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| Courtesy of Disney |
(Rated PG for some action.)
The cast: Ewan McGregor, Hayley Atwell, Bronte Carmichael, and the voices of Jim Cummings, Brad Garrett and Nick Mohammed.
What it’s about: Christopher Robin, the kindhearted boy who loved to play with his animal friends in the Hundred Acre Wood, has grown up to be a cranky, workaholic (McGregor) in danger of losing his wife (Atwell) and daughter (Carmichael). Now, it’s up to his old friends Winnie the Pooh (Cummings), Tigger (Cummings again), Eeyore (Garrett), Piglet (Mohammed) and the rest to remind him of those valuable childhood lessons.
The good: At its core, Christopher Robin is a story that viewers have seen in countless other movies, but there’s something to be said about a familiar tale told well. Practically every scene involving Christopher’s furry friends is wonderful, thanks to stellar voice actors and inspired new character designs that blur the line between reality and imagination while accentuating their cuddly natures (yes, even Eeyore).
McGregor is also quite good, although the role doesn’t exactly stretch his acting muscles. Still, he’s the perfect choice considering his past work allows the audience to project decades of cinematic shorthand onto the character.
Although the narrative takes a while to build, the last 30 minutes or so are pure emotional comfort food. Granted, it hurtles toward an ending viewers have seen coming since the opening moments, but that’s welcome after everything they’ve endured up to that point.
The not-so-good: Again, those looking for originality won’t find it here; the plot is basically Hook with stuffed animals instead of pirates. Unfortunately, that means viewers have to watch Christopher Robin be a complete jerk to a sad Winnie the Pooh for an hour before they’re friends again. It’s emotional for adults, so young kids might have an even tougher time.
Director Marc Forster (working from a screenplay credited to Alex Ross Perry, Tom McCarthy and Allison Schroeder), is more interested in the melancholy of Christopher’s midlife crisis than heartwarming reunions. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but parents should probably know up front what they’re in for prior to planning a fun family movie night.
Finally, I was disappointed that Atwell, a stellar actress, is wasted in the thankless role of sad, brooding wife/mother. She eventually gets a chance to do something slightly different (and fun!) in the last few minutes, but by then the credits are rolling and I was thinking about a better movie that could’ve been.
Special features: Four behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Grade: B-
Incredibles 2
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| Courtesy of Disney-Pixar |
(Rated PG for action sequences and brief mild language.)
The cast: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Huck Milner, Eli Fucile, Bob Odenkirk, Catherine Keener and Samuel L. Jackson.
What it’s about: Picking up immediately after the original, Incredibles 2 finds the Parr family back in the spotlight when two siblings (Odenkirk and Keener) devise a marketing strategy to get superheroes some positive press. They recruit Helen/Elastigirl (Hunter) to be the program’s guinea pig, meaning Bob/Mr. Incredible (Nelson) must swallow his pride and be a stay-at-home dad to Violet (Vowell), Dash (Milner) and baby Jack-Jack (Fucile).
The good: While not as good as the original, Incredibles 2 is far closer than I would’ve predicted. What it lacks in narrative one-upmanship it makes up for with its stunning animation. Technology has advanced exponentially since the early 2000s and writer-director Brad Bird takes full advantage of the progress. Several action sequences are quite literally jaw-dropping.
I especially liked that the stakes remain mostly personal. Yes, the climax involves a runaway ship headed straight for a city port, but that’s still relatively small-scale compared to recent superhero movie benchmarks. In addition, the film has a terrific message about parenting in the current age and subtle metaphors about modern gender roles without ever getting preachy or overtly political about it.
It’s also nice that Pixar decided to take a break from ripping viewers’ hearts out and focus on sheer thrills and entertainment. That’s particularly true when it comes to little Jack-Jack, who discovered his superpowers in the original’s finale.
He is, without question, the clear standout this time around. Every scene he’s in is hilarious and adorable, particularly his riotous encounter with a hungry raccoon. To elaborate further would spoil one of the best movie moments of 2018.
The not-so-good: I have a sinking feeling that massive levels of hype and expectations might affect audiences’ reaction to Incredibles 2. Because so many people grew up adoring the original, the sequel needs to be practically perfect to make some fans happy. That isn’t going to happen, so prepare yourself – just look forward to a fun superhero adventure.
Special Features: “Auntie Edna” mini-movie; “Bao” animated short and making-of featurette; 10 deleted scenes with introductions; a host of featurettes and mini-docs; audio commentary from animators; outtakes; various in-world theme songs and toy ads; and more.
Grade: B+
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| Courtesy of Universal |
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
(Rated PG-13 for some suggestive material.)
The cast: Amanda Seyfried, Lily James, Alexa Davies, Jessica Keenan Wynn, Julie Walters, Christine Baranski, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Dominic Cooper, Andy Garcia, Cher and Meryl Streep.
What it’s about: A few years after the events of the first movie, Sophie (Seyfried) is reopening her mother Donna’s (Streep) hotel following a family tragedy. She’s upset because it’s looking like her husband (Cooper) and two of her three dads (Brosnan, Firth and Skarsgard) won’t be able to make it to the ceremony. Meanwhile, flashbacks to Donna’s early days with her best friends (the younger trio is played by James, Davies and Wynn) and her fateful encounters with Sophie’s dads (Jeremy Irvine, Josh Dylan and Hugh Skinner).
The good: I don’t know that anyone was clamoring for a Mamma Mia! sequel, but I’m ultimately glad we got one. There’s no real artistic or narrative reason to chronicle the further adventures of these characters, only that they’re fun to hang out with. Sometimes that’s enough.
It’s a gorgeous film and the cast is clearly having a good time – probably because, aside from James, none of them had to spend much time on the set. The narrative structure basically allows everyone to make extended cameo appearances. Well, except for James – most of the story rests on her fully capable shoulders. After the actress’ work in this, Disney’s live-action Cinderella remake and Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver, I’m a big fan.
The story also packs an unexpected emotional wallop, especially in the last few minutes (including an absolutely phenomenal end credit sequence). I certainly wasn’t expecting to get choked up during the sequel to an ABBA jukebox musical.
The not-so-good: Again, Mamma Mia! wasn’t exactly a story that demanded an expanded mythology, so the whole thing ends up feeling fun but disposable. It doesn’t help that the story’s framework makes it feel like one of those “clip show” episodes of a sitcom, where the actors come in to shoot a few minutes of new material and then stuff it full of old highlights.
It’s clear that the movie was hamstrung by Streep’s limited availability (or lack of interest in being the plot’s focal point). They handle it admirably, but when she finally shows up you realize what’s been missing.
Special Features: Enhanced sing-alongs; deleted/extended songs and scenes; “Today” interview with Cher and Judy Craymer; 14 making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes; feature commentaries.
Grade: B
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