TheRetroCritic Reviews

Thunder Force (2021)

Mostly unfunny superhero comedy

[3/10 · 1 December 2023]

Released directly to Netflix, Thunder Force is a comedy starring Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer about two childhood friends who grow apart but later find themselves stuck together fighting supervillains after picking up superpowers themselves.

With superhero films and TV shows constantly battling it out both at the box-office and on streaming networks these days, more spoofs were imminent so Thunder Force certainly came at the right time. Another collaboration between Melissa McCarthy and director/husband Ben Falcone, the film definitely had potential considering the reliable cast and the fun premise. It opens with a genuinely charming new friendship developing between then high school girls Emily and Lydia, the former a smart, studious kid who is being bullied by other students and the latter, a straight-talking goofball who defends her against said bullies. We see their friendship blossom and then fall apart, which is bittersweet and frankly really well done: you feel for these characters and look forward to them reconciling in the future.

Unfortunately, then the rest of the film happens.

We pick up the characters' story when they are much older as Lydia (Melissa McCarthy) attempts to convince Emily (Octavia Spencer) to attend a high school reunion. Emily now being a world-renowned scientist who has developed a way to give superpowers to people in order for them to fight back against the supervillains (aka Miscreants) who are terrorizing the world. Lydia's first meeting with Emily is, of course, a complete disaster and, long story short, she ends up accidentally adopting the powers that Emily had planned for herself.

Already, the idea of a 50 year-old scientist planning to turn themselves into a superhero instead of using someone who is properly trained to face the real dangers ahead like a soldier, for example, is very hard to buy and, in fact, this flawed idea ruins the Emily character to the point where she feels completely out of place and Octavia Spencer comes off as miscast. This is a shame as a few minor changes to the script could've turned this mess into a clever Tony Stark parody.

This is not the film's only misstep, obviously. Having Emily's power be invisibility might make sense for the character but the film visibly (no pun intended) felt bad not giving a great actress like Spencer screen time so whenever Emily becomes invisible the film makes her... visible but transparent which kinda defeats the point of that power in the first place.

The writing is also all over the place here as Melissa McCarthy's improv often conflicts with the script itself (one second she found her T-shirt in the trash, the next she got it at a concert), Jason Bateman's crab-like villain and love interest is thoroughly underwritten, the jokes mostly go on for way too long and are hit-and-miss to say the least, Spencer and McCarthy don't really work off each other that well comedically and the plot is just ludicrous, and not always in a fun way.

Admittedly, there are some amusing jokes here and there courtesy of the effortlessly funny McCarthy (the raw chicken bit is great) but Thunder Force sadly feels like a missed opportunity that manages to waste both its excellent cast and a superhero spoof premise with lots of potential.

Watch Identity Thief or Spy instead.

Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)

Another huge disappointment

[3/10 · 1 December 2023]

The latest entry into the Terminator franchise saw James Cameron return as producer and Linda Hamilton come back to her iconic Sarah Connor role. This instantly gave Terminator: Dark Fate some oomph pre-release but, it turned out, not quite enough to make it the box-office success it set out to be.

The film opens with a new take on Sarah Connor's post-Terminator 2 story as a T-800 shows up and straight-up murders John Connor. Years later, a very different Terminator, a solid and liquid metal hybrid Rev-9 model (played by Gabriel Luna), appears and tries to hunt down young factory worker Daniella Ramos (Natalia Reyes). At the same moment, Grace (Mackenzie Davis), an augmented (read: cyborg) soldier from the Resistance in the future also appears. Her mission, however, is to stop the Rev-9 from killing Daniella at all cost. Along the way, Grace and Daniella meet an older, still just as tough as ever, Sarah Connor and they set out to get some help from an unlikely yet reliable source.

The easiest way to describe Dark Fate is to simply say it's Terminator: Genysis but for T2. Genysis went back to the first Terminator movie, younging-up good old Arnie using CG motion capture technology, and rewrote the script on that, and Dark Fate takes a similar amount of liberties with the first, some would say superior, sequel. Things were always going to get very convoluted with a long running time-travel saga like this but these last two films don't feel too complex, they just feel desperate. Piggy-backing on the best, arguably only two good films in the franchise, picking whatever gold nuggets it can pick in order to tell a new story of sorts, banking on that old quality to elevate a current lesser sequel being the overall strategy here, as it was with Genysis.

Unfortunately, every formula, no matter how good, starts to feel tired after a while and the Terminator franchise is exhausted, to say the least.

To be fair, there are some valid attempts in Dark Fate at telling a more coherent story than the last time, with slightly more engaging characters at the heart of it. Or, at least, characters with potential. Mackenzie Davis certainly looks the part as the super soldier protector and Daniella's evolution from strong-willed worker taking care of her family turned badass Resistance leader was a solid, if all-too familiar character arc. Sadly, performance-wise, both Davis and Reyes fail to fully convince in their respective roles, which isn't so much their fault as it is the screenwriters' whose dialog and by-numbers storytelling is lazy throughout. Not to mention the lack of any drama not recycled from prior, better movies.

It's great to see Linda Hamilton back as Sarah Connor but even she is given nothing meaty to work with. Her frankly Oscar-deserving performance in T2 was rich and nuanced. Sarah, in that film, was a beautifully complex, broken mess: a ticking time-bomb one second, a wounded animal the next, a cunning manipulator at times, always a fighter. Hamilton delivered the best performance in the entire franchise in that film and she made it look effortless. Here, she is given Arnie-style one-liners, the exact same bitterness towards the Terminator she used to have, a bunch of guns and that's about it. Plus, Daniella goes through the same emotional arc her Sarah Connor went through in two extremely well written movies, but within an hour of Dark Fate.

Oh and the less said about the T-800's ludicrous new character arc the better.

The action sequences don't impress either and this is, usually, where even some of the least popular films in this franchise excel. Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines boasted some excellent stunts and Terminator: Salvation's gritty future provided lots of cool human vs robot action. Here, admittedly there are some solid stunts in the genuinely fun, yet obligatory it seems, highway truck chase but most of the action just sees overpowered robots and cyborgs bouncing each other around like rag dolled sprites in a video game or a Looney Tunes cartoon. It gets instantly tiresome and the dull night-time and factory settings don't help keep your attention either.

While Terminator: Dark Fate benefits from a simpler plot and some better characters, it's still not good enough to revive what can only be described as a flailing franchise in dire need of a complete reboot, a brand new future-set story or a good long rest. This is a very silly, unexciting and underwritten effort you might want to skip altogether.

Shame.

Tangled (2010)

Really fun Disney film

[7/10 · 1 December 2023]

Before Disney delivered the mega-hit it was desperately searching for with Frozen, there was an attempt to nail the non-Pixar 3D animation formula once and for all with Tangled, a fresh take on the classic Rapunzel fairy-tale from the Brothers Grimm, released in 2010.

With 2009's The Princess And The Frog, it looked like Disney was ready to be Disney again by finally bringing back its classic style of 2D animation. Unfortunately, that film didn't make the impact at the box-office that Disney was hoping for despite the solid reviews and it, in fact, being a hit. And so, continuing on that same Grimm path but instead opting for polished 3D animation, Tangled followed. Here was Disney's best-looking 3D animated film by far (not counting Pixar's output, of course) yet it still felt somewhat like a throwback to the studio's 90's output with the princess theme and its Broadway-style musical numbers. The story of Rapunzel, like the Frog Prince, was a safe enough choice for Disney but both stories were admittedly handled with a lot of care, and with 80's kids in mind.

Tangled, it should be said, is a pretty derivative Disney film: the humor is reminiscent of the Shrek movies, the Flynn (Zachary Levi) character has that Aladdin look while Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) looks a bit like Ariel and the villain also feels pretty generic. And yet, the film manages to be so clever and so much fun that it still comes off as fresh and new. This is mostly thanks to the amusing, show-stealing combination of a wacky horse and a gecko as well as a more modern approach to the jokes and musical numbers.

The songs themselves are catchy enough in the moment but the lack of genuinely memorable tunes hurts what is otherwise a very slick, charming and hugely entertaining Disney movie. One can't help but feel that this film was one "Let It Go" away from being the relentless blockbuster that Frozen would later become.

Tangled was another move in the right direction for Disney. A little more originality, catchier songs and a better ending would have elevated this one quite a bit but, as it stands, it's a really enjoyable movie with laughs, likable characters, gorgeous visuals and a good amount of heart.

Great fun.

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)

Not bad, not great either

[6/10 · 28 November 2023]

Episode VIII: The Last Jedi ended 2017 on an explosive note, to say the least. While this looked likely to become that year's biggest hit, it also quickly looked set to be the most divisive Star Wars movie in a while.

Picking up straight after The Force Awakens, we meet Rey (Daisy Ridley) as she finally hands an exiled Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) his old lightsaber, seeking training as the Resistance continues to fight for survival against the First Order. The main group of characters introduced in the last movie is divided with each one off on their own quest before they meet again at the end. Ridiculously good pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), whose philosophy tends to lean more towards blowing stuff up, finds himself having to consider alternative ways of fighting the enemy while Finn (John Boyega) and newcomer Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) attempt to track down a master code breaker.

Meanwhile, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) discovers a connection with Rey through the Force as they both appear to struggle with their destiny. Whereas The Force Awakens was a light-hearted introduction to a new generation in the Star Wars universe, with the usual good vs evil themes, The Last Jedi genuinely attempts to push ahead while focusing on the infinitely more complex grey areas in-between.

