Howl's Moving Castle

So guys, now we've arrived ay another super, super famous Studio Ghibli movie and maybe its second most famous film next to Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle. People have been praising this movie for a long time along with Spirited Away and other huge Ghibli movies. That being said, not every review I've seen for this movie has been positive. Some have had problems with it and said they didn't like it and, I'm not gonna lie, when I first saw this movie, I was kinda on the fence about it myself. I saw more problems than I thought and I agreed with what some people were saying. There was something about what happens that I personally didn't like and thought was bad and boring. But, I recently rewatched the film in preparation for this review and I actually liked it a bit more if I'm being honest. I mean, I still have the problems I had with it the first and this is a film that's still not one of my favourite Ghibli movies and not really something I'd want to rewatch that much, but, my reaction is better than it was the first time anyway. The story is about a girl named Sophie who owns her own hat shop but she's visited by a lady named the Witch Of The Waste and wants Sophie's help for something but when she refuses, she turns her into an old lady and she decides to find a wizard named Howl to try to help her. She finds him in his litteral moving castle and decides to make herself the cleaning lady. Not only that, but there's also a war going on and two different sides wants Howl's help but he's running away from a lot of it. After the Witch Of The Waste has her powers taken away, Sophie sorta begins to go back to normal but she decides she wants to help Howl. So, yeah, while the film does have a lot of ideas and great thoughts like a lot of Ghibli movies, something about how it's done here didn't make it all that great here. I mean, there are a lot of good moments here and I'll get to those, but I didn't entirely like the pace the film was going at before. Like I've said a lot already, these Ghibli movies are usually really slow and that's been a huge positive for a lot of these. Here though, while it worked sometimes, I really didn't like how slow it was at the beginning. It felt really slow and kinda boring and didn't feel like it was going anywhere. Some stuff was also a but confusing like how Sophie doesn't ask Howl to help her with the curse and then that's kinda thrown aside for a while. I mean, it has some cool ideas and visuals, but, for the most part in the first part, it was just boring for a while and also kinda weird because there's a scene where Sophie goes to talk to someone for Howl but the Witch goes there too and there's a really, really awkward scene where they're walking up the stairs to meet the person and they're both so slow and it's so weird and kinda ugly to look at too so I don't get why that was there. However, I honestly think that after that scene, the film felt like it sorta picked up a bit more. I sorta felt things were a bit more interesting, though I found it weird that Sophie decided to keep the Witch Of The Waste with them after that, but, anyway, I think they did some other things like this more interestingly like how Howl's castle can move locations from a dial and I thought that was used for some cool things like when he shows Sophie a place he was when he was younger and how they do some things in the climax was cool too like how there's some other crazy things happening and the witch was sorta going crazy herself with trying to get Howl's heart and that leads to her causing the castle to fall apart when Calcifer goes out, as in a living fall of fire that allows the castle to move and stay together. Though, that also led to another weird scene where Sophie is able to go to the past and see Howl as a child when he first got his powers and, I dunno, I really didn't get it and I don't think they actually explain how that happened, but still. So, yeah, while it did have some stuff that was a bit confusing, I think the second part of the film made up for the kinda boring first part. They did also have some other cool things before that too like that scene I mentioned where Howl showed Sophie that other place and how they did the animation in that scene was really nice. There's also another cool scene where they show how Howl sorta remakes his castle from the inside and how they do that visually was really cool. Scenes like that are where I think I appreciated the film a bit more. The ending is cool too where it's revealed that another one of the characters named Turnip-Head is revealed to be a prince of a kingdom, though, again, like some of the other things here, it wasn't really explained very well and felt like it kinda came outta nowhere. So, this film is kinda up and down for me a lot because it does have a lot of cool aspects to it, but it also has some things that rubbed me the wrong way. But the stuff that works well does work really well. The animation is obviously outstanding like all these Ghibli movies and I really loved the dubbing here, especially Christian Bale as Howl himself. I thought he did a really great job and helped Howl stand out a bit more. But the others like Jean Simmons, Emily Mortimer, Josh Hutcherson, Billy Crystal and Lauren Bacall all do great too. So, yeah, this review might have been kinda all over the place, but it's hard for me to really get a grasp on my actual thoughts on the film because there's a lot that I liked and disliked. I'd say you should check it out if you're curious and see what you think, though I don't know if it's a fim I'd ever want to watch again. So, guys, that's my review of Howl's Moving Castle. Thank you all for reading and please comment down below to tell me what you think.

