By: Joey Briseno & Cade Sullivan

Rating: 4⁄5 stars

‘Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I’ is the seventh addition to the long-running ‘Mission Impossible’ movie franchise. ‘Dead Reckoning’ is led by a capable cast, a familiar yet engaging plot and a powerful soundtrack. The film is a strong addition to the ‘Mission Impossible’ movie franchise and proves that solely action-centered films can succeed in modern cinema. While we haven’t seen any of the ‘Mission Impossible’ movies before, we were still able to follow along and be fully engaged in the franchise’s seventh entry.

Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt, who once again occupies the starring role. Hunt undergoes an earth-spanning search for an apocalyptic weapon known as “The Entity”, meeting friends and foes along the way. Other characters include Ethan’s partner agent Grace (Hayley Atwell), Ethan’s best friend Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames), Gabriel (Esai Morales) a terrorist who serves as the antagonist of the film, and Paris (Pom Klementieff) a French assassin who works with Gabriel.

The antagonist of the film, Gabriel, is a mysterious figure whose aim is to find the key to “The Entity”. Interestingly, Gabriel also has history with Ethan Hunt, although his actions against the lead are not revealed. “The Entity”, which evolves to become a sentient mind, orders Gabriel to find its key and to eliminate Ethan Hunt. Gabriel is a ruthless terrorist who keeps a calm head and doesn’t let his emotions get the best of him. He seems to have no empathy and no regret for anyone he eliminates, to the extent that Ethan Hunt states that he seems to enjoy suffering. Gabriel survives to the end of the movie and will return in part 2.

‘Dead Reckoning’ is directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who has taken over as the director for Mission Impossible movies since MI4. McQuarrie is known for being one of the most proficient action directors in Hollywood, and this movie does not disappoint. Action is plentiful and well-choreographed and is up to par with the high intensity battles that the franchise is known for. The cinematography is quietly one of the better parts of the film, as the CGI is realistic and the beautiful locations are show off with wide shots.

‘Dead Reckoning’ is a fun spectacle to watch, especially during the globe-trotting action sequences. The villain is interesting and not one dimensional and the characters are, for the most part, fleshed out. Locations look great and the pacing is fast and engaging.

The soundtrack impresses as well, using the right melodies for every situation whether it be a heart-pumping action sequence or a somber, emotional break.

However, there were some things we didn’t like as much. The acting was inconsistent, but this may be the writer’s fault as the dialogue was sometimes wooden and boring. Furthermore, side characters like Luther Stickell were mostly lost in the rush, and some characters were given nothing to do.

‘Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I’ came out as a strong addition to the renowned ‘Mission Impossible’ franchise showing off a capable cast, interesting plot, and an amazing soundtrack. The movie delivers as a thrilling experience, offering gripping globe-trotting escapades and a calculating antagonist in Gabriel who remains a continuous threat to Ethan Hunt throughout the runtime. However amidst its strengths Dead Reckoning faces some drawbacks.

By: Beverly Stinson

I struggle a lot with finding good shows or movies to watch. I usually find one show, watch the entirety of it, and then rewatch it over and over instead of finding something new because I know it’ll take me a while to actually find something good. I know other people struggle with this, so I want to help and recommend 3 shows that are some of my favorites.

---

Show 1: ‘The Vampire Diaries’

‘The Vampire Diaries’ (TVD) is a supernatural-drama series following the lives of mainly supernatural creatures. It is based off of the book series by L.J. Smith with the same title. The show is actually supposed to be telling the story of Stefan Salvatore as written in his diaries, but the show makes it seem like it’s everyone’s story.

It has 8 seasons from 2009-2016 and has 2 spin-offs ‘The Originals’ and ‘Legacies’. ‘The Originals’ going from 2013-2018 and ‘Legacies’ going from 2018-2022. Although the spinoffs do not continue the storyline of the books, I want to mention them because they are also good shows to watch.

