Batman Arkham Knight Review

Batman Arkham Knight Review

I’ll be reviewing the PS4 version I’ll say now, I realise the state of the PC version was disgraceful when released but I personally played the PS4 version so that’s what I can talk about.

 

So Batman Arkham Knight is the final Batman Arkham game by developer Rocksteady and overall it was a really good way to finish what has been a really good series, PC notwithstanding. I’ll start by talking about it in terms of gameplay and the gameplay is really rather excellent. It expands on the brawling and stealth elements of Arkham City making it easy to pick up again but provides enough new moves and enemy types to prevent it from feeling stale.

 

The melee combat is as satisfying as ever using the same system as previous games. You have your basic attack button, a stun button and the counter button. You are provided with gadgets that can be mixed in and are sometime required to take down enemies in combat. It feels as slick as ever and provides some incredibly satisfying brawls throughout the game. Another cool feature is fighting alongside and ally, which while not adding a whole lot to the mechanics does feel like a very Batman thing to do and let’s face it, we do play these games to feel like Batman.

 

The predator elements are also pretty similar to before. The new moves and gadgets you get feel extremely powerful at first but then once new enemies are introduced (My favourite being the ones that do not show up in detective vision) as well as greater numbers of enemies who work together makes the predator situations still feel challenging and satisfying.

 

The big new feature is the Batmobile. Diving the Batmobile through the streets where everything is annihilated as you smash through it is very satisfying and it controls well without handling too sharply to make it feel silly. I particularly enjoyed the side missions where you had to chase down enemy cars and try to smash them off the road. The big issue with the Batmobile were the tanks battles. Not only did they take up pretty much every boss battle but `they felt forced and got kind of tedious. You avoid the red lines that show where missiles are going, shoot a drone and repeat. They became very frustrating when you had no way of avoiding getting shot and had to start all over again. The Batmobile felt like a good addition while using its winch to solve puzzles and using it when you wanted to propel yourself out of it or drive around quickly, basically when it wasn’t forced on you, however when you were required to use it for missions it quickly became frustrating.

 

I’m hardly someone who is overly interested in graphics but for what it’s worth the game looks very nice. Everything from the detail to the rain effects and the characters models look very nice. More importantly you get a large map of Gotham to explore full of stuff to do whether it be Riddler trophies, side quests or just goons who needed a good punch to the head. It’s a big game that will keep you occupied for a long time.

 

I’ve heard mixed responses to the plot of this game. Personally I’d call it sort of up and down. After the brilliant scarecrow sections in Arkham Asylum I expected big things from him having his own game but he wasn’t really particularly interesting. They didn’t really use the psychological elements that Scarecrow lends himself too and used him as kind of a standard villain. The Arkham Knight was similar, he didn’t have much interesting personality and the mystery behind who he is doesn’t keep your interest very well and it’s pretty obvious who he is anyway. That’s not to say it’s a terrible plot, there are some really well done dramatic moments and twists and while the main two villains are kind of bland the way Joker is integrated into the game is very well done and a fantastic use of the character (And don’t worry they don’t bring him back to life or anything stupid like that).

 

You could very easily argue that this is the best game in the Arkham franchise and that is high praise. While personally Arkham Asylum was the most enjoyable game for me personally when I first played it through due to the deep atmosphere from the more closed off environment I do think Arkham Knight is better than Arkham City and would highly recommend the console version to anyone with a next gen console.

 

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Jurassic World Review

Jurassic World Review

After all these years since the first Jurassic park one thing hasn’t changed and that’s that dinosaurs are still awesome.

 

I wasn’t a fan of the original Jurassic Park and I’ve never seen either of the two sequels (Although I’m assured they’re pretty abysmal) so I can talk about this new film with no nostalgia to influence this review.

 

To cut to the chase I really enjoyed Jurassic World, I think it did a large amount of things well. I liked the characters in this film and while they weren’t exactly original, there’s the badass former military guy and the cold women who’ll learn passion and love but these arcs were done well and both were fun and likeable. Being a Jurassic film means there obviously has to be kid characters and they were okay too, the older one in particular progressing throughout the film.

 

Some of the side characters were quite well done too. While not overly memorable they were fun to watch such as the rich person who owns Jurassic World and the science comic relief man.  The biggest weakness in the character roster was the villain and while I won’t spoil who it is, it is pretty damn obvious. He was pretty much just a dumb cartoon character which was kind of disappointing and made you wonder why a film about a hybrid dinosaur killing machine needed a human villain.

 

The most important characters of the film arguably however are the dinosaurs.  The thing to get out the way is the effects are fine. They’re not ground breaking like the first Jurassic park but they’re not bad and I never really noticed them which can’t be a bad thing. The hybrid dinosaur itself wasn’t anywhere near as stupid as I thought it would be. Take one look at it and you can probably guess what dinosaurs have been combined to make it but it served as a good monster for an antagonist for the film.

  
 

Everyone saw the trailer and thought the raptors looked like they’d be ridiculous. Were they tame or something? As it turns out no, the film made it very clear that they were still wild animals and killers. I liked their integration into the plot, they played quite a big role and they weren’t silly so that’s good although it really bugs me that these Jurassic films have such a focus on Raptors, a dinosaur from the cretaceous period.

