Hi everyone! First off, I want to say that I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving last weekend. Second, for those of you who had been following my blog as of earlier this year, you know how one of my reviews was for a non-Disney film by the name of The Swan Princess, which was released back in 1994? Well, tonight, we review yet another one of the “Disney knock-offs” (again, a group of non-Disney films that were released back in the 1990s, when the Disney Renaissance occurred). This time around, we are going to talk about one that, unlike The Swan Princess, did not become popular enough to spawn a franchise of sequels, and ended up just being a standalone film as a result. Also, on a side note, this film, along with Paulie, and The Horse Whisperer (all three of of which came out back in 1998) were some my most anticipated films to either watch for the first time, or rewatch for the first time in a long while. Released by Warner Bros. back in 1998, the movie is Quest For Camelot. Now, before we talk about the plot, and any positives, or negatives about Quest For Camelot, I have a mini story to tell in regards to this film. For those of you who are friends with me on Facebook, you may recall that I posted a picture of my VHS copy of the movie, and wished Quest For Camelot, along with Touchstone Pictures The Horse Whisperer, a happy 22nd anniversary, yes? That is especially because of the fact that a newer Warner Bros. animated film by the name of Scoob had come out on the same day that both films would turn twenty-two years old, May 15th. Well, because of this, I had originally planned to especially see Quest For Camelot again sometime between May, and July. However, long story short, I got caught up in in watching all of the James Bond movies due to the newest film being announced to come out soon (now set for April of next year). Along the way, however, I came up with an idea. Since both Sean Connery, and Pierce Brosnan played James Bond at different points in the film series, as well as play the role of King Arthur in First Knight, and Quest For Camelot respectively, why not make First Knight my 400th review, rewatch, and review Quest For Camelot shortly after that, as well as try to finally see, and review The Horse Whisperer shortly before then as well? Well, fast forward to towards the end of this year, and here we are with me finally seeing The Horse Whisperer, as well rewatching First Knight, and Quest For Camelot before 2020 officially comes to a close. Anyway, let’s move on!

Plot: A young female teenager named Kayley (Jessalyn Gilsig for speaking, and Andrea Corr for singing) dreams of becoming a Knight after seeing that her late father, Sir Lionel (Gabriel Byrne) was one, as well as heard of the good ideals that Camelot, and it’s citizens stand for. She may yet have her chance when the legendary sword, Excalibur gets stolen, is lost in a place called the Forbidden Forest along the way, as well as the fact that Ruber (Gary Oldman), a former Knight of Camelot, who was exiled after attempting to assassinate Camelot’s King Arthur (Pierce Brosnan speaking, Steve Perry singing) ten years before, returns from banishment with an army, hell-bent on claiming Excalibur for themselves, overthrowing Arthur, and claiming the kingdom of Camelot for themselves. With the help of new friends, such as a blind squire named Garrett (Cary Elwes speaking, Bryan White singing), a silver-winged falcon named Ayden (Frank Welker), and a two-headed dragon named Devon and Cornwall (Eric Idle, and Don Rickles play both the speaking and vocal roles for this comedic duo), can they, together, overcome all odds to save Excalibur, and save Camelot before Ruber, and his new army carry out their diabolical scheme?

Now, before we get into the meat of this review, I have an additional story to tell. I can surprisingly still vividly recall the very first time that I saw the teaser trailer for Quest For Camelot. What happened was my Mom, and I at least saw The Little Mermaid back when that was re-released in theaters back in November 1997 (six months before Quest For Camelot would be released in May of the following year). Anyway, when we saw that movie, a couple of the trailers that we saw were for A Bug’s Life (which was also a first time that we saw that trailer), Quest For Camelot, and a couple other movies. I can also recall a lot of things from the Quest For Camelot trailer, such as the drums beating during the intro of the song, “United We Stand,” a Griffin flying away from Camelot with Excalibur, with fiery arrows on his tail, as well as bits of the film’s other songs playing, like “On My Father’s Wings,” “If I Didn’t Have You,” Looking Through Your Eyes,” & “I Stand Alone.” After first seeing the trailer, I have to confess that, unlike a lot of people, strangely enough, I was very hyped for this film. I say unlike a lot of people, since the film seemed to only gross a domestic gross of $22-23 million in the US, and Canada, and a total of around $38-39 million worldwide, which seems to prove that not many other people were stoked about this movie. Anyway, my family, and I finally saw it when it came out in May 1998. I have to admit that after first seeing it in theaters, and then several times on video months later, I really loved this film. Heck, I also recall rewatching this film again back in the spring of 2004, if I recall correctly, during my last year of homeschooling, when my Mom, and I read about Stonehenge (which was the place where the Sword Excalibur was pulled from IN THE MOVIE), and learning about cities in England called Devon and Cornwall. It made me want to rewatch Quest For Camelot again.

Now, I have finally rewatched Quest For Camelot again as of recently. I’ll be honest, I am still surprised with the mostly positive outcome. Why I say mostly positive outcome, you may ask? Well, because Quest For Camelot does seem to fall short in a couple areas. First off, while most of the acting is good, the one actor who could have improved was Gary Oldman, who played Ruber. Okay, allow me to clarify! He wasn’t exactly a bad actor, but he could have most definitely improved. I mean when you compare Oldman to say Ben Cross, who played Malagant in 1995’s First Knight, there’s no doubt that Gary Oldman could have maybe taken some acting lessons from him. Seeing as not a lot of people seemed to like Gary Oldman’s acting for this film, or the live-action Lost In Space (which was released in the same year as this one), at least his acting most definitely improved over the years, as evidenced when he would return to voice a peacock villain named Lord Shen in 2011’s Kung Fu Panda 2. Not to mention that Ruber’s sidekick Griffin, who could be very much like say Maleficent’s raven in Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, but much more menacing, and multi-dimensional, could possibly serve as a better villain, than Ruber himself. Yeah, when people may find themselves liking the villain sidekicks more than the villain him/herself, that might be a bit of a problem, yes? Anyhow, the other flaw was that some of the CGI could have blended better with the animation of this film. This especially is true when you compare the CGI of Ruber’s mechanical army to say the ogre that was made of rock, and stone in this film. Just comes to show that some of the animation in this movie might have been a little ahead of it’s time.

