Anime Review: Attack on Titan



Back again but this time with another anime review and I don't think I have done one of these since my review of Sword Art Online (might redo that one since I after re - watched it and I am having second thoughts about my verdict). This review will be on the anime that everyone has been talking about; Attack on Titan. Minor Spoilers.

Attack on Titan is set one hundred years after a race of giant humanoid creatures called Titans suddenly appeared and brought the human race to the brink of extinction. Titans come in many sizes (the tallest being 15 metres) and they live only to devour humans without any mercy. While they lack intelligence they are extremely strong and are near invincible, they cannot be destroyed by any method except by slicing off a small area on the back of their necks. Humanity has been forced to retreat behind three massive 50 metre walls that have blocked off the Titans but have also isolated what is left of the humans from the rest of the wall. The main protagonist is Eren Yeager who dreams of seeing the world beyond the walls and hopes to one day kill every last Titan.

Now I just had to watch it because everyone I talked to was going crazy over this series and after watching it myself I can understand why. This a really unique and dark story that is unlike any others that are out there; it combines horror, supernatural, action all mixed in a medieval kind of setting.

First off lets talk about the Titans, the creatures that I am sure was the main attraction for most viewers of the series. At first you would not think that these slow moving giants with low intelligence would pose any threat to the characters but that all changed in the second half of the first episode when we get to see what the Titans are capable of. These things are brutal, strong and completely single minded about wiping out humanity and not only that but I have watched the anime and read the manga and even though we get some answers the Titans are still shrouded in mystery. This is just one example among many that makes you want to keep on watching the series.

I will also talk about the animation and music now because these two points also connect with the Titans. Another thing that is great about the Titans is the many, many faces that the artists give them ranging from comedic to down right creepy. For example who wasn't creep out the first time you saw the face of the Smiling Titan? It is these faces which to me almost have a kind of strange attraction to the Titans, you just cannot take your eyes off them in the scenes.
Also, you might have noticed but around the Titans and human characters there is a black line that separates them from the background. I have not seen anything like this before but it really makes the characters stand out, it even makes them look even more animated.
As for the music it is all great, we got a lot of orchestral soundtracks in here that blend well with the situations on and the music for the main intro is just awesome. Once again during the first episode when you see the Titans devouring humans and what the Smiling Titan is doing, it really makes you feel like all is lost.



However this anime isn't just about doom and gloom because the action can be really over the top when it wants to be. This comes in the form of the manoeuvring gear, along with a pair of swords, that the characters use to reach to the back of the Titan's neck. While this does make for some great action sequences, watching the humans take on giants with swords, some of this can look a bit silly. An example of this is when Eren rushing towards the Titans in episode five and his weaving about between the buildings. I have read the manga so I know that that scene is mostly over done so while it does work on the screen I cannot help but thinking that Eren should have been splattered on a wall.
But when the fighting does get started it is edge of your seat good and it is really dark because of the gruesome death scenes that the humans suffer. This is not for the faint of heart but those who like a lot of blood in their action will be glad here. Not to spoiler too much but in the series we also get some unusual Titans who attack each other which is some of the best moments in the anime.
 My favourite part, and arc, is with the Female Titan. She is so badass that she is also my favourite Titan,  she is just epic when I read the manga and it was great seeing her in the anime. Glad that they managed to include that arc before they ended the first season.

Now if I am going to be completely honest if I had to pick something that nagged me during the series is my lack of liking for the three main characters. Eren Yeager is a decent protagonist but I just find his outbursts of slaughtering the Titans to be annoying at times, he is good but defiantly not my favourite. Armin just gets on my nerves sometimes because he is a wimp for the most part who has yet to kill a single Titan, I know he is the brains of the group but I just can't find myself to like him. However the one who bothers me the most is Mikasa who is the biggest b***h since Rachel from Revolution in my opinion. She is portrayed as this ultimate fighter who is an expert at slaying Titans but they have made her too flawless at it that it lowers the danger of the Titans. Also her complete obsession with Eren does go overboard most of the time, I know he saved her life but her complete single mindedness with Eren (and her willingness to kill anyone and disobey the rules for him) is just not enjoyable to watch but frustrating. There are however a lot of great side characters such as Reiner, Bertolt, Annie, Levi and Zoe just to name a few.

Overall this a near perfect anime and a perfect adaption to a great manga.

9/10

TV Series Review: Falling Skies Season One

Now to review a series I have been promising to for ages; Falling Skies. I have really enjoyed this series and since season 4 is going to air in the UK tomorrow I thought it was about time to get to work on reviewing the previous seasons. These reviews will contain MAJOR spoilers for all three previous seasons, so it is advised bot to read this review until you have at least watched season one.