 

Honestly you can see where the plot is going throughout the film and nothing was really surprising and the pacing seemed a little off. It seemed to have quite a slow build up before at one point everything went crazy. It would be kind of like slowly cooking a jacket potato in an oven for a while before deciding to shoot it with a rocket launcher. The first half of the film was good too while the second half was a little up and down. Jurassic world had some really good creative scenes with others that felt really forced and kind of messy.

 

The thing is, it’s a fun mess. I found out afterwards that part of the team that worked on Pacific Rim worked on Jurassic World and that seems like a good comparison to me. It’s no masterpiece but I don’t think it’s really trying to be. At the end of the day it was well acted, kept you on for the ride and was fun and for a cynical mind like mine to be able to look past all the dumb stuff in the film it must have done something right.

 

 

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Arrow Season 3 Episode 22 - This is your Sword Review

Arrow Season 3 Episode 22 – This is your Sword Review

So things are getting intense.

 

Episode 22, This is you Sword follows team Arrow heading to Nanda Parbat to prevent the use of the Alpha-Omega bioweapon. Meanwhile Thea hunts down Roy and in the flashbacks Oliver and Maseo try to hunt down a cure for the bioweapon to use on Akio.

 

I really enjoyed this episode, overall it was really strong and I hardly have any faults with it. My favourite thing about the episode was seeing team Arrow interacting with Oliver now they think he has betrayed them and gone to the league. Props to Stephen Amell, he pulled off the Al Sah-him character really well and sure had me fooled that he had changed for good. Seeing his former allies, especially Diggle being so enraged at him was done really well and at the same time really painful to see such a strong bond broken especially seeing as Oliver is putting on a façade for this whole thing.

 

I also enjoyed the scenes with Ra’s and Malcom. Ra’s as I’ve said before carries such presence and power and it is very apparent that he is the most dangerous man on earth. Malcom is always a joy to watch, you’re never quite sure of his intentions and it makes him extremely interesting. He also has some charm and almost decency but in a sick and twisted kind of way that makes him an interesting character. Despite how many bad things he does it is as if he sees himself as the good guy and convinces himself he is doing the right thing. It makes for an interesting character.

 

Remember last season when after every episode of Arrow you’d think wow Felicity is awesome. She’s strong and has some sass and wit without being a typical strong female stereotype and brings some humour to what is quite a dark show. These days Laurel is the character that does that for me. I find myself looking forward to her in every scene she’s in and I have actually really enjoyed her growth from someone who I thought was pretty pointless and not needed into arguably the level headed and strongest member of team Arrow. Thea is similar in how I used to find her a whiney brat and now I’m looking forward to where her character is going. I want to see some after effects to the Lazarus pit but equally I enjoy how now she tries to fix her problems instead of crying about them as she did when she went to find Roy.

 

Speaking of Roy I want him back on the show. He had developed into a good character, one who while similar to Oliver in some ways was an individual and could have plots focused on him. Saying that the way he left this episode I think was perfect for the character he has become. He became Arsenal to do the right thing and that’s exactly what he did and now you could argue he’s saved both Oliver and Thea, keeping Oliver out of prison and giving Thea purpose again.

 

The big fight with the assassin’s vs Team Arrow was one of my favourite fight scene all series. I thought it was really well done and it was simply entertaining, plus I’m glad Ray turned up, he’s another character I look forward to seeing developed more in the spin off show (It cracked me up seeing him talk to Ra’s al Ghul, maybe I’m just easily pleased). The fight was entertaining but also had some emotion behind it with Katana and Maseo In their battle. It was quite tragic seeing them have to fight like that, especially for Katana who has now seen both her Son and Husband die in her arms. I do think some more time devoted to them in previous episodes would have been good as this kind of came out the blue having Katana back but she is a really cool character and hopefully she’ll be important in the finale.

 

I even thought the flashbacks were decent in this episode, a rare thing recently. They weren’t amazing but I did enjoy them and it didn’t just feel like being taken out of the much more interesting plot as they did tie in to the present day. Not much more to say on them, they all things considered they were okay.

 

I had one problem, Felicity. Man can she whine. I remember back when she was strong and witty and had a fire inside her. We still see glimpses but for the most part she isn’t that same great character I remember. I realise she’s going through a lot and I like seeing characters going through tough ordeals but it’s being just too much of a downer. Diggle is going through a lot too and he still remains interesting and not whiney. Don’t get me wrong I don’t dislike her, she’s just not quite the same. The thing that sums it up for me is when all team Arrow were locked up and she starts about how Oliver is marrying Nyssa. It seemed a little over dramatic and like something out of a soap opera. It’s not even like I’m against the whole Olicity thing, I think it can work as long as they stick with it throughout the seasons and don’t just throw it aside for a new love interest and thus undermining all that happened this season. Not a major complaint, I still like her as a character, I’m more just a fan of Laurel now instead.

 

Next episode is the final episode of the season :’(. Who knows what I’m going to watch on television for the months afterwards (Suggestions will be appreciated) but despite having some ups and downs I do think they have set up this final episode extremely well. I look forward to the finale after a solid episode today.

 

Endless Legend - Game Review

Endless Legend – Game Review

So recently I was trying to complete the four 20 mode on Five Nights at Freddy’s. However partly because it’s stupid and partly because I suck I couldn’t do it so a friend recommended I give a game on steam a go. It was called Endless Legend and there was a free trial for it on Steam at the time so while I don’t often play strategy games I thought it was worth trying out. A few weeks later here I am having clocked in far too many hours into it and recommending it to anyone I can find.

