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

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+

The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim (2024)

A sudden attack by Wulf, a ruthless Dunlending lord, forces Helm Hammerhand and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg. Finding herself in an increasingly desperate situation, Helm’s daughter, Héra, must lead the resistance against a deadly enemy who’s intent on total destruction.

The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim is directed by Kenji Kamiyama director of Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999), Napping Princess (2017), a few Ghost In the Shell movies and a few others.

As someone who is a major fan of the original Lord Of The Rings trilogy and was overall very disappointed with The Hobbit trilogy (Desolation Of Smaug of grown to really like in recent years but it doesn’t touch the original trilogy still) I was all for an anime Lord Of The Rings film. This had the potential to be something really creative and even bring new ideas to the table, unfortunately that’s not what happened here. When Warner Bros said they only made this movie so that they can keep the rights to the franchise it definitely shows in this movie.

I will say that the score is quite fantastic, it has the Lord Of The Rings spirit there’s a mix of Howard Shore and new music that keeps the score interesting and beautiful. The score does a wonderful job of setting the mood and tone of the movie and actually does far more talking than the writing does for the characters. The animation a lot of the time is quite beautiful, I say a lot of the time because the character models have this weird hiccup where if they are far away they look like ragdolls with no face for some reason. But outside of that the detail is excellent and there’s some very beautifully done moments that do a solid job of capturing the many locations of the movie, especially towards the second half of the movie.

Everything else however is quite disappointing, the characters being a main offender. If you are going in expecting some great character development like the original trilogy then you are in for a disappointment. While the voice acting isn’t terrible (Brian Cox being the standout) the characters are very underwritten and are a prime example of show don’t tell. We are told things about these characters such as the main character Hera being “wild and free” but we never actually get to see that, instead we see that she’s traditional protagonist number 210. Hera’s brothers Hama and Haleth have no character development outside of being Hera’s brother, Fréaláf (Helm’s nephew) disappears for half the movie and by the time he reappears during the movie’s final act it’s almost over. King Helm while kind of a neat character at times and admittedly has a great final scene has the most sloppiest put together redemption arc I’ve seen in quite some time. Finally there’s Wulf our main villain and well he’s about as standard as you can get, very typical revenge story that really doesn’t say or do anything new.

The writing gives these characters no room to develop or have a unique identity, it’s all stock character traits that you have probably seen in countless movies. Which leads into another main issue….why was this a Lord Of The Rings film? There’s a cameo and a name drop during the final moments of the movie, how Helms Deep got its name (even then the movie does a terrible job of explaining that) and Miranda Otto returns to narrate. Outside of that I completely forgot this was supposed to be a Lord Of The Rings film, this felt much more like a very cliched fantasy film than a Lord Of The Rings film. It’s a very weird mishmash of trying to connect to the franchise and very cliched ideas that not even fans of the fantasy genre would enjoy.

It’s very weird saying “I don’t have much else to say” about a Lord Of The Rings film but that’s actually the case here The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim is a very nothing movie, we don’t learn anything new or interesting about Middle Earth all we get is a very messy cash grab (considering how bad this movie is bombing currently it’s not even good at that.) By far the most disappointing movie of the year.

The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim is currently in theaters.

4/10 D+

Memoir Of A Snail (2024) Film Review!

After a series of misfortunes, a snail-collecting, melancholic misfit learns how to find confidence within herself amid the clutter of everyday life.

Memoir Of A Snail is directed by Adam Elliot who previously directed Mary and Max (2009).

When I heard Adam Elliot was going to direct another film I was incredibly excited, Mary and Max (2009) was such a fantastic film that I don’t think enough people talk about. I’m happy to say Memoir Of A Snail is yet another fantastic film from Elliot, a film that is both an incredibly dark tragedy yet a very inspiring and hopeful film that’s blended with a mix of comedy.

For starters the stop motion animation is absolutely beautiful especially when combined with the use of color. The dark colors used throughout the film really set the mood and completely capture the atmosphere that is present throughout, the color and stop motion animation itself tells the story of each scene and what’s going on in great detail. Speaking of which the detail is just wonderful, it’s like reading a pop up storybook it’s all in your face but you are constantly in awe of how beautiful everything is especially the film’s world. If there’s an example of a film that immediately takes you into the world as soon as it starts Memoir Of A Snail is one of them!

