Resistance (2020)

18 Sunday Apr 2021

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(For Day 18 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was to write a poem inspired by one of the chapter titles in Susan G. Wooldridge’s Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life with Words, and the heading “Controlled Abandon” caught my eye, associating it with any kind of innovation or risk-taking, which can be simply unusual or truly dangerous.)

Upon the walls of cultured art, the few who make the rules
Can mock the fewer down below and designate them fools.
For who but madmen with abandon would attempt to flout
The well-established orthodoxy, confident in clout?
But down below, the darer knows what’s needed to invent,
And every tiny movement made is careful with intent.
The price of forging something new may well survive disdain,
For “madmen” such as these know there is nothing done in vain.

Upon the walls of tyranny, the few who make the rules
Can mock the vulgar down below and designate them fools.
For who but madmen with abandon would resist the State,
Which has the power to enforce its whims without debate?
But down below, the darer knows what’s needed to dissent,
And every tiny movement made is careful with intent.
The price of saving someone else may well result in pain,
But “madmen” such as these know there is nothing done in vain.
_______________________________________

MPA rating: R (can be intense, but what is actually shown is closer to PG-13)

There are already so many films set in World War II, whether it be on the battlefield or in the Nazi-occupied cities where Jews were threatened, but they never seem to get old. Resistance may fall into the middle pack of such films, but it’s still an excellent period piece/biopic about the early life of Marcel Marceau, who went on to become the world’s most famous mime.

Jesse Eisenberg might not have been my first choice for the role, but he proves to be a compelling figure as a misunderstood artist moved to action by the plight of displaced Jewish children in France. Likewise, Clémence Poésy and Bella Ramsey deliver affecting performances as Marcel’s love interest and a girl he rescues, respectively, while Matthias Schweighöfer is a terror as notorious Nazi Klaus Barbie. The plotline is not especially original but still packs emotional power and occasional menace, and the way that Marceau’s budding talent as a mime is employed to cheer the children is well executed by Eisenberg.

Mime itself has never been of much interest to me, and the film’s final moments may be underwhelming for luddites like me, but its sincerity and historical basis are nonetheless impressive. Resistance may have underperformed due to its release at the start of the pandemic last March, but it deserves more appreciation.

Rank: List Runner-Up

Ad Astra (2019)

17 Saturday Apr 2021

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Drama, Sci-fi

(For Day 17 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was to write a poem about the moon, which is galling since I had a movie that was all about the moon just TWO DAYS AGO! So I went with a different movie partially set on the moon, because of course I had another in reserve.)

Space is a nothing, a vacuum complete,
With planetoid motes spinning round in the void.
Yet we on our mote have a course we repeat:
To find and expand, be diffused or destroyed.

But distances mock us, too deadly and vast
For Earth to consider a visit or leap.
We have but one friend in our orbital caste,
A lunar companion whose slope is less steep.

The moon in its course is our first rung to climb,
The first stepping stone, Tenerife to our Spain,
From which human hordes, in a matter of time,
Can strike at the void with one win to their name.
____________________________________________

MPA rating: PG-13

Ad Astra (Latin for To the Stars) is the kind of movie I wanted to like, just as I wanted to enjoy First Man, but once again a plodding pace and stoic protagonist upend what could have been so much better. In a future where mankind has settled on the moon and Mars and extended a mission as far as Neptune, Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) is an astronaut famed for controlling his emotions under pressure; he is told that his father (Tommy Lee Jones), who disappeared on that Neptune mission, may be alive and perhaps is responsible for some dangerous energy surges threatening Earth. That setup has enormous potential, but Roy has basically buried those emotions so deep that only a trip across the solar system rife with metaphysical introspection can help him overcome his daddy issues.

There are interesting sci-fi concepts, like how the moon has been as commercialized as Earth, reminiscent of Futurama to be honest, but they’re kept to the background. There are moments of action spectacle that instantly boost viewer interest, such as a rover chase on the moon or the film’s incredible opening where Roy falls off a space antenna, but the plot quickly dips back into monotony as Roy narrates every stray thought. Some of it really is deep, paired with visually striking imagery, and certainly better explored than the wordlessness of 2001: A Space Odyssey, but it also feels pretentious and suffers from not really going anywhere, since the result of Roy’s journey isn’t particularly enlightening. I’m not naturally drawn to Brad Pitt like I am to space movies, so Ad Astra is a mixed bag to say the least, a film with a lot on its mind and something missing to make it compelling. In different hands, it might have been epic; as it is, it’s rather forgettable but for its best scenes.

