The film stars Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, Prince of Wakanda who at the start of the film is dealing with the consequences of Captain America: Civil War. In that film, T’Challa’s father was killed in a sadistic bombing, and now T’Challa is next in line to be king of Wakanda, as well as inherit the power of the Black Panther. This is a major focus of the film, where politics become a driving force of the narrative. With a change in leadership, comes a division of where a society must go. You can tell Ryan Coogler had a lot on his mind about the world and America’s role in it because the parallels to what we face now are very apparent.

For example, in one scene, T’Challa’s father says, “You are a good man, and it’s hard for a good man to be King.” If you apply this to most leaders in African American culture, it speaks volumes. Whether you are Obama, Martin Luther King, etc… Being a leader in that culture is hard, and comes with a lot of pushback regardless of your character.

Then there is Michael B. Jordan who absolutely wrecks this movie with amazingness. Killmonger is the most complex Marvel villain to date and the reason why is because of how much you sympathize with him. Who he is and what he has become is no fault of his own. You can even see his reasoning at times. When the film starts, I asked myself, “If Wakanda has all this technology, then why don’t they help other people?” Then the film handles that question in a magnificent way. Killmonger is mad because they do not help others around the world. To him, they sit in the shadows instead to protect their kingdom. Michael B. Jordan makes Killmonger’s tale heartbreaking, but you absolutely will be afraid when he engages the screen.

On top of all this, the women of Wakanda steal the show. The actress most people will be talking about is Danai Gurira, who most people know as Michonne from The Walking Dead. If her role of Okoye does not move up her up in the big leagues, I’m not sure what will. She is never a damsel in distress, and she is the only person more fierce than Michael B. Jordan in this movie. Another noteworthy character is Shuri, played by Letitia Wright– most recently seen in the Black Mirror episode “Black Museum.” She plays T’Challa’s sister but also deals with all the gadgetry for the Black Panther. Think of a female version of James Bond’s gadget expert Q.

Now, I do have one nitpick with this movie. Some of the action towards the end felt a little too CGI heavy for my taste, which pulled me out of the movie at times. It’s not worse than other films from Marvel Studios, but at this point, this studio should have the money to give us better. That said, there is a car chase in this movie that will blow you away.

Overall Ryan Coogler delivered one of the best movies for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date. Black Panther is rich in world building and has some of the best character work since Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s a superhero movie bleeding with style and charisma, and unafraid to take a stand on vital issues.  There’s nothing else like it, which absolutely makes it worth seeing. A lot of people will say, “It’s an important movie,” and while this is true, it’s also a damn good one.

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The film stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Hamilton, an astronaut who has been picked to join a team to help solve an energy crisis for Earth. Coming along for the space-journey are other familiar faces like Daniel Bruhl (Inglorious Basterds),  David Oyelowo (Selma), and Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids). Their focus is to help save the planet because the world is on the brink of war, but when they turn on the particle, they end up in an alternate reality.

From here, nothing makes sense. Things just start happening. No real apparent reason for it, they just happen without any explanation. Some elements you can piece together yourself, others just never make sense. Some can make the argument that nothing is supposed to make sense in Cloverfield, and while this might be true, the level of mystery is turned up to 11 in this movie. If mysteries were explosions, this movie would be the Michael Bay of keeping secrets.

There is also a subplot involving Hamilton’s husband, which brings the film to a screeching halt every time it cuts to earth. I heard most of this footage was added to stick this movie in the Cloververse, and if true, it did not help the film. The number of switches to earth could’ve been trimmed some, and probably would’ve had the same impact.

All this aside,  the film has some worthy moments. Chris O’Dowd steals the show, and so does his arm (you’ll see). The special effects and cinematography in this movie are rock solid. Even the performances are pretty fantastic considering the ambiguity of the story. Fans will be pleased that some of the past mysteries get explained finally, including how the monster from Cloverfield came into existence. There’s even a surprise towards the finale that will make die-hard Cloverfans smile. If you enjoy Easter eggs in your movies, this sucker has plenty of them.

