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Random Reviews, Transformatorium

Movie Review – Bumblebee

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Over the past 5 live-action Transformer movies we’ve come to expect certain things.  From the humans:  wacky, half-psychotic characters and overly-sexualized stereotypes.  From the robots:  zero characterization and dialogue, overly-complex bodies and fight scenes one has no hope of following.  Throw in a few convoluted plots and some smutty humour and badda-bing badda-boom, another TF movie pumped out by Hollywood.

However Transformers 6 – Bumblebee, seems to be something different.  Something GOOD!

What a delightful breath of fresh air this movie is!  It contains none of the issues listed above, and replaces them with relatable characters, great dialogue and a lot of heart!

 

The Plot (yes, there is one this time!)

The Bumblebee movie is actually a prequel to the last 5 movies, set in 1987.  Bumblebee comes to Earth, after a 10 minute opening scene which will have every G1 fan looking for the tissues for their eye ducts (and possibly elsewhere) due to the amount of fan service contained within.  The first 10 minutes is based on Cybertron and showcases G1 characters actually looking like G1 characters, still in their Cybertronian modes having a huge battle!  They are all there – Soundwave, Shockwave & The Seekers all blasting away at the likes of Wheeljack, Arcee, Brawn, Ratchet and so on.  Seeing the battle will be lost, Optimus Prime orders the Autobots to evacuate Cybertron and sends B-127 to prepare a base for them on the aforementioned Earth.

Arriving on Earth, B-127 is almost immediately attacked by the US Army (their involvement one thing that has not changed) and then near killed by Blitzwing, the only character in the movie bearing no resemblance to his G1 incarnation (besides having a jet mode).  B-127 loses his voice, loses his memory, and manages to scan a Volkswagen Beetle  before going dormant.

We now get introduced to the heroine of the story – Charlie.  Just turned 18.  But unlike Sam Witwicky she doesn’t seem like a nutjob.  And unlike every female character before her, she seems to dress in a way that doesn’t border on the pornographic.  In fact, Charlie turns out to be a very endearing character that the viewer comes to care about.  This was a very smart move on the part of the new writers and directors, going with a female-teen instead of a male and keeping sexuality completely out of it.  It stops them retracing old ground from the TF1 and good on them.  In fact all the humans are fairly likeable and all seem to serve a purpose to the plot, rather than being thrown in for the sake of it.

You know what? It IS as sweet as this pic suggests!

At the same time this is happening, the only two completely new robot characters in the movie – the Decepticons Shatter and Dropkick make an appearance.  In fact starting off by torturing Cliffjumper on one of Saturn’s moons looking for B-127.  They soon find their way to Earth, adopt car alt-modes, (and later secondary flight alt-modes) and search for the missing Autobot in order to find Optimus.  They trick the human army into letting them use their equipment and the race is on!

Bad guys with dialogue – what a twist!

From there it could be said to be the usual.  Charlie reactivates B-127, freaks out, he freaks out, they bond, they have some loveable adventures, they get found by the military, he saves her, she saves him, he saves her again, they get found by the Cons, have a huge fight and then save the day.  It’s kinda predictable but is an enjoyable ride and very entertaining to watch.

 

Continuity Errors

Being a prequel, this movie should match up with the previous 5 and set the stage for TF1.  It doesn’t.  There are multiple continuity errors brought up in this, such as Bumblebee only arriving in 1987 when yet in The Last Knight he was shown to be present during WWII.  Optimus arrives on Earth that same year rather than in 2007.  The Transformers know English rather than learning it from the world wide web.  There are many more but you get the drift.  To be honest, this really should have been a reboot rather than a prequel, as this is far better than anything that has come before and I’d rather have the new ideas than the old.

 

G1 Goodness!

What?! Arcee isn’t a motorcycle that goes around on one wheel and has a face like a smashed in colander?!

For your G1 fans, this is the movie you always wanted.  Bumblebee is a VW Bug.  Optimus is a short-nosed truck with a big silver trailer.  The Seekers on Cybertron are Tetrajets.  Everyone looks like everyone hoped they would all the way back in 2007.  There are plenty of Easter Eggs, it brought joy to my heart to see my son whoop with joy when Bee started playing ‘You’ve got the Touch’ when encouraging Charlie to dive.  It’s… it’s just beautiful!

