Jasonic Reviews Star Wars: The Force Awakens

While I do enjoy a majority of the Star Wars saga (key word: majority -- and that mainly includes Revenge of the Sith), I don't feel as though it would be fitting for me to review the entire saga seeing as my opinions are generally the same as everyone else's. In short, here's my best to worst ranking of the two trilogies preceding the one I'm about to review:

1. The Empire Strikes Back
2. A New Hope
3. Return of the Jedi
4. Revenge of the Sith
5. The Phantom Menace
6. Attack of the Clones

Now with that mini-Star Wars saga review out of the way (saving me countless hours of re-watching before Rogue One comes out in a few days), without further adieu, here's what I, as a long-time Star Wars fan, have to say about the most recent major installment of the critically-acclaimed, pop culture phenomenon of (mostly) cinematic mastery.

With the history and success that became of Star Wars back in the late 70s-early 80s, it was such a shame to see it all go downhill with the release of the Prequel Trilogy at the turn of the century. Aside from The Clone Wars spinoff movie and TV series, the saga had been on a 10-year hiatus for the reason that the creator himself, George Lucas, had no real plans to continue the saga after closing the gap of Darth Vader's sad excuse for a backstory. Then in 2012, enter: Disney; their acquisition of Lucasfilm allowed for the saga to continue without oversight from Lucas (apart from his story treatments, mind you). Upon this announcement, fans old and new were excited to once again see the saga return to the big screen in a way that no one would have expected would be so successful. With director J.J. Abrams (Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness), expectations were high and the anticipation for the new planned trilogy to outdo the poorly executed prequels reached the point of through the roof. And after all the hype spawned from this movie last year, did it ultimately succeed? In just about every way possible, it did indeed!

***SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT*** (YOU'VE BEEN WARNED)

The story of the Star Wars kick starts back into action with the disappearance of Luke Skywalker (now an older, wiser Jedi master played briefly by Mark Hamill) leading the First Order -- the successor of the Galactic Empire -- and the Resistance lead by General Leia Organa (played by Carrie Fisher) to seek him out for different reasons. The First Order seeking a map that leads to his location so they may destroy him, Resistance pilot, Poe Dameron (played by Oscar Isaac) is tasked with keeping the only known existing piece of the map safe with newcomer droid BB-8. In a fate-defining entanglement, lone scavenger, Rey (played by Daisy Ridley), from the desolate Jakku and rogue Stormtrooper FN-2187 (dubbed "Finn" by Poe, played by John Boyega) become tasked with guiding BB-8 safely back to the Resistance whilst on the run from the First Order and other goons throughout the galaxy. Along the way, many more fateful encounters take place with the Original Trilogy's Han Solo (played by Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (played by Peter Mayhew) returning and the newest baddie to grace the franchise known as "Kylo Ren" (played by Adam Driver), Han and Leia's son, seeking to finish everything his grandfather, Darth Vader, started. In this thrill ride to save the galaxy from a foreboding evil once more, many secrets will be touched upon as the Force awakens (hence the title).

Familiar as it sounds, on the surface this movie is basically A New Hope 2.0 in the sense that the main plot device is keeping a droid safe from danger as the bad guys hunt it down initially on a desert planet. Upon release, this had to be the most common complaint from certain audiences going in who expected to see something completely new to save the franchise from its recent shaming. Instead what most people saw was essentially the same film that kicked off this saga almost 40 years ago repackaged and modernized for a new generation. This is not exactly the case; while the main plot devices and progression may mirror the original Star Wars to an extent, it is not entirely the same exact film we got just re-skinned with new characters and environments. The way I see it is that it's the franchise's way of returning to form to demonstrate to audiences that it still knows its roots whilst also setting up new and exciting plot threads for future installments. For example, we get see little snippets of Rey's backstory the moment she has those traumatic flashbacks the moment she touches Luke's lightsaber (this was not so for Luke in the original mainly because the backstory hadn't been fully planned out back then). This scene alone has been subject to various theories regarding Rey's origins as well as one of those defining character building moments the movie has to offer.

One reason the movie does so well in my book is because it knows how to setup good characters as the original films did. With Rey, our protagonist, she's initially a lonely, reluctant scavenger who desires to stay on Jakku out of the belief that her family will return to her there one day (after she was left there as a child as seen in the aforementioned flashbacks). All this and she initially doesn't even realize she's capable of the Force until her circumstances become so dire in her entanglements with Kylo Ren toward the end. Then we have Finn, whom I deem the fun character of the film. He's noble enough to break away from the norm and is willing to go out of his way to help his friends even going as far as picking up Luke's lightsaber and performing awkwardly with it as he tries to figure it out. His initial resistance to kill during his first battle in the movie as well as him going rogue is also an example of an aspect that's completely different from the original, which is one reason I say they're not the same movie.

