The Avengers (2012) movie review

Overall verdict: 9/10

The Good: Pretty much everything from the stellar cast chemistry and incredible action sequences to the witty humor and well rounded character development

The Bad: never challenges the audience to think with deeper more complex themes, generic sounding background music

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Since 2008's Iron Man movie, Marvel studios has been teasing us with the prospect of our favorite comic book superheroes teaming up on the big screen. Four years and 5 other movies later, "The Avengers"arrive on the scene, heralding the first big budget cross-property movie team up. Director Joss Whedon brings his trademark flair for an ensemble cast and weaves one tight tale of great heroes who put aside their differences and fight against a threat mightier than any they have ever faced.

Loki, last defeated in Thor (2011), has returned to pave the way for a massive alien army invasion. He breaks into the S.H.I.E.L.D organisation, and steal the Tesseract, the artifact of untold power which was central to the plot of Captain America: the First Avenger (2011). During the escape, Loki mind controls the head scientist Dr Selvig and ace archer Hawkeye before making his getaway. Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D assembles some key personnel to retrieve the artifact.  The newly revived Captain American is brought on board due to his experience in the past. Iron Man/Tony Stark is here to review the research on the Tesseract. Superspy Natasha romanov/Black Widow is sent to retrieve radiation expert Bruce Banner (who also happens to transform into the Incredible Hulk when enraged) in order to track the artifact's radioation signal. Of course, Thor has pursued his brother Loki to earth and has a run in with Iron Man and Captain America. Thus, the team  is assembled.

But the beauty of it is that they were never meant to be a team. They were just different special people with their own talents who are forced to work together despite clashing egos and personalities. The fun is seeing those clashes yet seeing how a greater threat can unite people. There is never that cartoony "Let's all work together guys" feel that typically permeates superhero team movies like Fantastic Four. Marvel "humanises" all its characters just enough so they are easy to relate to yet distinct in their own extraordinary personalities.

Despite picking off immediately after Captain America, you do not have to really watch the previous movies to get a sense of the characters. Amid the big action beats, the plot allows for little character centered moments that flesh out these larger than life heroes. A single 5 minute scene in Whedon's hands is enough to establish the motivations, attitudes and personalities of the protagonists. That style is a throw back to classic comic book storytelling where, due to a limited page count and the "per issue" format of old comic stories, characters have to be introduced as quickly and effectively as possible to advance the plot. It takes a master to weave convincing character development into a movie as face paced and plot driven as Avengers. That and impeccable cast chemistry. Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr et al play off one another's energy with dialogue flowing so naturally that it almost feels ad-libbed.

The script is peppered with one hilarious scene after another. Avengers boasts the most tasteful, witty and spot-on humor in any summer blockbuster to date. Gems include the "Shakespeare in the park" exchange between Iron Man and Thor, and pretty much anything the Hulk does.(Especially his "showdown" with Loki).

If there is a major downside to this movie (there always is), it is the music and the wasted potential for a deeper look into the nature of a superhero team. Alan Silvestri returns to scoring the soundtrack but gives a rather generic sound to the whole film. With his previous work on Captain America, he successfully captured the tone of swashbuckling adventure stories of that era with a fitting theme that underscores Captain America as a symbol of American patriotism and as man of humble beginnings. It was a nice touch for Silvestri to incorporate recognisable character motifs from previous Marvel films but Avengers lacks that nuance of an underlying theme. The problem could be that Avengers never manages to fully develop its underlying themes.

Preceding films went in depth to the deconstruction of the "hero" concept. Thor was about a hero's humility and heroism as a service to others, Captain America showed that it was the individual and not his powers that made a hero.Iron Man dealt with the fine line between using one's power for good and abusing one's power for self gain. But with the Avengers, we never get that sort of clever subtext. We were teased with Captain America's growing distrust of S.H.I.E.L.D, Nick fury and Stark's underhanded methods to advance their own agendas, the internal squabbles; that perhaps a hero's worst enemy is another fellow hero (something the comics really went for). There was one underlying theme that questioned the possible repercussions when knowledge of America's super soldier project and alien powered weapons of mass destruction became public, or worse international.(another theme the comics successfully addressed) Alas, that intriguing little nugget was given the boot in favor of a full blown action heavy final act.

