Today's Triple News: sequels, fairy tales and super heroes

New news keeps pouring in on a daily basis, faster than I can discuss it here. Doesn't stop me from trying though:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/154509/sofia_coppola_regisseert_mogelijk_the_little_mermaid_

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/154508/disney_maakt_cars_3_en_incredibles_2

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/154488/mangold_terug_voor_wolverine_2

People who think Coppola might not be suited for directing a fairy tale are overlooking the fact that the basic contents of The Little Mermaid are much like some of Coppola's earlier work, they're just packaged differently. Stories about teenage girls living in a fantasy world all their own and trying to have things their way which backfires on them doesn't sound so different thematicaly from the likes of The Bling Ring, Marie Antoinette or The Virgin Suicides to my mind. They just appear dissimilar on the surface. That said, the notion of doing a "kid-friendly" family film is probably what deters most people who prefer to see Coppola tackling more (young) adult oriented material, as she hasn't done a project like this yet. However, that's not to say she is not capable of making such a movie. Let's face it: Coppola's career as a director of feature length films spans nearly two decades but has only spawned five movies in total. That's not enough of an output to judge a director's capacities on, it's only an indication of what type of films he/she is particularly drawn to. As I have stated before, directors need change, and I'd say here's a chance for Coppola to prove her directorial versatility. She has two young kids of her own, for crying out loud; why wouldn't she be interested in a fun movie for the whole family, that still allows her to incorporate her signature themes to some extent? Even though I'm personally not all that stoked for this project - which definitely has something to do with the fact the Disney version of The Little Mermaid is the first movie I ever saw in theaters, and the second too - I think the studio might just have made the perfect choice with Coppola.

Speaking of Disney, they're steering Pixar, formerly known for their sublime creativity, into a rampant case of suffering severe sequelitis. Currently, the studio is working on only a single original project, The Good Dinosaur, which was already put on hold for a whole year. Other than that, it's all sequels for the next few years: Planes 2, an alleged Toy Story 4, Finding Dory, Cars 3, The Incredibles 2. People used to praise Pixar for doing something new every time, while their competitor DreamWorks was maligned for milking itself dry completely. They won't be doing that anymore, as by now the situation seems to have reversed entirely. It appears Disney decides to play it safe by counting on established multi-billion dollar franchises instead of letting original ideas take precedence. And if those sequels weren't enough, there's a few more 3D re-releases slated too, making the studio more money by pushing the same stuff on us again, just at higher admission prices. That said, I prefer a re-release, so we can all enjoy those classic Pixar movies again before they're totally spoiled by their unneccessary and undesirable sequels. However, Pixar proved with Toy Story 2 and 3 that they can do justice to the originals be making sequels that manage to actually surpass the quality of their predecessors, but ever since Cars 2 and the terribly uninspired spin-off Planes - at a point when Disney had taken over the company - the odds of that happening again are not in our favour. Let's hope The Good Dinosaur will at least live up to its name.

And the X-universe just keeps on Xpanding cinematically (see what I did there?). Ever since the mind boggling success of Marvel's The Avengers, rival studios that own a piece of the Marvel Universe have taken a hint as to how they ought to approach handling their properties to achieve similar success. Unlike Sony, which only manages a single big name and its various supporting characters, Fox has the luck of owning a big name tentpole franchise, X-Men,  that consists of a lot more characters and therefore a lot more possibilities for sequels, spin-offs and such, making for an easily growing cinematic legacy. Apparently the 'Avengers approach' is already applied in full swing with X-Men: Days of Future Past, a storyline which will continue into X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), the latter of which might actually deal with the infamous Age of Apocalypse mirror universe, or else with a variation on the established cinematic X-routine. Days of Future Past might end with its broken time line fixed or not, and still able to pave the way for coherently branching off into multiple temporal directions. X-Force (2016 or 2017) for eXample will certainly pick up where Apocalypse left off, as it deals with Apocalypse's primary nemesis Cable and his merry band of young mutant acolytes, but it can still take place alongside the regular X-storyline that we last saw in last year's The Wolverine, either being interwoven with characters we already know, in various possible iterations (future/present/alternate universe) no less. And now The Wolverine is getting a sequel too (2017/2018?), which most likely will continue on the events of Days of Future Past - as those were already foreshadowed in its mid-credits bonus scene - but could skip over Apocalypse altogether, while still relating to X-Force in a minor capacity. And if things aren't complicated enough by all these Xses being thrown around, Fox still has to think of how on Earth they're going to incorporate their other Marvel franchise, the Fantastic Four, into all this too, as they have stated to be their intention. Because of all the time travelling and alternate reality possibilities, directors working on this corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe might face a tougher job that those who work on Marvel's own, which is served more straightforwardly on a narrative level. James Mangold might just have his job cut out for him. Or he may ignore Days of Future Past, Apocalypse and X-Force completely and just have The Wolverine 2 follow his previous movie directly, focusing only on its titular character. For Sony, such a reliance on a single character is kind of a curse, but for Mangold it just might be a luXury.

Today's Mini-Review: Death Race

Rating: ***/*****, or 7/10

Starring: Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Ian McShane

Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson

USA/UK: Universal Pictures, 2008

A good remake keeps the message of its predecessor intact, just altered to fit and reflect the times that influenced its own production. Since Paul Bartel's and Roger Corman's original exploitation movie Death Race 2000 didn't pretend to have a message to speak off, but instead aimed to be a simply entertaining action flick hellbent on giving spectators a gory thrill ride filled with absurdist jokes making fun of politics for the heck of it, there was room for negotiation in that regard when the time was deemed right to tell the story again. The good-humoured gags and slightly satirical and subversive elements were brusquely traded in for a more serious approach, as the new Death Race is set in a bleak world where the economy is in such a shambles the huge masses can only be appeased by watching other people, worse off than they are and pushed into a life of crime, engage in excessively risqué driving behavior. Inmates are offered a chance to reclaim their freedom in return for surviving a race where they must win by avoiding lethal obstacles and more importantly, each other as the goal is to viciously dispatch other contestants. Enter Jason Statham, who by now is well known for playing tough characters who won't tolerate such conditions and fight back with a vengeance.

