Batman: Knightfall - Part 1: Knightfall Review

 

It's been two years since we got a movie from the DC Universe Animated Original Movies, but a new one has finally arrived.

Batman: Knightfall - Part 1: Knightfall is animated direct-to-video comic book movie and is based around the first part of the Knightfall trilogy. It's produced by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment acting as distributor. The screenplay is written by Jeremy Adams and directed by Jeff Wamester.

The story is, a behemoth of a man simply named Bane has to Gotham City and sees it as a place where the weak have taken over, and he wants to punish Bruce Wayne aka Batman for allowing this. First he blows up Arkham Asylum to let the inmates lose and cause havoc across Gotham to weaken the Bat. Then he plans to break the Dark Knight.

Initial Reaction

I was looking forward to this for a three reasons.

1) No connection to a cinematic universe just like I was hoping for at the end of Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part Three.

2) It's based on a classic Batman story, but more importantly one of my top favorites of Batman villains, Bane, is giving the spotlight.

3) It looked really good. That art style is really helping the movie.

So with all those in mind I couldn't be anymore excited. Although I do wish they called it Part 1: Broken Bat since that's the name of the storyline, and it would've helped me from repeatedly typing Knightfall over and over again. But that's more of a nitpick than an actual criticism.

Cons

I've got nothing.

Middle Ground

Now the story is good expect for the one thing. Before I get into let me write about the good. One we've got a great villain in Bane. Now I liked what we got in The Dark Knight Rises, but it felt so good to get a Bane who's truly ruthless. The guy's got a kill count in this that would've made his DCAU and DKR versions scared to go to sleep. But they also showed his intelligence. He very smartly had Batman get worn down. Speaking of which, we see a Batman who works nonstop and suffer the consequences. He refuses to sleep (which in this movie he hasn't done in two days), hasn't eaten, and the more villains he fights the more beaten up he gets. It kinda makes it hard to root for him cause you desperately want him to take a break. So where's the slight issue? Well as I said this part one of a trilogy and it definitely feels like it. Because it ends on an obvious cliffhanger and a character by the name of Jean Paul and his story wasn't finished. It wasn't even at the half away point yet.

Pros

First let me praise the art style of this movie. Now unlike a lot of DC fans, the art styles used in both the DC Animated Movie Universe and the Tomorrowverse didn't bother me too much BUT, I do agree there needs to be variety in art styles. Something that'll capture even a casual viewer's attention. And Knightfall - Part 1 does exactly that. Just look at this still.

Tell me that doesn't grab your attention. That looks awesome. Seems like they took inspiration from Kelley Jones art style. Which is this.

You can especially see it in the exaggerated muscles and very long ears. So I'm very thankful the crew went with this very similar style because it looks awesome.

I also want to praise the pacing. I was kinda worried this movie would drag because there's nineteen issues in just part one alone. But thankfully that wasn't the case. Primarily because the filmmakers give you what you really want with what I briefly mentioned in the story. So because of that decision the movie flows nicely.

The last thing I'll credit is the voice acting. The cast does a great job, but I really want to give the most credit to Michael Mando as Bane. He sounded so menacing and I loved it. And I can't wait to hear him again in the next part.

So even despite that middle ground with the story, I had a blast with this movie. It felt like a return to form with DC direct-to-video movies. So hopefully after this trilogy is wrapped up we get more movies like this.

My final rating is, Good.

That's all for now. Come back on Thursday, Aug 27th, for part eight of Looking Back at the Films of 2025. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to Ice Age: Boiling Point - Ice Age Review

So next year we're gonna be getting a new Ice Age movie with Ice Age: Boiling Point. And you know me, if there's a chance to make a Road to I'm gonna take it.

Ice Age is an animated adventure comedy movie that was produced by 20th Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios (in what was their film debut) with 20th Century Fox distributing. Chris Wedge directed while Michael J. Wilson, Michael Berg, and Peter Ackerman wrote the screenplay.

The story is, three unlikely mammals named Manny (a woolly mammoth), Diego (a sabertooth tiger), and Sid (a ground sloth) find a human baby after his tribe was attacked. The three set out to return the child to the remaining tribe survivors, but along the way the trio will encounter many dangerous challenges on their journey.

• Negatives

I've got nothing.

• Mix

It's the story. Now the great things about it is it touches on themes such as found family and loyalty across differences. Not to mention it dives into some great character work. I've forgotten just how well developed the characters are. Manny letting his guard down more, Sid finding a herd, and Diego struggling where his loyalties are. It great stuff you don't see in the later sequels. There's also the fact that there's quite a few darker edges I didn't notice as a kid that click with me now as an adult. Where the slight issue stems from is there are a lot of familiar beats that you've probably seen in other road trip/buddy comedy flicks. But I don't think those elements drag the story down too much.