At least the payoff is worth the shallowness. With Spectacular special effects complementing epic action beats that would put Michael Bay to shame, Avengers is the rare gem of an adaptation that appeals to both fans of the original comic book characters and the main stream audience. The cool factor is cranked up to the max. It will have you leaving the cinema pumped for a sequel, laughing with your buddies and going on and on about your favorite scenes and characters.

This is a movie that will linger in your minds and be talked about for weeks, months or even years to come. 

Just like a good classic comic book.
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Go For it: to see the most faithful, fun filled and adrenaline pumping comic book movie ever put out by Marvel
Avoid it: if the deeper philosophical musings that award winning superhero comics touch on are more your thing

Entertainment: A
Story: A
Acting: A
Characters: A
Music: B
Replay value: A
"Brains": C+

Battleship (2012) movie review

Overall verdict: 7/10

The Good: Clear directing and camerawork, awesome special effects, intense action, good sense of humor, heartfelt underlying message, managed to incorporate recognisable elements of the board game

The Bad: "B" movie style plot, little character development, cliche ridden, lacks epic scale of previous alien invasion movies.

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You know those "Megashark" and "Supergator" shows that involve some naval vessel against an unstoppable giant threat to mankind? Battleship would have been like that. Even Steve Jablonsky's score sounds closer to his horror movie work in Friday the 13th and less like a blockbuster like Transformers. Seriously? A movie based on a board game? No story exists so the producers decide to rip off a syfy made-for-tv plot. And this is exactly what this could have been without it's financial backing, director Peter Berg's vision and an honest sense of humor about its source material.

In past movies, large scale Alien invasions have always fought on land (Battle Los Angeles) or in the air (Skyline). Now "Battleship" takes the familiar alien invasion scenario to the sea. The mandatory excuse of a story sees slacker Alex Hopper "drafted" into the navy by his brother after a disastrous attempt at wooing some girl. Turns out the girl is the daughter of Vice Admiral Shane! Hopper decides to enroll in the navy along side his brother. Fast forward a few years to 2012 and the annual "RIMPAC" joint naval exercise. Alex picks this time to try and ask the Admiral for his daughter's hand in marriage but winds up in a brawl with a Japanese Captain and on the verge of being dishonorably discharged from service. Not to mention earning the eternal hatred of the Admiral. Life could not get any worse, UNTIL ALIENS ATTACK! Four gargantuan ships, drawn by a powerful relay signal, crash into the waters near Oahu and proceed to deploy an impenetrable shield around the area. Only three ships are caught within the shield and thus able to help the trapped island. One of those ships happens to be captained by Stone Hopper with Alex Hopper as tactical officer. There is something on the island that the aliens are after. Standing between them and their goals is the crew of three naval warships. Let the battle commence!
 
Yes this is not a very thinking heavy movie. It is all humor, badass one-liners, eye candy and explosive thrills which manages to bring in some subtle drama. For Stone Hopper, it is a simple tale of a boy becoming a man and accepting great responsibility in the face of great adversity. Now Those expecting something on the scale of "Independence Day" would be sorely disappointed. The trailer made it seem as if the entire combined fleet would go up against an alien armada. There is a reason why the title is "Battleship"(singular) and not "BattleshipS" or "Battle Fleet". But If it is one thing the movie manages to capture, it is the sense of fun of playing the game.They even managed to have one very clever scene, involving the uselessness of the ship's onboard radar, that mimics the strategic guessing that one usually uses in the actual board game.

Comparisons to Michael Bay's Transformers are entirely unfounded and unfair because Peter Berg does action A LOT BETTER. His camerwork is clear, keeping the typical shaky cam shots to a minimum. The result is a truly thrilling movie with wanton destruction in all its computer generated glory. Berg also has a better grasp of comedic timing.. He does not stoop to the dirty frat boy humor of Michael Bay, choosing instead to have genuinely funny moments that do not feel forced.To crown it off is an underlying moral concerning a soldier's purpose illustrated through the side character of Col Mick, a double amputee grappling with his inadequacy as a soldier. It is also a tribute to the war veterans as seen in a climatic moment of awesome where old Navy men rise to the occasion and do their part against the aliens. Moral of the story: Soldiers may retire, but their will to defend their country will never die.