Other than those aspects, Warner Bros. Quest For Camelot is most definitely better than many people seem to give it credit for. In fact, when compared to most of the other non-Disney cartoons that came out at least in the early 1990s, like Rock-A-Doodle, Pebble & The Penguin, or even Swan Princess, all of which were lucky enough to make around $5-10 million, if not lower, Quest For Camelot seems to miraculously stand out on it’s own. Sure, it’s not quite Prince Of Egypt, Anastasia, or Iron Giant good, per se, but still. Anyway, one of the benefits of Quest For Camelot is that even if Quest For Camelot does seem to share similarities to 1995’s First Knight, such as both movies having a villain that used to be a Knight in Camelot, and a male protagonist that had a tragic story, for instance, there are some areas where this film can go newer. For instance, having a female dream of being a Knight, that may have been inaccurate to what life was actually like in England during the Middle Ages. Still, it does sound like an interesting new concept, wouldn’t you say? Anyway, the animation is also very good too. Granted, it may not be Disney, or even Dreamworks quality great, but even so. Now, about the comedic relief characters like Devon & Cornwall. Are they as memorable as say certain side characters from certain well-known Disney films? Not quite! Still, this movie gives them some very hilarious lines of their own. Also, there’s this comedic villain sidekick named Bladebeak, who’s played by Jaleel White. If you liked say Kronk from The Emperor’s New Groove, chances are you’ll also come to love, and adore Bladebeak as well. He has some very entertaining moments too. This movie, as a whole, is also very funny at unexpected moments. Overall, the side characters, especially Devon and Cornwall, should be given more credit than they’ve seemed to have gotten over the past twenty plus years. Oh, and let’s take a moment to talk about some of the non-talking animals. Even if some of them don’t speak, they do an excellent job of expressing emotion, while also acting realistic in an animated film like this one as well. Now, about the characters overall, they are all very well-developed too. Our main characters, Kayley, and Garrett especially grow, and mature as characters as this story progresses. Not only that, but people may find Garrett’s blindness to be a very interesting element for this film. Same may go for Kayley’s determination to not give up on her dreams as well. People may also like the relationship with Kayley, and Garrett. It works unbelievably. Oh, and as you watch this film, and see what kinds of things that Garrett is able to do with his blindness, that can spark some intriguing discussions about what blind people can surprisingly do despite their blindness. As for the songs, like the ones that I mentioned earlier, a good majority of them, even if they may not be remembered by many, most of them all stand out on their own too, like “On My Father’s Wings,” “The Prayer,” and songs like those. The only one that was just okay was the villain song, “Ruber.” Finally, the movie teaches a couple very good lessons. First off, there’s the lesson about how people with disabilities should not let their setbacks keep them from achieving their goals in the end. The other lesson is that even if certain leaders, or places that are set on good ideals may be destroyed, those ideals are most likely to live on. Oh, and it’s great to have the idea of the Sword Excalibur representing all that is good, and right in the world.

And that’s my review for 1998’s Quest For Camelot. Sure, it may not be up there with movies like First Knight, or excellent non-Disney animated films like Anastasia, The Prince Of Egypt, or The Iron Giant. Still, because of this movie getting overshadowed by movies such as The Horse Whisperer, and Mulan later on, Quest seemed to unfavorably be compared to movies like those. Not to mention that the dislikes seemed to outweigh the likes for this film from the general public. It’s sad that this movie doesn’t seem to be talked about all that much because of that. Overall, if you want to watch an animated film that is most likely superior to non-Disney films from the 1990’s like Rock-A-Doodle, or The Swan Princess, or even mediocre Disney movies from the 2000s, like Home On The Range, Chicken Little, or possibly even Brother Bear (although that one has quite a few good things in it too), then that’s all the more reason to check our Quest For Camelot. Also, even if you saw this film as a kid, and didn’t like it, I’d say that this is one of those times that you should give it another chance as an adult. You may yet find yourself appreciating it more as an adult than you might have as a kid. Well, definitely try to see Quest For Camelot either for the first time ever, or the first time in a long while. It’s most certainly worth seeing.

Final Grade: A-

Ladies and gents, friends, and family, tonight, we leave the 300s, and now enter into the 400s. As I’m sure some of you may know, when I’ve resides milestones like 200, 300, 350, or a movie review like those, I’ve tried to watch, or rewatch a film that is important either for me personally, or important in the film industry. Tonight’s review is a more personal one for me, as this specific film was the very first PG-13 rated film that I saw in theaters, and possibly even first PG-13 film period. Surprisingly, I was only seven years old when it came out, and I saw it. Yeah, how often have you heard of kids seeing more adult films at such a young age? Rhetorical, I suppose. Anyway, tonight, let’s talk about what was most likely my very first introduction to PG-13 rated movies, as well as me hearing about actors like Sean Connery, Ben Cross, and Richard Gere, and actress Julia Ormond for probably the very first time ever. The one, and only First Knight, from 1995!

Plot: After winning many battles over the years, and now feeling at peace, King Arthur (Sean Connery) of Camelot desires to take a Queen to rule with him. So he chooses Lady Guinevere (Julia Ormond) as his wife. But peace is not to last long, as the villainous Prince Malagant (Ben Cross), along with a group of former knights, who betrayed King Arthur a while back, plot a coup against Arthur, and his kingdom in an attempt to gain Camelot for themselves. With the help of his new Queen, his army of loyal knights, as well as a newer knight named Sir Lancelot (Richard Gere), will Arthur be able to stand up against Malagant, and his men, and protect the ideals of Camelot?

Now, as a kid, and teenager, I always enjoyed this film. I will also say that Sean Connery became one of my favorite actors after seeing this movie. Also, I didn’t mind rewatching this film quite a few times even on video when I was a kid. After watching this film for the very first time in a long while, does this film hold up even today? Amazingly, it actually does! In fact, I’d say even more so after rewatching it again this last weekend. First of all, if you’re interested in learning about what life was like in medieval times, First Knight could bring in a little education about that. For one, I was surprised to find that there were crosses embroidered into the front of castles, and maybe even other sections of castles that were built back in medieval days. Not only that, but it’s also interesting how say, if you’re in a sword fight that you might want to win, you want to think of your opponent’s weak spots in order to defeat that person. Sort of sounds similar to say trying to win a game of chess, or something like that, does it not? There are also some aspects of First Knight that could apply to modern day times as well. For example, there’s the whole deal about deciding to marry someone for the wrong reasons. As some of us may know, some people may decide to get married to someone either for political reasons, the marriage was arranged, a person may be trying to prove that he/she can grow up, or some reason like those, as opposed to getting married because the man loves the woman, or the woman truly loves the man. Which begs the question, is it safe to say that these may be some of the reasons that not nearly as many marriages, especially in America, are successful in the long run as people would like them to be? Well, it’s definitely a question to think about, that’s for certain! One other thing that should be worth noting in regards to that is how people should learn to make decisions based on what may truly be the right decision, as opposed to making choices just because others are pressuring you to make them, or something like that. Okay, that’s not to say that people shouldn’t take advice from others. Of course they should. So where does one draw that line in regards to that whole deal, one may be wondering? Yeah, that’s definitely something to think about, for sure! Anyway, the movie also has this great symbolism of good against evil as well. I mean here you have King Arthur, who helped begin the good ideals of Camelot that included the good qualities of love, mercy, grace, justice, serving the needs of others, and things like those. Then you have villains like Malagant who, in time, decided to betray those ideals, as well as some of the light choosing to follow his lead, and basically say that self is more important than others around you. Not to mention that it’s an excellent parallel to how the devil, and the fallen angels (now called demons) decided to betray God, and the angles in Heaven back in the beginning of time. Oh, and how about King Arthur, and the good knights wearing blue, and silver armor, while Malagant, and his men wear black, and darker armor to represent the their dark side!?! Hence, the whole deal about good versus evil! In addition to all of this, it is super amazing how much of God, and the things of God are incorporated into this film. I’m not sure how much of that was the case with movies that were released back in the 1990s, or even shortly before, or after. However, one thing’s for sure! We need to go back to having movies like this one, and others like it again. Jerry Goldsmith also provides the score for this film. Not only does his music help provide the emotions during key moments of this film, but he has possibly one of the best musical compositions when it comes especially to the climax of this film. An additional element that makes First Knight really great is that this movie has a magnificent amount of character development. Not only is this true for the main villain, Malagant, but also for the main good characters, such as King Arthur, Guinevere, and Sir Lancelot. Not only are they developed to the best of their respective abilities, but some of their actions show that they are NOT “perfect” characters, but have flaws, and are human just as much as we the people in real life are. However, it comes to show that even if the good guys make mistakes, at least they know to ultimately do what’s right in the end. Oh, and speaking of which, that’s one final great thing to talk about in regards to First Knight. Another other outstanding element about the film is how even when it may not have felt easy to do so, any of the good characters are willing to humble themselves, and do what’s right in the end. Wow, and isn’t it interesting how even Disney would come out a year later with their version of a classic story in 1996, by the name of The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, in which certain protagonists would end up being put in those kinds of positions, where they would do what’s right no matter how easy, or difficult that may have been. Albeit for different reasons than for some of the cases with First Knight, but even so! Not to mention that that movie was also set in Medieval times as well! So how about that! A second to last thing to consider, especially at a specific scene in this film, is that even if we might feel like there isn’t a reason to live anymore, God has a reason for us to live longer than we might anticipate, and for a good reason. Sure, we might not see the bigger picture of why that may be at first. Still, even if it takes a long while for us to know why that may be, then we can likely discover the reason(s) in the end. Finally, First Knight has what may be some of the most memorable lines in this film. One of the best lines in this film is when a character says that, and I most likely quote, “Even if the walls of Camelot were to burn down, Camelot, and it’s ideals, will still live in us.” Now, I’m sure that the person who said that said it not just because of the fact that Camelot, even in this film, stood for good ideals, but also because the character in this film was undoubtedly a Christ follower in this film as well. Plus, it’s a great comparison to how even if churches in America, or even anywhere in the world, were closed down, those of us who choose to have faith in Jesus Christ can, and must continue to hold onto our faith in Him.

