A “QUICK!” Review of “Bubble (2022)”

Netflix has been investing in a lot of original anime projects and Bubble (2022) is one of them. This project had big build up when it was announced that Wit Studio, who animated the first 3 seasons of Attack on Titan, was involved in this movie. It also had the director and producer of the first 3 seasons of Attack on Titan and legendary writer, Gen Urobochi, of Madoka Magica and Psycho pass fame was writing for Bubble (2022). It was also revealed one of the best anime composers, Sawano Hiroyuki, was going to compose for this film. It just screamed amazing!

So imagine my disappointment after watching this film when it turned out to be quite bland. Yes the animation is phenomenal, the music score is god tier and the world itself is pretty interesting. However, the plot is just a very typical boy meets girl situation and it never goes beyond that whatsoever. The characters are just generic, one dimensional and forgettable. I never connect or root for the main characters and the supporting characters just end up being there for the sake of it. There isn’t anything at stake until the last 30 minutes of the film. The first 100 is just a slow pace drag of occasional things happening.

It’s a shame that with all these industry veterans, this is the best they came up with. At least the visuals and music is astoundingly good.

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A “QUICK!” Review of “Boy Kills World (2024)”

Bill Skarsgard in an action movie? Yes Please! The story is a generic revenge flick with an interesting concept of a mute and deaf protagonist. The main character has an inner voice which is voiced by H. Jon Benjamin of Archer and Bob’s Burger fame. This sounds interesting on paper but the problem is that the lines are so obnoxious and there are too many. It is always some kind of stupid quip or stating an obvious. It has a lot of comedy but most didn’t land for me. However, you are here for the action and it delivers on those. It has a lot of gore, gunplay, martial arts and over-the-top set pieces. It really shines in the 3rd act in both the story and the action. The final fight is a top-tier choreographed fight. In the end, Boy Kills World knows what it is and gives you exactly that. A bloody, fun action comedy!

A “QUICK!” Review of “Badland Hunters (2024)“

Ma Dong-Seok is one of the coolest dudes in Korean cinema. I do think the film is a little disappointing as the post-apocalyptic setting isn’t used in an exciting way. The plot is also nothing special. It is incredibly dumb and predictable while also having minimal explanation about anything. The characters are also very bland. There is barely any exploration of any of the characters including the main character. Due to this, they all come off as one-dimensional and this makes it very difficult to care about anyone. However, it has some incredibly well-choreographed and fun action sequences. Who doesn’t want to see Ma Dong-seok kick ass!

A “QUICK!” Review of “Monkey Man (2024)”

Dev Patel is an actor I admire so of course I was interested in his directorial debut. There is a lot of great stuff here but there are some issues too. The first act has a great build-up with its sprinkle of backstory and world of crime. The action scene is fun albeit it is overly edited and has a lot of shaky cams. The movie’s pacing then goes to a complete stall with its boring second act that goes on for too long. Nothing of importance occurs apart from explaining something the audience already knows and a pointless side quest. The final act is a full-on action set piece that doesn’t use shaky cam but is incredibly predictable. Monkey Man has an interesting spin with the added Indian mythology but it is just an overstuffed and over-explained revenge story. It is a great start for Dev Patel and I will look at his director career with great interest.

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