Change Your Image
haydenagain
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try againReviews
The Last of Us (2013)
The worst excuse of a PlayStation game I have ever seen.
Boring gameplay, unlikable characters, outdated graphics and unoriginal story.
I Am Legend is better written than this.
Saving Christmas (2014)
Erased from existence
Kirk Cameron is a fraud and a Ku Klux Klan supporter. Burn this white trash of a film!
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
No franchise is ever really gone...
The final chapter in the sequel trilogy of the Star Wars Saga has arrived. In this review for Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. After witnessing a large decline in popularity since the divisive release of The Last Jedi. Is The Rise of Skywalker strong enough with the force to restore the last of this franchises reputation? Let us begin...
Plot
After the cataclysmic events of The Last Jedi. The Resistance are on the run from the First Order, while also struggling with their own inner turmoil. Meanwhile, Kylo Ren and Rey discover that the Sith Emperor Darth Sidious has survived the destruction of the second Death Star who plans to exact his revenge upon the entire Galaxy. With time desperately running out for the forces of Good, only Rey and Kylo Ren are the galaxy's best hope for survival. All leading to the final showdown between the Jedi and the Sith.
Likes
The Rise of Skywalker is a seismic, space faring sci-fi epic carrying plenty of suspenseful action, blissful effects and much needed character development. J.J Abrams returns since The Force Awakens from a leave of absence. I am personally glad he's back in the chair after Rian Johnson kind of disappointed us with The Last Jedi not delivering on its promises of story and revelations. But for Abrams he brings back some of the enjoyment of what made Star Wars such an amazing Sci-fi epic in terms of action and practical effects. And even does offer more insight to the plot points he established in The Force Awakens (Only by a small margin. More in the dislike section). Also by finally giving us an answer to Reys parentage and one I'm actually very surprised by. More below.
The sets and practical and visual effects are immensely crafted and continue to be a highlight for this sequel trilogy. From the new aliens, to the set design, to the locations, to the ships. I just can't get enough of it!
For the characters, let's start with Daisy Riddley as Rey. The infamous Mary-sue of this series who miraculously is good at every bloody thing without trying. But in this film, she does show she is capable of displaying flaws just like every other character in the series prior and actually feels like a better written character than how she was previously. And actually displays how she can in fact be tempted by the dark side of the force just like every other Jedi. SPOILER WARNING! Mainly because it's revealed she is the daughter of Darth Sidious/ Emperor Palpatine. Which was unexpected cause' I thought she would be a Skywalker or a Solo, Or even a Kenobi or a Jinn. But she did take on the name of Skywalker in the end so that's something at least.
John Boyega returns as Finn and of course is also getting better writing in the film unlike how the The Last Jedi reduced him to a side-character who acts like an idiot and a coward. But unlike last time, he is actually more involved in the movie and gets some much needed development.
Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron is once again portrayed better than the "Other movie". Where instead of being a Rebellious Dick who doesn't follow orders. He goes back into being the likable, hot shot Rebel Pilot people know and love him for. And he is definitely more likable again to me than he was before.
Also, LANDOS BACK! Finally! So many years of absence and he finally comes back to kick some Empire tail again! Billy Dee Williams continues to bring in the charismatic, lovable charm of the Bespin Card Player we remembered.
The Classics of Leia, C3PO, R2D2 and Chewbacca come back into this movie and also get to have some more part in the story than how they were severely reduced to minor roles.
My biggest highlight of the movie would be near the end where all the Jedi from all over the franchise return as voices helping to encourage Rey to keep fighting The Emperor. I ultimately geeked out because you got to hear classic characters like Luke, Yoda, Obi-Wan. And then to Qui-Gon Jinn, Mace Windu and even to Clone Wars character Ashoka Tano! Much appreciate the fan service there Abrams!
Dislikes
Once again we must go through the dislikes of this sequel trilogy. And to be honest, you probably will already know them before you start reading.
I don't really know whether this film has even bigger dislikes or the same amount as before. But I'm just gonna put down what I dislike about the movie.
It's pretty much a soft-remake of Return of The Jedi. Rehashing another planet killing plot, confronting evil fathers, getting captured on a desert planet. That stuff you've already seen before. And to be fully honest. It's even less original than The Last Jedi which I can tell was trying to be different.
Now it is less long than The Last Jedi. But it is still very long in terms of everything else bad I will be putting down. And by the time you get to the end of this you'll more likely feel relieved that this movie is over more than anything else you've seen.
One thing I remember liking about The Last Jedi and The Force Awakens was the ever-evolving action sequences. But in this movie though... it doesn't seem to have improved much since last entry. In a way the action seems to face a large scale of problems and seems less innovative. Like it's as if Michael Bay was hired to direct the action sequences while J.J was on break time. But still, they seem less exciting. And Star Wars, even the prequels had enough original action you could sink your teeth into. Also there is a lot of incomprehensible logic as to how certain new abilities in the force occur. Like with how Rey and Kylo can still talk to each other without Snoke bridging them. How does that work? Yeah, still not buying it guys.
And on that note. They still don't present the basis of the overall plot of the sequels. And not forgetting they still don't reveal much answers to revelations set up in previous entries. All the while adding more and more Questions in this film that still don't answer a damn thing:
What the Hell happened to the Jedi?
How did the Empire become the First Order and gain so much power again?
What is this Awakening BS that Snoke was on about?
How did the Emperor survive being blown up by the Death Star in ROTJ?
How is Han Solo a force ghost even though he isn't a Jedi?
What actually happened to Reys parents?
What was Finn going to tell Rey before being sucked into quick sand?
How does Rey and Kylo use the force to teleport and communicate between each other?
How is a dagger able to help Rey navigate the ruins of the Death Star?
How did Chewie escape death in a shuttle after Rey used force lightning?
Where are those kids from that Casino Planet?
Where's the Mandalorian and Baby Yoda? (Just kidding!)
Ok, I know this is Star Wars tradition to expand the series to other forms of media. But you can't all expect everyone to watch and read everything else in the Expanded Universe to get all the answers when you could just straight up give them to us. Lucas did that before you in the past six films without expanding it all into other material and he made more sense of things.
Lastly. They cut Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) out of most of the movie. Why I'm mad about this you ask is that it appears that Lucasfilm and Disney were reading too many hateful posts labelled against the actress that they decided to go in favour of the Far-Right and straight up reduce her role. I don't like her character that much as with most of the other newbies to the sequels, but she did give her character a lukewarm performance worthy enough of acceptance. But in a world ruled by The Apprentice, suddenly an Asian character like her is attacked just for being cast in a Star Wars movie. And it feels shameful to see this as nothing but a petty excuse to incite propaganda. And if this is how Hollywood and Disney is going to combat prejudice. Then I want no part of this series anymore.
Verdict?
The Star Wars franchise has come a long way since its Disney Ownership and to be honest. It has been painfully exhausting the way through. The Rise of Skywalker can prove it can still pack a punch with interstellar action and deliver the thrills and references fans love about the series. But it cannot reach its full potential with its lacking plot, unoriginal action sequences, confusing twists. Overreliance of nostalgia, pacing and repeating most of the same problems that Disney Star Wars films are infamous for these days. Some fans will find satisfactory, but not enough to appeal to all fans of the genre.
I give Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker a score of 6/10.
Hellboy (2019)
RIP Hellboy....
The Hellboy remake ever since the first trailer was already a clear sign of a beloved comicbook characters demise in a nutshell. First of all, I loved the first two movies and Guillermo Del Toro (A Hellboy fan himself) brought these films and the source characters to life so well that they still continue to be acclaimed to this day. They were extraordinary works of art that developed their own tone and style which worked well. Then as we know by now what studio execs are like, all they're interest in is a big, fat, cash cow.
