The latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has arrived with “Shang Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings”.
The film introduces audiences to Shang Chi (Simu Liu); an easygoing San Francisco resident who spends his time parking cars and hanging out with his friend Katy (Awkwafina) and her family.
Life is steady if unspectacular until he is accosted on a city bus by a group looking to take a pendant his mother gave him. When Shang Chi shocks Katy and the occupants of the bus with his martial arts abilities; he attempts to find his sister Xialing (Meng’er Zhang); who runs an underground fight club. While Xialing is estranged from her brother; their father Wenwu (Tony Chiu-Wai Leung) has conspired to bring them and their pendants before him.
Their father uses the power of sacred devices known as the Ten Rings to rule for over a thousand years and destroys all who would oppose him thanks to their power and the army he has gathered over the centuries.
Wenwu wants to revive their long-dead mother as he is convinced that she is calling to him and he wants to be with her as he was able to be a better man and forsake the power and abilities the rings offered him.
When it is learned that Wenwu plans to go to a mythical realm that their mother came from and free her or burn the place to the ground; Shang Chi must make some hard choices between family and doing what he believes is right.
What follows is an action-filled thriller with plenty of mysticism and humor. The film has a very engaging visual style that combines Asian and Western cinematic styles which results in some very engaging visuals as well as action sequences.
What really sets the film apart from many Super Hero films is that the characters have a solid base to them as they have a complexity to them in regards to their past and their motivations. Their relationships with one another are key to the film as family, honor, and justice are key elements to the film but they are not given lip service but are developed well along with their characters.
While the final act may be a bit FX heavy for some; I found it in keeping with the story and the characters and the great Sir Ben Kingsley provides some very welcome comic relief in his return as Trevor.
Awkwafina is also great as she provides some very laugh-out-loud moments but is not afraid to mix it up when the situation calls for him. Simu Liu was very enjoyable in the lead role as he performed the physical aspects of his character well but added a restrained sensitivity to his character as he is a complicated individual who is conflicted by choices he made in his youth and the ramifications of them now as an adult.
There are bonus scenes that set up future adventures well including one that will no doubt have Marvel fans heatedly debating when the film premieres.
Once again Marvel has shown why they have had such a sustained success with their films as they have done a great job again of introducing a new character to the Cinematic Universe but also connecting him to their cinematic past and future.
4 stars out of 5

Like many other folks, I have a sort of allergy to hype: particularly when it is built on power ballads and an actor who just doesn't "belong" in the role. I also saw Michael Crawford doing his "Barnum" thing on stage in 1982 - so to be fair, my expectations of this were not especially high. I was pleasantly surprised! Jackman as the street urchin son of an itinerant tailor with grand dreams is really pretty good. He brings oodles of charisma to the part of P.T. Barnum determined to win the love of "Charity" (Michelle Williams), despite her being from a wealthy family living well beyond his meagre means. The chronology of his actual achievements - his marriage, family and his American Museum of Curiosities morphing into a circus of all things diverse from the human race - including Sam Humphrey as "Gen. Tom Thumb" and a super Keala Settle as the "Bearded Lady" - is well enough documented and this musical version pretty much follows the rags to riches tale of this inspirational and aspirational man as he taps into the lucrative vein of giving the public what they want. That public is, however, not the one he wants - he wants the toffs, too - so enlisting the help of debonaire, bored, theatre producer Zac Efron "Philip Carlyle" they head to the UK for an audience with Queen Victoria - the epitome of "acceptable society" at which he meets Jenny Lind - the legendary Swedish singer and his fortunes seem to be unstoppable... Efron is good, too - you are reminded of just how far he has come since his "High School Musical" (2006) days; as is Rebecca Ferguson in the role of "Lind". I have to say that I found the songs a little bland; the film lacks a killer song - "A Million Dreams", "Come Alive" and "Rewrite the Stars" do get the toes tapping, but they meld into each other leaving a pleasing, but unmemorable soundtrack to this charming family drama. It's good, not great - and far better than I was expecting.