 

Endless legend is a 4X strategy game based in the fantasy lands of Auriga. The first thing that struck me when opening the game was its beautiful art style. To be blunt the game looks great, the varying climates of Auriga all look superb and each individual unit and city style to each faction has a unique and interesting look to them. The fantasy setting gives the game a unique feel and it was a joy to explore the map of Auriga.

 

Looking nice is great but the real important thing in a game is gameplay so what’s that like? On the surface it is similar to any other 4X strategy game. You found city’s you create military units to battle against other players as well as the minor factions scattered across the land, the games currency dust is used to upkeep your city, units and accelerate your production of buildings and units. Depending on where your city is built different stats, are increased, you research new technologies and you can win by eliminating everyone else, reaching a certain amount of wealth or by being diplomatic, the usual. However Endless Legend has some very unique and innovative features. Each faction has a unique quest line to complete and completing all your quests first grants you a victory. This was interesting as each faction had a different quest line with a cool story attached. The aforementioned minor factions can be pacified through bribery, destroying and rebuilding or completing a quest for them. Then you can assimilate them into your empire which not only gives you a bonus depending on the minor faction but also gives you access to a new type of unique unit. Maybe your faction you are using doesn’t have access to archers then assimilate the Jotus, a two headed wolf type people, and you’ll be able to use their archer units.

 

Another great feature is the battling system. You can automate battles but you can also move your units manually for a tactical fight. Each unit has different speeds and attacking power and defence and sometimes using terrain to your advantage can be key. Once I had a huge army, vastly outnumbering a friends but he had some extremely powerful archers on top of a cliff. My units had to go the long way round to reach his archers and thus they were picked off before they could reach him. Tactics like this mean the battles require thought and are not just reliant on numbers and having the most powerful units. This is further epitomized by the heroes in the game. They have built in RPG elements, they level up and you can place new skills into three separate skill trees. Depending on your empire and situation you may find it better to assign a hero to an army for that extra edge in battle or it may be beneficial to assign them to a city to boost your income and science. Even when assigned to a city they can still defend it if it is attacked and they can be reassigned as many times as you please so picking the appropriate skill points is vital.

 

Heroes along with normal units can also be upgraded with stronger equipment as you find and start mining better strategic resources. You start with basic level 1 iron equipment but as you progress through the research eras you gain access to stronger iron equipment. You can also mine strategic resources that can be used to create even more powerful weapons and armour. The catch is you have to wait until you can mine them so while you would like to give all your troops Hyperium weaponry, if you’re at war and need units quickly this may not be possible. You can however upgrade your earlier units that start with iron and give them stronger weapons once you have acquired the materials meaning your earlier troops do not become useless during the late game. What the game calls luxury resources are also available. Using these gives your empire a boost in a certain way, wine for example makes all your cities a lot happier, I guess they’re all too drunk to notice what’s actually going on.

 

What usually puts me off strategy games is after a couple games it feels like I’m just repeating the same things over and over. So far with Endless Legend I haven’t experienced this at all, each game feels fresh and new. This in part is due to the 8 different factions. Unlike other strategy games each faction plays differently, whether it’s never being at peace with the Necrophages or only being able to found one city with the Cultists or my personal favourites, the Broken Lords not having access to food but instead using the games currency dust to grow population and heal units. Each faction not only looks completely different they all have unique traits and abilities making them more suited to certain playstyles and situations. This gives a different experience every time you pick a new faction to play as. All this means you are never having the same play through twice as you never know where you’ll find certain recourses or what you’ll have access too.

 

I found a lot of enjoyment through the Diplomacy screen. You can trade with other empires, form alliances, ask them to attack other empires and generally feel like you are interacting with the other players in Auriga. The research system is also enjoyable, instead of research trees like other games you can research any technology from your current era. This allows you to not limit yourself to one playstyle as you play through the game.

 

There is one noticeable problem I found however that is worth mentioning and that is that the game isn’t quite as polished as other games available. Both my friend and I have experienced a few crashes and the game can be a little buggy at times. Sometimes I would click on something and it wouldn’t register and once I had a hero randomly disappear. The AI at times also isn’t great, units can go completely the wrong way in battles, costing you their lives and sometimes the enemy AI is not very responsive when they’re supposed to be at war.

 

What Endless Legend does have however is personality. The visual style as well as ambient sound track provides a superb setting for a game you will invest a lot of time into. This game gives a unique and innovative take on the 4X strategy game genre and I found its occasional lack of polish to be irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. With some great gameplay, interesting lore and backstory and superb ambience to boot, Endless Legend is a game I can definitely recommend.

Star Wars the Empire Strikes Back - Review

Star Wars the Empire Strikes Back – Review

After the trailer we all saw a few days ago I was really in the mood for Star Wars. It’d been way too long since I had watched the Empire Strikes back and I was curious to see whether it’s as good as I always think it is.  When asked my favourite film I would always proudly admit it was the Empire Strikes back so how was it now? Let you be warned there will be spoilers although let’s face it, everyone in the universe knows what happens in this film.

 

The Empire Strikes Back follows the aftermath of the Rebellion destroying the Death Star. A good film needs a good plot and this film definitely has that. The first film set a great foundation and Empire really ups the stakes. It would have been very easy to unite the same crew as last time and send them all off but instead after a short time our main protagonists get separated. This was a great move as not only did it allow more locations and thus show us more of the world that was being created but also meant the characters had new challenges to overcome.

