Anthony Smith

Three short films that are impressive in their median but with each episode the quality diminishes. Part one. Superb. The atmosphere, the writing, the voice work all blew me away. Solid gold. Five stars Part two. Alright. You feel for the main character and the animation was sold but ultimately it falls flat and lacks the impact of the first. Part three. Poor. Mixed message in the story and a missed opportunity for an emotional pay off. Boring characters. Nothing holds these stories together. Other than the fact that the house is the same, there is no emotional connection running through each characters story. Like others, I would watch this just for the first story and then turn off. Enough is as good as a feast.

This is a three Star film. Maybe even a four star but it in no way does it deserve the plaudits being lavished upon it. The first thirty minutes or so are incredibly thought provoking and beautifully presented. A bright, detailed world; life-like characters who sound amazing (Foxx imbues his character with warmth and charm and you immediately sympathise and like him). The 'other worlds ' are also well thought-out and a joy to watch. Then, once the premise is set, we lapse into a fish out of water plot that has been done much much better in other films. The chemistry isn't there between Foxx and his feline costar and it starts to slow and ramble somewhat in a predictable manner. The third act is a rushed conclusion with an ending that I felt was unsatisfying in that it not only fails to link with an earlier hook, I won't spoil it here but it's to do with his dream of playing with a certain somebody, but also fails to deliver the emotional tear jerking moment that the film promised. Don't get me wrong, I love the message of the film but it could have been five stars. It was almost as if they made two endings and then bottled it by opting for the happy - everything back to normal - ending. A final point worth noting: critics have been drooling over this film and I suspect, given the current climate, it has much to do with identity politics. By which I mean the African American cast. This is a shame as to its credit, the film itself dances lightly over this with the odd reference to black culture, but never ramming it home. As a result we are able to enjoy scenes such as the barber shop restyle and interaction between the protagonist and the matriarch, for what they are: rich character development. I do hope I'm wrong about this assumption, but it's unlikely. A film that somehow scored far lower but is every bit as good - if not better than this offering from Pixar is Onward.

Unashamedly uplifting and positive. The focus is actually less on the action and more on the relationship between the father figure and son. A wonderful film. My three girls loved it and were crane kicking until bedtime.

An appalling film but given it's heavy handed approach to race, it's easy to see why fawning critics dare not give this a low (and thus realistic) score. This film takes a thought provoking concept and then abandons it in favour of a white Vs black plot - desperate to play on race relations. Without giving too much away, when a film reduces it's cast to white = bad and black = good, you end up with a situation where even the drug dealer who, according to one of the main characters, deals death to the community 364 days of the year... Ends up being a good guy! The director even stoops to having white purgers dressing up as clansmen. Just in case you didn't get the main thrust! Unforgettable characters. Unforgettable story. I wish I could forget the hour plus I spent watching it.