Disney/Pixar's Luca Boasts Breathtaking Animation While Charming Audiences Of All Ages

      Whereas animated films are made with the sole purpose of entertaining young audiences, the filmmakers behind them generally seize the opportunity to deliver thoughtful messages to young kids along with pushing for representation of different cultures. Some of the more recent films made by Disney/Pixar which have done such to hugely satisfying results are Coco, Soul, and Raya And The Last Dragon. With their newest animated feature Luca, Pixar takes things one step further with a story that admirably glorifies Italian heritage while carrying a heartfelt message regarding a person wanting more out of life with them striving for such with the support of friends. 

      The plot for Luca takes place on a small island on the Italian Riviera where a young sea monster ( Voiced by Jacob Tremblay) whose anxious to find his place in the world, beyond his watery home, forms an unlikely friendship between a human and another sea monster disguised as a human. Lucas plot is one that that serves two purposes with the first being an empowering celebration of Italian Culture, and the second being a story revolving around two people who want more out of their regular lives while leaning on each other for support. The film handles both sides of its plot extremely well despite the familiarization of the whole human befriending non-human angle that's been done before numerous times, despite still proving to be effective. Although it may feel a bit safe coming from Disney, Luca is a stunning piece of animation that's not only charming to watch but feels like an enchanting journey for young audiences.

       What helps make Luca such a fun-spirited experience are the fantastic voice performances from its main cast. Their efforts prove significant in adding much enthusiasm and heart to the story. The key performance comes from Jacob Tremblay in the films main role as 12-year old Luca Paguro, whose curious about the world above water. Tremblay makes his character appealing with him conveying the right emotions for his character. He crafts a young character whom young audiences can empathize with. The same can also be said about Jack Dylan Grazer as Luca's best friend and sea monster Alberto Scorfano. Grazer plays his character as being free-spirited and enthusiastic in his desire to explore the human world. Him and Tremblay share natural chemistry with the two working terrific together. Emma Berman is completely charming as misfit Giulia Marcovaldo, who befriends Luca and Alberto. Saverio Raimondo proves effective as repeat champion and local bully Ercole Visconti, who comes across as being full of himself and believing that everyone loves him despite others pointing out that he's too old to race. Both Maya Rudolph and Jim Gaffigan deliver noteworthy voice performances as Luca's mother and father Daniela and Lorenzo with Marco Barricelli as Giulia's soft-hearted father Marco Barricelli. Other noteworthy voice acting performances include Sandy Martin as Luca's grandmother Grandma Paguro and Sacha Baron Cohen as Luca's uncle Ugo Paguro. The efforts of Luca's cast plays a huge role in why the film is delightful to watch with them adding both emotion and humor to the story.

      Like any other Disney or Pixar release, Luca's animation is mesmerizing with director Enrico Casarosa crafting a visually stunning world that's absorbing for young audiences to watch along with cleverly incorporating Italian culture. The films visuals look sharp with the underwater scenes being gorgeously designed, making it a shame that it didn't receive a 3D release in theaters. The Italian Rivera background is so colorful and beautifully created that audiences will feel the urge to jump through the screen and walk the streets from the marble fountains to winding roads, and characters eating delicious pasta. The film never feels slow with the pacing keeping the plot consistently moving with the music consisting of Italian Pop hits, which emphasize the stories cultural background. As both a visual piece and storytelling, Casarosa does a fine job of delivering an experience which audiences can marvel over while presenting Italy in a form that feels larger-than-life. 

      The writing for Luca is fairly decent with the script revolving heavily around the theme of friendship along with being different, abandonment, betrayal, dreams, and freedom all weaved together into the story. Even though the writing does a serviceable job of telling the story and the characters all feel thoroughly fleshed out, it can't help but rely on a familiar formula regarding the stories friendship between a human and two sea monsters disguised as people which screams comparisons to Tom Hanks Splash, as well as other Disney classics such as Finding Nemo and Dory, The Little Mermaid, and Onward. Unlike some of Pixar's recent dramatic works, Luca doesn't aim to be a tearjerker right from the start and steadily builds it's emotions throughout the film with the progression of two main characters to the point of them being practically brothers, not just friends. Through their experience, both not only discover the dangers of the human world but also the joys of such with the latter being infectious in terms of delivering genuine laughs and charm to the audience. Luca's script never feels preachy with its themes regarding friendship and acceptance with the films eventual conclusion, feeling like a fitting payoff. Although it isn't the most original film to come from Pixar as it relies on past efforts to help assemble its own plot, the story still plays as being an effective fish-out-of-the-water tale that's funny in all the right places, while tugging at the audiences heartstrings (Something that Pixar continues to demonstrate masterful skill at).

