Month: March 2024

SpongeBob SquarePants (Seasons 4-5) Retrospective: The “Awkward” Era

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Now, here’s where things start to get quite interesting with SpongeBob SquarePants! As everyone knows by now, the Sponge we all know and love have a very successful run with the first three seasons and a nice movie. With the way the latter played out at the end, that would give you the indication that would act as the conclusion to the series as a whole. Although that was the intention by design by creator Stephen Hillenberg, Nickelodeon demanded for more SpongeBob episodes after the film’s release due to how insanely popular the brand has become. Because of that, Hillenberg resigned as showrunner and a handful of creatives and writers left the show while new creatives and writers stepped in with the new showrunner being Paul Tibbitt and Vincent Waller acting as creative director until 2015.

As you would expect with the way Nickelodeon has been milking SpongeBob content dry throughout the past two decades now, the reason why SpongeBob SquarePants is still around today is because of profits. Not just with the ratings of the show itself but the profit it’s made with the branding and merchandise sales since the show’s inception. If it was up to Hillenberg himself, he would have likely ended the show when he initially did after the third season and first movie. However, because Nickelodeon bought the IP that he pitched, the company has a say for how long SpongeBob goes and when he stops. There is PLENTY to talk about in the post-first movie era of SpongeBob SquarePants, starting off with what is likely considered the most “awkward” era of SpongeBob. That era being Seasons 4 and 5!

Seasons 4 and 5 is interesting to talk about among the fanbase and mainstream media. At the time, this was seen as the period where SpongeBob jumped the shark completely and became bad. However, as times goes on, there has been some reappraisal towards this era of Mr. SquarePants, especially in regards to Season 4. So much so, that not only were these two seasons not bad at all but they were the last remains of the “good” era of SpongeBob or at least the last until MUCH later on.

It’s not that those that praise one or two of this seasons are in deniable of its flaws or it compares to the very best of the first three seasons. It’s just that there are a handful of genuine SpongeBob classics from this era that often get overlooked because of the bad press surrounding these two seasons. And these episodes are good enough to warrant this era of SpongeBob has not completely bad and in some regards good. It’s only once we head into the next era we will be discussing between Seasons 6-8 where the show did indeed get REALLY bad.

However, what is it exactly that has made these two seasons so divisive?! What is it that made it become so hated when they first released and only in recent memory getting reappraisal? Is it strictly nostalgia? Is it because of how bad the series would get later on? Let’s find out by discussing Season 4 and 5 directly!

Season 4

About six months after the original run of SpongeBob SquarePants ended, we got our first taste of this new era of SpongeBob on May 6th, 2005 with Fear of a Krabby Patty. That episode right there would set the tone perfectly for the rest of this season. It made perfectly clear that a new voice has been added to SpongeBob SquarePants.

The animation is more over the top and wacky, the characters have more movement and expressions to them, the episodes moves at a much quicker pace, the jokes become thicker and faster, and it overall just has a much different vibe compared to the first three seasons. Even for kids such as me that grew up with the first three seasons and headed into this one, this had to be quite jarring. All these changes and more are what likely led Season 4 getting a more mixed response compared to the first three seasons.

It is also believed that Season 4 was the start of many infamous trends that later and worse seasons would follow. Trends such as the animation being way too wacky and over the top, the plot and morals feeling half baked and not well thought out, the characters acting more out of character, and treating their one defining trait of each character as absolute jokes every chance they got. Two of the more disliked episodes of Season 4 such as Good Neighbors and The Gift of Gum are severe victims of that.

When looking at it through those lenses, it’s easy to see why Season 4 was quite controversial among the fanbase and media. The changes in terms of tone, animation, and feel to it was certainly a turn-off for many people. It was likely the first sign of the show existing just for the business side of things and not for an artistic side of thing. However, as I said before, there are plenty that look back at Season 4 more fondly. Why is that?

There is always some form of perspective when talking about SpongeBob SquarePants and it largely depends on when you watched each season of the show that it reflected your overall feelings to it. To many fans, they watched Season 4 when they were young kids and likely haven’t develop the critical mindset for themselves just yet. Because of that, they likely looked at Season 4 much more fondly because of the episodes that they do remember being among their favorite episodes of the show. Whether it’s that or how much better Season 4 looks compared to what came after, there are actual episodes for this season that are fondly remembered.

Episodes such as Krusty Towers, Skill Crane, Selling Out, New Leaf, Ghost Host, and Wishing You Well are ones that certain fans would put alongside the best of the original three season era. There are even a handful of “special” episodes that were able to exceed expectations where the ones in the first three seasons felt flat such as Dunces and Dragons and Have You Seen This Snail?, the latter of which might be the most emotional impactful SpongeBob episode ever made. The flaws in terms of the new style and episodes were still present but the good episodes of this series were good enough to where it was able to out weight the negatives of the series.

In hindsight, I really wouldn’t consider Season 4 to be that bad. Heck, I may even go as far to call it quite good. Was it as consistently great as the first three seasons? No but then again, I don’t think any version of Season 4 was ever going to do that. The bad episodes are still there but even the worst episodes of this season would likely not being among the top 10 worst episodes of the show.

With a season that had this amount of good in it, what was it that made it so hated at the time? I do think I have one big answer for that but I feel it’s worth saving that for the very end and go over Season 5 first.

Season 5

Now, Season 5 is a bit harder to defend than Season 4. While there are plenty of good episodes that are presented throughout, the bad episodes were really quite bad. So bad that it basically hurts the reputation of Season 5 and is the reason for many that this was around the time where SpongeBob got bad, even from those that defended Season 4.

I will say if we go back strictly the first half of Season 5, I would think you have a good argument that it’s on par with Season 4. Flawed but still plenty of good episodes here and there to balance out all of the bad ones. You have fan favorites such as The Original Fry Cook, Friend or Foe, Rollar Cowards, Krabs à la Mode, Spy Buddies, and SpongeBob vs. The Patty Gadget. Heck, you even have a handful of episodes in the second half that most fans wouldn’t want to discredit such as The Inmates of Summer, 20,000 Patties Under the Sea, and Pest of the West. However, Season 5 is also the one that would introduce some of the most infamous episodes of the entire series.

Episodes such as Fungus Among Us, Waiting, To Love a Patty, Pat No Pay, and SpongeHenge, played a big factor into supporting the negative narrative surrounding Season 5. It also wasn’t help by the “special” and highest rated episodes such as Atlantis Squarepantis and WhoBob WhatPants?, which were just as ill-fated and poorly received as they come. While there was definitely some gold buried within to find, there was plenty of filth covered in them to be able to find them.

The biggest flaws with most of Season 5 are largely the ones that people always bring up when bringing up everything wrong with modern SpongeBob. The humor is way too grossed out, the characters are thoroughly unlikable and make baffling decisions, the plot and morals are complete rubbish, the logic of each episode is thrown out the window, and way too much of the jokes either center around a character getting hurt repeatedly, doing something stupid/insulting, or just beating you over the head with each individual trait of the characters. While there were certainly a few episodes you could describe that with Season 4, there were WAY too many examples of that in Season 5 that made it defending MUCH more difficult and nearly impossible.

Season 5 has to be the most frustrating season of SpongeBob SquarePants! There are definitely good episodes to be found in this season that rank among the best of the post-classic era and the first half of the season was able to deliver mostly on that. However, it’s around the second half where too many flawed and ill-conceived episodes got released that hinder the overall experience of Season 5. Like Season 4, it gets points for experimenting and finding it’s own identity outside of Stephen Hillenberg, including bringing back the shorts which was used only once in Season 1. However, it loses points for doubling down on the fatal flaws of the bad episodes of Season 4 and making them even worse.

Just like Season 4, Season 5 has seen some appraisal over the years and I think that’s largely because of the amount of good episodes that I mention earlier. Unfortunately, the bad episodes are present and stand out like a plague whenever they appear. There’s too much that’s good to consider it bad but also too much bad to consider good either. Which is honestly why I can’t consider this part of the bad era of SpongeBob SquarePants but more of the “awkward” era of it.

The Not So Best Day Ever

I don’t think you can discuss this era of SpongeBob SquarePants without addressing the elephant in the room. The elephant that pretty much exposed Nickelodeon’s cynicism for the show’s continuation throughout the years along with the cynical practices of hyping up certain main SpongeBob “events”. While it’s easy to see why Season 5 is hated, it’s difficult to understand the bad rep that Season 4 got. That is until you talk about…..The Best Day Ever marathon.

For anyone that is unaware, back in November of 2006, Nickelodeon hosted a SpongeBob-themed marathon titled The Best Day Ever. It was a 24-hour long marathon where the network would air the top 100 episodes of the sponge’s history, which all would be voted by fans. This would also include the premiere of the The Best Day Ever special episode along with the first ever TV airing of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. This was hands down the biggest event ever for SpongeBob SquarePants and perhaps even Nickelodeon. While the ratings were clearly high, the reception from fans was ANYTHING but.

This event could not have been more disastrous if it tried. You had episodes in the top 10 that didn’t even remotely feel like they belonged in the top 10, you had actual fan favorite episodes that were either very low on that top 100 list or not there at all, and you had this whole marathon capped out in the most underwhelmingly way possible. You had The Best Day Ever episode, which is probably the most average SpongeBob episode that’s ever been made, and it’s revealed that the episode that got the most votes as the best episode of SpongeBob SquarePants to that point was no other than…..Karate Island. I’m not even kidding about any of that!

This was an event that just had the word “rigged” written all over it. All that hype for the past 23 hours and 30 minutes just for one new episode that has SpongeBob doing all the things we have seen him do a million times before and for one episode that isn’t that well regarded that we were all suppose to accept was the best SpongeBob SquarePants episode ever. This was a ratings trapped at it’s finest and unfortunately would be the very for many more to come from Nickelodeon in regards to SpongeBob SquarePants.

It was basically this event that seemed to open the floodgates of criticism surrounding Season 4 and onwards of SpongeBob. Not just in terms of it’s overall quality but Nickelodeon’s treatment of the show itself. This is when they were clearly trying to take advantage of audiences and using the SpongeBob name itself in the hopes it would boast ratings and viewership for the show. This was the moment that Nick exposed themselves of using SpongeBob as a cash cow. And I likely tend to think this is when folks came to the realization of the post-movie era’s shortcomings. A realization that is still being talked about to this very day.

In Conclusion

Even speaking as someone that always likes to play both sides, I can totally understand each different viewpoints in regards to Seasons 4 and 5. There is plenty about both seasons that don’t work and largely led to the mindset that SpongeBob as a whole should have stopped after the original run. However, there is also plenty that does work and it’s those diamonds in the rough that make both seasons at least salvageable compared to some of the other very worst to come from the franchise.

If you want my opinion, I don’t hate either one of these seasons but I don’t quite love them either. There’s plenty I do hate and plenty I do love but it’s not consistent enough on either ends to where I can say this is up there with the first three seasons or down there with the next three seasons. It exists simply in that middle awkward spot within the history of SpongeBob SquarePants.

