Sleight of Film

Today’s quick review: Lupin III: The First. For his latest score, the world-famous thief Lupin III (Tony Oliver) sets his sights on the Bresson Diary, a locked journal which holds the secret to an ancient treasure. To unlock the diary, Lupin turns to Laetitia (Laurie C. Hymes), a young archaeologist. But the two of them face stiff competition from Professor Lambert (J. David Brimmer), Laetitia’s manipulative grandfather.

Lupin III: The First is a Japanese animated crime adventure. Lupin and his gang of thieves return to steal the one treasure his grandfather never could. True to the rest of the series, Lupin III: The First is a lighthearted romp about a playful thief who uses his wits, disguises, and all kinds of gadgets to steal the treasure and beguile his enemies. Sparkling action, a solid story, and a dash of style make the movie a fun watch.

Lupin III: The First is a new step for the series, taking traditionally hand-animated characters and rendering them in CGI. Lupin III: The First handles the transition with grace, staying faithful to the look and mannerisms of the characters while layering on realistic backgrounds and materials. The end result isn’t quite as dynamic as the series at its best, but its scenery and its action are both a treat to watch.

Lupin III: The First’s main shortcoming is that it misses the chance to go farther. The story can be formulaic in places, coasting on well-worn ideas from the Lupin III series when it could have established new ones of its own. The movie still has enough novelty to appeal to fans who are familiar with Lupin’s tricks, but it’s missing a lot of the little flourishes and connections that separate a good movie from a great one.

Overall, Lupin III: The First is a breezy adventure that will appeal to new and old fans alike. In spite of a few missed opportunities, the movie captures the playful tone of the series and successfully updates classic characters with a new visual style. Try it out when you are in the mood for something light, simple, and unabashedly fun. Skip it if you are looking for a heist that is more down-to-earth.

For a more artful take on the same character, check out Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro. For a globe-trotting adventure with more elaborate cinematography and a similar art style, try The Adventures of Tintin. For an adventure with some similar plot elements, try Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

[6.9 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10621032/). I give it a 7.0 for enjoyable characters, a solid plot, and strong visuals.

Today’s quick review: Tales from Earthsea. Arren (Matt Levin), a young prince, flees his home after killing his father in a fit of violence. While on the road, he meets Sparrowhawk (Timothy Dalton), a wandering archmage who takes Arren under his wing. As the two travel through the countryside, they are hounded by the minions of Lord Cob (Willem Dafoe), an evil wizard hunting for the secret of eternal life.

Tales from Earthsea is an animated fantasy movie from Studio Ghibli. Loosely based on the books by Ursula K. Le Guin, the movie takes place in a rich fantasy world where the balance of nature has been upset. The story follows a young man haunted by his darker side and a powerful wizard as they search for the source of the disturbances. Beautiful visuals and a detailed setting are held back by shaky storytelling and slow pacing.

Much of Tales from Earthsea’ appeal comes from its world. The visuals are reminiscent of other Ghibli films: traditional animation with a focus on gorgeous scenery, humble character designs, and the details of daily life. The movie only scratches the surface of its world, but its scenic vistas and comfortable tone make it a treat to spend time in. The fantasy elements are also a plus: a fleeting glimpse of larger mysteries.

The story is not handled as gracefully. Tales from Earthsea has promising plot hooks and characters with the potential for growth, but its sluggish pacing and unresolved plot threads sap a lot of the interest it builds up. Rather than crescendo to a climax that ties together the movie’s themes and character arcs, the story coasts into a mediocre ending that mistimes its emotional beats and leaves important questions unanswered.

The result is a step down from the quality Studio Ghibli fans may be used to. Tales from Earthsea does a skillful job with its visuals and its setting, but it lacks the tension and emotional resonance of other fantasy movies, especially those from Ghibli. It is still worth watching for its strengths, but any viewer hoping for a storytelling masterpiece should approach it with caution.

For a much more potent fantasy movie from Studio Ghibli that also has a mature tone and environmental themes, try Princess Mononoke. For one that uses a similar art style to better effect, try Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. For a more colorful Ghibli take on wizards and magic, try Howl’s Moving Castle.

