A Dog's Purpose (2017)

A Dog's Purpose is a feel good family film and it works well with its concept.  It tells the story of one dog who goes through four lives via reincarnation and we see its different experiences each time.  Its first life is also where the film spends its longest, in order to build up a bond with the characters.  Ethan, a young boy, gets a puppy and names him Bailey.  The good thing with the film is that it shows the good along with the bad.  You would have thought Ethan had a happy life, and at one point, things were going well for him.  However, his life starts to fall apart and it is sad seeing these things happen.  We get commentary from Bailey and while it's the usual misinterpretation since Bailey doesn't understand all the things that humans do, it is still amusing.  Once that life ends and Bailey reincarnates into other ones, they are a bit weaker because less time is spent on them.  It's still interesting to watch the differences in terms of owners and Bailey's thoughts.  The film ends in a nice way by going a complete full circle, so while the film doesn't especially excel in what it does, it does it good enough that the journey felt worthwhile and memorable.

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001)

Cowboy Bebop:  The Movie is a film based upon the anime series.  It is a standalone story that takes place before the end of the anime and is pretty much just like a regular episode.  Of course, the budget is higher so the animation quality is better, and the story is a little bit more involved than what you're used to from the TV version.  On the flipside, because it is longer, the pacing also seems to be slower.  There are various scenes where it felt it was dragging it for a tad bit too long with not much positive effect.  The story itself focuses on the group of space bounty hunters Spike, Jet, Faye, Ed and Ein as they target a bioterrorist.  The terrorist is planning to let loose a pathogen upon the population of Mars that will quickly kill them.  Each member of the team follows a different lead to try and track down the terrorist.  The plot itself, once you've finished the story, it fairly decent.  There was an elaborate plan, a mystery that was revealed, and a villain that was cruel but had some reason for doing the things he did.  The execution though was lacking, and it seemed to not have as much of elements that made the TV anime so charming.  Overall, Cowboy Bebop:  The Movie is good if you were already a fan of the anime and wanted something more, otherwise it feels like an average movie.

Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019)

Dora and the Lost City of Gold is a live-action adaptation of the animated series for young children.  As a result, it should be expected that the film isn't exactly made with older audiences in mind.  The casting of the actress for the titular role did a great job at portraying the character but that's about where the positives ends.  Immediately upon the opening scene, it sets the expectations that this is not going to be a serious film.  The special effects are noticeably poor in quality, and when the animated talking fox shows up, you know that it forgoes realism for a more faithful adaptation (which isn't necessary a bad thing if you're a fan of the show).  The film doesn't have much that would keep the attention of older audiences.  The plot is simple in which Dora, having grown up in the jungle, struggles to adjust to city life and going to high school.  Naturally, she ends up being called upon to find a lost city in order to save her parents and her "friends" are being forced to tag along and then appreciate her for who she is.  The villain is one note and it is one generic development after another.  Just when you thought some scenes are okay, the next will have some attempt at humor that can feel forced.  Overall, the film is below average if you judge it as a standalone with no familiarity with the show, but it's a bit better if you're younger and are a fan of the character already.

Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

Alita:  Battle Angel is based upon a manga series, which is a cause for concern as Hollywood adaptations don't have a good track record.  The good news is that Alita:  Battle Angel is a solid film, even if you have no idea about the source material.  It takes place in the future where a war had ravaged the planet, and what's left is a city in the sky known as Zalem, and the city below it.  The people living in the city below makes due, and no one ever goes up to Zalem although a few dream of doing so.  Alita was rescued from the scrapyard and given a cyborg body but had lost her memories.  The bulk of the plot has her interacting with Hugo, a boy she met (and given that he's the love interest, is quite weak), and just learning about this world.  Considering it was only given two hours, the film does a great job at world building.  By the end of it, you feel that you are familiar with a lot of its elements and workings.  The flipside is that there isn't a clear objective for Alita.  There is so much in its story that it simply cannot fit it all inside the film, which leaves the ending somewhat lacking.  There is an absolutely reliance on CGI given that a lot of the characters are cyborgs, but there are some excellent action sequences that is a thrill given the fast pace.  Yes, the bigger eyes on Alita is distracting (and weird considering no one else has it) but you'll get used to it.  Overall, Alita:  Battle Angel is a solid film that does a lot of things right.