I have no idea why Del Toro couldn't come back to do a Hellboy 3 to begin with. Because the second movie was still a sure-fire hit which could have had a sequel in the next three years from then. Eventually, that chance was blown in favour of a remake which eliminated any chances of Guillermo Del Toro returning to finish his Hellboy trilogy.
With this remake, everywhere you look feels as if an emo teenage was hired to write the script to prove how edgy he can be with the R Rating. Instead, we get 120 minutes of non-stop sadism, edge lords, laughable scares, terrible special effects and a lot of childish profanity that makes even the Wolf of Wall Street look well mannered.
What's even more pathetic, regardless of it being a box office failure and a career killer, David Harbour and Milla Jovovich tried to defend this film saying that it will be a cult classic. I'm sorry David and Milla, but what you fail to realise is that your film needs to appeal to fans in order to be a cult film. And safe to say, everyone is laughing at you. Del Toros films in our view are worthy to be considered cult-films because of their innovative and ethic design, but your movie is not that.
Truth is, the Hellboy remake, right or wrong sucks. It will never ever live up to the first two films and David Harbour is not the Hellboy we wanted to see ever in comparison to Ron Perlman's Badass take.
Hellboy 2019 may you rot in Hell!
Joker (2019)
The Jokes on you now Deadpool!
The Clown Prince of crime has returned to the big screen in his very first, ground-breaking, solo movie! JOKER! Though anticipation is through the roof for this movie, can Joaquin Phoenix deliver us an uncanny performance enough to beat Heath Ledgers Joker of the Dark Knight Trilogy or equal him? All we know is, we need to review this film before we start laughing our heads off!
Plot
In a time before the Batman. Gotham City has become a corrupt, lawless hell on Earth. Our story follows Arthur Fleck, a failed stand-up comedian suffering from a mental illness that effects his emotional state. As Arthur's life continues to take a turn for the worse, he slowly descends into insanity which eventually leads him into becoming Gotham City's most feared criminal of all time. The Joker.
Likes
The Joker is portrayed as a dark, classic, psychological style thriller with themes inspired by a 1970's society. It blends the superhero genre and elements of classic crime films and noir style storytelling. And the cinematography and camerawork is impressive and captivating within its themes.
The plot is simple and extraordinarily well written. Even from the first act of the film you are left at the edge of your seat in awe as the story occurs which in a way is portrayed so differently, that it makes it very unpredictable to know what happens next. And in this day and age of Superhero films, different is better.
Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker is the best thing about this movie and even his performance itself makes it clear why this film exists. His take on the Joker is original and fresh without any inspiration from Joker actor previous. Not only does Phoenix Joker give us a fully developed, fleshed out look into his origins, but also defines the ruthless nature and injustice that made him what he is today. Just seeing how his previous life in Gotham has been tragic for him every day and learning of the trauma he had as a child makes you feel pity for him having suffered so endlessly from bullying and rejection. Making you think just how small your issues really are in comparison to himself. I even have to admit that Phoenix portrays the character so well that he even makes the Joker sound like a real-life person.
Which is clearly enough to rival even Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight. And it's also safe to say that he is 100 times better than Jared Leto's dull and crappy portrayal of the Joker from Suicide Squad. Unlike him, Joaquin Phoenix portrays the Joker accurately to his Personality and his appearance.
Also loved some of the nods that this film throws around in the story. Such as The Jokers past taking some inspiration from Alan Moores The Killing Joke. And also having Bruce Wayne and his parents feature as a plot point in the movie (And not forgetting his parent's deaths which would result in his transformation into Batman). Even if Todd didn't read that many comics during production. He certainly didn't forget the most important references within the lore.
Dislikes
Now, for some reason the Joker has been causing recent controversy in the media for its glorified violence and allusion that it would inspire people to become Mass Shooters. Well... The Joker only shoots 4 people in this movie (three even in self-defence) and kills the other 4 unarmed so how is all that bad compared to character body counts in other movies? But since this controversy is obviously pointless to list here, I'll just go with my own non-political criticisms.
Now there are aspects of the Jokers story that does leave more questions than answers. Like, whatever happened to the romantic sub-plot between Arthur and his estranged girlfriend (Zazie Beets)? At first they were going somewhere with it then all of a sudden the plot just disappears halfway through the movie and she is never mentioned or seen again.
Why did Arthur kill one of his former co-workers for? Sure he may have been a jerk to him but he did have respect for him and wanted to help out.
Spoiler Warning!: Since Arthur is already Identified as the subway killer earlier in the movie by the police, shouldn't that mean Jokers identity is pretty much exposed since he killed Robert De Niro live on TV and started riots? But I feel the plot just ignores it saying "Nah, he's too much of a loser for the city to even know him." Still realistically in a world of Television, Forensic scientists and detectives, his identity would be as good as revealed soon after.
Lastly, it didn't really portray the definition of Mental Illness that well like I hoped it would. Like, Arthur strives to do his best in life with what he gets, but he seems to treat his growing mental collapse as if it is incurable. That is wrong. People can in-fact fight back against it and some have even managed to find the right help so as to be able to control it and perhaps even cure it. But that seems to be the exact opposite of what this film's moral indicates. I'm autistic and I have lots of problems. But the last thing I would want is to kill innocent people just because I didn't put enough effort in restraint. But I guess Arthur Fleck is just as human as everyone else I suppose.
Verdict?
Just when you thought Deadpool was the undisputed R-Rated Superhero film of all time. The Joker may have just knocked the Merc with the Mouth off of his Perch. Though it can't help being controversial to many with its violence and subliminal message, Joker offers every Batman fan a chance to experience the clown prince of crimes story first hand in the most imaginative way possible. Offering an original twist with thrilling moments of suspense, drama and dark comedy that the Joker himself has become well known for. Right or Wrong, The Joker is a crazy good time that might even have the Oscars turning their heads this year.
I give Joker an 8/10.
Shazam! (2019)
Just say the word and you get... A Darn good movie!
SHAZAM! That's right readers, a bolt of lightning has just turned us into almighty superheroes all for our next exciting review for the DCEU's next title, Shazam. In a long list of Dark and Gritty attempts to live up to the simplicity of Nolans Dark Knight trilogy of DC films, can Shazam be the one movie to defy them all? Well, let's get started.
Plot
Shazam follows the story of a lost orphan boy called Billy Batson. On an endless goose chase to find his mother. After getting in trouble with the authorities, Billy becomes a part of an estranged family who he begins to form a bond towards. But his life gets even more bizarre as a mysterious Magician turns Billy Batson into the almighty superhero of Shazam. As he enjoys toying with his newfound abilities, the mad scientist Dr Sivana and his power over the Deadly Sins has set him in his sights who plans to absorb the power of Shazam for himself. Leaving the fate of all mankind in Billy Batson's hands.
Likes
Shazam is a superhero comedy film that blends the magic of what made films such as Ant-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy beloved classics. Unlike the previous DCEU entries that have gotten infamous due to their dark, gritty, confusing and mean-spirited nature, Shazam subverts them in the way that fans of the character would expect to see. Bringing in plenty of light, humour and sense of fun and excitement into the mix.
The characters and plot are cleverly well-written and enjoyable to watch. Teaching us the importance of life, family, friendship and putting the past behind you. And it also keeps itself in line with much of its adapted source material to the point it is literally Shazam himself coming to life.
Asher Angel and Zachery Levi are fantastic in the roles of Billy Batson and Shazam. Both delivering excellent performances in Kid and Adult sizes. Not once do these actors break character and completely stay in synch with their personalities.
Jack Grazer as Billy's adoptive brother Freddy Freeman was a good way to add in some well-needed comic relief and to help develop Shazams cinematic outing in his fight against crime. What I like most about him to is that he is a comic book nerd and a disabled person (like me). Who doesn't let others push him around and helps his friends and family to the best of his abilities.
