Mortal Kombat II

Today, I went to see “Mortal Kombat II,” which came out yesterday, with some friends and I will let you know what I thought of the sequel to this video game adaptation.

“Mortal Kombat II” does exactly what a film based on a popular video game franchise should do – focus on pleasing the diehard fans.

Jeffrey Lyles said in his review, “Thanks to that approach, Mortal Kombat II is an anomaly for live action video games.” It delivers exactly what those who would be excited about a Mortal Kombat game would expect. It may not be flawless, but it’s an incredibly satisfying experience making for one of the more crowd-pleasing action films of the year.

Lyles noted, “Director Simon McQuoid returns for Mortal Kombat II seemingly emboldened with getting another crack at staging dramatically brutal action scenes and focusing more on franchise fan-favorite characters making for an improvement over the surprisingly solid first film.”

Lord Raiden (Asano Tadanobu) brings together Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Jax (Mechad Brooks), Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), and Cole (Lewis Tan) for the latest tournament, which once again puts Earthrealm in danger of being controlled by the evil warlord Shao Khan (Martyn Ford, who looks every bit the role). With the death of Kung Lao, reprised by Max Huang, Raiden needs another fighter.

“Mortal Kombat II” does the post credit tease from the first game with the arrival of fan favorite Johnny Cage, played by Karl Urban. Lyles noted, “The wait was worth it as screenwriter Jeremy Slater (Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire) gets exactly how to best utilize the character right from his intro scene in a cheesy 90s movie before showing his present fading glory as a regular on the pop culture con circuit.”

Cage doesn’t want anything to do with Raiden’s reason to recruit him and has no interest in fighting in a tournament to the death. Lyles said, “Urban’s line delivery and overall bravado is superb as he brings a Jack Burton swagger to the role.” Slater takes advantage of the handful of characters in the Warner Bros. movie with references to “Harry Potter” and meta-references to “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, which Urban also joined in the second film.

Lyles said, “Slater benefits from not having to explain the entire concept of the fight to the death tournament making use of the video game lore to tell this story.” This allows him to introduce another new addition to “Mortal Kombat II” – Kitana, played by Adeline Rudolph. Kitana’s father (Desmond Chiam) was killed by Shao Khan, who decided to take her and her mother, Sindel (Ana Thu Nguyen) as his own family. While training with Khan’s appointed bodyguard Jade (Tati Gabrielle), Kitana wants to end his rule once and for all.

For now, she’s got to go along as a loyal daughter while secretly passing information to Raiden. If Raiden’s five champions die in the tournament, Earth will fall under Shao Khan’s rule. To save Earth, they have to defeat Shao Khan and his minions. Barely in favor of a fair fight, Shao Khan plots to roll the odds in his favor with the help of his sorcerers Shang Tsung (Chin Han) and Quan Chi (Damon Herriman).

Series veterans Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim), Hanzo Hasashi aka Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada), and Kano (Josh Lawson) return as well. Lyles said, “Kano fits in more naturally to the story as he can bring crass humor without coming off as a Cage stand-in this time.” One of the film’s best scenes is with Cage meeting Baraka, played by CJ Bloomfield, with its perfect combination of action and humor.

Slater does a great job of adding in some story in between the fights. Lyles is right when he said, “Mortal Kombat II isn’t the kind of film that needs extended dialogue-heavy scenes, but it’s nice that the film can still be engaging when the blood isn’t sprayed all over. When it’s time for the blood spraying, dismemberments and any other creative ways to kill characters, the film definitely provides some appropriately over the top carnage.”

McQuoid takes the fight scenes to another level depending on more to the game approach with wider angles and physics. Weapon shots don’t immediately end a fight, and the large blood-spilling moments don’t lead to characters bleeding out. The battleground settings also seem targeted towards the game aesthetics.

Lyles pointed out, “Costumer Cappi Ireland does a sensational job translating the Mortal Kombat II game designs to live action, but the lighting particularly during the Sub-Zero and Scorpion clash would benefit from brighter hues.”

Lyles continued, “The film is peppered with fun nods to the source material that feel less like Easter Eggs and more like staples of the game brought to live action in a mostly organic manner.”

“Mortal Kombat II” proves this sequel of the live-action series has real franchise potential. With the hint of a third film, it’s hardly time to think about finishing it anytime soon.

This is the best live-action Mortal Kombat film we got. I enjoyed the action scenes, a lot of the times it looked like the actual game, the moves were all there, the characters were great, and I spazzed out at a couple of the references to the game. There are no end credit scenes, but stay till the end credits to hear that amazing theme song. You must go to the theaters to see this, especially if you’re a fan of the game, because you will love this one, I promise. I call this a “Flawless Victory” since I think this is better than the two 90s adaptations and the first movie from five years ago.

Thank you for joining in on this review tonight. Stay tuned next Friday for the next review in “Terry Gilliam Month.”

Sonic the Hedgehog 3

With the third entry in the franchise, “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” released today, has it’s foundation. Kevin Sampson said in his review, “It’s full camp. It’s a genre buffet that focuses more on its vignettes than answering plot hole questions.” It just might be the most fun you’ll have in theaters with your family this holiday season!

Picking up on what transpired in “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” the film finds the new Wachowski family with Sonic (Ben Schwartz), Knuckles (Idris Elba), and Tails (Colleen O’Shaugnessey), trying to be on vacation with Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter). After a hedgehog named Shadow, voiced by Keanu Reeves, breaks out from his fifty-year coma, that relaxation the family wants to get comes to an abrupt end. Team Sonic gets transported to Tokyo to try and bring Shadow under control, if at all possible.

The question is who released Shadow with what looks like Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey) tech? Sampson said, “It’s quickly revealed that Ivo has been enjoying telenovelas and getting the Thor post Infinity War treatment (big gut).” In comes Gerald Robotnik, also played by Carrey, Ivo’s long-lost grandfather. From there, everyone is racing to stop a machine that will destroy Earth and Jim Carrey is having so much fun on screen.

The film continues to build out the video game realm, showing character’s skills and power ups. It also noticeably changes in genre in its dialogue, cinematography, and pacing throughout the film. The opening scene is filled with action, it changes into a kid friendly horror moment, a musical dance number, comedy, and drama. This may appear disorganized at first, but for anyone who played the game on Sega, who know that there were different levels with different styles of gameplay and music. These not-so-subtle change in cinematic genres confirms the film is self-aware. There is a joke about making a flash drive work after blowing on it, just like how everyone did with old school game cartridges.

Sampson noted, “Jim Carrey said that he came out of retirement for this film because he needed to pay bills. Hopefully he keeps overspending so we’ll see him future films because he’s so much fun to watch as both Ivo and Gerald Robotnik.” Each character is fully developed, but they work off of each other in comedic ways as only Carrey can do. Where the first two films were about making family, Keanu Reeves’ Shadow has anger to deal with when it comes to the family he lost. The franchise keeps revolving around family dynamics while adding more characters to this franchise.