The Cat Returns

So guys, if you remember in Whisper Of The Heart, there was that Cat Baron doll thing that Shizuku saw in the antique shop and it's what she decided to write a story about it. Well, they actually decided to give that cat character his own movie and so we got this one, The Cat Returns. I will admit, a part of me feels that's a bit weird, the fact that they just decided to make a film about a relatively small part of another film, but in my opinion, I think they did the best version of this that they could have done because this is honestly another one of my favourite Studio Ghibli movies. I don't think it really resonates with me emotionally like a lot of the other Studio Ghibli films, but, in terms of one of their films that's just meant to be a small fun time, that's what this is for me, just one of their movies that's just a lot of fun to watch. And, yeah, while I don't think it's as good as Whisper Of The Heart, it's still really good. So, the plot of this film is that it centres around a girl named Haru who saves a small cat from getting run over and it he then begins to walk and talk and it turns out he's the prince of a cat kingdom and the king decides to kidnap Haru and take her to the kingdom to marry the prince. Haru doesn't want to go, so she's told of the Baron, who's in some different place this time and he tries to help her but she's taken away to the kingdom before they can help her so now it's up to the Baron and another cat on this side named Muta to get her out of there, especially since Haru herself is starting to turn into a cat. So, yeah, a lot of that really does sound like a story for small kids and, to be fair, the whole film does feel like it's something that's aimed for a younger audience, but, for what it is, I really enjoy this film. I mean, it's not like some other Ghibli films where they try to have a deep message in them and try to be more serious, it's mostly just a simple adventure with more simpler animation and so on. The film itself isn't even that long, it's only 75 minutes long and I'm glad it's something that doesn't overstay its welcome. For something that's really simple and kid-friendly, it's a decent length. But what they do in that time is nice too. It's like what I said the last time where I really like the events that happen here with the different things they do. Even though a lot of it goes by quickly, it's still really entertaining when it's there. It's kinda hard to explain, but I mainly like the different interactions between the characters and the ways the film ties itself together. I say it's hard to explain because, like I said, the film is a lot shorter and simpler compared to other Ghibli movies, but, something about how this film does it is pretty nice and sweet. But it's also just a nice film to watch. It's like I said, the film is really short so it gets to everything really quickly. As soon as Haru saves the cat, she's taken to the kingdom really fast and that leads to the climax really quickly. It's just a very fast paced movie that feels like it knows what it is and just goes with it, which I really enjoy. The climax as well is really exciting and funny at the same time with the king and his army chasing Haru, the Baron and Muta through a maze and then they go to a tower where the cat prince helps them out. I also feel like this movie confirmed the fact that the Baron himself is actually a very underrated character for me. He's just really likeable and I like his mature personality. A good help with that is thanks to Cary Elwes voice performance who helps make him very likeable. Speaking of, the rest of the cast is also great. Anne Hathaway makes Haru very likeable and innocent and just does a great job in general, Peter Boyle, Andy Richter and Tim Curry are really funny as Muta, Natoru and the king cat and the rest are great too. Plus, like I said, I think the film has a really creative way of tying itself together. Again, since it's not on the same heights as something like Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke, it's nothing insane, but, like I've said a lot already, for the kinda movie it is, it just makes it very likeable. What I'm talking about is at the end when one of the cats named Yuki reveals that she's a cat that Haru helped when she was younger and I think that was a nice moment. And it has a nice moment with her and the prince too. So, yeah, like I said, it's not really an amazingly spectacular movie, but I don't think it was supposed to be, it's just a very small adventure film and I really enjoy it on that level and because it never