Disclaimer, this is a review of the edited version so that it does not receive an R rating. These thoughts are specifically from that version and the score will likely differ from uncut and cut versions.

You may remember my review of the first Alien film as it was only a few months ago. It was a pretty decent Alien film and while it may not be as amazing as all of the hype, it was solid. If not for the small aliens that blow people up, the score may have been even higher. Can the sequel surpass the original classic? Let’s find out!

First, I will say that the premise is excellent! “This time it’s War” is a great tagline and it does get you hyped for the film. Unfortunately, it may raise the bar a little too high for the actual film to reach. The main problem is that the film doesn’t feel like it is a war. The scientists are skeptical so once again, an unprepared team is sent out to fight the creatures. Aw man……

The plot involves Ripley as she makes it back home in one piece. Her cat appears briefly, but that’s a good thing. This film manages to avoid one crucial fact…no animals are destroyed! Awesome eh? Ripley tries to warn everyone that there are Aliens out there, but “they” (The big shots) don’t believe her. After all, a lot of families are living on the planet, so it sounds like it’s all good right? (Where were they in the first film? Well, the main character was asleep for 50 years, but even so…)

Unfortunately, they lose contact with the planet. This could only mean one thing….obviously there are no such things as aliens, so the government seems to think that it’s another country. At least, that’s the vibe that I was picking up. They convince Ripley to go along with a group of….Trained Professionals! Obviously, they’re prepared to deal with what comes up. Unfortunately, they joke around a lot and are very unlikable. “Game Over Man!” is probably the best line that’s uttered in the film.

There are quite a lot of fighters at first, but after the first major Alien scene, let’s just say that the cast is whittled down to size. Will the survivors make it off the planet or will they be the next skeletons on the planet? Ripley doesn’t plan on dying here, but things sometimes take a turn for the worst. Ripley is all right at best, but I’m not a fan of the character. She’s better than the kid, but that’s not saying much. It’s really hard to root for the gunmen and even the android isn’t a great character. The Aliens are definitely a lot more charismatic.

Were the Aliens exceptionally cool? Well, there were a lot of them, but it’s definitely quantity over quality. The Aliens go down pretty quickly when met with gunfire and dozens of them lose to one warrior. The Alien Queen is definitely a smart opponent, but I wouldn’t say that she’s much stronger than the average alien. You seemed to be having some trouble with an outdated mecha that was lying around. Still, the Aliens do have a pretty neat design for the most part.

All in all, this film was much better than the first film. One would expect a higher rating if that’s the case right? Well, sometimes things aren’t so straightforward and the ratings can get sketchy. Still, for the record, Aliens is better than Alien. The film still has it’s share of negatives including some language scattered about, the Aliens who blow people up, (I’ll never like those guys. It’s just too…graphically intense!) and a pretty Awful character roster. With all of the gross out moments that happen in the film, you’ll also want to make sure that you haven’t had lunch in a while. There’s also not much of a soundtrack to get behind, but that’s the case with most films. There were significant moments where a lot of plot hax was used, but it’s to be expected in the long run. If you liked the first film, then you’ll probably like this one. I lightly recommend it to those who want a nice adventure with aliens and “Hardcore” characters, but I wouldn’t recommend it to those who don’t like violence. If you want a true alien adventure, check out Superman vs Doomsday!

Overall 4/10

Wait Until Dark is a pretty inspiring title. You will probably think that it’s a horror film upon first glance right? Well, this one is more of a thriller than a horror, but I suppose that you can think of it either way. This film came out decades ago, but I saw the technicolor version so it’s in color. Can this film hold up to today’s standards?

The film starts out with a guy fixing a doll and then giving it to a woman. She heads for a plane and upon getting off, she gives it to Sam. Sam takes it home and promptly loses the doll. The woman who had given him the doll is murdered and then two villains break into the Sam’s home. Another villain follows them and they make a partnership. Mike and Carlino are the two villains who team up with Harry Roat.

The plan is to find the doll because it’s got to still be in the house right? That’s what they figure, but things may get difficult. They trick Sam into leaving for the day, but they’ve still got to deal with his blind wife, Susy, and Gloria, the little kid. Instead of bumping them off the old fashioned way, they decide to take advantage of Susy’s blindness and trick her into giving them the doll. They’ve just overlooked one thing…she doesn’t know where the doll is! Will Suzy find the doll and stop the fiends?

