#it's incredible how you can make a movie with so many antagonists and no villains because that's what life truly is about

[ffb6c1lover]

dogma (1999) is a fucking insane movie, I am in love OMG

[rebeccalouisaferguson]

Warning: This article contains full spoilers for Dune: Part 2 and Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning.

In case you haven’t noticed, Dune is on top of the world right now. The much acclaimed and very lucrative second installment, Dune: Part 2, wraps up Denis Villeneuve’s take on the first book in Frank Herbert’s iconic science-fiction saga, setting the stage for the all but inevitable next film to tackle the second book, Dune Messiah. As IMAX theaters continue to fill up with Dune fans eager for a close-up look at Shai-Hulud, studio executives all over Hollywood will certainly be looking at what happened here to see if they can replicate Dune’s success with future projects. Beyond “letting directors make the movies they want to make” and “audiences are getting tired of formulaic franchise movies with dull visuals,” there’s one other element that stands out as a bit easier to implement…

The obvious answer is to cast Rebecca Ferguson in your movie.

Looking back at Ferguson’s Lady Jessica in both Dune Parts 1 and 2, she stands out not just as the best performance among an incredibly stacked cast, but also as a critical part of the film’s press tour through her chaotic energy and memeable personality. How did this Swedish sensation secure her place as the MVP of the Dune franchise? Let’s take a look.

That’s Mother (of the Messiah)

Over the course of both Dune films, which run about five hours in total, we run into a wide array of colorful characters played by a murderer’s row of Hollywood’s current top talent. However, many of the characters are either exclusive to one installment, go long stretches of the runtime without being seen, and in some special cases like Anya Taylor-Joy’s appearance as Alia, are clearly setups for films yet to come. Even Zendaya as Chani, who is credited as co-lead in Part 2, is restricted mostly to a handful of dream sequences in Part 1. However, the one character relationship that exists as the strongest throughline from the beginning of Paul Atreides’ journey all the way to its culmination in this first story is that of Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica of the Bene Gesserit.

n a film where many of the emotional beats can get drowned out a bit by the expansive backdrops and dour atmosphere, the foundational scenes of Part 1 illustrating the contradictory relationship between mother and son stand out as some of the film’s best. Jessica bore Paul out of love for his father, Leto, consciously choosing to grant him a son when she was instructed to do otherwise, and she cares for Paul’s safety above all others. At the same time, she is also a cunning manipulator who has been training Paul in the superhuman abilities of her order against their wishes, and grooming him for a dark destiny that the young Atreides spends much of the two films hoping to avoid. Jessica is simultaneously driven by a genuine love for her son and a desire to facilitate his rise to power, and Ferguson walks the razor-wire line between these two aspects with pinpoint precision.

This continues into Part 2, where we see Jessica step into an even more overtly villainous role as she schemes her way into assuming the mantle of Reverend Mother of the Fremen. Her relationship with Paul becomes more antagonistic as she sets in motion the events that will lead to his accepting the role of Lisan al Gaib and challenging the Emperor, to the point of even being deemed a traitor to the Bene Gesserit despite ostensibly doing what they wanted by bringing the Kwisatz Haderach into existence. That Jessica has any sympathy from the audience – despite being a eugenicist and megalomaniac who usurped the religious leadership of an indigenous culture so her son could claim dominion of the universe almost purely out of her own vanity – all comes down to Ferguson imbuing her with inner life and dimension that makes us feel like we understand her even when the script doesn’t actually give us every detail about her motivations.

From her recurring role as Ilsa Faust in the Mission: Impossible movies to portraying main villain Rose the Hat in Mike Flanagan’s Doctor Sleep, and now playing Lady Jessica in the Dune films, Ferguson has always been at her best when she takes on characters with a darker edge to their persona that she can contrast with her natural charm. Although Ilsa is more heroic than the other two, all three of these roles intrigue the audience, and the other characters they interact with, through seductive ambiguity, something Ferguson is better at than most of her contemporaries. But what makes this all the more interesting is that she’s seemingly an entirely different person off-camera, and one who is just as important to Dune’s success.

Princess of the Press Tour

As with all things, the true measure of a film’s success in the modern age is how many memes it spawns on social media. From one filmgoer riding a homemade sandworm at his local AMC to jokes about Stilgar’s somewhat overzealous dedication to his prophet, there’s no shortage of humor from fans sharing their responses to Villeneuve’s latest epic. However, one member of the cast is bringing her own brand of comedy to the party, and that’s none other than Rebecca Ferguson, who has taken to promotional interviews with an energy that can best be described as somewhere along a spectrum between “unconventional” and “frankly chaotic.” Not that there’s anything wrong with her having a goofy side to her; on the contrary, the impression she’s made on social media indicates she’s become a true fan favorite because of her behavior.

At a time when press tours are increasingly filled with inane questions and too many influencers at the expense of journalists, clips of Ferguson’s interviews where she reveals just how little of a filter she has have been one of the unsung joys of Part 2’s release. From admitting she still hasn’t read the novel even after making two movies, to texting Denis Villeneuve mid-interview to ask him the answer to a question she didn’t know, to even referencing MGM’s history of the casting couch after learning about the Dune popcorn bucket, Ferguson’s refreshing honesty and hilarious affability have stood out from the crowd amidst so many celebrities who have had much of their personalities sanded down by media training. These and other clips have been making the rounds online, keeping Dune-related media in the cultural conversation.

Given that many lesser films make “the mother of the main character” into a thankless role, Ferguson jumping in and stealing the show both on-screen and off is a reminder of how strange it is that so few Hollywood films have taken advantage of her talent. It also brings to mind how boneheaded of a move it was for the Mission: Impossible franchise to kill Ilsa off in such a haphazard way in Dead Reckoning. Now, to be fair, Ferguson has indicated she wanted to move on from the franchise after three installments, but there had to be a better send-off for her than to die mid-film in an incredibly hamfisted manner. We’re still interested in whatever happens next with the M: I franchise, but it’s a shame that an otherwise fine movie in Dead Reckoning is marred by how one of its star players was treated.

Regardless, it’s Mission’s loss and Dune’s gain, and paves the way for Ferguson to take on even more roles in the future. As Dune: Part 2 continues to gain accolades and box office momentum in part because of her contributions, hopefully the rest of Hollywood will follow in Villeneuve’s footsteps and clue in that this is one star worth investing in.

[neonscandal]

"Sure. So for Geto it's mostly that I don't like villains with a bigoted ideology and he's too incompetent to even fall in the "love to hate" category. Really, the worst thing a villain can be is incompetent and Geto in Vol 0 is barely better than your average disney villain. Doesn't help that he never gets pushback on his ideals. Gojo tells him in Premature Death that killing people is bad, but that's it. He spouts his bullshit about how genocide is totally necessary and Yuuta stands there like "idk you might be right, but you want to kill people I care about and that's the real crime here". Nobody really engages with his ideology except Yuki I guess, but that was before he became an antagonist. I could forgive that to a degree if he was at least a real threat, but he isn't. You don't get any of that with Geto, he's not even fun to hate because he barely provides any pushback. He's a bad villain and I dislike him as a person as well. His descent into embracing the superiority of sorcerers and resolving to kill all non-sorcerers was well written, but I don't feel for him at all. Good riddance to the guy, I'm glad he's now dead both in body and mind."

I was so sad, when reading this, what do you think?

When previously asked about JJK Antagonists I didn't mention Geto even though... he is my favorite.

It should also be said that, in terms of scary movies, I love a good creature feature or a deluge into the supernatural but, the scariest movies to me? Will always be the ones with human villains because they're far more plausible.

That summation of Geto is that person's opinion so I, personally, am unmoved by it. I've seen so many piss poor interpretations of Gojo and Geto's characterizations that it's honestly just best to let the story play out so people can retroactively come to some sort of understanding. Moreover, I think there are a lot of people who struggle to concede that, between Gojo and Geto, there was always love. Without that, you can't understand his spiral, you can't acknowledge the humanity of the villain. Moreover, to not understand Geto is to not understand Gojo. And.. since JJK seems to very much be a circular parallel between SatoSugu and ItaFushi, if you can't understand them you miss the whole story.