This is a darker film that explores deeper, more abstract themes and it's easy to see why some fans of the franchise might find that jarring when you consider the tone of the previous film in that series. The Last Jedi is closer to Rogue One in that it's much more earnest and fearless in its approach and there's an urgency to it. On the surface, this new film is a bit of a downer as heroes you took for granted show their flaws and reveal their humanity but, even though the conclusion is bittersweet, it leaves you with that optimistic feeling you expect from Star Wars.

We see a new side to Luke Skywalker in this movie and, whether you like it or not, it certainly makes an impact. This is Luke at his most defeatist and closed off so seeing the eager-to-learn Rey attempt to thaw some guidance out of him is both fascinating and frustrating. Mark Hamill gives probably his finest performance as Luke Skywalker and makes the most of the role that made him a star. The late Carrie Fisher is finally given a more significant part as Leia Organa and it's a joy to see her play a fuller role once again.

Our new heroes also have their fair share of conflicts to revolve: Rey looks for meaning in her past while getting closer to Kylo Ren, Finn struggles to live up to the heroic image his new sidekick Rose has of him and Poe learns a few lessons of his own. There's real character growth here and yet it remains unclear what everything is building up to so the third film in this new trilogy will have a lot of work to do, that's for sure. It's not all serious, grim and deep, however, as the much-feared Porgs are introduced along with countless other minor bizarre alien creatures and, while they serve no purpose, they are about as harmless as it gets.

The comedy in this film feels infinitely more organic and cheesy-in-the-right-way than in Force Awakens, where the jokes felt a little too forced. This is also a beautiful-looking movie with thrilling space battles, stunning locations and iconic moments you'll likely never forget. Expect this one to stick with you for a while as a lot of nifty surprises pop up.

If The Force Awakens was enjoyable if a tad bare, The Last Jedi is packed with just about everything you want from a Star Wars film and more. The lore is respectfully challenged and, for the first time in a long time, we feel like this universe is finally looking forward, not back.

A newest hope.

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

I like the energy, not much else

[5/10 · 28 November 2023]

And so the mighty Star Wars franchise came back with belated sequel Episode VII led by a new studio and a new director. J. J. Abrams took on the huge project, jumping head first into the ever-tedious challenge of pleasing both die hard fans of the classics and a brand new generation of potential Star Warsians.

The Force Awakens takes place 30 years after Return Of The Jedi and, while it does prioritize the introduction of fresh characters, it also checks in with some familiar faces. Harrison Ford is back as cocky smuggler Han Solo and so is his furry companion Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), both showing up about half an hour into the movie and bringing with them some welcome nostalgia.

Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), now General Leia Organa, also returns in a smaller capacity and we get a fleeting glimpse at Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). Of course, droid favorites C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) are also present because, let's face it, would it really be a Star Wars movie without them? The immortal text crawl informs us that Luke Skywalker has vanished and The Empire has given birth to The First Order, a new(-ish) totalitarian regime.

Believe it or not, said regime is also predominantly run by pedantic Cambridge graduates in silly costumes along with an intimidating Darth Vader-style badass, and there's also a Death Star. Resistance pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) is given a map to Skywalker by an old friend and, before he is detained by masked baddie Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), he hides it inside adorable droid BB-8 who then wanders desert planet Jakku aimlessly. Eventually, he meets loner scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley) who protects him. Meanwhile, stormtrooper FN-2187 (aka Finn) realizes he shouldn't be part of the cruel First Order and escapes with Poe's help. They crash land on Jakku and that's how Finn (John Boyega) meets Rey and the adventure truly begins.

The new characters' individual stories are definitely strong enough to hold this movie together and the characters themselves are certainly more likable than I, for one, ever expected them to be. Other additions like BB-8 and possible Yoda replacement Maz Kanata (voiced by Lupita Nyong'o) are promising also, though Emperor-style villain Supreme Leader Snoke (voiced by Andy Serkis), a ghoulish CGI fellow, doesn't get a chance to impress. J. J. Abrams tells those mini stories really well but we feel, throughout, that there's a lot we're purposely not being told, key elements that will probably only be revealed in upcoming prequels and sequels.

The bigger story is Star Wars on auto-pilot: this whole Death Star-Resistance-First Order business is a scenario we've seen time and time again and this movie offers nothing all that new there. In fact, I would argue that this is The Force Awakens' main problem. When aiming for nostalgia or familiarity, it tends to instead hit a tired been-there-done-that kind of feel. The parallels with A New Hope have been mentioned by quite a few reviewers and it's true that there's a bit too much of that to the point where one wonders, a little like with Avatar, how this movie was 10 years in the making. Should Disney have taken on George Lucas' all-new ideas after all? Who knows.

The tone of the film is also unclear as it attempts to be both bright and hopeful but quite dark and depressing as well. Rey and Finn are introduced to us as troubled loners and yet they're cracking jokes pretty quick, the humour taking you out of the movie more than anything else. The main subplot, which involves Kylo Ren and his father, builds to a big event near the end of the movie and that should either please fans or annoy them royally. Whether this final clash was truly earned will depend on its overall impact on the trilogy, but if the aim was to shock then mission accomplished.

Adam Driver does a good job as Ren, I should point out, and it's refreshing to see that we are not just fed a Darth Vader clone. That said, had the First Order been a more valid, interesting threat altogether, with a more interesting plan, that would have helped make Ren more threatening than he is. The film ends in a promising way and it really does make you want to watch what comes next. The Force Awakens is an enjoyable, if flawed, entry into the franchise.

The film lacks the originality and urgency of the prequels, as well as the freshness and epic scale of the originals. Some things it does right, other things not so much: it's a very hit-and-miss affair but, as a whole, it remains an entertaining blockbuster that's worth a watch.

Chewie, we're home... kinda.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

It's freakin' Star Wars! It's great.

[9/10 · 28 November 2023]

Released in 1977, George Lucas' Star Wars was an instant megahit earning itself a lot more than its $11M budget, to say the least, spawning one of the biggest movie franchises of all time which is still going strong to this day, albeit under new management.

In the vein of the old Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon serials, Star Wars is a space adventure following young farmer Luke Skywalker's (Mark Hamill) epic journey as he joins the Rebels to take down the evil Empire and their new world-ending weapon: the Death Star. With the help of the mysterious Ben Kenobi (Alec Guinness), tough guy smuggler Han Solo (Harrison Ford), his pal Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), Princess Leia of the planet Alderaan (Carrie Fisher) and two faithful droids, they set out to use the Death Star plans to destroy it once and for all.

Lucas' film begins in somewhat humble fashion as we spend a good amount of time with droids C-3P0 (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) on a desert planet before encountering Luke Skywalker who soon becomes informed of the princess' capture by the villainous Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing) and Darth Vader (voiced by James Earle Jones). Star Wars proceeds to deliver a jaw-dropping spectacle with elements of classic westerns, swashbucklers and samurai films thrown in. The result is a type of cheesy sci-fi space opera that many had tried to create prior for the big screen, without much success, as Star Wars also worked brilliantly as a mainstream modern action blockbuster.

This loving homage to the science-fiction serials of the 1930's is packed with charm thanks to the likable cast (Harrison Ford steals the show as Han Solo) and the sheer imagination flagrant on the screen. The sets are hugely impressive, the special effects are groundbreaking and make this wild tale look as convincing as possible. The whole thing is complemented by John Williams' unforgettable score that sets the tone perfectly. There are some pacing issues; the desert and pre-war scenes are a bit of a snooze; but the film will win you over by the end.

The impact of Star Wars on cinema and culture in general has, obviously, been huge and it all began with a film that aims high without any pretension, only aiming to be the most entertaining and creative movie that it could be. The Special Edition hurts this one quite a bit so, if you somehow can find the original version, that's your best bet.

Iconic.

Starman (1984)

Beautiful

[10/10 · 28 November 2023]

Released in 1984, Starman was a comedy/drama science-fiction film from director John Carpenter, who followed up his remake of The Thing (a flop despite its later popularity) with this somewhat more mainstream vehicle which, sadly, also failed to deliver at the box-office.

On paper, here was a fun, humorous sci-fi comedy not unlike Short Circuit or E. T. about a candid, fish-out-of-water character getting chased by mean government agents. With the romance and tragedy at its heart, this wasn't quite as kid-friendly as the aforementioned films but it seemed like the kind of thing that Spielberg would effortlessly turn into a hit. For John Carpenter, unfortunately, even a film like this was a tough sell back in the day and Starman remains, to this day, regrettably overlooked.

The movie sees an alien crash land on Earth after his spacecraft is shot down. After landing near a house, he clones a dead man's body using a lock of his hair and kidnaps heartbroken widow Jenny (Karen Allen). He informs her that she needs to drive him to a meeting point in Arizona where his people will meet him in three days, or he will die. Jenny reluctantly finds herself on a road trip with this strange version of her husband as he starts to slowly understand and appreciate the humanity that rejected him.

Jeff Bridges gives one purposely odd performance here and, although you could probably cheaply make fun of the random twitches and the way he speaks throughout, in the process you'd just be missing how good Bridges is here. What starts off as one weird, often creepy, potentially dangerous character gradually develops into someone who is playful, kind, even heroic. He becomes more human than Charles Martin Smith's NSA agent who hunts him down the entire time. Karen Allen is also very good in this playing an emotionally complex character who is lost at first, then scared for her life, angry at the world and, finally, able to move on. Her character was integral to making the film's ending as bittersweet and heartbreaking as it is and she completely nailed it.