None of this felt like enough to overcome its gigantic plotholes though. I get these movies are driven by theories, and their fans love them for it, but this film might’ve gone too far. The only way to explain half of the film would require theories, and personally, I found it more frustrating than engaging.

With this said, I’m still onboard for more, which obviously means it succeeded somewhere. The Cloverfield Paradox is not as refreshing as the original, or as surprising as 10 Cloverfield Lane, but it does not entirely destroy the franchise. I’m game for more as long as they find a better balance between mystery and action in part 4.

The Cloverfield Paradox is now streaming on Netflix!

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The film reunites Cage with Brian Taylor (co-director of Crank), who previously collaborated with the actor on Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Just like that film, Taylor knew exactly how to use the manic side of Cage, only this time it’s an arguably better film.

In Mom and Dad, Nicolas Cage and Selma Blair are a married couple raising two children. As the film begins everything is normal– kids getting ready for school, parents heading to work, and it’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood. That is until for some strange reason, parents worldwide begin attempting to kill their own children everywhere. Nothing is really explained as far as the cause of their violent madness, but for whatever reason, the old generation has it out for their offspring. Now, knowing all this information, sprinkle Nicolas Cage into this insane premise and imagine for yourself the end result.

Just like Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Nicolas Cage goes full batshit Cage almost to the point of self-parody. I can watch an entire film of Cage slamming a sledgehammer on furniture while singing the “Hokey Pokey” all damn day. Brian Taylor’s frenetic trashy style of filmmaking seems like a match made in heaven for Cage’s personality. They blend together explosively like mentos inside a diet coke.

Depending on how you feel about some of these aspects this film will either be a great or terrible experience. It’s very over-the-top, messy, and choppy with editing. This is all very deliberate because it’s supposed to have a grindhouse energy to its presentation. Also, just like most grindhouse films, it pushes on the edge of controversial and shock value. One scene, in particular, will have people on edge involving a delivery room. It’s a brilliant scene, but one that will be a litmus test of whether you are still in the film after it’s over.

With all that said, this film has more to say than previous efforts by Brian Taylor. Beneath the horrific and violent surface is an interesting social commentary on what parenting does to people. Cage’s character is frustrated because he feels like he used to be someone with the entire world ahead of him. Selma Blair does an amazing job here as well displaying the same struggles, only through the first half of the film she’s at odds trying to have respect for her daughter. This is basically Lady Bird if Laurie Metcalf spent the last thirty minutes of the movie trying to kill Saoirse Ronan.

I was not expecting to like Mom and Dad as much as I did, but this movie is just nuts in such a magnificent way. I’m one of the few people who actually liked Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance because it was so self-aware in how terrible it was. I’m now more confident than ever that film was no accident and Brian Taylor knew what we all knew all along… Nicolas Cage is at his best when you just let him go flipping mad. It’s trashy, violent, hilarious, and most of all it has Nicolas Cage going full psychopath in hilarious fashion. What more can you ask for?

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The problem in most of his choices for roles typically falls on either the directors or even the writers. In the right film, you could possibly see Butler chewing the scenery much like Mel Gibson in his prime, but for some reason, he keeps picking his films wrong.

Den of Thieves proves Butler is extremely gifted in portraying strong characters, but ultimately the film itself is too problematic for any actor to save.

The film centers around two storylines slowly colliding into one. The first revolves around Big Nick — played by Gerard Butler– who works for a very unconventional set of officers in the major crimes unit division. His team as Big Nick states, “are the real bad guys.” The ones who criminals actually have to fear, because they operate on their own accord.

Big Nick has been assigned to take down a group of thieves who accidentally killed a cop. Which brings us to the second storyline involving a major group of thieves, run by a very smart leader known as Merrimen –played by Pablo Schreiber.

The team consists of some great casting selects such as O’ Shea Jackson Jr (Ice Cube’s son), 50 Cent, Evan Jones (who most people remember as Cheddar Bob from 8 Mile), and Cooper Andrews (The Walking Dead).

The one thing the film gets right is casting. All the performers in this movie deliver exactly the way they should. Pablo Schreiber as Merrimen – who is facing-off against Butler throughout the film – is an actor who feels like he is about to accomplish big things.

