Yeah, it felt like they added that whole story line in just so they could say she’s in the movie and try to tie it in to the last one.
[Movies] Talk about the last movie you saw 2: Electric Threadaloo
- Thread starter Dave
- Start date
Godzilla vs King Kong
Like most kaiju movies new and old, it was dumb as heck and the human drama was ancillary at best. But goddamn if it didn't deliver on the promised spectacle.
Of the modern Monsterverse movies, I still think Godzilla King of the Monsters was the best. The shots of the monsters in that felt more epic, appropriately capturing their scale. Not that the shots in this were bad. There were plenty of great shots, especially the gorgeous new locale. But as fun as the monster fights were, they weren't quite as well shot as in KOTM.
The human solution to one problem near the end was REALLY stupid and probably wouldn't actually work like that with technology. It felt like a rushed, last minute addition to the script. A lot of the human stuff really needed a script doctor just to make it work a little better.
Still, when it was time for the giant ape and radioactive lizard to throw down, I wasn't disappointed. Anything else was standard dumb kaiju stuff that's pretty much part and parcel with the genre.
Like most kaiju movies new and old, it was dumb as heck and the human drama was ancillary at best. But goddamn if it didn't deliver on the promised spectacle.
Of the modern Monsterverse movies, I still think Godzilla King of the Monsters was the best. The shots of the monsters in that felt more epic, appropriately capturing their scale. Not that the shots in this were bad. There were plenty of great shots, especially the gorgeous new locale. But as fun as the monster fights were, they weren't quite as well shot as in KOTM.
The human solution to one problem near the end was REALLY stupid and probably wouldn't actually work like that with technology. It felt like a rushed, last minute addition to the script. A lot of the human stuff really needed a script doctor just to make it work a little better.
Still, when it was time for the giant ape and radioactive lizard to throw down, I wasn't disappointed. Anything else was standard dumb kaiju stuff that's pretty much part and parcel with the genre.
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Is there anything in this movie as well shot or genuinely (proper use of the word) awesome as the kaiju battles in the first of the new Godzilla movies? That was my main problem with the last one. It had more monsters doing more but none of it even came remotely close to how good the limited fight time was in the first. Pacific Rim 2 had the same problem. More, more, more but none of it anywhere as good as the first movie.
Honestly, I thought King of the Monsters was the best shot. There were some great money shots for all four monsters. I liked the first Godzilla, but found it was poorly lit so you couldn't really see what was going in half the time. Which has apparently been corrected in the recent 4K release.
There was a lot more hand to hand fight time than the second one. Less focused on powers and just a good beat down.
Godzilla vs Kong
I have so many questions.
Firstly, I want to say I get what Frank means about there being less awe. Generally speaking, in the first Godzilla movie, the audience is constantly reminded of the sheer scale of the creatures. This was also done well in the first Pacific Rim movie, but less well in the sequel. I think I read somewhere that it's because the first Pacific Rim used more shots from lower angles, so you get a human-eye view of what the kaiju and jaegers look like. Similarly, in this movie you don't often get a sense of Godzilla and Kong's sheer otherworldly size; just the opposite, there are lots of shots meant to illustrate how like us they are (moreso for Kong).
Anyway, like people have already said, the monster fights are well done and suitably thrilling, but the plot is full of WTF. What's with the portals to a hollow Earth? How did they build a dome covering Skull Island? How'd they get Kong onto the ship? Who the hell built a humongous citadel in the center of the Earth, complete with giant stone doors and a throne and artistic decorations? Since when can you transfer a new power source by emailing it? Why does every skyscraper in Hong Kong have Tron lines? Why did Kong and Godzilla just decide to stop fighting in the end? Why were there so many pointless human characters?
Ultimately, this is an all style, no substance, turn your brain off and watch the monsters fight movie. I'd give it a 5/10, worth a gander if monsters fighting is your thing.
Finally, the obligatory corrupt executive is hot. Rebecca Hall is also hot. And the little girl who talks to Kong looks a lot like my niece.
I have so many questions.
Firstly, I want to say I get what Frank means about there being less awe. Generally speaking, in the first Godzilla movie, the audience is constantly reminded of the sheer scale of the creatures. This was also done well in the first Pacific Rim movie, but less well in the sequel. I think I read somewhere that it's because the first Pacific Rim used more shots from lower angles, so you get a human-eye view of what the kaiju and jaegers look like. Similarly, in this movie you don't often get a sense of Godzilla and Kong's sheer otherworldly size; just the opposite, there are lots of shots meant to illustrate how like us they are (moreso for Kong).
