Before you watch MAN OF STEEL: Superman's Origin retold

Man of Steel is Dc comics latest reintroduction of the Superman character into main stream blockbuster cinema. It is a retelling of superman's origin with elements from the Christopher reeves movies all set against a more realistic world not unlike our own.
The origin of the world's most iconic superhero has been retold countless times since its debut in "Action Comics" seen below

 

This classic origin story can be easily read through the "Superman Chronicles" trade paperback available at KINOKUNIYA BOOKSTORE

Now before going into this movie, here are my top 5 highly recommended readings which offer different reboots on the origins of the man of steel..

5) Superman (new 52) issue zero

Available from "Comics world singapore"  

Setting up the plot for Superman's place in DC's "New 52" comic universe, Superman #0 takes us back to his home planet of Krypton and the events that led to it's ultimate destruction. The main characters however are not Superman himself but his Kryptonian parents. It is an intriguing tale that is both familiar yet fresh: Jor-El discovers that the planet Krypton is doomed to destruction. Only this time, it's destruction seems to be artificially engineered. He and his wife Lara are roped into a conspiracy involving a doomsday cult that believe the destruction will benefit the greater good of the universe. What is cool about this is how much of Kal-El (Superman) we get to see in his biological parents; Jor-El's dedication to truth and sharp mind, Lara's warrior background and selfless heroism. A far cry indeed from the white haired sage made famous by Marlon Brando in the Christopher Reeves movie. Krypton itself is portrayed as a truly dangerous planet with unknown creatures lurking in its depths but with it's human-like inhabitants living in a teeming scifi technopolis no doubt inspired by Bruce Timm's "Superman The Animated Series".
With only 1 issue worth of 22 pages, the story is short and sweet and feels like the start of something greater. An awesome jumping-on point for those willing to get into the DC comic books.Not only that, the new MAN OF STEEL movie is directly inspired by the New 52 Superman as seen in the appearance of his costume.

4) Superman Man of Steel vol 1 by John Byrne

Available from Kinokuniya bookstore

Written and illustrated by John Byrne; Cover by Jerry Ordway A stunning tale of heroics and history, SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL VOL. 1 magnificently retells and reinvents the origin and early adventures of the Man of Steel. In this fastpaced, revelatory book, Superman begins his ascension to iconic hero as he leaves Smallville and becomes Metropolis's revered protector and guardian. Featuring the Man of Steel's legendary first encounters with Lex Luthor, Lois Lane, and Batman, this amazing book also includes a deadly battle with Bizarro, a fateful encounter with Lana Lang, and Superman's astonishing discovery of his Kryptonian heritage.

The planet Krypton is portrayed as a cold and emotionally sterile planet, an idea Byrne borrowed from the 1978 film Superman. Kal-El was not an infant sent from Krypton to Earth, rather, his fetus was placed in a "birthing matrix" equipped with a rocket engine and Jor-El's experimental warp drive, with Kal-El gestating during the trip to Earth. Once the rocket landed, Kal-El was fully "born" on Earth.

Other changes to familiar Superman mythology include the fact that Superman invincibility comes from an invisible "aura" generated by his body that surrounds him like the human bioelectric field. Objects held close to him, such as his costume, were protected from harm; his cape, meanwhile, could easily sustain damage in battle. The Superman S-shield is an original design by Clark and Jonathan and not a kryptonian symbol.
If you can get over the older style of colouring, the artwork is a real treat and the story proves itself why this version of superman's origin endured for years until........

3) Superman Birthright

Available from Kinokuniya bookstore

Written by Mark Waid Art and cover by Leinil Yu & Gerry Alanguilan A new softcover edition collecting the 12-issue miniseries that features the entire modern-day retelling of Superman by writer Mark Waid and artists Leinil FrancisYu and Gerry Alanguilan. 

Essentially, this is Superman's comic book origin updated for the 21st century reader. He does not discover his budding powers as a kid in smallville but discovers them in the middle of an African warzone where he was stationed as a freelance reporter. After that he goes back to Smallville and confronts Jonathan and Martha Kent about his alien heritage. The "S" symbol here signifies "hope" in Kryptonian, something the Man of Steel movie seems to have adopted. This also strongly establishes the Superman/Lex Luthor rivalry as something truly personal. 

Here, Superman's powers are elaborated upon, his range of vision spans beyond the wave spectrum and he can seemingly see the bio-electric force in each creature. It is a beautiful story of one man balancing who is was raised to be and who he was born to be. The setting is still fully a comic book world with robot helicopters and science fiction technology, but the way the characters are written is no less grounded in reality.

