I've been considering recently of doing some TV reviews, season by season. Possibly of some shows I watch on TV, as well as on Netflix, such as Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Walking Dead, Wilfred, South Park, Louie, Archer, Nip/Tuck, American Horror Story, Futurama, and some older shows such as Magnum PI, Hawaii Five-O, Star Trek, Lost in Space, Mission: Impossible, Miami Vice, Knight Rider, Happy Days, Friends, Seinfeld, The A-Team, MacGyver, The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, Cannon, Ironside, Shadow Warriors, and Air-Wolf. Maybe some nostalgic shows from my childhood, too.
Also: possible reviews of The Watch, 42, Oblivion, and Scary Movie 5 coming up. Possibly some new horror reviews on mattmonstermovies.blogspot.com as well.
Just a small update.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Jurassic Park Trilogy
Today, I look at one of the greatest trilogies of all time, due to the 3D rerelease of the first film, as well as a fourth film on the way next summer. Oh, and it's the 20th anniversary of the original. No big deal. (Possible SPOILERS ahead!)
Jurassic Park:
I just saw the 3D re-release of this film, so catch it if you can before it leaves theaters. The film follows a paleontologist, Dr. Alan Grant, who, along with his paleobotanist colleague Dr. Ellie Sattler, are invited by billionaire John Hammond to his private island. They are joined by "chaotician" (mathematician and chaos theorist) Dr. Ian Malcolm, Hammond's grandchildren, and a lawyer, for a special preview of Hammond's new nature preserve/theme park "Jurassic Park". Here, Hammond has miraculously played God and recreated dinosaurs. But, when other interested parties mess with the security systems, the dinosaurs (including a Tyrannosaurus Rex, Velociraptors, and an acid-spitting Dilophosaurus) are released, and all hell breaks lose. With their lawyer dead, crew gone, island being ripped apart, and with a huge tropical storm brewing, the group must retake the park. This is one of the most revolutionary movies ever made. Not only was it a huge commercial success, but it was critically acclaimed and was a technical revolutions. The animatronics and CGI are still impressive today. The cast is fantastic. Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Bob Peck, Samuel L. Jackson, Martin Ferrero, Ariana Richards, Joseph Mazzello, Wayne Knight, and B.D. Wong all give great performances, some big, some small. The action scenes are fantastic, from the first encounter with the T-Rex, the Jeep chase, the encounter with the Velociraptors in the jungle, to the final encounter with the Raptors and the T-Rex in the Discovery Center. The musical score is fantastic. John Williams is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, film composers of al time. Every time you hear that theme, you're transported back to being a kid, watching this movie. The special effects, as stated before, are excellent. They still are better than some CG from 2013. The film was directed by Steven Spielberg, the master of magical movies and summer blockbusters. This film blends his two iconic styles perfectly. The film was written by sci-fi author and screenwriter Michael Crichton (who sadly passed away a few years ago), as this was based on his bestselling novel of the same name. The film takes some hints from the books, and some sequences, but is kind of it's own thing, which is good. I'm glad Spielberg and Crichton agreed to make it it's own. The film was co-written by David Koepp, the 5th most successful screenwriter of all time. The 3D rerelease updates the Universal logo, and the 3D conversion is incredible, possibly the best rerelease conversion ever. This film is one of the greatest blockbuster of all time, hell, one of the best movies. The movie blends the action blockbuster, the sci-fi thriller, and the family fantasy film. It also adds some clever humor. Jurassic Park is an astounding, exhilarating, and fun blockbuster, which is entertaining for all ages. Everyone needs to see it. 5/5 stars.
The Lost World, Jurassic Park:
After the success of the first film, fans, and even Steven Spielberg, pressured Michael Crichton into writing a second novel. He wrote The Lost World, which took many hints from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novel of the same name, and it's silent film adaptation. The book was much darker than the original novel and film, which was done to please fans. Ian Malcolm returned as a morphine addict. The film adaptation remained dark in tone, but toned down some of the more adult themes. The film follows Dr. Ian Malcolm from the first film, who is told by John Hammond to visit Isla Sorna, an island similar to Isla Nublar, the original location of "Jurassic Park". On Sorna, dinosaurs have somehow survived and have been able to run free for 4 years. Hammond has lost control of his company InGen to his nephew after publicizing the events of the previous film, because no one believed him. He tries to redeem himself for past mistakes, and tells Malcolm to go with a team of experts to the island, as InGen wants to collect dinosaurs to bring back to the mainland, and Malcolm needs to beat them there. But when the teams arrive at the island at the same time, they are at each others' throats, until they realize they need to band together to survive the dangers of the island. The cast, including Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Vince Vaughn, Arliss Howard, Peter Stormare, Pete Postelthwaite, Richard Schiff, and Vanessa Lee Chester are pretty damn good. The writing is good, but not as good as the original. The darker tone doesn't make the film better, in fact, the fact the film gets so violent is a bit strange. Jurassic Park is supposed to be fun, enjoyable, and although it can get a little intense, it's supposed to be somewhat of a family film as well. The violence in this film is pretty brutal, people torn to shreds, limbs torn off, blood gushing, etc. There are also some pretty dumb moments. Like the Velociraptor and the teenage daughter of Malcolm facing off near the end of he second act. But most of the action scenes are pretty awesome. The Velociraptor chase in the tall grass, the two T-Rexes flipping the trailer over the cliff, the T-Rex chase through the camp, the hunter running from the tiny carnivore dinosaurs, and the T-Rex running through the streets of San Diego (reminiscent of Doyle's climactic scene in the original novel). The film also introduces new dinosaur species the first film didn't cover, such as the Stegosaurus. The special effects are top-notch, the animatronics and CG are on par with the original. The music is just as good as the original. Hell, it's the same music! The Lost World: Jurassic Park is an acceptable, but flawed sequel to the classic original film. Although it broke many box office records at the time of it's release, it was never as praised or loved as the original, and it hasn't captured the imaginations of kids and adults alike like the first film did. (Probably because of the much darker tone and brutal violence throughout most of the film. Hell, the film opens with an innocent little girl being mauled by little dinos.) It's good, but not great. 3/5 stars.
