NgaiTranAnh Reviews

The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes (2022)

Good themes, poor execution

[5/10 · 1 December 2023]

Honestly, this was one of my most anticipated anime releases of the year after the little buzz that it gained sometimes in 2022. Unfortunately, the interesting premise and meaningful message of the film were not enough to make it a truly compelling story like its counterpart that also came out this year - Suzume.

Let's start with the positives. The movie had a really decent theme about cherishing what you already have instead of opting for a shortcut to gain what you want quickly. The most recent film in my memory that executed it well was Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. As for the main couple, the film did try to give them reasonable motives so the audience can get behind their actions.

However, unlike Puss in Boots, this film lacked the proper execution to really transmit its ideas and messages to the moviegoers. The first problem was with the runtime - 1h22m. Excluding the credits that's probably just a bit over an hour. That's at least 30-40 minutes short compared to other films of the same genre. As a result, a lot of the story threads and character conflicts were resolved in a matter of seconds without any slow time for the characters to process what was going on. As mentioned before, I understood the main characters (Anzu and Tono) motivations, but they literally explained their backstory within a few lines. A classic example of "show, don't tell". Both characters also have personal problems with their families, and the film could have explored a beautiful story them, but the film just kinda forgot about those story lines. What happened to Tono's dad? Has Anzu made up with her parents? How do their friends feel about all this? The ending was extremely rushed as well, with Tono making a difficult decision with very little hesitation like it was nothing, and it seemed to be happy ending. Okay, I'm going to spoil a bit about the ending now, so stop reading if you haven't seen the film or read the light novel.

So it was revealed in the end that Tono was in the tunnel for at least 10 years. How does he feel about all that time being gone (I know it was probably a few days for him, but that's not how a regular person would react when 10 years of their life was gone in a flash) How would he confront his father or friends after all these years? How would the public react when a man who's been gone for years just popped back put of nowhere? And as for Anzu, was she seriously hung up on a guy she knew for a month in over 10 years? Honestly, the ending probably aimed for a moment of satisfaction when the couple reunited, but it all felt shallow to me.

The animation was fine, but nothing exceptional. The voice acting felt underwhelming, and some of the insert music choices really put me off the scenes.

I haven't read the light novel yet, but I sure hope it is better than this film. I would not recommend seeing the movie in theaters (like I did). Wait for it to come out on streaming because I don't think it is worth getting to cinema to see this.

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (2022)

Better than I expected

[7/10 · 19 August 2022]

If you had told me that Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero would be a good Dragon Ball film, I would have told you that you were spouting nonsense. This film's trailers were not promising at all: the full CG animation, another attempt to bring back the Red Ribbon, and what looks to be a cash-grab given how successful anime films have been recently (e.g. Demon Slayer Mugen Train and Jujutsu Kaisen 0). I was worried about this film and the fate of the upcoming Slam Dunk film. And I am so glad this movie proved me wrong.

First and foremost, the animation. Although I liked Dragon Ball Super Broly, I was not the biggest fan of the video-game-like animation in some of the fight scenes in that film. However, Super Hero's CG animation was not distracting at all to me. Sure, it may have taken a couple of minutes to get used to it, but for the most part, I'd say Toei had done a pretty decent job. And if you have seen other CG animes like Beastars or Land of the Lustrous, then this film would not be anything novel to you. But, I'd still like to see a hand-drawn film should Toei decide to make a sequel. 2D animation just hits different.

Regarding the story, it was a pretty basic 3-act structure. But then again, no one should walk into a Dragon Ball film expecting any major plot twists or shocking revelations. There are certain nitpicks regarding Piccolo's plan in the second act or how the Red Ribbon is still a powerful organization despite the fact that it's been confirmed to be mostly gone after Goku's heroics in the OG series. You will find it quite enjoyable you don't think too hard about it.

The fight scenes were quite solid this time around. The choreography, the lighting, and camera movements were all on point. Honestly, I got chills quite a few times during the third act (or it could just be the AC in the theaters).