Rank: Honorable Mention

The Big Year (2011)

16 Friday Apr 2021

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Comedy

(For Day 16 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was for some Skeltonic, or tumbling, verse, consisting of short, rhyming lines, which is right up my alley.)

I love the sight
Of birds in flight
Or perched amid
The leaves, half-hid.
At rest, in flight,
They’re my delight.

I’m lost for words
With hummingbirds.
I often fawn
On goose and swan.
I cherish gulls
And cardinals,
From tiny wren
To pelican.
I feel at ease
With chickadees,
And one must love
A mourning dove.
To come across
An albatross
Or sight an owl
Or water fowl,
Would thrill me like
I saw a shrike
Or had the luck
To sight a duck.

I’m not alone,
So avian-prone.
We have a crush
On lark and thrush
And never flinch
To chase a finch.
We’re connoisseurs
Of tanagers
And followers
Of kingfishers.
We twitchers seek
Each wing and beak,
And, of a feather,
Flock together.
___________________________

MPA rating: PG

It was only a matter of time before I reviewed this 2011 charmer since I included it on my end-of-year Top Twelve list of films seen in 2020. I’ll be honest: while I love wildlife, I have no particular fascination with birds, so a movie about obsessive bird watchers didn’t seem like an instant favorite-to-be. Yet The Big Year is so consistently endearing that I couldn’t help but enjoy it.

For those who don’t know what a “big year” is, as I didn’t before seeing this, it is an annual competition among bird watchers to sight as many bird species as possible in a single year, with the current U.S. record being 836. (I discovered that there is an informal British term for those with such an obsession, “twitchers,” though it’s never used in the film.) Based on a nonfiction book, the film follows three birders on their year-long odyssey – Kenny Bostick (Owen Wilson), the compulsive champion intent on keeping his title; Stu Preissler (Steve Martin), the business executive wishing to focus more on his bird passion; and Brad Harris (Jack Black), the newcomer eager to prove himself. It’s both amusing and worrying to see how the men try to balance their work and home lives with a hobby that involves flying across the country at the first sign of a rare goose or hummingbird. Even with some light scheming and terrible decisions, every character comes off as supremely likable, and the film’s sense of humor just clicked with me, gentle but with a self-aware streak that doesn’t let it become too goofy.

One of The Big Year’s greatest strengths is its cast, not just Wilson, Martin, and Black (once again proving his acting talent when subduing his bombast), but also the likes of Rosamund Pike, Jim Parsons, Rashida Jones, Brian Dennehy, Joel McHale, Anjelica Huston, and Anthony Anderson, among other recognizable faces. Its other major asset is an outstanding soundtrack, ranging from Coldplay to The Beatles, that sets the mood for the U.S.-hopping adventure.

Ultimately, I once more return to my favorite line from La La Land, that “people love what other people are passionate about.” So even if I have little interest in ornithological collecting, it was a joy to watch these comedy greats make it look like the most important thing in the world for 102 minutes. What starts out as a funny bird movie morphs into a reflection on obsession and the priorities that really matter along the way. It may not be the kind of film to show up on others’ favorite lists, but it makes mine.

Best line: (the text at the very beginning) “This is a true story. Only the facts have been changed.”

Rank: List-Worthy

Over the Moon (2020)

16 Friday Apr 2021

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Animation, Comedy, Musical

(For Day 15 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was to detail a habit picked up from a parent, which brought to mind the mooncake tradition in this film.)

I’d watch her in the kitchen,
Covered in a coat of flour,
Every movement sending clouds to scatter more.
She’d stuff the dough with filling,
Working hour after hour,
Leaving powder-stenciled footprints on the floor.

She taught me how to do it,
Find a rhythm and a cadence,
Every batch a surging wave to tempt the tongue.
She’d tell me ancient stories
Filled with animals and maidens
That thrill me still, though I am not as young.

I stand here in the kitchen,
With a flour layer ghostly
And form them each according to her spec.
They bear the same ingredients
And taste the same… well, mostly,
If only she were here to double-check.
__________________________________

MPA rating: PG

With China becoming an ever more important market for films, Chinese culture has grown more prominent in the world of animation. Some are products of China itself (Ne Zha, Jiang Ziya), while others are the result of collaborations between Chinese and American studios, such as DreamWorks’ Abominable and last year’s Netflix-produced Over the Moon, both the work of China’s Pearl Studio. As a family musical with flights of fancy and relatable themes, Over the Moon has earned many comparisons with Disney movies, and while I wouldn’t go quite that far, it’s a quality film worthy of its recent Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature.

