Steven Universe The Movie - Review

 Summary:

If you haven't seen the complete series of Steven Universe, the movie is simple enough to understand and summarize the series. Steven is the son of Pink Diamond, one of the four monarchs of Homeworld, a planet of living gemstones. Pink Diamond gave up royalty as the guise of Rose Quartz to escape the abuse and royalty to save the Earth from destruction. Rose Quartz later gave her form for Steven to live. Steven has three gemstones that helped raised him: Amethyst, the free-wielding one, Pearl who was made to serve and now learning to care for herself, and Garnet, who is the marriage of Sapphire and Ruby, which is frowned upon by Homeworld. 

Two years have passed since the last episode "Change your Mind" and Steven is now 16. Litte Homeworld is being built alongside Beach City for the uncorrupted Gems and the off-colors Gems. Lars is working at the Big Donut again and Sadie is continuing the rock band. The four protagonists are happy and don't want a thing to change and that's tempting faith when Spinel (Spin-el) arrives for revenge. She has the rejunivator which 'resets' Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst. It hits Steven, physically as a human it doesn't affect him but does affect his gem powers. Steven hits Spinel and she reverts to her 'factory settings' of being a clingy best friend.

\Spinel also injected poison into the Earth to kill it off so that's the ticking clock. And four to five characters have lost their memory. Steven, his dad Greg, Lapis, Peridot, and Bismuth try to jog the memory of the gems. In the process, Steven also brings Spinel's memory back and we find out her sad backstory that has to do with Pink Diamond. Steven has had to deal with the mistakes of his mother and Gems trying to kill him. The point of the story is that it will never end. Even though he wanted his happily ever after, he found out his story will continue. 

Review:

This is not what I expected. The whole movie was shrouded in mystery, even down to Spinel's name. I was expecting something direr than Steven just talking down another Gem to a redemption arc. Some fans thought Spinel would be a failed Pink Diamond or Steven had to shatter her.  It was what was expected that Steven would talk and calm down the villain. This one was harder than any other and had more fight in it. I like the conclusion with Spinel staying with the Diamonds. The songs are addictive and stick with you. I loved the fusion of Steven and Greg---Steg. It is sad that we didn't see the most anticipated fusion of all... Peridot and Lapis. You would think if the main 3 gems would be out of the picture, we would get more focus from Bismuth, Lapis, and Peridot. 

Also, I noticed that the treasure box in Lion's mane was open, along with other eagle-eyed fans. There are plenty storylines to still wrap up for a Season six like Jasper, the treasure box, Peridot/Lapis fusion, why Bismuth's look changed and so much more. So Season 6 hasn't officially be announced. Rebecca Sugar is tight-lipped. If the show was over, I guess she would say the show was over. And they would have a 'series finale' like Adventure Time had. Fans are suspecting that season 6 will be the last season. If the movie was the end, it would be a proper sendoff. I would definitely love seeing 'slice of life' episodes of "Little Homeworld" and other new interactions between humans and Gems. So for fans and non-fans, it's good. I was expecting something more Earth-shattering and emotional upheaval and maybe something controversial.  Since Steven Universe is mostly inspired by Anime, this reminds me of Anime movies that are one shots but this continues the story and is a stand alone. 

Marveling at the fantastic Voice Cast of Steven Universe

The main cast are four that are not so well-known but there is so many well-known actors that provide voices like Nicki Minaj, Aimee Mann, Sinbad, Brian Posehn, Kate Micucci, Charlene Yi, Joel Hodgson and various others.

Zach Callison as Steven

He voices Steven Universe, he was about 14 or 15 when he started. He was born in 1997. 

Deedee Magno as Pearl

40-year-old Deedee voices Pearl, the smart and tactical one. She gives her a motherly tone but also a very strong and brave voice. She has done some great acting in the episode "Rose's Scabbard." She also appears as Jasmine on the Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular soundtrack. She later played the role of Nessarose on the first national tour of Wicked, from December 12, 2006 until November 16, 2008. She most recently reprised the role in the San Francisco sit-down production at the Orpheum Theatre. The child of immigrants from the Philippines, who were a sailor in the United States Navy and a Nurse, growing up in San Diego and Orlando.

Estelle as Garnet

30-something Estelle Fanta Swaray is a British singer, songwriter, rapper, actress and producer from West London, England. Estelle is known for her eclectic mix of various musical genres including R&B, soul, reggae, grime, hip hop and dance. She has experienced mainstream success with the single "American Boy" featuring Kanye West, reaching number 1 in the United Kingdom and her collaboration with David Guetta in "One Love". She voices Garnet, the strong silent type. She has sung one song in "Jailbreak." 

Michaela Dietz as Amethyst

Michaela Dietz is an Asian-American actress. She provided the role of Riff on Barney and the voice of Amethyst. Dietz was hired for the role of Riff after she was hired to use her voice in a video game.

