#idk i like shrek a lot and its like one of the first franchises to come to mind for me on stuff that people memed on so much

[glitchfang]

i don't think shrek 5 having a tiktok joke or referencing memes or whatever is inherently bad (the mirror was already being used for internet/phone/tv jokes in the original movie) but the way they went about it is definitely kind of a red flag to me. like... that's all the sneak peak is in terms of content, besides showing shrek's kid as a teen?? and the memes are sorta treated as like, cringe, or self deprecating humor? idk, i dont think itll be in the final movie and i'll wait til theres an actual trailer, but i dont blame people for raising an eyebrow. Idk, the pop culture was always there, but it was always genuine and it always served a purpose, yknow?

but yeah people calling in for another sonic redesign situation or saying the shrek series is pandering to pop culture "all of a sudden" are being silly.

[enjoyjellime]

I've had this on my mind for ages now, so I'm just going to say it. The Spirit Hunter series releases follows the Shrek formula. Is this anything? Idk I'm tired.

Death Mark = Shrek

The first of the series and a brand new IP, it takes already existing tropes and blends them into something new, while also adding a bit of raunchiness to stand out from what came out at the time in the genre. Introduces characters that we'll come to know and love.

NG = Shrek 2

Normally considered the best of its franchise, and has updated (upgraded?) a lot from the first one. We are introduced to new characters and their relationship dynamics within the same universe. Both involve a quest with a ragtag group that has them saving someone who's been caught up in the antagonists scheme in some way. The main character is out of their element and annoyed most of the time.

Death Mark 2 = Shrek 3

Considered a drop off and even a disappointment from what came before. Some say the pacing is too fast, and some characters are ooc. We're introduced to characters we're probably not going to see or care about again. The more important story characters got some more background and lore moments, but it doesn't make up for the media as a whole. Has to do with a school of some kind.

is this anything? I was literally in bed one night trying to sleep and my brain was like "I noticed something with the death mark series"

So if the series were to continue this formula with Death Mark 3 (or NG 2, whatever comes out first) We could possibly predict how the next installment will be. From what I can think of with Shrek 4:

It was considered an extreme step up from the movie before it, but a pretty okay movie in general. Some things it's praised for is the writing, good emotional beats, and mature themes.

Introduces a villain character that is liked for just how good they are at being evil. Said character makes a deal with the main character that kicks off the events and suffering of the main character.

Something to do with being sent to an alternate reality where things are similar, but different in some way.

Main character feels annoyed at having so many new people in their life, but come to appreciate them more by the end of the film.

(This is all I can think of atm, if you can think of some other stuff, feel free to comment or reblog about it)

"oh really?"

"Yeah, okay, so. You know Shrek right? Wait where are you going"

Brains a bit sillay sometimes.

[void-wyrm]

Just saw trolls band together!

Yup I’m totally late to the party but had family stuff come up when it first came out and I had no one to go with. But today was just such a shitty day that I was like screw it, after work I’m going to the movies by myself.

For the most part I liked it! Definitely its biggest problem is pacing. More thoughts under the cut

Pros:

-I like all the characters

-Great animation/look

-Great world building/locations

-Cute story

-Songs were fun

-The villains worked well within the confines of the pacing of the movie.

-Broppy :B

Cons (caution spoilers):

-The pacing is breakneck fast. it’s like someone pushed the hustle button on this film and I felt like I was watching at 2x speed. This is definitely its biggest weakness (in general I think this is the trolls franchise’s biggest weakness) and it would have really benefited with slowing down especially at the more emotional/character building moments. Especially especially at the climax with Floyd, it was barely a 2 second hold on that beat and then it’s all resolved. Referencing other animated movies, if it was paced more like the ending of Tangled/Shrek/puss in boots the last wish???? that would have made the moment way more impactful. Maybe get a close up reaction of branch and his brothers (hmm possible comic idea🤔). It’s kind of baffling why dreamworks pushes for trolls to be such short run times, I know it’s aimed at kids but damn even 5 year olds are going to get whiplash from this pacing.

