Argylle

Today while exercising, I finished watching “Argylle,” released in 2024, Apple TV. I didn’t know this was a spin-off of “The Kingsman” franchise until I looked it up. I will let everyone know what I thought about this spin-off, seeing how critics weren’t really fond of it.

Jared Mobarak started his review by saying, “While ARGYLLE might be the dumbest of Matthew Vaughn's films, it still remains a lot of fun—something I cannot say for KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE (I didn't even bother with THE KING'S MAN).” The cast is nice, the music is good, and the action goes between exciting and absurd to keep the audience engaged even if the motives and plot are as simple as simple can be.

Because while the story is great (Jason Fuchs’ creates a writer who writes her spy novels so well that real spies want to use her to help them solve a mystery strangely similar to her franchise), the almost two-and-a-half-hour runtime is mostly jokes and redundancies attempting to trick us into thinking there’s more than meets the eye. The MacGuffin isn’t nuclear codes or an world-threatening virus. Mobarak said, “It's just a dossier of the bad guys because the good guys won't believe they exist without one. (So, just make one yourself since you already know all the information it contains?)”

Mobarak continued, “I really liked the first fight scene with Bryce Dallas Howard's Elly constantly blinking between Henry Cavill's Argylle dispatching villains with a calm smile and Sam Rockwell's Wilde doing so with much less grace.” Howard and Rockwell’s bond is fun (every repetition since they changed between friends and enemies multiple times) and the main reason for the entire film considering the spy stuff is so one-dimensional beyond it’s not so many turns.

The supporting cast is great too with the large roles (the late Catherine O’Hara and Bryan Cranston) or small (John Cena and Samuel L. Jackson), but the special effects leave a lot to be wanted. The climactic Snow Patrol fight (Run as sung by Leona Lewis) is so funny – and not because of the over-the-top dance choreography. Mobarak noted, “The whole thing is shrouded in colored smoke created by awful CGI both in its visual authenticity and ability to interact with the actors.” Thankfully an oil spill scene proves a little better even if its ice-skating finale is straight out of a cartoon.

And the final shot and the mid-credits scene? Mobarak said, “Absurdly silly both in content and the intent to lazily retrofit this movie into a completely different franchise. I cannot tell if it's meant as a joke or truly a tease for more.”

For those who are fans of singer Dua Lipa, she is in the beginning of the movie. I know that this movie wasn’t liked by critics, but I enjoyed it. I think that if anyone as Apple TV should see this, especially since we just lost Catherine O’Hara, a great actress for her time. Check it out if you’re a fan of “The Kingsman” franchise because I think this is enjoyable, but if not, then I understand, this film isn’t for everyone. I thought it was one thing but then it turned to another, and maybe that’s why people didn’t like it because they predicted what was going on early in the film.

Thank you for joining in on this review tonight. Stay tuned next month for this year’s “Black History Movie Month.”

The Magnificent Seven (2016)

There’s no surprise that Denzel Washington and director Antoine Fuqua would work together again on a new movie. They certainly hit it big with the popular and the acclaimed “Training Day.” Keith Garlington said in his review, “But I have to admit I was a bit surprised at their latest creative endeavor. I’m not sure why though. After all this is the age of remakes, reboots, reimaginings, re-everything else.”

Garlington continued, “Their newest collaboration is “The Magnificent Seven”, a modern action crowdpleaser anchored by a fun ensemble cast.” The original 1960 Western classic was based on Kurosawa’s famous “Seven Samurai.” This 2016 updated film appears to move further away from that story but never so far as to lose that trait. It accepts the basics of the story while adding in a few details of its own. As expected, it tries to do everything bigger most famously the huge wild western action.

If you haven’t seen the 1960 Western, Yul Brynner led a hired team of cowboys to protect a small Mexican village from a team of violent bandits. In Fuqua’s remake the Mexican village is exchanged for a small mining town named Rose Creek and Peter Sarsgaard’s Bogue is the evil industrialist torturing them. Washington takes Brynner’s role. He plays Sam Chisolm who is approached by a young woman from Rose Creek, played by Haley Bennett, asking for help.

