My Rankings for the MCU (First Three Phases)

I'll explain the rankings below. I won't go into much detail beyond ranks S & A.

S Tier: 

1) Captain America: The Winter Soldier

I feel like this is the most distinct film in the entire MCU. It plays out more like an action thriller espionage film than a comic book film. It has incredible pacing, some of the best fight choreography in the entire MCU (that scene where Steve and the WS duke it out on the freeway is bliss; it was also done entirely by the cast if I'm not mistaken), and there's few holes in the plot. Batroc the leaper was kinda thrown in and Johannsen's very noticeable tan in the film is kind of off-putting, but those are minor flaws in an otherwise paramount film.

2) Iron Man

It started the whole thing. It was done really well. Only one problem: the anachronism regarding the casting of James "Rhodey" Rhodes. Both guys sold it but the unfortunate events that resulted in the change of actors can't be ignored. And in 'Endgame' we get a really weird meta joke from Tony himself where he calls Thor "Big Lebowski", and considering who plays the name-dropped character, and considering who played the villain in the very first MCU film, it's just messed up. Enjoyable film to watch no matter how much time has passed.

3) Guardians of the Galaxy

It shouldn't have been as good as it was, but it ended up knocking my expectations to the ground and pounded them into dust. The soundtrack was killer, the pacing worked really well, there were a lot of funny lines, characters (for the most part at least) were likeable, it gave us a strong outlook into the MCU beyond Earth, and few other movies in the MCU incentivized me to watch it more than once in the theatre like this one did. Considering the price we have to pay in Canada for each movie, that's a big feat. Honestly, the fact that the whole film was akin to a space opera, a la Star Wars, makes the film that much better.

A Tier:

1) Thor: Ragnarok

I was about to give up on the Thor franchise within the MCU. I had little hope after watching the dumpster fire that was The Dark World. I figured that Chris Hemsworth would find no more reason to ever want to return to the role in potential sequels. But then this film happened. It was a blast to watch. Seeing my boy, the Hulk, make a solid return to the big screen was a bonus. I didn't care too much for the plotline on 'Sakaar' and was hoping the film would be a closer adaptation to the "Planet Hulk" storyline than the acid-fueled dross that was cooked up for the film, but it was a fun watch nonetheless. This gave Thor some actual character, finally.

2) Spiderman: Homecoming

Likely my favorite live-action movie with our beloved web-head. It's the most down-to-earth take on our hero yet. And it didn't waste our time with the origin story because that would have made it the third fucking time within a 13-year timespan where we had to watch his beloved Uncle Ben get shot and killed to spur him on the path to true heroics. Michael Keaton as the Vulture made this otherwise (kinda) lame character better; the chemistry between characters was organic and believable; Marisa Tomei, always sexy, was likeable as Aunt May; the father-figure/mentor relationship between Tony Stark and Peter Parker/Spiderman was effective. It was kind of a fresh take on an already-established and incredibly popular character to begin with, and it all worked really well.

3) The Avengers

I had low expectations going into this one. I didn't think I'd like it. But then I saw it and I had a good time. It's hard to like it as much the more the MCU grows, but because this film established that the MCU was very much a bonafide, all-encompassing franchise with a rich menagerie of characters and story possibilities, it was a valuable film in the MCU to come.

4) The Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame

The culmination of everything that came before it. The conflict we were all waiting for. The arrival of the biggest of the MCU's big bad characters, Thanos. The opening of Infinity War firmly establishes that the characters are in for a tough battle with aforementioned villain. While I didn't like the treatment that my boy, the Hulk, received in this film and the next, both of these jaunts in the cinemas worked pretty damn well. It didn't live up to my expectations, given that it wasted a lot of opportunities for character interaction (one of the richest aspects of the MCU overall) and I wasn't all that pleased with how they rewrote Thanos, chiefly in how they reduced his abilities to "super strength and super toughness" (I was really looking forward to seeing some of his powers make their live-action debut here and I got none of it). The "children of Thanos" were kind of disappointing, too. Lots of characters got sidelined (Hulk really comes to mind), too. The whole idea behind the Soul Stone, while unique among the stones for its vaguely mystical nature, was ripe for plot discrepancies. I could go on and on.

5) Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2

Still funny. Still has a solid soundtrack. Colourful and full of action. But it's hampered by some parts the drag on a little too long, and Star-Lord suddenly having superpowers and then losing them almost as suddenly (he has them for like five to ten minutes?) comes off as contrived, if however cool it is to watch (if he had these powers in Infinity War & Endgame I think he'd likely have done a lot of damage to Thanos and his forces). Mantis was kind of irritating. I fucking loved the sequence with Yondu slaughtering all of the mutinous ravagers like it was child's play. 

6) Captain America: Civil War

Team Cap. Even more nonsensical than the comic-based storyline it's adapted from, but somehow more poignant in a few places anyway. Did a better job overall in handling the character of Black Panther than his own film, but I won't pretend his film didn't handle the character properly, either. Has some good fight choreography just like the previous movie, but it gets a bit crowded and not in the best of ways. Still enjoyable overall. Spiderman's introduction also nails it. Wish someone would have called General Ross out as the asshole who caused some of the shit that he's so righteous about. I mean, he practically made the Hulk, and the Abomination too, as if he didn't learn a damn thing the first time.

B Rank:

Doctor Strange was alright; Benedict Cumberbatch is good as Doctor Strange, but the film is just serviceable at best. Ant-Man was funny and is one of the more unique films in the MCU so far (for being more of a caper movie than a straight action movie), but it had more potential which sadly was not explored enough. Age of Ultron was overstuffed and a bit too frenetic for its own good and I honestly felt it should have been divided into two movies to better utilize the (somewhat wasted) title character, but it was still really fun to watch and the introduction sequence still gets me every time. Black Panther was overrated but still has one of the strongest messages in the entire MCU, although I won't go into further detail here. The original Thor is another serviceable film, not really all that special and is kind of anachronistic the more the MCU grows (what's with those extra-bushy eyebrows?). 

C Rank:

Eh, Captain America: The First Avenger was not my cup of tea, really. Iron Man 3 is a love-it/hate-it film for me; on one hand it has some solid action sequences, but on the other it squanders what could have been a significantly better plotline (the Mandarin, anyone) to give us the action it ended up with. Incredible Hulk had some obviously fun times in it, like any sequence with the Hulk (my boy) doing what he's best at, but it gets a bit dragged down by the melodrama and isn't much of an improvement over the flaws of the previous film, Hulk, at all.

