Review: Scooby-Doo: Wrestlemania Mystery

Did you ever wonder what would happen if you took the epic force that is Scooby-Doo and combine the pure entertainment power that is the WWE? I know the very thought has kept me up at night. Thank the wrestling Gods thatScooby-Doo! Wrestlemania Mystery is a thing! On the outskirt of WWE City (The home of everything WWE) the Miz is listening to head phones while jogging; down the road Kane appears. Shocked that Kane has returned The Miz avoids the confrontation with the Big Red Machine until a mysterious ghost bear appears and wreaks havoc.

Meanwhile, Shaggy and Scooby are playing a WWE video game. Scooby does so well that he unlocks the super secret ending that gives them passes to WWE City. The boys are stoked and convince the rest of the team to go. On the way to WWE city the van runs off the road in attempt to avoid a small wood land creature. But don’t fret because the trainer Cookie (former jaded Superstar) and his son Ruben (wants to be a superstar) are chaperoning Jon Cena on his late night run out side of the city (Even though there are a series of rampart ghost bear attacks).  Anyway, Shaggy and Scoob “mark out” for Cena and Mr. Thung-a-nomics gives them free passes to the wrestling show, while Daphne gets “Real Thirsty” for Cena.

At the show Mr. McMahon introduces the vacant World Championship belt. He tells the WWE Universe that there will be a new champion at Wrestlemania. Later as the group receives the nickel tour of WWE city the Championship belt disappears and it looks like Scooby is to blame! What? Not Scooby!

The sole reason that this movie was even made is an easy one. The WWE has a PG status that is more family friendly. It’s great for the company that is chasing a younger audience and needs more exposure. What’s better than having a father who grew up on SD and WWF/WWE pass it on to his younglings?  That’s another reason why Jon Cena is featured, other than being the face of the company; he’s kid friendly. As is Sin Cara, kids love the mask and superhero type of presentation that some Lucha can deliver.  Then there’s AJ Lee who has a slew of young female fans, The Miz who is actually a decent source of comedy relief, Brodus Clay and Santino are in for their catch phrase and dumb snake gimmick, Triple H for his facial hair…actually I have no idea why he made the cut, my guess is it’s for his kids to see him, Kane as the brooding imitation factor, Michael Cole on color so kids can hate him too and of course Mr. McMahon for the clout.

As for the animation, it’s well done. The wrestles resemble their real life counter parts. There are sprinkles of CGI here and there but nothing too out of control. It’s mostly used to enhance the action scenes. There is also select music from a few superstars’ entrance themes that add to the experience and spice up montages.  The voice acting does its job and believe it or not Jon Cena and The Miz actually do a good job. There are flares of their personality that actually sneak out.

For the gang, I was really taken back how worthless everyone was. Fred said maybe ten things, Velma did her part in kicking the knowledge, but Daphne was really out of control. She was dick riddin’ SO hard it was sad. I was very embarrassed for Fred. He needs to put her in check on the hurry.

Overall there is some enjoyment to be had with Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery for the kids. I will say it leans more to the WWE fan due to the fact that it is drenched in WWE everything. In past Scooby-Doo adventures, things would take place in exotic locations with the guest stars in tow. But I guess it all depends on what you take from it. It worked for me because I’m that wrestling fan demo graphic.  Regardless you shouldn’t over-analyze the self-aware humor or the small continuity flubs. If you look beyond all of that then you might have a good time.

Score: 3/5

Director: Brandon Vietti Writer: Michael Ryan Studio: Warner Bros. Animation Release Date: 3/25/14

Review: The Raid 2

It’s clear from the opening scene of The Raid 2 that the film has every intention of surpassing its processor by delivering beautiful cinematics, memorable character and a story full of life. It goes on to show its next evolution of gunplay and cinematic martial arts which also contributes to The Raid 2 following a natural and wonderful evolution from the original Raid. The story picks up just after the events of the first film and while that doesn’t seem possible, it is and it makes sense with the story. Rama and his surviving officers turn to another police unit to essentially protect them and cover up their involvement with the events of the first film. Rama is asked to join the group and go undercover which he declines… that is until his family is affected by a new mobster Bejo.

Rama goes undercover, but the catch is that he will need to get there by nefarious deeds that can’t be faked. His goal while in prison is to get close to Uco, the son of the gangster Bangun. This isn’t too difficult of a task as Rama (now called Yuda) plays hard to get, but then prevents Uco from being killed during a massive prison riot orchestrated for the sole purpose of taking Uco’s life.

Months in prison turn into years as Yuda (Rama) is released and picked up by Uco who is excited to have him meet and work for his father. While his protection of Uco on the inside has earned him some good faith, Yuda must still play the role and go on collections with Yuda as an enforcer and prove himself.

The movie runs almost three hours, but unlike some epic fantasy films you won’t even notice. The reason being that it’s an action film offering you everything that’s great about the genre: story, characters, gunplay, ultra-violence and martial arts.

Writer, director and editor Gareth Evans delivers an incredible film. There is no aspect of this film that is unaccounted for. The cinematography is incredible and that doesn’t just apply to the way that the violence was filmed, but to the entire look of the film. The first film was restrained by budget and location, but with The Raid 2 the handcuffs are off. There is an incredible amount of wonderful looking shots. One of the opening scenes with Rama in prison has him sitting in a bathroom stall with an angry mob outside waiting to greet him. The camera begins with a focus on Rama and then spins up to a god-cam view to show Rama and the door that separates him from the mob. There were countless other scenes with brilliant camera rotations or textbook shots that were executed expertly.