-Character motivations and obstacles could have been stronger. I think recruiting the brothers should have been more difficult either by physical obstacle or motivational obstacle. Bruce should have been more hesitant to go because he doesn’t want to leave his family/business/doesn’t want to remember brozone. Clay should have been more torn on leaving vs staying with Viva. Perhaps showing flash backs of how floyd was supportive of each brother would have helped? Idk exactly but it did at times feel like there wasn’t much challenge it was just characters go to a then b then c etc with nothing really stopping them. I also think viva herself should have been a bigger obstacle, I’m not saying she should have been evil but I do think she should have tried harder to keep the gang in putt putt village, like trying her hardest to distract them and physically bring them more and more deeper into the village(she kind of does this but it could have been executed more strongly).

-The songs should have been longer. A lot of times it felt like the song was just beginning and then it would cut off which felt abrupt.

-The songs could have been used more effectively for story beats as well. Like Floyd’s song maybe could have had flashbacks with his brothers while simultaneously convincing crimp to work against v&v as she learns more about him and his family. Again referencing viva being a bigger obstacle, the it takes two song could have been her way of distracting not just poppy but the brothers as well (they sort of just disappeared for a bit but if she had distracted everyone with food, dancing, games etc then it would make a bit more sense) again it all comes down to a serious pacing issue with the film.

[riddlerosehearts]

still not gonna fully come back on tumblr yet but i just wanna say that i... finished my dreamworks tier list... i have now seen all 46 of this studio's movies--well, i guess technically not all, since i'm including the direct-to-video release joseph: king of dreams (which, despite only being at the top of the B tier on my list, i do think is pretty underrated and idk why nobody seems to give it a chance), but excluding the trollhunters movie because i've never seen the trollhunters show. maybe someday i will, but right now i'm just not interested.

so, this all just confirmed for me what i've thought for a long time already, which is that dreamworks is an incredibly weird and incredibly inconsistent studio. they've created some of the most beautiful and magical animated films of all time with releases like how to train your dragon, rise of the guardians, and prince of egypt, and some of the most absolute bottom of the barrel trash i've ever had to experience with things like antz, shark tale, and boss baby. and then they've also made a handful of very middle of the road movies, that i wouldn't really say i enjoy all that much, but which i don't think are necessarily bad either--this is the C tier on my list and i will be honest, the first shrek movie was originally in this tier for me because i'm just not that into it. i only moved it up a little because i felt like i had to admit that it is objectively a pretty good movie that was groundbreaking for its time and paved the way for shrek 2 and the puss in boots movies, all of which i love, to exist.

i guess i should share my final ranking, huh? before i do that i will also say that this ranking is absolutely not objective at all and is almost entirely based on my own personal enjoyment. like i said, i originally had shrek 1 in C tier lol. and i have trolls world tour in A tier because i just genuinely love a lot of things about it and very thoroughly have a fun time watching it. the trolls franchise as a whole is so much better than most dreamworks stuff and i will die on this hill. i also tried to rank things from best to worst within the tiers, but i'm very indecisive and some of these movies were hard to rank simply because i couldn't decide if they were closer to "okay" or "bad", or "bad" or "awful"... i could see some of my rankings maybe changing slightly if i thought about it a little more. for now i'm fine with where everything is, though.

anyway, here's my list that is sure to make at least one person want to yell at me lol:

so, to break it down, my top 5 favorite dreamworks movies are:

Prince of Egypt

Rise of the Guardians

How to Train Your Dragon

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

How To Train Your Dragon 2

(i feel so bad that spirit: stallion of the cimarron got pushed out of the top 5... puss in boots: the last wish just existing + me rewatching HTTYD 2 and remembering how much i love it made that inevitable. but hey, it's still top tier.) and my top 5 least favorite dreamworks movies, starting with the least terrible one, are:

The Boss Baby

Turbo

Shark Tale

Antz

Spirit Untamed

(i watched these movies all out of order and for the longest time i thought nothing would dethrone shark tale as the worst of the worst, but i really did hate antz and spirit untamed that much, which surprised me lmao)

again, if i called your favorite movie bad, that really just means it's not enjoyable to me personally--i'm no professional film critic. also, i feel like the tiers came out sort of weirdly even, and i ended up with 21 movies in S-B tiers and 25 movies in C-F tiers, which really speaks to the inconsistency of dreamworks as a studio. i plan to try and keep up with their releases from now on, so i do hope that kung fu panda 4 & orion and the dark turn out well... but dreamworks keeps doing shit like releasing prince of egypt right after antz or putting out ruby gillman right after puss in boots: the last wish, so i guess we'll see! i'm just glad that i can currently say i've seen basically every movie from this ridiculous studio.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #526