Following up the first three seasons of SpongeBob SquarePants was always going to be a difficult task. Without most of the creative folks that made the first three seasons as great and memorable as they are along with plenty of new blood involved, it was always destined to be a challenge for everyone involved. I hold no ill will to the creative team behind these two seasons as they had to have know they were going to face harsh criticism and be unfairly compared to the first three seasons.

Even speaking as someone that has grown tired of reappraisals of previously hated media and contrarian takes just for the sake of being contrarian, I’m totally cool with Season 4 and 5 being viewed in a much better light today. The good episodes in those seasons shouldn’t be discredited because of all the bad episodes that surround it. They were all the saving graces of otherwise inferior seasons of a television show. I don’t know if I would go as far to call these two seasons great but I I would also not go as far as to call them terrible either. That’s for the next era we will be discussing!

Next Month: The “Bad” Era (Seasons 6-8)

Also, Happy Easter Weekend!

Studio Meddling Has Gotten Out of Control

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Kung Fu Panda 4 released earlier this month worldwide for DreamWorks Animation and has just passed $300 million worldwide, projecting to earn somewhere between $550 and $600 million worldwide on a $85 million budget. If those projections turn out true, this will undoubtedly turn a profit for DreamWorks and could potentially see a Kung Fu Panda 5 being greenlighted sometime soon. And considering how little marketing the film have with only main trailer being released, that’s quite impressive.

However, the response the film has gotten to those who actually watched it has been quite all over the place. Although the film’s reception from critics and mainstream audience seems to be generally positive, it has gotten a very mixed response from the fans of the franchise. Some saw Kung Fu Panda 4 as another solid entry to the series while others, such as yours truly, found it very underwhelming.

Most of the criticism of Kung Fu Panda 4 mostly revolved around elements that fans felt didn’t fit with what the Kung Fu Panda franchise normally stands for. Things such as feeling too inconsequential, relying too much on watered down humor, introducing characters and plot points that are barely explored, fan favorite characters such as Tai Lung and The Furious Five being sidelined or written out, and not pushing the series forward in any meaningful way. When watching the film, it’s easy to get the impressions that it felt like a mix mash of multiple different visions crammed into one, leaving the end product feeling rushed and unfocused as a result. And if a recent Q&A section with Stephanie Ma Stine is anything to go by, those impressions would turn out to be true.

In case anyone doesn’t know, Stephanie Ma Stine is the co-director of Kung Fu Panda 4. She’s co-directed the latest entry with Po alongside Mike Mitchell, who previously did Shrek Forever After and Trolls for DreamWorks. Stephanie is not a big name in the animation industry but has worked as a story artist on several things in that field such as the Big Hero 6 series, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power series, How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, and Raya and the Last Dragon. Kung Fu Panda 4 happens to be her first credited directorial debut and perhaps the biggest project she has ever worked on. However, if you were to go by comments she said in her Q&A through Discord, you would be hard pressed to believe she was meant to be a co-director when it feels like she was anything but that.

I will leave links below to a video that showcased the full review on Discord along with notes taking from those that participated in that Q&A but I will go over some of the main points that Stephanie mentioned when answering questions from fans on Discord and how it goes into what this piece will be about.

So, if you watch that video or read through the talking points from @RickDaSquirrel that I just posted, it seems like Kung Fu Panda 4 went through quite a messy production. From the film’s lower budget to choosing a proper direction to conflicting with the overall tone of the story to constant changes in the script to multiple ideas that were suggested but scrapped completely. All of that and more might explain why it took eight years for DreamWorks to release a fourth installment for one of their top pole franchises. However, the main thing that has stuck to fans of the series was how shockingly ignored Stephanie Ma Stine’s role was in production despite being credited as the co-director.

If we are going by her own words, it seems like she brought a number of ideas to the table for Kung Fu Panda 4 along with wanting to go with a direction that likely would have aligned more of what folks wanted for the latest entry of Kung Fu Panda. These includes things such as Master Shifu having a much bigger role, Tai Lung’s return feeling more welcome, adding more emotion and weight to the story, the new characters of Zhen and The Chameleon being fleshed out more, and the most noteworthy component, wanting to reign closer to the quality of Kung Fu Panda 1 and Kung Fu Panda 2, often regarded as the two best films in the series. However, none of those things came to pass because poor Stephanie was dismissed as a “nobody” by the crew, despite being credited as the co-director of Kung Fu Panda 4.

Instead the movie that we got in theaters more aligned with what other co-director Mike Mitchell was wanting for the film. He was given complete creative freedom by DreamWorks and because of that, he chose to go in a more comedic direction for the picture and put the majority of the focus on the jokes and gags. So much so that Jack Black even referred to him as the “comedy guy”.

He also initially was against the idea of providing backstories to the new characters of Zhen and The Chameleon, with early versions including ZERO backstories for their characters whatsoever. Aside from possibly wanting to bring back The Furious Five in a big role (with the Q&A suggestion that there is a push for DreamWorks to make a spin-off with them), Kung Fu Panda 4 seems to be much more of the movie that Mike Mitchell wanted to make rather than Stephanie Ma Stine.

To make this clear, I do NOT think what Stephanie said in her Q&A session was meant to be a hit on Mike Mitchell himself. I’m sure she enjoyed working with him and isn’t trying to put the full blame on him for fans that were disappointed in Kung Fu Panda 4. She was likely just trying to go into detail on the full process of making a film and the obstacles that everyone working on the film has to overcome throughout development in order to make it to the finish line right on time. She just wanted to be honest and share her experience working on Kung Fu Panda 4. While I’m sure I and many others appreciated that honesty from Stephanie, I believe that painted quite a picture on how movies are being made nowadays and how much of that development can be pointed at the studio executives.

Am I the only one who finds it crazy how despite being credited as a co-director, it seems as though the development for Kung Fu Panda 4 was completely one-sided with the film largely being 90% of Mike Mitchell’s vision and like 10% of Stephanie Ma Stine’s vision? You would think with a co-director duo, it would at least be a 50/50, with both sides coming together to find a way to make both of their visions jell together properly. When it comes to Kung Fu Panda 4, that didn’t’ seem to be the case whatsoever, feeling more like Stephanie Ma Stine took a backseat in the director’s chair to warming it for Mike Mitchell exactly.

I don’t know if this is because Mike Mitchell is a veteran director with a ton of experience in the animation industry, making him someone that the crew felt more compelled to listen to rather than a much less experienced Stephanie Ma Stine. I don’t know if it’s just because DreamWorks wanted to prove how diverse they are to everybody by giving a woman like Stephanie Ma Stine credit as co-director, despite her mostly being anything but that during development. I don’t know if it had to do with Stephanie not standing up for herself enough and/or Mike just not having her back enough. All I know is that even being credited as director of said film does NOT guarantee you releasing the film you actually wanted to make for the studio.

It’s just bizarre to me how not even literal directors of films nowadays can admit that the film that is being shown all around the world was really their actual film. Even when you are a directing duo or group, it’s largely just one person that is taking charge. Even when you are a solo director, it’s largely just the studio that decides what kind of film they want to make. This is not only the case with Kung Fu Panda 4 but with how most franchise installments are being made nowadays. So much so that it’s become progressively harder and harder to put the full blame of a failed product on a director when it’s likely the studio that is more at fault here. As much as fans who were disappointed in Kung Fu Panda 4 are putting the blame on Mike Mitchell, there’s likely a chance that not even he was happy with some of the end results of the movie himself.

Perhaps he wanted The Furious Five to play an actual role in the story, much like how he wants to make a Furious Five spin-off. Perhaps he wanted to bring back not just Tai Lung but also other notable foes such as Shen and Kai and have all three of them play a big role in the story and give them the Spider-Man: No Way Home treatment. Perhaps he wanted a bigger budget that would allow for those story elements to actually be a thing. Unfortunately, those are the kind of decisions that is not up to him as a director but the studios of DreamWorks themselves. After all, they are the ones in charge of the budget and they are the ones to give the thumbs up on whether or not a finished film is even remotely releasable. When taking all those factors into considerations, can you always blame the director for when a big film turns out bad or the studio that told them that the big finished film is perfectly fine and it’s good for release?

If there’s one thing that is a miracle about Kung Fu Panda 4, it’s that it somehow didn’t turn up worse than it actually was. While I gave it a two out of four stars in my review, there were plenty of redeemable qualities to it such as the nice animation, solid fight scenes, and a commendable voice cast all around. Unfortunately, it was the script and direction that brought down the entire movie, the two elements which seems to be the biggest problem with development. The fact that was a struggle practically put this movie in peril from day one.

The reason I felt compelled to make this piece is to give viewers the heads up next time a big film comes out that turns out to be disappointing for you. Don’t just put the full blame on the directors of the picture but more point the fingers at the studio who gave them permission to release the film the way that they intended. With Kung Fu Panda 4, you would assume that the project was both Mike Mitchell and Stephanie Ma Stine at the same time but it really wasn’t. It was either fully Mike Mitchell’s baby or fully DreamWorks’ baby but it really didn’t seem to be Stephanie Ma Stine’s baby.

While I’m sure she steered up controversy that she really didn’t intend to, I do thank Stephane Ma Stine for taking the time during her Q&A session to explain the process of making Kung Fu Panda 4. I think it gave plenty of folks good insight to making a film and how it’s not always about what you want your film to be but what everyone else around you wants it to be as well. Even if it’s not entirely what you want, it’s still a business at the end of the day.

I really hope that if a Kung Fu Panda 5 does happen, that Stephanie Ma Stine is giving much more control next time around along with bringing back Jennifer Yuh Nelson, story head of Kung Fu Panda, director of Kung Fu Panda 2, and co-director of Kung Fu Panda 3. I strongly believe if those two ladies are giving the shot to work together on the next one and are able to let their ideas blossom, it could be another triumph in the Kung Fu Panda franchise, up there with the first two films.

Even so, I do wish the very best for Stephanie Ma Stine and the other animators at DreamWorks who were recently laid off from the company. I do hope that the studio meddling of KP4 and recent staffing cuts doesn’t stop any of them for wanting to pursue greater talents and I strongly hope they are given better chances to display their talents in the future.

Why The Shohei Ohtani Scandal Could Break Baseball

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Opening day is just around the corner! We are headed to the final stretches of spring training and the players will soon make their way to their destined stadium for opening day starting on March 28th! Sure, the Dodgers and Padres had two matches overseas but the real show is starting next week for the rest of the 28 teams in baseball. The last thing that any team wants is for one of the expected key pieces to their potential winning club to start off the season missing a significant amount of time due to injuries or a massive scandal. While there have plenty of injuries happening, especially involving pitchers, before the opening day crawl rolls, I don’t think there is a bigger potential of a superstar missing the start of the year and then some than with easily the biggest superstar in baseball, Shohei Ohani!

In case no one is aware, Major League Baseball is currently undergoing an investigation on Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. This investigation involves an uncovering of $4.5 million in wire payments that came directly from Ohtani’s bank account to a Southern California bookmarking operation. On March 19th, Mizuhara told ESPN in a 90-minute interview that he had asked Ohtani to repay the debts and Ohtani himself gave the green light to transferred them to the bookie. Mizuhara also told that story to the Dodgers clubhouse after their game against the Padres that day. It certainly seems bizarre for having to pay all that debt at once in the hopes it would avoid further suspicious thoughts but hey, at least that situation is resolved, right? Insert plot twist!

