Welcome back everybody to my next post. Now there is one thing that has always been on my mind when I started to make this blog, and that is why not let my thoughts out on those movies, that I never understood the hate for. So I figured why not just do it now, I mean not every list I make has to be in time for a new release doesn’t it? Now there is not really a consistent order in which I made this list (except until top 3, which are the ones I will defend to the death), but I guess I will try and order it in terms of how much hate it got, so you will probably see some ones at the bottom that were actually not badly received (but still not fully appreciated in my opinion). Also there will be no movies that might have gotten a polarizing reception but are otherwise critically acclaimed (so no Dark Knight Rises, or Star Wars the Last Jedi), or ones that I know are bad, but I still love watching the heck out of (so don’t expect something like Gods of Egypt on here, although 1 day I really got to talk about that fun mess of a film). So with that out of the way, sit down grab some popcorn, and lets get ready to look into the 30 movies I enjoy more than most people.
30. Muppet’s Most Wanted
Yes I know that this film did get mostly positive notices from critics, and is not entirely hated. But I still feel this movie does not really get much love nowadays from most people, and has been comparatively forgotten. Its a shame, because this is actually a really funny, and clever sequel, that has great emotion to it. Now nothing can really top the genius of the 2011 Muppet movie (one of my favorite movies by the way), and yes there are some flaws, like it is not as clever or emotional as the first, Walter gets tossed to the sidelines a bit and it is really focused more on the comedy this time out. But thank goodness the comedy that is here is hilarious with so many self aware jokes, and a ton of fourth wall breaking (seriously these movies give stuff like Deadpool, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and Danganronpa V3, a run for their money when it comes to how many walls they annihilate), and of course lets not forget the cameos which are always a highlight of these movies (although nothing ever tops Jack Black’s role in the 1st). I do also like the relationship between Kermit, and Miss Piggy, as that was really well done, and has some nice emotion to it, and the villains are a blast, with Kermit’s doppelganger ,Constantine, and Ricky Gervais Lemur being true standouts. Also the songs this time around are a lot of fun though not as good as the first (except for “They’ve ordered a sequel”, which should play in front of every sequel we get nowadays). So yes it may not be as amazing as the first but in my eyes the Muppet’s really did put on another good show (if only Disney would treat them with more respect).
29. Megamind
Again, I know this film got mostly positive reviews, but I feel like its one of those Dreamworks films, that has gone mostly forgotten, and even the positive reviews were not all that overwhelmingly positive. Its a shame because in my opinion this is actually one of my favorite films from the studio. I found it to be a really clever superhero parody, with a very creative premise that is handled very well. There is a lot of great humor throughout that makes fun of the superhero genre, Will Ferrell gives a fantastic,(if extremely underrated) performance as the titular character (seriously I forgot it was him for most of the time), some good animation that presents some fun action, and the way that it is very character driven focusing more on Megamind as a character, and his relationships with reporter Roxanne Richie, and his assistant Minion (who is a scene stealer). If I’m going to be honest this is probably one of the most character driven mainstream animated films, which is something I really do have to commend this film for doing. Really my only problem with this movie is that Titan is a really generic villain, and could have been handled a lot better. Heck, I like this movie so much, that it is one of the few recent Dreamworks films I would love to see a sequel to (or at least a TV show), so finger crossed this develops a bigger following in the future.
28. Trolls
From one underrated Dreamworks film to another, we have yet again another film that got OK but not any special notices from critics (don’t worry I will stop repeating myself over and over after this). But as for what I think of this movie, it is one of the best examples I use when talking about not judging a book by its cover. When the first teaser for Trolls dropped online, I was immediately turned off, and had little excitement for it. It just screamed that it was going to be everything I hate about most mainstream animated features nowadays, modern pop music, celerity voices, lazy juvenile humor, and so much more. But then later trailers started to show that there may be more to this film than meets the eye, and when I finally got a chance to see it I was pleasantly surprised, on how fun this movie turned out to be. Its funny because all of the things that are listed above are here, but it just works for this movie for some strange reason (except some of the juvenile jokes of course). The film also benefits from some amazing animation that is not afraid to be extremely psychedelic (what a coincidence this came out on the same weekend as Dr. Strange), some fun interactions between the two main characters, Poppy, and Branch, a fun villain in the form of Chef (Christine Baranski did a great job voicing the character), some really funny moments (my favorite scene is where Poppy is still trying to maintain positivity even when she is going through some seriously messed up stuff), a great relationship between King Gristle, and Bridget (again voice work is great there too), and a nice beating heart throughout the feature that provides some great emotion, and a great theme about trying to be positive no matter how tough the situation may be, and that it is OK to express your other emotions as well, and not hold it back all the time. This does, however, bring me to what prevents this movie from being among the best films Dreamworks has made, and that is it does not really stick with the latter theme through to the end. In fact it is a little disappointing how the movie just says always be happy at the end instead of reinforcing the equally important latter theme. If they had stuck with that message more, and if the side character had more to do (cool designs but they are really just there to sell toys), then this movie would be an instant family classic (or at least a great Dreamworks animation flick). So yeah, now I can’t stop the feeling of making this list (sorry I had to).
27. The Wolverine
How in the world does this movie have the same IMDB score as X-Men Oirgins Wolverine! I mean I even see that movie talked about more than this one. It’s a real shame people forgot about this film because this may just be one of my favorite films from the X-Men franchise. If I’m gonna be honest I really cannot find too many things wrong with the film’s 1st and 2nd act. It is a satisfyingly character driven drama, developing the character of Wolverine (played perfectly by Hugh Jackman) more, the acting is excellent throughout (except for one performance, which we’ll get to soon), the action is amazing throughout with some incredible fights throughout (even before Logan went full R, this film really did push the boundaries of a PG-13), and the Japanese setting, and culture presented throughout the film makes this movie standout from the other films in the franchise, and presents some some really cool ideas, like presenting Wolverine as a sort of Ronin figure (man how I really want to go there one day). But while the first two thirds are nearly perfect, its the 3rd act that really has some serious problems, in that it feels like a completely different movie, and just devolves into a generic comic book battle (although it is still fun to watch, and there is a pretty cool twist near the end which was pretty surprising). Also the villain, Madame Viper, is probably the most forgettable, and generic Marvel villain I have ever seen (I can’t even remember why she was in the movie, she’s that boring). So really its problems only stem from the 3rd act, and even then its not unwatchable, just falls flat when compared to the rest of the film. I really hope people do start to remember this film more, and that yes there was a great Wolverine movie before Logan (the less we talk about Origins, the better).
