Marfin critic : stranger things 3, Lion King (2019), steven
6 years ago
General
- Stranger things season 3 : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stranger_Things
This season is weaker than the previous ones, but it is to be expected as time goes. And it is only by a slight margin due to storyline being a bit far fetched at times and the originality fading a bit away, but it's barely noticeable overall since the entire storyline is pretty cool, if a bit slow at times. I had lots of fun with it and I like how the end sets up a different starting point for the 4th season (which will be the last or second to last one according to the authors). 4 barks out of 5
- Lion King (2019): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion_King_(2019_film)
So, my bad evening at the Lion King a few weeks ago. I was reluctant to go to see this movie, but after all my other plans for the evening got cancelled at the last minute and my parents pushing me out of the house, I decided to give it a chance. I'll start with the people there before I speak of the movie. The place was more than half empty, but the it was no surprise since it's the end of the run. Still, through the first third of the movie kids behind me kept talking, moving and all this kind of annoying things but they quiet down. Then a guy searched with a lamp something for many minutes and at the half point I was expecting things to be settled. But now, a little girl started talking (stopped after a pacifier was put in) then kept throwing her booster seat, popcorns, and run around the line of seats she was in... which was mine. She never stopped until the light came up again. To add to all this, during the wildfire climax, someone smoke... It was amusing to see smoke irl while fire on the screen, but so irrespectful.
Now, for the movie itself. Despite being longer than the original, it felt shorter : all the major scenes (and the songs that goes with them) are shorter and the extra screen time is just fillers. There is a more than 5 minutes long scene about Simba's hair floating to Rafiki's. It's quite beautiful, just like the rest of the movie (all the animals, the landscapes and everything else are really impressive, you feel you're watching a documentary but on the other side, there is zero emotions carried by the characters and the voice acting, in the french version, is barely average) but is just boring... There is scenes with Timon and Pumbaa's place filled with other animals, which I don't mind, but overall, the extra scenes are ranging from meh to why did you change them ?
Speaking of changes, in addition to redoing all the songs (and not for the better, the new one is in the credits only so you barely hear it), they didn't add anything from the sequels (like showing a lioness alongside Scar or a painting of the lion guard) which would have shown some evolution from the original), the entire movie is during day time... so, the three songs mentionning the stars, moons and night skies, who are sung under the moonlight in the original, are sung under the sun in the remake, making the lyrics out of place... I'll give it overall a 2 barks out of 5. Without the original, it would have ranked to an average movie but the comparaison kills it.
- Steven Universe the movie : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Universe:_The_Movie
I'm a big fan of Steven Universe, and the quality of the tv show, that in 10 minutes episodes can carry so much character developpment, plot, weight and all that. So I was super excited for a movie, which is also a musical. I love musicals and I love the songs of Steven Universe (especially stronger than you). So, it's set 2 years after the end of the tv show and you get a full resume of the series and all the evolution and backstory of the characters. I guess that to make it a stand alone for those who don't know the show. Then we are introduced to the main villain, who is cartoony, which is like... what are you doing here ? The cartoony clash with the rest of the universe will be there all movie long. The story is cliché, but not bad, but the songs (while good) are out of place with the scenes, the characters developpment is non-linear and strangely paced and everything is everywhere. It's confusing and I feel (and mommy too) that they had an idea but the format didn't worked for them. I was a bit disappointed. 3 barks out of 5
- Cloak and dagger (season 2) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloak_%26_Dagger_(TV_series)
My problems with the first season are still here in the second, with it being slow, characters constantly mopping all the time and overall lack of charisma. They did improved, with better villain and introducing the darkforce and what happens in there, which was way more interesting than the rest. You could cut everything but the quest in the darkforce and the villain and you would have a nice mini-series. 2,25 barks out of 5
- Young justice season 3 : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Justice_(TV_series)
After waiting years for a relaunch of this tv show, which I loved, and the death of Teen Titans by Teen Titans go. It is has good as before (mostly, it is a bit slower and it feels there is an entire season missing between 2 and 3 with a lot of things being dumped on you), with good characters, good plots, real challenges and questions and a good understanding of the source material and how to make it unique while still close to it. 4 barks out of 5
