Star Wars Racer Revenge Review

Posted on March 26, 2014 by dreager1

Star Wars is a pretty big franchise and just about everyone has heard of it. As a result, we’ve gotten many video games for just about every console. Most of them are action games, but this one decided to take a sharp turn and ended up being about racing. It’s a bold move and it’s time to see if it worked out!

The game has a plot, which involves a racer’s….revenge! The title suddenly becomes clear eh? Sebulba never forgave Anakin for humiliating him in their original race so he has decided to race him once again! I’ll admit that the thought of racing someone like Sebulba may scare many gamers, but I wasn’t one of them! In fact, many of you may not have a chance to feel that fear because you’ll have no idea that there is a plot unless you looked it up. The game has an opening and ending cutscene, but that’s it as far as the in game story goes.

The two main modes are tournament mode and free play. Free play is always fun and tournament mode is basically a must have for any racing game. There are around 15 races in tournament mode and it will definitely test your abilities as a racer and as a Jedi! In all seriousness, the tournament mode was pretty fun. A little short, but the final levels are decently challenging. You should be able to clear them all within 5 tries per race and maybe with fewer. One thing that makes the races easier is the upgrades that you earn. Once you’ve maxed out your speed and power, you’re pretty much set to go. You won’t be able to max out everything in one playthrough, but you’ll be at around 80%. A few more stages would be enough to finish things off once and for all.

This game has a decent amount of replay value through unlocking characters and maxing them out. It takes a little over a playthrough to max out one character and you can try doing that for the 20+ racers. I decided not to do this…..but it’s a fun way to pass the time. Unlocking characters can be difficult as you have to break the records on each stage. There are three records per stage so that’s a lot of record smashing on the menu! You’ll likely get some of them broken during the normal playthrough, but the car smashing is usually something that you will need to aim for.

It barely even needs to be said that free play will give you a lot of replay value as well. Call someone up and then race them on the dangerous tracks! This may have been before the age of wifi, but you’ll probably find some people who still enjoy the game. It’s easy to pick up and the learning curve isn’t too high. It’s classic racing fun at its finest in perfect retro style!

That being said, the game can’t really compete with the big racing titles like Need for Speed and Mario Kart. (I would mention how it stacks up against M&M Racing, but I haven’t gotten around to playing that one yet!) The problem is that you can move at incredible speeds, but it just isn’t as engaging as the other racing titles. The stages are big, but they don’t feel very inspired. You may find yourself trapped a few times as you scramble for the goal.

The soundtrack is not bad, but it can be a little repetitious. You won’t be singing the tunes as you head back to sleep, but you won’t be cringing either. The animation is decent. It may not be the next Kingdom Hearts, but the graphics could be worse. They remind me of the N64 days since the characters are a little blocky, but you don’t typically see them anyway. The cars is what we’re after and they definitely perform well.

Overall, this is a decent Star Wars game. It may not be an exaggeration to say that it is their weakest home console release, but I need to check out the other racing title they came out with first! After that, I can make a better comparison. After all, can you really compare the thrills and chills of fighting with a light saber to floating in a car? I didn’t think so! The graphics and soundtrack are good enough to satisfy me and there is enough replay value to validate the purchase. I think that the game could have benefited from more of a story, but we can’t have it all right? I recommend this game to serious racing fans and lightly to Star Wars fans. That being said, you may just want to wait for the legendary Mario Kart 8 to grace us with its arrival.

Overall 6/10

Resident Evil Afterlife Review

Posted on March 17, 2014 by dreager1

*Disclaimer, this is a review of the edited version of the film so that it is TV-14. The uncut version would likely get a lower score*

It’s time to review the final Resident Evil film that I’ve seen. I’ll likely get around to the 5th at some point, but this one works as a final film…if not for the big cliffhanger. Still, it’s a staple for this series and I’m expecting the next one to have a similarly epic conclusion. The ending from the last film hinted at the ultimate showdown between Alice and Wesker, but we don’t really get to see that.

The film starts off with Alice’s assault on Wesker’s base. Humanity may not have been entirely eradicated in the Extinction film, but now she can reduce the numbers a little more. Her clones take out Wesker’s men pretty easily, but Wesker is a different story. He takes out a few of the clones and escapes in his getaway vehicle. The real Alice had been waiting for him there, but she forgot the last few years of zombie fighting experience and Wesker stabs her with the cure. Alice is happy to be human again and then the ship explodes and both of them “die.”

After dying for the 3rd or 4th time in the series, Alice wakes up. She’s relatively unharmed and she goes off to regroup with the members that she had separated from last time. They’re in a cold place, which is supposed to be safe from zombies. Unfortunately, Alice is attacked by her mind controlled ally. Alice is still human, but she is able to fend her off and learns that it’s Claire. They head off and meet up with a group of new characters. These guys look like expendables and I will say that they probably are. I won’t confirm it for spoiler reasons of course.

Now, their only hope is to escape the prison complex that they are staying in (To keep the zombies out!) and head for the true Arcadia. Arcadia is not a super village, but a normal boat. The plan is reasonably simple and the heroes must go under water into the weapons vault and also use a giant tank to escape. Things get complicated when a man known as Chris Redfield is released from his jail cell. Can he really be trusted!?

There you have it….the plot is pretty underwhelming. It’s better than Extinction, but I can’t really say much else for it. The film had such potential, but it was wasted. I’ll go into that in detail soon, but first we should get the characters out of the way.

Alice has lost some of the coolness that she had in the second and third films. She is seen as a professional fighter in this one and her powers were at her peak. So, how could she let Wesker cure her in one hit like that? It was pretty sloppy to give him that opportunity when she had the element of surprise and prep time at her disposal. I suppose that the writers really wanted to get rid of her powers, but there must have been a better way. Alice does well for a human, but it’s still disappointing to see her powers go. She’s definitely the best hero in the film, but Chris and Claire aren’t too far behind.

Chris is a solid character to add to the group. He may not be as cool as Carlos was in his debut, but Chris has the makings of a solid character. He’s a professional as well and his gun skills are solid. He may have been out of his league in his battle against Wesker, but he gave it his all. Hopefully he can stay cool through his next movie appearance.

Claire has amnesia for part of the film, but she seems to be regaining her memories by the end. She’s a pretty decent fighter and helps out in the battles against the Axeman and Wesker. It’s good to have more supporting characters from the video games to aid Alice and Claire should have a decent role in the next film.

Wesker is the big villain in this film and one could make the argument that he’s even stronger than the live action Avengers! His speed is impressive, but even more so is his raw power. Unfortunately, his abilities do lead the film into a hole, but I’ll go into that at greater length in the upcoming paragraphs. Wesker is a pretty cool villain and it’s easy to root for the guy. We know that he’s evil, but you can barely tell aside from the ending and the scenes where he shoots or blows people up. He does everything in a pretty cool way and the sunglasses definitely add to that effect. He’s definitely one of the reasons why the beginning of this film was so cool and he also gives us the best end fight scene.

The Axeman is the middle boss of the film so he’s not as intense as Wesker. He gets a lot of silent hype as we see him in the background from time to time. Things don’t really get moving until he infiltrates the base of the heroes and starts his attack. Claire takes him on for a while before Alice steps in. Alice is depowered so the fight could be tougher than expected. Still, Axeman is only as durable as a normal zombie and he’s not really a threat except for his huge axe. He doesn’t really have any character so it’s hard to like him.

There are some supporting characters that I did not mention, but that’s because they’re all expendables.(?) We’ve got the ace swimmer who decides that she can definitely outswim a bunch of zombies…..if only she had kept moving! We had the famous actor who decides that he can take out a group of zombies as long as he has a shotgun. We have an apprentice to a director, but he decides to freeze up as a slashing zombie approaches from behind. Rinse and repeat for every side character in the franchise. If you’re lucky, then you’ll turn into a Chris or a Claire, but usually you’ll just be part of the background by the end.

One character that gets a big role is the actual director. I would look for his real name, but it’s not too important. All you need to know is that he believes in the Hollywood principles of fame and fortune. Unfortunately, he takes it too far and joins up with the zombies. I wonder how a group of zombies will take to a human being around them? You may not have to think on that one too much, but things definitely get dicey. He does make things difficult for the heroes as he murders(And here I thought only zombies could destroy side characters!) one of them and also hijacks a plane. Too bad LJ wasn’t here this time. He’s definitely not one of the more likable characters and you’ll likely wince whenever he appears. He only gets one good line in the whole film in which he manages to insult the entire cast with his demanding tone.

