Hannah Davis

I'm between a 4 and 5 so I'd say 4.5. But it's a fun movie. Honestly the pop songs, pop star/idol, and concert vibes were immaculate. I really enjoyed the premise and it did surprise me. The worst parts were probably some bullshit psychology. Some stuff about OCD (I have OCD, I doubt the main character has OCD) as well as the bs of "a parent can sense that difference." Most of the time a parent senses something "off" about a child, it's autism or some other disability and the parents are usually abusive. It also kind of just...ignores that part where the mother WAS abusive because "she sensed something different." That's how it came off to me. That is probably the worst of it, but ableism and demonizing disorders is what M. Night seems to do. Just another thriller movie using mental health and disorders as plot devices with bs science that even I, as a person WITH THE DISORDER, hadn't even heard about. Despite that. It's a fun a movie. It's enjoyable, it's twists, the acting was decent enough to me (but idk what qualifies "good acting.") The mother character's performance was REALLY good. The emotions, my god. I really enjoyed watching it with my friend. Really wasn't expecting what we got and the movie was great. And honestly. He was a fantastic dad and did right by his kids. You could see the way he loved his daughter so much.

I enjoyed it. Freaky enough, exactly what you'd expect but also kind of unexpected. I would probably say 3.5 between 3 and 4. Cause I know it won't be for everyone (as reviews show) and I think the world was unique, but kind of unanswered. Like it built up a unique world where you try to understand it especially with her work place, but ultimately it didn't matter. So it has a couple of plotlines that feel kinda meh, but if you want a good time with a movie, it's good enough. I enjoyed it watching it with my darling bestie. It freaked us out and feels like a simple enough freaky movie with a unique concept. Is it perfect? No. But things don't have to be a perfect masterpiece to be enjoyable and have merit. It was a fun ride and a fun concept executed well enough. I liked it. :)

Let's start with the negatives to get them out of the way. The jokes about woke culture. It felt more like a conservative stand up routine or how they make fun of California and "leftists/liberals" than anything else. It shows inclusivity and all that, but then goes on to stereotype gen z and basically mock activism and feminism. It feels like it loses its tone at those points and feels more like conservative humour that hasn't changed since 2016. No one acts like that with real issues, high schoolers don't act like that all the time. Another downside is the obvious romance with Seth. The second he was talking to her dad and he was pushing him to ask her out, I knew we were going to do the whole "she's into someone else, but he's the one who really loves her" and it was not a shock at all. I even announced it to my friend. It didn't feel rewarding or enjoyable, it felt boring. It felt cliche and not in a fun way at all. I was rooting against them ending up together because it's so stereotypical, right down to the him getting mad at a misunderstanding. And with her still being mentally 17 (which provides a lot of strange differences), it didn't feel like they should end up together at all. I would have loved to see a "we would have made a good couple" but then they move on cause he's matured and she will too. Now with that out of the way, let's see what I liked. It was nostalgic, fun, and enjoyable. The music fit so well, I loved seeing the differences between 2002 and 2022. A lot HAS changed and you can even see that by how diverse the school looks n present day. My school was the same way, it would be majority white, but has become more diverse in recent years. It's amazing to see that change, such a minute detail, added in. There were moments I genuinely laughed out loud and other moments where I truly felt emotional and felt for the characters. I also liked that the "mean girl" Tiffany wasn't just a cartoon supervillain mean girl. I felt she still had a real side to her even if she was the antagonist and reminded of someone that needs therapy. The characters all felt real and enjoyable for the most part and Stephanie definitely felt like an insecure teen that was too scared to open up. Just knowing my disorders, I could relate so heavily to that. Is the film perfect? Nah. Is it enjoyable? Yes. Would I recommend it? Probably or most likely. It's a fun time and perfect to turn your brain off to. Don't expect some satirical masterpiece or Mean Girl levels of self awareness. It isn't there. But it's still fun and honestly shows some real mental health conditions, even ones I live with, although I know they didn't even consider that. It had some flaws and some unenjoyable moments that felt more like a mockery (including the r slur talk about it not being appropriate came off in a sort of "talking down to" way even though it is an ableist slur against autistic folks like me and other disabilities), but it was an enjoyable movie that I had fun watching with my friend. It's nice to turn your brain off and enjoy the movie. It isn't for everyone and I can see why people will find it uninteresting, annoying, or tiresome. It's been done better in many ways. Still, I had fun watching it and I went into it with expectations that it would be trash, but it's fun trash. It had some good points, it had some bad points that really killed it. But it's fun. So yeah, I liked it and I'd probably watch it again one day.

