Samuel Lahr

4.5/5 Wildly imaginative. Cool worldbuilding. Absolutely stunning animation. An almost perfect film. Very cool to see a take on Western fantasy tropes from an Eastern perspective. Some of the motions/voice acting are a tad cringe. I'm sorry, it's true. This could very well just be the "for kids" element, but little pieces of it seemed to lean into the "over the top anime melodrama" stereotype. But overall, this film was just very well done. Great "show not tell" worldbuilding, and a very compelling blend of magic and technology. You see elements of classic fantasy, steampunk, folk tales, and more all wrapped up in an intriguing story. Truly phenomenal use of lighting; contrasting deep darks with warm lights several times in moments of drama. Basically replicating golden hour photography with animation. Definitely had it's own style distinct from other Ghibli films. I've seen it twice now and could watch it again easily. Love it. Good work, team.

4.5/5 Who would've guessed a movie about whacking polyester circles with sticks ~really fast~ would turn out to be a riveting display of cinematography? And that it'd be engrossing? And kind of a character study?? And that I'd like it??? The dynamic between Andrew and Fletcher is just fascinating. Toxic, yes, but fascinating. Down to Fletcher using Ender's Game military strategy (building someone up in confidence but bashing them publicly to force them to succeed), to Andrew's sober nods of respect when Fletcher tells him "I tried." I'm sure there are psychological dissertations worth of study on the Stockholm-Syndrome-type reverence Andrew has for his coach. The balance between "good"/"bad" and believability is unreal. Andrew is our clear protagonist, we're rooting for him, but he's also kind of a pretentious dick. Fletcher is obviously out of line, but his motivations are genuine and--if not condonable--at least somewhat understandable in a twisted sort of way. And the ending! While it feels like success, it still leaves the stinging question: "At what cost?" Excellent. Just excellent. Good work, team.

Firstly: Schmendrick. My lad. I think I have a thing for incompetent sorcerers now. All his little quips, comments, and of course; his elation at transforming a tree into a broadly-breasted botanical barricade. What a man. This little film has much more heart than I ever expected. Having never seen this before (or read the source material), I half-expected most of the praise TLU received to be attributed to nostalgia. Once the "Oh deary me!" breathy vocal talent of Mia Farrow kicked in, I was sure I was going to be annoyed for most of the watchthrough. I was, however, completely wrong. While it's doubtlessly true much of the acclaim is nostalgia-induced, it was not the boring, cliche-ridden borefest that I was preparing myself for. The characters are dynamic, and the film tackles nuanced concepts without being too philosophically bogged down. Although I occasionally chuckled at the situationally-specific soundtrack, the Phil Collins-esque quality of the songs really vibed with me. Yes, the plot trod some of the same tired ruts of many children's (and adult) films, but I didn't find myself groaning. The animation is definitely showing it's age; while the scenery is beautiful, the quality is choppy, and occasionally the voice acting doesn't sync well with the characters. None of this detracts too greatly from the film. Everything was tasteful and well done. Good work, team.