And lastly, the characters. If you are here expecting some Goku and Vegeta action, you may be disappointed because they were barely in the film. But I, on the other hand, loved it. It's so refreshing to see Gohan and Piccolo get the spotlight again, and the movie sure gave them the much- needed return after being reduced to mostly background characters in the Dragon Ball Super manga. The Androids looked silly in the posters, but fortunately, they were really fun to watch (they almost made me cry towards the end as well). And Pan, what a cutie! She's easily the cutest kid character in Dragon Ball since young Goku himself. More of her, please. Thanks to this film, I hope the next one will turn the attention to the likes of Yamcha and Tienshinhan (especially Yamcha) as well.

All in all, if you are a Dragon Ball fan, I think you will have a good time with this film (if you can tolerate the CG animation or don't overthink the plot).

P/S: There's an after-credit scene, so stay till the end!

Belle (2021)

Another visually stunning film by Hosoda

[7/10 · 26 February 2022]

12 years after the success of Summer Wars, Mamoru Hosoda is finally back with another anime film set in a virtual world. There are many reasons to be hyped for this movie: Hosoda has an Oscar nomination for his last film Mirai, the fact that the film received a 14-minute standing ovation at the Cannnes Film Festival and of course, me being a fan of his films. And while Belle was not what I expected, I had a great time in theaters nonetheless.

The first thing I have to mention is the animation and visuals. I do not know how the director keeps doing it, but his films keep looking better and better through the years. Right from the first second the film has already captivated me with its visuals. "U" - the virtual in the film was beatifully constructed and was brimming with vibrant colors and dynamic lighting, every single "AS" (user's avatars) is so uniquely designed that it makes "U" feels like a living and breathing world. The CG of the film looks fantastic. A lot of times CG can be quite distracting or sometimes astrocious (looking at you, Berserk) in anime, but this is not the case for Belle. I also love the idea that the scenes in the real world are hand-drawn while the "U" scenes are full CG. The CG really helped the virtual world feels unique and stand out, which serves the point of the film : You cannot change reality in the real world, but you can start over in U" (sorry if I messed up the line).

The music of the film is also incredible. Not only do the songs sound great, but they also convey the right emotions and thoughts of the characters as we progress through the story. While the score did not have any standout or memorable tracks, it was fitting to the film.

As for the story and characters, I felt like this film tried to juggle too many different storylines and themes at once but never really nailed any aspects. While the stories of the film are great on their own, putting them all together may not have been the best idea. There are moments when the film felt like a coming-of-age story, a love story, a story of broken souls trying to heal themselves or even domestic violence. For me it felt like Belle did not know what kind of movie it wanted to be. As for the characters, while they are wholesome and each has a unique personality, none of them are really emotionally complex (maybe except the main character Suzu) or are ones we can truly empathize with. Most of Mamoru Hosoda's previous films usually tackled on major theme, like family in Wolf Children or a coming-of-age story like The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. But this also shows that Hosoda is trying something new, and I always love it when a storyteller breaks from his/her usual motifs and experiment with new ideas and stories. And although it was not smoothly executed for Belle, I really hope he keeps taking on new challenges for his future films.

In general, while Belle could not quite reach the heights of Summer Wars or Wolf Children, it was still an incredible theater experience and like Mirai, once again shows that Mamoru Hosoda still has many ambitious stories he wants to tell, and I cannot wait to see what he does next.

Spirited Away (2001)

The best animated film I've ever seen

[10/10 · 24 December 2019]

I have only been watching anime recently, and to be honest, Studio Ghibli films aren't as impressive as most anime said ( this is my opinion) Except for Princess Mononoke, other films like My neighbor Totoro or The Wind Rises didn't impress me that much. I prefer films by Mamoru Hosoda or Makoto Shinkai. But Spirited Away just blew me away and made me understand why Ghibli is the best anime studio of all time.

First of all, this is just a gorgeous looking anime. I seriously think it's better looking than some modern day animes. And to think that this picture-like film was hand drawn instead of being computer-animated it's just incredible. I don't think any Pixar film can even come close to Spirited Away's beauty. The story was great. Often times some animes may not be enjoyable to children because of their complex plot ( adults may not even get it) but not this one. Surely it's far from a simple plot, but it's clear enough and has enough humor for kids to enjoy. And the most impressive thing is that behind all the incredible imagination from the director and writers lies a very meaningful message about society. Remember this film is nearly 20 years old, but its message is still true to this day. The characters are amazing. If there's anything I love most about animes it's the characters. Japanese animators always know how to create characters that we adore so much but at the same time relate to them. Spirited Away is filled with wacky monsters and creatures, but I see so much human in those beings. Yubaba was a standout for me. Hayao Miyazaki may have some of the craziest imagination in the world, but he's a genius in bringing the human side into any character he comes up with. There are a trillion things to say about this film (the score for example) but since this is a non-spoiler review, I think I wanna stop here.