So are we looking at the next extraterrestrial based franchise?. The answer is, highly unlikely. Unlike stuff such as Ridley Scott's Alien, Dan OBannon's Predator or even Independence Day, Battleship's Aliens are just not interesting enough. They are your typical "Destroy your world" type of aliens from the 1950s science fiction who look like lizard eyed baboons with porcupine quills for beards. Their suits look like a bad ripoff from the Halo and Bioshock video games and their ships, though powerful, have fatal design flaws (which the protagonists eventually discover and use against them).

Detractors can compare this to an Overblown Navy recruitment video. It sure makes working on a naval vessel seem like the most badass thing in the world. Will it not be surprising to find that navy applicants numbers skyrocket in the days surrounding the film's release? Do not, however, expect realistic tactics or even physics as you see an old museum ship make hairpin turns by quickly sinking an anchor or a Destroyer going from full speed ahead, to a dead stop and full reverse within a matter of seconds. Best let the brain just float away and sink yourself into this highly entertaining summer blockbuster.

*****************************Review End******************

Go For it: if you loved movies like Independence Day which glorify the armed forces through a good mix of action, humor and drama.
Avoid it: if you really cannot lie back and just have fun. Seriously. The board game was fun, this is fun. That's all.

Entertainment: A
Story: B
Acting: B+
Characters: B
Music: C+
Replay value: B+
"Brains": C+

Ben 10: Destroy All Aliens (2012) TV CGI movie review

Overall verdict: 5.5/10

The Good: Superb voice cast, chemistry and acting. Well written dialogue.

The Bad: Sub standard animation for a movie, overused plot devices, no character development, confusing narrative.


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After years of following the adventures of teenage Ben Tennyson through Alien Force and Ultimate Alien, this all-CGI movie takes us back to the Ten Year old Ben Tennyson that animation fans were first introduced to. For the benefit of all, here are the basics. Ten year old Ben Tennyson comes across this alien technology called "The Omnitrix" that allows him to morph into 10 different types of aliens. Together with his grandpa, who is secretly a hi tech defender of earth, and his magic wielding cousin Gwen, Ben Tennyson uses his new gift to take out any evil alien that may threaten mankind.

Over the course of the series, Ben 10 is notable for developing a rich mythos and fictional universe filled with alien technology, extraterrestrial races, almost as diverse as Star Wars. This new movie throws you right into that universe without any form of introduction to anything. So, if you are not a pre-existing Ben 10 fan, be prepared to do a lot of wiki-ing.

However, any good fan would tell you how over-done the plot is. This is not the first time where some mishap causes a recurring glitch in Ben's Omnitrix. This is not the first time where some super powered alien comes after Ben for reasons unknown. Heck, this whole plot seems like a futile follow up to "Secret of the Omnitrix" the previous Ben 10 animated movie (which was in traditional 2D animation and a lot better than this one by the way). So after a whole summer of kicking alien butt, Ben has to go back to school. One night he gets a summons to meet Azmuth, the creator of the omnitrix, and leaves with his ally Tetrax despite being grounded. At the meeting place, they are attacked by a blue "Tokustar" which disappears and an evil Mechamorph warrior ambushes Ben thinking that Ben knows the whereabouts of the mysterious Tokustar.(See what i mean by needing lots of pre-existing knowledge of the Ben 10 Universe?)

Now the mystery element is the main attraction. The show keeps the viewers asking questions until the last moment: Where is Azmuth, who is the mysterious attacker, what is wrong with the omnitrix etc. But the resolution to the story is very anti-climatic. Overall, it lacks the intergalactic scope of "Secret of the Omnitrix" or the novelty of the live action movies (as bad as they were). If it were not for the CGI animation, this movie could have easily been a mid season episode of the original series.