Another reason to note why they're not the same movie has to do mostly with the villain; Kylo Ren is a surprisingly well-written villain and is more than just simply Vader 2.0. Whereas Vader didn't really have much of an arc in the original film, acting as nothing but the big bad who hurts his own, interrogates the damsel, and kills the mentor, Kylo Ren's story is shown in full through this movie alone. The aforementioned awakening in the Force is a calling from the Light Side of the Force, which he is told to resist through the council of the mysterious Supreme Leader Snoke (played by Andy Serkis). Seeking to finish what Vader started, Kylo Ren (his real name later revealed as Ben Solo) is ultimately pulled through to the Dark Side when he enacts perhaps the biggest twist of the movie that no one saw coming: ***MASSIVE SPOILER*** the death of Han Solo ***MASSIVE SPOILER END***. Despite his conversion, however, it is clear that, unlike Vader, he is rather prone to losing his temper and rather inexperienced as he struggles to outdo Rey in their climatic faceoff as everything collapses around them at Starkiller Base -- which, by the way, is basically the third incarnation of the Death Star from the originals.

With all these great characters pushing the franchise in the right direction, it is worth noting just how good the acting is this time around. Daisy Ridley as Rey takes female protagonist to a whole new level, making her anything but a Mary Sue with her moments of unexpected talent and overall endearing performance that ultimately delivers on many levels. With the many new additions to the cast, though, it's sometimes easy to overlook the fact that the original cast makes a return with a few of them (Luke and Leia for example) given barely anything major to do. Rather than go in-depth about how the film somewhat falls flat in that regard, I will instead give props to Harrison Ford in his untimely return to the role of Han Solo. His presence greatly enhanced the overall fun factor of the movie with his cocky personality an smug attitude that made the original cast that much better to the point where I'm glad they didn't kill him off as early as Return of the Jedi like they planned before. If anything, the whole idea was to bright Star Wars into a new light while also maintaining the original greatness and they did a fine job of bringing us back into the universe that way.

The film's main downside for me, though, is the lack of investment in establishing the environments. J.J. Abrams tends to configure his movies with various closeup shots and panning shots of people running to where there sometimes isn't even enough establishing shots to draw the viewer into the worlds we were given. On top of that, some of the worlds weren't explored that much or even given in-film names from what I recall. Sure, everyone remembers Jakku and Starkiller Base for their names and similarities to Tatooine and the Death Star respectively, but we never exactly get the names or much else of the "cantina world", "the Resistance planet/moon", or even "the planet where Rey finds Luke at the end". While all are still beautifully constructed environments as Star Wars planets should be, there just isn't enough getting to know them like in the original films (and, I will admit, even the prequels did this to different extents). Regardless, I'm still in love with the film and am not going to hold any of its flaws or similarities to the original against it.

Finally, since this is a Star Wars movie, it is inevitable to note just how great the action was put together. A majority of the film consists of the familiar flight sequences with, for example, the iconic Millennium Falcon outrunning TIE Fighters on Jakku as well as the X-Wing battles on the "cantina world" and Starkiller Base at the end. Both pay respectful homages to the originals with their swerving the Falcon through tight spaces and trench run sequences respectively that I can't help but feel I'm reliving the greatness of Star Wars, but in modern times where I'm around to see it firsthand. While there aren't near as many blaster battles as the previous installments, ultimately, what makes the cut for me is the lightsaber fighting; the moments in which the heroes and villains whip out their lightsabers (or lightsaber-esque weapons in the case of that one Stormtrooper) the action's more grounded than the prequels ever were. In this, there's no such thing as dancing around rooms and flipping around as lightsabers clash, rather, it's simply like people are beating each other with swords like would the kiddies with their lightsaber toys. This makes the climactic fight with Ren all the more appealing to watch and brings out my inner child throughout the experience.

For the most part, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a treat for Star Wars fans old and new alike. The storyline is familiar with fresh twists, the characters are more compelling and fun to watch, the acting and casting are superb, and, despite little investment in the locales, has some enjoyably familiar action set-pieces that draw you in. If anything, this is the kick start the franchise needed to get back up on its feet and, with the recent release of Rogue One, is now the reason we're getting more Disney-related Star Wars content to sink our teeth into with each year to come down the line. In scoring this film for what it is, I give it an A- and consider it the most noteworthy success of any cinema franchise in recent years.