      As a piece of Pixar animation, Luca is immersive and will have audiences aspiring to take their own personalized trip to Italy with how impressive the film sells its setting. It may walk a familiar beat in terms of story, but the audience will find themselves connected with the main characters and themes. The key to Luca working as another stellar Pixar piece, is the fact that it possesses a heart of its own while showing sincerity in its storytelling. There's much that the film offers both young and adult fans here, that make it an experience worth enduring with the whole family. As it stands, Pixar's Luca is currently the best animated film of 2021 with it containing breathtaking visuals and surprising amounts of emotion. For fans of Pixar, the groundbreaking animated studio does it again. 

Final Verdict: Stream It

Images Courtesy Of Disney

James Gunn's The Suicide Squad Gives Fans A Team Worth Getting Behind

      When looking at comic book movies, the best ones are crafted by filmmakers with a clear vision on where they aim to take the story and characters. Sometimes these visions feel right for the story while other times they end up being a misfire, which became the case with David Ayer's 2016 Suicide Squad. Despite that film being hugely successful financially, it was critically slaughtered upon its release with the consensus being that it missed the mark. Fast-forward 5 years later, the misfit team gets a second chance to shine with James Gunn's fantastic sequel/reboot. The latter's Suicide Squad not only feels more consistent in tone, but feels like the true introduction for the characters.

       Gunn's Squad revolves around a government agency sending two teams of obscure supervillains that include Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Bloodsport (Idris Elba) and Peacemaker (John Cena) to a South American island in order to destroy a Nazi-era laboratory responsible for an ongoing secretive experiment known as "Project Starfish." The newest Suicide Squad works as being a loose sequel to the previous film, as well as a redo for the characters. The story isn't anything groundbreaking but Gunn does an efficient job of taking an already established universe and adding greater depth while presenting a style that makes it widely appealing to watch. James Gunn's The Suicide Squad is a prime example of ones vision being fully realized on screen with the material marking a significant rebound from David Ayer's picture with the new film serving as a funny and fast-paced reboot that works marvelously.

      A key ingredient of the films success comes from it's stellar ensemble cast which consists of returning faces from Ayer's film along with newer additions to the pack. Each character feels perfectly cast with everyone playing their roles to perfection. Margot Robbie continues to do great as crazed criminal Harley Quinn with her showing that she was born for the role. Idris Elba proves terrific as ex-mercenary Robert DuBois/ Bloodsport, who agrees to join the Squad to help his daughter. John Cena impresses as ruthless killer Christopher Smith/Peacemaker, who believes in achieving peace at any cost. Joel Kinnaman reprises his role as the teams field leader Rick Flag with him seizing the opportunity to play a sillier version of his character. Sylvester Stallone steals the show as King Shark with him making his character both funny and exciting to watch. Viola Davis returns as the director of the Task Force X program with her character being even more cold-hearted than previously shown. Other noteworthy performances from the main cast include David Dastmalchian in a run role as Abner Krill/Polka-Dot Man, along with Daniela Melchior as Cleo Cazo/Ratcatcher 2 with the latter's character serving as the heart of the film. The rest of the supporting cast include Jai Courtney returning as Captain Boomerang from the first, along with newbie Michael Rooker as weapons expert Brian Durkin/Savant. The acting overall plays a significant role in the reboot working as well as it does with everyone sharing chemistry, which feels natural along with providing the film with a carefree tone.

      Much like the Guardians Of The Galaxy films, Gunn's directing once again is flashy with him utilizing the same style that made those movies work, along with a slick mixture of humor and hip soundtrack that makes Gunn's skewed vision ideal for the story. Whereas Ayer's world was dark and gritty, Gunn's comes across as being gleefully gory with the tone being significantly jokier. The cinematography does an impressive job of blending realism and fantasy together with the audience believing that both the human and non-human characters are real on screen. Both the colorful camera work as well as the films editing keeps everything constantly moving with Gunn's Squad never feeling boring. The soundtrack also adds to the films level of energy with a mixture of classic rock and pop tunes. A prime example of Gunn's exploitation style of filmmaking is the insanely over-the-top opening sequence that consists of characters being shockingly killed off in a hilarious fashion with Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues playing in the background. Gunn proves to be the perfect filmmaker to take a group of unfamiliar comic book characters and present them in the most extreme fashion, which instantly draws the audiences attention to the story from the start. 

