First Seen: I really couldn’t tell you, but it was on VHS in the 90s.
Last Watch: Disney+
This probably won’t be a long review, I didn’t think ahead of time how difficult reviewing something from 1937 would be until I started thinking about this.
First thing worth mentioning: I actually enjoyed watching this! I wasn’t expecting much, just a prototype of the Disney formula we’re still getting to this day (and that Disney’s made billions off of). And while yes, that’s exactly what it is, there’s much more personality in the characters than I expected. Especially in the titular character Snow White herself. She’s cheerful and pretty much emotes for everything. One hilarious moment is that when one of the dwarves, Grumpy, looks to not take a liking to her she outright mocks him for it. I did not expect this film to make me laugh but here we are.
The story here isn’t particularly deep, but I don’t know what films had deep stories in 1937. The Queen is told by a magic mirror that Snow White is the fairest one of all, so she (the Queen) formulates a plan to have Snow White killed. She sends her Huntsman to do it, but he cannot and instead warns Snow White about the Queen’s plan. Snow White meets some woodland creatures that lead her to the Dwarves cottage where she decides to just make herself at home. The Dwarves do welcome her presence though (well, except for Grumpy at first) and we actually spend some time with them having fun and dancing. That scene is actually quite nice to see, you don’t often see characters get closer to one another like this in a Disney film anymore.
She talks to animals and it always impresses…
The Queen finds out where Snow White is, transforms into an old hag and creates a poison apple. She goes to a cottage and gets Snow White to eat the apple, which kills her. The Queen ends up getting struck by lightning though, ending her story. The Prince comes to kiss Snow White to wake her up, which breaks the spell of the apple and they live happily ever after.
Obviously not much of a story but it serves as a template for many if not all of the Disney princess fairy tales over the next century. But, in contrast my expectations were succeeded. It does have some outdated ideas (especially the kiss at the end waking up Snow White and Snow White’s “I’m so alone” mantra) but I keep feeling like I need to go back to “it’s 1937”. It’s also a shame the Queen is nameless, because she becomes a fun villain when she transforms into the old hag and makes the poison apple. I also feel like I haven’t really wrote about the Dwarves, but they’re all fun supporting characters (and see you see characters like Dopey all the time to this day as well).
Basic, but fun villain.
The fact that this film is still an enjoyable watch 81 years later is very impressive. Sure the animation has been updated but everything still works overall.
Best Scene: The Queen’s transformation to the old hag is just fun.
Worst Scene: I cringed at the idea of Snow White just entering the Dwarves’ home and touching their belongings.
Final Thoughts: She’s the original princess. Even if it’s for pure historical reasons, this has to get a good grade. Maybe it could get an S on those merits alone but I can’t go that far.
Similar to the Mortal Kombat film, we need to figure out what Space Jam is looking to accomplish. What we have here is a kids’ film with the Looney Tunes and Michael Jordan. Some decent comedy and a simple story would make Space Jam a success. For the most part that’s what we get, although it’s far from perfect.
The good news for Space Jam is that it doesn’t try to do anything crazy. Our story is simple. Mr. Swackhammer (one of those characters that had to be created for Danny Devito) needs new attractions for Moron Mountain and learns of the Looney Tunes. He sends his alien minions to capture the Looney Tunes to be that attraction. The Tunes come up with a way to the defend themselves. Since the aliens are diminutive in stature, the Tunes challenge them to a basketball game. The aliens steal the powers of several NBA stars and become huge monsters (The Monstars), and the Tunes answer by kidnapping Michael Jordan. It isn’t a complicated story and the film delivers this.
A genius plan…
Your mileage will vary with the humor in this film. The Looney Tunes do seem toned down overall but that makes sense. Most jokes are as kid friendly as possible and while the slapstick is there, you can’t go overboard here. Some of the jokes are absolute misses (Porky Pig claiming he wet himself, for example) but overall, I do find the Looney Tunes either funny or just non-offensive. You’re either going to find Daffy Duck funny or insufferable. I found him funny. Bugs is funny at some moments too. As a bonus, the NBA players who lose their talent also provide some good humor. Charles Barkley specifically looked to be taking Space Jam much more seriously than anyone else.
The main issue of the film mostly revolves around Michael Jordan. I don’t think Jordan’s necessarily to blame, but knowing the man now and comparing him to the character he is in Space Jam is a bit nauseating. On the film side, Jordan does poke fun at it in the film at times (upon being asked if everyone was mad at him striking out in a minor league baseball game, Jordan replies with “it’s worse, everyone was really nice about it”). We get shown that Jordan has a perfect family and everyone in the world loves him and he’s level headed and a leader in all situations and blah blah blah. It just makes for a boring character who’s there to save the day at the end. The closest thing to a conflict Jordan has in the film is at the very end, when he decides to return to basketball to see if he still “has it”. There’s also the side issue of anything involving Michael Jordan, which is that it turns into a commercial. Stan, Jordan’s publicist in the film (and played by Wayne Knight, which is something else where your mileage will vary) actually has the following line in the film: “C’mon, Michael! It’s game time! Get your Hanes on, lace up your Nikes, grab your Wheaties and your Gatorade, and we’ll pick up a Big Mac on the way to the ballpark.”
Some other odds and ends before we cover the big game at the end. Bill Murray has a weird and completely unnecessary side story where he thinks he can be a NBA player. Larry Bird is pretty funny as well and we get a little of that legendary trash talk. Lola Bunny was added as a new character, but was an oddly sexualized female bunny. But she did become a female basketball icon for a while so I guess that worked? I don’t recall how the film looked back when it came out, but watching it on Amazon Prime Video HD I must say the film animation looks fantastic. The soundtrack is incredible as well. Sure, some songs are hard to listen to now because of who sang them (looking at you R. Kelly). The Space Jam theme though is right up there with the Mortal Kombat theme for best movie music of the 90s though.
Can Michael pull this one out?
As for the big game, it’s fine for what it is. Just some whacky fun with a comeback story attached (and a joke about steroids?). The gags during the Looney Tunes’ comeback are fun enough. Just harmless fun for the most part. MJ of course hits the winning basketball (after upping the stakes…which is hilarious knowing MJ) and everyone lives happily ever after.
Best Scene: The intro with the Space Jam theme is fantastic.
Worst Scene: Porky Pig saying he wet himself is eye-rolling at best.
