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Reviews (3)
24 February 2013
An ambitious film that gets the blend right. Highly recommended purchase.
John Carpenter's 'The Thing' is a beautifully crafted horror movie that does well to focus on its strong narrative while finding time for its large cast of characters.
The acting across the board here is fantastic. The characters interact well and have their own unique identities and quips. They are individually given enough time on screen for you, as an audience member, to connect with and understand their motivations and actions.
One thing I particularly love about this horror is that it's less about jump scares and more about the psychological effects of the situation. Special effects are used sparingly, something to which the story fits. When they are used they are well made, especially for 1982, and captured well in the dim lighting.
Lighting is one of the more impressive aspects of this film. The majority of the film is dark, but the balance is perfectly met so that the special effects creatures do not appear to be too fake, yet nothing is left hard to see. This is a very under appreciated quality in this film in particular.
The score by Ennio Morricone perfectly encapsulates the cold, the growing tension and isolation of these characters. It is memorable and will have you "bom bom"-ing along as the film closes.
Overall, an ambitious project that was well managed and very well put together. A great blend of character development, the breakdown of trust and moments of sheer terror. I'd gladly recommend this movie to anybody as it is one of my favourites, and not just of horror films.
25 February 2013
If you haven't played it, buy it.
1 of 1 found this helpful Arguably the best entry to a large series. I personally favour Majora's Mask and A Link to the Past, but that doesn't say anything against this game.
Ocarina of Time is just fantastic. The story line is simplistic in nature with sophisticated plot twists and ideas. The game play is varied, with steadily increased difficulty as you progress through the several dungeons.
There are many items you can collect. Most of them change the dynamic of play and help to solve new puzzles, while some are weapons and magic that force you to mix up different styles of combat to deal with different enemies.
The developers have mastered the basics of what makes a game intriguing. The game's premise and design reflect this.
Fantastic 3D graphics for the time, especially considering this is the first 3D entry to the Zelda series. It's well handled and, unlike the games that entered the 3D scene with pre-rendered backgrounds, the 3D area modelling greatly impacts the way the game is played.
The soundtrack by Koji Kondo is iconic. There are so many memorable tunes from this game that will stick with you for years to come. Full marks.
I use the word 'masterpiece' extremely conservatively, but I have no trouble using it here. If you've never played this game I highly recommend it.
24 February 2013
Decent Sci-Fi adventure film, terrible Star Wars film.
This film has its ups and downs. The best way to sum it up would probably be, "Decent Sci-Fi adventure film, terrible Star Wars film".
It seems unfair in a stand-alone review to compare it to previous movies in the series but in this case I feel it's completely necessary.
The magic of the original trilogy lay with the characters. The likes of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Ben Kenobi and even C-3PO were all fantastic characters and easily described on a personal level. Now take the main character of The Phantom Menace, Qui Gon Jinn (though undecided if the intended lead role should have been Obi Wan). This is a character whose personality is very undefined and questionable, whose motives are equally questionable. At no point did I feel that his presence in the film was necessary and that it only took time away from a character that the audience already has an idea about by now - Obi Wan Kenobi. If anything, more time should have been devoted to the training of Kenobi, or more wise words from his master to reflect those moments with Ben or Yoda. It would have given more valuable insights into both Jinn and Kenobi's characters.
Instead, the film seems to revolve around confusing politics which, if followed or properly examined, present gaping plot holes that make the entire film's story arc seem nonsensical or even redundant. To avoid major spoilers the only thing I should ask is what were the motivations and intentions of Senator Palpatine?
Of course, no review of this film would be complete without mentioning Jar Jar Binks, but he's complained about a little too much. I don't find him unbearable, but his placement in this film seems rather odd, considering the film's more mature and political tone.
With regards to the moment highly anticipated by plastic lightsaber-wielding nerds across the globe, the final duel with Darth Maul... yes, great choreography. The fight is seamless and the martial arts displays by Ray Park are impressive. While these qualities are good, they also hinder the movie at this point. Why are these men fighting? Maul is considered the "antagonist" of the movie, yet never exchanges a word of dialogue with any of our heroes. The seamless choreography removes all emotion and tension from the duel. I appreciate that opinions are severely divided on this issue, but the only people who love these duels are the type to be dazzled by shiny, dangling objects.
The final act of the movie has four stories occurring at once, of which one of these includes the lightsaber duel. To me, the way they handled telling all 4 stories at once was disappointing, leading to jaunty transitions of emotional tones and a very confusing, anti-climactic finale.
However, a great quality to mention is, of course, the soundtrack by John Williams. This isn't a surprise and has come to be expected of Williams by now. Particular mention to a unique piece thus far in the series, 'Duel of the Fates' - a memorable addition to any Star Wars soundtrack collection. Nothing much else to say on the matter.
The special effects, while potentially too heavily relied on, were undoubtedly done well and the film does look spectacular.
Basically, if there weren't fantastic movies previous in the series I would enjoy this movie a lot more, but alas, it's a film intended to tie in and doesn't seem to fit.
I select "I would not recommend this product to a friend" simply because I would recommend Episode IV first. They would then probably see this regardless.