Men in Black: International (2019)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2019
	Director: F. Gary Gray (The Italian Job, The Fate of the Furious)
	Actors: Chris Hemsworth (Thor 1-3, The Avengers 1-4, The Cabin in the Woods), Tessa Thompson (Thor: Ragnarok), Kumail Nanjiani
	Country: USA, CN
	Genre: Comedy, Fantasy
	Conditions of visioning: 01.10.2020, VOD, 14" computer screen.

Synopsis: After managing to enter the Men in Black organization, protecting Earth from Alien threats, Agent M (Thompson) gets her first assignment to London with legendary Agent H (Hemsworth) who recently saved the world, or so it seems. Review: I read really bad reviews about this movie so I was pleasantly surprised to find it watchable, far from the original Men in Black, more between the second and Men in Black 3. This one does not feature Will Smith nor Tommy Lee Jones but we hear about them (see them on a poster in fact) and recognize Agent O (Emman Thompson) from the third movie. It has nothing really touching like Men in Black 3 had, and no particularly good story, but it is rather harmless and I found it fun to watch, including decent special effects. Some would say it is not a necessary addition to the franchise, but maybe I was tired of watching bad Superman movies and found it refreshing in comparison. It includes what you would expect: action, goofy-looking aliens, re-visitation of history and of famous people (although I noticed I am too old to recognize some references...), big guns, alien tech... It doesn't matter that the MIB often operate in public view. The one thing that bothered me most is how they negate the premise of the first movie (this is called retconing I think) by presenting Gustave Eiffel as already harboring alien refugees in his days. The movie doesn't try to hide his intent to reproduce the chemistry between Hemsworth and Thompson in Thor: Ragnarok, and that didn't even bother me. On top of all that, the director knows how to handle a big blockbuster after The Fate of the Furious, (and I am looking forward to his M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand based on the animated series which I loved as kid), so the movie is well built. Easily digested entertainment.   Rating: 5 /10

Unacknowledged (2017)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2017
	Director: Michael Mazzola
	Actors: Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, The Mandalorian), Steven M. Greer, Carl Sagan
	Country: USA
	Genre: Documentary
	Conditions of visioning: 10.08.2020, VOD, 14" computer screen.
Synopsis: This Documentary focuses on the historic files of the Disclosure Project and how UFO secrecy has been ruthlessly enforced – and why.
Review: After watching too many videos about the Flat Earth phenomenon (like the documentary Behind the Curve), and the movie Capricorn One linked to the conspiracy theory around the Moon landings, I wanted to get updated on the status of UFO and Aliens sightings. My latest information was that there were much less sightings now that everybody has a camera in their pocket than 30 years ago when such sightings were recorded on blurry grainy films. This was to me a strong argument that all those proofs were fake. Unacknowledged is revolving around a man called Steven M. Greer, founder of the Disclosure Project, a project which seeks the disclosure of allegedly classified secret UFO information, from the American government and Military. His project has gathered an incredible amount of evidence (films and testimonies) that not only Earth was visited by an Alien spaceship which crashed in Roswell in the 50's, but that there are many many more of such visits, that they are kept a secret (even from governments) or discredited by the industrial-military complexes of the World, in order to keep on making profit from oil, staged wars, and ultimately faking an Alien invasion which will result in the maximum benefit for them. Waw, this seems far-fetched but Greer (who they keep on insisting is a Doctor) looks like a sane guy and has organized proofs, not like the deniers who believe the Earth is flat. The problem a little bit is that I don't know how much one can trust the poor-quality leaked scans presented as proofs, and even less the testimonies of humans. It is known that many people would tell tons of lies if it gave them some celebrity. Also, how are some of those people allowed to talk about such secrets, as they were or still are employed by governments (like high-ranking military or CIA former officials)? Technically the Documentary is well-done and conveys its message (and the voice of Giancarlo Esposito is a plus), although it clearly takes the side of the conspirationists. Steven M. Greer is co-producing it after all. Sure, it would be great to know of Aliens visits if they were true but I am still not convinced. Maybe I would need to see a study of video proofs, showing possible Earth-based explanations for many of them, but also a list of the ones which cannot yet be explained.
Rating: 5 /10