Another aspect of Evans’ direction and his ability to create a memorable world is the characters. Some of them are just solid actors that deliver impressive performances, while others are memorable for other reasons. Characters like Baseball Bat Man, Hammer Girl, The Assassin (Cecep Arif Rahman) and Bejo stand out because of their design or presence. Bejo has a trademark look of a black jacket, cane, black gloves and sunglasses. He’s never out of this look; his sunglasses are never taken off and because of that you remember him no matter what. In the case of Baseball Bat Man, he’s memorable because of his actions. Hitting a baseball so hard that it kills a man or becomes embedded in a wall is enough to remember him, but then Evans added in the extra personality trait of asking for his ball back from his intended target. As you can imagine aspects like this make every character that has a role in the film is memorable.

Martial Arts films have largely been on the decline with a few exceptions popping up and beginning to fill the void left by the likes of Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Iko Uwais who plays Rama, has the potential to be a huge martial arts star if he continues to take roles like The Raid and The Raid 2. The main reason being that he can act, but when the time comes to throw down he can do that as well. For the most part he’s back with his formidable pencak silat style, but the fight scenes are larger and more incredible.

While the violence and choreography on the scenes is fantastic, it’s actually the final martial arts scene that is the most spectacular. Uwais’ battle with Cecep Arif Rahman is stunning, but more so it shows that wires aren’t a substitute for real skill. To give a strange example it reminded me of Jackie Chan’s Young Master in which Chan asked a talented martial artist to be in the film because he wanted to fight him and produce an incredible scene. To this day I use that scene as the bench mark for fight scenes and Uwais and Rahman’s scene surpasses that mark.

One of the impressive things about the first film was its mixture of gunplay with martial arts and the Raid 2 is no slouch in this department either. Film in general has embraced a realistic view towards guns when it comes to bullet count. No more are the days of John Woo and the infinite ammo supply. Guns don’t dominate the movie, but Evans finds plenty of unique uses for them that make for stunning ultra-violent scenes.

To talk about the gunplay is to bring up the sound. In that regard the sound engineer is much like the letterer of a comic book in which they’re an unsung hero. The reason for noting it here is because there’s a huge focus on the sound in the film. At times it’s the lack of sound, but other times it’s the intensity of the gunshots and the ambience that it creates that makes the film immersive.

In some ways The Raid 2 represents what can be created when you give a competent creator the control and budget to produce their vision. Granted that’s not always the case, but with Gareth Evans it most certainly is. There is too much to take away from this film; from the storytelling, the action, the cinematography; it’s the complete package. It’s rare that sequel surpasses the original and even rarer when it’s one person responsible for the writing, directing and editing, but Evans has done just that. Even though this is a sequel, Evans has managed to create a film that can be watched, enjoyed and understood on its own; and that is what a true sequel should be… its own film.

Score: 5/5

Writer/Director/Editor: Gareth Evans Distributor: Sony Picture Classics Release Date: 3/28/14

Review: RoboCop (2014)

Written by Guest Contributor: Jefferey Pinkos This is late in coming. Sorry, I’m new.

RoboCop 2014 isn’t RoboCop 1987.  That merits some mention.  José Padilha’s remake sidesteps the messiness of Paul Verhoeven’s original, the sneering tone and the giddy violence.  The original confronts audiences with the beastly dehumanizing effects of Reagan-era law and order and the rule of private industry.  The remake is, or tries to be, a serious and emotional meditation on drone warfare and prostheses.  Trouble is Verhoeven’s messiness gave his RoboCop a heart, and Padilha’s own messiness takes away from the points he tries to make.

RoboCop 2014 changes focus from the original, which employed Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) as the main source of action with the occasional diversion.  Here, RoboCop 2014 introduces a set of previously unseen characters, the creative team behind RoboCop which includes CEO Michael Keaton, the sensitive prosthetics guy Gary Oldman, and a bunch of hangers on that don’t warrant mention (including you, Jay Baruchel; jk jk we’re good).  RoboCop gives OmniCorp executive class equal time to Joel Kinnaman’s workable performances as Alex Murphy badass cop / Alex Murphy badass RoboCop.  They explain situations.  They explain that, oh, his emotions.  They explain that, puts some sedatives here, damn it.  Their scenes explain what’s going on with Alex Murphy while nodding to their overriding concern, that if this fucks up they will have less money.  These scenes are fairly economical as plot delivery devices.

Because Padilha pushes Murphy’s story to the side, or thinking it required some sort of bionic exposition suit, what he gives us is scraps of stories.  Cops are gun-running.  The mob guy orders a hit.  Dude blows up.  He gets revenge in, like, ten minutes, like it was nothing, like it was going to the Starbuck and picking up a quad-pump espresso.  It was that simple.  That story is negligible to the story Padilha wants to tell; just a means to an end.  What he cares about is family drama.  We get a dozen scenes of weepy family stuff (who seem to only exist to give the dude pathos; that said it is the greatest gift a family can provide).  We get a banality of evil story in the OmniCorp exposition group, that shoots to a climax with Michael Keaton on a rooftop, with a gun trained on Murphy’s stupid pathos family, that feels unearned.

Is he evil because he’s ruthless?  Is it the notion of self-interested, ambitious Tea Party jag off Randians are just dicks?  That could reason out why Sam Jackson’s conservative scenes exist in the first place.  But no, there’s no cohesion.  Alex Murphy is a knight treated like a pawn, not just by OmniCorp, but also by Padilha’s treatment.

Someone online noted that Padilha’s thesis statement for RoboCop 2014 is a early, plot-less scene where Gary Oldman the prosthetist watches on as a patient with a new bionic hand plays the guitar beautifully before inevitable fumbling.  The patient’s emotions are conflicting with the bionics, and he needs the emotions to play.  It is a frustrating limbo he exists in.  Murphy undergoes the same procedure for his entire body.  The dialectic between life and artifice.  The beauty and terror of being human.  It’s a shame that story wasn’t told.

Again, sorry, this is late coming in.  Either you’ve seen it, or you won’t.  If you have, yeah, sorry.  If you haven’t, continue doing that.