 

If plot is the bread then characters are the butter and a sandwich with butter is a dry and thirsty experience, so how were the characters? We’ll start with our main protagonist Luke. A bit of a tangent here but when you think of the prequels what is one of the main things that sticks out? For me it’s how irritating Anakin was. I am not criticising the actor, honestly considering what tripe he had to work with I think he did a decent job. This is especially apparent in scenes with no dialogue but the point is he was whiney and stuck up and perhaps most importantly for this kind of story, completely unreliable. Luke could be whiney at times but it was never annoying because we could kind of see what he was saying. He reacted to how many people would but he was still brave and determined and all those good things you want in a hero. Unlike what the prequels did with Anakin, Luke was written to kind of stray the border at times with good and bad and it wouldn’t be unfeasible to see him go either way but at the same time we wanted to see him succeed.

 

The other two main leads, Han Solo and Princess Leia spend a lot of time together throughout the film and take up a lot of screen time so if they had no chemistry this would be a huge problem. Luckily they’re really enjoyable to watch. I’m a huge fan of Han Solo, he’s the kind of character I’d like to think I was similar too even though I know it’s definitely not the case. He’s if nothing else, really cool. More than that though he was a character I enjoyed seeing the growth of. He started out in the first Star Wars as just in it for the money and let’s face it, a bit selfish. He develops though from the guy who shot first into a genuinely good guy, one you could always rely on. He never loses that swagger and bravado that makes him such a great character to begin with.

 

Leia doesn’t quite have such an arc, she doesn’t change anywhere near as much as Luke or Han but that doesn’t mean she’s not interesting. She is strong and she holds her own and she doesn’t need to be rescued all the time. I also like the chemistry between Han and Leia, they do bounce of each other well and again unlike the prequel it is like a real romance. You do believe what’s happening, you don’t just have to assume they’re in love because George Lucas says so.

 

Now I need to talk about Darth Vader. Right. Do villains get any better? I doubt it, Vader was a powerhouse in this film. Like everything else he really stepped it up for the Empire Strikes Back. He was far more evil here and while we saw him do a few cool things in the first film we really get an idea of his power here. He executes people by choking them, he throws stuff at Luke and the lightsaber duel is superb, it really highlights how easy Vader finds it to block Luke’s assaults. Vader is powerful but he’s also complex and while his character isn’t explored that much there are subtle moments with him that I absolutely love. I loved it when we saw the back of his head and how it was all scared and I like seeing him bow to the Emperor. Little moments like that I thought did a great job of showing us a bit more without having to spell it out to us.

 

Of course there are so many great supporting characters it’s hard to fit them all in to one blog post. Yoda was a fantastic mentor character, we are always aware there is more to him but it never just gives it all away and equally we are shown how wise he is. Chewbacca has great interactions with Han, C3PO has some good lines (I especially like it when Han is making his move on Leia and runs charges into the room exclaiming about some random sci-fi gibberish). Lando is like more awesome cool smuggler character and Boba Fett for all 12 seconds he’s there is just plain awesome.

 

There are some amazing scenes in this movie, I’ve already mentioned the show down with Luke and Vader, the chase through the asteroid field is great, the battle for Hoth was cool and one of my favourite ever movie scenes is in this movie. It’s where Han gets frozen in carbonite and it’s a fantastic scene. The line I know was so fitting and such a great way of emphasizing the moment.  The music is perfect and then we see Vader’s helmet through the smoke! I love that scene.

 

There’s so much more I could talk about and I could go on for pages and pages but instead I’ll answer the question of is the Empire Strikes back as good as it has been in my head. Absolutely, the film is a masterpiece and if you’re one of the 3 people on earth who hasn’t seen it then I highly recommend you do.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Film Review

The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Film Review

What do you think of when you think of a Disney film? Personally I imagine a fairy tale with a likeable main protagonist lots of magic and wonder and a pleasant tale of good triumphing over evil. Something like that. I haven’t read Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame but if I’m not mistaken it’s a dark and twisted story about the corruption of Church and it involves huge amounts of death, attempted rape and most the main characters dead. Not quite the same really so this does seem like a strange film for Disney to make. Furthermore this film came out after Pocahontas where Disney was starting to lose some of its popularity. This film had the making of a disaster so I sat down last week feeling extremely ill looking forward to ripping it apart. About ninety minutes later I had a film that made me wish I had written my top 5 animated films list after seeing this rather than before.

 

Does this film have problems? Yes it does. Is it perfect? Absolutely not? But the good in this film is so good I couldn’t not talk about it. The Hunchback of Notre Dame is about a hunchback named Quasimodo who lives in the bell tower of Notre Dame. He cannot leave and only interactions come with Judge Claude Frollo, a highly religious man who teaches Quasimodo to see himself as an abomination. The film is primarily about Quasimodo’s quest for acceptance and happiness as he eventually leaves the tower for the Festival of Fools and meets the Gypsy girl Esmeralda.

 

Let’s start with the story. While not the films strongest point it’s by no means bad. It’s pacing is a little off at times and it does occasionally feel slightly clunky but the film is in its characters, not plot. The film seemed to struggle whether to do what it wanted or be as faithful as possible to the novel, which as a Disney film we know won’t happen. It also confused me why the crowd randomly turned on Quasimodo and how abruptly Esmeralda and Phoebus fall in love. However it was enjoyable and the progression in the characters was clear, so I can’t complain.

