KIDS FIRST! News

If an Earthling goes to Mars, who’s the alien? Civil War veteran John Carter has amazing powers in an environment inhabited by creatures twice his size when he’s transported to that distant planet. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures’ theatrical release brings to the screen another epic adventure from the same creative imagination that gave us the well-beloved Tarzan series, Edgar Rice Burroughs. John Carter is based on Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars, which predated Tarzan in publication by mere months but has taken much longer to make it to the screen. KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Gabriella Chu, age 15, shares insights on both the story and the film adaptation.

John Carter
Reviewed by Gabriella Chu
(See her full review on video.)

From Disney’s latest $250-million-film comes the exhilarating 3-D adventure of John Carter. This movie is based on the first of 11 novels of the series series A Princess of Mars, written about a century ago by Edgar Rice Burroughs. In this film, John Carter is a Civil War veteran who finds a medallion that teleports him to Mars. There, he makes allies and foes with the aliens he encounters and falls in love with the princess of Helium. At the same time, massive war is occurring between the aliens, so Mars is in a chaotic state, and there is also an antagonist who tries to use schemes to put Carter back on Earth. Can John Carter manage to stay with his princess despite these obstacles?

Writer and director Andrew Stanton wrote the magnificent screenplays for Toy Story 1, 2 and 3; Wall-E; and Finding Nemo; but John Carter is not one of his best works. Some parts are not well rendered and a bit corny, but I did enjoy the ending of the film because it is interesting and unpredictable, and I am sure this movie will become very popular. I also liked the main theme of the movie regarding to cultural differences. The movie shows how different the norms and appearances are for aliens on Mars compared to people on Earth, yet it is universal for both life forms to have good intentions.

The CGI animation is also impressive, for it details even on the smallest of aspects. Its vividness combined with the 3-D makes the movie pop to life, particularly during the action scenes. The CGI animation is very compatible with movies such as Avatar and Planet of the Apes. The cinematography is also beautiful since the landscape of the film is set in the desert, which makes the movie more interesting to me since I rarely see action scenes occur in such an isolated, dry and hot place.

As for the actors, all of them performed their roles well, but I think Taylor Kitsch was especially well suited to his heroic character John Carter.

I recommend this movie to teens 13 and older because there are a few violent scenes. The movie is a great family film, especially for tweens and some teens. Overall, the movie is an entertaining cinematic experience. There is a myriad of action scenes and the entire film is in 3-D, which adds a lot of depth and makes the movie seem realistic. You will definitely be thrilled if you’re into science fiction movies and video games. Watch John Carter, as it is out in theaters now!

“There is so much action in the movie that people might love,” says KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Anthony Aranda (age 9) in his review (below). But this anime film from Studio Ghibli in Japan (released theatrically in the U.S. by Walt Disney Studios) has even more to recommend it: the quiet and slow-paced moments that lend the film greater persuasion as it captures the honest details of life all around us. Not to mention its impact of juxtaposing the miniature world of Arrietty’s family with the “normal” world of the family whose house they inhabit, all built with recognizable, real items we see (or overlook) in our homes every day. Bridgit Mendler, Will Arnett, David Henrie and Amy Poehler are some of the voices that bring life to this screenplay co-written by Hayao Miyazaki from Mary Norton’s novel, The Borrowers.

The Secret World of Arrietty
Reviewed by Anthony Aranda
(See his full review on video.)

Hello everyone. My name is Anthony Aranda from Kids First!  and I am reviewing a movie called The Secret World of Arrietty. This movie is amazing — there is so much action in the movie that people might love.

This movie is all about a kid visiting his grandma’s house and she says there are living people in the house who are as tiny as a mouse. That’s where Arrietty comes in, along with her mom, dad and a friend of hers named Spiller. Spiller saw Arrietty’s dad was hurt so he brought him back home. But they have to move because the boy who came saw Arrietty — and they can never be seen by the big people, who might look for all of them and capture them.

