Bubblegum Crash (1991)

 

Taking place one year after the events of the original OVA series 'Bubblegum Crisis', we find that the superheroic Knight Sabers have disbanded and gone their separate ways, leaving MegaTokyo at the hands of crime and corruption. But predictably this situation cannot last, so the girls must regroup and get back into the firing line. So essentially, we have three more episodes of more of the same, just a little dumbed down this time.

So the first main difference here is, in 'Crisis' we got eight episodes that ranged in length. This time we get a mere three episodes, but all three are around 50 minutes long. The second main difference is the plot; in Crisis we got eight different stories set in the same time period and locations. Almost like an anthology. Here in 'Crash' the three episodes are just about in continuity and form an entire movie split into three parts. Is this better or worse? Well that depends on you, myself? I prefer the anthology style a little more because there's more scope for different stories and they are more easily digestible.

The first part sees the AD Police in MegaTokyo struggling to combat a team of bank robbers in power suits. The criminals (under instruction of a mastermind) are after special AI components that can make Boomers more Human-like. After seeing how the four main female protagonists have been getting on since splitting, they eventually reunite as the Knight Sabers to battle the threat. The second part sees one of the company's (Zone) researchers go rogue, killing his team and stealing the latest AI technology, 'Adama', a very Human-like Boomer in terms of speech and behaviour. And the third part sees a virus infect all Boomers citywide, causing them to attack Humans. Turns out this virus was unleashed by an old enemy back from the dead.

Now, I'm not a fanboy of this franchise, nor do I know all the ins and outs of the stories, but the original series was clearly much darker and more violent than this follow-up. You could almost say that the original series was simply more adult-themed than this sequel. Now this is not to say that I disliked this sequel series, no Sir, but for whatever reason, this was a much lighter tone overall with less violence and even comedic moments. Admittedly I did find the original series to be a bit too close to certain Hollywood sci-fi movies in terms of visuals and whatnot, but it definitely packed a punch. 

This time around, a lot of the movie feels more like a standard Hollywood action flick with moments of buddy-cop camaraderie. The first and second parts heavily revolve around the rogue group 'the illegal army' who are trying to steal top-secret AI tech. This merely felt like watered-down cops and robbers in mech suits, whereas the actual Boomers in the second part clearly take a lot of influence from 'The Terminator'. It's funny how all the evil Boomers are square-jawed, good-looking, buff guys that look like a mix of Schwarzenegger, Dolph Lundgren, and Michael Biehn. A lot of it feels like 'Universal Soldier' too, but obviously that came a year later.

The second part also introduces the new super AI child-like Boomer Adama, which comes across like something out of a Spielberg movie or a Disney animation (the eyes). At the same time, rogue Zone researcher Dr. Yuri looks suspiciously like Sting at his blonde peak. His huge combat Boomer being another generic spider-like tank (this future isn't overly inventive in the design department). The third part kicks off with the very unoriginal concept of a virus corrupting all Boomers, making them go dangerously insane (minus any actual on-screen bloody violence). Unfortunately, it soon devolves into a massive battle against a huge, highly generic, tentacled, bio-mechanical, cybernetic monster in downtown MegaTokyo. I feel like all sci-fi anime movies have something like this at some point.

Despite these complaints, the movie still looks beautiful. The plot and tone might have taken a dip here but the visuals certainly haven't. Maybe they aren't quite as sharp as the original, but overall the science fiction all looks authentic and super cool. The action is smooth, slick, and puts many live-action offerings to shame. The sound effects are also as good as you have come to expect from anime action. Personally, I love all the gun sound effects, reloading, ricochets, impacts etc...The originality may be lacking but the artwork and animation certainly aren't.

So, in terms of whether this was good or not, yes it is good. Whilst it doesn't have the same tone as the original, I think I actually preferred this sequel in terms of engagement and understanding. Yes this sequel is a bit watered-down, but I just found it a bit easier to get into; the plot didn't feel as in-depth and political, which just made the whole thing chug along more smoothly for me. Although I can't deny that the return of one character felt cheap, his master plan felt Saturday-morning cartoonish, and the resort to body horror with big monsters felt totally out of place when compared to the original Blade Runner-esque scope. Nonetheless, this is most definitely a highly polished science fiction romp with plenty to get your teeth into.

7/10

Bubblegum Crisis (1987 - 1991)

Now I'm no anime connoisseur, but I have seen quite a few movies now (mostly bigger, well-known titles), and I have definitely come to appreciate them a whole lot more as a fully grown sensible adult (ahem). Back in the day, for me, these movies were more of a foreign oddity that I didn't really get on board with, although I did fully appreciate the animation, having grown up with some classic cartoons in that gorgeous anime style.