Statham plays Jensen Ames, an honest man skilled in driving who lost his job and subsequently his wife, quickly framed for her death and sent to serve for life in jail. The wicked warden of the prison, an ice cold Joan Allen, obviously with a sinister agenda of her own, offers him a potential way out by competing in her 'Death Race' programme under the guise of a recently deceased racing legend called Frankenstein, a favorite of the crowd. Of course Ames turns out just as efficient a driver as he works his way through the game, brutally taking out many an adversary along the way and annoying his most fierce opponent, Machine Gun Joe (Tyrese Gibson). As he discovers there's more to his inclusion in the race than simply his established skill set and the warden may have been involved in the murder of his wife, Ames' objective evolves from winning the race to escaping it. Names and a general premise are about as much as this film and its Seventies' counterpart have in common. Very different in style, the modern version is an effective popcorn flick of an action film, but lacking a character of its own and feeling a tad generic overall. No poking fun at politics here. Prison clichés cannot be avoided, as is the case of sidekick typecasting (an old mentor, a nerdy technician, a hot dame as co-driver, you get it). About as inventive as the character set-up gets is Joe's status as a (black) homosexual, a notion with which nothing is done in the course of the film. Why would it anyway? The film is all about racing kick-ass cars making kills.

What Death Race lacks in terms of characters it more than makes up for when it comes to its real stars, the four-wheeled (or more) monstrous machines that form its main attraction. Various grizzly hot-rods adorned with all kinds of deadly accessories have been assembled by a clearly enthusiastic design and stunt team, guaranteeing quite the spectacle as they are pitted against each other in road racing, asphalt blazing fury. The plethora of grotesque vehicles – including an impressive monster truck loaded with ingenious weaponry – steering and hacking their way through a course of rusty, rundown warehouses makes for an eerie, hopeless post-industrial look reminiscent of such classic action fare the likes of Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, except with the constant attention of the panoptical media at its back dominating every move of the race to ensure audience attendance. And despite the blandness of their characters, the cast does a solid job making this grim world feel convincing, Statham doing what he does best (and we wouldn't have it any other way). However, under the direction of action specialist Paul W.S. Anderson (not that Paul Anderson, as this one is not known for his carefully balanced quality storytelling), the movie never conveys the idea that it might revolve around more than just decently dynamic action scenes. If it's butch cars you want, it's butch cars you get, might as well have been the film's tagline. All else is merely secondary.

As a whole, the major differences between this latest Death Race and the original are the result of a bigger budget and scope. A true message is still not a thing of note. The 2008 version simply looks cooler and feels slicker because it had the money at its disposal, but it plays it safe by staying in its comfort zone, solely delivering action while devoid of surprise, instead of throwing oddities and black humour in the mix like the original could afford for being a smaller, independent production. Nevertheless, its tactics proved successful enough to spawn two direct-to-video sequels, and so the premise returned to its more exploitative roots (just not in a particularly good way).

And if you don't like disturbing race car driving, there's always this new Game of Thrones Season 4 trailer to drool over:

 

Today's News: Walker may be dead but F&F lives on

Some more news from everybody's favorite Dutch movie news site, posted by myself:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/152815/lot_paul_walker_in_fast_and_furious_7_bekend_gemaakt

Let's face it: if one of your lead actors dies in real life, you can't just kill his character off too in the movie he plays in because that might feel a tad disrespectful of and ungrateful to all his contributions. Paul Walker starred in all but one of the Fast & Furious flicks, the same amount as the other franchise protagonist Vin Diesel, so he surely deserves better, especially in the eyes of the fanbase. Cutting him out was never an option either; the footage he had already shot needed to be used to ensure the project didn't lose face. It seems the writers/producers/director thus optioned for the only way open to them that would honour both Walker's memory, please the fans and keep the story going without losing credibility. And so Walker's character will retire from his current life of fast cars, gorgeous dames and high speed robberies. He deserves it after surviving no less than five of these films, wouldn't you agree? The question now is whether the material of Walker shot so far will accomodate this change in scripting, as both his character and the plot of the film itself are taken in a new direction nobody would have foreseen (or do you think they have a list of back-up plans in case of emergencies like these?). I wouldn't be surprised if relatively little of Walker's scenes get through the cutting room unscathed and I don't think his character as a result will feature that much screen time at all to be honest. Unless they create a digital version of Walker to bridge the gaps. Why not after all: if they did it with Oliver Reed in Gladiator 15 years ago, they should be able to pull the same thing off now.

Walker's death makes you sit and think how much depends on the good health of the main cast and the difficulties presented by the departure - especially from life - of one of them to everybody else involved in the making of a movie. Studios lose a lot of time and money over such tragedy, as everything done for the film so far comes to a full stop, while much of what was shot ends up being either a bitch to craft into a new smooth and intelligible whole, or worse, just totally worthless. In the case of an original movie recasting would be in order, but not so where a hugely successful franchise is concerned, since the audience knows and loves these characters and will take umbrage when one of them is brisquely set aside without a decent explanation or respectable final aria. So naturally Universal is walking a thin line here, as people still couldn't get enough of F&F even after six films (to each his own, though I myself was also pleasantly surprised by the energetic vigour of the fifth film), and Walker is partially responsible for said box office triumphs. Thankfully for those fans, Fast and Furious 7 is swiftly regrouping, and future installments in this cycle of fast paced action flicks are still a work in progress. After all, that other leading man Vin Diesel is far from dead yet. Though I wouldn't be surprised if Universal execs hid his sports car and encouraged him to take trains to work for the next few years.


