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Friday, May 17, 2019

My thoughts on Brightburn


My thoughts on Brightburn


Amazon.com : BRIGHTBURN (2019) Original Authentic Movie Promo ...


Who in the world though that this would be a good idea? I hope this shows people how much Superman isn’t respected, that’s a shame because he’s an iconic character. Sorry I didn’t mean to get ahead of myself. This movie is about what if Superman is a serial killer, what made you think that this would be an appropriate story for Superman? Look I don't mean else world stories but this is taking it too far. The reason I’m fine with the idea of Superman being evil in the Injustice video game is because that story could have been used as a social commentary on hierarchy. I can’t believe a lot of people are not vocally against it as far as I know, what makes Hollywood think that they can do a story about Superman killing people when they can’t make a good Superman movie? 

How many times do I have to said it Superman as a character isn’t the problem not coming up with a good story for him is the problem, if you can’t do that then ask the fans what Superman story they should adapted. So will you please stop deconstructing him. That’s the problem with having different version of a character we don’t have a definitive version of that character. I think it’s funny that people complain about Superman not being interesting so how is putting him in a horror movie is going to make him interesting? If making Superman a father didn't make him interesting in Superman Returns when made you think this will? I hope this movie fails I’m not saying that because I’m mad it’s because this movie is going to be boring. How can you be invested in a Horror movie where the killer is unstoppable? Even if he dies in the movie would you be OK with a child dying? I'm not saying that you can't tell a good story with this direction however it shouldn't come at the expanse of an already establish character.  

Overall this movie shouldn’t exist if you can’t give us the iconic Superman then you shouldn’t do stories to goes against what Superman suppose to be.  

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

The Flash season five review

The Flash season five review 

 

Intro: The Flash gets his ring this season but he didn't create it. What!?! 

The Flash season five: This season takes place right after the last season ended. We are introduced to a girl name Nora West Allen who is the daughter of Barry and Iris from the future. She traveled back in time to help her father stop the Thinker's plan, because of that she's stuck in the past. Meanwhile, a meta-human called Cicada is killing other metahumans and he or she figured out a way to do it on a global scale. So, team flash have to stop Cicada and send Nora back to her time. 

This show continues to go down the toilet! Seriously I don't know why I'm still watching this out of obligation, I'll give season six a chance because of the big crossover event. This should have been the last season. I'm not just saying that because people are allegedly leaving the show. It's because A Barry/the Flash has gotten so powerful to the point where he doesn't need a team for the most apart and B this season has a cure for metahumans, I'll get into that later. This season tries to make legacy a theme, you have to do more than have people say that word to make that theme work. The way this season ends sets up the next crossover event, I better be impressed with it. We learn more about the speed force in this season and this series acknowledges the shipping of two characters. Also, episode 16 should have been the mid-season final, you'll understand why when you watch it.    

We finally learn about Caitlin's past and it makes no sense when you think about it. 

This season did nothing with Cisco beyond him getting over his ex. I don't buy what the creators have done with him in the last episode.  

Detective Well is almost as good as Sherlock Holmes. That's my gripe with him we already have two detectives on the show why do we need another one? Also, how can team Flash trust him after he tried to con them?  

Nora/XS is just like her father minus the childish behavior. My beef with her is she's the main character of this season. She got so much focus to the point where everyone else is underused. Everything we learn about her isn't true.  

Cicada is a disappointing villain compared to the comics and what we thought we knew about this person. Cicada should have been a baddie of the week because his or her motivation to kill metahumans is lame! What bugs me about this character is the twist and turns the creators took with this character.  

My problem with this season is the plot twist with one of the characters, it wasn't shocking because of this character's MO. Something tragic happen in this season but I find it funny because the characters broth this on themselves. The characters in this season are stupid for letting Nora stay in their timeline for as long as she did, did everyone forget about Flash Point!?! Also, team Flash had more than one chance to stop Cicada sooner but they didn't take it why!?! Barry, Cisco and Ralph need to learn how to fight because they look pathetic fighting Cicada. That's another thing they fight Cicada too often. The cure must only exist in this timeline because no one from the future mentions or reference it. If it does exist in the future, then why do we still have metahumans? The filler episodes are distracting us from the main story because there are too many of them.      

