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.

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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-

Halloween (2007) remake review

Overall verdict: 7/10

The Good: Excellent acting, full character development, psychological insight, satisfying kills (the victims deserved it), does not "reinvent the wheel"

The Bad: not scary, might be too much gore and sex, lacks the tension filled mood of the original

Current Availability Status:
-discount priced DVDs in most Singapore DVD stores.
-Unrated Directors cut available in limited supply from HMV singapore


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Remaking the much adored classic horror film "Halloween" is no easy task. A devoted fanbase who have been let down by a series of increasingly disappointing sequels, guard their beloved franchise like rabid dogs. Any attempt to tamper with the original story of Laurie Strode and the mysterious killer named Michael Myers would be met with immediate negative reaction. Heavy Metal Musician-turned-film director, Rob Zombie, knows this well. As a result, he does not even both rehashing Lauri Strode's horrific encounters with a killer. In this remake, Michael Myers himself is the focus of the story as his tragic origins are traced right from his tortured childhood, thus giving birth to the souless evil that has become a famous horror icon.

The movie can be essentially be split into to distinct parts: Myer's childhood and incarceration at Smith's grove Sanitarium right up to his escape years later, and then the second part would be his return to Haddonfield to carry out his grizzly murders; this being a loose recreation of the original classic movie only with the focus on the killer instead of the victims.

Growing up in the town of Haddonfield, young Michael Myers is bullied at school, teased by his sister and continually insulted by his stripper mother's boyfriend, Ronnie. Though he tries to hold it all in, he is Pushed to the brink. One day he snaps; His psychopathic tendencies finally manifest resulting first in the grizzly murder of the school bully and then his sister, her sex partner and Ronnie on Halloween night. Michael is then placed under the care of Dr Samuel Loomis who tries unsuccessfully to "cure" the boy and then makes a career out of him by writing books based on Michael Myers' deteriorating psychological condition. Following the suicide of his mother, Michael grows ever more distant and remains in Smith's Grove for the next fifteen years until he escapes by murdering the employees as one of them were attempting to rape a fellow patient.

It is in this first segment where we get to see how the director, Rob Zombie, manages to craft a world as seen through the eyes of a killer. Hate drove Michael to kill and similarly every single character, with the exception of Dr Loomis and Michael's mother, is portrayed in such a way that you just MUST hate them as much as Michael did. The girls are complete bitches, the guys are foul mouthed retards, every single character is just so easy to dislike; it is a skewed world that Michael Myers sees and one of the reasons why he has no qualms about killing everyone who inhabits it. Aside from Michael, Dr Loomis is also given a much better character development here than in the original. He is a more sympathetic character who genuinely wants to help Michael Myers and for a while, the two actually form some sort of bond. Much better than the obsessively driven Loomis of the original who was more like a crazy Captain Ahab after Moby Dick.

The second part involves Michael returning to Haddonfield and going on a bloody rampage while searching for his long lost sister. This part is the "horror story" remake proper and depending on how you look at it, might seem very disappointing. For one thing, it is not scary at all; you'd know it every time Michael is about to kill someone so that takes away a lot of tension. But then again, seeing as how this movie is from the killer's point of view, Michael Myers is not scared when he kills and thus neither should the audience be.

On the technical side, Most of the cast do a decent job of acting their parts. Special mention goes to Malcolm McDowell as Dr Loomis who does an incredible job of fleshing out his character's inner torment; he feels responsible for Michael's actions but at the same time cannot bring himself to kill a man that he pities more than hates. None of the supporting cast are every fully explored though, with only Michael Myers and Dr Loomis getting the most character development; perhaps again a side effect of focusing the movie on Michael. Rob Zombie does fall back on quick cuts, cheap shocks, and other typical camera tricks of horror movies but it does not take away from the enjoyment of the film. There is also a good amount of gore and nudity here to satisfy the casual slasher movie fan too.

Not everyone will be happy when a horror movie not just humanizes its main "monster" but fails to be scary. But other would love the fresh new direction that the remake decided to go which adds a whole new dimension to the slasher film killer stereotype. Though not entirely perfect, Halloween 2007 is a lousy horror show but an excellent psychological drama that delves into the mind of a killer, effectively reminding us that behind every face of evil, there was once an innocent child.

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Go For it: if you are open to an actual reinterpretation of a classic horror icon that adds a new level of depth
Avoid it: if you expect something as creepy or scary as the classic that inspired this remake

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

Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie (1994) "Uncut, Uncensored, Unleased" edition

Overall verdict: 7/10

The Good: Superbly choreographed fight scenes, highly fluid animation, detailed artwork, characters look exactly like in the game, great voice acting.

The Bad: unfocused narrative, cheesy dialogue, shallow character development

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Many fans will argue that Group TAC's"Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie" is THE Street Fighter movie. The prefect adaptation of the popular fighting game franchise. Compared to the two live action movies, the American animated series, the Japanese anime series and three other anime OVA movies, it is definitely the best in that it is almost exactly like its source material, flaws and all.

Like its source material, this movie delivers all the flashy fighting moves one would expect from Street Fighter while mixing it up with realistic fight choreography courtesy of professional Martial Artists. Every punch from wind up to the hit to the follow through is thoroughly animated. Close ups and long shots are used appropriately to give a very dynamic viewing experience. Characters act and react to their opponents like how real fighters would and unlike other fighting anime like Dragonball, special powers are not thrown around. In fact, special powers are very rarely used in this movie and only as a last resort. Most of the time, we have one on one duels that look better than some big budget kung fu movies.

All this is set to the gorgeous animation and artwork by Group TAC. It break free from the stereotype of anime utilizing more animation short cuts and lower frame rate than western animation. The frame rate here is so smooth, it almost looks rotoscoped. Even in non-action scenes Characters are always in motion with expression in the faces and body posture portrayed very nicely in the art. Now One would think that with a higher frame rate and smooth animation, the detail of the art would suffer. This is not the case here. The artwork is beautiful and finely detailed. Shadows and blacks are heavy lending to very nice gritty look and feel for the show. And the painted backgrounds are works of art on their own. The character designs are true to the game and pleasing to the eye, though some like Guile and Balrog tend toward looking exaggerated. In Balrog's case, he loooks downright off-model (check out those eyes)

On the flip-side the Street Fighter games were never known for deep narratives. As a result, The story of the movie is weak and cliched, teetering between juvenile and just plain silly. A power hungry dictator, M Bison, has been capturing the world's greatest fighters to turn them into his own private army. He seeks out one particular fighter named Ryu after he defeated Bison's second in command, Sagat. Ryu's life as a vagabond wanderer makes him hard to track, so Bison goes after Ryu's best friend, Ken, whose power level is also "over 3000". At the same time, Captain Guile of the US air-force and Chun Li of Interpol are looking for leads to take down Bison's Shadowlaw crime empire. The story plays out very straight forward with no hint of intrigue or build up, and hearkens back to the cheesy spy movies of the 60s with evil crime empires and giant sky ships. At the same time, the quasi science fiction elements of "power levels" and "mind control" never seem to blend with the more fantasy aspects like "Chi powers". It is almost like watching three different shows cut and pasted together.