26. The Magnificent 7 (2016)
Ah, westerns, who doesn’t love a good old shoot em up with cowboys riding on horses with their undeniable charm wooing the lady. But of course in reality we know that the Old West was not all sunshine, and rainbows, as it was filled with crime, murder, greed, and a whole lot of racism. So it was really nice to see that this film does not shy away from those issues, and shows it throughout its comparatively long run time. But this movie succeeds most in having a great time. I may sound crazy saying this but this is probably one of my favorite full on action movies in quite some time. Sure you may know how the plot goes if you’ve seen anything with the same story, but it does still provide some surprises (no spoiler’s but there’s one particular thing that I was not expecting the movie to do, and it was pretty ballsy). Let’s also not forget the amazing cast who all do a good job injecting their characters with personality even if their role is small (my favorites were Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, and Peter Skarsgard as the slimy villain, although everyone is great), the stunning cinematography that is absolutely beautiful to look at, and really captures that western feel, and of course the incredible action scenes that are intense, brutal (this is probably one of the most violent PG-13 movies in recent memory), extremely well shot, and probably one of the best final battles I have seen in quite some time. Man I really wish more people would discover how great of an action movie this is, as we don’t see too many westerns being made today (their so uncommon that we might see another one on this list).
25. Iron Man 3
Now this movie was originally going to be much higher on the list (probably top 10 even), but over time, I have seen many people that actually love this movie, and even call it one of Marvel’s best. But there are still those who hate on this movie, and call it one of the worst Marvel movies. While I can admit it is not perfect since it does have some tonal issues, Aldrich Killian is a serviceable baddie at best, and the comic book fan in me really wishes we got the real Mandarin, I still think this movie gets better, and better with every re watch. The thing I love the most about this film is how auteur driven it is (probably the most auteur driven MCU movie), and how it feels like the director ,Shane Black’s, own movie. It works as a sort of mystery crime drama/buddy cop comedy that makes it stand out from the pack of superhero movies. I also love that this movie is not afraid to take risks, what with it being mainly a Tony Stark movie (he’s not in the Iron Man suit for a lot of the movie) focusing more on developing his character, and of course that infamous twist, that I found to be pretty clever, and surprising (I think we all know what I am referring to). Add in some excellent acting from RDJ, and the rest of the supporting cast, and some fun, and creative action sequences, and we get one of MCU’s most unique offerings that still stands out from the rest of the pack.
24. Rio 2
Now we return to animation, but instead of looking at Dreamworks underrated films, we’ll be looking at Blue Sky’s underrated films. In fact I really do consider the studio to be truly underappreciated, because even though not all of their movies are great, they do have a lot of good work on their resume, and their animation quality is always top notch. And that animation is by far the best part of this movie, as this movie is absolutely beautiful to look at, with so many nice colors presented in the backgrounds, and some great character movements that makes the many dancing scenes an absolute joy to watch. The story may not be in any great shakes as it is pretty predictable, and contains far too many subplots including a forced save the environment message with a really boring villain (although the way the subplot ended was pretty satisfying). But it does have some very strong messages about acceptance, and how we should try to accept one another’s differences, a relatable, and funny protagonist in Blu (Its so funny seeing Lex Luthor as a bird), some good voice work all around (Andy Garcia is always a nice addition to anything), some pretty great comedy sequences that had me laughing out loud a number of times (the audition scene, and football match being the highlights), a fun side villain in the form of Nigel who is just as much as a scene stealer as he was in the 1st (he also gets a hilarious musical number), and of course the many musical moments presented throughout (my favorite is either Nigel’s number, or the “Beautiful Creatures” scene). So while not as good as the 1st one (a movie that executed it’s similarly generic premise really well), I still find it to be a fun movie, with a lot of great things here and there (seriously though these movies have some of the best animation in any mainstream animated feature, and I wish people would give them more credit for that).
23. Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs
We go from one Blue Sky flick to the next, but this time we’ll be talking about a film from their biggest franchise. The Ice Age films are one of those very polarizing series, where people either really enjoy them or really despise them. I lean more toward the positive side of the spectrum, where in my opinion the 1st is great, the 2nd, and 4th are okay, and the 5th is meh (not as bad as people say, but it really is a movie that exists to make money). But as for this one, I am shocked to see that people did not really enjoy this movie, as this is probably the closest to being as good as the 1st one. Sure there are a couple of hiccups here, and there like the story isn’t anything revolutionary, Crash & Eddie are pretty annoying, not all of the jokes land, and the fact that these movies are some of the least scientifically accurate films ever made (so dinosaurs survived the asteroid by going underground, yeah OK…). But even with those this movie does have a lot of things that makes it a really good threequel. It has some very good animation that really brings the world of the dinosaurs to life, some fine voice acting done throughout (especially Simon Pegg as Buck, who is just a joy to watch, and my favorite part of this movie), some fun high flying action scenes, some very effective comedy both in the jokes, and slapstick department (Those Scrat scenes are always a highlight), and a good message about sticking together like a family, how that family can be anyone you care about, which provided some very touching moments. So yeah I am surprise this entry was not better received than the rest (heck I might like it more than 3 Jurassic Park movies), I mean who doesn’t love some good old Dino action every now, and then (in fact you might see some more later on in this list).
22. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Out of the Shadows
Now for those of you who do not know, I am a huge TMNT fan thanks to the fantastic 2012 Nickelodeon series that got me into it. So yeah I may be a bit bias towards this movie than most (heck I did not even mind the 1st one), as yes this movie is very flawed. Some of the humor does not work, April, and Vern get significantly less to do this time out despite playing big parts in the 1st (or in April’s case protagonist duty), Shredder is completely wasted and does not even do anything besides move the plot along (I wish they stuck with his cool suit from the first), a Casey Jones that is vastly different from who he was in the source material, and Kraang is extremely one note, and is just a generic alien invader. So yes the movie just wants to cram so many things into one story that it suffers big time for it, but I still quite enjoy this movie as believe or not, a Saturday morning cartoon like experience. This film is pretty much an extended episode of the original cartoon, and it’s at its best when it fully embraces it’s campiness. The action is so cartoony, and wonderful to watch unfold, Bebop, and Rock-steady are great as Shredders buffoon henchmen, there are some good moments of comedy throughout, and while yes Kraang sucks as a character, I did appreciate how he reminded me of one of those wonderfully over-the top evil villains from those same Saturday morning cartoons. But the best thing this movie does far and away is the how it nails the Turtles, and gives them humanity, and how the team dynamic works, as well as the conflict that they are presented with which is if they want to stay “monsters”, or become human (sure they kind of chickened out from that idea at the end, but at least its something of substance). While it does not hold a candle to stuff like the 2012 series, its still something to watch if you are in the mood for lighthearted fun (preferably watch it Saturday in the morning with pajamas on, while eating your favorite cereal, with milk if you want).
