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Reviews
Pitch Black (2000)
A good prequel.
I'll begin with a brief outline of the general storyline.
A transport ship, known as the Hunter-Gratzner, while travelling through space, is hit by a sudden meteor shower, and is forced to crash-land upon a desert planet. A scorching-hot planet with three suns, no water and no apparent wildlife. Just barren rock for miles, and eternal light. The few survivors from the crash (a group of Muslim pilgrims on Hajj, a jump-pilot, a mercenary,a band of settlers, an alcoholic entrepreneur and an escaped convict) salvage what they can from the ship, now damaged beyond repair. During their explorations of their surroundings, they discover the planet is scheduled for an eclipse, where an orbiting planet crosses in front of the suns, casting the world into pitch-darkness. I won't spoil the rest for you.
The surprising thing about this film is that it was produced under quite a tight budget and schedule, yet it yielded extremely good results publicly. Scoring no marks for unpredictability, yet 10/10 for originality, this movie introduced the deep and mysterious character of Riddick, and acts to fill in the background and history of this certain individual. Unlike its unplanned and extremely overrated sequel, this film earned Vin Diesel the reputation he deserves, along with its Director David Twohy.
8/10 in my opinion.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003)
One epic game.
One of the first games I ever got for my Xbox, and I still treasure it today. In my opinion, I find this KoToR better than its sequel, although some may disagree.
The game is set four thousand years before the rise of the Empire (which basically allows the developers to play around with the storyline, as it won't have any effect on the movie timeline). The Sith Lord known as Darth Malak is searching the Galaxy restlessly for the Jedi called Bastila, a young Jedi with a gift. Unlike many, she has a powerful connection to the Force, a gift which allows her to influence the outcome of many battles, wars even, via her Battle Meditation power. You star as a soldier/scout/scoundrel (you choose) stationed onboard the Endar Spire, the same ship that Bastila is aboard. A sudden attack by the evil Sith prompts you to escape planetward, towards the world of Taris, where you must find Bastila immediately, lest the enemy capture her first.
This game receives my eight out of ten for several reasons: its excellent and breathtaking graphics, its original, involving gameplay style, its deep, intriguing plot, its strange, very different characters and its underlying premise of (once again) good versus evil. The other two marks were lost mainly because of its long but necessary prologue, to fill you in on the background of the game, and to get you accustomed to the controls, and how the game operates.
This is one RPG not to be sniffed at. Good or evil, hero or villain....you decide.
Call of Duty 2 (2005)
My first 360 game...
When I got my 360 for Xmas, this was the only game I received. I'd pleaded with my Mum not to get it mixed up with 'Big Red One' for the original Xbox, and I was overjoyed when she hadn't.
Pros:
Graphics-The detail, lighting, and effects on this game are amazing! the dust and smoke from the explosions, the flashing red screen when you've been shot, the grainy sand of the desert towns, the rock faces and water effects at Normandy....all of these amount to make one of the greatest looking games I've ever seen.
Sound effects- These were excellent too. The crashes of the explosions, the piercing gunshots as you move round the corner, the spit of the bullets as they crash into the scenery behind you all add to a great feeling of authenticity.
A.I-the Artificial intelligence has improved this time round. Your squad-mates know when and where to provide covering fire, alert you to hidden enemies or tanks....a considerable yet not significant upgrade.
Cons:
Repetition- Again, its just shooting and more shooting, punctuated occasionally by planting sticky bombs on tanks and distracting enemies with smoke grenades.
Setting- I know this is Call of Duty and it's set during WWII, but the 1940s setting is beginning to drag on a bit. Perhaps you could play as one of the Axis officers, or maybe they could make a Call of Duty set in the future....who knows?
Overall: A vast improvement on Finest Hour, so in my opinion, this gets 9/10.
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
The trilogy is complete.
I may be slightly biased on the issue of Star Wars, as I think that all six films are excellent, however Return of the Jedi seems to me to be one of the least good, for several reasons.
Before this film had been released, I had never heard of any director known as Richard Marquand. I knew of no previous films he had directed, or any films that he had been involved in. First warning sign.
Secondly, to me, it just doesn't finish the trio of movies off very well. We all would expect a finale to be grand and epic, action-packed,final battle of good v evil, and Return of the Jedi just does not deliver for me. No to my liking anyway. Sure, it's got plenty of action, but by the end I don't really get a feeling of completeness, of resolution.
The third little niggle; since when can Stormtroopers be knocked out with rocks and killed with wooden arrows? The armour they wear should be far more developed than that, and in my view of the Star Wars universe, it's just not realistic.
And since when does a Stormtrooper run after someone who tapped them on the back? they'd simply pull out their blaster and shoot them. Again, unrealistic. And what purpose do the Ewoks serve, apart from standing there, looking 'cute'? Also, in one or two places, the quality of the acting could have been improved. I'm not trying to sound cynical, I'm just giving you my opinion. Trust me, if George Lucas would have directed this, it could have been a lot better.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
As good as the first?