Street Fighter II The Animated Movie also suffers from trying to introduce too many characters in too little time. Aside from Ryu, most of the characters are one dimensional stereotypes of different cultures or races. The motives of the other characters are never explained or only briefly touched on and they are never developed as the movie progresses. Even Ryu gets little development beyond being a guy in the wrong place at the right time. Then there are appearances by Zangeif, Blanka, Sagat etc who seem to be just there to make the game fans happy. They lend nothing too important to the plot, especially Zangeif and Blanka whose appearance is totally non-essential to the story and could have been cut out; that time and money could have been used to actually further the plot.

Lastly, The scripting and dialogue is undeniably plain. The games never had much dialogue aside from characters' "post stage" win quotes. Cheesy lines and over the top speeches abound in this movie. Thankfully, unlike other anime, characters do not spew lengthy monologues in the middle of fights. The Japanese voice actors deliver a solid performance and generally seem to have a lot of fun with their lines. The English version has more realistic, subdued acting and some lines are changed to make them less cheesy and more "adult". Plus it is more believable to have the majority of the characters, which are non-Japanese, speak English. Not to mention that the animators never bothered to properly sync the lip movement to the Japanese dialogue in the first place.Different music also accompany the different language tracks. The Japanese language tracks comes with a synthesizer composed score, very mellow and harldy noticable. A good point is that it never distracts one from the animation. The english language track comes with a heavy hitting grunge rock style soundtrack, no doubt inspired by the soundtrack of Mortal Kombat. It is more "in your face" than the japanese one, adding to the whole "badass" feel of the show. In the end, it comes down to personal preference.

Overall Street Fighter II The Animated Movie greatly enjoyable movie that captures the spirit of the games and likely to please fan and newcomer alike. Aside from the simplistic story and cookie cutter characters, the animation and fight choreography definitely sets the bench mark for fighting genre anime.

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Go For it: to get a taste of what is essentially the best on screen adaptation of the famous fighting game.

Avoid it: if you expect this movie to give any further insight into the deeper workings of the various street fighter characters.

Entertainment: A

Story: C-

Characters: C-

Animation: A

Art: A

Voice work(Japanese): B+

Voice work (English): B+

Replay Value: A-

"Brains": D

Street Fighter: Legend of Chun Li (2009)

Overall verdict: 4/10

The Good: frantic fight scenes, realistic setting

The Bad: cheesy dialogue, no explanation for sudden inclusion of fantasy elements, cliched story, lack of deeper themes, contrived narrative.

Current Availability Status: on discount priced DVD in singapore

DVD features:
- just the movie

DVD Grade: C-
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A bold idea with a failed execution, "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li" is obviously going for a "re-imaging" of Street Fighter. In a re-imaging, one takes a storyline and makes it realistically believable. A number of movies adapted from comic books, cartoons and games have succeeded in that aspect; choosing to disregard the more far fetched and fantastical concepts and replacing them with aspects that are more rooted in contemporary reality. That much should be a big cue to any viewer to NOT expect something true to the original video game.

It is not surprising that the creative team decided to go with this decision. Previous game adaptations that stuck with its more "unrealistic" concepts(Dead or Alive, Street Fighter 1994) never did as well as those that underwent a realistic re-imaging like Tomb Raider and Resident Evil. Even unrealistic comic book movies like Fantastic Four and Ghost Rider did not do as well as those more grounded in reality like Batman Begins. In fact, it would be a breath of fresh air to have a Street Fighter story taking place in the real world and without all the campy goofiness that made its 1994 predecessor such an embarrassment.

The idea and The concept were good, but the execution was horrendous. Story-wise, "Legend of Chun Li" is a simple "hero's journey" type of tale. At Twelve years old, Chun Li, a talented pianist and martial arts prodigy under her father's tutelage, witnessed the violent kidnapping of her father one night by an international crime lord named Bison. Though the memory of that night remained with her, Chun Li managed to suppress it and move on with her life, eventually becoming a respectable pianist many years later. One day after her eighteenth birthday, her mother passed away. Lost and trying to find direction in life, Chun Li discovers evidence that her father might still be alive and an ancient scroll that leads her into the heart of the Bangkok slums in search of a mysterious man named Gen who might hold the answers to her father's fate. There she witnesses first hand the sad state of the town and the cruelty inflicted upon them by the local crime syndicate which Chun Li soon discovers, happens to be run by none other than Bison himself. Determined to ascertain the fate of her long lost father and exact vengence on Bison, Chun Li apprentices herself to Gen, who so happens to be a master of a mystical form of martial arts.

Now if its one thing that director Andrzej Bartkowiak seems to be able to do,it is staging a fight and working a camera to bring out the best in that fight scene. Each kick and punch is shown with such vivid impact, yet wire stunts are used with restraint so as to not take away from the realism of the show. Whats more, the director is in familiar territory. With crime syndicate/revenge/martial arts movies like Cradle 2 the Grave and Romeo Must Die in his resume, Legend of Chun Li is right up his alley.

So what went wrong? Everything else, basically. The series of events that lead to Chun Li's run in with Gen and to her finale showdown with Bison felt too convenient and contrived, at times almost like it was lifted from a cheesy kung fu B-movie. She conveniently gets sent an ancient scroll, conveniently runs into Bison's secretary at a night club, conveniently meets Gen; it is an entire string of convenient plot holes. The dialogue seemed awkwardly cartoon-like, despite the best efforts of the cast, more the fault of juvenile writing than with the acting. But the real crime comes when the producers took what could have been one of the MOST grounded-in-reality story for any video game adaptation, and threw in some of the most unbelievable, far out elements from the game.