And that’s my review for the 1995 Columbia Pictures film, First Knight. Wow, after seeing this film for the first time in what may have most likely been years, I am surprised by how much more I enjoyed it this time around. Looking back, would I say that I enjoyed First Knight even as a kid? Well, even if I did like it back then, I would say that there were more aspects about the film that I came to enjoy about it’s during this rewatch. The characters stand out extremely well, there’s a superb amount of symbolism in this film, and there are plenty of aspects of this movie to think about from a Christian perspective. Yes, Christians will probably end up enjoying First Knight more so than non-Christians. Still, hopefully non-Christians will come to like this film, and maybe see God through not only coming across His Word, and reading it, but also through this film, and movies like it. Also, if you want to see a film with some top notch acting, then that’s another reason to see this film. If you haven’t seen First Knight yet, I would highly recommend that you do so ASAP. It is one of those movies, like say Prince Of Egypt, or the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, or movies like those, that truly stands out from many of your other typical movies. So thanks for checking out this film review, and see you in the next one, and others to come!

Final Grade: A+

P.S. Happy 25th anniversary to Columbia Pictures’ First Knight!

Friends, this is it! Today, we are about to close out on yet another set of film reviews, as we exit the 300s, and enter into the 400s. As a good send off , I thought it would be cool for us to talk about a film from Touchstone Pictures that was released on May 15th, 1998, the same day that Warner Bros. released a possibly underrated animated film by the name of Quest For Camelot (which I plan to hopefully rewatch and review sooner rather than later). Also, today’s film is a movie that I should have likely seen when it first came out in 1998, especially since I heard of quite a few people who saw it, and said it was really good. Well, better late than never, right? Well, let’s talk about Touchstone Pictures’ The Horse Whisperer, which was released back in May 1998.

Plot: After a young girl named Grace MacLean (played by young actress at the time Scarlett Johansson), and her horse Pilgrim get injured in a very tragic accident that results in Grace’s leg getting amputated, and Pilgrim having injuries on parts of his body, the rest of the family is planning on putting the horse to death. But when Grace’s Mom Annie (Kristen Scott Thomas) hears of a rancher/horse whisperer named Tom Booker (Robert Redford), who has been known to help horses in times of trouble, she and Grace take a leap of faith by taking Pilgrim from their hometown in New York City all the way out to the mountains of Montana. Can Tom, and his family help Pilgrim recover from his injuries, as well as help Grace find the courage to ride again?

Okay, so there were a couple reasons that I decided to finally get around to finally seeing The Horse Whisperer sometime this year. One was of course there being the fact that several people that I knew, who saw the film, said that they liked it, and that the movie was really great. The second reason was that the newer Warner Bros. Scooby-Doo film, Scoob, was released straight to On-Demand (originally theaters, had it not been for the stupid COVID) on the same day that The Horse Whisperer, and Quest For Camelot would reach their respective twenty-second anniversaries. Seeing as that was the case, I wanted to try to see The Horse Whisperer, and rewatch Quest For Camelot, and review both, sometime this year. So, after at least seeing The Horse Whisperer, is it as good as many people seem to make it out to be? Amazingly, it is. In fact, after finally getting around to watching this film last night, I am very, very disappointed in myself, because I should have tried to set things up to where my family, and I saw both The Horse Whisperer, and Quest For Camelot in theaters, even if that meant seeing one of those in regular theaters, and the other at the dollar theater. I mean I could only imagine how much better it was for the people who had the more fun theatrical experience with The Horse Whisperer. First off, we need to acknowledge how the makers of this film didn’t try to restrict themselves in terms of saying the movie has to have this amount of running time, or that amount. This film has a running time of nearly three hours. Besides movies like Titanic, or even the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, how often have we heard of movies being this long even back in the 1990s? Maybe more than we might realize, but still. Anyway, The Horse Whisperer does an excellent job in quite a few areas. One is that it shows how even if people might think that certain decisions might be the right ones, it’s good to explore options before coming to those final decisions. In addition to this, the characters are really genuine, and real. Part of how this is the case is that you have people who get angry and bitter at life after certain traumatic events occurred in their lives. Seeing as that seems to be life more often than not, how could we not commend the writers of this film for demonstrating that in this film? Okay, yes, it is better to be more positive rather than negative after going through certain hardships. Still, it is also normal to likely get bitter after times like that as well. Additionally, there is the score by Thomas Newman. Wow, he composed music for more mature movies like this, and 2001’s Pay It Forward before into more family-oriented territory with Disney/Pixar films like Finding Nemo, and WALL-E, eh? Isn’t that interesting to know! Still, unlike with Pay It Forward, Newman’s score seems to play much more smoothly, and ends up being much more creative with it’s rhythm in this film. In fact, if you want to get a soundtrack that may have a more calm, and peaceful sound, and you want to play that type of music when you’re wanting to be in a more relaxing situation, you probably can’t go wrong with a soundtrack like that of The Horse Whisperer’s. Not to mention that the score helps pull the audience, as well as hell tell the film’s story. There’s also the cinematography in this film. Wow, especially when the film takes us to the mountains of Montana, people may find themselves enjoying seeing that area more so than in the beginning, when this film is set in New York. It may even pique people’s interest in checking out the countryside of Montana sooner or later as well. Next, there’s the acting. Oh man! The acting is phenomenal here. We have Robert Redford as both playing Tom Booker, as well as being the main director of The Horse Whisperer. There is also Sam Neill, Kristen Scott Thomas, Chris Cooper, Cherry Jones (who would later play President Allison Taylor in seasons 7, and 8 of the 24 TV show), and even Scarlett seemed to know how to put on a really good performance as a kid, or teenager, however old she was when this film was first released. Oh, and even if it’s not shown in the facial expressions, animals like the horse Pilgrim seem to know how to express emotion as well. Another thing to appreciate about The Horse Whisperer is that the script is brilliant, and intelligent, specifically when it comes to conversations that take place in the middle, and around the end of this film. An additional thing to mention is that for being around three hours long, The Horse Whisperer seems to have an overall well-crafted story that engages it’s audience from beginning to end. Finally, the movie has good messages about endurance, and never giving up even when situations may seem impossible. The only thing that people should be warned about is that there is point where certain characters end up having an affair with people that they shouldn’t be romantically involved with to begin with.

