Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars

The first “Starship Troopers,” closely following the style of “Robocop,” writer Ed Neumeier’s debut team-up with director Paul Verhoeven, was an intense satire on neo-Nazism that incorporated all the accessories of 1940s fascism altered into outer space and reimagined for a generation that would eventually get a president like Donald Trump. JR Southall said in his review, “But there’s no point in creating satire that only appeals to those who already agree with your point of view, and Verhoeven’s film certainly contained enough carnage to cater to the knuckleheads who might take it on face value.”

Southall noted, “Just like Robocop, Starship Troopers spawned a cottage industry that the writer has found himself trapped inside, and here he is twenty years on, reuniting with star Casper van Dien for the third time in this fourth sequel.” Neumeier’s sense of satire hasn’t left him, and despite how bad fading returns damaging the franchise – we’re firmly into animated sequel area here – “Traitor of Mars,” released in 2017, is in some respects, according to Southall, “quite a pointed polemic on the perils of isolationism. Brexiteers will undoubtedly miss the point.”

With maverick Johnny Rico having been demoted to a training station on Mars, far from the Bug war, there’s obviously more going on than we see. New Sky Marshall Amy Snapp (Emily Neves) is unhappy about Mars’ request for independence, and with a perfect fall guy we see in the return of Carl Jenkins (Justin Doran, with Neil Patrick Harris being a huge star), she has a plan that will side-line those aggravating Martians permanently. What she doesn’t see is the determined tenacity of manhunter Rick and ex-girlfriend Carmen Ibanez (Luci Christian, replacing Denise Richards) – or indeed his other ex-girlfriend Dizzy (Dina Meyer, making a ‘surprise’ return).

Southall noted, “Like the animated Resident Evil films, this is an instalment that knows exactly what it wants to be and hits all its targets squarely on the jaw. The double-dealing that underpins the plot is so apparent it barely counts as intrigue at all, and this being Starship Troopers we don’t mind the characters lacking in dimension; Neumeier’s film series have always favoured ideas over authenticity anyway – and the animation is so slick it’s only when our protagonists remove their helmets that we truly realise it isn’t live action. So our quirk-distinguished heroes are thrown into a variety of situations, with the next bout of shooting or blowing things up never more than a few minutes away.”

It's not very engaging, and other than in its politics it doesn’t say a whole lot. However, that’s besides the point. This is a polychromatic thrill ride for the fans who enjoyed the polychromatic thrill ride of the original film, and in those ways, it does its job.

This may not be any better than the last time they tried an animated sequel, but it’s fine for what it is. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to see these animated spin-offs, but I won’t force anyone. If you enjoyed the first one, then you might get into the animated movies or not. I guess it will be different for everyone.

Now we have ended “Starship Troopers Month.” I hope all of you enjoyed it and…wait a minute. Next month is October. You know what that means…HALLOWEEN MONTH!!! Stay tuned because I will be looking at certain films directed by someone who had his own ups and downs in his career.

Minions: The Rise of Gru

Tonight, I saw the new “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” which came out July but released on Peacock yesterday. Since I saw it on Peacock tonight, I will let everyone know what I thought of this.

We first heard “Minionese,” the language of the Minions, in 2010, when creators Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin created them with supervillain Gru and his army of tiny creatures that spoke gibberish made up of random words from several languages.  Since “Despicable Me,” there have been two sequels, the bad guy has changed himself, and the minions got their own movie in 2015.

“Minions: The Rise of Gru,” written by Bryan Lynch and Matthew Fogel and directed by Kyle Balda, is the origin story of Gru becoming a villain and his introduction to the cute denim-wearing, goggle-wearing tiny creatures who are really loyal to their owner.

Almost twelve-year-old Gru’s desire is to become a supervillain and join the ranks of the Vicious 6, an infamous group of villains which needs one member after discarding their leader Wild Knuckles, voiced by Alan Arkin. The remaining members are Belle Bottom (Taraji P. Henson), Jean Clawed (Jean-Claude Van Damme), Nunchuck (Lucy Lawless), Svengeance (Dolph Lundgren), and Stronghold (Danny Trejo).

Udita Jhunjhunwala said in her review, “The choice of names and voice parts for the villains establishes the tone of this film – it’s steeped in 1970s nostalgia from the disco styling to the soundtrack that includes retro hits Funky Town, Cecilia, You’re No Good and Born To Be Alive.”

Gru’s audition with the Vicious 6 does not go like he thinks. It gets worse when the mystical stone he steals from them is misplaced by one of his minions.

Along with his little helpers Kevin, Stuart, Bob, and Otto (all voiced by Pierre Coffin), Gru (Steve Carell) is now an aspiring villain who is wanted from the real antagonists. During this exploit, he meets Dr. Nefario, voiced by Russell Brand, a scientist and owner of a record store who later joins Gru’s team, and Wild Knuckles, the villain who will end up being Gru’s mentor.

Jhunjhunwala said, “During the adventure, the minions become a more cohesive unit with their “mini boss” and discover their superpower – to make big sad eyes that can melt the heart of the fiercest human.” As for Gru, viewers already know who he is, since they have seen him adopt three girls and join forces with the Anti Villain League in the “Despicable Me” franchise.

