Movie Review: Labyrinth (1986)

Hello, friends!

From time to time some of us probably think it would be great if we could wish all of our mundane problems away and instead go to a magical world where we are fighting against dark powers with a group of loyal friends. Since that's not possible, a good substitute is immersion through stories, so today I'm reviewing a film that transports the viewer to the world of the goblins, the world of the movie Labyrinth. 

A note about spoilers: This majority of this review is spoiler-free as I will not talk about the ending of the movie. I'll be talking about the characters and their dynamics but not what happens to them so feel free to read without fear of the secrets being spoiled. NOTE: As I get into the general thoughts section I'll talk about some events that are further along than I usually talk about (normally I don't go further than the inciting incident) but will still refrain from talking about the ending itself.

Labyrinth (1986)

Premise: Sarah is full of daydreams, but her dad and stepmom leave her to babysit her half-brother, Toby, when he just takes her things. She finds it absolutely unfair and when he won't stop crying she wishes that the king of the goblins would just take Toby away so she didn't have to worry about him. Turns out, her wish comes true as Jareth, the very king of the goblins himself, appears and does just that. Now Sarah has to find her way to his castle before time is up to get her baby brother back and come home, or else he'll belong to Jareth forever. The only problem is, to do that, she has the face the labyrinth where the rules are always changing and Jareth isn't above cheating to get what he wants. 

If only there was a worm to guide her...

Genre(s): Adventure, Family, Fantasy.

Length: approx. 101 minutes.

Age Range: This is rated PG. There's a bit of peril that might be too much for really little kids, but nothing gory ever happens so kids over 8 would probably be okay. The goblins can be a bit alarming but they're more bumbling than (think of Maleficent's minions in Sleeping Beauty (1959)) scary. Jareth is probably the eeriest thing in this world.

Crew: Directed by: Jim Henson. Produced by: Eric Rattray. Written by: Terry Jones, Dennis Lee, and Jim Henson. Music by: Trevor Jones and performed by David Bowie.

Starring: David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly, and a whole slew of voice actors and puppeteers! 

Personally, I'll always choose the blue option.

General thoughts:

Coming after Henson's earlier work The Dark Crystal (1982) (which I am now curious about to see if it's in the same world), this film is in the classic "girl goes to another world to learn about herself" canon, up there with The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland, and Jim Henson himself didn't mind the comparison. However, this story didn't stop at garnering inspiration, but was substantial in influencing future stories in this niche micro-genre. Some other films that come to mind with a similar premise are:

• Spirited Away (2001): spirits instead of goblins fill this world, but our main character still has a spiky-haired antagonist to face.
• The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999): this may not count because it's a play on Alice in Wonderland already, but what it has in common with Labyrinth is puppets, so I think it's still of note. It also features something that is lost and claimed by the antagonist (in this case, it's a blanket instead of a baby).
• Pan's Labyrinth (2006): I have yet to see the film itself, but have seen a couple presentations about it so I have a pretty good idea about the plot. My basis of comparison isn't just the title, but also the dynamic between a girl and her brother.

As far as I know none of those films have credited Labyrinth as an inspiration, they just stood out to me so this is my own un-researched hypothesis. What is known is that this film has a cult following and there have been discussions of a sequel since 2016. While there haven't been any updates since 2024, it was still thought to be sincere.

And besides, Mr. David Bowie is no longer with us and who else could play Jareth?

Though, it would be hard to follow this up because this film is so distinctively 80s, so something made 40 years later would invariably feel out of place and not even in the same world. It's hard to pinpoint a tone for this story as the stakes are high--Sarah's brother's life is in the balance!--yet then there are puppets, the occasional crass joke thrown in, and musical numbers.

Quick tangent: These songs are low-key insane. I get it, they couldn't bring in someone as famous in the music world as David Bowie and NOT have him sing, but at the same time it's not a musical? And David Bowie is the only one who is singing?? The muppets sing along sometiems, too, but Sarah never has a song which is what keeps this from feeling like a musical and more of a pop experiment. It just plays into Jareth being dramatic that he breaks out in song from time to time, usually just to sing things he could've just as easily said with a few words. I somehow have them stuck in my head even though I don't know what the words are.

Is that a magic 8 ball?

With that out of the way, back to defining the tone. As strange as it is for me now--and strange doesn't mean I don't like it!--it's not too far out there for the time frame, as it is believably in league with other 80s fantasy films, such as The NeverEnding Story (1984). I'd classify this as funky fantasy. That's not an official genre, but it's as close as I can get to describe it, as opposed to things like high fantasy or dark fantasy or...romantasy.

And that's what leads me to what I really want to talk about: I think this film inspired a generation of fans who also love romantasy (romance + fantasy), and explains so much about people being obsessed with the "romantasy" genre even if the film itself isn't part of it. 

For those of you who are not around the current book spheres, romantasy often involves characters from opposing sides (enemies-to-lovers) as the main couple, frequently including a brooding character who has for much of the story been seen as the villain/antagonist/or just plain dangerous. You'll notice that Romance isn't in the genres listed for this film, yet there's a scene where Jareth is up to his usual manipulation and is trying to make Sarah forget why she's there until time runs out, so he traps her in a time-loop and the common reading from the cult following is that this is romantic. 

I'm here to argue that it isn't and that the movie isn't trying to show that it is.

