Iron Man The Animated Series (1994 - 1996). 26 episodes

Overall verdict: 4/10
(2/10 for season 1, 6.5/10 for season 2)

The Good: Much of the second season, cameos by numerous marvel comic characters.

The Bad: Everything about The ENTIRE first season.

Current Availability Status: available on imported code 1 DVDs. Currently not available in local stores.


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

Following the success of 1992's "X-men" animated series, Marvel returned to daytime TV entertainment with "Iron Man The Animated series" as part of the "Marvel Action hour". Any discerning viewer would be able to pin point the exact purpose of this animated series, and that is to sell toys to children. As a result, whatever complexities about the character that were inherent in the comics, including his womanising nature and his alcohol addiction, were discarded in favor of a more child friendly premise. And what could be more child-friendly than "heroic good guy team versus dastardly bad guy team".

Much of the show's first season was a dismal disappointment. It was easily a cut and paste rehash of G I Joe or the cheesy 1980s He-Man cartoon with Iron Man leading his "Force Works" team against the evil Mandarin and his cronies. Every episode was largely the same as the last: The Mandarin attempts another goofy world domination plot or to steal a new Stark invention, there is some dissension caused within Iron Man's team, evil plot seems to succeed but Iron Man's team settle their differences in time to save the day.

Formulaic, bland and actually boring at times, season 1 also featured some horrendous animation. It was not just bad in terms of 1990s standards, but bad even when compared to animated series of the 1980s or late 1970s. Artwork would constantly go "off model" and character movements were strictly twelve frames per second. Furthermore in order to save costs, the animation company would use a lot of stock footage from past episodes in subsequent ones with no effort made to cover the cost cutting measure.


A year later, Marvel re-vamped the Iron Man series by hiring a new creative team and animation company. The results were a drastic improvement. The show took a darker turn in season 2 where the Force works team is disbanded after Tony Stark betrays their trust. Now working alone with occasional help from James Rhodes Aka War Machine, Stark must fend off his competitor Justin Hammer while dealing with new threats despite the disappearance of the Mandarin.

Season 2 largely discards the formulaic style, choosing to directly adapt popular story-lines from the Iron Man comics while having more character centered episodes that deal with common themes that anyone can relate to such as phobias, trust, the price of beauty and obsession. There is also a greater sense of continuity as the affects of events in one episode carry over into the next. Koko Enterprises, known for their work on the award winning Batman The Animated series give the animation in Iron Man's second season a much needed bump in the right direction. Character movements are smoother, art detail is better and the color scheme loses that bright cheery look of season one, replacing it with heavier blacks and more angular designs.

After twenty six episodes, Iron Man the animated series remains a very mixed bag. Blame for this shows disappointing quality can be attributed to constrictions placed upon the writers to feature as many Iron Man suits as possible in each episode as free publicity for the toys.

On the bright side, it got better, allowing the audience at least 13 episodes of decent animated entertainment.



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

Go For it: if you remembered this "cool" show from your childhood days about some guy with a robot armor suit doing cool stuff.
Avoid it: If you would like to hold on to your impression of Iron Man that you got from the recent movies or the more mature comics.

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

SEASON 1

Care! Bear! Stare!!
Yes the stories in season 1 were never too sensible


No Escape for you, orange blob! ITS HAMMER TIME!
Neither was the animation


I'm In THREE DEE!! no wait......feels more like playdough
Iron Man season 1's attrocious 3D CGI suit transformation sequence

SEASON 2

With Blazing Courage I dispense Burning Justice
Darker and edgier animation from season 2


I WANT THAT ORANGE BLOB!!!
Even Tony Stark's character design got a makeover


Kids, kids, there's plenty of me to go around.

Iron Man 2 (2010) review

Overall verdict: 7/10

The Good: excellent cast chemistry, witty scripting and humor, intense high flying action, comic book knowledge not required

The Bad: not as "fun" as first movie, unmemorable villians, "realism" and "suspension of disbelief" disonnance (in other words, the movie was going for a realistic look and feel yet some parts of the movie are unrealistic beyond even some comic books or cartoons) .