Tom Scharpling as Greg Universe

Tom Scharpling is an American radio host, comedian, television writer, producer and music video director. He is best known for hosting the weekly radio call-in comedy program The Best Show and for acting as a writer/executive producer for the TV show Monk. He voices Greg Universe and Yellowtail for the series Steven Universe. 

Susan Egan as Rose Quartz

 Susan Egan is an American voice actress and singer known for her work on the Broadway stage. She is best known for originating the role of Belle in the Broadway musical adaptation of the Disney animated feature Beauty and the Beast as well as for providing the voice of Megara in the Disney animated feature Hercules. She voices Rose Quartz, the Lady from Under the Knife on Fusion Cuisine, and the Tiny Floating Whale for the series Steven Universe. 

Grace Rolek as Connie

She is a young girl who voices Connie. She often provides additional/background voices for characters in many movies, including Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs and Kung Fu Panda.

  Reagan Gomez-Preston as Jenny and Kiki

Reagan Gomez-Preston" is an actress and writer who voices the characters Jenny and Kiki Pizza in Steven Universe. She played Zaria in Parent Trap, a WB sitcom in 1995.

Brian Posehn as Sour Cream

Giant comedian Brian Posehn who has been on many sitcoms and shows and movies voices the DJ Sour Cream, son of Videlia and brother of Onion.

Sinbad as Mr. Smiley

The arcade owner and sometimes carnival owner Mr. Smiley is voiced by 90's popular comedian Sinbad.

Kate Micucci as Sadie

Kate Micucci who is part of a msucial comedy duo and has been on The Big Bang Theory as Lucy, voices the sweet Sadie from the Donut shop.

Joel Hodgson as Mayor Dewey

 Joel Hodgson the creator of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” voices Mayor Dewey.

Guests:

Nicki Minaj as Sugilite
Nicki Minaj is a famous singer for songs like "Superbass," "Anaconda," "The Night is still Young," and "Starships." She voiced the combination of Amethyst and Garnet.

Alexia Khadime as Sardonyx

Alexia Khadime is an English actress, voice actress, and mezzo-soprano. A veteran of London's West End, Khadime has played several iconic roles, including Elphaba in Wicked, Eponine in Les Miserables, Nabulungi in The Book of Mormon, and Nala in The Lion King. She voiced Sardonyx in one episode, the combo of Pearl and Garnet.

Aimee Mann as Opal
Aimee Mann is an American rock singer, singer-songwriter, bassist and guitarist. She was the bassist and a vocalist for the band 'Til Tuesday during the 1980s and since then she has primarily released albums and performed as a solo musician. She played the combo of Amethyst and Pearl.

 Charlene Yi as Ruby

She was in the film Knocked Up. She is a comedianne and writer, she voices Ruby, one half of Garnet.

 Erica Luttrell as Saphire 

She was in Honey, I shrunk Ourselves, she voiced one half of Garnet. 

My Top Ten Favorite Steven Universe Season One Episodes

Since we are only 15 episodes into season 2, I will just cover Season 1. There is 49 episodes in all. I wish I could add many more. For those who never seen the show, it is about a young boy named Steven who's father is human but his mother Rose Quartz was a gem that takes a human-like form. He is guided by three other Gems known as the stoic and strong Garnet, the tactical but caring Pearl and the wild child Amethyst. They can form weapons from their gems to fight corrupted or evil gems that have become monsters. Steven lives in a town on the beach and is friends with mostly people who have food service businesses. The main protagonist is male but the other characters are strong females, he has a pink gem and a pink lion, which is considered a female color in western culture. It defies gender norms.

10. "Laser Light Cannon"
The first episode I ever seen and pretty much sums up the premise with Steven looking for the Laser Light Cannon in Greg's storage unit to fight a giant eye.

9. "Indirect Kiss"

I was not sure to put this one or "Bubble Bubbles" where Steven meets Connie or "Fusion Cuisine." They are all great Connie-Steven episodes other than "Alone Together" which is the first in this top ten. This ep is told in a form of a flashback and the real action is in the end. Steven wants to have healing tears like his mom but ends up being healing spit.

8. "Rose's Scabbard"

Pearl gets mad when she finds out there was stuff Rose hid from her, including the Lion, when she shows Steven Rose's secret room when Lion already took him there. This is one of the first inklings in which we discover Pearl had romantic feelings for Rose. It has a touching montage where Pearl is explaining past battles. 

7. "The Return"

Appropriate as a season finale first parter, it is a game changer. Everything we know has been thrown out the window. Where I honestly thought the Gems were inherently good, it looks like the Crystal  Gems are rare instance of goodness. We meet Jasper, who confuses Steven even more to who he is and what he is. Summary: Peridot returns to Earth in a ship with Jasper and fight the Crystal Gems, Garnet is split apart. 

