Mixed Bags: The Garfield Movie, Haikyuu!! The Movie, and Anora Reviewed

A review of The Garfield Movie, Haikyuu!! The Movie: Decisive Battle at the Garbage Dump, and Anora, exploring their strengths and weaknesses.
Mixed Bags: The Garfield Movie, Haikyuu!! The Movie, and Anora Reviewed

The Garfield Movie: A Foul Feline Origin Tale

The makers of The Garfield Movie have committed a grave mistake. They have misunderstood the essence of the lovable cartoon cat, stripping him of his integral traits and replacing them with marketable, trendy features. The result is a film that is more concerned with product placement than storytelling.

Garfield’s charm lies in his ill temperament, cynical outlook, sedentary lifestyle, and self-interest. Any depiction that deviates from these qualities ceases to be Garfield. Unfortunately, the movie takes creative liberties, softening his rough edges and making him more relatable to modern audiences.

Garfield’s love for lasagna is one of his defining characteristics.

The film’s focus on cuteness and marketability is evident in its animation style, which gives Garfield larger eyes and a smaller mouth. This rebranding of the beloved character is a disservice to Jim Davis’s original creation.

Haikyuu!! The Movie: Decisive Battle at the Garbage Dump

The popular anime franchise has finally received a feature film, but it’s a rushed and condensed adaptation of the manga. The movie tries to cram 33 chapters into 85 minutes, resulting in a lack of context and character development.

The film assumes the audience is intimately familiar with the anime’s first four seasons, which aired in 2020. It provides no background information, making it inaccessible to newcomers. The story follows the titular Battle at the Garbage Dump between Karasuno High and Nekoma High, but the pacing is too fast, and the characters are glossed over.

The film’s volleyball sequences are exhilarating, but the story suffers from its rushed adaptation.

Anora: A Heartbreaking yet Hilarious Class Comedy

Sean Baker’s Anora is a brilliant comedy that starts as a fantasy romp before taking a laugh-out-loud funny turn. Mikey Madison shines as Anora, a 23-year-old Russian-American stripper who marries into a wealthy family.

The film is a heartwarming and hilarious exploration of class and identity. Anora’s journey is both heartbreaking and uplifting, making for a compelling watch.

Mikey Madison gives an all-time performance as Anora.