Final Thoughts: Space Jam is a simple and fun 90 minutes. It’s not perfect, but it doesn’t try to be either. And the MJ-Looney Tunes combo made big money so it’s all good.
February 18, 2001 – The 2001 Daytona 500 is still the darkest day in NASCAR’s history. One the last lap of the biggest race of the year, NASCAR’s greatest driver, Dale Earnhardt, spun out and crashed into the wall. Earnhardt would not survive his injuries. Two cars that he owned as part of Dale Earnhardt Inc. would finish 1-2 in the same race (with son Dale Jr. finishing 2nd). Earnhardt also proved to be a championship contender the year prior and was a title favorite in 2001.
As a tribute, we’re going to change the story. We’ll change it by saying that Earnhardt, while injured, survived his wreck in the Daytona 500. And while he sat out the 2001 season, he announced a return for 2002. The quest for Championship #8 is alive. Let’s see if we can get it done!
On most Sundays the plan is to race NASCAR Thunder 2003 with 100% race lengths. We’ll be on custom difficulty with legend mode speed. Going to use a custom damage system (I’m just not going to survive 100% races otherwise) where if we would have DNFed we’ll take a green flag pit pass through depending on how many times it’s happened. We’ll also being using a custom season schedule, adding night racing (which is awesome) and more road courses (six total, up from the standard two).
In Banjo-Tooie, there are nine Jinjo familes that need to be rescued (Press F for the Grey Jinjos). Each Jinjo family is of a different size, and prizes differ based on that size. The catch? Jinjos appear randomly in Banjo-Tooie. Here are the rules:
To win the main prize, your Jinjo family has to be the last one I find all completed members for, regardless if families have no users who chose them. (E.g., only the green and black jinjo families remain, but you have the green one and no one has the black one. To win the main prize green still has to be the last family standing).
There may be a secondary prize. If no one has the final Jinjo family standing, the secondary prize will be given to the person or people who have the last family standing that users had (E.g., only the green and black jinjo families remain, but you have the green one and no one has the black one. You win the secondary prize at a minimum). You do not win the secondary and main prizes if that scenario comes up.
Requirements: You must follow rdtuniverse on Twitch and be a part of the RDTUniverse Discord. Also, do not get yourself banned.
How To Play: In the contests textchannel of the RDTUniverse Discord, you must show you follow the Twitch Channel by using the !followage command (or somehow prove it to me). Name your Twitch channel, then pick your family you want to represent!
Restrictions: Each Jinjo Family is allowed to have as many users pick them as they have members. (So, only one user may pick the 1 member White Jinjo family). First come, first serve. You may change what family you represent up until the deadline.
White Jinjo Family: 1 Member (Max 1 User), Main Prize: $50 worth of Twitch subs to any channel(s) you’d like. Secondary Prize: $15 worth of Twitch subs to any channel(s) you’d like.
Orange Jinjo Family: 2 Members (Max 2 Users), Main Prize: $25 worth of Twitch subs to any channel(s) you’d like. Secondary Prize: $10 worth of Twitch subs to any channel(s) you’d like.
Yellow Jinjo Family: 3 Members (Max 3 Users), Main Prize: $15 worth of Twitch subs to any channel(s) you’d like. Secondary Prize: Tier 1 Sub to any Twitch Channel you’d like.
Brown Jinjo Family: 4 Members (Max 4 Users), Main Prize: $15 worth of Twitch subs to any channel(s) you’d like. Secondary Prize: Tier 1 Sub to any Twitch Channel you’d like.
Green Jinjo Family: 5 Members (Max 5 Users), Main Prize: $10 worth of Twitch subs to any channel(s) you’d like. Secondary Prize: Tier 1 Sub to any Twitch Channel you’d like.
Red Jinjo Family: 6 Members (Max 6 Users), Main Prize: $10 worth of Twitch subs to any channel(s) you’d like. Secondary Prize: Tier 1 Sub to any Twitch Channel you’d like.
Blue Jinjo Family: 7 Members (Max 7 Users), Main Prize: Tier 1 Sub to Any Channel you’d like. Secondary Prize: Tier 1 Gift Sub to RDTUniverse.
Purple Jinjo Family: 8 Members (Max 8 Users), Main Prize: Tier 1 Sub to RDTUniverse, OR a Tier 1 Sub to Any Channel you’d like (only if you have the RDTUniverse sub already). Secondary Prize: None
Black Jinjo Family: 9 Members (Max 9 Users), Main Prize: Tier 1 Sub to RDTUniverse, OR a Tier 1 Sub to Any Channel you’d like (only if you have the RDTUniverse sub already). Secondary Prize: None
Disney’s live-action remakes have led to mixed reviews at best. Looking to cash in on nostalgia, Disney decided to release perhaps their greatest films in a live action setting. If the goal is to make money, it’s working as most of the live-action remakes have crossed the $1 Billion mark. Does it mean they’ve all been great films? Well, we’ll get to that…
Disney+ doesn’t have every live-action remake available yet, so we’ll do these as they come out.
Released: November 25, 1992
First Seen: In Theaters (Probably in 1992-1993)
Last Watch: Disney+
Before we delve into Aladdin, we need to reflect on where Disney was as a company a bit to understand the film’s significance. Disney had struggled through the 1980s. The Little Mermaid, released in 1989, made big money though, and the Disney Revolution began. The early 90s specifically had a “big 4” film slate that set the standard for every animation studio to this day. Aladdin is the 3rd of those films, proving itself by becoming the first animated film to cross $500 Million at the box office (a massive deal in 1992). Incredible animation, a strong story with memorable characters and songs proved to be an unstoppable combination for Disney. And it works here big time.
Aladdin wasn’t without controversy though. Famously, Robin Williams clashed with Disney over the promotional use of his character, The Genie. The film itself received numerous complaints of racism (best example, Arabian Nights having going through a lyric change). While we all likely remember Aladdin fondly, these issues are a part of the Aladdin story. You can mind much more information just searching both of these topics on Youtube.
The film itself is excellent. Biggest plus of course is Robin Williams voicing the Genie. Williams just goes absolutely bonkers here and it’s memorable and incredible. Seeing this film as a child I didn’t understand most if not all the references, but I thought they were funny. As an adult I understand most of them, and again they are funny. It’s that multi-dimensional humor given by one of the arguable greatest of all-times that makes the Genie perhaps Disney’s greatest character (an argument for another day). He almost overshadows the rest of a really good film, he’s that great.