one of the musicals that bring you joy in life

I thought that this was a terrible idea way before I ever saw the movie itself, and I thought this was a terrible movie way before I ever found out what P.T. Barnham was actually like. What a toilet fire in every sense, this is one of those rare examples where I just **can't** understand what everyone is loving here.
_Final rating:★½: - Boring/disappointing. Avoid where possible._

Pretty solid movie if you are into that kind of movies (musicals). Audio fine tuning to the songs were in fact somewhat excessive, but to my opinion the movie was meant to be viewed in theaters with loud sounds so everything "should" sound nearly perfect. The songs and dancing acts were well performed and I really liked Hugh Jackman's acting. Overall, it's a pleasant movie to watch and perhaps even worth watching twice.

The critics have been really harsh on this movie. While not a great movie, it's still good enough to be enjoyed by kids during the holiday season. There are fun musical numbers and Hugh Jackman excels in his role as Barnum. It's not meant to be a realistic biopic. It's an enjoyable musical fantasy.

**For a low-budget film, it's a good effort.**
I'm not a big fan of films about aliens, so the film won't be my cup of tea at all. However, that didn't stop me from seeing it, and appreciating what's good about it. Without a colossal budget or a powerful studio, director Neill Blomkamp gives us an intelligent and technically impactful film.
In fact, it is in the most technical details that I felt impressed by the film: we have extraordinary cinematography, with magnificent light and colors. The effects and CGI used are very good and prove that you don't need an endless bag of money to get a good result. The ship is strange enough and the aliens are credible enough, with a bizarre but elaborate and well-made appearance, and the way they speak is, at the same time, expressive and enigmatic. Much of the film was filmed in a real South African slum, and it is difficult to see that human beings are still living in such an environment.
The director bet on little-known actors, and this gives some additional credibility to the list of characters that were created here. Sharlto Copley is perhaps the easiest to recognize, as he has worked on some of the most widely circulated productions. Here, he is able to, at least, give us a worthy performance without major flaws... the only colossal flaw is not the actor's fault, but the script's, which gave his character a name very prone to jokes and puns in my mother tongue (I think French and even Spanish speakers will also understand): Wicus van de Merwe.
The film's biggest problem is the weakness of the script. It seems to me that the film attempted a kind of social criticism by placing, instead of human people, strange aliens in that filthy slum. Is the film a sharp criticism of the way we discriminate and segregate those we consider inferior or different from us? If so, I understand, but perhaps I was one of the few to understand. It's the only explanation for the way the film begins: instead of taking sick aliens to a laboratory and spending decades studying them in depth, are we going to put them in a filthy slum? It doesn't make any sense to me.

A gritty and original story that is as entertaining as thought-provoking, combining xenophobic satire and political allegory with raucous action.
8/10

Great watch, will watch again, and highly recommended.
This has a wonderfully exciting premise: alien refugees on Terra, how Terrans react and how the aliens react. The premise, as delivered, has some odd holes in though: it's specified that all of the crew have died, mysteriously, and no one knows how to operate the ship, but it's been in the air for some time. The idea of gravity alone should have motivated Johannesburg to evacuate, but their government interaction seems decidedly weak.
The advantage of setting the story in South Africa, for an American audience, is that it's a very capitalistic society where they speak chiefly English: it's very similar to being set in Mexico and using Mexican Cartels instead of Nigerian gangs.
So if we accept that we haven't been able to extract an incident report, that we're not able to move the ship, and none of the xenos can move the ship, then the premise includes that one xenos knows what to do. One would think that he just talks to someone and he gets all his people off planet, but since he's smart enough to do what he's been doing for 20 years, then he knows not to trust anyone. But this self-serving principle is key to understanding character motivations going forward.
The writing in this is so good, along with the effects, and performance delivery. As Vickis deals with his transformation, it prompts so many philosophical questions of what it is to be a person / human / xenos, a citizen, a government agent. It also sort of resembles a gangsta / heist movie at parts, as opposed to a anti-government escapee.
If any of the deep stuff worried you, then be at ease that this movie has plenty of explosions, gunfire and sci-fi goodness. It's also filled with some silly cliches that serve the points of the story, but there are several points in this movie that I have to shake my head at. The motivations don't make sense unless you're reminded that everyone, including the protagonists, are (forced) in a self-serving mindset and it's about what they can do for themselves, even when working together with the contrast being, of course, that only when anyone is cooperating that anyone gets anywhere.
This is such a great watch, and if you like sci-fi styled stuff, and don't mind the South African setting ("Chappie" is another one), then definitely give this a watch.

