Mr Peabody and Sherman

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Mr Peabody and Sherman!

Original image located here. Accessed 11th April 2025

I watched a lot of Rocky and Bullwinkle when I was a kid. So I was already familiar with these characters and their shtick. Needless to say, I was perplexed to see that someone decided that these two should have their own full-length feature. I mean, is this the type of thing that will sell to the kids of the 2010s, let alone anyone who was a kid in the 1950s?

So it seems that I needn't have worried: This was hilarious with some real laugh-out-loud jokes, snappy dialogue, some clever use of visuals, gags that are anything but archaic, and some actual heart - not to mention various allusions to the source material. It is like that the makers realised that this wasn't that big a property so they had the freedom to do whatever they wanted - and so they ran with that.

Like I said I had no idea who green-lit this but I never would've guessed it produced such a gem. 

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Puss in Boots: The Last Wish!

Original image located here. Accessed 16th June 2023

So we arrive here: As promised it is time to see if this is cracked up as it was made out to be.

And what do you know? It delivered and then some. Sure I had the slight advantage as I didn't have to wait a full decade between seeing this and it's predecessor, but this truly was a gem.
In a previous post, I may have slammed the Shrek movies for introducing a formula that many have tried to replicate since - and like any formula it can only go for so long before it gets tiresome. But I don't get that impression here: Much like it's predecessor, it breaks away from the formula to say something of it's own.
And that something is one that refuses to talk down to it's audiences and is unafraid to talk about major themes - particularly that of living life that wasn't wasted. Which is big deal given this is a movie staring a spanish-accented tabby with boots and a big hat.
The highlights for me are the Wolf and the quality of animation. Sure it reeks of the same techniques that the Spiderverse movies worked with but it is interesting to see Dreamworks take an approach of 'I can do that too'. One would think it would be derivative but that the animators made wonders out of what they were working with is truly astonishing.
So yes, once again the further Puss divorces itself from the Shrek formula, the better the final product is.

Puss in Boots

And this week's Friday Night movie has been... Puss in Boots!

Original image located here. Accessed 2nd June 2023

I've been hearing good things about the latest Puss in Boots movie (Last Wish) so I may as well take a look at it's predecessor as a primer.
So what do I think of Shrek? I enjoyed the first two movies but I avoided what came after once it became clear this was a franchise that was going to be run into the ground. Furthermore, it seemed to me that the first one introduced a formula for success that many other movies in it's wake have sought to replicate. Also the jabs at Disney in the first movie are looking quite antiqued now.
So you can imagine my scepticism when returning to this particular franchise.

But I think the distance did me some good: I had a great time with this. It was a good move to make Puss the star of his own movie as there was a lot to the character and plenty to be added to him. It also helps that Antonio Banderas seems to having the time of his life in this role (and that is saying something given it's a voice role).
The humour certainly does seem to differ from the Shrek formula and is all the better for it. I don't know if that was the intention but this movie does suit the action/adventure format anyway.
So yeah great fun. Puss is as dynamic as ever and Kitty makes for a fun addition.
Now about the sequel....

Flushed Away

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Flushed Away!

Original image located here. Accessed 30th September 2022

Once again I approach a movie that I have been putting off for years. Not quite sure why it took me this long: I've always been impressed with what Aardman Animation have done in the past (Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run and Creature Comforts) but, as the saying goes, better late than never.

But yeah, this was great. The same strengths that Aardman have applied previously are at work here with rapid fire jokes, English sensibilities, great voice work from the cast and detailed animation. This being Aardman's first stab at CGI animation, it certainly allows for more spectacular set pieces that plasticine animation can't do. Also of note are the many details in the world-building and how the familiar objects are utilised.
Has this aged in the sixteen years since this was unleashed on the world? I don't so. It was still funny and still entertaining.
Yet I can't help think this is one movie that slipped through the cracks and is more or less forgotten. What, is a Dreamworks movie that isn't Shrek/Kung Fu Panda/How to Train Your Dragon DOA? Well i challenge that because this movie was better than being hit by that fate...

Megamind

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Megamind!

Original image located here. Accessed 27th May 2022

I will admit this one took me by surprise: I don't recall it being that big a deal at the time (2010) and some people have compared it unfavorably to the Incredibles. But as it turns out, a lot of people like this and the titular character commands a surprising amount of fangirls. Something must've worked right?

Turns out it did: I had a real ball with this. There were some genuinely funny moments (the first half hour is a riot) and there are some really hilarious jabs at the Superman mythos. But I think this is less a superhero movie and more a character study. Megamind himself is indeed fun to watch and he is indeed a three dimensional character. Throw in a lively performance from Will Farrell and suddenly the fangirls make sense.
And it is more than enough to elevate this movie to being more than a rip off of The Incredibles and being well and truly it's own thing.
Also they have the music of Guns N Roses in a kids movie. Yep, the one time 'World's Most Dangerous Band' is utilized in a (admittedly badass) scene. That deserves something right?

Kung Fu Panda 3

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Kung Fu Panda 3!

Original image located here. Accessed 6th December 2019

Last week i watched the second Kung Fu Panda movie on the basis that it is part of that rare thing: A rare trilogy that isn't rubbish. So now that my viewing of this trilogy is complete, how do such claims hold up?

I do believe it does. Much like's it older siblings, this movie succeeds on it's action, it's art design and the themes of self-acceptance. Po's character development continues to progress and his character arc reaches it's conclusion. And never once do the makers of this movie fumble.
But the real highlight is the panda village itself - bursting at the seams with color and personality. In fact I am reminded of Mists of Pandaria - which in turn raises of the question of who, out of Blizzard ad Dreamnworks, was copying who....