The animated comedy is an 88-minute enjoyment, further brightened by the talented voice cast (which includes Julie Andrews as Gru’s mother and Michelle Yeoh as a Kung Fu instructor) that wants to just entertain every viewer. If the children in the audience are shouting in enjoyment at the mischiefs of the Minions, from trying to fly a plane to learning Kung Fu, then that’s a job well done.

This is better than the first “Minions” movie. If you haven’t seen this in theaters, then see it on Peacock, because it will be there for the next four months before moving to Netflix for ten months before coming back to Peacock for four more months. You will have an enjoyable, laughable time, since the Minions are not the central focus this time. Gru and the Minions get an equal amount of screentime. The voice acting is great, the jokes are funny, and the language of “Minionese” is just hilarious. See it and have an entertaining, fun time.

Thank you for joining in on tonight’s review. Stay tuned next Friday for the conclusion of “Starship Troopers Month.”

Starship Troopers: Invasion

The computer game visuals of this CG animated film by the director of Appleseed goes beyond the visuals. It doesn’t only look like a videogame cutscene (those video parts in-between the action in computer games) extended to a feature film’s runtime, but it also feels like it because the characters act like characters in a videogame and not like they would in real life or even other movies.

“Starship Troopers: Invasion” is apparently a 2012 sequel that takes place years after the events in the first Paul Verhoeven movie (Casper van Dien’s Johnny Rico character is now a general), but it has less in common with the Verhoeven movie or even the 1959 Robert Heinlein novel than any generic space videogame where the characters dance around in high-tech body armer and advanced robot suits. James O'Ehley said in his review, “Any hint of irony – what made Verhoeven’s funny “fascists in space” movie so memorable - is also jettisoned as the characters spout hammy videogame dialogue. Some scenes are in fact so unintentionally OTT campy that they’ll make you roll your eyes.”

O’Ehley said, “The plot involves a group of Federation troopers having to stop a spaceship filled to the brim with so-called “Bugs” – an arachnoid species that serve as cannon fodder for our one-dimensional heroes - from reaching the Earth. Plot holes abound. In Heinlein’s original novel the so-called Bugs were an intelligent specie with particle beam weapons and spacecraft.” Here – and to be fair the previous movies too – they are just dump extraterrestrial creatures with no technology at all. (It is a little difficult to build and fly spaceships without any working thumbs in the end.)

At the start of the film, we see a space station located on an asteroid being overrun by so many Bugs. Later on, it is told that “Bugs can’t fly spaceships.” Then how did they get aboard that asteroid to being with?

O’Ehley admitted, “The animation is okay-ish, but some of the human figures’ faces reminded me a bit of this guy to be honest.”

Once you discard any thoughts of this being a real sequel to the 1997 movie or the Heinlein novel – in the end, take away the Bug alien look from the storyline and you have a generic space action flick – then “Starship Troopers: Invasion” is a passable thoughtless way to pass 90 minutes.

If you want Verhoeven’s irony and humor, then forget about it: this is about as irony-free as you would think. If you want your movies to be more like computer games with non-stop action and boring characters quoting videogame cliches, then this is for you.

I honestly don’t know who this film would be for, but I don’t think everyone will enjoy this film, despite it being animated. If you want to give it a pass, you won’t be missing anything.

Alright everyone, look out. Because next week we’ll be wrapping up “Starship Troopers Month” with the second animated movie. Is it any better than this one? Tune in next week to find out. Also, sorry for posting this late. I had a crazy Friday.

Jurassic World: Dominion

Today while exercising, I finished watching “Jurassic World: Dominion,” which came out in June, on Peacock. Now I will let everyone know my thoughts on the final installment in the “Jurassic World” trilogy.

The sixth film in the Jurassic Park franchise and final one in the Jurassic World trilogy has a large ensemble cast of characters, dinosaurs and cliffhangers.

Familiar faces include the protagonists and actors from the first film, Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), Alan Grant (Sam Neill), and Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), along with the protagonists and actors from this current trilogy, Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), and Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon). These characters have separate, related storylines in the movie. When they final all get together in the third act, they really fill up the screen.

Owen, Claire and Maisie start where they left off in the last movie, hiding from people who want Maisie for the genetic secrets of her being cloned. They live in a remote area with little contact with other people, where they encounter Owen’s Velociraptor, Blue, and her offspring, Beta. The evil corporate empire of Biosyn Genetics has evil plans for both Maisie and Beta. Biosyn agents kidnap both of them, with Claire and Owen following closely behind.

Meanwhile, in a different, but related subplot, Ellie Sattler believes that Biosyn has genetically engineered a species of huge locusts that are seriously exhausting crops around the world. She goes to her old friends, Alan Grant and Ian Malcolm, to get help in getting genetic samples from Biosyn research facilities which would prove that Biosyn is to blame for the locust disease.

Robert Roten said in his review, “These globe-trotting rescuers and investigators encounter a variety of dangerous Biosyn allies, minions and bitey dinosaurs along the way. There are a series of cliffhangers as they barely escape time after time before the enormously destructive finale.” There is plenty of action in this movie.

The main antagonist in the movie is Dr. Lewis Dodgson, played by Campbell Scott, who is the unethical CEO of Biosnyn. He is a businessman who engages in the types of activities that are absolutely bad for business, like the locust breeding program, which is stupid, because he obviously can’t get away with it. Roten described, “His unbusinesslike behavior falls into the category of “mad scientist.””

