Revolution Season One: Pilot Review

Always liked the look of the title!

Back with a review and this time it will be on the Pilot episode for one of my favourite TV series Revolution (I still believe it will be back!) and I will continue to review other episodes. I have already reviewed the two seasons overall but I always wanted to review the episodes separately, I started this blog halfway through season 2 so there was no point then. The reason I am doing this is because one of my favourite reviewers on Youtube, Trevschan2, is going back and review old Walking Dead episodes so I thought why not Revolution? One more thing I would like to point out is that these reviews won't be that regular, they could be weeks apart, and that is because I have other stuff I need to focus on. MAJOR SPOILERS, this review is for people who have already watched the series.

The year is 2012 in Chicago, Illinois and Rachael Matheson (Elizabeth Mitchell)  is watching her two kids in her house when her husband Ben Matheson (Tim Guinee) bursts in with canned goods and frantically fills up bottles of water. Rachael, looking worried, asks Ben if it is finally happening. Meanwhile in Port Royal, South Carolina, Miles Matheson (Billy Burke) is driving with his friend Bass (David Lyons) when he gets a call from his brother Ben who quickly tells him that it will all turn off and it will never come back on, while this is happening something is being downloaded on Ben's laptop. Before anything else could be said the power in America slowly begins to shut off, leaving Miles and Bass stranded on a highway while Ben and his family watch planes fall out of the sky.


The event known as The Blackout

In the year 2027 Aaron Pittman (Zak Orth) is explaining (to some beautiful shots of post Blackout landscapes) how the government collapsed, cities where looted/destroyed and how Militia rose up to take over what was left. Humanity has managed to survive but no one knows exactly how the Blackout started or how to fix it. The main characters Ben, Aaron, the doctor Maggie Foster (Anna Lise Phillips), teenage Charlie Matheson (Tracy Spiridakos) and Danny Matheson (Graham Rogers) are living at a closed community in the Monroe Republic, one of the biggest Militia that controls half of the Eastern Seaboard. We get some background on the characters lives; Danny suffers from asthma, Rachael died many years ago and Charlie is frustrated by her sheltered life and storms off. However while she is away Captain Tom Neville (Giancarlo Esposito) of the Monroe Republic arrives to take Ben away, there is a gun battle shortly after Ben secretly gives Aaron a pendant to kept safe and Ben is shot. Tom however takes Danny with him and Ben, in his final moments, tells Charlie to get help from his brother Miles in Chicago, she leaves with Aaron and Maggie.

Tom Neville; you will learn never to f**k with this guy

The road to Chicago is not a smooth one but the group is helped along the way by a boy named Nate and they make it to 'The Grand' in Chicago. They find Miles who is now a bartender and a drunk and refuses to help his niece but manages to expose Nate as a Militia spy who leaves to find is squad. Though a squad of Militia soldiers is on their way Miles still refuses to leave and tells everyone to go, which they do.



It is Post - Apocalyptic scenes like this what makes Revolution one of my favourite shows  

 

Meanwhile Danny manages to escape from his captors and faints in a field due to his asthma but is rescued by a woman named Grace Beaumont (Maria Howell) who claims to be a former algebra teacher. However Tom manages to track Danny down and, through intimidation, forces his way in to Grace's house and takes him back.  

 

Tom can force the truth from anyone.

Back in Chicago the Militia confronts Miles and an epic clash of swords and gun ensures, with Charlie and her group joining in on the fight.

 

My favourite character in Revolution has the most epic fight scenes

After the fight Miles agrees to accompany Charlie in her quest to go after Danny and leaves Chicago with them but not before having a flash back to the day of the Blackout. We find out that Mile's friend Bass is actually Sebastian Monroe; Leader of the Monroe Republic and General of its armies. Back in the present day Monroe has just received word from a rider that Ben is dead and Tom is on his way with Danny. The episodes ends back with Grace who uses the same kind of pendant Ben gave to Aaron to power up a computer and send a message to an unknown person.

 

You will find out just how important these things are

There is the summary of the first episode, might have been a bit long but I wanted to cover all major points.

