Disney's Strange World Makes The Most Out Of Its Standard Action-Adventure Plot

     

      When one looks at a multimedia company as legendary as Disney, it's hard to imagine the iconic studio as being capable of delivering a flop. With a trackrecord that's immeasurable in comparison to other studios, one can almost forget that Disney churned out massive underperformers like 2002's Treasure Planet or Atlantis: The Lost Empire despite the films themselves not deserving of being misfires. With Disney Studios Strange World, their 61st film, much has been said about the films box office underperformance to its surprisingly mixed audience reaction and LGBT representation. While it doesn't offer anything innovative in terms of storytelling, Strange World delivers in providing families with a brand new Sci-Fi action-adventure that's both entertaining and full of heart. 

      Strange World's plot focuses on The Classes, a legendary family of explorers whose conflicts with each other threaten to derail their latest mission into uncharted territory. Though it's true that Strange World relies heavily on previously established Disney formulas to round out it's plot, it manages to make them work once again with a story that's serviceable in presenting a dazzling animated experience which ultimately gets the job done in giving audiences a visual stunner that contains poignant messages regarding family and becoming ones own person.

      One of the key elements that makes any successful Disney animated feature work are the fantastic voice acting performances of its main cast with Strange World's ensemble proving to be hugely effective and charming. Leading the cast is Jake Gyllenhaal, who delivers a charming and heartfelt performance as farmer Searcher Clade, whose the son of famous explorer Jaegar. Gyllenhaal is an actor who feels like an excellent fit to play an animated character as he possesses the right amount of emotions and sincerity behind his voice. Following Gyllenhaal's lead is Dennis Quaid as Searcher's father, Jaeger Clade who chose continuing his quest over being a husband and father. Both Gyllenhaal and Quaid do an excellent job of making audiences believe in their damaged father-and-son relationship. Jaboukie Young-White impresses as Searchers 16-year old son Ethan Clade, who longs for adventure beyond his father's farm while navigating being an openly LGBTQ teenager. Gabrielle Union also surprises and shines as Ethan's mother and Searcher's wife, Meridian Clade, whose revealed to be both a pilot and natural leader. The rest of the cast give noteworthy performances including Lucy Liu as Castillo Mal, president of the land of Avalonia, and leader of the exploration into the strange world, Karen Sonai as Caspian, a nerdy member of the expedition to Strange World, and Alan Tudyk as pilot Duffle for the expedition to Strange World who is killed by Wyvern-like creatures. As far as voice performances go, Strange World's ensemble injects the story with some much-needed enthusiasm and energy.

      As far as the animation goes, director Don Hall crafts a vibrant adventure that looks sharp in terms of both graphics and scenery while enhancing the visual richness of the story. The new world is full of numerous colors, that gives it a cotton-candy style appearance as the Avalonians further explore it. The films action sequences and moments of peril are presented as being relatively intense, but not to the point where they're anxiety driven. One death scene in particular is presented as being humorous in an effort to deflate the amount of stress audiences would feel if it was totally serious. The films world-building is admirable with Hall going to extreme lengths to present a unique kind of world for audiences to experience. The soundtrack by Henry Jackman does a notable job of adding to the stories emotional core, along with making it appear as being sentimental. At 102 minutes, Strange World is kept fast-paced with the film striking the right balance of keeping things constantly moving while setting aside time to flesh out the main characters arcs.

      When it comes to the scriptwriting, Strange World is very much about finding a way to live harmoniously with the environment that surrounds you while repairing generational relationships as evidenced by Searcher and Jaegar. Their dynamic serves as the film's heart, while also setting up the conflict between Searcher and his son Ethan. The latter has received a significant amount of controversy (Mostly negative) regarding his character being LGBT with a subplot revealing his crush on another boy, much to the support of his whole family. Whereas such a plot device should earn praise for being inclusive, it's become a primary target of criticism with some reviewers accusing the film of being "too woke". The reveal of the characters sexuality doesn't feel forced nor bears any negative weight on the story as it goes in line with the films themes regarding family, growing up, being stuck in a path, and becoming ones own person with the latter theme coming into play with Searcher wanting Ethan to follow his farmer footsteps, yet resents the fact that Jaegar is influencing him with exploring. The story is one that's about family and healing old wounds with the adventure setting being used as the glue binding everyone together. The film also plays as a fun throwback to classic pulp "lost world" storytelling that dominated the 1940's and 50's era of cinema. 