The story begins six months after the invasion by a mysterious alien race that managed to destroy every major city, wipe out the world's military and kill over 90% of the world's population. They have also been capturing every human between eight and eighteen and attaching a bio - mechanical device called a Harness on to their backs which puts the individual under their control. However groups of survivors consisting of those from all walks of life have banded together to fight back, one of the groups is the Second Massachusetts led by retired US Army Captain Dan Weaver (Will Patton). In the Second Massachusetts is a former Boston History Professor named Tom Mason (Noah Wyle) who has chosen to be a 'Fighter' so he can protect his sons and hopefully destroy the alien menace.

Those who have read my previous blog reviews know that I am a massive fan of the Post - Apocalypse genre (The Walking Dead, Revolution), I think it is one of the best genres for a book, film or TV Series. This is because I enjoy watching characters try and survive in a new dangerous world (The Walking Dead) or build a new society and the hardships they have to go through (Revolution). Falling Skies is more of the former but I also really like it because it brings aliens and huge science fiction elements in to it as well.

I guess I should say first that Falling Skies is a very, very character driven series more than anything else. It is not loaded down with massive amounts of gore or violence however this is not a bad thing, it has done it so well that it is one of the best series out there right now. For example because this is the beginning of the journey of the Second Massachusetts a recurring plot device is civilians vs. military. Second Massachusetts calls its solider personal Fighters, these are the people in the group who risk there lives to fight the aliens, scout out areas and protect everyone else and these Fighters aren't just people who were soldiers or cops, anyone can volunteer. The rest are the civilians who do not actively fight but instead chose to be doctors, cooks and perform other means of labour.
This brings a lot of infighting within the Second Massachusetts in this season on whether which group is more important. Tom for example may be a Fighter now but he sympathizes with the civilian's because he used to be a professor so we get to see both sides from him, meanwhile there is Weaver who used to be an Army Captain so he obviously feels the Fighters are a higher priority. It is just things like this for example that makes Falling Skies a really great watch.

We also have a suburb cast; Noah Wyle is perfect as the main protagonist, I admit I have not seen him in much before this but he is great and it is cool to see him constantly referring to battles with the aliens to wars in the past, thus using his background in history. We also have Will Patton and that guy has been great in everything I have seen him in and we have a great range of secondary characters such as Moon Bloodgood, Peter Shinkoda, Mpho Koaho and Tom Mason's three sons who are each in a different age group which I think was deliberate so we get to see how the youngest to the oldest deal with the aliens. The most interesting in this season out of the three by far is Ben Mason because of the harness attached to his back and the effects it is having on him.
However an honourable mention I have to give is Colin Cunningham as John Pope the former badass leader of a group of rebels who joins the Second Massachusetts. Colin Cunningham has always been one of my favourite actors and he absolutely kills it as Pope because he is so cool in every scene he is in, either when its killing the aliens or arguing with Tom. I can honestly say that John Pope is my favourite TV series character even more than Miles Matheson (Revolution) or Tywin Lannister (Game of Thrones).

Now as for the aliens they have been dubbed the Skitters by the Second Massachusetts because of their multiple legs and how fast they move with them. Their design is really cool, similar to insects, and they prove to be quite the formable foe against the humans. They also have advanced technology such as ships and giant Mechas which is cool to see because I am so used to seeing them in anime and the special effects used for them are awesome. We also get their mysterious Overlords, stick thin leaders who command the Skitters and they have got a pretty creepy design almost like the Slender man. Overall we have a really great adversary for the human race that and as the episode progress we get more and more answers about them.

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE FINAL EPISODES BELOW

If I had to find some faults to this season is that even though I mentioned that it is alright that this series is not loaded down with violence I do wish they had a bit more sometimes. For example while we get some great battles there is much build up to a final battle that Weaver is leading to blow up a Skitter base however it happens completely off screen so that was a tad annoying. Also I find Sarah Carter's character Maggie to be completely annoying, everything from what she does to her stupid backstory but still every show has one character that you absolutely can't stand. I also admit that some may find this a little slow sometimes (I didn't but I read that some might) just remember that this is the first season and every first season in almost every show with just ten episodes a season is more to do establishing the world, story and characters.

However while I was annoyed that the massive battle with Weaver this season did end on a high note; it seems more grim for the Second Massachusetts than ever and Tom went on board an Overlord space craft. While major cliff hangers can be so frustrating at times this one was done just right because it made me really look forward to second season.

There you have it a great science fiction drama that I think many people from lots of ages groups can enjoy. This season really did a great job of setting up Falling Skies as something that is going to be big and seeing as we are on season four now that just proves my point.

SCORE: 7/10

I admit it is a bit weird doing a review of season one now that season four is out but I will try to write the review for two and three has quick as I can so that I can at least review season four straight way when it is finished.