The movie was going strong until 30 minutes into the film when you see a character tossing a "special power fire-ball" around. Yes the game characters tossed special power balls around like pies among clowns but against such a down to earth setting and backdrop, such a concept would be ludicrous. They changed Bison from a power hungry, "psycho power" wielding dictator in charge of his own terrorist nation, into a more realistic underworld crime lord who works through blackmail and subterfuge. Then they had to go and throw in "ancient dark arts to rid a person of his conscience by transferring it into a baby". Those concepts and more........are just there. There is no explanation as to how they come to exist. Is Chun Li a mutant with special powers? Are people hurling fireballs at each other such a common sight that civillians in the movie do not seem to be surprised at it? All of it sounds like something out of a bad 1970s cartoon.

So, Unable to decide if it was going to be a straight out adaptation or a re-imaging, this movie failed to define its target audience and instead delivered a half baked product that was all over the place but not where movie goers want it to be. It pissed off the fans of the game, a game that is the absolute definition of "unrealistic". It alienated blockbuster fans thanks to its low budget look, incoherant story and juvanile dialogue. Lastly, it even put off lovers of realistic martial arts movies by throwing in the unrealistic game elements without so much as an explanation. Overall, it is an entertaining but slightly clichéd cop/criminal organisation/martial arts/revenge story that barely even gets the basic elements (a good story for example) right. This movie had potential for great things. At very least, the ever attractive Kristin Kreuk provides good eye candy .

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Go For it: to see a daring attempt at a realistic reinvention of an unrealistic video game and imagine everything it could have been
Avoid it: if you are a fan of the Street Fighter video game who would rant bloody murder if just one hair on a character's head was hanging in the wrong direction or if martial arts movies were never really your thing.

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

The Karate Kid (2010)

Overall verdict: 9/10

The Good: endearing protagonist, story is easy to relate to, natural cast chemistry, amazing stunts, near perfect acting, more insightful than it seems

The Bad: stunts are "unbelievably" good, title discrepancy(he learns kung fu, not Karate), less true to the original.

Current Availability Status: in cinemas

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One might get the wrong impression when a film’s title has nothing to do with its subject matter. The film in question is called “The Karate Kid”, presumably a remake of the 1984 coming of age classic starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita which has absolutely NOTHING to do with karate. The martial art featured in the film is Chinese kung fu and barring a few similarities in the broad story strokes, 2010’s “The Karate Kid” bears little resemblance to its source material. So instead of “Karate” we have Kung Fu. Instead of a high school senior love triangle with teenager testosterone rivalry, we have pre-pubescent puppy dog crushes, playground bullies and the very familiar “new kid in a strange new land” story combined with a garden variety underdog tale of a bullied protagonist who gets back on his feet and perseveres against all odds to come out on top. Now the underdog tale is nothing new, all that is different is the “sport” that serves as the story backdrop; Rocky had boxing, Fast And Furious Tokyo Drift had drift racing.

In “The Karate Kid”, A heartwarming opening montage introduces us to Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) who is made to move from Detroit to Beijing when his widowed mother gets a job transfer. Back home, he was well loved by his friends and neighbours, but now in China, Dre is a true “fish out of water”, unable to speak the most basic of Chinese or even get the building’s maintenance man, Mr Han (Jackie Chan) to fix his new home’s broken water heater. Before his first day at school, Dre develops a cute crush on a demure Chinese girl called Mei Ying and manages to incur the wrath of the school bully, Cheng, who so happens to be a top kung fu student. Dre learns that last fact the hard way by getting beaten up, bullied and humiliated every day. Determined not to back down, Dre decides to stand up to his adversaries. But that only results in a near lynching until he is saved by Mr Han who reveals himself as an ex-kung fu master. After easing Dre’s injuries, Mr Han takes the boy to go and make peace with Cheng’s Master, Li. However, the cruel Master Li, who teaches his students an exceedingly brutal form of kung fu, threatens Han and forces Dre to competing in a Martial Arts tournament. With no other choice left, Mr Han begins to teach the boy "real kung fu", which is far from being just a means of fighting.

"Karate Kid" is a rare type of film that plays very close to the heart without giving the impression of forced melodrama. Anyone who has ever been through childhood would probably be able to relate to the trials young Dre goes through; from wanting to step away from his parent's overprotective shadow to learning to assert his own individuality. It is a painful but valuable lesson in growing up that Dre goes through and his turmoil is effectively conveyed thanks to the superb acting by young Jaden Smith.

The twelve year old son of veteran actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith shows off his wide acting talent in his first lead role. He brings a natural sense of earnestness with just the right mixture of attitude to his role. As a result, Dre comes across as very easy to relate to and a likable protagonist whom the audience might gladly cheer on. All the other child actors are impeccable in their roles tothe point where it is easy to forget that they are acting and get totally absorbed into the story and its characters. Special mention goes to Jackie Chan in his role of Mr Han. A departure from his usual comedic roles, Mr Han is played as a stern middle aged man whose quirky ways and wise traditional kung fu teachings masks a tragic secret. Easily the most interesting and well developed character, maybe even more so than the protagonist, and a solid effort by Chan.

Hidden beneath "Karate kid's" layered narrative is a smart jibe at China's modernisation and increasingly competitive education system. The contrast between Mr Han's traditional ideals of Kung Fu as a skill that leads to self mastery and Master Li's dogma of kung fu as a merciless means to dominate one's opponent highlights the very real system where everyone would do anything, even playing it dirty, to get to the top; where tradition is regarded more as a hindrance, where parents expect nothing but the best from their children and where second place means utter disgrace.

As realistic as the story and characters are, some suspension of disbelief is required when it comes to the actual kung fu fighting. Seeing young boys, years away from breaking their voice, throw flying flip kicks with a level of professional expertise beyond any world class Olympics champ, puts a great strain on anyone trying to take the film seriously. The stunts are perfect, the fights are beautifully choreographed, but perhaps it was too good a job that resulted in a lessening of the realism factor.

Complemented by a roaring soundtrack by James Horner, "The Karate Kid" has all the makings of a timeless classic just like the original film it is based on. It is fun, smart and touches on themes that anyone who has ever had a childhood might be able to easily relate to. All one has to do is put aside the discrepancy between the title and the featured martial art in order to fully enjoy this gem of a movie.
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Go For it: if you are a fan of feel-good "underdog" triumph stories, if you had a childhood or if you want to see the breakout role of a bright young star in he making.
Avoid it: if you expect a faithful recretion of the old Karate Kid film or if you cannot look past the errornous title.

