stevenjlowe82 Reviews

Batman: Soul of the Dragon (2021)

Retro 70's Batman & co....

[6/10 · 26 May 2024]

Batman Soul of the Dragon is yet another super intriguing takes on the character I have seen from the DC animated universe. This is what I really enjoy about DC animated films, the standalone films that is. Whether overall successful or not the vast majority of the DC animated standalone films have their own unique flavour and style that really keeps me invested even if the films falter in other departments.

I really did enjoy the team up aspect to this film particularly when they worked together to kick ass. The music was also great and really helped sell the retro 70's vibe. I enjoyed Batman's motley crew and found their backstories intriguing enough for me to be invested in them as characters.

Some of the humour and dialogue was left wanting but not enough to take away from my overall enjoyment of this unique Batman animated adventure.

Catwoman: Hunted (2022)

Bizarre but enjoyable....

[7/10 · 26 May 2024]

I was honestly quite taken by Catwoman Hunted quite early on. I very much enjoyed the opening title sequence and the opening act. I was then settled in for what I thought was going to be heist/gangster espionage tale. But wow this film took some kinda bizarre turns for what I thought was going to be a more grounded type of film.

The inclusion of Leviathon and the big monsters/creatures (which were defeated a little to easily imo) and then a very bulked up Cheetah had my head spinning. I won't lie I didn't pick up on the Minerva name so I fell for the big reveal... I honestly thought this was going to be a street level type of superhero film with Black Mask as the main villain.

I was honestly a bit underwhelmed by Batwoman but I also appreciate how she would never really be on the same skill set as high a standard as Batman who has decades of training and experience. The same goes for Catwoman who also had her butt kicked on a few occasions. Don't get me wrong they both kicked ass but they didn't always come out on top. I'm undecided on their chemistry as at times it worked and other times it didn't. A bit like the script it was inconsistent. Some of Catwoman and Batwomans snappy 1 liners landed well for me where others fell flat. I did enjoy the voice acting overall aswell. Also the jazzy soundtrack mixed with synth moments was pretty cool and really gave this film it's own unique identity in the sea of DC animated features.

Injustice (2021)

Very enjoyable Justice League story....

[7/10 · 26 May 2024]

I have to say I overall really enjoyed this adaption of this iconic story. Admittedly I am not familiar with the source material having never had the chance to read it thus far and it was fairly obvious that stuff was missing as it it did feel rushed due to the short runtime. I'm a DC fan at heart and I have enjoyed mist of their animated outputs up to this film but short runtimes have always frustrated me, especially when they take on such big iconic stories that clearly could be spread across 2/3 films. However I enjoy them for what they are and so long as story, voice acting and animation are up to point then I'm generally happy.

Injustice has a few other short comings in terms of script and some odd characterisation choices. What I enjoyed most was the good pacing of the film and some splendid smackdowns amongst these titular heroes. Also the dark tone of the film was excellent with so many iconic characters dropping like flies.

Injustice has some shortcomings for sure but it's still a very enjoyable watch and definitely one I'd revisit again in the future.

Batman Ninja (2018)

A bizzare chaotic enjoyable mess....

[7/10 · 24 May 2024]

Batman Ninja is definitely one of the most unique takes on the character and his rouges gallery. It's a chaotic messy bizarre experience and ultimately I enjoyed it for what it was.

I wasn't a fan of some of the takes on these iconic characters and I found most were sorely underused. This version of Joker felt like a drug induced take on him with everything dialed up too 100. It grated at times and worked on some occasions for me. I really wanted to see more of Ivy, Two Face, Deadshot and Penguin and question why they were included. I also enjoyed seeing the inclusion of some of the bat family and I kind of enjoyed Robin and his monkey side kick as bizarre at that was. Visually the film was also a major treat with many spectacular set pieces.

I really didn't enjoy the whole transformer/power ranger turn the film took and wished it had stuck more to a ninja anime aspect.

Overall this was an oddly enjoyable film with a lot of bold and bizarre choices and granted not all of them work but some merit must be given to those involved on this unique project.

Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2018)

That ending....

[6/10 · 3 May 2024]

Batman Gotham by Gaslight started off very very strong in my opinion but the Ripper reveal pretty much tanked the whole thing for me personally.