The best part of the film was easily the opening, but it also hurt the rest of the film. It would be like having the big Darth Vader vs Luke Skywalker fight be at the beginning of the film and then watching the rest of the earlier events. Time goes on as usual in Resident Evil, but we don’t get any scenes with the same level of stakes as the intro. This is because the intro was expected due to the finale of the last film and everyone was likely hyped for it.

The fight scenes did not disappoint and the beginning was very good. There was definitely a Matrix feeling to those scenes and it was fun to see the clones pull off a lot of superhero feats. It may be a little sad to see a clone get taken down by a few guys with guns, but she had a lot of reinforcements. Alice found dozens of clones so they are basically everywhere. Wesker’s base is huge, but they still make sure to do a number on it.

Unfortunately, this is where things get dicey. Wesker blew up all of the clones along with the facility thanks to his big self destruct button. The real one was with him in the copter, but they still “died” with the explosion. It’s all right for Wesker to live since he’s super human, but it’s a little dicey for Alice. It’s not a huge thing since I’ll just assume that the cure wasn’t 100% effective on her, but it’s still a little iffy.

I wish that the opening could have lasted for the entire film because then it would have been incredibly epic. Instead we got to see Alice lose her powers and we went back to the old status quo. Earth is still doomed and there’s basically no way that we can stop it. At least we got to briefly see what Resident Evil could have been like!

If Alice had kept her powers, then the film would have saved itself from the hole that I’m about to mention. Wesker was way too powerful for the heroes. That’s the sad truth and he’s completely destroying them in the ending. They only win through a great amount of plot hax and events that you may see, but not believe. There is no way that these humans could take him down and he’s far too fast to be hit. His healing factor is also very advanced so they can’t keep him down. I dare say that the plot hax was worse than Naruto’s battle against a pirate in the Shippuden boat filler episode!

The ending is pretty solid and it upholds the tradition for Resident Evil. They always know just how to end the film on a high note. The heroes appear to be completely doomed, but they’ll probably make it out alive…somehow. It’ll be interesting to see how they pull this off since they’re so outnumbered.

Time for the usual violence issue. This is Resident Evil so people blow up, get slashed….and die! They try to keep the deaths unique so we can get different visuals, but they ultimately look the same in the end. We also get the animal violence as per usual, but it’s arguably worse than the norm. The zombie dogs grow more and more deformed with each film and they’re barely recognizable in their new forms. This is definitely not the way to win brownie points with me on how to make a good film! This film isn’t for the faint of heart, but the disclaimer should have given that away!

For once, I don’t remember any fan service. There was a scene that likely worried people in the audience, but that tragedy was averted. Unless I’m forgetting something, that’s pretty nice of the film to fix that issue. The soundtrack is still good, but it’s not as memorable as the first films. It was good, but I’d have a tough time trying to recall any specific themes. Still, it beats the average film and that’s always worth some points.

Overall, as far as Resident Evil films go, this one wasn’t bad. Apocalypse was better, but this one beat Extinction. It’s a little tricky when you compare this one to the first film, but I think that Afterlife has the edge thanks to the intense action scenes and Wesker. The slow motion in the beginning dragged out a lot, but I do like the effect overall. If used correctly, then it helps the scene. This is the second best film in the series so far and that’s pretty good. The action was fun and the series went more into the superhero realm. Although, Animal Violence and regular violence along with the zombies help to keep the series firmly planted in its score. So, I’d sooner recommend that you check out the original Final Fantasy film if you want to see something scary!

Overall 2/10

Resident Evil Extinction Review

Posted on March 8, 2014 by dreager1

Resident Evil may not be the greatest film series out there, but I will admit that the posters for this installment were pretty good. It was a tough call between this one and “Project Alice-Activate,” but I believe that I made the right call. Can the film possibly match up to its usage of one of the greatest titles of all time? I don’t think so!

All right folks, you’ve heard it all before. Zombies are among us and the heroes are powerless to stop them. Well, things are a little more dire than they had been because Humanity is essentially extinct. There are still humans around, but instead of a few billion, we’ve probably got around 1000. That’s a number that I constructed out of thin air since they don’t really tell us, but if the water has evaporated in many oceans…how will the humans stay alive? Most of the world is just one giant desert at this point.

There are two main plots that merge by the end. Alice is on her own and she must continue to travel while remaining undetected by the government that is trying to track her with a satellite. Meanwhile, Carlos, Claire Redfield, and LJ are still around. It’s unknown what happened to Jill, but I’m sure that she’s busy defeating zombies. The three “heroes” are trying to survive in a desert along with many expendables and one shot characters. They are attacked by a large number of zombie crows, which quickly reduce their numbers. Alice saves them with her new abilities and decides to join their ranks. Unfortunately, this brings along the Umbrella group and all of the zombies.

I won’t say which characters survive this assault, but it’s definitely not a large amount. Their only glimmer of hope is a book that someone left behind. It circles a lot of locations and the heroes immediately realize that the meaning is obvious. There is an area of land that the zombies have not found yet! The group prepares to head out, but they will have to deal with a monster!

Alice is still the main protagonist, but she doesn’t look as good as she did in the last film. Sure, she is vastly stronger than she was, but power doesn’t always equal greatness. It’s impressive that she can destroy someone with a kick, but it doesn’t change the fact that she was knocked out by mere mortals. She handles herself pretty well for the most part, although she should have won with less effort. All of that said, she’s still the best character in this film by a long shot.

Next, we’ve got LJ. He’s definitely a shadow of his former self and I can’t even say that he’s a likable character anymore. He was funny in the last film, but not in this one. He looks pretty weak as he’s overpowered in a surprise attack from one of the zombies. That’s one character who couldn’t stay cool.

We’ve also got Carlos, but he has the same problem as LJ. It’s to a lesser extent, but Carlos isn’t as cool either. He’s not the seasoned veteran that we remember from the good ole days and he doesn’t know when it’s time to take the win. He takes down a lot of zombies, but it’s not very spectacular. Still, he wasn’t a bad character and that’s what counts.

We also get some new characters, but they’re not extremely important to the plot so we can essentially skip them. Wesker appears, but it’s in a very small role so he barely needs to be mentioned. I will say that he’s pretty cool in this film and definitely the best villain. He keeps the other villains in line from his hologram for a while. Any scene with Wesker was typically epic and we also got some great tunes during that moment.

Isaacs is the main villain of this film, but he’s not very exciting to watch. He also doesn’t make for a great villain because he’s weak and generically evil. He gets a power up towards the end of the film, but it doesn’t help him become a better villain. Power doesn’t save the day, only will power and determination can truly stop the zombies.

Now it’s time to get into the multitude of negatives for the film. First off is the obligatory fanservice scene. This time it takes place in the very beginning of the film as a clone of Alice goes through the same events from the first film until she dies against the defenses. It’s one of those moments where you can’t help but sigh in disbelief. Having this scene for three films in a row is definitely a bit much.

Next up, would be the violence. The first two films were already extreme, but this installment brings it to a whole other level. It’s what I would expect from something like The Walking Dead. Also, it contradicts the fact that their blood should be frozen or more solid like in the first two films. Nope, in this one we get large spurts when they are destroyed. Additionally, Alice uses swords a lot more in this film so that gives the film an excuse for the added violence.

The crow scene is also tough to watch because it mixes the overwhelming violence with animal violence. That’s definitely a losing combo in any form of media and it definitely did not help the film. We also get more dog violence to destroy the film even further. Basically, we had every kind of violence that you would expect from a zombie film and too a high level. That’s reason enough to back away from this film.

One negative that is introduced in this film is a very boring background. The second film had the city as a backdrop which was awesome and the first one was in a cool lab. This film largely takes place in the desert and that’s one of the worst areas that you can ever be in. It means that every scene will lose some interest points and that every area looks the same.

Well, at least the soundtrack is still good. The techno theme that occurs when the villain base appears is very good and it’s a highlight. It’s really the only memorable theme from this film so it has fallen, but it’s still good. One great piece of music can save an entire soundtrack if it is performed accurately. The ending is also pretty intense. Resident Evil typically has great endings so that was to be expected. The ending definitely implies that the next film will easily be the greatest in the franchise. Is that what happens? Well, we’ll be finding out very soon!