Shoot Paul, He's a Mime:

Iron Man 2 wasted so much time and also wasted what could have been a monumentally better character, played by Sam fucking Rockwell no less! What a fiasco that turned out to be. Thor: The Dark World was a snooze fest with a one-dimensional villain, and the film is just shy of being redeemed by the plotline where Thor seeks to avenge his mother, who fell while battling against the the bad guy. Loki dies but doesn't because he's Loki, but he's dead in Infinity War I think?

Doom Eternal Review (2020, PC/XBONE/PS4, FPS/Action, Id Software/Bethesda)

Rip & Tear!

More of the same, kind of? 

Nah, this is an evolution of the franchise in mostly every way possible. Eternal kind of raises the stakes both thematically and mechanically; Earth, in the story proper, is being ravaged by the forces of Hell; new gameplay mechanics, enemy and weapon types, and a huge change in pacing take center stage. You won't miss a thing that Id Software has added to the mix for this round.

Does it all add up, though? Does it blow 2016 out of the water, or merely do its own thing well enough that you can't quite compare the two?

Well, both are kind of true here.

Like its predecessor, when you deal with enemies, the game takes on a sort of presentation that we've seen in the likes of Serious Sam and PainKiller. Exits close off and the hordes of Hell pour in over time, trying to slay your ass. You are often contending with such a varied minutiae of hellspawn at any given time that there`s actually a level of depth to the gameplay: never stop moving (if you can help it), keep shooting, but mind that some monsters are weaker and stronger against certain weapons than others. And each monster has different ways of trying to kill you and keep you moving. It`s just like before (minus the gore nests, which only show up to trigger `special encounters`, new to this title), only now it`s even more hectic.

One thing you`ll notice, visually, is that enemies look different this time around. Shy of the newcomers, such as the Arachnotron, Marauder, Dread Knight, Pain Elemental and plenty others, the ones who are returning may invoke feelings such as, "I've seen this before, but where was it?" Well, that's because this time around, the imp, zombie soldier, legendary Cacodemon, and even Mancubus (to name a few) have designs that hark back to the classic games of the early nineties. One or two enemies didn't really seem to fit in with this new visual theme, for some reason or another, but overall the developers pulled that off.

You have new means of dispatching demons at your disposal, whereas most of the arsenal from before make a return as well. The super shotgun, for instance, comes pre-packaged with a meathook, which allows you to rappel right toward your foes by anchoring the hook into their flesh. Neat. The chainsaw as well plays a more prominent role, too. You have a grenade launcher, with two grenade types, instead of having to use your hand as before; the reliable fragmentation grenade for the simple task of slaughter, and the ice grenade for slowing and freezing enemies. You can upgrade these two in the Praetor Suit upgrade menu, which also returns.

Some weapons have their methods of attack slightly changed, or in a few cases, their alternative modes changed entirely. The assault rifle, for instance, has a slower semi-automatic mode that deals greater damage at the expense of using more ammo; the super shotgun eschews the mastery that allowed for firing two barrels before reloading; the chaingun is an energy weapon that replaces the mode that keeps the firing mechanism winding in favor of an energy shield, and more. As mentioned before, you don't throw grenades, but rather you fire them with a new attachment to your suit. They are the frag grenade, the ice grenade, and then the "flame belch." The latter of these attacks is crucial to keeping armor drops coming during the heat of battle. 

The gauss cannon has been replaced by the ballista, which is a magic-based weapon (that uses cells, for some reason). You now have a blade attachment on your left arm which is used during some of the glory kills, but never has an active presence in real-time combat. The chaingun, like before (but more crucial than before given how little ammunition you can stock up on) serves to replenish your reserves when used on the forces of evil. The way you slice and dice with this bad boy is always fun to watch.

Glory kills make a return as well, which makes sense given how they helped 2016 achieve such popularity.

The new enemies really liven up the pacing of combat. Arachnotrons, highly mobile unlike in the good old days, like to pelt you with plasma from afar. Gargoyles, more or less flying imps, force you to keep on eye on the sky. Pain elementals like to throw lost souls at you, literally, and "walk" while floating in the air right towards you. Arch-viles, introduced in Doom II, make a triumphant return as one of the toughest foes in the game. A throwback monster in the Tyrant shows up here and there, to remind you that the infamous Cyber-Demon of old is still very much in the minds of the masters of hell. The Dread Knight is basically a cyborg Hell Knight which comes with an area-denial ability. The Baron now has blades of argent energy on their forearms which they use to gut you like an armored swine. The Cacodemon is more aggressive and really wants to take a bite out of you.

Then we get one of the most impressive enemies in the game: the Marauder. He's the foil to the Doomguy, basically. He's smart, highly defensive, very fast on his feet, toys with the player (fires his own shotgun if you're too close, or throws argent energy beams at you if you're too far), can summon evil wolf spirits, and leaves you with few opportunities to actually hurt it. In fact, you can't even nuke him with the BFG 9000. When you have to deal with him, make sure you take care of other demons first, because he's the one who'll give you the most stress of them all.

There are multiple bosses this time around: the cybernetic Doom Hunter, which has a shield and (at first) flies on a robotic platform; the first time you meet a marauder; the Gladiator, which resembles an even bigger "hell noble" demon that uses a shield offensively; the Icon of Sin, and then its master, Khan Makyr. Pretty impressive, compared to the previous game anyway. 

Rather than present the game in an entirely linear fashion, you now kind of "hop" between levels using portals in your newly-introduced hub area, lovingly called the "Fortress of Doom." The hub is impressive, as you can upgrade your suit and abilities here (with the help of various rewards you find in gameplay), gain a couple of important new tools, can play around with enemies in the "prison" area, and even attend to a room that showcase your collectibles and progress. There's even plenty of Easter eggs and nods to not only the older entries in the franchise, but pretty much anything that falls under the Zenimax Media/Bethesda family of games. Yes, you can find a reference or two to games like Fallout and Wolfenstein, to name a few. Talk about welcome fanservice.

