Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Review

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Brotherhood is one of those legendary anime that for an extremely long time was considered to be the best of all time. Even now it is still regarded as one of the overall best and a pinnacle of the anime medium. Now I can finally say that I have seen it as well and it definitely is a great title. After completing it I can see why so many people love the title. Now nothing is going to usurp Yugioh GX as the top anime around the block but this one does earn all of the praise that it receives.

The story revolves around two brothers, Edward and Alphonse. When they mother died an early death, they attempted to use human transmutation in order to bring her back to life. This did not work though as it violates the law of equivalent exchange and Alphonse ended up losing his entire body while Edward lost his leg. Edward then sacrificed his arm in order to retrieve Alphonse’s soul which is now held within an iron body. They decided to become professional alchemists in order to find a way to retrieve Alphonse’s body back. While the dead cannot be brought back to life, surely the body of someone who is still alive is attainable right? The adventures will lead them through a lot of trials in the meantime.

The main trial here involves a group of monsters known as Homunculus. They work for a mysterious figure who intends to do something with the entire planet and has implanted minions in many high ranking positions. Some of these monsters are obvious while others appear to be normal humans until they transform. These monsters are fully immortal which may help Ed/Alphonse’s research but stopping them won’t be easy. Additionally, the government is an authoritarian dictatorship led by King Bradley and there exists a government officer named Roy Mustang who intends to supplant him as the leader one day. He has to walk a fine line of staying true to his code of justice while making enough friends to get up there. Additionally, the shadows of his past continue to haunt him. A genocide was conducted against the Ishvalan people and one of their last survivors, Scar has decided to systematically murder all Alchemists. His plans threaten both the heroes as well as the villains which makes him an ultimate wild card.

There are more factions at play as well which is part of why the series is so long. It does a good job of showing us the motivations of all the groups and giving each character a lot of development. The whole thing is made with a high level of quality so it is no surprise that the series has gotten so popular. You’ll definitely be sucked into the series very quickly. The worldbuilding of how alchemy works is also set up in a simple way from the start so you can follow along. Alchemy is all about equivalent exchange so you can turn iron into a different metal and reshape things into weapons but you can’t turn a potato into a rocket launcher for example. Likewise you can’t bring the dead back to life because what would be equivalent to that?

Well, there are a lot of theories on that within the series and the brothers visit a lot of towns to try and get to the answers. There is one answer that sounds obvious from the start which you could come to with a second of thought as well but is it that simple? Also if it is possible, would it be moral to do so? The heroes find out the secret to the philosopher’s stone early on which makes their lives a whole lot more difficult. When you know how something is made, if it’s immortal then you naturally won’t want to use it if you are trying to stick to your moral high ground. Even once the object already exists, some will not want to use it while others will and that’s another big debate in the series.

Still, when you lose someone important to you then people will try their luck and we see that several times in the series. Everyone believes they will be the one to figure it out and end up paying the price. There is one silver lining which is that you see the truth about alchemy and can do it without using seals or equipment. It’s just a hollow silver lining at times if you sacrificed your sight or body in order to learn it.

The series looks great even after all of these years so the animation has really held up. The fight scenes were really focused with a lot of good movement and choreography. The colors are striking and the whole thing feels like true art. Meanwhile the soundtrack has a lot of variety and a great amount of battle songs. The endings are also catchy as well as the openings. Basically the series has no real weak points on a technical level and it just serves to enhance the series more and more.

It already had great writing and story development so this was the icing on the cake. It’s a very complete story with a satisfying beginning, middle, and ending as well. No cliffhangers here for folks who don’t like those. You are able to watch this all the way to the end and get all of the details. It’s cool to see how far all of the characters (who survived hehe) came from the start of the series to the end of it. There will still be a lot of issues that they have to go through but the main threat is passed.

Now lets talk about the characters. First up we have Edward who makes for a good MC even if he does spend a large portion of the series getting knocked around. He’s hardly the most powerful character in the series and even by the end it’s possible that he wouldn’t crack the top 10 although that may be pushing it. It’s different from the average Shonen adventure where you would expect him to keep on getting power up after power up and quickly ascend to being near the top. Ed is more about slowly getting to his goal.

There are even long stretches of time where he doesn’t even get any action sequences. That can happen with an extended cast of course but it’s definitely very noticeable here. Still, it works out well and he does lock in for the climax when it counts. He’s a good character and I liked him a lot more now than when I originally read the manga back in the day. Ed’s definitely got some spunk to him. The scene where he smashes open a cosmic door to reassure Alphonse was an epic moment.

Meanwhile Alphonse doesn’t get as many fiery moments but gets to show off his good character by how he handles the situation. He literally doesn’t have his body and yet he still manages to have a good attitude and doesn’t whine about it. Alphonse also helps Ed during the fights on several occasions. While he does end up being taken hostage more than once and generally can’t fight as well, it’s the thought that counts. Being an empty suit of armor does mean that he has more weaknesses after all and messing with the circle inside of him will even cause his soul to instantly be destroyed.

Trisha gets the smallest role from the family for obvious reasons. She died early on after all and so we just see her in flashbacks. It would have been nice if she could have appeared more but I guess adding too many flashbacks would potentially weaken the pacing. Her husband Hohenheim gets a lot more to do but I wouldn’t say that I ever ended up being a big fan of the guy. I never bought his excuse for just running out on the kids for so long. He absolutely could have communicated himself a whole lot better. Not even better, the guy didn’t communicate at all.

He gets some credit for his role in the climax but it was still disappointing how he wasn’t there for his family when it counted. Not only could he have prevented the tragedy at the beginning of the series but he could have helped out a lot during the life or death situations at the beginning. No matter how you slice it, he failed the kids when it counted.

Then we have the childhood friend Winry who was always there for the brothers and continued to be a quality character throughout the series. She doesn’t allow herself to just be a hostage/piece to be used by the villains and is quick to get with the program. She really is a great mechanic and ends up being super useful at different points in the series. Without her Ed would have absolutely been dead many times over.

Hughes is a character who doesn’t appear for most of the series and yet he keeps up a prominent role in the story. You could say he was the trigger for a lot of things to happen later on. While I wouldn’t say he was ever my favorite character, he was a good one. A character who made tough choices and lived with them instead of making any excuses. I also appreciated the strong bond that he had with his wife. A super loyal character like that is always fun and he was a good friend you can count on.

His partner Roy really ended up being a huge character in the series and definitely a highlight whenever he would appear. He has fire powers and I would say that he is easily the strongest hero and perhaps the strongest character in the series. Fire is incredibly overpowered in a realistic series like this and it can also completely bypass regeneration. Burn anything long enough and even a philosopher’s stone won’t be able to keep up. The series usually has to keep him far away from the battlefield to prevent him from just taking over and in the climax they had to quickly nerf him.

