Ender’s Game (2013)

There is a fact that should be reiterated every time I write a review of a movie based on a book. This review is solely based on the quality of the film itself; anything missing from the story or the views of the author will not be touched upon.

Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman like taking a lot of risks when they produce movies. On the upside of this fact, they almost always turn out to be more than successful. Ender’s Game is the latest film the duo has produced and if this reaction is typical of all reactions, they won’t be having a hard time finding more work. With cutting edge CGI and incredible acting from the films up and coming cast, this sci-fi action flick is sure to garner much attention. Director Gavin Hood brilliantly creates this world and uses the talent at his disposal to everyone’s full potential.

Years after an attempted alien invasion, Earth has decided it’s line of defense will be the gifted youths of today. Andrew “Ender” Wiggin is a brilliant tactician and is chosen to join a line of trainees in the International Fleet. Groomed for command by Colonel Hyrum Graff, Ender begins rigorous training while at the same time gaining the admiration and ire of fellow classmates. With psychological pressure from his friends, his officers and the mind game he plays in his off hours, he eventually understands what the ultimate sacrifice means for both him and humanity.

It may involve large weapons.

Set design and CGI compliment the tone of the film. From the militaristic design of the International Fleet Starships to the desert terrain of Eros; the design of the exteriors and interiors complimented the mystical fantasy of the film. The computer generated effects designed to show the battle progress and tactical displays were subtle and effective in the way they were designed. There wasn’t too much going on at once, so the viewer had no issue focusing on what was happening in any battle.

The cast in this film complement each other very well. We have the youthful and strong acting of Asa Butterfield in the title role and the seasoned Academy Award nominee Hailiee Steinfeld as Petra Arkanian, whose performances were perfectly believable as two strangers who gain respect on the field of battle. Rounding out the cast with their impressive veteran acting skills are Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley and Viola Davis. Playing the top brass of the International Fleet, they add maturity and subtle humour to the film.

I don’t think they could get anyone better to give that smoulder.

Steve Jablonsky does an excellent score with the rich battle sequences and compliments the film with soft music for the touching sequences between Ender and his family. The score makes a film and it’s always a happy feeling when the music and the film synch up so well.  Dragons Win and Mind Game Part 2 are two of the tracks you’re going to want to keep your ears open for.

Easily one of the top five films of the year; Ender’s Game benefits from a talented ensemble class, an interesting story and pleasing visuals, making it easily one of the top five films of the year. It comes at a point where faiths in movies based on a story are at all –time lows and viewers need something to reaffirm their views of Hollywood. This could be the one that does it.

Final Score: 10/10

Pokemon X and Y (3DS – 2013)

 

Easily the best Pokémon game in the franchise; X and Y break the mold by introducing a plethora of new features, interesting characters and breathtaking 3D scenery to compliment the decade old tradition of catching them all. With a plot that made you care, Pokémon X and Y are the latest games in a long franchise that has captured the hearts and minds of many youths of the nineties and continues this tradition well into the 21^st Century.

The game steps away from tradition by introducing your cute little partner through your neighbour rather than the handsome young Pokémon Professor Sycamore. As you travel along in the new Kalos Region, you will find a lot of familiar themes and locales that you can visit and a variety of new places like Hotels and Cafés to satisfy the appetite for both food and battles. Part way through you will encounter Team Flare, a puzzling looking team that is in collection for profit, but their ulterior motives soon shine through their orange suits. As you save different organizations from their Leader’s broad vision, you will become closer with your Pokémon and your friends and perhaps rekindle a friendship that has been lost for thousands of years.

Pay attention to the man who looks like Snow from FFXIII.

The new features of the game allow for some interesting play styles to come through.  The most glaring and popular change is the way you EV train your Pokémon. Instead of using spreadsheets and battling specific Pokémon over and over; they have changed it into a terrific mini-game that all of your Pokémon can participate in. Different levels change the amounts of EV you get, so you still have to be careful, but it allows for an alleviation for what use to be a very taxing grind.

The way your Pokémon gain friendship with you and the benefits, change dramatically in this generation. With the introduction of Poké Amie, you can play several mini-games with your characters; Berry Picker, a match game, Head It, a ball hitting game and Tile Puzzle, in which you complete a randomized puzzle of your Pokémon. Giving them Poké Puffs increases their fullness while petting them increases their overall friendship. Each individual Pokémon will like different Poké Puffs and will enjoy being petted in different places. Just keep exploring until they look like they’re enjoying themselves. Increasing friendship rewards you with in battle perks such as instant cures from status afflictions, an increase to the Critical Hit chance and enduring moves that would otherwise K.O. your Pokémon. This is certainly one of the best additions to the game.

Chespin is digging the Pink Poké Puff.

What people had been craving for has finally arrived. The ability to customize the look of your trainer. You can change clothing and hairstyle, accessories and shoes to create a trainer that is most suited to you. This is done by going into Boutiques inside several of the cities in the game. Once there, daily you will have a selection of clothing that you can purchase. Some of the more interesting items are pricey and if you’re a real player and clothing connoisseur; you will find yourself in some of the most exclusive Boutiques in the Kalos Region.