Manga Review: Gantz



Back again with another review, been awhile but I have been really busy. This time however I have decided to review and entire manga series, so unlike my Bleach fight reviews I will be talking about the whole story. Also thought I'd say that I won't be reviewing the Gantz anime because even though I do like it and got it on DVD it does not even compare to the manga because of its low animation quality and just terrible original arc they added in the end. I will try and keep this spoiler free for you because going in to too much depth would just take forever to cover.

The story of Gantz follows the main protagonist Kei Kurono who, while waiting for the train, runs in to his old childhood friend Masaru Kato. However while trying to save a homeless person who fell in to the train tracks they are both run over and seemingly killed but they suddenly awaken in a small apartment overlooking Tokyo Tower. There are several other individuals in this apartment who also claim to have died or been killed but the most strange things that are going on is that they cannot leave the apartment and there is a mysterious black ball in the centre of the room called Gantz. After some time this ball plays old exercise music and shows them an imagine of an alien they have to defeat, it then opens up to reveal futuristic weapons and combat suits and sends them on their mission to various places in Japan. We now follow Kei as he battles numerous aliens and deals with the dangers during these missions and its strict rules and still trying to live a life as a high school student.

What really drew me in to this series is its really violent and serious tones compared to other manga. You see I am a massive Horror/Sci - Fi fan (Alien, Predator, Event Horizon; to name a few) and I am also a big anime/manga fan so I really wanted to find a series that is like the films I watched. That is when I found Gantz, it is exactly what I was looking for and it has not disappointed me at all.

Now I have to say that this series is not for everyone because it is really not for the faint of heart, when I said it was violent I mean it is VIOLENT. The aliens that the characters face are serious monsters who kill them in some pretty gruesome ways and vise versa because they are also being hunted by the characters, from humans and aliens alike you will see guts flying, severed limbs and even some rapes. But it is not just the violence there is also a high level of sex and nudity throughout it (95% of it from the female characters) not just some simple fan service you get in other manga. However do not take this as me trying to put you off the series because like I mentioned earlier this is something I had been trying to find.

I love the story structure in this manga because the story arcs is basically the missions the characters get from Gantz and they can be either short or very long depending on how many aliens they face and their difficulty. It is always interesting to see what design Hiroya Oku (the writer and artist of Gantz) can come up with next, so you look forward to every mission. But the down time between the missions are just as good as we see the characters try and cope with their normal lives. Thought I'd mention that my favourite story arcs in this the Osaka arc and the final Katastrophe arc.

This manga also deals a lot with the theme of death because this like Game of Thrones anyone, even the main characters, can die. Death will claim characters you were even not expecting so there is always the impending threat that your favourite character could be next on the chopping block. I find this really refreshing in a manga series because even though I am a huge fan of the Bleach and Naruto manga you don't feel any threat to the main characters at all because it seems their creators don't want to part with them and sometimes come up with ridiculous ways to keep them from dying.

As for the characters there is a wide array of them each with their own personalities and stories that can appeal to everyone. Take Kei for example he is not like other main protagonists from manga; he is a self - centred, uncaring, sex obsessed high school student which doesn't seem typical for main character traits in my experience. However as the series goes own we see his personality mature and he does find it in him to care about other (though he still is obsessed with sex and girls). There are many more to choose from such as Kato the natural leader, Izumi the sword wielding murderer, Nishi the loner who cares only for himself and many others. Now I have read some criticism before that the majority of the female characters in Gantz are only there to have sex, be naked and fall in love with male ones too easily and while this is a fair view I don't 100% agree with it. Take the two main females Kishimoto and Reika, yes they do have a lot of fan service scenes (Kishimoto for example arrives in chapter three completely nude and that is not the only time as the series progresses) however they are still their own characters with interesting story arcs and they are still badass when it comes to the fighting.

The art in this is also something that really makes it stand out from other manga because it is done using 3D imagining, especially for the backgrounds. It also has a really realistic art style for the character and alien designs which really helps with the horror and goriness of it.

This serious has thirty seven volumes so it is not too short and not too long and it is well worth you reading everyone of them. Overall I highly recommend this series to anyone who likes science fiction, horror and thriller and doesn't mind high levels of gore and sex. While this is a series that may not be for everyone it is definitely one of my favourites and is so unique that I am giving it a perfect score.

SCORE: 10/10

On another note I really hope this series is made in to a live action series for film, I know it has two Japanese live action films but I am talking about American films. Now before you argue against it I already know that America has so far mostly been bloody terrible at adapting manga (Dragon Ball and Last Airbender) however I truly feel like Gantz is something that could work if done right and I am not saying this lightly.

TV Series Review: Game of Thrones Season Four (SPOILERS!!)