It isn't perfect. There's so much I could complain about. Beginning with the story, it isn't very well written. But the fact is that it is still fun! The Pokemon are adorable and Pokemon Camp has many wonderful experiences, there's a lot to stay entertained by post game with the addition of the DLC now, and the gym challenge is actually quite fun. Despite the poorly written story and struggle of a tutorial plus the dialogue which makes replays a struggle, it is a charming and fun experience that is worthy of the pokemon title. Out of the games I've played, it's probably a C or B tier game and would get a 6 out of 10 for me personally. The raids are so fun to do, I love surprise trading, and I love the cards I can create. The cutscenes are actually quite stunning and show potential for the animation. At points, it does feel the quality dropped in animations, but I don't think that necessarily takes away from the game. It's still a fun experience with colorful characters. The writing is mostly poor, but the UK slang within the game is quite amusing and I even learned a few phrases I had never heard since I'm American. The region itself is quite lovely and the added DLC lands are fun to explore. The Dynamax Adventure added in The Crowned Tundra gives a lot of fun especially since it's meant for higher levels aka post game. I still don't think the game is perfect. The exp share being permanently on takes away the joy of training single pokemon (a big part that I enjoyed and used to bond with my fictional monsters) and it also makes over levelling a real problem. I wouldn't say it makes the game easy because even at the right level, I find the game incredibly easy and my friend (who used exp candies) found the game to be difficult. I still feel the permanent exp share removes choice and can cause problems that would be easily solved by turning it off for a spell. Best to leave the choice up to the players. The dialogue can get in the way and it can be slow especially if you've already played the game once before and wanted to play fresh on a new team or challenge. Despite this, the gym challenge remains fun and I still have lots of fun replaying for a variety of reasons. The customization is better than ever before! But the curly hair options are not good at all. And even a wavy option for boy characters can't even have a hat on it. I know Japanese people don't typically have curly/wavy hair, but these games are for a global audience and it's kind of sad that I still can't even see my own hair represented as a white woman, I can't even imagine if someone was a person of color and playing the game. They are improving and there are many options still and it feels much better than the Alolan region's customization. The punk options are also very good! Although far from perfect, mostly on the hair aspect, I am glad to see it improving and it feels like I can mostly look like me minus the hair. Still, the girls especially have good customization due to having dresses. I like a lot of the clothes and feel you can make some really unique looks. So overall, it's a vast improvement. The new Pokemon are adorable, the new features are incredibly fun, and the wild area is so much fun to explore! There's a lot you can do even in between gym challenges and even after all these years, I still love days to this game just shiny hunting and doing max raids with others. Overall, the game really is a great experience with the DLCs making it even more worth it. I wouldn't say it's the best game by any means, but it's a fun and enjoyable experience that can be worth it for most Pokemon fans.

A wonderful and fun game. Plenty of hours worth of gameplay and honestly perfect in so many ways. It's improved a lot since launch as well and even the DLC has a lot of content that makes it worth it. However, a quick warning. One island per switch. This is big if you intend to play with the family or have multiple kids and one switch. I'm lucky that I have my own console, but I know that if my brothers and I had this as a kid, it would lead to major fights. This is just poorly done, should have had an option to choose at the airport whether to join an existing island or begin your own to allow both options. Another thing is that it goes in real time and tends to be slow, especially during the first few days. This is not everyone's play style and I hope people realize this before just picking it up because it's popular. Now for positive aspects. All the villagers are adorable and the dialogue has improved as well. Villagers visiting your home and you visiting theirs is so cute! There's a lot to collect, make, and so on. Catching bugs and fish early on is so fun, especially for someone like me that's autistic! This game has so many ways that help me with my disorders like OCD, ADHD, and ASD. I feel in control and able to take things slow and it is wonderful. One downside is the waterfalls are way too loud and sound like Niagara falls even though they may be small. It hurts my ears a lot. Also the hourly music after the plaza is upgraded can be really hard on my sensory issues and there's no way to adjust them. I often have to turn my volume entirely up and focus my hearing to even hear a ground. Inside houses are the only way to escape it. I wish we could have more control over sounds because I much preferred the repetitive guitar music from before the plaza upgrade and drastically searched for a way to stop the hourly music. It isn't bad, but many songs I'm forced to hear can really hurt my ears. Some audio accessibility features would be wonderful for us with sensory issues. Overall, the game is a fun enjoyable experience with many positives that definitely outweigh the cons. I have had so much with this game in the years it's been out and still find out if all the animal crossing games I've played, it's the one with the most hours for me. I feel it does depend on your play style hence why many people might prefer the older games. I still feel this game is wonderful and definitely worth it, especially for kids. There's so much freedom and fun someone can have and all my neurodivergent friends have found comfort in the game and how it works well with their autism and ADHD. It has been a wonderful comfort for us all and truly our islands feel like home with our villagers being our best friends. I have genuinely cried dover my normal villager, Carrie the Kangaroo, acting so caring and like a mother and coming to all five August birthdays. A wonderful fun game filled with many great memories. It's not perfect and I wish and HOPE that we can still get updates, but even as is, it is a wonderful game. It's not for everyone, but it can be a wonderful thing and a comfort for SO MANY people of different backgrounds. Despite its flaws, I feel it truly deserves the praise it has received. Especially since I cannot handle most people, it is splendid to have a virtual world of safety, comfort, and great animal friends to be able to come home to. It still has the heart of animal crossing and the cure for loneliness that all the games have had. And I hope it continues to bring joy to many more folks, whether they're new to the franchise or old players.