I want to recommend this show because it’s my second favorite show. I’ve been watching it since I was a little kid. It’s a perfect show for if you like supernatural content as well as romance and drama. Although I’ve liked it since I was a kid it’s technically not meant for them. It has a rating of TV-14; it contains a good amount of gore, violence, romance, suggestive language/scenes and some drug use.

TVD is already a popular show and it has been since its release, but even so, I feel like not a lot of people give it the recognition it deserves.

---

Show 2: ‘I Am Not Okay With This’

‘I Am Not Okay With This’ is a Netflix original show about a teenage girl in the 80s named Syd learning how to deal with puberty along with her father’s death. Soon after her father dies she realizes that she has a “Gift” which is the same “Gift” her father apparently had. Throughout the show, she tries to control this gift but it becomes increasingly harder.

There is only 1 season (sadly) since it was canceled after its release. But luckily it’s based off of the comic books by Chuck Foresman with the same title, so you can still learn the rest of the story.

I want to recommend this because it’s an extremely underrated show; not many people watched it and that’s partly why it was canceled. The storyline is unique and so are the characters. It’s also queer representation as Syd is a lesbian (that’s really debated because of a past hookup, but she’s a lesbian).

The rating for this show is mature teens and older; it contains profanity, minor drug use, suggestive scenes (or scene), and gore.

---

Show 3: ‘Paper Girls’

‘Paper Girls’ is a sci-fi drama show about 4 teenage girls working as paper delivery girls in the 80s, who get caught in between the crossfire of time-travelers, which sends them on a journey where they all learn things about themselves.

This show also only has one season as it was also canceled after its release. But just like ‘I Am Not Okay With This’, ‘Paper Girls’ started off as a comic series by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang with the same title.

I’m recommending this show because it’s also extremely underrated, and because I love shows based in the 80s like ‘I Am Not Okay With This’ and ‘Stranger Things’. ‘Paper Girls’ was actually said to be similar to ‘Stranger Things’ but I’m pretty sure that was just to get people to watch it because other than being based in the 80s, there’s nothing really similar about them.

The age rating for this show is PG-13 but the books are 16+ and up. The show contains violence and some small gore as well as profanity and homophobia. The book also contains profanity, heavy gore, and homophobia.

---

These shows really do deserve more recognition and I really hope my small recommendation inspires some people to watch them.

Thank you for reading!

• Beverly

By: Beverly Stinson

‘Helluva Boss’ is a comedy series on YouTube made by the artist, animator and YouTube creator VivziePop. The first episode aired on October 31st, 2020, and the most recent episode aired October 29th, 2023. There are currently 2 seasons.

The show follows the main characters Blitzo (Brandon Rodgers), Moxie (Richard Horvitz), Luna & Millie (Erica Lindbeck), as well as side character Stolas (Bryce Pinkham). Throughout the show they encounter problems and enemies as Blitzo (the O is silent btw) owns an assassin business where he and his partners get paid to assassinate people in the human world.

This series is rated M for mature audiences and could also maybe be considered rated R. It contains a lot of violence, gore, and profanity as well as suggestive language and sexual content. On every episode Viv starts with a warning for what the episode contains so you can be wary of the content you’re gonna see.

---

I’ve been watching ‘Helluva Boss’ since the release of its first episode, and even as a 11/12 year old I absolutely loved it. I’ve been so obsessed with it since it came out and a good lot of my friends are too. I had actually been a fan of Viv before she even announced ‘Helluva Boss’ and I watched her animations, including her other original series ‘Hazbin Hotel’, which even though it’s good, I still love ‘Helluva Boss’ more.

Every time I see a new episode drop it’s like an early birthday present as I really do enjoy watching it. It’s also a show extremely worthy of rewatching dozens of times.

The characters in it are so unique and all of them are voiced by very talented actors and singers like Kesha (Beelzebub) and Fizzarolli (Alex Brightman). I was actually surprised hearing Fizzarolli’s voice for the first time because I thought it sounded exactly like Beetlejuice from the original Broadway musical and it turned out it was Alex who did actually play the original Beetlejuice on Broadway.

I love that Viv is able to get all these amazing artists to be in her own show and that she’s getting more recognition for it.