“i found asylum inside your armageddon eyes”

Which of the guys you’ve been interested in hurt you the most? Have I ever talked about a guy named Jason b4?????????? How tall is the last person you kissed? I remember asking him on my birthday because it was relevant to the conversation, and this fucking colossus is at least 6'8'', possibly a couple inches more if I remember right. Our height difference is honestly hilarious. Did the last guy/girl you kissed have any piercings? No. That's a hard thing to even picture. What is the name of the last band you discovered? That I actually started listening to? I really don't know. Do you prefer group projects, or would you prefer to work alone? I prefer working alone so strongly that most of my teachers through my entire school career would let me work alone on a lot of things. They either were close to me and knew it's just how I performed better, or they barely knew me but could see very, very clearly how shy and anxiously reclusive I was. Are your days full and fast-paced? My days were monotonous and almost entirely indistinguishable before the hospital, but I am determined to try so very hard to change that. I can't imagine them ever being totally full, but I definitely want to try to make them more... notable and worth something. Are you good with painting nails with your left hand? I am absolute royal shit at painting nails, regardless of which hand I use, because I have intense tremors. Do you feel uncomfortable sharing drinks with other people? YES. I don't care WHO you are, I don't want to. Would you snuggle a snake? I've done that many times before and certainly would be missing out if it never happens again. Hard or soft peppermints? Hard, 100%. Soft peppermints disgust me. What browser do you use? Chrome. What's the craziest thing you've ever thought of doing for a job? idk Have you ever gotten stuck in quicksand? No. Can you whistle? No. How many digits of pi do you have memorized? Only the first three that everyone knows. Have you ever eaten grass? No... Can you make a paper airplane? Not anymore. Do you like ice cream sandwiches? I love them and could really go for one right now. Do you prefer your strawberries with chocolate syrup, sugar, or just plain? Strawberries with sugar is phenomenal. Have you ever gotten a tattoo unprofessionally? No. I never would. Have you ever had to take care of an elderly person? No, and I don't think I could, especially if it involved cleaning them. Have you ever had a nosebleed? More than once. What’s your favorite flavor of Doritos? Cool Ranch. What’s your favorite movie genre? (Action, comedy… ect.) Horror. Have you ever seen a hippo in person? At the zoo. What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever seen? As it's part of my most severe phobias, the first time I saw a video of a very active baby moving in its heavily pregnant mother's belly, I nearly fucking retched. Chills down my spine and ACTUALLY nearly cried because it was just so otherwordly and gross to me. What do you like about the house you live in? It has two bathrooms. Are your parents still together? If not, do you know why? No. I think the primary reason was severe financial arguments, but I've never really asked them. I just know Mom hates his guts while my dad is over it. What's the most amazing animal you've ever seen in captivity? I've been very close to an African elephant. Do you have a favorite Marvel character? No. Favorite DC character? Harley Quinn. What is your favorite historical film and why? Maybe The Boy in the Striped Pajamas because it fucking slaughters my heart and reminds us to never let such history repeat itself. Name a sequel film (any franchise) you like better than the first film. Why is that? Ha ha I swear it's pure coincidence, but I agree with the person who took this before me in that my answer is Shrek 2. I love the series period, and the first is great, but I enjoyed the second more. Which do you find most interesting: Greek, Roman, or Norse mythology? Why? Greek, and idk, I just do. Which tale from whichever mythology you listed above do you find most interesting? Ngl, I don't remember enough details to answer this. Do you have any houseplants? No. What is your favorite type of bird? Barn owls, especially melanistic ones. Breath-taking. What is your favorite vampire movie? *shrug* Your favorite fictional couple? I'm not super invested in The Addams Family, but I do positively adore Morticia and Gomez. How I'm tryna be. Do you have a favorite historical couple? No. Have you received any good news recently? Yeah, like when I found out I was being discharged from the hospital earlier than I though. The doctor noticed I was on a decline the first few days, which I didn't think was even possible, and she believed I would do better with out-patient care versus being in the hospital after my suicidal ideation faded. She was 100% right. I only started to improve when I learned of my discharge date. Are you going to be getting any new pets soon? No. We can't afford the necessities for any right now. Do you like BBQ sauce? NO. Can you do a twirl like a ballerina? No. Even when I was a dancer, I was bad at it and could only do like, one or maybe two spins. Do you enjoy fishing? It's a guilty pleasure in that I find it very relaxing and quite exciting, but I don't actually do it anymore because even though I always released what I caught, I felt bad for the fish. Do you have any nicknames for your significant other? I always address him with a nickname. Have you ever set up your best friend with someone? Yeah. Then flirted with him behind her back like a total bitch. What’s the worst car accident you or a friend has ever gotten into? My little sister is remarkably lucky to be alive, as she once got into a wreck with an 18-wheeler because she was tailgating and something I don't recall happened when she tried passing. The car was totaled, but she miraculously got out with only some scratches and bruises with pretty intense seat belt burns. Have you ever gone to rehab or a clinic? For whatever dumb fucking reason, both psych hospitals I've been to doubled as rehab centers. What’s the weirdest thing about your