6. "The Message"
Greg proves himself to the Gems by translating a message from Lapis Lazuli through the Wailing Stone. I love when Greg helps the Gems with something and like he said, Video killed the Audio Star. Pearl is concerned his analog systems can translate it. Steven doesn't lose faith in his father. I like his navite comes in he doesn't know the difference between audio and video. I like the accuracy of the art with the analog, video, audio, and equipment.

5. "Jailbreak"

Now seeing old episodes, I now see the clues but I was instantly blown away to the notion that Garnet was a fusion. So what we thought before was a 2-Gem fusion with Sugulite was actually a 3-Gem and Alexandrite is actually a 4-gem. And Garnet's song is just awesome. I actually was fearing our heroes' fate but come on, its in the song. they always save the day. Summary of ep: Steven finds himself in a prison in the Gem ship and finds Ruby and Sapphire, they merge to become Garnet and knock out Jasper and Peridot, and in the end Lapis Lazuli force fuses with Jasper into Malachite and they go into the ocean.

4. "Maximum Capacity"
It might seem like a normal episode of Amethyst and Greg enjoying an old sitcom they love. But it is even more complicated. Even complicated to explain here. Amethyst and Greg seem to get along. In flashbacks in Season 2 "Story for Steven" and "We need to talk" she is like a little friend or pet. In "Laser Light Cannon," she calls him a mess to Steven. But in other episodes, they are buddies. In this episode, she transforms into Greg and Rose. Either she misses Rose, misses her time with Greg and Rose or wishes to be Rose. It could be all that or maybe not, that's what is fun about the show, we might never know. This episode is the first to show the Gems in sweaters.

3. "Lion 3: Straight to Video"

When Steven sleeps, Steven's Lion sleeps on top of him and he discovers a small pocket dimension inside Lion but he can't breathe in it. Inside is her sword, the T-shirt Greg gave her (we see in "Story for Steven) and a VHS tape. The finale is so heartwarming, everyone ends up like Sadie and Steven in the photo above. Rose has a touching speech for Steven in the VHS. We never saw Rose in motion up to this point. 

2. "Steven's Lion"
A beautifully drawn episode, his lion reminds me of Anime infamous Kimba the White Lion. This episode Steven meets a Pink Lion and takes a stone away from a desert that has extreme powers. Amethyst doesn't bubble it and it causes trouble so the Lion comes in to help. Steven wants to keep the Lion but like in the followup "Lion 2" episode, Steven explains that the lion "does his own thing." Pearl wonders about keeping the lion and Garnet jokes that they kept Amethyst. 

1. "Alone Together"
Another beautifully drawn episode and such great work. Connie and Steven fuse together and become Stevonnie. I saw on many blogs where the producers say that it is a bit of a metaphor for growing up, specifically when your body is changing, people notice the puberty but you are the same person inside. Stevonnie is attractive to both boys and girls, even though Stevonnie is voiced by a woman, it is unknown what gender Stevonnie is so I will not use pronouns. This episode sums up the feel of Steven Universe, it raises questions and might make you feel uneasy but in the end, it is all in fun. As Garnet says "It is an experience, make sure it is a good one." This show pushes the envelope and enjoys the experience.

Steven Universe New Episodes Review

UPDATED 7/20/15
I love Steven Universe and I can't believe I haven't conducted reviews of these episodes. So here I review the last 5 new episodes of June and 5 new episodes this week. 

"Sworn to the Sword," Episode 9

Pearl trains Connie to be a sword fighter and takes it too intensely, putting it akin to Pearl and Rose. A very intense episode and I kind of feel like this is coming too soon. Pearl is way too eager to allow a human--Connie--to fight for Steven, when she never taught Greg any fighting skills. Maybe because she sees herself in Connie and also since Connie was able to fuse with Steven means something. But I still think its too early in the relationship. 

Grade: A

"Rising Tides, Crashing Skies", Episode 10

A snore of an episode where Ronaldo does a documentary about the Gems. It has its funny moments but no new information and no real growth for Ronaldo. 

Grade: C

"Keeping It Together", Season 2 Episode 11

Garnet finds out that Peridot has forced fused fragment gems which freaks out Garnet, who is a fusion. She freaks out in front of Steven and later apologizes. Steven asks how it is be a fusion, Garnet says he should know as he has fused before, but he means all the time. She kind of clears up that even though Sapphire and Ruby are their own persons, Garnet is her own person and they are like her left and right arms. But the episode itself feels a little disjointed and the pacing is off. 