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

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (2010)

Overall verdict: 7.5/10

The Good: stays true to the spirit of the original games, action packed, fast paced, exceptional production design, likable characters, interesting deeper themes.

The Bad: no lull in the action for dramatic development, derivative characters, erratic camerawork, simple characterisations.

Current Availability Status: IN CINEMAS NOW

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Video game adaptation movies never had a good track record, especially so following 2009's critically panned financial faliure "Street Fighter: Legend of Chun Li". But Prince of Persia: Sands of Time looks set to break that trend, boasting a blockbuster level budget and a screenplay by the original creator of the video games himself, Jordan Mechner. Mr Mechner had stated that he did not wish to do an exact translation of the "Sands of Time" game onto the big screen, but instead "taking some cool elements from the game and using them to craft a new story". The result is a fun summer blockbuster romp that is remarkably true to the spirit, look and feel of the video game franchise.

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time takes place in a fantasy world based loosely upon the 6th century Persian Empire. After witnessing the courageous act of a young street orphan named Dastan, the King of Persia adopts him. Fifteen years later, Dastan (played by a buffed up Jake Gyllenhaal) has grown into a skilled warrior and, along side his royal blooded foster brothers Prince Tus and Garsiv, prepare to lead the Persian army to invade the city of Alamut. Spies working for Nizam, the persian king's brother and court adviser, have uncovered proof that Alamut was selling weapons to the enemies of Persia. The ensuing battle is swift and decisive, largely thanks to Dastans unorthodox methods and his street honed agility. During the seige, Dastan kills a royal guard and comes into possession of an ornately designed dagger formerly belonging to the princess of Alamut, Tamina. All is going well for the three brothers with Tus having decided to marry princess Tamina against their father's wishes. However the Persian King is mysteriously murdered and the blame falls on Dastan. Now on the run and with princess Tamina in tow, Dastan alone thinks he knows the truth; that the king's death was orchestrated by Tus, his natural successor. With his loyalty to his brothers shaken, the plot thickens as Dastan discovers the secret power of the dagger he procured and the magical "sands of time" which gives the user the ability to rewind time itself and change past actions thus changing the future. Secrets are unveiled, hidden agendas brought to light and what is might not be what it seems as Dastan travels across the vast empire in search of a way to clear his name, return the sacred dagger to a hidden temple and stop an evil scheme involving the sands of time that might alter the fate of the world forever.

Progressing at a breakneck pace, the plot may seem convoluted but is actually no more confusing than a classic adventure story straight out of the forgotten "Arabian nights" genre of films. Similarly, the story plays on the audience's expectations of predictability and then shatters it; just as one expects that Dastan is about to clear his name, a new unexpected revelation is thrown the audience's way. Smarter than your average blockbuster, Prince of Persia does a respectable job of fleshing out its theme of brotherhood. That trust between the three royal brothers is put to the test as each suspects the other of treachery. This plays on the viewer's expectations of the typical "Jealous other sibling who wants the throne for himself" type of story but manages to believably turn it on its head with some well placed twists. Some viewers might find themselves overwhelmed by the heavy story alone.

Apparently, Prince of Persia's lighter elements seem to come from its characters, both in skin tone and in dramatic development. True to its Arabian adventure roots, each character is simplistically depicted; the hero is a handsome hunk, the feisty damsel is exotically beautiful, the villains look genuinely sinister and so on. The impeccable cast does a wondrous job in "becoming" their roles and delivering one solid performance after another. A point of constant critisism of this movie was the lack of actual middle eastern actors as opposed to the mostly british cast selected for this movie. What some might forget was that Charlston Heston was not Israeli when he starred in "Ben Hur", nor was Yul Brynne an Egyptian when he played the role of a Pharaoh. It can be argued that Jack Gyllenhaal is as "Persian" as the American actors who played Sinbad or as Tom Cruise was German in the film "Valkyrie". Looking past the apparent racial dissonance of the cast, one could come to appreciate their earnest performances. Of particular note is the amazing chemistry between Dastan and Princess Tamina which may call to mind the "wise cracking scoundrel/haughty royal woman" relationship between Han Solo and Princess Leia from "Star Wars".

Like any good summer blockbuster, Prince of Persia is delivers a hearty mix of action and humor. Unfortunately, director Mike Newell seems to favor "jerky cam" shots as a way to make his action scenes feel more frantic. This seems to work for some scenes, such as Dastan's incredibly choreographed rooftop "Parkour" sequences but renders other scenes, like the sword fights, rather difficult to follow. There are also points in the movie where our heroes traverse the great middle eastern deserts within moments and hop from city to city as if Persia itself were no bigger than Singapore.

Nitpicks, simplistic characterisations and its seemingly rushed nature aside, Prince of Persia is a worthy addition to that near extinct hollywood-made Middle East fantasy genre. Its rich narrative is peppered with wit and the familiar charm of old period pieces while themes of trust and destiny are woven into an apparently familiar plot that is really as unpredictable as Dastan's own fighting style. Fans of the video game may thrill at seeing key scenes and signature combat moves faithfully recreated in live action on the big screen while casual viewers can enjoy a fun, refreshing and energetic adventure movie that might soon become regarded as the best video game adaptation to date.
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Go For it: if you were a fan of "Prince of Persia" video game series or would like a witty, refreshing tribute to a fading film genre.
Avoid it: if big fantasy themed summer blockbusters were never your thing to begin with.

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

Blood The Last Vampire (2009) review

Overall verdict: 5.5/10

The Good: Very Faithful to the source material, intriguing sub-plots, well developed main character, strong first act.

The Bad: very low budget look, erratic fight choreography, truncated second act, bland side characters, weak dialogue

Current Availability Status: On DVD in any DVD store in Singapore

DVD features:

- behind the scenes "making of" featurette

- stunt coordination and combat training highlight reel.

DVD value for money grade: C

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Considering the state of live action movies based on anime, be it from Hollywood or otherwise, Blood: the Last Vampire might arguably be one of the better ones along side Speed Racer and DeathNote. It manages to stay true to the original source material in terms of characters, setting and tone but the overall experience is marred by seemingly low production values and lackluster execution.