Score: 2/5

Director: José Padilha Writer: Joshua Zetumer Studio: Sony Pictures Release Date: 2/14/14

Review: Unidentified

Unidentified falls into the found footage film category. Its budget is significantly lower than other films that have blazed the same path like Cloverfield or Chronicle. To be clear I have nothing against found footage films; yes the camera shakes and that can be annoying and even headache inducing, but for the most part Unidentified manages as well as the any other film that’s tackled the genre. The main thing that Unidentified does is show that regardless of the budget the film, the quality ends up about the same. Sure there might be more mayhem and destruction in the previous two films I mentioned, but all three films manage to hit the same story beats and generally have the same problems with their narrative. The narrative is uninteresting. We spend the bulk of the movie hanging out and humanizing the characters when we’re all just there for the third act.

The majority of the opening is spent with the character Jodie who is the instigator of the filming for this film. He’s a fan of superheroes and that’s to say that he’s not a comic book fan, but a fan of comic book characters i.e. superheroes. We spend far too long with him as he sets the stage for the camera’s relevance in the story as he opens his own YouTube channel.

We quickly learn that he’s going on a trip to Vegas with his boss, brother in-law and a co-worker. This is after he records two more short videos while his boss hammers on the horn in his drive way. I believe this is there to illustrate that Jodie has no consideration for anyone else’s time and to pretty much burn away all sympathy for his character as he takes a road trip with three people whose feelings for him range from dislike to utter apathy. Jodie is the naïve, annoying character that’s picked on by the people forced to tolerate him because he’s annoying. You’ll want to feel sorry for him at times, but then he’ll do something particularly annoying and you’ll no longer feel sorrow for him. The only time he’s not acting like a hyperactive child is when he has an encounter with an object in the desert, but we’ll get to that.

With a title like Unidentified you’d assume that the film is not only dealing with alien’s, but that it will be spending a great deal of time dealing with those aliens. Unfortunately only the former of the two is true. The first two acts of the film are spent picking up the characters, driving and some really boring Vegas stuff. There’s a scene in an abandoned neighborhood that’s particularly pointless and in several ways breaks the plot of the third act of the movie.

The third act that actually deals with aliens and such is not intense and basically ends up being four men wandering the desert. The three men that were once annoyed with Jodie are now his protectors and the shift is too hard to believe.

The acting isn’t terrible, but at times it feels as if the characters are improving their dialogue and if they’re not then the dialogue needed more work. Part of you while watching the film will think this is just The Hangover with four people and aliens and maybe that was the intention, but it does not succeed. The primary reason being that none of the actors have any chemistry with each other; they instead come across as four strangers that meet and filmed a movie. It’s even more apparent during the cliché angry wife and cliché idiot husband scene which spills out into a scene with awkward fake sister and awkward fake brother. In total, four out of the five characters we spend time with are related by blood or marriage and none of that feels genuine.

The film suffers from pacing problems. As I mentioned in the beginning it’s no better or worse than big-budget films that have done the same genre, but that doesn’t make it any better either. There’s far too much build-up to get to the aliens and really everything that happens up to that point is mundane. It’s nothing that hasn’t been done before and the attempts at humor fall short because it’s found footage. By the time you get to the alien stuff it’s sadly too late to hold your interest, but what’s worse is that the film continues down the same uninteresting path it started on.

The other problem with the story is that there’s far too much focus on why the camera is there, why the camera is running and yet everyone looks into the camera every chance they get or worse yet they ignore it as if they were in a real movie. I understood that it was a found footage film from the first scene, but then the film explains why the camera is there not once, but two more times. You could even argue that there’s a third time, but that was more a break in the plot than anything else. Basically Jodie is the camera and though the camera passes hands, he’s still the camera and everyone takes a turn explaining why they’re responsible for him being on the trip.

Again, it’s not a bad film. The quality is actually very good, more than likely due to the leap in camera and editing technology. Its failure as a film is that it doesn’t try to do anything new. Everything here is something you’ve seen or experienced yourself (referring to the Vegas trip not aliens) which makes it dull to watch, but at least it’s viewable.

Score: 2/5

Writer/Director: Jason R. Miller Studio: Dark Sky Films Run Time: 89 Minutes Rating: Not Rated

Review: Justice League: War

I am going to bring to light two critical low points of this DC Animated feature at the very start of my review: one is Wonder Woman’s episode of having a near orgasmic experience tasting ice cream for the first time; the second is the countless repeat of  Superman met Batman. If you can understand the reason why I identified those two points in this film as low points, then you will understand my disappointment in this feature.

The story is based on the “New 52” reboot of the DC Comic Universe.  That means the characters that we have known all along are reintroduced in new ways.  Captain Marvel (who goes by the name “Shazam”) exudes electrical energy, which is pretty cool.  Superman, though, comes off as cold, distant, and arrogant.  Nothing in his character reflects the tragic nature of his past that would make him humble and, well, Super.  Billy Batson is a brat who steals, and that’s just so damned uncharacteristic that it hurts to watch.  The one saving grace was the inclusion of Cyborg in a larger role.  I enjoyed his role as a member of the JL, but I felt his presence was nothing more than a walking computer to offer exposition when needed.

Wonder Woman, the star of one of the best and most underrated DC Animated features, has been reduced to the one-dimensional brute man in a woman’s body role.  The aforementioned ice cream scene, as well as an opening event dealing with a gender-confused man protesting her presence, undermines the strength of the character from the onset.

Don’t expect the familiar voices that have become staples for viewing.  Kevin Conroy and Tim Daly, the two best reasons for watching DC Animated films, have been replaced by a lifeless Jason O’Mara and an uncharacteristically flat Alan Tudyk.  The saving grace is that the greatest voice director ever, Andrea Romano, manages to pull out decent performances.  And as a brief side note, my mind kept imposing Nathan Fillion voiceovers every time Green Lantern spoke.  While I understand the key actors aren’t always available, I feel that DC needs to stick with what works.  Make the sacrifice to keep the quintessential parts of the DC Universe (their voices, at least) in place.

