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Movie Review – Teen Titans Go!

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In the latest cartoon show to be translated to the big screen, we have been presented with Teen Titans Go! To the Movies.  The cartoon show had a very polarizing effect on fans of this particular team from the DC universe.  Some fans love the off-kilter zaniness, constant 80’s references and dashes of potty humour.  Other fans hated what they called a bastardization of a classic team, the childish antics and the low quality animation.  Personally I have been in the first group and found the show very funny to watch on Saturday mornings with my son – even if it has left him with a penchant to constantly ‘Do the Booty Scooty’.

This movie could be said to be DC’s response to Marvel’s Deadpool.  The Deadpool Movies have been immensely popular, made fun of the whole Super Hero Movie franchise, constantly broke the fourth wall and demonstrated that super heroes can be funny!  DC movies have been accused of being too dark, too overly dramatic and frankly not much fun.  This is what Teen Titans Go! attempts to rectify.

 

The plot of this movie is simple – every serious super hero is getting their own movie and the Teen Titans, particularly Robin, want one too so they and he can be considered real super heroes.  The problem is they are a bunch of goofballs that spend more time eating waffles and singing songs than actually fighting crime.

So off they go to get themselves an arch nemesis in order to be taken seriously and are provided with Slade, the main antagonist from the Teen Titans cartoon from the late 90’s.  They are summarily trounced by him, so decide they need to come up with another plan.

The pacing of the first half of the movie runs a bit too slow.  In fact nearing the half way point I was actually getting bored, which is saying a lot considering how much I love animated movies.  It lacked the banter that makes the cartoon show so much fun – instead of constantly arguing with each other and the team as a whole picking on Robin, they act as one unit and they always follow Robins lead without complaint.  Much like the My Little Pony Movie, they have removed one of the key elements that made the cartoon show as popular as it is.

 

Thankfully the second half picks up the pace.  The heroes time travel to get rid of all the other heroes so that they are the only ones to make a movie about, leading to some funny scenes where they alter other heroes origin stories.  When that fails they end up actually having a decent fight scene with Slade which leads to getting a movie.  Of course by now the audience starts to twig that the movie producer is actually Slade in disguise and uses this to break the Teen Titans up so that he can get back a crystal they stole and take over the world.

The final act of the movie is all the regular super heroes, now mind controlled, hunting the heroes and then the Teen Titans facing off against Slade in a giant robot.  Another good fight scene ensues and they naturally save the day, earning the respect of all the other heroes in the process.

 

This isn’t a bad movie on the whole, but it isn’t great.  As mentioned, it lacks a lot of the humour that the cartoon show does.  There are a few funny bits, such as the Titans all using a prop toilet that doesn’t work, the references to the Back to the Future movies and Robins final line of the film.  The movie even references Deadpool from which it draws inspiration – they mix up Slade with Deadpool, talk to the camera, lampoon the whole super hero genre and have cross-universe gags such as Stan Lee making a cameo even though it is a DC movie.  However much of the humour falls flat and lacks that certain spark, the Batman LEGO Movie delivered far more chuckles.  Besides Robin there is zero character development with the other Titans and Slade is an OK villain at best.

If your kid is a massive Teen Titans fan such as mine is, it’s worth taking them to see it on the big screen in the short time it will still be in the cinemas.  However if you and/or your kids simply like the show and not love it, you can wait for the movie to come to DVD before watching.

 

Got something to say about this movie?  Would love to read it in the comments section below!

 

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Movie Review – Deadpool 2

Movie Review – My Little Pony

Movie Review – The LEGO Batman Movie

 

 

Random Reviews

Movie Review – Deadpool 2

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Deadpool was the movie that surprised everyone with its popularity at the box office.  Not only did it out-earn the vast majority of its peer super hero movies, but received rave reviews across the board for both its humour and it’s adult take on the comic book world.  So not surprisingly, this year we have been treated to Deadpool 2.

 

Deadpool 2 takes place not long after the end of the previous movie, with Wade and his love interest deciding to start a family.  But naturally, she gets shot and killed (even before the opening credits!) and thus the stage is set for Deadpool 2 go on a journey of heartbreak and self-discovery.