- Food wars : shokugeki no soma (seasons 1 to 3) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_Wars!:_Shokugeki_no_Soma
So, I was bored and I stumbled on this on netflix. First, let's be warned it's a food porn anime. What do I mean by that ? It follows all the rules of usual anime : the theme song spoils the entire season if you look at the details (and shows space and fantasy battles, when it's an high school drama), people eating food so good they get in a dream state in which they end either naked or dressed in embarassing (and often girly, whatever their genders) clothing, things happening that makes no sense in the real world (a character claims in public and on camera breaking and entering in other people's houses, stealing stuff and pirating computer but nobody think of calling the police or some students ending crucified in public in their underwear as a shown of the power of the school). Now, I'm ok with those rules, they make no sense in many ways, but it's the way it is and once you get used to that you can care about the rest. There is nothing special about this show, it's pretty standard when it come to anime. All the tropes, school, food (if you have ever looking at a cooking show) prepating unbelievable plates and such. I quite enjoyed it despite being all tropes and nothing else. 3,25 barks out of 5
- Marvel rising : battle of the bands https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Rising
The format of this series is a bit weird : every episode is a TV special but overall, they release so many of them that it feels it's a normal series of one season... Every episode works on one character and the challenges they face, this time being Ghost Spider. The episode uses well the songs previously made in the show to support the theme and the character developpment is cool. The bad guy lacks a bit of charisma, but the format do that. A full TV show would be better. 3 barks out of 5
- Secret life of pets 2 : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_Life_of_Pets_2
I have given the original bad critic and I'll give a bad one to this one too. The title and the trailer are all shorts about humoristic things pets do while their owners are away, but the rest of the movie is something else. This time, it's three different stories cramed together. It make more sense than the one from the first movie, but still, it's cliché, poor and outside of a few scenes with Harrison Ford as a dog, nothing really funny or entertaining. 2 barks out of 5
This season is weaker than the previous ones, but it is to be expected as time goes. And it is only by a slight margin due to storyline being a bit far fetched at times and the originality fading a bit away, but it's barely noticeable overall since the entire storyline is pretty cool, if a bit slow at times. I had lots of fun with it and I like how the end sets up a different starting point for the 4th season (which will be the last or second to last one according to the authors). 4 barks out of 5
- Lion King (2019): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion_King_(2019_film)
So, my bad evening at the Lion King a few weeks ago. I was reluctant to go to see this movie, but after all my other plans for the evening got cancelled at the last minute and my parents pushing me out of the house, I decided to give it a chance. I'll start with the people there before I speak of the movie. The place was more than half empty, but the it was no surprise since it's the end of the run. Still, through the first third of the movie kids behind me kept talking, moving and all this kind of annoying things but they quiet down. Then a guy searched with a lamp something for many minutes and at the half point I was expecting things to be settled. But now, a little girl started talking (stopped after a pacifier was put in) then kept throwing her booster seat, popcorns, and run around the line of seats she was in... which was mine. She never stopped until the light came up again. To add to all this, during the wildfire climax, someone smoke... It was amusing to see smoke irl while fire on the screen, but so irrespectful.
Now, for the movie itself. Despite being longer than the original, it felt shorter : all the major scenes (and the songs that goes with them) are shorter and the extra screen time is just fillers. There is a more than 5 minutes long scene about Simba's hair floating to Rafiki's. It's quite beautiful, just like the rest of the movie (all the animals, the landscapes and everything else are really impressive, you feel you're watching a documentary but on the other side, there is zero emotions carried by the characters and the voice acting, in the french version, is barely average) but is just boring... There is scenes with Timon and Pumbaa's place filled with other animals, which I don't mind, but overall, the extra scenes are ranging from meh to why did you change them ?
Speaking of changes, in addition to redoing all the songs (and not for the better, the new one is in the credits only so you barely hear it), they didn't add anything from the sequels (like showing a lioness alongside Scar or a painting of the lion guard) which would have shown some evolution from the original), the entire movie is during day time... so, the three songs mentionning the stars, moons and night skies, who are sung under the moonlight in the original, are sung under the sun in the remake, making the lyrics out of place... I'll give it overall a 2 barks out of 5. Without the original, it would have ranked to an average movie but the comparaison kills it.