I'd be curious what villain doesn't have a bigoted and/or radical ideology, especially in shonen? They're meant to be horrible and hard to empathize with. Unless that person's tolerance for villainy is Oikawa from Haikyuu? Most stories hinge on the main character espousing a piece of whatever makes villains.. villains. RE: Yuji being a cursed vessel, Denji being a devil, Tanjiro's proximity to demons, Eren being a titan, Kaneki being a ghoul... I'd argue Naruto and Nine Tails but literally haven't seen the show at all to confidently compare.

Even so, let's get into Geto.

Gorgeous, gorgeous boy. So earnest, so upright... so forged to break.

I recently went on a tirade about SatoSugu which I won't rehash here because... then I'll feel inclined to add more and no one wants to see an adult woman cry today.

As a character, Geto attempts to be incredibly principled. Design wise, he is stylized with features that liken him to Buddha which I think he individually plays into as well to give himself some sort of identity. From his long hanging lobes signifying wisdom and compassion capable of hearing the cries of the suffering, to his gentle chastising of Gojo's flippancy. He believes that the strong should protect the weak while also keeping the strong in check. But... how would a jujutsu outsider come to such a noble ideal?

We know next to nothing about Geto's parents except that they were not sorcerers and, based on his affectionate ability to recognize family beyond blood ties, I think it'd be fair to make some assumptions about what typically informs a characters predilection for the found family trope. 👀

His cursed technique, I think, creates an impetus for purpose. I don't know how he figured out he could do curse manipulation. But we know he swallows the curse, the likes of which is compared to a rag that had been used to mop up vomit, in order to subjugate it. This process, this martyrdom of ingesting the negative run off of mankind has to have a reason to justify his suffering. Because, as the only person we see with this technique, it must feel like a burden only he knows. Moreover, with a special class technique, it's not like he's given much of a choice. But if it helps people, if it has meaning, purpose... he can endure.

We've seen the perfect storm of events that, don't necessarily challenge his pre-existing ideals, but... force him to question whether the ends justify the means. We can call each of these events a moral injury and I don't think it's a stretch to say that there is a link between staunch morality and radicalism which I'm going to bastardize as saying a person may have their ideals on a righteous pedestal. Believing that if I do "A" and "B" then "C" is sure to follow and it allows them purpose and reason. But life is seldom free of other stimuli. I'm not going to go into great depth about examples of this but suffice it to say, this break in Geto's belief system caused an internal chasm we see immediately.

When Gojo asks him if he should kill the believers that applauded Riko's death, Geto said "no, there'd be no reason" which I believe is sufficient for Gojo since he readily leans on Geto as a moral compass. But Geto keeps rationalizing further, likely to curb his own impulse to kill those gathered ignorantly in celebration. OP talks about no pushback on his ideals but the truth of the matter is the biggest pushback for Geto is internal.

When he decided to slaughter that village, he didn't leave a margin of error to come back from. He had to keep moving forward, keep pushing to achieve this impossible world because to not would mean that the atrocities he committed were done in vain and we know, from his characterization, that he would not be able to accept that. Gojo speaks of Geto not starting a war he can't win during JJK0 which is empirically incorrect. When they parted ways in high school, Geto relented that with Gojo's power, his vision could come into fruition. They both knew he didn't have the means to achieve this but he didn't have anything else to stand on. So he hurled himself further and further from his previous path of righteousness and further from himself. He'd committed too great a sin to not give it meaning. To question it now would shatter him completely.

So much of what makes Geto compelling is the fact that he is inherently characterized as a good person, forthright and gentle. He'd have been a great teacher. In fact, the events that transpired between Gojo and Geto are why Gojo is a teacher in the first place. I believe he tried to be a great father figure to Nanako and Mimiko (again, let's forget the murder for a minute) because he pointedly did not raise them in the ways or traditions of jujutsu society. He protected them as best he could even though they still didn't survive their teenage years because they were ignorant about binding vows with sorcerers! Crazy when you think about it. Even what he thought to be a kindness to them cost them fatally.

Things happened to him, likely intentionally, to create this departure from reality and the jujutsu world. He was forged to break because he lacked the flexibility and nonchalance to not be overly concerned for others. He wasn't a diabolical genius, he was overly compassionate and at a complete and total loss when terrible things continually happened to good people who were already sacrificing so much. Riko Amanai was resigned to give up her short life to guarantee the future of Japan. Haibara was a ray of sunshine who, with the means to do so, wanted to help people. The twins were simply cursed to see things the other villagers couldn't, a burdensome reality that damned them to a life he was finding no meaning in, himself. His weakness perhaps lay in a weakness of character? but I wouldn't even say that, honestly. He's like placid water hiding a violent undercurrent deep below the surface.

The gap between who he was and who he died as should be jarring. It should be a demonstration of the grisly reality of jujutsu society. Where classes of 2-3 children are regularly pressed to fight beyond their means against horrors only they know. The sacrifices of the few to protect the many regardless of their virtue. That's the point. He was a casualty of a system that would always lead him toward a moral crisis.

[bibibbon]

Hi, I just came across your account and wanted to ask about characters with wasted potential, which I love to do already. This may come as a surprise, but the antagonists of the second MHA movie (Nine, Slice, Mummy and Chimera) are my favoriteHA characters, both in terms of design and small characteristics, so it was sad to see how the movie made their while goal be "remake the world into a Social Darwinism-type world where there is only survival of the fittest. I have my own headcanon on how I would change the group into revolutionaries who try to use their power to expose the unjustness and corruption of Hero Society, ideologically challenging Izuku, who know that what Nine is doing is the right thing, but it clashes with his own dream of becoming a Hero, which cannot happen when the Hero System is abolished once those injustices are brought to light. I would still like as to what you think about the four and how you would change them.

Hi @patrickowens86 👋

Iam going to be honest my knowledge of the MHA movies is honestly limited as I haven't watched them in their full entirety and the ones i did watch I probably forgot about.

That saying I actually enjoy your idea of making nine,chimera,mummy and slice into a revolutionist group and its a headcanon/rewrite that many have for the leauge of villains instead.

Nine is probably my favourite character in that movie and if Iam correct it was poverty that drove him to do what he did. Honestly I think it would be interesting if nine and his group had a team up with the league of villains and both were there to challenge Izuku and other characters views.

The abolishment of the hero system isnt inherently bad but it's definitely something that izuku may have difficulty in grasping because society has made him believe that to save a person you must be a hero.

Izuku's views and beliefs are ones that don't perfectly conform to the status quo but are different to the views of nine and the others. Izuku definitely needs many characters to challenge his views and vice versa. Izuku understanding that hero society is incredibly flawed is needed for his development and nine/ leauge of villains understanding that targeting kids won't get their point across and that heroes can also be victims of the system is also crucial.

Nine and his teams goal is something that I disagree with. Building a society based on only power so the most powerful are at the top and the least are at the bottom is a huge flaw within their thinking and ideology that they could develop out of.

I think the interesting thing is that all of these members have been ostracised by society due to their quirks and that's something that can connect them with either the leauge or some of the hero members.

Chimera was ostracised due to his mutant quirk which can connect him to spinner, shoji and koda.

Nine was driven to do this due to poverty which is something that both twice and ochako have experienced.

Slice was ostracised due to her powerful quirk which can connect to characters like lady nagant and hawks who were exploited due to their powerful quirks.

Personally I would build on their team dynamic and even have them offer nine help, question him and show that they're a strong team.

Checking from the wiki it's stated that slice and chimera worry about nine. It's also stated that nine shows his much more compassionate side to them so I would like to see more of that.

[jcilyxx]

I've been thinking about the potential for a movie where Jonathan Crane, is the main antagonist. I believe it would be incredible to delve into the psychological horror aspects of his character. Such a film that could make the audience experience the same fear that Scarecrow inflicts on his victims, effectively blending the horror genre with the campiness of a comic book villain.

