Category: Reviews

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

Post author By Mark
Post date June 30, 2020

Among the many events the Coronavirus has robbed us of in 2020 is famous annual song contest Eurovision, a colourful collection of performances from representatives of each country in Europe; all vying for fame and glory, with the winning country hosting the following year’s celebration. Given that the 2020 competition has been cancelled for the first time in 64 years, it seems almost too good to be true that Netflix had been working on a Eurovision comedy written by and starring Will Ferrell – the very literally titled Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. Unlike his more recent starring vehicles like Holmes and Watson and Daddy’s Home however, Eurovision (if you think I’m typing the full name out every time, you’re crazy) is something of a return to form for Ferrell, an overly long yet frequently hilarious look at an aspiring Icelandic singing duo who dream of winning the famed contest. It may drag in sections and get overly corny at times but the majority of jokes hit like a freight train and Ferrell shares the laughs with a pair of excellent supporting turns from Rachel McAdams and Dan Stevens.

Ferrell stars as Icelandic native Lars Erikssong, a 40-something dreamer who lives in the picturesque village of Husavik with father Erick (Pierce Brosnan). Together with childhood friend and potential lover Sigrit Ericksdottir (Rachel McAdams) the pair are Fire Saga, a folk duo who yearn for stardom but who have found themselves confined to busting out old folk songs (like “Ja Ja Ding Dong”, an absolute banger) at local bars. Each year, Lars unsuccessfully submits a Fire Saga song for admission to Eurovision until (you guessed it), their submission is accepted through sheer luck and they are thrust into round after round of competition to vie for the title of Eurovision champion. In order to prove their critics wrong and take home the title, Fire Saga must deal with government conspiracies, their own tenuous internal dynamic as well as numerous devious competitors, including flamboyant Russian contestant Alexander Lemtov (Dan Stevens) – all of which threaten to tear the duo apart before they can realise their dream.

It’s not that Eurovision is a particularly different role for Ferrell. It isn’t. He’s playing an over the top character similar to almost all of his other roles, but what might be helping in this particular scenario is the fact that Ferrell himself has written the script, alongside Andrew Steele. Most of Ferrell’s great comedies – Anchorman, Talladega Nights, Step Brothers – have been written by the man himself and he clearly reserves the best material for his own starring roles. Whilst Eurovision certainly isn’t on the level of those comedies, (I’d liken it more to a Blades of Glory in scope and quality), it does deliver enough consistent gags to win you over. Ferrell’s Lars toes the line at times of being downright annoying but he always manages to pull it back just before you get truly sick of him with a witty one-liner. Unlike some of his bigger, more commercial comedies, there are quite a few subtle jokes here that will fly past you if you aren’t paying attention. The experience is made all the more richer if you are even somewhat familiar with the Eurovision contest’s many varied and, in some cases, completely insane artists and songs which the movie definitely leans into. A particular standout – the Fire Saga song “Volcano Man” – had me howling on the floor with laughter from the sheer absurdity of it and the fact that it could actually pass for a half decent entry in real life. Apart from the contest itself, Ferrell and company play a lot with European stereotypes and culture, with Iceland the brunt of many of these. Some are hokey and never really catch on, like the constant references to elves and Icelandic people’s belief in them, whilst others – like the aforementioned “Ja Ja Ding Dong” – are an absolute winner and will have you quoting and singing along for days after. Despite the constant barrage of jokes, the pacing is all over the shop and drags in the middle quite a bit. The film is just over two hours and you feel every second of it, with a few chunks going without more than a chuckle-worthy moment at worst. The ratio still manages to lean towards more funny moments than not but be warned: there will be times you will be checking your watch.

Outside of Ferrell are a pair of performances that manage to surpass the man himself at times, from two of the unlikeliest of actors – The Notebook star Rachel McAdams and Dan Stevens. Stevens may be a relatively new find to most audiences, having cut his teeth on Downton Abbey before moving across to more gritty action in the excellent thriller The Guest and more recently as the Beast himself in Disney’s live action version of Beauty and the Beast. Eurovision shows him in a completely different light and proves that the man has some serious comedy chops. He completely owns his scenes as the extravagant Russian competitor Alexander Lemtov, who takes a particular shine to Rachel McAdams’ Sigrit. It’s such a hammy, over-the-top performance that is almost too ridiculous to take seriously but Stevens has so much raw charisma and talent that watching him surrounded by shirtless men in leather pants climbing on top of him while he belts out his hit song “Lion Lover” with a whip in his mouth is both absolutely hilarious and perfectly believable for this character. It’s a character that is hard to explain and almost has to be seen to be believed but if you haven’t guessed that this is a solid recommendation by now then know that it is. It’s hilarious. Similarly Rachel McAdams, fresh off a great turn in 2018’s Game Night, gets to go even whackier here as Ferrell’s partner in crime Sigrit. She doesn’t get as many chances to shine here as Ferrell and she unfortunately gets saddled with the silly Elf storyline but when she does get her moments she completely owns them, presenting Sigrit as an idiot at times, but one with genuinely good intentions and affection towards Lars. Her storyline is the heart of the film and goes beyond the jokes, giving an emotional aspect for the audience to latch onto and she plays it well, never delving into the dirty tricks of Lemtov or Lars as she tries to win the contest through sheer artistry and love for music.