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

The sequel to Marvel studio's surprise hit of 2008 is here, bigger than ever. But is it better? After the surprise success of Iron Man, expectations for the sequel, from both movie viewers and long time comic books fans, were no doubt high. Picking off where the first film ended, billionaire genius Tony Stark has just revealed to the world his identity as the armor clad superhero, Iron Man. Now he reaps the whirlwind consequences of his actions as both the military and unscrupulous competitor Justin Hammer vie to obtain the secrets of Stark's Iron Man technology for their own gain. Too add to the flames, Stark soon discovers that the very technology that is keeping his heart alive is also poisoning him. As he tries to salvage a life that is slowly falling to pieces and his growing feelings for his long time assistant Pepper Potts(Gwyneth Paltrow), Starks has to contend to with a foreign weapons genius named Ivan Vanko who seems to bear a deep seated grudge against the ailing billionaire; a grudge that stemmed from the legacy of Tony's father, Howard Stark.

Whatever was good in the first movie is carried on in true sequel fashion. The acting and chemistry among the cast is definitely the highlight of the whole film. Robert Downey Jr IS Tony Stark, though less of a playboy following his "change of heart"(figuratively and literally) in the first movie, but still the same wisecracking, smirky eccentric. Everyone is just so natural in their roles including the villains, especially The character of Justin Hammer *fan rant* Justin Hammer was cranky old man in the comics. grrrr*fan rant end*, played by Sam Rockwell. Hammer had all the makings of a silly one dimensional villainous caricature, but manages to be a well rounded scumbag of a corporate competitor, providing some excellent comic relief while still presenting a credible threat to the hero.

That being said, the script is just littered with witty banter, intelligent jokes and a good number of "Easter eggs" for the long time comic book fans. Writer Justin Theroux had a good number of interesting themes going for this movie, most notable of which is the theme of "legacy", of what people leave behind when they are gone; their impressions on their successors and how the effects of their past actions would echo down the years long after one has passed. Stark himself, faced with his inevitable demise, does not want to leave a legacy of death as a weapons designer. Aside from that, we see how the legacies of both Stark's and Ivan Vanko's fathers have affected their present lives.

Now, Vanko's (played by Sin City's Mickey Rourke) is a truly tragic tale. It is easy to pass him off as a "darth maul" type character with no other purpose than to provide the hero with a powerful opponent for the mandatory climax. But to the more attentive viewers, one can see how Vanko is basically the dark opposite reflection of Tony Stark. Both are geniuses, both are where they are because of their respective fathers yet different circumstances in life brought them down entirely different paths. The parallels between his origin story of creating the "whiplash" powered armor from scrap, getting captured(in a similarly explosive manner) in order to develop weapons for one man to bring down his competitor all the way to his cunning escape plan and his mistaken impression about his dearly departed father are all uncannily similar to Tony Stark's experiences in the first movie that led up to his debut as the hero Iron Man and his mistaken impression about his own father.

The one thing viewers might not appreciate is that this sequel seems to lack that sense of "fun" that the first film had, taking on a more serious tone at times to dish out the more complex themes and even a romantic sub-plot *fan rant* I can foresee this "lack of fun" factor to be the main cause of complain for fans of the first movie*fan rant end*. It really is too bad that the more complex themes are there but not really expanded upon. This leaves a lot of "could have been more" moments hanging by the time the show ends. At least the action is satisfying high octane eye candy as Jon Favreau's steady directing hand brings out the intensity of every battle scene. Special effects are top notch as usual except for a couple of cartoony looking moments that do require some suspension of disbelief, for example the briefcase that transforms into an iron man armor with armor parts seemingly appearing from out of nowhere.

By the time the all too familiar final battle is over and the credits start rolling, one gets the impression that Iron Man 2 could have been a lot more than the sum of its parts. A little longer running time would have fixed most of the story kinks but perhaps Marvel is merely using this movie as a money generator and spring board to something greater.(Blatant teasers are thrown into the narrative itself almost like a running catalog of future Marvel film projects).

Topping the first film is no easy feat and of course Iron Man 2 would disappoint a few here and there. But it is nonetheless one of the most entertaining comic book movies that mixes action, wit, drama and cast chemistry so well. If widespread appeal is its purpose, then Iron Man 2 has fulfilled that function magnificently in that even a newcomer to the franchise can kick back and enjoy the show. Marvel studios has started a new legacy beyond great comics. Here is a legacy of comic book movies, true to the spirit of its source material yet tailored nicely to the tastes of the modern movie audience.