—————

What makes Scarecrow so intriguing is that he’s a psychological threat rather than a physical one. Who needs muscles when you can mess with people’s minds, right? This gives him a unique advantage over Batman that could make for an incredibly gripping story. I envision a story that not only highlights the far-reaching effects of Scarecrow's terror on Gotham but also leaves lasting mental scars on Batman, even after Scarecrow's defeat.

Additionally, it would be fascinating to explore the similarities between Batman and Jonathan Crane, especially considering how both characters use fear as a tool. This parallel could add depth to their conflict and offer fresh insights into Batman's own psyche.

—————

There are so many creative ways to execute this concept, and I hope to see a film that fully realizes Scarecrow's potential as a central villain. I'd love to hear other people's ideas and thoughts on this as well!

[izloveshorses]

My favorite actor to portray Gleb is Ben Edquist. I got to see him live in the second national tour. He brought so much emotion and intensity to the role. I also loved that he's a baritone.

What are your thoughts on Gleb as an antagonist?

I didn't grow up with the animated movie, so I didn't mind that Rasputin was replaced with an officer. I'm not sure if that's an unpopular opinion or not. Honestly, I thought Gleb was a compelling character. I wish the script gave him more to do in the show, more interactions with other characters, and more depth. But I still find him more compelling and threatening vs Rasputin. And I really liked his songs. What do you think?

my opinions on gleb depend entirely upon the actor portraying him. my personal favorites are constantine germanacos and brandon delgado (i would love to have seen christian mcqueen's portrayal tho, he seemed like he Got It). i don't think the writers quite knew what to do with gleb, based on how messy his part of the script was in hartford, and i think they had just barely skimmed the surface of what he could be by the time they made it to broadway. so the person interpreting the script plays a pivotal part in gleb's character imo.

the actor needs to convey the motive-- gleb has to believe in his job, in his father's legacy, and in the new order, while struggling with orders he's not quite sure are right, all within a very limited amount of scenes. he also has to be really Threatening and Imposing and have an intense stage presence, not very many actors have that. someone as high ranking as him in soviet russia should be terrifying. not just as a Big Scary Man, but as someone with the authority to make you disappear with a single order if you don't pass the vibe check. the scene with the hussies and he slams the desk? that's scary! to me! and during the neva flows when he yanks anya back by the arm and she's like literally about to cry???? incredible. hard to watch, but incredible. all of this builds up to the confrontation at the end-- if the actor isn't establishing this man as threatening and imposing, the drama of 'could i have pulled the trigger if i'd been told?' falls flat. anya and the audience should have every reason to believe he will follow through and shoot.

that being said, he's a compelling villain to me! when portrayed right. when i saw constantine on broadway he really got that perfect balance between someone deeply convicted and believing in the system™ vs someone who has just enough doubt to make that inner turmoil so delicious. constantine and christy had been performing together for about three years by the time i saw them, so they had really good chemistry* and really Sold the danger anya was in around him. listening to gleb's songs on the cast recording always feel really flat and bland to me, but when i was watching him sing still live i almost didn't want it to end. constantine made me feel his internal conflict in a way i hadn't anticipated. same with brandon when i saw the 2nt. like. i literally felt bad for him?? it had to take a miracle for that to happen lol and they did it!

i think a big part of their success for me was they leaned more into the conflict of a man facing orders to kill an innocent woman instead of the easy, uncomplicated motive of him being 'in love' with anya. when it's more about having a little crush or whatever, he just feels really gross and uninteresting to me lol. but when an actor can look at this script and see a man who wants to live up to his father's expectation so bad but can't quite stomach the bloodshed? ugh. so compelling. i think they needed just one more draft of the script to get away from the love triangle they half-heartedly threw in there to reach this conclusion my guys constantine and brandon reached. this character arc made me feel sympathy for him while also feeling deeply afraid of him and what he represents.

i also think he foils both dmitry and anya really nicely. (i'll make another post that goes more into detail about this, but) all three of them are asking questions about how to live with the sins and triumphs of their parents/ancestors, and where to go from here, how to live with the nuance, etc, and they come to different conclusions. and, as someone literally representing a patriarchal ideal of War and Being A Good Son and Enforcing The System, he's the perfect villain in a story about a woman trying to find her matriarch and some decent agency in this world.

and, as a girl who doesn't always feel very comfy around men, i just think it's neat that we went from a silly supernatural corpse to a man with authoritative power who Yells and is Physically Threatening. his character contributes to the very real and grounded narrative they wanted to tell.

so! long story short, i think gleb is an interesting character and contributes to the show, but they probably could've worked on him just a little bit more, and i do Not care about the ~love triangle~ they forced.

*chemistry, not as in romantic chemistry, but as in they knew how to go All In as actors with one another. glebyas pls don't come after me lol

[fangeek-girl]

My very biased review of the Ahsoka finale

This might thread down the unpopular opinions road. It's all right. That's what opinions are for.

Let me start by saying that I didn't like most of the finale. I had a grand total of 2 scenes I enjoyed: Ezra reuniting with Hera, and the very end scene with Hayden (shocker, I know).

I didn't like most of the show in general, mainly because of the whole clusterfuck with Sabine being trained as a Jedi. I hate it deeply because it undermines Sabine's worth. She was already a great character. She didn't need to be made better or more powerful by becoming Ahsoka's apprentice. She didn't need to suddenly develop Force-sensitivity. The cool thing with Sabine was that she was NORMAL. Yes, she was a Mandalorian and skilled with blasters and explosives, but she was a regular person. She was a non-superpowered human in a galaxy where heroes were known as having superpowers. That's what made her so interesting in Rebels. And this whole season she was at her best when she switched back to what she knew: guns and bombs. Her best scene in the finale (imo) was when she crashed the ship and took 2 TIEs with it. That's who Sabine is.

I'm also mad at how little information we had on Baylann and Shin. They were depicted as the main villains in the beginning, but we never got their back story. By the last two episodes they're discarded to make room for Thrawn, which I understand, but we still don't even know who they are. What's their story? Where did Baylann come from? How does he know Anakin? How did Shin come to be his apprentice? And the worst part is we won't ever get clear answers because Baylann as he was in this season cannot be in the next due to what happened to Ray Stevenson. So this is just a loose thread. And the way it ended doesn't give me hope for Shin either.

Midway through the show it feels like Filoni had a shift and stopped caring about this being the Ahsoka show and just making it a setup for his Thrawn movie. And I hate it. I hate when film and showrunners make what should be a stand-alone (in a previously established universe) into a prequel. It's the crap Marvel did and now Star Wars is trying really hard to copy that. (Yeah I know, it's Disney. Pisses me off all the same.) This show was called "Ahsoka" for fuck sake! And by the end, it was the Thrawn show. We had an entire episode (1x06 Far, Far Away) without Ahsoka in it, except for like one scene in the beginning. Can you imagine a Kenobi episode without Obi-Wan? An Andor episode without Cassian? It makes no sense! It's the same kind of bullshit they pulled with BoBF when it became The Mandalorian s2.5 halfway through. Yes, it progresses the overall story, but in a way to set up something else instead of focusing on your main character.

In the same vein, I hate how Jacen was set up in the beginning, then discarded, how we never even saw Zeb and Agent Kallus, how Hera just became the way to tie Ahsoka back to the New Republic, how Senator Xiono could have been a good antagonist but ended up being an asshole without substance... There were too many things set up for a show this short and most of them ended up fizzling into nothing.

Now, I did like the Anakin parts. Yes, that's because I'm a Hayden stan through and through. Put him anywhere in the GFFA and I'm a goner. The World Between Worlds scenes were absolutely phenomenal, and probably why I'll rewatch this show again. Sorely because of Hayden (although Ariana was incredible too in the TCW scene). His Anakin brought this whole show to another level. No shade to Rosario, I love her. But this show didn't do her justice. Especially not next to Hayden when they had them sparring. The rest of the show I was disappointed in all of her fight scenes because how can I believe the girl who trained under Anakin Skywalker is so slow? They, probably without realizing it, built her up to fail. And it bothers me because we know from the animated series that Ahsoka is amazing in a fight.

