Over the Moon: an adventure story with life lessons

Over the Moon is an American Chinese computer animated film, directed by Gary Keane, co-directed John Kahrs. Screenplay by the late Audrey Wells along with Alice Wu and Jennifer Yee McDevitt. Starring the voice talents of Cathy Ang, Phillippa Soo, Ken Jeong, John Cho, Margaret Cho and Sandra Oh. First shown at the Montclair Film Festival on October 17, 2020, it was released on Netflix and select theaters on October 23, 2020. My eight-year-old daughter is a big fan of Phillippa Soo and was excited to watch Over the Moon. When we watched it together, I found it was a fun adventure story with a touching life lesson.

The film opens with a young girl named Fei Fei (voiced by Cathy Ang) with her parents. Her mother tells her the legend of Chang’e, the moon goddess, who took a potion for immortality and ascending to the moon without her lover, Houyi. Now she sits on the moon, waiting for her love. As her family prepares for the annual Moon Festival, Fei Fei’s mother falls ill and passes away. Four years later, Fei Fei and her father prepare for the annual Moon festival, but something is different this year. Mrs. Zhong (voiced by Sandra Oh) and her eight-year-old son, Chin (voiced by Robert G. Chiu) arrives, and everything seems to fall apart. Fei Fei decides to build a rocket to the moon to prove the moon goddess’s existence. Once she arrives of the moon, Chang’e (voiced by Phillippa Soo) is not who Fei Fei was expecting. She tells Fei Fei that she was supposed to deliver a gift for Chang'e and offers proof of her existence as a prize. Fei Fei finds herself in a race against time to find the gift, get her proof and go home.

The movie was sweet and fun. There are many aspects I enjoyed about the film. I will highlight my top three. First, the story is wonderful. While it has the common themes of parental death, grief and moving on. It is still a moving story about a young girl who learns that moving on doesn’t mean she stops loving her mother, stops missing her or worse, forgets her mother. Over the Moon offers a story that shows children that it is okay to cry and grieve after a loss of a loved one. As well as it is okay to move on. Second, the music is fun and enjoyable. The score was composed by Steven Price and the original songs were written by Christopher Curtis, Marjorie Duffield, and Helen Park. Phillippa Soo shines with her beautiful voice as well as shows off her hip hop skills. Third, I loved the insights into more of Chinese culture. My daughter and I immediately googled mooncakes, which are made during the Moon Festival, as we have never heard of them before and they look so delicious.

Unfortunately, there was one aspect of the movie I did not care for. The character of Gobi, voiced by the talented Ken Jeong, was a character that seemed out of place. Gobi, a pangolin, was a former royal advisor to Chang’e who exiled him a thousand years ago. Gobi came into the story to bring Fei Fei to a revelation that will change her attitude and view on her life. Normally, that would be fine and expected, however, Gobi was too much like Olaf for me to fully enjoy his part in the story. His manic speech style felt familiar to Olaf’s. The rambling, nonsense speech with a gem of entitlement in the middle was too much like Olaf. It is not the fact that Fei Fei had animal companions as many. Many fairy tales and legends have animal counterparts. Gobi would have been great if he just didn’t feel like an Olaf copy.

In conclusion, I enjoyed Over the Moon. It was fun and enjoyable. It had funny moments. It had sad moments. It had moments led to talks with my daughter about loss and grief. It had amazing animation with a great story featuring a Chinese legend and a look into more aspects of Chinese culture. The music was great and fun to listen to. While I did not enjoy the Gobi character, the other characters were fun. Overall, I recommend Over the Moon for all. Not just families, but for anyone who would enjoy a story about a young girl who learns a great life lesson. 

Frozen II: a decent sequel

Frozen 2 was released into theaters on November 27, 2019 and is the sequel to smash hit Frozen (2013). Many from the original film return for its sequel. Directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez and composer Christophe Beck all return. As well as actors Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad and Jonathan Geoff returns as their characters: Anna, Elsa, Olaf and Kristoff. Frozen 2 is set three years after the original film when a new threat comes to Arendelle and it is up to Anna and Elsa to save the day. The movie is currently on DVD, Blu-Ray and streaming on Disney+. As I do with all my movie reviews, I will give a spoiler free synopsis and discuss what I did and didn’t like about the film.

