Amazon has recently announced a series based on J.R.R. Tolkien's masterwork, The Lord of the Rings. Whilst this may be alarming for some and exciting for others, it serves as an excellent opportunity to look back on the last televised version of the esteemed trilogy. The Lord of The Rings is held in high regard as one of the best film adaptations out there. Some would even argue that the age old phrase "the book was better" is false when it comes to these movies. Whilst maintaining the core plot and characters of the original writing, this version includes its own decisions in regards to cinematography, score, and actors. Combat scenes are entertaining, added dialogue tends to be well-written, exposition is tasteful, the soundtrack is simply epic, and many of the actors bring their characters to life. In particular, Sean Astin does a fantastic job invoking Sam's optimism while Ian McKellen is marvelous as the wise-yet-playful Gandalf. These films are glorious, even incorporating a scene where Viggo Mortenson, actor of Aragorn, breaks his toe for an authentic scream. However, nothing is perfect, and the character of Aragorn himself does not hold up to the books' character. It's much harder to believe the man's status and confidence. The ending of the story is also revised, erasing the destruction of the shire. While this may not make for an awful ending, it definitely messes with some of Tolkien's theming. The general theming of the films is weaker than that of the novels. This is in part due to movies having less time to develop such things. Whilst there are a number of challenges that plague medium transitions, The Lord of the Rings movies showed us that success is possible, and with another trip to Middle Earth on its way, we can only hope we are given another masterpiece.
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With all the beloved content that Marvel has been creating with the MCU(Marvel Cinematic Universe), DC has been getting the shaft for a while now. Favor with the former is at a high, and many are claiming DC to be inherently worse. The company's characters are displayed as some "proof" for this argument. This sentiment is simply false. Though everyone has preferences, to say that all of DC’s characters are bad is a gross exaggeration. In reality all characters are meant to serve an intended purpose, and these simply have a different purpose than Marvel's. Marvel is very focused on the "man behind the mask," with most of its characters struggling with human problems. This method creates a powerful relation to the audience and has helped create the new expectation for what a hero should be like. DC, on the other hand, is much more focused on the heroes as heroes. It is a different approach that is commonly dismissed, but can still be just as appealing. Some would cite Superman as a badly written character due to his invincible nature. Though he may not be realistic, he is not written to be realistic. Superman is written to be a vessel, a man who has to bear the power of a god and live in the isolation that it causes him. No person can relate to this exact scenario because no person has been granted this power, but the story is still valid all the same. Watching Clark struggle with feeling different can easily resonate with a number of more human situations, and this is a strength that applies to many DC characters. Batman shows how loss can consume a person, Shazam is its own coming-of-age story, and Green Lantern is a lesson on the strength of emotion and the convictions it provides. None of these characters' human attributes are particularly focused on, but all of these heroes' ideals make for some spectacular stories; stories that can help us all be better people. Every new year reveals leaps and bounds for video games. This year marked a special occasion in the completion of the Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove. A bundle of every Shovel Knight game to date. Shovel Knight is a retro platformer developed by Yacht Club Games and funded by Kickstarter. The game was released in 2013, establishing not only the brand's name but many staples that would appear in the series later on. Other installments included platforming adventures played as Plague Knight, Specter Knight, and King Knight (in order of release). A platform fighter called Shovel Knight Showdown was also included. In honor of the treasure trove's completion, here's a ranking of every platforming game in the franchise from worst to best: At the bottom of our list is Plague of Shadows, a game that could be called a disease in its own right. Now that term may be extremely harsh, but compared to the rest of these games it is by far the worst. Attacks are less precise than the other games and the platforming feels less satisfying, offering too little momentum and too many overly tedious segments. The story is also the weakest, simply following an alternate narrative to Shovel of Hope. While it's fun to see more of the world, the novelty quickly wears off, especially when you realize the other installments have that and more. Conceptually, some very cool ideas are explored through the inclusion of different types of bombs, the laboratory used as a hub world, and the inclusion of a new character or two. It also has all the staples of the franchise with terrific music, art, items, and the many