So enough dithering, what the heck is this all about? And what's with the typically quirky title? Well, as for the title, it refers to actual bubblegum and its elasticity. The way bubblegum can stretch and stretch, or expand, until it eventually breaks and/or pops. This is a metaphor for the breaking point of a society in crisis, hence the name. Odd metaphor if you ask me, I mean I get it but... it's still kinda random.

As for the actual feature here, this isn't a movie (I wasn't aware of this), this is actually a short series made up of eight episodes, each with its own short story. The overall arc of this series is a single continuous story, or continuity, but each episode stands alone. So there is a central plot through-line, but at the same time, each episode is its own little story. There is a chronological timeline here, with enemy-of-the-week plots. Personally, I like that, I do like 'monster-of-the-week' type series as I think it's easier to digest overall, you don't get lost, and each episode is an easier watch on its own. I hate having to do homework for a TV series or having to try and recall what has gone before.

This series doesn't really offer anything in terms of originality in our present day. The story is set in a neon-soaked futuristic Tokyo 2032 where a group of female mercs (Knight Sabers, cheesy I know) don mech-type armour suits, or a kind of superhero-esque exoskeleton, and fight crime alongside the A.D. (Advanced) Police. The crime in question mostly comes from a manufactured group of biomechanical androids that constantly go rogue. These androids (called Boomers for some reason) are made by a mega company called Genom, which manufactures them for heavy labour around the dystopian city of Mega Tokyo. But, as mentioned, these androids often go wrong, or glitch, and are often taken advantage of by criminals. Being biomechanical androids, they also tend to evolve and break their programming.

It did make me think why these androids are used so much in this world when they keep going wrong so much. They are developed to replace Human hard labour, but it seems they often go haywire, and it often leads to much destruction and death! Plus, criminals often get hold of them and use them for their own nefarious purposes. You'd think the powers that be would put a stop to it, but I guess the power and influence of Genom outweigh everything else. 

So, the plot isn't very original these days, and to be honest, it wasn't back in 1987 either. It is no surprise that this series was heavily influenced by Ridley Scott's 'Blade Runner' for the most part, but also James Cameron's 'Terminator', 'Robocop', and the 1984 movie 'Streets of Fire'. You can absolutely see all this influence throughout this series from the multitude of details within Mega Tokyo, the Boomers (replicants), the way characters interact with each other etc...I should also point out the sound bites taken from (I think) Cameron's 'Aliens' here and there.

It's all very familiar, but a first for animation at the time. At the same time, you can easily see how this manga series influenced many franchises going forward, especially the mech suits. The entire notion of a team of quirky females in super-powered suits was also a bit of a groundbreaker back in the day. Whilst the background characters tend to be more typically masculine and stereotypical of the action flick genre, the female leads were quite a progressive angle that manga often embraced long before Hollywood. Although, it must be said, the women are a very standard, predictable roster. The super-rich benefactor. The rebellious singer and biker. The super-athletic aerobics instructor, and lastly, the obligatory tech expert.

As expected, the episodes do vary in quality, naturally. The plots revolve around kidnappings, rescues, assassinations, crime bosses, deception, and espionage. All typical stories you could probably have guessed would be here. Whilst all episodes are adult-oriented, some do have a more Saturday morning cartoon vibe about them. For example, one episode sees a vengeful loner mod his muscle car (or augment it with thought-controlled cybernetic hardware) to battle biker gangs, but said car eventually develops sentience. Another sees the Knight Sabers having to deal with a group of impersonators that are causing chaos, whilst another sees a vengeful (common theme) popstar arriving in Mega Tokyo, causing yet more chaos. The first three episodes are more of a trilogy that establishes this dark world and its various characters. The final episode takes a much lighter tone (especially in colour and visuals) for the most part, but then ascends with an almost 'Die Hard' type finale.

Overall, the episodes do swing wildly from being intriguing to somewhat boring, truth be told. The high-octane action interspersed throughout is what keeps them alive for the most part. With each episode being a stand-alone story, it gave the animators freedom to do their own thing. This led to some amazing sequences of mech action mostly, but add to that, lots of over-the-top gun porn, cockpit and armour sequences (think 'Iron Man' and things like 'Pacific Rim'), haunting cityscapes, and fantastic visual moments of pure speed and velocity. All this accompanied by a toe -tapping synth-rock pop soundtrack that, while good, isn't quite as good as the genuine tracks of the 80's. 'Top Gun' this is not.