Although the artwork is a little rough in places, once you get used to it, Superman Birthright is a true classic not to be missed

2) Superman Secret Origin

Available from Kinokuniya bookstore 

The superstar team of writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank redefine the origin of Superman for the 21st century incorporating as many elements from past storylines as possible. This explosive story spells out the definitive origin of Superman, chronicling Clark Kent’s journey from the cornfields of Smallville to the skyscrapers of Metropolis. Witness a whole new look at the beginnings of Lex Luthor, The Legion of Super-Heroes, Lois Lane, Metallo, Jimmy Olsen, The Parasite and more of your favorite characters from the Superman family. It’s a look at the mythic past of the Man of Steel with an eye toward the future.

The reason for this was to rectify numerous inconsistencies between modern stories and the convoluted ongoing storyline (superman had been in publication since 1940s). So basically, it is saying that everything that was ever published, did happen. The story embraces all the different eras of superman from the silver age onward.
For instance, Clark Kent not only discovers his budding powers as a kid in smallville, but goes on to have adventures as Superboy with the Legion of Superheroes. And yes, he did meet Lex Luthor as a kid. This is one unique thing about this story in that we are presented with parallel tales of how Clark Kent and Luthor grew up and the events in their lives that shaped who they turned out to be. Growing up with the main hero and the main villian lends a more personal touch to their relationship than the other origin stories. This personal touch also translate to Superman's relationships with those around him.
The feel of Superman: Secret Origin is 100% comic book fantasy. It does not try to be gritty or realistic. The art is beautifully rendered by Gary Frank who patterns his Superman after Christopher Reeves.

Paperback version also available

1) Superman Earth One

Available from Kinokuniya bookstore 

What if Kal-El crashed on our earth of today? What if he had to grow up in our world, our reality: a world that has weathered 9/11 and the threat of terrorism, a world of the cynical, a world where newspapers dedicated to truth are dying and being replaced by gossip tabloids. This is Superman, not just revamped for the modern reader, but revamped to take place in our own 21st century. From the get go, Superman Earth One sets up a journey of a boy coming to terms with his own identity and his path in life. It answers many questions that modern readers usually ask about Superman. For example, if Clark Kent were so smart, so strong etc, why not become a sports star? Why did he dedicate his life to journalism?
Well superman Earth One gives a marvellous answer to that.
Also unlike previous takes ont he origin which show Clark Kent becoming superman, here we have the journey of Superman becoming Clark Kent. What drives him to defend a planet that he was not even born on? Why pose as a loser like Clark Kent? Furthermore, we get to see a more realistic reaction from the world of the comic when it is revealed that there is alien life in the universe. The government steps in, scientists and men in suits step in.........
Confused? Curious? Revealing more about this most excellent graphic novel would reveal the best parts of the plot. What Superman Earth One works best is as a character drama revealing the intentions behind Superman's actions and the reason he is who is chooses to be.
These themes are definitely familiar as they are the main focus themes of MAN OF STEEL.

Paperback version also available

And there you have it. Five essential readings for one to familiarise with Superman.

Enjoy

Iron Man: Rise of Technovore (2013) anime movie

Overall verdict: 6/10

The Good: Spectacular Mech combat, top notch animation, perfect blending of CGI and traditional animation, seems to be a follow up from the Iron Man live action movies

The Bad: inconsistent artwork, generic music, story feels "typical", flat characterisation, illogical courses of action taken by main characters, hints at deeper themes but never elaborates

3D Readiness: None

******************************Review*****************************
 To coincide with the release of IRON MAN 3 in cinemas, Marvel has returned to direct-to-video animation with Iron Man: Rise of Technovore. Yes, everything rises. Machines rise, Apes rise, Guardians rise, prices rise; too bads story standards have not. Iron Man Rise of Technovore has more cliches in it than its title, showcasing all that is good and bad about modern japanese anime.

 

 Our story seemingly takes place within the Marvel Cinematic universe. The characters look like their live action movie counterparts, and there are references to events in the live action movies. We start off with Tony Stark about to launch a "Big brother" surveillance satellite that will be able to track all criminal activity worldwide. Ooh, intriguing! What are the moral implications for such a move? Will a crime free world justify the loss of privacy? Well, we never touch on these instead moving into an attack by mobile suits piloted by the silly named "Raiders" intending to stop the launch. How original. Iron Man tries to save the day but encounters a nubile teenage boy clad in weird nano-techno-organic armour far more advanced than Iron Man's. Lives are lost, and since Stark is the only survivor, he is taken in by SHIELD for questioning.