Sam agrees but first he’ll need a team of gunfighters to train the townspeople and lead the defense against Bogue and his gang. His team of wild west outcasts includes an alcoholic gambler (Chris Pratt), and ex-confederate sharpshooter (Ethan Hawke), a dangerous assassin (Byung-hun Lee), a wanted Mexican criminal (Manuel Garcia- Rulfo), a big strong tracker (Vincent D’Onofrio), and a disappointed Comanche warrior (Martin Sensmeier).

Fuqua, screenwriters Nic Pizzolatto and Richard Wenk do a good job of building a fun camaraderie between their characters. It’s one of the film’s main aspects since it really wants to be a buddy-cowboy movie. Garlington said, “There is plenty of playful banter, ribbing, and jests but never too much.” That’s because it’s also trying for something more – an old school western.

Garlington said, “Watching the movie I couldn’t help but feel a little bit nostalgic. Fuqua tips his Stetson to a number of classic western angles both narratively and visually.” His use of the camera is fantastic (great cinematography from another “Training Day” alumni Mauro Fiore) and the score has some of the last work of the late great James Horner. You’ll be able to see Fuqua channeling from a variety of western directors from John Ford to Sergio Leone.

Expect some fierce and energetic action especially in the unavoidable final showdown (which is especially fun). Garlington noted, “Following a familiar blueprint each character is given their moment to show off their gun-twirling, knife throwing, or dynamite-chunking.” What you won’t see is any deeper feel of emotional difficulties between these characters. We get flashes of it especially from one specific character but never enough to distract it from its clear want to be a straightforward action film.

That leaves “The Magnificent Seven” open to reasonable criticism. Garlington noted, “It’s not a deep contemplative character study or emotionally heavy drama. It certainly misses some opportunities to incorporate those elements which may have made it a better film. But I’m fine with it since that isn’t what this film is aiming to be. It’s an action romp and Denzel and company pull it off nicely. They are clearly having a blast doing it and I must say I did too.”

This a good remake and an enjoyable one too. You can watch this on MGM+, but when I saw it, I was able to find it on Prime. Check this one out because as a modern update, I think it was one of those remakes that people could get into. Yes, the original will always be better, but this is one of those remakes that people can see and not want to miss out, especially with the ensemble cast in here. Watch it and enjoy.

We have now reached the end of “The Magnificent Seven Month.” I hope everyone enjoyed it and next month, we’re going to be in for some excitement for “Black History Movie Month.”

The Magnificent Seven Ride

“The Magnificent Seven Ride,” released in 1972, ended the western series on a surprisingly stubborn way. The original film was a 1960 western based on Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai.” This 1954 classic involved an assorted team being brough together to defend a poor village from criminals. Padraig Cotter pointed out in his review, “Of course, Kurosawa's work proved hugely influential on international cinema, with his movie The Hidden Fortress inspiring George Lucas on Star Wars while Yojimbo formed the basis for both A Fistful Of Dollars and Walter Hill's Last Man Standing.”

“The Magnificent Seven” reimagined “Seven Samurai” in a western setting and formed a team including Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, and Charles Bronson. The movie was enough of a hit that it become one of Hollywood’s first movies to have a series of sequels, with Brynner returning for the rightly titled “Return of The Magnificent Seven” in 1966. “Guns of the Magnificent Seven” continued the franchise in 1969 with George Kennedy playing Brynner’s character Chris – despite the two actors looking nothing alike. Cotter mentioned, “The Magnificent Seven Ride closed out the series in 1972, while a TV series arrived in 1998 starring Michael Biehn (Aliens) and Ron Perlman that ran for two seasons.”