Another one of the most interesting introductions to the game was the expansion of online function. With Wonder Trade, you choose a random Pokémon to send out and receive a random one back. You have the opportunity to get some of the Generation VI Pokémon you wouldn’t normally get in your game and some people will trade off some Legendary Pokémon, although I can’t imagine why. Imagine trading a Bidoof and receiving a Mewtwo. It doesn’t get much better than that. The robust online capabilities allow for a wide variety of battle styles that will keep you and your opponent on your toes. With opponents that use knowledge of abilities, natures, type advantages and breeding, you won’t know what comes next.

The dynamic settings only go to show the effort put into this game by developer Game Freak. With random wind storms and rain changing the overall look of the areas and the battlefield itself to seeing your breath in the cold; it’s the little things that make the environment a much more realistic world. Traveling along beaches and under overhands changing the camera angles as you travel has made the universe a lot more immersive. It may be taken for granted because it’s not a new thing to gaming, but it is to handheld Pokémon games.

There are few flaws to this generation and they’re minor at best. This generation has seen the introduction of only 69 new Pokémon. Most of these Pokémon were very well designed, but then we have one that has joined the ranks of some ridiculous designs such as Vanilitte, the Ice Cream Cone and Rotom’s turning into house appliances. It is alright to draw inspiration from everyday objects, but a keychain Pokémon? That is some low design value. The new Fairy type has it’s mascot for screwing up the type advantage chart.

This is seriously a Pokémon.

The other issue is that there is practically no end game content beyond catching them all and The Looker Bureau missions. It has become a lot more difficult to catch them all as currently there are only so many Pokémon available in the game. With the introduction of the Pokémon Cloud in December, Trainers will be able to transfer Pokémon over from the Generation V games (Black, White, Black 2, White 2) which will allow them to transfer Pokémon as far back as Generation II.  Until then, they will have to rely on some of the fun mini-games to keep the game alive.

There is so much to say about this game that is positive that it completely outweighs the negative. A great story mixed with an impressive array of new features just goes to show that they thought of all the concerns from previous generations and improved things you thought impossible to improve upon. Thoroughly impressive, this will be the generation that keeps everyone interested in what happens next. Until then, catch them all!

Final Score: 9.5/10

Kick-Ass 2 (2013)

Jeff Wadlow bravely helms the slightly lacking, comic-inspired sequel to the big screen. With new faces complimenting the returning actors, we experience a whole new level of action coupled with some misplaced toilet humour.

In the wake of the previous film, we see that superheroes have become more and more common across New York City. Several setbacks and the curiosity for normal life have left Hit-Girl, Mindy Macready, pondering whether her existence lies with Kick-Ass, Dave Lizewski and his allies, or the buzzing clique in her high school. Meanwhile, Red Mist has renamed himself The Motherfucker and bands together every psychotic villain he can find in a bid to take over the city. Only the connections made between the two heroes can save the city.

The film provided some great entertainment with a varied cast and exceptionally crafted action sequences. Returning from the previous films are the recognizable Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloe Grace-Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. The actors that share but dashes in their last names make welcome newcomers Jim Carry as the former ex-mafia enforcer turned superhero Colonel Stars and Stripes, bodybuilder Olga Kurkulina as Mother Russia and John Leguizamo as the right hand man to the D’Amico family, Javier.

Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey) and Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) share strategy on screen.

The disadvantage to the film was the suffering plot. It was painful to watch the motivations of the characters change almost as quickly as the film’s setting. The character of Hit Girl haphazardly changes motivations at the will of others showing that her own motivations seldom govern her. This goes the same for the titular character, who backflips on his ideals nearly as much as his partner does physically in the film. When the only character providing a solid threat to New York isn’t even the main villain, then you have issues. The only villain worthwhile to watch was Mother Russia, whose swath of destruction and humourous quips of the character made her screen time the most impressive of all the characters.

It is detrimental that the story was so weak that it had to rely on some terrible rape jokes and toilet humour to make light of it. Some of the quips between Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl were inspired and made this man laugh incredibly hard. When crowd control sticks were used to make several teen girls vomit and shit themselves at the same time, then you know they had nothing better to do than make crappy jokes to fill the time. This shouldn’t be what film has come to with enough source material to make something interesting out of it.

The increased lull in action served to compliment the choreography of the action seen. From the alleyway fight between Kick-Ass and homophobic street thugs to the climactic final battle between the Justice Forever and the Toxic Mega-Cunts. The full on assault makes for an entertaining battle between the public good and chaotic evil as people hit eachother with hammers made of plastic and purses with bricks in them. Solid action saves the film, but at the cost of nearly everything else that makes a film fun and exciting.

Hit-Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) and Mother Russia (Olga Kurkunlina) grapple in the fight for New York City.

While lacking some of the charm and consistency of its’ predecessor, Kick-Ass 2 was entertaining, dark and well-cast. Maybe not worth the twelve dollar ticket price, but if it makes it to Netflix sometime, be sure to give it a look.

Final Score: 6/10