This series of movies are actually Chinese movies, which I had seen a long time ago when I was young. Clearly the best of the series, and also the most popular is Swordsman II which stars Jet Li. You could probably potentially just watch Swordsman II by itself, however it would make a whole lot more sense if you watch Swordsman I (although I didn't enjoy the first as much). The series is now considered a classic, and it renewed the popularity of old-style martial arts films. The fighting is the typical unrealistic type, with people able to jump many meters and also flying through the air while being able to keep yourself afloat by merely lightly stepping on thin tree branches. People also use supernatural powers, which I gather that the idea is they expel their 'chi', and it seems like the person gets hit by an invisible force.
The first film stars Sam Hui as Linghu Chong, who is a senior member of Mount Hua Sect. He is an easy-going guy, who loves alcohol but is also a very skilled swordsman. He is accompanied by Yue Lingshan, who is also a member of the Mount Hua Sect. She is the master's daughter, and has a crush on Linghu Chong. However, her tomboy ways cause Linghu Chong to think of her as just 1 of the other junior members and he calls her 'kiddo', although in Chinese it is also referring her to be a male. They get involved in a struggle to find the Sunflower Manual. The other parties involved include a Eunach General, and also the Sun Moon Sect. Linghu Chong at some point in the movie gets saved by the Sun Moon Sect, and the current leader Ren Yingying falls in love with him, although she tries not to show it much to the amusement of Lan Fenghuang (aka Blue Phoenix) who is her deputy. Whoever learns the secrets of the Sunflower Manual will apparently become the most powerful martial artist in the world, and this is important to understanding the second movie. The first movie also explains a lot of the character backgrounds to help understand the second movie. For example; it shows the significance of a particular song that is song very often and you find out why Linghu Chong cares so much about Ren Yingying.
The second film jumps forward a bit in the timeline (to my understanding). Also the cast for a lot of the characters has changed, which is obviously evident by Jet Li replacing Sam Hui and other changes. In this movie, a character named Dongfang Bubai (aka Asia the Invincible) has taken over the Sun Moon Sect and is conspiring with Japanese pirates. He has also mastered the secrets of the Sunflower Manual, however, in order to learn the secrets of the Sunflower Manual, he had to castrate himself, and his appearance became more feminine (eventually completely becoming a woman). This is why he is played by Brigitte Lin. Dongfang Bubai has imprisoned the previous leader of the Sun Moon Sect, and Linghu Chong attempts to find him.
The third film is kind of ordinary. It is based on Dongfang Bubai after the events of the second film, yet doesn't actually continue of the storyline of what happened at the end of the movie properly. I found the movie to be pretty dodgy and not very interesting, so I would recommend simply not watching it.
I would give the first movie a rating of 6/10, second movie 8.5/10, third movie 2/10. I recommend watching the first movie purely for the story background simply because it will make viewing the second movie a lot better. To be honest, I find the ending of the second movie to be a bit vague and wished the third movie continued on from where it left off. However, the movie itself was quite good and I tend to appreciate the classic movies a lot.
Showing posts with label Movie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movie. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Movie Review: Avatar
Last night I went to see Avatar finally. The 3D glasses have taken a pretty big upgrade since I last saw a 3D film back in primary school.
So the film is about the humans discovering a planet called Pandora, where a mineral called unobtanium is found. 1 kg of this mineral is worth millions of dollars, and of course... being the greedy race that we are... the humans are trying to extract it. However, the area is inhabited by an indigenous race of humanoids called the Na'vi. The Na'vi resist the humans, as they are obviously going to protect their lands from alien invaders. Thus, the humans developed the Avatar project, where they grow Na'vi bodies modified with human DNA. When the body is complete, the person who's DNA was put in the body, will then be put into something which resembled a coffin to me... but is actually a machine which allows the person to mentally link to the avatar and control it.
So the main character, Jake Sully, replaces his dead twin brother as an avatar operator, since only he will be able to control his brother's avatar. He is sent to the Na'vi to learn their ways, so that they will accept him as their own and trust him. After that, he is meant to persuade them to allow the humans to come and mine the minerals. However, when you live with people for a long time and get to know them that closely... your perception about it begins to change, which is what happens with Jake and puts him in a dilemma of doing his job, or doing what he feels is right.
In my opinion, the story is rather plain and generally just uninteresting... but for this type of movie, you probably won't be going to watch it for its story. The visual effects were quite stunning, with great colours enhanced by the 3D technology. In particular, my favourite was when you see the cockpit of the helicopters with full computer interfaces, which really stood out with the 3D glasses... looked pretty amazing.
Just a couple of things to note. The flying mounts that the Na'vi use reminded me of the drakes in World of Warcraft.... at least the head portion of them... kind of bizarre. Also, I noticed one of the battlecries of the female Na'vi sounded very much like Xena's battlecry... wonder if they just copied it =P
If you haven't already seen the movie, it's definitely good to experience the visual effects of the movie. If you're after a good story... you'll probably need to look elsewhere (perhaps check my older reviews =P). It has been labelled as the stepping stone of 3D technology, so if nothing else... it's good to experience that, before it becomes a staple in movies... i.e every future movie ends up being shown in 3D. My rating for the movie is 7/10... it lost a lot for having a poor storyline, but it made up for it with the visual effects and the action.