tries to be more than it is, I really enjoy this movie for that and this is still one of my favourite Ghibli movies because of that. I just really enjoy the film greatly for the fun adventure it has. I also feel like the animation being simpler helps with that too. So, yeah, I really don't think there's much to really say about this film. It's just a really fun time and it's nice that they made this spin-off film for a very minor character from another movie and made him more likeable. So, yeah, I do think you should check this out if you're curious, I really liked it. So, guys, that's my review of The Cat Returns. Thank you all for reading and please comment down below to tell me what you think.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3

So guys, we're finally at one of the most anticipated M.C.U movies ever and one that a friend of mine and I were especially very hyped for, Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3. This is a movie so many people like me have been anticipating for a long time sense, ever since James Gunn made the first Guardians movie and properly introduced these characters to people, they've been some of the most popular characters in the entire M.C.U. I love the first movie and I really, really, really like the second one. I was also lucky enough to see this very early on Thursday and the anticipation was huge going into it. So, in the end, did it live up to the hype? Eh, it was pretty close. I don't think this is the best Guardians movie, and, if I'm being honest, I think this might be the least of all of them, but I still had a great time with this and I loved the experience of seeing this on the big screen, whether or not I can I say I loved the movie itself is a little tough because I do have some problems with it, but my reaction is definitely more positive and I'm really glad this is what we got as a send-off for these characters. Also, like always, this will have no spoilers for the first part of this review and then I'll go into all the spoilers afterwards. So, what's the story? The Guardians are still on Knowhere and are trying to get by and Peter is still sad about Gamora. But after someone called The High Evolutionary, played by Chukwudi Iwuji, sets out to capture them, they decide to try to fight him and stop his plans for the galaxy. So, that's really the best I can say about the story without spoilers, but, there's so much more to the film than that. So, even before seeing the film, you could tell this is a movie that was gonna try to be darker than the last two. The first two Guardians movie were mostly light-hearted with some dramatic moments here and there, here though, this does try to be the darkest of all of them and there's that kinda sombre tone throughout the film. But there's still some really great jokes and laughs throughout the movie. The Guardians movies are some of the most comedic M.C.U movies ever and this tries to be the same but there's more drama here than the last two. So, in terms of pros and cons for the movie, I'll go over my small problems with the film and then I'll go into the positives. The main problem I have is that the film kinda feels like it has a bit too many characters in it. I understand why it did. I mean, for a film like this, you kinda want there to be a good amount of characters to help make it bigger and more epic, and it is, trust me, but it sometimes felt like the film was going a bit too far with it and made it felt kinda cluttered at times and it makes some characters feel a bit shoehorned in and kinda pointless. The biggest examples I can think of are Adam Warlock and Ayesha. It kinda felt like Gunn wanted to do something with Adam Warlock in this but there was already so much going on that he just felt wasted because he comes in and out of the movie at different points and it felt kinda pointless at times. I also feel like the opening was pretty rushed. It was a bit like Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania where the opening felt kinda rushed and felt like it was trying to get into the main plot really quickly and so some of the editing in those first few minutes felt a bit weird. Another problem I had was The High Evolutionary himself because he felt like like a bit of a weird villain to me with being this guy who was trying to make the universe better by creating new life and constantly destroying it until he reached something perfect. I also felt like the acting for him a bit too over the top. I know it's a comic book film so it's gonna have over the top characters, but he felt a bit too over the top to me. And really, I guess the main thing to point out in terms of problems is that the film felt a bit messy at times. Sometime by how a scene plays out and is implemented, but also in terms of the pacing at times too. But, moving that aside, I can still say that this is really good regardless. It's hard to say that I think this movie's great, but still, I really enjoyed myself with the film so let's get into the positives. The first main one that I always talk about is that the cast is still incredible. Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautisa and all the rest are really fantastic and I think this film cemented the fact that I really love Nebula as a character. I've really liked her since the second Guardians movie and this film really made me love her and I still think she's an underrated character. I also think Kraglin as well is an underrated character, especially from how Sean Gunn plays him. This film also had my favourite version of some other characters too like Groot. I think the Groot in this version is my favourite we've ever had. I really liked him here and they do some new stuff with him that surprised me as well. The film also tries to have different dynamics with the characters because we have a version of Gamora here who's the one from the past from Endgame and so there's a different dynamic with her and Peter because Peter's trying to tell her what kind of relationship they used to have but she keeps telling him that since that was another version of her, they don't have a connection and so that's sometimes funny and dramatic as well. I also like how this film explored Rocket's past because from the trailers and posters, it was obvious that this was finally gonna show Rocket's backstory and I think they did a great job showing it. I've always loved Rocket as a character and it was awesome to see what really happened to him and it was pretty tragic, especially in one particular scene. Speaking of tragic, like I said, this film is way darker than the last two and they show that in various ways, again, especially in that one scene I just mentioned. That one scene actually helped subvert my expectations too because I thought it was gonna contribute something to the film later, and, while it technically did, it didn't do it in the way I thought it would and I liked that. The action and special effects are also still terrific. Actually, this might have my favourite Guardians action scene ever. There's a scene where they're all together and they have an action scene and it's incredible for a lot of reasons. The ending is also really insane. These Guardians movies are always insane with their climaxes and this one is no different. I dunno if I can say it's crazier than the second movie, but it's still nuts. Something that's always been apparent with these Guardians movies is the jokes and, yeah, this is another one of those. Even though this is the darkest Guardians movie, it still remembers to have humour in it and James Gunn's familiar comedy is still here and it's still great. There's one scene towards the middle in particular that made me laugh really hard. And, really, for the last bit of positives, the best thing I can say is that I'm so glad this was how the Guardians' last film went and you can absolutely see that James Gunn and everyone involved put so much love and care into this to make it as passionate as they could, and I think they succeeded immensely because, even though I think it may be the weakest of the Guardians movies and I'm not 100% sure if I can say this is a great movie that I love, there's so much stuff in this that I did love and so much that was done so well, and I really have to thank James Gunn hugely for doing an amazing job with these characters, especially with the amount of love you can tell he put into making these and I love when you can feel that watching a Marvel movie. So, I guess that may have been kinda short, but I do just wanna say that I really, really enjoyed this movie, even if I didn't think it was perfect. Like I said, I'm so glad this was the last thing with the Guardians we're probably ever gonna see, or at least for a long time and it's sad that James Gunn is now leaving Marvel. So, overall, I do really recommend this film, I had a really good time with it and I can't wait to see it again. So, guys, those are my thoughts on Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3. Thank you all for reading and please comment down below to tell me what you think. All right, now we're going to the spoilers. If you haven't seen the film yet, go see it then come back and read the rest of this.

