Triumph of Trigun - A Look at Both Series Original and New

Series Name/Year: Trigun (1998)
Series Name/Year: Trigun Stampede (2023-)
Streaming Service (Both): Crunchyroll
Genres (Both): Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi, Western
Average Episode Length - Trigun:  24 min (1 Season, 26 episodes)
Average Episode Length - Trigun Stampede:  24min (1 Season, 12 episodes)
Rating (Both): TV-14
Director - Trigun: Satoshi Nishimura
Directors - Trigun Stampede: Kenji Muto, Minoru Yamaoka, Naomichi Yamato, Hiroshi Nishikiori, Mie Ôishi
Writers - Trigun: Yôsuke Kuroda, Yasuhiro Nightow
Writers - Trigun Stampede: Tatsuro Inamoto, Yasuhiro Nightow, Shin Okashima, Takehiko Okishi, Yoshihisa Ueda
Actors - Trigun:
- Japanese Cast:
Masaya Onosaka, Satsuki Yukino, Hiromi Tsuru, Show Hayami, Tôru Furusawa, Masamichi Ota, Aya Hisakawa, Toshihiko Seki, Kôki Miyata
- English Cast:
Johnny Yong Bosch, Lia Sargent, Dorothy Elias-Fahn, Jeff Nimoy, Kirk Baily, Bridget Hoffman, Richard Cansino, Bryce Papenbrook, Joshua Seth
Actors - Trigun Stampede:
- Japanese Cast:
Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Sakura Ando, Kenji Matsuda, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Junya Ikeda, Yumiri Hanamori, Tomoyo Kurosawa, Tarako, Ryûsei Nakao, Maaya Sakamoto, Kimiko Saitô, Mirei Kumagai
- English Cast:
Johnny Yong Bosch, Sarah Roach, Ben Bryant, David Matranga, Austin Tindle, Kristen McGuire, Madeleine Morris, Megan Shipman, Larry Brantley, Emily Fajardo, Lydia Mackay
 
IMDb Blurb - Trigun: Vash the Stampede is the most infamous outlaw on the planet Gunsmoke and with a 60 billion double dollar price on his head the most sought after!
IMDb Blurb - Trigun Stampede: Follow gunman Vash the Stampede as he struggles to maintain his pacifist ways while avoiding the immense bounty on his head.

 
Cat’s Point of View:
Before we delve into the warm fuzzies of the Holiday Season – better yet, before we return to our more usual review fare with the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike; I thought I’d dive into one of my favorite Japanese manga adaptations: Trigun.

Of course, there’s more than 1 series to mention, considering the freshly released Trigun Stampede that premiered this year. Both series approach the same material (for the most part) from different perspectives, and I find both of them excellent in their own ways.

I have a bit of a soft spot for westerns. Couple that with my love of science fiction and adventure and Trigun just started checking a lot of boxes in the positive column as I caught the original series airing on Adult Swim years ago.

If I had to pick some well known titles to mash together to compare Trigun to, I’d have to say that it would be somewhat like a combination of the world of Mad Max (1979) and the sci-fi blend in Cowboy Bebop (1998-1999). (Of course, Trigun was one of Bebop’s contemporaries airing in the same year.) I adore the blend of action with drama and comedy. Some of the physical anime gags go a little over-the-top (especially facial features and expressions). Those really aren’t my favorite bits, but everything else about the series is a wonderful blend of chaos, futuristic steampunk, and the visuals of an alternate world “old West.”

Before I go any further, I feel I do need to warn that this review will inherently contain some mild SPOILERS regarding the Trigun storyline continuity. The 1998 series and the 2023 series approach Vash’s story from different points in the timeline and some bits of information revealed as a surprise or plot-twist late in the Trigun original series are front and center in the very first episodes of the Trigun Stampede series. Further, anyone who has watched the original series will generally know most of what will happen in Trigun Stampede, however not everything is shown in this first season. There’s room for the “missing characters” (to some extent) and other plot elements to be explored in season 2 and potentially beyond.

