Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie review

CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE:

A POOP-JOKE FILLED NOSTALGIA TRIP THAT STAYS FAITHFUL TO ITS SOURCE MATERIAL!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

20TH CENTURY FOX AND DREAMWORKS ANIMATION

Captain Underpants ready to save the day in Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie

            Out of all the movies coming out this year one that I was very concerned about was Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie based on the beloved children’s books by Dav Pilkey. It’s not that I didn’t understand the appeal of these books, far from it I was a huge fan of the Captain Underpants books growing up but I was a little skeptical about whether or not they would translate well to film when I first heard a movie was in development.

            Fortunately, DreamWorks Animation, who in my opinion haven’t made a great movie since Kung Fu Panda 3 (Yeah, I wasn’t a fan of Trolls or The Boss Baby, sorry folks) surpassed my expectations with a consistently faithful adaptation of the books that delivers everything a Captain Underpants purist would expect. Simple cartoonish animation, wacky pranks, poop jokes that surprisingly never overstay their welcome in this film, and 4^th wall jokes and homages to the books and it ends up being one of the most entertaining films I’ve seen all year (And I’ve seen most of the superhero movie releases this year).

            The film follows two elementary school boys named George Beard (voiced by Kevin Hart-Top Five, Central Intelligence, The Secret Life of Pets) and Harold Hutchins (voiced by Thomas Middleditch-Being Flynn, The Campaign, Silicon Valley) who are the best of friends and pretty much inseparable. They pull pranks together, make each other laugh, and more importantly write and sell their very own comic books featuring their greatest creation, Captain Underpants.

            Unfortunately, their principal, Mr. Krupp (voiced by Ed Helms-The Office, The Hangover trilogy, The Lorax) isn’t their biggest fan and he gets fed up with their shenanigans to the point where he tries to place them in separate classes in hopes to annihilate their friendship. George and Harold take action and use the magical device known as the 3D Hypno Ring to hypnotize Mr. Krupp and transform him into the greatest superhero of all time (Well, at least in their world), The Amazing Captain Underpants.

            So, with Mr. Krupp under their control George and Harold will never be separated as they can just snap their fingers and turn him into Captain Underpants whenever they want. This leads to hijinks, pranks, shenanigans, and chaos galore from punching mimes, fighting an inflatable gorilla, and a carnival style recess with sugar rushed kids.

            Things get even more chaotic when a mad scientist named Professor Poopypants (voiced by Nick Kroll-Date Night, Kroll Show, Sing) goes undercover as the new science teacher at the school and plots to rid the world of laughter (For understandable reasons). It’s up to Captain Underpants, George, and Harold to stop him and save the day before everyone becomes dull, lifeless zombies like that annoying twerp, Melvin Sneedly (voiced unrecognizably by Jordan Peele-Key & Peele, Bob’s Burgers, Storks).

            The film also features the voices of Kristen Schaal (Toy Story 3, Bob’s Burgers, Gravity Falls) as Edith the school’s shy lunch lady with a crush on Mr. Krupp, Dee Dee Rescher (The King of Queens, Malcolm in the Middle, Star VS the Forces of Evil) as Ms. Ribble, Brian Posehn (Pom Poko, Surf’s Up, The Big Bang Theory) as guidance counselor, Mr. Rected, Mel Rodriguez (George Lopez, Getting On, The Last Man on Earth) as science teacher, Mr. Fyde, Grey DeLisle (The Fairly OddParents, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Avatar: The Last Airbender) as secretary, Ms. Anthrope, and Fred Tatasciore (TMNT, Ultimate Spider-Man, Power Rangers) as gym teacher, Mr. Meaner.

            Overall, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie is one of those movies that probably should have just been a cash grab for kids but it ends up being one of the funniest and most imaginative animated films in recent years. The animation is kept simple and resembles the character designs from Pilkey’s books but in my opinion the style of the animation and energy is just as appealing as Pixar or traditional DreamWorks CG, it’s fast, frantic, and the comedic timing is through the roof.

            But what really sells it is the voice cast, I thought Kevin Hart and Thomas Middleditch did fine as the voices of George and Harold but at times their voices get a little distracting and might have worked better if they were voiced by kids but I understand getting celebrities in there. Who steals the show here is Ed Helms as Mr. Krupp/Captain Underpants, I was onboard for the movie as soon as he was announced and he did not disappoint, I’ve seen his humorously angry side many times before in The Office so casting him as mean old, Mr. Krupp was perfect and his voice alone is brilliant for animation especially zany, cartoony animation such as this.

            The humor is beyond juvenile but fits the tone of the story and I applaud the film for managing to make something as low-brow as poop and fart jokes funny because a lot of kids movies in the past have abused them to the point where they become tired and stale. Something about the cartoonish animation, tone, and timing make them go from funny to flat-out hilarious, if it was in the animation style of something like Toy Story or Shrek it wouldn’t have been nearly as funny so simple animation wins over cutting edge here.

