Batman Ninja – 2018

Score: 7/10

Batman Ninja is truly a weird one. It’s good and at the same time you feel at points that it is too much. I guess I should have expected it considering it’s a Japanese movie and those are usually like this, but still, it managed to be too much at times for me. Nevertheless, the overall experience is very interesting and I highly recommend you see it. It will shock you in many aspects, it will be something totally different than what you are used too, but that is actually the point. Get ready to immerse yourself into the world of feudal Japan at the side of your favorite villains and superheroes…

The story is amazing, the best thing about the movie by far. It works, it makes sense, it doesn’t seem forced, it flows easily without trying too hard to be serious. This movie is not serious and you should not try to watch it in a serious mode or you will ruin it. Watch it with a big smile on your face and accept some of the ridiculous things that happen on screen as just another part of the fun. Japanese movies have a certain appeal and you can definitely see that here, in full splendor… It’s fast and it will not make apologies… Just flow with it!

The characters are a very engaging part of this film. You get cool presentations, you get believable roles for each of them and they manage to gel very well. You discover known names that you have missed and having them all together in one movie is a blast. Also, I have to say that the daymo elements are fun as hell and putting the action into the middle of the warring kingdoms of Japan was a stroke of brilliance. In short, it works, it works very well and the performances (English version that is, couldn’t find the original Japanese voices) from Roger Craig Smith, Tony Hale, Grey Griffin, Tara Strong, Adam Croasdell, Fred Tatasciore, Yuri Lowenthal and Will Friedle are very good.

But seriously, did we need mechs? Did we seriously need robot palaces in a Batman movie? I get that it’s Japanese and they have a cultural fascination with things like that, but alas, I really felt that it completely took me out of the cultural setting. It is the biggest flaw of the movie by far and it really lowered its score. Why? Because it’s useless, it doesn’t make sense and it’s a pointless addition to what could have been a very fast paced animation. I mean honestly, why? Maybe someone can explain it to me because I sure as hell can’t explain it to myself…

The graphic style might take time to get used to, but in the end, I have to say I got into the groove. It’s very fast paced, very cartoonish and you get a lot of emotion from it. It is typical for Japanese films but a novelty truly for the DC universe. And I have to say that it works, it makes it more fun, it makes a movie from DC feel light and funny instead of the usual doom and gloom we get. I want more films like this in the future and I truly believe that this universe will be enlightened by more efforts like this…

In conclusion, Batman Ninja is definitely worth it, it’s an amazing animation that makes you remember fondly one of the favorite characters in history. Batman fits almost perfectly into that environment and this one is a rollercoaster from start to finish. You can’t go wrong watching this and you will enjoy its pumping adrenaline all the way. It’s engaging, it’s powerful and most importantly, it’s totally different than what you are used to from the characters. I mean seriously, how could you want to skip a movie that says “Battoman” so often? I mean come on… How awesome does “Battoman” sound?  :)))

Ocean’s Eight – 2018

Score: 5/10

Why? Seriously, why? This is the first question that springs to mind when I think about this movie. I mean fair enough, it’s not a reboot per se, they made it as sort of a spin-off/sequel, but you do get an entire new cast and very few connections with the original trilogy. Which means that it could have gone an entirely different route than its predecessors. Alas, this is not the case and what we get here is just a rehash of the same old things. I get it, everything is better today with an all women cast, but unfortunately Hollywood, if you don’t have a decent story to back that cast and you just use old clichés that we are already tired of, you will get a movie that will leave audiences simply meh! So I ask again… Why Hollywood, why?

The story is weak, convoluted, and it lacks the panache and awesomeness of the original. Things seem rushed and very slow paced at the same time, and the outcome is obvious from the start. There is no pressure here, no tension, everything happens as you would expect it too. Yes, like a true Ocean’s movie, you get some twists and some surprises that work, but overall, the flow of the action is very predictable. The original shocked people because it was something different, but 11 years after the same things will never work. The story is by far the weakest part of the movie and it’s simply a shame they were not able to make it better.

The characters are interesting, they complement each other well and they do manage to lift up the movie. The only problem here is that there are too many of them to handle for a 110 minute film and we end up with rushed development and the feeling that things are missing. Nevertheless, in a movie that doesn’t impress with its story, the characters are a breath of fresh air and performances from Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Rihanna, Helena Bonham Carter, Richard Armitage and James Corden are really marvelous to watch…

There are too many things that don’t make sense here, from a rational point of view. The movie skips over much of the details, trying to wow and to entertain us, but unfortunately that only ends up breaking our suspension of disbelief. I mean seriously, in what world can ex-cons get fancy equipment they can use to commit the same robberies they were in jail for with no effort and with nobody noticing? And that is just one example of the many many things that fail here, a lot of details that are simply glanced over and never explained. You can’t expect your audiences to be engaged when you don’t offer them reasons to care. If anything goes and anything can happen, then there simply is no pressure, there are no stakes.

Overall, the movie is enjoyable, it’s direct, it’s light, it’s even funny in certain parts. But that does not manage to make it reach its potential. Unfortunately, while you do get amazing moments scattered throughout, the lasting feeling at the end is that of disappointment. The movie doesn’t manage to bring anything new to the table and gets bogged down by its own mythos. It was supposed to be new, to feel different, but in fact it ends up feeling as nothing more than a bad copycat…

In conclusion, Ocean’s Eight could have been a far better movie than it turned up to be. And that’s a shame, because it did have a lot of potential. The originals had something going for them, they told a certain story that seemed interesting and captivated audiences. This one tries to draw from the same well, unfortunately without the same level of success. If you like heist films you should give it a try, but do not expect a lot from it. And thank you very much movie, now you made me want to go to the Met Gala at least once in my life… Thank you so much for that :)))))