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Reviews
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
This movie should've sucked! It should've failed! What the heck happened?!
Synopsis: A super-fast alien hedgehog baby escapes a group of dangerous captors (and, sadly, leaves his beloved home world and guardian owl behind). He then ends up on Earth and remains incognito for 10 years. When he loses control of his powers one night, this hedgehog's comfy, but lonely life of isolation comes to an abrupt end. Now, after teaming up with a small-town sheriff who's tired of his boring and mundane job, he must outrun a crazed mad scientist who's been hired by the US government to hunt him down and dismember him.
Review: Yes, the subject is meant to be entirely ironic. Usually, we're excited about a movie. We expect it to be great, only to be let down. But, this movie is unique. It's the other way around because, unlike what I expected it to be, this movie is surprisingly fun to watch! I've now watched it twice in the past 2 days. It's not a ground-breaking or thought-provoking movie. It's a Sonic movie. Its goal is to be a fun, entertaining movie starring Sonic the Hedgehog, and it excels at that.
What makes this movie work so well is the complete and utter absurdity of it. This movie doesn't take itself seriously, for the most part. Jim Carrey does what Jim Carrey does best: having a crazy sense of humor while being legitimately disturbing and menacing as Dr. Robotnik. His zany, manic personality and references to his troubled childhood ]make him a fun villain, especially when he messes around with his doormat, Agent Stone. I enjoyed the scene where he's testing out one of Sonic's quills to give his machines special electromagnetic energy. The music in that scene was great. His obsession with technology only serve to illustrate how truly insane and misanthropic Dr. Robotnik is. I used to dread Jim Carrey being in this movie. Not anymore!
What's also fun is Tom (the sheriff guy). His own goals, namely to actually save lives rather than help ducks cross the street, are amusing and relatable because a lot of people have boring jobs. One might complain that Tom is too generic of a protagonist. But, I think that actually helped make the movie funnier. The other main characters, namely Sonic and Dr. Robotnik, are shown to be very be very over-the-top ridiculous. But, Tom is perfectly normal and average. He gets dragged into these insane situations because of his two oddball co-stars. He stands out because he's so average.
Plus, Tom is like a stand-in for the audience. He expects one thing to happen, that is, to become a street cop in San Francisco. Instead, he ends up getting chased by a technocratic egomaniac scientist, befriends a newly-discovered species of giant hedgehog from another planet, and gets pushed off the top of a skyscraper in slow motion. It makes you think, "Life is so wonderfully strange and imperfect". This movie embraces the absurdity of the video game that it's based on.
The best part of the movie, however, is Sonic himself. I think we all remember when producer Jeff Fowler attempted to make Sonic ultra-realistic. We all remember when Sonic looked like some creepy alien rat monster with human teeth and all the amusing memes that popped up from that.
Well, poof! That version's gone. Now, we're treated to a cartoonish Sonic, complete with wide, expressive eyes, round cheeks, and a round nose. It helps make Sonic look like a stuffed doll. He looks cute and cuddly, and therefore, sympathetic.
Most of this movie's success hinges on the audience's ability to sympathize with Sonic. He's a nutty, hyperactive teenager, and he acts like a child. He's pretty annoying (in a charming way, like a little boy). But, that's the end result of 10 years of loneliness and social isolation. His plight is relatable because, well, who wouldn't go insane being isolated like that? Sonic isn't asking for billions of dollars or a palace or whatever. He just wants to be loved. He just wants some stability in his life. When he meets Tom, the sheriff, Sonic starts out as a creepy, kind of stalker-ish character. He calls Tom "Donut Lord" and his wife "Pretzel Lady". It's amusing, but it illustrates how fascinating humans are to Sonic and how much he wants to socialize with them. I liked that a lot.
The movie mostly involves Sonic going on a long road trip with Tom. Some of the best parts include Sonic gaining more confidence in his powers as he stops Dr. Robotnik's machines, a crazy bar fight, and then a final fight scene with Sonic vs Dr. Robotnik. (Oh yeah, there's a hotel scene where Sonic lets off a disgusting fart)
Although there aren't tons of obscure references, the references they did include were great for a Sonic fan. For example, early on in the movie, we see that there are loop-de-loops on Sonic's home planet. There's a dangerous group of echidnas who look very similar to Knuckles who chase Sonic and his guardian, Longclaw. "Crazy Carl", the first person to see Sonic in the flesh, has a drawing of Sonic that looks uncannily like a popular Sonic meme (Sanic). Sonic seems to have the "Time Stop" ability that he had from Sonic Adventure 2, in which he stops time temporarily (that comes in handy during a bar fight, obviously). That's great stuff.