Speaking of life and death, I survived yet another Christmas break at work. Just so you know.

The Lost World Series 1: Humvee

Year of release: 1997

Accessories:

-Missile launcher (including one missile)

-Pivoting Stampede Seats

-Dino Pursuit Claw

-Two stun sticks

(Note: the reviewer is not an expert on cars, so any incorrect terminology, or lack of detail, should be disregarded.)

Description: this large car sports a rather sober, colourless paint job, with a military feel to it. It is coloured mostly dark green, though somewhat lighter on the driver's cabin doors. Its underside is all black, with four dark grey wheels. The drivers' seats (there's room for two figures inside) are black, with a metallic brown steering wheel. This vehicle is equipped with an abundance of accessories and highlights. It has a grey, rectangular fence on each side of the driver's cabin, protecting those inside from close encounters with aggressive dinosaurs. These fences can be lowered in a 90 degree angle and used as platforms for figures to stand on. The car also has a large grey bumper with two lights on top up front, and an additional black piece with four more lights on top of the roofless driver's cabin. On the back of the car there is a platform surrounded by metallic grey railing, so figures won't fall off the car so easily in a high speed chase. The front part of this railing, just behind the driver's cabin, carries a detachable dark green missile launcher with orange highlights (grip for loading it on the railing and button for firing the missile): pressing the button on top launches the metallic brown missile over a decent distance. On either side of the car there's a black pivoting seat, attached to the vehicle by two metallic grey cranes. Both can move over a 180 degree radius, so people sitting in them can get closer to the hunting action to catch dinosaurs, making use of the two metallic brown stun sticks that come with this car as extra accessories.

A big Pursuit Claw comes with this vehicle, which can be used separately from the vehicle, but can also be placed up front so the car can push it forward into a herd of dinosaurs to catch some of them, or it can be towed at the back of the car via the grey grip located there. The claw consists of a black grid with dark grey wheels on either side, carrying a big metallic grey grip holding a dark green contraption which is equipped with two huge metallic brown “fingers” with grey 'balls' in between to trap dinosaurs with. Once a dinosaur gets trapped between the “fingers”, it either hits the big orange button on the front of the green part, making the claw close with force so the animal can't escape, or the smaller orange button on top of the green device can be pushed, causing the same effect to occur. The claw can be tilted over a 180 degree radius as well, unless it's attached to the car in which case its range is limited to a small extent.

The Humvee comes with various stickers for ornamentation, hinting at this vehicle's purpose as a hunter's car, and giving it more character. There are rectangular stickers with black and yellow lines (covered in mud stains) for both the claw and the car itself, as well as a similar smaller sticker which also carries a 'caution' note over it for on the claw. There's a small sticker carrying the TLW logo for on the windshield, as well as one showing the InGen logo, indicating to which party this vehicle belongs. There's a total of ten 'lights' stickers, eight for the front of the car and two more for the rear section. There's also a sticker saying 'Hummer', while various stickers with control panels and buttons come with this car to lighten up the driver's cabin. Lastly, there are various tiny stickers with dinosaur skull logos on them, and red crosses over these, to show what species have already fallen prey to this Humvee capture vehicle.

Analysis: the largest vehicle of the TLWS1 toy line (with the exception of the Mobile Command Center, which is more of a play set), this Humvee is more than a match for most vicious dinosaurs, being designed for capture and close combat with prehistoric vermin. It sports a rather sombre and dark paint job, very different from the jungle colours we've seen on more cheerful cars like the Ground Tracker and Jungle Explorer, indicating it's not to be messed with: the dark green, grey and black colour scheme hints at a serious occupation, and give it a more realistic feel (though the small orange highlights feel out of place in this regard). There's space for at least seven figures. It also comes with various tools to aid in the process of catching dinosaurs, especially those that don't feel like being captured.

The most notable accessory is the big capture claw, an adequate tool for catching mostly smaller or medium sized creatures. It's not handy for use while dealing with something like an adult T-Rex, but should succeed in catching or at least knocking out Raptors, Pachycephalosaurs and other smaller figures. It can grab them between its “fingers”, which violently snap to close around such beasts when either of the two buttons is pushed. The edgy shape of the 'balls' (for lack of a better term), which function as teeth with their serrated quality, make sure few dinosaurs manage to escape when the claw is closed. Animals that respond inappropriately (i.e., that resist their capture) can be subdued using the missile launcher on top of the car. This is a decent launcher, with a somewhat limited range (usually no more then 50 centimetres), which is sufficient for creatures that have been caught when the claw was placed on either the front or back of the car (though the gun can also be used separately, like the claw). However, there's only one missile, so you only have one shot. But if that doesn't work out, the Humvee is equipped with pivoting seats to make hunters sitting on them swing forward close enough to tranquillize the dinosaurs using the stun sticks that also come with this vehicle. When the claw is positioned on the front of the car, these seats can come close enough to put the hunters in the middle of the action. However, if it's positioned at the back of the car, they are less useful. Fortunately the missile launcher can also fire at things behind the vehicle. Not all figures fit well in the seats: some have a tendency to fall out easily, or have their arms positioned in such a manner that they get in the way of the inward side of the seats. But most figures fit in well enough, especially the ones from the TLW toy lines.