I still don't like how everyone treats Ralph especially when he figures out one of the villain's plan. (Really characters are upset with each other for no reason for the most part.) Nora and Iris being at odds with each other is pointless because we don't know what cause Iris to be the way she is in the future. Plus Iris did something that isn't humanly possible. What's with the time jumps? Why do TV shows need to run in real-time? I feel like I'm beating a dead horse complaining about the plot holes with time travel because no one cares about the consequences of it, if that's the case why should I?

Overall, this season is a waste of potential! Of course, there are some enjoyable episodes but that's not enough to make this season salvageable.       

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Arrow season seven review

Arrow season seven review 



Intro: It's about time this show acknowledges that Batman exists, plus this season made a Batman Beyond reference. That's awkward, considering Arrow uses Batman villains.  

Arrow season seven: This season takes place five months after Green Arrow and his former teammates regain control of Star City from Ricardo Diaz/the Dragon with the help of the FBI. In exchange for their help, Oliver Queen /Green Arrow has to turn himself over to their custody, vigilantes are banned from Star City, and Oliver's former team manages to move on with their lives. One day, a new Green Arrow shows up at Star City, and Ricardo Diaz returns to Star City with allies wanting revenge. So former team Arrow has to figure out if the new Green Arrow can be trusted and stop Diaz once and for all. 

This season was also a letdown! That's sad because this season had a promising start, then the show begins to fall apart as the season went on. I was disappointed with the longbow hunters ( Ricardo Diaz's allies) because they were underused in this series. Oliver in prison subplot was fine, I don't know if it's based on the Green Arrow movie that was never made called Escape from Supermax. It could have been better if we had seen how this ordeal changed him. I wish it would last longer, and I'm not crazy about how it got resolved. The last episode took me by surprise, that saying a lot considering that I don't like the title of that episode because it gave us an idea of how this season is going to end.

This season has flashforwards into the future. I find them interesting at first because we see how the anti-vigilante law affects the future. Later on, in the series, they got worse because they don't connect to what's going on in the present. The events in this season don't explain how we got from point A to point B in the flashforwards. The flashforwards are about William looking for Oliver and Felicity. During his search, he discovers a plot to level Star City, so William has to find what's left of the former team Arrow to stop this from happening. (Another thing the flash-forwards reference a popular figure that a lot of people don't like.) My only gripe with the flashforwards is that we don't know what causes the division between the Glades and the rest of Star City. This season also has the theme of redemption; however, this season didn't handle that theme well. I'll get into that later. 

The Olicity drama is contrived. I enjoy the crossover episodes because they are superhero versions of Freaky Friday. and the event improves the relationship between Barry and Oliver. It's about an alien called the Monitor who gives a professor a book that can change the world around him. The Monitor is doing this because he's looking for people who can stop an event that will happen in the future. So, Barry, Oliver, and Kara have to stop him before things get out of hand. The only complaint I have with the crossover is that it makes two comic book characters look bad. 

Oliver Queen/ Inmate 4587 is trying to stay out of trouble, but that becomes difficult when an associate of Diaz is giving him a hard time, plus Oliver has to deal with other shady things that are going on in prison. Once again, Oliver goes through a deconstruction; it may not be as good as season five; however, it helps him reflect on his life. The issue I have with Oliver's redemption story is that he doesn't back up his claims that he regrets how he did things as the Green Arrow because he didn't do much to change his persona.  
          
The new Green Arrow is an enigma. When we learn who he or she is, it creates so many plot holes around this person. Also, this reveal undermines seasons one and five if you really think about it. Plus, I'm not fond of what the creators have done with this character later on, because the writers tried to do too many things with this person. 

Diggle is back to normal in this season. Wait! The writers can fix Diggle, but they can't fix Felicity.

Speaking of Felicity, the writers ruined her. I mean, I thought the creators were going in a direction that would make her likable, but they screwed it up. 

Rene Ramirez/Wild dog mentors the kids in the glades; it's a shame that we don't see a lot of it. Despite doing that, he misses being Wild Dog.  

Laura Lance/Black Siren is trying to be on the straight and narrow, but she's rough around the edges. We also learn a little bit more about her. My gripe with her is her redemption story. I mean, I wouldn't have minded it if she faced consequences for her past actions. To be fair, some people didn't give her a chance to change. The Bronze Tiger redemption story is better than hers. (Bronze Tiger is a villain of the week.)  

