Movie Review - The Incredibles 2

On the last day of school we decided to surprise the kids with a trip to the movies after our annual trip to Dairy Queen for Ice Cream.  Both had put checking out the Incredibles in theatres on our summer bucket list, and I'm not lying it was pretty cool to knock it off the list on our very first day of the break.

Movie Review The Incredibles 2

Image Courtesy of Facebook

What's in it for the Kids?
If your kids dug the first Incredibles movie, this offers all of the same characters you love (although for whatever reason the animators decided to completely change what teen hero Violet's love interest Tony looks like - Buzzfeed even wrote an article about it you can check out here).  There are a lot of laughs with baby Jack Jack as he begins to explore the full range of his own super powers.  This provided most of the kid related comic relief for the movie.

What's in it for the Adults?
Although both Incredibles movies are supposed to be set in the past (we have not idea exactly how distant) both adult characters face feelings of incompetence and stress when taking on new job and family related responsibilities - very easy to relate to (although this could be seen as reinforcing old fashioned women in the workforce gender roles - worthy of debate).  The villain in this film, Screenslaver, serves as a creepy Big Brother reminder that felt very Orwellian to my English major self.  Voice work by all of the original characters, Craig T. Nelson, Samuel Jackson, Holly Hunter, and Brad Bird continued to impress, as did the additions of  Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul) and Catherine Keener.

The Incredible Family

Best Parts of the Movie
After a 14 year gap this movie hits the ground running, in what is set to be mere days after the first film.  Action sequences are fun and the villain is genuinely scary.  Kids in the theatre six and under were quite scared in specific villain confrontation scenes, so consider yourself warned in what is otherwise a family friendly flick. You don't need to have seen the first movie to enjoy this film.


Worst Parts of the Movie
The movie felt a little long at times, particularly in the first half, but once it got rolling the kids were highly invested in the characters, so much so that we had to force Jack to go to the washroom while it was still on. 

Overall Rating
I would rate this movie 3.5/5, I don't consider it a classic, but the kids enjoyed it and want to watch it again.  A fun way to beat the heat on a hot summer day, but don't sweat it if you wait until it comes to a small screen for streaming near you.

To read my review of A Wrinkle in Time click here

Despicable Me 3 - Movie Review

Going to a sequel for a movie you love is one thing, but by the time you get to the third movie in a series things can fall apart pretty easily.  I would have been content to wait until Despicable Me 3 came to Netflix, but the minions had other ideas, and even put seeing the movie on their summer bucket list, so we went to the film on the opening weekend with their grandparents.

Image Courtesy of Wikia

Despicable Me 3

What's in it for the Kids?
The same old characters they've fallen in love with over the past two movies, and a handful of new ones.  Some slapstick laughs kept my kids, and all of the other kids in the theatre in regular laughter

What's in it for the Adults?
This movie is geared at children, period, so don't go in expecting anything directed at the parents or you'll be disappointed.  There's a Star Wars reference to explain Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand's) absence in the movie that wasn't lost on me.  Voices are reprised by Steve Carrell, Julie Andrews, and Kristen Wiig. Trey Parker has been added as the latest villain.

Image Courtesy of Flickering Myth

Best Parts of the Movie
The slapstick comedy is king for kids watching this movie.  When I asked Molly and Jack for their favourite parts, both mentioned the slapstick filled scenes.  The latest villain who is trapped in his 1980's heyday provides some fashion and pop culture nostalgia to parents who lived through the 1980's, along with a decent retro soundtrack.


Worst Parts of the Movie
There were so many subplots in this movie that felt like they'd already been beaten to death in the first two movies.  Lucy is struggling with being a mom, Agnes loves unicorns, the minions want to be bad again, we get it! I get that it could be fun watching Steve Carrell play twins, but the whole long lost twin brother thing jumped the shark for me. This movie feels like someone drew ten ideas out of a hat and decided to roll, poorly, with all of them.  The movie focuses at a very shallow level on "real" family issues instead of the cool heroes fighting crime or bad guys being bad aspects. I fell asleep for a few minutes, twice. The minions were barely in the film, and when they were there was a plot hole that left Molly crying at the end of the movie.  In one scene, minion Bob is left behind by the other minions and it's never addressed again.  Perhaps that scene was cut? Either way Molly noticed and was quite upset.

Overall Rating
I would rate this movie 2.5/5, it wasn't terrible, but it was forgettable and blends with the other two movies too much, all while leaving bad aftertaste.  The kids enjoyed it, but at the same time, if they ask to watch it again when it comes out on Netflix, I'm going to opt to do something else.

To read my review of Captain Underpants click here

To read my review of Boss Baby click here

To read my review of the Lego Batman movie click here

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Batman - Movie Review Lego Batman

Last weekend we went to go and see The Lego Batman Movie.  Here is a review from our, Molly, and Jack's perspective.

Image courtesy of Wikia

What's in it for the Kids?
It's Batman and Lego, together.  Two things that most kids, mine in particular love.  Jack has been really into Lego (especially the little men) and it's neat for them to learn a little bit more about the back story of batman that won't terrify them a la Heath Ledger Joker.  This movie has fast action in toys your kids will love.

What's in it for the Adults?
Will Arnett is back reprising his role as Batman from the original Lego Movie.  As a big time fan of brooding anti-heroes I was super pumped about Batman and his industrial music stylings, but the real star of this movie is Michael Cera as Robin/Dick Grayson who's interpretation of Robin is wide-eyed, innocent and fun.  My runner up for best addition to the film would be Zack Galafianakis for his portrayal of The Joker, a bad guy who's feeling a little unappreciated.