[6.4 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0495596/). I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for pleasant artistry and a flawed story.

Today’s quick review: Dinosaur. Aladar (D.B. Sweeney), a dinosaur raised by a family of lemurs, loses everything when a meteor impact wipes out their island home. Escaping to the mainland, Aladar and the surviving lemurs join a herd of dinosaurs who are migrating to their nesting grounds. But Aladar’s altruism makes him an enemy of Kron (Samuel E. Wright), the herd leader, who believes that only the strong should survive.

Dinosaur is an animated family adventure that offers a dramatized glimpse into the prehistoric world. The story follows Aladar, his adoptive mother Plio (Alfre Woodward), her father Yar (Ossie Davis), and the other survivors of a cataclysm as they embark on a long journey to reach a new home. Dinosaur takes a very different approach than other family films, but its unique visual style and mature story help it carve out a niche for itself.

Dinosaur’s visuals are its most striking feature. Unlike other animated films, Dinosaur aims for realism, with just enough artistic liberties to let its animal cast emote like humans. The movie uses highly detailed CGI models of dinosaurs and other animals against live-action backgrounds. The net effect is occasionally uncanny but oten beautiful. Even though the graphics show their age, they are still like nothing else.

Dinosaur’s story is another outlier. Where many family films are tonally light, packed with humor, and limited to very specific types of drama, Dinosaur portrays a genuine struggle for survival in a harsh world. The movie does not shy away from showing death and predation, and its conflicts are almost all life-or-death. Balancing out the drama is Aladar, a surprisingly responsible protagonist whose optimism is infectious.

How much you get out of Dinosaur can vary considerably. At its worst, it is a visually jarring movie with a serious story and none of the cartoon charm that nearly all of its competition has. At its best, it pushes the boundaries of the available technology to bring its unique vision to life. Try out Dinosaur if you are interested in a movie that takes calculated risks, many of which pay off.

For a more cartoonish take on dinosaurs, try The Good Dinosaur or The Land Before Time. For another animated movie from Disney about a baby adopted by animals, try Tarzan. For a more comedic prehistoric adventure, try Ice Age.

[6.5 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0130623/). I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for impressive visuals and an ambitious story with hit-or-miss results.

Today’s quick review: The Good Dinosaur. Arlo (Raymond Ochoa), a skittish young dinosaur, lives on a farm with his father (Jeffrey Wright), mother (Frances McDormand), and siblings (Marcus Scribner and Maleah Padillah). When Arlo falls in a river and gets washed far away from home, he must face his fears and make friends with Spot (Jack Bright), a wild human boy, to survive the long journey back home.

The Good Dinosaur is an animated family adventure set in a prehistoric world where the dinosaurs never went extinct and early humans are beginning to develop. The movie fits in comfortably with the rest of its genre: a young protagonist embarks on a frightening journey to get back to his family. However, although The Good Dinosaur follows the formula faithfully, shaky story work and a weak vision keeping it from making a major impression.

The Good Dinosaur’s biggest issue is that its world feels empty. The movie goes to great pains to show the forests, mountains, and fields of Arlo’s home, yet there is almost no one in them. Arlo’s family lives alone on a farm, with no immediate sign of other dinosaurs, and for most of his journey he is alone with Spot, a feral boy who doesn’t speak. As such, the movie has little of the color and sense of wonder that similar films have.

The movie also misses with some of its core ideas. Arlo’s struggle to confront his fears works well enough, but there is almost no depth to it, and Arlo himself is not a very interesting character. The role reversal, where an intelligent dinosaur takes care of a dog-like human, is good for a few jokes but gets old fast. And for a movie nominally about dinosaurs, The Good Dinosaur seemingly tries to show as few of them as possible.

The result is a quaint movie that will appeal to some younger audiences but does not have the usual appeal of Disney and Pixar films. Completionists or viewers who are deeply interested in its premise may want to give it a shot. Many viewers will have better luck elsewhere.

For an animated comedy with a prehistoric setting and more personality, try Ice Age, Early Man, or The Land Before Time. For a similar plot handled with much more finesse, try Finding Nemo. For another role reversal comedy that paints humans in a different light, try Planet 51 or Escape from Planet Earth.

