Extinct (2021): Fresh Donuts, Half Baked Morals
The plot lags, the moral lessons are misguided, but are those fluffy little donut creatures adorable? Yes. Yes, they are.

A teenage bowling prodigy enters a high-stakes tournament with one goal: win the prize money and save his struggling orphanage from closing its doors. Standing in his way is a, tatted up loud mouth desperate to claim the same prize money to pay off a dangerous mob debt. As the unlikely rivals clash, the competition spirals into a showdown filled with outrageous antics. With everything on the line, it becomes more than a battle for money— it’s a fight for survival, redemption, and the only family either of them has left.
The plot lags, the moral lessons are misguided, but are those fluffy little donut creatures adorable? Yes. Yes, they are.
Asha, the main character, is a biracial woman who discovers the power of magic wishing dust.
"The Mitchells vs. The Machines" captures the eternal struggle between kids who want to pursue the arts and their practical parents who think they'll fail.
The social issues The Half of it takes on are handled well, between the antagonization brought on to Ellie for her race and the conflict that arises from her being gay. Both aspects of her character are built up over the course of the film and don’t seem abrupt or rushed. The film shows racism towards Ellie and her and father in varying levels, from having her schoolmates specifically address her as "Chinese girl” to the fore mentioned way her Dad is treated due to language barriers. The same can be said about Ellie being a lesbian. While she never truly “comes out” in the narrative, that does not undermine her journey of self-discovery from being meaningful. These ideas aren’t thrust upon the viewer in a preachy manor, the scenarios that occur feel believable given the rural setting. The film presents watchers with problems whom those like Ellie may face, and leaves us to sit with them and reflect.
Given a choice between a man and a mountain, it’s safer to choose the mountain.
If you want to feel the rush, you have to take the risk.