      The one area where Gunn's Squad greatly improves upon Ayer's film is the writing with the script feeling more rounded with deeper insight given to the characters. Every member of Gunn's Suicide team gets his or her moment to shine with the audience being able to connect with them on a personal level. Not only are the characters more lovable, but the film carries a fun-spirited and carefree tone which feels like the special recipe that makes the source materials reinvigoration work. What's most surprising isn't the silly jokes that accompany the story, but the surprising amount of heart it possesses with the script showcasing the power of teamwork. Characters who represent the heart of the story this round are Ratcatcher 2 with the script emphasizing her empathy through her devotion to her fuzzy companions, and Bloodsport first shown as being hard-headed with him and his daughter having a rough patch at first before choosing to do good. The characters brought over from the previous film are given makeovers that makes their representations more likable and accurate to their comic book versions. As a whole, the scriptwriting for The Suicide Squad thrives over the previous work due to the fact that it places its characters front-and-center with the action taking an appropriate back seat to the story. By making these characters more relatable and human, Gunn assembles a team that audiences want to see. 

      Whereas the DC characters depicted previously were dark and bleak, Gunn's team feels like a breath of fresh air for the universe with the film not only getting so much right, but shows that going excessively dark isn't always required in order to make a DCEU story work. Those who were dissatisfied with the previous attempt at bringing the story to the big screen will be pleasantly surprised with the results here. James Gunn's film is a prime example of of what emerges when both a skillful and highly talented storyteller is given complete creative freedom in bringing their vision to the screen. It's a vision that shows what the DCEU can be if other filmmakers are granted the same creative control. Like Zack Snyder's Justice League, The Suicide Squad is a must see experience that rightfully ranks among the DCEU's best work yet.

Final Verdict: SEE IT

Images Courtesy Of Warner Brothers

Disney's Jungle Cruise Delivers A Charmingly Fun-Spirited Voyage For Audiences

      

       The Transforming of a theme park ride into a full-length feature film is a bold move that doesn't always prove to be successful. Whereas Disney created a billion dollar film franchise out of the Pirates Of The Caribbean ride at Disneyland, there's also The Haunted Mansion with Eddie Murphy which experienced less thrilling results. Thankfully, Disney's Jungle Cruise leans towards Pirates in being a fun-filled piece of popcorn entertainment which captures the spirit of the ride it glamorizes. It helps that the film has fantastic chemistry between Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt elevating it, along with a likable supporting performance from Jack Whitehall. 

      Based on the popular theme park attraction, Jungle Cruise's plot takes place in the early 1900's with the story centering around an intrepid female researcher (Emily Blunt) recruiting her bother (Jack Whitehall) and traveling to South America, where she enlists an Amazon captain (Dwayne Johnson) on a rickety boat to travel through the jungle in search for an ancient tree, whose petals can cure all diseases. The plot for Jungle Cruise is almost identical to Anacondas: The Hunt For The Black Orchid, except Cruise's execution of the plot is more family-friendly while bearing strong similarities to other adventure-themed films such as The African Queen, Indiana Jones, Romancing The Stone, and 1999's The Mummy. Although Jungle Cruise's execution is nothing groundbreaking for the genre, it proves successful in delivering an all-around thrilling experience for audiences, despite often struggling to create an identity of its own.

      Much of the films power in entertaining is largely due to the dynamic chemistry of its main trio. Both Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt prove to be a terrific duo with them showcasing strong chemistry which makes them the new ideal adventure team in a spirit similar to Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn in The African Queen. Johnson makes for or a strong leading man in his role as Frank Wolff, a noble yet cynical steamboat Captain who reluctantly agrees to guide Blunt and Whitehall's characters on their quest to find the Tears of the Moon Tree. Johnson brings much charisma to his role with Blunt matching him as the virtuous Dr. Lily Houghton. She gives her character a vibe that feels adventurous and independent with her character feeling reminiscent of Rachel Weisz's Evie from the popular Mummy series. Jack Whitehall gives a fun supporting performance as Lily's younger brother MacGregor with him providing a fitting third wheel to Johnson and Blunt. Edgar Ramirez turns in an effective performance as immortal Spanish conquistador Aquirre, who seeks the Tree's power to save his ill daughter. Other notable performances include Jesse Plemons as deranged German royal Prince Joachim, and Paul Giamatti as an irritable harbormaster Nilo Nemolato. The performances delivered by the cast do much in adding to the films level of entertainment with the chemistry between Johnson and Blunt being a core reason why the story is so enjoyable to watch.