Make sure you stick around for the mid and post credit scenes that show Robo Sonic and Amy. Sampson said, “This is by no means an Academy Award winning children’s film. It’s fun, nostalgic for those who played the game or watch/ed the shows.” This is a good time at the movies for all families.

Reeves killed it here. He was just awesome as Shadow. Also, Carrey is having the time of his life playing not one, but two Robotniks. If you want a film that will give you some laughs, enjoyability, and nostalgia reminiscing on the games, see this movie. There are a couple of musical motifs to Sonic Adventure and a couple of catchphrases. See this in the theaters, especially if you’re a Sonic fan. This needs to be seen by everyone.

Thank you for reading these reviews tonight. Stay tuned tomorrow for my review on the “Rio” sequel in “Disney Month 2024.”

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Today on Peacock, I saw “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which came out in theaters in April and on Peacock about four days ago. How is this new take on possibly the most famous video game franchise?

These Italian brothers from Brooklyn, Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day), plumbers in this realm, superheroes in the Mushroom Kingdom, star in their own video game adaptation, directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic which will impress most to fans of the video games and little kids. The animation is on par to the Nintendo franchise that you might feel like you should grab your controller, and for parents, the soundtrack includes AC/DC, a-ha, Bonnie Tyler, and surprisingly Beastie Boys.

What about the accents? Joe Friar said in his review, “When the film’s trailer arrived, fans were concerned with Chris Pratt’s casting as Mario, who up until this point was known for saying “Mama mia!” and “It’s-a-me, Mario!” in a heavy Italian accent.” Good news. The brothers’ accents are somewhat there, at least for their television commercial as they try and attract customers by using exaggerated accents to highlight their heritage. Sadly, it doesn’t work. Instead, Pratt and Day speak in their regular voices in the film. With Day, the casting is perfect.

While trying to repair a broken water main in the city, the brothers are pulled into a pipe that dumps them in the other realm. Mario ends up in the fantastical Mushroom Kingdom, filled with colorful pipes, golden power-up blocks, floating brown bricks, and human-mushroom hybrid citizens called toads, their unofficial leader, also named Toad is voiced by Keegan-Michael Key. However, the kingdom is ruled by the human Princess Peach, voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy, who lives in a Disney-like castle.

Meanwhile, Luigi ends up in the scary Dark Lands which gamers will think of “Luigi’s Mansion,” the video game that helped launch the GameCube in 2001. Luigi gets kidnapped and is held prisoner by the film’s villain Bowser, a dangerous Godzilla-like turtle with fire-breathing ability who plans to destroy the Mushroom Kingdom unless Princess Peach accepts his marriage proposal. Jack Black gives everything when voicing this villain that includes hammy songs written by Bowser to impress Peach. Friar credited, “The actor-comedian’s personality comes blazing through as the leader of the Koopas.”

When Peach hears that Bowser plans to attack, she and Mario ask the help of the Kongs ruled by Cranky Kong (Fred Armisen) who agrees to give his army to the battle if Mario can defeat his son Donkey Kong (Seth Rogan) in a fight. Rogan, hands down gives the funniest vocal performance and the fight scene with Mario is one of the best moments in the animated film as Mario becomes Cat Mario (Friar said, “a power-up that gives our hero cat-like reflexes plus he looks adorable in what looks like kitty pajamas”).

Friar continued, “The film’s best scene is the exciting “Mad Max” race sequence straight from the Mario Kart games as the characters race in customized souped-up go-carts which will have you scrambling for a controller.” This makes you feel like you’re watching the film to play the game.

“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is mainly for fans of the Nintendo games or young children who may become new fans of the franchise. It’s a safe family film with nothing rude (no adult humor) or too violent. If you’re not familiar with video games, there’s little here that will interest you. Older movie fans may compare it to the 1993 live-action film “Super Mario Bros.” which starred Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo as Mario and Luigi. Friar noted, “It’s cheesy, over the top, and many fans of the games consider it an abomination. I enjoyed it in a “so bad it’s good” kind of way plus Dennis Hopper’s outrageous performance is entertaining.” Still, it had little to do with the franchise created by Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto.

Compared to the abomination 30 years ago, this film is a masterpiece. This is one of the best video game adaptations we ever got. You should definitely see this film if you have Peacock. The animation is great and it really brings the video game to life on screen. They really did a great job in trying to make the film look and feel like the way the video games look currently. If anyone were to ask me if I wanted to see this film again, I will definitely say yes, let’s put this on. Kevin Michael Richardson is in this film too. Check it out and have an enjoyable time. I will be happy if this got sequels since there might be more to explore.

Thank you for joining in on this review tonight. Check out this Friday for the continuation of “Child Abuse Awareness Month.”

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Earlier this morning, I finished watching “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” released in April. I didn’t go see it in the theaters, so I waited until it was released on Paramount+ and saw it while exercising. Now, I will let all of you know what I thought about it.

It’s crazy to think that the first Sonic movie was released before we went on lockdown due to the pandemic. Two years later, we’re still in a pandemic, but we are doing much better, and the sequel was released. Dorian Parks admitted in his review, “As a fan of the first Sonic, this movie took every element that I loved from the first film and multiplied it by 10. Outside of the film franchise, I’ve always been a big fan of the blue speedster, and I can easily say that this film truly felt like a love letter to all of Sonic’s history throughout the years.”

After settling in Green Hills and finding a home with Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter), Sonic (Ben Schwartz) is more confident in his powers and wants to prove he is capable of being a true hero. That comes when Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) returns with the help of Knuckles the Echidna (Idris Elba). The duo is searching for the Master Emerald, which can wipe out all mankind. Sonic is joined with Tails, voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessey, and together they go on a mission around the planet to find the emerald before Robotnik and Knuckles get it first.

The original movie was more of a road trip with Sonic and Tom, and more of a way to set the foundation and the world before going even further. Parks said, “I thought the first film did a great job of setting up the perfect hero’s journey for Sonic to go through, and, by the end Sonic is ready to take on the world.” In the sequel, the story does an amazing job of developing Sonic as a character, and this is a good thing for Schwartz as he voices the character. You’re able to cheer for and empathize with Sonic because of the real emotions when he speaks.

In this film, Sonic isn’t alone anymore, he has his classic friend Tales who was teased at the end of the first movie. Tails was a great addition to the film. O’Shaughnessey is epic when bringing the two-tailed fox from the games and cartoons to the film. Audiences get to see the friendship between Tails and Sonic from the beginning and can see them grow as they go on their mission. On a sidenote, it’s also great to know O’Shaughnessey reprised the role after hearing the announcement, since she had voiced Tails in the games. It’s rare for a voice actor to be appreciated like she has, and she deserves it.