Roy is a character who did end up having to make a lot of compromises to make it into the top brass. Whether he went too far or not will ultimately be up to you. On the record, I do think he went too far along with all of the heroes who were on his side during the big war. They knew that they were working for a villain and yet they went along with it because those were the orders. Everyone who followed these orders and those who simply ran away are all guilty. They should have stood up for the people being massacred and did something. Sure, it’s good that they are trying to make things right now but it is all a bit late for that.

Also in terms of how things went with one of the villains he was fighting, I think Roy should have been allowed to destroy his opponent. I get the argument that he was going too far and dragging it out, but the villains needed to be eliminated or they would end up being a bigger threat later on. It worked out in this case but letting Roy finish the job would have been cathartic considering everything that he had went through.

Armstrong is one of the big alchemists we meet early on. He’s portrayed as a strong fighter and gets a lot done but surprisingly he doesn’t get much of a serious fight until near the end of the series. It makes scaling him rather difficult but we do know that he is very capable. He’s not my favorite character but he’s not bad by any means. He can just be a bit too passive at times which is why I much prefer his sister Olivier.

Olivier is consistently one of the most aggressive characters in the series and I was on her side at all times. Even when the villains basically call the shots and have operatives everywhere you need to be able to just take them down as needed. She bumps off a number of fighters and then her own soldiers are absolutely crucial to winning the day by the end. Without them the alchemists would have been absolutely doomed. Even without any alchemy of her own, Olivier fights very hard. She’s a lot of fun to watch.

Izumi is another strong fighter and in her case she also has alchemy to back herself up. She would absolutely be considered one of the strongest fighters even by the end since she can fight with and without powers. For the most part she isn’t super active in the story but does have her moments every now and again as the mentor. It goes back to the size of the case again where some characters just don’t have as much of a chance to shine.

Hawkeye is one character who gets a lot of great moments though. She is the best support fighter you could ask for and helps Roy out a ton. She gets all of the most dangerous jobs and gets threatened numerous times but always stays strong. Ultimately she is a normal person with a gun and yet she still does a whole lot of damage. She had a very compelling character arc and backstory. Hawkeye was easily one of the best characters in the series without a doubt.

Major Miles and Captain Buccaneer are two good troops who stood out from Olivier’s forces. Miles really accomplished a lot and accomplished a lot in his position. Meanwhile Buccaneer proved to be more than a large man with bravado and ended up being an incredible asset to the team. He managed to get an absolutely critical hit in the climax against one of the villains and was just a lot of fun to have around.

Then we have the forces from the other country like Ling. He starts out as a rather shady prince. I wouldn’t say he’s the most heroic guy in the world but he does know what it means to lead a country and does that rather well. He protects his troops and fights hard against the villains. His ability to fight in the dark is also handy since he can read chi. He was a lot of fun and he slowly rose up the ranks to be one of the best characters by the end.

I also liked both of his subordinates Lan Fan and Fu. They were extremely loyal and really knew how to fight. In particular Lan Fan gets a whole lot of screentime and makes a lot of sacrifices in order to make sure that he wins in the end. I can definitely appreciate that kind of dedication here. Fu also was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice at any time. May is her own faction as she tries to get to the secret of immortality and is another fun fighter. She is deceptively strong thanks to how agile she is. It makes it extremely difficult to actually tag her in a fight since she can easily dodge most strikes. Since she is a kid compared to the rest of the characters, she is also a bit out of her depth at times although she handles herself better than most would.

For the villains, Tucker gets a pretty small role next to the others. He just got infamous because of the crime that he committed. This guy had absolutely no moral compass and was totally crazy. It was definitely good that somebody bumped him off. There’s the suspicious Dr. Marcoh but at least he was trying to do things for the right reasons although he allowed himself to be used for a bunch of crimes as well. He never became one of my favorite characters but he does his best to atone for things.

From the big villains, Lust ends up getting one of the smaller roles since she doesn’t last for a very long time. Her abilities are good and I did enjoy her presence but by default she ends up being one of the weaker villains. It’s just tough to do much when the others are all constantly appearing so they naturally end up going ahead of her. I do prefer her to Gluttony since she is more strategic though. Gluttony is strong and even has his own powered up mode which most characters lack. That said, he just isn’t very bright.

Perhaps that would have made him too dangerous so this was a way to prevent that. Either way he serves his role as a powerful villain even if he isn’t ready to strategize. Sloth is another villain who isn’t very smart but he is so much more dangerous that it barely matters. He barrels through the characters and really lands punishing blows. His fight against the two Armstrongs was really good and it helps to make his character more memorable. He didn’t appear until late in the series but did well.

Kimblee is a villain who appears extremely early but it takes forever until he fights. He did really well in the role though even if he was often outmatched. The guy is extremely smug but the heroes deal with him a bit easier than you would expect. I liked the guy’s swagger though, he was absolutely full of himself but in a really fun way.

Envy is another character who loves gloating but it’s definitely earned since he bumps off so many characters. The guy is already powerful and then has a super form on top of that. Ultimately he could beat most opponents in the series and mainly just had trouble against the top tiers. I liked how sadistic the guy was and he’s a good example of how to write a really twisted villain. They also nailed his voice when in Envy’s true mode. The voice was just perfect and it’s hard to describe just how awesome it is. He goes on a long speech at the end and it’s just awesome.

Pride is a villain who doesn’t appear until near the end but makes his presence known immediately. He is one of the most powerful villains and his shadows are really hard to beat. That’s why it’s impressive how the author thinks of several ways to take him down. If anything Pride only lasts a while because of a big error the heroes make at one point. Ah well these things happen, but I did enjoy Pride a lot. He was an extremely solid villain.

Then we have Greed who ended up being the best of the villains. The guy has a lot of freewill and doesn’t just listen to orders like the other villains. He does what he wants when he wants to do it and that embodies the trait of Greed very well. Why should he just listen to orders like an ordinary character? He just kept getting better and better so you will want to stay really focused for all of his battles.

King Bradley is another top tier villain and I would go as far as to say the most powerful villain by far. Yes, I put him over Father. Bradley has incredible speed and power. He is able to slice tanks apart and can outpace any alchemist attack. It takes an entire army to slow the guy down and he endures a ton of wounds before going down. He’s an example of why it can be tough to defeat a villain with true conviction because he will fight as hard as any hero would. He is completely evil but written really well as to why he believes what he does. He’s basically loyal to a fault and can just express himself really well.

Of course we have Father as well and the guy had good plans but perhaps falls into the trap of waiting too long? He probably should have taken a more aggressive plan to trap all of the candidates that he needed instead of waiting til the end. His hubris was absolutely his downfall but he was a fun villain as well. I didn’t remember his origin at all until watching the series and thought that it set him up really well. I would have liked a longer climax fight but it was still really satisfying.

