Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)

 

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)

5/10

Starring

Jim Carrey

James Marsden

Tika Sumpter

Ben Schwartz (voice)

Keanu Reeves (voice)

Colleen O'Shaughnessey (voice)

Idris Elba (voice) 

Directed by Jeff Fowler

The movie is kind of boring. The best way to start this is to acknowledge that all the Sonic films are not masterpieces—they’re made for entertainment and are slowly but surely introducing characters from the game one at a time. That’s a good thing. The franchise isn’t rushing or trying to overwhelm us with too many characters at once. So far, we’ve got Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, and now the new introduction is Shadow the Hedgehog.

Shadow’s origin in the game is different from the movie. In the game, he’s a creation of genetic engineering by Professor Gerald Robotnik, the grandfather of Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik. In the movie, Shadow was contained in a meteorite that landed on Earth in 1974—50 years before the events of the film.

The movie does its best to maintain the flow with its CGI and visual effects. It has a steady pace, which makes it easy to stay focused—kudos to the director. However, I felt the story wasn’t as engaging as I would’ve liked, and maybe that’s the point. Maybe the idea is to make it simple enough for kids to follow, since adults might not be the target audience. The lack of complexity in the plot and the absence of a major thrilling reveal were noticeable. As you watch, you can pretty much guess how things will turn out. The only thing that stood out as a major surprise to me was how strong and nearly unstoppable Shadow was against Team Sonic.

Here’s the movie’s story: Around 1974, Shadow witnessed the death of Maria, Gerald Robotnik’s granddaughter. Maria was Shadow’s only connection to the human world, and he loved her. Her death was a result of GUN trying to stop her, Gerald, and Shadow from escaping. Shadow was kept in suspended animation, and Gerald was locked up, after their escape failed and Maria’s death.

Things take a turn when Shadow’s suspended state is shut down 50 years after the death of Maria, and an angry, vengeful Shadow is released into the world. He’s unstoppable and causes destruction everywhere he goes. Team Sonic (Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles) is called in to stop him, but as I mentioned earlier, he’s almost unstoppable, and they fail.

During a meeting with Commander Walters, the four of them are attacked by Dr. Ivo Robotnik’s drones, leaving Walters wounded. The team initially believes Ivo is behind the attack, but his henchman convinces them otherwise. When Ivo is informed, he decides to work with Team Sonic to find out who hijacked his drones and possibly set Shadow free.

There’s also another game at play. Gerald is free and out for revenge. He’s created a weapon he plans to use to wipe out all of humanity.

So, our team must find a way to stop Shadow and save the Earth.

In the end, the movie was a bigger box office hit than the others, so everyone should expect Sonic the Hedgehog 4. The voice acting is just as strong as in the previous movies. Jim Carrey delivers a standout performance, excelling in his dual roles.

The movie ends with the introduction of a new hedgehog: Amy Rose.

 

Back in Action (2025)

 

Back in Action (2025)

5/10

Starring

Jamie Foxx

Cameron Diaz

Andrew Scott

Kyle Chandler

 

Directed by Seth Gordon

 

 

Back in Action is Cameron Diaz’s return to acting after taking a really long hiatus of over a decade. Her last movie role was in 2014.

Now, the movie isn’t that great, but the fact that I can sit through it and not lose my mind is why I can give it a 5 and not a 3. The movie has so many issues and so many problems, but the dynamics between Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz work. The problem is everything else fails to make sense.

There’s no way you’re in a plane that’s about to crash, and you’re still fighting.

There’s no way you break into the mansion of an agent and then decide that the best course of action when you have the upper hand is to knock them out and take their children as hostages.

What was your plan when you had the upper hand?

Did you fancy them chasing after you?

Here’s the plot: Matt (Foxx) and Emily (Diaz) are agents who work for the CIA. They’ve been working together for a while and are in a relationship. Emily finds out she’s pregnant while they’re on a mission to steal a device from the bad guy (15 years ago).