Sarah has been longing for an escape this whole time, and that's all Jareth is offering her, to be stuck in a time-loop forever. In this hazy escape world Sarah is clinging to things that have a sense of familiarity, not attraction. There are other options for escape given later and they are just as attractive options to Sarah as this scene, and so that's no indication of feelings on either side. The goblin king is never in love with Sarah, only ever trying to trick her. And she's never in love with him, just under the spell.   

I think that's more to do with the dress, if we're being honest.

Romantasy as a genre is fine on its own--let people read what they like!--but I think it's problematic if it's read into things that are not there. Remember: he's the villain and she's 16 years old. I think the film itself does not support that as we are constantly reminded of the true motivations (only a villain would nearly drop a baby so many times).

And who knows, maybe people don't see it this way; that's just the impression I had of this movie for years now before watching it and was impressed that it actually had such a hard line of just being manipulation and nothing more, and it's up to the characters to break free.

And while we're here, let's talk about the characters.

Preciousssssss

I really liked Sarah as our progatonist. At first she is somewhat petulant, whiney, and has her own idea of what is and isn't fair in life (the "I wonder what your basis for comparison" line is ICONIC), but like all great stories, her worldview changes and she becomes strong and kind. Her arc is about growing up, grief, and coming to appreciate those you have, not those you lost.

To continue the comparison to The Wizard of Oz, Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus remind me of The Scarecrow, The Tinwoodsman, and The Cowardly Lion. There is not an exact counterpart for each member of the trio, but instead all have parts of intelligence, compassion, and bravery.

I would also hold Ludo's hand.

Those characters are bold in their personalities but also in their appearance, thanks to the work done to bring them to life and I so appreciate the effort of all of those puppets. I mean, it's Jim Henson, so that's kind of his forte. To our modern eyes, some of the transitions aren't perfect, but that's part of the charm.

In addition to the puppets, I was constantly blown away by the set and the utter commitment of dusting everything in gold. I mean it, there's glitter on everything. I could not find a great picture to demonstrate this, so you just have to watch it to see how in-depth they go. This alone makes me think of it as not being as "dark fantasy" as it is often portrayed. Yes, there are dark moments, but there's also enough humor to keep things light. There's a light at the end of the tunnel, or at least, at the end of the Labyrinth.

Look at the sparkly walls!

For the blogathon:

This is my entry to the "Eddie's Year" Blogathon hosted by Sally Silverscreen at 18 Cinema Lane. This blogathon is celebrating the character Eddie Munson from Stranger Things and through that the year 1986, the year he would've graduated. I haven't watched Stranger Things, but Sally also opened this blogathon up to movies made in 1986 and when I saw Labyrinth back in February I sprung at the chance to talk about it. Last year around this time I reviewed The Breakfast Club (1985) for a blogathon celebrating movies from 1985, so this felt like the next logical step.

From what I understand about Eddie and the world of Stranger Things, Dungeons and Dragons is a part of it. This film feels very much like it could be in that world with the twists and turns and changing rules. If this were a Dungeons and Dragons set-up then Jareth feels like the Dungeon Master--one that nobody likes--as he changes the scenarios from minute to minute. I've never played D&D but would love to give it a go, so my character that I'll claim is either Hoggle or Sir Didymus. Pretty simple when anything comes up: Hoggle runs away from danger and Sir Didymus runs towards it. But as I talked about above, they have development of their own, too, so the story is never dull.

This review of mine is last minute, at the thirteenth hour, but thanks to Sally for hosting this! Readers, if you liked this article and want to revisit more of 1986, check out the other entries in the blogathon HERE.

13 is prime time.

Thank you for reading! Have you seen this movie? Do you think this fits into the romantasy genre? I'd love to discuss it with you in the comments! Who do you think of Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus is the best fit for each Wizard of Oz character I listed? What are other 80s fantasy films you enjoy? What should I know about Stranger Things?

Until next time,

Chloe the MovieCritic

Movie Review: Phenomenon (1996)

Hey, friends!

Have you ever had someone tell you to watch a film again and again but it's months before you get around to it? Ever since December my dad had been trying to get me to watch Phenomenon (1996) but I was hesitant because I'm not a big John Travolta fan. We finally sat down to watch it at the end April and I now have to say that I take it back about not liking John Travolta. One could say that that is a rare occurrence, or more aptly, a phenomenon. 

A note about spoilers: This review is spoiler-free as I will not talk about the ending of the movie. I'll be talking about the characters and their dynamics but not what happens to them so feel free to read without fear of the secrets being spoiled.

Phenomenon (1996)

Premise: George Malley is living his simple small-town life working as a mechanic and dealing with everyday problems like how a rabbit keeps getting into his garden. On his birthday, George sees a bright light in the sky that knocks him to the ground and changes him. He has more ideas, more concentration, and can move things with his mind. While pursuing inventions and knowledge he also aspires to a relationship with Lace and her two kids, but Lace doesn't trust easily already so George is not sure he should reveal his powers to her. When people find out what he can do, will their reaction give him fame or fear?

Looking for light...a spotlight, perhaps?

Genre(s): Drama, Romance, Fantasy.

Length: approx. 123 minutes.

Age Range: This film is rated PG. There is one scene that is more on the sensual side, but I think it would go over the heads for most kids so it would probably be fine for them to watch. Two of the characters are kids so there are roles for which the whole family can relate.

Crew: Directed by: Jon Turteltaub. Produced by: Barbara Boyle, Michael Taylor, and Charles Newirth. Written by: Gerald Di Pego. Music by: Thomas Newman.

