ilikedragons Reviews

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power: Heart Part 2 (2020) Season 5, Episode 13

I demand a slice of life

[10/10 · 20 September 2023]

Really, shows like this should be required by law to make one final season that is just the characters hanging out after the plot has been thoroughly resolved.

These characters have been living in my head rent free for the past few days since I finished the show and I just need to see them being happy and going to parties together.

I need to see the main characters slowly overcoming their trauma and coming to terms with the things they did and the things that were done to them. I need to see them grow closer as they grow up in a free world. I need to see them be happy. Please.

There's only so much I can imagine on my own.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018–2020)

I "adore" it (get it? haha)

[9/10 · 20 September 2023]

Not gonna lie, the first season was a bit of a chore to get through. But I'd heard good things about the show, so I pushed through, and I'm so, so glad I did.

The characters in this are so well done, it's impressive. It shattered my expectations.

Watching this show was a stepping stone for me, as this is the first ever, really, truly, undoubtedly, openly, unapologetically LGBT+ show I've ever watched and actively enjoyed.

Saying I enjoyed it is selling it short, I was delighted.

Seasons 2 and 3 were well made, but seasons 4 and 5 were just something else.

They knew exactly what they wanted to do, and by god they did it.

Coraline (2009)

Why did nobody tell me it was this good

[9/10 · 26 July 2023]

I've always been a fan of the "lost children" genre of stories, which is oddly common. Alice In Wonderland was my favorite book growing up, and it still is now that I'm 20. And for all this time I've been fascinated by Alice in Wonderland-esque stories of people being lost in their own minds, in supernatural mazes, in alternate dimensions, in their dreams, wherever as long as it's weird and interesting. And judging by the popularity of these stories, I'm not the only one. For some reason, this idea of wandering off into the enchanted forests and dark swamps of imagination is appealing to a whole crowd of people.

But this, this is the magnum opus. I never watched Coraline as a kid, and I feel like I was robbed. I would've absolutely LOVED it. The atmosphere is perfect, the visuals are awesome, the music, the pacing, it's all so good. A movie that revives that little spark of love for film within me. An impressive work of art and one that I hope will be remembered as such.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

An alright movie

[5/10 · 28 February 2023]

As a standalone movie, it's a fun family friendly flick, you can watch it as you come home from work, then go to bed and forget about it in the morning.

The problem is that this is the introduction of the next big bad in the MCU, and as such it's just a big disappointment. It feels like a DC movie parodying the MCU instead of an actual MCU installment.

It's just so boring and safe. Despite the avenger-level stakes, it just feels like nothing is ever happening.

It takes the most interesting parts of the MCU movie formula and forgets about it, leaving only the annoying parts.

I just hope the next time we see Kang the Conqueror he's in a more interesting movie.

The Menu (2022)

Fine

[8/10 · 8 February 2023]

This movie makes no sense if you take it at face value and analyze it as you would a normal movie. The characters make little sense, the story is all over the place, and it doesn't seem to go anywhere. It's clearly not meant to be seen this way,.

I can't help but feel like the movie is poking fun at me specifically, writing this review. Instead of focusing on the food itself, Chef gives over the top, overly complicated explanations behind his nonsensical actions.

By dissecting this movie and looking at the deeper meaning, I can't help but feel like I'm savoring the little puddles of accompaniments on a breadless plate of bread.

And yet, I just can't help myself.

The different characters represent the different approaches to the nonsnese. From the old man rejecting it and simply trying to get out of it, then staying silent the rest of the evening, to the obsessed stalker fan who swallows it all up happily, to the everyman (or in this case, woman) who escapes the entire premise, by simply asking for a good old cheeseburger.

The movie asks the viewer the question, which one are you?

We're none of the people on the island. We're a fly on the wall, simply watching this all unfold. But in the real world, we're not, are we?

It's delightful satire, criticizing the entire industry that has formed over art. Not just food or filmmaking, but all art.

I'm not rating the movie based on the story or characters, but on the value of the concept, as Chef would put it.

Others have summarized the concept better than me, so I won't bother with it here, this is just my personal experience with the movie.

I find myself taking the role of Ms. Bloom. I mean, I am writing a review on IMDb first thing after watching this movie, aren't I?

I would definitely die in a horror movie, simply because I can't look away. After all, this IS for my own benefit, isn't it? This is for my entertainment. This is for me.

Chef asks a very good question. Why didn't they fight back?

And well, why didn't they?

Why don't you?

Why don't I?

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

Single-handedly restored my faith in Dreamworks and my respect for the Shrek franchise

[9/10 · 17 January 2023]

The last movie came out when I was a kid. I thought it was really fun, but it didn't strike me as a masterpiece the way other movies of the time did. It just felt like a nice little movie to kill some time.

