Finally was I able to gather a few friends to go and see it!
Alright this is isn’t going to be very easy and I am not one
of the devoted fans so the credibility of this review is based on a mediocre fan’s
personal views. I should probably point out that I haven’t pursued any of the
Star Wars Universe works such as Clone Wars or Rebels, just a movie fan and that’s
it.
So let’s see, I was warned by many before I went to see the
movie and had been subjected to so much diverse opinions that emotionally I had
lowered my expectations to a minimum before I went in. I was completely certain that it was
going to be an immense letdown when considering the movie has got a
disappointing 8.5 on IMDB.
That wasn’t the case…
Not only did I have a great time, it was the one movie from
the Star Wars universe that I enjoyed the most before the cinema screen. So
before I go on I should announce that amongst the new movies, and the new
movies only, I find The Force Awakens to be the best, followed by Episode III
in a close second.
Why?
Well firstly I did not make the mistake of going to 3D, but
instead chose to watch it in a DOLBY ATMOSroom which enhanced the experience a lot.
Why?
It was more contemporary with a touch of Nostalgia. The
direction was the best (including the old movies) Star Wars direction ever. The
lame and annoying Windows Movie Maker transitions between scenes were kept to a
tolerable minimum and I felt uplifted by the experience because of the story
flow quality. The relations and affairs were handled in a much much less mushy
manner and all in all I found the entirety of the movie very compelling. And
thankfully; no dart shooting koala bears or minute (meant as an adjective) lightsaber master goblins were there to ruin the experience for me. Yes that’s correct,
you can shoot or hang me but I still detest Ewoks and Yoda…
However I get it…I know what it is like to be a hardcore fan
to something and have your expectations crushed. I went through a most horrible
series of disappointments by the (shm)Hobbit movies, the last of which I did not even
bother to watch on a cinema screen. So yeah, I get it…
I have to say that neither was I moved by the new evil
character which felt as if he was but a mere space filler for Darth Vader, and
I cannot for the world remember his name without checking IMDB first. Was it
Clio Ren??? Cleo? Clay? Argh whatever dude; poor name choice. And the choice of
actor was as if they wanted to go for Keanu Reeves as Neo but they changed
their minds the last second. I admit, the new antagonist comes nowhere close to
the grandeur of the likes of Darth Vader or Darth Maul (who was about the only
thing that was worth watching in Episode I)
As forSnoke…The only
thing I can say is this: I KNEW HE LOOKED LIKE GOLLUM!!!
General Hux was a very well-rounded character, as a matter
of fact if they left out Cleo, and included only the general I think the movie
may have been much better. The actor Domhnall Gleeson , whom I watched in the
series Black Mirror, gave a very good performance, and as an antagonist he was
more convincing than Kylo Ren (checked IMDB again).
The story line had inevitable retrospective references to
the old movies and some parts did give the viewer a sense that they were
watching a far too similar story in another setting. However disregarding
certain aspects which usually focus on our dear Cleo, the story still stood
strong enough to make me watch it at the edge of my seat at certain parts, but
in full attention at all times.
So; In conclusion I have to say that I thoroughly and truly
enjoyed The Force Awakens despite the imperfections and am looking forward to
watch what comes next. In the name of keeping this post spoiler free I am not going
to refer to certain events which I found… well… no…! Not going to ruin it for
anyone. Go find out for yourselves.
As for the allegations, I suppose I get it, but that doesn’t
mean that I agree.
P.S: R2D2 was one of the best franchise makers in the
history of mankind and now I have a new favorite:
Animal Farm
was one of the books which always eluded me. Every time I decided to give it a
go I read something else instead. Mainly because of the fact that I knew it was
a story of precise allegory adorned with a single-sided political debate. The
allegory Orwell chose to employ is so clear-cut that even with minimal
knowledge one can decipher who stands for whom or what historical event was
conveyed through the acts of the animals of the farm. Now I am not going to
bore you with the details you already know. Old Major is Karl-Marx, Mr Jones is
the Tsar, Napoleon is Stalin whereas Snowball is a vivid embodiment of both
Lenin and Leon Trotsky and so on and so forth. George Orwell himself admitted
to these characters in his first preface of the book and later essays when he was
defending his book against many of his contemporaries who initially even
refused to publish it. T.S Elliot was among these names.
