Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019) review

This is one of those films that some of you might look at and think, “Is he seriously reviewing this one?”. Well, to that, I’d say “Yes, yes I am!” and the reason why I went to go see this one is quite simple, really; like many kids of my generation, the franchise that this film is a part of was a big part of my childhood. I’m, of course, referring to the highly successful children’s TV series Dora the Explorer. Ever since it first debuted on Nickelodeon’s Nick Jr. programming block in 2000, Dora the Explorer has gone on to become one of the network’s most popular shows geared towards younger children. It even stands as the longest-running Nick Jr. series of all-time with around 178 episodes produced over eight seasons. In other words, the adventures of a young Latina girl named Dora and her best friend, a talking monkey named Boots, have clearly made a considerable impact on the generations of kids who have grown up with them while also helping them learn some rudimentary Spanish along the way. And now, nearly two decades after her initial debut, Nick Jr.’s most famous heroine makes her live-action debut (not counting that fake trailer produced by CollegeHumor) in Dora and the Lost City of Gold. However, instead of just being a direct adaptation of the TV series, this film jumps ahead in time to when Dora is a teenager, with Isabela Moner taking on the title role. Meanwhile, directorial duties go to James Bobin while the script was co-written by Nicholas Stoller, who had previously collaborated with Bobin on Disney’s recent Muppets films. And while this is very much one of those films whose very existence has been utterly derided by most of the film fan community, it surprisingly manages to be a genuinely earnest and heartfelt adaptation of its source material.

For practically her whole life, Dora (Isabela Moner) has lived in the jungle with her explorer parents Cole (Michael Pena) and Elena (Eva Longoria), where she goes on all sorts of adventures with her best friend Boots the Monkey (voiced by Danny Trejo) while her parents search for the mythical Inca city of Parapata. They eventually manage to pinpoint the city’s location, but while Dora fully expects to join them on their adventure, they ultimately end up sending her to school in America so that she can start interacting with other kids her age. But while her trip to America does allow her to reunite with her cousin Diego (Jeff Wahlberg), Dora quickly discovers that high school is a much different world compared to the jungle. However, during a field trip to a local museum, Dora ends up getting cornered by a group of mercenaries, who proceed to kidnap her, Diego, geek Randy (Nicholas Coombe), and know-it-all Sammy (Madeleine Madden) and fly them all to Peru. Once there, Dora and company end up getting rescued by a man named Alejandro (Eugenio Derbez), who tells them that he’s a friend of Dora’s parents and that they went missing several weeks ago, with the mercenaries now on the hunt for them so that they can reach Parapata and steal its treasures. And so, Dora rallies Diego and their new friends to join her on her quest to find her parents and, in turn, the city of Parapata before the mercenaries do.

One of the most surprising aspects of Dora and the Lost City of Gold is how it manages to be very faithful to its source material. While the film doesn’t maintain the more fantastical atmosphere of the original series since it’s immediately established that the adventures Dora used to go on as a kid were the result of her imagination, it’s still full of various nods and Easter Eggs ranging from notable cameos to an intro that recreates the show’s opening title sequence. However, there are a few times where the film is rather inconsistent when it comes to adapting certain elements of the series, namely via its handling of Dora’s notorious nemesis Swiper the Fox (voiced by Benicio Del Toro). Unlike the other animal characters from the series (even Boots, who only speaks in one scene that’s fully implied to be another case where Dora’s imagining things), Swiper is portrayed as being real and working with the mercenaries, with only one major instance where other characters comment on this weird phenomenon of a talking fox. Ultimately, though, these occasional logic gaps are a minimal issue at best, because while the film does have a generally straight-forward adventure plot, it also boasts a pleasantly light-hearted atmosphere. While there are several instances where the film satirizes some of the more eccentric aspects of the show (namely, Dora’s tendency to talk directly to the camera whenever she’s talking to viewers), it never does so in a mean-spirited manner. Plus, as one might probably expect from a film that’s based on a series from Nick Jr., it also promotes some nice messages for kids, including the value of teamwork and confidently embracing one’s unique quirks.

But when it comes to the biggest highlight of the film, that honor goes to its lead actress, Isabela Moner. Simply put, Dora is one of those roles where whoever’s cast in it must truly commit to a character who talks directly to the camera, hangs out with animals more than she does with humans, and consistently maintains an unabashedly chipper persona no matter the situation. Sure enough, that is exactly what Moner does, perfectly maintaining Dora’s innately endearing persona that’s very much the heart of the film. As for Dora’s friends who get dragged along on her adventure, their character arcs are a lot simpler by comparison, from know-it-all Sammy gradually shedding her uptight persona to Diego rekindling his relationship with his cousin, who he hasn’t seen in years. Still, for what it’s worth, the film impressively manages to balance their roles in the plot incredibly well. Obviously, Dora’s still the main protagonist at the end of the day, but there’s never a point where any of the others feel like extraneous characters and the camaraderie amongst them is genuinely solid. After that, there’s plenty of reliable support from their adult co-stars, namely Eugenio Derbez as their quirky ally Alejandro and Michael Pena and Eva Longoria as Dora’s parents, whose roles in the film have been expanded upon considerably compared to the show. But if there’s one anomaly in this cast it’s, ironically, Swiper. Despite being one of the most prominent characters from the series, Swiper’s role in the film is quite limited, which then makes you wonder why they even brought in Benicio Del Toro for what ends up being a generally thankless role instead of Swiper’s usual voice actor Marc Weiner.