Naturally, when I went to see this film, I was expecting it to be good, after the first's success. I was impressed, to say the least. Although many others would probably tell you 'there wasn't any need for a sequel' or 'the plot's too confusing', I strongly disagree.
The first few minutes seemed slightly strange to me; as in why was Jack Sparrow being thrown off of an island in a coffin? Plus, the first three-quarters of an hour were just a tad bit slow (probably because there wasn't any action!), but the plot began to thicken from there.
When the first movie was released I'd never even heard of the name 'Gore Verbinski'. He seems to have made quite a good job, with both films so far.
The plot to the film was just slightly complex, but fairly easy to grasp if you take notice.
The acting was superb from everyone. Johnny Depp seems to have gotten better at being Captain Jack if nothing else, while Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom support him well (they're not bad on their own anyway).
There are some major action sequences, especially the three-way sword battle on Isla Cruces, and following that the spinning wheel part.
I'm sure everyone wants to know what happens next, especially as the film ends so suddenly. I think the thing we all want to know is: how the HELL did Barbosa come back to life?! 8/10 in my opinion.
Halo: Combat Evolved (2001)
Excellent!
What a GREAT game! I got this game for Christmas, the same time I got my Xbox, and I was shocked to discover that I'd never played another game like it.Fast-paced, full of explosions, a complex and compelling storyline, and high-octane action set-pieces make this game one of the best I (and surely a lot of others')own.
Half of the actors I'd never even heard of, but they were stylish, emotional and they carried the game along nicely.
The single-player levels are detailed, atmospheric, and sometimes even spooky! They range from a swampy, dark jungle to both Covenant and UNSC ships, to snowy, arctic-style chasms.The multi-player levels are exactly the same, full of detail, every bit of care been spent on them as on the single-player levels.
The controls are simple and easy to get used to . Every level is packed with ruthless Covenant enemies, who will take every opportunity to blast you into next week.The AI is intelligent, and you will be challenged almost every second to overcome their forces.
The graphics are tremendous, a vast range of colours spread across every level, the maps sprawling, practically huge.
A brilliant game. If you enjoy this one, you'll most definitely enjoy the sequel! 10/10!
Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker (2006)
Great start to a good series...(I hope)
Well, me and a couple of my mates decided to go and watch this film for my birthday. So, naturally,I was hoping that it would be good!We sat through the trailers patiently, waiting for the movie to begin.
I have to admit that, even though they radically altered it, the beginning of the film was great! It was fast, intense, thrilling even as Ian Rider speeds away from the Sayle Enterprises Complex on the bike.
From that point on, the majority of the film had been changed, even if ever so slightly. I'll give you a few examples; Where did the Royal and General Bank go to? Crawley to Crawford? Sabina Pleasure is introduced in the THIRD book, and doesn't even go to Brookland School!
I didn't really agree with the casting either. Bill Nighy does not, I repeat not, make a good Alan Blunt (he's too tall and just doesn't sound right). They could have cast someone better than Stephen Fry to play Smithers too! Apart from all the casting 'mishaps', the acting was good from everyone.
It was a strange choice of Director too; I have only known Geoffrey Sax to direct one other film. He did a good job anyway!
The film was also way too short for my liking. You simply cannot cram an Alex Rider novel into 93 minutes. It's just not enough time to fit everything in;there were some really good scenes that were cut out. Personally, I REALLY would have liked to have seen the snooker scene in Sayle's house.
It was still a great film though, despite all the little differences (annoying to me really). A good, enjoyable film for all the family, and a great introduction for anyone knew to the world of Alex Rider. I hope they just keep getting better and better with every sequel! 7/10!
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Not nearly as good as the book!
I have seen the latest Harry Potter twice now(I am so lucky),and both times I thought it was excellent. It is a brilliant film for all the family, but it's not rated 12A for nothing! Half the people in the cinema let out huge gasps when Ron told Harry to p**s off, and when Cedric was murdered.
The movie has a great score, despite the fact that it wasn't John Williams doing the music,yet Patrick Doyle is just as talented. It is a very exciting film, but also a lot darker than the first three. I was slightly worried how it would turn out, due to yet another change of director, but it has been set out perfectly. Top actors, though some could have done slightly better in such a big-budget film such as this.However, yet again, a lot of info is left out from the books(possibly crucial to the story)and this slightly spoiled it for me. The books are infinitely better though, as you can use your imagination!
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (2004)
One of the best games I've ever played
The Chronicles of Riddick:Escape from Butcher Bay must be one of my favourite games for the Xbox. I think that Riddick's great anyway, so when I saw this I just had to have it. This game explains two things:1)how Riddick got his 'eyeshine' in the first place, and 2)how he escaped from one of the toughest slams in the Universe. The game has excellent graphics due to the motion capturing performed by the developers, which makes it seem very authentic. Riddick and Johns are voiced by their counterparts from the movies, and a lot of new characters are introduced, many who are irrelevant to the story overall but a few who might make the difference between Riddick living and dying. There is a huge amount of replay value, just to collect every feature and fully complete the game. This isn't a game for young children though, as it contains a lot of swearing and violence(just what you'd expect from Riddick). Verdict:10/10!