I also appreciated the zombie troopers. The rest of the Dathomir storyline is a bit muddy and I'm not sure I love it, but I guess I just have to wait to see how they try to make this fit post-Jedi Fallen Order/Survivor.

I don't even know where I'm going with this by now. I just... I wish this show had been different. The ending is kinda making me cautiously excited for Thrawn. (But only if they bring in the Chiss Ascendancy and Eli. I need my Thranto fix in live action, thank you very much.) There's also all the little easter eggs of Mortis that make me wonder if they didn't pull a Lost and they're all just dead (which I would respect a lot more than whatever else they seem to be building on).

In the end, I am deeply disappointed in what the show ended up being. Apart from a few moments, most of it was "meh" at best for me and I mourn what could be if Filoni stopped trying to make all his female OC the biggest badass that ever was and one-up one another.

[king-paimon]

Please Go Watch “Puss In Boots: The Last Wish”!

Please forgive this adrenaline fueled post; I need to let it all out after what I just witnessed.

I just came back from watching “Puss In Boots: The Last Wish” with my brother in the theater. The reviewers weren’t wrong; this movie was freaking amazing! 

I was already drawn to it because of the animation, but seriously... everything about this movie was pure gold. The characters, the story, the twists... I loved everything! I could gush about how beautiful this movie is forever and how clever they were when playing around with the framerate for the action bits, because seriously; they did an incredible job. Puss’s new design is adorable and I just love how everyone was designed:

But what really got me, besides the animation and story, were the characters. I loved them! The movie team did an amazing job making me care about them, especially the new characters that I thought I was going to hate, especially the dog. I love him and want to protect him, the poor thing!

They were all great and I loved the found family trope they established. The emotional bonds they share feels so real and good, so when the emotional scenes happen, they are impactful!

And the villains/antagonists... my goodness... They were also amazing and were actually intimidating! I was scared and thrilled whenever they appeared. They were some of the best villains/antagonists characters I’ve seen in any movie for the longest time! Heck, they are far better than most villain characters I’ve seen from other popular properties. 

Especially the Wolf, I freaking loved him! Everything about this character was great, from his design, voice, and overall presence. And I’m not afraid to admit that I think he’s horrifying and attractive:

In relations to the villains, this movie has some really intense scenes, and without spoiling too much... this movie got away with so many things that I haven’t seen even in many action packed movies meant for older audiences, from action to even language. I’m not joking; the stuff they got away with in this movie was jaw dropping in the best way. Me and my brother literally had our jaws drop during some of these scenes. Some scenes were DEFINITELY not for little kids.

This is honestly one of the best animated movies I’ve seen in a long time. No, one of the best MOVIES I’ve seen in a long time. It is so high on my personal favorite movie list now, it’s right next to “Into the Spiderverse,” which one of my favorite movies. Hell, I’m even willing to say I loved this movie even more!

If you love great animation, action, story telling, and characters, please watch this movie when you get the chance! Especially in the theater so you can get the full experience, because that is what this was for me; a true spectacle. I sincerely hope more people see this movie because it’s well deserved. Dreamworks really outdid themselves this past year; first “the Bad Guys,” which was also a fun time, and now this. I also hope this means that we’ll see more movies like this with innovative animation and stellar characterization and storytelling. (TAKE THAT DISNEY!)

This movie seriously exceeded my expectations and I fully intend on buying it soon as it becomes available. If you are at all interested, please give this movie a watch. You won’t regret it. 

I certainly didn’t. It was worth every penny.

[heart-of-the-morningstar]

SPOILER REVIEW FOR ACROSS THE SPIDER VERSE BELOW THE CUT

1000000/10, best movie, go see it immediately, Spider-Man my beloved 💖💖💖

- The Visuals

• Holy shit guys, this might be THE best animated movie ever created. They took the visuals and art styles from the first movie and cranked it up to 10,000!!

• Seeing all the Spider people in different art forms had my eyes glued to the movie, there were so many Easter eggs and nods to other popular Spiders, I know I didn’t see them all!

• The backgrounds were absolutely gorgeous! My personal favorite being the ones from Gwen’s universe, almost every shot had different colors in the background and it was just mesmerizing!

• They did a fantastic job distinguishing each universe from one other by using different color schemes and art styles, even when some of them looked similar, you could tell there was something different!

- The Characters

• They definitely go all in on character development in this film, they wanted to give everyone more character and personality and backstory. We’re missing a few of our Spider friends from the first film but they’re replaced with some new faces!

• Miles, the absolute GOAT, was such a great protagonist in this film. We spend a lot more time with his family this time around and they didn’t shy away from the slow and heavy moments. His mom even gets more of a role in this movie and she was great! He’s only 15 y/o in this movie and absolutely outsmarted every single other Spider at one point which was great to watch! There’s a plot point in the movie concerning Miles that will absolutely break your heart 😭

• Gwen gets a lot more screen time than in ITSV, she’s a stand out character in this movie! We get to see the relationship she has with her dad and get to go more in depth about how she lost her Peter! And I’m happy they didn’t rely too heavily on the romantic aspects between Gwen and Miles, but they touched on it and it was incredibly sweet!

• Miguel O’Hara my beloved!!! (I’m an Oscar Isaac stan, Moon Knight was the best Marvel tv show, fight me on it, lmao) I wouldn’t consider Spider-Man 2099 a villain, but he made a very good antagonist to Miles, he was very threatening! He didn’t get a very in-depth back story but you were given just enough information to sympathize with his pain. Something seemed fishy about his story, maybe I’m reading too much into it, but I’m hopeful they dive into it more in the sequel!

• SPIDER-PUNK, HOBIE BROWN OMG, what a fantastic new addition, he’s such a fucking anarchist and it’s great! He speaks in a thick cockney accent and I love his rebellious nature, he don’t give two shits about what anybody thinks! His character’s look might be the most impressive in the film, apparently it took animators 3 years to make him look the way he did!!

• Pavitr Prabhakar, baby boy, sunshine!! He’s a little cocky but in a cute way! His home of Mumbattan was SO GOD DAMN COLORFUL! I honestly wished he had more screen time because he was super funny and HIS HAIR, SO FLUFFY AND SOFT!!!

• Everyone’s favorite Peter B Parker makes a return! I can say he didn’t have as big of a role in the film as ITSV but he was still great regardless! And now he has a baby girl named Mayday!! And he kept trying to show everyone pictures of her like an actual new parent would lol.

• Jessica Drew is also a new character! She was super badass with her Spider Cycle! AND she was pregnant the whole movie which is even more badass! (Also, side note, when Gwen asked about her pregnancy, I really appreciated that Jess said that they she didn’t know the sex of the baby instead of saying gender, it was small but I liked that little detail!)

• Spot, the main villain of this movie (and the next) was interesting! If I had any real complaints about this movie, it would be that Spot was not in this movie as much as I hoped. I understand why because this is the first part of a 2-part movie, but by the end of the movie, he shows up and I was like “Oh yeah, Spot, where the hell has he been??” But he technically is a character we’ve seen before (I don’t wanna say who because it’s actually funny who he turns out to be!) He starts out being kind of goofy but he gets very threatening!

• There are bunch of other minor characters that I won’t go too deep into but my favorite minor character had to be Ben Riley, he was made to be super over dramatic and stated really obvious things while he was on patrol, got a few laughs out of me!

- The Plot

• Babes, the story is so good in this. I don’t want to give EVERYTHING away cuz I want y’all to see it for yourselves but I will say that this is a 2-parter! There is a “to be continued” at the end of the movie just so you’re prepared!