[6.7 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1979388/). I give it a 6.0 for a weak story with mild charm.

Today’s quick review: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. For the last year, Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), Astrid (America Ferrera), and the Vikings of Berk have been busy rescuing as many dragons as they can from trappers. But when Grimmel (F. Murray Abraham), a dangerous dragon hunter, comes to capture Hiccup’s dragon Toothless, Hiccup leads his people on a search for the Hidden World, the ancient home of dragons, where they can live in peace.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is an animated fantasy adventure that concludes the main story arc of the series. As the number of dragons in their village swells, the residents of Berk are left with the problem of how to keep them safe from humans who want to ensalve them. The Hidden World continues the series tradition of immersive world-building, flashy action, and deft character work, making it a worthy conclusion to the trilogy.

The Hidden World builds skillfully on the foundation laid by the first two films. The characters have grown during the time since the last film, but they remain the same people. Hiccup has stepped into his father’s role as chief, and now he faces the prospect of taking the village into a new era. At the same time, he struggles to give Toothless the space he needs when his dragon falls in love with a female Night Fury.

The film also has plenty of spectacle. The graphics are another refinement on the previous entries, with better particle effects and more detailed outfits for the characters. The action is as solid as ever, with fast-paced dragon combat, rollicking melee brawls, and large-scale battles. The battle scenes themselves do not quite reach the heights of the previous film, with a slightly weaker climax, but they buttress the story very well.

The Hidden World has a few minor flaws not shared by its predecessors. The plot moves at the pace of Hiccup’s ideas, with the villagers following his lead without much argument. The film finds plenty of other conflicts to keep Hiccup busy, but the lack of pushback leads to a series of abrupt status quo changes as Hiccup tries out new ideas. The Hidden World also has more of a bittersweet tone than the previous films.

Any fans of the series should check out How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. It carries forward the strongest elements of the previous films, incorporates its own additions to the world, and serves up a satisfying conclusion to the story. How you like it compared to the other films will come down to taste, but anyone with a yearning for heartfelt fantasy adventure would do well to give it a try.

7.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for exciting action and a fulfilling story. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2386490/

Today’s quick review: How to Train Your Dragon 2. Five years after Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) befriended Toothless, the village of Berk has become a haven for dragons. Hiccup and Toothless spend their days charting new lands, and his father Stoick (Gerard Butler) wants him to take over as chief. But when Hiccup gets word that Drago Bloodfist (Djimon Hounsou) is gathering a dragon army, he flies out to protect his people and their way of life.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 is an animated fantasy adventure. As Hiccup and his friends venture further on their dragons, they discover a larger world beyond their village, with new marvels and new dangers. How to Train Your Dragon 2 expands the setting of the series and continues the growth of Hiccup, Stoick, and the rest. Excellent action, polished graphics, and a solidly constructed story make the film a worthy sequel.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 serves up even more spectacle than the first film. The graphics are a refinement on the original, with crisp material effects, gorgeous scenery, and a keen attention to the way the characters move. The battles are fast and kinetic, a mixture of dragon flight, siege weaponry, and melee combat. The scale of the action is much larger than before, giving the film an unexpectedly epic quality in places.

Nor does How to Train Your Dragon 2 neglect its story. The film captures the progression of time in a way that few sequels manage to. Hiccup and his friends have clearly grown over the last five years, but not so much that they feel like different people. The extensions to the setting are all very welcome, while the main plot strikes an elegant balance between a powerful external threat and a tender personal journey for Hiccup.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 is an impressive film that delivers art, action, and character in equal measure. Not everyone will like the world and its characters, but viewers with even a mild appreciation of the first film will enjoy what the sequel has to offer. Give it a shot when you are looking for a polished adventure with strong emotional foundations. For a darker fantasy adventure with a similar villain, try Conan the Barbarian.

[7.8 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1646971/). I give it a 7.5 for strong action and excellent all-around craftsmanship.

Today’s quick review: How to Train Your Dragon. Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), a scrawny Viking teenager, has spent his life trying to hunt dragons like his father Stoick (Gerard Butler). After years of failure, he succeeds in bringing down a Night Fury, a rare and dangerous dragon. But when he goes to kill it, he finds that the dragon is nothing like he was taught. Naming it Toothless, Hiccup sets out to prove that dragons can be trained.

