Summertime at the movies!

Riot’s Rapid Reviews  

Summertime at the movies is always exciting and this year’s lineup started off with a bang. Unfortunately for me, the onset of some recent/recurring/when-the-hell-is-it-gonna-stop health issues kicked off in tandem. I’ve been doing my best to get caught up, but am sadly still not near where I’d like to be and if I’m being perfectly honest, I’m not sure how much longer I’m even going to keep this going. For now, let’s play some catch up. I hope y’all are well and enjoy the reviews!

 Jurassic World: Rebirth: I’m not going to lie, I almost skipped out on this one. I enjoyed the last film more than I was expecting but there was something about the prospect of an entirely new trilogy that I wasn’t the least bit interested in. I don’t necessarily believe that dinosaurs have lost their general appeal. On the contrary, the massive weekend box office earnings kind of prove otherwise. But they’ve been pushing at the limits of what the Jurassic Park storyline could provide for years at this point. There’s caveats when it comes to Jurassic World: Rebirth, mainly the prospect of new actors/actresses (Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey) introduced into a new timeline and advancements in special effects that they’ve been flexing since Chris Pratt took over the IP. Unfortunately, I think my qualms proved true and the Jurassic Park/World idea has beyond run its course. Rebirth’s cast was bloated beyond what was necessary and the plot begins with such a massive hole that its irreparable at the gun. The dialogue is consistently cringey and the story leans heavily on overplayed tropes that have already been done better in previous films or other IP. Johansson and Bailey have a really awkward back and forth early on where she scolds his competence and then immediately makes the exact same mistake that she was accusing him of. Normally, I have a fair amount of grace for characters making dumb decisions so that plotlines can advance. In Rebirth’s case, they’re so egregiously stupid that it’s too hard to forgive. Throw in heavy splashes of deus ex machina in way too many scenarios and it exposes the studio putting too much onus on the audience. There isn’t enough time or effort given to character development to get emotionally invested with anyone involved and it feels a lot like wasted talent, especially with someone like Mahershala. The true hero/main character (T-Rex) of the Jurassic IP is basically reduced to a cameo. The death scenes that happen feel cheap and awkward and the soundtrack almost never matches the moment throughout. There is always going to be the counter-argument of switching off the brain and taking in a popcorn movie. But when 100ft tall dinos suddenly appear out of 6ft tall grass, the studio is asking far too much of its audience.

Riot’s Ranking: 5/10: I think most people who have seen every Jurassic film so far aren’t going to stay away and I doubt my opinion will sway any of you either. But Rebirth was definitely a case of lazy creators relying on the cash grab of nostalgia bait. It’s unfortunate, but it worked.

 Karate Kid: Legends: Speaking of sequels…lol. I’m not nearly as emotionally invested in The Karate Kid IP as many others in my age group. I couldn’t honestly give a good summary of the beats of the original story and I remember next to nothing about its first three sequels. Nostalgia bait has to be a factor here as well, it’s likely one of the reasons the Cobra Kai series was/is so popular (I’ve genuinely heard it’s good, I’m not downplaying the quality at all here). I’m just not certain that the reboot relies on the nostalgia bait as much, even with Ralph Macchio’s very publicized return. Personally, I thought the Jackie Chan/Jaden Smith reboot received more criticism than it deserved. Mr. Han’s story was particularly moving and I am a major, major fan of all things Jackie Chan. When it comes to Karate Kid: Legends, I can’t really put my thumb on what exactly was missing but you definitely feel it. The IP relies on a formula that I think is still a winning one, but after so many years has it just become…boring? You know how every event/beat is going to play out before it happens and the small additions that they used to alter the story border too closely to being unbelievable. Legends features a lot of really strong martial arts and fight choreography that has the unmistakable stylistic stamp of Chan and his team. The film is boosted by strong performances from its new lead (Ben Wang), his love interest (Sadie Stanley) and the girl’s father (Joshua Jackson, who was significantly better than I was expecting the moment he showed up on screen). Legends gets itself into far too much trouble trying (and failing) to decide whether or not it wants to be a throwback 80’s film with its awkward, comic-book style scene transitions, or a modern/hip youthful tale. The soundtrack is absolutely all over the place and does nothing to help emphasize each moment. There was legitimate chemistry between the characters to be sure, but the scaled back involvement of Chan combined with the over-reliance on fan service left me, as I said before, a little too bored.