• The basic premise is that the Spiders have to take down Spot because he’s hopping to different dimensions, making himself more powerful. Spot has a personal grudge against Miles and wants to take away everything from him. You can tell from the trailers that Miles is trying to defy Miguel and what he’s doing, which ends up going in a very suspenseful direction! Again, not going to spoil everything, but it’s just such a great story!

• Like I said, they focus more heavily on family dynamics in the sequel which I loved! More time with Jeff and Rio which was nice to see, Rio has a great talk with Miles during the movie and it was so heartfelt! Gwen and her dad have a few scenes together too, it’s a really great relationship to watch unfold. Gwen and Miles have some great character moments together, but of course it’s not all positive!

• The dynamic between the different Spiders is a blast as well! I was never bored with this movie, it kept me engaged even during the non-action sequences because they did a great job making you care about these characters!

• This movie clocks in at almost 2 1/2 hours but I promise you, you’re not gonna feel that time. I did not want this movie to end! They throw so much at you but at the same time, you’re gonna leave wanting more!

• Where this movie ends is…wow!! I can say I definitely didn’t see it coming until a few seconds before they revealed what was going on, and I sat there and just went “oh…oh no…” for the last 10-15 minutes lol. And apparently the sequel will be out next year! And thank God cuz I could not wait another 3 years!

• A heads up! There aren’t any end credit scenes so you don’t have to stay for those! The only thing that happens after the initial credits is text appearing saying “Miles Morales will return in…” and it gives you the next movie title (won’t say what it is!)

- Miscellaneous (mostly Easter eggs and cameos)

• There were so many GOD DAMN Easter eggs in this film, it’s insane! I know I’ll have to watch it a few more times if I want to catch everything the put in here! There is def one cameo that stands out above everything else (I won’t say who, but you’ll know when you see him 😏)

• They actually showed very brief scenes from Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s movies which caught me completely by surprise, but I sure as shit was happy about it!!

• They don’t show any scenes from Tom Holland’s Spider-Man (which I understand cuz Marvel 🙄) BUT they make two references to it, one with a line from Miguel and with the cameo I mentioned previously!

• The Spectacular Spider-Man had a fucking voice line and I almost passed out, like I watched the shit out of that show, I was so happy he was included! They also showed the PS4/PS5 version of Spider-Man which I thought was pretty funny!

- Final Thoughts

• Peak cinema! The story, the characters, the visuals…all incredible! Go watch it right now immediately!!

[systemadministratorclu]

Ask fandom game for Atlantis!

The first character I first fell in love with:

Milo James Thatch. How could I not? Look at him, he's adorable!

 (Also, whenever 6yo me and friends played pretend with the characters of this movie, I was always Milo. And I wore glasses at the time, and he was the first movie hero I'd seen that wore glasses, so it was kind of a 'ooh, someone like me!' thing)

The character I never expected to love as much as I do now: 

Commander Lyle Tiberius Rourke. I actually think Disney kinda dropped the ball a little bit with this one. He could've been a much more dynamic character, especially with the background they give him on the collector's edition dvd (his struggles in school gives me 'undiagnosed learning disability' vibes and he definitely has some form of PTSD from his time in the military. As much combat as he saw and as many times as he was wounded, there's no way he doesn't). A friend and I were even saying he could've been a sympathetic antagonist who wanted to try and end World War 1 (which literally begins July 1914, a few months before the movie takes place) making him kind of a 'Justified Asshole' for you AITA readers (basically, it'd be like "on one hand, yeah, what he did sucks, but also, we Get It. He had a good reason, and there really was no good option here') Instead, the motive they give him (make a fuckton of money) is kinda stupid because it was hinted earlier on that everyone's already going to make a fuckton of money just for going on this expedition.

Basically, the more I looked into him and asked questions and looked beyond just what we see onscreen (because there IS more there. He's a human, and humans are nowhere NEAR as simple as just what we see onscreen), the harder it was to hate him.......Also, I wrote some fanfics with a canon-divergent version of him that I now adore. More on that in a moment.

The character everyone else loves that I don’t:

Helga Katrina Sinclair. She creeped me out from the get-go, from the first time I saw this movie (in theaters, which was AWESOME). Like, the instant I saw her, the 'EVIL!' alarms in my brain went off. If I'd been asked to guess who was the main antagonist of the movie before seeing the end, I definitely would've said her. She still gives me the creeps, and I find it incredibly easy to write her as a main villainess in my fanfics (especially Heart of Hell, where she goes full-on evil queen Disney villain on steroids, doing shit even Disney's most evil don't do)

That said, I have read some AU versions of her (that make her not so evil) that I do like.

The character I love that everyone else hates: 

Gotta go with Rourke again. Poor guy is pretty universally hated by the fandom (undeserved, I think, but I'm not going to start another Rourke rant here. I'll spare you this time, but he seriously does not deserve the amount of hate he gets.)

The character I used to love but don’t any longer:

Probably Kida. Don't get me wrong, I still like her a lot (badass warrior princess/queen FTW!!) Just not the way I used to, mainly because I no longer ship her with Milo. (No offense to him, but she really doesn't need a man. Let her be the epic queen she is on her own.)

The character I would totally smooch: 

Milo, because the look on his face would be priceless and hella cute. And Rourke, just to see the look on his face as he realizes THAT'S why I needed the stepstool (he's 6'4", I'm 5'2")

The character I’d want to be like: 

Milo again! (I kinda am in that I'm a frickin' nerd. However, I am not a genius with near superhuman intelligence)

Also Audrey. She don't take shit from anybody, but she's really sweet to her friends and even if she's really snarky with them, you can tell she really cares about them.

The character I’d slap: 

Gaetan "Mole" Moliere, and affectionately unless he says whatever he said to Kida. Slapping him seems to be a thing in this group.

A pairing that I love:

Scholmander (Milo/Rourke). This should NOT be a surprise to anyone here who knows me. This became a thing for me because I at first thought "no way could it ever work without being toxic/abusive", then I saw a part of an edit someone did, then wrote a fanfic, then went "holy shit, it works without being toxic/abusive!", wrote three more fics, and now I've written a bunch more, I have more planned, I RP it on here, and it's canon to me now. I love them so much.

A pairing that I despise: 

Rourke/Helga. Well, anyone with Helga, really, but especially this. I honestly think if he didn't have her so close to him all the time, he might not have acted as 'evil' as he did in the movie. I think she has a lot more influence than anyone, even Rourke, thinks. The best thing I can compare it to is that she's like Grima Wormtongue in LOTR. Except she's not serving another power, just herself. (And yes, I have read stuff/looked at art for this, and it just felt wrong, gave me those Wormtongue vibes)

Also don't like her with Milo. That just SCREAMS 'toxic/abusive' with all the emotional/psychological manipulation and gaslighting that would likely occur because he's got such a gentle heart and is a little naive at times, thus easily taken advantage of.

[moviemunchies]

Cartoon Saloon got famous off of doing movies like Secret of the Kells and Song of the Sea, and so I’m always happy to see more work from them. When I found out that they have this Netflix exclusive film, My Father’s Dragon, I knew I had to check it out.

For once, this Cartoon Salon movie is NOT about Irish mythology (though neither was The Breadwinner I suppose), but an adaptation of a children’s book about a little boy who goes to a magic island of talking animals to rescue a dragon.

Elmer and his mom, after having to close their store, move to a cramped apartment in a new city. Realizing that his mom needs money, and being misunderstood in his attempts to help, he runs off. A talking cat tells him how to reach a dragon that can help him solve his problems, and he’s on an adventure to the magic island. But the dragon, Boris, is actually trapped on the sinking island, and the only way to come into his full power is to save the island. The problem? He doesn’t know how. So now Elmer and Boris have to work together to figure out how to save the island and realize Boris’s full potential, while the animals of the island are trying to recapture Boris.

There is something interesting in the way Elmer interacts with Boris. You see, Boris isn’t precisely a wise, stately dragon. He’s kind of a small child. Well he’s not precisely a small child–he definitely has closer to an adult voice, but the way he acts and talks is reminiscent of a child. And Elmer, who is very focused on accomplishing the quest, has to struggle to keep Boris on track with his short attention span and boundless curiosity.