 

The Pilot of Revolution is probably one of the best first episodes I have ever seen and that is because it does such a great job of establishing the new world that is created here. Humanity today is so dependent on electricity that if it would go off the world as we know it would cease to exist and they show that within the first few minutes with the falling airplanes. I really liked that scene because not only did it look good but it establishes the overall tone that will be in this series; it is dark, mature and serious. There may be some light hearted moments in the journey of Revolution but there are few laughs for the people living after the destruction. That is also what drew me to this series because it is a realistic take on what could be a possible event for the world.

 

Poor souls didn't get to see what it was like after the Blackout

I am a big fan of the Post - Apocalyptic genre (along with Fantasy for video games) mainly because writers are creating a whole new world; it's leadership, rules, currency, military etc. So much detail is needed to make it a convincing one and that is exactly what they have done here. We have the Monroe Republic as the antagonists who impose crop taxes and use murder and intimidation and we also have its citizens who build walled off small towns and who are scared of the no mans land in between which (that Charlie found out he hard way) is full of thieves and rapists. But we also have a look at the big cites and we see that most are destroyed because nature took it back or seemed to have become rough, massive market towns like Chicago.

 



15 years later nature has taken back the cities

 

We also have to thanks the excellent camera work, we get some long shots of the ruined lands and cities. Most of it is probably done with green screen and digital effects but it is done so well but I can tell the rest is man made like the peaceful farming village at the beginning and the busy Chicago. They are so different, thanks to the great set design, and it really makes you want to see other places in America and how it has changed. That is what is so good about this Pilot, the plot of tracking Danny gives you just that opportunity.

 

 

The series main antagonist; Sebastian Monroe

What I was surprised about this episodes was just how violent it was when it came to the sword and gun fights (and it defiantly increase later in the season) and that is a good thing. The cerography is done really well, especially with Miles's fight at the Grand. It was kind of like swash bucklering pirates and it was just epic how Miles managed to hold off that many soldiers. We also get to see the weakness of guns because most soldiers are reduced to using muskets that have a long reload time, so expect to see a lot more sword action.

 

Three of the main characters; Charlie, Aaron and Maggie

Now has for the characters I think we got a great cast and some well thought out parts for them. Charlie is the main protagonist and I a really good one at that; she may start out as a bit naïve and selfish (probably because of her sheltered life style) but you can tell she is strong willed and this journey is sure to change her. I have heard some criticism that that maybe it should have been a male lead but I have no problem with Charlie and besides Miles defiantly takes care of that. He may come across as detached and uncaring but that is because of his military background and he had to do a lot more to survive in the 15 years Post - Blackout and as you can tell from his fight in the Grand he will provide some epic fight scenes. There is also Tom and he is just plain creepy, he can sound dangerous even when the conversation might be pleasant (like when he was talking to Grace).

 

We also have a lot of interesting support characters such as Aaron the computer genius who feels out of place in the new world, Maggie the doctor, the mysterious Nate and Monroe. We can see just how the Blackout has effected them in different ways, like Aaron who was a millionaire and worked for Google. I will talk more about these characters when future episodes focus more on them.

 

Ben, we hardly knew ye!

Lastly what I also liked about what this first episode established is that flash backs in almost every future episode will tell what it was like for the characters during the terrifying first years of the Blackout and before. It is a very interesting way of telling the story and I haven't seen it used like that on anything else. This also leaves the viewer with many questions; How did Ben know about the power going off? Will they get to Danny? What is the Monroe Republic after? And what is the deal with the pendant? I will talk more about the pendant in the next two episode reviews. 

 

Overall this Pilot started something that I think was truly ground breaking, maybe some of you will think I am going over board but that is truly how I feel about this show. I know that this review has reviewed more on the setting and world that is created but that is exactly what first episodes in series like this are supposed to do. In my next review I will talk more and base the score more on the events on what happens in the episodes but like I said this first one was an introduction to everything.

