Frozen (2013): Mormon Movie Review

Quality:

 

   Fearless optimist Anna (voice of Kristen Bell) teams up with rugged mountain man Kristoff (voice of Jonathan Groff) and his loyal reindeer Sven in an epic journey to find Anna's sister Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel), whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom.

   During the 2nd Golden Age of Disney that was ushered in with The Little Mermaid we were treated to movies that had beautiful visuals, compelling stories, and moving music. I'm convinced this age died with Tarzan for one reason, music! Disney movies were basically animated musicals, but without that piece we were given films like Bolt, Meet the Robinsons, and Atlantis. They aren't bad movies, but they can't hold a candle to Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King, which have both been turned into Stage Musicals.

   When Tangled came out in 2010 we saw a reemergence of this era. Frozen continues this pattern of beautiful visuals, compelling stories, and moving music.

Turbo (2013): Mormon Movie Review

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   Turbo is the story of a snail who loves speed, but as a snail doesn’t have much of it.  Then a freak accident involving a street racer and Turbo is born!  Turbo has big dreams of becoming a race car driver like his hero, Guy Gagné, but his brother Chet doesn’t understand his need for speed. Turbo believes that no dreams are too big and no dreamer too small.I took my boys to see it and they loved it!

Epic (2013): Mormon Movie Review

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   My wife is an awesome hair stylist and so she usually works on Saturdays.  That means me and the boys usually have Saturdays to have fun (barring a ward movie or service project).  This Saturday we went to see Epic!  I was a bit nervous after my experience with Wreck-It Ralph, but it was a real great time!

   In Epic a teenager named Mary Katherine (Amanda Seyfriend) finds herself transported to a deep forest setting where a battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil is taking place. She bands together with a rag-tag group characters in order to save their world, and ours.

Rise of the Guardians (2012): Mormon Movie Review

Quality: 

 I believe in Santa Claus.  I always have, I always will.  I still get giddy waiting in line for my kids to get their picture taken.  Elf is one of my favorite Christmas Movies.   I can't quite explain it.  My suspension of disbelief is indisputable.  Perhaps it is because growing up the rule was; "if you don't believe, you don't get gifts" or maybe it is just because of everything he represents.  This is one of the major themes of Rise of the Guardians. (now available on Amazon)

   Every holiday is exemplified in some sort of being, St. Patrick's Day has a leprechaun, Valentine's Day has Cupid, and even Groundhog Day has Puxatawny Phil!  The most elite of these immortal beings are chosen to be Guardians. 

 Santa referred to as North (Alec Baldwin) in one scene says, "It is our job to protect the children of the world. For as long as they believe in us, we will guard them with our lives..."  Not only do these Guardians represent their respective holidays, they also represent what they call their "Center."  It is a child like trait that they are tasked preserving in the children of the world.  When an Pitch Black (Jude Law) comes to instill fear in these children a new Guardian is called to support them in the fight.

   It might be my love of Santa, but Baldwin's North was the highlight of the film.  He was Santa with an edge.  His thick Russian accent and dual wielding swords is a bit of a twist on the jolly old Saint Nick we are used to.  It is explained marvelously though when he presents Jack Frost (Chris Pine) with a Santa set of Russian nesting dolls.  Each one representing an aspect of his character.  He is a fierce protector, but is also loving and kind.    

  The rest of the cast is well rounded and creates a type of synergy where as a whole they become greater than the sum of their parts.  Each Guardian also has a bit of a twist, to them.  The Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman) is a tough talking Aussie.  The Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher) is a bit of a ditz and looks like a cross between a fairy and a humming bird.  The Sandman is a mute.  And Jack Frost is a young and irresponsible teenager with a knack for mischief.

 After our outing to Wreck-It Ralph I decided I would leave my oldest home and take my super talented friend Tyler (who does artwork for Yo Gabba Gabba and the Aquabats Super Show) and his son with my 4 year old.  The boys had a great time! There is a lot of humor and the plot is constantly moving and keeps you engaged.  The preview screening we went to was in 3D, which I am not personally a fan of.  Rise of the Guardians was a real exception to the rule.  There were a few rough patches, but that might have just been because we were seated very close to the screen.  The theme of Guardians protecting the innocence of children is such a tender topic.  We even got to experience a bit of that innocence while in line.  The animation was done very well, but some of the characters were a little under done, as well as some of the scenery.  I hope if a sequel is made they can incorporate much more of the legends in the story.  Even if it were just for a big climax scene at the end like in Disney's Hercules.  Deamworks isn't Pixar yet, but they are hot on their heels.

Content:

 Rise of the Guardians is rated PG and is appropriate for all audiences.  Some scenes may be a bit scary for younger children, but facing and overcoming those fears is a major theme of the movie.  Although I love Santa's style, I was a little disappointed in his forearm tattoos of "Naughty" and "Nice."  They are never mentions or given attention to, but they are visible.  There isn't much mention of the religious meanings behind the holidays of Christmas and Easter, but for a children's movie I don't really expect it.  But each one of the Guardian's "Centers" can easily be denoted as a Christlike attribute as well.

If you have small children this will be a great film for Thanksgiving weekend.  If you do not, you will likely still enjoy it and it is sure to put you in the Holiday Mood. It is in theatres now and there are a few methods you can use to see it free, or pretty cheap!

This post is sponsored by Amazon.com. If want to add a great family friendly movie to your DVD library, get your copy at Amazon today! If you already have it; here are some other ways you can help support us and keep the reviews coming!