Starring: John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Forest Whitaker, Jeffrey DeMunn, Robert Duvall, Richard Kiley, Brent Spiner, Vyto Ruginis, and David Gallagher and Ashley Buccille as Al and Glory.

Hittin' the books.

General thoughts:

I love a good story about a genius--be it A Beautiful Mind (2001), The Imitation Game (2014), or Sherlock (2010-2017)--but this film is unique in that it is not about national high stakes and problems to solve in a bustling city. Instead, it's just about a guy and the small town he lives in. The genius here is more of the quiet type, kind of like the main character in another film from that year, Matilda (1996).

George lives in the middle of nowhere. Due to that, the small-town vibe gives the film a comfortable atmosphere from the beginning, as the characters joke with people they have known their whole lives. This could easily be the set of Gilmore Girls or Groundhog Day (1993). Yet in this small town something extraordinary happens, and because the citizens have never experienced anything like this before they don't know how to react.

True small-town: where you can stand in the middle of the street with only a whole film crew behind you.

This film is an examination of how people react to someone who is different. It's about what it means to be kind to people and take care of them when everyone else has abandoned them. George has had a good support system his whole life--from his friend Nate to his boss to the bartender--but this movie considers that maybe social isolation can be MORE severe in a small town, where you can't hide, when everyone you have known your whole life turns on you. Though the movie we see who George's true friends are: those with integrity, who don't treat George different from before he encountered the light.

My dad had a really good point that it's notable that the mystery of the light is maintained. Maybe it's aliens. Maybe it's a divine blessing. Maybe it's a metaphor for "seeing the light." Maybe it's zen or scientology or something else. Anyone watching can come up with their own explanation of what happened, that's outside the bounds of the story. Inside those bounds is what George does with it. The plot includes the external factor, but the story is about George.

All eyes on you.

George is my favorite John Travolta role to date as he's sweet and kind and not trying to take credit/exploit his abilities, but just is excited about all the ideas he has. From his jokes to his genius, he reminds me of a friend of mine (he didn't take that as a compliment when I told him, but it was). George is good with animals and people, especially knowing how to have fun with kids and including them when no one else will. 

And speaking of, Al and Glory are THE cutest kids EVER, oh my goodness. Al has big questions and big sensitivities and is trying to figure out life at all of 9 or 10 years old. Sometimes that means going with what the crowd, but his mom is quick to point out that kindness is more important than aligning with what everyone else believes.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall...I mean, mirror mirror in my hand...

Lace is very protective of her kids and her heart as she doesn't want either to get hurt again, and I thought George's relationship with Lace had a good pace (which is fun because it rhymes). As far as pacing for the rest of the film, I originally thought that the ending was dragging it out too long, that they could've ended it already, but I was wrong. Where they ended was perfect and full circle and it wrung a tear out of me at the very last shot.

The reason I hadn't cried before then was because I was too busy having a great time; the dialogue is quick but also subtle. For example, there's a part about language and from my brief experience with Portuguese, I knew that wasn't a literal translation which is intentional but never explicitly stated, and it made it all the funnier. I also enjoyed George's quick comebacks when he's being tested yet it's his heart that shines through.

Chair-ity?

For the blogathon:

This review is my contribution to the Robert Duvall Tribute Blogathon, hosted by Rebecca at Taking Up Room. Mr. Duvall passed away earlier this year so this is Rebecca's way of celebrating his body of work!

One character and relationship with George that I didn't mention above is that of the doctor, played by Robert Duvall. This role was key as Doc believes George, he knows he can turn to George when in need, and he defends George when the whole town forgets that George is their friend. 

Mr. Duvall's performance is consistently gentle and jocular, yet when he thinks morals are neglected he speaks out. He's a faithful friend to George and is unafraid of who knows it. He imparts wisdom to both his fellow townspeople and to the viewer. As a doctor his job is to take care of people, but he extends that beyond the physical. He's a character who will stay with me for some time.

And Doc plays chess, which will always win over a character for me.

E.T....phone home...

Thanks to Rebecca for hosting this blogathon and giving me a chance to get some thoughts out on this movie! Thank you to all of you who decided to read those very thoughts! If you'd like some more content about Robert Duvall's career, make sure to check out the other entries in the blogathon HERE, HERE, and HERE.

What is your favorite role of John Travolta and Robert Duvall? Who are the cutest fictional kids that you've seen? How do you explain circumstances that aren't revealed in a plot? What would you do with powers?

I'll be back in a few days for another review, so until then, stay phenomenal yourselves.

Chloe the MovieCritic

Movie Review: Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)

Fee-fi-fo-fum, the time to talk about tall tales has begun!

A trend for fantasy movies in the early 2010s was to embrace a darker and grittier version of well known fairy tales. Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) and Maleficent (2014) were two popular examples, but sandwiched between them was another entry in this sub-genre that had hopes for being killer. So let's see if, as folks say nowadays, it "slayed."

Spoiler warning: This movie follows the basic outline of the fairytales Jack and the Beanstalk and Jack the Giant Killer and as those are relatively well known in their outcomes, I'll reference those more than I usually do when talking about the endings of movies in my reviews. As for the unique elements of this film, I'll talk about some details but leave how it actually turns out a surprise for you!