Anyway, like people have already said, the monster fights are well done and suitably thrilling, but the plot is full of WTF. What's with the portals to a hollow Earth? How did they build a dome covering Skull Island? How'd they get Kong onto the ship? Who the hell built a humongous citadel in the center of the Earth, complete with giant stone doors and a throne and artistic decorations? Since when can you transfer a new power source by emailing it? Why does every skyscraper in Hong Kong have Tron lines? Why did Kong and Godzilla just decide to stop fighting in the end? Why were there so many pointless human characters?
Ultimately, this is an all style, no substance, turn your brain off and watch the monsters fight movie. I'd give it a 5/10, worth a gander if monsters fighting is your thing.
Finally, the obligatory corrupt executive is hot. Rebecca Hall is also hot. And the little girl who talks to Kong looks a lot like my niece.
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I think that's actually how they billed it.
But that was the year that just about every movie that came out had to somehow have Clive Owen in it.
--Patrick
I am glad that a movie called "Shoot Em Up" is basically the best example of the genre.
Just that playground scene alone was worth the price of that film.
Color out of Space.
I got this because it was a Nic Cage movie and a Lovecraft story. I figured it'd be dumb and campy, but it'd be just my kind of bad movie.
My wife saw it, saw it was Nic Cage, and insisted we watch it was a family.
For the first hour, it was slow. Everyone was fiddling with their phones. We were having side conversations. It was a bit campy.
The horror bit slowly crept up, and insidiously engaged us, so that by the last half hour, we were all riveted. The ending was sufficiently creepy to have my wife complain that we'd just watched a horror movie before going to bed (instead of a campy horror movie). Was it a good movie? Not by traditional standards, I don't think. But I liked it, and I'd watch it again. I think it captured the slow descent into chaos and madness that I like about Lovecraft by slowly capturing us as an audience. We were bored and distracted, until we were slowly captured by the chaos and madness.
I got this because it was a Nic Cage movie and a Lovecraft story. I figured it'd be dumb and campy, but it'd be just my kind of bad movie.
My wife saw it, saw it was Nic Cage, and insisted we watch it was a family.
For the first hour, it was slow. Everyone was fiddling with their phones. We were having side conversations. It was a bit campy.
The horror bit slowly crept up, and insidiously engaged us, so that by the last half hour, we were all riveted. The ending was sufficiently creepy to have my wife complain that we'd just watched a horror movie before going to bed (instead of a campy horror movie). Was it a good movie? Not by traditional standards, I don't think. But I liked it, and I'd watch it again. I think it captured the slow descent into chaos and madness that I like about Lovecraft by slowly capturing us as an audience. We were bored and distracted, until we were slowly captured by the chaos and madness.
Don't get me wrong. I think it's a great movie...for me
(and those who appreciate Lovecraft like I do)I think the average movie goer will go "meh".
Edit: I'm happy to be wrong about that. From RottenTomatoes:
Mortal Kombat
You know, I was thinking about the word "reboot". A reboot refers to when you restore your computer back to its original state. Appropriately, then, this new Mortal Kombat movie feels like a reboot of the Mortal Kombat film series in that it feels like we've gone back to the first 1995 movie in many ways.
Like the 1995 movie, some of the cast can't fight, some of the cast can't act, and some of the cast can't do either. The only exceptions are probably Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion and Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero, who give a good account of themselves in fights while also delivering competent acting performances. Everyone else either obviously can't fight, as shown by their fight scenes taking place in the dark and having too many cuts, or obviously can't act, which makes it almost cringe-worthy when they're delivering lines.
Speaking of lines, the quality of the writing and the story is also pretty shoddy. Some of the lines sound like they came from a teenager's fanfiction, while the storyline itself starts out okay before descending into utterly bizarre illogicality. They also kept trying to shoehorn references into the movie, to the detriment of the movie. When Sub-Zero mentions the Lin Kuei without addressing what the Lin Kuei actually are, my wife ended up very confused. Also, they kept trying to shove lines from the games into the movie, like "finish him", "flawless victory", "test your might" etc, but they just sound weird when they show up. Oh, and Kano is more or less reduced to the comic relief, with one moment that's pretty much slapstick. I wouldn't be surprised if the script just had "Kano says something crass" sprinkled in there. The protagonist Cole Young turns out to be a new original character after all, an obvious audience surrogate that exists only for other characters to deliver exposition at him, before sending him into another fight scene. And (spoiler alert!) he ends up getting a special power that makes him nigh-on invincible; it's like the movie decided, "Yeah, let's give him literal plot armor!"