While set in modern times, the story has deep roots in Chinese mythology, particularly the legend of Chang’e, the moon goddess who was separated from her lover Houyi when she took two pills of immortality and was flown to the moon with a Jade Rabbit. After learning and loving this legend, young Fei Fei (Cathy Ang) loses her mother early in the film (in true Disney fashion) to illness and is horrified when her father (John Cho) begins dating another woman (Sandra Oh) with a troublemaking son named Chin (Robert G. Chiu). In an effort to prove Chang’e is real for her mother’s sake, Fei Fei builds a rocket to the moon and, with Chin, encounters the moon goddess herself (Phillipa Soo of Hamilton).

While Over the Moon has a lot of the same ingredients as Disney classics (including direction by Disney animator Glen Keane), it doesn’t quite meet that hard-to-reach standard for me, whether because the songs are good but not great or because its tone often comes off as a “kids movie” rather than one for all ages. There’s certainly fun to be had with the eye-popping colors of the lunar city Fei Fei visits, and Soo as Chang’e herself is excellent playing the goddess as a pop star diva. And despite my earlier dig, the film actually has some surprising depth by the end concerning the pain of losing a loved one and how to move on. A poignant scene with a crane seeming to represent Fei Fei’s dead mother brought to mind how my own family takes comfort in the sight of a cardinal for similar reasons.

I guess the biggest problem for western audiences is perhaps not understanding the cultural and mythological basis of Over the Moon, making certain creative choices (giant frogs on the moon?) seem strange and random without context. I would recommend this video as a companion piece to the film; it actually increased my opinion of the movie and its many culturally authentic details that I as an American wouldn’t immediately understand. (For example, Chang’e is still so associated with the moon that China’s lunar landers are named after her, with rovers named after the Jade Rabbit. Plus, I had no idea what a mooncake was before this movie, but now I’m curious to try one.) In some ways, I could compare Over the Moon with The Polar Express as a smile-worthy journey to prove the existence of a mythological figure, but the 2020 film has enough colorful charm and cultural identity to stand on its own.

Rank: List Runner-Up

Chappaquiddick (2017)

14 Wednesday Apr 2021

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Drama, History

(For Day 14 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt suggested a poem about the meaning of my first or last name, so I instead pivoted to delve into the meaning of a far more famous name than mine.)

Kennedy, Kennedy,
That’s what they see.
Not the J or the F or the R or the E.
Kennedy, Kennedy,
Destined for fame,
Merit an afterthought next to the name.

Kennedy, Kennedy,
What did you do?
One minute driving, the next in the stew.
Kennedy, Kennedy,
Eyes everywhere,
They see what they want to, one victim, one heir.

Kennedy, Kennedy,
Justice is blind,
But still that refrain’s at the back of its mind.
Kennedy, Kennedy,
Innocent guilt,
Only a brick in the empire built.
_______________________________

MPA rating: PG-13

Political films always have the potential to be dicey and controversial, especially when they cover recent events, but with Hollywood’s fascination with scandal of any kind, it’s surprising and perhaps telling that a film about the Chappaquiddick incident wasn’t made until 48 years later and 8 years after Ted Kennedy’s death. For those unfamiliar with the affair, Chappaquiddick is an excellent cinematic history lesson, covering the days surrounding the accident where Senator Edward Kennedy (Jason Clarke) accidentally drove his car off a Massachusetts bridge and left young staffer Mary Jo Kopechne (Kate Mara) to drown.

There are far splashier scandals in American history, considering that this one mainly affected just two people, but the responses due to who the survivor was are both fascinating and disconcerting. Thanks to Kennedy’s family prestige, a team of damage control experts quickly swoop in to assist and cover for his obvious lapses in judgment.

Under such circumstances, it would be easy to paint Kennedy as a callous villain, but the script and Clarke’s subtle performance are not so one-sided, acknowledging the weight of his family expectations and the natural desperation of the situation without exonerating him either. That’s not to say that the film doesn’t have a clear opinion of what should have happened by the end, but I found it to have a welcome balance, perhaps tempered by nearly fifty years of retrospect. Despite solid performances from Ed Helms, Jim Gaffigan, and Clancy Brown, Chappaquiddick does threaten to be dull at times, but the true story has its own built-in interest when it comes to political machinations and tragedy, making itself still relevant today.