Jack the Giant Slayer (2013):

Premise: Jack is a big dreamer, having developed a love of reading from a young age by the stories his father read to him. Unfortunately, dreaming doesn't create food for one to eat, so Jack's uncle sends him to market to start selling some of their belongings. However, the legends about giants may have an element of truth, and evil Lord Roderick is looking for the way to the skies, and that way falls right into Jack's hands: magic beans. Meanwhile, Princess Isabelle keeps trying to escape her arranged marriage, much to the chagrin of Elmont, the captain of the guard assigned to keeping her safe. Both Isabelle and Jack are thrown into a bigger adventure in the sky as they try to get home before a clash between the worlds is created.

Genre(s): Fantasy, Fairytale retelling, Adventure.

Length: approx. 114 minutes.

Age Range: It's rated PG-13 for some intense violence, usually in the form of CGI/fantasy brutality rather than one on one combat.

Crew: Directed by: Bryan Singer. Produced by: Neal H. Moritz, David Dobkin, Bryan Singer, Patrick McCormick, & Ori Marmur. Written by: Darren Lemke, Christopher McQuarrie, Dan Studney, & David Dobkin. Music by: John Ottman.

Starring: Nicholas Holt, Eleanor Tomlinson, Stanley Tucci, Ian McShane, Bill Nighy, Ewan McGregor, Eddie Marsan, Ralph Brown, John Kassir, and Cornell John, Andrew Brooke, Angus Barnet, and Ben Daniels (credited as giants with the names Fee, Fye, Foe, and Fumm, which I appreciate).

General Thoughts:

This movie is relatively unknown as compared to others in this sub-genre, and I think it suffers most from critics due to the quality of the CGI. The visuals were laughably bad, which makes the violence (which, warning, includes popping eyeballs and skewered tongues) all the more eyebrow raising because THIS is what they came up with? For me drags the movie down a little but to give it some credit, there is also motion capture involved not just computer simulations. Battle choices aside, what impacts the quality the most is in the design of the giants. All of the giants are purposefully made to be grotesque and unnatural, when I feel like it could very well have just been made with people and special effects or makeup.

Comparatively, Snoke is a masterpiece.

It makes me wonder if making the giants look as gruesome as possible is an attempt to compensate for the body counts later, because the viewers surely wouldn't care! It's their comeuppance! In a fantasy world it is typical to make an us vs. them (see the orcs in Tolkien's work), but here it lacks nuance. I would've liked to see the fairy tale element of one outside the norm, i.e. one of the giants helping the little people out. In fact, the original tale is marked by the compassion of the giant's wife who helps Jack hide but there is no such show of heart for these giants in the sky. It did feel like it was missing something (maybe the Bechdel test?); making everyone bad or good and not have any grey area feels a little lazy. Maybe I'm used to Big Friendly Giants, but it rubbed me a little wrong.

This isn't to say I don't like the movie! I'll talk about what I liked it a minute, and it will show how the rest of my nitpicks made me go "huh" but didn't really change my enjoyment of it. 

The script isn't anything spectacular, as it has some cliches, but those can also be seen as part of the fairy tale genre that starts ("Once upon a time...") and ends ("happily ever after") almost every story the same way. The film walks the line between being serious and being tongue-in-cheek so I think it would've been more successful if it had picked a lane? But success is overrated, as I vibed with the nonchalant yet adventurous attitude, which felt apropos of fairy tales, even if it was unconventional in the movie sphere.

I'm not sure if it would go as far as being called plot holes, but I definitely have questions about how the magic works in this land because it seems conditional; I counted the beans getting wet many more times than the plot counted them getting wet. That is, if this even is a different kingdom, as suddenly--with a jolt--we were England? I don't know if they ever considered a sequel, but there was some potential through some loose threads that didn't get wrapped up. If they had considered a continuation, it would've been fun to see even more classic fairy tales included!

Now to talk about what I liked, it's time to mention the blog party this is for!

For the blogathon: 

This review is my last contribution to Hamlette's We Love Fairy Tales Week!

My favorite part of this film is that it is an ode to storytelling and fairy tales themselves, as both our young protagonists grew up listening to and believing in fairy tales. While that is frowned upon at first by others as a foolish pastime, it is their creativity and ingenuity that was nurtured by these stories that helps them to solve problems and get out of sticky situations.

This is a combination of two fairy tales: Jack and the Beanstalk and Jack the Giant Killer.  For an adaptation, they did a good job of keeping enough of the elements so the story feels familiar and comfortable, but also adding in new plots and goals to keep the viewer wanting more. They introduced and developed characters to make it suitable for a 2 hour format, and I'll always be won over by in-depth characters.

I relate to Jack and his tendency to dream, as shown by my frequent daydreaming when I should've been writing this post that I said I would over a month ago...

Jack was sweet and I liked how he was clever and just distracted at times. The scene where Isabelle is blaming herself and Jack totally reshapes her perspective was darling. 

There's a bit of a romance, which makes my reviewing this on Valentine's Day appropriate. 

This film's biggest asset is the cast because you can tell they are all having so much fun. They take their roles seriously, but in a way that is also lighthearted? I can't really describe the attitude, but it's a fun time.

Evil Stanley Tucci played up the villain role to the max. I also really liked Eddie Marson as Crawe, the second in command for Elmont as well as Ewen Bremner as Wicke, the minion to Lord Roderick. I love a good sidekick and I thought they played their opposing archetypes with the right amounts of camp.

Warwick Davis has a cameo which was a delight but also not enough! I wanted more because it was great fun contrast for telling a story about giants.

The whole cast pulls its weight and at times I thought "why are we focusing on Jack!?" when I was equally intrigued by what was happening to the other characters and I had to remind myself that he is indeed the titular character, so it checks out.

