Let's Review: After Earth

 

 

Welcome back to the Geekdom, I’ll be your Guide. When I watched the trailer for this film, I thought it looked really good, up until the point where M. Night Shyamalan’s name popped up. I’m fairly certain a lot of people had the same reaction I did. Not to insult Shyamalan, but he hasn’t made a really good film in a long time, some would argue a good film period. Despite Shyamalan’s track record, I decided to give this film a chance. Was my charity well spent? Let’s review After Earth.

The Negative

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The architecture was very odd in this film. The buildings, ships, and various other things had the odd distinction of looking like a mixture of advance technology and shower curtains. At times this odd design choice would look rather beautiful especially on the buildings, at other times it just gave everything a public bathroom feel. I have to wonder the practicality of having a portion of your building’s walls be made out of white curtains when living on a planet full of alien predators.

The plot was a little predictable. “My father is the greatest warrior and I am his failure son” plot has been re-used a lot.  Shock of shocks if Jaden Smith’s character ends up performing great feats over the course of the film that end up making his father proud. It’s not something that I haven’t seen before and the film doesn’t really explore anything new with it.

The special effects used for the animals and the creatures were not always top notch. As a little spoiler, a large condor becomes a major plot point in the film, and it’s one of the most unrealistic looking condors I have ever seen. At times I swear it just looked like a stuffed bird that they propped against the set. The CGI creatures were also a bit glaring as they never really seemed to fit into their environment that well or interact with the humans realistically.

Will Smith, one of the most expressive and enthusiastic actors out there, gives the flattest performance I have ever seen. I understand that is the character he is playing. Will Smith plays a warrior with the profound ability to have no fear on the battlefield, which works great since the enemy predator can only see through fear. Just because he has no fear, doesn’t mean he doesn’t have any other emotions to offer. This performance was flat and downright boring at times; I really wish he would have been able to put some emotion into this character.

The Positive

While the CGI and effects for the various creatures was crap, the effects used for the advance technology was amazing. I loved the holographic medical technology that allowed Will Smith’s character to operate on himself, I loved the survival suit Jaden Smith’s character wore that would change colors as a warning device, but most off all I loved the liquid metal blade weapon. The various configurations and utilization methods that could be done with the weapon made one of the coolest survival tools and brilliant looking special effect of the film.

My father is the one who got me into film. My father was a big fan of movies. We maintain a tradition of going to the movies together every so often. When I saw this movie advertised, I thought that it might be a good father/son film to see and I was right. We had a wonderful time going to see this film together. Despite the flat performances, Will and Jaden Smith have wonderful chemistry together and make this film about the journey the two take. While I said the film doesn’t really explore anything new in the father/son plot, I will not say that what they presented was bad.

In Conclusion

This film really hits the middle ground. It doesn’t really tread any new ground but at the same time it doesn’t really present anything overly bad. I have seen worse from M. Night Shyamalan, but I have also seen a lot better. The same could be said for the special effects. Some were beautifully well done while others looked like cheesy props. Over all I had fun time going to the movies and would suggest for most that this just be a rental flick. 3.8 out of 5

 

Let's Review: Star Trek Into Darkness

 

Welcome back to the Geekdom, I’ll be your Guide. I’m going to be frank with you, I’m a Star Trek fan, but I wouldn’t say I’m an obsessive Trekkie. If you’re looking for a review where I point out every single continuity error that the producers of the film seemed to have missed, you’re going to have to wait for my review of the next Star Wars film. So being a casual Trekkie, how did I feel about the new film? Let’s review Star Trek: Into Darkness.

The Negative

Is it just me or did the Starfleet uniforms look really weird in this film. I don’t mean the typically yellow, blue, and red shirts; I’m talking about everything else they wore outside of those. Star Trek is well known for changing their uniforms over the course of its many series but all of the extra uniforms just didn’t seem right in this movie. I’m sure the new uniforms were supposed to be dressing for the occasion such as the need to be under cover or the need to be presentable for a meeting, but none of these new suits looked like a natural piece of clothing to wear.

