'Spellbound' Fails to Enchant Critics

         On November 22, 2024, Netflix released 'Spellbound', which has earned a mixed reception from critics, earning a score of 57% on Rotten Tomatoes. "Spellbound follows the adventures of Ellian, the tenacious young daughter of the rulers of Lumbria who must go on a daring quest to save her family and kingdom after a mysterious spell transforms her parents into monsters." The ensemble cast includes Miguel Bernardeau, Jenifer Lewis, Rachel Zegler, Nicole Kidman, John Lithgow, Nathan Lane, and Dee Bradley Baker. Read the full review round-up below.

        Isabella Soares of Collider praises the film, stating, "With a star-studded cast voicing these characters/creatures and a creative team that brings originality to this material, Spellbound wraps 2024 like a bow." Adding, "When Zegler breaks into song for the first time, there is an immediate sense of relief. Musicals aren't just about singing in tune. It is about the emotions you convey, how the lyrics become a vessel for self-expression, and whether you would like to listen to a track beyond the film's runtime. All of these elements are present in this animation's musical imprint, which couldn't have been more masterfully handled. After all, the project's music was crafted by a duo that understands what it takes to make an instant classic soundtrack. With Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast) and Glenn Slater's (Tangled) compositions, Spellbound's lyricism and soothing melody feel reminiscent of Disney's iconic repertoire, without it ever feeling like a do-over. Menken and Slater have vast experience when it comes to songs for princesses and fairy tale adaptations for the screen, and this is noticeable here through Ellian."

Photo by Karim Ghantous on Unsplash

       Mark Dujsik of Mark Reviews Movies says, "Eventually and thankfully, the monsters start talking, and we realize how much the story's central gimmick has kept any sense of these characters at bay. Solon, the King, is voiced by Javier Bardem, and Nicole Kidman voices Queen Ellsmere. They're thrilled to find their voices and realize who they are in relation to Ellian, but soon enough, the two are bickering over what to do next, who's the better protector, and which of them the daughter loves more. As a vortex of dark lines (A striking element amidst the movie's solid computer animation) keeps appearing whenever the arguing and other dark thoughts escalate, where all of this goes here is surprisingly mature. That's especially so, considering how broadly playful and jokey so much of the material is. It's a bit wise, too, with Ellian gradually realizing that the happy memories she's trying to bring to life again might not have been so happy in the first place." Adding, "With the emergence of the monsters as characters instead of a running gag, Spellbound does find its own voice and sense of purpose, too, serving as a fable about the strains of family and how a tenuous marriage can affect a child caught in the middle of it. There's a pretty good story here, in other words, once the filmmakers decide it's finally time to tell it."

       Cody Dericks of Next Best Picture writes, "Everybody wants to be Disney. In 1997, Don Bluth, the ostensible anti-Walt Disney, gave in and made “Anastasia,” a film very much in the vein of the animated musicals of the then-current Disney Renaissance. And the prize cow of DreamWorks Animation – the “Shrek” franchise – is basically a repudiation of all that Disney stands for in a very obvious retaliatory move from former Walt Disney Studios chairman turned DreamWorks founder Jeffrey Katzenberg. “Spellbound,” the new film from Skydance Animation and Netflix, is no different (I know what you’re thinking, and no, this is not a remake of the Alfred Hitchcock-Salvador Dalí collaboration of the same name). Its tone, subject matter, themes, and characterizations are all clearly pulled from the classics of The Mouse House. Heck, they even got Alan Menken of “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast” fame to compose the music. This is all well and good – aping such a successful film model is an admirable way to assure your audience that they’re in safe, well-established hands. And yet, “Spellbound” pales in comparison to even the least impressive of Disney’s offerings. Although it features an unexpected twist previously unseen in major animated films, it’s otherwise unoriginal, bland, and likely too slow-paced and unexciting to hold the attention of younger viewers."

'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story' Reviews: "an ominous retelling of the infamous crime"

         On September 19, 2024, Netflix released 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story', which has received a mixed reception from critics. In the limited series, viewers are re-introduced to "the Menendez brothers, convicted of the brutal 1989 murders of their parents in Beverly Hills." The ensemble cast includes Nicholas Alexander Chavez, Cooper Koch, Nathan Lane, Javier Bardem, Chloë Sevigny, Leslie Grossman, Ari Graynor, and Dallas Roberts. But what did the critics say?

        Jonathan Wilson of Ready Steady Cut notes, "I didn’t find Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story to be aggressively off-putting like its predecessor, but I did occasionally find it tone-deaf, clunky, and a bit silly." Adding, "Nicholas Alexander Chavez (Lyle) and Cooper Koch (Erik) are excellent here all the same. They’re awful by design; preening rich boys whose obnoxiously flamboyant lifestyle hides a laundry list of insecurities and traumatic incidents. Some of these are obvious – they murder their parents with shotguns in the first episode, and it’s such a dementedly violent scene that you can barely look at them as people afterward – but some are less so, like a more understated and faintly comical moment when Lyle’s mother rips his hairpiece off his head at the dinner table, revealing his baldness to his brother for the first time."

       Archi Sengupta of LeisureByte.com was less impressed, stating, "Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch make for two very creepy brothers in this retelling of a very bloody incident that leaves us feeling… a bit all over the place. The thing with Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is that it grips you from the first episode and keeps you captive within the narrative of the story, taking us through the atrocities that Dahmer dished out against his unsuspecting victims, making us feel like we were almost looking in from the outside. The thing, however, with the second season is that it misses out on that tense action from the first season." Continuing, "The second season is kinda goofy, with us following the Menendez brothers through their minds’ maze and understanding the stark contrast between what they are thinking and imagining to the reality of their situations. Although the first episode is thrilling and showcases the unemotional way in which the brothers murdered their parents, the next few showcase them exorbitantly spending money and living the high life, oblivious to how vulnerable they are in reality. There’s a drama in the series that feels a bit off-putting, taking away from the thrill in the eventual episodes."

Photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash

        Aramide Tinubu of Variety says, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” is an ominous retelling of the infamous crime. Created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, the second in their “Monster” anthology for Netflix follows brothers Lyle (an incredible Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and Erik (an outstanding Cooper Koch). Having endured emotional, physical and sexual abuse — the series argues — at the hands of their father, José (Javier Bardem) and mother, Mary Louise, aka “Kitty” (Chloë Sevigny), the pair murder their parents in cold blood. Chronicling the brothers’ upbringing, the murders and everything thereafter, the series is overlong and exhausting. The show attempts to unpack the circumstances that led to the crime while highlighting Erik and Lyle’s trauma. But in the end, the narrative feels futile and bizarre. "