locations players have come to love. Plus, despite sometimes being aggravating, the gameplay of Plague of Shadows is still high quality. Next is King of Cards, the newest installment. In this particular instance the King did not come out on top, but this game was still a blast. Along with the staples, we have the introduction of a variety of new characters, fun items, new locations, an airship that functions as a hub world, a new minigame composed of simple yet challenging puzzles, alternative routes to complete levels, and a campy but fresh narrative. The ending in particular is subversive and hilarious and, in some instances, the gameplay can simply carry you away. However, the game isn't perfect, with its fair share of angering obstacles and a disappointing final boss. Then there is Specter of Torment, sharing in many of King Knight's triumphs, as well as featuring popular series staples. The main positive of this experience is that it has the best narrative. The story has a more serious role, even incorporating flashback segments. The gameplay is also the most momentum-driven in the franchise, allowing the levels to feel fast and helping to eliminate frustration found in the other two games. The main problem with the game is that it doesn’t feel like a Shovel Knight game. The feeling that Specter of Torment was simply another good platformer resulted in some lost memorability. Finally we reach the pinnacle at Shovel of Hope. Sometimes the original can be the best. This is the game that introduced the miraculous world and all of the staples aforementioned, but it also incorporates a simplistic narrative that evokes nostalgia and purpose. It may not be the most serious, but it sets the game’s tone beautifully and doubles as a terrific catalyst for the other games to jump off of. The gameplay is also the best, finding the perfect balance between precision and momentum that makes it hard to put your controller down. Every time you die it is your fault, which makes the experience all the more rewarding. The only meaningful problem is Shovel of Hope's inherently flawed death-system. This consists of dropping some of your money when you die but being able to reclaim it if you return to that spot in the level. Problems arise when you simply keep dying repeatedly and get frustrated causing you to die more. This system brings the gameplay down a peg and it inspired the same system in all of the other titles. But despite this slip-up, Shovel of Hope is still one of the greatest games ever made. The fun nature of these titles cannot be conjured with vague descriptions. They will surely be a blast for any fan of platformers and have the potential to be a new favorite for anyone. Whether they like the gameplay, story, or artistry is for the player to decide. The treasure trove is only 25 dollars for five titles, and any who purchase this masterwork better be prepared to “Steel Thy Shovel.” “Star Wars,” the beloved franchise that has defined pop culture and set the sci-fi movie standard for generations to come, sold out to Disney in 2012 for $4.05 billion. Disney has since capitalized on its purchase with the release of 2015's “The Force Awakens” and a new movie every year since. The latest in this onslaught of films is “The Rise of Skywalker,” which is set to be the last movie of the sequel trilogy. Multiple trailers have been released so far and they’ve gotten a lot right. A wide range of locations are revealed, some fan-favorite characters have returned and the music is truly worthy of a finale. But despite these aspects, the chances of this movie being decent are appallingly low. The first movie of this new trilogy broke some of the series’ consistencies, though it kept a very similar plot to the original made in 1977. This left dedicated fans displeased and casual viewers with an OK, but hardly innovative film. Nostalgia played a huge role in the box-office success. Due to varying issues, the second movie took the disappointment to a whole new level and turned out to be a total disaster. All of the problems with the first were amplified, but “The Last Jedi” lacked any of the nostalgia of the original films or even the remnants of a working story structure, relying on the “Star Wars” brand to promote sales. Because of the second installment’s many problems and the first installment’s “safe” approach, we are now left with a shaky base for the final installation, which hits theaters Dec. 20. The characters starring in “The Rise of Skywalker” have had no drastic growth, making them feel two-dimensional rather than well-developed. This is especially true of the protagonist, Rey. Rey is able to overcome any obstacle she needs to. So no matter what new challenges the trailer teased, it all feels like another opponent for the “good guy” to trounce. She also lacks moral depth, leading her to always make the “good” decision. To exhibit the problems that arise from this development, “The Last Jedi” tried to introduce the seemingly most powerful obstacle and internal conflict at the same time. But because Rey is so perfect, the opponent was disposed of in a matter of minutes, along with the emotional baggage. It led to a cheap payoff after multiple movies of buildup. In a film where the narrative is shaky and the characters are dull, what is there left to enjoy? Visuals could be one thing. The locations and special