Anyone who knows my Disney tastes know that Jafar is my favorite Disney villain. From the first moment he’s on-screen Jafar is presented as a dark, serious stoic man with a dangerous goal (“a dark man with a dark purpose”). But slowly throughout the film we start seeing some cracks in Jafar’s sanity. And boy, when obtains his goal we see how crazy and maniacal he really is (the entire reprise to “Prince Ali” is one of my favorite Disney songs in itself). He’s such a dishonest character and I love every moment he’s on screen, especially after he goes over the top. Jonathan Freeman’s voice is perfect for Jafar as well. As a bonus, Gilbert Gottfried somehow works as Iago an annoying parrot that acts as Jafar’s sidekick. I never necessarily found slapstick violence too funny, but somehow I find it hilarious when it happens to Iago. One more great thing about Jafar is that he doesn’t do any of the hard work at all for anything. Gazeem finds the other half of the Golden Scarab Beetle. Jafar doesn’t even entertain the idea of going into the Cave of Wonders himself at any point in time, sending someone else to do it. Hilariously, even when Jafar is searching for the diamond in the rough it’s Iago doing the literal busywork. Jafar has no redeemable qualities and it’s fantastic.
Jafar sets the tone right away…
Scott Weinger’s Aladdin and Linda Larkin’sJasmine are pretty good too, although definitely not as interesting as Genie or Jafar. While Aladdin gets a lot of story development overall about what a good person he is despite his situation and how being a prince and the lamp almost changes that, Jasmine’s development doesn’t go much past having a choice in who she marries (something that the live-action remake attempted to fix, to mixed results). Heck, we get many instances of Aladdin outsmarting everyone he comes across (including the Genie at one point). Jasmine doesn’t really get those moments, other than one excellent line (“when I am queen I will have the power to get rid of you [Jafar]”). Overall though they are both memorable and entertaining despite any limitations. And there’s definitely a chemistry that reveals itself during the early stages of the film and the “A Whole New World Sequence”.
Before I delve into what works and what doesn’t, I want to point out that the supporting characters are full of personality. The Sultan is played for laughs, but at the same time has his moments where he shows Jafar who’s boss. Abu, Aladdin’s monkey/elephant sidekick is basically the walking version of today’s “mood” meme. Magic Carpet is beautifully designed and full of personality despite not saying a word. One day just watch the film and keep your eyes on Carpet. All the little movements are fantastic.
I decided to go through the main and supporting characters first because the plot of Aladdin isn’t particularly interesting, but the way it’s told through these characters is what makes it work. The Sultan is trying to marry off Jasmine, but no princes chosen are even close to what Jasmine is hoping for. Jafar is The Sultan’s right-hand man, but he’s trying to obtain power for himself (first by finding the Genie, then later trying to manipulate the Sultan to allow him to marry Jasmine himself). Aladdin is the good natured but lowly street rat, but a lucky meeting with Jasmine (who ran away from the Palace) and the fact that Jafar found that he could get Genie’s lamp have thrust him into the mix of the story. Aladdin ends up with the lamp, but loses sight of himself which almost allows Jafar to accomplish all his goals. On the way Aladdin becomes great friends with the Genie and he and Jasmine fall in love. All very basic. But told in an incredible way.
I wouldn’t be a Disney movie without addressing the music. Luckily the music for the most part is amazing. “Arabian Nights” is an epic piece of music that starts the adventure. “One Jump Ahead” and “Prince Ali” are both a lot of fun. The two main event music pieces are “Friend Like Me” and “A Whole New World”. Robin Williams just goes all out for “Friend Like Me” and as I wrote earlier, it’s amazing. “A Whole New World” of course was one of THE iconic Disney themes until this very day. The animation and imagery for “A Whole New World” is still one of the best things Disney have ever created. As a bonus, while he doesn’t have his own song, Jafar’s rendition of “Prince Ali” is one of my favorite villain themes. Again, a lot of that is Jafar basking in all his glory.
THE Disney love song, arguably still today…
One last thing I noticed from Aladdin is the use of items or imagery that lasted long from an iconic standpoint. The Palace itself, absolutely stunning. Genie’s Lamp of course falls into this category. As does Jafar’s snakstaff. Lastly, Jafar’s snake transformation proved to be an awesome representation of who Jafar is. It’s perfect.
Best Scene: I have to cheat and pick three. First, Aladdin’s attempted escape from the Cave of Wonders is visually striking, and Jafar betraying Aladdin is great as well. Second, the entire “A Whole New World Sequence”. Third: As I mentioned before, Jafar’s “Prince Ali” reprise. Just so so good.
Worst Scene: We make a whole big point about Aladdin outsmarting the Genie early on, but then the Genie has to make an exception for Aladdin’s 2nd wish (to save his life). Eh?
Personal Story: This is probably my third favorite Disney film (4th if we count Pixar). I hasn’t seen it in a while, but i was somewhat surprised how well it still holds up.
Final Thoughts: What can I say? There’s are a few reasons Disney made all that money in the 90s and this was one of the big ones. I can’t give it the full monty because the story itself again is merely okay and I do think Disney (and Pixar) has done better before and after.
Grade: A
Released: May 24, 2019
First Seen: In Theaters, Near Opening Night
Last Watch: Disney+
We should quickly discuss the live-action remakes before we get into this. The first notable one is the Alice in Wonderland remake, released in 2010 (the Dalmations remakes were a lot earlier and I don’t think fall into what Disney is doing now. While visually stunning, the film suffered some serious story problems. The film also made tons of money, especially for 2010. Ever since, Disney has been churning out these live-action remakes and at this point the general feeling are that they range from good to okay, but that they are nostalgic money grabs from Disney. Does Aladdin fall into that trap? I would say no, but with an asterisk.
2019 Aladdin keeps the same story and structure from the 92 version, but it does insert some original ideas that work and some that don’t. The issue is they all could have worked and probably should have. This is an issue I’ll revisit at the end of the review.