The CGI itself is another problem. The computer animation tries to translate the original anime-styled designs to 3D CGI but with sub-par results. The simples lines and colors that work so well in 2D just seems unimpressive in 3D CGI and downright lazy at times. For example, characters' hair look more like clumps of clay, clothing lack any folds, background buildings and props are hastily rendered with only the most basic of shadings. Sometimes even the mouth movements seem out of sync with dialogue. The designs are great but the actual CGI quality is sadly below mediocre; more fitting for a early 2000s TV series than a 2012 movie. Vehicles, wreckage and the like have a certain weightless feel about them and those fire, water or smoke effects look years behind the times. Just comparing this to the Ben 10: Vilgax attacks PSP video game shows you how lacking this show is in terms of quality.

The movie's only redeeming quality is the voice acting. Tara Strong and the other original voice actors return to the roles that they helped give life to and once again put forth an awesome performance. The chemistry is impeccable; just hearing Ben and Gwen bicker again will bring a smile to any fan's face. More thought seems to have gone into the dialogue script than coming up with a fresh epic story.

It is a valiant move to try and revisit the original Ben 10 but at least try to do it right. The creators could have gotten a more competent animation studio and a "bigger" plot to justify this movie as a movie and not a random episode of the TV series but with crappy animation.

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Go For it: if you missed the original 10 year old kid Ben 10 and yearn for that tiny bit of nostalgia
Avoid it: if have an ounce of pride in the franchise and you do not want to see your favorite characters return to the screen in a sub par visual form.

Entertainment: C+
Story: C-
Characters: A
Animation: C-
Art: C+
Music: C-
Voice work: A
Replay Value: B
"Brains": D+

Transformers: Prime (2011) animated series season 1 review

Overall verdict: 9/10

The Good: Superb animation and attention to detail on Transformer characters, well plotted story arc, darker tone, top notch voice acting, all star cast, well developed characters,

The Bad: sub par background and human CGI animation.

Current Availability Status:

season 1 Blu Ray currently only available through online purchase


Code 1 DVD for season one now available at HMV.
******************************Review********************
This review is based solely on season 1 of this show. Season 2 is currently ongoing

Transformers returns to the CGI world with TRANSFORMERS: PRIME, the first completely computer animated series since Beast Machines. At first sight, they might bear some resemblance to their live action counterparts and having Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman as writer sure does perpetuate that perception. But free from Michael Bay's creative control, the pair turn in what is easily one of the darker and more coherent storylines in Transformers animation history.

How dark is dark? Well how about having a hero gruesomely murdered within the first five minutes of the show. It is THAT dark. The premise is simple though: The Autobots arrive on Earth in the eternal search for Energon with the Decepticons following behind. Years of peace are suddenly shattered when the Autobot Cliffjumper is abducted and killed. While out to avenge their comrade, The Autobot team consisting of Optimus Prime, Arcee, Ratchet, Bulkhead and Bumblebee discover a clandestine Decepticon plot involving the mysterious "Dark energon" and the return of the dreaded Decepticon leader, Megatron.

With a smaller cast, we get a more focused character driven narrative and more room for development. The entire 26 episode season 1 is split into a few sweeping story arcs balanced with character centered episodes in between. It is a nice balance that few animated series seem to appreciate; shows that the characters are just as important as the story, and not just an excuse to sell toys. The Autobots are a combination of typical superhero team archetypes; fearless leader Optimus, action girl Arcee, gentle giant Bulkhead, and such. But over the course of the season, we get a glimpse into each of their personalities' different layers; a look at the bot within. Incidentally, the Decepticons come across as more interesting than the Autobots thanks to the hidden agendas of not just the compulsive backstabber Starscream, but every other decepticon from Soundwave to Airachnid have their own little moments of depth.