Tails isn’t the only one who joins the crew because we cannot forget about Knuckles. Parks said, “After watching the film, I completely understand why a Knuckles spin-off series was given the green light before the sequel even debuted.” Elba kills it as Knuckles. Usually when actors voice animated characters, it usually just sounds like a little heightened version of themselves. However, with Elba, he completely changes in the role. Parks said, “At certain points, you forget it’s him voicing the character and I mean that in the best of ways. The epic rivalry between Knuckles and Sonic brought some of the best moments of the film and I really enjoyed the fish-out-of-water story they told with Knuckles.” Despite Knuckles being a huge threat to Sonic, they do give him moments of humor and those moments work. Parks admitted, “I’d like to compare Knuckles to a more agile version of Drax who can adapt to earthly customs a lot quicker. There is so much lore around Knuckles and the echidnas as a whole, so I’m excited to see what they dive into for the series.”

This time around, Carrey is even more deranged as Dr. Robotnik. Viewers didn’t see Carrey start to look like Robotnik until the credit scene from the first movie, so seeing him go all out in the sequel was joyful. We rarely see Carrey do a sequel, so you can tell he loves the character and puts in everything. His faithful sidekick Agent Stone, played by Lee Majdoub, is back giving his all. The banter between Stone and Robotnik is just as funny as the first film and Majdoub is hilarious in the role. Parks admitted, “I’m glad Majdoub’s fan favorite character got an expanded role for this second movie.”

We also have Sonic’s extended family return. Park said, “One thing that I appreciate about the humans in this Sonic The Hedgehog 2 is how grounded they keep Sonic.” Tike Sumpter and James Marsden have great chemistry again as Tom and Maddie, and it was great to see how much they’ve grown to love Sonic. Parks noted, “There are some emotional moments with the Wachowski family that I think fans will surely love.” As always, Natasha Rothwell is hilarious as Rachel. She is the highlight when we see her performance in this sequel and she is given more to do, especially with the story arc about her wedding to Randall, played by Shemar Moore.

Director Jeff Fowler’s experience in visual effects work is completely shown in the cinematography of “Sonic the Hedgehog 2.” There are so many set pieces that made this feel like a real action movie, and it was incredible to see. Parks criticized, “I would have never expected the Sonic film franchise to be so visually pleasing, especially with all of the amazing action sequences. When I was watching the film on the big screen, there were so many moments from beginning to end that put the biggest smile on my face. Seeing Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles all on the big screen was something I will never forget. I got goosebumps multiple times (especially during the third act).” Fowler understands the characters and knows how to highlight their abilities in great ways. Parks said, “If I’m being honest with myself, I would call it peak cinema.”

When adapting video game storylines, somethings studios seem to move away from some of the fantastical elements to make it more grounded for a general audience. With the Sonic franchise and with this movie in particular, Fowler fully depends on the roots of the video game and the movie is better for it. Parks said, “One could say it’s “fan service” but to me, it felt like the team behind these movies are fans of the game and wanted to make a movie they would enjoy themselves and that’s exactly what this film is.”

Parks continued, “Paramount has a hit on their hand with this franchise and I hope we get 10 more movies and a bunch of spin-offs.” This movie gave everything a Sonic fan could ask for and then some. Fans of the franchise and usual watchers alike will have a great time watching the sequel.

If you don’t feel comfortable going to the theaters, see this on Paramount+, if you have an account. I think this film is better than the first one and I really found myself enjoying this one more, especially with the addition of more familiar characters. If you have played the games or have not and are familiar with the game character, see this because it was really enjoyable.

Spoiler Alert: there is a mid-credit scene that sets up a third movie that will include Shadow the Hedgehog. I’m pumped for that.

Thank you for joining in on my review today. Tune in tomorrow for the continuation of “Pride Month.”

Mortal Kombat (2021)

Today I got a chance to check out the new “Mortal Kombat” movie, which came out in theaters and on HBO Max, last month. Is it any better compared to the adaptations from the 90s?

The film starts off in the past with a serious fight between Bi-Han or Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim) and Hanzo Hasashi or Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada). There is a prophecy that says Hanzo’s bloodline will give birth to an offspring who has the ability to win Mortal Kombat and defeat Shang-Tsung’s (Chin Han) opportunity of getting control over Earthrealm.

This prophecy is the main factor for the entire film, and the rivalry between Bi-Han and Hanzo Hasashi brings us to Cole Young, played by Lewis Tan. What he doesn’t know is that he is Hanzo’s descendant, born with a birthmark in the shape of a dragon, and is prophesized to fight in Mortal Kombat.

At that part, the movie introduces every single protagonist. It does the right thing in giving each character a proper introduction, along with carrying their story throughout the almost two-hour runtime. Every protagonist (and some of the villains) are given time to develop their own story arc while the world is fighting around them.

For his part, Cole Young is our look into this universe. He is an original character created for the film, but by the end of the movie, you could think that he could have been included into the video game and fight with any of the popular characters.

We then meet Jax (Mehcad Brooks), whose biceps look like he could really punch a man, and Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), who’s even better than the previous actresses who played the role. They make a good team, but each one stands on their own. Karen Rought said in her review, “I was happy to see Sonya have a front seat to the action throughout most of the movie.”

Now we have come to Kano, played with complete brilliant perfection by Josh Lawson. He is a sarcastic, randy, cruel man who will make you laugh one minute and turn against you the next. He’s the definition of a character you love to hate.

He is hands down one of the biggest highlights of the film, and most of the movie’s humor comes from his reactions and one-liners.

Another surprising highlight was Kung Lao, played by Max Huang. Looking at his special ability (known as his arcana) is a flying hat; he could’ve been completely ridiculous. In actuality, he was one of the most well-done characters in the film, and his presence uplifted the entire story.

A lot of this movie really felt like the video game, from the scenes to the fatalities to the careful way they played out interactions with each of the characters.

Rought admitted, “My one major criticism of the film (that we didn’t technically see a Mortal Kombat tournament) was offset by the way they threw two characters together in an arena that felt like it was right out of the game. And then we got to watch them fight to the death.”

At those moments, the film was allowed to party with what has made Mortal Kombat so memorable over the years – the bloody and horrible deaths that, at least one point in the film, probably startled you completely.

Rought is right when she said, “As I said before, video game adaptations are notoriously tricky to get right, but Mortal Kombat (2021) managed to get as close as it could. If nothing else, it’s an improvement over the 1995 film of the same name.”

One part where this “Mortal Kombat” adaptation really highlights is, obviously, the CGI. If you remember what Outworld looked like in the original movie, you’ll be happy to know the new Outworld is greatly improved. Actually, you could say the same about CGI-created characters like Goro (Angus Sampson) and Reptile, who both get their parts.

