Month: November 2021

Starring: Stephanie Beatriz (In the Heights), John Leguizamo (John Wick), María Cecilia Botero, Diane Guerrero (Orange is the New Black), Jessica Darrow, Angie Cepeda (Love in the Time of Cholera), Wilmer Valderrama (That ‘70s Show)

Director: Byron Howard & Jared Bush (Zootopia)

Writers: Jared Bush and Charise Castro Smith

Runtime: 1 hour 39 minutes

Release Date: 24^th November (US, UK)

Wow, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s having a pretty damn good year. I have admittedly not seen his Sony/Netflix animated musical Vivo yet, but In the Heights finally made it to the silver screen in spectacular fashion and his feature directorial debut tick, tick… BOOM! was a fantastic re-imagining of Jonathan Larson’s semi-autobiographical stage show that proved Miranda has talent behind the camera as well as on the page and the mic. So after all that newness, him reteaming with Disney to write songs for another animated film shouldn’t feel as surprising or special; Moana was great, so this was bound to be at least pretty good. However, much like its protagonist Maribel Madrigal, Encanto is far more special than it seems on the outside. What begins as seemingly another typical Disney flick with a little Hispanic flavour evolves into one of their deepest and most emotionally-resonant films yet, and will likely take the titles of 2021’s best family film and best musical.

Much like Pixar’s Luca earlier this year, what helps Encanto feel so warm and intimate is how relatively contained its scope is. The story rarely goes more than a few miles away from its central locale, all of the prominent characters are members of the same family, and whilst the conflict and stakes may be huge for said household, in the grand scheme of things they are far from world-ending. That certainly doesn’t mean its story could have been told in live-action or without all of its fantastical elements, because that’s where the film’s energy and imagination lies, but the emotional core of the film is a tale that everyone in the audience will be able to connect with. Whilst the studio has been actively trying to diversify and buck the formula since at least Frozen, Encanto feels like a true departure in how much it places character development and interpersonal conflict over external driving forces. There’s no great evil mastermind driving a rift between Maribel and her family, or some lost MacGuffin she needs to find that will save her home from falling to ruin. Instead, everything she needs to save the day and resolve her issues, when you put aside all the fantastical elements, ultimately just comes down to talking things out (or, because this is a musical, singing them out).

It’s also the first time I’ve seen any kind of film aimed at kids, especially Disney, tackle subjects like mental health and burnout. It’s perhaps not quite as spelled out as, say, the subtext regarding prejudice in Zootopia, but it’s handled with just as much care and these are vitally important messages to get across to kids about taking care of yourself and not letting what others have or think make you feel lesser. There’s honestly very little to critique here other than maybe some subplots get a little less attention that I would have liked, but they are such minor gripes when everything in the grand scheme works as beautifully as it does. All in all, it expertly achieves what every great family movie should be: a fun and entertaining adventure for the kids, but one that imparts to them, and everyone else watching for that matter, a positive and motivational message.

Mirabel Madrigal is the best kind of modern Disney protagonist, in that she is a far cry from the lovestruck princesses of old and yet still neatly fits into that same pantheon. Plenty of family films feature an outcast as their main character, but few of them explore it as well as Encanto, with the entire film’s narrative thrust forward by Mirabel’s desperation to be accepted by her family for who she is. It’s a parable that will appeal to and comfort all kinds of shunned children, not to mention teaching parents how to raise and support them to be the best version of themselves, and so much of that lies of the shoulders of Stephanie Beatriz’s phenomenal vocal performance. She imbues Mirabel with a bouncy and immediately amiable energy that works wonders for both comedy and the musical numbers (two areas Beatriz has excelled in previously), but it’s in her more sombre moments where she really impresses and Mirabel evolves from simply a great protagonist into the new standard for Disney animation.