Having said that, I have a few issues with this movie. The product placement was pretty obvious, but that's not the issue. I actually wish this movie had been just 30 minutes longer. This movie is enjoyable enough that I was thinking, "Gee, I wish this movie was a little longer".
In addition, there are few lapses in logic with this movie. I know I praised this movie for its absurdity, but one thing that surprised me was how Tom and Sonic were able to get a hotel room without the hotelier calling the police on them. Tom is a wanted fugitive and a supposed terrorist, thanks to punching out Dr. Robotnik in one scene. Sonic is seen as this mysterious, potentially dangerous alien life-form that the government wants to capture and kill. How come the hotelier didn't call the cops? I guess Tom must've paid them handsomely.
The biggest pet peeve I have, however, is the fact that this movie wasn't animated. This movie is absurd and goofy enough that animation would've done wonders for it. Real-life actors just can't replicate the same whimsy that can come from animation. It's a road trip movie about cutesy alien hedgehog, his human friend, and a crazy mad scientist. That alone sounds like a cartoon that'd pop up on Cartoon Network. I would've loved to see how Pixar or Disney Animation Studios (who've actually animated Sonic before) would've done this movie.
Overall, this movie is a delight. I'm happy I gave it a chance and saw it. There's a reason this movie did so well at the box office. It was a video game movie that was not only good for a video game movie, but also good for a movie in general. Of course, it also helps that Sonic has lots and lots of fans.
Now, how about that sequel featuring Metal Sonic? And, maybe another sequel featuring Shadow the Hedgehog as the main villain? A Sonic movie based on Sonic Adventure 2 would be a real treat. I'm ready for it, Paramount. Do your thing.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
This Should be Called "The Day the World Almost Ended. Oh Yeah, Godzilla's In It."
If you're watching a movie called Godzilla: King of the Monsters, you'd expect Godzilla to be the protagonist, right? Wrong.
First, I'll start with the good. I like to see the good in everything. The special effects are really nice. It really felt like we were witnessing a doomsday event. Mothra's appearance over the ocean looked outstanding. The explosions looked cool. I also really liked effects in the scene where that one Japanese guy showed up to unleash a radiation explosion to help Godzilla recover. Of course, with movie budgets getting higher and higher every year, excellent special effects are given at this point.
As a result, my praise ends there.
To sum it up, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is not a "Godzilla" film, in the strictest sense. It's more like a disaster movie/drama with a mother, a husband, and a bunch of scientists and military personnel as the protagonists. Honestly, Godzilla is just a bit player here. He's nothing more than just another mindless monster in a cast full of mindless monsters.
For example, in the final scene between Godzilla and King Ghidorah, Godzilla gets manhandled by Ghidorah throughout most of the fight. Humans are the only reason he didn't lose. It's as if Godzilla is too weak to fight King Ghidorah without human aid. It got so bad that I started to think, "wait, why does Godzilla even have to be the one to fight Ghidorah? There's no reason it can't be that gorilla-mammoth thing or the pterodactyl monster. Why is he king?". There's nothing that distinguishes Godzilla from the rest of the giant monsters. Without human help, Godzilla probably would've been killed for real by King Ghidorah.
Plus, we see a lot of pointless drama. We see a family ripped apart by their son's death. We see a daughter (understandably) get pissed at her misguided mom for sending a bunch of giant monsters to destroy everything. We see some cliched characters, like the noble scientist who respects nature and animals, the guy who hates monsters for ruining everything, or the mad scientist who believes mankind is the root of all evil. We see "noble sacrifices". Okay...
But, actual giant monster fights? Actual distinct personality traits in the monsters? Actual focus on Godzilla, the supposed title character? Except for the first part (barebones as it is), there's none of that in the movie.
And, speaking of giant monster fights, the fights aren't that well done. You can barely see them because they're concealed by dust, smoke, and other crap. There are so many points where Godzilla fights King Ghidorah, only for the camera to switch back to human beings. Have you ever heard the phrase, "when elephants fight, it's the grass that suffers"? The camera frequently switches to the grass. Who cares about that? I just wanted to see the elephants fight.
This movie completely misses the appeal of giant monsters. The appeal of giant monsters is that they're animals that can't be dominated or controlled by mankind. They deflate human beings' massive egos and show us that we're not the dominant species on the planet anymore. Once you have giant monsters being controlled by human beings and getting help from human beings, you've completely eliminated the reason to watch a giant monster movie. Once you keep sending humans to help Godzilla, you've removed Godzilla as the King. Now, it's human beings who are the kings.
With any luck, Godzilla Vs Kong will turn out better. But, I'm not holding my breath.
Mega Man (1994)
I can't stop watching it.