So the film is about the humans discovering a planet called Pandora, where a mineral called unobtanium is found. 1 kg of this mineral is worth millions of dollars, and of course... being the greedy race that we are... the humans are trying to extract it. However, the area is inhabited by an indigenous race of humanoids called the Na'vi. The Na'vi resist the humans, as they are obviously going to protect their lands from alien invaders. Thus, the humans developed the Avatar project, where they grow Na'vi bodies modified with human DNA. When the body is complete, the person who's DNA was put in the body, will then be put into something which resembled a coffin to me... but is actually a machine which allows the person to mentally link to the avatar and control it.
So the main character, Jake Sully, replaces his dead twin brother as an avatar operator, since only he will be able to control his brother's avatar. He is sent to the Na'vi to learn their ways, so that they will accept him as their own and trust him. After that, he is meant to persuade them to allow the humans to come and mine the minerals. However, when you live with people for a long time and get to know them that closely... your perception about it begins to change, which is what happens with Jake and puts him in a dilemma of doing his job, or doing what he feels is right.
In my opinion, the story is rather plain and generally just uninteresting... but for this type of movie, you probably won't be going to watch it for its story. The visual effects were quite stunning, with great colours enhanced by the 3D technology. In particular, my favourite was when you see the cockpit of the helicopters with full computer interfaces, which really stood out with the 3D glasses... looked pretty amazing.
Just a couple of things to note. The flying mounts that the Na'vi use reminded me of the drakes in World of Warcraft.... at least the head portion of them... kind of bizarre. Also, I noticed one of the battlecries of the female Na'vi sounded very much like Xena's battlecry... wonder if they just copied it =P
If you haven't already seen the movie, it's definitely good to experience the visual effects of the movie. If you're after a good story... you'll probably need to look elsewhere (perhaps check my older reviews =P). It has been labelled as the stepping stone of 3D technology, so if nothing else... it's good to experience that, before it becomes a staple in movies... i.e every future movie ends up being shown in 3D. My rating for the movie is 7/10... it lost a lot for having a poor storyline, but it made up for it with the visual effects and the action.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes
Happy new year everyone. I've been off enjoying my break, so haven't been posting anything since then. Wish my break was longer, but alas... all good things must come to an end.
During the break, I watched Sherlock Holmes with a couple of friends. As we all probably know, Sherlock Holmes is a famous English detective novel. Holmes is famous for his intellectual prowess, and his uncanny ability to solve the most difficult cases, and this has been made into a modernised movie format.
The plot is based around 'dark magic' supposedly being practiced by a characted named Lord Blackwood. At the very beginning of the movie, Holmes and Dr Watson (Holmes' sidekick and best friend) stop a dark ritual, which was going to involve a human sacrifice. The ritual was being commited by Lord Blackwood, and he is arrested. Blackwood is executed 3 months later, but apparently arises from the dead. Afterwards, many murders are commited and its up to Holmes to find out what really happened.
I personally really enjoyed the mystery involved in the film, which of course is very well explained later on, and all these little things that you see throughout the film suddenly make sense. I always like these kinds of movies/tv shows/animes that make use of things that stimulate the mind, and are just generally very clever. I did find it a little odd that Dr Watson was a very capable fighter. I could understand that Holmes, being a detective... would be a good fighter, but I was definitely not expecting Watson to be one as well. However, I read into it a bit more, and Watson is supposed to be a war veteran, so in hindsight it wasn't so bad. It did amuse me when Watson would have people in a headlock and he'll say "don't worry, I'm a doctor."
Despite it being based on the Shelock Holmes novels, there is an obvious absence of the cliche "elementary, my dear Watson." My friend also commented that it would've been awesome if they had added "no shit Sherlock" to the script as well. But alas... maybe in a sequel =P
The main characters of the movie are;
Sherlock Holmes - obviously. He is a genius, and has exceptional deductive capabilities. He takes into account everything, even the littlest of things, and work out things about a person, or deduce what happened at a particular scene. He is also a very skilled fighter, and its quite awesome to see him combine the 2 skills. Basically what he'll do is mentally visualise his plan of attack, and list them step by step. Then he'll execute it perfectly in exactly how he previously described. I find it a clever way of explaining what is actually going on in a fight.
Dr Watson - supposed to be a sidekick for Holmes, but in the movie they seem more like colleagues and good friends. He is of course a doctor, and was present at Blackhorn's execution to confirm his death. While Holmes is quite laid back, Watson is more of a serious character.
Irene Adler - Holmes' past love interest, who is the only person to have outwitted Holmes. She herself is quite intelligent and cunning. She's played by Rachel McAdams, who some people will remember as Regina George in Mean Girls. When I first saw her, I felt like I know who she was but couldn't put a name to her face. I didn't realise till later, that it was Rachel McAdams (I didn't look at the cast before I watched the movie)... she looks quite different without the blonde hair.
Lord Blackwood - as previously mentioned, he is involved in the practice of black magic, and he is using that to take over Britain.
Rating - 8.5/10. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and I think its definitely worth checking out, if you haven't already. It has good humour, and some of the fight scenes are quite interesting. The best thing is the element of mystery and then hearing the explanation of what everything meant at the end. I also really liked the background music and I think its quite fitting to the setting of the movie. The movie is suitable for all audiences, but be prepared to keep up with the movie, as Holmes can speak quite fast sometimes.
During the break, I watched Sherlock Holmes with a couple of friends. As we all probably know, Sherlock Holmes is a famous English detective novel. Holmes is famous for his intellectual prowess, and his uncanny ability to solve the most difficult cases, and this has been made into a modernised movie format.