Thanks y'all for reading and, as always, I will see you in the next review!

Jasonic Reviews Frozen

Hello, and good evening everybody. I realize it's been a LONG while since I last posted a review so...

*Insert obligatory "Let It Go" variation here*

Now I realize that this film, by some people's standards, is considered "old" given the fact that everyone was OBSESSED with it back when it came out and everyone was singing the soundtrack to death, but I figured that of all the Disney movies in my library, this one would be of noteworthy discussion. Well, I'll tell you one thing: it isn't JUST because "Let It Go" is a catchy song that gets stuck in your head and has the capacity to infest the Internet with various covers and parodies. As always I will be providing much critical perspective as to what makes Disney's Frozen a great, if not cool (no pun intended) movie for all ages -- and I solemnly swear this review won't be littered with tired "cool" puns from this point onward.

***SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON***

First things first, the plot isn't your average Disney Princess movie. The story follows two -- that's right, two -- princesses, Anna and Elsa of Arendelle. The film revolves around the two of them being separated due to the dangers of Elsa's ice powers, which she continues to struggle with even after their parents, the King and Queen, tragically die at sea. As if that weren't enough, Elsa later becomes what I consider to be the first "Disney Queen" and accidentally reveals her powers to the world, inadvertently setting off an eternal winter in the process. Now it's up to Anna to get her sister to reverse what she's done even if it costs her her life.

Simple as it sounds, one of the many reasons I enjoy the story is the amount of depth it has both in narrative and thematic elements. The main thing that strikes me is the way it goes about averting the expectations previously set by Disney themselves. General as it sounds, the main thing I'm getting at comes right in the first act when Anna meets Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, the two of them falling in love in an evening Cinderella style. And Elsa's response to their subsequent engagement ("You can't marry a man you just met.") just goes to show that even Disney's aware of the unrealistic tropes that they, themselves, set in years past -- not to criticize Disney in any way, rather I'm making note of a brilliant irony. This "true love meeting" is then further averted later in the film when Anna is dying from Elsa accidentally freezing her heart and tries to get Hans to reverse the curse by having him kiss her. In one moment, all hope is lost when Hans reveals himself as the villain of the story who, like Scar in The Lion King, tries to take the throne for himself through cold and calculated scheming. Unlike Scar, however, he is unsuccessful in every way. And that is one reason I enjoy Frozen still to this day: plot twists.

Thematically speaking, the film takes love in a whole new direction that Disney had never explored before. Rather than focusing around the idea that man-woman love (a la Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, etc.) fixes everything, the idea of family love is addressed in a warm, welcoming way. Basically, the main ideas are that love conquers fear and that true love exists also in the family. Elsa spends her years in fear of her powers before Anna, in an act of sacrifice, saves Elsa from Hans, which, in turn, allows Anna to save herself from permanently dying of a frozen heart. Anna's sacrifice is also an act of expectation aversion; much of the movie involves her receiving aid from Kristoff, a lonely iceman, as they slowly begin to realize that they truly love each other. Just when one would think that the two of them will kiss thereby undoing Anna's frozen heart, she, instead, saves her sister in the end. Unfortunately, this renders Kristoff almost pointless in the overall story, but characters like him and his pet reindeer, Sven, are very much beloved as the rest of the cast.

Then, of course, there's Olaf; and he's not your typical Disney comic relief. In short, he's much more laid back and down-to-earth in his joke delivery unlike many comic reliefs before him who are off-the-walls loud and crazy. And Josh Gad does a great job of voicing this character for that very reason. Others among the cast list such as Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel (who previously appeared in Disney via Enchanted), and Jonathan Groff were absolutely perfect in their roles as Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff respectively. What's most interesting about these voices is that, unlike many Disney films before it, these actors are trained singers and provide their actual singing voices to these characters during the musical numbers. And now the moment we've all been waiting for, my segue into the music.

In my opinion, this has some of the best Disney musical numbers in a film and not just "Let It Go" or "Do You Wanna Build A Snowman". The upbeat tone of the music and its variety of orchestral instruments and styles clearly make it some of the most unforgettable tunes of all time, especially by Disney's standards. Many numbers such as "Love Is An Open Door" and "Fixer Upper", although more forgettable than others, are written much like Broadway musicals with dialogue seamlessly inter-splicing between the vocal portions. This, alone, gives the film a more modern feel despite it seemingly being set during the classical years. That said, it's absolutely understandable why everybody was addicted to this soundtrack in the months following its release (heck, I even would've bought myself if I had the chance).

