The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part: Watching The Lego Movie 2 was akin to experiencing Deja vu. From the abundance weird pop culture references that will fly over at least 95% of kids heads, vibrant musical numbers and overarching message preaching the importance of playing well with others, it's pretty much the exact same movie as its predecessor. Despite being a blatant retread and slightly inferior overall product, it's still a funny, irreverent and charming ride that is more unique than most of the other animated movies that are released every year.
Grade: B
Happy Death Day 2U: Happy Death Day cleverly utilized the time loop concept to make a darkly comedic slasher flick that was among the more entertaining horror movies released in the past few years. The sequel wisely elevates the stakes and distinguishes itself from the original by going full sci-fi with a narrative that ties up a lot of the loose ends of the first one while introducing a whole new set of rules for this weird little universe. Pivoting to a more sci-fi-centric plot unsurprisingly makes things more convoluted and take away from a bit of the tongue-in-cheek fun that made the previous installment work so well, but the sheer magnetism of star Jessica Rothe-who deserves to get more high-profile roles ASAP, a surprisingly heartfelt emotional subtext about how dealing with tragedies can make you a stronger person and some very funny gags/one-liners keep things engaging throughout. As long as writer/director Christopher B. Landon and Rothe were involved, I'd be down for a third installment (especially if they built around the development they teased during the mid-credits scene).
Grade: B
Alita: Battle Angel: If James Cameron didn't have a hand in writing this, this probably would've been great. Rosa Salazar is perfect as the title character who has the endless curiosity of a child and fearless spirit of a seasoned warrior, and director Robert Rodriguez handless every massive action sequence with grace. Of course, Cornball Cameron's manages to kill the vibe with an overstuffed script that attempts to jam about 10 comic books worth of material into 2 hours and shoehorns in a cringey romantic subplot that further elevates its lack of cohesiveness as it reaches its underwhelming conclusion. Hopefully those 62 upcoming Avatar sequels keep Cameron busy for the rest of his career because I'm sick of this dude popping in and fucking up potentially awesome projects with his unfocused, overly sentimental storytelling.
Grade: B-
Fighting with My Family: For better or worse, Stephen Merchant's biopic about Saraya "Paige" Beavis (Florence Pugh) road from wrestling in her family's DIY company in Norwich, England to the WWE offers up no surprises. This is an efficient, well-acted inspirational underdog sports story that hits all of its intended feel-good beats without ever being funny or heartfelt enough to transcend the genre's established playbook. If you love wrestling or are in the market for a nice movie that won't have you feeling like shit when you leave the theater, you'll likely have a good time. If not, there's no reason to rush out and see it.
Grade: B
Fighting with My Family: For better or worse, Stephen Merchant's biopic about Saraya "Paige" Beavis (Florence Pugh) road from wrestling in her family's DIY company in Norwich, England to the WWE offers up no surprises. This is an efficient, well-acted inspirational underdog sports story that hits all of its intended feel-good beats without ever being funny or heartfelt enough to transcend the genre's established playbook. If you love wrestling or are in the market for a nice movie that won't have you feeling like shit when you leave the theater, you'll likely have a good time. If not, there's no reason to rush out and see it.
Grade: B
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