codydennison Reviews

Watership Down (2018)

Better Than I Was Expecting

[6/10 · 24 December 2018]

Well, I finally saw this new version of Watership Down this morning. Sat through nearly four hours watching it. I gotta say that it's a pretty good adaptation of the original Richard Adams book. I like Bluebell's comedy, the dire situation at Efrefa and how the rabbits escape (with help from Bigwig and Clover), and some parts surprised me (like with Holly's death). Plus, I've been listening to the song that plays during the credits (Fire On Fire), and it's good.

The only complaints I have are the animation and some parts of the story. For the animation, it's not the worst CGI I've seen, but I feel like it could've used some more work. Plus, the characters look a bit more like hares than rabbits.

The second part is the characterization of Hazel and Bigwig. Hazel seems to be the "I don't want to be a leader" kind of guy who doesn't have as much power of a leader as he did in the book and movie. And I couldn't find myself smiling when Bigwig was on the screen. He was too angry and contrarian to make me think that he'd have a good point. But they're not the only characters to have that kind of personality change, so I won't go into it further.

One final part I have a bit of a problem with is Bigwig saying that he was a storyteller to get into Efrefa. With a battle-scarred rabbit like that, it's no doubt Woundwart wasn't really that fooled.

Other than that, it was fine. Not as good as the 1978 movie, but still fine.

Brother Bear (2003)

It's still good.

[7/10 · 2 November 2017]

I know this movie's been getting a lot of heat for not being a good Disney movie. I mean, sure, it's no Lion King, that's for sure...but at least it's nothing like Chicken Little.

First off is the animation. The animation of Disney had definitely improved in the 2000s (before they switched to CG for good), though I think that it got a little too bright when we switch to Kenai's story as a bear.

Then there are the characters, and I mostly like them (though I'll list a few). I do like how Kenai and Koda eventually form their brotherly bond. And even if it kinda gets annoying in how they go from arguing to bonding to arguing to bonding again, it does eventually get there. Rutt and Tuke can be funny, but even their comedy may seem a little stale sometimes.

And I also liked the songs on there, some of them by Phil Collins (one by Tina Turner and one by The Blind Boys Of Alabama). Next to The Lion King, The Jungle Book (1967), and Tarzan, this Disney movie has some of the best songs in my opinion. And be careful up ahead, because there will be spoilers.

It did take me by surprise that the bear Kenai killed was actually Koda's mother. And while Koda was very upset at learning that his new friend had killed his mother, he's actually able to forgive him, which is difficult but not impossible to do. And when Kenai decides to stay as a bear permanently and raise Koda on his own, it made me feel...touched, especially since he truly repents for his crime and wants to do good for the cub he orphaned.

So on a scale from 1 to 10, I'd give it an 8. Even if it's not the best Disney movie, it's far from the worst to me, and I recommend this for enjoyment and learning life lessons.

The Lion King (1994)

One of the best of the best

[10/10 · 5 August 2017]

I hadn't thought much of The Lion King back then because I'd watch anything. But now that I'm older, I can see why many people agree that it's one of the best movies, and I agree. There may be spoilers ahead, so you have been warned.

The animation's great, I really like the songs (especially Circle Of Life and Be Prepared), and I also like the characters (like Mufasa, Rafiki, and Timon and Pumbaa). Out of Disney's protagonists, I feel that Simba's story is one that'll always be told for many years to come. From a cub who can't wait to be king to an exiled prince whose father had been killed by his uncle and finally to be a king, retaking the Pridelands from his cruel uncle Scar. This movie has some hidden good values as well, such as heroism, faith, hope, and reconciliation.

That's why I think that The Lion King is not only one of the best Disney movies, but it's also one of the best animated movies ever. So on a scale from one to ten, I'd give it a perfect ten, and I'd definitely recommend this...and even though The Lion King (1994) will always be better than The Lion King (2019), I hope the remake will be good.

Dinotrux (2015–2017)

Gotta admit, it's a cool show.

[8/10 · 28 July 2017]

When I first saw this on Netflix, my niece was watching it and wasn't interested in it. So I took a look for it myself for solid TV show time...and I like it.

The animation's fine, but I also like the characters, the story ideas for each episode, and the fighting/building sequences. The comedy is pretty witty, with jokes like "We did it!" and then "You mean we DIDN'T" and all that. Plus, I'm amazed that they actually used a toilet joke as a useful weapon in the form of Garby the Stegarbosaurus. And I get a good feeling whenever Ty the hero (or anyone else) says "Let's Trux it up!" and the theme song plays when they build something big.