- Steven Universe the movie : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Universe:_The_Movie
I'm a big fan of Steven Universe, and the quality of the tv show, that in 10 minutes episodes can carry so much character developpment, plot, weight and all that. So I was super excited for a movie, which is also a musical. I love musicals and I love the songs of Steven Universe (especially stronger than you). So, it's set 2 years after the end of the tv show and you get a full resume of the series and all the evolution and backstory of the characters. I guess that to make it a stand alone for those who don't know the show. Then we are introduced to the main villain, who is cartoony, which is like... what are you doing here ? The cartoony clash with the rest of the universe will be there all movie long. The story is cliché, but not bad, but the songs (while good) are out of place with the scenes, the characters developpment is non-linear and strangely paced and everything is everywhere. It's confusing and I feel (and mommy too) that they had an idea but the format didn't worked for them. I was a bit disappointed. 3 barks out of 5
- Cloak and dagger (season 2) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloak_%26_Dagger_(TV_series)
My problems with the first season are still here in the second, with it being slow, characters constantly mopping all the time and overall lack of charisma. They did improved, with better villain and introducing the darkforce and what happens in there, which was way more interesting than the rest. You could cut everything but the quest in the darkforce and the villain and you would have a nice mini-series. 2,25 barks out of 5
- Young justice season 3 : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Justice_(TV_series)
After waiting years for a relaunch of this tv show, which I loved, and the death of Teen Titans by Teen Titans go. It is has good as before (mostly, it is a bit slower and it feels there is an entire season missing between 2 and 3 with a lot of things being dumped on you), with good characters, good plots, real challenges and questions and a good understanding of the source material and how to make it unique while still close to it. 4 barks out of 5
- Food wars : shokugeki no soma (seasons 1 to 3) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_Wars!:_Shokugeki_no_Soma
So, I was bored and I stumbled on this on netflix. First, let's be warned it's a food porn anime. What do I mean by that ? It follows all the rules of usual anime : the theme song spoils the entire season if you look at the details (and shows space and fantasy battles, when it's an high school drama), people eating food so good they get in a dream state in which they end either naked or dressed in embarassing (and often girly, whatever their genders) clothing, things happening that makes no sense in the real world (a character claims in public and on camera breaking and entering in other people's houses, stealing stuff and pirating computer but nobody think of calling the police or some students ending crucified in public in their underwear as a shown of the power of the school). Now, I'm ok with those rules, they make no sense in many ways, but it's the way it is and once you get used to that you can care about the rest. There is nothing special about this show, it's pretty standard when it come to anime. All the tropes, school, food (if you have ever looking at a cooking show) prepating unbelievable plates and such. I quite enjoyed it despite being all tropes and nothing else. 3,25 barks out of 5
- Marvel rising : battle of the bands https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Rising
The format of this series is a bit weird : every episode is a TV special but overall, they release so many of them that it feels it's a normal series of one season... Every episode works on one character and the challenges they face, this time being Ghost Spider. The episode uses well the songs previously made in the show to support the theme and the character developpment is cool. The bad guy lacks a bit of charisma, but the format do that. A full TV show would be better. 3 barks out of 5
- Secret life of pets 2 : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_Life_of_Pets_2
I have given the original bad critic and I'll give a bad one to this one too. The title and the trailer are all shorts about humoristic things pets do while their owners are away, but the rest of the movie is something else. This time, it's three different stories cramed together. It make more sense than the one from the first movie, but still, it's cliché, poor and outside of a few scenes with Harrison Ford as a dog, nothing really funny or entertaining. 2 barks out of 5
trajan
~trajan
Thanks for this, a few things I am interested in, that will now pass on. I liked Stranger Things as well
Loupy Lupine
~loupylupine
OP
Mole secrets life of pets ?
trajan
~trajan
I liked the trailers but seems like both movies are terrible from what everyone says
Loupy Lupine
~loupylupine
OP
yeah, as I said, the trailer for both movies is totally not the main stuff... it's a lie
SnowtheBear
~snowthebear
Nice to know Pets 2 is as disappointing as the 1st, I'll avoid it
Loupy Lupine
~loupylupine
OP
I wasn't expecting them to make a second one
The Steven Universe movie perfectly represents the series. An everywhere story where conflicts are resolved because they have to be resolved, with little to no urgency from the characters.
Loupy Lupine
~loupylupine
OP
Storywise, yes, but pacing and style no, in my opinion
babykitty
~babykitty
Style is debatable. Pacing, however, goes out the window the moment they touch home world.
FA+