Godzilla vs. Kong

 

8/10

I mean the title basically explains the concept but here's the synopsis anyway: Godzilla inexplicably attacks on the land, which raises the question as to why considering that he doesn't just attack for funsies. Meanwhile, Skull Island can no longer contain Kong, meaning that he has to be moved elsewhere. Soon the behemoths' paths shall intertwine and... the movie title... blah, blah, blah... Yeah, this was fun. 

First off, I owe an apology to director Adam Wingard (who previously helmed the recent Blair Witch, You're Next, and segments in the first two VHS films.) I had some reservations about him since he's my most "mixed feelings" director. Didn't quite love or hate his previous works. However, I'm pleased to say he proved me wrong and delivered a good film.  

GvK is an unapologetic, brainless giant monster film. Kong and Godzilla's brawls don't disappoint. The monster fights aren't as epic-looking, battle-of-the-gods style as those in Godzilla: King of the Monsters were, but they are far clearer and easier to follow. Seriously, they're well choreographed and are some of the best in the Monsterverse films. It really feels like a big match. Though Godzilla has fought other monsters in these films, Kong brings something new to the table what with his having hands. He's able to make greater use of his environment, grabbing onto things or using them as weapons.   

Visually, I think Kong's CGI looked better in Kong: Skull Island. However, I thought the film did a great job with his facial expressions. In an interview, Wingard stated that Toho, Godzilla's original studio and copyrights holder, wouldn't let the creature emote. However, even working within the limitations of that rule, there are a couple moments where Wingard manages to give Godzilla a couple bits of personality. 

I kinda liked the human storylines. Yeah, they don't have the charisma of the cast of Skull Island or are even as strong as those in the first Godzilla, but they are generally likable and serve their purpose. (Besides, for an action blockbuster, there are plenty of examples out there where the story turned out a whole lot weaker. This isn't doing too shabby considering that it's the fourth entry in the series.) Interestingly, there are two human subplots, one with a Godzilla team and the other with King Kong and almost never the twane shall meet. 

The Kong crew definitely has the stronger storyline and characterization. Though Rebecca Hall and Alexander Skarsgard aren't given the loftiest of material to work with, they get the job done. Credit should especially be given to Hall, who puts more effort into facial expressions than anyone else. Really, she didn't need to put in that much effort for a Godzilla/kong film.

The Godzilla crew have the less substantive storyline (a lot of exposition), but they're also the funnier ones. Stranger Things' Millie Bobbie Brown returns as Madison Russell from Godzilla: King of the Monsters and even though she has less screen time, I thought she was more entertaining. She's the straight man and does a good job reacting to stuff. Hunt for the Wilderpeople's Julian Dennison, who seems to have been typecast in his last couple of films as delinquent-style kids with bad attitudes, gets to play against type as the meeker member of the group. Bryan Tyree Henry as a conspiracy theorist delivers the funniest lines in the film.

There is one thing about Godzilla vs. Kong that bugs me. There'ss one major plot hole if you saw the after credits scene in the last film.

I'd rank this above KotM and below the first Godzilla and SI, which I felt had better stories. Don't let this being third on my list deter you. This knows exactly how to deliver if you like mindless action.

Doctor Who- Fury of the Deep

8/10

In this remastering of a lost Doctor Who serial (original audio is combined with animation), the second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) and his companions end up at a gas refinery with some sinister goings on.

This is prime Doctor Who. I can't say it is one of the more original ones or stands out from the rest, but it nails all the beats. This is just a fun sixties sci-fi tale. For a show from this era, it manages to maintain a surprisingly creepy atmosphere. 

This is back when there isn't as much character development with Doctor Who companions, but Victoria (Deborah Watling) is given some decent personality stuff to work with.

I like the background art in this. Has a pseudo painting-style to it. Though there is one "Easter egg" detail in this that bugs me, because it's non-chronological.

Overall, this is a fun watch. If you like sixties Doctor Who, then you'll probably like this.

History of Swear Words

 

8/10

The History of Swear Words on Netflix, looks at the history of... well, the title is self-explanatory. It's hosted by Nicholas Cage and features interviews with various comedians and historians or other experts. 

This is fairly amusing. Information is disseminated in a fun way. Though, it's kind of weird that this show looks at the different definitions swear words have had over the years, but never mentions that cops were used to be called dicks. I would've think that was an obvious speaking point.   

You get a good gang of personalities on this. I'm surprised that Nicolas Cage chose this as his first show ever (I believe). Then again, it makes perfect sense for him, this show being off-kilter. Nicolas Cage hosting exactly what you'd expect. He seems to be having fun as he bring his trademark energy.

