maximogiordano Reviews

Elemental (2023)

Criminally underrated

[8/10 · 28 October 2023]

I didn't expect to connect so much with a movie, but here I am.

It doesn't matter how many times I watch it, it always hits me in the feels and turns me into a water person.

I was expecting a love story in a world of element people and, even though this is kind of true, the film is much more than this premise.

A beautiful love story between a fire girl and a water guy, but also a love story between a father and a daughter.

A story of gratitude to parents. A story about growth and self-discovery. A story about the struggles of immigrants. And I could go on.

It's incredible how simple yet complex this feature is!

The characters are amazing, the visuals are awesome, the voice acting is superb. The score... can we talk about the score? Thomas Newman did it again!

I don't get the hate this film got when it premiered. Peter Sohn and crew put so much soul into this and they deserved a better reception.

This is a film about love made with love.

10/10!

Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (2017–2020)

Criminally Underrated

[8/10 · 16 February 2022]

This series is great and this is why:

1. Animation

Many people complain about the 2D style... Let me tell you something: this is so much better than the cheap CGI alternative they had. There was no way to create more than 1500 minutes of footage for the whole series in the same style as the movie, which is the most expensive animated movie of all times. Great character design, top quality facial expressions, beautiful backgrounds and colors. The choice was perfect!

2. Voice Actors

We've got the original cast from the movie plus Jeremy Jordan, Eden Espinosa and James Iglehart, among others. They bring TTS characters (old and new) to life, displaying all kind of emotions flawlessly. And their voices... OMG! Wich leads me to the following item.

3. Songs

Alan Menken and Glenn Slater came back to write the songs and it really paid off: Waiting in the Wings (which got an Emmy), Nothing Left to Lose, Crossing The Line, and the list goes on. The songs are beautiful, move the plot forward, bring character depth and the animation on them is just amazing.

4. Writing

The mythology, the expanded universe, the world building and all the characters are amazing. Not to mention these guys had it all planned out right from the start (I can't say more without getting into spoilers)

Watch it!