Movie Review

Pixar conjures magic yet again with bittersweet Toy Story 4

The mere existence of Toy Story 4 is a little bittersweet. As fans of the series know, the final moments of Toy Story 3 (which, BTW, came out NINE years ago) seemed a pitch-perfect ending to the series, with all the toys we know and love moving on from their original owner, Andy, so that a new child, Bonnie, could grow up with them.

But no matter why Pixar decided to go ahead with a fourth film, it remains an utter pleasure to spend time with the characters that made the studio the powerhouse it is today. This time, Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack), Hamm (John Ratzenberger), and more are on a road trip with Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw) and her family. Bonnie, who recently started kindergarten, has created her new favorite toy, Forky (Tony Hale), and thanks to Forky’s strong desire to throw himself in the trash, Woody takes it upon himself to protect Forky at all costs.

This proves an exhausting job, and one of Woody’s many attempts at rescue leads them both into a small-town antique store, where Woody thinks he has found the long-lost Bo Peep (Annie Potts). There, they also encounter Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks), an old doll who has long lingered on the shelf thanks to a broken voice box. When she discovers Woody is a pull-string toy, she covets his voice box to make her whole again.

Those are the basics, but there is so much going on in the film that it would be impossible to cover it all in a synopsis. Written by Andrew Stanton and Stephany Folsom and directed by Josh Cooley, the characters have an adventure more-than-worthy of previous entries in the series, buoyed by the outstanding humor and emotion that Pixar has brought to nearly every film in its history.

As they’ve done in the other films in the series, the filmmakers seamlessly integrate a variety of new characters. Forky is hilarious from the start, as are carnival toys Bunny (Jordan Peele) and Ducky (Keegan-Michael Key), motorcycle daredevil Duke Kaboom (Keanu Reeves), and Giggle McDimples (Ally Maki). Gabby Gabby is ostensibly the villain of the film, especially when she calls in a troupe of ventriloquist dummies to protect her, but she comes with a heartbreaking backstory that makes her feel less than evil.

Unsurprisingly, the film’s animation is absolutely gorgeous. While the core characters are still recognizable from their debut in 1995, the advance in the amount of detail the animators can now show on them and the world in general is staggering. There are many times where, with a little suspension of disbelief, the film could plausibly be passed off as live action, especially when it comes to things like water and hair.

Now, the bittersweet feeling comes with knowing — absolutely this time — that it will be the final experience watching and listening to these iconic characters. For the past 25 years, they have set a standard that most other films can’t match. They will live on in the hearts of children and the young at heart, but the tears that come at the end aren’t merely because of the stellar storytelling.

It may not have truly needed to be made, but Toy Story 4 is just as good as any of the other films in the series and proves once again that Pixar is the undisputed master in the animation field.

Buzz Lightyear, Bunny, Ducky, Woody, Giggle McDimples, and Bo Peep in Toy Story 4.

Buzz Lightyear, Bunny, Ducky, Woody, and Bo Peep in Toy Story 4

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Studios

Buzz Lightyear, Bunny, Ducky, Woody, Giggle McDimples, and Bo Peep in Toy Story 4.

Movie Review

Supergirl fails to take flight in a movie weighed down by grief

Milly Alcock in Supergirl

Photo courtesy of DC Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures

Milly Alcock in Supergirl.

Last year's Superman reboot brought a renewed sense of optimism for, if not the concept of the comic book movie, then at least the DC Comics universe. After more than a decade of DC films that felt mostly creatively bankrupt, the leadership of James Gunn gave the story a sense of fun. That included the brief introduction of Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, who’s now getting her own showcase in, naturally, Supergirl.

When we first met her in Superman, Supergirl was in rough shape, arriving at the Fortress of Solitude visibly inebriated. Nothing has changed at the beginning of this film, save for her aimlessly traveling around the universe with her rambunctious dog, Krypto. One of her random stops puts her in the same bar as Ruthye (Eve Ridley), who is looking for help tracking down Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts) and a group known as the Brigands after they brutally murdered her family.

Kara is initially loath to offer aid, but when Krem shoots a poison dart into Krypto while escaping, her motivation goes way up, especially since Krem holds the antidote. Kara, with Ruthye doggedly following her, uses every means available to her to find Krem, a journey that is hampered by galaxies having different colored suns than the one that gives her powers, the yellow sun.

Directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira, the film is a big step back in the fun category, not least because Supergirl is deep in her feelings for much of the film. Her personal trauma, which is detailed in occasional flashbacks, gives a reason for her depression, but fails to land fully. The story seems to want everyone to be sad, as it includes a child trafficking ring and multiple instances of families being murdered.

Milly Alcock and Krypto in Supergirl.Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

To try to counteract that downer material, the filmmakers give Supergirl many opportunities to show off her fighting skills. While still CGI-heavy, the action scenes contain enough of a semblance of reality that they feel exciting. Unfortunately, this is undercut by the inclusion of several slow-motion sequences, giving the impression that the filmmakers didn’t trust the actors to deliver the goods on a consistent basis.

Superman (David Corenswet) makes a handful of appearances in the film, and while his presence is welcome given how well the character came across in the previous movie, it also doesn’t allow Supergirl to become her own person. Almost everything she does is colored by either her cousin or her parents, and since her powers are identical to those of Superman, there is very little that makes her story unique aside from how she’s dealing with the fallout.

Alcock (House of the Dragon, Sirens) gives an appealing performance despite her character being drunk and/or moody most of the time. She definitely sells what Supergirl is going through, so if given a better story in a future film, she’s proven her capability. Schoenaerts makes for a pretty good villain, although he’s aided by a look that includes a face full of studs. Jason Momoa has a memorable supporting role as the bounty hunter Lobo, even if his character doesn’t add much to the story.

While not a full-on disaster, Supergirl does not continue the momentum that Superman started. With a story that’s more concerned with showing audiences death scenes than a hero saving people, the film doesn’t seem to understand the appeal of a character like Supergirl or how to make her someone audiences will return to over and over again.

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Supergirl is now playing in theaters.

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