‘Helluva Boss’ is one of my favorite shows literally ever and although it is pretty popular with each episode gaining over a million views in less than a day sometimes, I do feel like it should get more recognition and views because Viv works so hard on it and it’s such a good show. That’s why I want to recommend it.

Her other show ‘Hazbin Hotel’ has actually gotten so popular that it will soon be streaming on Prime Video and I really hope this means that ‘Helluva Boss’ will get to stream on more sites so more people can watch it too.

---

I hope more people watch ‘Helluva Boss’ and give it more popularity. I would love to be able to talk about it to more people, and I would just love it if more people knew about Viv and her amazing art.

I hope you watch it!

• Beverly

By: Stephanie Caballero Benitez

*Warning: This article contains spoilers

Today, I will be reviewing and summarizing one of the most awaited movies of this year, ‘Five Nights At Freddy’s’. ‘Five Nights At Freddy’s’, also known as ,FNAF’, was originally a game. This game came out during 2014 and gained a large amount of attention from a young audience. Ever since, the game has been rising in popularity. The popularity allowed for this game to continue to make 9 more games starting from 2014 all the way to 2021. The creators of this game also made some books in addition to the games; the books explain some of the lore behind the game.

In this movie, we start with a scene of the main character, Micheal Schmidt, also known as Mike. Micheal Schmidt is an adult that has custody over his sister, with no other family to care for her he takes the responsibility to do so. Mike struggles to keep a job and suffers from the same nightmare every night. His nightmare every night is about the day that his younger brother Garret was taken. He allows these nightmares to happen and continue because he feels as if he pays more attention to every detail that he will somehow figure out who took his younger brother.

After consulting a work counselor, Mike gets offered a night job as security at a place that shut down. He isn’t told a lot of information about this place besides having to keep people out at night.

At first he refuses it as he has his younger sister to take care of during the night, but later on he accepts. He leaves his sister with one of his neighbors and takes the job.

This job is more unusual than the other jobs he has had; there are animatronics that give off a sinister vibe. During the night he falls asleep and has the same repeated nightmare but this time 5 different children appear; they stare at him and run away when he tries to approach them. During these nightmares he tries to stop the children, and each time he tries he gets hurt in the dream but also out of the dream. Soon he finds out the animatronics aren’t just animatronics, they also have the souls of children trapped in them making these animatronics aggressive.

We also find out later that Mike’s younger sister has been talking to the souls of those children. In  return for information on who was responsible for his younger brother’s disappearance, the souls ask him to give them Abby, his younger sister. He agrees but later on regrets it. The animatronics try to get Abby into a suit that would kill her and turn her into one of them.

Mike and Vanessa stop them. Vanessa is a town sheriff that meets Mike on his first night of the job. While all this happens, another person shows up, a person in an animatronic suit. This person turns out to be the job counselor, also known as William Aston, also known as Vanessa’s father. William controls the children with fear and makes them attack everyone who enters the place. William gets upset at the fact his own daughter is helping Mike, so he stabs her, leaving her in a coma.

Abby communicates with the animatronics on what the truth is behind their deaths through drawings. She draws them a picture of William killing them which makes them turn on him. When they turn on him the spring locks on his suit go off causing him to be in extreme pain. As the animatronics attack William, Abby, Vanessa, and Mike get out of the pizzeria.

The movie overall is a really good movie, although I feel disappointed in the horror theme. Their animatronics weren’t as off putting as they are in the video games and they didn’t have many scenes where I would call them scary. As a fan of many years, I also think that the lore they chose to follow is a bit confusing as William is supposed to have a son named Micheal but in the movie instead he has a daughter. Some theorize that the movie followed the books more instead of the games, which is a bit disappointing as most of their audience follows the game lore. Overall, this movie gets a 8/10.  You can see ‘FNAF’ in theaters and on Peacock.