With season four now over it is now time to review it and then it will be almost a whole year before I can review Game of Thrones again. Been busy lately so it has taken me longer to write this up than I thought but I hope you enjoy.

The War of the Five Kings is all but over; the North is now under the control of Rose Bolton and his bastard son Ramsey now that the Stark House is destroyed and the Lannisters are now more powerful than ever with the wedding with the Tyrells is drawing closer and an alliance with the Martells of Dorne. Meanwhile the men of the Nights Watch must face the threat of a large Wilding army intent of heading south through the Wall while beyond it Bran Stark is still searching for the mysterious three eyes Raven. Across the Narrow Sea Daenerys Targaryen is sacking slaves cites and now has her sites on the largest one; Meereen.

Like the previous season it is based on the events in a Storm of Swords however it focuses on the events of the later half of the book. Also as I have mentioned before Storm of Sword is one of my favourite entries to the Song of Ice and Fire saga so I was really looking forward to watching the conclusion of it in the TV series and I was not disappointed. Some of the most famous scenes from book the book has been adapted well here like the Purple Wedding, The Mountain vs The Viper and the Battle for the Wall.

Before I go into these events and others I just want to say that we have some great casting this season with the stand out being Pedro Pascal as Oberyn Martell; the second prince of Dorne and one of the most famous fighters in the world. He did a really great job as being one of the most rash and impulsive characters in the book who was always a fan favourite. Two I would like to mention are Michiel Huisman as Daario Naharis and Dean - Charles Chapman as Tommen Baratheon mostly because they are recasts. Even though recasts usually bug me in films and TV series I really did not mind now because again we just got some major acting talent in this show and these two don't disappoint, especially the recast of Tommen because I did not like him in the book because he is just a whiny kid but I am glad they made him a bit older now.

Now one of the most major events of this season was the Purple Wedding in episode two which ended with the death of Joffrey Baratheon. I bet fans of the show and book were delighted world wide now that the most sadist character ever created has finally got his and I agree that there is no character who deserves to die more. But I think we should give a round of applause to Jack Gleeson who did a perfect job of bringing one of the most evil fictional characters to life so well to screen. The tone and scenes was really done well (such as Joffrey being an ass to his uncle as always) and the poisoning looked so brutal that the Purple Wedding will be as iconic as the Red Wedding.

Next is The Mountain vs The Viper and what I think what makes this really stand out is how imposing The Mountain (Hafpor Julius Bjornsson) really is, I mean have you seen the SIZE of the guy! He was like the Terminator, the guy just did not stop and he just can't die, which sadly Oberyn learned the hard way. The entire fight was done so well like Oberyn with his more graceful spear control or The Mountain with his more brutal sword play. Also I was not expecting the death of Oberyn to be so graphic in the series like it was in the book; his head literally exploded and we got to see it up close. So props to these two they have given us the best one on one fight of the whole series,

Lastly is the Battle of the Wall which was in episode nine like mostly all major events in the series, the entire episode was given over to it and for such a big battle they could do no less. I am glad they introduced the cannibal Thenns this season because they played a major role in the battle and I thought they would have been introduced last season. The whole battle was just epic, it was a pincer attack on the Nights Watch one both sides of the wall and it really looked like the Wildings could have won. We got plenty of fighting and giant action and I was surprised with how well and how much scenes with the giants we had. This was just has good as the Battle of the Blackwater in season two and I like how we have two battles going on at the same time. In the book the attack on Castle Black by the Thenns and other Wildings happened a few days before the Wilding army came from the North but I like this pincer attack better. Also I also liked the original subplot of the Nights Watch mutinies in Craster's Keep, I liked it because it made a lot of sense that Jon and the Nights Watch had to deal with them because they don't in the books and just assume they get killed by the Wrights. They do but was a bit of a gamble just to assume they were going to die and not get capture by Mance.

Besides from those major events we got more like Theon's which is once again expanded here in the series, he is now Reek and even though he is not has mutilated as he is in the book I do still feel really sorry for the guy. Also they included some events from the Dance of Dragons books and we get a lot more interaction between Roose and Ramsey.

Another story that I think was really good was Sansa's story in the Eyrie; I know there are a lot of people who dislike the character of Sansa but I think her character has really improved because of the influence of Littlefinger. For example when she lied to the nobles of the Eyrie regarding her aunts death, you got to admit she had them all in the palm of her hand. Also the death of Lysa Arryn was done just like in the book and like Joffery I am not sorry about her death because she was one crazy b***h.

Two other story lines that are still really good from last season is Daenerys and Arya and the Hound, they are still a continuation from season three and they were both still strong. However when Arya left the Hound and the final scene of the season was her leaving on a boat for the East, that was so epic. The music and the whole feel of the scene was just really well done, I am really good that the final scene was about her and Daenerys was not just shoved in there.

