Jeoffrey

The Boy and the Beast has definitely got quite a few shortcomings. It is way too long for a start, sometimes does not make any sense at all, and the ending is way too hectic. The movie's message about everyone having a dark side that they have to fight gets somewhat lost in the mess of CGI. On the other hand, it has an interesting, enjoyable, and nicely animated narrative, plus a great soundtrack and likable characters. I really enjoyed watching them, and they kept me entertained for the first two-thirds of this movie (I already mentioned the ending, which I did not think was very good, it was too upbeat and rosy, which did not suit the overall mood at all). So, to sum up, Mamoru Hosoda did not disappoint me too much, although it was not deep enough compared to Wolf Children, not as amusing as Summer Wars, and less interesting compared to The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. I guess so far this is perhaps Hosoda's weakest movie of the past ten years, even though I think it is still above-average in general. 6.7/10.

I should be very strict because what I just saw was definitely not average... I am going to start with what is good about this movie, and that is the soundtrack. The music of the soundtrack is pretty well selected and matches the narrative, and it was pleasant to listen to. I have watched enough movies with narratives concerning a boy and his journey of discovery. However, I somehow cannot understand that after a boy declares that anything is possible if you believe in it with all your heart, he then has to embark on an epic journey only to find out what he already knew from the beginning regardless. However, then again, the movie probably would not have any narrative to speak of without that. As for this movie's narrative, it was also quite peculiar. It seemed quite good that we get introduced to all sorts of different peoples and cultures throughout the journey, which are usually quite original, although what happens in between, how it all builds up, and how it ends is not so great. I think the movie's creators simply wanted to showcase a sort of epic Lord of the Rings-style battle, so what does it matter that what leads up to it does not make that much sense? The twists are so weird that you cannot get your head around them at first, and eventually, you either learn not to think about them or get angry and stop watching. In general, the way the "fellowship"," or if you want "the group that follows the magician," gets together seems somehow random, forced, and quite peculiar. So is the strange romantic subplot between Savva and the Shaman of the tribe Shisha's granddaughter. Again, the whole thing feels like the screenwriters just kind of decided she would be stuck in there, although they did not want to do more with her or develop her character. There was not much to speak of as far as the comedy goes. Even the references to other movies did not work for me. Even the line "come with me if you want to live" just felt weird again at the point and moment where it was dropped. The worst part was probably the ending and Savva's slow-motion run through the field of roses "to find his love" - although no, it was not romantic and sweet, it was just dumb. Add to that the hyenas that look like they escaped from the circus, the three-headed monkey queen, the pink "Puffy" creature, and many other strange things and characters that made me shake my head. Indeed, it was either stupid or weird most of the time, even though there were a few moments that I liked and that were very original. For example, there was the "magician" who lived in a house with chicken legs picking the wrong kid to eat. So back to the beginning, "I should be very strict because what I just saw was definitely not average, and it was so stupid that it was pretty good. So, as a result, and even though my brain tells me I should give it two stars at most, I am still not going to because I just like weird stuff sometimes". 5/10.

I have to appreciate two things that were probably the most successful things about this movie, and that is it is original, and the soundtrack is good. As far as the soundtrack is concerned, it was pleasant and the music was very well selected. As for the originality, the movie has a narrative taking place in a world where when the time comes, the "Feather King" will come for you and take you to his kingdom full of rules where the most powerful being is the goddess who is probably something like a giant octopus judging by her tentacles! The movie's producers and screenwriters were certainly not lacking imagination, and so the narrative featuring a futile struggle against the order of things looks very interesting indeed. The characters are also endearing, Johan is brave and I was rooting for him in his efforts to bring his family together. I liked Bill and his "freewheeling" ways as well. The animation is not great, and I cannot say I thought it was amazing, more like it did not really work for me; however, it also had a certain amount of originality, which I appreciated. So, in the end, we have a pretty good story told in a very original way with a nice soundtrack, which is pleasant to watch, so quite a nice surprise. 7/10.

Sometimes you can really cram a lot into one narrative. There are more than a few messages and themes to think about in ​​Jungle Emperor Leo. I guess everyone could find themselves drawn into some reflections on environmental issues, the search for oneself, the man's place in the world, or simply friendship. I quite enjoyed it, the setting was interesting, and the way they dealt with issues made them seem quite important. The characters were quite likable except for Kenichi's father; his blindness and trying to play God did not bother me too much, although he was quite useful as a representation of some extreme views. The animation was quite nice, and the soundtrack was okay too. I thought this was quite an interesting production with some thought-provoking themes. 7.5/10.

Tad: The Lost Explorer is not a real gem of a movie; however, I have to say that I enjoyed watching it quite a lot. I learned that sometimes all you need to be happy is strong determination and the courage to go for it, and above all, an Indiana Jones hat. Plus, the references to famous movies were really funny, especially the Star Wars one, and I have to say that I would have loved a soap opera with that twist (I am not your mom, I am your dad). The characters were great, especially the parrot with the signs and the tour guide who has to support his large family. Basically, it would have been average despite the fact that my "very favorite group" One Direction performed the theme music; however, because it had wit and suspense similar to the previously mentioned Indiana Jones movies, I was ultimately quite satisfied despite some things being terribly obvious and predictable. 7/10.

