cinemapersonified

Rating - 8.4: Overall, an extremely funny movie that is carried by the combination of The Lonely Island, Seth MacFarlane, and Liam Neeson as all three pieces perfectly complement each other to revive such a classic comedy franchise.

Direction - Good to Very Good: The direction on a macro scale is good because they do a good job at capturing the charm of the original film and modernizing it; The direction on a micro scale is good because it is the same silly, pun-filled humor that the original is known for; The storytelling is funny because it is a parody of the neo-noir detective film, told in a silly and punny way; The combination of Lonely Island, Seth MacFarlane, and Liam Neeson is perfect for this movie because all the pieces complement each other to revive such a classic comedy franchise

Story - Good: The concept is a legacy sequel/reboot of the original Naked Gun, with a modern twist; The plot structure is pretty linear as this movie is only 85 minutes long and fits in a lot of plot; Character writing has many parallels to the original movie

Screenplay - Very Good: The dialogue is filled with puns and silly humor that really pays homage to the original movie's comedy style; the humor is very good as I was cracking up and crying out loud many times, as this movie has a high hit rate; the symbolism is a parody of neo-noir detective movies

Acting - Good: Liam Neeson - Good to Very Good (Perfectly cast for this movie because he basically plays the tough, action star he's become that perfectly juxtaposes the silliness around him; he's done this before and I think that's how he really shines in comedy), Pamela Anderson - Good (Continues the resurgence she has been having as she plays this silly Noir girl well and complements her scene partners; Feels like a full circle moment because she originally was up for the part for LA Confidential; Has great chemistry with Neeson, which might have factored into them actually getting together), Paul Walter Hauser - Good (Really, he has started to become the king of comedic relief side characters as he is genuinely funny and complements Neeson well; you can tell he had a lot of fun making this movie), Danny Huston - Pretty Good to Good (Plays the villain role well; basically emulates a conglomeration of all the tech billionaires today), Rest of the cast - Pretty Good to Good (Everyone is just so silly and plays their part that it makes this movie work)

Score - Pretty Good: Really complements this noir style that they are trying to parody

Soundtrack - Decent: Typical big budget action comedy movie soundtrack

Cinematography - Pretty Good: Pretty standard, it does complement the comedy at times

Editing - Pretty Good: Pretty standard, it does complement the comedy

Sound - Pretty Good: Standard comes out in the action sequences; It does complement the comedy at times

Visual Effects - Pretty Good: Helps make the action sequences feel a bit big budget

Makeup - Pretty Good: Helps make the movie funny and adds to the humor

Pacing - Pacing is incredibly fast in terms of story as the movie is only 85 minutes long, but the comedy and the humor help slow it down so that it is the perfect length; Can we please have more movies less than 90 minutes long

Climax - Climax is a typical action sequence you would see in an action comedy

Tone - Tone is a silly, pun-driven parody of Neo-Noir movies that the original series is known for, as this movie continues the ZAZ legacy; the combination of The Lonely Island, Seth MacFarlane, and Liam Neeson makes this movie perfect, as each piece completes the movie and helps set the tone.

Rating - 8.0: Overall, a surprisingly good animated heist movie that is carried by great animation and strong characters, especially Sam Rockwell's Mr Wolf, as the movie is an entertaining ride that makes you really care about what happens next to this cast; I never watched the first movie, but seeing this made me sad that I missed something really special.

Direction - Good: The direction on a macroscale creates a fun, fast-paced aesthetic in a visually appealing world that memorable characters have to navigate; The direction on a microscale is good as the banter makes you really care about the characters; Storytelling is pretty simple as, at the end of the day, this is just a children's movie; It builds tension naturally through its action sequences and does keep you on your toes as it is not as formulaic as you would think a children's movie would be

Story - Pretty Good to Good: The concept is a sequel to *The Bad Guys*, with them coming out of retirement for one "last job" to save their name; the plot structure is pretty straightforward, but not as formulaic as you think; character writing is very strong as it helps personify these characters and make you really care about them, especially Wolf, as you see his struggle with whether or not he should become good

Screenplay - Good: The dialogue is surprisingly strong for a kids' movie as it is pretty well written and entertaining; The humor is fun for all ages; The symbolism is surprisingly well done as it deals with the morality of wanting to be good, despite everyone thinking you can't change; The foreshadowing is actually not present as this movie is more about subverting your expectations

Acting - Good: Sam Rockwell - Good to Very Good (His natural charisma and experienced acting really fits this character as he really brings to life this leader of the group, the Big Bad Wolf; He has good chemistry with the cast), Marc Maron - Pretty Good to Good (Plays his role well and has good chemistry with the cast), Awkwafina - Pretty Good to Good (Plays her role well and has good chemistry with the cast), Craig Robinson - Pretty Good to Good (More of a comedic relief character, but he has good chemistry with the cast and plays his role well), Anthony Ramos - Pretty Good to Good (Plays his role well, and he has good chemistry with the cast), Zazie Beetz - Good (Has really strong chemistry with Rockwell and really brings this Fox character to life), Danielle Brooks - Pretty Good (Plays her villainous role well), Natasha Lyonne - Pretty Good (Plays her villainous role well and has good chemistry with Snake), Maria Bakalova - Decent to Pretty Good (Plays her villainous role decently well), Alex Borstein - Pretty Good to Good (Lois;), Rest of the cast - Pretty Good to Good (There is strong chemistry in the cast, and this helps make the movie enjoyable, as you really care for these characters)