Finally we have Scar who starts off amazingly well but does sputter near the end. I would say he is best as a complete villain who keeps everyone on edge compared to being more of an anti hero later on. His ability to destroy anything that he touches is incredibly powerful. It’s super hard to prevent someone from even touching you after all which is why he can potentially defeat any opponent. At the same time, it also means that most of the villains are a rough matchup since they can keep on regenerating so trading blows is advantageous to them.

Scar gets a ton of character development and it is a really well written character arc. So don’t think that he’s poorly written or anything, but I guess I just got used to him as a villain. Some characters simply aren’t as interesting as heroes even though he didn’t do anything wrong per say. He’s still one of the higher characters in the series but as a villain he was fighting for the top rank.

With all of these characters and more fighting for their goals, the series feels like a true epic. It’s why my favorite part of the series is when all of the factions converge at Father’s base and finally meet each other at the same time. It was a great moment and it’s why a series always benefits greatly from having more than two factions. You simply can’t recreate that moment without such a factor.

The series doesn’t have many negatives in general. It completely avoids the fanservice trap which is awesome. It’s why this series is very new viewer friendly. There is some animal violence in the series which can be hard to avoid for a really long title. It’s usually nothing crazy but in a shorter series it could have been trickier. The series can get dark at times but does a good job of not going too far with it. It’s more the implications that can get trickier when you think about them like Tucker’s daughter. Scar had a point with how he resolved the issue but it was a tough situation either way.

For the heroes my only issue would be that at times they are ultra passive. I know that it’s hard to defeat a whole government but when the villain is in front of you then you have to act. You need to step up and do something instead of simply biding time. Things went over well but only thanks to characters like Olivier and Roy moving the story along. I fear that Ed and Alphonse would have been unable to do much to move the status quo forward. I’m sure they would want to do something but they just didn’t even know where to start.

Overall, The series may be well over 50 episodes but you will blast through it with ease. The story arcs are a lot of fun and there are so many great characters. It’s an amazing story all the way through and there just isn’t much to dislike. The characters can be a bit too passive in trying to stop the villains at times but I get how it would be difficult to stop such a large amount of them in this kind of setting. Either way, whether you like action or a good well written thriller, this is a series that I can recommend. It’s also a great launching point for folks who have never seen an anime before because it’s a solid story for any medium.

Overall 8/10

Congo Review

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Congo is a film that really didn’t impress me. For starters this film doesn’t actually deal with the killer gorillas for a very long time. This is really more of a classic adventure film. A lot of time it spent showing just how frantic things can get over in the Congo and the heroes have to constantly keep alert because things can go sideways at any point. So that’s an interesting approach to be sure but you need the characters to be really likable for that and these weren’t.

The movie starts with a group managing to finally find the location that should have tons of rare diamonds and minerals within the Congo. The corporate overlord is going to be super rich now and so he is really excited but then they are all viciously destroyed by some kind of creature over there. The CEO can’t have that and so he sends Karen over there to go and finish the job before the government hears about this and closes the borders. Her best option is to hitch a ride with the talking gorilla Amy as well as his trainer Peter. Peter’s not thrilled about having her around but is basically forced into it since he doesn’t have enough money for the trip. The heroes all begin their journey but quickly find that this will be a very dangerous adventure. Can they survive?

Technically speaking I’m fine with the film being a bit of a bait and switch with this not actually involving the evil gorillas for a long while. That means less animal violence and all but it almost feels like the film can be a bit aimless at times. Yes Karen wants to get over to the site where the people died but Peter doesn’t know about this and so he’s just following Amy around. The heroes also get a ton of different setbacks throughout the film like when they are attacked at different points and have to dive out of the plane. It takes a long while to get anywhere when everyone is after them.

The film peaks near the beginning when the heroes make it to the airport and there is a big war going on with the planes being bombed. They meet their guide known as Monroe who ends up being the real MVP here. He has a lot of experience and helps them get across the worst areas. He also adds a lot of the humor to the film with his little jabs here and there. Without him I’m not even sure if the heroes would have made it off the airport. He was incredibly helpful at all times here.

Richard is probably the most pointless character of the film and you wonder why he is even here. He works with Peter but the guy is much more of a scaredy cat. He also doesn’t have any common sense like when he wants to make a break for it all of a sudden while in the truck trying to get out of occupied territory. He would have been shot as soon as he exited the truck so that would be a dumb move and he spends most of the film whining.

Herkermer is also useless for most of it but at least that is very intentional. The guy is a scam artist who is always getting in the way and causing trouble. He acts like he has a lot of money but instead what he has is a lot of ambition. He wants to get mega rich and that’s basically why he is here. The guy is certainly not ready to earn money through an honest living.

As for Peter, he’s not bad. At times he can be a little annoying as well but at least he is trying to help Amy get home for noble reasons. He’s probably the only character in the film without any kind of agenda. The rest are all after something while he’s just here for justice. That said, it wouldn’t hurt to have had a little ambition and I think keeping the diamond in the end would have been a really good idea. At least I would think so.

Karen is good under pressure and doesn’t scare easy. She may be a bit naive at times and underestimates corporate, but she still gets the job done in the end. She was a fun character to have around, and she put up with a lot of drama from Amy but stayed strong. Meanwhile Amy was a solid character here. The idea of a talking gorilla through the technology was a pretty good idea. In general, that kind of tech would be absolutely revolutionary.

Naturally the climax tends to hurt with the animal violence as the heroes have to deal with the gorillas. The film also got generally violent at random points. Not just the climax but the intro where a guy gets absolutely massacred and we even see an eye. It’s pretty brutal stuff and reminds you that this isn’t your average adventure film. Otherwise, honestly the first half of the film could have worked as a part comedy. It’s just the kind of film that you really can’t let your guard down around at all.

Not that it would help much at all since the film would run into the same animal violence issues but a better climax would have been to make this much more widespread. Have the army show up and add about 3X the amount of gorillas and make this a whole big war. It would have helped capture the threat a lot better that way and would have been an explosive way to end things. At the very least it would make sure you felt like you were getting your money’s worth on the thriller elements here.

Overall, Congo wasn’t really my cup of tea. Films about evil animals rarely are as you can’t really avoid the animal violence in those. You can probably try to work around this to an extent but it will usually be futile. It’s not like the characters were all that great either so that’s another thing to consider. If you liked Jurassic Park then this one will probably be too subdued for you and if you want an adventure film then you could do much better than this one. So all in all you have plenty of better avenues to pursue with the genres in order to have a more satisfying experience. Congo will need to remain hidden in your memories this time.

Overall 3/10

Big Fish Review

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It’s time for a film about how tall tales can eventually cause people to fall apart. Too many of those do wreck your chances of really getting to connect with people after all. When it’s overdone it can even seem like you’re just lying all of the time. That said, the stories tend to be the most interesting part of the film and you don’t want to go back to the real world for the drama parts. They just don’t work out quite as well as the fantastical stories.