Yes, great characters are assembled for this reboot of the DC Universe that, frankly, should not be rebooted.  Well-selected villains such as Darkseid, Desaad, and the Parademons offer challenge to our heroes.  However, Darkseid doesn’t carry any of the menace or threat he did in the gripping Superman/Batman: Apocalypse.  Here, Darkseid is more of a blunt instrument conqueror with none of the character or imposing presence to make him worth of the entire Justice League’s collected response.

The art does look good and mimics the anime styling introduced back in Batman: Gotham Knight.  Altered with the influences of the “New 52” character designs, the revised versions of Superman, Cyborg, Darkseid, and Wonder Woman look fine.  Characters like Flash and Green Lantern had little or no change.  So overall, the look of the film is not a distraction.

The story, though, offers nothing more than a platform to reintroduce the key members of the Justice League and provide them with a reason to assemble.  Okay, that’s a good vehicle, but it has been done ad nauseum.  The remainder of the story shifts focus between Batman, Shazam, and Cyborg.  The others are reduced to support functions, and the poor Flash just punches things fast.

I may be approaching this review with a hyper-critical eye.  The assortment of animated features from DC have been great to superior, and Marvel has yet to match even the most average DC Animated offering.  With such a rich history of work that dates back to Batman: The Animated Series, DC has established itself as a quality producer of animated work.  We hold them to high standards because they have made the standards high.

The close of the film ends with an attempt at humor that falls terribly flat.  When asked by the president what the newly formed group would call itself, Shazam says it will be the “Super Seven.”  Granted, this may be humor aimed at kids, but this isn’t a kids’ movie.  That’s evident by the violence (Darkseid gets his eyes gouged out) and the language.  Cyborg pulls a Bumblebee and drops the ‘S’ bomb.  I didn’t mind, but the language conflicted with the goofy, kid-level gaffes peppered throughout the movie.

While watchable, War falls short of the quality produce offered from DC.  I don’t feel let down like most Marvel animated features, but I feel that other source material deserves attention.  Please, DC, let Guillermo Del Toro do the “Justice League Dark” movie with all the supernatural characters.  It’s a great concept!

Score: 1/5

Director: Jay Olivia Writer: Heath Corson (based on Geoff Johns and Jim Lee’s Justice League Origin) Studio: WB Price: $15.99 Blu-Ray Release Date: 2/4/14

Review: Marvel Knights - Wolverine Versus Sabretooth

I’ve reviewed each of Shout Factory’s Marvel Knights animations and with each one I find myself saying the same thing over and over. The thing is I can’t judge the story because it’s a straight adaptation of the comic book. It’s basically just a motion comic done right and while it generally works, there’s usually a few rough spots. In the case of Wolverine Versus Sabretooth it’s the mixture of action and narration. You will be amazed by how much Wolverine narrates. It honestly becomes the most annoying thing about the story as writer Jeph Loeb recaps the previous issue each time. I remember being annoyed with that while reading the comic and so having Wolverine say all that exposition was pretty daunting. The sad truth is that there isn’t a lot of dialog or conversations in this animation; it’s all Wolvie talking directly to you. Like he’s watching the footage with you and he just won’t shut up. It’s like, “enough Logan… let’s just watch the movie.”

As for the action, Simone Bianchi’s style is probably one of the worst styles for this type of project that I could ever imagine. He’s a brilliant illustrator, but his work does not translate to animation. There’s a scene with Sabretooth scrambling to leave that they use twice and it’s ridiculous looking. He ends up looking like a paper mouse in a maze. There were times that it worked, but overall there would be these awkward moments of action that would hurt the animation more than help it.

To speak of the story, it’s terrible. It was a terrible choice because it takes place during so many Marvel events that even with Loeb’s abbreviated recap, an unexperienced comic reader is sure to be a little lost. The problem with this story is Loeb; he came on the book and did his usual Marvel twist, which is to say he broke something beyond repair because he thought it would be interesting. Well it made Wolverine not a mutant and then no one fucking cared to follow up with that bullshit so he’s mostly considered a mutant still. Sure they’ve ruined him further since, but it’s because of this story line that everything that followed was able to happen.

The reason I keep reviewing and following these animations is because I think they are actually good for comics. Every non-comic reader I show them to asks questions and wants to know more and in a way because there is so much happening in the story’s universe it helps hook them on the endless cycle of storytelling that comics are known for. The problem is that it then becomes someone else’s job to tell them where to pick up after the animation turns off.

If Marvel was smart about it they would choose titles that have a follow up. Only two of these animations have a follow up, but the others will never have a follow up. If you watched and liked Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk then you’re never going to have a follow up because the comic took a ridiculous amount of time to conclude and the landscape of the universe was destroyed by none other than Jeph Loeb.

It’s not a bad animation, but it’s not great either. The narration and Wolverine’s boring voice acting wear on you quickly and really they should have trimmed down Loeb’s original story since it was drawn out just to highlight Bianchi’s artwork which isn’t the star of this animation. There’s a lot of choices that should have been made differently on this one.

Score: 2/5

Studios: Marvel Knights Animation/ShoutFactory Price: $14.97 Release Date: 1/14/14

Review: R.I.P.D.

Ryan Reynolds will go down in the film history book for “playing the most comic book characters on screen.” This achievement will be listed first only so that he’s second achievement of “ruining the most comic book characters on screen” will have context. The strange thing is that Reynolds basically spends the entire movie not being… well Reynolds. He mostly succeeds in this, but the character that comes from it is something worse… average and worse, not very believable.

Sure he’s sarcastic in the film, but he’s also angry which cancels out the humor of the sarcasm. In fact he plays the movie angry the entire time or at least when he’s allowed to talk. Jeff Bridges actually takes on the bulk of the exposition and seemingly never shuts up. This isn’t that bad considering Bridges performance is the most tolerable in the film. The problem with his character is that like my friends dad once said, “He’s just playing Rooster Cogburn.” That is the most spot on description of his performance and while it’s enjoyable it definitely adds to the movies “haven’t I already seen this before” vibe.