This “Mortal Kombat” review would be negligent not to mention the many other character who live in this realm and were brought to life with great care for the film.

Mileena (Sisi Stringer) is completely scary, and a real standout amongst Shang-Tsung’s other fighters, which include General Reiko (Nathan Jones), Nitara (Mel Jarnson), and Kabal (Daniel Nelson). Rought admitted, “Though he doesn’t get too much time to shine, Kabal was an instant favorite and his effects and fighting style are truly to be commended.”

With the heroes, we also have Liu Kang (Ludi Lin) and Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano), both who are powerful and patient leaders. Rought said, “Even Cole’s family, Allison (Laura Brent) and Emily (Matildo Kimber), pulled their weight in the movie, and while I would love to see more female fighters on the roster moving forward, I’m happy with how they treated the ones we got.”

At the end of the day, “Mortal Kombat” did what it promised of being loyal to the characters we love and gave some bone-breaking fight scenes in the process. Rought said, “I’m excited for this to be a fresh start to a new franchise, led by a diverse Asian cast ready to keep putting their blood, sweat, and tears into making these characters come alive.”

If we’re lucky, there’ll be a lot more where this came from. Joe Taslim told Variety that he’s signed on for four “Mortal Kombat” sequels if the first one is successful.

Even though there is no guarantee that will happen (it depends on fan reactions and profit margins, obviously), the movie has set up a lot of possibilities in the next films. Rought said, “I’d love to see more of Bi-Han and Hanzo Hasahi in the past, as well as some other Mortal Kombat moments prior to the one that’s looming during this movie.”

However, what’s really important is what’s next for the main characters. If you pay attention to background images, you’ll see a couple champions who haven’t been introduced yet. Also, there’s a moment at the end of the film that will really get everyone excited.

Rought said, “Whatever happens next, I’m glad a Mortal Kombat movie adaptation got a second chance at life.” It deserves that and so much more.

Honestly, I had a problem with having Cole as the main character when he was never in any of the games and the casting choice for Mileena. Her character was always masked and we never know what she looked like until she did her Fatality. Also, the story of Sub-Zero and Scorpion is not completely there, and Johnny Cage is not in this movie (spoilers). However, the fight scenes were just perfect. We have all the famous catchphrases, the famous moves, even the Fatalities. Even the updated theme song was actually nice to hear during the credits. The actors casted in these roles are just perfect. This adaptation makes up for the 90s movies by a long run and I think this is “way” better than those. If anyone were to ask if I wanted to see this movie again, I wouldn’t mind because I was satisfied with it, despite it not being a “great” video game adaptation. However, I will say it is one of the best. I think video game adaptations now are being given the right treatment and care that it deserved compared to when they first came out. See this if you have an HBO Max and don’t want to go to the theater.

Thank you for joining in on my review tonight, look out this Friday for the continuation of “Quentin Tarantino Month.”

NiNoKuni

“Ni No Kuni” is a 2019 animated movie based on the JRPG video game franchise of the same name. The good thing about this is that you don’t really need to know anything about the franchise or have played the game prior to watching the film. Directed by Studio Ghibli animator Yoshiyuki Momose, the film is about high school student Yuu (Kento Yamazaki) and his friend Haru (Tucker Chandler). After their childhood friend, Kotona, voiced by Abby Trott, is injured by a strange man, the two are teleported to a different dimension different from Earth, Ni no Kuni, while trying to get Kotona to the hospital.

“Ni No Kuni” is an emotional film about friendship, love, and sacrifice. Once they are in this different dimension, Haru and Yuu see how really similar it is to Earth. Wanting to find Kotona in Ni no Kuni, the two friends save the princess and start their own mission after seeing how they can travel between Ni no Kuni and Earth.

Seeing that “Ni No Kuni” is directed by Momose, it is no surprise with how similar it is to Studio Ghibli’s films. Lizzy Garcia said in her review, “The movie has a magical quality to it but features characters that are incredibly relatable. From the stunning animation to the whimsical and at times romantic score, NiNoKuni is a treasure. However, the magic of NiNoKuni actually lies in the relationship between Yuu and Kotona.” Yuu has strong feelings for Kotona and has a crush on her. However, she is currently dating Haru. The three of them are friends but you can see the stress and Haru easily is jealous which you can see when Yuu saves Kotona’s life. When they’re in Ni no Kuni, Yuu speaks to the Princess Asya, who looks exactly like Kotona. There we can see just how strong feelings he has for his friend.

Garcia admitted, “But as impactful as the relationships are in NiNoKuni, what resonated with me the most was Yuu.” Yuu is handicapped due to being in a wheelchair. However, in Ni no Kuni he is able to walk and we never see anywhere when he speaks that he feels “complete” because he can walk. Garcia noted, “The scene where he realizes he can walk is emotional and humorous but never becomes the main point of his story arc. Still, the movie doesn’t shy away from the fact he is in a wheelchair either.” In the beginning, Yuu, Haru, and Kotona go to a bakery to see that he is not wheelchair accessible. Despite Kotona saying to go in a different direction, Yuu rejects and instead goes home. Garcia admitted, “As someone who has had to use a wheelchair due to my own health conditions, that moment was impactful and there have been many times in my life I have just gone home because a place was inaccessible.”

Even though Ni no Kuni is a beautiful realm and he has the ability to walk, Yuu never wants to return. He is happy with his life. There is a flashback scene where Yuu and Haru first meet, and Yuu explains why he needs a wheelchair. When saying the reason, he says to Haru that he doesn’t have to feel sorry for Yuu because he’s fine. How often do you find a handicap person that is content with being handicapped? With everything going on, Yuu never focuses on himself and instead, always is thinking of his friends, especially Kotona. Garcia noted, “Yuu’s compassion, even in the face of unfair circumstances, is often at odds with Haru’s brash nature. It is hard to ignore the fact that Haru, an able-bodied individual who has had a fairly easy life, cannot handle pressure like Yuu. In regards to my own experience, since becoming ill, I have been able to handle more of what the world has thrown at me. Yuu is the strongest of the three and while it is never directly stated, I have to believe that it is because of his life experiences.” Even still, Yuu never feels like a trope.

Despite the story of “Ni no Kuni” being very emotional, the movie does have its own share of flaws. In the second half of the film, the animation changes drastically by becoming more dependent on CGI. Garcia noted, “The stark art change sticks out and makes the scenes feel unpolished compared to other portions of the movie.” However, that is only a small part of the film and doesn’t take away from the story completely. On top of that, there are moments where the pacing of the film can be a little off. Scenes in Ni no Kuni continue without Yuu or Haru really caring even with everything that is going on in their own realm. Garcia said, “This is also due in part to the overly convoluted story. The third act of the film is filled with a lot of plot twists that don’t all seem to correlate to the events that have occurred.” Seeing that this is a video game adaptation, you could see why the pacing and story would be that way but in a movie, it doesn’t really work.

