rebekah writes stuff.

Tag: Movie Review

  • I watched The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, so you don’t have to

    I watched The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, so you don’t have to

    When The Super Mario Galaxy Movie was teased in September 2025, I was beyond excited. As someone who loves the Super Mario Galaxy games, I couldn’t wait.

    After enjoying The Super Mario Bros. Movie, I had high hopes that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie would be just as good.

    However, I was slightly apprehensive when it came time to actually watch the film. In the lead-up to the movie’s release, extended trailers came out showing more characters and scenes that made me think, ‘Oh dear, I hope this doesn’t suck.’

    Well, I watched the movie and I must say I was disappointed. The film started off strong, with foundations for a good story, but was quickly de-railed.

    *spoilers start now*

    What’s the plot?

    Unlike Super Mario Bros., Mario is the protagonist of the Super Mario Galaxy games. After Princess Peach is kidnapped by the evil Bowser, Mario sets off collecting powerstars and fighting foes, all to defeat Bowser and rescue Peach.

    However, in this case, Mario wasn’t even the star of his own movie. Instead, the red plumber’s screen time was overshadowed by Princess Peach, and his array of co-stars, some of which felt very random, like Fox McCloud. I’m sure moviegoers were excited to see Fox, but I think he served as a reference, rather than a plot device.

    Speaking of plot, it was all over the place. So much was happening and yet nothing was happening.

    For context, Rosalina – powerful mother of the stars – is kidnapped by Bowser Jr. and rendered useless for the remainder of the film. What a waste, by the way!

    Rather than Mario and her stars (the lumas) going on a quest to rescue Rosalina, they seek help from Peach. She and Toad go on a wild goose chase around the galaxy. The main plotline is turned into a side quest for Princess Peach to rescue and reconnect with her long lost sister…

    Yes, Rosalina and Peach are now sisters. Guys, I’m getting Mufasa flashbacks.

    Meanwhile in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario and Luigi, and gang, feel like spare parts. They eventually get involved in Bowser Jr.’s plans and help defeat the evil koopas, but in the end, it’s sisterhood that breaks the curse, and thaws Ana’s frozen heart.

    I mean, it’s Peach who frees Rosalina, and the cosmos is saved.

    What should’ve happened.

    If it was me in the writer’s seat, this is what I would’ve done:

    The evil Bowser Jr. is stealing stars from planets in the galaxy. He wants to rescue his father, Bowser. Meanwhile, everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom is enjoying Princess Peach’s birthday celebrations.

    BOOM. Bowser Jr. attacks the Mushroom Kingdom, kidnapping Peach and rescuing the imprisoned Bowser. Mario and the gang must rescue Peach and save the galaxy.

    Enter Rosalina – who is wary of Bowser Jr. She helps Mario and the gang. Aboard the Comet Observatory, they venture in search of say, 2 or 3 Powerstars, in order to have enough energy to travel to Bowser’s lair at the far end of the galaxy. One of Rosalina’s lumas helps Mario by giving him cosmic powers. Along the way, we meet some characters from the Super Mario Galaxy games.

    The gang help defeat Bowser Jr, as Mario defeats Bowser. The galaxy is saved and Peach is rescued.

    Bowser: King of the Wimps

    Oh and another thing – we need to talk about Bowser’s character arc.

    Bowser is the Mario-loathing, galaxy-conquering antagonist, and he’s been beefing with Mario since 1985.

    So when you portray that evil king as having a sudden change of heart, and questioning his own dastardly ways, we have a problem.

    Having been defeated in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Bowser is imprisoned and sentenced to live the rest of his days in a tiny body. But when Mario makes him big again, instead of admitting it’s all been a ruse and escaping, Bowser doubles down and insists that he is a changed koopa.

    Well, that is before being reunited with his evil son and returning to his evil ways, as quick as you can say ‘flying blue shell’.

    I didn’t buy the emotional pathos for a second. Instead, Bowser should’ve convinced Mario to make him big Bowser again, tricked him and reunited with Bowser Jr.

