#there is zero justification to not do the bare minimum for a kid and have basic decency on them

[dirtytransmasc]

Spider is never allowed to make anyone uncomfortable. he is never allowed to need or take space. to need more, god forbid ask for it.

I have noticed, that in the minds of this fandom as a whole. Spider is never allowed to make anyone uncomfortable.

I see arguments that his lifetime of neglect is just something he had to deal with, though people put it in less direct terms, because it would have been too hard, or too awkward, or too complicated, or too uncomfortable, or too much.

Jake was too busy, he was chief, he had his own kids! what about his own past! Norm was too busy, he had his own kids too! Neytiri shouldn't be forced to accept him! he wasn't their responsibility! it shouldn't be on them to raise Quaritch's son!

while there are some valid points here, why does it boil down to Spider's treatment being acceptable in some people's minds?

cause Spider was thrown to a random human family that very clearly did not want him. did not accept him as he was or give him the love and affection and time a child needs or allow him to truly be himself without constantly being pushed out the door.

and I'm not saying a single one of them even had to be a parent. cause they didn't. the McCoskers provided a good enough roof over his head. I get that it would be difficult to home him with anyone who wasn't human or was working a lot. but Spider had not one adult truly in his corner.

kids need more than a friend. and Nash nor Mary seem like they actually made themselves a safe space for the kid.

so who do you think he was crying to when he was upset, like any teenager gets? who do you think he asked for help, even when it was embarrassing? when he was a teenager and his body was changing and he was uncomfortable? or if he was hurt? or if he did something wrong and needed help to fix it? who would give him a hug when he needed one? who would let this kid grieve in front of them, and talk it out, because missing some of the worst monsters in history is so much for a kid?

who was there to deal with all the things a teenager needs a safe space and a safe person for?

or how about just someone defending his honor? that's an easy one. you don't even need to be that emotionally involved. but still, no one. Jake only argued for him when what people were saying was making him uncomfortable. and he's the first to try and rip Spider from the only home and life he's ever known to be a citizen or prisoner of the RDA (both fates hell; and Spider would probably rather the latter, cause he wouldn't have to pretend to be a cog in the machine of the RDA while it killed the world he loved) whenever it was slightly convenient for him.

I mean. Spider is an independent kid who has lived mostly on his own since he was old enough to bolt out of his foster parent's apartment and put into the forest. would one extra body at High Camp really be so invasive that it was worth putting this kid through the hell of losing all he's ever known? this kid who has fought day and night to prove he belongs? that he's not his father?

but it was more comfortable for Jake to send him away. more comfortable for Jake to not defend him unless he was defending himself or, at the very least, keeping someone from putting their hands on Spider. and we see no other adult pleading his case. he's just alone to defend himself while everyone else gets a free pass to exist. even other humans accepted by the Omatikaya (the we see in the comics. who have no avatar. but are just. part of the people).

people fight so hard that Spider "wasn't their responsibility" or "he was the humans responsibility" and"the people at Hellsgate should have done something"

ok. well. if you see some kid in your life every single day who is probably pretty clearly showing signs of neglect. would it not be the half decent thing to do to step up or say something? for people like Jake and Max and Norm, leaders and pillars of the resistance, the clan, and Hellsgate, wouldn't you argue it actually was their responsibility. I mean, we don't know a ton about the politics and leadership going on in the Western resistance. but they definitely be runners up for who's responsible for the orphan boy who most people don't want or accept because of the father he had no say on. who's responsible when his needs, even if not physical, aren't being met. that's not "asking too much". that's not "complicated". that's not wished away by "too busy". that is basic decency one shout have for a child.

in Spider's case, with a safe but neglectful home, he wouldn't need much. something just above stray treatment? I mean he obviously deserves more. any child deserves a happy life in a safe home with a family that loves him. but I'm working with what I've got.

he truly just needed one adult to vouch for him. when things got tough, when there were conflicts, when they had to leave for high camp. someone to speak for him, so this kid wasn't constantly fighting to just be seen. to be accepted like every other human who wanted to be accepted into it around the village was accepted. and not just for his sake! I think if one adult stepped up to give him a safe space that wasn't the Sully kids, made another place to feel accepted and wanted, his relationship with Neytiri would be much better, because he wasn't constantly forced under her nose. she wasn't having the scab pulled every day. and if someone like Jake, perhaps, could help her face her trauma instead of just trying to skirt past in issue in 5 seconds, I think they'd both do some proper healing.

trying to force him to the RDA should have *never* happened. having 0 adults on his corner should have never happened. a child needs people to help him, to meet his needs, to give him love and attention and affection. even just a hug. and I know that no one can force themselves to love a kid. but the bare minimum should be expected.