Like before, the game encourages exploration between your bouts of slaughter. You also have new means of getting around: Doomguy can cling to climbable walls, and you can gain the ability to dash up to two times whether on foot or in the air. The meathook, as mentioned before, can also help you get around, too. Doomguy can smash in walls that have cracks in them. Much of this is meant to facilitate rummaging through the levels to find various secrets and collectibles. One new kind of artifact, if you collect 6 of them, can allow you to wield the "Unmakyr", which is basically Doom 64's "Unmaker" once again. Oh and there are now secret encounters, which if finished before the clock runs out, award you with weapon points. 

The story is a bit more serious, and goes kind of like this: Doomguy, at some point after the previous game, took over the Fortress of Doom and uses it to get to Earth, as the latter is being ravaged by Hell. Humanity is on the brink, only barely surviving thanks to a resistance movement, and Doomguy is the anti-hero that the (non-brainwashed) humans are leaning on to save the world. In order to stop this invasion for good, he has to find and kill three Hell Priests. However, as he moves from one to another, he gets stifled by a much more powerful entity that has basically orchestrated humanity's downfall. The motivation for this big bad wanting to kill humanity is cliche and uninteresting, but we still get to enjoy watching as the Doomguy shows everyone and everything that he's sick of all of this bullshit. You can almost feel his glare through his visor. Did I mention that we can see his eyes through his visor? Also, as the game nears completion, we get to see flashbacks that show that not only is this Doomguy the same one we loved from the classic games, but how he became the veritable force of nature that he's been since 2016. Let's just say that if you've read the infamous Doom Comic, then you'll notice the obvious call-out to that same devilishly hilarious piece of limited print.

It's not all rosy, though. Your mileage may vary on this, but at times, the game becomes borderline unfair. You get less ammo, even with upgrades, and often find yourself scrambling to murder a demon that is chasing your armored ass before he murders you. While you have several different ways of replenishing your health, armor, and ammunition (arguably most important), you're sometimes so overwhelmed by the proceedings that you might just forget to use these tools on hand to keep the fight going in your favor. Also, there were a few areas in the game (not including Slayer Gates, which can throw enemies often above your level right at you) that were downright aggravating to get through. An annoying new addition to the game, which thankfully only happens a few times, is this thing (or enemy, such as the Arch-vile) that provides buffs to enemies. Said buff makes enemies ridiculously fast, which can outpace YOU in the worst of times. Also, they keep coming and coming until you destroy the source of their buff. The worst thing about these sequences is the matter of finding those sources, which, in the case of the Arch-vile, can be a huge hassle to do while you're avoiding the bloodthirsty demons zipping your way.

It also gets a bit tedious at times. You feel like you're doing the same thing over and over, and it doesn't really mix things up much. We played this in 2016, and aside from the new additions to the formula, we're doing the same thing again. Only, this time for a good 15 or so hours. That's not a terrible thing, but depending on how you take the experience, you may grow weary of it or appreciate it. I kind of found myself slightly leaning toward the former, unfortunately. Especially in areas where I constantly get killed. A slight reprieve from getting killed over and over is that you can sometimes find (and eventually hoard) "extra lives", which simply revive you immediately when you'd otherwise die. If you don't have these, though, you have to reload the game. And while reloading the game doesn't take a painful amount of time, it's still time wasted, which can take you out of the frantic mood of the game, especially if it happens too often.

But at least it's more Doom. That, to me, is a welcome thing. Overall, this is a great purchase and we've all been promised additional single-player content in the coming months, unlike last time. I haven't tried the multiplayer mode, which has been flipped on its head this time around, but it seems to be a mixed-bag anyway. There's a lot of unlockable rewards that allow you to customize the Doomguy, the way monsters and weapons appear, and even trivial crap like character poses and introduction music. With new challenges and tasks to complete as time goes on, rewarding new skins and the like, the game will remain active for a while to come. Good on Bethesda and Id to listen to the fans this time around, and give us a more rewarding experience.

B+

The Good:

+ Same great gameplay

+ Lots of new enemies to eviscerate

+ As you pick your enemies apart, their skin and hide gets sloughed off. You'll even see the bones of your prey.

+ Great placement of secrets

+ Very rewarding to find upgrade points and the like

+ Funny and reverent Easter eggs to find, including the Dope Fish!

+ Looks fantastic, and runs smoothly as before, too.

+ Enjoyable soundtrack, with many more throwbacks to the old games than 2016 had. Even the main menu music is recognizable to fans of the series

 + The Doomguy is cooler than ever, and will go down as one of the most badass player characters in gaming

+ More single-player content is forthcoming, as of this writing

+ Customizable, thanks to revolving gameplay challenges and the rewards they grant

The Bad:

- Sometimes feels tedious

- Some areas are borderline unfair, even if you've been upgrading your weapons and character

- A few monster designs don't look as stunning or monstrous as they did before, taking away the 'wow' factor they presented in 2016

- The story is just an excuse to drive the game along, more or less. That's fine, though

- You often find yourself devoid of ammo, before you even realize it. It can be replenished fairly easily most of the time, but you're often too distracted by constant combat to notice before it is too late

- Rather lackluster multiplayer. While you do get to attack the Doomguy as a demon, this is basically the formula you always use: attack the Doomguy as a mook. 

- Platforming, while nothing like a dedicated 2D platformer in terms of difficulty, seems a bit tacked-on, to serve as an excuse to add extra mobility functions. 

Terminator: Dark Fate Review (2019, Action/Sci-Fi, Paramount Pictures/Skydance Media/20th Century Fox)

Terminated. Again.

With a lot of skepticism and hype at James Cameron's return to the franchise, you know it had a lot to live up to. It also had to somehow provide a remedy for the contentious previous three films over the past 20 years. This installment had to, well, terminate the wrongs in order to make a right.

And for the most part?

It did.

Some time before release, this film garnered the attention of mouth-breathing edgelords all over the internet, from YouTube to Facebook, and beyond, you had people complaining about things that didn't end up mattering much: the antagonistic Rev-9's everyman facade instead of sticking with big buff guys like with the T-101; the mostly female cast; putting a South American actress in the starring role. People even thought that Linda Hamilton, finally returning to the franchise after nearly 30 years, would be the black sheep of the film. 

How wrong they turned out to be.

Now, am I trying to say this film is without flaws? Certainly not; this film bombed because of certain disadvantages it had to deal with. First off, franchise fatigue: with the three previous releases failing to live up to the name, as well as an interesting, if not divisive TV entry that was cut short before it could go anywhere on its own, Jimmy Cameron and crew had to do something, anything to breathe new life into this property.