            Besides the crude humor the film brilliantly throws in 4^th wall jokes and callbacks to the original books. George and Harold at times will freeze the scene and talk to the audience about what’s happening, transition to hand-drawn animation scenes, and there’s even a reference to the Flip O-Rama that’s flat out hilarious (It’s like the kids version of Deadpool, if Ryan Reynolds went bald and ran around in his underwear).

            Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie is a silly but extremely faithful adaptation of Dav Pilkey’s books that will release the inner child in all of us. To be honest this film is just as entertaining as any comic book movie and this movie is about a superhero who fights bad guys in his underwear and has an evil genius named Poopypants, don’t judge a book by its cover.

Wonder Woman review

WONDER WOMAN:

GAL GADOT SAVES THE DC EXTENDED UNIVERSE AND FEMALE SUPERHERO MOVIES!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Gal Gadot ready to fight as Wonder Woman

            For the longest time, comic book movies with a female protagonist had a very rough start, pretty much rock bottom for the superhero film genre. There was the dreaded Supergirl movie from 1984, 1995’s Tank Girl starring Lori Petty, Marvel’s 2005 disaster, Elektra with Jennifer Garner, and probably the most infamous of all the much despised 2004 Catwoman film that gave Academy Award winner, Halle Berry a terrible outfit and a Razzie.

            But out of all the superhero franchises I was expecting to fix this long problem I was not expecting it to be the DC Extended Universe (Yeah, the franchise that had three miserable releases prior). Well after those three strikes DC has given us a homerun with Wonder Woman, the first live-action film adaptation of the character.

            Gal Gadot (Fast & Furious 4-6, Date Night, Triple 9) reprises her role from last year’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice as Amazon warrior princess, Diana Prince/Wonder Woman and Patty Jenkins (Monster, The Killing, Betrayal) directs and the two of them deliver so far the best installment of the DC Extended Universe and the best female superhero movie of all time (What Catwoman movie?). Yes, the movie has some Zack Snyder taint in there, understandable since he’s producing it, but his trademark use of slow-motion doesn’t overstay its welcome and there’s more of a variety of action and thrills to even it out (Maybe he should just stick to producing the rest of the Universe).

            The film follows Diana, a princess in the Amazon who as a child dreamt of becoming a warrior to protect her people. However, her mother, Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen-Gladiator, One Hour Photo, Nymphomaniac) forbids it and tells her stories about how Ares (David Thewlis-Dragonheart, Harry Potter franchise, The Theory of Everything), the god of war corrupted mankind and killed all the gods except Zeus, but she disobeys her and trains in secrecy with her aunt Antiope (Robin Wright-Forrest Gump, Nine Lives (No, not that one!), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) until she discovers her true powers.

            As a young woman, Diana rescues a World War I pilot named Steve Trevor (Chris Pine-Star Trek franchise, Unstoppable, Hell or High Water) being pursued by German soldiers who is revealed to be an Allied spy and has stolen weapons information from the Germans about a new deadlier form of mustard gas in development. Diana is certain that Ares is responsible for causing the war so she arms herself with a shield, sword, and the Lasso of Truth, becomes Wonder Woman, and goes with Steve to find him and end the war before it destroys mankind.

            The film also stars Danny Huston (The Aviator, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Hitchcock) as ambitious German army General Erich Ludendorff, Elena Anaya (Van Helsing, Point Blank, The Skin I Live In) as mad scientist, Doctor Isabel Maru/Doctor Poison, Lucy Davis (The Office UK, Shaun of the Dead, All About Steve) as Steven’s comical but loyal secretary, Etta Candy, Said Taghmaoui (Three Kings, Hidalgo, The Kite Runner) as master of disguise, Sameer, Ewen Bremner (Trainspotting, Snatch, Snowpiercer) as heavy drinking sharpshooter, Charlie, and Eugene Brave Rock (Hell on Wheels) as opportunist, Chief.

            Overall, Wonder Woman is a satisfying blast from start to finish and the best DC Extended Universe and female superhero movie ever. I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t the best film based on a DC Comics character since The Dark Knight (The Lego Batman Movie doesn’t count here!), the story is solid, the action is thrilling from beginning to end, there’s COLOR here yes DC acknowledges that it exists, and the acting and character development is spot on.

            Gal Gadot owns the Wonder Woman character and she’s given much more to work with than being shoehorned into Batman v. Superman, which was already pretty busy in terms of plot. She kicks plenty of butt while showing an image of women empowerment and a curious personality and the chemistry she has with Chris Pine is undeniably charming.

            The movie’s focus is mainly on Wonder Woman, pretty much where it should be but I really appreciate that the film takes time to make its side characters just as likable. Chris Pine isn’t a Mary Jane type character despite the roles (stereotypically) being reversed and he helps her just as much as she helps him, Lucy Davis is very funny as Etta, and Ewen Bremner is a joy to watch as Charlie probably because it’s basically his Trainspotting character in a World War I setting.

            My only real issue with the film is the villain, without giving anything away I didn’t really find him that interesting and he comes off as a bland, cliché character out for power and destruction. But I’m really nitpicking here and it’s far from ruining the movie, it’s spectacular no matter what.