As it turns out, none of that might have been the case whatsoever and Ohtani himself could be a victim of massive theft. According to ESPN, as they prepared to air the interview the very next morning, Ohtani’s law firm made a statement reading, “We discovered the Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft, and we are turning the matter over to the authorities.” That basically gives the impression that amount of money was not meant to come out of Ohtani’s bank account, at least according to his law firm, and this had to do with Mizuhara trying to steal a small piece of that 700 million dollar pie from Ohtani for his own needs.

The Dodgers fired Mizuhara almost immediately and has replaced him with Will Ireton as Ohtani’s newest interpreter. Another person that has potential link to this scandal is Mathew Bowyer, who sources believed placed bets with Mizuhara using Ohtani’s money. Bets that were made with an allegedly illegal bookmaker.

However, according to Bowyer’s attorney, Diana Bass, he “never met, spoke with, or texted, or had contact in any way with Shohei Ohtani”. Mizuhara emphasized that statement, “I want everyone to know Shohei had zero involvement in betting,” Mizuhara told ESPN. “I want people to know I did not know this was illegal. I learned my lesson the hard way. I will never do sports betting ever again. I never bet on baseball, that’s 100%. I knew that rule … We have a meeting about that in Spring Training.”

As of right now, Major League Baseball is looking into this scandal and figuring how who exactly is telling the truth here and what that money from Ohtani’s account was actually taking out for. Was it for personal debts? Was it for sports bets? Did Ohtani actually give that 4.5 million dollars to Mizuhara? Did Bowyer actually play a role in any of this? And most importantly, is this all just a cover for Ohtani to prevent him from getting suspended until further notice by Major League Baseball? I imagine those are all questions that folks that have read into this story might have and likely have many more on their minds.

I won’t lie, I’m not gonna act like I have a single clue as to where all of this going. At this moment, this scandal is so convoluted and full of holes that there is plenty more pieces to the puzzle before any further big action is made. However, if the last thing anything wants to happen does happen and Ohtani gets suspended not just from opening day but also for the future, this could break baseball beyond repair.

Back in December, I was working on doing a piece on how Ohtani’s 700 million dollar contract and the way the Dodgers are handling it could break baseball but I never got to finish it. I was quite upset because I felt I had some good talking points there that no one else is mentioning. As it turns out, I just need to wait a couple more months before talking about another scenario with Shohei Ohtani that could break baseball.

There is no denying that Major League Baseball will do ANYTHING in their power to keep Shohei Ohtani ON the field. He is the highest paid superstar of all time, an absolute sports legend in the makings, and is perhaps the greatest athlete in North American sports history! He is arguably the face of baseball at the moment and they do NOT want to lose that.

They will go through any hoop and any leap of logic to NOT suspend him. They will try to find any evidence possible that it was Mizuhara and Bowyer behind this doing and NOT Ohtani. The MLB might have rules they have forced themselves to stick to but they will always have limits and exceptions.

Here is that rule for anyone that is unaware:

Major League Baseball’s Rule 21 (d)(3) states that “Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee who places bets with illegal book makers, or agents for illegal book makers, shall be subject to such penalty as the Commissioner deems appropriate in light of the facts and circumstances of the conduct.”

That right there basically confirms that it will be up to Rob Manfred to decide which punishment, if any, will occur. Considering how badly he messed up the Astros sign-stealing scandal by completely letting them off the hook, no one is trusting him to do the right thing here.

I hope this ends up the best for Shohei Ohtani. He is one of the coolest professional ball players I’ve ever seen and it always feels like a special privilege to watch him pitch and hit whenever I can. I pray he was NOT involved with any illegal sports bets or debts because that is the LAST thing not just what the league wants but what baseball fans want as well.

No matter what you team you root for, we can all agree that Shohei Ohtani is someone truly special for baseball! And if that special someone gets impacted by this for opening day until whenever, then this might break baseball bigger than it ever has before.

Other comments:

  • I was gonna do a MLB predictions piece but to be honest, I haven’t followed the offseason like I normally did do to how piss poor my team played last year. Because of that, I don’t think I can come up with a real and honest prediction piece for the 2024 season. Sorry, guys and girls that might have been looking forward to that!

  • Secondly, it’s just been reported that Orioles owner Peter Angelos has passed away at the age of 94! May he rest in peace!

Updated Thoughts on Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man: The Great Web

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Earlier this month, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 released it’s very first update on the game. This was an update to add features to the game that players have been asking from Insomniac since its initial release and also elements that the company perhaps couldn’t add in time to meet its deadline. These include new game plus mode, the ability to replay missions, day and night cycles, new suits to unlock, tendril color changes, photo mode action figure mode and new stickers, suit tech fusion, golden gadget styles, and ultimate levels. And if the new debug of this update that some players have discovered is any indication, there could be a change we could see actual upcoming story DLC in the near future! While there will plenty that will argue that these are all things that should have been in the game when it came out last October, at least Insomniac was able to make time to listen to the feedback and add in those elements to the game, in spite of all the recent events that has surrounded them.

I reviewed Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 around the time the game came out and I gave it a very glowing review! I claimed it was a triumph and basically Insomniac’s Magnum Opus, just a perfect culmination of everything we love about the Spider-Man games and movies up to this point. My score for it was a perfect five out of five stars. It was for me the best Spider-Man game, the best Marvel game, and my #2 favorite superhero game of all time, with my #1 still being Batman: Arkham City! However, when letting my thoughts sit for a while and keeping my distance away from it since it first beating, could there be a chance that I just let the hype get to me? Does this game really hold up? Well, let’s see!

I will say right off the bat that I still love the hell out of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and still think it’s a fantastic game! The gameplay is incredibly layered and immensely fun, with the combat in particular being even more polished and improved over it’s predecessors. The overall core story is still among my favorite Spider-Man stories in recent memory, with my favorite version of Kraven the Hunter and Harry Osborn in any Spider-Man medium to date. I love exploring the bigger and more open world of NYC, aided greatly by the quicker transversal and the excellent new addition of the web wings. The side missions have more variety than the previous game that don’t feel like as much busy work as it did in the first game. The graphics are very stunning and help showcased the power of the PlayStation 5. The voice acting is top notch from top to bottom of the main cast! And not to mention, YOU GET TO PLAY AS VENOM FOR 20 MINUTES AND IT’S AWESOME!

However, when playing this game again through New Game Plus mode, I did notice a few cracks in the armor for my experience that I glossed over in my review. First off, are the missions that mostly relies on walking around with the other characters during an exposition scene or a flashback sequence. While I didn’t necessarily hate doing them, the way they are implemented in terms of gameplay makes the pacing of the game come to a screening halt. It’s odd to have a game as action-heavy and fast-paced as Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and then you throw these parts of the game in and it feels like the game stops completely just for the sake of having these sequences play out. It’s honestly makes me wish that those scenes were just animated cutscenes instead of part of the gameplay. Considering how much of a fast clip Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 moves at, it can be seen as a needed break where you can put your controller down and relax for a moment before getting back into action.

Even if the MJ stealth missions are a big improvement over the first game and I even admit to being that one guy who actually likes the puzzle sections of these games (The music is just so chilling during those!), I do think it’s for the best for Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 for Insomniac to just focus on the Spider-Men (and Spider-Woman) heroes themselves for the gameplay. Just put the core focus on Peter, Miles, and (supposedly) Cindy Moon as their individual spider-people and just make those kind of scenes I just mention for strictly the cutscenes and not gameplay. There’s a reason why the Batman: Arkham series rarely had you playing as anything other than Batman and allies in their superhero forms. That’s just what people play these games for!

Another grip has to do with the final phase of the final boss fight with Venom. It’s still jarring how you go from one phase where you face Venom as Peter and then the next one where you face Venom as Miles but then don’t have a phase where you take on Venom as Peter and Miles together, similar to their opening fight against Sandman. All it amounts to is a long cutscene with occasional button mashing and QTEs thrown into the mix. Not to say the sequence itself is bad but it felt like the final fight was missing that one-two final gut punch where you truly feel like the two Spider-Men together.

There has been some speculations that Insomniac was rushed by Sony to get the game out last year when they might have want to push it back to earlier this year. There was even an interview from the game’s creative director, Bryan Intihar, where he admitted that the team of the game had very limited time on the latter half of the game and were forced to cut ideas and sequences they envisioned out of the game to make sure it was released on time for it’s October 2023. This theory was approved even further when someone recently uploaded an unreleased feature of the game on Twitter that saw the Spider-Men fighting Venom and his allies in broad daylight, something which was not in the final game but was a part of the marketing for the game.

It likely will never happening but if it’s possible, I would love if Insomniac would one day release a director’s cut version of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. A version of the game that perhaps saw all of their ideas for that last third of the game with Venom take place along with possibly other features to the game. Perhaps then this game could surpass Batman: Arkham City as being my favorite superhero game of all time instead of just a comfortable #2 place for me.

A couple of other minor grips include a parry feature that didn’t really need to exist, the new ultimate level mode that you have to grind the HELL out of to get all the unlockable spider-suits with, and the new added suits that really do nothing for me. Also, I am ENTIRELY grateful, that I get to switch suits in the final boss with Venom so I don’t have to play in that godawful hoodie with Miles. Please, Insomniac, do NOT stick to that suit in Marvel’s Spider-Man 3! If you do, I am IMMEDIATELY changing suits the first chance I get.

You might think I’ve turned on this game all of a sudden but I’m really not. I love Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 to death and is the most fun I’ve have playing a video game for a long time. It’s just those cracks in the armor that I felt was worth acknowledging that I didn’t in my originally review because I might have been too blinded by the hype. This still acts as my favorite Spider-Man game to date and still possibly my favorite game of 2023, although I still have a few games left to play before making that overdue list. When you find yourself constantly thinking about the game during work and the first thing you want to do is go home as fast as you can and continue playing it, that’s the sign of a really good game.

I don’t know if the new update for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will change the opinion of those that didn’t initially care for it but I do think it will fix those grievances that some fans have with the game when it came out. Even then, this game is still a blast to play for me and I hope there is more to come with this game, especially if the potentially leaked DLC ends up still being a thing. Even so, thank you Insomniac Games for providing another great Spider-Man game. I can’t wait to see what you guys do in the future and I hope you are recovering greatly from recent hacking events.

I guess I would change my initial five out of five star rating to four and a half out of five star rating now if you were to ask me but I still love Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 all the same.

And btw, I guess I should mention the leaked trailers for that cancelled live-service game, Spider-Man: The Great Web, that got released last week. For a while, a new live-service Spider-Verse game was in the works by Insomniac. It would have seen players from all around the world getting the chance to play as their favorite Spider-Man or Spider-Woman together as they face off against Spider-Man’s greatest foes. Of course, you would have Peter and Miles in the game but also other known characters from Spidey’s rose gallery such as Spider-Man 2099, Venom, Spider-Gwen, and Silk. There had been rumors and speculations of the Spider-Verse playing a role in either it’s own game or potential DLC for Spider-Man 2. Spider-Man: The Great Web looked to confirmed those rumors and speculations as legit but it is now cancelled.