Well folks, that concludes my review for the 1998 Touchstone Pictures film, The Horse Whisperer. So, this begs the question. Are even kids likely to enjoy this film? Well, this film may pique their curiosity in seeing what it might be like to spend time in both the city, as well as the countryside for a certain amount of time. However, kids will of course need to have parents with them, since this film is rated PG-13, as well as there are some very adult subjects in this film. Besides those things, however, this is one of those rare PG-13 rated movies that both parents, and kids could probably enjoy together. Also, you may be wondering, would I have been as likely to appreciate this film if ten-year-old me had seen this movie back when it was first released in 1998? Well, even if I might not have appreciated The Horse Whisperer quite as much as I have come to now, hopefully I would have come close to liking it just about as much back then as now. I will close by saying that this is one of those rare movies that I would like to rewatch several times more in the future, whether it be once a year, or every few years, or something like that. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, then let me tell you that you have no idea what a great movie you’re missing out on. It is worth seeing once, and maybe even seeing multiple times as well.

Final Grade: A

Good evening everyone! Also, happy Friday the 13th. Yeah, I understand that Friday the 13th is supposed to likely be an infamous holiday. But let’s make it a positive thing for this time around, if not other times as well, shall we? Anyway, before we get into tonight’s review, I ha a a little bit of a story to tell. Before it was confirmed that The Croods 2 was in fact getting released around Thanksgiving of this year, I had actually planned to review a different family-oriented movie around this time. However, with the announcement of the sequel coming out very soon, I figured let’s talk about it’s predecessor very soon, and save what I had planned to discuss before for some other day. With that said, let’s talk about the DreamWorks movie that was released seven to seven and a half years ago. The one and only 2013’s The Croods!

Plot: Grug Crood (voiced by Nicholas Cage), his wife Ugga (Catherine Keener), and their kids live lives of isolation in their cave home after bad things constantly happened to their neighbors. But one day, after their home is destroyed by an earthquake, a traveler named Guy (Ryan Reynolds) attempts to guide the Crood family on a journey the other side. Can they all make it before the area around them most likely gets destroyed by earthquakes, and volcanic activity?

Now, as some of us may recall, DreamWork’s The Croods was released the same year as the 2013 Disney film, Frozen. Seeing as Frozen was a very monumental film for having a really good story, mostly great songs, and an overall very heartfelt story, did The Croods stand much of a chance against Frozen, or any other movies that were released back in that year? Well, let me put it to you guys this way! The Croods may have had more adventure and magic than animated films like Despicable Me 2 (I still have yet to see Ernest & Celestine, and The Wind Rises, which were also nominated for Best Animated Feature back in 2013-2014, before having a day in those films), The Croods doesn’t quite seem to reach the same level, magic, or even heart as Disney’s Frozen. Quite honestly, if Frozen hadn’t come out, until say the spring of 2014, and 2014 had a year where Disney would release Frozen in perhaps March 2014, and Big Hero 6 in November of that same year, chances are The Croods might have had a better possibility of winning the Oscar, or even Golden Globe from that nominees of animated films that were released in 2013. Regardless, The Croods is a mostly good film. First of all, the world building is very creative. Oh, it’s not spectacular, at least not when compared to the world building of other more recent animated animated films. However, the visuals are a rare delight. In fact, The Croods could be enjoyed just as much in 3D, maybe more so than if you watched a regular version that you wouldn’t have to pay as much money on. Some of the animal characters are also creatively rendered, most notably a saber-toothed like cat named Chunky. If you liked Baymax from Big Hero 6, chances are you Mayan I am characters like Chunky the “Macawnivore” as well. It’s also interesting that some people who worked on this film also were associated with other family movies. For one, we had music composer Alan Silvestri. Before The Croods, he composed movie for the live-action and animated movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Lilo & Stitch. Let me tell you, if he didn’t get a nomination for Best Original Score, then he should have. In some instances, his music seems to at least have that vibe of something like How To Train Your Dragon. If you liked the score from any of the How To Train Your Dragon, that should say plenty. We also had Chris Sanders, who voiced Stitch in Lilo & Stitch, as well as made noise for Toothless in the How To Train Your Dragon films. Not to mention that Chris Sanders was one of the directors for The Croods, as well as for Lilo & Stitch and How To Train Your Dragon. Seeing as those were good stories, did Sanders succeed in crafting a good story with The Croods as well? Well, while the story may not feel quite as heartfelt, or lack a lunch as much as those two in particular, The Croods still knows how to pull at your heartstrings to a certain degree as well. Oh, and let’s not forget to mention Sanders voicing Belt the sloth. Okay, even that character doesn’t say much, he is so hysterical with the lines, or noises that he makes. Who wouldn’t want him for a pet? Anyway, this movie also knows how to put in some really good laughs as well. I mean the way that some of the comedy is set up is just pure brilliance. Truth be told, DreamWorks should spend much more time making animated films like this and How To Train Your Dragon, and less films like Trolls, Over The Hedge, and Turbo. Oh, and let’s not forget to mention the fun song that plays during the end credits, called “Shine Your Way,” by Owl City. Okay, that song may not exactly be “Let It Go,” or even “Can You Feel The Love Tonight,” or something like that. Still, if you at least want a fun song to listen to, then you’ll like it. One other thing to mention that this film does touch on some very interesting subjects like balancing between being cautious, and having fun in life, and not trying to be controlling of your own life, or the lives of others. The movie also does well with teaching that just because bad things happened to certain other people, that doesn’t give you the right to shield yourself, and/or others from the world. Plus, it’s also nice that this film talks about how new things, and new ideas can benefit for a greater good in the end.