 

SCORE: 10/10

 

I may seem obsessive with this show but I like something with a well thought out creative story and I really hope it comes back for more seasons. With it gone the only thing on like it that I watch is Falling Skies (Game of Thrones and Walking Dead are based on pre existing material so not counting them right now). When Falling Skies finishes what will I watch then? No way am I watching generic comedies and reality TV!

 

Thought I'd mention that the great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/

Bleach Reviews: Rubb - Dolls 2 & 3

Been busy so I forgot to review Rubb - Dolls 2 so I thought why not review 2 and 3 together.


As Shūhei Hisagi continues to battle Byakuya, Pepe gives a speech about how love is the driving force for every battle. However when Byakuya defeats Hisagi by severing his tendons Pepe launches is Love Beam at him, which he can even move around like a beam of light. Though Byakuya dodges and blocks it all Pepe ask Byakuya if he doesn't remember if Zanpakuto have hearts as well and then Byakuya's Zanpakuto then attacks him. Byakuya discards it but it is picked up by Hisagi who then fights Byakuya again. Pepe then activates his Vollständig (which makes him look like a fat, bearded, black cupid), summons his Love Rope and impales Byakuya. Pepe then grabs his bow and arrow from his mouth and his just about to shot Byakuya when he is kicked in the face by the zombie Kensei and Rose, who have black markings around their eyes.

Hisagi tires to attack the zombies from behind but is quickly defeated by Kensei, who then hands Byakuya's Zanpakuto back to him. Mayuri then appears and is delighted with how well his new zombies are doing before we get a flashback. It seems to Kensei and Rose where defeated by the Arrancar off screen by the same way Toshiro was defeated because the same drugs exists in the Arrancar's  blood. Mayuri then explains to Giselle that his blood - drug counteracts her blood abilities and places her zombies under his control, before she is cut down by Kensei and Rose. Back in the present Byakuya seems to disagree with Mayuri's methods but Mayuri says that soldiers should continue to fight even after death however Pepe then appears out of the rubble and fires his Love Beam at Kensei. Pepe says how his Love is stronger than Giselle's zombies because he has taken them over in the past but is punched in the face again by Kensei while Mayuri comments that there is no love in his zombies. Pepe is scared by this announcement before being punched hundreds of times again and knocked in to rubble but before his can do anything else he is confronted by Liltotto who stares down at him coldly.

These chapters where defiantly an improvement over Rubb - Dolls 1 but not by that much. My main issues with these chapters is that it seems that Giselle is out of the picture for now and it was resolved just too fast and in a small flashback. Also Askin commented earlier that Pepe was a monster and even though he put up one hell of a good fight it looks like he might be killed soon by Liltotto because I don't think she took it kindly being punched in the face by a love - sick Meninas and Pepe saying he wants to kill everyone and take all the credit. One more thing that I am unsure of yet is that from Mayuri's words Kensei and Rose are really dead and while this is good in the case of Toshiro and Rangiku (don't like them), I have always liked Kensei and Rose and Kubo doesn't use them as much as I would have wanted. Also it is a shame that the Arrancar fight with the captains was skipped if it was just going to be an endless loop battle like with Toshiro then I guess that is ok.

However what I really liked about this chapter was the fight between Pepe and Byakuya. It may have been really similar to the fight with Zommori but this one was a lot better because at least Byakuya felt really pressured during this fight. Pepe's abilities where really cool and even though his Vollständig was a bit of a shock I did like the cupid symbolism.

Overall the Rubb - Dolls chapters have been improving but they have been skipping over too many fights and events and the fights we do see might be a bit too fast paced. However I am interested in seeing what Liltotto is going to do.

SCORE: 6/10

Film Review: Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Finally got round to seeing Sin City 2 (had to wait this long because I have been busy at work) and I just had to write a review for it as soon as I could. This will contain some SPOILERS for the film and those who haven't read the graphic novel.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is the nine year waited sequel and is once again directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez and is split in to separate stories where the characters interact with each other across them.

Just Another Saturday Night: This is the opening to the film and is based of one of the Sin City short stories based on the same name. It stars Marv (Mickey Rourke) who tries to recall how he ended in a car wreck just outside of the Projects.

