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Reviews
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (2004)
A great addition to a great series on a great system.
I do not understand why anyone would complain that this project will not be successful. It is obvious that Silicon Knights is doing everything they can to maintain the storyline, dialogue, and stylistic visuals. MGS is one of the greatest videogames of the past 10 years, but, truth be told, the original is no longer graphically impressive. Don't believe me? Try popping the game into your PSX or PS2, you may be surprised at how awful the game looks when compared to today's standards.
I'm in no way bashing the game, it was groundbreaking in terms of storytelling, gameplay, and graphics. However, like many 3D PSX games (including other revolutionary games like Final Fantasy VII and Tekken) MGS has not survived the test of time.
The Twin Snakes is a fantastic way of bringing new life to a dying classic. I have much faith in Silicon Knights, they know how to make videogames and make them right. Their great, yet overlooked, title Eternal Darkness is one of the best Gamecube titles to date. Working with material as strong as the original MGS, there is little chance that The Twin Snakes will disappoint. For all you PS2 and XBOX owners who are bashing this game, give it a rest. XBOX was lucky enough to get MGS: Substance, and PS2 is getting the sure-to-please title MGS: Snake Eater later this year.
Nobody should overlook this remake of the original genre-defining game.
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
A very exciting and intense installment of Star Wars...
Three years ago, I remember the feeling I had while I was waiting to see Star Wars: Episode I. I had hopes of it being as great as the original three movies had been. However, Episode I was a great disappointment. Just today, I stood in line to see Episode II with a very doubtful and cynical disposition. I was expecting that it would be not much better than Episode I. I was very wrong. It is only one of two movies in which the entire audience clapped afterwards, the other movie being Lord of the Rings. This movie is what Star Wars is all about. Episode II: Attack of the Clones has all of the action that The Phantom Menace should have had. The quality of the special effects exceeds that of Episode I by leaps and bounds. The backgrounds are stunning! Without spoiling anything, I will say that this installment has THE best battle scenes of ANY Star Wars movie. The fights are fast-paced and exciting. Although it is quite humorous to see Yoda fight, that scene is simply incredible. If you have any doubts, as I did, about this movie get over it and GO SEE THIS MOVIE! Not one Star Wars or Science Fiction fan should go without seeing this movie in the theater.
Akira (1988)
One of the greatest achievements in anime.
I have been interested in Japanese animation since I was a small child. Shows like Thundercats and Gundam introduced me to anime (Japanese animation). However, as I grew older I began to slowly become less interested in anime of that kind. One day I was going through my old toy collection when I found one of my Gundam action figures and I remembered how much I liked those shows. At that point, I became more and more interested in trying to find an anime film that is made for a more mature audience. I went out to look for that kind of movie one night and found Akira. At first I had little interest because of the cover (Kaneda walking up to his motorcycle). There weren't many other options, however, so I decided to go for it. That night I once again became hooked on anime. The animation of Akira is simply breathtaking, and the plot is so involving; many adults will have to think about the ending for a few hours to clear everything up. I will not hesitate to say that some people will be turned off by the intense violence of Akira, and many will be disturbed by the powerful story about two friends being torn apart by a force that no one can control. You absolutely must have an imagination while you are watching this film. Anyone who approaches Akira without an open mind will be disappointed and confused. This film was the beginning of an incredible genre including great movies like "Ghost in the Shell", "Ninja Scroll", "Perfect Blue", and "Princess Mononoke". Akira is the masterpiece that introduced the world to anime, and with its stunning visuals and complex plot many fans will agree when I say that Akira is one of the greatest achievements in anime.
The Straight Story (1999)
The trailer was better than the film...
It is beyond me why this movie has been rated as of now (June 11, 2001) #100 of the 250 best movies of all time. When I saw the trailer for this movie, I thought to myself, "That looks like a great movie, I have to see it when it comes out." I never made it to the theater to see it, and boy am I glad that I didn't. When I got around to renting it, I watched this whole movie waiting for some to happen. Not once did anything inspirational or uplifting happen, let alone anything to help move the dragging storyline along. The musical score is just horrible. Well it's not bad at first, but that's all that you hear throughout the whole movie. Sissy Spacek did a horrible job with the speech impediment that her character had. Richard Farnsworth did a good job acting, but he didn't have much to work with. There isn't anyone else worth mentioning about acting, they were all very mediocre and amateur. I gave this movie a try, I really did, but it didn't live up to the hype. If you're still interested in seeing the movie, I suggest you watch the trailer, it shows all the best parts of the movie anyway. I give it a 1, yes a 1, out of 10.
Mononoke-hime (1997)
The very best of anime...
I have seen many animes, including Akira and Ghost in the Shell, which used to be my favorite two anime movies. However, after seeing Princess Mononoke, it quickly became my favorite. Miyazaki is a genius. His ability to tell a story through art is overwhelming. I would try to explain the story of Princess Mononoke, but it cannot be expressed well in words.
I recently bought the DVD of this movie, and there is a feature that allows you to see the literal translation from Japanese to English. I was very impressed by how well they adapted the final translation from the choppy, literal translation.
For those of you that may have been turned off by the excess violence, gore, and nudity of other anime films, you can watch this without being offended by such scenes. The voices that were chosen for the dubbed English version were spectacular, Minnie Driver and Billy Crudup in particular. If you like animated films and enjoy the art of Japanese animation, this movie is a must-see. I rate it 10 out of 10 (I would rate it 11 if I could).