changguoen Reviews

Pinocchio (I) (2022)

Went in with the expectation that this would flop - which ironically made the viewing more tolerable

[5/10 · 11 September 2022]

I have set myself certain expectations with regard to Disney productions these days. Disney seems to be on this trajectory that many of us do not like, yet we cannot avert our eyes from what's coming.

The moment Pinocchio was released, I knew this film would be "Disney-fied" (in the modern sense). I suppose certain elements from the 1940 film would need a modern take to appeal to younger audiences, an with that, I note some positive points from the film:

1. The character designs were good. The designs captured the look of the original film, whilst giving them the modern look that modern films demand. In general, the CGI I thought was immaculate and gorgeous.

2. Certain parts of the dialogue made me chuckle. Naturally, dialogue would have to fit the modern context and I thought it was refreshing to hear modern dialogue in a film like this (at times).

3. The voice acting was spot-on. I especially liked Pinocchio and Honest John's voices.

Now of course, this film has many flaws:

1. The story lacks the soul that the original had. It felt more like watching a new spin-off film, as opposed to watching a Pinocchio film.

2. I was surprised how the film removed key elements from the original story. I don't see why this was even necessary.

3. The Blue Fairy just didn't do it for me. It felt very "by the way".

Overall, I think credit should be given to the cast and CGI team.

Though I think the director seems to have lost his way with his string of mediocre films of late.

Hawkeye: So This Is Christmas? (2021) Season 1, Episode 6

Surprisingly mediocre finale

[5/10 · 23 December 2021]

I'm a massive Marvel Studios fan but I'm starting to notice a pattern in their finales for their TV series (think Falcon and WandaVision) where the shows end in a bit of a fizzle.

I could tell that this finale was meant to be a "Christmas-y" light-hearted affair. But it just seems rather unnecessary to sacrifice heavy (or darker) storytelling in service of a festive mood, especially with the appearance of Kingpin.

On the topic of Kingpin, it was quite incredulous how they wrote the character. He was at the mercy of certain characters and didn't seem menacing at all. There should have at least been a scene where he causes some real damage to a character (hell, even kill off a character) in order to set the tone of his character right. The show has been building him up as someone frightening but that totally was not the case in this finale.

The next issue is the Clint-Yelena interaction. It was definitely strange to see Yelena let Clint off so easily after being so determined to kill him. She probably believed him because he had intimate knowledge of Yelena's relationship with Natasha but in all honesty, that should not be enough to persuade a hardened character like Yelena. This was where a darker tone could have been taken (if you know what I mean).

Overall, it was a somewhat entertaining finale, but this finale (and sadly the show in general) would not be remembered for long.

Captain Marvel (2019)

Certainly not the best Marvel movie but there were some refreshing twists that held the movie together

[7/10 · 9 March 2019]

So Captain Marvel isn't the best Marvel movie out there. Heck, it probably isn't even a great movie but I actually found some pleasant twists in the movie that turned expectations inside out.

Ok I'll just get the negative points out first quickly. Captain Marvel's "smarty-pants" attitude, whilst is indeed a character quirk for her, it should have been given more context. For eg, Tony Stark is smug cos of his billionaire playboy philanthropist background. There's a reason for his smugness. I dare say even Dr Strange has a background for his arrogance - he's a successful surgeon where everyone responds to him at his beck and call. But Carol is smug out of nowhere, which I think makes it hard for people to understand her.

Secondly, too many irrelevant characters. The Star Force team practically felt useless and I can't even remember their names. Phil Coulson barely had any screen time. What a waste of characters.

Ok but now on to the good stuff.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

I really liked how the Skrulls turned out to be the true victims. At first I was thinking, oh Gosh, another generic goblin-looking alien. But they were actually funny and turned out to be gentle creatures who were just trying to protect their families. I can see Marvel taking the "Thanos" formula even further here, ie the villains who have their reasons for fighting. Ben Mendelson did a great job with his role. Probably my most favourite character other than fury and goose.

Whilst I didn't really feel a connection to the Kree, I did also like the twist that they were the villains. It's sort of like "Winter Soldier" where the people you work with do not necessarily mean they are truly your allies.

Secondly, I don't find the political agenda as overplayed as people say. In fact, i see the movie delivering the message as developing yourself to your fullest potential despite people holding you back. It can be applied to any context - women rights, children, people of different cultures, etc.

Just go watch the movie and refrain from comparing to infinity war. Sure, it's not a great movie on par with other marvel films but it does deliver on some levels.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

Embodiment of franchise milking

[5/10 · 21 November 2018]

Even before I entered the cinema, I knew what was in store for me. Sure, you could say I asked for it, but hey, it's Harry Potter and I quite liked the first FB movie.

As expected, the movie was merely a milking machine. I can't underatand why they had to pretend to use the "Fantastic Beasts" title when clearly the movie just doesn't care about the beasts? The beasts made obligatory appearances just to serve the title. But other than that, the beasts do not serve key plot points. The studios might as well have just created a whole new spin off itself, rather than ride on Fantastic Beasts.

The other negative reviews properly sum up the main issue with this move - way too complex with too many characters I don't care about. And it glossed over too many plot points. How did Nagini and Credence get to know each other? How did the Obliviate charm actually work selectively on bad memories? Too many convenient plot points.

I actually did like the scene where Grindelward was speaking to his followers to explain why they should oppose the non-magic race, juxtaposed with WWII imagery. I think this at least tries to bring your franchise closer to "reality" and maybe even provide a compelling reason for Grindelward's actions - akin to the villains in Black Panther and Infinity War.

Still, the movie embarks on too much "setting up" - which is the consequence of franchise milking. 5 movies just sounds way too much of a drag. A trilogy would have been cleaner. Unlike the HP series where the books came first and people understood the direction of the movies so that the artistic value of the movies could be appreciated, FB does not follow books, so the viewer is left in the dark. 5 movies simply are too Long and far down the road before we can get any sense of the true plot.