The Long Bad Night: An original story for the film which stars Joseph Gordon Levitt as Johnny, a cocky young gambler who has recently arrived in Basin City. He decides to enter in a very dangerous game of poker with Senator Roarke (Powers Booth) who does not take kindly to losing.

A Dame to Kill For: The main story of the film which stars Josh Brolin as Dwight McCarthy a photographer who wishes to forget his incredibly violent past. However he soon gets a call from his former lover Ava Lord (Eva Green) and is soon thrown back in a world he wanted to leave behind.

Nancy's Last Dance: Another original story which stars Jessica Alba as Nancy Callahan who is still dealing with the loss of John Hartigan (Bruce Willis) and wishes to have her revenge against Senator Roarke whose son terrorized her and Hartigan four years ago.


Just like the first Sin City this film is a near perfect adaption to the graphic novel but what really surprised me was the two original short stories. When I first read about this I wasn't too sure how much I would like it because I much prefer when adaptions follow their source material but when it doesn't it has to be just as good. An example of it done right is Game of Thrones; the majority of is straight out of the book while original stuff for the show is short and doesn't take away from the main plot e.g. the subplots with original character Ros, torture of Theon, Stannis going to Bravos for a loan etc. However examples of when it is done wrong is The Walking Dead (whole episodes are given over to long and boring original material and there are some dramatic changes to characters) and the ending to Watchmen (rest of the film is great but I really, really wished they kept the ending from the graphic novel).

So is The Long Bad Night and Nancy's Last Dance just as good as the Sin City graphic novel stories? The answer is yes! Nancy's Last Dance didn't have too much to worry about any way because it is a sequel to That Yellow Bastard but The Long Bad Night almost stole this entire film, for me it ties with A Dame to Kill For. The main reason for this is Joseph Gordon Levitt as Johnny; I admit I haven't seen much of him in other works (I know him best from Dark Knight Rises) but he was witty, charismatic and an all round well thought out original character who truly belonged in this film.

We also have many returning characters such as Marv, who is like the figure head for Sin City at this point and should be in every film, Nancy, Gail, Hartigan etc., however we also have several re casts as well with the characters Manute and Miho. Normally really do not like re casting characters in film and TV series however for Sin City 2 I will make an exception because for Miho, Devon Aoki was pregnant and couldn't act and Jamie Chung gave a great performance. As for Manute, Michael Clarke Duncan unfortunately died before production however Dennis Haysbert was a perfect choice for re cast because he is just a imposing and menacing for the role. We also have Josh Brolin for a re casted Dwight and he was great as the character too, he really looked like pre - facial surgery Dwight! I am also glad that Powers Booth returns as Senator Roarke because, as I mentioned in my review of the first film, he was underused but he is back as the main villain for two stories and I a glad for that.

However a stand out performance (just as good as Joseph Gordon Levitt) was Eva Green as Ava Lord. I have seen Eva Green in quite a few roles but this has got to be my favourite because she was just so sexy in this role. She also had no problems with a lot of sex and nudity (unlike Jessica Alba who is the stripper who doesn't strip) which is a plus for this role because anyone who read the graphic novels know that Ava uses sex as her main weapon. She is also manipulate and deadly, so hats off to Eva Green for her performance.

As for Jessica Alba I have always been unsure if she was the right choice for Nancy and that is because I didn't think she was committed enough for the role. I am not trying to be sexist in constantly saying she should "take it off" and not all films have to have nudity but in this 18 film full of violence, swearing and nudity and she is cast as a stripper, I just wished she showed more skin (her dancing was a lot better though). Eva Green seemed to have no problem with it so I just wish Jessica Alba didn't, however I must admit that the last part of her story really makes up for it. She undergoes a badass transformation and kicks some ass so they gave her that much at least.

Personally I really liked this film so much that I am not sure what I can criticize it for but if I had to not pick it would probably be that it is a lot more fast paced and rushed than I would have thought. An example of this is the subplot with Mort and Bob; that was over and done with so fast that it was a shame because in the graphic novel their investigation is in a lot more detail.