Riot’s Rating: 6.5/10: I think the majority of people are going to like this one TBH and it allows for a new generation of kids to get exposed to the IP. It just wasn’t up my alley.

 Pixar’s: Elio: Not that my review would have changed the fate of Disney/Pixar’s latest cinematic bomb, but I wish I had gotten to this one a little bit sooner. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to only sing its loving praises, but the recommendation to catch it in theaters would have been fairly strong. The news cycle since its unfortunate flop have kind of been a mess of poor excuses and finger pointing (I’m going to address the whole original IP vs. sequels at the end). Whether or not I personally feel like Elio joins my ever growing list of “one and done” Disney films, I think it was a quality production. Visually, it’s pretty fantastic, especially in regards to just about anything space related in the story. It had a strong soundtrack and overall sound mixing. Also, while it seems to take a couple beats for the characters to get comfortable in their voice acting, there are strong performances throughout. Story-wise, I have a couple gripes. 1) I really wish Disney/Pixar would stop killing off parents. Especially since when they include them, they somehow end up serving as a main source of conflict or are intentionally made villainous by the story. 2) Elio (Yonas Kibreab) for a big portion of the film is kind of a little s***head. Especially in his relation to his aunt/caretaker (Zoe Saldana). 3) They’re still showing that they have a villain problem, regardless of how great Brad Garrett performs. For all the talk about Elio being an original story/IP, it didn’t really feel original. If anything, it kind of had a recycled vibe to it, which is probably why I would put it firmly in the one and done category. That being said, the idea I kept coming back to over and over throughout the film is that it is a very cute movie. The friendship between Elio and Glordon (Remy Edgerly) is really what ends up making it worth checking out. But it also carries a strong/important message of being true to yourself, while leaning into the love of family and friendships that help foster belonging in this world. Growing up, I can’t say I was ever much interested in space. But I’d venture Elio could foster that in the next generation.

Riot’s Ranking: 7.5/10: It’s a very sweet, fun-loving, and touching story that I think was marketed fine enough but got lost in the much bigger names of the summer releases. I’d say go see it if you still can.

 The Phoenician Scheme: Returning readers know I am a big Wes Anderson fan. His filmography is not all bangers for me, but I’m not sure I’ve ever walked out of an Anderson film truly disappointed. I was late to the game getting in to see The Phoenician Scheme and by the time I went, there were already a number of fairly bad reviews circulating. Mainly, it seems that people struggled to follow the storyline. I gotta say I am a little baffled by this commentary. As far as Anderson films go, this movie was probably one of the most linear storylines I’ve seen thus far. I found Asteroid City far more confusing by contrast. The Phoenician Scheme delivers just about everything audiences have come to expect from Anderson films: the monotone and ultra-dry delivery of lines/exposition, the enormous Hollywood names (Benedict Cumberbatch, Willem Dafoe, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Riz Ahmed, Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray) who all come out for even the briefest of cameos, intricate and beautifully crafted miniatures and sets, and ultra-unique camera angles/cinematography. The film is led by probably one of the best “Anderson movie” type leads to date, Benicio Del Toro, who was just about as perfect as he could have been for the role. My biggest surprise was the great performances from Michael Cera and Mia Threapleton who had a giant helping of chemistry yet were still able to set themselves apart on their own from even the bigger names in the film. It was quirky, witty, and visually stunning as all good Anderson films are. It seeped with both awkward and genuine hilarity, putting to work that signature deadpan humor that audiences have come to expect and adding sprinkles of absurd physical comedy that I greatly appreciated.