One one hand, it would be so dope to get to play as your favorite kind of spider-person with anyone else around the world in what would be the Spider-Man equivalent of Grand Theft Auto online. It would also appease those that have wanted to play as any other Spider-Man character that they likely would have never gotten the chance to do so in the main Insomniac games. Plus, getting to play as any kind of version of the most popular superhero of all time would no doubt make good money for Sony. It’s easy to see why on the surface fans would be upset this never got made but at the same time, Insomniac has more than enough reasons not to follow through.

First, with so much time and money spend on a live-service game like Spider-Man: The Great Web, that would have undoubtedly took time away from other upcoming titles such as Spider-Man 3, Wolverine, and that new Venom game (if it’s still happening after the leaks). With how much of the budget when into Spider-Man 2, I don’t think Insomniac would want to take their chance on a live-service game that would likely lose it’s appeal the first few months after its release. The Great Web might be an interesting game in concept but I doubt that would be good enough to warrant 2-4 years of focus put into it, especially in the light of recent live-service game failures in the superhero subgenre.

Speaking of which, have we all learned nothing from Marvel’s Avengers, Gotham Knights, and Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, the latter of which has seen a significant drop of sales and players since it’s release? Have we all learned by now that live-service games and superheroes are just not a good mix for each other? Live-service games have become a plague within the gaming industry. If not immensely successful, it will lead to nothing but layoffs and disappointment. Sure, you can argue a reason or two for Spider-Man: The Great Web working where the other three games I mentioned fell flat but it’s not worth taking the risk in my eyes, and I think even Insomniac would agree with that.

But yeah, that’s all I got on Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and the recent confirmed leaks on the cancelled Spider-Man: The Great Web. I hope you enjoyed reading them and let’s all hope for nothing but the best of our favorite friendly neighborhood hero!

Why Not Taking Risks Will Kill The Marvel Cinematic Universe

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Recently, an infamous source within the entertainment industry named DanielRPK confirmed what he has heard from the inside regarding the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. To answer to the underwhelming MCU box office slate of 2023 (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 aside), Bob Iger is looking to not taking as much risks with Marvel as before and is only looking to greenlighting movies that are a guarantee profit based off the names of the characters alone. That means that rumored sequels such as Eternals 2 and Captain Marvel 3 are no longer in development due to how disappointing they were at the box office. Instead, only guarantee recent successes, most likely films such as Shang-Chi 2 and Doctor Strange 3, will be given the most focus on in the future. This statement has led to many different opinions online and I might as well throw my two cents in there.

First off, we can’t even pretend to know what is going on from behind the scenes at Marvel Studios. Just because one entertainment source says something is happening does not actually mean it is indeed happening. The only way to know what is going on for ourselves is if we actually work at Marvel Studios, which I’m willing to bet that 99.99% of folks that are reading this piece are NOT. Or of course, if someone who works at Marvel explains the process of how a certain movie or show got made in an interview. Which again, I’m willing to bet that will NOT happen after uploading this piece. That being said, if these statements are accurate, that leaves me with nothing but dread for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

If Iger’s response to the critical and financial disappointment to the MCU slate of 2023 along with a handful of content from 2021 and onwards is to take less risks, then he clearly forgot why the MCU became special in the first place. Marvel Studios didn’t become what it was due to cranking out content left and right from characters the mainstream audiences were already familiar with, they became what they were because they were FORCED to make content based off of characters that only hardcore comic book fans were familiar with. Because they didn’t have the rights to already proven mainstream hit superhero IPs such as Spider-Man and X-Men, that made them make films and shows based off of non-tested properties such as Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther, and of course leading it all to The Avengers.

When looking back on it, Marvel Studios NOT having the rights to Spider-Man and X-Men from the beginning is the best possible thing that could have happened to them. Because they were forced to sell off those properties in the past to avoid going bankrupt, that meant they had to make films constructed around characters that never had a feature length film before. Yes, they had The Incredible Hulk who already had his own film and they would eventually partner with Sony to deliver Spider-Man movies as part of that universe but for the most part, the characters that made the MCU what it has since 2008 was NOT because it revolved around characters folks were familiar with, they revolved around characters which folks were NOT familiar with. And even today, the MCU is only better off for it.

Here is one counter argument I could see in regards to Iger’s direction for Marvel being more based around familiar characters instead of not so familiar ones. When a franchise is in a slump, it is wise to have a safety net of some sort. What I mean by that is it is best to have projects in the work that will have folks at least curious about and be good enough financial wise to at least to break even. In hindsight, it’s understandable to have another Doctor Strange, Thor, and Black Panther movie in the works because their prior movies were all considered to be profitable for Disney and Marvel. However, you need some fresh blood thrown in there, characters which audiences are not familiar with or at least haven’t been for quite some time. If you don’t, then not only does it expose the fact that you no longer have any tricks underneath your sleeve but that you also don’t trust your audience with something new. And that’s what hurts most of all, not having faith in your audience.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe would not be where it is today if they did not take risks. If they didn’t take a shot introducing characters that were not well known to mainstream audiences, they would never be as big or expansive as they are now. Rebooting Spider-Man and X-Men ten different times would not have gotten to where they are today. Otherwise, they would have likely been hitting brick wall after brick wall as DC and Warner Bros have constantly throughout the 21st century, constantly relying on Batman to get them out of certain slumps. If Iger and company thinks that mentality will get them out of their funk they are in, then he is delusional.

The bigger question here is that what if relying on familiar names does NOT work out in the long run with its current slate of movies. What if Deadpool & Wolverine does NOT become the billion dollar summer blockbuster juggernaut folks are claiming it would be? What if current events and production problems bring Captain America: Brave New World down at the box office? What if Blade and Fantastic Four aren’t the “familiar but not so familiar” brand hits that Disney and Marvel are hoping they will be? Most importantly, what if bringing back Hugh Jackman and Tobey Maguire for Avengers 5: and Secret Wars isn’t enough to make that even as close to profitable as the other four Avengers movies? If any of those unfortunate scenarios happens, that could be a sign that not only did refusing to take risks didn’t help your brand, it might have straight up KILLED it.

When thinking about it for the past few days, I can understand perfectly why Bob Iger wants to play it safe for the time being. It’s best to get audiences who stopped caring about Marvel superheroes back in the theaters with the remaining familiar characters they already know and like before taking other major leaps forward. However, I can only hope that’s not the ONLY strategy they have going forward. I do hope though that if the upcoming movies I just mentioned are profitable enough that it will inspire them to continue taking risks and introduce fresh new faces to the MCU roster. It’s only if they do that and do it successfully will the MCU continue to grow and expand, even 16 years later.

I’ve said in the past that as I get older, I’ve grown more welcome to having films take chances even if they don’t completely work out rather than constantly having films that play it safe all the way through with no risks being taken. And with the way PLENTY of big movies performed at the box office last year, I don’t think I’m alone there. The audiences WANT fresh and new takes on familiar material, not stale retreads that are scared of offending their audience. That’s why a film like Dune: Part Two has received massive praise and will have success at the box office while a film like Kung Panda 4 has underperformed critically and potentially at the box office. Audiences are NOT stupid and will accept new things done to things they love if it’s done well.

I can only hope these statements from Iger about the direction of Marvel are ONLY for the time being and NOT something they plan to thrive on for foreseeable future of superhero content. If that is the case, then it’s clear that Iger has forgotten completely why the MCU has been successful over the years and just thinks this plan will guarantee him easy, quick money. Well, *in Ron Howard’s voice*, it will not. And I sure hope he realizes that because if not, he would have killed the entire thing that he helped create.

It’s in your hands now, the merc with the mouth!

Top 10 Best DreamWorks Animation Movies

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This year, this will mark the 30th anniversary as to when DreamWorks Pictures and DreamWorks Animation was first founded.

If you were to take a guess on what other major studio out there acts as major competition towards Disney, the answer you would likely get more than not is DreamWorks. When comparing to two, it’s like comparing Marvel to DC. While the former have be more consistent in quality and have a lot more good movies under their belt, the latter on the other hand tends to have both higher highs and lower lows than their competition. However, when they nail a movie, they really, REALLY nail it!

There has been PLENTY of greatness to come from DreamWorks throughout their history. And I decided to make a top 10 list to celebrate that greatness even in a time of not so much greatness. First off, here’s some honorable mentions.

Honorable Mentions:

  • Chicken Run

DreamWorks’s first ever stop-motion feature film is known more for it’s reputation as oppose to it’s quality but it’s quality is still quite good regardless. The animation, character, humor, and voice work are all good here if not a bit dated. Maybe it’s because it’s not a movie that I grew up with or have much nostalgia that’s holding it back from being in the main top 10 but Chicken Run is certainly worth a mention due to it being one of the first memorable works to come from DreamWorks Animation.

  • Monsters vs Aliens

This film has people split down the middle but this still has enough laughs and great homages to carry it the whole way through. Monsters vs Aliens is just something that delivers exactly what it says on the box and nothing more than that. If that sounds good to you, you’ll like this movie. If you think it sounds stupid, then well….you’ll likely think it’s stupid.

  • The Bad Guys

The DreamWorks equivalent of Zootopia and Suicide Squad. A fun, beautifully animated flick about the joys of being well the bad guys, with exciting and energetic set pieces to boot. It’s not as clever as subversive as other DreamWorks properties out there such as Megamind but it definitely makes for one entertaining watch. Also, Diane Foxington! Just Diane Foxington!

  • Kung Fu Panda 3

Kung Fu Panda 3 is a film that is easy to dismiss when looking at it on the surface. From its familiar plot beats to its toned down humor, it almost feels as if it’s falling into the traps that the franchise has avoided up to this point and that it’s starting to become a shadow of it’s former self. However, with seeing how Po’s journey concludes by the end of the movie and at the end of this trilogy, there is something to chew upon greatly here. It really feels like Po has fully 100% lived up to the Dragon Warrior name, just as Oogway hoped he would the moment he chose him. It’s a step down from the first two but still solid overall.

  • The Madagascar Trilogy

When it comes to comparing all the successful DreamWorks franchises out there, Madagascar is a series that sits comfortably in the middle-of-the-road for me, and I mean that in a respectful way. It doesn’t reach the highs with the likes of Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and How To Train Your Dragon but it certainly no Boss Baby or Trolls. I just genuinely enjoy these wacky, funny movies that work comfortably as solid three out of four stars movies with no deviation from that quality whatsoever. Except for maybe The Penguins of Madagascar tv series, that is really great!

10.) Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

The second feature film from both Aardman and Nick Park, coming off the pretty good Chicken Run, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is proof that the duo could in fact make lightning strike twice. This is a hilarious stop-motion picture with unique animation, great jokes, and likable characters that are able to pull the hold thing through. Not to mention, Gromit might be the cutest and most wholesome dog in movie history.

