Jeoffrey

Judging by the first few minutes, it seemed like a James Bond-style version of the movie The Nut Job. I can neither confirm nor deny that, though, because I could not tolerate more than fifteen minutes of it. The animation is ugly; the animals are weird and too human-like looking, making them unattractive and not very watchable. The whole thing is way too colorful; it hurts your eyes. Also, the trees are pink! I have nothing against pink. However, there is so much of it in places it is scary. The main male protagonist is supposed to look really cool, and I guess this whole thing is supposed to be awfully cool too. However, I found it awkward, and it just did not work for me. The dialogue also had a really scary "quality", at least in the first few minutes I saw. I could not stand it, and if I had given it a few more minutes, I guess I would have just had to give it a pass because I have not seen anything this obnoxious in a long time. Even that stupid movie called Agent F.O.X. I saw recently seems a little less ridiculous than this. The only thing that was not completely tragic was the soundtrack and the opening credits, which looked like something out of the Pink Panther movies, or at a push, the James Bond movies. If I had to rate it, it would be on the borderline of BOO! and one star; however, since I stopped being tortured in time, I am not going to rate it.

The action scenes in Code Geass: Akito the Exiled 4 - From the Memories of Hatred are quite passable. However, the twists are not as surprising as in the previous installment, and the whole thing seems quite strange in places, especially the revolution and various betrayals. I think it is a little too convoluted, albeit still pretty decent. 7.5/10.

When Julius Kingsley turned up in Code Geass: Akito the Exiled 3 - The Brightness Falls, he seemed pretty damn familiar, and now that his true identity has been revealed, the true fan in me has awakened, and I have to award that last star. The funny thing is I did not recognize his entourage at all, even though the boy still looks the same; well, it had been a long time since I had seen the Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion anime series. Code Geass: Akito the Exiled 3 - The Brightness Falls was the weakest episode from this movie series in terms of action (there is hardly any). The beginning, which was about life among elderly Gypsy women, is really quite boring. However, I understand that a bunch of main protagonists have to "make friends" somehow. However, I liked the politicking in the second half a lot, all the plot twists were interesting, and most of all "His Highness" was there, so I am very satisfied. Otherwise, for those like me who did not know, the five-part movie series takes place exactly between the original Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion's first two seasons. 9/10.

There is a bit more action going on in Code Geass: Akito the Exiled - Episode 2 The Torn-Up Wyvern, and the narrative starts to unravel, so it is even a bit better than the first movie. 8/10.

Well, I cannot claim yet that this is going to be as big as the Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion anime series, even though, on the other hand, it seems like it is just a teaser so far, introducing us to the characters, setting and hinting at the storyline. As for the setting, I would honestly rather watch the conflict from the other side because, for some reason, I like Britain a lot more than the EU. So I would rather watch the "Holy Britannian Empire" gradually take over the world in this show, and I would love to hear my favorite lines like "Yes, Your Highness" and "Yes, Your Majesty" once again, although what can you do? Despite that, the setting is still just awesome, with the conflict between two world powers, where England is part of the EU and the enemy referred to as Britannia is actually all of America, including a substantial portion of Russia (yes, there is no mention of America, even though its colors are very clear on the map in the opening). All this creates a very interesting backdrop. The characters are not bad either; Akito comes across as a strong and capable MC with a dark past that has taken a toll on his psyche, so he comes across as a bit of a nutcase in fights and a bit of a cold dude at other times. I can relate to this, so I am happy for now. The main female protagonist is not very remarkable so far, although I expect the girl to be revealed more in the next episodes and not seem so uninteresting. Oh, and, on the Britannia side, there is once again someone who has a "Geass"  and for that alone, I felt a certain excitement that makes me want to tackle the next episode. The animation is good, apart from all the CGI mecha. However, even that is pretty easy to watch, so the show is above average in that respect too. It is a good start to the movie series, so hopefully, it is not going to go wrong in the next part. 7.4/10.

The Boy and the Beast has definitely got quite a few shortcomings. It is way too long for a start, sometimes does not make any sense at all, and the ending is way too hectic. The movie's message about everyone having a dark side that they have to fight gets somewhat lost in the mess of CGI. On the other hand, it has an interesting, enjoyable, and nicely animated narrative, plus a great soundtrack and likable characters. I really enjoyed watching them, and they kept me entertained for the first two-thirds of this movie (I already mentioned the ending, which I did not think was very good, it was too upbeat and rosy, which did not suit the overall mood at all). So, to sum up, Mamoru Hosoda did not disappoint me too much, although it was not deep enough compared to Wolf Children, not as amusing as Summer Wars, and less interesting compared to The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. I guess so far this is perhaps Hosoda's weakest movie of the past ten years, even though I think it is still above-average in general. 6.7/10.