Overall, I recommend this. It's an entertaining watch.

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon- Season 1

8/10

Yashahime is the sequel show to the hit Inuyasha. It stars Towa Higurashi, half-demon daughter of Inuyasha's antihero half-brother Sesshomaru, who was raised in modern times. She finds a way back to her native feudal Japan and teams up with her sister Setsuna, a demon hunter, and Inuyasha and Kagome's quarter-demon daughter Moroha, a bounty hunter, to fight demons and investigate what happened to their parents and why Setsuna can't remember Towa.

Now, this show doesn't match the original. Whereas Inuyasha was mostly based on the stories from the manga by Rumiko Takahashi, this is a purely original work. Without Takahashi, the characters and storylines are missing the particular touch she had. The show feels more like your basic battle of the week-style anime. Also, a lot, but not all, of the demon designs feel pretty generic and uninspired.

But this is all compared to Inuyasha, the show by itself is fairly entertaining. Yashahime is definitely faster-paced than its predecessor, which was a slow burn.   

I was worried about the three leads being copycat characters, but that turned out to be not much of a problem, and I ended up liking them. Setsuna and Moroha are generally similar their fathers, but they manage to be their own characters as well. Towa as the most original of the trio, makes for a fine leader. She's a tough combatant who is also surprisingly sweet and empathetic. I hear the characters' designs are also by Takahashi. They fare better than a lot of the other characters on the show. Towa is pretty distinctive in her all white school boys' uniform. 

The main villain Kirinmaru works pretty well. Naraku, the big baddie in Inuyasha, was a despicable schemer and puppetmaster interested mainly in increasing his own power. The writers for this got the good idea of going in the opposite direction for Kirinmaru. He's a bad dude, but he's got a warrior's code thing going on. Plus, he also seems to see the big picture besides his own goals. 

There is one element in this, which I would consider a spoiler and can't go into details, that is really creepy. I wish they hadn't done that. 

Still as a whole, I recommend this. If you're an Inuyasha fan, you could be disappointed. Overall, though, I found this to be a decent time waster. 

Raya and the Last Dragon

 

9/10

Raya and the Last Dragon takes place in the South Asian-inspired land of Kumandra, where Raya (voiced by The Last Jedi's Kelly Marie Tran), daughter of a chief, seeks to locate the legendary dragon Sisu (Awkwafina) in order to stop a great threat to everyone. 

This movie manages to bring the the modern Disney style, while feeling fresh. (At least for a Disney film, you can make all the Avater the Last Airbender comparisons you want.) Remember how Disney surprised everyone with Zootopia, a movie about racism? Well, now the focus is on the fear of other groups besides your own, resulting in a well told tale of cooperation and learning to trust. 

This has a sort of old-school fantasy quest feel to it. There is an impressive amount of world building here. Kumandra is a really fleshed-out land. Multiple characters are used, but the story never feels overwrought and pacing is smooth. 

The more dramatic underpinnings of the characters' struggles are well-balanced with humor. The third act and finale is really well done. Though I admit I do miss the classic straight-out delightfully wicked style of Disney villain that we haven't seen in a while, I really liked the two antagonists in this. Though they're doing bad things, they're well-rounded and you can see where they're coming from.

Tran fits the Disney princess style of voice to a T. Awkwafina is able to provide a great comic energy to Sifu.

The movie looks great. A lot of effort was given to coming up with the different costumes, civilizations, and terrain of the different tribes of Kumandra. There are two scenes in this that are up there with Disney's visual best.

Though this was a decently handled film, the cinematography didn't feel perfect to me. There seemed to be more close-ups than needed. Though the final action scene is very entertaining, I felt it didn't quite have the exact level of Disney action movement smoothness than many of the other films do.

Overall, I really recommend this. It's enjoyable for the whole family.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury

 

10/10

This contains 2 games, the previously released Super Mario 3D World and the brand new supplemental game Bowser's Fury.

Super Mario 3D World: 

In this follow-up to Super Mario 3D Land for the Nintendo 3DS, Mario, his brother Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad go to rescue six Sprixies who have been kidnapped by the evil Bowser.

I never had the opportunity to play the original version on the Wii U. I'm glad I finally got the chance. This has probably made my top 5 Mario games list. The Mario series has always been known for it's quality and managing to stay fresh, but the game developers really went all out this time. The level design is some of the best. It's impressive how fresh each stage is. 3D Land was a great game, but even it never reached the levels of creativity this one does. (I get the feeling that the creators were able to fulfill ideas for Land they had that the limitations of the device wouldn't allow them to put into practice.)  