      The directing by Jaume Collet-Serra is commendable in giving the film a vibrant background with it's set and costume design, giving audiences the illusion that they're with these characters. The cinematography does a stunning job of capturing the exotic appearance of the jungle along with giving London a different look during the summer in comparison to the usual foggy and winter setting most films showcase it as being. It also gives the film a style that feels like a throwback to the classic Golden Age Of Hollywood. Composer James Newton Howard is no stranger when it comes to scoring adventure films with Jungle Cruise having him once again delivering a musical piece that's effective in adding to the sheer excitement of the story along with blending Latin and Metallica elements. Although the film boasts a running time of 127 minutes, the pacing keeps everything steadily moving with the story mixing key action-sequences with quieter moments that help flesh out the main characters. In terms of the films overall visual appearance, Serra does a solid job of transforming the theme park ride into live-action film mode in a way that makes it feel real and enchanting. If his goal was making audiences believe that they're in the jungle while forgetting about the real world for a few hours, then he succeeds fairly well in doing so.

      Along with directing, both Serra and the writers incorporate themes into the script including gender, class, discrimination against the Amazonian natives, and unequal treatment of women. They manage to weave all of these elements together in a way that makes them feel organic and never comes across as being preachy. The scripts main issues that come into play are its familiar beats to other adventure films such as The African Queen or The Mummy with the film bearing a strong resemblance to the latter. Numerous subplots often feel lifted from the latter such as the stories main character serving as a guide for the female love interest and her goofy brother, which mirrors that of the characters from The Mummy. These similarities don't make the writing poor, but rather feel a bit padded with how it leans on previous adventure stories for comfort. The heart of the film lies within the back and forth bantering between Blunt and Johnson's characters with fun bits such as her referring to him as "Skippy." Aguirre as an antagonist for the story is serviceable, though his characters backstory regarding wanting to save his ill daughter, isn't developed enough for audiences to fully empathize with him. The revelation of Johnson's character once being partners with Aguirre before him becoming immortal, also feels like contrived backstory rather than being naturally introduced. The script for Jungle Cruise has a fairly decent story-structure to it that feels well-rounded with the audience finding themselves connected with the main trio. Despite the films desire to pay homage to classic jungle/adventure type stories, it's main fault is relying too much on what's already been done rather than exercising creativity.

      Although scenarios feel familiar and character tropes are reminiscent of past action-adventure classics, Jungle Cruise still manages to create its own experience for audiences that manages to be reasonably decent. The film has enough visual flare to appease audiences with Johnson and Blunt making waves with their charming chemistry. It may not be as crafty as the films it owes its existence to, but there's enough action and laughs provided here to make for an enjoyable experience which the whole family can enjoy. For those looking for an entertaining sea adventure with heart, Disney's Jungle Cruise is a voyage worth taking.

Final Verdict: See It

Images Courtesy Of Disney

M. Night Shyamalan's Old Boasts An Interesting Concept That's Undone By Its Directors Uneven Style Of Filmmaking

      It can be said that the most talented of directors experience their share of career slumps along with hitting their peaks. Though with M. Night Shyamalan, his filmography is one that draws intense scrutiny with polarizing films carrying supernatural plots with unexpected twists. Beginning strongly with The Sixth Sense, Shyamalan has since experienced his share of critical failures with films like The Happening, The Last Airbender, and After Earth with him yet to revert back to the level of critical stature he received early on. Unfortunately, that trend continues with his newest thriller Old, that's certain to leave audiences split in terms of whether they're thrilled by it or harbor the same level of frustration they felt upon watching his previous works. Despite boasting an interesting concept, its execution is ultimately undone by inconsistent filmmaking which results in another setback for it's once-promising filmmaker.

      Based on the graphic novel Sandcastle, the plot for Old centers around a family (Gael Garcia Vernal, Vicky Krieps, Alexa Swinging and Nolan River) on a tropical holiday being invited to a beautifully secluded beach with a few other tourists. They soon discover that they're trapped and begin rapidly aging within a day. Watching the trailer for Old, it gives the impression that this was going to be a low-key horror flick that could've helped cement Shyamalan's return to form. That isn't the case here as Old carries interesting ideas but is ruined by Shyamalan's uneven style of directing and sloopy screenwriting. The film has a concept that would've been brilliantly handled had its writer-director played it more straight-forward and eliminated the films endless amount of cringe-inducing dialogue. As disappointing as Old turns out to be under Shyamalan's direction, it feels like a film that he could've done wonders with in his prime. Those hoping that the filmmaker would somehow manage to regain his mojo in delivering an effective supernatural thriller, will find his off-balance style of filmmaking still present with his latest puzzle either intriguing audiences who appreciate his work, or continue frustrating those who view him as being essentially a one trick magician.