The Humvee is mostly focused on offensive action, being a capture vehicle, but also comes with various defensive pieces. The railing at the rear section of the car not only makes sure human figures don't fall out of the vehicle so easily when in a chase, it's also an obstacle for dinosaurs trying to attack from behind. Creatures trying to get to the people inside the drivers' cabin will have a tough time getting past the fences on either side which do an adequate protective job, but can also be used as additional attack platforms for human figures during a chase (again, using the stun sticks, or weaponry that comes with other figures). However, the main flaw of this vehicle is that the driver's cabin has no roof, so it's open to the elements (wouldn't want to drive this vehicle during a typical Jurassic Park thunderstorm!), and also to large predators that can manage to reach in the cabin and eat the people inside (like the big Rexes of this toy line). Again, the missile launcher helps in this regard, but you only have one shot.

Playability: excellent. This vehicle is loaded with poseable parts, action features and plenty of space for human figures. The Pursuit Claw can be attached to either the front or the rear side of the vehicle, but can also be used separately. The fences on either side of the driver's cabin not only protect the vehicle against ferocious dinosaurs, but also provides additional space for human figures. The missile launcher is also detachable, but it only comes with one missile: two or more, like the Ground Tracker had, would have been preferable. Though there's no specific dino damage parts, unlike on most other vehicles, various parts of this car can easily be taken off to stand in for such a feature, like the railing on the back of the car, or the lights on top. The stun sticks are a nice bonus, but only useful for human figures: they do have an unfortunate tendency to be easily misplaced, or considered as not belonging to his vehicle, making complete Humvees harder to find.

Realism: this is quite a decent toy version of the Humvee vehicle seen in the Lost World movie as used by the InGen hunters. It's not identical, being equipped with various action options for playability's sake (like the missile launcher). However, the Pursuit Claw and Pivoting Seats were both seen in the movie, not even all that dissimilar from the ones on this toy. Stun sticks were also used by the InGen team, though they too looked somewhat different. The shape, size and even colour of this car are quite comparable to the movie's Humvee. Overall, this is one of the most realistic JP vehicles of all the toy lines.

Repaint: no, this is a brand new vehicle. Nothing has been repainted from earlier toys, except for the missile launcher, which was retooled and repainted from the one that came with the JPS1 Bush Devil Tracker (with a different missile this time). The Humvee would not be repainted for any following toy lines.

Overall rating: 8/10. This is an excellent new vehicle, with a realistic design and paint job, solid action features, some of them quite original, and plenty of room for human figures. It's well worth getting, but it's not the easiest JP vehicle to find. Prices tend to be high for complete and MIB samples.

The Lost World Series 1: Ground Tracker

Year of release: 1997

Accessories:

-Rotating gun turret with missile launcher (including three missiles)

-Dino damage hood

-Detachable electronic lights section

-Satellite dish

(Note: the reviewer is not an expert on cars, so any incorrect terms, or lack of detail, should be disregarded.)

Description: the most notable colouring of this vehicle is the bright green with dark grey spots in an asymmetrical pattern, giving it a distinct camouflage look. The front hood, including damage piece, sides and back of the car are painted in this fashion. The underside of the car, including the car’s interiors, like the seats, is painted dark grey, though in a lighter hue as the spots, adding some variation to the overall paint job. At the front of the car there’s a grey framework around the dino damage hood. At the back there are two more frames of the same colour on each side of the vehicle. All four wheels are black with bright green hub caps. The steering wheel is also black. There are two seats, and additionally one small platform on each side of the car next to the seats, providing room for two more figures.

In the back of the car various action features are installed. First there is the satellite dish in the right back of the car, which can be folded out creating more space for figures or accessories. The dish looks pretty complex with small technical details, but these don’t feature additional options. The dish and the platform it’s attached to are painted entirely in light grey. This is also the case with the removable lights section, which is placed right behind the seats and can be used separately from the car. This part of the vehicle is electronic: inserting two 1.5 Volt LR6/AA batteries (sold separately unfortunately) behind the black piece of plastic causes the two lights to shine when the small black button is switched. The lights section is adorned with one black antenna on each side, as well with black stickers sporting the TLW movie logo. Right behind the lights section, in the left back of the Ground Tracker there’s the gun turret. It can rotate in a full circle and move both forward and backward. The black platform the missile launcher is attached to can be raised to about double the usual height. The light grey launcher (same colour as the satellite dish and lights section) sports a small yellow lever on top and has room for either one of the three yellow missiles this car comes with. Pulling the lever causes the missile to be launched, with a range of about 60 centimetres. Right behind the turret there are two small holes, which can be used to store the other two missiles in, diminishing the risk of losing them.

Though most action features are located in the back of the car, there’s one at the front as well. There’s a large yellow button at the very nose of the car: pressing this causes the hood (adorned with a large sticker carrying the TLW movie logo) to be launched in the air with some force, exposing silver mechanic parts with a large yellow button in the middle. This system is put back in place by pressing the button and putting the hood back. It’s designed to make it appear the hood explodes when a ferocious dinosaur rams the front of the car, but it looks very artificial, and not much like genuine dino damage.

Analysis: this is a dam fun vehicle with a wide variety of features. Though the bright green part of the paint job is a bit aggressive, the overall paint job is not at all bad. Personally I would have preferred a darker shade of green, but I guess this will provide for decent camouflage in a jungle setting. The grey parts are a bit dull and could have used some more detail. Of course you wouldn’t want this toy just for the paint job, but for the range of action options it comes with.