The main area in which the film falls short, however, is a bit jaunting but not too much. I am, of course, mainly talking about the rock trolls from the beginning and middle of the film as they are largely forgettable, never really explained, and the way in which they're implemented is a bit illogical. Simply put, when the movie title Frozen comes to mind, I never once stop to think "Oh yeah! That was also the movie with the rolling rock trolls in it!" I mean, other than being Kristoff's surrogate family and the source for which the King and Queen of Arendelle go to save Anna, the trolls's role in the kingdom is never touched upon and they have no resolution by the end. They are not, however, without purpose; they are the ones who announce to both the audience and the major characters that "an act of true love will melt a frozen heart," which begs the question as to why they didn't just tell Anna and Elsa's parents that the answer for Elsa controlling her powers was love in the first place. Oh, well. That's definitely something How It Should Have Ended can't fix... Oh, wait. They already did!

If anything, it is worth noting the technical aspects of the film just as much as the narrative aspects. Disney really outdid themselves in creating new technology to give the snow and ice a degree of artistry and realism never before experimented with in an animated movie. Between the imagery created by Elsa casting off her powers (i.e.: her ice palace) and the neatly rendered snowy environments, the film is a wonder to look at despite its very few and far between colorful scenes. The snow and ice effects are stunningly pretty and realistic for an animated movie that it's no wonder so much work went into the production of this movie from the beginning. Even the production dates back to when Disney first started making animated movies. Despite its long shelf life, I can definitely say that the effort Disney put forth to adapt Hans Christian Anderson's "The Snow Queen" really paid off in the end.

That said, the whole idea of Frozen is, without a doubt an innovation set by Disney to rev up our expectations for their animated movies. Between the differences in what we've come to expect from Disney plots, solid themes, lovable characters and voice cast, a fantastic score, and stunning visuals, despite its few flaws, Frozen is definitely one for the books. Generally speaking I would give it a solid B+ and consider it a worthwhile family and animated flick.

Thanks for reading y'all and I will see you in the next review!

Jasonic Reviews Spider-Man

As an openly honest fan of comic book superheroes, I'm sure many of you may have expected me to review this movie seeing as Spider-Man is my favorite superhero of the Marvel lineup. I may not have as much history or attachment to this movie as I did with Toy Story, but I will say that, when this movie premiered on TV when I was younger, I found myself not wanting to walk out on it. I will admit that. strangely enough, I never gave many other comic book superheroes a chance until I got older, but I will say that Spider-Man paved the way for my interest during both my youthful and teenage years. "Why is this?" you may ask. Well, I believe it may have to do with the increasing quality of superhero films through the years.

The early 2000s were an era that very much revolutionized the tone and structure of superhero films. In the decades prior to, the older Superman and Batman films were the most recognized superhero movies to date and, while they started off good and decent, they sadly declined in quality with each subsequent installment. It appears that this may have been caused by the need for the filmmakers to deviate their work from the source material so, at the turn of the century, writers and directors decided that comic book fans watching mattered and therefore felt the need to cater to their tastes while also building good stories around it. I've not seen the first X-Men to know whether or not this was the case, but, I'm aware that both X-Men and Spider-Man (the latter especially) had something to do with the current success of the now widely accepted superhero film genre. So, without much else to say, here's what I think of Sam Raimi's first big screen hit with Spider-Man.

***SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT*** (not that it matters as most everyone has probably seen this film by now)

This movie is very much what solidified both the origin story and some of the major characters of Spider-Man in the minds of non-comic book readers everywhere. Everyone knows that Peter Parker (played in this movie by Tobey Maguire) is a nerdy kid whom everyone picks on before he gets bit by a radioactive spider and gains extraordinary super powers that reflect the abilities of a spider. Everyone knows that, with his powers, he tries to earn money through a wrestling career, which ultimately goes to his head to the point where he fails to stop a robber who ultimately shoots his Uncle Ben (played by Cliff Robertson) and leaves him for dead. Everyone knows the phrase "With great power comes great responsibility", which remains the core reason as to why Spider-Man, hoping to make up for his uncle's death, goes out to stop crime throughout New York. And everyone especially knows about the conflicts this creates in both his superhero and civilian life as he tries to keep his identity a secret from both those he loves and the powerful supervillains he encounters. Simply put, it's the reason why Spider-Man has been made more famous apart from his comic book counterpart.