Now here is where things stop making sense. Instead of hearing Nick Fury out and joining forces to stop this new threat christened "The Technovore", Iron Man bails out on SHIELD and stupidly makes himself a wanted man. Now with SHIELD agents Hawkeye and Black Widow on his tail, Iron Man has to find a way to defeat this Technovore despite being outclassed in every way possible.

True to modern anime, this movie favours flair, extravagance and all round coolness over narrative, pacing and the usual things that matter. Take a leading japanese anime studio, give them an American sized budget and technological backing and Iron Man Rise of Technovore is the end result. It looks marvellous! The CGI (computer generated images) are blended seamlessly with the traditional animation, action is fast paced and in-your-face, character movements are smooth while still keeping an insane level of art detail. Overall, the show is a real thrill with wicked aerial combat and state of the art tech.

For fans of anime, this is truly a visual treat. There are numerous little shout outs to other anime shows, most notably gundam.

Yet like most modern anime, the visuals are about the only thing good going for it. As stated earlier, the story makes little sense. Stark could have saved himself a lot of trouble with SHIELD if he just stopped for a bit and listened. But no. Our character of Stark is a one trick edotistical pony, dead set on having things his way. The other characters also come across as flat personalities, more typical anime fodder for fanservice than actual contributors to the story. We even have your typical angst ridden teen out to "remake the world". All in all, the story bears a lot of similar elements to Steins;Gate and Texhnolyze, 2 other anime series directed by Technovore director Hiroshi Hamasaki.

The script is a hodge podge of, again,  anime chiches. Thankfully, the voice cast do great job of becoming their characters, both english and japanese cast. They bring their best performance to the roles, especially Keiji Fujiwara and Matthew Mercer as Tony Stark. This is not Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man, which is refreshing; you do not have any of the corny humor that plagues the live action movies. Instead you have a Tony Stark that is not as comedic as the movies but still as snarky; more like in the comics.

On a whole, Iron Man: Rise of Technovore is merely superficial entertainment. There is no way anyone can be emotionally invested in any of the characters thanks to the cliche ridden script and story. Character relationships are simplistic to the point when death of characters become a mere passing moment. He's dead, on with the story. Pacing is too slow in many places to the point where it gets boring. Oh and the Punisher gets shoehorned in for absolutely little reason.

Pretty graphics and good acting cannot save an otherwise unimpressive, uninspired, and mediocre anime movie. At best, this is an extremely long showcase of studio Madhouse's animation capabilities when given the right backing. The "Invincible Iron Man" animated movie from 2007 is still a better animated feature than this.

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

Go For it: if you like typical science fiction anime, mecha and good graphics

Avoid it: if you want anything deeper than a showcase to showoff MadHouse's animation capabilities

Entertainment: B+

Story: B

Characters: C-

Animation: A

Art: B

Music: C+

Voice work (english): A-
Voice work (japanese): A-

Replay Value: B

"Brains": C-

Iron Man 3 (2013) movie review

Overall verdict: 6.5/10

The Good: Tony Stark gets to shine without his armor, awesome action set pieces and combat, tightly paced, political underlying themes, Robert Downey Jr's performance, rousing heroic soundtrack by Brian Tyler, a fitting conclusion to the trilogy

The Bad: An insulting "twist" to a much loved Iron Man comic book adversary, convoluted plot, badly timed comedy, wasting good subject matter.

3D status: Post production 3D conversion

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

Marvel has dug themselves in deep with Avengers. Woe to any other family friendly superhero blockbuster to ever come out as it will forever be held against the standard set by Avengers. Woe to Iron Man 3, which not only stacks up badly against Marvel's prior superhero film but falls victim to sequel degeneration.

Our story takes place after the events of The Avengers and Tony Stark is having anxiety attacks after his near death experience in New York city fighting off an alien invasion. At the same time, he is trying to be a good boyfriend to Pepper Potts in order to "protect the one he loves". But in comes an old rival Alderich Killian who either wants to seduce Pepper with his snakelike suaveness or just loves acting like the bad guy he is. Meanwhile, the terrorist leader "The Mandarin" has launched a slew of attacks around the world in order to teach America "a lesson". Quite a heavy start to the movie. Until, that is, one particular Mandarin attack hits close to home, putting previous Iron Man director Jon Freveau into a coma (hence perhaps why Shane Black took his job). Tony is furious and in his ego fueled anger does the stupidest thing in all superhero history: he gives his address on public television! As expected, villains attack his house and kidnap his girlfriend. So much for wanting to "protect the one he loves". Tony is forced to go into hiding and fight back, without the help of his high tech armor, against genetically enhanced foes with melting magma powers.