Other characters in the movie, like geneticist Dr. Henry Wu (BD Wong), Biosyn communications director Ramsay Cole 9Mamoudou Athie), and freelance pilot Kayla Watts (DeWanda Wise) are more complicated than they appear to be at first.

Roten advised, “Once you get past the basic silliness of the plot and the monster movie overtones, this is more like an unserious heist adventure movie, and as such, it is enjoyable. This is not one of those awful dark, depressing films about an impending genetic apocalypse, although it could have easily been turned into that with a few minor tweaks.” This is an entertaining film, filled with action, nostalgia, and special effects.

What I don’t like about this film is that they filled in two-three stories into this movie, that it constantly changes between them, making it feel confusing as to what to focus on. I do admit that it is nice to see these characters from both trilogies again and the dinosaur fights are great and still look amazing, but seriously, they need to really work on the characters and stories if they want to continue making these films. I know they said they won’t rule out the possibility of making more films, but if they do, work on the films to make it better. There needs to be one central focus if you continue to make these films. Don’t mix so much in there and try to make it engaging like the first one was. Check it out if you want on Peacock, since it will be on there for four months before moving to Amazon Prime for 10 months before going back to Peacock.

Thank you for joining in on my review today. Stay tuned Friday for the continuation of “Starship Troopers Month.”

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie

Today, I saw “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie,” which came out on Netflix last month, and I will let you know of this film. Bear in mind, I only saw the premiere with my brother, and we thought it was fine, but said it did look like it would be a good show. Just not something we wanted to watch every week.

Despite their popularity spike long before most of today’s teenagers were born, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles never really faded out. Michael Nordine said in his review, “We’re only six years removed from the most recent live-action film based on the pizza-loving reptiles, and it was just two months ago that a new TMNT video game was released.” Ant Wart and Andy Suriano’s film is based on the animated series that aired on Nickelodeon from 2018 to 2020. Despite doubtfully bringing any nostalgic fans of the series from late 80s, early 90s in the park, this film is a serviceable – if also forgettable – entry in this franchise.

Nordine noted, “It would be difficult to overstate how obsessed with ninjas and martial arts children were in the ’90s, with the franchise riding the same wave as “Mortal Kombat,” “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” and the “3 Ninjas” movies. (That almost all of this was cribbed from Japanese pop culture didn’t occur to those of us who were kids at the time, of course.)” Most of the franchises continue, though the obsession they’re trending now is one of nostalgia – which, looked at from a certain angle, might be the most profitable and universal genre in existence.

Nordine mentioned, “To say that the plot of “Rise” borrows liberally from “The Terminator” would be putting it lightly; to assume that the film’s intended audience knows or cares would probably be wrong.” It starts in the war-torn New York City of 2044, where Masters Leonardo (Ben Schwartz) and Michelangelo (Brandon Mychal Smith) are so close to being murdered by an alien race known as the Krang that they do something desperate: open a portal and send longtime ally Casey Jones (Haley Joel Osment) back in time so that the disaster they’re facing can be stopped before it starts.

The problem with this isn’t that it’s unoriginal. It’s that, if only by benefit of being different from the wide range of “TMNT” franchise we’ve already seen over the last 30+ years, the future timeline is more compelling than the one we get. Nordine said, “Michelangelo and Leonardo have advanced abilities we’ve never seen from them before, laser blasts and explosions blanket the battlefield, and there’s an immediate sense of urgency that the rest of the film is sorely lacking. It’s downright apocalyptic, in fact, and feels moments away from utter ruin. “Middle-Aged Mutant Ninja Turtles” might not roll off the tongue as easily, but it probably would have been a better movie.”

That wouldn’t leave much time for fan service, however. What little we know of this future timeline tells us that there’d be no pizza for the ninja turtles to eat, not to mention few moments of humor when “radical” and/or “bodacious” would be appropriate to say. Nordine said, “The catchphrases and fun-loving air of these heroes in a half shell is a large part of their appeal, and “Rise” is careful not to deviate from a formula that’s kept the franchise at least semi-relevant for decades.” For the children this continuation of the Nickelodeon show is clearly targeting, that’ll probably be enough – never mind that it feels less like an actual movie and more like a “very special episode” of the series.

However, there are some differences that carry over from the show. Here, the brothers have actual mystic abilities along with their ninjitsu skills. Nordine noted, “they’re also more visually distinct from one another than usual, with Raphael (Omar Benson Miller) being much larger than his siblings and the ever-erudite Donatello (Josh Brener) donning a full face covering while bringing up concepts like the grandfather paradox to help his brothers understand time travel. But none of that prevents “Rise” from feeling samey. A longtime devotee such as myself would never suggest that it’s time for the ninja turtles to go away, but it might be time for them to grow up — if only just a little.”

Some of the differences here didn’t sit with me, but then again, changes happen with each installment. Raphael is apparently older than Leonardo, and is now the leader, since Leonardo is cocky, arrogant, impulsive, and too quick in reacting. Old school fans remember Leonardo being the eldest and having the leader qualities and Raphael being the hot-head, but this one seems to change it around. Still, I think this film was fine for what it was. If you’re an old-school Ninja Turtles fan, you may not get into this, but if you have kids who watched “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” then you can put it on for them.

Thank you for joining in on my review tonight. Stay tuned next Friday for the continuation of “Starship Troopers Month.”