The plot is based around 'dark magic' supposedly being practiced by a characted named Lord Blackwood. At the very beginning of the movie, Holmes and Dr Watson (Holmes' sidekick and best friend) stop a dark ritual, which was going to involve a human sacrifice. The ritual was being commited by Lord Blackwood, and he is arrested. Blackwood is executed 3 months later, but apparently arises from the dead. Afterwards, many murders are commited and its up to Holmes to find out what really happened.
I personally really enjoyed the mystery involved in the film, which of course is very well explained later on, and all these little things that you see throughout the film suddenly make sense. I always like these kinds of movies/tv shows/animes that make use of things that stimulate the mind, and are just generally very clever. I did find it a little odd that Dr Watson was a very capable fighter. I could understand that Holmes, being a detective... would be a good fighter, but I was definitely not expecting Watson to be one as well. However, I read into it a bit more, and Watson is supposed to be a war veteran, so in hindsight it wasn't so bad. It did amuse me when Watson would have people in a headlock and he'll say "don't worry, I'm a doctor."
Despite it being based on the Shelock Holmes novels, there is an obvious absence of the cliche "elementary, my dear Watson." My friend also commented that it would've been awesome if they had added "no shit Sherlock" to the script as well. But alas... maybe in a sequel =P
The main characters of the movie are;
Sherlock Holmes - obviously. He is a genius, and has exceptional deductive capabilities. He takes into account everything, even the littlest of things, and work out things about a person, or deduce what happened at a particular scene. He is also a very skilled fighter, and its quite awesome to see him combine the 2 skills. Basically what he'll do is mentally visualise his plan of attack, and list them step by step. Then he'll execute it perfectly in exactly how he previously described. I find it a clever way of explaining what is actually going on in a fight.
Dr Watson - supposed to be a sidekick for Holmes, but in the movie they seem more like colleagues and good friends. He is of course a doctor, and was present at Blackhorn's execution to confirm his death. While Holmes is quite laid back, Watson is more of a serious character.
Irene Adler - Holmes' past love interest, who is the only person to have outwitted Holmes. She herself is quite intelligent and cunning. She's played by Rachel McAdams, who some people will remember as Regina George in Mean Girls. When I first saw her, I felt like I know who she was but couldn't put a name to her face. I didn't realise till later, that it was Rachel McAdams (I didn't look at the cast before I watched the movie)... she looks quite different without the blonde hair.
Lord Blackwood - as previously mentioned, he is involved in the practice of black magic, and he is using that to take over Britain.
Rating - 8.5/10. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and I think its definitely worth checking out, if you haven't already. It has good humour, and some of the fight scenes are quite interesting. The best thing is the element of mystery and then hearing the explanation of what everything meant at the end. I also really liked the background music and I think its quite fitting to the setting of the movie. The movie is suitable for all audiences, but be prepared to keep up with the movie, as Holmes can speak quite fast sometimes.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Movie/Book Review: New Moon (Twilight)
On the weekend I saw New Moon with a couple of girl friends. We were in gold class, and it was just us and 2 other random guys. We found it really strange because its either; they're there together to watch New Moon... or they've come by themselves to watch New Moon. Either way... it seems pretty weird to me lol.
Anyway, the Twilight books has been the latest big seller since Harry Potter. It is a love story between a vampire (Edward Cullen) and a high school girl (Bella Swan). I have actually read the books, which some guys might find surprising... but I usually look into stories that are supposed to be good, as I love a good storyline. The first book (Twilight) really enticed me into the series... but the second book (New Moon) was really disappointing. So I wasn't actually expecting much from the movie... but I wanted to see it anyway, because I wanted to see how it would turn out in a movie format.
Surprisingly, this is probably the first time I've actually thought the movie was better than the book... but this is mainly because I found the second book to be the worst out of the series. The main thing about the book that I hated was that it is told from Bella's point of view... and her thoughts are both really emo and also overly lovey dovey. So the good thing about the movie, is that you don't really have to hear all that kind of stuff. I also enjoyed the fight scenes between the vampires as I think it's pretty cool when they fight with their insanely high speed and strength.
The main problem I have with the movie though, is some of the acting. Some of the acting was pretty appauling, and I'm generally quite lenient. But some of the acting just gave me the shits... for example when Bella is supposed to be in a state of shock or utter disbelief, she has this weird expression and stutters a lot while seeming to have some sort of attitude. That's probably the best way I can describe it... you'll have to see for yourself to know what I mean.
The basic plot of this movie is that firstly, Bella becomes afraid of aging... as we mortals do. So she fears that one day she'll become an old grandma, and that Edward will no longer want her. Thus she wants to become a vampire a live among the Cullens. After a particular incident, it becomes apparent to the Cullens that they are a danger to Bella, so they leave town and erase traces that they had been there so that hopefully Bella would move on. When this happens, Bella becomes really depressed and emo... and the rest takes off from there.
Rating - 5/10. The Twilight series in general is more suited for girls than guys, but there are some good fighting scenes in there as well... just maybe not enough to offset having to go through all the lovey dovey stuff. The next movie should actually have a lot more fighting... as it's probably the book that has the potential to provide the most action scenes for the movie version. So if you do watch the movie for the fight scenes, then you should watch New Moon so you know what's going on... as whats revealed is pretty important to the storyline. If you have absolutely no interest in the books or if you didn't like the first movie... then you probably won't enjoy this movie.