“The Magnificent Seven” remake starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke was released in 2016, but it was modestly grossed, making a sequel unlikely. Lee Van Cleef plays Chris for “The Magnificent Seven Ride,” with his performance and the movie, generally, having a much darker tone. The movie starts with Chris having become a marshal and happily married to his wife, Arrila, played by Mariette Hartley. This is one reason he refuses an old friend Jim’s, played by Ralph Waite, request for help with defending a Mexican town from bandits, with the odds being clearly against them. Arrila is later kidnapped by a gang of teenagers after they rob a bank, who also damage Chris.

Cotter said, “Chris recovers after a few days to give chase, with The Magnificent Seven Ride firmly establishing its dark tone from the off. He discovers Arrila was raped and murdered, and guns down two of the robbers in cold blood after a curt interrogation.” He chases Donovan the leader, played by Darrell Larson, which brings him to the Mexican border town his friend Jim is trying to protect. Wanting vengeance, he again refuses to help, and the next time he comes back to the village he finds it was attacked by bandits, with all the men dead and the women were beaten and raped. Chris finally decides to help after finding the bodies of Jim and Donavan, so he hires five hardened prisoners (Luke Askew, James B. Sikking, Pedro Armendáriz Jr., William Lucking, and Ed Lauter) and his biographer Noah (Michael Callan) to take the fight to the bandits in an epic finale.

Cotter mentioned, “The Magnificent Seven Ride is much bleaker and dour than the previous movies. The first three entries still had high bodycounts, but their tones were more hopeful and humorous. The final movie, on the other hand, is harsh and unforgiving, and while this sets it apart from the other Magnificent Seven movies, its also not nearly as fun.” Lee Van Cleef’s Chris also feels very removed from the previous movies, but he’s still a charismatic person.

This may not be as good as the other sequels, but I still don’t think it would hurt if you checked this out on Tubi. See it for yourself and see how you feel. Judge for yourself if you like this film or not.

How is the 2016 remake? We will be looking at that next week in the finale of “The Magnificent Seven Month.”

The Guns of the Magnificent Seven

Tim O'Brien started his review by saying, “Now this may just be me, but George Kennedy doesn’t resemble Yul Brynner too much. After two “Magnificent Seven” movies with Brynner as the star, the third movie starred a new ‘Chris’ leading a new seven. Of course, the posters for “The Guns of the Magnificent Seven” have to nail this down. So is he the same character? A different guy named Chris? Did he undergo extensive plastic surgery? Okay, maybe not that last one, but you get the idea. So, before loyalists chap their hides over Denzel Washington leading a new Magnificent Seven, let’s take a look at the first actor to replace Brynner.” Three years after “Return of the Magnificent Seven” comes director Paul Wendko for the next sequel, “Guns of the Magnificent Seven,” released in 1969. This is different from the first two movies with Kennedy, a year after he earned the Best Supporting Actor Oscar from “Cool Hand Luke,” entering in the franchise. However, the second movie was basically a repeat of the original film, the third gets credit for originality both in story and casting. Also, Elmer Bernstein’s score is a plus, especially with some new music scores.

Deep in Mexico, a revolutionary leader, Quintero (Fernando Rey) is captured by an evil Mexican colonel, Diego (Michael Ansara), who runs a prison that looks like a fortress more than anything else. One of Quintero’s most loyal followers, Maximilliano, played by Reni Santoni, travel north to look for help in getting Quintero out of prison before it’s too late. In a border town, Max finds a man named Chris Adams (George Kennedy) who is trying to save another man, Keno (Monte Markham), from a lynch mob. Chris agrees to help out and form a group of soldiers to help him in the prison break. They find help from a local bandit Lobero (Frank Silvera) and his gang – this is a change of pace since the original film, but the odds still seem impossible.

O’Brien said, “The Seven: Kennedy is more than capable of handling the lead role, and while he doesn’t look like Brynner at all, he brings the same characteristics to the part: loyal, honest, and always willing to stand up for the downtrodden. He’s also chomping in a stogie throughout, a trademark made recognizable with Brynner.” As for the other six, this is by far the most unique group when comparing the three sequels. Markham as Keno, the Steven McQueen right hand man role, isn’t given so much to do after he’s introduced, but as a right-hand man, he does what he's supposed to. Look cool while helping the leader. Santoni’s Max is a young person with little fighting experience but who wants nothing more than to join the fight.