Here is the only genius move this film makes: letting Tony Stark kick ass without his high tech armor. The hero known as iron man is not the armor, but he is the man inside. Tony Stark is iron man and no one else can be him. With only his wits, ingenious mind and resourcefulness, Tony proves himself a true hero. However, these moments are handled less like character development and more like another "tony is awesome"sequence. Stark still has the same jerk ass attitude from previous films, still has his planet sized ego; it seems that all that has happened to him since he first chose to become Iron Man had not changed him at all.

What did change was all the elements taken from the original comic books. The human bombs from Matt Fraction's Invincible iron man series have been haphazardly combined with Warren Ellis' Extremis concept. The end result is not the "next stage of augmented human evolution" as per the comics but quite literally "melter people". Yes there is an iron man villain called The Melter whose powers is to melt things. Not sticking to the source material is fine, but blatantly poking fun and insulting the source material is a totally different matter. Case in point: the mandarin.

Simply put, the mandarin is meant to be Iron Man's dark opposite: mysticism against might, Supernatural against science. If Tony Stark were Batman, the Mandarin is his Joker. But Shane Black and pals took that character to the crap pile. Instead of being the analogy for the nature of modern terrorism as promotional material for the film claimed, the Mandarin is revealed as a complete joke. First, they ripoff the "big reveal" from Batman Begin's Ras Al Ghul. Then, like some kid's lousy April Fools prank they spit on the very character of the Mandarin turning him from the Monarch of Mayhem into the dysfunctional love child of Austin Powers and Mr Bean.

With all its special effects flair and big budget action pieces, Iron Man 3 cannot decide whether to take its subject matter seriously or not. Just as they are going into some good politics or philosophy, we cut to another comedy act for cheap laughs courtesy of Robert Downey jr. His acting is great, everyone's is. But the way it is handled breaks the tone of the movie. You have a film with unlimited potential for surfacing some serious political and philosophical subject matter. You have a film that could show a flawed character coming full circle with his heroes' journey. You have a film.......that does nothing of that sort and is perfectly content with being a comedy ridden summer blockbuster complete with an irritating kid sidekick for Iron Man.

Lesson: If you want to tackle serious subject matter, make a serious film and take the villain seriously. Iron Man 3 reeks of unoriginality, drawing many elements from The Dark Knight trilogy: hero loses everything and goes into exile, hero faces an adversary who turns out to nothing but a "front" for a more sinister bad guy, hero is trying to be a good boyfriend but endangers his loved one, hero is forced to rely on his wits alone without fancy gadgets, hero wipes the slate clean in the end and starts anew. Familiar? Of course it is. No doubt the casual movie goer will be drawn in with spectacular fight sequences, big budget special effects and Robert Downey Jr's charisma. Oh and obviously by good "word of mouth" from the success of The Avengers.  to No doubt Iron Man 3 will be a big hit by riding on the success of The Avengers. And at very least, it paints a successful trilogy whose first film gave birth to Marvel's cinematic universe. 

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

Go For it: if you like big action and comedy or if you had been a fan of iron man since the start

Avoid it: if you expect a credible villain, deep political satire or a movie that is just as good as The Avengers

Entertainment: B-

Story: B-
Acting: A

Characters: B

Music: B+

Replay value: B-

"Brains": C-

The Dark Knight Returns Part 2 (2013) Direct to DVD animated movie

Overall verdict: 8.5/10

The Good: Faithful to the source, elaborates and expands on the original comic book, superb animation and artwork, talented voice cast,

The Bad: replacing the original muted colors with a more generic animation color style, dips in animation near the end

Current Availability Status: On DVD and Blu Ray

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

The animated adaptation of Frank Miller's epic classic Batman tale concludes in "The Dark Knight Returns: Part 2". Whatever made part one great makes this one just as enjoyable. The producers continue their policy of adapting 100% the critically acclaimed graphic novel while expanding on story elements that could not have been expanded upon due to a lack of space in the original 4 issues worth of comics.

Spurred on by Batman's actions in the first part, The Joker uses a clever ruse to return to crime and senseless murder. As Batman attempts to bring the increasingly chaotic city under control, numerous forces are out to get him. The Joker wants to bait him into the ultimate showdown, the Cops under a new commissioner want to arrest him, the United States Government wants to end him. All the while, a war is brewing that would tear the country apart. Driven to the brink, Batman does the unthinkable and the government brings in a red and blue secret weapon who is faster than a speeding bullet.