Each scene he is given requires him to do a lot, and he carries the weight quite well. O’Shea Jackson Jr. also brings another great performance and much like his father, he definitely shows a ton of potential. Gerard Butler did as much as can be expected for the material that was written for him. At this point, Butler knows what he is good at, and knows what movie he is in.

The problem though is the story is overly long and the character choices often feel really silly. The film has an insane runtime of 2 and a 1/2 hours, and there’s no reason for it to be this long. Many sequences and subplots could’ve been trimmed to get it down for a merciful 2-hour runtime, but they chose not to do this.

One subplot involving Big Nick’s wife and daughter could’ve been trimmed and I’m not sure the film would’ve felt any different. I understand the scenes were placed here to give Nick more dimension but it could’ve been shorter.

In regards to the silliness of characters, some choices in the writing just did not make sense. One scene, in particular, felt like it was trying to duplicate the tension from a scene in Sicario, without understanding why the scene worked.

SPOILERS FOR SICARIO AND DEN OF THIEVES AHEAD.

In Sicario, a sequence takes place where the main character is trying to cross the Mexican border back into the U.S. but a group of cartel soldiers waits among the traffic to ambush her and the FBI. The FBI does not instigate until they have to because they do not want to hurt civilians. Only when the bad guys instigate do they exit the car and point weapons to disarm the situation.

In Den of Thieves, a similar situation transpires, but Gerard Butler and his officers instigate a shootout right in the middle of a traffic jam, putting many lives at risk. The sequence is actually well-shot and has all the right ingredients for an action sequence, except I felt pulled out of the movie because none of it seemed plausible. SPOILERS END.

Which brings me back to my original point, it’s hard to be engaged with these characters and sequences when none of it feels grounded. I can believe Gerard Butler has a team of misfit cops who operate by their own rules, but some of his choices would have real-world consequences.

It would’ve played better if he had Internal Affairs holding him under surveillance throughout the film, or something similar giving his methods accountability. Sadly, because of this, it felt like rushed writing, and scenes that were just trying to recreate feelings of watching The Town or Heat without the emotional impact.

Den of Thieves does have moments that are nail-biting and tense, and at one point you will absolutely be holding your breath. Personally, I just wish this movie had more of an emotional punch. It wants so desperately to be something like The Town but completely misunderstands why that movie was so great.

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The Post revolves around the hungry publishers and writers at The Washington Post, who are dealing with a dynamic change in leadership. After a tragic event, the company acquires Katherine Graham – its first female publisher of any major newspaper, and the change creates a flimsy environment among stockholders. Katherine – played by the amazing Meryl Streep – has many challenges the second she walks into the role: She has to convince investors the company is safe; gain the respect of her colleagues, including Ben Bradlee – played by Tom Hanks; and deal with a major editorial decision of whether or not to publish a series of classified documents which expose decades of lies told by four different Presidents.

The story Spielberg is telling here might be a simple one, but what makes every moment feel so tense is the impact of every choice a character makes. On the surface, it seems like a movie about a series of “yes or no” answers, but those simple answers have major consequences, thus driving up the tension. Do we pursue the story? Do we keep going? Do we publish? These all seem like simple narrative jumps … but at what cost? Each question, each answer haunts us with its impact.

This also might be the best film about female empowerment we have seen from Spielberg in a long time. Come to think of it, Spielberg rarely makes movies with female leads, so this is monumental. In an age where Hollywood is being devoured by the #MeToo movement, here is a story about a woman having to make risky choices among a male-driven community. Katherine Graham had to prove herself as a force to be reckoned with, not only with her peers but with those who want to destroy her company politically.

The beautiful part of it all is The Post reminds us of a moment in time where news outlets worked together to seek the truth. It wasn’t about Fox News vs. CNN or which outlet can outmatch the other politically. The media teamed up and made a difference when we needed it most. This might be the most important movie in our current divisive climate.

