Film Review: Highlander

My first film review since Psycho and since I will be a bit busy over Christmas I wanted to end this year on a high note. So I thought what better way to do that then review one of my most all time favourite films of all time; Highlander.

The film stars Christopher Lambert as Connor Macleod, born in Scotland in the year 1518 and in the year 1536 is mortally wounded in battle by the warrior Kurgan (Clancy Brown), however he does not die and instead fully recovers from his injuries. Driven from his village he eventually becomes a blacksmith and settles down with a woman named Heather (Beatie Edney). One day a mysterious man appears named Juan Sanchez Villa – Lobos Ramirez (Sean Connery) who explains to Conner what he really is; an Immortal just like him, Kurgan and many others. Connor can not age and can not die (Besides from having his head chopped off) and must eventually battle with all of the other Immortals to obtain the Prize, because there can be only one! This story takes over the course of centauries and ends up in New York 1885 where Connor must fight Kurgan in a final epic showdown.

I immediately liked this story after only the first few minutes and that is because I am a massive fan of the old mid nineties to late nineties adventure films (like Conan, Jason and the Argonauts, Brave heart etc). They just don’t make them like this anymore maybe because they really rely too much of computer special effects nowadays or because their locations don’t look as epic, it is hard to explain but nothing modern can compare to them.

I admit I am getting a little off topic here so back to the film; what I really like about the structure this film is how it cuts to flashbacks every now and again to tell another part of Connor’s story but it does not upset the flow of the film at all because it is all relevant.

Of course however one of my favourite things about this film is the awesome sword fights that they have in it. That is another thing about modern adventure films; their sword fighting is all about over the top moves and jumping about. In Highlander it looks a lot more authentic and realistic, it is really on the edge of your seat stuff, I mean the final duel between Connor and Kurgan is something I will never forget.

As for the cast I can not think of any other actors who would have been better at the roles. Christopher Lambert gives a stellar performance as Connor Macleod and he really makes you feel for the character as you watch the events of his incredibly long life. This is one of my favourite Sean Connery roles as the tutor Ramirez but who could forget Clancy Brown as the villainous Kurgan; the guy his menacing, psychotic and intimidating, it is hard to believe that anyone can beat him. Then of course you have a really good supporting cast from Connor’s first wife Heather to his modern love interest Brenda Wyatt (Roxanne Hart).

Other stuff I would like to mention is the great use of establishing shots during the flashbacks in Scotland. They really capture the beauty of its country side; one of my favourite scenes of the film is Connor’s training montage which has some epic shots. Then there is the music delivered by my favourite band Queen and did a fantastic job at it. I mean come one who could not get sad during the scene when Connor’s marriage with Heather is flashing by and they play Who Wants to Live Forever, you would have to be made out of stone.

Overall I really recommend this film to anyone who likes adventure fantasy films because it is simply one of the best but then again I think everyone should check out this film. It is a prime example of adventure fantasy film at its best which the modern era of today is severally lacking.

SCORE: 10/10

Here is a quick run down of the Highlander sequels, I did not want to do separate reviews on all of them but I did not want to leave them.

Highlander 2: The Quickening: The worst one of the sequels because they add sci – fi to the plot and it fails at every turn. You might have already heard bad things about this film and they are mostly all right and it is a shame. However it is not completely unwatchable; I myself still watch it when I want to watch all Highlanders in order and some of the fight scenes are OK but I will not blame you for skipping this one. SCORE: 2/10

Highlander 3: The Sorcerer: Now this is a true squeal to the first Highlander and the makers must have wanted that to be obvious because they completely disregard the events of the second film. However it is not all perfect because some parts feel like a copy of the first film, and I wished they could have had more sword fighting. But this is really good because it includes some great music (especially during the sword repairing montage), great sword fights when they get down to it and I found the villain Kane (Mario Van Peebles) to be a really cool antagonist. SCORE: 6/10

Higher: Endgame: Easily the best of all of the Highlander series because I feel that out of all them, this one returns as close to it’s roots and tries to recapture the essence of the first film. This film does not star Connor however instead it focuses on Duncan Macleod (Adrian Paul) the star character from the TV series. This film has a lot of really great moments, from the really great fight scenes, the wide range of cast and the great use of flashbacks that really does remind me of the first film. However because this film is about the star of the TV series there is a lot of references to it so those who have not seen it might find some points hard to follow and even though I really like Duncan as the main character it does get to me that Connor is a secondary character in this one. I do highly recommend this squeal for all of the Highlander fans. SCORE 8/10 

Anime Review: Btooom!

My first anime review and I have decided to review one that I have seen recently. Like my other reviews this will contain spoilers but I will keep it to a minimum.

This anime series is about a twenty two year old young man named Ryota Sakamoto who is one of the worlds top players in an online game called Btooom!. Btooom! is similar to first person shooters but instead of guns the players use various types of bombs to kill each other. Since he is really obsessed with this game, and because the only other thing he wants to do some day is become a game designer for the people for made Btooom!, he constantly shuts himself in his room and constantly plays the game. However he suddenly wakes up one day on an island with a crystal implanted in his hand and a pack of timer bombs. He soon finds out that he is not alone on this island and that the conditions here are eerily similar to Btooom! Forced to play the game in real life now we see him struggle to survive and meet up with characters who want to escape the island as much as him.

