(Credit: IGN)
Marketed as a kids' adventure, the movie is actually more akin to "The Hangover" done through Filipino mythology and a culture completely alien to me, as our two leads wake up on the island with no memory of the night before and must retrace their steps with the aid of a lovable, incredibly energetic dog man (Dave Franco, absolutely relishing the part and practically stealing the show), giving way to an absolute barrage of jokes, sight gags and truly spellbindin animation, just some top tier craft on display. It's madcap, rapid fire, and the sort of experimental fare Dreamworks used to make. It bounces and bounds all over the place in an endearing, amusing adventure of creative jokes and bombastic, eccentric humour for about 45 minutes after a genuinely touching introduction; falters a little towards the end when juggling its plot and betrayal, but I was swept up enough in its "Mitchells VS the Machines" energy and bonkers goodwill that it didn't bother me. It's a fantastic film you can honestly just witness for the animation hand grenade of skill on the screen, but stick around for a funny ride.