Adding a character of color, dynamite expert Cassie (Bernie Casey) the range of range is added and even more so with another member of the seven, Slater (Joe Don Baker), a one-armed Confederate gunslinger. Cassie and Slater would seem to have nothing in common, but a friendship develops when they realize how similar they really are. James Whitmore, as great as ever, plays Levi, an old knife fighter who’s settle with a family but takes the job for money. Adding some depth to the character, Levi bonds with Emil, played by Tony Davis, a young Mexican boy looking for his father. Unfortunately, the seventh member, P.J., played by Scott Thomas, receives little development which is sad because an expert gunfighter/rope throwing dying of tuberculosis has some potential.

O’Brien said, “The villain is a definite step-up here after Emilio Fernandez’s part in “Return”. Ansara plays Diego as a sadistic commandant trying to snuff out the revolution in his district no matter what the cost, especially when it comes to torturing his prisoners. One torture scene midway through the movie shows a creative way to take care of prisoners – bury them in sand up to their throats and then trample and suffocate them with horses walking all around them.” Ansara’s Diego may not be as developed as Calvera or Lorca in the previous two movies, but he’s a complete villain and sometimes that’s all you need.

Some critics said this movie is too slow and to be fair, there isn’t a lot of action. However, none of these movies are really action-packed. Characters are introduced, we get to know them, and then insert the action so that when some of the seven do eventually die, their deaths mean something emotionally. The finale in the movie is on par with the shootout at the end of the original. O’Brien said, “Finally ready for their assault, Chris leads the seven and a small group of farmers in an attack on Diego’s prison, dubbed the ‘Cave of the Rats,’ and his two-hundred-man garrison.”

The movie is loud, messy, and violent, and completely different from the rest of the series. First, the seven go on the attack instead of waiting to be attacked against the larger crowd. Second, two characters are killed almost at the start of the battle, and for a while it looks like the plan might actually fail. The attack is a great action scene from start to finish and the prison set also looks really nice. There’s even some surprises as to who survives and who doesn’t keep you guessing.

This is a worthy sequel to the original. O’Brien credited, “It does justice in every way while still putting its own spin on a familiar story.” Good casting and a strong script that really develops the new members of the “Magnificent Seven” with a great, action-packed finale.

This is a good sequel, even though it is not as good as the original. It is better than the last sequel, I can tell you that. Check it out on Tubi and see for yourself.

Look out next week when I look at the next sequel in “The Magnificent Seven Month.”

Return of the Seven

The first sequel to the 1960 western, “Return of the Seven,” released in 1966, only has one cast member of the original film, Yul Brynner as Chris Adams.

Emanuel Levy said in his review, “It was dismissed by most critics as unsatisfactory, repetitive, and cliché-ridden, compared to the first picture.”

Robert Fuller replaces Steve McQueen of Vin and Julian Mateos replaces Horst Buchholz as Chico.

Levy noted, “The film was written by Larry Cohen and directed by a second-tier helmer, Burt Kennedy, who made some Western with John Wayne (all mediocre).”

The cast includes Warren Oates, Claude Akins, Jordan Christopher, Virgilio Teixeira. Emilio Fernández is the villain, and famous Spanish actor Fernando Rey plays a priest.

Fernando Rey was also in the next film, “Guns of the Magnificent Seven,” but playing a different character.

Gunmen force the men in a small Mexican village to go with them to the desert. Among the kidnapped farmers is Chico, played by Julián Mateos, who was one of the seven hired gunslingers responsible for eliminated the village of the oppressive bandit, Calvera.