This live action movie based on the 2000 anime movie of the same name by Production I.G opens with a creepy narrative about am ancient war with demons and a heroic demon hunter who lost his life in the process. Cut to an eerie Tokyo subway in 1970s japan where a tension fueled chase and bloody sword fight on a moving train introduces the main character of Saya. Through dialog and some flashbacks interspersed throughout the film, the viewer discovers that Saya is a four hundred year old vampire/human hybrid who hunts demons for a secretive organization known as "The Council". Her latest assignment is to infiltrate a school on the Yokota Airbase to seek out clues to the whereabouts of "Onigen", a powerful demon who murdered Saya's father, the legendary demon hunter.

The first act of the movie is essentially a retelling of the original complete with full recreations of key scenes, filmed faithfully shot for shot. Story wise, it is a step up from the bland forty minute anime movie that this film is based on. Unlike the original anime where the events on the airbase was "just another day on the job", Saya in this live action movie is given a more convincing motive for vengeance that drives her actions. A little subplot that deals with a schism within the ranks of "The Council" is very compelling, ultimately adding some much needed meat to the otherwise paper-thin plot from the original anime. Not all of the added elements might have worked as well as one would have hoped. The character of Alice is one such element. Perhaps the producers meant for her to be a sort of human emotional anchor to Saya's inhuman personality as a way to "soften the savage beast". It would have worked for Saya's character development but ended up feeling a bit redundant thanks to either Allison Miller's bland acting or a half baked script.

Halfway through the movie, and after an intense action sequence that is a very faithful recreation of the original anime's climatic conclusion, the movie veers off into its own territory. Once free from its anime roots, the story somewhat sinks and is unable to keep up the narrative level of the previous act. After the Council subplot is resolved, the entire movie becomes a series of convenient plot twists and action sequences that get Saya and Alice from the air-force base to a remote abandoned village and ultimately to Saya's final showdown with Onigen. One gets the impression that the second half of the movie was written solely to pad the time in-between the material from the anime and a rather cartoony final battle.

No doubt the main let-down of this movie is its "look". Where the original anime fell short in its story and characters, it featured some of the most beautiful animation and stylish action sequences of its time. This film attempts to recreate that anime style surrealism by using a sickly yellowish, almost sepia toned, lighting to accentuate the "1970s" setting of the story and relying a lot on CGI. The way the action scenes are shot might remind some of Zack Snyder's "300", complete with slow motion bloodletting and whiplash cuts in the fight scenes. But instead of enhancing the movie, the CGI and fight choreography is its stumbling block. Blood spurts are nothing more than badly rendered globules of blackish red and demons look no better than old "stop motion" puppets. Even their movements were as stiff as those puppets. The only arguably thrilling fight scene was not even involving Saya or against demons, but was a flashback of Saya's old master, Kato, taking on a ninja army in a forest. Thanks to the erratic camera-work coupled with an overuse of speeding up and slowing down the footage in post-production, the action might not be as enjoyable as it could have.

Though Blood the Last Vampire 2009 is a far cry from the astounding visuals of its 2000 original source material, it still manages to present a good enough story while remaining true to the tone and characters of the original. A bigger, Hollywood level budget and script writing along with a longer running time for more plot development would have solved many of the film's flaws. Its faithfulness to the original may satisfy the long time fans, but to the casual movie goer the low budget look and feel might be too off-putting.

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Go For it: if you want to see a adaptation movie from a japanese anime that is extremely faithful to the source while adding intriguing layers to the narrative, or if you just like the pretty star of the show.

Avoid it: if how a film looks is very important to your enjoyment or if you are a fan of traditional vampire action movies.

Entertainment: B-

Story: B+

Acting: C+

Characters: B

Music: B-

Replay value: B-

"Brains": C

Pandorum (2009) review: Drifting in space, suffocating in a vent, hellish freaks on the prowl. Oh My!

Overall verdict: 7/10

The Good: Effective combination of drama and mystery, highly suspenseful, sleek production designs

The Bad: Draws too much from existing movies, unoriginal premise, fragmented re-telling of backstory and erratic pacing of narrative.

Current Availability Status: On DVDs in all Major video stores

******************************Review********************
Science Fiction horror has more or less come to a standstill. Seriously, how many times can you retell a story involving people getting killed off on a dark foreboding spaceship? Pandorum is not spared that "unoriginal" stereotype that has plagued so many films in this genre ever since Ridley Scott's "Alien".

Simply put, Pandorum is "Event Horizon" meets "Resident Evil"(surprise surprise, the producers DID make both those films) by way of "I Am Legend". In deep space, on board the colony vessel Elysium, astronauts Bower and Payton are awoken from hyper-sleep only to be confronted with a dark empty room, signs of struggle, irregular power surges and the mysterious disappearance of the other crew members. Suffering from mild memory loss, Bower volunteers to journey deep into the bowels of the ship and restore power at the main reactor so that they can access the main bridge while Payton guides him over the radio. Along the way, Payton warns Bower of "Pandorum" which is a psychological condition brought about by intense emotional reaction after long periods of suspended animation. Symptoms include vivid hallucinations, paranoia and even homicidal tendencies. No sooner has this been said, Bower gets thrust into a nightmare of claustrophobic vents, hellish cannibalistic creatures(that honestly look more like nose-less clowns doing the tribal routine) and other human survivors who have "gone native". Payton too has to deal with his discovery of a stowaway, Gallo, who may hold the answers to the all that is happening on the ship.

Amniesic protagonist, someone with a hidden past and agenda, kick butt warrior woman, blood thirsty mutants, hell on a spaceship.... all highly familiar to anyone who has at least heard of the science fiction horror sub-genre. Which brings us to the first thing that this movie, unoriginal though it may be, does right. It teases that audience constantly about the ambiguous nature of the main characters' encounters. Are the horrors that Bower experiences real or are they just manifestations of his Pandorum symptoms? That question is left up to the audience to put together, interprete and decide. In the same way the tragic backstory of the Elysium mission is revealed in bits and pieces for Bower and Payton to put together.

