The Movie Guru: ‘Lilo & Stitch’ and ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ both flawed
Lilo & Stitch (in theaters)
Character dynamics are more delicate than people think. Change too much without thinking about how everything is connected and you can cause a lot of damage.
That’s the case with Disney’s new live-action adaptation of “Lilo & Stitch.” Lilo and Stitch are as adorable as ever, and the bond between them just as adorable, but everything else in the movie suffers. Nani and Lilo are clearly not anywhere near as close as they were in the animated original, Jumba and Pleakley aren’t half as entertaining together. Cobra Bubbles may have more screen time, but he isn’t nearly as cool. Unnecessary details were stuffed in while key character notes were missed, and the elimination of the one character and the addition of another shift things unnecessarily.
For those who don’t remember the original, a small but powerful alien on the run from the intergalactic government crash lands on Hawaii. He’s adopted by a little girl who’s being raised by her older sister, who took over custody after the recent death of her parents. The animated original also subtly but clearly highlighted the divide between tourists and native Hawaiians, a subplot that is completely eliminated in the current version.
A lot of important things are gone. The older sister’s backstory is more clearly detailed, but her imagination and open affection for her sister is gone. Jumba is turned into the main villain since Captain Gantu is gone, and his comedy dynamic with Pleakley vanishes as a result. Maia Kealoha is excellent as Lilo, but she’s the only one who has the right energy.
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Leaving the theater, all I wanted to do was go home and watch the original.
Grade: Two stars
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (in theaters)
The “Mission: Impossible” series has turned into the MCU with better action scenes.
I don’t mean that as a compliment. The once-entertaining series has become more and more inflated with every installment, with scripts that care less and less about story. What plot does exist is dependent on remembering the details of at least three other movies, sometimes years old. Even if you do remember those movies, what happens onscreen is so convoluted and nonsensical that it doesn’t really matter anyway. Characters either get pushed to the side or so overpowered they’re no longer even vaguely relatable.
And yes, “Mission: Impossible” does have some truly fantastic action scenes. But in “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” there’s not nearly enough of them.
The sequel to 2023’s “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,” this new film has an even more massively convoluted plot. Trying to explain it all would give both of us a headache, but there are only two things that really matter. An evil A.I. has formed a cult and is very close to taking over the world. Ethan Hunt, the “chosen one” (they literally refer to him as that in the movie), is the only one who can stop them.
There is one glorious moment in the movie, a battle between two prop planes where Tom Cruise once again shows off his ability to do ridiculous stunts. It will leave you breathless, and is a much better reminder of the series’ glory days than the many call backs stuffed throughout the film.
If only “Final Reckoning” could live up to it.
Grade: One and a half stars
Jenniffer Wardell is an award-winning movie critic and member of the Denver Film Critics Society. Drop her a line at themovieguruslc@gmail.com.