The movie starts with showing us how William’s big celebratory wedding gets taken over by his father Edward who begins talking about the day William was born. The lead doesn’t like this story, not just because it isn’t true but because he wanted the day to really be his. He feels like his father has always been an overwhelming presence in his life and so he breaks off ties with him for several years. Well, now his father is dying and so it is time for William to try and reconnect the relationship. Edward is still committed to his stories to the very end though so William will have to learn to accept this or not.

I suppose my biggest problem with William is the fact that this just doesn’t feel like a big deal. Stories are how his father talks and so William just needs to accept that. He comes across as extremely ungrateful considering all that his father has done for him over the years. He seems like he was a really good person and so William should have embraced the stories. Even to the very end of the film he spends most of his time complaining and so he will quickly become your least favorite character in the movie. There just isn’t any saving him.

Fortunately his wife Josephine is a lot more understanding and has the compassion to hear Edward’s stories with a good amount of enthusiasm. This gives him a chance to tell all of the stories one last time. She knows that they all carry a lot of exaggertions but the guy is dying so why not let him have a little fun on the way out right? She’s realistic the whole time while William just can’t get himself to understand this. It’s not a tough concept either.

Edward’s wife Sandra doesn’t get a whole lot to do in this film but she was important through the stories as we see how hard Edward worked to get to her. He really had to go through a whole lot of adventures and put his best foot forward. While Edward was never one to face reality, I don’t see why he should need to. Real life can be rather boring at times so spicing up your memories is the way to go. The way the film handles this is to show us the actual stories which makes for a fun subplot.

I suppose if you are really looking forward to the real-life confrontations then this might hurt a bit but the stories are the best part like I said before. It’s fun to see Edward bravely stand up to every challenge and show why he is the most powerful fighter around. He gets a lot of great lines throughout and you can really feel his determination. He is definitely not the kind of guy to go down without a fight, that’s for sure. Now with the romance angle, it is a bit iffy to go after someone who is already engaged. It’s not at the same level as someone who is married of course but while this one has a happy ending, that would usually not be a good idea. He got off rather easy on this one.

As the film starts to come to a close, we learn a bit about how true some of the stories were. Most of the lies are fairly easy to see based on how supernatural they are but Edward did a good job of keeping the message straight in each situation. Additionally, he was a good family man to the end and never let himself get tempted into going down a dark path. Now that was a really good look for him since other characters would have definitely faltered at one point or another.

The film can run a bit long at times and probably could have done well with cutting out some moments. You could probably shorten the circus if you needed to as one example. It was a good way of showing Edward’s determination, but it was the most expendable. We also didn’t need the Werewolf plot in general which came out of nowhere. I mean a lot of the dreams/stories came out of nowhere but yeah that didn’t do anything to enhance the plot at all and if anything would only hurt since the film did reference the werewolf eating several animals. At the end of the day, it’s a solid title though and so I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good time. The main character is annoying but aside from him the rest of the characters are pretty good. It’s a solid title about remembering to treasure your connections while you can because everyone dies eventually. You may think you have a lot of time left to talk with someone and then they’re gone in the blink of an eye.

Overall, Big Fish is a film that does well in balancing the fictional and the real. If I would make a change here it would be to never really show any of the real world parts. Don’t actually let the lead find any evidence and just have him learn to trust that at least part of his father’s stories were true. Or have him decide that it just doesn’t matter in the end and he becomes a good sport either way. I would say that either option would end up working out just fine so you don’t have to do anything crazy. That would probably bump it up a star. Either way this isn’t really the kind of story that’s meant to have a lot of replay value but it works as an initial watch.

Overall 6/10

Blind Spot Review

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It’s time for a Hallmark movie but it’s definitely one of those more dramatic ones that doesn’t quite live up to the Hallmark standard. The characters end up being super annoying for the most part and keep on making bad decisions. There are some bad decisions that you can overlook but in other cases it is just too much. When your bad decisions start to affect others, then you have absolutely lost the plot.

The movie starts with Nell working on her cause to promote the dangers of Global Warming. She has been telling people about this for years and has been moving up the government rankings. Unfortunately, her son in law dies in a tragic car accident which also injures her pregnant daughter Phoebe. What’s even worse is that apparently he had been doing drugs the whole time and her daughter had even been in on it different times. Phoebe even has drugs right before giving birth so now that’s something her kid will have to deal with for a whole lifetime. This threatens not only Nell’s relationship with her daughter but also her relationship to her husband Simon. Will she be forced to put her career aside to mend this family?

I would say off the top the biggest thing that limits the film itself is that it’s hard to be too sympathetic to Phoebe here. Taking drugs is an awful thing to do at any age and the fact that she was doing this as early as 12 is not a good sign for her character What’s even worse is doing this while she was pregnant. Now you’re harming your own child and then Phoebe ditches her newborn baby to go on a drinking spree. She continues to double down on her mistakes throughout the movie and is always quick to blame Nell.

Phoebe isn’t even able to take responsibility for her own choices and has a victim mindset the entire time. It’s important to never blame other people for what has happened to you. It’s the easy way out and a total cop out. At the end of the day you have to take ownership for what has happened and make a conscientious decision to change yourself. If you don’t do that then you’re only going to continue down the rabbit hole because you can always say that it’s someone else’s fault.

Even by the very end of the film it doesn’t feel like Phoebe is out of the woods. She still had a drink and was close to breaking down. It’s good that she’s self aware about it but it would have been nice if the film could have had a more wholesome ending. Then we have Simon who has the same issues of blaming others Every time something happens with Phoebe, he is quick to throw some pot shots in at Nell. It felt like he would never waste an opportunity and then it was back to the blame game back and forth. I tended to agree with Nell here that at the end of the day he would agree. He seems to try and say that he only did because she pressured him into doing so but that’s a real weak excuse. He knows good and well what he says each time and so he has to either own it or not say anything.

Yeah I really didn’t like very many characters here. I guess I liked Nell’s agent who was good at damage control but that was about it. As for Nell, she was better than the other main characters but was portrayed as far too dense at times. Constantly interrupting in the meeting with Phoebe to try and give her own answers the whole time just wasn’t smart. Then wanting to have Phoebe go in front of the world to talk about being a drug addict? That’s incredibly tone deaf and it takes a very long time for Nell to get with the program.

She shouldn’t let herself be gaslit into being upset that she has worked so hard on her job but she should be self aware enough to see the damage it has caused and not try to prop it up the whole time. This is one of those drama films where it feels like the drama has absolutely been played up a whole lot for the adventure. As a result the film makes sure that none of the characters are likable by the end.