 

A PG Rating

Another smart move made by the makers of this film is making it PG rated.  A lot of the adult Transformer fans have become pretty jaded from the last four films in particular, so this enabled the producers to open this flick up to a younger audience untarnished by Michael Bay scrotum jokes.  And it’s worked.  My son turned 6 three days before TF6 was released, so it was perfect to take him and his friends to.  And they loved it!  Some kids that age might find a few things scary, but most will enjoy it.  No blood from the 2 humans that get killed, minimal swearing, zero sexuality.  It was a smart way to go.

 

So worth watching?

Yes.  YES.  A thousand times yes!  This is the movie we hoped for many years ago!  So much heart and character and humour and joy!  Great for kids, amazing for G1 fans; the only ones disappointed will be those in love with the Bayverse and those folk are hard to find these days.  Take the whole family out to see this, you will not be sorry!

 

Got something to add?  Pop it in the comments section below!

 

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Movie Review – The Last Knight

Random Reviews

Book Review: A Die Hard Christmas

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Ask nearly any guy over the age of 30 what their favourite Christmas movie is and the answer will come back like a shot – ‘Die Hard’.

Yep, Die Hard 2 was set at Xmas as well and was also awesome, and there are plenty of other great Xmas flicks, but Die Hard – like John McClane – always wins.  Before digital special effects, before movies going for nearly three hours, there was a cop caught in Nakatomi Plaza crawling around air ducts killing bad guys and making smart-arse quips.

Die Hard was AWESOME!

And now, three decades after the movie’s release it’s been put into book form – an Illustrated Holiday Classic!

Taking is structure from ‘Twas the Night Before Xmas’, this Xmas book outlines the movies story from start to finish, in a jolly Xmas narrative which will have any fan of the Die Hard franchise going ‘F*ck yeah!’

 

This book is definitely intended for grown-ups, as what Die Hard book would be complete without all the gratuitous blood and violence?

  

I don’t want to go into too much detail as it is a short book (but quite reasonably priced at roughly $16au) and if I put too much into this review I will spoil it for people.  So all I will add is that if you are struggling to think of a pressie for someone special this Xmas, and that someone special is in particular an over 30’s guy, then GO BUY THIS BOOK!  HE WILL FRIGGIN LOVE IT!

And I’ll let the book sign off, as there is no way it could be done any cooler:

Got something to add?  Pop it in the comments section below!

 

Related Article:

Book Review: Deadpool – Drawing the Merc with a Mouth

 

Random Reviews

Movie Review – Tremors 6: A Cold Day in Hell

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Tremors.  A flick about big monster worms that come out from under the ground and eat people.

That’s what most people think of when you mention a Tremors movie.  What most people don’t know is that it isn’t just the one movie – there have been 4 sequels, a prequel and even a season-long TV series! 

Tremors is actually one of the few Sci-Fi series that never seems to contradict itself.  There is a coherency throughout all its iterations, ranging from the evolution of the Graboids (the big underground man-eating worms) to the the individual human story arcs, even the very minor characters.  Plus the movies are just damn fun!

A ‘chick flick’ this is not

For my money Tremors 1 & 2 were by far the best of the flicks, and incidentally the only movies to get cinema release.  The next three were all straight-to-DVD releases and whilst good (especially Number 4 which was the prequel) none quite captured the fun of the first two.  Today we will be looking at the latest instalment in the Tremors franchise Tremors 6: A Cold Day in Hell.

 

The story starts off, as you can imagine, with a Graboid attack!  What makes this attack unique among all those featured in previous films is that it takes place in the snow, specifically a glacial area in Canada.  And when Graboids attack, who do you call for?  Burt Gummer – that’s who!

Have gun – will reluctantly travel

Burt Gummer (played by Michael Gross) is by far the star of the Tremors series, the only character to have appeared in all six films (though it was his ancestor in the prequel) as well as the TV series.  Burt is a jaded survivalist gun nut who likes living in Perfection Nevada because of its very low human population (and those that do live there often get eaten anyway) and its remoteness making it hard for the Government to interfere with him.

By the 6th movie, Burt is the only resident left in Perfection and is living in the run down remains of the town store.  However a visit from firstly a taxman saying Burt is about to lose what little he has, then one of the Canadian researchers along with Burt’s illegitimate son Travis (introduced in Tremors 5) prompts Mr Gummer back into action.

And from here the plot is really like all other Tremors films.  There are Graboids to deal with along with the occasional Ass-Blaster (another stage of the Graboid life-cycle first introduced in Tremors 3).  The Ass-Blasters retain their upgraded CGI look from T5 as do the Graboids – personally I thought both looked better before the reimagining, especially the Ass-Blasters which had previously resembled avian versions of Shriekers (another Graboid life-phase).  I would have liked to see some Shriekers included since its been a while since they were trotted out.  Gone is the concept of the Graboids three serpent-like tongues being detachable (T5) which personally I found to be out of line with established Graboid evolution (yes, I AM that much of a fan), however the tongues have retained their new power of sight (also introduced in T5) – you see one sneaking through a window to grab a lady and others dodging machete blows from Travis.

