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Doctor Who: Blink (2007)
Blink and you'll miss the best Doctor Who episode ever
"Don't blink. Blink and you're dead. Don't turn your back, don't look away and DON'T Blink. Good luck." Every since those were were uttered by The Doctor and accompanied with the creepy scenes on the preview, a lot of anticipation has been built up for the episode. It's also got a lot to live up to, especially with it following the two best Doctor who episodes since its re-incarnation (and to be honest Human Nature, and Family of Blood probably rank among the best Doctor Who episodes ever).
Now before I go on, I have to say that I might spill a few spoilers into the review. If you don't mind, go right ahead and read. If you DO mind however, just skip to the bottom to read the final verdict on the episode.
So anyway, the story follows a young woman going by the name of Sally Sparrow. Cute girl (VERY Cute - guys, you'll like her), but still very smart and quite the sleuth. After taking some pictures of an old house, she finds a message hidden behind some wallpaper directed at her. Thus begins her detective story.
This is an episode where the Doctor appears very little, much like last season's Love and Monsters. That episode split many Doctor Who fans over whether it was good or not, but personally I enjoyed the departure in narrative style (even if the comedy element was a little rough at times). Blink, on the other hand, isn't as unconventional as that episode and, although has the Doctor rarely in it, is still as compelling as any other episode with the main guy jumping around. Despite the fact that the Doctor isn't in it a lot in person, he appears throughout the story, giving hints to our new protagonist in the way of cryptic clues, all brilliantly thought out to help push the narrative forward, and not just seem like pointless exposition.
The monsters themselves are... Well, they're pretty damn scary. However, it's not the look that's scary (although they do look quite creepy), but rather the context the story puts them in. They are statues, but you can not see them move. I've probably given too much away already, but rest assured, when the statues "move" next to some of the characters, you'll either jump, scream or get the chills. Trust me, you'll never want to walk through another graveyard again.
All of the performances in the episode were superb, on par with the almost flawless acting of the previous episode. Carey Mulligan (gorgeous girl) has to be given special mention though for her role as Sally Sparrow. Despite only appearing in one episode, two days after it's aired she already has legions of new admirers. Her acting has been praised and her Doctor Who popularity rocketed so much, that several Internet groups have already said that they would love to see her return as a new assistant/companion, or at least in a future episode. If the writers do decide to do this, I would wait at least until some time later next season. Martha has shown herself to be a great companion (especially so in the previous two episodes), so to kick her off after one series would be a tragic shame.
So is this the best Doctor Who episode yet? Possibly. Is it the scariest. Definitely, by far. The Doctor and Martha do makes some quick appearances in person, but this is an episode about The Doctor helping from elsewhere. I love this episode. Utopia has a lot of work ahead of it to meet the standards of the last three beautifully crafted episodes.
Verdict: *****/*****
A FANTASTIC episode. Possible the only faults are the fear factor (which is very high for a family show), and the fact it is a "Doctor-lite" episode.
RoboCop (1987)
One of the best piece of satirical Science Fiction, ever
I first watched RoboCop at a very young age. At the time, I loved it, because of the fact that RoboCop was just a cool robot who completely wiped out the bad guys.
Now I watch it, and see the other side that makes this such a masterpiece - the satire.
The film is basically a mouthpiece for the criticisms of privatisation in the 1980s, and how it would lead to the problems of the future. Many of the news reports and the adverts are done so well, as both a piece of satire and in their creation, that you can't help but commend them.
One thing that has horrified many people since the film's release, is the amount of violence in the film. The body count is very high, and the film contains some of the most disturbing scenes in film history - I could never watch killing of Murphy at the start, nor the part where one of the characters is covered in toxic waste.
In essence, RoboCop is a film that MUST be seen. The satire, violence, comedy, and unique character of RoboCop make this a film that will last for a long time.
Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation (2004)
Loses the satirical edge for a weak story
One of the reasons that Starship Troopers was perhaps at least a half-decent film, was because of the social satire that is clearly evident in some of Paul Verhoeven films. RoboCop had it, hell, even Total Recall included it. The idea that the American world would become a somewhat fascist state, fuelled by the needed for people to prove themselves to earn "citizenship".
This is where The second film falls down. Excluding the initial "advert" that is somewhat similar to the original film's style, and the last one that shows the ideals of martyrdom, there is basically none of the satire that was clearly evident in the first film.
Instead, the film takes a more action-horror role than before. This is really its own death wish, as it simply make the bugs "the enemy". In the original film, despite the fact you somewhat warmed more towards the humans, you did question the reason as to why the bugs were attacking, and why the humans were probably the antagonisers in this war. Instead, the bugs are shown as any other "evil" villain in film history.
Perhaps the only real redeeming part of the film, is Richard Burgi's acting as the convicted veteran captain "Dax". His acting stands out more than the others, not just because it seems to be of a higher class, but because he seems more convincing in his role than most of the others.
In summary, poor acting, a dire story, and lack of satire let this movie down a lot. If you want a no-brainer movie, then it's not too bad to watch, but it certainly isn't one you'd miss if you never saw it.
Metal Gear Solid (1998)
The pinnacle of the PlayStation
Metal Gear Solid was released in 1999 in the UK, and was given it for my birthday. At the time, I was only about 11, and was drawn into buying the game, mainly due to the review in Official PlayStation Magazine. However, I had played the demo, and thought it was quite fun, but I didn't realised how brilliant this game was.
Even at the time, I was dazzled by how brilliant the game was. Every single part of the game was crafted with such precision, and care that you couldn't help but feel somewhat overwhelmed. Few games at the time would ever have given second thought to cinematic direction, and the emotive nature of the characters.
The game stars Solid Snake, a retired mercenary, who has previously worked for a special forces unit known as "FOXHOUND". Ironically, some members of the unit have taken over a nuclear weapons disposal facility and are holding the world at ransom with a nuclear weapon. It's up to Snake to sort them out.
However, it's soon clear nothing is all as it seems, as he soon finds out about a new "Metal Gear" being developed - a Walking battle tank, that is capable of deploying Nuclear warheads from anywhere on the face of the planet.
Many people refer to Metal Gear Solid as "The Best PlayStation game Ever". I would have to agree with this statement. The game is like nothing else you can ever experience on the PlayStation. To describe how Metal Gear Solid plays, is somewhat a difficult thing to do. It's a stealth game that's as cinematic as a Hollywood action movie, but involves the audience beyond the confines of gaming by breaking the "4th wall". That would be my explanation.
And that's just what makes Metal Gear Solid a masterpiece. It does things that games have never dared to do before, or takes things that have been done and takes them that step further. Innovation is evident as you play the game, from the use of codes on the back of game boxes, to fighting a psychic from a different controller port. Nothing is ever quite as it seems in the game.
Cinematic would be another way to describe this game. In fact, as many people have said, it IS basically a playable action movie. This IS down to the fact that there are A lot of cut-scenes to skip through, but this is never something advised to get the full experience. The games story is so intricately woven throughout each of these, and the characters are fleshed out so well, that every time one dies, you feel the emotion, and every time Snake defeats one of them, you gain a great sense of achievement in your victory. The story is so well written, you will literally gasp in shock when plot twists are revealed and certain characters are shown to be something else...
Nowadays, Solid Snake has become bigger than the game in the West, thanks to his voice actor David Hayter, and the way his character is portrayed throughout the game. He is, simply put, the pinnacle of a "cool" character for many people. For the game's sequels, this may have had a negative effect, but it just goes to show how Metal Gear Solid had created somewhat that was beyond intentions.
And come on. Name another game that you've played in which hiding in a cardboard box could ever be so fun?
Pulp Fiction (1994)
A special FIlm, or just over-rated?
