Tag: Fantasy

REVIEW: Energized ‘Wicked’ sequel largely enthralls

Broadway buzz is back on the big screen with a second round of “Wicked,” and the experience in the sequel surpasses that of the first.

“For Good” picks up a short while after the events of “Wicked.” Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) is working to disrupt the actions of Oz (Jeff Goldblum), who she’s found out has no magic at his disposal. In response, He and his associate, Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) are slamming her with propaganda, labeling her the Wicked Witch of the West.

Glinda (Ariana Grande), meanwhile, has been put forward as Glinda the Good, with Oz presenting her as a positive witch to rally around against Elphaba’s efforts. While the two are pitted against each other, though, their friendship remains. Yet its strained as the situation in the realm grow more dire under the leadership of Oz and Morrible.

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REVIEW: ‘Big Bold Beautiful Journey’ doesn’t live up to its title

Colin Farrell is back in another romantic fantasy film more than a decade after starring in 2014’s “Winter’s Tale.” Thankfully, this movie is better, but… that’s a really low bar.

Farrell’s latest film features him in a role opposite fellow Academy Award nominee Margot Robbie. In “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,” both Farrell’s David and Robbie’s Sarah are single and end up mingling at the wedding of a mutual friend.

After the ceremony, Sarah’s rental car breaks down, and she ends up getting a ride from David, who picked up his own vehicle from the same mysterious agency. The car’s GPS then guides the two on a mystical adventure.

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REVIEW: Live ‘Dragon’ finds mild success with animated playbook

After six years, the dragon Toothless returns to the big screen looking much like he did in the animated film from 2019. The world around him, though, is much different.

The latest “How to Train Your Dragon” film is a remake of the 2010 animated feature. Like its cartoon counterpart, the picture centers on the young, awkward Viking Hiccup (Mason Thames), who doesn’t have the same battle prowess of his father, Chief Stoick (Gerard Butler).

But he makes up for it with his inventiveness, which he uses to one day catch one of the dragons attacking his village. He can’t bring himself to slay the dragon when push comes to shove, though, and instead decides to learn about the creature and train it.

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REVIEW: ‘Snow White’ is an aggressively mediocre remake

Hi ho, hi ho, a walk through the uncanny valley we go.

The latest adaptation of the “Snow White” story and the most recent in a string of live action remakes of classic Disney animated features stars Rachel Zegler in the titular role. After the loss of her mother, Snow White, a princess, sees her father get remarried to a mysterious woman (Gal Gadot).

A short time later, Snow White’s father disappears and is assumed dead, allowing the woman to assume power as queen, to which she uses to become an authoritarian ruler. Seeing her stepdaughter as a threat, the Queen sets out to have Snow White killed, but the princess escapes and on the outskirts of the kingdom, meets new friends and allies.

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REVIEW: ‘The Boy and the Heron’ is a fine film about healing

The mind of Hayao Miyazaki continues to be a wonderfully mystical place.

He’s shared some more of his magical vision with his latest animated fantasy feature, “The Boy and the Heron.” The film, set during World War II, centers on a pre-teen boy, Mahito, who is struggling mentally and emotionally after the death of his mother in a fire.

The film picks up with the protagonist’s father recently getting remarried to the sister of his late wife, Mahito’s aunt Natsuko. Mahito is resistant to moving on and accepting the new reality, but when he discovers a path to a magical world, he’s thrust into an adventure where he has to learn to live and trust again, as well as embrace his family.

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REVIEW: ‘Wonka’ prequel has plenty of magic and whimsey

Everyone has to start somewhere, even great chocolatiers like Willard Wilbur Wonka.

The latest film to feature the candy-maker shows that start, with the character being portrayed by Timothée Chalamet. After having traveled the world to discover new flavors, a young Wonka arrives in a European port town known for its Galeries Gourmet district, where the world’s top candy stores are located.

Hoping to join the elite status, Wonka sets out to sell his chocolate in the area, but he soon learns that the other owners see him as a threat and are dead set on stopping his career. To make matters worse, he becomes majorly indebted to a pair of innkeepers. The silver lining, though, is the situation leads him to meeting others who are willing to help him with both problems.

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REVIEW: ‘Dream Scenario’ is wonderfully creative and comedic

Meeting Nicolas Cage would probably be a cool experience, but having it be during a dream could be a bit much if it’s anything like this film.

That’s the situation many people have to go through in the movie “Dream Scenario,” though, where Cage plays Paul, a man who ends up appearing in random peoples’ dreams. A college professor, Paul’s appearances in dreams begin with his own family, then to his students, followed by the general populace.

Paul has been struggling lately, not able to move his career forward, so at first he welcomes the new popularity. However, it begins to be an overwhelming experience. Additionally, while he at first did nothing in the dreams, people who see Paul in their sleep begin having terrifying nightmares, which turns him into an antagonist for many.

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REVIEW: ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ offers quite the fun quest

Not that it’s a high bar or anything, but yes, this is better than the 2000 film. Much better.

In “Honor Among Thieves,” Chris Pine stars as Edgin, a man who formed a band of outlaws with his best friend Holga (Michelle Rodriguez) to steal from the wealthy. One such mission, though, was not to steal treasure, but instead an artifact that could bring back his wife who was killed years ago.

That mission went awry, causing Edgin and Holga to wind up in prison. By the time they get out, Edgin’s daughter has been taken in by a man who double-crossed the protagonist and taken over a kingdom. To get his daughter back and get some gold in the process, Edgin and Holga bring the band back together for another quest.

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REVIEW: ‘Black Adam’ is a botched attempt at an anti-hero

‘This isn’t a traditional superhero!’ The movie shouts at us as it takes the route of a generic superhero movie.

Dwayne Johnson stars as the titular character in this film taking place in DC’s cinematic universe. A being with tremendous power, Adam was sealed by magic within a tomb 5,000 years ago after defeating an evil tyrant in the kingdom of Kahndaq.

The film picks up in the present day with Adam being being summoned back in the midst of Kahndaq once again being in turmoil, with outside forces subjugating its people and exploiting the natural resources. Many in Kahndaq see Adam’s return as a good thing, as he has the power to liberate them, but others on Earth see him as a threat, and a special unit of super powered beings are sent to reign him in.

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REVIEW: ‘Secrets of Dumbledore’ entertains, but is far too disjointed

This new “Fantastic Beasts” movie just reminds me the last “Harry Potter” came out more than 10 years ago, when I was still in college. Where does time go?

While there’s been some time since “Harry Potter” ended, though, the Wizarding World is carrying on. The latest franchise installment is the third entry in the “Fantastic Beasts” saga, with Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) still posing a threat to the magic nations.

In response to the Grindelwald threat, Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) recruits a team including beasts expert Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), American charms professor Lally Hicks (Jessica Williams), Scamander’s brother Theseus who’s an elite dark wizard catcher and WWI veteran Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler). Dumbledore has to rely on this team, as there’s a spell preventing him from battling Grindelwald directly.

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