First, let’s talk animation style. With the 20-plus years between Trigun and Trigun Stampede, it’s a given that animation production methods and styles will have changed over time. 1998’s series fits right in with the high quality of its contemporaries. The action was handled really well, and not all of the comedy digressed into “comicalization” or simplistically exaggerated facial expressions for the characters. Hey, I’m not knocking that stylistic choice – it’s just not my preferred cup of tea. Even so, plenty of my favorite series utilize that affectation as a common anime trope. It doesn’t generally impact my enjoyment.

The Trigun Stampede series is rather straight-shooting in a seamless animation style that remains uniform, even while still delivering the moments of emotion and comedy. The new style is clearly rendered in a digital format, though still retains much of the “old school” animation charm rather than the shiny plastic nature of most 3D animation. The action is fluid and well done, and Stampede also utilizes a more modern approach to cinematography. As an example, there’s one scene in an early episode of Stampede that comes to mind where Vash is using parkour as he dodges bullets, and as he flips onto another rooftop or similar surface the camera does a rotation with him. (This scene is actually shown in the music video that accompanies the opening theme music for Stampede.)

Now let’s get into the story a bit. Trigun Stampede might be hard for some fans of the original series to take in at first because of some changes and/or seeming omissions. Some characters aren’t seen that are in the 1998 series and even the world has a different name. Previously called Gunsmoke, it’s now called Nomans Land. Some of the villain-of-the-week characters don’t make an appearance, and even some of the Gung-Ho Guns don’t show. Some characters have different backgrounds… you get the picture.

Most of the differences are honestly splitting hairs, in my opinion. Stampede is not worse for wear for these changes. Honestly, it felt like the story was more cohesive and streamlined. It felt like the original series had more light-hearted moments sprinkled through the explosions, raining bullets, questionable pick-up lines, and camaraderie. Trigun Stampede has the comedy and action down, but also leans in a bit more to drama, ethics, discrimination, personal moral code, and existential questions. It’s a bit heavier in tone in some places, considering you know from the outset what the relationship is between Vash and Knives and get an inkling as to what the stakes are overall.

There’s one main thing to keep in mind, however. When the 1998 series ran, the manga was not finished by a long shot. Both series are made from a combination of Trigun and Trigun Maximum. The latter just wasn’t complete when the first series made its run. Maximum also wasn’t a reboot of the original Trigun manga, but a continuation. The name only changed due to legal red tape because the publisher changed, etc. Stampede now has the full manga run at its disposal to draw from, and has the opportunity to spin the entire story in a different way than presented in 1998.

Both versions of the series remain true to Vash’s core journey – both literal and figurative. He strives to put together what went wrong in the past and find some redemption in his life. Vash has profound sadness within him, and yet shows a great understanding and zest for life and laughter all the same. Throughout both series, in the face of daunting circumstances, he maintains his beliefs in finding alternate solutions to violence. Though, when violence cannot be avoided, he shows strength and stands up to defend even those that have tried to hurt him. In this way, the story of Trigun in both series reminds me of the way of life and perspective of the late Gandhi and makes this story that much more powerful. 

“My creed of nonviolence is an extremely active force. It has no room for cowardice or even weakness. There is hope for a violent man to be some day non-violent, but there is none for a coward. I have, therefore, said more than once....that, if we do not know how to defend ourselves, our women and our places of worship by the force of suffering, i.e., nonviolence, we must, if we are men, be at least able to defend all these by fighting.” - M.K. Gandhi

As usual, I feel I must disclose that, at this time, I haven’t read the manga to know specifically what differences exist between either Trigun’s original series or Stampede and the source material. There are many anime resource sites, forums, and databases you are welcome to peruse should you wish to look up the play-by-play yourself.

One of the things that brings me great joy about all of the Trigun series is that, at least for the English dubbed versions, Johnny Yong Bosch (Black Clover, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War) has remained the voice of Vash the Stampede throughout. He seems to be the only consistent cast member to return through both series and the 2010 stand-alone movie. He brings something great to all of the characters he brings to life on the screen, and seemingly effortlessly evokes both their strengths and vulnerabilities.

Yes, I did mention that there was a Trigun movie. Trigun: Badlands Rumble hit screens in 2010 as an independent story that could have taken place somewhere in the middle of the continuity of the 1998 series. It didn’t pick up from the end, as some might have hoped. In that way it shared even more in common with the Bebop series, as Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001) did the same thing (much to my dismay).

