Inside Out 2

Well, it was at least pretty to look at.

Inside Out 2 isn't a bad film, it just wasn't entirely for me. Now in terms of expanded lore and mind mechanics the additions we got were good! The whole thread idea is rather ingenious, and the new emotions we get are logical additions when Riley hits puberty. I will admit the story is a bit ehhh, and the message is very after school special but hey other people can probably get more out of it than me. So the story goes that Riley is doing well in life and continues to be a happy girl until the night when the teenage hormones activate, then everything is thrown into chaos for our normal emotions when and I kid you not a hostile takeover occurs when the new emotions appear. They are being Embarassment, Envy, Ennui, and of course Anxiety. Leading Joy and the others to trek back to headquarters once more to keep Riley on track. Now the animation has improved a good bit and has some intriguing new setpieces to utilize, so no points deducted there. Voice cast is still very on point with Lewis Black being the standout for me comedically, and I'll give a shoutout to both the filmmakers and Kensington Tallman for giving Riley a rather unflattering teen voice showcasing that hard hit your vocals take when puberty is running rampant. I really don't want to bash the movie, cause it just doesn't deserve it but man I know they needed something to create conflict for there to even be a movie but this ain't it chief. Having Anxiety almost immediately literally eject our original emotions just feels off, now I understand for the purpose of the message and the insight of the movie it had to be done but neither are the new emotions treated like villains so it seemed too much. And like I said the overall message is almost the epitome of after school special, I'm almost surprised they didn't do an anti-drug angle. Typical stuff like be a good person, don't abandon your values for popularity, keep your friends close, etc. etc. and I know that is something some teens go through. It's not a horrible message that will do harm to anyone but it ain't really anything new. Plus the movie wiggles it's toes in the drama pool and I hate drama, and what I mean by that is emotional drama the one reason I never watch any live action television series involving teenagers or young adults. Don't have the patience for it. I get it, it has it's place in this movie, but to me it's weak. Best part of the whole damn movie which shows considerable depth is a really poignant and heartbreakingly true line, about how the older you get the less reason you have to be joyful. That nearly speared me straight through the heart, cause so much happens in a life and eventually you reach a point where you lose people, you keep having to change your lifestyle, you lose something important to you and it gets harder. But it never gets impossible. And if that's the only thing I'm taking away from this, that ain't no bad thing.  It's really just those two (albeit central) aspects that are detrimental but it isn't losing a great deal of points, and I feel people can still see it and enjoy it just fine. Can it wait till video? In my opinion yes. But all in all I give it 3 stars, 7/10!

In Retrospect: Inside Out

Alright, I'm back. Let's start this shit up.

Okay I am gonna try really hard not to be a jaded old bastard, but maaaan I haven't been to so many dark places in such a short amount of time. It's crazy to think it took almost 10 years for a sequel to Inside Out, however at the same time it makes a bit of sense cause look at it from the perspective of the kids who were anywhere between the ages of 5 to 10 who saw it the first time, they're in that hardcore teenage range or young adult age who can look back and chuckle at it all. Obviously I'm a bit beyond the time gap and indeed Inside Out made some existential and emotional crises pop up while watching but it's still enjoyable, it's beautifully animated, and it is funny at times but obviously people love this movie more on just the idea. How does your mind work? And how the film goes about explaining topics like how core memories are formed to how feelings on past events can change over time to even stupid little earworms popping up randomly is potrayed not only intelligently but charmingly. I mean I still have some serious shit to throw at Joy mainly just her bashing poor Sadness almost non-stop but it's a character arc, she betters before end credits but jeez. I mean I get it, I truly do. Oh how it is to be young and naive and not knowing how the world works! I still say the funniest part for me anyway is the red alert girl approaching joke, I nearly fell out of my chair laughing at that. Plus you know I'm older now, still just as jaded and broken as always, yet time is if nothing but a great pool of reflection and I'm not quite the same as I was when first writing that review back in 2016, so rewatching it I actually got more out of it I think. It's emotional, I think it almost follows that Soul standpoint where it's more made for older grown up folk than kids which certainly is no bad thing. So I can easily urge people even if you haven't seen this movie in awhile to give it another go. 3 stars from me, 8/10! I have no real clue where the story goes from here so I'm fairly pumped to finally see part two of this story. I don't think they'll go very far with the ahem, hey hey aspects of teendom but to see how they characterize a much more tumultous period of everybody's lives will be fascinating and no doubt entertaining to watch. Which surprise! That review will be coming out later today, true double feature style! See you soon!

Inside Out

At long last another review and of a particularly good movie.

Inside Out is an excellent film with a clever idea that brought hundreds of questions to my mind. The story follows the five main emotions: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear as they try to acclimate a young girl into her new life in San Francisco. It's just a clever idea to have personifications of raw human emotion controlling your actions. It's also slightly dark and creepy but mostly just fun. I mean they touch base on so many things everyone has experienced in their life it would take days to write it all out, so to make it short think back as early as you can remember, think of how much you have grown. Think of the people you know, think of your home, think of days long since gone yet can still be remembered. Inside Out talks about and deals with things like that and it has a very interesting message. That emotions both good and bad can mix, and moments in your life you can't take for granted. We all change, when you think about it, everything you once were gone in a flash. But that's okay, that's good, you need to keep moving so long as you remember all the people that you were. I believe that life is a pile of good things and bad things, the good things don't soften the blow of the bad things, but the bad things don't ruin the good things. You can find solace in sadness, enlightenment in fear, nostalgic memories in happiness. I will not forget one day of this. Not one moment, I swear. I will always remember when the Dude was me.