Though the film has some narrative shortcomings in the unimpressive script, it makes up for it thanks to the director's eye for style and detail. Christian Alvart excels at conveying the same sense of fear and hysteria experienced by Bower through effective cinematography and tight close-up shots. His camera-work never fails to highlight the production design of the Elysium's interior which is both spectacular and menacing to behold, as if the ship itself had mutated along with the creatures residing in its bowels. The decision to let the whole mystery be played out slowly as the astronauts try to piece together what transpired on the Elysium works after a while and manages to maintain a chilling air of suspense right up to the big twist.

Both Ben foster and Dennis Quaid who play the two astronauts manage to put on a convincing and multi layered performance with "New Moon"'s Cam Gigandet stealing the show as a man slowly going over the deep end. Such rich characters are a rarity in horror movies nowadays. With so many films falling back on the usual stock one-dimensional ones, this is a refreshing change.

Thoughs suspenseful, Pandorum is severely hampered by its lack of actual scares and lack of action packed thrills. It is indecisiveness as to whether it should be a horror show or action movie. Also, the film had so much potential to delve into deeper elements of the human psychology and allow the audience to get into the mind of the paranoid. But alas, that was not so, which leaves Pandorum as brain dead as the savage cannibalistic creatures.

Long time sci/fi fans will know what to expect and will most likely be let down, but hopefully this film can entice newcomers to the genre who would then go on to check out some of the better sci/fi horror films out there.

While it is a decent attempt at reinvigorating a waning sub-genre, Pandorum is sadly boxed in by the reputation of its predecessors and suffocates under its derivative elements. Ultimately, like some lost vessel drifting in space, it would disappears into darkness or at least garner a small cult following here on earth.

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

Go For it: if you like a good mix of familiar movie elements and a brain teasing air of mystery in a film. Or if you are wondering what the big deal is about science fiction horror movies.
Avoid it: if you are a fan of other Sci/Fi horror movies like Event Horizon and Alien and just cannot resist comparing Pandorum to the others.

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

The Ugly Truth (2009) review

Overall verdict: 6.5/10

The Good: Superb acting by the leads, witty humour, well paced narrative, emotionally engaging characters

The Bad: stale predictable story, other characters other than the leads are bland, unsatisfactory conclusion, failed to expound on the more complex and interesting themes of relationship.

Current Availability Status: On DVDs in all major DVD stores
DVD features:
- deleted scenes
- director's commentary

******************************Review********************
Over the years, the romance comedy genre have always been within the "hit or miss" region among movies in general. Be it live action or in the form of anime, romantic comedies tend to be mostly mediocre with only a handful that turn out really funny and enjoyable with even less going on to become international hits. Sadly "The Ugly Truth" follows that long line of mediocre romance comedies, its only bright spot being that Gerald "This is Sparta" Butler is given a chance to show off his acting prowess in a fresh new role that he has never tackled before.

THe premise of this movie is as such. Abby Richter (Katherine Heigl) is a perfectionist, "control freak"-ish morning show TV producer whose show is on the verge of being canceled due to low ratings. One night, she comes home from a disastrous date and happens to watch a segment of a TV show, "The Ugly Truth", hosted by "shock jock" by Mike Chadway (Gerard Butler). Abby calls into his show and argues with Mike on-air, in response to cynical attitude about relationships prompts, which leads to her quite literally "hating his guts". The next day, she discovers that the station she works for has hired Mike to do a segment on her show in order to boost ratings. This kicks starts a very storm tossed relationship between the two which lends itself to numerous comedic turns. Sooner than expected, Abby just so happens to fall for her doctor neighbor and she grudgingly goes to Mike for advice at "netting" the man of her dreams(actually the only man who fulfilled her listed criteria). The unlikely pair cut a deal in that if she is She agrees to his advice and is successful, it would prove Mike's theories on relationships and she will work happily with him. However if Mike fails, he agrees to quit.

Anyone with experience in this genre of movies can more or less fill in the rest of the story. Unlikely pair work together, more jokes, fall for each other, more jokes, Love triangle develops, tragedy strikes, touching finale. Finish.

In this case, one would admit that the usual formula actually works to a certain extent. Familiarity allows the audience to know exactly what they are watching. They would know exactly how the story would turn out and hence lessen the chances that an audience would go away disappointed since whoever does not like this genre of movies would not even be watching this in the first place. "The Ugly Truth" is not a masterpiece by any means, nor would it win any awards, but it is entertainment. Also the formulaic story allows one to focus more on the scripting and acting, and this is where the movie truly shines.

Witty banter and a cornucopia of innuendo-ed jokes permeate most of the film. Sexual references abound but are written in such a tactful way that they do not come off as crass or crude. Most sexual innuendo jokes tend to be rude and sometimes offensive; thankfully that is not the case here.There is wit to the humor in this movie that utilities word puns and double meanings in their jokes to good effect. Thankfully, the humor is not over-played as the tone transits from its lighthearted first act into its more serious second act. The characters and situations are written in such a way that anyone could easily identify with them, which lends to a greater emotional involvement in the film.

Stellar acting by the cast also helps. Special mention goes to Gerald Butler who proves to be an exceedingly versatile actor. He nails the carefree, in-your-face, yet internally bitter character of Mike Chadway to the point that it is easy to forget the actor playing the role and just become so involved with character himself. Katherine Heigl does a satisfying job as Abby, lending both her acting chops and eye candy to the complex lead role.

It is a huge pity that the writers chose to fall back on "the usual thing" instead of expanding on the relationship themes a little more . Having a clearer conflict of ideals between Mike and Abby and maybe going deeper into the strengths and flaws of the ideas presented would have turned this film into a more thought provoking experience. "what men really want" , "what women really look for", "loving the 'me you want to see' or loving 'the real me'", all those little tidbits would have made benefited from a more central role in the film which would have given this movie a "fresher" feel instead of the stale standard story.


At the end of the day, unless you are already a fan of romantic comedies or unless you have an open mind when it comes to various movie genre, its best to stick with what you like. "The Ugly Truth" would not be converting staunch action movie junkies or epic fantasy aficionados anytime soon, that's for sure, but just sit back relax and enjoy a good laugh that is easy on the brain. A hearty chuckle and a few quick tugs at the heartstrings now and then is good for body, mind and soul.


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Go For it: if you enjoy a good laugh, if you want to see Gerald Butler in a role he has never done before, and if you already know what to expect from a typical romance comedy
Avoid it: if you seek something better than "typical"

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

Friday the 13th (2009) review: When being "true to the original" is not a good thing.