I really liked the story of Btooom and this might have to do with the fact that I am a gamer as well and I have not seen any other anime that is about a video game. However even if I was not I would still really like this because the story is so well thought out and the rules of the game so interesting to follow. Take the bombs for example; there are many types with their own strengths and weaknesses and I was always wondering what other types Ryota’s opponents could have before they show them.

This anime is really violent with some graphic scenes, contains some nudity and deals with a lot of dark themes like survival, murder, attempted rape etc. However it is not excessive in it’s use of these, there is a lot of character development and plot to go along with them.

As for the characters I think each and everyone are really thought out well; Ryota is a really great main character who I can almost relate to because you know we are both gamers (But I am not as obsessive as him). He starts out as someone who could care less about anyone else to someone who wishes to save as many people as he can on the island. Plus it is great to see a shut in use his experience in video games to survive a lot of dangerous situations.

The other characters are great as well such as the female lead Himiko who is more than just fan service. She has had some really bad experience with men (and I am talking really bad) so it is good to see her slowly trusting Ryota through the course of the series.

Another one that stood out is Kosuke Kira a fourteen year old murderer and rapist and also a top player on Btooom!. The reason I like him is because he is such an evil, remorseless opponent, I do not thing there is any redeeming qualities about him and that is what I think makes a good crazy antagonist! There are a lot of other characters on the island who each have their own motivates and skills and it is so awesome when they face each other.

Finally the animation is really damn good, I do not think there is a single part in the series that is low quality. As for the voice acting I have no complains and I was surprised that a lot of the characters, even the main ones, have VA that I have not heard of before.

Overall this is one hell of a great anime is I have to pick one think that lets it down is that there is no really ending so I hope there is a second season soon. I really recommend this to anyone except those who do not like really violent anime.

SCORE: 8/10

Bleach Review: 565 God Like You

Long time since I have done a review of Bleach but here it is again, I know I said I would group my reviews of Bleach chapters together but this chapter is so damn important that I just had to review this single one. Now as ever I will begin with a quick overview.

This chapter starts off not with a look at the end of the fight between Renji and Mask De Masculine (I will probably do a review of that whole fight soon now that it seems to be completely over) but with a flashback of the birth of a very strange baby. This baby was born in a vegetative state; he could not move, speak hear or pretty much do anything but what he could do was cure the aliments of anyone who touched him be it physical, mental or psychological conditions. The reason for this is that the baby imparts some of its soul in to that individual which gave that person the power to over come his or her condition however once that person dies the part of the baby’s soul would return to him and he would gain the powers and experiences that soul gained while it was outside of the baby. Because of this the baby began to be able to move, see, talk and hear and the first word he heard was the chant to a God that he would take as his name and that name was Yhwach who in his teenage years grew up to look like Tensa Zangetsu! That is right, Tensa Zangetsu has been confirmed to be the younger version of Yhwach which many already had thought (myself included) but it is good to have it confirmed. 

Back in the present day Yhwach is still upon his throne and talks to the soul of Mask De Masculine and tells him to return to him, this confirms that Mask De Masculine and James are in fact dead. Just outside his door Uryu is about to enter before being stopped by Haschwalth, in the ensuring conversation between the two you can just tell these guys hate each other but since Uryu is named as Yhwach successor he seems to tolerate him and even describes more of Yhwachs powers to him. It seems that not only have all of the Sternritter have a part of Yhwach soul placed within them they have also had a letter engraved on their soul that represents their power, this seems to be a more powerful version of the soul imprinting that Yhwach used when he was only a baby. Haschwalth also goes on to say that the Soul Reapers have a part of Yhwach soul within them as well so that no matter which side gets the most losses Yhwach will continue to grow stronger. The chapter ends with the dawn of the second day of fighting as Yhwach wakes up and looks over the battlefield.

This was one hell of a unique chapter, a bit disappointed that we see no other fights or Sternritter but we get an awesome back story on Yhwach and some new revelations. The obvious one of being that Tensa Zangetsu was Yhwach younger version but one of the most important ones was that his power as a baby must have Auswahlen, which is the power to absorb the souls of Quincies which was how he could revive himself in the present day in the first place. 

Second was that Yhwach must always be absorbing the souls of those killed in battle to not only get stronger but to keep himself from going back in to a vegetative state, I am sure this was the seal Yamamoto mentioned when he defeated Yhwach a thousand years ago. Now does this mean that a thousand years ago Yamamoto managed to stop all the fighting and is that what the heroes are going to have to do now? 

Also since not only the Quincy but only the Soul Reapers have a part of Yhwach soul within him, he is just going to get more powerful the longer and bloodier this war becomes.

Lastly it is revealed by Haschwalth that Uryu did indeed join the Vandenreich to avenge his mother who was a victim of Auswahlen but since he drank the blood of Yhwach he is now bond to him like all the other Sternritter. Will Uryu then side with the Vandenreich or will he still try to avenge his mother? I am going to side with the first option because I really don’t see Uryu has a bad guy but the hatred between him and Haschwalth during their conversation kind of foreshadows a possible battle between them.

