‘Onward’ A Solid Animated Film That’s Classic Pixar

     With the decade just starting out, of course many are excited for what new exciting films Pixar animation will have to offer. Fortunately, their first major release of the 2020s has come early with the release of Onward. A fantasy adventure with modern day elements, Onward feels like a very traditional film from Pixar that may not go as above and beyond their other works, but has enough character and maturity to make it a great animated adventure.

Classic Pixar with an Excellent Third Act

     Onward’s story centers around a young Elf named Ian Lightfoot who has always wanted to meet his father who passed away shortly after he was born. Luckily, Ian ends up casting a spell to help bring him back, the only issue that the spell half works, literally as only half of his dad is there. With that in mind it’s up to him and his older brother Bartley to go on a quest to cast the spell in its entirety. This adventure serves a very classic premise for Pixar with two friends going on an adventure to achieve a particular goal that often deals with another third character in the mix, and for the most part, this film is very much in line with Pixar’s earlier works. It is an incredibly fun adventure that although feels oddly familiar is given a lot of personality to it that makes it feel a lot stronger than it actually is. It is filled with some really fun set pieces and does a great job with its world building by taking various aspects of fantastical mythical tales and creatures, and having them interact with modern day appliances in a more clever way than most films. The downside is, Onward, for the most part never goes the full on Pixar like many of their best films. The film does not quite have a huge emotional punch compared to something like Coco nor does it go fully ambitious with its storytelling in the same vein of Wall-E. That is however, until the third act which without spoiling too much, elevates the movie big time. The film ends very strongly with a very exciting climax that’s filled with some inventive ideas and a very mature conclusion that adds so much to the film’s themes about the importance of the type of people who raise you. The ending never goes fully cliché or ridiculous with its ending and instead gives audiences a fairly emotional end that feels satisfying and mature in all the right ways.

An Expressive Memorable Cast of Characters

     A Pixar movie is truly nothing without a great cast of characters the film has as their main focus and fortunately, this cast is quite a strong one. The films leads of Ian and Bartley Lightfoot are a great duo that is very much on the line of other great Pixar character dynamics. What makes their relationship strong in this movie is that the film emphasizes a lot on brotherly love in a very similar way films like Lilo and Stitch and Frozen focus on sister love. It is showcases the importance throughout the entire film thanks to some great performances by both Tom Holland and Chris Pratt respectively as both actors fit their characters very well and work off each other greatly. You truly believe in their brotherly bond and interaction with one another and as mentioned earlier the ending has this relationship pay off in a fantastic way. Of course they come across other different types of characters who are memorable in their own right thanks to some very expressive character animation that makes this movie pretty funny in a comedic sense. Characters like Corey the Manticore and even Ian and Bartley’s dad manage to be very expressive characters just through a lot of the great movement these characters having and great comedic timing as well. It’s not Pixar’s strongest from a comedic standpoint but has enough really good laughs to keep you entertained throughout thanks to a lot of personality done with the animation.

Visually Feast For the Eyes

     Being one of the most well recognized animation studios out there, it’s not surprise that Pixar always delivers with its animation in Onward as well. The film looks very much like an updated Pixar film with some great looking environments that look almost real in terms of textures. The film doesn’t quite have as many stunningly amazing looking shots compared to something like Toy Story 4, yet it is a great looking movie that also is enhanced by a unique world mixing the modern with the fantastical. Throughout the film you witness a lot of neat designs of the world they are in and it all makes for a visually engaging movie. What also helps the animation stand out is as mentioned earlier are the character animation, which is so expressive and full of energy that you would expect from a project from Pixar. If they can manage something as simple as legs being so expressive and have such a personality to them, then Pixar managed to bring their A game to creating an animated world like this.

An Enjoyable Quest That is Exclusively from Pixar

     Onward is feels like one of Pixar’s earlier films in the best way possible. It is a film filled with a ton of charm thanks to some great animation and characters that is made all the more worth it thanks to an incredible conclusion. Even despite being far from their very best, Onward still comes highly recommended giving animation lovers and audiences in general a very entertaining adventure that you can only find from a company as creative as Pixar.

‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ A Standard Kids Affair with a Ton of Personality

     If any film has been a major topic of discussion within the past few years, it’s hands down the film adaptation of Sonic the Hedgehog. What started out at seeming to be like the next worst thing since a live action Disney remake, the Sonic movie seemed like an initially horrible idea and possibly worse execution of it. But thanks to a rare delay in production changing the character design, the film has become one of the more supported video game adaptations for taking such a risk and seemingly pay off. However, does that make for a good movie? While not an end all be all film based around the blue blur, Sonic the Hedgehog serves as a fairly entertaining film adaptation that even despite some flaws as a film and adaptation is a nice serviceable rendition of the iconic SEGA character.