Let’s talk about the characters. I do feel that for the most part, this is a well acted film, but some characters get overshadowed by others. i’m going to name Naomi Scott’s Jasmine first, because the story really becomes her’s as opposed to Mena Massoud’s Aladdin. Disney has looked to empower female characters as of late and I’mall for it. The major difference for Jasmine is that instead of just looking for love to marry, she’s looking to become the Sultan, with the love plot on the side but still here. She’s tired of being silenced by her father, by Jafar, or by anyone. Scott does a great job. It is Jasmine’s film and Scott owns it. I am also a fan of the new song “Speechless” (although we’ll get to the reprise). So far so good.
Will Smith is given the impossible task of following up Robin William’s Genie. Smith smartly changes it up from William’s routine, instead putting together a Hitch and Fresh Prince combination. It works really well! I found Smith to be excellent here. The only issue with the Genie is that he’s not always as visually impressive as his animated counterpart. Once again, we’ll get to that.
A tall task, but Will Smith pulls it off…
As I mentioned in the 92 review, Jafar is my favorite Disney villain. I have such a mixed feeling about Marwan Kenzari’s performance. For the most part it’s monotone and even boring, a far cry from the maniacal 92 version. The general consensus is that Kenzari was miscast, but I’m going to counter that. I feel he was given really bad direction because at times I see that 92 version in there. But yes, Jafar was very disappointing here and that’s a massive black flag here.
So notice I left Massoud’s Aladdin for last and well that’s because it felt like that’s what the writers did too. He has his moments, but he’s always overshadowed by anyone who’s sharing a scene with him, especially the Genie. And while perhaps it’s understandable that he’s overshadowed by Smith (I mean, the Genie overshadowed Aladdin in ’92 as well), he even gets overshadowed by Kenzari’s Jafar which really shouldn’t happen.
Side characters are a mixed bag as well. Carpet is still a lot of fun, but Abu pales in comparison to the 92 version. Iago (or Parrot, I don’t think he’s named here) is a darker, more sinister take on the character, and I really missed that slapstick and comedy that Gottfied’s version provided. The Sultan is also more serious and overall I think a plus, but I also missed the comedy provided by the 92 version as well. There’s a new character as well, Jasmine’s handmaiden named Dalia who’s a lot of fun and serves as a supporting opposite of the Genie.
We get a lot of changes with this. I’m going to go almost scene by scene now and hit on what’s different, what works and what doesn’t work.
Will Smith singing “Arabian Nights” is perhaps one of the most shockingly great moments I ever experienced in a movie theater…but the very ending presents the first concern. The Cave of Wonders is rather disappointing visually and Jafar responds to the failed attempt to enter with a mere headshake and deep breath. Far cry from the mood that was set in ’92’s opening. The film then presents some strange decisions pacing wise. We still get the bread stealing and subsequent giving of bread to the hungry children (well, it’s dates now but whatever), but the whole thing is rushed. This scene really told us who Aladdin was and what a nice person he was in ’92. Here it’s just here. Why is rushed? Because oddly we have Jasmine already roaming the streets of Agrabah, way earlier than expected. This felt like a video game that I glitched and then sequence broke. The “trust me” line is rushed too. We then get “One Jump Ahead” which is really oddly edited. The song sounds fine, although the editing is an absolute miss. For some reason Aladdin and Jasmine are moving in slow motion and then the next they are walking at what looks like 1.5x speed. So far after the greatness of Smith’s “Arabian Nights”, I wasn’t feeling this at all. We get a scene of Jafar (who looks awesome for a moment) also expressing his disappointment at the recruited “diamonds in the rough”. I guess it’s a fine introduction for Jafar, but still nothing special. We do get our first important plot point though that does work in this film, as Jafar explains his backstory as a prisoner. He specifically gets angry at being called second powerful or second in command. At this point, the film starts to tread back upward.
Aladdin showing Jasmine his home is next. Right here we miss how visually iconic the palace looked in ’92, but the scene is still fine. Jasmine pretending that she’s her handmaiden also seems fine, although it doesn’t really go anywhere. But even when Aladdin and Jasmine are relating to one another about how trapped they feel…it’s missing a certain magic. We then get the stuck up prince scene (Billy Magussen’s Prince Anders gets more screentime and a few laughs, but also feels like he should be in a different film). Abu steals an important piece of jewelry from Jasmine though, to which Jasmine expresses her disappointment. The timeline compared to the original is still weird, as Aladdin would have been captured at this point, but it doesn’t happen.
Impressive…just not the same…
The film steps up though as we see Jafar and the Sultan discussing military alliances with the princes who are looking for Jasmine’s hand at marriage. This is an interesting twist that does give Jasmine a much stronger story than the original. I also like “Speechless” quite a bit here, Naomi Scott sings it really well. My only hang up is that Jasmine tells us she could be Sultan, but we never really see why. I would have loved to see her military reason or her presenting an idea that didn’t relate to her mother. But still this is a stronger arc than the original.
We get another strange change from the original as Iago tells Jafar that there’s a thief in the palace and perhaps he’s the diamond in the rough. As opposed to be captured in the original, Aladdin decided to meet “Dalia” in the palace. Jafar also doesn’t use the ring to determine Aladdin is a diamond in the rough. This is a huge miss for two reasons. One, Iago caught Aladdin instantly, so I mean how good could he be? Second, after his meeting with Jasmine and Dalia, Aladdin gets caught instantly. This was a tough sell. I appreciate the idea to form a stronger connection between Jasmine and Aladdin, but it didn’t feel strong enough to me to change all of this. The scene itself (where Dalia pretends to be Jasmine) is also cringworthy.
Aladdin is captured, to which he meets Jafar. A positive change: Jafar explaining to Aladdin that they are both similar, that he too was a thief at one time and he even proves it. This pays off much later in a wonderful way. But unfortunately the film disappoints in one of it’s first big set pieces. Inside the Cave of Wonders is a massive disappointment and it’s quite boring. Big let down for what was one of the coolest and most visually striking parts of the original film.
But here comes Will Smith to pick things up! “A Friend Like Me” delivers big time and I even prefer it to the original, which I don’t think is true for any other song in any remake (except one, but that’s for another time and for a different reason). We pretty much go hand in hand with the original now though “Prince Ali”, although that turns out to be a slight let down (but not bad). We are introduced to the idea of “genie magic” for why no one will recognize Aladdin. I get that was a bit of a plothole in the original, but this was a lame reason. I would say overall I was enjoying myself though.
