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Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated The Good Dinosaur (2015) in Movies

Jun 10, 2019

Is it as good as Inside Out?

2015 has been a great year for film. From long-awaited sequels to the conclusion of epic franchises, it’s been one of the best and most successful movie seasons in recent memory, and with Star Wars: the Force Awakens out in December, it can only finish on a high.

It also marks the first time that Pixar has released two films in the same year. Summer saw the release of instant-classic Inside Out and now animation fans get to enjoy another movie from the studio, The Good Dinosaur, but has Pixar bitten of more than it can chew?

The Good Dinosaur follows the story of a young Apatosaurus named Arlo, voiced beautifully by Raymond Ochoa, as he comes to terms with growing up in an ever-changing world where dinosaurs never met their well-documented fates.

He, alongside human child Spot suddenly find themselves embroiled in a dangerous journey after getting lost a long way from their homes.

If this all sounds a little formulaic to you, then that’s because it is. The Good Dinosaur has a plot more akin to Paramount animation, rather than the exceptional storytelling we have come to expect from Pixar. There’s nothing particularly special or unique about the plot and this is a real shame.

Thankfully, Pixar’s usual gut-punches are out in full force and The Good Dinosaur is among one of the emotional films in the studio’s roster. Personal tragedy is never an easy thing to convey in a movie meant to be enjoyed by the whole family, but here it is dealt with in a beautiful and tasteful manner.

Scenes in which Arlo and Spot share their circumstances with each other hit home hard and are deeply saddening to watch.

The cinematography too is absolutely exceptional. The breath-taking prehistoric landscapes are rendered in such stunning animation, they almost feel real. From raging white-water to beautiful sun-flooded forests, everything is a joy to behold and this is where The Good Dinosaur excels – a firefly swarm in particular is spectacular and propels the film into How to Train Your Dragon territory for sheer spectacle.

However, the entire film feels like a show reel, albeit a mesmerising one, for the talents at Pixar. Each shot of scenery is lingered on for a little too long and agoraphobic Arlo’s plight can sometimes take a backseat to this beauty.

Nevertheless, there are some wonderful characters here. A trio of T-Rex, who turn out to be cowboys – or should that be cowdinos, provide The Good Dinosaur with some of its more standout moments and it’s the lack of these sequences where the film is found wanting.

Overall, Pixar has created another excellent piece of animation with The Good Dinosaur. Though not quite at their ‘gold standard,’ the film is a wonder to behold and shows just how gorgeous animated features can be.

Unfortunately, the lack of an original story ensures it’ll prove second best to Inside Out in this year’s battle despite its deeper emotional resonance.

https://moviemetropolis.net/2015/11/29/is-it-as-good-as-inside-out-the-good-dinosaur-review/

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Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated The Chosen (Contender #1) in Books

Jan 23, 2020

The author/publisher provided a free copy of the book for review purposes - thank you! Receiving a review copy does not guarantee a positive review and therefore do not affect the opinion or content of the review.

It's midnight and apparently, it was a good idea for me to crank out reading a book in the span of 2 days. I don't know why I'm like this, but anyways, I somehow finished The Chosen?

The first book in Taran Matharu's Contender series introduces us to Cade, who finds himself in a boarding school after being wrongly accused. But shortly after he settles down, he and his classmates find themselves in another world filled with items and people from various mysteries throughout history. They're forced into a game controlled by the Strategos as contenders, only knowing if they fail, there will be consequences.

<h2>The Chosen is a quick, action-packed read.</h2>
At least, in the beginning. Hold that thought for a moment. Matharu captured my attention from the first chapter as Cade finds himself having to fend for his life, not knowing his whereabouts. There's a lot of action throughout that made me want to know more as Cade made discoveries and his moves.

<h2>But there's nothing much going on.</h2>
I am all about characters running and fighting for their lives from pre-historic dinosaurs. The Chosen is practically a survival book, but about 60% through, I realized, there's not actually anything going on. Cade, his classmates and eventually the people he meets who join the cause -- they're running around with a timer floating around them. (That timer is also a handy dandy floating Google, which is just plain cool if you ask me.)

Then about 90%, everything happens and Cade finds out more information about why they're on the world. And he finds out both he and his companions got fucked over big time. It's not a one-time battle, there's more to come! A massive internal groan from Cade -- just when you thought it was over, the entire universe laughs.

<h2>The Chosen is engaging, though.</h2>
Seriously, I appreciate a good, action-packed book that is engaging enough, I don't notice the entire book is full of running until I'm in deep. By that time, I'm a little too invested - I want to know the end.

Despite being a somewhat huge cast, it was fun seeing most of them come together. It was also fun seeing the choices Cade makes and how creative he is in implementing them in the game they've been forced in. And call me evil, but I'm delighted with the end (we'll even insert an evil laugh here) and want to see what Matharu will put the characters through in the second book.

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/the-chosen-by-taran-matharu/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>