Mark Strong returns to the DC Universe as Dr Sivana. Who undoubtedly is much better in this role than how he portrayed Sinestro in the failed Green Lantern movie. Giving us a menacing, but tragic take on a man who had little respect from anyone throughout his life all to be corrupted so easily by evil.
Dislikes
DC films may be getting better in the likes section of these reviews nowadays. But as always, there is usually a dislike somewhere on the line.
Now the CGI is much cleaner than what we got with previous DCEU entries. But it still does look pretty cheap looking in comparison to the clean graphics the MCU is used to having. The worst offenders are the Seven Deadly Sins as they kind of look a little plastic-like than being slimy evil monsters which one would expect to see. I mean, they could have had the potential to be pretty scary villains in this movie, but the special effects surrounding them is weak.
And lastly. No Black Adam appearance. I was hoping that when Shazam got a movie he would have the chance to fight his greatest enemy of Black Adam, the ruthless king of the nation of Kahndaq. But we got a lesser known villain of Dr Sivana and in comparison every fan would rather have Black Adam as the main villain in this movie than him. Not saying that Mark Strong doesn't do well with his take on him, just that it's not the villain I was expecting to see in the movie. But maybe if this film is successful enough we might see them fight each other in the sequel maybe?
But on top of that, Shazam aint all as bad as one would expect.
Verdict?
In a world where Marvel Studios dominates the local box-office while DC is all but left behind with their own failures of setting up a Shared Universe with Batman V Superman and Justice League. Shazam is proof that DC has learnt from their mistakes and know what it takes to deliver an interesting movie that doesn't need to have a certain Dark Knight to guarantee its success story. Offering tons of heart-warming humour, characters and action that cries out enjoyment at nearly every moment. Even if you aren't a fan of the character, but want to forget about how bad those DC films mentioned above were, you'd be a fool to miss out on this.
I give Shazam an 8½/10!
Fallout 76 (2018)
It doesn't Just work Howard! It breaks!
Todd Howard seriously tried to lie his way out of this one, but that couldn't save him from this. A Fallout game that has a big world but literally has no plot, no NPC's to interact with, eye-gouging graphics, overreliance on PVP elements and crawling with millions of bugs and glitches that even firing three nukes would blow this entire game back to Nuclear Winter where it came from. Do I even need to mention the whole Canvas Bag incident too just to prove a point? If this hasn't taught Bethesda a damn thing about their failure, then Elder Scrolls 6 is in DEEP trouble.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (And Humans).
"Let them fight!" says Ken Watanabi. And right you are my friend for today we review Godzilla: King of the Monsters! With monsters both old and new appearing in this long-awaited follow-up, who will be the one King to rule them all?
Plot
Godzilla II: King of the Monsters is set exactly 5 years after the events of Godzilla (2014). The world has become weary of Godzilla and the other monsters that are beginning to re-emerge upon the Earth. Because of this, now governments all over are aiming to shut down the secret Monster Hunting organisation Monarch for not taking action against them. But when a splinter group of the organisation lead by a rogue agent steals a top-secret device, they effectively unleash the dreaded Titan of King Ghidorah along with Rodan, Mothra and a whole battery of monsters that threaten to tear the whole planet apart. Leaving only Godzilla as humanity's last hope.
Likes
Godzilla Returns to the franchises roots like never before. Delivering a seismic, action-fuelled thriller ride that brings in much of what old time fans of the series have missed for many years. The action scenes both in the Monster and in human battles are bigger, meaner and ground-breaking than ever. Leaving you literally at the edge of your seat. The effects are superbly focused and captivating in the environments and the destruction sequences, especially with Mothra and her light ray abilities, to King Ghidorahs lightning ray blast and Godzilla's Atomic breath.
The designs of the Monsters, especially Godzilla are just awesome. Keeping them true to their classic counterparts and origins while improving upon their foundations and adding more realism in their biology. Even the personalities of each monster are well done too. In a lot of ways, they do exhibit a lot of personal traits that do make them very close to being human.
Godzilla continues to show a stoic character while continuing to pursue his destiny as sole guardian and ruler of the Earth. His special symbiotic relationship with the giant butterfly Mothra was something I never imagined I would see in any Godzilla film until now. I enjoyed how their bond mirrors that of the two being the King and Queen of life.
Also I like how this movie throws in a lot of call-backs and references to elements of the Godzilla franchise, such as Godzilla's roar being much closer to the 1960's iteration and his theme music from the 1954 original film. Along with Mothra and Rodans music refurbished into the new film.
Dislikes
Now, let's be clear on this. I like this movie a lot, and the reasons I put on here don't affect my personal opinion except as just being minor annoyances. So on a subtle level there are a bunch of things about this film I don't like. For instance, the plot and story are weak in comparison to the solid plot of 2014 Godzilla. But more importantly some of the human characters don't really have much personality or memorability when it comes to their side of the story. Then occasionally they have questionable motives that sometimes make no sense. Since there are a multitude of humans and generic goons in this I'll just stick to four I know.
Like, Mark Russell has a deep hatred for Godzilla being responsible for the loss of his son but he just suddenly sets aside his hatred after encountering him underwater just like that. Okay? How did that happen?
Then his wife Emma Russell seems to have even more questionable motives than him. Like the whole plot twist revolving around her working for the Eco Terrorists and wanting to release all the monsters on the earth and prefer having them destroy the human race is unspeakable and insane. Since she was someone who didn't want a repeat of losing another child but yet she's okay if King Ghidorah kills more innocent families and their children just for the sake of one? It's abruptly confusing to me especially since that's something I don't think that my child would want me to do if they died in something like this so I would have been very wise not to get involved in such a plot to begin with.
Their daughter Maddison Russell is basically a Mary Sue with no actual flaws in her character to exploit. The only thing she will ever do is disrupt the main human villains plan by stealing the Orca Device to draw King Ghidorah to Boston. Where LOADS of people may still be endangered. And that's just it.
And the main human villain played by Game of Thrones actor Charles Dance is probably the worst of all of them as he doesn't even explain once why he himself wants to release Ghidorah so he can destroy the world and why he betrayed Monarch.
So to make a long discussion short. The new characters are blatantly forgettable and have no development. They aren't as hateful as what you get from an Adam Sandler or a Michael Bay film, they just don't interest me much. And to me it appears that Godzilla and the other Monsters are the ones who have more character building than the humans do. (With the exception of Ken Watanabe's iconic Dr Serizawa of course). The only characters that you will remember and connect with after this one will just be him, Godzilla and the monsters involved.
Verdict?
In terms of quality and Monster battles, this film is a major step from the action seen in Godzilla (2014). But when it comes to an underdeveloped cast of characters and a watery plot it doesn't really live up to its predecessor much. If former director Gareth Edwards was a part of the movie again as a producer, I think the characterisation and plot would've been more thought provoking. But for Godzilla fans that have waited for a film that finally brings back the series to its old roots and the return of some of Tohos most iconic monsters, you will not be disappointed whatsoever. So in a matter of speaking, go see the movie for the monsters if that's your thing. But not for the man down below their feet.
Godzilla II: King of the Monsters gets a score of 7/10.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)
X-Men: Disassembled more like it
To me my X-Men viewers! For we have another review on our hands this week for Dark Pheonix! The final instalment to the X-Men film series (For now, until they appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe). But the question that lies on everyone's mind is can Dark Phoenix truly adapt the iconic X-Men story properly than the ridiculed X-Men: The Last Stand? Well let's find out.