• Positives

One praise to give is the voice acting from Ray Ramano, Denis Leary, and John Leguizamo. Ramano's dry delivery perfectly captures Manny's personality, Leary gives Diego an edge and captures the character's gradual warmth nicely, and Leguizamo combined with a lisp made Sid lovable and very funny. And when put together the three of them have some very entertaining chemistry whether it's comedic or something far more serious.

Speak of serious or comedic, I love the tone of this movie. It perfectly balances both comedy and more mature moments. Mature moments such as Manny looking at the cave paintings and going back to his past were done beautifully. And of course the comedy is a great mix of slapstick, gags, and dialogue.

Then we have the animation. This was as I stated before Blue Sky's film debut. So they had a lot riding on their animation, and it was a good start. The frozen landscapes look great, characters move in great fluidity, they also have great facial expressions whether they're showing happiness, sadness, or it's just a goofy expression. And they're action set pieces are amazing. Those pieces have an energy to them. My absolute favorite is the ice slide race. That scene was awesome and still gets laughs out of me.

Ice Age is a very enjoyable movie. While it's comedic it still has plenty of serious material that families can enjoy.

My final rating is, Good.

So I'm done here. Come back on Wednesday, yes Wednesday, Aug 26th for my review of the newest DC animated movie, Batman: Knightfall - Part 1: Knightfall. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to Avengers: Doomsday - Fantastic Four: Unthinkable Review

 

We're almost at the end of this road folks. So, what does this story have in store for Doctor Doom this time?

Fantastic Four: Unthinkable is a 2003 storyline published by Marvel Comics and can be found in issues #67-70 and #500. Mark Waid wrote the story with Mike Wieringo providing the art for all five issues.

The story is, Doctor Doom is sacrificed the last thing he holds dear so he can gain dark magical and he has his sights set on his old enemies, the Fantastic Four. Now the Four must face a Victor Doom who's not holding back. Can they survive this encounter or will they finally fall?

• Negatives

I've got nothing.

• Mix

It comes down to some story beats. Firstly the good stuff, starting with Doctor Doom. Holy sweet mother of God! I've reviewed seven Doctor Doom centered stories before and he's never been as vicious in either of those stories as much as he is here. This time around Doom wasn't holding back. He not only targeted the usual members of the Fantastic Four but also Richard & Sue's kids Franklin and Valeria. Yeah, this time around the kid gloves were off with Doom. But the other good aspect of the story is Reed Richards. Reed is a science guy through and through, but with Unthinkable he has to confront magic and nothing but magic. So Reed's not only dealing with a conflict with a much more vicious Doctor Doom, but also has to confront and find a way to use magic himself. Which isn't easy because he has to surrender control. Not with all that out of the way there is one slight problem. The story is very Doom vs. Reed heavy. Makes sense considering their rivals, but I really think Waid missed an opportunity to have Sue get more involved. Sure she had her moments, but seeing her be just as if not more so going head to head with Doom could've been cool. After all Franklin and Valeria are her kids too.

• Positives

I'll start off with the pacing. Despite being five issues this was a praise to get through. I started reading this early in the morning and by the time I was done it was still breakfast time.

My last praise will go to Mike Wieringo's art. First let me give an awesome panel from his artwork.

It may not Doom's most iconic panel but it's still pretty good. Anyways, Wieringo was such an underrated artists. He had great dynamic and expressive style that had an energy to it. Not to mention but while he's action scenes were great, Wieringo was very capable of showing more quieter moments. Because of this great skill it makes it all the more sadder he's no longer with us.

Despite some flaws, I still loved this story. Especially for a much more vicious Doctor Doom and the art by Wieringo.

My final rating is, Great.

That's all for me. Come back on Monday, Aug 24th, where I'll begin the Road to Ice Age: Boiling Point. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Underrated Films - The Brave Little Toaster

 

Alright I've got another new Underrated Films review, and this time it's for an animated movie. Which I haven't done in two years. So yeah, long overdue and it's time to fix that.

The Brave Little Toaster is an independent animated musical adventure film based on Thomas M. Disch's 1980 novella of the same name. Production was done by The Kushner-Locke Company and Hyperion Pictures the latter of which was also the distributor. Jerry Rees directed and wrote the story with Joe Ranft and Brian McEntee.