Still, The Croods isn’t without some flaws in the process as well. First of all, while the story is good, it’s not exactly grand. There are one, or two things that keep it from being at the grand level. First off, the film may have felt a little too short. Okay, maybe we don’t want the story to drag. Still, is it too much to ask for an additional 10-20 minutes, something like that? Additionally, even if the main characters were developed very well, there were some, both in the Croods family, as well as some of the animal characters that might have felt little too one note, and don’t seem to stand out quite as well as they could have. There’s also the relationship between Eep and Guy. Okay, HEAR ME OUT!!! Yes, there is some fairly good chemistry between them. The movie also does a fairly good job of spending time with them. However, when compared to other couples like say Hiccup and Astrid (How To Train Your Dragon), Tarzan and Jane (Tarzan), or even Kristoff and Anna (Frozen), and some of those one can tell that maybe Guy and Eep’s relationship could have maybe been fleshed out a little more than it seemed to be in the end. It’s still good. That aspect coukd ha Shust been a little better.

And that’s my review for The Croods. Sure there were a few areas where this film seemed to fall short of it’s perfection. However, the pros far outweigh the cons. Because of this, people are likely to enjoy a good majority of this film from beginning to end. Definitely try to see The Croods, especially if you want to see the second film later this month! You’ll like most of the characters, the music, the amazing animation, and the what amount of heart that there was put into this film.

Final Grade: B+

Good afternoon everyone! Hope you all had a fun weekend, and enjoy this week, and the weeks to come! Today, we are going to talk about a film that is based on true events that apparently occurred during the infamous World War II. Yeah, this, along with many other films of this caliber seem to show how much seemed to go on during this particular time in history. Well, presenting the one and only Anthropoid.

Plot: Set in the year 1941, two Czechoslovakian soldiers named Jozef Gabcik (Cillian Murphy), and Jan Kubis (Jamie Dornan) make their way to the city of Prague after being betrayed by a couple other soldiers. After making their way to Prague, the two soldiers, along with some other friends that are part of the German resistance, must execute Operation Anthropoid by attempting to overthrow Adolf Hitler’s second-in-command Reinhard Heydrich (Detlef Bothe), who currently occupies Prague with an iron fist. Can the soldiers carry out their mission, and free Prague, and possibly even all of Czechoslovakia once and for all?

Wow, let me tell you guys, I’m not sure how many nominations this film got either at the Oscars, or Golden Globes, or some event like that. Regardless, we have a winner. This film is definitely rated appropriately, as it got rated R. Anyway, this film does a fantastic job of showing how difficult life was in the European areas of the world. Of course we know that things were difficult nearly everywhere in the world. Still, with Hitler, and Heydrich taking over places like Germany, Austria, and places like that, and all the massacres that occurred as a result, this film does not shy away from showing what that type of life was like. Sure, we are focused mostly on Prague, Czechoslovakia, but still. In addition to this, this film is also not afraid to show how gruesome things were, whether it be the way that people were tortured, how people got killed, you name it. It’s also interesting to find out that there was such a thing as cyanide capsules. How interesting that there was both that, and cyanogen gas. Go figure! In addition to all of this, this movie does well with showing how some people were willing to stand up to evil, as opposed to going along with the “mob mentality.” The music by Guy Farley, and Robin Foster is also very good. The movie also does an excellent job of showing how not everyone is going to eye to eye with each other in every situation. Additionally, Anthropoid can be a good teaching tool on how to handle situations in very creative ways, even if it means making decisions that you may not necessarily want to make. The movie also tackles tough subjects like loss, heartbreak, other things like that as well. Oh, and the movie can help remind people at certain points that not everyone can be trusted. So where you draw the line between trusting, and not trusting people, you got me! What’s more is that the acting is also really good. The actors, and the writers also really seemed to take care into making sure that they knew how certain people spoke, and making the right kind of accents as a result. It’s also interesting to learn that there are still bullet holes remaining in the Saints Cyril and Methodius Cathedral that is located in Prague. One other thing to mention is that Anthropoid does a fantastic job of explaining why socialism doesn’t, or didn’t, work well in places like Prague, Czechoslovakia, or anywhere else for that matter. So yeah, for those people that are hellbent on incorporating socialism into the US, then all the more reason that those people should plan to watch movies like Anthropoid, China Cry, or any other movie that covers a heavy subject such as that one. You may change your mind about wanting socialism afterwards. Hug feel free to prove me wrong anyway!

With all of that said, is there anything negative about this film? Well, the only thing that one could possibly think of is that the relationship between either either of the two main couples in this film could have maybe been given a little more attention. Oh yes, it was fairly good. It just could have been better.

And that’s my review for Anthropoid. With how dark, and violent it is, is this film worth seeing multiple times? Well, some people may want to see this film more than once, while others may just want to see it only once, and let that be a done deal. One way, or another, people should definitely see it at least once in their lifetime, and see how difficult life was back then. That is especially since people could realize what a blessed life some people could be living now. So yeah, definitely make it a goal to see Anthropoid. You may yet be surprised by some of the enjoyment that can be found in this film.

Final Grade: A

Friends and family, boys and girls, as we are nearly leaving the 300s, and moving into the 400s movie reviews, one of the films that we review is one from today. Today, we are going to talk about a more mature film that’s made by Warner Bros. Pictures, that I should have seen twenty years ago when it was released. It stars Helen Hunt, Kevin Spacey, and newcomer at the time Haley Joel Osment. The one and only, Pay It Forward!

Plot: An eleven-year-old seventh grader named Trevor McKinney (Haley Joel Osment), along with others in his grade, enroll in a class that’s taught by a new teacher named Eugene Simonet (Kevin Spacey). On the first day of class, Simonet assigns Trevor, and the rest of the class, a task of finding a way in which they can change the world, or at least make the world a better place. After being fascinated by the idea, and getting ready to take on the task, can Trevor do what it takes to make the world a better place in ways that he sees fit?

Okay, while this film may not be quite as good as a lot of people may make it out to be, it is very understandable as to why some people may consider Pay It Forward one of their favorite films of all time. First of all, the whole concept of making the world more of a better place is a really good concept, whether it be saving students from bullies, helping homeless people get on their feet, and things like that. Yes, it’s disappointing that Jesus, and Christianity overall aren’t mentioned with this concept. However, this was a mainstream film that was released back in the 2000s, when it seemed more rare for a Christian Faith-based film to be released in theaters before video. So what can you do? Anyway, this movie does make some good points throughout it’s film like “Why do we not seem to care about what happens in the world at a young age?”, and questions like those. It’s also interesting how Pay It Forward touches on tough subjects like hypocrisy at certain points as well. In addition to all of this, how about the main characters being developed really well? I mean as you see this film progress, you really gets some good arcs for each of them. This especially is true for the main stars of this film. Because of this being the case, you rarely, if ever, see any characters act stereotypical in any sense. Man, do we need more movies like that. Okay, thankfully, movies have gotten better about that in recent years, but still. In addition to Helen Hunt, Kevin Spacey, and Haley Joel Osment, the supporting acting is also excellent, especially James Caviezel as one of the homeless characters. Man, can you believe that before getting his big debut with movies such as The Passion Of The Christ, Caviezel would be in possibly lesser known movies like this one? How about the score? Well, Thomas Newman’s score may not be the best at first. Allow me to explain! His music may have a little too much of the same beat in some of the beginning of the film. However, as this film continues on, Newman does a good job of mixing things up, and making his score more enjoyable. It’s not that his score didn’t start off being good at all. It’s just that you may like the music that he composes more after around the beginning. People will also live the shots, and the overall landscape of Las Vegas, Nevada. Sure, it’s no jungle paradise, but it’s still good looking even for a desert environment. Another thing to enjoy about Pay It Forward is that that there are good messages about learning to stand up for others, being brave, and or whatever else it takes to do what’s right in the end. The only thing that people may not like is that Trevor, and maybe even his Mom can act a little bratty at times. Okay, I get that that happens in with families in real life sometimes. Still, this film may have gone a little too far with it. Not much, but even so. Also, this isn’t a downgrade from the film, but definitely prepare to bring some tissues, especially for around the middle to end of this film.

