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Madagascar (2005)
Never watched a film so "Middle of the Road" like this one.
I watched this film with my sister as a part of our Dreamworks Movie Marathon. This is a very middle-of-the road film. It wasn't very funny, it wasn't very engaging, and the characters weren't too interesting. Some laughs here and there, though they were few and far between. The Penguins were more interesting than the main characters. Two things I enjoyed were the art style and the main conflict of the film. The animation felt very angular, which isn't a complaint. The character designs, when paired with the choice of soundtrack (popular songs from the 80s and Louis Armstrong's Wonderful World) gave the movie a character. I also appreciated how the main conflict was between Alex and Marty, and how they maintained their friendship in the midst of change and savagery. Not having a "bad guy" in the movie was a great choice. That all being said, this movie is passable at best.
Shark Tale (2004)
Racism Never Felt So Charming
I watched this film for the first time with my sister as part of our Dreamworks Movie Marathon. This is not a good film, not by any means. It isn't suitable for children in any way: not because of crude adult humor, but because the subject matter of loan sharks, mafia crime bosses, and MTV's Cribs would go right over their heads. Shark Tale also stereotypes black people and Italian people to the impressions of both races given from films like Friday and The Godfather. That being said, racism has never been so charming. This film has an undeniable charm that adults will enjoy, not because it's a quality film, but because it's quite the enigma. How could such a racially stereotypical film be so damn entertaining? Well, Shark Tale is one of those "So-Bad- It's-Good" movies. Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro had a great scene together, and I only wish we saw more of them. This movie is predictable, basic, and racist: but goddamn it was a fun investment of my time.
Shrek (2001)
Shrek And His Merry Men
I watched this film recently with my sister as part of our Dreamworks Movie Marathon. Shrek is a great fantasy-adventure film. The characters have good arcs, the sets are great for a fantasy film, and the movie does an excellent job at building the world surrounding our main characters. This is seen through the small details of the minor characters (the fairy tale creatures), and the Robin Hood scene in which characters are introduced and never mentioned again. World- building. The friendship between Shrek and Donkey grows very well, and is the high point of the film. I definitely must say this movie may entertain kids, but the script leans heavily toward innuendo and is clearly directed at an adult audience. This is not at all a detriment, it gives the movie the grit it needed to be a successful action/adventure film.
Shrek 2 (2004)
Shrek 2: It's Shrek 1 again, but this time worse.
Watched this again as part of our (my sister and I) Dreamworks Movie Marathon. Whenever a sequel is created, there is a small chance that the new film will surpass the original in many ways. The Empire Strikes Back, The Godfather Part II, and Toy Story 2 are perfect examples of this uncommon occurrence.
This is not one of those cases.
Shrek 2 opens promisingly, then delves into a form of basic-ness unparalleled. It's amazing how much the conflict of this film is exactly the same as the original movie, just flipped onto another character. That being said, there are a few good laughs in this film, and the friendship between Shrek and Donkey is probably the best aspect of the film (as it was with the last one). Puss In Boots is a great character who was well introduced. Although, the sidekick-rivalry between him and Donkey got old real fast, but thankfully it didn't last too long. There wasn't much room for a friendship to grow between those two, which would have been a great character arc for Donkey. Yet, by the end of the film they are somehow friends because the script demands it.
The animation quality was stellar (unsurprising with a budget as large as this film's), but the plot got dragged through the mud of "Let's just do this again, it worked last time." Not as bad a film as I remember, but the fact that the last twenty minutes were beat- for- beat the exact same ending as in Shrek knocked it down a peg.
Antz (1998)
Antz (Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Colony)
I watched this for the first time with my sister as part of our Dreamworks Movie Marathon. Though not even remotely comparable to Pixar's A Bug's Life in terms of quality, Antz is an enjoyable overall experience. The main character was a bit annoying, but at least he was different than I expected. His romantic counterpart was very intolerable, and this resulted in an extremely forced romance between two characters who had no reason to fall in love.
That all being said, the movie had teeth, and it was unafraid to kill off characters left and right. The main theme of non-conformity really beat you over the head throughout the film, and could have been a bit more subtle. This basic plot leads me to believe this film is directed at kids, but the innuendo and adult-jokes make me think otherwise. Not sure if it's a good kids movie since I'm not a kid anymore, but Antz is a pretty good film with some problems here and there.
I'll be reviewing every Dreamworks film after my sister and I watch it, so Antz is a good start.
Brave (2012)
End of Pixar? No, just a break.
As an avid Pixar fan, I was naturally excited for the announcement of their 2012 release, "The Bear and The Bow". When they changed the name to "Brave" and changed directors, I got a bit worried. Then I saw the trailer and found myself stuck in a confused mood. From the basic plot, it seemed like just another Disney princess movie. And I was only half right.
Brave is about a young Scottish princess trying to change her destiny of becoming just like her mother. She goes about this by visiting a witch and buying a spell to 'change' her mother. She feeds her mother the spell, and the Queen is turned into a bear. I won't go too far in to avoid too many spoilers.
The characters in "Brave" are very believable, and the movie's fantastic visuals made me feel like I was in Scotland. However, once the plot got going, I found myself lost in a world of beautiful landscapes, re-used/predictable plots, and almost-funny humor.
I could complain more about how the plot is basically the same as any other Disney movie, but most movies have re-used plots these days. So I'll give that a pass.
When the Queen morphed into a bear, I knew that she and her daughter were going to become best friends after they learned about one another, and I even saw the Queen slipping from reality into 'bear-hood' coming. But the movie had just enough kick to keep me almost interested, and I was sort of excited to see if the Queen would lighten up on her daughter (even though I saw this coming).
When I saw Merida's family in the trailer, I thought I was going to dislike their characters. The triplets? Yeah, they reminded me of those stupid yellow bean things from "Despicable Me". However, the family felt like a real one, and the triplets weren't even slightly annoying. I did appreciate Merida's relationship with her father, making a movie with a female protagonist likable to young boys as well as girls. However, Merida's Father is quick to claim his daughter is a liar when she warns him about the Bear Queen. He rushes off in a forced plot-point to kill the bear (the Queen) even after Merida explained the whole movie to him.
Many complain that "Brave" is the birth of 'Pixney', described as an evil corporation selling out on every level possible. I disagree with these overreactions. I say that "Brave", along with their "can't even be called a film" sequel to Cars, is just a break from the norm. Any company's first goal is to make money, and Pixar is no exception. I believe that the last two 'products' by Pixar have been made to meet the goal of making millions of dollars, and by the box office they have met his goal. So I say they are just saving up to make new movies that bring us back to the glory days of Pixar. The reveal of "Monsters University" might prove my point.
Final recommendation: Go see it if you have a family with young kids. Don't see it if you are a teenager, or a lonely adult Pixar fan without kids.