The movie opens as King Agnar tells a story to a young Anna and Elsa about their grandfather, King Runeard, who established a treaty with the neighboring tribe of Northuldra who resides in the Enchanted Forest. Soon after, a fight occurs, resulting in Runeard’s death and enraging the elemental spirits of the forest. The spirits disappeared and a wall of mist traps everyone in the Enchanted Forest. Agnar barely escapes due to a mysterious savior, Fast forward to present day, life is going well in Arendelle. Until one night, Elsa hears a mysterious voice call out to her. After much resistance, she decides to follow it and causes the elemental spirits to awaken which forces everyone out of the kingdom. Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven embark on a journey to the Enchanted Forest to save the people of Arendelle and discover who the mysterious siren who calls to Elsa.

There are three major elements that I liked about the film. First, the story is great. Anna and Elsa discover the story they’ve been told about their grandfather and the Enchanted Forest may not be exactly the truth. In order to save Arendelle, they must discover what went wrong and the right that wrong. It also explains that there are three sides to the story: one side’s version, the other side’s version and somewhere in the middle is the truth. Second, I liked that there wasn’t a stereotypical “villain.” The fight is against the past and the attempts to right a wrong as much as anyone can. Although this was criticism in many reviews I read, I liked that the characters weren’t up against an evil person. Third, the idea that water has memory. Even though science has proven this to not be the case (but since when is science important in a fairy tale?), it is a theme I have heard before. Along with the idea that water is healing, having memory helps Anna and Elsa discover the truth behind the events which caused the Enchanted Forest to be sealed off and what they need to do to solve the problem.

There are a couple elements of the film that I didn’t care for. First, the music wasn’t on par with the original film. While “Into the Unknown” is a good song, it didn’t have the same impact as “Let it Go.” Olaf’s song, “When I am Older” had the same musical style of his song, “In Summer” from the first time. “In Summer” was a more enjoyable song as it was comedic as to Olaf’s blissful ignorance. “When I am Older” tried to capture that same comedic ignorance, but I feel it fell short. The music wasn’t bad and was enjoyable but wasn’t on the same lines of the first film. Second, Frozen 2 may not be as rewatchable as the first film. My daughter, who was 2 when she saw the first film had watched it over and over for years. Now she is 8 and enjoyed the first viewing of Frozen 2, but quickly got bored when watching it a second time.

In conclusion, Disney has always had a hit and miss history with it comes to sequels. The majority of their film’s sequels were direct to video. The Toy Story franchise has been insanely popular (although I would argue that the fourth film as not necessary) and broke the mold that sequels couldn’t be successful in theaters. Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) wasn’t as good as it’s original film and an unnecessary sequel. I enjoyed Frozen 2 for its story and, some level, the music. However, it wasn’t as memorable as its predecessor. I don’t see many children annoying the adults with their constant singing of “Into the Unknown” as they did with “Let it Go.” I do recommend Frozen 2. If you enjoyed the first film, you may enjoy its sequel.

Star Wars The Last Jedi: a great action film which takes the galaxy in a new direction

Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi opened on December 15^th to rave critic reviews and mixed fan reactions. The Last Jedi continues the story of Rey, Finn and the Resistance as they fight against the First Order. In the two years since The Force Awakens, there were many fan theories floating around the internet and fans were eagerly awaiting The Last Jedi to see which theories were right and see how the story continues. I finally was able to see it a few days after it opened and heard the criticisms of fans. I will discuss what I liked, what I didn’t and the critics, fans and even Mark Hamill’s remarks about the film.