I can’t help but think that the impression we’re supposed get is that Elmer is learning what his mother’s going through: being a parent to a child, taking responsibility, learning how to guide Boris and letting him reach his potential. The reason this felt weird for me was that Boris was significantly more annoying than Elmer ever was for his mother. Like, yeah, I get it, Elmer didn’t always cooperate the best with his mom, but he was really a helpful child–the time he acts out is an outlier. Whereas Boris is constantly distracted, popping into Elmer’s bag without permission to eat candy…

Look, if the idea was “Elmer has to learn what it’s like in his mom’s shoes” then it doesn’t work, because Boris doesn’t act like Elmer does. So maybe I misread the entire situation and that’s not how we’re meant to read it this way at all.  But then… it’s even weirder because then Boris is just obnoxious and Elmer has to take a parental role for no thematic reason and I don’t understand what we’re doing here.

Okay, I’m making it sound like Boris is really annoying to the audience throughout the movie, and he’s not–but I understand that in Elmer’s position he would be incredibly obnoxious to deal with. For that reason I imagine he will probably be grating to a lot of viewers.

Saiwa, played by Ian McShane, is a fantastic antagonist for this movie. He trapped Boris on the island and had him lift the sinking island out to try to save the other animals. He’s not malevolent–he’s actually very kind and respectful to the other animals, it’s just that this is the only way he can think of to save the island. He’s never angry or vengeful, he’s really trying his best here, and at the movie when he’s proven wrong he gracefully accepts it and tries to do better. Fantastic! Good job. Something different from a villain, instead of trying to do a twist like so many other animated movies do these days. There is a sort of feeling that Saiwa’s going to end up doing something more harmful, but he doesn’t–and I’m kind of okay with that.

But then Elmer goes home and things sort of… work themselves out? And that happens sometimes, I suppose; however, we don’t really get a ‘how’ on that, other than that they’ve accepted that they don’t have the store anymore and adapted to life in the city. It doesn’t feel as if the characters actually did anything for it, at least not that was in a part of the story we were shown.

The end result is a movie that’s good, I think, and certainly beautifully animated. I can’t help but think though that it’s not as fantastic as some of the other projects to come out of Cartoon Saloon. Movies like Secret of the Kells and Song of the Sea felt like they were masterpieces, and while this is still a good film for kids, it doesn’t have the same weight to it that makes me think I can watch it over and over again.

It’s fun, especially for kids, but it’s far from a must-see. Which, with Cartoon Saloon, seems a bit disappointing.

[lazerith]

Attempting to fix The Dawn of Yangchen, Pt. 2: Power Overwhelming

Spoilers for The Dawn of Yangchen, The Legend of Korra and The Rise of Kyoshi.

There's a saying you often hear in writing: your protagonist is only as good as your antagonist.

It's why you hear people gushing on and on about Batman's villains, and why most of them have their own spinoff movies/series now. Case in point:

But let's jump to an example I imagine more of you are familiar with.

Now don't get me wrong, this show is flawed and Nickelodeon was quite literally trying to tank it while it was still on air, but there's a reason why when people start discussing Avatar villains on r/TheLastAirbender, Korra's antagonists always find their way into the conversation (aside to the fact that she has four separate ones versus Aang's main one).

It's funny to hear people call Korra overpowered or a "Mary Sue", because what people don't realize what they're really saying is that Korra's antagonists are overpowered to the point that she feels overpowered when she finally defeats them.

Amon, Unalaq, Zaheer, and Kuvira all challenge Korra in different ways. Korra is good at brute force; she'll throw the elements at you and probably beat the crap out of you, but she also

lacks patience and believes her only value as a person is in being able to bend all four elements (Amon)

lacks spirituality and is too trusting/easily manipulated (Unalaq)

is too selfless and puts everyone else before her (Zaheer)

believes her friends and the world will not accept her as the avatar in her injured state (Kuvira)

(Forgive me if any of these are a bit off, it's been a while since I've watched Lok lol)

All of Korra's weaknesses are exposed (and ultimately resolved) as she struggles against her antagonists. They reveal aspects of her that Korra would otherwise keep hidden; this process, while painful, ultimately creates a more complex character. A good antagonist forces your protagonist to change in order to defeat them. And so we see that with every new antagonist Korra faces, she becomes a more-rounded, more mature Avatar.

Note also that ability-wise, each antagonist is much more skilled at a certain type of bending than Korra, at least at the beginning of the season. Compared to Korra, their powers are overwhelming.

Not all antagonists have to be physically dangerous to your protagonist, but in the type of action/adventure story that the Avatar series falls under, they better be.

Not only do Korra's villains pose great mental threats, but they also pose great physical ones. And for that reason, they are good antagonists.

Because a good antagonist feels impossible to defeat up until the very moment that they are defeated.

The same can be said about Kyoshi's antagonists, Jianzhu and Yun. Both prey on her insecurities and kind-hearted nature, forcing Kyoshi to make difficult choice after difficult choice.

Both also present a genuine physical threat to Kyoshi and the people she cares about; both are incredibly powerful benders, both are cold-blooded murderers, and both will do whatever it takes to get what they want.

I'd argue Jianzhu is a better antagonist for the simple reason that Yun is kind of a carbon copy of him in terms of how he functions as an antagonist. That's not to say Yun is not an interesting character, just that he doesn't reveal much new about Kyoshi that Jianzhu didn't already "tell" us.

Kyoshi is a powerful avatar because of Jianzhu and Yun. Korra is a powerful avatar because of Amon, Unalaq, Zaheer, and Kuvira.

But that's not true of Yangchen.

Because of the poor character plotting I already discussed in pt. 1, Yangchen's time is split between battling many different antagonists.

The main antagonist is Henshe, because he's the one who appears in the story's climax. But Henshe is also absent from most of the book because Yangchen is busy in Jonduri dealing with Chaisee, who is a much more effective antagonist than Henshe because she actually delivers on her threats.

I don't know about you, but I was downright terrified when Yangchen received that note from Chaisee in the fire nation. Again, Yee is not a bad writer; he can deliver suspense when it matters. But faced with the evidence, it does seem like Yee is not a good plotter.

All Henshe does is stand around, pick up the three benders at the dock, and then deliver them food and tell them where to aim. That's it.

But by far the worst transgression is that Henshe doesn't challenge Yangchen in any way. He is not an exceptional bender--in fact, he's not a bender at all; he doesn't prey on Yangchen's kind-heartedness as Chaisee does; he doesn't attempt to use Yangchen's weakness/ghost against her, nor does he really seem to know what Yangchen's weakness is anyway; and neither is he some great strategist who outsmarts Yangchen at every turn, forcing her to use her "fists" for once.

All in all, Henshe is barely an antagonist, just a person who appears in the third act to orchestrate some physical conflict that is immediately resolved once Yangchen arrives. He presents no real physical or mental threat to Yangchen.

Henshe, as he presently stands, is pathetic. And a hero who defeats a pathetic villain just isn't very heroic.

Okay, but what about the benders in unanimity? you ask. What if this is one of those twist-villain endings, where you think Henshe is the antagonist, but it's actually the combustion-benders?

Well, maybe, kinda--there are hints towards that when Thapa sort of threatens to turn on Henshe, but all he really does is ask for more money, then Henshe tells him to blow up people for a change because we need to raise the stakes somehow, and both of them are promptly defeated when Yangchen--I imagine--does what Zaheer does to the Earth Queen in LoK season three.

Which would've been cool if this was the first time we've seen this technique be used, but it's not (even though chronologically, this happened first), so……

No matter which way you cut it, neither Thapa nor Henshe are antagonists strong enough to actually challenge Yangchen. They never surprise Yangchen in any way, forcing her to think outside the box. And as a result, Yangchen fails utterly to surprise us, the audience, as well.