I cannot
know however; if Orwell was aware of the fact that in creating something so precise
he was still writing about a vicious circle that is applicable to any utopia or
ideology because when viewed from a more universal perspective, one can clearly
see that the book in fact has got more to do with utopian doom than Stalinism
or the Russian Revolution: That one rotten apple placed on top is enough to
ruin the entire bushel.Which is the
reason why Orwell, in disguise of a donkey named Benjamin displays his
pessimism about ideologies: "Life
will go on as it has always gone on—that is, badly."Right from the horse’s mouth, or better yet
the donkey’s mouth. Ideologies and utopias are doomed to fall apart for as long
as people follow their leaders blindly. And even when they seem to work, greed
mixed with power will turn any utopia into a despicable, uninhabitable yet
inheritable dystopia.
From this perspective Old Major stands for any wise
ideologist whose intentions are well, Napoleon is a fantastic portrayal of any
politician who exploits an ideology. And Squealer is not Molotov in this case,
it is the newspapers and national news we watch on television, through which we
are fed lies on a daily basis. Many conformist Boxers did, do and will die and
many Mollies will find another place to inhabit. The supreme power of
government will always release its dogs on the streets under the name of police
force to silence the smart whereas the sheep will always yell words they do not
even understand. Animal Farm is universally pessimistic and rightly so when we
look at our own contemporary world.
I guess in
concluding this post I have to agree with Henry David Thoreau when he says: I
heartily accept the motto,—“That government is best which governs least;” and I
should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out,
it finally amounts to this, which I also believe,—“That government is best
which governs not at all;” and when men are prepared for it, that will be the
kind of government which they will have.
But first animals need to learn how to read for themselves.
Mass Effect trilogy was the
rpg I had chosen to spend my summer with (yea I know Summer is over 6 months past but I completely forgot I had written this post, way to go..). Recommended by a good friend who was
also kind enough to lend us his old PS3 and all the three games. I wasted no
time and began the first game back in June. I was thinking of writing a
separate post for each game but as I progressed I realized that the games got a
higher merit as a trilogy and so what I am aiming for is a post of ultimate
Mass Effect experience, thats because as far as gaming goes, it IS an
experience.
Developed by the Canadian
company Bioware, the first game of the trilogy was released back in 2008
followed by the sequels in 2010 and 2012. Watch the launch trailers below if you like to get an idea before reading this post:
The game exclusively dwells
on one hero’s story, namely Commander Shepard whose main mission is to save the
entire galaxy from a mechanical race called “The Reapers”. The story seems to
be a run on the mill, mediocre, heroic sci-fi drama when put in a nutshell but the twists
and turns will leave you with your jaw dropped on the floor. Plus how you convey something can be much more important than what you say.
Before I evaluate each game
within its own merit I have to talk about the overall quality of the games.
Bioware’s skill in transferring events and decisions caused or made by the
player makes these games what they are, even more so than the Dragon Age series.
Because while in Dragon Age you get to get a peek at your old companions and
your former hero is solely mentioned in passing conversations, here you get to
play through your much valued hero into a series of events spread throughout
three wholesome games, interact and in most cases get to recruit old companions
into your crew. This, results in your human nature to create a special bond with
those characters (because we humans can empathize even with a pencil) and what
happens to them really matter to you. As a matter of fact it carries you to
dangerous and yet enjoyable degrees of empathy. Considering the fact that, the
Mass Effect Trilogy is much like watching a very dramatic and absolutely moving
sci-fi series where you get to act as the main hero in shape of an avatar,
you need feel no shame if you tear up a little, or I don’t know, maybe blubber
like a child at one point or another.