21. Storks
Now this particular movie has turned out to be quite polarizing, and in retrospect its not hard to see why. The film is extremely zany, even when compared to other films like it, and there are many people who are just turned off by that sort of humor. Luckily I am not one of those people, and I love how zany this movie is, and I consider this movie to be one of the best mainstream animated comedies in the last 5 years. The film is just hilarious throughout it’s brisk run time, with some great jokes, and very effective slapstick comedy which also works thanks to the great cartoony animation on display. But the movie has more to offer than just great humor, as the relationship between Junior, and Tulip is really fun to watch, and the two have some great moments together, the subplot with Nate, and his parents provided a nice beating heart to the film, and is extremely relatable, the villains are a lot of fun (Kelsey Grammar’s Hunter especially), some really clever world building that develops the world this movie tales place in, and some great messages about the importance of family, and joy of belonging somewhere, which of course gives the movie a big emotional touch (the ending alone almost made me tear up). While the story can sometimes be in a sugar rush, and some characters while fun, really only serve to move the plot forward, I still wish this movie got a better reception from critics. In the end this movie once again shows why WAG is one of my favorite animation studios working today, and makes me look forward to whatever they do next.
20. MIB 3
I won’t spend too much time on this one since, I do plan on doing in depth reviews for all 3 Men in Black films before MIB International comes out. But I will still cover some things in here (it will just be more in depth in the review). So yes I am a big fan of the Men in Black franchise as I love the 1st, and think the 2nd is meh (still some fun stuff going on, but still pretty disappointing). And then there’s this third entry, that does not seem to get much love nowadays by people, which is a shame because it is a lot of fun. It maintains that same great humor we’ve come to expect from the franchise, the actors are all having fun (Josh Brolin especially), Boris the Animal was a cool villain, the action is done well, the film is very character driven, and it wraps up Agents J, and K’s story very well in a really heartwarming way. Sure there are some flaws like the CGI is pretty wonky at times, and not all of the jokes land as intended, but this movie just works as a satisfying finale to this irritation of this Men in Black that we all know and love (can’t wait to see what Hemsworth, and Thompson bring to the table in June).
19. Monsters University
Now brace yourself because, we are going to be looking into a lot of Pixar’s stuff for the next couple of entries. You know, for being one of the most beloved Animation Studios of all time, their works gets criticized pretty often particularly their more recent output. And this movie is one of them, as it has been called unnecessary, generic, bland, boring, and so much more. While I can agree that no one really demanded a Monsters Inc. prequel, and there are a couple of missed opportunities (looking at you Randall), I still love this movie. The film presents an interesting look into how Mike, and Sully met, and how they become who they were in the 1st, which makes the film works well as a prequel, and I did like how the focus was more on Mike this time around, and how his and Sully’s personalities are different here than in the original (which makes sense when you see what these characters go through). But the movie is also very creative when it comes to creating a monster college and presents many cool concepts and visual gags, has some very funny moments throughout (that urchin run always kills me every time), adds some great new characters into the mix in the form of the oozma kappa gang who are a joy to watch, beautiful, and colorful animation, has one of the best Pixar villains in the form of Dean Hardscrabble (voiced excellently by Helen Mirren), and contains a perfect 3rd act that is so intense, filmed so well, subverts so many expectations and deals with the theme of that sometimes all the hardwork you do may not always pay off in what you wanted. Well that’s a message you don’t see much of nowadays especially in most animated fair, so kudos to this movie for going all for it, and dealing with in it an honest, but also satisfying manner. While I may still prefer the original, Monster University is a great prequel, that makes me hope we see more of this universe (can’t wait for that new animated series in the works for Disney plus).
18. Brave
When the teaser for Brave for came out, people went nuts, saying it was unlike any Pixar movie and that it would be a game changer for them. When the film finally released however, that was not the type of reception that greeted it. People were really disappointed, and yeah I can understand some of the complaints, like sure the story isn’t anything groundbreaking, Merida does have some annoying moments (well it is teenage angst so can’t really fault that), and it does have some tonal issues throughout the run time. Personally this may be the weakest Pixar movie in my opinion, but to me that just means its a great movie. This movie succeeds greatly in it’s execution of the story presenting a very compelling, and heartwarming mother-daughter story that is very nice to watch, a great main character in the form of Merida, some hilarious comedic relief (Fergus, the Triplets, the Tribesmen, etc.), dazzling animation that brings Scotland to life (that’s to be expected of Pixar), a scary, and menacing villain in the form of Mor Du, and some powerful themes of acceptance, and learning to love your family. All of these things make me wish people hadn’t forgotten the film so quickly, because I never hear this film talked about much (and when it is, it’s mostly not good). While far from Pixar’s absolute best, it succeeds way more than it doesn’t (something you can’t say for some other animated films).
17. The Good Dinosaur
Now we come to Pixar’s first ever financial failure, as this movie did very poorly at the box office when it first came out. Now there are many reasons people say why it did not do very well like it wasn’t as well reviewed as other Pixar films, two Pixar movie in one year was too much, the budget was too high thanks to production troubles, Disney did not have much confidence regarding the film hence the poor marketing, and so much more. So yes while the film was a disaster for the studio, that does not mean its a bad movie, far from it. In fact the best way I can describe this film is beautiful, both in it’s visuals, and storytelling. The story while simple, is executed greatly as it works as a boy, and his dog (or in this case dinosaur, and his boy) story, the animation is absolutely breathtaking with gorgeous backgrounds, and scenery, Arlo, and Spot make a great team of protagonists, the supporting players are all fun to watch, the emotion is there in the character driven scenes with many scenes that tug at the heartstrings (some of them are even done with no dialogue), the film has a nice western fell thanks to its setting, and character interactions, and the powerful themes of learning to live with your fears, and how its Okay to be afraid which really hit me on a personal level. Another thing I loved was how the film presented Mother Nature, as a harsh and unforgiving environment which gave the film a lot of tension which made some scenes really intense. Really my only flaws are that it is slow at times, and there are some character who do not really do much for the plot in the grand scheme of things. But other then those minor issues, I think this is a great, and very different type of Pixar film, that did not deserve to bomb, and with that we are done looking at underrated Pixar films for now (expect them to come back later on).