I don't care what anyone says, I will criticize the main adult cause, minus Neytiri who has an actual reason why she does not like him, for not taking the most minor responsibility over him. they were obligated. the way people say they weren't makes me feel sick as someone who was in and around the system as a kid, the way you talk about this orphan in a foster situation, is fucking weird. and the blood on his veins isn't justification for him being treated like a stray. for having the most an adult with do for him is be his friend and then leave him hanging when he desperately needs an adult to step in.

especially because every adult on Pandora chose to be there. every adult on Pandora has blood on their hands and it was a choice and yet they live lives that forgiveness has given them. they are accepted. they have homes and families and a clan or a resistance community or both to fall back on. they live, relative to the situation, the high life. while Spider living that a stray cat, given affection like it's a blessing he should be grateful for some times, and them being kicked to the curb tower times, is justified by a choice he never made by a man and a woman he never even really met, and actions they made before he could even toddle.

they get to be uncomfortable. they should be. a child's needs should come before what's comfortable or easy or convenient.

[delayedcritique]

DUMBO REVIEW

“The Disney-live action with the most potential to fall completely flat.”

BY COLLIN DE LADE

Disney has gone a little crazy with remaking their established cartoon properties into live action remake. Not only do we get a remake to 1941 classic, DUMBO, this year, but Disney is also doing live-action reimaginings to some of their 90s classics; ALADDIN and THE LION KING. While said films still remain timeless animated film not needing any updating, DUMBO is outdated enough to deserve a remake. With its old animation and some inappropriate characters, a live-action version of DUMBO is wholly justified for an update. Unfortunately, the remake that we’ve received showcasing the bare minimum that goes into a reimagining of a classic film.

DUMBO is the latest Disney live-action remake that tells the story of a young elephant born with oversized ears. When a struggling circus owner (Danny DeVito) gets word of the deformed elephant’s ability to fly, he explored little Dumbo to revive his circus. When a high-level amusement park owner (Michael Keaton) gets word of the famous Dumbo, he convinces the struggling owner to bring his staring act to his park. Growing further away from his mother, Dumbo urges to get back to his mother. With the help of a father and his two kids, Dumbo might just get his wish to get back with his mom.

The biggest problem with this iteration of DUMBO is the laziness and mediocrity in almost every department. Director Tim Burton is a visionary mastermind; with a handful of classic films on his resume. Burton is no stranger with working for Disney; as he remakes another classic Disney cartoon, ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Receiving criticism for said film’s overly-complicated story, Burton has dialed it back way too far by striping everything about DUMBO down to an uninteresting, predictable snooze. There is zero personality in the majority of the film. From the acting to the script, and even to the set design, everything about DUMBO was completed with as little effort as possible.

The performances from nearly every actor are misguided and meaningless. On both ends, half of the cast is sleepwalking through the film while the other is chewing up the scenery. The worse performances to come out of the film is, unfortunately, from the two young kids. As their first acting role, the young Nico Parker and Finley Hobbins are emotionless as they merely read their lines monotonically. I hate to bash the young actors in their first major motion picture, but they really do need some acting lessons moving forward. While I’ll give the kids a pass this time around, the established, big named actors are just as terrible.

Just as the kids are emotionless onscreen, their adult role models are just as monotone. Colin Farrell playing an amputee soldier trying to find his place appears interesting on paper. Especially having to work with an elephant who’s ridiculed for his body deformity, one would think there would be bonding between the two characters. Unfortunately, Farrell is giving nothing else to do besides look concerned and deliver every line with a distracting, unnatural accident. An even more pointless character comes from Eva Green’s showgirl character. While Green is giving actual effort to make the character work, the writing for her is not in her favor; as she is written as an unnatural love interest and mother character for the leading family.