They steal the device, and on their way to their safehouse, the plane crew tries to kill them. Turns out someone has sold them out. Here’s where another loose end comes out in the movie, and it seems there’s a cart-before-the-horse issue there.

Anyway, the plane is about to crash, and Emily saves Matt. They survive and decide to live their life underground. The movie skips 15 years to the present day. We don’t know how they manage to get money or build a life, but they’re living under the radar as parents to two children. One incident with their elder fourteen-year-old, and they find themselves on the internet.

Now, the bad guys know where they are and are coming after them. Matt and Emily have hidden their old lives from their children all these years, so now everything is bubbling to the surface. They’re being chased, and they need to protect themselves and their children.

The movie has a lot of effects, and the fight choreography isn’t bad in my view because I’ve seen worse. The use of stunts to make the fights seem smoother is well done, and the variety of destinations used is also well done.

The problem is how easy the story makes things look and how it creates a bottleneck, only to wriggle itself out of it without thinking far ahead. The movie plays like the writers didn’t believe you could read through a bad idea and change it. I think the director also failed in that area.

Diaz's acting in this movie was as if she never left, and Jamie Foxx delivered a strong performance to match her caliber. The child actors gave average performances, adding little depth but not detracting from the film either.

Like I said, it’s a movie you can sit through, but it’s not spectacular. It ends with an idea that there could make a sequel.

Life (1999)

Life (1999)

6/10

Starring

Eddie Murphy

Martin Lawrence

 

Directed by Ted Demme

 

 

I like Life. It’s a good movie with an amazing soundtrack, but also a sad one that reflects how things were in the '70s, where being Black and in the wrong place at the wrong time could land you in serious trouble. It’s not that things have changed drastically now, but being Black back then was far worse than it is today.

This is a comedy, and at the time of its release, Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence were household names. Pairing them together in a movie seemed like a surefire way to bring in box-office success, but this film wasn’t a commercial hit, even though it was a critical one measurably. It’s easy to see why when you watch it—it’s a comedy, but a bittersweet one. The writing is fantastic, and the plot is incredibly engaging because you’re hooked on seeing how these two characters will find a way out of the mess they’re in. It is well directed, with dialogues that keep you smiling and never letting you down.

The movie’s plot is framed as a story told by a fellow inmate about two friends, Ray (Eddie Murphy) and Claude (Martin Lawrence), who were wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
We learn that they didn’t start off as friends. They were brought together by circumstances beyond their control—basically, a string of bad luck. Ray and Claude were supposed to clear their individual debts by working for a gangster to smuggle illegal alcohol.

During the job, the two get sidetracked, and Ray loses his watch to a hustler. When they try to leave, they find the hustler dead, and before they can say a word, they’re framed for his murder.
They’re sentenced to life with hard labor. Knowing they’re innocent, Ray and Claude refuse to just sit back and rot in jail. They start working on escape plans, none of which succeed. They even try to do things the legit way by helping a promising baseball player, but that doesn’t work either.

Stuck in prison with no hope of getting out, the two eventually stop talking to each other. After years of silence, with Ray still scheming to escape, they finally decide to reconnect.
This reconciliation doesn’t happen easily, but how they rebuild their friendship and navigate life in prison is something you’ll have to see for yourself.

As I said, the movie is sad, though some might see the ending as happy. For me, it was bittersweet.

A League of Their Own (1992)

A League of Their Own (1992)

8/10

 

Starring

Tom Hanks

Geena Davis

Madonna

Lori Petty

 

Directed by Penny Marshall

 

Some movies deserve their due, and A League of Their Own stands tall as one of the ’90s’ finest gems. I’m still buzzing from the infectious energy, heartfelt drama, and powerhouse performances this film delivers.

