Perhaps not the ringing endorsement they were looking for, but surprised myself by not hating Free Guy. There's distracting product placement, and it is chock-full of references, in-jokes, and cameos that are there solely to prick the ears of the games-playing audience - but it also has some actual characters and a story of its own on top that take it beyond just being an insufferable string of "DO YOU REMEMBER THIS?!" moments a la Ready Player 1. Reynolds and Comer both good choices in the leads.
Also watched Wolfwalkers. It's an animated thing set in 17th century Ireland and centres on a pair of young characters on either side of an ongoing conflict between wolves trying to protect the forest they live in from local townsfolk. Was expecting to have a big Ghibli-shaped chip on my shoulder throughout this, but that didn't really manifest as it felt like it had a younger audience in mind. Was definitely at its best when at its most joyful, showing a spiritual and playful side to the wolves and doing some more interesting things with the animation, but the rest of the time I can't say I found the story engaging enough or the art compelling enough to win me around.
Also watched Wolfwalkers. It's an animated thing set in 17th century Ireland and centres on a pair of young characters on either side of an ongoing conflict between wolves trying to protect the forest they live in from local townsfolk. Was expecting to have a big Ghibli-shaped chip on my shoulder throughout this, but that didn't really manifest as it felt like it had a younger audience in mind. Was definitely at its best when at its most joyful, showing a spiritual and playful side to the wolves and doing some more interesting things with the animation, but the rest of the time I can't say I found the story engaging enough or the art compelling enough to win me around.
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