So to sum up, Spirited Away is not only the best anime I've seen but also the best animated film of all time. Heck it's probably one of the best films of all time. I highly recommend this to anime fans. Even if you are not a fan, I think this film may get you into anime. Absolutely 10 out of 10

In Your Eyes (2014)

Not perfect but a pleasure to watch

[7/10 · 10 August 2018]

When The Avengers came out in 2012, I was very surprised about how good it was and kept wondering why Joss Whedon was able to create such an awesome superhero movie. This film is one of the reasons why.

The film centrals around Dylan and Rebecca, two people from very different backgrounds. Rebecca is the wife of Phillip- a very successful doctor and her life revolves around going to boring parties with her husband. Dylan is an ex-con who now works as a car wash. Their lives have a dramatic change when they realised they can see and experience each others' feelings despite being miles away from each other.

The best part of this film is how well director Brian Hill juggles the transitions between the two characters. It never felt out of place or hard to catch up with, it was executed smoothly. I also love how each charcters' life is potrayed. They have their own problems and their connection doesn't make life any easier, in fact, it makes them struggled more than they have ever been. The fact that how different their worlds are along with Zoe Kazan and Michael Stahl-David's brilliant chemistry just make the duo very likeable and we can actually feel for them.

The film's plot is pretty straight-forward and doesn't have any crazy plot twists, but it did a really great job building the characters and their relationships. This is something Joss has done before in The Avengers where the film centralised on characters and use them to tell the story instead of over-complicating it. Its a perfect plot as this is just a simple romance-comedy film. Not to mention the very open ending. To me the ending was great and it's best to leave things ambiguous because if it were the same old happily ever after then this film wouldn't be that good anymore.

The film definitely has some problems as well. I found the major issue to be how Becky and Dylan first found out they were connected. The scene while hilarious, felt kind of fast and sloppy. I mean, if I knew there are voices in my head I would try to get rid of it ASAP because that's just scary.

All in all, In Your Eyes was a great film with a perfect balance between romance and fantasy. It's not without flaws, but what more can you ask for. I would definitely recommend it to viewers who just want a good time or couples, especially if they are currently far apart. Very excited to see more from Joss Whedon.

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

Simple, funny and relaxing

[6/10 · 31 July 2018]

I know it is kind of late but I just saw Ant-Man and the Wasp yesterday and thought I should leave a review for it. This was a more easy-going and funnier experience compared to the other two juggernauts Marvel brought to us this year. And while it is not as great as the other two, it was an enjoyable experience.

The film takes place after the events of Civil War and right before Infinity War. During this time, Scott Lang is under house arrest to be near his daughter Cassie. However, trouble arises when a mysterious character named Ghost shows up, and Scott will have to adopt the alter ego Ant-Man again with the help from the Wasp(Hope van Dyne) and Hank Pym to stop Ghost and fix their problems from the past.

The film's plot was rather simple, mostly because the story focuses on the characters and they delivered a plot which is easy to follow, but not too predictable. However, its simplicity also means some parts of the story will feel illogical. Any parts that didn't add up, they will either throw an exposition or the phrase 'Quantum' in there to explain. That's lazy writing.

The film haonls many characters and sadly, many of them felt out of place or under-developed. The main reason for this is the introduction of the Wasp. And while she was an amazing she character, she outshone the rest of the cast, including our main protagonist Scott/Ant-Man. Hannah John-Kamen and Laurence Fishburne's charcters were so underdeveloped that I couldn't care less about them. Maggie( Judy Greer) and Jim( Bobby Cannavale) were unnecessary and you can throw them out of the movie without worrying about changing the storyline. But still, kudos to the writers for making such an impressive introduction to the Wasp.

