Doctor Who- Fury of the Deep

8/10

In this remastering of a lost Doctor Who serial (original audio is combined with animation), the second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) and his companions end up at a gas refinery with some sinister goings on.

This is prime Doctor Who. I can't say it is one of the more original ones or stands out from the rest, but it nails all the beats. This is just a fun sixties sci-fi tale. For a show from this era, it manages to maintain a surprisingly creepy atmosphere. 

This is back when there isn't as much character development with Doctor Who companions, but Victoria (Deborah Watling) is given some decent personality stuff to work with.

I like the background art in this. Has a pseudo painting-style to it. Though there is one "Easter egg" detail in this that bugs me, because it's non-chronological.

Overall, this is a fun watch. If you like sixties Doctor Who, then you'll probably like this.

History of Swear Words

 

8/10

The History of Swear Words on Netflix, looks at the history of... well, the title is self-explanatory. It's hosted by Nicholas Cage and features interviews with various comedians and historians or other experts. 

This is fairly amusing. Information is disseminated in a fun way. Though, it's kind of weird that this show looks at the different definitions swear words have had over the years, but never mentions that cops were used to be called dicks. I would've think that was an obvious speaking point.   

You get a good gang of personalities on this. I'm surprised that Nicolas Cage chose this as his first show ever (I believe). Then again, it makes perfect sense for him, this show being off-kilter. Nicolas Cage hosting exactly what you'd expect. He seems to be having fun as he bring his trademark energy.

Overall, I recommend this. It's an entertaining watch.

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon- Season 1

8/10

Yashahime is the sequel show to the hit Inuyasha. It stars Towa Higurashi, half-demon daughter of Inuyasha's antihero half-brother Sesshomaru, who was raised in modern times. She finds a way back to her native feudal Japan and teams up with her sister Setsuna, a demon hunter, and Inuyasha and Kagome's quarter-demon daughter Moroha, a bounty hunter, to fight demons and investigate what happened to their parents and why Setsuna can't remember Towa.

Now, this show doesn't match the original. Whereas Inuyasha was mostly based on the stories from the manga by Rumiko Takahashi, this is a purely original work. Without Takahashi, the characters and storylines are missing the particular touch she had. The show feels more like your basic battle of the week-style anime. Also, a lot, but not all, of the demon designs feel pretty generic and uninspired.

But this is all compared to Inuyasha, the show by itself is fairly entertaining. Yashahime is definitely faster-paced than its predecessor, which was a slow burn.   

I was worried about the three leads being copycat characters, but that turned out to be not much of a problem, and I ended up liking them. Setsuna and Moroha are generally similar their fathers, but they manage to be their own characters as well. Towa as the most original of the trio, makes for a fine leader. She's a tough combatant who is also surprisingly sweet and empathetic. I hear the characters' designs are also by Takahashi. They fare better than a lot of the other characters on the show. Towa is pretty distinctive in her all white school boys' uniform. 

The main villain Kirinmaru works pretty well. Naraku, the big baddie in Inuyasha, was a despicable schemer and puppetmaster interested mainly in increasing his own power. The writers for this got the good idea of going in the opposite direction for Kirinmaru. He's a bad dude, but he's got a warrior's code thing going on. Plus, he also seems to see the big picture besides his own goals. 

There is one element in this, which I would consider a spoiler and can't go into details, that is really creepy. I wish they hadn't done that. 

Still as a whole, I recommend this. If you're an Inuyasha fan, you could be disappointed. Overall, though, I found this to be a decent time waster. 

Raya and the Last Dragon

 

9/10

Raya and the Last Dragon takes place in the South Asian-inspired land of Kumandra, where Raya (voiced by The Last Jedi's Kelly Marie Tran), daughter of a chief, seeks to locate the legendary dragon Sisu (Awkwafina) in order to stop a great threat to everyone. 

This movie manages to bring the the modern Disney style, while feeling fresh. (At least for a Disney film, you can make all the Avater the Last Airbender comparisons you want.) Remember how Disney surprised everyone with Zootopia, a movie about racism? Well, now the focus is on the fear of other groups besides your own, resulting in a well told tale of cooperation and learning to trust. 

