“My Hero Academia: You’re Next”

(Anime/Action: 1 hour, 50 minutes; Japanese subtitled and dubbed)

Starring: Kaito Ishikawa, Yûki Kaji

Director: Tensai Okamura

Rated: PG-13 (Violence and bloody images)

Movie Review:

“My Hero Academia: You’re Next” is an animated action movie. An assortment of characters battle from start to finish, yet it has an intelligent story amongst the fighting. The traditional hero versus villain scheme works here, especially for anime devotees.

Deku, Bakugo, Todoroki and other members of U.A. High School Class 1-A battle The Gollini Family led by Dark Might, a supervillain with powerful abilities. Dark Might has managed to capture a young woman whose quirk, a superhuman ability, is that she magnifies the abilities of others. Dark Might is using her to reshape reality around him. A group of young superheroes must work together to bring them down.

Among the multiple fighting scenes in this movie is the nice subplot. It involves an employee-employer relationship on the verge of being a nice romance. This exists throughout this movie as extremely brutal fight scenes take center stage.

However, if you like action movies, this one will fulfill you and then some more. It has multiple unique characters seeking to save humanity. Their goal is good and so is “My Hero Academia: You’re Next.”

Grade: B (You’re next; go see it.)

“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story”

(Documentary: 1 hour, 44 minutes)

Directors: Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui

Rated: R (Strong language and thematic elements)

Movie Review:

This documentary is engaging because its subject was an interesting person who captivated around the world. Christopher Reeve gained worldly attention by playing the title role in 1978’s “Superman.” Directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui create a welcoming memorial to the late star. They help people understand Reeve off-camera as a decent man. However, this documentary, engaging as it may be, needs a tighter focus to make it as super as its heroic star.

The life of actor Christopher Reeve is chronicled from his early days as an actor to his activism for spinal cord injury treatments and disability rights until his death. A great deal of the runtime focuses on the accident that paralyzed and made him quadriplegic, but the movie also shows much more, even explaining why he began riding horses as a sport and for leisure.

Yet, the movie also shows his family and friends, including his longtime partner Gae Exton, his wife Dana, his three children, Matthew, Alexandra and Will, and his relationship with longtime friend actor-comedian Robin Williams. Reeve and Williams were roommates while attending the Juilliard School. This is where the movie goes askew occasionally. Early scenes focus on aspects of Reeves’ life that detract from the actor and his work as the emphasis. They set the tone and help audiences get to know the actor, but the latter scenes have potent material that helps one understand the man. This is especially true after his accident.

The documentary jumps around chronologically during the first half, seemingly lacking focus on its subject. The second half takes a more practical approach and is better. Audiences get to see Christopher Reeve at work after his accident and the work behind the camera to promote research for spinal injuries. This documentary also has a more in-depth look at Christopher and Dana Reeve and the foundation created in their names.

Grade: B- (A touching tribute to Reeves, inspires ultimately.)

“Average Joe”

(Drama/Romance: 1 hour, 39 minutes)

Starring: Eric Close, Paul Rae, Ezra Richardson

Director: Harold Cronk

Rated: PG-13 (Thematic material and violence)

Movie Review:

“Average Joe” is an average movie by not making the core narrative about the United States Supreme Court trial about religious freedom. Instead, this movie props itself up as a romance with the case Kennedy v. Bremerton School District Case becoming a tertiary story. Approximately 40 minutes pass before the plot becomes Joe Kennedy kneeling at football games.

Coach Joseph Kennedy (Close), as a promise to The Almighty, decides he will kneel on the 50-yard line after every high school football game. This causes controversy within the Bremerton School District with legal problems following. Kennedy, an ex-Marine, stands firm, telling the school district he is exercising his religious freedom. His court case makes it to the Supreme Court.

The movie only develops Joseph Kennedy and his wife Denise Kennedy. The screenplay develops their characters from childhood to adulthood over decades. Others are mere secondary players, many of which are underdeveloped.

Joseph and Denise’s love story would make an interesting serious drama without the comical romantic schtick promoted here. This feature is advertised as a religious liberty movie, but it spends nearly half the movie developing their relationship. Their relationship history is not necessary to tell why this movie is important.

Although the outcomes may be heartwarming, “Average Joe” is really two movies in one. Both are rushed moments that fail to give full attention to their topic.

Grade: C- (Less than average movie.)