Hello. It's been a while since I've talked a movie that is not new, so I decided it was time. Today, I watched what might be the great movie of the last decade. I'm talking, of course, about The Emoji Movie, released on July 28th of 2017. It was produced by Sony Pictures Entertainment, directed by Tony Leondis, as well as written by Leondis (with the help of Eric Siegel and Mike White). Now, you probably know about this movie from the bad reviews it got. It has a 7% on Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 12 on Metacritic, and it has a 3.2 on IMDb. Those aren't good scores, I'll admit, but I'd be willing to bet that most of the people that gave the film a bad review didn't see it. They probably saw the title or read the synopsis, went "Nah" and gave it a thumbs down based solely on how strange the idea is. Those critics don't know what they're talking about, The Emoji Movie is a masterpiece! Don't believe me? Let me try to convince you, then. This is your official spoiler alert for those of you that haven't seen it. It's on Netflix, in case you're interested.
Firstly, let's start with the one aspect of this movie that both fans and haters can agree on: The visuals are absolutely stunning! It's colorful, it's slick, the characters are given a variety of expression (which is especially impressive when you take into account that most of them are Emojis that are supposed to only have one emotion). The graphics were very solid overall. The human characters look like real humans, the Emoji characters look the way you'd expect them to, the Antivirus Bots are menacingly designed and voiced. Textopolis is one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever seen in a movie. The detail and scale is out of this world. The owner of the phone's name is Alex, which I thought was cool because my name is Alex. It was like I was apart of the adventure. This movie does a great job of bringing the Emojis to life. The animation is solid through and through. I loved it. Not a single instance of lag at all, it was very impressive. The cinematography was also very nice. The movie opens with a lovely sweeping shot showing most of Textopolis while Gene narrates and philosophically muses about life. This shot is a very good opening for the film. The camera angles are also very well-used. Good wideshots, good close-ups, a couple great long takes sprinkled into the film here and there. Tony Leondis is a very competent director, and it was nice to see his talents being used to great effect in this movie. The camera does a great job of showing off the beautiful animation. The screenplay was great, too. All of the character's dialogue felt real, they felt natural. The characters say their lines exactly the way you'd expect them to. All of the lines are well-written and they are given to deserving characters. This is a very well-made movie overall.
Now, let's talk about the voice acting. Every character is voiced flawlessly. Given how most of them are portraying emotions, I think they perfectly nail the emotion they had to shoot for. For example: Gene's parents (Mel and Mary Meh) are, obviously, Meh Emojis, so they speak in a monotone voice throughout every single one of their lines. The voice actors, Steven Wright and Jennifer Coolidge, do a great job. It never got annoying once, I swear. James Corden voices Hi-5, and he does so very well. He always uses his outside voice, but, again, it never once gets old. It feels natural, cause that's the way James Corden talks on his talk show. Anna Faris voices Jailbreak. She does a great job. You can say that her voice shouldn't naturally come out of Jailbreak's body, but I didn't have that problem. Anna is a great actress, and her talents were not wasted in this movie. Maya Rudolph arguably gives the best performance out of the whole cast. I didn't know Smiler was voiced by her until her name popped up in the end credits, that's how good at doing different voices she is. Smiler is the villain, and Maya pulls it off superbly. She was genuinely intimidating. On top of that, her motivations for wanting to kill Gene were surprisingly valid. Gene's ability to produce more than one facial emotion is putting the entire phone at risk of getting factory reset. Obviously, I don't want Gene to get killed, but I also find myself agreeing with Smiler at times. I honestly don't know who to root for, which makes their scenes together even more intense. Patrick Stewart as the poop Emoji has gotta be the best running joke in the film. He voices him rather well all things considered, but it's also really funny to think about Patrick Stewart playing a poop Emoji. Whoever thought of that is a genius. And, of course, T.J. Miller is great as Gene. He's a comedian, so his natural funniness comes through exceptionally in the comedic moments, but I also felt like he nailed the dramatic scenes. Who knew T.J. Miller was a good actor when he wasn't being funny?