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

Go For it: if you loved the action and character interplay of the first movie, if you are already a fan of Iron Man either in comic or animated form or if you just love a good science fiction blockbuster with lots of action

Avoid it: if you expect that same level of playful fun that the first movie displayed since things get a lot more serious in the sequel.

Entertainment: A-

Story: B

Acting: A

Characters: B

Replay value: B-

"Brains": B-

Universal Soldier: A New Beginning

Overall verdict: 5/10

The Good: blockbuster level action despite low budget, better than all previous universal Soldier sequels, competent directing

The Bad: little character development, no human drama, less than interesting story, shallow themes in plot

Current Availability Status: on DVD in singapore at discounted price

DVD features:
- no extras

DVD Value for money Grade: C-
******************************Review********************
What happens when you are an aging Hollywood action star with a waning film career? You take an old film that made you famous out of the freezer and star in a "long awaited sequel" to that film. This is becoming a trend in Hollywood. Sylvester Stallone did it with Rocky 5 and Rambo 4, Bruce Willis did it with "Live Free, Die Hard". Now its Jean Claude Van Damme's turn, starring in this "long awaited sequel" to 1992's Universal Soldier. But really no matter how you say it, this show is just to ensure ol JCVD's retirement pension. On the bright side, at least he did not pick a sequel to Street Fighter to star in.

From its explosive start to bloody finish, Universal Soldier: A New Beginning(or "Regeneration" as it is called in USA) never seeks to be more than what its predecessor was; an action heavy, "direct to video" B movie. The story starts off with a frantic car chase down the frozen streets of Russia that culminates in the kidnapping of the Prime minister's children. They are held ransom by a General Boris who's troops have taken over the Chernobyl nuclear plant. He demands that the Russian government releases their comrades from prison within 72 hours or the nuclear reactor would be set to detonate. US forces are quick to respond to this threat by sending in their "UniSols", reanimated soldiers with enhanced combat abilities. However their extraction mission is foiled by a powerful "New Generation Universal Soldier"(NGU) under the command of rogue scientist Dr Colin.

Faster, Stronger and more durable than anything they have every encountered, the NGU manages to decimate the US forces' UniSol team leaving them no choice but to turn to their remaining UniSol who is now only learning to be re-assimilated into society, Luc Deveraux. But all is not well in the terrorist camp as well and after some internal power scuffle, Dr Colins reveals a second UniSol: the reanimated Andrew Scott, Luc's nemesis.

Despite budget limitations, Universal Soldier: A New Beginning manages to look just as good as any Hollywood blockbuster thanks to the masterful directing of John Hyams and the cinematography of his father, Peter Hyams. The action is gritty,realistic and down-to-earth with few gimmicks and almost no kung fu wire stunts; a real breath of fresh air in a market dominated by action movies chock full of high flying areal acrobatics. Impressive gun fights, mêlée scuffles and intense action all set against the frigid Russian backdrop.

Sadly, thats not the only thing thats cold. The characters in this film are practical ice cubes that are never fully developed. As a result, no one really cares for Luc or any of the other characters. Even Dolph Lundgren's return as Andrew Scott lends absolutely nothing to the movie other than as a shout out to fans of the original film. A small flashback or so would have made Luc and Andrew's rivalry a lot more believable but other than a small exposition narration that details what a universal soldier is, anyone who has never watched the original movie would only see Dolph Lundgren's character as just another powerful foe for Jean Claude Van Damme to bust out his moves on Universal Soldier had potential to delve in to deeper issues but never even tries to tap into that. The warmth of Human drama is at a minimum as the production favors pushing the action to the next adrenaline pumping gun fight over exploring more thought provoking themes about the human condition or the purpose of a soldier without a war to fight.

The franchise of Universal Soldier has been in a runt following disappointing direct-to-video sequels and a terrible "official" feature film sequel. "A New Beginning" discards all those and manages to be just as like the original film by Roland Emmerich only with better fight scenes. It is light on drama, even lighter on well developed characters, but heavy on the action.

Fans of the original Universal Soldier movie would appreciate this a lot more than the causal movie watcher. A competently made direct-to-video tribute to a fledgling film franchise that, though good for a direct to video production, falls short when compared to more mainstream action movies.

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

Go For it: if you loved the original Universal Soldier movie and would like to see its actual sequel
Avoid it: if you expect anything more than intense military action or if you expect to be able to care about the characters

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

Random Rant: Why you SHOULD NOT buy "James cameron's Avatar" on DVD/Blu-ray now

I'm sure anyone would know James Cameron's "Avatar", the all time box office record breaking blockbuster boasting the most astounding CGI special effects ever seen and a novel "stereoscopic 3D" vision that mimics the depth-of-field produced by the human eyes.