What makes Starman so successful as a film, along with the excellent lead performances, is just how well it balances its tone. The tragedy at the story's core, a widow unable to mourn for her husband who is forced to confront him being brought back to life in some form, is never overtaken or cheapened by the more comedic elements in the film, or even the sci-fi scenario. Throughout the film, Bridges' alien carries around a handful of orbs he can use to create miracles and, while initially this might seem like simply a cute gimmick, even that idea delivers in the drama department and contributes to the film's emotional punch.

John Carpenter's most touching film, Starman is a true sci-fi tearjerker. With a beautifully affecting score, brilliant performances from Bridges and Allen, Starman is one of the director's most underrated masterpieces.

Watch it.

Split Second (1992)

Some fun moments

[4/10 · 28 November 2023]

A UK/US co-production, Split Second is a sci-fi thriller from 1992 starring Rutger Hauer as a tough, moody cop who hunts down a serial killer in a flooded, dystopian London. The film was a commercial flop and it was not particularly well received by critics either.

Set in the rain-drenched future of... 2008, after multiple environmental disasters caused by global warming, Split Second may seem like a cheesy B-movie on paper and, you know what? That's exactly what it is. Rutger Hauer plays it cool as Harley Stone, the leather-clad burnt-out cop who smokes cigars, shoots big guns and lives in a filthy apartment. He brings some welcome charisma to an otherwise rather shapeless and bland film.

Wisely, Split Second doesn't take itself too seriously, probably since the script went through quite a few changes during the production including one draft that was closer to a buddy-cop comedy. In fact, the tongue-in-cheek dynamic between Harley and his partner, uptight rookie Dick Durkin (Alastair Neil Duncan), helps make the film more fun than it would have been without it. Kim Cattrall plays Michelle, Harley's girlfriend. She later gets kidnapped by the killer who, they soon start to suspect, might not exactly be human.

The poster may have tried to sell the film as "Blade Runner Meets Alien" but this is a hilariously generous over-statement. This is nothing more than your usual cop movie where people are getting killed in brutal ways and a mismatched cop duo try to figure out what's going on, except it's set in London in the near-future and has a monster in it. Said monster feels tacked-on, like it was thrown in at the last minute, because it was. This is frankly a shame since the film hints at an interesting twist but doesn't really get into it, likely because there just wasn't much time to re-write another draft of the script this late in the game.

The idea that Harley's old partner, who was thought to have been killed by the creature years prior, could have in fact himself mutated into the creature thereby making him the killer all along, would have been worth exploring a bit more but the film fails to make the most of that potential twist. Instead, the admittedly cool-looking monster, deserving of a lot more screen time, shows up right at the end and everything is wrapped up pretty quickly in a disappointing anti-climax.

While Rutger Hauer is always good value and the film has its moments, including some solid practical effects and a likable sense of humor, Split Second is too shallow, derivative and slow-paced to really grab you as a murder mystery or an action thriller.

Mostly forgettable.

Spirou & Fantasio's Big Adventures (2018)

Hugely disappointing

[3/10 · 28 November 2023]

Based on the popular Belgian comic-book series, Les Aventures De Spirou & Fantasio is a French film made in 2018 which is the first attempt to bring these characters, and their stories, to the big screen in a live-action format.

The adventures of Spirou changed a lot over the years since the character was created in the 1930's by editor Jean Dupuis and artist Rob-Vel. In a nutshell, for those unfamiliar with the comics, Spirou is a cunning fellow in a bellhop outfit who goes around the world figuring out wild mysteries with his best friend Fantasio, a bumbling reporter/inventor. The Spirou stories were usually a lot more out there than Tintin's, especially since artist Franquin took over the series in the 1940's, but they are respected almost as much to this day.

There are countless Spirou & Fantasio stories, a lot more than Tintin's limited series, so tons of ideas for filmmakers to borrow and include in the iconic character's first movie. And yet, this film refuses to dig any deeper than taking the basic concept from the early strips, throwing in a villain who was introduced much, much later, put some comic-accurate costumes on the leads (thanks for that, at least) and call it a day.

This is a crushingly disappointing first attempt at what could have been, in the right hands, a lasting sci-fi/action franchise and a worthy adaptation of one of the most beloved French language comic series of all time. The actors who play Spirou and Fantasio are not bad (Alex Lutz fits the most), but they are forced to carry an extremely weak storyline, some of the worst dialog you'll hear in a French film and thoroughly unfunny jokes throughout, which is a tough break for any actor.

Casting for the supporting characters is way off, however, with legendary comedic actor Christian Clavier doing his best as inventor Champignac despite not really looking the part. Ramzy Bedia, who plays bad guy Zorglub, also tries his best but he just doesn't look right, and he isn't funny at all. As Seccotine, the smart reporter who is also Fantasio's love interest, Géraldine Nakache is simply miscast and the inclusion of the character takes time away from the character development we so desperately needed for the unlikely heroes.

Visually, there's nothing to see here. The special effects are not very good, and the only interesting location is a volcano lair in the middle of the desert. Otherwise, we're pretty much stuck either in a hotel, an airport or other dull settings. Spirou being a thief is something that's introduced but never explored, because we know absolutely nothing about Spirou himself, so why would we care anyway?

The writing is abysmal here, and this is what really kills this movie. The humor falls resoundingly flat with every one-liner aiming to be witty but coming off as tired, borderline embarrassing. Spirou doesn't match with the character in the comics at all: he's just as cowardly as Fantasio and doesn't seem to have any motivation or intelligence whatsoever. The plot is paper thin and makes no sense, that goes without saying, and the film's climax is frankly insulting. The squirrel did fine, I guess.

It is heartbreaking to see something with so much potential go to waste like this but maybe one day we'll see a better Spirou movie, it'll certainly be tough to do any worse. After all, before Lucky Luke there was Les Dalton. If you know, you know.

There's no reason to watch this.

Spirited Away (2001)

Studio Ghibli's finest hour

[10/10 · 28 November 2023]

Watching Spirited Away at the cinema upon its release was something of a personal event for several reasons.

For one thing, it was the first anime feature I'd ever seen on the big screen but it was also my first Hayao Miyazaki film full stop and it was, on top of that, really darn good. Coming at a time when 2D animated films looked like they were on their way out with Disney focusing its attention on CG animation, Miyazaki's film was a breath of fresh air and proved once and for all that this kind of animated feature more than deserved to stay.

The film follows a young girl called Chihiro who is about to move into a new house with her parents. She's reluctant to leave her old life behind and start a new one. Her father drives towards what he believes to be a shortcut but they instead find an abandoned old fair accessible through a creepy tunnel (as all the best fairs are). They wander aimlessly until Chihiro's parents decide to stuff their faces with random food they find lying around in an open market. To the girl's horror, she soon finds that her parents have, in fact, literally been transformed into overfed pigs. She's now left to her own devices in a much weirder place than she could have ever imagined, a magical world peopled by grotesque spirits who mostly hang out in bath houses and who are led by an untrustworthy witch called Yubaba.

It looks like she might just end up being stuck in that world, forgetting who she is along the way and finally vanishing into thin air but, luckily, she meets some good people who help her through this wacky yet perilous adventure: Haku, a young boy with strange powers, a spider-like boiler-man called Kamaji who helps get Chihiro a job in the bath house, Lin, a worker who teaches her the ropes and Yubaba's twin sister Zeniba.

Using an Alice In Wonderland-style structure with bursts of The Wizard Of Oz and multiple other fairy-tales, Spirited Away may be derivative structurally but it brings so much fresh creativity, so much imagination to the table that it feels and is completely original. It's a beautiful-looking movie with some really colorful and strange characters, a compelling surreal story set in a world where anything could happen and an overall nostalgic mood that helps make Spirited Away a coming-of-age story with heart where courage and intelligence are rewarded.

It's a film about moving on, about accepting the past, making your peace with it and using what you know to build a strong future for yourself and, ultimately, build yourself into a person. Chihiro learns a lot throughout the film and faces some really tough challenges: she is stripped of her parents, the entire logic of the world she knows and even her name but she learns to make new friends, she learns the rules of this new uncanny environment and, in the end, she learns that change can be scary and dangerous but it's also important and the past never truly leaves anyway. She can never forget who she was even if it's not who she is anymore.

It's a pretty complete, rather deep lesson for such a kid-friendly flick but Hayao Miyazaki tells it so ridiculously well that even if you watch the film without using any part of your brain or if you're a little kid watching the film purely as a mindless piece of entertainment it's still just as enjoyable and rewarding as an experience.

It's refreshing to see an animated film which gives you some shady characters you're not really sure what to make of until you get to know them. Chihiro meets a stink spirit that is repulsive and intimidating as hell but she faces it head-on and finds that there's more to it than meets the eye. Same goes for No Face, a creepy spirit who stalks her during the film, offering her presents and being seemingly friendly yet suddenly ending up going nuts and eating everybody like a greedy, demented beast.

By the end, you feel like Chihiro has these complicated entities pretty much figured out and that she's much more in control of that world and herself. Even through how the character is drawn, Miyazaki subtly makes her grow up before your eyes without you noticing. I should also mention that the film offers us some of the cutest critters you're likely to see in any feature: a giant baby-turned-hamster, a trio of hopping heads, a buzzing little bird and adorable soot-balls being prime examples. The film delivers some nifty twists story-wise as well, of course.