Below is a picture of Christian Serratos, who plays Angela Weber. Angela Weber is a high school girl, and a friend of Bella. She has a very minor role in the movies, but she's a bit more prominent in the book (but not by that much more). I posted her pic because I think she's pretty good looking... this pic doesn't do her justice imo, but it's the only one I could find of her in New Moon.
Anyway, the Twilight books has been the latest big seller since Harry Potter. It is a love story between a vampire (Edward Cullen) and a high school girl (Bella Swan). I have actually read the books, which some guys might find surprising... but I usually look into stories that are supposed to be good, as I love a good storyline. The first book (Twilight) really enticed me into the series... but the second book (New Moon) was really disappointing. So I wasn't actually expecting much from the movie... but I wanted to see it anyway, because I wanted to see how it would turn out in a movie format.
Surprisingly, this is probably the first time I've actually thought the movie was better than the book... but this is mainly because I found the second book to be the worst out of the series. The main thing about the book that I hated was that it is told from Bella's point of view... and her thoughts are both really emo and also overly lovey dovey. So the good thing about the movie, is that you don't really have to hear all that kind of stuff. I also enjoyed the fight scenes between the vampires as I think it's pretty cool when they fight with their insanely high speed and strength.
The main problem I have with the movie though, is some of the acting. Some of the acting was pretty appauling, and I'm generally quite lenient. But some of the acting just gave me the shits... for example when Bella is supposed to be in a state of shock or utter disbelief, she has this weird expression and stutters a lot while seeming to have some sort of attitude. That's probably the best way I can describe it... you'll have to see for yourself to know what I mean.
The basic plot of this movie is that firstly, Bella becomes afraid of aging... as we mortals do. So she fears that one day she'll become an old grandma, and that Edward will no longer want her. Thus she wants to become a vampire a live among the Cullens. After a particular incident, it becomes apparent to the Cullens that they are a danger to Bella, so they leave town and erase traces that they had been there so that hopefully Bella would move on. When this happens, Bella becomes really depressed and emo... and the rest takes off from there.
Rating - 5/10. The Twilight series in general is more suited for girls than guys, but there are some good fighting scenes in there as well... just maybe not enough to offset having to go through all the lovey dovey stuff. The next movie should actually have a lot more fighting... as it's probably the book that has the potential to provide the most action scenes for the movie version. So if you do watch the movie for the fight scenes, then you should watch New Moon so you know what's going on... as whats revealed is pretty important to the storyline. If you have absolutely no interest in the books or if you didn't like the first movie... then you probably won't enjoy this movie.
Below is a picture of Christian Serratos, who plays Angela Weber. Angela Weber is a high school girl, and a friend of Bella. She has a very minor role in the movies, but she's a bit more prominent in the book (but not by that much more). I posted her pic because I think she's pretty good looking... this pic doesn't do her justice imo, but it's the only one I could find of her in New Moon.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Movie and Book Review: Angels and Demons
Back again... was sick last week, so didn't have the energy to write anything here. But during that time I was able to find some time to watch the Angels and Demons movie. I liked the Da Vinci Code book (same main character, and written by Dan Brown), and the movie was ok. So it was interesting to see how Angels and Demons would be converted to a movie.
The Angels and Demons book was a great read. I don't know how accurate the historical stuff that the book mentions is... but it made for a good storyline, and its good to get some background information about various pieces of art. Normally I'm not a fan of these type of things... but various pieces of art sparked some interest in me, so I looked them up to get a better idea of them.
Anyway as for the storyline... the main character is Robert Langdon. He is professor of religious iconography and symbiology, and he teaches at a university. He is contacted by CERN, which is a real organisation based in Switzerland that researches particle physics. A researcher at CERN was murdered and branded with the Illuminati symbol. The Illuminati are an ancient cult, comprising of 'enlightened' beings. They are an anti-Christian secret society... and judging by the branding of the researcher (who was a devout Catholic), are plotting something to bring down the Vatican. They had stolen 'anti-matter', which threatens to cause a massive explosion on the scale of an atomic bomb, which could wipe out Vatican city, and possibly all of Rome. I researched anti-matter after reading the book, and apparently anti-matter can not explode on that scale, especially with such a small specimen. However... it does make for a good storyline, but having said that... I wasn't so sure on the validity of the historical references that the book makes.
The movie for me... was actually quite disappointing. It leaves out important characters, and even the actual storyline deviates greatly to the book. An example is the character known as the 'Hassassin'. As you might guess... hes an assassin (gasp), and he is meant to be of middle eastern origin. He is also very sadistic, and his thirst for killing is only equalled by his lust for women... and he tends to like combining his interests. Anyway, he's one of the most important characters in the book... yet he is completely different in the movie, and has absolutely no character development whatsoever. Another thing which is more for me personally... is that the female lead playing Vittoria Vetra wasn't as good looking as I had imagined... she's too old. The actress is 40 years old... and Vittoria is meant to be in her 20's.
I'd give the book a 8/10 rating, and the movie I'd give 4/10. The movie's rating is mainly bad because I read the book first. If I had watched the movie by itself, then it would be closer to a 7. Personally I'd recommend reading the book first. If you don't watch the movie... you're not really missing out that much, but the book is definitely well worth the read.