This has a sort of old-school fantasy quest feel to it. There is an impressive amount of world building here. Kumandra is a really fleshed-out land. Multiple characters are used, but the story never feels overwrought and pacing is smooth. 

The more dramatic underpinnings of the characters' struggles are well-balanced with humor. The third act and finale is really well done. Though I admit I do miss the classic straight-out delightfully wicked style of Disney villain that we haven't seen in a while, I really liked the two antagonists in this. Though they're doing bad things, they're well-rounded and you can see where they're coming from.

Tran fits the Disney princess style of voice to a T. Awkwafina is able to provide a great comic energy to Sifu.

The movie looks great. A lot of effort was given to coming up with the different costumes, civilizations, and terrain of the different tribes of Kumandra. There are two scenes in this that are up there with Disney's visual best.

Though this was a decently handled film, the cinematography didn't feel perfect to me. There seemed to be more close-ups than needed. Though the final action scene is very entertaining, I felt it didn't quite have the exact level of Disney action movement smoothness than many of the other films do.

Overall, I really recommend this. It's enjoyable for the whole family.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury

 

10/10

This contains 2 games, the previously released Super Mario 3D World and the brand new supplemental game Bowser's Fury.

Super Mario 3D World: 

In this follow-up to Super Mario 3D Land for the Nintendo 3DS, Mario, his brother Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad go to rescue six Sprixies who have been kidnapped by the evil Bowser.

I never had the opportunity to play the original version on the Wii U. I'm glad I finally got the chance. This has probably made my top 5 Mario games list. The Mario series has always been known for it's quality and managing to stay fresh, but the game developers really went all out this time. The level design is some of the best. It's impressive how fresh each stage is. 3D Land was a great game, but even it never reached the levels of creativity this one does. (I get the feeling that the creators were able to fulfill ideas for Land they had that the limitations of the device wouldn't allow them to put into practice.)  

A lot of levels are relatively short when compared to other traditional Mario games. That's actually a good call. This allows the developers to cram a ton of them. Plus, it makes it simpler to retrieve items you missed the first time around without taking forever to finish the stage again. The game is accommodating to both children/causuals and more hardcore gamers who like a challenge. After beating the main game, which isn't too hard at least from an adult's perspective, you get a few more bonus worlds where the difficulty is really ramped up (and the game continues to be creative, no rehashing.) There are also some pretty fun optional challenge stages that the series hasn't tried before.

I also like how the game got a little inventive with the maps No, they don't reach the ambitiousness of Super Mario World, but they do something different and become a little interactive. Mario and company can straight up walk wherever they want all over the level maps, plus they can do things like break blocks or find hidden coins or other things. (Though if you liked the games where you can find hidden exits in levels, this one doesn't do that.) 

The levels look great, too; colorful and creative. Like the level design, the appearances are distinctive without a lot of repetition. The music may be up their with some of the series' best.

As much as I love this game, there are a few parts that could've been improved upon. Most of the stages are suspended in air and you can die by falling off the sides. This wouldn't be an issue so much if it wasn't for the fact that the camera angle sometimes make it easy to point your character at the wrong angle and have him or her fall off the edge. Luckily, this issue doesn't pop up too much. 

The game requires you to collect stars hidden in each level in order to get past points. I find it unfair when they force you collect things in a basic platformer, if you aren't into the extra stuff and just want to play through. Plus, I just think it makes things harder for the kids.

The mushroom houses, where you can get bonus items, are the most uninspired, basic ones I've encountered in this series. They just lack the fun found in previous entries.

Although there are a lot of differences between this and 3D Land, I do think they were parts that were too reminiscent of the previous game. The mini-bosses Boom-Boom and Pom-Pom are brought back, and though they are fun designs, they don't really add anything new. The timer, in which you have to complete the level before the clock runs out or you die, returns, and I still don't see the point of using it out of nostalgia for the classic games. It doesn't make sense when you're also encouraged take the time to find hidden stars and other items. I'm also tired of each stage ending with the flagpole as a goal. I remember back when they would come up with a new goal for each game, and I miss the innovation.