This was an outstanding debut by the New Zealander Blomkamp. Consistently enthralling and keeping one at the edge of his seat. THIS is a recent film, like 'Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World', that should have spawned sequels. Much better than his follow-up, 'Elysium' (I haven't watched any others he's made since; hope he doesn't end up a cinematic one-trick pony like M. Night Shyamalan...).

Nice!!!

Full Analysis at Spotamovie.com - **Intro** - Encanto is a movie for those looking for purpose and those families seeking the secret for true happiness. We know it! Discover it with us. Encanto won 16 awards and collected 89 nominations in total. In addition, it is worth mentioning that Encanto won “Best Motion Picture Animated” at the 2022 “Golden Globes” and received two nominees for “Original Score in Motion Picture” and “Best Original Song in Motion Picture. At the 2022 “Academy Awards,” Encanto will compete to win three Oscars. - **Story** - It’s the tale of a magical Colombian family where each member received a unique gift to be used to help and support their community, from strength to the power of healing people. But, unfortunately, just one girl didn’t receive her gift from the Encanto, Mirabel.So, why she didn’t get her superpower? Can this be dangerous for her family? And what are the ingredients to build a perfect family? - **All the answers at** https://www.spotamovie.com/encanto-movie-review-and-explanation-2021-movie/

A strong new entry into the Walt Disney Animation Studios canon.
'Encanto' is an enjoyable and meaningful 102 minutes. The animation, as you expect from Disney, is superb and the world really comes alive beautifully and vibrantly. I like the character designs and their story, with each one having something unique about them which is neat.
I had heard that some of the music from this 2021 flick has entered the charts here in the United Kingdom, though I purposely avoided listening to it as I wanted to keep it fresh for when I watched the film. Now I've done just that, I found the music to be very good - aside from "Surface Pressure" (no. 3 in UK), I don't think I'll be listening to any of it on my own time but - more importantly - it's impressively effective for the movie itself. "We Don't Talk About Bruno" might grow on me, mind.
The cast are fun. Stephanie Beatriz leads comfortably as Mirabel, while John Leguizamo is a great choice to play Bruno. The rest of the cast, though nothing extraordinary in my opinion, are all entertaining enough in their respective roles - namely María Cecilia Botero and Jessica Darrow.

Disney’s marvelous computer animated feature since Coco!!!