We then get some horrid sequence with Aladdin sounding like an absolute idiot in front of Jasmine and some joke about yams. Also a statement about Aladdin buying Jasmine. Absolutely went too far trying to show that Aladdin “isn’t himself” as a prince. We do get an awesome dance sequence that’s new and the Genie also has an eye for Dalia, which may be unnecessary but it’s fun so I’m all for it. Genie is really pushing the whole Aladdin should be himself piece and it’s fine. Smith gets some hilarious lines in (Aladdin: “See, the Sultan does like me.” Genie: “Oh good, maybe you can be his wife.”)
Our next big moment is “A Whole New World” and unfortunately it’s also a letdown. It’s one of those occasions where the visuals don’t remotely match the original (not even close in this case). There are also some really small moments where the audience can figure out Jasmine is learning who Prince Ali really is (see the usage of an apple in the original). This is where I knew we weren’t getting to that level the original got to unfortunately.
Jafar’s not an idiot so he figures things out (with help from Iago). We get the same stupid 2nd wish by Aladdin to save his life. We follow the original again for a while, although Jafar does end up in prison this time. Other than his snakestaff, I’m not feeling the whole powerful sorcerer vibe from Jafar at this point (he disappeared in the original to escape). Aladdin and the Genie’s argument about Aladdin changing his mind about freeing the Genie doesn’t hit either and this all feel rushed again. But we do get that wonderful payoff from earlier. Jafar escapes from jail with help from Iago…and then steals the lamp from Aladdin. Very well set-up and payoff. And then perhaps the biggest tease and the justification for my opinion that it was bad direction and not Kenzari’s acting that was the issue comes up. As soon as Jafar rubs that lamp a maniacal laugh comes out and at that point, I was ready for the final act.
An the final act…is merely ok. The issue is most of the scenes at this point is a standoff. It’s just Jafar threatening and saying stuff to the Sultan, Jasmine, Aladdin etc. We get a second version of “Speechless” which feels completely out of place this time (it’s not like they are telling her she can’t do anything…the big bad is being a villain and cheating his way to the top). We don’t get Jafar’s “Prince Ali” reprise which is just plain disappointment from me. Jafar never goes mad with power and as a result the film never gets to that next level. Jafar’s “Most Powerful Sorcerer” phase also completely misses (the most disappointingly delivered line is “if you won’t bow before a sultan, then you will cower before a sorcerer”). Instead of turning into a massive snake, he makes Iago a dragon to chase Jasmine and Aladdin. This doesn’t nearly have the same effect. Also, another huge plothole comes up. Jasmine is about to marry Jafar to protect her father and she steals the lamp. Why she didn’t…I don’t know…rub the lamp is a complete mystery to me. Anyway Jafar falls for the same trick in the original which is built up better here to be fair. Jasmine also is crowned Sultan, which is a fine ending to that arc. Still, there was a lot of potential for greatness here and most of it missed. What a shame.
Absolute miss here…
Best Scene: It’s the entire “Friend Like Me” sequence. Shows Disney can make the live action musical scenes just as strong and powerful as the animated originals.
Worst Scene: I know some people liked it, but the entire jams joke had me shaking my head the entire time.
Personal Story: I had seen the Rotten Tomatoes score in the 50s so I wasn’t expecting much. But “Arabian Nights” led to the quickest 180 perhaps I ever had in cinema. Really didn’t see that coming from Will Smith.
Final Thoughts: Too many misses for greatness, but I liked some of the changes. This is still an enjoyable time. Changes to Jasmine’s arc are a plus, but changes to Jafar are a let down. Everything else your mileage probably varies. One more thing to think about that I mentioned earlier though. Disney had a huge 2019 with this being released two months before Lion King. I can’t help but think that if Aladdin, again one of the big four of the Disney Renaissance , had more time and focus given to it that we may have gotten some of that greatness. But I still find that despite some flaws this is a good and enjoyable film. And Disney made some money so I guess that’s all that really matters.
With Rise of Skywalker hitting its theatrical release, the time has come to how well the Sequel Trilogy (Star Wars: Episodes VII, VIII and IX) interweave with the Star Wars canon. For this, we’ll review each episode as it’s own standalone film, and then grade the trilogy as a whole. Also, SPOILERS clearly ahead.
Released: December 18, 2015
First Seen: December 2015, in Theaters
Last Watch: Disney+
Perhaps no Star Wars film (or film in general) had the pressure to satisfy audiences as well as perform at the box office as much as Episode VII: The Force Awakens (TFA). TFA gave us trailers featuring classic characters such as Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker all the while showing us a cool and bad-ass looking new member of the darkside (Kylo Ren) as well as new characters Finn and Rey. There’s a lot to unpack here . Did TFA stick the landing? For the most part, yes.
Everyone was ready for Kylo Ren to continue the legacy of the darkside…
TFA does not waste time getting into things. The opening crawl is clear what we’re in for (Luke Skywalker had vanished, and the First Order is looking to take over). It’s a race for the Resistance to find Luke (or specifically, a piece of a map that leads to Luke) before the First Order does. Say what you want about MaGuffin-style storytelling, but it’s effective here as every character has a different reaction to Skywalker (or the existence of Skywalker). Poe Dameron, the Resistance pilot tasked with recovering the map treats it as the most important thing in the galaxy. Rey is shocked at the idea that Skywalker exists, thinking he may have just been a myth, and so on and so forth (not trying to spoil the entire film here!). Interestingly enough, this is probably my favorite “version” of Luke Skywalker in all of Star Wars: the legend that’s disappeared to do who knows what. It’s a great question (that isn’t answered here) that really leads us into Episode VIII: The Last Jedi.
TFA also spends a good amount of time developing our characters, although there are questions that we hope to get answered later in the trilogy. While TFA shares a lot with Episode IV: A New Hope, I appreciate the differences between Rey and Hope’s Luke Skywalker. Viewers are quick to realize Rey’s our main hero here (although there are some red herrings with Finn), but it doesn’t look like Rey wants any part of it (Hope’s Luke couldn’t wait to get involved). It’s a nice change of pace. Watching TFA again and knowing how the trilogy ends, I’m excited to see Rey accept her powers and who she is as opposed to someone looking to gain or earn power. But we get some of that too with Kylo Ren and his arc. One of the criticisms of TFA is that it’s too similar to A New Hope. Structurally that’s true, but the characters themselves are different and it works very well.