In the original 1995 movie, there were a bunch of characters that seemed to only show up to tick a box. Similarly, in this movie there are a bunch of characters who show up just to participate in a fight or two before getting killed off. Granted, some of these characters do have a few cool moments, I particularly like how they did Kabal's fight scenes, but ultimately they become just throwaway mooks for our protagonists to beat up. I hope no one here's a fan of Nitara.
On the whole, this movie feels like it's about the same quality as the 1995 film. Sure, the fights are gorier, and the special effects are better, but ultimately it's not really a good movie, and would probably only be enjoyed by avid fans of the games. Turn off your brain and just enjoy the sight of people beating each other up.
Sonya was hot though. And Cole's wife was also hot. And okay, Mileena's hot if you can get past the teeth thing.
You know, I was thinking about the word "reboot". A reboot refers to when you restore your computer back to its original state. Appropriately, then, this new Mortal Kombat movie feels like a reboot of the Mortal Kombat film series in that it feels like we've gone back to the first 1995 movie in many ways.
Like the 1995 movie, some of the cast can't fight, some of the cast can't act, and some of the cast can't do either. The only exceptions are probably Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion and Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero, who give a good account of themselves in fights while also delivering competent acting performances. Everyone else either obviously can't fight, as shown by their fight scenes taking place in the dark and having too many cuts, or obviously can't act, which makes it almost cringe-worthy when they're delivering lines.
Speaking of lines, the quality of the writing and the story is also pretty shoddy. Some of the lines sound like they came from a teenager's fanfiction, while the storyline itself starts out okay before descending into utterly bizarre illogicality. They also kept trying to shoehorn references into the movie, to the detriment of the movie. When Sub-Zero mentions the Lin Kuei without addressing what the Lin Kuei actually are, my wife ended up very confused. Also, they kept trying to shove lines from the games into the movie, like "finish him", "flawless victory", "test your might" etc, but they just sound weird when they show up. Oh, and Kano is more or less reduced to the comic relief, with one moment that's pretty much slapstick. I wouldn't be surprised if the script just had "Kano says something crass" sprinkled in there. The protagonist Cole Young turns out to be a new original character after all, an obvious audience surrogate that exists only for other characters to deliver exposition at him, before sending him into another fight scene. And (spoiler alert!) he ends up getting a special power that makes him nigh-on invincible; it's like the movie decided, "Yeah, let's give him literal plot armor!"
In the original 1995 movie, there were a bunch of characters that seemed to only show up to tick a box. Similarly, in this movie there are a bunch of characters who show up just to participate in a fight or two before getting killed off. Granted, some of these characters do have a few cool moments, I particularly like how they did Kabal's fight scenes, but ultimately they become just throwaway mooks for our protagonists to beat up. I hope no one here's a fan of Nitara.
On the whole, this movie feels like it's about the same quality as the 1995 film. Sure, the fights are gorier, and the special effects are better, but ultimately it's not really a good movie, and would probably only be enjoyed by avid fans of the games. Turn off your brain and just enjoy the sight of people beating each other up.
Sonya was hot though. And Cole's wife was also hot. And okay, Mileena's hot if you can get past the teeth thing.
I'm sure there are many for whom the "teeth thing" is her most attractive feature.
--Patrick
Saw Nobody this morning with Bob Odenkirk this morning, Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Dave
Staff member
I liked it quite a bit as well. Decent movie and Doc just came out of nowhere.
I'm seeing it today.
We got a kick out of Nobody, considering it was filmed at a friend's house. Seeing it up in flames had us howling
It was definitely a "John Wick meets The Equalizer" kinda flick, I thought. Not super deep. But it was super fun.
And that's the review it deserves.
Finishing up Crimson Peak on Netflix. Guillermo Del Toro and Tom Hiddleston caught my eye. So far I'm glad it did.
Mortal Kombat
Certainly enjoyable if not quite what I was hoping for. The fights are fun and the story is, overall, fine. Of course in a film with this many characters it's going to be hard to find a balance of who's story to focus on.
It was a little weird what exactly they chose to focus on. Like there wasn't a whole lot of explanation about why outworld and the old gods and the tournament but a LOT of focus on why Liu Kang can shoot fireballs. Personally I'd have preferred it the other way around really.