Though, if it was up to me, this movie would be about my favorite, favorite, FAVORITE, character, Elmont. He had the exact right amount of snark, loyalty, and energy. He was brilliant and along for the ride. As a bonus, Ewan McGregor just looks like he's having the time of his life. So I can count this a Valentine's Day movie for me watching him.

Thanks to Hamlette for hosting this blog party! Check out the wrap-up post for the blog party to make sure you didn't miss out on any of the entries.

What do you guys think of this sub-genre of gritty fantasy fairy tales? Do you have a favorite "ode to storytelling"? Who are some of your favorite characters who are not the main character? Do you think there should be some nuance for fairy tale creatures? What fairy tales could you see connected to this one in a sequel?

Thank you for reading and happy Valentine's Day!

Chloe the MovieCritic

The We Love Fairy Tales Week Tag! // having a crisis over a dream cast for my favorite picture book

Hello, friends!

I hope you're having a magical day. This week we're celebrating all things fairy tale with Hamlette's We Love Fairy Tales Week! She's had an ode to all kinds of stories through the "we love" format for many years now and our favorite childhood fables are the theme this year. Today I'm answering the questions in the tag!

The Questions:

1.  What's your favorite fairy tale?

Based on how I will watch anything with Cinderella in the title (then usually regret it), one would think that would be my favorite fairytale. It is my kryptonite as I love to see the same story told over and over again but in different settings. What can I say, I have a ball with it!

CinderSabrina?

Maybe Cinderella is my subconscious favorite, but I usually say Beauty and the Beast as I love the idea of falling in love with what's below the surface. This theme comes up in other fairy tales, like The Black Bull of Norway!

But those are themes. My ALL TIME favorite fairy tale is The Four Gallant Sisters, which is an adaptation by Eric A. Kimmel and Tatyana Yuditskaya of TWO Grimms fairytales: "The Four Skillful Brothers" and "The Twelve Huntsman." 

I always thought it was its own thing, and just learned about the dual inspiration yesterday! I read both original stories and while I think The Four Gallant Sisters is iconic and sails above the individual stories, there is quite a hilarious line in "The Four Skillful Brothers": 

"'Come with me and be a thief.' ' 

No,' he answered, 'that is no longer regarded as a reputable trade...'"

Why makes me wonder...was thieving ever a reputable trade? I guess it depends on who you talk to.

2.  If you could cast any actors and actresses ever in a movie version of that fairy tale, who would you pick?

Because The Four Gallant Sisters is probably unknown, here's a quick premise to show you the roles I'm trying to cast!:

When their mother dies, four sisters disguise themselves as men and go out into the world to learn a trade, resulting in a tailor, a hunter, a thief, and an astronomer. Four years later, they get back together and their talents capture the eye of the king, but the queen thinks something is off about them. Tests and adventures ensue...complete with a dragon. What's not to love?

The question gives some grace by adding in the word "ever" which means this doesn't have to be realistic, it doesn't have to be the right age or time of their life to do these roles. However, my brain won't accept it any other way and I went for as accurate as possible. Hence, this post is out later than I'd hoped, but that's also because I was trying to do it while watching the Olympics, and let's just say getting distracted by the Olympics is the best excuse ever.

People aren't actually going to make this happen, but a girl can dream, can't she? 

The oldest sister/the tailor: Tallulah Greive. I've only seen her as Princess Gwen in Cinderella (2021), and I love how spunky and sassy she was. I think she would have some great needling comments (get it, 'cuz she's a tailor? sorry, my puns are terrible today) and have great energy to be the leader of the sisters, if you will. She's a little bit older than the rest of the gals I have cast, but I think that could lend itself to the other sisters looking up to her.

The second sister/the hunter: Freya Parks. This sister gives me the same energy as Scarlet from The Lunar Chronicles, being someone who can have a loud personality but also let her shots speak for her. I really like Freya's intense performance as Hester in The School for Good and Evil (2022) and I'd like to see that same attitude here.

The third sister/the thief: Sophia Lillis. One of my favorite parts of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) is Doric's escape from the palace, and I totally want to see a similar scene here with the invisibility belt (did I forget to mention that all of the sisters have fantastic tools at their disposal?). She has a quieter presence which could go well with sneaking around. It makes it more notable when she does speak up, and her sisters should then listen to her warnings.

The youngest sister/the astronomer: Isis Hainsworth. The youngest sister needs a bit of an ethereal look to her--starry eyes and full of wonder, if you will. I liked what Isis did as Aelis in Catherine, Called Birdy (2022) and therefore want to give her a bigger part here!

I made it extra difficult for myself by trying to make the sisters look alike but I am also the first to know that sisters do not always look alike in conventional ways, such as hair and eye color. I really had to restrain myself from just making all of the sisters look like the illustrations and instead play to the personalities, so the fact that I didn't cave to that is a success!

The queen: Penelope Cruz. The queen is such a key character in this story with how she's trying to prove that these "men" are not what they seem and I think Penelope could pull off her being skeptical brilliantly. She's a little younger than in the book, but I think her magnificent presence is what counts.

The king: Javier Bardem. Now that I'm thinking of it, the king and the prince might be the same person, but I just want to see the dynamic duo of Cruz and Bardem in more things, so we'll split the role. Then we can set this kingdom in a fantasy-esque Spain.