And that’s my review for Pay It Forward. While not a perfect film, Pay It Forward does have a lot to offer, gives people some things to think about. The messages are really good, the characters are either likable, or ones that you may love to strongly dislike, and the development of the characters, and story overall is one that you can get behind. If you haven’t seen Pay It Forward yet, definitely make it a point to. I really enjoyed, and I’m sure you will as well.

Final Grade: A-

Good afternoon everyone! Hope you all are doing well! Well, as you can see, we are finally at Movie Review # 395. This means that we are five film reviews away from reaching the 400th review. Oh, and speaking of which, not only do I have planned what film that I will be reviewing for Movie Review # 400, but I also have in mind what I will be reviewing for my 401st review as well. The reason being is because of the films that I will make my 400th, and 401st review respectively, will have similar settings to a degree, and surprisingly have some other things in common as well. So yeah, I just figured I’d give you all a heads up on that for when the time comes for those projects. Anyway, today, let’s focus on today’s review. In this case, we are going to be talking about an action film that stars Arnold Schwarzenegger in it. Sadly, this one doesn’t seem to be talked about as much as some other films that he’s starred in. In fact, this particular film seems to fly under the radar. Or should we say under the screen in this case (pun intended)? Don’t worry, if you see this film, you should hopefully get the joke! Anyway, let’s talk about the possibly underrated film that stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Last Action Hero.

Plot: When an action movie geek named Danny Madigan (Austin O’Brien) is suddenly sucked into the fictional movie, known as Jack Slater, thanks to a magic golden ticket that was given by the movie theater owner, he must help Jack (Arnold Schwarzenegger) track down a madman named Benedict (Charles Dance), and keep him from unleashing his wrath in the Jack Slater film, and possibly even the real world if he were to succeed in making it there.

Last Action Hero is a very interesting film with a really cool concept. In fact, some of you may be wondering how this film compares to some other action films, whether it be ones that Schwarzenegger has starred in, or other ones. Well, let me just tell you that Last Action Hero is very different from your typical action movie. Picture this! Some of you might have seen a kid’s Bible show by the name of Superbook, have you not? For those of you who haven’t, let me just summarize that plot for you! In e episodes of that show, there a boy named Chris, a girl Ames Joy, and a talking robot named Gizmo, who, in each episode, get sucked back in time by a magical book called Superbook. Over the course of the show, they meet people from the tokes of when the Bible was recorded, such as Moses, David, Elijah, and evening Jesus, and His twelve disciples. There were some other Christian shows similar to it, like Hanna-Barbera’s The Greatest Adventure: Stories From The Bible, where two archaeologists named Derek and Margo, and their nomad friend Moki get sucked into quicksand, and stumble upon a door portal that transports them back in time to meet some of those people, and other shows like it. Why, fo I bring up shows like those, you may be wondering? I bring those up mainly because, well, Last Action Hero seems to have a similar concept to those shows. The only difference this time around is that, the main character kid, Danny Mattigan, has a magical golden that’s been left behind by Harry Houdini (or so is the case in this film), that, when out in the open, or becoming magical, transports Danny into the film, that is fiction, and not based on a true story, and he gets roped into some crazy action along the way. Yeah, if you’re looking for something that’s just your typical, realistic action movie, then be warned that you may not enjoy this film all that much. However, if you’re okay with a thriller action movie that has a twist by having some fantasy thrown in the mix, then one is likely to enjoy this film. There are also some other good things in it. For one, a lot of the characters are very well fleshed out. Sure, there were one, or two, who weren’t quite given their due. Still, you can get behind most of them. The villain, or villains, are really great. Also, Jack Slater, and Danny Mattigan make a really great hero duo. Oh, and this film has some really hilarious moments, both in action, and in the script. In fact, if you liked 2008’s Get Smart that starred Steve Carrell, and Anne Hathaway, because of that action film being incredibly funny in those regards, you’re bound to love this film as well. Yes, some of the comedy, and the slapstick can feel a little childish for an adult film at times. Still, adults are bound to like it as well, especially if they’re fans of Arnold Schwarzenegger movies. People will also like some of the cameo appearances from real life actors and actresses in this film too. Oh, and one other thing to mention is that this film has some really nice messages, such as how we need to learn to not be stuck in our own individual worlds. Yes, when times get tough, it is great to read the Bible, watch a good film, or things like that. Still, it’s cool how this film touches on how we need to learn to not be so mentally stuck in a fantasy world that we don’t pay attention to what’s going on in the real world around us, or even in other people’s lives as well.

The only thing that I will say, in addition to one or two characters not being as well developed as they could have been is that there is one scene in this film that some people could be creeped out by. Personally, I didn’t mind it, but I could see how other people might not like it. And that’s all I will say at least in regards to that.

And that’s my review for Last Action Hero. It is a really fun, and imaginative film that really strays from your typical action movie. In fact, if you want an action lo is that has some fantasy incorporated into it this time around, then all the more reason to try to see this film. You may be surprised by how underrated this film may be. Much like Kindergarten Cop, Last Action Hero may act like a kid’s film at times. Still, the movie does well at pleasing the adult audience that it’s mostly aimed for. See Last Action Hero, if you haven’t, and see what you think!

Final Grade: A

Well ladies and gentlemen, hope you all have been enjoying your October so far. Anyway, tonight, we are going to talk about an old live-action Disney film that was released around the early to mid 1990s. Tonight’s review won’t just be any live action Disney film. This time, because of the fact that we are approaching a holiday that occurs at the end of October by the name of Halloween, it only seems appropriate that we talk about a film that is Halloween-themed. With that said, let’s talk about the one and only Hocus Pocus.

Plot: When a former L.A. citizen named Max Dennison (Omri Katz), and his family move to Salem, Massachusetts, Max hears of a rumor that three witches lived three centuries before, and live in an accursed old house, in which the witches could easily be resurrected around Halloween every year, and his skeptical about it. However, when Max, along with his sister Dani (Thora Birch), and Max’ new friend Allison (Vinessa Shaw) come across the old home on the night of Halloween, and unintentionally resurrect the three witches, known as the Sanderson sisters (played by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker respectively), can these protagonists, with the help of a human that’s trapped in a cat’s body, send the witches back to their graves once and for all?