Black Star is a hothead. Why she's so angry makes no sense. 

Roy Harper/ Arsenal didn't show up until towards the end of the series. I'm not crazy about the story this season told with him because it's similar to the one in season two. 

Diane Drake/Black Canary is now Captain of the SCPD. I don't have anything else to say about her because she's inconsistent in this season to the point where I can't describe her as a character. We learn that she and Rene had a fallout in the flashforwards, but we don't know what happened.  

This season didn't give Ricardo Diaz (One of the villains) any justice. What's the point of giving him super strength if it serves no purpose?

The ninth circle (a criminal Organization) is a joke! This group was treated as a subplot before they became the main focus. Also, we don't see this gang; we only see their foot soldiers. This organization didn't pose much of a threat to Oliver's allies. My problem with this group is that they are at odds with their leader; the organization wants to kill people in Star City for different reasons. We didn't learn the organization's motivation last episode, and the leader's motivations are contrived.     

One of my many grievances with this season (besides the plot holes) is that we finally get the Birds of Prey episode, and I was let down by it. Not because it's bad, it's because I was hoping it would be about them achieving a goal, not wrapping up Laura's redemption arc. Speaking of episodes, we should have gotten Episode 15 sooner. You'll understand what I mean when you watch it. I was hoping the new writers would fix this series, but the writing is the biggest problem with this season. The writers establish things but don't focus on them, like the people who live in the Glades want vigilantes back because they feel alienated by the police. 

Also, this season feels like more than one person wrote this season. The creators drop the ball in telling a redemption story for another character that I will not name for the sake of spoilers. This person didn't do anything that deserves redemption. There is an episode where a building blows up, and the characters inside the building survive it without serious injuries. Are you kidding me!?! The last episode ruined what is going to happen in the next season by telling us what will happen. I wouldn't mean that if it was played as dramatic irony. I wish Star City was vocal about Oliver learning his lesson because it seems like he redeemed himself way too easily. Speaking of easy, how the creators got around the anti-vigilante laws was easy as well.  

Overall, this season may not be as good as seasons one, two, and five. However, it's not as bad as seasons three, four, and six. The only thing I want for the eighth and final season is for all ten episodes to be good.       

Saturday, May 4, 2019

My thoughts on the Star Wars Prequels

My thoughts on the Star Wars Prequels 

 

Intro: Since this is the 20th anniversary of the prequels and the fate of Star Wars is in limbo, I decided to finally give my thoughts on this trilogy. The reason why I didn't talk about it sooner is that a lot of people badmouth the prequels, so I didn't think I can say anything new about them. Also, these movies are hard for me to review. Thanks to the recent state of Star Wars people are pretending that the prequels are good, I mean, starting to have a change of heart about the prequels. Now is a good time for me to talk about them. I'll try to focus on the major issues I have with this trilogy. If you haven't watched it, then don't read this post. I have one thing to say about Jar Jar Binks; when Watto and the battle droids are funnier than the comic relief character, something is wrong. 

When I first learned about the prequels. I was excited because we don't know the whole story of how Anakin became Darth Vader, the fall of the Jedi, and the rise of the Empire. However, looking at this in hindsight, did we really need this trilogy? I mean, we already know what will happen beforehand, which makes it hard to be invested in these movies. The prequels can work if they add context to what we already know; sadly, these movies drop the ball on that. Because of that, this trilogy feels like filler. Watching what happened in the past should be as good as hearing about it; if the movie doesn't do that, you know you screwed up. 

When I first saw episode one, I was confused because I noticed the inconsistency it has with the original trilogy. So I continued to watch the other two movies, and they made things worse. I don't think these movies are good, and after all these years, my views on them haven't changed. The first film has some entertainment value, but it's a waste of time because this movie adds nothing to the other films. The second film was a boring, written mess for the most part. The final film may be the best one out of the three, but that's not saying much. That movie was entertaining at times and dramatic, kind of. Despite how I feel about this trilogy, it did its job of introducing Star Wars to a new generation of fans.  