16. The Angry Birds Movie
Now we come to a video game movie, (boy we all know how well those turn out…), and not just any video game movie its what many people call one of the least bad video game movies which isnt’t really saying much. While the reviews were not as bad as others many people just ignored this film, and it has been comparatively forgotten by most. But after a recent re watch of the film, I actually had a lot of fun watching it. Now it is far from perfect as there are jokes that don’t land (particularly the hip pop culture references, and most of the pig puns), some characters that while funny don’t do much for the film, and it does drag in some places mainly in the 1st and 2nd acts. But that doesn’t mean the film is a pile of bird poop, as it benefits from some great, colorful animation that is very cartoony at times, voice actors who are all having a fun time with what they’re given, some really funny moments that made me laugh out loud (nice DOFP reference), a nice main trio in Red (who is a solid protagonist, and the best developed character), Chuck, and Bomb who have some nice interactions with each other, a perfect 3rd act that captures the feeling of playing the mobile game, and is wonderfully chaotic, and a message that is actually handled better here than it was in Trolls. While Trolls is arguably the better film, this film is not afraid to address that it is okay to express your emotions, and not hold them back especially if something is wrong which is a good message to teach kids. Speaking of kids this movie has a lot of adult jokes at times (even profanity), which I kind of liked, even if it may seem like a lazy way to appeal to adults, it did not bother me here for some weird reason (in fact the best way to describe this movie is a raunchy comedy for kids). This movie just shows that maybe video game movies work best animation (sure Detective Pickachu looks surprisingly fun, but I think we’re all on the fence when it comes to Sonic…), and now that we have the establishment of the bird and pig war out of the way, that gives the sequel the opportunity to go all out, and maybe improve upon the first films flaws.
15. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
Now we will be looking at some would be franchise starters that died a horrible death at the box office. It kind of infuriates me when that happens, especially when a sequel or two has a lot of potential to improve upon the flaws of a good first film, and this film in particular is a good example of that. Let’s get the problems out of the way like it starts losing narrative steam in its 2nd act, and while its good and fun to watch it kind of goes all over the place, and loses some focus, Dane Dehaan, and Cara Develgine are a pretty mixed bag when it comes to their acting, and chemistry (sometimes they have some really fun, and strong moments with their performances, and other times their performances come off as very wooden), and a pretty predictable villain reveal. But what is good is really good, and it makes this movie into a fun, and imaginative sci-fi film. You can really see the passion the director, Luc Besson, had for the source material, and how he wanted to make the best movie possible. The standout elements of this movie are its world building, and visuals, as this movie is absolutely gorgeous to look at, with some amazing special effects that show off the world of Alpha, and all its alien inhabitants, and the movie does a good job of making the viewer want to see, and learn more about this universe (the opening scene is perfect in the way it does that). There is also some great action sequences (particularly the one in the almost perfect 1st act), fun, and memorable side characters that are fun to watch even if they don’t get much screen time, a compelling story about an alien race who lost their planet, and a pretty cool mystery that is done pretty well (if a little predictable in some places). This is a movie that lends itself perfectly to a franchise, and I do sincerely hope Besson, and his team find a way to continue their story (an animated series on Netflix would be neat, just saying…).
14. King Arthur Legend of the Sword
Like Trolls this is yet another great example of not judging a book by its cover. When the trailers for this movie dropped, I was not impressed, as it looked like your typical dark, and gritty fantasy movie that was all over the place, and was bound to fail miserably. And while it did, as it did horrendous financial business ($39 million domestic, and $148 million worldwide on a $175 million budget, yikes), and was received poorly by most people. But there were some critics I knew and trusted that said it wasn’t as bad as people were saying, and I am actually glad I trusted them because I agree with them. This film succeeds most when it is a Guy Ritchie King Arthur film, with that nice fast paced editing, and humor, that has become a signature of his films, and to me that’s what makes this movie stand out from the other Arthurian legend films, and prevents the film from being generic. The film also benefits from Charlie Hunnam’s fantastic performance as the Once and Future King himself, Jude Law’s villainous performance as Vortigern that was surprisingly effective at times, a good sense of humor that provides some really funny moments, some fun, and energetic action sequences, good camaraderie between Arthur, and his fellow buddies, an intense drum heavy score, some cool little changes to the myth’s that make this movie feel different from other interpretations,and a nice willingness to just go all out at times in terms of the fantasy elements that are just ridiculous but in a good way. Although the film does have some elements that don’t work like it has the feeling of a superhero like origin (he doesn’t really become King Arthur until the end, which they were probably teasing for future installments…), all of the female character’s are wasted in thankless roles especially the mage whose name I forgot (does she even have a name), the narrative is a little bit messy at times, and the 3rd act looks, and feels like a hack and slash video game (though it was a fun final battle). So i’d say this is one of those movies that knows it’s a fun time. I actually am kind of upset we’ll never get a sequel to this film as there is so much potential for what they could’ve done next, and there are a lot of characters from Arthurian legend that I would like to see interpretations from this specific universe (seriously WB, at least choose a good release date, and lower your budget for these types of wildcards).
13. The Lone Ranger
And we return to the Wild West with another giant money loser right here. You know Disney for a studio that has some of the biggest hits, you also have some of the biggest failures (Sorcerer’s Apprentice, John Carter, Alice through the Looking Glass, Solo, Nutcracker, and the list goes on). But some of those failures did not deserve their fate, and this film is one of them. Now the film is far from perfect as it suffers from some issues like it is not the most prettiest movie to look at (the color scheme is very ugly here), the story is a bit messy and loses focus in places, the CGI is pretty clunky throughout, the tone is inconsistent (one time its really funny, the next its super serious), and the film feels like it’s trying way to hard to be Disney’s next Pirates of the Caribbean instead of trying to be its own thing. So the films a total disaster right, well actually not quite. Yes the film is flawed but it is still really enjoyable, and has some elements that work quite well. The Lone Ranger himself is a well done character, as is his buddy Tonto, as the film makes us care for them, and gives us some good background on them that makes them pretty flawed character’s in a good way when you think about it (Tonto especially). The acting is also solid across the board especially Armie Hammer, and Johnny Depp who play the titular duo very well and have good chemistry with one another, the comedy is done well with some funny slapstick parts, the villains are interesting with one of them representing America’s deep corruption (thanks to the setting, and conflict that is touched upon in many places), and the action is extremely well done with anything on a train being perfect (seriously that final battle is one of the best, and most fun set pieces I’ve seen in this decade). So while it does not hold a candle to the director, Gore Verbinski’s, Rango (a masterpiece by the way), it still is the type of western film you don’t see much of nowadays, and it would have made a cool franchise, if only there were a way for Disney to make that happen without risking potential losses (*cough* Disney Plus *cough*).
