Change Your Image
lostmercenary99
Reviews
The Lion King (1994)
The most Epic Disney film of all time
No matter what I try and say here it will all end the same way. "The Lion King" is the most beautiful and epic film Disney have ever made. Looking past the fact this was aimed at children (as Disney does) the story is one that could have been easily aimed at an older audience.
The plot focus' around Simba. A young lion cub destined to become king of the Pride Lands. He is happy and adventurous and can't wait to fulfil his role in the future. But things are never so rosy, especially when the clichéd evil Uncle (aka Scar) murders Simba's father, Mufasa and convinces Simba that its his fault and should run away (although Scar wants him dead just to make sure). What unfolds from this is a tale of adventure, friendship, torment, humour, love, responsibility and a full scale war to determine who will be king once and for all. Replace the lions with people and this could easily have been a 12. It's a tale that anyone can enjoy. I've loved it since i saw it in 1994 when I was 7.
The actors who star in "The Lion King" sure know how to do their job. They bring the characters to life in a way that seems special as well as real. Personally I don't think the acting has been anywhere near as perfect as this has in an animated movie. Matthew Broderick as an adult Simba especially. The way he conveys the feelings of anguish and guilt out of his character really hit home.
The soundtrack is probably one of the biggest reasons I love this film. Hans Zimmer's score fits every scene magnificently. It is what gave that feeling of an epic more than anything else. During the tragedy of Mufasa's death the score actually had tears in my eyes. OK I may have been 7 but even today i have to make an effort not to drop a tear. And the final piece where Simba heads to the peak of Pride Rock to take his place as King just had me with my jaw on the floor.
So overall. An epic masterpiece suitable for all. I'm off out now to buy the DVD and watch it again :D
Star Ocean EX (2001)
If God was an anime he sure as hell wouldn't be this.
Oh hell yeah!!! Hard hitting non stop action accomplished with amazing directing and animation skills!!! Love it!!! Oh wait... no... that was the game.
This... this is just... well... bland. As a massive fan of the PSX game "Star Ocean: The Second Story" I was very eager to watch this anime when I first heard about it. Boy, was I in for one hell of a disappointment. While the writers try hard to keep the characters true to their game counterparts I don't think they are as believable. Claude in particular who is probably one of the biggest cliché hero's in anime history. The show seems to make the female characters go head over heals for the guy as soon as he meets them. Rena, Celene and whoever else you want to name. Claude's whole attitude is another example. Once he makes a decision, about something or someone, he changes his mind for no damned reason. Just so that the plot can move forward. And it moves forward like a cripple without a wheelchair. Ashton however is probably the best character in this anime and probably the shows biggest redeeming quality (he's the only reason I gave this show a 6/10 rating). he sticks more or less true to his video game counterpart and his scenes of humour are brilliant(in some cases better than the game).
Animation. It's more like a slide-show. Especially with the action. Over and over throughout the series it's the same repeated shots for battle scenes(e.g Claude's main attack). Maybe these guys should take some tips from Naruto or FMA on how to do a good anime fight. Maybe they were trying to stick to the method of what a games battle system was like or maybe they were just lazy sods through and through.
Music. Well I'm not entirely sure how to judge this. The soundtrack seems pretty lax at points but in others seems rock solid. Oh but I will mention I found the opening credits song "To the Light" extremely catchy even though some may disagree with it. Meh... is all I say to that.
Overall this is not really something to watch if your not familiar with the games story. Mainly because it ends on a sodding unresolved cliffhanger but that's not the only reason (see above for why else). This mainly serves as a bit of nostalgia for the fans of the game and that's about it.
Last Order: Final Fantasy VII (2005)
Despite the odd nagging plot holes Last Order is brilliant!
At first I wasn't too eager on this anime when I heard about it. For some reason I just thought it was a bad idea.
But now after watching it my opinion has switched completely. "Last Order: Final Fantasy VII" is superb. The animation is beautifully done and the short 20 minute story was a nice touch to the FF7 main storyline.
But there were quite a few plot holes that annoyed me. The biggest being when Tifa see Cloud and talks to him. This did not happen in FF7!!!! The writer just seemed to want to stick in a Cloud/Tifa moment and just take a dump on the continuity. This really annoyed me and its the animes biggest plot hole and downfall. Actually the speech in that scene is in the actual game. It occurs when Cloud and Tifa are in the lifestream together and we see Cloud's true memories. When watching the bit in the reactor that LO killed we hear the two characters speaking those lines while watching their past.
Zack vs. Sephitoth fight was brilliant. It was short and sweet and Cloud finished him off with style. Although Seph originally got thrown in the mako pit he didn't jump in FF7 like he did here.