The Angels and Demons book was a great read. I don't know how accurate the historical stuff that the book mentions is... but it made for a good storyline, and its good to get some background information about various pieces of art. Normally I'm not a fan of these type of things... but various pieces of art sparked some interest in me, so I looked them up to get a better idea of them.
Anyway as for the storyline... the main character is Robert Langdon. He is professor of religious iconography and symbiology, and he teaches at a university. He is contacted by CERN, which is a real organisation based in Switzerland that researches particle physics. A researcher at CERN was murdered and branded with the Illuminati symbol. The Illuminati are an ancient cult, comprising of 'enlightened' beings. They are an anti-Christian secret society... and judging by the branding of the researcher (who was a devout Catholic), are plotting something to bring down the Vatican. They had stolen 'anti-matter', which threatens to cause a massive explosion on the scale of an atomic bomb, which could wipe out Vatican city, and possibly all of Rome. I researched anti-matter after reading the book, and apparently anti-matter can not explode on that scale, especially with such a small specimen. However... it does make for a good storyline, but having said that... I wasn't so sure on the validity of the historical references that the book makes.
The movie for me... was actually quite disappointing. It leaves out important characters, and even the actual storyline deviates greatly to the book. An example is the character known as the 'Hassassin'. As you might guess... hes an assassin (gasp), and he is meant to be of middle eastern origin. He is also very sadistic, and his thirst for killing is only equalled by his lust for women... and he tends to like combining his interests. Anyway, he's one of the most important characters in the book... yet he is completely different in the movie, and has absolutely no character development whatsoever. Another thing which is more for me personally... is that the female lead playing Vittoria Vetra wasn't as good looking as I had imagined... she's too old. The actress is 40 years old... and Vittoria is meant to be in her 20's.
I'd give the book a 8/10 rating, and the movie I'd give 4/10. The movie's rating is mainly bad because I read the book first. If I had watched the movie by itself, then it would be closer to a 7. Personally I'd recommend reading the book first. If you don't watch the movie... you're not really missing out that much, but the book is definitely well worth the read.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Movie Review: Star Trek The Motion Picture
This is the latest Star Trek movie, released in 2009. Traditionally, Star Trek fans are referred to as 'trekkies', and are commonly seen as nerds... much like the characters from the Big Bang Theory (which I recently covered). However, this movie is anything but nerdy... in fact its probably the best movie I've seen since the first Transformers movie. I had watched it in the cinemas when it first came out, but I watched it again last night, so I thought I'd take the chance to talk about it while its still fresh in my mind.
This movie shows briefly the past of the two main characters; James Kirk and Spock. It begins back when James was going to be conceived aboard the USS Kelvin, where his father served and his mother was in the medical bay. A gigantic warship appears out of nowhere and begins attacking the ship. The ship hails the USS Kelvin and requests the presence of the captain for negotiations. The captain takes a shuttle to the ship and leaves James' father; George Kirk, in command of the ship. The captain is killed aboard the ship, and the enemy then orders an all out attack on the USS Kelvin. The newly promoted Captain George Kirk then has the ship evacuated, including Kirk's mother, who proceeds to give birth to James whilst on the shuttle. George sacrifices himself to buy time for the shuttles to escape. From there the movie shows James' rebellious nature as a kid, which then progresses to adulthood. At the same time, the movie shows Spock's childhood difficulties being half-human, half-vulcan, being raised in a Vulcan society.
The movie is then based on James' first journey aboard the USS Enterprise, with the characters from previous Star Trek movies. I recognised some of the names from having watched The Big Bang Theory, so it was nice to put a face to the names that they mention.
The main characters are;
James T. Kirk - the son of a hero who saved many lives. He grows up to be rebellious and a womaniser... yet also a genius. He joins Starfleet with the intention of becoming a captain within 3 years.
Commander Spock - half-human, half-vulcan. He grew up suffering from discrimination for his half-human heritage, yet he excelled at his education and was considered a genius. He joins Starfleet and rises to the rank of commander aboard the USS Enterprise, alongside Captain Pike.
Dr Leonard "Bones" McCoy - he meets James Kirk when they first joined Starfleet and they become good friends at the academy. He is a senior medical practitioner on the USS Enterprise.
Nyota Uhura - she is the communications officer of the USS Enterprise. She was previously a student of Spock whilst at the academy. It is clear there is a connection between them when she fights so hard to get him to change her assignment to the USS Enterprise, and he was uneasy because he felt it might have been seen as favouritism.
Hikaru Sulu - the helmsman of the USS Enterprise.
Pavel Chekov - he is the comic relief character (or at least for me, although Sulu has a lot of funny moments too), with his Russian accent causing him to make some words sound funnier... especially since he makes the intercom announcements throughout the ship. He is however very gifted at mathematics, which makes him very useful in various scenarios of the movie.
Captain Nero - the leader of the mysterious gigantic ship that you see at the beginning
Captain Pike- captain of the USS Enterprise. He was the one who convinced James Kirk to follow in the footsteps of his father. He had also previously served on the USS Kelvin, and feels that he owes his life to James' father.
Rating - 10/10. It would generally be pretty rare for me to give out a rating of 10, however I feel Star Trek is very deserving of it. It was a great adaptation of Star Trek, and I think it will help increase Star Trek's popularity. It has a nice combination of special effects, space fights, fight scenes in general, some romance, and good humour. I'd recommend it to everyone.