Overall, this was the worst Resident Evil film so far. The cast of characters, soundtrack, and amount of negatives were all worse than the first two films. This one didn’t have any great fight scenes (Although the last one was a good display of super powers) and Jill disappeared for no discernible reason. It has been years since the last film, but they could have at least made a reference. I definitely would not recommend this film due to the animal violence and large amount of negatives. If you want to watch a film that promises danger and excitement, then check out the original Transformers G1 movie!

Overall 2/10

Resident Evil Apocalypse Review

Posted on March 7, 2014 by dreager1

*Disclaimer, this is a review of the edited version of the film so that it is TV-14. The uncut version would likely get a lower score*

It looks like it’s time for the sequel to be reviewed! Well, after the first installment in the movie franchise, we can expect that the soundtrack will still be excellent. Will the rest of the film manage to surpass the original or is it doomed since it’s a sequel? Looks like it’s time to find out!

The film takes place immediately after the first one and we even get an early scene to show us what happened before the ending. Scientists quickly head into the facility that Alice and friends were in, but they’re overpowered and the zombies escape into the cities. We jump into the near future and see Alice grab her shotgun and get ready for some action. Meanwhile, the zombies take over the city and the Umbrella corporation shuts off the area. There are a few different plots at first, but eventually they all merge together.

Jill is one of the top notch officers of the city and she takes out a few zombies with ease as she heads to the outer perimeters of the city. Unfortunately, Umbrella quickly locks it down and they have their men shoot at anyone who gets too close. Meanwhile, Carlos and his team of trained professionals try to take down as many zombies as they can. Unfortunately, they realize that Umbrella has abandoned them and now they must try to live through this. Finally, LJ is just trying to live through this. He didn’t start this fight….but he may just survive it!

The plots are all completely separate at first. After all, this is a pretty big city and having a few different subplots makes sense. Eventually, Alice, Carlos, and Jill meet up with LJ and they prepare to leave the city. The only way out is through a helicopter, which is there to take away a few government officials and Nemesis. A scientist will tell them where the helicopter is once they rescue his daughter. His daughter is currently hiding out at a school, but that area may not be safe for long!

Alice is pretty intense in this film because she finally has her memories back. That’s a pretty good boost by itself, but Alice has also gotten superhuman abilities thanks to the experiments that were done. She’s essentially the strongest character in the series now right? Well, she does get a super enemy of her own to fight. Alice is a seasoned pro in this film and it’s always good to see that. It may be hard to call her a hero, but it’s definitely good to be her ally.

Nemesis is the final boss of this film and his abilities are definitely comparable to hers. He may be physically stronger than Alice, but they are nearly equal in that area. Alice’s big edge is definitely her speed and she’ll need it since Nemesis comes equipped with a handy rocket launcher/missile launcher. There is a big twist about Nemesis, but you’ll already know it if you saw the original film.

Including Jill in this film was pretty cool since she’s essentially the only Resident Evil character that I knew aside from Wesker and Chris. Unfortunately, while she does look great in her first appearance, she’s quickly out shined by Alice. Jill is only a human so it’s not inaccurate that Alice would outperform her, but Jill could have looked better. She was essentially a non factor during the second half of the film. She could have learned a few things from Chris.

Carlos was another one of the main characters and he’s also human. The big difference is that he still looks really good. He’s not at Alice level, but he takes out around 100 zombies and many of the guards who protect the helicopter. He was the best human character in the film and he was how I picture Chris Redfield to be. I thought that he was Chris for a while there. He held out against the zombies for a while and that’s no small feat for a man with a gun.

LJ is the surprise hit of the film. This guy definitely plays for keeps and he gets some of the best scenes in the film. At one point, it’s LJ vs Nemesis. All I’ll say is that LJ is confirmed to be in the sequel; can Nemesis say the same? LJ has a pair of golden guns and he’s prepared the whole time. He adds some comedy that the film really needed and it’s actually decent comedy. Not something that you typically see in any action film, much less a zombie film. He also owns a Cadillac, which is easily the greatest car company of all time. He confirms this towards the end of the film, right before he completely pulls one over the entire cast. That’s what I like to see from new characters that want to prove themselves in an established franchise. Let’s not achieve a Giant Condor performance folks.

That’s basically all of the major characters. I could mention the main villain, but he’s as generic as they come. Let’s head into the holes, which unfortunately…always overpower the positives in this franchise. First would be the excessive violence issue. It’s to be expected since this is a zombie film and all of the characters use guns. That being said, it makes The Lord of the Rings look tame! You’ll be seeing zombies get destroyed in every way possible and a lot of humans are also taken out. Every scene is sure to come with a pile of violence.

The film actually goes a step further than the last one since we get significant animal violence. At one point, a few zombie dogs attack and you can probably guess what happens to them. I own a really cool, amazing, super dog myself so I find it inexcusable when dogs, or any other animal, get hurt in a film. As a famous man once said, “It’s disruptive, it’s undisciplined….” I completely took the quote out of context, but it works perfectly for this film. It’s unnecessary and completely destroys whatever score the film was going to get. Some series manage to survive through that like One Piece, but it has over 600 episodes to try and get away from that. This film only has around 90 minutes to make me forget…and I did not forget! One of the characters even insults the dogs and he’s quickly eaten. Why must the humans be as unlikable as the villains!? I can’t even……

Anyway, another unnecessary addition was the Alice fanservice scene. Why do we get one of these scenes in Every single film? I’m pretty sure that there is one of these scenes per film, but I can’t verify until I see the 5th film. The first 4 had them and that’s already sad. The excuse this time is that she was knocked out/died and taken to a research facility which pulled a Wolverine origin on us. After the scene is over and Alice has her outfit from the end of the first film, she quickly murders or gravely injures the staff that was there. It’s “hardcore” and all, but the first part could have been cut out. Why couldn’t she already be in full uniform instead of in stasis?

Are there any other negatives? Well, the rest is the more minor things, routinely expected to be in these films. These include: Zombies, Language, Unlikable characters, etc. That being said, the cast of characters was better than your average horror/slasher film so that’s some progress.

Let’s get back into the positives! The soundtrack was great as expected and this series continues to impress in that area. We get some perfect battle themes and a lot of cool sci-fi as well. The soundtrack is 5 stars and while Avatar may have gotten a Grammy for its soundtrack; it can’t hold a candle to this film.

Another positive is the fact that this film plays out more like a superhero film. That will continue for parts of the next film and the beginning of the 4th as well. Since Alice ~~is stronger than the MCU Avengers~~ is superhuman, she can do a lot of things that she couldn’t before. This includes her super speed and a large array of athletics. There’s even a pretty good one on one fist fight at the end with Nemesis. The fact that the whole film takes place in the city instead of in a facility is another major positive.

Overall, it’s better than the first film in some areas like the action and setting, but it also has some downfalls like the animal violence and fanservice. The franchise has potential to be a winner, but it’s probably going to take a reboot to generate a higher score. That, or just changing up most of the staff that is working on these films. I want something that’s more of a summer blockbuster with laughs and aliens. Make it happen guys!

Overall 2/10

Resident Evil Review

Posted on February 28, 2014 by dreager1

*Disclaimer, this is a review of the edited version of the film so that it is TV-14. The uncut version would likely get a lower score*

How can a film about people fighting zombies not be an instant global hit? We’ve seen what the Walking Dead did right? (Although, I’m sure that it was a one hit wonder. We won’t be seeing another Walking Dead with that much success) That being said, I’ve never liked any zombie film that I’ve seen or heard about. Zombies are some of the worst enemies that can appear in a film and their only competition would be Vampires of Werewolves. That being said, this film is based off of a video game, which is always cool!

The plot of the film involves a woman named Alice, although she is missing from the very first scene. The first scene starts out as most films start out. There are some employees who are having a good ole time and you may figure that this will be the feel good film of the year. This quickly changes when a vile is dropped and horror ensues. Meanwhile, with the real plot, Alice has lost her memories and she doesn’t have time to gather them as a team of trained professionals breaks into her(?) mansion and quickly take her to a secret passage. These guys want to get to the bottom of the tower so that they can shut down an A.I. that has gone rogue. Alice doesn’t fully understand what is happening here, but she goes along with them. (It should be noted that she’s not really given much of a choice) The group also runs across a police officer and another guy who has amnesia. It’s all pretty routine at first, but can these trained professionals possibly take down such an advanced computer?