Jurassic Park III:
This movie was released for the 10th anniversary of the original. This is the first film in the series that was not based on a book by Michael Crichton, and the first not directed by Steven Spielberg. Spielberg didn't even serve as a producer. It's also the shortest, at only 92 minutes. The film takes place of Isla Sorna once again, as two young tourists, one an adolescent boy, go missing while parasailing near the abandoned nature preserve. A divorced couple, the parents of the young boy, convince Dr. Alan Grant (from the first film) to go to the island with them in hopes of rescuing their son and his friend. But when they discover that Velociraptors, Pterodactyls, T-Rexes, and Spinosaurs inhabit the island, they struggle to find the two young men and survive in the depths of the dense and dangerous jungle. Although not based directly off of a book by Michael Crichton, it does take several scenes from the two novels not included in the previous films, including a scene from the original novel where the team must battle a water dinosaur on a rickety boat. The cast are decent. Sam Neill returns as Grant, who gives a good performance, just as in the original. William H. Macy, Alessandro Nivola, T'ea Leoni, Trevor Morgan, and Michael Jeter all give decent performances. Laura Dern returns as Dr. Ellie from the first film, now married to a treaty law expert, with a young dinosaur-obsessed son. Joe Johnston replaces Spielberg as director. Johnston is known for period pieces and special effects showcases. He had directed Honey I Shrunk the Kids, The Rocketeer, Jumaji, and October Sky. He had served as a concept artist and technician on the original Star Wars and on Spielberg and Lucas' Raiders of the Lost Ark. He has since gone on to direct The Wolfman and Captain America: The First Avenger. The special effects are, as always, fantastic. The film does pack in a good amount of action, too. The fight between the Spinosaurus and the T-Rex is pretty awesome, and the encounters with the Velociraptors are, as in the other films, chilling. The boat battle, mentioned before, is pretty spectacular. The addition of the Pterodactyls is cool because they provide a threat from above. An enemy in the air. The Spinosaurus is also a cool addition, it provides a rival for the T-Rex, as it's bigger and even more viscous. I mean, it replaces the T-Rex on the fucking logo! The music, again, is fantastic. This film, like the previous film, doesn't quite capture the spirit or greatness of the original. It lightens it up a little from the last film, but the absence of Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough, and the fact that the cool theme park is in ruins, makes this film a little lackluster. Also, the gray, dull look of this film is nothing compared to the color that makes the original's images really pop. Ultimately, Jurassic Park III is a fun blockbuster, but doesn't match the original film's majesty. 3/5 stars.
(Images: Wikipedia)
Jurassic Park:
I just saw the 3D re-release of this film, so catch it if you can before it leaves theaters. The film follows a paleontologist, Dr. Alan Grant, who, along with his paleobotanist colleague Dr. Ellie Sattler, are invited by billionaire John Hammond to his private island. They are joined by "chaotician" (mathematician and chaos theorist) Dr. Ian Malcolm, Hammond's grandchildren, and a lawyer, for a special preview of Hammond's new nature preserve/theme park "Jurassic Park". Here, Hammond has miraculously played God and recreated dinosaurs. But, when other interested parties mess with the security systems, the dinosaurs (including a Tyrannosaurus Rex, Velociraptors, and an acid-spitting Dilophosaurus) are released, and all hell breaks lose. With their lawyer dead, crew gone, island being ripped apart, and with a huge tropical storm brewing, the group must retake the park. This is one of the most revolutionary movies ever made. Not only was it a huge commercial success, but it was critically acclaimed and was a technical revolutions. The animatronics and CGI are still impressive today. The cast is fantastic. Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Bob Peck, Samuel L. Jackson, Martin Ferrero, Ariana Richards, Joseph Mazzello, Wayne Knight, and B.D. Wong all give great performances, some big, some small. The action scenes are fantastic, from the first encounter with the T-Rex, the Jeep chase, the encounter with the Velociraptors in the jungle, to the final encounter with the Raptors and the T-Rex in the Discovery Center. The musical score is fantastic. John Williams is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, film composers of al time. Every time you hear that theme, you're transported back to being a kid, watching this movie. The special effects, as stated before, are excellent. They still are better than some CG from 2013. The film was directed by Steven Spielberg, the master of magical movies and summer blockbusters. This film blends his two iconic styles perfectly. The film was written by sci-fi author and screenwriter Michael Crichton (who sadly passed away a few years ago), as this was based on his bestselling novel of the same name. The film takes some hints from the books, and some sequences, but is kind of it's own thing, which is good. I'm glad Spielberg and Crichton agreed to make it it's own. The film was co-written by David Koepp, the 5th most successful screenwriter of all time. The 3D rerelease updates the Universal logo, and the 3D conversion is incredible, possibly the best rerelease conversion ever. This film is one of the greatest blockbuster of all time, hell, one of the best movies. The movie blends the action blockbuster, the sci-fi thriller, and the family fantasy film. It also adds some clever humor. Jurassic Park is an astounding, exhilarating, and fun blockbuster, which is entertaining for all ages. Everyone needs to see it. 5/5 stars.
The Lost World, Jurassic Park:
After the success of the first film, fans, and even Steven Spielberg, pressured Michael Crichton into writing a second novel. He wrote The Lost World, which took many hints from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novel of the same name, and it's silent film adaptation. The book was much darker than the original novel and film, which was done to please fans. Ian Malcolm returned as a morphine addict. The film adaptation remained dark in tone, but toned down some of the more adult themes. The film follows Dr. Ian Malcolm from the first film, who is told by John Hammond to visit Isla Sorna, an island similar to Isla Nublar, the original location of "Jurassic Park". On Sorna, dinosaurs have somehow survived and have been able to run free for 4 years. Hammond has lost control of his company InGen to his nephew after publicizing the events of the previous film, because no one believed him. He tries to redeem himself for past mistakes, and tells Malcolm to go with a team of experts to the island, as InGen wants to collect dinosaurs to bring back to the mainland, and Malcolm needs to beat them there. But when the teams arrive at the island at the same time, they are at each others' throats, until they realize they need to band together to survive the dangers of the island. The cast, including Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Vince Vaughn, Arliss Howard, Peter Stormare, Pete Postelthwaite, Richard Schiff, and Vanessa Lee Chester are pretty damn good. The writing is good, but not as good as the original. The darker tone doesn't make the film better, in fact, the fact the film gets so violent is a bit strange. Jurassic Park is supposed to be fun, enjoyable, and although it can get a little intense, it's supposed to be somewhat of a family film as well. The violence in this film is pretty brutal, people torn to shreds, limbs torn off, blood gushing, etc. There are also some pretty dumb moments. Like the Velociraptor and the teenage daughter of Malcolm facing off near the end of he second act. But most of the action scenes are pretty awesome. The Velociraptor chase in the tall grass, the two T-Rexes flipping the trailer over the cliff, the T-Rex chase through the camp, the hunter running from the tiny carnivore dinosaurs, and the T-Rex running through the streets of San Diego (reminiscent of Doyle's climactic scene in the original novel). The film also introduces new dinosaur species the first film didn't cover, such as the Stegosaurus. The special effects are top-notch, the animatronics and CG are on par with the original. The music is just as good as the original. Hell, it's the same music! The Lost World: Jurassic Park is an acceptable, but flawed sequel to the classic original film. Although it broke many box office records at the time of it's release, it was never as praised or loved as the original, and it hasn't captured the imaginations of kids and adults alike like the first film did. (Probably because of the much darker tone and brutal violence throughout most of the film. Hell, the film opens with an innocent little girl being mauled by little dinos.) It's good, but not great. 3/5 stars.