parents? Uhhhh. I dunno, really. Do your parents openly make out in front of you and anyone else? That's a horrific image considering they're divorced and absolutely should be. But anyway, even when they were together, absolutely not. What’s the hardest thing about living in your house, with your family? The location just sucks; both Mom and I loathe it to the point it kinda depresses us two. Have you ever stood up to your parents? How did it go? My mom, yes. And it never goes well because she's always right. What would you do if your mother left you? I'm just going to be completely straightforward: if she left me by will and not death, I would probably entirely, absolutely shatter and kill myself. My mom is everything to me and does more than I could ever express for me. What would you do if your father refused to talk to you and didn’t want to see you anymore? I mean, I wouldn't blame him all that much with the letter I sent him when he abandoned my family. It was just... vile. I was so hurt and angry. I hate even thinking about it because sometimes I wonder how he forgave me so willingly. Have you or someone you know attempted to commit suicide? Me. Have you ever liked your best friend’s significant other? What happened? Once. I've told the story of Joel before and even mentioned it earlier. What’s the farthest you’ve ever gone on a school trip and for how long? Ummm probably the Asheboro Zoo in 5th grade. It was just for a day, obviously. Have you ever sabotaged an ex’s relationship just so the two of you could get back together? Even if I wanted to, I was at the very least decent enough to not try. What are you looking forward to the most this summer? People look forward to summer????????? Have you experienced a thunderstorm recently? No. There was a chance for some thunder a couple days back, but if it happened, I was asleep. What candy bar would you go berserk about if they ever discontinued it? LKJALKWJESLKWEJR the Reese's one that is shaped like a big Hershey's, with individual blocks. I fucking love that shit. Have you ever slept in a cabin? No! :( What would you do if you witnessed someone getting jumped? Call the cops while trying to get somewhere discreet to not be near the criminal. Can you read something in another language? I could probably pronounce most words in German, even if I don't know what it means, and I can understand a few things, but nowhere NEAR as much as I could in high school. Would you ever host a slumber party on a roof top? Hell no. I'd loooove to sit on a rooftop and stargaze with an s/o or good friend, but I ain't sleeping up there. what color are your favorite pj's? I love my pink polka-dot pj pants! I'm actually wearing them now, ha ha. What type of bread do you get from Subway? Uhhhhh I want to say Italian? Maybe? I don't go there nearly enough, and I don't know all their bread options. What would you do if you were caught in a tsunami? Uh, freak the fuck out and probably die??? Who do you admire the most out of your friends? That is VERY hard. I have incredible, very brave, and just in general good friends. I can confidently say Girt and Sara are very high on the list for various reasons, though. Who do you admire the most in your family? MY. MOTHER. Do you admire anyone that is famous? Sure, there's a lot, mostly YouTubers since I know the most about them. Markiplier gotta be #1 though, actual legend. Name one of your hobbies. I'm gonna use writing as the answer here. I'm going to try to do it more and make better use of it! What is something unique about you? The way I eat biscuits, ha ha. If it actually has contents and isn't just a plain ol' biscuit, I eat each part individually. What is your favourite thing about someone in your family? My little sister Nicole is basically a superhero. She's a children's social worker and is SO passionate about her job, literally saving the lives of children. All her babies LOVE her. She is incredible with kids. Describe yourself in three words. Passionate, empathetic, a dreamer. If you could trade lives with someone for a day, who would that be and why? biiiiiih lemme be Mark's girlfriend Amy for Reasons. What is your favourite television series currently? My love for Squid Game hasn't dulled down yet. I'm excited for the next season. Do you find dad jokes to be funny? NOOOOOO PLEASE NO If you could get yourself anything right now, what would it be? Y'all have NO fucking idea how badly I want Girt to be here so I can hug and smooch the life out this man lmao. He's spending the night tomorrow though! If money was not a limit, what would you buy right now if you could have anything? My mom a new, nice car. Ever wanted to visit outer space? A part of me wants to, especially as I've developed a deeper appreciation, awe, and general interest in it lately, but realistically, I'll never go. Even if given the opportunity, I'd miss Earth too much. If you had the ability to time travel, where would you go and what would you do? There are two big things: I'd love to witness the dawn of the universe, however it happened, and visit particularly the Jurassic Period of the dinosaurs. My inner paleontologist would explode. If you had the ability to read minds, what would you do with information you gathered? I honestly wouldn't want to be able to read minds. What is one thing you own that you wish you didn't? We have a decent amount of religious stuff in the living room which I really dislike, but this is Mom's house and it makes her happy, so I'm not about to complain. What do you and your friends do when you hang out? I only really "hang out" with my boyfriend, and we usually just watch TV or YouTube and snuggle, sometimes play games. Do you still have sleepovers with friends? Well, I guess as of tomorrow I'm comfortable doing that with, again, my bf. What is your biggest addiction overall? The computer. I'm really starting to see how problematic my dependence is, and I'm going to try with more vigor to at least ease up some. I need to have hobbies disconnected from technology. Once the pandemic is eased completely, what are you most looking forward to? Honestly, the pandemic doesn't affect my lifestyle much, but I suppose going to the movies.

