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.

Deadpool & Wolverine

9.5/10

In the new Deadpool movie, Deadpool (played by Ryan Reynolds) is called in by the Time Variance Authority (TVA) and learns of a threat to his universe/timeline. In order to save it, he enlists the aid of a Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) from another timeline/universe for his adventure.

The previous Deadpool movies were definitely funny and and the most loose of the 20th Century Fox films, but the preexisting X-Men rules of the world still kept the elements Deadpool could interact with kinda grounded. Now that MCU owns his film rights, the character has access to the more wild and funny elements he couldn't have before. This is hands down the funniest, most creative, and just plain fun of the trilogy. The whole multiverse aspect gives Deadpool carte blanche to work with whatever Marvel characters or crazy content the writers want to. I know some people may be tired of the multiverse, but I'm still having fun with it, and they've managed to keep it fresh in my opinion; this movie is meta in way the other multiverse works weren't. (The only Marvel multiverse film I thought was unnecessary was the Doctor Strange movie. Felt manufactured and it completely threw out the build up in the last movie of Mordo's path to villainy.) The D&W does an exceptionally good job at surprising you with what happens next, and who'll pop up.

This is the MCU's first R-rated movie and that Deadpool humor stays completely intact in it's shift over to Disney. Given that Wolverine and DP have healing abilities and are almost immortal, the writers can really unload the violence upon them. 

This movie is also surprisingly a love letter to the end of the 20th Century Fox movies in a way that feels genuine and not mean-spirited.

Unfortunately, Deadpool's supporting cast from the previous movies get very little screentime. Deadpool's girlfriend Vanessa (Gotham/Serenity/V's Morena Baccarin) is again treated kinda like an inconvenience despite the fact that Deadpool's love for her is the main focus of his life. Domino from DP2, who I genuinely liked and I thought had a great rapport with the lead, isn't even in this at all. (Neither is DP2's Cable, but I can take or leave him. Honestly with Wolverine in the picture, we don't need an additional grumpy straight man.) 

Especially in the first half of the movie, Deadpool's constant quips and train-of-thought lines feel too frequent and like overkill when compared to the previous films. At a little over two hours, this could've been shorter just by cutting some of the guy's material.

It feels like every film they have to give DP an emotional conflict/journey, and this one feels pretty forced. I think it can be okay for DP to go on an adventure just for the sake of an adventure.

Jackman was good enough to go back on his decision to never play Wolverine again, was game for whatever insanity was thrown at him, and still brings on the pathos when the film calls for more serious moments. However, this movie is definitely Deadpool with Wolverine instead of Deadpool & Wolverine. It isn't really until the third act that the focus is on him as equally as on DP.

A couple of the best performances are from newcomers. Succession's Matthew Macfayden is pretty funny as TVA official Mr. Paradox, who manages to give a delivery that is distinct from DP's but manages to work alongside it. The Crown/Murder at the End of the World's Emma Corrin's Cassandra Nova is one of THE best MCU villains. I'm a little surprised they went with her as a Deadpool enemy as she's a fairly big enemy of the main X-Men team (she's more recent if you're unfamiliar with her), but they really managed to fit her in this story. She can both be creepy and threatening, but also has a sassy side to her. Too bad she isn't in this movie more. (She's kind of like Oogie Boogie in Nightmare before Christmas or the Joker in Mask of the Phantasm in that she is a threat encountered along the way instead of being the instigator of the main crisis.)

The movie looks great and has its moments of visual creativity. I don't think the MCU gets enough credit for how fun the designs look when compared to a lot of other blockbuster pictures. Also, there's a great selection of songs in this. Plus, we finally get to see Wolverine's classic comics costume, and it translates to real life pretty well.

Highly recommended. Even if DP talks a little too much by even his standards, this is still a highly creative and entertaining film that I recommend everyone to see. Unless you don't like R-rated humor or violence. That is fair, and this is DEFINITELY not for you.

My Adventures with Superman- Season 2

8/10

In the new season, Superman (voiced by The Boys' Jack Quaid) uncovers the truths of his origins while still being the target of the government agency Task Force X, now run by the far more zealous and dangerous Amanda Waller (MadTV alumni Debra Wilson). 

Glad to say that the show keeps up the quality. MAwS gets more serialized and serious. The final bad guy is appropriately hateable and dangerous and superior to season 1's Parasite.

MAwS continues to do what makes the show strong: solid new takes on Superman. The whole Superman origins thing isn't exactly anything that hasn't been done before when it comes to the general plot points, but yet they somehow managed to make it feel fresh and entertaining. Same applies to the season finale final battle. It doesn't do anything that hasn't been done before, but it's done so well. A lot of animated shows these days are signed up for two seasons due to how long the animation process can be, and I think the writers were perfectly willing to let this be a series finale and a gratifying conclusion if the show didn't do well. They really nail the emotional bits here with characterization being a real strong point.

Though I mentioned that the show gets a little more serious, the comedic aspects and more light-hearted feel to the world than compared to some DC adaptations sitll exist. The writers are definitely having fun with the cast of characters they've created. They clearly seem to love writing for goofy sports reporter Steve Lombard (Vincent Tong). Unfortunately due to the smaller number of episodic stories, the supporting characters don't get as many chances to pop up; so, not that much Steve overall, which trust me is a bad thing.

