The incorporation of different animation styles and intricate designs made each frame of this movie a visual masterpiece. I couldn’t look away from the screen in fear that I would be doing a disservice to the amount of time, effort and people it took to create such complex and detailed characters and backgrounds. In fact, this is, in my opinion, the best animated movie to exist. Accompanying the stunning animation, the plot, soundtrack and Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the movie are what truly elevated it above its predecessor. Though the beginning felt dragged out, the rest of the movie did not disappoint, containing its fair share of action, heartfelt scenes and well-timed humor. There were a few parts that seemed unnecessary, especially the 10-minute chase scene across Spider-HQ — why didn’t Miles just turn himself invisible? Regardless, it ends on a really good cliffhanger, like, so good that it makes me mad the sequel’s air date for next year has been delayed. The plot twist, along with the build up to the ending, was well-executed, and I seriously can’t believe how good Miles looks in braids, though I suppose that’s a discussion for another time. Overall, you’d be missing out if you don’t watch this movie (and no, you don’t have to watch the prequel first). A comic book come to life, this movie earns 5/5 stars.

Can we just talk about the perfect casting for a second? Because Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling were born to be Barbie and Ken. Apart from some script and pacing qualms, the outfits, visuals, color palette, set and soundtrack for this movie were absolutely mesmerizing. Billie Eilish’s song “What Was I Made For,” hit hard at the end, and there was so much pink on set, it’s no wonder they caused a global pink paint shortage. Also, I need a Mojo Dojo Casa House ASAP (do you hear me Mattel?). This movie had many take-home messages, from redefining beauty to female empowerment, though the delivery was a bit blunt at times. The scene with Barbie and the old woman on the bench was probably my favorite part of the whole movie (OK I lied, my favorite scene was watching Dua Lipa flirt with an invisible merman — no seriously, I could not see him). The “Ken War” had me dying in my DreamLounger recliner, it had no right being that ridiculous. Ryan did a phenomenal job (I’d expect nothing less). His humor and antics, not to mention, his “I’m Just Ken” song, stole the show. There were also many Easter Eggs throughout the movie, and the Bratz Dolls reference was genius. Not to mention, Barbie having an existential crisis because of men was so real. Overall, I loved the way this movie turned out, as a result, it earns 4.5/5 stars.

Oh nothing, just Tom casually dropping yet another summer masterpiece after “Top Gun: Maverick” (along with 16 motorcycles, but who’s counting?). Though, not to disregard the sheer amount of takes (and motorcycles) it took for Tom to get the perfect shot, my favorite part of the movie wasn’t the infamous cliff dive, but rather the car chase in Rome. Hayley Atwell’s driving nearly killed me — and has convinced me that she should strictly remain a passenger princess. Speaking of which, I want that yellow Fiat 500. Overall, this film was pretty much everything you would expect from a typical Mission Impossible movie, with its amazing stunts, heart pounding action sequences, ridiculous chase scenes and gripping narrative. And of course, we can always count on Benny to provide comedic relief with his impeccable sense of misdirection — you would think that after seven movies, Ethan Hunt would have learned by now to not trust Benny’s map-reading skills. Either way, this movie has proved that Ethan is simply too good for living and breathing enemies, at which point his only worthy competitor is an algorithm. Enjoyable and action-packed, this movie earns 5/5 stars.

Long. This movie was long. I entered the cinema excited to watch a Hollywood blockbuster, and left feeling like I had just come out of a three-and-a-half-hour APUSH lecture. Sorry, but I’ve never enjoyed physics in the classroom, and certainly did not need to be learning about black holes and quantum theory from Cillian Murphy. I would have been more interested in learning how Christopher Nolan managed to bring Albert back from the dead. Regardless, the movie did have its moments — I appreciated Teller’s devotion to skincare while watching the nuclear explosion. Jokes aside, this film tackled the concept of morality when it came to using weapons of mass destruction, and it’s unfortunate that great physicists like Oppenheimer were shunned for being morally sound. The sound effects, especially during the nuclear blast, were amazing. The long, stifling silence when the bomb exploded, followed by the rush of noise when the nuclear fallout occurred, gave me chills. This movie was well-written, and I can see why so many people enjoyed it. I just feel like they could have done better with the pacing, especially because the movie did feel unnecessarily dragged out. As a result, it earns 4/5 stars.

Three things I took from this movie — one, King Triton is a player, two, Sebastian needs a thorough makeover (I loved his character, but the CGI team did him dirty) and three, that “Scuttlebutt” song has got to go. I just don’t understand why Disney keeps making remakes instead of originals, but hey, they make money, and I’ll admit, they’re fun to watch. I enjoyed (most of) the soundtrack, the addition of the marketplace scene and getting to see the culture of the town. Halle Bailey sang beautifully, and I liked her twist on “Part of Your World.” However, I wish they hadn’t taken out the iconic scenes from the original, such as the fight between Sebastian and Chef Louis, Ariel in her sparkly blue dress and the “Daughters of Triton” song (also, where was Eric’s flute?). I was disappointed to see Flounder get such little screen time, while Scuttle got a lot more than what was necessary (no hate to Awkwafina, but I found Scuttle’s character unbearable). Also this might be an unpopular opinion, but I didn’t like Melissa McCarthy as Ursula. I just feel like she wasn’t able to match the energy and pizzazz as the original villain, especially during “Poor Unfortunate Souls.” I really wanted to love this movie, but it simply didn’t parallel the magic and charm of the original, therefore, it earns 3.5/5 stars