By: Joey Briseno & Cade Sullivan

Rating: 3/5

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR ‘MORBIUS’ AHEAD

‘Morbius’, directed by Daniel Espinosa, is the latest addition to the ever-expanding Sony Cinematic Universe, which began with ‘Venom’ in 2018. The story is centered around a lesser-known character named Micheal Morbius from the Spider-Man comic books. While it may not be the most groundbreaking or memorable entry into the superhero genre, the film manages to be an entertaining and visually interesting experience for fans of the Marvel franchise.

Jared Leto stars as Dr. Michael Morbius, a brilliant but tormented scientist who suffers from a rare blood disorder. Driven by a desire to find a cure for his disease, he captures dozens of vampire bats, hoping to splice their DNA with his. However, his cure backfires and transforms him into a living vampire. Leto’s performance is convincing if a bit wooden, and his portrayal of Morbius is a bright spot in such a subpar film.

One interesting character dynamic in this movie is the one shared between Morbius himself and the movie’s antagonist, Milo. Morbius and Milo are lifelong friends who met in the same hospital as kids, both suffering from the same blood disease. The two also shared a surrogate father named Emil Nicholas, but Milo feels that Morbius was always the favorite of the two. Morbius grows up to be an intelligent doctor nominated for a Nobel prize, while Milo establishes himself as the rich benefactor to Morbius’ research of vampire bats.

The two take drastically different paths, however, when they both gain vampiric powers from their cure. Milo leans into his new abilities, feeling powerful for the first time in his life, while Morbius is wary and tries to convince Milo to take an antibody. Eventually, Morbius is forced to eliminate his surrogate brother, as he becomes too corrupted and begins to lash out at the human race.

The film’s visual effects are undoubtedly one of its strongest aspects. The transformation sequences, flight scenes, and battles look realistic and add a layer of thrill to the film. The dark, gothic aesthetic of the film is convincing and captures the tone of Morbius’ character and situation very well.

While Leto’s performance is the standout, the supporting cast, including Adria Arjona as Martine Bancroft and Matt Smith as Lucien Crown/Milo, offer support, although some performances are much better than others. Unfortunately, the character development outside of Morbius himself is lacking, leaving the supporting characters feeling ignored by the plot and one-dimensional.

The plot of ‘Morbius’ skims familiar ground, taking some elements from other superhero origin stories. This copy of other stories may disappoint some viewers seeking a more innovative and unique kind of story. Additionally, in some parts, the pacing can be irregular/bumpy at times, with the film struggling to find the right balance between character development and action in most scenes.

Unfortunately though, another one of ‘Morbius’s’ biggest weaknesses is its connection to the bigger Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even though it attempts to tie into the Sony Spider Verse and the broader Marvel Universe, it feels forced and is somewhat lacking the spotless integration we’ve come to expect from the Marvel Universe.

‘Morbius’ is a somewhat mediocre addition to the Marvel Universe, with Jared Leto’s performance and the stunning visual effects being its most outstanding features. However, we feel the film falls short in terms of originality and its character development, and its connection to the broader Marvel Cinematic Universe may leave some fans wanting more. It’s worth a watch for the superhero enthusiasts, but it may not leave a lasting impression beyond the initial viewing.

(‘Morbius’ is streaming now on Amazon Video, Apple TV and Netflix)

By: Natalia Gercheva

Fall is the time of year where more holidays and festivities happen, therefore many movies come out this time of year. Throughout the years, a collection of “classic” fall movies has grown. In this article, I will be listing what I think are the top 10 most noteworthy fall movies that everyone should watch at some point.

1. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ is a stop-motion film, and it’s definitely one of my personal favorite movies. It has a very autumnal vibe because of the colors of the ground, trees, and just the lightning overall, which makes it perfect to watch this time of year. It’s a heartwarming and entertaining movie that is sure to leave you with a smile on your face.

2. Coraline (2009)
‘Coraline’ is another stop-motion movie that many people find to be creepy and unsettling. The movie does a great job of continually building up suspense, and it has a great plot. I think many people have split opinions about ‘Coraline’, because some see it as a masterpiece, while others believe it is too scary to be marketed as a PG children’s movie.