Because of her lackluster antagonists, Yangchen ends up feeling weak to us. Weak compared to Aang, weak compared to Korra, and especially weak when compared to Kyoshi.

And because her antagonist(s) never make the effort to reveal her weaknesses to us, Yangchen feels underdeveloped, underexplored, and unchanged by the end of DoY.

Yangchen deserved a better antagonist.

Hopefully, Yee gives her a more deserving one in LoY. (Fingers crossed!)

[colorfuldream]

Random Barbie thoughts:

Seeing people say that Ken represented women in Barbie but IMO while the KenS represent how women are treated (explicitly stated, I can't believe how many people somehow miss it), Ken himself represent men. Men who can't really take no for an answer even though you make it clear you won't date them. Men insecure and vulnerable who end up falling into incel/right-wing ideology. Men performing what they think is expected of them and suffering because of it.

And, you know, even though Ken suffers in Barbieland, he's still treated better than Barbie was in the real world. He suffers, he struggles, he's unhappy. And that's shown. That's integral to the story. But guess what? Barbie's own suffering is also shown. Even though it's the focus, it doesn't take away from Ken's. Both men's and women's sufferings are shown at the same time, none of them negate the other. There's not one greater than the other. It's just that the main focus is on Barbie's, and thus women's, suffering. We don't forget about Ken's, about men's, of course but it's not Ken The Movie. He's not the main topic. The movie is about the place of women in society, Barbie discovering herself and her place in it, what being human is.

And that's why people calling him the main character is so deeply gross. Ignoring completely EVERYTHING in the movie to focus on the man and his struggles. Ken was the antagonist. He wasn't the villain, but his actions were antagonistic. (Yes, the overall bad guy is the patriarchy and toxic masculinity but Ken was used to represent them, even though he didn't like it). That's why people like him, we usually gravitate towards the antagonists, especially now that they're more sympathetic and understandable.

We saw him fall into that rabbithole. So we feel attached. But also he didn't have the most development like some people say. Even after losing, he still wanted to be with Barbie and confessed he did all that because of her. He was at the same point as the beginning of the movie, only more open about it. Barbie is the one telling him that he needs to learn to be himself and that he shouldn't live only for her. She's sharing what she learned with him and telling him he needs to be his own person. And THAT is when he will develop as a character. THAT is Barbie's own development shining.

(It's a bit ironic IMO because even his growth is caused by Barbie and not by himself. However they've been established as dolls and have a weird way of thinking. Barbie only deviated because of the person playing with her. Not many people play with Ken dolls so it would be difficult for him to realize he can be his own person too. My own personal interpretation is that because he couldn't achieve this realization on his own, he did everything he did in the movie instead of questioning everything like Barbie did. Anyway!)

Ken was hilarious. He's the comic relief. He was the goofy antagonist. The fact so many people adore him shows that the movie worked at least partly. The jokes landed. But he's not the whole movie. If you stop thinking, if you don't bother seeing beyond the jokes, then you're stupid. I'm sorry but it's true. Critical thinking is a thing. The movie was crystal clear about its themes, its messages, its metaphors. You have to be purposefully obtuse to ignore everything but the funny man on screen in such a movie. I guess some men related to Ken, what he represented, and his struggles more so that's why they ignore everything else?

Anyways, I'm leaving it there because it's messy and ramble-y. Originally, I was only going to talk about what was in the first paragraph. I think it's really fun and incredible what the Barbie team managed to do! They put in so many things in a simple-to-understand movie. One character can represent so many things all at once! Thinking about it scratches an itch in my overthinking brain.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Rocky III (1982)

Rocky III is not on the same level as the first, nor the second. It’s a bi-product of being the third chapter in the series. Based on what you’ve seen before, you can basically figure out how the story will end. This also makes it a tremendously entertaining and satisfying second sequel. In many ways, it wraps up all of the character arcs just about perfectly. If you ignore all of the other follow-ups, this would be one of the great trilogies.

Three years after defeating Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) and becoming the heavyweight champion of the world, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is living the dream. However, his manager, Mickey (Burgess Meredith), worries a hot-headed new contender, Clubber Lang (Mr. T), may pose more than a passing threat to Rocky’s title. The Italian Stallion dismisses his warnings until the two meet face-to-face.

The biggest difference between Rocky III and the rest is the villain. Clubber Lang receives little screen time. Mr. T has plenty of presence and you "get" his character immediately. He’s rude, he’s strong, he wants to get to the top and doesn't care how. Anything else? No. This isn’t a flaw once we learn what this film is really about. At this point in his career, Rocky is the champion. He won Adrian’s heart (she’s played once more by Talia Shire). He went the distance and lasted 15 rounds with Apollo. In a rematch, he beat him and proved he wasn’t just lucky. He’s become comfortable in front of the camera, he’s managed his money well and built a beautiful life for his wife, son, and friends. Clubber Lang is a version of his past self. As Apollo reminds him, Rocky has become comfortable at the top. He no longer has the hunger, that “eye of the tiger” which allowed him to become a champion. He’s lost a piece of himself. Clubber Lang has that hunger. He’s got nothing to lose and everything to gain. To be a true champion, Rocky must preserve the fire that brought him to the top and use the lessons he’s learned to stay there. The film’s antagonist is not Clubber Lang. It's Rocky. Do we dig deeply into the Italian Stallion’s psyche? You bet we do.

The payoffs are what make this film so good. Once, Adrian was so timid she was afraid to even ask for the things she wanted. Now, she’s strong enough to meet Rocky head-on. Through their mutual dislike of Clubber Lang, Rocky and Apollo become more than rivals who respect each other, they become friends. The relationship between Rocky and his trainer, Mickey (Bergess Meredith) reaches its bittersweet, logical conclusion. By now, you know the characters so well that even when they don’t radically change, like Paulie (Burt Young), it’s ok. That’s just the kind of person he is and for better or worse, you love him for it.

You can’t talk about this film without discussing the incredible use of music. Eye of the Tiger is such a strong and memorable tune those who haven’t seen the Rocky franchise probably assumed it came from the first movie. Actually, Survivor wrote is specifically for this film and it shows. The lyrics fit the story so perfectly and that final moment before the end credits hit when the tune plays once again? It’s one of the greatest endings ever.

As before, the fight scenes will have you on the edge of your seat. They’re well shot and choreographed. More than the physical strength of the characters, it’s the drama that surrounds them that makes the blows impactful. The performances are strong, even from Mr. T (unjustly nominated for a Razzie that year). You want a bad guy you instantly hate? You got one right there.

It may take more than one viewing for you to truly appreciate Rocky III. Take a good look at the way it handles its characters and how it brings everything full circle. It’s a great sequel and contains so many memorable, iconic moments. If you’ve seen the first two, you can’t afford to miss it. (On Blu-ray, June 19, 2020)

[legion1227]

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

An excellent follow-up to a perfect film. 

Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse is my favorite Spider-Man movie. Despite growing up with the Tobey Maguire films, enjoying the fun but flawed Garfield movies, and watching the MCU with their vastly different take from Holland's movies, I hold the sentiment that Into the Spiderverse remains the best. 

There's an argument to be made with many of the Spider-Men films on which is the best. Tobey Maguire's first Spider-Man has one of the best on-screen origin stories for a superhero with one of the best supervillain performances: Willem Dafoe as Green Goblin. Tobey Maguire's second film has stirring performances and iconic action setpieces. And No Way Home rounds out some character arcs years in the making while acting as a grand epic for all Spider-Man fans of all ages. I love all those movies, plus most of the unmentioned others. But Into The Spiderverse is perfect or damn well near. It's a champion of animation, with likable, memorable characters, menacing villains, comedic lines, and superb fight scenes... it practically does no wrong. 

So as a sequel, Across the Spider-Verse had some big shoes to fill, and my god, it did. 