The action feature that provides for the most fun is the exploding hood. Though it’s a bit noisy it works really well and launches the hood with force, usually making it spinning in the air. This is an original take on the good old dino damage theme, though it looks too “man made” and not random enough for dino damage. The hood is too symmetrical, there’s no bite marks or anything, like the classic JPS1 Jungle Explorer’s dino damage featured. However, the exploding part makes it all worthwhile. When the hood is off, the yellow button can also be used to launch other things, like small figures. I can’t recall how many times I made Dieter Stark’s Compsognathus figure flying through the air, but it sure was a lot.

The gun turret also gives a new look to a classic action feature. Most cars of the various toy lines come with missile launchers, but few of them can rotate in any direction or tilt up and down and back and forth. This gun however isn’t detachable, like is often the case with missile launchers. Though it can be pulled off, I don’t think that was part of the intended design. Another downside: when there’s a figure on the platform to which the gun is attached, it’s out of balance. The gun and the figure just lean forward then, looking a bit silly. This can be fixed by having the gun resting on top of the lights system, but then it can’t rotate anymore. So unfortunately this original gun turret system is not without flaws. The launcher works fine though; a missile can be fired a good 50 or 60 centimetres with relative force, usually enough to knock over smaller dinosaurs and hatchlings. It’s a good thing there’s room to store the other two missiles, because they’re really the sort of parts people tend to misplace. Very considerate on the designers’ part.

The lights are also an interesting addition. The button activating them can easily be pushed, even when the satellite dish behind it is folded in. The lights work fine (of course depending on the batteries as well), but only in the dark. And I don’t think too many people play with their figures in the dark. Even though they’re hardly noticeable in daylight, the lights are still a fresh option. And though a regular flashlight provides better lighting, it always comes in handy when needed, so it’s a good thing the lights can be removed from the vehicle and used separately.

Lastly, there’s the satellite dish. Though it doesn’t really provide for any action, it’s still a fun addition to the car, and especially useful when you need more room to store vehicles or accessories. The same thing can also be said for the small platforms on either side of the vehicle, providing space for more figures.

Playability: quite high, due to the wide range of action features. Even though some features have their downsides, this car still provides for ample playability options, and is a worthy opponent for any dinosaur figure. Of course, keep in mind this car sports electronic lights, so if you want to keep them working don’t play too rough with this vehicle. Or remove the lights section.

Realism: this is undoubtedly supposed to be the toy equivalent of the Tracker vehicle used by Malcolm’s team in the TLW movie. The Tracker cars (there were two of them) weren’t seen much in the film, apart from Eddie’s death scene, in which he uses one in an attempt to save his friends from falling over the cliff. That car did not feature a rotating turret, but the lights and satellite dish aren’t unrealistic touches given Eddie’s affinity for technology. The colours are also off somewhat, since the Trackers featured a darker tone of green. But other than that, this car is at least a good reference to the ones seen in the movie.

Repaint: no. This vehicle would not be repainted for following toy lines either.

Overall rating: 8/10. A good toy vehicle with a lot of fun actions, even though there are downsides to some of them. Though it’s not really rare, it may prove more difficult and/or expensive to find a complete and/or MIB Ground Tracker, but it’s well worth the money.

The Lost World Series 1: Net Trapper Off-Road Vehicle

Year of release: 1997

Accessories:

-Detachable missile launcher (including missile)

-Dino damage piece

-Net

(Note: the reviewer is not an expert on cars, so any incorrect terminology, or lack of detail, should be disregarded.)

Description: this vehicle is a basic four wheel jeep used for catching dinosaurs in ‘high speed chases’. It has a slight military look to it, given the largely beige paint job with dark green frameworks and a large gun on top. It has two detachable orange sets of lights, one on the top of the front windshield and another on the upper green frames, as well as two lights on the front left and right of the car and two red ones on the back end. The green framework provides a sort of roof for the car and figures can hold on to it. An additional detachable piece of framework runs on the front, also making up part of the windshield. The inside of the jeep, seats and console, are coloured in the same dark green as the frames. The wheels are black as is the missile launcher, while the rest of the car sports a beige paint job with orange highlighting (lamps, net frame and arm, button on the missile launcher and missile, inner parts of the driving section).

The car provides room for three action figures, two in the seats, and one in the back holding on to the gun. The right seat is retractable and can move outward, making potential room for a fourth figure. On the right front part of the vehicle, a small piece of dino damage is located, though other parts of the car can come loose as well, creating additional dino damage. The gun is detachable too, and can also be attached to other parts of the framework. Pressing the orange button on the gun causes the missile to be fired, with a relatively short firing distance of about 40-50 centimetres. On the right side of the jeep an orange crane arm is positioned, with a large black net held together by an orange framework attached to it. The net can be rotated in both directions, and is big enough to trap most small and even medium sized dinosaur figures. On both sides of the jeep a sticker is found with the TLW movie logo on it.

Analysis: this is a fine addition to the range of vehicles of the JP toy lines. It’s somewhat smaller than most cars, roughly the same size as the JPS1 Bush Devil Tracker. The paint job is quite good, though not very detailed. The orange highlights conflict somewhat with the more natural colours used for this car; it would have been better looking had they used a different colour. Still, it looks butch and even realistic by toy standards (apart from the slightly goofy net sticking out of its right side).