As it always goes with
Bioware, the companions they create are so engaging, so well rounded, so well
done, that you will have to remind yourself constantly that they ain’t real,
they just seem like real. You will always come up with a favorite, it is impossible
to avoid that, but you will like and sometimes admire each and every companion
for what they are.
Now let us move on to the
first game;
Mass Effect:
Action-wise, Mass Effect in
my opinion is the poorest production of the whole series and that is not
because it doesn’t include action but mostly due to the fact that the shooter
side of the game doesn’t come anywhere close to the story side. The options in
battle and how you develop your character are rather limited in comparison to
its sequels. What I mean is that in character development you might need to
spend a whole lot of points for skills that are of no use on the battlefield
which puts you in a bind. The skills are not as powerful as the sequels either
so despite the slow action, fights are considerably more difficult on casual
mod, than the rest of the games. What I liked? Almost everything (especially
the fact that you can equip new goodies at any point you wish) except for Mako,
the jumpy space Cherokee… What I didn’t like? Mako, the jumpy space
Cherokee… Other than that everything
was acceptable at worst and the game stood strong for a first game. There was
room for improvement of course, which they focused on, in the next game.
Mass Effect 2:
The story of Mass Effect 2
was even more engaging than the first game, at least I thought so. Skill
development gets plainer and choices seem more limited than the first game but
those choices let you exclusively dwell on the skills which are
battle-specific. You do not need to lose points on electronics and intimidate
and such. You can build a character which is more efficient and formidable
during the fights. Speaking of which, Mass Effect offers a better sense of
action for this reason too. Weapons aim and shoot better, biotic and
engineering skills hit harder and the visual effects in battle are highly
improved. Taking cover during fight was bound to the x button on PS3 which also
avoided your Shepard to go hiding behind various objects unnecessarily. The
idea of guns having ammo was introduced in ME2 which was a lot to my liking. “The
power wheel”, “aim”, “gun selection wheel”, “shoot” action buttons exchanged
places which made your handling of the controller a lot easier. All those comforts come
with a price of course because although the fights seem easier they require
better planning and strategy than simply going bam bam bam and pew pew pew.
As for the story side: I
said earlier that the story was very engaging all the way through. The
dialogues still come with the diplomatic and intimidate choices of lines but
they are reduced in numbers, instead during conversations you will get a
flashing option of blue wing in order to take a diplomatic action or red star
in order to take a renegade action. You will have limited time to act on it and
press the L2 or R2 on PS3 otherwise you miss it. I rather liked this addition
to the game because it makes you follow the conversations more intently.
ME2 also comes with a great
variety of companions of different species and dispositions. From heartless
killers to virtuous assassins, from mysterious thieves to babbling scientists,
ME2 offers the biggest range of companions in all three games. They all got
their own stories and quests to earn their loyalty and interactions with them
are developed in great detail. If companion interaction is taken into
consideration ME2 was the best of the trilogy.
I cannot reveal much about
your vessel in ME2 without revealing important plot complications and despite
the fact that you will probably learn what happens in the first 20 minutes of
your play time I still don’t want to spoil the surprise. Suffice it to say
that: “It’s bigger, it’s badder, ladies and
gentlemen it’s too much for Mr. Incredible!”
What I didn’t like? Being stripped off a map
and a radar which shows the location of your enemies without having to press
anything.
Mass Effect 3 :
This final game of the
series and the story of Shepard had been a great source of speculation,
criticism and/or praise. But we can easily claim that the technical traits are
superb when compared to its predecessors. The skill development is neither too
plain nor too complicated. Things like exploring planets with Mako or scanning
planets to find resources, opening crates and bypassing doors, they have gotten
a lot easier while the fights have gotten considerably harder. You can choose
to play a story mode which lets you make all decisions yourself or action mode
which has your character act without your interference, so those who are fans
of rpg can play story mode whereas fans of action games can also enjoy fights
without dialogue wheel interference.