To be clear I am unfamiliar with the original source material but from some of the reviews on here I can see things were changed and I'm guessing the identity of the Ripper was one of them. Honestly it would have been better being left unsolved as it was in real life. The choice to make it a pre existing character within the Batman universe was bizarre. Yes it was an alternate timeline but still....

I really enjoyed the first hour of this film and thought they done a fantastic job of world and character building. I was very immersed in this Victorian era backdrop and it really works for a Batman film. Although I wasn't crazy about Batman's look in this film.

Overall I feel this was wasted potential and the film started off incredibly strong but then collapsed at the ending. It's a real shame however I will be checking out the original source material so I'm looking forward to that.

Batman and Harley Quinn (2017)

A whacky Batman adventure....

[9/10 · 3 May 2024]

Batman and Harley Quinn definitely has to be one of the most comedic entries in the DC animated universe and I for one thoroughly enjoyed it.

Admittedly not all of the jokes and humour in this film landed for me but for the most part they did. I found myself genuinely laughing out loud on a few occasions. I really enjoyed the zany whacky tone of the film and the interesting choice of 60's style music really added to that. It was also nice to see the BTAS art style brought back for this film.

I thought the voice cast were really excellent across the board and helped keep me engaged with the characters and story. Speaking of which I also fully got on board with the silly storyline because it worked well within the context of this film. It was super fun, slightly camp and super silly. I'd definitely watch this again.

Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015 Video)

A darker take on the Justice League trinity...

[9/10 · 1 May 2024]

Justice League God's & Monsters is definitely one of the more unique takes on the Justice League and its core 3 members known as the Trinity.

I really enjoyed the various different takes on these 3 characters and all felt sufficiently filled out and well written.

This really was a darker take on these characters, well more so Batman and Superman. Wonder Woman honestly didn't feel all that different although she was a completely different person. I did enjoy her backstory and the grand wedding with Darksied in attendance. Superman was just a straight up kill now ask questions later kind and reminded me of Batman in some aspects. The take on Batman who was full on vampire bat with just as tragic a backstory as the Batman we are all familiar with.

I liked the dark and serious tone of this film and the brutal and bloody action sequences worked perfectly for this type of story.

Overall an excellent and unique take on iconic DC characters that again rates as one of their best animated features.

Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014 Video)

A more than decent Suicide Squad film...

[9/10 · 1 May 2024]

Batman Assault on Arkham is again another hit in the DC animated universe although admittedly it plays more like a Batman/ Suicide Squad duo film. I enjoyed how they intertwined both Batman and the Suicide Squad storylines and it made a cohesive and enjoyable film.

With Conroy on Batman duty I knew we were in safe hands and he was written well in thus film. I very much enjoyed the array colourful characters in the Suicide Squad lineup and I thought the voice cast across the board were excellent. The Riddler and Penguin were also very enjoyable, as was the Joker who was on top maniacal form.

Overall this is a solid little film with a good story and great characters. Definitely another high point in the DC animated universe thus far on my journey.

Superman: Unbound (2013 Video)

Solid Superman/Supergirl adventure....

[9/10 · 1 May 2024]

Superman Unbound has to be one of my favourite entries in the DC animated universe thus far and it's definitely one of my favourite Superman outings aswell.

I really enjoyed the characterisation of pretty much everyone in thus film with particular nods to Superman, Supergirl, Lois and Brainiac. I'm honestly quite unfamiliar with Brainiac so I enjoyed his portrayal in this film. He's a very different kind of villain for Superman and is more than a match for him both physically and intellectually. Supergirl was given lots of depth and I really felt for her and her struggle with her trauma surrounding Braniac. This was also my favourite take on Lois. She was tough but not obnoxious nor whiny and was generally very likeable.

I also enjoyed some of the animation choices throughout the film. Particularly the explosive colourful backgrounds when Superman was destroying the Brainiac bots and I wish they had been included more.

Overall a top notch outing for both Superman and Supergirl and definitely one of my favourite DC animated projects thus far.

The Tigger Movie (2000)

Touching tale of true family....

[9/10 · 28 April 2024]

The Tigger Movie is a rather touching tale about friendship, identity and the meaning of true family and it's unabashedly sweet and wholesome in the process.