    This could’ve been a great movie

    I think there is the temptation with films with a massive fanbase, like Super Mario Bros., to want to include everything. This made for an insanely fast paced film. By shoehorning in characters that felt completely out of place, and taking us to different universes that didn’t add anything to the plot, it made for a weak story. It didn’t do justice to the Super Mario Galaxy games.

    Most importantly, if the writers had’ve stuck to one singular quest which rang true to the source material, then this could’ve been a great follow up film.

  • When Will the Live Action Remakes Stop?

    When Will the Live Action Remakes Stop?

    When I saw the trailer for the How to Train Your Dragon Live Action film, I was shaking. That’s it, I thought to myself, NOW that’s the final straw.

    What is the appeal of Live Action?

    The expression ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ springs to mind when I think about the relentless onslaught of Live Action remakes being released. Where perfectly good animated films are being given the Live Action treatment and are then spat out into theatres. These films rely on people’s nostalgia and the awe-factor of CGI.

    Someone please answer this for me. What does making all these perfectly good stand-alone films into Live Action do for the world? What is to be gained?

    Below are a couple of movies currently in production and it’s fair to say that reviews are … mixed.

    Lilo & Stitch Live Action

    Lilo & Stitch Live Action is set to release in 2025. Did anybody actually want this? Serious question.

    I just don’t understand how we got here. What was deemed so bad about the original that they felt a Live Action would somehow improve it?

    Also exasperated at the influx of soulless Live Action Remakes is writer Keith Pinney Brown. In his May 2024 article, he had this to say about why movie studios turn away from beloved animation, to Live Action remakes:

    Anything in this style is seen as a “cartoon” or a “kid’s show,” and adults turn up their noses. Live action remakes serve to fuel this perception. They attempt to improve classic films with the use of live actors and CGI …

    I can tell you for free that CGI does not turn everything to gold. And as far as relying on popular films of the past goes, again, is Hollywood’s imagination department really that skint?

    How to Train Your Dragon Live Action

    I just … It’s just the same movie again but in a different texture pack.

    Live Action Remakes are not exclusively Disney’s doing – DreamWorks is also on the bandwagon. I ask the studio: what is the point? Seriously, what is the point?? What does this add to the movie that it didn’t have before? And don’t you dare say say real people. Having human actors in a movie does not automatically make it better. Plus Toothless just looks the same, oh god I can’t.

    How To Train Your Dragon is up there in my top movies. It’s a brilliant story and the animation is fantastic. Why do this?

    Live Actions remakes are full steam ahead

    Just take a look at the list of live actions on the way – and this is just Disney.

    Everyone knows my thoughts on Mufasa, but just look at the sheer quantity of films. Clearly movie studios have no intention of halting their Live Action productions.

    What are your thoughts on Live Action remakes? Let me know in the comments below!

    Also @rebekah_writes_stuff is on insta, so definitely give a follow to keep up to date 🙂

  • Stuff I thought would flop but didn’t

    Stuff I thought would flop but didn’t

    Avatar: The Last Airbender

    Ok, before you make a b-line for the unsubscribe button, you’ll be happy to know this show is among my favourites. It truly is a work of art – but I didn’t get to experience the beauty of this show without some convincing.

    Like many people, I was dissuaded by its cartoonish style and, no shade to Nickeloden, but I figured it was a kid’s show. How could this be relevant to me? I hadn’t grown up watching Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA) and it was a show I wasn’t all that interested in watching. When people desperately begged me to watch it, I was never that keen, no matter how amazing they said it was.

    I thought it was just a cartoon.

    Left to right: Momo, Aang, Sokka, Toph, Katara

    Eventually, I did give it the chance it deserved and my perceptions were sorely wrong. Each season became richer and the stakes kept getting higher and higher. I was hooked and it blew my expectations of a kid’s show out of the water.

    Why? In a war-torn world, these tweens and teens are pushed into the roles of adults, not unlike many youth who stepped up in World War I and II. Our protagonists sacrifice their childhood to be warriors, leaders, and, in Aang’s case, to be the saviour of the world. This bildungsroman, or ‘coming of age’ story, shows us how each character navigates their way in an unforgiving world. Indeed, the themes of war, genocide, oppression, politics and power shape the narrative. It breaks the mould for what can be included in a kid’s show and, for this reason and boldness, ATLA has been praised and received countless awards.