This movie shows briefly the past of the two main characters; James Kirk and Spock. It begins back when James was going to be conceived aboard the USS Kelvin, where his father served and his mother was in the medical bay. A gigantic warship appears out of nowhere and begins attacking the ship. The ship hails the USS Kelvin and requests the presence of the captain for negotiations. The captain takes a shuttle to the ship and leaves James' father; George Kirk, in command of the ship. The captain is killed aboard the ship, and the enemy then orders an all out attack on the USS Kelvin. The newly promoted Captain George Kirk then has the ship evacuated, including Kirk's mother, who proceeds to give birth to James whilst on the shuttle. George sacrifices himself to buy time for the shuttles to escape. From there the movie shows James' rebellious nature as a kid, which then progresses to adulthood. At the same time, the movie shows Spock's childhood difficulties being half-human, half-vulcan, being raised in a Vulcan society.
The movie is then based on James' first journey aboard the USS Enterprise, with the characters from previous Star Trek movies. I recognised some of the names from having watched The Big Bang Theory, so it was nice to put a face to the names that they mention.
The main characters are;
James T. Kirk - the son of a hero who saved many lives. He grows up to be rebellious and a womaniser... yet also a genius. He joins Starfleet with the intention of becoming a captain within 3 years.
Commander Spock - half-human, half-vulcan. He grew up suffering from discrimination for his half-human heritage, yet he excelled at his education and was considered a genius. He joins Starfleet and rises to the rank of commander aboard the USS Enterprise, alongside Captain Pike.
Dr Leonard "Bones" McCoy - he meets James Kirk when they first joined Starfleet and they become good friends at the academy. He is a senior medical practitioner on the USS Enterprise.
Nyota Uhura - she is the communications officer of the USS Enterprise. She was previously a student of Spock whilst at the academy. It is clear there is a connection between them when she fights so hard to get him to change her assignment to the USS Enterprise, and he was uneasy because he felt it might have been seen as favouritism.
Hikaru Sulu - the helmsman of the USS Enterprise.
Pavel Chekov - he is the comic relief character (or at least for me, although Sulu has a lot of funny moments too), with his Russian accent causing him to make some words sound funnier... especially since he makes the intercom announcements throughout the ship. He is however very gifted at mathematics, which makes him very useful in various scenarios of the movie.
Captain Nero - the leader of the mysterious gigantic ship that you see at the beginning
Captain Pike- captain of the USS Enterprise. He was the one who convinced James Kirk to follow in the footsteps of his father. He had also previously served on the USS Kelvin, and feels that he owes his life to James' father.
Rating - 10/10. It would generally be pretty rare for me to give out a rating of 10, however I feel Star Trek is very deserving of it. It was a great adaptation of Star Trek, and I think it will help increase Star Trek's popularity. It has a nice combination of special effects, space fights, fight scenes in general, some romance, and good humour. I'd recommend it to everyone.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Movie Review: X-Men Origins: Wolverine
I didn't get to see Wolverine when it first came out in the movies, which is a shame... because I would have liked to watch it on the big screen. However I did recently get to watch it. It is a good movie based off the history of Wolverine. It's not exactly accurate to the comic storyline, but it covered all the important points.
In this movie, Wolverine is the half-brother of Sabretooth... which to my understanding is not accurate in the actual comic storyline, but its fine either way. It begins at their childhood, where Wolverine just discovered that he had mutant powers. At this stage, his claws were still bone. It then fast forwards to when Wolverine and Sabretooth are recruited into Team X. There are other members of the team who are actually mutants from the marvel storyline, although their hero names are never actually mentioned... only their real names are mentioned (apart from Agent Zero). For those die-hards of the comic, the mutants are; Maverick (Agent Zero), Deadpool (Wade Wilson), Kestrel (John Wraith), The Blob (Fred Dukes) and Bolt (Chris Bradley). Other mutants that make appearances in the movie include; Gambit, Cyclops and Professor X.
The movie also covers Wolverine's love story with Silverfox (Kayla), except for a couple of things... but I better not say so that nothing is spoiled. Then of course, it shows the most important moment in Wolverine's history; when he got the adamantium skeleton.
I hope that X-Men Origins becomes a starting point for future movies based off other characters. It would be good if they made movies on a lot of the more popular characters. I'd particularly look forward to seeing a movie based off Magneto, who is my favourite mutant in the X-Men storyline.
Rating: 9/10. Good action, and a nice adaptation of the history of one of the more interesting characters in the marvel universe. If you are a marvel fan, you should definitely check it out if you haven't already... if you are not a marvel fan, you will still enjoy the movie.
In this movie, Wolverine is the half-brother of Sabretooth... which to my understanding is not accurate in the actual comic storyline, but its fine either way. It begins at their childhood, where Wolverine just discovered that he had mutant powers. At this stage, his claws were still bone. It then fast forwards to when Wolverine and Sabretooth are recruited into Team X. There are other members of the team who are actually mutants from the marvel storyline, although their hero names are never actually mentioned... only their real names are mentioned (apart from Agent Zero). For those die-hards of the comic, the mutants are; Maverick (Agent Zero), Deadpool (Wade Wilson), Kestrel (John Wraith), The Blob (Fred Dukes) and Bolt (Chris Bradley). Other mutants that make appearances in the movie include; Gambit, Cyclops and Professor X.