I like all of the main performances, and Harrison Ford once again steals the show as Han Solo (and doesn’t distract from the main story). We can easily see how the character of Han Solo has evolved. It’s clear that not only the wars of the Original Trilogy have softened him a bit, but the aftermath did as well. Same goes for Carrie Fisher’s General Leia. I also find Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac and John Boyega to be really good in their roles as well. I do find that the writing puts too much emphasis on the comedy aspect of Boyega’s Finn, but it’s not bad or anything.
Han Solo (and Chewie) were both amazing once again…
Another criticism of TFA was that there were no memorable music pieces. Those who said that must have watched a version without sound because themes for the Resistance, Rey and Kylo Ren are all excellent and I absolutely love “The Jedi Steps”. Absolutely crazy critique.
The only negatives I really have for TFA is the lightsaber scene near the end. Finn somewhat holds his own in a duel with Kylo Ren and Rey outright beats him. A strange decision that affected how I viewed Ren (which is a shame, because he’s amazing and probably the best character in this whole trilogy). I would have preferred we didn’t do that here, even if Disney wanted good to win Round 1.
Best Scene: It’s tough because Han Solo has plenty of amazing scenes here (as I wrote, he steals the show). I’ll go with his reaction to hearing about the map to Skywalker, and him telling Finn and Rey that “it’s [the legend of the Jedi and the darkside] true, all of it”. You can tell right there that Han’s been changed by the entire experience.
Worst Scene: There’s this out of place scene right after Han meets Rey and Finn involving monsters called rathars. It’s so out of place it’s almost laughable.
Other Thoughts:BB-8 had an excellent debut as the droid to “replace” R2-D2, but it’s not there yet. Knowing how Snoke ends definitely lowers his impact here, but there was definitely intrigue at the time. The ending scene with Rey and Luke Skywalker, barring the weird helicopter cam, is one of my favorites in all of Star Wars. The opening scene is my 2nd favorite in Star Wars as well (behind Revenge of the Sith).
Personal Story: One regret I have is that coming into the film, I was so focused on theory and analyzing that I didn’t it back and enjoy the film, and actually didn’t love it on first watch. But every time I came back to it I liked it more and more and would say it’s my 3rd or 4th favorite film in the franchise.
Final Thoughts: More importantly than anything else, this movie is a lot of fun. It’s a thrill ride with very few slow parts and a lot to take in. It also provided a lot of set-up for Episode VIII and Episode IX. It also made Disney look like geniuses at the box office, becoming the third film ever to reach the $2 Billion mark (it’s 4th all-time now).
Grade: A-
Released: December 15, 2017
First Seen: December 2017, in Theaters
Last Watch: Disney+
With incredible trailers and incredible reviews, hype was higher than ever for Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (TLJ). Unfortunately, the risks TLJ takes split the Star Wars fanbase and that fact is as important to this trilogy as the film itself.
Unlike every previous installment of the series, TLJ kicks off right after TFA. TLJ has three stories woven together, and a few things become readily apparent that Rian Johnson is not playing this one safe. First of which is the introduction of Poe Dameron’s character arc. Despite being a fine leader in TFA suddenly he’s the hothead who doesn’t listen to his commanding officers. Poe’s actions in the entire film directly cause the ending sequence and he really gets let off free in regards to this. Had the Resistance lost at the end, you can directly blame Poe for sending Finn and a new character named Rose (we’ll get there) on their side quest to infiltrate Snoke’s ship. Poe’s conflict with Vice AdmiralHoldo is written quite poorly (even if it actually does make sense, despite many feeling it didn’t). Holdo had a plan to escape The First Order, doesn’t tell Poe (which i am okay with, she outranks him afterall) and Poe helps Finn and Rose on their journey as well well causes a mutiny against Holdo. Really messy all around.
Speaking of Finn and Rose, Finn ends up with a similar character arc as TFA and it almost kinda works. The issue is how we get there. So once again Finn wants to run, but Rose, who’s sister died in an earlier battle, is tasked with stopping all deserters. Somehow they end up with a plan to stop the First Order from tracking their ship and tell Poe (not Holdo) about it. Poe helps them do it, sending them to find a master codebreaker to break into Snoke’s ship to turn off the tracker. Where Finn and Rose end up though is Canto Bight, and suddenly we’re talking about social justice topics in regards to cruelty to animals and how rich people become rich. While these are fine stories to tell and there definitely could have been a place in the trilogy to tell it, it’s completely distracting here and this side of the story goes off the rails. It’s a shame because the payoff is actually pretty cool (The Codebreaker betrays Finn and Rose, leading to a Captain Phasma vs. Finn showdown) and the acting is good all around. The Codebreaker’s betrayal leads to the First Order knowing Holdo’s plan, and if it weren’t for her amazing maneuver of shooting the ship at lightspeed through Snoke’s ship (absolutely amazing, if not questionable storyline wise) this battle would be over.
It’s also worth noting that this entire side of TLJ wasn’t about a high speed space chase or anything. The First Order was simply waiting for the Resistance to fun out of fuel. I have no idea how that passed the writing table. These are some of the worst ideas in all of Star Wars.
The Holdo maneuver is awesome, controversial as it is
And yet, the other side of TLJ is absolutely amazing. Rey has found Luke Skywalker to either bring him back to face Kylo Ren or to train Rey herself. But Luke’s shut himself off from the Force due to the fact he played a major part in Ben Solo’s turn into Kylo Ren. Mark Hamill is amazing here, showing disgust, annoyance and fear at all different points. Of course, this decision (to have Luke as a bitter old hermit) led to the backlash against TLJ as many felt (including Hamill himself at one point) that Luke wouldn’t become a bitter character. And I must say those people (including Hamill) are wrong. Making Luke the returning hero to save the day without conflict is a boring route that takes away from the character this trilogy is building (Rey). It’s not Luke Skywalker’s story, it’s Rey’s. Pretty much all of Rey, Kylo Ren and Luke’s scenes are incredible, and the throne scene once Ren kills Snoke (Snoke was pretty fun here too) may be the best scene Star Wars has to offer period. At the time I absolutely bought that Kylo Ren was going to turn to the light and was shocked that he didn’t. Despite it apparently being weakly choreographed (I would have never noticed if I hadn’t seen it in slow motion) Snoke’s guards vs. Ren and Rey is one of my favorite battles in the entire series. Best of all, up onto that point Rey has risen above what Luke Skywalker had become and what Kylo Ren had refused to do. It’s absolutely refreshing to have a character not being forced to do anything because of a prophecy or a destiny. It feels that Rey is making her own choices without influence and it’s really fantastic to see.