In a magical area of Columbia surrounded by mountains; exists a magical town watched over by the Madrigal family. The family lives in a magical home that is the center point for the community and is loved by the community.
In the new Disney film “Encanto”; audiences are told the story of how the family patriarch founded the community with a magical candle and how upon reaching a certain age; all members of her family receive a “gift” from the magical house which gives them an ability to help the community. From being able to heal with cooking to talking to the animals and super strength; the family Madrigal is the beloved pillar of the community.
To every rule there is an exception and young Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz); is the only member of her family not to receive a gift of powers. As such she is seen as a pariah from the family and believes she is more tolerated than loved especially compared to her siblings who are endowed with amazing abilities.
Things change when a new member of the family goes through the gifting ceremony; the first one since Mirabel was denied, and receives an amazing gift and basks in the love of the town and family. Mirabel has a vision of the house cracking and falling into ruin. She tries to warn her family but they see the house in its usual pristine condition and blame Mirabel for being jealous for not having a gift and wanting to take attention away from those who do.
Mirabel believes in what she saw and learns that members of her family may know more than they admit and that they hold the key to saving the day. This leads to a quest to find the absent Uncle Bruno (John Leguizamo); who has been absent as many believe his gift of prophecy only leads to bad things coming to fruition and has gone into hiding as a result.
Mirabel is soon forced to look deep inside herself and find her strength to overcome her own insecurities and save her family and community.
The film has great animation and is awash in color as it brings the magical community to life. The music is lively and is what you would expect from Lin- Manuel Miranda as it brings joy and energy to the film that is in keeping with the Disney tradition of amazing music in their animated films.
The biggest issue that I had with the film is that while fun and entertaining; the story never took the next step forward and at times dragged. This is not to say that “Encanto” is a bad film as it is lively, colorful, and fun; however it does not reach the heights of Disney classics like “Frozen” “Moana” and other classics. Think of it this way; “Lilo & Stitch” is a fine animated film but few would hold it in the same regard as “The Lion King”, “Beauty and the Beast”, and “The Little Mermaid”.
In the end “Encanto” offers a fun experience for the family and fans to enjoy and shows how even when they do not hit the top of the mountain; Disney is still the Gold Standard in animation.
4 stars out of 5

"And you were going to desolve the body?!"
my favourite part of season 3 has to be between Diego and Stan trust me Javon Walton has a huge future in this industry between this and Euphoria he's already proved himself several times over this show is **Chaos **in a word

Maybe this show will stop all the "liberal BS" so they can begin snake-handling and strychnine drinking to help balance out the politics.

It's a good show. The actors are doing great in their roles. If they can keep the liberal nonsense in check and stick to a good storyline, it has a chance of becoming a cult classic.
But if they can't keep the gay underwraps, the bi-racial chick from eating everything in sight, and a reasonable explaination for the youngest character aging out of his teen years, this show will tank harder than Westworld's 3rd & 4th seasons.

Great show!

This eponymous blue ericaceous critter can run like the wind and then turn himself into a projectile that can pack quite a punch. This isn't so normal on his home planet of "Mobius" so he is despatched to the more peaceable climes of Earth where he will hopefully just settle in. Despite the fact that there isn't exactly a surfeit of blue hedgehogs on this planet, he seems to fit into his small town American society and befriends "Tom" (James Marsden) readily enough. Being young and enthusiastic, he hasn't quite mastered his powers and when he let's loose accidentally one evening, Uncle Sam has to investigate. For that task, they bring in the scientist "Dr. Robotnik" (Jim Carrey). He quickly discovers the source of the problem and immediately realises that he might be able to put this to great use empowering his own army of menacing, laser-firing, gadgets that will help him to take over the world. The characterisation of "Sonic" here is quite fun, buzzing around all over the place with a congenial attitude and helped by a well meaning human who treats him more like a son than a spiny pet. There's also loads of action going on and it rarely sits still for long enough for us to get bored. Carrey, on the other hand, just reminded me of Terry-Thomas, only without the mischievous charm - I always found he over-egged his performances; there's just too much prattle and towards the end it starts to become just a little too cloying as the adventures start to give way to sentiment. Like so many films about visitors from another planet, though, it reminds you that if they ever do come, maybe the USA is not the friendliest place for them to arrive! It's nothing really very original, but it passes an hour and an half amiably enough.

"Sonic the Hedgehog" was an enjoyable film; it has funny moments, good shots, and they did Sonic justice. It had good music too; I just want to point that out in an awkward location in the review. Jim Carrey was a good Dr. Robotnik; I enjoyed his scenes, and I enjoyed how he played him. The flossing, ya know? The dance? Why does Sonic do it twice? Yeah, you heard me, TWICE??? Other than that, I can't wait to see the second film. I swear to God, if Tails or someone in the damn film flosses, I will cry.