Plot
Ten years after defeating the mutant demi-god Apocalypse, the X-Men have become recognised as international Superheroes. But when a rescue in outer space goes wrong, the young mutant Jean Grey is infected by a cosmic power called "The Pheonix". As this power continues to consume her nature, Jean loses control of herself and turns against the X-Men. While her rogue actions continue to cost innocent lives, she then draws the attention of an alien Empress with her own plans to use Jean Grey and the Phoenix to annihilate both Human and Mutant from the Earth forever.
Likes
Dark Phoenix is depicted as an emotional, tragic thriller that sees the X-Men finally coming to understand their own demons and how far their loyalty to each other will be tested.
So firstly, the whole film does adapt the Dark Phoenix saga in the comics much better than in The Last Stand. You see quiet a lot of the characters and a few nods and references to it wherever you go throughout the movie (That's if you are a comic fan like me). Jean Grey (Played by Sophie Turner) especially feels more like how I remember her constant struggle with the Phoenix in the comics and the emotion that she brings to the situation. In a lot of ways I think some of her portrayal is much in relation to Young Jean Grey in all-new X-Men with how she struggled to understand her evolving abilities. Her sacrificing herself to save the Earth and coming to understand her purpose at the end was remotely satisfying to say the least.
But unfortunately I'm gonna have to stop it right there, because there is not that much good left to cover. See below.
Dislikes
As you probably guessed already, the dislikes outweigh the good in this movie. Though as I've said before the film does follow the source of the storyline much more carefully, but that's the only TRUE redeeming quality of this movie. And not much else other than that.
First. It is absolutely boring and joyless! I mean c'mon guys even The Last Stand had plenty of action that was enough to satisfy movie goers easy. But this one, has very little action and it's even less exciting when it actually starts. And it's so obvious that the sets and editing are cheap despite costing $200 Million in the production values. The cinematography and CGI effects are even weaker in comparison unlike previous entries.
Even the characters are boring themselves. Even you can tell the actors such as James Mc'Avoy and Michael Fassbender as Professor X and Magneto themselves are yawning in the background asking for Director Simon Kinberg to fire them already. They waste too much time on bloody exposition and arguing about whether they should save or kill Jean Grey. And also they're chemistry (Except for Jean and Cyclops) seems very lacking and even motivations can go through the roof without warning. And to top that, the main villainess Vuk (played by Jessica Chastain) and the other alien Villains overall look even more bored than the X-Men themselves and... Well... again I say they are just boring antagonists to even care about since we don't get to know much about them except they shape shift like the Skrulls in Captain Marvel.
Basically it shows that when it came to being bought by Mickey Mouse, the studio didn't really put in that much of an effort into adapting this film properly like they promised for several years. Which could be another sign of FOX's infamous tradition of Studio Meddling yet again as shown with the Fantastic Four remake in 2015. Way to perform an Epic Fail guys. (Applauding sarcastically in the background)
Verdict?
If you were wondering why 20th Century Fox Studios was purchased by Disney, I think you just got your answer. After nearly 20 long years of Fox Produced X-Men movies, this series has finally set itself ablaze in Phoenix Fire. From tired character arcs, to lacking action, to poor direction of the plot makes Dark Phoenix bring this game changing Marvel superhero franchise to a definite and disappointing end. And even the deceased Marvel creator Stan Lee would be turning in his grave after seeing this.
But in a benefit of hindsight, now that Disney owns the franchise. There is a chance the X-Men could get a proper revival in the MCU and knowing Kevin Feige and the ensemble of Directors that are under their belt. Showing it is still possible that we may get to see Wolverine and the X-Men get the true Marvel Studios treatment they all deserve.
I give Dark Phoenix a 4/10.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Endgame: A stunning conclusion to the MCU.
The final showdown begins in Marvels biggest blockbuster ever! Avengers: Endgame! With a gigantic cast and the Russo's working hard out behind the scenes, can all their vision and determination meet expectations? And also reader beware, you're in for plenty of spoiler scares. If you've not seen the movie yet, don't read this.
Plot
Five years after Infinity War, The entire universe lies in turmoil after the events of The Decimation caused by Thanos the Mad Titan. Moving on from their grief, the surviving Avengers led by Captain America and Black Widow assemble for a final time in one last ditch effort to undo the damage left by Thanos.
Likes
Avengers: Endgame is a darker, action fuelled, emotional story of a world now devoid of any hope. The Avengers themselves are no better as they are also broken to the core and struggling very hard to move on from their grief. Literally, it is a heartfelt theme that even has us audiences downhearted also with these losses of life.
The plot itself is vastly well-written that you can feel a strong connection to it and all of the characters involved. The time travel plot is a nice new direction for the story to go into as well. And not too familiar or clichéd to other movie plots that use the theme.
The stakes are much higher than they were before and the risks are more daring. And every scene and dialogue is just astonishingly well written in. There are plenty of new awesome character interactions just like last time but ultimately better than ever. For example Tony and Nebula bonding together while trying to survive in outer space, Rocket teasing Captain Marvel for her new Hairdo, Hulk negotiating with The Ancient One and Tony getting to talk with his father for one last time. All while packing in plenty of outrageous moments of humour and levity to keep the pace. My favourite funny moments were mainly with Ant-Man doing stuff like attempting time travel and when a spaceship kept killing his burritos!
The action and visuals are incredibly filmed and offer a ton of thrills and awe to the mix. Every scene is like a comic book panel coming alive before your very eyes and the action flows clearly leaving an exciting impact on the viewer.
Since there's so many characters that appear in this movie, I'm only going to narrow it to the main cast members.
Chris Evans gives us ultimately the best performance with Captain America yet. And continues to show no fault in developing his character. I also loved how he got to pick up Thors hammer in the end and face-off against Thanos with it. Oh and that final Scene where he goes back in time to have that dance with Peggy unlike before in The First Avenger.
Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man continues to be the Playboy genius we know and love. And now an aspiring Daddy too. I felt touched at how he got to meet his father one last time and just give him one last hug. Even if his dad never got to know it was him. But still, very touching.
Hulk played by Mark Raffalo brings about new and funny Hulk humour and even managed to cure the Hulk within him too. Now he basically is Doctor Hulk! His new persona does remind me a lot of Beast from the X-Men as well.
Well.... Chris Hemsworth's new Thor look did stagger me very much. Where five years later he became a fat and lazy bum who watches his best mates Korg and Meek playing videogames for the rest of his days. But I did find this amusing because you'd expect that Thor is this all-mighty deity with no faults and regrets of his own. And seeing Hemsworth and the directors push Thor to this edge is a great way to see how he is able to overcome these new obstacles. But, for God's sake Thor, please loose that belly in Guardians 3!
Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow was also a fantastic final performance for the young actress. I was probably more heartbroken for her most when she died in the movie. Though yes, Black Widow is supposed to be a hardened killer, but deep down she was the full heart and soul of the Avengers and seeing her sacrifice herself instead of Hawkeye does get quite depressing because she was a very likable character to me. And also seeing Black Widow not having a family but the Avengers was what makes it worse because she'll never get to have that chance again. It's just so sad...
(Sniff) anyway getting off the crocodile tears. And finally the villain himself. Thanos. Josh Brolin continues to bring out a menacing villain who won't rest until balance in the Universe is truly achieved. And actually now that I think about it all, he is much more dangerous than last time and even came close to winning again a second time! Another spoiler sorry! Though I will miss John Brolins portrayal of the character after this, but who knows what the future MCU instalments will bring.
Honestly, all of the cast is good, from Ant-Man, to Captain Marvel, To Rocket, To War Machine, To Nebula, the supporting and minor cast members. Even the ones that returned from the dead in the final battle are all so good.
Nearly everything in Avengers Endgame is just so fantastic you could just almost call this one completely flawless for a superhero movie. But oh no, we're forgetting one thing though. The flaws themselves... Read on...