Now that I'm older, I can see that it came out after Shrek the third and Shrek forever after, and it just feels like yet another mediocre (mediogre) movie for children with not as much artistic merit as other Dreamworks titles. It's a fine movie. It's fine.

For that reason, I was expecting nothing out of this one. I saw that it was coming out and my attitude was completely "Meh".

Then, it actually came out, and it started getting good reviews. I was very surprised. What could they have done with this franchise to make so many people suddenly like it again?

And then I watched it. Oh boy.

It's so far from the previous three movies that it might as well be from an alternate universe.

There are so many aspects of the film I could talk about, but for me the main ones are the animation and the story.

The animation is top notch. It's clearly inspired by Spiderverse, but it's far form a straight ripoff. It feels vibrant and full of life and it lends itself extremely well to the fast-paced adventure style of the story.

Speaking of which, it's amazing how good the story is. At its core it's very simplistic, like all Shrek movies. There's a wishing star somewhere and several different parties are interested in getting to it. That's it.

But seeing the motivations of the characters for getting the wish is so fun and interesting.

The main one, obviously, is Puss in Boots himself. He's down to the last of his nine lives, so now he wants to use the wish to get his lives back, so he can continue being a reckless, adventurous, fearless hero.

His relationship with death, both literally, and metaphorically, makes this one of the most earnest movies in the Dreamworks catalogue.

The other characters don't get nearly as much focus, which is the right call. Side-characters in animated movies tend to be annoying, but this one doesn't fall into that trap. All characters feel perfectly balanced, which is a massive feat in a movie that has so many of them.

The acting is also amazing. Every character that has screentime in this movie is fun and entertaining to watch, and the main characters are emotionally investing and relatable.

Overall, a refreshing restart to Dreamworks' oldest franchise. It single-handedly shattered my expectations and made me feel genuinely excited to see what they do next.

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

As close to perfect as you could ask for

[10/10 · 16 January 2023]

As I'm writing this, there's only ten movies in my list with a ten star rating. Out of them all, this is my personal favorite.

This isn't just the best animated movie of all time, but I'd argue for a top 100 spot of all movies period.

It's imposible to have a perfect movie. You have so many elements that would need to be perfect in order to have a perfect movie: Perfect Characters, a Perfect Story, Perfect Acting, Perfect Editing, Perfect Music. You just can't have everything.

But this is a close as it gets for me.

I think the greatest thing a movie can do, is leave an impact on its audience. After all, the aspects I just described are subjective. What constitutes a perfect story for someone could be lackluster for someone else. But what is not subjective, is the measurable impact that a movie has on a person.

This is a movie that was well received in 2010 (nearly 13 years ago now) when it came out, but that continues inspiring people to this day. It's still relevant to talk about its nearly perfect score and its masterclass on story writing. People still remember it as one of, if not the best movie DreamWorks has made. Children worldwide still want a pet dragon. Teens worldwide still wonder about its themes of purpose, identity, and change.

I could write an essay on everything that makes this movie great, from the impeccable acting to the stunning visuals, but I think it's better to sum it up as the movie that has had the longest lasting impact on me since the moment I watched it as a kid.

What more could you ask from a film?

Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)

Amazing visuals and good ideas but ultimately not a cohesive story

[7/10 · 16 January 2023]

The animation here is absolutely amazing, I can't even imagine how much time and effort went into it. I love Laika because it always feels like they try when they make a movie.

And this one has some great ideas: Tradition, family, death, purpose, redemption. Which makes the finished product more upsetting, because they're not used effectively.

In the end it just feels like a standard kids movie, which is very unfortunate, because it's clear it could've been so much more than that.

It's a great movie, you should probably watch it if you haven't, but it's not a masterpiece by any means.

The McGuffin doesn't feel important or even impactful at all, which would be fine if the movie used the extra focus on its interesting themes and characters, but it doesn't.

The reveals at the beginning of the third act were easy to predict, which is not a bad thing by itself, but after so much foreshadowing, they don't give those new concepts any time to grow before jumping to the final fight and then ending.

It just feels like the movie could've benefited from a slightly longer runtime and some more time in the oven.

Bluey (2018– )

Refreshingly good

[9/10 · 7 March 2022]

I have a 9 year old niece. As she grew up she watched many TV series, and for the most part I could tolerate them, but this one was an exception.

I did much more than just tolerate this one. This one's so amazing that I actually started watching it on my own.

If you are an adult with children and you're trying to find a good show that you can watch together, this is it.