I also need to include that after seeing this film for the first time i was all-in on Kylo Ren and arguedat the time he could have ended up as the greatest Star Wars character ever. The entire “let the past end” combined with him doing everything to accomplish just that (killing Snoke, trying to destroy Luke Skywalker) is absolutely perfect. Also, for all the issues people have with this film being “retconned” by Rise of Skywalker, Kylo Ren always showed signs of wanting to return to the light, specifically when he doesn’t pull the trigger to kill General Leia. Kylo Ren at this point is proving to be a complex character who wants the past to die, but can’t quite let it go either.
There’s another whole finale after the three stories connect on Crait. Action wise it’s not quite TFA but it’s still okay. Two things happen that I do think hurt the film and the trilogy overall. The first is on a smaller scale. Finn is about to sacrifice himself for the Resistance, and Rose stops him with one of the worst quotes in the entire series; “We’re going to win this war not by fighting what we hate, but by saving what we love.” Not only have two characters sacrificed themselves for the Resistance (Rose’s sister and Holdo) in this film, in one of those cases (Holdo’s) the war probably ends without it. I feel bad for the backlash Kelly Marie Tran received for her performance as Rose (it was a good performance, just a bad character) but lines like that did not do her any favors. Anyway Finn’s arc could have been completed right at that moment.
The second issue with the finale is a conflicting one for me because the scene itself is awesome. So Luke Skywalker does return to face off with Kylo Ren. And while there’s some force trickery involved both Hamill and Adam Driver are excellent here and you really feel the scope of this big showdown. The issue here is that it steals Rey’s moment. Kylo Ren is in the spotlight (and killed Snoke to get there) as it should be, but Rey is off trying to help the Resistance escape by moving a bunch of rocks? Kylo doesn’t get a decisive victory over Luke either here. Awesome scene to see, but Rey needed to be involved in a bigger way here. This is also why Rey’s victory over Kylo Ren was a bizarre choice in TFA, because Kylo Ren still hasn’t beaten Rey and I’m wondering what the challenge to Rey is at this point.
Right showdown…wrong time
Best Scene: The moment Ren kills Snoke through Rey realizing Ren hasn’t quite turned to the light just yet.
Worst Scene: Unfortunately there are a lot of choices here (mostly on Canto Bight), but I’ll pick Rose’s saving of Finn.
Other Thoughts:BB-8 was still fun but a bit forgettable this time around…Carrie Fisher was great as well even if I didn’t write about her in this review…a lot of new Force powers are introduced here and I have no issue with any of them. The Force should evolve afterall. The comedy here missed more than hit, Finn coming out with water spraying all over the place was eye rolling, for example.
Personal Story: I absolutely loved this film the first time i saw it, but I chalk that up to a case of really getting into the good which forgives the bad. Admittedly this film isn’t as fun and even a bit of a tough rewatch. I can forgive all the Poe and Canto Bight stuff though, because they are supporting characters. But I can’t really get past Luke stealing Rey’s moment at the end. That hurt the film more than anything else.
Final Thoughts: I don’t find this to be the all-time great film that critics were saying, but those complaining that this shouldn’t be part of the Star Wars canon are also wrong. This film added dimensions to Luke Skywalker as well as pushed the two most important characters, Rey and Kylo Ren, to new heights. After analyzing this, I only need two things from Rise of Skywalker (which I got), some explanation for Rey being as powerful as she is, and Kylo Ren turning to the light (or becoming the big bad). If the secondary characters weren’t messed with so much here this would be the all-time great critics said it was…but alas the Luke-Kylo-Rey stuff just has to carry (and it does).
Grade: B
Released: December 20, 2019
First Seen: December 2019, in Theaters
Last Watch: In Theaters
I honestly didn’t know what to expect coming into Rise of Skywalker (ROS). While I enjoyed both TFA and TLJ, even as a fan ROS seemed to get lost somewhere. I’m not sure if it was due to Disney fatigue, or if the rabid Star Wars fandom (at this point purely against TLJ to the point that Rotten Tomatoes audience score was allegedly review bombed) had finally got to me. Maybe it was because, since we had last seen Star Wars on the big screen, Marvel busted out Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: End Game and there just wasn’t any emotional energy left to give a big name franchise. J.J. Abrams had an answer to all of this: “I’m just going to give you everything you all wanted”. And somehow…it mostly works and it’s amazing.
First thing to point out is that ROS does not waste time. The first teaser trailer told us Emperor Palpatine is back and our opening crawl tells us as much. A common complaint was that Palpatine coming back via opening crawl (or Fortnite event apparently) was stupid and I can’t say I agree. I don’t think we needed another 15 minutes watching Palpatine use Sith powers to turn into a Sith ghost. For anyone who paid attention to Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine’s resurrection is perfectly explained. And right away, you know where the film is going and the brilliance of Palpatine’s return. I’ve already written about the issue that Rey is currently overpowered with seemingly no equal, and we don’t know why the Resistance just won’t unleash her on the First Order. Well, when you have a character like that with one episode or story left to tell, you bring back the only character who can face her and deal with her. In this case, it’s the Emperor. Suddenly Rey’s the underdog again.
Who else could face Rey…
Interestingly enough though, there’s a twist involved that’s apparent from scene one. If this was just paint by the numbers, Kylo Ren would blindly follow the Emperor and perhaps turn at the end. But Kylo Ren is having none of Emperor bs and honestly, I thought there was a chance he was just going to off him right away and become the big bad. I would have been all for it too had Ren actually won a big fight in this trilogy. Palpatine plays his overpowered fleet card and gets Kylo on his side. Why is this different than the predictable scenario I laid out at the start of the paragraph? Because all film Kylo doesn’t seem to care about Palpatine and even talks about killing him when trying to convince Rey to join him. And that’s what really makes Kylo Ren an incredible character. He’s not the Emperor’s lackey or sidekick. He thinks of himself as an equal (or even stronger) than Palpatine and his attitude all film is “I’ll kill Palpatine if and when I want.” And even Palpatine in his dead state can’t read Ren (“The Jedi apprentice still lives, perhaps you have betrayed me”). Ren wants to crush everyone and rule the galaxy with Rey. Fantastic all around and a good follow-up to what TLJ did with him.