On the surface, it may sound like the typical formulaic superhero origin movie and, while this formula as sort of run dry these days, one of the reasons it worked so well here is because the tone director Sam Raimi established here got people excited for the adventure at hand. Sure, the setting, dialogue, and computer effects may be dated, but, overall it gives the movie a vibrant, happy tone with bits of various emotion mixed in to balance it out. For example, when Uncle Ben died, I felt genuinely sad for Peter seeing as he ended off on the wrong note with him due to being so concerned about his selfish motivation to impress the girl he likes -- that being Mary Jane Watson (played by Kirsten Dunst) whom we'll touch more on later. Other than that, the film isn't the most emotionally complex work of film due to the lack of proper character building, but the film makes up for it in the sense that it gives a childlike sense of what a comic book movie ought to be; a fun, thrilling, action packed adventure that draws you into the narrative regardless of its flaws. This is especially noted by the score, written by Danny Elfman, which, every time I hear it, gives me the sense that I'm about to enjoy a spidey-tastic adventure. I mean who hasn't heard that iconic opening theme and not gotten excited to watch Spider-Man in action?

Unfortunately, where there's good bits, there's also a few notable flaws with the movie and its characters. Bare in mind, I'm no Tobey Maguire hater, though I will note how he brings out more of the geeky side of Peter Parker; glasses on, he looks like the sort of "adorkable" Peter Parker we saw back in 1962 with Amazing Fantasy #15. Other than that, in this movie in particular, I don't get the sense that Peter Parker really is the brainiac he looks to be. His web shooters are organic as opposed to the original web shooter gadget he, himself, created in the comics. Regardless, it makes for a few funny scenes up to the point where he swings his first web from a crane before ramming face first into a wall and sustaining no injury (because, you know, super strength). And while I get that they wanted him to have an iconic love interest, I don't fully understand why he loves Mary Jane so much in the first place.

Many have already said how Kirsten Dunst was very bland as MJ and I agree. Apart from her cute appearance and comic-accurate ginger hair, her role as love interest and interactions with "Peter Maguire" come off as a bit awkward and shallow. Sure, I get that Peter's supposed to be awkward, but the cheesy dialogue the film has doesn't really strengthen the fact that these two are supposed to be in love -- I mean, they are later in the series, but that'll be for later reviews. On top of that, MJ winds up in peril three times in this first movie alone and each time she is either defenseless or just off the wall screaming at the top of her lungs like an average damsel (and as she does so I can't tell if I'm supposed to be fearing for her or annoyed because of her constant shouting). In short, she's just there to make Spider-Man look good making her one of the least interesting onscreen superhero love interests I've seen. Although, to give credit where credit is due, her and Maguire did a fabulous job portraying the famous upside down kiss seen many times in the comics.

Another instance where the film falls short for me is the portrayal of the Green Goblin. First things first, Willem Dafoe did an excellent job portraying both sides of his character. Norman Osborn was his usual over-competent, shady businessman self from the comics while the Goblin was outright cunning and maniacal and to this day I mostly associate the Goblin with Dafoe's performance. The main gripe I have with it is how they went with the decision to give him a split personality; Norman Osborn is generally portrayed as a bad man gone nuts often descending into his Goblin persona willingly for destructively selfish gain. Here, soon as Norman injects himself with the serum, he creates his own inner demon and becomes terrified of the person it's turning him into. In other words, I simply don't agree with Norman Osborn acting cowardly, but I enjoyed Dafoe's performance anyway.

As much as I would love to talk about the other actors in this movie, I simply don't feel it's worth noting much else for now seeing as I plan to cover the rest of the series someday -- I will say that Cliff Robertson is an ideal Uncle Ben for film. So to leave off this review I will say that Spider-Man is one of those movies you just enjoy watching despite its cheesiness factor. The tone captures the early comics almost perfectly, the music is done fabulously, and, despite their flaws, the casting is decent enough to where it's at least tolerable to watch. And if this didn't up the ante for superhero movies of our age then I don't know what did. Overall, I give this movie a B- and would for surely recommend it to any average movie/superhero buff out there!

Thanks y'all for reading and I will see you in the next review!