That’s what the entire movie suffers from, unoriginality. At first glance of the trailers it screams Men in Black, which is accurate considering the comic book that the film is based on released when the first film was buzzing. Instead of men in black suits from different government branches, we have dead cops that have a different look to those of us that are alive. Instead of aliens, it’s Deado’s or essentially dead people that didn’t move on to the afterlife and not rot into monsters.

The story isn’t terrible and they actually fix some problems that I had with the comic book, but it suffers from what all comic book movies suffer from as it has a terrible case of end-of-the-world-itis. While the ending of the comic book wasn’t amaze-balls, it also wasn’t so over the top that you didn’t care or believe that anything would actually change. The gist is that the “Deado’s” are putting together the Staff of Jericho. If put together is reverses the flow of the giant fan that sucks up dead souls for judgement. Go ahead and soak that in for a moment… giant fan… convenient item that for some reason reverses the fan… living dead inherit the earth… giant fan?

Another big difference from the comic book is Nick’s (played by Reynolds) relationship with his wife. In the comic he was always working so really there wasn’t much attachment and he seemed more concerned with finding out why he was dead then say checking in on his family. Also in the comic he doesn’t show up the day after he’s died if I remember correctly, but two years after. His wife has already moved on and really you don’t give a shit about either of them. In the film version Nick is up and running by the time of his funeral and so neither he nor the wife have moved on. In his new form of an old Asian man (played by the legendary James Hong) he continues to try and contact her. Though this was 100% by the book it still strangely works because actress Stephanie Szostak is a very convincing widow. Aside from Bridges, Szostak is the best part of the film. Reynolds is no slouch to the romantic lead either so they share a good chemistry though you’ll be left wondering why the movie is spending so much time on it when it’s all convenient to the plot and nothing more. In that way it’s like two genres fighting for screen time and neither one wins.

The once great Kevin Bacon is also in the film. If you haven’t figured it out just from me telling you he’s in the movie and not the lead then I will spell out the fact that he’s the bad guy for you. Literally the minute he talks and interacts with Reynolds it’s painfully obvious that he’s a dirty cop… and then they spend the rest of the movie hitting you over the head with the fact. Bacon is Bacon. He’s reached that point in his career where he’s basically playing himself (or at least the film version of himself) and while he gives a good performance it’s really nothing to get excited for.

Actually those last seven words sum up the entire movie, “it’s really nothing to get excited for.” It didn’t bore me and overall it wasn’t that terrible, but it wasn’t exciting either. In terms of the story its average, the acting maybe even above average and the graphics are definitely average for the age we live in. I didn’t stop watching it like I thought I would, but I could have also screwed around on my phone while watching it and not feel as if I was missing out on anything important. Sadly the next chapter of this universe will never reach the big screen due to how terribly this film performed at the box office and it’s a shame because it would have limited Reynolds to a cameo and prevented Bridges from being Cogburn the entire movie. Oh well, that’s why I like comic books because even an average comic can get a sequel.

Score: 3/5

Director: Robert Schwentke Writers: Phil Hay & Matt Manfredi Based on the Comic by: Peter M. Lenkov Studio: Universal

Group Review: Thor - The Dark World

A group review for something other than a comic! No way, but yes way. Not all of us could see Thor 2 over the weekend, but those of us that did are here to present their thoughts on the film. There are some spoilers in the last few reviews, but I guarantee that the first is spoiler free so you can read that before running away holding your ears. Here's what the film is about in case you couldn't piece that together already:

Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.

Carl:

I walked into Thor, The Dark World excited for the continuation of the Marvel Universe on-screen.  After the movie ended, I felt let down.  With a safe plot in which none of the major characters fear death, an undeveloped villain, and an anti-climactic ending, the movie added nothing to the mythos of the character or the Marvel Universe plotline.

Outstanding actors flounder with no solvent story to act to, and the only thing going for the film is the outstanding effects.  A little kid in the theater kept oohing and aahhing at the events of the film.  He was entertained, but anyone slightly older than him will find this movie forgettable.

Samantha:

Let us first start off with the good. You really can’t go wrong with Chris Hemsworth, especially when he takes his shirt off. The cast of him as Thor is perfection at its core. Then you have Natalie Portman in which you wish she would take her shirt off. The two on-screen have some great chemistry. But ok let me get back to the superhero stuff. The action is packed in with this installment. The battling scenes are fun and visually amazing (btw did not see it in 3D). You would think there is only two ways to use a hammer, going down and across, but this movie proves that Mjolnir is as badass as Thor.

I thought shoving Loki’s appearances would become quite obvious in the movie, but I thought it was played nicely. I was pleased with his performance, and the heartfelt brotherhood between him and Thor was probably my favorite part.

The negatives. Where the hell was Sif? She gets a movie poster, but we barely see her. The previews were misleading thinking that she gets in the way of Thor and Jane. Even so, she wasn’t in the movie all that much. It was disappointing and a total cop-out in my opinion.

Also, when the first Thor was made I feel like there was no pressure to please too many people. Surprisingly, Thor ended up to be a favorite Marvel movie by many. I think part of that magic came from the tiny jokes that lead to some unexpected laughs. So when the writers sat down to make this movie they tried to force that magic all over again. The jokes are so overdone, and you catch onto this five minutes into the movie. It is annoying. I still laughed some, but found myself most times frustrated.

All and all, I would still recommend the movie. It has lots of action, and also leads up to some big reveals about Thanos. It leads perfectly into another Thor or Avengers.

Steve:

Of all the so-called Phase 2 Marvel films heralding the Avengers sequel, Thor: The Dark World has been my least anticipated. Like many others, I’ve always found Thor to be a one-note beat; not ironically, a blunt object without much pathos.