However, “Ni No Kuni” is a good adaptation that really gets the essence of the series. Fans of Studio Ghibli films or fantasy animes should stream this on Netflix because of the great, unusual, and emotional story.

I had never heard of the video game franchise and didn’t know that this was a video game adaptation until I researched the film. Still, I thought it was a nice film when I was watching this on Netflix. I don’t know what fans of the video game franchise will think, if they’ll like it or not, but if you haven’t heard of the franchise, like myself, and/or have never played any of the games, like I haven’t, then I think you would probably like this film. See it for yourself and judge based on your own thoughts.

Alright everyone, we have now come to the conclusion of “Anime Month.” I hope everyone enjoyed it as I did. Hopefully everyone has checked out these films and hopefully I gave everyone some good recommendations to watch.

Look out next month because I will be reviewing a franchise that I have wanted to look at for quite some time now.

Sonic the Hedgehog

Friday night, I checked out the new “Sonic the Hedgehog” movie, which came out in February. I was skeptical about watching it because, if you read my reviews on video game adaptations, you know how I think about them. However, I heard some very good things about it, so I decided to check it out.

After the much needed makeover after the complaints about the character’s horrendous first look, “Sonic the Hedgehog” has overcome the first design complaints and was released in theaters in a surprisingly enjoyable adventure.

Now looking more like the original version, Sonic, voiced by Ben Schwartz, finds himself avoiding villains in the live-action adaptation of the Sega video game franchise.

Sameen Amer said in her review, “When his extraordinary powers of supersonic speed make him a target of power hungry bad guys, Sonic is sent to Earth where he must stay hidden and never stop running.” If they find him, he can use one of his magical rings to open a portal to another planet where he will continue to live in isolation.

Amer said, “But the loneliness is starting to take a toll on the friendless hedgehog.” He has a strong liking for local sheriff, Tom (James Marsden), and his nice veterinarian wife, Maddie (Tika Sumpter), from a distance, but can’t risk create communication with humans.

His anger over his dilemma makes him to accidentally cause an electricity power that causes a blackout all over town. Evil scientific genius Doctor Robotnik, played by Jim Carrey, is assigned to find out what happened. He suddenly discovers Sonic’s existence and is keen on capturing this friendly hedgehog.

Amer said, “Sonic then ends up joining forces with an initially reluctant Tom to reclaim the rings that he has lost in the ruckus and escape the mad scientist who is on his trail.”

The road trip that follows may not be a masterpiece but it is still really enjoyable. The humor normally works. Particularly children are possibly going to enjoy Sonic’s antics, and there’s enough likability to keep adults attention as well (Amer said, “even if they may otherwise find the tale simplistic and predictable”).

The protagonist is lovable. His human sidekick (played by a very charming Marsden) is pleasant. The energetic Carrey is entertaining in the comedic style that has made him famous.

Jeff Fowler and his team have done a really great job reworking a movie that primarily looked like it was going to be a disaster. Amer ended her review by saying, “Ultimately, Sonic the Hedgehog may not break any new ground and clearly won’t redefine cinema, but this family-friendly adventure will ensure that viewers have a good time and exit the screening with a smile on their faces.”

Honestly, this is a video game adaptation that I actually think will be liked by fans of the video game or regular moviegoers. Even though the plot is a little predictable and the look of Robotnik doesn’t look like the original character, I still think this will be liked by people. This is a funny, emotional movie and the mid-credits scene (spoilers) shows Tails looking for Sonic. If they are going to make a sequel, I’m excited to see what they will do next. Check it out and see for yourself.

Thank you for joining in on tonight’s review. Wait until next Friday for the next entry in “Anime Month.”

Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie

Since the original Street Fighter II came out almost twenty years ago so many editions of the game were made after. Strangely enough it would take six years afterwards for the third Street Fighter game to be released. With a series with a huge fanbase like Street Fighter it would come as no surprise that it has gone into other forms of media over the years.

An anime series, American cartoon, live-action film, a manga, and a Japanese animated movie have all been released since the franchise began. Despite the live action movie being atrocious, Manga’s re-release of the 1994 anime film shows why it was superior in every way. Todd Douglass Jr. said in his review, “It probably has more to do with the way in which the material is presented because after all when you're depicting karate fighters who use energy bolts, hairy green monsters that produce electricity, and Bruce Lee clones you're better off telling it in an animated form.” On top of that, this film is the only way you’re going to see Chun-Li’s naked shower scene in an official Capcom project.

The movie starts with Ryu (Kip Stellrecht) and Sagat (Peter Spellos) fighting in a field somewhere in the middle of a lightning storm. The two are throwing punches while someone is observing the fight and analyzing their fighting data. The fight ends abruptly right after Ryu gives Sagat the famous large scar on his chest and throws a Haddoken at him. Years after the fight Ryu is walking all over Asia looking for fights and ways to help people out. Douglass describes, “It's kind of like a Caine from Kung Fu type of thing only without all of the Shaolin philosophy.”

An organization known as Shadowloo has risen and is constantly looking for Ryu to try and control his large strength in fights. In the meantime, however, Shadowloo, under the control of M. Bison, voiced by Tom Wyner, is looking all over for other fighters who have so much potential. His cyborg minions spy on so many fighters and get information on characters like Edmond Honda (Richard Epcar), Dhalsim (Michael Sorich), Ken (Eddie Frierson), and T. Hawk (Steve Blum). Because of the recent amount of activity by the syndicate government agents have been assigned to look into this.

Guile (Kirk Thornton) is the American soldier that is assigned to work with Chun-Li (Lia Sargent) from Chinese Interpol to find out what’s going on with Bison. They both have their own reasons for wanting to end Shadowloo, but their goal is the one thing they have in common. The two go deeper into the plot when it is seen that they are messing with Bison’s plans. Once that happens, Vega, voiced by Richard Cansino, shows up to fight Chun-Li after her shower in one of the best (and most emotional) fights in the film. Douglass said, “The action is over-the-top and brutal to the point that true Street Fighter aficionados will be salivating by the end.”

Douglass continued, “As the story moves forward and drags more characters from the game into it the fact that this is a show themed off of a videogame becomes more apparent. Personalities pop in and out just for the sake of showing up to appease their fans and to be frank it happens with an element of cheapness. The movie does do well by focusing mostly on Ryu, Ken, Guile, and Chun-Li, but the fact remains that the plot never goes in depth or breaks any new ground. Disappointingly it boils down to "Here's a bad guy doing something bad. Now let's send in the heroes to stop him!"”