Giving life to these well written characters is an all star voice cast featuring popular voice actors like Steve Blum (Starscream), Jeffery Combs (Rachet) and Daran Norris (Knock out) along with returning fan favorites like Peter Cullen and Frank Welker, who reprise their famous roles of Optimus and Megatron. Of particular note is the inclusion of hollywood stars like Kevin Michael Richardson (Bulkhead), Gina Torres (Airachnid), Adam Baldwin (Breakdown), Clancy Brown (Silas) and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Cliffjumper)!

Of course, like all transformers shows, we have the mandatory human kids caught in the crossfire: Miko Nakadai, Rafael Esquivel and Jack Darby, .
Now, human characters have always served the purpose of being an "audience vehicle", allowing the viewer to relate to and see themselves in the place of the human characters. Jack, Miko and Raf clearly represent the show's intended target audience: a smart but likable teen, hyper active fan-girl and little genius nerd boy respectively. But the writing never allows the humans to "steal the screen" from the Transformers themselves (something the live action movies are notorious for).Taking a leaf out of its predecessor "Transformers Animated", the humans in TRANSFORMERS: PRIME become naturally integral to the plot rather than a distraction. In fact, a major plot point deals with the real world ramifications of earthlings discovering the presence of alien machines among them.

The TRANSFORMERS themselves remain the stars of the show. You can even see it in how much attention to detail the animation studio, Polygon Pictures, pays to the robots. By the way, Polygon pictures is the japanese CGI studio responsible for the computer generated scenes in works such as "Sky crawlers", as well as the opening cinematics of Street Fighter IV and Resident Evil 5.

Reflections in shiny surfaces, dirt specks, chipped paint, scrapes and scratches. These ARE mechanical soldiers fighting a constant war, and it shows. Whenever they move, fight or transform you can see gears, pistons and other parts moving too. Design wise, they may take some getting used to at first, but the unique look of these Transformers combine the mechanical realism of the live action movies with the almost human yet inhuman "anatomy" of previous animated series.

It is a look that works. A shame the same cannot be said for the human characters or some of the backgrounds. The humans vary from passable in most scenes to downright clunky looking in others.

Their hair look like plastic clumps at times, their clothing lack any folds; They look only slightly better than the designs in Clone Wars. As for the backgrounds, they are inconsistently rendered with the quality varying from episode to episode.

With dynamic action sequences, bursting with breath taking camera angles and even slow motion, TRANSFORMERS: PRIME definitely has all the markings of a high budget production, almost movie-like at times. A rousing score by movie composer Brian Tyler sure helps that impression. A shame that the little slip ups in quality mar what could have been the most beautifully animated CGI series of the past decade.

Now into its second season, TRANSFORMERS PRIME is a franchise that finally learns from its past missteps and combines the best elements of all previous Transformers show.
The superb voice acting and characterisation from Generation 1,
The intense action of the animated movie,
Focused character driven narratives of Beast Wars,
Darker tone and sense of peril from Beast Machines
Galactic scale conflicts of the Unicorn trilogy
And likable human characters of Transformers: animated.
All of this expressed with above average technical competency, barring the occasional inconsistency in quality.
True to its name, this is the Transformers brand at its prime. A new milestone that future productions would be hard pressed to top.


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Go For it: to see the combination of all the best elements from previous transformers cartoons resulting in one of the finest productions to ever bear the TRANSFORMERS brand.
Avoid it: if 100% perfection is what you demand or you will not settle for anything less than "Final Fantasy" when it comes to CGI (you snob)

Entertainment: A
Story: A
Characters: A
Animation: A
Art: B+
Music: A-
Voice work (english): A
Replay Value: A-
"Brains": B-

Drive (2011) independent movie review

Overall verdict: 9.5/10

The Good: homage to Old school cinematography, intense action with no CGI, fresh take on a typical genre premise, recurring visual motiffs and underlying themes, nostalgic soundtrack, first class performances, very nuanced.

The Bad: nothing really. Except we do not get any hints as to the Driver's background or past.


******************************Review********************
Every once in a while, you get reminded of how a good action movie back in the old days need not be loud, and proud of it. With a look and feel of a long lost classic from the 70s, DRIVE is the ultimate tribute to all the good action movies of days long ago. It is heavy in symbolism, oozing with style. Perfect evidence that a good action movie can be deep, emotionally engaging and cheap to make.