Spirited Away really is a masterful piece in every respect and isn't only gorgeous to look at, really clever in terms of storytelling and unique with its approach but it feels special, daringly prioritising quiet, bittersweet, rather poetic moments instead of cartoonish action sequences you've seen a million times in kids' movies.

Hayao Miyazaki has created a work of pure class and it remains one of the best animated films around.

An unavoidable timeless classic.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Wildly overrated gimmicky sequel

[5/10 · 28 November 2023]

Inarguably the most successful film of 2021, Spider-Man: No Way Home picks up exactly when the last film left off as Spider-Man's secret identity is finally revealed to the world. Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and his friends face backlash following J. Jonah Jameson's bombshell and so Parker seeks the help of Doctor Strange to make all of this mess go away.

The concept was teased in prior sequel Far From Home but the Multiverse is finally confirmed to be real in this movie as Stephen Strange's (Benedict Cumberbatch) attempt to use a spell that would potentially fix Peter Parker's problem opens up a whole new can of worms including heroes and villains from other Multiverses turning up in our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man's... well, friendly neighborhood. This was set to be one of the biggest comic-book movie crossovers ever in the style of hit animated feature Into The Spider-Verse but, of course, live-action. Online speculation was non-stop during the entire journey leading up to this film's release with fans wondering which previous cast members of the franchise would turn up.

The multi-cameo gimmick would no doubt be this film's biggest draw, but also its biggest challenge as a coherent plot would need to tie everything together well enough. Luckily, Marvel had thusfar handled this kind of juggling act rather well. Judging by the audience reaction to this movie, it appears that the gimmick in question was very much a crowdpleaser and understandably so: seeing some of your favorite characters from your favorite franchise return in a new movie played by a beloved cast is always a nice nostalgic treat. Especially if they're having as much fun as the likes of Jamie Foxx, Willem Dafoe and Alfred Molina are having in this latest film.

The film's opening is a promisingly intense look at the overwhelming media attention that Peter Parker and his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) are forced to deal with, along with the negative impact this has had on his friends' lives, which he blames himself for. Doctor Strange agrees to help by casting a spell that would make it so everyone would forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Unfortunately, Peter's demands for countless caveats compromises the spell which Strange is forced to contain.

But the damage is already done as the spell has already started to mess with reality and opened up the door for some unsavory characters like Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Electro (Jamie Foxx), The Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) and The Lizard (Rhys Ifans). Spider-Man takes on these villains who are unknown to him but clashes with Doctor Strange when the latter suggests destroying the spell, thereby sending them all home, whether this means they'll be dead again or not.

This is a fun, playful, setup and it certainly gives this movie a lot to work with, especially when other Spider-Men start appearing. Unfortunately, there's not much more to this film than fanservice and thinking about its story for more than a few seconds prompts a bunch of question marks. Some of the villains, we are told, have been transferred here just before they died, despite them looking either way older or completely different. Some of the character designs are improved while some are exactly the same or way worse. Apparently summoning "Peter Parker" through a spell only summons Peter Parkers who are also Spider-Man.

Peter Parker is praised repeatedly for the choices he makes in the film despite everything obviously being a complete disaster. Villains can just be turned good and bad, on and off, like a light switch. J. Jonah Jameson is given a big reveal in the last movie but he's barely in this one (why not bring back the old J. J. J. And have him face his own grumpy self for some easy, worthy comic relief?). It's all very inconsistent and, frankly, rarely convincing.

Still, there's enough here to make No Way Home an entertaining popcorn movie: the Doctor Strange vs Spider-Man fight sequence in the Mirror Universe is fantastic, the face off with Doc Ock is enjoyable, Jamie Foxx is a much better Electro this time around, Andrew Garfield nearly steals the show with a particularly endearing performance and it's just nice to see all these likable actors have a good time on screen.

Once the reintroduction of Spidey's baddies is digested, however, the film fails to make the best use of its cast and plot as the macguffin (magic box) coupled with yet another final rooftop fight in the dark (see the ending of Spider-Man 3 meets the ending of The Amazing Spider-Man) lacks originality and rhythm. The overly jokey script is also a massive, unwelcome distraction as it makes many characters feel off and the constant flow of lame one-liners comes off as extremely forced.

In the vein of the X-Men franchise's Days Of Future Past, this Spider-Man movie aims to mix different versions of the same series together in order to fix a few flaws that fans have been complaining about for a while, but also cash in on nostalgia and take the franchise in a new, unexpected direction. As a result of this very ambitious endeavor, parts of this work but a lot of it doesn't and, as much as it was nice to see some familiar faces here, less would 100% have been more.

The script feels bloated and yet, at the same time, bare: Zendaya isn't given much to work with here character development-wise, while Ned (Jacob Batalon) overstays his welcome with a big role when this movie called for a cameo from him at the most. This translates into a strangely paced movie with its share of dull filler. The attempt to redo the Uncle Ben scene AGAIN, just slightly differently, is a complete misstep as the scene in question feels about as emotionally rewarding as the awful Sandman CG seen throughout this film.

This movie throws a lot at you and, yes, some of it sticks. No doubt about it. But there's just too much fluff, too many heavy-handed references, too many inconsistencies and too much Whedonian corniness to make this a truly rewarding experience. You'll have fun with some of the action scenes, you'll enjoy seeing your fave villains/heroes on screen again but that's pretty much it. No Way Home has its moments but it remains a passably entertaining outing and the lesser film in the Tom Holland trilogy.

Amusing yet uneven blockbuster.

Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)

Entertaining Spider-Man sequel

[7/10 · 28 November 2023]

Picking up where Avengers: Endgame left off, Spider-Man: Far From Home sees Peter Parker having to adapt to a world minus the guidance of mentor Tony Stark as he goes on a European school trip, ghosting Nick Fury along the way, in the hope of prioritizing his own life for once but new threats and a "mysterious" new hero disturbs his plans.

The film opens with an amusingly tacky tribute to Tony Stark and Captain America, setting the playful tone for this post-Avengers adventure. The film focuses quite a bit on Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and his high school friends as they all travel to Europe where Peter, who initially even left his Spidey-suit (and Peter Tingle) behind, plans to buy MJ (Zendaya) a gift and ask her out. Of course, this proves to be a lot more difficult than Peter anticipated as Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) shows up to hire him for a new mission, which he politely declines at first yet can't quite get away from.

The mission in question involves the Elementals, a handful of giants who can control Air, Earth, Fire and Water, starting to pop up in random places all over the world. As it turns out, Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), a new hero claiming to be coming from a different Multiverse, has been working with S. H. I. E. L. D. to defend the Earth against the Elementals who destroyed his world.

As part of Tony Stark's last wishes, Nick Fury hands Stark's glasses, containing powerful A. I. tech network E. D. I. T. H. Over to Peter, and the latter struggles to handle the great power and responsibility he was taught go hand in hand. As the Elementals and Beck (aka Mysterio) go head to head and Beck almost dies trying to save the world, a disillusioned Peter decides to hand over E. D. I. T. H. To him and the film takes a perhaps not-all-that unexpected but still enjoyably off-road turn.

Spoilers ahead so there's still time to see the film and come back to this review.

Ok, so of course Mysterio turns out to not be what he seems as Beck is revealed to be an ex-employee of Tony Stark's who designed holographic technology only to then be fired for being deemed unstable. He and other Stark enemies joined forces to create realistic illusions in the hope of leading up to a fake Avengers-level threat created using E. D. I. T. H., one which Mysterio could then pretend to extinguish thereby becoming the most powerful "hero" on Earth. Spider-Man is, therefore, forced to deal with not only his inner demons and insecurities but the phoney (yet deadly) demons laid out by his deceitful foe (or "faux", rather).

Far From Home feels a bit like a full-length spin-off of the Washington school trip sequence from Spider-Man: Homecoming with a very different kind of villain at the heart of it. The light-hearted charm of Homecoming is very much intact here. In fact, there's a lot more of it to the point where one wonders if there's maybe a little too much. The high-school cast is as likable as ever and the humor is entertaining but it does tend to distract from the darker, more emotional themes of the film, and its interesting yet frankly underwritten villain.

Mysterio is both the best thing about this sequel and the biggest missed opportunity. As impressive as the villain's illusions are and as good as Jake Gyllenhaal is in the role, you can't help but feel that less time could have been spent repeating jokes (the MJ/Peter/Brad love triangle, the goofy teachers, Ned and his new girlfriend) to allow for more character development. Instead of Mysterio dumping all of his backstory in one single ranty scene, perhaps spreading this throughout the movie in a clever way could have elevated him to the best Spider-Man villain in any live-action film thusfar.

While it does feel like the Far From Home script could have done with, perhaps, one or two more drafts trimming the fat and fleshing out some characters and parts of the plot, this remains a thoroughly enjoyable ride from start to finish. The action scenes could have easily felt generic due to the personality-free nature of the Elementals but they are one of this film's biggest strengths. Whenever Spidey and Mysterio are on screen, either working together or fighting it out, the film shines and delivers exactly the kind of Summer popcorn entertainment we all signed up for.

Tom Holland's wide-eyed Peter Parker is every bit as charming as he was the first or second time around (if you count Civil War) and Spider-Man's character arc, though it includes some surprisingly dumb decisions along the way, sets up the next film perfectly, especially thanks to a couple of nifty post-credits reveals.