Score - Pretty Good: Help set this heist mood and make the movie feel entertaining and exhilarating

Soundtrack - Pretty Bad: Your typical out-of-touch studio is forcing five-year-old pop music into a movie just to make audiences think you're 'hip'

Editing - Good to Very Good: Well edited as it helped make the movie feel unique and fast-paced, especially when coupled with the changes in animation style

Sound - Good: Well executed and helped make the action sequences really entertaining

Animation - Great: I actually really enjoyed this animation style, as it effectively shows the power this new hybrid 2D-3D style animation can have in building a world and telling a story

Pacing - Pacing is about right as the movie has a short runtime but still feels pretty fast

Climax - Climax is very entertaining, despite it stumbling on the landing a little bit

Tone - Tone is very much an animated heist movie for all ages

Final Notes - Saw an early screening; have not seen the first movie.

Rating - 7.1: Overall, I really enjoyed the 1950s-60s Tomorrowland aesthetic they were going for because it made this movie feel really unique in an ocean of formulaic Marvel movies, but besides that, this movie doesn't really do anything else special to separate itself from its compatriots because it is very similar in its above-the-line aspects, as well as the CGI feeling very tacky and fake; my review is a little skewed because I was sitting next to a talking and crying baby during the entire movie and could barely pay attention.

Direction - Pretty Good: The direction on a macroscale goes for the Tomorrowland aesthetic popularized in the 1950s-60s, and I think it did a good job at it, as it was really entertaining and enjoyable to watch, despite the sets and CGI looking a little too fake; The direction on a microscale is that 50s-60s style of acting, but it honestly just feels like any other Marvel movie at the same time; Storytelling is the Marvel template; They build tension in a Marvel way

Story - Decent: The concept is the Fantastic Four, as they try to build a family in this Tomorrowland 60s New York; the plot structure is pretty Marvel; character writing is not really the best because I didn't really care about any of these characters, it's just the typical Fantastic Four

Screenplay - Decent: The dialogue is pretty 50s and 60s influenced, mixed with Marvel dialogue that tries to be funny and has cringey lines they try to prop up for clips and trailers; The humor is pretty Marvel; The foreshadowing is somewhat there

Acting - Decent to Pretty Good: Pedro Pascal - Decent to Pretty Good (Plays a stoic genius, with decent chemistry with the cast; Please stop hiring this man for everything, he is committed to 5 projects at once and it is clearly obvious he could not give his 100% for this movie because of it; Also, he barely used his powers in this movie), Vanessa Kirby - Decent to Pretty Good (Plays the female lead well, with decent chemistry with the main cast), Ebon Moss-Bachrach - Decent to Pretty Good (More of a comedic relief character, but he is given less freedom than he has with 'The Bear'; he has decent chemistry with the cast), Joseph Quinn - Decent (More of a comedic relief character, but only really hits about half the time; Has decent chemistry with the cast), Julia Garner - Decent (A very neutral and overarching performance isn't really given that much material or direction to work with), Rest of the cast - Decent (Typical Marvel acting and background characters)

Score - Good: Helped complement this 50s-60s Tomorrowland aesthetic they were going for, while still being very Marvel and traditional to superhero movies

Cinematography - Decent to Pretty Good: Typical Marvel cinematography and what you would expect from a highly productized movie

Editing - Decent to Pretty Good: Typical Marvel editing, and what you would expect from a highly productized movie

Sound - Pretty Good: Typical Marvel sound and what you would expect from a highly productized movie

Visual Effects - Bad to Pretty Bad: Was not really a fan of it because it felt a little tacky and made the movie feel really fake; it was very obvious when people were wearing mocap suits

Production Design - Good to Very Good: I really enjoyed the 50s-60s Tomorrowland aesthetic they were going for, as it made this movie feel unique in an ocean of formulaic Marvel movies, although it was pretty obvious when they used CGI to build up sets

Makeup - Decent: Nothing felt like makeup, as almost everything looked like a mo-cap suit

Costumes - Very Good: Really enjoyed the costumes as it aided in this 50s-60s Tomorrowland aesthetic they were going for

Pacing - Pacing is about right, maybe a little fast it was obvious scenes were cut from this movie;

Climax - Climax is your typical Marvel climax, but still enjoyable

Tone - Tone is very much going for that 1950s-60s Tomorrowland aesthetic, and I thought it made the movie really unique in an ocean of formulaic Marvel movies

Final Notes - I was sitting next to a talking and crying toddler during the entire movie, and I could barely pay attention during the dramatic moments.