Still, I went into this with an open mind, and I’m glad I did. As a pure popcorn movie, it scratched my action itch with a pretty sound hammering. Saying that, the fight scenes were marred by an ill-defined nefarious plan that didn’t really inspire and some exceptionally phoned-in acting (c’mon, Hopkins). Chris Hemsworth is still pretty damn hammy; but then again, I guess the role calls for it, so I’m gonna give him some leeway.

Tom Hiddleston is the reason to watch this movie. I know: shocker, right? Sure, he’s a funny trickster with great timing, and he still plays that role to smarmy perfection, but in Thor 2, we see much more of his sorrow, guilt and, at times, reluctance, with Loki even playing the hero. Sure, he’s motivated by his own selfishness - a murderer raging against a murder - but the exhaustion he shows after the tantrum he throws on learning of his “mother,” for example, is as palpable as Loki usually is smooth.

Finally, I’ve heard others complaining about the “Star Wars-ing” of Asgard, but I actually thought the Golden Realm was well done, and enjoyed seeing its viking-tech approach, particularly when set against the incursion of dark elf-tech (since we’re just making shit up now). The elf soldier masks especially were pretty dope. Altogether, it brought home the idea that these are actually advanced alien/inter-dimensional societies seen as gods and fairytales: an outlook I’ve always preferred in this Marvel mythos.

Altogether, with a mid-credits scene that gave me throbbing nerd wood - not necessarily because of Benicio del Toro’s Collector, but rather what he was “collecting” - I’d give this a solid ... Thor-out-of-five (I’m so sorry) and thought it was a fun, if mediocre distraction.

Jordan:

Is Thor: The Dark World a plot driven masterpiece? Will it compete with the likes of 12 Days a Slave or Gravity at next year`s Oscars, vying for a spot among those films that attempt to leave you shaking in your seat or thinking big, new thoughts? Absolutely not. Will it have you at the edge of your chair with a “holy shit this is awesome” gaping mouth for the duration of its 120 minutes? You bet your sweet ass it will.

Thor TDW is no Oscar bait by any means, but the amount of sheer imagination and spectacle here was enough to make it one of my most enjoyable theater going experiences this year so far. Sure it’ll get knocked for not having a complex enough plot, even though the story functions on the scale of a myth and I never thought it needed any more explanation than it did, this way it felt like you were seeing a tale from Olympia or something play out on screen. But so much works, Eccelston kills it as the dark elf Malekith whose mystery and darkness makes him formidable every time hes on screen. Hemsworth again personifies the thunder god Thor onscreen as you’ve always wanted to see him portrayed and Tom Hiddleston`s Loki? Well, he’s Tom Middleson’s Loki. Enough said.

What really got me though was just how damn awesome the creative team did on world and character designs. The eerie masks of the accursed dark elves, Malekith’s holy-shit-this-guy-is-evil design, the spaceships, even Asgard itself all look wonderful here. I’ve only ever seen fights like these, worlds this big and strange and enemy designs this dark and frightening play out in the inside of my head. Seeing stuff this cool, loud and gnarly looking is, for me, a step in the right direction towards the kind of epic, kick-ass fiction I’ve always wanted to see onscreen. I haven’t been this breathlessly radded-out since watching Superman battle other Kryptonians in Man of Steel this past summer. Forget all the fuss about this or that, go to this movie, enjoy the spectacle, and allow yourself and your mind to be transported back to your childhood playroom and the action figures you’d create worlds and battles with there. Whens the last time you felt that wonder and glee? As self-respecting nerds, we owe this to ourselves.

Dustin:

I saw this version of Thor 2 and it was way better... not as many ass shots as you'd expect, but still better.

Score: Hammer Time!

Director: Alan Taylor Writers: Christopher Yost, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Don Payne, Robert Rodat Production: Disney/Marvel Studios Run Time: 112 Minutes

Review: Marvel Knights – Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk

There’s something logic about the choice of making this the next Marvel Knights animation project, but at the same time something very illogical as well. Unlike the previous two entries in the Marvel Knights animation line Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk is set in a different world with a story that is connected to other events that you’ll either know or won’t. It’s also the only story to have a huge delay between issues when originally published. While I know that the rest of the series sold quite well when it did return, I did not partake in it. I have a policy that any book that’s published by a corporation that has huge delays are not something that I spend money on. With that said I was curious to see how the story turned out without supporting a late book. I’m going to talk about the story briefly, but any criticism really belongs to the comic and not the animation since it’s just an adaptation of the original material. The first two chapters/issues are great. To be frank they’re why everyone bought the comic to begin with and you can’t deny the quality. It’s just everything after it that becomes a mess of story and to be honest felt slapped together. Not only where there far too many pop culture references that were no longer relevant, but Lindelof manages to make a mess of everything Hulk related at the drop of a hat. The story captures none of the charm of the Ultimate line and instead delivers a stereotypical berserker Wolverine and a comical Hulk.

The overall production on the animation was actually very good and seems to improve with each animation. Yu’s artwork may not have been the best choice for an animation, but the Marvel Knights team makes it work. Yu is notorious for mis-proportions in comics and while that stylization works for the printed page, it doesn’t for animation. Overall though I would say that the animation was successful and especially when you consider how stylized the source material was. I can only imagine how much work must have gone into the production.

There were a couple of things that about the voice acting and narration that didn’t work out. Any caption box that gave a time direction, such as “six months ago” was terribly out-of-place. It could have just been the fact that there was no other sound to accompany the voice over, but even then I think it would have just sounded off. Really the caption from the comic should have been dropped and a newly animated caption blasted across the screen with no voice over. That’s a device that works in the comics, but did not translate to the screen in any way shape or form.

Then there’s the voice acting in general… it was unfortunately not great this time around. It’s not bad and by no means does it stop the product from being good or enjoyable, but it struggles at times. Jen Walters in particular struggled. I couldn’t tell if her character was supposed to be snarky or funny because the character came off annoying due to the voice acting. Also Hulk, true Hulk, was over the top. I can’t even think of a comparison. I wouldn’t say that it was Christian Bale Batman bad, but it was definitely in the same ballpark. It was like Grimlock and another Hulk had a baby and this was that baby. Really after the first encounter with each character you stop noticing it, but the point is that you do notice it.

