Tag Archives: mark hamill

06.11.25
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The Life of Chuck

Imagine peeling back the complex layers of Mike Flanagan’s thematic tissue for a uniquely human tale, devoid of all of his beloved horror and thriller conventions. That seems to be The Life of Chuck’s concern; it’s a cleverly structured film that has the soul of his past works intact, while working more as a psychological drama that has a beautiful wave of positivity rising above some of its bleakness and tragedy. It’s by far his most hopeful work, balancing a great ensemble cast that includes Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Mark Hamill, and nearly all of Flanagan’s other regular actors.

The film is divided into three acts, each of which creates an intriguing vignette on its own while brilliantly complimenting the full story as a whole. It finds ways to surprise you with its reflections on human connection — to others and the world — and creating one’s own joy. Each of the three acts recontextualize one another, and it leaves you with poignance while presenting lots of heart. Moments that Flanagan usually plants as a setup for horror can often become bittersweet here but also rather empower and charm. There’s hope, melancholy, sweetness, humor, and dread, yet it stays distinct from the director’s other works in its emotional effectiveness while still remaining something that can please lots of fans of his and Stephen King’s works and adaptations.

09.23.24
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The Wild Robot

ROZZUM unit 7134, or “Roz” for short, is an intelligent robot who finds herself shipwrecked on an island, where she learns to coexist with the animals living there and becomes the adopted parent of an orphaned baby goose, all as the rest of robot-kind awaits her return.

The Wild Robot breathes new life into themes we’ve explored plenty in animated films. The animation is absolutely gorgeous; the storybook-esque coloring that DreamWorks also embraced with Puss in Boots: The Last Wish makes the forest Roz explores look stunning, and makes room for creative liberties with some of the coloring — overly red fires look beautiful in the night sky, and water looks absolutely magnificent. The movie isn’t overly concerned with shoving in action sequences for the sake of youngsters’ attention, nor does it feel pressed to pace itself quicker; the time jumps and lower stakes often benefit the film. Lupita Nyong’o was likely the only person who could’ve voiced Roz with such audacious surprise and innocent gentleness, capturing her eagerness to help, learn, and soon, live the way she wants with and for whom she wants. Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Mark Hamill, and Catherine O’Hara round out the great batch of animal voices, though Stephanie Hsu especially kills it as an antagonist.

Though there are moments earlier in The Wild Robot where the animal chase scenes may feel more child-aimed, the movie wisely strips its themes down to the core, about difference and found family, and of course, kindness, to feel fresh and fascinating even compared to many other animated films that have been about the exact same thing. It’s a film that’s sure to touch as much as it will entertain, and the visual and emotional experience of the film together will resonate with all ages. Is it DreamWorks’ best film since the How To Train Your Dragon movies? Perhaps, but it’s also sure to stand the test of time as strongly as some of their greatest classics.