Jacked In Reviews ‘Wish I Were There’ (2023)

Wish I Were There
Photo: Electric Egg

Directed, written and animated by Neil Baker, Wish I Were There is an ode to the English seaside.

A compelling yet flawed window into the past, the short film shows that sentimentality doesn’t necessarily mean perfection.

Pleasantly paced and poetic, animated adventure of alliteration.

It’s always an impressive feat when a filmmaker clearly puts something that’s meaningful to them into their work but it’s all the more enjoyable when you can empathise with that particular story. And that is certainly the case here with this pleasantly paced and poetic, animated adventure of alliteration.

It has a nostalgic feel in both the subject matter and a style (the animated vintage camera format is a chef’s kiss) that is original but still wouldn’t feel out of place amongst pre-00s cartoons.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Jacked In Recommends ‘Eighth Grade’ (2018)

We follow the life of Kayla (Elsie Fisher), a social pariah who is in the process of completing Eighth Grade. A […]

Read more

Jacked In Reviews ‘Bird Drone’ (2023)

Radheya Jegatheva brings us a captivating story of a lonely seagull who befriends a drone.

Read more

Jacked In Reviews ‘The Ribbon’ (2023)

We open on a young girl surrounded by (a foreshadowing) darkness but before we have time to start feeling worried, […]

Read more

Jacked In Recommends ‘The Platform’ (2019)

The Platform AKA El hoyo follows the story of Goreng (Ivan Massagué) and his abysmal days spent in isolation. The […]

Read more

Jacked In Reviews ‘The Defender’ (2023)

Gary J Hewitt’s The Defender pretty much delivers what it promises on the tin. This is a story we’ve seen […]

Read more

Jacked In Recommends ‘Death Becomes Her’ (1992)

Death Becomes Her follows the toxic friendship of Madeline Ashton (Meryl Streep) and Helen Sharp (Goldie Hawn). […]

Read more

Jacked In Recommends ‘Predestination’ (2014)

Predestination follows a temporal agent’s (Ethan Hawke) journey through time and space as he attempts to capture a […]

Read more

Jacked In Reviews ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ (2022)

Unlike previous MCU instalments, Multiverse of Madness sees Sam Raimi at the helm, the legendary director who, if […]

Read more

Jacked In Recommends ‘The King of Staten Island’ (2020)

Judd Apatow’s The King of Staten Island follows the life of local islander, Scott (Pete Davidson), a wannabe […]

Read more

Jacked In Reviews ‘Mortal Kombat’ (2021)

Video Game movies have a proven track record of not hitting the mark and can often be seen as a double-edged sword […]

Read more

Jacked In Reviews ‘In Search of Darkness: 1990-1994’ (2024)

Writer/director, David A. Weiner and Creator Robin Block, the marvellous minds behind – arguably – one […]

Read more

Jacked In Reviews ‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent’ (2022)

Trisha Yearwood’s How Do I Live begins to play over the opening credits and we are met with two stoners watching […]

Read more