Jurassic Park III:
This movie was released for the 10th anniversary of the original. This is the first film in the series that was not based on a book by Michael Crichton, and the first not directed by Steven Spielberg. Spielberg didn't even serve as a producer. It's also the shortest, at only 92 minutes. The film takes place of Isla Sorna once again, as two young tourists, one an adolescent boy, go missing while parasailing near the abandoned nature preserve. A divorced couple, the parents of the young boy, convince Dr. Alan Grant (from the first film) to go to the island with them in hopes of rescuing their son and his friend. But when they discover that Velociraptors, Pterodactyls, T-Rexes, and Spinosaurs inhabit the island, they struggle to find the two young men and survive in the depths of the dense and dangerous jungle. Although not based directly off of a book by Michael Crichton, it does take several scenes from the two novels not included in the previous films, including a scene from the original novel where the team must battle a water dinosaur on a rickety boat. The cast are decent. Sam Neill returns as Grant, who gives a good performance, just as in the original. William H. Macy, Alessandro Nivola, T'ea Leoni, Trevor Morgan, and Michael Jeter all give decent performances. Laura Dern returns as Dr. Ellie from the first film, now married to a treaty law expert, with a young dinosaur-obsessed son. Joe Johnston replaces Spielberg as director. Johnston is known for period pieces and special effects showcases. He had directed Honey I Shrunk the Kids, The Rocketeer, Jumaji, and October Sky. He had served as a concept artist and technician on the original Star Wars and on Spielberg and Lucas' Raiders of the Lost Ark. He has since gone on to direct The Wolfman and Captain America: The First Avenger. The special effects are, as always, fantastic. The film does pack in a good amount of action, too. The fight between the Spinosaurus and the T-Rex is pretty awesome, and the encounters with the Velociraptors are, as in the other films, chilling. The boat battle, mentioned before, is pretty spectacular. The addition of the Pterodactyls is cool because they provide a threat from above. An enemy in the air. The Spinosaurus is also a cool addition, it provides a rival for the T-Rex, as it's bigger and even more viscous. I mean, it replaces the T-Rex on the fucking logo! The music, again, is fantastic. This film, like the previous film, doesn't quite capture the spirit or greatness of the original. It lightens it up a little from the last film, but the absence of Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough, and the fact that the cool theme park is in ruins, makes this film a little lackluster. Also, the gray, dull look of this film is nothing compared to the color that makes the original's images really pop. Ultimately, Jurassic Park III is a fun blockbuster, but doesn't match the original film's majesty. 3/5 stars.
(Images: Wikipedia)
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Gaming News: Batman: Arkham Origins
Recently, Warner Bros. has reported that on October 25, 2013, they will release a new Batman game, a prequel to the highly acclaimed Arkham series. Although developer Rocksteady is not on the project, they helped out new developer WB Montreal with the production. At first, the idea of a prequel to Arkham City and Arkham Asylum sounded stupid, especially with so much being set up at the end of the last game, and when people began leaking it would be a Silver Age prequel featuring the Justice League, I was not pleased. But after this newest game was officially announced, and GameInformer magazine did a big article on it in their most recent issue, I was intrigued. Meanwhile, Rocksteady has their own project under wraps, so is this prequel just holding us over for a conclusion to the trilogy? We'll find out soon, but let's focus on the game at hand. The plot follows Batman earlier in his career, possibly, as the game developers have stated, his second year in crime fighting. He is not trusted by the cops, and he hasn't met Joker yet. On Christmas Eve, gangster Black Mask hires seven deadly assassins, including Teen Titans' nemesis Deathstroke (aka Slade Wilson or "The Terminator"), to kill Batman. Meanwhile, Penguin and the Falcone family are having a feud over arms dealings. Batman must take down the assassins, find out why Black Mask wants him dead, and take care of the mobsters of Gotham City, as well as convincing Captain Gordon (not yet Commissioner) and his fellow cops he is a friend, not foe. The gameplay is said to be similar to the previous games, with the stealth and fighting stages in tact. One major difference is it is set within Gotham City, rather than a prison, so you have a much larger area to explore. The "Old Gotham" area is where the future Arkham City will be, but it is not walled off or ravaged by floods, and will contain areas such as slums, a shopping mall, small buildings, and a dock where the Penguin's ship and base of operations "The Final Offer" is docked. This version of Batman, due to being more inexperienced, may carry interrogations too far, and also may be somewhat weaker than we've seen him before, as he has not yet dealt with supervillains or assassins, only petty criminals and thugs. The developers said he will be an "experienced crimefighter"(Wikipedia), but not quite as experienced as we saw him in the other gams. Batman will also be able to explore "New Gotham", the area in which large businesses and skyscrapers are located, an area only seen from a distance in the two previous games. The game also allows you to use the Batwing as a "fast travel" transport system, although you cannot directly control it. Although there are enemy towers which prevent Batman from flying over them, and he must disable them to be able to fly over certain areas. The developers also said a new gadget, the Remote Claw, is to be introduced along with gadgets similar to previous games. The Claw will allow Batman to target and grab two objects or people to slam them together from a distance. The game will also feature several side missions. "Crime in Progress" allows Batman to assist the cops by rescuing hostages, which earn you the trust of the GCPD and gadget upgrades. "Most Wanted" functions like Arkham City side missions, which allows the Caped Crusader to take on villains outside the main story mode. (The Joker? Two-Face? Scarecrow?) "The Dark Knight System" allows Batman to complete tasks of escalating difficulty that give upgrades to stealth and combat. Completing these give you upgrades and experience points. The game will also give more emphasis to detective work: Batman can use Detective Mode to scan crime scenes and also use holograms to provide a theory of how the crime played out. These crimes (some big, some minor) are spread throughout the vast metropolis. Crimes can be reviewed in the Batcomputer in the Batcave, and can be thoroughly analyzed using the computer to solve them. The developers have cited Legends of the Dark Knight and Batman: Year One as inspiration for the game, and no voice actors have been confirmed, but I assume Kevin Conroy will return as Batman, and maybe Mark Hamill will make a cameo as the Joker. Confirmed characters are: Batman (obviously), Black Mask, Penguin, Deathstroke, Alberto Falcone, Alfred Pennyworth, James Gordon (I think), and corrupt cop Branden. A live demo was recently released. Batman: Arkham Origins looks promising, and maybe Rocksteady is also working on another Batman game at the same time. That's all the information we have now. Thanks for reading.
(Images: Wikipedia, Google, GameInformer)
(Images: Wikipedia, Google, GameInformer)
Game Review: Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City
Today, I look at the successful superhero games that have become two of the most critically acclaimed games of all time. Why? Well, as you may know Batman: Arkham Origins was recently announced for release on current-generation consoles on October 25, 2013. So I figured, why not discuss the games that came before it.
Side-note: Don't forget to check out my other blog: http://mattmonstermovies.blogspot.com/ It's not getting as much traffic as this blog, and I think it should. I don't post to it as often, but that's the only place you get my reviews of horror films such as Evil Dead, The Last Exorcism Part II, and The Omen, and other horror material such as comics, books, games, and music.