The story is, five anthropomorphic household appliances named Toaster, Blanky, Kirby, Radio, and Lampy are waiting for a boy named they call "The Master" to return to the cabin his family use to vacation at. But after waiting so many years they've had enough and set out to find "The Master" for one big reunion.

Why It's Underrated

It just doesn't get enough attention. Whenever I see best animated movies I rarely see this one on countdowns. I didn't know about it until 2002 when I was scrolling through the guide on the old TV we use to have and saw the title when I scrolled to Disney Channel.

My Thoughts

If there's one slight issue I have it's the songs. There's only a total a four songs but I only remember two of them. One being "It's a B-Movie" and the other is "Worthless". The other two I'm drawing a blank on.

One positive you gotta give is the creativity. I would've never thought of making a movie animated or otherwise about ordinary household appliances. Who would've? Who would've thought to themselves "How do we make a toaster go on an exciting adventure?" But the filmmakers pulled it off. There's a lot of times when I actually felt worried about one of them getting hurt or worse die.

Speaking of death I gotta give the movie credit for not being afraid to have more mature material. Hell they movie isn't even afraid to show some appliances die, truly die. But even when there's no death the movie also tackles themes of friendship, usefulness, and feeling forgotten. Pretty good stuff for a movie where the filmmakers could've easily have gone down the laziest and most clichéd direction.

I also want to praise the characters. They all have easy but pretty realistic personalities. Blanky's the innocent kid, Kirby is grouchy, Lampy isn't the brightest (gotta love the irony in that), Toaster is well the brave one, and Radio is the talkative one. But what was also great about them was their development. Because of their different personalities often times they get into fights with one another. That not only makes their friendship believable but it also makes us relieved when they're on the same page or truly care about each other.

The last thing I'll praise is the animation. While not as polished as many other 80's animated movies, the animation is still a joy to watch. The expressive movements and facial expressions gives everyone their own personality.

When I was a kid I couldn't believe how good this movie was, and now as a man I can't believe how good this movie is. It's one of my favorite animated movies that doesn't come from Disney or DreamWorks.

My final rating is, Great.

That's gonna do it for me. Come back on Thursday, Aug 20th, for yet another installment of the Road to Avengers: Doomsday. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

The End of Oak Street Review

 

Hey look at this, a dinosaur movie review that isn't Jurassic World.

The End of Oak Street is a sci-fi survival thriller film that's produced by Bad Robot Productions and Jackson Pictures with Warner Bros. Pictures acting as distributor. David Robert Mitchell both wrote and directed.

The story is, the Platt family maybe struggling with their own issues at home but it's something a lot of families go through. Then one morning while searching for their dog they quickly find out their entire neighborhood went from living in 1982 to the prehistoric times with dinosaurs roaming around ever turn. Now the family must find a way to survive.

Initial Reaction

I've been excited for this movie since I put it on my Most Anticipated list. The reason for why is because of the director/writer. He brought us the horror movie It Follows and that was amazing. So I was curious if he'll bring us another big hit.

Cons

I've got nothing.

Middle Ground

First we have the writing. Now I'll admit this is still a very fun movie. It provides everything you want. Dinosaurs, thrills, violence, and bits of humor. If you want to sit around and watch people survive dino attacks, this has you covered. Having said that there's much in the way of character. Don't get me wrong you're actually rooting for them to survive, but all of there issues about thinking of getting a divorce and financial struggles are pretty basic.

Pros

Now if there's one of many praises to give is the tone. This movie is pretty intense despite a PG-13. Much like the Platt family you almost don't get a moment to breath. Because you're always wondering "Okay where's the other dino. I know it's here, where is it." I also gotta give credit to the pacing. This was a breeze to watch. No scene is wasting time and by the end it's not gonna feel like the movie was overstaying its welcome. My last praise goes towards Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway's performances. Despite their characters being very simple, these two still provide some really good acting. They both in their own way anchor the film by bringing out a sense of humanity.

Overall I see The End of Oak Street as a really good popcorn movie. So if that's all you want to see for the summer then go see this movie.

My final rating is, Good.

That's all for now folks. Come back on Mon, Aug 17th, for another Underrated Films and this time I'm going animated. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Classic Film Night - Back to the Future

 

Hey guys, and welcome to another edition of Classic Film Night. And as you get see by the title this time around I'm reviewing one of the best time travel movies.

Back to the Future is a sci-fi film that was produced by Amblin Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. Robert Zemeckis not only directed the movie but also wrote the story with Bob Gale.