3. Hocus Pocus (1993)
‘Hocus Pocus’ is another classic spooky and nostalgic movie. It became extremely popular, and many people will watch it annually as a tradition to celebrate the spooky season. There was even a sequel that was released in 2022 featuring mostly the same cast three decades later.

4. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ was written by Tim Burton, and it is one of the most favored Halloween/Christmas movies of all time. The storytelling and attention to detail in the movie is what makes it feel so imaginative and well-done. The soundtrack was inspired by popular classic composers that made the movie even more enchanting.

5. Beetlejuice (1988)
‘Beetlejuice’ is another one of Tim Burton’s most famous films. It became so popular that it even turned into a Broadway musical, and it is on tour now. ‘Beetlejuice’ was well liked for it’s memorable songs, impressive performances, and because it was hilarious and over the top,

6. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
‘Edward Scissorhands’ is another Tim Burton film that features Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder. The plot is amazing, and it has both a creepy but magical vibe. I watch it almost every year, and it never gets old because it is one of my favorite movies.

7. Corpse Bride (2005)
‘The Corpse Bride’ is the last Tim Burton movie on this list, but it is another one of my favorites. It spreads a great message to viewers about life and death. It does a great job of capturing Tim Burton’s creative visual style.

8. Ghostbusters (1984)
‘Ghostbusters’ is a great classic comedy movie that took the science fiction and fantasy part to another level. They utilized visual effects to create realistic ghost encounters that were advanced for its time, and a sequel came out in 1989. In 2016, another ‘Ghostbusters’ movie was released featuring an all-female main cast. It was aimed to challenge stereotypes, and offer a more diverse and inclusive version of the movie.

9. The Addams Family (1991)
‘The Addams Family’ has multiple variations that have been released throughout the years. The 1991 version is my favorite because I think it was cast well, and it captures what the Addams Family is all about. Since then, there has been a sequel, an animation adaptation, and more. The most recent adaptation was a TV series on Netflix called ‘Wednesday’ that was actually produced by Tim Burton (starring Jenna Ortega).

10. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
Charlie Brown films are some of the most classic nostalgic movies you can watch. ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin’ is the perfect fall movie with a beautiful soundtrack. It is also only 25 minutes long, and available to watch on many streaming platforms, so everyone should dedicate some time to watch it.

You may have noticed that four out of the ten movies on this list are Tim Burton films. Myself and others admire his distinct style that captures an imaginative audience. I hope everyone gets the opportunity to watch these films at least once in their lifetime!

By: Joey Briseno & Cade Sullivan

‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ (ROTB) is an action-stuffed adventure that revamps the Transformer’s movie franchise with a 90’s setting and all-new factions: the Maximals and the Terrorcons.

The story follows two brand-new human characters, Noah Diaz and Elena Wallace, who are pulled into an extraterrestrial struggle for a device called the Transwarp Key, or just the Key. The Key has the power to create space-time portals, making it a valuable device. Optimus Prime and his fellow Transformers (Bumblebee, Mirage, Arcee and Wheeljack) want the Key in order to return to Cybertron, while the antagonist Scourge wants the Key to bring his master, the planet-eating Unicron, to earth.

ROTB is on the shorter side in terms of normal action flicks at around 2 hours, but it moves at a good pace and doesn’t take much time to explain things. This is both good and bad; at times it feels as if the script was written by someone who just wants to get to the action, and at times it feels engaging to have a movie that is so light on exposition.

The movie attempts to include a family dynamic between Noah, his mother and his brother, but this falls flat as there simply isn’t enough time to help you get fully invested. His brother has a sickness, but it isn’t revealed what it is or how it’s affecting him. Noah’s brother radios into him during the final battle for some motivation, but otherwise he isn’t important to the plot.

Visually speaking, ROTB looks very clean for the most part while not really separating itself from the previous movies of the franchise in terms of CGI. The movie is very colorful, with specific elements like Optimus Prime’s red and blue coloring and the lush green of the Peru jungle being particular standouts.