This short series has me in flux. Whilst the visuals and action are second to none, for animation of its era, the plots can be flimsy and leave you guessing quite often. Admittedly much of this is due to the series being cut short (8 episodes instead of 13). Whilst some episodes had me engaged, others had me reaching for my phone. The characters are stereotypes across the board and on both sides, good and bad. Overall, the series really does borrow HEAVILY from that Ridley Scott film (Priss' band called 'The Replicants' and the fact she's called Pris). I did find this a bit distracting at times honesty, too much homaging going on.

So in short (ahem), incredibly influential, but also incredibly influenced. Back in the day, I can see how this was regarded as top-tier sci-fi and animation. Now in 2026, it's still top-tier sci-fi and animation, and it holds up! But I can also see the vast scope of other franchises that they borrowed from, and it's a tad dull for the most part, when there aren't any super-powered Iron Man suits blasting terminator-esque Boomers that is.

6/10

Pinocchio (1940)

 

So I think it's safe to say everyone has seen and heard of this classic Disney animation from way back in 1940. One of the original Disney animated movies that put Disney on the map and has since gained an iconic legendary status that will never ever go away, and rightly so.

However, what I didn't know much about was the original Italian fairytale that this Disney classic was based upon. The original story was created by Carlo Collodi in 1881 as a serial that was published in a very early children's magazine in Italy. The story was then first published as a book in 1883 and has since gone on to be one of the most popular children's books selling potentially around 35 million copies (actual figure unknown). But the most surprising aspect of this story I didn't know about was how cruel and relatively violent this original tale actually is. In traditional fairytale fashion Collodi's story is filled with quite shocking moments of...horror, for lack of a better word. Nothing horrendous of course (obviously not an issue for adults) but bearing in mind this was aimed at children and it certainly open your eyes a bit.

The story itself is a strange beast to be sure. Obviously being a fairytale I can't really pick too much but let's be honest, this story is a jumble of ideas. From the start you're thinking this is going to be set in a typical Disney-esque world so to speak, and it is for the most part. The location is supposed to be Italy yet it all looked a bit Austrian to me. Geppetto appears to be a lonely old man with no kids of his own. His only companions are a small adorable cat and a goldfish, both of which can somewhat communicate with Geppetto in typical Disney fashion. Again his workshop and all the things he makes came across more Germanic to me. One item he has made is a wooden puppet in the form of a young boy (named Pinocchio) and out of loneliness (I guess) he wishes for it to be real. 

Luckily a fairy turns up late at night and does just that, makes the puppet real. She then basically gives Pinocchio a lesson about being a real boy and instructs him to follow some basic rules. If Pinocchio manages to follow said rules then she'll turn him into a real Human child! Talk about pressure! This piece of wood just got brought to life and he's already getting stern instructions on how to behave! It's amazing this piece of wood can even talk let alone follow instructions about Human societal behaviour. Luckily this piece of wood will have the assistance of a tiny tiny talking cricket in tux, problem solved.

What I found odd is the very next day Geppetto happily sends Pinocchio off to school with real kids. No worries about the inevitable issues that might cause. No worries about Pinocchio getting lost of abused or even killed (he is made out of wood).  Nope, he just sends him off to school with an apple, what could go wrong. Naturally little Pinocchio does end up getting in trouble when he is essentially influenced and groomed by an anthropomorphic fox and cat. Wait what? Yep that's right, in this upside-down world anthropomorphic animals apparently live alongside humans.

Long story short Pinocchio ends up getting kidnapped and has to be rescued by the fairy. Somehow Pinocchio ends up in trouble over this so he lies which ends up getting him even deeper in trouble. Thing is I'm not sure why he lies because as far as I'm concerned he didn't actually do anything wrong (talk about victim blaming). The same thing happens again later with the same anthropomorphic fox and cat brainwashing Pinocchio into going to some seedy place called 'Pleasure Island' (excuse me?). This place is where delinquent boys get tricked into going with the lure of being able to do anything they want. Again kinda seemed like mass kidnapping and grooming of children to me. The weird thing is this place is made out to be something of a secret away from the law, yet the place is HUGE! It's literally a huge funfair. How does that get past the law?

So everything else aside so far, the really bizarre part of this fairytale is the fact that Pleasure Island seems to harbour some kind of dark magic. All these apparent naughty boys that go there (no girls?) end up turning into donkeys simply because they're delinquent? No explanations or anything, they just go there, act up, and at some point turn into donkeys. They are then essentially sold into slave labour and shipped off to some faraway salt mines. This appears to be a pretty big operation and no one has ever suspected or seen anything? Why doesn't the fairy help? Surely this is wrong?