Joker (2019)

Joker is an origin film for the Batman villain but it isn't your stereotypical superhero film.  Instead, it is a darker and more subdued take on the genre, being more thought provoking and surprisingly, a more sympathetic look at the character.  Before this film, Joker was mostly portrayed as a maniac but here, before he became the Joker, Arthur is a mentally ill person looking for help, and trying to survive in the harsh society.  At the beginning of the film, you even have hope for the character.  He is ill but he is getting help (however flawed that help may be), he has a job and he at least recognizes that he has an issue.  Over the course of the film, through events that are sometimes out of his control, sometimes not, he descends bit by bit into madness.  Arthur has a condition where he gets into fits of laughter for no reason, and society misunderstands and punishes him for it.  While the pacing is steady, it grips you in how Arthur slowly gets into the state of mind and slowly turns into the character of Joker that we are familiar with.  The link to Batman only comes into play towards the end and at that, it is a fairly quick link since it is not the focus.  The film takes place many years before Batman makes his first appearance.  Joaquin Phoenix, the actor of Arthur / Joker, did a phenomenal job.  The scariest part comes at the finale where Arthur finally snaps and lashes out, with a memorable rant / justification and action.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)

The third film of John Wick continues straight after the second.  After John falls on the other side by breaking the rules, the High Table is now out to get him, putting a $14m contract on his head and making him the target of everyone.  The biggest theme of the film is how there are consequences for breaking the rules.  Everyone that had helped John now gets their punishment, and there is a sense of loyalty and fealty.  The film explores further the workings of the High Table, their reaches, and the respect that they command.  John is only one guy against everyone, but since he is John Wick, no doubt he manages to survive and become a one man army.  He still struggles though and is finding a solution in which he doesn't die.  The plot is well paced, there was never a dull moment and it feels that it is constantly moving.  It starts off with an excellent fight scene, and the rest of the film is peppered with them.  It builds up to the climax where it is a massacre.  One thing to note is that the violence seems toned down compared to the second film, just slightly.  There are still gory parts, and over the top kills, but it feels like its focus isn't on how far they can push it but rather whether it is just enough to get the message across.  While it doesn't compare to the original (and frankly, nothing will), Parabellum feels like you can root for John Wick again.

Stuber (2019)

Stuber is a comedy film in which the concept is a police officer teaming up with an Uber driver in order to catch a drug dealer.  This is an odd combination and it never quite works that smoothly during the whole movie.  This is because the police officer, Vic, took an eye correction surgery and then just so happens to get a tip on the drug dealer he had been tracking down for a few years.  Since he can't drive, he calls an Uber, driven by Stu, and then effective forces Stu to drive him around and even get into the thick of things.  The Uber viewpoint also gets bought up way too often and feels unnatural, as does a lot of the jokes.  It is too reliant on the concept which was already rocky to start with.  It does manage to get on its feet eventually and ends up being an enjoyable movie, including surprisingly, a satisfying character development subarc for Stu and his love interest.  You feel by the end of the movie you understand both Vic and Stu pretty well.

The End of Evangelion (1997)

After the unsatisfactory ending of the 26 episode anime, the first film Death & Rebirth provided a recap and the promise of a new ending.  The End of Evangelion isn't an alternate ending as such, but more like it expands upon the original and keeping the themes and tone similar.  Of course, there are changes and whether they are for the better is hard to say.  The film starts off with plenty of action and feels somewhat normal.  After the last Angel had been defeated, there is no need for Nerv anymore and the headquarters is under attack.  It is quite cruel and horrible at what happens since the attackers kill everyone in sight, regardless of whether they were armed or not.  That section forms the alternate 25th episode.  The alternate 26th episode is where things get weird.  It is less coherent than one would like on their first viewing, although not to the degree of the original ending.  Shinji is really unlikable in this film, he has regressed back to just wanting to run away from everything, and yet he is one of the most important characters and core to several plans.  The ending is a mash of imagery that keeps bombarding you with visual effects, whether it makes sense or not.  After the film finishes, you'll probably have to sit back and think through what happened, and to try and process it all (in addition to probably reading a plot summary).  The End of Evangelion is definitely a better ending than the TV version, but it still feels like there is no way a happy ending could really occur, and no way a relatively "normal" ending can either.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth (1997)