Trigun Stampede does have a 2^nd season announced, though details are scarce as to the timeline for production. The ending of Stampede’s first season did allude to the return of a familiar original series character that was conspicuously missing thus far. There’s always room for more villains and other supporting characters to pop up in the next installments, as well as new elements of the expanded story within the source material. I just hope they also find a way to fit Kuroneko back in for at least a cameo. The familiar silly black cat was a missed opportunity in Stampede, in my book at least.

If you are a fan of the original series, I implore you to give Trigun Stampede a chance. If you haven’t watched any of the series yet – old or new – I do not envy your decision between original and new series, but once you’ve watched one, I encourage you to watch the other. Stampede is definitely an easier binge with only 12 episodes compared to the original’s 26 + movie, but I’d have to say it’s well worth the time spent to view both perspectives. 

 
Trigun Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 100%
Trigun Stampede Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 100%
Trigun Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 88%
Ttrigun Stampede Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 78%
Metascore – None (both)
Metacritic User Score – None (both)
Trigun IMDB Score – 8.2/10
Trigun: Stampede IMDB Score – 7.3/10
 
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating:
Trigun – 4.5/5
Trigun: Stampede – 4.5/5

 
Trigun: Stampede Trailer:

Trigun (1998) Trailer:

The Royal Treatment (2022)

 

Streaming Service: Netflix
Movie Name/Year: The Royal Treatment (2022)
Genre: Comedy, Family, Romance
Length:  96 minutes
Rating: TV-PG
Production/Distribution: Focus Features International, Netflix
Director: Rick Jacobson
Writer: Holly Hester
Actors: Abby Howells, Aislinn Furlong, Amanda Billing, An Xin Chang, Cameron Rhodes, Chelsie Preston-Crayford, Elizabeth Hawthorne, Grace Bentley-Tsibuah, Ivan Stojanov, Ivie Kupeng, Jacque Drew, James Gaylyn, Jay Simon, Jen Van Epps, Julie Edwards, Kube Jones-Neill, Laura Marano, Matthew E. Morgan, Mena Massoud, Paul Norell, Peter Chin, Phoenix Connolly, Siale Tunoka, Sonia Gray, Talia Lesser, Taylor Barrett, Teuila Blakely, Theanne Bulatao
 
IMDb Blurb: New York hairdresser Izzy seizes the chance to work at the wedding of a charming prince, but when sparks between them fly, will love or duty prevail?

 
Cat’s Point of View:
The Royal Treatment didn’t appear on my Top 20 Movies to Look Out For in January 2022 list, but it was by the narrowest of margins. In hindsight, I’m somewhat wishing I’d dropped one of the animated sequels to list it, instead. One of the two at the end of my list rose to the occasion, while the other did not. I’m not going down that particular rabbit hole today, however.
 
What I am going to do is express my frustration that critics seem to be hellbent on tearing down perfectly good movies just because they weren’t designed to be earth-shaking or world-changing bits of enlightened cinema. Seriously, people. There is a place for sugary romance in the world. The Royal Treatment wasn’t even the most saccharine out there. It wasn’t even half as sappy as it could have been.

 
The Royal Treatment might not have the most substance or have the most groundbreaking plot – we’ve heard this story before, after all. What it does have, however, is spirit. It doesn’t matter that we’ve seen the story before because this version spins it again effortlessly so that you don’t mind hearing this new iteration.  This is a modern tale that gives emphasis to self-reliance and basic human dignity. It reinforces the important and powerful message that if you want to see a change in the world, you have to be the one that makes change happen.
 
I also have a lot of respect for some of the choices made with the story that elevated it above your typical royal romance tale – alas, to avoid spoilers I cannot share those specifics. I hate teasing like that – but it is, what it is.