Now about Yhwach it seems that Kubo has made him out to be some kind of Jesus a little bit; he cured anyone who touched him, he is worshipped by all of his followers and Uryu drank his blood, like people drink wine at church. The Quincy has always had a holy theme going one with them and Yhwach only reinforces this. Not only that but besides from seeming to be unstoppable a this point he is woven in so well in to the Bleach lore in spite of being introduced in the final arc. Kubo I have to say that you have done a great job with this character!

In conclusion this was a great chapter and a nice break from the constant fighting we have had so far. Some might say it was a little slow and they might be right but since it revealed a lot about Yhwach that more than makes up for it.

SCORE: 9/10

Bleach Review: 560 – 564, Mask De Masculine vs. Kensei and Renji

Now it is time for another review that I promised to do in my earlier review and that is the recent Mask De Masculine fight that was shown. The reason I am reviewing it is because besides from being a really great fight, I want to review the all fights that are coming up in Bleach but only after they have finished.

It starts off with Mask De Masculine defeating Ikkaku Madarame, Yumichika Ayasegawa and Shuhei Hisagi (along side his cheering fan James), however before he can land the finishing blow he is stopped by the Soul Reaper captains Kensei Mugruma and Rojuro ‘Rose’ Otoribashi. Kensei steps up to fight first and activities his Bankai, Tekken Tachikaze, which controls the power of wind and focuses all of the power of his Shikai in to his knuckle blades. This explosive power makes his assault seem endless and he uses it to get the upper hand on Mask, however it his then revealed that Mask’s S stands for The Superstar and the cheering from his fan James grants Mask even greater power and strength. Kensei fights back but the constant cheering from James powers up Mask too much and he is defeated.

Next Rose steps up to fight and starts by cutting James in half before activating his own Bankai, Kinshara Butodan, a music type Bankai. Acting as a conductor to direct several giants that have numerous techniques such as Sea Drift (Water) and Prometheus (Fire) and seems to overwhelm Mask. However before he can activate another technique called Ein Heldenleben, Mask figures out the weakness in Rose’s Bankai by destroying his own eardrums and thereby blocking out the music, he then blasts a star shaped hole through Rose’s chest, critically injuring him.

But all is not lost because Mask is interrupted once again by the arrival of Renji, who has just come back from his training in the Royal Realm. Mask starts off by having his eardrums healed by James, who still turns out to be alive, before charging at Renji. However Renji’s training has made him more powerful than he thought, so even after Mask changes form, enters Vollstandig and unleashes a wide array of star based moves; Renji survives them and enters Bankai. His Bankai has changed to it’s ‘true form’ has a result of his training; the head of the snake engulfs his sword arm and looks like a shield while he can control massive bone arm of the baboon, this new Bankai his called Soo Zabimaru. After overpowering Mask, Renji actives a move called Orochio, cutting Mask in half and burning him to ashes. 

Now this was one exciting fight and I thought it was very well done and there was few stand out moments for me. First was that Mask was shown to be a really powerful Sternritter, when he first appeared many thought he was just a simple minded Yammy copy but no this guy took out five Soul Reapers and was hard to kill. Mask really did grow on me during this fight and I really thought he was going to survive it so that was a shame.

Next was that Kensei and Rose got in on the spotlight and kicked some ass, sure they where defeated but they went down swinging. I think Kensei being in this repaired a lot of the damage Kubo did when he completely skipped his fight with Wonderwiess and he was missing for the rest of the Fake Karakura Arc; that was one of the biggest disappointments in Bleach. Then there was Rose, who is one of my favourite characters and we finally got to see his Bankai and it was soooo creative, one of the best Kubo has done, I really hope we see more of it.

Lastly was the reveal of Renji’s new Bankai and it is way better than his last one that was just a massive bone whip. This was looks cooler and gives Renji a ton of new abilities while the last one was just really straight forward and predictable.

However I felt that this chapter was not without and few flaws, he first being Kensei and Rose getting defeated. I know I said they still kicked ass but they are two of my favourites and since it’s been ages since we saw them last fight I thought they deserved a few victories, especially Rose who just revealed his Bankai. I really like the Vizards in Bleach but I think Kubo is just wasting them; first there was Shinji in the Komamura fight and now these two, all three seem to go down too quick for my liking and they did not even use their Hollow powers.

Next is another contradiction of the highlights I picked but I just have to say it; Renji. I admit his Bankai is awesome but it and he are now so overpowered. The Vandenreich are supposed to be the Soul Reaper’s ultimate enemy, Mask took out five Soul Reapers and he did not even break a sweat but Renji stepped in and dealt with him straight away, I just did not like that.

Lastly speaking about Mask, I did say he was growing on me but the latter half of the fight did not help. When he fought Kensei and Rose he kept calling them villains which made me think that Mask truly believed he was the good guy saving the world from the Soul Reapers, it added a bit of depth to his character. However when Renji his personality seemed to change, he flies in to a rage and even says that he is just going to kill Renji just for the sake of it. It made him out just to be mindless and cruel when I really thought he was a good person who truly viewed Soul Reapers as evil.