Dislikes
So the dislikes are nearly the same as Infinity War, its predecessor. So let's just go to my biggest offenders.
The running time is still a problem for me like most of the other MCU movies. At a whopping 185 minutes this is enough to rival the run time of Return of the King. And it can get tiring most times when a few scenes drag on for a long time with too much exposition being its main cause. But, what the hell should've I expected, this is the Avengers finale. Of course it needs to be long! Still with the amount of likes above, the time does seem to fly by quite quickly for the most part. But I'm saying, 3 hours is pushing it for me.
Unlike infinity War the character perspectives are far more improved but still this film continues to be TOO crowded. Especially in the final act. SPOILER WARNING when many of the characters are resurrected and gather to the Avengers Facility to battle Thanos, it became SUPER crowded all of a sudden. Though like I said it did handle how it executed the use of them in the final battle. Working together in groups and all like a footfall pitch. But still, it feels a bit jarring trying to keep a direct focus on where the true perspective lies.
And also, Korg plays Fortnite in this movie. By 2023 (As the rest of the film is set 5 years later) I already imagine the game would be extremely outdated by then and many people may have already moved onto other Battle Royal games or other trends. So, yep, very pointless product placement.
Verdict?
Not since Peter Jacksons The Lord of the Rings has a film series left such a large impact on the world. With a record-breaking gross of over a billion in its first opening weekend, The Russo brothers deliver you the spectacular finale to this Avenging Saga that we all wished for! With plenty of Story, action, suspense and emotion to sink your teeth into, Avengers Endgame is by far the best finale to a Superhero film series ever! But will the MCU be able to achieve so much more after? We have yet to be sure. But whether it be the New Avengers, The X-Men, The Fantastic Four, The Guardians of the Galaxy or X-Force that steps up to fill in their shoes against the next big bad, you can be sure that none of them will ever have a finale as epic as this one!
Avengers Endgame receives 9½/10!
Mortal Engines (2018)
Not the perfect beginning for the Mortal Engines Quartet like I expected.
The clash of urban titans has arrived to the big screen in this latest review for Mortal Engines. Does this movie live up to the book and the lore? Well let's get started.
Plot:
In a Dystopian future world ruined by an ancient apocalypse, gigantic Mobile Cities now dominant the landscape. Battling each other for survival and remaining resources. While those that choose to avoid it live behind a gigantic wall in eastern Asia called Shan Guao. Drawn together by an unexpected turn of Events, Hester Shaw and Tom Natsworthy are cast out of the Traction City of London into the wastes of the Great Hunting ground. Now must rely on each other to survive. As they find their way back to London, a cybernetic Bounty Hunter begins a relentless manhunt upon them.
Likes:
Mortal Engines is an epic, innovative and visual fuelled sci-fi adventure never before realised in filmmaking. The designs of the moving cities are really captivating and thoroughly detailed. Especially how London has a lot of striking resemblances to its real-world counterpart.
The special effects and the environment overall are stunning and breath-taking. And the action is thrilling, suspenseful and high-octane from start to finish. I also love how accurately London devours cities, just like how I imagined it in the first chapter. And the film is actually a lot faithful to the novel in terms of characters and setting unlike most other books to film.
The casting choices for the movie are pretty solid such as Hera Hilmar as Hester Shaw, Robert Sheehan as Tom Natsworthy, Hugo Weaving as Valentine and Stephen Lang as the Cyborg Shrike. Who (except for Valentine, see the dislikes below) do stay true to their characters from the novels. Stephen Lang's portrayal of the Cyborg bounty hunter Shrike is probably my biggest highlight. He gives Shrike plenty of good vibe and a sense of humanity and character when most of the others can't really grasp that interest.
But really that's all the good I have to say this film has on a visual aspect. But the Dislikes? Well... they do outweigh the needs of the few.
Dislikes:
So like I said I have read the book before seeing this movie recently and firstly, it doesn't truly follow the full length of it. The first half is mostly accurate to the book but after the main leads get captured by a slave town and being saved by Anna Fang that's where the story starts getting condensed for time.
From there, it tries to attempt to recreate popular themes and moments that relate too heavily upon Star Wars or Mad Max content. For example the Anti-Traction Leagues final assault on London (Not in the Book) which has a large resemblance to certain scenes in A New Hope and Return of the Jedi. So not an original movie as one was to expect.
The book followed three leads. Tom, Hester and Katherine Valentine. Both of them had an equal view of the events that transpire in the novel. But the movie is too concerned about a budget and a long running time to fully adapt everything that it removes the important aspects of the characters and climatic moments witnessed:
1.) Katherine doesn't die in the end. Her pet husky, Dog is missing also.
2.) London itself doesn't get destroyed by Medusa.
3.) Tom and Hester's romance is rarely ever seen and aren't captured by another Town called Tunbridge.
4.) Medusa is used first on the Shield Wall and not first used on a German city called Panzerstadt like in the Novel.
5.) How Mobile Cities conserve resources for fuel without consuming them too quickly is also left unexplained.
And those were moments that fans of the book remember so well but Christian Rivers and Peter Jackson had missed and that's really shallow. If the movie was 40 minutes longer, then maybe it could have adapted the full story.
A few of the characters from the book are not properly portrayed as I hoped. Mainly with Anna Fang, Valentine and Hester herself. Anna Fang appears to be edgier and distasteful of people from Traction cities than her calm and nicer counterpart. Her personality and lines are a bit mechanical to get any connection to her or her motivations as an Anti-Tractionist.
Thaddeus Valentine is THE main villain instead of Magnus Chrome who both show a sudden switch in personalities where the Mayor despises the use of Medusa and not the latter. And he is much more of a fanatic and a power-hungry dictator and even does cynical Out-of-Character moves like try to bash all of London and its people to their death just to kill A FREAKING WALL? By the way, his plan is stupid. All he boasts about is destroying the Shield Wall and killing Anti-Tractionists. But what's the reason bro? In the movie, London isn't dying like in the book, and seems to run on enough power and resources to keep going on without quarrelling with other cities. So why kill a bunch of normal innocent people anyway regardless? It just feels far too personal to understand. So to put it mildly, his character is too underdeveloped and ludicrously insane to be taken seriously as the villain. But at least Hugo Weaving did well with the material he had to work with anyway.
I wouldn't say Hester Shaw's personality is not much like her counterpart in literature. But it's that small scar on the left side of her jaw that's the problem here. In the books she is described as being a battered sixteen year old girl with a long scar that appears over her left eye, nose and right chin. That is disappointing even from a Hollywood point of view because she could have had that scar easy without having to worry about ruining the actresses' beauty. Or you could just have it cutting over her left side of the face instead no problem. But Jackson, the scar is not strong with this one!
So I hope that wasted too much book to film criticism I included.
Verdict?
When push comes to shove, Mortal Engines delivers an all new visual, steam-punked action adventure of survival that does do well to keep faith to its source material. But like most other book-to-film adaptations, it removes too much flow from the story and pacing of the book in order to be congested for time just to strive to compete with the bigger leagues of today's filmmaking world. If Peter Jackson himself was in the director's chair, maybe he could have been able to do better at adapting the movie. But I don't think it would have made much of a difference regardless. In the meantime, it looks like fans may have to wait a little while longer until The Mortal Engines Quartet gets a proper adaption. Hopefully with better results.
I give Mortal Engines a 6/10.
God's Not Dead (2014)
Burn this
As a Christian myself I know what's right from wrong. I admit I have sinned plenty of times in this life too. But that was my choice. When it came to religion, I always see it as a choice. But when I see this poor excuse for a Christian film, It is telling me that I should consider Atheists and Non-Religious people as an enemy of God and they should be forced to believe in him. But we forget that by doing this we are only condemning ourselves.