Kung Fu Panda 2

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Kung Fu Panda 2!

Original image located here. Accessed 29th November 2019

Man when did I first see the original Kung Fu Panda? Over a decade ago I think. In fact, I never knew it had spawned a pair of sequels. But I've heard some people hold this up as an example of a trilogy done right so that was enough top pique my interest. After all, this was done by Dreamworks and, if the superb How to Train Your Dragon movies are anything to go by, they know how to do a trilogy, right?

So I found this movie to be one of two halves: The first half seems more aligned with it;s predecessor, with Po being both a sarcastic jerk and bumbling incompetent (so much so it makes me wonder how much of a difference there is between Jack Black's real life persona and the roles he keeps playing). Okay sure we've got some world building, some excellent art direction and some amazing fight scenes, but in all honestly i found this part of the movie dull. And it left me wondering if I should be watching a movie that appeared to be solely aimed at a much, MUCH younger audience.....

.....That was until we get to the second half. Here Po is confronted with his heritage. And suddenly the movie shifts gears completely: It gets solemn and quiet and honestly? Its all the better for it. It reveals a depth one wouldn't expect from a serial such as this. Po gets some crucial character development and it's proof that self-realization is a powerful theme.
So yeah, this movie was dull at first, but when it kicked into high gear it did so with flair. It's a prime example of how anyone can put up with anything just as long as there's a substantial pay-off at the end.
Of course it's frustrating that this movie ends on a cliffhanger but there's always next week, right?

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....How to Train Your Dragon: the Hidden World!

Original image located here. Accessed 8th February 2019

Well here we are: the endpoint of a saga that was nearly a decade in the making. A journey that may have taken years for some but was only two weeks for me - therefore, one would say that I had a different journey compared to those who've been following these movies for as long as they have - and, some might say, a less rewarding journey. Nevertheless, I too have followed these characters, I've seen them grow and change and I've come to connect with them (HICCSTRID!!!). So I have got to the destination quicker but each step was far from dishonest.

As for the movie itself, well it has been said that Toothless has been a major selling point in these movies so of course they would bring in a second Night Fury. I suppose these is some inevitability that the second Night Fury would be a romantic interest for Toothless (especially seeing as the trailer talked it up) But i am willing to forgive such predictability as the scenes with Toothless and the Light Fury working off one another was a delight
The rest of the movie? Well it;s more of the same but that's not bad thing. Lot's of action, flying sequences, laughs, and another step in the evolution of these characters and the world in which they inhabit. But in a way, perhaps it is best the movies stop now, out of fear that it may settle into the complacency that is predictability.
And I will admit: that last portion of the movie did touch my cold, jaded heart - proof that if I made the journey quicker than other people, the outcome was still no different.

How to Train Your Dragon 2

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....How to Train Your Dragon 2!

Original image located here. Accessed 1st February 2019

So how do you deliver a sequel? Well you take that which is already established and present it in a new light while simultaneously take into unexplored territory. And to this end How to Train Your Dragon 2 succeeds with flying colours.

There's not much i can add to that statement: the animation is better, the stakes are higher, Hiccups' journey continues with some interesting developments, the flying sequences are astonishing, Toothless is still a delight, there's a welcome subtext of a handicapped character doing awesome feats, there's lots of laughs, moments of a kick to the guts variety and Valka is an interesting character, helped by the voice talents of the ever-wonderful Cate Blanchett
Also pleasing is the presence of Kit Harrington, who sounds like he's relishing the chance to not play a mopey git.

How to Train Your Dragon

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....How to Train Your Dragon!

Original image located here. Accessed 25th January 2019

As some of you regular readers would know, with this series there is only one concrete rule: I must see a movie I haven't seen before. So what do you know, here's one that originally passed me by. But I have friends who think very highly of this and with a second sequel being released, I guess now is as good time as any to take a look....

Weeeeeeelllllllll......
eeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrmmmmm.....
......Oh who am I kidding? This was absolutely brilliant. It's Dreamworks striking gold and the rare picture that appeals to both children and adults without talking down to both parties. The flying sequences are a wonder to behold, the expressiveness of Toothless is a delight and truly a solid adventure flick. Throw in a subtext about a protagonist going against the grain of the norms and how working together is better than drawing battle lines and this is.... well..... a film where I can;t use enough positive words for without sounding like a broken record XD

Now about the sequels.....

Prince of Egypt

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....The Prince of Egypt!

Original image located here. Accessed 30th March 2018

I've been wanting to see this for a long time. And this time of year is as good as any.
So yeah, this is a really good movie. Clearly it's forging it's own path from that set by 1950s film The Ten Commandments and it becomes all the better for it.

What intrigues me the most about this movie is that it's something of an anti-Disney movie. This movie has a remarkably different art style, this is clearly aimed for an older-audience and it's intention to go down paths Disney refused to tread. Also pleasing is the relationship between Moses and Rameses. And Patrick Stewart's unmistakable voice.

But what stands out for me the most in this movie is the scale of it. Everything is..... well....Big. A lot of the settings are big, the songs are big and the animation is big. And all of this accumulates to the Parting of the Red Sea - which is...jaw-dropping to say the least.
So yeah. Great movie and I'm glad I saw it

Over the Hedge

And this weeks Friday night movie has been....Over the Hedge!

Original image located here. Accessed 20th March 2015

Not a bad movie. There are some decent jokes and some good ideas but one gets the feeling they aren't taken to their full potential. And it does seem something of a waste that we have this really great voice cast that come across as being restricted. Could have, and should have, been better....