Spider-Man: Homecoming might have been the better film thanks to a more balanced and overall more coherent script but Far From Home delivers the thrills, laughs and twists you'd expect from a Marvel blockbuster and it does so with gusto, charm and some bold moves. Armed with a genuinely cool villain, a fantastic score by Michael Giacchino and slick visuals, this one may be Far From Home but it's not far from great.

A lot of fun.

Special Correspondents (2016)

Underwhelming comedy

[4/10 · 28 November 2023]

Based on French comedy Envoyés Très Spéciaux from 2009, Special Correspondents stars Eric Bana and Ricky Gervais as a radio news journalist and his sound technician who fail to turn up to Ecuador to report on a story so decide to invent a bigger one while hiding out back in the city.

Released on Netflix in 2016, Special Correspondents didn't receive the best reviews and it failed to make much of an impact. One of the film's biggest assets, its cast, certainly did appeal to a lot of people as fans of Ricky Gervais' previous work were understandably interested in seeing something new from the comedian, who also wrote and directed the film. This was also the same year that David Brent: Life On The Road came out so it made sense to piggy-back on it, although that movie would only be released a year later in the US and was not a commercial hit either.

This film certainly has a promising concept: two guys making up an escalating war abroad without even going anywhere, letting the lie build to a fake hostage situation. It's a funny idea but French humour doesn't always translate all that well to Hollywood and, more often than not, a clever setup ends up not working with a much different style of filmmaking or storytelling, and this is the case here.

There are definitely some enjoyable aspects to Special Correspondents. Bana and Gervais clearly have a great time throughout, the over-the-top growth of the made-up story and the impact it has makes for some amusing gags and the script gives the cast some fun banter to play around with. Unfortunately, while the fake Ecuador-set plot becomes bigger and sillier, the film itself stagnates quite a bit before seemingly running out of ideas altogether.

A subplot involving Ian's (Gervais) wife Eleanor, played by Vera Farmiga, should have been much funnier and less needlessly convoluted, especially near the end. Farmiga herself feels a little miscast here as, while she does capture how intimidating and fame-hungry her character is, Eleanor is too one-dimensional to inspire anything beyond a cold demeanor. It would have been good to see Ian and Frank (Bana) really get a taste of their own medicine at the end but, although they do get their comeuppance in some way, they're never likeable or charming enough to make the happy ending all that satisfying.

Some good ideas, most of which can also be found in the original film, and a handful of funny moments and sharp lines but, ultimately, Special Correspondents is an underwhelming comedy that never truly gets off the ground and ends up feeling just as hollow and unconvincing as the story Ian and Frank come up with.

Not-so-special.

Space Adventure Cobra (1982)

Great fun

[7/10 · 28 November 2023]

Based on the Japanese manga, Space Adventure Cobra is an animated feature from 1982 following the exploits of Cobra, a blond, cigar-smoking Han Solo type with a "Psycho-Gun" embedded into his arm who goes around fighting evil space Guilds and such.

Space Adventure Cobra is a surreal action flick that could be described as kind of a cross between some cheesy 70's cop show, Zardoz, Flash Gordon, Barbarella, Space Pirate Captain Harlock and Star Wars. The character of Cobra was inspired by French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo, who was mostly famous in the 1970's for over-the-top French action thrillers. Cobra's partner is a mouthless robot gal called Lady Armaroid. She's usually in charge of piloting the ship and secretly lusts after Cobra, when she's not delivering exposition. There's an obvious charm to Space Adventure Cobra: it's corny as hell but in exactly the right way.

You've got the cool tough guy hero who spouts out corny one-liners, sexy space ladies wearing not very much at all when they are wearing something, a Yoda-style mentor in a bubble, snow gorillas, a James Bond opening title sequence, funky music and an arch-enemy amusingly called Crystal Boy, easily one of the least threatening bad guy names ever. The latter's character design is creative, though, as he's made of glass, gold, claws, guns, just about anything you can think of. To give you an idea of what you can expect from this movie in terms of tone, think the anime series Space Dandy if it was tongue-in-cheek by accident.

The plot is appropriately ludicrous and somewhat confusing unless you've read the manga but it essentially boils down to a treasure hunt, the search for some Ultimate Weapon, Crystal Boy wanting to destroy an entire galaxy and Cobra butting heads with snow gorillas (don't ask) while getting friendly with the Royal triplets. "Royal" being the ladies' last name, except in the English dub where it's Flower. This feature isn't particularly kid friendly as, apart from the action sequences and the light-hearted, wise-cracking Lupin The Third-style protagonist, it's mostly a trippy, busy and gratuitous romp. With the amount of random nudity this movie has and the random violent moments, plus the fact that Crystal Boy is genuinely creepy, this is one for older viewers.

That said, it is a funny flick and the adventure itself is effortlessly engaging so anyone can get a kick out of it. What lets the film down a bit is its animation which feels a little too much like a lower budget saturday morning cartoon at times. However, even this added layer of cheesiness works quite well in combination with the trashy vibe of it all. Unless you're a fan of pulpy, goofy 70's/80's sci-fi, then you'll probably write this one off as too silly. Indeed, this falls quite easily under the guilty pleasure banner in that respect but there's definitely a simple charm to it and, as a good old-fashioned piece of space-set nonsense, it works.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy Space Adventure Cobra. It may look and sound a bit clunky at times and it's all rather ridiculous but it's also tons of fun. Worst comes to worst, you'll get a good laugh out of it so why not check it out?

Enjoyably camp space opera.

Soul (2020)

Not Pixar's best but well done

[7/10 · 28 November 2023]

The Best Animated Feature Oscar winner at the 93rd Academy Awards, Soul was Pixar's 2020 release about an aspiring jazz musician who accidentally ends up in the afterlife and desperately tries to make his way back in time for the most important concert of his life.

Set in New York City, the film sees Joe (voiced by Jamie Foxx), a music teacher who is given the opportunity by an ex-student to work with jazz legend Dorothea Williams (Angela Bassett). Happy about finally being able to prove himself as a worthy jazz pianist, Joe sets his sights on the audition and the upcoming music club show. Unfortunately, in his mindless jubilation, he missteps into a manhole in the middle of the street and finds his soul transported onto a bridge in an in-between world, heading towards a light. Joe quickly understands that death is what awaits him at the end of the tunnel so he sneaks out and finds himself in another part of that world trying to sneak back into his own body.

This proves to not be such an easy task as he is appointed a quirky, rebellious protégée, a new soul known only as 22 (Tiny Fey) by the counsellors there. 22 has no interest in being sent to the real world so Joe is tasked with changing their mind by inspiring her to want to live. Joe, more concerned about his own reincarnation, instead uses 22 to get back to his body but, after a mixup, he ends up in the body of a cat instead, with 22 being the new Joe.

As ever with Pixar, there's little to complain about here in terms of visuals. The animation is reliably stunning throughout and the Great Beyond, as well as the character design of its inhabitants, is creative and colorful. The story itself explores some really interesting existential questions and it does so with exactly the right amount of heart, humor and intelligence you'd expect from the animation studio.

The film's tone does take a bold leap towards slapstick when Joe ends up in a cat's body and this might prove too silly for some, especially considering the deeper themes the movie attempts to talk about, but even those parts are handled with enough charm that they work. The film never strays from Joe and 22's character arcs so it allows itself some fun detours here and there, much in the same way that Coco never keeps its eye off the big tear-jerker moment it's ultimately going for but still manages to fit in some musical numbers and a murder mystery.

Watching Soul, however, you can't help but feel like these are all roads we've seen Pixar drive down before. There's something very derivative about Soul, despite its undeniable creativity. While you could argue that the film is infinitely more about life than it is about death, the latter is definitely a big theme here and it feels like it has been for quite a few Pixar films by this point: Coco, Onward, Up, even Toy Story 3. The afterlife of Soul is also very reminiscent of the inner worlds from Inside Out. Soul's message, finding what makes you happy and going for it but not letting yourself get bogged down by your "spark", is a valid one but it would have been so much more powerful had this felt a lot less like a Pixar best-of.

Frankly, you can see the wrap-up to the story coming a mile away and even the film's most unexpected event, the cat twist, feels instantly familiar. Thankfully, the characters are so well written (Graham Norton's hippie sign-twirler is especially good fun) and the visuals are so pretty that the film still makes for a good watch.

Soul is a beautiful looking film with top-notch animation and an excellent cast. Pixar's reluctance to jump out of its comfort zone both stylistically and in terms of its storytelling, however, distracts from its thoughtful message and that's a bit of a shame, even if the film remains very solid and well worth watching. This should not be as predictable as it is but you won't have a bad time sitting through it.

Not Pixar's best but still decent.

Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)

Wildly overrated but has its moments

[5/10 · 28 November 2023]

Loosely based on the classic video games, Sonic The Hedgehog is SEGA's first attempt at a mostly live-action film following their iconic speedy blue hedgehog. The film was famously delayed due to a shambolic first trailer back in 2019 showcasing a particularly unpopular Sonic design.

If SEGA learned anything from the initial negative reaction the film received and its eventual box-office success it's that people like the character of Sonic, and they like him enough to sit through anything as long as he, at the very least, looks like Sonic. Like the games output itself, Sonic's foray into animation has been patchy but with the odd gem including the Sonic The Hedgehog series, the 1996 2-part OVA movie and, more recently, Sonic Mania Adventures. Whether a particular show was good or not-so-good, one thing was clear: Sonic could work in an animated film. The character's short cameos in the Wreck-It Ralph movies confirmed this. And yet, SEGA chose to take the Smurfs/Alvin & The Chipmunks route and throw an animated character into the real world.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit, this is not.