Of course, calling it a mere action movie would not be doing DRIVE justice. The action is indeed hard hitting and fast paced. Thanks in full to danish director Nicolas Winding Refn. With No shakey cam gimmicks or extreme close-ups, the action is easy on the eye. His clear style of shooting and steady camera handling is a breath of fresh air in this age of frantic whip pans and fenetic cuts. Practical stunts and effects, free of computer generated tampering, add to the freshness and feel of realism in the movie.

Now DRIVE is not going to score points for originality. It is your typical "crime turned sour" plot only this time it involves an unnamed stunt driver (credited as "The driver) played by Ryan Gosling who "moonlights" as a getaway car for hire. Gosling's character is a true enigma, and perhaps that is his main attraction. Somewhat aloof and seemingly cold, he slowly warms up to his neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan) and later helps her and her young son Benicio (Kaden Leos) when Irene has car trouble at a local supermarket. A budding friendship blossoms but is cut short with the return of Irene's husband Standrad (Oscar Issac). Now Standard is an ex-con trying to get back on the lawful path but he is perssured into doing one more robbery to pay off protection money. A double cross ensues and the Driver, along with Standard's family, becomes a mobster target. His chance for happiness forever gone, The Driver unleashes his own brand of vengence against those who would harm the only friends he has left.

DRIVE excels not just in the unique execution of a tried and true story, but in the little nuances throughout the movie. Every character is thoroughly fleshed out thanks to the amazing acting. Even the "bad guys" are given a sympathetic side making them far more human than your typical mobster villians. Cast against this backdrop of a morally grey world is the black and white absolute that is the nameless Driver. What is his nature? What drives him to do what he does? He is the modern day "man with no name"; the silent cowboy who walks into town one day and takes out the outlaws.

True to the symbolism heavy style of the show, many little things carry a double or hidden meaning. From the symbol of the Driver's jacket to little bits of conversation that are seemingly mundane. Permeating throughout the movie is Director Refn's tendency to let the visuals tell the story; A emotional moment made all the more surreal with altered lighting, a completely silent scene that speaks volumes through a single facial expression and creative editing. Rare indeed does is a crime movie able to carry as much tension in their chase scenes as DRIVE.

The keyboard music compused by Clint Martinez just screams "nostalgia" and harkens back to the synthesizer era in film scoring. Adding to the nuanced nature of DRIVE is the soundtrack with songs by famous electronica musicians. Yet do not dismiss them as just background music. Their very lyrics bears meaning within the context of the movie's narrative. Listen for them.

Normally, a movie like this would be pushed to the public as a blockbuster. "The Transporter", "The Fast and the Furious", they are all movies of similar genre and all all marketed as blockbusters. Yet DRIVE never tries to be one. It certainly has the DNA but presents itself more as an old school crime noir thriller with elements of romance and drama. It remembers that a good movie does not just ride on its chase scenes, loud crashes or well choreographed action. A good script with top grade actors to carry it, a sense of style and the little things unsaid still count for a lot.

This is almost like a cynical poke at the blockbuster cars-and-crime genre. DRIVE retains all their thrills, all their adrenaline yet never sacrifices good story and characters all for a fraction of their budget.

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Go For it: if you like a smart, deep and thoroughly intense departure from a typical hollywood blockbuster that works as a perfect tribute to 80s era mob/crime movies.
Avoid it: if you love your action with shakey cam or need modern CGI in your car crashes.

Entertainment: A
Story: A
Acting: A
Characters: A-
Music: A
Replay value: A-
"Brains": A-

Justice League: Doom (2012) Direct to Video animated movie

Overall verdict: 8.5/10

The Good: returning all-star voice cast, excellent cast chemistry, decent character development, ongoing sense of tension, nostalgic large scale superpower action

The Bad: sub-standard animation and artwork compared to other DC animated movies

Current Availability Status: Awaiting region 3 singapore release.