Starship Troopers 3: Marauder

Die-hard fans of “Starship Troopers,” Paul Verhoeven’s infamous 1997 cult-favorite sci-fi show, will be relieved to be told that its second direct-to-video sequel bravely attempts to duplicate the original movie’s over-the-top style and self-satirical tone. Unlike 2004’s unimportant “Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Foundation,” a completely straightforward action flick, the latest sequel reprises Verhoeven’s love-it-or-hate-it mix of horrible chaos, exaggerated drama, sneaky nudity and insincere fascist visuals. For that reason alone, “Starship Troopers 3: Marauder,” released in 2008, likely will get larger sales and rentals than its previous sequel. Improved production values definitely won’t hurt its predictions.

Genre specialist Ed Neumeier, script writer of the first two “Starship Troopers” films, makes his directorial debut this time around, working from his own scenario about the ongoing war between human soldiers and giant arachnids. At the start, Neumeier indicates just how seriously watchers should take the film: Omar Anoke, played by Stephen Hogan, the heroic sky marshal in charge of fighting the giant bugs, is, as Joe Leydon of Variety says, “a charismatic celebrity and chart-topping singer whose onstage movements and militaristic song list suggest Adolf Hitler as an “American Idol” contestant.”

Casper Van Dien, protagonist of the first film, returns as Johnny Rico, a trigger-happy soldier who’s reintroduced in his new task as commander of military forces on a farming-colony planet. Leydon states, “Unfortunately, when his outpost is overrun by hordes of mammoth, man-eating insects, Rico is blamed and receives a death sentence at his court-martial.”

However, he’s allowed to cheat the hangman, literally, when fellow officer and estranged friend Dix Hauzer (Boris Kodjoe) drafts him for a rescue mission to a distant planet, where Anoke and a few other survivors – including Captain Lola Beck (Jolene Blalock), Hauzer’s girlfriend and Rico’s ex-girlfriend – have been stranded after a spacecraft crash. I guess everyone can tell that there are a lot of giant insects on this planet, right?

Like most other makers of direct-to-video sequels, Neumeier cleverly balances the need to cut corners with the need to recapture at least some of what made the first film typical. “Starship Troopers” is, as even its fans will say, very much a developed flick. However, “Marauder” does manage to carry some of its traits, although watered down.

Leydon notes, “New pic adds a sprinkling of seriocomic religious allusions to the original goulash served by Verhoeven (who’s credited as a “presenter” of the vidpic). Also conspicuous are bits of throwaway dialogue that heavy-handedly reference post-9/11 paranoia.” Performances are deliberately broad throughout the cast.

I have to admit, when I saw this film, I was relieved at how much better it was compared to the second film. Thankfully too, because the second film was notoriously bad. If those who are reading this review and didn’t like the second film, you can watch the third film and you will like it. However, it is not as good as the first film because that film is like catching lightning in a bottle. The same thing will never happen again. Still, check it out and have a fun time watching the enjoyment of trying to redo what the first one did.

You would think that they would have stopped making direct-to-video films to “Starship Troopers,” but think again. After this, they tried to make animated sequels. How are they compared to the live-action films? Stay tuned next week to find out when we continue “Starship Troopers Month.” Sorry for posting this late. I completely forgot today is Friday.

Pinocchio (2022)

Last night, I checked out the latest Disney live-action remake, “Pinocchio,” which came out on Disney+ three days ago. We have been seeing these live-action remakes from Disney for what, 12 years? Mostly, they’ve been hit or miss. Some were very successful, like “The Lion King” and “Aladdin.” Some not so much, like “Lady and the Tramp” and “Mulan.” Occasionally there have been some interesting ones that may or may no count, like “Pete’s Dragon” or “Cruella.” Now we are back to one of the true animated aces of the Disney OG classic time: “Pinocchio” form 1940. This is one of the films that pushed the idea of what was possible with animation at the time and still holds up very well. Julian Lytle said in his review, “The story told through the Walt Disney lens always felt like a morality play—a puppet who wants to be a real boy has to learn right from wrong through his mistakes and losses, even though he has a guiding voice to tell him when he’s straying. It was such a compelling story that I remember adults referring to “your nose growing” when you would lie or to explain lying to you. Since the story is so well known, I’m not going to do the usual recap.”

This remake is directed by Robert Zemeckis who teams up with his regular actor partner Tom Hanks as Geppetto. Lytle said, “Now, as we’re used to, this film almost slavishly brings back the aesthetic design of the original.” Hanks looks like a perfect real-life representation of Geppetto. Even Pinocchio himself is a perfect recognition. Lytle said, “Even Pinocchio himself is an ideal realization. His living puppet look is cool, but you can’t help but think it’s there to sell a toy—much like those to-scale and perfectly accurate Woody dolls they sell.” The voice work by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, as the title character, is excellent. His performance is nice and immature as we remember. Joseph Gordon-Levitt voices the classic Jiminy Cricket and adds in the right amount of formula while keep the sound of the character’s voice complete. Keegan-Michael Key does well as Honest John, even if he’s not in the movie much. Cynthia Erivo is also lovely as The Blue Fairy. The film also adds in a new character, Fabiana, a puppeteer who works for Stromboli, played by Giuseppe Battiston. Lytle admitted, “Kyanne Lamaya, who plays the character, does a fine job, even though I don’t know what the characters add to the story’s classic thematic point.”