It also means that the film can move on rather slowly since the pacing dies early on. It just won’t end up being one of your favorite films at the end of the day and it is lacking in the fun factor. It’s why drama films need some other genre in there to spice things up like being part comedy or something. A pure drama film is going to usually end up being way too dramatic at the expense of everything else. That comes at an absolutely huge cost.

Overall, Blind Spot was not one of my favorite films. It had some interesting ideas I guess but it’s usually going to be hard to make a film about drug addiction be all that enjoyable. It is a serious vice and one that can be hard to conquer. It’s why interventions are important and often times you will need help to break it. The best thing to do is to never start with it in the first place. If you can stay away then that will mitigate the temptations and obviously you should also make sure not to have friends who are really into drugs. No matter how much you say they won’t get to you, it always remains as a possibility. Why even put yourself in that situation? Well, unless you enjoy seeing the blame game be put on constant display, this is a film I would recommend skipping. It’s definitely not on point compared to the average Hallmark film, I can say that with confidence.

Overall 3/10

Crimson Tide Review

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This review is of the TV-14 edited version of the film. All thoughts below should be addressed as such as a review of the unedited version would be more negative

It’s time for a film about war time situations and how it can be tough to agree on a proper plan of action. The stakes have never been higher for any of the characters here and it makes for a really suspenseful watch. The story and characters are both really good and the film moves forward at a really good pace. I didn’t really have any major issues with it and was invested the whole way through.

The film starts out by explaining that a Russian extremist has taken ahold of some nuclear facilities and is threatening to fire them off if he is provoked. Captain Frank is told to assemble his troops and go underwater to set up counter measures. If ordered, he is to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike at the enemy. He picks Ron as his second in command and they head underwater. The big problem here is that communication gets knocked out early on after an order is given to attack based on certain conditions. When the conditions are met, Frank is ready to attack but Ron wants to find out more information. This threatens to tear the unity of the ship’s crew apart. What can they do about this?

The problem with a disagreement like this is that neither party is likely to back down. Too many lives hang in the balance and many will die if either one is wrong. Frank’s point is that they already have their orders and the fact that they cannot receive new ones does not mean that they abandon the old ones. Every second they wait is a second that something bad could be happening on the outside. It’s imperative that they take out Russia as soon as possible. On Ron’s side, if they attack now and the threat has already been averted, then they will be triggering a world war for no reason.

For me I would definitely side with Frank here. You have to go with the preemptive strike. It’s the whole reason you’re out here and the stakes are too high to stand back. So while he takes some rather drastic steps towards this end, they were completely justified. You just have to do this if you believe yourself to be correct. You’ll have to watch the film to see how it plays out but it’s a decision where hindsight can’t factor into it. So you have to choose a side and then just proceed with no regrets.

I imagine there will be a ton of hard feelings between the crew long after the events of the film have ended. There is quite a bit of violence here after all and that’s something you never really forget. No matter what the cause was, if you’re attacked or pushed around then you’re gonna remember it. The film develops a few of the side characters who each have to take a side by the end. One of them in particular is rather wishy washy with how he picks his sides but everyone else picks a side and sticks to it.

It also shows how easy it could be for a revolt to happen within a ship because there are so many people there with their own tasks that you can’t possibly keep track of them all. So if one guy is missing you probably won’t notice and by the time you notice 8 guys have left their posts, they’ll be in front of you with guns. You’re also completely stuck underwater so there is absolutely no escape. It has to be the scariest part of being in a submarine. I don’t even like being in a train that goes underwater for that same reason. If something happens then you’re basically doomed.

While I don’t tend to love war films, I do really like submarine stories and so that part of the balance won out. This is really a thinking man’s film where the thriller elements are in the strategy. Yes, there are some real fights here like with the enemy subs but this is still more about each character’s ideology. The top two certainly had very different ways of thinking which appears in the film right from the start. The contrast is set up really well for when the main disagreement happens.

The film does a good job of not making either one of the characters look insane either. You could probably make the case that it is leaning towards Ron as the main character here but it’s not too heavy handed. You are still able to make your decision on who you feel was right in this case. A weaker film would have definitely been throwing in not so subtle jabs the whole time.

Apparently a sequel is being worked on so it’ll be interesting to see how that one plays out. I imagine that the story will be a whole lot different for the next one. A sequel for a film like this is always going to either be hit or miss because the story doesn’t automatically lend itself to a sequel and if you don’t have too many returning characters, it will feel like they’re just borrowing the title for money. Well, we’ll come to that bridge when it happens but it will definitely be difficult to surpass this film.

Overall, Crimson Tide is a very good film. The writing is really solid and the situation feels very realistic. You never know how someone will react when a situation like this pops up and even close friends have to end up going at it. You can have as many plans and procedures as you want but when the situation actually happens, people aren’t necessarily going to listen to what is said in the book. They’re going to do what they think is right at the time and you just have to hope that it is close enough.

Overall 7/10

Magilumiere Co. Ltd. Review

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It’s time for a magical girl series that is using a very scientific approach to the whole thing. It’s definitely a unique way to present the series but in this case a traditional approach probably would have worked better. It was interesting but you know how that word can sometimes be used negatively? That’s how it felt with this one at times where it was an interesting approach but probably should have just gone with a standard one. Still, I would say it was still a good series and it’s one that does flow better if you marathon it. The characters just weren’t given enough room to really get out there and take over.

The series follows a girl named Kana who has been job hunting for a long time. It’s really hard to enter the magical girl business even though she has a fairly strong resume. Well, one day she meets a girl named Hitomi who works for a small startup company. They don’t have a whole lot of frills or resources but they are willing to give her a chance. Kana agrees and now she has joined the quirkiest group out there. In fact Hitomi is the only magical girl there and the group is very small in general. Can Kana learn what it truly means to be a magical girl and save the day?

So I mentioned a scientific approach before, let me explain what I mean by that. So in this universe, magical girls fight using computer algorithms that launch the spells and outfits. Think of it like a robotic suit I guess even if that’s not a full 1-1 comparison. So you will be out in the field as a magical girl and then your computer partner sends you the script to activate a spell. Your wand will have some pre set spells as well but they won’t always work on the opponent so that’s where the adjustments come in. There are many magical girl companies across Japan and the whole thing is very organized.

When a situation occurs, the town or company will call the nearest agency and request aid. If the situation is too big for the nearest agency, then they will ask for additional reinforcements. Naturally Kana’s group doesn’t get many calls since they don’t have the professional relationships in place yet. Additionally, they are seen as rather radical in their approach. They go for safer magics and use precision attacks rather than big blasts. This helps to reduce collateral damage but also means that the whole fight can take much longer. The lack of firepower also means that everyone has to play their roles really well or someone will get hurt. It’s easy to see why not everyone is in a rush to hire these guys.