First off I have to say that this is one of the few times I genuinely got choked up at a movie.  I enjoyed the weird romance from the first flick and loved the character played by Morena Baccarin.  So I was genuinely upset when I saw her die, and I’m not a man who has much, if any, interest in love stories usually.

Deadpool subsequently tries to kill himself, but since he is incapable of dying all he manages is to blow himself to pieces, those pieces collected by Collosus and returned to the X-Mansion where Deadpool heals his body, if not his heart.

It’s Deadpools first mission as a trainee X-man that sets up the rest of the story.  They go to subdue an out of control young mutant from a orphanage, but in the process Deadpool finds that the boy has been abused so kills one of the attendants.  This results in both he and the boy going to a prison where mutant abilities are subdued.  Wade starts dying all over again since his healing factor no longer retards his cancer and when you think things can’t get worse, Cable shows up and starts blasting!

Cable has been around in the comics for many years as a time-travelling violent hero, but not everyone realizes that he and Deadpool have a long history together and even shared a comic series for a few years.  Thus Cable was a sensible and worthy addition to the second flick and is portrayed very well.  Domino is another character introduced in this movie that has been associated with Deadpool for a long time, and despite lacking the sarcasm and pale make-up she…

 

… you know what?  Lets stop with the plot synopsis and character dissection!  There are so many things that warrant inclusion and it’ll take too long!

 

Let’s just say this is a damn fine flick!  Yes, not as great as the first one, but the first one was that fantastic that I reckon that’s forgivable.  This movie is darker than it’s predecessor (and considering the first one was full of constant violence and murder that’s saying a lot) and Deadpool isn’t quite as flippant in his discourse.  But his struggle to save a kid that doesn’t want to be saved works well as a plotline, there are a ton of Easter Eggs for those who are familiar with the comics and the humour and action never cease.  Two stand-out scenes are definitely when Deadpool’s new X-Force meet gruesome ends not long after being introduced (and thus totally Lampooning so many other Marvel team movie titles) and when Cable comes to Blind Al’s house to find Deadpool growing back the bottom half of his body, all of his bottom half.

 

So I heartily recommend Deadpool 2.  Ryan Reynolds has nailed it once again and it is indeed a most worthy successor to the first flick, and whatever you do don’t leave when the credits start to roll, otherwise you will miss some of the funniest post-movie sequences ever!

 

Deadpool 2 gets 5 out of 5 baby butts!

 

Blu Ray Review: Deadpool

Art Book Review: Deadpool – Drawing the Merc with a Mouth

 

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Art Book review: Deadpool – Drawing the Merc with a Mouth

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When backpacking around Europe I visited many of the world’s great art galleries.  I went to The National Gallery in London and saw Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.  I went to the Louvre in Paris and saw the Mona Lisa.  I went to the the Museo del Prado in Madrid and had my mind turned inside out by the works of Dali.  Hell, I even went to a museum in Amsterdam which seemed to house all the concrete willy’s that had been knocked off all the Italian statues during the rise of Puritism.   From great galleries to the gaudy, from museums to mausoleums I’ve seen it all.  So who better to take you through the latest collection of artwork to be released for the public’s perusal –Deadpool: Drawing the Merc with a Mouth

This book showcases over 20 years of Marvel Comics Art centered around everyone’s favorite degenerate assassin.  When I first purchased it I thought it would be nothing but pictures but the book is actually broken up into 7 main chapters (along with an opening and a conclusion) which details the creation of Deadpool and his evolution as a character both plot-wise and artistically.  There are various interviews with the people who have written Deadpool over the last 20+ years and there were some nice insights into how he was created, his surge in popularity and the very odd direction that the character was taken in.

 

But of course this is primarily an art book so we are treated to lots of eye candy throughout.  This in itself shows the evolution of Deadpool, from a guest-starring bad guy on the front cover of early 90’s comics to the present day where he has had more ongoing titles, spin-offs and team ups than one can count.

I think what I enjoyed best here was the way that the artists could use such a ridiculous and self-lampooning character such as Deadpool to in turn lampoon other genres.  From famous works of art to album covers to movie posters to even the comic covers of other super heroes (including those of DC) Deadpool brings his smart-arse style.