Notice that I did’t mention the zombies. That would almost be a spoiler since they don’t arrive until we’re decently late in the film. The reason that it’s not a spoiler…is that zombies are the whole point of Resident Evil. It’s like when Godzilla doesn’t appear for a very long time in his Final Wars film. We all know that he will appear…it’s just a question of when. The zombies are what you would expect from this kind of film. They’re mindless, slow, but get a lot of help from plot hax and sheer numbers. Traitors in the midst of the heroes are also welcome additions to their army.

I should get into the negatives before I go into some of the other details and positives of the film. One negative will be the unnecessary fanservice scene. (Spoiler alert, we get one of those in basically every film. The 4th film may be the only exception, but I may have just forgotten something) The scene is likely there to make sure that I take some points away from the film, but there are classier ways to do that. The scene could have been worse, but it stays for way too long. Luckily it was just that one scene..sort of. The very ending can be a little dicey as well.

The other negative would be the sheer violence in the film. You can immediately tell why this film got such a strong rating when the laser scene pops up. Action violence will always be around in a zombie film, or any kind of action film. Still, the film goes way over the top in this area and that’s another way to take out some points. The scenes where they destroy the zombies actually isn’t extremely violent, (yet) but the zombies themselves look pretty gruesome. Whenever they bite one of the humans, it may make you wince a little.

There is also some unnecessary romance that involves Alice’s previous life. (Not literally, but before her amnesia) It’s not around for too long, but the scenes are pretty unnecessary and they’ll make you wince again. That’s essentially it for the negatives, but those are pretty critical. Let’s go to a happier section as I list the positives for the film!

The soundtrack is easily 5 star worthy. It’s one of the best soundtracks that I’ve seen in a live action film and it can hold its own against any other. It’s really cool to see the schematics of the base because we get a really cool theme going. It gives us a video game impression while also making the film 20% cooler. The ending theme of the film is also great and really makes you hyped for the sequel, no matter how much you liked or disliked this film. The soundtrack is just that good!

Another positive for the film would be the very ending. It’s easily one of the best endings in cinematic history. Not only does the ending pave the way for a sequel, but it shows us what the true scope of the zombie threat is. These guys are playing for keeps and it’s up to Alice to stop them once and for all. It’s really rare to see such an ending make it onto the big screen and it was a good move.

The film does have a final boss and this guy is more of a beast than a zombie. He gets stronger whenever he consumes another person and his abilities may be limitless at this point! He’s very durable and while he may not be completely bulletproof, he can definitely endure a lot of shots. Unfortunately, the way that the heroes beat him is pretty gruesome. Still, this guy was definitely a powerful final boss and he caused a lot of damage.

The real villain would be the Red Queen A.I. She was pretty cool and you could definitely sympathize with her if not for the fact that she murders everyone in her path. It may be the voice that makes her amusing, or the fact that she’s basically in control the entire time. She’s essentially the mastermind of this whole film.

Alice is the main character and she’s a decent protagonist. She doesn’t have her full memories so she’s not as powerful as she usually is. She learns how to fight during the later portion of the film and by the end, she seems to be at her peak once again. Can she truly stop the zombies with her shotgun? Well, we’re going to find out!

Matt is the police officer of the group and he even comes equipped with an emotional backstory. He’s a decent character as well and he does try to get to the thick of things. This guy is tough, but fighting zombies takes more than a handgun. (Unless the person in question is a trained professional) The ending will likely be pretty sad for his fans, but nearly every character in the film gets a sad ending as well. Matt is not alone!

One of the things that helps the film, is the overall atmosphere. It feels like a mystery while adding in some thriller and horror elements. The film did a good job of mixing the three of those together. This is essentially how I would picture a Metroid film if it came out. The atmosphere would be perfect for that kind of film.

Overall, this zombie film was better than the others that I’ve seen, but it could still use a lot of work. While the film had many pros, it had many cons as well. The violence was definitely over the top and unnecessary additions like the main character’s medical capture at the end definitely bring the film down. It’s definitely not the kind of film where you walk away with a big grin on your face. One also feels bad for the monsters. At least the edited version took out most of the language and the soundtrack is sill solid. I can’t really recommend this film, but you may enjoy it if you like zombie films and don’t mind the excessive violence. For minors, your best bet for a good horror film is to check out Batman Phantasm. I actually recommend that Batman film as a solid alternative to all horror fans! I will be reviewing the second film soon, which adds some more positives, while also falling into some new holes.

Overall 2/10

Mission to Mars Review

Posted on February 27, 2014 by dreager1

A mission to Mars always sounds fun, but it’s not something that I would want to do. Those voyages take way too long and space isn’t my thing. Still, the plot has is intriguing since space films can always add aliens and it’s hinted at in the plot. Was this film a success or did it turn out like most other space films? Let’s find out!

I’ve always been a big fan of alien/creature films. They’re always fun to watch and the films always have potential to be great. I usually end up dishing out low scores to those films because they make a lot of mistakes, but I always get my hopes up when a new one comes out. Unfortunately, this film may disappoint you if you’re looking for some solid aliens!

The plot involves a group of characters as they head off to Mars. The only one that you need to remember is Luke, as the rest of the crew is quickly destroyed by what seems to be a Kaiju. Luke quickly radios for help, but then the channel is cut. On Earth, they know that it’ll take a long time to get to Mars and Luke may already be dead. That’s definitely not going to stop our heroes! Jim, Terri, and Phil are some of the members who are a part of the new crew. They know the risks and while they are not prepared for any hostile encounter, they have determination on their side! Let’s just say that they’re in for a surprise when they finally make it to Mars!

Well, that’s the general plot and it’s a decent way to start a film. We got a party scene at the beginning, which is supposed to help us relate to the characters and maybe even sympathize with them. That part wasn’t bad and it was definitely an explosive beginning when the monster appeared. Unfortunately, nothing really happens after that. The rest of the film is basically set up for something that doesn’t even get to happen. A little on the sad side eh?

There are aliens in this film, but they have a very generic design. I have to say that they were also some of the worst aliens that we’ve seen in a while. On one hand, they seem to have almost limitless power as they hint that they are the ones who created humanity, or at least the ones who made the animals. They started the evolutionary process. You may be trying to suppress a laugh during the big scene that showcases this, but you may as well let it out. These “all powerful” aliens are quickly forced to retreat when an asteroid shower takes out their planet. So much for their technology and powers!

One part of the film that may annoy most people is the decision that Jim makes. It basically means ditching his whole race and also trusting the word of a being that he’s never truly met. That doesn’t seem like a smart move and it makes Jim unlikable. It’s impossible to agree with this choice, at least for me. That’s why I was glad that the other characters didn’t choose the same path.

I also noticed that this film was PG. I think that a PG rating doesn’t really suffice. The scene where the Kaiju murders the team is pretty intense and PG-13 worthy. Some films do skirt that edge nowadays and Prince Caspian is a good example of that. Still, this film isn’t very violent and that is really the only scene that gets intense. The rest of the film plays it safe and we don’t get any real action scenes. There are some emotional moments in the film, like one guy (not literally) self destructing so that someone else wouldn’t die in a rescue attempt. Still, watch that first Kaiju battle and tell me that the film should be PG!

This film is essentially why I’m not a fan of space movies that do not involve aliens or creatures. Being in space is like being underwater of in the dessert. Those scenes just aren’t interesting in movies and that’s the case here. The scenes could have been worse and they were decent, but they just didn’t mean anything in the end. The film was very misleading and maybe the score would have been better if we didn’t get the Kaiju scene.

See, the Kaiju scene was very intense and it hinted that there were creatures on Mars. I won’t spoil the “epic” twist, but there is no life on Mars. That scene was just meant to trick the audience and keep people watching. There were so many ways that they could have achieved that part in a better way. It was pretty sad when the twist happened and I’m sure that many viewers were not pleased.