Batman: Arkham Asylum:
I first heard of this game back in 2008, when an ad for it was featured at the beginning of The Dark Knight DVD. When it was met with immense critical praise, and praise from gamers and comic book fans, I figured I'd check it out. I'm glad I did. This game is meant to be the worst night of Batman's life. Batman is out on patrol one dark night, and is on his way to bring the Joker back to Arkham Asylum and escort him in. He informs the warden and Commissioner Gordon (who is present during the arrest) that the Joker gave up too easily, and he wants to go in himself. This is all part of the Joker's plan. He kills some guards, grabs some hostages, and locks Batman, Gordon, and the Warden inside. He prepares a massive takeover of the asylum, and plans to spread from Arkham Island to Gotham City. Batman must fight his way through numerous Blackgate Prison thugs and psychotic inmates, as well as battling supervillains. He must figure out why Joker wants to take over the asylum, and figure out a way to take out Joker and retake the island before it's too late. Batman must not only face his nemesis the Joker, but also his psychotic girlfriend Harley Quinn, the steroid-enhanced Bane, the seductive Poison Ivy, the enigmatic Riddler, psychotic murderer Victor Zsasz, the nightmare-inducing Scarecrow (one of the best villains in the game), and the mutant monster Killer Croc. You can also collect hundreds of Riddler trophies and solve riddles, which unlock character biographies and you can find subtle homages to villains such as Two-Face, Catwoman, Ra's Al Ghul, Penguin, Calendar Man, Mad Hatter, Maxie Zues, The Ventiloquist, Firefly, Ratcatcher, Killer Moth, Black Mask, Mr. Freeze, and Clayface. The game has excellent gameplay. It's a mix of action-adventure, fighting, puzzle, and stealth games. The game has some emphasis on Batman's detective work. Although Detective Mode is a little too useful, it provides gamers with that true Batman experience. The fighting scenes are fluent, with Batman taking on numerous enemies at once. But this becomes a problem during boss fights, aside from the excellent Scarecrow boss fights, the fights with Poison Ivy, Bane, Harley Quinn, and Joker are repetitive, and focus on the "taking on multiple enemies at once" type of fighting we see in the action scenes. The stealth scenes, on the other hand, are very inventive. You swoop up to gargoyles, perform "silent takedowns", "inverted takedowns", or employ Batman's vast array of superhero gadgets to take out armed thugs. Batman must collect useful gadgets throughout the story via gathering them from the trashed Batmobile, or just having a jet drop them off. The Riddler puzzles are a real challenge, trying to find all the Riddler trophies will keep you playing for hours, and the riddles you must uncover throughout the asylum will keep you scratching your head, and you feel like a champion if you solve them all. You can also use Detective Mode to scan symbols to unlock disturbing pieces of Arkham's dark past, and the history of it's troubled creator. The setting is spectacular. The asylum has some great locations and has a creepy atmosphere. The creaking corridors of the Intensive Treatment center and empty hallways of the Arkham Mansion are as magnificent as they are unsettling. The dark corridors of the asylum and the misty gardens of the outside areas are incredibly well-designed. The creepy music score adds to the chilling atmosphere. The voice acting is fantastic, especially form 3 people. Kevin Conroy returns from the acclaimed animated series as the voice of Batman, Mark Hamill (Luke from Star Wars, Metalocalypse, The Flash) returns from the series as the iconic voice of the Joker, and Arleen Sorkin also returns from the series as the voice of Harley Quinn. Although there are a few texture pop-ins, the graphics are insanely excellent, especially for 2009. The island is pretty vast, but there aren't many side missions aside from the Riddler challenges, and although it's open-world, you pretty much should just stay on the path of the story, unless you spot a Riddler trophy you really want. The only things to do once the main story is completed is just to go around collecting Riddler trophies. One major flaw is although the game is extremely fun and entertaining, it's quite short, only 8-9 hours of the main story. But the challenge maps will keep you going. The challenge maps can be unlocked by collecting Riddler trophies, and they include stealth and fighting challenges, which grow in difficulty the more you collect. You either try to top your high score or try to beat your own time. Another great aspect of the game is it makes you feel like Batman. From crawling about in the shadows, to brutally taking down the Joker thugs, to fearlessly taking down powerful supervillains, to stopping and using your intellect to solve difficult puzzles, the game truly makes you feel like the "World's Greatest Detective". Batman: Arkham Asylum is an entertaining, thrilling, fun, and challenging game that set the bar for superhero games, and action-adventure games in general. 5/5 stars.
(Fun fact: Paul Dini, writer of the acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series, wrote this game, and it's been partially designed by the creators of the animated show.)
Batman: Arkham City:
In this highly anticipated sequel to the 2009 hit, Bruce Wayne is protesting the newly built Arkham City, a super-prison built in the heart of Old Gotham after the destruction of Arkham Island six months before. In this prison, almost every prisoner from Blackgate Prison and Arkham Asylum are set free to roam, with three major villains: Joker, Penguin, and Two-Face, fighting for control over large segments of the "city". Bruce is captured by the new warden, Professor Hugo Strange, one of the only villains to know Bruce is Batman. Bruce escapes Strange's custody (in a scene which mirrors Half-Life 2) and eventually suits up as Batman. He must find out what Strange's mysterious "Protocol 10" means, why he wants to use it. Batman must use help from the outside (Oracle, Robin, Alfred), and the inside (Catwoman, Talia, etc.) to take down Strange, Joker, Penguin, Two-Face, and any other villain who stands in his way. On his way he encounters other villains such as Ra's Al Ghul, Solomon Grundy, Mr. Freeze, Black Mask (cameo), the Abromavich brothers, and a surprise villain at the end. In side missions he can also take on Deadshot, Bane, Azrael, Victor Zsasz, Mad Hatter, Hush, and the Riddler. In the Riddler side mission, you must collect over 400 trophies and solve over 100 riddles, as well as saving hostages from Jigsaw-like death traps and interrogating Riddler thugs, that alone should keep you occupied for a long time. This game has about 12 hours of story mode, and tons of side missions. You can find many, many Easter eggs hidden about this vast prison, some of them hinting at characters like Ratcatcher, Killer Croc, Maxie Zues, Leslie Thompkins, Poison Ivy, Sal Maroni, Carmine Falcone, Clayface, Black Mask, The Ventriloquist, Red Hood, and The Toymaker. The environment also contains hints at locations and characters from the comics. Scanning these areas unlock character bios, and "Arkham City Stories", which bring you up to speed on events within the prison. The setting is great. The detail put into the prison is amazing. From the rotting infrastructure, to the abandoned streets, to the flooded Amusement Mile district, to the forgotten businesses of Old Gotham. This game, like the first, perfectly blends the fantasy of the comic books with the realism of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. The gameplay is great. The fighting scenes, stealth sequences, and puzzles return on an even larger scale. The boss fights, aside from the inventive and spectacular Mr. Freeze battle, are still that same old rinse-and-repeat style, but still entertain. The game also adds a lot more gadgets, including an electromagnetic gun, a line launcher, and a newly designed remote batarang. The graphics are even better than the first, with only some awkward camera glitches and texture pop-ins here and there. The game has 30+ hours of gameplay in store for you, because after story mode is over, there's an abundance of entertaining side missions to keep you occupied. Sometimes it's just fun flying over the vast open-world of the prison (much larger than the first game) and beating up some random bad guys, or beating up a violent thug who is attempting to kill an innocent political prisoner. Side missions aren't the only things that keep you occupied, there are numerous DLCs to download, including different Batman, Robin, and Nightwing skins, a 2-hour sequel DLC called Harley Quinn's Revenge, which is pretty entertaining. Not to mention the Nightwing and Robin DLC missions to download. Another note: the main villains of the game are so despicable and evil, that you feel like a real hero for taking their asses down. This game is nearly perfect, it even tops the excellent first game. It's a bigger story on a larger scale. Did I even mention the music? The soundtrack is epic, and the main theme combines Nolan's theme and Burton's theme, the perfect Batman musical score. The two main voice actors return to fill the roles of Batman and Joker, and they are incredible, as are most of the voice actors in this game. This game just sucks you into it's vast world, making it possibly the best game of 2011. Batman: Arkham City is an amazing experience. It blends action, stealth, puzzle, and fighting games perfectly, and also blends fantastical comic book material with gritty realism. You will not regret buying this game. It's worth every penny. It keeps you occupied for hours and hours, and after it's all over, you just want to play it again. 5/5 stars.