 

Quasimodo is a very likeable character. It doesn’t take long for us to really get behind him and feel sorry for him, he has been so unfortunate in his life. While not the most subtle metaphor, him looking so ugly does make a point as he is such a kind individual with the purest of intentions. It’s impossible not to like this guy as he’s so endearing and good natured. However he’s not so perfect that he’s not realistic. He makes mistakes and uniquely for a Disney film he doesn’t get the girl but I can’t help but feel happy for him when he finds his acceptance and moves on with his life.

 

The love interest of the film (Quite a busy one with three guys after her) is a Gypsy named Esmeralda. She’s okay I guess but nothing special. She’s just your typical nice but independent female lead. Maybe the fact that she’s a Gypsy but acts kindly towards Quasimodo is supposed to be interesting but I didn’t really get that if it was the case. There’s nothing wrong with her, she’s just not particularly engaging. The same applies to Phoebus and their romance. Phoebus is the new captain of the guard and again there’s nothing really wrong with him. He had good intentions, he helps people etc he is kind of like the typical Disney Prince cliché, just a little bland. The romance between then is pretty dull too, they just throw one liners at each other and then fall in love. It does make more sense plot wise for them to be together it just doesn’t grasp my interest.

 

The main thing I wanted to talk about is the villain Frollo. This is a superb villain. His actions and intentions are as diabolical as any villain I can think of but he sees himself as a soldier for God and free of sin. He gets away with his awful deeds by convincing everyone, including himself that he’s doing it as an act of God. It makes not just a great villain, but a great character in general. He is very developed and interesting and is the best part of the film. His motivations are very controversial for a Disney film, he is essentially abusing his power as he lusts over Esmeralda. It’s twisted and almost shocking but at the same time it was interesting to see from a Disney film. It’s awful the way he makes Quasimodo inadequate is horrific and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing when I saw the old man smelling the young woman’s hair. Frollo was without doubt a fantastic villain.

 

Speaking of shocking, some of the imagery in this film was certainly unconventional from Disney, as was the constant talk of God and religion. I enjoyed the music in this film, not because it was catchy but because it was powerful and told the story. The opening song and Hellfire song in particular were great and I particularly enjoyed the choir which was powerful and impactful. The Hellfire song was very risqué for Disney with the imagery of a seductive woman, the begging to banish Esmeralda to Hell and Hell’s fire. This song was great because it gave us insight into Frollo and how he believes he isn’t to blame despite his many sins. It does exactly what a song should do in a musical and describe how the character is feeling and what is behind his or her motivations.

 

There were some problems however. The Gipsies and their culture in the film I thought were confusing, especially for a younger audience. It portrays them as thieves and uncivilised creatures at times, but at other times you’re supposed to be sympathetic at how they’re misunderstood. Then you see their fortress and it’s full of all their stolen stuff, but then Esmeralda, the one they all seem to look up to is kind and caring. Frollo wants to kill them all but Phoebus who is a high class civilian pity’s them. Even the Festival of Fools is conflicting in its messages. They come across at first as fun loving at first but they turn on Quasimodo quickly and practically bully and insult him to a point where he is extremely upset. Only Esmeralda is kind to him out of the entire Gypsy crowd. There song was odd too, not that it was bad, it was fairly entertaining but maybe it was just me but I found something about it quite uncomfortable and almost slightly off, like it was implying they were quite nefarious. Not the most important aspect of the film but certainly worth mentioning.

 

I’m never really a fan of the comic relief in these kind of films and here was no exception. They weren’t the worst comic relief I’ve ever seen, but in a darker film such as this they did feel more out of place. I never find these characters funny and while they weren’t so obnoxious that they spoilt the movie I did still find them irritating. I did enjoy them more when they appeared to be imaginary, it made sense for Quasimodo’s character to make imaginary friends but you see them in the final battle at the end fighting the guards and you realise they just come to life. They could be worse but they are a weaker aspect of the film.

 

The film is however grand in scale. The animation particularly Notre Dame itself was fantastic and the film just appeared huge. On top of this the Choir suits the film brilliantly as it gets across the feeling and tone of the film as well as simply sounding great. It was one of Disney’s more controversial and risky films but at the same time it’s one I think they did an excellent job with and one that I can see why they wanted to make this instead of just another fairy tale. As I said earlier it’s not perfect, it’s not that faithful to the novel. It is however and incredibly interesting adaptation, a deep and intriguing main character and villain with in depth motivation and personality and it is definitely worth a watch. If you haven’t seen it then I really advise you do, it really is worth your time.

Frozen - Film Review

Frozen - Film Review

Hey Matt you should watch Frozen, many people said to me. It’s really good and it has a great message for young girls. So I watched Frozen and what was the main thing I took away from the experience. Don’t listen to people, they will only end up telling you to watch films like this one and you’ll end up majorly disappointed.

 

The film is about two sisters, Elsa and Anna. After the death of her parents Elsa is due to be coroneted as queen but she has a random assortment of ice powers that would throw the whole kingdom in jeopardy. Anna must save the kingdom and Elsa from her own powers and prevent an eternal winter.