A lot of levels are relatively short when compared to other traditional Mario games. That's actually a good call. This allows the developers to cram a ton of them. Plus, it makes it simpler to retrieve items you missed the first time around without taking forever to finish the stage again. The game is accommodating to both children/causuals and more hardcore gamers who like a challenge. After beating the main game, which isn't too hard at least from an adult's perspective, you get a few more bonus worlds where the difficulty is really ramped up (and the game continues to be creative, no rehashing.) There are also some pretty fun optional challenge stages that the series hasn't tried before.

I also like how the game got a little inventive with the maps No, they don't reach the ambitiousness of Super Mario World, but they do something different and become a little interactive. Mario and company can straight up walk wherever they want all over the level maps, plus they can do things like break blocks or find hidden coins or other things. (Though if you liked the games where you can find hidden exits in levels, this one doesn't do that.) 

The levels look great, too; colorful and creative. Like the level design, the appearances are distinctive without a lot of repetition. The music may be up their with some of the series' best.

As much as I love this game, there are a few parts that could've been improved upon. Most of the stages are suspended in air and you can die by falling off the sides. This wouldn't be an issue so much if it wasn't for the fact that the camera angle sometimes make it easy to point your character at the wrong angle and have him or her fall off the edge. Luckily, this issue doesn't pop up too much. 

The game requires you to collect stars hidden in each level in order to get past points. I find it unfair when they force you collect things in a basic platformer, if you aren't into the extra stuff and just want to play through. Plus, I just think it makes things harder for the kids.

The mushroom houses, where you can get bonus items, are the most uninspired, basic ones I've encountered in this series. They just lack the fun found in previous entries.

Although there are a lot of differences between this and 3D Land, I do think they were parts that were too reminiscent of the previous game. The mini-bosses Boom-Boom and Pom-Pom are brought back, and though they are fun designs, they don't really add anything new. The timer, in which you have to complete the level before the clock runs out or you die, returns, and I still don't see the point of using it out of nostalgia for the classic games. It doesn't make sense when you're also encouraged take the time to find hidden stars and other items. I'm also tired of each stage ending with the flagpole as a goal. I remember back when they would come up with a new goal for each game, and I miss the innovation.

Bowser's Fury:

Bowser's Fury takes the game play of 3D Land but puts in in an open collectathon world. The story involves Bowser being transformed by magic black paint into a giant rage monster. Mario teams up with Bowser Jr. in order to collect enough cat shines from the various islands in Lake Lapcat in order to free Bowser from the curse.

The game isn't too long. (I beat it in three or four hours.) But A LOT of of diverse gameplay is squeezed into this. 

What makes this game distinct is that it that it incorporates the old-school platformer format for power-ups into the open world. In the past, the power-ups were frequently intended to be used for specific tasks in limited capacities. Here, you can use fire or flying powers all over the place. Plus, I loved what they did with the item system. In 3D world, you can hold one power-up in reserve. Here, you can hold a whopping total of five items in reserve for EACH DIFFERENT TYPE OF ITEM!

Understand that this is only two players, unlike the four player availability in 3D World. Mario is player one and Bowser Jr. is two. I haven't played the latter, but he's a good assisting, computer-controlled character for single players. The best part is that you can make him very helpful when it comes to attacking bad guys, or if you don't want the handicap, you can have him let you do all the work.

Loved the design for Bowser in this. Though the idea of him becoming giant-sized has been done before, fury-mode Bowser is one of the more visually interesting versions. He's more menacing than he has ever been. (Plus, who doesn't like fire hair.) You fight him several times in this. These are definitely some of the easier battles with him in the series, but they're also some of the most fun. Throughout the game, Bowser will appear (separately from the boss fights) and rain fire destruction on the island for a brief period of time. It's an interesting idea that shakes things up and add a dramatic flair to the game. However, this can be a real pain since a lot of the gameplay is focused on precise movement and having Bowser show up and causing you to fall off a platform and have to start all over again is pretty frustrating. Also when you get really close to finishing the game, the attacks become unrelenting, which is  just a pain.

There are a couple weak spots in this. When you obtain one cat shine on an island, another challenge usually becomes available. However, the game doesn't always automatically set up the next one. You have to walk around a little before it comes. The game gives hints as to the next task, but they only show up when you enter an island's gate. This is frustrating since you have to walk back to it if you can't remember what to do next.