    It’s so much more than just a cartoon, and I highly recommend you watch it.

    Being an early bird

    I’ve never been a morning person. I never thought it could be for me. There was zero appeal in seeing the sun rise, leaping out of bed and pursuing a life that started before 10:00am. It baffled me that people could have so much vim and vigour that early in the day.

    I admit, I am a bit of a bear. I enjoy my sleep and love a good lie in. If it was an olympic sport, I’d have many a gold medal. I thrive in the evening, where most would start to dip in energy. But the world isn’t designed for sleepy bears like me and, eventually, I had to swap my sleepy ways and join the hordes who wake up early.

    And wouldn’t you know, I actually don’t mind it.

    The peace of the morning is unmatched. You get more out of your day. Sure, the inertia after waking up feels terrible, but give it five minutes and boom, it’s actually bearable. Yup, even a sleepy bear like me can change their sleep schedule – with the help of the snooze button and a bunch of alarms.

    Art by Jennifer Thermes

    If you want to wake up earlier, but think it’s not for you, I’d honestly say don’t knock it til you try it.

    Wonka

    I didn’t even want to see this movie, I had my mind so fiercely made up. I didn’t see the point of adding yet another Charlie & The Chocolate Factory movie to the world. It’s a cash grab, I would say. I stood so strongly with Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Willy Wonka that nobody could move me.

    When I was forced along to the movie, I sat with my arms folded, enduring the 1 hour 56 minutes. But I didn’t endure it. I actually left the movies in a state of shell-shock. While my mum and my sister spoke excitedly about how much they’d loved it, I was speechless. I couldn’t believe how horribly wrong I’d been about this movie.

    The storyline was original and heart warming. The songs were catchy and we proceeded to blast them as soon as we got home.

    I went back to see it again and the tone was completely different. I actually let myself enjoy it – I had the movie experience I should’ve had the first time. I laughed, I bobbed my feet and saw Wonka in a whole new light.

    It’s easy to get protective over our favourite movies and the constant reboots and poorly written sequels (Mufasa, for example). I’m glad I went, because I would’ve missed out on such a sweet gem of a film.

    Have you had any similar experiences? Let me know below in the comments!!

  • Disney, why did you change the story?

    Disney, why did you change the story?

    If you don’t know already, Disney is in the production of Mufasa, a new live action film about Mufasa – Simba’s dad. When I saw they were bringing out a Mufasa movie in 2024, I was initially very excited. I love the Lion King!! It’s one of those childhood films that I hold so dear to me. Plus, big cats are my favourite animals, so an entire film dedicated to lions is a winner in my books.

    However, and it’s a big one, with the release of teasers and extended trailers, my heart has slowly been sinking. It’s now at the pit of my stomach. Why? You’ll see.

    The Trailers

    The Teaser Trailer, released April 20 2024, gave us our first glimpse of Mufasa. It was only 1 minute 32 seconds long, and it dropped this bombshell:

    “A lion was born without a drop of nobility in his blood.”

    Red flag #1.

    The Official Trailer dropped just 4 days ago and said this:

    “Long before they became legends, Mufasa, and the prince, who would come to be known as Scar, became brothers.”

    Did you pick up on that? Not were brothers, but became.

    Red flag #2.

    Incase you’re still wondering what I’m going on about, the significance of that sentence has sent a shockwave across The Lion King cinematic universe and community. Scar and Mufasa, according to this new film, are… how do I say this? Not blood brothers. Mufasa is portrayed as an orphan. Why is this so shocking, you may ask? Well, because it’s simply not true.

    A well established backstory

    If you aren’t a hardcore Lion King fan, allow me to enlighten you.

    Mufasa and Scar (Taka) are blood brothers. They are the cubs of King Ahadi and Queen Uru. How do I know this? Uru and Ahadi are characters in the Disney story A Tale of Two Brothers published in 1994, among the other six adventures. We’ve known that they’re siblings since the 90’s!