More spoilers thoughts:
One small and super pedantic thing I'll point out though that this movie did over the other one was incorporating the "flawless victory" line. In the 1995 one I think like Shang Tsung says it during the Liu Kang and Kitana fight that added nothing? But anyway it wasn't a flawless victory then because both kombatants took hits. In this one they say it after one person completely dominated their opponent without getting hit.
That always bugged me.
Certainly enjoyable if not quite what I was hoping for. The fights are fun and the story is, overall, fine. Of course in a film with this many characters it's going to be hard to find a balance of who's story to focus on.
It was a little weird what exactly they chose to focus on. Like there wasn't a whole lot of explanation about why outworld and the old gods and the tournament but a LOT of focus on why Liu Kang can shoot fireballs. Personally I'd have preferred it the other way around really.
More spoilers thoughts:
I liked the character of Cole Young. I thought he was neat and having a new character to be kind of the main POV character felt like a good choice because otherwise it would probably focus too much on any one other character.
I did not really understand why they needed to add that prophecy? Like...Subzero and Scorpion being rival clans and the Lin Kuei eventually getting the drop on the Shiri Ryu is all the explanation we need.
Kano has a cybernetic implant that shoots a laser out of his eye. Jax has metal arms because he just kind of does. No real further explanation into these things is needed IMO.
I was also confused because I swear at one point I think Subzero said that Raiden can't find out about the killings because he'll tell the elder gods but then Shang Tsung just strait up rolls in on their temple because that's just a normal fight and not interference with the tournament?!?
Also....also the tournament just strait up didn't happen. Like they're saving that for the sequel? Really this felt like a prequel to a movie that hasn't come out yet.
I did not really understand why they needed to add that prophecy? Like...Subzero and Scorpion being rival clans and the Lin Kuei eventually getting the drop on the Shiri Ryu is all the explanation we need.
Kano has a cybernetic implant that shoots a laser out of his eye. Jax has metal arms because he just kind of does. No real further explanation into these things is needed IMO.
I was also confused because I swear at one point I think Subzero said that Raiden can't find out about the killings because he'll tell the elder gods but then Shang Tsung just strait up rolls in on their temple because that's just a normal fight and not interference with the tournament?!?
Also....also the tournament just strait up didn't happen. Like they're saving that for the sequel? Really this felt like a prequel to a movie that hasn't come out yet.
One small and super pedantic thing I'll point out though that this movie did over the other one was incorporating the "flawless victory" line. In the 1995 one I think like Shang Tsung says it during the Liu Kang and Kitana fight that added nothing? But anyway it wasn't a flawless victory then because both kombatants took hits. In this one they say it after one person completely dominated their opponent without getting hit.
That always bugged me.
MK was the best 6 out of 10 movie I've ever watched. It's not just a popcorn movie, it's a bag of salty ass chips and a big container of the heaviest dill pickle dip you can find level of junk food movie.
I laughed a lot watching it. Especially Liu Kang vs Kano.
Kano carried the movie on his shoulders. Some very legitimately funny stuff from him.
I laughed a lot watching it. Especially Liu Kang vs Kano.
Kano carried the movie on his shoulders. Some very legitimately funny stuff from him.
I'm 100% certain that Kano was originally written for a smaller part but the actor was so good they had to expand it. That's why he's suddenly one of the chosen ones.
Overall I found the movie entertaining, but still pretty bad. Like, there are some very good ideas here, but also some really terrible awful decisions that make me wonder why they chose to do it that way.
Run
DAMN good thriller with a simple premise. Reminded me of Misery, though not QUITE that good.
It's by the same creators as the criminally underappreciated, Searching. These guys deserve more attention because both it and this are fantastic.
Don't watch the trailer, if you might check it out, though. It gives away way, WAY too much. Though you'll probably figure out the mystery pretty quickly. But it's less about the mystery and more about how the main character will get out of the situation.
DAMN good thriller with a simple premise. Reminded me of Misery, though not QUITE that good.
It's by the same creators as the criminally underappreciated, Searching. These guys deserve more attention because both it and this are fantastic.
Don't watch the trailer, if you might check it out, though. It gives away way, WAY too much. Though you'll probably figure out the mystery pretty quickly. But it's less about the mystery and more about how the main character will get out of the situation.
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Mortal Kombat 2021 was honestly maybe a bit better than I expected?
Pros:
- Every action scene involving Sub Zero and Scorpion were on point, effects and choreography.
