The Odyssey

 

Keeping it short and sweet for this review, unlike the 2-hour 52-minute runtime for the highly anticipated Christopher Nolan film, The Odyssey.  

Amazing sets, stunning visuals, theater shaking audio, sweeping battle scenes, good pacing, strong performances, gorgeous cinematography, and so on and so forth. This film has it all as Nolan puts his spin on this epic tale.  

From start to finish The Odyssey remains engaging. So much so that I never “felt” the length of the and simply enjoyed what unfolded before my eyes. Yes, there are some changes made to the story, especially the ending that I don’t find add to the story, but that didn’t keep me from the overall enjoyment of the film. A sentiment one of my seat mates shared having watched the film the day before and enjoying it so much he returned today for a second viewing.

The all-star casting did turn out to be a bit of a distraction for me in that I was became overly aware of the actors themselves and other characters they’re known for which pulled me out of the film in certain scenes. Perhaps it's just a "me" thing, still, by and large the casting works.

The Odyssey is indeed epic and if you can carve out the time well worth seeing on the biggest screen where it’s playing near you.

I’m giving The Odyssey a solid 8.5.

#TheOdyssey

Moana 2026

 

The temperatures continue to soar, it’s hotter than h-e double hockey sticks, the week drained me, and I was ready to venture out to my local theater once again to bask in the freezing cold of my local movie theater to reset and relax. This week I took in the live-action version of Disney’s 2016 hit, Moana. I loved the original animated film for the last decade and went in hoping against hope that they nailed this one too. With snacks successfully smuggled, favorite crew member caught up with (haven’t seen her in ages and was worried she had passed) I settled in and awaited the Disney magic...

...and for me I’m still waiting.

Moana (2026) is a faithful copy and paste recreation of the original film with a few tweaks here and there including a couple new songs giving it an expanded runtime of 1 hour 55 minutes which somehow manages to fall flat. The musical numbers thrill and shine (I’ve had the soundtrack stuck in my head for the last 24 hours) but everything else just lays there needing something more, much like that monstrosity of a wig Dwayne Johnson wears. No, unlike the original Sonic, they didn’t bother to fix that Beyonce wig from the trailer and when it wasn’t wet or pulled back it was as distracting as you’d think.

I’m not sure what it is, but there’s just something missing in this version. The characters, particularly Gramma Tala lack spice. The emotional depth, nuance, sly wickedness just isn’t present, and I felt every moment of it. 

The CGI is a hit and miss affair with random visuals not working and others being absolutely stunning. Te Ka is definitely one of the film’s highlights and is even scarier than in the animated version. 

Moana (2026) is technically a fine film, but the heart, humor, energy, and soul of Moana (2016) fis missing and save for the musical numbers where the film really “pops” had me longing for another rewatch of the original. Yet another film I won’t categorize as “bad” per se, but it’s certainly a cheaper imitation of the original that left me feeling film listless. A sentiment shared by the kids in the audience I watched with.

There’s nothing fresh about the story, the characters, and even the new music doesn’t add enough to justify venturing out in the heat to see this one on the big screen. You don’t even get a bonus end credit scene this go ‘round. Smacks of a money grab more than anything else.

Moana (2026) gets a disappointed 5.5 from me.

#Moana2026

Minions & Monsters

 

Greeting once again from the depths of the recently vacated movie theater. This week’s film outing had me take in the latest offering from Illumination, Minions & Monsters.  This time around the little yellow guys are adventuring through 1920's Hollywood led by a new foursome, besties James and Henry, their buddy Ed, and (eyeroll/sneer) Dick. This third standalone Minion film varies from the two previous ones by splitting the focus between finding the Minions next “Big Boss” and delivering a love letter to Hollywood and the film industry.

Minions & Monsters delivers a pretty standard film that’s widely enjoyable but also a bit of a mixed bag. The pacing is rough. The subplot with Dort is more of a lazy plot device and excuse for more gags than a necessity. It feels more like a distraction and gets tiresome. The first third to half of the film definitely falls under the been there seen that formula that’s wearing a bit thin and isn’t as charming and engaging as it was in the 2015s Minions, so the film feels flat. 

For me, things became more engaging upon arrival in Hollywood, by not from the story itself, but the homages and referential material. Being a film nerd with some film history knowledge I enjoyed seeing all the references, parodies, tributes, and recreations of classic scenes from Buster Keaton to Citizen Kane, and the “workings” of the studio system shown. I’m not sure how much kids in general or adults that catch them will get out of these things though.

By the halfway mark, Minions & Monsters finds its footing and starts hitting its chaotic stride. Being halfway through however, means that there’s little time to develop characters and events feel rushed. There are some seriously missing elements as a result that keep M&M from being as solid as a film that I hopped. Everything is too surface level.

Overall, Minions & Monsters feels rushed. Messy, underdeveloped plot and characters. Wonky pacing. It isn't one of the franchise's best or most memorable adventures, nor it’s worse. The creative premise and let’s face it the lovable Minions in general still made it enjoyable. I respect that this film was trying to be a love letter to Hollywood and filmmaking in general, I just wished it had lived up to its full potential in doing so.

I’m going to give Minions & Monsters a 6.

#MinionsandMonsters