Lytle continued, “Going from that theme, Fabiana is part of a change the filmmakers made that moves the point of the story into lessons that I don’t think the structure of the classic Pinocchio works in telling.” In this new story, while Pinocchio is still immature and still needs to learn right from wrong, with Jiminy’s help, the film decides that he rarely does bad things. Pinocchio is constantly tricked or broken by others. This choice, while subtle, makes most of the point doubtful. Despite him not ignoring Jiminy, they are constantly separated so that he can’t advise. Lytle said, “Pinocchio knows what’s right but, as I said, the world is the flaw as he’s inherently good. Jiminy, Geppetto, The Blue Fairy, and Fabiana are the only good beings he meets. The film, I feel, is about accepting disabled and other children as they are versus what a parent might want them to be. While this is a good message, I don’t know if it was worth changing the classic.” Scenes like when Pinocchio goes crazy and drinks and smokes or lies and the lesson he learns after the bad results of his decisions is also a worthy lesson.

Unfortunately, the changes also conflict with themselves as Pinocchio is literally the satisfaction of a wish Geppetto makes as a way of remembering his deceased son. This makes the ending more confusing. Lytle ended his review by saying, “I wished they went in a new direction with this movie like they did with Cruella, Maleficent, and Pete’s Dragon versus this remix we got here.”

This remake almost comes close to being decent, but the changes they make just keep going and it’s like, why are you changing those things? I don’t really recommend this, as this isn’t one of the terrible ones that I felt nothing but complete pain while watching it, but this is one of those that if you see once, you never have to see it again. I don’t think there was really a need to remake Pinocchio, but Disney really needs to stop rehashing the animated ones into live-action. Children can see the animated versions and like them just fine. The added scenes in this felt really weird and I think the original told the story in a nice, short, and better way.

Thank you for joining in on my review today. Look out next Friday for the continuation of “Starship Troopers Month.”

Thor: Love and Thunder

Yesterday on Disney+, I saw “Thor: Love and Thunder,” which came out in July, and I will let you know what I thought about it.

After the surprisingly mixed response of “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” the Marvel Cinematic Universe was in need of a great return to the large screen, and Taika Waititi’s vivacious film is exactly what we needed. Comprised so much with heart, hope, self-discovery, and a great amount of humor, the new Thor is exactly what audiences think as the follow-up to “Thor: Ragnorak,” except Waititi has completely got the calculation right.

In the aftermath of “Avengers: Endgame,” Marvel’s heroes have been merging their pasts while creating new future paths – and at the beginning of this film, Thor, reprised by Chris Hemsworth, finds himself on a similar journey. As Korg (Waititi) narrates, Thor has been in a bad place for the past couple of years, only worsen by the breakup he went through with Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) about eight years ago. Teaming up with the Guardians of the Galaxy (Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, and Vin Diesel), Thor has been spending his time helping people all over the galaxy, and completely missing the importance of working as a team.

Though Thor may be the protagonist that attract people to the film, “Thor: Love and Thunder” starts with the greatly sad story of what made Gorr become the God Butcher. Gorr, played by Christian Bale, is such a scary enjoyable addition to Marvel’s recent group of villains because he isn’t completely villainous. The gods disheartened Gorr and his daughter, played by Hemsworth’s daughter, India Rose Hemsworth, causing her to die, and that makes Gorr turn to revenge. Maggie Lovitt said in her review, “He’s my personal favorite type of baddie: a sad dad. Love and Thunder is Bale’s most frightening transformation yet; he is sinister, skeletal, and all-around creepy.” Waititi and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s script is completely aware of how to create a sympathetic villain, particularly by making him as a foil to Jane’s own story.

Lovitt said, “While Thor has been galavanting around the galaxy trying to find himself again post-break-up, Jane has dedicated herself to science, climbing through the ranks of academia and publishing a number of books about her research.” Recently, her focus has changed to finding a cure for her cancer that is now on Stage Four. Despite the desperation that she is in, she seems strangely optimistic – which her friend Darcy Lewis, reprised by Kat Dennings, doesn’t entirely get. Despite Darcy insisting that Jane should call Thor, Jane is determined to fight the cancer alone. It’s interesting that Thor and Jane both seem unable of asking for help, even when they desperately need it. What Jane doesn’t know is that Thor’s love for Jane and Mjolnir while they were dating brought the two together, and now that Thor is using Stormbreaker, Mjolnir calls out to Jane when she needs it – offering her a medicine for her cancer, even if it is only temporary.

Jane and Thor reunite in the middle of the fight in New Asgard when Gorr attacks the fishing town at night while they’re sleeping and uses his shadow beings to kidnap every Asgardian child. Their reunion is the perfect blend of regret, shock, and conflict all combined together with the right dose of humor. Lovitt said, “With the exception of WandaVision’s more sit-com styling, Thor: Love and Thunder may be the first honest-to-goodness Marvel rom-com.” It has every aspect of one, even though it doesn’t have a predictable happily ever after. Thor and Jane reunite after eight years, learn to work together again, and fall back in love with each other.

Thor, Jane, King Valkyrie, reprised by Tessa Thompson, and Korg decide that the only way to beat Gorr will be to gather the rest of the gods to fight against Gorr – which sadly goes nowhere because the gods only care about themselves, as Gorr find out many years ago. Omnipotence City is a beautiful place filled with gods from every part of the universe, ruled over by the laughably unimpressive Zeus, played by Russell Crowe. You can see that Crowe was enjoying himself with this comedic change, using so many accents, dramatics, and humor. When everything starts to get worse, Thor takes matters into his own hands and steals Zeus’ thunderbolt wanting to use it against Gorr.