Fights are explosive and frequent, and the action here is some of the best you’ll find in movies from 2023. While it isn’t necessarily creative, the action is captivating and does a good job of making it feel more realistic with Noah and Elena having to evade enemies.

One negative aspect here is that the backgrounds of these sets feel very empty. For example, there is a scene where Mirage visits Noah outside of his friend’s apartment. Not a single person notices the Autobot as he talks to Noah, making no attempts to whisper. However, this is more of a nitpick than anything as it isn’t majorly distracting.

Characters here are either a big focus or mostly ignored. Optimus Prime returns to the big screen, although he is a much colder and distrusting Optimus than we’re used to. Noah and Elena have a lot of screen time and plenty of development: Noah is down-to-earth and funny while Elena is reserved but proves herself to be very smart.

Bumblebee doesn’t have a lot to do in this movie; besides his return in the final fight, he is mostly sidelined for a new Autobot: Mirage. Mirage is voiced by comedian Pete Davidson and is a standout of the movie with his carefree personality and swagger.

Arcee and Wheeljack are impressive in fight scenes but aren’t given much to do; however, the biggest miss of this movie has to be the Maximals. Advertised heavily in the trailers, they are given nothing to do and are only there to help in the final fight.

Their leader, Optimus Primal, has an interesting backstory that isn’t expanded upon past the opening scene and, while he has a cool design, doesn’t offer a lot to the story besides revealing the location of his half of the Key. Overall, very disappointing for these promising characters to be built up by marketing and fall flat in the actual product.

The main antagonist of this movie is known simply as Scourge, with the secondary antagonist being Unicron. Scourge is a very menacing adversary, as it is revealed that he was given immense power by Unicron. Scourge launches an attack on the Autobots at the museum containing the Key, and he beats Optimus handily in their fight. It takes an appearance from the maximal Airazor to stop Scourge and his Terrorcons from eliminating the Autobots. Scourge is eventually defeated by Optimus Prime in the final battle, but not before cementing himself as a top-tier villain.

Overall, “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” is a great popcorn action movie that left us wanting more. We found the character development in this movie to overall be lackluster: for example, Scourge is given no backstory; he’s just evil and serves Unicron for an unexplained purpose. The Maximals were underutilized and the family dynamic was established but not extended upon. That being said, the entertainment value of this movie helped us turn our brain off more and not pay so much attention to the negatives. We would recommend checking this movie out, especially if you are a Transformers fan. We would give it 4/5 stars.

‘Transformers: ROTB’ is streaming now on Paramount Plus.

By: Cade Sullivan & Joey Briseno

*Warning: This review contains spoilers

“Adventure Time: Together Again” is an episode from the television series ‘Adventure Time: Distant Lands’ on the streaming service Max, and it is a 40 minute whirlwind that gives the titular characters a satisfying conclusion. This episode is a rollercoaster as we follow Finn on his journey to be reunited with his best friend Jake in the afterlife.

The main driving point of this episode, which is Finn’s struggle to find his best friend again, feels very human and very real, as it is extremely hard to lose someone close to you. This helps the story, giving it sentimental value and something for the audience to root for. We were so invested that we found Jake’s initial reaction to seeing Finn again very disappointing, as he didn’t seem to care at the moment that Finn had come all that way for him.

Another interesting element here was the main villain, New Death, and his relationship with his father Death. While it isn’t a major focus of the plot, we are given an insight through a flashback. Death tries to teach his son a lesson, but his son is indifferent and disrespectful. This soon grows into anger that we can assume has been building up for a long time, and New Death strikes down his father and becomes the new Lord of the Dead, suffering the consequences for his inpatience and temper.

“Adventure Time: Together Again” is an impressive achievement of modern animation, and it’s crazy to think how far the show has come since its first season in terms of looks. Colors are either bright and vibrant or gloomy and sad depending on the environment. The multiple “dead worlds”, which is the term of worlds in the afterlife, are especially impressive, with each having their own look, feel, and unique sounds. Sound design is up to par, and it’s noticeable from the beginning that this is not a low-budget Saturday cartoon.