In truth a lot of people might watch Pulp Fiction and wonder what the fuss is all about. At its core, it is a violent, blood-filled film with characters from a side of society that many of the viewers wold probably not get involved in, and most of whom take drugs. On this level, it is not even a good film.
However, what makes Pulp Fiction so good, is its crude humour, use of the social stigmas, and non-linear, multi-strand narrative.
If you think about it, very few films are willing to "glamourize" hit men, drugs, gimps, and violence. Pulp Fiction uses each so many different taboos to mock society, and people in general, that you can't help but admire the script writing and the directing that has gone into the film.
Pulp Fiction means something written poorly. There's you first start for comedy - The film is one of the best written to date.
Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
A poor sequel, both as a movie and as a video game movie
As an action movie, Resident Evil: Apocalypse serves quite well. There's plenty of it throughout. However, Resident Evil is NOT an action game - it's a survival horror. In this respect, the film has already started to dig its grave. The question is, will it lie in it? The many references that there are in the film, will make fans both smile and scream out in anger and disgust at how the film was written and filmed.
The inclusion of the popular heroine from the series, Jill Valentine, and her co-star in Resident Evil 3, Carlos (and his band of minion soldiers), and the fan-favourite (or feared) monster Nemesis, was a nice touch. It let people who had played the game see the movie, as if it was an alternate time-line. Of course, this is a double-edged sword.
The inclusion of various characters doesn't add to the story what-so-ever. They may as well have just been ordinary citizens of Raccoon City. The only reason they appear to have been put in the film, is to please fans as eye-candy... Nothing else. Jill was part of a group of S.T.A.R.S. members who actually found out about the incident in the first Resident Evil game. Nemesis was brought in to eliminate those specific S.T.A.R.S. members. This is all very well and good, but Nemesis' reason for eliminating S.T.A.R.S. members, other than that he's being controlled to do so, doesn't make sense. They're the elite of the Raccoon Police Department... So what? Who gives a flying monkeys! Tell me WHY they're being killed, not what they are! Don't imply it, TELL the audience.
This brings me to the fact that references to the games seem out of place, or wrong. Many fans will be annoyed that Dr. Ashford was used as one of the creators of the T-virus, when he clearly wasn't in the games. As I said above, the reason for Nemsis' killings and his inclusion of the game, is minimal, and convoluted at that. Fans who know even the most minimal details of the Resident Evil/Biohazard series will be twitching with these "incorrect" details. Especially S.T.A.R.S. been quoted as "Special Tactics and Rescue Squad" (Where it should be service).
Finally, the camera. It moves too much. Sometimes in the action sequences, you don't know if you're watching a horror movie, or "The Matrix". It fails to deliver suspense, because of this continuous switching between the angles.
Overall, the films is below average for me. It has too many unanswered questions, and many tings in the movie seem to assume that you know everything. Fans of the game - unless you are willing to throw all that you know out of the window and bite your tongue, avoid watching the movie.
Batman Forever (1995)
Underrated, yet not fulfilling...
Confused? Well heres my opinion: Batman Forever is, overall, not a bad film. In a sense, it was necessary to the Batman movie saga since Robin HAD to be introduced at some point.
The acting isn't too bad, although sometimes Val Kilmer's attempt at Bruce Wayne seems kind of wooden. Still, he does make a reasonably good Batman AND Bruce Wayne, much better than Michael Keaton.
Perhaps one of the problems people have had with the film, is that it is far to camp. That can be true - Jim Carrey's interpretation of The Riddler, is certainly an example of this.
The film's "camp" style is not overwhelming, however, as it was in Batmanand Robin. There still is something very Gothic, dark, and 50s about the portrayed Gotham city, and that is what the film's main redeeming point is.
Overall, it's a film that's watchable. However, if you're a fan of Burton's take on Batman, don't watch it.