On the technical side of things, this movie looks and feels very much like a Spielberg film. Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski continues his longtime collaboration with Spielberg giving this movie the trademark glow in his films. There are several sequences that made me think of other films like Munich, and War Horse.

The film is composed by John Williams but unlike previous efforts, his music remains very subdued for most of the runtime. In The Post, character moments are emphasized around silent scenes that make the quiet more dreadful when characters are forced to make a choice. The music is only utilized after big revelations and story progressions.

The only possible downside to The Post is the movie itself is very much preaching to the present day audience. How that message holds up for a shelf life? Well, only time will tell. Don’t get me wrong, this is a very important film, especially with politicians today screaming “Fake News.” We need this movie because people forget the benefit of having a free press regardless of how much we disagree with their coverage. That said, I’m not sure if the movie will feel as timeless as Spotlight or All the President’s Men.

Having said that, The Post is a movie made for our time and is begging to be seen. I’m sure some viewers will watch this and feel it challenging their political perspectives on the mainstream media, but the points are absolutely valid. As one character states in the movie, “The Press is to serve the governed, not the governors.” The Post is the best justification of why having a freedom of press matters, and it’s a hard point to argue with.

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The film centers around Elisa, a lonely woman who is a cleaning lady at a government facility. Elisa is also somewhat disabled and lacks the ability to communicate with her own voice. Sally Hawkins brings such a charmingly sweet performance to Elisa, which radiates through all her silent actions. She’s clearly an adult, but there is a childlike vulnerability in her which she brings to the role.

Each day, Elisa goes to work, and her life has a very repetitive flow until she discovers a secret inside this government workplace. Richard Strickland– played by the always intensified Michael Shannon– has caught a creature. An Amphibian Man as they call it. At first, Elisa is skeptical of him, but she begins to notice a lot of commonalities between them, and as the story pushes forward, an unlikely love begins to form.

The aspect I love most about this film is how it touches on disability and differences within love in an allegorical way. As I said, at the start of this, The Shape of Water hit very close to home for me. Reason being, I’m also a person who lives with a disability, and just this year I also entered into a marriage with a person who also has a disability. Just like this movie, our love flourished because she sees me in a way no one else can. She loves me in all my imperfection as much as I love her. In the film, Elisa expresses to her friend that she needs the amphibian man because he sees past all of it. He understands Elisa like no one ever has or ever will because he has the same limitations of speaking as her.

To me, this is what makes this film such a remarkable effort by Del Toro because the film has such an empathy for the unaccepted. You can tell Del Toro was probably the nerdy kid who did not know how to fit in, because it shines in the writing.

Some aspects of the story might be jarring for some audiences. I will not spoil the details, but there are portions of this film that might challenge viewers. Personally, it did not bother me as much as others because del Toro is known for pushing the edges with his fairy tales, and sometimes to a fault.

As far as the rest of the performances in this film, the casting is beyond pitch perfect. Richard Jenkins plays an older man who has not come out of the closet, and I swear he does so much with so little in this movie. He is one of the last remaining actors I can think of that can pretty much do any genre he pleases. Doug Jones once again delivers another strong creature performance giving Andy Serkis a run for his money. I think Serkis and Jones are probably the most unappreciated performers in Hollywood, delivering roles that keep getting grossly overlooked by the Academy.

Overall, The Shape of the Water is another beautifully told fairy tale from the playful mind of Guillermo del Toro. It’s an unconventional love story about two unique individuals, finding love through challenging ways. I’m not sure where this ranks among the catalog of Del Toro, but it’s certainly one of his best efforts to date. You can truly tell the magic inside of Del Toro’s heart is far from losing its light.

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The film is set in a Florida motel which houses many low-income residents. Sean Baker’s direction is quite impressive here because even though the conditions are bad, nothing ever feels truly unpleasant. Most of the reason for this is that the film centers on Moonee, played by Brooklyn Prince – who is absolutely incredible in this movie. Moonee is full of love and light as she plays with all the other kids in the same building. Moonee’s mother Halley has a very loving yet contentious relationship with the management and the tenants, due to her circumstances as well as her life choices.