******************************Review********************

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are finally seeing actual story and art continuity in the DC animated movies! Yes SUPERMAN/BATMAN: APOCALYPSE was the follow-up to SUPERMAN/BATMAN: PUBLIC ENEMIES, but they looked so different that you would think they were unrelated. JUSTICE LEAGUE: DOOM feels and looks like an actual "episode 2" following "JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON TWO EARTHS". Same writer, same voices, same art style, same music, same character we used to know and love. Loved by all, except their enemies.

The enemies of the Justice League, led by the immortal Vandal Savage have formulated a clandestine plan to eliminate the superheroes. One by one, they manage to turn the heroes' strengths against themselves, prey on their physical and psychological weaknesses, and effectively put them out of commission. Even worse is the revelation that this plan was initially concocted by one of the League's own members. It does not stop here however. Vandal Savage, convinced that humanity is its own virus, intends to wipe out half the population of earth and return the world to a new stone age. He and his allies would then rule the survivors and bring order to the planet. But nobody counted on the last minute intervention by Cyborg, an up and coming superhero most would remember as one of the Teen Titans.

Loosely adapted from Mark Waid's "JLA: Tower of Babel" story arc, JUSTICE LEAGUE: DOOM really gets into the minds of our favorite heroes. In its short run time, we get to experience our heroes' insecurities, weaknesses, fears, but also get to see how they overcome those limitations individually and as a team. That is what seperates heroes from just people with superpowers!

Voice acting is awesome as usual and as always it is a treat to hear most of the cast of the Justice League animated series in their respective roles again. So memorable are the performances of Kevin Conroy, Tim Daley, Susan Eisenberg, Carl Lumbly and Michael rosenbaum that whenever most people open a comic book, it is their voices they hear as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter and Flash respectively. Nathan Fillon reprises his Green Lantern role from Emerald Knights, another refreshing attempt at a continuity nod. One funny thing though, Tim Daley's voice seems to have deepened to the level of Kevin Conroy's 90s era Batman voice.

Snappy, naturally flowing dialogue complements the terrific cast chemistry. With a brisk pace that never lets up on the tension, Justice League: Doom could have been a near perfect score. Something HAS to ruin that and sadly in this case, it is the art and animation.

Animation is a little bit disappointing, looking more like a high budget TV series than movie standard. Aside from a few outstanding scenes, particularly the battle sequences, the animation is nowhere near the fluidity of, say, Batman Year One or All Star Superman. The japanese anime-ish style is strongest now more thanks to Telecom Animation Film, a japanese anime company who's credits include BRAVE STORY, TIDE LINE BLUE and, believe it or not, later episodes of INUYASHA.

Not that its bad, in fact it is good. The characters look really hot but sometimes you get anime-styled facial expressions creeping in, like Batman over there, and that just looks..........weird.

Designs aside, the level of detail in the artwork is just one big let down. Other than tights, there is no reason why civillian clothing or even capes have no folds in them at all. Even worse is how weapons and cybernetics are drawn.

Many of Cyborg's robot parts, particularly his face plating, looks like face paint.

And those guns around Cheetah look like some school kid's doodles colored in microsoft paint.

One gets the feeling that most time and effort went into this year's BATMAN YEAR ONE and JUSTICE LEAGUE: DOOM was produced merely as a "side project" since they had Dwayne McDuffie's exceptional script lying around. No point of it going to waste. Anyhow, should Warner Premiere decide to create an entire Justice League movie series, pumping just a bit more money and effort into the animation production would help things a lot. They already have top notch writing and acting talent, veteran producers and directors who respect the DC comics. No point mucking things up with mediocre technicalities.
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Go For it: if you were a fan of the Justice League and Justice League unlimited Tv series and once again year for large scale superhero action with well developed characters and a solid comic book story
Avoid it: if you are looking for movie level art and animation standards


Entertainment: A
Story: A-
Characters: A
Animation: B-
Art: B
Voice work: A
Replay Value: A-
"Brains": C+

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengence (2012) movie review

Overall verdict: 5/10

The Good: Awesome special effects (at least better than the first), tongue-in-cheek tone, dynamic camera work, surprisingly well acted supporting roles.

