The Secret Life of Pets (2016)

The Secret Life of Pets (2016)
Rating: ★★★
Nov 21, 2016Animation/Talking Animals
I really enjoyed Illumination Entertainment's debut film Despicable Me but thereafter they just seemed to slip into formula and following what every other animation studio is. Despite low initial enthusiasm, they regain their form here, doing nothing radically out of the ordinary but producing a modestly engaging work

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
Rating: ★★
Mar 25, 2018Trapped Inside a Jungle-Themed Videogame
You are not sure if this is a sequel or a remake of Jumanji. The original's boardgame has been far less interestingly turned into a videogame that sucks the players inside. The adventure elements are routine but the film's unexpected strengths are its comedic bodyswapped characters

Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)

Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
Rating: ★★
Mar 7, 2020Trapped Inside a Videogame
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, the reboot of the 90s Jumanji, was a box-office success. That mandated a sequel. The central problem is where exactly does a film about characters sucked inside a videogame go with its premise?

The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019)

The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019)
Rating: ★★★
Sep 8, 2019Animation/Talking Animals
Illumination's The Secret Life of Pets came with a winning concept - a Garfield like series of wry observations on humanity by pets - and this is one amongst the current plague of animated sequels that emerges equally likably