With a knockout cast—Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna, and Rosie O’Donnell—it’s a masterclass in acting, guided by Penny Marshall’s sharp, empathetic direction. While I’m not entirely sure how closely it sticks to real history, I know it’s a fictionalized take on the origins of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). And honestly? It works. The movie struck gold both critically and commercially, backed by a pitch-perfect score. You can’t sit through this movie and not walk away with a smile.

Set during World War II, the film explores how Major League Baseball faced collapse with so many men off at war. To keep the sport alive and fill the stands, team owners launched an all-female league.

The heart of the film lies in the rivalry between sisters Dottie (Geena Davis) and Kit (Lori Petty). Dottie, the naturally gifted catcher, radiates calm confidence, while Kit’s fiery determination masks her insecurity. Their dynamic crackles: Kit’s relentless drive to outshine her sister clashes with Dottie’s quieter resolve. And Kit only makes the cut because Dottie negotiated for her to be there—a detail that later fuels their tension even further.

Then we have Tom Hanks as Jimmy Dugan, a washed-up MLB star turned reluctant coach, delivering the now-iconic line: “There’s no crying in baseball!” The women face hurdles both on and off the diamond—societal judgment, personal sacrifices, and the pressure to prove themselves in a man’s world.

What I adore is how the film celebrates choice. Some characters embrace independence; others yearn for traditional roles.

That said, A League of Their Own is a great movie, but it’s not without its flaws. The pacing can be a bit off, with some scenes dragging while others speed through important moments. A few characters, though entertaining, feel more like background players without much depth. The sibling rivalry, while a key part of the story, sometimes takes up so much focus that the larger struggles of the league feel sidelined. And while the movie keeps things light and fun, it smooths over some of the tougher realities these women actually faced, making it feel a bit too polished at times.

To me, this movie is a love letter to resilience and sisterhood.

I highly recommend watching this if you haven’t already.

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)

 

3/10

Starring

Jim Carrey

 

Directed by Steve Oedekerk

 

If a movie that costs $15 million makes more than eight times its production cost at the box office, you can bet any Hollywood studio will greenlight a sequel. The first Ace Ventura raked in so much money that it was inevitable they’d try it again. The problem? They rushed out a sequel the very next year with a poorly developed script, answering the question we all had: “Is there such a thing as too much Ventura?”
What’s surprising is that this sequel cost twice as much to produce and also made nearly twice as much at the box office, so it was technically a success. The studio wanted to continue, but Carrey did not want to make anymore sequels to the franchise.

When you’re an eccentric on-screen detective who solves cases by stumbling onto solutions like a bumbling fool, that schtick can only work once. Jim Carrey delivered the best performance he could to carry this movie, but it wasn’t enough to make it as good as the first one. His eccentric acting overshadowed the other performances, and the director could’ve done a better job managing that. Additionally, the pacing and tone were off at times.
In this sequel, Ventura is tasked with finding a sacred white bat named Shikaka. The catch? Ventura is terrified of bats.
He travels to a fictional place called Nibia to locate the bat and stop a tribal war between the Wachati and the Wachootoo.

I have to pause here and say, this movie felt insulting. I couldn’t get past how the tribes were portrayed. One of my biggest issues with this film is how it depicted Black people. Even as a kid, I didn’t like it, but watching it now, I detest it with a passion.
As a Black man living in the U.K., I’ve had people act surprised that I can hold a pen and write legibly in English. Movies like this perpetuate the stereotype that Africa is a place where people don’t understand technology or modern life, as if we’re still stuck in the past, wearing leaves and living in huts.

Anyway, back to the plot. Ventura has to eliminate suspects while living among the tribes.
He befriends one of the princes and is constantly pursued by a princess.
How he finds the bat, uncovers the abductors, and stops the tribal war is something you’ll have to watch the movie to find out. But honestly? Skip this one. It doesn’t do justice to the character of Ventura, and its portrayal of Black people is deeply offensive.

