PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie (2023)

PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie is an animated family movie based on the TV show of the same name.

Turns out this is the second PAW Patrol movie. Written and directed by Cal Brunker, who returns from the first film. He also wrote and directed the underappreciated Escape from Planet Earth. Regarding children's movies, it was pretty safe and played to the rulebook when creating a modern movie for 2023. Although you don't expect much from the film, the target audience is still learning how to speak. My 1 year old loved it.

There are some voice actors that you might recognize, James Marsden, Kristen Bell, North West, and Taraji P. Henson. The rest are the typical cast of the PAW Patrol. There's not much to really critique as each person brought the typical performance for this type of movie. I hardly even noticed any of the actors with the exception of Henson.

It entertained my kid, but I wouldn't say it had a lot for the adult audience to enjoy like the '90s and '00s Disney and Illumination films would have done. Result: C

Comments

Exit 8 (2026)

Exit 8 is directed by Genki Kawamura , who is best known as the producer of Your Name. , though his work as a director may be less familiar. The film leans into a minimalist premise, building tension through repetition and unease rather than large set pieces. It succeeds in creating an atmosphere that keeps you alert, with a structure that slowly reveals its rules and stakes. While the story ultimately comes together in a satisfying way, the journey there can feel a bit too restrained to stay consistently engaging. Kazunari Ninomiya , known for Gantz and Letters from Iwo Jima , carries much of the film on his own. His performance fits the tone well, grounded and reactive in a way that matches the film’s quiet tension. He does a solid job making small moments feel important, though the script doesn’t always give him enough variety to fully showcase his range. Still, he keeps the film watchable even when the pacing slows. Overall, Exit 8 is a well-constructed film that nails its ten...

Saltburn (2023)

Saltburn is about an Oxford student who is thrown into the world of his aristocratic classmate when he goes to his family's estate for the summer. Director Emerald Fennell lets you know this film is about homosexuals with the opening line. I really enjoyed Promising Young Woman , and so my hopes were high. It is set in 2006 which I adamantly remember since that was my graduating year. Perhaps people in England dressed that way but here in the States, we dressed very differently. Berry Keoghan plays the socially awkward main character who seemingly gets taken into this world of luxury and friendship that causes him to do some extreme things. He's not your traditionally handsome man and for some reason keeps getting roles. I mean he was good in The Banshees of Inisherin but no one remembers him in Dunkirk. Even in Banshees, he was just a weird and annoying character though. Jacob Elordi plays the love interest who has the charm to get any girl he wants. You...

Teen Wolf: The Movie (2023)

Teen Wolf: The Movie is about werewolves fighting against a firefly demon enemy. About halfway through the movie, it dawned on me that perhaps this was based on a CW show and when I looked it up I found out it was MTV. The movie is very much written for an audience who has seen the show as many characters and their powers are not introduced. Directed by Russell Mulcahy , who also directed the TV show, 1986's Highlander, and more recently the two episodes of Netflix's TV series 13 Reasons Why. I'm not sure what the budget of the film was, but surely they could have spent more on the CGI as it's of the quality of Charmed or Buffy. This is 2023 though, audiences expect better. There are also some camera positions that are questionable and fog also just lingers in specific areas which I suppose is more of a production design issue. The sets are sometimes unbelievable and sometimes the backgrounds are obviously computer generated. The music also swells sometimes then dies...

Movies, Film, and Chili

Search This Blog