Geared More Towards Younger Than Older Fans

     The film of course centers on Sonic living as recluse on Earth and enjoying himself until the government finds out about his existence and he has to return to his original home. He teams up with a Police Officer named Tom to try to make it so he’s safe and away from the clutches of the evil Dr. Robotnik.  For a franchise with such an extensive history as Sonic, many would expect for his first appearance on the silver screen to be a grand explosion of awesomeness the blue blur is known for with in-jokes and references on the level of something like Spider-Verse. The downside is, the film isn’t really that and instead serves as a road trip movie with a very childlike tone and humor attached to it. It feels very similar to other live action hybrid kids’ films with not a whole lot of substance and very joke heavy. Some would not take issue with this however, because Sonic is essentially a kid’s video game franchise, so having the film geared more towards kids would not be an issue typically. However, something that should have been considered more often is the fact that Sonic has a massive fan base that have been around with him throughout his near 30 year history. With so many games, shows and comics really expanding on the lore and doing unique things, one would have hope that this could have been a huge celebration of the character introducing film audiences to the character in a faithful fan service movie with some edge to it. Unfortunately, that’s not the case because it feels fairly standard with a straightforward story and typically elements you’d see in a kids film. That’s not to say there isn’t any fan service or neat references here or there but not as much as one would hope for. That’s not to say the movie is bad however, because even for its more child friendly tone, it still relatively works. The film never goes ridiculously insulting with out of place try hard references or incredibly cringe worthy humor that is seen in films like the Aladdin remake. There are modern humor and references, but that is something that has usually been associated with Sonic’s hip attitude so it doesn’t feel too out of place here. For what it is worth, it does serve as a very cute and fun kids' movie that does have enough energy and character to it that younger fans of the series can enjoy. Think of it like Paddington except with more modern day internet humor that could appeal to kids, and in that way, it does work.

Nails the Blue Blur as a Character

     If there’s anything that should be right about a film like this, it’s the title character and how he is represented as part of a big franchise like this. Fortunately, Sonic the Hedgehog himself is fantastic being every bit the fast, smart talking mammal with attitude that so many fell in love with. Not only does the character look great with so much expression and personality based on the new redesign alone, but Ben Schwartz gives a very good performance that is true to his character. He is the best part of the movie as he should be, but it would not hurt to mention how fun Dr. Robotnik is in the film. The casting of Jim Carrey as the character seemed so bizarre that it had to work and it does as Carrey looks like he is having the time of his life playing the character. He’s an over the top mad scientist that adds to the movie’s energy just like how Eggman should be in the first place. The downside is, outside of the main two characters, there’s not a whole lot of this movie from a character standpoint. The human characters feel very standard for this movie with not a whole lot, such as Tom, who doesn’t have a whole lot to him as a character outside of having a decent chemistry with Sonic thanks to James Marsden’s performance. The film is at its weakest when it focuses on the human element that doesn’t really need to be there and feels very much like filler to a good extent. Thankfully, it’s not a huge distraction from the movie as the film still is very much more focused on Sonic and Robotnik for a good 75% of the film. It does feel like it goes through a bit of a halt when watching the scenes with the humans only, but fortunately it picks up big time thanks to Sonic’s high speed energy feeling very appropriate for the fast pace character.

CGI Characters with Personality and Passion Behind Them

     The Redesign of Sonic as mentioned earlier was one of the best decisions the filmmakers had for this movie. Not only because it looks so much better, but more so because it showed how the people behind this film were willing to make something good for the fans as opposed to being plagued by soulless studio executives. A lot of modern day films have this issue of trying to be more realistic when they’re based on animated properties to a fault where the characters just look unexpressive and grotesques looking. The Sonic movie escapes that trend because this was a film made by people who cared more about the property than anyone who greenlit something like a live action Disney remake would. Sonic doesn’t look like a realistic hedgehog because he’s not supposed to, he looks cartoony and expressive just the way fans initially loved the character for. Even outside of the design, it still is a relatively decent looking movie with some fun action sequences that really emphasized the sense of speed Sonic is known for even if it does feel similar to films like the recent X-men movies. Sonic does get some respect for making it an expressive CGI character that isn’t plagued by studio interference and should be more of a standard for future films based on animated properties.

A Solid Sonic Movie that Deserves a Chance

     Sonic the Hedgehog is not quite a game changer of a film nor is it the 100% perfect film for the character but as a first attempt into the film world, it is decent. It caters more towards the kids than older Sonic fans but it’s not too much of an issue due to how expressive and fun the movie can be, especially when representing Sonic.  If a sequel were to be made from the ground up with the new design in mind, it could be a vast improvement from what came prior being a full on Sonic movie. As it is however, Sonic the Hedgehog is a movie that is cute and faithful enough that it deserves a chance especially from longtime fans of the series. It’s not the ultimate mania of a Sonic experience but the fastest thing alive has experienced slower days for sure.