effects indicate there will at least be some eye candy to accompany the boring plot. The title “Star Wars” is really what keeps bringing viewers back, and that’s what’s at the core of this issue. Disney doesn’t understand “Star Wars.” They borrow from previous iterations or use similar story points. And while this has actually made for two pretty good films, in the end it’s just recycling. When it comes to making their own mark on this bastion of dorkdom, the company falls flat, and this is mostly because of its emphasis on money. Their new series “The Mandalorian” is a prime example. Though conceptually meant to have a darker tone, the show isn’t able to come through on that idea because it has to be viewable by as many consumers as possible. To be appealing to other audiences, it includes a cute “baby Yoda” and just a few scenes of lethal violence, despite being marketed as a grittier take on the franchise. The fall of this brand will come when it oversaturates the market and degrades in quality. We’re well on our way there. In an attempt to make “Star Wars” inclusive, Disney has lost what made it a force in the first place. DISCLAIMER: This story was assigned and edited by the really cool folks at nighthawknews.com so please go and take a look at their website! Is this even really a discussion? With a few notable exceptions, it is common knowledge that the source material tends to be better than the adaptation. That being said, though the original series of Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley is the superior version, the movie Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World still has its own legs to stand on. The difference in media plays a huge role in a comedic story with consistent fourth wall breaks. Many gags in the graphic novels revolve around "reading the previous issue" and other such lines. The film wasn't able to keep this content, but rather had to make its own edits in order to provoke visual stimulus and maintain smooth transitions. Obviously a live-action movie will never be as animated as a comic, but it does its best with special effects, creative cinematography, and over-the-top performances. Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World also had to condense 8 years worth of content into one script. Many problems arise in the form of cuts including the exclusion of iconic moments, a character, and even the entirety of the fourth novel. This seems like a lot of content, but the most jarring shift is the use of gimmicks from the erased material in other scenes. It creates a disconnect with the source material, and that makes the exclusions seem worse than they actually are. Disconnects are the main reason that the movie is considered worse by the fan base. A viewer new to Scott Pilgrim is much more inclined to recognize the new material added. Utilizing its new medium, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, was able to add new bits that still blend with the tone of the narrative. These inclusions were funny, but they also helped differentiate the movie. This adaptation may not fully live up to its predecessor, but it has its own charm, and stands perfectly well on its own merits. Hazbin Hotel is a passion project created by the YouTube channel Vivziepop. It is loud, overtly offensive and surprisingly enjoyable.
This is in part due to the show's art-style, which manages to emphasize a cartoony feel despite the rather adult content. Character designs are unique and much like the style manage to juxtapose their wackier sides while also reminding you that you are quite literally in hell. Speaking of hell, Hazbin Hotel is a perfect example of a setting that permeates everything. It often reminds the viewer of where they are, sometimes too much so, and this manages to have good and bad points. Hell as a setting works perfectly with the dark humor and characters that the show utilizes. It provides an excuse for awful behavior while also allowing for the humor to play off it. However, like many settings of this nature, it can be a bit in-your-face and a little annoying. The pilot doesn’t only have comedy though, there are a few genuinely sad moments featuring the protagonist, and some delightful musical numbers. All of the characters, albeit a bit flat on the surface, have subtleties that make them more intriguing then the average cartoon. This is a fan project through-and-through, which means lots of heart, but a lack of experience. The unprofessional nature of Hazbin Hotel really shows in its overly-fast pacing. Even though this isn’t always a bad thing (it made for some funny jokes and nothing felt too slow) it also resulted in some moments being diminished. The opening feels rushed, and you don't really have time to get to know what you're watching until you're there. There are many times where slower pacing would have made a scene more appealing. Hazbin Hotel isn't perfect. There are issues as to be expected of anything that is made independently. But it is more than made up for in creativity. Though every joke may not land, I implore you to check the pilot out on YouTube, as it won't be quite like anything you've ever seen before. The Last Unicorn is a true fantasy. The novel's premise, setting, and characters are all at least based around one beloved tale or another. This book thrives on description, pacing, and heart.