Ass-Blaster or Galgamex vagina?

There are minor plot lines contained within.  For instance Burt is slowly dying of a parasite he got from being eaten alive by a Graboid (T3) and needs liquid from a live Graboid in order to be healed.  There are DARPA agents that intend to bio-engineer Graboids into weapons and so on.  One of the key researchers, Valerie McKee, turns out to be the daughter of the two main characters from the very first movie.  But all of this is background noise to what is essentially another movie along the lines of a ‘Don’t move!  They sense vibration through the ground!’ mentality of your standard human versus Graboid movie we all expect.

Michael Gross and a bunch of actors you probably wont see in the 7th flick

Is this movie worth a watch?  Well if you are a fan of the series then of course!  Michael Gross does a stellar job as Burt Gummer yet again and there are monsters galore to shoot or be devoured by.  However if you are looking for something new here that you haven’t seen before from the franchise you will be disappointed.  Besides at the beginning of the film there are not even any action sequences in the snow, the remainder of the storyline takes place in a dry ‘hot spot’ which exists within the otherwise snowy landscape.

In short this film adds to the storyline of the human characters involved in Perfection but there is nothing new monster-wise and it lacks the fun and character of the first two movies.  However for those loyal followers of the series, it is at least another 90-minutes of Gummer fun.

 

Now take two teaspoons of cement and harden the hell up!

Got anything to say about this movie?  Would love to read it in the comments section below!

Random Reviews

Movie Review – Teen Titans Go!

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In the latest cartoon show to be translated to the big screen, we have been presented with Teen Titans Go! To the Movies.  The cartoon show had a very polarizing effect on fans of this particular team from the DC universe.  Some fans love the off-kilter zaniness, constant 80’s references and dashes of potty humour.  Other fans hated what they called a bastardization of a classic team, the childish antics and the low quality animation.  Personally I have been in the first group and found the show very funny to watch on Saturday mornings with my son – even if it has left him with a penchant to constantly ‘Do the Booty Scooty’.

This movie could be said to be DC’s response to Marvel’s Deadpool.  The Deadpool Movies have been immensely popular, made fun of the whole Super Hero Movie franchise, constantly broke the fourth wall and demonstrated that super heroes can be funny!  DC movies have been accused of being too dark, too overly dramatic and frankly not much fun.  This is what Teen Titans Go! attempts to rectify.

 

The plot of this movie is simple – every serious super hero is getting their own movie and the Teen Titans, particularly Robin, want one too so they and he can be considered real super heroes.  The problem is they are a bunch of goofballs that spend more time eating waffles and singing songs than actually fighting crime.

So off they go to get themselves an arch nemesis in order to be taken seriously and are provided with Slade, the main antagonist from the Teen Titans cartoon from the late 90’s.  They are summarily trounced by him, so decide they need to come up with another plan.

The pacing of the first half of the movie runs a bit too slow.  In fact nearing the half way point I was actually getting bored, which is saying a lot considering how much I love animated movies.  It lacked the banter that makes the cartoon show so much fun – instead of constantly arguing with each other and the team as a whole picking on Robin, they act as one unit and they always follow Robins lead without complaint.  Much like the My Little Pony Movie, they have removed one of the key elements that made the cartoon show as popular as it is.

 

Thankfully the second half picks up the pace.  The heroes time travel to get rid of all the other heroes so that they are the only ones to make a movie about, leading to some funny scenes where they alter other heroes origin stories.  When that fails they end up actually having a decent fight scene with Slade which leads to getting a movie.  Of course by now the audience starts to twig that the movie producer is actually Slade in disguise and uses this to break the Teen Titans up so that he can get back a crystal they stole and take over the world.

The final act of the movie is all the regular super heroes, now mind controlled, hunting the heroes and then the Teen Titans facing off against Slade in a giant robot.  Another good fight scene ensues and they naturally save the day, earning the respect of all the other heroes in the process.

 

This isn’t a bad movie on the whole, but it isn’t great.  As mentioned, it lacks a lot of the humour that the cartoon show does.  There are a few funny bits, such as the Titans all using a prop toilet that doesn’t work, the references to the Back to the Future movies and Robins final line of the film.  The movie even references Deadpool from which it draws inspiration – they mix up Slade with Deadpool, talk to the camera, lampoon the whole super hero genre and have cross-universe gags such as Stan Lee making a cameo even though it is a DC movie.  However much of the humour falls flat and lacks that certain spark, the Batman LEGO Movie delivered far more chuckles.  Besides Robin there is zero character development with the other Titans and Slade is an OK villain at best.