Back in the '90s and the 2000s, it seemed that every video game series worth a darn got it's own TV show. The quality didn't matter. It has Mario in it, right? It'll make millions, the network execs thought! It's a trend that seems to be coming back with a vengeance, if the Mega Man TV show coming out next year is any sign.
Anyway, this show takes some cues from the main series. You've got Mega Man, his dad/creator Dr. Light, his sister Roll, Rush the dog, Dr. Wily, and the Robot Masters. Sounds okay, right? Well, that's where the similarities end.
Mega Man and Roll are no longer little kids. To appease the focus groups, the show's creators aged them to around 18 to 21 years old. Rush is Scooby Doo reincarnated as a robot. The show takes place in New York, and every robot in this show resembles an action figure. And, let's not forget the "Curse of the Lion Men" episode! I'll be honest. This show doesn't make a lick of sense, and anyone expecting this to be just like the game series will be disappointed.
Now, what did I find valuable in this show? Why did I give it a near- perfect rating after tearing it apart a moment ago? It's nostalgia. I saw this show back in elementary school and thought it was hilariously dumb. It's still a guilty pleasure over a decade later. The voice acting, the Hanna-Barbera sound effects, the dialogue (ex: "I'm going to make paper dolls out of you!", "Dr. Wily, you double-crossing snake!"), the art style, the flashy intro, idiot villains. Everything about it just screams "goofy '90s action TV show", kinda like the Superfriends. Most importantly, it reminds me of a bygone era when Capcom was cool. You know, when they used to do Mega Man games and this series was relevant to the gaming industry outside of a historical context (that's a whole discussion in of itself).
I think some reviewers have the wrong idea about this show. It isn't meant to be taken seriously. Don't watch this show expecting it to be identical to the video game series. Instead, watch it as if it were another action cartoon from the '90s that just happens to somewhat resemble Mega Man. That's what it is anyway. It's just too bad that there were only 2 seasons. I'd have watched at least 4 seasons of this!
Cars 3 (2017)
Nicely done! A return to form.
LAST WARNING: THIS REVIEW HAS Spoilers. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Summary: In Cars 3, we meet up again with Lightning McQueen, who is a veteran race car by this point. Lightning finds his generation quickly being shoved out by electric race cars. He himself loses several high-profile races to a new upstart known as Jackson Storm. Even worse, Rusty and Dusty sell Rust-Eze to a billionaire business car named Sterling, who believes Lightning can only succeed as a merchandise mover rather than a racer (ironic given the endless Lightning McQueen merchandise out there). Now that he's teamed up with his personal trainer Cruz Ramirez, the world will see if Lightning is truly obsolete.
I was ready to hate this movie the day it was announced. I remember how bad Cars 2 was, how it had nothing to do with the first movie and felt more like a overlong Mater's Tall Tales episode than a proper sequel. The only reason I gave this movie a chance was just because of that infamous trailer of Lightning seemingly getting into a fatal crash (the movie's not that dark, though). Having seen it today, I can confidently say that Cars 3 is a return to form.
To start with the good, Cars 3 feels like a Cars movie. One issue I had with 2 was that it didn't feel like a Cars movie. It felt like an espionage movie with Cars slapped on it. It was all about Mater, when Lightning is supposed to be the main character. Cars 3 gives more screen time to the other vehicles, like Lightning or Sally, for example. Pixar remembered that Cars is just a movie about talking cars and likable humor with some deeper messages woven in, not spy action stuff. Even better, you needn't suffer through Cars 2 to understand what's going on this film because there are no references to Cars 2 at all in this film. Nothing about Mater being knighted or anything. I guess Cars 2 was just a bad dream!
Next, Pixar delivers yet again with the animation. When the vehicles speed over the track, you can see each individual piece of the track being peeled off the track. The cross-country driving scenes are a nostalgic reminder of the first movie. The destruction derby scene with Ms. Fritter the school bus is a perfect showcase of how far Pixar has come within the past 11 years, as are the scenes reminiscing about Doc Hudson's glory days and his resentment toward the racing scene after his accident.
The third and most honorable mention is Cruz Ramirez. She's easily the best character in the movie. She's annoying, but in a way that she's endearing. Her naive enthusiasm is contagious, and she appears to be a joyous, excitable car, made even clearer by her bright yellow paint job. She has her heart in the right place, even if she can seem a bit too incompetent at times. But, she shows a deeper, more poignant side to her when she gets into an argument with Lightning in the middle of the movie. She reveals her decision to be a personal trainer instead of a race car because of her lack of self-confidence, brought on by everyone, including Lightning, telling her she isn't a "race car material". Instead of following her passion, she went for an easier job out of fear or self-perceived weakness, not seeing her inner strength. That's easy to relate to. Lightning's decision to pass the torch to her is the main reason I would no longer mind Pixar doing a Cars 4 or a TV series. If they do so, which they probably will given how well-established Cars is, they should definitely feature Cruz.