Bowser's Fury:

Bowser's Fury takes the game play of 3D Land but puts in in an open collectathon world. The story involves Bowser being transformed by magic black paint into a giant rage monster. Mario teams up with Bowser Jr. in order to collect enough cat shines from the various islands in Lake Lapcat in order to free Bowser from the curse.

The game isn't too long. (I beat it in three or four hours.) But A LOT of of diverse gameplay is squeezed into this. 

What makes this game distinct is that it that it incorporates the old-school platformer format for power-ups into the open world. In the past, the power-ups were frequently intended to be used for specific tasks in limited capacities. Here, you can use fire or flying powers all over the place. Plus, I loved what they did with the item system. In 3D world, you can hold one power-up in reserve. Here, you can hold a whopping total of five items in reserve for EACH DIFFERENT TYPE OF ITEM!

Understand that this is only two players, unlike the four player availability in 3D World. Mario is player one and Bowser Jr. is two. I haven't played the latter, but he's a good assisting, computer-controlled character for single players. The best part is that you can make him very helpful when it comes to attacking bad guys, or if you don't want the handicap, you can have him let you do all the work.

Loved the design for Bowser in this. Though the idea of him becoming giant-sized has been done before, fury-mode Bowser is one of the more visually interesting versions. He's more menacing than he has ever been. (Plus, who doesn't like fire hair.) You fight him several times in this. These are definitely some of the easier battles with him in the series, but they're also some of the most fun. Throughout the game, Bowser will appear (separately from the boss fights) and rain fire destruction on the island for a brief period of time. It's an interesting idea that shakes things up and add a dramatic flair to the game. However, this can be a real pain since a lot of the gameplay is focused on precise movement and having Bowser show up and causing you to fall off a platform and have to start all over again is pretty frustrating. Also when you get really close to finishing the game, the attacks become unrelenting, which is  just a pain.

There are a couple weak spots in this. When you obtain one cat shine on an island, another challenge usually becomes available. However, the game doesn't always automatically set up the next one. You have to walk around a little before it comes. The game gives hints as to the next task, but they only show up when you enter an island's gate. This is frustrating since you have to walk back to it if you can't remember what to do next.

This is a visually distinctive Mario game. I'm not quite sure whether I like the look or not. You've got a blue lake surrounded by blue sky and blue . And there are stark grey or white color schemes in a lot of areas. It gives the game a weirdly sterile feel, but it does leave an impression.

Conclusion:

This is just a great collection. Both games are a lot of fun. Recommended to all ages.

Zack Snyder's Justice League

 

8/10

Having helmed Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman, director Zack Snyder's nextstep was to direct the Justice League. The whole thing was mapped out (WB gave Snyder a lot of control as the sort of architect of DCU), with more Justice League films planned. However, BvS didn't do as well as expected, resulting in the studios having less trust in Snyder and his darker, more serious angle. Then tragedy struck, his daughter committed suicide and he bowed out of the project. However, it seems WB execs had were losing  faith anyway: https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/wb-reportedly-blames-zack-snyder-justice-leagues-poor-performance/. Joss Whedon was brought in, and a lot was thrown out and an active attempt was made to make the movie more friendly to a traditional audience. However, now due to intense audience curiosity and AT&T wanting something big to sell HBOMax with, we've got what Snyder intended. 

The basic plot is the same: The Justice League forms to stop extraterrestrial baddie Steppenwolf (voiced by Ciarán Hinds) from conquering Earth. This is definitely a stronger work story-wise than the theatrical cut; the tone just didn't match with or had the confident setup of BvS. More weight is given to everything.  

The world building is so much more stronger than in the Whedon cut. This is probably the biggest strength to the film. Snyder is going for epic scope in this, and it does come across. Both Cyborg (Ray Fisher), Flash (Ezra Miller), especially Cyborg, have far better stories. 