That said, Encanto is a film about family, and the rest of the Madrigal clan are all fascinating in their own ways. María Cecilia Botero makes for an equally genial and intimidating presence as the matriarch Abuela Alma, perfectly capturing the spirit of that family member you resent but yearn to earn the respect of; c’mon, you all have that one. John Leguizamo is nearly unrecognisable as the mysterious and similarly spurned uncle Bruno, Diane Guerrero has impeccable big sister energy as the golden child Isabela, and Jessica Darrow brings a wonderful dimensionality to the brawny Luisa. The rest of the cast don’t get nearly as much focus, but they are all fantastic whenever they get their moments to shine, and there’s simply too many of them to compliment all in one review. Needless to say, whilst Beatriz’s Mirabel is the easy standout performance, the entirety of the family Madrigal is what uplifts Encanto to instant classic greatness.

With Moana, Lin-Manuel Miranda was able to wonderfully capture the spirit of the classic Disney musicals whilst still retaining his signature flow and hip-hop influences, and he brings that exact same approach to the infectious bops here. Their frantic tempo and rapid-fire lyrics may make them hard for fans to drunkenly sing along to on karaoke night, but they are just as catchy as anything Miranda has written and will immediately bring a smile to any viewer’s face. It’s hard to pick a real standout song because they’re all so great for completely different reasons, but in terms of breakout potential, I think “Surface Pressure” is the one most audiences will glom onto. A ballad sung by Luisa about overcompensating and inner exhaustion, it’s easily the most recognisably Miranda song of the bunch and, whilst perhaps not as upbeat as Moana’s “You’re Welcome”, it has a similarly infectious flow and its subject matter will appeal to anyone who has ever pushed themselves too far. “The Family Madrigal” is a bouncy and witty introduction to all of the characters that sets the tone perfectly, “Waiting on a Miracle” is a beautifully tragic reinterpretation of the perennial “I want” song for Maribel, and “What Else Can I Do?” gives her and Isabela a wonderful duet about being more than what is expected of you. Delightfully complimented by Germaine Franco’s fantastical Latin-inspired score, and this is an absolute treat for any fan of musicals.

On an aesthetic level, Encanto also takes Walt Disney Animation Studios to new heights in regards to visual and technical mastery. The character designs and animation style are most reminiscent of The Princess and the Frog, but brought to life in 3D whilst still capturing the bounce and rhythm of 2D animation; even some of Disney’s best CG-animated films don’t recreate that feel as well as they do here. Though the film mostly takes place in and around one house, it is an enchanted home of course, and that still allows the designers and animators to imagine gorgeous locales as we visit each Madrigal’s unique Tardis-like rooms. It is a film exploding with colour and life from every corner, which alone makes it a must-see on the biggest screen you can, and after so many of their recent animated releases have been made exclusive to streaming or hard to see in theatres, it’s simply wonderful to be able to experience Encanto the way it’s designed to be. However, if going to the cinema still isn’t a viable option for you, the film will be available on Disney+ come Christmas Eve, so there really is no excuse to miss it completely.

Encanto is everything you could want from a Disney movie and more, delivering the fun and the thrills but also a heart-breaking family story and a wonderfully inclusive message about difference and defying expectation. Disney always tends to release their animated features around Thanksgiving in the States, but this one is more apt than ever, and will hopefully help families in turmoil like the Madrigals put aside their squabbles and learn to become the support system they need to be for each other. It’s too early to tell where it will land in the pantheon yet, but if Encanto doesn’t become an instant classic on the same level as Beauty and the Beast or Frozen, it will absolutely reign supreme as its greatest hidden gem. It is admittedly perhaps not best suited to the youngest of children (I’d say kids 6 and up will get the most out of it), but this is truly that perfect kind of family film that has something for everyone. Don’t wait on a miracle, and go see Encanto at your earliest convenience!

FINAL VERDICT: 9.5/10

P.S. The accompanying short film Far From the Tree is also a gorgeous 2D wonder and certainly not worth missing, and is easily one of the most thematically complimentary shorts when paired with its feature presentation.