Overall verdict: 5.5/10

The Good: Retains everything good thing about the original. Stylish camera-work, action packed chase scenes, a new and improved "Jason Voorhees".

The Bad: retains every BAD thing about the original. Unlikable characters, cheesy dialogue, too much sex, illogical plot holes.

Availability: On discount priced DVD in singapore
DVD features:
- Rebirth of Jason Voorhees "making of" featurette
- deleted scenes

DVD Value for money grade: C
******************************Review********************

When you get down to the nitty gritty of this movie, the 2009 remake of Friday the 13th specifically caters only to existing fans of the genre. It takes EVERYTHING synonymous with 80s slasher movies and ups the ante on them. A huge pity that "everything" also includes the flaws of such slasher genre films such as annoying teenage characters, too much sex and a less than adequate story.

For starters, those who have watched at least one of the previous 1980s Friday the 13th movies can feel safe in the knowledge that this movie is pretty faithful to the spirit of the Friday the 13th franchise. However, it also means that the story is clichéd and stale to the core. Instead of doing something new with the franchise, it falls back on standard slasher movie re-threads. As usual, we follow a bunch of horny/idiotic teenagers who come to the lakeside for whatever silly reason (in this case, it is either to look for Marijuana or to party away from adult supervision), and then get hunted down and picked off one at a time by a crazed serial killer.

The movie jumps straight into the action for the first 20 minutes or so starting with the murder of Jason's mother and then Jason's attack on a bunch of campers many years later which would then lead into the story proper of Clay(played by the star of the "Supernatural" TV series Jared Padalecki) looking for his sister who went missing at camp crystal lake. But other than that, there is hardly anything else of interest to speak of.

If the story is not going to hold an audience, at least the characters should. right? Also no.

All of them are your usual, stereotypical horror movie stock characters who are just there to provide eye candy until they die. Even the character of Clay, who could have been given a more well rounded development, falls flat. Almost all of them are portrayed in such a terrible light that one would actually WANT Jason to kill them off just to prove Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest(or in this case extinction of the silliest). The actors(mostly culled from TV series) seem to do their best, but a mediocre script ruins everything.

Well, at least for a horror film it has to be scary right? wrong! There is not a single scare or even a shock in this entire film! So what silly excuse can anyone give to even waste their time with this movie?
Simple
Where Friday the 13th fails to reinvigorate the genre and fails even more as a competent horror movie, it suceeds in its "slasher" aspect coupled with some impressive production values and directing.

For starters, the film looks great, easily the best looking horror movie ever. Slick camera-work, a dark gloomy but crisp lighting style and some creative directing skills bring out the most in every single kill scene. Though the kills are not spectacular in any way, they are quite realistically played out. Every chase scene is a tense nail-biter, every bloody slash, bash and impalement is done with the flair and style of a big budget action flick.

The second "saving grace" of the film is the Jason Voorhees character himself. Face it, Jason in the previous Friday the 13th movies was a goofy looking retard who then became a dim witted, lumbering Zombie freak. THIS new Jason(played by Derek Mears) actually feels more threatening for a change. He plans his kills, he baits his victims into traps, he strikes with uncanny precision; more like a savage commando than a retard.

If anything, Friday the 13th 2009 succeeds at delivering the fundamental desire of any fan of slasher films: watching people you dislike getting dispatched in the most horrific and gruesome ways. It is sheer escapism and it blatantly focuses on that aspect while disregarding all others, for better or for worse.

************Personal rant**********There came a point in the movie when i actually started rooting FOR Jason to make his next kill only because the characters were just THAT unlikable.

I bet the producers were like, "Silly teenager characters with little development? All the more reason to want them to be killed off! Story?? Who needs story?! Just think up some shenanigans for them to go through until the next on gets offed."
*************Personal rant over. Back to review Proper*******************

At its core, Friday the 13th 2009 is no where near the standard of a "good movie". Merely good for 106 minutes of violent escapism. It adheres too much to the blandness of the original films but manages to up-the-ante on the aspects that matter to slasher fans; Better kills, a slick new look, a clear directing style, an improved re-imaging of Jason. Even the disgusting but mandatory sex scene(a staple in all slasher movies) is taken up a notch by having not one but two sex scenes to please the hot blooded male audience. Sadly, Friday the 13th fell back too much on its franchise's staples. It failed to carve a fresh new identity of its own and thus ended up tipping over into mediocrity.

It is violent and fun in a sick escapist sort of way, but fails as a "horror" show due to its lack of scares. Maybe being too faithful to the original wasn't such a good idea afterall.


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

Bionicle The Legend Reborn (2009) review: "reborn" or stillborn?

Overall verdict: 6/10

The Good: great animation, stellar acting, easy to follow story

The Bad: Might be too "kid friendly", Static directing style, newcomers to the bionicle franchice would be left lost.


Current Availability Status: DVD in MJ and Laser Flair stores now.
DVD features:

- Extended ending
- deleted scenes
- Character gallery
- trailers
- music video

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

Mata Nui, the great god of the Matorans has been betrayed and stripped of his power. Cast out into the universe, the once powerful deity must now fend for himself as a mere mortal in the barren lands of Bara Magna. there he would face untold dangers, make new comrades, and launch his quest to return to his homeworld and rescue his lost people.

The story's premise takes a new twist on the classic "fall of a king" story coupled with an almost Greek epic styled hero's journey. Narrative is easy enough to follow, straightforward and with little twists. (there is actually only one twist, but one that does not come unexpectedly). The creative team manages to throw in an ideal mix of seriousness and fun adventure, with some really good comedy moments involving Mata Nui's inexperience in dealing with Bara Magna inhabitants and adjusting to his new life. A real treat for the whole family to enjoy.

Despite their rather inhuman appearance, the bio-mechanical "bionicle" characters in this show very appealing and easy to relate to. Granted, some of them may come across as cardboard cutout stock characters from a Saturday morning cartoon, but the very professional level of the acting and a well written script makes up for the perceived lack of character development. Special mention goes to Star Trek: The Next Generation's Michael Dorn(Worf) who nails the role of main character Mata Nui head on, maintaining the regal tone befitting of a fallen king while infusing realistic believability into every spoken line.