Aside from being very uneventful and disappointing, Mission to Mars did have some things going for it. For one thing, there are no really big negatives to the film. It didn’t fall into any of the usual holes like Animal Violence. The film may not have achieved a lot of success in its pros, but the fact that it doesn’t really have any cons, helps it to get such a rating. A 4 isn’t exactly Oscar worthy, but it’s not bad considering the genre and lack of action. Comparing it to some of my recent reviews, this would technically be one of the higher rated ones.

The characters were decent for the most part, but many of them went south. Luke essentially cracked after the Kaiju attack and Jim didn’t make a great move. Self-Destructing isn’t going to help anyone in my books and the other characters were just around. I suppose that I liked the commander who allowed the mission to proceed, but he didn’t get a whole lot of screentime. Maybe he’ll get some more next time!

Overall, this is not a space film that I would recommend. I guess it would be like watching Apollo 11 or Gravity. Space isn’t a great backdrop for me unless there is a lot of action. I like seeing people inside of spaceships or objects in space, but not space itself. A Metroid setting would do very well, but we also need the sci-fi that accompanies that. Adding in aliens just helped to confuse the audience, since it never really amounted to anything. Most of the drama and suspense comes from ship malfunctions and other disasters. They’re sad, but I don’t think anyone paid 20 dollars to go and see people plug the leaks of a space ship. We came for aliens and explosions! If you like realistic space films, then I’m sure that you would like this film. It’s just not my cup of tea. If you want to see a really epic space film, check out DBZ: Broly The Legendary Super Saiyan!

Overall 4/10

Stan Lee’s Mighty 7 Review

Posted on February 24, 2014 by dreager1

I was just going to call it Mighty 7, but unfortunately Stan Lee’s is always ahead of that part. I will admit that adding his name is sure to help the film do well and it’s a pretty epic name, but Mighty 7 would have been an even better title. Ah well, time to see how Stan Lee successfully shows us that we can still have a happy superhero adventure!

The plot of the film is essentially what you would expect from a superhero film. Aliens have decided to invade Earth and it’s up to Stan The Man Lee, AKA, Super Stan, AKA, Stan Smashing Lee to save the day! He was driving and thinking of new ideas when a spaceship crash landed near him. After some hasty introductions, Stan helped the aliens get to his friend’s mansion that is near the beach. The heroes are going to have to learn to follow Stan Lee’s advice if they are going to have any chance of defeating the powerful aliens!!

The main villain is Xanar and his power levels are definitely considerable. It’s not unreasonable to assume that he could defeat several of the heroes in a one on one fight. He’s essentially the Lizard…so he’s a pretty uninspired character. I can’t say that I cared for the villain and I’m hoping that he doesn’t come back for the sequel. He can jump around a lot, but that’s basically all that he can do.

The real villain is Mr. Cross and he’s a member of the government! He seems to think that he’s doing the Earth a service by taking the heroes down, but he has misinterpreted the situation. He actually captures Stan The Man Lee at one point, but things don’t go very well for Cross. One simply does not try to capture someone like Super Stan! Still, this is someone that I can root for as a villain and if the ending is anything to judge by, he’ll definitely be back. I can’t wait to see him defeat Strong Arm and then take on Stan Lee.

Unfortunately, the main team of aliens aren’t very likable. Strong Arm is the leader of the group and he acts as the hero. Unfortunately, he actually turns out to be one of the meanest heroes and he isn’t likable. He doesn’t want to protect Earth since it’s outside of his jurisdiction and he’s always trying to show the world why Lazer Lord is a villain. Strong Arm thought that he saw Lazer Lord commit a criminal act, but he was probably seeing things. He’s just not someone that you can root for. He’s certainly not the next Captain America, but I suspect that the writers were trying for us to dislike Strong Arm. If so, they succeeded!

Lazer Lord is another one of the big players and he used to be a respectable hero. The only problem was that he was framed for destroying someone and then Strong Arm made sure that he was taken to court. Lazer Lord escaped and that’s how we get to the Earth subplot. He wants to save the planet from the aliens, but Strong Arm and the other heroes quickly stop him. To their defense, he didn’t bother to tell them that he was after an alien and they just thought that he had cracked. He definitely could have explained things a little better! He does have the best power (aside from super speed) and he’s definitely one of the tougher members. He’ll be critical in the sequel!

Silver Skylark is Strong Arm’s partner, but that doesn’t mean that she’s quite as petty or annoying. Silver Skylark is always willing to give people a second chance and while she’s not the best fighter of the group, she definitely seems to be more of a hero than Strong Arm. She hasn’t gotten that much development yet, but we’ll likely learn more about her in the sequel. She’s a decent character overall.

We also have Lady Lightning, who has the power of super speed. It doesn’t even need to be said that super speed is one of the greatest powers of all time. She should be invincible right? Relatively speaking, nobody can really match her in this film. Unfortunately, she gets an unneeded origin that doesn’t help her toughness, but it’s tragic……(This film didn’t need any tragic elements to it!) It’ll be tough for any of the villains to realistically fight her in the sequel, so I’m already guessing that they’ll just use plot hax.

We’ve also got Kid Kinergy and Micro. They get to share a paragraph because it’s easy to mix theme up. They’re probably as bland as a character can get personality wise. Micro is decent since he accepted his name so quickly, but it’s hard to root for him. I can’t really root for either of these guys and their origin story didn’t help matters. All teams have their weak link and these guys would be that link. (If not for Strong Arm) Kid Kinergy does have useful powers, so at least that’s a plus.

We can’t forget about Roller Man……yeah, that’s really his superhero name! I’m guessing that he didn’t give Stan the proper respect. He’s all right at best, but he’s basically a Bouncing Boy ripoff. There isn’t really anything that makes him unique and that’s always a bad sign. I do like his voice a lot since it’s about as annoying as a voice can get. He’s essentially mocking the other characters whenever he talks. It’s usually intentional, which just makes things worse for everyone else. Although, the drinking from the toilet scene was pretty unnecessary. (You may want to back away from the TV for that scene!)

(Super) Stan (The Man) Lee is one of the main characters and I can easily tell you that he’s the best character. Stan Lee isn’t a noble hero and he’s only helping the others so that he can get rich and famous. He always looks out for himself and he’s realistic. At one point, he lets Strong Arm know that he can’t help them save the world because he has bills to pay. That’s a man who knows his priorities! Stan’s best line is when he says, “Fear isn’t in my vocabulary!” as the aliens “threaten” him. I gained a lot of respect for Stan in that scene and that’s tough since I’m already a huge fan!

Stan Lee has a pretty incredible car and he doesn’t let anybody badmouth it! One of the very rude heroes tries to do so, but Stan puts him in his place right away. Stan Lee is definitely a likable fellow and he always speaks his mind. If the sequel is to be as good as this one, Stan Lee will definitely have to play a critical role. Seriously, just about every line that he uttered was priceless! Stan Lee even gets his own car chase scene and we see how he handles an interrogation. This guy is definitely made of sterner stuff!

The Animation may definitely take some getting used too for most. It reminds me of the little cutscenes that you may find in a book or a Burger King/McDonalds video game. I’d say that it’s classic 80’s animation and while it’s definitely no DBZ, it can hold its own against today’s modern entertainment. (Hulk Agents of Smash) Hulk may be better in fight scenes, but at least the teeth don’t glare out at you. There is a really sped up scene where the heroes escape from a burning ship, but it just didn’t work. The scene felt artificial as if the writers wanted the viewers to feel a sense of danger. That definitely did not happen!

There aren’t really any fight scenes in this one so I can’t gauge that too well, but it’ll have to rank as the worst fight scenes in a “serious’ superhero film. Teen Titans Go has better fight scenes and that’s a comedy with a little action. It shows you how bad the fight scenes and animation have become in recent years. DC manages to stay strong, but Marvel and even Stan (The Man) lee can’t stop themselves from using animation that gets out shined by media from over 30 years ago. I would go more into the big animation conspiracy in America, but that would get us off topic very quickly and it’s tough to say in a short manner.

So, the target audience throws the film off a bit. They don’t want to really show any fight scenes, but at the same time, we get some tragic back stories. (None of them were necessary btw) The heroes also have the generic moment where they get surrounded by a lot of enemies and then the screen cuts away as they’re easily knocked out and thrown into a prison cell. I never liked that kind of scene because I want to see the heroes fight. Getting knocked around like that makes them look pretty sad to be honest.