Best Parts of the Movie
High action with some jokes that work for both kids and adults.  This movie digs into the fight scenes really quickly, and provides some much needed insight into the ways that Batman is not always awesome.  This movie pokes holes into the bat armour to show some pretty big character flaws in The Dark Knight in a new and refreshing way.  Kids will learn from the "team" based approaches to success and look into what family can really mean.  The Batman vs. Superman frenemy plot line had me laughing out loud a few times.

Worst Parts of the Movie
It felt long, and like a sequel, which it essentially was to The Lego Movie, which was much, much better.  My kids normally are the annoying ones who ask lots of questions during a movie, and they were quiet, but mostly because they had nothing to say about the film good or bad.  Other kids in the theatre were tantruming and acting up out of boredom.  Chris fell asleep during one part of the movie. There has been no mention of the movie one way or another since by either child

Overall Rating
I would rate this movie 2.5/5, mostly because I felt really let down after reading misleading and extremely positive reviews pretty much everywhere else.  The next day I saw a friend who had seen the movie with us and she said, "Was it just me or was that movie really mediocre?" because she didn't want to complain in front of the kids.  I wouldn't go out of my way to see this movie in theatres, or at all, period.  I don't understand why it's still rating so high.

To read my review of Trolls (which is now available for purchase) click here.

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Just Keep Swimming: Finding Dory a movie review

With summer here we're enjoying a lot more outdoor time with the minions, but also trying to beat the heat with a couple of indoor treats, one of which included a recent trip to the movies to check out Finding Dory.  Here's what we thought.

Image Courtesy of Teaser Trailer

What's in it for the Kids?
Ever wonder what happened to your favourite characters from Finding Nemo?  This moving takes place a year after the original as Dory sets off on an adventure to find herself and her parents.  This movie is good for little ones who might get scared easily as this film doesn't really have any "bad guys" to be afraid of, save for one brief "scary" under the sea encounter an early scene.

What's in it for the Adults?
A fairly entertaining walk down memory lane with fan favourite Dory the fish and an introduction of some fantastic new characters including Dory's parents (voiced by Eugene Levy and Diane Keaton), Ty Burrell as Bailey and Kaitlin Olson as Destiny.  The real show stopper here was Ed O'Neil voicing Hank the surly but kind hearted octopus. Some of the aquarium scenes were stunning in a way that Pixar has become known for.

Best Parts of the Movie
This movie doesn't slow down and kept both minions attention (particularly Jack's) the entire time. Keeping my little boy still, mostly silent (there were still some questions asked throughout) and wildly entertained for an entire movie is a feat in itself.  Jack fell in love with Hank and is still talking about a (spoiler alert) scene where he drives a stolen truck.

Worst Parts of the Movie
This movie plot is a little similar to the original.  I may have had too much of an "adult" hat on as a viewer, as the film got my mind wandering and to some pretty dark places in terms with thoughts on dementia, memory loss and aging.  I really spent a lot of time thinking about Dory's loneliness and things got a little too meta for me.  I was a little disappointed that they didn't bring back Bruce the Shark, but at the same time I could see that joke getting old (the kids didn't notice his absence).

Overall Rating
I would rate this movie 4/5.  It's watchable for parents, and fantastic for kids, particularly if you have younger kids (aged three to seven or eight) who loved the original.  While it didn't blow me away, the kids loved it and it's something that I won't get too annoyed with playing on repeat by the minions when it comes out on DVD.

To read my review of The Good Dinosaur click here.

To read my review of Zootopia click here.

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Red Riding Hood: Movie Review Hoodwinked Too

Molly and Jack love the movie Hoodwinked, so as soon as they heard there was a sequel they both began clamouring to check it out, immediately.  Despite sub par reviews on Rotten Tomatoes we decided to check it out, after all, the first movie didn't get great reviews and all of us liked it, so we watched it for Sunday Night movie night a couple of weeks ago.

Movie Review: Hoodwinked Too

Image Courtesy of Wikipedia

What's in it for the Kids?
Revisit all of your favourite characters from the first film as they try to rescue Hansel and Gretel from the evil witch.  The plot offers good discussion points on jealousy and team dynamic, revisits a lot of old jokes, and the characters they love.

What's in it for the Adults?
This film has some of the witty, fast, and funny dialogue from the first movie that will keep the parents (mildly) entertained. The movie also features the returning voice talents of: Glenn Close, Patrick Warburton, and Andy Dick.  Hayden Penettiere has replaced Anne Hathaway as Red for this movie (but truthfully I didn't notice much difference). New voices include: Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Brad Garrett, Joan Cusak, Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong.

Best Parts of the Movie
The first half of the movie continues with the same fast paced and fun dialogue as the first film, but then about halfway into the movie this momentum kinda dies.  Molly and Jack love Hansel and Gretel and have requested to watch the movie several more times since our first viewing.

Worst Parts of the Movie
This movie just stalls.  Chris and I both fell asleep in front of it at the 30-40 minute mark during two separate viewings because it's just missing something that the original movie had.  It's just not as funny, period.

Overall Rating
Molly and Jack love this movie, but their tastes can be questionable, so I'm not relying on them for a critical analysis of a film.   I would rate this movie 2.5/5.  There is nothing offensive that would stop me from letting them watch the movie because they love it, however I won't be watching it with them again, unless I need a nap.

To read my review of the original film, Hoodwinked, click here

To read my review on Zootopia click here

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