Halloween Grinch Ralph Spidey!
Time for another one my belated movie review catch-ups!
Halloween – the best Halloween movie since John Carpenter’s original. The Michael Myers we know and hate is back and this time the victims are quite well-rounded too. Of course the highlight, aside from Carpenter’s score, is the return of Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, who’s gone full Sarah Connor in Terminator 2. I don’t see how they drag this series out much longer, but this is a welcome conclusion for the fans.
The Grinch – did we need another version of the Grinch? No. But this is an inoffensively entertaining animated movie. Benedict Cumberbatch is a little too nice in the title role, but the movie passes the time in a bland way.
Ralph Breaks the Internet – I was very much looking forward to this movie, but I have to say it was a huge disappointment. The first movie was a deliciously hyperactive treat full of nostalgia, but it also had a clear storyline and emotional arcs for its characters. The sequel has almost none of that. The opening is fine, including a great Tron gag, but once the heroes enter a wifi router, I lost interest. The main problem is that, product placement aside, there’s no real appeal to the internet world of this movie. YouTube and eBay haven’t been around long enough to provoke warm nostalgic feelings in anyone, so focusing the story on those sites (or approximations of them) just feels like lazy commercialism. The much hyped Disney Princesses scenes is fun, but other than that, the majority of the jokes fall into the “hey, remember that thing you saw on the internet just yesterday” trap. It’s The Emoji Movie all over again.
That’s bad enough but then the movie, which sorely lacks a strong villain like King Candy/Turbo, decides to rectify that by making the final threat an army of viral Ralphs representing toxic masculinity. I guess I like the message, but the execution leaves something to be desired, and turning Ralph into a jerk who thinks he knows best for Vanellope (again) negates his storyline in the first movie. The other characters fare little better, with Fix-It Felix and Sergeant Calhoun being given pretty much nothing to do.
It’s hard to hate a movie that tries so hard to entertain you, but I think along with Solo from earlier this year it shows how Disney’s “story groups” can sometimes be the enemy of an actual, you know, story.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – Thankfully I had a much better time with this animated Marvel. Into the Spider-Verse is the Spider-Man movie we’ve been waiting for, and may even top Spider-Man 2 for me.
You get not one, but seven Spider-persons to enjoy, headlined by Miles Morales as the teenager who has to take up the mantle when the original Spider-Man is killed (in a surprisingly brutal scene). The plot kicks into high gear from there, with the unique animation style perfectly suiting the wild characters and story twists. Unlike Ralph 2, though, the movie never loses sight of the characters and Miles’ journey is a very satisfying one. All of the actors, from Shameik Moore in the lead role to Hailee Steinfeld as Spider-Gwen and Nicolas Cage as Spider-Man Noir excel. That the movie manages to pull off heavy family drama alongside scenes featuring Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham, is nothing short of miraculous. More of this, please!
Halloween – the best Halloween movie since John Carpenter’s original. The Michael Myers we know and hate is back and this time the victims are quite well-rounded too. Of course the highlight, aside from Carpenter’s score, is the return of Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, who’s gone full Sarah Connor in Terminator 2. I don’t see how they drag this series out much longer, but this is a welcome conclusion for the fans.
The Grinch – did we need another version of the Grinch? No. But this is an inoffensively entertaining animated movie. Benedict Cumberbatch is a little too nice in the title role, but the movie passes the time in a bland way.
Ralph Breaks the Internet – I was very much looking forward to this movie, but I have to say it was a huge disappointment. The first movie was a deliciously hyperactive treat full of nostalgia, but it also had a clear storyline and emotional arcs for its characters. The sequel has almost none of that. The opening is fine, including a great Tron gag, but once the heroes enter a wifi router, I lost interest. The main problem is that, product placement aside, there’s no real appeal to the internet world of this movie. YouTube and eBay haven’t been around long enough to provoke warm nostalgic feelings in anyone, so focusing the story on those sites (or approximations of them) just feels like lazy commercialism. The much hyped Disney Princesses scenes is fun, but other than that, the majority of the jokes fall into the “hey, remember that thing you saw on the internet just yesterday” trap. It’s The Emoji Movie all over again.
That’s bad enough but then the movie, which sorely lacks a strong villain like King Candy/Turbo, decides to rectify that by making the final threat an army of viral Ralphs representing toxic masculinity. I guess I like the message, but the execution leaves something to be desired, and turning Ralph into a jerk who thinks he knows best for Vanellope (again) negates his storyline in the first movie. The other characters fare little better, with Fix-It Felix and Sergeant Calhoun being given pretty much nothing to do.
It’s hard to hate a movie that tries so hard to entertain you, but I think along with Solo from earlier this year it shows how Disney’s “story groups” can sometimes be the enemy of an actual, you know, story.
You get not one, but seven Spider-persons to enjoy, headlined by Miles Morales as the teenager who has to take up the mantle when the original Spider-Man is killed (in a surprisingly brutal scene). The plot kicks into high gear from there, with the unique animation style perfectly suiting the wild characters and story twists. Unlike Ralph 2, though, the movie never loses sight of the characters and Miles’ journey is a very satisfying one. All of the actors, from Shameik Moore in the lead role to Hailee Steinfeld as Spider-Gwen and Nicolas Cage as Spider-Man Noir excel. That the movie manages to pull off heavy family drama alongside scenes featuring Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham, is nothing short of miraculous. More of this, please!
posted by A.S. McDermott at 3:26 PM
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