Easily the most powerful conclusion and the finest animated production from Warner Premiere, the whole thing looks superb. Animation is of the highest quality, rivalling that of big budget anime movies. Fight scenes are in full motion, bristling with a kinetic sense of energy and without a single short cut. All of it set to a unique score by composer Christopher Drake which combines blockbuster orchestral tunes with a futuristic noir inspired synthesizer sounds. Again, the main complaint is more with the art than the animation. Frank Miller's art is faithfully replicated but in certain scenes, the quality of the art takes a nose dive. One such scene involves superman taking on a naval fleet; the way the ships are drawn look pathetically cheap compared to the rest of the movie.

And the final fight between Superman and Batman has some laughable dips in quality too. 

Telling a story in a new medium would warrant some tweaks. For example, Fans would remember that the comic featured walls of text to give exposition and explanation. In animation, the story is expanded enough so that said exposition is not necessary. Events flow naturally into each other and scenes that were slightly confusing to the casual reader makes perfect sense: scenes like Joker's final moments, the war with the Russians, why Gotham is suddenly snowing when it was a heat wave in the first movie etc. Just one of the examples of how this movie expands and improves on the original. The only thing lacking is that Frank Miller littered his narrative with characters' inner monologues. These give us an insight into the thoughts and personality of the characters; these are also, sadly, missing. And with it goes that insight that audience could have been given.

The voice cast are just as top notch as the previous installment. Michael Emerson's Joker is oozing with a certain homoerotic creepiness, quipping in a psychotic slur. Just listen to his dialogue during his climatic hand to hand showdown with Batman, it is almost traumatising. On the downside, Peter Weller seems to gave grown a little bored of the role as Batman. His deep baritone becomes almost monotone and his inflection is.....all wrong. Just listen to that half hearted "I Am the Law" speech he gives to the ex-mutant gang. Yes the script is the same as the book, but the delivery is below expectations.

Yet with its strict adherence to the source material, this animated movie also carries over the flaws of the source material. A good number of going-ons require some suspension of disbelief. Like how does Joker get his hands on lip stick that can mind control people? How does someone make near sentient robot dolls that spew poison gas and flies and has the strength of Superman? Oh well.....

It can be said that Dark Knight Returns, when both parts are viewed as one whole movie, is a true animated epic worthy of some awards. Perhaps the slight dip in some animation quality was due to the fact that they were producing Part 2 concurrently with the "Superman Unbound" animated feature. Nevertheless, this is a solid animated feature with good production values. DC and Warner Premiere keeps topping themselves, and the next animated feature will be hard pressed to keep this level of quality. The Dark Knight Returns duology is a must watch for any comic book fan.

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

Go For it: if you loved part 1

Avoid it: if Frank Miller's squarish, squat and musclebound art puts you off

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

G I Joe Retaliation (2013) movie review

Overall verdict: 6/10

The Good: Returns to the less juvenile comic book roots of  the G I Joe story, numerous fan references to past franchise, takes itself seriously as an action movie, great cast chemistry,

The Bad: hectic cuts, franticly unclear camerawork during fights, cliched premise, too convenient plot revelations, under developed political themes, has little connection to the previous film

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

In the near future, a crack unit of anti-terrorism specialists are framed for a crime they did not commit. A few of them promptly escape from a devastating counterattack and flee back to Washington. Still wanted fugitives under the order of the President, the remaining G I Joes must uncover the truth and clear their name. Yes there are similarities to the premise of "The Losers" and "A-Team" but G I Joe Retaliation heaps in that familiar premise with a good dose of comic book action and blockbuster thrills. However, it's loyalty to the G I Joe comic books cannot make us overlook the convoluted narrative, bland characters and overall inappropriate directing style.

Following the events of the previous film "G I Joe: Rise of Cobra", The president of the united states has been replaced with an impostor working for the clandestine terror organisation "Cobra". Working from within the system, he frames the G I Joe unit, engineers the escape of Cobra's leader, Cobra Commander, and disarms the world thus leaving them powerless against Cobra.  The remnants of the devastated G I Joe unit, led by special agent Luke Hobbs.......I mean, "Roadblock" (who is hardly any different from other characters played by Dwayne 'the rock' Johnson) attempt to clear their names by pulling John Mclane out of retirement......I mean "General Joe Coulton" (the original G I Joe played by Bruce Willis) out of retirement. In the meantime, The black power ranger and yellow power ranger go seek out the White Ranger........I mean, the ninja Snake Eyes and his apprentice Jinx seek out Cobra operative Storm Shadow in order to learn Cobra's plans.

