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Netflix’s “The Cuphead Show!” Review – Hollow Visual Feast Can’t Capture the Video Game’s Magic

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The Cuphead video game won acclaim for its stunning retro art style, earworm soundtrack, and run-and-gun gameplay that’s notoriously difficult and punishing. The plot saw players trying to capture runaways that owed their souls to the Devil to evade losing their own. The animation style and music alone seemed ideal for an adaptation, but the real question is whether a series could stand on its own without the gameplay. Netflix’s “The Cuphead Show!” answers that question with a hollow thud.

Much like the video game, the impulsive Cuphead (Tru Valentino) and his more practical brother Mugman (Frank T. Todaro) live on Inkwell Isles with Elder Kettle (Joe Hanna). The brothers get into shenanigans often, including running afoul of the Devil (Luke Millington Drake). The only hitch is that Cuphead and Mugman aren’t aware of this one-sided grudge match; they drift through various scenarios and situations, mostly oblivious that the Devil is after them or that he’s set up ploys and henchman to obtain Cuphead’s soul.

The Cuphead Show! (L to R) Tru Valentino as Cuphead and Frank Todaro as Mugman in The Cuphead Show! Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2022

That results in ten bite-sized episodes, each under fifteen minutes in length, that work more like a series of random vignettes and unrelated slapstick cartoons than a cohesive story. There’s a manic energy to the series as the boisterous central pair immediately inspire calamity everywhere they go. It’s hyperactive and moves quickly, mainly thanks to the format, but it’s also not engaging on a narrative level. It can be an unfunny chore, with the series seemingly geared toward a much younger, family-friendly audience.

Developed by Dave Wasson (Cool World, “Time Squad”), what the series nails is the aesthetic. The stunning art style inspired by Fleischer Studios and Disney offers up a visual feast. Composer Ego Plum creates music for the series that’s evocative of the game, the familiar jazz, early big band, and ragtime music styled to the bygone era the animation emulates. The art direction and music are spectacular, and moments with spooky ghosts, dancing skeletons, and glimpses of Hell present an awe-inspiring spectacle.

The Cuphead Show! Luke Millington-Drake as The Devil in The Cuphead Show! Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2022

“The Cuphead Show!” works so hard to translate the look of the video game and succeeds but fails to factor in how much the gameplay can distract from the details. Visuals only go so far, and the series doesn’t seem to offer much beneath the surface. The story is oversimplified and repetitive. Cuphead and Mugman are blank avatars that could be swapped out with any number of iconic comedic cartoon duos with no one the wiser.

Fans of the video game will pick up on Easter eggs and characters, like boss villain King Dice (Wayne Brady). Whether you’re a fan of the games or completely unaware, all will fall head over heels for the ambition and artistry on display. Beyond that, though, “The Cuphead Show!” becomes a cumbersome slog to get through, thanks to its oversimplified narrative and flat jokes. It makes for a gorgeous yet empty distraction more family-friendly than its source material. The series honors the game’s style to perfection but fails to consider what’s lost in the translation from game to series. Much of its magic gets lost in the process, but the artistry on display might offer enough for the series to coast by.

“The Cuphead Show!” premieres on Netflix on February 18, 2022.

Horror journalist, RT Top Critic, and Critics Choice Association member. Co-Host of the Bloody Disgusting Podcast. Has appeared on PBS series' Monstrum, served on the SXSW Midnighter shorts jury, and moderated horror panels for WonderCon and SeriesFest.

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‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ Review – Latest Monster Mashup Goes Bigger and Sillier

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GODZILLA X KONG review

The heavyweight championship event that was Godzilla vs. Kong ended in a tenuous truce that saw Godzilla holding dominion over Earth while King Kong claimed Hollow Earth. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire introduces a new Titan-sized threat from the depths of Hollow Earth, one so dangerous that Kong and his human allies will need all the help they can get to defeat it. Director Adam Wingard continues the kaiju spectacle with the latest Legendary Monsterverse crossover event, this time injecting an even greater sense of adventure and silliness. It’s the type of epic-sized popcorn movie that unleashes nonstop monster brawls and tongue-in-cheek humor in equal measure.

Since the events of Godzilla vs. Kong, Godzilla spends his downtime curling up for naptime in Rome’s Colosseum when not snuffing out rogue Titans that emerge. The kaiju king’s activity is closely monitored by Monarch and Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall). Dr. Andrews also keeps a close eye on Kong through stations established around Hollow Earth access points, and poor Kong is lonely as he still searches for others like him. Then there’s Dr. Andrews’ adoptive daughter Jia (Kaylee Hottle), the sole survivor of the decimated Iwi tribe from Skull Island. Jia’s struggles to find her place in school and society at large get exacerbated by strange new visions that seem directly tied to Hollow Earth.

Dr. Andrews enlists Bernie (Brian Tyree Henry) to help her navigate Jia’s new plight. Once the new threat makes itself known, all three, along with wisecracking kaiju vet Trapper (Dan Stevens), descend into Hollow Earth for answers. Instead, they find a terrifying new battle heating up for kaiju sovereignty. 

Rebecca Hall and Dan Stevens in Godzilla x Kong

The Monsterverse franchise often struggles with its human characters and how they fit into the kaiju mayhem, but screenwriters Terry RossioSimon Barrett, and Jeremy Slater may have finally cleared this hurdle by trimming down the human cast and keeping it simple. Jia’s heritage creates an emotional conflict between her and her adoptive mother that injects a sweet earnestness, while Brian Tyree Henry’s Bernie brings levity. Then there’s the scene-chewing Dan Stevens, whose Trapper gets introduced in style as he performs a tooth extraction from an aircraft with infectious exuberance. Stevens plays the character with the bravado of an ’80s action star but one that’s fully aware of himself and the absurdity of his unique gig. Trapper’s boisterous personality goes far in demonstrating to audiences just how much we’re meant to be having fun and not take everything seriously, so much so that Godzilla x Kong could stand to see more of him.

Of course, the real stars are the monsters, and this, once again, is Kong’s show. Godzilla remains the undisputed heavyweight champion, but it’s Kong’s pursuit of finding his place in Hollow Earth that drives Godzilla x Kong. The required exposition delivery as Wingard corrals the converging plotlines into an action-heavy final act does slow the momentum in the first two-thirds, despite frequent action set pieces. But the main event delivers the promised team-up and then some, thanks to at least one pivotal surprise up Wingard’s sleeves that brings the wow factor to the final battle. That key surprise is pivotal, not just for fan service, but to offset how underwhelming the new enemy is, a generic mirrored inverse of Kong and his frenemy. 

Angry Kong

Wingard and crew seem fully aware of that and play up the cartoonish quality of the premise to maximize the fun factor. While it does indeed evoke the intended sense of fun, especially when Kong flings a smaller ape around as a weapon or dons a power glove, there’s a weightlessness to the whole thing. There’s no real impact to any of it, even though it often looks cool.

It all amounts to a visually polished Saturday morning cartoon filled with monster brawls and the humans who love them. Beyond the charming entertainment, though, Godzilla x Kong is more hollow than Hollow Earth.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire roars into theaters and IMAX on March 29, 2024.

2.5 out of 5 skulls

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