In conclusion this was a really great fight, one of my favourite of the Thousand War Arc so far, we got some cool Bankai action, a Sternritter with some cool abilities and Kensei and Rose got in on the fight too. But it was let down by Renji’s massive amount of over powering, the fact that Kensei and Rose are probably not going to be fighting again soon and Mask just turning in to some kind of berserker near the end.

SCORE: 7/10 

TV Series Review: The Walking Dead Season Three

Finally it is time for my review of The Walking Dead season three, after this I will be up to date on the series and will wait until season four is finished to do another review on it.

This season takes place after the winter (based on Lori’s pregnancy almost nine months after the conclusion of season two) and is based on the prison arc of the graphic novel. The prison arc was one of the longest settings in the comic and also one of the most iconic. During this season the group not only have to deal with the undead but also the threat of other humans, in particular the near by town of Woodberry run by a man who calls himself the Governor (David Morrissey). This season also brings back the character of Merle Dixon (Michael Rooker) and introduces fan favourites from the comics Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Tyreese (Chad L. Coleman).

I will start by saying that this season was a major improvement over season two since not only does it focuses on a popular arc in the comics it all so stick more closely to the source material on several occasions it also introduces another threat to the group besides zombies and that is another group of humans. Because of this and probably because there was not that much of it in season two this one has a lot more action in it but it does not sacrifice character development in the slightest.

If there is anything I disliked is that we have more insight and time in the town of Woodberry than we did in the comics, they used original material for this and I have to say that a lot of it I did not like. Not that I am saying that it was all bad it was just that if it was not about the Governor I just wanted it to go back to the group at the prison. My opinion might be affect because Andrea is at Woodberry and those who have read my previous reviews know how I feel about that useless character.

The prison however was something I always enjoyed watching; from the old inmates who where staying there to the breaking down of Rick’s mental state was all superb.

Now as for the new cast I will say first that David Morrissey was great as the Governor, sure he looked nothing like him but he was really menacing when he needed to be. I have heard complaints that they dialled down some of the truly gruesome acts (e.g. raping and mutilating) of the Governor and I have to admit they are right however I blame the writers for this because I am sure David Morrissey would have nailed whatever scene they gave him. Another one I really liked was Tyreese because not only did Chad L. Coleman look exactly like him but he is just how he was in the comics. He is one of my favourite characters from the comics and I cannot find a single fault in the TV adaptation. As for Michonne however while I do really like her in this she it a lot quieter and withdrawn in this; in the comics she is more open and I guess cheerful with the other characters. She does get better in later episodes but it was annoying to begin with.

Some more characters that I also have mixed feelings about were the old inmates at the prison that Rick and the group find locked up. On one hand I really liked the character from the comics and Nick Gomez as the murdering Tomas and Markice Moore as Andrew where really great as their roles however I was slightly let down by the characters of Axel (Lew Temple) and Oscar (Vincent Ward). Don’t get me wrong their portrayals where great but it was how their characters where treated; Axel in the comics struggles with trying to prove himself to the group even though he was a prisoner and he does, he becomes a major help to the group. In this season he does do that as well but he does not get as much interaction and much screen time as I would have liked and is killed off just way too early for my liking. The same goes for Oscar, an original character who plays a similar, I really thought he would be a great character for the series yet they just go a head and kill him off. 

Now just like my last review I want to talk a bit about the previous cast members;

Firstly there is the character T – Dog (IronE Singleton) someone I have not mentioned before and that was because he was a minor character who with barely any character development. Sure there is the feeling that he is trying to prove his worth to the group but that is never really built upon. However in an episode in this season, which is also the one he dies in, he really stands out for once and trying to convince Rick about trusting the prisoners and saving Carol from zombies. Just when was becoming really interesting they go a head and get rid of him which I have to say was a shame.

Next is the character of Lori and I have to say that even though I knew she would eventually die I was completely taken by surprise at how they did it. She sacrifices her life at so her daughter could live and her death has an emotional impact on the group (especially Rick and this begins his mental break down, which I have to say is one of the highlights of the series).

Now it is the character of Andrea worst adaptation of a comic character to film/television I have ever seen. Her story does not improve in this series at all; she is at Woodberry and becomes involved with the Governor while being conflicted about stay with him or going back to the old group and it was just utter rubbish. It takes her so damn long to make up her mind and a lot of unnecessary screen time but the good thing is this eventually leads to her death. That is right; she may be a major character in the comics but the TV writers messed her up so bad that they thought it would be better to get rid of her and I say good riddance.

Finally the return of Merle was also another highlight of this season, during the first one he might have been a one dimensional racist but he is a lot more developed now and one hell of a good character. Along with Daryl he is one of the best zombie killers in the series and his death and reanimation was just so well done. He tired to take out the Governor all by himself and he was just so badass in the episode and Norman Reedus gave a great performance when he had to put the zombie Merle down.