So it is definitely obvious that the people from Paramount put money into this particular animated movie, and I would not be surprised if the US government poured money into it too, because I do not think anyone would produce such a celebration of the American space program for free. Otherwise, this is an average, maybe slightly above-average movie in all respects, with pretty decent animation, a good soundtrack, an average narrative, and a classic message about the importance of family. It might be quite enjoyable for kids because it is set in space, there is a likable iguana and some relatively interesting characters. However, I found it to be only a bit better than average. 5.5/10.

Everything is wrong with this movie. The animation is terrible, the characters and environments do not look natural, everything is incredibly polished and too colorful. The movement of the characters is completely unnatural; in some cases, it is jerky; in other cases, it is too rushed. I found this movie quite unwatchable. The characters did not make you like them, the main male protagonist is about as cool as Justin Bieber, the main female protagonist is basically just a calculating cow who only joins the main male protagonist because she needs a biology tutor, and the cold bad guy and his evil laugh do not seem scary at all. Plus, putting a pink talking rabbit in it as the animal mascot is the height of tastelessness, in my opinion. The dialogues are really terrible sometimes, the narrative makes absolutely no sense at all, and the comedy element, which I could have maybe found slightly amusing, is also completely absent. I consider the subject matter and the soundtrack as the only positive things. There are not that many narratives concerning the discovery of a microcosm. It might not have been such a tragedy with better execution and a bit of imagination; unfortunately, there was not much of either. The soundtrack was not terrible, which is a positive thing for a movie like this. It is not a complete BOO!, however, it is pretty close. 1/10.

+Tic Elder Sister contains a lot of absurd parts and some more endearing ones, although some of the jokes were hilarious. I thought that probably the best moments are when Kuniki goes to fight off the delinquents, and then when Cindy teaches tennis, I had quite a laugh at that one. However, despite that, this movie was only slightly better than average, in my opinion. 6/10.

I can provide a basic summary of this movie in four beautiful words - entertainingly over-the-top. The narrative is insane, the twists are unpredictable, the characters are completely over-the-top, and the soundtrack is very distinctive, sometimes too much so. Of course, that is what anime movies are like too, and it is often impressive. The first shock was when, at the very beginning, I heard them speak English and, I guess, miracles do happen; it is not the typical "English spoken with a heavy Japanese accent" but rather authentic natural English. I have rarely experienced that with anime movies or TV series. Then the anime's creators introduce us to the main three protagonists. A-ko is a much hyped-up action female protagonist with incredible strength. B-ko is cold and calculating, and C-ko balances on the border of cuteness, stupidity (or naivety) and is completely insufferable (whiny) throughout the movie. They are an interesting trio indeed, even though other than C-ko's occasional exaggerated outbursts, I had virtually no problem with it. I guess I enjoyed watching the over-the-top nonsense the most. I enjoyed the sense of unreality and classic clichés in a form that I am not too used to yet. This movie contains almost everything you could encounter in most anime movies or TV series these days. There is mecha, fan service, splashy fights, traditional Japanese perversions, stupid and crazy jokes, and many other things (maybe the only thing missing was the tentacles). However, this movie is different; it is less predictable (cheesy) and more fun. I had really enjoyed this movie. If you think that anime movies and TV series used to be much better (in terms of content) than today and that most of today's output is like a carbon copy of stuff done in the past and is full of stupidly censored fan service, this movie might give you a little something extra. 8/10.

Zootropolis or Zootopia is a utopia with animals, or, if you like, a city of animals, where everyone lives side by side without any discrimination and instead of eating each other, they help each other. A city where, as the main female protagonist says, everyone can be whoever they want. I was originally expecting a load of crap, the last animated movie I saw from Disney was (if I am not mistaken) a crazy musical called Strange Magic, and I started giving up on The Mouse's animated creations. Plus, animals that act like humans? I have been coming across this subject matter far too often lately, and after another utter fiasco called Norm of the North and the sheer horror of Agent F.O.X., I did not really want to watch this at all. But one positive review I saw finally convinced me to take the plunge, and I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised indeed. The animation is very nice; the settings are interesting and imaginative. The characters are interesting, Judy is cute (although I probably should not say that about her), and Nick is likable. The narrative is very good, and it is safe to say it is a pretty good whodunit with lots of twists and an unusually detailed portrayal of an investigation for an animated movie. SPOILER ALERT I watched the suspect and thought it would be nice if the perpetrator were really him. The fact that this came true pleased me; however, when I was expecting the ending and the vague message about equality between all animals, the movie's screenwriters surprised me by going even further and interestingly developing the point they wanted to make. I knew the real perpetrator the moment he turned up, it was almost immediately clear, and the point about equality between the animals and the message of the whole movie worked quite well for me. END OF SPOILERS. As for the comedy aspect, I was not so entertained throughout the entire movie even though I did have a good time for most of it and occasionally laughed (at the sloths, the mafia boss, etc.). All in all, I have just watched a very enjoyable animated movie, and I am satisfied. 8.4/10.