Movies: Zootopia

Movies: Zootopia

Introduction

What do you get when you combine Zoo with utopia? What would a world where there are no humans and we are all some type of animal be like? Would be good to be a nice fearsome lion right? Or maybe a cool tiger? Or even a cute panda? But what if you got the short end of the stick? This movie tells you exactly how it would be like to be on the short end of the stick i.e. a bunny living in a world where everything else is bigger. stronger and more complex! Fortunately, there are still tinier animals like hamsters but where would they live in this Zootopia? The movie follows the dreams of this tiny bunny as she aims to be in a job that does not seem to be suited for her which is a police bunny. So how well did this movie frame this zootopian world? Read on to find out

SOOO MANY ANIMALS!~! which would u be?

Storyline 4.5/5

Storyline is the main focus of this movie and it does a rather charming job. From the beginning you are introduced to the bunny with her lofty ideals and how it does not match with the real world. Especially if you are able to identify with her on a personnel level (cause it does mirror what happens everyday i.e. discrimination) you will be able to enjoy the movie even more.

The storyline is really direct in that the bunny is just trying to prove herself, but the journey there is fraught with a good amount of twists and turns carefully put together and remains still very much believable. This results in a movie that does not bore you as new facts and information are presented. This is something that you don't always see in a disney movie. The movie remains funny and never too stressful throughout which is good for the kids (there are kids movie where the younger kids ended up crying... thats not what you usually want)

The movie also does  a fantastic job introducing you to the zootopian world and fleshes it out in a way that will entertain and thrill its viewers. It manages to incorporate quite a good mix of animals in the movie and provides a snippet on how they will live their lives throughout the movie. 

Character 4/5

The interaction between the cast of the movie is extremely well done and it challenges a few stereotypes as well as enforces and links some other stereotypes in a very creative and fun way. You will have fat cheetahs, predators being preyed on and on the other hand you will also have the slowest of creatures working in the DMV which is what real life is like!

Only small qualm is that this movie is fully focused on its two main characters and the rest are all really just supporting roles. They could very much be expanded upon for more entertainment value but nonetheless you will definitely be able to empathize with what the main characters go thru.

Cinematography 4/5

There are good shots throughout the movie to introduce you to the daily happenings in zootopia and the flow of the movie is quite consistent never ending up feeling draggy. Good amounts of flashback scenes to tell the story more convincingly. Of course this movie is not a action movie so there is little emphasis there but for a animated family movie, it does do a good enough job for all members of the family to enjoy

Music 4/5

As expected from disney movies, it has good music. However it is different from the fairytale type of movie and you will not hear the main characters do any singing. Its not THAT type of disney movie. There is a good piece from Gazelle (Shakira) that brightens up the entire mood of the movie! Thats the impact that good music in good places have on the experience.

Spectacle 4/5

For a movie that focuses on the family experience and the storyline, this movie does really really well! It has a lot of cute animals and bright colors that appeal very strongly to the younger crowds and the storyline is not excessively simple till it is boring to the adults. In fact it is stronger then some of the more serious movies out there. Overall, it does well in this aspect and given it is introducing a new world (which makes it even easier to retain interest of the audience) it really sets the mind thinking how different a world would be if it humans were replaced with animals inclusive of the vast differences between all of them. Did not get higher points then this because it did not really do anything that would put it in a class of its own although all its main aims to entertain the family are very much well met.

Overall

Storyline: 4.5 (very interest storyline complete with a good amount of twists and turns to entertain even the adults)

Character: 4 (quite a lot of colorful characters in this movie, however, most of the emphasis is on the main characters only and leaves just that little room for improvement)

Cinematography: 4 (not an action film so nothing too earthshattering, however, it does have good epic shots that help show you what zootopia is like and it adds to the experience)

Music: 4 (As per disney movie fashion, good music, but its not a full on music experience just yet...)