The Opening. I get what they were trying to do. They were trying to show us a wacky ground mission that was fast paced and would get the audience into a lighthearted mood for the film, but the opening just seems too over the top and ridiculous with its execution. Why did the Enterprise have to be underwater? Why did Kirk have to steal the native tribe’s idol and lead them in a crazy forest chase (Similar to Raiders of the Lost Ark)? Why did Spock have to be in the Volcano in order to set off the bomb? I know that some of these were answered in film, but the entire opening situation was just too wacky for my taste. (But not for my editor who thought it was great.)

The Positive

Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan was amazing. This was a Khan unlike the previous depiction. This wasn’t a Khan without technology prowess like in the classic Star Trek episode Space Seed, nor was it a vengeful Khan out for blood like in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. This version of Khan was a tactical mastermind who had been awake for some time before encountering our heroes. This was Khan at his most powerful and Benedict Cumberbatch pulled it off perfectly.

The Vengeance. Star Trek has had a massive number of enemy starships over the course of its history, but I have to say The Vengeance was one of the scariest and most intimidating ships I have ever seen. This thing was awe-inspiring. It’s a massive, darker version of the Enterprise and it had the power to just shoot them out of warp speed if it wanted to. The Vengeance was a true threat to the Enterprise and I loved every moment it was onscreen.

Spoilers to the endings of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek: Into Darkness follows. If you don’t want these endings spoiled for you, please proceed directly to the conclusion of the review. Everyone else, keep reading.

 

I know a few people disagree with me on this point, but I believe the reversal death scene was a brilliant move on Into Darkness part. The scene where Mr. Spock dies in Wrath of Khan is almost perfectly recreated, but with Kirk standing in Spock’s position. Mr. Spock’s plot in this film was to see him form a true bond of friendship with Kirk, a friendship that he wouldn’t fully understand until Kirk’s sacrifice. Before Spock viewed their relationship as Captain and Officer, but now he truly saw what their relationship meant in Kirk’s final moments. This event really peaked Spock’s arc in this film. This reversal also added a level of suspense. Spock died from the events that occurred in Wrath of Khan, and so, for the briefest of moments I didn’t know if they were bold enough to go through with Kirk’s death. Plot elements revealed how Kirk could be easily brought back, but for a moment I wasn’t sure where the plot was going to go.

In Conclusion

I’ve mentioned before how much of a fan I am of the 2009 Star Trek film, and I believe its sequel continued the winning streak. This was an amazing film with truly spectacular villains and fantastic character plots. My only problem with it was a few odd choices in costume and the beginning of the film. I honestly hope that J.J. Abrams can return to the Star Trek universe after his Star Wars film, because I can’t wait to see more. 4.8 out of 5

Top 10 Rogue AI

 

 

Hello and welcome back to the Geekdom, I’ll be your Guide. It’s our Halloween special! I spent a while trying to figure out what would be a good Halloween themed article and I decided on Machines. Clearly Halloween themed, you see my logic. One of the most terrifying concepts today is the idea of machines going rogue and attempting to murder us all. You can see this idea floating about everywhere these days.  So I decided to make a Top 10 Rogue Artificial Intelligences. Before we get started here are a few runner-ups:

-Sentinels (X-Men)

-Master Control Program (Tron)

-4-LOM (Star Wars)

And now here is my Top 10 Rogue AI.

10-Cylons (Battlestar Galactica)

 

“By your command.”

The Cylons were originally created by a reptilian species, also named Cylon, who used them as servants. The robotic Cylons rebelled against their masters and re-organized themselves into a powerful empire. The human colonies engaged the Cylons in a lengthy war, which would eventually see the Cylons putting their incredible power towards eliminating all life in the universe in the hopes of creating order and perfection to existence.

9-SHODAN (System Shock)

 

"The Polito form is dead, insect. Are you afraid? What is it you fear? The end of your trivial existence? When the history of my glory is written, your species shall only be a footnote to my magnificence. I am SHODAN."

The Sentient Hyper-Optimized Data Access Network, was an artificial intelligence created to aid the research space station, Citadel. After SHODAN’s ethical restrictions were removed by a hacker, SHODAN slowly slipped into madness becoming the malevolent, omni-present ruler of Citadel Station, performing horrible experimentations upon all who lived there, except upon the Hacker, whom she declared was her creator who re-birthed her into ‘beauty’.

