The latest film from Aardam Animation does not disappoint. The story follows Dug, an ambitious caveman who gets his tribe caught up in a soccer tournament to save their ancestral home. Though a little too reliant on sports movie cliches, the film does a good job subtly exploring concepts related to societal progress and tradition, as the cavemen are overrun by the coming of the Bronze Age. The quirky sense of humor that permeates all of the studio's works is used really cleverly here. The animation is simply amazing. This is easily the most impressive film the studio has done from a visual standpoint. If the plot wasn't quite so predictable, this would easily be up there with Aardam's best films. As it is its still among this year's better animated fare.
Score: 8/10
The divisive show comes to the big screen. I'll admit I never had much of an opinion on Teen Titans Go! either way. I mildly enjoyed the few episodes I saw on Cartoon Network but I fully understand why fans of the original material dislike it. Nevertheless I think there is a place for silly, comedic superhero fare like Teen Titans Go! In any case, while I don't think this movie is going to change the minds of any of the show's haters, it's about as good as a feature adaptation of a comedic animated TV series could be.
Unlike some of the other films of this kind I've seen (various Futurama movies, Star Wars: The Clone Wars) the film does a good job creating a 90 minute story that doesn't just feel like a padded out episode of the show. This is due, mostly I think, to the film's use of a wide variety of DC superheroes who are not regularly featured in the show. Because of this the movie has a bigger scope and feels more cinematic. There's also an after credit scene that hints at a return for the 2003 series. The script is absolutely hilarious and almost all of the jokes hit their mark. Some might scoff at the film's hip, rapid fire humor but, in the age of Logan, Infinity War and Deadpool, this breezy 90 minute family friendly little comedy is a real breath of fresh air.
Score: 8/10
While not as bad as it's promotional material indicated the second Wreck-it-Ralph film suffers from too much pointless, filler humor and a plot that feels disconnected from the film's dramatic center. The good news is that the film is pretty funny (with as many jokes as it has it's likely that at least some will land) and does at least have an emotional story at its core: Ralph needs to let go of his insecurities and let Penelope live her own life. It's handled fairly well, using a visual metaphor that is equally disturbing and humorous and allowing Ralph to come to terms with his inner demons on his own. Unfortunately, this is not enough to save the film
I enjoyed the first film well enough and felt that it handled it's pop-culture milieu with a fair amount of class and restraint. Not so here. The internet culture references permeate the film to such a degree that it almost staggers the imagination. What's worse, they actively interrupt the story. Thus the story is halted for (what feels like) a 15 minute sequence where Sarah Silverman's Vanellope von Schweetz hangs out with the Disney® Princesses on the studios website. There's also a moment that is meant to be emotionally impactful where Ralph becomes upset after reading mean comments about his viral videos. There is no real lead up to this scene and it leads nowhere, Ralph just gets over it and moves on. This scene, like the film itself, could epitomize our entire bankrupt, throwaway culture.
Score: 6/10
Now this is more like it. After fourteen years, we finally have another great Spider-Man movie. The makers of Into the Spider-Verse understand the characters every-man appeal, and his tragic nature far better then any of the directors who have taken on the character since Sam Raimi. They also fully embrace the medium that birthed the character, with its zany story, driven by multiple time-dimensions crossing over, and its unique visual style, which draws inspiration from comic book art. They took rendered frames from the CGI team and worked over them in 2D, to give it a more hand drawn feel. They also used different art styles for the different universe versions of Spider-Man, giving each a a distinct look and feel.
I honestly don't want to say much about the plot or story. It's clever, funny and emotionally impactful. It's also appropriate for all ages without pandering to younger audiences. Go see this film, you won't regret it!
Score: 9/10
I did a video review of Incredibles 2 much earlier in the year if anyone is interested.
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