It goes without saying that this was one of those films that attracted tons of skepticism before its release. For most people, it seemed like an odd idea to take something like Dora the Explorer and do a live-action version of it where the character is now a teenager, especially after the trailers came out and gave off the impression that Dora would be turned into the next Lara Croft. I mean, to put this all into perspective, it was long-rumored that none other than Michael Bay was going to produce this before he confirmed that the initial report of his involvement wasn’t true. Ultimately, though, Dora and the Lost City of Gold turns out to be a solid family film. Now don’t get me wrong, even someone like me knows that this is the kind of film that really shouldn’t work at all, and yet, the film manages to avoid such a fate thanks to its uncynical tone and its surprisingly faithful adherence to the original TV series. As such, it’s very much a ‘win-win’ scenario for all involved. For director James Bobin, it’s a nice little bit of career resurgence for him after his last film, 2016’s Alice Through the Looking Glass, was both a critical and commercial disappointment. For co-writer Nicholas Stoller, this film serves as further proof that while he’s primarily known for directing raunchy R-rated comedies, he’s also managed to amass a respectable resume when it comes to writing family films thanks to the likes of this, Bobin’s Muppets films, and Captain Underpants. And for star Isabela Moner, this is easily the breakout performance of her career thanks to her pitch-perfect portrayal of the title character. Because of all this, the live-action Dora the Explorer film defies all expectations to deliver a good-natured family flick that effectively appeals to not only its target audience of young kids but also the generation that helped make Dora the pop-cultural phenomenon that she still is today.

Rating: 4/5

Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) review

Well, here we are once again with another crazy installment of director Michael Bay’s series of films based on Hasbro’s best-selling toy franchise, Transformers. This series has gone through quite a lot since the first film debuted back in 2007; yes, this series has been around for a full decade now. That first Transformers film, believe it or not, did do decently with critics and audiences upon release. Clearly, the hype for it at the time was huge and, for the most part, it delivered in a time when it was the ONLY live-action Transformers film. But then came the sequels, which were all subjected to some of the most savage reviews in recent years, effectively turning this franchise into one of the most critically reviled of the past few years. And yet, as someone who still fondly remembers the experience of seeing the first film in theaters way back in 2007, I’ll admit that I have genuinely liked each entry in this series. Yes, that even includes the critically-maligned sequels like 2009’s Revenge of the Fallen and 2014’s Age of Extinction. Thus, while most of the internet dreaded its impending release, I was still genuinely looking forward to the fifth installment of this commercial beast of a franchise; Transformers: The Last Knight. Michael Bay, of course, is back to direct and claims that this is his last entry in the series. But, then again, he said the same exact thing twice before after 2011’s Dark of the Moon and Age of Extinction. But until we know for sure, he’s back again along with Mark Wahlberg, who reprises his role from the previous film as the series’ new main lead. And, of course, now that it’s out… the reviews for it have turned out exactly how you would expect them to turn out. This also includes my own review as, once again, I’m one of the few people out there who’d be brave enough to admit that they did, in fact, like this film… before you click away to another site, at least hear me out, okay?

At the end of Age of Extinction, Autobot leader Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) headed off into space to confront his creators over their continued attacks on the planet Earth, where he and the other Autobots have made their new home. However, as this film begins, it’s established that he’s yet to return from this mission. Thus, all the Transformers that are left on Earth are still regarded as outcasts by humanity despite more of them arriving on the planet day after day. Inventor Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) has likewise been on the run as well, helping his Autobot allies whenever possible and dealing with the newest government group hellbent on hunting the Transformers down, the Transformers Reaction Force (T.R.F). During a confrontation with T.R.F. in Chicago, Cade comes across an old Transformer who gives him a mysterious talisman. He is then approached by historian Sir Edmund Burton (Anthony Hopkins), who tells him that he’s been chosen by the talisman to save the world from its impending destruction due to a forthcoming collision with the Transformers’ home planet, Cybertron. Now allied with Oxford Professor Viviane Wembly (Laura Haddock), Cade embarks on another journey to save the world from the threat of the Decepticons and other dangerous Transformers. The two are tasked with finding an ancient spear, once wielded by the famous wizard Merlin (Stanley Tucci, who played a different character, Joshua Joyce, in Age of Extinction), that is the only thing capable of preventing Cybertron from destroying Earth. However, this becomes problematic when Optimus finally returns to Earth, corrupted by those who created him to help them destroy the planet and rebuild Cybertron.