I don't have many major complaints about this show for the moment, but I had been thinking that Skrap-It (the main villain D-Structs' assistant) would pull a Starscream and probably betray him at the end or something. If they pulled an episode like that already, then I apologize.

So on a scale from one to ten, I'll give it an eight. I can recommend this for entertainment and story building

Sahara (2017)

One MAJOR thing wrong with this movie

[3/10 · 26 July 2017]

*Spoilers up ahead* I've heard about this movie from a YouTube reviewer named RaisorBlade, and I've agreed with a lot of what he said in this movie. The animation looks good (even if at times it can be too fast-paced), and the story could've been interesting. Instead, there's a lot of show-don't-tell, some adult themes are put in there inappropriately (such as a pollen fetish), and the characters are forgettable.

But one character is unfortunately unforgettable: Gary. That snake really got on my nerves with his "totally dude!" accent and his blatant disregard of his sister when she's in trouble. Not to mention that he's very whiny and stupid and bratty, and I was rooting for Ajar to actually end him! And when he wants to help rescue his sister near the end of the movie, that came too little, too late. Thus, Gary turns out to be not only the worst character in this movie but also one of the worst characters in animated history.

I do want to like this movie, but there are a number of problems that keep me from doing so. Anyone who likes this movie, that's perfectly fine, but it's definitely not my can of soda.

Ringing Bell (1978)

MAN, this is depressing.

[6/10 · 25 February 2017]

I don't mean that in a bad way. This movie's actually good. It's not the kind of movie you'd expect it to be, kind of like Disney. Instead, it's...pretty dark. Be warned: here there be spoilers.

So Chirin is a little lamb who loves to play, but his mother ends up being killed by an old wolf. He runs away to kill the wolf only to decide to be his apprentice so he won't be a useless sheep any longer. Instead of the usual route of Bambi, Littlefoot, and Simba (who lost a parent and went through tragedy but became characters) Chirin doesn't let go of the negative emotion and becomes a hate-filled demonic ram with misshapen horns. One night, Chirin heads to his old home to kill some sheep only to see a mother protecting her lamb and realize that he can't do it. He fights the wolf and kills him, but the other sheep refuse to take him in because they see him as a monster. Alone and full of despair, Chirin returns to the mountains, where the final scene in the movie has him crying out to the wolf in the harsh winter night.

Like I said, it's good. There's not a whole lot of characters, but that suits this movie's mood well. And it's also a cautionary tale of what happens if you take revenge. There's only one problem I have with the movie. How does Chirin easily accept the wolf as his father figure when he had wanted to kill him to avenge his mother? I get that his time with the wolf made him slightly affectionate with him, but why the sudden change? Other than that, I like this movie. So on a scale from one to ten, I'd give it a 6, and I'd recommend it.

Alpha and Omega: Dino Digs (2015 Video)

The worst sequel so far

[2/10 · 27 November 2016]

Alpha And Omega...it started as a kinda "meh" film, with two wolves from different social classes falling in love. Adding a Christmas movie and a sports movie is baffling, and so is a Halloween movie and a family vacation movie (since when do wolves celebrate Christmas and Halloween, value fair play, or go on vacation?). But when they added dinosaurs into the mix...I've been skeptical about this.

Here there be spoilers...in other words, if you haven't seen this movie yet, beware of spoilers.

I love dinosaurs, but that Barney raptor makes me wanna puke. And the T. Rex in this one is a disgrace to any other T. Rex in dinosaur media; even Rexy from Jurassic Park and Jurassic World would verbally smack this guy down in seconds. Plus, the way how the movie explained how the dinosaurs survived underground for 65 million years is not only baffling but really dumb.

Not to mention that the pups are probably at their worst here, telling their parents flat-out that they rebel because their parents taught them to be good and helpful. Kate and Humphrey should've also taught them respect! And the old characters from the first movie are beyond useless. I mean, come on! Marcel and Paddy doing a water show musical straight out of Tentacolino, and it becomes a PLOT POINT? I don't wanna think about it.

And the animation is a MEGA step down from the other movies. One guy is seen picking up an axe, and it looks like something out of an old PlayStation 1 game. I think that the only thing I can walk away with from this movie is the use of the T. Rex roar from Jurassic Park; it's gotten famous ever since Jurassic Park.

I don't mean to sound cynical, not at all...but this was an abysmal movie. On a scale from one to ten, I'm giving this a 2, and I do NOT recommend this movie at all.