Starring: Carrie Coon (Gone Girl), Finn Wolfhard (It), Mckenna Grace (Gifted), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Logan Kim, Celeste O’Connor (Freaky), Bokeem Woodbine (Spider-Man: Homecoming), Tracy Letts (Lady Bird)

Director: Jason Reitman (Juno)

Writers: Gil Kenan (Monster House) & Jason Reitman

Runtime: 2 hours 5 minutes

Release Date: 18^th November (UK), 19^th November (US)

The legacy of Ghostbusters is a bizarre one when you look back in retrospect. Whilst it has the scale and effects of a typical blockbuster of the era, when you get down to its core it’s really just another 80s comedy in much the same vein as Stripes or Animal House, and that was part of the gag. Its central conceit is “what if supernatural investigators were comparable to blue-collar exterminators?”, and all of its talk of ancient evils and pseudo-scientific technobabble is mostly in service of giving Saturday Night Live and SCTV alum something preposterous to riff off of. In the simplest of terms, it’s not supposed to be taken seriously.

However, in much the same way as other joke properties of the era (e.g., Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Ghostbusters has been dissected and deified as if it were akin to Star Trek, and that perception has warped the perspective of certain sections of the fanbase. If anything, the real reason the 2016 reboot failed to find an audience isn’t because it changed too much, but because it understood its core conceit as a comedy and tried to modernise that, when what the fanbase was demanding was a movie that worshipped the original as much as they did. Ghostbusters: Afterlife positions itself as that film the fans asked for, delivering a truckload of nostalgia and a genuine reverence for the material, but in execution it is nothing more than a hollow and unoriginal cover song that misses the forest for the trees.

Right from its opening moments, it’s clear that the movie Afterlife wants to be is Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and that’s not an entirely bad idea as a starting point. The original film itself was basically a play on the screwball, snobs vs slobs comedies of its time, and taking that off-beat approach to a legacy storyline has plenty of material to mine. Unfortunately, it also quickly becomes obvious that Afterlife is completely and blindingly sincere in its convictions. This isn’t a parody or a comedic twist on that formula, but just another example of it, and treats its source material with a completely unwarranted grandiosity. It’s hard to describe, but basically imagine if they made a sequel to The Princess Bride today, but treated it as if it were a Lord of the Rings-style epic fantasy; that’s how badly Afterlife misses the point. That’s not to say it takes itself completely seriously, but the comedy here is secondary to the story, with the humour treated in much the same manner as a Marvel movie. Jason Reitman’s influence as director is felt in the quieter, character-focused scenes that make up its better moments, but as soon as the action kicks in it feels like just any other blockbuster and it goes straight for the obvious answer every time.

The entire film is just one giant pop culture reference, chucking in every call back to the original it can possibly think of. They are sparing with them at first, and there’s a few more subtle ones worthy of a chuckle or a knowing smile, but by the end there are scenes that are just straight-up remakes of bits from the first film; there’s maybe a sly wink or a tiny twist for the sake of a gag, but they feel like little more than a lampshade. Even if you accept its totally earnest and unironic approach to the material, as a sequel it has even less originality than Ghostbusters II, which itself was criticised at the time for being a cookie-cutter follow-up. That film at least brought new concepts to the table and expanded the lore, but Afterlife is more than content to just throw recognisable iconography at the screen and call it a day. It’s hard to go into more detail without getting into spoiler territory, but the entire third act plays out like trite fan fiction that attempts to go for the heart but falls completely flat, and even in this supposed emotional finale they can’t help but keep being self-referential. All in all, Afterlife certainly wants to be The Force Awakens, but what it ends up being instead is The Rise of Skywalker; seriously, they basically have the exact same ending.