The Berlin Bride (2020)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2020
	Director: Michael Bartlett
	Actors: Taylor Baldschun, Michael Bartlett, Brynmor Jones
	Country: USA, D
	Genre: Drama, Thriller, Fantasy
	Conditions of visioning: 02.07.2020, FANTASPOA2020, 14" computer screen.
Synopsis: Two oddball Berliners discover the abandoned appendages of a mannequin. Separately, and with grotesque consequence, they come to terms with their disjointed mate.
Review: From the synopsis and the poster of the movie, I was expecting more of a Giallo (or something like Anguish) and didn't get much of it apart from the strange mannequin fetishism and the setting in the 80's. Those are also the two best things in this movie. I am in particular amazed at how the director could recreate the Berlin of 1986 in its exterior scenes, in spite of a probable low budget. It is also remarkable to see this kind of production in Europe and I can only encourage it. Finally another characteristic of the movie is that it is almost without dialogs, apart from a few lines in German or English, which makes it easy to watch for anybody even without sub-titles. The rest of the movie feels sometimes like a psychedelic trip, as we see the mannequin taking a more and more important part in the life of our two protagonists, both weird in their own way. A movie unfortunately not as rich and memorable as I thought it would be.
Rating: 5 /10

Extraction (2020)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2020
	Director: Sam Hargrave
	Actors: Chris Hemsworth (Thor 1-3, Avengers 1-4, The Cabin in the Woods), Rudhraksh Jaiswal, Randeep Hooda
	Country: USA
	Genre: Action, War
	Conditions of visioning: 23.07.2020, VOD, 10" tablet screen.
Synopsis: Tyler Rake (Hemsworth), a fearless black market mercenary, embarks on the most deadly extraction of his career when he's enlisted to rescue the kidnapped son (Jaiswal) of an imprisoned international crime lord.
Review: Another Netflix Original production. They are getting better at delivering those movies for a niche audience. This one's particularity is that it is produced by the Russo brothers (Avengers: Infinity and Endgame), durected by the stunt coordinator on a bunch of Marvel movies, and stars the beloved actor playing Thor in those movies. The story is exciting and exotic, confronting India and Bangladesh drug lords and taking place in the capital of the latter: Dhaka. Another characteristic of the movie is that it is brutal: executing children, showing the worst of society and a total body count in the 200, most of them shot in the head. That would then be my first problem with the movie: it is shot like a video game, enemies appearing slowly and unprepared in the hero's field of view just to be shot. On the other hand, the shooting style is very immersive, in particular the 12-minute shot looking like one long continuous take the movie is praised for. That is something I like to see. My other problem is still with the enemies. It is hard for filmmakers to find bad guys in the movies that we don't mind watching die. It usually helps when they are thugs, hired bad guys (like in the recent Rambo: Last Blood which displays a similarly high kill count), aliens or members of the opposing military. For example I would hate to see in an undercover cop movie the hero let another cop be shot to protect his cover. Some filmmakers are very aware of that, like Josh Wedon, showrunner of the TV-series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., as from the first episodes he insists on equipping his agents with non-lethal weapons. In Extraction, the guys shot by our hero are mostly soldiers doing their job, and it only helps a little that it is in a far-away country and we don't see their faces under helmets. It still disturbed me and took me out of the movie. But if you are simply looking for change of scenery in a violently satisfying action flick with immersive scenes, go for it!
Rating: 5 /10