There is also the
multiplayer option which is not just a technical addition but is essential to
the end of the story as well. Now I am not sure how much in favor of it I stand
because this is supposed to be a solo rpg and passive-aggressively pressing people
to play the multiplayer mode doesn’t sound so fair. However after trying it a
few times myself I have to say that I found it very enjoyable indeed. So;
Multiplayer option is not a faulty side of the game but it’s connection to the
end-game story sort of is.
As for the story of ME3;
here there were a lot of fans divided into different opinions, there are those
who loved it all the way through, there are those who liked the story development
but loathed the end and there are those who found ME3 to be the weakest of the
trilogy. I aim to keep this post spoiler free so without revealing anything I
will add this: I knew the end game from the beginning of the first game (how
could I not? It was all over even on the Dragon Age forums), maybe for that reason it
did not affect me all that much or changed my good opinion of the third game.
Especially the free downloadable extended cut tied up a lot of loose ends for
me so I count myself amongst those who enjoyed the third game all the way
through. As for those who hated the end and it took them by surprise, I have to
say that there was a whole lot of foreshadowing in the game you could have picked up
on; you really couldn’t guess or you just didn’t want to believe? I feel for
you though and understand perfectly well where you are coming from. It wasn’t an
easy bite to swallow for sure even when it comes with a warning...
Rounding up this post, I
thoroughly enjoyed the Mass Effect Games. It is not just a good game for sci-fi
fans but for all those who enjoy a good rpg no matter the setting. Keep your
guard up and give it a try.
Prog and Roll Radio Show now has got a group and a page on facebook.
Our show airs on www.justincaseradio.com every Sunday between 20.00 - 22.00 UK time. We play a wide range of musical genres that fall under the categories of Prog, Prog Rock, Neo Prog, Symphonic Prog, Crossover Prog, Rock, Hard Rock and occasionally Metal and Progressive Metal. The music is good and the atmosphere is very friendly and relaxed. So if you are interested please like us on Facebook and join the group.
Related links:
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProgandRoll/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Progandroll
Google+ Community: https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/105848072613171743333?cfem=1
Gfreedom Team looks forward to your participation and company. Join in the fun!!!
I am supposed to tackle a very hard review with this one and
try to evaluate Game of Thrones without stepping on the toes of so many fans
and see myself tragically fail at that.
For those, who are
fans and are reading this review, please try to bear in mind it is the work
which is being criticized and not you. All works are presented for the likes or
dislikes of people who have got their absolute rights to admire or loathe it.
Now I cannot say that I loathe it but I am so not a fan.
Game of Thrones, A song of Ice and Fire was first published
back in 1996 under the category of High Fantasy which in my opinion was a
mistake for it doesn’t have anything to do with High Fantasy at all. But more
on that later…
However it met its glory and fame in 2011 with HBO’s
decision to make it into a tv series. Now we have come to learn HBO’s habits by
now, after so many series they aired, we are sure of two things: There will be
brutality and there will be a lot of boobs. B&B of another kind if you
will…
I cannot deny for a second, that the show is a very
expensive production with talented actors and directors. Except for Lena
Headey…I mean I watched this woman in The Remains of the Day, Century, The
Jungle Book, 300 and now in Game of Thrones and she thinks smoldering and frowning a lot is
acting. Somebody please get this woman an acting coach, she has got but one
expression for all emotions… Although I dislike, like many others but for
different reasons, the cardboard, irrevocably evil characterization of Joffrey,
I heartily hail Jack Gleeson for doing such an amazing job with the role at
such a young age. The kid’s got talent that’s for sure.
The misé
en scene of the showimmediately
drags you in. When it comes to settings, the books or the show stand second to
none, in its own category.
As soon as you begin watching the show or reading the books
you will be engrossed in a variety of characters…initially…after a while you
will learn to establish emotional barriers between you and the characters you
watch or read about.
And that is where the books and the show fail for me.
Again…more on that later.