This is a visually distinctive Mario game. I'm not quite sure whether I like the look or not. You've got a blue lake surrounded by blue sky and blue . And there are stark grey or white color schemes in a lot of areas. It gives the game a weirdly sterile feel, but it does leave an impression.

Conclusion:

This is just a great collection. Both games are a lot of fun. Recommended to all ages.

Zack Snyder's Justice League

 

8/10

Having helmed Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman, director Zack Snyder's nextstep was to direct the Justice League. The whole thing was mapped out (WB gave Snyder a lot of control as the sort of architect of DCU), with more Justice League films planned. However, BvS didn't do as well as expected, resulting in the studios having less trust in Snyder and his darker, more serious angle. Then tragedy struck, his daughter committed suicide and he bowed out of the project. However, it seems WB execs had were losing  faith anyway: https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/wb-reportedly-blames-zack-snyder-justice-leagues-poor-performance/. Joss Whedon was brought in, and a lot was thrown out and an active attempt was made to make the movie more friendly to a traditional audience. However, now due to intense audience curiosity and AT&T wanting something big to sell HBOMax with, we've got what Snyder intended. 

The basic plot is the same: The Justice League forms to stop extraterrestrial baddie Steppenwolf (voiced by Ciarán Hinds) from conquering Earth. This is definitely a stronger work story-wise than the theatrical cut; the tone just didn't match with or had the confident setup of BvS. More weight is given to everything.  

The world building is so much more stronger than in the Whedon cut. This is probably the biggest strength to the film. Snyder is going for epic scope in this, and it does come across. Both Cyborg (Ray Fisher), Flash (Ezra Miller), especially Cyborg, have far better stories. 

It's been a while since I the theatrical cut, so I can't remember if Alfred (Jeremy Irons)  had less or the same amount of time, so I can't say they did him better here, but he definitely stands out with some of the best lines. (Flash has some good ones, too). I think I'll miss Irons the most out of the actors who'll no longer be reprising their roles after this. 

I know everyone else has said it already, but Steppenwolf is improved from the basic, paper-thin villian he was in the Whedon cut.  Now, he's still not the greatest villain. In the grand scheme of things, he's not that broad a character, still just the basic warrior type. But he's given legit background and motivation. 

I did think Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), who were already introduced in BVS, weren't given as much to do as the new characters. I thought Superman (Henry Cavill) was as improperly utilized as he was in the theatrical version.

Snyder has learned to make the characters more accessible. Sure, the movie is still about them having the weight of responsibility on their shoulders that comes from being demigods and keeps them separated a lot from the common folk, but it feels a lot less in-your-face.

Though I am glad I got to see Snyder make the film he wanted, I think he was allowed a little too much freedom. Snyder didn't need to make this 4 HOURS LONG. Quatro, Quatre, Vier. Don't get me wrong, I don't think this had to be under two hours, but this long? The thing is that there were several scenes that could've been cut or shortened without damaging the film. The epilogue feels especially indulgent and overkill.

Visually, Snyder is one of the most visually distinctive directors out there right now. No other types of films look quite like his. This movie is no exception, great cinematography and action. But, Snyder's gonna Snyder. Everything still looks grey. (You wonder how crops grow in this world when the sun never shines.

Several of the computer animated characters aren't polished enough. Snyder's love of grey is lended to the color scheme of three of the antagonists. I guess this is particularly frustrating since in the comics, Steppenwolf and the other baddies from the planet Apokolips tended to be more colorful-looking. I also found it unnecessary for him to make Steppenwolf and two other baddies computer animated when their original counterparts were humanoid, or in the case of Steppenwolf who was originally yellow-skinned, human-looking enough. One of these computer designs felt particularly weird since the character isn't alien-looking at all.

I think that Snyder cut Steppenwolf is tougher-looking and leaves more of an impression then theatrical cut Steppenwolf. (They look completely different.) However, I still think he is kinda basic-looking. (You'd think Snyder'd learn his lesson after the criticism of how uninspired-looking Doomsday was in BVS.) The various tiny pieces of his armor are constantly moving and it's distracting. They don't move in accordance with Steppenwolf's body movements, they just move completely at random, and I can only ask "Why?!"

How does this movie compare to the theatrical? I'll level with you, my memory's a little sketchy, and I only saw it once. I noticed that my IMDB rating for it is higher than I thought it was. I can say that I think this is the second best of Snyder's DCU trilogy. Though a lot of people say BVS was the weakest, I thought it was just a stronger film than the other two with more interesting stuff thrown at you. I think this is definitely worth a watch if you can stand 4 hours and provided you don't have a total aversion to Snyder's style.