The prince: Álvero Rico. I have to be honest here and say I have not actually seen Álvero Rico in anything. But I needed someone who could reasonably be Cruz and Bardem's child, even with the correct age. And it was very important to me that everyone was actually Spanish (totally didn't have someone who was Italian in the role of the prince for a hot second there...). I have seen quite a few Hispanic actors with Latin American roots, but no one seemed the right age. So, he's what I got from looking through lists of "Spanish actors in their late 20s/early 30s." He looks a little more intense than what I was originally going for, but I think he could be a good surprise!

You can tell I'm a little too immersed in K-dramas right now, because as soon as I thought of casting the princess from far away I went to my K-drama casts without a hesitation. In the story I believe it is a princess and her four brothers, yet as much as I LOOOOOOOVE my k-dramas, it's actually really rare/unheard of to have FIVE siblings in Korean culture. So maybe they're cousins instead of siblings? That still feels like a weirdly big family, but just roll with me on this and we can figure out the logistics later when I'm getting paid to cast this, haha.

The princess: Kim Se-jeong: This is purely because I'm watching a k-drama with her at the moment (Business Proposal) and I find her fun and spunky but also able to have slower moments. She just captures one's attention immediately which I think is important for her small role. Which we should totally make bigger, though, if we're making this into a movie anyway.

The brothers/cousins: Kang Tae Oh (Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Doom at Your Service), Cha Eun-woo (True Beauty), Lee Chae-min: (Crash Course in Romance), and Kim Min-gi (True Beauty). I will not consider myself well versed in K-dramas until I have seen 10, so this is a very biased pick of just some people I like, were the right age, AND kind of looked similar enough to possibly be related distantly. I don't actually like Kim Min-gi's performance that I've seen, but he was the youngest that I could find and he previously played an annoying youngest brother, which, I figured, could work here.

There you have it! My childhood favorite picture book come to life. Or, at least, giving my dreams a visual element...for now...

3.  Do you have a favorite fairy tale movie?

Into the Woods (2014). I love the aesthetic, I love the casting, I love the songs, I love all of it. That's all that needs to be said.

4.  Do you have a favorite book that retells a fairy tale?

I have a favorite book that retells a fairy tale 6 times: The Rumpelstiltskin Problem - by Vivian Vande Velde. I talked about briefly years ago, but I'm still thinking about it as it was so fun and creative. That's the joy of fairy tales retellings, is that we get to ask some "what ifs?" and here it's not confined to one, but many!

5.  If you got to be in a stage or film production of a classic fairy tale, what fairy tale would you want to be in, and who would you like to play?

My sisters and I used to act out plays of fairy tales for our parents on their anniversary, and my favorite role was when I was the Narrator in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. I might also have been the prince; there were only 3 of us, so we had to double up the roles. Our most creative moment was that we decided to narrate the building of the coffin in darkness and just use sound, so for "sawing" I was scratching a cardboard tube with my fingernails. Maybe I should work in sound design.

Nothing quite can top that, but I do think it would be fun to be a villain of some sort. Let's say it's a stage play of Rapunzel, and I'll be the "Mother Gothel" character. We can do some fun rigging--complete with all safety mechanisms--and stage combat to make it look like I push the prince out of the tower.

That's my curtain call.

6.  Do you like fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen or the Grimm Brothers best?  Or someone else's?

We had this book when I was little which had fairy tales from all over the world. From there, I remember my absolute FAVORITE fairy tales were the ones from Czechia/Slovakia. Do I remember what they were about? No clue. I just remember being blown away, even though I was only all of...9 years old? I just remember thinking they were THE BEST.

 I just went and dug it out and it was book 1 of The Young Folks' Shelf of Books series, Fairy Tales and Fables.

For this blogathon I thought I should go through and count all of the collections of fairy tales that we have but one glance made me think otherwise. You should just know that we have A LOT. It's reminding me again and again of my love for fairy tales. Generally, I'd say I like the themes from Hans Christian Andersen a biiiiiiiit better than the Brothers Grimm.

This was another favorite, so well done, Arthur Rackman 

7.  What more obscure fairy tale do you think more people should know about?

I've been thinking about The Three Sillies a lot recently and think it is very applicable in today's world. It's about a guy who, after an incident, thinks his fiancee and her family are ridiculous and says he won't marry her until he finds three other such silly people in the world. That's not necessarily my favorite, but it talks about thinking things through but also giving people some grace when they get stuck on things. I have the neurodivergent urge to get stuck on things a lot and am grateful for the people around me to talk me through some of these things.

The Tinder Box is another perennial favorite of mine, that as wacky as it its, I feel like I reference it a lot? I mean, explaining crazy fairy tales is one of my favorite pastimes, actually, but people wouldn't have to sit through that if they already knew it. It's about a solider and a witch and a princess and three HUGE dogs. It's a good time.

Amazing illustrations help.

Oh, or the actual ending of The Little Mermaid! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the 2023 version, but just for cultural understanding I think it could be beneficial if people knew the original tale, so then they can appreciate the changes that are made in retellings!

And, sadly that's the end of the tag!

But have no fear, there will be all kinds of fairy tale goodness all week long! Just make sure to check out the master post HERE so you don't miss anything!

What do you guys think? Has anyone else heard of "The Four Gallant Sisters" or its source material? Would you watch a movie of it with my cast? Does anyone else want to dramatically (but safely!) push someone out of a tower? Do you have multiple collections of fairy tales?

Thanks for reading! May you all live, "happily ever after!"

Chloe the MovieCritic

My Top 10 Movie Sequels // mysteries and time travel tend to get it right

Hi, friends!