Very good film for milineals

Good watch, could watch again, and can recommend.
This is surprisingly good, and I went in with really low expectations. Sonic has a long and very weird fanbase, along with a series of weird, weird choices in game designs.
The concept is very forced, but once you get past that and into actual Sonic content, it is actually a lot of fun. Jim Carrey does a wonderful version of Dr. (Eggman) Robotnik, and the change to him originating in on Earth 1 actually works really well.
I feel like there is a possibility for a series of movies surrounding the dark organization Robotnik was from. Carrey, Marsden, and the Sonic character have a some great chemistry.
While its not a great movie, it's definitely a lot of fun, and I think that is the right choice for a Sonic movie.

My roommate is a **huge** Sonic fan, and she loved it. I never really cared for the games as a kid, but I liked them a lot more than I did this movie.
_Final rating:★½: - Boring/disappointing. Avoid where possible._

Cute, family-friendly, comedy that's entertaining enough and sees Jim Carrey back in whacky, over-the-top form that's been missing the past decade plus it seems, and he works so well in this kind of film. Nothing innovative and the visual effects are hit or miss, however Sonic's design was well done (so thankfully the initial version was scrapped and redone from scratch). **3.5/5**

Jim Carrey as a bad guy... great bad guy, full of zeal for being the worst bad character ever, and not being his usual self. Sonic - the main character is fun, even if his backround story sucks when compared to other characters. Still, it is fun, full of energy, and a good movie to share with kids.

The world needed a hero -- it got a hedgehog. Powered with incredible speed, Sonic embraces his new home on Earth -- until he accidentally knocks out the power grid, sparking the attention of uncool evil genius Dr. Robotnik. Now, it's supervillain vs. supersonic in an all-out race across the globe to stop Robotnik from using Sonic's unique power to achieve world domination.

