About Me
Archive for April 2012
Salam and hello everybody!
I've been waiting for this one for months now and finally it had arrived in Malaysian theatres last Friday! When I saw the trailer, I expected a straight forward all action flick where there's action for every 8 to 11 minutes. I wasn't always fond of this kind of flicks but since it's The Avengers; the heck with it, I'll try to enjoy it anyway. It's just the idea of it is breathtaking to me; six major superheroes join forces in live action. I know that there's already a superhero team film like X-Men but The Avengers is something entirely different. Four of the heroes had numerous movie incarnations before and 2 of them are very well known around the world. It's like seeing years of their legacy accumulating in one epic movie. Well, enough with the hype and let's get on with the review!
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I've explain my ratings before but I'd like to remind you again on what the numbers mean:
1/5: Pathetic/ Wasting time/ Disrespectful or any other insults you could think of :)
2/5: Boring/ Cliche'.3/5: A good film to past the time/ Could of been better.
4/5: An awesome and inspiring movie.
5/5: Ever green/ An instant classic/ Inspiring/ Epic/ Genius.
The addition of 0.5 is somewhat an extra to films that I think that could go to the next level of the ratings. Did that made any sense? :/
REALISM
The first few minutes of the movie was a bit typical to me; starting of with a huge action scene with explosions and car chases. Huge action movies like this often start with a massive action scene but hey, it wasn't bad. It revealed the desperate situation on why would one even consider asking 6 remarkable people join forces to save the world; the reason being war. This is where I find it most interesting about the movie. As you can see the three heroes above, their costumes are amazing. Whoever worked on the costumes, bravo! They manage to satisfy their iconic looks while maintaining the realism of the story. Let's face it, tights are unacceptable in reality. To me, of all the heroes, Captain America and Hawkeye's costumes are the best. In the comics, they wore tights. Captain America had those wings sticking out of his head while Hawkeye wore purple tights that seems like they were inspired from the medieval days. I love how they change that blue mask into a helmet with a picture of wings instead of those that were sticking out. Hawkeye wore sleeveless S.H.I.E.L.D. agent's wardrobe; the kind of clothes that fits for a spy. I also love the angle where The Avengers initiative is a last resort of saving mankind. We've seen them destroy world threats alone before and thus why would they even need to team up? It makes the story more realistic. Oh man, there's just so many things I love about the story. Another angle I like is where the Asgardians; Thor and Loki are treated as Aliens instead of Norse Gods. I like to think that they were mistaken as Gods long time ago while in fact, they're just advanced aliens that look like humans. Now, I'm not sure if they're sticking with this angle entirely but so far, it seems like they're balancing it between the Norse Gods factor.
BALANCED
Another thing that really surprises me is that the story is well balanced and I mean, REALLY BALANCED between the earth's mightiest heroes. Iron Man, Tony Stark, is the centre of almost every posters but the story really builds up character for each of them; even Hawkeye who had a little screen time in Thor.
The three underdogs of the team, in my opinion. They don't have huge advantages like Stark's armour or Thor's supernatural abilities. Although Captain America, Steve Rogers, is a super soldier;It was enough during WWII but not for the modern world filled with an army of aliens. I'm just speechless by the level of 'balanced' that this movie has. It's sort of ridiculous because I assumed that a film like this, with a huge gimmick as a promotional boost, would be a simple action flick. Well, I was dead wrong! It focuses on how the situation affected them as an individual instead of making them emotionless heroes who strongly believes in morality. They had arguments, fights and so on. Personally, Hulk versus Thor was my favourite. Speaking of Hulk, I have to say that his part of the story was really impressive. Since reading the comic book "World War Hulk", I have a better understanding and admiration of the character. He's very complex and it's a surprise seeing him being personified very well even in a movie with many more other iconic characters. To me, the best quote of the move is not "If we can't protect the earth, you can be damn sure we'll avenge it" by Tony Strak. When Black Widow was tasked to bring Bruce Banner to Nick Furry, she asked him what's his secret of surviving a year without an accident. Banner gave the answer when the climax starts, facing the invading aliens "That's my secret, Captain......I'm always angry" and then he willingly transforms into the Hulk. That, to me, in a way, explains the whole Hulk legacy :')
And it was epic.