      Despite the lack of originality, Strange World's plot is serviceable enough for the animated team behind it to deliver a visual feast for the eyes combined with some notable messages aimed at young audiences. As with any recent Disney film, World promotes a healthy level of diversity through it's multicultural cast of talented actors and characters with Gyllenhaal's Searcher sharing an interracial marriage with Gabrielle Union's Meridian, which resulted in them having a biracial son. While the story may disappoint Disney fans in terms of being more original in regards to storytelling, the world-building that's done here deserves commending along with the efforts its talented cast bring to the table. It's not the strongest of Disney's works, but there's enough magic present to make it palatable for fans.

Final Verdict: Worth Watching For Both Families and Disney Fans.

Images Courtesy Of Disney

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Gives Audiences An A Thrilling And Emotionally Charged Follow-up That's All Heart

      Very few films have experienced a production as tragedy-stricken as that of Disney's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The much anticipated sequel to 2018's breakthrough cultural phenomenon Black Panther experienced a significant setback in August 2020 when original star Chadwick Boseman died from colon cancer. Rather than recasting the role of T'Challa, Marvel chose to embrace the off-screen tragedy by incorporating it into the story in a way which allows audiences to mourn the loss while paying tribute to the late star. It's a hugely daunting feat which thankfully, director Ryan Coogler and Wakanda Forever's impressive creative team manage to pull off delivering a poignant sequel that's as emotionally absorbing as it is powerful.

      Wakanda Forever's plot has Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M'Baku, Okoye, and the Dora Milaje fighting to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T'Challa's death, while forging a new path for their beloved kingdom. In doing so, they battle a powerful underwater superhuman nemesis named Namor, who prepares to do battle against mankind. Given that Forever's original plot was altered due to Boseman's death, the new storyline finds a strong balance in embracing the past while looking to the future. With a sequel that easily could've been scrapped, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever triumphs against the odds while remaining as equally vibrant, colorful, and culturally impactful as it's predecessor.

      In terms of acting, Wakanda Forever's cast puts their fullest efforts into making this story as powerful and affecting as possible, particularly with the performances of Letitia Wright and Angela Bassett. Both actresses deliver powerful work with Wright filling the void as T'Challa's younger sister Shuri, and later queen of Wakanda who designs new technology for the nation. Wright's role is expanded here with her essentially taking on the mantle of Black Panther while grieving T'Challa. Bassett stuns in a scene-stealing performance as Ramonda, the Sovereign Queen Mother of Wakanda. Basset masterfully conveys her character's struggle in trying to lead her people, being a mother to Shuri, and grieving the death of T'Challa. Lupita Nyong'o impresses as War dog, Nakia, with her character being shown to have matured since the events of the previous film. Danai Gurira also shines as Okoye, general of Wakanda's all female special forces, the Dora Milaje. The rest of Forever's cast deliver fantastic work with Tenoch Huerta largely impressing as the films main antagonist Namor, and king of Talokan, an ancient civilization of underwater dwelling people. Huerta plays his character as being an intensely powerful individual with supernatural abilities. Other noteworthy performances include Winston Duke reprising his role as powerful warrior M'Baku, Florence Kasumba as Ayo, Dominique Thorne as MIT student and genius inventer from Chicago, Riri Williams, who later creates a suit of armor, Michaela Cole as Wakandan warrior and member of the Dora Milaje, Aneka, whose romantically involved with Ayo. Both Martin Freeman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus return as CIA agent Everett K. Ross, who has previous ties to Wakanda, and Dreyfus as new CIA director and former wife of Ross, Valentina.

