Hello world! Welcome back to another blog, and my first blog of 2025. And to kick it off, here are 3 final films I saw in 2024 so you can have something to watch if you're struggling to find something good to watch.
The Super Mario Movie:
The first film I’m going to review is the super Mario movie.
As stated on IMDb, the synopsis of the film goes as followed:
A plumber named Mario travels through an underground labyrinth with his brother Luigi, trying to save a captured princess.
Chris Pratt and Charlie Day took on the roles of the iconic Mario and Luigi. And boy did they do good at portraying their personalities from the video games. Mario determined to get the job done whilst Luigi’s timidness really shining through. I also got a huge surprise when it came to the origins of the iconic brothers. These include where they come from, Mario’s true feelings towards mushrooms and how their accents. I won’t say what in fear of spoilers, but lets just say that I found it quite surprising!
Other icon characters from this franchise also brought a surprising amount of energy to this film. Anya Taylor-Joy voiced the beautiful Princess Peach, and her origin on how she became ruler of the mushroom kingdom was interesting. Jack Black voiced the evil Bowser, but I personally thought there were some moments in his character where I thought “what was going on?” But if the kids like it then that’s all that matters. I also loved Seth Rogan's version of Donkey Kong, as yes he’s a crucial team Member but let’s just say you don’t want to get on his bad side. But my favourite character had to be toad, voiced by Keegan-Michael Key. I loved his energy and that he won’t take no for an answer.
I think my only downside to the film was that it felt abit rushed. Yes I'm aware its a childrens cartoon character therefore it can't last too long (as kids attention span is very short these days), but I feel the ending could've been fleshed out abit more e.g. snapshots of Mario and Luigi settling into their new lives at the Mushroom Kingdom.
Overall I would give the film a 4. Yes it felt abit rushed and that there were moments where I was thinking “what’s going on?” But there were moments where I just felt like I was going back to my childhood, which is always a good thing.
Bad Tidings:
The second film I saw in 2024 was Bad Tidings, starring Lee Mack and Chris McCausland.
This tells the story of neighbours Scott and Neil, who end up having to work together against the notorious Brennan family and save Christmas!
Lee and Chris really went full on as their roles of Neil and Scott. Neil (played by Mack), was convinced that Scott (played by McCausland), was out to cause trouble, causing friction between his wife Laura (played by Sarah Alexander) and daughter Chloe (played by Millie Kiss). Along with the help of Laurence Rickard and Martha Howe-Douglas (who if you've seen Horrible Histories, then you'll have seen them portraying characters like Bob from Historical news and Queen Elizabeth I), I also loved Chris' writing throughout the film, as he managed to squeeze in some jokes, particularly around his disability, but we also got to see an emotional side to him, which I'll get onto later.
There were other characters in the film i liked. Along with Chris' love interest Sabrina (played by Tupele Dorgu), and the two Sues (played by Donna Preston and Abby Vicky-Russell), the main family were the Brennan family. Stacey Brennan (played by Rebekah Staton), was someone who you do not want to mess with! And after her previous stint prior to the film, it made her even more aggressive. Big Barry Brennan (played by Ben Crompton), also had a tough exterior, but I feel is also a big softie when it comes to it. Ashleigh Brennan (played by Emily Coates), was tough, but also someone who doesn't really think before she acts, and finally Little Barry Brennan (played by Josiah Eloi), is someone who yes is also tough, but does have a dim witted side. A little bit like a villains ditsy sidekick, which breaks things up nicely.
I don't think the film itself had any downsides whatsoever. However, whilst some moments did make me chuckle, I didn;t fully laugh out loud. But what lacked in that made up for in heartwarming sections. There was one moment where Scott revealed why he was doing these "Odd behaviours" and there was a real emotional moment on a secret he's been harbouring. And if you watch it, you'll understand why he feels the way he does when people are being so kind towards him.
Overall I would give the film a 4.95. Lee and Chris make a good comedy pair, and it was a perfect Christmas film for the whole family!
Wonka:
The final film I saw in 2024 was on New Year’s Eve which was Wonka, starring Timothée Chamalet and a star studded cast!
This tells the story of a young Willy Wonka, seeing one of his early adventures to how he met the Oompa Loompa and how he made is iconic chocolate factory.
Timothee really embraced the role of a young Willy Wonka. He was passionate and eccentric in making the best chocolate ever, and his voice was beautiful. And I like the previous versions of this well known chocolate creator, we got to see a glimpse of his emotional side. I also loved his friendship with Noodle (played by Calah Land), who one day dreams to find her family and get away from Scrubitt and Bleachers (who I’ll get onto later on). And her voice was stunning, and her duet with timothee made me she’d a tear or two. But they had a tough job to make willys dream a reality, as they had to battle three sneaky chocolate business owners. These include slugworth (played by Paterson Joseph who after seeing him in lots of dramas I thought that he wouldn’t be as good in a film like that. But I was proven wrong), Ficklegruber (played by Mathew Baynton) and Prodnose (played by Matt Lucas), and they would do anything it took to stop Willy, but if you watch until the end you’ll be able to see if Willy will be able to beat them.
There were also some brilliant characters who helped Willy fulfill his wish. These include accountant Abacus Crunch (played by Jim Carter), plumber piper Benz (played by Natasha Rothwell), quiet but extremely clever switchboard operator Lottie bell (played by Rakhee Thakrar), and comedian Larry Chucklesworth (played by Rich Fulcher). They all helped Willy beat the three business man and escape the horrid launderette owned by Mrs scrubitt (played by Olivia Coleman), and her business partner soon love interest bleacher (played by Tom Davies). But of course the Oompa Loompa lofty (played by Hugh grant), despite being abit greedy with Willy's chocolates, managed to be there to him when there was a critical moment. There was also some lovely moments from Rowan Atkinson who played chocolate addict father Julie’s and Simon Farnaby who played zoo security guard basil.
As well as the classic “Oompa Loompa”, the songs in the film were very catchy. As mentioned before, willys and noodles duet to “For A Moment” made me cry, and the beautiful “pure imagination” just made my heart so full. I also thought that “Scrub Scrub” and “sweet tooth” had a catchy tune to it, and “A World of Your Own”, definitely made me feel as though someone should do a solo performance of this song. As it definitely has that potential.
I don't think I had any downsides to the film, as it was all really well set up and beautiful to watch. Even though I got a glimpse of what the characters got up to by the end of the film, it would've been great if maybe they all came to work at Willy's chocolate factory. But I know that wherever they are, they'll always support each other no matter what!
Overall, I would give the film a full house. It had catchy music, laughter, and it brought tears to my eyes! Definitely recommend it whatever age you are!
And those were the reviews of the last three films I saw in 2024! Let me know what you thought of them, and I've already seen two films this year to review. But now that we are into the new year, let me know what other films I should see!
See you soon for another blog. Until next time...
This is The Autistic Actress signing off :)
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