Overall this film is a perfect squeal to a great graphic novel adaption but it was a shame that we had to wait so long for it. I have read that this film has received mixed reviews so far because of the poor marketing and long wait but I think everything about this is just great and is an awesome watch. Fans of the first film will enjoy this and I really hope there is a third film based on Hell and Back!

SCORE: 9/10

Top Five Sternritters

I am still working on my list for top ten Male Voice Actors so in the mean time I thought I'd write a top ten for my favourite Sternritter from Bleach and who are the main antagonists of this arc. SPOILERS.


5. BG9



 

Possibly the only robot in the Bleach universe, BG9 is the letter K in the Sternritter and it is still unknown what it stands for (I think it could be for "The Knowledge"). BG9 has an awesome character design and he has a cool long ranged fighting style where he uses tendrils, missiles and even a massive mini gun. He was last seen with Chang Du and seemly executed with him however I am one of the many who believe that they are both still alive and that BG9 could even be upgraded to BG10.

4. As Nodt



 

Sternritter F for "The Fear" and As Nodt definitely deserves that title, he also has the distinction with being one of the few who has defeated Byakuya Kuchiki. You can tell that Kubo spent a long time with the design for As because it is so detailed but I wish his backstory was explored even more. His Vollstandig is also one of the most original in the Sternritters and his it was always cool to see him use his fear powers, whether it was turning himself in to a monster or showing Byakuya a melted Rukia. He recently died in battle against Rukia and it was one of the best in this arc.


3. NaNaNa Najahkoop

 

The first Sternritter to be introduced during the first invasion outside of the column of fire, NaNaNa is the Sternritter U but it is yet to be revealed what it stands for. He has the most unique design out of all of the Sternritters and I really like his personality, however Kubo has really been unfair to this character. We never got to see his fight with Rose, he observed Renji for a whole night and saying that "red monkey" will soon be finished he has yet to fight him. The worst of it was that in the lastest chapter he was seemingly defeated off screen by Byakuya, it just annoys me that Kubo keeps doing this. Still I am looking forward to seeing NaNaNa in a real fight and I hope he does defeat Renji because that is what the hype has been building to.

2. Giselle Gewelle

Probably the most craziest character Kubo has ever created for Bleach; Giselle Gewelle "The Zombie" has the power to turn both Soul Reapers and Quincies into zombies that obey her every command. Giselle was mostly a back ground character when she was first introduced but with the March of the Zombies chapters we get to see just how insane she really is, she doesn't just like battle, she gets off on it. She is not above using her own comrades as zombies and she is also one of the most perverted characters ever, this is really shown in her facial expressions. Unfortunately Kubo has now turned the attention away from the recent awesome March of the Zombies chapters to focuses more on Pepe and I do not like that. I was really enjoying seeing Giselle and her zombies and it doesn't even look like we will even get a proper conclusion to it any time soon.


1. Gremmy Thourmeaux

My most favourite is Sternritter V "The Visionary". I like Gremmy because he is so sadistic and one of the most arrogant characters there is. His power is also one of the coolest in Bleach even though Kubo could have done more with it. He also mercilessly killed two captains while they were injured unlike most villains who like to give the heroes a chance by going in to a big monologue. His fight with Kenpachi is also one of the best during this arc and even though he was defeated (and it was revealed his true body is a brain) I really hope we see more of him in the future.


Game Review: DMC Devil May Cry

Time to finally do another game review, this time on a game that received much backlash after it's release; DMC Devil May Cry, the remake to the popular game series.

DMC still has the same basic plot of the original games but with a lot of changes, the first being that the world of Demons (Limbo) and the world of Humans are separate and only certain people can pass in between them. Dante is one of those certain people because he is a Nephilim (a hybrid of Angels and Demons) and he battles the Demons when ever he is dragged in to Limbo. Unbeknownst to him and the rest of society the whole world is under the control of the Demon King Mundus, who prefers to operate in secret and control the Humans through finance, politics, media and drugs. However a mysterious person named Vergil, who leads a resistance group called The Order, challenges Mundus and wishes to recruit Dante to his cause.