I wouldn’t say that this Marvel Knight’s animation was as strong at the last two they produced in terms of story and voice acting, but there’s a definite improvement in the quality of the animation. I think it boils down to this story not being the best pick, but if like me you never finished reading it then there is some solid entertainment value to be had. I’m digging this franchise so I’ll be looking forward to what they do next, but in the meantime this was a solid effort at providing some entertainment.

Score: 3/5

Writer: Damon Lindelof Artist: Leinil Francis Yu, Dave McCaig Publisher: Marvel Knights and Shout Factory Price: $14.97 Release Date: 9/10/13

Review: Justice League – The Flashpoint Paradox

It was a sad day when it was announced the Warner Brother’s Premiere line of animation was coming to a close, but as time moved forward it became obvious that they were simply changing and rebranding it to better match the new face of the DC Universe. That said Flashpoint was the perfect story to choose as the end cap to the line of animation considering it also ushered the closing of the DCU and brought about the company wide reboot that’s become known as the New 52. The story is a familiar one to any comic fan; something happened in the Flash’s past that changed the future and he awakes one day to find an Elseworld’s inspired world. There is no Justice League and the heroes that once made up the team are scattered and different. Aquaman and Wonder Woman are at war and their battle is threatening to destroy the entire planet. Batman is not who he seems to be and Superman was never known to the world. In fact the world’s greatest hero is Cyborg who up until the reboot was a glorified parental unit for the Teen Titans. Now he’s trying to launch an attack against the Altantians and Amazonians before it’s too late.

Upon discovering that the world has changed, Barry Allen finds that one of those changes in this bleak world is the fact that his mother is alive. With everything the way it is he knows he must do something before his memories of how the world should be faded away. Having no connection to the speed force he finds himself driving to Wayne Manor to find Batman. The problem is it’s not his Batman. In this reality Bruce Wayne was the one that was shot and Thomas Wayne lived to become the Batman while his wife became the Joker. Barry talks Thomas into believing him, but first he needs his help in recreating the accident that connected him to the speed force.

As far as the story goes it was very strong. There were still quite a few changes to the story from the comic which became the norm with anything adapted that didn’t stand on its own like Superman All-Star. There weren’t nearly as many as there were with Superman: Unbound and the changes that were made didn’t hinder the story as much. The pacing was strong and really the only part the story stumbled is when it took the time to explain the back story for Batman, Aquaman and Wonder Woman. For Batman we really didn’t need to see the scene in which Bruce died since it was already mentioned so many times before. Really it just felt like it was too cool to drop, but it ended up feeling out-of-place because of that.

With Aquaman and Wonder Woman’s story it was changed from a complex political metaphor to Mera’s death at Wonder Woman’s hands. This part actually made no sense since WW and AM were supposed to marry and unite the people, but Aquaman calls Mera his queen several times. Mera tries to kill WW and ends up dead and this creates the war. I don’t think they really fleshed out this part and what they left was very jumbled. Granted no one is going to give a damn in the long run, but I’m sure others noticed as well which just doesn’t show the care with the script that has previously been associated with the animation line. For me the biggest detail overlooked was the fact that Reverse Flash had all of the same memories as Barry which would be impossible with Barry being the key to the change and not Reverse Flash.

The animation had a decent look. Everyone has the same frame which is to say thin torso, broad shoulders and a long face. It works for a few of the characters, but both versions of Superman looked strange and Bruce Wayne Batman was also off looking. Thomas Wayne Batman looked pretty bad ass and though I wanted him to make more sounds of gruffness like he did in the comic, it was still pretty good.

The voice acting was decent, but there were parts where it felt like they wanted to minimize the cast’s speaking roles. Barry and Thomas have the most dialogue and it was definitely for the better as they delivered the best performance. Nathan Fillion reprises his role of Hal Jordan, but its short-lived due to the story. Aquaman’s voice was the most out-of-place due to the fact that the tone and delivery never matched the expression on the character’s face.

In general it was a good movie and it was fun to watch, which is the important thing after all. With a lot of the Premiere line of animations I’ve found the adaptation to be so spot on that it becomes dull to watch them if you’ve already read the series in comic form. I like where this leaves the animation and now DC is in a great spot to adapt stories from the New 52 and having an easier time adapting them. Since there is a cohesive continuity now several animated movies can be released that tie-in to each other and give a different animated experience or they can continue to cherry pick the big stories.

Score: 3/5

Director: Jay Oliva

Writer: Jim Krieg

Produced by: WB Premiere Animation

Price: $24.99 on Blu-Ray

Release Date: 7/30/13

Review: Marvel Knights Animation – Wolverine Origin

I was actually pretty impressed with the first Marvel Knights Animation, Inhumans. I wondered on that review if part of it was the fact that I had never read the original story, but alas I think it’s just a quality project. Once again, I’m only going to quickly sum up the story since it’s widely known at this point and who needs yet another history lesson for Wolverine? Alright maybe a short one. Back in the day Origin was Marvel’s answer to the success of the X-Men movies. The goal was to answer the questions about Wolverine’s past in the comics before the movies did it. Well the joke was on them since it took Fox almost a decade later to make a solo Wolverine movie, but hindsight and all that jazz. Paul Jenkins was an unlikely name at the time to tackle the project, but he teamed up with Bill Jemas and Joe Quesada and mapped out the difficult and spotty timeline of Marvel’s number one mutant.

The story explains basically everything associated with Wolverine’s past, from his pseudo name of Logan all the way to his obsession with red-heads. It also tackled the taboo subject of his 90’s bone claws and the possibly why he spent so much time in Japan.