Chico’s wife, Petra, played by Elisa Montés, goes to find the other members of the group – only two, Chris and Vin, survived – begged them to save the village again. To replace the group’s murdered members, Chris buys the release of Frank (Akins) and Luis (Teixeira, a famous bandit) from jail, and recruits Colbee (Oates), a ladies’ man, and the young Manuel (Christopher).

The missing villagers are used as slave labor to rebuild a desert village and church as a memorial to the dead sons of wealthy rancher Lorca, played by Fernández. In a surprise attack, they force Lorca’s men to leave, and prepare for a counterattack. The farmers do not assist, but the defenders successfully reject Lorca’s main attack. The rancher then gathers his men to retreat the seven men.

Manuel finds a supply of dynamite which the seven use in a counterattack. While they are flooded, Chris is victorious from a shootout with Lorca. The rancher’s team run, leaving Frank, Luis, and Manuel dead. Chico plans to build back the village on Lorca’s land, and Colbee stays to help teach the villagers how to defend themselves. In the end, Chris and Vin ride off together.

Composer Elmer Bernstein received Oscar nomination for his score.

Levy noted, “The film earned $1.6 million in rentals during its initial release, and then re-released in 1969, earning rentals of $1.3 million.”

This is an underwhelming film, since you could say it repeats what the first one did. If you want to watch this, you can see this on Pluto TV. Check it out, but you won’t remember this one. This is easily forgettable.

Next week, we will be looking at the next film in the franchise in “The Magnificent Seven Month.”

The Magnificent Seven (1960)

Happy New Year to my online readers. Another year has started and this will be my 13^th year of blogging on movies. Hard to believe that I have been blogging for this long, but I’m still going strong, so let’s get another exciting year started. We will start this year by reviewing “The Magnificent Seven” franchise. Let’s start with the 1960 Western classic, “The Magnificent Seven.”

It is basically impossible to top Akira Kurosawa’s classic Japanese epic “Seven Samurai.” Mike Massie said in his review, “But the thundering, rousing music by Elmer Bernstein is a stupendous start for this Americanized, Western take on one of the greatest of filmic imports. In shifting locations, time periods, and languages – along with several plot elements – this rugged, action-packed adaptation (by William Roberts) is, on its own, a staggering success.” Despite not straying from Kurosawa’s basic story, “The Magnificent Seven” certainly has its own type.

Calvera (Eli Wallach, playing as cruel and crafty a character as ever before), a bandit leader not afraid to rob from the poor, rides into a small town to once again steal supplies from Sotero’s (Rico Alaniz) community of farmers, who are barely able to feed their families. If anyone dares to stand up to Calvera, they get immediately shot. This method causes many of the townspeople to think about leaving the town, or hiding food, or begging for mercy. Staying is thinking of a slow death.

With the advice of the wise elder, three of the men travel to the border town to buy guns to defend themselves. “We don’t know how to kill,” they insist. “Then learn…or die,” responds the elder. In town, they’re quickly treated to a large, foreign display: Dodge man Chris Larabee Adams (Yul Brynner, dressed in all black, but still hands down a champion of purity) and Tombstone traveler Vin Tanner (Steve McQueen) volunteer to drive a hearse up to Boot Hill to bury Old Sam the Indian, a corpse not fit to be buried amongst the dead people of the prejudiced, predominantly white citizens who run the area. However, after a few, well-laced gunshots by the two clearly comfortable with guns, the procession is allowed to finish their task.

This exciting, significant act perfectly describes the heroes – men who don’t think twice about doing the right thing, even if it puts their lives in danger. The audience never finds out anything more about their past or origins or even the reasons for their chance meeting, but it doesn’t matter. Massie described, “They may be Western character stereotypes, but these roles couldn’t be better suited for a cinematic clash of good against evil. No time or subplots are wasted on painting portraits beyond what is minimally necessary (though once the battling starts, there are opportunities for bravery, fear, regret, conviction, and other details on psychological stability). Each character is distinct – and unshakably righteous – but shrouded in mystery.”