The Bad: derivative story, no sense of peril in fight scenes, Nicholas Cage's unintentionally hilarious acting, little emotional anchor in the characters, anticlimatic climax.


******************************Review********************
Lesson of the day: If you are going to watch something from the creators of "Crank", do not expect a movie that takes itself seriously. Especially not a movie whose trailer shows Nicholas Cage pissing fire. This sequel to 2007's Ghost Rider is by no means a horrid film; it looks amazing thanks to the advances in special effects and the kinetic camera work of directors Neveldine and Tylor.

Ghost rider Spirit of Vengence looks a lot better than its predecessor despite only having half the budget. It is darker, grittier and a lot more fun. Special effects have also taken a huge leap. Just check out the sequel's Ghost rider look ......

And compare it to how it looked in the preceeding film

The charred skull, body caked in ash with hellfire and smoke billowing forth sure beats this pasty white CGI skull and a stove flame.
Neveldine and Tylor works the camera such that it is always in motion adding a heightened dynamic feel and energy to the whole show. Which is good since this movie needs all the energy it can muster.

Essentially, the story is a poor man's excuse for a copy of Terminator 2. A boy named Danny (perhaps a shout out to Danny Ketch from the comics) is prophesised to become the vessel for the devil himself. A rogue french monk seeks out Johnny Blaze in order to enlist the help of the Ghost Rider in finding and protecting the boy from the forces of darkness. All the while, Blaze must struggle with his inner demon which threatens to take over him body and soul.

Before you say "But its written by David S Goyer! The dark Knight, Batman Begins, and Dark City were awesome", do remember that he also wrote "Jumper" and Blade Trinity. And remember too that while writing Ghost Rider, he was most likely working on Dark Knight Rises. Something had to give and Dark Knight Rises, with its bigger budget, made the choice easy. Characterisations are thin, bordering purely on archetypes than trying to develop them at all. "Strong protective mother", "wayward kid", "unstoppable hunter". No attempt is made to develop any of them beyond archetypes. Yes there are the mandatory scenes of our dark hero earning the trust of his young companion and regaining some of his lose humanity but

The acting is mixed at best. Child actor Fergus Riordan shines as Danny. Same goes to Idris Elba as the french monk Moreau who despite his limited screentime, manages to make his character the most memorable in the film. Sadly a muddled screenplay, given the once over by 3 different writers, completely undermind their efforts. The only one who does not need his acting efforts underminded is Nicolas Cage himself. He hams his way through the role of Johnny Blaze, overacting and underacting at all the wrong times. Most hilarious is this scene where Johnny Blaze totally freaks out and goes crazy from trying to keep the Ghost Rider contained. Someone like Jim Carrey would have made it cool (he did in "The Mask") but seeing Nicholas Cage going batshit insane is just...........disturbing.

Perhaps The greatest sin this movie commits is never giving a conflict or opponent that puts Ghost Rider's full power to the test. Fights never have that sense of peril when you know Ghost rider can immolate anyone with a touch or a stare. Action sequences get really boring when you know your hero is going to win. He takes out his chain, swings it about, fight over. And every time he does not win is because he does something silly, like stand around looking cool instead of finishing off opponents. Sure there is this one guy who can decompose a live person into skeletons with a single touch but Ghost Rider is neither alive nor a person.

Maybe Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengence is not a straight faced movie. How can it be? It never takes itself seriously. Maybe it might have worked as a disorienting satire of dark anti-heros and quasi religious "angel/devil" ramblings. Alas any intent at satire is lost among three different writers and directors who are known for satirical, high octane thrills for the ADD afflicted sensory deprived generation .

And they totally missed a good Highlander reference opportunity for Christopher Lambert.
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Go For it: if good special effects, hyper kinetic camerawork and unintentional dark humor is your thing. Also if you did not like the first film.
Avoid it: because the comics are better and because there is nothing much to this film beyond the special effects and camerwork

Entertainment: B-
Story: C-
Acting: B-
Characters: C-
Music: C
Replay value: C+
"Brains": C-