Editorial note (July 31st, 2013): I recently purchased Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City Game of the Year editions for the PS3, and was able to experience some new elements. In the first game, there are several new challenge maps, including a difficult fighting map called "Scarecrow Nightmare", and some new challenge maps for download where you play as The Joker who must fight and kill Arkham guards in combat and stealth stages, using his own fighting styles and twisted gadgets. Those alone are worth the price of the game, and his gadgets somewhat mirror Batman's own. He has his own unique fighting style that is very effective in the combat stages. In City, the game already comes with the Catwoman episodes downloaded, so they are now integrated into the main story. The story will switch from Batman to Catwoman at appropriate times, and Catwoman is given brief missions to go on, one involving Poison Ivy, who doesn't appear in the main storyline, another involving a brief encounter with Two-Face, who barely appears in the main story, but is mentioned often by thugs. It offers a more complete story, and explains how Catwoman got into certain situations Batman finds her in throughout the main story. She has her own gadgets and fighting style as well, which is somewhat more flexible and effective than Batman's, although climbing up the walls of buildings can get tiring. Her energetic and sarcastic personality also compliments Batman's brooding and dark exterior, giving you a bit of both. Her whip functions somewhat like the Batclaw, although she is also required to climb the sides of buildings with her claws once she swings onto them. Her side missions can distract from the main story, but ultimately are pretty entertaining. The episodes also offer the player a chance to collect special Riddler trophies and achievements exclusive to Catwoman.
(Images: Wikipedia, Google)
Side-note: Don't forget to check out my other blog: http://mattmonstermovies.blogspot.com/ It's not getting as much traffic as this blog, and I think it should. I don't post to it as often, but that's the only place you get my reviews of horror films such as Evil Dead, The Last Exorcism Part II, and The Omen, and other horror material such as comics, books, games, and music.
Batman: Arkham Asylum:
I first heard of this game back in 2008, when an ad for it was featured at the beginning of The Dark Knight DVD. When it was met with immense critical praise, and praise from gamers and comic book fans, I figured I'd check it out. I'm glad I did. This game is meant to be the worst night of Batman's life. Batman is out on patrol one dark night, and is on his way to bring the Joker back to Arkham Asylum and escort him in. He informs the warden and Commissioner Gordon (who is present during the arrest) that the Joker gave up too easily, and he wants to go in himself. This is all part of the Joker's plan. He kills some guards, grabs some hostages, and locks Batman, Gordon, and the Warden inside. He prepares a massive takeover of the asylum, and plans to spread from Arkham Island to Gotham City. Batman must fight his way through numerous Blackgate Prison thugs and psychotic inmates, as well as battling supervillains. He must figure out why Joker wants to take over the asylum, and figure out a way to take out Joker and retake the island before it's too late. Batman must not only face his nemesis the Joker, but also his psychotic girlfriend Harley Quinn, the steroid-enhanced Bane, the seductive Poison Ivy, the enigmatic Riddler, psychotic murderer Victor Zsasz, the nightmare-inducing Scarecrow (one of the best villains in the game), and the mutant monster Killer Croc. You can also collect hundreds of Riddler trophies and solve riddles, which unlock character biographies and you can find subtle homages to villains such as Two-Face, Catwoman, Ra's Al Ghul, Penguin, Calendar Man, Mad Hatter, Maxie Zues, The Ventiloquist, Firefly, Ratcatcher, Killer Moth, Black Mask, Mr. Freeze, and Clayface. The game has excellent gameplay. It's a mix of action-adventure, fighting, puzzle, and stealth games. The game has some emphasis on Batman's detective work. Although Detective Mode is a little too useful, it provides gamers with that true Batman experience. The fighting scenes are fluent, with Batman taking on numerous enemies at once. But this becomes a problem during boss fights, aside from the excellent Scarecrow boss fights, the fights with Poison Ivy, Bane, Harley Quinn, and Joker are repetitive, and focus on the "taking on multiple enemies at once" type of fighting we see in the action scenes. The stealth scenes, on the other hand, are very inventive. You swoop up to gargoyles, perform "silent takedowns", "inverted takedowns", or employ Batman's vast array of superhero gadgets to take out armed thugs. Batman must collect useful gadgets throughout the story via gathering them from the trashed Batmobile, or just having a jet drop them off. The Riddler puzzles are a real challenge, trying to find all the Riddler trophies will keep you playing for hours, and the riddles you must uncover throughout the asylum will keep you scratching your head, and you feel like a champion if you solve them all. You can also use Detective Mode to scan symbols to unlock disturbing pieces of Arkham's dark past, and the history of it's troubled creator. The setting is spectacular. The asylum has some great locations and has a creepy atmosphere. The creaking corridors of the Intensive Treatment center and empty hallways of the Arkham Mansion are as magnificent as they are unsettling. The dark corridors of the asylum and the misty gardens of the outside areas are incredibly well-designed. The creepy music score adds to the chilling atmosphere. The voice acting is fantastic, especially form 3 people. Kevin Conroy returns from the acclaimed animated series as the voice of Batman, Mark Hamill (Luke from Star Wars, Metalocalypse, The Flash) returns from the series as the iconic voice of the Joker, and Arleen Sorkin also returns from the series as the voice of Harley Quinn. Although there are a few texture pop-ins, the graphics are insanely excellent, especially for 2009. The island is pretty vast, but there aren't many side missions aside from the Riddler challenges, and although it's open-world, you pretty much should just stay on the path of the story, unless you spot a Riddler trophy you really want. The only things to do once the main story is completed is just to go around collecting Riddler trophies. One major flaw is although the game is extremely fun and entertaining, it's quite short, only 8-9 hours of the main story. But the challenge maps will keep you going. The challenge maps can be unlocked by collecting Riddler trophies, and they include stealth and fighting challenges, which grow in difficulty the more you collect. You either try to top your high score or try to beat your own time. Another great aspect of the game is it makes you feel like Batman. From crawling about in the shadows, to brutally taking down the Joker thugs, to fearlessly taking down powerful supervillains, to stopping and using your intellect to solve difficult puzzles, the game truly makes you feel like the "World's Greatest Detective". Batman: Arkham Asylum is an entertaining, thrilling, fun, and challenging game that set the bar for superhero games, and action-adventure games in general. 5/5 stars.