Metal Gear Ac!d (2004)
A worthy addition to the Metal Gear franchise
As a huge Metal Gear fan, no matter what anyone says, I'll always be there to obtain a new Metal Gear game when it comes out. This was certainly the case when I pre-ordered Metal Gear Ac!d along with my PSP for the European release of the PSP. Despite reading other peoples' problems with the game I still bought it. Was I disappointed? Not in the slightest...
Metal Gear Ac!d is a departure for the series, yet still remains true to its roots. What has changed most notably, is the fact that it is no longer an "action/adventure" game, but is now in fact, a Strategy RPG. Indeed, a lot of people will disagree with me, and some people who've never played the game, will simply dismiss MGA as a "card game. It is true that Metal Gear Ac!d certainly uses cards, but their use is nothing like playing Yu-Gi-Oh, or the Pokemon trading card game for GBC. No, in fact it plays quite a bit like one of my favourite games, Front Mission 3, albeit with cards.
So that's where the game departs, but how does it stay true to "Metal Gear". Well, for a start, the game is STILL a stealth game. The main objective is still to sneak past an enemy and reach objectives, but this time you're in the realm of turn-based-strategy. This is perhaps a good thing, as it does give you a bit more freedom in terms of what you can see, and makes you think much more strategically.
The other thing that the game still retains, is its story-telling. Much like previous Metal Gear titles, the game has plenty of cut-scenes. They come under 2 categories - in-game, and pictures. The in-game ones are quite basic really, with nothing extreme happening that would grab you as if it were a Hollywood movie. They do their job. However, the sequences that show other parts of the story are quite beautiful. Seemingly hand-drawn stills are accompanied by text to tell a thrilling story that has plenty of twists and turn to keep you amused. To summarise quickly, Solid Snake is called out of retirement, and has to find out information about "Pythagoras". You can guess how it goes from there, but split personality makes the game much more interesting (if a little out of character for the person in question)
Characters are also weird and wonderful, ranging from an over-sized soldier with a huge gun, to a Psychic working for the CIA, and even 2 killer puppets!
In the end, Metal Gear Ac!d will probably only be fully appreciated by hardcore Metal Gear fans. Its attempt to reach the Japanese market, by adding a strategy element to it, is commendable, despite its double-bladed nature. Still, that doesn't stop Metal Gear Ac!d from being a game that is thoroughly enjoyable.
The Batman (2004)
1st Season was average. 2nd Season redeems it...
First of all, let me say it. I like the show. I know there are purists out there who think the only Batman is TAS Batman, and I'll honestly say I loved that series. However "The Batman" does well what it was intended to do.
In all essence, WB have done to Batman, what Marvel have done to their franchises - Restarted it from scratch. Specifically, I'd say it's similar to "Ultimate Spider-Man", in that they've used the original story as a base, but gone down a different path.
The 1st Season was really just developing the characters. It wasn't as dark as TAS, but then again, I don't think that it was meant to be. It definitely took a darker turn in Season 2, and the story lines definitely improved overall.
Possibly one of the biggest gripes with the series for me, is that it took a long time to introduce Commissioner Gordon. According to what I've read, Batgirl therefore appears early (Season 3 hasn't aired in the UK). Whether this is a good idea, skipping Robin completely, I don't know. I can only wait and see.
Conclusively, "The Batman" is a good show. You can't compare TAS and this, because they're aimed at completely different audiences, and times.
Guyver: Dark Hero (1994)
For a B-movie, it does quite well
Just as a note, this is a review based on the edited PAL DVD release.
Seriously, people aren't going to expect much from this. It's a B-movie, with unknown actors based on a cool, but average-in-popularity anime.
Let's get this point out of the way first. It's not a brilliant movie. It's a low-budget movie, with some seriously bad acting (David Hayter seems to have about 4 facial expressions in the movie). So why do I find it so appealing.
Admittedly, I bought this movie on the basis that it starred David Hayter. As a fan of him as Solid Snake, and his writing on the X-Men movies, I couldn't help but get it. It's true he's a better voice actor than actor, but I still enjoyed the movie.