One of the novel's characters, Schmendrick the wizard, makes his fair share of both miracles and blunders in equal part. Many of the tricks he is trying to perform are taken from the classic wizard archetype, the book even makes fun of itself for this. Yet the moments do feel magical and new, because the words woven to create the scene are original in their own right. There are many problems, such as basic premises, that are completely forgotten in the midst of the scenes that seem to be conjured before you. The writing of this book is where it truly shines. Part of this is due to the comedy, which has a surprisingly unique style that pokes fun at its own tropes. This leads to hysterical moments where classics such as Robin Hood are targets using the book's own versions of characters and concepts. This self-deprecating humor is refreshing because it doesn't seem forced. Though the story of this novel is ridiculously simple, the author takes care to make sure that not a single moment is wasted. Finally the imagery of this novel is truly stunning. Nothing in there would work without it. The Last Unicorn may not be complex, or revolutionary, but it certainly has charm. I would recommend this book to anyone. I doubt you'll be disappointed. When I first heard about Enter the Gungeon I had no idea that it was going to be my favorite rouge-like game ever. I played it once with a friend of mine (until seven in the morning) and that was about it for a long while. When the game hit the Nintendo Switch I figured I'd give it a shot; and then I gave it another one... and another one... and another... and I kept shooting until I ran out of patience for bullets. I played the game semi-regularly for two years and only recently beat it. So, time for my thoughts...
To start, the core gameplay is incredibly simple, but it has so much replayability. All you do is run, dodge shoot, and use items. You'd think this would get boring, but the varying enemy types, different characters, and a seemingly unending amount of guns hold up the combat all on their own. Random generation, unlockables, secrets, and difficulty also mesh well with the controls. This mix of simplistic controls and complicated/ difficult additions leads to fast-paced combat that is fun as hell. Whether you die or not is always dependent on your skill. Yes, RNG plays a fairly large roll in this game but it all comes back to how good the player is. You could have the worst gun in the game and still win, or lose with the best build ever if you make too many mistakes. In my time with the game, I died 346 times and played at least 110 hours. I have accepted all of these deaths as my own fault. The game never makes you feel bad when you lose, it just encourages you to do better. When I finally won, the only thing that was different was a simple "congratulations", but because I had earned it I was still very happy. The magic of "the gungeon" is that it rewards the player for getting better, not directly, but through progress. How far you get in each run of the game is its own reward. The thing that really lets Enter the Gungeon stand out however, is its charm. The game maintains a cute and quirky art style, has characters with fun personalities, and is absolutely loaded with gun puns. Everything in the game is gun oriented, but its not in a way that is upsetting or pandering. There's a simple gimmick and it's too it no matter what. Even the melee weapons have gun-oriented names and all of them are branded with a curse effect. The game even has its own fun lore revolving around the weapon. Combine the aforementioned with a slew of pop-culture references, some so remote that you would never notice them the first time around, and you got yourself an experience that's a blast to play again and again. Enter the Gungeon is one of my favorite games of all time, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who's craving a shot full of adrenaline! My love of Spider-Man has been completely reinvigorated after I was exposed to some of the most amazing content the character has seen in quite a while. Since I recently watched and or played three Spider-Man related items, they are going to be concisely reviewed at the same time.
First off, Into the Spiderverse is my favorite Spider-Man film of all time for many reasons, but the main ones are the art-style, the attention to detail, the humor, and the characters. However, the art-style leads to the movie being a bit disorienting at times, and there are scenes that just don't make sense. An instance of this being the group swinging on actually nothing. Spider-Man for the Playstation 4 takes many concepts from the Batman: Arkham series and improves upon them for some seriously fun gameplay. The overall tone of the game is also light-hearted to match the character, but this also has the side-effect of making all the dark elements to the game seem much more jarring. The web-singing is just fun, the combat is satisfying the story is surprisingly good, and the narrative even plays with some cool links between different characters. The main negatives about the game are occasional glitches and a small amount of repetitiveness after you play the game for a while. Lastly, Spider-Man Far From Home was a movie with a rocky start and a spectacular pay-off. The beginning is a great idea to convey Peter's human desires but it just isn't executed too well and just isn't that interesting. After this start however, there are some hilarious jokes, cool designs, and spectacular animation sequences. My main complaints with this movie would be the lack of interesting action and the beginning. However, the way that Marvel handled "Mysterio" makes it all worth it. So, just to be blunt, Rising of the Shield Hero is a overrated mess. Because of this, my writing may be a bit all over the place due to the sheer anger within it. At first glance, the show seemed average enough, even if it did start off with the main character repeatedly telling you his only personality trait at that point in time. Then it gets into the classic "protagonist gets trapped in another world" gimmick. The use of four heroes getting put into the world at the same time was a neat touch at the time, but it's easy to realize that the three heroes besides the main protagonist, Naofumi, are the exact same character with different weapons. They even serve the same purpose in the plot. So half-way through the first episode it's already up to a rough start. However, I am a practitioner of the three-episode rule, and continued watching despite how depressing it was.