12. Power Rangers (2017) & the Amazing Spider Man
We will be seeing a couple ties in the rest of the list, and that is because they are part of the same franchise, but these two are tied for a different reason. I both found them pretty similar in their tones. They are both dark remakes of iconic properties, follow the origin story routine in standard fashion, and are pretty indifferently received by most people. But for what these movies are, they are executed quite well. They both have great ensemble casts that play off each other very well (Power Rangers with its excellent team dynamic, and Amazing Spider Man with its criminally underrated and extremely well done romance), some solid action sequences that are shot very well and are easy to follow, character driven scenes that deliver excellent character development for the main players involved, surprisingly consistent tones that know when to be dramatic, and really funny, and they both have great emotional moments in them that actually really hit me in some places, while also dealing with some mature themes (Power Rangers, especially in many places). Really these movies have share many positive traits with one another, even if they share some similar flaws with one another. They aren’t really doing anything new with the superhero genre so there playing by the book in that regard, and they both have serviceable villains at best in the form of the Lizard, and Rita Repulsa. Also while their tones are mostly consistent throughout there are times where their a little uneven like Amazing Spider-Man takes itself too seriously sometimes, while Power Rangers can be pretty goofy at times (need I even mention the Krispy Kreme product placement). Still, even though I may prefer Power Rangers more (it’s not remaking another film and having similar beats to that film, like Amazing Spider-Man does to Raimi’s original), these are some of the best post Batman Begins like origins since well Batman Begins. So it makes me even more upset that we’ll probably never see future films in these universes especially Power Rangers since that was just getting started (although from what I’m hearing maybe, a sequel could happen, but as for Amazing Spider-Man, yeah that’s pretty much dead). I hope more people would start looking at these films and judging them not on their generic premises but on their well done execution (heck dare I say it, I think Amazing Spider-Man is equally as good as Homecoming, and even does things better, which is probably going to be a really unpopular opinion).
11. Ghostbusters (2016)
Oh boy where to begin with my experience with this movie. This was one of my first exposure’s to just how toxic, and exaggerated the internet can really be when it come to entertainment (especially when its based off a well loved property). When the first trailer for the film came out, it was just none stop hating from that point forward until the film’s release (even after the release there was still talking about how bad it was). There was trolling, death threats, the actors trying to defend themselves, the comments being just negative whenever you look at something to do with Ghostbusters, it was just a disaster in terms of buzz. And the funny thing is when I finally saw, I thought the people saw a completely different movie, because I actually enjoyed it. While by no means a masterpiece since it has some issue that I agree with people who did not like the movie such as the CGI being fine if nothing special, not all of the jokes landing hard, the film does treat any male like an idiot at times and the cameos from the original cast feel forced in for nostalgia’s sake. But even though people do make valid points, and I am not disrespecting their opinion at all, I personally had a fun time with this film. The comedy mostly works and there are scenes that mad me laugh out loud (Chris Hemsworth is scene stealer in every scene he is in), the action is fun, and creative especially in the 3rd act showdown, Rowan was a surprisingly funny, and creepy baddie, the ghost have clever designs, and of course the glue that holds this film together is the foursome of Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, and Kriten Wiig. They have excellent chemistry with one another, and have a nice team dynamic that I really enjoyed, and they were just a blast to watch together. In fact I loved them so much that I am really disappointed we’ll never see them in another film after the film bombed (I blame that budget for being so high, and making decent numbers look like a disaster), and that legacy sequel coming out next year just shows that those trolls won, and are getting what they wanted. But, for the number of people calling this movie “a cinematic disgrace”, I am glad I enjoyed it as much as I did (but seriously I never want to go through that type of lead up to a film’s release ever again, doubtful but one can hope).
10. Ratchet & Clank
Now you guys are probably thinking many questions like wait there was a Ratchet & Clank movie, when was this, what the hell is Ratchet & Clank, and so forth. Many people probably did not think much of this movie when it came out, as they thought it was some generic animated kids flick, but to me this was a huge deal because finally a videogame franchise I loved was getting the big screen treatment, and it was animated, and looked exactly like the games. I love the Ratchet & Clank games and think they are a ton of fun with some of my favorite characters in gaming. So of course I was going to be biased more than most for this movie, and as a huge fan, I was satisfied with the final product. Sure it is a flawed movie since it shares many of the flaws of the first game, like Chairman Drek is a one note villain, and Qwark being an unlikable jerk at times (although he is a funny character), while also having some problems of its own doing such as a story that is nothing special, some of the jokes not working, and the other Galactic Rangers being extremely underdeveloped, and underutilized. So, the movie misses the mark completely right? Not really its just flawed in places (a common theme throughout this list), and is actually a really faithful adaptation, and actually improves upon the first game in terms of story, and character development. As fun as the first game is lets be honest it wasn’t really praised for its amazing story, and this film’s story is better paced, and much more focused than the game, and I liked Ratchet in this movie more than he was in the game in which he was pretty unlikable (not without his funny moments though), and Qwark was actually redeemed correctly here. The film also has some solid animation that makes the film look, and feel like the games, great voice work (That’s not a surprise since many of the actors from the games reprise their roles here), a lot of good laughs throughout (the best jokes are when its making fun of generic movie tropes, and references to the games, and some other PlayStation titles ), Clank is always awesome, Dr. Nefarious is great as always (though not as developed as he is in the games, speaking of which the mid-credits scene put a huge smile on my face, and fans will know why when they see it), and it has a good message of no matter what you do big or small, it is always important to do the right thing. This is by far the most faithful video game adaptation I’ve seen as it really does capture that feeling of the games very well, and while it is not nearly good as the most recent games in the series like Tools of Destruction, and a Crack in Time, it still stands as a worthy addition to the franchise.
9. Planes and Planes Fire & Rescue
Now we have the spin-offs nobody asked for in the Planes movies. Let’s be honest even if you like the cars movies (like me), this was just an obvious cash grab to sell more toys. So it is pretty amazing that these films turned to out to be pretty good (in my eyes at least). Are they amazing Disney classics? No, but they are fun, and enjoyable movies that are much better than what people say about them (there are much worse Disney animated movies out there). There are some things that prevent these films from truly going infinity and beyond like underdeveloped supporting casts that are just copying the Cars characters (Geez, I wonder who Ripslinger reminds me of), stories that are nothing groundbreaking, and not all of the jokes are winners (I dare you to take a shot every time a stupid vehicle pun is said). But these movies do make up for these shortcomings by presenting good executions for their stories (I do have to commend the 2nd film for focusing on firefighting which you don’t see many movies do), a likable, and compelling protagonist in Dusty Crophopper (played surprisingly very well by Dane Cook), a strong mentor-mentee relationship between Dusty, and Skipper (who has a pretty dark backstory, that’s shown in a surprisingly intense, and scary scene), a strong, and inspirational score, some good moments of humor, ensemble cast’s that while underdeveloped are still fun to watch, and some really well done animation that shows off some really great, and intense flight scenes. I also love that these movies don’t try to come off feeling cool, and hip, with a deluge of fart jokes as that is something they easily could have done, but they have natural dialogue that does not feel forced at all. While not as good as the Cars films, these films still soar to the best of their abilities, and succeed in providing some nice feelgood vibes (although, if Boats is ever announced than that’s going a bit too far).