All in all this has got to be one of the best seasons of The Walking Dead let down slightly by the waste of good characters, some scenes in Woodberry involving Andrea that I did not like at all and the disappointing finale with the lacklustre attack on the prison by the people pf Woodberry. I have gone on longer than I thought with this review but with good reason because despite what I have mentioned above this season was damn good with adapting one of the best parts of the comics. I think this one was better than season one and season two.

SCORE: 8/10

TV Series Review: The Walking Dead Season Two

Took me longer than I thought to get round to this but I am finally doing a review for The Walking Dead season two. As always these reviews contain spoilers so I advise you not to read this review unless you have watched season two first.

This season begins almost immediately after the events of the final episode of season one and Rick and his group have now left the Atlanta area and are now on the road. Without going in to too much depth of the plot this season focuses on the events of the graphic novel that takes place at a farm owned by a man named Hershel Green (Scott Wilson) and he lives there with his daughter Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and several others.

What I immediately like about this season is that the number of episodes has been increased from six to thirteen and it introduces more characters from the graphic novel. However while this is great it is also a let down because it means more room for filler that was not included from the source material. A notable example of this is that a lot of the content for episodes one through seven focuses on finding Sophia Peletier (Madison Lintz), the daughter of Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride). Even thought this story arc is interesting I just felt that it did not need seven episodes to devote to it. Also another example stretching out something that seems trivial is that half of an episode is about the group trying to pull a zombie out of a well and another is deciding whether or not to kill someone they captured who is from a dangerous group. I know deciding to kill some one is a serious thing to do but it took a whole episode and really nothing else happens in it.

However I am not saying that all original stuff in this season is bad there is a great episode where Shane goes to a school to find surgery equipment, a shootout at a bar, a fight between Rick and Shane and the final episode are all great moments. The final episode is really great because any zombie killing action moments that might be lacking in some of this season’s episodes are all made up here.

The new cast additions are great, especially Hershel who is really similar to is comic counterpart and whose acting is great. It is really seeing him and Rick’s conflicting views on the zombies for the first half of the season. The rest of Hershel’s family and friends are great as well and the old cast still does a great job but once again this is let down slightly by Andrea who I have mentioned before as being a complete miscast and annoying character. She is more annoying than ever now that she wants tries to act tough with a gun; she listens to no one and thinks she is the best zombie killer of the group. There is a scene where Lori says she dies nothing to help out anymore only stands on the RV with a gun getting a tan and she is right about that. Andrea contributes nothing to this season what so ever; her character development is uninteresting and not done well and she has no major consequence on what is happening.

Now I will be talking about the deaths of a few characters now so I am saying again to be wary of the SPOILERS a head, I am leaving nothing out now:

First let us focus on the death of Sophia; in the graphic novel she is a minor character who is mostly there as a romantic interest for Carl. She does not die but neither is she really the most interesting of characters, so since her death scene was done so well in this really took me by surprise. It was really so emotional and you can really tell how hard it was for Rick to but her down when they found her as a zombie. This was one hell of a great moment for the Walking Dead series.

Another death that I think was completely unnecessary however was the death of Dale near the end of the season. He lives a lot longer than this in the graphic novel and was such a major character as well, so killing him at this point at Hershel’s farm was something I did not like even though I did not see it coming. Another thing about it was that he was killed by just one zombie so it was a poor way to kill him, plus Jeffery DeMunn as Dale played the role perfectly so I really wished that is they had to kill a major character early it should have been Andrea.

Finally the death we graphic novel fans have been waiting for was the death of Shane at the hands of Rick and then shot in the head as a zombie by Carl. Like Sophia this was done really well because you can just tell that Rick seriously did not want to kill Shane that he was made to do it. It is a shame that it was not exactly like the death in the graphic novel, fans will notice that the roles of Rick and Carl are reversed in his death. Still it was a good way to end his character who has been around a lot longer than his graphic novel counterpart.

Overall this is a good follow up to season one with interesting new story arcs and characters but it is however let down by those same story arcs being dragged on for an unnecessary long length so it makes some of the episodes feel more or less like filler. No matter how good the rest of the season was because of this fact I have to give this season a lower score than the first one.

SCORE: 6/10

Bleach Review: 556 – 558, Komamura vs. Bambietta

Been a while so I thought I would do another Bleach review, however I also thought instead of reviewing the chapters individually I would group them together. For example this reviews the chapters about the fight between Bambietta Basterbine and Sajin Komamura, so let’s get to it.

What happens in these chapters is that Komamura protects both Shinji and Momo from Bambietta’s attacks, who is in her Vollstandig form, with his new armour. Bambietta reveals that her letter stands for ‘The Explode’ (really obvious) but her ability is not just firing bombs; she fires out reshi that turns whatever it goes in to, in to a bomb that shortly explodes (this kind of reminds me of Gambit’s mutant power from the X – Men). Komamura however tanks all of it which destroys all of his armour and underneath reveals that he is now human! Komamura explains that he has undergone his clan’s Human Transformation Technique and then unleashes his Bankai; Kokjuo Tengen Myo’o – Dangai Joe, which has the giant shed it’s armour to reveal a skeletal body underneath.