The movie also covers Wolverine's love story with Silverfox (Kayla), except for a couple of things... but I better not say so that nothing is spoiled. Then of course, it shows the most important moment in Wolverine's history; when he got the adamantium skeleton.
I hope that X-Men Origins becomes a starting point for future movies based off other characters. It would be good if they made movies on a lot of the more popular characters. I'd particularly look forward to seeing a movie based off Magneto, who is my favourite mutant in the X-Men storyline.
Rating: 9/10. Good action, and a nice adaptation of the history of one of the more interesting characters in the marvel universe. If you are a marvel fan, you should definitely check it out if you haven't already... if you are not a marvel fan, you will still enjoy the movie.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Anime + Movie Review: Death Note
Death note has been out for a couple of years now as an anime, and also a live movie adaptation of it. There is also obviously a manga for it too, but I only watched the anime and the movie.
It is comparable to Code Geass in the sense that every episode leaves you hanging, and the twists in each episode are very cleverly done.
The main character is a high school student named Yagami Light. One day, he finds a black notebook on the floor. This notebook (the death note) has instructions behind the cover, stating that if you write the full name of a person whilst picturing their face in your mind's eye, that person will die. If just the name is written, they will die of a heart attack... otherwise they will die by whichever method you specify by writing it with the name. He then encounters the death god Ryuk, who is the original owner of the death note, and had dropped it on Earth and had gone to retrieve it. However, since Light picked it up... it is Light's to use as he wishes, however Ryuk warned him of the consequences of using it.
With the death note, Light decides to use it to punish the criminals of the world. He begins researching into criminal cases and looks for people who are definitely guilty of committing a crime, and using the death note to kill them. He then assumes the alias "Kira" and makes the name public as a self-claimed saviour of mankind. The world becomes divided between those who support his beliefs, and those who think he is just another murderer.
The police begin to investigate, and Light has to be very careful since his father is the chief of police. The police enlist the help of a mysterious detective named "L", who has solved many cases in the past which were considered impossible. The story then goes on to be a battle of the wits between Kira and L, both of whom have ridiculously high intellect, and fight to stay 1 step ahead of each other.
The movie adaptation differs slightly to the anime. Overall it wasnt a bad transition, and it was good that they made it into 2 movies so that they could fit in as much of the important content as possible. I was very disappointed with the actor for Light... who looks nothing like the Light from the anime... and his acting was pretty bad. The actor for L however, played it very well... so I guess that kind of offsets each other. Probably the thing I like most about the movie was Erika Toda, who plays Misa. Misa is a girl who also obtains a death note, and is completely in love with Kira. I think the reasons for her being in love with Kira differ between the anime and movie... but I'll leave it at that, since I don't want to spoil too much of the storyline.
I would give the anime a 9/10 rating, and the movies a 6.5/10. If you like a good suspenseful kind of storyline, this is definitely for u.
So below are a couple of pics of Erika Toda as Misa Amane in the death note movies... who is also the asian celebrity I find most attractive.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Saw the movie a couple of weeks ago I think, or maybe a bit longer than that. Anyway, like all of the Harry Potter movies from 3 onwards, the movie feels very rushed and many of the things from the book had to be cut to fit it all into a 2 hr movie. Personally I feel that it would've been a lot better if the movies were 3 hours long, so they could put in more of the important things that they missed out on, and make it seem like they're not just charging through the storyline. I guess they would argue that they can't do this because children won't be able to sit through the whole movie for that long... but I think the books are actually more suitable for late teenagers, rather say primary school kids. The first book was probably the only book that was suitable for children... the books following that involve more adolescent themes and violence.
Anyway, for those who aren't familiar with the Harry Potter series, this movie is an adaptation of the 6th book in the novel series. As you would've seen in the trailer, Dumbledore was going to tell Harry more of the history involved with Lord Voldemort. Unfortunately though... they didn't reveal all of what was shown in the book, and I feel that it was pretty important to have revealed all of it... however I guess they included the most vital ones, which they couldn't have avoided. I won't reveal anything in case people haven't read the books... but to say the least, I was a bit disappointed on that.
There were also a lot of minor things that were cut or done differently to the book. I guess when you have to cut a lot of various things, you also need to rearrange the story so that it flows better... but it does feel a bit weird when you're expecting it to be done a certain way, and it doesn't turn out like you expected. Perhaps its the downside of reading the book first... but overall I think its still better to read the book first.
One thing that kinda threw me off was that they show Tom Riddle in high school, but they used a different actor to the one from the diary in the 2nd movie. I guess the actor from back then would've gotten older by now... so thats probably why... but it seems odd that Tom looks so different hehe. Guess it can't be helped though.
Also, apparently the 7th book will be done in 2 movies... which imo is good. There are a lot of things to cover in the 7th book, and it would be a real shame if they had to cut half of it due to time constraints... so hopefully that makes up for things.
I'll give the movie 6.5/10. Spell effects are pretty good, and the storyline is good (although the book tells is better of course), but loses out because after having read the book... I guess I was expecting it to turn out a certain way.
Anyway, for those who aren't familiar with the Harry Potter series, this movie is an adaptation of the 6th book in the novel series. As you would've seen in the trailer, Dumbledore was going to tell Harry more of the history involved with Lord Voldemort. Unfortunately though... they didn't reveal all of what was shown in the book, and I feel that it was pretty important to have revealed all of it... however I guess they included the most vital ones, which they couldn't have avoided. I won't reveal anything in case people haven't read the books... but to say the least, I was a bit disappointed on that.
