La Leyenda de las Momias de Guanajuato

I had my heart broken as a kid when I first saw this movie. I absolutely love the first 2 and I was really excited when it was released. On one hand you can see the upgrade in the animation; if the second one was a big improvement over the fist one in all ways possible, the improvements in this one are less notorious, but if you pay attention you can see that everything has more details, all characters move smoother, the backgrounds are better, etc. But the problems come with the jokes and the story; there are 2 main plots in the movie, one that is interesting and one that is pure filler with the side characters. The first one with Leo is actually related to the story and the problem with the Mummies, he has things to do and makes the story move forward, but on the other hand, the other story with the side characters doesnt work at all, they are just there, doing nothing, they are supposed to have the comedic moments but these ones also dont work because they are just not funny, thats it, they dont make you laugh not even once. Which is a big let down, cause the second one managed to improve a lot in this aspect. Near the end of the movie, it greatly improves, having all the characters together, doing THINGS, with not a lot of jokes and with a more serious tone which works really well, but the final part doesnt save this movie. I really wished I loved it, but with such a bad story I just cant; the part with Leo and the other girl make the movie tolerable but thats not enough to make this a good movie.

So... If you've read my two previous reviews of this series, you'll know I have a certain love/hate relationship with it. A kaleidoscope of characters, an adventure wrapped in a quasi-detective mystery (so to speak), plus obviously the nostalgia, but on the other hand, I can't ignore all its negative aspects, mostly Mexicanisms, as if Mexicans were dumb... They were? Hope not.

Fortunately... This third entry surprised me... Because they finally put aside all that nonsense and gave the story... time to develop! What a surprise! Lol. Why this is so difficult to achieve? Although much of the art style and story structure is similar to the second film (but with much more added shading), this one refines it to the limit. The introduction with Valentina is much better done than with Kika, since with Kika, if we analyze it closely, really didn't contribute much to the main plot, beyond giving Leo the mission he has to fulfill and being annoying as hell. Valentina is a character who knows how to act on her own. In fact, she didn't know they would come to help her (well, technically, Leo's main mission was to rescue her friend Xotichlt, which had been mentioned at the end of the second film.), and it's here that I want to revisit something from the previous two films, which this one did so poorly.

On the one hand, Leo... To get straight to the point... He is a disappointment of a character. In the second film, he showed courage, and while it was very forced, to the point of being almost a plot hole (since in the first film he was a coward and only a few hours had passed), at least it served to connect with the audience. However... In this third film, although the Leo of Guanajuato initially channels his La Llorona self, he devolves soon or later, acting like a coward... (and even worse, with some of the same jokes from the first film). It wasn't believable that he could defeat La Nahuala in the first film, although at least they kind of justified it with the help of Leo's grandmother and Fray Godofredo, who had knowledge of magic. In the second one, it was a fluke that he managed to get out alive with La Llorona and all that... What I'm getting at is that it's really funny that the third film partially acknowledges its flaw in how they introduced Leo, with Valentina saying that all her fame and the towns he managed to liberate were "pure luck," which is true. However, that's one thing, and treating Leo like a useless person for the entire movie is another thing altogether...

Unlike the second one, here the roles feel completely reversed. Valentina could had done everything on her own; in fact, Leo only manages to slow her down, helping her with only one thing and that's it, which I don't find believable. He also doesnt do much rescuing Xotichlt, as the villian Rosseau basically just lowered his guard. And we're never really told how Rosseau captured her in the first place, neither what Xotichlt was doing there... which is a shame, because both Rosseau and Xotichlt are compelling characters. Rosseau also knows Xotichlt was going to be there to make her a bait for Leo (although well, maybe the ending of this movie gives a hint that something or someone in the shadows hates Leo?)

Valentina is a girl who manages to become independent after losing her father, and while her subplot about trying to hide her identity is practically pointless (since her conflict with the law isn't well developed), at least she manages to develop her character well. I mean, definitely more than Leo in two movies at least, lol.

I also find Leo's friends, much like in the second movie, WASTED. One of the few things the first film got somewhat right was having the supporting cast feel like a bizarre Alice in Wonderland parade, each character a new "circus stair" to climb. Here much like before, they just dont truly help Leo and do their own thing until appearing magically at the end (after a forced conflict that just ends), with Leo to help him face Rosseau, with every character they met being just their own minor piece of plot, separated from the main cake. However, at the very least the jokes arent as CRINGY as before, and is it just me or Evaristo is a dru* addict... Never mind, I'll skip that before this review mysteriously vanishes. But seriously, some jokes with Evaristo did made me laugh, which i can say the same with the rest of the series...

Although i do miss the constant discussions and funny old word choices of Don Andres arguing with Alebrije, as he was like a Bookworm... But starting here, he seems to lost that aspect of his personality... And Teodora just being Teodora, aka Rarity selfish and hysterical version lol. If im being honest i lost my hope that this character would evolve into something more interesting. This movie came out in 2014, 3 years after La Llorona and 7 after La Nahuala, and this is the best they could do with Teodora?

All of this might seem to leave the film feeling incomplete, and while it is in part... I think it's still decent. It's clear that the team working on this film adquired more experience, being able to finally give the series its own identity and experiment with different themes. Although the ridiculous part remains, as I said, the film now takes its time to develop the plot. It takes twice the length to tell the initial conflict, with Valentina losing her father and leaving the entire city in danger, while she has to cope with living on her own. This is also reflected in many dangerous situations later on, when Leo is with her. Defending herself with agility, intelligence, and even using brute force to save Leo.

Although the film seems to try to be "inclusive," I think the beginning makes it abundantly clear that Valentina is simply more prepared than Leo. I'm surprised they went that route, since Leo is the hero of the story, not the "companion". But I'll forgive it since both Leo and Valentina have their moments, and... it doesn't take that long until Valentina begins to accept Leo (even if it feels a bit forced).

Finally, after a noticeable absence, Xotichlt has another moment to shine, although unfortunately near the end. Once again, she acts as Leo's guardian angel. I couldnt ask for more.

There's not really much more to say that I haven't already said in previous reviews, since the structure is very similar. It's simply like the previous films, but with a better story, more serious moments, fewer unnecessary jokes, and better character development, at least for the important ones. I would have liked some other characters to recieve Valentina's budget, since she steals the entire movie, and I'd even say she saves it. But it's not like the other characters don't have a single moment. Perhaps... I'd say the puppets are 100% unnecessary, and the "alliance" they temporarily form with the sugar skulls serves no purpose other than continuing doing pointless jokes.

We finally reached the "classic status"? Well... Tbh, its hard to say. La Leyenda de las Momias de Guanajuato, at least for me, is the moment when the series began to be remembered by many people. It has its own style in addition to taking the good things from the previous two, so its the classic on its own series, its "the classic" that made the series popular among the masses. However its not an animated classic, not by a long shot... I still need the movie to gave more relevance to the true protagonists. Some secondary characters REALLY overstay their welcome, and Leo friends need to DO something. Dont relegate it to just mere decorations!

And... thats it, now just watch it and dont listen to me like always.