And here’s another piece of the marathon talking about an important specific episode of SpongeBob SquarePants. This time around, it’s for the episode that was designed to celebrate 20 years of the yellow sponge we all know and love called SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout. While it didn’t necessarily act as the finale of Season 12 nor the show as a whole, it’s executed in a way that this could have been the very last episode of SpongeBob and it would be extremely satisfying. To discuss exactly why, let’s dive right into SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout.
The special sees the citizens of Bikini Bottom and all of SpongeBob’s friends and loved ones coming together to plan a surprise birthday party for SpongeBob himself. While the likes of Squidward, Mr. Krabs, Sandy, Mrs. Puffs and…….Bubble Bass of all people prepare for a fiesta in SpongeBob’s own pineapple home, Patrick takes SpongeBob on a tour of the surface world to buy enough time for everyone to get the party ready. It’s when touring the surface world where the two BFFs come across their real-life selves, seeing how the OG cast would operate if the show took place out of water and were all playing completely human characters. Also, we see Patchy the Pirate who once again attempts to get to Bikini Bottom to meet his #1 idol and give him a special birthday president.
The ingredients for SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout can be seen from the initial premise right there. This is an episode that is clearly hear to celebrate and homage 20 years of SpongeBob SquarePants. You have all of the side characters from the show coming together to recognize the importance of SpongeBob’s role in Bikini Bottom, you have live-action cameos from not just the OG cast but also many notable celebrities such as Kel Mitchell, Jack Griffo, Daniella Perkins, and even David Hasselhoff that add to the gags and humor of the episode, you have SpongeBob and Patrick going on an adventure that they haven’t really gone on before, and it even gives an actual arc to Patchy the Pirate that makes the character feel like he’s come full circle. And the best part is that, it’s pretty much able to deliver on all of those fronts.
Of course, it’s pretty difficult to talk about SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout without drawing comparisons to SpongeBob’s last anniversary episode, A.K.A. the controversial Truth or Square, the episode that was designed to celebrate the 10th anniversary of SpongeBob SquarePants. For the most part, Big Birthday Blowout able to do nearly everything that loathed special did wrong. It has the right mix of live action and animated bits without one end overshadowing the other, the majority of the focus goes to the actual SpongeBob characters, it has a plot that has actual momentum, it has gags that are actually quite funny, there’s celebrity cameos that are used sparingly, and Patchy the Pirate has the right amount of screentime and isn’t around long enough for us to get sick of him. It also helps that there was no ads that promised so much reveals and answers to certain questions that the actual finished episode never really had. Whatever Truth or Square was trying to do, Big Birthday Blowout is actually able to do it.
Going back to the title of this article of the marathon as to why I believe this should have been the final episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, it’s mostly because this feels like an actual definite endpoint for the series, arguably even more so than the first movie itself. Heck, had SpongeBob ended after the first movie like originally attended, this special could have still worked as a suitable epilogue 15 years later. This would’ve worked perfectly as being a special “revival” movie for Nickelodeon, similar to what they did with Hey Arnold! and Rocko’s Modern Life recently. It just has that sense of history and passion that everyone remembers about SpongeBob’s glory day while also realizing how far the character himself has come.
And by the end of SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout, SpongeBob has done a lot for himself. He got to tour the surface world with his best friend that he had never been able to before, he got to see how human versions of himself would have played out in that surface world, you got to see the importance that SpongeBob has had on Bikini Bottom and himself throughout 20 years, and perhaps the most unique of all, Patchy the Pirate had finally got to meet his hero in a way that felt sweet and genuine instead of creepy. He even gets one last song to himself, a bunch of well-known celebrities congratulating SpongeBob and wishing him a happy birthday, and best of all, it gave a very special dedication card to the late great Stephen Hillenburg, which I imagine this was one of the last episodes he produced before his unfortunate passing.
I honestly believed had SpongeBob ended after this episode, people would have looked more fondly on the series as a whole rather than just the first three seasons and the original movie. It’s then that more and more people would have discovered some of the latter seasons, particularly Seasons 9, 10, 11, and parts of 12 and see that the series still did have some life left in it. And just before it was about to run out of live once again (the other parts of Season 12-onwards), it was able to end the series on it’s own high, unique note before wearing out it’s welcome once again. It unfortunately didn’t do that but it’s nice to think about it if that was the case.
That’s not to say the episode is perfect by any means. There are certain jokes that get quite old and aren’t very funny, the final song itself is quite…..bleh and not very memorable, and the animation can get WAY too over-the-top and expressive for my likings, something which can be an issue for me throughout a good chunk of the newer episodes coming out. Also, how is it you bring Mindy the Mermaid back but NOT have her have a speaking line or two. I mean you could get all of these other celebrities for a cameo but you could NOT grab Scarlett Johansson for a day or two?
Even so, the heart and passion behind Big Birthday Blowout is clearly on screen for everyone involved. This really felt like an anniversary special that felt like there was time, effort, and care to it that wasn’t present in Truth or Square. Whether that’s because Nick actually didn’t rush and crunch the cast and crew this time around or not, I’m glad that time, effort, and care was able to be felt throughout SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout.
Although Big Birthday Blowout wasn’t the technical end of SpongeBob SquarePants, I think it represented the end of the show for a lot of people. Similar to how I believed that Hello Bikini Bottom! represented an end to Gen Z’s era of the show and Nickelodeon as a whole, I feel like Big Birthday Blowout represented the end of Stephen Hillenburg’s run of SpongeBob SquarePants. This was that one last special episode where you can feel the dedication, inspiration, and just pure finger prints that Hillenburg brought to this series. After all, he was the man that created SpongeBob SquarePants in the first place. Now that he’s gone, SpongeBob will never be the same again.
While some good things have come from SpongeBob in the past five years since Hillenburg’s passing such as The Cosmic Shake video game and (if the leaked version I watched online months ago is any indication) Plankton: The Movie, Big Birthday Blowout still feels like the true definite ending/epilogue of the series. No matter when you stopped watching the show or what era of SpongeBob you preferred, this 20th anniversary special feels like the best love letter possible to SpongeBob SquarePants. While there is still one more era of SpongeBob to talk about for next month, I can’t help but feel Big Birthday Blowout is where the series’ train should have had a definite stop.
Thank you Stephen Hillenburg and I hope you are resting peacefully in heaven right now!
Moana 2 is soon to hit theaters just in time for Thanksgiving, like most Disney films around this time of year! This is an upcoming animated sequel that has been receiving it’s fair share of hype while also sharing it’s fair share of skepticism as well. The main reason for the latter is not only so much of Disney’s rather iffy track record with sequels but more of the development history that has been reported with Moana 2! That development history being about how the film was originally going to be a streaming series for Disney Plus until it was reworked to be a theatrical sequel, around nine months prior to release. Disney may deny publicly otherwise but this was clearly done in the response of last year’s Wish being a massive flop at the box office, leading them to release their next film on a familiar IP in the hopes of making quick bucks to make up for losing hundreds of millions of dollars of that failure! And if early projections says otherwise, they might get exactly what they were hoping for, with having potential to making Inside Out 2 level box office numbers worldwide!
As much as I am looking forward to Moana 2, I feel like I’m more interested of hearing what went on from behind the scenes that lead to the development state that it’s been in than I am of the actual film itself. Not only because of the recent horror stories about the development of big animated films such as Across the Spider-Verse, Kung Fu Panda 4, and Inside Out 2, but what we learned over the years about what happened to another recent Disney sequel with an insane development history. That film I am referring to is no other than Frozen 2!
Frozen 2 released around five years ago. Despite not getting the same amount of praise that the first movie did, it went out to become a MASSIVE box office success, grossing over 1.4 billion dollars worldwide, becoming one of the highest animated grossing films of all time, only passed by Disney’s own The Lion King (2019) (Yes, that technically counts!) and Pixar’s Inside Out 2. And while those successful numbers are quite crazy, I don’t think it was anywhere near as crazy than the reported development history from it. A reported development history that was confirmed by no other than the Disney Plus exclusive documentary of Frozen 2 titled, Into the Unknown. The documentary that basically straight up admitted that the entire film was basically being made up on the fly, with the entire cast and crew being crunched and rushed for time in order for the film to make it’s Holiday 2019 release slate.
Now, I know the big question that most folks likely have is how Frozen 2 could have been rushed exactly? After all, the first film came out in 2013, six years before the sequel and it was confirmed by Disney that a sequel was in the works in 2015. That would have at least been four to six years of development time in between each movie. Well, just because something was ANNOUNCED to being in the works does NOT mean that’s when the active development of the film started.
Before they could get around to Frozen 2, Disney Animation have to work on films that were already planned for release slates beforehand such as Zootopia, Moana, and Ralph Breaks The Internet. There was also having to deal with the mess involving John Lasseter being forced out of Disney and Pixar after sexual allegations came about him in 2017, forcing Jennifer Lee to take over as Disney’s CCO the following year in 2018 and up until this year, where she stepped down to focus solely on Frozen 3 & 4 and will now be succeeded by Jared Bush. Because of all that and likely more, I would imagine Frozen 2 didn’t start any actual development until either late 2017 or early 2018. And even then, that was likely only the pre-production, with the actual production not starting until even later than that.
One last element you have to keep in mind was that 2019 was originally set to be Bob Iger’s last year as CEO of Disney before he would step down and let someone else take over. Of course, we all know that plan completely fell apart so hard to the point that Iger had to come back to fix the mess that he inherited/created but before that, 2019 was suppose to be the swan song for his time at Disney, with Bob Chapek acting as his successor. Because of that, he wanted to go out with a complete bang if not for the audience but also all the higher ups and stockholders as Disney.
In 2019, Disney had an ABSURD slate of theatrically released films from their IPs they owned that were set to come out that year, many of which had potential to be billion dollar grossers. You had the Marvel Cinematic Universe which was set to end the Infinity Saga with the likes of Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame. You had Star Wars that was set to end the Skywalker Saga with The Rise of Skywalker. You had Pixar releasing yet another installment of their most critically acclaimed franchise with Toy Story 4. You had the live-action (or not) remakes/adaptions of beloved Disney animated classics such as Aladdin and The Lion King. And of course, you also had Disney Animation themselves releasing their long-awaited sequel to one of their most successful films ever in Frozen 2. Because of that, Disney was able to end the pre-covid era of cinema with SEVEN billion dollar grossers that year, with every single one of these films that I’ve mentioned cracking at least one billion dollars worldwide. While not all of these were critical successes, they certainly were successes in the eyes of the higher ups and shareholders at Disney.
Once you take into the context of the sky high expectations that fans of the original Frozen had along with the Disney corporation demanding that the sequel be out by the Holidays of 2019, you likely get a sense that this was going to be a nightmare of a film to make with so much pressure in and out for everyone involved. And if the Into the Unknown documentary is anything to go by, that was exactly the case for Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck, and everyone else making Frozen 2.
I’m not going to go into every single specific mentioned in this documentary but there are PLENTY of points worth bringing up in the form of cliff notes. I will also share a link at the end of this article with Schaffrillas Productions’s video about this exact documentary and even repeat a few points he stated during it. But here we go:
The crew didn’t fully know the plot or even premise of the film at the start and would only figure out major key things later on down the road.
They initially had no idea who the voice was that kept calling Elsa, with many conflicting opinions on who the voice was and what it was suppose to mean for Elsa.
Songs were written before knowing how they would play a role in the story.
Show Yourself languished in development hell and almost got cut from the movie entirely because of how vague it was and unsure what it was suppose to mean for Elsa and the audience.
Lost in Woods came together really well, with little to no issues making it.
By the time the first trailer came out, no animation had actually been completed for the film outside of the bits shown off in the trailer. This was literally just NINE months before Frozen 2 was set to premiere.
The very first test screening that took place in May 2019 gained very mixed reactions from the audience. While adults liked it, kids were very confused about it.
This led to numerous rewrites to make the movie clearer towards kids and to answer questions that the crew still didn’t really know the answer to.
Additional rewrites included scenes of extra comedy, most notably the stand out sequence where Olaf is recapping the events of the original Frozen.
The ending got changed constantly, with the crew only deciding that the voice would be Elsa’s mom just a FEW months before the movie was supposed to be released.