'Birds of Prey’ and the Pretty Rad Redemption of One Harley Quinn

     When it comes to missed opportunities in terms of creating good films based on DC properties, one of the biggest is hands down Suicide Squad being the live action introduction of Harley Quinn. Not only was it a massive disappointment as a film but wasted a great opportunity of having the ideal casting of Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and failed to utilize it to their full potential. Now with DC improving tremendously on their films within the past few years, could Harley Quinn be redeemed in the DCEU? The answer is yes, as Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is absolutely everything Suicide Squad should have been. It is a completely entertaining and balls to the wall action flick that adapts Harley Quinn properly into a very stylized and energetic film despite a few missteps here and there.

A Disjointed Story that Surprisingly Works

     The plot centers on Harley Quinn starting over a new solo life as she ends up in a crime scene lead by mobster Black Mask. Despite her solo outing, she ends up teaming up with a few other anti-heroes to take down Black Mask’s gang. Unlike Suicide Squad’s attempt to be a grand and epic blockbuster, Birds of Prey goes for a more grounded story that’s more or less a straight forward with it being a simple heist film. One issue that the film does have however is that narratively it can feel a bit disoriented as it tends to jumble around constantly in terms of what is being focused on. As the plot gets going there are moments where it tends to halt everything and goes on a tangent regarding character backstory which can feel a little much at points because it doesn’t feel like it is as focused as a typical movie like this should be. However, it ends up kind of working when you consider that the film is told through Harley’s perspective and because of her insane personality, the all over the place narrative does kind of work in its favor. It isn’t as distinct as other movies that jump around with its plot, but it fortunately isn’t too hard to follow and still manages to be fun. It has a very over the top tone in regards to humor and violence and while it’s not the funniest film in comic book history, it’s still incredibly fun with consistent chuckles and humor that does work very well.  It is not a complicated movie to understand even with its weird narrative moments and instead ends up being an enjoyable action romp featuring some a really good cast of characters.

A True Proper Introduction to Harley Quinzel

     A true testament to the entertainment Birds of Prey has are the characters, because it is a great cast and for the most part are used to their full potential. Characters like Black Canary and Renee Montoya serve as solid supporting characters being a part of some decent action sequences and even having a fun character moment here and there. Some might be critical on the portrayal of characters like Cassandra Cain and Black Mask in regards to changes from their original comic book counterpart; however both characters still serve the story decently. McGregor as Black Mask, while not completely like the original character, entertaining as hell by stealing so much screen time during every sequence he is in, making the character incredibly fun and campy to watch. Another strong highlight is easily Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, who may not have a whole lot of screen time, but all is forgiven due how incredibly bad-ass this character is. She has the most arch and even is pretty funny having some great chemistry with the rest of the cast. Though the real star of the show is by far Harleen Quinzel herself as unlike in Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey is truly the Harley Quinn movie we deserve. Not only is Harley fully realized as a character here with so much, but Margot Robbie portrays the Joker’s iconic girlfriend very faithfully being insane, funny and having a ton of charisma. The main downside to her character is that the film truly should have been titled Harley Quinn as opposed to Birds of Prey due to the fact the film is truly centered on her as opposed to the Birds of Prey themselves. It does lead to more of a Harley Quinn movie than a Birds of Prey one with the core center being around her journey.  However at the same time, it’s not too big of a deal due to the fact that the Birds of Prey while secondary are still fun to watch and it serves as a good Harley Quinn movie, creating for a faithful and exciting film that truly stays true to its main character.

A Stylistically Balls to the Wall Film

     If you’re going to make a movie about Harley Quinn, a good idea would be to create a film with a ton of style and energy to it, and fortunately Birds of Prey is exactly that. Cathy Yan’s direction on this film is fairly fast paced with numerous action sequences that are well shot and have neat concepts to them. Every single character has a bad-ass moment during some of the action sequences with a good amount of quality stunt work and kills. It also helps that the film is very well shot being incredibly bright and colorful to match the zany over the top nature the film has to offer. Plus, the film isn’t afraid to utilize other stylistic choices such as character introduction text much like in Suicide Squad but done better and even incorporating some 2-D Animation in some sequences. It makes for a very vibrant and engaging that is totally appropriate for a character as outrageous as Harley Quinn.

Another Great Female Centric Comic Book Film from DC

     Even despite its misplaced title and some odd narrative choices, Birds of Prey is an enjoyable comic book film that DC absolutely deserves. With its stylistic direction, great cast and fun take on Harley Quinn; Birds of Prey will most definitely satisfy those who are looking for another solid DC film to add. Considering that this film has come out just a few months after Joker, it’s wonderful to see not only Mr. J receive a good modern film with him but also his former partner in crime as well. This is the film Harley Quinn deserves and hopefully is just another peak into the bright future DC has ahead of them.