mini_colster

I first started watching at the turn of the century/millennium. The tone back then was serious but not too depressing, interspersed with decent comedy. The characters were strong, dynamic and iconic, often being parodied and talked about. There was a sense of community alongside the moments of drama snd it just felt very wholesome.

I'd say it started to deteriorate towards the late 00s, shifting to a more depressing and less immersive phase. It seemed to be death after death, and more storyline focused. I ended up abandoning it in around 2012/13, as I found it bland and boring especially with some of the new characters. I saw the odd clip throughout the following years but it never enticed me back, with it still seeming very depressing and not very convincing.

Fortunately for the last couple of years it has brought back some of the classic soap charm, with help from returning cast from the 90s. It's more dynamic and entertaining, with stronger characterisation, humour and a tongue-in-cheek vibe. There are of course still heavy issue storylines but they seem to be handled and acted a lot better, with a particular mention to Phil's mental health storyline. His journey into the past was a great episode with amazing casting for the younger Mitchells. The overall run up to the 40th has been done well even with its slightly silly moments. I think the soap has been given new life and I'm looking forward to the next 40 years.

Caught this on YouTube today and was amazed by some of the animation. I liked that Gulliver had a slower motion than the little people to reiterate his size. Some of the backdrops were very detailed and picturesque, making it quite immersive.

Where I felt the film suffered was the pacing. The first half felt very slow and full of filler, with Gulliver not waking up until about the halfway mark. His reactions and emotions also felt a bit off, quite unphased by anything happening around him, though it did make for a more likeable and humorous character. Some of the little people were really annoying and could have done with more variety. The songs were decent.

Happy to have seen it but probably won't watch again.

Came across this on YouTube today. I was pleasantly surprised at the animation, bringing the underwater world to life with lots of detail.

Unfortunately the story itself was a bit of a letdown, with a very simplistic and rushed sequence of events. The final showdown was very underwhelming even for a young children's' film. Some of the character designs also felt a bit stupid, and the voice acting of the seahorse made me cringe and didn't care if he met his demise. The songs and general vibe felt very sickly sweet, I realise I'm not the target audience but I've seen much better movies for the same age group. It generally made me cringe and won't be watching again despite the wonderful aesthetics.