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Film reviews

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu Review

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The film continues after the events of Season 3 of The Mandalorian. With mixed expectations, the Force maintains its strong suit in Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. There are moments of flaws and scenes that feel a bit redundant. Regardless, the galaxy and characterizations still thrive well in this franchise. Directed by Jon Favreau, the adventures of The Mandalorian carry the weight of the franchise as an assigned mission is accomplished. I appreciate the honorable tone of someone keeping their word while utilizing powers for the better with cinematic vengeance in Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.

After the collapse of the Galactic Empire, the galaxy is still devastated. Pedro Pascal is Din Djarin aka The Mandalorian. He reports to the New Republic. After trying to maintain peace and do the right missions, he cannot keep up with the fallen sections around him. He has a new mission which is to rescue Rotta the Hutt, played by Jeremy Allen-White. White is the voice of the alien character. Then there is Ward, played by Sigourney Weaver. She assigns Din to this task. Din’s small alien creature is Grogu, basically a baby Yoda who does not speak. With the rebels clashing, and much evil resurfacing, Din and Grogu are in for one wild ride.

What I found joyful was how there were many moments whenDin wanted to keep his helmet primarily because The Mandalorian has the desire to hide his identity. At the same time, the helmet protects him. The film goes on an adventure of teamwork and competitions, many of which have deadly consequences, especially when they involve creatures and monsters. There is not so much lightsaber action, but more strategic attacks, which provides lots of fun in Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. Overall, I found inspiration because of the buddy dynamic between the film’s two main characters, Din and Grogu. This is a film that is continued from a series and follows the right steps to reach its conclusion. It loops in plenty of Star Wars elements and focuses on the most important. It is witty and inconsistent at times, but mostly spot-on.

The galaxies full of adventures leading to conclusions is where the film excels. The performance of Pascal as the king of destruction for a better cause is strong. His loyalty to the New Republic as The Mandalorian provides the “presence of importance” because without him, there is no mission. There is no one to hunt, but all around him there is a galaxy of keys to leaders, threats, and adventures. The moving parts are attention- grabbing in Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.  I walked out feeling entertained but not blown away. Three out of four stars.

Film reviews

Tron: Ares Review

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Many years in the making, and there is a whole lot of CGI and AI to go around in Tron: Ares. Fifteen years after Tron: Legacy, this new edition is visually stunning, but the plot is just average. This film was on and off the table for quite some time. In my opinion, the execution of Tron: Ares does not nail it and Tron: Legacy didn’t either. I may sound redundant, but all three of the films were released in different eras. Tron was released in 1982, Tron: Legacy was released in 2010, and this year we have Tron: Ares. The new featured character is played by Jared Leto as Ares. This time around, he is focused on as the hero.

Ares is programmed by Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), a high-end tech owner who uses his AI company to gain power. However, things start to crumble. Eve Kim seeks to find hope for new beginnings and trace back to the days of Kevin Flynn, still played by Jeff Bridges. Ares is programmed to be an enemy, but with his own brain, he comes to realize the shortcomings of the universe and the programming of his environment. The world is at risk of espionage due to AI and cloud storage issues which can override all kinds of systems. While Ares may appear to be a promising robot, he still has the brains to bring out his hero side.

I appreciate how the film lays out its foundation but then veers all over the place to build a good guy vs. bad guy scenario and create misdirection. The film also attempts to keep going above the AI world. I get this concept, especially since it is a “Tron” movie, but the development of the CGI and the technological worlds had me struggling in moments. Fortunately, Leto kills it as Ares. He is a man of a few words but knows who he is fighting for. Together he and Kim are a combo for good and truth into the future. The era of technological advances swerves around in circles leading to a variety of interesting questions in Tron: Ares.

With the IMAX experience, I found the setting to be unique in this movie environment. The robotics and electronics dazzled brilliantly and were enhanced by the sound quality. The result allowed viewers to feel truly immersed despite the plot being less than stellar. There is a lot to be impressed by when it comes to the sound, the layout, and all the tunes in the film itself. Tron: Ares is spectacular in the visual sense due to its futuristic momentum. It is too bad that the writing is lacking in quality and includes transitions in the storyline that struggle to connect and captivate.

Overall, the film is an immersive continuation, but the quality and continuity are flawed. With luck, Leto is the successor of the futuristic drama in Tron: Ares. This movie is vivid, colorful and filled with AI grandeur, but could have been much better. Two-and-a-half out of four stars for Tron: Ares.

Film reviews

Freakier Friday Review

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Twenty-two years after the release of Freaky Friday, a body switch comedy about an uptight mother, Tess, and her free spirited daughter Anna, comes its questionably necessary sequel Freakier Friday.   This time around, both Tess and Anna are parents, offering a new form of chaos.   Directed by Nisha Ganatra (Deli Boys), this sequel provides double the  mayhem, causing  fans who thought they had seen  the worst of Anna and Tess, to reconsider. The body switching,  once again leads to all forms of  humorous hijinks but ultimately comes across in a predictable manner. 

Lindsay Lohan (Our Little Secret, Mean Girls) is back as Anna, now a mother, and Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween, The Bear) once again returns  as Tess, now a grandmother. Both have come a long way with a stronger bond  since the events of the first film. The primary  problem the duo  have to tackle involves Anna’s stepdaughter Harper, played by Julie Butters (Queen of Bones), unfortunately not a lot of context is provided in Harper’s upbringing. The story circles Anna, who is about to marry the love of her life Eric,  played by Manny Jacinto (The Good Place). When Eric’s daughter Lily is added to the mix, the body comedy ensues with the addition of the new parent / child combos.  Just when the worst was thought to be over, things in the world of Freakier Friday  get a whole lot more stressful. Especially because Harper and Lily are enemies at school and bound to be stepsisters.

Nisha Ganatra’s  film has its  funny moments, however  everything is shrouded  by a layer of predictability. This can be expected because there is only so much one can do to refresh a Freaky Friday movie. A majority of the film revolves around the tips and  turns centered around the mothers and the daughters as they learn to navigate the uncharted territory of their unexpected switch. Even though the plot twists are predictable,  they are not without  a certain level of charm. What does the trick for Freakier Friday is the context of ageism. Because the older characters tend to thrive in  younger bodies with the switch. The writing and setup is keen enough to  build laughs and momentum. Many of the comedic gags worked, but the pacing and repetitiveness are unavoidable. Rather than cover valuable new ground, Freakier Friday  works as evidence  that returning to the lives of Tess and Anna is a positive reminder  of the success of  the first film.

Freakier Friday offers a few memorable moments, but in the end, a plot that is painfully recycled. There  may be temporary joy for families to laugh with, as the film  benefits by having both Lohan and Curtis back, but otherwise the presentation will only make viewers yearn for the original. Two out of four stars.