I've always been a big Winnie The Pooh and I was a massive fan of the 1977 film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. So going into this I was hopeful it would capture the magic and charm of Winnie and co just aswell as it did back then. Thankfully I was not let down. Everything from the animation to the stellar voice cast and the simplistic yet heartfelt story really captured the essence of Winnie and co.

Obviously this was Tiggers big moment and boy did he ever shine. His warm exuberant personality was perfectly captured and also the depth of his loneliness was very well portrayed and it genuinely brought a lump to my throat on more than one occasion.

I hope the rest of the Winnie the Pooh films are as good as this one was.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)

Epic Disney animated adventure....

[9/10 · 28 April 2024]

Atlantis The Lost Empire is a very pleasant change of pace for Disney animation. It's a full on Sci fi, fantasy epic adventure story.

There was a lot to love about this terrific little gem of a film from the top notch animation to the excellent voice acting and brilliant story telling. I was thoroughly swept away by this well paced adventure story and found myself really rooting for Milo.

The folks behind the scenes done an incredible job of world building and bringing the hidden underwater world come to life.

It's a real shame this wasn't a bigger deal upon It's initial release because it really was a good new direction Disney could have went in. I often wonder what it was that didn't click with audiences at the time. I for one thoroughly enjoyed this film and would definitely revisit again.

Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure (2001 Video)

Very average stuff....

[3/10 · 28 April 2024]

Lady and the Tramp 2 Scamps Big Adventure was a distinctly average sequel to a beloved classic.

It was just incredibly underwhelming across the board in story, animation and voice acting. It never really felt like a big adventure and more just a retreading of the original film, minus the charm.

The Disney legacy sequels have often been criticised for being soulless cash grabs and this film really does feel like that. There's just no imagination behind it and it just falls flat. I have fortunately been rather pleasantly surprised by some of the legacy sequels but this is definitely not one of them.

Peter Pan 2: Return to Never Land (2002)

Very enjoyable....

[6/10 · 28 April 2024]

Peter Pan 2 Finding Neverland was another surprisingly entertaining Disney sequel. Honestly I went in with low expectations and the fact I consider the original film to be one of Disneys worst animated features I really wasn't expecting to enjoy this at all.

This film at least attempted to make Peter Pan himself a more likeable character and the same with Tinkerbell, well for the most part anyway. Jane was pretty unlikeable throughout the film but did grow and change with her story arc during the film.

Hook and his band of misfit pirates were very entertaining and there were a lot of exciting sequences to keep me entertained and hold my attention. I also enjoyed the animation in this film, particularly the sequence when Jane first travels to Neverland. It was very trippy and reminiscent of early Disney animated films.

Cinderella II: Dreams Come True (2002 Video)

Charming....

[7/10 · 28 April 2024]

Cinderella II Dreams Come True was a lot more of an enjoyable viewing experience than I initially thought it would be.

I'll admit the choice to tell 3 separate stories rather than just 1 was odd. I feel like these 3 stories would have fit better as side stories with a bigger better overarching story. I suppose that's the best description I have for this film is it felt like padding.

Having said that I didn't dislike the 3 stories told and found them to be overall quite charming. The 3rd story centering around Anastacia was by far the strongest and was genuinely quite touching. That's why I gave this film the rating I did because that really surprised me in a good way.

Saw X (2023)

Wasted potential....

[6/10 · 28 April 2024]

I was genuinely really really enjoying this installment in the Saw franchise. Like honestly I was marking this at least an 8 if not a 9 in my head. Then the last 30mins happened with the big twist....that's when the film ultimately fell apart for me.

I very much enjoyed the first hour or so of this film and got a great deal of satisfaction watching this group of particularly insidious folks get their just deserts, even the supposedly nieve Gabriella.

I did enjoy the reveal of Cecilia and Parker being in cahoots it's just how it was executed that bothers me. I knew Jigsaw wouldn't have left a loaded gun lying around so why on earth did he allow himself and Amanda to be captured, he was threatening them with an empty gun. Jigsaw had a failsafe in place at the end but to allow himself and a child he supposedly cared for to be blood bearded for nothing baffles me. Also there is no way that little kid would have survived that. Also the reveal that Jigsaw knew all along that they were in cahoots made his capture make all the less sense. They just thought big twist reveal with little regard of actually planning it out in a more intelligent manner.

The post credits scene was also kind of lame. Yes it tied up that plot thread but no game was played so he's just straight up killing him. Also the return of Hoffman doesn't excite me as I was never a fan of his, that line delivery of his was particularly cringy.