Some of the main characters in the movie are Arrietty, her dad and mom, the boy and his grandma. My favorite character is Arrietty’s mom because she’s so funny. I like Arrietty, also, because she wants to be a borrower just like her dad but she messes up and the boy sees her so they have to move.

I would recommend this movie for all ages because it’s really good for everyone. There are not any scary parts and the adults might know the story from when they were a kid (The Borrowers). Go out and see this movie in theaters today.

Photos: The Secret World of Arrietty poster (top), Anthony Aranda (bottom)

A mythical island with beasts of surprising size (fist-sized elephants and train-sized centipedes) is the setting for a Treasure Island-like adventure that will be released in theaters Feb. 10. Fourteen-year-old Blake Hawes, one of the winners of the 2012 KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Search, thoroughly delves into the story and its presentation in his sensitive and observant review (below) of the film. The understanding stood him well, also, as he sat down with stars Josh Hutcherson, Vanessa Hudgens, Dwayne Johnson and Luis Guzman on location in Hawaii to get them to share their experiences filming the movie (on video for KIDS FIRST!).

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
Reviewed by Blake Hawes
(See his full review on video.)

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is a fun and entertaining movie and offers some brilliant eye candy in some of the most impressive action scenes. Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) has a new man in his life, his stepfather Hank (Dwayne Johnson). This movie is more about the relationship between Sean and Hank than a mindless cliché adventure movie. Sean grew up with a lot of loss of loved ones and people coming in and out of his life. Sean has trust issues with his new stepdad and doesn’t want to get too close to him, for he’s afraid that he’ll leave him due to his unfortunate past. Hank wants to play a bigger role in Sean’s life and hopes to finally make a bond between them.

Then they uncover the mystery of the Mysterious Island and go on an adventure to find Sean’s long-lost grandfather (Michael Caine). The only way to get to the island is by flying by helicopter. The quirky and fun tour guide (Luis Guzmán) is the comic relief in this huge journey. His daughter Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens) is Sean’s love interest in the movie. The plot itself is easy to understand for younger audiences and it is fun to see how it plays out in the end. The movie is chockfull of massive set pieces, which all are creatively brought to life by cinematography and editing.

Hudgens doesn’t deliver the most believable performance of her career because of the fact that she acts more like a big-city girl than a hardened islander of their destination. But all in all, she has great chemistry between Hutcherson in the movie, and should be commended for it. Guzmán however, delivers some tongue-in-cheek jokes throughout the film. He’ll offer a couple of chuckles throughout the movie for older viewers, but most of his jokes will appeal to the younger audience.

I like this movie because of its frantic action sequences and surprisingly well-suited soundtrack. This movie may be scary for younger viewers at points such as the lizard chase sequences. The intensity and the importance of the given situation during the final act of the movie gives the audience a very good reason to sit on the edge of their seats. Overall, I think the movie is very entertaining and has many great moments. I give it eight out of ten stars.

Photos: Journey 2: The Mysterious Island poster (top), Blake Hawes with Vanessa Hudgens (bottom)

A mythical island with beasts of surprising size (fist-sized elephants and train-sized centipedes) is the setting for a Treasure Island-like adventure that will be released in theaters Feb. 10. Fourteen-year-old Blake Hawes, a finalist in the 2012 KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Search (winners to be announced next week), thoroughly delves into the story and its presentation in his sensitive and observant review of the film.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
Reviewed by Blake Hawes
(See his full review on video.)

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is a fun and entertaining movie and offers some brilliant eye candy in some of the most impressive action scenes. Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) has a new man in his life, his stepfather Hank (Dwayne Johnson). This movie is more about the relationship between Sean and Hank than a mindless cliche adventure movie. Sean grew up with a lot of loss of loved ones and people coming in and out of his life. Sean has trust issues with his new stepdad and doesn’t want to get too close to him, for he’s afraid that he’ll leave him due to his unfortunate past. Hank wants to play a bigger role in Sean’s life and hopes to finally make a bond between them.

