Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (released 6/30/23)

Dreamworks movies are an interesting thing. They try to capture the Pixar magic but in their own way. I felt as a whole this was a movie that had been done a million times before. A coming-of-age movie about a teenager that isn’t like the other girls. She has a niche of friends and her family holds a secret. She puts her faith in someone her parents told her to avoid. It feels unoriginal and is mostly saved by the visuals. That being said, they don’t have the borderline uncanny valley of a Pixar film. It is an okay movie but I’d personally prefer to watch it on streaming.

Story - 16%

Characters - 17%

Pacing - 16%

Spectacle - 18%

Entertainment - 16%

Total score: 83%

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