The story begins in Canada and gives us plenty of red-herrings as to who will become the Wolverine as we meet a hairy individual known as Logan and his son Dog. The story is narrated through the diary and eyes of Rose, a young woman who has been hired to help at the Howlett’s house. She’s put in charge of their sickly son James as the woman of the house is practically bedridden and rarely leaves her room. From there a complex story of family and betrayal unfolds until our young James is pushed over the edge and his mutant power manifests.

Obviously the original story is great and basically all of it is represented here. I think towards the end some of it was cut out either for time or its graphic nature; perhaps though I just don’t remember the story as well as I think I do. I think once again Marvel Knights has handled Jenkins story very well and made it work in this format.

The animation this time around wasn’t as fluid as it was with Inhumans. I can definitely forgive awkward movement and such, but Kubert’s art style in general didn’t lend itself to this style of animation. Additionally, Isanove’s unique and brilliant coloring style is toned down for the animation because it simply wouldn’t work any other way. It’s not terrible, but when it’s good it’s good; and when it’s bad it’s very noticeable.

The voice acting was actually very strong. I remember hating the grandfather in the comic and the actor for him brought that hatred back instantly with his performance. Rose’s accent was the only thing that sounded hokey at times, but overall the cast did a great job and really helped bring the story to life.

I honestly think these are a great idea and a far better answer to the motion comics. I not only convinced my wife to watch this, but her friend as well. In that regard it’s a great introduction to the world of comics and the fact that so far they’ve tackled two of Marvel’s biggest stories is a great start. I’m curious to see what the next project will be since Jenkins’ work has been the focus for the last two releases. I definitely think he’s style of writing lends itself more to this style of animation, but it would be great to see more regardless. If anything this serves as a great snap shot in the history of comics, when they took chances and tackled a story line that had been unanswered for decades.

Score: 4/5

Story: Paul Jenkins, Bill Jemas and Joe Quesada

Artists: Andy Kubert and Richard Isanove

Produced by: Shout Factory and Marvel Knights Animation

Price: $14.97

Format: DVD

Release Date: 7/10/13

Review: Star Trek, Into Darkness

Review by: Nathan Travis There are three things that lie at the true heart of nerd culture, Comic Books, Star Trek, and Star Wars (sorry Doctor Who fans) and the greatest of these is Star Trek.  I think it is important you realize my bias.  Many sons grow up playing catch with their dads, going to ball games, learning how to be a successful athlete. While my dad and I certainly did some of that, what I truly grew up on is Star Trek.  The basement of my parents’ house is dedicated to his extremely extensive and impressive collection.  We watched it all growing up, TOS, Next Gen, DS9, Voyager, Enterprise, and any movie that popped up in the process.   Make no mistake, I freaking love this franchise.

As a result I hold the series to a higher standard. Into Darknessnot only met, but far exceeded the high bar I set.  J.J. Abrams has done something even the mighty George Lucas couldn’t do.  He has successfully re-booted his series without crapping all over it.  The film is a smooth, fast paced adventure.  It does a masterful job of paying respect to The Original Series, without feeling like it is being chained down by it.  The acting is superb, the special effects amazing, the soundtrack perfect.  Just as the 2009 reboot did, this film has captured the absolute essence ofStar Trek.  The film understands the importance of character development, and that those relationships are what truly make a film great.  Special effects are easy, money buys those.  Character has to be earned, and it is.

There is no shortage of Easter eggs for the observant fan. However, by far my favorite one is something that isn’t evident when you simply watch the film. Near the beginning of the credits as the cast list scrolls there is a name.  Transport Officer: Christopher Doohan, the son of the late and great, James Doohan, the original Scotty.  It is that kind of respect to franchise that makes this film so terrific.

(Nathan Age 10)

Even though I’m relatively new to movie reviews, this film is the first to earn a score of 5/5.  Go see it. You will not be disappointed. Unless you are a horrible person with poor taste, then you might not like it.  As a matter of fact, if you don’t like it, we will never be friends, and that is a great loss for you because I am awesome.  Finally a message to Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, and Benedict Cumberbatch .  Welcome to the family, you have all just gained a small piece of immortality in the heart of geeks everywhere.

Score: 5/5

Director: J.J. Abrams

Studio: Paramount Pictures

Release Date: 5/17/13

Review: Marvel Knights Animation - Inhumans

The Inhumans is a title that really helped change the face of the current Marvel Universe. It made the Inhumans relevant and solidified the value of the now defunct Marvel Knights line of books. Shout Factory teamed up with Marvel Knights Animation to make what I can only describe as an animation using the motion comic format properly. I’m not a fan of motion comics as they look cheap and the voice acting is usually terrible, but I found with Inhumans that my lack of knowledge of the source material made it far more interesting; especially when supported by a great cast and animation. The animation keeps Jae Lee’s original art, but rather than bending the drawing to form a 3-D visual one is actually created. The animation is broken up in the same amount of issues as the comic which was good and bad. When hitting play all you were still forced to watch all of the opening titles and ending credits and since it’s not extremely long it means that ever fifteen minutes or so you’re fast forwarding to the next chunk of the animation. It would have been ideal to have one large track on the DVD that removed the credits and left a quick bump in-between an episode’s opening, but that was not the case here.

The voice acting was actually very good and while I didn’t recognize any of the voices from other animations, that was a good thing. The narrator plays a huge role in driving the story forward and thankfully Eli Cabay does a great job with the role. The entire cast only consist of ten actors, so there are some that play more than one role but it’s never distracting or out-of-place.

Overall, I was actually really impressed with this animation and will definitely call it an animation. If motion comics had come out at with this level of production and quality then they might not be considered such a joke in the industry. As it stands though, this is well worth the $15 bucks you’ll pay for it. I even got my wife to watch it and she was on the edge of her seat waiting for Black Bolt to take action. On that note, this may actually be a great gate way for people to introduce their friends and loved ones to the world of comics.

Score: 4/5

Produced by: Shout Factory and Marvel Knights Animation

Price: $14.97

Format: DVD

Release Date: 4/23/13