The series even explains why only girls can transform, it’s a genetic thing. Now one guy in the series does try to challenge this and pays a heavy price. It makes for a very interesting subplot though because he actually has some good points but quickly begins to get way too desperate and unhinged to the point where he wiped away all of the good points in an instant. I guess if humanity is in a last ditch battle for survival, at least we know that this would be an option.

The series ends with a lot of interesting plot threads that could be pursued in a sequel. They still have not found a way to prevent monsters from materializing in the real world. Additionally the magical boy program is clearly possible, now they just need to find a way to do it safely. Then you also have the new style of magic that Kana’s team uses and if that can be leveraged across the world, it would make everything safer. The series ends on a very optimistic level which works nicely. You know that the planet is in good hands since there aren’t any big more threats around. They wrapped up all of the huge plots even if some parts are a bit rushed like a wedding that shows up out of the blue.

The romance is intentionally rushed as part of the gag. In a sense that doesn’t make it inherently bad, but I tend to prefer much longer development times for a huge decision like that. Maybe I didn’t mind as much in this case because it was presented as a gag. The series only has one real romance that is set up for a bit and moves slowly. Otherwise the series doesn’t have a whole lot of time for that. It’s a reasonable length at 17 volumes but the series also has to move quickly with all of the monsters so the character work has to take a back seat.

In my mind the series has two main weaknesses. The first is the character roster. Even by the end I thought they were fairly weak. There are some decent characters here, but I would say there was only one great character. The rest ranged from decent to okay. You don’t really get absorbed into their predicaments and hype scenes as much as you would if they had been super likable characters. Likewise, 90% of the villains are mindless monsters that are meant to be throwaways. The only actual big villain leaves a big impact but I wouldn’t say he was particularly likable either.

The other weakness is the very scientific approach to the magic. Like I mentioned before, it’s just a bit too structured. It sort of takes the “magic” our of the actual concept. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as I like a good sci-fi but it ends up being portrayed so realistically that it ends up being boring. It’s the heroes typing in code which launches the spell and it’s hard to make that look super hype. The series needed more action scenes I’d say. With changes to these two elements the series would have jumped up into the next tier, I feel rather confidently about that.

All right so lets talk about the characters now. First up is Kana who is a bit on the softspoken side. When the series starts, she doesn’t have a lot of information on the magical girl process but is eager to learn. She is always very determined and quickly begins to study on all of this. As the series goes on she begins to gain more and more confidence. It’s a solid character arc and what she lacks in overall power, she makes up for in leadership. She can really be relied upon by the end of the series and her perseverance really paid off.

Her partner Hitomi is the headstrong member of the group but she still feels rather sanitized next to the average character in this archetype. What I mean by that is she is plenty strong and talks tough but it all feels rather corporate. She isn’t actually breaking a bunch of rules or being over the top reckless. It feels like they could have done a whole lot more with her character and then by the end when she is ready to move on, it’s a bit too fast. She was still fun to have around but the character was held back way too much.

Kouji is the captain of the group and likes to dress up as a magical girl as his quirk. He’s a good engineer and can deliver code in a pinch. It feels like he could have been doing a whole lot more during the series though. The guy is presented as a genius and yet he rarely takes to the helm except during the climax. We end up learning a lot about his sad past later on which adds another dimension to the character. The events certainly changed him. He’s fun enough but I would have liked him to have taken a less passive approach.

Kaede is an interesting character as he will take you through an emotional roller coaster throughout the series. You never really know what is going on in his head and he gets to be very important to the plot later on. I give him credit for easily being the most interesting character in the series and he had one of the best non action plots throughout the title. He’s super memorable so I appreciated that and he showed that you could have a big impact even without powers.

Kazuo is okay but has the least impact among the main characters. He’s the computer guy and tends to be super oblivious to anything. He takes his job very seriously which is definitely not a bad thing but he doesn’t have a whole lot of personality beyond that. I would have definitely liked for him to have been doing more and maybe get some big drama plot to put him near the front.

Mei is the best character in the series. She’s the top worker at AST, the big rival company in the series. She likes to fight in a very emotionless way as she performs the optimal action at any time. Naturally the optimal route can sometimes feel a bit harsh to the more emotional characters in the series. It’s also not going to win her any friends but she’s the top in her field for a reason. As the series goes on she begins to open p more and this was a solid character arc.

Additionally I liked AST as a rival. It’s not as if they were bad people or anything. They just really saw this as a business and feel that going by the book is the best way to protect everyone. It’s also hard to disagree with that at times. Their results speak for themselves and the series resists the urge to suddenly make them look really corrupt. Throughout the series this makes for a good rivalry all the way. I would also say their president Kei is better than the main group’s.

Kei is always involved with the business and operations. He makes sure that nothing goes wrong and puts in all the extra effort that is needed. Take him away from the group at any time and things would definitely not be going as well. He’s the leader for a reason and I liked seeing his expertise. He doesn’t just show up in the climax of the series, his impact is always felt. An adult who was also portrayed well as Kenji. He’s the father of one of the main characters and they’ve always had a hard time connecting. Not because he’s a bad guy or anything but he’s just not good at communication and they ended up always being at odds. He does make his share of mistakes in the series but they are never in a nefarious way. I appreciated that.

Sho is one of the big villains in the series and he does well in the role. I would say he just starts to crack a little too much near the end. I was hoping he would handle himself with a bit more dignity than how he was presented. Give him some more hype moments and let him stick to his ideals right to the end. Instead, you just can’t take him seriously by the end no matter how powerful he got. The flashback did a good job of making sure you disliked him because of how evil he was and the main story needed to follow up on that. His final form looked cool though.

Hibiki joins up a bit later as another computer whiz and he was a good character. His expertise definitely helped quite a bit and he also left much more of an impact than the other guy. The fact that he even had a bit of a romance with Sakae also helped him be more memorable. Both characters were definitely fun enough and the main characters could always use more recruits. As the series drew to a close, the group was definitely a lot bigger than they used to be but still small overall.

Alice is a big character in the flashback. She was really nice but definitely to the point of being naive. The fact that she didn’t tell her best friends about what was going on was definitely a crucial mistake and one that really ended up costing her. It felt a bit forced because I don’t see why she wouldn’t have said anything sooner. It really put her in a bad spot all the way. So she was good but definitely ended up causing a lot of damage by dropping her guard.

Akane ends up being a main character by the end. She is a solid new recruit who is very outspoken. So in some ways she’s like the lead in that she is a rookie but starts out of the gate with a lot more confidence which I appreciate. Confidence is always a great trait for any character after all. Then we have Iroha who is more of the scientist type but also very confident and outspoken. They were good members of the team and I wish they could have appeared more or gotten more big solo moments to build up their hype.