Capricorn One (1977)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1977
	Director: Peter Hyams (2010, Timecop, The Relic)
	Actors: Elliott Gould (Friends, Ocean 11), James Brolin, Brenda Vaccaro, O. J. Simpson (The Naked Gun)
	Country: USA
	Genre: SF, Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 28.07.2020, VOD, 14" computer screen.
Synopsis: About to be launched on the first flight to Mars, the team of astronauts is discreetly evacuated and led to a hidden location in the desert while the mission goes on without them.
Review: I had heard about this movie in the past, but now that I stumbled on it again while watching YouTube videos and reading Wikipedia entries about the conspiracy theory around the 1969 Moon landing, I had to see it. Released eight years only after Apollo 11, the movie is indeed quoted as it "might have given a boost to the hoax theory's popularity". Regardless, I found it a great and original topic for a Space Exploration movie, like I found with the vaguely similar twist in the 2014 mini-series Ascension. In the Cold War times where failure was not an option, it is interesting to see a movie exploring the question of faking success. And I found that the political and scientific context are well represented in the movie. The secret being kept by very few people is also more credible than a NASA-wide conspiracy which would be impossible to keep under wraps. What I found not so well done in the movie is the lack of excitement by the people on Earth for the first step on Mars. The tension of getting there and the culmination of the trip are not very well shown. The action on Earth is also not very exciting, the helicopter chases too choreographed and the music too present. And I found the image quality to be poor, not from the movie transfer to digital format, but apparently from the camera optics themselves (like I noted in The Final Countdown for example). But this is balanced by the more thrilling investigation by the journalist played by Elliott Gould, even though his near assassinations are strangely downplayed. An imperfect movie, but one I had to see.
Rating: 5 /10

The Old Guard (2020)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2020
	Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
	Actors: Charlize Theron (Monster, Mad Max: Fury Road), KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts
	Country: USA
	Genre: Fantasy, Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 27.07.2020, VOD, 10" tablet screen.
Synopsis: A covert team of immortal mercenaries are suddenly exposed and must now fight to keep their identity a secret just as an unexpected new member is discovered.
Review: If there is a hype around this new Netflix movie, I don't understand it. OK it is a nice Fantasy story a-la-Highlander but where the Immortals are few and save others, while avoiding being discovered. The movie is well-made, Charlize Theron's performance is carrying it and there is enough action and violence to please the audience. The bad guy is also very antipathetic as head of a Big Pharma company, something which nobody likes either so it is easy to take sides. The Universe building is nice and complete but a bit too obviously pointing towards sequels. For some reason the movie left me unsatisfied. Maybe I was expecting too much of it. I didn't get as attached to the characters (and the adventures they went through) as I could have, except for the story of the loss of a former Immortal which left me having nightmares. The Old Guard is better than other Netflix failed attempts, but I didn't find it exceptional.
Rating: 5 /10

Bloodshot (2020)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2020
	Director: Dave Wilson (episode Sonnie's Edge of the Love, Death and Robots TV-series)
	Actors: Vin Diesel (Pitch Black, Fast & Furious 1-3-4...), Eiza González, Sam Heughan, Guy Pearce (Memento, Iron Man 3)
	Country: USA, CN
	Genre: Action, SF
	Conditions of visioning: 18.07.2020, VOD, 14" computer screen.
Synopsis: Ray Garrison (Diesel) has seen his wife die and was himself executed by the same killer. He is revived, infused with nanobots that give him super-strength and instant healing abilities. But is the Dr. Emil Harting (Pearce) who revived him telling all the truth?
Review: Bloodshot is all you would expect from such Action Blockbuster. An indestructible Vin Diesel kicking ass, enhanced bad guys, nice visuals, car chases, explosions. I was not disappointed on those aspects. The tech in the movie doesn't make much sense: flying nanobots, how to recharge, how they all hack one another... but that's acceptable. The fight scenes, often in slow motion a-la-300 are nice but a bit repetitive. More annoying is how Garrison doesn't even try avoiding the bullet hits and explosions. OK he can regenerate but would wouldn't it be more efficient to save his juice a bit? You definitely won't get bored during the movie, but don't look for too much depth. If you're OK with that, enjoy!
Rating: 5 /10

