Based on a now all but forgotten novel, Who Framed Roger Rabbit is one of those films which, quite simply, everyone must see. For fans of the Golden Age of animation this goes double, since it features cameos from dozens of classic cartoon characters from both the Warner Bros and Disney stables, and seeing traditionally hand-drawn characters interacting with live-action people … [Read more...]
Review: Eragon (2006)
The success The Lord of the Rings created a boom in fantasy film-making, with some very good stuff resulting, but with every boom must come a bust, and thus here we have Eragon. A failure on almost every possible level, I can't even recommend it as an unintentional comedy; and when a bad fantasy film cannot even be that, it's a sure sign of how utterly wretched it is. The … [Read more...]
Shrek Forever After (2010) review by That Film Guy
With Dreamworks Animation emerging as the only real competition to Pixar in the animation film market, it made sense for them to make as much money from recognisable characters as possible. It is for this reason only that the follow-up to Shrek the Third, the rather neatly titled Shrek Forever After. Announced as the final instalment in the franchise (Puss in Boots filling the … [Read more...]
Shrek the Third (2007) review by That Film Guy
After the continued box office success of the franchise with Shrek 2, it was only a matter of time until Shrek the Third was released. Commercially it was less successful than its immediate predecessor but still took a phenomenal $798m form a budget of $160m and comfortably gave Dreamworks a reason to release a fourth part. With the King of Far, Far Away (John Cleese) about to … [Read more...]
Shrek (2001) review by That Film Guy
As Pixar developed a stranglehold on the digital animation market, there was only one company that managed to give them any competition. Dreamworks Animation managed to find a huge success with the Shrek series of films. Shrek is loosely based on a series of children's books entitled Shrek! written by William Steig. Originally conceived by Steven Spielberg as a hand-drawn … [Read more...]
Jaws: The Revenge (1987) review by That Film Guy
Almost no franchise has had the complete collapse in quality like the Jaws films. Starting with a Steven Spielberg directed masterpiece in tension, thrills and blood-curdling terror we come to its final death rattle in the bizarre and preposterous Jaws: The Revenge. Chronologically following Jaws 3, Jaws: The Revenge chooses to ignore the action of its third installment … [Read more...]
Ponyo (2008) review by The Documentalist
Studio Ghibli has been producing hit animations for nearly 30 years and through Hayao Miyazaki has created some modern classics, most notably 2001's Spirited Away. While Miyazaki is at the heart of much of its output, he only occasionally turns his hand to feature length animations such as 2008s Ponyo. … [Read more...]
The NeverEnding Story (1984) review by That Film Gal
The title of Wolfgang Peterson's The Neverending Story can be misleading. At just over one hour and forty minutes long, the film does in fact have a very finite end. It is also the name of a book within the story as well as the name of the original novel written by Michael Ende. But despite these confusions, The NeverEnding Story is a tale of pure transportation which also … [Read more...]
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012) review by That Film Guy
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is the sequel to the 2008 film Journey to the Centre of the Earth. It retains lead teenage actor Josh Hutcherson but replaces his father Trevor played by Brendan Fraser with a step-father, Hank played by The Rock. Like the original it is loosely based on the novel of the same name by Jules Verne, but treats the novels as non-fiction. It was more … [Read more...]
Review: The Last Unicorn (1982)
It's difficult to compare The Last Unicorn to anything which has come before or after it. Part children's animation, part epic fantasy, part fable, Peter S. Beagle's adaptation of his original novel is as beautiful as it is simple, as sweet as it is sad and as enjoyable for adults as it is for children (perhaps even more so). An immortal unicorn (Mia Farrow) lives in her forest … [Read more...]