Neon Genesis Evangelion:  Death & Rebirth is a recap movie of the 26 episode anime.  Given that its runtime is a bit over an hour, the recap is extremely rushed.  If you haven't seen the anime before, then this is no substitute as it'll just be confusing.  Even if you have watched the anime, it's still not an ideal movie because the way it was edited means that a lot of scenes are out of broadcast order.  Some of the scenes are edited in such a way that it is chronological, while others are edited so that similar themes are grouped together.  The end result is a messy movie.  Given that this is a theatrical release with a short-ish runtime, you wouldn't expect that they would include the long awkward silent static images and yet they did.  There are new scenes that help link several old ones together but they aren't too noticeable.  While the anime does end with a completely new section, it is covered again in the next movie anyway.  Unless you haven't watched the anime recently, then it is best to avoid this movie.

Tarzan II (2005)

Tarzan II is the third film in the Tarzan series and unlike Tarzan & Jane, it isn't a mashed together several TV episodes.  Instead, it is set as a prequel and shows off Tarzan when he was still young.  Being the only human in a group of gorillas is tough, doubly so when he doesn't know what he is.  This film tells the story of him discovering himself and finding his place among the gorillas despite being different.  The story starts off being okay, but it eventually becomes quite average with a cast of boring characters and a lack of chemistry and charm.  Tarzan himself is a fun a character but the villains are completely one-note with a singular personality trait that defines them.  The plot is typical of the fact that Tarzan stays away from his family, finds mentor and learns a valuable lesson.  As a result, by the time the halfway point comes, you might very well lose interest.  The animation is solid though and the use of 3D in the panning shots were done well.

Tarzan & Jane (2002)

Tarzan & Jane is a sequel to the first Disney film but since it was a direct-to-video release, the quality is definitely not as high.  In fact, it has an extremely similar structure to most of Disney's direct-to-video films, and is pretty much three TV episodes merged together to make it feature length.  There is the weak excuse of Jane thinking of doing something special for her anniversary with Tarzan, and this causes her to reminiscent about past events.  We then get three effectively self-contained stories where Jane's past life affects Tarzan's.  For all its worth, Jane and Tarzan are happy with their lives, but every so often, Jane does want some "civilized" activities.  Naturally, when you try to have tea parties in a dangerous jungle, it is not the best idea.  If you enjoy the TV series then this film is a natural extension and you'll enjoy it.  Otherwise, the animation is average (not great, but not bad either) and the writing is simplistic but it does touch on some deeper themes like compromising and not forcing things onto someone you love that they don't like.

The Mummy (2017)

The Mummy is a reboot of the film series and has some significant star power including Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe.  It distances itself from previous films but having a darker and more serious tone.  It actually starts off pretty strong, as Sergeant Nick discovers an Egyptian tomb in Iraq.  Finding the sarcophagus inside, it turns out that it was cursed and was containing Princess Ahmanet, who was mummified alive trying to resurrect Set.  The plot then goes steadily downhill as it becomes a slow slog and a generic monster film.  It really shouldn't have included the character of Dr Jekyll as a lot of time was spent trying to set up the overall universe at the detriment of the film's standalone story itself.  By the time you're towards the end, you probably won't for what happens anymore and it's just as well since the ending was ridiculous.  While the character Nick may not have acted as you would have predicted, the actions that he took to resolve the current issue was still pretty idiotic.  The film finishes off with a supposed nugget of wisdom and philosophy which comes off as just trying too hard and failing.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019)