(Fun fact: Paul Dini, writer of the acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series, wrote this game, and it's been partially designed by the creators of the animated show.)
Batman: Arkham City:
In this highly anticipated sequel to the 2009 hit, Bruce Wayne is protesting the newly built Arkham City, a super-prison built in the heart of Old Gotham after the destruction of Arkham Island six months before. In this prison, almost every prisoner from Blackgate Prison and Arkham Asylum are set free to roam, with three major villains: Joker, Penguin, and Two-Face, fighting for control over large segments of the "city". Bruce is captured by the new warden, Professor Hugo Strange, one of the only villains to know Bruce is Batman. Bruce escapes Strange's custody (in a scene which mirrors Half-Life 2) and eventually suits up as Batman. He must find out what Strange's mysterious "Protocol 10" means, why he wants to use it. Batman must use help from the outside (Oracle, Robin, Alfred), and the inside (Catwoman, Talia, etc.) to take down Strange, Joker, Penguin, Two-Face, and any other villain who stands in his way. On his way he encounters other villains such as Ra's Al Ghul, Solomon Grundy, Mr. Freeze, Black Mask (cameo), the Abromavich brothers, and a surprise villain at the end. In side missions he can also take on Deadshot, Bane, Azrael, Victor Zsasz, Mad Hatter, Hush, and the Riddler. In the Riddler side mission, you must collect over 400 trophies and solve over 100 riddles, as well as saving hostages from Jigsaw-like death traps and interrogating Riddler thugs, that alone should keep you occupied for a long time. This game has about 12 hours of story mode, and tons of side missions. You can find many, many Easter eggs hidden about this vast prison, some of them hinting at characters like Ratcatcher, Killer Croc, Maxie Zues, Leslie Thompkins, Poison Ivy, Sal Maroni, Carmine Falcone, Clayface, Black Mask, The Ventriloquist, Red Hood, and The Toymaker. The environment also contains hints at locations and characters from the comics. Scanning these areas unlock character bios, and "Arkham City Stories", which bring you up to speed on events within the prison. The setting is great. The detail put into the prison is amazing. From the rotting infrastructure, to the abandoned streets, to the flooded Amusement Mile district, to the forgotten businesses of Old Gotham. This game, like the first, perfectly blends the fantasy of the comic books with the realism of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. The gameplay is great. The fighting scenes, stealth sequences, and puzzles return on an even larger scale. The boss fights, aside from the inventive and spectacular Mr. Freeze battle, are still that same old rinse-and-repeat style, but still entertain. The game also adds a lot more gadgets, including an electromagnetic gun, a line launcher, and a newly designed remote batarang. The graphics are even better than the first, with only some awkward camera glitches and texture pop-ins here and there. The game has 30+ hours of gameplay in store for you, because after story mode is over, there's an abundance of entertaining side missions to keep you occupied. Sometimes it's just fun flying over the vast open-world of the prison (much larger than the first game) and beating up some random bad guys, or beating up a violent thug who is attempting to kill an innocent political prisoner. Side missions aren't the only things that keep you occupied, there are numerous DLCs to download, including different Batman, Robin, and Nightwing skins, a 2-hour sequel DLC called Harley Quinn's Revenge, which is pretty entertaining. Not to mention the Nightwing and Robin DLC missions to download. Another note: the main villains of the game are so despicable and evil, that you feel like a real hero for taking their asses down. This game is nearly perfect, it even tops the excellent first game. It's a bigger story on a larger scale. Did I even mention the music? The soundtrack is epic, and the main theme combines Nolan's theme and Burton's theme, the perfect Batman musical score. The two main voice actors return to fill the roles of Batman and Joker, and they are incredible, as are most of the voice actors in this game. This game just sucks you into it's vast world, making it possibly the best game of 2011. Batman: Arkham City is an amazing experience. It blends action, stealth, puzzle, and fighting games perfectly, and also blends fantastical comic book material with gritty realism. You will not regret buying this game. It's worth every penny. It keeps you occupied for hours and hours, and after it's all over, you just want to play it again. 5/5 stars.
Editorial note (July 31st, 2013): I recently purchased Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City Game of the Year editions for the PS3, and was able to experience some new elements. In the first game, there are several new challenge maps, including a difficult fighting map called "Scarecrow Nightmare", and some new challenge maps for download where you play as The Joker who must fight and kill Arkham guards in combat and stealth stages, using his own fighting styles and twisted gadgets. Those alone are worth the price of the game, and his gadgets somewhat mirror Batman's own. He has his own unique fighting style that is very effective in the combat stages. In City, the game already comes with the Catwoman episodes downloaded, so they are now integrated into the main story. The story will switch from Batman to Catwoman at appropriate times, and Catwoman is given brief missions to go on, one involving Poison Ivy, who doesn't appear in the main storyline, another involving a brief encounter with Two-Face, who barely appears in the main story, but is mentioned often by thugs. It offers a more complete story, and explains how Catwoman got into certain situations Batman finds her in throughout the main story. She has her own gadgets and fighting style as well, which is somewhat more flexible and effective than Batman's, although climbing up the walls of buildings can get tiring. Her energetic and sarcastic personality also compliments Batman's brooding and dark exterior, giving you a bit of both. Her whip functions somewhat like the Batclaw, although she is also required to climb the sides of buildings with her claws once she swings onto them. Her side missions can distract from the main story, but ultimately are pretty entertaining. The episodes also offer the player a chance to collect special Riddler trophies and achievements exclusive to Catwoman.
(Images: Wikipedia, Google)
Evil Dead review is up!!!
My review of the new horror film Evil Dead is up on my other blog: http://mattmonstermovies.blogspot.com/
Hitchcock: Yes, I finally saw it...
On my way over to Hawaii via airline during Spring Break, I was able to use an inflight entertainment tablet device to watch Hitchcock, a biopic on one of the legendary director.