With all that said, the first two acts that are less weighed down by constant self-satisfaction have their moments of joy, and those are mostly found in the performances of McKenna Grace as the socially-unattached prodigy Phoebe, and Logan Kim as her happy-go-lucky, conspiracy theory-obsessed sidekick Podcast. These are two characters who feel like they’d work in a movie completely unrelated to the busting of ghosts, and whether playing around with proton packs or just making awkward small talk they are consistently hilarious and entertaining to watch. Whilst Kim is mostly here just for comic relief and do so with exuberant aplomb, Grace does a fine job of balancing the comedic side of her character with the dramatic heft needed whenever the movie remembers that it’s directed by Jason Reitman. Grace has been doing phenomenal work in parts big and small for the past few years, and if nothing else, hopefully this film gives her enough of a spotlight to make her the household name she deserves to be.

The rest of the cast, unfortunately, aren’t so lucky to have characters with as much depth or humour. Carrie Coon is saddled with a pretty one-note role as downhearted mother Callie, whose dialogue entirely consists of three topics: “I hate my dad”, “I hate science because I hate my dad”, and “I don’t get you, Phoebe”. More than anything, she just feels like a self-insert for Reitman to vicariously vent about his own issues with his father and the series. Finn Wolfhard’s Trevor is also mostly a perfunctory role, with his only real motivation being his hopeless pursuit of Celeste O’Connor as local girl Lucky, and he spends most of the film off in his own unresolved sub-story before getting dragged into the main plot with little more than a shrug. Paul Rudd is at least his usual charming self as summer school teacher Gary Grooberson, but the character is otherwise so indistinguishable from Rudd’s own personality that he might as well just be playing himself. Other recognisable faces, like Bokeem Woodbine as the town sheriff or Tracy Letts as a hardware store owner, are little more than bit parts that could have been played by anyone, and then there are a few others in more subtle roles that I’ll let you discover by either watching the movie or reading the end credits. Some will delight you, some will make you shrug, and others will just have you going “Why did they bother?”

The only way Afterlife majorly differentiates itself from prior entries is in its aesthetic. Moving the story from New York to a Podunk town in Oklahoma gives it at least an air of freshness, though it doesn’t play as much with the new setting as it could have. It visually goes for a more cinematic look rather than the locked-down cinematography of its more comedy-focused forbearers, which does lead to some pretty shots but it still feels workman-like in its attempts to feel more like a blockbuster. The visual effects are top-notch, using a good mix of practical and CGI that feel like an upgrade to the original but without completely changing the wheel; I wish this level of effort and craftsmanship went into the effects in the 2016 film. However, from a design perspective, the ghosts here that aren’t just pulled from the 1984 original are just slight variations on them. There’s the mischievous poltergeist Muncher, who is basically just Slimer but blue and he eats metal instead of food, and the heavily-marketed Mini-Pufts who are just here to remake Gremlins for one mildly amusing scene. However, the most disappointing aspect of the film on a technical level is its music. There is not a single tune by Rob Simonsen I can actually recall, because most of the score is just repurposed tracks from Elmer Bernstein’s compositions for the original. It’s great to hear these classic refrains again, but they mostly feel slapped onto the movie and don’t really fit with the rest of the movie’s more grounded aesthetic; it’s like a Spielberg movie with Seinfeld stings.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife is the reason why you shouldn’t always listen to fans. Instead of doing something clever or refreshing with the material, it just throws references at the screen whilst convincing itself it’s original because it sometimes looks like an indie flick. Jason Reitman has laboured his entire career to differentiate himself from Ivan Reitman, and whilst I can’t say he’s just outright copied his father’s work for a quick cheque, he certainly doesn’t have a career as the next JJ Abrams if that’s what he’s contemplating. Whether you liked the 2016 version or not, you have to concede that it at least tried to do its own thing whilst still paying tribute to the originals. Afterlife, though, is the cinematic equivalent of a mass-produced T-shirt that’s been dyed to look faded and had holes purposefully ripped in to make it seem vintage; it wants you to think it’s trendy, but it’s just another bit of corporatized product.

Oh, and in case you are wondering, there is both a mid AND a post-credits scene, because of course there is!