Massie continued, “Adding to the leading duo are other typical players, but they too are the types of gunslinging ruffians that need little more than a bold entrance.” Harry, played by Brad Dexter, thinks there are hidden money to be won. O’Reilly, played by Charles Bronson, is an expensive hired gun, bot doesn’t have any predictions at the moment. Britt, played by James Coburn, is the silent one, but faster with his knife than an opponent is with a gun. Lee, played by Robert Vaughn, is a solid shot and a man on the run. Finally, Chico, played by Horst Buchholz, is a reckless, overconfident, rash young man – the type that isn’t worth enlisting, but comes in handy when he refuses to be excluded from the gathering of seven rather magnificent men. Massie said, “There’s more than enough nobleness, skill, and daredevilry to go around.”

Massie continued, “Whether a test of pride, desperation, competitiveness, risk, camaraderie, or even just the amusement of the stupefying odds (40 against 7), the motives and actions of this gathering of warriors is a nonstop source of entertainment. It’s difficult not to root for these underdogs (particularly as they confront a murderous bully), even though their proficiency with deadly weapons places them at a decided advantage – not unlike the ragtag assemblage of antiheroes that would eventually populate “The Dirty Dozen” and “The Wild Bunch” (and, to a lesser degree, “The Great Escape,” which would reunite three of the main cast members).” Preparations, booby traps, and the element of surprise all put together for a slow build to an exciting climax, where death and destruction are certain to occur to the determined fighters – along with a bit of romance, a little humor, plenty of suspense, and Bernstein’s theme music at all the right moments. Brilliantly, the film isn’t as easy as a group of professional gunners going up against criminals for a just cause. There are twists, escalations, and situation reversals that make them all accept their identities and egos. Massie ended his review by saying, “When things get really tough, these seven men can’t be bothered with the sensibilities of self-preservation – it’s about standing their ground and challenging wickedness, solely because that’s what the good guys do.”

I know this film probably copies “Seven Samurai” verbatim, but it’s still a Western classic that everyone should see. I enjoyed it a lot when I saw it years ago while exercising. Currently, this is streaming on Tubi, so check it out and enjoy yourselves.

I was surprised to find out that this film had a few sequels. We will be looking at the first one next week in “The Magnificent Seven Month.” In the meantime, I will be taking some time off until next week so I can recuperate from reviewing films every day last month.

Zootopia 2

“Zootopia 2,” released last month, is every bit as fast and funny and socially agreed as the last film, which came out – if you can believe it – almost a decade ago. Given that amount of time, one couldn’t be blamed for noticing how both films happen to agree with certain Trumpian moments in history: The first film was released when Trump was the leading Republican candidate in the 2016 Presidential election, and now the sequel has been released near the end of his rowdy first year back in office. James Kendrick said in his review, “As I wrote nine years ago, Zootopia (2016) eerily presaged Trump’s penchant for eschewing facts and nuance in favor of fear-mongering and broad generalizations designed to strike fear in his political base. Nothing has changed, of course, and in fact those tendencies have been super-charged by his return to power and have found even more voice in scapegoating enemies that are more figments of his fevered imagination than actual threats—which is precisely what Zootopia 2 is about.”

The story location in the titular metropolis, which, as you may remember (and, if you don’t, the film gives a helpful recap at the beginning), is a fantasy city where every manner of mammals live together in complete peace. The city is divided into four districts that give ideal environmental conditions for the different types of animals that live there. The districts are separated by giant walls that keep the fighting environments (e.g., Tundratown and the Rainforest District) separate.

We start right were the first movie ended, with Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), the determined, bright-eyed bunny who became the first rabbit police officer, and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), a sly con-artist of a fox, working together as a team. Having hugely (but not completely) overcome their differences, they still feel the need to prove themselves in a police force that is not used to rabbits and foxes being counted among their ranks (police officers normally are larger animals like zebras, hippos, and, of course, returning water-buffalo Chief Bogo, voiced by Idris Elba). Kendrick is right when he said, “If the first film was about breaking through stereotypes and the importance of digging beneath assumptions, Zooptopia 2 doubles down on that message by expanding beyond the inherent tensions within the city itself and bringing in a group of animals that has been expelled entirely: reptiles.”