Overall, this was a fun throwback to the old days of superheroes. It was pretty fun and I’d say that it was more entertaining than the current Marvel programs on TV. They may have better fight scenes, but the writing wasn’t quite as good as this film. I’m definitely looking forward to the sequel and I’m hoping that Super Stan will get some more screen time. He definitely stole the show in this film and he singlehandedly kept it afloat. I’m also hoping that we get some more fight scenes in the sequel and that the main character looks better. (If not, then he should be written out of the franchise) One problem that probably won’t be addressed is the fact that none of the characters are really likable aside from Super Stan. Still, I highly recommend this film if you enjoyed the good ole days of Superfriends, Scooby Doo, or the 1960’s Marvel cartoons. If you’re looking for something a little more modernized, then check out ~~Batman The Brave and The Bold~~ Justice League.

Overall 6/10

Pulse Review

Posted on February 24, 2014 by dreager1

Pulse is a horror film that deals with the dangers of the internet. Horror films usually do not draw high scores from me, but it’s still nice to see them give it their all. Maybe this will end up being one of the best horror films that I’ve ever seen. The concept is interesting and the film is actually pretty recent. Let’s see how it fared!

After a guy named Josh is quickly defeated in the library, the film lets you know that Mattie will be the main character. She’ll need to be tougher than Josh, since he gives up on life and dies pretty early in the film. Mattie has a few friends with her and they’ll try to figure out what happened to Josh, but it may be a losing battle. They have two clues to go on….his computer and red tape. Meanwhile, a guy named Dex happens to be around and he’s quickly pulled into the thick of things!

First of all, it should be noted that the villains are only mildly tough. They manage to overpower several of the main guys in the film and also defeat an old man. (The latter case is not confirmed, but the man was with his cart and then the cart comes back…but the guy is gone!) The ghosts were trapped in the internet by a “super” genius, but they escaped thanks to our local hacker, Josh. Once the ghosts are out, there’s no getting them back in.

Personally, I think that the heroes got off lucky. The demons from The Grudge and The Ring are far scarier and more threatening than these guys. These guys suck a person’s will into them so that the person ends up wanting to die. I don’t buy that kind of power. These guys must have had a very weak grasp on their will to live. (Bleach actually agrees with me in the latest chapters of the final arc.) The humans should have tried harder! The ghosts seem like they can also blow a person up by infecting them with a disease if they don’t succumb to depression quick enough.

There’s also a pretty neat counselor at the school, but one can tell that he is an expendable character. After he gives Mattie a pep talk about how ghosts aren’t real, he is attacked. I won’t say if he wins or not, but let’s just say that you can’t really call it a “fight”.

By the end of the film, almost everyone in the entire school has disappeared. Only a handful of people are left and one would think that the government would get involved. We’re talking about 100+ people disappearing in an instant and it actually reaches up to the millions area before the very end. The ghosts work pretty fast!

Mattie is not one of the better main characters. She’s all right I suppose, but she’s not quite as intense as the average main character. That being said, she’s much better than Josh. Josh is the first to go and hacking never ends well. Stone is another one of the main characters, but diving under the bed to hide from the ghosts may be a plan that he regrets.

Tim has the right idea as he hides out in his room with a lot of red tape. His only mistake is that he takes some of the tape off so that he can see what’s happening outside……….pretty big mistake. Douglas is the guy who originally trapped the spirits, but it must have been a fluke because he quickly hides when they escape. He actually survives and he’s still hiding in his closet which is surrounded by red tape. I guess we’ll see how long he can stay in the closet before having to make a trip to Wal Mart for some pizza and chips. He’s going to need food at some point! Dex is the “tough guy” of the group and he knows exactly what needs to be done. Unfortunately, he is faced off against the spirits of two little boys and it’s enough for him to take a few steps back. I won’t say if he gets through the predicament alive, but it’s an intense scene!

So, the film doesn’t sound that bad right now right? Maybe it’ll actually get a positive score! Well…..that’s not going to happen. It’s time to launch into the negatives of the film. The first big one involves…animal violence. Unfortunately, the film sunk to that low. It’s a pretty sad scene and it instantly destroyed a few points from the film. We see a cat who is in Very bad shape. It’s enough to give you an upset stomach to be honest. The cat was also locked in the closet and it’s a very sad and unsettling scene.

Another thing that doesn’t help its case is an unnecessary bath scene. They’re always unnecessary, but it’s still sad that they keep on adding those type of scenes. I’m sure that the films would get much better reviews and also sell more if they didn’t add those scenes. Just look at The Avengers!

I also can’t give this film a very good score considering how all of the characters are pretty annoying and unlikable. They are easy prey for the villains and they should have put up more resistance like the old couple who had a shotgun. Those guys knew the score and they were actually fighting against the spirits!

Overall, this is another horror film that I cannot recommend. It falls into the big animal violence and fanservice holes, which don’t bode well for it. I did like the ending since the Government is finally getting involved as they’ve gotten people to Dead Zones so the spirits cannot hurt them. (Spirits can only operate in places with Wifi) That’s a good first step, but I want to see what the human’s counter attack will be. After all, we do see Josh in the very end and the war is just getting started! The film got a pair of sequels, but I can’t say that I’m really planning to watch them. If you really want to watch something scary, then check out the final season of Yugioh GX!!!

Overall 2/10

Justice League War Review

Posted on February 8, 2014 by dreager1

(Spoilers will be included since the Man of Steel ending curse is upon us!) Well, this is the film that we’ve been waiting for since it was first announced. It’s based off of the first Justice League arc in the New 52, but with many significant changes to adapt it for the modern audience. We’ve already had some pretty strong Justice League films in the past, so it would be interesting to see how it stood up to those!

First of all, you must ignore the cover. The cover hints that the animation is the worst that we’ve ever seen from DC and luckily that is not the case. I’m not sure why they decided to use a cover that looks like Kingdom Come style of art, but the live action approach was not necessary and hopefully it won’t affect ticket sales. The plot is pretty simple for the film since it involves a classic alien invasion. These aliens seem like they want to take over the planet and the Justice League members must learn to team up and work with one another. Will they be able to stop these villains!?

I always like to see team origin stories. If DC were to announce that their next film was another case of the Justice League banding together to stop a common threat, I’d still be pretty psyched. The concept doesn’t get old and it’s always fun to see the members meet for the first time since fights will usually ensue. It’s why I enjoyed the recent Avengers film and Ultimate Avengers film so much and why I don’t believe that future installments can pass them. It’s always possible of course, but it’s rare to beat that initial team up!

Since I’m a huge Justice League fan, I will definitely be breaking the film down more than I would for say….A Hulk and Iron Man team up film! (Although the latter should have enough negatives to make for a solid review!) This film is easily one of the best that DC has whipped up and you can expect a pretty high rating, but there were also several areas where I thought that they could improve. I’ll likely alternate between goods and negatives as the review goes on. Let’s talk about one of the most important parts of the film…the characters!

Batman is one of the first fighters to appear and he’s a very good character as you may have expected. There are several scenes that may make you nervous like his first battle against the Parademon. He was actually on the losing side of the battle and that can be a little hard to accept. With a lot of help from Green Lantern, the two heroes manage to subdue the creature. That being said, it may have taken a little more effort than it should have.

Batman got some pretty good props when he managed to steal GL’s Power Ring and we also got to see him take on Darkseid. The big thing that fans were looking forward to was the Batman vs Superman fight and we actually got a rematch as well! Batman looked all right in the 2nd fight and he was clearly outmatched in the first one, but I can live with that. If anyone can overwhelm Batman like that…it’s Superman. He is the strongest comic book character of all time, so it’s only fair. Batman ended up being the best character in the film and he even beat Superman for me in this film, but it may have been due to Superman’s lack of screen time. He basically missed out on the whole climax! A +1 for Batman’s depiction in this film.

Green Lantern is definitely one of the more iffy parts of the film and I’m afraid that it’s one of the film’s biggest negatives. The writers wanted to show us that Hal Jordan is basically a joke who cannot fight for beans. One Parademon is easily overpowering him and nearly destroys him several times. His constructs fall apart far too easily. This is supposed to be funny since he’s constantly talking big, but I can’t say that I liked that. I’m actually a big Hal Jordan fan, so seeing him look so bad was pretty sad.