There is so much that I liked about the film; however, I will discuss a few storylines I enjoyed the most. First, I liked the interactions between Rey and Luke. The closing scene of The Force Awakens, we see Rey handing Luke his original lightsaber as the camera pans out over the island. In The Last Jedi, the first scene we see with Rey and Luke is the continuation of that scene. While I will not give away what his reaction is, I will say it was highly appropriate. Luke had been living in exile after Kylo Ren destroys Luke’s new Jedi academy and temple and turns to the dark side. Luke realizing his failure as a teacher, decides to leave everything behind and Rey has a tough road to convince him to help the Resistance and teach her the ways of the Force. Second, I enjoyed the character of Kylo Ren in this film. He was far less emo and more dark and conflicted as he struggles with the aftermath of the Force Awakens and his master, Snoke’s, disappointed in him. Adam Driver delivered a superb performance as Kylo Ren, especially toward the end as he decides which direction he wants to go. Does he embrace the dark side? Or does he turn to the light side? Third, I enjoyed Finn and Rose’s (played by Kelly Marie Tran) story as they find a way to help the Resistance escape the First Order. As Finn still struggles with his defection from the First Order and Rose is dealing with her hatred of the First Order, together they learn what they are fighting for and who they can trust in their fight against the First Order.

There was only a couple things that I disliked about the film. First, there were a few unnecessarily scenes. One in particular was on the island as Luke goes about his life, ignoring Rey’s presence. I won’t reveal what the scene was; however, when I saw it both my daughter and I looked at each other and whispered “ewwww!” I understand that the scene’s purpose was to show how Luke survived on the island but I felt it was unnecessarily and his survival on the island could have been shown a litter better. And some of the humorous scenes may have had the joke go on a little too long. There is one scene in which Poe (played by Oscar Isaac) plays a joke on General Hux (played by Domhnall Gleeson). While the joke was funny at first, it dragged on a little too long. Second, there is still a great mystery about who Snoke is. The movie did not reveal anything about where he came from, who he is or how he knows the Force. In this film, we see he is an imposing figure and would strike fear in anyone who stands in his presence. However, we don’t know why he is such an imposing character. Third, the porgs, one of the creatures who live on Luke’s island, are cute but add nothing more to the story than to show the cycle of life on the island. They were in the movie for too long especially once the story leaves the island.

The reviews and opinions run the gambit from favorable to absolutely hated. First, the critics gave this film rave reviews. The consensus on Rotten Tomatoes is that the film “honors the rich legacy while adding some surprising twists and delivering all the emotion-rich action fans could hope for.” I would agree. It paid homage to the original trilogy in particular The Empire Strikes Back and some could agree The Return of the Jedi. Second, fans continue to be adamant in their disagreement with the critics. Many of the fans are blaming Disney for putting profits over story. Some said that the story strayed too much from the original trilogy while others would argue it was a copy of Empire like the Force Awakens was a copy of A New Hope. I disagree with them on both counts. I think some of the fans are just so invested in the Star Wars saga that they don’t know what they want. They don’t want copies of the original trilogy but they don’t like the new material. Fans used Mark Hamill’s remarks about the film where he said he “fundamentally disagreed with every choice for Luke” as proof that Disney screwed up. I disagree with Mr. Hamill and these fans. I loved Luke’s progression in this movie. I think it fit. Without going into detail for those who have not yet seen it, as an avid reader and writer, I can see why the writer took him in that direction. Yes, Luke was very much the optimist in the original trilogy; however 30 years have passed and that’s a long time and a person can change especially when one of his students turns on him. It can be and was the hit to his ego that sent him into exile.  

In conclusion, I enjoyed The Last Jedi. I left the theater with a sense of awe and excitement. I know that many fans did not feel this way, my husband included. He had to see it again to understand more of the story. My cousin in law has seen it three times and he even admits that one viewing isn’t enough. The original trilogy is still beloved to me as an important part of my childhood; however, it is time to move on from the Skywalker storyline of Star Wars into the greater universe and galaxy that’s out there. Of the new Disney/Star Wars films, Rogue One (2016) is still my favorite so far. The Last Jedi adds more depth and drama to the Star Wars universe. It adds the struggles of life, that everything isn’t so black and white, good vs evil. I highly recommend The Last Jedi. Watch it without any expectations and see it for what it is: a great action film with heart and life lessons