Across the Spider-Verse takes place roughly a year after the events of Into the Spider-Verse. Miles Morales has some experience as Spider-Man under his belt, but it doesn't take long for our favorite teen to get overwhelmed. Balancing being a school student, a son, and a superhero, is a struggle for our young protagonist. Plus, we see how much he dearly misses his Spider friends from across the multiverse, especially Gwen.

There's an attempt to balance out everything and get Gwen back into his life, and that all goes as well as you expect. 

There's not much to say about this film that hasn't been said by countless others. Miles's character arc here, as he strives for so much, is amazing. Miles cares so deeply for his friends and family that he's even more relatable than before as he tries desperately to have it all. The focus on Gwen is sensational, starting off with her and the conflict she has with her father as chief of police. It's almost as much as her movie as it is Miles. Almost. 

The antagonists this time around, The Spot and Miguel O'Hara, are incredible foils to our Spider-Man. The Spot's presentation as a loser is incredibly comedic until realizing his backstory and just how terrifying his power can be if properly honed. In a movie booming with color in every frame, he sticks out so clearly that it's hard to take your eyes off him in each scene he lies. By his final scene, the transformation into a monster leaves the audience eager to see the chaos he may or may not reap. Meanwhile, Miguel is a little shit, and I am here for it. His backstory is more tragic than the Spot's, and it's understandable why he cares so much about protecting the canon. The way this grown man beefs so hard with a teenager, tracking him down relentlessly and slamming him against a moving train during the most batshit insane visual setpiece in the film, is ludicrous. 

Newer side characters introduced are also a lot of fun. While I prefer the company of Spider Noir, Spider-Ham, and Peni Parker, Hobie and Pavitr are just as likable and endearing. Pavitr has an innocence to him that is adorable, and Hobie's lack of consistency and disrespect at higher power is just great. Hobie's art style, in general, is just magnificent. 

There are just not many gripes to be had with this film. There's a top-tier cast of characters, fight scenes that perhaps surpass the first film, animation that is still top tier, still incredibly funny, decent arcs established or continued that is set to end in the final film of the trilogy...and yet I still prefer Into the Spiderverse over this? 

But like...only by a little bit. 

Everyone that says this is better than Into The Spiderverse is so valid, and I understand where they come from. But for me, I still prefer the first one. And it comes down to one reason: the runtime. Into The Spider-Verse is a little under 2 hours, and Across is about 2 hours and 20 minutes. Despite being longer, I feel like Across could have benefitted from just a little bit more time. I feel like we don't spend enough time with every character besides Gwen and Miles. Everyone could have been just a tad bit stronger if they were on screen for just a little bit more time. There was almost a scene of The Spot being made fun of by villains in a bar and another where he returns to the bar and gets revenge on the villains. Not only would the former scene establish him more as a loser, but the latter would emphasize how much more of a problem he was and give the viewer a small taste of the reckoning the next movie will surely bring. Similarly, I would've liked more time to understand Miguel as a character, or Hobie, Peter B. Parker, or even somehow fit in Spider Noir and the others from Into. Again, except for Miles and Gwen, I think every other character is just a tad bit short of the screen time they deserve. 

However, I have no issue like that with Into The Spiderverse. It's perfectly paced. 

The runtime is enough to maybe bring it down just a little bit for me, but the movie is such an achievement, I am looking to cop this soon once it comes to blu ray. This is the kind of movie that must be watched frame by frame to appreciate the thousands of details put into it. I am patiently waiting for the third movie, and hope it surpasses both masterpieces presented. 4.5/5. 

[navree]

Oh, now that you mentioned Prince of Egypt, I just finished watching it and it was great. I don’t really watch Disney but this one was *chef’s kiss*. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is next and that’s only because I just listened to Hellfire and loved it.

I felt for all of them. I felt for Rameses when he was grieving, and he’s better than me (well, not really since he’s a slaver) because if my sister knew that a force was going to come down and kill all first borns and not warn me, we’re fighting. I get why he did what he did, but still, the babies :( Rameses was always holding his son :((

I also really liked how there’s no reconciliation (but they still call each other brother, oh no I think I’m actually gonna weep, I’m too sensitive for stories like these). I just finished rewatching HOTD so the show’s still on my mind and as someone who, like many others from what I’ve seen, didn’t really like Alicent’s and Rhaenyra’s reconciliation (or at least the execution. Vaemond was just executed hours before for voicing what Alicent has been fearing since Aegon was like 2 years old.), Rameses and Moses hits different. I’m sorry but if anyone, even a loved one, suggests to have my 10-year old, freshly maimed, just lost an eye, permanently disfigured and disabled son tortured we’re fighting. All day everyday any day, it’s on sight. (But I may wish to see you again after death. I’d feel too guilty to voice something like while alive but while dying, maybe not - this is my Catholicism speaking btw.)

Problem is I watched Prince of Egypt while I was drunk over the holidays and I was immediately bowled over by how sad I was, and also the death of the firstborns is just...it's so depressing it's such an incredibly depressing scene it haunts me everything about it is so haunting. Part of what makes that, and the story of the Exodus, such a wrenching narrative is that it falls into a category some of the sadder Biblical stories do, like the life of Job or the Agony in the Garden, which is God making people do things that they do not want to do. The movie's more explicit with that line in the plagues song with the bit where Moses says he wished God had tapped someone else for this, but even the actual Exodus story has it specifically stated that Pharaoh was ready to let the people go and God specifically hardened his heart so that he could continue on with all the plagues, in order to have this clearcut lesson of what happens if you follow any other god than, you know, God (and I think he does it again for the parting of the Red Sea? But it's been a while since I've studied Exodus). But yeah, I said this before but one of the things the movie got really right is that if you're trying to make it a proper narrative rather than a parable, then the emotional core is the intense family tragedy that's befalling our two mains as they get thrust into plans that are literally Biblical in scope.

(also i'd like to point out that, in the actual exodus story, moses is saved from the river by pharaoh's daughter, not pharaoh's wife, so the pharaoh of the exodus is meant to be moses's uncle and not brother and you can do a whole lot with the idea of rameses not being pharaoh but still on pharaoh's side but trying to be an intermediary between his blood family/his liege and the brother he loves and getting caught in the crossfire when it comes to the death of the firstborns without later dying in the red sea, i think it'd be neat)

Lack of reconciliation works for a Disney movie, it does need a clear cut villain and for however much you feel even for Rameses (the character) when you're older rewatching, Moses is the protagonist fighting to free slaves and Rameses is the antagonist keeping them enslaved, so having him soundly defeated even if that means we never get a moment of rapprochement works. But I actually don't necessarily mind the Rhaenicent scene in episode eight cuz, even beyond the fact that relationships aren't always linear and they ebb and flow and fluctuate and that makes sense to me, I don't necessarily view it as a reconciliation. It's barely even the building blocks of a reconciliation, it's Alicent and Rhaenyra both holding A Block and agreeing that maybe they might put them down to try and build something like reconciliation later on. It's the fact that they're tentatively open to the opportunity, that if Viserys hadn't died and Rhaenyra had come back and maybe continued trying to make amends, a reconciliation could have happened, but they never got the chance, and when they meet again too much will have happened for it to ever be possible. It makes sense that Alicent was willing, at least that evening, considering not just the longstanding affection she's had for Rhaenyra as a girlhood friend and first love, but also that Rhaenyra took the first step and not only openly honored what Alicent's done over the last nearly twenty years (the first time she's ever done so in the entire show), but also said "she has my apology", specifically telling Alicent she knows she has stuff to be sorry for and she is. That's what spurs on Alicent's softening stance for her that night, not just old feelings, and it's likely that a reconciliation likely would have had the complicating factor of Aemond's maiming and Viserys's treatment of him and his family in the aftermath and how Alicent might still want some recompense for that, because that's her son. They're definitely going to change the lines about Jaehaerys though in Alicent's death monologue to be about Rhaenyra instead, and it'll make me cry.

Also my fave Disney movie is The Lion King, which happens to not only be excellent but is one I've been watching with my father literally since infancy so it gets its win not just for being the best but also for being a bonding factor in my relationship with my dad.