There were also a lot of minor things that were cut or done differently to the book. I guess when you have to cut a lot of various things, you also need to rearrange the story so that it flows better... but it does feel a bit weird when you're expecting it to be done a certain way, and it doesn't turn out like you expected. Perhaps its the downside of reading the book first... but overall I think its still better to read the book first.
One thing that kinda threw me off was that they show Tom Riddle in high school, but they used a different actor to the one from the diary in the 2nd movie. I guess the actor from back then would've gotten older by now... so thats probably why... but it seems odd that Tom looks so different hehe. Guess it can't be helped though.
Also, apparently the 7th book will be done in 2 movies... which imo is good. There are a lot of things to cover in the 7th book, and it would be a real shame if they had to cut half of it due to time constraints... so hopefully that makes up for things.
I'll give the movie 6.5/10. Spell effects are pretty good, and the storyline is good (although the book tells is better of course), but loses out because after having read the book... I guess I was expecting it to turn out a certain way.
On a final note, I am the type that can't help but notice the ladies... and it wouldn't be my review if I didn't talk about it! Now hasn't Emma Watson (Hermione) grown up to be quite the stunner? =) Shes got a nice voice too... I'm a bit of a sucker for girls with English Accents, like Mischa Barton. So I will leave you with the Hermione poster for this movie:
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Upcoming Movie: Black Swan
So theres a very interesting movie coming out in 2010 for the guys. Heres some fan-service for you: http://tinyurl.com/mdm9bu
So this quote from the article gives a description of what the movie is about "Portman stars as a veteran dancer who competes with Kunis' character Lilly for the lead in Swan Lake ... but is Lilly real, or is she just a figment of her imagination?"
Now what caught my eye, and obviously the eyes of every other guy in this world is this: "Because in this movie, Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis have sex. Yeah. You read that right. And not just nice sweet innocent sex either. We’re talking ecstasy-induced hungry aggressive angry sex." This must be every guy's wet dream (well, straight guys anyway). Although there is a clause saying this will happen as long as the movie follows the current script (fingers crossed!).
Although if u put the two together... wouldnt be strange if NP's character was having sex with a figment of her imagination? O_O
So this quote from the article gives a description of what the movie is about "Portman stars as a veteran dancer who competes with Kunis' character Lilly for the lead in Swan Lake ... but is Lilly real, or is she just a figment of her imagination?"
Now what caught my eye, and obviously the eyes of every other guy in this world is this: "Because in this movie, Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis have sex. Yeah. You read that right. And not just nice sweet innocent sex either. We’re talking ecstasy-induced hungry aggressive angry sex." This must be every guy's wet dream (well, straight guys anyway). Although there is a clause saying this will happen as long as the movie follows the current script (fingers crossed!).
Although if u put the two together... wouldnt be strange if NP's character was having sex with a figment of her imagination? O_O
Monday, August 24, 2009
Movie Review: Dragonball Evolution
So I watched Dragonball Evolution about a week ago... and I must say, if u haven't already seen... stay clear of it, especially if you enjoyed DBZ as a kid.
For starters, Goku is played by a white guy... that is fail already. If u have no idea about the original DB storyline, u'd probably be quite lost watching this movie, cos it barely explains it properly. Not only that... the actual storyline doesnt make sense chronologically. I wont spoil the whole thing (although it wouldnt be a great loss), but I'll explain what the initial storyline was (it explains it in the intro, so its not spoiling anything)... 2000 years ago, an evil namekian warlord named piccolo came to earth and attempted to destroy the earth with his disciple ozaru. Now if you've seen the whole movie, you should understand why this doesnt make sense... if you dont, then well... I guess you can ask me privately and I'll tell you.
Perhaps the only saving grace in my eyes is that it has some reasonable special effects for the fireballs (although its called some kind of wind manipulation bullshit in the movie), and the actresses for Chi Chi and Bulma were pretty attractive. Also the ending theme is pretty good (a bit sad that a song is part of the saving grace of a movie though... lawl)... the song is called Rule by Ayumi Hamasaki if you wanna check it out, I've historically enjoyed her songs.
I would give the movie a 2/10 for effort, and thats quite generous.
Anyway, will hopefully review some better movies soon, both old and new.
For starters, Goku is played by a white guy... that is fail already. If u have no idea about the original DB storyline, u'd probably be quite lost watching this movie, cos it barely explains it properly. Not only that... the actual storyline doesnt make sense chronologically. I wont spoil the whole thing (although it wouldnt be a great loss), but I'll explain what the initial storyline was (it explains it in the intro, so its not spoiling anything)... 2000 years ago, an evil namekian warlord named piccolo came to earth and attempted to destroy the earth with his disciple ozaru. Now if you've seen the whole movie, you should understand why this doesnt make sense... if you dont, then well... I guess you can ask me privately and I'll tell you.
Perhaps the only saving grace in my eyes is that it has some reasonable special effects for the fireballs (although its called some kind of wind manipulation bullshit in the movie), and the actresses for Chi Chi and Bulma were pretty attractive. Also the ending theme is pretty good (a bit sad that a song is part of the saving grace of a movie though... lawl)... the song is called Rule by Ayumi Hamasaki if you wanna check it out, I've historically enjoyed her songs.
I would give the movie a 2/10 for effort, and thats quite generous.
Anyway, will hopefully review some better movies soon, both old and new.
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