            Wonder Woman is one of those superhero movies that I recommend to anyone, even if you’re not a fan of superhero movies there’s much more substance and engaging characters here than in any of the flashy MCU or other DCEU films. The story, acting, action sequences, characters, and writing are more than enough reasons to give it a watch, and I’m willing to go see it again, something I’d never say about Catwoman or Elektra, well played DC.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales review

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES:

ASIDE FROM A FEW FUN MOMENTS, THIS FIFTH PIRATE ADVENTURE IS STUCK IN SHALLOW WATERS!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** out of 4

DISNEY

(From left to right) Geoffrey Rush, Kaya Scodelario, Johnny Depp, Brenton Thwaites, and Javier Bardem in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

            Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has officially “Jumped the Zombie Shark” with the fifth installment, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Produced once again by Jerry Bruckheimer (Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, National Treasure 1 and 2) this time with directing duo, Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg (Max Manus: Man of War, Kon-Tiki) in the directors' chairs and Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Alice in Wonderland (2010)) reprising his beloved role as drunken pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow, Dead Men Tell No Tales is thankfully nowhere near as long as the third installment, At World’s End nor is it as forgettable as the last film, On Stranger Tides, but sadly it’s not much of an improvement and a repetitive and rather uninspired Pirates adventure.

            What happened to this franchise? You start off with a movie that probably shouldn’t have been very good to begin with, made a surprise hit with Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and gradually make its follow-ups worse, increase the run-time to near Lord of the Rings length, and add a lot of awkward moments. Don’t get me wrong there’s some fun action and some funny moments from Johnny Depp but none of the sequels were able to live up to the fun and magic of the first film, and this one’s no different.

            The film follows Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites-Home and Away, Oculus, Maleficent), the son of Will Turner (Orlando Bloom-The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Black Hawk Down, The Hobbit 2 and 3) and Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightley-Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Love Actually, The Imitation Game) on a quest to find Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) and set sail to locate a powerful artifact that could break his father’s curse and free him from the Flying Dutchman ship. Henry finds Jack and an astronomer named Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario-Skins, Clash of the Titans, Maze Runner 1 and 2) accused for witchcraft and they set off to the Devil’s Triangle to locate the Trident of Poseidon which grants its possessor total control over the seas.

            Unfortunately, an old enemy from Jack’s past resurfaces, a powerful undead pirate hunter of the Spanish Navy known as Captain Armando Salazar (Javier Bardem-Before Night Falls, No Country for Old Men, Skyfall) who was trapped in the Devi’s Triangle seeks the Trident to wipe out all piracy and exact revenge on Jack. So, it’s a race at sea as Jack, Henry, and Carina are on the hunt by Salazar’s crew as well as Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush- Shine, Shakespeare in Love, The King’s Speech) on their journey to find the Trident and lift Will’s curse so he can return to his family.

            The film also stars Kevin McNally (Johnny English, Valkyrie, Legend) as Jack’s First Mate, Joshamee Gibbs, Golshifteh Farahani (Body of Lies, Exodus: Gods and Kings, Rosewater) as sea-witch, Shansa, Stephen Graham (Snatch, Gangs of New York, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) as former Blackbeard crew member, Scrum, David Wenham (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, 300, Lion) as British Royal Navy officer, Scarfield, Martin Klebba (Van Helsing, Oz: The Great and Powerful, Jurassic World) as Marty, Angus Barnett (Finding Neverland, Hugo, Jack the Giant Slayer) as Mullroy, Adam Brown (ChuckleVision, The Hobbit trilogy, The Limehouse Golem) as Jib, Danny Kirrane (Walking on Sunshine, Critical, Doctor Throne) as Bollard, and former Beatle, Paul McCartney as Uncle Jack.

            Overall, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is an example of a Pirates sequel that came out too little too late and fails to do much new with the series. Aside from a few implausible stunts, thrills, and laughs it’s pretty much a rehash of what we already saw in the earlier films, undead pirates, Jack swinging around on ropes, being attacked by Geoffrey Rush, and pirate crew members acting like idiots (Seen it four times prior!).

            The plot goes from generic Pirates of the Caribbean storytelling to ridiculous and just plain silly. Apparently, there’s witchcraft, sparkling rock piles that replicate the stars in the sky, and Poseidon’s Trident in Pirates of the Caribbean now, when did this become Percy Jackson?

            But with all that said, it’s nowhere near as drawn out as the third film and has its moments of fun action and once in a while Jack Sparrow will get a funny line. Javier Bardem shines as the villain, Salazar, he’s creepy but he balances it out with some humor and it looks like Bardem is having a lot of fun with his performance, not as engaging as his Skyfall performance but he brought a lot of evil delight whenever he was onscreen.

            Unfortunately, the action, Johnny Depp, and Javier Bardem aren’t enough to save Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales from its generic and ludicrous plot, lackluster character development, and just rehashing what people liked about the earlier films with very little variety. It’s not terrible, but it isn’t very good either.

            If you're a fan of the franchise and love every single movie despite their flaws then I guess you might like this one as it is the Michael Bay Transformers sequels of Pirates of the Caribbean films. All the stuff fans love about the previous entires with less charm and hardly anything new or unique, I'd recommend abandoning ship.