Alpha and Omega (2010)

It's not too bad...but it's not too good either.

[5/10 · 13 November 2016]

Alpha And Omega...one of several animated movies to be released in 2010. How To Train Your Dragon, Toy Story 3, and Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole were great. Despicable Me...I'm not a fan of it, but I did see a lot of charm in there. Alpha And Omega, however, is probably the weakest out of those.

The animation is meh, not too bad but not too good. There are several parts like the dark side of the moon that could be fixed, and not to mention a goose carrying a wolf while flying.

And the characters...Kate seems like the usual female character who's responsible, athletic, and smart while Humphrey is the goofy guy in love with her and doesn't have a clue that she's not interested in him. I do like Lily and Garth; even though they knew each other for hours or maybe a few days, the chemistry they have is pretty nice (I guess animal romance is pretty quick). And I do like Eve and her quotes like "take your beautiful teeth, go for the throat, and don't let go until he stops breathing" (paraphrased). Marcel and Paddy...I don't really care much for them.

The music score for this is decent, but not as memorable as in The Lion King, Dinosaur, or Kung Fu Panda. Plus, I like the idea of wolves living in large packs, but to have many alphas and omegas? There's usually an alpha couple and one omega. I know I'm trying to give logic to a kid's movie, but it never hurts to try.

So on a scale from one to ten, I would rate this a 5 out of 10 (5/10). All in all, I wouldn't entirely recommend this...but it's a big step over its awful sequels.

In Search of the Titanic (2004)

It's the worst of the worst.

[1/10 · 5 November 2016]

I've already reviewed The Jungle Book 2016 (a very awesome film). Now let's see the exact opposite of awesome: Tentacolino (AKA In Search Of The Titanic AKA This Movie Stinks!) I did not really see this movie: I saw what I could from people like Bobsheaux, Mysterious Mr. Enter, Musical Hell, ShogunGino, and The Nostalgia Critic. And there's gonna be some spoilers up ahead, so be prepared.

It's bad enough that they made a movie that insulted all of the victims of the Titanic, but they made a pointless sequel with Atlantis, and they named it after a pointless Kimba-The-White-Lion-faced octopus no one cares about (oh, sorry. They drop the name entirely to go with "Oddy".) The characters are one-dimensional, the animation is kinda cheap, and the plot went off the rails of a crazy train. In other words, it made no sense.

So we see a bathysphere that won't be invented until the 1930s, a rapping shark worse than the rapping dog, and (of course) ATLANTIS. Along with a dumb musical numbers, a mixed ripoff of the Island of Misfit Toys and Toy Story, and rats wanting to take over the world, it makes me wanna fall asleep from boredom right there and then.

And how does the movie end? By raising the Titanic back up with everything fixed before the tragedy began. ...really? I actually feel sorry for the ship being brought back to life by these Aquaman rejects. And the main human characters didn't do anything to deserve that reward. It was their dog Smile (what'd Gregory Snegoff do in a past life to put him in animated Titanic movies?) and the mice that did it.

On a scale from one to ten, I'd put it at 0, but I'm giving it a 1. And I really do NOT recommend this movie. AT. ALL. Heck, even Atlantis Squarepantis is better than this!

The Jungle Book (2016)

This is awesome

[9/10 · 5 November 2016]

I've never been a fan of the original Jungle Book movie, but I did grow up watching it, and I did like it. This remake is (in my opinion) Disney's best remake so far.

The animation and the scenery is basically a new age in CGI. Not only are there CGI characters and creatures now, but locations too. The entire jungle looks absolutely real, yet it's not, and that's the great thing about it.

The characters themselves were pretty cool. I didn't care for Mowgli in the original movie, but this movie got me liking him. He's brave, not as bratty, and he's pretty inventive. Bagheera is as stern and careful as ever except that he's also got the action his book counterpart had had. And I like Baloo's character here, having a bit more of a self-serving trait his older counterparts never had but eventually becoming a nice guy. And that's the main characters. The wolves got more screen time, Kaa got a lot more dangerous (though she doesn't have as much screen time, which is my only complaint in this movie), King Louie is more sinister and less comical, and Shere Khan is a flat-out beast.

I'm also glad that they brought back three songs I enjoyed as a kid. I really liked Bare Necessities, and I've also started singing this version of I Wanna Be Like You. Trust In Me made me feel like Kaa was in a spy movie.

So on a scale from one to ten, I'd give it a perfect score: 10/10. It's an epic movie, and I highly recommend seeing this movie.