Charmx Does America: Flawed, but Endearing (Review)
By: Jonathan Belmonte
When reaction YouTuber Charmx quit, I was quite devastated. He was one of my favorite YouTubers to watch. His reactions were chill and inviting, and often hilarious. He just seemed like such a nice guy. And one day, all his videos were just gone. Charmx quit forever. And all the memories were forever lost. Other than re-upload channels, but even than that would be going against his wish of not re-uploading his videos.
This all happened in the middle of production of a little film called Charmx does America. An animated film created and directed by Jake Morris, head of JG films. A film partially inspired by Beavis and Butthead do America, and based on the YouTuber himself.
I just so happened to be following the development of the film, which I was frankly very excited for. All the trailers and clips shown had seemed promising. Although it did have a bit of a development hell phase, should I say. Getting delayed over and over again, getting canned multiple times. But I stuck around the whole ride. And honestly, I’m glad I did. When it finally came out on December 17, I was so incredibly happy the film was finally here. All my waiting had paid off.
After watching it, it’s safe to say that Charmx Does America is a good film! In fact, I enjoyed it very much. The film follows Charmx, when a man named Gary (last name changes several times) approaches him with the prospect of money that could pay for his house loan. But in return, Gary wants them to help him take over the U.S. Unfortunately, they can’t really refuse as he has a powerful bio-weapon he stole to help him achieve his goal. Charmx and his buddy Cap try to stop him.
It’s a fairly straightforward plot, but it’s presented in such a memorable and charming way that it’s pretty easy to love. for what’s a bit of a short runtime in my opinion. The film is only about 50 minutes, which includes credits. So you’re looking at a film that is only about 47 minutes. So it’s quite short. However, the film manages to achieve a lot in its short runtime. It’s a bit too zippy at times, but still manageable.
All the characters are good, Charmx is hilariously naive, Cap is a funny straight man to his antics, Gary is a devious but chill man. They all get just enough development to be entertaining. Although, when coming in if you’re expecting Charmx to be the main protagonist, than you may be a little disappointed. He gets plenty of screen time, but Cap is more of a main character than Charmx. Getting a little more development and dialogue than Charmx, which is fine but a bit misleading.
Bald Bastard is also featured in the film, hired by Gary to kill Charmx and Cap after they ruined his mission. He acts as sort of a secondary antagonist. He’s a play on the stereotypical badass archetype, which I found to be enjoyable. Although, he isn’t featured as much as I’d like him to be. Getting killed off in a underwhelming, though admittedly funny way. He also comes along with a Iron Man toy, which is supposed to be a riff on cap. He kinda appears out of nowhere, so he’s not really anything noteworthy.
It should be worth noting, that all voice acting is TTS (minus Charmx, and the Bald Bastard), which may sound a little disappointing at first, but it actually works in the films favor. It has a weird sort of charm to it. It almost fits the Charmx brand, which you might feel if you’re a long time fan of him.
Charmx Does America’s pacing can feel a bit too fast sometimes, that when you get to the end of the film, you wonder how you got there that fast. But that’s the way it has to be when you have such a short runtime. However, it doesn’t impact the film too much as it still has just enough time to develop an engaging story. And a great sense of humor.
The film is full of heart, creativity and humor. It feels like a true send off to one of the best reaction YouTubers. Who’s exit felt a little unsatisfying. Wrapping a bow on it all, and sending Charmx on his way to be remembered as one of the greats. Charmx Does America, despite getting ambitious and over the top at times, never loses its sense of heart. Like some quiet moments, where Charmx and Cap have a small conversation of a train. It’s oddly peaceful and cathartic.
Or even at the end of the film, where Charmx gets the money he needs for his house fund. It’s all done very well. The emotional core of the film is Charmx and Cap, and it’s executed perfectly. That’s not to say the rest of the film isn’t done well. It’s all done well. Especially the climax. Which is suspenseful, full of action and great animation. Not to mention the great soundtrack choices throughout the film. It’s a blend of hip-hop, rap and rock and roll. All great song choices to accompany some of the films best scenes. Sort of makes sense, considering the film it’s based on has a lot of licensed music.
Speaking of which, the film is inspired by Beavis and Butthead Do America, which is a great film. However don’t be afraid this will make the film seem derivative. Charmx Does America is its very own thing. Differing a lot in terms of tone and plot. Only a few scenes play tribute to the source material, and they’re just as enjoyable as the rest of the film.
As for Animation, the film is a bit of a mixed bag in that regard. Most of the time the animation looks great, with a pleasant cartoony art style and smooth movements. However, some moments seem to have messier artwork and animation. I don’t know what caused this. It doesn’t ruin the film by any means, but it’s definitely jarring. Of course this movie didnt have the highest production budget so I can’t really blame the artists.
The ending of the film is done excellently and hits especially hard after Charmx’s retirement. An emotional ending to an incredibly heartfelt film that was clearly crafted with love. It feels like a love letter to Charmx fans made by A Charmx fan. Nobody could have done it better. At the ends of the day, despite its issues that I’ve mentioned, that’s not nearly enough to call this a bad film. In fact it’s far from a bad film. I’d even say it’s a pretty damn good one. Not only is the movie itself funny, entertaining and heartfelt. But the hard work and dedication put into making this project is something to be commended. I couldn’t recommend this movie enough. Even if you’re not a fan of Charmx, watch this movie. I throughly enjoyed this film, and I probably will for years to come. I’m excited to see what’s in store in the future for JG Films.
Final Score: 8/10
Go watch the film on YouTube for free right now!
https://youtu.be/uUfFD5T0iuU