I actually liked his characterization in the film, but I don’t like the fact that he’s so weak. When Darkseid shows up, Green Lantern is the first one to charge in and fight, but he looks extremely bad. I’m not completely sure who I would choose in a straight fight, (No composite) but either way it would be a very close battle and not as one sided as the film would have you believe. Hal actually gets one of the biggest roles from all of the characters in the film so his scenes can be a little tough to watch for his fans.

Superman is back with his new personality in this film. In the New 52, they tried to make him a little more like Batman. He’s definitely not quite as intense as he was in the DCAU, but he’s all right. I can’t say that I liked many of his lines during the second half of the film, but he started out as a pretty cool character. I still liked him by the end, but his lines about how almost nobody understands him felt a little out of place. It was good to see his skills being used a lot as he beat Batman and Green Lantern without much effort.

Unfortunately, that’s one of the changes that I think the film should not have made. Flash doesn’t get to fight with Superman in this version like he did in the comic. That’s a pretty bad change since I wanted to see Superman’s complete victory! After Superman’s impressive performance in the beginning, he looks pretty bad during the Darkseid fight. He can’t outrun the Omega Lasers and they also knock him out in a single hit. The film also shows that his will power is not enough to stop him from being mind controlled and letting his morals be corrupted. Finally, he gets a chance to change everything and defeat Darkseid, but he epicly fails in that regard. His portrayal isn’t as bad as Green Lantern’s, but he just looked too weak when it counted and I have to say that I do not like his costume/character design. It just doesn’t look right in this film.

Wonder Woman is also sporting a new outfit in this film. As with Superman’s, it definitely does not work as well as her classic costume. I even prefer the Diana Prince superhero uniform that she used during the early 2000s. Ignoring that, she mainly uses her sword to fight in this version and she’s able to use it to beat many Parademons.

Now, I may or may not have mentioned this in the past, but I don’t like when Wonder Woman has a weapon. It would be like Superman drawing a sword…I just don’t get the purpose. Wonder Woman was raised with the Amazons, so they likely had her train with a blade, but it undermines her strength. She fights without the sword briefly, but I wouldn’t have minded if they cut it out altogether. Weapons are only all right if their unique designs help to compliment the hero’s ability or if they lack any ability like the Punisher.

They ended up cutting out Wonder Woman’s most iconic line in the arc from the movie and that was a little disappointing, but she still gets to defeat many Parademons. Wonder Woman also does pretty good against Darkseid and she lands many hits against him. Aside from her appearances with Superman, she’s a good character in the film. Aside from her very inaccurate fight against Cyborg, they did a good job of showing that she is one of the stronger members of the JL.

The Flash is in the movie, but you can easily forget that at times. He definitely has the smallest role in the film since they cut out his most important scene. Sure…he’s there for the final battle and he beats some Parademons along the way, but he doesn’t really do anything important. I still like him more than some of the other members like Cyborg and Shazam, but it would have been nice to see him do more. His super speed is definitely critical to success and he should definitely be able to take care of the alien invasion without breaking a sweat. His portrayal was essentially dead on and the only one that I can say was just about perfect aside from Batman.

Cyborg is in this film since this was during DC’s big push to make him a Justice Leaguer. I wish that they would just give up on that already since I’ll never accept him as anything other than a Teen Titan. His subplot is the only part of the film that you can maybe find a little dragged out. The process of turning into Cyborg definitely took a while and while it was easy to sympathize with him, I wouldn’t have minded if they had just fast blasted through his origin. I actually liked his teammates, but his father was very unlikable. Mocking the sport of Football is simply not done! He definitely should have attended the game and he wouldn’t have missed anything since the action didn’t happen until after the game. It was a decision that the father may regret! (Did I mention that Steve Trevor gets a pair of cameos along with Lois and Jimmy? Well, they look like decent characters, which is good!)

Unfortunately, to “prove” that he can be a member of the Justice League, the film makers hype him up a lot. He defeats Wonder Woman in one hit and while she is not completely passed out, it did enough damage to let the league know that he was serious. He also defeated her in the Doom film. They’re giving him wayyyyy too many props lately and he also gets to save Flash’s life. I definitely don’t mind the character, but they just shouldn’t add him into the films if it will make everyone else look worse. Aside from that, Cyborg is still a good addition to the roster.

Shazam was added instead of good ole Aquaman and it was definitely a mistake. He’s just not a good character and he looks really bad. He is completely missing his power and his attacks seem like they don’t really deal any damage. Instead of using his physical abilities to defeat his opponents, Shazam uses a lot of thunder abilities. As with the whole weapons issue, I don’t like this. If the thunder abilities actually looked good, then that would be okay. Unfortunately, the blasts look weak and it just makes his whole character look weak. Shazam is also mean to the other kids who are around and it’s hard to be sympathetic with him. He’s easily the worst hero in this film. He’s so much weaker than Superman that a Trinity War film will not make any sense if it comes out.

The Parademons get a significant power upgrade in this film and we see them match up against opponents like Green Lantern! They have a good amount of super strength and at first, Batman can barely make them budge with his punches. Later on, they seem to grow weaker and Batman is able to take several of them out. Perhaps their life points are directly linked to Darkseid’s…..or the first Parademon was the leader. That would make the most sense since he was easily the most impressive villain. It’s easy to root for the Parademons and they’re fun villains, but the origin story was a little unneeded.

Darkseid is the big boss of the film and he’s a decent villain. He feels more like a mindless monster than anything, but he does have a mechanical voice. It may help you question whether he is truly alive or merely a cyborg at this point. He is very large in this film and he completely towers over everyone in this film. Unfortunately, like with Cyborg, the producers try too hard to show off how powerful he is. This makes heavy hitters like Shazam and Green Lantern look terrible in the process and Wonder Woman/Superman don’t look as good as they should.

Darkseid constantly takes hits from Shazam and Green Lantern without actually taking any damage and he also proceeds to overwhelm Wonder Woman and Superman. The latter two do all right overall, but it’s because Darkseid is outnumbered and forced to deal with them all. They make sure to show that he could easily defeat them all if it were a one on one fight. He looked very strange when it was crawling on all fours when going after the Flash and it felt like a horror movie. Darkseid is still a cool villain like always, but this is easily his worst incarnation. He comes across like Galactus from the EMH show…less of a character and more of an object. Still, it’s always good to see him take on the League!

The Animation for this film is solid as expected from DC. It’s definitely a lot better than what Marvel is dishing out and I hope that DC continues to use this style for the rest of their films. One problem that I had was with the special effects. The characters all seemed pretty weak during the fight scenes and it was because they took out the shockwaves. Usually when a Strong character shows up, they’ll add a little shockwave effect next to the punch so that you can tell that the character is strong. If you don’t get a shockwave, then you’re not usually a fighter. That’s how the DC films have typically went. Unfortunately, in this film…nobody got that extra effect so most of the hits didn’t really feel like they connected.

I have to say that it is why I was not terribly impressed with the fight scenes. They are definitely a few hundred steps up from Marvel and just about any American superhero dvd that you can find, but at the same time, it’s still not quite as good as Crisis on Two Earths, Public Enemies, or Secret Origins’s fight scenes. They’re very flashy in this film, but you can’t really feel the blows for the most part. I would actually compare it to the new DBZ film. The fight scenes were definitely very high budget, but at the same time, you didn’t really feel the blows like the Broly, Bojack, or Cooler films. I’d say that the film uses speed over power, which is all right in theory, but I just missed the power element to an extent. The fight scenes are definitely still solid.

One area where the film suffers a little is with unnecessary violence. Superman actually destroys one of the villains in the same way that he took out Zod. He may have been mindcontrolled, but it was a very obvious way to recreate what happened in Man of Steel and try to make Superman a little more “hardcore” I also didn’t like the fact that they decided to take out Darkseid by aiming for the eyes. I’ve never liked that tactic since it means that the fight scenes will be a lot more violent than they need too. The heroes also act “edgy” since they throw in more than a few casual swear words. It’s nothing serious for the most part, but it can get a little grating on the ears. You wouldn’t catch that back in the DCAU days! One scene that was not needed either was the origin of the Parademons. It’s pretty gruesome and there were many other ways that we could have learned their origin instead. Superman’s scene didn’t seem to be as graphic as in the comic, which was definitely a plus, but the film definitely had more violence than was necessary.