Now, even though I was five years old when this movie came out, I never heard of this film until just a few years ago when a friend of mine had reviewed it during the month of October, if I recall correctly. Also, I know a friend of mine, who also just watched it just a week, or two ago. Because of this, I was really curious to see it. So, I watched it a friend’s place, who had a Disney+ account. And now, it’s time for me to say how good the film was. Friends, I must say that while it’s a decent film, Hocus Pocus may not exactly be one of Disney’s best works, animated, or live-action. Why? For one, the story might feel a little too quick-paced more often than not. Okay, there are times when that can work okay. However, in this case, it doesn’t seem to work as well. One of the reasons for this is because of some of the characters. Actually, most of them! Sure, some of them are fairly fleshed out to one degree, or another. However, hardly any of them seem to stand out, and/or be noteworthy in this case. While I watched Hocus Pocus today, I can recall certain other live-action Disney films that ended up making better decisions. One most notable example that I could think of was when I watched the Disney Channel Original Movie Johnny Tsunami for the very first time this past summer, and thinking how much better that film seemed to be. Granted, that film was a TV movie, while Hocus Pocus was theatrically released. Despite this, Johnny Tsunami does a better job of showing how change can sometimes be for the better in the long run, has better developed characters, and doesn’t feel as rushed for being around an hour and a half to two hours. Not to mention the fact that Tsunami was release disc years after Hocus Pocus. Also, there were certain aspects of the beginning that could have been better as well.

Now, am I saying that this film is bad as a result? No! In fact, there are some elements that do work, such as characters like the witches, and the cat character being the only stand out characters in this film. The idea about having a live book with an eye in it is also very clever. As for the CGI effects, those were decent too, even if not quite great. Also, even for the underdeveloped characters, they certainly do have some charm to them to a degree too. There were also a few funny moments in this film too. Oh, and for the climax, while not exactly one of the greatest, seemed to be executed fairly well too. The acting from people like Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Omri Katz, and the rest of the cast was very good too.

And that’s my review for Hocus Pocus. Sure, it may not be one of Disney’s best movies. Still, if you’re looking to watch a Disney film on Disney+, or even On Demand that’s fairly entertaining, you should give it a shot. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a Disney film that’s grand, and one that you want to really, really like, you’ll be disappointed. However, if you’re okay with a Disney film that you haven’t seen, and want to see for the first time, then Hocus Pocus is worth a shot.

Final Grade: C+

Ladies & gentlemen, family, and friends, boys and girls, tonight, I am very, very excited, as we have finally ended our adventures with the one and only James Bond. That is until hopefully, for sure, April 2021, when 007: No Time To Die is supposed to come out. Geez! I guess we can’t trust that future blockbusters will keep their release date for a long while, now that this stupid COVID has been lurking upon us for however much longer. Anyway, we are going to talk about the final 007 film of the franchise until, presumably, April 2021. This is said to likely be the second to last film in which Daniel Craig stars as the main character. Presenting to you all 2015’s Spectre.

Plot: Shortly after Agent M (Judi Dench) passes away, James Bond (Daniel Craig) comes across a video, in which M instructs him to take down a ring leader in Mexico City named Marco Sciarra (Alessandro Cremona). Sometime, while trying to track him down, Bond discovers that Sciarra is part of a bigger conspiracy that could lead him to some truths that he had been digging for for years. Can Bond discover these truths, and find peace in the end?

Okay, regardless of whether or not other good friends of mine wanted to see this film, or not, I regret not seeing this film when it came out back in November 2015. The reason being is because of how well done this film is. In fact, after both this film, and 2012’s 007: Skyfall being some of the better films in this franchise, and those two coming out in a row, it is safe to say that MGM may be on a winning streak in terms of coming out with great film after film. Now, will 007: Spectre continue that streak when that film is released? Let’s hope so, but we’ll see. Anyway, here are some reasons why this may yet be another gem in the James Bond franchise. First off, much like the previous installment, this film knows how to develop everything to the best of it’s ability, whether it be the characters, the world building, and the story overall. Also, for those of you who have watched all twenty-four James Bond films up to this present point, you, like me, may have made potential assumptions about Bond in regards to his past, be it his family, certain relationships that he had, and things like that, yes? If you did, then maybe some of those assumptions may be laid to rest once and for all. Impossible, you may say? Well, maybe not! As it turns out, there seem to be some secrets revealed that may be in connection to some of the events of the previous films. Wow, twenty-four films later, and we still have yet discover some secrets that we may have never known in how these stories seem to be all connected together? Should work for any of us, hopefully! With that, it may appear as if there may be some old cliches that have seemed to be in some of the other James Bond films. However, seeing how certain events turn out around the end, and the direction that it sounds like the next installment seems to be taking, it may seem as if some of the old cliches may not be there after all. One could be wrong, but we shall see. Additionally, there’s the musical score by Thomas Newman of all people. Okay, before I continue on in this review, could we please take a moment to acknowledge that Thomas Newman is apparently a relative of Randy Newman, who, as some of us know, wrote songs and score for songs like many of the Disney/Pixar films? Well, let’s just say that Thomas Newman knows how to make really good music too. He has made great music in a variety of films, that has ranged from movies like The Shawshank Redemption, Phenomenon, Pat It Forward, and even had rare times of composing scores for Disney/Pixar films like Finding Nemo. Now, as of five years ago, he adds his flare to 007: Spectre. One should admit that he doesn’t disappoint. Oh, and there’s the relationship between James Bond and Dr. Madeleine Swann (played by Lea Seydoux). Okay, I have not been one to touch upon a lot of the relationships that James Bond, seeing as either those relationships haven’t worked out, or he’s gotten married to one, or two, and that female dies. Or, has Bond gotten the Jack Bauer treatment in terms of most of his girlfriends getting killed offscreen, and us being left in the dark about that? Hmmmm! Oh, the mysteries that may surround this franchise! But back on track! This time around, we, the audience, may sense that Bond and Swann may have a more special connection that we may not have sensed with the majority of his relationships. Seeing as this relationship seems to be the most developed, minus maybe the one from 007: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, that may be saying a lot. Oh, and as far as the villains go, while it may be obvious from the start as to who some of they are, it may be a twist as to some of the other characters that turn out to be villains throughout this film. Finally, there are some really good messages in this film. First off, there’s the potential message about not giving up even when certain situations may seem impossible to accomplish. There’s also the possible message about not taking revenge on others, but letting justice be served on your enemies in the right way. Oh, and there’s also the possible message about learning to be satisfied with other good things in life.

Well folks, that’s my review for 007: Spectre. As this franchise has continued to grow, the films have had both high points, as well as low points. However, movies like 007: Skyfall, and 007: Spectre have seemed to show that with some of the best directing, better storytelling from good directors, and other great elements like it, these films can continue to be enjoyable as long as the writers know how to balance great action with also as great of a story as possible. If you haven’t seen this film yet, please make sure that you do! You will most definitely be blown away by it without a doubt. So everyone, it sure has been a long four months since I first began this marathon back in June of this year. I must say that I have enjoyed going through these films, figuratively going on these adventures with James Bond, and giving you all reviews for these films afterwards. It took a while, but we have finally arrived at the temporary end of this franchise until, again, we have the next installment. Honestly, there is a part of me that feels like maybe this franchise should have maybe concluded after this film, seeing as things have tied in, and wrapped up with this franchise. However, if it turns out that there are more stories of this franchise that still have yet to be told, then I’m open to seeing more of them, and seeing where this story continues to be taken. Well, looking forward to finally seeing 007: No Time To Die either a few months from now, or even a few years from now, if necessary. Until then, here’s to some other film reviews, as well as occasional TV show reviews in the meantime!