Despite what that seemingly simple plot synopsis may suggest, trust me when I say that a lot of crazy stuff happens in this entry of the Transformers series. As witnessed in the trailers, this film covers everything from King Arthur, Merlin, and the Knights of the Round Table to Nazis in World War II. And while I’ve personally never had many issues with the allegedly incoherent nature of the plots of these films, this time around… I’ll admit that there were times where I was completely lost as to what was going on in this film. Though with that said, I think that part of the reason why is because even though this film is still two and a half hours long, just like its predecessors, it goes through a lot of these new plot elements at a lightning-fast pace. By comparison, the other films tended to focus on only one Transformer-related conspiracy (e.g. the real reason behind the Apollo 11 mission in Dark of the Moon). Here, though, it seems like they’re just throwing everything but the kitchen sink in. So, yeah, the writing in this film is just as messy as it was for the other films in the franchise. But, once again, I do have to give this film credit for its technical aspects. Say what you will about these films and their mindless plots but they are, at least, well-made from a visual perspective. Michael Bay truly is one of the best in the business when it comes to this stuff and, to the film’s credit, it doesn’t disappoint when it comes to the action sequences. And, once again, the money’s, at least, on the screen when it comes to the visual effects; it just goes to show that you can never fault these films for having mediocre effects. Thus, while I’ll admit that there were times where I was completely overwhelmed by the incomprehensible nature of the plot, I was ultimately still hooked to this film by the time that the final battle rolled around.

Of course, a crazy/messy plot means that you’re not going to get that much out of this film’s characters. As is common in these films, most of them are just stock characters who are just there to be used for some awkward attempts at humor which, admittedly, is yet another recurring aspect of this series. Also, you know how a common criticism of these films has been how they tend to focus more on the human characters than the Transformers themselves? Well, brace yourselves… because this film is easily the most egregious example of this. This one is legitimately more about the human characters this time around while most of the Transformers, even the major ones like Optimus and Bumblebee, are practically reduced to minor supporting roles. Still, I will admit that from this ensemble cast, I felt that there were a few notable standouts. I still think that Cade Yeager is a likable enough main protagonist and that Mark Wahlberg’s fine enough in the role. As for the new members of the cast, though, one major standout is the film’s youngest star, Isabela Moner, as, fittingly enough, Izabella, a young girl who was a survivor of the Battle of Chicago in the third film. Since then, she’s managed to survive on her own with the aid of a few Transformer allies. And while she ultimately isn’t in the film that much, Moner does manage to make her a rather badass supporting character and I honestly wouldn’t mind seeing her return in future installments. Finally, to his credit, it seems like Sir Anthony Hopkins is having a lot of fun in this film. Despite what I said before about the film’s awkward humor, he does manage to get some of the better humorous bits of dialogue in this film along with his Transformer butler, Cogman (voiced by Jim Carter). In other words, he at least makes the most out of the ludicrous material that he’s been given.

So, yeah… here I am again in the same situation that I was in back in 2014 when I reviewed Age of Extinction, one of the worst-reviewed films of that year. Transformers: The Last Knight is, likewise, one of the most critically derided films of this year and will no doubt appear on many folks’ ‘Worst of’ list by year’s end. And, in some cases, I can see why. This film’s plot is all over the place, thus making it just as silly and mindless as its predecessors if not more so than ever before. And I’ll also admit that this was the first time where I did feel that parts of the plot were incoherent because they go by so fast even in a 2 ½ hour film. With that said, then, why am I giving this the rating that I’m about to give it? It’s the same rating that I gave to the other sequels, which makes me one of the few people out there who did like this film. Well, I honestly can’t explain why other than the fact that I’ve been a fan of these films since the beginning and that, simply put, this one just delivered on exactly what I was expecting. Yeah, there are plenty of stupid moments in this film but, by the end, I was just as hooked by it as I was by the other live-action Transformers films. And I’ll also admit that, as crazy as I know it will sound to most people, I’m still eager to see more Transformers films, which will no doubt come after this film defies its critics to become another box-office hit for this franchise. I mean, for one thing, the proposed next installment, a spin-off headlined by arguably the franchise’s greatest character Bumblebee, will be the first of these films to not be directed by Michael Bay. Instead, it will be directed by Travis Knight, who helmed last year’s critically-acclaimed stop-motion flick Kubo and the Two Strings. Who knows? Maybe… just maybe, this one could turn out to be one of the better entries in this series. I know that this is an arguably foolish thing to hope for at this point but, hey, nothing wrong with being hopeful, eh? 

Rating: Well, at the risk of being crucified by the film fan community… 4/5