Alright, so I got to watch Isabelle's new movie on YouTube a few days earlier than what the blu-ray/DVD release date is, and, really, it did not exceed any of my expectations, but it was slightly better than I thought it would be.
This is the cover art for the film, which will be released to the general public on July 22nd. I happened to see it on YouTube early because the user was able to get it early off iTunes and therefore uploaded it onto YouTube for us to see. If you search the movie title, you will be able to see it. Now, for this review, I will be splitting it up into different sections.
Characters: I loved the Isabelle books much more than I thought I would, and that was due to the characters and how they interacted with each other. And the movie stays true to that....sort of. Isabelle was okay, and Erin Pitt did a great job portraying her. However, I feel like she complained too much about not being able to do the things that her sister and the rest of the dancers can do. She was really down on herself much more than in the books, and I didn't like seeing all that negativity coming from her. That leads me to Jade, her sister. She very likely was my favorite character in this film. She was the one who stayed the most true to her book counterpart out of all the characters, and I really liked her interaction with Erin's Isabelle. Now for the characters I either didn't like, couldn't stand, or both. Renata was really starting to bug me as the film went on. I did not really see the reason as to why she had to be featured so prominently and always picking on Isabelle the way that she did. I was also disappointed on how less featured Luisa was, and especially how their magician friend from the books Gabriel was cut from the film completely. I wish we could have gotten more from Jackie Sanchez, but I was happy to have her featured as much as she was. However, the director was also getting under my skin, but I think it was due to really focusing on how Isabelle's struggling and he wasn't helping that by continually yelling "NO Isabelle!!" I know, directors need to do that to get people the way they want, but this guy was doing it almost from the get go. Overall, I would say that the characters were good, but not great.
Plot: The plot was what sort of bugged me. There were a few points where it dragged or lagged and I was itching for it to move a little more. I also was not too thrilled with some of the scene changes; they reminded me too much of ones from a Disney Channel TV show than an actual movie. Scenes I did like, however, were ones like the moment with Isabelle and the little girl in the wheelchair. The third book really stood out to me with how Isabelle took charge and was able to help with organizing the touring show for the hospitals, and I'm glad we got a glimpse of that with this scene. The ending was a disappointment for me, though. Not the very end, but the entire Nutcracker sequence. I did not like how they just gave Isabelle a very general background part, where as when they did it in the second book, she basically had a part all to herself. I was very disappointed to see that entire Mother-what's-her-name (I can't remember, but it's the one with the lady on the stilts and Isabelle pops out from underneath that big skirt and dances around) scene get cut out in the film. On the other hand, however, I did like when Isabelle fixed Renata's costume for her and talked with her a bit; yet on the other hand again, it's too reminiscent of past Girl of the Year films when the star and the foil made up after butting heads the entire film. Every scene when Isabelle was designing and imagining costumes was great and I loved that spark in Isabelle that came out of that. And when she and Luisa danced at the outdoor picnic, again, I loved the sparkle that came out of her while she did it.
Overall: Really, this film is just too reminiscent of past GOTY films and not all that good. (I have only seen McKenna's and Chrissa's. I have not seen enough of Saige's to actually say anything about it) You can tell that this film was made by the same people who produced/directed/etc McKenna and Saige's films; just by the attitude of the title characters as well as the overall plot arc. They had several key things from the stories missing in this film, as well as key characters. Not the best AG film by any means, but certainly not the worst. Yes Isabelle was whiny and complained, but not quite as much I thought that McKenna had done in her film, and all of her scenes with Jade (or at least a very large chunk of them) were great. Grace Davidson and Erin Pitt had a great bond with each other, and it is easily noticeable on screen. All in all, I give this movie a C+.
So, have you seen Isabelle's movie yet? If so, do you agree with my thoughts or do you think exactly the opposite? Also, was there anything I said that didn't make sense? Comment below with any thoughts, questions, opinions, etc.
Until next time....Peace!!
MusicLuver99 and her dolls
P.S. I finished Isabelle's ebook the other day, and was loving it--but the ending was not good. It ended way too quickly and suddenly for my taste. Again, Jade and Isabelle's interactions with each other were great, and I loved how Isabelle tried to befriend Miki. You all should check it out!