Another story line that was expanded was on two of my favourite characters; Stannis and Davos. In this season we see them travel to Braavos to convince the Iron Bank to fund Stannis's army, this was not in the book, in the book they just sort of go straight away to the Wall so I really liked this. Davos really does have a silver tongue when it comes to winning people over like those bankers and the statue of the Titan of Braavos was badass.

Two story lines that did not garb my attention as much as the others was Bran's journey in the North and Brienne and Pod's travels through the Riverlands. Don't get me wrong I did really like them but I just preferred the others and maybe that is because they did not spend as much time on them as the other, especially Bran's. However I did really like what happened to them in the final episode; Brienne vs the Hound was a great fight that was almost as good The Mountain vs The Viper and Bran's group encountering the dead was awesome, really sad about Jojen's death however.

Finally the story in King Landing was as great as ever we get see the trial of Tyrion for the murder of Joffery, we see Jamie trying to change himself (and not just trying to fight left handed) and we see the epicness that is Tywin Lannister who is the most powerful man in the Seven Kingdoms. His death was again a perfect adaption from the book and it is a shame Charles Dance is not going to be in the show now because he owned the role of Tywin. Glad that Tyrion killed Shae because if I am honest she just annoyed me in the end and it was a touching moment between the Lannister brothers when Jamie freed Tyrion.

Overall this season had a great balance of everything from action to great dialogue, actually I think there was more action in this than any other season especially in the tenth episode which is usually a cool down from episode nine. This season did a great job of adapting some great iconic moments from the books and I loved all the original stuff as well. I think I am going to give this a perfect score because I think this is probably the best season of Game of Thrones so far.

SCORE : 10/10

Now that this season is finished I guess there won't be another review for almost a year so if I do anything else for Game of Thrones it will be prediction's for the next season. I have read all the books but maybe I can give my opinion on what the events should be included in it.

Resident Evil Rant Part Two: Rebooting the Series

This is long overdo but the reason for that is because I have been very busy lately and I have only now just found the time to get round to writing part two. Those who have read my previous Resident Evil Rant may already now that I am dissatisfied with the direction the games have taken and I feel that it is in everyone's best interest if the series is rebooted. I will now make a list of what I think Capcom can do to make a good reboot and what mistakes it needs to avoid making again.

1. Never get rid of the zombies!
Had to get this one out of the way first because it is the most obvious one and the fall of the Resident Evil games started when they replaced zombies with intelligent parasites. When your enemies in survival horror games can jump around and use machine guns and bazookas then it turns in to an action game and that is something no true Resident Evil fan wanted. Leon's story in 6 did a good job of trying to bring zombies back and found a good way of letting them use weapons (they would drunkenly use clubs and guns like a proper zombie would) but Chris and Jack ruined that good work.

2. Don't overload it with too many B.O.Ws
In the old games they had great ones like Hunters, Lickers and Bandersnatch but in 6 they have the enemies mutant in to these stupid looking ones and in 4 and 5 I hated that they all looked like insects and parasites. Also in the old ones they always saved the stronger enemies for the right moments like the boiler room in the Resident Evil 1 mansion lab or the hospital in Resident Evil 3.

3. Don't load us down with too much ammunition and weapons
These shops and ammo drops in 4 and 5 really put me off the entire experience, probably more than anything else in the games. They may have got rid of the shops in 6 and went back to finding weapons in the field but the enemies still dropped too much ammo. Whenever I fought a boss in the new games I was not worried about losing to them at all. One of the most scary things about bosses in the old games was wondering if I might have been too trigger happy on the zombies and saved nothing! lack of resources and feeling like you can be killed at anytime is what makes a survival horror game a great survival horror game.

4. No QTE
Does this really need an explanation?

5. No multiplayer
I did sometimes enjoy this but I think it would be best if they got rid of so they can focus more on a single player experience because again that is what made the old games great. However if they want to have multiplayer than keep it for mercenaries because I still really enjoy that mode and maybe they could make more mini games if they want.

6. Don't abandon good characters
I don't know about anyone else but I just got sick of seeing Leon and Chris in every new Resident Evil game and why the hell don't we know what happened to great characters like Rebecca, Billy or Carlos?? Unless the character has died then keep them active in the overall story.

7. Don't get rid of the Umbrella Corporation
If they do reboot the series and use the Umbrella corporation again then for God's sake don't get rid of such a cool and powerful enemy in a prologue in 4! Umbrella was a really great and menacing company that doesn't care about human life at all and we did not even get to see their downfall properly. And as for Spencer the shadowy head of Umbrella who we never see and only heard off in the past - don't kill him off in such a lacklustre way after so much build up.