Wreck-It Ralph (2012): Mormon Movie Review

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   "I'm gonna Wreck-It!"  The phrase has been echoing around our home (mostly by me) ever since we saw the trailer.  I took my two older boys Garren (7) and Greyson (4) to see Wreck-It Ralph this past weekend. (now available at Amazon)  It was truly a joy.

   Wreck-It Ralph longs to be as beloved as his game's perfect Good Guy, Fix-It Felix Jr.. Problem is, nobody loves a Bad Guy. But they do love heroes... so when a modern, first-person shooter game arrives in the arcade they live in featuring tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun, Ralph sees it as his ticket to heroism and happiness. He sneaks into the game with a simple plan -- win a medal -- but soon wrecks everything, and accidentally unleashes a deadly enemy that threatens every game in the arcade. Ralph's only hope? Vanellope von Schweetz, a young troublemaking "glitch" from a candy-coated cart racing game who might just be the one to teach Ralph what it means to be a Good Guy. But will he realize he is good enough to become a hero before it's "Game Over" for the entire arcade?

   If you were born any time from 1975 to 1990 you are going to love Wreck-It Ralph for pure nostalgia alone.  Ralph attends a regular Bad Guys Anonymous meeting where he learns to cope with his role as the villain in the game.  There are so many popular video game bad guys of my youth in his group; M. Bison and Zangeif from Street Fighter II, Bowser of Super Mario Bros, and Clyde from Pac-Man among others.  

   One of the major themes that is carried through is that of bullying and the effects it has on our self esteem.  Although Ralph plays the role of a Bad Guy in his game, once the arcade closes he is a gentle giant.  But the citizens of his game exclude him from their community and treat him poorly.  At this point in the movie my oldest son Garren really started having a hard time emotionally.  He is pretty sensitive to these sorts of things.  You can learn a little more about why he is so perceptive when it comes to being bullied and feeling eluded here.

   Wreck-It Ralph is smartly written, well acted, and beautifully animated.  The world is truly an original idea where game characters travel through subway like surge protectors.  John C. Riley's Ralph is endearing and lovable.  He surrounded with other great character voices that really fit well.  There are 3 main games the movie takes place in, and each one if stylized slightly different, yet all are amazing and immersive.

Content:

   Wreck-It Ralph is a kids movie and is appropriate for all.  Some scenes might be a little intense for younger kids.  When Ralph goes to the game Hero's Duty it is pretty extreme.  When imitating a soldier in this first person shooter Ralph even comments, "When did video games get so violent? It's scary out here!"  There is also a bit of irreverent humor when Hero's Duty is referred to as Hero's "Doodie."

   Wreck-It Ralph is great fun for the whole family.  It teaches us that to have good friends, we need to be god friends.  It is in theatres now and you can check show times on Fandango.com. 

This post is sponsored by Amazon.com. If want to add a great family friendly movie to your DVD library, get your copy at Amazon today! If you already have it; here are some other ways you can help support us and keep the reviews coming!

Brave (2012): Mormon Movie Review

  Guest Post from the Mormon Movie Guy.  He writes a great blog similar to ours reviewing movies from a Latter-day Saint Perspective. The review was written by him, but the star ratings were applied based on my interpretation of his review.


Quality: 
 There is only one thing that keeps Brave, the new film from Disney-Pixar, from being a "grade-A" movie: it copies its main narrative device wholesale from another recent Disney movie (click here only if you want to know). This lack of originality distracts from Brave's quality and bogs down its second act a bit, but the film is ultimately redeemed by taking its cue from that other film and doing it better, with stunning animation, a gorgeous musical score, excellent characters, rough-and-tumble Scottish humor, and an undeniably powerful emotional core (I'm not ashamed to say that I teared up towards the end). 


With Merida, the strong-willed tomboy princess, Pixar has finally given us a female lead character (as I displayed in my master's thesis, they've portrayed women well, but females have never been front and center), and she was worth the wait. As voiced by actress Kelly Macdonald, she's a fiesty firecracker with a very satisfying character arch. All of the vocal work is superb, in fact, especially by Billy Connoly and Emma Thompson as Merida's royal parents. Though this is essentially a mother-daughter story (a surprising rarity in animated films), there are plenty of amusing male characters for boys and fathers to relate to.Brave's got fun and heart for the whole family, more than enough to make up for its overly-familiar story.

Content:

 Disney-Pixar's Brave is rated PG. It contains some fairly intense scenes of peril that could frighten children, comedic brawling and fisticuffs, and humorous animated rear nudity of adult males and toddlers. A heavyset female character is portrayed with ample cleavage, again for comedic effect.

MESSAGES TO DISCUSS: "Mothers, take time to be a real friend to your children. Listen to your children, really listen. Talk with them, laugh and joke with them, sing with them, play with them, cry with them, hug them, honestly praise them" (President Ezra Taft Benson). "Arguments, fights...generation gaps...all fall into this category of pride. Contention in our families drives the Spirit of the Lord away. It also drives many of our family members away...Pride adversely affects all our relationships...God will have a humble people. We can either choose to be humble or we can be compelled to be humble...Let us choose to be humble. We can choose to humble ourselves by conquering emnity between ourselves and our brothers and sisters, esteeming them as ourselves, and lifting them as high or higher than we are. We can choose to humble ourselves by receiving counsel and chastisement. We can choose to humble ourselves by forgiving those who have offended us" (President Ezra Taft Benson, "Beware of Pride").