DMC was developed by Ninja Theory and I admit I am not that familiar with their work however I know of their two other games, Heavenly Sword and Enslaved, both of which are third person, melee action oriented gameplay so it seems that is their main type of genre. What they have done with DMC is that they have decided to try and make it more appealing for the Western and younger audience.

Namely this includes changes to character designs such as Dante; gone is his trademark silver hair and long, red leather coat (which is a Japanese, anime style) . Instead he is given more of street punk redesign where he has brown spikey hair and a hooded trench coat. But that is not all; Vergil has gone through a similar redesign where they have removed a lot of his Japanese influence (luckily he still keeps his katana sword and silver hair) and Mundus, instead of being a demon in the form of a Roman - looking statue, his human form is that of a business typhoon who resides in a massive office tower.

Also it is not just the characters that are changed it is also the whole entire tone of the game as well like the overall gothic tone of the original games. Instead it has a more Hollywood action movie feeling to it whether it is the heavy metal music that is in much of its soundtrack or the fact that the setting is in a twisted version of a city instead of a ancient castle or tower.

As for gameplay it is still very similar to what you expect from the original game series however I noticed that while I was playing it that it was a lot easier. This was because the developers wanted it to appeal to newcomers but veterans of the original series and hack and slash games in general would want to put this on the harder difficulties when playing this.

It still has the same multiple button combos for new moves with your weapons and guns and you can still buy new skills with orbs as well however they have introduced a new colour coded mechanic. Since Dante is Nephilim he can switch between his blue, low damage, fast paced Angel moves or his red, high damage, slow paced Demon moves. This offers an interesting variety to the gameplay because their are certain enemies that can only be killed by a certain colour however while this is good there is a severe lack of weapons in this game for my taste. Dante has only two weapons each for red and blue and even though he can instantly switch between them in game so you don't have to break off a combo, I would much rather have had to pause the game and equip a new weapon like the original series if it meant more weapons. One thing I dislike but also don't mind much is that they have removed the option to lock on to any enemy you want however the automatic lock on feature is  really smart and can accurately predict which enemy you want to attack anyway. 

The enemies in this game are really good, like I mentioned above some can only be damaged by a certain weapon, however I have played through every difficultly setting in this game and I didn't really have any trouble with them no matter how hard the difficultly said it was. The same goes for bosses too, they have some great designs but I was just a bit disappointed in them. Also thought I'd say that since this game was published by Capcom they have put a chainsaw wielding enemy in it and I am getting sick of seeing them (There is enough of them in the new Resident Evils!).

There isn't that many cast of main characters in this game and their personalities have also changed with this remake. Dante is a lot more cocky and outspoken now and less laidback like in the original, I guess this was another change that the developers wanted to appeal to a younger audience. Vergil however is a lot more reserved in this, preferring to take a back sit throughout the majority of the game. There is the lead female named Kat, a member of The Order, who is really good but not as good as Trish or Lady from the original. However I do like the new Mundus in this because he has a lot more personality in this than when we barely got anything of his ideology and reasoning from the original.

Now I guess the most important question in my review is; Do I like it? Are all of these changes for the better?

I do really like this game however I do not agree with many of the changes. Devil May Cry 1 and 3 where known as one of the hardest games back in the day and while it was really frustrating at times, who really wants a easy game? I do not like the removing of the gothic themes and while the character redesigns of Dante and Vergil are cool, I still prefer the original. This is probably because I am more of a fan of Japanese style when it comes to creating characters (Anime and Manga). However I do really like the overall story of this game because it creates a more detailed backstory for Dante, Vergil (in Devil May Cry 3 it is implied that they have battled many times before but it doesn't go in to detail) and the world they are apart of in general. Also despite not being a challenge like the originals I immensely enjoyed the combat system because it was so fluid and smooth.

Overall this game, as I already know, will have a very hard time pleasing veterans of the original Devil May Cry series however newcomers will find this easy to pick up. It has it's flaws to be sure but if they can be looked past that then you can find an enjoyable and fun hack and slash game.

SCORE: 7/10

Bleach Review: Rubb - Dolls



The release was a bit late but here is my review of the latest Bleach chapter!