In the first few episodes, the show tries to make the viewer feel for Naofumi by putting him through hell, but all it resulted in was a tone of pity. Naofumi is the type of person that needs help to get anything done yet complains about everything. Yes, he is the shield hero, which means he can not use weapons. However, he doesn't even try to remedy the situation until he is openly confronted with a solution to it. Enter Raphtalia, a raccoon demi-human who serves as the first in a line of underaged girls for fan-service. Okay, anime can occasionally have this, and it wasn't about to completely ruin the show right? At this point in time it was about a 5/10. For an an isekai that's pretty good. Then episode five hits, and with it, a bird loli. This is where I lost my mind. WHAT?! How is this being praised?! The fan-service is seemingly endless, the plot is mediocre at best, the characters are one-dimensional, the world is boring, and it's being praised. Okay, you can't stop just because of yet another loli. Surely it'll get better right? Well, after watching the entirety of two seasons of Rise of the Shield Hero the conclusion is that of a 4/10. There is just so much mediocrity with this show. Everything that's set up to be possibly unique or interesting is immediately just sort of gone. The bow, sword, and spear hero all basically wield weapons with the exact same capabilities and nothing truly unique for each weapon. Maybe this fact could be overlooked if the only person with an extremely good weapon at his disposal wasn't Naofumi himself. That's one concept down. But hey, the anime is pretty high on theming. One of the more common themes being that despite its appearance this world isn't a game. Though all of this set-up is completely overlooked towards the end of the show, when Naofumi is given a bunch of new game-like mechanics to play around with. Naofumi himself, despite being played off as an outcast even to this new world, is literally just every other isekai protagonist ever. He's a formerly nerdy, overpowered guy with a harem of girls and a personality ranging from decently sad to angry. When he is happy it's because he's fighting for his friends, and surprise surprise he eventually decides to stay in this new world. Of the villains that are in the show, Myne is one that has been there since the start. She's the figure who puts the plot in motion, which is kind of funny because her reason for doing so isn't ever properly explained. The most unbelievable part about her is that nobody around her sees that she's actually just evil. The only exception to this being Naofumi himself, which is a little strange, because the way that he tells nobody would make you think he didn't know. Every single time Naofumi is faced with a problem he either uses of of his army of lolis to deal with his threat, uses his rage shield, or when he isn't able to use his rage shield uses his OTHER RAGE SHIELD. WHY?! HOW?! IT DOESN'T MATTER! This show doesn't show the why of anything to you, so if it doesn't explicitly tell you what's going on, you have no way of knowing beyond guesswork. So currently we have no idea why the shield hero was persecuted due to conflicting information, a crucial aspect of the show! Just a quick tangent, WHY DOES NAOFUMI GET GRIEF FROM THE KING FOR HAVING A SLAVE?! THE KING IS THE ONE WHO ALLOWS SLAVERY?! WHY DO "THE WAVES"(a series of cataclysms that the heroes were summoned to fight) EVEN HAPPEN?! WHY ARE THE 4 WEAPONS NOT WIELDED IN THE UNIVERSE THAT THEY WERE CREATED IN?! WHY IS THIS SHOW SO STUPID?! IT HAD EVERY OPPROTUNITY TO BE JUST A BIT UNIQUE AND TO BE PERFECTLY HONEST IT SQUANDERED ALL OF THEM! THE ONLY POSITIVE THING I CAN SAY ABOUT RISING OF THE SHIELD HERO IS THAT IT'S BETTER THAN ALL BUT THE FIRST EPISODE OF SWORD ART ONLINE. WATCH AT YOU'RE OWN RISK BECAUSE YOU MIGHT DIE FROM SHEER MEDIOCRITY. 3/10 and that's that... |
AuthorMcRae Walker, an 20-year-old writer and lover of many dorky topics. Archives
September 2022
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