I have met many people in this world, religious and not. Many of them Good and many Bad, that's life. And some people who were Non-religious have even teased me for my beliefs at school. But I never hated them for it, only pity. And I accepted that it was their choice not to believe and I left well enough alone. But the last thing I'd ever think of doing was forcing them into submitting to the word of God as if I was some Holy Dictator. Because I always saw God and Christianity as a religion of peace, harmony, freedom and acceptance, not of enslavement, fanaticism or dominancy.
In the end Man makes a choice, for good or for evil. You can either accept it or despise it. But it is mankind's right, everyone of us. To choose to sin, or whether there is a God in this world or not. But for me, I believe there is one.
Gods not Dead is not a film about true Christianity, it is a film that asks us to betray ourselves and become the very people it dictates against from living their lives the way they wish to lead. If God himself has seen this film the way I have, he would be weeping down from heaven at this moment in time.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
To quote Thanos: "This will put a smile on you face"
The End is Near... Or is it? The long awaited Superhero event of all time is finally here! The full might of the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes full Circle as the superheroes of the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy team up to take on their greatest enemy ever. The Mad Titan Thanos! But does this film live up to its decade long hype? Read on to find out...
Plot:
Avengers: Infinity War is set at least 3 years after Captain America: Civil War. The Avengers are scattered and divided. Tony Stark (Iron Man) and his team continue to fight under the governments wishes. While Steve Rogers (Captain America) and his team are in hiding in Wakanda operating freely in the shadows. All the while, the Titan warlord Thanos is on a quest to retrieve the infinity stones with Earth and it's heroes in his sights. After the Hulk supposedly crash lands back on Earth, he warns Tony and the Avengers about the coming threat. If Thanos finds all the Infinity Stones, he will have the ability to control the fate of the Universe at his fingertips. With the help of Doctor Strange, Spider-Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy, The Avengers will attempt to stop Thanos at any cost.
The Likes
Well here we go. The big unveiling. First off, IT WAS AWESOME! Better than clunky Age of Ultron!
Sorry. Was that too short of an explanation? Okay, I'll run you through the long version.
Avengers: Infinity War is the combination of all your favourite Marvel super heroes coming together to fight a common foe in a very emotional, risk taking story that fuels you're anticipation to the max.
First off, the action sequences in Avengers Infinity War are literally the best I've ever seen in a Superhero movie to date. Every sequence is perfectly filmed, edited and performed so well that you can almost feel you are literally seeing a comic book panel come to life. The locations and cinematography are immensely improved, we get a much more needed look on Wakanda, we get to see new planets. We got some massive space-ships. Seriously, we get so much cool new things in this movie.
The story is balanced, unpredictable, heartfelt and well-written into the source and characters involved. Even the villian Thanos himself isn't afraid to make his motives clear unlike Ultron before him. And you find that everything he says and everything you see him do carry's a much more humanised villain, even for Thanos being an alien. And with Josh Brolin behind the scenes portraying this Mad Titan, you couldn't have gotten a much better choice of an actor!
My absolute favourite thing about this movie is how well the characters from across the MCU interacted with each other. From Thor and Rocket Racoon embarking on a perilous journey to fix his hammer, Iron-Man and Doctor Strange's clash of science over magic, Star-Lord trying to mimic Thors accent and diss on Iron-Man's plan. And my favourite, Groot meeting Captain America back on Earth. Where he says the usual "I Am Groot" catchphrase and Cap goes "I'm Steve Rogers" without care. It's all brilliantly inserted.
SPOILER AHEAD!! Did the Avengers win? Nope, Sorry the Avengers lost, big time... WAH WAH. As many had predicted, Thanos had won and finally succeeded in his plan to annihilate half the Universe. Along with the many Avengers who'd died fighting to stop him. But as far as that spoiler goes I am NOT going to tell any of you who we lost in the movie, but I'm telling you right now, a lot of them die in this story. But likely they'll all come back from the dead in some kind of Death of Superman resurrection plotline or something. So don't give your hopes up just yet!
The Dislikes
Now I think you already know what I'm going to say on this and yes you are right. It's the long running time. A problem that beats down upon Marvel films like a drum. But it's not actually as bad as some might be made to believe. As mentioned above, you get so much wonderful and exciting things happening at every turn of the movie you can so easily ignore it. But because this is a massive crossover story we're seeing here with so many characters and personalities clashing, the running time is both a blessing and a curse.
The large amount of characters in the movie can confuse the primary focus of the film at times between acts. First it follows Thor and Hulk, Then Iron-Man, Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, then Thanos, then to the Guardians of the Galaxy, then to Captain Americas Avengers and the list goes on... There is just no true point of view at all for us to follow through. Overall, it just feels almost like a 3 hour long crossover episode of Arrow where the focus shifts too fast.
The Verdict
With this history making film breaking more box-office records than the first Avengers movie alone, Infinity War lives up to every expectation on the list. You have all your favourite Marvel characters (except for the X-Men, Deadpool or Fantastic Four, Agents of Shield and Daredevil's Avengers), you have visually breath-taking sequences, sensible storytelling and heart stopping drama, a well-portrayed villain, many moments of thrills and suspense at every moment makes Infinity War the best Avengers sequel yet!
But as far as this goes, will its direct sequel in 2019 also be able to live-up to the same expectations witnessed in this one? Only time will tell. But for now, Infinity War is the greatest superhero mash-up for the ages.
I Give Infinity war a reasonable 9/10.
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)
The best ending of a trilogy I have seen in a long time!
Get your horned helmets on everybody for we have our first major review of 2019 on the horizon! Starting with How to Train your Dragon: The Hidden World. After the critical success of the original and the sequel, can The Hidden World live up to the 5 year hype? There is only one way to find out.
Plot
The Hidden World is set a year after Drago Bloodfist's attempted plot to destroy the Dragon race and enslave the Viking Nation of Berk. From the ashes of this conflict, Berk has become a major utopia for both humanity and dragons, all thanks to the first dragon rider and visionary Hiccup, who struggles to live up to his late-fathers expectations as the Chieftain of Berk. But after discovering a secret conspiracy by infamous Dragon hunter called Grimmel in his endless quest to hunt his Dragon Toothless, the last Night Fury, Hiccup and his family set out to find the legendary Hidden World of Dragons in his hope that Mankind and Dragons can continue to co-exist in peace.
Likes
How to Train your Dragon 3 (or The Hidden World I'll call it) brings us to the ultimate finale. Where the stakes are raised even higher for both the people of Berk and their Dragon allies.
The Animation for a start is a big new step for the franchise and DreamWorks films in many years. And like its predecessor the aging of characters continues to be very realistic even up to the final scene. The combination of Human and Dragon action is better than ever and the environments and settings are spectacular to gaze upon.
The Voice acting and dialogue is well orchestrated and written in with the story that flows and continues to get better from each act at a time.
The Story in general is the best I've seen in this series so far, and truly shows a large amount of tension as to how far Hiccup and Berk would go to make Man and Beast co-exist as equals. The story also brings back the long lost vibe that such films as Star Wars: Return of the Jedi had once before.
The Drama and situations are written in well and bring in much needed character developments to the leads such as Hiccup and Toothless and to newer characters. And how they End the story is brilliant and a very definitive way to close the trilogy on a high note by having the Dragons returning from whence they came in order for both Berk and Dragons to be safe from future Danger.
The characters continue to grow better such as Hiccup as he finally goes from Village nobody, to Dragon trainer, to Warrior and finally as the Chief that his father wishes him to be in perfect transition. And his chemistry with Toothless is much more personified and his aiding of him to get close to the female night fury is ingenious.
Astrid shows much more stronger development from her many other appearances and continues to be the biggest female Viking Badass in battle while showing many powerful, romantic moments with Hiccup and his daughter in-law relationship towards Hiccups Mother throughout.
