SHADOWSTRIKE1

Really strong first half of the movie, but much weaker second half. Overall decent, but not something I’d care to watch twice. I would be interested in a sequel though.

The cinematography is the only outstanding part of this film adaptation of “The Cabin at the End of the World”. Strange decisions were made in the screenplay to alter the original story unnecessarily, and make us less invested in the characters. It cuts out important moments from the book that leaves the story feeling empty. The change of ending is also not a great trade. The movie’s marketing made it feel like the film was going to lean heavier into the horror aspect rather than the family (which the book focuses on), but strangely censors itself to avoid gore or anything that would leave the viewer uneasy. Overall, the film felt rushed, and the decisions felt forced. Not much left for discussion which was a strong point of the book. It’s strange, because this really shouldn’t have been hard to adapt to film. I wouldn’t say the book was amazing, but the movie is certainly a downgrade.

Frozen 2 dives into the mystery and origin of the main characters, which is something the audience can really get into. The jokes are plentiful, and Olaf really delivers great comedy in just about every conversation he’s involved in. What hurts the film is the abundance of forgettable songs crammed in At every turn. The songs in this film were emotional, and fitting to the theme of the situation, but they certainly won’t be songs you’ll be singing aloud in your car, or hear young kids bellow for years to come. There is no “Let It Go” or “Love Is An Open Door” level song here. Aside from musical complaints and rushed ending, it’s hard to feel happy with how the characters are left at the end of the film. Sadly, this seems to follow the same curse as other “#2” Disney sequels. Not bad, but not great. Hopefully a third film can come in and bring things back. Overall, an enjoyable film. It’s just surprising that Disney didn’t put a bit more effort into such a flagship franchise to ensure it would resonate for another half decade like the first film.

The movie characters act irrational and childish, completely detracting from their original appeal. L is irrational and makes stupid decisions. It seems like the only quality they kept from the Manga/Anime was his love for candy. Light does nothing to divert attention from himself being suspected of being Kira (in fact, when asked if he is Kira, he pretty much just says "Yup."). Poor acting (that screaming scene...) also didn't do the movie any favors. It turned a story about physiological cat and mouse into a teen love story. On top of that, the romance is INCREDIBLY forced. Boy meets girl. Literally 20 seconds after introducing themselves, Light shows Mia the Deathnote. What?? Why!? That's right... Because this Light is an idiot kid. In fact, Mia is more like Light Yagami than Light Turner is. Willem Dafoe was fantastic and the only redeeming quality of this movie. His voice acting is spot on, and the CGI of Ryuk is great. Perfect mix of spooky and familiar. However, we barely ever see him. The soundtrack is a whole other issue. No one wants 80s rock in Death Note. The trailer made the music sound so promising. The trailer featured a new rendition of "Bittersweet Symphony" and it was wonderful. It fit the mood perfectly. However, IT WAS NEVER USED IN THE MOVIE! Overall, it was quite sad to see that a movie given all the chance in the world at being incredibly successful turned out so poorly. Poor writing decisions and a directory taking WAY too many "creative" liberties tanked what could have been a real gem of a movie.