So after seeing the pretty badge which you could earn if you took part, I decided to sign up to join Hoops And Thread’s 50 Movie Challenge. The aim is to watch 50 movies in 3 months, which is pretty intense when you think about it! You can watch any 50 movies that you want, the only stipulation is that it should be more than one hour long. So I started it last month and courtesy of not being able to go anywhere, spend time with anyone and working less, I have managed to binge my way through quite a dent of my list already!

One of the things you have to do to get your badge is submit a short review of each film you watch, so I thought since it’s Blogtober that I would share a slightly longer review of each movie here too! Who knows – maybe it will inspire you if you’re struggling to find something to watch!

• Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them

Running Time: 133 minutes
Released: 2016
New to me?: No
Synopsis: A wizard loses his collection of magical creatures in New York and needs to try and get them all back.
Review: I’ve been a Potterhead for more than two decades, so of course I was excited when they decided to make the Fantastic Beasts movies even though I didn’t – and I still don’t – think there was/is any real need for them and I acknowledge that they are purely money spinners and nothing else. I think Eddie is a fab Newt, however, and it just makes me love animals all the more. This is a fun movie and is actually quite distant from the Harry Potter movies. As a Potterhead I can’t comment on how you’d find this film as somebody who isn’t a Potter fan, but I think you would still find it pretty enjoyable, you definitely don’t need Potter knowledge to understand the movie. I will watch this film again.

• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald

Running Time: 133 minutes
Released: 2018
New to me?: No
Synopsis: A dark power threatens the American wizarding world that hopes to overthrow non-magical people.
Review: Watching this movie in the cinema at the midnight release was the moment when I truly knew in my soul that this franchise has been stretched too thin. It’s not that it’s a bad movie – in it’s own right it’s a pretty good movie, but there as so many Harry Potter references in this film which the creators are trying to shove down the audience’s throat that it’s painful. At this point they know they can milk the Wizarding World franchise and people will part with their world, but they better be careful of their going to end up shooting themselves in the foot. I do like the casting of Johnny Depp and Jude Law in their respective roles, though. I’d watch this again.

• Shrek The Third

Running Time: 93 minutes
Released: 2007
New to me?: No
Synopsis: When Fiona’s dad dies, Shrek embarks on a quest to win over the only other successor to the throne while Fiona keeps Prince Charming at bay.
Review: This one is the weak link in the Shrek series, unfortunate. While the storyline seems like a good one the movie overall is just lacking some of that Shrek magic that we’ve all come to love. It might be that there are some more serious topics addressed in this movie, including death and parenthood. I’d probably watch this one again as part of the Shrek kingdom of films, but I don’t think it will be one that I ever really reach for.

• Shrek Forever After

Running Time: 93 minutes
Released: 2010
New to me?: Yes
Synopsis: Shrek would do anything just to have his old life back for one day, but he almost loses everything in the process.
Review: Shrek 4 is better than Shrek 3, thankfully. I’m sure for many parents it’s much more relatable, and there’s something about the ‘don’t mess with time’ format that hasn’t quite gotten old yet. I do think that this is a really good place to wrap up the Shrek franchise those, this is the happy ending which the series needed. Who knows maybe it was an intentional poke at the response to the third movie vs a response to the first movie – that would be really clever! I would watch this one again.

• The House With A Clock In Its Walls

Running Time: 105 minutes
Released: 2018
New to me?: No
Synopsis: Orphaned Lewis moves in with his estranged uncle, who lives in a house possessed by a magical clock counting down to something really, really bad.
Review: I saw the preview screening of this in the cinema and thought it was fantastic. Watching it at home, I still think it’s a fantastic movie. I love magic, I love a dark twist, and I think in this era of continuous remakes we all appreciate something new. As far as I’m concerned this film ticks all of the really good film boxes.

• Dark Shadows

Running Time: 113 minutes
Released: 2012
New to me?: Yes
Synopsis: A vampire escapes 200 years after being buried alive and vows to get revenge on the witch that put him in the ground.
Review: When it came to giving this one a rating for the challenge, I was a bit stuck. It’s not a bad film, but they really pushed it as a comedy and I wouldn’t have said it was funny enough to be a comedy. A lot of the ‘jokes’ I think were based on the ‘person from hundreds of years ago finds themself in the modern world’ but it’s definitely been done better elsewhere. That’s not to say that there weren’t any laughs, I just wouldn’t say there were sufficient laughs to qualify it as a comedy. As a film that isn’t marketed as a comedy though? It’s pretty good although it does feel long. It’s also not peak Johnny and Helena, but it is very JD and HBC. I would watch it again.

• The Pagemaster

Running Time: 88 minutes
Released: 1994
New to me?: No
Synopsis: A boy who’s afraid of everything bangs his head in a library and with the help of books which come to life needs to find his way to The Exit by overcoming his fears.
Review: This one was a childhood favourite of mine and it will always be a favourite of mine, I refuse to let 2020 take that away from me. It’s maybe super duper 90s, but it is a pretty great story. I think as someone who loved to read as a child a part of me probably always wanted something like this to happen…maybe just without the bump to the head. I would definitely watch this again.

• Labyrinth

Running Time: 101 minutes
Released: 1986
New to me?: Yes
Synopsis: A girl accidentally sacrifices her baby brother to the Goblin King and has to complete a quest to win him back.
Review: I enjoyed this movie, but I didn’t love it the way that I know a lot of people do. In a lot of ways it hasn’t aged well, but I think that’s part of the charm of the characters and I kind of hope they don’t remake this one using all their new fangled technology. I do really like the story, and the ideas behind it. I would definitely watch this movie again but I don’t think I’m boarding the hype train any time soon.

• Spongebob Squarepants: A Sponge Out Of Water

Running Time: 92 minutes
Released: 2015
New to me?: Yes
Synopsis: When the secret formula goes missing Bikini Bottom descends into anarchy and Spongebob is the only person who can save the day (obvs).
Review: Yes, I am definitely too old for this movie but having seen the original Spongebob movie and remembering it as not altogether terrible, I was curious. It certainly wasn’t my favourite but it wasn’t terrible. I definitely think that the original movie was better – nothing is ever going to top the Goofy Goober song is it? I wouldn’t necessarily watch it again but I don’t regret watching it.

• Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle

Running Time: 119 minutes.
Released: 2017
New to me?: No
Synopsis: A group of high schoolers get sucked into a video game, and the only way to escape is to complete the game without running out of lives.
Review:I absolutely love this movie, and I’m pretty gutted that I haven’t seen the follow up yet. Maybe I’ll manage to squeeze it in before the end of my 50 movies! I like the way that it pays homage to the original movie, although I would say that the original Jumanji is scarier! The cast is a pretty fab line up and the movie is just a whole lotta fun – will definitely watch it at least another million times before I die I’m sure.

If you’d like to see some other films reviews I’ve shared, why not check out my thoughts on Nutcracker and The Four Realms, The Grinch (2018) or Klaus?