A popular trend in cinema is to just do the same thing that's been done before, i.e. make a sequel or a remake of a previously made film, but this isn't anything new in Hollywood; just see how many Thin Man or Andy Hardy movies there were. As overused as it is, I get it; sometimes I watch a movie and think "that's so good, I wish there was a sequel!" 

What happens most frequently is when a sequel comes out it disappoints me (don't get me started on Descendants 3 (2019), Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), or The Son of Robin Hood (1956)). Today, however, I'm going to be looking at those few times when the sequel is just as good or even better than the first.

A rarity indeed, but it still happens! Enough for a top 10 list!

I'm disqualifying things like Marvel movies which are SET UP to have sequels or things that were already books with sequels (that would be a whole list in and of itself). For example, I really enjoy the sequel to Murder on the Orient Express (2017), but as Death on the Nile was already a book I loved I'm not counting.

Talking about sequels is always potentially ripe for spoilers for the original movie, but have no fear, there are no spoilers for any movies here! I'll just be talking about why I love the sequels without talking about the plot or what happened in the first movie. Enjoy!

Honorable mentions: Paddington 2 (2017), Mary Poppins Returns (2018), Descendants 2 (2017), Fantasia 2000 (1999), and Eloise at Christmastime (2003).

10. Men in Black 3 (2012)

I grew up watching the first two movies A LOT. They're quotable and fun, but can also feel a little corny, like they're trying too hard to be wacky. Which is a vibe in and of itself, but that means that sometimes I need to be in the right mood. This one, though, isn't just about fun, it has so much at stake emotionally. It can be HARD to do a time travel movie, but this one absolutely killed it.

It's super clever, too, as by going into the past they created a way to show off "new" tech, meaning 1960s tech, which baffles Jay. It's is an asset, but not always one that works, which creates a new challenge. That's how you do world building, even if your story is still on Earth.

I love getting to "meet" Kay again with a whole new perspective. Then Griffin is super fun, too. The 60s vibes complete with Andy Warhol and mercury cars and eating pie sell the whole story. 

9. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

I'm sorry, but I'm not a huge fan of the original movie. I know, I know, you should all be throwing your tomatoes at me. I think what it was missing was an older character to keep everyone grounded...like Indy's dad...

Yep, I love this one because it has Sean Connery. The dynamics between him and Harrison Ford are what make this for me.

I think it's like how in Pride & Prejudice you need the extremes of Lydia being silly and Mary being strict to understand how well balanced Jane and Lizzy are? If Indy is by himself he tends to annoy me, but in contrast to his father, I love what each of them brings to the dynamic.

My experience with this series is unorthodox as the first movie I saw was Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls, so maybe I got used to the idea of an older Indy and going back to the first didn't cut it for me? Whatever the reason, this is my ideal adventure story.

8. The Incredibles 2 (2018)

A disclaimer should be that I am not a fan of the original. Like, at all. It always creeped me and made me uneasy. Because of that, I was a little skeptical going in to a sequel, but no fear, I had a BLAST watching it.

I like that we get more time with the kids and the whole role-reversal for the parents (which may only be appreciated sequentially from the original). I love the struggles of navigating boys and math and a burning baby. The new characters we meet are fun and quotable ("Uncrush? Would you unpunch someone?") and even though I could see where the plot was going I wasn't complaining about it. It's about the journey, not the destination, right?

7. Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2010)

I've actually watched this one a TON more than the original, so much so that I often forget that the first one exists. It's been long time since I saw last watched this, but now that I'm reminiscing I'm remembering how much I adore it.

I love the premise for this movie. Romances in movies are overrated; give me cousins that HATE each other. The first movie is about tension between siblings, which can happen, but this shows kids uniting against a greater evil: rich relatives. The way that the cousins bicker and then have to resolve their class differences? *chef's kiss*

There are wartime problems not for the faint of heart; "he fell over!" There are pigs and debt collection and ginger soda and gas masks and Nanny McPhee knowing the exact right thing to do.

6. Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

I know I said I was disregarding the MCU, but let's talk about DC briefly: I'm not well versed in their universe, having only seen a couple movies, so I think of these as individual films. 

I only read one comic growing up, and that was Wonder Woman, from my mom's old collections. I LOVED Wonder Woman. So I was super hyped for the 2017 movie, and then it did not live up to that expectation one iota. Why are we in World War II?? Steve is a pilot but that's all the mention we get of any war? If you want war go watch Captain America. He's the one with a shield. Where's Diana's magic lasso and invisible plane??

This sequel, though, is my version of Wonder Woman. I love it. I've only seen it once, but the WHOLE TIME I was like yes yes yes yes yes yes yes. I see now that the first movie was to set up all of the payoffs for this, but I still think we could've jumped right to this epic spectacle. It even has the arena training! What's not to love? 

The vibe of 80s is so on point, complete with themes of indulgence and wishes and what they cost. I just love it a lot. And we get the Cheetah, so I'm happy.

5. Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

When people say sequels are never as good as the first one, I agree with them, and then point to this movie. I talked about my love for the original last year and I have just about as high an opinion of the second one. I can't speak for the third or fourth movie, but this movie is solid.

Mainly because it has one of my favorite movie villains of all time: Lord Shen. Who would've ever thought of an evil albino peacock? It checks out, though, as peacocks are mean.

I love the way that the fighting styles are different for each animal, something that was carried over from the first film in full commitment as new warriors are introduced. The jokes are funny ("my old enemy: stairs.") and the stakes are high. It actually talks about some deep things, including the horrors of (though it never uses the word) genocide. I love the theme of inner peace and find it so powerful in relation to trauma.