If your kid is a massive Teen Titans fan such as mine is, it’s worth taking them to see it on the big screen in the short time it will still be in the cinemas.  However if you and/or your kids simply like the show and not love it, you can wait for the movie to come to DVD before watching.

 

Got something to say about this movie?  Would love to read it in the comments section below!

 

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Random Reviews

Movie Review – Deadpool 2

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Deadpool was the movie that surprised everyone with its popularity at the box office.  Not only did it out-earn the vast majority of its peer super hero movies, but received rave reviews across the board for both its humour and it’s adult take on the comic book world.  So not surprisingly, this year we have been treated to Deadpool 2.

 

Deadpool 2 takes place not long after the end of the previous movie, with Wade and his love interest deciding to start a family.  But naturally, she gets shot and killed (even before the opening credits!) and thus the stage is set for Deadpool 2 go on a journey of heartbreak and self-discovery.

First off I have to say that this is one of the few times I genuinely got choked up at a movie.  I enjoyed the weird romance from the first flick and loved the character played by Morena Baccarin.  So I was genuinely upset when I saw her die, and I’m not a man who has much, if any, interest in love stories usually.

Deadpool subsequently tries to kill himself, but since he is incapable of dying all he manages is to blow himself to pieces, those pieces collected by Collosus and returned to the X-Mansion where Deadpool heals his body, if not his heart.

It’s Deadpools first mission as a trainee X-man that sets up the rest of the story.  They go to subdue an out of control young mutant from a orphanage, but in the process Deadpool finds that the boy has been abused so kills one of the attendants.  This results in both he and the boy going to a prison where mutant abilities are subdued.  Wade starts dying all over again since his healing factor no longer retards his cancer and when you think things can’t get worse, Cable shows up and starts blasting!

Cable has been around in the comics for many years as a time-travelling violent hero, but not everyone realizes that he and Deadpool have a long history together and even shared a comic series for a few years.  Thus Cable was a sensible and worthy addition to the second flick and is portrayed very well.  Domino is another character introduced in this movie that has been associated with Deadpool for a long time, and despite lacking the sarcasm and pale make-up she…

 

… you know what?  Lets stop with the plot synopsis and character dissection!  There are so many things that warrant inclusion and it’ll take too long!

 

Let’s just say this is a damn fine flick!  Yes, not as great as the first one, but the first one was that fantastic that I reckon that’s forgivable.  This movie is darker than it’s predecessor (and considering the first one was full of constant violence and murder that’s saying a lot) and Deadpool isn’t quite as flippant in his discourse.  But his struggle to save a kid that doesn’t want to be saved works well as a plotline, there are a ton of Easter Eggs for those who are familiar with the comics and the humour and action never cease.  Two stand-out scenes are definitely when Deadpool’s new X-Force meet gruesome ends not long after being introduced (and thus totally Lampooning so many other Marvel team movie titles) and when Cable comes to Blind Al’s house to find Deadpool growing back the bottom half of his body, all of his bottom half.

 

So I heartily recommend Deadpool 2.  Ryan Reynolds has nailed it once again and it is indeed a most worthy successor to the first flick, and whatever you do don’t leave when the credits start to roll, otherwise you will miss some of the funniest post-movie sequences ever!

 

Deadpool 2 gets 5 out of 5 baby butts!

 

Blu Ray Review: Deadpool

Art Book Review: Deadpool – Drawing the Merc with a Mouth

 

Random Reviews

Movie Review – My Little Pony

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My Little Pony, much like its boyish counterpart – The Transformers, has a generations spanning popularity.  Despite the 5 to 12 age range on the boxes, just as Transformers is not just for little boys, My Little Pony is not just for little girls.  And now, like The Transformers, My Little Pony has hit the big screen!

My daughters wall

Now let me start off by saying I know waaaay more about MLP than any self-respecting 40 year old male should.  As the househusband I watch it with my two kids when it comes on TV at 8.30am every morning after their mother goes to work. In fact I probably know almost every episode from Season 4 onwards off by heart!    Whilst my daughter loves Fluttershy and my son and wife both love Pinkie Pie, I’m most definitely a Rarity man, whom I find really sexy amusing, especially when she throws a drama queen fit.  I also really like DJ Pon3 for some reason, she is just so cool!  The cartoon itself is really well done, it’s thoroughly amusing on many levels and I defy anyone to watch the 100th episode special from season 5 and not crack up laughing!  Fantastic battle scenes, great music, an interesting and ever expanding cast – in fact I can confidently say it’s probably one of the best kids cartoons out there today.  As such I was hoping for a lot from the movie when I took my family to see it …

 

But it looked so cheerful!

