What does an animated princess with magical hair have in common with a full-scale invasion of human-snatching aliens?
Absolutely nothing, actually... This is “Movie Night”!
*theme song plays*
Hello, and welcome to “Movie Night.” I'm your host, Jonathan Paula. Let's not waste any time, and get to our first review, of Disney's "Tangled."
An ambitious film to say the least, this latest movie from the Walt Disney Animation Studio cost over $260 million to create...
making it one of the most expensive films ever made. Luckily, though, it has the distinction of being the second-highest-grossing...
animated feature Disney has ever released, behind only 1994's "The Lion King."
"Tangled" is yet another re-telling of the classic Grimm Brothers' story of Rapunzel, a beautiful princess with magical hair...
who is imprisoned in a secluded tower by her evil kidnapper/mother, Gothel. Luckily for Rapunzel, played beautifully by Mandy Moore...
Flynn Rider, voiced by Zachary Levi, a bandit on the lam, accidentally chooses her tower in the woods for his hideout.
And from there, the two begin an unwitting relationship and adventure as Rapunzel sets out into the world for the first time.
In true fashion, Disney has easily created one of its best animated films in years, combining a traditional animated style with today's more conventional CGI renderings.
All of the characters, from the evil hag Gothel to the background characters our heroes meet along the way...
are well-voiced, delicately animated, properly developed, and undeniably charming.
Although not marketed as such, "Tangled" is indeed a musical, with nearly every other scene being capped off by a song.
Some of these songs are large and bombastic, involving dozens of characters; others are quiet duets about love and hope.
They're all catchy and well-executed in not only advancing the plot, but also providing depth and context to the characters’ stories.
For the boys in the audience, though, "Tangled" also comes complete with several large action sequences...
including one exhilarating sequence that has our protagonists escaping into a cave to avoid a collapsing dam of water closing in behind them.
Besides having a haunting singing voice, Donna Murphy's portrayal of the villainess, Gothel, absolutely steals the show in most of her scenes...
bringing to life a villain so nuanced and complex that she'll easily go down as one of the great bad guys of Disney lore.
Many of the jokes in this movie were family-friendly and funny, but some were a bit too slapstick and childish in contrast to many of the film’s more mature and serious themes.
For example, the climactic scene in the final act where Flynn and Rapunzel sing to each other while floating in a rowboat...
watching the sky lantern festival, is as beautiful as it is emotional and inspiring.
And although much of the film treads on familiar ground of classics past, this scene alone propels the film from another average re-telling of Rapunzel to a true modern-day classic.
"Tangled"- "Imaginative. Disney at its finest."
Well, that's what I thought about the movie. Now, let’s see what you had to say in the YouTube comments.
Here's the Rate-o-Matic now, to show us how we both scored "Tangled.”
An “8” and a “9”! Despite being a bit derivative of past Disney films, “Tangled” really does shine in its own way. I thought it was “great.”
You more than agreed, many of you praising its animation and music, scoring it an “awesome.”
Unfortunately, though, I don't think the same holds true for tonight's second film, "Skyline."
Directed and produced by visual effects gurus the Brothers Strause, this alien invasion film was amazingly shot on a budget of just $10 million.
And aside from the visual effects in a few key scenes, it unfortunately FEELS like a movie that was shot on just $10 million.
Borrowing from many great films before it, like “Independence Day,” “Cloverfield,” and “28 Days Later"...
Eric Balfour stars as a one-dimensional character who discovers that he, his best friend, and girlfriend...
are seemingly some of the only people left alive in Los Angeles after mysterious blue lights emitting from UFOs start sucking humans into the sky.
Nearly the entire 94-minute runtime is spent inside a high-rise condo, the film told from the incredibly isolated perspective...
of our band of protagonists, who have no connection to the outside world.
As a result, the viewer is left with absolutely zero scope about the size of this invasion, or what any of the aliens' intentions are.
Literally nothing is explained in "Skyline.” Instead, we watch as these alien creatures that resemble jellyfish...
slowly devour the humans one at a time, like some cheap horror film on basic cable.
The action in this film is haphazardly executed, often through a muddy, handheld lens.
The aliens themselves don't seem to have any direction, either, at first snatching people from the hundreds off the ground...
but later resorting to crawling through apartments and eating them one at a time.
The visuals, however, are perhaps the one redeeming element here, which, besides being mostly original and inventive...
are also well integrated into the smoldering landscape of a destroyed Los Angeles.
When you have lifeless, forgettable characters and a story that doesn't actually turn a corner until the final scene...
however, those effects do little to make a film worth watching. "Skyline" only becomes interesting in the closing minutes...
as the audience finally gets to see what's inside of these UFOs, and what has become of the abducted humans.
Sadly, though, this frighteningly fascinating twist is too little, too late, and seems more like a set-up to an unwanted sequel, rather than a proper ending of any consequence.
"Skyline"- "Visually stunning, but dreadfully lifeless."
Well, that was my harsh review. Now, let's see what you had to say about it in the YouTube comments.
Alright, time to rate "Skyline" on the Rate-o-Matic.
A double “2”! Now, normally, a sci-fi action film would be right up my alley, and usually very entertaining.
But when you have an unoriginal and poorly executed film like this, there really isn't any reason to watch. I thought it was “crappy.”
You completely agreed with me, overlooking the solid visuals and recognizing that the rest of the film was mostly boring and uninspired. You also scored it a “crappy.”
But that does it for tonight's films. So, now, let's take a look at what currently playing in theaters, with some Tweet Critiques.
Remember, if you're going to the movies this weekend, make sure to submit your Twitter review, using the #JPMN hashtag, to have it featured on an upcoming episode.
Next week, I'll be visiting the theater to review "Source Code" on opening day, a time travel-themed thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal.
If you've already seen a screening, or you get a chance to see it before I do, please let me know what you think about it by voting in the poll below, or by leaving me a comment review.
Once again, my name is Jonathan Paula. Thank you for watching “Movie Night.” I hope to see you right back here next Friday!
*end credits play*
*Click on the latest JAV episode to get a sneak peek at Rapunzel, the 30th microwave girl!*