Whatever good things the prequels have going for it it's overshadowed by its flaws like dull and underdeveloped characters. Stiff acting, for the most part, slow pacing, boring politics, out-of-place dialogue, plot holes, and contradictions from the original trilogy. Both this and the original trilogy begin the same way, as far as starting off in the middle of an event that already happened; the difference is that we got a simple explanation in the original trilogy but not in the prequels.  


Thanks to outside sources I was able to understand the prequels a little bit better. 



Image result for star wars labyrinth of evil
Image result for jedi vs sith essential guide to the force                                                                                                  

However, this is one of the many problems I have with the prequels I shouldn't have to do research to figure out what the writers are trying to establish, establishing stories and characters is the writer's job. 

Just like I shouldn't have to go to an arcade to unlock special features in a video game. 



This is a trilogy, not homework assignments, also if it's not in the movie then it's not in the movie. Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself.    


Let's start this off by talking about Anakin Skywalker. I understand what Mr. Lucas was trying 
to do with this character, as far as telling a story about how anyone can fall to the dark side due to fear and selfishness. However, there are so many missteps with how this story was told. In episode one, we're introduced to Anakin as a child slave on Tatooine. You'll find it hard to believe that he's a slave because he's a bright, cheerful kid with hopes and dreams. He's also a pilot, how in the world can he do that if he's not tall enough to fit in the cockpit? He has friends, a home to go to, and he builds things in his spare time. Does this sound like a slave to you? Anakin also has a high midi chlorians count. I'll get back to that later.   

Watto (Anakin's owner.) is chummy with him and when he sees him again in the next movie, he's happy to see him, ask him to help him out and apologizes for selling his mother. Why would he do that if he enslaved him and his mother? Speaking of his mom, am I the only one uncomfortable with the idea of his mom being a Virgin Mary clone? When Padme asks him are you a slave, he got offended you can say that he's in denial about being a slave. Introducing us to Anakin as a child was a mistake because a lot of kids are like this if they're raised properly. Even if he was an evil little bastard people wouldn't like the idea of wanting a child to die unless he's Hitler. Plus, being a slave doesn't seem to have a negative effect on him as far as we know. That's a shame because I like the idea of him being a slave because this helps parallel him with his son, both of them were stuck on Tatooine for different reasons. Also, this would explain a lot of things like his anger, being accessible to the darkside and the mindset he has in the next movie.      

This characterization of Anakin will serve no purpose in the next film because he completely changed off-screen in that movie. In episode two he's a juvenile delinquent who lusts after Padme. To be fair I would want to sweep her off her feet too. If you didn't see the first film you would think he's already on the dark side because he's disrespectful at times, resents Obi-Wan, thinks he can solve problems with dictatorship and he committed mass murder. Why is Anakin becoming Darth Vader suppose to be tragic again? To be fair I know why Anakin is like this but I'll get into that later. ( The Jedi Quest books also give us insight into why Anakin is like this.)     

In episode three he's a Jedi knight who chummy with Obi-Wan. He's also conflicted about the Jedi and worried about losing Padme (She's his wife now they got married at the end of episode two.) How is he a Jedi Knight? Vader told Obi-Wan when I left you, I was but a learner now I am the master. (To be fair I can buy him becoming a knight because of the Clone Wars.) Why is he upset that the Jedi council didn't make him a master? He gains knighthood towards the end of the Clone Wars, what makes him think he can get that title in a short time? Plus, he knew that they wouldn't give him that title, so what was he mad about? Where is the mistrust in the council coming from? I'm not saying he doesn't have a reason to think that however there's no build-up to it. This plot point was handled better in the episode 3 novel. If this is the same Anakin from the Clone Wars series, he shouldn't ask why he isn't a master because he was a rule breaker in that show and was comfortable with fighting the war. 

The scene where Anakin became Darth Vader was odd, I mean he knew what he did to Mace was wrong one second and the next second he joined Darth Sidious. Also, I wasn't that impressed with how Darth Sidious turned Anakin into Darth Vader, all he did was stroke his ego and prey on his fears. Plus, Anakin kind of has an inferiority complex which makes it easy for Darth Sidious to manipulate him. Another reason why I don't feel sorry that Anakin fell from grace is because he's either stupid or stubborn. I mean he was warned about the darkside so many times in films, cartoons and video games. He was even warned about how hard it is to be a Jedi. Would you feel sorry for someone who makes the same mistake over and over again, after someone tells them what they're doing is wrong? What's the point of asking Yoda for advice if you're not going to take it? (To be fair what Yoda told him causes more harm than good, but I digress.) 