And it didn't quite make it. While I mostly enjoyed myself when watching it on release day, I couldn't help but feel there were other things holding it back from being on the level of T1 and T2. Things like recycling the general plot threads of the first two movies. The film played things a bit too safe, even after they killed off a character that was seen as the linchpin of the franchise for all these years. It doesn't do a whole lot of new things. In fact, just as I said that it plays things safe, this might be why it didn't perform as well as the producers had hoped, aside from the aforementioned franchise fatigue that I brought up before. It straight-up bombed at the box office.

The movie starts off and gets on its two feet pretty quickly. Having earned their just rewards, basking in the sun on a beach in Guatemala, John and Sarah Connor feel absolutely free from the nightmare that had befallen them for so long. However, this is a new entry in the franchise, so something bad happens: John Connor gets gunned down by another Terminator, that had been sent to a different place from the one in the second movie, only to now conveniently show up. And it looks like Arnie again, using de-aging CGI effects. Edward Furlong's young (and more sightly, no offense) digital likeness is plastered over a pre-teen boy's body which gets peppered with shotgun rounds. Sarah Connor is de-aged as well, and witnesses first-hand the horror she had been trying to fight against. Then the scene ends, and takes us to Mexico. Neat.

At night over a busy freeway, a familiar sight appears: a time portal opens, right inside of the actual road itself. As previous entries in the series have made clear, anything caught in the actual portal itself is basically vaporized from existence. Or perhaps it's displaced into the time stream somewhere. Anyway, out comes falling a tall, slender woman with short blonde hair. We get introduced to Mackenzie Davis, this film's take on Kyle Reese and the good terminator from Terminator 2. Only somehow she's not only clearly human like the former, but she's inhumanly strong, sort of like the latter. If you already know where this is going then I'm not spoiling anything. Then we go somewhere else in Mexico, the next day.

The real star of the film, Natalia Reyes as one Daniella Ramos, shows up. She takes care of her father and her brother, and they're headed to work. Right after they leave, this film's take on the Terminator shows up: the Rev-9, played by Gabriel Luna. He showcases similar abilities to the notorious & badass T-1000 from Terminator 2, copying clothing being held by an onlooker who is a little too close to the killer machine. Legends say this woman is still standing there in complete shock.

The Ramos kids go to this automotive factory, and Daniella gets in a dispute with their boss because her brother's position just got automated. This is one of the messages of the film, by the way: the fear of humanity's obsolescence brought on by automation. Humanity causing its own doom once again. Anyway, Mackenzie Davis kind of waltzes into the place, takes down a security guard, and she moves right inside with a security outfit. Meanwhile, the patriarch of the Ramos family somehow shows up, confusing the brother as to why he's there. This is when Daniella shows up and the Rev-9 wastes no time in getting down to business. Just as he's about to deliver a killing blow, Grace, played by Mackenzie Davis, intervenes and fights him off. This is one of the best action sequences in the film, hands down. In fact, I would put it up there with the greats in the franchise. She buys the Ramos kids some time and they high-tail it out of there.

As they're fleeing from the Rev-9, doing all they can to slow it down, while also causing a lot of commotion and collateral damage to others, Sarah Connor is inexplicably (at this point in the film, anyway) tracking them down. She stops her pickup truck, pulls out an automatic shotgun to gun down the terminator, fires at one instance of the machine (it can make an autonomous copy of itself) with a rocket launcher, and proceeds to show how badass she is in dealing with these things. While she's distracted, however, Daniella and Grace rudely steal Sarah's truck and get out of this jam. Son of a bitch, indeed. Oh and brother Ramos got killed, but he's not all that important in the scheme of things.

So yeah, with a few scenes giving us breathing room, we pretty much watch the same plot threads of the first two movies carry out, with a few differences of course. Grace is an augmented human, but comes with a heavy cost due to her being a living thing with a not-so-tough metabolism given some machinery. Daniella is the new John Connor. Skynet, the malevolent AI that has haunted the franchise ever since its inception, has been replaced with a new one called Legion, which carried out the same deeds conveniently enough. Sarah has been receiving communiques from an unknown source, helping her track down additional terminators so that she can, ahem, terminate them. So the team decides to meet up with their mutual contact and decide what to do from there. Chase sequences ensue, just like in earlier movies, and machines meet their grisly fates, ally and enemy alike. Just like Kyle Reese before her, Grace sacrifices herself to give Daniella a chance at defeating her assassin. Flash forwards into the future also show us what is at stake. Sound familiar? It should!

That's the gist of this movie. I might make it sound lame or underwhelming, but it really isn't either of those things. At least, I didn't think so. I just figured that they could have done more with it, to make it stand out. We've more or less seen all of this play out before, with different faces and different anachronisms to boot, so the film doesn't end up giving too many surprises. Now, the most intriguing and perhaps the most controversial thing they did in this movie, killing off John Connor (right at the start!), gave some sort of promise. Too bad the sum of the film didn't quite provide more of it. Does the film suffer horribly as a result? Not at all. It just doesn't transcend past itself and into greatness. 

The special effects, for instance, don't entirely hold up. And this is disappointing because nearly thirty years ago, in 1991, Terminator 2 made headlines for breathtaking special effects at the time. While some of those same effects don't entirely hold up today, they were still more convincing overall. This film is hurt, particularly so, by the use of de-aging effects, and trying to animate Arnie (who plays an older version of the same Terminator that finally killed John, as seen in the opening sequence) doing things that the actor is not physically capable of doing himself (he's an old man, after all). And then there's the scenes taking place outdoors, at night. They're poorly-lit and can be a chore to watch. Who thought this was a good idea?

However, the rest of the effects are great. The Rev-9, in particular, is a stunning addition to the rogue's gallery of this franchise. In one of the flash forwards, we get a glimpse into just how horrific the future must be in this new timeline, showcasing relentless assault of several Rev-7 terminators completely cutting apart at a squad of resistance fighters trying to escort their highly-coveted commander to safety. Gabriel Luna does well with his role, adding a certain degree of sinister that not even Robert Patrick's T-1000 could touch (not knocking on his legendary performance, however). And each action scene works as they should, providing varying levels of excitement each time.