… but sadly it did not deliver.

Don’t get me wrong – it’s certainly not a bad movie.  But if you are familiar with the cartoon this feels like they have watered it down for the movie rather than beefing it up.  A good way would be to compare them to ice cream.  The cartoon is triple-raspberry swirl with rainbow sprinkles – delicious and exciting!  The movie is a bowl of vanilla – certainly nice enough and you may even want a second helping but you aren’t going to rave about it to your friends.

The storyline is very formulaic, but given the target audience for this flick that is forgivable.  All the ponies are gathered for a giant party being organised by the heroine of the show Twilight Sparkle, when the bad guys turn up, capture the other 3 Princesses of Equestria and enslave the Pony race. Cue Twilight and her friends escaping, meeting new comrades in their search for help, then returning to defeat the big bad, turn an enemy into a friend (cause Friendship is Magic dontcha know) and bring freedom back to the land.  I think even most young kids, whom this movie is primarily aimed at, could predict what would happen next in a very by-the-numbers plot.

 

Sadly, everything that happens feels like a sanitized version of the cartoon, designed to have the broadest appeal by ‘playing it safe’ .  The one argument between friends (Twilight finally after all these years gets a gutful of Pinkie Pie) is very short and undramatic, as opposed to some of the larger Rarity & Applejack spats from television.  Likewise the music, which should be a major highlight in a movie like this, lacks punch and is not particularly catchy.  The 2014 Equestria Girls Rainbow Rocks has far superior music that sticks in the head and keeps you humming for days.  The animation, which given the world the storyline is set in had the potential to dazzle, suffers from bland backgrounds, though these are necessitated by the storyline sending the ponies through deserts and other sparse locals.  Tempest Shadow is a pretty cool bad guy with her sparking broken horn and is rounded out fairly well on the whole.  However her boss, The Storm King, is a predictable character who is frankly neither scary or amusing, despite the writers trying to portray him as both.

 

There is not much character development here.  Given the cartoon is in its seventh season perhaps it was felt there is not much more for the 7 stars of the show to grow into.  It would have been nice for the girls to at least use their different abilities in significant ways to aid the plot.  Rarity’s entire contribution consists of performing a 2 second fix on a coat, earning them a friend in a roguish cat which in turn ends up giving Spike his only interesting thing to do in the movie – being used by said cat as a flamethrower.  Rainbow Dash awakens the buccaneering spirit of some air pirates, but her signature sonic-rainboom does nothing but give their position away to the bad guys.  Applejack and Fluttershy sadly bring nothing at all to the plot and in fact the movie could have easily been done without them.  None of the characters really engage in the kind of humorous banter that makes the cartoon so funny and don’t really bounce off each other, mainly they just react to events and – in the case of Fluttershy at least – look scared.

(my t-shirt) Should have just let these two handle the problem

The two stars of the movie from the regular cast are Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle.  Pinkie serves as the anchor of the group, being too silly-headed to have her spirit brought low by the various precarious predicaments. Meanwhile Twilight allows herself to lose hope but in the end, predictably, uses the spirit of Friendship to win Tempest Shadow over the side of good and defeat The Storm King.

 

So is this movie worth watching?  Well again, it’s like a bowl of vanilla ice cream.  You will enjoy it but you will soon forget you consumed it afterwards.  I laughed out loud a couple of times but sadly my two young kids never did.  Given the price of a movie ticket these days you can easily wait for this to be released on DVD and in the meantime get your MLP on with the brilliant cartoon instead.

One day Rarity my sweet, one day we will be together!

This movie gets 3 out of 5 party cannons.

 

 

Got something to say about this movie?  Would love to read it in the comments section below!

 

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Movie Review – Transformers: The Last Knight

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Random Reviews, Transformatorium

Movie Review – Transformers: The Last Knight

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Here we are – the fifth installment of the live-action Transformers movie franchise.

These movies have caused a lot of debate over the years.  Many of the critics and your more traditional Transformer fans have hated them – citing such things as poor plots, juvenile jokes and lack of characterization.  However the general public has loved them – all four previous movies still remaining in the top 100 highest grossing movies of all time.