Well, Susy is the main character and since Sam isn’t one of the greatest characters out there, she’s really on her own. Gloria is around for moral support, but to quote a smart man in Megaman Axess, “What can you kids do?” I believe that the man put it in the best phrasing of words possible. He may have been proven wrong seconds later, but at least he talked a good game. Susy is a decent character I suppose, but the terror of the moment does pretty much consume her several times.

Gloria is a pretty annoying character and her first moment brought her down the ranks. She just couldn’t recover from such a sad display of emotion and lack of control. Sam…..he’s not a good character either. I had my suspicions during his first few appearances, but they were confirmed towards the climax. After realizing that his wide is in trouble, he tries to slow down the police from entering the building. “Take it easy!” he says to them, which was definitely odd considering the circumstances. Sam never even got to take on the villains and wasn’t impressive.

Mike was easily the best character from the three villains. He was pretty smart and he was able to take on Harry Roat during the beginning. He definitely felt like he was the most professional and he was pretty epic towards the ending. He and Carlino thought of a pretty Brilliant plan to take someone out, but we never learn exactly how they were going to do it. Carlino definitely wasn’t as good, but he’s all right I suppose. He’s a little overweight, not very smart, and comic relief, so there’s definitely a few stereotypes in there. We’ve also got Harry Roat, who was a decent villain. The only problem is that he loses sight of his objectives and he takes too long to finish the job. He does seem to be pretty smart, but I don’t think that he could take on Mike in a fair fight. His weapon of choice was interesting…but wouldn’t have made it against stronger opponents.

Overall, this is a decent thriller film. It’s not my favorite since it doesn’t hold up quite as well as some of the other old movies. I believe that Susy had a hard time carrying her own film and that probably hurt the overall strength of the film a little. When a person is blind, there will always be a lot of belief suspension needed to believe that she can actually fight/outsmart the villains. Mike was the most entertaining character and especially during the beginning piece, but the others were only okay. So, I’m sure that you’ll like it if you want to see a retro thriller film, but if you want to feel true terror…..Check out Final Fantasy The Spirits Within!

Overall 4/10

Rear Window is a film by Alfred Hitchcock that came out in 1954. This is pretty big since I’m sure you all know of the big kaiju film that came out at the time. The film has an interesting premise since the main character is in a wheelchair and he won’t be able to go and stop the villain(s?) by force. He’s going to need his wit in order to win this round.

The film begins with Jeff in a wheelchair. We learned that he would take any risks for a good shot and that he wouldn’t be able to walk again for a week. Jeff is definitely not the most heroic of characters and he resorts to staring at people through the window. Somehow, they never seem to notice him. Several people try to stop Jeff from looking out of the window, but he’ll have none of that. Eventually, he notices some suspicious behavior and thinks that someone may have been murdered!

You have to admire the fact that Jeff could piece together such loose evidence and then turn it into a murder. I’m not sure that many people of today’s world would come to the same conclusion so quickly, but since Jeff had nothing to do, but stare out of the window, it was easier for him to notice. A subplot is that Jeff is unhappy with the perfect dinners that his friend always brings him. The subplot is not necessarily about the dinners, but that stuck out the most. How do you not like a “perfect” dinner? I couldn’t really sympathize with the fellow in that regard.

Getting a little more into the character, Jeff is an awful protagonist. You really can’t help, but root against him during the film. Jeff is not a hero and he’s really just trying to help to pass the time…maybe even to get a scoop. Staring at your neighbors is hardly polite and Jeff never learns his lesson. Having such a main character can definitely take away from the experience. Of course, I didn’t really like any of the other characters…….

One thing that takes serious points away from the film is the dog scene. It was definitely unneeded and they should have just switched it for a “Paper lands on flowers and someone crumples it” scene. It would accomplish the same purpose and we could avoid the animal violence. The ending is also not great in that regard.

One solid part of the film is the fact that it actually has a climax. Can Jeff defeat his assailant without being able to walk? He definitely gives it his all, but he definitely doesn’t seem like he will be the next Terminator! Of course, he was basically asking for that to happen when he left his door unlocked.

This film was pretty enjoyable, but it did have its flaws. There is some romance in the film, which gets old fast. The dog scene didn’t help and the main character was pretty awful. I did think the police were pretty good at the end. One of them even took out his gun and he looked like he was going to use it! Hopefully the police check out the owner of the building since he seemed a little shady in the film. If not for the romance and the dog scene, the film would definitely have a higher score. As it is, you’ll probably enjoy it if you like the classic mysteries. If you want a really intense mystery, check out Goku’s fight against Frieza in DBZ, The Namek Saga, which only lasts 5 minutes…..