The soundtrack wasn't as memorable as before, only going so far as to provide updated renditions of the franchise's theme. Arnie's (supposedly final) involvement in the film was not as welcome as I'd like, but it's not for lack of trying. Rather, it seemed like blatant lipservice to the fans, as if they can't be placated by anything else. It's always good to see a good terminator bashing around a bad terminator, but just like in previous films (even ones this installment disregards as non-canon), it's all for naught in the end. And because this film bombed, the likelihood of a new entry any time soon is nil, so we're all going to be left with a new path that won't be traveled. 

But it's certainly better than Genisys, grittier than Salvation, and less an of insult than 3:Rise of the Machines. It's also as violent and hard-hitting as before, does away with. The new political and social commentaries are welcome and relevant jabs at what's bothering our culture and society as large. The action is fun for the most part, I didn't shed a tear for John Connor's death. It was high time that they do something risky with him, and they did. If only they could have changed up the formula with Daniella, who is John Connor in all but name. Mackenzie Davis was surprisingly good as Grace, who showed that the resistance was capable of pulling tricks in the future war. Gabriel Luna delivered as the new bad terminator, and most of all, it was good to see a jaded, wise-cracking Linda Hamilton again after so long.

Just don't think of it too much. And unless there is a change of producers (short of Cameron himself), don't hold your breath too much for another entry because its performance warranted a termination of sorts from the producers. What a shame. This film didn't deserve the silly amount of hate that it got. Most of the arguments as to why this movie "sucked so bad" were immature and inconsequential overall. I know it wasn't going to please everyone, but for the most part, it pleased me.

B-

The Good:

+ It's actually a decent film to watch, and doesn't insult the viewer's intelligence
+ Takes, if any, a few chances to shake up the franchise and I felt that they worked
+ Solid special effects overall
+ Awesome action sequences
+ Mackenzie Davis made a great "guardian" character
+ Linda Hamilton's return was worth the hype
+ Acts as a "fuck you" to the previous three movies, especially in attacking the idea of "fate" and "not being able to change the future"
+ It's gritty, just like before
+ Flash forwards show a ravaged world of horrible adversity, just like in the old days. Too bad Salvation didn't quite deliver on that front.

The Bad:

- De-aging effects can invoke the uncanny valley effect
- While I didn't mind it, the killing of John Connor at the very beginning may not have paid off in the end
- In spite of the (few) risks they took with this one, it didn't do enough of them. The character of Daniella, for instance, is simply another John Connor. They couldn't make her stand out more on her own?
- A few scenes taking place at night are poorly lit
- Arnie coming back yet again doesn't do a whole lot for me.
- Recycles old plot threads, such as chase sequences, character roles, and the like.
- Leaves questions unanswered
- Felt a bit short; should have been more developed, in terms of characters anyway
- Soundtrack doesn't do anything memorable

God of War (2018, Action/Adventure, Santa Monica Studio/Sony)

The saga enters a new era, coming out on top in the process.

With all of the praise it has received since its release, one may likely think, or at least find that this game may be overrated. Well, it isn't. If you think so then you're simply wrong: this game is as good as most people say it is. 

And why is that?

It's because it refreshes the franchise. Instead of being the seventh installment that recycles the formula started with the very original (nothing wrong with doing it for three main games, if only to improve it with each release), it gives us a new perspective and change of pace. You're closer to Kratos now, playing from an over-the-shoulder, third-person perspective. You're never moved far way from him, even when a massive battle commences. Likewise, cutscenes, all rendered in-game, are closer to the action than they ever were. This is a more intimate entry to the franchise.

The story is also vastly superior.

To summarize the story, here it goes: Kratos has, long since the 3rd entry, exiled himself to a faraway land—the Norwegian wilds. Or, in other words, Midgard. Some time after arriving, he settles down, swearing to never go back to his old, raving lunatic ways. He also meets an enigmatic woman named Faye, and ends up falling in love. They even have a child. That child is named Atreus, in honour of a fellow Spartan who helped keep the others grounded in humanity.

Unfortunately, Faye passes away.

At the start of the game, we see Kratos cutting down a specific type of tree, all marked with yellow handprints. These were handpicked, literally, by Faye, indicating that she knew full-well of her demise. Her passing rocks both Kratos and their son, Atreus, forcing them to look inside themselves and most of all, to forge a bond together. For they are each all that they have left.

In short, this is a game about a father with a sordid past who tries to shape his son into a man—a better man than he ever was. But Atreus is genetically predisposed to the traits that, much to Kratos' horror, defined what he once was, and now hopes to let go of. He has to mentor his son, protect him, teach him humility and boundaries, and especially for him, not to be so afraid of his son. Kratos sees, in some ways anyway, his younger, much more violent and reckless self in Atreus, and throughout the game this terrifies him. 

Faye wanted her ashes to be released atop the highest peak in all the realms. So, knowing that the journey would be harsh and challenging, they set off to fulfill her last wish. Along the way they run into all sorts of oddball characters, borderline-insane antagonists, and a sinister force unseen yet at the center of it all. And all they want is to grant Faye her request.

What you're going to notice right off the heap is that this game is fucking gorgeous. Santa Monica Studio overdid themselves giving us a mesmerizing presentation. You have to wonder just how much work that your PS4 console is putting in to give you this experience. To give you a single hint as to how detailed and photorealistic this game is, you can see the tiniest, most lifelike details on Kratos' face: wrinkles, contours of the face, scars, ruggedness of the skin—it's all there for you to see at any time. The attention to detail not just in Kratos, but pretty much everything else you see AND interact with, that will take your breath away. 

The gameplay is not too far removed from the titles of yesteryear, but it is more deliberately paced and, owing to the closer third-person perspective, has more impact. Fighting enemies has weight and power, and as you earn experience and use that to unlock more fighting moves with the various weapons and your collapsible shield, it only gets more intense as the game goes on. And there's a well-designed gear system at play here: you unlock sets of apparel (chest, arms, waist, and various trinkets) that all grant different bonus traits. These sets can help you hone your play style. And though there clearly are tiers that rank in power, there are still caveats to all of them: do you favor having more hitpoints over defense? Do you want a set to grant bonuses to runic attacks, at the behest of cooldowns which may end up being longer? There are many combinations to consider, and some sets grant truly unique bonus abilities that you just have to discover for yourself.

Now, while you're still as much a god as you were before, if not out of practice a little, in the game proper you're often tested by even the most common enemies. They come in ranks, and with each rank comes greater risks. This keeps you on your toes, even if when you really think about it, Kratos would be laughing at all the nasties that come before him if it weren't for gameplay and story segregation. But that would make for a boring game, wouldn't it? 