If G I Joe: Rise of Cobra captured the spirit of the cheesy 80s era Saturday morning cartoon, G I Joe Retaliation oozes with the feel of the grittier G I Joe comic books written by Larry Hama. The tone from the get go is one of desperation and tension. The stakes are high and there is little chance of the good guys winning, yet they will pull it off somehow. Sadly, that is not necessarily a good thing. Hama was enamoured with his ninja characters and it shows here in the movie. Cutting between the Joes trying to clear their name and the ninjas on their quest to the Himalayas is like cutting between 2 very different movies.

Only the most hardcore of G I Joe comic fans will "get it". The film is littered with references to the comics (such as the Blind Master of Arashikage Clan, the look of Cobra Commander, etc) that will be lost on normal audience. Furthermore, this movie feels less like a sequel and more like a reboot of the franchise. Other than the fact that the President is a Cobra impostor, almost nothing from the previous film is present in this sequel. The G. I Joe team is no longer the Global counter terrorism organisation with a vast underground base full of high tech gizmos. They are now a normal commando unit under America's jurisdiction using conventional weapons and tactics. All these inconsistencies raises baffling questions. How did Cobra turn into this vast underground terror organisation after it was obliterated in the first movie? Why does everyone acknowledge Cobra Commander as supreme leader when in the first movie he only declares himself as "Commander" to one person (who aside from a brief cameo, never has an active role in this movie).

While the story is a bit of a mess, the screenplay by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (writers of Zombieland) is very well written, mixing the occasional humor with down to earth banter that fits each character's personality. Dwayne Johnson works best with their script as his character of Roadblock shares such a marvellous chemistry with Channing Tatum's Duke. Jonathan Pryce shines as well playing both the President and his imposter. Sadly, the rest of the cast do not seem as invested in the story as the main leads. The bad guys seem underwhelming, the new G I Joe members Flint and Lady Jaye are overshadowed by Dwayne Johnson's screen presence and Bruce Willis is barely there. His character could have been played by anyone and it would not have made a difference. All in all, it was a good script handled badly. The narrative suffers the same fate; it has some good underlying political themes about America's international presence, attitude toward foreign intervention and nuclear disarmament. Yet these are only touch and go, never elaborated on or even satired. A little more "brains" in this blockbuster could have scored it more points.
 
"Step Up" director Jon Chu seems out of his element directing a big action blockbuster. You got some cool visuals here, especially one particular stand out battle between Cobra H.I.S.S tanks and Roadblock driving a rocket loaded "Ripsaw" assault vehicle. Seriously, this is the battle you reenacted countless times with your toys. Jon Chu manages to sap all the thrill from the combat scenes with his camerawork. His scenes are too tight and his camerawork too frantic for any of the action to shine. At least Stephan Sommers had a good grasp on how to showcase big action scenes with a good mix of wide angles and long shots. Chu loses them in blurry close ups of shoulders, elbows, and everything BUT the full action. Could it be a case of a director who is out of his element? He takes the screenplay and gives it such lousy pacing laced with a good measure of exposition. The dialogue heavy scenes seem long and drawn out. Convenient plot twists abound and one particular character has a logic defying switch of allegiance.

Tone wise, the film can never seem to decide if it is going for a more realistic feel or comic book action. You have high flying stunts on a cliff side, bullet time shootouts, over the top villainous plots to blow up cities and rule the world, high octane vehicle combat, but at the same time you have scenes of characters just shooting at each other from cover like soldiers do in real life. The ninjas got this whole "realistic touch" thing the worst. After a spectacular deflect-the-shurikens-with-bullets scene, the ninjas Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow proceed to........wrestle each other. That's right, no kung fu, no high flying kicks or lightning fast fist cuffs.

 In the end, G I Joe Retaliation comes across as an overindulgent piece of fan fiction. The creative team seems more obsessed with sticking as close to the visuals of the comic books than to give a deep, character driven narrative. Whichever "genius" got a director best known for street dancing movies and that Justin Bieber biopic to come and direct a big budget action blockbuster ought to be fired. Fans will no doubt be willing to overlook all the flaws on the single notion that it adheres closely to the source material these fans have come to love.

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

Go For it: if you want a G I Joe movie adaptation that is most faithful to the famous 1980s G I Joe comic book series written by Larry Hama. Or if you like military sci fi films in general. Oh, and ninjas.
Avoid it: if you like your big budget action showcased in a clear concise manner, your stories to have more substance beneath the narrative or your sequels to at least acknowledge continuity.