As far as the artwork goes, the series looks okay but not great. The art can make you read a bit slowly with how detailed it gets. During action scenes it won’t always look clear and some of the characters can look too similar. So the art isn’t bad but it’s definitely lower than other titles that you may have been used to by this time. It’s not going to be the aspect that enhances the manga so you will be reading for the writing and story.

Overall, This is a good series. I do think the series could have ended up being better than it was but in the end it was good enough. I had a good time with the battles and it is also memorable enough that I won’t be forgetting it. The art wasn’t the strongest that I’ve seen but in the end I can still say that I was satisfied here. It’s not every day that we get a magical girl series after all so you really want to enjoy them while you can. Now the new one on the block is Dandelion so we’ll see how long that one lasts. In the meantime if you have not read through this series yet, you should do that. It was certainly well written and is enjoyable.

Overall 6/10

Donkey Kong Bananza Review

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It’s time to look at the new DK game that came out recently. I knew that I needed to get this one as soon as possible because it was really going to put the Switch 2 on the map. There aren’t too many destruction games that come out either so that was another reason to pick it up. I can safely say that this was a really good game as well. Playing through it just feels like a lot of fun and it’s really something that Nintendo is super good at doing. They always bring in that fun factor which is super important to any title.

The game follows a character named DK who works in the mines for bananas. One day a sentient rock shows up and it turns out that her true identity is Pauline. A mysterious group led by a villain named Void Kong are after her. She has some kind of special ability that makes her a big target for these guys and DK agrees to help her get to the planet’s core. There is something there that can grant wishes and her wish is to go home. DK also has a wish, he wants lots of bananas. Together the two of them will dive through the planet and pass a great many number of countries. Will they be able to pull this off?

The game is playing it fast and loose on what exactly is happening here. Why is Pauline a kid and how does this work in the timeline? The answer I like is that this is a hard reboot and is serving as essentially a DK origin story as well as a prequel to Mario Odyssey. It works really well when you look at it that way even if the timeline will still have various questions for you. Ah well, we’re playing more for the gameplay than the story as this is a Nintendo title. DK is not quite as serious as Mario so you can expect DK to be goofing off a lot and getting distracted by bananas. Fortunately Pauline is here to mainly keep him on task.

None of the new villains are all that good but we still get a super good climax regardless. Also while the game is a cakewalk for a good chunk of the adventure, the final boss is legitimately difficult. Not in a cheesy way either but in a very well developed boss battle that forces you to use your various abilities to their full potential. The boss battle certainly took me several tries to defeat and even now I feel like there has to be a better way of dealing damage than what I was doing the whole time. Make sure you don’t slack on your damage upgrades, that’s all I gotta say there.

I do appreciate the skill tree and how many different areas there are to power up. It ensures that you can really be getting a whole lot stronger as you play the game and also makes you prioritize what you are doing. If you really can’t get past a level, you can always go back and earn some more bananas. You should naturally get a whole lot of bananas by beating the game but there are over 700 throughout the game so there are tons of bonus levels and challenges to play to get them all. There are several other kinds of collectibles as well like different buttons and amulets that you can use towards clothes and other items.

The game has an incredible amount of replay value thanks to all of the content. The main campaign is less than 10 hours but the collectibles will likely triple or even 4X that amount by the time you’re done with it. Fortunately the game has a good amount of quality of life features on this, like letting you see the secrets on the map by paying a fee and also giving you a wide range scanner. It ensures that the game won’t feel tedious or anything as you are going through it. Instead, it will remain as a super fun experience the whole time as you go through the game.

The gameplay also lets you feel really powerful since almost anything can be destroyed. You can punch your way through any object and then you unlock various forms with abilities of their own. One of the big ones is the time slow with the snake and you get this near the very end of the game. It really comes in handy and of course flying is really good for skipping some of the puzzles near the end of the game. Use each transformation strategically and you will be just fine.

It’s always fun to run into an old face like Grumpy or Diddy in the game. Look out for the characters when they appear and make sure to say hi. It’ll definitely be worth your while. Meanwhile the graphics are definitely super good. The level designs look really solid and each level is so large. The colors are striking throughout and you’re never confused on what is going on. Then you have the soundtrack which is a lot better than I would have dared hope. The first Bonanza theme is the highlight of the game. I’ve heard it a ton of times and it’s really super great. It’s a catchy theme that gets you right into the action. Pauline definitely had real talent here.

So in the end there are really a lot of things to be happy about within the game and I don’t really have any big negatives. I do think it would have been nice for DK to have been a little more serious when it counted. So as a small issue I would say he was super underwhelming the whole time. Still….it is DK we’re talking about so it’s not like I should be all that surprised. Pauline is one of the few kids I’ve seen in a game like this that was not annoying though so I give her full props here. That can be a tough challenge.

Overall, DK Bonanza is a great game. Nintendo really did a good job with this one and it feels so creative. I would definitely be down for more destruction type games like this one. It is surely a genre that has a ton of potential within it. I’m sure other companies could mess it up but Nintendo just laid out the blueprint. There are no tedious moments, no times where the game gets randomly unbalanced, etc. Every minute you are playing the game is a minute that you are having fun. The controls are super smooth after all and you always feel like you are fully in control. If you don’t have this game yet then you should definitely change that. Nintendo has set the bar rather high here but they’re always a company that continues to climb higher and higher. The game should keep you plenty busy working towards that true ending as well so it won’t be going anywhere.

Overall 8/10

Ride Out for Revenge Review

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It’s time for another western! This one is about good ole fashioned revenge which can always be a tricky topic. How far do yo go in your revenge before you’re just perpetuating a never ending cycle of violence? It’s a tough call to be sure but I never tend to get upset at a character for getting their get back. In this case I’d actually say the film goes too far in making the main characters unlikable to the point where you’re absolutely rooting for the Indians. They didn’t start it so they should get to end this fight.

The movie starts with Little Wolf and his father heading into town to ask for some assistance. They are running low on supplies and are having a hard time surviving. Unfortunately Captain George is not all that broken up about that and instead tells them to get lost. In fact the government has ordered that the Indians all leave the land but they have refused to do so thus far. The Indians bring some gold in order to facilitate a deal but George allows his men to shoot the chief in the back while Little Wolf manages to get away. The bridge is burned now, the Indians will fight to the last man and get their revenge. All of this could have been avoided if George had listened to Tate, who warned against this. Unfortunately the village always makes fun of Tate for taking the side of the Indians. So now things are about to get dangerous.

So right away from the starting point here, I would totally be siding with the Indians to get their revenge. Their chief was just shot in the back. I can’t think of any country that would take their leader being assassinated without putting up a fight afterwards. It just wouldn’t make sense and that is why it’s annoying when Tate decides to go and stop them. Of course it’s not an easy decision and Tate admits as much but it’s one of the more annoying tropes that I see out there from time to time.