Speaking of Rey, while some pieces of her story is inconsistent, I think they work for the most part. All trilogy she’s been trying to find her place in the story. Thinking her parents were no one, she just seemed like a powerful character involved in this war with a connection to Ren. At the start she respects Leia as her master as she has the choice to do so. She’s not someone bound by “destiny”. She’s legitimately a good person who wants to do the right thing with the power of love and such. And how do you create conflict with a character like this? You take what she’s accepted in her life and tell her no, your destiny is you will take the throne of the Sith! She’s told that becoming Empress Palpatine is her place in the story. It’s a tremendous way to create a conflict with a character that did seem too strong and didn’t seem to have much of a story. Best of yet, because of Kylo Ren there’s a plausible scenario of Rey actually taking the throne and facing off with a converted-to-the-light Ben Solo (not that this was likely, mind you). The idea that Rey chooses to remain with the light, bringing light and hope along the way to those she encounters is a great one. Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and now Ben Solo (and by extension, the entire Resistance) are drawn back into the “right” side of the fight by Rey’s spirit and that’s a hero I believe in.
Be honest, there’s a part of you that wanted this…
The biggest issue for the film is that a lot of stories are crammed in. I like Finn a lot here, but the idea of him finding other rogue stormtroopers is something I wish was explored in TLJ as it had a lot of potential. Finn being force sensitive though is a nice touch and is something else that I wish there was time to explore (anyone having force sensitivity is a good carryover from TLJ though). We get a lot of history for Poe Dameron and while it’s fun, again it’s rushed a bit as J.J. clearly was trying to make up for not having a middle film to work with. Bonus points for Poe performing some crazy flying tech (even if the tech itself is bs). He is the best pilot in the galaxy afterall. Unfortunately Rose was put on the backburner, and even BB-8 didn’t seem as important as before. Maz Kanata is absolutely wasted. But at the same time, other characters old and new got their moments. I liked Jennah, General Pryde and Zorii, appreciated Chewie and Lando, and loved Hux’s story arc conclusion. The use of posthumous Carrie Fisher, while awkward in some spots, does work for the most part. If I had to take this all as a whole I would consider it a net positive, but I can see where viewers wouldn’t feel any of this.
Ultimately, this film shines in its final act. The moment Rey battles Kylo Ren and beyond is absolutely amazing. Emperor Palpatine goes full secret final boss mode and pulls out all the craziness, all while taunting Rey every step of the way. I assume some viewers found this to be over the top, but if there’s ever a time to pull out all the stops it’s in the last moments of the last film. Rey calling upon all the Jedi of the past to take out Palpatine and all of the Sith a perfect ending to the saga. Rey using Luke and Leia’s lightsabers to take out Palpatine once and for all is a nice show of respect for the OT. Ben Solo shines here as well, but never takes away from Rey’s moment. By the end of the film, there is no question that Rey earned the name Skywalker.
The final battle in the sky with the Resistance against the Last Order is breathtaking. While Lando bringing in reinforcements falls short of Endgame’s emotional climax, I also don’t think that’s a fair comparison (it’s just similar enough that it’s worth mentioning). The idea of attacking a Star Destroyer by actually taking the fight on the actual destroyer itself was incredible though, and Finn for the third time in three films stands up and makes the hero move. I’m glad to see that this time he pulled it off.
Best Scene: I hate to cop out but I’m going to here and pick two. The opening scene with Kylo Ren meeting the Emperor was incredible for Adam Driver’s performance alone. Look at Kylo Ren in TFA and TLJ and look at him here. There’s a sense of seriousness and it’s mind blowing. I was sold on the film instantly. Otherwise, Rey force teleporting the lightsaber to Ben Solo to take out the Knights of Ren, combined with Rey taking out all Palpatine’s guards is amazing.
Worst Scene: Our heroes end up in a sand pit (it’s literally one sand pit, how lucky) that ends up as a plot of convenience. While what happens down there is fine, we don’t even see how they get out.
Personal Story: I wrote a bit of a personal story at the start here. I don’t know if I’m getting more sentimental as I get older, but I felt this movie. As someone who doesn’t care about my family name, it’s inspiring to me to see Rey’s character choose and earn who she wants to be. I really had no expectations here, and I was blown away by just how good this film is.
Final Thoughts: There’s a video on Youtube of a young girl going to Disney World and getting amazingly excited when she meets Rey. Millions of young girls will grow up being who they want to be as opposed to who they are told they had to be, drawing inspiration from Rey Skywalker. Rey’s journey doesn’t dampen the stories of Luke and Anakin of the past, but instead adds a thrilling final chapter to an incredible fantasy world. Rise of Skywalker had the impossible task of closing out a 42 year, 9 (11?) film saga, and somehow pulled it off. No film in the Skywalker Saga drew from the mythology of the prequels, the charm of the OT character all while telling a new story like Rise of Skywalker does. Maybe it’s not the best Star Wars film (although, if you argue for it I definitely am not standing in your way), but it’s certainly the greatest.
And if this is what too much fan service is then please give me more fan service.
Grade: A+
Trilogy Thoughts: We’ll never see something like the Skywalker Saga again. It’s a shame that behind the scenes there was a lot of confusion about the direction the directors wanted to go. This only got worse when J.J. Abrams re-took the helm, as of course he wanted to close out the stories he started in TFA. Rian Johnson’s TLJ is always going to be the odd one out in this trilogy. For sure, some characters suffered here.
But the main characters shine and that’s what important. And despite a section of the Star Wars fandom feeling that TLJ shouldn’t be canon because of Luke Skywalker’s portrayal and that’s really unfortunate, because Skywalker’s payoff is arguably the most heroic of any Star Wars film. All of the OT characters presented have a satisfying end and help push the story along and are done with respect. It’s okay to take chances as long as the conclusion makes sense! Han, Luke, Leia, Chewie, Yoda and every voice that spoke to Rey and Ben provided the support that’s needed when establishing new characters. As Yoda says in TLJ: “We are who they grow beyond. That is the true burden of all masters.” To some people the OT will be Star Wars. But to a generation today, the ST is Star Wars.
I can’t give the trilogy an amazingly great score because of the continuity issues presented by the directorial issues. But this trilogy had everything and I hope in 10-15 years it’s remembered fondly. I think it’s my favorite too.