Why did I enjoy it? Well it's just a fun movie. Though a lot of it is actually quite cheesy, especially the dialogue, there's nothing like a good old sci-fi movie with martial arts.
People can't deny that some of the fighting in the movie is quite cool. However the DVD I had lost about 10 - 15 minutes from the original film, so some of the better fight scenes and gore was removed.
That's what probably did the worst for the movie. For a B-movie, it was great, but since the DVD lost a huge amount, I didn't get the full story... Nor did the story seem to make any sense. Despite that shortcoming, enough was there to give you the basics.
Conclusively, the score may suggest the movie is only average, and it is to some extent, but really, it's just a movie full of fun.
'Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty' - Making of the Hollywood Game (2002)
An excellent documentary of Metal Gear Solid 2
I remember putting the DVD with this on, into my PS2 as soon as I had finished completing Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, back in 2002 (when it was released in PAL regions). All I can say is that it is one of the most comprehensive DVDs out! The DVD contains a load of trailers, both from the MGS series and from other games from Konami, as well as a link to the web, profiles of the development team and much more! But this is supposed to be about the actual documentary isn't it? OK... Well the documentary covers a wide variety of things - How they came up with the characters, the game's comparison to Hollywood movies, the difference between creating MGS and MGS2, the list goes on.
It's quite extensive and detailed, with a lot of interesting interviews and comments by most of the staff, especially from Hideo Kojima.
Probably one of the best parts is the credits, during which you can see them messing about, and also the "comedy" credits for the characters in MGS2.
All-in-All, I'm glad I live in the UK. This DVD is brilliant, and fans of Metal Gear should go and try to watch it - They'll find it very interesting indeed.
The Transporter (2002)
A brilliant Action Movie
OK... I don't care what other people say, I think this movie is one of the best action movies around.
Why?
Well for starters, the film has plenty of action sequences. "So what?" I hear say. Well the difference is between the ones in this movie, and others, is the fact that they are far more "stylized". By that, I mean the fighting action is like a mixture of Hong Kong Kung Fu action, and the kind of action that you would normally find in an action movie. It's John Woo for the West!
The second is probably far more important: Realism. OK, I can agree that the movie's plot is a bit far-fetched, and this does make the movie seem unrealistic, but it's the small things that make this movie stand out. Take the shooting scenes for example - We see the bullets (Albeit in tracer form). How many movies can you see the bullets in? This adds to the realism of the movie and the tension. Also, when Frank Martin is chasing after the lorry, he's not in a cool looking car or one that can go at over 150 MPH... No! He's in a rubbishy, small MANUAL car. Yes, MANUAL. Unlike most movies where every single car seems to be automatic transmission, we can actually see gear changes! OK, the last point may seem trivial, but it's that along with the fact Frank Martin uses another guy's breath to breathe underwater, and uses the pedals on a bike to stand up in slippery oil, that make the film stand out, showing that the main character is not just muscles and testosterone... He actually THINKS.
Overall, the movies rocks. Jason Statham is a credit to us... The British.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004)
Without a doubt, the best game in the series
As an avid Metal Gear fan, I followed the progress of Snake Eater since its first announcement at E3 2003. Any information about it, I grabbed eagerly. Was it worth it? The game itself takes a huge step away from the other games in the series, by forcing you to survive in a jungle. You're not dropped outside of a base and told to infiltrate, instead, you have to search for food, as well as evade guards and fight the odd boss here and there.
Graphcially, the game stands out amongst many other games on the PlayStation 2, with realistic backdrops, that simply ooze life from every crevice and rock.
Music in the game does not disappoint, since the main score was done by Harry Gregson-Williams as with the previous game. The main theme is definitely the best in the series.
Thought with little space to put a full review, This summary summarises by saying that Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, is definitely one of the best gaming experiences on any console. Cinematic, emotional, addictive... Big Boss, is the new hero...
Score - 10/10