Spectacle: 4 (Meets the requirements of appealing to all members of the family unit due to its strong storyline as well as entertaining and colorful characters)

Overall: 4.1 (A very safe and enjoyable movie experience for the entire family unit. Adults seeing it will not be bored either due to its good storyline while the kids can enjoy the fun animals and their interactions. It's no action show however and for pure adults or couples, as long as you are looking for a good, light hearted storyline it will be entertaining to you. As it is introducing a alternate world, it is even more easy to get into as you get to see how this new world functions. Even draws some parallels to the real world for those who like to look deeper into things. Overall, fun for the whole family and to the occasional couple who wants to find something to pass time with.)

Movies: Inside Out

Movies: Inside Out

Whoa whoa whoaa... wait a minute, is this movie even out yet?? Well if I have seen it, it means it must be out somewhere! And this time, for the first time, you are gonna have a review of a movie that is not even out in Singapore yet! I feel like a real movie critic/reviewer now! And here goes!

Ever wonder what is going on inside your head? Wondering where all the different feelings come from? Well Pixar/Disney have figured a way to perhaps explain what goes on inside your head and it does more then that, it even goes one step further and even explain how come someone may even lose all feeling and how your feelings change over time. Any more information will be spoilers for all so let me just get into the review and keep it as spoiler free as possible!

The 5 feelings, Fear, Anger, Joy, Sadness and Disgust... guess which is the cutest!

Will tell you all which is the cutest at the end of the review!!

Storyline 4.5/5

Admittedly, this is a pretty strong scoring. However, after you see it, its quite likely you will agree with me because the way the story is written, it not only caters to the kids (like traditional disney movies) but this one also caters very strongly to the parent and adult crowd so that you will not feel as if you are bringing your kids out for a movie that you might not enjoy yourself. It's intelligent writing makes it entertaining and self reflecting to everyone of the various ages in the family.

If you can't really get what i mean, then you can try seeing this movie and you will know what I mean!  The storyline is kept pretty personal from start to end and it also has numerous amusing portions that actually gives a disney explanation why we feel or react in certain ways.

Character 4/5

This movie may appear to only have 5 main characters but in reality, of those 5, although all have their own uniqueness, not all have equal screen time nor are all 5 impactful. There are additional characters added during the movie and some may have even more impact than these main characters. If there was a bit more emphasis on the 5 feelings it would have scored higher.

Nonetheless, the main focal characters (2 feelings) and one of the additional character not featured in the poster will bring out most of the "feels" of the movie.

Cinematography 4/5

Its not an action flick, but the way the movie is told is pretty immersing in making you identify with the human characters of the movie and the way the brain works.

Disney using pretty good panning outward shots to feature how vast the different aspects of the mind are that we all should be able to identify with and this adds quite good believabilty to the audience.

Music 3.5/5

The story is the main focus of this movie although you will notice how the music is used to evoke stronger feelings from the audience. Good or bad, that depends on how cool you want to look after the movie. (i.e. real man don't cry)

Spectacle 4.5/5

This movie gets high points based on the applicability of the story to both the adult and kid audience which is not an easy feat. Add to it the various minor effects (music, cinematography) to invoke the thought process of the older audience makes this a really immersive experience that both audience types will appreciate. Like many disney movies that focus on the importance of friends/family/love etc. this movie's focus on family is very strong, and well brought out that you may even return from the movie learning how to cherish what you have and better live your life.

Yep, its that kind of meaningful movie.

Overall

Storyline: 4.5 (Strong story that caters to adults even more then kids, its not easy to do that) 
Characters: 4 (Has potential to have included more of the characters but does above average nonetheless)
Cinematography: 4 (Smart use of perspective and high camera shots to explain the human mind)
Music: 3.5 (Its definitely there aiding the audience in feeling what the directions want them to feel, any better, this movie may get too emotion)
Spectacle: 4.5 (A movie that is quite high above the rest in terms of storyline for the family audience. The rest of the movie aspects add more audience immersiveness and personal feelings which works well for this movie. This is probably all the movie was intending to do and it did it well enough!)
Overall: 4.1(Its not an action movie so don't go there with an all guy group preferably. For those with significant others, or those with kids, this will probably be the movie for you, in fact it probability will be more thought provoking for you then your kids. Nonetheless, the kids will enjoy the color and fun of the movie, while you will enjoy the story. If you want to see a girl cry, this may be a good opportunity. Don't say I didn't warn you ah!)

