Kachow!

The Cars movies are considered the worst of Pixar, though I kind of like them. Back in November 2016 Pixar released a teaser for Cars 3. It showed Lightning Mcqueen crashing in what might just be the darkest teaser for any Pixar movie. Still by seeing the trailers I could tell what was gonna happen. Lightning crashes and has to train with Cruz. It’s kind of predictable.

Lightning McQueen has become more character development in this one. He has to deal with retirement. Cruz Ramirez is also a fun character and her arc about becoming a racer is great. Jackson Storm however is incredible bland and forgettable. He’s just there so that Lightning can have a rival and he’s not even in the movie as much as you’d think he be. His fate is also ambiguous because the last time we see him was when he crossed the finish line and we don’t even see him again.

The movie’s theme about old vs new is handle very well. Especially in the opening scene. It starts when Lightning racing with some of his friendly rivals, but then we’re introduced to Jackson Storm and then more new rookies. More old cars start retiring except Lightning to the point where he’s the only one racing until he crashes (surprisingly more intense then the promos). It’s kind of like the opening of Up or Inside Out and it helps establish how new technology is taking over. Heck, the last line of the whole movie which is in the end credtis scene is Mater saying frustratingly “technology”.

I should also talk about the Pixar short Lou. Lou was very cute. It had really fun and quick animation. The creature kind of reminds me of Hank the octopus from Finding Dory.

There are no references to Cars 2. Not one mention of Finn Mcmissle or Mater being a spy. You can just skip Cars 2 and not miss anything. Cars 3 in my opinion is the best Cars movie out. I would even call this the true Cars 2.

Verdict:
+Lightning’s arc
+Old vs new theme
+Cruz Ramirez
-Predictable
-Jackson Storm

Score: B-

Sorry for delaying this review of Wonder Woman. I was gonna post this earlier but I’ve been very busy with my portfolio show for my college. Also an important note, I finally graduated college 🙂 This is a big deal for me because college was where and why I created a WordPress blog in the first place. I’d like to thank everyone who has followed me on my blog.

When I was watching this I realized something. This film feels like a combination of Thor and Captain America the First Avenger. The story is about the Amazons which are from Greek Mythology is just like how Thor was from Norseology while also taking place in World War 1 just like Captain America taking place in World War 2.

The actors do a really good job. Gal Gadot manages to still be great as Wonder Woman which is why she was one of the highlights of Batman vs Superman. Chris Pine as Steven Trevor is also great and his chemistry with Wonder Woman is really nice. His death while heroic was also bittersweet.  Even the soldiers are very enjoyable. The villains however are just meh. Erich Ludendorff is just the Red Skull only in a DC movie and with skin. Ares is also just a standard doomsday villain. The twist was interesting even though the actor confirmed he was Ares already.

Another problem I have with this movie is the lesson it tried to teach about war. Wonder Woman thinks that by killing Erich Ludendorff who she thinks is Ares will end the war. But when she does the soldiers are still going. Steve tells her that just killing a leader doesn’t stop the war. However it turns out that Ares is real and she kills him thus stopping the war. It’s like The Lion King where Simba learns that even though he killed Mufasa it’s in the past, but it turns out that he actually didn’t kill his father anyway. I liked the lesson the movie was trying to teach but the reveal just throws the lesson away.

Wonder Woman is probably the first good superhero movie where the main character is a female. It also managed to be more lighthearted then Man of Steel or Batman vs Superman. This is probably the best DCEU movie out which really does help give the DCEU hope for the future.

Verdict:
+The actors
+More Lighthearted
– Average villains
+/-Ending war lesson

Score: B-

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TRA-LA-LAAAAAAAAAAA!

I loved the Captain Underpants books as a kid. So after hearing that Dreamworks was gonna make this into a movie, I was both concerned due to Dreamworks latest movies but also very excited. This came out the same day as Wonder Woman so it wasn’t hard to decide which to see first.I was expecting to like it fine, but after watching it, it’s one of my favorite movies of the year so far.

For an adaption of a children’s book series this was surprisingly faithful. It’s not based on just one of the books, it’s a combination of the books. It features the origin of Captain Underpants from 1, the evil toilet from 2, CU getting powers from 3, and the villain Professor Poopypants from 4. It’s great because it’s doing a complete different story while still staying true to the book. The friendship between George and Harold is really nice and you feel bad for them when Mr.Krupp (who they made more sympathetic here then the books) has to split them up. It does however lead to an obvious all is lost moment when there actually put in separate classes. The scene is just there just so there can be an all is lost moment and it’s not focused on that much.

I was kind of concerned about the casting choices but the actors put a lot of effort into the characters. Kevin Hart and Thomas Middleditch do a great job as the duo. The comedy is one of the highlights of the movie. This movie is incredibly funny, I was even laughing at a lot of these jokes. There’s fourth wall jokes, toilet humor,  even background jokes, one of my favorite background jokes is that there are two seats outside Mr.Krupp’s office that say reserved George and Harold.

Captain Underpants is probably the funniest and most fun movie of the year so far, which is great because this is the 20th anniversary of the book series. This is also the best Dreamworks animated movie since Kung Fu Panda 3. Fans and even people who haven’t read the books will enjoy this movie.

Verdict:
+George and Harold’s friendship
+Voice acting
+Faithful
+Funny
-All is lost moment

Score: A-

Yo Ho Yo Ho A pirate’s life for me

I said in my birthday post weeks ago that I love the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. The Curse of the Black Pearl is probably a better made movie, Dead Men’s Chest has a special place in my heart.  The ending where we see Barbossa alive and on our side was mind blowing,. Fun fact, my cousin and her husband were in Las Vegas and they got to see this movie at Cinemacon, he said it was really good.

However, I think this one is just OK. There are still some good stuff in them. Jack Sparrow still gives this character life even after five movies. Why else do you think Johnny Depp was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for playing this character? The location of the climax of the movie is really cool. It takes place at the bottom of the ocean. It reminds me a lot of the parting of the red sea from Ten Commandments or Prince of Egypt.

The story is a lot more simple then the other sequels. A bunch a evil pirates want to break a curse. However this does feel too similar to the first movie. Even the new characters seem like repeats from the first one. Henry is just Will Turner (ironic since he is Will Turner’s son), Carina is Elizabeth, and the villain Captain Salamander  is just Barbossa, come to think it, he’s also like Davy Jones. Man, most of the villains in these movies are just cursed pirates. On there own there not bad but The Curse of the Black Pearl exist they feel like copies.

I think Pirates 5 might be better then Stranger’s Tides and maybe At World’s End, but I think the first one and Dead Men’s Chest are still the best in the series. The end credits song “He’s a Pirates” is one of the best end credits themes ever. What better way to end a movie review then to talk about the end credits.

Verdict:
+ Jack Sparrow
+ Climax location
– New characters
+/- Simple though familiar plot

Score: C+