Best line: (Ted Kennedy) “Joey, you have flaws. We all do; you said so yourself. Moses had a temper. Peter betrayed Jesus. I have Chappaquiddick.” (Joe Gargan) “Yeah. Moses had a temper. But he never left a girl at the bottom of the Red Sea.”

Rank: List Runner-Up

Outbreak (1995)

13 Tuesday Apr 2021

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Action, Disaster, Drama

(For Day 13 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was for a poem that was “a news article you wish would come out tomorrow.” I think everyone would like this one to come true.)

This just in: the virus is gone!
The patients who were sick with it recovered right at dawn.
No one’s coughing; no one’s sore.
The doctors have confirmed what we have all been waiting for.

None seem certain how this came about.
Perhaps an undiscovered expiration date ran out.
Prayers are answered; hopes are met.
The boogeyman of 2020’s no longer a threat.

Stores are open; crowds are no concern.
Masks are being set ablaze to herald their return.
All bad things also have an end.
At last, the fire’s smothered; the wound’s begun to mend.
___________________________

MPA rating: R (mainly for language)

This film and 2011’s Contagion were suddenly extremely popular about a year ago, thanks to a certain virus and shutdowns sparking the need to escape into fiction. I don’t exactly understand why you would distract yourself from a pandemic with a movie about a pandemic, but oh well. Seeing Outbreak after over a year of witnessing how our world has responded to a sudden virus originating from an animal was still fascinating, though, and fairly entertaining too, through that ‘90s disaster movie lens.

Colonel Sam Daniels (Dustin Hoffman) is an army virologist who develops a growing unease after visiting a disease site in Zaire where a 100% death rate has wiped out a village. While his superior (Morgan Freeman) assumes that there is no immediate danger, no one realizes that a monkey carrying the virus has been captured and shipped to the U.S., where infections spread like wildfire (since, like in The Stand, people can’t seem to cover their mouths when they cough), and a California town is quarantined by the military. It’s actually quite a scary scenario with a far worse virus than COVID-19 ever was, and, though it doesn’t probe very deeply into the political side of things, it’s almost as scary to see how the government might crack down, perhaps justifiably, where an extreme national hazard is recognized.

Star-studded with the likes of Cuba Gooding, Jr., Donald Sutherland, Kevin Spacey, Rene Russo, and a young Patrick Dempsey, Outbreak starts out compelling in how it traces the spread of the disease while the scientists then do the same in reverse. However, the latter half devolves into action movie theatrics that extend the runtime, pad plot holes, and compress travel and actions that would likely take days into mere hours for the sake of deadline tension. Entertaining and hitting a bit close to home after a pandemic of our own, Outbreak showcases a disaster extreme that I pray never becomes more real.

Best line: (Sam, using panic to his advantage) “We need all the bills of landing from ships arriving from Africa in the last 3 months. George, shall I cough on you? (George) “NO!”

Rank: List Runner-Up

VC Pick: Cocoon (1985)

13 Tuesday Apr 2021

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Comedy, Drama, Sci-fi, VC Pick

(For Day 12 of NaPoWriMo, the suggested prompt was a poem using words from a classical dictionary and sci-fi dictionary, but time ran a bit short so I went off-prompt.)

My hair is gray; my back is bent;
My skin is furrowed, eyes are dim.
The man I was has long been spent,
From youthful peak to swift descent,
Till now I can’t remember him.

Your skin has sagged on weakened knees;
Your teeth come out and barely chew.
And yet you make me feel at ease.
Despite our awful memories,
I still can see the girl I knew.

Imagine if, somehow, some way,
We could reclaim our fire before.
No matter what the toll to pay,
I’d spurn the world that very day
If you and I could skip once more.
______________________________

MPA rating: PG-13

It’s a shame upon my blog, but it’s been nearly a year since I afforded my dear VC (Viewing Companion) the chance to choose a movie to watch and review. One more thing to blame on school…. I am rectifying that egregious oversight by highlighting one of her picks, the classic Ron Howard sci-fi Cocoon. Winner of two Oscars (Supporting Actor and Visual Effects), the film is unusual in that it centers upon a Florida retirement home, whose apathetic residents discover an alien secret in a nearby swimming pool.