Anywho, the most famous part of this classic eerie tale must be the consumption of Geppetto and Pinocchio by an evil whale which I'm guessing may have been inspired by 'Moby Dick'? It's not as creepy and harrowing as the mass incarceration and slave labour of young boys but it would definitely frighten little kids. The style of animation used for the whale has a much harsher and colder feel about it, clearly different to the soft warm colours used throughout the rest of the picture. Not a good impression for whales on kids though.

Right, yes I have moaned a lot about the plot here, and that's because it is quite frankly wacko. Obviously this is a morality tale, a cautionary tale for the young, much like other fairytales, and being a fairytale does give the story a pass. But you still can't get away from chunks of the story not having any explanations or making any sense. Unfortunately I cannot compare it to the original source material as I have not read it fully, but I know it's just as weird. That aside this animation is a landmark in film history for various reasons. The voice acting is absolutely perfect on every level because the people Disney hired actually had talent and weren't just some trendy political pop star. The film includes the now fabled, prestigious, beyond epic song 'When You Wish Upon A Star' beautifully sung by Cliff Edwards. And of course the animation is silky smooth and sublime.

Going by the story and its source, I wouldn't rate this that highly. A classic morality tale it may be, but the original fairytale is admittedly quite nasty in places and it's all over the place. If this were the plot of a new modern movie, animated or not, I don't think it would survive. On a technical level this film is of course sheer brilliance. Disney's early animated films were the apex of animation. I don't really like the story but I respect it, I think Disney bettered the original story to some degree; but it's impossible to not get drawn in and swept away with this picture.

9/10

Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match (2023)

 

The fourth instalment of this pretty nifty adult animated series based on the Mortal Kombat franchise, and arguably the least known.

This time around the plot is an origins tale for superstar Johnny Cage, somehow one of the most popular characters in the game franchise. Cage is a Hollywood action star and is trying to make a big splash with his latest action vehicle offering. After his costar Jennifer Grey (yes that Jennifer Grey) goes missing, Cage pops around to her place only to get tangled up in a battle with two mysterious women. This in turn starts to lead Cage down a dark path involving demons, scrolls, Gods, and monsters where it is revealed to him that his life and career has been a set up for some devious Netherrealm plot.

The big notable change for this fourth entry is again the art style. This time we are treated to a vivid, almost cell-shaded type of look with a heavy Miami Vice-esque neon sheen that we've seen utilised in many videogames. If you think of GTA: Vice City and that now overused retro synthwave sunset backdrop that became very popular in recent years (they actually use this in the credits), then you'll know what I'm talking about. There are also more regular animated sections with flashbacks and as the story unfolds things do get darker and less hyper 80's. Overall the visuals are very impressive and enjoyable much like the previous three entries.

Plot wise things start off a bit slow in my opinion. At first I was getting a little bored as things played out. The whole usual schtick of Johnny Cage the superstar with him having a massive ego whilst being goofy wasn't of much interest. I have never really been interested in Cage as a character. In typical 80's action fest fashion Cage gets a nerdy sidekick to add some normalcy and comedic relief to proceedings which is okay...I guess, nothing to shout about. The story is also narrated by Cage throughout in a very Deadpool/Ryan Reynolds-type fashion which feels more like copying more than anything.

Admittedly as the plot thickened I did find myself getting more engaged. Not that it was anything totally original or anything but it did slowly get my attention. I did like the few plot twists as various characters Cage knows turn out to be demons trying to lure him to his bloody fate; and I can't deny the entire finale involving the sacrifice and inevitable grand fisticuffs was good fun.

Speaking of fisticuffs, blood and gore, is there any this time around? Does this entry keep up with the claret spreading? Yes, yes it does, although the majority of it doesn't really kick in until the second half. The first half of this movie feels much more like a homage to your corny 80's action-hero vehicles of yore. You know the stuff, your typical Mel Gibson/Eddie Murphy/Kurt Russell/Dolph Lundgren affairs. But as the movie slowly progresses it starts to become more of what you would expect, a much darker with horror aspects throughout. Indeed, there is also a nice sinister BDSM vibe going on towards the finale which I did enjoy muchly (he says with a cheeky smile across his face). I should point out, the actual final fight between Cage and Shinnok was cheesy as hell, but it was also meant to be like that.