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

Cloud Atlas (2013) movie review

Overall verdict: 9/10

The Good: a veritable showcase of acting talent from an all star cast, exquisite set designs, powerful interconnected stories with deep thinking themes, emotionally charged narrative, beautiful soundtrack

The Bad: non linear narrative style and thematic juxtaposition of 6 seperate stories may confuse many

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

Cloud Atlas is possibly one fo the trickiest movies to review. Here is a case of either you "get it" or not. It is by no means a typical drama. Here is a movie that encompasses so much of the emotional spectrum, transcending the very genre of what a movie is meant to be like.

The Wachowskis (creators of the Matrix Trilogy) deliver yet another thinking man's mind bomb via this narratively faithful but structurally different adaptation of David Mitchell's award winning novel. In the novel, each of the 6 interconnected stories are presented as a tale within a tale; the first story taking place in 18th century is presented as a lost diary that the protagonist of the second story finds. Likewise the second story is presented as a series of letters read by a supporting character in the 3rd story. What the Wachowski siblings do instead is present the stories as running parallel to each other, joined by thematic similarities within their narrative. Themes of love, loss, hope, despair, revelation, rebellion, defeat and triumph connect the scenes from each story which in themselves influence on another.

Yes, those initiated to non-sequential storytelling would be left lost. Each story follows a set genre style too. At one moment we follow a 19th century lawyer named Adam Ewing on his journey home to england from america, his fateful choice involving a stowaway slave.. The next we hop to 1936 as Robert Frobisher, a bisexual aspiring musician starts working on his masterpiece, the "Cloud Atlas Sextet" while his mentor seeks to claim credit for it. Then we get a great tribute to pulp spy thrillers in 70s and see the exploits of reporter Luisa Rey as she tries to uncover a conspiracy involving nuclear research and runs into some people seeking to silence her. Punctuating these more serious stories is the present day comedic ordeal of elderly Michael Cavendish as he is tricked into "incarceration" at a spartan nursing home and how he continually tries to find a way to escape.From the present to the far future, a clone slave named Somni bears witness to untold horrors in a so called Utopian world, thus fueling a rebel movement through the power of the media. And finally, during earth's last days, an era where cannibals rule the land, one unlikely couple seeks to escape their fate.

For fans of the Wachowskis' work, there are many similarities with this and the Matrix.  In all those stories, the central theme involves an imposed restriction and how an individual tries to break out from that restriction. Their act of defying the status quo would echo in the years to come and live on to inspire other such acts. Similar scenes are thus thematically juxtaposed and infused with bits of philosophy, not unlike The Matrix trilogy. Slavery, a desire for the truth, breaking free, futile rebellion, defeat but ultimately vindication. That similarity is most apparent in the Somni story, which could just as well be "The Matrix ver 2.0". With startling special effects, tremendous amount of thought which went into replicating the environments, tone, clothing and designs of each unique time period.

The all star cast brings their "A" game to screen delivering award winning performances. Even though we have so many characters to follow, the emotional connection is formed almost immediately.  Adding an element of fun to this movie is the ongoing game of "guess that face", as the actors play multiple roles across the various time periods. Sometimes they even play against type and against gender. Accompanying this time spanning epic is a emotionally powerful music score by Tom Tykwer, Johnny Kilmek and Reinold Heil. It is a simple melody which, like the movie, is performed in a variety of styles that matches the tone and time period of the scene.

Cloud Atlas will draw you in and thrill you as much as baffle you. One can only hope that the DVD or blu-ray release comes with both this ingeniously structured theatrical cut and "regular cut" which places the stories in chronological order (for those who can't follow flashback/flashforwards). With all the spectacle of a big budget blockbuster and the overall feel of a complex artsy film, Cloud Atlas is ambitious in challenging the norms of filmaking. Hopefully, its success will inspire generations to come.