[disney-rapunzel-merida-vanellope]

Unpopular opinion on HTTYD sequels

I like the first hhtyd A LOT, its a fave (even tho I hate every character besides hiccup and toothless)

but I thought the second was boring and really not as special as people made it out to be

a thing that is bothering me with these movies is that they seem so different from one another as if they werent even inspired by books but made according to the studios ideas for sequels

the first one is an underdog story (those i love) and how we fear what we dont understand and make irrational decisions because of fear and anger and pride

but these sequels seem on a completely different page from the first movie

I know it’s expected for the story to get more intense but I think the transition wasnt smooth at all and they seem completely different franchises the first hhtyd being a iron giant and httyd2 being game of thrones

plus I think its cool to discover new worlds and powers and communities but the way the movies portray the characters finding those elements seems out of a manga or tv series, and by that I mean that there are never hints of whats out there in movies prior and everytime we find something out there that thing is made out to be the most extraordinary thing, kinda like in a manga how every new villain is impossibly undefeatable until they are defeated and then comes another villain impossibly undefeateble and the cicle goes on

I mean, in the first movie they give us the feeling that they only know their island and a bit of ocean where the dragons might be. But then in the 2nd movie the father knows all about other people besides his own and there were never any hints of that in the 1st one.

Now this villain comes with that attitude the one in the 2nd also had but we cant buy any of that cause theyre basically the same character. I even rolled my eyes when he said “i’ll kill you and everybody (everything?) you love”, like HMMM where have I heard that???? its so similar to the line from vulture from the new spiderman and propably many other villains. I dont like his face, he’s first lines are already cliche and I dont think I’ll change my mind but let’s see. Even my sister (who loves httyd and httyd2 to death) said when the villain appeared in the trailer “so it’s basically gonna be the villain from the 2nd movie?”.

Also people are acting like disliking light fury is a crime but what those haters really hate is what she represents. Doing female versions of cartoon characters is not new (mickey and minnie for example) but thats the problem: it’s not new. Its a super recycled concept that nowadays just screams “lazy”, because of course the only partner that non human character could have would have to be an exact same of them but in different colour and smaller (the donkey from shrek and the dragon are a good example that doesnt follow this logic). I also hate how the trailer jumps right in on how obviously she’s the love interest by making toothless trying to impress her and astrid even says “toothless has a girlfriend” (which was a terrible line in trailer context but might work on the movie idk it just seemed so forced)

anyway let’s see

the animation is amazing, I like astrid since the 2nd movie so I have 3 characters to look forward to and maybe even the female dragon even tho I said all that about her, she’s cute

does anyone agree or understand my points?