8. Don't go running around the entire world
There has not be single location in the new games as good as the old ones because they keep moving the settings around too much. They need to confine it in a single location so they can put more of an effect in to it, like the mansion and Raccoon City. Only Code Veronica X has done it right so far.

9. Bring back backtracking
As I mentioned in Part One I really like the backtracking in the old games; going back to old locations with a new key and running in to more enemies. The new games felt like we were just walking forward a liner corridor no matter how much they made us fell the levels were big.

10. Bring back typewriters and ink ribbons
Hate auto save because like with more ammo and weapons they take away the whole danger of the games. Because they limited the saves to ink ribbons you had to make sure you don't waste them for near the end of the game.

There you go ten good rules for Capcom to stick to if they decided to reboot the Resident Evil games. If you can think of anymore please let me know!

Film Review: X Men: Days of Future Past ( MAJOR SPOILERS!)

Thought I'd fit in a review before going on to part two of my Resident Evil rant, and what better film is there out right now to review than X Men: Days of Future Past. Now I am going to really talk about this film in detail and that means SPOILERS.

This film follows a story set in two timelines; the first set in a dystopian future were Mutants and Humans who could potentially have a mutant child are at the brink of extinction by the near invincible Sentinel robots while the second is set in 1973 America just before the Sentinels were ever created.
Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is the one who is chosen to go back in to the past because of his healing abilities and he must convince a young professor Xavier (James McAvoy), who is in a state of depression after many of his students and teachers are killed in Vietnam, to team up with a young Magneto (Michael Fassbender) who betrayed him in X Men First Class. Together they must stop Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from killing the Sentinel creator Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage) that, after being murdered by a mutant, gained sympathy and support for the Sentinel Program. However that is not all, Mystique is captured shortly after the murder and it is her DNA that it used to eventually upgrade the Sentinels to their invincible form in the future.
Meanwhile in the future the X men team led by older Professor Xavier (Patrick Steward) and Magneto (Ian Mckellen) must guard Kitty Pride (Ellen Page) from the Sentinels while she is using her powers to transfer Wolverine to the past.

Now I have read the comic that this film was inspired from and even though there are quite the few differences it is a really faithful adaption that is, in my opinion, the best X Men film to date. The biggest difference that this film has to the comic is that they send Wolverine back instead of Kitty Pride and even though I was very, very slightly disappointed when I first saw it in the trailers it worked really well in this. The reason why I was disappointed was because Kitty Pride is played by the great Ellen Page who is like perfect in everything she has been in (take X Men Last stand for example; no matter what anyone said about that film she was great in it), so in this she only seen in the future segments. However if they did send someone else back I am glad it was Wolverine because Hugh Jackman IS Wolverine, he has probably one of the most iconic roles ever and I can think of no one else to play the part than him.
Another reason I why I think this film is such a great adaptation is because this film is directed by Bryan Singer; director of X1 and X2 and worked as producer and writer for First Class, so this is like the return of the one who gave who the best X Men films (though The Wolverine is also great as well).

Besides some of the cast I have already mentioned above this film has a very wide variety of mutants and Humans from the comics, some with a more larger role than others. In the future for example we also have Storm (Halle Berry), Warpath (BooBoo Stewart), Iceman (Shawn Ashmore), Bishop (Omar Sy), Colossus (Daniel Cudmore), Blink (Fan BingBing) and Sunspot (Adan Canto). All of them have some great fight scenes with the future Sentinels and the cast was just perfect however since the majority of the film takes place in 1973 we don't see as much of them as I would have liked. Especially Bishop who is one of my favourite mutants because my favourite mutant power is absorbing kinetic energy which is his power and I would have wanted to see more of it (also why Sebastian Shaw is my absolute favourite mutant).
We also get some other great cast in the past besides the ones I have mentioned above as well like young Beast and Quicksilver (Evan Peters) who is a stand out in this film. When they break Magneto out of the Pentagon and we see Quicksilver take out all of those guards in slow motion was just so funny and damn cool. It is a shame however he is not in it for too long and the same can be said for Havok (Lucas Till) who only gets a small cameo.

As for the Sentinels they are portrayed really well in this film whether it was their past versions or their future versions. The ones in the past look more like the Sentinels that have been used in various X Men media and even looks like we can even build them today. As for the future ones they really seem like unstoppable killing machines thanks to their bio - mechanical armour that changes to adapt to any mutant they are fighting. So good job with these Sentinels, a really good portrayal of one of the X Men's most popular foes.

There are tons of action in this film to please any fan who wants to see a lot of mutants fight with their powers from the battles in the future to Magneto lifting an entire stadium over the white house. But there is also a good mix of great interaction from many of the cast like when the two Xaviers meet and the young Xavier trying to stop Mystique, this film is something that I think can please any movie goer.