 
What I can share is my giddy reaction at the little thread of information that gets dropped in The Royal Treatment. There is a clear binding factor to the world that Netflix romance movies have in common – and an unexpected addition. There is a mention of Aldovia and Genovia as other countries during dialogue. Aldovia is the kingdom from the A Christmas Prince (2017) movies, and Genovia is the realm from The Princess Diaries (2001) franchise. By the same token, the kingdom of Belgravia of The Princess Switch (2018) films is already known to be connected; so, while not mentioned in The Royal Treatment, we know that it is still ‘in the neighborhood’ of the others. The Diaries movies aren’t Netflix originals, so they had to have pulled some strings to make that happen – but I’m here for it.
 
I really enjoyed the cast. Mena Massoud (Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, Run This Town, Reprisal) and Laura Marano (Austin & Ally, Lady Bird, Saving Zoë) had good chemistry both with each other and with their supporting cast. I think the butler character, Walter, played by Cameron Rhodes (Housebound, Deathgasm, In Dark Places) really stole the show.

 
There was even a small part for the former mayor of the town in New Zealand where they filmed. Speaking of which, the production team took good advantage of the scenery to give that fairytale and far-away vibe without completely taking us to Middle Earth.
 
With February as the month of Valentine’s Day and the distinction of being the 2^nd month of 2022, this is even a more notable month for couples. The Royal Treatment is a cute movie for a date, or even family viewing. It’s familiar enough that you won’t get upset if there are distractions, but fresh enough not to be boring.
 
While it’s possible I might not remember The Royal Treatment years from now, I have no qualms in giving it a solid recommendation. 

 
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 27%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 38%
Metascore – 36%
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 5.2/10
 
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3/5
 
P.S. – There are some additional scenes as animations during the end credits. Following credits, there is a link provided by Netflix for more bonus content.

Also, if you'd like to see how some of these romance movie kingdoms are connected, PopSugar has an infographic in their article here.
 
Movie Trailer:

Operation Christmas Drop (2020) - 'Tis the Season

 

Streaming Services: Netflix
Movie Name/Year: Operation Christmas Drop (2020)
Genre: Comedy, Family, Romance
Length: 95 minutes
Rating: TV-G
Production/Distribution: Netflix Studios, Netflix
Director: Martin Wood
Writers: Gregg Rossen, Brian Sawyer
Actors: Kat Graham, Alexander Ludwig, Trezzo Mahoro, Bethany Brown, Rohan Campbell, Virginia Madsen, Jeff Joseph, Janet Kidder, Aliza Vellani, Aaron Douglas, Xavier de Guzman, Linden Banks, Eileen Pedde, Brittany Willacy, Audrey Wise Alvarez, Reese Alexander, Sara Nicole Duke Untalan, Penelope Jo Borja Sabla, Michelle Clarice Blas, Edward F. Taimanao Jr., Bruce Best, Harrison Cho, Felipe Viana
 
Blurb from IMDb: Congressional aide Erica (Graham) forgoes family Christmas to travel at her boss's behest. At a beachside Air Force base, she clashes with Capt. Andrew Jantz (Ludwig), who knows her assignment is finding reasons to defund the facility.

 

Cat’s Point of View:

Operation Christmas Drop was everything I expected it to be, and it was just what I needed to shore up my eroding sense of Christmas cheer this year.

 
2020, man. It’s not even for the birds. I wouldn’t wish 2020 on anyone. I digress.
 
Things in my neck of the woods have been super stressful, so having a lighter bit of holiday fare really hit the spot and left me feeling a little better about the world. Sure, it’s currently a garbage fire at the moment but let’s not talk about that. I think too many Grinches have been writing reviews for this film so far, unable to see past the funk that the year has left most of us in.

The primary complaints seem to be that the movie is very formulaic and predictable. Ok, and? With a new crisis around every corner this year, is having something follow a recipe closely the worst thing that could happen? (Don’t answer that.)
 
Others seem to be chalking the film up to military propaganda and just writing it off. To that, I say, really? Were it not a controversial election year, would they feel the same? I don’t see it that way at all.
 
I suppose it’s a matter of perspective. I’ve grown up as an avid air show attendee, visiting various Air Force bases near wherever I was living at the time for the stunning aerial displays. That, folks, is military propaganda. They’re boots-on-the-ground recruitment fairs. This movie featured military humanitarian operations, sure – but calling it propaganda is taking it a bit too far.

