Total Drama Island (2024)- Season 1

8.5/10

The reboot of the long running Canadian cartoon franchise sticks to the original concept: a bunch of teenagers compete on an island (northwestern, not tropical) for a million dollars.

I'm pleased to say that this really retains the original feel of the show. You've got a cast of distinct, likable, and funny characters. I particularly like the plucky Priya (voiced by Homeschooled's Farzanah Haqq). She was raised by her parents for her entire life to compete on this show. They could've portrayed her as being hardcore or completely lacking social skills, but I liked that they wrote her as positive and nice, and you can't help but root for her.

Dialogue is fun and the writers come up with a lot of crazy, over-the-top situations and challenges for the campers. Also, the show still has its gross humor, which I wasn't fond of, but a lot of kids will probably love.

It may bug some how over-the-top straight up dangerous and deadly a lot of the challenges the show's host Chris McLean (Terry McGurrin, the current voice of Snoopy) comes up with. They've really flanderized the guy with his sociopathic desire for ratings and causing suffering for his own amusement. The challenges feel kinda crazy when compared to earlier seasons and all credulity about how this show is even allowed to continue is thrown out the window. However, it's a kids show, and realism probably isn't a priority. 

Also, almost every episode seems to involve the island's animals. The characters being attacked by random critters loses its impact after a while.

Highly recommended. This is one of those shows that has elements that appeal to both younger and older audiences.

AfrAId

5.5/10

In AfrAId, a family becomes hosts for a prototype of the new digital assistant AIA, an AI that is far more advanced than the likes of Siri and Alexa. Soon, the patriarch Curtis (played by John Cho) becomes suspicious of her attentions.

This is one of those movies that has good ideas but isn't consistent. In it's defense, all the movie's commentary on the negatives of AI and an increased attachment to technology work. And yeah, M3gan also addressed technology recently, but not as strongly as the very aspect of AI itself (this is the first film to take advantage of how creepy poor AI art can be.) Also, for a movie about the dangers of technology, it doesn't feel as cookie cutter as you'd think it would.

But, it's when you get to the rest of the movie that quality fluctuates. There are good lines in this, but a lot just don't work. The movie tries to provide personality for the family members, but they aren't interesting enough. Also, the backstory and personality of Meredith (Fantastic Beasts' Katherine Waterston), the mother, is disseminated in an oddly unnatural and slipshod way. The first act in particular feels boring, because we haven't gotten to those AI shenanigans yet.

Can't fault the cast for this film, who are all doing the best with what they're given. This actually has a few solid actors in this, including several that made me say, "Oh, I like them." I have high hopes for the future career of Isaac Bae, who plays the youngest child of the family; kid has a presence. Bottoms/No Exit's Havana Rose Liu does an especially good job of voicing and expressing AIA. Yeah, she's another rogue computer program, but she definitely has personality. (She's no M3gan, but there's no shame in that.)

The film is very conservative with showing us the avatar representing her true form. Usually they do that because its scarier if the monster isn't over utilized, but here it felt more like they realized AIA's appearance wasn't working. I don't think I've been as disappointed with a monster design as I am with this in a long time. If you saw the part of the trailer where AIA says she's going to show her true face, they don't include that here. It feels like someone on the film said, "We can't have a prolonged shot on her. She looks awful!"

A soft not recommended. Like I said, there are interesting parts to AfrAId and it isn't as cookie-cutter as you'd think, but I can't in good faith say this is a must-see. 

Crow (2024)

5/10

In this remake of the 1994 film based on the graphic novel by James O'Barr, Eric (played by It's Bill Skarsgaard) comes back to life to become the Crow in order to take down the villains who killed him and his girlfriend Shelly (actress/composer FKA Twigs). 

To the credit of director Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman/the live-action Ghost in the Shell) this doesn't feel like one of those films where the director was coasting. He clearly had a vision, and it didn't feel like producers sabotaged his ultimate tone. (In the grand scheme at least. It does feel like parts were cut.) Sanders tried to approach the story in a new way. The reboot focuses more on the relationship of the doomed lovers and how they got together instead of just jumping into things like in the original. Unfortunately, the execution of this angle doesn't play out. The build up takes way too long, and you're mentally begging the movie to jump to the action.

It doesn't help that the rules to the afterlife and the paranormal are confusing and don't track. The main villain Vincent Roeg (Danny Huston) has a very basic, disappointing 2000's evil paranormal agenda. Plus, there is one part about a character sticking around the city that doesn't make any sense. You know people are after you! Why are you still around?! Heck, you still shouldn't even be in the country!

However, when we finally get to the action, it doesn't disappoint. I believe Sanders started out in music videos, and the guy definitely has style. The violence has a distinct rawness to it that works. (Sadly, it comes too late.) Also, Sanders has an excellent eye for sets and locations mirroring the original's intent to have its own distinct larger-than-life city, though this is more desolate modernism than modern gothic. 

Also, I'll give Sanders and the writers a hand for at least making all the baddies feel different enough from each other.

One can't blame the actors for this as most of them are doing the best with what they are given. Skarsgaard feels born to play the character, and really sells Devin's love and rage. It looks like this won't excel at the box office, but I honestly would like to see a sequel under new hands just to see the guy get a chance at better material. 

Not recommended. I mean I suppose it's something to watch if you like interesting-looking misfires, but it's too slow and the script isn't strong enough.

Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie

5.5/10

In this new Netflix film based on the SpongeBob SquarePants show, all of the ocean town of Bikini Bottom is stolen by mysterious forces from above. It is up to Sandy Cheeks (voiced by Carolyn Lawrence), the squirrel scientist who lives underwater in diving equipment, and SpongeBob (Tom Kenny), the constantly optimistic fry cook, to save the town and their friends.

I give this movie points for having a more original plot than the last film, which had too many similarities to the first one, and I give the creators credit for creative randomness and just trying to have fun. But the jokes are really hit and miss. The plot ideas in here are all just okay; nothing that is particularly strong. 

I do admire for them giving the focus to Sandy, who to be honest doesn't get as much spotlight as some of the other characters (at least back when I saw the show, it's been a while). Heck, she's had so little to do in the last three films. I fear that the show's writers didn't have as much fun writing for her as the other main characters, but here they do manage to pull off the character being the center of your attention. There are many weak points, but Sandy is not one. She's always been the most adventurous of the characters and works well as someone facing a lot of physical obstacles. Also, her camaraderie with SpongeBob is so natural. The sponge himself also remains on point in his writing and his lovable personality. 

The animation like the jokes and story is hit-and-miss. Main characters and main props look good, but ancillary characters and parts of background don't feel as smooth. I do give the animators credit for doing such a good job translating the colorful 2D world of SpongeBob to 3D. Also, the slapstick and general motion animation are really smooth; the animators and storyboard artists really put their all into this..

Not strongly recommended or not. This is one of the weaker SB films, which is too bad, because it is clear that the directors and writers cared and were trying. If you're an adult SP fan, this like a lot of the later material just isn't the franchise at its finest, however kids probably won't have a problem with this, and it's an easy film to sit through.