Saturday 24 April 2010

Clash of the Titans Review

I’m one of those people who ‘remember the original’ when it comes to the Clash of the Titans. I think this was one of those films that drove me to SF and Fantasy. But I remember being slightly disappointed by it when I was young – something was missing. I was mesmerised too, don’t get me wrong, but I think I wanted more from the film, even when I was five.

My girlfriend liked it. She hasn’t seen the first one, nor had any preconceptions. This may be key to liking this film: not having any preconceptions. Everyone who enjoyed it that I’ve talked too seemed to go with a blank slate, not having built up the expectations. Like me.

Man Vs the Gods. That’s a proper tagline. Bring it God, do your worst and I’ll still beat you. Very modern in its premise I feel. Religion is in descent while humans’ living their ‘one-life’ to the extreme is on the rise. Popular western society is shunning religion, and this modern film mimics how we feel in the 21st Century.

But there’s something missing. Sam Worthington is great in this, so it’s not him. Liam Neeson is good too. There’s just a thin story that doesn’t use the other characters to full affect. You don’t ‘feel’ for them when they die because of this, resulting in a lack of impact. I didn’t see the reason for most of them being there.

Also, while I’m ranting, I thought the set up of the plot was poor – merely a vehicle for the CGI later on. The first 15/20 mins felt rushed. No character development (apart from Sam Worthington's Perseus however). More depth here would have created an outstanding film.

Now, the effects are good and it was a fun popcorn film. The kraken was brilliant, as was the Pegasus. I just think someone along the way missed a trick with the plot and story.

Enjoyable, but as my GF said: not going to buy it on DVD even if it was fun. I think I built it up too much as I saw the original when I was young. I’ve heard that watching it a second or third time makes it better. I’ll leave that to you.

2 out of 5 Gods of War.

Nagash The Unbroken review

The Time of Legends: Nagash the Unbroken Review in all Games Workshop stores now!

Bit late on this news, as ever, but if you pop into your local GW store you may find this swift review of the newest Time of Legends novel on a self talker in the Black Library section. I’m well chuffed, of course. More soon, I hope!

‘The Time of Legends series came into its own with Nagash the Sorcerer, bringing alive one of the most infamous and powerful characters of the Warhammer world. Lee created a gripping, twisting tale driven by heroic battles, lust for power, great characters and an epic plot to rival any fantasy fiction. The trilogy continues from where it left off, delving into the rich, tragic and battle-strewn history of Warhammer. This novel sees Nagash take Cripple Peak as his new lair and set about building an alliance with the Skaven. Nagash the Unbroken is a fast-paced read, full of raging battles, dark deeds, and high magic. The dead will arise once more!’

Check out www.blacklibrary.com for more details!

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Yes, I know it’s been out for a while now, but I only bought my Xbox a month ago and have a decade or so of catching up to do… Anyway, this is my first review of a computer game – not played many! I’m more of a Warhammer 40k SF fan rather than Star Wars, even though the original trilogy is amongst my favourite films, but this game hooked me from the start. It was kinda fun being Darth Vader for the first ‘training’ level – though now that I know how the controls work I want to go back and have some fun with the powers – and the story was really strong. What a great idea to have a hidden Vader apprentice, and actually play as him!

The story is the strong point to this I feel. It is very ‘star wars’ in its making, with the classic tragic past mixed with love and fateful future. The game play is enjoyable too (come on, getting to use a lightsaber and Force powers is proper fun!), especially when you get the hang of the Force.

Some of the levels can get tedious, but overall it takes you deeper into the Sith side of Star Wars, and is a great coming-of-age story.

Later this year the sequel The Force Unleashed 2 is out – in the trailer Starkiller has TWO lightsabers… oh yes!

Check it out: http://www.lucasarts.com/games/theforceunleashed2

Four out of Five Sabers of light, indeed.