Grade: B+

"We Need to Talk" Season 2 Episode 12

This is a great episode!!! This is better than "Story for Steven," I love the flashback episodes. It has been alluded to that Pearl really cared for Rose Quartz and there was adversity between the Gems and Greg. It is nice to see young Greg (he brings up the story since Greg witnesses Steven and Connie fuse), he is so short and cute with his long hair. Meaning LOTS of year passed between when Greg met Rose and Steven was even conceived. So anyway, in this ep we see Rose fuse with Pearl making Rainbow Quartz, which reminds me of Danse from Jem and Rose Quartz singing like Jem. Greg wants to fuse too and tries to with Rose, which makes her laugh and makes Greg realize that Rose is not like any normal woman, well she is an alien gem. And I got the sinking feeling that Greg loved Rose more than she did and she wasn't aware of the concept but since we have Steven and see them kissing in an earlier flashback, I have confidence that eventually she understood it. The producers admitted that Pearl was indeed in love with Rose. 

Grade: A+

"Chile Tid" Season 2 Episode 13

The title "Chille Tid" translates roughly to "Chilling Time" from Norwegian Bokmål. The Gems are finally searching for Malachite after Lapis Lazuli force-fused her and Jasper together in the season finale. Steven is able to communicate with Lapis in his dreams and has Amythest and Pearl dream as well. Pearl has never dreamed before. Steven dreams his life is like an old school sitcom and eventually communicates with Lapis, trying to tell her they will help. She feels responsible and tries keeping Jasper at bay. He tells Amethyst and Pearl that he did see Lapis, who is fused and is still in control, but was unsure for how much longer. Garnet arrives home and falls asleep. I liked the episode, as usual everything is going slow and this complicated premise makes sense and is delivered in an understandable manner. 

Grade: A

The following five eps aired on the week of July 13.

"Cry For Help" Season 2 Episode 14

Peridot is trying to send a message to homeworld so Garnet and Pearl take down the tower by merging to be Sardonyx, who seems to be theatrical and comical (voiced by Alexia Khadime, who has played Elphaba in Wicked. Amethyst feels left out and jealous, Steven suggests checking out when Peridot rebuilds the tower since it happened again and they formed Sardonyx again. They find out Pearl rebuilt it, they reveal this to Garnet and Garnet is upset. At the end of the ep, Steven and Amethyst mention how they wish it would get solved like in a cartoon. That's what I like about this series, when characters are mad, they stay mad. I have been looking forward to seeing a Garnet and Pearl fusion for a long time. We even get a cute Amethyst song. 

Grade: A+

"Keystone Motel" Season 2 Episode 15

This was a fun episode because it showed Ruby and Sapphire after their premiere. Garnet is mad at Pearl for what she did in "Cry for Help" and splits up. She tags along with Steven and Greg to a motel in a state named Keystone apparently. So Ruby is very mad and creates heat, heating up Steven's pool. And when he goes into the motel room, Saphire has gone all "Queen Elsa" with ice powers. They make up but it is an important and touching episode showing what appears to be a same gender relationship (since all Gems do use female pronouns and are voiced by females, the creator Rebecca Sugar they are genderless).  

Grade: A++

"Onion Friend" Season 2 Episode 16

Onion pops up and steals Steven's snack and he and Amethyst follow Onion to his house to find artwork of Amethyst. Steven finds out that Vedalia (Marty's girlfriend in the flashback "Story for Steven") is Onion's mom and an old friend of Amethyst. She is also Sour Cream's mom and since Sour Cream said Yellowtail was his step-father and Yellowtail is Onion's dad, means Sour Cream has another dad. Many fans suspect it is Marty. Steven is freaked out by Onion's antics but Amethyst gets to vent with an old friend. This is a great episode, it explains a lot about Amethyst and also expands the mythology of Beach City. 

Grade: A++

"Historical Friction" Season 2 Episode 17

Steven is rounded up by the mailman/budding actor Jamie to do a play on the first mayor of Beach City, the great-great grandfather of Mayor Dewey. But what Dewey wrote is not historically accurate and it is in a positive light, so Pearl--who was really there---helps Steven write a new script which Dewey isn't sure about but eventually accepts once the audience loves it. It is interesting to see that the Gems have been around for years. It also hinted that Rose Quartz fused with the other Gems to make one big Gem. This doesn't match with the other episodes in the week but its a nice break. The only thing that meshes with the rest of the week is Pearl's off-comment about her own choices.

Grade; B

"Friend Ship" Season 2 Episode 18

The Gems are tracking Peridot by jacking one of her machines to the Warp Pad and able to find her. They fight her but fail. There is still friction between Garnet and Pearl. The quartet think they trap Peridot in an old ship but she traps them inside. Steven and Amethyst escape and Pearl and Garnet are stuck in walls that about to slam together. They manage to make up and fight Peridot again but get her foot and she escapes. They have their happy ending, I am glad, this episode is a great end to a week of an emotional roller coaster. It worked out perfect, it was like a movie. Well Historical Friction could had been anyway, unrelated but the five episodes coalesces. 

Grade: A