How to Train Your Dragon is an animated fantasy adventure about a teenage boy who befriends a dragon, the hated enemy of his village. Through trial and error with Toothless, Hiccup learns how dragons behave when they are not carrying off livestock and setting fire to buildings. In doing so, he opens up a new path forward for his village. Solid storytelling, an inventive world, and plenty of action make How to Train Your Dragon a strong pick.

How to Train Your Dragon sets up its conflict well. Hiccup is nothing like his fellow Vikings. He is observant, inquisitive, and physically weak, making him a social outcast and a disappointment to his father. His friendship with Toothless is a new chance for him to prove himself, as well as unique application of his skills. The result is a story with a clean but satisfying progression and an excellent arc for its main character.

How to Train Your Dragon also benefits from strong world-building. The movie goes the extra mile to explain the different kinds of dragon and their personalities, as well as the people and traditions of Hiccup’s village. These details add just enough color to the movie and make its world fun to explore. Meanwhile, the animation fully conveys the excitement of fighting and riding dragons, especially when it comes to Toothless.

How to Train Your Dragon is a well-rounded movie with a rewarding story and no major missteps. How much you get out of it will depend on exactly how its world and its characters hit you, but its craftsmanship makes it well worth a watch for anyone who is interested. Fans of less conventional stories may want to steer clear; for all of its individual touches, How to Train Your Dragon sticks close to the structure of other family films.

For another animated family film about a boy making friends with a misunderstood creature, try The Iron Giant. For an animated fantasy adventure with similar family dynamics, try Brave.

[8.1 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892769/). I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for a unique premise and a well-constructed story.

Today’s quick review: Barnyard. Otis (Kevin James), an irresponsible cow, wants nothing more than to party and get in trouble while his father Ben (Sam Elliott) takes care of the barnyard animals. But when Ben is killed defending the farm from coyotes, Otis has to grow up and become the leader his father wanted him to be.

Barnyard is a family animated comedy about a farm full of animals who talk, eat, and party whenever the farmer isn’t looking. The story follows Otis as he learns the importance of responsibility when his friends are threatened by coyotes. Barnyard tries to make up for in bravado what it lacks in finesse. Unfortunately, its coarse humor and handful of emotional moments are not enough to offset its mediocre CGI, basic plot, and comedic misses.

Barnyard aims wide with a lot of its humor. The chief source of comedy is the many ways Otis and his friends find to cause trouble around the farm, including dancing in the barn, ordering pizzas, and joyriding in the neighbor’s car. Some of the gags are passable, but most of them are lowbrow humor that tries too hard to be funny. Barnyard also leans too heavily on musical sequences to pad its run time and convey its party atmosphere.

As far as story goes, Barnyard offers only the bare minimum. The basic premise of Otis learning responsibility is fine, but the story is clumsy in the way it plays out. Otis does not have a natural character arc where he gradually grows up. Instead, the movie uses a series of discrete obstacles to force him to grow. The result is an underdeveloped story that has a hard time setting up its emotional payoff.

Barnyard holds some appeal due to its serviceable premise and vivacious style of humor. Younger audiences and fans of mischievous antics may find something to like. But for most viewers, Barnyard will be outclassed by other family comedies with sharper humor, subtler character work, and better artistry. Approach only with caution.

For a more entertaining take on animals’ interactions with humans, try Over the Hedge. For an animated cow adventure with similar issues, try Home on the Range. For a more robust comedy set on a farm, try Chicken Run. For a more unique comedy from the same director, try Kung Pow: Enter the Fist.

[5.6 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0414853/). I give it a 5.0 for enthusiastic but misplaced humor.

Today’s quick review: Henchmen. As punishment for acts of heroism, Hank Corrigan (James Marsden), a henchman for the Union of Evil, is assigned to janitorial duty with Lester (Thomas Middleditch) as his apprentice. The two get a shot at real villainy when Lester accidentally steals a prototype battle suit, setting them on a collision course with Baron Blackout (Alfred Molina), a nefarious villain trying to stage his comeback.