I love a movie with cool planes in it almost as much as an aviation enthusiast. This wasn’t what Operation Christmas Drop was about, though. There’s more heart to the matter – and I’m not talking about the romance story. When a military base is up on the congressional chopping block to be closed, it’s a scary thing for the communities that depend on it. I live just over the river from Barksdale Air Force Base, here in Louisiana. Not a day goes by that I don’t see the giant B-52s running operations in the local airspace. There are businesses that thrive and depend on air force personnel. Closing a base only means asset relocation to the military and the Washington number crunchers – but to the place the base is located, it’s a devastating blow. Thankfully, Barksdale has been ‘important enough’ that it’s unlikely that would happen here. Other places haven’t been so lucky.
 
Aside from the connection between the main characters, this movie also highlights that community aspect as well as the balancing act regarding stewardship of the taxpayer dollar. What’s better is that the movie was filmed at the real air base on Guam, and is even the first Hollywood studio film to be shot there. I adored that actual locations on the base which are really used in the real-life Christmas Drop operations were utilized in the movie, as well as some of the actual people working with the project.

Back to the movie, though.
 
I’ll be honest. I adore Kat Graham (All Eyez on Me, The Poison Rose, Cut Throat City). It seems like starring in a Netflix Christmas movie has become a holiday tradition for her, as this is the third such offering we’ve reviewed in as many years. (The previous films were The Holiday Calendar (2018) and The Knight Before Christmas (2019).) I am hoping this was intentional and she continues to do so moving forward. I couldn’t find a single flaw with her performance.
 
Alexander Ludwig (Lone Survivor, Midway, Vikings) has been growing on me in recent years. He portrays military personnel well, and his salute would have made my grandfather proud. (My maternal granddad used to grumble about the sloppy salutes he’d get from actual airmen as we drove past the main gates of the base when I was little.) I’m digressing again…
 
The chemistry between the pair was organic and I bought in on the story from their perspectives. The scenery from Guam was stunning, and I appreciated the information woven into the story about the annual drops that actually happen. Further, my angsty teen wouldn’t even be opposed to watching this movie again.
 
My advice is simple. Forget the nay-sayers and watch the trailer. If the film appeals to you after that, by all means, watch it and soak in that tropical island Christmas cheer. 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score –47%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 39%
Metascore – 47/100
Metacritic User Score – 4.2/10
IMDB Score – 5.8/10
 
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3/5
 
Trust the Dice: Parental Advisory Rating – G

P.S. – Photos from the real Operation Christmas Drop are shown in conjunction with related trivia during the credits. 

Movie Trailer:

An American Pickle (2020)

Streaming Services: HBO Max

Movie Name/Year: An American Pickle (2020)

Genre: Comedy

Length: 88 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Production/Distribution: Point Grey Pictures, Gravitational Productions, Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Max, HBO España, HBO Max

Director: Brandon Trost

Writer: Simon Rich

Actors: Seth Rogen, Sarah Snook, Molly Evensen, Eliot Glazer, Kalen Allen, Kevin O’Rourke, Sean Whalen, Geoffrey Cantor, Carol Leifer, Jorma Taccone, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Alyse Zwick, Dalon Huntington, J Michael Grey, Liz Cackowski, Ian Poake

Blurb from IMDb: An immigrant worker at a pickle factory is accidentally preserved for 100 years and wakes up in modern day Brooklyn.

Selina’s Point of View:

This film surprised the hell out of me. It’s not at all what I thought it would be.

I’d call that a good thing, this time. That means that An American Pickle didn’t succumb to the pitfalls I worried about. As I mentioned in my Top 20, using the same actor for two characters, especially in silly comedy flicks, has a tendency to go spectacularly wrong.

Seth Rogen (Long Shot, The Disaster Artist, The Interview) makes it work here, though. I saw the difference in the mannerisms very clearly. Even in scenes where they’re supposed to look the most alike, Rogen carried himself in ways that helped define the two characters.

I’m not saying that it was Orphan Black (2013-2017) good. After all, that’s a serious show and An American Pickle very much is not.

There’s nothing serious about this film. The ‘science’ is yadda-yadda’d. We never even get to hear the explanation, which is fine. We’re seeing things through Herschel’s eyes at the time, and he’s a bit overwhelmed from being pickled for 100 years.