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Go For it: if you like complex movies that challenges you to think

Avoid it: if non-linear storytelling gives you a headache or if you dont like to think that much into movies

Entertainment: A

Story: A-
Acting: A

Characters: A

Music: B

Replay value: A

"Brains": A-

Wreck-It Ralph (2012) CGI movie review

Overall verdict: 9/10

The Good: seamless blend of multiple art styles, solid characterisations, emotionally rich narrative, nostalgia laden setting and soundtrack, heart warming underlying themes, numerous video game references and cameos

The Bad: CGI seems mediocre at times considering the movie's high budget

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When the lights go off at Litwak's Arcade, it's just the end of another day on the job for all the video game characters.  Like any working stiff after a days work, they go home and party, visit friends, chill at a bar. Using Game Central Station, characters can leave their own game and live their lives until the Arcade reopens the next day. One such life is that of Wreck-It Ralph, the "villain" in the game "Fix-It Felix Jr". Having become disenfranchised with never getting the love and recognition the "good guy" does, Ralph decides to leave his game and enter another game to win a medal hoping that doing so would finally win him acceptance among the other characters in his game. He journeys through Game Central, to a "First person shooter" game called "Hero's Duty" where he unwittingly unleashes a "psy bug" virus into another game, a kart racing game called "Sugar Rush". Along the way, he interacts with well known video game characters, unwillingly causes a near disaster, uncovers a hidden conspiracy and finally finds acceptance in a most unlikely friend. 

 

Wreck It Ralph is to video games what Toy Story is to children's playthings.  The story itself feels familiar; we've seen variations of this family friendly, all ages appeal type of story in many previous films from disney and pixar, just in a different narrative setting. Yet director Rich Moore (better known as director of many Simpsons episodes) present this tale in an ingenious and fresh way. He cleverly uses the CGI format to tap into the boundless imagination and joy that one finds in video gaming. Some of the characters even move in that jerky fashion as seen in old games and designs span the whole gamut of evolving styles from cartoony retro to stylised modern. There is a smart play on irony here too: real life gamers play games to escape, to become another character that they are not in real life, and yet the characters themselves are unable to do that since they are programmed to be who they are and nothing can change that. Escape from reality is precisely what Ralph tries to do.  

Key to the appeal of the movie is it's characters. Although lacking in "A-list" hollywood cast members, the voice acting is top notch. Every role is infused with that much personality and emotion that, like any good movie, you forget about actors or their roles and just see these characters as characters. Ralph himself is very easy to relate to; the outcast misfit trying to gain acceptance and to come to terms with a purpose for which to use his talents. Not surprisingly, this sounds like the stereotypical profile of the big sized socially inept gamer boy. Another perspective is that he represents the adult reality; a working stiff who has grown jaded of his job and just wants to escape into another game world. Along the way he meets the annoying Venelope Von Schweets who is the very definition of the word "brat". Yet Venelope herself is a character with many layers and below the rude bratty exterior lies a little girl who, like Ralph, just seeks acceptance for who she is. her happy go lucky nature easily represents the inner child without a care in the world yet forced to grow up under less than ideal circumstances. Ralph and Venelope play off each other with perfect chemistry, allowing for one truly heart wrenching scene near the movie's climax. 

Cheeky pokes on video game genre stereotypes and at how gaming has evolved through the years. From the simple pleasures of 8-bit platformers to cutsey kart racers to high definition badass First Person Shooters (FPS). Even the characters within those games are parodied. For example, Sgt Tamora, a character in the FPS Hero's Duty gets a tragic backstory so common in such characters. Fix It Felix Jr speaks in an overly polite style with dated slang, further highlighting his game's retro status. Special mention goes to the music score by Henry Jackman who combines orchestra with electronic synths. It goes from a purely electronic simple melody for the retro games, segues into j-pop inspired tunes for the candy inspired Sugar Rush kart game and even lampoons the heavy metal style music in science fiction FPS games. 

There is something truly nostalgic here and it is just oozing from the art style, the music, the very concept of the show. The film's only shortcoming is it's animation which looks surprisingly mediocre considering it's 165 million dollar budget. Perhaps a lot of the money went into buying the rights to use characters in cameos like Zangief and Bison from Street Fighter, Sonic the Hedgehog, PAC Man, and other famous video game characters. Another let down is the misleading advertising campaign. Posters and wallpaper featuring all these famous characters walking next to Ralph, or even featured more prominently than the true main protagonists, implying that their role in the film will be a substantial one. Alas, all we get are cameos that never last beyond a minute.

Yet something about the story just tugs on the heartstrings of the inner child. Gaming adults and pop culture enthusiasts will have a thrilling time picking out all the little references and homages while children and children at heart will be amazed by the colorfully creative repackaging of a familiar story. The game world is a world of unlimited potential. Who knows if we might see Ralph, Venelope and their friends move beyond the arcade and into the world of internet Cyber gaming! Now THAT calls for a sequel and fast!

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Go For it: if you want to see what could possibly be the best video game movie that is not actually based on a video game, if you love heartwarming tales of friendship and if your inner child craves something to take you back to simpler days of youth
Avoid it: if you never did like family friendly animated stories in the first place.


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