The villain is quite flat and this isn’t necessarily one I go back to a ton, mainly because stop-motion flicks are not really my thing. However, looking at it objectively, there’s not much you can pick apart about Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. This vegetable caper is definitely entertaining and a cracking good film to watch whenever you need a good laugh.

9.) Captain Underpants: The Epic Movie

That’s right, I got Captain Underpants on here! Sue me! What might just be the most CRIMINALLY underrated/overlooked movie that DreamWorks has ever released, Captain Underpants: The Epic Movie is an absolute gem that is not just a perfect adaption of it’s source material but it’s a great animated film in it’s own right. It’s a bright, colorful, charming, and EXTREMELY silly movie about two troublemakers living out their childhood fantasies and facing the potential consequences for doing so. Kevin Hart and Thomas Middleditch have great chemistry with one another and helps make the film standout as a laugh out loud riot.

Granted, the film’s toilet and slapstick humor will certainly not appeal to everyone but then again, this is literally a movie called CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS for crying out loud! Even so, this one DreamWorks animated film I would love to see get more attention because I would genuinely love to see more films with these characters, worlds, and animation. If you never seen or heard of Captain Underpants: The Epic Movie, check it out as it’s pretty great.

8.) Megamind

Yes, the sequel that just came out was absolutely terrible. That does NOT change the fact that the original Megamind was just awesome. Able to subvert the standards and cliches of most superhero flicks to create something more interesting and layer, this is able to act as a massively entertaining destruction of the sub genre that has dominated Hollywood blockbusters for the majority of the 21st century. Will Ferrell is perfect as the title character and has great chemistry with David Cross’s Minion, Jonah Hill makes for a super fun bad guy, and Tina Fey is able to make Roxanne Ritchi stand out as one of the better superhero news report ladies out there. We also can’t forget the superb animation, awesome set pieces, and song choices and needle drops that all fit perfectly.

Do not let the awful sequel or recent tv series distract you from the fact that the original Megamind is one of the better and most creative DreamWorks animated movies they have ever made. It all really goes to show you that sometimes being the bad guy isn’t so bad and there is genuine fun for being what you are.

7.) How To Train Your Dragon 2

Fulfilling it’s role as the dark middle chapter of DreamWorks’s most critically acclaimed film series, How To Train Your Dragon 2 is a strong example as to why they can be counted on to deliver strong middle chapters for stories when they count the most. Taking the next level in terms of animation and technical achievements, this sequel is able to exceed for the same reasons that the very best sequels out there are able to do. It takes the characters to the next step of their development by putting them on a journey which makes them challenges who they are and why they do what they do. The voice work is also particularly strong here, especially with Cate Blanchett acting as Hiccup’s long lost mother. Not to mention, the surprising fate with one of the characters stands as one of the most bold moves that any DreamWorks film has every made.

While the antagonist himself is a weak line and it lacks the freshness and novelty the first film had, How To Train Your Dragon 2 is still a very impressive animated sequel that is worthy of praise. The fact this is only seventh on this list is more about how great the next six films on this list are and not so much of the actual quality of this great animated achievement.

6.) Shrek

Enter the iconic character that acts as DreamWorks most popular franchise, the original Shrek still holds up gracefully! Being able to bring together the traditional fairytale characters and tropes while also doing something incredibly fresh, funny, and subversive with them. Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz all fit their roles like a glove and help make their characters of Shrek, Donkey, and Fiona more iconic than they have any right to be. The song choices are inspired, the pop culture references actually work very well without it feeling too pandering or obnoxious, and it has an overall nice moral of never judging someone solely on their appearance.

It’s a shame that certain folks out there only recognize this movie for it’s memes and not for the actual top quality of this motion picture. Even when taking away the memes and self-aware jokes, Shrek is still a genuine classic that has stood the test of time as being one of DreamWorks’s greats. Regardless of if the nostalgia googles are on or off, I can still enjoy this movie greatly to this very day.

5.) How To Train Your Dragon

On paper, How To Train Your Dragon movie seems like every traditional heroes journey and human-animal bonding flick you have ever seen. However, not only does it do just about all of those traditions so well, it’s done in an extraordinary way that it feels like you are watching this story on fold for the very first time. Hiccup makes for a very likeable protagonist that’s easy to root for and his relationship between his pet dragon, Toothless, and his soon-to-be lover/partner in Astrid are so engaging, acting as the beating heart of the film. And don’t get me started on it’s stellar animation and flying sequences that blew my mind when seeing it in theaters and still blows my mind to this day.

How To Train Your Dragon is prove that just because you are telling a familiar story does NOT mean you have to tell it in a familiar way. If you add enough freshness and novelty to it where it feels like you are seeing this story being told for the first time ever, then you have succeeded entirely. This is often considered the best animated franchise from DreamWorks and it’s easy to see why. Also, I still can’t believe that Astrid in this series is voiced by the mother from Barbie. Try sleeping tonight knowing that fact!

4.) Kung Fu Panda

If there is one movie out there that is basically the textbook definition of “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover!”, that would be Kung Fu Panda. On paper, this sounds like the dumbest idea ever. A big fat panda voiced by Jack Black learning Kung Fu?! That feels like an idea that came from the same person that thought The Emoji Movie would be a great hit! However, once the movie came out during the summer of 2008, we all could not have been wrong about Kung Fu Panda. This is a movie that is greater, smarter, and more interesting than it has any right to be.

It’s able to use that “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover” mindset that not only acts what most folks thought of Kung Fu Panda when watching it but use that as the central theme throughout the film. And it’s that theme that makes for the perfect way to tell the story of the main character of Po, the titled panda that learns kung fu. We also got terrific animation, superb fight sequences, a wonderful supporting cast of characters, a riveting musical score and amazing character development all the way through. It’s those exact reasons and much more that makes Kung Fu Panda as good as it is and one that stands strongly as one of DreamWorks’s absolute best.

3.) Shrek 2

If you want to talk about the perfect sequel, look no further than Shrek 2, along with the other sequels on this list of course. The story is more engaging, the characters are more lovable and charming, the animation is more gorgeous, the voice work is more stellar, the set pieces are more creative, the fairytale/pop culture references are even better utilized, and the humor is much more funny this time around. Add in the wonderful presence of Antonino Bandera’s Puss in Boots, the Fairy Godmother as the main villain, and one of the best climaxes arguably in film history with an AMAZING usage of I Need A Hero and you got one beautifully done animated sequel.

There are a handful of logic issues (Like how it takes forever for Shrek and company to get to Far Far Away but only takes Gingy, Pinnochio, and others like a couple of hours to get there) but when a sequel is this well-made, heartfelt, and absolutely HILARIOUS (The C.O.P.S. gag gets me EVERY time!), it’s impossible to care. It’s so whole and satisfying that the Shrek franchise could have stopped here and I would have been perfectly fine with it. Great comedy sequels are really hard to come by and Shrek 2 stands out as one of the very best in that regard!

2.) Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

Acting as perhaps the most surprising film that DreamWorks has ever done, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is an exciting, triumphing Part Two to go along with the other great Part Twos that DreamWorks animation has created with their filmography. The animation is spectacular, the characters are engaging, the set pieces are fun and inventive, the story goes into dark places you wouldn’t think a simple “kids” movie would go, and it teaches a very valuable lesson on how we should live our life to the fullest with the ones we love before it’s too late. This also has perhaps the funniest bad guy in DreamWorks with Jack Horner and the most scary and intimating villain in possibly all of DreamWorks with The Killer Wolf, A.K.A. Death.

I think I speak for most folks out there that Puss in Boots: The Last Wish had ZERO right for being as good as it was. For a sequel that no one was really asking for, this acted as a near perfect animated film with phenomenal animation, writing, and voice acting to back that up completely. Never in a million years would I guess that it would be frigging Puss in Boots of all characters that could be in the conversation of best DreamWorks Animation film ever made but I guess anything is possible. Bring on Puss in Boots 3 and/or Shrek 5!

1.) Kung Fu Panda 2

Was there every any doubt? Kung Fu Panda 2 is not only as good as the original Kung Fu Panda, it’s even better. It does EVERYTHING you want a sequel to do. It takes the characters into exciting and new directions, it expands upon it’s story and lore in the most logically way possible, the action and animation are taken to the next level, the villain of Lord Shen is given more focus and is used perfectly, and it’s able to act as the best possible next step for the journey of Po as oppose to do just retreating steps from his first go around. Also, the scene where Po discovers inner peace is the series true definite moment up to this point!

As much as folks were doubtful that the first film could work at all given it’s bizarre premise, I believe there was even more doubt that a sequel could work in any way, shape, or form. Clearly the first movie have to be a magical fluke and there’s no way DreamWorks could make lightning strike twice, right?! Right?! Welp, you would be wrong once again! Kung Fu Panda 2 is not only the best Kung Fu Panda movie thus far but it’s arguably the best DreamWorks movie to date and possibly one of the best film sequels ever made period. It’s so good that there’s a good argument to be made that this is where the series officially peaked.

Ranking The 2024 Best Picture Nominations

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Another year, another handful of Best Picture nominees to talk about. This year, the Oscars just so happens to take place on my least favorite day of the year aside from my birthday, Daylight Savings time! I find it bizarre how year after year the Academy Awards keeps flip flopping the date of which the Oscars happen. One year, it’s February. The next year, it’s late March. And the year after that, it’s early March. I don’t understand all of that one bit but whatever.

Just like the last couple of years, there are ten total best picture nominations to talk about and rank. I won’t lie, my opinion might be controversial because I don’t I was as over the moon with some of these as most others were. Part of that might be due to personal preference and/or rewatch value but be warned in case your favorites of the nominees didn’t make it high on my list. But anyways, let’s get on it with it and rank the ten best picture nominations from best to worst.

10.) Poor Things

Every year, you have to have at least one movie on the best picture nominations that you acknowledge is very well made and acted but you didn’t care for it whatsoever. That so happens to be Poor Things for me. Yes, the productions values are great! Yes, Emma Stone is as fabulous as ever! And yes, there are a handful of funny moments and unique shots here and there! But, that still doesn’t change the fact that this feels like a porno than an actual movie with a bloated runtime and an artistic vision that comes across as more pretentious than as a real, honest voice from behind the camera. Maybe I’m just not a Yorgos Lanthimos fan as he has yet to make a film that impressed me but Poor Things is the kind of Oscar bait getting nominated that absolutely annoys me. Try filling up that flash with substance next time Yorgos! Only then that I might be on your side!

9.) Maestro

And speaking of well made films that did absolutely nothing for me, Maestro is one that left me feeling cold. The makeup and cinematography are great and the actors do a fine job in their roles but I don’t think this movies does a very good job on giving you an indication as to who Leonard Bernstein is. He doesn’t seem all that different from any other musicians out there and for a movie that suppose to show otherwise, I feel like I would give more info about them by just looking up his Wikipedia page. Not the worst biopic ever but one that left plenty to be desired for me. And if Bradley Cooper really does win for best actor, this will surely be his “Leonardo DiCaprio winning an Oscar for The Revenant” moment! And no, that is NOT a compliment!