In conclusion, The Avengers really lived up to it's hype. It satisfy both the comic book lovers and the general audiences. Let's not forget the kids too, the film is also kid friendly. But make no mistakes, the most anticipated superhero flick of the year is Christopher Nolan's Batman series; The Dark Knight Rises. This time, the expectations of sheer epicness has been raised. I give The Avengers a rating of 4.5/5 because it is pure awesome but it could be an epic movie (5/5) if it had tried another villain. I don't know, it's missing something. The whole Earth vs Aliens plot has been used many times in the comic and the animation world when they're about to introduce a superhero team; this also includes DC Comic's Justice League. I'm not saying that it's a bad or dull thing; it's just that maybe that they could give a little more awesomeness with a different villain or a plot twist of some sort.
Salam and have a good day everybody! :D
Here comes another Pop culture phenomenon! Why do I say that? Well, it's the buzz that people are giving to this film but more importantly; it's what most teens are saying about it. Honestly, we can't deny the fact that at certain times, it's the teens that set what's trending with the film industry nowadays. Sometimes, it's a sad fact considering that some teens say that The Twilight Saga is a good film which I'm not much of a fan but this time, stating The Hunger Games as the next smash hit is something that I can agree.
As you all know, the film is an adaptation of a book written by Suzanne Collins. I worked at MPH Bookstores and so you could say I got a front row seat to see how this Pop culture accumulates. I'm an observer and seeing how people would react to the book and film is really fascinating to me. The company kept ordering loads of these books. Suzanne Collins wrote a trilogy of it and each had different covers. I had to know which one's the adult version, kid's version, Asian or UK imprint and the list goes on. The books were arranged at the highlighted shelve where people could easily find them. Practically, not many bought the book before the film releases. So, the books sort of stood there untouched.
And this is where the show really started. As I was walking around, looking for something to do, the shelf containing The Hunger Games book were surrounded by teenagers. "Ah, here it is!" screamed an enthusiastic 16 something year old girl. Everyday, teens surround the shelve and have a loud and sometimes annoying conversation; saying what they thought of the film. Heck, a girl came to me and asked if the store had the mocking jay pin for sale -_- (This might sound egotistic but yeah, I was annoyed by that question).
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| I'm not posting this picture because I'm another silly teenage fan. Just sayin' :) Look at this picture. I mean, c'mon! They're even promoting this film in a teen-ish way. You don't see films like X-Men: First Class having lovely pictures of the casts being together now do you? It seems like they only do this when they're making a teen film. |
Now, I'm going to tell you how this phenomenon happened around me before and after it was released in theatres.
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| Pre-Release |
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| Post-Release |
All right, now comes my review on the film. About two weeks later, I went to see the film. I was a bit surprise because the film is slow. Normally, that sort of films wouldn't be a hit for young viewers but I guess the novel adaptation factor helped it to get it's audience. A fast-paced action with a bit of a teenage love story would do the trick but not The Hunger Games. It really focuses the idea of being in a battle to the death experience; how would it affect you and how it felt. It sets in a fictional future where the North America was renamed Panem and was divided into twelve districts after a war of some kind ended (Correct me if I'm wrong). To maintain control of these districts, they held The Hunger Games where one boy and girl ages 12 to 18 is chosen at random from each districts. The Hunger Games is a televised battle to the death where there could be only one winner. In this first instalment of the series, it focusses more on Katniss Everdeen's experience upon competing in the games willingly as she wanted to save her little sister, Primrose Everdeen, who was originally chosen for district 12. It didn't focus more on the games though. You know, like how action packed films usually do. This film, thankfully, had heart. So, I give this film a 3.5/5 because it's a good film though it could've been better if it focuses more on the first instalment. They end it with a huge indication of a sequel. To me, making a movie that really feels like it has ended and somehow making a sequel to it is way better.
Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor.
Pffttt! That was a bit lame, wasn't it? :p
Have a good day everybody! Salam!
I wanted to label this post within movie review or at least make it all under 'reviews' because of the fact that I'm not much of a reader. But darn it, I'll start reading now! To be a good writer, you need to read a lot and that, of course, includes novels which I'm not much of a fan of it. So, I'll start slowly with comics :)
I'm already reading a novel but I haven't finished it yet. I'm a slow reader =/
I bought this earlier this year. It costs me RM 45 somethin'. The problem is that this is a series and I bought the issue that's somewhere in the middle of the series because it was the cheapest :p
So, what do I think of this comic? It's superb! I don't read a lot of comics and when I do, they're about superheroes and so, reading a comic that centres realistic and mature topics really fascinates me. Even though I had problems to understand what's going on (since I din't read the first few issues), it did thrilled me with it's artwork and story. If I'm not mistaken, the story centres a reporter's view on a war between the government and an anti-establishment militia within the United States of America. Due to this uprising, Manhattan has become a battlefield known as the DMZ. The story centres on how the war affects the people of the DMZ. It's really deep I tell you and to conclude or explain it in this post would be sort of unfair since I didn't read the rest of the series. So, specifically for this issue, I give it a 3 out of 5 for a good read.
And just to make this post longer, I'm doing a review on a comic that I've read two years ago...I think. World War Hulk, to me, is the best superhero comic book I've read so far. I love how they try to send out a message about making the right decisions with the legacy of the iconic character. What's Hulk's legacy? Misunderstood monster and anger....mostly anger. Hulk was send to another planet by the Illuminati (Iron Man, Namor, Professor Xavier, Doctor Strange, Mr.Fantastic and Black Bolt) because he was just too dangerous. The ship's coordinates was meant to send him to a peaceful planet but it somehow landed on Sakaar; a vicious planet ruled by the merciless Red king. In the comic, Hulk was already a king on Sakaar and he and his WarBound friends went to Earth to avenge his wife's death (Not Betty) whom he thought was all The Illuminati's fault. From here, it was total mayhem as all of earth's mightiest heroes dramatically battled The Hulk. I loved that part. Well, to find out what happens next; you should buy the book. It's totally recommended for superhero fans.
Of course, even when I say it's the best comic book I've read, there's still some things that I don't like. Number one, I don't like the wife thing. Honestly, an alien wife? What about Betty? It's a good thing the comic skipped ahead to the Earth part because I wouldn't like the Gladiator in space part. Though I did watch that part. They made an Animation out of it. It was quite okay. Number two and this is a spoiler alert, he had a son in the end. Are you serious? An alien son? There's a spin-off for his son and well, I won't waste my money on that one. I would try to read it but to buy it...that's a no, no. By the way, I didn't even bought the book. I borrowed if from a friend. Haha. So, I give this book a 4 out of 5 for it's combination of The Hulk's legacy of anger and a strong message or theme of making the right decisions.
I'm already reading a novel but I haven't finished it yet. I'm a slow reader =/
I bought this earlier this year. It costs me RM 45 somethin'. The problem is that this is a series and I bought the issue that's somewhere in the middle of the series because it was the cheapest :p
So, what do I think of this comic? It's superb! I don't read a lot of comics and when I do, they're about superheroes and so, reading a comic that centres realistic and mature topics really fascinates me. Even though I had problems to understand what's going on (since I din't read the first few issues), it did thrilled me with it's artwork and story. If I'm not mistaken, the story centres a reporter's view on a war between the government and an anti-establishment militia within the United States of America. Due to this uprising, Manhattan has become a battlefield known as the DMZ. The story centres on how the war affects the people of the DMZ. It's really deep I tell you and to conclude or explain it in this post would be sort of unfair since I didn't read the rest of the series. So, specifically for this issue, I give it a 3 out of 5 for a good read.