Recently it was released on DVD and Blu-ray here in singapore and i am sure people would be quick to want to own a piece of movie making history.

My advice is, DON'T!!!!
I am all for "supporting the original product" but in the case of Avatar, you would be better off downloading the movie.

Why?
1) You are not experiencing James Cameron's FULL vision of Avatar.
James Cameron has stated in many interviews that he intends Avatar to be viewed in its full stereoscopic 3D glory. As such, the movie was initially made FOR 3D, meaning that the contrast was toned down a notch so that the colors would look "normal" when viewed through the 3D glasses.The version on the blu-ray discs is the normal, non-3D version.
In other words, firstly the image is going to be a lot brighter and color saturated that what you remember. secondly, you are NOT EXPERIENCING JAMES CAMERON"S FULL VISION.
Its like watching Terminator 2 without the special effects of the morphing T-1000 liquid metal terminator. Its like watching Titanic with the scenes of the ship breaking apart being replaced with a small miniature model splintering in slow motion.
- James Cameron did not just create a movie with Avatar. He created A WORLD. And as such, it is only right that you are able to experience that world in the way that the creator intended.

2) Aside from the movie, there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE on either the DVD or the blu-ray. No "behind the scenes" footage, no interviews, not even a trailer. Heck, there is even no content leaflet inside the DVD case.
Expecting this from the DVD is fine since the movie, being as long and as graphically amazing as it is, the DVD production company would have to devote all the disc space to maintaining the level of the show's pristine image quality. But on a blu-ray??
Reviews have indicated that even the blu-ray release is not perfect, citing flaws such as blurring during action scenes that should not plague a standard blu-ray release. Other blu-ray releases managed to produce the same image resolution quality and sound and they came with a cornucopia of extras unlike Avatar. - Why does someone choose a Blu-ray over a DVD? For better resolution, sound, and more extras. Avatar only offers the first 2 advantages over DVDs but compared to other blu-ray releases, fails to be anything outstanding. Merely a standard blu-ray release that is made substandard due to its lack of extra content compared to other Blu-ray releases of similar image and sound quality.

3) Its a James Cameron movie.
Any one who knows James Cameron movie, knows his pattern. His movies all have had at least 3 different DVD re-releases. I believe the most was 7 and thats Terminator 2. You had
*the theatrical release
*the 2 disc theatrical release which came with an extra disc with behind the scenes extras
*the "special edition" which featured scenes that were originally cut from the theatrical release as part of the extras
*the "digitally remastered" edition which was the special edition given a better image resolution and sound once the DVD market stabalised
*the "Ultimate" edition which featured even more(but not all) "never before seen" footage but this time incoporated into the movie itself and new behind the scenes extras
*the "Extreme" edition which had a whole new set of behind the scenes extras(which are arguably more informative than any that came before) and the movie now features ALL the scenes that were never before seen restored and incorporated into the film itself(essentially making it a "director's cut) and "cleaned up" special effects.
*the re-release of the extreme edition with a special holographic box cover to coincide with the release of Terminator Salvation.

And this is not counting the Blu-ray re-release called "the skynet edition"

Knowing Avatar, this is merely the bare bones theatrical release.
James Cameron has gone on record to say that a number of scenes were cut from the movie. As such, i would not be surprised that Avatar gets re-released in the future with extra content. Basically those that bought the previous releases were "cheated" since what they got was not a "complete" product. The same will happen with Avatar.
There would at least be a re-release later this year of Avatar featuring some restored scenes including an extended romance arc.
Knowing the production executives, there will be another re-release with behind the scenes extras, then once 3D TVs become big hits, there will be a full 3D re-release.
-Since we know it is going to be re-released anyway with additional content(the additional scenes were confirmed by James Cameron himself in an interview) why not just wait for the more "bang for your buck" re-release with more content.


Conclusion: DO NOT get the DVD or blu-ray of Avatar now. You are not going to experience James Cameron's vision as he intended and you will save yourself the trouble(and frustration) of discovering that there is more content that you "missed out" on the subsequent releases.