No complains as well about the overall look of the show. The character designs are intricately detailed and the movements are fluid. One cannot help but be reminded of the robot designs in the live action Transformers movies(even though the Bionicle franchise came before the 2007 Transformers movie.) Of course the quality of the CGI in this show is not up to Pixar's standards but it is easily one of the best ever featured in direct to DVD CGI animated movies. Even the gears and turning parts on each character are fully animated and everything is given a dirty gritty look.

Now Bionicle The Legend Reborn may attract viewers by its entertaining story, script, fabulous acting and great graphics, but it would be REALLY HARD for viewers to actually "jump in". For one thing, the movie seems to require some familiarity of the bionicle universe. Casual animation movie fans would be literally left hanging due to the lack of backstory or even an introduction to the world of bionicle. Is this supposed to be a sequel? or a prequel? Or maybe even a reboot of the franchise? A small booklet or featurette in the DVD to explain the Bionicle backstory would have benefited the majority of viewers who might not be familiar with the Bionicle brand.

Secondly, the fine looking CGI graphics feel wasted on some terrible scene directing; this is the part where this movie suffers the most. Mark Baldo(whose only other directing credit is a couple of episodes of a TV series called "Father of the Pride") is the director here and his camera work can only be described as "LAZY". Most of the fight scenes are unusually static; more like watching a documentary than a fight scene in a movie. There is hardly any dramatic effect or intensity conveyed with his lackluster "matter of fact" directing style which leads to some very boring action sequences.

Music was relatively mediocre sounding like standard dramatic animation movie fare, but there were a couple of themes that stood out. The opening theme in particular had just the right epic feel to go with the story. Sound effects could have also been better too. Right now, the sound effects come across as too "light", giving a sense of weightlessness to the characters. Tech Specs on the Bionicle wikipedia says that the characters should be around 7 feet tall. But those light sounding sound effects and lack of a heavier bass make them seem like only 7 inches tall. Swords clashing sound like toys hitting each other, rocks crumbling down a slope sound like pebbles; that sort of thing.

All in all, Bionicle The Legend Reborn is a valiant attempt at bringing Bionicle once again into the animation DVD market and a solid entry following the previous animated Bionicle movies. However, this movie might not be able to impress anyone but the kids and the hardcore Bionicle fans. Not to mention that there was hardly any publicity prior to this movie's release. Maybe it might also attract some Star Trek fans thanks to Michael Dorn's awesome performance.

An entertaining little family movie that could have been better overall.


Entertainment: B-
Story: B
Animation: A-
Acting(english): A+
Replay value: C
"Brains": C-

Ultraman Towards the Future (1990) review: ... and a bright Future it is...

Overall series verdict: 7.5/10

The Good: Great acting, intriguing story, epic monster battles, lovable characters and special effects that are ahead of its time.

The Bad: Some issues with bad usage of green screen effects and moments of over-acting.

Current Availability status in Singapore: A few imports from japan and hong Kong available in privately owned shops.

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Ultraman Toward the Future is the first live action Ultraman series NOT produced in Japan. This marvelous entry into the much loved Ultraman Mythos was an Australian production which was easily years ahead of its time. The likable cast of characters and top notch special effects coupled with a well crafted story makes "Ultraman Toward the Future" one of the best Ultraman series in existence.


Originally recorded in English, The story starts of very mysteriously and the 2 plot arcs unfolds across 6 episodes per arc over 12 episodes only in total. In the first story arc, Jack Shindo and Stanely Haggard are members of the first manned expedition to Mars where they encounter a giant slug-like monster, Gudis. They are rescued by the mysterious silver and red giant ULTRAMAN but not before Gudis escapes to earth in the form of an alien virus and Stanley is presumably killed. To ensure Jack Shindo does not die on Mars, Ultraman joins with Jack, allowing Jack to summon the heroic giant whenever all hope seems lost. On earth He joins the UMA organization in order to help them battle the monsters created by the Gudis virus. The story is very well plotted and does not drag.

There is a fair amount of human drama and a little comic relief thrown in but does not detract from the overall dark feel of the story. Every character is fully fleshed out and immediately likable. One can develop an emotional connection with each of the characters, from the hot headed Jean Echo to the "straight to business" base commander Arthur Grant. The actors are mostly Australian but are of mixed ethnic heritage and manage to pull off different accents, lending to a very diverse look for the main cast. Ultraman is not longer just a plot device to defeat the monster but a character onto himself who converses with Jack and helps him to deal with more subtle problems. He even dishes out some philosophy once in a while.

Each episode deals not only with a monster but with very down to earth themes that anyone can relate to. Themes like a child dealing with divorce, family neglect, and the importance of trust are interspersed with enough plot twists and intrigue that put some crime dramas out there to shame. The second half of the series even boasts some environmental cautionary tales with a overarching subplot of the earth trying to fight against the humans who have polluted it.

Those still suffering from traumatic memories of rubber pillows with eyes that pass off as monsters wrestling with a red and silver rubber man, fear not! The monsters are not just men in suits like the Japanese series but a mix of man in a suit, puppetry and props. Close-ups make use of still-props of, for example, the monster's head or foot, which allows a greater level of detail. Puppetry is used to give the monsters a more organic feel, to give life to tentacles, antenna and wings instead of just letting them flop to the side like in the Japanese series. The special effects used for the powers are astounding. They look better than Power Rangers which came out 3 years after this show and just as good as Ultraman Tiga, which came out 6 years after this. The fight choreography doesn't make use of quick cuts, but rather, the director(Andrew Prowse, who would go on to direct a number of episodes of the popular sci/fi series "Farscape") uses long panning shots from the ground level upward to give a grand feel and a sense of scale to the giant monster battles. Close ups are only used when necessary for dramatic effect.

Ultraman's design in this show is also a real treat. It Keeps true to the spirit of the original without any added gimmicks while creating a great looking character in its own right. This Ultraman is visibly bulkier and more muscular than the previous ones, looking more like a comic book hero than ever before. The miniatures are very intricately and realistically built and it helps that shots of miniatures are inter cut with shots of real cities. The Hummer flying scenes can look a little weird at times though due to the use of green screen against a stationary hanging model instead of real time puppetry.

Unlike power Rangers, "Ultraman Towards the Future" proves that giant monster defender shows of this sort can go beyond just brainless action and have an intelligent story with themes both simple and complex for children and adults. It even teaches good morals. The action is well paced and special effects are revolutionary for its time. A pity it only ran for 12 episodes.

A great jumping on point for anyone looking to get into the Ultraman fandom.

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