So will Transformers: The Last Knight fare any better than the previous four with the die-hards?  Let’s find out!

Oh, and SPOILER ALERT!  This is a movie review – so if you haven’t seen the flick yet and don’t want to know what happens, read no further (but please do come back after watching I implore you).

 

This movie picks up not long after the events of Transformers 4, and unlike that movie brings back a lot of what happened in Transformers 3 as well.  The Transformers are still all hated and hunted by the human governments, yet they keep arriving.  Most of the Autobots are living in a junkyard which they periodically leave as they try to find more of their lost brethren with the help of Cade.  Megatron (Galvatron being just a phase he was going through) is enacting plans with the help of his henchman Barricade and Optimus Prime is off in space trying to find the creators of his race so he can put the smack down.  Oh, and the new plot has flashbacks of Merlin dealing with a bunch of Cybertronian knights that can combine into a 3-headed space dragon – now there is a twist that not a lot of movies can boast eh!

The first half of this movie advances these plot lines.  Megatron does a hostage swap of some humans in order to get some of his captured crew back from the military.  Cade and the Autobots hiding out unwillingly adopt a 14 year old orphan girl and Optimus lands on Cybertron to meet Quintessa, his creator.  Soon conflict (and Bayesque explosions) come into play.  Megatron (tracked by the military) finds the Autobots and has a scrap, most of his henchmen we had only just met being killed in the process.  Quintessa brainwashes Optimus into becoming Nemesis Prime and sets the broken planet of Cybertron (which got royally f’ed up at the end of TF3 by a spacebridge explosion) on a course to Earth to siphon its energy to make the metallic husk pull itself back together.  We also get introduced to two new plot lines: The first is that Anthony Hopkins rocks and has a bunch of old Autobots at his disposal (including a quite psychotic character named Cogman) and is trying to figure out the whole Merlin angle.  The second is that, like the TFPrime cartoon, Earth actually is Unicron and he is extending his horns out through various parts of the planet!

Phew – that’s a lot going on eh?

To prevent this they…..

…you know what, bugger it – if I list the 8 millions plot twists this review is going to become a novel!  Chances are if you are reading this you have seen the movie and know what happens!  So how about I save us all a bit of time and go on a few pro’s and cons eh?

PRO’S

*Lots of explosions

*Tons of action

*Nice boobs for the boys, nice ab’s for the girls

*Anthony Hopkins was awesome

*Cogman was funny

*A good variety of different robots

*Great fight scenes

*Expanded the movie lore

*Genuinely funny moments

*At least some characterization of Decepticons

*The action was not too close up and frenzied so you could actually tell what was going on most of the time

*Cullen and Welker reprised their roles as Optimus and Megatron respectively

*A Transformer clock killed Hitler

*Autobots, Decepticons, Quintessons, Combiners, Cybertron and Unicron!

 

CON’S (no, not those Cons)

*Bumblebee coming apart and coming back together contradicted a lot of TF deaths from the previous movies

*So many Transformers didn’t actually transform!  Grimlock, Slag Slug, the baby Dino’s, Cogman, Wheelie, Sqweeks,  whoever the female submarine was etc.  It was like reading an IDW comic!

*A lot of the Transformers that did transform never did it on screen, such as Optimus himself.

*Contradictions in plot

*Too much human focus

*Hot Rod is french?!

 

So overall, is this movie worth watching?  Well I’d have to say yes.  All the people that complain about the Transformer movies would do well to remember that these flicks are based on a cartoon from the 80’s about shape-changing alien robots fighting a civil war.  It’s not supposed to move you and make you cry – it’s supposed to entertain you!  In that regard Transformers: The Last Knight certainly delivers the goods!  It (like all the others) is a long movie but I can’t say there was any point where I was bored and frankly I found the whole movie quite fun!  It’s not a movie you are supposed to take too seriously and I think some of the critics and die-hard fans need to remember that sometimes.  Overall I’d say that this was not as good as TF1, about on par or slightly better than 3 & 4 and much better than 2.  I had a great time watching it with a half dozen mates and I can’t wait to see what happens with the Unicron angle in number 6!

 

This movie gets 4 out of 5 energon cubes.

Got something to say about the movie?  Would love to read it in the comments section below!

Random Reviews

Movie Review: The LEGO Batman Movie

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The LEGO franchise was always big.  Now with a string of video games and DVD’s as well as being tied in to almost every popular franchise – from Marvel to Star Wars to even Ghostbusters – it is friggin huge!