The Man Standing Next (2020)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2020
	Director: Min-ho Woo
	Actors: Byung-hun Lee (I Saw the Devil, G. I. Joe 1-2, Ashfall, A Bittersweet Life), Sung-min Lee, Do-won Kwak
	Country: ROK
	Genre: Drama, Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 17.07.2020, VOD, 32" TV-screen
Synopsis: The weeks leading to the assassination of South-Korean dictator Park Chung-hee in 1979.
Review: Interesting to watch this more recent take at the same events as depicted in the acclaimed 2005 satire The President's Last Bang. Both were shown at the Far East Film Festival 2020. This one is more a cold fact-telling story giving more background on the motives for the assassination and cutting short right after it, so in a sense it is complementary to the other which was focusing on the few hours before the event and in the aftermath. The tone is of course totally different and I found that the satirical one of the The President's Last Bang makes a much more interesting movie. The characters are not as likeable or relatable in this one. For example the president is depicted in the other movie as old, lonely and in search for female company, less interested by the state's affairs. In this movie he is depicted more seriously and as you would expected from a ruthless military dictator. There is no doubt that The Man Standing Next is very well shot, including scenes abroad or with foreigners which gives it a larger scope. And it stars the Korean actor most famous outside of Korea: Byung-hun Lee, internationally known since his role as Storm Shadow in G. I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, as the T1000 in Terminator Genisys or his role in The Magnificent Seven. Asian Film Festival goers would know him since A Bittersweet Life, JSA, Three... Extremes, The Good the Bad the Weird, I Saw the Devil or the recent Ashfall. A movie well done but not very exciting. If you watch only one of the two, it should definitely be The President's Last Bang.
Rating: 5 /10

The Journalist (2019)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2019
	Director: Michihito Fujii
	Actors: Eun-kyung Shim, Tôri Matsuzaka, Tsubasa Honda
	Country: J
	Genre: Thriller, Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 12.06.2020, NCF2020, 14" computer screen
Synopsis: A newspaper journalist receives an anonymous fax with explosive information. As she follows the trail, she comes across questions that also concern the official Sugihara. The two uncover a scandal that reaches up into the highest circles of the Japanese government. But the closer they get to the truth, the more dangerous the situation becomes for both of them
Review: I was disappointed by this political thriller. I was expecting something better soon after watching The Pelican Brief, and thinking about All the President's Men from the same director. The story is a bit confused (to me), the stakes not that high, and neither the journalist nor the government employee very charismatic. The movie is better replaced in the Japanese context, a country where "there is an informal agreement between mainstream media and the government that is hardly ever questioned: Journalists are not too persistent in their criticism, in turn representatives of the government grant direct access to select information through press conferences" (description given on the website of the Nippon Connection 2020 Festival at which the film was shown). The novel from which the movie is adapted apparently made a fuss in Japan, and maybe watching the documentary shot around the movie (i -Documentary Of The Journalist, shown at the same Festival but which we haven't seen) helps under the context even better. But for an outside audience and from a pure cinematographic point of view, the movie is forgettable. It contains all the tropes you would expect from such a movie: the journalist digging old newspapers and bothering victims, the mole, the bad guys and the too-powerful governmental organization... but it doesn't take. At least it didn't for me. You can hear more about this movie in our video review.
Rating: 5 /10

Family Romance, LLC. (2019)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2019
	Director: Werner Herzog (Into the Inferno, Lo and Behold - Reveries of the Connected World, Aguirre the Wrath of Gods, Nosferatu the Vampyre, Fitzcarraldo)
	Actors: Miki Fujimaki, Umetani Hideyasu, Shun Ishigaki
	Country: USA
	Genre: Documentary, Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 10.06.2020, NCF2020, 14" computer screen
Synopsis: A man is hired to impersonate the missing father of a young girl.
Review: This docu-fiction is directed by Werner Herzog, known for the classic Aguirre Wrath of Gods and Fitzcarraldo with Klaus Kinski, more recently Queen of the Desert with Nicole Kidman and the Documentaries Grizzly Man, Into the Inferno and Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World. He also recently acted in the Disney Star Wars TV-series The Mandalorian. Family Romance LLC doesn't feature his soothing voice as it is not a pure Documentary that he narrates, but you can watch this interview if you miss it. You will also learn a bit about the genesis and production of this project. In particular how he learned about those companies in Japan which rent people to pass as friend or family member for a period of time. From the movie synopsis it sounds weird (and it may be in our Western countries), but in Japan it is just normal. The main actor of the movie, Ishii Yuichi, is not professional but in fact the CEO of the real-life company named Family Romance LLC, and manages over 1000 employees! Werner Herzog shot the movie himself using a reduced crew and a small camera. The non-pro actors were mostly left to improvise around guidelines that he provided via his interpreter. This all translates into a strange-looking docu-fiction, sometimes leaning towards South American TV-novella, but still under the control of its experienced director. Indeed the structure of the movie gives it cohesion: scenes of a main story about the fake father, interleaved with several examples of application for such services as the company provides, all inspired by real ones. On top of the structure, you notice that the movie is going somewhere, unlike in more experimental movies like Kinta and Ginji that we have seen just before at the same Nippon Connection 2020 Festival (link to the article with video review of Family Romance, LLC). Werner Herzog has a message to pass (spoiler, highlight to read: the man of a thousand faces looses grip on what is real or what isn't), and in fact it could have been the arc of a big-budget Sci-Fi or Anticipation movie made on the topic (a-la-Blade Runner), had Werner Herzog chosen to do so. Instead of this hypothetical blockbuster, we have a real quickly-produced, cheap-looking but close to the heart project that shows to the World an unknown side of Japan. Totally at its place at the Nippon Connection Festival.
Rating: 5 /10