 

The films main protagonist is a young girl named Anna. She’s a vibrant and innocent young girl full of life and energy. She is also painfully naïve and at times stupid. Yes she’s been deprived of social interaction by the world’s worst parents (although one must question why she doesn’t go out occasionally). But she still wants to marry a guy she met during that same day, she’s easily manipulated and let’s face it, she not very capable of doing anything on her own. I understand she was extremely sheltered but this made her un-relatable. I get these are her flaws but even with these she seems a bit too jolly and innocent in what is a pretty dire situation. I have to say also she is not a good role model. She is swept of her feet by a handsome and charming prince in about 5 minutes, just because other characters point out how dumb this is it doesn’t take away from the fact she wanted to marry someone she met a few hours ago.

 

Elsa is far more interesting. She is conflicted and understandably so about her powers but also not wanting to live a life of solitude. Furthermore she is pretty intense when she decides to let it go (see what I did there) and let all her powers take control and dispel all her despairs and fears of hurting people. What makes her more interesting is that she is obviously flawed. This doesn’t make her a weak damsel in distress, instead it puts her questionable actions in context and makes her more interesting as a result.  However her character weaken ironically when Anna turns up in her ice castle. She goes straight back the broken character while I would’ve liked to have seen her remain more cold and distant, at least at first. It would’ve made it far more rewarding when she does the right thing and understand the infinite power of love (no really) at the end.

 

I hate the snowman, he’s annoying and not funny and thus I refuse to use his name. I get that he’s comic relief, but that’s not an excuse for his annoyance. He doesn’t even attempt to make jokes, I think the running gag is his head falls off. It’s just not funny. Other than that he makes random statements and I wish he hadn’t been in the film at all.

 

Now the villain so spoilers I guess but to be fair it’s pretty damn obvious. Prince Hans seems like a typical prince but as soon as another male is introduced you know he will become the villain. He has pretty much no personality at all outside of being a typical charming prince and then power hungry ruler. What else is there to say, he is pretty boring.

 

The actual love interest, Kristoff is really strange. What kept bugging me is he shares carrots with his reindeer who he seems to like just a bit too much. Also why does Kristoff talk for Sven in a goofy voices? Animals can often talk in Disney films, why not just make the reindeer talk, it would’ve made a lot more sense. He’s kind of a loner, except he has a huge family of random troll people and a reindeer. But Anna opens his mind up to friendship and love or something? I don’t know, there wasn’t a lot to him. Again he was just a typical good guy who does the right thing in the end.

 

I think you can see where I’m going with this. There are no original thoughts in this film. I can’t believe people thought it was so unique. Elsa was quite interesting but other than that we have a bunvh of paper cut out of the stereotypical Disney character. The bumbling but ‘loveable hero’ the comic relief, the bland love interest and a power hungry villain. The only difference is the act of true love is from siblings, not two characters who are involved romantically.

 

The film follows a formula that has been done a million times. Maybe the film was too hyped to me but it was very average. Most of the characters are pretty bland and the plot isn’t that interesting. The twist about the villain is obvious and the ending is as cheesy as any other Disney film. I know it’s primarily for kids, but the best Disney films can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

 

I suppose I should comment on the quality of the songs. Honestly they’re all fine. I’m not a musical person at all and I’m not exactly a big lover of musicals but here the songs are perfectly functional. They get across what they want to and they I suppose and none of them offended my ears at all. I won’t exactly be singing them myself but for me they were at least passable, which is all I really want from Disney songs. So well done Frozen, a part of your movie is completely adequate.

 

The first song frozen heart has some burly men singing about ice. It sets up the not so subtle foreshadowing of the frozen heart metaphor and reveals itself to be like every film involving ice ever. It also brings up the point of if they export ice why are they disappointed that everything is frozen?

 

Next is do you want to build a snowman, a real tear jerker … apparently. Okay while not as emotional as everyone told me it was I agree it was a powerful scene. This was the only part of the film I actually sympathised with Anna as it highlights how lonely she is in the castle all by herself, particularly after her parents die. Elsa too corners sympathy as she is also lonely but also lives in fear of herself and her power.

 

Next up is called for the first time in forever and it consists of lots and lots of boring filler. Anna goes from wanting to spend time with her sister to wanting to find romance and I think there’s a line about her being gassy in there somewhere. Elsa meanwhile stands around all fearful at having to pick up a couple of expensive looking objects.

 

Next song is standard love song # 232 which is called love is an open door. Anna and Prince Hans sing a boring and annoying love song. There’s not really a lot else to say.

I cannot be the only one who though of this when
I saw Elsa's giant snowman monster thing

 

Next is that all famous let it go section and admit it’s actually pretty good. While I’m not really a fan of the song, the whole scene with Elsa letting go of all her restraint and freeing herself works very well. Her powers, while strange and unexplained (Making a dress?) do look very good and how she erects an ice castle could symbolise her letting out all her frustrations and fears. I admit this part was very impressive and memorable.

 

I barely want to talk about the other two songs. In summer and fixer upper. Oh dear. Talk about annoying filler. I think they’re supposed to be funny but I found them awkward and honestly quite tragic at times. These songs were annoying.

 

Finally the message. This is kind of a mixed bag for me. I like that it addresses love at first sight being too good to be true and the importance of family. I like that it highlights the absurdity of marrying someone you met that day and buried very deeply is a message about letting out your feelings and being yourself. However by most these will be overlooked for people to shout about female empowerment. The issue is most male characters in this film are painted as un-trustworthy and selfish. I like a strong female character, but equally I like them to be strong without having to be so unsubtle about feminism. What people don’t seem to get is that strong female characters work because they’re strong, not because they’re strong females. Equally having flawed and even weak female characters is fine too. Films will get a lot better when characters are defined by their personalities, not their gender. Not everyone is strong a righteous, this should be reflected in characters. We should not focus on trying to shove feminism down the viewer’s throat but instead produce relatable characters we can all understand regardless of gender. I feel they pulled this off with Elsa but not with any other characters.