It goes without saying, of course, that the main character's redesign was the right move as many cinemagoers would have likely been turned off by the frankly butt-ugly early design. That said, an effect like this in such a setting was always going to be a distraction and, even as it stands currently, it is nicer to look at, granted, but not convincing for a second. Still, there is some charm to this cuter-looking, glove-wearing, bluer Sonic and whenever he's on screen battling Dr. Robotnik or zooming around in a blue blur, the character works a lot better than you'd expect. The film's opening, set in a beautifully rendered Green Hill Zone (the games' earliest stage, usually), is a visual treat and one wishes the whole movie had taken place there.

Quicker than you can say "wait, why was this hedgehog raised by an owl?", we find ourselves on Earth in Green Hills, a small town in the Pacific North West where Sonic has lived for years, hiding from everyone. He had escaped his own world after being attacked by a group of enemies with bows and arrows we know nothing about thanks to one of his portal rings. After Sonic loses his cool and accidentally overpowers himself, causing the entire state to lose power, the Pentagon sends in Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) to tackle the potential threat using his state-of-the-art machines. Before he can escape again, Sonic is captured by friendly cop Tom (James Marsden) who reluctantly agrees to help him get to San Francisco, where his lost bag of rings ended up.

The plot is as paper-thin as it gets and the writing all-around is, frankly, lacking. From the storytelling, to the dialog, to... basic logic in terms of how a character acts, this is exactly the kind of cynical, lazy kids' movie writing Hollywood delivers all too often and it's the main thing that prevents this movie from being anything more than mediocre. Even the humor is all over the place. One second there's an adorable moment where Sonic's hair poofs up, the next there's a crass fart joke you wish you could instantly unsee, or unhear. Luckily, Jim Carrey is extremely entertaining as Robotnik and he turns every uninspired line he's given to work with into gold using only his ever-stretchy face and that good old Ace Ventura-style delivery only he can provide.

This Sonic The Hedgehog movie has its moments. It can be funny, it can be cute and it can be genuinely engaging at times (the final battle with Robotnik is very well done), and yet it falls just short of being good enough to recommend. The plot and its human characters are so bland, so by-numbers and the script is so insulting that the film should only appeal to younger viewers and die-hard Sonic and/or Jim Carrey fans which... I guess is me.

Harmless enough, yet thoroughly unremarkable.

Son of the Mask (2005)

What a mess...

[2/10 · 28 November 2023]

Over 10 years after the release of The Mask, which was a significant hit and helped make its star Jim Carrey a household name, a sequel was finally put together and... to say that it didn't enjoy quite as much success as the original would be putting it lightly.

Son Of The Mask, which didn't star any of the original cast save for Ben Stein who appears in an early cameo, was a flop at the box-office and was critically panned by pretty much everyone who saw it. Set in a town called Fringe City, we follow wannabe animator Tim Avery (Jamie Kennedy) who comes into contact with the mask that was discarded at the end of the first film when his dog fishes it out of the water. Despite initially being reluctant to start a family with his wife Tonya (Traylor Howard), he conceives a child while wearing the mask and soon discovers that his baby may have inherited its powers.

Meanwhile, god of Mischief Loki himself (Alan Cumming) is forced by his father Odin (Bob Hoskins) to recover the mask and an unlikely Tom & Jerry-style battle breaks out between Tim's baby and his dog in the house. Not quite what you'd expect from a sequel to the 1994 film, then, but not without potential when you consider the cast and the budget involved.

There's certainly no shortage of things going on in this movie and yet Son Of The Mask still manages to feel completely bare and full of filler. This is due to a severe lack of character development, consistency or coherent storytelling throughout. Individually, the plot and its subplots sound like fun but together, they are smashed one against the other without any idea of how they might gel or work together to tell a proper story.

The film aims to be a Tex Avery cartoon but, where The Mask would only go all out whenever Stanley Ipkiss would wear the mask, Son Of The Mask is entirely shot through an obnoxious wide-angle lens. Everything is always over-the-top, loud and silly so Tim Avery never feels like a real person, his story never feels like one we should care about and the cartoonish stuff is about as cartoonish as the real life stuff so it irritates about as much as it falls completely flat. I should point out that the CGI, while ambitious, is a complete catastrophe and makes the film look very ugly, plus the surprisingly dark and unpleasant imagery peppered all over the movie does not help improve things.

A sequel to The Mask, perhaps one closer to the Dark Horse comics, could have been worthwhile and yet, without the charm of the 1994 cast and the overall competence of the original filmmakers, we are left with a thoroughly unappealing mess that's far too annoying to please anyone.

Sssssmokin'...

...is probably healthier for you than this movie.

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

Slightly underrated

[6/10 · 28 November 2023]

Released months earlier than previous recent films in the franchise, Solo: A Star Wars Story was Disney's most difficult new Star Wars film to get off the ground due to countless issues encountered during production, including reshoots, which led to a change in director as Ron Howard eventually took over from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

Between all that and on-set concerns over actor Alden Ehrenreich's performance, Solo sounded more and more like an unresolvable problem and, indeed, it ended up going way over budget and it struggled to break even after a relatively lukewarm run at the box-office. The Star Wars franchise is no stranger to production hell, however: Harrison Ford's injury on the set of The Force Awakens, Rogue One's reshoots etc. But those films still performed as expected in theatres so why did Solo struggle to pique audiences' interests?

One reason could be the release date that landed the film only a few months after The Last Jedi, perhaps too soon for people to really get excited about another Star Wars film, especially a spin-off prequel. Then there's the bad press the film received throughout its production. Watching the film itself, some aspects of it might just have made the studios slightly nervous and prompted them to just release it as soon as possible, hoping to bank on the Summer.

This is certainly not an essential film, and neither was Rogue One, but if there's one thing the latter showed it's that, if you tell a story well enough, it'll be worth sticking around for. Solo, thankfully, tells its story well and there's something comforting about spending this much time with a beloved character like Han Solo, even if it is a different actor playing the role. Critics saying Alden Ehrenreich does not look like Harrison Ford or didn't do a good job adopting the actor's mannerisms were simply not paying any attention or went into the film with this idea already in mind.

Truth is, Ehrenreich does so well with his portrayal of the iconic character that, in some shots, it's almost like seeing a young Harrison Ford back in the role. You can tell the actor put a lot of work into his performance and he's likable throughout. Same goes for Donald Glover's take on Lando Calrissian, though Glover doesn't quite disappear into the role once played by Billy Dee Williams due to his increased popularity making it tough to forget him and see him only as Lando.

The plot sees a young Han and his girlfriend Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke) escape a criminal gang they stole from, before they get separated and Han is forced to join the Imperial Navy in order to become a pilot, find a ship and return for Qi'ra, who was left behind. During a battle, he meets a group of soldiers who turn out to be criminals and he decides to join them, though they initially betray him. During his adventure, he meets the likes of Chewbacca, Lando and others as he finally joins Tobias Beckett's (Woody Harrelson) team of misfits and tries to help recover copious amounts of coaxium for intimidating crime lord Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany).

This being a prequel, there is obviously a good amount of fan service thrown in (the Millennium Falcon is introduced, Han shoots first at one point, there's a big last minute cameo) and this should either please or infuriate fans who both want to see all this stuff but also don't want it to be shown to them, so... therein lies the Star Wars fan paradox.

One thing that might have played a part in this unexpected Summer release is the film's surprisingly gloomy visuals. Perhaps fearing a completely depressing Winter release, Disney might've thought that the Summer's inherent brightness might balance the film's dark and foggy look somewhat? Hard to say. If you thought that Rogue One looked gritty, then expect Solo to look gritty even in comparison to that film. It's unclear (literally) why most of the settings in this movie are either overcast or shrouded in darkness.

Maybe the idea was to show a grimy, sleazy side of the galaxy, seeing as the main characters are all criminals, but that doesn't make for a particularly joyful or uplifting experience, something you would frankly expect from a Han Solo movie. This stylistic choice might have worried the studios and, indeed, it could alienate fans but the film is still visually appealing even if it's about as colorful as a rain cloud. And its tone can be light with Han bringing the one-liners, while Lando adds some smooth coolness to the proceedings.

Parts of Solo definitely suggest creative differences along the way when the project was being conceived, however, Ron Howard has managed to somehow tell a good Han Solo story regardless. There are some predictable moments, odd choices here and there and Emilia Clarke never seems to really get into the spirit of things but, overall, this is an enjoyable (if slightly overlong) piece of Western-style sci-fi that's well worth experiencing.

Flawed but fun.

The Shape of Water (2017)

Nothing drastically new but a well made film

[7/10 · 28 November 2023]

The Best Picture winner at the 2018 Academy Awards, Guillermo Del Toro's The Shape Of Water was a typically strange tale for the director as it followed a mute janitor who falls in love with an Amphibian Man who is being held in a secret government facility.

Sally Hawkins is Elisa, the cleaner with a monotonous daily routine who identifies with the aforementioned creature and decides to help him when it becomes clear that, after much torture, Michael Shannon's sadistic military official will likely let him die. It's a very simple tale and it's not unlike many other fantasy romance stories but it is undeniably really well told. Guillermo Del Toro brings to the film his usual brand of effortless charm, visual flair and sudden brutality with some extra whimsy thrown in à la Jean-Pierre Jeunet.