Angel has Fallen (2019)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2019
	Director: Ric Roman Waugh (Felon)
	Actors: Gerard Butler (300, Gamer), Morgan Freeman (Deep Impact, Oblivion), Danny Huston (Wonder Woman)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Action, Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 13.02.2020, VOD, 14" computer screen.
Synopsis: Mike Banning (Bulter)'s president-saving exploits take a toll and his health is degrading. Facing the dilemma between stepping up or stepping down, yet another attack on the president (Freeman) puts him in a new position.
Review: Olympus has Fallen was fun but London has Fallen too much of the same nonsense. This third chapter was nonetheless produced and the franchise seems to be headed towards the direct-to-video, or whatever equivalent exists nowadays (direct-to-VOD?). But it may do it some good to reduce its ambition and target audience. The initial attack is of course too much: how many times can a group terrorist come so close to the president! At least this time it doesn't involve hundreds of people infiltrating the White House or the London Police, so it's easier to swallow. And the visual effects are generous in showing us exploding body parts which is fun. This graphical display of violence goes on through the whole movie and that makes it more fun to watch. I don't remember that from the first two. And then comes the good idea of the movie to focus on Banning: his weaknesses and his infallible motivation when being set-up for the attack. This is a minor spoiler and it is ruined by just the movie poster but I liked seeing it without knowing. The movie is then very predictable: I knew the two bad guys the moment I saw them, the second even thinking: waw they will never make him the villain, it is too obvious. But they did. The movie delivers the expected shares of Action, heroism against incredible odds, friendship (I like the character played by Nick Nolte), super convoluted plans and characters' reactions with no sense, and an ass-kicking ending. Rightfully rated between the two other movies of the trilogy.
Rating: 5 /10

The Toys that made Us - Season 3 (2019)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2019
	Director: Brian Volk-Weiss
	Actors: -
	Country: USA
	Genre: Documentary
	Conditions of visioning: January 2020, VOD, 10" tablet screen.
Synopsis: The history of the success of famous toy lines, and anecdotes behind those.
Review: The original concept of the "eight-part Documentary series about the toys that we all know" must have been successful because after those 8 episodes split into Season 1 and Season 2, the series is back for more! The mechanics of the series are now well in place and the creators start to dig into less known toy lines in this third Season. It is well in line with the second season and gets the same rating, not as good as the first one because the novelty effect has passed, and again I miss the "context of the period: political, social, economical, fashion". Still it is pretty entertaining to watch. The Power Rangers episode fascinated me more for the concept of the TV-series (Japanese Super-Sentai series dubbed and with additional scenes shot with American actors) than the one of the toys. My Little Pony was just OK. The Wrestling episode gives more insight on the business, and the one on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is quite interesting for the comics book origin and the participation of its creators to the toy lines. There is not much more to say.
Rating: 5 /10