Hitchcock:
The film chronicles Alfred Hitchcock's midlife crisis and the making of his classic horror-thriller Psycho. Interestingly, around the same time this film was released, BBC and HBO did a TV film biopic called The Girl, which starred Sienna Miller and Toby Jones, and shows Hitchcock as a controlling pervert. This theatrical film definitely shows his strange quirks and obsession with his leading ladies, but doesn't go to the negative extremes. The film also explores the fact that his wife Alma had a profound effect on him and his films. Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren give great performances as Alfred and Alma Hitchcock, and Hopkins is nearly unrecognizable under the prosthetic makeup. Scarlett Johansson gives a good performance as Janet Leigh. The large cast also includes Kurtwood Smith (That 70's Show, Robocop), Toni Collette, Jessica Biel, James D'Arcy (Cloud Atlas), Danny Huston, Ralph Macchio (The Karate Kid, Ugly Betty, The Outsiders, My Cousin Vinny), and Michael Wincott (The Crow, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Three Musketeers, Metro). The film has some excellent drama, and some very effective comedic bits. The film's tone is mostly of a dramady, not as dark as The Girl. The film is actually based on a book by Stephen Rebello called Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho. The movie makes a funny reference to another Hitchcock film at the ending that I won't spoil here. This movie was hyped up, so I had my expectations set pretty high. Not to burst anyone's hopes (those who haven't seen the film), but it's no surprise the film didn't win any big Oscars. Not saying the film is bad, it's actually pretty good. Skyfall was excellent and that didn't win any major Oscars. But when set to the bar of films like Skyfall, Lincoln, Life of Pi, Argo, Wreck-It Ralph, and even Les Miserables, this film does not meet expectations. Hitchcock is an entertaining and clever biopic, but not one where you feel like you want to see it again right after your watch it. 3/5 stars.
(Image: Wikipedia)
Hitchcock:
The film chronicles Alfred Hitchcock's midlife crisis and the making of his classic horror-thriller Psycho. Interestingly, around the same time this film was released, BBC and HBO did a TV film biopic called The Girl, which starred Sienna Miller and Toby Jones, and shows Hitchcock as a controlling pervert. This theatrical film definitely shows his strange quirks and obsession with his leading ladies, but doesn't go to the negative extremes. The film also explores the fact that his wife Alma had a profound effect on him and his films. Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren give great performances as Alfred and Alma Hitchcock, and Hopkins is nearly unrecognizable under the prosthetic makeup. Scarlett Johansson gives a good performance as Janet Leigh. The large cast also includes Kurtwood Smith (That 70's Show, Robocop), Toni Collette, Jessica Biel, James D'Arcy (Cloud Atlas), Danny Huston, Ralph Macchio (The Karate Kid, Ugly Betty, The Outsiders, My Cousin Vinny), and Michael Wincott (The Crow, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Three Musketeers, Metro). The film has some excellent drama, and some very effective comedic bits. The film's tone is mostly of a dramady, not as dark as The Girl. The film is actually based on a book by Stephen Rebello called Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho. The movie makes a funny reference to another Hitchcock film at the ending that I won't spoil here. This movie was hyped up, so I had my expectations set pretty high. Not to burst anyone's hopes (those who haven't seen the film), but it's no surprise the film didn't win any big Oscars. Not saying the film is bad, it's actually pretty good. Skyfall was excellent and that didn't win any major Oscars. But when set to the bar of films like Skyfall, Lincoln, Life of Pi, Argo, Wreck-It Ralph, and even Les Miserables, this film does not meet expectations. Hitchcock is an entertaining and clever biopic, but not one where you feel like you want to see it again right after your watch it. 3/5 stars.
(Image: Wikipedia)
Friday, April 12, 2013
G.I. Joe: Another 80's franchise getting destroyed
Today, I revisit an icon from my childhood. There are many great 80's cartoons and comics, but G.I. Joe was one of the greatest, it's up there with Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. So it only makes sense for Paramount Pictures to rape the franchise like they did with the Transformers franchise and are planning to do with Ninja Turtles. (Minor Spoilers)
GI Joe, The Rise of Cobra:
Soldiers Duke and Ripcord are attacked by terrorist organization Cobra, and then are recruited by GI Joe, a special missions force determined to stop Cobra and all terrorist groups. Cobra uses it's ties to Laird James McCullen (Destro), a weapons developer who has developed tiny robotic termites known as "nanomites", and is assisting Cobra in taking over the world. The film stars Channing Tatum (yes, before he got big), Marlon Wayans (yes, after he was big), Ray Park (a stuntman known for many villainous roles in movies), Rachel Nichols (the hot green chick from 2009's Star Trek), Christopher Eccelston (The 9th Doctor), Dennis Quaid (who is wasted), and Joseph-Gordon Levitt (yes, before he was big). Now, there are many plot-holes, inconsistencies, and unrealistic special effects. But before we get to that, let's quickly touch upon the cast. Channing Tatum had recently starred in an anti-war film (Stop-Loss), and thought the film glorified war, almost turning it down (he should have), before realizing it was a sci-fi action film. The Joes where stupid robo-suits they never, ever wore in the cartoon or the comics. The only films Joseph-Gordon Levitt was only in two hit films at the time, and was still relatively unknown. (Both the films were indie movies.) Marlon Wayans casting was based entirely on his surprisingly great performance in the drug drama Requiem for a Dream, which, back in 2009 (the year the film was released), was nearly a decade ago. Although Rachel Nichols and Sienna Miller (The Baroness) are good actors, they are used as eye-candy. Although they are very attractive, I feel they could have done more. Hell, Dennis Quaid and model Karolina Kurkova do absolutely nothing. Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, Van Helsing) directs this film and brings his usual over-the-top CGI action scenes. I actually liked The Mummy, and felt the CG was well-used there, but I hated Van Helsing. This was Sommers' last chance at a blockbuster movie, and unfortunately, he blew it again. The action scenes are so unrealistic and silly, it comes off as self-parody, like something out of Team America. The Joes, "real American heroes", are now an international organization, with the character Breaker being turned into a French guy for the film. Sommers also has actors from his previous films, such as Brendan Fraser and Kevin J. O'Connor , make cameos. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is an over-the-top, stupid, incoherent mess. It's not as bad as the Transformers sequels, but it's pretty awful. Bad CGI, stupid action scenes, bad direction, terrible writing, worse acting. (No insult to the actors, Daniel Day-Lewis couldn't make these lines sound good!) 2/5 stars.