Overall 4/10

I’m sure that just about everyone has watched The Wizard of Oz. It’s a living legend that everyone always hails as one of the all time classics. I can’t say that the original was that great (No real action and I’d only give it a 2-2.5/5) but it is definitely a film that I won’t forget. Making a prequel to that movie is pretty ambitious, but was the risk worth it?

Well, the film starts out as Oz is conning people with his magic tricks. He loves his work and people give him a couple of coins. He’s not a great magician and he is quickly discovered to be a fake. He’s a pretty awful protagonist and proceeds to flirt with as many people as he can. Someone tries to beat him up, so Oz makes a break for the balloon and gets in. You’re actually left wishing that they had knocked him out and taken him to jail, but maybe he’ll still get defeated once he’s in the land of Oz.

Once he makes it to Oz, he meets one of the Witches, Theodora. He tricks her into thinking that he’s the magician of legend and eagerly awaits his gold. They travel for a while and he keeps on saving the day by accident. Oz also suckers Finley into becoming his slave for life. Once Oz makes it to the castle, they tell him that he will need to slay Glinda, The Wicked Witch of the South. Oz doesn’t want to do it since the danger is high, but he’ll do anything for gold. He heads on his way and is ready to slay the witch!

Well, Oz is definitely one of the worst main characters in a while. He’s like a junior Captain Kirk or James Bond. He never really gets what’s coming to him and the film tries to portray him a hero by the end. I really hope that nobody fell for this trap. He hasn’t changed at all and will keep on acting the same way, only now he is rich as well. He’s a character that makes you wince whenever he’s on screen.

Glinda, Theodora, and Evanora are the three witches of the film. All of them are played for fools by Oz and it’s a bit embarrassing. They have actual powers, but once Oz summons up a little light and magic, one of them makes a hasty retreat, while the other one flies off into the distance. I guess Oz is a very fearsome individual eh?

The film doesn’t really have much of a soundtrack, but most live action films are lacking one as well. The fight scene at the end was decently good, (Even if the movement was a little fake) but having one fight scene can’t save an entire film. It was a decent film and I’d recommend it if you have always wanted to see a movie about Oz, but it wrecks his character from the original. If you want to see a classic reborn into the modern world, check out Yugioh Bonds Beyond Time!

Overall 4/10

Disclaimer, this is a review of the edited version so that it does not receive an R rating. These thoughts are specifically from that version and the score will likely differ from uncut and cut versions.

Alien is a very popular film and it’s known as possibly being the greatest horror film of all time. This film gives Jaws a run for its money in popularity and there have been many rides and spin off media from the film. This is definitely what got aliens so popular, but does the film live up to this day?

The film starts with a crew of 7 in a spaceship. They are on their way back to earth, but they are awakened from their cryogenic sleep a little early. The ship informs them that a distress signal is being sent out from another ship. They go to investigate, but an alien latches itself onto one of the crew. Is the alien hostile!? It doesn’t look so tough, but big things tend to come in small packages. The alien is pretty nimble and there are many places to hide. Can the crew possibly stop him!?

The main cast of characters is pretty underwhelming for the most part. I can’t really say that there were any characters that stood out. Lambert is terrified of the alien creature and never gets past her fears. Her end is a pretty uncool way to go down and I doubt that she has many fans. Ash is the smart guy of the group and he doesn’t always obey orders. He definitely acts a little shady the whole time. Can they trust this guy!? Dallas is the captain of the crew, but he gets a really small role. I’m not sure what his point in the film really was in the end. Parker was the only member of the crew who seemed like he could fight with the alien, but his crew turned out to be a liability and they held him back. Ripley is the main character of the film, but it’s a little hard to guess that. While she does get most of the scenes at the end, she doesn’t get that much screen time for the first half. She ditched her cat at one point which takes points away from her.

The Cat was pretty cool and I’m glad that he didn’t end up dying. Alien must be one of the only horror films that avoided the obligatory animal death which earns the film some points. The Xenomorph is definitely deadly, but I preferred his portrayal in Aliens vs Predator. He’s still a pretty dangerous creature and was definitely the best character of the film.

Overall, Alien is a film that all horror fans will want to check out. There is a lot of tension throughout the film and it also goes into a lot of detail. The opening minutes are all for showing off the ship and the schematics. The ship is also advanced and has an A.I. named “Mother” Unfortunately it never seems to have enough data to make a decision. Alien lives up well as an alien classic, but I think we could have used some more alien action.

Overall 4/10