Through most of the film, bad things are happening around them, but none of the kids ever seem to care or notice. It’s a remarkable perspective of innocence overcoming hardship. Moonee and the other kids also enjoy picking on the building manager Bobby – played by Willem Dafoe – who, despite his lack of patience with the trouble the kids cause around his motel, he doesn’t seem to mind them bothering him.

The performances are incredible with Willem Dafoe leading the charge. He brings so much authenticity to a character who knows he has people to take care of – and you can tell he loves helping his tenants. All of these people depend on his ability to keep the place up and running, whether it’s power or water. This is the true meaning of the saying, “not all heroes wear capes.”

Also, there’s a very understated emotion he has for Moonee and her mother, which is never truly explained but shines through organically in his performance. What most people should be talking about is Brooklyn Prince’s breakout performance because she will break even the most apathetic of viewers. It’s a very sweet and tragic journey for her, but one that shines seamlessly. I don’t think a child actor has been this great since Quvenzhané Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild.

The thing I love most about The Florida Project is how it makes you question the idea of “normal.” What does a normal life mean? If it means you are happy, then is that enough? Should that be enough? When the film ended, my wife and I discussed this long after the credits rolled. Yes, Moonee’s living conditions and her mother’s choices are very rough, but nothing in their world seems unhappy until other people decide differently. It’s a fascinating viewpoint and one that will challenge some viewers, and for that, Sean Baker deserves some major recognition.

Overall, The Florida Project is one of my favorite movies of 2017 and is for sure on my top 10 of the year. The movie has a very strange ending, which will divide some audiences, but the film as a whole is almost flawless. For a film to feel this truly authentic is a rare achievement and one the cast and crew should be proud of. The Florida Project is a glimpse into a person’s quality of life, and the result will have you asking: is the glass half empty or is it half full? I’m still unsure where I stand.

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi begins not too long after the final moments from The Force Awakens. War has officially come to the rebellion and casualties abound the first few moments. Poe Dameron of the resistance is working with Leia to destroy the resistance but she doesn’t approve of his impulsive methods. Throughout the film, their relationship is expanded in a very satisfying way.

The strongest subplot in the entire film revolves around the push and pull relationship of Rey and Luke. It’s hard to explain how great they are together without going into spoiler territory, but every moment of screentime they share is great.  Mark Hamill is the best part of the entire film, playing an old and troubled Luke.

The film takes his story into territory I don’t think fans will expect. There’s a sadness to him about the life of being a Jedi, and in some ways, he has become cynical of the Jedi order. We are far from the Jedi enthusiast we knew from the old trilogy. However, in the context of Rian Johnson’s story, the character direction makes complete sense.

Adam Driver was hit or miss for some fans in The Force Awakens, but I think most of the groaning will stop after this weekend. His character Kylo Ren aka Ben Solo grows in an organic way due to Johnson’s writing. Again, most of this is hard to explain without spoiling, but I was pleased with the choices made with him as well as the payoffs. Nothing about Kylo feels one-dimensional, and part of you is often rooting for him.

Star Wars The Last Jedi is ambitious but not without its weaknesses. There’s a side plot to the film involving Finn and a new character named Rose that probably could’ve been trimmed some. Not all of it works, but there are many aspects I do appreciate and admire despite its hiccups. Also, there’s a surprise character actor — and I won’t say who — that talks funny that felt like they were pulled from a completely different film. The movie has other issues but with a movie this ambitious and smart, it would be nitpicking.

What really makes Star Wars: The Last Jedi so great is that Rian Johnson makes it completely his own. I’m not going to bash J.J. Abrams because honestly, he was mainly brought in to recapture the magic of Star Wars, which he accomplished. Because of that, Abrams didn’t have as much of a voice as Johnson does here. This is a Rian Johnson film in the same way Prisoner of Azkaban was an Alfonso Cuaron film. It’s ambitious, it’s weird, and it often reaches for new things. Just like Looper, sometimes he wins and sometimes he slips, but the most fun of all is watching him play the game.

