Review: Sonic the Hedgehog 2

After a pretty successful first outing, the sequel has some of the hero’s… overconfidence. Doctor Ivo Robotnik has returned from being marooned on an alien world, hellbent on destroying the blue hedgehog hero that put him there. But he isn’t alone; a new adversary joins him, while Sonic himself gains a new ally. This is…

Review: Encanto

The Disney magic is very much back in Encanto! A young girl has to face the reality that she is the only member of the family who has no magical powers. But when a vision brings her portents of doom to their enchanted home and abilities, will she be completely ostracized? It is irritating that…

Review: Soul

Gorgeous Pixar movie with a neat little premise, but just lacks a little something… Aspiring Jazz pianist Joe Gardener is trapped teaching music lessons at a local High School, and just when his big break is around the corner… he dies. But when he rejects his fate and runs from the light, his soul finds…

Review: My Life as a Courgette

It took a really long time to finally watch, and yeah, it was alright. After a terrible accident, a boy named Courgette finds himself orphaned and taken to an orphanage. Once there he learns that he isn’t alone, that life can still be kind, and perhaps everyone has their own problems to bear. A French…

Review: The Flight of Dragons

Imagine a time before DVDs, before the Internet, before streaming services. A time when you had to go outside, and to your local video rental store if you wanted to watch a new movie. A time when here, in the UK, we had four television channels; cable did not exist. A time when phones were…

Review: Missing Link

From such an acclaimed animation studio, you would hope for more than this. A British hunter looking for fame and fortune goes in search of the legendary Sasquatch. But what he finds is not what he expected at all; a living, breathing, talking creature who enlisted his help to find his way home. Laika animation…

Review: How to Train Your Dragon 3 – The Hidden World

So Dreamworks flagship goes the way of trilogy of Godfather, Robocop, and Back to the Future… where the third entry is definitely the weakest. When a new threat to their pet dragons emerges, the vikings of Berk need to consider finding a new home. Meanwhile, love is in the air when Toothless meets a Lightfury….

Review: The Lego Movie 2

Everything is average, everything is lame when it feels unnecessary. Following from the closing moments of the first film, the constructed heroes do battle against the cutesy forces from the Sis-star System, and only grisly determination can overcome the cuteness. Warning: this review contains overblown praise for the first Lego Movie. This film is a…

Review: Bumblebee

Dialling everything back to basics, Bumblebee is simple yet charming, a straightforward action adventure with none of the previous films’ dementia. Before Sam Witwicky has his fateful encounter with Autobot Bumblebee, the robotic warrior had another friend. Together, the two had to battle the odds and prevent the evil Decepticons from locating Earth. As an…

Review: Incredibles 2

Much like the first film, Incredibles 2 is good but not stand-out. The Parr family, after their exploits against the villainous Syndrome, are still at odds using their powers for good in a world that rejects superheroes. But when a corporation looks to promote Elastigirl to restore the superhero public perception, Mr Incredible needs to…