2016. Been one heck of a year, hasn't it? The Grim Reaper has been busy, politics have takes a much more right-wing turn, and a lot of people are tired and scared.
However, I fancy myself an optimist. So, for my final blog post of this year, I wanted to show some good things did happen in 2016.
- Sri Lanka is free of malaria. That's pretty awesome. It's great to see that
- Giant Pandas no longer on endangered species list. They technically still are considered vulnerable, but their population is growing. So that's fantastic to see. Giant Pandas are cute. But Giant pandas are not the only animals making a comeback...
- Tiger populations are increasing. This is awesome. I love tigers. It's great to see these majestic animals making a comeback.
- The Juno probe reaches Jupiter. Yup, after five years, Juno has arrived at its destination. It's come to Jupiter, and it's sending information about our solar system's biggest member.
- Tim Peake is the first English ESA astronaut. This is really cool to me as I was born in Great Britain. It's awesome to see an Englishman reach the stars. The Brits are getting back into space exploration, baby!
- India plants 50 million trees. India shattered a world record as part of a commitment to reforestation. This is really neat.
- A solar-powered airplane flew across the Pacific Ocean. This is big. This means that solar power could replace fossil fuels for transcontinental flights in the future.
It's not much, but these are just a few of the really neat things that happened this year. Yeah, a lot of bad stuff happened, but so did a lot of good. And hopefully, 2017 will bring more positive things in the future. Happy New Year!
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Thursday, December 29, 2016
The Literary Lair: The Ashes of Eden
When I want to relax, I like to fire up YouTube and watch review videos. I have my favorite web shows, and one of them is Michael Gleason's Literary Lair, a series in which he reviews books. It's a great show, especially if you are an avid reader.
This review, one of William Shatner and the Reeves-Stevens' Star Trek novel The Ashes of Eden, is one of my favorite episodes. I'm not sure why, to be honest. Maybe it was because I have read some of the "Shatnerverse" novels (I think I do own The Return, I'll have to hunt it down), but I have to consider this one of my favorite episodes. I'll have to hunt this book down. Looks like a fun read.
Give it a watch, and check out the rest of his Literary Lair reviews. You can find them here.
This review, one of William Shatner and the Reeves-Stevens' Star Trek novel The Ashes of Eden, is one of my favorite episodes. I'm not sure why, to be honest. Maybe it was because I have read some of the "Shatnerverse" novels (I think I do own The Return, I'll have to hunt it down), but I have to consider this one of my favorite episodes. I'll have to hunt this book down. Looks like a fun read.
Give it a watch, and check out the rest of his Literary Lair reviews. You can find them here.
Monday, December 26, 2016
Rogue One Review
The Star Wars universe has officially gone rogue! Rogue One, that is. Yeah, I know, bad joke, I apologize. Rogue One is the first of the Star Wars Anthology films, films that are intended to tell side stories in the Star Wars universe. In Rogue One's case, it tells the tale of how the Rebel Alliance got the plans for the original Death Star, the one with the Alderaan-destroying superlaser. So, how did this film do? Was it a worthy entry in the Star Wars universe, or was it a galactic-scale disaster? Let's find out!
The film centers around Felicity Jones's Jyn Erso, the daughter of an Imperial scientist. The Rebel Alliance has been hearing about a new superweapon that the Empire has been working on, under the command of Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) And one of the scientists behind it is her father, Galen Erso, portrayed by Mads Mikkaelsen. Jyn Erso joins Rebel Alliance intelligence agent Cassian Andor and K-2SO (a reprogrammed Imperial droid voiced by Alan Tudyk) to find her father and get the plans for the superweapon. Along the way, they meet the mercenary Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen), the warrior monk Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen), and a defecting Imperial cargo pilot Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed).
My favorite characters in the film were Chirrut and K-2SO. They were two of the most fun characters in the whole movie. K-2SO was such a wonderful source of snark, and you did get the impression that Imwe was a little bit nuts.
The film was rather well made, and I liked the cast. It had some good players. The film was fun to watch from beginning to end. It had a good pace, and the battle scenes were amazing to watch. It also featured a couple of surprise cameos I never expected. Let's just say that the tech used to pull them off was impressive.
I've heard some say the darker tone is a bit off-putting for this film. I didn't mind it in the least. In fact, I found the darker tone appropriate. This is a war film, after all. I like that it showed a more realistic take on the Rebellion. These are people who had to do what it took to fight the Empire, including stealing and killing. The world of Star Wars is more gray than one realizes. I also did enjoy the fan service in the movie. Some may not like it, but me personally, I had no issue with it. It did not feel forced to me. In fact, one appearance in particular really amazed me with how well it was pulled off.
I can't really think of much to complain about with this movie, to be honest. Except for one thing. Minor spoiler here, I'd have liked to have seen more with how Galen convinced Brodi to defect. Otherwise that, I have no real issues with the movie. I did have one other issue, but I can't discuss it here for spoiler reasons.
Rogue One is an amazing film. Give it a watch. If you're not, WHY ARE YOU NOT?! If you're a Star Wars fan, it's a given you'll love this film. If you ever were really a nut for the franchise like I was, give it a watch anyway. It's still great.
The film centers around Felicity Jones's Jyn Erso, the daughter of an Imperial scientist. The Rebel Alliance has been hearing about a new superweapon that the Empire has been working on, under the command of Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) And one of the scientists behind it is her father, Galen Erso, portrayed by Mads Mikkaelsen. Jyn Erso joins Rebel Alliance intelligence agent Cassian Andor and K-2SO (a reprogrammed Imperial droid voiced by Alan Tudyk) to find her father and get the plans for the superweapon. Along the way, they meet the mercenary Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen), the warrior monk Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen), and a defecting Imperial cargo pilot Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed).
My favorite characters in the film were Chirrut and K-2SO. They were two of the most fun characters in the whole movie. K-2SO was such a wonderful source of snark, and you did get the impression that Imwe was a little bit nuts.
The film was rather well made, and I liked the cast. It had some good players. The film was fun to watch from beginning to end. It had a good pace, and the battle scenes were amazing to watch. It also featured a couple of surprise cameos I never expected. Let's just say that the tech used to pull them off was impressive.
I've heard some say the darker tone is a bit off-putting for this film. I didn't mind it in the least. In fact, I found the darker tone appropriate. This is a war film, after all. I like that it showed a more realistic take on the Rebellion. These are people who had to do what it took to fight the Empire, including stealing and killing. The world of Star Wars is more gray than one realizes. I also did enjoy the fan service in the movie. Some may not like it, but me personally, I had no issue with it. It did not feel forced to me. In fact, one appearance in particular really amazed me with how well it was pulled off.
I can't really think of much to complain about with this movie, to be honest. Except for one thing. Minor spoiler here, I'd have liked to have seen more with how Galen convinced Brodi to defect. Otherwise that, I have no real issues with the movie. I did have one other issue, but I can't discuss it here for spoiler reasons.
Rogue One is an amazing film. Give it a watch. If you're not, WHY ARE YOU NOT?! If you're a Star Wars fan, it's a given you'll love this film. If you ever were really a nut for the franchise like I was, give it a watch anyway. It's still great.
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone out there! May your day be filled with cheer and joy!
Saturday, December 24, 2016
Movies to watch on Christmas, My Updated Thoughts
Hey, everyone! It's that time of year again! As the song goes, "It's the most wonderful time of the year..." A couple of years ago, I did a blog entry in which I talked about my favorite movies to watch during the Christmas season. Since I'm feeling a bit lazy, I thought I'd show the list again, and do my updated thoughts on them. Yeah, I'm George Lucas-ing this thing.
As I have said, I'm a bit of a film nut, so I enjoy watching movies on Christmas. As such, I recommended some films to watch on Christmas Day...if you celebrate it. You don't have to celebrate Christmas to watch these movies, they're still great.
Released the same year as Ghostbusters (it seemed that at the time, combining horror and humor was a thing in movies), I do feel that Gremlins sometimes does get overshadowed. Think about it. Ghostbusters has been going strong for over thirty years as a franchise, getting movies, two cartoon series, comics, video games, and a recent reboot that got mixed reception and has the power to make fanboys throw temper tantrums. Gremlins...not much. I know there was a Game Boy game based on the second one, and there were a couple of games for the Atari 2600 and 5200 based on the first one, but that's about it, as far as I know. Would love to see a comic book.
The film is about an inventor's son named Billy Peltzer who gets a creature known as a mogwai, which he names Gizmo. However, mogwai come with three rules of care: Do not expose to light (because light can kill mogwai), do not feed after midnight (because mogwai turn into monsterous gremlins), and do not get a mogwai wet (because it makes them reproduce and create more mogwai). You can guess what happens next. Yup, gremlins wreak havoc all over a small town at Christmas time.
Why do I consider it a Christmas film? Well, it's set on Christmas. It's a good film if you got a bit of a twisted sense of humor, or if you are tired of Christmas specials that can get a bit sappy and/or schmaltzy and want something a little different.
I love this film for many reasons. The Gremlins' antics are hilarious to watch, and as someone who doesn't really have the stomach for horror movies, the comedy gives me a reason to watch. To me, the funniest part is how the Gremlins unintentionally give the mean Mrs. Deagle her comeuppance. The rest of the film is enjoyable, too. The actors do great work with their roles, and it's very well-made. There's also a cameo by Chuck Jones. Old-school Looney Tunes fans should look out for him.
As long as I'm talking about this one, I do want to recommend that you give the sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, a viewing as well. It's more light in tone, but it's still a funny movie, and I think it's a great sequel with some great laughs.
There's my list of recommendations for Christmas time film-watching. Heh, they're all from the 80s. Who'd have thought that? Maybe that decade was a bit of a Golden Era for these kind of movies? I have no idea. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this old blog entry that I George Lucas'd up.
As I have said, I'm a bit of a film nut, so I enjoy watching movies on Christmas. As such, I recommended some films to watch on Christmas Day...if you celebrate it. You don't have to celebrate Christmas to watch these movies, they're still great.
Gremlins (1984)
Released the same year as Ghostbusters (it seemed that at the time, combining horror and humor was a thing in movies), I do feel that Gremlins sometimes does get overshadowed. Think about it. Ghostbusters has been going strong for over thirty years as a franchise, getting movies, two cartoon series, comics, video games, and a recent reboot that got mixed reception and has the power to make fanboys throw temper tantrums. Gremlins...not much. I know there was a Game Boy game based on the second one, and there were a couple of games for the Atari 2600 and 5200 based on the first one, but that's about it, as far as I know. Would love to see a comic book.
The film is about an inventor's son named Billy Peltzer who gets a creature known as a mogwai, which he names Gizmo. However, mogwai come with three rules of care: Do not expose to light (because light can kill mogwai), do not feed after midnight (because mogwai turn into monsterous gremlins), and do not get a mogwai wet (because it makes them reproduce and create more mogwai). You can guess what happens next. Yup, gremlins wreak havoc all over a small town at Christmas time.
Why do I consider it a Christmas film? Well, it's set on Christmas. It's a good film if you got a bit of a twisted sense of humor, or if you are tired of Christmas specials that can get a bit sappy and/or schmaltzy and want something a little different.
I love this film for many reasons. The Gremlins' antics are hilarious to watch, and as someone who doesn't really have the stomach for horror movies, the comedy gives me a reason to watch. To me, the funniest part is how the Gremlins unintentionally give the mean Mrs. Deagle her comeuppance. The rest of the film is enjoyable, too. The actors do great work with their roles, and it's very well-made. There's also a cameo by Chuck Jones. Old-school Looney Tunes fans should look out for him.
As long as I'm talking about this one, I do want to recommend that you give the sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, a viewing as well. It's more light in tone, but it's still a funny movie, and I think it's a great sequel with some great laughs.
A Christmas Story (1983)
This film has become a classic Christmas film. In fact, TNT broadcasts the film in a marathon for 24 hours every Christmas Day. It even got into the National Film Registry in 2012. Yup, this film was considered important enough to be preserved by the Library of Congress. I think it's one of the only films in this list that was given such an honor.
Based on the book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash (Which was a collection of short stories) by Jean Shepherd, it tells the tale of a young boy named Ralphie Parker of Hohman, Indiana, who wants a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas, and his family in the days leading up to Christmas Day. The original stories were semi-autobiographical, based on Shepherd's own childhood in Hammond, Indiana. In fact, the narrator in the movie? That's the late Jean Shepherd himself. Yup, that's his genuine voice. He made his name in radio.
I think it's a film that's required viewing on Christmas. Many elements and scenes from the film have become rather iconic, from the leg lamp the Old Man lusts over, the Old Man vs. the neighbor's dogs and his battle with the heater, to Ralphie's pink bunny suit, "You'll shoot your eye out", and Flick's tongue getting stuck to the pole. Classic stuff.
I never thought about it as a kid, but now, there is something about the film I have thought about recently. You see, I always thought the film was set in the 1950s. However, in the DVD commentary, Bob Clark (the film's director), revealed that he and Shepherd wanted the film to be seen as set in a time around the late-30s, early 1940s. I imagine it's a source of debate among fans of the movie.
Based on the book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash (Which was a collection of short stories) by Jean Shepherd, it tells the tale of a young boy named Ralphie Parker of Hohman, Indiana, who wants a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas, and his family in the days leading up to Christmas Day. The original stories were semi-autobiographical, based on Shepherd's own childhood in Hammond, Indiana. In fact, the narrator in the movie? That's the late Jean Shepherd himself. Yup, that's his genuine voice. He made his name in radio.
I think it's a film that's required viewing on Christmas. Many elements and scenes from the film have become rather iconic, from the leg lamp the Old Man lusts over, the Old Man vs. the neighbor's dogs and his battle with the heater, to Ralphie's pink bunny suit, "You'll shoot your eye out", and Flick's tongue getting stuck to the pole. Classic stuff.
I never thought about it as a kid, but now, there is something about the film I have thought about recently. You see, I always thought the film was set in the 1950s. However, in the DVD commentary, Bob Clark (the film's director), revealed that he and Shepherd wanted the film to be seen as set in a time around the late-30s, early 1940s. I imagine it's a source of debate among fans of the movie.
If you haven't seen it, give it a watch. It's fun, and rather sweet.
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
Much like A Christmas Story, this film focuses on a family's misadventures during the holiday season. In this film's case, it focuses on the ever-hapless Griswolds, especially their mishap-prone patriarch Clark Griswold, played by of course, Chevy Chase.
Based on the short story "Christmas '59" from the National Lampoon magazine, which was written by the same man who wrote the film, John Hughes. That's actually really neat, that he got adapt his own story to other media. That's pretty neat.
Clark Griswold just wants to have in his own words, "A fun, old-fashioned family Christmas", but it seems that fate has other plans in mind for that. Bickering relatives, Christmas lights being hopelessly entangled, yuppie neighbors, Cousin Eddie, and even a rampaging squirrel threaten to wreck Clark's dreams. Through it all, Clark realizes what Christmas means to him after all.
This film has been regarded as a modern Christmas classic, and it's not hard to see why. It's funny, well-made, and it's genuinely heartwarming at times. My favorite scene in the whole film? Clark Griswold's epic cursing out of his boss after his Christmas bonus turns out...not quite like he hoped.
The theme song, Mavis Staples's "Christmas Vacation", never fails to make me smile. Give it a listen here.
Based on the short story "Christmas '59" from the National Lampoon magazine, which was written by the same man who wrote the film, John Hughes. That's actually really neat, that he got adapt his own story to other media. That's pretty neat.
Clark Griswold just wants to have in his own words, "A fun, old-fashioned family Christmas", but it seems that fate has other plans in mind for that. Bickering relatives, Christmas lights being hopelessly entangled, yuppie neighbors, Cousin Eddie, and even a rampaging squirrel threaten to wreck Clark's dreams. Through it all, Clark realizes what Christmas means to him after all.
This film has been regarded as a modern Christmas classic, and it's not hard to see why. It's funny, well-made, and it's genuinely heartwarming at times. My favorite scene in the whole film? Clark Griswold's epic cursing out of his boss after his Christmas bonus turns out...not quite like he hoped.
The theme song, Mavis Staples's "Christmas Vacation", never fails to make me smile. Give it a listen here.
Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)
You know how many superheroes have origin tales? Superman, rocketed to earth from the doomed planet Krypton. Batman, death of parents leads him to take of the life of a crime fighter. Spider-Man, bitten by radioactive spider and learns a lesson about power and responsibility from a tragedy. This film was an attempt to tell the origins of Santa Claus, produced by the team of Alexander and Ilya Salkind, who also produced the 1977 Superman film.
The film tells how a peasant named Claus ends up becoming the Santa Claus we know of today, and also tries to explain other aspects of the Santa Claus mythos, like how his reindeer fly, and how he manages to ascend chimneys. Honestly, I like the idea of it. I do like the idea of exploring how Santa became the Santa we know and love. Grant Morrison has been doing something similar recently with his comic Klaus. I would love to pick it up, heard it was pretty good.
The film also focuses on an elf named Patch, played by the late, great Dudley Moore. An inventive elf, and feeling unappreciated, Patch goes out on his own, and falls under the wing of an evil toymaker named B.Z., the step-uncle of a rich girl Santa befriends. B.Z., played by John Lithgow, seeks to displace Santa as the provider of children's toys on Christmas, and with Patch as his pawn, he just may do it.
My major criticism is really, with the villain. John Lithgow does the best he can with what he's got to work with, and his scenery-chewing is fun to watch, but it's clear that not a lot of thought was put into the character. For example, the toys B.Z. makes. They're shoddy. I get that he wants to displace Santa as the premier provider of children's toys on Christmas, but it would make more sense to make high-quality toys. Sheesh. Not to mention...what does B.Z. stand for?!
Despite the flaws, the film has become a bit of a cult classic, and it is worth a watch, especially on this time of year.
The film also focuses on an elf named Patch, played by the late, great Dudley Moore. An inventive elf, and feeling unappreciated, Patch goes out on his own, and falls under the wing of an evil toymaker named B.Z., the step-uncle of a rich girl Santa befriends. B.Z., played by John Lithgow, seeks to displace Santa as the provider of children's toys on Christmas, and with Patch as his pawn, he just may do it.
My major criticism is really, with the villain. John Lithgow does the best he can with what he's got to work with, and his scenery-chewing is fun to watch, but it's clear that not a lot of thought was put into the character. For example, the toys B.Z. makes. They're shoddy. I get that he wants to displace Santa as the premier provider of children's toys on Christmas, but it would make more sense to make high-quality toys. Sheesh. Not to mention...what does B.Z. stand for?!
Despite the flaws, the film has become a bit of a cult classic, and it is worth a watch, especially on this time of year.
Die Hard (1988)
Yes. Yes, I consider this a Christmas movie.
Based on Roderick Thorp's 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever, albeit heavily altered in ways, it stars Bruce Willis as NYPD cop John McClane. McClane has come to LA to visit his estranged wife Holly Gennaro, portrayed by Bonnie Bedelia. However, the visit turns into a nightmare when a group of terrorists, led by Hans Gruber (the late great Alan Rickman) take over the building they were in. It's up to McClane to stop the terrorists, whose motives may not be what everyone thinks...
Based on Roderick Thorp's 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever, albeit heavily altered in ways, it stars Bruce Willis as NYPD cop John McClane. McClane has come to LA to visit his estranged wife Holly Gennaro, portrayed by Bonnie Bedelia. However, the visit turns into a nightmare when a group of terrorists, led by Hans Gruber (the late great Alan Rickman) take over the building they were in. It's up to McClane to stop the terrorists, whose motives may not be what everyone thinks...
This film showed that Bruce Willis, who was mainly known for comedic performances on TV (One word: Moonlighting), could not only be an action star, but be a bankable one. Die Hard was a critical and box office smash, creating a franchise that has encompassed five films, with a sixth in preproduction. Yeah, it's about ready to start competing with Star Trek for amount of sequels.
I love this film for many reasons. Rickman and Willis steal the show, and Reginald VelJohnson is underrated, in my opinion. Everyone does some great work in this movie, and it has some great dialogue and action sequences. It also does some clever things with action film tropes. If you're looking for something more...action-packed for Christmas, give this a watch.
I love this film for many reasons. Rickman and Willis steal the show, and Reginald VelJohnson is underrated, in my opinion. Everyone does some great work in this movie, and it has some great dialogue and action sequences. It also does some clever things with action film tropes. If you're looking for something more...action-packed for Christmas, give this a watch.
There's my list of recommendations for Christmas time film-watching. Heh, they're all from the 80s. Who'd have thought that? Maybe that decade was a bit of a Golden Era for these kind of movies? I have no idea. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this old blog entry that I George Lucas'd up.
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Spider-Man Homecoming Trailer, My Thoughts
It's here! It's here at last! After his debut in Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man is going to celebrate...his homecoming. Here's the trailer for the film!
First of all, I have to say, I love the title from a meta perspective. Spider-Man has come back home to Marvel. It works in that way. Hopefully, the title will be in relation to the film itself.
The trailer begins with a group of bank robbers pulling a heist. And well, Spidey shows. Well, he just stands there and asks what's up. He throws some banter at the Avenger-masked bank robbers, then beats them up. The Thor mask makes me chuckle, as it's clearly a nod to the comics, and Thor in the MCU is usually shown not wearing a helmet, like the Ultimate Marvel incarnation of the character. A silver helmet is briefly worn by Thor in the first Thor movie, but it's only about a second.
We next cut to Peter in high school. He is talking to his friend, a rather large Asian kid. Now, I have heard some people suggest he may be the MCU's Ganke, who is a friend of the Miles Morales Spider-Man because Ganke is a fat Asian kid in the comics. Me, though, I doubt it. I think he may be a version of Kenny "Kong" McFarlane, a character from the Ultimate Spider-Man series. He appeared in the Spectacular Spider-Man series as a Korean-American named Kenny Kong.
They're staring at a young lady who I think may be Liz Allen. She's pretty. And in a funny moment, they get called losers by another girl. That's funny.
We next see Peter conversing with Tony Stark. Some have complained about Stark being in the movie, but I think it dos make sense, considering their interaction in Captain America: Civil War. It's pretty clear that Tony is playing mentor for Spider-Man here. My favorite bit is where he hugs Peter, but is claiming to just open the car door for him. It's a sweet moment.
Tony narrates while Peter is doing various things, and we get a glimpse of who might be the main villain of the film: The Vulture. And my GOD, he looks cool. I LOVE the helmet, especially. It looks like a fighter pilot's helmet, and I think it works. Makes sense that the Vulture would need something like that for flying around. I also like the fur around the collar. It's something that's the great strength of MCU designs. They do keep reality in mind, but make every effort to be accurate to the comics. And Michael Keaton is MENACING, man. I do like they picked the Vulture for the villain here. He was the first villain Spidey fought in the comics, and he's not Spidey's ultimate arch-nemesis. They can save the Green Goblin for a future film. They don't need to bring him in or even Norman Osborn right away. I don't mind his name being dropped, but I'd save him for a sequel.
I think we do get some idea of what Peter will go through in this film based on the dialogue. I think we're going to show Peter struggling under Tony's mentorship. Tony wants to keep Peter from going in over his head, but Peter is anxious to show what he can do. Really shows how Tony has grown and matures from the first Iron Man film, and again, builds on the relationship they established in Captain America: Civil War.
The end of the trailer gives us a brief glimpse of something awesome: Spider-Man and Iron Man heading somewhere in full costume together. Whether they're teaming up to fight Vulture, or just going somewhere for the fun of it, I have no idea. But it's cool.
As someone who loves Spider-Man, I LOVED this trailer. It got me really excited for this movie, ha ha! I can't wait to see how the mythos of Spider-Man is brought in to the MCU.
First of all, I have to say, I love the title from a meta perspective. Spider-Man has come back home to Marvel. It works in that way. Hopefully, the title will be in relation to the film itself.
The trailer begins with a group of bank robbers pulling a heist. And well, Spidey shows. Well, he just stands there and asks what's up. He throws some banter at the Avenger-masked bank robbers, then beats them up. The Thor mask makes me chuckle, as it's clearly a nod to the comics, and Thor in the MCU is usually shown not wearing a helmet, like the Ultimate Marvel incarnation of the character. A silver helmet is briefly worn by Thor in the first Thor movie, but it's only about a second.
We next cut to Peter in high school. He is talking to his friend, a rather large Asian kid. Now, I have heard some people suggest he may be the MCU's Ganke, who is a friend of the Miles Morales Spider-Man because Ganke is a fat Asian kid in the comics. Me, though, I doubt it. I think he may be a version of Kenny "Kong" McFarlane, a character from the Ultimate Spider-Man series. He appeared in the Spectacular Spider-Man series as a Korean-American named Kenny Kong.
They're staring at a young lady who I think may be Liz Allen. She's pretty. And in a funny moment, they get called losers by another girl. That's funny.
We next see Peter conversing with Tony Stark. Some have complained about Stark being in the movie, but I think it dos make sense, considering their interaction in Captain America: Civil War. It's pretty clear that Tony is playing mentor for Spider-Man here. My favorite bit is where he hugs Peter, but is claiming to just open the car door for him. It's a sweet moment.
Tony narrates while Peter is doing various things, and we get a glimpse of who might be the main villain of the film: The Vulture. And my GOD, he looks cool. I LOVE the helmet, especially. It looks like a fighter pilot's helmet, and I think it works. Makes sense that the Vulture would need something like that for flying around. I also like the fur around the collar. It's something that's the great strength of MCU designs. They do keep reality in mind, but make every effort to be accurate to the comics. And Michael Keaton is MENACING, man. I do like they picked the Vulture for the villain here. He was the first villain Spidey fought in the comics, and he's not Spidey's ultimate arch-nemesis. They can save the Green Goblin for a future film. They don't need to bring him in or even Norman Osborn right away. I don't mind his name being dropped, but I'd save him for a sequel.
I think we do get some idea of what Peter will go through in this film based on the dialogue. I think we're going to show Peter struggling under Tony's mentorship. Tony wants to keep Peter from going in over his head, but Peter is anxious to show what he can do. Really shows how Tony has grown and matures from the first Iron Man film, and again, builds on the relationship they established in Captain America: Civil War.
The end of the trailer gives us a brief glimpse of something awesome: Spider-Man and Iron Man heading somewhere in full costume together. Whether they're teaming up to fight Vulture, or just going somewhere for the fun of it, I have no idea. But it's cool.
As someone who loves Spider-Man, I LOVED this trailer. It got me really excited for this movie, ha ha! I can't wait to see how the mythos of Spider-Man is brought in to the MCU.
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
The Mummy Trailer, My Thoughts
Marvel's doing one, DC is doing one, and now the classic Universal Monsters are getting ready to make their big comeback in the 21st Century in the form of a shared film universe of their own. And it's going to start with a reboot of The Mummy. Here's the trailer!
The trailer starts with Tom Cruise and who I think is Annabelle Willis flying in an airplane with a bunch of Army guys. The camera focuses on Tom with flashes of a sarcophagus being lifted out of a tomb and loaded on the plane. We can get from this that this will be set in the modern day. This is just like in the original. The original Mummy film was set in the then-present of 1932 as well.
We also get some glimpses of the sarcophagus. Only something good could be in a sarcophagus that looks like that.
The plane goes through some turbulence, one Army guy is shaking, we hear something pounding against the plane. Tom Cruise makes a "huh?" face, close up on his eyes, he and Annabelle rushes to the cockpit. Tom utters "What the hell?" and then...
Birds. Lots of birds. Lots and lots of birds. Yup, somebody's going all Alfred Hitchcock on this plane! The birds fly into the cockpit, which means the controls will be covered in bird poop, Tom and Annabelle fly all over the fuselage, engines explode, panel flies out of plane, and goodbye Army guys! Tom puts a parachute on Annabelle and fires it, taking her to safety.
Plane goes down, complete with soundtrack of Tom Cruise screaming. We then cut to what looks like a morgue, with the bodies of what may be the people on the plane all in body bags. Tom wakes up and rips his way out of his body bag. Since this a film about a mummy, I think we can safely assume he has been cursed.
Shot of the wreckage and sarcophagus, and then we get a close up of what appears to be the Mummy herself and her golden eyes...that have irises that are splitting in two. You know, optical health care has really advanced in the last several thousand years, she could go get that looked at.
We also get an appearance of Russell Crowe who will be playing, get this, I am not kidding, Dr. Henry Jekyll. Yes, Henry Jekyll. Henry Jekyll of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde fame. And we get a good look at Sofia Boutella as the Mummy or as the trailer calls her, Princess Amanet. She looks really cool.
Based on what Jekyll is saying, it's pretty clear the princess is after something, and it's not just a chance to wreck London. But what is she after? Revenge? An artifact? Her favorite stuffed animal? I guess we'll have to watch the movie to find out.
I'll give this movie a look. Hopefully, it'll be good. I have to admit, the idea of a cinematic universe focusing on bringing back the classic Universal Monsters is pretty cool, and I hope it does well.
The trailer starts with Tom Cruise and who I think is Annabelle Willis flying in an airplane with a bunch of Army guys. The camera focuses on Tom with flashes of a sarcophagus being lifted out of a tomb and loaded on the plane. We can get from this that this will be set in the modern day. This is just like in the original. The original Mummy film was set in the then-present of 1932 as well.
We also get some glimpses of the sarcophagus. Only something good could be in a sarcophagus that looks like that.
The plane goes through some turbulence, one Army guy is shaking, we hear something pounding against the plane. Tom Cruise makes a "huh?" face, close up on his eyes, he and Annabelle rushes to the cockpit. Tom utters "What the hell?" and then...
Birds. Lots of birds. Lots and lots of birds. Yup, somebody's going all Alfred Hitchcock on this plane! The birds fly into the cockpit, which means the controls will be covered in bird poop, Tom and Annabelle fly all over the fuselage, engines explode, panel flies out of plane, and goodbye Army guys! Tom puts a parachute on Annabelle and fires it, taking her to safety.
Plane goes down, complete with soundtrack of Tom Cruise screaming. We then cut to what looks like a morgue, with the bodies of what may be the people on the plane all in body bags. Tom wakes up and rips his way out of his body bag. Since this a film about a mummy, I think we can safely assume he has been cursed.
Shot of the wreckage and sarcophagus, and then we get a close up of what appears to be the Mummy herself and her golden eyes...that have irises that are splitting in two. You know, optical health care has really advanced in the last several thousand years, she could go get that looked at.
We also get an appearance of Russell Crowe who will be playing, get this, I am not kidding, Dr. Henry Jekyll. Yes, Henry Jekyll. Henry Jekyll of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde fame. And we get a good look at Sofia Boutella as the Mummy or as the trailer calls her, Princess Amanet. She looks really cool.
Based on what Jekyll is saying, it's pretty clear the princess is after something, and it's not just a chance to wreck London. But what is she after? Revenge? An artifact? Her favorite stuffed animal? I guess we'll have to watch the movie to find out.
I'll give this movie a look. Hopefully, it'll be good. I have to admit, the idea of a cinematic universe focusing on bringing back the classic Universal Monsters is pretty cool, and I hope it does well.
Monday, December 5, 2016
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 Trailer, My Thoughts
Guardians of the Galaxy was one of the films I had the most fun watching ever. It wasa fantastic film, and I was giddy when I saw these four words on the screen: The Guardians Will Return. I could not wait for the sequel!
The wait does not look like it will be for much longer. A new trailer has arrived for the sequel: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2!
First of all, I have to say, I love the song chosen for this. It's "Fox on the Run" by Sweet. Recorded in 1974 and released in 1975, it's one of Sweet's most well-known songs. It's a good choice for a song here. I think we can assume this was one of the songs on Awesome Mix Vol. 2.
The Guardians are getting ready to fight a monster. Star-Lord faces off against some spaceships, Drax leaps into a monster's mouth, and Rocket is trying to explain a bomb to someone...and the hilarity begins. Oh yeah, this trailer is bringing the funny. He's explaining a bomb to an adorable Baby Groot. And Baby Groot wants to push the shiny red button.
We get some action, Drax is shouty, a bomb goes off, Star-Lord flies the Milano in a space battle, and the trailer gives a moment to the five core Guardians. Drax's moment is hilarious, as he yells "SCREW YOU SPACESHIPS", and hacks at a monster's insides with his knives (I'm betting it's the same monster that he leapt into the mouth of). Rocket's moment shows Baby Groot on his shoulder as he's blasting at something with his guns. I like this. It's a nice subtle callback to the original film's prison scene with Rocket on Groot's shoulder. We also get to see that Baby Groot has his own little red Guardians uniform. He looks so adorable with it.
We get a better look at it in his own moment. It's really funny, seeing a grown man running away screaming from a small screaming charging Groot in his little red uniform. But then it is shown he is quite a powerful little guy, capable of using what I think may be vines to toss a grown man off a catwalk. Baby Groot is not to be messed with.
And then Star-Lord and Rocket fight over well, nobody having any tape. Peter has a point, Rocket. You carry around all your weapons, everyone would expect you to have tape. Then Baby Groot makes off with the bomb. That can only end in good.
The trailer ends with us getting a look at Mantis. I have to admit, she looks really alien, appropriate as she is an alien here. She looks like a mix of her modern and 70s look, which I appreciate. She's also cute. She also appears to have some sort of telepathic/empathic abilities. Mantis in the comics was an empath, and she was also a master martial artist. I hope the film shows that this Mantis can throw down if she needs to. The only complaint I have so far, and it's a minor one, is her speech.
You see, back in the day, Mantis referred to herself as "this one". I would've liked to have heard this Mantis use that tic as well: "This one can sense feelings", that kind of thing. It's a minor complaint, hardly a dealbreaker. She seems to lack tact a bit as she blabs right out that Peter loves Gamora, which Drax finds hilarious. I get the feeling Dave Bautista really loves playing Drax.
This trailer was amazing. It was one of the absolute funniest things I have ever seen. I am serious. This trailer had me rolling with laughter from beginning to end. It was a joy to watch. I can't wait for this movie.
The wait does not look like it will be for much longer. A new trailer has arrived for the sequel: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2!
First of all, I have to say, I love the song chosen for this. It's "Fox on the Run" by Sweet. Recorded in 1974 and released in 1975, it's one of Sweet's most well-known songs. It's a good choice for a song here. I think we can assume this was one of the songs on Awesome Mix Vol. 2.
The Guardians are getting ready to fight a monster. Star-Lord faces off against some spaceships, Drax leaps into a monster's mouth, and Rocket is trying to explain a bomb to someone...and the hilarity begins. Oh yeah, this trailer is bringing the funny. He's explaining a bomb to an adorable Baby Groot. And Baby Groot wants to push the shiny red button.
We get some action, Drax is shouty, a bomb goes off, Star-Lord flies the Milano in a space battle, and the trailer gives a moment to the five core Guardians. Drax's moment is hilarious, as he yells "SCREW YOU SPACESHIPS", and hacks at a monster's insides with his knives (I'm betting it's the same monster that he leapt into the mouth of). Rocket's moment shows Baby Groot on his shoulder as he's blasting at something with his guns. I like this. It's a nice subtle callback to the original film's prison scene with Rocket on Groot's shoulder. We also get to see that Baby Groot has his own little red Guardians uniform. He looks so adorable with it.
We get a better look at it in his own moment. It's really funny, seeing a grown man running away screaming from a small screaming charging Groot in his little red uniform. But then it is shown he is quite a powerful little guy, capable of using what I think may be vines to toss a grown man off a catwalk. Baby Groot is not to be messed with.
And then Star-Lord and Rocket fight over well, nobody having any tape. Peter has a point, Rocket. You carry around all your weapons, everyone would expect you to have tape. Then Baby Groot makes off with the bomb. That can only end in good.
The trailer ends with us getting a look at Mantis. I have to admit, she looks really alien, appropriate as she is an alien here. She looks like a mix of her modern and 70s look, which I appreciate. She's also cute. She also appears to have some sort of telepathic/empathic abilities. Mantis in the comics was an empath, and she was also a master martial artist. I hope the film shows that this Mantis can throw down if she needs to. The only complaint I have so far, and it's a minor one, is her speech.
You see, back in the day, Mantis referred to herself as "this one". I would've liked to have heard this Mantis use that tic as well: "This one can sense feelings", that kind of thing. It's a minor complaint, hardly a dealbreaker. She seems to lack tact a bit as she blabs right out that Peter loves Gamora, which Drax finds hilarious. I get the feeling Dave Bautista really loves playing Drax.
This trailer was amazing. It was one of the absolute funniest things I have ever seen. I am serious. This trailer had me rolling with laughter from beginning to end. It was a joy to watch. I can't wait for this movie.
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Marvel vs Capcom Infinite Teaser, My Thoughts
Hello, everyone! I got a new power cord for my computer, and I am back in action, baby! Whoo!
The Marvel vs. Capcom series is one of the most beloved fighting franchises in gaming, and after the third one, people were hoping a fourth one would come for years. And it looks like we may just get it after all. A new teaser has arrived for Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite. Here it is!
The trailer begins with a familiar pair of blue feet. It's Mega Man...Mega Man X, that is. Yup. X. I keep wondering why Capcom avoids using the original Mega Man. Ah well, at this this game will get a Mega Man. X reaches towards a glowing pink/purple object, but it gets blasted away from him...only to be caught by a familiar red-gloved hand.
It's Ryu, and the object is a gem! It clearly is one of the Infinity Gems, and since it's purple, it's likely the Space Gem.
Ryu helps X up, and Iron Man makes his landing, ready for a brawl! X and Iron get into a bit of a beam war, which Tony Stark wins, but then Ryu uses the gem's power to uppercut Iron Man into the sky. Iron Man is saved by none other than Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel! She powers up, and I can't help but think she looks a little like a Super Saiyan from Dragon Ball Z, ha ha.
Now that Iron Man's got his tag team partner, the two decide to take it to the Capcom heroes, Carol packing a Gem of her own, it seems. The green aura seems to indicate that it's the Soul Gem. Captain Marvel then zips in and hits Ryu with a rapid-fire fusillade of blows.
The teaser ends with Iron Man and X's beams about to collide while Captain Marvel and Ryu's Infinity Gem-charged fists are about to do the same.
We get a brief glimpse of a robot that clearly appears to be Ultron, with another pair of green eyes glowing on his chest. I have heard the big theory that it's Sigma from the Mega Man X series. That would make sense, since X is clearly going to be in the game. This could also hint that perhaps that perhaps Ultron merges with Sigma and they may be the Big Bad of this game. That would be neat to see.
We also see that the Infinity Gems are involved, so maybe the gameplay will pay homage to the 1995 arcade game Marvel Super Heroes, in which the Infinity Gems could be obtained and used by players to provide brief boosts for their chosen fighter. Maybe the gameplay here will be similar.
Well, all I have to say is, this trailer was a blast to watch! It was action packed, we got to see some hints of what this game may have to offer, and its nice to see MvC continue on! Can't wait for the full trailer!
The Marvel vs. Capcom series is one of the most beloved fighting franchises in gaming, and after the third one, people were hoping a fourth one would come for years. And it looks like we may just get it after all. A new teaser has arrived for Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite. Here it is!
The trailer begins with a familiar pair of blue feet. It's Mega Man...Mega Man X, that is. Yup. X. I keep wondering why Capcom avoids using the original Mega Man. Ah well, at this this game will get a Mega Man. X reaches towards a glowing pink/purple object, but it gets blasted away from him...only to be caught by a familiar red-gloved hand.
It's Ryu, and the object is a gem! It clearly is one of the Infinity Gems, and since it's purple, it's likely the Space Gem.
Ryu helps X up, and Iron Man makes his landing, ready for a brawl! X and Iron get into a bit of a beam war, which Tony Stark wins, but then Ryu uses the gem's power to uppercut Iron Man into the sky. Iron Man is saved by none other than Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel! She powers up, and I can't help but think she looks a little like a Super Saiyan from Dragon Ball Z, ha ha.
Now that Iron Man's got his tag team partner, the two decide to take it to the Capcom heroes, Carol packing a Gem of her own, it seems. The green aura seems to indicate that it's the Soul Gem. Captain Marvel then zips in and hits Ryu with a rapid-fire fusillade of blows.
The teaser ends with Iron Man and X's beams about to collide while Captain Marvel and Ryu's Infinity Gem-charged fists are about to do the same.
We get a brief glimpse of a robot that clearly appears to be Ultron, with another pair of green eyes glowing on his chest. I have heard the big theory that it's Sigma from the Mega Man X series. That would make sense, since X is clearly going to be in the game. This could also hint that perhaps that perhaps Ultron merges with Sigma and they may be the Big Bad of this game. That would be neat to see.
We also see that the Infinity Gems are involved, so maybe the gameplay will pay homage to the 1995 arcade game Marvel Super Heroes, in which the Infinity Gems could be obtained and used by players to provide brief boosts for their chosen fighter. Maybe the gameplay here will be similar.
Well, all I have to say is, this trailer was a blast to watch! It was action packed, we got to see some hints of what this game may have to offer, and its nice to see MvC continue on! Can't wait for the full trailer!
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
I hope you manage to take this day and reflect on what you are thankful for! Myself, I am thankful for my family, my friends, my cats, all my readers here and all my followers on social media. Thanks so much for it!
I hope you get to have a delicious meal, and spend time with your loved ones! Enjoy some football, if that's your thing, and enjoy your day!
I hope you manage to take this day and reflect on what you are thankful for! Myself, I am thankful for my family, my friends, my cats, all my readers here and all my followers on social media. Thanks so much for it!
I hope you get to have a delicious meal, and spend time with your loved ones! Enjoy some football, if that's your thing, and enjoy your day!
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Ghost in the Shell Trailer, My Thoughts
Well, it's arrived! A long time after it got announced, The Ghost in the Shell trailer is here!
Casting controversy aside, I have to admit, I have not given a lot of thought to this movie. To be honest, I...I never really saw a point to this film being made. I don't really have a lot of interest in seeing it. And it's not like I don't enjoy anything from this particular franchise.
I have seen some of the original 1995 film, and I did enjoy Stand Alone Complex, so I do have SOME familiarity with the franchise. Anyway, let's take a look at this thing.
The trailer begins with a shot of a geisha. Okay. Then we see a brief shot of Major Motoko Kusanagi and a city. I'm guessing the city is somewhere in Japan, but I notice a tiny detail. There's a red 5-pointed star/flower symbol on one of the buildings, so I'm think maybe it's Hong Kong? I don't know. Now, from what I have heard, Scarlett Johansson's character is simply referred to as "The Major". Okay.
Then there's a dinner, a drink overflows, some guy gets angry at the geisha, the geisha I think goes nuts and attacks the guy, and then there's a bunch of guys appearing and shooting guns. Okay.
Scarlett Johansson's in a tight white bodysuit. She smashes into a building, and slowly jumps in the air shooting some guys. I really want to see a solo Black Widow movie now.
A scientist says that the Major is the first of her kind, and reminds her she's not invulnerable. Okay, so in this movie's universe, is the Major a prototype? Are her cybernetic enhancements experimental? Or is she an actual robot?
The rest of the trailer is rather interesting. There is a scene with the Major and another woman that made me take notice. They appear to share a brief kiss. Now, in the original manga, Major Kusanagi was openly bisexual. I think that would be nice if that was preserved in the movie.
The visuals are...rather trippy. Definitely not something what I expected. I almost expected something more in the vein of film noir. I don't know why.
We do get to see Batou briefly as well. Based on the scenes we see, I'm guessing in this film, we see him get the eye lenses he is known for in this movie as well. I guess he somehow loses his eyes at some point, and gets the robotic ones put in. I wonder what the Tachikomas will look like in this film.
The Major's dialogue in this film makes me consider why Major Kusanagi is only going by "The Major" in this film. I think it can be assumed that the Major may be amnesiac. She may have no idea who she actually is. It would explain why she's only going by "The Major".
The end of the trailer shows what may be the villain of this film. Now he claims that someone "stole" the Major's life, that she may have been made into a cyborg against her will. I did talk about this with a friend of mine who had seen this trailer before. He suggested the idea that the villain may be lying. That would make for a nice twist.
The concern I have for this film is that...well, one of the big things about GitS was that it dealt with themes regarding technology and humanity. When most of your flesh is gone, can you still be considered human? My concern is that this film will overly downplay, if not outright ignore these themes just to make it more of a standard action film.
This is a well-made trailer. It was neat to watch, but I still don't really have much interest in seeing this movie.
Casting controversy aside, I have to admit, I have not given a lot of thought to this movie. To be honest, I...I never really saw a point to this film being made. I don't really have a lot of interest in seeing it. And it's not like I don't enjoy anything from this particular franchise.
I have seen some of the original 1995 film, and I did enjoy Stand Alone Complex, so I do have SOME familiarity with the franchise. Anyway, let's take a look at this thing.
The trailer begins with a shot of a geisha. Okay. Then we see a brief shot of Major Motoko Kusanagi and a city. I'm guessing the city is somewhere in Japan, but I notice a tiny detail. There's a red 5-pointed star/flower symbol on one of the buildings, so I'm think maybe it's Hong Kong? I don't know. Now, from what I have heard, Scarlett Johansson's character is simply referred to as "The Major". Okay.
Then there's a dinner, a drink overflows, some guy gets angry at the geisha, the geisha I think goes nuts and attacks the guy, and then there's a bunch of guys appearing and shooting guns. Okay.
Scarlett Johansson's in a tight white bodysuit. She smashes into a building, and slowly jumps in the air shooting some guys. I really want to see a solo Black Widow movie now.
A scientist says that the Major is the first of her kind, and reminds her she's not invulnerable. Okay, so in this movie's universe, is the Major a prototype? Are her cybernetic enhancements experimental? Or is she an actual robot?
The rest of the trailer is rather interesting. There is a scene with the Major and another woman that made me take notice. They appear to share a brief kiss. Now, in the original manga, Major Kusanagi was openly bisexual. I think that would be nice if that was preserved in the movie.
The visuals are...rather trippy. Definitely not something what I expected. I almost expected something more in the vein of film noir. I don't know why.
We do get to see Batou briefly as well. Based on the scenes we see, I'm guessing in this film, we see him get the eye lenses he is known for in this movie as well. I guess he somehow loses his eyes at some point, and gets the robotic ones put in. I wonder what the Tachikomas will look like in this film.
The Major's dialogue in this film makes me consider why Major Kusanagi is only going by "The Major" in this film. I think it can be assumed that the Major may be amnesiac. She may have no idea who she actually is. It would explain why she's only going by "The Major".
The end of the trailer shows what may be the villain of this film. Now he claims that someone "stole" the Major's life, that she may have been made into a cyborg against her will. I did talk about this with a friend of mine who had seen this trailer before. He suggested the idea that the villain may be lying. That would make for a nice twist.
The concern I have for this film is that...well, one of the big things about GitS was that it dealt with themes regarding technology and humanity. When most of your flesh is gone, can you still be considered human? My concern is that this film will overly downplay, if not outright ignore these themes just to make it more of a standard action film.
This is a well-made trailer. It was neat to watch, but I still don't really have much interest in seeing this movie.
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Doctor Strange, My Thoughts
It is here! The 14th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has finally arrived! Doctor Strange has cast his spell on theaters! Was the film a fun trip through alternate dimension, or was it a bad spell blowing up in a sorcerer's face? Let's find out.
For those not in the know, Doctor Strange first appeared in the comic book Strange Tales #110 (July 1963). Co created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Stephen Strange was a brilliant but arrogant neurosurgeon. When he lost the use of his hands in a car accident, his search for a cure led him to the Ancient One. The Ancient One, a powerful sorcerer, tutors Strange in magic, and the lessons also give the arrogant doctor a bit of humility pie. Now, as Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange protects the world from a variety of mystic threats, from the Dark Dimension's Dormammu, to Baron Karl Mordo, a rival sorcerer who went down a darker path.
There have been attempts to make a Doctor Strange film since the 1980s, and the character did appear in a notorious 1970s TV movie. However, it has only been with the success with the MCU has Marvel Studios been able to introduce Stephen Strange, and with it, the MCU reveals its mystical side. So, what did I like about it?
First the visuals. Seriously, the visuals of this film were...well, with lack of anything else to describe it, they were out of this world. Seeing the scenery twist, shift, and fold throughout the movie, it was like Inception on steroids. I seriously asked myself if I got slipped some LSD before I entered the theater. It felt like this film dropped a gallon of the stuff, and it was amazing to watch.
Another was the casting. Yeah, I have heard complaints about the casting of the Ancient One (in my opinion, they should have shown that the Ancient One's appearance differed depending on who gazed upon them, but it may have ended up too confusing if badly handled), I liked the cast, and I felt they did well with their roles and what they had been giving. I also loved their portrayal of the Dark Dimension, one could tell they were trying to capture Ditko's drawings.
The Stan Lee cameo was funny and very clever. Minor spoiler, he appears on a bus reading a book called The Doors of Perception. It was a book Aldous Huxley wrote about a trip he took on mescaline. Nice little touch there.
I also got some great laughs during this film. I know some may complain about the humor in the MCU movies, but I like it. The MCU is fun. Let heroes be fun.
My only complaint about the film was the villain, Kaecilius. I thought Mads Mikkelsen did do a good job, and he looked pretty cool, but I did feel his motivation was a bit Final Fantasy-emo. However, it didn't ruin the film for me. Kaecilius was a minor obscure character from the comics, so it was nice to see a minor character get a major role. Shows that these people did their research, and dug deep into Strange's mythos. I like that.
Doctor Strange was a fun film. Whether you are a fan of the MCU or not, give it a look. It's an entertaining couple of hours, and there's a ton of razzle-dazzle in it. It's a great ride from beginning to end.
For those not in the know, Doctor Strange first appeared in the comic book Strange Tales #110 (July 1963). Co created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Stephen Strange was a brilliant but arrogant neurosurgeon. When he lost the use of his hands in a car accident, his search for a cure led him to the Ancient One. The Ancient One, a powerful sorcerer, tutors Strange in magic, and the lessons also give the arrogant doctor a bit of humility pie. Now, as Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange protects the world from a variety of mystic threats, from the Dark Dimension's Dormammu, to Baron Karl Mordo, a rival sorcerer who went down a darker path.
There have been attempts to make a Doctor Strange film since the 1980s, and the character did appear in a notorious 1970s TV movie. However, it has only been with the success with the MCU has Marvel Studios been able to introduce Stephen Strange, and with it, the MCU reveals its mystical side. So, what did I like about it?
First the visuals. Seriously, the visuals of this film were...well, with lack of anything else to describe it, they were out of this world. Seeing the scenery twist, shift, and fold throughout the movie, it was like Inception on steroids. I seriously asked myself if I got slipped some LSD before I entered the theater. It felt like this film dropped a gallon of the stuff, and it was amazing to watch.
Another was the casting. Yeah, I have heard complaints about the casting of the Ancient One (in my opinion, they should have shown that the Ancient One's appearance differed depending on who gazed upon them, but it may have ended up too confusing if badly handled), I liked the cast, and I felt they did well with their roles and what they had been giving. I also loved their portrayal of the Dark Dimension, one could tell they were trying to capture Ditko's drawings.
The Stan Lee cameo was funny and very clever. Minor spoiler, he appears on a bus reading a book called The Doors of Perception. It was a book Aldous Huxley wrote about a trip he took on mescaline. Nice little touch there.
I also got some great laughs during this film. I know some may complain about the humor in the MCU movies, but I like it. The MCU is fun. Let heroes be fun.
My only complaint about the film was the villain, Kaecilius. I thought Mads Mikkelsen did do a good job, and he looked pretty cool, but I did feel his motivation was a bit Final Fantasy-emo. However, it didn't ruin the film for me. Kaecilius was a minor obscure character from the comics, so it was nice to see a minor character get a major role. Shows that these people did their research, and dug deep into Strange's mythos. I like that.
Doctor Strange was a fun film. Whether you are a fan of the MCU or not, give it a look. It's an entertaining couple of hours, and there's a ton of razzle-dazzle in it. It's a great ride from beginning to end.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Pokemon Sun/Moon Starter Z-Move Trailer, My Thoughts
One more day until Pokemon Sun and Moon finally arrive! And with that announcement comes one last trailer, this one focusing on the starters and their own unique Z-Moves!
Yup, the Starters of Alola, when they get fully evolved, will get unique Z-Moves of their own. That's really neat. I do like the idea of fully-evolved Starter Pokémon getting their own Z-Moves.
Decidueye's is called Sinister Arrow Raid. The Z-Move does keep with the whole archer/Robin Hood theme of the Pokemon, which is nice. Basically, it takes to the skies, summons a ring of arrows, divebombs onto the opponent, and then drops its arrows around them, which explode. It's a cool-looking Z-Move. I like it a lot.
Incineroar's Z-Move keeps with the pro wrestling theme for the Pokémon. Called the Malicious Moonsault, it conjures up a wrestling ring made of...fire? energy? I don't know, it's a glowing red ring. Incineroar jumps on a turnbuckle and...does what looks like a 450 Splash on steroids.The impact makes one heck of an explosion. I do like the name of the Z-Move. Malicious Moonsault is an awesome name for a Z-Move, and it rolls right off the tongue. However, I wish that Incineroar actually did a moonsault. The move Incineroar does more resembles a 450 Splash. This is a moonsault:
THAT is what the Incineroar's Z-Move should be like. As a wrestling fan, it does bother me a little bit that they call its Z-Move the Malicious Moonsault, but not have it do an actual moonsault. But that's my only complaint about it.
Finally, Primarina's Z-Move is revealed to be called the Oceanic Operetta. Another Z-Move name that rolls off the tongue, very nice. It's a good name for a Z-Move for a Pokémon that kind of reminds one of a mermaid or siren. A spotlight is on Primarina, and it sings its heart out, summoning a big ball of blue energy. It then guides the big ball of energy over the opponent's head, and sings, bringing it down on the opponent's head. I have heard comparisons to Goku's Genki Dama/Spirit Bomb, and I can see it. If that was the intention, nice subtle shout-out. I like that Primarina takes a bow at the end. Nice touch there.
As a bonus, we also get to meet some more Ultra Beasts! The new one introduced is UB-03, Lighting. No, that's not a typo. It's not Lightning, it's Lighting. I have to admit, when I first saw this thing, I thought it looked like a roll of Christmas lights had evolved into a sentient lifeform. The bizarre look of this thing really does give me the idea that this thing is not a Pokémon. Well, not a "normal" one, at the very least.
The next one we meet is UB-05 Glutton. "Glutton" is the right name for this thing, as it essentially is a mouth. A mouth with crab-like claws. It's like a Gulpin was mutated by the same radiation that created Godzilla.
More regional variants revealed! Diglett and Dugtrio's Alolan cousins are Ground/Steel, and...they have hair. Alolan Dugtrio has already been seen thanks to the demo, and it is already the object of boy band jokes because of its hair on its heads. It's an odd way or altering the Diglett line's design. What would they need with hair? I would've just given them a more metallic color scheme, personally. Still the Alolan Diglett line is chuckle-worthy.
The trailer ends with a reminder to pick up some stuff from the demo.
With so many trailers revealing so much about the games, I hope there are some surprises still waiting for us when we actually get to purchase and play the games. Anyway, this trailer was pretty neat. I can't wait to get these games.
Yup, the Starters of Alola, when they get fully evolved, will get unique Z-Moves of their own. That's really neat. I do like the idea of fully-evolved Starter Pokémon getting their own Z-Moves.
Decidueye's is called Sinister Arrow Raid. The Z-Move does keep with the whole archer/Robin Hood theme of the Pokemon, which is nice. Basically, it takes to the skies, summons a ring of arrows, divebombs onto the opponent, and then drops its arrows around them, which explode. It's a cool-looking Z-Move. I like it a lot.
Incineroar's Z-Move keeps with the pro wrestling theme for the Pokémon. Called the Malicious Moonsault, it conjures up a wrestling ring made of...fire? energy? I don't know, it's a glowing red ring. Incineroar jumps on a turnbuckle and...does what looks like a 450 Splash on steroids.The impact makes one heck of an explosion. I do like the name of the Z-Move. Malicious Moonsault is an awesome name for a Z-Move, and it rolls right off the tongue. However, I wish that Incineroar actually did a moonsault. The move Incineroar does more resembles a 450 Splash. This is a moonsault:
THAT is what the Incineroar's Z-Move should be like. As a wrestling fan, it does bother me a little bit that they call its Z-Move the Malicious Moonsault, but not have it do an actual moonsault. But that's my only complaint about it.
Finally, Primarina's Z-Move is revealed to be called the Oceanic Operetta. Another Z-Move name that rolls off the tongue, very nice. It's a good name for a Z-Move for a Pokémon that kind of reminds one of a mermaid or siren. A spotlight is on Primarina, and it sings its heart out, summoning a big ball of blue energy. It then guides the big ball of energy over the opponent's head, and sings, bringing it down on the opponent's head. I have heard comparisons to Goku's Genki Dama/Spirit Bomb, and I can see it. If that was the intention, nice subtle shout-out. I like that Primarina takes a bow at the end. Nice touch there.
As a bonus, we also get to meet some more Ultra Beasts! The new one introduced is UB-03, Lighting. No, that's not a typo. It's not Lightning, it's Lighting. I have to admit, when I first saw this thing, I thought it looked like a roll of Christmas lights had evolved into a sentient lifeform. The bizarre look of this thing really does give me the idea that this thing is not a Pokémon. Well, not a "normal" one, at the very least.
The next one we meet is UB-05 Glutton. "Glutton" is the right name for this thing, as it essentially is a mouth. A mouth with crab-like claws. It's like a Gulpin was mutated by the same radiation that created Godzilla.
More regional variants revealed! Diglett and Dugtrio's Alolan cousins are Ground/Steel, and...they have hair. Alolan Dugtrio has already been seen thanks to the demo, and it is already the object of boy band jokes because of its hair on its heads. It's an odd way or altering the Diglett line's design. What would they need with hair? I would've just given them a more metallic color scheme, personally. Still the Alolan Diglett line is chuckle-worthy.
The trailer ends with a reminder to pick up some stuff from the demo.
With so many trailers revealing so much about the games, I hope there are some surprises still waiting for us when we actually get to purchase and play the games. Anyway, this trailer was pretty neat. I can't wait to get these games.
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Hacksaw Ridge, My Thoughts
Today, I went out and saw a film called Hacksaw Ridge. Directed by Mel Gibson, it's based on the real story of Desmond Doss, the only conscientious objector to get the Medal of Honor during World War II. Doss refused to carry a weapon or kill enemy soldiers due to his Seventy-day Adventist beliefs. Despite his lack of armament, Doss saved 75 wounded men during the Battle of Okinawa.
Doss's story is quite fascinating, so it makes sense that someone would want to tell his story of his heroism in WWII. After many years of attempting to make a film about Doss's story, this film has materialized. How will it stand up?
The first thing I began to notice was that the film was...rather gory in the war scenes. I am rather...of mixed mind about this. I do get the reason for it, it's a war film, showing that War is Hell, I get it. However, a part of me also thinks that maybe it didn't quite need all that gore. I'm mixed on it. I certainly was surprised to see a couple bring a child to this movie in the theater.
Andrew Garfield portrays Doss, and I have to admit, he does come off as a cornfed West Virginia boy. Hugo Weaving portrays Tom Doss, who served in WWI, and the film shows he is haunted by PTSD from it. His performance is haunting and tragic. Teresa Palmer portrays Dolores Schutte, Doss's girlfriend and eventual wife. She is a gorgeous woman, and she was great to watch.
The casting choice that surprised me was Vince Vaughn as Doss's drill sergeant. I never imagined casting Vaughn in that kind of role. He does do a surprisingly good job in the role.
The story basically tells how Doss got to war, got to serve with carrying a weapon, and his time as a medic in Okinawa, focusing on his heroic rescue of wounded soldiers on the top of Hacksaw Ridge. It was extraordinary seeing how he pulled it off.
The end of the film had a clip of the real Desmond Doss talking about his actions at Hacksaw Ridge, and I thought it was wonderful that we got to see the real man who inspired the film.
Hacksaw Ridge was quite an experience to watch. It's a pretty good film, give it a watch.
Doss's story is quite fascinating, so it makes sense that someone would want to tell his story of his heroism in WWII. After many years of attempting to make a film about Doss's story, this film has materialized. How will it stand up?
The first thing I began to notice was that the film was...rather gory in the war scenes. I am rather...of mixed mind about this. I do get the reason for it, it's a war film, showing that War is Hell, I get it. However, a part of me also thinks that maybe it didn't quite need all that gore. I'm mixed on it. I certainly was surprised to see a couple bring a child to this movie in the theater.
Andrew Garfield portrays Doss, and I have to admit, he does come off as a cornfed West Virginia boy. Hugo Weaving portrays Tom Doss, who served in WWI, and the film shows he is haunted by PTSD from it. His performance is haunting and tragic. Teresa Palmer portrays Dolores Schutte, Doss's girlfriend and eventual wife. She is a gorgeous woman, and she was great to watch.
The casting choice that surprised me was Vince Vaughn as Doss's drill sergeant. I never imagined casting Vaughn in that kind of role. He does do a surprisingly good job in the role.
The story basically tells how Doss got to war, got to serve with carrying a weapon, and his time as a medic in Okinawa, focusing on his heroic rescue of wounded soldiers on the top of Hacksaw Ridge. It was extraordinary seeing how he pulled it off.
The end of the film had a clip of the real Desmond Doss talking about his actions at Hacksaw Ridge, and I thought it was wonderful that we got to see the real man who inspired the film.
Hacksaw Ridge was quite an experience to watch. It's a pretty good film, give it a watch.
Friday, November 11, 2016
Happy Veterans Day!
Happy Veterans Day, everyone!
Veterans Day is an important day to me, as I have military in my blood. My father served in the United States Air Force, and my late paternal grandfather served in the Marines during WWII. He was a cook in Guam. My father was a lab technician. I like to think they did important jobs during their service, my grandfather keeping the fighting men fed, and my dad helped keep them healthy. I'm proud of them and love them very much.
This day is about something I think we should be doing more often: Thanking those who served who are still with us. It's the least we can do for them.
Have a wonderful day, and for those who served, thank you so much.
This day is about something I think we should be doing more often: Thanking those who served who are still with us. It's the least we can do for them.
Have a wonderful day, and for those who served, thank you so much.
Oliver Harper's Retrospectives
Lately, I've become a bit of a fan of Oliver Harper on YouTube. He does retrospectives and reviews of classic films. He does great work, and he's reviewed a lot of movies I enjoyed growing up.
Here's one of my favorite episodes he's done: The review of For Your Eyes Only, Roger Moore's fifth film as James Bond, and one of my favorite Bond films. Hope you like it!
Give his channel a look His videos are fantastic. Personally, I've watched his review of The Black Cauldron, I do hope he does review more of the Disney Animated Canon...
Here's one of my favorite episodes he's done: The review of For Your Eyes Only, Roger Moore's fifth film as James Bond, and one of my favorite Bond films. Hope you like it!
Give his channel a look His videos are fantastic. Personally, I've watched his review of The Black Cauldron, I do hope he does review more of the Disney Animated Canon...
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Wonder Woman Trailer, My Thoughts
The DC Cinematic Universe marches on! We've had a teaser, but now here's a trailer! Enjoy!
The trailer begins with Diana walking by what appears to be the Louvre in Paris, France. Her dialogue here seems to indicate that Diana has become somewhat disillusioned. I have wondered why the film was set in World War I instead of World War II, and now I think I understand why now. WWI was called "The War to End All Wars", heck Chris Pine's Steve Trevor outright says it. Perhaps with witnessing the rise of the Third Reich and World War II, Diana grew somewhat disillusioned with humanity, and went into hiding. That certainly would explain why she didn't give Superman a hand against the Kryptonians in Man of Steel.
The trailer then shows Diana rescuing Steve Trevor, and some soldiers fighting Amazons. I think it could be possibly these soldiers are after Trevor, somehow following him to Themyscira.
I will be honest, Themyscira as it's being presented here has not really grown on me. It doesn't seem like Themyscira. It looks like they were going for a dark fantasy vibe. I was hoping to see things like Greek columns and statues of Athena and Aphrodite.
The trailer hints about fantastic weapons being developed, one of them being what looks like a gas than can destroy gas masks. Based on this, I'm guessing that Dr. Poison is going to be a villain of the movie. Poisons and such chemical weapons are her forte. I doubt she'll be the main villain, as she isn't the most powerful or high-profile villain in the Amazing Amazon's rogues gallery.
I wonder one thing about Diana's voice here. Is that Gal Gadot's real voice, or is that some kind of accent she's going for?
There is a really cool scene with Diana using her bulletproof bracelets. Nice to see them in action. Hoping the Lasso of Truth gets used as a lie detector.
We then get a montage of action moments, and a nice little scene with Diana expressing confusion about a dress with Etta Candy. I like Etta. Etta's neat.
I do like the trailer. It does its job. It gives us a nice idea of what we're in for. I just hope this movie ends up being really good. DC needs a really good movie. Wonder Woman needs a good movie. PLEASE let this be a good movie.
The trailer begins with Diana walking by what appears to be the Louvre in Paris, France. Her dialogue here seems to indicate that Diana has become somewhat disillusioned. I have wondered why the film was set in World War I instead of World War II, and now I think I understand why now. WWI was called "The War to End All Wars", heck Chris Pine's Steve Trevor outright says it. Perhaps with witnessing the rise of the Third Reich and World War II, Diana grew somewhat disillusioned with humanity, and went into hiding. That certainly would explain why she didn't give Superman a hand against the Kryptonians in Man of Steel.
The trailer then shows Diana rescuing Steve Trevor, and some soldiers fighting Amazons. I think it could be possibly these soldiers are after Trevor, somehow following him to Themyscira.
I will be honest, Themyscira as it's being presented here has not really grown on me. It doesn't seem like Themyscira. It looks like they were going for a dark fantasy vibe. I was hoping to see things like Greek columns and statues of Athena and Aphrodite.
The trailer hints about fantastic weapons being developed, one of them being what looks like a gas than can destroy gas masks. Based on this, I'm guessing that Dr. Poison is going to be a villain of the movie. Poisons and such chemical weapons are her forte. I doubt she'll be the main villain, as she isn't the most powerful or high-profile villain in the Amazing Amazon's rogues gallery.
I wonder one thing about Diana's voice here. Is that Gal Gadot's real voice, or is that some kind of accent she's going for?
There is a really cool scene with Diana using her bulletproof bracelets. Nice to see them in action. Hoping the Lasso of Truth gets used as a lie detector.
We then get a montage of action moments, and a nice little scene with Diana expressing confusion about a dress with Etta Candy. I like Etta. Etta's neat.
I do like the trailer. It does its job. It gives us a nice idea of what we're in for. I just hope this movie ends up being really good. DC needs a really good movie. Wonder Woman needs a good movie. PLEASE let this be a good movie.
Monday, October 31, 2016
Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween, everyone!
May you get lots of treats, and hopefully aren't the victims of any tricks! Fire up your favorite horror movies, because this is the day when Freddy and Jason and Leatherface and the zombies come out to play! Dress up, because this is the day you can be someone...or something else! Be wary of that old house in the backwoods, for this is the day when the worlds of the living and the dead cross over, and you never know what could be in that house!
May your day be fun and frightful! Again, Happy Halloween!
May you get lots of treats, and hopefully aren't the victims of any tricks! Fire up your favorite horror movies, because this is the day when Freddy and Jason and Leatherface and the zombies come out to play! Dress up, because this is the day you can be someone...or something else! Be wary of that old house in the backwoods, for this is the day when the worlds of the living and the dead cross over, and you never know what could be in that house!
May your day be fun and frightful! Again, Happy Halloween!
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Trailer, My Thoughts
With how successful the Guardians of the Galaxy's film debut was with critics and fans, it was not surprising that a sequel would be in the works. The Guardians' fans eagerly awaited any tidbits of new information on the upcoming film, from footage of Zoe Saldana and Karen Gillian training together, to the announcement of Kurt Russell being cast.
Recently, Guardians fans got a special treat: A trailer for the sequel. Here it is!
The first thing I noticed was the return of Blue Swede's "Hooked on a Feeling". I have heard an acquaintance of mine comment that it would've been nice to hear a snippet of some music from Awesome Mix Vol.2.
Minor spoiler for the first movie, at the end of it, Star-Lord finally unwraps his late mother's final gift, and it was revealed to be another cassette tape, the second Awesome Mix. I understand why he thought that, but perhaps "Hooked on a Feeling" was used to hide the music from the second tape, and the new songs on the soundtrack will be revealed when the film finally comes out.
I did get a chuckle out of the panel that said "Spacesuits For Emergency. Or Fun." I heard this sequel would be darker than the original, but this moment gives me some hope that the humor that helped make the first film so great won't be completely ditched.
We get some brief teasing shots of Drax. Gamora, and Star-Lord. We then get an amazing shot of Gamora unsheathing a sword and charging into battle. We also get some shots of the members of the Guardians, including Yondu. We also get a brief shot of Nebula. Evidently, she's gotten some more cybernetics in her head, based on what we can briefly see. She had to have a new hand for sure, as she cut off hers to escape Gamora in the last movie.
We do get some great dialogue from Drax, where he remarks that there are two kinds of people: Those who dance, and those who don't. In a bit of a clever moment, when Drax says "those who dance", we see Star-Lord (He danced to distract Ronan), and when he says "those who don't", we get a shot of Gamora (who said in the last movie she doesn't dance). A very clever subtle call back to the last movie. And it is nice to see that Drax is as blunt as ever. I laughed when Drax hugged Star-Lord.
We also briefly get to see Rocket Raccoon shoot something. And Baby Groot. Who is adorable.
I really enjoyed this trailer. It was wonderfully put together, and a joy to watch. It gave some laughs, and it made me excited. I LOVED the first Guardians of the Galaxy, and I have always wanted to see a sequel, but this trailer has gotten me more hyped. I can't wait for it to come out next year!
Recently, Guardians fans got a special treat: A trailer for the sequel. Here it is!
The first thing I noticed was the return of Blue Swede's "Hooked on a Feeling". I have heard an acquaintance of mine comment that it would've been nice to hear a snippet of some music from Awesome Mix Vol.2.
Minor spoiler for the first movie, at the end of it, Star-Lord finally unwraps his late mother's final gift, and it was revealed to be another cassette tape, the second Awesome Mix. I understand why he thought that, but perhaps "Hooked on a Feeling" was used to hide the music from the second tape, and the new songs on the soundtrack will be revealed when the film finally comes out.
I did get a chuckle out of the panel that said "Spacesuits For Emergency. Or Fun." I heard this sequel would be darker than the original, but this moment gives me some hope that the humor that helped make the first film so great won't be completely ditched.
We get some brief teasing shots of Drax. Gamora, and Star-Lord. We then get an amazing shot of Gamora unsheathing a sword and charging into battle. We also get some shots of the members of the Guardians, including Yondu. We also get a brief shot of Nebula. Evidently, she's gotten some more cybernetics in her head, based on what we can briefly see. She had to have a new hand for sure, as she cut off hers to escape Gamora in the last movie.
We do get some great dialogue from Drax, where he remarks that there are two kinds of people: Those who dance, and those who don't. In a bit of a clever moment, when Drax says "those who dance", we see Star-Lord (He danced to distract Ronan), and when he says "those who don't", we get a shot of Gamora (who said in the last movie she doesn't dance). A very clever subtle call back to the last movie. And it is nice to see that Drax is as blunt as ever. I laughed when Drax hugged Star-Lord.
We also briefly get to see Rocket Raccoon shoot something. And Baby Groot. Who is adorable.
I really enjoyed this trailer. It was wonderfully put together, and a joy to watch. It gave some laughs, and it made me excited. I LOVED the first Guardians of the Galaxy, and I have always wanted to see a sequel, but this trailer has gotten me more hyped. I can't wait for it to come out next year!
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Pokemon Sun and Moon Alola Guardians Trailer, My Thoughts
Another day, another Pokémon Sun/Moon reveal trailer! This one is focused on the guardians of the islands of Alola, and we reveal the full evolutions of the starters! Let's take a look!
First, let's meet Rowlet's final evolution, Decidueye! I have to admit, I think it looks really awesome! I love that its head feathers and wings make it look like it's wearing a cape and hood. It has a move called Spirit Shackle, which prevents its opponent from switching out. The attack itself is done by Decidueye firing an arrow from a bow, which gives the Pokémon a Robin Hood vibe, which is really cool. I wouldn't be surprised if the legendary English outlaw was some inspiration for this Pokémon. Another really cool thing about this Pokémon is that it's a combination Grass and Ghost type. That's a rather unique combination. This Pokémon is awesome!
The next Pokémon revealed is Litten's final evolution, Incineroar! It's a Fire/Dark mix, a combination that also deserves more love (as far as I know, only the Houndour line has this combination), and it's an awesome Pokémon! It's essentially a cat-like pro wrestler, and as a pro wrestling fan, that is awesome to me. It has a signature move called Darkest Lariat, which ignores status changes the opponent has underwent. It's essentially a Discus Clothesline on steroids and on fire. It's really cool!
Third is Popplio's final evolution: The Water/Fairy type Primarina! It reminds me of a mermaid, which is neat. It's like this was designed by Disney. It has a move called Sparkling Aria. Strangely, it heals burns of any Pokémon it opposes. It's a strange effect. I'm not sure exactly how this'll help a Trainer win.
The focus of the trailer is the reveal of the Alola archipelago's Guardians! We've met Tapu Koko already. Next is the Guardian of Akula Island, Tapu Lele! Tapu Lele is a Psychic/Fairy, and it has the ability Psychic Surge, which makes the battlefield...get weird. Literally, the game says it gets weird. That's hilarious.
Second is Ula'ula Island's Guardian, Tapu Bulu, which is a Grass/Fairy type. It vaguely resembles a bull. It has the ability called Grassy Surge, which makes the battlefield get covered in grass.
Third is Poni Island's Guardian, Tapu Fini! Tapu Fini's design makes me think of a narwhal a little bit. Tapu Fini is a Water/Fairy type, and its ability is Misty Surge, which makes mist cover the battlefield. You know, there is a pattern with these Tapus. Their Abilities all fit their elements. Not to mention look at all their designs. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it seems that they may all be like those old Mighty Max or Polly Pocket toys. They can hide themselves by closing up certain parts of their bodies. It's especially obvious with Tapu Fini. The panels on her top and bottom can close up like a clam shell.
The trailer also reveals that the Alola Guardians all share a Z-Move. Appropriately, it's called Guardian of Alola. Basically, it summons a big energy body (I'm guessing the color will change depending on the Guardian), the Guardian forms the head a la Voltron, and it smashes its fist down on its opponent. That poor Probopass... The Z-Move looks awesome, and painful, and makes me glad I won't be on the receiving end of it any time soon.
We also get to meet another new Pokémon: Cosmog. I think it's supposed to be a living cloud of cosmic dust. It's neat.
Since Meowth got an Alolan variant, it's appropriate that its evolution, Persian, get one. The Dark-type Persian makes me think of Garfield a bit in the face. I'm expecting it to hate Mondays and love lasagna now.
We also get to see the beginnings of the Alolan Pokémon League. Hmm, this is interesting. I guessed that the Kahunas and trials would take the place of Gyms, and this certainly adds credence to my theory. After all, if Alola's Pokémon League is just starting out, they may not have been able to organize any formal gyms yet.
The trailer also reveals that Alolan Champions can take on something called the Battle Tree, which may be...a big tree. But it does have something that is REALLY cool! You can battle and team up with various past Trainers, like Cynthia, the Pokémon Champion of the Sinnoh region, and Wally from Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald/Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire. And even more amazing?
You can battle Red and Blue from the original Pokémon games. This is INCREDIBLE! This is a FANTASTIC way to pay a nod to the original games, and it's a neat way to celebrate the franchise's 20th Anniversary. I also liked it when Blue remarked that Red was as silent as ever. I also like the new looks of Red and Blue. They look older, but still recognizable. They aren't the ten-year-old kids who started off on a journey anymore, they are experienced adults...much like many of the players who have been playing from the beginning.
This is amazing. Game Freak is really going all out with these games. I am sad that we didn't get 3DS remakes of Red and Blue, but considering what we're getting with Sun and Moon, I can forgive Game Freak. Sun and Moon are going to rock!
First, let's meet Rowlet's final evolution, Decidueye! I have to admit, I think it looks really awesome! I love that its head feathers and wings make it look like it's wearing a cape and hood. It has a move called Spirit Shackle, which prevents its opponent from switching out. The attack itself is done by Decidueye firing an arrow from a bow, which gives the Pokémon a Robin Hood vibe, which is really cool. I wouldn't be surprised if the legendary English outlaw was some inspiration for this Pokémon. Another really cool thing about this Pokémon is that it's a combination Grass and Ghost type. That's a rather unique combination. This Pokémon is awesome!
The next Pokémon revealed is Litten's final evolution, Incineroar! It's a Fire/Dark mix, a combination that also deserves more love (as far as I know, only the Houndour line has this combination), and it's an awesome Pokémon! It's essentially a cat-like pro wrestler, and as a pro wrestling fan, that is awesome to me. It has a signature move called Darkest Lariat, which ignores status changes the opponent has underwent. It's essentially a Discus Clothesline on steroids and on fire. It's really cool!
Third is Popplio's final evolution: The Water/Fairy type Primarina! It reminds me of a mermaid, which is neat. It's like this was designed by Disney. It has a move called Sparkling Aria. Strangely, it heals burns of any Pokémon it opposes. It's a strange effect. I'm not sure exactly how this'll help a Trainer win.
The focus of the trailer is the reveal of the Alola archipelago's Guardians! We've met Tapu Koko already. Next is the Guardian of Akula Island, Tapu Lele! Tapu Lele is a Psychic/Fairy, and it has the ability Psychic Surge, which makes the battlefield...get weird. Literally, the game says it gets weird. That's hilarious.
Second is Ula'ula Island's Guardian, Tapu Bulu, which is a Grass/Fairy type. It vaguely resembles a bull. It has the ability called Grassy Surge, which makes the battlefield get covered in grass.
Third is Poni Island's Guardian, Tapu Fini! Tapu Fini's design makes me think of a narwhal a little bit. Tapu Fini is a Water/Fairy type, and its ability is Misty Surge, which makes mist cover the battlefield. You know, there is a pattern with these Tapus. Their Abilities all fit their elements. Not to mention look at all their designs. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it seems that they may all be like those old Mighty Max or Polly Pocket toys. They can hide themselves by closing up certain parts of their bodies. It's especially obvious with Tapu Fini. The panels on her top and bottom can close up like a clam shell.
The trailer also reveals that the Alola Guardians all share a Z-Move. Appropriately, it's called Guardian of Alola. Basically, it summons a big energy body (I'm guessing the color will change depending on the Guardian), the Guardian forms the head a la Voltron, and it smashes its fist down on its opponent. That poor Probopass... The Z-Move looks awesome, and painful, and makes me glad I won't be on the receiving end of it any time soon.
We also get to meet another new Pokémon: Cosmog. I think it's supposed to be a living cloud of cosmic dust. It's neat.
Since Meowth got an Alolan variant, it's appropriate that its evolution, Persian, get one. The Dark-type Persian makes me think of Garfield a bit in the face. I'm expecting it to hate Mondays and love lasagna now.
We also get to see the beginnings of the Alolan Pokémon League. Hmm, this is interesting. I guessed that the Kahunas and trials would take the place of Gyms, and this certainly adds credence to my theory. After all, if Alola's Pokémon League is just starting out, they may not have been able to organize any formal gyms yet.
The trailer also reveals that Alolan Champions can take on something called the Battle Tree, which may be...a big tree. But it does have something that is REALLY cool! You can battle and team up with various past Trainers, like Cynthia, the Pokémon Champion of the Sinnoh region, and Wally from Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald/Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire. And even more amazing?
You can battle Red and Blue from the original Pokémon games. This is INCREDIBLE! This is a FANTASTIC way to pay a nod to the original games, and it's a neat way to celebrate the franchise's 20th Anniversary. I also liked it when Blue remarked that Red was as silent as ever. I also like the new looks of Red and Blue. They look older, but still recognizable. They aren't the ten-year-old kids who started off on a journey anymore, they are experienced adults...much like many of the players who have been playing from the beginning.
This is amazing. Game Freak is really going all out with these games. I am sad that we didn't get 3DS remakes of Red and Blue, but considering what we're getting with Sun and Moon, I can forgive Game Freak. Sun and Moon are going to rock!
Monday, October 24, 2016
Logan Trailer, My Thoughts
A new trailer has dropped! This one is for the film that is intended to be the swan song for Hugh Jackman's portrayal of Wolverine, the film known simply as...Logan. Yup. The title may not seem like much, but I think it fits. Give it a view!
This film appears to be based on the Mark Millar-penned and Steve McNiven-drawn Old Man Logan storyline published in 2008. In that story, an elder Wolverine travels a post-apocalyptic alternate future of the Marvel Universe that had been conquered by the supervillains and that had wiped out most of the superheroes.
When we get our first glimpse of Logan in this trailer, he looks...worn out. We see his hand shake, possibly from nerve damage, his hair is grey, he's got a beard and scars, showing that his famous healing factor may be badly weakened or even gone.
One line we hear Logan mutter is "Mutants...they're gone now." This one has made me wonder. Minor spoiler here, in Old Man Logan, Wolverine (under the illusions of Mysterio), killed the other X-Men. It's possible that the X-Men's lives may have ended the same way, but I doubt they'd retain that part of the story. The line seems to indicate that mutants in general may be practically extinct.
I love the song choice here, Johnny Cash's take on "Hurt". It's such a perfect choice. The sound and lyrics really seem to fit Wolverine at this point.
From what the trailer shows, Logan and Xavier will be travelling to help a little girl who is, according to Xavier, "a lot like (Logan)". Welcome to the X-Films, X-23.
We get a brief glimpse of a blond man with a robotic hand. That has to be Donald Pierce. I have heard the Reavers will be the villains of this movie, so it'd make sense for him to be there. I hope the film version still retains the fanatical hatred of mutants the comic version has. Mainly because I want to see Pierce ranting and raving while fighting Wolverine that he's a "real" human even though he's mostly a toaster.
The bit with Logan, X-23, and Xavier at the dinner table together made me smile and go "aww" a little bit. It was cute. They were like a little family. It was adorable.
This was a nicely-done trailer. Logan appears to be a much more personal and "grounded" superhero film than the rest of the X-Films, and that's a nice change of pace. It's also rather appropriate for Logan. I hope to give this a watch when it comes out.
This film appears to be based on the Mark Millar-penned and Steve McNiven-drawn Old Man Logan storyline published in 2008. In that story, an elder Wolverine travels a post-apocalyptic alternate future of the Marvel Universe that had been conquered by the supervillains and that had wiped out most of the superheroes.
When we get our first glimpse of Logan in this trailer, he looks...worn out. We see his hand shake, possibly from nerve damage, his hair is grey, he's got a beard and scars, showing that his famous healing factor may be badly weakened or even gone.
One line we hear Logan mutter is "Mutants...they're gone now." This one has made me wonder. Minor spoiler here, in Old Man Logan, Wolverine (under the illusions of Mysterio), killed the other X-Men. It's possible that the X-Men's lives may have ended the same way, but I doubt they'd retain that part of the story. The line seems to indicate that mutants in general may be practically extinct.
I love the song choice here, Johnny Cash's take on "Hurt". It's such a perfect choice. The sound and lyrics really seem to fit Wolverine at this point.
From what the trailer shows, Logan and Xavier will be travelling to help a little girl who is, according to Xavier, "a lot like (Logan)". Welcome to the X-Films, X-23.
We get a brief glimpse of a blond man with a robotic hand. That has to be Donald Pierce. I have heard the Reavers will be the villains of this movie, so it'd make sense for him to be there. I hope the film version still retains the fanatical hatred of mutants the comic version has. Mainly because I want to see Pierce ranting and raving while fighting Wolverine that he's a "real" human even though he's mostly a toaster.
The bit with Logan, X-23, and Xavier at the dinner table together made me smile and go "aww" a little bit. It was cute. They were like a little family. It was adorable.
This was a nicely-done trailer. Logan appears to be a much more personal and "grounded" superhero film than the rest of the X-Films, and that's a nice change of pace. It's also rather appropriate for Logan. I hope to give this a watch when it comes out.
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Nintendo Switch Reveal, My Thoughts
Well, Nintendo has finally done it! They have revealed their next system! Originally called the NX, it has been officially revealed to be called the Nintendo Switch. And they just put out a teaser video for it!
The big selling point of the Switch is heavily emphasized in this teaser. Basically, it's a console that you can take with you and still play games on it. It's essentially a tablet-like console. I do like the look of this thing. It's rather sleek.
I have to admit, the idea of being able to take your console with you and play games anywhere on it is pretty cool. Nintendo did describe this thing as a "Hybrid Device", and the Switch certainly does appear to live up to that. I just hope it has very good battery life.
I hope that this has backwards compatibility with the Wii U. Since it uses cartridges, maybe it's also compatible with the 3DS. Unfortunately, we don't really get a good look at what the cartridges look like. If they looked like 3DS cartridges, that could've hinted at backwards compatibility. Imagine being able to play any of the Pokémon games on a big screen. Or Dragon Quest VII.
It has two controllers: A standard-style controller, and one called the Joy-Con. The Joy-Con can be taken apart and docked onto the Switch to play on the go. The Joy-Con's pieces can also be used as separate controllers if two people want to play the Switch on the go. This is amazing. This offers a variety of options for how you want to play games on this thing. That is incredible.
The game footage shown in the teaser is very interesting. One is clearly The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which may be a launch title for the Switch. Another is a possible new Mario game, which makes sense. Except for the Gamecube, Nintendo has always launched a console with a Mario title. A third is possibly Skyrim. Since Nintendo has announced that Bethseda is one of the third-party partners they got to develop games for this system, Skyrim may get ported to this thing. A third game represented in footage is Splatoon. This may hint at a sequel to Splatoon, but I think it's more likely the game may be ported to the Switch.
All in all, this teaser was incredible. It had a great song playing through it, it showed people having fun with the Switch, and it showed the Switch was capable of as a hybrid console/handheld device. I think I'll get this baby come next year.
The big selling point of the Switch is heavily emphasized in this teaser. Basically, it's a console that you can take with you and still play games on it. It's essentially a tablet-like console. I do like the look of this thing. It's rather sleek.
I have to admit, the idea of being able to take your console with you and play games anywhere on it is pretty cool. Nintendo did describe this thing as a "Hybrid Device", and the Switch certainly does appear to live up to that. I just hope it has very good battery life.
I hope that this has backwards compatibility with the Wii U. Since it uses cartridges, maybe it's also compatible with the 3DS. Unfortunately, we don't really get a good look at what the cartridges look like. If they looked like 3DS cartridges, that could've hinted at backwards compatibility. Imagine being able to play any of the Pokémon games on a big screen. Or Dragon Quest VII.
It has two controllers: A standard-style controller, and one called the Joy-Con. The Joy-Con can be taken apart and docked onto the Switch to play on the go. The Joy-Con's pieces can also be used as separate controllers if two people want to play the Switch on the go. This is amazing. This offers a variety of options for how you want to play games on this thing. That is incredible.
The game footage shown in the teaser is very interesting. One is clearly The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which may be a launch title for the Switch. Another is a possible new Mario game, which makes sense. Except for the Gamecube, Nintendo has always launched a console with a Mario title. A third is possibly Skyrim. Since Nintendo has announced that Bethseda is one of the third-party partners they got to develop games for this system, Skyrim may get ported to this thing. A third game represented in footage is Splatoon. This may hint at a sequel to Splatoon, but I think it's more likely the game may be ported to the Switch.
All in all, this teaser was incredible. It had a great song playing through it, it showed people having fun with the Switch, and it showed the Switch was capable of as a hybrid console/handheld device. I think I'll get this baby come next year.
Monday, October 17, 2016
Pokemon Sun and Moon Evolutions Trailer, My Thoughts
Yup, another trailer has been released for Pokémon Sun and Moon! And this one focuses on Pokémon Evolutions! Let's take a look at it!
First if all, I have to say I eally loved the music for this trailer. It's so funky.
The first evolution revealed is for the chimera-like Pokémon known as Type: Null. The evolution is called Sivally, and it looks pretty cool. It has an ability called the RKS System, which makes it change its type based on what item it holds. This has led many to theorize that this Pokémon may have a relation with Arceus, as it looks similar to Arceus, and has a similar ability.
I have heard the theory that this Pokémon may have been an artificial creation, muck like Mewtwo was. I think that theory may make some sense. After all, people have tried to create Pokémon before. And it would be a great way to pay a nod to the original Red and Blue. Which leaves a couple questions. If Type: Null is an artificial Pokémon...who created it? And why? The Aether Foundation may likely have the resources to create this Pokémon, but if it was them, why?
Next, we reveal the evolutions of the Pokémon known as Jangmo-o (How is that pronounced? I normally go with "Jangmo-Oh"), Hakamo-o, and then Kommo-o. If there's a theme to the name, I'm not seeing it. They are bizarre-looking Pokémon. They kind of look like mutated dragons with gold coins attached to them. I can imagine hearing lots of clinking and clacking when they move around. And they are Dragon/Fighting. Interesting combination, indeed. In fact, Kommo-o has a unique signature move called Clanging Scales. Ha.
Next, we meet Bounsweet's evolutions: The Grass-type Steenee, then the Grass-type Tsareena. Steenee is cute, and Tsareena looks rather...regal. Which works, considering where her name comes from. Although, I think this is the third plant-like Pokémon to have a final evolution that looks humanoid. I'm going to guess the designers have a theme going, one plant girl per generation. She has an ability called Queenly Majesty, which I'm guessing always gives her the first strike. She also ha her own signature move: Trop Kick. The effect is really neat.
Next is revealed an evolution for Cutiefly, called Ribombee. It's a cute little Pokémon. Makes me think of Tinker Bell for some reason.
New Alola forms! This time, the Grimer line has alternate forms. Their Alolan variants are actually a mix of Poison and Dark type, and They have funky forms. Alolan Grimer is green with what looks like yellow lipstick. And it has teeth! Well, from what I understand, the "teeth" are crystallized poisons. Can that happen? Maybe it's caused by impurities in the sludge that makes up Grimer? I don't know.
Alolan Muk looks...like a head trip. Seriously! It's a neon head trip! And the colors move! They move! That, I admit, is pretty cool. That's an amazing effect. Really shows how the technology has grown over the years. You'd never see something like this twenty years ago! It's amazing. It also seems to be able to learn Bite, based on the footage. Makes sense, with its crystal "teeth".
New trainers introduced! The first one revealed is Olivia, the Kahuna of Akala Island. She uses Rock pokemon, according to her dialogue. It's nice to see the game makers are diversifying the Kahunas a bit. based on this, I think we can safely assume that the Kahunas are the Gym Leaders of Alola. It's a nice change-up of a classic mechanic if that's the case.
The next one revealed is Ilima, a trail captain specializing in Normal-type Pokémon. Yeah, these Trail Captains are the new gym leaders. Ilima is...rather androgynous-looking to me. Is Ilima male or female? Well, maybe we'll find out on release.
Can't wait for these games! I will download the demo!
First if all, I have to say I eally loved the music for this trailer. It's so funky.
The first evolution revealed is for the chimera-like Pokémon known as Type: Null. The evolution is called Sivally, and it looks pretty cool. It has an ability called the RKS System, which makes it change its type based on what item it holds. This has led many to theorize that this Pokémon may have a relation with Arceus, as it looks similar to Arceus, and has a similar ability.
I have heard the theory that this Pokémon may have been an artificial creation, muck like Mewtwo was. I think that theory may make some sense. After all, people have tried to create Pokémon before. And it would be a great way to pay a nod to the original Red and Blue. Which leaves a couple questions. If Type: Null is an artificial Pokémon...who created it? And why? The Aether Foundation may likely have the resources to create this Pokémon, but if it was them, why?
Next, we reveal the evolutions of the Pokémon known as Jangmo-o (How is that pronounced? I normally go with "Jangmo-Oh"), Hakamo-o, and then Kommo-o. If there's a theme to the name, I'm not seeing it. They are bizarre-looking Pokémon. They kind of look like mutated dragons with gold coins attached to them. I can imagine hearing lots of clinking and clacking when they move around. And they are Dragon/Fighting. Interesting combination, indeed. In fact, Kommo-o has a unique signature move called Clanging Scales. Ha.
Next, we meet Bounsweet's evolutions: The Grass-type Steenee, then the Grass-type Tsareena. Steenee is cute, and Tsareena looks rather...regal. Which works, considering where her name comes from. Although, I think this is the third plant-like Pokémon to have a final evolution that looks humanoid. I'm going to guess the designers have a theme going, one plant girl per generation. She has an ability called Queenly Majesty, which I'm guessing always gives her the first strike. She also ha her own signature move: Trop Kick. The effect is really neat.
Next is revealed an evolution for Cutiefly, called Ribombee. It's a cute little Pokémon. Makes me think of Tinker Bell for some reason.
New Alola forms! This time, the Grimer line has alternate forms. Their Alolan variants are actually a mix of Poison and Dark type, and They have funky forms. Alolan Grimer is green with what looks like yellow lipstick. And it has teeth! Well, from what I understand, the "teeth" are crystallized poisons. Can that happen? Maybe it's caused by impurities in the sludge that makes up Grimer? I don't know.
Alolan Muk looks...like a head trip. Seriously! It's a neon head trip! And the colors move! They move! That, I admit, is pretty cool. That's an amazing effect. Really shows how the technology has grown over the years. You'd never see something like this twenty years ago! It's amazing. It also seems to be able to learn Bite, based on the footage. Makes sense, with its crystal "teeth".
New trainers introduced! The first one revealed is Olivia, the Kahuna of Akala Island. She uses Rock pokemon, according to her dialogue. It's nice to see the game makers are diversifying the Kahunas a bit. based on this, I think we can safely assume that the Kahunas are the Gym Leaders of Alola. It's a nice change-up of a classic mechanic if that's the case.
The next one revealed is Ilima, a trail captain specializing in Normal-type Pokémon. Yeah, these Trail Captains are the new gym leaders. Ilima is...rather androgynous-looking to me. Is Ilima male or female? Well, maybe we'll find out on release.
Can't wait for these games! I will download the demo!
Monday, October 10, 2016
Power Rangers Trailer, My Thoughts.
The Power Rangers are returning to the silver screen with a bang! A reboot of the franchise is coming in 2017, and the trailer is here!
Like many kids growing up in the 1990s, I loved Power Rangers. It always got me hyped as a kid. I remember wanting the original Megazord and Dragonzord toys, but they were always sold out. Literally, they were impossible to get. The toy stores were always sold out. That was how crazy Power Rangers-mania was in the 1990s. The shortages made the news.
The franchise has continued on in various incarnations over the last 20 years, some seasons were good, and some were bad. If you want some great stuff on the history of the franchise, I recommend Linkara's History of Power Rangers series. Great videos, very informative and entertaining.
The trailer seems to hit that this version of Jason is may be a bit of a troublemaker, based on the ankle bracelet, but he may have a bit of a heroic heart in him, as showing of his fighting off some bullies. And speaking of bullies, I think we may show that the new Kimberly and Trini may be the victims of bullying themselves. We also see the new Billy getting picked on, too. This and the various scenes we have seen in this trailer with the future Rangers have gotten me very interested. The film does seem interested in portraying these characters as more realistic teenagers, instead of the admittedly rather one-dimensional goody-goody paragons of the original series.
I have heard this film being compared to The Breakfast Club, and I certainly can see why. It does have that vibe slightly. Helps that one could argue the Rangers can fit into the archetypes a but , with Billy the Brain, Jason the Criminal, Kimberly the Princess...wait, what does that make Zack and Trini? Which one's the Basket Case and the Jock?
We do see hints that our heroes get civilian powers of sorts, and I have no real issue with this, considering what the powers are. I watched Linkara's look at SPD, and it made me scratch my head. The powers they had were incredibly neat and useful, but they only used them when unmorphed. You'd think those additional powers would be useful in combat in their Ranger forms, but nope! They never use them in their Ranger forms? What's the explanation in-universe? Did the Ranger forms somehow shut off those powers? Ah, the limitations of editing around Sentai footage.
So why am I not bothered by THESE particular civilian powers? Because they seem like powers they will be using in their Ranger forms: Enhanced strength and durability. The Power Rangers are known for their skills at hand-to-hand combat, so these abilities make sense for them. The Rangers have to be able to take a beating and hand out one. And also, the bit with the bully getting knocked out by trying to headbutt Billy is pretty funny. Not to mention these are abilities they may actually USE as Rangers.
Rita saying she has killed Rangers before in the trailer does raise some interesting questions. Who were these previous Rangers? How did Rita kill them? And what were the circumstances of their battle with her that led to their deaths?
The teaser was also surprisingly colorful, which I liked. They're superheroes, the film should be colorful. I did like the Saban and Lionsgate logos showed the Power Ranger colors. Nice little touch there.
I do like this teaser. I felt it did its job as a teaser. We don't get any full-on reveals, just little tastes of who the new Rangers are, their powers, of Rita, and what they're up against. It has done its job very well, and I am interested in seeing this movie.
Like many kids growing up in the 1990s, I loved Power Rangers. It always got me hyped as a kid. I remember wanting the original Megazord and Dragonzord toys, but they were always sold out. Literally, they were impossible to get. The toy stores were always sold out. That was how crazy Power Rangers-mania was in the 1990s. The shortages made the news.
The franchise has continued on in various incarnations over the last 20 years, some seasons were good, and some were bad. If you want some great stuff on the history of the franchise, I recommend Linkara's History of Power Rangers series. Great videos, very informative and entertaining.
The trailer seems to hit that this version of Jason is may be a bit of a troublemaker, based on the ankle bracelet, but he may have a bit of a heroic heart in him, as showing of his fighting off some bullies. And speaking of bullies, I think we may show that the new Kimberly and Trini may be the victims of bullying themselves. We also see the new Billy getting picked on, too. This and the various scenes we have seen in this trailer with the future Rangers have gotten me very interested. The film does seem interested in portraying these characters as more realistic teenagers, instead of the admittedly rather one-dimensional goody-goody paragons of the original series.
I have heard this film being compared to The Breakfast Club, and I certainly can see why. It does have that vibe slightly. Helps that one could argue the Rangers can fit into the archetypes a but , with Billy the Brain, Jason the Criminal, Kimberly the Princess...wait, what does that make Zack and Trini? Which one's the Basket Case and the Jock?
We do see hints that our heroes get civilian powers of sorts, and I have no real issue with this, considering what the powers are. I watched Linkara's look at SPD, and it made me scratch my head. The powers they had were incredibly neat and useful, but they only used them when unmorphed. You'd think those additional powers would be useful in combat in their Ranger forms, but nope! They never use them in their Ranger forms? What's the explanation in-universe? Did the Ranger forms somehow shut off those powers? Ah, the limitations of editing around Sentai footage.
So why am I not bothered by THESE particular civilian powers? Because they seem like powers they will be using in their Ranger forms: Enhanced strength and durability. The Power Rangers are known for their skills at hand-to-hand combat, so these abilities make sense for them. The Rangers have to be able to take a beating and hand out one. And also, the bit with the bully getting knocked out by trying to headbutt Billy is pretty funny. Not to mention these are abilities they may actually USE as Rangers.
Rita saying she has killed Rangers before in the trailer does raise some interesting questions. Who were these previous Rangers? How did Rita kill them? And what were the circumstances of their battle with her that led to their deaths?
The teaser was also surprisingly colorful, which I liked. They're superheroes, the film should be colorful. I did like the Saban and Lionsgate logos showed the Power Ranger colors. Nice little touch there.
I do like this teaser. I felt it did its job as a teaser. We don't get any full-on reveals, just little tastes of who the new Rangers are, their powers, of Rita, and what they're up against. It has done its job very well, and I am interested in seeing this movie.
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Pokemon Sun and Moon Starter Evolutions Trailer, My Thoughts
Yup, yet another Pokémon Sun and Moon reveal trailer. There's getting to be about a many of these as there are getting to be actual Pokémon in the games. Wow. Anyway, this one focuses on the Starter Pokémon's evolved forms. Let's take a look!
The first evolution revealed is Rowlet's evolution, Dartrix. I have to admit, I like the name. There's something kind of...cool about it. I do like that it does keep the leaf bow tie from the Rowlet stage, and the green fringe bangs make me chuckle. I wanted to make a joke about it being emo, but the default expression stopped that. It looks...cheerful and perky. Not bad at all. I had seen some fan designs for a Rowlet evolution that I thought were very nice, but this one is pretty good.
Next to be revealed is Litten's evolution, Torracat. This one is easily my favorite. It may not be the most imaginative, but I think it's a very sensical-looking evolution, if that makes sense. It reminds me of how the original starters looked when they evolved. It looked similar to the previous form, but it also has signs of being a bigger, stronger, better form. And it's also a big kitty, and I like kitties.
The third is Popplio's evolution, Brionne. I do get what they're going for with this design, trying to maintain the idea of the clown theme a little bit. Like Torracat, Brionne is keeping with the design tradition for starter evolutions, which I do like about the design. I think it looks really cute. Very nice.
Another new feature is revealed: The Festival Plaza! It looks like a gigantic theme park, where players can interact and earn coins by interaction. Said coins can be used to buy items at various shops and also pay for rides that help train your Pokémon and improve their stats. I think this is very clever. It's a great way to encourage people to go out and play together. The Pokémon series since Gen 1 have tried to encourage trainers to interact with each other, and I think this new feature will go great.
Another new feature! Poké Pelago! It's a special place for Pokémon that you store in your PC boxes! The various island in the Pelago allow Pokémon to lure wild ones to join you, search for rare items, and train them. I think this feature is absolutely brilliant!
It really is! It actually does allow the Pokémon you keep in your boxes to have a purpose besides sitting in them all day. Makes me wish they came up with this sooner...although to be fair, the tech to pull this off probably didn't exist until now. Still, Poké Pelago is an incredible feature! I imagine this one will be used heavily! I know I'll be using it heavily. I do feel kind of bad about the Pokémon sitting in boxes, never to be used. At least collecting them will have a real point now besides bragging rights.
Mega Evolution is making a comeback, baby! Yup, Mega Evolution will return in Sun and Moon! I hope there will be some new Megas! I wonder if any of the Alolan variants will be able to Mega Evolve? I highly doubt it, but it would be neat if there was at least one that could.
The last thing the trailer reveals is that ademo will be made available in a couple weeks, in which the player can use Ash-Greninja. Now, I know it's slightly different-looking from other Greninja, but why is it called Ash-Greninja? Is this a Pokémon Ash uses in the anime? I don't know. But you can transfer it to your copy of Sun or Moon, so that's nice.
This trailer is very nice. Revealed some awesome new features. Can't wait for these games! Now I have to get through Omega Ruby and Dragon Quest VII...
The first evolution revealed is Rowlet's evolution, Dartrix. I have to admit, I like the name. There's something kind of...cool about it. I do like that it does keep the leaf bow tie from the Rowlet stage, and the green fringe bangs make me chuckle. I wanted to make a joke about it being emo, but the default expression stopped that. It looks...cheerful and perky. Not bad at all. I had seen some fan designs for a Rowlet evolution that I thought were very nice, but this one is pretty good.
Next to be revealed is Litten's evolution, Torracat. This one is easily my favorite. It may not be the most imaginative, but I think it's a very sensical-looking evolution, if that makes sense. It reminds me of how the original starters looked when they evolved. It looked similar to the previous form, but it also has signs of being a bigger, stronger, better form. And it's also a big kitty, and I like kitties.
The third is Popplio's evolution, Brionne. I do get what they're going for with this design, trying to maintain the idea of the clown theme a little bit. Like Torracat, Brionne is keeping with the design tradition for starter evolutions, which I do like about the design. I think it looks really cute. Very nice.
Another new feature is revealed: The Festival Plaza! It looks like a gigantic theme park, where players can interact and earn coins by interaction. Said coins can be used to buy items at various shops and also pay for rides that help train your Pokémon and improve their stats. I think this is very clever. It's a great way to encourage people to go out and play together. The Pokémon series since Gen 1 have tried to encourage trainers to interact with each other, and I think this new feature will go great.
Another new feature! Poké Pelago! It's a special place for Pokémon that you store in your PC boxes! The various island in the Pelago allow Pokémon to lure wild ones to join you, search for rare items, and train them. I think this feature is absolutely brilliant!
It really is! It actually does allow the Pokémon you keep in your boxes to have a purpose besides sitting in them all day. Makes me wish they came up with this sooner...although to be fair, the tech to pull this off probably didn't exist until now. Still, Poké Pelago is an incredible feature! I imagine this one will be used heavily! I know I'll be using it heavily. I do feel kind of bad about the Pokémon sitting in boxes, never to be used. At least collecting them will have a real point now besides bragging rights.
Mega Evolution is making a comeback, baby! Yup, Mega Evolution will return in Sun and Moon! I hope there will be some new Megas! I wonder if any of the Alolan variants will be able to Mega Evolve? I highly doubt it, but it would be neat if there was at least one that could.
The last thing the trailer reveals is that ademo will be made available in a couple weeks, in which the player can use Ash-Greninja. Now, I know it's slightly different-looking from other Greninja, but why is it called Ash-Greninja? Is this a Pokémon Ash uses in the anime? I don't know. But you can transfer it to your copy of Sun or Moon, so that's nice.
This trailer is very nice. Revealed some awesome new features. Can't wait for these games! Now I have to get through Omega Ruby and Dragon Quest VII...
Monday, October 3, 2016
Let's Play Pokemon Insurgence Part 4: The First Cult Battle!
After so long, I finally got back to my Let's Play of the fan game Pokémon Insurgence!
The reason this one took so long was because of real life stuff, and I had done some grinding that was unrecorded because I wanted to prepare for what was going on ahead.
The funny thing about the Telnor Cave when I went through was that I found a whole bunch of Pokémon in it, but no Zubats. It's kind of funny to see a cave in a Pokémon game that isn't full of Zubats. Although to be fair, this is a fan game. And there was a nice variety of Pokémon in the cave, so I managed to increase my collection quite a bit.
I really like the idea of the hidden grottos. I just wish they spawned new stuff and Pokémon more often than 12 hours. Also, I wish they provided an item AND a Pokémon to catch. Would make it a little easier for a collector like me.
I also really like the idea of the Torren region being an area full of cults. It's a nice change from the usual criminal teams of the official games. I wonder what other interesting twists this game's story will take in the future, especially when this game is completely finished.
I had fun making this video, and I hope you enjoyed watching it!
The reason this one took so long was because of real life stuff, and I had done some grinding that was unrecorded because I wanted to prepare for what was going on ahead.
The funny thing about the Telnor Cave when I went through was that I found a whole bunch of Pokémon in it, but no Zubats. It's kind of funny to see a cave in a Pokémon game that isn't full of Zubats. Although to be fair, this is a fan game. And there was a nice variety of Pokémon in the cave, so I managed to increase my collection quite a bit.
I really like the idea of the hidden grottos. I just wish they spawned new stuff and Pokémon more often than 12 hours. Also, I wish they provided an item AND a Pokémon to catch. Would make it a little easier for a collector like me.
I also really like the idea of the Torren region being an area full of cults. It's a nice change from the usual criminal teams of the official games. I wonder what other interesting twists this game's story will take in the future, especially when this game is completely finished.
I had fun making this video, and I hope you enjoyed watching it!
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Pokemon Sun and Moon Ultra Beasts Reveal Trailer, My Thoughts
Another day, another Pokémon Sun and Moon reveal trailer! This one is a rather short one, focused on two more of the Ultra Beasts.
The first one is called UB-02 Absorption. It essentially looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger was transformed into a bug monster by Phil Brundle's teleportation pod. Based on its name, I'm guessing this Ultra Beast has the ability to absorb energy.
The second one is called Beauty. Interestingly, it is also given the serial code UB-02. I'm not sure what ability this one may have, but it looks rather...humanoid, much like Absorption. Humanoid-looking Pokémon aren't that unusual, one could go back to Jynx from Gen 1.
Luckily, the official Pokémon site has more information on the Ultra Beasts. Evidently, they aren't Pokémon. So, that shoots down my theory on the Ultra Beasts being artificial Pokémon. It has been said that the Aether Foundation is studying these Beasts, which makes me wonder one thing: Why? What's Aether's interest in these Beasts? Is it purely out of innocent curiosity, or is there something more sinister going on? It's something to ponder.
The site also seems to reveal that these two Beasts are version-exclusives, which makes me think they may somehow be catchable. I can't imagine why they'd do that if they weren't. Although if they're not Pokémon and they are catchable...what will the player use to catch them? And why would they be catchable? What's the point?
This little teaser has left a lot to think about for me. A lot of unanswered questions. Looks like for the 20th Anniversary, the Pokémon Company and Game Freak are really shaking things up! Can't wait!
The
The first one is called UB-02 Absorption. It essentially looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger was transformed into a bug monster by Phil Brundle's teleportation pod. Based on its name, I'm guessing this Ultra Beast has the ability to absorb energy.
The second one is called Beauty. Interestingly, it is also given the serial code UB-02. I'm not sure what ability this one may have, but it looks rather...humanoid, much like Absorption. Humanoid-looking Pokémon aren't that unusual, one could go back to Jynx from Gen 1.
Luckily, the official Pokémon site has more information on the Ultra Beasts. Evidently, they aren't Pokémon. So, that shoots down my theory on the Ultra Beasts being artificial Pokémon. It has been said that the Aether Foundation is studying these Beasts, which makes me wonder one thing: Why? What's Aether's interest in these Beasts? Is it purely out of innocent curiosity, or is there something more sinister going on? It's something to ponder.
The site also seems to reveal that these two Beasts are version-exclusives, which makes me think they may somehow be catchable. I can't imagine why they'd do that if they weren't. Although if they're not Pokémon and they are catchable...what will the player use to catch them? And why would they be catchable? What's the point?
This little teaser has left a lot to think about for me. A lot of unanswered questions. Looks like for the 20th Anniversary, the Pokémon Company and Game Freak are really shaking things up! Can't wait!
The
Friday, September 23, 2016
Pokemon Sun and Moon Version-Exclusive Reveal Trailer, My Thoughts
Another day, another Pokémon Sun and Moon reveal trailer! Let's take a look at it!
The first new Pokémon revealed is a Fighting-type called Passimian. Its stance, the makeshift helmet, and the way it holds that...melon? It makes me think of an American football player. The Receiver ability is appropriate for it.
The next Pokémon is a Normal/Psychic-type called Oranguru. I think it may be modeled after a mix of a gorilla and an orangutan. I don't have a lot to say about this particular Pokémon, looks-wise. I think the leaf fan is funny, but I have nothing against it. There's been a history of Pokémon using objects since Farfetch'd's leek and Cubone's bone, and it's nice to see that tradition continue.
Passimian and Oranguru's abilities seem very useful for double battles. I do think Oranguru's, Instruct, is interesting in theory. Basically, Oranguru tells its partner in battle which move to use. Yeah, I can see the good in it, but I worry it'll result in a wasted move, preventing the trainer's ability to do more damage to the opponent's Pokémon.
The trailer next reveals that the Pokémon Rockruff has a rather...unique way of evolving. Turns out it evolves into a different Pokémon based on the version it's in. In Sun, it evolves into the Rock-type Lycanroc's midday form. It looks like a big wolf. And its really cool. In Moon, it becomes Lycanroc's midnight form, which is essentially a werewolf. It's got a really awesome "bring-it-on" stance. It's also rather appropriate that Rockruff's night evolution is based on a werewolf.
I like the music that was used in the background of the Pokémon reveals. It was really funky.
Hey, look at that. The trainer customization is back! And it appears it's a bit deeper than in X and Y, as it not only allows a trainer to change their hair color, but their eye color and hairstyle, too. Nice. You now have more control than ever on how to make your trainer avatar look. Hope there's a nice variety of styles for both genders hair-wise.
The trailer also reveals a new feature called Pokémon Refresh, in which you essentially get to clean up your Pokémon and make them look nice. You can even give them what appear to be special treats. Now I will admit, I'm not one who really uses these kind of extra features, but I will admit, I just may give it a try for this game. I would like it if regularly grooming your Pokémon gave them special bonuses, like improved chances of critical hits or reduced chance of being given a status change like Sleep or Paralysis. Would be a great incentive to get people to use this feature.
The final thing these trailers reveal are that Pikachu and Eevee get special Z-Moves of their own. Pikachu's is called Catasropika. Basically, the trainer throws Pikachu into the air, and Pikachu becomes this electic meteor of death, coming right down on top of its opponents' head. It's pretty awesome.
Eevee's is called Extreme Evoboost. It seems to basically call upon the power of all its evolutions to sharply raise all of its stats. The animation is incredibly impressive, so I can't help but feel a little let down by what the Z-Move actually does. I'm also worried that no new Eeveelutions will be introduced in this Gen. If that's the case, that's a shame. There are quite a few elements that have no Eeveelutions to represent them. Rock, Steel, Dragon, Ground, Ghost, Flying, and Dragon are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I want them to get Eeveelutions. If Eevee is the Evolution Pokémon, then it should be able to have a form for all of the Pokémon Types. Sun and Moon have a chance to give more types some love in the form of more Eeveelutions. I hope we see more of them.
This is a nice little reveal, but as I said last time, I'm worried that Game Freak isn't going to have no surprises left for when Sun and Moon actually come out. I'm also worried that the hype for these two games will be so high that the finished product won't be able to live up to it, no matter how good these games most likely will be.
The first new Pokémon revealed is a Fighting-type called Passimian. Its stance, the makeshift helmet, and the way it holds that...melon? It makes me think of an American football player. The Receiver ability is appropriate for it.
The next Pokémon is a Normal/Psychic-type called Oranguru. I think it may be modeled after a mix of a gorilla and an orangutan. I don't have a lot to say about this particular Pokémon, looks-wise. I think the leaf fan is funny, but I have nothing against it. There's been a history of Pokémon using objects since Farfetch'd's leek and Cubone's bone, and it's nice to see that tradition continue.
Passimian and Oranguru's abilities seem very useful for double battles. I do think Oranguru's, Instruct, is interesting in theory. Basically, Oranguru tells its partner in battle which move to use. Yeah, I can see the good in it, but I worry it'll result in a wasted move, preventing the trainer's ability to do more damage to the opponent's Pokémon.
The trailer next reveals that the Pokémon Rockruff has a rather...unique way of evolving. Turns out it evolves into a different Pokémon based on the version it's in. In Sun, it evolves into the Rock-type Lycanroc's midday form. It looks like a big wolf. And its really cool. In Moon, it becomes Lycanroc's midnight form, which is essentially a werewolf. It's got a really awesome "bring-it-on" stance. It's also rather appropriate that Rockruff's night evolution is based on a werewolf.
I like the music that was used in the background of the Pokémon reveals. It was really funky.
Hey, look at that. The trainer customization is back! And it appears it's a bit deeper than in X and Y, as it not only allows a trainer to change their hair color, but their eye color and hairstyle, too. Nice. You now have more control than ever on how to make your trainer avatar look. Hope there's a nice variety of styles for both genders hair-wise.
The trailer also reveals a new feature called Pokémon Refresh, in which you essentially get to clean up your Pokémon and make them look nice. You can even give them what appear to be special treats. Now I will admit, I'm not one who really uses these kind of extra features, but I will admit, I just may give it a try for this game. I would like it if regularly grooming your Pokémon gave them special bonuses, like improved chances of critical hits or reduced chance of being given a status change like Sleep or Paralysis. Would be a great incentive to get people to use this feature.
The final thing these trailers reveal are that Pikachu and Eevee get special Z-Moves of their own. Pikachu's is called Catasropika. Basically, the trainer throws Pikachu into the air, and Pikachu becomes this electic meteor of death, coming right down on top of its opponents' head. It's pretty awesome.
Eevee's is called Extreme Evoboost. It seems to basically call upon the power of all its evolutions to sharply raise all of its stats. The animation is incredibly impressive, so I can't help but feel a little let down by what the Z-Move actually does. I'm also worried that no new Eeveelutions will be introduced in this Gen. If that's the case, that's a shame. There are quite a few elements that have no Eeveelutions to represent them. Rock, Steel, Dragon, Ground, Ghost, Flying, and Dragon are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I want them to get Eeveelutions. If Eevee is the Evolution Pokémon, then it should be able to have a form for all of the Pokémon Types. Sun and Moon have a chance to give more types some love in the form of more Eeveelutions. I hope we see more of them.
This is a nice little reveal, but as I said last time, I'm worried that Game Freak isn't going to have no surprises left for when Sun and Moon actually come out. I'm also worried that the hype for these two games will be so high that the finished product won't be able to live up to it, no matter how good these games most likely will be.
Saturday, September 17, 2016
Shadow Warrior 2 Trailer, My Thoughts
Duke Nukem is not the only old-school video game character returning to action, although this one is coming back with a brand new game. The character: one Lo Wang. The game: Shadow Warrior 2.
I have to admit, I was surprised by how the trailer started. Lo Wang seems to be a bit more...bitter in this game. At least, that's what it sounded like to me. Seems like he paid a terrible price for saving the world five years ago in the last Shadow Warrior game (The 2013 reboot game. I really got to play that). He's driving his car down a road until...
...something awesome happens. A giant samurai comes down with this big double-bladed naginata-like weapon and just smashes it into the ground, and uses it to cut Lo Wang's car in half while he is driving it. It is so COOL! And even funnier, Lo Wang just looks so non-plussed about it. It's like, "Hey go ahead man, cut my car in half, I got like ten more of these cars."
Man, samurai guy looks awesome. He looks really intimidating, helped by that armor and his size. However, to Lo Wang, he's nothing. Shot, then sliced in half.
Then, Lo Wang visits an old guy, who injects something into his neck, and turns into a monster in front of Lo Wang. Wang then reveals he brought a couple friends with him that I do not recognize. The trailer ends with them facing off against the monster, with Lo Wang asking, "WHO WANTS SOME WANG?!"
I have to admit, this trailer looked really cool. It didn't show any gameplay footage, but I doubt they will do anything radical with it. If this trailer was being made using the assets, then at least this game will look spectacular.
You know, if this game does well, you think they'll give the original 1997 Shadow Warrior game the treatment Duke Nukem 3D did for its own 20th Anniversary? It IS coming up next year...
I have to admit, I was surprised by how the trailer started. Lo Wang seems to be a bit more...bitter in this game. At least, that's what it sounded like to me. Seems like he paid a terrible price for saving the world five years ago in the last Shadow Warrior game (The 2013 reboot game. I really got to play that). He's driving his car down a road until...
...something awesome happens. A giant samurai comes down with this big double-bladed naginata-like weapon and just smashes it into the ground, and uses it to cut Lo Wang's car in half while he is driving it. It is so COOL! And even funnier, Lo Wang just looks so non-plussed about it. It's like, "Hey go ahead man, cut my car in half, I got like ten more of these cars."
Man, samurai guy looks awesome. He looks really intimidating, helped by that armor and his size. However, to Lo Wang, he's nothing. Shot, then sliced in half.
Then, Lo Wang visits an old guy, who injects something into his neck, and turns into a monster in front of Lo Wang. Wang then reveals he brought a couple friends with him that I do not recognize. The trailer ends with them facing off against the monster, with Lo Wang asking, "WHO WANTS SOME WANG?!"
I have to admit, this trailer looked really cool. It didn't show any gameplay footage, but I doubt they will do anything radical with it. If this trailer was being made using the assets, then at least this game will look spectacular.
You know, if this game does well, you think they'll give the original 1997 Shadow Warrior game the treatment Duke Nukem 3D did for its own 20th Anniversary? It IS coming up next year...
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Duke Nukem 3D 20th Anniversary Trailer, My Thoughts
Duke Nukem is back! Well, sort of. It's the 20th Anniversary of the game that put the alien-killing stripper-tipping beer-drinking steroid-taking machine of a man on the map: Duke Nukem 3D! While not the first game he appeared in (3D was the third game of his series), 3D is regarded as the very best, and most loved of the Duke games. And they released a trailer for it.
Yup, it's not simply going to be a port for modern consoles and PCs. It's got some new stuff in it, according to the trailer. It'll have a special new fifth episode featuring designs by one of the game's original creators, and the levels will be designed by "Levelord", who was described as a "legendary level designer." At first I thought this "Levelord" must've been a modder who made levels that became rather famous among the community, but it turns out that "Levelord" was a nickname for Richard Gray, one of the original designers of DN3D. Huh. That's neat.
The trailer also states that Jon St. John would provide new Duke Talk for the game. And Lee Jackson, the game's original composer, will provide new music for the episode, too. It's really cool that they're bringing back all these original people to be involved in this new episode. It really shows the lengths they are going to please fans and make it feel like something right out of 1996.
According to the Duke Nukem website, the new episode will involve Duke going around the world to fight aliens. His World Tour will be hitting several major locations, like Hollywood, London, and Paris. Personally, I would've also loved to have seen duke hit Tokyo, Beijing, Johannesburg, and Sydney, too. Japan would've given Duke the opportunity to fight a giant kaiju-esque alien, maybe with a DukeMech. And as for China, who would not want to see Duke fight a dragon? And the latter two, because Duke's World Tour should give Africa and Australia some love.
As for the trailer, it looks fantastic. It felt like a political ad. Appropriate, considering we are in an election year. The gameplay footage shown looked really good. It's bright and clear, and it was great to watch. I'm glad they didn't upgrade it to be dark and gritty-looking like the stereotypical modern shooter.
I have to admit, I...never played this game back in the day. Never had the chance to. Did play Doom, though. I enjoyed Doom. I wish the new Doom game was on X-Box 360.
This will be fun. I hope I can get this game on my laptop.
Yup, it's not simply going to be a port for modern consoles and PCs. It's got some new stuff in it, according to the trailer. It'll have a special new fifth episode featuring designs by one of the game's original creators, and the levels will be designed by "Levelord", who was described as a "legendary level designer." At first I thought this "Levelord" must've been a modder who made levels that became rather famous among the community, but it turns out that "Levelord" was a nickname for Richard Gray, one of the original designers of DN3D. Huh. That's neat.
The trailer also states that Jon St. John would provide new Duke Talk for the game. And Lee Jackson, the game's original composer, will provide new music for the episode, too. It's really cool that they're bringing back all these original people to be involved in this new episode. It really shows the lengths they are going to please fans and make it feel like something right out of 1996.
According to the Duke Nukem website, the new episode will involve Duke going around the world to fight aliens. His World Tour will be hitting several major locations, like Hollywood, London, and Paris. Personally, I would've also loved to have seen duke hit Tokyo, Beijing, Johannesburg, and Sydney, too. Japan would've given Duke the opportunity to fight a giant kaiju-esque alien, maybe with a DukeMech. And as for China, who would not want to see Duke fight a dragon? And the latter two, because Duke's World Tour should give Africa and Australia some love.
As for the trailer, it looks fantastic. It felt like a political ad. Appropriate, considering we are in an election year. The gameplay footage shown looked really good. It's bright and clear, and it was great to watch. I'm glad they didn't upgrade it to be dark and gritty-looking like the stereotypical modern shooter.
I have to admit, I...never played this game back in the day. Never had the chance to. Did play Doom, though. I enjoyed Doom. I wish the new Doom game was on X-Box 360.
This will be fun. I hope I can get this game on my laptop.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)