Person A wrongs Person B. Then when Person B goes back to fight person A, A’s friend C shows up to stop B. Yes two wrongs don’t make a right but it’s also real easy to say that when you’re on the winning side here. The Indians are fighting an uphill battle from start to finish as Little Wolf’s sister is also siding with the humans and not wanting to go down the road of violence. The notion that the Indians will eventually die in war is a valid one but you still have to try and get your revenge or else it will be a stain on your honor forever.

The main characters are also shown to be comically corrupt to really ensure you don’t feel bad for them either. After shooting the chief in the back, they all get drunk and laugh a bunch at the bar. They make fun of Tate and basically threaten him and even the kids have been indoctrinated to hate the Indians. The film’s message about hate as a disease is really clear and even by the end I would say there is no happy resolution here. That said, it still feels very unsatisfying for the Indians who don’t even come close to getting their revenge.

I’d argue that after something happens to a kid in the movie, Tate should have went straight for George and taken him out. After all he’s really to blame for what happened. The town deserves a lot of responsibility too for being sheep about the whole thing but it does start at the top. Then there is a lady who likes Tate and is super jealous of his Indian girlfriend. She is not one of the smarter characters because one way you will absolutely never get with someone is to insult his girlfriend. She never really acted in her best interests and wasn’t a subtle character at all. In fact I think she could have talked her way into going with Tate and the kid if she wasn’t so forward.

The trip is the one big plot hole of the film or I consider it to be one. Tate keeps on mentioning that the Indians will get their revenge that night and so that’s why he plans to leave with the kid right away. Then night falls…and Tate decided to leave in the morning. Really?? Why would you wait when you know that the Indians are coming? That part felt a little contrived and nonsensical. I also think the film would have been a lot better if Tate actually had left and the town had to face up to the repercussions of their actions. In this case, their complete destruction for how overconfidently they handled everything. The Indians should have returned fight away the next day to finish them off or even done the job at night. Once the weapons were taken, that was really it.

War has no victors, a lot of innocent people will get dragged into it either way. So you just let that play out with both groups destroying each other and that ends off the solemn message. The film had a bit of a somber tone throughout anyway so it would have worked just fine. The film did a lot f show don’t tell and handled the topic really effectively. While it may not have been quite as satisfying as I would have liked, it is a good all around film. Quite a few plot contrivances here and there but ultimately I didn’t have any big issues.

Overall, Ride Out for Revenge is a pretty good film. It was certainly leagues better than the last two so it was a good way to end off on the western ride. Tate also made for a good main character since we at least got one voice of reason. I could have used a few more of course but the whole one man against an army plot is a good one. The film’s message is also one of those that will always be timely since these feuds and wars are never ending. As long as humans are still walking the planet, there will always be fighting and violence.

Overall 7/10

Raw Edge Review

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I suppose a title like Raw Edge might already get your guard up but I can assure you that the film is even worse than you might think. The plot is annoying and the characters are all terrible. The movie really drags on and the whole time you’re just hoping that some of the villains will get bumped off instead of being spared for the 5th time and you know they will show up again before long.

The film centers around a town with a very rough custom. When a guy dies, his wife becomes an available product to be claimed by the first guy around. As a result you are incentivized to bump off a lady’s husband if you want her. This has been going on for a long while now and the head’s wife isn’t thrilled about this but you don’t worry about stuff for too long when you’re that powerful. One day she is attacked and so the town murders a guy who insulted her a while back and his wife is claimed. Now the brother of the victim has arrived and intends to murder her husband. This is trouble because everyone in town has always wanted her and now’s their chance.

I mean the story is so absurd right from the start. A town where women are literally property to be traded like this? Man, leaving this town seems like it would have been a slam dunk and at the very least you won’t want others to come up here. The victim actually recommended this as a place to live, can you believe it? Tex, the victim’s brother arrives and for starters he should definitely be upset at the fact that his brother would have even thought about him living here. Well, he intends to get revenge which will be hard to do since the head has a lot of followers. On the other hand, at least 3 are helping him out since they want a shot at the wife.

The whole film is using this kind of tension to get the story moving and it’s not the way you want to make a proper film. It’s dark in a distasteful way and of course it makes all of the characters look really bad. One lady tries escaping the village to go to the Indians, only to be hunted down and the Indian is murdered. Nobody tries to help her and instead they are fighting over her. It’s all about power here and everyone is only fighting for their self interests.

I’m guessing the reason why there are no real good guys here is because the ones with any kind of moral compass were probably stamped out years ago. So now you’re stuck with all of the corrupt folks. So of course that’s already bad enough but then even aside from that the writing is just really, really bad. Everyone is super dumb and naive at the same time. One guy in particular has been after the heroine for a while and got caught several times. In each instance someone gets the drop on him but lets him live. This happens over and over and over again until eventually he is left alone with her. Then he tricks her into leaving her horse to check on his and to ride with him? She really made things way too easy for the guy.

When Tex shows up and saves her again, he turns his back to the crazy guy with a gun??? She has to point out that he’s about to shoot for him to turn around. In a world like this where everyone is out for themselves, it should be common sense not to trust anybody. You have to take your opponent down for the count and keep your gun active all the way up until that point. If you lower your guard at all then it’d all over. Then you had the older guy who kept on doing some betrayals of his own and he somehow thought the other villain would forget? Near the end he turns his back to the other villain and talks about sharing again, as if he hadn’t just betrayed him 20 minutes ago….another dumb move.

The card player also took a whole lot of risks the whole time and is a really slow draw. It’s no wonder why he tries to use strategy to win the whole time because when it comes time for a gunfight he really doesn’t last very long at all. Meanwhile the head of the town isn’t the smartest guy either. After allowing a girl to be captured and forcibly remarried, he believes her when she says the Indiana just need to talk to him briefly? You don’t feel bad for him at all but the fact that he didn’t question this at all is crazy.

The film just had really bad writing all throughout the movie and the whole film needed to not have included the town’s weird rule from the start. Throw that out entirely and the whole film gets way better. Otherwise the fact that every guy there is just obsessing over all the women and waiting until they are in the market is wild. It’s just not a fun film and the whole thing just reeks of shock value. There were way better ways to handle this one. I guess it serves as a general reminder on why living back in the days of the wild west would have been brutal. Not to this crazy extent but it would still be bad regardless.

Overall, Raw Edge is a film that is trying to be rather brutal the whole time and it succeeds. It’s all just so corrupt with nobody to root for. It feels rather contrived and no amount of songs that the film would throw my way could change that. Even the song at the end is going for a rather upbeat/chipper tone and it just doesn’t work with the rest of the movie. I couldn’t buy into the romance at all but you could interpret the ending as a strategic move in order to get out of there and I couldn’t blame the heroine for that. You need to leave the place asap and can think of the long term plan after that.

Overall 2/10