Now lets begin with the length of the story. We cannot for
sure tell how long it will take Mr. Martin to finally get to his point and
bring this world to a sound conclusion; but we can say that if he has been
writing the books since 1991 (that’s right) and in 23 years winter couldn’t even
show up, then we have got an enormous problem in that I fear he will pass on
before he can finish what he began. As a matter of fact I often wondered if he
suffers from ADHD (genuine concern, not mocking) because the stories he creates
started very much to resemble a messy child’s room who instead of doing some
tidying up messes up even more by dumping more junk in the middle and then goes
ahead dealing with something else, his attention never in one place. I think
much like the child in this scenario, Mr. Martin is bored and too hyperactive
to do his chores.
I have but one question on this matter…Whatever happened to
“Less is More”? The best things in life are the things that end, like life
itself. And like in gourmet dining, the author should always leave the reader
wanting more. I know it means less money but to me quality is more important
than quantity. I know I am angering a lot of fans at this point, but I am
speaking out of experience and popular mechanics: Stretch something too far and
it will come loose or break.
I can certainly see the appeal though. The intrigues, the
murders, the battles, the feudal rivalry, mother of dragons who is wandering in
the middle of nowhere still, the wall, snow zombies, bastards, prostitutes,
blood, gore, nudity, violence and incest. Game of Thrones certainly has got it
all.
What it doesn’t have for me, is a hero with whom I can share
a special reader-protagonist bond without having to worry that he/she will die
in vain. Please note that I am not saying just “die”, I am saying “die in vain”.
Writers kill their characters off for various reasons. Most fiction main heroes
die in order to inspire enlightenment in other characters and in readers or
viewers. A hero’s death is something that affects us all as a whole. Now it is
important to know when, who and how often to kill in a book and I understand
that Game of Thrones is highly liked by a lot of people because of the fact
that anyone can die. I was also quite impressed by that fact until it started
to get a little old. As a matter of fact as the body count started to climb up
I started to feel as if I was watching “24” in a fantasy setting.
When it happens once, you get sad, twice you get mad, three
times you find yourself constantly on guard in order not to empathize with a
character too much. You create emotional barriers which will prevent you from
rooting for someone. And if you let your guard down, you are running the risk of ending up like
this:
So what happens when you have to stay on guard?Your escapism is ruined. You find yourself in
a more realistic, almost historical world. As an author, treating your characters as ruthless and objective as a historian can be good or bad. For me it is not to the advantage of a work allegedly claimed to be
fantasy but then again what is fantasy?
Is it elegant maps,
swords, elves, dragons, magic and alternative worlds? Black smokes coming out of lady bits??
Or is it something more?
While it does set the
ambiance for you, fantasy is and has always been more than just a setting. It
is not an absolute obligation that literal other worlds, maps, magic or dragons
are included for a work to be a fantasy fiction. Such is the case with Scissor
Hands which features none of the above and yet it is still fantasy.
So what is it?
It is the sensation that you find yourself in a world which
is different than ours; as opposed to finding our world’s realities in a
fantasy setting. Better read a history book in this case and learn something
useful along the way.
It is the emotional complacency that at the very end somehow
the good shall thrive or escape the evil. Like it or not, unfortunately this is
the bottom line of fantasy fiction. NOT fearing that if you root for someone
too much you might find yourself, repeatedly subjected to emotional abuse by
the writer.
Tolkien, Salvatore, Weiss, Hickmann, Greenwood are some of
the masters of High Fantasy.
And yet Mr. Martin is being called the “American Tolkien” by
some with a work which is not even High Fantasy. A High Fantasy Fiction has got
strict patterns which exclusively dwells on one hero’s rite of passage with a
good vs evil motif, where evil is finally undone by the good. For more info on
High Fantasy please check this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_fantasy#Characters
The science of genre or quality (characteristic) does not
tolerate exceptions and is merciless. Pluto lost its planetary status because;
of the three criteria it did not meet one.
Mr. Martin’s work is a historical fiction in a fantasy
setting. A “realistic fantasy” if you will. It has also been called Medieval Fantasy
but anyone who has read Pillars of the Earth will know exactly why it is not
Medieval Fantasy either.