I don't buy his friendship with Obi-Wan because If I can't call you by your first name then I don't consider you a friend. Plus, They spend most of their time separated. Whatever issues they had in episode 2 was resolved off-screen. Anakin said he views Obi-Wan like a father. I also don't believe that Obi-Wan is the reason Vader is wearing his black suit because when Vader saw Obi-Wan in a new hope he wasn't outraged with him. I understand why Anakin would blame Obi-Wan for his mother's death I mean he told Obi-Wan that he has nightmares about her. Instead of acknowledging his pain or comforting him, he ignores him. WOW! Good friend my butt. Anakin's friendship with Palpatine is more convincing than Obi-Wan that's saying a lot. Did he even try to free his mother or know about her death? 

The reason why I think Anakin is the way he is in episode two is that Obi-Wan was a padawan when he took Anakin under his wing. Despite Obi-Wan becoming a Jedi Knight later on Anakin doesn't respect him the way he would Qui Gon (Obi-Wans mentor.) because his knowledge of the force was limited, it's like a teenager raising a child on his or her own. Also, Obi-Wan was against Anakin becoming a Jedi, maybe Obi-Wan did or said something that gave Anakin the idea that he didn't want to train him. That wouldn't surprise me considering he didn't comfort Anakin about his mother and he was insensitive about Anakin being a slave in outside sources. 

I don't know if you have to be a master or not to train a padawan. Plus, Obi-Wan is guilty of doing some of the things he berates Anakin for like being reckless. Obi-Wan didn't say anything nice about Anakin in episode 2 and when he does he's condescending about it. So, yeah I get why Anakin was like that but it doesn't make him likable. I wish I could say that I'm glad that Obi-Wan took responsibility for Anakin becoming Darth Vader by saying I failed you Anakin because I don't know what he meant by that? He didn't admit the role he played in Anakin becoming Vader in the original trilogy.  

I wish Yoda would do the same thing because he also played a role in why Anakin became Darth Vader. In episode 2 he sense Anakin was in pain. I guess he didn't talk to him about it because it was never mentioned in the next movie.       

His romance with Padme was a joke compared to how it was handled in the novelization of episode 2. Anakin just wants to tap that... (My editor pop me upside my head.) I mean tap that heart with poetry. The romance in Twilight is better than this. (I'm just kidding I don't watch Twilight.) I don't get what Padme sees in Anakin. Speaking of Padme, she plays a role in why Darth Vader exist. In a scene in episode two, Anakin told her that he killed a village of sand people including women and children because they killed his mother. Instead of telling Obi-Wan or the authorities, she comforts him. What the fudge!?! I know he was outraged that they killed his mother however that doesn't justify mass murder. 

This is one of the good things about the prequels they reinforce that women want bad boys, you're a fool if you think otherwise but I digress. I know why these two love each other it's because they're both morons! When Padme confronts Anakin about turning to the darkside she was in shock. Where was this reaction when you first learn that he killed people!?!   

I was let down that the Jedi or Sith didn't do anything new with the force because the Jedi and Sith can do other things with the force like in the Expanded Universe. What's the point of showing us that if the creators are not going to put it in the films? Well, we kind of got some of that in the new Star Wars films but that's a topic for another time maybe. I can understand why people have a problem with Midi Chlorians because it makes Star Wars less of a Space Fantasy and more Sci-Fi. If the Midi Chlorians were used as an allegory for genes, it wouldn't have bothered me as it did everyone else. What bugs me about it is that it's distracting. 

Midi Chlorians are treated as a power meter in these movies.

        Related image  

Why introduce a new aspect to the force if the movies are not going to focus on it? We learn about it in the first film, the second film doesn't elaborate on the Midi Chlorians and it's mentioned in the last film. If Anakin is stronger than Yoda because of his midi-chlorian count, why didn't he become stronger than Yoga? I refuse to believe that Darth Vader couldn't become as powerful as he should have been because he lost his arms and legs, if Yoda can move around like a Tazmanian Devil then Darth Vader should be as powerful as he suppose to be. 