And to close off, the winner of the cutie contest is....... this little blue fella! Watch the movie and see if you will agree with me!

Time to slack off and wallow in self pity...

Movies: Minions

Movies: Minions

Pixxar movies always play on the cute factor and always tend to have that character that is meant to fulfill the cuteness role in every movie! But not many movies are like Minions, whereby every other main character falls into the cute factor with one single cutest creature which is called Bob. What results is a movie that will entertain the kids and strangely, many females that would fall under the girls category.

Look at that.. Its Bob... Awwww... and he is carrying his teddy..... double awwwww..

Guys on the other hand, well, lets look through the rest of the aspects of the movie before drawing a conclusion!

And note! Don't see the wrong movie! This is the latest one! there is no word "Despicable to be found here"

Woo!! who is that shadow

Storyline 3.5/5

Realistically speaking, this storyline is quite standard for a disney/pixxar flick and you can draw some similarities for this movie with all the previous. Of course it has its unique and charming points overall but looking from the top you should realise that disney/pixxar flicks seldom have very extravagant plot twists and things that you won't expect.

That being said, thanks to its focus on the origin of the minions and what the other minions are doing while these 3 guys are out there wrecking havoc in the world, this movie is prevented from feeling like "Just another Disney/Pixxar movie" as they have slightly more new things to intrigue the audience with for a good first part of the movie.

This does work for the younger audience that this movie is intended for but speaking for the older viewers, this will not and should not be the strong point that you will expect from this movie.

Character 4/5

The three main characters are well fleshed out and distinct from each other and this is emphasized throughout the movie. There are also the inclusion of many fun side characters both good and bad who are different in their own whacky ways and this does keep things fresh and entertaining all the way.

There is of course, no deep background for a show meant for the younger audience but overall, you will mostly be able to enjoy what is happening with the charming personalities that are the minions.

Cinematography 3.5/5

From the very beginning, you will enjoy the creative way of telling the story of how everything begin for the minions. The movie also jumps around from the 3 protagonists back to the whole tribe to keep things fresh and not too stale which works pretty well in preventing monotony of the movie.

However, its not an action movie and hence lacks in epic or action shots throughout the movie that generally was never the forte of Disney/Pixxar.

Music 4/5

Music is really quite a strong item in this movie with a good mix of famous songs to add flavor to what is happening during the movie itself. The sound track also adds a good level of immersion to the movie with relevant music whenever major items happen to heighten the senses and emotions.

Spectacle 3.5/5

It is definitely a cutsy show and this will seal the deal for most of the supporters for the minions but on the realistic front, this is not a totally new concept and this movie can be compared across to another previously released movie "Penguins of Madagascar" which unfortunately shares the same drawing points as this movie. It does not have as much unique characters as the penguins and is slightly toned down when comparing cinematography style.

There is action, there is good music, and there is a lot of fun in general but its not realistic to say that this movie sticks out prominently enough when compared to the other offerings present this year.

Overall

Storyline: 3.5 (Its above average since it focuses on the history of the minions, but the main storyline flow is not something totally new)
Character: 4 (The characters are all different in their own cutsy and fun way and are very lovable... even the side characters)
Cinematography: 3.5 (There some effort put in, and the start of the story is told in a creative way. However there is nothing else after that and the rest of the story is told normally)
Music: 4 (Good choice of music and inserted at good points throughout the movie)
Spectacle: 3.5 (It's biggest draw would be its cute characters. Other then that, it did not really do anything particularly outstanding from the current movies this year)

Overall: 3.7 (For those fans who love the cute minions, this movie is a no brainer and it will give the fans exactly what they want. However, if you belong to the group that is not accompanying your kids, nor your significant others who love the minions, you going to have to set your expectations to just try to have fun and enjoy the silly antics of a bunch of yellow minions. Otherwise, there is really nothing that will strongly entertain you. If you have not seen the previous movie, perhaps you could try to see those movies first to see if this will fit your appetite as this movie is mostly in the same vein and uses the same draw of the previous movies i.e. being cute and fun.)