Movie Review - HOME

HOME

Starring: Jim Parsons, Rihanna, Steve Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Matt Jones, Brian Stepanek, April Lawrence, Stephen Kearin, Lisa Stewart, April Winchell, Derek Blankenship, and Nigel W Tierney

Directed by: Tim Johnson Screenplay by: Tom J Astle and Matt Ember Based on the Book by: Adam Rex Music by: Lorne Balfe

Premise: After the Boov take over Earth, Oh finds his new life there unexpectedly much like his old one. But when he makes the mistake of sending off a party invitation to ALL, which includes the dreaded Gorg his people had run to Earth to escape, Captain Smek and all the Boov want to arrest him. Realizing he made a mistake and trying to hide, Oh inadvertently runs into a human girl. One who accidentally didn't get carted off to Humanity Land like the rest of the Earth's population two weeks before. Now they need to make the effort to understand each other before things get any worse. (Rated  PG)

Review:

1) Voice Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Jim Parsons is fun as the clueless, well meaning Oh. Rihanna is totally adorable as Tip. Steve Martin as Captain Smek was a perfect choice. Matt Jones also added some great levity as Kyle.

2) Artwork/Animation - Total Thumbs Up: Dreamworks Animation did an awesome job on the film. The Boov's cool color changes and gradations were neat to watch and gave a different dimension to the alien characters. The circular thematic theme for all things Boov was also very well done. Watching iconic Earth structures floating in bubbles left no doubt things on Earth had changed.

I loved the bizarre clumps of floating things considered useless Earth items by the Boov. The weirdness of the Captain as he found other items to adore and use in non-human ways was highly amusing. There are four quick shorts at the film's site that are basically taped experiments of human devices - definitely amusing.

Pig, Tip's corkscrew tailed cat, was a hoot. His fur swayed and moved even as he purred. The silent but no less entertaining character added a lot of lovely flavor.

The Slush Car, a weird amalgamation of 7-11, Back to the Future, and Herbie the Love Bug, was totally awesome. Talk about using the resources available to the most advantage! The car rocked!

The Gorg ships and their planet destroying Mother Ship were quite impressive.  The Gorg in all their forms were fascinating as well.

3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: The commercials and the original "Almost Home" short shown as part of Mr. Peabody & Sherman conveyed a somewhat wrong impression of what the movie would be about, so it takes a little adjustment. The film though does pick up exactly where the short left off.

As the title implies, the main theme of the film is an exploration of what we emotionally call/feel is home and our struggles to fit in in society. Family is also a large theme in the film, as well as friendship and reaching mutual understanding between species.

The plot is pretty straightforward, containing few surprises, but it will definitely stir your emotions at a couple of spots. The reunion scene was quite moving. Some of Boov's reactions were most amusing. Though I have to say that with the things they eat for sustenance, some of the jokes with regards to things best not eaten, fall slightly flat.

Conclusion: HOME is entertaining and cute and will move you, but it won't excite or surprise you. Plenty of fun and action for the kids. The animation is great and has lots of nice inventive touches.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Better for Matinee)


In case you missed it - this played before Mr. Peabody & Sherman - ALMOST HOME

Movie Review - Vampire Academy

Vampire Academy

Starring: Zoey Deutch, Lucy Fry, Danila Kozlovsky, Gabriel Byrne, Dominic Sherwood, Olga Kurylenko, Sarah Hyland, Cameron Monaghan, Sami Gayle, Ashley Charles, Claire Foy, Joely Richardson, Dominique Tipper, and more.

Directed by: Mark Waters Screenplay by: Daniel Waters Based on the Novel by: Richelle Mead Cinematography by: Tony Pierce-Roberts Music by: Rolfe Kent

Premise: After a year living among normal people, Lissa Dragomir and her protector, Rose Hathaway, are found again by the Guardians of the Vampire Academy. Lissa and Rose are the only survivors of a terrible car accident two years prior. One which has made Lissa the sole remaining Dragomir, and one who is in line for the throne. Not that the way she's treated by everyone at the academy makes her feel like she's actually anyone important. But her special bond with Rose, which goes beyond their survival of the crash, might be the one thing which will keep her out of evil's clutches. (PG-13)

Review:

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Zoey Deutch was so much fun as Rose Hathaway. As the main character, her delivery of Rose's 'snark' and general 'speak her mind' attitude gave the film a lot of zing. Lucy Fry played a very convincing Lissa, demure and reserved yet slowly flowering into the queen she might yet be. Dominic Sherwood did great as the first smitten, later spurned, then boyfriend and Rose's 'frienemie'. Sarah Hyland and Sami Gayle were very convincing as their roles slowly changed through the film.

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: Since the Moroi are magic wielders, this gave ample opportunities for the special effects department to show us some neat little special effects. The change in Rose's eyes whenever she tuned in to Lissa looked great. And so did the Strigoi - the truly undead vampires in this universe. Their wolves were all right, though most special effect groups do seem to have a hard time with them. But definite praise should be given for the transformation which occurs late in the film - it was so seamless you almost didn't even realize it happened. A very impressive piece of work.

3) Story - Total Thumbs Up: Viewers are rushed about a little as a lot of information is fed to us very fast. Rose's continued commentary, however, helps with the transition. For the short 104 minutes of the film and the amount of history needed to be imparted to viewers to give them a sense of the world they were viewing, the screenplay did a pretty good job. I've not read the series the film is based on, but overall I felt I was given enough information to have a decent 'clue' on what was going on and why.

This is film based on a young adult series, so it brings up a lot of the usual issues in high school, except these are between living, magic using vampires and the half breeds who protect them. But there's also deeper machinations going on, like the fact Rose was compelled to get her and Lissa to run away the year before in the first place.

It does take some getting used to to think of the vampires at the academy as being alive and of another, very dangerous group who are actually the true undead. But as with any good story, the obvious bad guys aren't always the ones you really need to worry about. Not at first.

4) Stunts - Total Thumbs Up: Some neat training scenes and some definitely cooler combat scenes kept the stunt team quite busy. Add a few bits of magic later on, and the fights got even more of a kick.

Conclusion: "Vampire Academy" is a fast, fun ride. Some twists and turns and not all of them obvious. A cool introduction to a convoluted world.

Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)