There's a strong sense of progression with all of the things you encounter. Enemies and bosses get stronger and more dangerous as you move closer to your end goal. And a very notable foe may keep you glued to your seat as to just how relentless he is for our protagonists throughout the game. 

Oh, did I mention that you have Atreus at your side? 

Yes, Atreus is a supporting character. No, he's not a liability; Atreus was carefully designed to provide aid to Kratos AND look after himself remarkably well. First and foremost, though, is that Atreus is hardly ever at risk of getting hurt, or even killed for that matter. In fact, I'd say that outside of boss battles, he's always at the ready, only affected by the chaotic, ever-changing conditions of the battles you engage in. You can lock onto enemies and order him to fire arrows, of which there are three kinds (two of them take over when you unlock them), in order to stun enemies. Or they can help wittle their health down, too. Of course, there is a slight limitation here: Atreus can't simply spam arrows into your enemies, as there's a cooldown to each attack. That aspect can be upgraded with Atreus-specific gear that you can also unlock.

There are plenty of puzzles and sequences that often require working with Kratos' son in order to solve them. Is there an object that has to be hit with a lightning arrow from Atreus in order to open a door? Does Atreus, who understands the Nordic/Runic language the pair often sees on their journey, have to read aloud an incantation in order to unseat an obstacle? Such occurrences, and more, come into play many times, and they never get old. A lot of imagination went into the puzzles and other obstacles to overcome, and they only get more interesting as the game progresses. Of course, some of these puzzles only require Kratos to solve them.

The world is large, fairly open, but always focused. You can explore a little, for the sake of finding unlockables and new items, and also for gaining resources needed to improve the gear you find. There are various challenges and side-missions to complete, and in my experience, they are all satisfying undertakings. You might even gain some further insight to the lore that is on offer in this fantastic title when you explore as much as you can. The rewards are aplenty, so there's no excuse to not engage in this activity.

It's also a somewhat lengthy experience overall. We're not talking the length of an RPG, but you're going to get your money's worth. And that's NOT including the side-missions. The game is paced well, with set-pieces aplenty but spaced out nicely, making for a well-rounded experience. It's all very cinematic, without taking you too far from the action. Button prompts do return from previous titles, but they're not egregious. If anything, these only complement the action that unfolds. For example, a character named Baldur loves to harass our heroes from time to time, and he always brings with him a harrowing encounter. One such encounter involves Kratos trying to rescue Atreus from Baldur's clutches as they soar through the frigid skies on a dragon, and because Baldur can match Kratos' might blow-for-blow, he'll sometimes be forced to pin the madman down and wail on him in order to buy more time to save his son.

There are a handful of unique, and highly challenging boss fights that are seemingly optional: the Valkyries. While they all look rather similar in appearance, with even their battle areas sharing a common theme, they nonetheless are separate from one another. As in, they scale in difficulty and ability. One after another, each fallen Valkyrie pales in comparison to the next one up the ladder. You might not fight them in the proper sequence at all times, but when you do, you feel the burn getting hotter and hotter as you step up. And then you fight the final Valkyrie, and you're constantly on your toes. Your heart rate skyrockets as you duel against the deadliest enemy in the entire game. And when you finally manage to defeat her, you feel immensely rewarded, like David toppling Goliath. It should be noted that fighting the Valkyries grants you some of the game's most valuable, and effective gear and resources as well; very much worth the high degree of difficulty that these battles afford.

Speaking of his son, this is one of the most engrossing father/son storylines you'll ever experience in a videogame, bar-none. Their interactions and development are so well-written that it's believable, and natural. Kratos starts off rather distant and cold, and harsh, even if he's well-meaning. But over time, he is able to fight off his own insecurities and fears for the boy that naturally, he opens up to Atreus and shows more of the humanity that Kratos is in favor of. We also see a lot of development of Atreus as well; he starts off rather timid and cautious, but over time, he gains lots of confidence—perhaps too much at times, as well as straight-up arrogance and less patience for the world around him, and even, in the most heated of times, his own father. And then he has to learn humility, and to keep a level head, for like Kratos of old, he could get lost in his own anger and power and cause unimaginable damage to all around him.

Let's talk audio: the game has a memorable score, carefully made for this game. It also has some of the best voice-acting you'll hear in the franchise. Gone are the days of Kratos constantly barking like a lunatic; this Kratos is humbled, if not extremely weary, and has a deep, booming voice. In battle, he still roars with fury and determination as he ever did, if only because he just wants himself and his son to get to their destination with as little conflict as possible. There's a lot of funny banter as well with the merchants you meet in the game, especially the dwarf Brok, whose foul-mouth is as sharp as his wit. His brother Sindri is more reserved and timid. A third, very important character named Mimir joins our heroes, albeit unwittingly somewhat, and while his accent is noticeably unlike that befitting the region the game takes place in, he's always a treat to listen to as he is a story-teller type. 

Baldur, the primary threat our heroes face, is one of the best villains I've fought in a video game in quite some time. He's a menace, yes, but there's a reason for his madness. Each battle, and sequence involving him makes for a thrilling time. You'll even learn of his vulnerabilities as a character, for in spite of his invincibility, it comes with a price that has weighed on him over a very long time. Other characters, though not as frequent, nonetheless always contributes to the high quality presentation of the game's story.

And then eventually, with all the hardships our heroes face, and all that they learn about themselves and one another, they come to the destination that Faye had determined. This is when they learn that not everything is what they thought they were: Faye was a frost giant, and Atreus, already known to be half mortal and half god, turns out to be part Giant as well. And Faye may have known more than they realize about their journey. Finally, as Kratos himself learns, Atreus seems destined for something that will change their lives completely down the road.

And then it comes to a satisfying, if not somewhat emotional, end.

Great work, guys. I'm looking forward to the next inevitable installment. Thor, here we come!

A+

The Good:

+ It's a fresh new, if not still familiar, take on the franchise. Sorely needed.

 + The graphics are truly a sight to behold. The scenery porn alone is worth the price of admission

+ Gameplay is always satisfying, from fighting common and less-common enemies, to battling the bosses, and then the harrowing encounters with the Valkyries. 

+ Cutscenes, rendered in-engine, never bore us, always push the story forward, and are often thrilling or emotionally moving.

+ Kratos is much more sympathetic, and being humbled, never grates on the nerves. 