Also it was cool to see the Turks, Hojo and Zangan.
In conclusion I thought this anime was brilliant! Although if your the kind of person who nitpicks at every plothole you can find I suggest don't watch it.
Alone in the Dark (2005)
And you thought Res Evil: Apocalyse was bad?
If you want a brilliant film based on a game look at Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. DO NOT WATCH THIS HUNK OF CRAP!!!!!
When I first heard about this film being made I was looking forward to it. I'd just played Alone In the Dark: A New Nightmare and was hyped up at seeing a film of it. And when I bought I immediately wanted to return it. It stays true to the games just as much a cigarette stays true to your health. Only the characters are what is similar. There's no spooky house on a remote island, instead we're in a city. We have a paranormal agency which doesn't exist in the games and the list just keeps going on an on. This director couldn't direct his way through a car wash let alone this film. The continuity, editing, music and general story were all done badly.
If a game/movie needed to be burned. It's this!
Sonic X (2003)
A great Japanese anime ruined by 4kids.
Sonic X. Watch it in Japanese with English subtitles and you will drool at the sheer brilliance of it. Watch the English dubbed/edited 4kids versions and you will want to just crawl in a hole and die. Now that I've gotten that said and done with here's my review. For the Japanese versions. WARNING!!! CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!!
Although not exactly the darkest of the Sonic TV shows (SatAM was that) Sonic X often takes a dark approach to its mode of story telling and character development. Especially in the 3rd season. For example, Sonic X has killed off more characters than any of the other shows. We've seen the deaths of Maria (which was very upsetting even for the mature audiences. Trust me I know), Gerald Robotnik (how often to you see an execution in a show like this?), Shadow (ok. I know he survived but at the time you thought he had died), Emeral, Molly (OMG I CRIED AGAIN) and finally Cosmo. It's this great mix of darkness, sadness, romance, comedy, action and drama that makes Sonic X such an amazing anime and doesn't deserve to be called just another kids show.
Although the 1st season wasn't that appealing for me, which seemed more directed at the younger audiences, it was made up for by the awesome 2nd and 3rd seasons. Bringing in characters like Shadow the show started to show it's full potential and set itself on the right track heading at full sonic speed. Making season 3 a full blown story arc was an amazing move for a show like Sonic and is almost never seen in a series originally intended for kids. It's kinda a parallel too Star Trek: Enterprise's 3rd season in terms of story and layout and is a great approach that I hope will be renewed in a 4th season.
Character development. "Wow? You mean it has some?" some people would say to which I would reply "Does the Fleetway comics put Archie in its place? YOU BET IT DOES!" Characters are developed amazingly in Sonic X. The situations that the characters endure in the show (both personal and mission ones) definitely path the way for how they will react in later episodes. And although I'm not a big fan of him one of the strongest examples is seen with Sonic and Chris. I can't really go into all of it but if you watch ep 1 all the way up to eps 51 and 52 you will see how both of Sonic and Chris have dramatically changed in just 2 seasons, especially when dealing with each other. Sonic and Amy is another classic example. We all know how much Amy has obsessed over Sonic since day 1 but in episodes, during key points in plot, the feelings that each of these characters feel for each other in subtly shown and pulled off beautifully. The soundtrack adds to these brilliantly. Ep 52 "Memories Of the Wind" (jap version) is yet to date the best example. Amy's emotional barriers more or less crumble and she pours her heart out to Sonic and he returns the feelings but in a more controlled way. This was receded some in the next season but notice how he doesn't flee from her as much. Something changed in both of them after that moment and it is obvious to even the most youngest of fans.
The shows only fault is the human characters, especially Chris. Everyone who knows me knows that I can't stand him, but there is supported reason for this and not a rabid fan-boy/fan-girls' outcry. Chris, when conceived off for the show, was supposed to be representation as us (the audience) and give a human touch to the story. This accomplished extraordinarily in episode 1 despite Chris having less than a minute of screen time. Right after this Chris became to much of a stupid cliché human character that we usually see in the more childish shows. By this I mean that he doesn't do anything but appear on screen, not contribute anything to helping the situation and generally play the role of professional hostage. The alterations and crappy VO's from 4kids didn't help either. Chris' only redeeming moments were in eps 38, 51, 52 and some moments in the 3rd season. He may have matured in season 3 a lot and contribute much but it seems like to little to late.
In conclusion, Sonic X is the best of the four Sonic shows with all the elements of a great show that even the most stubborn adults could learn to appreciate (a lot already do). Let's hope that the Producers and Sonic Team give the go ahead for a sure to great 4th season.