Maleficent:  Mistress of Evil is the sequel to the first Maleficent, which was a live-action spin-off from the classic Disney film Sleeping Beauty.  The premise of this film can feel forced in order to create a sequel and this permeates throughout the whole plot.  Aurora is deeply in love with Prince Philip, and when the two decide to marry, it causes friction between Aurora and Maleficent.  Complicating matters is Prince Philip's mother who seems steadfast in portraying Maleficent as evil.  It goes as well as you'd expect, with the Queen framing Maleficent, and Maleficent turning bitter due to the betrayal of Aurora.  A war ends up ensuing between Maleficent's Kingdom of Moors and the Queen's Kingdom of Ulstead.  A lot of the plot developments feel like cheap shots and a lazy way to push things forward.  It tries very hard to portray Maleficent as evil but is actually good, and it sends a conflicting and contrived message as a result.  The film is too reliant on special effects, particularly problematic when the special effects aren't that great in the first place.  In the end, the film is a bit dry and bland, making it hard to recommend.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)

X-Men:  Dark Phoenix is the second attempt at adapting The Dark Phoenix Saga for a film (after The Last Stand's subpar attempt).  Naturally, this means that Jean is a big part of the film and the story and we get a quick flashback showing us how she discovered her powers, and how she came to Xavier.  Soon after that, she will unlock her powers and we get a taste of what is arguably the most powerful X-Men member is capable of.  Unfortunately, the film's pace is terrible and the overall story buildup isn't that great either.  We're supposed to get some shocking events including important character deaths but the way it was done just gives you no feeling at all.  The plot never feels like it is actually building up to anything, and the climax is pretty anticlimactic itself.  We have division among the X-Men team, including severe doubts about Xavier's intentions and whether he is truly wanting the best for his students.  The bulk of the film has several members tracking down Jean, which ends up leading to the final fight.  All of this feels like the first half of a second, but we never get the second half where everything goes all out.  The huge reliance on shoddy special effects also affect the enjoyment.  As a result, X-Men:  Dark Phoenix is an average film that's forgettable.

The Lion King (2019)

The Lion King is a remake of the Disney animated film of the same name.  It takes on the live-action remake moniker even though since all of the characters are animals, pretty much everything is animated.  This is both a plus and a minus.  At times, the characters look lifelike and amazing, in others, it looks as if there is something off, this goes for the backgrounds as well.  The film pretty much retells the original story, complete with songs.  At first, you might think that singing realistic animals may be a bit odd but it surprising works pretty well.  There are several minor changes made to the story but it generally feels the same, and this also means that it has a fairly slow paced middle portion.  The design direction made for giving the animal characters emotion and express allows you to sympathize and care for their plight.  However, like with all of Disney's remakes, you can't help but keep continually comparing it to the original, and it does pale in comparison.  The Lion King may be enjoyable for newcomers, but its slow pace and comparatively low excitement or ingenuity in its story dampens it somewhat.

Aladdin (2019)

Aladdin is a live-action remake based upon the Disney animated film.  In general, this is an enjoyable remake and it keeps enough of the original to keep it familiar.  However, there are liberties taken with the source material.  An effort had been made to make Jasmine less like a helpful princess in need of rescue, and more of her own strong character, including a new song which notably doesn't gel well with the rest of the songs that were based on the originals.  There are other smaller changes, and whether they're good or not is subjective.  What did clash was the attempts to incorporate modern elements into genie's antics, including break-dancing and other dance moves which just feels weird with the older Arabian setting.  The role of genie will have a high bar to achieve but Will Smith does a commendable job and he is likable.  He keeps enough of the old genie's craziness but like most of the film, keeps it a bit more realistic.  Naturally, the film has a heavy reliance on CGI and most notably during the scenes where genie does his magic, they are the ones where it stretches it too far.  It's fine for an animated film but it's way too unrealistic and exaggerated for live-action.  At its core, the story is the same which is how the Princess Jasmine falls in love with the common thief Aladdin (who has a heart of gold).  This is one of Disney's better live-action remakes and it is fun to watch from start to finish.