8.) The Zone of Interest

This is far in a way the most experimental film of all the best picture nominations. The Zone of Interest tells the story of Rudolf Hoss and his wife and their desire to build the ultimate dream life for themselves and their family. However, Jonathan Glazer just to tells this story in a rather steady pace, trying to get every lasting moment of getting you suck into the film’s atmosphere and get a clear glance of how crystal clear everything in the film looks. There is admirable ambition to be found here but I still can’t help but feel like it would have worked better as a short film than as a feature length film. The fact it takes about three full minutes for even the first shot of the movie to be seen really sets the vibe of the entire picture. While experimental and unconventional, The Zone of Interest is a film that will surely test your patience and it’s only if you feel like it is worthwhile by the end of it which will determine your perspective on it.

7.) American Fiction

Here’s a film about a black author that is under more pressure than ever to make his stories more “black heavy” to make it stand out for his publishers and other authors out there. American Fiction goes into great insight about how mainstream media can’t seem to make black art without involving the negative stereotypes and racism surrounding black folks. Led by a commendable performance from Jeffrey Wright, this is a tight, witty, and thoroughly entertaining drama that dives deep into its subject matter without being completely one sided about it. If it could have stuck the landing a little better, then it would probably be even higher on the list, While I don’t see American Fiction making too much noise at the Oscars, I do hope it encourages studios to make more drama comedy films like and give Jeffrey Wright more recognition for being one of the very best actors working today.

6.) Anatomy of a Fall

The tagline of Anatomy of a Fall is “Did she do it?” I would make a joke review by saying, “I don’t know about you all but I do think she did it” but the film itself is able to be about more than simply that ringing question that is constantly hear throughout the film. This is quite an intriguing mystery that is filled with constant ambiguity and tension throughout that allows for multiple different perspectives from each of the characters involved, so much so that you will likely find yourself switching sides throughout the entire film. I do wish the first half of the film was more interesting and it had 15 to 20 minutes trimmed out but Anatomy of a Fall does make for interesting and accessible film that those that love a good mix of comedy, drama, and mystery.

5.) Barbie

The highest grossing film of the year is also in the top half of best picture nominees! What easily could have been a by-the-numbers flick for little girls that would have been better off going straight to streaming, Greta Gerwig decides to go beyond that and craft a film about traditional gender roles, identity, and why there should be a proper balance between the matriarchy and patriarchy. Barbie is as clever, funny, and creative as you could expected given the talent involved, with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling being a match made in heaven as Barbie and Ken respectively. The world-building is as strong as it could possibly be with a movie surrounding a toy brand that everyone is aware off, each cast member are clearly having the time of their lives, the soundtrack is one you are likely gonna have stuck in your head as soon as you leave the theater, and it feels so refreshing to see a new summer blockbuster that seems to have to same love and passion it does from both in front and behind the camera. It doesn’t all work 100% and there will certainly be plenty of folks that will take issue with the way it handles it’s themes and messages but for the most part, Greta Gerwig is able to make lightning strike a third time in a row and has made herself a new name to look out for. If you’re a woman, you probably already saw this movie and love it. And heck, even if you are a man, watch it yourself and you’ll probably have a good time as well!

4.) Killers of the Flower Moon

It seems like an unwritten role that every new Martin Scorsese film is a lock-in for a best picture nominee but man, does the man keep deserving that honor. Killers of the Flower Moon is once again a winner from the great Martin Scorsese himself. It’s an exceptionally well crafted and brilliantly acted picture that goes to show why Martin might just be the best when it comes to making these kind of period pieces. It’s as every bit of gripping, emotional, and impeccable as you heard, the 3.5 hour longtime while excessive is put to good use, and it’s another reminder why films like this are worth experiencing on the biggest of screens possible. And Lily Gladstone MORE than deserves that Oscar for Best Supporting Actress! It may not be his very best but it’s certainly a film that will leave an impact on you, one way or the other. As we reach Scorsese’s final chapter of his 80-year old life, this plays out as the proper beginning of the end of one of our finest filmmakers who has ever lived. As if we are starting to enter the final chapter of his filmmaking career. Because of that, it’s best to enjoy Scorsese pictures as much as we can while the man is still breathing! Let’s do that and STOP asking the man of his opinions on Marvel movies! Please and thank you!

3.) The Holdovers

While I certainly enjoyed The Holdovers on my first viewing, it VASTLY improved on me on my second viewing. So much so that this isn’t just one of the best films of the nominations, it’s one of the best films of 2023 period! This is a beautiful and heartfelt Christmas drama filled with engaging and lived in characters, a tremendous screenplay, spot-on direction, and great performances from the entire cast. As great as Cillian Murphy was in Oppenheimer, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Paul Giamatti pull up the upset and take home the Oscar for best actor himself. Anything to see him spotted again at a fast food restaurant with an reward in his hand. In all seriousness, The Holdovers is a genuinely excellent film that will resonate with you the more you think about it and watch it. It’s not just a film you will feel eager to watch every Christmas, but also one to watch for someone that don’t feel loved or appreciated enough in their regular lives. To those people, I can see this film feeling like one big warm hug. The fact this is only #3 on this list just says more about how superb the next two films are.

2.) Past Lives

Past Lives makes for a beautiful and touching tale about two friends, separated as children, being reunited as they confront destiny, their love for one another, and the choices they have made throughout the entire life. It’s a deep exploration of the connections we have with ourselves and the ones we care about along with our struggles that helps us define who we are. It’s about two dear friends that went their separate ways but might have an urge to try to relief the good old days in the here and now. It’s perfectly directed, beautifully acted, thematically relevant, emotionally engaging, and uses it’s slow-burn pacing to it’s absolute full potential. It’s a film where it’s ideas within the narrative are executed about as perfect as it could get. Even in an age where certain folks seem to decry the idea of films having important messages because movies just aren’t suppose to have that now for some reason, Past Lives is a reminder why we need films like that. We need films that teaches us the true meaning of life and why we shouldn’t take it or the ones we love for granted. Give Greta Lee the Oscar right now!

1.) Oppenheimer

If were going by pure objective quality, this would probably also qualify as the very best film of the year for me and not just strictly the best of the nominees. Oppenheimer is yet another masterfully made and directed film by the great Christopher Nolan himself, perhaps his biggest cinematic achievement to date. It’s able to tell exactly the kind of sprawling epic story that it aspires to be by acting as a character study first and a biopic second of the infamous man of J. Robert Oppenheimer himself. Every single member of it’s highly recognizable cast is able to completely disappear into their roles and captured their performances perfectly (RDJ better get that Oscar!), it does a great job of exploring the man of J. Robert Oppenheimer (played perfectly by Cillian Murphy) as not just “the destroyer of worlds” but as an impactful flawed man himself, the three hour runtime is put to near perfect use, the score is absolutely riveting and will haunt you in the best of ways, and is able to deliver fully on the theater experience in ways that no other filmmaker than Nolan can do. While it’s not quite my favorite film from Nolan (Inception and The Dark Knight will always be very hard to top for me!), this might just be his most important one to date, showcasing why he will always be a name to attract a mass audience with every film he releases! It’s currently the favorite one to win and if that’s the case, then it will be the second year in a row in which my favorite of the Best Picture nominees will take home Best Picture. It’s time for Nolan to get his due and he will greatly deserve it!

Ranking The Kung Fu Panda Movies

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Kung Fu Panda 4 is now out in theaters and because of that, it’s time to rank all four films in the Kung Fu Panda franchise.

This is a franchise that has always had a special place in my heart. I remember watching the original Kung Fu Panda in theaters and being utterly blown away about how good it was. It really gave you the notion as to why you shouldn’t judge a movie so harshly based off the premise alone. And while this franchise might have a different variation of quality in terms of movies and television shows, that core message still reigns true to this day.

I already did a marathon of the first three Kung Fu Panda movies and a review for Kung Fu Panda 4. I’ll put links to those at the end of the piece. But for now, here are my ranking of the four Kung Fu Panda movies we have gotten thus far.

4.) Kung Fu Panda 4

The worst Kung Fu Panda is unfortunately the one that just came out in theaters. Kung Fu Panda 4 feels like the kind of movie that people were expecting the original Kung Fu Panda to be before seeing it. Relying way too much on water down humor, barebone storytelling, and the most predictable outcomes for the characters imaginable, Kung Fu Panda 4 is a sign that perhaps that this franchise may have ran out of creative gas. Also, The Furious Five being written out to make room for the new player in Zhen certainly doesn’t help either.

For those that come to these movies for the action and some laughs, you might get your money’s worth. It’s competently made with great animation, enjoyable fight scenes, and solid voice work throughout but the clever storytelling and engaging resonate themes that have been a staple for this series is just not there this time around. There are moments where it feels like it’s going to get there and makes this stand proudly with the other three films but it instead chooses to take the quick and easy path every step of the way, which is not how the series was up to this point. It’s odd how for a movie that claims to be about change, Kung Fu Panda 4 does very little of that to the overall narrative of the franchise.

3.) Kung Fu Panda 3

Kung Fu Panda 3 is a film that is easy to dismiss when looking at it on the surface. From its familiar plot beats to its toned down humor, it almost feels as if it’s falling into the traps that the franchise has avoided up to this point. However, with seeing how Po’s journey concludes by the end of the movie and at the end of this trilogy, there is something to chew upon greatly here. It really feels like Po has fully 100% lived up to the Dragon Warrior name, just as Oogway hoped he would the moment he chose him.

Yeah, it’s a step down from the first two movies but I mean that in a respectful way. It still has the same heart and resonate themes that the first two movies have and it’s ultimately cool to see where Po basically was given birth at. Kung Fu Panda 3 is to the first three Kung Fu Panda movies what Return of the Jedi is to the original Star Wars trilogy, a solid B+ wrap-up/follow-up to its A++ predecessors. If this was the true ending to this series, it would certainly not be as definite as other series finales but it would have been satisfying all the same.

2.) Kung Fu Panda

If there is one movie out there that is basically the textbook definition of “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover!”, that would be Kung Fu Panda. On paper, this sounds like the dumbest idea ever. A big fat panda voiced by Jack Black learning Kung Fu?! That feels like an idea that came from the same person that thought The Emoji Movie would be a great hit! However, once the movie came out during the summer of 2008, we all could not have been wrong about Kung Fu Panda. This is a movie that is greater, smarter, and more interesting than it has any right to be.

It’s able to use that “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover” mindset that not only acts what most folks thought of Kung Fu Panda when watching it but use that as the central theme throughout the film. And it’s that theme that makes for the perfect way to tell the story of the main character of Po, the titled panda that learns kung fu. We also got terrific animation, superb fight sequences, a wonderful supporting cast of characters, a riveting musical score and amazing character development all the way through. It’s those exact reasons and much more that makes Kung Fu Panda as good as it is and one that stands strongly as one of DreamWork’s absolute best.