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Sonic the Hedgehog was one of my Most Anticipated Movies of 2020, not because I expected it to be one of the best films of the year, but due to the controversy that surrounded it. The original design of Sonic was awful, and a lot of people still blame the VFX artists/animators unfairly. These people work extra hours, they're underpaid, and they were given an impossible schedule to deliver a masterful work. Fortunately, most people now recognize that the studio and all of its execs are the ones to blame.
The Internet voiced its opinion in a very polite manner (as usual), but this time, an unprecedented event occurred: the studio actually listened and decided to delay the movie until Sonic received a better treatment visually. Now, I firmly believe that, in any other case, this would be extremely dangerous. I don't think the audience should have this much power over the studios, especially through social media. I mean, if studios changed their films every time people criticized a design or an adaptation decision, movies would be constantly delayed. However…
In this particular case, I'm super glad they did it. One question a lot of people might ask is, "how would this film perform with the old design?". It would be horrible. There's absolutely no chance of people enjoying this movie with the previous Sonic. This new design not only honors the character's visuals, but it complements the film's tone. Jim Carrey delivers an incredibly cartoonish performance, which would become way too out-of-place if Sonic looked (awfully) real. Having both the hero and villain being/acting like a cartoon, that awkwardness doesn't exist.
Sonic truly is the best part of the whole thing. If you've played the games and if you carry an emotional connection to this character, there are tons of scenes for you to enjoy. Sonic looks wonderful, sounds fantastic (excellent voice work from Ben Schwartz), and best of all, his personality resembles the videogame character. Everything that's directly Sonic-related is perfectly faithful to the source material, which will definitely please every Sonic fan. That's pretty much my main message: if you're a fan of the little blue guy, I can't imagine anyone being disappointed.
Unfortunately, he's honestly the only great aspect of the movie. It's really cool to watch Jim Carrey going back to his roots and having so much fun with his role. However, he's very hit-and-miss. When he's condescending someone, he's quite funny, but Carrey's mannerisms don't always work. Still, once again, I believe he's very faithful to the original Dr. Robotnik, who was by no means a "normal" person. James Marsden is really good as Tom, but his character never goes beyond "Sonic's pal".
My main issues are regarding the screenplay. No, I never expected it to be an Oscar-worthy narrative. I just wanted a simple story that allowed Sonic to shine, and in the film's defense, it's indeed a basic plot. However, the sheer abundance of cliches, the lack of any surprises, and the logical questions raised by some narrative decisions are too much to handle, in my opinion. There are three product placement scenes that are some of the laziest, obvious, cringe-worthy examples since the Transformers' movies. It feels like the film stops to have a few commercials.
Subplots that serve as tension-building during the movie fail to have a resolution by the end. Storylines that were once important are entirely forgotten and never addressed again. Every single character serves as comic-relief, everyone gets to be the "clown". I repeat: I never expected a brilliant screenplay. But is it too much to ask the writers to have as much dedication and creativity as the VFX artists who handled Sonic? The latter group worked like crazy to deliver a perfect design. Why can't the writers try harder to offer a more compelling, unique, and rational story?
The way Dr. Robotnik comes into play and the level of permission he has to do whatever he desires to is laughable. Everything human-related raises too many eyebrows and rolls too many eyes. I've commented about the film online, and some people addressed me by saying, "you're overanalyzing /you're expecting too much from it". I wholeheartedly understand these observations, I genuinely do. The thing is: I don't believe I'm overthinking, let alone expecting it to be a masterpiece. Why should people simply accept that a movie "can't be better than what it is"? Why can't people ask for the potential that a Sonic film has? Why should I be content that it's "not bad"?
I'm completely honest: I wanted to like this movie way more than most people. The whole controversy concerning Sonic's design and the unfair blame that the VFX artists received, left me with an overwhelming desire to absolutely love this film, so I could support the massive work that these people went through. I love everything that's Sonic-related in the movie. His design, voice, and personality are spot-on, and I can't imagine a single fan of the little blue hedgehog being disappointed. However, even with a really good cast and a 90s' Jim Carrey, Sonic the Hedgehog is packed with extreme cliches and narrative decisions that roll too many eyes. Some of the most obvious and cringe-worthy product placement since Michael Bay's Transformers. Characters built from Hollywood's recycling box and side stories are thrown away with no resolution. It's a fun adventure that any family can enjoy on a Sunday afternoon, but I can't lie to myself: I wish it could have been more entertaining and less frustrating story-wise.
Rating: C+

In what could only be a dead-of-winter miracle in the Upside Down, I just saw an inspired-by a video game movie that wasn’t absolutely terrible. There is nothing about “Sonic the Hedgehog” that seems like it will be watchable, much less actually good, but I’ve been proven wrong by this lively, wacky, and campy family film. There’s oodles of fun to be had here by both adults and kids.
This live action adventure comedy is based on the blockbuster SEGA game that centers around a speedy bright blue hedgehog named Sonic. Basing a movie on a flimsy gaming character will be ill-advised at least 95% of the time, but this movie finds the ideal balance between a lively (if basic) original story and well-placed Easter eggs for fans. Here, Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) has a series of misadventures on Earth with his newfound human friend Tom (James Marsden), a small-town police officer. The two have to work together to stop the villainous Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) from capturing Sonic for his evil experiments.
The themes of friendship and loneliness are at play, and the cast does a great job keeping things fun. Marsden is ridiculously likable and goofy as an everyman, and Schwartz brings an empathy that carries the majority of the film with his voice performance. Best of all is Carrey, hamming it up with a manic stamina that’ll remind you why you always loved him in the first place.
There are plenty of action scenes and rude humor (and a couple of strange, over-the-top scenes that read as advertisements for Olive Garden), which are all entertaining enough to recommend “Sonic” for a fun family night out at the movies.

I had high expectation for Sonic, simply because I love the concept of "super-speed" but it didn't deliver. The latest trailer had all the good scenes. A lot of scenes involving super-speed are incoherent and made no sense. You cannot have a missile frozen in time and a the same time a button push going faster (that's just one example). Jim Carrey nailed the role as Eggman.
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