List of animated movie/series reviews

Animated movies (with theatrical releases) 

The Adventures of TinTin (2011) CGI movie

Big Hero 6 (2014) CGI movie 

Blood: The Last Vampire (2000) anime movie

Bleach: Memories of Nobody (2007) anime movie

Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack (1988) anime movie

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls (2013)

Robotech: The Untold Story (1986) 

Street Fighter: The Animated Movie (1994)

Summer Wars (2010) anime movie

Tranformers: The Movie (1986) animated movie

The Wind Rises (2014) anime movie

Wreck-It Ralph (2012) CGI movie 


Traditional Animation: Direct to video/original video animation(OVA) releases 

Avengers Confidential: Punisher and Black Widow (2014) OVA movie

Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014) OVA movie

Batman: Gotham Knight (2008) OVA anthology

Batman Unlimited: Animal Instinct (2015) OVA movie

Batman Vs Robin (2015) OVA movie

Batman: Year One (2011) OVA movie

Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic (2010) OVA movie

Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme (2007) OVA movie

(The) Dark Knight Returns Part 1 (2012) OVA movie

(The) Dark Knight Returns Part 2 (2013) OVA movie

G. I. Joe: Resolute (2009) 10 episode ONA/movie OVA

Green Lantern: First Flight (2009) OVA movie

Guyver: Out of Control (1986) OVA movie
   
Halo Legends (2010) OVA anthology

The Invincible Iron Man (2007) OVA movie

Justice League: Doom (2012)OVA movie

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013) OVA movie

Justice League: War (2014) OVA movie

Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015) OVA movie

Justice League Vs Teen Titans (2016) OVA movie

Justice League Dark: Apokalips War (2020) OVA movie

Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge (2020) OVA movie

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls (2013) OVA movie

My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks (2014) OVA movie

Robotech: Love Live Alive (2013) OVA compilation movie

Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles (2007) OVA movie

Robotech II: The Sentinels (1988) OVA movie 

Sonic The Hedgehog: The Movie (1996) OVA

Son of Batman (2014) OVA movie

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010) OVA movie

Superman VS The Elite (2012) OVA movie

Superman: Unbound (2013) OVA movie

Tekken: The Motion Picture (1997) OVA

Thor: Tales of Asgard (2011) OVA movie

Ultraman: The Adventure Begins (1987) OVA

Wonder Woman (2009) OVA movie

 
CGI: Direct to video/original video animation(OVA) releases

Ben 10: Destroy all Aliens (2012) CGI movie

Bionicle: The Legend Reborn (2009) CGI movie

Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker (2012) CGI movie

Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United (2013) CGI movie

Starship Troopers: Invasion (2012) CGI movie

Godzilla: Planet Of Monsters (2018) Direct to Netflix CGI Anime movie

Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle (2018) Direct to Netflix CGI Anime movie

Godzilla: The Planet Eater (2019) Direct to Netflix CGI Anime movie

ULTRAMAN (2019) Direct to Netflix CGI Anime series, Season 1, 12 Episodes


TV series
Mobile Suit Gundam (1979 - 1980) series. 43 episodes

Star Wars: Droids (1985) series. 12 Episodes

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (1985 - 1986) series. 50 episodes

X-Men The Animated Series (1992 - 1997) series. 76 episodes

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (1993 - 1996) series. 65 episodes

Sonic The Hedgehog (1993 - 1994) series. 26 episodes

Fantastic Four The Animated Series (1994 - 1995) series, 26 episodes

Iron Man The Animated Series (1994 - 1995) series. 26 episodes

Mobile Fighter G Gundam (1994-1995) series. 49 episodes

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1995-1996) series. 49 episodes

Sonic Underground (1999-2000) series. 40 episodes

Godzilla The Series (1999) 40 episodes

Kong The Animated Series (2000) 40 episodes

ArgentoSoma (2000) series. 26 episodes


Love Hina (2000) series. 25 episodes

Transformers: Car Robots / Robots in Disguise (2001) series. 39 episodes

Transformers Armada (2002 - 2003) series. 52 episodes

Naruto (2002- 2007) series. 220 episodes

Full Metal Panic (2002) series. 24 episodes

Sonic X (2003-2005) series. 78 episodes

Samurai Champloo (2004 - 2005) series. 26 episodes

Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes (2005) series. 26 episodes

Witchblade (2006) series. 24 episodes

Lucky Star (2007) series. 24 episodes

Transformers: Prime (2011) series. 26 episodes season 1. .