It's been a while since I the theatrical cut, so I can't remember if Alfred (Jeremy Irons)  had less or the same amount of time, so I can't say they did him better here, but he definitely stands out with some of the best lines. (Flash has some good ones, too). I think I'll miss Irons the most out of the actors who'll no longer be reprising their roles after this. 

I know everyone else has said it already, but Steppenwolf is improved from the basic, paper-thin villian he was in the Whedon cut.  Now, he's still not the greatest villain. In the grand scheme of things, he's not that broad a character, still just the basic warrior type. But he's given legit background and motivation. 

I did think Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), who were already introduced in BVS, weren't given as much to do as the new characters. I thought Superman (Henry Cavill) was as improperly utilized as he was in the theatrical version.

Snyder has learned to make the characters more accessible. Sure, the movie is still about them having the weight of responsibility on their shoulders that comes from being demigods and keeps them separated a lot from the common folk, but it feels a lot less in-your-face.

Though I am glad I got to see Snyder make the film he wanted, I think he was allowed a little too much freedom. Snyder didn't need to make this 4 HOURS LONG. Quatro, Quatre, Vier. Don't get me wrong, I don't think this had to be under two hours, but this long? The thing is that there were several scenes that could've been cut or shortened without damaging the film. The epilogue feels especially indulgent and overkill.

Visually, Snyder is one of the most visually distinctive directors out there right now. No other types of films look quite like his. This movie is no exception, great cinematography and action. But, Snyder's gonna Snyder. Everything still looks grey. (You wonder how crops grow in this world when the sun never shines.

Several of the computer animated characters aren't polished enough. Snyder's love of grey is lended to the color scheme of three of the antagonists. I guess this is particularly frustrating since in the comics, Steppenwolf and the other baddies from the planet Apokolips tended to be more colorful-looking. I also found it unnecessary for him to make Steppenwolf and two other baddies computer animated when their original counterparts were humanoid, or in the case of Steppenwolf who was originally yellow-skinned, human-looking enough. One of these computer designs felt particularly weird since the character isn't alien-looking at all.

I think that Snyder cut Steppenwolf is tougher-looking and leaves more of an impression then theatrical cut Steppenwolf. (They look completely different.) However, I still think he is kinda basic-looking. (You'd think Snyder'd learn his lesson after the criticism of how uninspired-looking Doomsday was in BVS.) The various tiny pieces of his armor are constantly moving and it's distracting. They don't move in accordance with Steppenwolf's body movements, they just move completely at random, and I can only ask "Why?!"

How does this movie compare to the theatrical? I'll level with you, my memory's a little sketchy, and I only saw it once. I noticed that my IMDB rating for it is higher than I thought it was. I can say that I think this is the second best of Snyder's DCU trilogy. Though a lot of people say BVS was the weakest, I thought it was just a stronger film than the other two with more interesting stuff thrown at you. I think this is definitely worth a watch if you can stand 4 hours and provided you don't have a total aversion to Snyder's style.

Ducktales - Season 3 (Final)

 

9/10

In the final season of the Ducktales reboot, Scrooge McDuck (voiced by David Tennant) and his family find themselves going up against the evil organization F.O.W.L.

Though I'm sad to see this show end, it's nice to see it go on a high note. Whereas the first two seasons took took several episodes in to reach the their full potential, this season remains consistently good throughout, retaining the show's unique mix of comedy and adventure. 

Whereas the first season focused on Dewey (Ben Schwartz) and the second on Louie (SNL's Bobby Moynihan), this one focuses on Huey (Community/Raven Quest's Danny Pudi). I've been waiting to see him get the spotlight. Of the four kids on this show, he's always gotten the least amount of episodes centered around him. Donald Duck (Tony Anselmo) is also better utilized than he has been in the last few seasons. We get a very strong final main villain with interesting objectives and provides a worthy foil for Scrooge McDuck.  