This movie also has a great story, one of the most original plotlines I've ever seen in a film. Gene is a Meh Emoji that doesn't feel like a Meh Emoji. He has more emotions than just the one that he's supposed to have. His arc in this movie involves him, essentially, just trying top fit in among his peers. You can call this a Wreck-It Ralph ripoff all you want, but it simply isn't true. That movie wishes it was as good as this one. Gene, at one point, messes up his chance at being a working Emoji and is cast out by his friends and family. So, him (along with Hi-5 and Jailbreak have to go on an adventure throughout different apps and try to restore Gene's credibility. It's just as thrilling as it sounds. They also get chased by these creepy Antivirus Bots throughout a large chunk of the movie. When I say "creepy", I mean it. These are some really frightening antagonists, Smiler herself notwithstanding. At one point, one of the Bots scans a virus (the thing that the bots are supposed to be hunting) and then lets him go so it can continue chasing Gene. If that won't send shivers up your spine, I don't know what will. Anyway, back to the story. The way the characters rush through various apps feels natural and genuine. They don't stay on one for too long at all. They enter (for example) Spotify, they make jokes about music, and then they move on to another app. The best sequence is when they go to Candy Crush. Gene gets stuck in the game itself, and Jailbreak and Hi-5 have to play Candy Crush to save him. It's intense, it's well-paced, the dialogue is funny, it's well-acted. This is a great scene that doesn't drag in any way. It really made me want to pick up Candy Crush on my phone.
Another thing I enjoyed about this movie is the soundtrack. The score was great, and the previously existing songs they chose were great. This movie has two great uses of the song "Feel This Moment" by Pitbull and Christina Aguilera. The first time it's used is in the Just Dance scene. Hi-5, Gene, and Jailbreak dance to it while trying to escape from some Antivirus Bots. This is also the scene that gave birth to The Emoji Pop, so you know it's one of the best scenes. The song is brilliantly brought back into the mix in the finale, cause this movie ends with a dance party (as all of the best animated movies must. It's practically a law now). "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham! was also used in the Just Dance sequence, which I admired. That is a great song, and I'm glad this movie is reintroducing it to a new generation. There's a really funny montage of Gene attempting to bypass the Dropbox Firewall and failing, resulting in him getting set on fire a lot, set to the song "Fireball" by Pitbull and John Ryan. I especially loved "Good Vibrations" by Ricky Reed being used in the end credits. The lyrics of that song really encapsulate the whole movie perfectly. Also, it's just so relatable that I can't help but love the song. Basically, this movie knows how to choose songs. There was also a great original score. The music can be used to amp up the comedy, set the mood for some good dramatic moments, it can compliment a more heartfelt scene. My favorite piece of music (I don't know what the name of it is) came at the end when Gene has to save the phone from getting factory reset by, basically, making a GIF of different facial expressions. The tension of the scene is portrayed perfectly through the dialogue and voice acting, but then you throw the score on top of it and it becomes one of the most intense third acts I've ever seen in a movie. Bravo to everyone involved.
Finally, given how this is a comedy movie, I went into it expecting jokes. I'm pleased to report that the humor in this movie was second to none. There's a joke regarding an Emoji's function in almost every scene, and they all work. For example: A shrimp Emoji says he's gonna throw himself on a barbie, a poop Emoji makes a bunch of poop jokes, there's a group of Princess Emojis that makes jokes about being pretty, a Christmas tree is cheery and jolly in every scene in he's in, a fist bump Emoji punches Hi-5 at one point. There's a bunch of jokes like that in this film that had me hurting from laughter on multiple occasions. I had to rewind the movie a couple times to catch a joke that I may have missed because I was laughing too hard to hear it the first time. The scene of Gene with his parents in the bathroom (pictured below) practicing his Meh face for his first day on the job was arguably the funniest part of it. Poop and his son make come classic toilet humor, it's the first instance of Mel and Mary's monotonous voices, there's a subtle background joke where Gene turns into a crossed out eyes Emoji when he's hit with a door. It's good stuff. I amso admired the heart this movie had. Gene and Jailbreak have great chemistry. Yes, there's a lot of sexual tension between the two, but it didn't bother me that they didn't end up together. Friendship is still great. It's obvious that they like each other, though, so maybe that'll come up in the sequel. One more thing: Gene is an Emoji with what Smiler calls a "malfunction". Towards the end, it's revealed that Gene's father also has that same "malfunction". Do you get it? "Gene"? Like "genetics"? Your mind is blown, I know. Mine was, too, when I first pieced it together. The main character's name was a subtle hint at the twist the whole time. That's a solid screenplay right there.
I think I've made my case for The Emoji Movie being the best movie I've seen in a while. Don't get me wrong, I get why people wouldn't like this movie. It isn't for everybody. To be fair, you have to have a high IQ to understand The Emoji Movie. It's over the top in its subtlety, and subtle in how over the top it is. If you've never seen it, and were swayed away from it based on the bad reviews, give it a chance. I can guarantee you'll enjoy it just as much as I did. Believe me, I was initially one of the people that never watched it because of how bad it was said to be, but now I've seen the light. My love for cinema and the art of filmmaking has been rejuvinated, and it's all thanks to The Emoji Movie. I think it's only fair that this is the first movie to get a 10/10 from me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be going. I need to get caught up on Candy Crush.