A few years ago we all marveled at the first LEGO Movie.  It was funny, interesting and had a lot of heart.  One of the main characters in that movie was Batman.  He was arrogant, even if highly skilled enough to warrant it, egocentric and obsessed with metal music and the colour black.  The character has subsequently appeared in numerous tie-in DVD’s and has remained fairly faithful to this rendition of one of the most iconic super heroes of all time.

Now we have upon us the second of the Lego movies to hit the big screen and Batman has the starring role.  So let’s take a look at The LEGO Batman Movie.

This movie is all about Batman’s personal emotional journey from the character we saw in the last movie to one that actually stands a chance of showing empathy and having a personal connection to others.  We are treated at the start to a huge elaborate battle sequence between Batman and pretty much every villain that has ever shown up in the Batman Universe.  Lead by Joker they are all here, from well known characters like Mr. Freeze and Catwoman to obscure characters such as Calendar Man and even Egghead (an egg themed villain from the campy 60’s show played by Vincent Price).  Batman single handedly defeats every single villain, all whilst talking about how great he is, playing hardcore metal music and doing donuts in the Batmobile.  It’s very adrenaline packed and there would be few male viewers who would not love to be in his blocky shoes.

At the climax of the fight, we get the stage set for the overriding theme of the movie.  Joker appears to be genuinely hurt, even heartbroken, when Batman not only refutes that Joker is his arch enemy but states that Joker literally means nothing to him, no one does.  After winning the fight, dropping by an orphanage to shoot miscellaneous Bat-merchandise at a bunch of orphans (and a young Dick Grayson whom returns shortly after) he goes home to an empty mansion, eating and watching movies by himself.

Things change pretty swiftly for Batman.  Barbara Gordon becomes the new police commissioner and wants Batman to work with the police and within the constraints of the law.  During her inauguration all the super villains show up and promptly turn themselves in, depriving Batman of anyone to fight in the future.  It’s also at this time that Bruce Wayne unwittingly adopts Dick Grayson, agreeing to do by not even listening when the prospect is put to him and just blandly agreeing to whatever is said.

Deprived of his super villains to thwart Batman begins a downwards spiral and rejects Alfred’s suggestions to use this down time to make connections with people and focus on his personal life.  Desperately needing something to do, Batman decides to send Joker to the Phantom Zone and has no compunctions about risking his new young wards life to do it.

 

This movie is really about Batman being a jerk and slowly learning not to be.  Whilst the movie starts with him lapping up the attention we see showcased how he is unpopular with his fellow heroes (doesn’t even get invited to the Justice League party), disrespects Alfred, risks Robins life, refuses to work as a team with the police commissioner and constantly breaks the Jokers heart.  We get a glimpse into why though, the death of his parents made a young Bruce refuse to let anyone else get close and his life became about his own ego and his obsession with being a vigilante.

 

So the fun yet predictable happens.  Batman sends Joker to the Phantom Zone where he meets a ton of other evil characters from different franchises (including LOTR, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park and even Dr. Who), brings them back to Gotham and proceeds to destroy the city.  This forces Batman to actually work as a team with Barbara, Dick and Alfred and by doing so let them into his life.  The finale of Batman’s emotional journey is him finally admitting to Joker that he hates him and that Joker is the reason he works so hard as a crime fighter.  With this emotional rift healed Joker helps Batman save the city and Gotham is safe once more.

Just wanted to know he was hated

Overall I would say this is very much a boys movie.  Batman is a total jerk and a very blokey kind of jerk.  There is constant violence and lots of humor – I found myself chuckling a few times which is pretty good for me.  I took my 4 year old son and nothing was too graphic or smutty to faze him, though he was a tad restless in his seat by the end.  I’d happily recommend this movie to any boys under the age of say 17, or grown up boys who just cant get enough of The Bat.

 

Seen the movie and have a different opinion?  Would love to read it in the comments section below!

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Art Book review: Deadpool – Drawing the Merc with a Mouth

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When backpacking around Europe I visited many of the world’s great art galleries.  I went to The National Gallery in London and saw Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.  I went to the Louvre in Paris and saw the Mona Lisa.  I went to the the Museo del Prado in Madrid and had my mind turned inside out by the works of Dali.  Hell, I even went to a museum in Amsterdam which seemed to house all the concrete willy’s that had been knocked off all the Italian statues during the rise of Puritism.   From great galleries to the gaudy, from museums to mausoleums I’ve seen it all.  So who better to take you through the latest collection of artwork to be released for the public’s perusal –Deadpool: Drawing the Merc with a Mouth

This book showcases over 20 years of Marvel Comics Art centered around everyone’s favorite degenerate assassin.  When I first purchased it I thought it would be nothing but pictures but the book is actually broken up into 7 main chapters (along with an opening and a conclusion) which details the creation of Deadpool and his evolution as a character both plot-wise and artistically.  There are various interviews with the people who have written Deadpool over the last 20+ years and there were some nice insights into how he was created, his surge in popularity and the very odd direction that the character was taken in.