The cast is especially great, with veterans like Don Ameche, Jessica Tandy, and Wilford Brimley (playing much older than he was at the time) sharing the screen with younger talent like Steve Guttenberg and Brian Dennehy, who plays the nicest, most forgiving alien in movie history. While often warm and humorous, the story successfully humanizes its elderly characters with foibles and tragedies and achieves a unique balance between grim and hopeful subject matter. It’s a shame that the climax drags on too long trying to up the drama, and I tend to think that Don Ameche’s win for Best Supporting Actor was a bit undeserved for this role. Still, Cocoon is otherwise a charming alternative to other first contact films.

Best line: (Ben Luckett, played by Brimley) “So you think it’s like Bernie said? We’re cheating nature?”
(Mary, his wife) “Yes.”
(Ben) “Well, I’ll tell ya, with the way nature’s been cheating us, I don’t mind cheating her a little.”

Rank: List Runner-Up

Fatal Attraction (1987)

12 Monday Apr 2021

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Drama, Thriller

(For Day 11 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was to write a two-part poem as an exchange of letters, so my correspondents are the main characters of this film.)

Look, Alex,
I know that we had a great time.
You kept my bed warm, and you brightened my day,
But that wasn’t love; it’s two folks in their prime,
Partaking in something that just couldn’t stay.
I do have a family, a wife – you knew that.
You had to have known we would go separate ways.
I’m sorry, but we can’t keep writing or chat.
I wish you the best for the rest of your days.

Dear Dan,
You may say that, in words or in ink,
But women are able to read between lines.
A “great time” is not simply gone in a blink,
It lasts if you’re willing to act on the signs,
To push obligations, like families and wives
And substandard marriages fully aside,
And see that the best thing in both of our lives
Is right there before you and won’t be denied.
I won’t simply shrug off the loss of our bond.
I felt it, you felt it, I won’t let it go.
No need to write back if you want to respond.
Just look out your window to see me. I’ll know.
____________________________

MPA rating: R

Fatal Attraction isn’t the kind of film I would expect to earn a Best Picture Oscar nomination (in addition to five others), but it’s gone down in history as the film to scare men straight, because you never know if the person you’re cheating with could be a psycho. Glenn Close’s character of Alex Forrest is iconic here, and it was fascinating to view her as the forerunner for the behavior of the many yanderes (obsessively loving, violent girls) of anime, such as showing up unexpectedly to meet their lover’s family.

Michael Douglas is suitably scummy as the philandering husband, but it’s hard not to sympathize with him and especially his wife (Anne Archer) as his tryst puts his whole family in danger. As a thriller that switches from eroticism to psychological unease, Fatal Attraction is tense and well-made, culminating in an especially memorable climax. It’s the epitome of the maxim “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”

Best line: (Alex, to Dan) “Well, what am I supposed to do? You won’t answer my calls, you change your number. I mean, I’m not gonna be ignored, Dan!”

Rank: List Runner-Up

A Song to Remember (1945)

10 Saturday Apr 2021

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Biopic, Drama, History

(For Day 10 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt suggested a “Junk Drawer Song,” but I decided on something different and went back to Day 7 to try the shadorma, a 26-syllable poem with a syllable count of 3, 5, 3, 3, 7, and 5.)

As I die,
I hear the music
Of living,
Of loving,
Of knowing what outlives me
Will keep me alive.
________________________

MPA rating: Not Rated (G would work, maybe PG)

You know those musical biopics that have practically become their own genre by now? The kind where a young, naïve talent gets caught up in the thrill of success, is fooled by unscrupulous exploiters as their relationships and health deteriorate, and then ends up either reclaiming a piece of their former passion or else dying tragically? Think Coal Miner’s Daughter to Ray to Teen Spirit and beyond. Well, such films are hardly a new invention, since A Song to Remember used such a plot way back in 1945, earning itself seven Oscar nominations. This story of Polish pianist extraordinaire Fredric Chopin (Best Actor nominee Cornel Wilde) may play fast and loose with the actual history, but it’s still an elegant period piece that highlights the life and greatest works of a giant of classical music.

A child prodigy in both playing and composing, the film’s version of Chopin had his greatest advocate in his teacher Joseph Elsner, played by the endearingly gregarious Paul Muni, who is easily the best character, reminiscent of Thomas Mitchell’s Uncle Billy in It’s a Wonderful Life the next year. The pro-Poland patriotism of Chopin and Elsner comes into conflict with the high-minded George Sand, who convinces Chopin to focus on composing to the exclusion of all else. Sand’s characterization is one of the film’s larger changes to history, since she was an advocate for Poland as well, and Ayn Rand notably objected to her being painted as a villain. Still, I thought the treatment of the conflict was relatively balanced, certainly leaning toward Elsner being in the right overall, but Sand makes some good points along the way that are never really refuted. For any lover of classical music unfamiliar with it, A Song to Remember is an underrated classic waiting to be discovered, even if it follows story beats that have only gotten more familiar with repetition.