    While we know what Ahadi looks like, Uru’s description is less concrete. Fans depict her with a brown coat, not dissimilar to Taka.

    Oh, and another thing, Mufasa doesn’t just have one drop of nobility in his blood – it flows through his veins! He comes from a long line of lion kings. His grandfather was Mohatu, a king! Even Taka has royal blood, but he is not in line for the throne, as we know from The Lion King.

    Why Disney?

    I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t you want to make Mufasa’s backstory true to the fans and to the books? It would still appeal to a new generation of Lion King fans! Imagine if a new Frozen prequel came out which revealed Elsa and Anna weren’t actually sisters. People would notice. Same for if Luke and Leia Skywalker weren’t twins.

    Why wouldn’t you want to do justice to The Lion King’s Mufasa, and do it right? It baffles me that Disney went in this direction, and it pains me to see people actually believing that Mufasa is an orphan.

    Final thoughts

    I could go on and on about this. Mufasa releases in theatres 20 December 2024. Am I going to watch it? Of course. Am I disappointed? Yeah, for sure. The writers have essentially taken Mufasa’s beloved backstory and tossed it out the window. Stay tuned for a review in December and let me know your thoughts on this!

  • Saddest Disney Deaths

    Saddest Disney Deaths

    I love Disney movies and you better believe they’ve made me cry. Why Disney? Why do you do it? Without further ado, here are just some of the saddest deaths that Disney has come up with. Let’s get into it:

    Bambi’s mum

    This is up there as one of the saddest. The pair flee a hunter, but Bambi’s mum is shot. Bambi only realises his mum isn’t behind him when he reaches a safe spot. Bambi calling out “mother” into the howling wind is heart breaking. Lost in the storm, he meets his father, who tells him, rather stoically, “your mother can’t be with you anymore”. :((((

    Tarzan’s parents

    Tarzan is one of my all time favourite movies – they just don’t make them like this anymore! Before becoming Tarzan, king of the apes, Tarzan is a defenceless baby. Luckily, he has his two parents to protect him. They have seen their fair share of tragedy. Clearly, they are a quick thinking and innovative pair, as they build a treehouse high up in the African jungle in order to survive. But as we see when Kala, Tarzan’s adoptive gorilla mother, enters the treehouse, Tarzan’s parents were no match for leopard Sabor.

    Tadashi

    Disney has this habit of creating wonderful, caring and gentle characters that the protagonist loves dearly and needs, all to be taken away too soon. Every time! Tadashi, from Big Hero 6, is one of those characters. He and his younger brother Hiro lost their parents and live with their Aunt Cass. Hiro is a genius but has lost his way, entering bot fights and narrowly avoiding trouble. Tadashi steers Hiro onto a better path – and frankly a better use of his big brain: The San Fransokyo Institue of Technology. Hiro is inspired and, after a successful presentation, he is offered a place. But then there’s a fire and Tadashi dies in the explosion. WHY??

    Mufasa

    Yup, I’m sure you were waiting for this one to come up. This scene will never not make me cry. Mufasa is King of the Pridelands. He is an enormous lion with an even bigger heart. He is wise, brave and fun-loving. He is just such a beautiful character, why Disney? Why did you have to do it? As one of my fave films, this ranks among the top for me on the sad scale.

    Sitka

    This might be a lesser known Disney character’s death. Brother Bear is the story of three boisterous brothers; Sitka, Denahi and the youngest Kenai. In a nutshell, Kenai is presented with his totem, but he is disappointed. Adding fuel to the flames, Kenai finds the salmon basket, that he was responsible for tying up into a tree, has been found by a bear. Embarrassed and angry, he goes after the bear and provokes it. It escalates to where the brothers are fending off the angered bear on top of an ice shelf. In a moment of peril, Sitka sacrifices himself to save the others. He drowns in the calving ice shelf. Another beautiful character who left too soon.

    Have any of these made you cry? Which ranks the saddest for you? And if you have anymore I’ve missed out on, let me know and I’ll do a part 2!