Elemental (Released 6/16/23)

This probably could have gotten a few more points if it didn’t have the cliche of a Romeo and Juliet-type story. I also noticed how extremely on the nose the characters were. The fire girl is hot-tempered and the water guy goes with the flow. I guess it’s to make it easy for the kids to maybe catch on as well. The characters are the best parts of this story. The big sacrifice play at the end had me in tears, not gonna lie. Pixar’s strength comes from the characters they create and the emotions that come with them. The plot devices were a bit generic and cliche. The world is vibrant and it had many subtle statements about society as well. I think this movie will be overlooked and not considered a classic like Toy Story or Cars. It tells a great love story and shows the importance of doing things for yourself and not just out of obligation to your parents. Definitely worth at least one watch.

Story - 16%

Characters - 20%

Pacing - 17%

Spectacle - 18%

Entertainment - 18%

Total score: 89%

Grade scale:

90%-100% = must watch

80%-89% = solid, but could be better

70%-79% = Not terrible, watch if the characters or story interests you

60%-69% = only watch for completionist reasons

0%-59% = just skip it, I find the positives and they don't exist here