4. Enola Holmes 2 (2022)

Mysteries have some of the best sequels as there's so much more fun in store to investigate. I don't love this one as much as the first, but it's still a delight and I ADORE getting more time with Sherlock. Especially because we see Sherlock and Enola interact more which brings out their similarities and differences, strengths and weaknesses.

"One should always have steps to avoid people stepping on you. That's a tip. You should probably write that down." 

More screen-time for Enola and Tewkesbury is always a good time and this one plays into it adorably. Dance lessons and fan lessons and walks in the park. Tewkesbury really is trying his best and as his mother, I'm quite proud of him.

This film is a good continuation as it takes the message from the first movie ("you'll do well on your own, Enola") and tweaks it: one should be able to get by on one's own, but that doesn't mean that has to be the way it is. Because I love and relate to the first movie so much I think doing things on my own would be the extreme that I would fall into, so it's a good reminder to have. Enola inspires me by always being so willing to help others and any chance we get to watch that is a joy.

It's about fighting abuses in the working class, which is totally up my alley.

And there is another sequel coming this year! Expectations are high, but Jack Thorne hasn't let me down yet.

3. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)

Did I mention that I love sequels to mysteries? Or maybe it's just Sherlock Holmes adaptations.

ACK. The VIBES, folks. From Guy Richie's directing choices to Hans Zimmer's score, this movie (and the first, too!) is immersive like no other. The pacing is on fire, the quips are witty and scorching, it's brilliant. There's Don Giovanni and roaming around Europe and chess.

Really, all a movie needs to get me devoted to it is to include chess elements.

It's so clever that everything I try to say about it seems dull in comparison, so just take that as one of the highest recommendations I can give. I could just watch this movie over and over again, and I know that because I have.

Plus, I've talked about it before, but I really love Madam Simza. She makes this whole movie for me.

The following get the top places as they have not just one sequel I adore, but multiple. They are:

2. Back to the Future Part II  and Part III

The second time travel story of this list, so maybe that's a sign.

You know how some people say that The Lord of the Rings is just one book? That's how I feel about these movies. They all go together so well, I think of them as just a solid chunk. Yet it wasn't originally planned to have a sequel, so I can count them in this list.

On paper, what they did in the sequels shouldn't work; they reused scenes from the first one basically shot for shot, just with a different context. It should be a cop-out, it shouldn't work...but it does. It's all about playing with history repeating itself and it's brilliant. It works because they change enough around everything else. It's cheesy at times but it knows it and plays into it. The audience knows certain "comeuppances" and can look forward to them and be satisfied.

The characters do the same things because they are who they are, but they also have moments of change. For example, Marty's character arc through all three is one of my all-time favorites, so what more could I want?

The first movie is classic and great as a standalone. The second movie introduces new themes (indulgences and depravity at its worst...huh, same as Wonder Woman 1984...) and gives a future to avoid. Then the third movie is probably my favorite of the whole bunch. My favorite genre of westerns are parodies (see Support Your Local Sheriff) and I love seeing Doc and Marty in the wild west, complete with inventions and Clint Eastwood references.

And finally, the series that claims the first spot is:

1. Star Wars 

It's a given, as this is one of my favorite stories of all time. The original is, of course, iconic, but the continuation in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and The Return of the Jedi (1983) gave the story so much more.

I mean, the huge plot twist didn't come until The Empire Strikes Back (1980), so without that we wouldn't be able to say, "Nooooooooooo!"

With that fan base established, "the prequels" and "the sequels" were born. Do I think every sequel in this franchise is great? No, as I've seen Rogue One (2016) twice and Solo (2018) once, and they were fine but not for me. I haven't gotten into the spin-off series such as The Mandalorian, The Bad Batch, Asoka, etc.. I can take or leave the prequels. The point is, it has created a lot of other stories that many people do enjoy, and that's beautiful. 

Speaking of the ones I really enjoy...

This is always controversial, but I LOVE the sequels; in fact, The Last Jedi (2017) might be my favorite movie of the whole series. I know, I know, crazy! And you probably feel Rick-rolled after reading this whole post just to get that answer. If you want my explanation for why, check HERE. 

Do I think Rise of Skywalker (2019) lived up to The Return of the Jedi? No, I don't, as the creators got caught up in marketing and trying to please everyone instead of making the story the way they wanted to. I still really love Rise of Skywalker (in fact, to this day it's the only movie that I've seen twice in the theater!) and think it has a ton of merits, just that as far as endings go, The Return of the Jedi takes the cake.

So let's talk about that.

The Return of the Jedi has everything I could want: facing one's fears and temptations, a masterclass in tension and suspense, and adorable Teddy bear creatures. It set up what redemption means so that the rest of the series (prequels and sequels) could follow. It became the standard for an ending, taking everything that had happened in the first two films and completing the (motion) picture.

I love it, and I hope the film says, "I know."

This is my entry in Hamlette and Quiggy's Film. Release. Repeat. Blogathon!

 If you want to hear discussions about more fun sequels or remakes, check it out! And thanks to Hamlette and Quiggy for hosting and giving me a chance to do one of my favorite things: make lists!

What are your favorite movie sequels? Are there any other mystery sequels I should watch? How do you feel about time travel? Has anyone else seen Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang? Thanks to all of you for reading! 

Chloe the MovieCritic