Spoilers:

Okay, so, there's quite a good amount of spoilers in this, so I'll go through each of them quickly. When I said the opening seemed kinda rushed, I was talking about how Adam just kinda comes to Knowhere and attacks everyone and then leaves after he's beaten and that's what I meant about the pacing being kinda weird because it comes in and out of the film really fast. It's not bad, but it's just something I thought was weird. But that did lead to Rocket almost dying and almost the entire rest of the movie is about the team trying to save him and them going to Orgoscope to try to get some passcode to save him, and I like the stuff there like the different character interactions and it led to a lot of funny moments. I also liked when they went to that Counter-Earth and fought the High Evolutionary there and that led to a really awesome scene where Peter and Groot team up on the ship and all that was incredible. But then they try to save Rocket and, yeah, this part here is where I can finally start talking about Rocket since the whole film was pretty much being marketed as a Rocket origin story and they did a great job because a lot of this is really gut-wrenching. Mainly regarding the friends Rocket made there and I honestly thought Lylla was gonna be a recurring character in this. I thought this was gonna show her and Rocket reuniting, I had no idea she was just gonna be his flashbacks and be revealed to be murdered by the High Evolutionary and that was tragic to watch Rocket's reaction with screaming in sadness and that led to a pretty gruesome moment when he just started scratching the High Evolutionary's face off. And when the whole thing with Peter, Groot and Gamora operating on him started, I really thought Rocket was gonna die. Actually, as the scene was playing, I remembered the part with Rocket with his gun in the trailer so that also made me think he was gonna survive and he did. Not gonna lie, I'm not 100% sure how I feel about that because, while I'm of course glad he survived, another part of me feels like Rocket dying would have been a nice sad and emotional moment. But, whatever, it was still nice to see him survive anyway. Anyway, that also then leads to the climax and this is what really insane stuff I was talking about where some really crazy stuff starts happening like Kraglin and the others bringing Knowhere itself to the battle and all of them using it and ships to take on the High Evolutionary's army and it was awesome and, again, pretty tense since this whole film felt like it had a sense of doom to it, like anyone could just die at any moment. But, this also led to that action scene that I mentioned that's honestly my favourite Guardians action scene ever where all the Guardians are together in that hallway just killing guards everywhere and they made it all look like one shot. It looked amazing, the C.G.I was fantastic and they made great use of slow motion and everything in that was absolutely mind-blowing. And then, it was nice that they were able to save all the prisoners and I thought Rocket looking at all the imprisoned animals was really emotional, especially with the music that was playing. But then that led to a really awesome and amazing moment where all the Guardians get together again and they all just start wailing on the High Evolutionary and, not gonna lie, even though I wasn't crazy about his character, it was really awesome and satisfying when they finally started fighting him and beating him and then finally killing him. I also liked how Groot saved Adam Warlock and sorta converted him to being a good guy. But, then, that led to another super emotional moment when it looked like Peter almost died and, again, that was another moment where I really thought he was gonna die, but then Adam saved him and it was nice that he got a cool moment. I was really surprised that everyone survived in this. I really thought we were gonna get some characters dying here, but they didn't. I know we got Rocket's friends dying in the flashback, but I really thought we were gonna see some of the Guardians die. Anyway, it was kinda sad to see Gamora and the others leave and then Peter and Mantis decide to leave the team completely and that leads to Rocket being named the new leader and we get a lot of great endings for characters from that. Before that though, I loved that we finally got to hear Groot talking properly, that was incredible, but then we get a lot of nice endings for the characters like Peter reuniting with his grandad, Gamora going back to the Ravagers and the other Guardians celebrating on Knowhere. This is kinda what I meant, this ending here really does show how much love and care James Gunn put into writing and directing this film because you can tell he really wanted to leave off these characters on a high note and I loved that. And then the credit scenes show that more with the new Guardians team being made and them helping out people however they can and I like how they gave Groot a more comic accurate look and it was cool that Adam was part of the new team too. And then the end credit scene with Peter talking with his grandad was nice and pretty funny too, but I am really curious when it said that Star-Lord will return. I'm wondering if that means we actually will see them again and they might get a new director for them or if it means we'll see them in the future Avenger movies. From that message alone, I'm curious to know what they're gonna do. So, overall, guys, I had a really great time with this film. Again, I do have problems and I still have a feeling it may be weakest of the Guardians movies, even though this and the second film are a bit interchangeable to me, but I'm still so glad this is what James Gunn was able to make with these characters before he leaves the M.C.U now and I'm curious to know what he's gonna do for DC. And so, yeah, everyone, that's my review of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3. Thank you all for reading and please comment down below to tell me what you think.