Then they uncover the mystery of the Mysterious Island and go on an adventure to find Sean’s long-lost grandfather (Michael Caine). The only way to get to the island is by flying by helicopter. The quirky and fun tour guide (Luis Guzmán) is the comic relief in this huge journey. His daughter Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens) is Sean’s love interest in the movie. The plot itself is easy to understand for younger audiences and it is fun to see how it plays out in the end. The movie is chockfull of massive set pieces, which all are creatively brought to life by cinematography and editing.

Hudgens doesn’t deliver the most believable performance of her career because of the fact that she acts more like a big-city girl than a hardened islander of their destination. But all in all, she has great chemistry between Hutcherson in the movie, and should be commended for it. Guzmán however, delivers some tongue-in-cheek jokes throughout the film. He’ll offer a couple of chuckles throughout the movie for older viewers, but most of his jokes will appeal to the younger audience.

I like this movie because of its frantic action sequences and surprisingly well-suited soundtrack. This movie may be scary for younger viewers at points such as the lizard chase sequences. The intensity and the importance of the given situation during the final act of the movie gives the audience a very good reason to sit on the edge of their seats. Overall, I think the movie is very entertaining and has many great moments. I give it eight out of ten stars.

Photos: Journey 2: The Mysterious Island poster (top), Blake Hawes with Dwayne Johnson (bottom)

Sure, you enjoyed the film when Disney’s Buena Vista Pictures released it 20 years ago, but now get ready to enjoy it in a whole new way. Newly tricked out in 3-D, the animated classic that spawned a live musical that took Broadway by storm is hitting the theaters for a fresh run this month as Walt Disney Studios gives it both a theatrical and DVD release. Nine-year-old KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Anthony Aranda, who’s seen Beauty and the Beast in both dimensionalities, shares what the 3-D adds to the experience.

Anthony and his fellow 2011 KIDS FIRST! youth film critics have had a great year reviewing films and interviewing celebrities. Video reviews from all the hopefuls for 2012 are posted on our partner site WonderWorldTV. Be sure to vote – voting ends this weekend, at midnight, Jan. 15.

Beauty and the Beast
Reviewed by Anthony Aranda
(See his full review on video.)

This movie is being re-released in theaters in 3-D! It was very cool to see this in 3-D since I had already seen this movie at home in 2-D. The 3-D effects add a lot to the movie.

The movie is all about Belle, who finds out her father was taken by a Beast and she sets out to save him. She decides to take her father’s place as the Beast’s prisoner so that her father can go free. Belle will have to stay at the castle for the rest of her life. Belle starts to get to know the Beast and realizes he isn’t so bad after all. There is an enchantment on the castle, and if the Beast doesn’t learn to love another and have that person return the love then he will stay a Beast forever and everyone in the castle will also stay the way they are. 

Some of the main characters in the movie are Belle, Belle’s father, the Beast and Gaston. My favorite character is Chip. He is Mrs. Potts’ son and he is a little teacup. I like him because he is super funny and so tiny and cute. At the end, he says a really funny catchphrase to make people laugh. Chip says, “Do I still have to sleep in the cupboard?” even though he already turned back into a boy. I thought that was really funny. 

The re-release of this movie in 3-D is really cool. You can really feel like you can reach out and touch the trees and the castle in the movie. The Beast in 3-D is pretty scary at first (scarier in 3-D than he was in 2-D). Also, when they sing “Be Our Guest,” that whole scene is really cool because all the dishes and silverware are singing and dancing and that looks really cool in 3-D. During the fight scene at the end of the movie when the townspeople break into the castle, the clock is coming down the stairs and it looks like he is flying right at me. They do really good job.

I recommend this movie for all ages because the scary parts in the movie aren’t that bad. The Beast may scare some younger kids but only for a minute, and throughout the movie they learn that he is really nice after all. It is also really funny. Go out and see the re-release of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast in 3-D on January 13.  

Photos: Beauty and the Beast poster (top), Anthony Aranda (bottom)