Onward (2020)

Onward is a Disney Pixar animated film and it has a focus on family bonds.  Compared to other Pixar films, its setting may not be as interesting or fantastical.  It takes place in a world where magic used to exist but as technological advancements were made, magic ended up being a lost art.  Ian lost his father when he was young and has no memory of him, while his older brother Barley is really into tabletop games (and annoyingly so).  Ian and Barley ends up discovering a spell that is able to bring their father back for one day, and while Ian discovers he has natural aptitude for magic, he only managed to bring the bottom half back.  As a result, the pair needs to find the Phoenix Gem to redo the magic spell.  Naturally, the goal of the film is to show off the bonding between the brothers.  It's not a fantastical adventure since apart from the world being inhabited by fantasy creatures like elves and sprites, everything else is like reality.  It works well enough but it is definitely missing the crucial spark that made Pixar's previous movies so touching.  The climax has the biggest amount of action in the film and it was exciting in the "villain" that shows up, as well as Ian using the magic that he had improved upon during his journal.

Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)

Ralph Breaks the Internet is the sequel to Wreck-It Ralph.  It logically takes the story to the next destination, and that is the internet.  The arcade that Ralph and Vanellope reside in finally connected to the internet and as a result, the duo can explore the world wide web.  Naturally, they don't understand anything about the internet and makes a few blunders.  The film does a great job at personifying the various things that happen on the internet, from search engines to pop ups to real people browsing sites.  The first film was already impressive in how it managed to make surprising cameos from several game characters but it tops it here.  Not only do we get iconic game characters, but there are surprising appearances from many other Disney related franchises, and they form some of the best scenes in the film.  The plot is somewhat predictable, as it focuses on the friendship bond between Ralph and Vanellope.  Although you would have expected that they know each other very well given the events of the first film and the fact that this sequel takes place six years later.  Anyway, that arc is nothing special, it's just everything else that happens surrounding it that makes the film fun to watch.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

Star Wars:  The Rise of Skywalker concludes the sequel trilogy and like the whole trilogy, it can be a bit uneven.  We're thrown a bomb at the very beginning by revealing that the true villain of everything that has happened is none other than Emperor Palpatine.  Anyway, The Rise of Skywalker has a scope and structure that more like your traditional Star Wars film.  Rey, Finn, Pol and the rest travel to various planets in order to find an object that will direct them to Exegol, where Palpatine resides and is almost ready to unleash a fleet of Star Destroyers to recreate his empire.  It definitely does not focus on the characters as much as The Last Jedi did (for better or worse, depending on your preference) and there are more flashy battles.  Unfortunately, the plot is too predictable, especially with the fate of several characters where it does not surprise you at all because it has been done before in previous Star Wars films.  That said, the film isn't boring and there is enough going on to keep you invested.  It leads to a satisfactory and serviceable climax, and concludes the trilogy in a solid, if not spectacular or especially daring, way.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

Star Wars:  The Last Jedi, also known as Episode VIII, continues on with the sequel trilogy.  It follows from the cliffhanger revelation of the previous film where Rey finds Luke Skywalker on a remote island.  If you thought that it would lead to some sort of big event, you'll be sorely disappointed.  As it is, the scope of The Last Jedi is surprisingly small.  You start to have your suspicions and when it is confirmed, it's kind of annoying.  Leia and the rest of the Resistance are pinned down by the First Order, and the bulk of the film follows this standoff.  The ship carrying the last remnants of the Resistance is struggling to fend off against the might of the First Order, and it is up to Finn and Rose to somehow carry through a plan to get them out.  On the other hand, Luke plays the character who has had some traumatic experience and does not want to have anything to do with the Jedi anymore.  Frankly, it's a far cry from the character we are used to.  There is a higher focus on emotional impact, for better or worse, and deliberate scenes to evoke a particular feeling even if it wasn't done in a Star Wars movie before.  With expectations so high, The Last Jedi cannot satisfy everyone.  It is still an enjoyable film but does feel lacking in various areas.