Review: Wolfwalkers and The Prom

A Double Feature Review!

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Wolfwalkers

Gorgeous animation with a marvelous tale, everyone should watch Wolfwalkers as soon as possible because it's one of the best films of 2020. Now available to stream on Apple TV+. Wolfwalkers breathes life into the Irish folktales through its astonishing animation, beautiful storytelling, and full-of-life characters. Wolfwalkers tells the medieval story of a time in Ireland where people are superstitious about anything magic. We meet a young apprentice hunter named Robyn Goodfellowe (voiced by a splendid Honor Kneafsey), who journeys with her father (voiced by a grand Sean Bean) to wipe out the last wolf pack in Ireland. Outside the city walls, Robyn befriends a free-spirited girl named Mebh (voiced by a wonderful Eva Whittaker), who can transform into a wolf at night. Mebh is known as a 'wolfwalker' and roams the forbidden land with her mother (voiced by strong Maria Doyle Kennedy).

Mebh's mother has gone missing, so Robyn decides to help Mebh search for her. During their search for Moll, Robyn uncovers a secret that draws her closer to the enchanted world but risks betraying her father. Wolfwalkers marks a completion for director Tomm Moore's "Irish Folklore Trilogy"; following his two previous films The Secret of Kells (2009) and Song of the Sea (2014). It's an enchanting film that will sweep you off of your feet to a magical world. Wolfwalkers' animation used a unique 2D style rotation between a woodblock aesthetic and loose expressive line work, igniting beauty before our very eyes. This marvelous tale of bravery, courage, and family is one of the very best to come out in 2020 and receives a 5-star review from me. Wolfwalkers is a gorgeous combination of magic and wonder, one frame at a time. 

Wolfwalkers is rated PG (Parental Guidance) Scary Images, Peril, Brief Language, Sequences of Violence, Some Thematic Elements.

Directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart

Starring Sean Bean, Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whittaker, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Simon McBurney, and Tommy Tiernan.

Available to stream on Apple TV+.

The Prom

The Prom is sparkly musical bliss that may be enough to sweep audiences away. There is nothing groundbreaking about Ryan Murphy's The Prom, a deeply flawed musical extravaganza that keeps the ball rolling through star-studded showstoppers. The Prom is based on the 2018 Broadway musical, which received seven Tony nominations. The musical is loosely based on a real-life incident where celebrities rallied around a high school senior whose school banned her from attending the prom for wanting to bring her girlfriend. The film follows a similar path, as we meet two washed-up Broadway stars (James Corden and Meryl Streep) who decide to shake up a small Indiana town as they rally behind a teen named Emma (Jo Ellen Pellman). Actors Nicole Kidman and Andrew Rannells decide to tag along with Corden and Streep as well. Keegan-Michael Key plays the school principal, who supports Emma, and Kerry Washington plays Mrs. Greene, the bigoted head of Edgewater's PTA.

Mrs. Greene's daughter Alyssa (Ariana Debose), is the one who's in a relationship with Emma but has not come out to her mom or the world yet.  All of these actors (Corden, Streep, Pellman, Kidman, Rannells, Key, Washington, and Debose) are wonderful and fabulous throughout. They sing their hearts out and dance the night away, keeping audiences everywhere entertained. Although there is a deep sense of irony to The Prom because the original actors from Broadway auditioned for their respected roles, however; Murphy decided to go with a star-filled cast. The stage version was designed to give leads to actors who had spent their entire career in the supporting roles, leading me to think that maybe Murphy missed a crucial point of the stage version's original message. Nevertheless, where The Prom is lacking in direction, it delivers in acting, glitter, and showstopping numbers. Through all of its flaws — The Prom's message of inclusion still resonates, and that's what is most important. Watching The Prom also made me deeply miss the theatre, it's where I go to escape.

The Prom is rated PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned) Thematic Elements, Suggestive / Sexual References, Language.

Directed by Ryan Murphy

Starring James Corden, Meryl Streep, Jo Ellen Pellman, Nicole Kidman, Andrew Rannells, Keegan-Michael Key, Kerry Washington, and Ariana Debose.

Available to stream on Netflix.