- Incorporating actual fatalities from the series were done well for the most part
- Even the classic lines from the game ("Flawless victory", "Kano wins", "Get over here!") were mostly incorporated organically
- Kano's actor nailed the tone and stole every scene he was in
- The effects of the other fighters weren't awesome but still better than I expected (Kung Lao, Liu Kang)
Mehs:
- Jax and Sonya were okay, not sure about the decision to make them the MK fanatics to explain the plot, but hey, someone had to do it.
- The whole "finding your arcana" thing was fine as a plot device, if a bit inconsistent
- Shang Tsung and the Outland crew were okay for the most part, though I wasn't extremely familiar with a couple of the newer characters, but hey, someone needs to be fatality fodder.
- I get what they were going for with Cole Young as a POV character, but I was kind of expecting them to have him be Scorpion, and instead he was....just kinda there and his special power is plot armor.
Cons:
- Sonya vs Kano...in a trailer park! Fighting Goro in the front yard of a farm house...just wish locations had been more interesting.
- The rules of the world seemed pointless and changed at will for plot convenience.
- Felt like Liu Kang was kind of wasted, as Cole got most of the POV scenes, Raiden was the trainer, and Sonya/Jax were the exposition, so there was far less attachment to Liu Kang/Kung Lao than I was hoping for.
Pros:
- Every action scene involving Sub Zero and Scorpion were on point, effects and choreography.
- Incorporating actual fatalities from the series were done well for the most part
- Even the classic lines from the game ("Flawless victory", "Kano wins", "Get over here!") were mostly incorporated organically
- Kano's actor nailed the tone and stole every scene he was in
- The effects of the other fighters weren't awesome but still better than I expected (Kung Lao, Liu Kang)
Mehs:
- Jax and Sonya were okay, not sure about the decision to make them the MK fanatics to explain the plot, but hey, someone had to do it.
- The whole "finding your arcana" thing was fine as a plot device, if a bit inconsistent
- Shang Tsung and the Outland crew were okay for the most part, though I wasn't extremely familiar with a couple of the newer characters, but hey, someone needs to be fatality fodder.
- I get what they were going for with Cole Young as a POV character, but I was kind of expecting them to have him be Scorpion, and instead he was....just kinda there and his special power is plot armor.
Cons:
- Sonya vs Kano...in a trailer park! Fighting Goro in the front yard of a farm house...just wish locations had been more interesting.
- The rules of the world seemed pointless and changed at will for plot convenience.
- Felt like Liu Kang was kind of wasted, as Cole got most of the POV scenes, Raiden was the trainer, and Sonya/Jax were the exposition, so there was far less attachment to Liu Kang/Kung Lao than I was hoping for.
Got around to watching Godzilla Vs Kong. Easily the worst of the Monterverse movies.
The plot was dumb, which I normally don't mind in kaiju movies - the plot is just there to fill time between monster fights - except this plot was terrified you'd realise how dumb it was so kept trying to distract you from it's own stupidity in ways that made it even dumber.
As for the monster fights themselves, bitterly disappointing. The only really cool moment is that shot of Kong haymakering Godzilla that was in all the trailers. As for the fight between Godzilla & Kong in Hong Kong? The really cool fight that was going to be worth the cost of admission alone? Degenerates into Godzilla beam spamming his atomic breath. A titanic tussle between the 2 most iconic kaiju in cinema history reduced to a second rate DBZ fight.
The plot was dumb, which I normally don't mind in kaiju movies - the plot is just there to fill time between monster fights - except this plot was terrified you'd realise how dumb it was so kept trying to distract you from it's own stupidity in ways that made it even dumber.
As for the monster fights themselves, bitterly disappointing. The only really cool moment is that shot of Kong haymakering Godzilla that was in all the trailers. As for the fight between Godzilla & Kong in Hong Kong? The really cool fight that was going to be worth the cost of admission alone? Degenerates into Godzilla beam spamming his atomic breath. A titanic tussle between the 2 most iconic kaiju in cinema history reduced to a second rate DBZ fight.
figmentPez
Staff member
Spontaneous
God damn this was a good movie. Katherine Langford is absolutely amazing and I loved every minute of watching her emote. I really vibed with the emotional tone, struggling to make sense of things when the world is falling apart around you.
I highly doubt that most people are going to like this movie. The dark humor is not going to hit with everyone, but it really worked for me, and it's one of those few movies where I've felt like the trailer really matches the movie. Though I'm glad I saw the trailer so long ago that I mostly forgot it before seeing the movie, as rewatching it there's a lot of spoilers.