 

So overall what did I think of Frozen? A resounding meh. It was by no means the worst film in the world. After watching it I can understand why people like it when looking at face value. For most it’s a fun little adventure with a heart-warming sibling relationship and a positive outlook on love and family. On top of this he songs are at least passable and the animation does look great. Maybe Elsa is too strong but in comparison the other characters do not stand up. It is her story but we spend far more time with Anna who by comparison is pretty one dimensional. Maybe we’re not supposed to look this deeply but the fact of the matter is that some of us do and the film does not hold up anywhere near as well as some of Disney’s other films. On top of this the plot was too simple and basic, the ending was corny, the supporting characters were uninteresting and the film lacked the comedy it was trying to produce. I was finding myself feeling quite bored at times, in particular about half way through. It did pick up slightly towards the beginning and end but this was not enough to salvage it. It wasn’t too bad but I wouldn’t recommend or watch it again. It’s kind of like a small scoop of ice cream on a really large wafer cone. Some of it as in Elsa and the animation are really good but you have to get through a lot of averageness to get there. 
 
 
 
 
 

Arrow Season 3 Episode 12 - Uprising Review

Arrow Season 3 Episode 12 - Uprising Review

The moment we all were waiting for has happened. Oliver Queen is back in Starling City and the Arrow can once again be in the show called Arrow.

 

In this episode team Arrow take the fight to Brick to liberate the Glades. We follow Malcom Merlin in the aftermath of his wife’s murder in the flashbacks and Oliver Queen returns to Starling.        

 

While the previous episodes were still good this does feel like a bit of a return to form. The last two really highlighted how important Stephen Amell is to the show. Strangely this episode wasn’t exactly filled with Oliver Queen either, but we did get to focus on Malcom Merlin who is interesting in his own right.

 

So what was good about episode 12? Morale dilemma seemed to be the theme of the episode and it was interesting to see different characters on the same side have different points of view. But the standout here was Merlin who we see a different side to. After the whole manipulating Thea into killing Sara I thought he was far past forgiveness and while I still think he has ulterior motives in all this we do see he’s not just a killer. It’s strange to think so after watching season 1 but he genuinely does think he’s not an out and out villain. He clearly does care about his daughter.

 

The flashbacks were a nice change of pace from Honk Kong. It gives background to why Merlin does what he does. We see he was a good person at one point and he does believe he is doing the right thing. He’s not that different from Oliver himself, the main difference being he believes any means will justify the ends. It puts the undertaking into much better context. Not only this but they showed him at his lowest point and to what drove him to joining the league of assassins. His outlook on life darkness greatly. While we don’t agree with his methods we can at least understand the reason behind his actions.

 

My favourite scene was when team Arrow were discussing whether to take up Merlin’s offer. It was like you as the audience were there trying to decide whether to accepts Merlin’s help. I’m glad that Diggle got the deciding vote in the whole thing. It highlights his importance and with all the new characters being introduced I’d hate to see him side-lined. It will be interesting to see if there’s any internal rifts within team Arrow over Merlin.

 

It’ll be a shame that we probably won’t see Brick for a while. While it did confuse me how he just tanks bullets and arrows like they’re nothing he did prove to be a perfect foil for a team Arrow with no Oliver Queen. He induced chaos at a time where the team was in disarray and I really liked Vinnie Jones in the role. He stole a lot of his scenes and was all around a good villain.

 

While I liked the mass brawl scene I preferred seeing Malcom Merlin take on Brick. Really it was more him struggling with himself since as powerful as Brick was he was no match for a fully trained member of the league of assassins. It was good to see the Ted Grant/ Wildcat character and particularly Cyn back. I was so relieved that someone finally noticed that the Black Canary running around is not Sara.

 

On the other hand however I do find it funny how everyone can figure out who Arsenal is but not the Arrow himself. Roy used to go around in a red hoody and want to help the Arrow so who thought that a slightly different red hoody with a bow was a good disguise.

 

There were problems with the episode. My main issue is they don’t really seem to know what to do with the Lances. Captain Lance hasn’t really got much of a reason to be there although Cyn pointing out to him that the Canary not being Sara does seem like it will give him more purpose. For now however he’s kind of just there because he has to be. Speaking of which lets talk about Laurel. I don’t dislike her per say, certainly not as much as a lot of other people, it’s just that she’s kind of getting in the way at the moment. I get the Comic books say she has to become Black Canary but I think it was rushed. The show does show that she is nowhere near the level of the other characters, Arrow has always done a good job of giving different characters different fighting styles depending on their background, but Laurel is again only there because she has to be.

 

The next episode is called Canaries so hopefully it will improve on her a nit and I hope it does but right now she doesn’t make much sense. I don’t understand why she wants to be a vigilante in the first place. Sara was killed, indirectly by Merlin so why did she want to accept his offer. Come to think of it he’s also the reason Tommy is dead so Laurel seems like the character who should hate Merlin the most, or at least to the same extent as Felicity does. The other thing is how come no one recognises she isn’t Sara? She’s a different build, her face even with the mask is different, her voice is different, even the costume is different with all its buckles. She doesn’t even use a staff, instead opting for what looks like a piece of lead pipe. But the main issue is she just isn’t as well developed as the other members of Team Arrow. Hopefully we’ll see another side of her soon.