Right as I’m about to write off the performances as bland, there’s Michael Keaton over-acting to an obnoxious level that’s beyond disappointing to witness. As the greedy business owner, Keaton is channeling five different performances in one while mugging at the camera every chance he gets. Keaton has progressed beyond these over-the-top obnoxious villain characters he used to play. Especially after his career resurgence with the likes of BIRDMAN, SPOTLIGHT, and even SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING, Keaton is better than this garbage.

There are three elements that DUMBO actually does get right. First off is Dumbo himself. This adorable little elephant melts your heart whenever he is in distress. Seeing how the title character is a strong point, it gives the film a few extra points. Next up is the set design of the massive park in the second act. This Disney World inspired park is very fascinating to explore, and Burton is at his best when flying all around it.

Lastly, and the best part of the film is Danny DeVito’s entire character and performance. Where the acting and writing skills were missing from the other characters, DeVito’s character completely steals the show. The biggest laughs to come out the film were personally because DeVito was completely channeling his  IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA character, Frank Reynolds. Unintentionally, picturing DeVito as the character in this story was amusing to me. Obviously, barely anyone else would see this, but DeVito is genuinely good throughout the film. The man is able to capture a slimy, cheap businessman and a sympathetic human being. Danny DeVito completely saves the movie from utter mediocrity.

DUMBO is a complete disappointment in almost every way. The writing is very bland, the performances are mostly misguided, and the justification to remake it is lost in translation. Young kids would enjoy the cute Dumbo, but it’s definitely not a film worth remembering. Besides throwing it on at home to rent for your kids, there is no reason to go out and see DUMBO.

4/10

[adventure-hearts]

Hey come to think of it. what did you think of the treatment of the 02 kids? I remmeber you saying them being written out was respecting them a long time ago. If there wasn't a sequel being teased, would you still stick to that saying? Though I do admit them having Meiko moving back to tottori is respectful to her. At least she's not in a coma the whole series... ._.

Yes, I’ve written about this several times and my opinion is basically unchanged.

They had to find a way to remove the 02 kids from the picture, since for multiple reasons tri. was going to be about the Adventure 8 only. This time, they would not share the spotlight with the other group of Chosen Children. This was clear from early on, and a logical decision considering the objectives and characteristics of this new sequel.

From that point, they had three options: they could ignore them alltogether; they could disrespectfully reduce them to unimportant cameos or background characters, by finding a convuluted way to to nerf their powers; or (in my opinion, the smartest and more respectful option) they could somehow find a way to remove them from the picture that was directly connected to the main plot and, therefore, significant.

Even though the plan wasn’t without flaws (basically, they did not care enough to show us the consequences of this disappearance, they treated the 02 kids more like a plot point than characters, and they only gave them the bare minimum screentime), I still believe it was the best solution and, considering the time and story limitations of tri., it worked fine.

“Their side” in simply wasn’t that relevant to the story they wanted to tell, and they were never going to be protagonists. They were acknowledged, their role as active Chosen Children was mantained, and they  ended up playing a significant (ableit marginal) role in this story.

I do not believe plans for an hypothetical sequel played any role in this. If they wanted them to have more than pseudo-cameos, they would have showed them “properly” from Chapter 1. Yet, considering how tiny their role was, I can understand why they didn’t feel the need to create tri.-designs or cast actors for them. This simply wasn’t their story. I have a hard time believing this idea that they were going to show up and that was scrapped for “sequel reasons”. More likely – they neither had the time nor the interest to show the 02 kids more than they did.

And this is where I disagree with most of my fellow 02 fans; regardless of the terrible implications for these characters, the way they were taken down was more than “being in a coma for 6 movies” – their disappearance had a purpose for the story and a logical justification, and they fell because they were extremely competent and brave in their role as Chosen Children. I’d take that over them being entire ignored, being reduced to “Hikari’s classmate” or, worst, if they had nerfed their powers for random reasons and still give them zero development, like they did to the Adventure kids in 02.

Ultimately, the role the 02 kids played in tri. was exactly what I expected from the start and, perhaps unfairly, it was the best way to make it happen. Some details could have been handled better, sure! But, in general, I think it was fine.

And the comparisons between Meiko and the 02 kids  need to stop, since it’s a completely different situation and they play completely different roles in this story. You could erase Meiko from the picture entirely and the 02 kids’ situation would not be any different.