Jasonic Reviews Toy Story

To kick this blog off to a fresh start, I'm gonna review what ought to be my most defining childhood movie of all time: Toy Story. Now, I know what you all might be thinking; how could I, a 21-year-old young man in college, still possibly enjoy a film like Toy Story to this day? Well, I'll tell ya my secret. And, no, it isn't nostalgia goggles, but rather a solid critical perspective on what makes a good movie. With that said, I'm here to address why this movie, the first ever fully computer animated movie in the industry, still holds up well today.

It's been said a number of times that this movie, regardless of its dated look, is what defined a generation's worth of computer animated following it's initial success back in autumn of 1995. If you're not feeling old just thinking about that, let me tell you I was only three months old when it came out, which is one of a number of reasons I am most joyfully fond of its existence -- although my earliest memories of it was at about three years old. At the time, it was simply a fun movie that encouraged my more imaginative side, and so I, personally, would enjoy watching over and over, again and again. It was so great even my parents wouldn't get tired of watching it with me all the hundreds of times I watched it throughout my life. So, without further adieu, let's get down to the basics on why this is truly the ideal animated film for both family and general audiences.

*MINOR SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT* (Not that it should matter as most people, by now, have most likely seen the film)

In regards to what actually makes it so good in the first place, much of it has to do with the story formula it revolutionized. For those who aren't already familiar with the plot, it's a classic buddy comedy film about a cowboy doll named Woody and a "space ranger" toy named Buzz Lightyear who initially get off on the wrong foot when Buzz shows up and snatches away all the attention from Woody's fellow toy friends as well as their owner, a young, imaginative boy named Andy (known for his innocent playtime sessions). In a series of unfortunate happenings, Woody and Buzz get wrapped up in conflict with Andy's naughty next door neighbor, Sid (known for his creative ways of destroying toys), and must work together to put aside their differences and get back home. Nowadays, this formula appears very stock, but, for the time and the effort that went into this film, it was very well done. The development of our two main characters and how they go from being ignorant towards each to helping one another overcome the hindrances preventing them from reuniting with their kid is, perhaps, among the greatest on film developments I've seen in my entire life. In a script partially written by Joss Whedon (yes, the same guy who wrote and directed The Avengers and its sequel), this is very much expected. And, though the film's main focus is on the relationship between Woody and Buzz, even the side characters have a few of their own joke moments and developments.

Part of what makes this so great to watch even now is the presentational value it holds. These characters (among them Mr. Potato Head, Slinky the Dog, and Rex to name a few), while they may all be toys that play lifeless around their owner, the clever ways in which they play off each other feel oddly organic, yet they still have a few comedic moments here and there that remind us they are, in fact, animated toys. For example, Mr. Potato Head is known for his sarcastic comments toward every other toy he comes in contact with and is not only hilarious in that regard, but also in that he often has his put-together pieces whacked off of him. The film is also very vibrant and colorful, something that Pixar would consistently perfect with its subsequent films. There's never any drab shots (probably concerning the time in which this was made seeing as technology was underdeveloped), which, overall, gives the film the optimistic feel it's going for. It is, after all, meant to encourage the idea that, although real toys are lifeless, they are meant to played with in a positive fashion.

In addition, the sound design of this movie is fantastic. The casting of Tom Hanks as Woody is downright perfect, given how much Hanks brings to his performances in general, and is the main reason I always associate Hanks' voice with this beloved character. While I can't generally say the same for the rest of the cast, all of them are great in their roles, especially Tim Allen as Buzz with his iconic line "To infinity and beyond!" The soundtrack, also, has a certain specialty about it with Randy Newman bringing to life the emotions behind the scenes mainly in which he provides his own vocals. I mean, who could possibly listen to "You've Got A Friend In Me", quite possibly the best opening song in an animated movie, and not get a sense of belonging? Surely, this is among the greatest soundtracks in any animated movie and that's not just my nostalgia talking. I happen to also know what makes great music regardless of whether or not I grew up listening to it, but that's another topic for a different blog.

Generally speaking, Toy Story is a film/series that's modeled for me what a great movie with this much heart put into it is truly made of. Despite its dated 1990s graphical quality, the overall quality of the film still holds strong to this day. And if I sound overly praising of it, know that I believe nothing negative can really be said about it. It's got a well-written story, great characters, good humor, solid presentation, a splendid choice of casting, and heartfelt score that it is very much a staple classic with any sensible family/person who loves anything animated. If anything, I give this movie an A+ rating and label it a must see for everyone of all ages!

Thanks for reading y'all and I will see you in the next review!