An animated box-office behemoth and the raunchy second season of an HBO Max superhero series are worth your attention this week.
Here’s our roundup.
“Ne Zha II”: Ask anyone in the United States to name the top grossing animated movie and prepare for the wrong answer. The title holder isn’t from Emeryville-based Pixar, it’s not even from an American studio. The winner comes from China and is just now getting a release in the U.S., via A24 Films. Upon entrance into the intricate visual wonderland it creates — a technical marvel that overtakes the senses like few animated films — it’s easy to grasp why it’s the fifth highest-grossing film on the planet. “Ne Zha II” is an otherworldly experience akin to “Avatar,” only with a more detailed, multi-tiered mythology stuffed with sophisticated world-building — so much so that it becomes confusing unless you’ve seen the first film, the good but less visually spectacular “Ne Zha” (available on Amazon Prime).
There’s a massive amount of story crammed in, so here’s a condensed synopsis: Two childhood friends — one is the twitchy demon named Ne Zha that’s been kept in check by two mortal and moralizing parents, and the other is the superhero-like Ao Bing, whose father is the Dragon King of the East Sea — have poofed into apparitions. Through the magical properties of a Sacred Lotus they spring back to life, but when that lotus gets destroyed the two meld into one body and must embark on a series of challenges to become Immortals. Their goal is to then access a magic elixir that’ll revive the lotus and extend their lives.
That’s only a sliver of what goes down in this lavish epic (it runs over 2 hours, 20 minutes but never feels long) from returning director/screenwriter Jiaozi (who also goes by Yu Yang). It’s little wonder it took five years to make this sequel since it features a staggering number of animation shots (2,400) and special effects ones (1,900). If you can’t keep up with the story, just gawk at all those majestic dragons and magical beings and critters — crabs, lobsters, sharks, beavers (one of my faves) and many more. Although the humor doesn’t always hit the mark, the sheer spectacle of it is mesmerizing. You’ve likely never seen anything like this before, and its message about standing proud as an outsider resonates in America now more than ever. Details: 3½ stars out of 4; opens Aug. 22 in theaters.
“Peacemaker Season 2”: James Gunn is on a roll. His “Superman” put DC back on the right track and Season 2 of this irreverent and raunchy series centered on the antics of “Suicide Squad’s” Christopher Smith (aka Peacemaker) and his motley crew is rowdy fun. Gunn — who wrote all eight episodes in the series and directs the first three — lets his R-rated freak flag fly high here. And he’s once again wise enough to lean heavily on the comedic strength and brawn of John Cena, who’s hilarious and puppy-dog endearing as the often clueless lug of a superhero and imposter syndrome sufferer. He and his cronies (played with vitality by Danielle Brooks, Jennifer Holland, Freddie Stroma, Steve Agee) fumble about in the wake of events from last season. Life’s not so great, particularly for Chris (Cena) since he’s catching the unwanted attention of the secretive A.R.G.U.S. organization. Perhaps his discovery of a portal to a new dimension figures into that. “Peacemaker” is like a house party where everyone gets overserved, but it’s well-made and has some genuinely touching moments along with eye-brow-raising ones (that orgy scene!). Also making this streaming libation bubble is seeing Robert Patrick again and having Frank Grillo join the cast. Some of the bits don’t fly, such as a character being afflicted with “bird blindness,” a joke that makes a big thud. But getting to hang out with these bad boys and girls as well as one of our favorite sidekicks, the American eagle, Eagly — who faces his own threat — makes you forget about the dents here and there. Details: 3 stars; first episode drops Aug. 21, followed by one episode weekly through Oct. 9.
“Eden”: A small and entirely ill-prepared band of utopia seekers in the late 1920s sink their shaky stakes into a Galápagos Island in director Ron Howard and screenwriter Noah Pink’s lusty R-rated thriller based on actual events. This new way of living results in a whole lot of ugly behavior and a lot of pretty skin getting exposed. In this guilty pleasure, German philosopher Frederick Ritter (Jude Law) and his lover Dora (Vanessa Kirby) observe their grand experiment in isolation crumble with the unwelcome arrival of new neighbors — a libidinous, opportunistic countess (Ana de Armas) and her two young and jealous boy toys, and a far more reserved family consisting of a World War I veteran (Daniel Brühl), his pregnant wife (Sydney Sweeney) and son (Jonathan Tittel) who has TB. It doesn’t take long for things to go sour, but the most hellish and dangerous aspect of the island isn’t the rugged land, but the people trying to inhabit it. Howard’s version of paradise interrupted does suffer from random mood changes and is indeed the very essence over the top. But it’s endlessly entertaining even as it refuses to be pigeonholed into any particular genre — mystery, thriller, sexy potboiler. The ensemble cast members are game and deliver spirited, crank-up-the-volume performances, notably the vamping about de Armas and the unravelling and often unclad Law. “Eden” is a satisfying howler that cribs from “Lord of the Flies” and TV’s “Survivor.” And who could really resist that? Details: 3 stars; opens Aug. 22 in theaters.
Contact Randy Myers at [email protected].
