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NeonRust
Reviews
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
I'm baffled at the complaints. It's great for kids!
The story isn't deep? It's for CHILDREN!!! It's a Mario movie for crying out loud. It's not FOR you. It's made for children to enjoy but has plenty of references and nostalgia so that parents can sit along and not wanna blow their brains out being dragged to a child's movie.
It doesn't need a deep plot for it to be good for what it is. It actually takes the damsel in distress trope of (all) the Mario games and flips it on the head; Luigi is the one captured and Peach is a badass.
The worry about Chris Pratt that people had was for naught. He sounds great and it makes sense for the context of the film. All the cast does a great job. If I didn't know Peach was played by Anya Taylor-Joy I would never have guessed. Same for Keegan-Michael Key as Toad. Charlie Day, Seth Rogen and Jack Black are instantly recognisable but that isn't a knock. Their voices fit really well. Especially Jack Black as Bowser. I can't imagine anyone else doing as good a job with the character.
The action pieces are super fun, the jokes mostly landed which surprised me, and the film is stunning. Every shot is beautiful. You really buy into their world.
The references to the Mario games and just video games in general are perfect and virtually infinite. From sound effects, to the score, to tiny details in the background. It seems there's something every other 30 seconds to have a cheeky smirk at, to think "I got that".
My main criticism is the pacing. Often today, I find too many scenes to drag on or seem out of place. This isn't it's problem. The opposite intact. I felt like it blasts you over and over with new information. You never get much of a chance to settle and fully admire the joke or the action in the scene.
The ending of the film too also reminded me a lot of the second Sonic movie, but that's just the nature of how these adaptions need to be.
My other main criticism would be the lack of heart the film as compared to say the Sonic movies. But again, I'm not necessarily the film's target audience. So it's not too big of a complaint.
Overall me, my partner and my 4 year old son (dressed as Mario I may add) had a blast with this in the cinema and absolutely look forward to more in the future.
And all this comes from a Sega kid who never understood the appeal of Mario until this past Christmas when my son got a Nintendo Switch.
Sonic Triple Trouble 16-Bit (2022)
If you ever wanted a true sequels to Sonic 3 & Knuckles it's this...
I first want to state that I never played the Game Gear version.
When Mania came out it was critically acclaimed because the game went back to its roots and was a best of/reimagining of the 2D Genesis/Megadrive era games.
This is the same thing but instead of being a best of/reimagining, it acts as a true sequel. Forget Sonic 4. This is what it should have been.
It feels and looks just like Sonic 3 & Knuckles. As S3&K added more "story" elements to the franchise this takes it a tad further. All the old animations are there but there are plenty of new animations that keep the game fresh. There are tonnes of new Robotniks, environmental assets that either help or are a hazard. Nack/Fang makes for a great villain and the levels are interesting.
The game isn't too hard either. While the Special stages can be a tad frustrating they're not as hard as previous games and gives you the chance to retry but at the cost of a life.
I hope to god Sega pick this up and officially release it. But even more, I hope to god for a sequel. As much as I want a true 2D Sonic game that feels the part but looks 4K and stunning art (think Rayman Origins) this is absolutely the second best thing.
For the negatives: I wouldn't really say there are any. Some things like the soundtrack hasn't blown me away. But that's something that likely has to take a few replays for it to sink in my head. I didn't have one glitch during my playthrough. The lack of extras I suppose is a negative. But there is replay value that you earn when you complete the game.
Sonic Mania may be the true "objective" best Sonic game out there but that's cheating. It's a best of. While the original 2D games hold great nostalgia for me and because of that I enjoy them more I can't help but say that in reality, this is probably an actual better game.
10/10 I can barely fault it.
Bluey: Sleepytime (2020)
Is this... high art? Lol
I'm joking of course. But only a bit. Maybe. Maybe not at all.
This episode had no right being as good as it is. It felt like an episode of Master of None or Atlanta where the show tries something very different than usual just for the creative heck of it. I like this about Bluey. It's actually creative for a kids show and this is one of the best examples for it.
It's a legitimate masterpiece in toddlers animation. That might sound stupid. I don't care. This episode was utter beauty from start to finish.
Maybe the fact I am a 34 year old adult with a 4 year old son makes me less objective about this opinion. But I suppose I'm technically part of the target audience. Maybe that's another part of its genius. Attracting the adults wholeheartedly.
Regardless, this episode was so good I had to take time out of my day to write a blumming review for a kids TV show.
Ms. Marvel (2022)
Started off strong... Ended weak
I really enjoyed the first few episodes. I'm not one to agree with MCU fatigue; I still love it. But, it was a breath of fresh air. It was quirky, fun, corny, endearing and such. It's playful Scott Pilgrim-like aesthetics and Pakistani cultural setting made the show different to anything we see on TV nowadays and I loved it. I was invested in the culture, the characters, the family dynamic, the visual style, etc. And the casting was spot on. It did seem like a kiddy Disney Channel TV show a bit. But it was still super enjoyable.
I really dug her powers too. I wasn't expecting the change from the comics. I get why people may not like how it differs, but I think it's brilliant, so that we don't feel fatigued by stretchy powers once Mr Fantastic becomes a true character in our MCU. It actually makes her feel more unique.
Then all that just started to not work for me slowly from episode 3 onwards. The more "Marvel" it went the less I actually liked it. The corniness turned into full cheesiness and so much just didn't work. The rest of the episodes weren't all bad. But there was so much I didn't enjoy that I ended up straight up not liking parts.
Her turning giant was awful. Why didn't they just have her the same size but have her crystal powers encompass her like a bigger version of her? Why actually stretch her out. It didn't make sense from what we had already established.
Punching that hole in the floor for him to escape was one of the worst things I've ever seen the MCU do. I actually felt embarrassed in that moment.
All in all there is everything in this show from amazing, to meh, to eesh.
I just wish it kept the vibe of the early episodes throughout.
Overall 6/10.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Waiting for Big Mo (2019)
The only bad episode of the show.
As with any great show, not every episode can always be perfect. And this is what I believe to be the only "bad" episode in the entire show. There's one or two episodes I don't think are that great, but really they're still at least decent. This is boring. There's no laughs to be had. There's just nothing here.
Spidey and His Amazing Friends (2021)
Great for young kids
Ignore the reviews complaining that the show is too childish for them. It isn't aimed for them. Their upset isn't a fair review of the show. My kid is 3. He loves it. It's for kids his age and a bit older. It isn't for 30 year olds. To review it as such and with that mindset is silly.
This show is bright, colourful, fun, cute, well animated, well voiced with a great art style. It's not as educational as other kids shows; it's purely more about entertainment.
It's very similar to shows like Paw Patrol or PJ Masks. It's a great introduction for younger children to Spider-Man and the Marvel Universe.