My favorite part of Johnson’s work here is that most people will be expecting The Empire Strikes Back, but outside the teacher-student dynamic this movie is nothing like Empire. I can honestly see why he was offered his own trilogy, because he walked into this sequel and made it look so easy.

Overall, The Last Jedi is the best Star Wars film since The Empire Strikes Back. Rian Johnson has accomplished a sequel he should be proud of because there is nothing like it. Even the lightsaber battles are some of the best we’ve seen– which feels like tributes to films of Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai, Yojimbo). It’s far from perfect but it’s the most ambitious film in a long time for this franchise, and it deserves to be rewarded.

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Variations of the story, however, originated some four thousand years ago and have been retold across the millennia. Suffice to say, it’s a familiar story with instantly recognizable themes. While director Christophe Gans’ film adaptation is exceedingly simplistic in its storytelling, it not only benefits from its sweet simplicity, it allows the film to indulge in its mythic and magical qualities.

Beauty and the Beast, of course, is about a beautiful young woman – appropriately named Belle – who is also pure of heart and generous of spirit. In this adaptation, she is the youngest of six children – two vain and homely sisters, a well-intentioned but semi-criminal brother, an untalented poet brother, and a shy and gentle brother. These six children are cared for by their merchant father after their mother dies giving birth to Belle.

The family is rich and prosperous until the father’s shipping fleet gets lost at sea and they are forced to move to the country. All but Belle are horrified by this outcome – but Belle, being pure and simple of heart, adores her new country lifestyle. However, due to a complicated series of events, the father ends up in the hands of a terrible Beast who lives in an enchanted castle. He has one day to say goodbye to his family before the Beast kills him. Belle, who refuses to be the cause of another parent’s death, goes in his place. The rest I’m sure you can vaguely guess.

The characters, for the most part, are your classic fairytale archetypes – the girl of pure heart, the arrogant prince, the greedy ruffian, the vain sisters – but their two-dimensionality, rather than detracting from the believability of the story, actually adds to the magical storybook quality of the film. In another film of a different style, one would never come to identify with Belle’s eventual love for the Beast. But this is a fairytale, and women come to fall in love with unworthy men all the time. As far as character motivation goes, the animated film is perhaps more complex. The only drawback to this is that the film is perhaps too long to sustain a story and characters of such saccharine simplicity.

Despite the simplicity of the characters, they are rather enjoyable to watch, no small thanks to the actors playing them. Lea Seydoux is sweetness itself, displaying a breathtaking beauty that at first disguises an incredible strength. Vincent Cassel has a swagger about him, by turns both charming and insufferably arrogant, perfect for a cursed prince. Despite his faithlessness, we are inclined to forgive him his childish willfulness, perhaps imagining those razor sharp charms turned toward us. In the end, as he stands on the hillside outside Belle’s family cottage, now a humble farmer cutting a sleek silhouette against the horizon, when he takes Belle passionately in his arms we have eyes only for him. Strikingly (and refreshingly) enough, while the women are posed like statuesque dolls – things of elegance and beauty – it is Cassel who is the sex object.

But more than the characters, its the enchanted world of the story that draws the viewer in. Impossibly cavernous castles, magnificently wasteful banquets, great scenic expanses, stone giants, lavish gowns, flowing capes – each frame is as richly detailed and picturesque as an illustration from a storybook, everything a little larger than life and improbably beautiful. Belle’s gowns alone are a feast for the eyes, vibrant of color and intricately designed, her billowing dresses are of the style worn by the ladies in the court of Louis XIV during the 17th century – that period in France most associated with extravagance and hedonism, to give you an idea.

Perhaps the hazy magical quality of Beauty and the Beast shouldn’t be so surprising, given Gans’ penchant for mystical settings and supernatural circumstances. I vaguely remember seeing Brotherhood of the Wolf with my high school French Club, but recall being entranced by the mysterious and foggy atmosphere and the starkness of the unforgiving medieval countryside – a fairytale land of a different kind, but a world just as rich and full as that to which Belle and her Beast belong.