Armed with some gorgeous cinematography, a lovely Oscar-winning score by Alexandre Desplat and a pitch-perfect cast, what The Shape Of Water lacks in originality, it makes up for in sheer competence on all levels. There's a fairy tale quality to many of Del Toro's works and this film is no exception: it's a sweet and often heartbreaking love story and there's definitely something irresistible about it.

Elisa's friends include a down-and-out artist neighbor called Giles (an excellent Richard Jenkins) and co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) who looks out for her and acts as her interpreter. The "fish-man" is, of course, Doug Jones covered head-to-toe in make-up and there's an unlikely ally in the form of a Soviet double-agent (played by Michael Stuhlbarg). The film takes a few poetic leaps but, unlike the dream or dream-like sequences in Pan's Labyrinth, they're rarely nightmarish. Instead, we see Elisa and the Amphibian Man share a dance like they're in an MGM musical or fill up an entire bathroom with water.

This is certainly Del Toro's most whimsical film to date but a particularly unsettling Michael Shannon performance, the cat-eating scene, some occasional nudity and other elements just about save it from being too saccharine. As enjoyable as the film is, however, one wishes that there was a bit more to it because, as it stands, it's a nice fable but it's not exactly unpredictable or anything ground-breaking. In the end, it still feels a bit like the ending of Splash got its own spin-off movie somehow.

Fans of Guillermo Del Toro's work (and everyone else) should have a good time watching The Shape Of Water. Even though it's frankly a bit slight substance-wise and the Oscars were arguably a bit too generous with it, it's a charming and well made film with lots of talent involved all around.

Pretty good.

The Santa Clause (1994)

Enjoyable Christmas movie

[7/10 · 28 November 2023]

Tim Allen stars in The Santa Clause, a Christmas-set family comedy from Disney released back in 1994. Allen plays Scott Calvin, a father who finds himself reluctantly taking on the big job of being Santa Claus after accidentally knocking Santa off his roof on Christmas Eve.

The simple premise is a fun one and it sets things up for an enjoyably silly and charming Christmas movie quite nicely. As Scott Calvin desperately tries to cling onto what he believes to be reality and deny the existence of Santa, the elves etc. Despite having taken on that role himself for an entire night, he finds that the "clause" he's unwittingly adhered to involves a lot more than he'd bargained for. This includes physically turning into Santa himself as he suddenly puts on weight and grows an impossible-to-shave beard and, while he starts to accept and even enjoy the idea of becoming Santa Claus, and this strengthens his once cold relationship with his young son, it also presents problems at work and with his ex-wife who becomes understandably concerned.

There's a lot of potential for laughs with this whole idea and the film does have its funny parts and clever one liners, delivered effortlessly by a perfectly cast Tim Allen, but it's a very safe movie that never aims for anything beyond light-hearted cheese. It's never quite as funny as it could've been and the film's plot stagnates quite a bit after the initial North Pole adventure. One can't help but feel that making Scott Calvin more odious from the get-go would've made his (literal) transformation mean a lot more and presented more opportunities for amusing conflicts. As it stands, the likes of Peter Boyle and Judge Reinhold feel a tad wasted in a film that could have easily made the most of their talents.

If you think about it for two seconds, the idea of a man being forced to be Santa Claus, both as a job and... physically, with no possibility of opting out, is a bit of a disturbing one so the man in question would've had to be a real Scrooge to deserve something like that. Calvin really isn't that bad. Sure, he's snarky to his ex and her new boyfriend and the Christmas he'd planned for his son turns out to be a disaster but hey, at least he cared enough to try. The message the film sends ends up feeling a bit clumsy when it comes to Calvin's relationship with his family. That said, with all the Christmas spirit shoved in your face throughout the movie, this is easy to overlook, especially for younger viewers who will, quite likely, enjoy every minute of it.

Despite its refusal to go all out Nutty Professor-style and live up to its comedic potential, The Santa Clause remains a charming little film with enough Christmas spirit to make it a worthy seasonal treat that kids and grown-ups can enjoy together that time of year. Slight warning, however, those special effects do not hold up as well as they once did.

Likable.

Return to Oz (1985)

Creepy fantasy masterpiece

[10/10 · 28 November 2023]

The only film to date directed by Walter Murch, Return To Oz is a Disney-produced late sequel to the classic The Wizard Of Oz. Though it performed poorly at the box-office, it received an Oscar nomination for Visual Effects and has enjoyed a cult following since then.

Picking up soon after the original film, Dorothy (Fairuza Balk) is still living in Kansas but the farm is destroyed, her Aunt Em (Piper Laurie) and Uncle Henry (Matt Clark) are struggling financially and worried about her mental health as she keeps talking about the Land Of Oz like it's a real place. Leaving Toto behind, Em takes Dorothy to a hospital where a doctor promises to make her well using electrotherapy. Another young girl, who is a patient in the hospital, warns Dorothy about the dangers of this kind of therapy and, following a power cut, they escape together. They get lost floating down a river and Dorothy is finally transported to Oz, or rather... what's left of it.

Dorothy quickly finds that, not only is she not in Kansas anymore, but Oz is a very different place than she remembers. All the people have turned into statues, a frightening gang called The Wheelers roam the kingdom doing a (mostly) headless witch called Mombi's (Jean Marsh) bidding and Oz is ruled by the Nome King (Nicol Williamson) who has laid claim to the emeralds that made up the Emerald Kingdom. Dorothy is taken aback by what has become of her beloved magical land but, with the help of new friends Tik-Tok, Jack Pumpkinhead and the Gump, she sets out to find a solution.

It's a shame that Return To Oz didn't enjoy much success financially back in the day as director Walter Murch, who mostly worked as an editor since, might've then be inspired to work on more Oz films or more films in general. This is a surprisingly clever sequel that doesn't aim to redo a classic, instead taking this universe into a completely different direction while still, of course, keeping a good amount of magic and wonder intact. This isn't a musical, for one, the overall tone is much darker and we are closer to L. Frank Baum's vision than ever.

There are references and obvious parallels to the original film as Dorothy is facing another potentially life-threatening disaster and finds herself in Oz out of sheer desperation. But her challenges here are a lot more frightening: the electrotherapy threat, not to mention the creepy hospital she finds herself in, is very unsettling so you can definitely understand her need to lose herself in her own imagination. In Oz, however, things are just as scary and that's something she's going to have to accept and deal with. This is a film about growing-up, after all, and taking on grown-ups who might want to harm you, despite their possible good intentions.

Much has been said about how scary the film is for young viewers and, indeed, this one may prove too much for some. The witch Mombi waking up without a head, her many disembodied heads displayed behind glass cases all screaming in unison, alone should cause one or two nightmares. And The Wheelers are no help at all! But this film encourages children to face their fears and look deeper into things so they can understand and, ultimately, defeat them so the message is an important one. And the film isn't all horror, it's heartwarming and heartbreaking in equal parts as well. Dorothy's new friends are immediately lovable and their relationship feels a lot more powerful than her bond with Scarecrow etc. In the original film.

Return To Oz is an ambitious film that took on the task of following one of the greatest movies ever made and somehow, miraculously lived up to it. This is a film that kids will certainly be challenged and fascinated by but it's one that adults will have a great time dismantling and exploring as well from a completely different point-of-view. The cast here fits so well: Fairuza Balk is a revelation being a much more convincing little girl than Judy Garland, giving a natural performance with a good amount of depth to it. Nicol Williamson and Jean Marsh have the time of their lives hamming it up as the villains, the voice cast, which includes Denise Bryer, Brian Henson (Jim Henson's son), Sean Barrett and Deep Roy are simply wonderful, the puppeteering is top tier and it makes perfect sense that Henry Selick was on storyboard duties for this one seeing how inventive the shots are in this movie.

It may sound like an overstatement to say that this sequel to The Wizard Of Oz surpasses its predecessor in a lot of ways but it really isn't, though the sheer scale of the original is hard to match. Both are charming films but Return To Oz is a lot less comfy and, because of that, it engages the viewer to really think about the beauty of imagination, the idea of leaving a tough reality, whether that's the ultimate solution or not and what growing up is all about. The look of the film is not as cartoony as the original classic but it still looks great, boasts some nifty stop-motion animation, stunning practical effects and its grittier approach makes the fantasy of it all feel a lot more real.

Highly recommended.

Renegade (2004)

Intriguing western

[7/10 · 28 November 2023]

Released in 2004, Renegade was a very loose adaptation the French/Belgian comic book series Blueberry, and it starred Vincent Cassel as a U. S. Marshal who was partly raised by Native Americans. The cast also includes Michael Madsen, Juliette Lewis and Ernest Borgnine.

The classic comics were illustrated by Jean Giraud, also known as Moebius, so adapting the striking visual style established in the books to the big screen was always going to be a challenge, especially for a French production. Surprisingly, the film's budget was quite high and its straight-to-DVD release in the U. S. hardly earned it much attention. Critically, it wasn't particularly well received outside of French-speaking countries, or even back home, but it got some praise here and there for at least trying something a bit different with the Western genre.

Indeed, this isn't your typical Spaghetti Western, especially by the time you get to the film's trippy third act. And although it's pretty much nothing like the comics both in terms of tone and visuals, it's shot with enough flair and creativity that you can tell it was based on something pretty unique and the final burst of CG madness is clearly a homage to Moebius' more surreal works.