One last part that could be a little worrisome is how weak the Justice League is. Batman is technically still a human, but it’s the others who don’t look so impressive. Green Lantern definitely can’t fight with the big guns. Wonder Woman and Superman are tough, but they were already outclassed by Darkseid. Cyborg is basically just a human with metal and a cannon and the Flash usually has to deal with plot hax to inhibit his abilities. Shazam is just downright weak. (Which seems to be the latest trend for him. Check out Young Justice) This will mainly just be a worry for Trinity War, but it’ll be interesting to see how they look in the next film. If Ocean Master takes them out…then things could get dicey!

Overall, this was a solid DC film. It’s a really big film (Not by runtime, but by content) so I tried to get in all of my thoughts, but I probably just got most of them in. This is one of those films where you’ll always have extra thoughts and that’s always a good thing. I would’t say that it was quite as good as the original Justice League (Secret Origins and Starcrossed) films or as good as Crisis on Two Earths, but it was definitely one of DC’s best films. I’m confident that it will easily defeat the Throne of Atlantis film as well since we got so much action in this one and we also got to see Batman fight with Superman. It was good to see how the new Justice League are portrayed and while some characters can definitely use some improvement, they got Batman’s character down correctly. That’s always the important part. I’m hoping that they do not continue the Superman and Wonder Woman subplot and that they improve the character portrayal for Green Lantern in particular. I definitely recommend this film for DC fans and you should enjoy it as long as you don’t mind changes to the personalities for the heroes. DC continues to hit us with epic films! (Time to wait for Son of Batman, which I’m guessing will get a 6-7)

Overall 8/10

The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey Review

Posted on February 6, 2014 by dreager1

After the Highly Acclaimed Trilogy, the movie industry decided to adapt The Hobbit! This time, we could watch as Bilbo went on an adventure with lower stakes and a much weaker cast all around. Surely the film could still be a success as long as we got some good character development in there right? Well, I’m afraid that isn’t entirely how the film went.

I still remember the first time that I saw the Hobbit trailer. It looked terrible and the effects looked really dated. It’s a problem that the whole LOTR franchise suffers from and I didn’t expect it to get much better, but I wanted to see some change. Ah well, maybe next time! The plot involves Bilbo Baggins as he is forced into an adventure by Gandalf and his “friends”. Bilbo must help them retake their homeland and defeat the mighty Smaug!

We’ve got the plot out of the way, but it’s so simple right? How could this last for 2 hours!? Well, Bilbo puts up a fuss and the film makes sure that we see unnecessary things. The dinner party at the beginning of the movie lasts for a very long amount of time and usually it would have been much smaller in a different film. When I say that it shows unnecessary things, I’m referring to extra gestures or filler scenes that are present. Maybe an extra scene of Bilbo walking for no reason or an epic zoom in on a character that stays for a little too long. The films tend to drag out each and every scene until it’s extremely long. It’s like walking into a building made of steel and then adding some metal on it. In the Hobbit, we understand what is happening and would prefer if the movie could pick up the pace.

This is a bit of advice that I’ve used for all of the films, but I’ll say it again. The film should be shorter and they could take out a solid hour and the film would be better off for it. They could definitely condense some scenes and they could have literally taken 10 minutes off of the dinner scene. Maybe the sequels will do better in the time frame part, but I have my doubts.

Bilbo is a much better main character than Frodo so that definitely helps the film out. I’m not really a fan of the character, but he is easier to sympathize with. He is currently able to resist the ring’s influence and he tries to be heroic. His plans don’t always succeed, but he’s braver and more dependable than Frodo. A main character can make a world of difference and while it did not save the Hobbit, it did make the film more enjoyable. It definitely would have been a lot worse if Frodo had been around.

Gandalf is still around, but he continues to look weak and he even becomes a bully of sorts. He has a bunch of his friends break into Bilbo’s house and they eat his life supply of food that he had hidden. That’s not a very nice thing to do and they never gave him money or any sort of compensation. Bilbo doesn’t have any food in his house anymore and that’s not something that he should forget so easily.

It’s a bit of a running gag at this point, but it should still be noted that Gandalf is a bad magician. Bilbo directly tells Gandalf this and the old man seems to be disturbed at the statement. Gandalf is in no position to argue this since he spends the film running away from villains or using his sword to fight. He rarely uses magic and it would seem that he doesn’t have that much magical energy. Gandalf is definitely not an ally that you want at your side.

I won’t really get into the main cast since they all seem like throwaway characters at this point, but I’ll at least mention Thorin. He’s the rightful heir to the area that is enslaved by Smaug and he aims to take it back. This is a noble gesture, but it’s one that is definitely misplaced. He doesn’t comprehend how weak he is, even after he is defeated several times during the films. He’s not really a match for random trolls and he is effortlessly defeated by Azog. Does Thorin really think that he can defeat Smaug in this state? He’s definitely deluding himself and he’s going to lead all of his friends to their deaths. One can’t really blame him for trying to stay away from the elves, but he should also realize that his little crew doesn’t stand a chance without their help.

Azog is one of the big villains so he definitely deserves a mention. It’s unknown why he’s so much stronger than the average minion, but he’s defeated many opponents and he’s also pretty large. He’s definitely a fighter that will keep on appearing, but I can’t say that I appreciate him as a villain. He’s still just a generic minion to me…he just got lucky and acquired super abilities.

Smaug doesn’t really appear much, but it’s easy to see why he may be defeated. He’s sleeping among the riches, which means that he hasn’t been training for decades and he’s barely moved. He’ll be out of shape and not really ready for his climatic battle. This likely will not be addressed, but it will lead to his downfall. Smaug is a cool looking dragon, but he’s not as intimidating as the characters suspect. Still, he’s definitely a rich dragon!

Gollum also appears in this film. If you liked him in the original three films, then you’ll like him here. I still can’t root for this guy because I didn’t like his backstory and I just never really liked the character. Bear in mind the fact that I don’t like any of the humanoids in the franchise, but I just did not like him. He gets to fight with Bilbo Baggins in this film, (in another really long scene) but that’s about it as far as his role goes. Maybe he’ll appear again, but it would be as necessary as the rock giants coming back.

The special effects of the film still look awful. The fire from Smaug didn’t look bad and the rock monsters were all right, but the rest of it still looks old. This is intentional of course, but I still can’t disregard that so easily. I don’t want to watch something that looks old on purpose! That defeats the whole cinematic experience. I don’t mind things that adapt the old times, but they should still look new. It’s what the fans expect after all!….or at least it’s what I expect. There is no soundtrack to speak of, so I will skip that part.

The Hobbit is the start of a new trilogy and it will be interesting to see how it fares. This film already felt like it had a slow pace, so I can only imagine how the next two films will feel. I do have some mild hopes that it will surpass the original trilogy, but it will definitely be a close battle. It would appear that Legolas will be coming back in the sequel, which is a good start. This definitely isn’t my kind of film, but that makes reviewing them so much fun! I’m not a fan of the franchise, but I can safely say that I am a fan of the video games and that’s what counts in the longruns. Video Games>>>Movies over 90% of the time.

I almost skipped the negatives section! Well, I’ve already mentioned most of those while writing the actual review. This can be considered as more of a quick summary for the negatives. The film drags on too long and none of the characters are particularly likable. The fight scenes are still really bad and far too realistic/graphic/not fun/old for me to really get into them. There’s no real soundtrack and there isn’t really a sense of danger. The main characters are all rude and the film has quite a few gross scenes. That’s a few too many if you ask me! That’s basically the array of negatives in a nutshell, but I could likely think of more if I really tried.

Overall, The Hobbit is better than the final Lord of the Rings film and it can hold its own against the first two. It improved in some ways, but stayed the same in most of them. I definitely can’t recommend this film and I would sooner tell you to watch the inevitable Dragon Ball Evolution sequel. Fans of LOTR should like it, but those fans have likely seen it by now. To the rest of you, I recommend playing the LOTR video games for Gamecube instead. Contrary to popular opinion, they’re actually pretty fun and sufficiently tough. They’ll eat up more time than the films, but it’s completely worth it!

Overall 3/10

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