God damn this was a good movie. Katherine Langford is absolutely amazing and I loved every minute of watching her emote. I really vibed with the emotional tone, struggling to make sense of things when the world is falling apart around you.
I highly doubt that most people are going to like this movie. The dark humor is not going to hit with everyone, but it really worked for me, and it's one of those few movies where I've felt like the trailer really matches the movie. Though I'm glad I saw the trailer so long ago that I mostly forgot it before seeing the movie, as rewatching it there's a lot of spoilers.
Two movies, "To Your Last Death" on Netflix, I was entertained and the voice cast was tremendous.
I re-watched "The New Mutants" . . . I remember loving the comics back in the day, the characters, the tone, etc . . . but lord this has 'suits sticking their fingers in pie' all over it. *As an aside, as far as I can recall, Sam wouldn't get hurt on crash landing/stopping, he just *until he could* was basically and invulnerable Cannonball* .
I re-watched "The New Mutants" . . . I remember loving the comics back in the day, the characters, the tone, etc . . . but lord this has 'suits sticking their fingers in pie' all over it. *As an aside, as far as I can recall, Sam wouldn't get hurt on crash landing/stopping, he just *until he could* was basically and invulnerable Cannonball* .
Yes, exactly. He was always a favorite character of mine, and like you I used to love The New Mutants comics. That movie was a fucking crime.
There is No I in Threesome - HBOmax
This is a documentary about a filmmaker and his fiancee who decide they both want to explore their bisexuality (at least that's the reasoning at the start) and start having an open relationship and exploring polyamory. Even though I saw the ending coming, there were still some twists and surprises, and I very much enjoyed the documentary as a whole.
As someone who's most successful relationships have been polyamorous, a lot of this documentary rings very true.
This is a documentary about a filmmaker and his fiancee who decide they both want to explore their bisexuality (at least that's the reasoning at the start) and start having an open relationship and exploring polyamory. Even though I saw the ending coming, there were still some twists and surprises, and I very much enjoyed the documentary as a whole.
As someone who's most successful relationships have been polyamorous, a lot of this documentary rings very true.
The Mitchells vs The Machines
Well...that was a LOT of fun. Lots of hilarious moments that had me laughing harder than I have for a new movie in awhile. And I teared up a few times (but I'm also a big softie). It felt like a return to form for Lord/Miller, feeling like Cloudy With a Chance Meatballs.
I had some criticisms. The action was at times a little too fast for me to follow. There was some breakneck fast editing, which was dizzying at times, especially when it suddenly added post-effects like Katie's videos. Which wasn't always consistent.
Maybe I'm just getting older, but a lot of the flashes made it hard to watch, too. In the robot fortress, especially, the backgrounds were glaring against the character models. There's a scene with Rich and another character near the end on a really bright blue background and it just made the scene difficult to watch.
But of course, where the movie shines is anything involving the family. Even when I saw the first trailer, I remember saying "I kinda wish this DIDN'T include the robots because the family stuff is engrossing enough." That same feeling applies here. It's not that the robot stuff isn't fun, but the wholesome family car trip story was honestly really good on its own. The best moments are the quiet ones and I would've been okay with a stylized family road trip animated movie.
Still, criticisms aside, I still had a lot of fun with it.
Well...that was a LOT of fun. Lots of hilarious moments that had me laughing harder than I have for a new movie in awhile. And I teared up a few times (but I'm also a big softie). It felt like a return to form for Lord/Miller, feeling like Cloudy With a Chance Meatballs.
I had some criticisms. The action was at times a little too fast for me to follow. There was some breakneck fast editing, which was dizzying at times, especially when it suddenly added post-effects like Katie's videos. Which wasn't always consistent.
Maybe I'm just getting older, but a lot of the flashes made it hard to watch, too. In the robot fortress, especially, the backgrounds were glaring against the character models. There's a scene with Rich and another character near the end on a really bright blue background and it just made the scene difficult to watch.
But of course, where the movie shines is anything involving the family. Even when I saw the first trailer, I remember saying "I kinda wish this DIDN'T include the robots because the family stuff is engrossing enough." That same feeling applies here. It's not that the robot stuff isn't fun, but the wholesome family car trip story was honestly really good on its own. The best moments are the quiet ones and I would've been okay with a stylized family road trip animated movie.
Still, criticisms aside, I still had a lot of fun with it.