1.) Kung Fu Panda 2

Was there every any doubt? Kung Fu Panda 2 is not only as good as the original Kung Fu Panda, it’s even better. It does EVERYTHING you want a sequel to do. It takes the characters into exciting and new directions, it expands upon it’s story and lore in the most logically way possible, the action and animation are taken to the next level, the villain of Lord Shen is given more focus and is used perfectly, and it’s able to act as the best possible next step for the journey of Po as oppose to do just retreating steps from his first go around. Also, the scene where Po discovers inner peace is the series true definite moment up to this point!

As much as folks were doubtful that the first film could work at all given it’s bizarre premise, I believe there was even more doubt that a sequel could work in any way, shape, or form. Clearly the first movie have to be a magical fluke and there’s no way DreamWorks could make lightning strike twice, right?! Right?! Welp, you would be wrong once again! Kung Fu Panda 2 is not only the best Kung Fu Panda movie thus far but it’s arguably the best DreamWorks movie to date and possibly one of the best film sequels ever made period. It’s so good that there’s a good argument to be made that this is where the series officially peaked.

There’s my list. Feel free to share me yours!

And here are links to my Kung Fu Panda retrospectives and reviews!

Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024) Movie Review- Not Enough Skadoosh

Adam1 Comment

If there’s one thing that stuck with me throughout my viewing of Kung Fu Panda 4, it’s how the movie kept reminding me why the initial idea of Kung Fu Panda was mocked to begin with. That premise alone gives the indication that a panda voiced by Jack Black learning kung fu would basically play out as just being a typical slapstick comedy with dumbed down humor made for the littlest of kids, paint-by-numbers storytelling, and the most predictable reveals and morals imaginable. However, the greatest thing about the Kung Fu Panda movies up to this point is how it takes those “judging a book by it’s cover” expectations and cleverly subverted it into something better, smarter, and greater than it had any right to be. While I’m sure there were intentions of that for this latest installment with the Skaddoshinator (I promise that is the only time I will say that!), Kung Fu Panda 4 is basically the exact kind of movie we thought we were getting from this series from the very beginning.

The idea of a Kung Panda 4 was certainly not one that felt necessary but there were plenty of ways that another entry could work. While Kung Fu Panda 3 did bring a satisfying conclusion to Po arc’s in becoming the Dragon Warrior that he had always dreamed of, there was never a feeling throughout the third movie that it was the absolute endgame for the series. A third movie could be a fine stopping point but there was definitely another train coming along the way if anyone wanted to take it. And DreamWorks decided to take that train with Kung Fu Panda 4. I only wish they found an actual reason to want to hop aboard it.

Premise: Time has passed since Kung Fu Panda 3 and Po (Jack Black) finds himself on his last remaining days as The Dragon Warrior. Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) is ready to promote his panda apprentice to being the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace, the highest ranking of all kung fu mastery. Before he does that, Po must choose a worthy successor to take the mantle of The Dragon Warrior.

However, a new deadly foe has emerged with a new shapeshifting sorceress known as The Chameleon (Viola Davis). The Chameleon is someone that has had her own ambitions of wanting to learn kung fu but never got the proper respect to be able to learn it. Because of that, she wants to take matters into her own hands and copy the kung fu from other notable warriors in the series rose gallery such as Tai Lung (Ian Mcshane), Shen, and Kai to become the kung fu warrior she has always inspired to be.

With the Furious Five not being available due to going on their own personal missions and Shifu supposedly aging, it’s up to Po to stop The Chameleon. However, he can’t find the sinister lizard without the aid of a wanted fox thief named Zhen (Awkwafina), who supposedly knows The Chameleon’s location and promises Po she can lead him right to her front door. Po and Zhen go on a journey together to put the new villain out of commission, where the former comes to the realization this might be his final adventure with The Dragon Warrior title and the latter wondering what side she’s actually fighting for.

Oh, and also Po’s two dads, Mr. Ping (James Hong) and Li Shan (Bryan Cranston), follow their son without him knowing because they are so worried that their son, who had already beaten the biggest named opponents out there up to this point, can’t handle a fight against this newest opponent for some reason.

When reading through that plot synopsis, it basically gives you the indication of where Kung Fu Panda 4 head is at every step of the way. Yes, Po has to learn to take his next step in life. Yes, he realizes he has a lot in common with his new wolf companion and new lizard foe than he initially thought. Yes, he has to learn the true meaning of change. And yes, who Po chooses to be the next Dragon Warrior is obvious the moment that character arrives on screen. However, whereas prior Kung Fu Panda movies were able to take familiar stories and add enough layers to it to make them stand out as fresh and unique tales, the plot of Kung Fu Panda 4 can be read like a book that you predict the expected beats five to ten pages in advance.

As I stated in the plot summary, The Furious Five are nowhere to be seen throughout the main film. Yes, there is an explanation given of their absence in an (admittedly) nice 2D animated sequence and they do show up right when the credits start to roll, but they have no presence in the story whatsoever. Whether this was because they wanted to put the spotlight on the new characters or the fact that the studios couldn’t afford to have Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, and crew return due to the film’s shockingly low budget is beyond me but fans who were hoping to see them in action in this one will be severely disappointed.

The newest player this time around is Zhen, played by Awkwafina. On paper, this casting make sense. The crew clearly wanted to hire a celebrity actress that has the same range of comedic chops as Jack Black provides to the titled panda himself. However, the reason why Jack Black has always been perfect as the character is how he is able to perfectly mirror the appearance of a fat comedic panda while still nailing the dramatic beats when needed.

Zhen doesn’t have that same gesture as she is just as feisty, parkour, and can handle herself in action as much as Po or even Tigress can. She basically plays out exactly how other characters voiced by Awkwafina have with nothing new added. She is yet another side character that’s snarky, wise-cracking, and might just have a heart of gold underneath. It’s not that the character herself is inherently bad but she’s not interesting enough to warrant having other characters being purposely written out just to make room for her. Zhen is mostly just your average “grey” character and doesn’t offer much to the Kung Fu Panda universe that other better characters in the series haven’t provided.

The main villain of The Chameleon does feel like more fitting character in concept but still feels like wasted potential. While she certainly has a resemblance to Kung Fu Panda 3‘s antagonist with Kai, with gaining the abilities of other notable kung fu warriors, her whole parallel with Po is the one aspect that Kung Fu Panda 4 provides that feels new and refreshing. Both of these characters were underestimated by society due solely to their appearances but went on to accomplish greater things. Whereas Po went on to become the greatest hero, The Chameleon went on to become the greatest villain. The perfect good guy/bad guy dynamic is right here and could be possibly the most compelling one in the series to date if enough time and care was given into it.

Unfortunately, just like with the most interesting ideas in the film, it doesn’t have much interest in exploring it. This matter is just addressed in a dialogue exchange or two and never is given much focus on beyond that. The character herself basically comes across as an excuse to revive other notable bad guys in the series in the hopes that would get more butt in seats.

It’s also strange how The Chameleon claims to have been denied of learning kung fu due to being “too small” despite one of the Furious Five members being Mantis, A.K.A. a literal grasshopper! I guess kung fu warriors are just as racist towards lizards as pandas.

When it comes to the returning antagonists of the series, Tai Lung is the only one that gets enough screen time to warrant being considered an actual role in the story. And by that, I mean he gets a decent action sequence and a couple of laughs and that’s basically it.

The other notable ones are just there for the sake of continuity and nostalgia, with Ian McShane the only one reprising his role. Not to mention, the scenes where Po is witnessing all of his foes in the same place but Tai Lung is the ONLY one that actually speaks is LAUGHABLY noticeable!

I don’t know if this was yet again done due to a lower budget or there was suppose to be an actual arc for Po’s first foe early on in development (which there really isn’t) but those who were hoping that the villains would get the Spider-Man: No Way Home treatment are destined for disappointment as well.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment of Kung Fu Panda 4 is the way it handles the humor. If you are someone that felt that Kung Fu Panda 3 went too far with its slapstick humor, it’s unfortunately just like that here but even worse. There’s too many jokes that feel extremely forced and are just not funny at all. Too much of the humor feels like it’s only there to keep the toddlers entertained and not because it works in the heat of the moment for the characters. Yes, all of the Kung Fu Panda movies have plenty of humor but they always felt perfectly timed and made sense for the characters without feeling out of place.

With Kung Fu Panda 4, the jokes are nonstop and feel like they are only there because the writers couldn’t figure out how to keep the main story engaging so they just threw in some random jokes in the hopes that it would be good enough to push the whole thing forward. It’s like the worst kind of humor in Marvel movies increased ten fold. There’s only so many times where you can hear Po say skadoosh without it getting tiring real quick.

To gain to the more positive side, the animation is quite breathtaking, which is all the more impressive considering the film’s 85 million dollar budget. Everything looks bright and colorful, able to expand on the same art style from the previous three films while being able to modify it for this to be far in a way the best looking Kung Fu Panda film to date. All the locations of new and old are beautiful to look at, especially the scene with Po in the valley of peace. Even the distractingly out of place models for all the new characters (which feel like they came straight out of Zootopia) can’t take away from this film being a visual treat for the eye.

The action scenes themselves are as dynamic as you would hope for in a Kung Fu Panda movie. It still has that sense of choreography, rhythm, and pace that has always made the fight sequences in this series stand out as well as they do. I enjoyed some of the earlier bits of Po guarding the valley of peace along with the scenes involving him and Zhen fighting together or against each other. While I can’t think of a set piece here that holds a candle to the best ones in the previous three films such as the fights with Tai Lung and Shen or the one between Po and Shifu, along with wanting more lasting action in the climax, they do deliver when it counts the most.

The voice cast is able to do the best with what they have. Jack Black is as perfect here as Po as he always has been, clearly bringing so much love and passion to our favorite panda. Viola Davis gives a great and menacing voice performance as The Chameleon, making the character stand out more than the script will actually allow her. It’s neat to see Ke Huy Quan get a voice over role here for a character that feels like a mix between his characters from Loki and Everything Everywhere All At Once. Dustin Hoffman has shown age as much as the character of Shifu himself (Then again, the man is 86 years old!) but still fits the role like a glove all the same. Ian McShane seems excited to be back as Tai Lung, even if his role isn’t as big as I hoped it would be. Even James Hong and Bryan Cranston are able to get moments to shine in the film’s few funny moments as the two fathers of Po. And as I said before, Awkwafina as Zhen plays out exactly as you would expect a character voiced by Awkwafina to play out, so take that as you will.

I imagine there will be plenty of people reading this review that think I’m being too harsh and overly critical of a movie clearly designed for children. If you think that, that’s completely fine but Kung Fu Panda to me has always been much better than that.

The series’ greatest trick in the past was having you thinking it would play out like your stereotypical “critic proof” movies for kids but when you watch the movies themselves, there is something much more than that. Kung Fu Panda 4 feels more in line with what the series was originally thought of as being on the surface level, almost as if it was made by Illumination than DreamWorks.

For those that come to these movies for the action and some laughs, you might get your money’s worth. It’s competently made with solid animation, fight scenes, and voice work throughout but the clever storytelling and engaging resonate themes are just not there this time around.