The Villain may not have much of a soul-shattering human motivation like Drago did as to why he wants to kill the dragons. Grimmel is actually as much more Intelligent and far more Dangerous and resourceful antagonist than the latter. And with the acting of F.Marry Abraham, you have a very sinister foe you wouldn't want to cross.
The side characters of Gobber, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut continue to provide more and inventive comic relief. Enough to bring in many moments of laughter even when things get much more serious.
If you were expecting me to add a Dislikes Category on this review, well sorry to say this folks, this entire Movie is as flawless as a polished sports car.
Verdict
The incredible thing about this movie is that How to Train your Dragon: The Hidden World proves for the first time in many years that ending a franchise on a definitive high note IS and CAN still be made Possible. Other Animated Film series such as Shrek, Despicable Me and Cars have all tried to end their trilogies in a good way but never seem to push their boundaries enough to bring audiences something new that they could love. But never say never as The Hidden World has everything that a finale could ever want with enough story, drama, danger, humour, romance, likable characters and heart stopping twists that brings this beloved series the perfect closure it deserves!
I give How to Train your Dragon: The Hidden World an acclaim score of 10/10!
Bumblebee (2018)
Finally. The Transformers movie that truly is More Than Meets The Eye!
Transform and roll-out robot fans in disguise as we have a new and exciting review on our hands, Bumblebee. A lot of internet speculation has gone into this films expectations, now let's see if this film is up to the test.
Plot
Bumblebee is set in the early 1980's, the same time-period where the Transformers toy line first originated. The Autobots on Cybertron are nearing ultimate defeat at the hands of the evil Decepticons. Their last hope of survival now rests upon Autobot B127 (Codename Bumblebee) as he voyages to Earth only to be discovered by teenager Charlie Watson in San Francisco. After losing his vocal processors upon arrival, Bumblebee must learn to adapt in order for him to survive on Earth, protect Charlie and evade pursuing Decepticon Hunters along the way.
Likes
Bumblebee is an evolutionary origin story for the mute Autobot like no other. Unlike previous director Michael Bay, best known for his films overuse of explosions, military involvement, bland character development, Grotesque slow-motion, product placement and reuse of scenes, debuting director Travis Knight brings to life a film that replaces all of the above with a calmer new atmosphere.
First off, there is no Mark Wahlberg Horray! Secondly, the films tone is for the first time well balanced and not shifting from being too grim or to being too stupid in two seconds flat. This is a much sunnier tone that the Transformers films can work with.
The special effects and CGI are mind-blowing and greatly well-polished. Especially the Transformers designs overall. Love the revived Generation One looks. And I love that the film has more to do with the Transformers side of the story than just wasting 3 hours on a revoltingly poor human plotline in most of the sequels. Where it gives us more insight into the Autobots daring battle for salvation than just leaving them as King Kong/Godzilla Stand-ins.
The action and cinematography is fresh, clean and expertly filmed. Going from explosive firefights to true Transformer Clash of the Titan's/ Mortal Kombat style fights.
Speaking of the human characters. They aren't as much too involved in the plot and don't possess that many annoying or aggravating personality's such as *cough!* Marky Mark *cough!* *cough!* and are much diverse and developed. Even removing a few ethnic stereotypes in the process.
The female human lead Charlie Watson (Hailee Steinfeild) is a gorgeously well-developed character with a relatable motivation and a good-natured spirit. And I like how well the character bonds so well with Bumblebee without Male dominancy getting in the way of it. I would even say that her character in general is a much more likable character than that of Sam Witwicky (Shia Labeouf) and Cade Yeagar (Mark Wahlberg) combined. And of course her friend and possible love-interest Memo was also quite a fun-loving character all the same.
And surprisingly Wrestling Legend John Cena as Agent Burns was a good human antagonist. At first I thought he was going to be my most hated character in this film. But actually his character is much more than that and does have a normal human ambition of fearing what he doesn't truly understand.
At long last, the Transformers characters. First off I like how Bumblebee finally gets some more much needed character development in this film than he ever had before. We finally get to know how he lost his voice and what he had to go through to adopt this Radio Tuning voice that we hear him using in the first Transformers film. And his relationship building with Charlie was very well-written in. And the return of G1 Designs for the other transformers, oh yes! How I've missed seeing The Transformers G1 indeed.
I like how the film overall keeps close to the Transformers source-material and how they brought back some of the 80's theme that made the franchise a joy to remember.
Dislikes
As with every Transformers film, there will always be something to despise about them. Luckily for us this time, Bumblebee's problems are minimal as those of previous Transformers Sequels (E.G. Age of Extinction & The Last knight).
The humour in generally is exceptionally good, but can somewhat get a bit iffy up and down in many places. Such as John Cena repeatedly shooting a man in the face with a paintball gun for instance which would cause a lot of harm in real life. And trust me, paintballs HURT the most in the head and I know. That's probably my biggest gripe with the humour on that bombshell, but let's be honest, I'd rather be seeing that than watching the Bee "Lubricating" upon a helpless individual such as Seymour Simmons.
Transformer deaths and a few action sequences are a bit overkill (not that Bumblebee had much of a choice in the matter though). Such as a few huge unrealistic explosions happening every time Bumblebee uses his Cannon, and when he kills some Decepticons such as Starscream and Dropkick. Of course, Mister Explosive himself was still producing so we probably should've been aware of that anyway. Lucky for us, the explosions aren't too present and glorified as often as before, so don't panic.
But overall, the dislikes for Bumblebee are the smallest that I have ever seen in Transformers for a long, long time.
Verdict
Several years of wacky, inescapably bad entries into a hugely divisive film series. Held responsible for almost killing the Transformers toyline altogether. Bumblebee is that long-awaited antidote to cure the Transformers of that humiliation. The Bumblebee stays true to the Transformers lore while offering clean honest fun, excitement, simple story and pacing, dazzling effects, character building, rip-roaring action and high octane suspense that makes Bumblebee the ultimate come-back film of the entire decade!
And to end this review on a high note, I personally want to thank Travis Knight for giving me, Transformers fans and 80's fans alike exactly what we wanted.
I give Bumblebee 8½/10.
God of War (2018)
A New Godslaying adventure like never before!
Hello and welcome. Today we are reviewing the new game God of War on PS4, the latest entry into the mega-popular God of War series.
Since I've played through the entire game, I've got a lot of things to say about this game. So let's get to it.
Plot:
God of War 2018 (or God of War 4 if you wanna call it) takes place many many or so years after the catastrophic events of God of War III. Where we once again follow series protagonist Kratos who has moved on from his vengeful slaughter of the Greek Gods and is now living in Scandinavia with a young son named Atreus. But when Kratos new life is threatened at the might of the Norse Gods, he must teach Atreus to learn how to survive in a strange and untamed land. All the while undertaking a personal quest through the nine realms to scatter his wife's ashes.
Gameplay:
Unlike the original God of War Trilogy where you were traversing through mazes, fighting hordes of monsters with ground-breaking combos, solving puzzles, enduring horrendous button pressing sequences and getting laid with a few desperate woman here and there. Now moving on 8 years later from all that and you a whole new atmosphere where the gameplay is very different. Instead of just attacking enemies at random with the Chaos Blades, you are now fighting your enemies with the Leviathan axe at various ranks at a more strategic level. Where every attack and move you make always counts. Blocking and evasion are always constant.
The graphics and textures were pretty lifelike for a God of War game. Especially the environments you walk through natural or manmade.
What I like about the new game is the new additional features. Such as the addition of an open world, where you can explore canyons, Dwarven mines, snowy mountains and the lake of nine in centre. Not just that, you can also explore a few of the nine realms of Alfeim, Muspelheim, Nifilheim and Jotunheim. But not Asgard as of yet sorry.
