That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime the Movie: Tears of the Azure Sea

 Do you remember the time That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime got a movie? I do.

It's time for the slime, Rimuru Tempest, to be reincarnated again on the big screen. This one's subtitled Tears of the Azure Sea, and it's just in time for summer. You'll understand the significance in a second.

This time, Rimuru and his retinue fly by dragon to their ally, Elmesia's, island resort. They have nothing to worry about under the sun, except for the occasional nuclear magic strikes on the neighboring undersea kingdom of Kaien. Yes, nuclear magic. But nobody on the island's actually worried about them.

Perhaps the islanders should be worried about Kaien's Great Water Dragon, which can be summoned with a magic flute. Yura, priestess of Kaien, made off with the flute in the cold open. She took it to prevent Kaien's evil ministers, Djeese and Zodon, from using the dragon for evil. Rimuru gets involved when his goblin retainer, Gobta, saves Yura from her pursuers. As sparks fly between Gobta and Yura, the merry monsters set out to stop the conspiracy. Yeah, that's pretty much it.

For those interested, this film takes place between the anime's third and fourth seasons (the latter just premiered last month). You won't be lost too much in its standalone plot, but thanks to Rimuru's opening narration, you'll understand why the franchise got its name (unlike last time). You still need a character guide to keep up with everyone in Rimuru's massive retinue, but you'll do fine as long as you focus on a select few (Rimuru himself, Gobta, the ogres Shion & Shuna, Elyun the elf, Ranga the wolf, and their guest Yuna). There's a bunch of shenanigans amongst the cast - like comical jealousy - before they get involved with the plot. The ministers are stockish, but there's a nice narrative jolt when Zodon double-crosses Djeese. I was practically stunned that there was such a thing as nuclear magic, though I could barely understand who and why kept attacking.

Gobta, who was barely a character in Scarlet Bond, basks in the narrative sun. While the series mostly treats him as a laid-back loser, this film gives the little dude a surprisingly endearing romance with Yura. They have great chemistry, whether it's with them outrunning her pursuers or just sharing a float. And for a laid-back loser, Gobta proves himself a tough little dude in battle.  In fact, they outrun Yura's pursuers so long I almost thought Rimuru and the others would be completely sidelined here. Why shouldn't they be together? It's obviously because it's a filler movie, which the ending painfully (not tragically) reminds us of. 

It's a beach movie, so naturally, the scenery and colors are pleasant. Both the surface and underwater worlds look nice, with a limestone cave being a particular highlight for the former. Most of Rimuru's retinue only stand out during the final battle, and they've got some nifty powers to show off.  The Great Water Dragon is ferocious, even if its personality is generic. Hitoshi Fujima's score is fine, but the most unforgettable sounds come from the nuclear magic strikes. Anyone who knows what to expect from the source anime will also get it good here.

While Scarlet Bond traveled some rough narrative waters, Tears of the Azure Sea is a trip through the shallow end, both in narrative and in stakes. Still, thanks to its quirky cast, it's fun while it lasts. If anything soured me on this movie, it's that the theatre forgot to play any trailers before the movie AGAIN. It's not the movie's fault, though. All in all, this slime time is a good summer matinee time. It'll be a while before it streams on Crunchyroll, so see it soon if you want to. I've said enough.

The Devil Wears Prada 2

All right everyone, gird your loins! 

Jethro's coming in hot with a review of The Devil Wears Prada 2. This sequel's been a longtime coming, so ...

Hi, Daisy Mae. You don't need to oversell it. I won't.

Okay...

The Devil Wears Prada 2

Oh yes, Miranda Priestly. You may know her from Laura Weisberger's novel, The Devil Wears Prada. You may know her better from David Frankel's film of the novel, where Meryl Streep added another Oscar nomination as her. Will she add another one for this sequel? I don't know, but it's still worth a watch.

In the first film, Miranda's beleaguered assistant Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) walked out on her in Paris. In this one, Andy is a celebrated journalist until she and her co-workers are laid off by text during an awards show. Meanwhile, Miranda's magazine Runway, already a shell of its former self, is hit with bad press after it's revealed they endorsed an unethical fashion brand. Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman), the magazine's publisher, hires Andy as the new features editor to help spin some good press. Andy tries to be cordial, but Miranda refuses.

Andy also reunites with Miranda's number-two, Nigel Kipling (Stanley Tucci), and her former rival, Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt), who now works at Dior. Things soon look up for Runway after Andy books an interview with wealthy influencer Sasha Barnes (Lucy Liu). But when Irv keels over at his own birthday party, his son Jay (BJ Novak) takes over with dreams of downsizing. Andy decides to go behind Miranda's back to save their magazine. But will she accidentally make things worse?

Did you know that Weisberger wrote two sequels to the original novel? Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns and When Life Gives You Lululemons. Well, returning writer Aline Brosh McKenna isn't adapting either of them. Just thought I'd let you know.

I haven't seen the first movie since its first release, but I still remember bits of it (like the Harry Potter subplot). Those who've watched it more frequently, meanwhile, will certainly get a kick out of its two leads. It's pretty amusing, for example, to watch Miranda try to tone down her mean boss attitude. She's certainly mean and fun with Andy, but she also has several valid points. Andy's scheming, meanwhile, is rather understandable once you consider that she's out to save her only viable job. After everything in the first movie, it's pretty nice to see them come to a mutual understanding at the end.

Further down the cast, we have Emily, who's still a fun frenemy for Andy. Like with Miranda, they eventually come to a mutual understanding, maybe too quickly. Nigel may be noticeably older, but he's still that same witty mentor whose command opened my review. His ultimate secret makes reasonable sense. As for the new cast, Patrick Brammall is fine as Andy's new boyfriend Peter, while Kenneth Branagh makes the most of his screentime as Miranda's husband, Stuart (I thought he was her husband in the first film; guess I didn't remember that well). Once Sasha enters the plot, I spent the whole film waiting for her to come back, which she only does at the end. I thought the plot would've hinged on her big wedding, but nope. Her ex-husband, Benji (Justin Theroux), plays more of an active role since he bids for Runway. I'll leave it to you to guess how he's outwitted.

Frankel also brings back the likes of Florian Ballhaus (cinematographer), Theodore Shapiro (composer), Ellen Lewis (casting director, this time with Shayna Markowitz), and Jess Gonchor (production designer). Even costume designer Molly Rogers, who takes over from the first film's Oscar-nominated Patricia Field, was her associate in the first film. The most significant newcomer is editor Andrew Marcus, taking over for the late Mark Livolsi. What they've created is a world as familiar as its characters. Anyone expecting elaborate - also nomination worthy - outfits, stylish offices for Runway, and glamorous location filming (this time, Milan), will get it good. As for me, I barely remember Irv from the first film, and his sudden death was quite a shock; so, we're good in editing. 

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is mostly concerned with bringing the band back together, both on and off-screen. It's not entirely groundbreaking, except for some of its outfits, but it's still pretty fun. For what it is, it kicks off this year's summer movie season with some style. Just wait for what else I'm planning to review.

That's it.