Tons of scenes and shots that had been worked on for months got thrown out entirely because they were considered to be too “boring” for younger audience.
The crew were constantly crunched throughout development, especially in the final few months For ex.) Editor Jeff Drahiem had to constantly wake up at 3 AM to clock in and work from 14 to 15 hours a day during the final stretch of development to make sure the film got done on time.
So, yeah! I think you can understand why the reported development history of Frozen 2 was just INSANE! What makes it even more insane is how Disney had the audacity to release a full documentary of this, where the cast and crew are being as directly honest as they come with their experience of working on Frozen 2. What was likely treated as an absolute triumph with Disney patting themselves on the back for the movie turning out as we all it did instead basically explained entirely why the film turned out as uneven and all over the place as it did to many people that watched it.
And yet, none of that really mattered to Disney or even anyone working on Frozen 2 because the film turned to be a complete success anyway. It still made over a billion dollars, it still sold plenty of merchandise during the holiday season, the franchise is still moving forward with additional sequels, and Disney is still repeating the same song-and-dance routine they did back then and do this very day. The fact that the production was rushed and the crew was overworked to complete exhausting doesn’t matter at all. All that matters is that the movie made money and that’s the only thing that Disney cares about.
To make matters even worse is the fact that Disney did not learn their lesson at all from Frozen 2 and continues to double down on their mistakes to this very day. So much so that it’s not shocking in the year 2024 to hear stories about a big new animated film from ANY animation studio having a rushed and crunched development cycle! From Across the Spider-Verse to Wish to Kung Fu Panda 4 to Inside Out 2, animators are getting crunched and overworked beyond repair in this day-and-age with likely little to no extra aid or even remorse to go along with it. It’s all that and more of is what is leading the animation industry to go on strike in order to get the respect and fair payment that they deserved.
Which honestly makes me concern for how Moana 2 will turn out. While I’m sure the film will be as visually stunning as the original and the cast and crew will give it all their best efforts, I can’t help but feel like we are seeing yet another rushed development cycle for an upcoming Disney sequel, especially in the wakes of this originally starting as a Disney Plus series and only being announced that it was turning into a movie just NINE months before the film is set to release. Regardless of how the actual quality of the film turns out, I DREAD having to hear the behind the scene stories as to what everyone was put through in order for Moana 2 to meet it’s Thanksgiving 2024 release slate.
I will say one thing! After hearing about the development history for Frozen 2, it has given me a TON more respect towards animators and the people that worked on this film. They are all clearly giving it their all and trying their very best to make the best film they possibly can. It’s only the mega corporations and higher ups that keep giving them ridiculous deadlines that keep holding them back from realizing their full potential. I honestly think it’s because of them that the finished film actually turned out to be watchable and even mostly enjoyable. It just makes me wish they were able to get the proper amount of time they needed and a better work life balance which could have led Frozen 2 to be as much of a classic as the original was.
Now, we must all embrace ourselves for Moana 2 and the Disney Plus documentary for it that will to come out next spring, where we will discover that they couldn’t figure out who the main villain was suppose to be until the day before the actual premier of the film. I sure can’t wait to watch the Moana 2 documentary subtitled How Far I’ll Go about six months from now.
Seriously! Look at this poor man, he look so nervous!
Whenever someone talks about Sonic in 3D form, it’s always that same form of boring, repetitive dialogue about how this is when the entire franchise went downhill. From turning Sonic eyes green to changing up the character design to being forced to play as Sonic’s “annoying” friends, that is always the kind of stuff you here from so-called critics. Similar to those that claim that SpongeBob has sucked since the first movie, the general conscious nowadays seems to be that Sonic reached his peak at the end of the classic era and that he just can never, ever be as good in the modern era.
Never mind the fact that games like Sonic Adventure 1, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, Sonic Colors, Sonic Generations, and Sonic X Shadow Generations got relatively positive reviews at the time of their releases or even other games like Secret Rings, Unleashed (Wii), and Frontiers got at worst a fairly lukewarm response. History always tends to be rewritten by certain critics and reviewers everywhere that Sonic has not and will never work in 3D! (Or in IGN’s case, Sonic has never been good!) I find that to be the most hyperbolic and nonsensical statement ever! Yes, there have been a handful of 3D Sonic games that are legit bad but there are plenty of others that are either good, decent, or at worst “meh”.
The biggest problem with Sonic over the years is the way that SEGA and Sonic Team is constantly trying to reinvent the franchise instead of sticking to a working formula and building upon it. Even when they have that working formula, they will eventually scrap it so they could start over from scratches and make another game that feels more like an “experiment” than an actual game. As a result, the series has becoming multiple different things over the years and because of that, people now want multiple different things. The more you try to change courses with the series, the harder it will be to please people and the more inconsistent in quality the games will be. And that is something has been painfully obvious with Sonic in the third dimension.
Now that Sonic X Shadow Generations is out, here are my rankings every main 3D Sonic game to date from worst to best!
Fyi, despite being technically a 3D game, I am NOT gonna include 3D Blast because that game is just not worth bringing up!
Also, I’m including the storybook series because why not?!
And also, Unleashed on the Wii because it’s different enough than the HD version and plenty of folks out there have that as their definite version of the game.
17.) Sonic and the Secret Rings (2007)
While this might not be the game that caused the most damage to Sonic’s reputation, I can’t think of a more infuriating 3D experience than with Sonic and the Secret Rings! It’s Aladdin-like storybook premise involving genies and magic books is an interesting idea on paper but the execution for it is probably some of the worst I’ve seen in any video game!
The levels are poorly designed, the level progression and padding is beyond stupid, and the controls are easily the worst of any 3D Sonic game and perhaps any video game ever! Sonic has never controlled so awkwardly and has never had more outrageous design choices than the ones that are present here. Throw in an annoying theme song that plays nonstop, an idiotic bad guy with such an absurdly stupid plan, and a laughable ending and you got perhaps the worst Sonic game in the main series!
Sonic and the Secret Rings is not just the worst 3D Sonic game ever made, it’s one of the worst video games I’ve ever played period! This is the only game on this list that I never beat because I don’t have the patience or insanity to do so. And keep in mind, I’m someone that played through and beat all the other games on this list, even the bad ones! That should tell you something!
16.) Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (2014)
The most poorly received 3D Sonic title to date is not quite the worst thing to ever happen to the blue blur but it’s pretty damn close. It has a nice tone and cinematic feel to it with plenty of solid banter and voice work throughout. Unfortunately, when it comes to the actual gameplay itself, it’s about as unpolished and lackluster than you could possibly imagine for a video game!
The Ratchet & Clank treatment that Big Red Button Studios desires to give Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric does not work in the slightest, making the whole experience feel not so much like a Sonic game but a game that just happens to have Sonic characters in it. The level design is dull, the main villain Lyric is nothing more than generic bad guy #723, and plenty of folks have picked apart the number of bugs and glitches to death that it’s hardly worth bringing up. And also Shadow is here for literally no reason whatsoever!
The main results of Rise of Lyric is a show tie-in in game that was clearly rushed out of the gate to make it on time for the Sonic Boom TV series to premiere in November 2014. It’s a game that’s so bad that it practically killed Big Red Button before they even had a chance to get their foot through the door. While the main Sonic Boom show was able to win the hearts of many fans, this Wii U exclusive cash-in is best left ignored.
15.) Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
Everyone and their mother have picked this game apart and for good reason. The story is dumb and nonsensical, the controls are completely broken, many of the side characters/missions are pointless, the loading times are obnoxious and way too long, and the glitches are just everywhere, EVERYWHERE! And of course, the beasility romance makes the love story in Twilight seem believable. However, as time goes by, there is something to admire about 06 as it has the kind of scale and ambition that most games in the series didn’t have up until Frontiers.
Sonic and Blaze the Cat are mostly fun to play as (*insert Chimanruler15 forgetting who Blaze the Cat is*), the music is amazing (a consistent quality in most Sonic games), and even the glitches can be quite fun to play around with and show off to your friends. Just a shame that Sonic Team shot themselves in the foot repeatedly making dumb decision after dumb decision during development with SEGA breathing down their neck to make sure it gets released on time by Christmas 2006.
Maybe it’s because many years has passed where the wounds have had time to heal and there’s been plenty of fan mods that have helped “fixed” the game but kinda like with Shadow the Hedgehog, I do find this to be a guilty pleasure in quite a bit of areas. Would I ever call the game good? Hell no! But would I call it the worst game ever made or even my least favorite Sonic game? Hell no as well!
14.) Shadow the Hedgehog (2005)
The one time in the series where Sonic Team tried to make the Sonic franchise a bit “edgier” and more suited to “mature” audiences. Boy, was that a mistake! What we are given with Shadow The Hedgehog is a huge departure from the main series, despite still being canon to the main storyline of the franchise.
With aliens, machine guns, and a whole lot of “damns” thrown in the mix, this feels like a fan game with a script writing by a 10-year old edge lord who played way too much Call of Duty and learned a few bad words overnight. Yes, this is as completely stupid as it sounds. The most surprising thing is that the gun gameplay itself is actually quite solid and is actually the big highlight of the game. Too bad, the level themselves are too long, the narrative is convoluted as hell, and being forced to beat the game in TEN different ways in order to unlock the final story is padding at it’s absolute worst.
I will admit to finding this game to be a guilty pleasure in some areas since the plot and cutscenes are hilarious in a “so bad, it’s good” kind of way (“I’m going to destroy this damn planet!” kills me every time!). That being said, there is no damn way in hell I can call this a damn good game. (See what I did there?!). At least, this game and Black Doom would get (somewhat) of a redemption arc later on down the road nearly two decades later.
13.) Sonic and the Black Knight (2009)
The best thing you can say about The Black Knight is that it’s immensely better than Secret Rings. The controls itself are functional and the gameplay itself is actually playable. Plus, it looks and sounds great and the story/cutscenes themselves are pretty entertaining, with some of the best and sharpest writing in any Sonic game. And I don’t think Sonic has sounded any better than he does with this game with Jason Griffith killing it here! However, it still can’t quite unlock the potential of Sonic in these storybook settings.
The levels themselves are quite dull with not much challenge or momentum to it, the progression is still as dumb as it was in Secret Rings, and the majority of the experiences mostly just amounts to shaking the Wii remote over and over and over again. Not to mention, the game itself can be beaten in just three or so hours with not much post-game content for you to want to play more of it after you beat the main story.
For a game as bizarre of a premise as this, you would think it would leave more of an impression on you than simply “meh”. Sonic and the Black Knight was so “meh” in fact that SEGA basically abandoned doing any more of these storybook arc games due to the middling reception and sales for it. You can certainly do worse but you can also do a whole lot better.
12.) Sonic Lost World (Wii U) (2013)
When I brought up in the beginning how Sonic Team has this constant nag of always trying to re-invent the wheels instead of letting a good idea simmer, Sonic Lost World is a great example of what I was referring to. The follow-up to Sonic Generations sees Sonic Team NOT trying to take the boost formula one step further but instead, takes a page from Super Mario Galaxy with floating gimmicks and putting more focus on platforming than speed. Unfortunately, the game itself never quite understands why that gameplay worked exclusively for Mario and not so much for Sonic.
Sonic Lost World a perfect definition of throwing stuff as the wall to see what sticks. A good chunk of levels work well enough and are fun to play but there’s never a consistency to the main core gameplay because it’s never established what exactly the core of the game is. The game constantly changes the rules as you go on to the point where you wonder who this game was even made for. And don’t even get me started on the story which it’s tryhard “drama” between Sonic and Tails along with the main bad guys that are simply Skylander rejects and only rival The Doom Syndicate from Megamind 2 as being the most generic and one-note bad guys to ever exist.
There’s being ambitious and then there’s just being aimless. Despite having it’s moments, SonicLost World definitely leans much closer to the latter than the former. As the good old saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
11.) Sonic Forces (2017)
After the mixed results of Lost World, Sonic Team goes back to the boost formula that made Unleashed, Colors, and Generations so successful, only to end up breaking what wasn’t originally broken. Imagine a more water-down version of Sonic Generations with a create-your-own character gimmick slapped onto it and this is basically what you get.
The levels themselves are way too short and easy, Classic Sonic is useless and butchered beyond repair, the story never goes far enough with wanting to act as a departure to the main series by letting Eggman win, and don’t get me started on Infinite and his “I AM NOT WEAK” nonsense. At least Modern Sonic is still fun to play as and there’s some enjoyment to be had with having your own custom character interact with the other main players of the Sonic franchise, even if they are about as “self-insert” as it gets.
You can make the argument that Lost World (and even Black Knight) are more polished and better made games but Forces does feel more in-line with Sonic and has at least clear idea of what target audience it has in mind. While I still find this game to be MASSIVELY over hated by Sonic fans and gamers anywhere (I seriously can’t take you seriously if you say this game is worse than Sonic 06!), there’s not much done in Sonic Forces that hasn’t been done better in plenty other Sonic games. It’s a perfectly middle-of-the-road game that deserves it’s middle-of-the-road ranking of the 3D Sonic games.
10.) Sonic Heroes (2004)
I’m gonna say straight up front that Sonic Heroes was the first Sonic game I’ve ever played. That lone fact alone makes me want to biased and put on my nostalgic goggles to have this game ranked much higher that it is. However, if I were to be unfortunately critical, I can’t deny that this game is very flawed and far from perfect.
There are good chunks of the game that are fast and fun, the level design themselves have plenty of neat gimmicks and designs that stand among the best in the franchise, the soundtrack is stellar with nearly every track being a winner, and the overall message and concept of teamwork is a great and interesting one for the Sonic series. Unfortunately, there are major issues when it comes to controls, physics, and repetition that really tank the experience for a lot of people. The game can feel too fast at times, the physics are quite sloppily, the special stages are a headache, and being forced to play the exact same game four times over in order to unlock the true final story is the exact kind of needless padding that tends to plaque a lot of Sonic games.
The good and bad of Sonic Heroes balance each other throughout the entirety of the game. It will mostly depends on what end you find yourself landing on more when playing it that will determine your overall feelings of the game as a whole. However, if there is any Sonic game that would benefit HEAVILY from a remaster, it’s this game! I’m grateful for Sonic Heroes for existing and getting me into Sonic but I wish the whole experience could have been more consistently great like the best Sonic games are.
9.) Sonic Unleashed (Wii) (2008)
The PS2/Wii version of Unleashed is quite different from it’s HD counterpart but it’s arguably the inferior version of this polarizing game. It’s doesn’t so much share the pros and cons of the HD version but has pros and cons of it’s own.
There’s no metal collecting, the night stages are much shorter, no forced hub world sections, you can actually explore the Gaia temples this time around, and even the final boss has a Punch-Out Wii section that I can’t help but love. However, there’s more night stages than necessary, less day stages than necessary, and getting extra lives is more tedious than necessary. Who seriously thought it was good idea to take away the “100 rings gives you an extra life” gimmick? It was a dumb idea when they did it in Lost World and it’s a dumb idea here. The first 2/3rds of Unleashed are relatively enjoyable with a proper balance of everything but the last third gets way too bloated and padded to a ridiculous level which will likely leave you quite exhausted by the time the credit roll.
There has been debates as to whether or not the SD or HD version of Sonic Unleashed is the better experience. I’m gonna put my foot down as say that the PS2/Wii version is the inferior version of this beloved/infamous 3D Sonic experience. It’s worth trying out if you are interest but definitely get it at a discount.
8.) Sonic Dream Team (2023)
This newest 3D installment made exclusively for IOS and Apple Devices makes for the first fully 3D Sonic game with multiple characters added to the main campaign since Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). Following the mixed results of mobile Sonic games with the likes of Sonic Dash and Sonic Forces: Speed Battle, Sonic Dream Team is able to provide the most comfortable feeling mobile Sonic game to date, with no extra expenses needed to enjoy the experience.
Being able to take control as Sonic and his friends, Dream Team is able to use it’s Inception mixed with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater quite well, with a nice variety of levels, missions, and collectibles. The graphics are bright and colorful, each character are comfortable to control along with having their own unique ability, and how in the world is it that the cutscenes have more animation than Sonic Team’s recent console games? The story itself is quite meh and it will likely take you a level or two to get used to the controls but when you get past that, there’s quite a bit of fun to be had here.
While a part of me does wish this was made for consoles and hope we do at least get a console port in the future, Sonic Dream Team is a solid mobile game made exclusively for iPhone gamers that are willing to give up a few bucks a month for Apple Arcade services. If anything, this is at least a sign that SEGA and Sonic Team haven’t fully abandon Sonic’s friends and aren’t afraid to include them in their newest games that don’t involve the Olympics or kart racing.
7.) Sonic Adventure 2 (2001)
Sonic Adventure 2 tends to be a fan-favorite of the series and the one that got an entire generation of Sonic fans into the series. It also introduced perhaps the most famous character in the series outside of Sonic himself in Shadow the Hedgehog. However, there’s a strong argument to be made that SA2 is more known for it’s reputation as oppose to it’s actual quality.
The Sonic/Shadow stages are as awesome as ever, the music still slaps, the story is cheesy but also entertaining, and the expansion of the Chao Garden along with the multiplayer mode helps increase the replay value of the game greatly, even more so than most Sonic games. Just a shame it’s still bogged down by mediocre-to-okay shooting stages with Tails and Eggman along with absolutely terrible treasure hunting stages with non-existent emerald radars with Knuckles and Rouge (Don’t get me started on those godawful water levels). I also don’t get that same sense of adventure that I got with the original Sonic Adventure due to the lack of hub worlds and containing more cluster phobic level design with all the playable characters.
Sonic Adventure 2 is a game I respect more than I actually love. I admire what it has done for the series and the foundation it has laid out throughout Sonic’s history. However, I still can’t help but shake the feeling that this is a game where the sums are better than it’s own parts. But the sums are constantly scattered throughout and pretty damn good when they occur. I’m definitely curious to see how the Sonic movie threequel is gonna adapt this game’s storyline.
6.) Sonic Frontiers (2022)
In many ways, Sonic Frontiers is guilty of many of the same flaws that have plagued prior 3D Sonic games. From being overly ambitious and unfocused to throwing random ideas left and right, there’s much you can pick apart about this game. However, unlike with most recent entries in the series, there is actually some charm hidden within like a beautiful little diamond in the rough, something that makes Frontiers stand out as fondly as some of the better 3D Sonic games out there.
The overall core formula and open zones work well here and does help set a promising template for future Sonic games. It’s also nice to see more care put into the story and characterization than it has been for quite some time. And I don’t think Super Sonic has been more badass here than ever. If it removed certain gimmicks that weren’t needed (*cough* pinball table *cough*) and it had more original and polished cyberspace levels, this could have lived up to it’s absolute ambition instead of feeling like it barley missed it in many spots.
Sonic Frontiers is about as imperfect as you can expect a Sonic game to be but for the first time in a long while, it did leave me with an actual sense of hope and optimism for the Blue Blur moving forward. This is a game that has grown on me since it came out back in 2022 and I’ve come to find more things to love and appreciate about it as time goes by. This is just a game that has faded very fondly in my memory. Fingers crossed that SEGA and Sonic Team can capitalize on the strengths of this game while leaving out the weaknesses and perhaps we can have even greater Sonic experiences for the immediate future.
5.) Sonic Unleashed (HD) (2008)
One of the most divisive installments in the franchise and I can certainly understand why. It was coming off the high heel of Sonic 06, that basically shattered the remaining good will that the franchise still had up to that point, it was at that point where professional critics was basically in full “2D Sonic=Good, 3D Sonic=Bad” mode, and of course there was the inclusion of the controversial gameplay style that was the Werehog. Even so, the HD version of Sonic Unleashed has the thrills and action that I want from a mainline Sonic the Hedgehog game in the third dimension.
The daytime stages delivers the exact sense of speed and fast platforming I could ever ask for in a Sonic game, the story is simplistic but still has that nice mix of light and dark nature that most Sonic games tend to ger wrong, the hub worlds are nice, the graphics still look great even 14 years later, the soundtrack is outstanding, and even I’m not shame to admit I even kinda (mostly) like that silly Werehog (put him in the fourth Sonic movie, you cowards!). The medal grinding is quite annoying, especially on a first playthrough, and there are some extras that were quite pointless (*cough* hot dog missions *cough*). This is also certainly a game where you really have to know the “ins-and-outs” of it to truly enjoy the whole experience.
I totally understand the reasons to love and hate Sonic Unleashed but I land myself far more on the positive side than the negative one. It’s a game that just has plenty of great elements to it that is easier to appreciate now than ever before. This game has been gaining a cult following over the years and I’m glad to admit that I was a part of it from the very beginning.
4.) Sonic Colors (Wii) (2010)
Sonic Team follow up Unleashed sees them adding more to the well-received aspects of it’s predecessor (the daytime stages) by building upon it along with removing the not so well-received aspects (the nighttime stages). As a result, we get one of the best 3D Sonic games ever made! (Yes, I said it! Come right at me!)
Sonic Colors understands the core appeal of Sonic by featuring top-notch speed, solid platforming, welcome new franchise additions with the Wisp power ups, and incredibly fun and unique level designs to boot. Sure, there may be a bit too much 2D levels for some and the story/humor is admittedly hit (any scene with Eggman and his robots) or miss (Baldy McNosehair) but none of that should be enough to taint the overall experience of Colors. It’s also nice to see a Sonic game that despite borrowing elements from Mario, is still able to provide a fresh and entertaining experience that certainly feels like Sonic the Hedgehog.
While some might find the recently ported HD remastered to be quite iffy, the original Sonic Colors is still pure gold. I can’t understand for the life of me of why the majority of Sonic fans have turned on this game so harshly but I still find it to be an overall great experience and one of my personal favorite games in the series.
3.) Sonic Adventure (1999)
I would be lying if I said that the original Sonic Adventure has aged well. The graphics, animation, dialogue, and voice work are all way below par and were barely passable at the time of the game’s release. Regardless, there is still more than enough about the first official 3D Sonic game that works well. And the stuff that works, works harder than nearly EVERY single 3D Sonic game that has ever been made.
Sonic has probably the smoothest controls in any of the 3D games with the level design perhaps being the best in not just modern form but in any form, Tails races with Sonic are a blast to play, Knuckles’ treasure hunting stages are actually enjoyable here because they move at a faster clip thanks to having an actually functional emerald radar, Gamma, despite having stages that were clearly not meant for him, are a ton fun and even Amy’s story has her moments, especially with that hammer mini-game. Big the Cat’s fishing missions still sucks but if you know what you’re doing, you can beat them real quick and move on to the next story with ease. It’s also nice to have a whole hub world to go exploring and to see many of the main Sonic characters have their own arcs and development, really making you feel like that you are going on adventures with these characters. Even the dated elements like the cheesy as hell animation is at least good for a laugh, both intentionally and unintentionally.
Has the game has aged? Absolutely! Does that make it bad? Absolutely not! There is still plenty to love and appreciate about Sonic Adventure many years later. It’s because of that and more that those enjoyments are some of the best not just in 3D Sonic but in the entire Sonic franchise.
2.) Sonic Generations (HD) (2011)
One of the very best 3D Sonic games to date is the one that certainly features the most Sonic out of all the games thus far. Sonic Generations acts a wonderful celebration of the first two decades of Sonic the Hedgehog by acting as the best possible love letter to the franchise that any Sonic fan could imagine.
Perfecting both the classic 2D style gameplay along with the modern 3D style gameplay by recreating the best levels from previous Sonic games and making them feel new and unique on their own. There’s plenty of awesome extras and unlockables which features some incredible remixes of the very best tracks in the Sonic franchise. Generations gets right what it needs to get right so well that it’s shortcomings don’t matter. It doesn’t matter that the story itself is practically non-existent, has perhaps too many city levels, could have used more “deja vu” cutscenes between Sonic and Tails, and the final boss itself is awful and extremely lackluster. It would have been also nice to see DLC that aren’t fan-made or modes for the PC version only.
Even when listing any possible shortcomings, nothing can take away the absolutely triumph experience that was Sonic Generations. I don’t think there is a Sonic game that I have gone back to more than this. If that doesn’t say anything about the overall quality and enormous replay value this game has, I don’t know what does.
1.) Shadow Generations
Recency bias aside, I can’t think of a better example of 3D Sonic in his absolute peak form than with Sonic X Shadow Generations. A 2024 remaster of Sonic Generations updated to modern consoles/PC would have been satisfying enough to longtime fans of the series but what makes this one stand out stronger than most is it’s inclusion to a brand new story mode involving fan-favorite Shadow the Hedgehog. It’s able to do Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury even better than the actual Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury.
When it comes to the remaster of Sonic Generations, it’s able to provide an even cleaner and smoother experience than before by moving at a crisp 60 FPS clip, no loading times, more collectibles hidden throughout the levels with the Chao, and even being able to play as an Adventure skin of Sonic. Hit-and-miss changes to the overall dialogue aside, this is perhaps the best version of Sonic Generations to date. When it comes to Shadow Generations, this might just be the very best version of 3D Sonic as a whole. With incredibly unique level designs, crazy and out-of-this-world set pieces, masterfully done remixes, a gameplay style that manages to combine the best elements of Generations and Frontiers respectively, and even quite a touching story about Shadow and the two people he cares about the most in Maria and Gerald Robotnik. This even manages to make Black Doom less lame. That’s how good this game is!
Call it cheating if you may but if there is one 3D Sonic experience that is 100% worth your time, look no further than Sonic X Shadow Generations. Not only do you get a quality remaster that managed to do everything that Colors: Ultimate couldn’t but it’s also able to give you an engaging story and gameplay with Shadow the Hedgehog himself, definitely more so than his DLC in Forces. Because of all that and more, Sonic X Shadow Generations is the best 3D Sonic game to date! Fingers crossed that the next 3D Sonic game is even better!
Well, I guess good things can’t last forever……again. If my reviews on Sponge on the Run and the Sandy Cheeks movie is any indication, you could probably guess that I don’t have very positive thoughts about the current era of SpongeBob SquarePants we are currently in. Or at least with Seasons 12 and 13. While Season 14 and onwards remains to be seen (with that being the final piece of this retrospective/perspective), it feels like we are in the era where it seems like the young sponge we all know and love has officially flamed out.
There are of course many reasons as to why SpongeBob SquarePants has fell into the same trappings he did between Seasons 6 and 8. From Nickelodeon once again milking as much SpongeBob content and merchandise as possible in order to keep itself afloat to unfortunate passing of Stephen Hillenburg to the show just more than wearing out it’s welcome, SpongeBob has officially entered another bad era. The only slight glimmer hidden within these two seasons is a handful of standout episodes that was likely still in production before we all lost Stephen.
What’s most interesting is how this “other bad” era of SpongeBob is ENTIRELY different reasons than the original “bad” era. Seasons 6 through 8 suffered mostly from ill-conceived writing, the characters being unrecognizable from their original self, and way too much gross out humor that is disgusting to watch and cringe inducing to see characters suffered through it. When it comes to Seasons 12, 13, and (perhaps) 14, the main issues in lies in the fact that it’s just…..complete and utter nonsense.
There is little to no coherent storylines, random gags constantly happen out of nowhere just because, there is so much “fan service” and easter eggs that just exists for fans to point their fingers at the screen Leonardo DiCaprio style, and the animation has gotten so ham-fisted and over-the-top you could swear half of the crew was on cocaine while animating it. It may not fall under the mean-spirited tone and unpleasant characterization that the middle seasons did but it still can’t shake the feeling that everyone has run out of ideas for the show and are now just throwing whatever at the walls to see what sticks. Even in the worst episodes of the original “bad” era, you could at least understand the well intended point the writers were trying to make here. Here, I could barely tell you what exactly they were trying to get across with the majority of the episodes.
Let’s dive a bit deeper into these two seasons!
Season 12
I will say, between the two seasons, Season 12 is definitely the better one in quality. After all, this was the last season which Hillenburg was involved in before his unfortunate passing. And there are sprinkles of his influence throughout the season. This includes episodes such as Plankton’s Intern, Dream Hopers, The Krusty Bucket, and The Ghost of Plankton. Of course, there is also the very special episode, designed to celebrate over 20 years of SpongeBob SquarePants, known as SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout, that basically acted as an anti-thesis of the controversial 10th anniversary episode known as Truth or Square. These were all episodes that were able to follow the strengths of the previous three seasons without going too far in the other unintended direction to make for a nice transaction phase after the middle seasons. Unfortunately, the rest of the season in not able to keep up that consistent level of quality.
Episodes such as Jolly Lodgers, Boss For a Day, The Nitwitting, Hiccup Plague, Who R Zoo, and Sandy’s Nutty Neices were all factors into the decline of this modern era of SpongeBob we are living in. It’s takes an idea that might make for a decent short at BEST and then stretches it out for as long as it can with uncanny animation, repetitive gags, and chunks of filler just to justify the episode being at least 11 minutes long. The plot barely has any coherent follow through, you get so much returning characters from the original three seasons that they don’t know what to do with, and it just seems to lack the heart and passion that the best SpongeBob episodes and seasons have.
And there was even an episode called Kwarantined Krab, which (NO JOKE) revolved around a pandemic that hit Bikini Bottom. It was originally meant to air in 2020 but due to the real life Covid-19 pandemic, it was pushed by Nickelodeon to 2022, right around the time where everything was starting to get under control. The episode would not be included as part of the Season 12 DVD box set and was taken down temporarily on Paramount Plus. I couldn’t find out if this episode was made before COVID hit or during it but that was just…..unfortunate timing.
And that is one thing that can basically be said about Season 12 as a whole, unfortunate timing. From coming off the highs of Season 11 to Hillenburg’s passing, it could not have come out at a worse time and the quality of it certainly didn’t help in aiding it. Even so, this season isn’t so bad compared to Season 13!
Season 13
It’s hard to say for certain if this is the worst season of SpongeBob SquarePants or the one that did the most damage to the franchise but no doubt, but this was no doubt the one that showed just how much this series is running on fumes. Not only did it suffer easily the worst tv ratings of any season (barely able to reach 500K an episode), but this is the season that suffered from having the lowest amount of creativity thus far.
To be honest, I could just copy and paste almost everything I said about Season 12 and that’s what you get here, except there is much more bad here. It’s all just so random, so all over the place, and just not SpongeBob. This season doesn’t so much feel like it was written and animated by an A.I. but more of a simulated conveyor belt. At best, this season is full of episodes you can watch with a headset while playing a game and makes for decent background noise. At worst, it’s just completely generic and utter nonsense.
One episode in particular that is the perfect example of the modern era of SpongeBob in a nutshell is FUN-Believable. It’s an episode that has no plot, clumsy animation, overlong and unfunny gags, returning fan favorite characters from the original three seasons that it has no idea what to do with, and just dials into complete nautical nonsense (no pun intended). The worst part of it all is that I couldn’t tell you what the title, FUN-Believable, is suppose to represent in this episode. Nothing that occurs in this episode felt fun or believable to me and not even the characters in the episode. If I can’t tell you what it means, then there’s a good chance that the creators of that episode couldn’t either.
I would say more but that’s the best description I got for Season 13. It’s basically Season 12 but on steroids, with much more of the bad and much less of the good. Are there a handful of gem episodes scattered throughout? Sure! Is it anywhere near enough to save this season and other “bad” era of SpongeBob? Absolutely not!
In Conclusion
While Seasons 12 and 13 of SpongeBob SquarePants are far from the worst things that I’ve ever seen, it really does represents the show on it’s very last legs. The clever ideas that the show has had for years in regards to it’s humor, characters, world building, and meaningful messages are barely to be seen here. It’s now nothing about utter nonsense, unearned fan service, and tons of filler that’s good enough to justify an episode being 11 minutes long. While it does seem like the current writers understand why fans didn’t like the middle seasons of the show, what they DON’T understand is why fans liked the original seasons and the era in between Hello Bikini Bottom and SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout. Aside from a handful of enjoyable episodes and a solid anniversary special that could be seen as the true epilogue of the series outside of the first movie, it’s sad to confirm that SpongeBob has entered another bad era.
Unfortunately, unlike the last bad era he was in, Nick can’t rely on Stephen Hillenburg to help get them out of their slump again. It’s only a handful of creators that were there from the beginning such as Tim Hill, Derek Drymon, Mr. Lawrence, and Aaron Springer that can do everything in their power to return this series to a new good era. While Hill failed miserably with Sponge on the Run, Drymon, Lawrence, and Springer are currently working on new SpongeBob movies such as Plankton and Search for SquarePants to hopefully provide some sort of spark left to this franchise.
Despite the recent decline in quality and television ratings, it doesn’t seem like Nickelodeon plans on ending the show anytime soon. The merchandise is still going strong, the spin-off series in Kamp Koral and The Patrick Star Show have expanded the brand even further, and this is basically all that Nickelodeon has left to thrive on or else they will basically be dead. No amount of Paw Patrol, Fairly OddParents reboots, or constant tv re-runs of the Sonic movies will be able to save them this time! Unless the folks that work on SpongeBob now are able to find some sort of creative spark in spite of Nickelodeon’s constant micromanagement, it’s hard to imagine another successful era on par with the original three seasons and Seasons 9-11.
However, there is at least one episode from this era that I genuinely believe could have worked as both a proper ending and even epilogue to SpongeBob SquarePants as a whole. That one episode of course is SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout! And I will talk all about why next month!
Next Month: Why SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout Should Have Been The Ending of SpongeBob SquarePants
Venom: The Last Dance has just arrived in theaters and much like every other comic book film property released in 2024 that doesn’t star Mr. and Mrs. Blake Lively, it has massively underperformed critically and commercially. I was gonna do a review for it myself but I really couldn’t think of much to say that would make for a good review. It’s about as incoherent, disposable, and all over the place as the first two films except this time, it actually tries to have a deep and heartfelt story with emotional beats that doesn’t feel earn in the slightest. Also, Knull doesn’t do jacks*it in the movie and seemed to be saved for the future for…….whatever. Also, NO, there’s nothing in here that has potential set-up for Spider-Man 4 with Tom Holland that makes it worth watching. Unless you were actually a fan of the first two Venom films or have absolutely NOTHING to do at that moment, I don’t recommend this film whatsoever.
I do believe the worst part of Venom: The Last Dance is that it acts as a perfect reminder to how terrible of a year 2024 has been with comic book/superhero movies, possibly the worst year it has ever been in my life. Madame Web was a trainwreck with it’s only saving grace being it’s absurd amount of camp value and unintentional laughs throughout (Also, Sydney Sweeney!). Joker: Folie à Deux was an overlong and tedious slog that wanted to punish the audience for every caring about this iteration of Mr. J in the first place. The Crow was a competently made but ultimately pointless remake that didn’t do anywhere near enough to justify it’s existence. Hellboy: The Crooked Man was just……a thing that exists and nothing more. And while the year’s billion-dollar grossing blockbuster in Deadpool & Wolverine was a success in the eyes of Marvel fans and mainstream audiences, it really felt thematically empty and severely lacked the rewatch value that the first two Deadpool movies had once you got all the callbacks, easter eggs, and references. It’s really saying something that the actual best superhero film this year was The People’s Joker, an independent film that gave such a queer and punk rock take on Batman’s rose gallery of iconic villains, which tackled the kind of commentary and subtext that 99% of studios nowadays wouldn’t dare to greenlight.
To be fair, outside of Deadpool & Wolverine, I don’t think anyone had much faith in comic book films for 2024. I mean we were getting not one, not two, but THREE Sony related superhero movies that involved Spider-Man villains that no one asked for with ZERO Spider-Men to be found in it. The Crow and Hellboy: The Crooked Man were just newer versions of familiar comic book properties that just….existed without anyone really knowing. And The People’s Joker gained such a small theatrical released in theaters and film festival that it didn’t catch anyone’s attention until it hit digital. And considering the fact that James Gunn’s DC cinematic universe isn’t set to kick off in film form until next summer and the MCU will be back to releasing three films at a time next year, 2024 seemed to be as much of a filler year for superhero movies as it was for basically movies in general.
Many folks have claimed this is a sign of superhero fatigue, with the cast and crew of today’s superhero flicks no longer having any passion and mainstream audience no longer having any desire to watch them. I would take those words for it if it wasn’t for the superhero genre MASSIVELY evolving in the realm of streaming and television. If 2024 was a sign that superhero movies can no longer carry cinema, it should also be a sign that superhero shows and series can now carry streaming and television.
When it comes to Marvel, 2024 offered us Echo, Agatha: All Along, and X-Men 97. Echo was a complete mess in terms of pacing and structure but it did have an interesting dynamic with it’s two main leads in Maya Lopez and Wilson Fisk along with fight scenes and tone that perfectly resembled the beloved Marvel Netflix series that made it worth a watch. Agatha: All Along has been able to act as a proper follow-up to WandaVision while perfectly embracing it’s queer vibes and camp value that makes for the right watch at the right time of the season. And X-Men 97 was about a good of a revival as it could get, perfectly translating the traditional values and roots of X-Men into the modern times with beautiful animation, fun action sequences, and giving plenty of time for each cast member of the X-Men to sign. No offense to Deadpool & Wolverine and the two shows I just mentioned but I think most would agree that has been the best Marvel-related thing to come out in 2024, if not the best superhero-related thing.
When it comes to DC, 2024 gave us Kite Man: Hell Yeah, Batman: Caped Crusader, The Penguin, and a second season of My Adventures with Superman, with a fifth season of Harley Quinn and Creature Commandos set to arrive later this year. Kite Man: Hell Yeah made for a solid spin-off of Harley Quinn, fully utilizing it’s bizarre as hell premise to make it stand out for the better. Batman: Caped Crusader made for a nice reiteration of the beloved Batman: The Animated Series with a few modern tweaks to it, even if couldn’t escape the corrupted shadows of the series it’s clearly inspired by. My Adventures with Superman was able to carry the momentum of the first season, making it easily one of the best iterations of Superman in entertainment medium since Christopher Reeves. And The Penguin was able to be the perfect example on how to do a “grounded” superhero series correctly, with fantastic production values, intriguing world building, engaging characters and plot, a great central performance by Colin Farrell (who is still unrecognizable as Penguin) and a scene stealing turn by Cristin Milioti as Sofia Falcone, making for perhaps the best superhero property of 2024. While the quality of the newest season of Harley Quinn and Creature Commandos remains to be seen, I wouldn’t be surprised for these series to at least meet the quality of the majority of the successful DC shows thus far.
And of course, you also have to mention what is cooking over there at Amazon Prime, with Season 2 of Invincible and Season 4 of The Boys. Invincible Season 2 was able to deliver more of the same action, blood, and carnage that the first season had along with so much more. And while Season 4 of The Boys was intentionally controversial with politics that was COMPLETELY in-your-face, it was so bizarre, controversial, and in-your-face that you actually had to see it in order to believe it. And it was even able to predict the Trump assassination attempt before that even happened, which once again shows how disturbingly accurate that show is to real life.
There might be a show or two that I’ve missed but for the most part, that makes for the majority of superhero tv and streaming content released in 2024. While there are definitely some series that some like more than others, I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that there have been more hits than misses in regards to superhero tv and streaming this year and that has been the kind of medium that has carried the superhero genre not just in 2024 but possibly the last couple of years.
Which once again begs the question as to whether or not the reason superhero movies are underperforming critically and finically right now really has to do with superhero fatigue or is it just because that is no longer the best medium in telling superhero stories with comic book characters? Fans of Marvel, DC, and Amazon seem to enjoy the majority of these shows with minimum fandom controversies involved in it and don’t seem to be worn out by the superhero genre that the media claims they are. I’m gonna go with it’s not so much superhero fatigue but more of a fatigue with mediocrity and repetition. Outside of a handful of exceptions, the 2020s era of superhero movies fits into that criteria and audience just no longer have any tolerance for it.
I don’t deny there has been a cultural shift in consuming products in entertainment since covid hit. Folks no longer have the time, money, or patience to see a film in theaters that will likely be dropped to digital just two weeks later. Yes, there are definitely exceptions but that’s all they are….EXCEPTIONS and NOT the main course. However, that doesn’t change the fact that recent shows and series with superhero and comic book properties have been able to make for the very best of the medium it is adapting, more so than the recent film adaptions. Because of that, it’s superhero television and streaming that has been getting the love and praise it deserves instead of the superhero movies.
There is a chance that this narrative could change in 2025 and beyond. Maybe James Gunn will be able to deliver the consistent and beloved cinematic universe for DC he has envisioned. Maybe Matt Reeves will be able to continue his own Batman crime saga with the strong quality of The Batman and The Penguin with The Batman: Part II, Part III, and whatever villain spin-offs await. Maybe the MCU will be able to close out the multiverse saga in good graces, sticking the landing to what has been quite a bumpy ride for the 2020s. And hopefully Sony will just give up on their dumb villain cinematic universe experiment and just stick with more Spider-Verse content for the immediate future. There are definitely plenty of cinematic projects in the works that can help turn things around for superhero movies.
However, as of right now, if you really want to see the best kind of modern superhero and comic book medium, look no further than streaming and television with any of the examples I just mentioned.
With the recent releases of Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, now is a good time to talk about what I consider to be the best video game shows ever made. Despite all the constant negative reputation surrounding films that acts as adaption of well-known gaming franchises, I think most would agree that there has been an enormous quality leap for those in recent years. Perhaps it has to do with more cast and crew involved with these projects nowadays that actually have a knowledge and respect towards the property it’s based on but, it’s definitely nice and refreshing to see better video game adaptions come out as of late, especially after several years of folks claiming that video game just can’t work in movie or show form whatsoever.
12.) The Cuphead Show
While the Cuphead games contained the most Walt Disney-like animation that work for a show, I believe very little actually assumed that it would have enough substance to carry an entire show. However, this adaption helmed by Netflix was able to surprise die-hard fans and even newcomers alike.
Granted, it resembles very little of the actual story or gameplay of the games. Instead, it operates as a throwback to that traditional hand drawn animation which it’s own style is clearly based upon. It’s all about Cuphead and Mugman going on adventures together and getting themselves into trouble alogn the way. That allows for all the traditional boss fights from the games to appear along with a handful of new characters thrown into the mix. While it acts more as trying to capture the medium than the story and gameplay of the games, The Cuphead Show is still able to keep that cheerful and uplifting feel of the games.
11.) Sonic Boom
Sonic the Hedgehog has had quite a bit of shows to come out throughout his history. There are those 90s kids that grew up with Sonic Satam and Sonic Underground, there’s the 2000s kids that had Sonic X, and we also now have the 2020s kids that have Sonic Prime and recently Knuckles as their generational Sonic shows. However, it might just be the 2010s kids that have been the luckiest as Sonic Boom is the one cartoon that got the most right about the Blue Blur and his friends.
Even though the games which the shows was based upon ranged from underwhelming to just plain awful, the show contains some of the best and wittiest writing the franchise has ever seen. Putting the spotlight on Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Eggman, and a new character named Sticks, it was able to be the best kind of Saturday morning cartoon, using the smart humor, beautiful animation and non-stop action to show the best of are colorful cast of characters. Oh, and there’s even a sequence where Knuckles talks about the importance of gender equality, bringing out the feminist side of him! If that right there is not enough to impress you, then what is wrong with you?!
10.) Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft
The newest adaption of our beloved Tomb Raider see the character transiting between the Survivor trilogy and the original series of games. This is able to deliver entertaining globe-trooping adventures with Lara Croft and her friends/allies, looking for whatever treasure and resource might be valuable to them or to keep out of the hands of trinity. Hayley Atwell is as pitch-perfect as the character as you would expect (which will make you wonder why she was never casted in this role before and/or in live-action) and there are plenty of fun easter eggs and nods for fans of old and new of the series.
It may not be the very best from the library of video game adaptions from Netflix and certainly doesn’t have the most unique animation out there but for what it’s worth, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft gives Lara Croft the justice she deserves. Fingers crossed for a Season Two!
9.) Gangs of London
Far from the most famous video game out there, this British crime drama is actually an adaption of a PlayStation Portable exclusive that came out in 2006, the third installment in the Getaway series. Even if you take that out of the way, it works well as it’s own interesting crime drama.
Gangs of London follows the trouble that has emerges among the streets of the capital city of England, following the assassination of an influential mob boss. The search to uncover the mystery of this murder might be pretty bloody and violent along the way but plenty of focus is presenting shady deals, tense atmosphere, and street-level politics. If crime dramas are your jam, this will definitely suit your cravings.
8.) Carmen Sandiego
Here’s a video game adaption that has perhaps slipped under the radar to many folks out there. After all, I don’t think anyone would expect that a show adaption based off of educational series of video games could make much for it’s own show. However, this Netflix exclusives series was able to work quite well as that.
Featuring a very recognizable cast with the likes of Gina Rodriguez, Finn Wolfhard, and Dawnn Lewis, Carmen Sandiego is able to provided a nice Indiana Jones-like spin, where it’s about the protagonist searching for certain McGuffins along with learning a valuable lesson or two along the way. This might be a very kid friendly show but there is definitely something in here that adults can get into as well. There’s not many folks out there that are aware of this show’s and even games’ existence. But now that you know, check out Carmen Sandiego whenever you can and I believe you won’t regret it.
7.) Twisted Metal
With an adaption of a series of games that is as crazy and wild as it comes, you would expect a show to be able to live up to that feel with not much difficulty. And you would be right entirely!
Twisted Metal is a video game show that was able to breath new life to it’s 1995 gaming counterpart. Aided by an engaging lead with Anthony Mackie, it’s able to successfully translate the dark humor and explosive action that had become a staple of the franchise while giving itself it’s own unique personality and feel to the whole thing. If you are burned out by cheesy, over-the-top action movies, this might not be for you. For everyone else, this will you give your cheesy, over-the-top action movie fix. And it’s all the better for it!
6.) Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Yes, Cyberpunk 2077, the game which this was based on, was quite polarizing at it’s 2020 launch due to it’s infamous glitches and technical problems, only recently becoming a respected title after the majority of those problems got fixed. That doesn’t change the fact that Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was able to be a big success right out of the gate in 2022.
Whatever missed potential the original game may have had is greatly fixed here. Fully utilizing a techno megacity that is run by crime and corruption, what is able to carry the series the most is it’s unique visual style, standout action sequences, and a frenzied narrative that is easy to get hook by. Regardless how you feel about the game to this day, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is able to work for fans that stuck along with the game since launch and those that love a good sci-fi anime.
5.) Pokémon
When compared to other video game adaptions out there, this can be seen as The Simpsons or SpongeBob SquarePants of video games shows. A long running animated series, expanding upon multiple generations of fans but still has sustained enough popularity and success to warrant going on for as long as it has had.
Released just one year after it’s very first gaming installment, this animated video game adaption was able to expand upon the characters, world, and lore of Pokémon in ways that the games could never do. The colorful creatures of any kind get their time to shine, there’s more humor and comedy throw in, the battles are more of a visual treat for the eyes, and the world has never been better expanded upon than it has been here in regards to Pokémon. Despite the humongous success of the video games, I’m willing to bet Pokémon wouldn’t be nearly as popular as it was today if it weren’t for this show.
4.) Castlevania
After a handful of decades since the franchise first actual game, the animated adaption came around and was able to be the best possible version of itself. Even with it’s animation style clearly being inspired by anime, it is different just enough from traditional Japanese animes that it doesn’t quite qualify as that. None of that changes the fact that Castlevania works very well as it’s own animated series.
As it’s best, the show’s biggest strength is the ability to balance horror, mystery, and action without losing it’s cohesion. Complimented by stellar fight scenes and well-done character development throughout, it at times feels like watching cutscenes from one of the games in the BEST way possible. By being able to capture the game’s most important elements and fitting it all to a compelling narrative, Castlevania works wonders as it’s own show. It may not be quite an anime, but I bet even the folks in Japan were very happy with this series.
3.) Fallout
The recent smash hit of a video game show that just began streaming on Amazon has been one of the most delightful surprises of 2024 thus far in terms of entertainment. Fallout was able to work greatly as an adaption that honored the source material is was based on (despite some potential retcons here and there) while expanding the overall world to new audience members all around the world.
Aided by an INCREDIBLY likable and talented cast with Ella Purnell’s Lucy, Walton Goggin’s Cooper Howard, and Aaron Clifton Moten’s Maximus, this series puts the focus on a handful of scrappy survivors fighting their way through a nuclear apocalypse in different parts of a retro-futuristic America. Even with it’s rather serious stakes throughout, the show never forgets to be lighthearted and fun when the moments require it. With a perfectly balanced tone, engaging protagonists, and top notch production values, Fallout earns itself a spot as a new gold standard for video game adaptions and shows.
2.) The Last of Us
Despite it being based on a video game series, it was a no brainer that The Last of Us could perfectly work as a it’s own show. After all, the games themselves aren’t so much driven by the gameplay but by the deep narrative and resonate themes that has made fans attached to the franchise. And it’s those reasons and more why this HBO Max series is able to work as well as it did.
While it does stay as close to the source material as possible, enough changes are made that are justified and contribute greatly to what the series has always stood for. Joel and Ellie are arguably a more likable pairing here than they were in their own respective games, portrayed wonderfully by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, as the series allows for their relationship to be more fleshed out along with the other characters of old and new we meet as the show goes on. If there was somehow any doubt that The Last of Us could NOT work as it’s own show, this adaption could not have prove those doubters more wrong if it tried.
1.) Arcane
I will say straight up front. I have never played a single League of Legends game nor do I recall watching a single gameplay video of any game from that franchise. None of that changes the fact that Arcane is not only the best adapted video game show of all time, it’s legit one of the best animated series that I have ever seen. That is no exaggeration in the slightest! It’s is simply THAT good!
If it’s not the wonderfully realized worldbuilding and animation that is enough to draw you in, it’s the tremendous voice cast and compelling characters that is able to back that up perfectly. Presenting the best sister conflict in recent memory, Arcane follows Vi and Jinx, once sisters, that find themselves at odds with one another with tragedy and conflict erupts in their city. There is not a single beat that misses here and completely works no matter if you played the games or you are completely blind to any LoL lore. Even if I’ve never played a game, I can just tell by how much love and care when into making this show that it does its source material great justice. If there is only one show on this list that you are able to watch, please make it Arcane! It’s simply PHENOMENAL!
And here’s my list of the top 15 video game movies!
So, there have been some new sandwiches that just released at Wendy’s and McDonalds in the form of the Krabby Patty and the Chicken Big Mac! Wendy’s started serving the Krabby Patty Meal on October 8th, as a means of celebrating the 25th anniversary of SpongeBob SquarePants. Wendy’s started serving the Chicken Big Mac on October 10th, which is said to be available for only a limited amount of time. I haven’t done a food review on this blog yet but I figured, why not do one based off the two more recent burgers in two of the biggest fast food restaurants in America?
Keep in mind, I don’t consider myself a professional food critic by any means, certainly not compared to being a film, tv or video game critic. I’m mostly really only going on how much I enjoyed the food that I ate and comparing it other food when it is necessary. Nothing more, nothing less. If you are looking for a massive in-depth review of these food products, you have clicked on the wrong “review” and best look elsewhere for that. Let’s not waste anymore time and jump right into it!
The Krabby Patty Meal
So, yeah! After all this time that SpongeBob SquarePants has been around, the Krabby Patty is FINALLY a legit thing in the real world. And we all have Wendy’s to thank for that.
The Krabby Patty meal is a recent new addition to Wendy’s. It’s a kollab meal that contains the famous burger of the show known as the Krabby Patty, medium french fries, and a pineapple frosty, labeled as a Pineapple “Under the Sea” frosty.
The Krabby Patty itself contains just about all the ingredients that the infamous sandwich has on the show. First bun, then patties, followed by ketchup and mustard, pickles, extra onions, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and bun, in that order. The main key difference is a bit of sweet sauce that is added, which I imagine basically comes from the so-called “secret” formula on the show. And for the most part, it’s your typical fast food burger.
If you have a tried a burger from the likes of McDonalds, Burger King, Sonic, and of course Wendy’s, you basically have had this burger before. It may have all the ingredients that the Krabby Patty comes in the show but that is also about all the ingredients which any fast food burger has. It most certainly tastes as good as any good fast food burger does and it filled my lunch craving when I needed it but for the most part, it’s your typical fast food burger with a bit of sweet sauce added to it.
Then again, that kinda has always been a thing about the Krabby Patty on the show, it’s always has been a plain fast food burger. The Krabby Patty is basically the equivalent of a Big Mac from McDonalds and Whooper from Burger King, the same kind of selling sandwich with only a few extra and different tasting ingredients added to it to make it standout as it’s own thing. The so-called “secret” formula really is only referred to as that to make the Krabby Patty sound more than just your ordinary sandwich, but that has ALWAYS been part of the joke. Why else has the show never outright said what the Krabby Patty formula is? Because it’s really nothing special and would just make the Krabby Patty sound like a plain burger and nothing more. Because well….it is.
And that is the Krabby Patty in a nutshell. I enjoyed it, it tasted good, and something I wouldn’t mind having again if it stuck around at Wendy’s but for the most part, it’s your typical fast food burger. All of which has been the case with fast food. You aren’t looking for anything super special or different, just something that taste good enough to fill your stomach for a couple of hours and nothing more.
As for the fries and frosty, it’s mostly the same as well. The salty fast food fries is your typical salty fast food fries and the frosty is like the kind of ones you get a Sonic or your local ice cream store but with pineapple flavor added to it. Considering pineapple flavor isn’t my thing, the frosty didn’t do much for me.
Overall, what you see with the Krabby Patty meal is what you get. If it looks good to you, then I assume it will taste as good for you. If it looks gross to you, then I imagine it will taste gross for you. However, I find it hard to imagine that anyone will have the same reaction that SpongeBob did when he tried out a Jim patty for the first time ever.
Chicken Big Mac
And now, onto the Chicken Big Mac, the newest addition to Mickey D’s that has been confirmed to only be available for a limited period of time. I don’t know how long that means but I wouldn’t be surprised if it stays or returns again in the future if this sells well. Even so, we known have a Chicken Big Mac, the newest sandwich which someone from upper McDonalds’s management must of had the idea to make combine the Big Mac and McChicken into one, which is basically the Chicken Big Mac in a nutshell.
You take the original Big Mac, remove the beef patties with chicken, get rid of the spicy flavor with more traditional ranch, throw in some extra cheese, and this is what you get. And you know what, I don’t have a problem with that whatsoever.
I like the Big Mac and McChicken and the Chicken Big Mac is able to make for the best of both worlds of it. If that sound good to you, then I imagine it will taste as good as it sounds. If that sound bad to you, then I imagine it will taste as disgusting as it sounds.
I honestly have a hard time imagining this won’t be staying on the menu or be back in the future because if folks enjoy it as much as I do, this could have the potential to be the next Popeyes Chicken Sandwich (which I never did try out). Just being the newest popular food on the menu that everyone rushes out to get, even enduring the lunch rush and dinner waiting list. With the original Big Mac is as big of a feature to McDonalds, how can you not believe that the Chicken Big Mac won’t be the exact same thing? Why not add more kinds of Big Macs to the dollar menu?
The Chicken Big Mac is mostly a spin-off of the original Big Mac and nothing more than that. However, that is perfectly okay in my views. I was just looking for what it said on the menu and I got exactly that. I love me some Big Mac so I have no problem in loving some Chicken Big Mac as well.
Sorry if this one is shorter but I don’t have much else to say beyond that. I mostly only added this in because it was another recent new food item that I tried out. Because of that, why not do a double review of the new Krabby Patty AND the new Chicken Big Mac? But still, I recommend both new burgers if they look appealing to you. And that’s pretty much all I have left to say about that!
Joker: Folie à Deux is now out in theaters and you can say that everyone has (no pun intended) CLOWNED on this film over the past weekend! As the time of this writing, it has a 33% critically rating and a 30% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. PostTrak had audience giving it a 1/2 star rating in a survey, with only 24% of folks recommending the movie. It’s also the first ever comic book film to receive a D rating on Cinemascore (even Madame Web this year received a generous C+ rating). It’s quite baffling how just a month before we have to endure the most controversial election in America history, it’s a freaking Joker sequel of all things that actually managed to bring the country together for possibly the last time……ever. The critics don’t like it, the fans don’t like it, and not even the easy to please general movie going public seems to like it. There’s certainly a loud minority on Twitter that have singed their praise for it and it will no doubt receive the “reappraisal” substance a few years down the line but for the most part, Joker 2 is not being well liked by the majority of folks that have seen it.
What the hell happened here?! How is it that a sequel to a popular mainstream film that made a billion dollars and was nominated for a bunch of awards managed to misfire THIS badly both critically and (likely) financially?!
Even taken away the fact that Warner Bros NEVER attended for Joker to have a sequel or how Todd Phillips is the KING of making bad sequels (See The Hangover: Part II and III), there was potential for a Joker 2 to deliver. You had a bold (if not odd) direction to make it a musical, you had a masterful singer/growing actress in Lady Gaga as Harleen Quinzel, and it provided a chance to explore this world with the clown prince of crime in his early days of being the clown prince of crime in a way that no other Batman medium ever has. Unfortunately, it seemed like delivering ANY of those elements in a satisfying way was the LAST thing on Todd Phillips’s mind when making this sequel.
Before I start to (also no pun intended) unmask the clown in the room, I want you to close your eyes and imagine being Todd Phillips. You just made a movie that managed to be a genuine crowd pleaser that grossed a billion dollars and was nominated for a bunch of big awards, including the Academy Awards, A.K.A. the Oscars. Your career has initially skyrocketed as basically any studio is bounding to come knocking at your door in the hopes of securing you for their latest major IP. You have all the reasons in the world to bask in your own glory. You are at an all time high in your career, putting yourself on the map everywhere!
However, you have a certain group of folks that watched and loved Joker that seemed to have enjoyed it in a way that you didn’t attend for. Sure, it didn’t lead into a major uprising of incels and losers empowering themselves to become a threat to society like mainstream media predicted but there are many folks that seem to claim that the Joker was in fact intended to be a hero that was able to take matters into his own hands. They are in the mindset that he did NOTHING wrong in that film and all of his actions were COMPLETELY justified! And considering we are now living in a timeline to where there’s a DISTRUBING amount of praise for Nazis and Adolf Hitler, that has to be in the back of your mind with looking back at the success of your film.
Fast forward to the Oscars, while Joker was able to secure the awards for Best Actor and Best Score, it lost the Best Picture to Parasite. That in of itself causes a major portion of the fanbase you created to be OUTRAGED. Typing out angry tweets and making RANT videos about how the Academy Awards are rigged and Joker deserved to win over Parasite. Hell, even former president (at least at the moment) Donald Trump made a comment about how “odd” it was that a foreign film won Best Picture and he likely would have preferred for Joker to win (It was reported that he watched Joker and enjoyed it!). And of course, do I even need to mention this bizarre rant from infamous YouTuber Robert Storms about Parasite winning Best Picture over Joker.
So, you basically have two distinct ways which you could look back on the success of your film take on the clown prince of crime. You can either just be proud of the fact that it made a billion dollars, was nominated for a bunch of awards and won some, and that the majority of the (sane) public was able to enjoy it when it came out during the Fall of 2019. Or you can be embarrassed at the fact that so many folks took the “wrong” idea on how the Joker was portrayed in the film, being a major reason why the film received so much pre-release controversy, and made nothing but rage videos when it didn’t win for Best Picture at the Oscars.
Warner Bros comes up to you and confirms they want a Joker 2. Even if the original plan was for Joker to be a one-and-done kind of film, the success of that film was too massive that studio execs are demanding for a sequel. In the back of your mind, you really don’t want to do it because you originally signed up for just one. Not to mention, if a Joker 2 is even remotely successful as the first one, they will no doubt demand a Joker 3, 4, 5, along with a bunch of spin-offs that you will be stuck having to make for the rest of your life. You also don’t want to go through yet ANOTHER tiresome press tour, answering the same questions as to whether or not the Joker is “dangerous” to society and if certain folks are still getting the wrong idea from the character. At the same time, you don’t want someone else taking over because you will have a much higher salary than with any movie that you’ve made nor do you want to risk someone else “tainting” your masterpiece.
It’s then you decide, “Screw it! I’ll make another one!” Not because I HAVE it, but because it’s what literally EVERYONE else wants. However, I’m going to do EVERYTHING in my power to make sure I don’t go through the same experience as last time. I will NOT leave a cliffhanger for a Joker 3, I will make sure to have the entire plot centered around telling those certain folks they were wrong for liking Joker the way they did, I’ll make it a musical staring Lady Gaga just to stick it to does that HATE musicals, and best of all, I’ll make a film that undoes EVERYTHING the previous film established, that is guaranteed review bombings and low Rotten Tomatoes, just so there’s NO way the studios will ask me to come back for another one. That sounds like a plan!
I’ll get the highest salary of my career, I will make a film that spits in the face of those idiots that actually thought Joker was suppose to be the “good guy” in all of this, I will make sure to have the entire film build up to an ending which makes a Joker 3 or ANY other film in this universe impossible, and I will be FREE of having to do anymore of these movies. Who cares if it makes fans or critics angry? They are the ones that asked for it, even though you didn’t whatsoever. Because of that, let’s make this whole sequel THEIR problem too and make them feel stupid for even imagining a Joker 2 of any kind.
To be sure, I can’t say for certain this was the mindset that Todd Phillips had going into making Joker: Folie à Deux. Perhaps he did attended to make a genuine crowd pleaser that the mainstream audience would be “smart” enough to understand. However, when watching this dreaded sequel, you can’t help but wonder if Todd Phillips’s only motive for making this film is to tear everything down as punishment to those that enjoyed the original Joker the “wrong” way. To prove those claims, now it’s time to get into the major spoilers for Joker: Folie à Deux.
*Warning! The rest of this articles contains MAJOR spoilers for Joker: Folie à Deux. If you haven’t seen the movie yet and/or don’t want anything spoilers, then you might want to click off the article right now! You have been warned!*
We started off with an odd animated sequence that feels like it was ripped straight out of The People’s Joker (A.K.A. the best Joker film and even best comic book film of 2024), which sees the Joker being impersonated by his shadow. It’s his shadow that takes his place to perform the singing number for a tv show and then abandons him on stage half-undressed, before three policemen arrive and beat the shit out of him. This opening in of itself sets the stages of what’s to come for Joker: Folie à Deux, highlighting the difference between the Joker and Arthur Fleck. And it also even foreshadows the most awful and disturbing scene in the film which we will get to later!
Once we get to real time, we revisit Arthur Fleck, who has been in custody at Arkham State Hospital awaiting trial for the crimes he committed two years ago. His lawyer, Maryanne Stewart, seems to suggest that Arthur himself has dissociative identity disorder, which is basically a split personality. There’s the the normal, innocent Arthur Fleck side of him and there’s his evil, chaotic “Joker” side of him. She plans to argue to the judge that it was the “Joker” side of him that was responsible for committing the crimes he did and NOT Arthur Fleck himself.
Arthur meets another patient, Harleen Quinzel, or just strictly going by Lee, because this universe needs to be more serious and grim and the name “Harley Quinn” is too fun and jolly. Lee, much like a certain group of those that love the first film, felt empowered and inspired by what Arthur did in the previous film, while also looking up to him deeply. Much like Mr. Fleck, she grew up in the same neighborhood he did, had an abusive parent figure who died in a car crash, and went as far as to burn down her parents’ apartment building, which is what let her to be imprisoned at Arkham Asylum. She did all of those things just so she can one day meet her idol.
Lee wants to run away with Arthur, where the two can start a life together. Arthur, believing that he has finally found someone who loves him for what he is, wants to try and escape with here. Lee starts a fire to free the two of them from the prison but both are caught by the guards. While Arthur is put in solitary confinement, Lee has been released to avoid his influence. She promises to attend his trail and be there with him during his trial. All before they have the most awkward sex scene you have ever seen in your life, which makes you NOT want to look at the first officially released pic of Joker and Harley together EVER again!
*insert barf meme*
On the day of trial, Harvey Dent (who I completely forgot to mention in my review because of how irrelevant he is for the majority of it) calls witnesses to those dismiss Arthur’s claims of insanity, hoping this will leave to the death penalty for him when all is said and done (even though this film takes place in 1983 and the death penalty didn’t get reinstated in New York until 1995). With former co-worker Gary Puddles (who witnessed Arthur beat the death out of one of his co-workers) and neighbor Sophie Dumond (who was Arthur’s imaginary girlfriend in his hallucination) being brought forward to speak, Dent rest his case.
When getting back to Arthur’s relationship with Lee, his lawyer Maryanne reveals that she has lied to him quite a bit about her history. She was someone that grew up in the Upper East Side, NOT in Arthur’s neighborhood. Her father is a doctor and is still alive. Plus, she voluntarily committed herself at Arkham, checked herself out, and never burned down an apartment building. Because this is a film that is by design done to remove any sort of ambiguity from the first film, Lee tells Arthur that she lied to him because she wanted to get close to Arthur, hoping the two can one day be together. She also states that she’s pregnant and has moved into his old apartment building to create a home for them. Even though Lee literally JUST admitted to lying, Arthur believes her anyway and will make his best efforts for the two of them to be together by the end.
After going through uncomfortable sequences with Arthur getting brutally assaulted and prison raped by the guards (Yes, really!) and his friend Ricky being strangled to death for stepping up to them (Again, yes really!), Arthur reminisces about the aftermath of his actions in the first film, finally realizing all the terrible things he had done.
He killed people in cold blood, he led an army of supporters that were inspired by his Joker persona and not for his Arthur Fleck persona, there’s great many people in Gotham that want him dead, and worst of all, everyone now has the wrong idea of who Arthur Fleck is. He was able to be seen in the public eye the way he wanted but not in the way that he ever imagined. People still don’t like Arthur Fleck, they only like Joker.
In court the following day, during his closing argument, a devastated Arthur comes to terms with the fact that it was himself that was responsible for his actions, NOT his Joker half. In a statement that almost seems like Todd Phillips himself is directing a sincere apology and/or “F**k you!” to the audience of the first film, Arthur Fleck renounces his persona and takes full responsibility for his actions. There was never a “Joker” half of him, there is not even a Joker at all. It’s just Arthur Fleck himself, a sad, broken man with a tragic backstory and mental illness and NOTHING more!
At the exact moment that I imagined 90% of audience left the theaters, Lee storms out of the court room, enraged and disappointment. The Joker that she looked up to and worshiped doesn’t exist. This is NOT a movie which Lee and the audiences get to see Arthur Fleck be full Joker, this is a movie where they see the Joker in his cosplay make-up only, leaving just Arthur Fleck. The jury finds Arthur guilty of first-degree murder.
Out of nowhere, a car bomb explodes outside the courthouse, which injures and kills numerous attendees. In the process, it also scars HALF of Dent’s face, turning him into Two-Face supposedly. Two of Joker’s followers helps him escape from the courthouse. Once he regains his conscious, Arthur flees from the Joker supporters, realizing they only see him as Joker and not his actual self.
Arthur wanders through Gotham and makes way for his old apartment only to find Lee right outside of it. Arthur confesses that he’s ready to start a live with her but Lee rejects him. She admits that she only loved him as Joker and NOT as Arthur Fleck, stating exactly what the audience are feeling at that exact moment. She also claims that her pregnancy was another lie because……of course. As she leaves, the police apprehend Arthur and return him to Arkham.
It’s at this point where Arthur is basically right back where he started at the beginning of the film. The main difference is that he no longer has the Joker persona within himself. All of that love and support that Arthur got not as himself but as strictly Joker is all gone, leaving him sad, lonely, and broken once again.
As to add more salt to the wound, there’s a young patient that arrives, who Arthur has bumped into already a few times in the film (even kisses him at one point). He begins to tell him a joke, which is suppose to mirror the “joke” that he told Murray Franklin in the first film. And just like what happened during that moment when Arthur told his “joke” to Murray, the young patient tells Arthur that “YOU GET WHAT YOU F**KING DESERVE!” and proceeds to kill him. He stabs Arthur repeatedly in the stomach, leaving him to bleed to death. Just like that, Arthur basically got killed by his own original joke.
So the movie ends, and right before Arthur is 100% dead and one last song plays, the patent is seen in the background carving a smile on his own face while laughing hysterically. This moment is suppose to resembled Heath Ledger’s Joker from The Dark Knight (Fyi, NO I do NOT think those films are connected with one another whatsoever!). Even if Arthur Fleck was never the Joker, that doesn’t change the fact that his now dead persona has inspirited others and will lead to actual Jokers in the future. Arthur Fleck himself may be gone but his infamous legacy of the Joker will continue on.
So, yeah! I think you can now understand entirely why this film seems to be pissing people off! Instead of doing the most logical thing a sequel can do which is basically take the character to their next step forward, give the audience more of the same things they enjoyed about the original, and throw in a few new elements for good measure, Joker: Folie à Deux is a film that basically refuses to meet any one of those expectations whatsoever.
It doesn’t want to take the character of Arthur Fleck in a new and proper direction, it doesn’t want to commit to being labeled as strictly a musical, courthouse drama, or love story between Harley and the Joker, it doesn’t want to see Joker being on the top of it’s game, and it doesn’t want to expand upon this version of Gotham City in any meaningful way. All Todd Phillips seems to want to do is to sit the fans and critics of his previous film down, lecture them about how wrong/right they were with how they reacted to the previous film, and have it led to a resolution that prevents the general public’s wants or needs for a Joker 3 to happen.
To be sure, these elements themselves COULD have worked. After all, we are living in a time where superhero movies need some extra variety to them if they are to continue to dominate Hollywood blockbusters. Not to mention, fandom in any form of media have become more toxic and hateful than ever before, almost feeling appropriate to annihilate the “wrong” kind of fans that this stuff way too seriously. The problem isn’t so much that it chooses to go against the grain, but so much the film doesn’t necessarily know what grain it is trying to go against. It claims to be trying to avoid all these tropes yet still commits to them whenever the film requires it.
It doesn’t want to have a Joker in his prime and the big man of crime at Gotham City yet they keep showing fantasy sequences which hint at what a prime Joker would look like in this universe. It doesn’t want to be label as a musical but there are plenty of musical numbers here and has the presence of Lady Gaga that warrants calling it a musical. It doesn’t want to be the standard sequel that folks would have expected for a Joker sequel but ends up following the same beats from the original film regardless, right down to having the titled character being right back where he started before he even became the Joker, only to then be killed off in an unsatisfying way.
This isn’t so much a film that’s trying to have the best of both worlds but achieve the WORST of both worlds. It’s a film that basically fails at failing. No matter what way you look at or examine it, Joker: Folie à Deux doesn’t work in any form of capacity because it’s not trying to work in any form of capacity. When you do that, that’s how you get a low 30% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest scored comic book film ever on Cinemascore, and a opening weekend that is looking to be on par with Morbius (only there will be no memes to save it this time).
Todd Phillips after this weekend!
To tell you the truth, for as bad as Joker: Folie à Deux is and deserving it is for all the hate it is getting, I can’t help but grimace about how much of a bomb it’s going to be at the box office. Not strictly because of the narratives of superhero fatigue and theaters dying along with this being Todd Phillips’s plan so Warner Bros don’t ask him back for a Joker 3 come Monday morning but more how studios will take the wrong lesson from the film’s mostly negative reception. That being that filmmakers should have less creative control on their projects and more creative influence should be given by fans and focus groups.
I am of course talking about the recent reports of studios constructing superfan focus groups to evaluate various projects for franchises to avoid severe online backlash. With toxic fandom being at an INCREDIBLY all time high, studios are now looking to be much more careful with constructing their latest installments for said franchises in the hopes that it doesn’t lead to review bombings on big movie sites such as IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, online harassment of it’s main cast and crew, and countless hate YouTube videos made by mostly alt-right grifters. Films like Joker: Folie à Deux are the kind of ones that would have likely played out INCREDIBLY different if these so-called superfan focus groups were able to contribute. I mean, there’s NO way in hell that these groups would have approved of Arthur being killed off by the supposed “real” Joker at the end of the movie.
Because of that, I can’t help but feel like Joker: Folie à Deux as being the beginning of the end of this current era of blockbusters we are living in. Instead of getting filmmakers to make films based off their own desire, voice, and ambition, the majority of big films now will likely get completely reworked because it might make Super Fanboy #172 too angry since it didn’t have enough jokes, references, callbacks, or lightsaber fights. We are on the verge of living in an era of big movies being written directly by Reddit and ChatGPT. And that’s an absolutely BRUTAL future to think about!
While I highly doubt this will lead to a massive removal of characters that are black, person of color, female, or identify as LGBT+ as many folks have been speculating, it makes me think that blockbusters are going to be much more dumbed down than usual, even more so than they already are. Strong storytelling, great character development, and bold filmmaking will be abandoned for the sake of spectacle, easter eggs, and “fan service”, for those that don’t want to think during a film but just be strictly pandered too. I want to be more optimistic and believe this will lead to more quality mainstream films and franchises installments with studios being more open to feedback from real and honest fans but this is literally Hollywood we are talking about. They ALWAYS learn the wrong lesson for all their successes and failures, just like how I imagine they will for the likely box office failure that Joker: Folie à Deux will be.
Still, if Todd Phillips’s goal in all of this was to really waste 200 million dollars that Warner Bros gave him, while that company is on the verge of bankruptcy, and potentially put a final nail on the coffin to this rather bleak era of cinema we are living in to make for ANOTHER bleak era of cinema, then mission accomplished! It’s only then might we look back at Joker 2 as being the last special kind of bad movie that we will be getting for a very long time. Because of all that and more, who would have guessed that it would be Todd Phillips of all people that would get the last laugh in all of this!
There’s a scene in Joker: Folie à Deux where Arthur and Lee are performing live on stage in a fantasy scene. Arthur rambles on how he doesn’t feel like they are giving the people what they want. Lee proceeds to say, “Come on, baby, let’s give the people what they want!” And instead of it leading to an exciting performance and musical number as the people would likely want, the next thing that happens is Lee shoots Arthur out of no where and then the scene is over. If you think that sounds like a spoiler for Joker 2, it’s not. Because that’s basically the entire movie in a nutshell.
The original Joker was one of the most bizarrely controversial films in recent memory. When it came out back in 2019, you basically had two opposing viewpoints about the movie. You had one side of the coin that was scared that it was gonna bring out the “wrong side” of the moviegoing public and fandom, leading to a repeat of the Aurora theater shooting that took place in 2012. Then you had the other side of the coin that wanted to use this film and it’s success as a means to “stick” it to “woke” media, as some sort of cultural war victory for straight white males. If you ask me, I didn’t see the original Joker as either one of those things at all.
It wasn’t the groundbreaking “anti-PC” masterpiece that it’s supporters were propping it up as nor the incel empowerment fantasy that it’s haters were trying to make it as. At it’s heart, the original Joker made for a pretty good “what if” scenario if someone dared to make an origin story based off a famous comic book character that is the LAST person in the world who should have an origin story. Yes, it was definitely a derivative mix of Martin Scorsese movies (A.K.A. The King of Comedy meets Taxi Driver) and Batman lore but it was well-made, well-acted, and entertaining enough that it could overcome that for me.
If you also take into the fact that the movie ended up grossing a billion dollars, nominated for a bunch of Oscars, winning some Oscars (For Best Actor and Best Original Score to be exact), and that the film never really caused an uprising of glorified incels or deplorables of any kind, you would think that director Todd Phillips would have every reason to ignore all that outrage and see the film as a success. However, if Joker 2 is anything to go by, it seems Mr. Phillips have managed to side with the haters of his supposed magnum opus.
Joker: Folie à Deux (I’m just gonna call it Joker 2 after this!) is perhaps the most self-loathing, neglect driving mainstream film I’ve seen in quite some time. It’s the kind of film that basically is ashamed of everything that it seems to dip it’s toes into. It’s ashamed of being a comic book/superhero film, it’s ashamed of being a musical, it’s ashamed of being a court house drama, it’s ashamed of being a commentary on mental illness, it’s ashamed of being a Joker sequel, and worst of all, it’s ashamed of it’s own mere existence. It’s not just strictly a pointless sequel that didn’t need to exists, it’s also a pointless sequel that the film ITSELF doesn’t want to exist either.
The only goal that Toad Phillips has in mind throughout the film’s entire two hour and 15 minute long runtime is to lecture the kind of folks that idolized Joker as a hero from the first film and assumed all along that Homelander in The Boys was the real hero of that show. Outside of some impressive technical achievements and solid performances, Joker 2 has nothing going for it at all. It is a film that’s not only made for no one but it’s PROUD of the fact that it’s not made for any one. Not even director Todd Phillips himself.
Premise: Taking place two years after the events of the first film, Arthur Fleck ( Joaquin Phoenix) is institutionalized at Arkham, awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker. It’s during his time there that Arthur really starts to wonder if Arthur Fleck and the Joker are two separate things, questioning if it was the “Joker” half that was responsible for committing the murders he did and NOT Arthur Fleck himself. While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur not only stumbles upon true love with a woman named Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga), but also finds the music that’s always been inside him.
The main selling points for Joker 2 had to do with going down a more musical route and getting a talented musician/actress herself in Lady Gaga to portray the iconic Harleen Quinzel. All the while answering questions of the aftermath of the first movie, that basically amounts to addressing the bizarre controversy that it got. Those elements in of itself aren’t the worst ideas ever but the way that Joker 2 goes about those ideas doesn’t do the film any favors whatsoever. Because no matter what you are coming to this sequel with the clown prince of crime for, you are likely not going to be satisfied.
Were you hoping to see Joker in his prime and on top of crime in Gotham City? Well, too bad! Instead, we are just gonna have him rot in the Arkham Asylum and court horse for the majority of the movie, where Arthur is barely the Joker at all until a random song number appears or when the plot requires it.
Were you hoping for a romantic musical that adds depth and nuance to the relationship of Joker and Harley Quinn than ever before? Well, too bad! Instead, we are going to insert these musical numbers in the most awkwardly ways possible that barley advances the plot and characters while grinding the pacing to a screeching halt every time they come up! Oh, and we aren’t actually gonna call it a musical even though it’s CLEARLY a musical because…….comic book fans hate musicals and that could ruin the pre-release marketing.
Were you hoping this would at least set up a Joker 3 which sees Joker meeting Batman for the first time ever? Well, too bad! Instead, we will have this entire film build up to a conclusion that tears down the entire foundation of this franchise, have it feel like nothing was accomplished and basically makes a Joker 3 literally impossible! No Robert Pattinson or Christian Bale Batman in Joker 3 for you!
At it’s core, Joker 2 basically acts as an epilogue to the first movie instead of a progressive sequel. Similar to M. Night Shyamalan’s infamous Glass (another sequel that didn’t really need to exist), we see the film’s protagonist being put in a position where he can’t be a threat or curiosity to the audience or anyone around him in the movie.
It’s been two years passed and EVERYONE knows the issues he has and the potential threats he could cause, which makes nearly every scene in Arkham Asylum and courthouse tedious to sit through. Much like Glass, Joker 2 spends the majority of it’s runtime obsessing over irrelevant questions of the state of mind that are basically designed to kill any source of ambiguity that it’s predecessor(s) had and beat you over the head with what Todd Phillips is trying to say about the response that his previous film got.
To be sure, Joker 2‘s biggest sin isn’t necessarily the fact that it choses to go against the grain and defy expectations. After all, we are in an age where we are seeing comic book/superhero movies take a bit of a decline and it’s always welcome to spice things up to make the subgenre stand out better in the long run. However, not only does Joker 2 find ZERO material of it’s own to fill in those expected gaps but it doesn’t find any real reason or purpose for doing so other than to just troll the audience and make sure they do NOT demand a Joker 3.
If there’s any saving grace to this motion picture, that would be with the technical achievements. The film looks gorgeous, capturing the aesthetic and feel of it’s setting very well, with fantastic cinematography by returning cinematographer Lawrence Sher. The costumes and make-ups effects are inspired, even if it’s used effectively less than the first film. The score by Hildur Guðnadóttir isn’t nearly as impressive and immersive as the first one but it gets the job done, even if it doesn’t help the musical numbers stand out. I would imagine if Joker 2 somehow is able to get nominated for anything at the Oscars this time around, it might as well be for production design and technical achievements. After all, Suicide Squad of all movies was able to win an Oscar.
Joaquin Phoenix is still solid as Arthur Fleck but he feels much more restricted this time around, not getting a chance to stand out as well as the first film. Due to Phillips wanting to strap the Joker of his makeup this time around, you never really get to see Phoenix go into full Joker form like I imagine most fans wanted. Instead of taping into that unhinged, fearful, and funny mindset of the Joker that the ending of the first film teased, he basically is given no choice but to act as the sad and broken man that Arthur is and not so much as the crown prince of crime. Even when he is given a chance to go full Joker during a scene at a court house, he doesn’t come across as scary or disturbing but just annoying and obnoxious. I don’t blame Phoenix for this but the direction that Phillips choose to take with the titled character here really holds him back from being the true Joker we all know and love.
Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn (or I’m sorry Lee) fairs much worse here. While Gaga does the best she can and is clearing singing her heart out whenever she needs to, she isn’t given much to do here other than to sing and be a Joker fangirl. She doesn’t resemble anything that fans have loved about the character of Harley Quinn other than being mindlessly in love with Mr. J, once again proving just how much Phillips seems to just detest these characters and the superhero movie subgenre in general. Her and Phoenix don’t gel as well together as they should because their relationship comes across as a complete afterthought to everything else happening here, only appearing together when Arthur needs motivational support. That’s not even mentioning the large amount of trailer footage with her that was cut from the finished film. It’s baffling how the one aspect that Joker 2 should have gotten right easily, it bungles it spectacularly.
Joker 2 is by and large the worst kind of sequel. Not only because it’s one that clearly hates it’s predecessor and it’s audience but it hates itself. It’s only exists because the first film made a billion dollars and was nominated for a bunch of Oscars. Because of that, we get a sequel that basically undoes everything that the first film established. Not by accident but strictly ON purpose!
The story and direction are non-existent, the musical segments are tedious and comes across as a distraction, the court house scenes are nonsensical and a chore to sit through, the romance between Arthur and Lee is barley explored, the Joker himself is hardly in it, and it all leads to an ending that makes the two Joker films feel utterly pointless.
This is almost as if Todd Phillips is punishing the studios, the general audience, and himself for being forced to make a sequel, along with making sure that we NEVER get another film set in this universe again. And we all end up worst for it!
I’ll give Mr. Phillips credit though. For as divisive as the first Joker film was, he managed to make a sequel that is basically universally hated, bringing both critics AND audiences together to dunk on his latest trash heap. And considering we are a month away from the most controversial election in America’s history, one that will likely lead us to a war of some kind regardless of who wins, that is most impressive.
I never in a million years would imagine that it would be Joker 2 of all things that brings everyone together before the inevitable arises. That might just be the greatest joke of all.
Other comments:
I was originally gonna give this one out of four stars but considering that is the ranking Todd Phillips would want me to give it, I’m going with one and a half out of four stars instead. Take that, Mr. Phillips!
Also, it’s obvious that Mr. Phillips didn’t do his historic research. The death penalty wasn’t reinstated in New York until 1995. This movie takes place in 1983!
I would certainly love to watch this film side-by-side with Martin Scorsese!
This film has a sex scene so awkward and forced that even Zack Snyder would cringe watching it.
This film and Megalopolis sure would make for a perfect back-to-back double feature! Two absolute disaster pieces made by directors who clearly got to make the films they wanted but it’s still complete and utter shit! I guess some folks do in fact need some restraint from studios!
If you want to see a recent DC project involving a well known Batman villain, just watch The Penguin! It does EVERYTHING that these Joker films try to do a million times better!
I plan to do a spoiler post about the ending of the film in the next few days.
Also, there’s literally a moment where the Arkham guards rape Arthur! I’m not even joking!
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