I mean, I don’t think anyone would watch this movie for science reasons anyway, but still.

The humor was outstanding. I loved the way An American Pickle compared the lives of people from a century ago to our time through the eyes of a Jewish immigrant time-transplant and his great-grandson. You get to see the way things have changed. This flick takes a look at religion, cancel culture, and family in ways that other films can’t really explore when they take a more serious tone.

Lightening serious subjects with humor is a good way to objectively examine them.

I do not understand the reviews for this film. From what I’m seeing, it’s incredibly underrated. I almost always agree with the audience over the critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but I can’t this time.

Whatever the reason audiences have to dislike this film, I think they’re wrong. I had a beautiful time watching An American Pickle. I started laughing at the beginning and only stopped once, near the end, because I got hit with some feels.

This is a great film. It’s hilarious. If I had paid money to see this on the big screen, I’d have been more than satisfied. Honestly? I think it’s worth getting HBO Max for.

  

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 74%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 47%

Metascore – 58/100

Metacritic User Score – 4.1/10

IMDB Score – 5.8/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 5/5

P.S.: There’s a short scene after the start of the credits.

Movie Trailer:

Madness in the Method (2019)

Streaming Service: Prime Video

Movie Name/Year: Madness in the Method (2019)

Genre: Comedy, Crime

Length: 99 minutes

Rating: NR

Production/Distribution: Autumnwood Media, Happy Hour Films, Hawthorn Productions, Red Rock Entertainment, Straightwire Films, Cinedigm

Director: Jason Mewes

Writer: Dominic Burns, Chris Anastasi

Actors: Jason Mewes, Vinnie Jones, Jaime Camil, Gina Carano, Kevin Smith, Danny Trejo, Mickey Gooch Jr., Stan Lee, Brian O’Halloran, Teri Hatcher, Esther Anderson, David Dastmalchian, Blake Harrison, Matt Willis, Dean Cain, Judd Nelson, Nick Nicotera, Harley Quinn Smith, Zach Galligan, Edmund Kingsley, Casper Van Dien, Matthew Sterling Nye, Evanna Lynch

Blurb from IMDb: Jason Mewes, attempting method acting in order to gain more respect for himself in Hollywood, slowly descends into madness.

Selina’s Point of View:

The month that Madness in the Method came out, it was #1 on my Top 20 movies to look out for. I have no regrets. I’d still put it at #1 for that month.

The trailer made it look like Madness in the Method was going to be a full-on scattered comedy. There definitely was a lot of that. You could feel the Kevin Smith (The Disaster Artist, Clerks, Dogma) influence in some of the scenes – but it evolved into something different. It moved Jason Mewes (Noobz, Todd and the Book of Pure Evil, Shoot the Hero) – as a director – away from Smith and steadily into his own creative being.

I’ve seen Mewes in a lot of films outside the View Askewniverse. So, I had a better chance of expecting something great from him here than someone who only knows him as Jay from the Smith films. I’ve been surprised by him in the past and that means that I wasn’t surprised here. I expected him to succeed, and he did.

There was a lot of the cringe/raunch comedy that you would expect. I’ve never been a fan of cringe, but I do enjoy some raunch, especially when it gets dark. There was a LOT of dark in this film.

If you do not like dark comedy, don’t even bother. This one’s not for you.

Now, I know that the critics trashed this film. I’m going to avoid my usual ‘fuck them’ comment and point out something interesting about that instead.

On Rotten Tomatoes, critics gave the film a 25%. It’s easy to just take that number and run with it, but you have to take into account the audience score also – which is 61%. I’ve talked about this kind of thing a little bit, and I think this film review is a great time to go a little further into it.

When there’s a big difference between the critic and audience scores, then you know the issue isn’t the content. Let me give you a more well-known film as an example.

It’s probably no surprise that The Boondock Saints (1999) has a 91% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, but the critics… oh they thought something different. In fact, they hated it so much, that it’s sitting at a 22% critic rating. If that doesn’t make you wonder what the majority of critics are smoking, I could list hundreds of other examples.