The force in the prequel films is treated like superpowers instead of a spiritual guide in the original trilogy. The Jedi can do the same things with the force and it's hard to tell who's the strongest without Yoda? Also, the force seems limited in the prequels. Do you see what I mean when I say that midi chorians are distracting? A Jedi shouldn't be defined by his or her midi-chlorian count or what he or she can do with the force it's about the type of person you are.    

   

Related imageNow onto the Clone War. Why is this war called the clone war if it has nothing to do with the clones? What's the point of the Senate being against a clone Army if it amounts to nothing? One of the gripes I have with the Clone Wars series is the war drags, I mean they could have killed General Grievous so many times but they didn't take it. This wouldn't bother me if the Jedi didn't do shady things in that series. Also dragging out a war is a waste of time, lives and money. This was addressed in an episode of the series. 

This war wouldn't exist of Darth Sidious said execute order 66 when everyone was on Geonosis. Let me get this straight this war started because the Separatists want to leave the Republic, are you kidding me? Who are the Separatists hurting by leaving the Republic? Leaving the Republic is not like leaving a Nation it's more like leaving an organization. We were told that this war represents a failure to listen; if we knew what the separatist want, it would make the war less one-sided. If you didn't want the Republic to fall apart, then you should have set it up better. 

How can the Jedi be OK with being a part of this war? Another thing is, how can they let themselves get killed off? They suspect a plot to destroy them, they learn about it after an investigation, and Count Dooku (one of the villains) tells Obi-Wan about it. In the Clone Wars series, they learn about Order 66, with all that information, the Jedi still played along with this plot. Why!?! Also, it's hard to be invested in this war when we saw the beginnings of it in one movie and the end of it in the next movie. In the opening crawl of episode 3, we were told that there are heroes on both sides. The problem with that is we don't see that in the movie or the series. We were also told that there is corruption in the republic but we don't see that either. Plus, we don't know the effects this war has on the Republic and the Galaxy in the movies. I understand this war is Darth Sidious's way of turning the Republic into an empire; however, the setup left more to be desired. 

I don't know if I would prefer the Thrawn trilogy's version of the Clone Wars. I mean it does explain why the Clone Wars is called the Clone Wars, but the conflict in this war doesn't sound interesting to me. Plus, it makes no sense for the Jedi to be involved in this war because it goes against their teachings. The writers of the original trilogy were going to build off the Clone Wars, but that idea was scrapped because the viewers would be left out of the loop. The Clone Wars should have been a throw-away line if the creators can't establish why this war was a big deal.   
      


Image result for jedi and sithLet's get into the Jedi and Sith. I was let down that the creators of these films didn't use Anakin to explain the Jedi way like the Original Trilogy use Luke to explain the force. We don't know much about the Jedi way because the movies didn't do the best job explaining that. We only learn three things about the Jedi way, they are Jedi don't kill people, they follow the will of the force and they have to devote their life to the Jedi order. Devoting to the Jedi order involves no attachments to people, things, or outcomes. 

This plays a role in why the Jedi council is against Anakin becoming a Jedi in the first place due to his attachment to his mother. It's too bad the prequels didn't focus on the life of the Jedi because that would have been an interesting character study, that lifestyle is hard like Qui Gon said. You have powers but you can't use them unless the council or the force tells you to. That means you have to let bad things happen around you including to people you care about. Also, you can't use your powers to better your life because the Jedi are selfless, they have to put others above themselves and others equally. 

The Sith always puts him or herself first, if you do that, you'll fall victim to the dark side. This is why the Jedi indoctrinate children at a young age because it's hard to convince grown-ups to live this life. Yes! It's messed up but they're helping them reach their full potential and preparing them to live a life without attachments. The Jedi are encouraged to love but not in a possessive way. After seeing what happened to Anakin in this trilogy shows why possessive love is forbidden, would you let the world burn to save one person you know? Even if you sacrifice a loved one for the sake of others can you live with the guilt of not being able to save that person?  

This is another complaint I have with the prequels they make it seem like everything is black and white and it's not, even Palpatine says what's right or wrong is a point of view. Yoda told Anakin fear is the path to the dark side, fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate and hate leads to suffering. I understand what he's saying however it's not that simple. Fear doesn't always lead to anger and this trilogy didn't do the best job at foreshadowing what Yoda said. This is why being a Jedi is hard because fear is the one emotion people are having a hard time controlling.  

