Big Hero 6 MOVIE REVIEW

It was quite funny to hear the people at my cinema's reaction to the fact that Big Hero 6 is a Marvel franchise.. quite funny...

Right now is a good time for a comic book fan to be alive, with the upcoming film releases from both Marvel and DC, plus now we can get Marvel movies in the form of Disney animated films, oh yeah this is the good life. 

Big Hero 6 is the story of Hiro Hamada and his inflatable companion Baymax, who sets on an adventure that will bring the two of them and their "Nerd" friends to the path of becoming the superhero team of San Fransokyo.

The movie maybe titled Big Hero 6, but the very core of this film is Hiro and Baymax. Individually, they are likable characters, but together they're just so lovable you don't wanna let go of these two, especially Baymanx, everybody needs a hug from Baymax, The rest might fall on the background, but make no mistake they're still some really good side characters. 

The animation is easily beautiful. Especially San Fransokyo, I would move to that place if I can, and if that place existed. It's a combination of the best things from San Francisco and Tokyo, I'll leave the rest to your imagination. The amazing CG animation did help a lot to bring more flavors to an already roller coaster ride that is the big sequences, especially the action scenes. 

The movie seemed to borrow a lot of elements from previous blockbuster films, Familiar concepts, but new faces and believe me they still work. The action's fun and exciting and it plays the strings of your heart when it wants to.

Even if some concepts are familiar, even if didn't reach the epic-ness of previous Disney efforts, Big Hero 6 is still entertaining, amusing and one of the most beautiful animated films of 2014. It's a refreshing tale that has nothing to prove to the others, it is its own masterpiece. 

(+)

Entertaining from beginning to end 

Outstanding animation

The personal nurse (Baymax! duh!)

(-)

Borrowed elements, with refreshing takes

Score: A

Big Hero 6 now in theaters

"Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher" - MOVIE REVIEW

Synopsis

Punisher is taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody after interfering in a top secret mission. In exchange for release, Punisher and the Black Widow are teamed up to take down the terrorist arm dealing organization Leviathan who plan to auction stolen S.H.I.E.L.D. technology

The Review

Truth be told fans everywhere don't have much faith when it comes to Marvel's animation department. Their collaboration with famed Japanese animation studio Madhouse is no exception.  So far, this collaboration has released four TV anime series under the label "Marvel Anime" which includes Iron Man, Wolverine, X-Men and Blade, all received with mixed reviews. Their first direct-to-video release however, Iron Man: Rise of Technovore, didn't have that much praise, with most criticism focuses on it's dull-written script, dumb dialogues and the fact that it's dragging in time which makes the audience TechnoBORED (get it, no?). The question still remains; are these projects made for Anime fans or Marvel fans? Hopefully Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher could give us an answer, if not, THE answer. 

The biggest praise anyone could probably give this film is its animation style. Even if you still prefer western animation, the famed anime style fits perfectly for this action-packed adventure. With its fluid animation and  spectacular character and setting designs, you can just simply look past the fact that some characters make a few weird facial expressions on a few occasions and marvel at the ink and colors that fills up the screen.

The film has a pretty interesting voice cast; Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter) as Black Widow and Brian Bloom (The A-Team, Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths) as Punisher, did a pretty good job on their respective roles, but in movies like this voice casting don't stand out that much. 

The movie itself has a solid intro, putting both title characters upfront and gives them chance to shine with only just the first 8 minutes of the film. That bad-assery goes on as the movie progresses, it's a toss coin when it comes to the question of who is the better lead and that's a good thing. However, the film went unconventionally slow as it goes from point A to point B. Certain plot elements are being shoved up to are throats to death, just to keep you reminded on how they are relevant to the situation at hand. We are also introduced to some characters who was just there for the sake of either having a comic relief character or just simply to have a time-killer scene. The first few action sequences are top-notch gritty and entertaining though I do see a pretty obvious changes, the subsequent fights scenes just gets cheesier, and cheesier than ever.The Punisher shoots someone in cold blood, and that blood glowed neon red. Yes, it glowed neon red. Not only that, The Avengers came down to the scene (at the climax) along with neon light-trails as if they were teleported like Power Rangers or something. 

Final Verdict

Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher is probably the most fun and entertaining Marvel animated movie in a long time. It's action packed, the lead characters owned the show like they should, it gets cheesy at times and gets slow in between but it has a pretty entertaining story and a well written script. It's definitely a film that is made to satisfy both Anime fans and Marvel fans. Here's hoping for a better future installment for Marvel Anime.