And just to make this post longer, I'm doing a review on a comic that I've read two years ago...I think. World War Hulk, to me, is the best superhero comic book I've read so far. I love how they try to send out a message about making the right decisions with the legacy of the iconic character. What's Hulk's legacy? Misunderstood monster and anger....mostly anger. Hulk was send to another planet by the Illuminati (Iron Man, Namor, Professor Xavier, Doctor Strange, Mr.Fantastic and Black Bolt) because he was just too dangerous. The ship's coordinates was meant to send him to a peaceful planet but it somehow landed on Sakaar; a vicious planet ruled by the merciless Red king. In the comic, Hulk was already a king on Sakaar and he and his WarBound friends went to Earth to avenge his wife's death (Not Betty) whom he thought was all The Illuminati's fault. From here, it was total mayhem as all of earth's mightiest heroes dramatically battled The Hulk. I loved that part. Well, to find out what happens next; you should buy the book. It's totally recommended for superhero fans.
Of course, even when I say it's the best comic book I've read, there's still some things that I don't like. Number one, I don't like the wife thing. Honestly, an alien wife? What about Betty? It's a good thing the comic skipped ahead to the Earth part because I wouldn't like the Gladiator in space part. Though I did watch that part. They made an Animation out of it. It was quite okay. Number two and this is a spoiler alert, he had a son in the end. Are you serious? An alien son? There's a spin-off for his son and well, I won't waste my money on that one. I would try to read it but to buy it...that's a no, no. By the way, I didn't even bought the book. I borrowed if from a friend. Haha. So, I give this book a 4 out of 5 for it's combination of The Hulk's legacy of anger and a strong message or theme of making the right decisions.
Assalammualaikum!
It's been quite a while since I've updated and to be frank, it felt like I'm procrastinating my life long dreams. Well, real life calls for me with it's tiring schedule of a working life. I didn't took a part time job as I was pressured to find one soon and so I found MPH Bookstores. The experience for me was priceless even though I wasn't that much fond of it. It thought me a lot about what hard work is really all about and how the combination of education, experience and hard work can bring you success. It was fun reading the books on weekdays :p
Speaking of books! I had this idea of making book reviews in addition to my film reviews. I bought a comic book earlier this year and well, I forgot to publish my review on it. But that, fellow readers, would be done in another post. This post is for another short comic I've done. I've had the idea of it when I finished "Still Standing" but alas, my low stamina with work caused me to procrastinate it. But now, I'm done and so here it is! And again, sorry for the low quality. Right click and open the sketch in another window/tab (up to you) for better view.
It's been quite a while since I've updated and to be frank, it felt like I'm procrastinating my life long dreams. Well, real life calls for me with it's tiring schedule of a working life. I didn't took a part time job as I was pressured to find one soon and so I found MPH Bookstores. The experience for me was priceless even though I wasn't that much fond of it. It thought me a lot about what hard work is really all about and how the combination of education, experience and hard work can bring you success. It was fun reading the books on weekdays :p
Speaking of books! I had this idea of making book reviews in addition to my film reviews. I bought a comic book earlier this year and well, I forgot to publish my review on it. But that, fellow readers, would be done in another post. This post is for another short comic I've done. I've had the idea of it when I finished "Still Standing" but alas, my low stamina with work caused me to procrastinate it. But now, I'm done and so here it is! And again, sorry for the low quality. Right click and open the sketch in another window/tab (up to you) for better view.
Well, after knowing the fact that the Harry Potter franchise made more money than the James Bonds'. It's a peculiar thing to me on why they even bother to do more of these James Bond films. I admit, the franchise has inspire some to create the gps system but money wise, it's not much of a good idea to produce more of this film. But hey, it's still a good movie franchise. So, maybe they would mix it up a bit to attract more viewers. Perhaps, a team up between mission impossible's Ethan Hunt? Hey, it could happen. I mean, the Avengers live action film is coming out this year! I think it's hollywood's first movie crossovers. Maybe this would be a desperate move for some of the fans but to me, it would be funny and bloody interesting. So, hope all of you like it :)