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However, when it comes to their new movie Trolls, DreamWorks leaves a bit to be desired. While DreamWorks has been on a tear over the last decade, with amazing movies like Rise of the Guardians, The Croods, and both the Kung Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon series, Trolls is more like their 2015 release Home, but even more lacking.

Based on the toys that were originally created in 1959 and were extremely popular in America in the ’90s, Trolls tells the story of the mythical creatures with big hair that many people of a certain age used to stick on their pencils while kids in school.

The story is pretty simple. There is a group of creatures called the Bergens, which are uglier and grumpier versions of Shrek. The Bergens learned that the only thing that made them happy was the feeling they got when they ate a Troll. This is because Trolls are always happy and one even shoots glitter – out of his butt.

The Trolls are kept in a tree in the middle of Bergen village and the creatures eat them every year. When the movie starts, the King is preparing his son Prince Gristle Jr. for his first meal of a Troll ever. However, the Trolls escaped before this and Prince Gristle never got to eat a Troll. His father simply tells him that means he will never, ever, be happy again.

Cut to 20 years later and the Trolls all live together in a village in the woods. They are always happy, sing all the time, and hug on a scheduled basis. They are led by Poppy, the princess whose father rescued them all. The only Troll who doesn’t partake in the continuous party is Branch, a survivalist Troll who believes they are in danger of the Bergen finding them at any time.

Branch is right. After a party that Poppy throws is too loud and bright, the former Bergen Chef who was banished after the Trolls escaped sees them and captures a handful of Poppy’s closest friends. She uses the Trolls to get back into the village and then they plan to feed the Prince his first Troll and start the former ritual all over again.

It is up to Poppy and Branch to save their friends and stop the Bergen from eating Trolls once again.

First of all, the movie is a musical. This looks to be one of two animated musicals coming out this year, with Sing as the other. However, this one is more like the 2016 animated release Strange Magic, which was a horrendous movie. This one is better than that, so there is that.

However, the fact is that the movie was so lightweight and silly that it never really worked and the story was just not good enough to carry it to the full running time. Too much time was spent with musical numbers that just were played for goofiness. The best moments were simply eye-rolling moments.

There was also a love story in the Bergens village that tied into the final conclusion of the movie. It was silly and contrived, but it worked I suppose.

When a person my age goes to an animated movie, the film has to really be an entertaining experience for adults and kids to really catch my attention. That makes it important to see with kids, and I luckily have a seven-year-old son that sees these movies with me.

While I was rolling my eyes and shuffling in my seat waiting for the film to end, I looked over at my son. There was a moment in the film where all the Trolls were in a pot and the Bergens were preparing to eat them.  Poppy had just realized that her enthusiasm and excitement to save them and see the best in everything had doomed them all to death.

All the Trolls look at Poppy as the best of them. However, Poppy lost her bright pink color when she realized she had failed them and turned the same shade of gray that Branch had been the entire movie. Then, every Troll lost their colors and turned gray as they all lost hope and fell into a deep depression.

My son, and my wife as I later learned, both teared up. Both felt the hopelessness and despair of the Trolls. My wife suffers from depression and anxiety issues and my son has the same chemical imbalance in his brain as well. That so affected both of them that they started to break down.

Both my wife and son liked the movie better than I did because they understood the underlying theme of depression vs. joy that I missed because I didn’t relate to that aspect of the storyline. It is always important to see what themes in the movie you might have missed and this instance made me less harsh on this movie than I otherwise would have been.

With that said, the big selling points here for everyone else is the look of the movie and the music. The design of the animation was strange. Poppy is a scrapbooker, so there were times where the animation changed to a scrapbook look and those sometimes popped up out of nowhere.

The colors were vibrant and the magical world of the Trolls, as well as the bugs, snakes, and other wildlife from their point of view, were also colorful and bright. The look should make kids very happy to watch.

The music was catchy but the lyrics were often eye-rolling and the song choices were used for goofy humor. Both Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake have great voices so it was nice to listen to. I am not a huge fan of animated musicals like this but it should be fine for those who like it.

At the end of the day, Trolls was a completely forgettable film that has themes that should touch some people and humor that will make most people just shake their head and move on to the next animated film on the slate.

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