Disney continues its streak to turn their old, animated movies into live action adaptations with The Little Mermaid. The director, Robert Marshall, takes you back under the sea with more musical numbers and life like CGI.

The film follows Ariel (Halle Bailey) who is the daughter of King Trident (Javier Bardem). Ariel has an interest in the surface world and collects different knickknacks she finds in sunken ships. One day there is a shipwreck and Ariel saves a man who turns out to be Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King). After saving the Prince, Ariel gets into a fight with her father and turns to her Aunt Ursula (Melissa McCarthy) for help to get to the surface world. Once the deal is made, Ariel can live out her dream, but she doesn’t realize how big of a mistake she made making a deal with Ursula. To undo Ursula’s spell, she’ll need the help of her trusty friends, Flounder (Jacob Tremblay), Sebastian (Daveed Diggs), Scuttle (Awkwafina), and Prince Eric.

Out of all the new Disney live adaptations of old films I grew up with, this is probably the second best. I still think Beauty and the Beast has an edge over this film. That’s not bad though. I thought this film conveyed the story well by adding more depth to the characters, especially Prince Eric. They gave him more of a backstory and it also related to Ariel’s story. I really enjoyed Bailey, Hauer-King, and McCarthy’s performances throughout the film. The music was great, and the flow of the film was very smooth. The downside, I would say, is the CGI is not that great and the color grading was very bleak. Also, Bardem, Tremblay, Diggs, and Awkwafina’s performances were not the best of what the film offered.

Overall, this new live adaptation turned out to be a pleasant film with some faults to it. It didn’t blow me away, but I enjoyed myself with the story and musical numbers. So, if you have children, make a trip to the theaters. If you’re a 90s kid, you could probably wait until this is out on DVD or streaming.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

The “Family” is back for another high-speed adventure in Fast X. Directed by Louis Leterrier, this installment brings audiences the first part of the final Fast and Furious film.

The film follows Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) enjoying time with his wife Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and son Little Brian (Leo Abelo Perry). That eventually gets interrupted when a bleeding out Cipher (Charlize Theron) shows up at his doorstep to warn him about a man seeking revenge on him. That man is Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa) who is the son of Hernan Reyes. Hernan was killed in Fast Five after Dom and Brian stole his money. His father’s death leads Dante to try and ruin Dom’s family setting them up in Rome during a heist and forcing them to go into hiding. Once that happens, it goes downhill from there for Dom and his family.

This was one wild ride and not in a good way. It’s hard to explain a story that leads to nothing in the end. I didn’t understand how a movie can set up multiple story lines and none of them had a resolution. The movie also abruptly ends with no warning at all. I thought we had maybe thirty more minutes to get through to finish one story, but that was not the case. The film also has its whacky action sequences where they break the law of physics, which can be fun sometimes. Other than that, the only thing I enjoyed about this film was Jason Momoa as the villain. I feel like he took his character in a fun direction for a film that really did nothing different from its predecessors.

This is really for people who are big into action sequences, or they really like cars. If you’re going for an actual thoughtful story, this movie might not be for you.

Rating: 2 out 5

Prepare yourself for a new take on the psychological action thriller genre with Hypnotic. The film is directed by Robert Rodriguez and takes you on a journey that makes you question what is real and what is not.

The movie follows detective Danny Rourke (Ben Affleck) as he deals with the kidnapping of his daughter. All hope is lost for Rourke until a stakeout at the bank sets him on a mind-bending journey searching for the truth about the location of his daughter. Rourke eventually needs the help of a psychic, Diana Cruz (Alice Braga), to track down a powerful hypnotist, Dellrayne (William Fichtner), who is also in pursuit of finding Rourke’s daughter.

For me, the first half of the movie wasn’t very different from other thrillers that focus on detectives investigating the kidnapping of a family member. But then the story took a drastic turn that really left me surprised. I wasn’t expecting the narrative to change as much as it did, but it really worked. I also thought that the hypnotism aspect was well done except for some of the CGI that was used in the film. You could definitely tell that the budget for this film’s special effects was not big. The other negative is how the movie ended. It added another storyline into this already packed film that I didn’t feel was necessary.

Overall, this isn’t a terrible movie, but it isn’t perfect either. I enjoyed myself while watching it, especially with the twist that happened in the middle of the movie. The acting is fine too with Affleck, Braga, and Fichtner bringing their A game. If I were you, I would just wait until it hits a streaming service.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Prepare yourself for a wild galactic ride when seeing Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3. Directed by James Gunn, known for directing the first two movies of this Marvel trilogy, the third installment brings a rad tad group of characters back in action for one last time.

The movie is centered on Rocket (Bradley Cooper). His past has been a mystery until a serious event at the beginning of the movie forces the crew to go on a journey to save Rocket’s life. Throughout the movie, you learn more about his past and it involves a new villain named the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji). Speaking of new characters, we are also introduced to Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) and the new Gamora (Zoe Saldana) who showed up in Avengers End Game.

This movie starts fast. It does not give you any time to get acclimated to the characters before the story begins. I didn’t mind that because I think Gunn wanted to use the movie’s complete runtime to fully develop this dark story. Are there jokes throughout the movie? Yes, but this isn’t your typical Marvel film. There are also some effects that might be too much for children.

This movie keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time because you really feel how big the stakes are. I believe that the villain might be the best one ever in the history of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. The acting is also amazing by Chris Pratt and Bradley Cooper. I had a great time watching this movie, but if you are someone that gets teary-eyed, bring a box of tissues. I would buy this for my movie collection and think you will to after you see it.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Lace up your basketball shoes and get ready to play a game of one-on-one when seeing AIR. Directed by Oscar Winner Ben Affleck, this movie brings an amazing story to the big screen that many people might not have known about.

The story follows Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) who works in a failing basketball department of Nike. Vaccaro comes up with an idea to sign the number three pick, Michael Jordan of the 1984 NBA Draft, to a deal that would create the first Air Jordan shoe. To make this happen, Vaccaro needs the help of CEO Phil Knight (Ben Affleck), Director of Marketing Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman), Nike Executive Howard White (Chris Tucker), and Shoe Designer Peter Moore (Matthew Maher). At the same time, he needs to convince Deloris Jordan (Viola Davis) to have her son sign with Nike instead of Converse or Adidas.

This was a fantastic film that makes you go through a rollercoaster of emotions. There were moments where I had goosebumps or became teary-eyed. Damon gave another amazing performance as did the other supporting actors. I would not be surprised to see this movie receive some nominations when the award season comes around.

I love going to the theater to see unique movies like this. Not all movies have to be blockbusters to draw you to the big screen. Some movies can be smaller productions that have a lot of heart and amazing acting. This is one of those movies. Also, it has a killer soundtrack with some great rock and pop classics you’re sure to enjoy. Watching this will make you want to buy a pair of Air Jordan’s.

Rating: 5 out of 5