I'm really pleased with the finale, it's just one of the best ones I've seen. It is surprisingly able to include the majority of the sizable main and supporting cast while also tying up all the storylines in a fairly emotional way. Not to mention that the animation is super fluid in this. I have nothing but respect for finale. It shouldn't be as good as it is considering all the balls that had to be juggled. (Animating it couldn't have been easy.)

If there were any issues I had with this, it's got to be the episode The Fight for Castle McDuck. The show is known for taking liberties with characters. (For instance, Flintheart Glomgold being changed into a joke villain as compared to his far more competent original.) Here, Scrooge's sister Matilda (voiced by Michelle Gomez) is adapted from the comics into animation for the very first time. I was disappointed how they ditched her original personality (she was the straight man in her family) into a frankly obvious and predictable unsuccessful sibling who's self-delusional. Heck the whole McDuck family dynamic in this kinda a bore; weakest episode in the season. 

Overall, if you liked the first two seasons, you won't be disappointed. This was all so entertaining.

Secrets of Sulphur Springs- Season 1

 

8/10

In Secrets of Sulphur Springs, Griffin Campbell (played by Preston Campbell) moves into an abandoned hotel where a girl went missing decades ago. There, Griffin and his new friend Harper Dunn (Kyliegh Curran; yes that's how her first name is supposed to be spelled) discover a big secret which causes them to investigate the disappearance. 

This isn't my age demographic, but the commercials made me curious. It had a sort of uncanny feel to it that Watcher in the Woods had. Turns out the show isn't that spooky. The commercials and parts of Sulphur Springs try to imply things get eerie, but they really don't. Goosebumps or Are You Afraid of the Dark this isn't. But that's alright, this is a mystery-heavy paranormal kids show and you just don't see those that much. So, yeah if you were found of WitW, then you may like this. 

The story is pretty simple overall, but the show does a surprisingly good job of pacing things. That being said, Griffin's two younger siblings and their subplot of investigating the hotel's haunting feels just like filler and don't add much. (On the other hand, Harper's brother Topher (Bryant Tardy) is one of the better parts of the show and is a sibling that works. He provides decent semi-comic relief and never overstays his welcome.)

What's refreshing is that the main characters make smart decisions. This involves a gimmick, which I won't spoil, that's been done a lot, and it's nice to see the writers say "yeah, we've all been here before and we're not gonna waste your time with the characters wrapping their heads around it."  

There is also a stern, overbearing father character in this who is painfully one-note, but he's not in this that much.

The child acting in this is pretty good all around. Campbell and Curran do their roles well, I wish them the best in their future careers.

Overall, I recommend this show for your kids. It's just well done.

South ParQ Vaccination Special

 

9/10

South Park presents it's second COVID-19-themed special. The vaccines are coming out and practically everyone in town is trying to get one. 

I found this funnier than the last special, and bare in mind that I liked that one. SPVS seems to know more what it wants to be. A lot of good material is mined from both people's lack of patience for waiting for the COVID vaccinations to become available for all and the insanity of Qanon conspiracists. Also, the show does a pretty interesting and nutso job of reintroducing Mr. Garrison, whose appearances over the past few years had become more sparse due to his becoming president and serving as a representation Trump, back into the fold. 

Overall, I recommend this for all South Park fans.

Mr. Mayor- Season 1

 

8/10

In Mr. Mayor, Neil Bremer (played by Ted Danson), a rich retiree with no political experience, becomes the mayor of Los Angeles after a special election. 

This is a pretty funny show. It was created by Tina Fey and Richard Carlock, the ones responsible for 30 Rock and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and were executive producers on the similarly toned Great News. Mr. Mayor has the same combo of smart and silly that made those other shows work. Think of this as 30 Rock but instead of mocking the television industry and New York, it's politics and Los Angeles. The satire is really strong here. 

Admittedly, the show does suffer a little from Fey/Carlock-style fatigue. They have a very similar comic feel in each of their shows. If you've seen a few of them, expect to see joke types recycled. (There's a social media savvy modern gal in this just like in 30 Rock and Great News.) Heck, I think the spinning of the wheels may've factored into Great News season 2's cancellation because people'd grown tired. 