Douglass continued, “Graded as an anime motion picture Street Fighter II is by no means to be ranked on the echelon of Miyazaki's masterpieces. It's a straight forward action affair with a couple of characters worth getting familiar with and a story that is as simple as one, two, three.” For fans of the game franchise, this is a movie not to be missed and you’ll easily be satisfied by it.

As you would think, “Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie” is mainly for fans of Capcom’s game franchise. Douglass said, “The uninitiated will no really appreciate what's going on here, even though it isn't anything that cerebral. Come for the action, stay for the series, but don't get too upset when you realize that the plot isn't that involved. Having the uncut Japanese version is a nice thing to get our hands on, but since the disc is so barebones there's almost no point to it. I enjoyed the film for what it was but was disappointed with the quality of the DVD.”

I guess everyone can agree that this movie is definitely a good video game adaptation, if not, the best of the genre. I had borrowed this movie from my cousin and I saw it so many times as a kid, and I still love it to this day. When you see it, you will see that this movie is how you truly bring a video game adaptation to film. Anime seems to be the only way to bring a video game adaptation to screen because live-action doesn’t really do it justice. Check it out if you’re a fan of the franchise because you will love it.

Stay tuned next week on what I will review next in “Anime Month.”

Pokemon Detective Pikachu

Tonight I checkout out “Pokémon Detective Pikachu,” released in 2019, and I will let everyone know what I thought about it.

If you are a child of the 90s or the parent of one then you absolutely know what Pokemon are. These animal-like creatures live in the Pokemon Universe (obviously) and have human trainers who catch them and prepare them to battle each other as a contest. Each one has special powers that they can use when fighting. Allison Skornick-Rose said in her review, “This concept with these adorable creatures captured hearts and imaginations making the franchise is one of the highest grossing media franchises of all time with over $90 billion in revenue.” There are video games, trading cards, television shows, books and now, thanks to Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures, a feature film.

Tim Goodman, played by Justice Smith, is a simple boy – so simple actually that he is an insurance salesman. As a child, he was a Pokemon trainer though but decided to leave that in the past. That is until one day he gets a call from the Rhyme City Police department informing him his distant father was killed in a car accident. Tim goes to Rhyme City to pack up his father’s things and leave the past finally forever. However, when cleaning up his dad’s apartment he meets up with Pikachu, voiced by Ryan Reynolds, his father’s Pokemon partner, who he can actually understand.

Pikachu has amnesia and needs Tim’s help to remember everything that happened to him and Harry. Unwillingly Tim agrees and the two start their mission using clues found in Harry’s apartment including a vial full of gas that brainwashes the Pokemon to become violently aggressive. They soon find out that Harry was on a lead and was probably killed for what he discovered. They follow the clues to a hidden lab only to find Pokemon that were experimented on and brainwashed…buy by whom?

Skornick-Rose mentioned, “When I saw the trailer for this film, it seemed as if Deadpool had been eaten by a small, furry, yellow creature since the voice was obviously the same and the dialogue seemed similar.” However, that is not what you get here and after a few minutes, you forget you are listening to Reynolds voice Pikachu and just hear the words making this probably one of Reynold’s famous performances. Skornick-Rose credited, “Smith does a pretty good job considering he was probably speaking to a stuffed toy for most of the filming.” Kathryn Newton gives a funny performance as the media intern who helps Tim look into his dad’s disappearance and Bill Nighy is good as the founder of Rhyme City.

Skornick-Rose criticized, “Probably the biggest downfall of Pokemon Detective Pikachu is that for me at least, it was very predictable.  The surprises were not a surprise to me and seemed fairly obvious.  However, the graphics are terrific, especially on the Pokemon.  Pikachu is absolutely adorable and I can see stuffed versions becoming one of the hot toys buys for the summer.” The graphic artists did a great job creating every little piece of fur on Pikachu’s yellow coat and explosions and fire are thumbs up as well.

If you are a fan and know the Pokemon world and every animal then you will love this movie. Skornick-Rose said, “If you are not, you will still enjoy it but you won't necessarily understand some of the inside jokes and Easter eggs are hidden in the film.” The nostalgia factor for those in the 90s in itself will attract people to watch this film but obviously this movie did not make enough money to make it anywhere close to the current highest grossing film of all time…“Avengers Endgame.”

I wasn’t surprised that Ryan Reynolds brought his usual funny, quirky self into the role of Pikachu. If he could pull of Deadpool, this wouldn’t be a problem for him. This was, surprisingly, a really funny movie with some real emotional moments that you felt. I saw the first two Pokemon movies in theaters and looking back, they weren’t good. This is hands down the best movie theatrically released in the franchise. See it if you haven’t, you’ll enjoy it whether you’re a fan or not.

Thank you for joining in on tonight’s review. Stay tuned next month to see what I will review next.

Tomb Raider

For the finale of “Video Game Adaptations Month,” I thought that I would review the three “Tomb Raider” movies. I’ve never played any of the games because I knew nothing about them when the movie was released. I just looked at them like decent action flicks that were really enjoyable to watch with Angelina Jolie in the starring role. I guess they casted her because she was the hottest thing at the time, and who can blame them? Let’s get it started with “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” released in 2001.

The movie raises silliness to an art form. Here is a movie so massively silly, yet so great to look at, that only a nitpicker could find mistakes.

Roger Ebert said in his review, “And please don't tell me it makes no sense. The last thing I want to see is a sensible movie about how the Illuminati will reunite the halves of the severed triangle in order to control time in the ruins of the ancient city that once rose in the meteor crater--if, and it's a big "if," the clue of the All-Seeing Eye inside the hidden clock can be used at the moment of planetary alignment that comes every 5,000 years, and if the Tomb Raiders are not destroyed by the many-armed Vishnu figure and the stone monkeys. The logic is exhausting enough even when it doesn't make sense.”

Ebert continued, “This is, at last, a real popcorn movie. I have been hearing for weeks from fans of "The Mummy Returns" and "Pearl Harbor," offended that I did not like those movies--no, not even as "popcorn movies." I responded that "The Mummy" was a good popcorn movie but "The Mummy Returns" was a bad popcorn movie. It is my job to know these things. That "Pearl Harbor" is even discussed in those terms is depressing.”

The story of “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” is here as a support system for four special effects scenes. From the start you can see that the movie is completely advanced. “The Mummy Returns” had no story, and one special effects scene, which was 121 minutes long.

The film starts with Lara Croft doing serious fighting with a deadly robot, which looks like it is paying tribute to the beginning of the Pink Panther movies where Clouseau took on Kato. When everything is done, we find out that she is Lady Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie), daughter of the tomb raider Sir Richard Croft (Jon Voight), whose memorial stone sadly tells everyone, “Lost in the Field, 1985.” Lara Croft lives in a giant country estate with a faithful butler (Chris Barrie) and a private hacker and weapons system designer (Noah Taylor). Detailed research-and-development and manufacturing buildings must be hiding somewhere, but we don’t see them.

