K. Al

I watched this film right after 'Collision course' (had myself a little ice age marathon) and compared to the previous one - it's better. The animation is downgraded, the voices are different, the lore is different and the story isn't that amazing, but it was NOWHERE NEAR as painful as Collision course. So like, if I hadn't seen the 5th film, I might have thought Buck Wild is bad, but because I did, in fact, sit through one of the most disgusting and mean spirited films I've EVER seen (collision course), then by comparison alone - Buck Wild wins. It's fine, harmless. Won't make u wanna die. Thumbs up!

Most people with 1 star reviews are a bit confused about what sexuality is, that's very easy to see. Being straight is ALSO a sexual preference. I was about 11 years old when I felt attracted to my same-sex best friend, AND I was growing up in a mega strict baptist family where I'd always been taught gays go to hell. Surprisingly, that didn't stop my brain from feeling attracted to women, even if I'd never seen a positive or normalised gay representation. But my issues with the film are A LOT simpler. It's that the main conflict, for me, was too easy and on top of that the writers made it muddled. 'I'm not YOU, dad!', is a line I've heard too many times, without doing anything new with it. But maybe YOUR kids haven't, and so it'll be new to them, so then that's fine! :) (Maybe it would've been cool to see the boy find out he likes flying, like the mom?) I LOVE the creatures design, and want figurines, EXCEPT for the blue blob. That addition rubbed me the wrong way the entire time, but that's because it's another overdone trope they didn't try to change. Having a character in the film comment 'It's so cute! I want to merchandise it!', didn't help me accept it. Lol I just want new things, I've seen too many movies. I'd have adored to see it approached more like the doppelganger from Annihilation. I felt overall that I wouldn't watch it again, save for the creature scenes perhaps. But it was refreshing to see nobody in-universe to bat an eye at race, sexuality, and even a glimpse of disability (which I have also), so I'd say it's an OK film for a new generation of children! <3

I couldn't finish it...the deep awkwardness of almost every scene made me too uneasy. I decided to explore a bit and put on another film - 'Christmas under wraps', and the creeping tension completely disappeared. I've worked in film very briefly and I realised the 'Christmas with a view' production reminds me A LOT of amateur student films I've seen in universities, or done by first time directors. The stilted dialogue, the way the camera hangs, the lack of background music or sounds at times while characters are talking, the too-long shots at times...- I wouldn't be surprised if this is a cheap production made by some 'first time' cast and crew. So if that's what it is - nice try, but the poor editing and acting make it too painful to sit through. I'm sorry, whoever made it, I'm sure someone believed in this project. 👍🏻

The animation I thought was an absolute marvel, so much creative effort that I'd say is worth seeing if you're into the art form! Beautiful! THAT SAID, I hated the story. There were some elements I enjoyed, some little twists I didn't mind, but I found it to have a lot of predictability being a Guillermo del Toro film. I've seen Pan's labyrinth and Shape of Water, and when I was watching Pinocchio - the moment they mentioned there's a war AND there was a dick of a father figure (the nazi guy mistreating his son), my eyes rolled back into my skull - that's the same tropes as the other films I've seen. There's something about Del Toro that I haven't seen from other creators, and it's what I'd call 'unnecessary misery'. We don't NEED to see Pinocchio bury all the people he loves, after an objectively grim film already. It's not bittersweet, it's just bitter. And seriously, please, WHY is there always ONE absolutely HORRIBLE father figure in the three films I've seen. Three is a pattern lol. Did he have to order his young son to shoot Pinocchio? No. Like what was his motivation? xD Just evil, I guess. I was expecting him to shoot his own child in the next scene but thankfully we were spared that. Right after we go to an angry circus owner who somehow traced Pinocchio all the way to a child soldier training facility and he ties him to a stake to burn him alive...then he falls off a cliff and dies on some rocks. I had forgotten about his existence at that point anyway but I guess I'm glad I saw him splatter? The original Disney Pinocchio was grim enough for me, all sad and scary enough. Then Guillermo said 'How about we make it DARKER? What if we make it 'From the frying pan into the fire?' kinda film?' and they just let him. :D Bless the guy, he's clearly beloved and I'm in the minority, and critics obviously adore him and his other works, it's just always feeling 'unnecessarily grim' for me. Could be your cup of tea tho, as I said - the animation is beautiful!

I've never been a fan of Star Wars in the sense of having grown up with them therefore being nostalgic - I've only even seen them from a filmmaking and screenwriting perspective as a film student. My partner DID grow up with the Prequels at least, so he has plenty of nostalgia to spare, but even he couldn't understand about 95% of the point of this show. Without nostalgia goggles: It's a show that is laughably bad and that's the only reason I watched it - to laugh and nitpick. So so so much of the plot didn't make sense, the characters weren't written as well as they should've been (I also get a headache from the Prequels so basing anything off them is not the best idea imo, there just isn't a solid base to work with!) There were quite a few scenes where I could hear the actors 'reading the script', which is when they have to say lines which are not organic dialogue. Poor Reva, bless the actress, but the character they wrote for her was full of holes. Especially in the final episode her motivation is beyond baffling to say the least. With Leia - a lot of people say that 'you can see the Leia we know in that little girl hehehe!' but that's not how humans work. It's understandable, even expected for children to be terrified, cry, scream when kidnapped, or under threat of death, separated from their attachment figures - that's what kids do! It would be the mark of a great child actress if she could react like a real child would to half the things that are happening to her! Alas, all we get is a mostly serious child who is supposed to be a mini version of an adult - but that's not healthy child development in real life either. If you want to make the point that Leia ISN'T developing healthy, that could be an interesting take for this franchise, but they glorify everything about her instead. Aside from it being unnecessary altogether for her to have been on an adventure with Obi-Wan to know of him later on. Subtlety is altogether gone when Vader himself admits to having 'killed Anakin'. Instead of showing it in some clever way, so that Obi-Wan's friend's death is more implied than literal - he just comes out and says it. This was a very important plot point in the original trilogy, the whole big reveal 'Luke, I am your father!' hung on Kenobi's words! Now? Uhh...'Well you see, Luke, I told you your father is dead not because I deduced it from observing Anakin's actions, but because we fought one time and he told me so in the face!' Come on...talk about making things spelled out! :D Anyway, not great. Have fun watching!