Reviews

So much blood, violence, and death in one cartoon episode. It is hard to describe the horrors that unfold in this episode. You must watch at your own risk. It is all executed beautifully dark though, so if you are up for it definitely see it!

Hunter x Hunter is a perfect example of a dark masterpiece. Just like Fullmetal Alchemist and Death Note. A work of art.

I'll never forget the first time I read this chapter in the manga and the first time I watched this episode on tv. My jaw drops every time. I know exactly how it happens every time and yet I just want to step in and say "NO DON'T YOU DARE DO IT SHOU. Ed please rescue them before it's too late!!!"

Fullmetal Alchemist shows how dark a show it truly is almost immediately, and this episode sold me on the series. You'll be on the edge of your seat every moment of this episode (and most of the show for that matter)!

An unforgettable masterpiece of dark animation. This is EXACTLY how I want a dark and gruesome anime to be. It makes you feel every emotion between fear, anger, sadness, and disgust! Hurry up and watch it already if you haven't!!!

I cried at the passing of a pirate ship. A PIRATE SHIP. How does one show develop its characters so well that it made me cry over the death of a goddamn prate ship?!?!

One Piece has some incredible episodes, and this is one of their finest, most gut-wrenching moments. If you have been watching One Piece up to this point, you will more than likely cry at this episode. Heck, even if you DIDN'T watch the show up to this point you will probably be in tears.....

This is also one of the first times we see Luffy break down into such heavy tears, because he knew how careless he was with the Going-Merry and that it was partially his fault that it would not last them any longer. So heartbreaking when the Merry speaks to them. Just thinking about it is bringing me to tears right now. :'(

Do watch this episode even if you don't plan to watch the whole series. It is one of the finest pieces of animation in my humble opinion. You will DEFINITELY need tissues though!

I think this episode of South Park is just what we all needed right now, much like the 2001 episode "Osama bin Laden has Farty Pants" after 9/11. It has been a crazy hard year, and we all just want it to be over with.

Stan's speech near the end of the episode at the Build-a-Bear hit me in such a way that actually genuinely nearly brought me to tears. Everything he said sums up how I feel today, even as a grown man in his 20s. I just want things to go back to normal. I miss hanging out with friends. I miss going out to see friends. I miss going out in public without a worry. I miss going to conventions. And most of all, I miss being able to do the things I used to do without having to resort to these drastic measures. I miss it. We all miss it. We just want things to return to normal. Nobody is happy right now, and I can't blame anyone......

The episode also touches on the subject of police brutality and the current president who has shown little to no care about bringing the pandemic to an end (Let's just be real here.....)

It is a very surreal episode. It might not age well in the coming years, but it will remain as a testament to how crazy this year has been. And I really appreciate the way they went about it.

To me, this may be the most legendary South Park episode, and I'm not joking. 10/10 all the way. Thank you Matt and Trey. Thank you South Park for giving us what we need most: A good laugh and a sure sign that I and the rest of us are not alone. <3

If I am being completely objective, this movie is probably deserving of a 5 or 6. It's not the absolute dumpster fire many critics say it is, but it still misses the mark on so many levels. But at the end of the day, this is a movie I enjoyed.

You probably don't need me to explain what is objectively "wrong" with this movie, but I will sum it up briefly: It is heavily modernized and the message got really muddled in making an hour long adaptation. They added a character whose sole purpose was to be a villain, and contradicted the "anyone can turn into a Once-ler" message by giving the actual Once-ler a face in this movie (and apparently spawning a fanbase of sorts.......). It also doesn't help that there were dozens of product tie-ins advertised when the movie came out which just proved how much a sellout Illumination was....and still is.

So why do I still give it an 8/10? Because I thoroughly enjoy this film each time I see it. I dare say it is one of Illumination's finer films alongside the first Despicable Me (certainly better than Minions, Secret Life of Pets 1 and 2, and even Sing in my opinion...) It is probably one of the if not THE only Illumination film to feature originally written and performed songs. And I actually liked a majority of them! You can thank composer John Powell who has worked on many other animated movies with good soundtracks, so you can be assured the music in this movie is pretty good! The musical/lyric songs are also decent, and I particularly enjoyed the opening song (Thneedville) and final number (Let it Grow). Both of which are readily available on Youtube.

I also really like the animation and voice acting. Even the worst of Illumination movies are still somewhat pleasant to look at, but I found The Lorax movie to be their most visually pleasing. Maybe that's just because it's done in the style of Dr. Seuss, who has an aesthetically pleasing art style but my point still stands. As for the voice acting, I was particularly satisfied with Danny Devito's performance as the orange guy himself, but I also enjoyed Ed Helms as the Once-ler, Zac Efron as Ted Wiggins ("Ted" being named after Ted Geisel, Dr. Seuss' real name), and of course Betty White as Granny Norma!!! Will always give props to Betty White and her performances! :D

And then there's the story of this movie, which is where most are divided. I did indeed grow up reading the book, and it always upset me at how depressing and bleak it was (as it should; that was the point after all). This movie sort of provided the closure I strongly desired as a kid, and I really REALLY loved that about it when I first saw it in theaters at 14 yrs old 8 years ago. Basically the movie has a "happy ending" which somewhat ruined the message of the original story. It doesn't completely ""ruin"" the message of the book, but it is slightly weaker as a result, and the movie is generally criticized for the ending. While I certainly agree with the criticism, I will always have a soft spot for how this movie ended. It still puts a smile on my face every time I see the Lorax and Once-ler hug it out. :)

Along with Dr. Seuss very famous quote "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not...." this showed there was some care put into this movie adaptation, even if it was muddled. Effort was put into the writing in some spots so that the movie doesn't lose Seuss' message in its entirety. And I respect that.....well kind of. Would've been better if they had kept the message as strong as the book though.

I also didn't really mind O'Hare as a villain. His motivation makes sense, and even adds some comic relief during his scenes. I enjoyed him, along with Rob Riggle as his voice.

Overall this movie is generally a miss in the public eye, but it firmly falls under the guilty pleasure category for me. I enjoyed the songs, the message, the animation, and even some of the jokes got a laugh out of me. This is certainly one of the less good animated movies of the decade (I mean how can this compare to the beauty and wonder of Coco, Spiderverse, Inside Out, etc?) but I find it to be better than most people say. Definitely read the book first before watching the movie and decide for yourself!