Lara Croft is a hot girl with a great set of ears. Ebert said, “She hears a faint ticking under the stairs, demolishes the ancient paneling (with her bare hands, as I recall) and finds an old clock which conceals the All-Seeing Eye.” This is the Key to whatever it is the Illuminati plan to do with the lost city, etc., in their plan to control time, etc. Why they want to do this is never told. A letter from her father is found stuck in the binding of an old edition of William Blake. “I knew you would figure out my clues,” it says. This works out as well, since fate hangs in the balance while she plays his parlor games.

Ebert said, “We now visit "Venice, Italy," where the Illuminati gather, and then there is an expedition to the frozen northern land where the ancient city awaits in a Dead Zone inside the crater created by the meteor that brought the Key to Time here to Earth--I think.” Machines do not work in the Dead Zone, so Lara and the others have to use dogsleds. It is cold on the tundra, and everyone ears fur-lined parkas. Everyone but Lara, whose light gray designer cape flies behind her so that we can like the tight matching sweater she is wearing, which sticks tightly to areas on her body that can be found a foot below and a little to the front of her great ears.

The inside of the city is a massive feat in art direction, set design and special effects. Ebert said, “A giant clockwork model of the universe revolves slowly above a pool of water, and is protected by great stone figures that no doubt have official names, although I think of them as the Crumbly Creatures, because whenever you hit them with anything, they crumble. They're like the desert army in "The Mummy Returns" and the insect alien soldiers in "Starship Troopers"--they look fearsome, but they explode on contact, just like (come to think of it) targets in a video game.”

Angelina Jolie plays a great Lara Croft, however to say she does a good job playing the protagonist of a video game is perhaps not the highest compliment. She looks great, is flexible and athletic, doesn’t overplay, and takes with great seriousness a plot that would have lessened to a weaker woman to laughing. In real life she is a good actress. Lara Croft does not appear as a person with a personality, and the other actors are also nobodies, but the movie smartly confuses us with a plot so thick that we never think about their personalities at all.

Ebert admitted, “Did I enjoy the movie? Yes. Is it up there with the Indiana Jones pictures? No, although its art direction and set design are (especially in the tomb with all the dead roots hanging down like tendrils). Was I filled with suspense? No. Since I had no idea what was going to happen, should happen, shouldn't happen or what it meant if it did happen, I could hardly be expected to care. But did I grin with delight at the absurdity it all? You betcha.”

Not everybody could play Lara Croft. Not everybody would want to, but that’s another issue. Rich, humorless, awesomely capable, uncertain about romance, stacked, she appears in “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life,” released in 2003, as once again a heroine too busy saving the world to stress herself with tomb raiding. Actually, she isn’t really a raider here. The word suggests criminal activities, when maybe it is only meant to remind us of raiders of lost arks and those things.

In the first movie, you will remember, she fought the Illuminati in her journey to reunite the halves of a damaged triangle in order to control time. In the sequel, which with becoming humility is 10 letters shorter than “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” she goes up against a deadly race for control of Pandora’s Box, which brought life to earth but was closed before it could also release a plague that would kill us all. Ebert said, “Devout Darwinians will note that if the box was opened to admit life and then immediately closed on death, whoever or whatever came out of it must have evolved with startling speed into a box-closing organism.”

Lara Croft, the daughter of the archeologist Sir Richard Croft (“Lost in the Field, 1985”). Actually, since the title insists it has no comma, if grammar means anything she is Lady Lara Croft Tomb Raider. In the somewhat foggy chronology she describes early in the film, the original box arrived from space and was found by an Egyptian pharaoh in 2300 B.C. “in a place he called the Cradle of Life,” she explains to her colleagues, mentioning Pandora’s Box. “You mean the Greek myth?” she is asked. “That’s the Sunday school version,” she says. Only Lara Croft would go to a Sunday school that teaches Greek myth.

Some two centuries later, the box was found by Alexander the Great, who hid it in a temple, which was buried beneath the sea by an earthquake, its location revealed as the film starts by another earthquake. Lara is involved in a deadly race against Dr. Jonathan Reiss, played by Ciaran Hinds, for obtaining the box. Ebert said, “He wants it in order to wipe out humanity, except for the best and the brightest, of course, after which he will rule, I guess.” Lara chooses as her only friend Terry Sheridan, played by Gerard Butler, and they go on an adventure that will have them dead-sea diving, jumping from the tops of Shanghai skyscrapers, and fighting in Africa.

Ebert said, “I describe these details only because this kind of story amuses me, and always has, ever since those long-ago days when I curled up on the sofa with H. Rider Haggard's She .” Adventures involving the ancient, the occult and the exotic are really superior to those with modern cars and guns and cops. A perfect adventure should have at least one great private library somewhere in it and a butler, also ancient falling temples, things that shine real bright and cool costumes.

As we see, the location of the Cradle of Life is encoded on the outer surfaces of a shining sphere that Lara and Terry find in Alexander’s undersea temple, which mysteriously remains watertight until halfway through their visit, after which it leaks and ruins excellently. To escape back to land, Lara cuts her wrist so the blood will be smelled a shark, hits the shark in the nose to confuse it, and holds onto its fin as it swims for the surface. Now that’s a tomb raider.

In a summer where the special effects in movies have grown gradually more tedious and boring, “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life” uses imagination and exciting locations to give the movie the same kind of nice adventure feeling we get from the Indiana Jones movies. There’s a great use of giant neon signs in Shanghai, an escape by parasails, a secret lab hidden in a retail mall, a pole-vault to a helicopter, and a perfect scene where the villain, chasing of Lara, gets into an elevator and then a little brat gets on and pushes all of the buttons. Ebert admitted, “I've been waiting for years for that to happen.”

Ebert said, “Not everybody, I observed, could play Lara Croft.” Angelina Jolie can, with a straight face, a dry humor, a serious tenacity and a British accent, which adds a type of style to the activity. She’s all class, which is why she has friends everywhere, ready to fly parasails on top of skyscrapers, or allow her to parachute into the Land Rovers as they race across the African savanna. Kosa, played by Djimon Hounsou, is the Masai warrior who’s her sidekick in the African part. Also, Sheridan delivers one of the more sincere romantic lines in recent movies: “You can break my wrist – but I’m still gonna kiss you.” She is not, he will find out, very sentimental.

This is a better movie than the first one, more guaranteed, more entertaining. The director is Jan de Bont, who demands a type of logic from his screenwriters, so that despite the story is completely ridiculous; obviously, it is consistent within its own ways. Ebert said, “I was relieved to discover I am not tired of movies like this after all.” They have to be good, is the fact.