The voice acting is just brilliant, Sarah Snook, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Magda Szubanski and everyone else make their characters come to life. They add so much to what at first may seem like straightforward characters, but as the film goes on we learn more about them. Sarah Snook in particular blends so well with Adam Elliot’s work and style that it’s just incredibly satisfying to watch unfold, the story of Grace (played by Sarah Snook), Pinky (played by Jacki Weaver and Gilbert (played by Kodi Smit-McPhee) is so powerful, so well done and just absolutely filled to the brim with touching moments that will leave you shedding tears.

The writing is absolutely beautiful, a story about good things that get taken away from you or go horribly wrong. Yet still finding the positives in life and have this inspiring feel despite all of that is truly fascinating. It’s a film that hits even harder since it’s actually loosely inspired by Elliot’s own life, which isn’t too surprising to hear given that the film definitely has this personal feel to it. Like Elliot is inviting you to listen as he tells his story, it’s all very beautiful to listen to and really makes you feel like you’re getting to know Elliot as a friend.

Memoir Of A Snail is one of the best films of the year, I absolutely do hope we get to see Adam Elliot’s next film somewhat soon. But if we don’t I’m sure the wait will be absolutely worth it!

Memoir Of A Snail is available on all VOD platforms.

10/10 A+

Quick Review: Watchmen: Chapter II (2024)

Former heroes face threats. The Comedian is dead, Dr. Manhattan exiled to Mars, Ozymandias survived an attack and Rorschach is arrested.

Watchmen: Chapter II is directed by Brandon Vietti director of Superman: Doomsday (2007), Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010), Scooby-Doo! Wrestlemania Mystery (2014), Batman: Death in the Family (2020) and Watchmen: Chapter I (2024)

Much of what I said in my review for Chapter I can be applied here for Chapter II. It’s a very serviceable retelling of the Watchmen comics and much like the previous movie is decently fun and somewhat interesting.

Also much like the previous movie the animation is what sticks out the most, there’s definitely some hiccups at times but for the most part the animation is consistent from the first part and does have some really great moments. The voice acting is fine enough here, Phil LaMarr is probably the standout as his narration gets your attention quite easily. Outside of LaMarr there really isn’t anything particularly special about the voice acting, it’s fine enough and gets the job done.

This movie wraps things up from the previous movie and it’s done and told in an a competent way, the two parts together paint a very competently told way to tell the story of Watchmen it’s not a bad place to start for newcomers. There are parts where admittedly the movie does sort of feel rushed particularly towards the end which is an odd decision given how the pacing of the rest of the movie was balanced decently well.

Overall not bad, but I don’t think I will ever come back to this movie nor its predecessor.

Watchmen: Chapter II is available on all VOD platforms.

6/10 C+

The Wild Robot (2024) Film Review!

Shipwrecked on a deserted island, a robot named Roz must learn to adapt to its new surroundings. Building relationships with the native animals, Roz soon develops a parental bond with an orphaned gosling.

The Wild Robot is directed by Chris Sanders director of Lilo & Stitch (2002), How To Train Your Dragon (2010), The Croods (2013) and The Call Of The Wild (2020).

The Wild Robot honestly surprised me, for a film that tells a very simple story it’s quite beautifully made plus told and actually powerful as well. The film is a huge crowd pleaser but also a film that really touches the heart in such beautiful ways.

The voice cast are all fantastic, the standouts being Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal and Kit Connor. Lupita Nyong’o who makes the lovable main character Roz come to life is truly fascinating. The viewer quickly grows attached to Roz due to just how much power Nyong’o puts into the performance, she brings this wonder to a character who is trying to learn new things and it really fits with the film’s whimsical atmosphere. She’s also able to capture the themes of parenthood, survival, kindness and coexistence in such beautiful ways throughout the film. There’s one particular moment that I’ll get to later that really sums up how excellent she really is here.

