The Mosley Review: America: The Motion Picture
We all know the stories and history behind the creation of America. We've all read the history books, studied in many classes and have seen so many museums with artifacts of the past. Throw a rock and you'll find a film about one if not all the founding fathers building this great country. If you ask me, none of them have gotten it right. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter was the first film to show the real darkness and battle the nation was protected from by one of the best presidents of all. Now comes another film that shows the most badass and true backstory of the most important moments of our nations’ history. Seriously though, I loved Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and the fact that it decided to take an alternate and fun route with his origin story. This film takes that same approach and in animated form, you see the amount of creativity and free reign that couldn't be possible in live action. The comedy, animation and blood soaked action was truly spectacular and beyond excellent. I loved how true story moments like the Boston Tea Party or the Gettysburg Address were all twisted, spoofed and well written to match the level of satire the film creates. If you are not on board with the insanity and Archer styled comedy within the first 5 minutes, then this film is definitely not for you.
Channing Tatum was outstanding as George Washington. The amount of energy, strength and patriotism he brings to the icon was refreshing and fun. Will Forte was great as Abe Lincoln and I loved the friendship between them. When the 2 are together, it makes for great comedic jabs and you feel their genuine bond. I almost wished the entire film was about them. Judy Greer is always fun to watch and she was great as Martha Washington. Jason Mantzoukas was the perfect "Bro" version of the great Sam Adams. He was the perfect definition of misogyny, sexism, a bit of racist and yet he has a sort of charm that you can't get away from. Olivia Munn was a brilliant and awesome spin on the great Thomas Edison. I loved her entrance and her quick wit as she deals with the misogyny of Sam. Her inventions and use of science was very Iron Man like and awesome to behold. Bobby Moynihan was a fun surprise as Paul Revere. The bond he has with horse Clyde was touching, but also hilarious thanks to the voice of Clyde, Carlos Alazraqui. Raoul Trujillo was badass as Geronimo and I loved that he had a chance to talk about how the white man will screw him over and they did many times. Killer Mike was hilarious and outstanding as John Henry. He was brilliant and I could watch a whole film just on his version. Simon Pegg was excellent and almost unrecognizable as King James. I loved the gluttony and foolishness of the man. Andy Samberg was perfect as the famously evil turncoat Benedict Arnold. I loved his mustache twirling schemes of deception and his blood thirsty attacks on everyone. You really hate the character and yet he is magnetic in every way. He was the perfect type of villain this film deserved and I loved him all the more for it.
The score by Mark Mothersbaugh was awesome, epic and bombastic. The film features other songs from hip hop to hard rock and it was a perfect balance between all the genres. The animation style was vibrant, beautifully executed and insanely violent in the best way. This was truly an outrageous and fun retelling of how America won its freedom from the British and I can't tell you how many times I had burst into uncontrollable laughter. I loved every bit of this film. If you liked Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, then you're gonna love this alternative and accurate take on American history. The Netflix Original is now streaming. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