Stuber (2019)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2019
	Director: Michael Dowse
	Actors: Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy 1-2, Blade Runner 2049), Kumail Nanjiani (Sex Tape, Men in Black: International), Mira Sorvino (Mimic)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Comedy, Polar
	Conditions of visioning: 07.12.2019, in-flight entertainment system, 10" tablet screen.
Synopsis: After losing his partner, Vic (Bautista) cannot forgive himself. While he is trying to reconcile with his daughter, he is tipped on where to find the responsible gangster. He hires an Uber driver (Nanjiani) to get there.
Review: This is a kind of easy-going comedy with huge plot holes and non-believabe characters' reactions, also pretty dumb sometimes, but you have to take it for what it is: brainless distraction. You may even get a few laughs on the way. Dave Bautista and Karen Gillan from Guardians of the Galaxy get re-united for a very short time, but then's it is all about the difference in character between Vic (caricatural police brute) and the driver (modern metropolitan boy). You follow them from place to place while the cop is obsessed by his enemy and the driver by going home. The good thing is that they both evolve on the way, and that makes the movie watchable.
Rating: 5 /10

Fargo - Season 3 (2017)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2017
	Writer: Noah Hawley + others
	Actors: Ewan McGregor (The Island, Transpotting), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Deathproof, The Thing), David Thewlis (Wonder Woman)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Black Comedy, Polar
	Conditions of visioning: May-November 2019, VOD, 10" tablet screen
Synopsis: A twisted sibling rivalry leads to murder, mobsters and cutthroat competitive bridge in a small Midwestern town.
Review: The movie Fargo is fantastic, and the concept of the series (Season 1, Season 2) is pretty good. This one follows the same spirit, and has even less connections to the rest but as I read online, they "really don't need a bunch of criss-crossing characters and storylines in order to feel like they take place in the same universe". Indeed the usual ingredients are sufficient: snow and cold weather, Minnesota, simple people, a female police officer in conflict with her male hierarchy, normal people ending up doing bad deeds in spite of their good heart, and true bad people. It's a special recipe that always brings back memories from the other stories. Of course the movie and series relies on very good actors and this season is no exception: Mary Elizabeth Winstead is great and dynamic, David Thewlis is devilish, and it took me half of the first episode to recognize Ewan McGregor playing two roles with a make-up that really hides his face and who uses an accent and acting far from his usual self. Brilliant. The rest of the less-known cast is no less wonderful. The season slows down in the middle, which caused me to take a break of several months, but I then quickly completed it. the story is convoluted as expected and you feel bad for the characters stuck in the situation they are.  Still working after three seasons, let's see what the fourth brings with a synopsis like "The head of an African American crime syndicate goes to war with the Italian mafia in Kansas City, Missouri during the 1950s".
Rating: 5 /10

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2019
	Director: Rob Letterman (Monsters vs. Aliens)
	Actors: Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool 1-2), Justice Smith (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), Kathryn Newton, Bill Nighy (Shaun of the Dead), Ken Watanabe (Godzilla)
	Country: USA, J, GB, CDN
	Genre: Animation, Polar, Adventure
	Conditions of visioning: 16.09.2019, in-flight entertainment, 10" tablet screen
Synopsis: After his dad, a detective he barely knew, dies in a car accident, Tim (Smith) travels to the big city to wrap some things up. There, Humans and Pokemons live in harmony. He will soon meet his dad's Pokemon which he can speak to, and discover an evil plot.
Review: I missed the Pokemon video-game craze by a few years, I was just a little too old to ride it (and a Sega guy rather than Nintendo). But I remember it very well, my brother played it and I know the basics: the tournaments, trainers, underdog Pikachu, even the big bad Mewtwo. I think the movie talks to this audience, the one that played the game when it went out and is now in its thirties, but also to different generations that may have played different versions of it during the years, including the addictive Augmented-reality Pokemon Go. In fact the movie is also an adaptation of a 2016 video game. The movie nicely treats the whole tournament story into the past, giving just enough backstory for the newbies, and then moves on to a different thing, a sort of Adventure-Polar-Comedy-Superhero movie. The talking pet plot reminded me of Ted, probably thanks to the voice of Ryan Reynolds and the few dirty, definitely not children-suited jokes he managed to place. The World-building is fine, probably better if you are nostalgic of when you played the game in your youth and recognize the variety of Pokemons shown on screen. The story is not too bad, except for a few major loopholes that pulled me out of the movie, most importantly (spoiler, highlight to read): how did the kid not recognize the voice of Pikachu?!? In the end not as bad as one could have feared for another adaptation of video game that seems to come too late and drowned in many other (The Angry Birds Movie to quote just one).
Rating: 5 /10