Riot’s Rating: 8.2/10: I want to give The Phoenician Scheme the point edge over Asteroid City because it was a much more enjoyable experience. I think both deserve a re-watch at some point, but if I had to recommend one over the other, it’s definitely The Phoenician Scheme.

 How to Train Your Dragon: With Disney’s obsession to bring all of their original animated IP’s into live-action format, it was only a matter of time before other studios followed suit. Dreamworks kicked things off with a classic, How to Train Your Dragon. I was ultra-worried about this one. The original animated film holds a special place in my heart because Toothless’ demeanor and mannerisms were dead ringers for my black cat (RIP Casey). While all of the dragons had either dog or catlike mannerisms, fellow black cat owners know that Toothless is certainly modelled more after our feline friends. Early casting announcements had me excited specifically for Gerard Butler’s return as Stoic and the slightly confusing, yet still intriguing casting of Nick Frost as Gobber. I had no opinion on any of the kids, but I was happy to see that Mason Thames was a pretty convincing casting as Hiccup. Casting aside, I really only had one massive concern when it came to this live-action film: how were they going to handle the flight scenes? The animated sequences are iconic as far as I’m concerned, coupled with an absolutely brilliant score/soundtrack, these were scenes that absolutely had to be done right.

Since we are nearing the end of the list, I’m sure you’ve all deduced by now that they absolutely crushed it! The special effects were incredible and while the design of some of the dragons slightly shaved away the charm of their animated counterparts, they all looked pretty fantastic. The work done for Toothless was almost a seamless transition, capturing all of the mannerisms and subtle changes in his face/demeanor that I was worried might be lost in the change. Performance-wise, I had very little complaints and they would all be nitpicky to a fault. I think my biggest disappointment was with Nick Frost’s Gobber, but I don’t necessarily hold him accountable for it. There is a level of charm that gets stripped away when the thick, Scottish accent of Craig Ferguson isn’t with the character and while it’s not like Nick isn’t the smallest person, he somehow felt small on screen. I also don’t think the costume designers did him any justice with his missing leg and arm. Something about it just didn’t look right, almost in the same way Chubb’s hand in Happy Gilmore looked (but that was intentionally funny). Outside of Gobber’s issues, the film is bolstered by incredible set and costume design and their film locations are absolutely stunning throughout the entire film. The banter between characters (both adults and kids) felt natural and hilarious at the same time.

The live-action creators were so faithful to the original that by the end I was kind of asking myself only one question: why change anything at all? They could have gone beat for beat, shot for shot and I wouldn’t have cared. The changes that they made to the plotlines and dialogue were so minor that you couldn’t help but wonder if they needed to change it at all. Butler and Thames gave performances that exceeded my expectations and I was thrilled to have all of my worries assuaged by its end.

Riot’s Rating: 9.5/10: I shaved off a couple of points for some of the inconsistencies with the wind effects during the flight scenes, for the awkwardness of Gobber, and for their deducting of a small (but crucial to the plot) scene. If you know, you know. Take the kids and enjoy!

 KPop Demon Hunters: Aaaaaaalright, Riot’s lost his mind on this one, right?! Au Contraire!! There are a number of reasons I sat down for Netflix’s new smash hit KPop Demon Hunters. First, I am a big fan of everything animated, Japanese anime specifically. Second, Sony animation was at the helm and I won’t bother going into another long rant about the masterpieces that are the Spiderverse films. Third, that little Netflix preview was bonkers and even though I know next to nothing about KPop, something about this project said I had to give it a go. I’m glad I did and ironically, not primarily for any of the three reasons I listed. Simply put: The. Music. Is. Fire. Truly, the songwriters and artists involved in this project have got to be included in some awards, any awards, just throw it at them. The songs are catchy, well and evenly placed, matched with intricate choreography and serve as solid exposition points throughout the story. The voice actors/actresses are bafflingly good, especially the trio of heroines (Arden Cho, May Hong, and Ji-young Yoo) who are each giant balls of unstoppable, spastic energy. The jokes, both verbal and visual, come at you hard and fast at maybe an overwhelming pace. I’d liken it to going to see a Cirque Du Solei show where a part of you is wondering what you are missing because there is so much going on. But those shows are designed that way specifically for its rewatchability and the same goes with KPop Demon Hunters.