The show can also go a little too broad and goofy at moments. The episode Brentwood Trash is the biggest culprit of this.

Great cast here. Danson does seem to steal a little of the energy he had with his character in The Good Place, but it's not necessarily a bad thing as such comic flair. The most surprising casting is Oscar winner Holly Hunter as Bremer's gung-ho liberal vice-mayor Arpi Meskimen. She lends a unique tone that helps the show. The one with the best material is SNL's Bobby Moynihan as Jayden Kwapis, the communications director and goofy, sad-sack manchild of the the group. I'm glad to see the actor bounce back after his last failed sitcom. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's Vella Lovell, is Mikaela Shaw, Bremer's chief of staff and the aforementioned social media person. Having previously made a name for herself playing a deadpan character, it was nice to see she's got range. I particularly recommend the episode Respect in the Workplace, which is a bottle episode. The main cast are mostly in the same room together and get the opportunity to just go nuts and work off each other wonderfully.

Visually this show looks nice. Good lighting and location choices.

Overall, I recommend this. Yeah, it's not Fey/Carlock's freshest show, but it's still one of the funniest shows out right now.

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run

 

7/10

In Sponge on the Run, SpongeBob SquarePant's beloved snail Gary (both characters voiced by Tom Kenney) is snailnapped. SpongeBob and his pal Patrick the starfish (Bill Fagerbakke) hit the rode to rescue him. 

This film has its highs and lows. There are a lot of funny bits, including a couple clever ones and a couple that were as delightfully bonkers as found in the previous film Sponge Out of Water. But for every joke that lands, there is one that doesn't and that's often too obvious or has been done before. 

In fact, the strongest bits happen in the middle of the film. The opening starts slow and spends too much time reintroducing us to the characters. The end part just kinda stalls, plus the conclusion is too obvious and feels like it's been done before. 

The script follows the structure of the original SpongeBob SquarePants Movie a little too closely. We got SpongeBob and Patrick on a roadtrip. We have our characters dealing with a god of the seas, King Poseidon (voiced by The IT Crowd/What We do in the Shadows' Matt Berry) this time. The plot involves Plankton's attempts to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula. (All three films have done this last one. I mean, I know that happens a lot in the show but not every episode.) The lack of originality is disappointing given how creative Sponge out of Water was.

The film is further hampered by flashbacks which serve solely and cynically to plug the upcoming spinoff show Kamp Koral. They bring the momentum to a halt. 

The movie looks great. It's entirely in 3D, and the shift from 2D works amazingly well. The animation never goes too detailed and captures the cartooniness that make the SpongeBob designs work. The textures in this are impressive. Plust, the whole thing is colorful to boot. 

Keanu Reeves seems to be having fun playing a wise sage named Sage. I'm glad they brought back Berry, who voiced a dolphin in the last film, He plays an amusingly self-involved antagonist. Sure, Berry uses the exact same voice in every role, but he's downright trademarked the suave-voiced, comical narcissist. I never get tired of him. 

This is the weakest in the SB trilogy. I already mentioned that this doesn't touch the second one. Though the first film suffered from a weak first two acts, it still was more confident in what it was and better paced than Sponge on the Run (which I encourage you to see if you haven't; it's this generation's Yellow Submarine). 

I know I pointed a lot of flaws, but as a whole, this is generally entertaining. The good bits make up for the weak bits. This will probably entertain your kids. And as I said, visually it's definitely something to see.  

Wandavision

10/10

In Wandavision, former Avengers Wanda Maximoff/the Scarlet Witch (played by Elizabeth Olsen) and the Vision (Paul Bettany) move to a small idyllic town  to live in anonymity. But something is very off. The world is operating according to rules of sitcoms throughout the years, including black-and-white episodes and laugh tracks. Also if you saw the end of Avengers: Endgame, there is another large glaring question about this whole situation.

