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Post by swoop on Mar 16, 2014 9:50:47 GMT -4
I watched DCs Flashpoint movie. It has mixed reviews. It is overwhelmingly violent. I felt that several characters were mistreated in order to move the plot which was sloppy.
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Post by Agai Lazen on May 18, 2014 22:11:06 GMT -4
As a long-time Godzilla fan, I was often made fun of in school for liking something so cheesy and stupid. When I heard there was going to be an American-made Godzilla movie, I felt like I could finally be appreciated, or at least dodge the ridicule. However, in the end I was utterly disgusted at the Matthew Brodrick flop that butchered the name for market value. I had heard there was going to be a new Godzilla film for a long time, but I dismissed it as phony. That was, until NYCC 2012, where Gareth Edwards had shown a preview of a new Godzilla film, and the world was gifted with that glorious, piss-yellow image. Now that I knew this was legit, I simply could not wait. I followed every shred of teasing I could get my hands on. Today, I finally saw the movie I've been waiting for my whole life. One thing I hear a lot of people complain about with this movie is that the big star of the movie, Godzilla himself, is not in the movie that much. I can attest to that, the movie outright teases you with monster fights, seeing the fight about to start and then cutting away to the human side of things. However, monster fights alone is not what the movie is going for, and something like that strongly goes against the director's very well-established style. For those of you that don't know, Gareth Edwards has done monster movies before and in a way that is very unique. He specializes in human interactions in a monster-filled environment, and that creates very strong human characters. This is something that all Godzilla movies but the 1954 original lack, and set it apart from the other Godzilla films in a positive light, IMO. Ask yourself, how was the 1954 Godzilla so successful and critically acclaimed if he had no monsters to fight? The answer is the one that absolutely no one looks to; the human element. There's more focus on the impact of the monsters, how they affect humanity and the world around them. What's important is the depiction of human suffering, and the despair that comes with fighting and simply being around these invincible gods that roam the earth. If you take that as the main course with the monster fights as a cherry on top, you'll enjoy this movie as much as I did. Hot DAMN is that a big cherry. I was a bit disappointed that Godzilla is depicted more as a hero than a villain, but his biology kinda helps him get away with it and it makes the ending immensely triumphant. Final score, Four Stars.
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Post by swoop on May 25, 2014 13:58:27 GMT -4
Human element… really? You know that is excuse for putting token human characters because they do not trust nonhuman characters to make people invest in the plot. It also to make relatable but I talk about that later. Kind of makes a person look shallow philistine with little empathy for thinking that. You most probably don't think that but examples such as Sonic, Megaman, Transformers, Doraemon and more show people have not gone over that barrier. I have yet to see it so I cannot judge it yet but a few of your words kind of bug me.
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Post by Agai Lazen on May 26, 2014 4:11:48 GMT -4
Normally I'd agree with you, but in most cases it's because the human cast is very, VERY weak. Spend more than five minutes analyzing any of the characters from, say, Pacific Rim, and you immediately hate everyone. Kinda like Spoony's relationship with the Final Fantasy franchise.
My point is that half the enjoyment from both this film and the 1954 original is the depiction of human suffering supported by well-written main characters. If you let yourself get immersed, you'll enjoy it, but if you're just in it for the monster fights, wait until Pacific Rim 2.
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Post by Agai Lazen on Nov 17, 2014 22:27:36 GMT -4
Recently watched Big Hero 6.
Right away one of the things I disliked about the trailers was that Baymax seemed like an unintelligent robot that couldn't surpass its programming (Much like the robots from the Fallout universe or Wizzly World) but that fortunately isn't the case. While Baymax does indeed start unintelligent and inept, he learns through his experiences with Hiro, even learning desire and protecting said desire.
Anyone that's watched The Matrix or Terminator might see that as a bad thing, but Big Hero 6 has a genius work-around for that, which comes in the form of Baymax's original function. In case you've avoided the promotional clips, Baymax was built by Hiro Hamada's older brother, Tadashi. Tadashi programmed and designed Baymax to be a safety and healthcare robot, it's #1 priority is the safety and preservation of human life. Unlike intelligent robots in fiction before him, Baymax would never harm a human being or even consider harming one to further his goals. I think it's genius to turn a healthcare robot into a superhero, because we know that the robot will put the safety and well-being of it's patients before its own.
A big theme of Big Hero 6 is the the grief that comes with loss of life, and coping with said loss. It definitely explores the different feelings that come with it, and the fact that obsessing over the loss could make you worse for wear. It also makes emphasis that you can't pull yourself out of that depression entirely by yourself. You need to talk to people about it.
Some of my criticisms are that the story is somewhat predictable, and there's a science and technology motif that gets abandoned pretty quickly. There's also the other four of the Big 6 that don't get the spotlight they really deserve, but hopefully sequels can remedy this.
In loving memory of Tadashi Hamada, the coolest big brother in all of fiction.
Oh, and after the credits is probably one of Stan Lee's best cameos yet.
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