Characters:
Because this is a very very new entry into the God of War series, there are a number of new characters that have been introduced.
For a start, I'm glad to see Kratos again as the playable character in this game (and perfectly alive of course). And I like how he basically is no longer this aggressive, bloodthirsty warrior that had nothing better to do than throw angry sentences around at everyone he met. Instead this time he is all calm, stoic, relaxed and how he is more supportive of Atreus as a fatherly figure throughout the game. Especially when he calls him BOY all the time! It is a good thing to see, because I did find Kratos's anger issues slightly overdone in the series and it is nice to see Kratos break that streak. Unlike God of War III, This time he is voiced by Christopher Judge unlike TC Carson before him. I also admired the voice change, because for a new God of War game in this time, we really needed to have a much newer, but older Kratos. I can imagine how very different this game would have been without him. But he's here now.
The most notable new addition at this point is Kratos's new Son, Atreus (voiced exclusively by Sunny Sujek). Like most videogame sidekicks, I usually had a bad feeling that Atreus would be annoying to have as a character around. But I was so wrong. He actually is a pretty decent character. Where you can command him to do stuff like attack enemies weak spots and help Kratos solve challenging puzzles. You also get a lot of times where you see witness a lot of powerful father/son moments with him whenever something goes wrong or something truly magical happens around them. All in all, Atreus is an acceptable entry.
So what about those two dwarf guys? So the first one you meet, Brok is usually this grumpy, loudmouth Dwarf you encounter trying to cross a rickety old bridge with his... bird/donkey hybrid mount or whatever it is. And he swears a lot. But you'll learn to love him.
And then you meet his much nicer brother Sindri later who also helps Kratos and Atreus on their quest (and also upgrades Krato's Axe as well). Who doesn't have blue skin like the former. But the problem between them is they're brothers who somewhat had a falling out with each other prior to now.
Mimir was my favourite of them all. He is like this other Norse God who was forced to spend the rest of his life by Odin as a tree then he asks you to cut of his head and carry him around with you all the time. I really found his heart-warming personality quite enjoyable and how he watches your back in the midst of combat. I do also enjoy how he tells you all these tales about the Norse legends and lore every time you row your boat across the Lake of Nine. But sadly ends every time you make land.
Another character called Freya or the Witch in the woods is another Norse God, but is not evil unlike the rest of her family. Who was exiled to mudguard by Odin after an incident befell their marriage. And this the very first time since Pandora that we have another female supporting character that isn't just there to use Kratos for her own gain. And is very nice to both him and Atreus. Even though Kratos despises her for being a Goddess.
The games main antagonist is the Norse God of Baldur. He is this short, but massively tattooed man that attacks Kratos and Atreus at their house. We also find out he is on a quest of his own to settle a personal vendetta against his mother Freya (see above). He was a very unpredictable antagonist, mainly because I kept on thinking Loki or Odin himself were going to reveal themselves as the villains of the story. The two boss battles against him almost felt as if you're fighting him in a superhero movie. Then of course you break his neck after saving Freya from being killed by him and Ragnarok is basically around the corner. Great job Kratos!
Even if you get to see the Norse Gods of Baldur, Mimir, Freya, Magni and Modi. Unfortunately, they're the only ones currently present in the game. But I have a feeling we might be seeing more of them in God of War 5 in future.
Honestly, every one of them are all good. You get a few that are very funny, lukewarming. Then you get a few that are all serious and rugged just like the previous games. But you really feel you are getting more good chemistry in the characters than just having them at odds with Kratos all the time like before. And that IS perfect.
The Verdict?
With a new fresh setting, tone, simple plotting and pacing, all-new combat, the return of the main protagonist, a strong new cast of characters and monsters. God of War 4 is a sequel you cannot afford to miss as a PS4 gamer. In today's gaming world where Online multiplayer, Micro transactions and Loot boxes have the world of gaming at its knees, God of War 4 lacks all of those things and can still be a well-created success. So get your fur coats on, grab your leviathan axe, your son, your daughter and your canoe together and go out there and witness an adventure like never before.
I give God of War 2018 a perfect score of 10/10!
Red Dead Redemption II (2018)
Outlaws to the End.
8 years ago, Rockstar Games released Red Dead Redemption, a wild western videogame. That followed the journey of former Outlaw Jack Marston on an enduring quest to free his family from the clutches of the government by bringing his former gang to justice. The game and its story received critical acclaim and won over 100 Game of the Year Awards.
And now in the year 2018, R* presents to us the long awaited follow-up, Red Dead Redemption II. A prequel set in 1899 a decade before the events of the original. The story follows that of veteran outlaw Arthur Morgan, who is caught in a feud between the struggles of his gang forced to live life on the run from the law in a vastly Modernising United States. But in the end Arthur Morgan will have to decide whether to adjust to this change or die by the loyalties of the very gang that he calls family.
Red Dead Redemption II unlike its predecessor is very much a different game. The gameplay is much more advanced, fluid and offering intense realism in every way possible. From finding and eating food to keep up strength, to resting in a bed and insuring your horse stays healthy and well feed. The Graphics and environmental decal are visually lifelike and wildlife even deadlier than the last.
New gameplay challenges have been added to test how far you will go to preserve your honour. While out in the wilderness you have the opportunity to either help strangers with problems or talk your way out of an unnecessary situation such as trespassing. Breaking the rules will result in losing your honour. If you manage to keep your morale high, the game world can work to your advantage.
The story so far lacks the whole "Redemption" theme that its predecessor once had in the narrative. Regardless the story in this game is meant to tell a tale of outlaws trying to survive and escape the law in a modernising world that they can't keep up with. Robbing who they can, making all the money that they can get. All of the characters from main lead Arthur Morgan, to big boss Dutch Van Der Linde, to John Marston himself and many others have good chemistry and bring about many unforgettable moments of Brotherhood and Kinship. If the whole plan of earning enough to escape the outlaw life stays true that is.
Though the only things about this game that I dislike are some of the control options the game gives you. They aren't all bad in terms of easy access but can prove to be very convoluted. Such as talking or greeting NPCS can be very daunting to achieve. Especially if you get into trouble by mistakenly pressing the wrong button. And unarmed combat controls and mechanics are not properly as furbished as that of Rockstar's GTA V. You have yet again too many convoluted actions even within defence or engagement. It can make fist fights in the game a very frustration dilemma to pass.
Despite this, the game is very well furbished in its gunplay as weapons have much more of a predictable recoil pattern and requires you time to take in a good aim. Oh and your weapons will deteriorate their quality so you have to keep them well maintained in order to keep the fight going.
The Verdict?
Though I admit the story is not as engaging as its predecessor's was. Red Dead Redemption II takes us back to when the Outlaws of the west were nearing the end of their power and the struggles they faced towards change. In a story never told for the first time that is just as ground-breaking enough to nearly match that of the original. If story is not your thing, The Open-world is rich in detail, wildlife and activities, the realistic gameplay is intensive and challenging, the music keeps the Wild West rhythm alive and solid characterisation all around. If you really wanted to live life on the run from the Sheriffs and Outlaws like a true Cowboy, then you have found the right game for you.
Just make sure to watch that you don't fall off your horse! (Like my first time)
I give RDRII 10/10.
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
Worst movie ever. Of all time.
From the first 10 minutes of this films near 3 hour long running time, this has nothing but offered me a massive f*ck you to the face! The story lacks detail and heart only relying on a barrage of special effects, dumb choice of shameful dialogue and acting, useless and tiring scenes no one cares about, containing over 100 tons of product placement at every scene while explosions go off uncalled for in the background! If you have an IQ of 160! Avoid this at any particular cost!