Pedro Pascal voices Fink and I have to say for a character that at first comes off as a very standard mischievous fox character we see in a lot of media. Fink is actually quite well developed, sure there might not be any ground breaking character writing. But between Pascal’s voice acting and Fink’s bond with Roz he really does quickly connect with the viewer quickly much like Roz did. Plus admittedly there was a certain scene involving Fink that did make me tear up a bit.

Kit Connor voices Brightbill an orphan runt Canada Goose that Roz takes care of, as the film progresses Brightbill becomes a really lovable character that you just want to root for. The one particular scene I mentioned earlier with Roz is when Roz is teaching Brightbill to fly in preparation for hibernation, while this montage plays “Kiss The Sky” by Maren Morris plays in the background and it’s quite honestly one of the best scenes from a film I’ve seen this year. It made me tear up and really summarizes the film’s theme of parenthood in a nutshell, it’s a huge showcase of Roz, Fink and Brightbill as characters and their bond. Brightbill really shines here and this montage is such a special transformation for him as a character.

The animation is absolutely stunning, it compliments the film’s world incredibly well and captures the heartfelt atmosphere that is strongly present throughout the film. The little details of the trees and water are such a beautiful touch and capture the feel of an actual island, there’s so many shots here that are jaw dropping due to just how tremendous they really are. There’s this sense of scale throughout the film, like the film’s world is massive even though we are restricted to the island for a lot of the movie. There’s so much more to explore and this sense of wonder it gets you incredibly excited.

Finally the film combines its themes masterfully, parenthood, survival, kindness and coexistence are all present throughout the film and not only are they shown through the characters actions but you can easily tell through the emotions as well. Blending all these themes together in such a heartwarming story was truly the best move and results many moments that bring the viewer to tears.

Overall The Wild Robot is a beautiful film that I haven’t stopped thinking about since I watched it. This is one that you absolutely should check out!

The Wild Robot is available on all VOD platforms.

10/10 A+

Transformers One (2024) Film Review!

Optimus Prime and Megatron, as former friends, bonded like brothers. Their relationship ultimately changes Cybertron’s fate forever.

Transformers One is directed by Josh Cooley who previously directed Toy Story 4 (2019).

By this point there’s been a ton of Transformers films after so many live action ones a new animated one takes the stage. Do not let the trailers fool you this is actually a really great Transformers film.

Transformers One sort of serves as an origin story and focuses on the friendship of Optimus Prime and Megatron and how they drifted apart, the way the film executes this is surprisingly quite great. This could have easily went completely wrong and even come across as silly or nonsensical, but the script and the direction the film takes has a lot of passion behind it and these characters are well developed to make the whole idea work.

The voice cast all around are quite great Chris Hemsworth as Optimus Prime and Brian Tyree Henry as Megatron are the standouts by far, seeing the two’s back and forth is truly investing and their voices gives these characters so much power and depth. The two have great chemistry and really make a lot of crucial scenes shine, Keegan-Michael Key as Bumblebee is a fun performance, Jon Hamm as Sentinel Prime makes for a great villain and Steve Buscemi as Starscream is just excellent casting. Even if he doesn’t get a lot of screen time he absolutely embodies Starscream and is a dead ringer to Chris Latta’s version of the character.

The animation is actually quite great, it takes a bit to get use to how the characters look but as the film goes on it becomes more clear that this art direction was the best move and incredibly fitting. The film has some gorgeous moments that really do make it shine and capture the world of Transformers. Plus the visuals do a very good job of building the world of the film, combine that with the dialogue that does not over explain itself and you have yourself a simple yet beautiful world.

The film exploring the friendship between Optimus Prime and Megatron plus leading into the downfall of it is the film’s main strength. It’s very reminiscent of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith (2005) and I mean that in a good way, you get the excellent action scenes, some really powerful dialogue that reflects the two’s bond and how much it’s slowly being broken. There’s a lot of loud and quiet moments between the two and it’s enough to get the viewer invested in these characters, although we know what’s going to happen it’s still incredibly powerful and well written.

There’s of course minor flaws such as Sentinel Prime being a very obvious villain from the start and some of the jokes don’t quite land. But those are nowhere near enough to take away how much fun and overall well written Transformers One really is.

Transformers One is available on all VOD platforms.

9/10 A