 

But of course this is primarily an art book so we are treated to lots of eye candy throughout.  This in itself shows the evolution of Deadpool, from a guest-starring bad guy on the front cover of early 90’s comics to the present day where he has had more ongoing titles, spin-offs and team ups than one can count.

I think what I enjoyed best here was the way that the artists could use such a ridiculous and self-lampooning character such as Deadpool to in turn lampoon other genres.  From famous works of art to album covers to movie posters to even the comic covers of other super heroes (including those of DC) Deadpool brings his smart-arse style.

 

There is not much more I can say here as, since it is an art book, you really need to view the art rather than read someones opinion of it.  But what I can do is advise you whether it is worth getting.  I picked this up in a bookstore for $65(AU) and the cheapest I’ve seen it online is $56(AU) including postage.  It’s a pretty hefty price tag.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I got it and I really enjoy it, but I did have a pang of buyer’s remorse walking out of the store until I had a chance to get to grips with it at home.  To justify such an expense one needs to really be a fan of the Merc with a Mouth.  Luckily for me I am one and if you love him too (and have the cash to spare) you will really enjoy this artistic look at a few decades of Deadpool.

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Tourist Spot Review – Cheeseworld

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Multiverse theory states that if it is possible for a world to exist then somewhere it must exist. That there are many parallel universes to our own, consisting of worlds different than that on which we live.

Consider Cheeseworld – a world comprised entirely of cheese.  What would we find there?  Would the moon indeed be made of cheese?  Would the Earth be made out of a Hard Dry Jack for the various cheese creatures to walk and graze upon.  Imagine if you will herds of majestic Goat and Yak cheeses grazing under the Peppercon cheddar trees by a flowing river of Runny Blue.

Would the people there have the different nationalities that we have?  Would there be the Swiss Cheese people?  Would the American Cheese people be policing the rest of Cheeseworld?  Would the Regal Blend which is headed by the Red Windsor stand proud in the nation of Aged English Cheddar?

Would people worship the great Gouda in the sky?

 

I set out in search of the mythical Cheeseworld, the entrance to which was rumored to be found at the end of the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia.  My thoughts chased themselves in circles and my hands visibly shook at the idea of finding an inter-dimensional portal through which I may enter this world of cheese and explore a strange and alien new land.

Instead I found a tourist stop in Allansford consisting of a café, cheese shop and little museum.

Worst. Interdimensional Portal. Ever.

No cheese people.  Not even people dressed up as cheese characters!  No Tommy Nooka from the Mighty Boosh with his cheese head or Montgomery Jack from Rescue Rangers.  The walls are made of brick instead of brie.  I come to the sad conclusion that this will not be a grand adventure into the unknown but decide to make the best of it.

 

Cheeseworld consists of a café, which has distinctly average food (though the Cheeseworld Cheeseburger is excellent – read the review HERE).  Next to this is a little shop area which has one isle of cheese related products such as cheese boards and cheese slicers but the rest is made up of the usual touristy crap they sell people from overseas on coach tours.  Behind this is the proper cheese area.  There is a tasting bar with 5 types of cheese on offer and a fridge along the back row with quite a decent selection of cheeses to choose from.  My wife stopped my purchasing of the Buffalo’s Milk Cheese but I did get away with purchasing some Wild Wasabi Cheese which has a real bite and goes well with beer.  We also picked up some of the Warrnambool Heritage Creamy Colby that had been damn nice from the tasting area as well as Lochard Camembert.  They also sold a lot of foods that go well with cheese such as kabana, various German sausages and of course wine.

 

Behind Cheeseworld is the Cheese Museum.  Some of the equipment showed how they made cheese in the days of yesteryear while a lot of the other stuff was just the same as I have out behind my shed – old farming tools they had salvaged and put up on the wall.

How the cavemen used to make cheese

 

So is Cheeseworld worth visiting?

Look, it aint great.  The café is pretty crap and for a place called Cheeseworld you would expect something… well… more cheesy (but in a good way).  Most vineyards put on a better show and I don’t know of any that call themselves Wineworld.  But if you are driving along the Great Ocean Road or, like us, having a little holiday in close-by Warrnambool then it’s a distraction for half an hour.