However one thing that does annoy me in this film is that most of the mutants from First Class were just killed off, off screen. This includes Banshee, Emma Frost, Angel, Riptide and Azazel - all killed off and used for Trasks experiments before this film. It is a shame because the end of the First Class sets the former four as a major team with Magneto and Banshee in the comics was a major X Men. 

Now I will now touch on the end of this film and its after credits scene, so even though I warned you before I will say it again that this next part will contain MAJOR SPOILERS!

In the ending of this film we see Wolverine return to the future but the world now seems to be at peace and he is now a history professor at the X Mansion. We also get the return of both Cyclops and Jean Grey because the events of X3 has now never happened. To be more precise the events of X1, X2, X3, X Men Origins Wolverine and The Wolverine has never happened. This is because this film takes place shortly after First Class and from the newspaper that glorified Mystique saving the President I am guessing that mutants are now not hated as much in this new timeline so maybe Magneto never set the events in motion in X1.
Now I am not saying that the previous films are now not worth watching all I am saying that Wolverine has now created an alternate timeline, the events in the previous films did happen but only Wolverine is aware of them. I think they have done this for two reasons;

1. It is almost like they have rebooted the series but they don't have to recast any of the characters, they can now create a new series of X Men films but without completely redoing the entire story. Also this way they can keep on using the cast and characters from this film and Days of Future Past.

2. They wanted to get rid of the some of the events they were not satisfied with in a way that could please the fans, like X3 for example. Now I know X3 got a lot of negative feedback however I did enjoy it overall because it did have some good points e.g. Ellen Page and Beast, but I will admit they messed up the Phoenix saga and needlessly killed off Jean, Cyclops and Xavier. At least now if they set any more films in the new future that Wolverine is in we will have those characters back.

So props to Bryan Singer because not only has he erased the events of X3 he even did it to his own films and that must have took guts. But I will say again those films are still worth watching because the series has not really rebooted and they are important and play a part in the overall story arc, especially in the future events in Days of Future Past.

Now I don't know about any of you but I am really psyched for the new X Men film because of the after scene credits which features one of the most deadliest foes the X Men have ever faced; En Sabah Nur - Apocalypse. I won't go in to too much detail of Apocalypse but lets just say that he is possible the first mutant ever with almost unlimited powers. We also get to see the Four Horse Men in the background for are his loyal mutant followers. I have read that the new X Men film takes place with the young generation of X Men which is good because we from 1973 I think there is around fifty years until the new timeline to cover. Also I read that we will see a young Cyclops and Jean Grey so that is great as well, I hope Wolverine is in it even if it is just a cameo.

So that is it for my review, it is the best X Men in the entire franchise and sets up the future for a new series of films. It is only just below perfect because some mutants that I wanted to see more aren't and previous mutants from First Class are kill off screen.

SCORE: 9/10

Renew Revolution!!

I have been feeling down these past couple of weeks and the reason for that is because one of my favourite shows has been cancelled by NBC! I should have wrote something like this weeks ago but I have been putting it off till now because I was still hoping that while the last few episodes were being released in the UK NBC would change there minds about the cancellation. Unfortunately this is not the case, the last episode of season two has aired and there is still no word of renewal. So I am going to give you a list the reasons why I think this show should be renewed and what I want to see in another season. SPOILERS.

Firstly however I just want to go over the later half of the second season since if you recall in my last review I only went over episodes 1 - 9, I am not going to talk about every event and episode just some of the high points and low points.

Here are the high points, just a few for me that really stood out if I listed everything that I thought was great about the season this would take forever:

The Dreamcatcher and S**t Happens episodes: Aaron is probably one of my favourite characters in this series and I really liked how they give him his own episode were he is stuck in a Matrix like world with power. It was funny seeing how characters like Monroe and Miles act in this world and we got some cool cameos from Nora and Dr. Calvin Horn, who became one of my favourite antagonists this season. Also the episode were Miles is struggling all by himself against the Texas Rangers while being seriously injured was great; Miles was defiantly having a bad day, I honestly thought he could die in that episode (glad he didn't).

The characters of Connor and Truman: Two great characters who are a real stand out throughout the later half of season two. Truman (Steven Culp) has been in it a lot earlier but he really became a major character in the second half and even get his own flashback and I really liked how him and Tom form an uneasy alliance. Then there is Monroe's son Connor (Mat Vario) who was just the perfect cast because he is really believable as his son and he becomes a great asset to the group.

Texas: I know that the whole season is already set in Texas but for the later half we get to see more of it when the group heads to their capital of Austin. I have to admit Carver was right in saying that Texas flourished in the Blackout and it is cool seeing them use cowboy Texas Rangers like it was the Wild West.