Overall after a promising start Saw X crumbles as a result of focus on shock twists rather than a coherent story.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (2013 Video)

Interesting part 2....

[9/10 · 16 April 2024]

I'll admit I've never had the privilege of reading the original source material that this Batman The Dark Knight Returns animated 2 parter is based upon so went into it blind.

I was very surprised with the directions this second part goes in. Particularly the whole Batman vs Superman aspect. I was completely unaware that Superman played a part in this infamous title. I have to admit I didn't love the fact he seemed nothing more than a government puppet prepared to kill Batman at they're request.

I enjoyed Joker's portrayal as far as the writing and characterisation went but honestly the voice acting was weak and lacked the maniacal fun and menace I've heard in previous DC animated films. It just came across kind of flat.

There are again many aspects of this film drawn upon by Zack Snyder for his Snyderverse but also the Nolan trilogy and the standalone Joker's film with the whole chat show element. It's shows just what an iconic story this is too folks out there and particularly in the film industry as it's clearly had a huge influence on many of the big budget live action outings.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 (2012 Video)

Top tier Batman....

[10/10 · 16 April 2024]

Batman The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 is an excellent DC animated feature. Much like Batman Year One this film really does a good job of capturing the essence of both Batman and Bruce Wayne. This older world weary Batman is done to perfection and that not only provides interesting character development but also adds to his fighting style. He's still as brutal but is a lot slower due to age and being out of practice. It makes for more old school brutal fight scenes with less of his acrobatic flair.

I very much enjoyed the Mad Max esque Mutants and much like some of the other bizarre villains from Batman's glorious rouges gallery they somehow fit and made sense within the realms of the Batman universe. Gotham City was also extremely well captured as it's as much a character as anyone actual person.

Also as a fan of the Snyderverse I can see he pulled a lot of his inspiration for his take on Batman from this version and classic storyline. From the falling pearls in the infamous alley scene to the "I believe you" line before taking down a thug.

Batman: Year One (2011 Video)

Excellent Batman adaption...

[9/10 · 16 April 2024]

Initially I was extremely concerned about the films very short runtime. I have noticed most DC animated films thus far have been on the short side runtime wise. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't and in the case of Batman Year One I'd say it was mostly successful.

It done a very good job of padding out a good backstory for both Batman and Jim Gordon whilst also introducing familiar faces like Harvey Dent and Selina Kyle aka Catwoman. Although I found her competing with Batman story a little odd and her introduction of taking on Batman because he defends himself against a girl who stabbed him was also a bit cringy. I would have liked to see more of Bruce Wayne and his development as a person in that year. We got bits but I feel another 10 mins on the runtime wouldn't have hurt to perhaps flesh that out more.

The animation is really excellent and truly captures the dark gritty nature of Batman Gotham City and it's variety of shady individuals. The voice acting was also on top form which again added to the film.

Overall a mostly excellent adaption of a classic Batman story.

The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

Top tier Disney....

[10/10 · 15 April 2024]

I was 18 when this film was originally released and I do remember it came and went with little fan fair. Watching it now genuinely for the first time ever I must say I'm puzzled as too why this wasn't a bigger deal.

It's just straight up funny from beginning to end. Like proper belly laugh moments were in abundance for me. The film was littered with brilliant one liners and terrific slapstick comedy. I honestly can't remember another Disney animated feature that I've consistently laughed so much at.

The voice cast were all superb also and really helped bring the characters to life and yes that includes David Spade whom not generally a fan of.

Overall this is top tier Disney in my opinion and it's one I'll definitely be revisiting several times over.

The Conjuring (2013)

Decent for the genre....

[6/10 · 10 April 2024]

So my Conjuring-verse journey continues with the one that kicked the whole franchise off. I found it to be a fairly decent horror flick and it held my interest for most of the runtime although I do feel it could have been a tad shorter as it did drag a bit for me in parts.

The performances were all pretty good. I enjoyed the chemistry between the Warren couple although I do wish we got more on Lorraine's trauma but maybe future installments. That story thread wasn't quite as impactful as I think they were going for. I also found the family to be believable particularly the younger child actors.

I didn't find it particularly scary but it did hold my interest as they slowly put the pieces together when figuring out what was going on. I did feel some genuine albeit light moments of tension despite the obvious jump scare that would often follow. The music and cinematography were again overall done well and added to the film.

Annabelle (I) (2014)

Pretty poor across the board....

[3/10 · 10 April 2024]

Watching Annabelle was much like my experience watching The Nun. A pretty dull affair. It just felt very average in almost every department. I could see the less is more approach the director was going for but it just felt flat and dull. 95% of the scares were telegraphed in for me and there were only 2 moments I genuinely jumped a bit.

The cinematography and musical score were well done. There were some nice effective 60's/70's style shots throughout the film. The music was better than it needed to be and really worked hard to ratchet up the tension. However as the film itself was so tepid there was no real tension to build upon.

The performances weren't particularly ground breaking either and I found Alfre Woodards character to be an odd fit in the movie. She brought a unnerving undertone to the character but in the end was little more than a character to sacrifice to save the main protagonist. It just felt bizarre.

Overall definitely not a favourite of mine in my Conjuring-verse journey but not quite as atrocious as The Nun.

Annabelle: Creation (2017)

Effectively creepy film

[8/10 · 10 April 2024]

I have to say I was so blown away and pleasantly surprised by Annabelle Creation. Honestly my expectations were not very high as my Conjuring-verse journey has been a mixed bag thus far. I'm watching in chronological order as that's the way I like to do movies in a series franchise. The Nun was utterly dreadful whilst it's sequel was a massive improvement in my opinion.

Annabelle Creation firstly used the doll very very effectively and I was genuinely creeped out an unnerved for a lot of the films runtime. The film kept my interest the entire way through. I also the cast with particular nods to the child actors were all excellent in their roles.

Overall I was enjoyed this sequel that was a prequel far more than I thought I would. That's 2 decent films in a row from this franchise so I'm oddly hopeful for the future films I've yet to see.

Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (2011 Video)

Very meh....

[4/10 · 9 April 2024]

Choosing to do a anthology style story for Green Lantern Emerald Knight is a bit bizarre to me and then I discovered this was originally released mere months before the ill fated Green Lantern live action film was released. Apparently this animated film was too build up interest in the franchise. That's never a good basis for making something and it shows. It's all just very average and feels more like a Saturday morning cartoon special rather than a fully fleshed out animated feature.

The stories featured in this anthology spliced between the "main storyline" if you can call it that were alright but nothing really memorable at all.

What I did enjoy most about this was the space setting and wild variety of Green Lanterns coming in all shapes and sizes literally. However that wasn't enough to save this dull feature.

Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010 Video)

Decent adaption....

[7/10 · 9 April 2024]

Batman Under the Red Hood was an enjoyable Batman flick and a fairly decent adaption of this iconic tale.

I found the story very interesting and honestly pretty grim in places. The themes of family, loyalty, grief and betrayal were very well handled and it did get me thinking of both very different outlooks on criminal justice and what it means to be a hero. Batman's moral stance has always been slightly cloudy but he draws a line at killing. Jason Todd made some very valid points particularly where the Joker is concerned. I personally fall more on Todd's side of the argument if I'm being honest and that's why I'd never make a hero in the truest sense of the word and I'm good with that.

My biggest gripes about the film would be the animation felt a little flat especially after the excellent opening credits scene. I'd hoped DC would be a little more experimental in animation style with different properties like they did in their first few animated film outputs. Also I wasn't really feeling the Joker in this adaption the voice actor just didn't quite cut it for me.

Chuck Steel: Night of the Trampires (2018)

Wildly bonkers and creative claymation....

[9/10 · 7 April 2024]

I have to admit to thoroughly enjoying this claymation gem. Yes some of the humour didn't quite land for me but a good 80% did and the immature little boy in me did giggle at some of the toilet humour as it all fit and generally worked in this messed up 80's throwback. I loved the clichéd action tropes and dialogue and I just loved how balls to the wall messy gross and insane this film was. It really committed and delivers a truly unique film experience in my opinion.

Obviously the best thing about this film was the claymation style they went with and wow did they do a magnificent job. The rich gory details and designs of the Trampires and other various monstrous creatures were just a marvel to behold. As was the whole film but major props have to go to the aforementioned creatures. Horror and Sci Fi really do lend themselves well to this style of film making and I hope to see more animation films in this style.