The Movie Guru: ‘The Pout-Pout Fish’ and ‘War Machine’ both for very specific audiences

‘The Pout-Pout Fish’ (in theaters)

It’s better to think of it as more of an animated storybook than a movie.

“The Pout-Pout Fish” is one of those movies that are strictly meant for little kids, sweet but ultimately too simplistic for even their older siblings. It doesn’t even try to appeal to adults, which is good on one level because it avoids the extremely jarring “for the parents” jokes that have marred other mid-level kid fare. It’s safe to put your kids in front of while you snag a few minutes to yourself, even if it’s just a quick nap in the theater.

The titular character is actually named Mr. Fish (voiced by Nick Offerman), a grumpy individual who doesn’t like anyone. When he accidentally destroys the home of a cheerful young seahorse, however, he goes on an adventure with her to try and get her home fixed. At the same time, another fish named Benji is trying to get his wish granted first.

Though it’s simplistic, there’s a potential fanbase built into the movie. It’s based on Deborah Diesen’s popular series of picture books, and does a good job bringing some of those characters to life. Benji and his storyline were created exclusively for the movie, and while they’re not bad they miss some of the sweetness of the original plots.

Offerman does an excellent job voicing the main character, giving him exactly the right grumpy but ultimately loveable energy. Oyama does a very good little kid voice, and while the movie doesn’t let her be much more than excited she and Offerman develop a fun dynamic.

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Grade: Two stars

‘War Machine’ (Netflix)

Sometimes, you don’t want something new. You want your favorite thing done in a slightly different way than last time.

If classic ’80s sci-fi was your favorite thing, then you want to check out “War Machine.” It’s basically a remix of the original “Predator,” with an extra scoop of “Top Gun” and “Terminator” thrown in. It focuses on action rather than snappy one-liners, leading to plenty of carnage and sometimes immersively brutal fight scenes. Alan Ritchson does a good job as the tough, emotionally restrained lead, even managing a little character development along the way.

The movie starts with Ritchson as a very sad, emotionally closed-off soldier in Special Forces training. When the team is attacked by a mysterious mech during a training exercise, however, he’s forced to reach past his boundaries if he wants to survive. Can he and his team defeat an unstoppable killing machine when they don’t even have any bullets in their guns?

Though it’s entertaining, the movie doesn’t quite land as well as the originals. The movie could stand to keep more information from us, adding to the danger by not answering so many questions. The ending is also a bit of a let down, leaning too much into “Top Gun” and not enough into the sci-fi inspirations.

In the right mood, though, none of that matters. This movie won’t change your life, but it does satisfy a very specific itch.

Grade: Two and a half stars

Jenniffer Wardell is an award-winning movie critic and member of the Denver Film Critics Society and the Utah Film Critics Association. Drop her a line at themovieguruslc@gmail.com.