The death of Jason: Even though it was sad seeing a good character like Jason go his death scene was handled really well and Tom's emotional break down after hearing about it was some rally great acting by Giancarlo Espoito. Also I have always thought that in a post apocalyptic series they have to kill off a major character every now and again or it won't be realistic if all of the main group keeps surviving everything (though it should have been Rachael).

Nano - Ben: It might have been a small part but the return of one of my favourite characters for an avatar of the Nano was just great. If there is a season three Ben should be the main avatar all the time for them.

And here a some what I feel were low points of the season that could have been handled better:

Nano - Pricilla: I didn't like it when Pricilla was controlled by the Nano, not only did I find her requests from Aaron and experiments stupid by I just think Maureen Sebastian acting while controlled to be just terrible. I know the Nano have used dead people as avatars to communicate before but they really chose wrong for their first live human.

Rachael: Now I know I have express my dislike for this character lots of times but I really just need to say it again because she is the worst fictional character ever! I blame her for the cancellation of the show, because of her character and the things she has done she should have been killed off because someone who has done the things she has done does not deserve to live. She says in a episode that Monroe is the devil on Miles's shoulder but a least he isn't a damn hypocrite like she is and at least Monroe has never betrayed anyone in the ways like she has. Also Elizabeth Mitchell is the worst actress ever, if she is reading this I have only one thing to say; throughout these two seasons your expression never changes! you have the same face for everything! You cannot act!

The fall of the Patriots: I know they might have had to rush the ending with the show being cancelled but I don't like that the Patriot army is literally wipe out off screen by Texas. Throughout the season it looked like they have took over a lot of territory but it is implied they have completely lost in just the last fifteen minutes of the last episode, it is a shame.

There you have it of my favourite and least favourite parts of the second half of this season, there is probably more but it would be one long list.

Now as for a season three they have just got to make one because the ending of this season really implies that there will be one. We see that the Nano have gathered many followers including Tom, Truman and the President and are setting up for something big so it just has to continue. Here are more reasons why I think it should;

It may only need one more season to wrap it up: Though I would love to have more seasons, for a proper ending one could suffice because it has over twenty episodes a season. Because of it high amount of episodes when this show first started a felt it could have had four or five seasons and still be a massive story. However to make a proper ending for the show if it just needs another twenty episodes then I could accept that, at least it could have over sixty episodes overall!

It has a strong fanbase: I know I mentioned this in my review of episodes 1 - 9 but now there is a petition by dedicated fans who want this show back and moved to another network. I have signed the petition and it just shows you how popular this show really is. I think everyone likes watching a good story instead of sitting through mindless reality shows and dried up comedies.

It amazing and beautiful post apocalyptic locations: Even though the locations are more limited this season than the last I still think they have created such an amazing world here. From New Vegas to Austin Texas it is interesting to see how the different ways people have adapted to the Blackout.

Here are a few of my reasons, I know there is more but I don't want to be going on about it for too long.

Finally here is what I want to see if they make another season or two, and they should!!

Kill off Rachael: Straight away in the first episode by the Nano so it gives Miles a reason to fight (though I don't know why any one would want to avenge this b***h!)

Involve other countries: It would be great to see England and Europe cope with the Blackout and if the Nano are the main enemy in the next season maybe we can see through their eyes at the rest of the world.

Explore more of the USA: Maybe we can see the what it is like for the towns and people that were close to the two nuclear blasts at the end of season one and we still need to see the California Commonwealth and more of the Plains Nation.

War against the Nano: I want to see more big battles in the next season, maybe we can see Miles lead the humans against the Nanos who can remotely control tanks and helicopters.

The rise of the second Monroe Republic: I want to see Monroe rebuild his army and the Republic once again but this time with his son.

There you have it a small review of the later half of the second season, why I think it should have a third season and what I would like to see in the third season. I am being really serious when I say that Revolution is one of my favourite shows of all time and they just got to renew it on another network. It has such an original story and ideas and I would just hate to see it all go to waste. The acting and the characters have just been amazing (except for Elizabeth Mitchell of course) and watching them struggle in this Blackout world has been a great experience.

Maybe I am really passionate about this show but I really like shows that create their own world that really draws you in like a good book. Shows like Revolution, Game of Thrones, Falling Skies and The Walking Dead; they are a fantasy break from reality (I just hate most comedies and reality TV, it is just a waste of time to me).

So please bring back Revolution, so that when I eventually get it all on DVD (I have season one so far) I have a complete story that I can watch and enjoy anytime.

Reviews to come:

X Men: Days of Future Past
Falling Skies
Maybe some classic games and films
Part two of my Resident Evil rant