There is something refreshing about how unusual this movie is. The plot centers around Mike Donovan/Blueberry (Cassel) and his nemesis Wallace Sebastian Blount (Madsen), who once got a prostitute killed in front of him, as they make their way towards a mountain where they both take part in a shamanic ritual that might save or take away their lives. Along the way, Donovan meets Maria Sullivan (Lewis) who wants revenge for her father (played by Geoffrey Lewis) after he is killed by Blount.

It's a solid cast but, unfortunately, the actors often struggle with an occasionally weak script and, while Vincent Cassel looks the part, he doesn't really command the screen as much as you'd expect him to. For all its visual bells and whistles, Renegade has some serious pacing issues and its bold moves towards the end are undermined by a rather dull second act. Furthermore, as inventive as its ending may be, it'll likely leave you more confused than impressed.

Renegade won't be for everyone. Those expecting a faithful adaptation of the comics, a more traditional Western or an action-packed adventure will be disappointed but if you're up for something a bit weirder and more experimental, this is worth trying once.

Uneven yet intriguing flop.

Ready Player One (2018)

Rare Spielberg miss

[4/10 · 28 November 2023]

Based on the pop culture reference-heavy novel by Ernest Cline, Ready Player One is a Steven Spielberg blockbuster in which a VR simulation has somehow become more real to people who connect to it than reality itself with an Easter Egg hunt in the digital world promising full control of the so-called "OASIS" to the player who wins.

On paper, Ready Player One is an appealing, relevant big-budget sci-fi epic with an attractive scenario: a dystopian near future seeking refuge in a virtual utopia. Here we have an adventure told through a video game, a whole array of pop culture icons thrown in just for fun and a master like Spielberg himself at the helm. Whether you enjoyed Cline's novel or not, it's hard to not be at least a little curious about how the film would handle all these promising aspects.

We follow Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) as he discovers a clue that would bring him closer to finding the much-coveted Easter Egg put there by the late inventor of the OASIS James Halliday (Mark Rylance). Along the way, he befriends another player called Art3mis (Olivia Cooke) and, together with a few others, they go through Halliday's files and search for more clues. Meanwhile, the shady CEO of a company (played by Ben Mendelsohn) seeks to take over the OASIS by any means necessary so the heroes have to deal with him too.

You can easily imagine a cult sci-fi film akin to Death Race 2000 or Tron in which the hero drives his DeLorean through various familiar movie or game-themed locations taking down bad guys in the virtual world. Indeed, an early racing scene in which we see Wade (aka Parzival) drive past a T-Rex and King Kong, among other obstacles, had all it needed to hook us into the adventure for good.

Unfortunately, some of the film's main issues come to light right there and then.

The over-abundance of CGI, which admittedly makes sense in an all-virtual setting, turns a potentially exciting sequence into a fast-paced Speed Racer-style mess of pixels and digital fog. The action should be simple and fun but it's all so poorly choreographed that it becomes impossible to care about what's going on. The characters are just not developed or likeable enough to offset that visual clutter with some humanity and it doesn't help that the solution to winning the race turns out to be so insultingly obvious.

The film constantly fails to capture why games are fun, how they can be genuinely challenging, why the famous characters we're shown constantly are so cool, plus we're told the real world is a nightmare but, aside from a bunch of trailers stacked one on top of the other and the aforementioned villainous organization, we never really get to understand how the world got like this, why it's actually all that bad and how people feel about what it's become. All the interesting questions are either ignored or vaguely implied and, while it's one thing to throw in a bunch of Easter Eggs in a movie, making the plot itself and all character development Easter Eggs too really doesn't make for a particularly immersive or clever experience.

Keeping the plot simple was a good move on Spielberg's part but broad strokes can only get you so far when your script is so underwritten that everything in the movie just comes off as shallow and mostly uninteresting. More fleshed-out characters, less busy visuals and an actually interested approach to the real world we're introduced to would have improved this one quite a bit but, as it stands, it's a rare misstep from one of the best directors around.

Ready Player One is certainly a slick blockbuster on the surface and its premise should be appealing enough in itself to draw people in. However, this is a disappointingly bare excuse for an adventure that tries desperately to make its visuals the star but fails to impress even in that department. It's mostly obnoxious, criminally unfunny and about as entertaining as a broken Sega Master System.

See, I can do references too.

Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)

Uneven but worth a click

[6/10 · 28 November 2023]

Taking a page out of "beloved" animated "classic" The Emoji Movie, the sequel to Disney's 2012 video game-themed feature Wreck-It Ralph turns its attention to the internet, where Ralph (John C. Reilly) and Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) travel to in order to save the latter's arcade game.

We pick up the story months after the first film ended as Ralph and Vanellope go about their days doing their respective jobs, occasionally jumping into other arcade games for fun (drinking root beer in Tapper, racing in Tron etc.). Everything seems hunky dory until Vanellope voices that she's a bit bored with her daily routine and wants more. Looking to help out, Ralph enters Sugar Rush and creates a random path in the game, which gives Vanellope the challenge she was looking for but also confuses the player of the game who ends up breaking the arcade machine's wheel.

Since the replacement part needed costs a bit too much on eBay, the Sugar Rush machine is promptly unplugged and Vanellope finds herself gameless until further notice. Ralph's solution is to break into the internet, find eBay and somehow get the new wheel delivered. He and Vanellope discover a whole new world beyond the arcade and their friendship is put to the ultimate test.

Pulling these characters away from a retro game setting was certainly a risky move for this franchise, one that could have easily turned audiences off completely. Luckily, the film is competent enough to not stray too far from what made the original film so enjoyable. There is certainly a more cynical approach to this movie as real online brands are splattered all over the screen constantly and the portrayal of the internet is kind, to say the least. Not to mention Disney's shameless self-promotion throughout which, while younger viewers will no doubt enjoy seeing their favorite princesses in the movie, doesn't really make a whole lot of sense in this particular story. Having said that, Vanellope's princess song is irresistible and the best scene in the film by far.

Ralph and Vanellope's friendship is the main focus here and the film really goes out of its way to make this part of the movie feel genuinely heartfelt. Vanellope's dream becomes to join an online racing game called Slaughter Race, where every race is a real challenge and, although Ralph wants to make his friend happy, he is also torn because he knows that this might mean he'll have to let her go.

Ralph Breaks The Internet's take on friendship is actually pretty brutal and, although it later tries to put a positive spin on things, it's overall a bit of a downer. The message, that sometimes you have to give your friends space to pursue their own dreams, is true but it's the unspoken implications of it (maybe long distance friendships can't survive) that are particularly heartbreaking, if also true. The film manages to somehow have its cake and eat it too: it's basically just one big soulless ad for Disney and various other brands but it also has a strong emotional core and it takes its characters in a bold direction.

There's a film as tear-jerkingly good as Toy Story 3 in there somewhere but there's a bad Emoji Movie lodged in there too, one that you can't help but feel stains the whole thing quite a bit. There are enough cool car chases and fun character moments to keep you going, on the plus side, and the visuals are admittedly gorgeous.

This is a more bittersweet movie than you'd expect and it should annoy as well as charm in relatively equal amounts. For every well done emotional moment, there's a groan-inducing eBay/Amazon/Pinterest/etc. Reference, so this is a bit of a mixed bag but it manages to stay afloat thanks to how much it cares about its characters and, of course, the slick animation.

Uneven but worth a click.

Presidents (2021)

Enjoyable, if forgettable

[6/10 · 7 November 2023]

Presidents is a satirical look at a couple of French Presidents who find themselves, post-presidency, interested in joining forces, despite their considerable differences, in order to make a big comeback. The characters of Nicolas and François being obviously based on Nicolas Sarkozy (Jean Dujardin) and François Hollande (Gérard Gadebois) despite the film jokingly telling us it is definitely not about them.

We are led through the story by Nicolas, an often spot-on performance by Dujardin, who narrates the highs and lows of his political stint from his ascension to the presidency, to his defeat against François and then his failure to return as a lead candidate. The considerable legal troubles, which the actual ex-President has been involved with over the past few years, are roughly hinted at but never explored or even a real part of this story, which feels a little strange. Nicolas, desperate to revive his political career, decides to travel to a little town in the French countryside which happens to be where François lives. The latter has basically retired from politics at this point and is (reluctantly?) enjoying a normal day to day routine. Nicolas' ulterior motive soon becomes clear as he attempts to convince François to form a new party together.

If there was going to be a comedy about two French Presidents, it just makes sense that these two would be the chosen subjects as their personalities, and politics, are vastly different which makes from an entertaining contrast. Though, placing the two side by side as equally cartoonish individuals will no doubt alienate some viewers. Ultimately, the film suggests that they have more in common than they realize, namely the thirst for power and the wild ride leading up to it. Presidents could have easily descended into pure farce or taken itself way too seriously. Thankfully, the film finds a good middle line and doesn't cross it either way, making the uneven script a lot more palatable. It also helps that both Jean Dujardin and Grégory Gadebois deliver fantastic performances throughout.

The problem with Presidents is that, while its comedy is solid and it boasts some biting one-liners, it gets bogged down too much with trying to psychoanalyze its subjects, which never feels authentic and gives the film an odd tone. The cast is likable, the film itself has its funny moments but, unless you're really invested in French politics, I can't imagine that this one would be worth it.

An enjoyable, if forgettable, watch.