8. The Lego Ninjago Movie
We now have an entry from one of my favorite film franchises running today, which is obviously the Lego franchise. When this film came out, it was following on the heels of the first Lego Movie, and the Lego Batman Movie which were both critically acclaimed (rightfully so), so this movie was arguably unfairly going to be compared to the two, and even the TV show on which it is based on (have not seen all of it, but from what I have, very good stuff). Naturally the reviews did just that, and kept saying how it never reaches the heights of the others, and how the show was superior in every way (even though in my opinion it is unfair to compare a TV show to a movie for obvious reasons). Yes I do agree it’s definitely the weakest of all the Lego movies released, but I did not try to compare it to the other, and just judged on its own merits, I really like it. First let me get the negative out of the way, the other ninja’s don’t get much to do and are just there, the pacing is a bit uneven at times, and out of all the movies in the franchise this is the one that tries the hardest to appeal to kids (the others appealed more towards a vast audience). Luckily the film does more things right than wrong with spectacular animation that is some of the best in the series, excellent voice-work from the cast (Dave Franco, Justin Theorux, and Jackie Chan are the standouts), a scene-stealing, and hilarious villain in the form of Lord Garmadon, a lot of great jokes that made me laugh (love Meowthra by the way), the classic kung fu movie feel in many scenes, the great world building that makes Ninjago City fully realized, great action sequences that feature great mecha, and mini figure battles (Jakie Chan was a fighting consultant on the film after all), a lot of nice themes presented like teamwork, loyalty, and trust and the film has a nice beating heart in the relationship between Lloyd, and Lord Garmadon, that provided some surprisingly hard hitting emotion to the film. One last thing I want to add is something that nobody has ever mentioned that I personally fell, and that is that the film kind of feels like an anime in some respects. I don’t know why but there’s something about the tone, humor, animation, action, characters, and setting that make it seem like this movie can easily be animated in the style of anime, which is pretty cool in my opinion, and appropriate since Ninjago is probably the closest thing we’ll ever get to Lego doing anime (And now I just want them to make sets based off of Dragon Ball, Cowboy Bebop, My Hero Academia etc.). I feel like this film would be received differently if the receptions for the other movies were different, and maybe more people would have appreciated it. It is a shame it bombed though (and apparently it was so badly received that the well received Lego Movie 2 had to suffer for it), and I would not mind having another adventure with this specific ninja crew (and trust me this will not be the last you’ll see of this situation of being judged with unfair expectations).
7. X-Men Apocalypse
And we return to the X-Men franchise, but this time with a film that was less than well received by critics. This film was put in a situation not unlike the Lego Ninjago Movie where the films that preceded it in the franchise (Days of Future Past, and Deadpool, yes it counts) were both critically acclaimed. So naturally expectations were high, and of course when it releases the talk is just mixed to negative. Now some of people’s complaints are valid like Apocalypse could have been handled much better (though Oscar Isaac does do a good job, the makeup is very impressive, and he has some of the best lines in the movie), it takes a while for the film to really get going, and with the exception of Magneto the four horsemen are extremely underutilized (man Angel just can’t get a break, he’s appeared in two movies, and both those times he appears for like a couple minutes). Yes the movie is not perfect, but to be honest, I think i’m with Chris Stuckmann when it comes to this film (great you-tuber by the way, please check him out if you have time). I think there is a lot to love in this film, and it has many great things that make it a worthwhile chapter in the franchise. The acting is once again phenomenal with all the returning (James Mcavoy, and Michael Fassbender are once again standouts), and even some of the newcomers doing great work here (Tye Sheridan, and Sophie Turner are underrated here, as they play Cyclops, and Jean very well), the CGI is not nearly as bad as people say, and is actually pretty good, characters such as Professor X, Magneto, Mystique, Quicksilver, and more are further developed here, there is great emotion throughout (Magneto especially has a stand out scene in a forest that just makes me want to tear up), the team dynamic is once again done very well here, and the film has some of the best, and most memorable scenes in the X-Men franchise (Again the forest scene, the Quicksilver scene, the Weapon-X scene, the nuke scene etc.). While I wouldn’t say its as good as Days of Future Past (one of my favorite superhero movies by the way), it still is a more than worthy follow up to that film, and it teased a potentially great future for the team (a future that will be cut short thanks to that stupid Disney-Fox deal, oh well let’s just hope Dark Phoenix is at least decent).
6. Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest & At World’s End
Ah Pirates of the Caribbean, the classic Disney ride that spawned one of the biggest movie franchises of all time. The 1st Pirates, movie, Curse of the Black Pearl, is one of my favorite action movies, and is just a blast to watch, while On Stranger’s Tides is really disappointing (for a film that made $1 billion worldwide, it sure is pretty forgettable). But as for the 5th film Dead Men Tell No Tales, I actually saw that one before I saw 2 & 3, and while I still think it’s a decent enough finale, I am kind of surprised people thought that was the best one since the first, because I think this 2 parter, blows it out of the water (no pun intended). Now these are some of those movie where your either on board with them, or your not because yes the flaws are easy to see like they are pretty overlong, have some of the weirdest tones in any franchise (These movies can go from one hilarious scene to one gruesome, and depressing scene), and have a lot of stuff in terms of plot, and character beats going on at the same times. I can see how these things can turn people off, but to me there is just one word to describe these movies and that is epic. These movies match that word so well because, back then in terms of scale, these were probably some of the biggest movies, and even today they have a scale not matched by many other franchises. These movies are the best examples of throw everything including the kitchen sink, as they just wanted to be the biggest movies around, and just go all out with their stories, and action, which is something I really dig about these films. They are great examples of what goods sequels should in that they expand the world of the series in new and creative ways, raise the stakes considerably, and develop the characters, we know and love while also introducing brand new ones. I also love the fun character dynamics, and interactions, the creative slapstick humor, the actors having a good time, the interesting plots that expand the myth’s of this universe, the fantastic CGI that is some of the best I have ever seen (especially in 2 with Davy Jones crew who have creative designs, and breathtaking motion capture), the film’s willingness to go to some dark places and push some boundaries when it come to that PG-13, the fantastic villain in Davy Jones who is a highlight in these movies (in no small part thanks to Bill Nighy’s incredible mo-cap performance), intense, and catchy music, and the incredible action sequences that are just crazy, and a blast to watch unfold (At World’s End has one of the craziest, chaotic, biggest, and funnest final battles I have ever seen, and I freaking love every minute of it). You know it kind of makes me wish they ended the franchise here, because it really does feel like this was supposed to be the end when watching the third movie because of how huge it was, like if the people making the movie thought if this is the last Pirates movie, might as well go out with a bang. I just cannot express how much I appreciate these movies just going all out, and it’s that epic feeling that just makes the original Pirates trilogy so much fun to watch back to back to back (for being very long movies they are surprisingly re watchable).