Now for the negatives. Jackson Storm is shown to be the new upstart and the poster boy of electric race cars. So, why did he get into racing? Why is he so unfriendly? What's his motivation besides being Lightning's rival? Jackson could've used more character development. As he is, he's just a generic "arrogant young rookie" type of character. He's entertaining, but he would've been a more memorable character had Pixar added more to his personality.
Another issue I had was with some of the jokes. Some of the jokes are really cheesy, like the scene with Lightning's training program. On the other hand, it's pretty hilarious to see a car doing an exercise routine. It's made funnier by Cruz trying to get him in on the routine. I think even the guys at Pixar see how ridiculous the "world inhabited by talking cars" concept is, so they don't take it seriously. It's a dumb scene, but I'll admit that it's amusing to watch.
Besides that, Cars 3 is not exactly groundbreaking, outside of the animation. You'll definitely see a lot the Disney formula in this movie, such as a huge argument followed by making up, or achieving your dreams after believing you're nothing. I've seen it in Moana as well, although it's fine because that was an outstanding movie. Similarly, Cars 3's use of the Disney formula didn't bother me.
Overall, Cars 3 is a proper sequel to Cars, and it relies a lot on what made Cars so popular. If the box office is any sign, it seems that, unfortunately, not many audiences are giving this movie a chance compared to the first movie. I blame Cars 2 for that since that movie destroyed a lot of the goodwill from part 1. Had Cars 3 been Cars 2, maybe this movie would've done better. We would've had to wait 11 years instead of just 5 to get a Cars sequel, but it would've been worth it, methinks. Anyway, when you guys at Pixar choose to do more Cars content, make sure to put Cruz front and center.
Sing (2016)
Pretty enjoyable but feels outdated.
FINAL WARNING: BIG SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK! If you're reading this review, you probably have an idea about what Sing is. Set in a city full of talking animals, Sing starts with Buster Moon, a koala who's been running his dad's theater for years. It's seen better days. To avoid selling the place to the bank, Buster Moon holds a singing competition, and several animals who are down on their luck sign up, looking to finally get their big break.
One thing I liked about Sing is that it's a pretty uplifting movie. It's true that, when you've hit rock bottom, the only way is up! I think that's a pretty optimistic message to send to kids, given how tough life can be. Also, I enjoyed watching Johnny and his gorilla family, Mike, Buster, and Rosita and her pig family. They were the best characters in the film. Also, the animation is excellent, although that's to be expected these days. It's 2016. The days of badly animated CG movies are gone (I hope).
I also liked how they resolved the singing competition. I was expecting one of them to be the winner. I didn't think that the theater would end up being destroyed in Buster's attempt to convince his colleague's aunt to fund the prize money for the contest. Something that poignant would convince anyone with weaker guts to give up. Instead, they had to pick themselves up, which is fine because everyone has to do that at least once in life. The theater's destruction didn't sway them from their passion for music and singing, and their second try ended up being their big break because they chose to persevere. I loved how everyone ignored the authority figures like the police and the banks in favor of the underdogs (i.e., the singers). So, I'll give Sing credit for making the characters take a less predictable and ultimately more satisfying path.
Of course, there are some issues with Sing. There were some legitimately great songs like the one Meena sings near the end of the movie, when she finally overcomes her stage fright. But, I would've liked some more original songs. The movie has a lot of one-hit singles and pop songs that I've heard over and over again for months or years, like the "Hey, I just met you" song or "I've been kissed by a rose on the grave" or whatever the lyrics are. Animated movies that star talking animals and feature one-hit singles were cooler 10+ years ago. Sadly, the movie often becomes more about how many songs they can fit in than how well developed the characters are.
That brings me to my next point about character development. The red pandas that showed up were adorable; with some better writing, they would've been great characters. Instead, they were the usual "KAWAII! KONICHAWA! ANIME! J-POP!" types. I don't think they even had names. It was a lazy, embarrassing gag. Whenever they randomly popped up, I cringed. Other than being boring stereotypes, they have zero influence on the plot. So, why are they even in the movie? No more "Japanese are weird 'cuz they don't speak Engrish" jokes, please. Enough is enough.
Overall, this isn't the kind of movie that'll challenge you. It's not like Zootopia, where I was equating the discrimination against predators in that movie to the various types of discrimination that occur in real life. There's a real interesting social commentary in that one. Sing may have had a better ending than Zootopia did (very disappointed by that one's ending), but otherwise, don't be surprised if this movie is overshadowed by Zootopia for years to come. Sing is a simple, fun movie that's alright to watch after work. It's not groundbreaking in any way.