 

      With directing, Coogler once again delivers the visual enchantment of Wakanda to audiences. He approaches the sequel with a tremendous amount of respect and admiration towards honoring Chadwick Boseman, while restructuring the film to work as a tribute. The story is once again accompanied with outstanding costume design by Oscar winner Ruth Carter, who keeps the Wakandan world stunning while adding Mayan-inspired costumes and a striking underwater world ruled by Namor. The soundtrack by composer Ludwig Goransson does a fantastic job of incorporating Mayan-inspired music to the proceedings, as well as Rihanna's powerful song, "Lift Me Up." Coogler presents the story as being emotionally driven and action-packed with key sequences including hand-to-hand combat, and chilling sequences involving people throwing themselves into the ocean while being hypnotized. As strong as Coogler's directing appears to be here, the films CGI work often finds itself on uneven ground with certain shots appearing as blurry or the effects being too noticeable like Riri's suit. Despite these minor issues, Coogler handles the story with a steady hand once again, although it's 161 minute running time doesn't always feel justified with certain moments that could've been omitted in order to shorten its length (The entire subplot between Martin Freeman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus's characters in particular). 

      When it comes to Wakanda's story, the script places a much heavier emphasis on loss and grief than the previous film. This is especially evident with both Shuri and Queen Ramonda grieving over the loss of T'Challa while struggling to rule Wakanda and defend it from Namor. Whereas the first Black Panther focused on T'Challa and Kilmonger, the sequel crafts the story to be heavily female-dominated with Shuri and Queen Ramonda serving as its heart along with Okoye and M'Baku being strong supporting characters this time around. With the villain, Coogler doesn't miss which is evident with both Kilmonger and Namor. The latter motivations are made clear for the audience to understand, such as his suggesting of an alliance between Black and Brown nations against the threat of greedy, colonizing forces. One moment in particular has Namor telling Ramonda to make friends, not foes despite literally blackmailing her with an ultimatum. His characters unique features are on full display, including his ankle wings and pointy ears. Riri's character appears as being likable with her new suit being a clever addition to the story. Where Wakanda thrives in terms of writing is showing the sisterhood between the women of Wakanda, while showing them to be the latters future.

      Considering that the sequel was never going to outshine the original given the loss of Boseman, Coogler does a fine job of working around that loss while forging a new path forward for the series.

As a film that came with various needs for Marvel fans as well as the universe itself, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever fulfills its tasks exceptionally well while showing that there's still story left to tell within the mystifying world of Wakanda.

Final Verdict: A Must See For Marvel Fans. 

Images Courtesy Of Disney

Black Adam Thrills Audiences While Promising An Exciting New Era For The DCEU

      A promising new era has arrived for the DCEU, which until this point, has found itself struggling to create its own universe on film ever since commencing with Zack Snyder's Man Of Steel. What was originally envisioned as being a comic book film universe that would place it on the same level as Marvel, the DCEU has experienced mixed results thus far with the general consensus being that the universe lacks a decisive path that's needed in order for the universe to thrive. Thankfully Warner Brother's Black Adam provides that path along with delivering solid popcorn entertainment.

      Set 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the ancient gods and imprisoned, Black Adam (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) finds himself being freed from his earthly tomb, and ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world while doing battle with the Justice Society. Black Adam's story is one that's been a passion project for Johnson as he's spent 15 years trying to bring the story to the big screen. One can clearly see the love that the wrestler turned actor has for the character with the story being structured in a way that's easy to follow for non-comic book fans. Although it's heavily action-oriented, Black Adam delivers a tremendously fun action-spectacle with eye-catching visuals, and an intriguing new face that promises to change the DCEU for the better.