What can I say about this? It's a super turbo homage to everything 80's in the action genre, so much so it's almost vomit-inducing. The mullet Cage sports, his huge earrings, the vehicles, the snappy smart-ass dialogue, the gaudy visuals, right down to the Kenny Loggins-esque end credits soundtrack. All of this was obviously a deliberate choice and whilst it undoubtedly completes what it set out to do 100%, at this point in time the whole 80's homage angle is a tad tired. This particular direction has been well and truly miked. I have enjoyed all of these animated flicks and this last one is probably at the bottom of the list to be honest. Whilst it was solid it just wasn't as engaging as the previous three, at least not until the finale, but before that this just kinda felt like slick videogame cutscenes stitched together. But yeah, 80's overdose dude!

5.5/10

Lightyear (2022)

 

Who knew the 'Toy Story' franchise could be so expansive with this movie within a movie, from the perspective of Andy (and all the humans) of the original movie. 

A quasi spin-off from the franchise that sees Buzz Lightyear return in a quasi sort of way whereby this actual Buzz Lightyear movie is supposed to exist within the 'Toy Story' universe. This Buzz Lightyear would be the 'live-action' version of Buzz within the original movie universe that inspires the toy line of Buzz which we all know and love from the 'Toy Story' franchise. This would also explain why Chris Evans provides the voice for this Buzz and not Tim Allen because they are supposed to be completely different characters. Chris Evans' voice would be the 'real live action' voice of Buzz and the CGI actor we are seeing would be the 'real live action actor' of Buzz, in the 'Toy Story' universe. Phew!

So if we all lived in the 'Toy Story' universe or world, we would go to the cinema to watch THIS 2022 movie of Buzz Lightyear as if it was the latest new live-action blockbuster which would in turn provide all the Buzz Lightyear doll merchandise (that magically somehow comes to life). Blimey! Surely there's gotta be a simpler way to make a 'Toy Story' spin-off?!

I can't help but feel all this will have probably gone way over every child's head and they'll all simply be asking why the hell Buzz sounds different to the other movies. Heck, this whole thing is even confusing for adults to the point where you just give up and ignore the whole movie within a movie premise and just enjoy. But will kids like the new CGI approach? Hmmmm.

But can you enjoy? Well yes, yes you can, hell I did and I'm pretty old and grumpy. For starters I loved the entire tech aspect of this movie. Despite this being a Disney spin-off from a wildly childish fantasy franchise the technology on display throughout this movie is really darn good! Everything actually looks logical, workable, and surprisingly grounded. It's like people really did think all this though to make it as surprisingly realistic as possible...with artistic license of course. The CGI is really nice looking overall from the alien world, the aliens, the humans, all their gear etc...I liked the ship designs, the small details on all the equipment, the look of ship propulsion blasts, the technological advancements we see over the years etc...

This might sound silly but to me the futuristic look and design of everything we see had a kind of 'Aliens'/'Warhammer: Space Marine' vibe about it all, but PG. Granted things take a silly turn when the evil robots and Zurg turn up because they have to stick to the 'Toy Story' franchise, but it's not too bad.

I can't deny this movie also got me in the feels too. The characters aren't anything special or unique but their story of getting stranded on an alien planet (luckily with a breathable atmosphere, nice weather, plants etc...) is engaging. Their mothership crashes on said alien world damaging their hyperspace crystal, rendering them marooned. In order to have any hope of getting back to Earth they must try and recreate the hyperspace crystal (not really explained how they manage this) with Buzz taking dangerous test flights with prototype crystals. Alas time dilation occurs for Buzz every time he flies and as the years go by the colony expands and his friends all die introducing us to new characters. This simple evolution of time with the characters is actually quite moving in classic Pixar fashion, definitely got me choked up. The evolution of the colony is also really well visualised.

As previously said I didn't really like the whole 'future old man Buzz' angle and the introduction of Zurg, kinda ruined the whole vibe and flow for me. It also doesn't say what or where old man Buzz got this highly advanced technology from. He just flew into the distant future and miraculously bumped into some advanced lifeforms and nicked their gear. Gear that he was able to fathom out and use apparently. I also didn't really like most of the supporting characters as we have our usual box-ticking from Disney and I'm really starting to not like Taika Waititi or his voice. Can't put my finger on why but more and more he seems like an overhyped fluke. Here his character was annoying and ridiculously useless.

I gotta be honest I was surprised by this one, expected garbage...didn't get it. I found myself enjoying the world building first half of the movie far more than the actual mission based second half. Do you forget it's based on 'Toy Story'? Yes, well I did. Apart from the odd line here and there that harks back to the classic franchise you do forget you're watching Buzz Lightyear in action. Although the little nostalgic verbal quips from Buzz are welcome little touches, they didn't go overboard with franchise key jangling. So overall I did actually find this a nice engaging animated sci-fi romp with just the right amount of humour and heart. A bit by the numbers for sure, familiar territory and safe, but hey it worked for me.

6/10