There are moments where it feels like it’s going to get there and makes this stand proudly with the other three films but it instead chooses to take the quick and easy path every step of the way, which is not how the series was up to this point. It’s odd how for a movie that claims to be about change, it does very little of that to its overall status quo.

I don’t know if it had to do with a supposed rushed development, lower budget, or running out of creative gas but Kung Fu Panda 4 feels like it was only made to keep the franchise brand going and not because anyone had a unique enough story to tell for it.

If the series continues to stick to it’s initial six-movie arc plan that DreamWorks envisioned back in 2010, then they better find a way to spice things up for parts five and six if they want anything after Kung Fu Panda 3 to be worthy of existing.

As an animated film for kids, it’s passable at best. As a Kung Fu Panda movie, there’s just not enough skadoosh this time around.

Other comments:

  • Yes, Jack Black’s version of Baby One More Time is awesome and the biggest standout of the entire soundtrack.

  • There is actually a scene in the movie where Bryan Cranston has a little Walter White in him as Po’s biological father.

  • Who in a million years would have thought that Puss in Boots: The Last Wish would be by far the best DreamWorks sequel in recent memory and NOT Megamind 2 or Kung Panda 4?

  • Yes, I watched Megamind 2. It’s probably the most pointless sequel I’ve ever watched!

  • Oh and Mr. Beast makes a voice cameo in this one! That’s cool I guess!

  • Also, Po’s dads are so gay! Just saying!

Ranking The Films of Denis Villeneuve

AdamLeave a comment

This weekend saw the release of one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year with Dune: Part Two, directed by the one and only Denis Villeneuve. With that film expecting to be the biggest hit of 2024 thus far, what better time than any to rank all 11 films that have come from the great Villeneuve himself.

Denis Villeneuve is an interesting name when it comes to well known modern filmmakers. While he may not be as big of a household name such as Steven Spielberg or Christopher Nolan, he still does seem to be common favorite among film lovers, as he seems to always nail it when given the most pressure to do so. Even there are those that don’t care for his work or are currently high rolling at comments he’s made involving the push for longer films and film dialogue being devalued, they have to respect all the man has been able to accomplish thus far in his career.

With Dune: Part Two now out in theaters, the man has directed 11 motion pictures thus far. It’s time to take a look back at each one and see how each one ranks among the other. This is my best to worst ranking of the films directed by Denis Villeneuve!

11.) August 32nd on Earth

Denis Villeneuve’s weakest film thus far just so happens to be his very first one. There is a compelling and moving story hidden somewhere within August 32nd on Earth, a story about how times flies by quicker than one would expect and we will just never accomplish all the things we want to do throughout our lifetime. However, you can tell this is when Villeneuve was still trying to get his foot through the door and let his voice be realized on screen. The journey the characters are going through can’t quite match up with the overall scope of it along with not being able to stick the landing. It’s no disaster by any means but this is when the man’s unique filmmaking techniques had yet to be ironed out. That being said, you know you have gone to places when your worst film is the very first one that you have made.

10.) Maelstorm

Well, here’s the movie that’s about the most WTF thing imaginable when saying it out loud. We follow a young business woman named Bibianne who kills a fishmonger in a accident, disposes of the body, and then proceed to fall in love with the dead man’s soon. Oh, and it also happens to be narrated by a talking fish. Even when describing the main premise, Maelström is actually a simple pyschological thriller and has that mix of suspense and black comedy that not many of Villeneuve’s movies have. There are times where those two tones clash with one another but it’s worth a watch for yourself just to see if you are able to get into what it possibly the craziest thing that Villeneuve has ever done. I’m sure the narrating fish would approve.

9.) Polytechnique

Here’s the one Denis Villeneuve film that is based off a true story. Polytechinque dives into the 1989 massacre of students at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechinque, which saw the death of 14 women. Villenueve’s attempt to tell this tragic and haunting tale through three different points of views is ambitious but is lead to mixed results. While putting the spotlight on topics surrounding women’s trouble roles in society and reckoning with violence is admirable and done relatively well, the black-and-white visual style leaves the film feeling much flatter than most of Villeneuve’s films. Although, considering we are still having controversial debates surrounding the subject matter of this film literally 35 years later is deeply sad on the real world’s part. Even so, Polytechinque is able to set the stages for Villeneuve’s best French-language film, Incendies, later on down the road, which helps make this feel like a nice beginning of the end of his run with French-language films.

8.) Enemy

Here’s the film that is most remembered for it’s absolute effed up ending. We see Jake Gyllenhaal playing two different characters named Adam and Anthony, with the two becoming intertwined in each other’s lives and at literal war within themselves. Enemy acts as far in a way the most ambiguous film in Denis Villeneuve’s library, offering more questions than answers as to what version that Jake Gyllenhall is suppose to be the real person in the story. And of course, who can forget that ending which definitely left plenty of viewers tangled in webs, quite literally. I still can’t 100% say if Enemy works the way it was intended but it certainly kept me thinking all the way through which I imagine was it’s true goal. I’m sure Spider-Man would be proud with this one!

7.) Sicario

Here’s the film that saw Thanos and the Wolfman needing the help of Mary Poppins to fight Mexican drug cartels. In all seriousness, Sicario is a rock solid film that makes for probably the one film in Denis Villeneuve’s filmography thus far that can be seen as a straight up action film. The entire cast is fantastic here with the notable standouts including Benedict del Toro being completely terrifying as Alejandro Gillick, Jon Bernthal being as brutal and intense here as he is as the Punisher, Josh Brolin being reliably good as Matt, and Emily Blunt standing strongly as the lead and lone female presence of the picture. Credit also has to go to the masterful editing, gorgeous cinematography, and action sequences that are among the best of Villeneuve’s career. It’s rather inconsistently paced and the story itself is among the most conventional of Villeneuve’s films but Sicario is still damn good regardless. The fact this is in the middle-of-the-pack in this rankings says more about this director’s impressive track record than it does to devalue the true quality of this film.

6.) Dune: Part One

The first chapter of Villeneuve’s sci-fi adaptations of Frank Herbert’s work of Dune is a remarkable and impressive visual achievement that was made for the big screen. With it’s enormous scale, diverse cast, and world building like we haven’t seen before in recent memory, this sci-fi epic is just ready to insert itself into every book of “movies you must watch before you die” imaginable! Even after how impressive Part Two delivers, Dune: Part One still can’t help of getting too wrap up of being the first part of a story with pacing that feels a tad too slow and the overall feeling of the best still having yet to come. Even so, Dune is still able to accomplish feeling like a modern day Star Wars the way is has been hyped up to be and is practically destined to become the next big sci-fi epic that Hollywood will desperately try to copy and replicate with iffy results.

5.) Incendies

Among the last of the foreign released films in Villeneuve’s rose gallery, Incendies is still more than welcome in being the top five on this list. This is the film that pulls absolutely zero punches whatsoever and doesn’t shy away from the harsh realism of society. You think everything is going to be alright for one moment and then the rug will be pulled right from under your feet. Villeneuve is able to continue that bleak and complex storytelling that he is well known for along with providing what is hands down the best twist out of any of the films he’s done. Even once you know what it is, it will still be on your mind days after seeing it. Big credit also has to go to Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin with her emotionally powerful performance that helps carry the film. Even with all of his other dark and moody films on display, I don’t think there is a film that Denis Villeneuve has made that has haunt me the way Incendies did.

4.) Blade Runner 2049

I don’t think there is a sequel that seemed like the definition of a bad idea than Blade Runner. The original was a sci-fi epic that was way ahead of it’s time and had multiple different ending that did not demand a follow-up. However, Villeneuve makes what seemed like a near impossible task seem easy as Blade Runner 2049 acts as a more than worthy companion piece to the original Blade Runner. It’s able to expand upon it’s ideas and concepts of the original surrounding identity and purpose while showcasing some of the most impressive visuals and cinematography ever put to film. Ryan Gosling is able to carry the film completely as Officer K and Harrison Ford’s return as Rick Deckard is perhaps even more satisfying than his return as Han Solo and Indiana Jones. Also, Ana De Armas might be objectively the most beautiful woman on the planet! I could have done with a shorter length and without Jared Leto’s presence whatsoever, but Blade Runner 2049 is still a great case of a dangerous stunt being performed perfectly. Even if Denis Villeneuve ultimately regrets taking the mantle from Ridley Scott’s original cult classic, this is still an example of a legacy sequel done right and he should have nothing to be ashamed about the end results of this whatsoever.

3.) Prisoners

For many film fans out there, this was likely their first exposure to Denis Villeneuve. Prisoners is a dark, bleak and depressing look on child abduction and parents facing their absolute worst fear of losing their only children. Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhal give incredible performances here, Roger Deakin’s cinematography is absolutely impeccable, and the mystery behind who kidnap their children is able to keep you guessing and have you on the edge of your seat the entire way through. Btw, NO, the ending is NOT ambiguous and should be common knowledge that it got resolved! Even with a runtime of two hours and thirty three minutes, Prisoners makes for an incredibly intense and gripping thriller that will have viewers understand the bleak reality of parents not always being there for their kids and the lengths they will go through to save them. This was admittedly my first Denis Villeneuve film that I watched and man, what an introduction that was!

2.) Dune: Part Two

If Dune: Part One acted as Villeneuve setting the training wheels on his bike in motion, Dune: Part Two sees him being able to successfully take those training wheels off and pushed that bike down the hill with good graces. Nearly all that set up that amounted in Part One has immensely satisfying pay offs in Part Two. The action and set pieces are taking to a whole new level, every single member of it’s talented, stacked cast get their own moment to shine, the cinematography is absolutely jaw dropping and makes the IMAX experience 100% worth it, and it’s able to push all the right buttons on making a perfect sequel, instantly comparable to the likes of The Empire Strikes Back, The Two Towers, and The Dark Knight. This is an instant sci-fi classic that will likely go down as one of the best cinematic experiences that I along with others will have all throughout 2024. Even if it’s not quite my favorite film of Villeneuve, Dune: Part Two will likely go on to be his most successful film to date and one that shall get the attention of the remaining moviegoing audience that aren’t yet familiar with his name.

1.) Arrival

It’s quite fascinating how Villeneuve’s recent comments about how he encourages longer films nowadays and doesn’t encourage dialogue in films when perhaps his best film to date is Arrival, a film that’s not only a slim 116 minutes long but is the best film about language that I’ve ever seen. Despite those odd comments, this still remains one of the best, riveting, complex, and most emotionally satisfying sci-fi films I’ve seen in the past decade. A film that at it’s heart is not only about language and communication but also about the whole world coming together to prevent the worst possible outcome between the human race and extraterrestrial intelligence and encouraging only the best one imaginable. Amy Adams gives an absolutely powerhouse performance alongside her fellow cast members, Denis Villeneuve’s direction has never been better than it has been here, it’s exploration of communication and how to respond to other alien species is fantastic, and it has one of the most beautiful scores for a film I’ve ever heard. Plus, if you don’t get a little misty eyed by the end, you are a robot. Brilliantly directed, written, and acted, Arrival is Denis Villeneuve’s best film to date and one of the best sci-fi films I’ve ever seen period.