Monday, December 30, 2019

Kim Possible (2019)

Danielle Solzman started her review by saying, “Not every animated series or film works in live-action but I feel that Kim Possible was able to pull it off in the newest Disney Channel Original Movie.” This new movie premiered back in February.

A quick story has an awesome cameo for Professor Dementor (Patton Oswalt) – sees Kim Possible (Sadie Stanley) fighting crime with her partner Ron Stoppable (Sean Giambrone). The two are helped by tech genius Wade, played by Issac Ryan Brown. This takes place shortly before the two enter their freshmen year at Middleton High School. Yes, Kim must balance being a teen crime fighter with the everyday struggle that happens with being a high school teenager.

Besides Kim thinking she knows everything that she needs to know, high school won’t be just something typical that she deals with daily. Solzman noted, “The comedy rule of threes requires some fun interactions with Mr. Barkin (Michael P. Northey).  No matter how fun they may be, they certainly play into the typical genre cliches.” One of the most notable changes is Kim trying out for soccer besides cheerleading. Obviously, this means having to deal with enemy Bonnie Rockwaller, played by Erika Tham.

Kim meets Athena, played by Ciara Riley Wilson, right when she has sunk to her lowest point. High school may be a lot for Kim but Athena has it even worse. Athena admits that she is one of Kim’s biggest fans. She knows everything she needs to be a crime fighter. As you can guess, she joins Team Possible – getting suited up and everything. Athena, it turns out, also is a fan of singer Poppy Blu, played by Christy Carlson Romano, who Kim knows personally. Before too long, Athena is the most popular kid school!

Previous villains Drakken (Todd Stashwick) and Shego (Taylor Ortega) get the live-action treatments who want their revenge. Having been in jail, Drakken is kind of behind with society. It doesn’t stop him from ordering Shego around so he can get his revenge. Solzman noted, “The big thing here is that he wants Kim’s spark and he’ll stop at nothing to get it!”

Sadie Stanley has some large shoes to fill in replacing the role but she does a fine job. This is because Christy Carlson Romano is Kim Possible to a lot of fans. Change is not an easy thing and this is very frequently seen in Disney remaking their animated works. Solzman noted, “Say what you will about that but from where I was watching, the actress was able to pull it off.  Sadie Stanley may be taking over for the title role in Kim Possible but the actress is certainly a star-in-the-making.”

While live-action is not able to recreate certain things in the same way as animation, it was very cool to watch Stanley in action, along with Taylor Ortego and Ciara Riley Wilson. The women really get to showcase their skills. It’s not only restricted to the teenage stars. As Ann (Willow Rosenberg from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," Lily Aldrin from "How I Met Your Mother" and Michelle Flaherty from the "American Pie" franchise, Alyson Hannigan) and Nana Possible (Connie Ray), Kim’s mother and grandmother get in on some of the action.

Solzman said, “Similarly, I cannot stress this enough but the TV series and movie can co-exist.” This may not be an easy thing to pull off, but this film does deserve a chance. To its credit, the actors are just doing a job so they can’t be blamed. It was nice to see Christy Carlson Romano make a cameo as they also serve a purpose in film. It’s a small one and less than five minutes long but definitely worth it. Unfortunately, Will Friedle does not make a cameo. Nancy Cartwright reprises her role as Rufus the naked mole-rat.

In all honesty, I do agree that the animated films were better and I’m sure the previous show is far superior, but this film looks good for today and shows a lot of promise. Maybe if it’s a pilot to the remake show, then potential is seen in this film. Check it out and give it a chance. See it for yourself and see if you like it or not.

Look out tomorrow as I finish off “Disney Channel Original Movie Month” with the third “Descendants” movie.

1 comment:

  1. Another cool review. I actually liked this film and have also been a big fan of the show. Watched it with a close friend.

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