 

Finally there’s Oliver Queen travelling back to Starling City. This was a very minor point of the episode so it’s difficult to know what to say although it did remind me a lot of Batman Begins. I’m just glad he’s back, we all knew he wouldn’t die so it’s good they didn’t try to make us think so. I am looking forward to see him training with Merlin, let’s all hope for an epic training montage.

 

Next week we have an episode called Canaries, which is set to feature the Count. Hopefully this will be the making of Laurel as the Canary but this week’s episode was an excellent one and truly an uprising.

Shadow of the Colossus - The Epitome of Epic

Shadow of the Colossus - The Epitome of Epic

There are a lot of games in the world. Some and good, some are bad, but a small number will really stick with you. Leave a lasting impact. This is one of them. Shadow of the Colossus is a masterpiece, one I would tell anyone to experience for themselves.

 

It seems strange at first how many sing the praises of this games story since at first glance it barley even has one. But the more you play the more begins to unravel. You start by taking a dead girl to a big tower where a voice in the sky called Dormin tells you he will bring the girl back to life if you take down the 16 colossi across the land. It seems pretty superficial, the typical save the damsel plot. Sure about three quarters of the way through you get a cut scene of some cloaked people on horseback riding towards the tower but so what?  But then you realise how much you don’t know that you’re left to piece together. Who is your character and how does he have this magic sword that can point you in the direction of Colossi. Where do you come from, how did you find this place?

 

Then you start wondering about the land you find yourself in. It is simply called the forbidden land and while it is vast, covered in different environments and contains what looks like the ruins of a great civilisation, the land is barren. All that resides here are a few lizards, birds, fish and the 16 colossus. The forbidden land is a beautiful setting, but simultaneously sad. You can feel it has a sad History but you’ll never know what it was. The eerie silence as you travel across the empty world, with only your horse by your side is a compelling experience by itself, not in many games can you say the traveling with no combat is a compelling event.

 

The details and secrets this place holds are astonishing. Every time you defeat a colossus you gain more grip for your grip meter. The more grip, the longer you can climb and hold onto things for. If you climb the starting tower you find a garden. Eat the apple and your grip will be reduced to the starting level. Why is this here only the creators know. It makes me thing about how they know things the players never will. The other way to increase your grip is to eat the tails of lizards but only the ones with white tails. Not that the game ever tells you this or even that lizards can lose their tails in the first place. Details like this that the game creators wanted you to figure out are what puts this game up another level.

 

Speaking of Sad this brings us to the Colossi themselves. They remain completely still until you show up. Even then a lot of them won’t attack you, some don’t even attack you at all. You first encounter these mighty beasts and you think to yourself about how on earth you can defeat them. Even the smaller ones who you would think aren’t as intimidating will attack far more aggressively and strike fear into you. You may see a flying colossus and wonder how you can possibly ground that thing. The final one takes things to a whole other level where you can choose to go left or right. Go left and it will kill you without giving you the chance to do anything.

 

The atmosphere of that final fight is magnificent. You have a tragic event beforehand. You have to climb upwards and you reach the top to be greeted by a heavy thunder storm. Then you see it, a giant creature in front of you. It confronts you with attacks far more powerful than anything you’ve witnessed before. Then you have to climb it, it goes on and on, you think you’ll never reach its head. You have to figure out how to get past the barriers on its arms. It feels like the end of a journey against a God like creature, far more powerful than you could ever hope to be.

 

This is just one Colossi. Each one is unique and awe inspiring. My personal favourite is the thirteenth, play the game and you’ll see why. The game even changes the music to mirror the emotions you feel as you take on a Colossus. These battles are truly epic … until you take them down. You then realise you’ve just killed this … thing, a peaceful creature that wasn’t causing harm to anything. You find them motionless, it’s like they’ve been asleep for hundreds if not thousands of years. They have become part of the landscape and you killed them for a girl whose identity you don’t even know. You then get to watch these magnificent creatures fall to the earth. Black tentacles then reach out of them and penetrate you, knocking you out. You wake up back in the starting tower.

 

As you progress through the Colossi, you character starts looking more and more damaged by whatever the back tentacles are. His skin starts to change to a more greyish colour, he looks weaker and weaker but will not give up on this girl.  I will not spoil the ending but after you kill the final colossus, the protagonist is barely recognisable. The ending, while very confusing kept me thinking for days afterwards.

 

Let’s talk gameplay. Tense, thrilling and exciting are the three words that come to mind. The Colossi are like giant, deadly puzzles. Overpowering these creatures with fighting skills is impossible, not just because they are so gigantic but because your character is clearly unskilled with a sword. When he swings the sword or even just carries it around it looks too heavy for him. He’s good with a bow but that’s not going to take down a Colossus. Even his horse seems too powerful for him. You don’t control the horse, you still control the character on the horse. You can command him but he won’t always respond. The grip meter adds an extra layer of tension as you try to stand on the beast to replenish your grip. It is truly compelling gameplay.

 

People have compared Shadow of the Colossus to art. Apparently art is something with no purpose. Shadow of the Colossus had a purpose. It is an incredible experience that will really stick with you. Maybe it’s not art, but it’s still fantastic and the best game I have ever played, one I’d recommend to all.