I should be very strict because what I just saw was definitely not average... I am going to start with what is good about this movie, and that is the soundtrack. The music of the soundtrack is pretty well selected and matches the narrative, and it was pleasant to listen to. I have watched enough movies with narratives concerning a boy and his journey of discovery. However, I somehow cannot understand that after a boy declares that anything is possible if you believe in it with all your heart, he then has to embark on an epic journey only to find out what he already knew from the beginning regardless. However, then again, the movie probably would not have any narrative to speak of without that. As for this movie's narrative, it was also quite peculiar. It seemed quite good that we get introduced to all sorts of different peoples and cultures throughout the journey, which are usually quite original, although what happens in between, how it all builds up, and how it ends is not so great. I think the movie's creators simply wanted to showcase a sort of epic Lord of the Rings-style battle, so what does it matter that what leads up to it does not make that much sense? The twists are so weird that you cannot get your head around them at first, and eventually, you either learn not to think about them or get angry and stop watching. In general, the way the "fellowship"," or if you want "the group that follows the magician," gets together seems somehow random, forced, and quite peculiar. So is the strange romantic subplot between Savva and the Shaman of the tribe Shisha's granddaughter. Again, the whole thing feels like the screenwriters just kind of decided she would be stuck in there, although they did not want to do more with her or develop her character. There was not much to speak of as far as the comedy goes. Even the references to other movies did not work for me. Even the line "come with me if you want to live" just felt weird again at the point and moment where it was dropped. The worst part was probably the ending and Savva's slow-motion run through the field of roses "to find his love" - although no, it was not romantic and sweet, it was just dumb. Add to that the hyenas that look like they escaped from the circus, the three-headed monkey queen, the pink "Puffy" creature, and many other strange things and characters that made me shake my head. Indeed, it was either stupid or weird most of the time, even though there were a few moments that I liked and that were very original. For example, there was the "magician" who lived in a house with chicken legs picking the wrong kid to eat. So back to the beginning, "I should be very strict because what I just saw was definitely not average, and it was so stupid that it was pretty good. So, as a result, and even though my brain tells me I should give it two stars at most, I am still not going to because I just like weird stuff sometimes". 5/10.

I have to appreciate two things that were probably the most successful things about this movie, and that is it is original, and the soundtrack is good. As far as the soundtrack is concerned, it was pleasant and the music was very well selected. As for the originality, the movie has a narrative taking place in a world where when the time comes, the "Feather King" will come for you and take you to his kingdom full of rules where the most powerful being is the goddess who is probably something like a giant octopus judging by her tentacles! The movie's producers and screenwriters were certainly not lacking imagination, and so the narrative featuring a futile struggle against the order of things looks very interesting indeed. The characters are also endearing, Johan is brave and I was rooting for him in his efforts to bring his family together. I liked Bill and his "freewheeling" ways as well. The animation is not great, and I cannot say I thought it was amazing, more like it did not really work for me; however, it also had a certain amount of originality, which I appreciated. So, in the end, we have a pretty good story told in a very original way with a nice soundtrack, which is pleasant to watch, so quite a nice surprise. 7/10.

Sometimes you can really cram a lot into one narrative. There are more than a few messages and themes to think about in ​​Jungle Emperor Leo. I guess everyone could find themselves drawn into some reflections on environmental issues, the search for oneself, the man's place in the world, or simply friendship. I quite enjoyed it, the setting was interesting, and the way they dealt with issues made them seem quite important. The characters were quite likable except for Kenichi's father; his blindness and trying to play God did not bother me too much, although he was quite useful as a representation of some extreme views. The animation was quite nice, and the soundtrack was okay too. I thought this was quite an interesting production with some thought-provoking themes. 7.5/10.

Tad: The Lost Explorer is not a real gem of a movie; however, I have to say that I enjoyed watching it quite a lot. I learned that sometimes all you need to be happy is strong determination and the courage to go for it, and above all, an Indiana Jones hat. Plus, the references to famous movies were really funny, especially the Star Wars one, and I have to say that I would have loved a soap opera with that twist (I am not your mom, I am your dad). The characters were great, especially the parrot with the signs and the tour guide who has to support his large family. Basically, it would have been average despite the fact that my "very favorite group" One Direction performed the theme music; however, because it had wit and suspense similar to the previously mentioned Indiana Jones movies, I was ultimately quite satisfied despite some things being terribly obvious and predictable. 7/10.