[nothingneverforever]

Favourite 10 Films of Mine

Okay okay I have begun work on this, I promise, but I realise that to complete the thought process and for the learnt lessons to sink and settle comfortably I will have to rewatch a couple of these, and until then I will be filling in sections in my own own time for the films that I already know well enough, I promise I promise I promise for once in my life I want to be completely effortful and write about things with full integrity for once, so here is the list as a sneak peek ! Jade and Amma and Gen and whoever else may be here, love u lots thank you ! :-) 

What little chunks I have so far will definitely be added to, very soon, because nothingneverforever is now all about going the extra miles and writing for emotions and not for expressions.  Also I’m quite sure this list is subject to change, I don’t doubt that upon rewatching some of these films I will feel a lot less than I did when I first saw them, like The Chorus  for example that I last watched years and years ago, and I’m worried too that halfway chewing my way down I will feel gross about how many on the list are easily accessible, convenient White/Western-centric films and thus attempt to look through all the less obvious things I’ve ever seen and pick from the best, which may not make for a genuine top 10 but, idk, I feel gross thinking about my own laziness in consumption. Anyway let’s see! I may never even get to finish this cos I’m a sucker :-)

Cool, love yall <3

#workinprogress 

------------------------------------------------------------

Top 10

My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) Gridlock’d (1997) Burnt Money (2001) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) Plan B (2009) Thelma and Louise (1991) The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) Raise the Red Lantern (1991) 28 Days Later (2002) Moment of Innocence (1996)

10 Honourable Mentions:

Wit (2001) The Chorus (2004) The Intouchables (2011) Undertow (2009) Man from Earth (2007) Arrival (2016)   Twilight (2008) Just a Question of Love (2000) A Single Man (2009) Shrek 2 (2004) / Notting Hill (1999) / Young Soul Rebels (1991)

------------------------------------------------------------

My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) 

I have already written about this ad nauseam (<here>, and <here>), but not quite with the full breadth and honesty and casualness that I would like to, so maybe one day when I am not my fleeting-feelings self I will get down to it, but for now let me commemorate this as the first film to change the way I saw and understood my own sexuality, and despite everything I still love Hanif Kureishi and find a lot of his work inspiring and uniquely honest, even if indulgent. The World and the Bomb (2005) is a very fun read, and this is my favourite movie of all time. :-)  

Gridlock’d (1997)

:’( Tupac was the nicest kindest smartest person ever and this was unexpectedly quiet and expectedly moving... Also need to write about this properly aaaaaa but in case that day never comes and I never commit myself to anything, this film is really the best and so multi-layered and so fun and ever-relevant and so sad ! <3 </3 <3

 Jade’s room, the first time I met her in 2013, was jarringly different from my own with her completely bare walls, save for the one, small, lopsided framed poster of Tim Roth –  because I love jade, I can’t help but now feel some associative appreciation for him too. It seems like he and Tupac got along perfectly, their on-screen chemistry surely must have been replicated off screen, I love the both of them and I love this beautiful film. RIP <333

Burnt Money (2001)

Not my usual type of film at all and I guess a lot of the elements (police, huge guns, bank robbing) I wouldn’t have been able to sustain interest in or enjoy at all if the love between the characters (based on real-life individuals! RIP!) were not a same-sex one. I think that was a very necessary factor to my enjoyment of the film because it just made everything so much more unique and tragic and rich. Very intense and stressful but with extremely intricate portrayals of mild and severe psychological limitations and makeups, so one takes away so much from just one watch, lessons for every aspect of life! Can’t wait to re-watch this, the first time I was too caught up in the storyline (fuck man it’s an action/thriller, I really didn’t have the luxury to appreciate the subtleties) and I’m sure returning now will bring up any poetry I previously missed.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Tried to write about this as thoroughly as I could <here,> it’s not a bad post, I’m still quite happy with it, maybe I’ll have more to say one day but in summary this was such a treat visually, independent of the Potter franchise and its nostalgic draw. POA functions as a stirring standalone, bearing a perfect soundtrack, beautiful balance of cold cheeks and warm hugs, love and life and death and friends and world <3