie….it’s more less the same thing as the first movie, I wasn’t expecting them to completely change it up but at times you do start to feel “oh I’ve seen this before in the first movie” but overall it doesn’t do anything offensively bad it’s a decent enough sequel that kids will most definitely love!

Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway Is now in theaters!

6/10 C+

Determined teen Din is longing to reconnect with his childhood best friend when he meets a wish-granting dragon who shows him the magic of possibilities.

Really not much to say about Wish Dragon. It’s a huge shame Netflix did a very poor job of marketing Wish Dragon because it is a very solid movie, yes it follows the same beats as Aladdin that I do think is the better film. However this is a case where the movie manages to still be really solid despite being a clone, the characters and the animation are quite great. The story itself is what you expect when you hear Aladdin clone it does have it’s meaningful moments that are actually quite effective, Wish Dragon does suffer from having a very oddly paced start that really doesn’t bring in the viewer. However that all changes when the movie gets going, the jokes are a hit or miss. Overall it’s a enjoyable movie that I don’t think I’m going to revisit anytime soon but I would give a recommendation.

Wish Dragon is now available on Netflix!

7/10 B

Sailor Moon Eternal Part 1 and 2 (2021) Movie Reviews!

When a dark power enshrouds the Earth after a total solar eclipse, the scattered Sailor Guardians must reunite to bring light back into the world.

I’m going to keep this short because while I have seen a huge chunk of episodes of Sailor Moon my knowledge of it isn’t anywhere near as good as some other people, thank you for understanding! I was more so interested than I was excited when it was announced Sailor Moon would be getting a movie cut into two parts and is going to be on Netflix. The first part is unfortunately not that great, between feeling surprisingly very soulless and weirdly paced part one heavily relies on nostalgia which is the biggest problem. Relying on nostalgia can only get you so far until your audience starts to catch on, the animation is at least decent and the characters are still quite great. But as I said the pacing and structure are a complete and total mess there are scenes that strangely feel like they go on for far too long and never go anywhere. I understand that it was split into two parts so maybe that explains some of the pacing and story structure but it’s still very noticeable and holds this movie back.

Sailor Moon Eternal Part 1 is now available on Netflix!

5/10 C

Once again I’m keeping this short because as I said in my Part 1 review while I have seen a lot of episodes of Sailor Moon my knowledge of it is nowhere near as good as some other people! Sailor Moon Eternal Part 2 is an improvement from Part 1, for starters while the animation was good in the first part. Part 2 I feel has much stronger animation in fact that’s the highlight of Part 2 it’s very interesting to look at and quite beautiful in a lot of scenes, the characters are really great and the pacing is nowhere near as bad as it was in Part 1. There are definitely moments where the story structure could have been fixed but for the most part it’s nothing bad, Part 2 also doesn’t heavily rely on nostalgia which is very refreshing it does it’s own thing and moves on. Overall Sailor Moon Eternal Part 2 is nothing incredible but it’s a decent movie that’s a good time killer.

Sailor Moon Eternal Part 2 is now available on Netflix!

6/10 C+

The Mitchell’s Vs The Machines (2021) Movie Review!

A quirky, dysfunctional family’s road trip is upended when they find themselves in the middle of the robot apocalypse and suddenly become humanity’s unlikeliest last hope.

Part of the reason it took me a bit to review The Mitchell’s Vs The Machines is because I truly didn’t know what to give it (in the best way possible) it’s such a fantastic film that actually blew my mind. Which myself and many other people were certainly not expecting, Mitchell’s Vs The Machines was stuck in release date limbo for a little bit due to COVID-19 eventually Sony and Netflix decided to partner up and it was released on Netflix! Which I truly think was a very wise decision giving this fantastic film more of an audience, anyway let’s talk about the film! First off the characters are quite incredible, I was really impressed with how fleshed out they were, how relatable they were especially the father and daughter relationship between Katie and Rick. It feels very realistic and truly dives deep into it, the movie makes you feel for them both showing each side and how they feel. It’s truly an incredible breath of fresh air to see this type of family relationship done right, Abbi Jacobson and Danny McBride absolutely nail it with the voice acting they truly bring so much emotion, depth and passion to their roles and show their talent! One thing I didn’t know until after watching was Monchi the pug character was actually voiced by Doug The Pug which I find to be quite great. Speaking of which usually animal sidekicks for the main characters in a lot of animated movies tend to be annoying or just flat out bad. Monchi is one of those rare exceptions, I found myself laughing and actually really liking the character! The animation is absolutely beautiful it has this style to it that feels very unique, it’s incredibly fast paced with a lot of different graphics and color all blended into one beautifully done film. It’s truly a wonderful film that captures the eye really well, the humor is also really great as well! The movie doesn’t heavily rely on pop culture jokes to be funny it’s funny in it’s own way and is just so much fun. Lastly the film does a perfect job of combining the several emotions throughout the film and the character development, the end result is just beautiful and something that truly brings you into the film! Overall The Mitchell’s Vs The Machines is one of the biggest surprises of the year and truly one of the best films so far this year, make sure to watch this one!