 

There is not much more I can say here as, since it is an art book, you really need to view the art rather than read someones opinion of it.  But what I can do is advise you whether it is worth getting.  I picked this up in a bookstore for $65(AU) and the cheapest I’ve seen it online is $56(AU) including postage.  It’s a pretty hefty price tag.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I got it and I really enjoy it, but I did have a pang of buyer’s remorse walking out of the store until I had a chance to get to grips with it at home.  To justify such an expense one needs to really be a fan of the Merc with a Mouth.  Luckily for me I am one and if you love him too (and have the cash to spare) you will really enjoy this artistic look at a few decades of Deadpool.

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DVD/Blu Ray Review – Deadpool

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Deadpool, the Merc with a Mouth!  And the Merc with a hugely successful movie that out- grossed at the box office nearly every other Marvel movie to date!  Being a very dedicated Deadpool fan for many years I couldn’t wait for this flick to come out, and then being suitably impressed with it I then had the wait to buy my own copy.  Luckily for me Deadpool is now available on DVD and Blu Ray pretty much everywhere.

But is it worth getting?  Well if you loved the movie of course!  But often it’s the extras on a disk that can make one decide whether to buy it now or buy it for a third the price in a few years time.   I personally got the Blu Ray so here is a rundown of the extras on it to help inform your decision.  By the way, this review is working on the basis that you have already seen the movie itself.  If you haven’t – well it’s awesome!  Now that that is said, on with the extras!

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 Deleted/Extended Scenes

Nothing of major note, although one particular one shows Deadpool using his wall calendar a lot to show the progression of years of searching for Francis.  I didn’t pick up in the movie that it took him years, and after seeing this deleted scene I had to really watch the movie carefully again to pick up that’s what happened.  There is a pretty full on scene with him down in Mexico too so overall they aren’t a bad watch.

Gag Reel

It’s just a bunch of the actors laughing when they stuff up their lines – nothing special.

Galleries

Interesting to see the development of Deadpool’s suit and all the tiny changes they made.  But besides that, unless you are a CGI artist interested in how they designed the backgrounds and Colossus there is not a lot to hold your attention.

From Comics to Screen to Screen

Goes for about 80 minutes.  This is where you will see all the behind the scenes stuff.  It’s quite interesting to listen to how Deadpool actually getting made came down to the constant campaigning of 5 individuals (including Ryan Renyolds himself)  and all the hassle that came with getting this movie, not only to be released, but with the higher audience rating.  What was interesting was that every time the tiniest bit of a clip was shown from the movie it usually involved swearing, which is not a surprise, but nearly every interview with an actor or guest star took place at the strip club which was hardly in the movie at all!  This means that you see a lot of topless women in the background as the actors (and even Stan Lee!) talk to camera – between that and the language if you held out illusions that even if you could not watch the movie while the kids were about you could at least watch the extras, those illusions are now shattered. Boobs and bad words abound!  But then what did you expect – it’s friggin Deadpool!

Deadpool’s Fun Sack

This is mainly made up of all the PG trailers that appeared in cinemas and on youtube and then their more mature versions (swearing, graphic violence etc) that appeared on the official website.   However there are a lot of little extras like Deadpool celebrating Australia Day, Chinese New Years and the like.  In particular I found to be both funny and disturbing the video shot in a park at night with Deadpool hanging out with a bunch of little kids dressed as various X-Men – made me laugh as a fan and cringe as a parent all at the same time.  I shan’t go into detail – you need to watch it for youself.

Audio Commentaries

I haven’t had a chance to listen to them yet and not sure I will get to.  If anyone has and wants to clue the rest of us in, feel free to tell us about it in the comments section at the bottom of this page.

Overall

Having the Blu Ray, I was impressed by the picture and audio quality though it’s certainly nothing majorly special compared to others.  And I quite enjoyed the majority of the extras on it.  So really in the end your purchase choice will come down to the following factors:

*If you liked the movie, buy the DVD (currently $19)

*If you loved the movie, buy the Blu Ray (currently $29)

*If you didn’t like the movie, are you really still reading this review?  I mean, really?

Happy watching!