One thing I have to say is, I am surprised that this franchise has not gotten a reboot yet. There are many other stories they can explore, and I think the fear is, how will a very sensitive generation of today, handle the way this movie character plays onscreen

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

7/10

 Starring

Jim Carrey

Sean Young

Courteney Cox

 

Directed by Tom Shadyac

 

For kids growing up in the '90s, comedies were a blast, and Jim Carrey owned the era with movies like The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, and later, Liar Liar. We were young, and we loved every minute of it.
The premise of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is what makes it so hilarious. It’s so far-fetched that you might wonder how anyone could take it seriously, but somehow, it works as a genuinely funny movie.

Yes, the character Ace Ventura is a pet detective. He’s eccentric, over-the-top, and specializes in solving cases involving animals.
The main plot revolves around the Miami Dolphins’ mascot, a bottlenose dolphin named Snowflake, who’s stolen just weeks before the Super Bowl.
Ventura is hired to solve the case before the big game.

The movie plays out like a classic private detective story—hated by the police, with only one officer, Detective Lois Einhorn, seemingly on his side.
His investigations are wild and chaotic, which makes up for the lack of method in his routine. He checks a shark tank, interrogates players, and suspects practically everyone. Eventually, he stumbles upon a key suspect he couldn’t find earlier, piecing together clues to reveal that someone isn’t who they claim to be.

The movie is like a monkey on steroids, jumping from one absurd scenario to another, throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks.
In the end, we’re left with a hilarious resolution to the case.

The film was a box-office success, earning over $100 million from a $15 million production budget.
This success led Jim Carrey to sign on for a sequel, despite claiming he doesn’t like doing sequels. But judging by Dumb and Dumber To and his involvement in the Sonic the Hedgehog movies, it seems that stance has changed.

This is a fun movie to watch anytime, but be warned: you’re in for an eccentric Jim Carrey performance. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective leans entirely on Jim Carrey’s wild performance—hilarious to many but over-the-top to the point of exhaustion for some. The slapstick humor and juvenile jokes haven’t aged well, especially with certain gags and how some characters are handled. While the plot is fun, it’s really just a setup for Carrey’s antics rather than a solid mystery, making it feel a bit flimsy at times.
Back in the day, there was even an animated Ace Ventura series where he solved more cases and did even more over-the-top antics. If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth checking out!

The movie production must have been a blast, and it’s impossible to watch this film without realizing that Jim Carrey likely improvised a lot of his lines. He was even allowed to help rewrite some scenes and dialogue.
What’s also fun to know is that when casting wasn’t going as planned, the filmmakers considered rewriting the script to turn Ventura into a woman and cast Whoopi Goldberg in the role. Imagine how different that would’ve been!

Clue (1985)

Clue (1985)

7/10

Starring

Eileen Brennan

Tim Curry

Madeline Kahn

Christopher Lloyd

Michael McKean

Martin Mull

Lesley Ann Warren

 

Directed by Jonathan Lynn

 

 

Clue is a masterclass in comedy—a dark comedy about a murder where everyone is a suspect, and no one can prove their innocence. This alone keeps you glued to the screen, wondering what else could possibly go wrong.
Before diving into what makes this movie amazing, you should know it’s based on the board game of the same name. With that in mind, the film was made with multiple possible endings, adding to the fun.
I remember watching this movie as a kid and being frustrated that there wasn’t one definitive ending. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve gained a deeper appreciation for it and have watched it countless times since.

Filled with great acting and a lineup of top-tier actors, this black comedy is a marvelous ride.
The plot revolves around six strangers invited to a secluded mansion, where they’re greeted by a butler, Wadsworth (played by Tim Curry), and a maid. Each guest is given a pseudonym (Colonel Mustard, Mrs. White, Mrs. Peacock, Mr. Green, Professor Plum, and Miss Scarlet) to hide their identity from the others. They were all sat at the dining for dinner and soon, they’re joined by a man named Mr. Boddy, who happens to be blackmailing every one of them.