FINAL VERDICT: 5/10

Starring: Gemma Chan (Humans), Richard Madden (Bodyguard), Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick), Lia McHugh (Songbird), Brian Tyree Henry (Godzilla vs Kong), Lauren Ridloff (Sound of Metal), Barry Keoghan (Dunkirk), Don Lee (Train to Busan), Kit Harington (Game of Thrones), Salma Hayek (Desperado), Angelina Jolie (Maleficent)

Director: Chloé Zhao (Nomadland)

Writers: Chloé Zhao and Chloé Zhao & Patrick Burleigh (Peter Rabbit 2) and Ryan Firpo & Kaz Firpo

Runtime: 2 hours 36 minutes

Release Date: 5^th November (US, UK)

It’s hard to imagine that, less than a decade ago, Guardians of the Galaxy was seen as a risky prospect for Marvel Studios. Now, it’s one of the most popular and recognisable parts of the franchise, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe has only continued to get bolder and weirder since. As Phase Four continues to show what a post-Endgame MCU looks like, the studio takes yet another step into the less explored parts of its source material to present Eternals to the masses. A property than even most comic book fans have little more than a passing familiarity with, it represents an opportunity to really break the conventions of the series and present something wholly unique, and if that was the brief then they have succeeded. Whilst it’s certainly not going to be to everyone’s taste, and far from the conventional crowd-pleaser audiences may be expecting, Eternals adds complexity, nuance and diversity sorely needed in a series that has gotten all too predictable.

Right from its opening moments with a foreboding opening crawl and stunning shots of deep space and prehistoric Earth, it’s obvious that Eternals wants to set itself apart from its forbearers. Its epic story spans centuries, its tone is more contemplative and world-wearier, its pacing more precise and composed, and it takes as many cues from the likes of Terrence Malick and Alejandro Jodorowsky as it does modern blockbusters. Though it certainly connects itself to the past, present and future of the MCU, for the most part it stands on its own and has far more interest in exploring its own ideas than riffing on those that have come before. In a franchise that has such a pre-established format that it often more resembles a television series, having such a completely different perspective this time around is thoroughly refreshing. However, it does face some growing pains.

The first half is noticeably weaker than its second, as it struggles to find the right balance between its Hollywood and artistic influences. The stop-start nature of the plotting and pacing is jarring at times, with many scenes either dragging on far too long or brushing past moments that needs more room to breathe. Much of the present-day story is spent simply assembling the cast, jumping from one locale to the next to introduce yet another character, interspersed with flashbacks throughout history to show the Eternals in their prime and explore how they disbanded. That said, once the film finds its groove and starts digging deeper into its multifaceted characters, timely commentary on socio-political and environmental collapse, and philosophical exploration of concepts like morality and determinism, Eternals finally begins to be the movie it set out to be. It’s a film far more interested in asking questions than providing answers, which may frustrate more mainstream viewers, but after so many spoon-fed good vs. evil stories it’s wonderful to have a blockbuster that leaves the audience the chance to think about its content rather than simply react. In spite of its barren setting, the third act is an absolute feast as not only the action reaches its peak, but the character conflicts and thematic undercurrent empower it all to a satisfying crescendo and a fittingly bittersweet aftermath. By the tale’s end, it becomes clear that Eternals’ true aspiration is to be an arthouse blockbuster in much the same vein as the works of Denis Villeneuve and The Wachowskis. Whether you think that its connection to Marvel is holding it back from being truly itself, or that it strays too far from the MCU formula to feel like a contiguous part of the grander tapestry, that is for you to decide.

It certainly took far longer than necessary for Marvel to diversify its world, and it certainly has plenty of opportunities to improve, but Eternals has certainly one of the more fascinating and distinctive cast of characters in the series yet. Even with its beefy runtime, the film has a lot of new faces to introduce and not all of them get the attention they deserve, but it’s hard to say anyone turns in a bad performance. After being short-changed by her blink-and-you’ll-miss-her role in Captain Marvel, Gemma Chan gets a second shot at superheroics as nominal lead Sersei and does a fantastic job as the emotional core of the team. She’s perhaps not got the most eccentric or unique personality compared to her co-stars, but Chan brings a relatable and down-to-earth perspective as someone truly caught between two worlds. Richard Madden fits comfortably into the boots of Ikaris, who functions as much as an allegory for the prototypical superhero as he does his mythological namesake, giving a reserved but commanding performance that takes on new meaning as we learn more about his past. Angelina Jolie is perfectly cast as warrior goddess Thena, bringing both gravitas and vulnerability to a character struggling with trauma in an all-too-human way, whilst Salma Hayek makes the most of her limited screentime as the nurturing and wise Ajak.