As for acting, most of the cast did they part, especially Evangeline Lilly. She is the perfect Wasp and created a great chemistry between Ant-Man and the Wasp. Paul Rudd is great as always, but I felt like he should have been given more things to do this time around. He was a very smart character in the original Ant-Man, but they made him a complete dummy this time around.

The worst part about this film is how they completely wasted the Quantum Realm. There is so much potential , but they just ignored it. I hope they show more of the Realm in the upcoming Avengers 4.

All in all, this was a very fun and enjoyble film. Despite some obvious flaws, Peyton Reed did try his best to improve what was not good enough in the first film and helped the film stand out among Black Panther and Infinity War. Recommended for families or those who just want to have a good time in the theater.

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

A decent dessert after Infinty War main course

[6/10 · 29 July 2018]

I just got out of the theater and thought I should write a review ASAP. Probably because I have been waiting for so long to see the film. Here it is:

WHAT I LIKE:

• The film is much more brighter and funnier than Infinity War
• Paul Rudd with his humour and Evangeline Lilly with her flexibility makes a perfect duo
• After Infinity War, this is what we need to get over the SNAP

WHAT I DON'T LIKE:

• The film doesn't have a main villain, which makes our herores too comfortable
• The third act felt fast-forward and was executed in a rather sloppy way

All in all, the film may not be as exciting and original as the first film, but was still an enjoyable experience and successfully introduced my new favorite female superhero- the Wasp.

Cargo (I) (2017)

If you like the original one,you'll love this adaptation

[7/10 · 26 May 2018]

When Netflix dropped the trailer a couple of months ago, I was beyond excited to see Cargo because I love the original short .While it was not excellent like the short,it certainly lived up to the heights.

Story wise I don't have any problem with it really.It stayed close to the source material and added great new twists.However,character building was rather poor,probably because the film was not long enough. The relationship between Martin Freeman's character and Thoomi didn't feel genuine,it felt forced and rushed.

Acting was decent.Most actors did their part,but none gave a top notch performance.Martin Freeman obviously stood out and proved he is more than a Hobbit.His facial expression was brilliant

Visuals were stunning. The movie perfectly captures the beautiful Australia wilderness.It makes me want to go to Australia now.

All in all,great work from Netflix. Cargo is not a typical zombie apocalypse film but was more thrilling and emotional than most of its peers.Definitely recommended

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

You will not be disappointed

[9/10 · 1 May 2018]

The Russo brothers have done it again. They have successfully brought together a massive roster of characters created by different writers into one jaw-dropping,action packed and exciting film. Infinity War is the near-perfect reflection of everything Marvel has done in the last 10 years.

3 years after the events of Civil War, the Avengers are now seperated. But when Thanos- their biggest rival shows up, the former allies have to set aside their differences and stand together against Thanos with the help of the Guardians and the people of Wakanda.

The film's plot was rather simple, but it had no major plot holes and was very easy to get abreast of. It was the characters that formed this blockbuster. I loved how the Russos set up the storylines for each chracters in the film. All of them shined and you will remember every single character. The acting was obviously fantastic. But the best performance in this film goes to Josh Brolin. He successfully betrayed one of Marvel's greatest villian yet and prooved why Thanos is the biggest and the baddest villain in the MCU. He will make Keaton's Vulture and Jordan's Killmonger look meh by comparison. The best part is how different characters are set in different tones. For example, when the scene moves to the Avengers, everything gets a bit dramactic and more serious whereas every time the Guardians show up its all laugh-out-loud.That along with the epic soundtrack formed a great amotsphere in every shot. However, the Black Order was somewhat a disappointment in this film. They had very little screen time and was not as frightening as we saw in the trailers.

The only negative part of the film is probalbly the tempo. The film was a bit too fast-paced, which was hard to catch up with sometimes. But I think it's understandable as there are over 70 major characters in this film. The filmmakes wanted to make sure that everyone has a spot in this epic showdown.