There are more than a few plot holes to be found, which wasn’t surprising. But the film gives the impression that it was always meant to just be about the music and then the story organically formed around it. I stand by my earlier statement that these tracks are bangers. I’m not trashing the story at all btw. It has an incredible amount of heart and a pretty solid message about the importance of trust, a call to be true to yourself, and the necessity of not shouldering burdens alone. Also as expected, the animation is on point. I mean, truly a thing to behold. It borrows deeply from popular anime tropes especially in regards to the physical humor and facial expressions while still maintaining all the beautiful flare of South Korean scenery and culture. The animators flexed in just about every way possible, from the dance choreography, to the fight scenes, to the subtler moments and their mastery of the color spectrum. To my personal delight, they also have a demon tiger (which is listed as being named, “Derpy” online, perfecto) who makes a series of hilarious cameos throughout the film along with his three-eyed demon bird pal.

KPop Demon Hunters has more heart and soul crammed into an hour and thirty-five minutes than most films do these days. The music grabs hold of your brain and doesn’t let go. The laughs hit you hard and fast, coming from angles you don’t expect. It is a delightful, whimsical, and heartfelt adventure and I am not surprised in the least that is capturing the attention of people everywhere. If you haven’t heard about it yet, throw on Netflix, sit back and enjoy the ride.

Riot’s Rating: 9.6/10: I’m forced to shave points for the plot holes, but just know it pains me to do so.

***Extra Content***

Riot’s Rants: There is a multifaceted issue/debate that is breaking out in the entertainment news world over creating original content and reusing/remaking/revamping old IP. I’ll lead off by saying that I don’t have the solution or answer to the debate. It’s the finger pointing that’s getting really old really fast. Audiences are claiming that Hollywood isn’t interested in creating new stories. But then they don’t show up for productions like Elio. As I addressed in its review, I wouldn’t necessarily call Elio original and it’s ultra-rich hearing Disney execs blame the audience for not showing up when they are arguably the biggest perpetrators of abusing the nostalgia bait movement. It’s always easier to identify the problem than formulate the solution, but here’s some contributing factors as I’ve seen them lately. 1) Theaters are too expensive. 2) Success of films maybe shouldn’t be measured by box office alone, the world of entertainment has changed. 3) Studios created a sickness to make money and now use it as an excuse to not to make original content because remakes or sequels are easier and they make money. 4) Audiences do in fact show up less to support new ideas. 5) These new IP’s these days aren’t necessarily written as well as they could be, pointing to a real concern with the degradation of real creativity.

Overall, I think audiences aren’t willing to accept their power in all of this. Nostalgia bait pulls at the strings inside of us, likely just the desire to return to simpler times. But gravitating only towards what feels safe keeps us from taking chances with new ideas that deserve to be developed. I’m obviously a perpetrator in this as well, I gave the How to Train Your Dragon remake the second highest score. There’s no easy answer here. If I had to offer any solution, it would be three-fold. 1) Theaters need to solve their pricing problems, it forces people to be stingy with their movie-going bucks. 2) Studios need to stop exploiting nostalgia bait (good luck with this one). 3) Audiences need to show up and take a chance on new IP. Sadly, I feel like this complicated loop could very well be the death of the theater experience. Rediscovering my love for the movie theater post-Covid was important for things feeling normal again. I would be very sad to see them go.