Having emotions is not a bad thing as long as it doesn't dictate your actions. This reinforces why I think the characters are dull, most of the Jedi are emotionless. Just because you have the same outlook on life that doesn't we should have the same attitude about it. This is another thing the clone wars series fixed, the Jedi in that series have different personalities. 

Being selfish is not a bad thing as long as it doesn't hurt anyone. Do you think wealthy people become rich if they don't put themselves first? Serving others can cause resentment and it shouldn't come at the expense of not bettering yourself.           

This should have been the downfall of the Jedi having a civil war among themselves, instead of letting themselves get killed. Having Palpatine creates conflict with some of the Jedi by having them resent the Jedi order for robbing them of their childhood and not following the will of the force instead of serving the Republic. 

Qui Gon is the only Jedi as far as we know who follows the will of the force instead of the Jedi code whatever that is, this is why he wasn't on the council. The Clone Wars series shows the Jedi are at odds over the war and some of them are having trouble with not having attachments. The Jedi are suppose to bring balance to the force, not peace because peace and balance are not the same thing.   

How can the Jedi council members be on the council if they don't follow the will of the force? Even Mace Windu says they lose their ability to use the force even though they use it for combat. I don't think the Jedi Order is wrong there are benefits to how they do things however they took away people's choice to join the Jedi Order. If I was on the Jedi council I would suggest that there should be a trial to see if the padawans want to leave the Jedi order. I'm guessing the Sith not being around for a millennium caused the Jedi to lose their way.     

Since we're on the subject of balance do you know what bugs me about the prophecy besides the fact that we don't know who wrote it or what it says, it's that it makes Yoda look bad. What's the point of being the oldest and strongest Jedi if he doesn't know what the prophecy says and can't bring balance to the force? Wait! he can't be the strongest Jedi because Master Sifo-Dyes was the leader of the Jedi council. What kind of balance is this trilogy talking about? 

Are you talking about everything being even? That can't be the case because the Jedi outnumber the Sith a hundred to one. Is it the Yin and Yang balance that can't be it either because Palpatine said the dark side of the force is considered unnatural. If that's true, then the dark side is like a virus to the force. (Then again this would have more meaning coming from Yoda.) In Star Wars Rebels a character called the Bendu believes that the force would be balanced if there were no force users, are the prequels talking about that kind of balance? We don't know because were unclear about it.       

What is a Sith? I'm not being funny what is it? These movies don't explain their history. The only thing we learn about this they have been extinct for a thousand years and there are always two of them. Also, there was a Sith war.  

Overall, it's a shame that these movies turned out the way they did because they had the potential to be better than what they were. Really this trilogy should have been a three-book TV series like Avatar the Last Airbender because it's hard to incorporate everything the novels have done into movies. That's all I have to say about the prequels for now. Do you think they're bad or underrated?       

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

My thoughts on the Sonic movie


My thoughts on the Sonic movie   

   



You know out of all the video game franchises that can work as a movie like Halo, Metal gear solidGTAMega Man and Legend of Zelda to an extent. Why oh why would Hollywood pick Sonic the hedgehog of all things!?! For those of you who don't know Sonic is a video game mascot created by a company called Sega, he has been Sega's bread and butter in the '90s. Sonic became so popular that he became relevant outside the video games with cartoons and comic books. He even has his own creative team called Sonic Team. If I can describe Sonic based on what I've seen in the video games and cartoons I say he's cool, laid back and impatient. 


Yes! Sega has other mascots however they didn't stand out due to Sega treating some of them as one-off characters. 


Image result for sega nights




                         


Plus, Sonic was created to rival Nintendo's mascot Mario, both Mario and Sonic games are similar. The difference between the two games is you can move faster with sonic, sonic's world is more realistic and the story isn't about saving a princess. In 2001 Sega has falling on hard times, the Dreamcast (Sega's last video game console.) was discontinued because of low sales due to it being overshadowed by the PS2. Because of that Sega couldn't compete with the other video game company's hardware wise, that's a shame because they came up with concepts that the gaming industry uses today like motion controls and online gaming. 