The Net Trapper provides for a decent range of playability options, most of them unfortunately used before on other vehicles (and used again for later toy lines too). First of all, there’s the missile launcher, which seems to be an obligatory part of any JP vehicle. Though it looks good, and can be detached and rotated 360 degrees, its firing range is quite limited: usually about 30 centimetres, 50 at best. Also, it’s not fired with much force, so it does little damage on impact. Still, it’ll knock over most hatchlings and even smaller dinosaur figures if you’re lucky

Second of all, there’s the dino damage piece, also found on almost every vehicle. Compared to the other pieces of dino damage in the TLW toy line, this one is more random and gritty: it appears a dinosaur really took a chunk out of the car, instead of looking far too artificial like it’s just a part designed to be removed (like with the Ground Tracker and the Mobile Command Center dino damage). It’s a pretty small piece, but other parts can be removed as well (lights, parts of the framework), which provides for additional damage.

Third of all, there’s the retractable seat, a feature also included on the JPS1 Bush Devil Tracker. It works fine and can easily be pushed back in. It has no action feature to it, like the snare its JPS1 counterpart came with. However, since the large net is located right behind it, it’s logical to assume this option was designed to lure a (probably carnivorous) dinosaur to the chair, hoping to get a snack, after which it gets caught in the net when the seat is quickly tracked back in. However, in a ‘high speed chase’ it only seems to be an obstacle.

Of course the most noteworthy part of the jeep is the net; it’s called Net Trapper after all. The net is about 12 centimetres long and nine centimetres high, making it capable of trapping about any smaller dinosaur figure (like the TLWS1 Velociraptor illustrated on the box) and even some medium sized dinosaurs, like the Chasmosaurus or Spinosaurus of this toy line. The net is attached to a crane arm on the side of the jeep and can swivel back and forth, increasing its range of action. It works fine, but it really looks a bit silly. It would have been more realistic to have this car include a net launcher instead, but I guess that would be more difficult to design and put on the jeep. And since this is a toy, and a nice one too, the designers got away with it.

Playability: this car provides for plenty of playability options. Its various action features (net, missile launcher, retractable seat and dino damage) are all in decent working order. There’s enough room for figures, though it’s not always easy to position a figure in the back next to the gun, since they mostly fall off. Figures can clamp to the framework or the gun with some difficulty though.

Realism: this car is relatively realistic for a toy, apart from the funky net. It resembles the off-road jeeps the InGen hunters used in the TLW movie, though it’s less detailed since it’s first and foremost a toy vehicle and not meant to be a perfectly accurate representation of the movie vehicles. The retractable seat was a feature seen on one of the jeeps in the movie, and is thus a nice reference (while at the same time harking back to the JPS1 Bush Devil Tracker as well). The hunters didn’t use missile launchers like the one this car comes with, but it’s still a good addition to any vehicle used on an island filled with hungry dinosaurs.

Repaint: no. This vehicle would not be repainted for later toy lines either.

Overall rating: 8/10. It’s a good car with some fun action features (most of them seen on other vehicles too though, so no points for originality here). It sports a good look and is an adequate match for any smaller ferocious predator. Though this vehicle isn’t really rare, complete or MIB ones are not that easy to find. Still, it should be worth any collector’s while, even at somewhat higher prices.

Jurassic Park Series 1: Jungle Explorer

Year of release: 1993

Accessories:

-Blood Sample Missile Launcher with two missiles

-Dino Damage hood

-Glass window roof

-Camera

(Note: the reviewer is not an expert on cars (especially in the English language), so any incorrect technical terminology or lack of detail should be disregarded.)

Description: this second car of the JPS1 toy line is bigger than the Bush Devil Tracker and measures about 25 centimetres in length. Its predominant colour is bright yellowish green, which can be found on both sides of the vehicle as well as most of the front and also a bit around the windows. It turns into almost full yellow on the lower sides of the car. It’s also adorned with rows of red stripes, most notably on the hood, but also on both sides. The roof on the back of the Explorer is red, while there is black highlighting around the windows and next to the missile storage compartment. The “windows” on the back of the car are entirely black. The car has four black wheels (no hub caps) and black bumpers on the back and front of the car, including lights on the front bumper. On top of the red roof section there are additional lights as well as a small black camera. The driving wheel is black, while the rest of the inside of the car including the two seats is coloured dark grey and lacks detail. The car is decorated with a large JP logo sticker on the hood, as well as long Jurassic Park text logos with the Rex symbol on each side of the car. This vehicle sports “glass” (plastic of course) in the main window and the front part of the roof (which is able to be opened), but not on the side windows. Nice little detail: the main front window sports hints of window cleaners, though there are none. The missile launcher is all metallic grey, with one large red button, while the missiles themselves are the same colour with red blood sample dots inside.

The Jungle Explorer features two main action features. First, the dino damage hood. A large section of the car’s hood can be removed, and reveals extensive damage to the engine underneath, The hood breaks off in an asymmetrical pattern as if a large ferocious carnivore tore it off with its bare teeth. Second, there’s the blood sample missile launcher which is located on a swing door at the back of the car. The door flaps open with the launcher ready for action (if loaded of course). The vehicle comes with two missiles, rocket like in appearance. While the launcher is loaded, the second missile can be stored on one of the two pins on the left end of the car.

Analysis: the Jungle Explorer is without a doubt the most well remembered and iconic vehicle of the entire JP franchise. Everyone fondly recalls this car being beaten, battered, torn to shreds, thrown off a cliff and falling down a tree in a climatic confrontation with a curious Tyrannosaurus in the first movie. Of course kids would want to repeat its behaviour with their own toy vehicle, so Kenner designed this classic Jungle Explorer toy, largely sporting the same great colourful paint job as the car seen in the film.