After a tense meeting at the dining, Wadsworth prepares to call the police to arrest Boddy. But Boddy threatens to expose the guests if they don’t kill Wadsworth instead. Suddenly, the lights go out, and when they come back on, Boddy is dead.
Now, the guests, along with Wadsworth and the maid, must investigate to find out who the killer is.

Things quickly spiral out of control. It turns out Wadsworth was trying to get Boddy to confess so he could turn him in to the police. As the group argues and moves around the house, they discover that the cook (not the maid) has also been killed. Then, Boddy turns up dead again—apparently, he wasn’t fully dead the first time.
All this confusion keeps you hooked as the group tries to figure out which among them is the killer.

Despite its brilliance, Clue was a box-office flop, failing to recoup its production costs. But like me, many people have watched it over a hundred times, making it a home video success and earning it a cult following.
I can confidently say you’ll love this movie and appreciate the artistry behind it, from the cinematography to the effects.

As much as I like this movie, Clue’s main weakness is that it moves fast, with quick dialogues. This fast pace can make you miss some of the jokes or key details. The multiple endings, while fun, can feel gimmicky, some viewers may not like it, and would have preferred a single/simple conclusion.

Mufasa: The Lion King (2024)

Mufasa: The Lion King (2024)

6/10

Starring the voices of

Aaron Pierre

Kelvin Harrison Jr.

Seth Rogen

Billy Eichner

 

Directed by Barry Jenkins

The Lion King has been one of Disney’s most profitable properties. They’ve made movies, stage plays, and this is the second CGI adaptation of the story. This movie serves as a prequel to Simba's story in both The Lion King animation and the 2019 remake. At the same time, it’s also a sequel to the 2019 remake, as it unfolds as a story told by Rafiki to Simba’s daughter about how Mufasa became king.

The music from the 1994 animation is iconic, and for us kids of the '90s, it’s timeless. Some of the original score (not the songs) is reused here, which adds a nostalgic touch when you hear it.

The movie isn’t grand. While it’s not a bad watch, I personally feel Disney didn’t need to make it. That said, it doesn’t harm the franchise in any way. The original animation had direct-to-VHS sequels that also didn’t damage its legacy. The truth is, no matter how hard Disney tries, the 1994 animation stands head and shoulders above the rest as the best entry in this franchise.

Here is the plot: Simba and Nala have to travel to an oasis so Nala can give birth. They leave their daughter in the care of Timon and Pumbaa, who are tasked with watching over her until they return.

The duo decides to tell her a story, but when Rafiki joins them, he takes over and begins narrating the tale of how Mufasa became king.

The story starts with a young Mufasa getting separated from his family during a flood. Unable to escape the rushing water, he is carried far away from home and eventually saved by another young lion named Taka. Taka is destined to become the leader of his pride when he grows up. However, bringing another male lion into the pride angers Taka’s father. Mufasa avoids being killed thanks to Taka and Taka’s mother, Eshe, who intervenes.

Mufasa grows up in Taka’s pride, learning how to hunt and track under Eshe’s guidance. One day, Eshe and Mufasa are attacked by two white lions. Mufasa kills one of them, while the other escapes. It’s revealed that these white lions are led by a ruthless lion named Kiros, who aims to become the overall king by destroying all other prides. The lion Mufasa killed turns out to be Kiros’ son and heir, prompting Kiros to hunt Mufasa for revenge.

To protect the pride, Eshe sends Taka away and tells Mufasa to stay with him and protect him, knowing the white lions will soon attack.

Mufasa and Taka go on the run, pursued by Kiros and his white lions. During their journey, they meet Sarabi (Simba’s future mother and Mufasa’s future wife) and her hornbill scout, Zazu. They are later joined by a young Rafiki, and together they head toward an oasis called Milele.

The voice actors in this movie actually tried. They were able to get me to focus and connect with the characters. It’s a nice film to watch, but as I said, it doesn’t add anything spectacular or bring out any fun that was missing from The Lion King story.