      As with any DCEU film, the performances from the cast always shine through with Adam's ensemble presenting stellar work. Despite the cast impressing as a whole, Black Adam is Dwayne Johnson's vehicle with him arguably being its best element and is totally charismatic as the classic anti-hero. Surrounding him is an impressive cast who churn out some highly effective performances. Pierce Brosnan demonstrates pure class as experienced senior member of the Justice Society team, Kent Nelson/Dr. Fate. Aldi's Hodge also gives a solid performance as Carter Hall/Hawkman, who constantly clashes with Black Adam over his carelessness towards killing people. The rest of Adam's cast deliver strong performances with Noah Centineo as young member of the Justice Society, Albert/Atom Smasher, Sarah Shahi as resistance fighter and ally for Adam and the Justice Society, Adrianna Tomaz, and Marwan Kanzari as the last descendant of King Ahk-tom and the militant leader of the organization Intergang that's invading Kahndag, Ishmael Gregor/sabbac. Other noteworthy performances include Quintessa Swindell as young member of the Justice Society, Maxine Hubkel, Mohammed Amer as Adriana's brother Karim, and Bodhi Sabongui in a key role as Adrianna's teenage son Amon, who befriends Adam and becomes his moral compass. 

      With directing, Jaume Collet-Serra generates a well-balanced atmosphere that effectively blends the fun-spirited tone of Shazam with the grittiness of Zack Snyder's Man Of Steel. Collet crafts the action to be similar in nature to that film with the violence shown as being dark and brutal. An example includes an opening flashback sequence in which a slave is stabbed in the gut and tossed off a cliff in a shockingly sadistic fashion. The film's striking cinematography utilizes a slow-motion style that's similar to that of Snyder's work. Given Serra's previous collaborative history with Johnson on Disney's Jungle Cruise, he knows how to maximize as well as magnify The Rock's presence on screen. The film is kept at a remarkable fast-pace which delivers consistent action, while allowing enough time to develop the characters and plot. The soundtrack proves effective in adding to the films electrifying action sequences, along with building up the suspense. Overall, Serra succeeds in bringing both Black Adam and the Justice Society to the screen in a fashion that gives the story a unique visual flare that fits right at home within the DCEU.

      A key theme of Black Adam's story is changing the hierarchy of power that's emphasized with Adam looked upon as being a godlike figure and protector of Kahndag by its people with no one to challenge him. Some of the stories main themes consist of legends, corruption, freedom, sacrifice, fate, and global stability with Adam's story driving home the message that its sometimes hard to tell what the right side is and who's in it. Despite delivering that message, some of the plots elements feel predictable such as Amon trying to convince Black Adam that he's more of a hero than he believes himself to be, or Ishmael being revealed as the last descendant of King Ahk-Tom with audiences foreseeing his twist early on. The side characters are fairly well-established with each member of the Justice Society team feeling thoroughly fleshed out, particularly Brosnan's Dr. Fate and Hawkman. Adam's characters origins is presented through a series of flashbacks regarding his past as a slave and losing his loved ones, ultimately making him different than the typical DC character. Where Black Adam's story is at its strongest and most thrilling is the slow but steady transformation that the character experiences in not wanting to be a heroic figure to performing noble deeds and teaming up with the Justice Society to save mankind. Despite the arc between young Amon and Adam feeling lifted from Terminator 2: Judgment Day, its serviceable enough to where it helps flesh out Adam's arc and cements him as being the DC universes anti-hero.

      While its story beats may feel familiar to audiences, Black Adam counters this issue with numerous easter eggs and surprise cameos that reference other characters in the DCEU. The script also contains cleverly humorous bits such as Black Adam killing a villain by throwing him towards a mountain only to realize his mistake when asked for his whereabouts by Dr. Fate so that he can probe his mind to gather information regarding defeating the villain. It's moments like these that make up for any shortcomings that the script possesses and make Adam a generally fun experience for audiences along with being an efficient entry in the DC universe, while teasing a much brighter future for the cinematic universe as evidenced by the films thrilling post-credits scene. 

Final Verdict: A definite watch for comic book fans, particularly DC.

Images Courtesy Of Warner Brothers