Final Grade: A+

Well everyone, as I mentioned before, we are about to the end of the James Bond marathon. Before we review the last film of that franchise, until 007: No Time To Die is released, we are going to review what started off as a Disney+ exclusive, but has been expanding to he other streaming platforms as of recently. This film, in particular, is one of Disney’s live-action remakes that was originally supposed to hit theaters back in late March of this year. However, because of a certain pandemic hitting the US, this film got postponed to late July, and then to late August. Finally, Disney just decided to release this film as a Disney+ exclusive, but making subscribers pay $30 to see this remake. Supposedly, this film is supposed to be free even on Disney+, come around early December of this year. Yes, that’s right. Today, we talk about the latest Disney live-action remake, 2020’s Mulan.

Plot: Set in Imperial China, The Emperor of China (Jet Li) orders that a man from every family serve in the Imperial army, after the ruthless Böri Khan (Jason Scott Lee), a witch named Xianniang (Gong Li), who is Böri Khan’s assistant, and their army of Rouran warriors invade the country. Mulan’s father, Hua Zhou (Tzi Ma) is assigned to serve, as he only has two daughters. Realizing that her father will most likely die in battle, Mulan (Yifei Liu) decides to disguise herself as a man, and take his place in the army. Can Mulan help defeat the army by being true to herself, and bring honor to her family in the end?

Regardless of whether this film was going to skip the theaters at least in the US, or not, I just confess that while I was somewhat excited for this film, I didn’t find myself quite as excited for this film as I was for previous remakes like Aladdin, or The Lion King (both of which were released last year). As a result, I decided to watch this film with some friends, one of whom has a Disney+ account, and watch this with an open mind, like I have tried to do with some of the other recent remakes. So, was this remake good in the end? Well, while not quite in the same league as recent remakes like Beauty & The Beast, 2020’s Mulan does have a lot of good things to like about it. First of all, one should give the executives at Disney credit for being so bold as to create a remake that would be given a PG-13 rating. Considering the amount of violence that occurred throughout this film, it should come as no surprise that this film was rated PG-13. If Disney gets off the ground with remakes of Disney films like The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, and/or even Atlantis: The Lost Empire, will those films be violent enough to be rated that as well? Time will tell, I suppose. Next, the newer Mulan does well with acting as realistic as this film is supposed to be. The film shows movements of people, or even the culture of that region being portrayed as accurately as it can be. Not to mention that the people act the way that people would probably act in real life, whether it would be farmers, people in the army, you name it. Honestly, if this film had been made by any other studio, and the storyline had stayed close, if not quite the same, Mulan could have still been really enjoyable. Who knows, maybe this film might have been better than it was as well. One can only speculate. Additionally, the Phoenix is a cool character too. Granted, for those of us who have been so attached to the dragon, Mushu, from the 1998 animated film, we will definitely miss him. However, having the Phoenix as a character that’s a guardian for Mulan, or any other in this film, is a cool concept for the context of this film. It’s also interesting how there are times when this film pays homage to the 1998 film. For one, this film makes references to some of the songs from the 1998 film, whether it be through musical score, or even incorporating some of the lyrics of those songs, and using them as spoken dialogue at certain points in this film. What’s more is that people will probably be interested to find that some of the characters got changed from the 1998 film, and put into different roles this time around. It’s also cool to see Böri Khan’s hawk be in a bigger role this time. The fact that the hawk is the witch Xianniang, that was a very creative way to handle that character. As for the villain, Böri Khan, while he possibly could have been a better villain, he is very well-developed for the most part. Oh, and there are some changes from the 1998 film that, let’s just say could be very interesting changes this time around. The dynamic between Mulan, and Xianniang is also very well handled too. You might be surprised to find how much the two may have in common with each other. As a result, you at least also understand why Xianniang started helping Böri Khan, and his army in the first place. Overall, the characters are developed really well too. As for Harry Gregson-Williams’ score, you will most definitely like the score that he incorporates in this film. Finally, the acting is really good. You have Jet Li as the Emperor, Yifei Liu as Mulan, Donnie Chen as Commander Tung, Yoson An as Chen Honghui, and Tzi Ma as Mulan’s father Hua Zhou. Man, can you believe that Tzi Ma would go from playing a villain like Cheng Zhi in the 24 TV series to playing a more friendly role in this film? Definitely a cool change, for sure.

Now, even though all of these things sound great, it’s good to point out that 2020’s Mulan is probably not quite one of the best remakes that has been released as of recently. Sure, it did a very good job of trying to differentiate from the 1998 film, and trying to stick closer to the Ballad Of Mulan that was written centuries before. For one, there were newer characters, like Mulan’s sister, who seemed to serve little purpose to this film. I mean at least with newer characters like Dahlia from the Aladdin remake, that one seemed to serve more of a purpose in that film. Here, however, that doesn’t seem to be quite the case. In addition to this, there were some scenes that felt a little rushed. Okay, I’m not sure if Disney decided to restrict this film to just around a hundred and twenty minutes, or something like that. Still, in order to not have some scenes rushed, this film probably should have been an extra fifteen to twenty minutes, if not more than that. Same goes with the aspect of not having one, or two potentially bland characters. Also, I know that it might sound a little annoying to make comparisons to the 1998 animated film. However, it might be good to do so, in terms of comparing Mulan’s character in both films. You see, in the 1998 animated film, Mulan seems to grow, and develop very well as a character in that version. However, here, while you may see some of that growth there, it doesn’t seem to be quite as evident as it was in the 1998 film. As for character arcs with characters such as the shape-shifting witch Xianniang, while you may foreshadow arcs for characters such as hers, it may feel a little forced, and a little out of place, or even given wrong-timing, given the circumstances for that arc. One other thing to mention is that you don’t seem to have quite the same emotional feel that you may have felt for moments that occurred in the 1998 film. Finally, one can’t help but wonder if Böri Khan’s motivations for attempting to overthrow the Emperor, and taking over China were exactly the best. Maybe they were, but I say definitely decide that for yourselves.

And that’s my review for the new 2020 Disney live-action remake of Mulan. Yes, this did end up being a very good remake overall. However, there were points where this particular could have been better. Would it have done well in theaters? Probably? However, when compared to other remakes like Beauty & The Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, or even The Jungle Book, the new Mulan seems to fall a little short in comparison to remakes such as those ones. The visuals are great, the cinematography is phenomenal, and some of the characters are well written, no doubt. However, having said that, there are still those aspects, that I mentioned before, where this film could have been better. I would say that if you have a Disney+ subscription, probably wait until it’s a lower price, or is even for free to watch this film. Or if you want to watch this on one of the other streaming services, wait until the pricing for renting, or buying this film, is lower than it is right now. It’s a good film, but has some areas upon which it could have improved. Hopefully, with remakes of Little Mermaid, and Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs coming out fairly soon, let’s hope that the makers of those respective films learn from this film, and improve, so that they can be as good, if not better than most of the remakes that were released before Mulan.

Final Grade: B