Now the 2018 “Tomb Raider” movie is based on the 2013 video game, with Alicia Vikander as the latest embodiment of a character who’s been around for 22 years, and surprisingly plays like a throwback to the classic late-80s/early 90s era of action filmmaking, represented by films like “Cliffhanger,” “The Last of the Mohicans,” the first couple of Indiana Jones films, and Jackie Chan’s “Armour of God” series. From the animated beginning, where the title character’s archeologist father, Lord Richard Croft, played by Dominic West, tells of an ancient, cursed tomb supposedly having the all-powerful, weaponizable remains of the Japanese shaman queen Himiko, through its nicely shot chases and emotional moments, to its finale scene on an island filled with booby-trapped ruins, “Tomb Raider” is better and more original than anyone could have expected.

Although it borrows from the game (and a little bit, its sequel) for structure and most of its main action scenes, the movie never feels like a pointless companion piece to a work that was created for a different style. Matt Zoller Seitz said in his review, “I've never played the game, but I had a great time watching the movie it inspired, thanks ]to the direction; the stunt choreography, which leans on real performers and props whenever it makes sense to; the emphasis on problem-solving one's way out of tight spots; and most of all, the actors, who flesh out archetypal characters who might have seemed cliched or merely flat on the page, and make them as real as they can, considering what sort of movie they're in.”

First among equals is Alicia Vikander. With her weakly royal behavior, she’s correctly cast as a woman, who’s literally to-the-manor-born, but the humility and sense of fair play she displays makes you like rather than resent that character. More importantly, she’s an action hero par excellence. Apparently bereft of body fat, Vikander throws herself into action. Seitz said, “She makes you feel the physicality of this intensely visceral performance, letting out a high-pitched grunt of rage or pain when Lara crashes into a wall or gets slammed on the ground by a brawny foe, and letting sparks of fury flash in her eyes as Lara delivers a coup-de-grace.”

The movie has given a lot of thought to the question of how a small woman could successfully fight enemies who are a lot bigger and stronger. The answers are persistent speed, the strategic use of full body weight, and dirty fighting. This is not to say that “Tomb Raider” is “realistic” in any sense, because no video game movie is – at one point, Lara pulls through after a pierce injury that would put a 250-pount Green Beret into a coma – but that the filmmakers and Vikander are doing everything they can to sell the physical and emotional reality of a moment.

As written by Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Alastair Siddons, there’s a strong element of domestic melodrama at the heart of the story: Lara’s father went missing and is said to be dead. The movie gradually tells the details of their relationship, balancing Lara’s admiration, even worship, of her father against the pain made by his frequent absences and final disappearance. This is the story of a daughter learning from, exceeding, and ending up forgiving her dad – an adventure that hits higher beats than you see in genre films starring male heroes whose fathers died, disappeared, or disappointed them (although the third Indiana Jones movie deals in these themes, as well).

Abandonment by the father and its aftermath are at the heart of every character’s story here. Lu Ren, played by Daniel Wu, the alcoholic sea captain who sails Lara to the island that contains Himiko’s tomb, is dealing with his own father problems: his same-named father once ran the boat, and ended up disappearing, too, which might explain why their relationship feels more sibling than romantic (they obviously respect each other, but there’s no love chemistry because the movie isn’t interested in finding any). The bad guy, archaeologist turned corporate mercenary Mathias Vogel, played by Walton Goggins, is himself an absentee husband and father. He’s spent seven years trying to locate Himiko’s tomb at the request of the mysterious Trinity organization, and resents the unseen master who’s keeping him on the island until he finishes the job.

Lara has empathy for others, and feels things deeply. Seitz said, “I liked how you could hear the catch in her voice or see tears almost well up in her eyes as she deals with moments that cause her distress.” These details confirm that “Tomb Raider” isn’t going to attach standard-issue, strong-silent tough guy clichés on a female lead and that will be the end. Seitz said, “There's more sensitivity and intelligence on display here than there needed to be, and while "Tomb Raider" doesn't go as far in this direction as I would've liked, the unmistakable effort means a lot.” Mainly hitting is the moment after Lara kills someone for the first time: she sits next to the corpse, looking psychically disturbed along with physically exhausted. The act of killing is shown in such a casual manner in so many action and adventure films that it’s shocking to see it treated as if it means something.

However, in the end, this is a movie about a woman running, running, running, running, then pausing just long enough to kill a man with a bow and arrow, defeat him in hand-to-hand combat, or solve a tumbler-styled puzzle that will open the stone door of a temple containing ancient treasures. “Tomb Raider” treats Vikander as a movie piece of sculpture, admiring her not in an objectifying way women have been treated, but as you might an athlete. Director Roar Uthaug often adopts the perspective of an especially kinetic videogame, filming Vikander from a low angle as she races toward the camera or from a high perspective looking at the back of her head and her shoulders, the better to appreciate Lara as she cuts a path through her world.

Seitz admitted, “There are at least five action sequences in this movie that rank with the best I've seen recently.” The first is a “fox hunt” on bicycles through the streets of London where Lara, who works as a messenger before accepting her destiny, leading a gang of her colleagues on a chase through winding streets filled with cars and trucks. Another is where Lara dives off a cliff into a raging river. She catches herself before going over a waterfall by hanging to a rusted-out, World War II-era bomber that’s shaking on its edge, and then slowly moves over and through the husk of the plane, trying to get to the riverbank before the whole thing crumbles. (A great Indiana Jones-style moment: as she hears the clasping groan and sees the plane falling to pieces, she mutters, “Really?”)

There are frustrations here and there, mainly having to do with the planning and some of the supporting characters, who are lively and memorable but often lack one or two scenes that would’ve made them seem as mythically bright as the material demands. (Seitz said, “Vogel's misery is fascinating at first, but ultimately becomes tedious, and I didn't like the way the film sidelined Ren during the final act.”) Still, this is a beautifully made and modest piece of action cinema, with a number of scenes that are as beautiful as they are exciting, and a female hero who’s as elegant as she is deadly: an action-packed Audrey Hepburn.

Hope everyone was able to sit through this long review, but like I said, I judged these as movies and not video game adaptations because I have no knowledge of the video games these movies are based on. If you don’t like them because they didn’t do the video games justice, I completely understand, but as simple action movies, I think they are fine, enjoyable flicks. The latest one is probably the best. Check them out and see for yourself.

Thank you for joining in on “Video Game Adaptation Month.” I know I reviewed a lot of stinkers, but now everyone knows about why I have mentioned a few times that video game adaptations seem to spell disaster almost all the time. Stay tuned next month to see what I will have in store for everyone.