Best line: (George Sand) “Are you satisfied, monsieur? Do you know anything that could replace a life as great as his?” (Elsner) “Yes. The spirit that he leaves behind in a million hearts, madam.”

Rank: List Runner-Up

Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)

10 Saturday Apr 2021

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Action, Comedy, Family, Sci-fi

(For Day 9 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was to write a to-do list for an unusual character, so I wrote one for Sonic himself as he hides away in a small town at the start of this movie.)

Let me review
My daily to-do:
I’ll watch the sun rising at 7:02.
I’ll scarf down some breakfast by 7:03,
Then on to a new day of being 3D.
I’ll challenge myself to ping pong yet again;
I do always win, but I’m bored by point ten.
I’ll watch the town sheriff eat donuts and sit
And wait for a car driving past the limit.
I’ll watch as the Little League team has a game
And hide in the shadows to cheer every name.
I’ll watch the town crazy go still unbelieved
As he tells of the spiky blue beast he’s perceived.
I’ll watch the schoolchildren, the farmers and vets,
All living their lives with no sign of regrets.
I wish I could join them and just coexist.
Perhaps I’ll add that to tomorrow’s new list.
_________________________

MPA rating: PG

I don’t know that anyone really expected Sonic the Hedgehog to be good. Not only are video game movies rarely successful, but backlash against Sonic’s initial appearance in the first released trailer prompted a swift redesign and a three-month delay, which is rarely a good sign. Those low expectations only make the finished product an even more pleasant surprise. Sonic the Hedgehog is better, funnier, and far more likable than it has any right to be.

I played and enjoyed one Sonic Game Boy game back in my golden tween years, but I’d never say that I was as invested in the Sega franchise as, say, the fans who expressed such strong opinions about that creepy version of the character from the first trailer. Yet this film does a marvelous job at fitting in plentiful fan service that never detracts from telling an entertaining story accessible to non-fans as well. Sonic himself is something of a refugee from another dimension/planet, possessing super speedy power for which he must keep himself secret. Thus, he hides out in a small town in Montana, forming a one-sided relationship with local sheriff Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) and his wife (Tika Sumpter), but the fun-loving hedgehog eventually draws the attention of the government and mad scientist Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) and must rely on Tom for help.

I’ll freely agree that Sonic’s more cartoonish design is far better than the realistic one that fed people’s nightmares, but, as top-notch as the animation is, that still seems secondary to Ben Schwartz’s outstanding vocal performance of the character, which sometimes seems like he’s trying to emulate Robin Williams as the Genie. Likewise, James Marsden’s talent for acting opposite CGI animals has apparently become a calling card of his, and he serves as a straight man to Sonic’s antics as they embark on a road trip to get the alien to safety. And then there’s Jim Carrey, who hams it up as Sonic’s iconic robot-loving nemesis. Honestly, Robotnik is amusing, but anyone else would have been just too campy; Carrey fits the insane character into the over-the-top schtick that made him a star in the ‘90s, and he really is a hoot chewing the scenery, such as during a dance sequence to The Poppy Family’s 1971 song “Where Evil Grows.”

Sonic the Hedgehog doesn’t always seem very original, such as during super-speed sequences directly recalling Quicksilver’s best moments in the X-Men prequels, yet it has an overall likability and a great sense of self-aware humor. Moments that seem hackneyed don’t always play out as expected, and the product placement is so blatant that they actually work it into the film’s jokes. It subverts the expectations for a corporate cash-grab and works just as well as a family-friendly adventure extolling friendship as it does a potential starter for a cinematic universe. Plus, it had the advantage of coming out right before the COVID pandemic hit, making it the sixth highest-grossing film of 2020 and the most successful video game film yet. Based on the numbers alone, I’d say there’s a market for films like this that can please fans and non-fans alike.

Best line: (Sonic, hidden inside a duffel bag) “How much longer? I can’t breathe in here!”
(a bystander) “Do you have your child in that bag?”
(Tom, nonchalantly) “No…. I mean, yes, it’s a child, but it’s not mine.”

Rank: List Runner-Up

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