+ Atreus is the additional primary character that the story needs and deserves. He adds so much depth to the franchise alone.

+ While not a true open world per se, the world is still built in a way that allows you to explore for more experiences. And you never feel like the world is too small, either. It feels just right.

+ Everything you hear is perfect for the presentation.
+ The Valkyries serve as a test of all that you learn through the game. If you're up for the challenge, then you're in for quite a ride, even with the lowest-ranking Valkyrie.

+ The new setting opens up many new possibilities

+ We're going to fight Thor and Odin

The Bad:  

- Going through the game, you may be likely to find that it meanders a bit. Sometimes you want the next big set piece of occur.

- Nifilheim, while a really neat area, contains a side-mission that may come off as tedious to some. There are rewards for this activity, however.

- The game ends (no fault of its own this one, because all stories have to end at some time)
- Some bosses seem a bit recycled.
- The Valkyries, progressively so as you fight harder and harder ones, might frustrate you a bit.

  

Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 5, "The Bells" Exposes Contrived Writing

Probably the worst aspect of this season of GoT is how everything that happens seems so...contrived. 

 

Arya popping out of nowhere to destroy the Night King? Contrived, considering that the scene was littered with the undead closely watching (and guarding) NK. 

 

Jaime Lannister suddenly abandoning Winterfell to be with Cersei even though he was being built up as a guy who was finally realizing his sister's toxic and twisted ways? Contrived and, unfortunately for the showrunners, utterly pointless. 

 

Oh and Jaime suddenly doesn't care about the people of King's Landing? Contrived because...since when does he not care about the people? There's a reason why he's named the Kingslayer (Euron even brings it up in the same episode); it's because he killed the Mad King, Daenarys' father, before said man could immolate his own citizenry with wildfire deposits he scattered around the city. Oh and why did he even bother to fight at Winterfell in the first place? Because he wanted to fight on the side of the living! Guys...if you can't stick to your own writing, then get someone else to do so.

 

Sansa's hostility towards Dany? Contrived for the sake of forced drama, being a catalyst for the latter character's rather sudden descent into madness.Oops indeed!

Euron Greyjoy conveniently appearing in the same place that Jaime was going even though he jumped off ship at least a few miles away, just to engage in one of the dumbest duels I've ever seen? Contrived for the sake of killing Euron Greyjoy in a most desperate fashion.

 

Rhaegal getting shot out of the air by ballistas mounted on ships that were known and discussed as being present, before Dany & Co. even went near the area? Contrived and senseless, because at least Viserion's death was poignant (if still very much avoidable. Thanks Jon). Not to mention she was recklessly flying around with two dragons that are prime targets for the army that she was fighting against. UGH!

Jon Snow and Daenarys being in love? Contrived, and with glaringly-obvious absence of chemistry between these two, coupled with the somewhat immediate reveal of their being blood-related, squicky. At least Jon knows better than to go further down the incest rabbit hole. However...

Daenarys swiftly descending into blind madness that would make her father blush because she decided that an entire city of civilians became targets of her ire? Contrived, if only because this character development, while present throughout the series, still comes out of left-field due to the circumstances at play.

Cersei not getting the comeuppance that damn near everyone thought she would get, even with the variations thereof? Contrived and then some. She, along with her confused brother-lover, get buried in a pile of rubble with nothing ceremonious in the lead-up.

 

Sandor Clegane suddenly wants Arya to go back, even though he was totally on-board with the idea of going to King's Landing for the sake of vengeance? Somewhat contrived, because he didn't stop her all the way back in Winterfell. It took them arriving at the Red Keep as the Mad Queen was rage-burning the city for him to go, "shit, Cersei's going to get crushed to death, so she doesn't need to kill the bitch." We still got Cleganebowl at least. 

At least the show is ending next weekend...What a relief.

TheAmazingAtheist Is Not a Fan of Tomb Raider (Old)

This post is intended as a response to the video above, but I'll supply the original tweet that has garnered so much controversy (for whatever reason) here:

 

TJ, on his Twitter, has since revealed that he has only played the newest incarnations of the franchise and none of the originals by Core Design. So he couldn't be considered a fan and doesn't appear to do so himself anyway. However, that's not really important here, it just goes to prove my point that he's not a fan of these games. If he were, he'd be such because of the gameplay and, you know, the actual game design, and not because of the simple visual design of the main character. And really, given that you play from a third-person perspective in all of these games, you don't usually get a look at her breasts anyway unless some camera angles permit it, so the size of her tits is mostly portrayed in marketing materials. And that latter point is really important to understand, given that that's how Lara Croft became considered such a sexy character at all.

I do think that TJ is missing the point of contention many people have/have had with the above tweet, and that's the following: he's basically body-shaming Alicia Vikander, the lead actress in the starring role of Lara Croft, which is based on her current incarnation of the character. And why's he doing that? Because her breasts aren't big enough to match the promotional and marketing materials that have, through the 22 years of the franchise, through thick & thin, made her into (among other things) a sex icon in the videogame lexicon.

However, as a fan of the franchise (especially the Core Design era), I didn't much care for the big boobs aspect of Lara Croft. In fact, aside from her being a bad-ass, stone-cold (with a few exceptions) killer out to add to her collection of artefacts and treasures, and wealth, of course, I didn't pay attention to anything else about her. She was rather flat personality-wise and had undergone no character development in each game. The few exceptions, of course, being the odd gasp or disgust at the antagonists & their devious plans. The development of her character was left to the current era. No, I was a fan not because of what the marketing was trying to do, but because of how the games played. You know, the reason why we play games? If you play a game so that you can look at it, either because it has nigh photo-realistic graphics (Crysis was hailed for this aspect for years) or, in this case, because a character, no matter how few pixels could be derived from her polygons and textures, has big tits, then you're just not a fan. 

I liked the adventure, the puzzle-solving, the trial-and-error, and the thrill of success that was derived from the games. I liked that they were distinct in this regard: they were designed with a deliberate, and stand-out (but not always for the right reasons) grid-based movement system. The gameplay and the movements you made in order to complete the games were designed entirely around this system of tiles. If you mastered how it worked, you mastered most of the game itself. And that works in helping you enjoy the game even more. Because I still know plenty of people who can hardly even play, let alone enjoy, the games for how they are designed.