Summer Wars (2010) review: A Timeless Classic in the Making

Overall verdict: 8.5/10

The Good: Captivating coming-of-age tale, clever underlying themes, realistic voice acting, charming main characters, unique production design for the online OZ world.

The Bad: animation too simplistic at times, overly convenient plot twists, erratic pacing

Current Availability Status: recently completed cinema run. DVD release pending

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

Who is Mamoru Hosoda? Look up his short resume and the only items of note would be the touching little film "The Girl Who Lept Through Time". Now here comes another surprise hit that deserves every single award it has won, "Summer Wars".

First off, do not let the title fool you. This is not another brainless summer blockbuster even though it has all the earmarks of one. High School student Kenji is a math genius who spends most of his time immersed in the online interactive world of OZ, which is easily a whacked out version of "Second Life" except a whole lot popular. So popular in fact that real life companies and multi national organizations use it to communicate and run businesses. One hot summer, Kenji is coaxed into a "summer job" for his senior, and secret crush, Natsuki. All he has to do is accompany her, and carry her baggage, to her grandmother's countryside estate in Ueda where her entire extended family will be to celebrate her grandmother's birthday. Sounds simple right? Wrong. Natsuki soon reveals that she wants Kenji to pose as her boyfriend in order to impress her grandmother.

Before you think "oh no, another teenage summer romance anime", think again. After his initial run in with Natsuki's extended family, Kenji receives an email asking him to solve a complex number problem. He solves it and, as a result, unwittingly gave a rogue Artificial Intelligence the codes to hack into OZ. The effects of the online disruption is seen in real life as communications and software systems like traffic lights breakdown worldwide. Startling revelations and new friendships are forged as Kenji, Natsuki and the entire Shinohara family clan band together to try and avert a worldwide catastrophe.

Sounds really epic for sure, but the main attraction of this film is not its story or its animation. Rather, it is the colorful array of characters. Every single character, from Natsuki's grandmother to her kid cousins, are given ample development making them very easy to relate to. At its core, Summer wars is about family togetherness and filial piety; a truly heartwarming character drama. Unlike most anime where voice actors tend to over act a lot, the actors in Summer Wars play their roles very realistically; their interactions are so natural, just like a real life Japanese family. Main lead Kenji is himself an extremely endearing boy that you would just grow to like as he over comes each hurdle in this "coming of age" tale, from gaining the trust of the Shinoharas to winning the admiration of Natsuki.

Long time anime fans will realize man parallels between Summer Wars and Mamoru Hosoda's Digimon movie, particularly the "Our War Games" segment. Both films involve a rogue artificial intelligence wrecking havoc on the internet which translates to real work problems, both also involve a genius protagonist, a glimpse at Japanese rural life and the threat of something falling to earth about to obliterate a neighborhood complete with an online countdown clock. The running themes about human's over reliance on technology and the importance of real life ties are seen as the problems in the online world causes society and communications to grind to a halt, throwing the world into chaos. This is cleverly played and is purely an extension of what Mamoru-san hinted at in Digimom.

The only downside of this otherwise great film is the animation itself. While the online world of OZ is intricately designed(even though it does bear some visual resemblance to both the online world in Digimon and the time jumping sequences in Girl Who Lept through Time), the real world scenes are rendered in a style too simplistic for big screen viewing. Though perhaps it had a symbolical meaning, to contrast the simple mundane going-ons of the real world with the colorful escapist fantasy of the virtual world, the art just comes across as lazily drawn with very little detail; even simple shadows are missing in many scenes. It may look great on TV but on a big screen cinema, the animation and art is just too simple and bland, but thank goodness for the amazingly rendered OZ scenes especially in the climatic showdown between avatars worldwide. Also there is the problem with an erratic pacing and some overly convenient plot twists but they do not affect the overall enjoyment much. No spoilers but my only hints to the overly convenient plot twists are "fighting rabbit" and the origin of the rogue A.I. Wayyyy to convenient.

Action, drama, romance, comedy, you name it, this movie has got it; something for the whole family to enjoy. Any why not since the main theme is the importance of family ties? In an era where anime has been largely dependent on adapting pre-existing popular manga(like Naruto and Bleach), the original anime screenplay of Summer wars is a breath of fresh air. Summer Wars shows the true power of original anime stories to win over an audience on its own merits without tagging on to the popularity of any pre-existing manga or light novel. It is is a rich character driven tale with the potential to become a timeless classic. If anything, it deserves a place among the great anime movies like Ghost in the Shell and Sprited Away. Not entirely fitting for a theatrical release due to sub-OVA standard animation, but a definite keeper for any anime DVD/Blu-ray enthusiast.