The third act of “Thor: Love and Thunder” is completely straightforward. Despite a brave attempt to work together to defeat Gorr, Thor, in the end, has to go to the Center of the Universe alone to face Gorr as he tries to open a portal to Eternity. Rather than doing everything by himself (like he did when he was working with the Guardians of the Galaxy) Thor decides to temporarily teach Axl, played by Kieron L. Dyer, and the rest of the Asgardian children with the power of his thunder to let them fight Gorr’s shadow monsters while he fights Gorr. Lovitt credited, “This is one of the best moments in the entire film: seeing children given the tools they need to fight their own monsters, strikes at the very heart of what makes comic books so magical.”

In the end, Jane makes the ultimate sacrifice to make sure that Thor and the rest of the gods are not killed by Gorr, and Gorr makes the ultimate sacrifice to make sure that his daughter is able to live a long and happy life. Lovitt admitted, “As someone who typically dislikes sacrificial redemption, Thor: Love and Thunder manages to achieve it organically by never fully damning Gorr for his reaction to his circumstances.” Ultimately both sacrifices feel genuine to character and it builds towards something really satisfying.

Obviously “Thor: Love and Thunder” has flaws. Lovitt said, “While it is, without a doubt, one of the best Marvel films—and the best of Phase 4—it often relies a little too heavily on humor to convey pieces of dialogue that should be given a bit more weight and really sticks to its guns for comedic purposes, particularly with a fake-out death that should have stuck. It is a breath of fresh air in comparison to other ventures into the MCU, relying on its main cast to carry the film, without needing cameos, allusions, or fan service. Riding on the high of The Batman, Jurassic World Dominion, Lightyear, and now Thor: Love and Thunder, Michael Giacchino delivers an epic soundtrack that perfectly mirrors the larger-than-life cinematography and storytelling playing out for a little over two hours.” Combined with classic songs like Welcome to the Jungle, the soundtrack to this film is a complete enjoyment.

Overall, this film is refreshing journey back to what the Marvel Cinematic Universe is best at giving: summer popcorn films. Lovitt admitted, “As much as I am desperate for the MCU to delve into some of the more complex topics that the comics have tackled in the past, they often fail to stick the landing.” With the new Thor you get exactly what you expect: two hours of laughs, colorful scenery, and the great joy that comes with Waititi’s storytelling.

Jane’s death will undeniably come as a surprise to some viewers, and it may even be a letdown when seeing how upbeat the rest of the film is, but for comic book fans, Jane’s death was completely expected. In The Mighty Thor comic book series, Jane’s transformation into Mighty Thor comes at the same cost as in “Thor: Love and Thunder” – becoming Mighty Thor and holding Mjolnir causes her body’s chemistry to reject her chemotherapy and ultimately, she dies in Thor’s arms. Lovitt mentioned, “This particular comic book run, and Secret Empire, is actually remarkably close to what the MCU has been putting on-screen over the past few years: Sam Wilson is Captain America, Kang the Conqueror is around, among other references to a handful of upcoming projects—which suggests that Jane’s story may not be done.” At least not yet. Spoiler alert: in the post-credit scene, we see Jane at the gates of Valhalla with Heimdall, reprised by Idris Elba, confirming that her sacrifice made her worthy of a warrior’s welcome. In the comics, Thor finds a way to bring Jane back to life, which could still practicably happen on-screen.

One of the main differences between the ending of “Thor: Love and Thunder” and its comic book inspiration The Mighty Thor is Gorr’s daughter, Love. In the comics, Gorr has a son and so many unnamed children, but none of them play such a large part as Love. Lovitt said, “To some extent, Love is a bit of a “token child” for Thor to focus his energy on after Jane’s death, but Waititi manages to make it far more palatable.” Through Gorr and Jane’s deaths, now neither Thor nor Love will be left alone. Love and Thunder teaming up leaves the door open for new stories into fatherhood and even Love reconciling with her origins.

Spoiler alert: the mid-credit scene gives a really unexpected appearance by Hercules, played by Brett Goldstein, who is being forced by his father Zeus to go after Thor to get vengeance for what happened in Omnipotence City. Zeus isn’t about to let Thor get away with trying to kill him! Lovitt noted, “With the success of Ted Lasso, it’s no surprise that Goldstein has made his way into the MCU, and honestly, he’s the perfect Herc. Hercules has been a vital part of the Thor comics since the 1960s and there’s really no telling how they’ll work him into their Phase 5 plans.” Will he make an unexpected appearance in “She-Hulk?” Because Jennifer Walters did represent him one and slept with him.

When my cousin and I watched this yesterday, we both thought this was on par with “Thor: Ragnarok.” It had some great humor, a great team up, and all around a great, enjoyable time. Expect cameos again from Matt Damon, Luke Hemsworth, Sam Neill, and Melissa McCarthy as the theater actors in New Asgard. If you have a Disney+, see this movie, you will have an enjoyable time watching it, I promise. This is another one of my favorite comic book films.

Thank you for joining in on my review tonight. Stay tuned tomorrow for when I review another film.

Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation

The original “Starship Troopers” was fun. It was over the top, funny and a bit of a guilty pleasure. The Movie Scene said in their review, “"Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation" is none of that, a poor direct to video sequel made on a tiny budget and whilst not the worst movie I have ever watched is certainly a misguided attempt to capitalize on the popularity of the original.” In all honesty, there are only two things that are good about “Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation,” released in 2004, are Brenda Strong and Richard Burgi since the rest of the cast is as forgettable as the movie.

A Federation Mobile Infantry unit is stuck in an abandoned remote base as they are completely outnumbered by the bugs. However, they are not along as they find locked in the furnace Captain V.J. Dax, played by Richard Burgi, who had been imprisoned for killing his superior officers, but being outnumbered they need his supreme military skills to defend the outpost. However, having a murderer help them out is not the only problem they have to face as while they try to keep the bugs out, they have another enemy inside.

“Starship Troopers 2” starts by recapturing that over-the-top feel of gung-ho military with a public announcement but it is only for a short while because quickly the true “Starship Troopers 2” shows itself. That true “Starship Troopers 2” is a poorly made sequel which not only has poor special effects which often keeps the CGI and actors separate along with the dark but also bad script. There is nothing in the least bit clever or original about a small group of troopers stuck in a remote base where the danger is inside and the outside. To be honest for a lot of the movie looks like it is trying to distract you with superfluous scenes, filling it with cheap thrills like a naked woman.

This means that “Starship Troopers 2” fails to do anything that was good about the first movie and just gives some routine sci-fi action nonsense. The Movie Scene says, “When it does eventually just focus on the action and as the title suggest on a hero it becomes almost reasonable but before that, which basically means the first 80 minutes it is dull. It almost feels wrong for it to be called a sequel because whilst we have the troopers battling bugs none of that camp feel of the first movie manifests itself.”

What also doesn’t help this weak sequel is that we are thrown right into the middle of action and don’t get introduced to the characters. Between having plenty characters and a lot of the drama taking place in the dark, especially in the beginning it is hard going trying to figure out who is who and how important they are. The Movie Scene said, “In the end whilst Colleen Porch is watchable as Pvt. Lei Sahara and Ed Lauter is recognizable as Gen. Jack Gordon Shepherd it is the duo from "Desperate Housewives" Brenda Strong and Richard Burgi who make the biggest impression but only because they have strong characters which allow them to over act the macho side of them.”

To summarize, even though this isn’t the worst movie ever made, “Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation” is a huge pain to watch for a direct to video sequel. Anything which was enjoyable about the first movie is missing in this weakly made sequel that ends up just giving generic sci-fi action.

As all of you can predict, this is a terrible sequel. But what can you expect from a direct-to-video sequel? Not that many of them work, and I don’t think they should have made a sequel to the movie. This was should be avoided at all cost. Don’t watch this because you will feel nothing but pain while watching this.

Next week we’re going to look at a decent sequel in “Starship Troopers Month.”

Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers

Tonight, I saw the new “Chip ‘n Date: Rescue Rangers” movie, which came out on Disney+ back in May, and I will let everyone know what I thought of it.

This latest Disney plus original movie, directed by Akiva Schaffer, is a delightful and cameo-filled buddy cop adventure that, while not the most memorable film, is definitely a lot of fun. By using an amazing combination of animation style and satirizing at the contemporary entertainment industry, the film perfectly puts itself as this generation’s “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” and asks itself the question: how many reboots does the business have left until it has completely had enough?

Certain films like “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” the film showcases a realm where animated characters exist with humans and share the same concerns and pressures that any person in the entertainment industry might have. To get this, the film makes great use of a combined animation style. Previous uses of this style focused on combining 2D animation with live-action. Just recently films like “Space Jam: A New Legacy” and “Ready Player One” included human and 3D-character interactions. Yet, Chip and Dale takes this style further by successfully combining a huge variety of styles. In this version of LA, there are sock-puppets, Claymation figures, hand-drawn characters, CGI characters, and the completely upsetting characters of the “Uncanny Valley” all of them flawlessly interacting with live-action characters in a way that is completely impressive.

One of the most exciting elements of this genre of “entertainment industry/blended animation” stories is that there is a potential for cross-franchise crossovers. “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers” does not steer away from them. Actually, it makes the best use of cross-franchise cameos in recent memory. There are surprise appearances by Shrek, My Little Pony, E.T., and even the infamous rejected design of “Sonic the Hedgehog” from Jeff Fowler’s movies. Sonic even has its creepy teeth back. Pedro Luis Graterol said in his review, “My personal favorite is what seems to be Dobby the elf, from the Harry Potter movies, in a Gucci advertisement.” All of these appearances make this combined realm even richer.

Yet, even with all of this variety of character cameos, the film doesn’t overwhelm audiences by becoming cameo-filled. For instance, there’s a moment where the titular chipmunks drive down the freeway talking about their estranged relationship where all of the cameos and references are referred to the billboards around the road. The cameos in the film doesn’t overwhelm the main story where, decades after the cancellation of the show “Rescue Rangers,” Chip and Dale steer their friendship as they try to solve the mysterious disappearance of their mutual friend and castmate, Monterrey Jack.