The chapter begins with Mayuri stabbing Toshiro with his released Ashisogi Jizuo, thus paralyzing him and then injecting him with a drug that covers him with a black liquid (I'm guessing it is going to heal his zombie status). However during this the zombies of Kensei Muguruma, Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi and Rangiku Matsumoto arrive but Mayuri simply tells his revived Arrancar to deal with them so that they don't interrupt the experiment. The scene then changes to Byakuya Kuchiki who has seem to have defeated the Sternritters Candice Catnipp, NaNaNa Najahkoop and the Unnamed Male Sternritter. Meninas McAllon and Liltotto Lamperd discuss how Byakuya could be this powerful and where Pepe has disappeared to when Shūhei Hisagi approaches Byakuya from behind and also makes a comment of his handy work. However Byakuya suddenly attacks Hisagi because he believes he is under the control of a Sternritter which then turns out to be true; Pepe reveals to be the Sternritter L for "The Love" and then uses his power to control Meninas and has her attack Liltotto.

I have to say that I am very disappointed with the chapter this week, it wasn't anything I expected it to be and not in a good way either!

It starts off really great, carrying on with the Mayuri fight, and it looked like we where going to have some great match ups from with the Arrancar and the Soul Reapers. Unfortunately this is not the case since Kubo has decided to move on from the zombies even though there isn't a conclusion yet and where the hell has Giselle gotten to?

Next it is revealed that three Sternritter have been defeated in fights that we did not even get to see and this included the Unnamed Male Sternritter and NaNaNa; we barely know anything about those two or the extent of their powers and it looks like we are not going to now. It also annoys me that Byakuya took them all out, I know he has gotten more powerful by being in the Royal Realm but this is just going overboard. Plus why didn't NaNaNa fight Renji since several chapters ago it seemed that NaNaNa was preparing for it by spying on him.

Finally Pepe has turned out to be a lot more wacky than I thought he would be, especially with so much panels wasted about him going on about love. Also why is he making he fellow Sternritters fight against each other when they should be fighting the Soul Reapers.

Overall this chapter is a real let down in this arc so far because a lot of stuff has happened in this chapter that I just don't like. I know that is my opinion but I cannot see how anyone can like any of the events or reveals that happened when it moved away from Mayuri.

SCORE: 3/10

Film Review: Sin City

Think the last time I did a film review was X men days of future past, so it has been quite a while. I thought I'd review the first Sin City because even though the second one has just been released I am a bit busy with a new job so I won't be able to see it for a few days. Since this was released in 2005 I will talk about spoiler scenes as much a I want because anyone reading this has bound to have seen it by now, so you HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Sin City is adapted from Franks Millers graphic novel series of the same name and I have got all of the books and it is my favourite graphic novels. Besides from Frank Miller this film is also directed by Robert Rodriguez and with Quentin Tarantino as a special guest director. Now have been a massive fan of Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino for many years with some of my favourite of their films being Kill Bill and Desperado. These two know how to make a really damn good watch; they don't shy away from including a lot of violence but even scenes were its just talking between characters can be really gripping

The story of Sin City is split in to four stories, each one separate from the other but characters do cross over between the four.

The Customer is always right: Staring Josh Hartnett as The Salesman/Colonel and Marley Shelton as The Customer. This is segment is only five minutes and serves as the into to the film.

That Yellow Bastard: Staring Bruce Willis as John Hartigan; an honest, aging cop on the verge of retirement who wants to put away Roark Junior (Nick Stahl), a serial child rapist and killer, for good. Junior however is the son of the powerful Senator Roark and the Roark family basically rules Basin City. However when Junior kidnaps his latest victim, Nancy Callanhan (Makenize Vega/Jessica Alba), Hartigan stops at nothing to put a stop to Junior in a story that spans right years.

The Hard Goodbye: After a one night stand, street smart thug Marv (Mickey Rourke) awakens to find Goldie (Jamie King) dead besides him. Because she is the only women to ever show him kindness Marv makes it his mission to hunt down those responsible but soon finds out he may have bitten off more than he can chew when all of Basin City is against him.