Most mainstream critics do not view a film with entertainment in mind. They’re viewing it with a specific, rigid list of qualities that need to be met. That list doesn’t tend to change from movie to movie, either. So, they’re judging a new director against the same standards as they’re judging the giants of the industry. They’re pitting every thriller against each other, regardless of the plot. Every comedy must meet strict standards and there’s no room for anything ‘low-brow’.

This is why I think mainstream critics are ridiculous. They’re practically parodies of what they’re supposed to be. They’re trying to think for their readers and leaving no room for debate. There’s a little bit of self-fellatio going on in most of their articles, too.

If you insist on following Rotten Tomatoes, never look at just the critic’s score. Look at the whole picture. If there’s a huge discrepancy between the critics and the audience – there might just be a reason.

In this case, the reason behind the discrepancy is clear. This film has dark, cringy, raunchy humor. It’s got a relatively specific demographic. It’s an alternate reality piece about an actor that the majority of critics have already written off as a typecast. What are the critics missing? They’re missing the most important piece of the whole damn puzzle.

Madness in the Method is fucking entertaining. That’s why we HAVE non-documentary movies. They’re entertainment. Sure, some also trigger emotions and have a lesson to be taught… but all the emotions and lessons in the world don’t matter if they can’t hold your interest. Entertainment is the foundation all films are built on. Jason Mewes excels at that.

You will be hard-pressed to find someone that is a fan of dark cringe comedy that doesn’t like this flick.

But don’t take my word for it. I’m here to offer suggestions only. Head over to Amazon Prime Video and watch it yourself. Let me know if you think the critics are wrong.

Cat’s Point of View:

Snoogans! I just had to get that out of the way.

I’m working on purging all that awkwardness out of my system so that I don’t blurt out something utterly dumb upon proximity with Jason Mewes at Geek’d Con this year. (It’s an August thing, so I’m firmly keeping hope alive that plans will continue. As of now, everything’s still a go.) I have hope for the convention and my composure. Hey, I managed not to say ‘Humperdink, Humperdink, Humperdink!’ to Chris Sarandon (Fright Night, Safe, I Smile Back) year before last. I digress…

I am, however, excited that this is Mewes’ first full-length feature film under his directorial belt. Selina and I both had this movie in our Top 10 movies to look out for in August 2019. We were both happily anticipating this movie would be great. I wasn’t disappointed.

Mewes is a highly underrated actor. This movie pretty much illustrates exactly that – poking fun at it and hitting the nail on the head at the same time. Most of his roles have been as the caricature character of Jay, alongside Kevin Smith as Silent Bob. After so much success in that persona, I imagine it’s inwardly frustrating that it’s all most people see him as.

That aside, the movie itself was a combination of surprise and hilarity for me. The situations that Mewes, as a fictionalized version of himself, gets into are just crazy. It’s something entirely up his alley while at the same time showcasing other sides of his range that audiences don’t often get to see.

Another bonus for this movie is the plethora of cameos laced in. I believe that this is one of the last live-action projects that Stan Lee (Ultimate Spider Man, The Reflection, Big Hero 6: The Series) worked on before his passing. It was both funny and heartwarming to see him on the screen with this production. I think my favorite cameo, though, has to be Danny Trejo’s (Grand-Daddy Day Care, Bare Knuckle Brawler, Big City Greens) character.

IMDb has this movie listed as a crime drama, though I found that it actually has shades of horror to it as well. It’s definitely more of a horror-comedy than a crime procedural for sure. There’s some pretty graphic stuff in there. It doesn’t really get heavy, though, because it doesn’t stop long enough to dwell in those moments. The film fearlessly charges forward so that the next moment you’re laughing through your exclamations of ‘oh my god.’

If there were flaws in the movie, I don’t think I noticed them. I felt like the production quality was exactly where it should have been for this kooky story. Some parts are cheesy, some more serious. It’s over-all a fun ride. If you love Mewes and Smith’s work, I would definitely recommend that you give this one a watch.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 25%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 61%

Metascore – 42/100

Metacritic User Score – None

IMDB Score – 5.8/10

CinemaScore – None

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 4/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4/5

Trust-the-Dice’s Parental Advisory Rating: R

P.S. Some scenes during the credits.

Movie Trailer: