I haven't mentioned it very often (probably because I'm on a hot streak if I make two blog posts within two months of each other), but I'm a HUGE BioWare fan. Knights of the Old Republic was the game that first got me into gaming, and I've played Mass Effect more times than I can count. I absolutely love the games they've put out, but before last year, there was one franchise they had released that I had never tried: Dragon Age.
This wasn't because I disliked fantasy games or was put off by the franchise, mind you. The truth was, it was just one of those things I had always planned on getting around to, and never did. But I did finally play Origins last year, and I was blown away. The characters were all very interesting, it had a plot that was complex yet easy to follow, and it was fun to experiment with different powers, especially as a Mage. When I discovered how fun that game was, I knew I'd be following the rest of the franchise, which brings us to today's topic, Dragon Age: Inquisition.
The game came out at the tail end of the last year, and it couldn't have come at a better time. BioWare has been catching a lot of flack the last several years over their games, from the rushed and unfinished Dragon Age II to the poor ending of Mass Effect 3. Then add the giant cauldron of badness that has been the GamerGate Affair (this is referring to the situation, not any particular movement), and gamers needed something they could latch onto as a genuinely great game, and BioWare needed to prove that they could still make games that people could love. Thankfully, Inquisition delivered all this and more. Inquisition is a marvelous game, delivering a stupendous story, gorgeous graphics, a superb score, and some incredibly fun game play.
It's tough to talk about the game without giving away spoilers about the other two, but I'll do my best to accomodate readers who are unfamiliar with the world. The story begins in the land of Thedas, where a war has broken out. The Chantry leader, Divine Justinia (think a female Pope), has called for a truce among both sides, and asked their highest leaders to meet at a Conclave to begin peace talks. However, disaster strikes when a magical explosion destroys the Conclave and opens a Breach in the sky. This Breach has shattered the barrier between the normal world and the Fade, the realm of dreams and demons. The explosion left only one survivor, a person with a mysterious mark on their hand that gives them the power to close the Breach. Naturally, this is the character that you, the player, control. You can make them male or female, and can choose from one of four races: Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and Qunari (think large, muscular humans with horns on their heads). You can also choose from three classes, Warrior (powerful front-line fighters), Rogue (stealthy backstabbers or quick-footed archers), or Mage (magic users).
Once you've created your character, you're thrust into a world torn by chaos, and must work with Justinia's agents to reform an ancient movement called the Inquisition. Together, you must work to reunite the forces of Thedas, discover who was responsible for the explosion at the Conclave, and gain the power to close the Breach and save the world. No big.
As you might expect, this is a MASSIVE game. While it does provide most of the backstory necessary to understand what's going on, you're probably better off starting with playing Dragon Age: Origins if you want to get into the franchise. Thedas is a rich setting, and there's plenty of lore that isn't even important to the game to discover. In addition, the game features many returning characters from previous entries, so you'll get a much better effect if you play this after the first one, and maybe after Dragon Age II. But if you're not into the story, and are just here for a fun game, you can ignore most of this and jump right in.
One thing long-time BioWare fans will notice immediately is the change in tone between this and their previous works. Their most recent output has generally been very pessimistic, or at the very least unusually dark, even for them. Inquisition, while certainly not light fare, is much more optimistic about the hero's chances. Much of this is linked to the game's biggest departure from the standard BioWare formula: rather than joining a well-established order as a new recruit, you're helping to put a new one in place, and function as one of it's key players. You're still leading a ragtag group of heroes, but the difference is that the ragtag group is an army of diplomats, soldiers, and spies, rather than a small band of adventurers. While there is pressure to save the world, you have a lot of support behind you.
No BioWare game would be complete without a memorable cast, and Inquisition delivers. From returning fan favorites like Morrigan, Leliana, and Varric, to fun new characters like The Iron Bull and Dorian, to interesting villains, this cast is more than strong enough to carry the game. You'll get most familiar with your companions, who will go with you when you venture out into the world. Their unique individual stories are some of the best parts of the game, and getting to know them can be a lot of fun. You probably won't like them all, but odds are you can find one or two you won't want to leave your party.
The production values of the game are great. The environments are rich with detail, and help the game come alive. The sound design is really good as well, and you can hear every wave crash against the shore. But what really takes the cake is the score. This is one of the best scores ever put in a game, and it brilliantly conveys the emotions of the scenes. From the powerful, building sound of the main theme, to the triumphant Journey to Skyhold, to the relaxing tavern songs you'll hear playing in bars, each sets the mood perfectly, and they all sound beautiful, even when taken out of context.
Gameplay mechanics are functionally the same across all classes and play styles, and work fairly well. There's room for a lot of nuance in how you play, so you can experiment and find out what works best for you. And if you find that you don't like some of the abilities you picked out, retraining is just a smithy away.
Overall, Dragon Age: Inquisition is an amazing success. It brings back the classic BioWare sensibilities, while meeting next-gen capabilities head-on. If you're unfamiliar with the franchise, now's a great time to find out what you've been missing, and if you're a veteran of the Fifth Blight or Kirkwall, you won't want to miss this installment. The dawn has arrived for BioWare, and it looks like there's plenty of time left in the Dragon Age.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Marvel Films Announces Phase 3 Line-Up!
The Line-Up:
Well, it all finally happened. We now have a good idea of what's about to go down with Marvel in the next few years. So here's the official timeline:
May 6, 2016: Captain America: Civil War
November 4, 2016: Doctor Strange
May 5, 2017: Guardians of the Galaxy 2
July 28, 2017: Thor: Ragnarok
November 3, 2017: Black Panther
May 4, 2018: Avengers: Infinity War - Part 1
July 6, 2018: Captain Marvel
November 2, 2018: Inhumans
May 3, 2019: Avengers: Infinity War - Part 2
Other Announcements:
Obviously, this line-up change means that Ant-Man is now a Phase 2 film, and will round out that group of movies for Marvel. Of interesting note about this new line-up are the risks being taken. Four new franchises are being started, compared to Phase 2's, well, two. While there are obviously sequels here, there's a good balance with new material. In addition, it's been announced that Captain Marvel will in fact be Carol Danvers, bypassing the Kree Captain. However, the most concrete announcement we've gotten is that Chadwick Boseman has signed on to play the Black Panther, and will make his first appearance in CA: CW.
My Thoughts:
Wow.
This is a LOT to take in. I mean, there was so much set up with this announcement. So let's try tackling this chronologically, before hitting my overall thoughts.
So according to Kevin Feige, serious stuff is happening in Age of Ultron, and that's going to lead into Civil War. Alright, it's good to hear that they're taking a different approach to things. Shaking things up should be good for the franchise. I look forward to seeing more from AoU, and hopefully I'll enjoy it.
Ant-Man has had very little attention, and I don't expect it to get much for a while. After all, we've got to publicize the new Avengers movie. This does kind of worry me, though. Are they keeping things under wraps because they haven't been going well? It's no secret that Ant-Man has had a troubled production, and I can't help but worry that this might be a case where that spells doom for the movie. On the other hand, Apocalypse Now had a legendarily bad production experience, and look how that turned out. So I'll continue to watch and wait for more news.
So. Civil War. It had some good tie-ins, especially the Spider-Man one, but it just wasn't thought through well enough. Hopefully, the Russo brothers can fix that for their version. If Civil War itself wasn't great, it certainly had some good ideas, and in capable hands, it could turn out to be something extremely good. Here's hoping.
Doctor Strange STILL doesn't have the title character cast yet, but all reports seem to point to Benedict Cumberbatch. Of course, a few months ago all reports were pointing to Jocquain Phoenix, and we all know how that turned out. Still, we can hope. I for one would love for Cumberbatch to play the role, but if it doesn't work out, then hopefully they'll find a good actor eventually.
Not much to say about Guardians 2 beyond the fact that I'm happy to see more of them, and I'm curious if they'll bring up another Infinity Stone.
We knew Thor 3 had to come eventually, but it's good to hear that there's a plan. I'm wondering where they're going to take things though, as Ragnarok is essentially the Norse equivalent to the Battle of Armageddon. If they're going all the way with this, I'm going to be plenty intrigued.
Ah, Black Panther. You were always an interesting figure, if an aloof one. I've no idea who the actor playing him is, but I've learned to trust Marvel's casting at this point. So, here's hoping we get to see another hit. It would be neat to see Andy Serkis in this movie, if the rumors that he's playing Klaw are true.
No word yet on who's to play Captain Marvel, but I'd like to suggest Yvonne Strahovski, as have many other Chuck and Mass Effect fans. She's a great actress with a surprisingly convincing American accent for an Australian, and she's not afraid to do stunt work. I'd be more than happy to see her take on the role, if her name reaches the execs ears.
I know nothing about the Inhumans beyond the vague notion that they're a country of superheroes or something, so let's move on.
The Infinity War. Well, it is a catchier name than Infinity Gauntlet. I'm unsure why it's split into two parts though, especially considering the fact that it's got two films between the parts. Is it possible that one part will cover the Gauntlet storyline, while the other covers the second/third Infinity events? Food for thought. It does raise the question of what exactly they'll be doing with Adam Warlock, the key player in the entire saga. GOTG implied his existence, but didn't confirm it, so it's still up in the air as of now. I really hope it doesn't turn into a Breaking Dawn situation, but if it does, I'll suffer through it. At least it probably won't involve abortions and sparkly vampires. But I do like that both parts are scattered, it makes me think that rather than splitting the story in half, each part will be its own story that feeds into the other. But only time will tell.
Now for random other thoughts. Obviously, the lack of anything involving Hulk, Black Widow, or Hawkeye is disappointing, but not surprising. They've been dancing around the subjects for ages now, and I don't think we'll see anything for a while. It does raise the question of whether Hawkeye might die, but I hope they'll keep him around and finally make more use of him. This is suddenly making me want a movie where all three go off on their own adventure. That could be pretty fun.
Now we get to an interesting point with this: the timing. It was only last week that Warner Brothers (WB) announced their film line-up for the DC heroes. So this begs the question, why was Marvel's line-up released now? Did they decide now because they wanted to one-up WB? To be honest, it wasn't that hard, given that Marvel's current reputation rivals PIXAR in its heyday, whereas WB only seems capable of big success when making Batman movies. However, I will say that I'm trying to maintain a cautious optimism for the DCCU, as for now all we know is that Man of Steel wasn't the success we were all hoping for.
But this does raise an even bigger question: are we flooding the market? Nearly everyone is trying to get a piece of the superhero pie, and I'm starting to worry that maybe we're overloading people. If it gets to the point where people are starting to get tired, and something like Batman and Robin comes along, the whole thing could come crashing down. That's a pretty gloomy thought, sure, but it's more than possible. Now, I don't think superhero films will ever truly go away, don't get me wrong. Even today, there are still some Westerns being made. But this Golden Age of Superhero films can't last forever. At some point, the bubble will burst, and the public's interest will move on. But hopefully that won't be for a long while off. As for now, well, I feel confident saying that despite some hiccups, it's a great time to be a comic book movie fan, and I can't wait until we get to see what's coming on the horizon.
Well, it all finally happened. We now have a good idea of what's about to go down with Marvel in the next few years. So here's the official timeline:
May 6, 2016: Captain America: Civil War
November 4, 2016: Doctor Strange
May 5, 2017: Guardians of the Galaxy 2
July 28, 2017: Thor: Ragnarok
November 3, 2017: Black Panther
May 4, 2018: Avengers: Infinity War - Part 1
July 6, 2018: Captain Marvel
November 2, 2018: Inhumans
May 3, 2019: Avengers: Infinity War - Part 2
Other Announcements:
Obviously, this line-up change means that Ant-Man is now a Phase 2 film, and will round out that group of movies for Marvel. Of interesting note about this new line-up are the risks being taken. Four new franchises are being started, compared to Phase 2's, well, two. While there are obviously sequels here, there's a good balance with new material. In addition, it's been announced that Captain Marvel will in fact be Carol Danvers, bypassing the Kree Captain. However, the most concrete announcement we've gotten is that Chadwick Boseman has signed on to play the Black Panther, and will make his first appearance in CA: CW.
My Thoughts:
Wow.
This is a LOT to take in. I mean, there was so much set up with this announcement. So let's try tackling this chronologically, before hitting my overall thoughts.
So according to Kevin Feige, serious stuff is happening in Age of Ultron, and that's going to lead into Civil War. Alright, it's good to hear that they're taking a different approach to things. Shaking things up should be good for the franchise. I look forward to seeing more from AoU, and hopefully I'll enjoy it.
Ant-Man has had very little attention, and I don't expect it to get much for a while. After all, we've got to publicize the new Avengers movie. This does kind of worry me, though. Are they keeping things under wraps because they haven't been going well? It's no secret that Ant-Man has had a troubled production, and I can't help but worry that this might be a case where that spells doom for the movie. On the other hand, Apocalypse Now had a legendarily bad production experience, and look how that turned out. So I'll continue to watch and wait for more news.
So. Civil War. It had some good tie-ins, especially the Spider-Man one, but it just wasn't thought through well enough. Hopefully, the Russo brothers can fix that for their version. If Civil War itself wasn't great, it certainly had some good ideas, and in capable hands, it could turn out to be something extremely good. Here's hoping.
Doctor Strange STILL doesn't have the title character cast yet, but all reports seem to point to Benedict Cumberbatch. Of course, a few months ago all reports were pointing to Jocquain Phoenix, and we all know how that turned out. Still, we can hope. I for one would love for Cumberbatch to play the role, but if it doesn't work out, then hopefully they'll find a good actor eventually.
Not much to say about Guardians 2 beyond the fact that I'm happy to see more of them, and I'm curious if they'll bring up another Infinity Stone.
We knew Thor 3 had to come eventually, but it's good to hear that there's a plan. I'm wondering where they're going to take things though, as Ragnarok is essentially the Norse equivalent to the Battle of Armageddon. If they're going all the way with this, I'm going to be plenty intrigued.
Ah, Black Panther. You were always an interesting figure, if an aloof one. I've no idea who the actor playing him is, but I've learned to trust Marvel's casting at this point. So, here's hoping we get to see another hit. It would be neat to see Andy Serkis in this movie, if the rumors that he's playing Klaw are true.
No word yet on who's to play Captain Marvel, but I'd like to suggest Yvonne Strahovski, as have many other Chuck and Mass Effect fans. She's a great actress with a surprisingly convincing American accent for an Australian, and she's not afraid to do stunt work. I'd be more than happy to see her take on the role, if her name reaches the execs ears.
I know nothing about the Inhumans beyond the vague notion that they're a country of superheroes or something, so let's move on.
The Infinity War. Well, it is a catchier name than Infinity Gauntlet. I'm unsure why it's split into two parts though, especially considering the fact that it's got two films between the parts. Is it possible that one part will cover the Gauntlet storyline, while the other covers the second/third Infinity events? Food for thought. It does raise the question of what exactly they'll be doing with Adam Warlock, the key player in the entire saga. GOTG implied his existence, but didn't confirm it, so it's still up in the air as of now. I really hope it doesn't turn into a Breaking Dawn situation, but if it does, I'll suffer through it. At least it probably won't involve abortions and sparkly vampires. But I do like that both parts are scattered, it makes me think that rather than splitting the story in half, each part will be its own story that feeds into the other. But only time will tell.
Now for random other thoughts. Obviously, the lack of anything involving Hulk, Black Widow, or Hawkeye is disappointing, but not surprising. They've been dancing around the subjects for ages now, and I don't think we'll see anything for a while. It does raise the question of whether Hawkeye might die, but I hope they'll keep him around and finally make more use of him. This is suddenly making me want a movie where all three go off on their own adventure. That could be pretty fun.
Now we get to an interesting point with this: the timing. It was only last week that Warner Brothers (WB) announced their film line-up for the DC heroes. So this begs the question, why was Marvel's line-up released now? Did they decide now because they wanted to one-up WB? To be honest, it wasn't that hard, given that Marvel's current reputation rivals PIXAR in its heyday, whereas WB only seems capable of big success when making Batman movies. However, I will say that I'm trying to maintain a cautious optimism for the DCCU, as for now all we know is that Man of Steel wasn't the success we were all hoping for.
But this does raise an even bigger question: are we flooding the market? Nearly everyone is trying to get a piece of the superhero pie, and I'm starting to worry that maybe we're overloading people. If it gets to the point where people are starting to get tired, and something like Batman and Robin comes along, the whole thing could come crashing down. That's a pretty gloomy thought, sure, but it's more than possible. Now, I don't think superhero films will ever truly go away, don't get me wrong. Even today, there are still some Westerns being made. But this Golden Age of Superhero films can't last forever. At some point, the bubble will burst, and the public's interest will move on. But hopefully that won't be for a long while off. As for now, well, I feel confident saying that despite some hiccups, it's a great time to be a comic book movie fan, and I can't wait until we get to see what's coming on the horizon.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
The end of the Star Wars Expanded Universe
Well, seeing as everyone else is talking about this, I might as well throw my hat into the ring. For those who don't know, JJ Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, the big-shots behind the new Star Wars movies, have declared the entire Expanded Universe null and void. What is the Expanded Universe, or EU, you may ask? Simply put, it's the large collection of novels, comic books, video games, and TV shows made for Star Wars that take place outside the events of the films themselves. Fan debate over their quality is large, filled with rage, and often hilarious to those with a bit of sanity, but suffice it to say that there's so much of it that there is at least one part of it out there that you can probably enjoy. If you read my blog post on Timothy Zahn's book, Survivor's Quest, then you already know that I'm fairly familiar with the EU. As such, here's my take on what's going on.
The EU is a vast, complicated web of ideas and stories. It's filled with lots of great things, and lots of horrible things, much like the movies themselves. However, I do still hold a lot of love for it, and I know many other people do too. And that's why I don't care that it got rejected from canon.
Yes, you read that right, I don't care. It doesn't matter to me either way. Why? Because at the end of the day, 'canon' doesn't really matter. Anyone can say these stories didn't happen, and they're right. None of these happened. The books didn't happen, the shows didn't happen, and even the movies never happened. Does that stop these stories from existing? No. It just means that they have no bearing on the movies to come. So what? The games, the books, the shows, they're all still out there. Their quality hasn't been affected by the fact that they're not a part of the new stories. The effect they had on you can't be undone by simply saying they never happened, because you know what? If you enjoyed them, then they happened for you, in your personal story. Because a good experience, even if it has no tangible effects, still has the effect of entertaining you. It still makes you happy. Disney can tell me all they want about how the Thrawn Trilogy has no effect on their movies. They can tell all the fans that The Force Unleashed is null and void. They can shout from the heavens that Knights of the Old Republic never happened. But they can't say the enjoyment I got out of them didn't happen.
My first video game was Knights of the Old Republic. My Dad got it for my Mom when I was seven, and I loved watching her play it. Once she beat it herself, she let me try the game, though she was the one manning the controls. But I got to select my class, my dialogue, and my attacks, so essentially, I was the one calling the shots. I loved it. It was a unique world that I could affect in my own way, and I got to share the experience with my Mom, and we had fun together. That's why I became a gamer in the first place. It's why I played Mass Effect, which I now consider to be one of the greatest sci-fi franchises ever, horrible ending notwithstanding. It's why I read the fun, elaborate, complex KOTOR comics. It's why I discovered the rest of the EU at all. That can't be taken away from me by words on a manuscript, or pictures flashed in front of my eyes at high speeds. The only one who can invalidate that experience is myself, and that won't happen anytime soon. Canon doesn't matter. What matters is that the high-quality works of the EU are still high-quality, whether they affect the new movies are not. The enjoyment we can have from them won't change. The memories, entertainment, friendships, and happiness these things created are still there. Because that's the thing about art: it's beauty lies with the beholder.
The EU is a vast, complicated web of ideas and stories. It's filled with lots of great things, and lots of horrible things, much like the movies themselves. However, I do still hold a lot of love for it, and I know many other people do too. And that's why I don't care that it got rejected from canon.
Yes, you read that right, I don't care. It doesn't matter to me either way. Why? Because at the end of the day, 'canon' doesn't really matter. Anyone can say these stories didn't happen, and they're right. None of these happened. The books didn't happen, the shows didn't happen, and even the movies never happened. Does that stop these stories from existing? No. It just means that they have no bearing on the movies to come. So what? The games, the books, the shows, they're all still out there. Their quality hasn't been affected by the fact that they're not a part of the new stories. The effect they had on you can't be undone by simply saying they never happened, because you know what? If you enjoyed them, then they happened for you, in your personal story. Because a good experience, even if it has no tangible effects, still has the effect of entertaining you. It still makes you happy. Disney can tell me all they want about how the Thrawn Trilogy has no effect on their movies. They can tell all the fans that The Force Unleashed is null and void. They can shout from the heavens that Knights of the Old Republic never happened. But they can't say the enjoyment I got out of them didn't happen.
My first video game was Knights of the Old Republic. My Dad got it for my Mom when I was seven, and I loved watching her play it. Once she beat it herself, she let me try the game, though she was the one manning the controls. But I got to select my class, my dialogue, and my attacks, so essentially, I was the one calling the shots. I loved it. It was a unique world that I could affect in my own way, and I got to share the experience with my Mom, and we had fun together. That's why I became a gamer in the first place. It's why I played Mass Effect, which I now consider to be one of the greatest sci-fi franchises ever, horrible ending notwithstanding. It's why I read the fun, elaborate, complex KOTOR comics. It's why I discovered the rest of the EU at all. That can't be taken away from me by words on a manuscript, or pictures flashed in front of my eyes at high speeds. The only one who can invalidate that experience is myself, and that won't happen anytime soon. Canon doesn't matter. What matters is that the high-quality works of the EU are still high-quality, whether they affect the new movies are not. The enjoyment we can have from them won't change. The memories, entertainment, friendships, and happiness these things created are still there. Because that's the thing about art: it's beauty lies with the beholder.
Friday, November 29, 2013
The Avengers vs. The Dark Knight: Which is the best superhero movie?
When people talk about the great superhero movies, it's a bunch of names everyone knows that get passed around. Superman the Movie, Superman 2, Batman (1989), X2: X-Men United, and Spider-Man 2. But for the majority, the contest for best superhero movie comes down to a battle between two relatively young movies: The Dark Knight, and The Avengers (not the Sean Connery one).
But why are these the most popular? Why can no one agree ultimately on which is better? Why does the Fan Dumb on both sides feel the need to constantly be at war with each other? Why do so many people argue in favor of TDK, when Avengers was one of the highest-grossing movies of all time? And which one is the better film? Okay, that last question is purely opinion based, so that's not really one that can be definitively answered. But nevertheless, I shall attempt to tackle all of these today, and then proceed to ignore the inevitable backlash from the cults of Whedon and Nolan, assuming any of them actually bother to read this poor excuse for a blog.
The Dark Knight is often regarded as the movie that proved superhero films could actually have good stories, and be grounded in reality. While its predecessor, Batman Begins, attempted this, it didn't ultimately achieve the same heights as the sequel. But why? Where did BB fail, but TDK succeed? Well, I think the obvious answer is the villain. Let's be honest, if you remember any Batman villains at all, The Joker is at the top of the list. Not to mention the fact that Nolan and Ledger worked out an absolutely brilliant place to take the character. I have seen many, many villains in film, but I can honestly say, The Joker ranks right up there with Hannibal Lecter as one of the best and most memorable. Even if Ledger hadn't died, he'd still have been a serious contender for the Oscar. The man has practically been martyred for the film now, and it's had a huge effect on its popularity. It also does raise some good questions about how we deal with criminals in the real world, and at what point has the battle against crime escalated too far? How do we keep ourselves from going too far? And where is it that we finally draw the line? This was a huge part of the movie, and it is a great debate. Essentially, TDK did for superhero movies what Watchmen did for comic books, or at least something very similar.
So if TDK has so much going for it, why do so many people argue in favor of Avengers? I think for that one, you need to look at the reasons people love that movie, and what made it different from TDK. When people explain why they love Avengers, they often say the humor, the characters, the action, and essentially the fun. Avengers is a very fun movie. Most of the comics fans who love it say that it's like the comic was actually on the screen. I think that's really the tipping point here. TDK is all about taking Batman and The Joker, and changing them to apply to the real world. Avengers is more about taking the world of the comics, and subtlety tweaking it just enough that it seems semi-plausible in the real world, but still maintains the spirit of fun and adventure from the comics. Avengers openly embraces its origins, whereas TDK tries to steer away from them. Both worked extremely well. The difference is, you watch The Dark Knight to see something that, theoretically, could happen in our real world, but we certainly hope it won't. But when you watch The Avengers, you're here to see something from a world that we absolutely do not live in, and yet, in a strange way, want to. Because the possibilities of the world of the Avengers are way beyond anything in our world. Anything can happen, and given enough time, it probably will.
So, where do I stand on this debate? Well, prepare for controversy everyone, because what I'm about to say is probably going to upset someone. I think The Dark Knight is better than The Avengers. But, I think Avengers is a much more enjoyable movie. While TDK does have some good enjoyable bits, it's just nowhere near the sheer fun of Avengers. And it's not just the action, the humor and character bits in Avengers really outdo TDK. Sure, TDK had very realistic characters, but can anyone seriously tell me they would rather watch Bruce Wayne than Tony Stark? Come on. The Avengers is at its core, everything we loved about the comics come to life. Both movies transcended the boundaries of superhero films, but in different ways. TDK deconstructed the superhero movie, and showed how these concepts would likely work in the real world. Avengers reminded us why we fell in love with superheroes in the first place, and how they can be adapted to suit our needs as a changing audience. TDK changed the unrealistic into the realistic. Avengers took the realistic, and found a way to coexist with the unrealistic. That's why Marvel's The Avengers is my favorite movie. It's a movie that encourages us to dream of the impossible, and find a way to make it happen.
But why are these the most popular? Why can no one agree ultimately on which is better? Why does the Fan Dumb on both sides feel the need to constantly be at war with each other? Why do so many people argue in favor of TDK, when Avengers was one of the highest-grossing movies of all time? And which one is the better film? Okay, that last question is purely opinion based, so that's not really one that can be definitively answered. But nevertheless, I shall attempt to tackle all of these today, and then proceed to ignore the inevitable backlash from the cults of Whedon and Nolan, assuming any of them actually bother to read this poor excuse for a blog.
The Dark Knight is often regarded as the movie that proved superhero films could actually have good stories, and be grounded in reality. While its predecessor, Batman Begins, attempted this, it didn't ultimately achieve the same heights as the sequel. But why? Where did BB fail, but TDK succeed? Well, I think the obvious answer is the villain. Let's be honest, if you remember any Batman villains at all, The Joker is at the top of the list. Not to mention the fact that Nolan and Ledger worked out an absolutely brilliant place to take the character. I have seen many, many villains in film, but I can honestly say, The Joker ranks right up there with Hannibal Lecter as one of the best and most memorable. Even if Ledger hadn't died, he'd still have been a serious contender for the Oscar. The man has practically been martyred for the film now, and it's had a huge effect on its popularity. It also does raise some good questions about how we deal with criminals in the real world, and at what point has the battle against crime escalated too far? How do we keep ourselves from going too far? And where is it that we finally draw the line? This was a huge part of the movie, and it is a great debate. Essentially, TDK did for superhero movies what Watchmen did for comic books, or at least something very similar.
So if TDK has so much going for it, why do so many people argue in favor of Avengers? I think for that one, you need to look at the reasons people love that movie, and what made it different from TDK. When people explain why they love Avengers, they often say the humor, the characters, the action, and essentially the fun. Avengers is a very fun movie. Most of the comics fans who love it say that it's like the comic was actually on the screen. I think that's really the tipping point here. TDK is all about taking Batman and The Joker, and changing them to apply to the real world. Avengers is more about taking the world of the comics, and subtlety tweaking it just enough that it seems semi-plausible in the real world, but still maintains the spirit of fun and adventure from the comics. Avengers openly embraces its origins, whereas TDK tries to steer away from them. Both worked extremely well. The difference is, you watch The Dark Knight to see something that, theoretically, could happen in our real world, but we certainly hope it won't. But when you watch The Avengers, you're here to see something from a world that we absolutely do not live in, and yet, in a strange way, want to. Because the possibilities of the world of the Avengers are way beyond anything in our world. Anything can happen, and given enough time, it probably will.
So, where do I stand on this debate? Well, prepare for controversy everyone, because what I'm about to say is probably going to upset someone. I think The Dark Knight is better than The Avengers. But, I think Avengers is a much more enjoyable movie. While TDK does have some good enjoyable bits, it's just nowhere near the sheer fun of Avengers. And it's not just the action, the humor and character bits in Avengers really outdo TDK. Sure, TDK had very realistic characters, but can anyone seriously tell me they would rather watch Bruce Wayne than Tony Stark? Come on. The Avengers is at its core, everything we loved about the comics come to life. Both movies transcended the boundaries of superhero films, but in different ways. TDK deconstructed the superhero movie, and showed how these concepts would likely work in the real world. Avengers reminded us why we fell in love with superheroes in the first place, and how they can be adapted to suit our needs as a changing audience. TDK changed the unrealistic into the realistic. Avengers took the realistic, and found a way to coexist with the unrealistic. That's why Marvel's The Avengers is my favorite movie. It's a movie that encourages us to dream of the impossible, and find a way to make it happen.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Thoughts on HIMYM Part 2: Why the show's length makes sense
The most common complaint I've seen about How I Met Your Mother is that it's taking to long with actually meeting the Mother. Now, I can understand that a lot of people think that since it's a foregone conclusion, they should just get on with it. But when you step back and look at the whole picture, you start to realize that something Ted said in season 3 is very true: this isn't just about how he met the mother, it's also about how he became the person he needed to be to meet and fall in love with the Mother. However, I'll one-up this by presenting an argument I haven't seen before, though I'm sure has been pointed out by someone before me somewhere. The show's also about how Barney became the man he needed to be to meet the mother.
If you take a look at the early seasons, you can tell that Ted's the main character, and Barney's the goofy sidekick. But as it goes on, Barney becomes more and more prominent in the story, to the point where he and Ted are practically deutagonists. This is because Barney's growth was what ultimately lead him to marrying Robin, throwing the wedding where Ted finally met the Mother. And, beyond that, the stories of how Barney and Ted met the love of their lives are inexorably linked.
!!!WARNING!!! SPOILERS TO SEASON 9 EPISODE PLATONISH BELOW!!!
!!!READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!
If it weren't for Ted seeing Robin and falling in love with her at first sight, she and Barney would never have met. That's a given, but the episode mentioned in the above spoiler warning (and if you seriously don't want spoilers, stop reading NOW! Yes, NOW!!!) revealed that right between Splitsville and The Stamp Tramp, Barney tried to hook up with the Mother, failed, and was convinced by her to try to win Robin back in the most grand way possible. Thus, the genesis of 'The Robin' play. So both Ted and the Mother had a large role in causing their own meeting to take place, and Barney and Robin were also a large part of that process.
So yes, you could simply have Ted say "We met at your Uncle Barney and Aunt Robin's wedding", but here's the thing. That may be quicker, but that's not really the story the show is trying to tell. This is really a story about two things: first, the growth of two men who become better people in their quest for true love, and second, that sometimes when you think your life is going one direction, little things that you may not even notice can actually be leading you to somewhere even better than the place you thought you were going. And believe it our not, that last part is also the story of how my Dad met my Mother.
If you take a look at the early seasons, you can tell that Ted's the main character, and Barney's the goofy sidekick. But as it goes on, Barney becomes more and more prominent in the story, to the point where he and Ted are practically deutagonists. This is because Barney's growth was what ultimately lead him to marrying Robin, throwing the wedding where Ted finally met the Mother. And, beyond that, the stories of how Barney and Ted met the love of their lives are inexorably linked.
!!!WARNING!!! SPOILERS TO SEASON 9 EPISODE PLATONISH BELOW!!!
!!!READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!
If it weren't for Ted seeing Robin and falling in love with her at first sight, she and Barney would never have met. That's a given, but the episode mentioned in the above spoiler warning (and if you seriously don't want spoilers, stop reading NOW! Yes, NOW!!!) revealed that right between Splitsville and The Stamp Tramp, Barney tried to hook up with the Mother, failed, and was convinced by her to try to win Robin back in the most grand way possible. Thus, the genesis of 'The Robin' play. So both Ted and the Mother had a large role in causing their own meeting to take place, and Barney and Robin were also a large part of that process.
So yes, you could simply have Ted say "We met at your Uncle Barney and Aunt Robin's wedding", but here's the thing. That may be quicker, but that's not really the story the show is trying to tell. This is really a story about two things: first, the growth of two men who become better people in their quest for true love, and second, that sometimes when you think your life is going one direction, little things that you may not even notice can actually be leading you to somewhere even better than the place you thought you were going. And believe it our not, that last part is also the story of how my Dad met my Mother.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
My thoughts on the Current State of How I Met Your Mother
Okay, this is kind of mainstream for me, but I felt like writing about it. And hey, it is my blog, so I can write about whatever the heck I want to write about. It may not always be interesting to you, my awesome readers (seriously, anyone who bothers to read this little obscure blog written by a teen who's clearly not as good a writer as he thinks he is is awesome), but it's my blog, my rules. Rule 1: Don't Panic. Rule 2: Bring a towel. Rule 3: I'll write whatever I want, regardless of its quality. Anyways, HIMYM!
I was introduced to the show by a German exchange student we were housing 2 summers ago. All it took to hook me was Neil Patrick Harris, who I had loved in Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Alyson Hannigan helped too, as by that point I was a converted Whedonite, and loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For the next three weeks of his stay, we were binge-watching it all the way to season five. After he left, I kept watching the show with my sister, and eventually got bored after the mess of the Arcadian arc in Season 6. It didn't help that Netflix didn't go past that season at the time, so I had no way to catch up (legally, but I wasn't willing, and still am not, to explore illegal means of watching a show). So, I watched the show on-and-off for over a year, and eventually my sister showed me that Season 8 was finally up. When I learned that the Mother had finally been shown in the Season 8 finale, I decided to get back in the game, and we watched seasons 7 and 8, and got caught up with the current season through the CBS website. After watching all that, I've come to a conclusion: the show may not be as funny as it once was, but it's definitely still worth watching.
There are a number of factors that led me to this conclusion. First, it's the final season, and we're so close to the end, pulling out just doesn't seem worth it to me. Second, I've seen the Mother, and I think the payoff will be worth it. Third, when HIMYM does have a funny scene, it's every bit as funny as some of the best of the earlier stuff, particularly any scene the Mother is in. Fourth: the emotional beats are as good as they've ever been. Seriously, look at any scene where Barney is honest about his feelings to Robin, and tell me he hasn't matured. It's really great to see him come so far. And it's not just Barney, all of the characters have matured. Robin, who abhorred the idea of marriage, is now going through with this wedding, if the scene of her at the reception in 'Band or DJ' meant what I though it meant. Everyone on the show has grown from the first episode, which is part of the point of the show. Barney and Robin had to grow up to get to the point where they could get married, Marshall and Lily had to grow into their role as parents, and Ted has to mature to be ready for meeting the Mother. This at least, is one thing that hasn't changed at all about the show. My problem with most sitcoms is that when they stop being funny and start focusing on the characters, the characters are written so poorly, it ceases to be worth watching for any reason. HIMYM has, amazingly, avoided this. Sure, it's not as consistently funny as it used to be, but it definitely has its moments, and the character bits do actually work (at least for me).
So, overall, I'd say that HIMYM is a show worth watching, even now. It's got great characters, great stories, and some good jokes. They don't hit dead-center like they used to, but they are still funny, nevertheless. It's a show that's changed and grown with its characters, and it's still definitely worth a look if you have the time.
I was introduced to the show by a German exchange student we were housing 2 summers ago. All it took to hook me was Neil Patrick Harris, who I had loved in Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Alyson Hannigan helped too, as by that point I was a converted Whedonite, and loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For the next three weeks of his stay, we were binge-watching it all the way to season five. After he left, I kept watching the show with my sister, and eventually got bored after the mess of the Arcadian arc in Season 6. It didn't help that Netflix didn't go past that season at the time, so I had no way to catch up (legally, but I wasn't willing, and still am not, to explore illegal means of watching a show). So, I watched the show on-and-off for over a year, and eventually my sister showed me that Season 8 was finally up. When I learned that the Mother had finally been shown in the Season 8 finale, I decided to get back in the game, and we watched seasons 7 and 8, and got caught up with the current season through the CBS website. After watching all that, I've come to a conclusion: the show may not be as funny as it once was, but it's definitely still worth watching.
There are a number of factors that led me to this conclusion. First, it's the final season, and we're so close to the end, pulling out just doesn't seem worth it to me. Second, I've seen the Mother, and I think the payoff will be worth it. Third, when HIMYM does have a funny scene, it's every bit as funny as some of the best of the earlier stuff, particularly any scene the Mother is in. Fourth: the emotional beats are as good as they've ever been. Seriously, look at any scene where Barney is honest about his feelings to Robin, and tell me he hasn't matured. It's really great to see him come so far. And it's not just Barney, all of the characters have matured. Robin, who abhorred the idea of marriage, is now going through with this wedding, if the scene of her at the reception in 'Band or DJ' meant what I though it meant. Everyone on the show has grown from the first episode, which is part of the point of the show. Barney and Robin had to grow up to get to the point where they could get married, Marshall and Lily had to grow into their role as parents, and Ted has to mature to be ready for meeting the Mother. This at least, is one thing that hasn't changed at all about the show. My problem with most sitcoms is that when they stop being funny and start focusing on the characters, the characters are written so poorly, it ceases to be worth watching for any reason. HIMYM has, amazingly, avoided this. Sure, it's not as consistently funny as it used to be, but it definitely has its moments, and the character bits do actually work (at least for me).
So, overall, I'd say that HIMYM is a show worth watching, even now. It's got great characters, great stories, and some good jokes. They don't hit dead-center like they used to, but they are still funny, nevertheless. It's a show that's changed and grown with its characters, and it's still definitely worth a look if you have the time.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Browncoats: Obsessive Geeks or Unsung Heroes?
If you're one of the twenty people who normally read my blogs, chances are you know what a Browncoat is. But, just in case, I'll explain anyway. Browncoats are fans of the show Firefly, like how fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic are called Bronies (and sometimes Pegasisters). However, if you don't know what a Browncoat is, you probably don't know what Firefly is either. Firefly is a space western created by Joss Whedon, of Buffy and Avengers fame. It starred Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin (who is not one of the Baldwin brothers), Jewel Statie, Sean Maher, Ron Glass, and Summer Glau. It first aired September 20, 2002, and was cancelled by December 20 of the same year. So yes, Browncoats are essentially the fanbase of a doomed show. But that then begs the question: are these guys obsessive morons clinging to a show that no one liked? Or are they simply another large cult who just love their show?
Now, to answer that question, we're going to have to really delve into the mindset of a fan, and find out why they do what they do. The Browncoats didn't grow overnight, after all. We're also going to have to go into some of the history behind the show, and even explore the history of fandom in general. Because while on the surface this looks like a simple question, it really isn't. This is a question that, at it's very core, explores what passion truly is.
Fandoms have always been around. They may not have always been called that, but the concept has been here since the dawn of time. And that's simply because, at their core, each person is passionate about something. Hunters are passionate about catching prey. Architects are passionate about building. Painters are passionate about art. It's just something that's always been there. And where there are passionate creators, there are people who are passionate at admiring their work. How else did Mozart, Shakesphere, Da Vinci, and Van Gogh become the universally known figures they are today? Their fans carry on their legacy, and spread it to the rest of the world. But those guys are the great artists of their time, with universal recognizability today. How can Whedon compare to them?
At the time, Joss Whedon was a somewhat recognizable name. He had created the well-known Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and it's counterpart, Angel. Around this time, he read The Killer Angels, a book about the Battle of Gettysburg written by Michael Shaara. The idea of exploring the frontier through the eyes of the people history stepped on intrigued him, and he eventually came up with Firefly. I'll admit, I'm not exactly sure where the space idea came from, but it did have a huge effect on the show. One thing Whedon was sure of was that he didn't want to make a sci-fi show like the then-current norm, which he felt was too pristine and rarefied. In essence, he wanted to tell the story of a man who fought for the Confederates and had to deal with their loss, but in space. The end result was one of the most unique shows in television history. However, that was part of the problem. Being a space western, the average viewer was unsure how to cope with this strange universe. It didn't help that FOX, the network that aired the show, did make some poor decisions that ended up hurting the show in the long run. It started when they decided the pilot episode, which introduced the characters and explained why they were on the Firefly-class ship Serenity, would not be aired, and instead they would air the second episode first. This haphazard airing of the show would plague it for the rest of its short life. The promos didn't help either, trying to make it look like an action show, when it clearly was not. The final nail in the coffin was FOX airing it during the Friday night death slot. With all these problems combined, Firefly was practically DOA. So why do so many fans still cherish it today?
For many Browncoats, the main reason they love Firefly is the characters. People love Mal, Wash, Zoe, Kaylee, Jayne, and the rest. Their interactions and traits felt very identifiable to many people. None of them were evil, and none of them were saints either. They were just people trying to survive in an unforgiving world, something most us have gone through at one time or another. Another reason is the humor, a staple of most Whedon productions. However, the most surprising reason is also partly the reason for its demise: the world. Many people find it an interesting, new world, that feels identifiable, unlike worlds like Star Trek's. To clarify, these are Browncoat opinions, not mine. I'm trying to leave my bias out of this, though it is difficult. But whatever the reason, all Browncoats agree that cancelling Firefly was the dumbest thing FOX ever did. So what did they do about it?
Once Firefly's cancellation was announced, the Browncoats joined together in outrage and sadness. FOX received hundreds of e-mails and petitions pleading for the show to return. None were successful, though they eventually did convince FOX to put the series on DVD. Sales went through the roof. Pre-sales topped the charts of even Amazon.com. Two years later, Universal got into contact with Whedon about making a movie, and he chose to continue Firefly through a feature film. On Spetember 30, 2005, Serenity premiered. After an opening weekend of $10.1 million, the movie would eventually gross $38 million worldwide. Sadly, this was just shy of its $39 million budget, and a sequel has yet to be announced. DVD sales once again saved the day, but the damage was done. On the screen, Firefly was dead. It only lived on through novels, comic books, and an RPG.
While cancellation of cult shows is a common thing these days, the Browncoats made Firefly into more than another short-lived show. The Browncoats have turned Firefly into a symbol for cults everywhere. Sure, the Trekkies were what kept Star Trek alive until the movies, but the franchise was successfully revived, and remains the most popular cult to this day. The Browncoats weren't so lucky. They didn't become a symbol for people who fought the network and won, they became the people who fought the network and lost. Many have noted that their plight is similar to that of Captain Malcolm Reynolds: they fought their hardest, and lost. But they still try to keep the dream alive in what little way they can. Firefly is a symbol of sadness, but also one of hope. Because even now, nearly ten years after the show's death, the fanbase remains strong
So what are Browncoats? Well, if it isn't obvious by this point, yes, I am one, so a lot of bias is going into this. However, that doesn't mean I can't recognize the negative aspects of the fanbase. So what do I think? I think the Browncoats are a little bit obsessed, but I do think most of them have a good head on their shoulders. Ultimately they're just people who are passionate about a show that was killed before it even had a chance, and, like Trekkies, Jedi, Bronies, and all other cult followings, are going to do whatever they can to keep it around. If it weren't for them, the family that developed during the making of the show wouldn't have had a chance to get back together. If it weren't for them, the show would indeed, be dead. And let's not forget, the general public has often done the same thing as the Browncoats. Why does I Love Lucy continue to air, decades after it ended? Why does Doctor Who still persist, even after its cancellation in 1989? Because the people who loved it refused to let it truly die. The Browncoats are doing the same thing. The Browncoats still love the show, and still watch it, and still spread it to people. And in that way, the show remains alive. The fans have done what the cast and crew couldn't, and the networks wouldn't: they've kept the light of Firefly aglow.
Now, to answer that question, we're going to have to really delve into the mindset of a fan, and find out why they do what they do. The Browncoats didn't grow overnight, after all. We're also going to have to go into some of the history behind the show, and even explore the history of fandom in general. Because while on the surface this looks like a simple question, it really isn't. This is a question that, at it's very core, explores what passion truly is.
Fandoms have always been around. They may not have always been called that, but the concept has been here since the dawn of time. And that's simply because, at their core, each person is passionate about something. Hunters are passionate about catching prey. Architects are passionate about building. Painters are passionate about art. It's just something that's always been there. And where there are passionate creators, there are people who are passionate at admiring their work. How else did Mozart, Shakesphere, Da Vinci, and Van Gogh become the universally known figures they are today? Their fans carry on their legacy, and spread it to the rest of the world. But those guys are the great artists of their time, with universal recognizability today. How can Whedon compare to them?
At the time, Joss Whedon was a somewhat recognizable name. He had created the well-known Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and it's counterpart, Angel. Around this time, he read The Killer Angels, a book about the Battle of Gettysburg written by Michael Shaara. The idea of exploring the frontier through the eyes of the people history stepped on intrigued him, and he eventually came up with Firefly. I'll admit, I'm not exactly sure where the space idea came from, but it did have a huge effect on the show. One thing Whedon was sure of was that he didn't want to make a sci-fi show like the then-current norm, which he felt was too pristine and rarefied. In essence, he wanted to tell the story of a man who fought for the Confederates and had to deal with their loss, but in space. The end result was one of the most unique shows in television history. However, that was part of the problem. Being a space western, the average viewer was unsure how to cope with this strange universe. It didn't help that FOX, the network that aired the show, did make some poor decisions that ended up hurting the show in the long run. It started when they decided the pilot episode, which introduced the characters and explained why they were on the Firefly-class ship Serenity, would not be aired, and instead they would air the second episode first. This haphazard airing of the show would plague it for the rest of its short life. The promos didn't help either, trying to make it look like an action show, when it clearly was not. The final nail in the coffin was FOX airing it during the Friday night death slot. With all these problems combined, Firefly was practically DOA. So why do so many fans still cherish it today?
For many Browncoats, the main reason they love Firefly is the characters. People love Mal, Wash, Zoe, Kaylee, Jayne, and the rest. Their interactions and traits felt very identifiable to many people. None of them were evil, and none of them were saints either. They were just people trying to survive in an unforgiving world, something most us have gone through at one time or another. Another reason is the humor, a staple of most Whedon productions. However, the most surprising reason is also partly the reason for its demise: the world. Many people find it an interesting, new world, that feels identifiable, unlike worlds like Star Trek's. To clarify, these are Browncoat opinions, not mine. I'm trying to leave my bias out of this, though it is difficult. But whatever the reason, all Browncoats agree that cancelling Firefly was the dumbest thing FOX ever did. So what did they do about it?
Once Firefly's cancellation was announced, the Browncoats joined together in outrage and sadness. FOX received hundreds of e-mails and petitions pleading for the show to return. None were successful, though they eventually did convince FOX to put the series on DVD. Sales went through the roof. Pre-sales topped the charts of even Amazon.com. Two years later, Universal got into contact with Whedon about making a movie, and he chose to continue Firefly through a feature film. On Spetember 30, 2005, Serenity premiered. After an opening weekend of $10.1 million, the movie would eventually gross $38 million worldwide. Sadly, this was just shy of its $39 million budget, and a sequel has yet to be announced. DVD sales once again saved the day, but the damage was done. On the screen, Firefly was dead. It only lived on through novels, comic books, and an RPG.
While cancellation of cult shows is a common thing these days, the Browncoats made Firefly into more than another short-lived show. The Browncoats have turned Firefly into a symbol for cults everywhere. Sure, the Trekkies were what kept Star Trek alive until the movies, but the franchise was successfully revived, and remains the most popular cult to this day. The Browncoats weren't so lucky. They didn't become a symbol for people who fought the network and won, they became the people who fought the network and lost. Many have noted that their plight is similar to that of Captain Malcolm Reynolds: they fought their hardest, and lost. But they still try to keep the dream alive in what little way they can. Firefly is a symbol of sadness, but also one of hope. Because even now, nearly ten years after the show's death, the fanbase remains strong
So what are Browncoats? Well, if it isn't obvious by this point, yes, I am one, so a lot of bias is going into this. However, that doesn't mean I can't recognize the negative aspects of the fanbase. So what do I think? I think the Browncoats are a little bit obsessed, but I do think most of them have a good head on their shoulders. Ultimately they're just people who are passionate about a show that was killed before it even had a chance, and, like Trekkies, Jedi, Bronies, and all other cult followings, are going to do whatever they can to keep it around. If it weren't for them, the family that developed during the making of the show wouldn't have had a chance to get back together. If it weren't for them, the show would indeed, be dead. And let's not forget, the general public has often done the same thing as the Browncoats. Why does I Love Lucy continue to air, decades after it ended? Why does Doctor Who still persist, even after its cancellation in 1989? Because the people who loved it refused to let it truly die. The Browncoats are doing the same thing. The Browncoats still love the show, and still watch it, and still spread it to people. And in that way, the show remains alive. The fans have done what the cast and crew couldn't, and the networks wouldn't: they've kept the light of Firefly aglow.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Watchmen Book Report
Well, this requires an explanation. My mom has decided that in order to get me to read more over the summer, I have to read a book every week and write up a book report. Since I was already reading Watchmen, she allowed it to count. Since I figured more blogging experience would be beneficial, I also managed to bargain for blogging rights on the reports. So this is going to be a bit different from my usual posts, in that it's going to sound a little more formal, and it's going to provide a more detailed synopsis. So, onto the report.
Watchmen was written by Alan Moore, illustrated by Dave Gibbons, and colored by John Higgins. The book was edited by Len Wein and Barbara Kesel. There were 12 issues, published from September 1986 to October 1987. Later that year, all the issues were collected and published as a graphic novel. The comic received universal acclaim, with Time Magazine even going as far as to call it one of the greatest novels of all time.
The main characters of Watchmen are Edward Blake, a.k.a. The Comedian, Dan Dreiberg, a.k.a. Nite-Owl II, Adrian Veidt, a.k.a. Ozymandias, Laurie Juspeczyk, a.k.a. Silk Spectre II, Jon Osterman, a.k.a. Doc Manhattan, and Rorschach, a.k.a. Walter Kovacs. Important supporting characters are Hollis Mason, a.k.a. Nite-Owl I, Sally Jupiter, a.k.a. Silk Spectre I, Captain Metropolis, Hooded Justice, Bernard, the newspaper stand-owner, and Bernard, the pirate comic reader. The story takes place in 1985, in an America where superheroes first appeared in the 1940's, and again in the 70's. Their existence allowed America to win the Vietnam War, and has shaped the political situation during the Cold War.
The story begins when the Comedian is murdered, which Rorschach investigates. His investigation leads him to conclude that the murderer may be targeting superheroes and former masked heroes. He goes to warn Dreiberg, his former partner, Veidt, a successful businessman and athlete with a reputation for being the smartest man in the world, Manhattan, a scientist who fell into a nuclear reactor and became the only superhero to have genuine superpowers (that border on godhood), and Juspeczyk, who is living with Manhattan. All but Manhattan and Rorschach have retired from 'adventuring' as they call it, due to an act which banned superheroes, unless they were working with the government. After the Comedian's funeral, Manhattan is accused of giving people he interacted with cancer, which causes him to teleport to Mars. Laurie, now without a home, eventually moves in with Dreiberg, and the two become lovers. Meanwhile, an assassin attempts to kill Veidt, but fails. Spurred on by the recent events, Rorschach continues to investigate his mask killer theory. He finds an old supervillain, Moloch, murdered in his home, and is taken in by the police for murder. An psychiatrist interviews him, and eventually learns that he was an abused child, who was eventually rescued. He became Rorschach over many years, though the event that finally drove him was attempting to help a little girl who was kidnapped. Unfortunately, he failed to arrive in time, and the girl was fed to her kidnapper's dogs. After this, Rorschach began killing the criminals he fought. He colored his mask in black and white, but with no grey, to symbolize his moral code. Eventually, after donning their costumed identities again, Dreiberg and Laurie spring Rorschach, and continue to investigate the mask hunter. However, Manhattan returns, and brings Laurie to Mars to debate whether or not humanity is worth saving. During their debate, Laurie realizes her father was The Comedian, a fact she finds repulsive, as the Comedian tried to rape her mother once. However, this was consensual, a fact that disturbs, depresses, and confuses her. The idea that such an unlikely union could happen and sprout Laurie convinces Manhattan that humans are indeed special, and to return to Earth. Meanwhile, Rorschach and Dreiberg discover that Veidt may be linked to the murders, and fly to his Antarctic base. Upon their arrival, they discover that Veidt plans to use a manufactured alien threat as a means to halt increasing international tension, and stop nuclear war. His plan involves teleporting a genetically altered giant squid to NYC, which will die upon arrival, as will half the inhabitants of the city, due to a problem with the teleportation device. Veidt then reveals that they are to late, as he already enacted his plan thirty-five minutes ago. Manhattan and Laurie arrive, and are appalled by the death toll. However, the news channels reveal that Veidt's plan worked, and the world is unifying in the face of an alien threat. Everyone but Rorschach agrees to remain silent on the matter. Because Rorschach refuses to compromise, Dr. Manhattan is forced to kill him. Manhattan leaves to create life in another galaxy, and Dreiberg and Laurie continue to live and work together as heroes. However, unbeknownst to anyone, Rorschach left his journal with a right-wing newspaper before leaving for the Antarctic. Originally tossed into the 'crank pile', it remains undisturbed until an assistant is given the choice on what to run for some free space. This choice is never shown.
If you sat through and read all that, thank you. Watchmen is a very complicated story, and I didn't even get into the backstory of the original superheroes, the pirate comic, and a lot of other stuff. However, that's also one of the book's greatest strengths. It feels like a fully realized world, one where decisions can have major repercussions. Another great thing about the book is that the morals are constantly questioned with out taking a direct stance on which is correct. The book wants you to think, not accept its own message. It also features a lot of recurring symbols, and many transitions often come of similar lines of dialogue, helping everything tie together.
My favorite character is (Dull surprise!) Rorschach. I know, way to pick the fan favorite, but he's the favorite for a reason. He may not be the most likeable person, but he's the most interesting. He sees the world in pure black and white, and refuses to allow for grey. He does things we would find horrible, but he also is capable of good, and is working towards what he believes is a worthy cause. In his quest to defeat evil, he's become more and more jaded, and that's very powerful. I think another thing that makes him my favorite is that I agree with him that the world deserves to know about Ozymandias' plan. And even if you don't agree with him, you can't fault his ethics on that one. Sadly, his inability to compromise cost him his life, and was one of the reasons Manhattan decided to leave Earth.
Overall, Watchmen is a great novel, and definitely a watershed moment for the comic industry. While it does sadden me that so many people tried to imitate it without understanding what truly made it great, I am glad that they at least saw the book's quality. If you think comics are just silly pieces of fluff that never have any weight behind them, this is definitely the comic for you. If you love comic books and everything about them, this is for you. If you're a casual comic fan, this is for you. Really, this book is for everyone, except may be people 14 & under, but that's not my decision. The point is, no matter what your interests, you could pick up Watchmen and enjoy it. It's a universal story, and hopefully it will stand the test of time.
Watchmen was written by Alan Moore, illustrated by Dave Gibbons, and colored by John Higgins. The book was edited by Len Wein and Barbara Kesel. There were 12 issues, published from September 1986 to October 1987. Later that year, all the issues were collected and published as a graphic novel. The comic received universal acclaim, with Time Magazine even going as far as to call it one of the greatest novels of all time.
The main characters of Watchmen are Edward Blake, a.k.a. The Comedian, Dan Dreiberg, a.k.a. Nite-Owl II, Adrian Veidt, a.k.a. Ozymandias, Laurie Juspeczyk, a.k.a. Silk Spectre II, Jon Osterman, a.k.a. Doc Manhattan, and Rorschach, a.k.a. Walter Kovacs. Important supporting characters are Hollis Mason, a.k.a. Nite-Owl I, Sally Jupiter, a.k.a. Silk Spectre I, Captain Metropolis, Hooded Justice, Bernard, the newspaper stand-owner, and Bernard, the pirate comic reader. The story takes place in 1985, in an America where superheroes first appeared in the 1940's, and again in the 70's. Their existence allowed America to win the Vietnam War, and has shaped the political situation during the Cold War.
The story begins when the Comedian is murdered, which Rorschach investigates. His investigation leads him to conclude that the murderer may be targeting superheroes and former masked heroes. He goes to warn Dreiberg, his former partner, Veidt, a successful businessman and athlete with a reputation for being the smartest man in the world, Manhattan, a scientist who fell into a nuclear reactor and became the only superhero to have genuine superpowers (that border on godhood), and Juspeczyk, who is living with Manhattan. All but Manhattan and Rorschach have retired from 'adventuring' as they call it, due to an act which banned superheroes, unless they were working with the government. After the Comedian's funeral, Manhattan is accused of giving people he interacted with cancer, which causes him to teleport to Mars. Laurie, now without a home, eventually moves in with Dreiberg, and the two become lovers. Meanwhile, an assassin attempts to kill Veidt, but fails. Spurred on by the recent events, Rorschach continues to investigate his mask killer theory. He finds an old supervillain, Moloch, murdered in his home, and is taken in by the police for murder. An psychiatrist interviews him, and eventually learns that he was an abused child, who was eventually rescued. He became Rorschach over many years, though the event that finally drove him was attempting to help a little girl who was kidnapped. Unfortunately, he failed to arrive in time, and the girl was fed to her kidnapper's dogs. After this, Rorschach began killing the criminals he fought. He colored his mask in black and white, but with no grey, to symbolize his moral code. Eventually, after donning their costumed identities again, Dreiberg and Laurie spring Rorschach, and continue to investigate the mask hunter. However, Manhattan returns, and brings Laurie to Mars to debate whether or not humanity is worth saving. During their debate, Laurie realizes her father was The Comedian, a fact she finds repulsive, as the Comedian tried to rape her mother once. However, this was consensual, a fact that disturbs, depresses, and confuses her. The idea that such an unlikely union could happen and sprout Laurie convinces Manhattan that humans are indeed special, and to return to Earth. Meanwhile, Rorschach and Dreiberg discover that Veidt may be linked to the murders, and fly to his Antarctic base. Upon their arrival, they discover that Veidt plans to use a manufactured alien threat as a means to halt increasing international tension, and stop nuclear war. His plan involves teleporting a genetically altered giant squid to NYC, which will die upon arrival, as will half the inhabitants of the city, due to a problem with the teleportation device. Veidt then reveals that they are to late, as he already enacted his plan thirty-five minutes ago. Manhattan and Laurie arrive, and are appalled by the death toll. However, the news channels reveal that Veidt's plan worked, and the world is unifying in the face of an alien threat. Everyone but Rorschach agrees to remain silent on the matter. Because Rorschach refuses to compromise, Dr. Manhattan is forced to kill him. Manhattan leaves to create life in another galaxy, and Dreiberg and Laurie continue to live and work together as heroes. However, unbeknownst to anyone, Rorschach left his journal with a right-wing newspaper before leaving for the Antarctic. Originally tossed into the 'crank pile', it remains undisturbed until an assistant is given the choice on what to run for some free space. This choice is never shown.
If you sat through and read all that, thank you. Watchmen is a very complicated story, and I didn't even get into the backstory of the original superheroes, the pirate comic, and a lot of other stuff. However, that's also one of the book's greatest strengths. It feels like a fully realized world, one where decisions can have major repercussions. Another great thing about the book is that the morals are constantly questioned with out taking a direct stance on which is correct. The book wants you to think, not accept its own message. It also features a lot of recurring symbols, and many transitions often come of similar lines of dialogue, helping everything tie together.
My favorite character is (Dull surprise!) Rorschach. I know, way to pick the fan favorite, but he's the favorite for a reason. He may not be the most likeable person, but he's the most interesting. He sees the world in pure black and white, and refuses to allow for grey. He does things we would find horrible, but he also is capable of good, and is working towards what he believes is a worthy cause. In his quest to defeat evil, he's become more and more jaded, and that's very powerful. I think another thing that makes him my favorite is that I agree with him that the world deserves to know about Ozymandias' plan. And even if you don't agree with him, you can't fault his ethics on that one. Sadly, his inability to compromise cost him his life, and was one of the reasons Manhattan decided to leave Earth.
Overall, Watchmen is a great novel, and definitely a watershed moment for the comic industry. While it does sadden me that so many people tried to imitate it without understanding what truly made it great, I am glad that they at least saw the book's quality. If you think comics are just silly pieces of fluff that never have any weight behind them, this is definitely the comic for you. If you love comic books and everything about them, this is for you. If you're a casual comic fan, this is for you. Really, this book is for everyone, except may be people 14 & under, but that's not my decision. The point is, no matter what your interests, you could pick up Watchmen and enjoy it. It's a universal story, and hopefully it will stand the test of time.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
I just watched Dollhouse Season 2 episode 11
My mind is blown. I mean, seriously blown. I'm having a BSOD moment. I'm probably typing this just to stay sane. I'm in shock. Of all plot twists I've ever seen, this one is the one that's thrown me for the biggest loop. I'm completely baffled. This is absolutely crazy. My mind has been blown. My mind has been blown. My Mind Has Been Blown. MI MIND has been blown. my mind has been blown.
Monday, June 24, 2013
A Look Back at the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One Part 4: Thor
Thor was yet another Marvel film that was stuck in development hell. Originally meant to be a made-for-TV movie for UPN, Sony eventually bought the film rights. Through more legal shenanigans, the rights to make the film ended up with Marvel, while Sony got the distribution rights. After trying for years to find a director and a script writer, eventually the story was written by Mark Protosevich and J. Michael Straczynski, who had a successful run writing for both Thor and Spider-Man, in addition to being the creator of Babylon 5. The script itself was written by Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz, and Don Payne. Knowing that they needed a director who could capture the Shakespearean elements of the story, Kenneth Branagh was finally approached to direct, and the pre-production work was over. Now all that was needed was the cast.
After a failed audition, Chris Hemsworth was called back to read again, at was eventually given the part of Thor. For the part of Loki, Branagh brought in Tom Hiddleston, whom he had worked with before. Eventually Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard, Anthony Hopkins, Kat Dennings, Jamie Alexander, Ray Stevenson, Joshua Dallas, Tadanobu Asano, Colm Feore, and Idris Elba were cast as main and supporting characters. Samuel L. Jackson and Clark Gregg were brought on to reprise their roles as Nick Fury and Agent Coulson, and the filming began.
When creating the effects for the Bifrost Bridge, many of the visuals took inspiration from pictures from the Hubble telescope. These effects were worked on by BUF Compagnie and Digital Domain. While the film was filmed in regular 2-D, the effects were shot with 3-D in mind, a format Branagh believed would be to the movie's benefit. The Frost Giants were created through Motion Capture CGI.
The film was released on May 6, 2011. While the box office score wasn't out of the park, it was still very successful, and nearly tripled its $150 million budget, and currently holds fourth place among the MCU films for worldwide gross. Critically, it received mostly positive reviews, though some figures like Roger Ebert, and A.O. Scott disliked it. On Rotten Tomatoes it received a 77%, being hailed as a 'mighty Marvel achievement'. As for me?
Thor is a very different film from the Iron Man movies and The Incredible Hulk. The scope is enormous, stretching across three dimensions. However, one thing that makes it similar to its predecessors (except for Iron Man 2) is that the heart of the film is the main character's journey, and his relationship with the people around him. This is one of the reasons Branagh was an absolutely brilliant choice to direct because the family dynamic between Thor, Loki, and Odin is something that genuinely feels like it was plucked from a lost Shakespeare play. Their story is incredibly moving, as they go from close to strained, to all-out brawling with each other. The supporting cast does well too. Stellan Skarsgard is brilliant as Selvig, portraying a character who, while cautious and skeptical, is very likeable, and his viewpoint is easy to understand. Kat Dennings does a good job with the comic relief, though beyond that she has little to do in the film. Sif and the Warriors Three do what they can with what they have, but unfortunately they receive little screen time. However, the real show-stealer is Idris Elba as Heimdall, who makes every single scene count. In about six minutes of screen time, he turns in one of the most memorable performances of the movie. However, now the main characters need to be addressed. Starting with the most normal of the four, Natalie Portman does a fairly good job as Jane Foster, but for some reason. I can't help but feel she falls a little flat. Maybe it's the writing, maybe it's the acting, maybe it's the direction, I don't know. Something just doesn't sell me with her character. Odin, played by Anthony Hopkins, is yet another case of 'I make what little I'm in count' as he's the main cast member with the least screen time. Though we probably shouldn't be surprised that he does well, because, well, it's Anthony Hopkins. Tom Hiddleston knocks it out of the park as Loki, managing to turn an annoying, bratty twat of a villain from the source material into a genuinely sympathetic character. Sure, he may be doing things that are wrong, but you can understand where he comes from. This is part of what makes the final fight of the film so engaging. While as an action piece it's nothing we haven't seen before, it ripples with raw emotion. You're so engaged in both characters, you can't help but feel a sense of futility in the fight, that all this could've been avoided. However, this brings us to Thor. Chris Hemsworth brings his A-game, as Thor starts out the film brash and arrogant, yet still charming and likeable. You really get a sense for why he and the Warriors Three are such good friends. His growth as a person feels natural, and leaves us all the more engaged in the aforementioned final fight. Also, kudos to the writers for using the scene where Thor smashes the mug not only for comic relief, but also character development. As a character piece, this film is very solid. However, the romance between Foster and Thor felt a little forced, and it was definitely their scenes that were the low point of the movie. They weren't bad, there just wasn't much chemistry there. Where the film really works is Thor's relationship with Loki, and how it deteriorates over the course of the film. When I first saw it, I genuinely believed Loki when he said Odin was dead, and nearly bought into his ruse. He was a difficult one to predict, which is a very welcome change, considering the last several villains. The fight scenes were pretty good to, though sadly the first one is the highlight. The visual creativity behind Jotenheim was astounding, and definitely deserved an award. This really helped the fight, as it was clear that all of the budget and then some was on display. The Destroyer battle is powerful in it's representation of Thor's growth, but other than that it's nothing really special. The same can be said for the final battle with Loki, though the emotions ratchet up further. Overall, Thor was a success, even if it felt more like an epic fantasy than a super hero movie.
Trivia:
Stan Lee cameos as a truck driver trying to pull Thor's hammer out of the ditch.
Before the UPN movie, Sam Raimi approached studios with an idea for a Thor movie. They didn't get it, and subsequently rejected the notion.
Guillermo del Toro was in talks to direct, but backed down to work on The Hobbit.
Joshua Dallas, who played Fandral of the Warriors Three, was unable to return for Thor: The Dark World due to schedule conflicts. He will be replaced by Zachary Levi. Ironically, Levi was the original choice for the part, but also left for scheduling reasons. I love the twists and turns of life.
Samuel L. Jackson nearly didn't appear in the movie, though once again, negotiations ended up working out.
The post-credits scene with Dr. Selvig and Nick Fury discussing a cube that could potentially be an unlimited energy source was directed by Joss Whedon.
After a failed audition, Chris Hemsworth was called back to read again, at was eventually given the part of Thor. For the part of Loki, Branagh brought in Tom Hiddleston, whom he had worked with before. Eventually Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard, Anthony Hopkins, Kat Dennings, Jamie Alexander, Ray Stevenson, Joshua Dallas, Tadanobu Asano, Colm Feore, and Idris Elba were cast as main and supporting characters. Samuel L. Jackson and Clark Gregg were brought on to reprise their roles as Nick Fury and Agent Coulson, and the filming began.
When creating the effects for the Bifrost Bridge, many of the visuals took inspiration from pictures from the Hubble telescope. These effects were worked on by BUF Compagnie and Digital Domain. While the film was filmed in regular 2-D, the effects were shot with 3-D in mind, a format Branagh believed would be to the movie's benefit. The Frost Giants were created through Motion Capture CGI.
The film was released on May 6, 2011. While the box office score wasn't out of the park, it was still very successful, and nearly tripled its $150 million budget, and currently holds fourth place among the MCU films for worldwide gross. Critically, it received mostly positive reviews, though some figures like Roger Ebert, and A.O. Scott disliked it. On Rotten Tomatoes it received a 77%, being hailed as a 'mighty Marvel achievement'. As for me?
Thor is a very different film from the Iron Man movies and The Incredible Hulk. The scope is enormous, stretching across three dimensions. However, one thing that makes it similar to its predecessors (except for Iron Man 2) is that the heart of the film is the main character's journey, and his relationship with the people around him. This is one of the reasons Branagh was an absolutely brilliant choice to direct because the family dynamic between Thor, Loki, and Odin is something that genuinely feels like it was plucked from a lost Shakespeare play. Their story is incredibly moving, as they go from close to strained, to all-out brawling with each other. The supporting cast does well too. Stellan Skarsgard is brilliant as Selvig, portraying a character who, while cautious and skeptical, is very likeable, and his viewpoint is easy to understand. Kat Dennings does a good job with the comic relief, though beyond that she has little to do in the film. Sif and the Warriors Three do what they can with what they have, but unfortunately they receive little screen time. However, the real show-stealer is Idris Elba as Heimdall, who makes every single scene count. In about six minutes of screen time, he turns in one of the most memorable performances of the movie. However, now the main characters need to be addressed. Starting with the most normal of the four, Natalie Portman does a fairly good job as Jane Foster, but for some reason. I can't help but feel she falls a little flat. Maybe it's the writing, maybe it's the acting, maybe it's the direction, I don't know. Something just doesn't sell me with her character. Odin, played by Anthony Hopkins, is yet another case of 'I make what little I'm in count' as he's the main cast member with the least screen time. Though we probably shouldn't be surprised that he does well, because, well, it's Anthony Hopkins. Tom Hiddleston knocks it out of the park as Loki, managing to turn an annoying, bratty twat of a villain from the source material into a genuinely sympathetic character. Sure, he may be doing things that are wrong, but you can understand where he comes from. This is part of what makes the final fight of the film so engaging. While as an action piece it's nothing we haven't seen before, it ripples with raw emotion. You're so engaged in both characters, you can't help but feel a sense of futility in the fight, that all this could've been avoided. However, this brings us to Thor. Chris Hemsworth brings his A-game, as Thor starts out the film brash and arrogant, yet still charming and likeable. You really get a sense for why he and the Warriors Three are such good friends. His growth as a person feels natural, and leaves us all the more engaged in the aforementioned final fight. Also, kudos to the writers for using the scene where Thor smashes the mug not only for comic relief, but also character development. As a character piece, this film is very solid. However, the romance between Foster and Thor felt a little forced, and it was definitely their scenes that were the low point of the movie. They weren't bad, there just wasn't much chemistry there. Where the film really works is Thor's relationship with Loki, and how it deteriorates over the course of the film. When I first saw it, I genuinely believed Loki when he said Odin was dead, and nearly bought into his ruse. He was a difficult one to predict, which is a very welcome change, considering the last several villains. The fight scenes were pretty good to, though sadly the first one is the highlight. The visual creativity behind Jotenheim was astounding, and definitely deserved an award. This really helped the fight, as it was clear that all of the budget and then some was on display. The Destroyer battle is powerful in it's representation of Thor's growth, but other than that it's nothing really special. The same can be said for the final battle with Loki, though the emotions ratchet up further. Overall, Thor was a success, even if it felt more like an epic fantasy than a super hero movie.
Trivia:
Stan Lee cameos as a truck driver trying to pull Thor's hammer out of the ditch.
Before the UPN movie, Sam Raimi approached studios with an idea for a Thor movie. They didn't get it, and subsequently rejected the notion.
Guillermo del Toro was in talks to direct, but backed down to work on The Hobbit.
Joshua Dallas, who played Fandral of the Warriors Three, was unable to return for Thor: The Dark World due to schedule conflicts. He will be replaced by Zachary Levi. Ironically, Levi was the original choice for the part, but also left for scheduling reasons. I love the twists and turns of life.
Samuel L. Jackson nearly didn't appear in the movie, though once again, negotiations ended up working out.
The post-credits scene with Dr. Selvig and Nick Fury discussing a cube that could potentially be an unlimited energy source was directed by Joss Whedon.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
A Look Back At The Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One Part Three: Iron Man 2
After the success of Iron Man, a sequel was guaranteed. Marvel announced immediately that Iron Man 2 was in the works, and managed to get Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, and Paul Bettany, the voice of J.A.R.V.I.S., back. This time, however, the story would be written by Favreau and Downy Jr. themselves, with the screenplay itself being written by Justin Theroux, co-writer of Tropic Thunder. RDJ personally recommended him due to their experience together on that film, and thus the script was written. Due to contract negotiation failures, Terrance Howard declined to return for the film, and was replaced by Don Cheadle. After a near breakdown in negotiations with Samuel L. Jackson, a deal was (thankfully) struck for him to appear in up to nine movies. As for the Black Widow, a.k.a. Natasha Romanoff, Emily Blunt was originally intended to play the role, but complications with another contract arose, and she had to back out. Meanwhile, Sam Rockwell and Mickey Rourke were signed on as villains Justin Hammer and Ivan Vanko, respectively. On the same day Rourke accepted, Scarlett Johansson signed on to play the Black Widow, in a deal that would allow her to appear in multiple films with the possibility of an appearance in The Avengers. Clark Gregg would also return as Agent Coulson, and would begin to play a larger role in the shaping of the MCU.
After filming was completed, merchandising and special FX work began. ILM continued on the work from the last movie, and began upgrading the designs of the suits. A comic prequel was released, along with numerous toys, and a video game. The film was eventually released on May 7, 2010. The critics had mostly good things to say about it, though pretty much everyone said it wasn't as good as the original. A common criticism was that the plot was convoluted, however, many also said that RDJ continued to excel in the role of Tony Stark, In terms of box office success, the movie opened to the fifth-highest opening weekend of the time, and made back roughly three times its budget. So, what did I think?
Iron Man 2 was a troubled movie. It was funny and well-acted, but the script was all over the place, and the action scenes are over just two minutes after they began. The problem with this movie is its script. If you need any more evidence, let me sum up the plot of the movie. Tony Stark is dealing with the after-affects of revealing his identity as Iron Man, with the government wanting him to hand over his suit. An element used in the arc reactor is slowly poisoning his blood, and will eventually kill him. He also has to deal with a business rival, Justin Hammer, S.H.E.I.L.D.'s ongoing investigations of his capability for the Avengers Initiative, and his new feelings for Pepper. Meanwhile, the son of an associate of Tony's father has made his own arc reactor, and is out for revenge. That's six different plot threads, and it just overstuffs the movie. It's basically the Spider-Man 3 of the Iron Man movies. And while I do enjoy Spider-Man 3, that doesn't change the fact that it's flawed, nor does the fact that I enjoyed parts of this movie change its flaws. However, the plot is not the only problem. If you watch the scene where Tony is celebrating his birthday by partying drunk in the suit, the way Rhodey and Pepper react implies that the scene is supposed to be dramatic, and we should be horrified by how Tony is abusing the suit. But the tone is completely comical, and all he's doing is smashing bottles and a watermelon. And this just continues on into the fight between Rhodes and Tony, which should be showing us just how far Tony's fallen, but instead tries to make the tone upbeat with pop songs. While we're on the subject of action scenes, they're VERY short. The longest one, at the end of the movie, barely takes more than three minutes. They're very rushed, and we never have any time to get excited. And let's face it, with everything going on in the story, there's little time to get invested in anything. And on a minor nitpick, how can the government force Tony to give them the Iron Man suit? I'm pretty sure that's unconstitutional. Which therefore makes Rhodes a thief, and Tony is simply to lazy to do anything about it. Quite frankly, this movie either needed to remove Vanko and his sub-plot, or remove Justin Hammer and War Machine. If either of these had been done, it would've allowed the movie a lot more time to focus on a few specific things, rather than dabbling all over, and not really amounting to anything. Quite frankly, I think there was a miscommunication between the script writer and Favreau and RDJ. While it's clear the story wants to be dramatic, so many scenes and lines make this feel like a comedy, like Tropic Thunder. But I suppose I should talk about what I liked in this movie now.
The FX, when used, are very good, and feel very polished. The suits and drones all looked like they were really there, and the CGI on Whiplash's whips were great. However, let's all be honest, it's Robert Downey Jr. we all came to see, and it's him who carries the movie. That's not to say the other cast member don't do well, especially Don Cheadle, who very capably replaced Terrance Howard. Gwyneth Paltrow continues to do well, and Jon Favreau makes the most of what little screen time he has. Clark Gregg stands out, however, as the best supporting cast member. It takes a lot of guts to walk into Tony Stark's armory, where he keep several suits that could easily kill you, and tell him that if he doesn't do what you tell him, you'll tase him and put on Supper Nanny. It was a lot of fun to see him again, and you really get the feeling that this guy has seen it all. Samuel L. Jackson gets to expand his role as Nick Fury, and it's basically him being awesome, but that's what he's best at, so we'll let him continue. Scarlett Johansson does well with what little she's given, but the problem is there's just not much we find out about her. Still, she does well in her fight scene, which, sadly, is the best one in the movie. As for the villains, it's a mixed bag. Again, they do what they can, but they're not given much. They're really at their best interacting with each other, because on their own they just don't have enough weight to carry their roles through. But they were very funny together, and that helps a little. Still, it continues to share one thing with the last Iron Man movie, that being the villains were only passable. Well hey, with Ben Kingsly playing the Mandarin in the next movie, maybe we will finally get a good solid villain. I can't wait to see what he does with the role. Why are you all looking at me like that?
In conclusion, Iron Man 2 limps along, but it's got enough little fun bits that you should be entertained for a while. However, next time we'll bring the hammer down on Thor, and decide if the god of thunder deserves his reputation, or if it's just another light show.
Trivia:
Stan Lee cameos as a man mistaken for Larry King.
Captain America's prototype shield returns, this time much more obvious.
Footage from the scene in The Incredible Hulk where the military tries to capture Hulk at Culver University is shown on a news channel, meaning that the first half of the movie runs concurrent with the events of Iron Man 2.
Tony Stark is recruited as a consultant for the Avengers Initiative, which leads into his appearance the end of The Incredible Hulk.
After the credits, Coulson arrives at a sight in New Mexico where Thor's hammer has crashed.
After filming was completed, merchandising and special FX work began. ILM continued on the work from the last movie, and began upgrading the designs of the suits. A comic prequel was released, along with numerous toys, and a video game. The film was eventually released on May 7, 2010. The critics had mostly good things to say about it, though pretty much everyone said it wasn't as good as the original. A common criticism was that the plot was convoluted, however, many also said that RDJ continued to excel in the role of Tony Stark, In terms of box office success, the movie opened to the fifth-highest opening weekend of the time, and made back roughly three times its budget. So, what did I think?
Iron Man 2 was a troubled movie. It was funny and well-acted, but the script was all over the place, and the action scenes are over just two minutes after they began. The problem with this movie is its script. If you need any more evidence, let me sum up the plot of the movie. Tony Stark is dealing with the after-affects of revealing his identity as Iron Man, with the government wanting him to hand over his suit. An element used in the arc reactor is slowly poisoning his blood, and will eventually kill him. He also has to deal with a business rival, Justin Hammer, S.H.E.I.L.D.'s ongoing investigations of his capability for the Avengers Initiative, and his new feelings for Pepper. Meanwhile, the son of an associate of Tony's father has made his own arc reactor, and is out for revenge. That's six different plot threads, and it just overstuffs the movie. It's basically the Spider-Man 3 of the Iron Man movies. And while I do enjoy Spider-Man 3, that doesn't change the fact that it's flawed, nor does the fact that I enjoyed parts of this movie change its flaws. However, the plot is not the only problem. If you watch the scene where Tony is celebrating his birthday by partying drunk in the suit, the way Rhodey and Pepper react implies that the scene is supposed to be dramatic, and we should be horrified by how Tony is abusing the suit. But the tone is completely comical, and all he's doing is smashing bottles and a watermelon. And this just continues on into the fight between Rhodes and Tony, which should be showing us just how far Tony's fallen, but instead tries to make the tone upbeat with pop songs. While we're on the subject of action scenes, they're VERY short. The longest one, at the end of the movie, barely takes more than three minutes. They're very rushed, and we never have any time to get excited. And let's face it, with everything going on in the story, there's little time to get invested in anything. And on a minor nitpick, how can the government force Tony to give them the Iron Man suit? I'm pretty sure that's unconstitutional. Which therefore makes Rhodes a thief, and Tony is simply to lazy to do anything about it. Quite frankly, this movie either needed to remove Vanko and his sub-plot, or remove Justin Hammer and War Machine. If either of these had been done, it would've allowed the movie a lot more time to focus on a few specific things, rather than dabbling all over, and not really amounting to anything. Quite frankly, I think there was a miscommunication between the script writer and Favreau and RDJ. While it's clear the story wants to be dramatic, so many scenes and lines make this feel like a comedy, like Tropic Thunder. But I suppose I should talk about what I liked in this movie now.
The FX, when used, are very good, and feel very polished. The suits and drones all looked like they were really there, and the CGI on Whiplash's whips were great. However, let's all be honest, it's Robert Downey Jr. we all came to see, and it's him who carries the movie. That's not to say the other cast member don't do well, especially Don Cheadle, who very capably replaced Terrance Howard. Gwyneth Paltrow continues to do well, and Jon Favreau makes the most of what little screen time he has. Clark Gregg stands out, however, as the best supporting cast member. It takes a lot of guts to walk into Tony Stark's armory, where he keep several suits that could easily kill you, and tell him that if he doesn't do what you tell him, you'll tase him and put on Supper Nanny. It was a lot of fun to see him again, and you really get the feeling that this guy has seen it all. Samuel L. Jackson gets to expand his role as Nick Fury, and it's basically him being awesome, but that's what he's best at, so we'll let him continue. Scarlett Johansson does well with what little she's given, but the problem is there's just not much we find out about her. Still, she does well in her fight scene, which, sadly, is the best one in the movie. As for the villains, it's a mixed bag. Again, they do what they can, but they're not given much. They're really at their best interacting with each other, because on their own they just don't have enough weight to carry their roles through. But they were very funny together, and that helps a little. Still, it continues to share one thing with the last Iron Man movie, that being the villains were only passable. Well hey, with Ben Kingsly playing the Mandarin in the next movie, maybe we will finally get a good solid villain. I can't wait to see what he does with the role. Why are you all looking at me like that?
In conclusion, Iron Man 2 limps along, but it's got enough little fun bits that you should be entertained for a while. However, next time we'll bring the hammer down on Thor, and decide if the god of thunder deserves his reputation, or if it's just another light show.
Trivia:
Stan Lee cameos as a man mistaken for Larry King.
Captain America's prototype shield returns, this time much more obvious.
Footage from the scene in The Incredible Hulk where the military tries to capture Hulk at Culver University is shown on a news channel, meaning that the first half of the movie runs concurrent with the events of Iron Man 2.
Tony Stark is recruited as a consultant for the Avengers Initiative, which leads into his appearance the end of The Incredible Hulk.
After the credits, Coulson arrives at a sight in New Mexico where Thor's hammer has crashed.
Friday, May 17, 2013
A Look Back At The Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One Part Two: The Incredible Hulk
In 2003, Universal Pictures released Hulk, which was based off the Marvel character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Unfortunately, the film was not as successful as Marvel would've liked. Widely panned by fans, and simply 'meh'd' by the general public, it was a modest box office success. Despite these problems, Marvel and Universal still wanted to make a sequel. Unfortunately, (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) the production was not started in time, and the filming rights reverted back to Marvel. Now that they had the character back, it was decided to reboot the franchise with a new director, cast, and a new direction. After convincing Louis Leterrier to direct, they set off trying to convince Edward Norton to play the title character of the movie, The Incredible Hulk.
Originally worried that no film could do the character he had loved from childhood justice, Norton was unsure. However, when he met with Leterrier and read Zak Penn's script, he agreed to join the cast, on the condition that he would get to rewrite large portions of the dialogue. After casting Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, and William Hurt, the movie was set for production.
Eventually, it was released on June 13, 2008, about a month after the release of the surprise smash-hit Iron Man. It was announced that both films would share the same universe, something no comic book movie franchise had ever done before. It opened strongly, but died down as the weeks went on. Over all, it was a moderate success, in that it made back its budget, but didn't exactly set the world on fire. Personally, I think part of the reason for this is too many people were confused on whether or not it was a sequel to Ang Lee's Hulk. The people who didn't like it were afraid to go see this because they were worried it would continue from a bad movie, and the people that did like it were afraid to go see this because they didn't want a reboot. It didn't help that Marvel was intentionally vague on the subject, with one of the producers going as far as to say it was a 'requel'. Another problem is that while the Bill Bixby show may have been popular, nowadays people aren't as into the Hulk as they once were. Hulk certainly didn't help, probably convincing people that the story would be too complicated for them. Now, a lot of this is just speculation on my part, but I think there's some ground to it. If you don't, that's fine, this is just me theorizing why the movie made such a small wave.
The critics weren't big fans either, as it got a 67% on Rotton Tomatoes, and a 61 on Metacritic. So this is basically a film where everyone has said "It's okay, but it isn't special." So what did I think of it?
I'm gonna be in the minority here, but I think this was the best single-hero film of Phase One. I know, it may seem weird, but hear me out. Let's start with what it does wrong, and get that out of the way.
The military is given a pretty negative portrayal here. Now I know a lot of people don't like the military, but as the son of a former soldier, I think I can provide a unique perspective. The military hates war. As strange as that may sound, it's true. No soldier wants to go into combat and kill people. All they want is to protect their country. Yes, they may not always have the right idea, but it's the American people who are foremost in their mind. As such, the idea that they want to capture Banner to use him to make weapons is a very poor script decision. Now I could buy that the military would go after him because they believe Hulk is a threat to public safety, but the idea that they want to make Hulk a weapon is both uninformed and underutilized. If they want him as a sort of deterrent, that would make sense, and be somewhat understandable. Sure, not everyone agrees with the idea of nuclear deterrent, but it would make sense. But we have no idea how they intend to use the Hulk. As such, it makes the military look like warmongers, which couldn't be further from the truth.
I will say that the film doesn't focus on this too much, and you do get the sense that part of the reason that Ross is hunting Banner is that he hurt his daughter, and probably made him look bad to his superiors. There's a lot of subtext there, but we may have to wait until the sequel to see it confirmed. Also, I think it's worth noting that after the fight with Abomination, the military gives up hunting Bruce. I think that once they saw just what they were getting into playing God, they realized it would be better to step away.
Now that I'm done with my soapbox, let's get to what makes the movie good. Edward Norton. Oh my goodness, what a perfect casting choice. This guy absolutely gets who Banner is, and what it's like to be in his position. It probably helps that not only is he a life-long fan of the character, from the comics to the show, but he also helped write the script. The guy just gels in every scene he's in, and from just the first 15 minutes, we have him completely figured out. The rest of the cast doesn't slouch either. Liv Tyler's chemistry with Norton is absolutely palpable, and she clearly is willing to do anything for him. Tim Roth is the bad guy you love to hate, and yet still understand. He wants to beat the ultimate challenge. He wants to stand toe-to-toe with the impossible and conquer it. That's not necessarily a bad trait, it's just aimed improperly, rather like the Hulk himself. Another neat thing was the way the movie acknowledges Hulk's history in pop culture. If you look for them, their are a lot of nods to Bill Bixby's show, whether it's the obvious 'Don't make me angry' joke, or the little tweaking of 'The Lonely Man' theme, or even just some visual nods, it's clear these guys wanted to take what made the show successful and run with it. I also love the nod to the Hulk: Ultimate Destruction video game when the Hulk rips apart a car and uses it as boxing gloves. But what about the big, green monster himself? He's actually given a very interesting portrayal here, as while Banner doesn't remember being the Hulk, it is still a part of him. The Hulk still wants to be left alone, and even more importantly, he still loves Betty. The problem is not that the Hulk is an uncontrollable monster, the problem is that Banner continues to fight him, and thus the Hulk remains uncontrollable. However, by the end of the movie, he transforms voluntarily to fight Abomination, and the Hulk doesn't harm anyone else (unless property damage counts). When he accepts it as a part of himself, the Hulk is able to do good. And of course by the end of the movie, he's figured this out and begins trying to transform, embracing the fact that he and the Hulk are two sides of the same coin. Then the movie ends with him wanting to transform, and succeeding. This was a brilliant character decision, and it was definitely the biggest reason the movie was as great as it was. This film was absolutely a stroke of genius, and it's a shame it wasn't more successful. Until next time with Iron Man 2, I'm James Picard and this has been another look back at Phase One.
Trivia:
Stan Lee cameos as the man who drank from the bottle that Banner's blood spilled into.
The military secretly revived the super-soldier experiments used during WW2, but with gamma radiation being tried as a substitute. Bruce Banner was brought onto these experiments, believing them to be attempts at reducing or negating harmful effects of radiation. These experiments instead turned him into the Hulk.
Stark Industries designed the sonic cannons used against the Hulk. Tony himself appears at the end of the movie, talking to Ross about building a 'team'. The short contained on the Captain America: The First Avenger DVD, 'The Consultant' reveals that Agent Coulson sent Tony in an attempt to sabotage his superiors plans to recruit Abomination.
Dr. Samuel Sterns may become The Leader, a popular villain from the comics known for his gigantic head, and equally large intellect.
S.H.E.I.L.D. allows Ross to use their databases to track down Mr. Blue.
Edward Norton was asked to play Banner in Ang Lee's Hulk, but turned it down after reading the script. He was interested in playing Banner in The Avengers, but contract negotiations fell through.
Lou Ferrigno, the actor who played the Hulk in the Bill Bixby show, returns to voice the character. He also cameos as the security guard Banner bribes with pizza.
Originally worried that no film could do the character he had loved from childhood justice, Norton was unsure. However, when he met with Leterrier and read Zak Penn's script, he agreed to join the cast, on the condition that he would get to rewrite large portions of the dialogue. After casting Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, and William Hurt, the movie was set for production.
Eventually, it was released on June 13, 2008, about a month after the release of the surprise smash-hit Iron Man. It was announced that both films would share the same universe, something no comic book movie franchise had ever done before. It opened strongly, but died down as the weeks went on. Over all, it was a moderate success, in that it made back its budget, but didn't exactly set the world on fire. Personally, I think part of the reason for this is too many people were confused on whether or not it was a sequel to Ang Lee's Hulk. The people who didn't like it were afraid to go see this because they were worried it would continue from a bad movie, and the people that did like it were afraid to go see this because they didn't want a reboot. It didn't help that Marvel was intentionally vague on the subject, with one of the producers going as far as to say it was a 'requel'. Another problem is that while the Bill Bixby show may have been popular, nowadays people aren't as into the Hulk as they once were. Hulk certainly didn't help, probably convincing people that the story would be too complicated for them. Now, a lot of this is just speculation on my part, but I think there's some ground to it. If you don't, that's fine, this is just me theorizing why the movie made such a small wave.
The critics weren't big fans either, as it got a 67% on Rotton Tomatoes, and a 61 on Metacritic. So this is basically a film where everyone has said "It's okay, but it isn't special." So what did I think of it?
I'm gonna be in the minority here, but I think this was the best single-hero film of Phase One. I know, it may seem weird, but hear me out. Let's start with what it does wrong, and get that out of the way.
The military is given a pretty negative portrayal here. Now I know a lot of people don't like the military, but as the son of a former soldier, I think I can provide a unique perspective. The military hates war. As strange as that may sound, it's true. No soldier wants to go into combat and kill people. All they want is to protect their country. Yes, they may not always have the right idea, but it's the American people who are foremost in their mind. As such, the idea that they want to capture Banner to use him to make weapons is a very poor script decision. Now I could buy that the military would go after him because they believe Hulk is a threat to public safety, but the idea that they want to make Hulk a weapon is both uninformed and underutilized. If they want him as a sort of deterrent, that would make sense, and be somewhat understandable. Sure, not everyone agrees with the idea of nuclear deterrent, but it would make sense. But we have no idea how they intend to use the Hulk. As such, it makes the military look like warmongers, which couldn't be further from the truth.
I will say that the film doesn't focus on this too much, and you do get the sense that part of the reason that Ross is hunting Banner is that he hurt his daughter, and probably made him look bad to his superiors. There's a lot of subtext there, but we may have to wait until the sequel to see it confirmed. Also, I think it's worth noting that after the fight with Abomination, the military gives up hunting Bruce. I think that once they saw just what they were getting into playing God, they realized it would be better to step away.
Now that I'm done with my soapbox, let's get to what makes the movie good. Edward Norton. Oh my goodness, what a perfect casting choice. This guy absolutely gets who Banner is, and what it's like to be in his position. It probably helps that not only is he a life-long fan of the character, from the comics to the show, but he also helped write the script. The guy just gels in every scene he's in, and from just the first 15 minutes, we have him completely figured out. The rest of the cast doesn't slouch either. Liv Tyler's chemistry with Norton is absolutely palpable, and she clearly is willing to do anything for him. Tim Roth is the bad guy you love to hate, and yet still understand. He wants to beat the ultimate challenge. He wants to stand toe-to-toe with the impossible and conquer it. That's not necessarily a bad trait, it's just aimed improperly, rather like the Hulk himself. Another neat thing was the way the movie acknowledges Hulk's history in pop culture. If you look for them, their are a lot of nods to Bill Bixby's show, whether it's the obvious 'Don't make me angry' joke, or the little tweaking of 'The Lonely Man' theme, or even just some visual nods, it's clear these guys wanted to take what made the show successful and run with it. I also love the nod to the Hulk: Ultimate Destruction video game when the Hulk rips apart a car and uses it as boxing gloves. But what about the big, green monster himself? He's actually given a very interesting portrayal here, as while Banner doesn't remember being the Hulk, it is still a part of him. The Hulk still wants to be left alone, and even more importantly, he still loves Betty. The problem is not that the Hulk is an uncontrollable monster, the problem is that Banner continues to fight him, and thus the Hulk remains uncontrollable. However, by the end of the movie, he transforms voluntarily to fight Abomination, and the Hulk doesn't harm anyone else (unless property damage counts). When he accepts it as a part of himself, the Hulk is able to do good. And of course by the end of the movie, he's figured this out and begins trying to transform, embracing the fact that he and the Hulk are two sides of the same coin. Then the movie ends with him wanting to transform, and succeeding. This was a brilliant character decision, and it was definitely the biggest reason the movie was as great as it was. This film was absolutely a stroke of genius, and it's a shame it wasn't more successful. Until next time with Iron Man 2, I'm James Picard and this has been another look back at Phase One.
Trivia:
Stan Lee cameos as the man who drank from the bottle that Banner's blood spilled into.
The military secretly revived the super-soldier experiments used during WW2, but with gamma radiation being tried as a substitute. Bruce Banner was brought onto these experiments, believing them to be attempts at reducing or negating harmful effects of radiation. These experiments instead turned him into the Hulk.
Stark Industries designed the sonic cannons used against the Hulk. Tony himself appears at the end of the movie, talking to Ross about building a 'team'. The short contained on the Captain America: The First Avenger DVD, 'The Consultant' reveals that Agent Coulson sent Tony in an attempt to sabotage his superiors plans to recruit Abomination.
Dr. Samuel Sterns may become The Leader, a popular villain from the comics known for his gigantic head, and equally large intellect.
S.H.E.I.L.D. allows Ross to use their databases to track down Mr. Blue.
Edward Norton was asked to play Banner in Ang Lee's Hulk, but turned it down after reading the script. He was interested in playing Banner in The Avengers, but contract negotiations fell through.
Lou Ferrigno, the actor who played the Hulk in the Bill Bixby show, returns to voice the character. He also cameos as the security guard Banner bribes with pizza.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
A Look Back at the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase 1 Part 1: Iron Man
Thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU, nearly every one in the world knows the Marvel heroes. Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, and Thor are household names now. However, while the characters origins may be simple, the origin of the MCU is not. Today we'll go back, and see the events that lead to one of the most successful film series of all time, while also giving time for reviews for each of the Phase One films.
In 1990, Universal Studios bought the film rights to Iron Man, and began plans to release the gold-plated hero to the silver screen. However, due to lackluster scripts, changes in rights ownership, and budget concerns, the movie never seemed to get off the ground. Eventually the new owners of New Line Cinema caved in and relinquished the rights back to Marvel. By this point, Marvel had already found a way to self produce their own movies, using Marvel Studios. It was at this point where they started not only looking for scripts for the Iron Man movie, but also to gain back the film rights to characters like Thor and the Hulk.
After a long process, Jon Favreau was brought on to direct, and the film was rushed into production. With the script being incomplete, and without time to be finished before the release date, they needed a main actor who could improvise extremely well. Enter Robert Downy Jr., who was selected through a massive screening process, in part because of his checkered past. Then add Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrance Howard, and Jeff Bridges, and the main cast was complete. After an intense production and lots of post-filming work, the movie managed to make it May 2 release, with plenty of press coverage. And what was the result? A massive hit. The film made back more than four times its budget, and RDJ's career took a major upswing. But how do I view the start of Phase 1?
Iron Man was a major step forward for superhero movies. This was one of the first where it felt like the man behind the suit was more important than the guy who went out punching. Tony's growth as a person is a great thing to see, and RDJ does a magnificent job of portraying Tony Stark as both a snide, sarcastic genius, and a human who realizes his entire world-view is wrong. Terrance Howard and Gwyneth Paltrow are great to, and you can really feel their exasperation with Tony, but also their happiness that he's on the right path, and doing something for more than just money or a good time. However, the villains were fairly weak. The leader of the Ten Rings movement (a possible [I haven't seen Iron Man 3 yet, so please, no spoilers!] hint at The Mandarin) has no real presence or effect on the plot, and Stane? Well, all I can say is they tried, but something just didn't click. Part of it may have been that Bridges was just a little TOO good at pretending to be Tony's friend, that it made it hard to accept it when he goes completely villainous. Bridges does a good job what he's given, but it's his character that really shows the parts where the script was incomplete. Conversely, a lot of Tony's lines definitely seem improvised, but in a way that feels natural to the character. It's not a knock on Bridges, it's really the script's fault. Clark Gregg, Agent Coulson, also is great, and really pops in what little screen time he's given. You can really see why he's the guy that ties everything together. So the cast was pretty good, how about the visual effects? In a word, breath-taking. You can never really tell where the CGI starts and where the practical parts stop, they're integrated so seamlessly. I never once found myself thinking 'This is so unrealistic', I could seriously buy that this suit existed. A big help to that was the sound editing as well, with the servos constantly moving and adjusting. The effects on both the Iron Man suit and the Iron Monger were just fantastic, and everything worked perfectly. Overall, it was a great movie. It may have had a few bumps in the road, but it was a definite game changer for superhero movies. Heck, one could almost say 2008 was the year of the superhero movie, with successes like Hellboy 2 and The Dark Knight also coming out. But we can't forget that one last one, and the next step in Phase One, The Incredible Hulk.
Trivia:
Stan Lee cameos as a man Tony believes to be Hugh Hefner.
One person in the running for director before Jon Favreau was selected was Joss Whedon, who would go on to direct The Avengers.
Tom Cruise and Nicholas Cage both expressed interest in playing the role of Tony in the 1990 film, and Quentin Terrintino was approached to write and direct.
After the credits, Samuel L. Jackson appears as Nick Fury, director of S.H.E.I.L.D. Another reference to the Avengers was Tony having a prototype of Captain America's shield.
In 1990, Universal Studios bought the film rights to Iron Man, and began plans to release the gold-plated hero to the silver screen. However, due to lackluster scripts, changes in rights ownership, and budget concerns, the movie never seemed to get off the ground. Eventually the new owners of New Line Cinema caved in and relinquished the rights back to Marvel. By this point, Marvel had already found a way to self produce their own movies, using Marvel Studios. It was at this point where they started not only looking for scripts for the Iron Man movie, but also to gain back the film rights to characters like Thor and the Hulk.
After a long process, Jon Favreau was brought on to direct, and the film was rushed into production. With the script being incomplete, and without time to be finished before the release date, they needed a main actor who could improvise extremely well. Enter Robert Downy Jr., who was selected through a massive screening process, in part because of his checkered past. Then add Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrance Howard, and Jeff Bridges, and the main cast was complete. After an intense production and lots of post-filming work, the movie managed to make it May 2 release, with plenty of press coverage. And what was the result? A massive hit. The film made back more than four times its budget, and RDJ's career took a major upswing. But how do I view the start of Phase 1?
Iron Man was a major step forward for superhero movies. This was one of the first where it felt like the man behind the suit was more important than the guy who went out punching. Tony's growth as a person is a great thing to see, and RDJ does a magnificent job of portraying Tony Stark as both a snide, sarcastic genius, and a human who realizes his entire world-view is wrong. Terrance Howard and Gwyneth Paltrow are great to, and you can really feel their exasperation with Tony, but also their happiness that he's on the right path, and doing something for more than just money or a good time. However, the villains were fairly weak. The leader of the Ten Rings movement (a possible [I haven't seen Iron Man 3 yet, so please, no spoilers!] hint at The Mandarin) has no real presence or effect on the plot, and Stane? Well, all I can say is they tried, but something just didn't click. Part of it may have been that Bridges was just a little TOO good at pretending to be Tony's friend, that it made it hard to accept it when he goes completely villainous. Bridges does a good job what he's given, but it's his character that really shows the parts where the script was incomplete. Conversely, a lot of Tony's lines definitely seem improvised, but in a way that feels natural to the character. It's not a knock on Bridges, it's really the script's fault. Clark Gregg, Agent Coulson, also is great, and really pops in what little screen time he's given. You can really see why he's the guy that ties everything together. So the cast was pretty good, how about the visual effects? In a word, breath-taking. You can never really tell where the CGI starts and where the practical parts stop, they're integrated so seamlessly. I never once found myself thinking 'This is so unrealistic', I could seriously buy that this suit existed. A big help to that was the sound editing as well, with the servos constantly moving and adjusting. The effects on both the Iron Man suit and the Iron Monger were just fantastic, and everything worked perfectly. Overall, it was a great movie. It may have had a few bumps in the road, but it was a definite game changer for superhero movies. Heck, one could almost say 2008 was the year of the superhero movie, with successes like Hellboy 2 and The Dark Knight also coming out. But we can't forget that one last one, and the next step in Phase One, The Incredible Hulk.
Trivia:
Stan Lee cameos as a man Tony believes to be Hugh Hefner.
One person in the running for director before Jon Favreau was selected was Joss Whedon, who would go on to direct The Avengers.
Tom Cruise and Nicholas Cage both expressed interest in playing the role of Tony in the 1990 film, and Quentin Terrintino was approached to write and direct.
After the credits, Samuel L. Jackson appears as Nick Fury, director of S.H.E.I.L.D. Another reference to the Avengers was Tony having a prototype of Captain America's shield.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
So Apparently I was Wrong About WordPress!
Don’t worry guys, my blog will still be running on my regular Blogger account. I’m just using this as a means to reach more readers. Posts will be up the same time here as they are on my regular blog. I’ll also post updates on my video reviews, which are on my youtube channel. Nothing is changing other than me using two sites at once. We’re a-okay. For those who want to check it out, the link is http://jeanlucpicard10.wordpress.com/ And as for an update on the video reviews, I still haven’t edited the footage, and I have no excuse for not keeping up to task. I make no promises on when it will be finished, but you’ll be the first to know when I do. As for the surprise event, scripting is coming along nicely, so that’s at least some progress. I’m hoping to make more, and to get some good content out there. I’ll also be joined by a special guest from time to time, but I won’t be telling you any more than that. Also, Jae Onasi, my mom, is working on a new cooking show, which will feature us together. If you like, you can check out Confessions of a Geeky Mom for more information. And, in one week, we’ll be celebrating the two-year anniversary of COGS! No definitive plans yet, but I’ll definitely be doing something to celebrate. So that’s it for this update, see you around!
Friday, January 18, 2013
Video Update (sort of)
Well, in all honesty, I just keep forgetting to use my Mom's computer when I get the chance. Also, with finals and two separate plays the past couple of weeks, it's been a little hectic. But, I have finished the script for the surprise review, and I started another one following that. Actually, the surprise review turned into a series of reviews from the same show, so be ready when it premieres. All I can say now is the show has a following on the internet, and it's possible you may have heard of it. But until then, I'll try to get the Transformers review edited soon. Sorry for the delay!
Thursday, December 13, 2012
My new show!
Sorry I didn't get the link up sooner, but here it is, the link to my new YouTube channel!
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO9f3jU605yq84tJjP75XHQ
Anyways, I know you're probably wondering why I decided to start making videos instead of text reviews. Well it all started in Spring this year, when a friend of mine, Neligahn, asked me to film a video for his show Sci-fi Showdown with him. Being a budding actor, I naturally jumped at the opportunity, and as payment I got to go to a Star Trek convention with him. This naturally led to me checking his show out on Blip for research, and I saw that he recommended a reviewer you might have heard of called The Nostalgia Critic. Eventually I checked out his videos, and discovered that video reviewers are actually quite numerous on the Internet, as are talented ones. After an entire summer of watching the That Guy With The Glasses team, I decided "Hey, why can't I do that?" And the rest is Internet history. Whether or not I'll be popular like them is for the masses to decide, but in the meantime, I'll keep making videos and posting them. And rest assured, my blog will not be abandoned. I'll still post text reviews, just not as often. However, if I find something I can't get the footage I need for, but still want to review, it'll show up here. Not sure why you'd want to red my blog with its numberous bad grammer and speling errors, but hey, it's yor choice. Anyways, this is James Picard signing off!
P.S. the next review, in which I rank the Transformers cartoons, has finished filming, I just need to record the voice-overs and edit the footage. In addition, it also features a new guest star! Also, I've started writing the script for another surprise review, which I'll reveal when it comes out.
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO9f3jU605yq84tJjP75XHQ
Anyways, I know you're probably wondering why I decided to start making videos instead of text reviews. Well it all started in Spring this year, when a friend of mine, Neligahn, asked me to film a video for his show Sci-fi Showdown with him. Being a budding actor, I naturally jumped at the opportunity, and as payment I got to go to a Star Trek convention with him. This naturally led to me checking his show out on Blip for research, and I saw that he recommended a reviewer you might have heard of called The Nostalgia Critic. Eventually I checked out his videos, and discovered that video reviewers are actually quite numerous on the Internet, as are talented ones. After an entire summer of watching the That Guy With The Glasses team, I decided "Hey, why can't I do that?" And the rest is Internet history. Whether or not I'll be popular like them is for the masses to decide, but in the meantime, I'll keep making videos and posting them. And rest assured, my blog will not be abandoned. I'll still post text reviews, just not as often. However, if I find something I can't get the footage I need for, but still want to review, it'll show up here. Not sure why you'd want to red my blog with its numberous bad grammer and speling errors, but hey, it's yor choice. Anyways, this is James Picard signing off!
P.S. the next review, in which I rank the Transformers cartoons, has finished filming, I just need to record the voice-overs and edit the footage. In addition, it also features a new guest star! Also, I've started writing the script for another surprise review, which I'll reveal when it comes out.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Elementary Review
Yep, I just finished watching the first episode. What do I have to say? Meh.
For those who don't know, Elementary is an American adaptation of Sherlock Holmes set in modern-day New York. Holmes is a recovering drug-addict, and Watson is a female sober companion meant to ensure Holmes doesn't take up drugs again. It also comes right off the heels of BBC's popular Sherlock miniseries. I'm not gonna lie, I'm a huge fan of it. The writing is brilliant, the cast is amazing and the length gives them a good time to set out the mystery. So naturally, I was going to be biased going into this. I'll admit, I may not have entirely given it the chance it deserves, but I tried my best to think "Maybe it'll be good, I don't know." And I was also a little tweaked about them clearly changing Watson's gender for the sake of a relationship with Holmes. But, now it's time to start the review.
Warning!! SPOILERS!!!
Yeah, that probably wasn't neccessary, but whatever. Anyways, the story starts off with Watson meeting Holmes watching several different shows at once. He pauses the T.V. , and tells her he's in love with her. He then unpauses one of the T.V.'s to reveal a character saying the exact same thing as him. He then reveals that he's a consultant who hires himself out to the police for free. He heads to the scene of a kidnapping, only to deduce that it was actually a murder. Through the episode he discovers that the murderer was a flower delivery boy who also worked as a part-time serial killer. However, the murderer commits suicide, implying the case is over. But of course, nothing's that simple. Sherlock discovers the killer had been going through therapy to get better, and his therapist was none other than the murder victim's husband, who secretly slipped him steroids instead of his prescribed medication. This in turn caused him to go into a fit of rage and kill the woman the next time he delivered to her. They apprehend the man, and Sherlock and Watson bond.
So, that's essentially the story. There's some stuff exploring Holmes and Watson's relationship, but it doesn't feel like it does much for them. Anyways, what did I think? As I said earlier, Meh.
Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad show by any means, it just seems so bland for a show about the most iconic detective in literature. The story is fairly basic for a murder mystery, and almost feels padded. Also, the police seem to be somewhat dumber than in real life, or even other shows. Some of the stuff Sherlock points out should be fairly obvious, and yet he's the only one who notices. But in the end it's okay, and nothing comes across as really glaring about it. The acting is also fairly meh. Lucy Liu is bland as Watson, and Jonny Lee Miller seems unsure if he should play the role as a distant and unfeeling person, or a genuinly caring man. Honestly, the best actor was the villian, and that's not a good thing. But at the very least, it's not a bad show, and if you like Sherlock Holmes, crime shows, or BBC's Sherlock, you should give it a chance. But if you want my advice, stick with Sherlock. As I said before, it's got great actors, terriffic writers, good mysteries, and nail-biting season finales. In the meantime, hopefully Elementary will learn how to surpass its name.
For those who don't know, Elementary is an American adaptation of Sherlock Holmes set in modern-day New York. Holmes is a recovering drug-addict, and Watson is a female sober companion meant to ensure Holmes doesn't take up drugs again. It also comes right off the heels of BBC's popular Sherlock miniseries. I'm not gonna lie, I'm a huge fan of it. The writing is brilliant, the cast is amazing and the length gives them a good time to set out the mystery. So naturally, I was going to be biased going into this. I'll admit, I may not have entirely given it the chance it deserves, but I tried my best to think "Maybe it'll be good, I don't know." And I was also a little tweaked about them clearly changing Watson's gender for the sake of a relationship with Holmes. But, now it's time to start the review.
Warning!! SPOILERS!!!
Yeah, that probably wasn't neccessary, but whatever. Anyways, the story starts off with Watson meeting Holmes watching several different shows at once. He pauses the T.V. , and tells her he's in love with her. He then unpauses one of the T.V.'s to reveal a character saying the exact same thing as him. He then reveals that he's a consultant who hires himself out to the police for free. He heads to the scene of a kidnapping, only to deduce that it was actually a murder. Through the episode he discovers that the murderer was a flower delivery boy who also worked as a part-time serial killer. However, the murderer commits suicide, implying the case is over. But of course, nothing's that simple. Sherlock discovers the killer had been going through therapy to get better, and his therapist was none other than the murder victim's husband, who secretly slipped him steroids instead of his prescribed medication. This in turn caused him to go into a fit of rage and kill the woman the next time he delivered to her. They apprehend the man, and Sherlock and Watson bond.
So, that's essentially the story. There's some stuff exploring Holmes and Watson's relationship, but it doesn't feel like it does much for them. Anyways, what did I think? As I said earlier, Meh.
Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad show by any means, it just seems so bland for a show about the most iconic detective in literature. The story is fairly basic for a murder mystery, and almost feels padded. Also, the police seem to be somewhat dumber than in real life, or even other shows. Some of the stuff Sherlock points out should be fairly obvious, and yet he's the only one who notices. But in the end it's okay, and nothing comes across as really glaring about it. The acting is also fairly meh. Lucy Liu is bland as Watson, and Jonny Lee Miller seems unsure if he should play the role as a distant and unfeeling person, or a genuinly caring man. Honestly, the best actor was the villian, and that's not a good thing. But at the very least, it's not a bad show, and if you like Sherlock Holmes, crime shows, or BBC's Sherlock, you should give it a chance. But if you want my advice, stick with Sherlock. As I said before, it's got great actors, terriffic writers, good mysteries, and nail-biting season finales. In the meantime, hopefully Elementary will learn how to surpass its name.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Asylum of the Daleks Review
Life's been kinda hectic, and without time or footage to do a video review, I'll just use text.
I've been a fan of Doctor Who for several months. I've seen nearly every episode of the revived series, excluding the impossible-to-find "Planet of the Dead". I've seen several serial by Tom Baker, and bits an pieces from others. And I even liked "Love and Monsters"! For those who understand that, let it sink in. Because I'm about to tell you something very few people have actually said: I did NOT like this episode.
Don't get me wrong, I love the Daleks. They're awesome. But this . . . I don't know what to say. Anyways, let's get going. The episode starts with the Doctor getting kidnapped by a human/Dalek zombie. Then we cut to Amy and Rory signing divorce papers. Even though the last time we saw them, their marriage was fine. And don't give me that Pond Life crap. A miniseries online should not be essential viewing, and it didn't actually explain anything, it just showed them fighting. But I digress. Amy and Rory then get kidnapped as well, and they all meet at the Dalek Parliament. Even though originally the Daleks had an Emperor. This does not bode well. Then we discover that a ship crashed on the Dalek asylum, where all the defective Daleks go. In order to prevent them from escaping, the Daleks want the Doctor to go down to the planet and shut off the force field so that they can destroy it. Even though the whole reason for having the Dalek asylum was because "It is offensive to us to extinguish such divine hatred". Except for all the other times the Daleks killed each other. It's official, we're in for a rough ride. And the final twist in the gut? The Daleks consider it beautiful even though "Daleks have no concept of elegance." Yep. And we aren't even ten minutes in.
So, the Daleks shoot the Doctor down to the planet, and he 'meets' Oswin (played by Jenna-Louise Coleman), a survivor from the ship who's been holding off the Daleks for a year. She's still holed up in her room, but she's managed to hack into the communication system, so she can talk to the Doctor. She manages to guide them through the ship, and the Doctor leaves Amy and Rory behind to rescue Oswin. And here, we learn why they're getting a divorce: Amy think she has to give Rory up because she's infertile after the events of Demon's Run, and apparently Rory REALLY wants a kid (So nice of them to tell us that now instead of earlier). So let me get this straight, for the entire time it took them to get a divorce, she never ONCE thought to talk to him about this fact, or get the Doctor to help her? And what's wrong with adoption?! Yeah, this was just sad. And then they make up after this revelation. So that's all it takes to repair a relationship, apparently. Meanwhile, the Doctor reaches Oswin but discovers she's actually a Dalek, who was converted from human. So, why did she sound human on the intercomm? And what happened to 'genetic purity'? Shut up, that's what happened. Anyways, the Doctor finds the force field (who thought it was a good idea to put the controls to a force field INSIDE THE PRISON?! They could've escaped whenever they wanted to!) and manages to get back to the Dalek ship, where it's revealed that when Oswin erased the Daleks memories of the Doctor (forgot to mention that part, sorry), she erased EVERY Daleks memory of the Doctor. Thank you, Moffat, we Whovians think that's a lovely bird. So Amy and Rory are dropped off back home and the Doctor continues traveling.
So that was Asylum of the Daleks. Or, as I like to call it, Train-wreck of the Daleks. Really, there's no defense for this episode. The "Old Daleks" that were so hyped barely show up, the plot holes are the size of black holes, the Amy and Rory subplot was rediculous and unneccessary, and to top it all off, 49 years of stories have gone down the drain. To be fair, the actors do a great job, and there are some genuinlly fuuny moments. But it doesn't make up for the terrible script. This episode was a terrible start, and I really hope some one realizes that Steven Moffat worked best on a leash. This is really another one of those cases where an artist has enjoyed so much success, no one will tell him no anymore. It's sad, really. Moffat is a great writer, and I really wanted to enjoy this episode. But it just wouldn't let me. Hopefully Moffat will do better. Oh, and look up 'Doctor Who Skit Asylum of the Daleks' on YouTube. It's hilarious. It's better than the episode, actually. As for my next video review, I'm still working out what to use for it. But as soon as I know, I'll get started on the script. See you later!
I've been a fan of Doctor Who for several months. I've seen nearly every episode of the revived series, excluding the impossible-to-find "Planet of the Dead". I've seen several serial by Tom Baker, and bits an pieces from others. And I even liked "Love and Monsters"! For those who understand that, let it sink in. Because I'm about to tell you something very few people have actually said: I did NOT like this episode.
Don't get me wrong, I love the Daleks. They're awesome. But this . . . I don't know what to say. Anyways, let's get going. The episode starts with the Doctor getting kidnapped by a human/Dalek zombie. Then we cut to Amy and Rory signing divorce papers. Even though the last time we saw them, their marriage was fine. And don't give me that Pond Life crap. A miniseries online should not be essential viewing, and it didn't actually explain anything, it just showed them fighting. But I digress. Amy and Rory then get kidnapped as well, and they all meet at the Dalek Parliament. Even though originally the Daleks had an Emperor. This does not bode well. Then we discover that a ship crashed on the Dalek asylum, where all the defective Daleks go. In order to prevent them from escaping, the Daleks want the Doctor to go down to the planet and shut off the force field so that they can destroy it. Even though the whole reason for having the Dalek asylum was because "It is offensive to us to extinguish such divine hatred". Except for all the other times the Daleks killed each other. It's official, we're in for a rough ride. And the final twist in the gut? The Daleks consider it beautiful even though "Daleks have no concept of elegance." Yep. And we aren't even ten minutes in.
So, the Daleks shoot the Doctor down to the planet, and he 'meets' Oswin (played by Jenna-Louise Coleman), a survivor from the ship who's been holding off the Daleks for a year. She's still holed up in her room, but she's managed to hack into the communication system, so she can talk to the Doctor. She manages to guide them through the ship, and the Doctor leaves Amy and Rory behind to rescue Oswin. And here, we learn why they're getting a divorce: Amy think she has to give Rory up because she's infertile after the events of Demon's Run, and apparently Rory REALLY wants a kid (So nice of them to tell us that now instead of earlier). So let me get this straight, for the entire time it took them to get a divorce, she never ONCE thought to talk to him about this fact, or get the Doctor to help her? And what's wrong with adoption?! Yeah, this was just sad. And then they make up after this revelation. So that's all it takes to repair a relationship, apparently. Meanwhile, the Doctor reaches Oswin but discovers she's actually a Dalek, who was converted from human. So, why did she sound human on the intercomm? And what happened to 'genetic purity'? Shut up, that's what happened. Anyways, the Doctor finds the force field (who thought it was a good idea to put the controls to a force field INSIDE THE PRISON?! They could've escaped whenever they wanted to!) and manages to get back to the Dalek ship, where it's revealed that when Oswin erased the Daleks memories of the Doctor (forgot to mention that part, sorry), she erased EVERY Daleks memory of the Doctor. Thank you, Moffat, we Whovians think that's a lovely bird. So Amy and Rory are dropped off back home and the Doctor continues traveling.
So that was Asylum of the Daleks. Or, as I like to call it, Train-wreck of the Daleks. Really, there's no defense for this episode. The "Old Daleks" that were so hyped barely show up, the plot holes are the size of black holes, the Amy and Rory subplot was rediculous and unneccessary, and to top it all off, 49 years of stories have gone down the drain. To be fair, the actors do a great job, and there are some genuinlly fuuny moments. But it doesn't make up for the terrible script. This episode was a terrible start, and I really hope some one realizes that Steven Moffat worked best on a leash. This is really another one of those cases where an artist has enjoyed so much success, no one will tell him no anymore. It's sad, really. Moffat is a great writer, and I really wanted to enjoy this episode. But it just wouldn't let me. Hopefully Moffat will do better. Oh, and look up 'Doctor Who Skit Asylum of the Daleks' on YouTube. It's hilarious. It's better than the episode, actually. As for my next video review, I'm still working out what to use for it. But as soon as I know, I'll get started on the script. See you later!
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Big Announcement!
Well, everyone, I've got some big news: I'm taking Confessions of a Geeky Son Live! That's right, now I'll be on YouTube, reviewing through video. This does not mean I'm abandoning my text blog, it just means it will receive very little attention while I make my videos. Hopefully I'll be smart enough to remember not to set a deadline for myself, because that will be incredibly hectic. Anyways, you can find my channel there now, and coming soon, I will be posting a review of the 1974 Doctor Who serial, The Ark in Space.
Monday, August 20, 2012
TV Show Review #2
Well, I thought long and hard about what TV show to review next. For a while, I was planning on doing the new Doctor Who show, but it got so long, I realized that one needed to be split into chunks, if I was going to continue it at all. I still don't know for certain if it will materialize, but it might. Then, after I got home from a weeklong vacation, I figured it out. It was a show I'd been watching for years, even after it ended. A show that, no matter how many times I stop watching, manages to pull me back in again and again. Ladies and gentlemen, I am about to review one of the greatest shows I've ever seen.
Kim Possible
Yep. That one. For those of you that don't know, Kim Possible is a Disney cartoon (red flag, I know, but bear with me) about a high school cheerleader who saves the world from supervillians. Yes, you read that right. It is an action show, but it also relies heavily on humor that makes fun on secret agent and action movies. One of the high lights included an episode where Kim was forced to take her school rival on a mission, and the villian captured them and placed them in an obligatory over-the-top death trap. Naturally, the rival asks why the villian needs a conviluted trap when he could find an easier way to kill them. Both the villian and Kim look at her exasperatedly and shout "It's just the way it's done!" That was one of the shows greatest strengths; it knew it was rediculous, and it reveled in it.
Anyway, onto the charecters. Obviously, there's Kim (voiced by Christy Carlson Romano), your average crime-fighting teen. She's confident, capable, and always able to find a way to defeat the bad guys. However, she also deals with many of the same problems normal teens do, such as dating, school, and of course, friends. Enter Ron Stoppable (voiced by Will Fredle), who's practically Kim's polar opposite. What she stresses over, he shrugs off. What he stresses over . . . I don't think anyone does. He's also a bit of a geek which immediatly earns him points with me. Tying up the action trio is Rufas, Ron's pet naked mole rat. Yes, those are real animals, and no, they do not act anything like him. Rufas is simaler to Ron in many ways, but doesn't hesitate to point out when he has a differing oppinion on something. He also provides support to Ron when Kim is not, or simply not there to give it. Then there's the rest of the Possible family. Mr. Dr. Possible is a rocket scientist and Mrs. Dr. Possible is a brain surgeon. And yes, it gets weirder. Kim also has two ten-year-old twin brothers, Jim and Tim, also known as the "Tweebs" or twin dweebs. They're geniuses like their father, and occasionly help Kim with equipment. However, most of the time they're not needed, as she has a supergenius website manager and equipment creator, Wade, who is so smart he's already graduated college, and he's also ten. The supporting cast doesn't get much coverage, so when I start covering the seasons, they'll probably be in the background. Anyways, we've covered the heroes, now let's move on to the villians.
The most recurring villian of the show is Doctor Drakken. He's a mad scientist with blue skin (don't ask, I don't know) who wants to take over the world. And no, I'm not bother with the meme. He has a sidekick named Shego, who can create harmful energy bursts around her hands. When she's not busy fighting Kim, she's mocking Drakken's ineptitude. However, Kim does have a larger rouges gallery than just these two. There's also Monkey Fist, who has bio-engineered hands and feet so that he's part monkey, and he seeks ultimate mystic monkey power. Then there's Senor Senior Sr. (voiced by the late Ricardo Montalban) and his son, Senor Senior Jr. , European millionaires who want to take over the world (in Sr.'s case) because they have nothing better to do with their free time. In addition, there's Professor Dementor, a more competent Drakken, and finally, Duff Killigan, the "world's deadliest golfer". Yeah, it's a lot to take in, but thankfully most of the episodes focus on one villian at a time. Now, moving onto the seasons!
Season 1
Well, what can I say? This one started the show and set up the basic premise. Admittedly it was kind of weak compared to later on, but it is still really good, and at some times it really shined. Other than that, it also set up plot threads that would be important later on, like Ron gaining mystical monkey powers. Highlights from the season include "Bueno Nacho", "Tick-Tick-Tick" (the first episode, chronalogically), "Monkey Fist Strikes", and "Attack of the Killer Bebes".
Season 2
This is the season that really made the show. While they had an idea of where they were going in Season 1, Season 2 is where they found their path and stuck to it. Good thing too, because this season is a whopper. It clocks out at 28 episodes long, 31 if you count the tv movie, "A Sitch in Time". I'll cover that breifly, because while it was their first movie, it wasn't really important to the show. It was a lot of fun, and very clever. Michael Dorn was a phenomanal casting choice, and the fact that we got to see several of the villians teaming up did try to give the feeling that this was a threat worthy of feature length coverage. The very ending is kind of meh, but I guess it's all right. Anyways, this season continues on the arcs started in the last season, and expands upon them. Ron's status as a warrior with mystic monkey power shows up again when he's breifly transfered to a secret ninja school. The season also starts to develop Kim and Ron's relationship, giving little hints that they might become a couple later on. This is shown most prominantly in "A Sitch in Time" when Ron moves to Norway, and both of them have to figure out how to move on with their lives. However, it doesn't really develop too much here, it's more like little hints at things to come. Highlights include "Exchange", "The Fearless Ferret" (which had a great guest appearance by Adam West and a nice nod to Will Fredle's role as Terry McGinnis in Batman Beyond), "The Golden Years", "A Very Possible Christmas" (even after the Doctor Who christmas specials, it's still the weirdest one I've ever seen), "Oh Boyz" and "Go Team Go" (which had some nice reveals on Shego's past). Overall, this season was very good, and set things up great for the show's final year. But they didn't count on Disney's interference.
Season 3
This season got a little weird. Whereas the last one had aroung thirty episodes, this one only had about fourteen. Add to that the fact that it took them two years to air all the episodes, and the finale aired before most of the season had finished, and you had a bit of a mess behind the scenes. However, let's tak a look the season itself. The best description I've heard given to it is short but sweet. It has plenty of great and few good episodes, and none of them were unentertaining. One of the biggest things they writers did in this season was push forward the idea that Kim and Ron were going to begin dating. It was clear right from the first episode that they were growing closer, and all throughout the season it kep happening. There was even a joke in one of the episodes about a show that would "end" if the two main charecters got together, a feeling much of the fanbase shared with the real show. At least, until "Emotion Sickness", in which a mood-altering device causes Kim to fall in love with Ron. This episode ended up being quite popular, and that was all the writers needed. Then they made "So The Drama". And that's a whole other animal. Whereas the last movie was definetly made for TV, and felt more like an extended episode, this one could've been released theatrically. It's that good. The stakes were high, the charecters were given the epitomy of development, and the animation was superb. Everything that the show was was dialed up to 12 in this movie. It's that good. And, it finally did what the writers had been planning all along: it got Kim and Ron together. And it worked. Their progression was totally believable. Anyways, that was the show's finale, and it was everything we could want and more. Other highlights include "Rappin' Drakken", "Emotion Sickness", "Bad Boy" and "Dimension Twist". All in all, the content of the season at least was a great send-off, even if Disney did screw them over with the airing schedule.
Season 4
Psych, there really was another season. While only three had originally been planned, positive viewership and fans who would not be denied convinced Disney to give the show one more shot. Somehow, they managed to get almost everyone back (the Tweebs voice noticably changed, I swear it was the voice of Dash from "The Incredibles"), and start up again. But, there was one question on every nearly fan's mind: could they pull it off? Post-script seasons rarely work, and this one had a huge change with Kim and Ron being in a romantic relationship. However, I'm happy to say that they succeded. Yes, there were some major changes, but the core of the show was still the same and it still worked. The writers clearly cared about making sure that this season lived up to the standards of the past, and they succeded. Although I will say I think Kim's old uniform looked better than the new one. It was less flashy. But, Disney wanted to keep up with fashion I guess. Anyways, this season Definetly kept going strong. And then we had the finale. In "Graduation" Kim and Ron face what could possibly be the biggest threat they've ever tackled: a full-on alien invasion. Thankfully, the race had been introduced early in the season, so we knew who they were. And, surprisingly, it was really good. "So The Drama" may have been a little better, but everybody gave their all for this two-parter (the first in KP's history), and it shows. The only bad thing I have to say about it is why did they put Drakken and Shego together? Not only is that incredibly out of left field, it's just wrong for the charecters. The humor came from Shego's disdain for Drakken, and removing it was not a good choice. But, other than that, it was a solid ending and it left the show on a high note. Other highlights include "Odds Man In", "The Cupid Effect", "Stop Team Go", "Mathter and Fervant" (which as a plus, aired on my birthday) and "Grande Size Me".
Overall, this show was great. It had decent animation that got better as the show went on, great charecters, great humor, and just a great sense of fun. Really, it's hard to imagine someone not liking the show. I can't reccomend it strongly enough, it is one of the best animated shows I've ever seen, if not THE best. If you find it on youtube or somewhere else, give it a look. You won't be dissapointed.
Kim Possible
Yep. That one. For those of you that don't know, Kim Possible is a Disney cartoon (red flag, I know, but bear with me) about a high school cheerleader who saves the world from supervillians. Yes, you read that right. It is an action show, but it also relies heavily on humor that makes fun on secret agent and action movies. One of the high lights included an episode where Kim was forced to take her school rival on a mission, and the villian captured them and placed them in an obligatory over-the-top death trap. Naturally, the rival asks why the villian needs a conviluted trap when he could find an easier way to kill them. Both the villian and Kim look at her exasperatedly and shout "It's just the way it's done!" That was one of the shows greatest strengths; it knew it was rediculous, and it reveled in it.
Anyway, onto the charecters. Obviously, there's Kim (voiced by Christy Carlson Romano), your average crime-fighting teen. She's confident, capable, and always able to find a way to defeat the bad guys. However, she also deals with many of the same problems normal teens do, such as dating, school, and of course, friends. Enter Ron Stoppable (voiced by Will Fredle), who's practically Kim's polar opposite. What she stresses over, he shrugs off. What he stresses over . . . I don't think anyone does. He's also a bit of a geek which immediatly earns him points with me. Tying up the action trio is Rufas, Ron's pet naked mole rat. Yes, those are real animals, and no, they do not act anything like him. Rufas is simaler to Ron in many ways, but doesn't hesitate to point out when he has a differing oppinion on something. He also provides support to Ron when Kim is not, or simply not there to give it. Then there's the rest of the Possible family. Mr. Dr. Possible is a rocket scientist and Mrs. Dr. Possible is a brain surgeon. And yes, it gets weirder. Kim also has two ten-year-old twin brothers, Jim and Tim, also known as the "Tweebs" or twin dweebs. They're geniuses like their father, and occasionly help Kim with equipment. However, most of the time they're not needed, as she has a supergenius website manager and equipment creator, Wade, who is so smart he's already graduated college, and he's also ten. The supporting cast doesn't get much coverage, so when I start covering the seasons, they'll probably be in the background. Anyways, we've covered the heroes, now let's move on to the villians.
The most recurring villian of the show is Doctor Drakken. He's a mad scientist with blue skin (don't ask, I don't know) who wants to take over the world. And no, I'm not bother with the meme. He has a sidekick named Shego, who can create harmful energy bursts around her hands. When she's not busy fighting Kim, she's mocking Drakken's ineptitude. However, Kim does have a larger rouges gallery than just these two. There's also Monkey Fist, who has bio-engineered hands and feet so that he's part monkey, and he seeks ultimate mystic monkey power. Then there's Senor Senior Sr. (voiced by the late Ricardo Montalban) and his son, Senor Senior Jr. , European millionaires who want to take over the world (in Sr.'s case) because they have nothing better to do with their free time. In addition, there's Professor Dementor, a more competent Drakken, and finally, Duff Killigan, the "world's deadliest golfer". Yeah, it's a lot to take in, but thankfully most of the episodes focus on one villian at a time. Now, moving onto the seasons!
Season 1
Well, what can I say? This one started the show and set up the basic premise. Admittedly it was kind of weak compared to later on, but it is still really good, and at some times it really shined. Other than that, it also set up plot threads that would be important later on, like Ron gaining mystical monkey powers. Highlights from the season include "Bueno Nacho", "Tick-Tick-Tick" (the first episode, chronalogically), "Monkey Fist Strikes", and "Attack of the Killer Bebes".
Season 2
This is the season that really made the show. While they had an idea of where they were going in Season 1, Season 2 is where they found their path and stuck to it. Good thing too, because this season is a whopper. It clocks out at 28 episodes long, 31 if you count the tv movie, "A Sitch in Time". I'll cover that breifly, because while it was their first movie, it wasn't really important to the show. It was a lot of fun, and very clever. Michael Dorn was a phenomanal casting choice, and the fact that we got to see several of the villians teaming up did try to give the feeling that this was a threat worthy of feature length coverage. The very ending is kind of meh, but I guess it's all right. Anyways, this season continues on the arcs started in the last season, and expands upon them. Ron's status as a warrior with mystic monkey power shows up again when he's breifly transfered to a secret ninja school. The season also starts to develop Kim and Ron's relationship, giving little hints that they might become a couple later on. This is shown most prominantly in "A Sitch in Time" when Ron moves to Norway, and both of them have to figure out how to move on with their lives. However, it doesn't really develop too much here, it's more like little hints at things to come. Highlights include "Exchange", "The Fearless Ferret" (which had a great guest appearance by Adam West and a nice nod to Will Fredle's role as Terry McGinnis in Batman Beyond), "The Golden Years", "A Very Possible Christmas" (even after the Doctor Who christmas specials, it's still the weirdest one I've ever seen), "Oh Boyz" and "Go Team Go" (which had some nice reveals on Shego's past). Overall, this season was very good, and set things up great for the show's final year. But they didn't count on Disney's interference.
Season 3
This season got a little weird. Whereas the last one had aroung thirty episodes, this one only had about fourteen. Add to that the fact that it took them two years to air all the episodes, and the finale aired before most of the season had finished, and you had a bit of a mess behind the scenes. However, let's tak a look the season itself. The best description I've heard given to it is short but sweet. It has plenty of great and few good episodes, and none of them were unentertaining. One of the biggest things they writers did in this season was push forward the idea that Kim and Ron were going to begin dating. It was clear right from the first episode that they were growing closer, and all throughout the season it kep happening. There was even a joke in one of the episodes about a show that would "end" if the two main charecters got together, a feeling much of the fanbase shared with the real show. At least, until "Emotion Sickness", in which a mood-altering device causes Kim to fall in love with Ron. This episode ended up being quite popular, and that was all the writers needed. Then they made "So The Drama". And that's a whole other animal. Whereas the last movie was definetly made for TV, and felt more like an extended episode, this one could've been released theatrically. It's that good. The stakes were high, the charecters were given the epitomy of development, and the animation was superb. Everything that the show was was dialed up to 12 in this movie. It's that good. And, it finally did what the writers had been planning all along: it got Kim and Ron together. And it worked. Their progression was totally believable. Anyways, that was the show's finale, and it was everything we could want and more. Other highlights include "Rappin' Drakken", "Emotion Sickness", "Bad Boy" and "Dimension Twist". All in all, the content of the season at least was a great send-off, even if Disney did screw them over with the airing schedule.
Season 4
Psych, there really was another season. While only three had originally been planned, positive viewership and fans who would not be denied convinced Disney to give the show one more shot. Somehow, they managed to get almost everyone back (the Tweebs voice noticably changed, I swear it was the voice of Dash from "The Incredibles"), and start up again. But, there was one question on every nearly fan's mind: could they pull it off? Post-script seasons rarely work, and this one had a huge change with Kim and Ron being in a romantic relationship. However, I'm happy to say that they succeded. Yes, there were some major changes, but the core of the show was still the same and it still worked. The writers clearly cared about making sure that this season lived up to the standards of the past, and they succeded. Although I will say I think Kim's old uniform looked better than the new one. It was less flashy. But, Disney wanted to keep up with fashion I guess. Anyways, this season Definetly kept going strong. And then we had the finale. In "Graduation" Kim and Ron face what could possibly be the biggest threat they've ever tackled: a full-on alien invasion. Thankfully, the race had been introduced early in the season, so we knew who they were. And, surprisingly, it was really good. "So The Drama" may have been a little better, but everybody gave their all for this two-parter (the first in KP's history), and it shows. The only bad thing I have to say about it is why did they put Drakken and Shego together? Not only is that incredibly out of left field, it's just wrong for the charecters. The humor came from Shego's disdain for Drakken, and removing it was not a good choice. But, other than that, it was a solid ending and it left the show on a high note. Other highlights include "Odds Man In", "The Cupid Effect", "Stop Team Go", "Mathter and Fervant" (which as a plus, aired on my birthday) and "Grande Size Me".
Overall, this show was great. It had decent animation that got better as the show went on, great charecters, great humor, and just a great sense of fun. Really, it's hard to imagine someone not liking the show. I can't reccomend it strongly enough, it is one of the best animated shows I've ever seen, if not THE best. If you find it on youtube or somewhere else, give it a look. You won't be dissapointed.
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