The Mitchell’s Vs The Machines is now available on Netflix!

10/10 A+

Justice Society: World War II (2021) Movie Review.

The Justice Society of America , a group of heroes aiding the allies in World War 2, acquire an ally from the future who sends them on an adventure that changes history.

Not a whole lot to say here, Justice Society: World War II is the newest DC Animated movie and not a bad one either. The characters are quite solid Wonder Woman being the standout, the animation is going to definitely be a hit or miss for some people although I thought it wasn’t too bad. It was different and for what it was it wasn’t too bad looking, what does drag this movie down is the plot and the main villain. The plot is sort of a mess and does have that “Saturday morning cartoon” feel to it and not in a very good way, the main villain is just sort of there and really isn’t anything special. With that said the movie itself is at least fun and interesting for the most part, it’s a very serviceable movie that does a lot right!

7/10 B

SXSW Reviews: The Spine Of Night and The Feast (2021)

Ultra-violent, epic fantasy set in a land of magic follows heroes from a different eras and cultures battling against a malevolent force.

I really don’t have a whole lot to say to be quite honest, I’ll definitely have a more in depth review when the film releases. But for now I liked what I saw, The Spine Of Night is a very strange animated horror movie that’s pretty gruesome so if you love gore this is most definitely going to be for you. The voice casting was really strong as well as the animation, it has a very interesting style to it that leads to a ton of “what did I just watch?” moments, in terms of story the movie does take awhile to get going. I’m not a huge fan of the story and thought it could have been done and presented a lot better, but there will definitely be fans out there! Overall The Spine Of Night isn’t bad, as I said it’s definitely going to need a rewatch but I do recommend it especially if you are looking for something different!

7/10 B

A young woman serving privileged guests at a dinner party in a remote house in rural Wales. The assembled guests do not realize they are about to eat their last supper.

The Feast is definitely a movie I’m going to need to watch again, but that’s definitely not a bad thing! It’s a very solid horror movie that does have a very slow start, which does stop the movie from being anything better. Once the gore kicks in it is quite strong, any gore fan will absolutely love those moments as they are definitely the highlights of the movie. The acting and writing aren’t too bad either, both could have been a bit better as the story takes a bit to develop and become fully realized. The cinematography is quite beautiful and has tons of haunting moments when you mix it in with the atmosphere! Overall not too bad, I recommend seeing this one when it comes out!

7/10 B

Raya And The Last Dragon (2021) Movie Review!

In a realm known as Kumandra, a re-imagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization, a warrior named Raya is determined to find the last dragon.

Raya And The Last Dragon is a brilliant film, that showcases so many strong elements in one film. For starters Kelly Marie Tran and Awkwafina are both incredible especially their chemistry. The both of them work so well together and go all out with their talent, the animation is absolutely stunning. Combine the animation with the world building and you get something truly beautiful, speaking of which the world building is brilliant it really displays the culture and is very respectful of it as well. The score is flawless it combines so many different types of incredible sounds and instruments together such as exotic strings, and hand drums with synths and a booming bass. Truly some beautiful music that completely fits this movie, the story is emotional, powerful and just overall a joy to listen to. The directors Carlos López Estrada (Blindspotting) and Don Hall (Big Hero 6) both did an incredible, they truly brought so much to the film. Seeing Disney tackle a different culture and doing it respectfully is a breath of fresh air that I most certainly would not mind seeing them do it again. The writing is also top notch, it’s quite honestly some of the most beautiful writing I’ve seen in a Disney animated movie in awhile (not counting Pixar). Finally there’s the characters which are fantastic, they are given so much character development and are given so much care to the point where you fall for the characters. Overall Raya And The Last Dragon is one of the strongest films so far this year, truly a beautiful film that I highly recommend.

9/10 A