There's just so much to say about this film, but I will have to pass because I do not want to spoil anything. Infinity War may not be the best film Marvel has made and it has some problems here and there, but it is a satisfying ending to a 10-year period of Marvel domination. It's definitely worth 2 hour 36 mins of your life. I would recommend seeing it in theaters at least 2 times because you may miss out on a lot of interseting details

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

Not bad

[6/10 · 27 May 2017]

To be honest, I did not want to see this movie because the last two were so boring and confusing. But Dead Man Tell No Tales was not as bad as I expected. In fact, it was better than the last two. The plot was good enough, though it did not really improve upon its predecessors . But it was not confusing. And there's a plot twist at about 2/3 of the movie. At first I thought that twist would not matter, but eventually became important to finish the film.(Not going to tell you). The visuals were stunning. I think this one has the best images of the 5 films. The ending scene was incredible. The worst part about this movie was probably character building. Jack and Salazar are supposed to be the main characters, but DMTNT focused entirely on Henry Turner and the scientist(Forgot her name).And the actor who played Henry just could not act. But who cares, the main actress(scientist) was so hot. In overall, POTC 5 was an entertaining film, and will be a suitable film to enjoy this weekend.

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

Best X-men movie,best superhero movie of the year

[9/10 · 13 June 2014]

At first,I wasn't looking forward to seeing this movie.I

was expecting Captain America 2 and Spider-man 2.While captain was a great movie,spider-man was a disappointment.But after I saw the final trailer of X-men,I changed my mine.It was going to be a fun and exciting x-men team up like The Avengers(my favorite).

Days of future past was awesome.The characters were great.Bryan singer brought back prof.Charles Xavier,Magnecto and Storm.The Wolverine and the team from First Class were great,too.But I like quicksilver and Mystique most.Quicksilver was hilarious and Mystique was...mysterious.

The story was a great improvement on the other X-men movies.It created curiousness on moviegoers.Time travel has always been a great topic,now it's even better with mutants and Sentinels.Bryan Singer did a great job once again.

This is the best X-men movie.If you agree with me,please subscriber...

Monsters University (2013)

Should have won an Oscar

[7/10 · 10 June 2014]

I really loved the Monsters inc, in 2001.It was a great,touching and exciting animation.I was so surprised that the movie wasn't nominated for animated feature.So when monsters university was released,I was hoping this one to win an Oscar.

First of all,I wanted to talk about the story.It was simple but nice and understandable.The characters were great,too.The movie not only showed the true meaning of friendship,but also showed moviegoers about teamwork or Hard work bring rewards.It was really funny,too.I really like it when the Oozma Kappa went into the library to capture the flag.

This is a great movie.I know it wasn't as good as Monsters inc, but is is very nice.So why wasn't both movies nominated?The Oscar 2013 must be crazy.First was Tom Hanks,and now an animated movie?I think both monsters movie deserved an Oscar.Please subscribe if u like my reviews.thanks for reading

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

Horrible movie

[5/10 · 14 May 2014]

I am so disappointed about this film.It was even worse than the trailer.I mean,if the producers wanted to make spider-man fight against 3 enemies,they should let the villains appeared more than just a few minutes.

The first thing I want to talk about is the villains.Electro looked stupid and Jamie Foxx's performance was terrible.Sony should have found a better actor,someone who is experienced in playing bad guys.His appearance in the battle scenes was too short(10 minutes).The second villain was goblin.The actor was suck(forgot his name already)and his appearance was even shorter(3 minutes).He looks just like psycho who just got out of the asylum.The worst guy was rhino.He should have showed up earlier instead of appearing at the end of movie.

The second thing I wanted to talk about are the taglines and the posters.The taglines said 'His greatest battle begins' .But Spider- man took them down in a few minutes.It wasn't as great as The amazing spider-man in 2012.There was only one villain(lizard)but spider-man had a tough time beating him.The poster was bad,too.It didn't show how great spider-man's battle was.

The last thing I wanted to talk about is the content.The first movie made me laugh a lot and I couldn't keep my eyes off the screen.But the second one was horrible.I couldn't laugh and after watching half of the movie,I just sat and waited for the movie to end.The craziest thing was Gwen Stacy's death.I mean, she fell from the roof and broke her neck? Couldn't the writer think of a better death for her?Sony should let Sam Raimi direct the next installment.He was the soul of the original spider-man in the 2000s.

One thing worth mentioned:the visual effects