To be fair Sega face hardship before, for example, they lost over 260 million dollars in revenue with their previous console the Sega Saturn. Other factors lead to Sega's downfall like Sega got carried away with the hardware, Sega of American are not making games that are challenging and the U.S. and Japan are at odds over how their products are being handled. I'm sorry I didn't mean to go off-topic. Sega is also struggling to make Sonic games without the help of third-party developers. 



The handheld games are fine. 





Image result for sonic rushImage result for sonic advance                          



 The console games are a different story.     





Image result for sonic forcesImage result for sonic unleashed                      





Also Sonic as a character has changed as well, he went from how I described him earlier to trying to be cool, funny and patient. The problem with the console games is that sometimes the gameplay is fine but the story and cut scenes range from OK to ridiculous due to lame jokes and bad dialogue. I think Sonic fans are exaggerating about how bad Sonic games have become after Sonic Adventure 2, Yes! Most of them are not good but they're not terrible either. There are only two bad sonic games after 2001 and I'm not going to say what they are because y'all know what I'm talking about. 

This boils down to fans not knowing what they want, some of them want the games to be lighthearted as the early games others want the games to be serious as the adventure games. This is why I give game developers credit for trying different things with Sonic although the variety can be weird. One more thing if game developers are going to reuse old sonic stages then come up with new ways for the players to play them.

Now that I gave you a little history on Sonic let's get into what I think of the upcoming movie. Of course, I'm against this movie for so many reasons. First of all most of the video game-based movies are bad even the Resident Evil movies, how Hollywood managed to turn that into a franchise is beyond me. This wouldn't anger me so much if Hollywood isn't a money-making business, why are they wasting their money on these movies? If they have money to burn why not greenlight the sequel to Dredd

Second, after looking at the trailer the creators of this movie made the same mistakes as the other video game films and that is changing the source martial. I don't mind alterations as long as they are improvements over the original work however you shouldn't change things to the point where fans don't recognize the franchise. Doing this tells me that you have no faith in this property if that's the case why bother making this movie? You know there should be a policy in Hollywood that says if you produce a movie based on a popular franchise you need to hire a fan or someone who worked on that franchise as a consultant. ( If they already did that then I stand corrected.)

Finally what makes Hollywood think that they can make a good Sonic movie when the fanbase can't make up their minds about what they want a Sonic game to be? Let's get back to the trailer. The only good thing about it is at the end where Mr. Carry who's playing Dr. Eggman looks like him at the end of the trailer. Speaking of Mr. Carry I'm surprised that he's in this movie because I heard he stop acting because he wants to be in serious roles, but people won't take him seriously. If that's true then I feel sorry for the man but I digress. Mr. Carry is not a bad choice to play Dr. Eggman because Dr. Eggman can be goofy however Mr. Carry is over the top in this trailer as usual. 

What really bugs me about this trailer is that it reminds me of that Sonic game that fans want to forget about. What's with Hollywood's obsession with blending cartoon characters in real life, if it didn't work in the Smurfs, Yogi Bear and Scooby-Doo what makes them think it will work in this movie? (It's sad that Who framed Roger Rabbit is the only movie that manages to do that, as far as I know.) Judging by the trailer this movie may be an origin story, it could be interesting to see how their rivalry started. OK, how can the writers make a story about sonic stopping Dr. Eggman from experimenting on animals or finding the Chaos Emeralds work on film? That's another reason why video game movies don't work because for the most part game developers don't focus on telling an in-depth story they focus on the gameplay.  

The sonic design in the trailer looks worse in motion. He looks like a little man in a sonic costume. Also, why does he have lightning when he runs, he's not the Flash! Finally, the jokes in the trailer don't work for example when a human character first sees Sonic, sonic says meow. Why is that suppose to be funny, I understand why it suppose to be funny but the way he believe that line was bad. The trailer also made a joke about child abduction, really? 

Who is the target demographic for this movie? This movie can't be for the fans for obvious reasons and it can't be for kids because of the song that was played in the trailer. Gangster's Paradise (That's the name of the song.) what the fudge? Sonic doesn't have a gangster bone in his body, if Sonic is gangsta what does that make Mario Don Corleone? That's all I have to say about this movie for now. I will end this post by saying this if you're going to make a movie based on cartoons or video games play to its strengths by making the movie animated. Another thing I want is the movie to be based on the Archie comics even though Sonic is too powerful in those comics.