The story is, it's 1985 and high school student Marty McFly meets up with his eccentric friend Emmett "Doc" Brown where he shows Marty his newest invention, a time machine built from a modified DeLorean. During this meet up the duo are attacked by terrorist and Marty escapes the attack by jumping into the DeLorean and next thing he knows he's in 1955. Now Marty along with 1955 Doc must find a way to get power back to the DeLorean and get Marty back home to 1985.

My Thoughts

Oh boy...where do I even begin with this? There's just so many great things about Back to the Future. Let's start with Alan Silvestri's music. Whenever I so much as just think about Back to the Future the theme is instantly in my head. I mean it folks. The Back to The Future theme is one of those bits of music that gets stuck in your head just like the Jaws theme, the Jurassic Park theme, and the Indiana Jones theme. It's that much of an earworm.

There's also the humor. I always have such a great laugh with this movie despite seeing it I think like six times. One moment that gets a laugh out of me is Marty finds the younger verison of his dad up in a tree and he's spying on a woman undressing, and Marty has this WTF look on his face and says "He's a peeping Tom!". I personally would've been more horrified but Marty still had the right reaction 😆. And of course you got this classic Johnny B. Goode scene where Marty got a little too into the moment.

I also want to praise the special effects. Now admittedly there are a few moments where they don't look the best. Like this moment,

You can tell by this shot some blue screen was used, but that's like one scene I can think of on the top of my head. All of the other special effects hold up surprisingly well. Like when the DeLorean has lighting all over it when it's about to jump into another time, that's one of those effects that still hold up even when we now have stuff like CGI.

Then we have the performances from Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. What can I say about these two and their acting for Marty and Doc that hasn't already been said? Fox has great comic timing and can perfectly balance Marty's charisma and his little bit of a dorky streak. And Lloyd just kills it with Doc Brown. I know Christopher Lloyd has done other roles such as Prof. Plum in Clue and Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, but I will forever love him as Doc Brown. Doc has pure manic energy but also tons of heart and Lloyd brings both of those out perfectly.

The last thing I'll praise is the storytelling. One bit of great writing is how the story sets up many elements early that are actually used later to great effect. One of those elements is the frequently talked about clock tower that plays a part in the time traveling. Speaking of the time traveling can I just say how much I appreciated this movie for keeping it simple. Now don't get the wrong idea, I don't mind if a time travel movie does something different one example being Tenet, but sometimes you just gotta keep it simple. So the time travel doesn't bog down the story but serves it. Not to mention but this story has the perfect balance of suspense and comedy.

So that's Back to the Future and if you haven't seen it then what is wrong with you? Stop reading this review and get to watching.

My final rating is, A Must Watch!

That's all for now. Due come back on Saturday, Aug 15th, for my review of The End of Oak Street. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Fan Film Mondays - Skynet Review

Alright! It's a brand new Fan Film Mondays! This time around we enter the world of Terminator.

Skynet is a 2021 fan film based on the Terminator franchise. It was produced by Blinky Productions and was written and directed by Chris R. Notarile.

The story is, it's been 55 years after Judgment Day...and humanity has lost. Now the last man on Earth will come face to face with the program that drove mankind towards extinction - Skynet.

• Negatives

I've got nothing.

• Mix

Now let's get something obvious out of the way, that's the look of the film. It's obvious Notarile was working with a budget, but despite the size of said budget it still doesn't look too bad. It's far better than anything I could do.

Then there's the acting. Michael Edwards (who played the original adult John Connor in Terminator 2: Judgment Day) is okay. He is giving out a tired soldier vibe but he's not exactly gonna blow people away. Then there's Laura Van Yck as Skynet. Like Edwards she's fine (although I imagine it's not very difficult to play an emotional less machine), but much like Edwards I don't see her shocking anybody with her acting.

• Positives

My one positive I'll give is the story. Seeing John and Skynet finally come face to face and discuss their next move to each other was not only fun to watch, but it's also a fantastic story idea that I think mainstream Hollywood should take influence from if we ever get another Terminator movie.

So yeah, this time the fan film wasn't all that great, but it wasn't bad either. It was just alright.

My final rating is, Okay.

Well that's all for now. Come back on Thursday, Aug 13th, for a new Classic Film Night review. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.

Oh and I almost forgot, if you're by any chance curious about Chris' other fan films or his more original work then click here. I remember watching his stuff all the way back in 2005 (back when YouTube was fun) with his fan films of The Nightmare Ends on Halloween, Friday the 31st: Michael vs. Jason, and his two Power Girl fan films. Hard to believe his YouTube channel is still active after twenty years.