We find out that there are no reptiles in Zootopia because they were forcibly expelled a century ago due to a snake being accused of murder. Kendrick said, “Those accusations happen to come from the wealthy Lynxley family, a dynasty whose paterfamilias was responsible for designing the walls that made Zootopia possible. So, we have a monied, powerful, politically connected family with a vested interest in maintaining its power by pushing a (possible false) narrative that demonizes another group and requires their expulsion.” Sound familiar?

Kendrick admitted, “I won’t dig too deep into the narrative details because part of the film’s pleasure is the way the mystery unfolds; it plays like a good ol’ fashioned police procedural crossed with Hitchcock’s wrongly accused man hijinks, wrapped up in computer-animated mania.” Safe to say that Judy and Nick come upon a deep conspiracy that involves, in one way or another, a trafficked snake named Gary, voiced by Ke Huy Quan. The awkward, black-sheep youngest member of the Lynxley dynasty (Andy Samberg), which is in charge by his gruff father (David Strathairn). The horse movie-star-turned-Zootopia mayor, voiced by Patrick Warburton. Finally, a conspiracy-theory-confused podcaster-beaver named Nibbles Maplestick, voiced by Fortune Feimster.

Kendrick pointed out, “There are a lot of twists and turns and hyper-funny action sequences, but the movie is constantly moored by the heart-and-soul ethos embodied by Judy and Nick’s odd-couple chemistry, which works (as they eventually learn) precisely because they are different. The film embraces diversity not as a bumper-sticker slogan, but as an ethos that creates a better world through understanding and acceptance. If that sounds too mushy, don’t worry—the film isn’t above sending up touchy-feeliness, which we see in the emotional breakthrough moment when Judy, the insecure overachiever, and Nick, the insecure swindler, admit to each other all of their personal and psychological shortcomings, which is both immensely touching and absolutely hilarious (“It’s true! I do need a herd of therapy animals!”).”

Kendrick continued, “Such moments suggest that returning screenwriter Jared Bush, who again co-directed with Byron Howard (they previous collaborated on Encanto), sees his characters as more than plug-n-play figures, and it helps that Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman give Judy and Nick such life. Granted, the film’s emotional contours tend to be drowned out by some of the visual excess, including an unexpectedly spot-on homage to the climax of The Shining (1980), and some of the characters feel like they’re trying too hard to be memorable (I’m looking at you, Nibbles).” However, on the whole, “Zootopia 2” admirably balances visual desire and genuine emotion.

The only complaint I have with this movie is that villain reveal is just like the first one. However, I still find myself loving this movie a lot and I’m glad I saw it. If you haven’t seen this film yet, go to the theaters and see it. I’m glad I finally got a chance to see this in the theaters yesterday, as it was one of the movies that I wanted to see. You will love this movie as it still is funny and does have a good message for kids to learn about. Shakira is back singing and does have a little bit of dialogue. Actually, the cast in this movie is phenomenal. Wait until the end credits to know and stay for a post-credits scene. I wasn’t surprised that they came out with a sequel and I wouldn’t be surprised if they come out with a third movie because I can see this franchise going somewhere, if they continue to teach kids about not judging people and the cons of prejudice, which is what they need to know. I think the first movie is a little better, but this is one of the better sequels Disney has come out with. Don’t miss your chance to go to the theaters to see this film.

With that, we have come to the end of “Disney Month 2025.” I hope everyone enjoyed this month, and hopefully I made some good recommendations for everyone, as this is the year that I did the least amount of reviews. Who knows if next year will be the same or not? We’ll just have to wait and see. Have a great end to this depressing year and let’s ring in the new year with the hope that it will be better for everyone. I’m going to take a couple of days off before I start the new year back with my usual Friday reviews. See all of you in the new year.