GI Joe, Retaliation:
Finally, after 3 years, and then a 6-month production delay, the newest GI Joe film hits theaters. In this movie, the Joes are brutally attacked by the US Government, now under the control of Cobra. With only Roadblock, Lady Jaye, and Flint surviving, they team up with a retired general to take down Cobra, and the corrupted President. Funny enough, this film was delayed for months, just to shoot a couple extra scenes with Channing Tatum after he became popular during the summer of 2012, even though (SPOILERS!!!) he dies about 20 minutes into the film. I did think that Dwayne Johnson and he had good chemistry while on screen. Johnson is a charismatic bad-ass, and he was definitely a big part of why the movie was better than the first. Several characters aren't even mentioned: Scarlett, Rip Cord, Breaker, Baroness, it's like they just disappeared. Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes come back for their own little side-story. DJ Cotrona is a forgettable as Flint. Adrianne Palicki plays Lady Jaye, who is just there to be hot, which she does very well. Channing Tatum does a good job as Duke for the short time he appears on screen. Ray Park and Byung-hun Lee return as the rival ninjas Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow in this film. Ray Stevenson (HBO's Rome, Thor, The Other Guys, The Book of Eli, Kill the Irishman, Punisher: War Zone, The Vampire's Assistant, Three Musketeers) plays Firefly, a pyromaniac terrorist who serves as the secondary villain. Rapper and filmmaker RZA makes a cameo as a blind ninja master. Jonathan Pryce plays dual roles as the President and Zartan disguised as the President. Arnold Vosloo briefly appears as Zartan in his normal form. Elodie Young plays Jinx, a ninja who helps Snake Eyes. Bruce Willis has a minor role as General Joe Colton. (The reason the tem is called "GI Joe") Walton Goggins plays the immature warden of a high-security terrorist prison. Luke Bracey (Home and Away, Monte Carlo) plays Cobra Commander, who is voiced by Robert Baker. He's a replacement for Gordon-Levitt after that actor became big in 2011 and 2012. Something that I found odd is that Cobra Commander's right-hand man Destro was just shoved aside as soon as Commander was freed from his cryo-prison cell. By the way, Cobra Commander doesn't do jack shit in this movie, either. Just like the first film, a little disappointing. G.I. Joe: Retaliation is not a perfect film, it's very flawed in fact. But it's a masterpiece compared to the first film, and on it's own, is a decent, generic action movie. Check it out if you have kids, or if you are a fan of GI Joe, if not, just wait for the Blu-ray. 3/5 stars.
(Images: Wikipedia)
GI Joe, The Rise of Cobra:
Soldiers Duke and Ripcord are attacked by terrorist organization Cobra, and then are recruited by GI Joe, a special missions force determined to stop Cobra and all terrorist groups. Cobra uses it's ties to Laird James McCullen (Destro), a weapons developer who has developed tiny robotic termites known as "nanomites", and is assisting Cobra in taking over the world. The film stars Channing Tatum (yes, before he got big), Marlon Wayans (yes, after he was big), Ray Park (a stuntman known for many villainous roles in movies), Rachel Nichols (the hot green chick from 2009's Star Trek), Christopher Eccelston (The 9th Doctor), Dennis Quaid (who is wasted), and Joseph-Gordon Levitt (yes, before he was big). Now, there are many plot-holes, inconsistencies, and unrealistic special effects. But before we get to that, let's quickly touch upon the cast. Channing Tatum had recently starred in an anti-war film (Stop-Loss), and thought the film glorified war, almost turning it down (he should have), before realizing it was a sci-fi action film. The Joes where stupid robo-suits they never, ever wore in the cartoon or the comics. The only films Joseph-Gordon Levitt was only in two hit films at the time, and was still relatively unknown. (Both the films were indie movies.) Marlon Wayans casting was based entirely on his surprisingly great performance in the drug drama Requiem for a Dream, which, back in 2009 (the year the film was released), was nearly a decade ago. Although Rachel Nichols and Sienna Miller (The Baroness) are good actors, they are used as eye-candy. Although they are very attractive, I feel they could have done more. Hell, Dennis Quaid and model Karolina Kurkova do absolutely nothing. Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, Van Helsing) directs this film and brings his usual over-the-top CGI action scenes. I actually liked The Mummy, and felt the CG was well-used there, but I hated Van Helsing. This was Sommers' last chance at a blockbuster movie, and unfortunately, he blew it again. The action scenes are so unrealistic and silly, it comes off as self-parody, like something out of Team America. The Joes, "real American heroes", are now an international organization, with the character Breaker being turned into a French guy for the film. Sommers also has actors from his previous films, such as Brendan Fraser and Kevin J. O'Connor , make cameos. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is an over-the-top, stupid, incoherent mess. It's not as bad as the Transformers sequels, but it's pretty awful. Bad CGI, stupid action scenes, bad direction, terrible writing, worse acting. (No insult to the actors, Daniel Day-Lewis couldn't make these lines sound good!) 2/5 stars.
GI Joe, Retaliation:
Finally, after 3 years, and then a 6-month production delay, the newest GI Joe film hits theaters. In this movie, the Joes are brutally attacked by the US Government, now under the control of Cobra. With only Roadblock, Lady Jaye, and Flint surviving, they team up with a retired general to take down Cobra, and the corrupted President. Funny enough, this film was delayed for months, just to shoot a couple extra scenes with Channing Tatum after he became popular during the summer of 2012, even though (SPOILERS!!!) he dies about 20 minutes into the film. I did think that Dwayne Johnson and he had good chemistry while on screen. Johnson is a charismatic bad-ass, and he was definitely a big part of why the movie was better than the first. Several characters aren't even mentioned: Scarlett, Rip Cord, Breaker, Baroness, it's like they just disappeared. Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes come back for their own little side-story. DJ Cotrona is a forgettable as Flint. Adrianne Palicki plays Lady Jaye, who is just there to be hot, which she does very well. Channing Tatum does a good job as Duke for the short time he appears on screen. Ray Park and Byung-hun Lee return as the rival ninjas Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow in this film. Ray Stevenson (HBO's Rome, Thor, The Other Guys, The Book of Eli, Kill the Irishman, Punisher: War Zone, The Vampire's Assistant, Three Musketeers) plays Firefly, a pyromaniac terrorist who serves as the secondary villain. Rapper and filmmaker RZA makes a cameo as a blind ninja master. Jonathan Pryce plays dual roles as the President and Zartan disguised as the President. Arnold Vosloo briefly appears as Zartan in his normal form. Elodie Young plays Jinx, a ninja who helps Snake Eyes. Bruce Willis has a minor role as General Joe Colton. (The reason the tem is called "GI Joe") Walton Goggins plays the immature warden of a high-security terrorist prison. Luke Bracey (Home and Away, Monte Carlo) plays Cobra Commander, who is voiced by Robert Baker. He's a replacement for Gordon-Levitt after that actor became big in 2011 and 2012. Something that I found odd is that Cobra Commander's right-hand man Destro was just shoved aside as soon as Commander was freed from his cryo-prison cell. By the way, Cobra Commander doesn't do jack shit in this movie, either. Just like the first film, a little disappointing. G.I. Joe: Retaliation is not a perfect film, it's very flawed in fact. But it's a masterpiece compared to the first film, and on it's own, is a decent, generic action movie. Check it out if you have kids, or if you are a fan of GI Joe, if not, just wait for the Blu-ray. 3/5 stars.
(Images: Wikipedia)
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