Onward: Imaginative Animated Story About Finding Hope in Lost Causes

Movie Review: Onward (2020)
Version: Disney+

My daughter and I have a very close connection, so when there's a movie about a child and a father, she is eager to see it. So it was when Onward released in theaters. Except that COVID-19 arrived and theaters closed, clamping shut our hopes of seeing it any time soon. Until Disney+, the new streaming service, offered it up recently. Yes! Our dashed hopes were saved.

And Onward was everything she hoped it would be. There isn't much of a part for the dad. He spends most of the animated film only half there, literally, because of a pause in a magic spell to bring him back to life after a long absence. But his two teen elven sons, Ian (voice of Tom Holland) and Barley Lightfoot (voice of Chris Pratt), spend a good part of the movie in a long, wild chase scene trying to find one more crystal to complete the spell before time is up. Along the way they meet a menagerie of strange fantasy characters, many of whom don't fit stereotype -- which is part of the fun of this film -- to either help or hinder Ian and Barley from realizing their quest.

Ian is an introvert -- quiet and reserved. Barley is an extrovert -- boisterous and outgoing. Normally, never the two shall agree on anything. And thus the conflict ensues between them trying to bring back their dad. Ian has grown up not knowing his father, Barley grew up without his father's respect and guidance. The two have spent their lives fighting each other, under the watchful but helpless guidance of their mother Laurel (voice of Julia Louis-Dreyfus). What could possibly bring them together in their limited time to finally bring back their dad for one final joining?

In comes The Manticore (voice of Octavia Spencer), who holds the answer. And whatever amazing performances you have seen Ms Spencer put in as a live-action performer, wait till you hear her play The Manticore!

The animation is terrific, the characters are fun, and the story line is imaginative. There are lots of entertaining sight gags throughout, too. Just keep your eyes open! Onward is fun for the whole family. Especially kids who love their dads.

Spider-Man: Homecoming: Fresh, Energetic, and Full of Fun

Movie Review: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Version: Library borrow

Every couple of years there's a new Spider-Man remake. This year it was Spider-Man: Homecoming. You might think this Marvel Comics retread would be worn to the rims, but you would be wrong.

Homecoming is fresh and energetic and full of fun. 

It's fresh with the new face in the casting of Tom Holland in the lead role, coming off as this enthusiastic if awkward fifteen-year-old superhero intern at Stark Enterprises, eager to please his new mentor, Tony Stark. His squeaky teen voice gives the character a vulnerability and naivete that other Spider-man films lacked that helps build into the story line, which I will tell you about in a minute.

It's energetic in the enthusiasm with which Peter Parker takes on the opportunity to break out of the doldrums of his high school life and make a difference in the world, not to mention the excitement of working alongside his heroes in the Avengers team. And this film has tons of action, as Spider-Man tests his skills and his super cool new uniform, optimized with high tech features created by Stark Enteprises. Parker's frenetic youthful energy, and likely supercharged hormonal imbalance, gives him a boost on the screen, too.

It's full of fun, because there are lots of sight gags and missteps and humorous digs at the innocence of youth, the cynicism of adults, and the Avengers universe. Although, I could do without the continual cameo appearances of Stan Lee in every Marvel Comics movie. Jeez!

So here's the premise of the movie: Peter Parker is this super smart teen who has just finished an internship at Stark Enterprises. He is super geeked at having met Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey, Jr.) and the Avengers team, and he's ready for his first assignment. But Stark tells him to wait for his call, and sends Parker home with a new Spider-Man suit to finish school -- on the hush-hush. Parker keeps texting Stark through his handler, Happy Hogan (played by Jon Favreau), hoping for news but gets no answers. So he begins testing out his new suit and its limits, stopping petty crimes as he sees them on his flying swings around town. On one of his swoops, he discovers arms dealers and stumbles upon The Vulture (played by Michael Keaton), who will become an arch enemy. Back at school, as part of the very competitive debate team, Parker's friends are depending on his quick, keen mind to help them win the national championship, and he's too busy trying to track down his arch enemy to support his team. The Vulture turns out to have a much closer connection to Parker personally than he can ever imagine, and as Spider-Man battles The Vulture, things turn deadly.

Now, that's an oversimplification of the plot, which is full of interesting twists and surprises. And this version of Super-Man morphs some of the usual love interests (Liz is played by Laura Harrier) and character images with Aunt May (played by Marisa Tomei) and MJ, who isn't even revealed until the end of the film. Parker also gets a new best friend (played by Jacob Batalon), a geek who in a twist doesn't turn into a nemesis. It even manages to fit in some humorous cameos by Captain America and, more seriously, actress Tyne Daily. 

Maybe this film was focused on the younger demographic, but I think we can all be entertained by this more awkward, more youthful, more error-prone superhero, kind of the kid in all of us who just wants to be more than himself and isn't afraid to try. We've already seen the other iterations in earlier versions, and they were admirable versions of Spider-Man. But in Spider-Man: Homecoming, this was more fun. And, seriously (and ironically), can't movies be fun, too?