The Big Fat Kill: When his girlfriend Shelly (Brittany Murphy) is suffering at the hands of her abusive ex Jackie Boy (Benicio Tel Toro), Dwight decides to step in. However Jackie Boy soon makes the mistake of entering Old Town; a section of Basin City controlled by the prostitutes who work there and who cannot tolerate two things; to those who don't play by their rules and cops. Dwight teams up with his old friends in Old Town to put a stop to Jackie boy but he just can't shake the feeling that something is awfully wrong.........

What I really liked about Sin City when I first watched it was how faithful it is to the original material, it is probably the best adaption of a graphic novel to the big screen. It even perfectly copies moments of the from the graphic novel in the film e.g. Marv swimming through the sewer, Lucille (Carla Gugino) reaching for her gun, Dwight jumping through the window etc. It is not so much that I am watching a film, more so that I am watching a motion comic.

All this is helped of course by the heavy film noir style which was what the graphic novel novels was heavily influenced by in the first place. This means the use of colours such as the whole film done in black and white with the exception of important colours like blood, Kevin's (Elijah Wood) glasses and the Yellow Bastard's skin to name a few, it also has stark, black backgrounds, heavily contrast white. Also it barely changes any of the words used from the graphic novel such as its sometimes strange metaphors and they keep all the character narration as well. All this gives the film high marks in my book because it is like I am watching the graphic novel down shot for shot and I always think it is a let down in most adaptions when they change to much for film (I really liked Watchmen for example but I didn't like that the ending was so different, may do review on this)

We also have some great casting choices for all of the roles here, with the stand out being Mickey Rourke as Marv. He was the perfect choice here, they did a lot of makeup on him so he really looked like Marv, and his voice was great for the narration as well, he was also really imposing/menacing when he wanted to be but still be a likeable character. It would take me long to go over the others so a top three other stand outs for where Elijah Wood as Kevin and Benicio Tel Toro as Jackie Boy (Especially Benicio Tel Toro, he kills it as Jackie Boy!) and also Nick Stahl as Junior. The rest where all great, even minor characters and ones he don't have much screen time as the other; would have liked to have seen more of Rutger Hauer and Powers Boothe.

However two that I have to mention, and not in a good way, are Bruce Willis as John Hartigan and Jessica Alba as Nancy Callanhan. First off I really liked Bruce Willis, I am glad he is Hartigan but I wished they gave him some make up to make him look more like a sixty year old (sixty eight after time skip!), he was a great choice but they made Mickey Rourke and Benicio Tel Toro look more like their characters. As for Jessica Alba I think she was a real miss cast in this because, aside from not looking much like Nancy from the graphic novel, she wasn't sexy enough for the role in my opinion. It annoyed me that in they made the Kadie's strip club seem PG - 13 because Nancy wasn't topless in any of it (she is in the graphic novel). We have some great women roles in this film e.g. Devon Aoki as Miho, Rosario Dawson as Gail and Carla Gugino as Lucille, especially Carla Gugino because she wasn't afraid to have that great nude shot where she grabs for the revolver. All in all just think Jessica Alba could have been more committed as a stripper and her overall acting as Nanacy could have been better. (I hear she is better in Sin City 2 though)

This film is also a great and fun watch because, thanks to its directors, it doesn't hold back on any of the violence. This isn't a film for the younger audience because we have got limbs flying about all over the place her lol, it is even interesting that they have kept most of the blood white like in the graphic novel also. Quentin Tarantino is also has credit for one of my favourite scenes in the film which was Dwight and the almost decapitated body of Jackie Boy having the conversation in the car. It was really smart that whenever Jackie lifted his head his voice gets higher because of the damaged vocal cords, they don't do that in the graphic novel but it was really cool to see. Shame they cut out a lot of the dialogue between them.

Overall this is the best is one of my favourite films of all time and the best graphic novel adaption ever. It does a perfect job of bring this gritty, dangerous , bleak fictional city to life for the big screen. I can't really choose a favourite segment because the are all just so damn good.

SCORE: 9/10

Can't wait for Sin City 2!