ftgplus4
Joined Nov 2005
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ftgplus4's rating
Let me start out by saying I'm not a big fan of Christian movies -- not because I have anything against their usual messages, but I usually find them to be rather simplistic with limited filmmaking quality. But then, I'm not a big fan of movies in general these days anyway.
"Heavens to Betsy" isn't great cinema, but it does have a rather quirky sense of humor that's atypical of "Christian movies." Plot-wise it's sort of a cross between alternate-reality stories like "It's a Wonderful Life" (i.e., what if things had gone *this* way instead?) and "Bruce Almighty" (i.e., God wouldn't really do this to someone, but you might not blame him if he did).
This has a plot that keeps you watching to see what happens next, as twists are revealed to both the viewer and the main character. As Betsy reacts to her "alternate reality," though, one might wonder why it never occurs to the other characters to suspect she has amnesia, and never occurs to her to fall back on this as her own explanation.
My only other comment is that I ended up wishing the ending hadn't been as rushed as it is. (This is not the alternate ending, which I haven't seen.) I was left wanting to see, and not just hear about, how things were resolved.
"Heavens to Betsy" isn't great cinema, but it does have a rather quirky sense of humor that's atypical of "Christian movies." Plot-wise it's sort of a cross between alternate-reality stories like "It's a Wonderful Life" (i.e., what if things had gone *this* way instead?) and "Bruce Almighty" (i.e., God wouldn't really do this to someone, but you might not blame him if he did).
This has a plot that keeps you watching to see what happens next, as twists are revealed to both the viewer and the main character. As Betsy reacts to her "alternate reality," though, one might wonder why it never occurs to the other characters to suspect she has amnesia, and never occurs to her to fall back on this as her own explanation.
My only other comment is that I ended up wishing the ending hadn't been as rushed as it is. (This is not the alternate ending, which I haven't seen.) I was left wanting to see, and not just hear about, how things were resolved.
At the beginning of "Lightyear," we're told that it's supposed to be the favorite movie of Andy from 1995's TOY STORY. But it is not at all believable as such, mainly because it is such a totally 2022 film (in more ways than one).
Overall, it's a reasonably engaging animated tale, with some more or less clever twists. My main issue with the basic plot is that it relies on the tired old trope of "incompetent motley crew pulls together and becomes great."
The most serious problem, though, is one that could have very easily been avoided. The filmmakers have made one controversial, "politically correct" choice, which is all the worse because it makes no sense in its context. A whole bunch of problems -- messing up a plot point, potentially confusing the kiddos, offending concerned parents, making people not want to see the film -- could have been avoided simply by having one minor, non-speaking character be a guy rather than a gal.
Sorry, Pixar, but if you were disappointed in the box office performance, it's your own fault for making a choice that alienated so much of your potential audience.
Overall, it's a reasonably engaging animated tale, with some more or less clever twists. My main issue with the basic plot is that it relies on the tired old trope of "incompetent motley crew pulls together and becomes great."
The most serious problem, though, is one that could have very easily been avoided. The filmmakers have made one controversial, "politically correct" choice, which is all the worse because it makes no sense in its context. A whole bunch of problems -- messing up a plot point, potentially confusing the kiddos, offending concerned parents, making people not want to see the film -- could have been avoided simply by having one minor, non-speaking character be a guy rather than a gal.
Sorry, Pixar, but if you were disappointed in the box office performance, it's your own fault for making a choice that alienated so much of your potential audience.