5. Tommorrowland
It’s weird how Disney is usually bashed for just making Marvel, Star Wars, and live-action remakes of their animated classics, but when they make a live-action film that has nothing to do with those, it ends up being one of the biggest box office bombs of all time. In that sense, you can’t really blame them for producing the stuff that actually makes money (then again it is technically their fault for marketing films like this poorly, but I digress). But anyway back to Tommorrowland, which is directed by one of my favorite director’s working today, Brad Bird (a very avid supporter of animation by the way), who has consistently made masterpiece after masterpiece, so of course when he makes what is arguably his weakest film to date, of course it ends up getting panned for not living up to his other films, even if his weakest film is still really good. It is just so refreshing to see an original film, that has no franchise connections, or promises, which something we all ask for yet frequently ignore. The film has so much going for it that it delivers greatly, particularly in the film’s first two thirds, from the beautiful visuals (that $190 million budget was spent well), to the excellent acting from all of the cast members (Of course George Clooney was amazing, but it was the young actors Britt Robertson, and Raffey Cassidy that really impressed me), to the feeling of wonder present in many scenes, to the fun, and intense action sequences, to that true sci-fi feeling that is creative, and presents many cool ideas regarding the concept of Tommorrwland. Also the movie has this great sense of optimism to it, and really emphasizes how, yeah the world is not a perfect place, and has many bad things going on, but that does not mean it can’t get better if we do our best to go out, and help out the best we can, which was led to a really satisfying ending. Plus this movie shows that original movies don’t have to be masterpieces in order to succeed as the movie does have flaws that prevent it from being on the quality of Bird’s previous films, such as the third act not being as strong as the first two, and the big villain reveal being very predictable, and while that villain’s motivation is interesting in concept, the movie does not look into it much after he gives a big monologue about it. But again I must reiterate that this is a film that is not based on any pre existing property, which is something people say they want, but the movie ended up bombing, let that sink in for a second. But anyway, Brad Bird knocked it out of the park once again, and this film makes me excited to see what original project he comes up with next.
4. The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park, what a fantastic film, and one of my personal favorite movies, that has spawned a pretty disappointing franchise. Jurassic Park 3, and Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom are not good movies, and while Jurassic World is an okay action film, it is still pretty disappointing compared to its legendary predecessor. And then there’s this sequel that many found very disappointing, but once again like with X-Men Apocalypse I am on the side of Chris Stuckmann when it comes to this followup. I think this film is a very worthy sequel to the original, and puts the other films in the franchise to shame. The only problems I really have are that there are some stupid scenes (the gymnastic scene), and the 3rd act in California would have benefited from being longer (still a great scene though). But other those minor issues, I can’t really find to much I did not like about this movie. I know, I will probably get some hate for saying this, but I think out of all the Jurassic Park films, this is probably the scariest as it has a really high body count (seriously there are a lot of gruesome deaths here), and many intense, and frightening scenes that left me on the edge of my seat (the trailer scene, the raptor’s hunting, and of course the Chicago scene are noteworthy for this). I also love how Ian Malcolm (once again played excellently by Jeff Goldblum) is developed here more as he is the protagonist this time, and he is joined by a great cast of characters played wonderfully by their respective actors (Julianne Moore, Vince Vaughn, Richard Schiff, and Vanessa Lee Chester). That’s not all though as the film is also very well made with some good directing from Spielberg, and a perfect blend of CGI, and animatronic dinosaur’s like in the first, an iconic score by John Williams returns, Peter Ludlow makes for an interesting villain (he’s basically John Hammond as the full on baddie, but then again Hammond technically is the bad guy who started all of this, but I digress), a surprisingly compelling subplot regarding the hunter, Roland Tembo, and the way it looks at dinosaurs, as both peaceful creatures, and savage predators. It really is a shame, both that this film was not that well received, and that the subsequent sequels were unable to come anywhere near its quality. I do hope that Jurassic World 3 is at least good enough to say there are more great Jurassic Park films than there are that are not so great.
3. Man of Steel, Batman Vs. Superman Dawn of Justice, and Justice League
Or as I like to call them, Zack Snyder’s (and a little bit of Joss Whedon’s), unofficial DCEU trilogy that got critically panned. Now I already went in depth for all three of these movies in my all DCEU movies ranked post, so I won’t spend too much time on this one, but if you do want my more in depth analysis on these films, please check out that post. But anyway, back to the subject at hand, these films, do make for an interesting watch when you watch them back to back to back, since you can definitely tell how much the studio interfered as the franchise went on. Man of Steel was not affected by this much, but the polarizing reactions from that film probably explain why a proper sequel to that movie turned into Batman Vs. Superman that was at times busy trying to set up an entire cinematic universe which also got an extremely polarizing reception from fans. So then the reactions from that film, got Warner Bros. micro managing Justice League, and trying to fix what people complained about the other movie by giving it a lighter tone, cutting the length, and having a climax with pretty much no human casualties, yet those just happen to be some of the movies biggest flaws. These films just go to show how much studio interference can really affect a film. So with all of that said, I find it pretty amazing that all of these movies work at all, given the circumstances in which they were made. Man of Steel is personally my favorite DCEU film (Here comes the angry mob), as it does not try to set up an entire franchise and focuses on being its own film, and it succeeds greatly as a first contact story, with excellent performances, and phenomenal action sequences. Meanwhile BvS is a flawed movie where the things it does well it does incredibly well, and it works more as a sequel to Man of Steel, addressing Superman’s actions while introducing Ben Affleck’s Batman into the fray, and while it’s not always successful, its powerful themes, great performances, intense score, and brutal action are able to make up for any shortcomings it may have. Finally while Justice League is not as deep in its themes as much as the other two, it is still a fun time at the movies, with a great main team dynamic, fun action, and a nice Challenge of the Super friends feel to it. While Man of Steel is by far the best of them, its impressive how all of these films are all some variation of good even with what was going on behind the scenes, and they all make me excited to see where the franchise goes next.