The main reason for her being considered a sex-icon of gaming is due mostly to the marketing around the franchise. Yes, her in-game model did have (progressively with each instalment) bigger and bigger tits, but it still wasn't central to the games, even to the character. And considering you said this:

You're just wrong. And what do I have to back that up? Why, an interview with the very creator of the franchise itself, Toby Gard (who left Core Design around the release of Tomb Raider II), in which he states the following:

It was never the intention to create some kind of 'page 3' girl to star in Tomb Raider. The idea was to create a female character who was a heroine, you know, cool, collected, in control, that sort of thing. The problem with those other games is that the female characters are actually there for purely exploitative purposes. I know you could argue that Lara with her comic book style over-the top figure is exploitative, but I don't agree. I think it's ridiculous to say that portraying stylised people is degrading. You can represent an over the top hero figure by augmenting characteristics like a jutting jaw, wide shoulders, thin waist etc. and that is not degrading to men. It may well be a stereotype, but it seems to me that people are overanalysing this whole thing. It's pretty simple, if women in a game are only there to be the equivalent of quiz show floozies then they are being portrayed in a sexist way. When it comes to Galleon there are all sorts of women in the Galleon world, just as there are all sorts of men.

 You could argue that Toby Gards' words support yours when he argues about how people were 'overanalysing' the portrayal of her figure, but it's his opening statement that shows he never intended Lara Croft to be so overly sexual in design in the first place. He wanted her to be bad-ass, stone-cold, unflapping in her drive to achieve wealth & fame. And to save the world while doing it, because other people want those same artefacts that she chases, but for nefarious purposes (destroying the world in some way) instead of simply putting them on display for fame & fortune. She's a cold-ass bitch who'll kill you without shedding a tear if you get in her way, but if you intend to use those same artefacts to rule or destroy the earth, she won't stand for that either.

As he explained later in the interview, he left Core Design (in part) because of his creative control over the franchise, which he co-created, by the way, was being taken from him. What did Core and, by extension Eidos Interactive, want for the creative department for the franchise? Why, to fixate on her sex appeal, because they felt it was an ace way to garner more and more money. And indeed, it was. But the co-creator did not agree with it, so it was one of the reasons for his departure.

So you trying to justify your crappy views by ignorantly stating that she was designed to be sexually appealing falls flat on its face, because of the very words of one of the minds behind the creation of the franchise as a whole.

Source: Gamasutra - Interview with Toby Gard (Oct. 23, 1998)

Then you said:

 

You are partially wrong with the above statement, and I am being generous here. The notion that Angelina Jolie's tits were as unrealistically large as they were in the videogames (and most prolifically, the marketing material) was debunked. How did they get her tits to appear so large? Why, have you not heard of the myriad ways women make their tits look bigger than they actually are? Wire bras, for instance, raise the breasts because ordinarily, gravity makes them seem smaller due to what is commonly derided as "sagging." According to some sources, like this one, in particular, the studio used "...padding to bring her from her normal 36C to a 36D. (The videogame Lara is estimated to wear a 36DD bra.)" Oh, and those C's and D's mean something, too. It makes all the difference from breasts appearing to "sag" to them appearing to be protrusile & firm.

So the studio had to use trickery (no CGI, thankfully) in order to make Jolie's portrayal seem closer to the videogame character, as she was being portrayed in the then current spate of Tomb Raider titles. Which, by the way, was only attributed to the progressively-increased polygon count and not necessarily to those same breasts somehow getting bigger and bigger in proportion. They just appeared more realistic with each new release. This, as mentioned before, was one of the issues Toby Gard disagreed with and left the same studio over. Even Angelina Jolie, who portrayed Lara in the first run of adaptations, wasn't as "buxom" as Lara Croft, even though the studios played up the character's sex appeal as much as they possibly could. And by the way, the sex appeal might've worked for you, but it didn't for me; indeed, the tits were cartoonish and ridiculous, distracting from what was far more interesting than a couple of tweaked breasts succumbing to the laws of physics before my very eyes (some would call this "boob physics").

You may argue that her big breasts defined her as a character, but going by the statements made by her co-creator, and by what I found to be more important to each game personally, I wholeheartedly disagree. And I definitely disagree with your body-shaming an actress for her (less sexually-appealing) portrayal of Lara Croft, who was only made sexually appealing because of marketing in the first god damned place. If she wasn't intentionally created just to be treated as a sex goddess, then I agree with her creator and not with people like you, who lack self-reflection and cannot concede that perhaps they're off the mark on this subject. 

I do agree that you got far too much exposure for this because, in the end, this was really another case of you trolling for attention. I already knew that about you, and I have for years, but the media clearly didn't. So that's the only reason I can forgive them at all for granting you this much-undeserved attention because you took part in body-shaming an actress for not matching the marketing that has surrounded her character for so many years. That same marketing that saw the character's co-creator resign from working with the character  Funny, now I know that marketing works more easily on you than it does on me, it appears that it is you who isn't fully capable of thinking for themselves. Amirite?

Alone With My Craft; "Erosion" Anthology Preview

I sit here with my pen, once again at my side. All of those whom I’ve considered a friend have left me by my lonesome. The pen is all that I have left. And without fail, every single time I write, it jots down the characters I desire with nary a protest or question. Should the mood strike me, I can, with this pen, smite those who have wronged me or wish to do me wrong; if my thoughts descend into the darkest, deepest reaches of the abyss, the pen will not cower or fight the will of my motions. It is ever abiding—its ink records my thoughts and my fantasies, my fictions and experiences, as it should do. For that, which is to serve the literary artist, is its very purpose. Unfailingly loyal to me: my pen will never lie to me or abandon me. I feel safety and comfort in it knowing these aspects of the object.

Yet still I find myself missing the nuances of human interaction. An object of no whim or pulse of its own cannot replace the intricacies of the soul. Yes, I’ve come to know the greatest pains and sadness having had contact with my fellow man, yet, my works on the page—my craft of literature has derived all of its inspiration from those very interactions and experiences. And sometimes it is necessary to have the ego of another mind challenge your own. So here I am, alone with my pen, and my craft is, as I have come to realize, doomed to dry out. My inspiration is limited now. No companionship or strife means I may not know what to put to paper any longer. Such is perhaps the only net positive of coping with the many angles of life’s experiences.

The sharpness of the pen shall close this book for now. I think I will go for the neck; deep and precise, and most importantly, the pain will be as quick & brief as the swiftness of a fox. Alone with my craft, this will be the very last gift my pen will give to me.