This movie is a classic to me, recreated faithfully. I first watched the original in theaters as a child, watching it again and again as an adult. There was a period of time in which Twitch played the original animated movie and together with other internet fans I watched the movie over and over again. Mewtwo Strikes back is the first Pokémon film brought to theaters and it is my favorite of the Pokémon films. There’s a good chance my nostalgia glasses have overtaken me and I need to give the other films a better shot.

Transforming beloved characters from 2D representations to 3D ones is a precarious one, one that must be executed well. Over the many iterations of 3D Pokémon representations, this one seems to be on the more passable side, keeping the animations playful, charming, and without compromise. There are cases in which animators attempt to make the world look too real, which draws us out of the magical realism.

Outside of the animation, the only difference I can detect in this film from the original is the voice acting, which has also been recreated faithfully. Just as close as the 3D animation can get to its original counterpart, I feel similarly to the voice acting. Sure, it’s not the exact same audio from years ago, but the acting and voices feel familiar. I can’t tell if the music is the same or not, it feels fitting either way.

The familiar story, scenes, and narrative make this movie such a heartfelt pleasure to watch. It’s one of the few animated movies that gets a tear from me each time. I highly recommend this movie to any animated film or Pokémon lovers. It hits all the right notes with nostalgia, the hero’s journey, and tales of friendship.

This film was rather difficult for me to watch. It took me three sessions to finish this film. Uncut Gems is classified as a crime thriller and is a rather impressive film. To me, the film finds itself in a strange new genre of unending suspense and uneasiness. Similar but different from cringe, I find unnerving material a bit unbearable as I am an incredibly anxious person.

The plot, acting, and cinematography are all excellent, so don’t let my apprehensions dissuade you from watching this film. Adam Sandler is one of the greatest actors of our time and his performance in this was incredible, irreplaceable. The pacing and writing of Uncut Gems is incredibly unique as well, taking heed to the film’s name and providing some uncomfortable and unfamiliar long exposures or cuts. Social tension is highlighted by extreme and long closeups, similar to how one would inspect a diamond.

The metaphor for value and glamour permeates even into the writing. Many key details in the plot are glossed over or taken for granted. Conversely the story or camera has a high interest in following famous celebrities and high profile events. There are a lot of unanswered questions, from origins to current standings, analogous to how diamonds are bought and sold. How does Howard have a jewelry store in the diamond district to begin with? How does he have the undying love of Julia? How long has his debt been following him? When was his last major win?

Both the writing and cinematography are rather grim. From uncomfortable color correction, camera angles, writing, and dialogue, Uncut Gems goes against many mainstream formulas in its effort to deliver a metaphoric and literal uncut gem.

This film, along with Parasite, gave me the creeps. I’m glad I pushed through and finished Uncut Gems as it is unique, artfully executed, and well casted/acted. A popular misconception is that this story was loosely based on a true story, which is an exaggeration at best. Although Uncut Gems is darker than most films I prefer, I’d easily give it two thumbs up.