In short, apart from the unfortunate resemblance in initials
I do not see common ground at all with J.R.R Tolkien. Apples and Oranges,
Oxford and Clarke…From a son who will say “For as long as I have got breath in
me, no one touches Silmarillion”, to a writer who seems to feel compelled to
write because he has hit a goldmine.
Borrowing someone else’s fame is not an indicator of originality and it is not a praise either. If you value him and his work you
should let them stand on their own feet, not on someone else’s accomplishment. I
should think he wouldn’t appreciate being referred to as a nationality and someone
else’s surname either.
Now in the name of being fair the early works of G.R.R. Martin
were worthy of praise and he did accomplish a lot. He has been in the world of
fantasy long enough, even before I was born, so he must know what he is doing.
Which leaves me with one assumption: He sold out to the sweet taste of green
banknotes and decided to go for sensationalism.
Now don’t get me wrong, I think he has done amazingly well
with his first few books of this saga; there is absolutely no doubt there.
Maybe I am being way too rigid with him. Maybe we are
watching the birth of a new sub-genre. It may take some time to understand its
outlines and criteria. But it will take even more time to see if it will endure
the sands of time, because the best critic is the time itself. Of course we are
going to have to wait for him to finally finish it so that we can discuss the
series’ worth in a better informed fashion. A good conclusion can always turn
things round so I haven’t lost all hope for Game of Thrones yet…just my
patience.
However, as it is now I think I can sum up the formula of GoT as follows:
Characterization: A variation
of historical figures: Feudal or
Byzantine.
Plot: Arbitrary, too many
complications that go on eternally with few resolutions following the
suspension and climax. Written to shock and provoke. Blatant sensationalism.
Format:Soap-Opera. Now don’t be in a hurry to
take this as an insult. Soap opera format has been the basis of many series we
watch today. It is a very clever structure, aimed to keep the people interested
for a long span of time. There is a main story which will not find its
conclusion because of endless complications till the very end of the series itself
but, there are another 10-15 stories surrounding the main one which begin,
develop and end, in order to provide the viewer some sense of closure and respite
every now and then. A whole lot of series of our times were inspired by the
lowly soap format but they did a great job with it.
Length: Blatant commercialism.
Setting: Fantasy
Now I am aware that I might have been too harsh in my
criticism at times so I would like to point out the fact that it was never my
purpose to offend anyone. I hope you will excuse my occasional subjectivity
along with my objectivity and try to understand that a work this famous will
receive both praise and criticism. After all, these days you can’t even swing a
dead cat without hitting Game of Thrones.
Either way, if by this review I offended you, I do apologize
in advance.
But I think I treat everyone fair by writing this:
If you like reading about a protagonist you can freely come
to cherish, rite of passage, good versus evil and triumphs, a story that
doesn’t keep going for 20 years and meets a timely end, Game of Thrones is not
for you.
If you like reading about feudal conflicts, palace intrigues, politics
met with great violence in a fantasy setting that will never disappoint you by
coming to a timely end, Game of Thrones is for you.
It was more contemporary with a touch of Nostalgia. The
direction was the best (including the old movies) Star Wars direction ever. The
lame and annoying Windows Movie Maker transitions between scenes were kept to a
tolerable minimum and I felt uplifted by the experience because of the story
flow quality. The relations and affairs were handled in a much much less mushy
manner and all in all I found the entirety of the movie very compelling. And
thankfully; no dart shooting koala bears or minute (meant as an adjective) lightsaber master goblins were there to ruin the experience for me. Yes that’s correct,
you can shoot or hang me but I still detest Ewoks and Yoda…
I have to say that neither was I moved by the new evil
character which felt as if he was but a mere space filler for Darth Vader, and
I cannot for the world remember his name without checking IMDB first. Was it
Clio Ren??? Cleo? Clay? Argh whatever dude; poor name choice. And the choice of
actor was as if they wanted to go for Keanu Reeves as Neo but they changed
their minds the last second. I admit, the new antagonist comes nowhere close to
the grandeur of the likes of Darth Vader or Darth Maul (who was about the only
thing that was worth watching in Episode I)