2. The Star War Prequel trilogy
If you don’t know already, I am a huge Star Wars fan, and I consider it my favorite franchise. Of course I absolutely love the original trilogy, but I am not one of those fans who think’s those are the only good things from Star Wars, as I think this franchise is more than those three classic film’s, and that’s what I feel toward the prequels. I remember when the Phantom Menace was being rereleased in 3-D, and that was the movie that got me into Star Wars, as I started seeing the other films, reading so many of the books associated with the series, watching the animated series, getting the Lego sets, and so much more. So yeah maybe if it weren’t for that rerelease, I don’t know if I would have been really into Star Wars when the new films released. But back to the Prequels, yes I do agree that they have many problems, such as the acting can be pretty bad in many places, there is bit of a CGI overload (Episode II especially), and they can drag at times (especially the romantic scenes). But even with those problems, even if the original trilogy is better, these films arguably in my opinion have a more interesting story. The whole story expands the universe in so many great ways, and even develops it more, while presenting many new concepts, that expand the mythology more. They also tie into the original movies very well explaining how things ended up the way they did, and it makes for a pretty tragic story which you don’t see often in blockbuster franchises. Also the if it weren’t for these movies we would not have gotten some of the franchises most memorable characters (Darth Maul, Mace Windu, Count Dooku, General Grievous, and the list goes on), the amazing action sequences (The Duel of fates, Yoda vs. the Emperor, Anakin vs. Obi Wan, and much more), the good performces (Ewan Mcgregor, Liam Neeson, Samuel L. Jackson, and more), and of course may be we would never have gotten the Clone Wars TV series whose story directly tie into these movie. In some ways the series does actually make the Prequels better, by showing how big of a deal this event was for the galaxy, and improves some of the flaws of the films (Namely characters are developed better, and the romance between Anakin and Padme is done so much better, and I actually cared for it). As for my thoughts on each individual film Phantom Menace is a flawed but fun movie, Attack of the Clones is by far the worst Star Wars movie, but is still enjoyable to watch, and Revenge of the Sith is actually one of my favorite Star Wars films, as it has the best Story, and acting out of the prequels, and it is not afraid to go into dark places. While I agree with some complaints, the hate these movies get is pretty ridiculously, and shows how horrible the Star Wars fanbase can be (just ask poor Jake Lloyd, or any other actor who received backlash), and I am not even going to mention some of the stupid things people complain about since I have no problem with many of them. And one last thing Jar Jar is not that bad, guys, he actually can be pretty entertaining at times (I somehow have a habit of liking comic relief characters hated by everyone, speaking of which, it is time for number 1 on the list.
and the No. 1 movie, I enjoy more than most is…
Cars 2
Oh boy, now where to begin with the hate this movie has been getting. This film is infamous for being the first film from Pixar to be panned by critics. This situation is similar to the Lego Ninjago Movie, where it was following up critically acclaimed films. But, Ninjago was only following up two acclaimed films, Cars 2 on the other hand, was following, up the 1, 2, 3, 4 punch of Ratatouille, Wall-E, Up, and Toy Story 3, all of which are considered masterpieces by many. So yeah, this movie’s critical fate was pretty much sealed before it even hit theaters. In fact many people just say that this movie is an atrocity to animation, and feels nothing like Pixar movie, and then I question what is a Pixar movie supposed to be. I mean why do they have to make one specific type of film, when they’ve pretty much earned our respect to make whatever they want including, a really fun, and clever action comedy with this film, which is really special to me. There is a funny story with me and this movie, because at the time this was my most anticipated movie of the year, and the movie of the century for me (keep in mind I was very young, and really only watched animated movies in theaters because I was not allowed to watch anything above PG, although I still watch just as much animation today, as back then). I loved watching Cars, and it was one of my favorite movies to watch as a young kid, and I loved collecting every single toy car there was, and playing with them (I still have a case where I store them). So when I heard Cars 2 was being made, I was just beyond ecstatic, so much so that I started going on the official website whenever I could find a computer, and started reading the character bios, watching the videos, and playing the games, something I never did for any other movie. Of course I also collected all the new toy cars I could find, and I also got stuff like books associated with the film, and I could not stop thinking about the film, this was the first time I experienced this level of hype before I started getting into more stuff later on (and I probably haven’t experienced hype like that ever since then, except for maybe the Lego Movie, Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Wars the Force Awakens, and Incredible’s 2 to name some recent examples). It also reminds me of a time when I was just excited about going to the movies, and not worrying about how it’s critical reception is, and what the internet says about it, and just wanting to see it (I still want to see movies but sometimes I get a little worried on how their going to be received). But what do I think of the movie now after all these years, because when I first saw it I loved it, and when I bought the DVD, I watched multiple times. Well guess what? I still love it! Let’s just get some of its issues out of the way first like the side characters from the first movie being underutilized, not all characters are developed much, and it doesn’t really work as a sequel to the 1st cars for obvious reasons like the whole spy set up (Luckily we have the excellent Cars 3 for that). But with that out of the way, there is so much I love about this movie, that makes me shocked when I hear people talk bad about it like the incredible animation that perfectly captures the globetrotting aspect, the very well done spy story that is actually really fun, great new additions to the franchise like Finn Mcmissle, and Holly Shiftwell (voiced excellently by Michael Caine, and Emily Mortimer), the lovable friendship between Mater (who is not annoying at all, and is pretty funny, and not an idiot, since he basically figured out the villains plot), and McQueen, surprisingly sympathetic villains in the form of the Lemons (even if they do a lot of bad stuff), phenomenal action sequences that are some of the best I have seen in animation (the opening sequence on the oil rig, always gets me hyped), the intense, and catchy score by Michael Giacchino which is one of my favorites from Pixar (seriously the soundtrack for the film is criminally underrated), and it has a nice message about being yourself, and not trying to change who you are on the inside even if people don’t like it which was really nice, and shows not every film from the studio has to have this complex theme that makes you want to tear up. This film also got me into traveling, and made me want to visit the places in the film (I’ve visited all of them except for Japan, which is something I really want to do one day), and it also got me into spy movies, and I started to really get into them (some of my personal favorites are Casino Royale, Skyfall, Kingsman the Secret Service, the last 3 Mission Impossible movies, the 1st Austin Powers, Spy 2015, and so much more). The film also has one of the better Disney villain twists in that it doesn’t make the character hatable, and it makes sense (unlike some other recent films). So yeah this movie really means a lot to me, and that why I am upset its is considered the black sheep of the Pixar films, and is treated like it doesn’t exist. Luckily I have been seeing more, and more people starting to defend this film, and hopefully the film will gain something of a cult following since it does feel like one of those types of films. So in conclusion out of all of the films on this list this is the one I will always defend when people talk bad about it, and I am not ashamed one bit because while it may not be the best Pixar movies, it is certainly one of my favorites.
Phew, glad I got that out of my system. I really hoped you guys enjoyed this post, as I had a lot of fun writing it. Please, tell me what films you like that not many people do in the comment, as I do love to hear other people’s opinions, and remember to be respectful about anyone’s opinion whether you agree with them or not (besides it would be boring if we all had the same thoughts on everything right).
So leave a comment down below, and see you guys next time!
Review Time 