      In regards to his films performances, Shyamalan always assembles a strong cast for the stories he tells with Old having its ensemble making the most of what they're given. As talented as the films cast appears, their performances are serviceable, though hindered by the atrocious dialogue their characters spurt out, ultimately making their reactions feel forced. The most notably strong performances come from Gael Garcia Bernal and Vicky Krieps as a struggling yet likable married couple Guy and Prisca Cappa with Rufus Sewell chewing up the scenery as the Schizophrenic-battling surgeon Charles. Although multiple actors play the role of the Cappa's children, they deliver serviceable performances with Alex Wolff and Emun Elliot playing Guy and Prisca's son Trent both as a teenager and adult with Thomasin McKenzie and Embeth Davidtz playing Trent's older sister Maddox at 16 along with being an adult. The rest of the supporting cast prove reliable with Abbey Lee as Charles's wife Chrystal who has hypocalcemia, Nikki Amuka-Bird as Patricia, an epileptic psychologist married to Jarin with Ken Leung as the latter's husband and nurse, Eliza Scanlen as Charles and Chrystal's 15-year old daughter Kara, and Aaron Pierre as rapper Brendan whose revealed to be afflicted with hemophilia. In terms of selling the believability of the story, the cast for Old prove to be reliable with everyone trying their hardest to make their characters work along with enhancing the mood of the story. Their efforts are not always successful, but they deserve commending for attempting to help make Old's story work.

      Shyamalan's directing falls within the category of being predictable with him giving Old a dark and tense atmosphere which carries a Spielberg Jaws type feel with much of the films scares being psychological. He gives the film a high body count while including disturbing scenes involving dead bodies and characters becoming considerably sick. There is a growing sense of peril that accelerates throughout the film with much credit going to the editing, which keeps the pace rapidly moving along with the cinematography capturing sinister shots, making it one of the strongest visual works of Shyamalan's filmography. The films score does well with adding to the suspense of the plot, while helping sustain the films tension during its 108 minute length. There is no middle ground with the directorial style presented in Old with Shyamalan delivering a vibe that's similar to his other films. The most freakiest scenes are those showing the kids rapid acceleration into adulthood over the course of hours with the psychological abnormalities of each character being displayed throughout their aging course (Rufus Sewell's character in particular). Despite the film carrying a creepy atmosphere that fits the tone of its plot, the execution is unbalanced with Shyamalan struggling to play it straight one minute while going into The Happening mode the next with character moments or dialogue which come across as being silly with no middle ground in between.

      The greatest blow dealt to the film lies within it's scriptwriting. Old boasts a compelling concept that's translated onto the screen in a fashion which feels poorly written. The audience is given random background information regarding specific characters, that feels awkwardly placed in the film rather than naturally blending with the plot. The characters in the story feel shallow but developed just enough to possess distinct personalities with them being fed dialogue serving as both expositional and clunky. The script offers characters which often feel like generic stereotypes in a typical mystery thriller with the revealing of their backstories or job professions feeling convenient only for the plot. Examples include one character experiencing a nasty side-effect to aging on the beach with another revealing themselves to be a nurse or doctor with no lead-in prior. Characters are briefly introduced giving the impression that they're integral to the part then immediately disposed of without any backstory prior. A characters rap name is mentioned by another young character with both the acting and delivery feeling awkwardly forced. As writer-director, Shyamalan doesn't stick to the conventional forms of storytelling with Old serving as definite proof of that. Known for his shocking plot twists, the one presented in Old comes off as being more of a head scratcher rather than experiencing the kind of jump moment that The Sixth Sense delivered.

      Shyamalan's films are not ones that are devoid of interesting ideas. His concepts show potential with his eagerness to rush the stories to their surprise twist endings rather than strengthen the characters and plot, becoming his films downfall along with performances that feel over-the-top. Shyamalan's career as a filmmaker has always consisted of him running for the fence in going against the traditional norms of storytelling. Old continues that trend while showcasing both his strengths and weaknesses as a filmmaker. Ranking it among his other works, it fits in the middle of his filmography. It's not his worst effort and often feels like it could've worked had the filmmaker exercised more restraint, or if it was placed in the hands of a more focused filmmaker. Perhaps someday Shyamalan will produce a film that'll remind audiences of his talent as a unique filmmaker which drew them to him in the first place. 

Unfortunately, this isn't it.

Final Verdict: Skip It

Images courtesy of Universal Pictures