The main character here is definitely Finn, as Jake becomes more of a supporting character throughout the runtime. Finn’s friendship with Jake is the driving force behind all of his actions, as he traverses through countless dead worlds looking for his buddy. Jake is his normal self once he leaves the zen state of the 50th dead world, and is his trustworthy self as the two rebel against New Death. Other than those two, no characters are very important to the story besides New Death’s servant Mr. Fox, who strikes down his ruler to become the new Lord of the Dead.

The antagonist, New Death, is a conflicted character whose backstory paints the picture for his personality: a petulant child. New Death hasn’t matured from his backstory and continues to rule the dead worlds with an iron fist. He also poses a threat to Finn and Jake, as until they receive the Kiss of Life from Life itself, they are unable to hurt their foe. New Death is never a likable character, as he has no redeeming qualities to speak of, and his demise at the hands of Mr. Fox serves as the total end of his character.

“Adventure Time: Together Again” is a satisfying conclusion to the stories of Finn and Jake, if a little too long. While the plot and dynamics are interesting, the pacing was a little slow and caused the episode to feel longer than it should have. However, that doesn’t take away from the strong emotional core and beautiful animation. If you follow ‘Adventure Time’ or are just a fan of the series, we would recommend watching this spirited conclusion of Finn and Jake’s character arcs. 4.5/5

By: Cleo Newton        

*Warning: This review contains spoilers

‘Grave of the Fireflies’ is a studio Ghibli movie about two siblings trying to survive through World War Two in Japan. At the beginning of the movie, a sickly boy is sitting hunched over against a column; a couple scenes later, he dies. The movie then shows what events happened that led up to this point in the movie.

The 14-year-old brother, Seita, is responsible for taking care of his little sister, Setsuko. During the first air raid, Seita was seen quickly burying supplies like food in their family’s backyard. He tells his mom that he would meet her at the safe house with his little sister in a bit. The mom leaves and in a couple minutes, the bombing starts.

After the bombing, everybody in the town was called to meet at the elementary school to get food, medical attention, or any other help they can provide. There, Seita and a friend line up to get food. Seita leaves his little sister with the friend to go see his mom after hearing she was injured in the bombing. His mom was in terrible condition; she has really bad burns covering her entire body.

After seeing her like this, Seita doesn’t want Sesuko to see her until she gets better, so he lies to her and says that she’s in a hospital and that they can see her when she gets better. Seita and Setsuko go to stay at their aunt’s house which is nearby. Their house, and many other buildings, were destroyed during the first bombing.

There, they eat and sleep. Seita works to get food and plays with his sister in his free time. He also writes to his dad who is a soldier fighting in the war. Their aunt may be providing them with food and shelter but she isn’t very caring. She gets annoyed when Setsuko cries; she tells Seita that he isn’t working hard.

Later, Seita and Setsuko decide to move out, and they find a sheltered place by a lake to live. They brought things like a mini stove, bedding and some food with them. They have fun the first couple of days but they soon run into another problem; they’re starting to run out of food.

During the air raids, Seita goes and steals things from people’s houses after they leave so that he can trade them for food. Even though he has things to trade, people won’t trade with him. Seita struggles to find food for him and his sister as they don’t have any money and no one is willing to trade with them.

Later, Seita finds out that Setsuko is sick and brings her to the doctor. The doctor just says that she needs to eat more food. Seita resorts to stealing food from other people’s gardens. The owner of the garden eventually finds out and turns him in to the police after beating him up. Luckily, the police let him go since he’s still a kid.

Eventually, Seita does manage to buy some food after extracting money from his parent’s bank account. While he was at the bank, he overheard people talking about how Japan lost the war. He’s really upset because this means that now both of his parents are dead. He buys more food but Setsuko has already been starving and dies later that night. The next morning, he gets some coal so that he can cremate his sister. After he finishes cremating her, he puts some of her ashes in a tin and leaves. The movie ends with Seita walking down the hill leaving the shelter and everything else behind.

I got a copy of this movie from the library, but you can also watch it on AppleTV. Overall, I would give this 4.5/5.