Unlike the Explorers seen in the movie, which were electric, rode on tracks and were defenceless, this car uses no tracks and is equipped with a missile launcher to defend itself from creatures, but also to get blood samples off the dinosaurs, according to the box this toy was shipped in. The blood sample aspect of the missiles is a bit vague: apparently it has something to do with the red dots inside of the missiles. When these are shown it means the missile is ready to be fired in order to take blood samples. If not, the missiles can be loaded but don’t get launched very far. I doubt many kids would bother with these details (I certainly never did) and just want to shoot dinosaurs instead. When properly loaded this can also be done, since the missiles (if in good working order) have a decent firing range of over half a metre and a good impact force as well (though real big dinosaurs won’t be knocked over by them). When not in use, both missiles can be stored on the pins on the left side of the car, which prevents misplacement.

The best thing about this vehicle is the damage that can be done to it, since most kids undoubtedly felt like replaying the Rex attack on their own. Kenner delivered with a good dino damage hood action. A large part of the hood can be removed, revealing extensive damage underneath. Besides that, the glass roof window, the front bumper and the little camera can also be removed, though probably not really intended as dino damage in the same sense as the hood of the car. The removable glass window (it does take some effort to properly remove it) is another nice touch, since now carnivores can attack figures inside the car from above and snatch them between their jaws, like the Rex attempted to do with the kids in the movie.

Though sporting an overall great design, the Jungle Explorer is not perfect. Most vexing is the lack of detail on the inside, making the interior of the car look rather dull. Also a nuisance is the fact that there are no side doors, so figures can only be placed inside through the roof with some effort. Lastly, there’s no good way for figures to operate the launcher on the back, since there’s no real place to put them and they have trouble holding on to the launcher. Minor issues, which could have been solved easily in the design process, but still don’t really detract from the awesomeness of this toy car.

Playability: just fine. The vehicle rolls well on its four wheels, though only on easy flat terrain. The dino damage section looks great, much more detailed and serious than on the Bush Devil Tracker. The missile launcher door swings open easily while the launcher itself does its job well. However, the missiles are a bit fragile due to the blood sample system inside the missiles, which tends to get worn out over time: this causes the missiles to be unable to be launched properly (which dramatically decreases their respectable firing range of 60 centimetres to almost zero, meaning they more often hit the hood of the car than any targets in front of the vehicle). The missile storage pins on the side of the jeep come in handy though, since now you don’t have to leave any missiles lying around. The camera on top of the jeep is only there for show and doesn’t really do anything (though it can swivel around in a full circle). The glass roof is quite aesthetically pleasing and useful as well, since the side doors of the jeep can’t be opened so figures have to be placed in their seats via the roof. It’s a bit awkward to do, but unfortunately the only way.

Realism: thanks to the yellowish green paint job and red stripes this car is unmistakably a toy version of the Ford Explorer vehicle seen, and destroyed in one of the movie’s most memorable scenes, in the first Jurassic Park film. Of course there are some differences, most notably in the back of the car (no windows, missile launcher, lack of detail on the inside), but that’s to be expected. There had to be some good action features after all, though without them this car would probably look just as cool.

Repaint: as part of the first JP toy line, the Jungle Explorer is not repainted. A repaint featuring ‘jungle colours’ (though he colours on the original seem ‘jungle’ enough to me) was planned for the JPS2 line, but got scrapped: no JPS2 Jungle Explorers have ever been seen officially. The vehicle would not be repainted for later toy lines either.

Overall rating: 8/10. A good toy version of the classic Ford Explorers of the first movie, with a grand paint job, nasty dino damage and a fine missile launcher. It has some minor flaws, but is definitely worth getting despite them. It’s not really difficult to find and got a wide release, but prices have been known to be high at times (especially for MIB ones) because it’s such a popular vehicle.

Jurassic Park Series 1: Bush Devil Tracker

Year of release: 1993

Accessories:

-Detachable Tranq Missile Launcher with missile

-Retractable seat with Dino Snare

-Dino Damage Windshield

(Note: the reviewer is not an expert on cars, so any incorrect technical terminology or lack of detail, should be disregarded.)

Description: this open roof jeep sports a largely grey paint job with the front and back parts painted light grey, and the inside (seats, dashboard), bumpers (including non detachable wiring under the radiator) as well as the “edges” of the vehicle above the tires all being dark grey. The tires, four composing the wheels and a spare fifth on the back of the jeep, are black, as is the rope on the snare. The back of the front part of the jeep is red, including the Dino Damage windshield (which reveals grey detailing underneath when removed). Also red are the bars at the back of the jeep, the dino snare (which sports yellow highlights) and the small handled column on the retractable seat which keeps the person sitting there from slipping off when the seat is pushed out. The vehicle comes with a large dark grey gun which can be placed on the red bars in the back: it features additional yellow highlights and a yellow missile. A large sticker with the JP logo can be found on the front cap of the jeep, while the vehicle also carries a sticker with the number 27.

This jeep comes with two seats, as well as space for a third figure in the back for manning the gun. The right seat is retractable and can be pulled out so as to make it more easy to handle the snare, as well as creating space for a fourth figure. The snare itself can rotate in a full circle and move up and down. It can extend up to about 25 centimetres, but no less than about 15. Creatures can get caught with it by placing the rope around them and pulling on it until it fits tight. The missile launcher in the back can be detached and used separately but also works well on the vehicle itself. Pressing the small yellow button on top makes the missile being fired to a range of up to 60 centimetres. The jeep only comes with one missile so there’s always a risk of misplacing it which leaves the launcher useless. Lastly, the jeep features a breakaway windshield (no glass unfortunately, so the windshield seems a bit redundant since it won’t protect figures against wind or dust). A vicious dinosaur can pull it off, causing typical dino damage.