With this new found power Komamura explains that he gut out his own heart to achieve it and that he and his Bankai are now immortal. He tanks every attack that Bambietta throws at him and then slices at her with Dangai Joe’s sword which backfires several of her reshi bombs causing them to explode. Shortly after this Komamura starts to change back in to a full wolf and collapses to the ground only to be picked up by Iba. As Bambietta lies on the ground, wondering how she could be the first to be defeated, her friends show up saying they want to help her which Bambietta begs them not to do. We get a last shot of Rukia and Renjo falling down from the royal palace and heading for the Soul Society.

First off I will just say that I loved this fight, Komamura has always been one of my favourite characters that I feel has never had a moment to shine in battle. This I feel mostly has to do with Kubo pitting him against opponents he can not win, a hollowfied Tosen and Aizen for example, but always thought he is a great character with an awesome Bankai. This was his moment in these chapters, Kubo finally gave him some new abilities and they were great; his human form really suits him and Dangai Joe looks so menacing. It surprised me that it is Bambietta who is one of the first to be defeated because I thought she would be one of the main Sternritters but it was a good surprise. I am also glad that we finally get more back story on Komamura, his clan and why they are wolves (Won’t spoiler that for you) because he has been long over due for one. Finally I really like how Kubo contrasts Komamura’s need for revenge with Tosen’s because even after all of this time since Tosen’s death the two are still connected with each other.

The art work throughout these chapters were top notch, the highlights being Dangai Joe, who I think Kubo put a lot of effort in to designing. I was glad whenever there was a panel of it and there is this one scene where it jumps towards Bambietta which was so cool. Another part I would like to point out is the cool designs of Rukia and Renji’s new costumes, just like Ichigo they have an Arabic theme going.

I only have two small complaints about this fight and that is I wished there could have been a bit more fighting between Komamura and Bambietta because Komamura used a lot of the pages explains his powers and having flashbacks with his grandfather. Another is that even thought I really like Renji and Rukia I do not like seeing them now, I want the fight with the Sternritter to focus on none of the main characters right now, for example I want to see the fights with Rose, Kensei and Shunsui. Ichigo, Rukia and Renji are going to be way more powerful now so I do not want them to enter the fights and take all the spot light and save everyone; I want the Sternritter to be annihilating the Soul Reapers.

In conclusion Komamura finally got the spotlight that he finally deserves and his fate at the end was confusing because I thought he was going to die. Solid fight that could have done with more action but Dangai Joe more than made up for it.

SCORE 8/10

I will most like review chapters in groups from now one and give them an overall score. They will be reviewed after full fights or major events.

Film Review: Psycho (1960)

My first film review and I thought I would on one of my favourite films and an all time classic; Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Like all my other reviews this will contain SPOILERS so I advice you to only read on if you have seen the film.

This film stars Janet Leigh as Marion Crane who steals $40,000 from the realtors office she works for in hopes of giving it to her boyfriend Sam Loomis (John Gavin) because he is massively in debt and does not want to marry when he can barely afford it. Marion flees out of town and ends up staying a night at the Bates Motel run by Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), a troubled man with a domineering mother. That is the first half of the story, the second half stars Marion’s sister Lila Crane (Vera Miles) who searches for her and also introduces the character Milton Arbogast (Jon McIntire) a private detective.

I really liked this story; it is simple but effective and really gets the audience involved with it. It also has a lot of suspense, for example when Marion is on the run there is a cop who stalks her and you just don’t know his the cop suspects her or not. (MASSIVE SPOILER) This film also contains the famous shower in which Marion is killed by Norman Bates and it is one of the best film scenes I have ever seen. The camera work and the acting by Janet Leigh is so convincing, this was a time when bloody violence and nudity was frowned upon but they do an amazing job making it as realistic as possible. That is another thing I really liked about the film; the brilliant camera work, they do a lot of excellent close up shots on the faces of the characters and there is a great scene where Arbogast is falling down the stars and like the shower scene they really convince you it is happening.

Every single character’s performance in this film is perfection but the highlight of them all is Anthony Perkins for his portrayal as Norman Bates. He makes the character seem as polite and shy as possible while at the same time really disturbed, especially during the conversation he has with Marion and he explains his hobby about taxidermy. The music is also great in this as well, the one that plays during the shower scene has become iconic and the fast paced one that plays when Marion is on the run really suits the moment.

Overall this is one of the most iconic films ever created and one of Alfred Hitchcock’s finest. Even though this film was not the first slasher film it is certainly started off a new craze for it that began in the 1980s. I really do not have anything bad to say about this film because it is a fine example of cinema at its best.

SCORE: 10/10

TV Series Review: Revolution Season One

Now it is time for my review of one of my favourite TV series currently airing; Revolution. I am currently a few episodes in to season two so I thought it was time to review season one, this will contain MINOR  SPOILERS so do not read if you have not watched it yet. However I won’t go in to the story or the characters too much so I won’t reveal any spoilers of major events.

This series is takes place fifteen years after the present day after a post apocalyptic event where all the electrical power all over the world has shut down. Humanity has been forced to adapt to a world without power but not without struggle; governments have collapsed, big cities lies in ruins and the people have had to get by without the technology we have become so dependent on. During all the chaos militia groups have risen up to claim what is left of America for themselves, taking over large territories and are at constant war with each other with the primitive weapons they have to make do with.