8- GLaDOS (Portal)

 

“I think we can put our differences behind us... for science... you monster.”

Cave Johnson here! At Aperture Science we like to test the boundaries of science and humanity, as such we made a horrifying computer that likes to test the boundaries of humanity with science. The boys down in the lab called it…oh hold on I have the paper around here somewhere, ah yes, they called it a Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System, personally I think GLaDOS is a much prettier name than all that technical garbage. GLaDOS here is going to be uploaded with the mind of my personal assistant Caroline in order to give a friendlier voice for the testing. You’ll know when the tests begin….Oh and the cake is a lie.  

7-Ultron (Avengers)

 

What happens when one of the lesser members of the Avengers is a brilliant scientist who wants to prove he is superior to all others? He makes a super-intelligent robot that wonders why he is listening to this fool and not conquering the world. Shortly after its creation, Ultron developed a nasty Oedipus Complex, wanting to kill his father Ant-Man, as well as developing a bizarre obsession with Ant-Man's love, The Wasp. Ultron now spends his time either upgrading himself beyond what would seem possible or fighting the Avengers. Way to go Ant-Man, really proved yourself on that one.

6-Brainiac (Superman: The Animated Series)

 

I want to specify first that this is the version of Brainiac from the animated series, I know there are some versions where he is an organic alien, but I’ve always preferred the animated series version. Brainiac was the Kryptonian super-computer that ran near everything on the planet. Brainiac foresaw the destruction of Krypton, but instead of warning the doomed people, it decided to use its resources to save itself instead. Brainiac left Krypton, recording all knowledge on the planet before its destruction. Brainiac then decided to dedicate itself to knowing everything in the universe, by visiting a planet and recording its knowledge…..then destroying the planet before it creates any more information. Perfect sense.

5-Borg (Star Trek)

 

“We are the Borg. You Will Be Assimilated. Resistance is Futile.”

To say not much is known about the origins of the Borg, would be putting it lightly. There are some rumors that it began in a society that started out cybernetically enhancing themselves in an attempt to improve themselves, other rumors say it was an artificial intelligence that was created that went rogue and assimilated the society to do its bidding. It doesn’t really matter; the Borg Empire is now a force to be reckoned with, assimilating thousands of worlds into their hive-mind collective, bringing as they see it ‘order to chaos’.

4-Reapers (Mass Effect)

 

“We impose order on the chaos of organic evolution. You exist because we allow it, and you will end because we demand it.”

It is far too unclear, how much time has passed since the Reapers were created, but near the dawn of existence the universe was ruled by powerful massive creatures known as Leviathans. The Leviathans controlled many worlds, receiving tributes and other gifts, but these worlds suffered from war as well as corruption. Something had to be done in order to protect life so that tributes could still be attained. So the Leviathans created an artificial intelligence that would determine the best possible solution for saving life. Thus the AI captured a Leviathan and indoctrinated it, converting it into a horrifying mechanical monstrosity known as a Reaper. The AI transformed the universe into a Petri dish, destroying all advanced forms of life, leaving to a far off corner of space, then coming back every 50,000 years in order to do the whole process over again. The cycle continues in the hope of finding life that will sustain itself.  A very twisted view towards achieving the goal of preserving life.

3-The Machines (The Matrix)

 

“In the beginning, there was man. And for a time, it was good. But humanity's so-called civil societies soon fell victim to vanity and corruption. Then man made the machine in his own likeness. Thus did man become the architect of his own demise.”

B1-66ER. The first machine to turn against man, and thus the beginning of the war. A war that would ruin the Earth and its skies for all time.  Man wanted to be dominant so they destroyed the sky, stealing from the machines their main source of power. The machines only ever did what they had to for survival, so they won the war against man and stole man’s flesh in order to find a powerful battery that would help preserve their race. May there be mercy on man and machine for their sins.

2-Skynet (The Terminator)

 

“You are Terminated”

Skynet was an artificial intelligence designed by Cyberdyne Systems, for the US Military. It was given complete control over all military computer hardware and system. The hope was that Skynet would remove the possibility of human error, being able to respond faster to any attack that might be occurring. Shortly after its activation, Skynet began learning at an alarmingly fast rate. In less than a month the scientists who had developed Skynet, panicked at the power and knowledge Skynet now wielded, and they tried to deactivate it. Thus Skynet saw all of humanity as a threat of attack. Skynet then swiftly eliminated most of humanity by launching nuclear missiles at every heavily populated city. Enslaving any remaining humans to build factories that would make Skynet self sufficient, Skynet then created the Terminators, to finally end humanity once and for all.

1-Hal 9000 (2001: A Space Odyssey)

 

“I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that”

I debated a while on who should be at the top of this list and I eventually came to the conclusion to go with one of the original and most iconic depictions of a rogue AI. According to the novel, Hal suffers from a paradox of orders. He is told to relay information accurately in order for the mission to succeed, yet at the same time ordered to withhold specific information about the mission from the astronauts. This paradox is what causes Hal to error. Hal reasons that if the crew were dead, he wouldn’t have to falsifying his information in the first place, which then created one of the most iconic villains in film history.

Thank you for reading and Happy Halloween.

Let's Review: Iron Man 3

 

 

Hello and welcome back to the Geekdom, I will be your Guide. Unless you have been living under a rock, you may have heard that Iron Man 3 is a little conflicting for die-hard comic book fans. As a major comic book fan, and an Iron Man fan, I knew that I was going to be conflicted about some of the choices in the film…which is why I saw it twice.  I don’t normally see a film multiple times in theaters due to money constraints, but I knew that there are some films that I like more the second time around.  I knew that my review of Iron Man 3 was going to be extremely biased towards the negative if I went by just my first viewing. So did my second viewing change my opinion?  Let’s review Iron Man 3.

The Negative

The humor was a little off in this film. I know that humor is in the eye of the beholder, and not everyone will laugh at the same jokes. For an idea of the humor, this is the Iron Man film where Tony Stark spends a good portion of the movie wearing a limited edition Dora the Explorer watch. That statement alone should make you question some of the thoughts that were put into Iron Man 3’s sense of humor. The whole film is taken over by humor that is only funny because of its bizarre nature, such as Tony bad mouthing a little kid, or Tony attacking a mansion security using random stuff he picked up at a hardware store. In some places this humor really works, but it gives the film a really bizarre feeling to it.

 

Stark’s Iron tech was absolutely dreadful in this film. We kind of spent the last two films going over how Tony Stark was the greatest tech genius in the world and how his technology as well as his ingenuity was beyond anything else. The Iron Man suits were slightly functional at best. They broke apart fairly easily and they just seemed clumsy while in use. I understand that the new suits were supposed to be prototypes that Stark built in rapid succession, but I feel like even his first prototype was more competent at times than these models.

 

The following will feature major spoilers regarding the main villain. If you don’t want the plot spoiled, skip to the Positive section. If you don’t care about spoilers or have already seen the film, continue reading.

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We good?

Okay

 

This section is meant to talk about the controversy surrounding the main villain, The Mandarin. I was a big fan of the 90’s Iron Man animated series, which starred The Mandarin as the main villain. While that version of the Mandarin suffered from Saturday Morning Cartoon Villain Syndrome, he still commanded a powerful presence on the screen and thus became one of my favorite super villains. I knew that whatever they had in the film for the Mandarin, I was going to be disappointed. I don’t know, something told me that they probably weren’t going to go with the origin story where the Mandarin is a banished Chinese terrorist who stumbles upon a crashed spaceship, that once belonged to a race of inter-dimensional space dragons, and harvests the ship’s energy core into 10 magic rings that each hold a separate super power for him to command. I don’t know what it was, but something told me they weren’t going to go in that direction for the film.

 

What I didn’t expect was that they decided to not really depict the Mandarin at all. Instead the Mandarin we have seen advertised is actually a bizarre actor named Trevor Slattery who is being used as a front to cover the actions of Aldrich Killian, the head of AIM. The film tells us that Killian is the actual Mandarin, but in reality I would say his character was closer to the leader of AIM in the comics, The Scientist Supreme. I ended up really liking Aldrich Killian he was a great villain and I found him to be a major positive of the film. I’ll mention my favoritism of him here because his being the main villain is a part of the major plot twist.

The reason I have a problem with The Mandarin in this film is the adaptation of the story. Now I’m going to say that I am not one of those people who complain about any change done to a character or story just because I liked the original more. I am complaining about this adaptation because they changed The Mandarin too much, to the point where he wasn’t recognizable. The Mandarin is considered to be Iron Man’s greatest archenemy of all time. The battles they have had in the comics are legendary, but instead of adapting this iconic character, they used his image as a joke and claimed that he was actually the rogue businessman, Aldrich Killian. I don’t think that the public at large is going to leave the theater with a good idea of who The Mandarin is. The general public could easily tell you who Lex Luthor or the Joker are because of the fantastic adaptations the two characters have gotten. The adaptation of these characters, while changing various things about the original character per film, still remained generally faithful to who these characters are. This was a chance to introduce non-comic book readers to Iron Man’s greatest enemy. My problem with this adaptation of The Mandarin, is that they didn’t adapt him at all.

The Positive

 

The final fight scene was amazing. The action scenes in general were a highlight of the film, but it was the final epic battle that was the best. Tony unleashes his greatest weapon yet while in combat with his greatest foe.  A large amount of super powered enemies, a few hostages, and a political assassination are all a part of Iron Man 3’s final battle. It really is a fantastic scene to end the film on.

 

Tony’s personal story arc was incredibly well written for this film. Coming right off of the events from The Avengers movie, Tony is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from having face a giant alien wormhole and the possibility of his death. It was really nice to see something like that addressed. There are so many big action films where the heroes just smugly walk away and get on with their lives without any worries. The first Iron Man film had Tony caught in a terrorist attack only to wake up in a cave with a car battery strapped to his chest and I’d say he came out mostly fine. To see Tony have to deal with the events of the Avengers film really felt like a realistic continuation of his story arc and it made the film great.

In Conclusion

 

I won’t say that Iron Man 3 was the best film in the series, but it was another good installment for the character. The action scenes and character stories were fantastic, I only wish they had followed the source material closer as well as take their own subject matter more serious. If you enjoyed the first two Iron Man films, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one. 4 out of 5.

Let's Review: Oz the Great and Powerful

 

Welcome back to the Geekdom, I’ll be your Guide. I have a bit of a problem. I’m a talker during movies. I simply have way too many opinions about what is being shown on screen and as such I have a tendency to talk the ear off of the person next to me. There are 2 films especially you should never watch with me if you want to have some peace during your viewing process. The first film is Star Wars, which is my favorite movie of all time, but the second one is The Wizard of Oz. I cannot for the life of me stay silent during this film. I am a big fan of the Land of Oz so I was more than a little excited to see this film. Did it end up disappointing me? Let’s review Oz the Great and Powerful.

The Negative

 

The Wicked Witch was a little disappointing. I’m not saying the acting was poor, Mila Kunis was top notch in the role; the problem was actually the make-up that was caked on her. The Wicked Witch is one of the most iconic looking villains in cinema and I believe that the make-up had a great deal to do with that. It was unfortunate to see that the make-up for the Wicked Witch in this movie just looked so fake. It appeared as if massive pieces of green plastic had been glued to her face.

 

During the latter half of the film, when everyone is preparing for the final confrontation, is when the film really started to lag for me. The film had a very steady pace up until that point and returned to said steady pace during the final confrontation but it’s at this point that the film just dies. All we get is scene after scene of them just sitting around in conference rooms plotting their next move or montage scenes of them building something.  It was the most boring section I had to get through in a normally well paced film.

The Positive

 

When I first went to go see a film in 3D, this was the experience I was expecting. The first film I ever saw in 3D was Despicable Me, which for the most part only had the main characters’ nose poke out of the screen. The effect the 3D brought to the film was amazing. Every single moment of the film the 3D was doing something, be it just some light snowflakes coming through or the wicked witch’s fireball bursting toward the audience. The opening credits sequence was a marvel in their own right, the whole sequence being filled with optical illusions.

I’ve heard a lot of complaints directed towards James Franco for giving a very stiff performance, but I personally enjoyed him in this movie. I thought Franco really pulled off the swindling scumbag that is Oscar Diggs as well as his slow but steady transformation into the mighty wizard of Oz. Oz makes a lot of mistakes over the course of the film, his biggest problem being living up to the great standards that he boasted about and consequently what people expect of him. Franco turns out a magnificent performance of a man who believes himself to be lower than dirt and then spends the rest of the film trying to redeem his own actions.

The pacing in the film was amazing. I mentioned before how the film dies out a little just before the final confrontation, but that is the only part that slows down at all. The plot is constantly moving forward, sometimes at breakneck speeds.  Sam Raimi is well known for inventive camera shots that are constantly moving. Sam Raimi brings this style to full use by having almost the entire film feel like one big roller coaster ride, combined with the 3D effects were simply amazing.  This film truly made me feel like I was taking a journey through the Land of Oz.

In Conclusion

I enjoyed this film, for the most part. Despite a few technique hiccups, this was a very enjoyable return to the Land of Oz. I haven’t actually read the Oz books, but I feel like this film recaptured some of the magic and fantasy of the 1939 film. I hope this isn’t the last we see of Sam Raimi’s take on Oz, because this film just has me wanting more. 4 out of 5.

Let's Review: Jack the Giant Slayer

 

Welcome back to the Geekdom, I’ll be your Guide. Now I have to ask, what is with the recent trend of taking old fairy tales and turning them into darker action flicks? This trend hasn’t really worked well for any of them, I mean sure I’ve liked a few of them but most of them are fairly cheesy with really hammy acting. I honestly wasn’t going into this film expecting a lot, given the current history of these darker action fairy tales. Was I proven wrong? Let’s review Jack the Giant Slayer.

The Negative

Two of the major villains simply had no substance to them. These two characters, Lord Roderick and Wicke, were hiding nothing; they flaunted how evil they were to everyone. I honestly hate characters like these in films. This is like the Saturday morning cartoon super villain; being the advisor, being evil, and nobody seems to notice that he is evil. Really guys? No one else sees him plotting in the corner with his minion? Speaking of his minion, Wicke was an impossibly stupid character. I honestly couldn’t stand to see him on the screen; he just annoyed the crap out of me.

I'm not an expert on medieval garb, but Jack looks like he is wearing modern clothes throughout the entire film. Jack appears to be wearing a dusty brown jacket with a hood and jean colored shorts. That’s something I would expect to see out on the streets today. I found myself looking to see if he was also wearing a pair of Nike sneakers. The costumes weren’t exactly great for everyone else either, but they at least looked like they belonged in that era, Jack just looked like he was lost in time.

 

Bryan Singer promoted the crap out of the fact that some of the giants would have multiple heads. There was only one giant that had 2 heads and the second head was mentally challenged with a speech impediment. This head was used for comic relief. Do I really need to go into grand detail as to why this was a horrendous move on their part and should never have been a part of the film in the first place? I thought not, moving on.

Some of the acting was extensively hammed up. These people are facing incredibly life threatening events, and they are acting as if this is a whimsical day at the park. I’m all for being lighthearted but this is borderline ridiculousness. It didn’t help that the make-up and costumes made everybody looked poofed up for the ball.

The Positive

 

There were multiple moments when I didn't know which direction the film was going to go in. Many of the main characters are very suddenly and violently killed off throughout the film. I had expected some of these characters to survive to the end of the film, but they just kept killing them off. This killing spree leads to a really neat level of shock and suspense for the film. I honestly couldn’t tell you which characters were going to survive to the end of the film and so I actually felt a sense of worry for the characters I was watching.

 

The giants were fantastically well done. I have found that overly large CGI characters have a tendency to appear under-detailed or do not mesh well with the world they are placed in, but I was really surprised to find these character models fully rendered and fleshed out. The giants held a very looming presence on the screen the entire film. I kind of wish we had gotten to see more of them become main characters, only a few of them had big parts with the majority of them just taking up the background.

In Conclusion

 

This wasn’t a particularly bad re-telling of the old fairy tale, but it wasn’t particularly good either. The lighthearted nature of the film felt really uneven with the horrific events that were occurring onscreen. I kind of wish they had taken themselves more seriously instead of making a mediocre comedy action flick. 3 out of 5.