Analysis: this is a decent enough first JP jeep. Though similar to the Park Ranger jeeps in the movie, it’s no way near as classic as the Jungle Explorer vehicles, which will undoubtedly remain the most memorable JP vehicles of all. Still, it’s an okay addition to the first JP toy line with a fine paint job (though the inside seats could have used more detail), but overall just not as good as the other vehicles.

It features four distinct action features. First, there’s the retractable seat. This works quite well and allows for the snare which is attached to it to be used with greater ease. A small steering column is placed in the middle of the seat so figures can place it between their legs and not fall off the jeep in a high speed dinosaur chase.

Second: the snare. This is the vehicle’s main weapon to catch creatures (snare captures them, gun tranquillises them), but also the weakest action feature. Though it has a wide range of motion and can extend to capture bigger prey, it’s just not strong enough and won’t hold animals tight, so they’ll slip loose easily and escape. The snares of the various JP toys (JPS1/2 Tim Murphy, TLWS1 Dino Snare Dirt Bike) always were the weakest capture systems and certainly no match for a good old fashioned rocket launcher…

… like the third action feature of the Bush Devil Tracker. This detachable missile launcher can easily be removed and put back on the bars at the back of the vehicle. It looks somewhat bigger and more complicated than is necessary, but it works well enough. Pushing the button fires the missile (as is usual for Kenner’s rocket launchers) and slings it about half a metre away. However, it’s not very heavy and doesn’t have a big impact force, so unless it’s fired at close range (which is not inconceivable, since the snare is the actual capture function, reeling dinosaurs in close enough for the gun to subdue them) it won’t do much damage and will knock over smaller beasts at best.

Fourth and last, like most vehicles this car sports dino damage. It’s not very elaborate, just a removable wind shield revealing minor circuitry underneath. It’s a real shame this window doesn’t have any “glass” making it look unnecessary anyway, but the damage is easily caused and restored. 

 

Playability: good enough. The car rolls well on those four wheels, though only on easy flat terrain. The dino damage is easy to remove and restore, since it’s not very complicated. The rocket launcher works adequately, though it hasn’t got a very long range and not much impact force either. It’s a good thing it’s detachable, otherwise it would get in the way of playability at times. The retractable seat is a nice touch (even realistic, considering a jeep in the TLW movie also had one), making the snare easier to handle and adding additional space (creating place for a total of four human figures in this car), but the snare itself isn’t great. Despite being fully rotatable and long enough for all but the biggest dinosaur figures, it just isn’t strong enough to subdue them and looks damn silly. Also, it’s a shame the spare tire on the back of the car isn’t removable.

Realism: the vehicle is very reminiscent of the gas powered Park Ranger jeeps as seen in the JP movie, especially with the red and grey colour scheme, but it’s not an exact match. Those vehicles didn’t have an open roof and lacked any dino catching equipment the Bush Devil Tracker comes with. This vehicle is basically a toy version of the Park Ranger jeeps, looking similar but also sporting weaponry so as to keep the kids occupied.

Repaint: being part of the very first JP toy line, this vehicle is not a repaint in any way. A repaint featuring ‘jungle colours’ was planned for the JPS2 line, but got scrapped: no JPS2 Bush Devil Trackers are known to exist. The vehicle would not be repainted for later toy lines either.

Overall rating: 6/10. It’s a decent enough vehicle with a cool paint job, but the Snare and damage aren’t very impressive. It’s not really hard to find, but less easy than most other JPS1 figures. You may have to look for it a while and it may not always be cheap.

Today's News: Fast 7 is a go

This just in from MovieScene:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/146359/fast_and_furious_7_krijgt_releasedatum

This is a trend Hollywood seems to appropriate more and more: they spread the word about a sequel just mere weeks before its predecessor hits theatres to boost awareness of that film in question. That way, they suggest they have real faith in the upcoming film - even if it turns out to be a total dud and the studio knew it all along - so everyone should go and see it to make sure the promised sequel will indeed happen (even if we do not yet know whether we want it to happen ourselves). Sometimes this backfires on the studios, as in the case of John Carter where such a tactic didn't pan out: the film flopped (sadly, since I happened to like it) and the sequel we were told in advance was sure to happen got canned after all. However, in this particular case Universal risks less, since Fast and Furious has already been established as a proven concept that continues to draw audiences because it delivers the simple goods spectators expect to see: fast cars, tough guys, pretty girls and mesmerizing highway stunts. Considering Fast Five did surprisingly well at the box office, Fast Six was a logical next step: interest is still very much alive and awreness is fairly fresh, so the studio took a minor gamble on announcing Fast Seven just before Fast Six arrives in theatres. Releasing such news via the lips of the main actor (Diesel) at a movie convention, instead of using a regular press release, shows the audience is rewarded directly for its loyalty by making the star promise his return directly to them to wow them once more. 'Do ut des', as the Romans once said with relation to their gods: I give if you give. As long as we go and pay to see the film, we'll get what we want, with the promise of a continuing fruitful relationship in the form of more of these fun action flicks down the road. Until one of these sequels turns out truly horrendous of course, and the deal is broken.

Do I want to see Fast Seven? I dunno, haven't seen Fast Six yet... However, I liked Fast Five more than I thought I would. Though, I got the feeling the story was about to be concluded for good in the upcoming installment of this franchise, all loose ends neatly tied up: hence the tagline 'all roads lead to this'. Apparently there's some more roads nobody knew about that lead to part seven. But hey, I should have known better, since Hollywood doesn't really care about loose ends: it just creates it own ends if needs be, and money is certainly such a need.