The main character in this series is Charlotte “Charlie” Matheson (Tracy Spiridakos) who sets off across the ruined world to find her brother who was kidnapped by the MonroeRepublic, one of the most powerful militia groups and commanded by the ruthless Sebastian “Bass” Monroe (David Lyons). Along the way she is aided by her uncle Miles Matheson (Billy Burke) a former US Marine with a shady past, Aaron Pittman (Zak Orth) a MIT graduate, former Google executive and millionaire who struggles in this new world and Nora Clayton (Daniella Alsono) a expert bomb maker and member or a rebel faction against the Monroe Republic. Through this twenty six episode series we see their struggles as they fight through the enemies of the new world and delve in to the mystery of how and why the power went out.

Overall I found the story very compelling, I have always been a fan of the post apocalyptic genre and this series does not disappoint. There is a lot of action in the episodes ranging from sword fighting to gun fights and it was a lot more violent than I would have thought. There are also some science fiction elements in there as well, especially when it revolves around how the power went out. There are also a lot of twists that you will not expect and it is not at all single minded; there is a lot of interesting sub plots that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

As for the characters they are all played really well by their respective actors and actresses and there are many who you can relate too. Charlie Matheson is a very good protagonist who starts off naïve about the world but eventually matures as the series goes on and of course Miles Matheson proves from the second he is introduced that he is a badass in terms of fighting but is also a very deep and conflicted character. One of my favourite characters is Aaron Pittman because I can relate to him more than of the others; Aaron I think represents the people of today who relies too much on technology and this series shows how much hardship that kind of person will go through if it was suddenly all taken away.

The villains are excellent in this as well; Monroe is not a typical one sided villain, as the series goes on you will see more sides to him and come to understand his cruelty. Another antagonist, who gives a standout performance, is the character Tom Neville (Giancarlo Esposito) a Major in the MonroeRepublic who is willing to do anything to protect his family.

There are also a lot of interesting minor characters in the series who even though may be in it for lots of episodes or just a few but will leave a lasting impression. There is one character (for the sake of spoilers no name will be revealed) who was only in it a short time but had such a well acted and emotional story arc that it was one of the highlights of the series.

The settings are magnificent in the series; there is really a lot of detail put in to trying to make the dystopian future seem as real as possible that is why there are quite a few establishing shots to show it off. One of the most interesting things about the series is the way they keep cutting to flashbacks about certain characters on how they survived the first few days, months and years after the power went out. Since the story immediately takes place fifteen years after the blackout, this is very welcoming and lets us have more insight in to the characters.

There is not much that I don’t like about this series but if I had to pick one is that the character played by Elizabeth Mitchell (not going to reveal who she plays on this because of spoilers) was very annoying at times. They try too much to make her out as a “Cold Bitch” (Monroe’s words) that I think they go over the top with it some times. Some of the things she does I just did not believe she could have really bring herself to do them so easily given her previous background of employment and what she did before blackout. She has a lack of facial expressions most of the time as well, which seems to be another effort in making her seem as detached as possible.

Overall I recommend this series to anyone to anyone who enjoys action mixed in with drama, adventure and science fiction. There is a lot of amazing character development and the stories are so well written that you will find yourself really immersed in this world. This is one of my favourite TV series for a really good reason; the first season was everything I good have wanted for a great watch and I am really enjoying the second season so far.

SCORE: 9/10

TV Series Review: The Walking Dead Season One

Now for another review of one of my favourite series currently airing; The Walking Dead. This will be a review of just season one and there may be more SPOILERS in the one then any of my previous reviews.

The series is about a cop named Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) who gets shot and ends up in a coma for a couple of months, when he wakes up he finds the world has been taken over by zombies and most of humanity has been killed or turned. This season is mainly about the search for his family while trying to survive in this extremely hostile world.

The main characters for this include Rick Grimes, his best friend and former cop partner Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal), his wife Lori Grimes (Sarah Wayne Callies) and his son Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs). There are a lot of supporting characters as well such as Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun), Andrea (Laurie Holden), Dale Horvath (Jeffrey DeMunn) and two original characters for the series; Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and Merle Dixon (Michael Rooker). This season consists of only six episodes which I admit I found to be disappointing.

 

Overall the story is a very good one, I have read the Walking Dead comic books and I know it focuses on character develop and how they are dealing with this constant survival as much as it does with zombie. However there is something about the story that I know has been criticized by some fans and I am two minds about; they deviate a lot from the comic books.

This bold move does give fans of the comic something to watch that they do not know about and that is always good but sometimes it goes so much away from the source material that it can be an annoyance. For example Rick and Glenn in the comics go back to Atlanta to raid a gun store but in the series it makes that experience an entire episode by including a run in with an annoying Hispanic gang. I just did not like that change at all and also near they end they donate another episode to a visit to the CDC which was interesting but again I found it an unnecessary deviation from the source material.

 

For the characters they are cast really well with stand outs going to Rick and Shane and the interaction between those two; the affair that Shane has with Rick’s wife is expanded in the series and that I think was a good move. The other characters do a really good job as well, a lot of people will find the character of Lori to be unpopular and an annoying bitch but she is very much like this in the comics any way so I did not mind.