There aren’t big surprises in the script. Audiences familiar with crime stories will be able to quickly deduce the plot. There are plenty of good laughs, most of them focused in seeing famous characters fully grip the modern entertainment business: like seeing Baloo and Lumiere at a convention. However, sometimes the humor comes of as cringey. Graterol said, “In addition, the film actively seeks to place itself as a spiritual successor of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? by making references to its characters and even to its terrifying cartoon-erasing chemical, the dip. Yet, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers lacks the narrative depth and social commentary that its claimed predecessor achieved. There’s an adventure, mystery, a fair amount of chaos, and in the middle of its plentiful self-referential jokes, a nice tale of friendship that is a bit thin and doesn’t strike as one that is particularly innovative or memorable but is very enjoyable for audiences of all ages.”

The performances by John Mulaney (Chip) and Andy Samberg (Dale) are the main highlights. Graterol credited, “Their chemistry and chaotic whimsy make their friendship the heart of the movie. In addition, the writing for their characters incorporates their distinctive comedic styles. Mulaney’s analytical approach to social situations and Samberg’s goofiness is quickly transposed into Chip and Dale and make the transition to listening to the characters, as opposed to listening to the comedian behind the microphone, quite easy.” The rest of the cast, which includes J.K. Simmons, Keegan Michael-Key, Seth Rogen, and Will Arnett all give solid performances. Also, Kiki Layne’s performance as Ellie Whitfield is likeable, but her character should’ve been given additional screen time and depth beyond her being a fangirl of the protagonists to fully show Layne’s acting abilities.

As the tagline of the movie says “Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers” is not a reboot, it’s a comeback. It doesn’t try to re-imagine the Rescue Rangers but rather is an enjoyable movie that satirizes at the modern entertainment industry with a familiar story that might not be the most memorable but that makes for an entertainment watch, and that presents itself as one of the best candidates in the realm of blended animation movies.

I’m only a little familiar with Chip ‘n Dale because I think I only saw a little bit of it growing up during the “Disney Afternoon.” I remember we used to have the toys, which we still have in boxes, so this film was actually a surprise. I thought it would be a movie adaptation of the show, but the direction they took it, I was happy. Check it out on Disney+ if you’re familiar with the characters or not. You will enjoy it, I promise.

Thank you for joining in on tonight’s review. Stay tuned next Friday for the continuation of “Starship Troopers Month.”

Starship Troopers

For this entire month, I thought of reviewing a goofy sci-fi franchise that actually had some enjoyable entries, the “Starship Troopers” franchise. Let’s jump right in with the first movie, released in 1997.

Paul Verhoeven returns from the realm of campy adult material to the realm of campy action with “Starship Troopers.” Like “Robocop,” “Starship Troopers” takes place in a neo-fascist future, what was taken too seriously by some reviewers who were very critical of the film. Carlo Cavagna said in his review, “I choose to believe that, as in Robocop, the neo-fascism is Paul Verhoeven's idea of a joke, and it's a pretty funny joke, too--almost as funny as the terrible acting.” If looked at as a comedy, “Starship Troopers” is actually an actual enjoyable film, thanks largely because of the spectacular special effects, which matched those of “Alien Resurrection” as the best of 1997.

Cavagna noted, “Based loosely--very loosely--on Robert Heinlein's 1960 Hugo Award-winning novel (most fans of the book were offended by the screenplay), Starship Troopers is about a group of young people with perfect cheekbones who enroll in the military to fight the "bug menace." They are all so attractive that genetic engineering is clearly a part of Verhoeven's neo-fascist world, although it is never explicitly acknowledged.” Only by enrolling in the military can a person become a “citizen” and get the right to vote.

The first half of the movie focuses on showing how the young recruits are shaped into murderers and establishing the romantic subplot. Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) is in love with Carmen Ibanez (Denise Richards), who goes off to flight school while Johnny joins the infantry. Dizzy Flores, played by Dina Meyer, who has loved Johnny for years, is in infantry training as well, but Johnny only has his love for Carmen. Cavagna notes, “Johnny continues to reject Dizzy's advances, despite the fact that Carmen appears to be utterly devoid of a personality and is less attractive than Dizzy to boot.” Then again, Johnny doesn’t look like he has much of a personality, either.

The difficulty with being in the military is that the “bug menace” is very real, and the numbers of casualty is surprisingly high, especially in the infantry. Cavagna said, “In the second half of the movie, the wall-to-wall action begins, featuring amazing computer-generated giant bugs of several different varieties and plenty of blood and gore. The action is organized around three separate campaigns, the first of which is an ill-advised assault on the bugs' home world. It's not entirely clear why the military sends in ground troops instead of blowing the planet to pieces with nuclear weapons, but in the subsequent campaigns, the infantry's role is more defined. In the end, Johnny, Carmen, Dizzy, and all of the other featured characters get the opportunity to be heroes.

A lot of “Starship Troopers” plays like an exaggerated marketing film – in fact, Verhoeven uses hilariously funny advertisements and news reels as narrative devices, as he did in “Robocop.” The plot isn’t badly articulate, and it’s odd how all the characters keep running into one another, even though the military is so large that, when Carmen leaves for flight school, she says to Johnny that they will probably never see each other again. However, if you’re in the mood for some escapist entertainment, the bad acting and ludicrous elements of the story are part of the fun.

Look, this is a silly 90s sci-fi action film. I don’t really think this may be a great film, but it is a fun movie that I think everyone can watch and enjoy. This is the definition of a product of the 90s. Check it out and see for yourself.

Now how was the sequel to this film? Hold on to your vomit bags, because next week we’re going to look at that in “Starship Troopers Month.”