Description:
this Pterosaur “stands” in a neutral position, except for its
wings which are somewhat folded upwards. The creature sports quite an
interesting paint job: the head, body and wings are mostly coloured
in slightly shiny dark green. The underside of the creature is grey,
from the base of the neck all the way to the upper legs. About one
third of each wing is white, with the rest being light green with
slightly darker tones of green mixed in. The front side of each arm
is also painted in this lighter green, with a row of spots of the
same colour adorning the wings. A yellow stripe runs on each side of
the head, from the neck upwards till round its black eyes. The beak
and, tremendously large, crest sport beige spots. The claws are
black, both on the fingers and toes. A black JP III logo can be found
on the underside of its left wing.
A
dino damage wound is located on its back: it’s red with a little
white button in the middle, suggesting muscle tissue with a small
piece of bone exposed. Pushing this button activates a shrieking
noise, repeated once, as if the creature is yelling in pain. A second
sound is made by pressing the head downwards, thus also causing the
toothless mouth to open. This noise sounds more like an attack cry.
Analysis:
just when you thought JP III Wave 2 would have no surprises, this
baby comes into view. This is by far Hasbro’s most daring and
original figure: I reckon few people have ever heard of a Pterosaur
called Tapejara (though it had a small appearance in a Walking
with Dinosaurs episode). Why Hasbro
suddenly decided to be original and produce this splendid figure is
beyond me, but we should be glad they did, because it is one of the
best figures in the entire JP III toy line.
Still,
it’s mostly a rehash of the Wave 1 Pteranodon figure (which was
also a great sculpt). It’s got the same features and unfortunately
also the same sounds, though in a better sound quality. It’s not a
repaint, though you might be inclined to think so at first. The body,
legs and even the head sculpt differ from the Pteranodon’s body
parts.
This
Pterosaur’s action features are the same as those of the
Pteranodon. First, it’s got a biting action produced by pressing
the crest forwards, also causing the attack roar. Second, it’s got
a dino damage wound on it’s back, and as is Hasbro lore it cannot
be covered up, so it’s unfortunately got a permanent hole in his
back. The pain shriek is also the same. Third, it’s got wings that
can move in almost any direction, providing a wide range of
possibilities. Fourth, its legs are poseable as well.
Though
the features of this sculpt may not be new, they at least work fine.
After all, why change a winning formula? The Tapejara is at any rate
in no way inferior to the equally successful Pteranodon. It also
sports a wonderful paint job despite the abundance of green.
Playability:
this figure provides for a wide range of playability options, mostly
because of it’s almost omni-directional wings and it’s neutral
position. The attack feature also works properly and the sound
quality is pretty good. Keep in mind this is an electronic figure, so
you shouldn’t handle it too roughly.
Realism:
there were no Tapejaras in JP III, so Hasbro deserves some credit for
producing this unique sculpt. Unfortunately this is the only truly
original figure in the toy line. It’s not entirely
paleontologically correct, but that goes for most dinosaur toys and
thus doesn’t hurt the toy in question. It’s quite oversized
compared to the human figures, since Tapejara only grew to a wing
scale of about 6 metres, while this one appears to be at least 10
metres. I also think it’s got too many toes (5 on each foot) though
I’m less sure about this being inaccurate. And lastly I doubt
whether Pterosaurs were able to bend their arms like this toy does.
Repaint:
no. You may very well be inclined to think it is a repaint of the
Wave 1 Pteranodon, particularly the head, but close examination says
otherwise. There are a lot of small differences. This figure would
not be repainted for any following toy line either.
Overall
rating: 8/10. Though it’s a very original toy this is not the case
for it’s action features, but it’s still one of the best figures
in the toy line and certainly recommended. It’s somewhat harder to
find than the Wave 1 toys, but not excessively so. It’s also rarer
in overseas territories, though still findable. At least it’s well
worth tracking down, even at higher cost. Let Tapejara surprise you
of Hasbro’s occasional original craftsmanship too!
Call it petty whining, but each year I'm having an increasingly hard time finding suitable birthday and Sinterklaas gifts for my ever more demanding loved ones. DVDs are just an outdated medium by now, while few of them ever bothered to make the switch to Blu-Ray at all, rather than sticking to watching things online only (if at all). Sure, you can play a DVD on (most) computers, but it's not the same. Plus, watching things on computers and assorted mobile devices certainly saves shelf space (though of course it doesn't look nearly as sophisticated to visitors!). Point is, I fully agree with all the advantages the digital realm offers. After all, if people stopped watching DVDs, consider the production costs, both financial and material, that would be spared. Fewer DVDs sold means fewer resources wasted on an ever more declining medium. I'm all for that - and the same with books and CDs, naturally - yet I'm so stuck in my own routines that I can't switch to the same life style myself. I just love the feel of a DVD/Blu-Ray, the notion of owning something tangible forever, rather than saving ones and zeros in code on some digital plane, or just plucking things online whenever I feel like it and deleting them when I'm done, like a fleeting dream not long remembered. I applaud my friends and family for their modern mindset, but they can't expect everyone to think alike. So I'll continue to give them DVDs as long as that option is open to me, even though I know they have no particular desire (or space) to own them. I cannot help but stick to what I know best. But if my friends and family can't accept that about me, I guess they'll just have to chalk it up as a bad habit of mine.
A rather decent little trailer, says I. Seems Middle-Earth will go out with an appopriate bang, as did The Hobbit book to a lesser extent. Moderation surely isn't Peter Jackson's style, particularly if he knows he's not likely to show off like this again. Might as well go all-out one last time. Tolkien purists surely gave up on him right after An Unexpected Journey anyway. This precious trailer looks breathtaking and makes me water my mouth accordingly. However, I'm not the one who needs to be convinced to go see this movie, as I've been planning to do so for a few years now. I guess this trailer doesn't really need to be enticing anyway, as people who want to see the movie will see it anyway and people who don't, won't be pulled in any more by this preview, even if it does look awesome. This trailer definitely is for the fans, who live in the greatest of anticipation for one more month before the cinematic age of Middle-Earth comes crashing down. Unless they do find a way to decently adapt The Silmarillion for the big screen after all.
Then there's this trailer. There's a multitude of evil minions in Tolkien's stories, but none are as cute as these. You don't see Orcs getting a movie of their own. (Well, you do, but that's not what I mean.) But it's clear people enjoyed the shenanigans of Gru's little aides more than they did Gru's own sinister schemes, so a spin-off was required by the laws of Hollywood. It's still unclear whether Steve Carell's Gru is in the movie, as some sites claim he is while others deny as much. I think it likely this will serve as an origin story, showing how Gru and the Minions hooked up. Do we need to know that? Not really. I guess people just really like the Minions so much they want to see more of them than their creators originally intended. They're kinda like the Smurfs in that regard: they're small and there's many of them with various personalities, they have their own language, they're monochromatic, etc. If they're indeed a runaway success, will that mean we'll forget about Gru the same way the majority of the Smurfs reader are not aware of Johan and Pirrewiet? That would be a shame, as I think the Minions work best playing off Gru, who himself is an equally delightful character (the voice and nose alone crack me up). It's up to this Minions movie to determine whether the Minions have a staying power of their on, or whether we prefer Gru to be present as well.
As a fellow Dutchman it's of course expected of me to feel a sense of pride at Junkie XL's accomplishments. Well sure: good job, Mr. XL! Other than that this news doesn't evoke much emotional feelings in me other than gladness we'll be getting a good score for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (now if only we also got a good title...). Hans Zimmer's status as one of the world's leading movie soundtrack composers has long since been established. His tunes can be heard during my workouts on many an occasion (Gladiator is a particular favourite of mine). Junkie XL is just a bonus. His track record of Hollywood scores is still on the short side, but so far he has done well. I liked his score for 300: Rise of an Empire more than the one from its predecessor. Divergent's soundtrack is not nearly as memorable - can't remember a single accord of it for the life of me, to be honest - but at least it didn't leave as sour a taste as the rest of that film did. I like the notion of two composers sharing duties between superheroes' separate scores. It makes sense someone else trackles Batman for this film, as Zimmer already scored that character for the entire Dark Knight trilogy. Since this is a different Batman, a different theme is in order and so a different composer is a logical conclusion. Since we are talking about the same Superman as the one from Man of Steel however, it's only apt that Zimmer keeps scoring him. Big question now is: who's gonna score the inevitable combined superhero/Justice League theme? Zimmer, XL or somebody else entirely?
Neill Blomkamp continues to dabble in socially pertinent science fiction flicks. It worked out great in District 9, a little less so with Elysium, but there's still more contemporary injustice to be commented upon. From the looks of the trailer, Chappie seems to deal with a 'nature versus nurture' debate: does an artificial intelligence become a criminal because he was "raised" in such an environment, or were there signs of bad behaviour in his personality from the get-go? Does he acknowledge good from evil to begin with, or are such notions beyond his understanding because of the limits in his programming? Is a life of crime considered a logical and reasonable existence under the situations according to the codes written within him? It'll be interesting to see what Blomkamp has to say on the matter, since things are never so black and white in his work. The gritty, down-to-earth look of his Sci-Fi remains catchy, especially in a story closer to home than one dealing with space stations and exoskeletons. This film definitely is worth keeping an eye on. It'll be fascinating to see a robot attempting a robbery for financial gain, rather than a bunch of them trying to take over the world for a change.
Meh... Damn silly title. I can understand it's not an Episode proper, considering the new studio, the new director and the new direction the franchise takes (but despite the very old cast members returning). But I still find Star Wars Episode VII to be a catchier title than Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The latter kinda sounds like a video game, a bastard child of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed or something. And is this title suggesting the actual Force was asleep during all the previous movies? Yeah, right! I guess J.J. Abrams is the 'Force' in question and he has awoken to make something new and exciting of the franchise (or so he thinks), rather than the dull generic crap he pushed on us with his dreadful Star Trek reboots, during which he was obviously too much asleep to give a crap. And please tell me that isn't the official logo for the movie. It looks like a cheap fan creation. Not that there aren't any fans who could have come up with better titles, of course. How about Star Wars Episode VII: The Empire Takes Over the Franchise?
Description:
this Sauropod (large four legged animal with typical long neck)
stands in a fairly neutral position except for the tail, which is
bent, and for his right front leg, which is lifted off the ground and
points forward, so the dino strike action can easily be activated.
This action consists of a swinging tail attack, accompanied by a low
roaring sound. A second sound can be produced by pushing the white
button in the dino damage wound: when pushed, a shrieking roar can be
heard, as if the creature was howling in pain. The wound is located
at the right flank, and is basically a red spot (muscle tissue) with
small white spots (bones) in it. As usual, the wound cannot be
covered up, but is constantly exposed. The figure’s long neck is
bendable, but only slightly.
This
sculpt sports a mostly blue paint job, with the undersides of its
body parts (belly, neck, tail, legs and feet) coloured white with
greyish blue stripes. The rest of the legs, as well as the flank,
most of the neck and head, are painted light blue. The top of the
tail and most of its back and neck are coloured in dark blue. The
Brachiosaurus has tiny yellow eyes, nostrils on top of the head and
black claws on its elephant like feet. A black JP III logo can be
found on its right hind leg.
Analysis:
this is the only non hatchling Sauropod figure of all the JP toy
lines (except for the Chaos Effect Amargospinus maybe), and as such
deserves some points on originality. It’s still not as big as most
fans would have wanted it to be, but it’s better than nothing.
Consider it a juvenile Brachiosaurus.
It
looks quite good, though the paint job is more festive than we’re
used to with Sauropods. They’re mostly depicted as being dull grey
or brown, but since we don’t know what colours they actually had,
it’s not a wrong paint job. It could have been better though:
especially the white is a bit boring. Unfortunately Hasbro once again
felt the need to apply the typical dino damage wound which of course
can’t be covered up. It’s pretty annoying to finally have a
larger Sauropod sculpt, only to see it has its insides exposed like
this, but it’s something we’ll have to learn to live with.
The
sounds are new, and in fact the only new sounds in the Wave 2 line.
Again some credit has to be given to Hasbro: instead of reusing the
Triceratops sounds (the only other four legged herbivore of the JP
III toy lines) they made some new ones. A shame they didn’t do that
for the Tapejara figure of this toy line. The attack feature of this
figure is nothing too special; push the leg downwards and the tail
starts whipping. Unfortunately the tail is bent in a weird position,
so it looks less impressive than it might have been had the tail not
been bent in this fashion. Still, the action is enough to knock
figures over. It’s also a good thing the neck is bendable, though
it’s a somewhat predictable feature.
Playability:
well enough. The legs are poseable, as is the neck. However, the bent
tail and the leg pointing upwards are a bit of a letdown. It would
have been better if the tail was bendable as well, so the figure
could fit in its box without the tail sticking out and the dino
action would still work properly. It’s an electronic figure, so you
can’t play too rough with it if you want to keep the electronics
intact.
Realism:
this animal is instantly recognizable as a Sauropod dinosaur. Also,
the shape of the head and the position of the neck makes it clear
this is a Brachiosaurus, or at least a close relative. It doesn’t
look the same as the Brachiosaurs featured in both JP and JP III
(which also didn’t look very similar as they underwent a design
change for JP III), mostly because of the different paint job. The
Brachiosaurs in JP were mostly grey, while the JP III specimens
sported a somewhat reddish brown colour. This model is not entirely
paleontologically correct: the front legs should have been a tad
longer compared to the hind legs, and the tail, though bent, appears
to be too long. I’m also unsure about the correct number of toes.
Repaint:
no. However, this sculpt would be repainted once for JP Dinosaurs 3.
Overall
rating: 7/10. It’s nice to finally have a larger Brachiosaurus
figure, even though it still leaves some things to be desired. It
could have been better and bigger overall, but at least we’re no longer
Sauropodless. This figure is somewhat rarer than the Wave 1 figures,
but still findable, even in overseas territories were it had a more
limited release. It’s worth a place in any JP fan’s collection,
and probably acquirable at not too great a cost.
Is there a point to this? Sure, the movie is 20 years old by now and thus it's totally time for a remake, reboot or whatever, by Hollywood standards. But why make a series out of a two hour movie? And not even a miniseries at that, but what the network hopes will develop into a regular running show. I simply don't see that happen, it seems there's far too little source material available for that. Plus, the strong climax of the movie is not something you can hold off indefinitely episode after episode, while revealing it would mean the emotional core of the story is done and over with and there are no more surprises left. Maybe the writers have thought of ways to flesh out characters and situations, but even then it just doesn't seem to offer much more than its premise. And of course it has to live up to its forebear, a movie many people already have seen so they know how it ends and what it's basically all about. Then of course it must survive being compared to the original movie in terms of visuals, which is also a tough act to follow (it was one of them wacky Terry Gilliam movies, remember?). There's just too many elements working against the series from its inception. I'm surprised it was ever made into a series in the first place. No offense, monkeys. but I just don't see this running for more than a season.
Looks like a charming indie-comedy. As a cat owner, I can sure understand the protagonist's plight. I would find it quite abhorrent, disturbing and emotionally scarring to find my cat shot with an arrow - though that is not a likely scenario in my area, you can never rule it out entirely - and the police not taking it seriously because it's "just a cat". And I know full well the natural duplicity of cats, their tendency to have relational affairs around the neighbourhood with whomever is willing to stroke their fur and give them a bite. So I can definitely relate to this. Otherwise it seems like a fairly trite but true concept: a socially awkward guy is shaken out of his cocoon by unfortunate circumstances that brings him into contact with a nice girl. Not particularly original, the stuff of many indie-comedies in fact, but sympathetic enough. I'm glad to know Fran Kranz is still actively acting, I haven't heard or seen a thing from him since his delightful performance in the brilliantly unpredictable horror flick The Cabin in the Woods. Sure, he's playing a nerd again, but that suited him last time, so I see no reason why it shouldn't now. Nerds, also a thing I can definitely relate to. *sighs*
Here's another thing most of us don't need, except for the people who'll just swallow anything containing blood & gore around Halloween. It's not like the previous Texas Chainsaw Massacre prequel was any good or worth remembering. I don't see why it would this time, as the notion of a teenage Leatherface doesn't intrigue me at all. In fact, I'm much averse to the idea of prequels exploring the origins of great villains in the first place, as it tends to demystify them more than benefits their persona. How often have we seen a film like this where delving into his younger psyche made the evil in question even more sinister? Why do we constantly need to be reminded that the monster was once just a guy like the rest of us, telling us we could all go down that route if we're unlucky? We have history to remind us of such distressing facts. I can think of no horror prequel where exploring the background of the menace helped sustain its sense of dread and frightfulness to the same degree it would have done without such a background. Darth Vader, Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Hannibal Lecter, Dracula, all of their reputations as phenomenal villians suffered from telling too much about their past. And since Leatherface already underwent such a treatment, I don't see the need to make things even worse. Now that's the true evil only money hungry studio executives can cause.
Another production of which the validity can be questioned. Especially as a separate entity, rather than a retelling of the long story that preceded it. Now any comparison with the two Odyssey movies - one an undying classic, the other one, not so much - is inescapable. After all, this will basically serve as the conclusion of a tale unfinished for 30 years. Wouldn't it have made more sense to start from scratch? I guess the thought of actually remaking 2001: A Space Odyssey first would be too sacriligious even for Hollywood. That's a good thing, but it does make it harder for audiences to get a grip on the story, as I doubt that many are familiar with the sequel 2010 (1984). Rightly so, as it simply wasn't a very good film. But since there's no new material introducing this new miniseries, we dive right into a deep story that's been laying dormant for decades. We'll either to have to brush up on prior events by our own accord, or just roll with it. And I bet most spectators will go for the second option, just because they're lazy and they can't be bothered to check out old films. I think it's gutsy to produce this show, particularly so late in the game, but whether it's a smart move remains to be seen. No matter what talent attached to it (Sir Ridley!!), I wouldn't hold my breath on too stellar a result just to be on the safe side. But hey, if its fails, at least it's a miniseries rather than a regular one, so it won't leave us hanging in the dark of space as its predecessors did (and as the 12 Monkeys series is likely to end up doing, except for the space bit).
Wow, that was fast. Usually it takes actors quite a bit longer to admit to themselves they're not right for a part and drop out. It's both a blessing and a curse Bale left when he did. This Steve Jobs film is still early in production, so there's time as yet to find a suitable replacement. However, a solid actor like Bale leaving is simply a negative thing in the eyes of most people, there's no denying. Then again, the project survived both David Fincher and Leonardo DiCaprio calling it quits, and their replacements turned out alright. I doubt Danny Boyle is gonna depart simply because Bale just did. Maybe all these stars dropping out is a good sign to the studio they need to find someone less picky for the part. How about a talented but relatively unknown actor instead? It would sure help the budget. Looking at it in such a fashion, this is not a loss, but a great opportunity instead. And at least they still have Seth Rogen as Steve Wozniak. Unless he drops out, too. And even if the project now fails entirely, we'll always have that lovely jOBS movie with Ashton Kutcher.
Description:
this figure stands in an attack posture, with its mouth opened, its
head panned to the right, its long arms ferociously stretched
forward, and its tail bent downwards. The mouth cannot be closed.
Like all Hasbro sculpts it has a dino damage wound, located on the
right flank: it shows some ribs and muscle tissue. The upper part of
the middle rib is actually a button and activates a shrieking roar as
if the creature is yelping in pain. The front part of the sail, next
to its neck, is also a button which can be pressed downwards: when
doing so, the Spino moves its arms up and down, as if making a
slicing strike movement. It also causes an attack roar to be heard.
The sounds are the same noises the Wave 1 Spino produced.
The
bottom part of this animal is painted in a greyish white colour with
some vague brown stripes mixed in. The upper part of the creature
(upper jaw, neck, sail, back and upper tail) is mostly covered in a
dark reddish brown paint job, with a slightly shiny look at some
parts (mostly the sail). The sail is adorned with a row of 19 shiny
blue stripes on each side. The dinosaur has black claws, and a black
JP III logo is found on its right upper leg.
Analysis:
this figure is an improvement over the Wave 1 Spino figure, but only
slightly so. It still leaves some things to be desired and looks less
impressive than the Animatronic Spinosaurus. The paint job is done
well enough, but not great: especially the underside of the animal
sports a somewhat dull colour and could have used more detail. It’s
odd this paint job is so much different than the one the other
Spinosaur toys (except for the Military Diver’s small Spino figure)
featured: does Spinosaurus changes colour in water or something?
Like
the Wave 1 Spino, this sculpt has almost no body mass, and consists
mostly of limbs, sail and head. It’s very skinny, and naturally
sports one of those irritating wounds Hasbro is so fond of. The
position of the tail and the fact the mouth can’t be closed are
also downsides. However, the figure has some good points too. For one
thing, the sail is bigger and looks cooler, and the tail is also
longer, and thus more realistic, than that of its predecessor. The
dino strike action works well enough: it’s a shame it’s copied
from the Wave 1 Alpha Raptor and Dilophosaurus actions though. The
sounds are the same as those of the Wave 1 Spino, except the sound
quality has been improved, making the roars louder and more imposing.
Overall, this figure evokes mixed feelings.
Playability:
not very good. The limbs are poseable, but the figure’s tail is
bent in a very weird angle and also hinders movement of the right
leg. The mouth is permanently opened (unless one customizes the
figure): it wouldn’t have been so much trouble applying a way to
open and close it at will? The figure is electronic, so if you wish
to keep the roars in working order, don’t go playing to wild with
this toy.
Realism:
this figure resembles the Spinosaurus seen in JP III more than the
Wave 1 Spino did, mostly because of the bigger sail and longer tail.
There are still differences though: the paint job is again not the
same as the JP III Spino sported, and the body is disproportionably
small. Other than that it’s instantly recognizable as a
Spinosaurus, mostly because of the sail and the unmistakably
crocodilian head.
Repaint:
no. This figure would not be repainted either, though a repaint was
scheduled for the JP III Camo-Xtreme line (the infamous Desert
Spinosaurus; only one of them is known to have ended up on the
market. This means that technically this scuplt has been repainted,
but since there’s only one it should be classified as unreleased
and thus doesn’t count.).
Overall
rating: 6/10. It’s not the best Spinosaur sculpt – that honour is
still bestowed on the Animatronic Spinosaurus I’d say – but it’s
better than the Wave 1 Spino figure and not all that bad to own. It’s
a bit rarer than the Wave 1 figures, but not impossible to find, if
you should want one.
Yes, there was more news to report on, since Marvel saw fit to wash away al our questions on their projects for the next five years in a deluge of news, and I didn't post it all at once to keep people from getting overdosed on superheroes. So here's a sort of follow-up on what I posted earlier this week, though I will of course refrain from getting repetitive. I'm not gonna drone on about Marvel Studios' first female solo film as others have, since that is beginning to get old news, as both DC and Sony are developing female superheroine flicks of their own. I've known women can make capable superheroes ever since I started reading comics 20 years ago. So I consider Captain Marvel - who I've noticed isn't named Ms. Marvel, as in most of her comic book history, since that would likely be too sexist - in no way to be more worthy of anticipation that the other Marvel properties in development. The only thing that puzzles me is Marvel's apparent decision to have her team up with the Guardians of the Galaxy rather than the Avengers. I guess there's room for only one captain on Marvels primary superhero team, and having two of them, both blond and strong, might confuse audiences needlessly, even though one of them features boobs.
Still, I'm more curious to see what Marvel plans on doing with the Inhumans. Making a movie based on this superpowered human subspecies which has mostly featured as side characters in other franchise's series (and often not as good guys, too) seems like an odd choice. I guess Marvel still feels the need to include a team of misunderstood, villified outsiders the world hates and fears into their line-up, and since they don't own the rights to the X-Men any more, they decided to make do with this eclectic bunch of characters. Ideologically speaking, it's good to know Marvel still embraces the notion of taking a stand for people other than ourselves, teaching us that despite our often explosive differences we are all still only human and we should learn to live together rather than aim to kill those whose otherness scares us. I'm not sure the Inhumans are the best way to tackle said issues though, considering their aggressive history (which will undoubtedly undergo major rewriting to fit the bill more properly). Unlike the X-Men, they opt for selfimposed isolation rather than acceptance. They didn't move their entire civilization to the moon for nothing. Maybe they feel threatened by Richard Branson's attempt at commercializing space, which could end up in rampant, undesirable lunar tourism (though at the current rate his rockets keep exploding, that doesn't seem to be much cause for alarm). And if they get fed up with humanity somehow, will the Inhumans leave the moon and wreak havoc on Earth to preserve their genetic purity? I've already seen that movie, it's called Iron Sky (and I loved it, mind you!). I guess we'll just have to wait and see what Marvel intends to do with these people.
But wait, there's more Marvel to go around. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is still running, remember? And to keep people interested in a show that isn't drawing spectators in such a huge capacity as Marvel would like, they planned to air the first Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer during this week's episode. The Internet hindered those plans though, so the trailer premiered online a week earlier than originally planned. Didn't stop Marvel from keeping their word and air the trailer again on telly this week. It's the same preview, except for a short but highly enjoyable opening scene, which does a grand job reminding us why we like the Avengers as a group so much. They have a great interplay together, a wonderful group dynamic that just screams for Joss Whedon's talents writing for such groups, which is one of his more famous and respected trademarks. This particular segment also pays hommage to the comics though, in which similar scenes of hammerlifting have played out a few times before, and the results in terms of good humour are none the lesser on screen. I could probably watch a whole movie about the Avengers getting together just hanging out and idling their time, rather than getting serious when another interchangeable villain threatens the world or stuff. Particularly when Whedon writes it. Scenes like these suffice of course, as it's an equally great thing to see the Avengers gearing up for action together.
'Game of Thrones in ancient China', is basically what this series keeps being hyped up as. Not a bad comparison, as the situation Polo encountered in the Far East very much was a game of thrones. However, despite the sex and political intrigue, which thanks to the popularity of shows like Game of Thrones is starting to become a staple of television - which I don't mind at all - that's where most comparions between both shows end. Except for the whole medieval background with swordplay, horse riding and such of course. However, you'll find no supernatural creatures plotting the downfall of man in the background. Despite the cultural affinity of the Chinese for dragons, there's none to be seen in this series (which only saves on the undoubtedly already expensive VFX budget). A few attempts at sorcery are probably interspersed throughout here and there, but I bet Netflix won't go so far as to call up creepy demons from their actresses' naughty bits. The show doesn't need all that, as actual history is fantastic enough in this case, and the Chinese are plenty exotic all by themselves. If you want to compare shows, Marco Polo has more in common with the likes of Rome and Deadwood. Both also shows from HBO, it must be noted, since that network simply wrote the book on the subject matter of explicit sex and intrigue cable shows excel at revealing today. But considering Netflix's own repertoire with series รก la House of Cards, I bet they have little trouble transporting such a rich narrative atmosphere to a period setting, even though the latter is still mostly unfamiliar terrain to them. And I look forward to seeing the result.
I cannot say I'm as impressed by this trailer. It looks like rather standard Sci-Fi, but gives off the vibe of pretending to be more than that. If it is, I'm not seeing it. It appears to question the age-old demarcation between man and machine, the line where the latter becomes the former. That's about as old a science fiction concept as they come, though it still tends to fascinate. Using the guise of a beautiful woman to make it more easily acceptable for the audience to get drawn into the debate is also a hardly novel approach. Crafting a robot into the image of a sexual alluring and desirable female has been done to death ever since Metropolis in 1927. However, naming the robot in question Ava is less of an everyday occurrence. Yet Ex Machina has the dubious honour to share that aspect with The Machine, a movie with a suspiciously similar premise (and title, even), which only was released last year... So as they ask in New Jersey, 'what's up with that?!'. Intellectual theft, divine intervention or just a veeery coincidental coincidence mayhaps? I dunno, but it doesn't help getting me pumped for this movie, nor does the prospect of a writer turning director. In this case it's Alex Garland. Sure, he wrote a few good movies (including some science fiction titles, like Sunshine), but that doesn't mean he's a capable director. I haven't yet forgotten how a fine Director of Photography landed the director's chair for that godawful Transcendence, which also shares more than a few story beats with Ex Machina (though in that case it's 'man becoming an A.I.' rather than 'man building an A.I.'). Nor am I looking forward to the writer of J.J. Abrams' Trek fuck-ups directing what's set to be the third Trek fuck-up in a row, because Abrams is too busy fucking up (?) Star Wars. Just stick to your own trade, let directors direct. And let writers write. But don't let them write the same as other writers and get away with it. If that's indeed what's happening here.
Here's another derivative little thing for you. Divergent is basically the next Hunger Games, except the new Hunger Games movie is actually the next Hunger Games. Nobody can deny there's many similarities between both stories. Doesn't mean Insurgent should also 'be inspired' visually by its rival. These new posters bear a fairly striking resemblance to some of the character posters released a few months back for Mockingjay - Part 1. Except they feature lesser actors, and less guns too (lesser budget, no doubt). Ripping off another movie's marketing campaign doesn't help setting you apart from that film. But my guess is a strong independent identity isn't Insurgent's goal. They're hitching a ride on the Hunger Games' success by enticing the same audience with the same sort of subject matter. The Hunger Games is making huge sums of money, so of course the producers don't feel bad leeching off that franchise by letting the audience know they offer a similar product. They're basically shouting 'if you enjoy the Hunger Games, check out this franchise while waiting for the next installment!'. It worked on Divergent, and it is likely to work for Insurgent as well. Doesn't make either of them better movies though. Or more original ones for that matter. The only thing Insurgent seems to have that Mockingjay - Part 1 does not, is a 3D release. And that doesn't get me more excited in the least. But then, I'm not the target audience. Impatient teenage girls who like The Hunger Games are. And considering Divergent made a lot of money as well, I suppose there's lots of those.