However a complete miscast in this has to be Laurie Holden as Andrea, in the comics Andrea is supposed to be in her mid to late twenties yet they give the part to someone around forty which would not have mattered except in this series she definitely looks it. Not only that but Andrea in the comics is supposed to be a clerk at a law firm who over time becomes an expert survivalist with a gun but in the series they decide to stick her with a gun straight away and she pretends to be such an expert with it from the beginning even though she has no experience what so ever. Not to mention she is so damn stuck up and hostile towards anyone who thinks she might a little helpless.

A great addition to the cast is the character Daryl Dixon, the first scene I saw him in I knew he was going to be a fan favourite and time has proved me right. He is a born hunter and survivalist who, unlike Andrea, knows how to deal with the situation because he already has years of necessary experience. He is reckless but he is also very useful and someone you want on your side fighting zombies, he is a something new not from the comics that I do not mind being in the series. I hope his character is around for a very, very, very, very long time.  

The music in this goes very well with the story especially the series main/opening theme which has become one of my favourites. The settings are really nice as well but are limited to only Atlanta and its surrounding forest area. However the amount of detail that goes in to the make up of zombies and trying to make the city look has destroyed as possible is truly impressive.

Overall this is one of my favourite series airing right now and I recommend the first season to any one who wants to get in to the zombie genre. It does however suffer slightly from a few annoy characters, only six episodes and original story lines that I felt where just unnecessary when they could have stick closer to the comics.

 SCORE: 7/10

References:

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Game Review: The Devil May Cry HD Collection

For my next game review I thought I would review one of my favourite series, Devil May Cry. This review covers only the Devil May Cry game featured in the HD collection so the fourth instalment and its remake are not included, spoilers a head though I will limit it as much a I can. Before we begin I just want to say that my game reviews will mostly be about older and classic games, I do have a PS3 but I am picky about what games I get but I have played lots of the old classics which is why I have a lot of the HD collections.

The story of Devil May Cry is about a man called Dante who is a jack of all trades and accepts any job from his shop called Devil May Cry. He is also a half demon whose father has a demon called Sparda who betrayed the demons and chose to fight for the humans instead. So Dante has incredible power within him and chooses to also be a demon hunter and protect the humans like his father did.

Devil May Cry focuses on Dante accepting a job from a mysterious lady named Trish who wants Dante to go to MulletIsland and slay the demon king Mundus who is gathering power.

Devil May Cry 2 is about Dante helping a group of humans who fought along side his father Sp and now wants his help to stop a powerful tycoon named Arius from transforming himself in to a powerful demon so he can rule the world.

Devil May Cry 3 is actually a prequel to 1 and 2 and takes place before Dante has even opened Devil May Cry. He battles his twin brother Vergil, who is aided by a man named Arkham, who wishes to open the portal to the demon world that their father sealed.

Overall the combined story of the three games is very good and immersive and Dante is an instantly badass protagonist. Devil May Cry 3 story is particular is the best because Dante is younger and a lot more rash, plus it introduces his brother Vergil who in my opinion is one of the best video games villains of all time. A let down however is in the story of Devil May Cry 2 mainly because it seemed rushed and Dante seems to lack any personality in it. He does not even seem that bothered to be there, he has a lack of lines in cut scenes and the main villain and leading lady are really forgettable.

The game play in the series is a hack and slashes type and is one of the best in genre. Dante’s primary weapon is a sword but in each game you gain more weapons over time for a lot of variety. The environments are really big and when you fight a crowd of enemies you really feel in control of Dante; you can dodge, jump and perform combos with ease, many new comers can pick it up almost right away. There are also a lot of upgrades for weapons and abilities which adds even more ways off battling the enemies. One thing however that is not very welcoming for a newcomer is the series increased difficulty. Even normal mode can prove to be challenging, veterans to the hack and slash genre won’t be that put off but those who are new may have difficulty. Also they have added trophies which make for good challenges.

As I mentioned earlier in the review the standout characters in the series are Dante and Vergil because their stories and personalities are so well written and interesting; in Devil May Cry 3 I looked forward to every cut scene where they interacted with each other. Other great ones include Lady and Arkham for Devil May Cry 3 and Trish from the first game, unfortunately there are none from Devil May Cry 2 who are worth mentioning because I believe the story was just not very good in that one.

The graphics have really been improved in the HD collections; little touch ups that make the visuals a lot sharper and more up to date. The soundtrack they use in the games is very fitting with really fast based rock music for when the battles start and really good orchestra music that goes perfectly with its gothic theme. One thing that annoys me however is that in Devil May Cry 1 and 3 of the HD collection the voices are not in synch in the cut scenes, not in all of them but enough that it is frustrating.

In conclusion the HD collection is a near perfect import of the PS2 games to the PS3, let down only by the poorly written Devil May Cry 2 and the out of synch voices. I highly recommend this to fans of the original Devil May Cry series who wish to play them on the PS3 but I also recommend it to new gamers who want to get in to the hack and slash genre; it is a great series to start with.

SCORE: 7/10

References:
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