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

Go For it: if you like a a fun filled character centered animated adventure story that is truly epic in scale without sacrificing the little things that really matter, like the heart
Avoid it: if you would prefer the more "style over substance" standard anime offerings like Naruto and Bleach and would not appreciate an anime if it was not based on a popular manga/video game/light novel.

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



ZOMG! WTF iz dat I C! Is dat a haxors A.I going lol, messin wit teh HTML?!?!
Example of the OZ online world's unique avatar designs.


Koi Koi. Koi koi! KOI KOI!!!!!!
Meet the family(no the "Koi Koi" aint no joke. Its an actual quote from the movie)



Aren't you kids a little young to be watching this kinda thing?
Sadly, the overly simplistic and brightly colored 2D characters clash a lot with the intricately designed background.

Mortal Kombat (1995) review

Overall verdict: 6.5/10

The Good: Awesome production design and special effects(for its time), sticks close to the look and feel of the game, fast paced fights and radical fight choreography, appropriate humor,

The Bad: out-of-this-world plot, one dimensional villians, a few gapping plot holes.

Current Availability Status: DVD out of print

******************************Review********************
In every generation, the best fighters from across the globe come together to compete in a tournament called "Mortal Kombat". But whether they come for the fame, the glory, for vengeance or other reasons, Mortal Kombat serves a darker purpose as a pivotal point in a war between earth and an evil realm called Outworld. Already the out-world fighters led by the evil soul sucking sorcerer Shang Tsung and the four-armed giant Goro have won nine past tournaments. If the fighters of earth lose this last tournament, then earth would come under the rule of the Outworld Emperor.

This adaptation of the controversially violent video game series follows the adventure of Liu Kang, a man seeking his brother's killer, Johnny Cage, a washed up film star looking to boost his reputation as a fighter and Sonya Blade, a SWAT team leader with a vendetta against another Mortal Kombat participant called Kano. The unlikely trio form an uneasy friendship which develops as the film progresses. For a movie based on a game known only for its violence, the characters are given a decent amount of development. Impulsive, vengeance obsessed Liu Kang learns of a greater purpose in his life, Johnny Cage grows from selfish stuck up snob to a genuine friend willing to risk his own life for others and proud Sonya learns a lesson in humility and how to trust in her teammates.

A straight out "Flawless Victory" goes to the awesome production design that preserves the otherworldly look of the video game but does not go overboard or end up looking cartoony. Unlike campy video game movies that came before, Mortal Kombat takes itself seriously with only some well placed humour in between all the doom and gloom. The deadpan sarcasm of Christopher Lambert's Raiden, exaggerated hamming of Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's Shang Tsung and witty one liners from Linden Ashby's Johnny Cage all work well within the surreal context of this show, constantly reminding the viewer that this is, after all, a video game adaptation.

Fans would be happy by how closely the movie sticks to the game in both the look and feel of the characters. Even the special moves like Cage's Shadow kick, Sub-Zero's ice blast and Liu Kang's Bicycle kick are featured. The fights are short but a sure crowd pleaser; high flying wire stunts that are over used in so many modern movies are kept to a minimum, giving each fight an unpredictable and raw style that does not look overly choreographed.

Though Mortal kombat manages to toe the line without falling into campy territory, it never goes beyond its perimeter as video game adaptation. The film delivers only what fans of fighting games want; good fights set to a raving heavy metal/techno soundtrack and lots of action with a paper thin excuse of a story to connect one fight to the next. In fact it is possible to just skip ahead to every duel, watch just those scenes, and be satisfied at the end of the day as the credits roll and that memorable Mortal Kombat theme song plays.

In the unstable field of movies adapted from video games, Mortal Kombat still ranks among the best, being able to please both fans and casual movie viewers alike by being just as fun as actually playing the game. Those looking for anything deeper than superficial fighting video game fantasy would do well to look elsewhere.

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Go For it: if you love the Mortal Kombat games and would like to see the first good video game movie
Avoid it: if you expect all the bloody gore similar to the games or never did like video game movies in the first place

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