Despite being the youngest cast members, Lia McHugh and Barry Keoghan are saddled with the most morally complex characters as the trickster Sprite and the manipulative Druig, with McHugh showing an intelligence beyond her years that brought to mind Kirsten Dunst’s star-making turn in Interview with the Vampire. There’s also plenty of comic relief to go around courtesy of Kumail Nanjiani as the boisterous but self-obsessed Kingo, but even he too has his moments of introspection that ground him, as does his valet/ sidekick Karun (played wonderfully by Harish Patel). The short straws are ultimately drawn by Bryan Tyree Henry as inventor Phastos, Lauren Ridloff as speedster Makkari, and Don Lee as tank Gilgamesh, but they all get at least one standout moment and the actors acquit themselves with gusto; it’s great to finally see queer and disabled heroes brought to the MCU, and the representation is brief but tastefully done. Then there’s Kit Harington as Chan’s love interest Dane Whitman, who might as well have a giant “I’ll be important later” sticker on his forehead for the whole film, because his role here is little more than an extended cameo. If you know your comics, you’ll know Whitman’s importance to the Marvel lore and that Harington is an apt choice, but it’s the one element of the film that really feels like a relic from a more conventional MCU version of this story.

Throughout its production and marketing, it’s been stressed that Eternals is as huge a step away from the MCU formula on a technical level as it is story-wise, and that is certainly reflected in the aesthetic presentation. Though of course still stuffed to the brim with state-of-the-art CGI, the line between fantasy and reality is certainly more blurred by the increased amount of on-location shooting and natural lighting compared to most modern blockbusters. Director Chloé Zhao’s independent eye is all over every frame of Eternals, managing to show her directorial influence in a way few other MCU helmers have other than Taika Waititi and James Gunn, and it’d be fascinating to see what else she could accomplish if she continues down this big-budget path. Despite being having been behind the camera on four prior MCU outings, cinematographer Ben Davis gives the film a distinct look that retains a similar palette to previous films but ups the grit and verisimilitude of the visuals. The production design is audacious and inventive, especially the cold halls of the Eternals’ spacecraft and the grotesque look of the Deviant race, and Ramin Djawadi returns to Marvel for the first time since Iron Man to deliver a suitably sombre but triumphant score. It’s absolutely amongst the most visually satisfying films in the franchise so far, and one can only hope Marvel starts to allow its future filmmakers similar freedom to go beyond the boundaries and experiment with more flavours beyond the base MCU taste.

Eternals doesn’t always succeed in its ambitions and will likely leave some viewers cold, but for those who can get past its shortcomings and see the potential beneath, it’s an experience absolutely worth seeing on the biggest screen possible. Zhao absolutely has the chops to compete in the blockbuster space should she so wish, and hopefully the stumbling blocks of pacing and focus are ones that’ll be overcome in future ventures. Even if it doesn’t end up being a property as popular as The Avengers or Guardians of the Galaxy, the Eternals themselves are characters crying out for further exploration and will hopefully find a comfy corner of the universe to call their own, and they’ve certainly set the stage for a lot of potential threads to come. If you’re already on the MCU train, you’ll have likely decided to see this movie long before you read this or any other review and can appraise it for yourself. However, if you’re someone who has never really gotten the fuss or become tired of the formula, Eternals is certainly worth a gander. You may not end up liking it, but it’s hard to argue that it’s at least one of the most unique blockbusters of 2021.

FINAL VERDICT: 8.5/10