Henchmen is an animated superhero comedy that pays tribute to the genre’s hard-working and overlooked minions. The story pairs Hank, an honest worker upset at his uncaring bosses, with Lester, a novice henchman eager to make his mark on the world. Henchmen features a charming story that plays with the conventions of the superhero genre, but it runs into a handful of issues with its visuals and the details of its script.

Henchmen does a lot with its premise. The story takes place in Supervillain City, a bustling metropolis where villains hatch their plans and henchmen take care of all the grunt work. The setting gives the movie a solid base to work with, setting up any number of supervillain jokes and establishing a conflict between the grand villainy Lester dreams of and the modest life of work and friendship Hank has come to appreciate.

Visually, Henchmen occupies an interesting niche. It has clear budget issues that show in low-resolution character models, mediocre designs, and a slight stiffness to the animation. But the movie finds clever way around these limitations. Even if the character movement is not always fluid, it has plenty of life, and the combination of a bright color palette and hand-drawn visual effects lets the graphics punch above their weight.

Even so, Henchmen has some rough edges. The friendship between Hank and his fellow henchmen is a vital plot point, but the script does not have the finesse it needs to make it stick. The plot has a couple of visible seams where separate subplots are welded together. And while the movie does its best to put its own mark on the superhero genre, it has to compete with a long line of predecessors that explore some of the same ideas.

For fans of the superhero genre, Henchmen is a diamond in the rough. Its humble exterior conceals a clever script, a talented voice cast, and a clear love for the genre. At the same time, Henchmen can come across as a little generic, and the limitations of its visuals and its writing make it a tough sell to critical viewers. Give it a shot if you are willing to approach with an open mind. Avoid it if you are looking to be impressed.

For another animated superhero comedy that looks at the genre from the villain’s perspective, check out Megamind. For an animated superhero adventure with a similar love for the genre, try The Incredibles. For a live-action superhero comedy that gives a similar treatment to wannabe heroes, try Sky High or Mystery Men.

[5.1 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3076510/). I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for creativity, humor, and heart held back by some notable limitations.

Today’s quick review: The Adventures of Panda Warrior. Patrick (Rob Schneider), a cowardly soldier, finds himself transformed into a panda and taken to Merryland, a mythical world of talking animals and magic. There he teams up with Peggy Skyflyer (Lauren Elizabeth), a flatulent flying pig, and a motley team of animal warriors to free Merrlyand from the Evil Master (Derek Stephen Prince) and his Phantom Army.

The Adventures of Panda Warrior is a budget animated family fantasy adventure. Rob Schneider stars as a legendary warrior destined to save a magical land from a great evil. The movie starts with a generic premise and only gets shakier from there. Lazy world-building, unappealing character designs, cheap CGI, and disjointed writing all contribute to a rough viewing experience with practically no redeeming qualities.

One of the highlights of animated family films is their art, and this is where The Adventures of Panda Warrior is most lacking. The movie obviously has a low budget and it compounds the problem with a series of bad design choices that undermine what little appeal it has. Patrick and his friends are meant to be a colorful team of fighting animals, but their designs are incoherent and their animation is awkward at the best of times.

Narratively, The Adventures of Panda Warrior fares just as poorly. The setup—a soldier sucked into another world where he learns to be brave—would be passable if the movie did anything to build on it. Instead, the movie spends its time jumping from one idea to the next without any rhyme or reason. Patrick’s adventures consist of a series of battles with the Evil Master’s minions, none of which carry any weight or contribute to the larger plot.

The end result is a bland, unsuccessful movie that never gets out of the starting gate. The Adventures of Panda Warrior goes through the motions of a fantasy adventure without any of the qualities that make the genre work. Younger audiences may get something out of the fact that it is animated, but children who are old enough to understand even basic stories will be better off with one of the many other animated films out there.

For a much higher-quality take on a superficially similar premise, try Kung Fu Panda. For a more endearing low-budget action fantasy movie with derivative elements, try Ator, the Fighting Eagle or In the Name of the King. For an animated adventure of similarly dubious caliber, try The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue.

[1.7 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5779650/). I give it a 2.5 for low production values and a lifeless story.