I absolutely loved the show. After the tremendous finale to all the films in the Infinity Stones saga and some main actors exiting, I was afraid that Marvel could've exhausted itself or not know where to go next. Wandavision completely proves me wrong. It is a unique and creative combination of sitcoms and The Twilight Zone. On one hand we get some really spot-on odes to several nostalgic comedies, right down to the styles, sets, filming techniques, and aspect ratios. On the other hand, we get the next big "mystery box" show as we're slowly introduced to what is going on. This is the first MCU to actually go scary (main MCU not the TV branch like Hellstrom). It also givea Inifnity War/Endgame a run for their money for darkest entry. However, the show never quite violates the general audience feel that the Marvel films are known for.    

As weird as the show gets, it never loses the human touch and is actually one of the more emotional entries in the MCU. It's nice to get time to fully focus on Wanda and Vision. They've really only been in a handful of films in which they were never the leads. Yet, the characters were strong enough that you quickly began to root for them. Now they finally get their due. This is primarily Olsen's movie as Wanda, and she absolutely kills it in what is an Emmy-nomination-worthy performance. She nails all the nuances of each acting style of each era absolutely and the emotional segments. Bettany also gives a great performance, though do to a lot of this having him act like a TV dad, he doesn't have as many times to be as eloquent as he has been in the films. (Though when he does, he's wonderful.) Best new face award goes to Katherine Hahn as Wanda's neighbor Agnes. In fact, this show just has a great supporting and recurring cast overall. There are a few faces I'd like to talk about, but I don't want to spoil anything if you haven't heard about them.

I've already mentioned how the show went to lengths to recreate the sitcom feel, but even the non-sitcom stuff looks great. Like The Mandalorian, this show has a large budget and almost looks film quality. Each sitcom includes its own theme song written by Frozen's Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, all which do a wonderful job of fitting their respective time periods. Also, we get a good ending theme and credits, which is a nice surprise in an era where they don't get much love.

Now, some viewers may have trouble with the first few episodes if antiquated television pacing isn't your thing. But rest assured, the show focuses more on the reveals and less on sticking to format as the show moves on. Surprisingly, prime fodder for nineties sitcoms, like Full House or Family Matters, aren't used. Also due to the large number of faces in this, some of the characters don't get enough time as you like. Also, I think that one or two characters' screentime may have been cut due to possible scheduling conflicts or not wanting to take health risks after production was paused due to COVID, which is definitely unsatisfying.

I highly recommend this, especially if you're a Marvel fan.

Scooby-Doo! The Sword and the Scoob

 

6/10

In The Sword and the Scoob, the Mystery Inc. gang visit an English town. While they're there, they encounter the sorceress Morgan Le Fay (voiced by Grey Griffin), who sends them all the way back in time to the age of King Arthur. (Considering all the situations and known figures that've been thrown Scooby's way, I'm not surprised at this concept. Rather, I'm wondering why the franchise hasn't done this before.) 

This may sound weird, but I feel bad for not liking this more. I definitely see kids liking this and can see several adult SC fans liking this more than me. The screenwriters/directors came from a positive place. The film is crammed with jokes and goofy bits. They continue going with the kooky version of Daphne seen in the last direct-to-DVD film and the show Be Cool Scooby-Doo, and I love this interpretation of the character. The opening and the big reveal at the finale are in fact some of the stronger/more creative things I've seen in the series. 

However, I can't get myself to like this more. I think that the majority of the film didn't feel strong enough. I don't think they did enough with the Camelot concept as they could have. Way too much focus is given to King Arthur (Jason Isaacs) and Merlin (Nick Frost). Arthur especially is mined more for material than he can provide and would've worked better in smaller doses. With the exception of Daphne, who gets a fun segment, the Mystery Inc. gang isn't given enough to do.  

The animation seems better to me than the last film but something still feels off when compared to the rest of the recent film series. (In fairness, animation production may have been affected by COVID-19). The characters, especially Fred, feel slenderer than usual and there are too many visually unambitious closer shots. But, the animation still remains colorful.

So, overall I think this is a so-so movie, but  like I said I think your kids will enjoy it, and it won't ingratiate upon you when they watch it. I also think that it's creative enough that it ranks above a lot of the many more formulaic entries in the SD film series.