I also like how ambitious they are with the end credits animation, changing it to fit with each episode's plot.

The biggest weak point is that the characters' struggles feel a bit obvious and trite. Lois Lane's daddy issues are just really basic and so many shows have done this already. Though the idea of Superman being seen as a threat due to his being alien is a compelling idea, the way they handle it isn't. The dialogue of those who don't trust him never feels how someone would talk about it in real life. (In fairness though this is an Adult Swim show, MaWS was originally meant to be a family show and appeal to children.)

Recommended. I preferred the first season a little better, as the episodic episodes tended to be the more enjoyable, but this is just a well-written, animated, and acted Superman show where everyone cared about the final product.

Descendants: The Rise of Red

6.5/10

In the fourth Descendants film (on Disney+ and Disney Channel in August), former villain and pirate Uma (played by Black Lightning/A.N.T. Farm's China Anne McClain) becomes the new headmistress of Auradon Prep. She decides to give a second chance to the kingdom of Wonderland, which has been sealed off from the rest of Auradon, and invites Princess Red (Gabby Duran and the Unsittables' Kylie Cantrall) to attend. Her mother The Queen of Hearts (actress/singer Rita Ora) uses the opportunity to sneak in her troops and stage a coup. Red, who doesn't want to be evil like her mother, and Cinderella's daughter Chloe (Malia Baker) use a time travel device to go back in time in order to stop the event that turned The Queen of Hearts evil.

This is a movie that starts out promisingly, I even initially thought it would be better than Descendants 3. The first act does an effective job of setting up the characters and plot. The second act has fun introducing the past younger versions of various famous Disney characters. However, things start falling apart by the end. Characters seem to be forgotten and tossed to the side, but it's especially the ending that feels lackluster. It doesn't have the traditional big emotional moment and spectacle you'd expect for the finale; it just kind of ends. The weirdest thing is that this doesn't go where you think it'd go based on comments and set up earlier as well as the usual tropes for person-goes-back-in-time-and-meets-their-younger-parents stories. People online were speculating that scenes were cut, but the executive producer gave an interview and apparently that wasn't the case. They intentionally made these weird decisions. Also, it's a time travel movie, so it's always a headache figuring out the rules.

The strongest part is the growing friendship between Red and Chloe, the core of the story and only part that is done without complaint. Red has the better characterization and personality, but Chloe has the better progression as the privileged princess learns everything isn't always black-and-white. However, I feel it's because of the filmmakers' dedication to this storyline above all else that other aspects fell to the wayside and supporting characters were treated like chopped liver.

This has a completely new director and writers from the original trilogy. There is a bit of change in tone here as this entry feels a little darker and more serious (by Disney Channel movie standards I mean). It works when it comes to the stakes; The Queen of Hearts is much more dangerous than any previous villain in these films. However, I felt things got a little unpleasant for a movie where people in bright colors sing and dance. Whereas the villainous not-great parents in previous movies where portrayed as comical, the ones here are straight-up verbally abusive. I honestly think this might hurt replay value, because some may just not want to go through the hard moments over again. Also, I feel there are less "fun" scenes as in the past. I feel the writers were too obsessed with "the hero's journey and struggle" than remembering this is a kids' movie and just trying to have fun. (This movie is weirdly like Disney Channel's Teen Beach 2, a sequel that went darker, made things weird with time stuff, and feels slightly disconnected from its source.)

On the visual side, you can't fault this. Again, this movie has a budget that's not theatrical level but not exactly shabby. In fact, I think this one might have had a slightly higher budget than the previous films. A lot of the sets look great (Wonderland is pretty impressive) and has this childish sort of fantasy fun to them. Admittedly, the places that feels like they were filmed on location fail a little in comparison and Merlin Academy (Auradon Prep before it became Auradon Prep) feels a little too simple and austere. 

Again, this movie continues a one of the trademark parts of the franchise: the costumes. Again we get delightfully over-the-top and colorful outfits with the villain ones going with this leather sorta child's version of cool and edgy. While the lead characters' outfits are good, they are not quite as distinctive as those of the original stars. However, there is one standout: the Queen of Hearts' outfits. They're flashy and delightfully over-the-top with a dress front designed to resemble a rose. (Though, I don't think her hair style when worn long really with the rest of her look.)

Again, the Descendants continue to have surprisingly entertaining song and dance numbers, provided they're kids' pop. The choreography really goes all out. The dancing for the villain songs in particular hits a lot harder than you'd expect for a children's film. Some of the songs are just okay, but there are some pretty catchy ones, especially the villains songs. The song for Uliana (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series' Dara Renee), Ursula's younger sister, is particularly catchy and The Queen of Hearts' song is one of the best instances in quite a while of a song providing the exposition.

As has been the case again, we've got a pretty good cast here. Cantrall is likable as the rebellious but well-meaning Red and has a great singing voice. However, it's Ora who's the star player. She really hams up the Queen's coldness and has the best singing voice in all of the franchise. She slays her number.

This is one of those movies that is hard to rate and recommend or not. Some will enjoy the look and musical numbers of the whole. I think kids in particular will be less picky and happy with what they get. However, I think a lot of people will also be frustrated with the experience. I know Disney Channel movies aren't known for their well-thought out plots, but I am genuinely confused with the writers' reasoning and their potential disdain for a traditional  story structure.