Will Ferrell comedies have largely been misfire after misfire in recent years but Eurovision marks a return to glory for the superstar, giving you enough laughs and emotional moments to carry you through its uneven, somewhat sappy story. With solid support from Rachel McAdams and a comedy-star making performance from Dan Stevens, this is an easy, enjoyable watch to laugh away some of the time in this pandemic ridden world. Whilst it may not replace Eurovision, it will give you just about the next best thing: all the pageantry and over the top performances, with some ridiculously catchy songs to boot. I know I’ll be singing “Volcano Man” in my head for weeks to come.

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga stars Will Ferrell, Rachel McAdams, Pierce Brosnan & Dan Stevens – Streaming on Netflix now.

Tags Dan Stevens, Eurovision Song Contest, Netflix, Pierce Brosnan, Rachel McAdams, The Story of Fire Saga, Will Ferrell

Movie Reviews

Artemis Fowl

Post author By Mark
Post date June 17, 2020

It’s a weird time to be a movie fan right now. With the closure of cinemas due to the current pandemic new films have become a rare thing, with Netflix reveling in its constant supply of original content, most of which seems to hit their target market quite nicely. Netflix is so far ahead of the pack in this regard and is totally dominating the streaming market during the pandemic, to the point where you would be forgiven for forgetting that Disney+ was even a thing, having seemingly not released anything worth mentioning since The Mandalorian. With a brand name like Disney it is hard to believe that their first big budget, highly publicised release on the platform in months is as bad as Artemis Fowl unfortunately is. Indeed the film, directed by long-time Disney collaborator Kenneth Branagh, is an almost incomprehensible mish-mash of genres and tones; in addition to being one of the most corniest things I’ve seen in years. People throw the word “cringeworthy” around a lot these days, but I can think of no better word to describe Artemis Fowl, a monumental misfire that almost has to be seen to be believed.

Based on the young adult novels of the same name by Irish author Eoin Colfer, the film centres around boy genius Artemis Fowl Jr (Ferdia Shaw), a charismatic young man seemingly burdened with great intelligence, spending his days arguing with schoolteachers about his attitude towards the work he considers beneath him. His nights, however are spent alongside his father (Colin Farrell), a renowned billionaire art dealer and entrepreneur who secretly schools his son in all manner of Irish fairytales and folklore. When his father mysteriously disappears, Artemis begins to realise that the world of goblins and sprites that his father has described is real and finds himself in a race against time to recover the Aculos, an ancient artefact whose powers are never really quantified and which simply cannot fall into the wrong hands as it will destroy the worlds, both fairy and human. You know, the usual stuff. Teaming up with bodyguard Domovoi (Nonso Anozie), fugitive dwarf and expert safe cracker Mulch Diggums (Josh Gad) and fairy police officer Holly Short (Lara McDonnell), Artemis must comb through his father’s studies in order to search for the Aculos and prevent certain doom.

Sounds like a lot of cliched exposition-heavy hooey doesn’t it? That’s because it is. Artemis Fowl’s chief problem is that it is so bogged down with exposition and needless world building that it forgets to give the story strong enough characters for the audience to latch onto. Everyone is so woefully underwritten that you never really get a grasp of who anyone really is. Sure, they all get a scene highlighting their defining attributes; Domovoi is the cranky butler who specialises in martial arts, Mulch is the wise-cracking bandit who can dig under buildings and Holly has a troubled past and wings. That’s about as far as it goes, depth-wise. Even Artemis himself, the so called “criminal mastermind” has been so toned down from the book, devoid of any personality, criminal or otherwise. He’s simply an annoyingly arrogant little twerp, who constantly corrects people and thinks he is outsmarting them only to get one-upped every time. Then there’s the story, or lack thereof. The pacing of it all is such that by the time the first proper action scene rolls around and you think you’re getting to the good stuff, the credits roll. I’m not kidding. The film literally has one scene that you could pass off as an action scene and even that is pretty poor by today’s standards. There are a few attempts to innovate by playing with time and warping characters around the joint and this is where Artemis Fowl is at its best, when nobody is speaking and the story isn’t being discussed. Outside of these small pieces however, the action is largely pretty terrible, lacking the CGI polish of similar Disney tentpoles.

It’s not even worth mentioning here that the film is set in Ireland, because the film needlessly beats you over the head with the fact so often that the phrase “Shut the four-leaf clover up” is actually uttered. Again, I’m not kidding. It’s a pity that the cast themselves didn’t get the Irish memo, as every character that attempts the accent invariably decides to abandon it in spots, particularly Fowl himself Ferdia Shaw. He is a young talent and still learning, so it can be forgiven but it is a jarring shift to go from an Irish accent to high class British as often as the shot changes, but that isn’t the worst offender. Josh Gad and Judi Dench, yes the esteemed Dame Judi Dench, have seemingly been given the direction to talk as if they have both a chest infection and a mouth full of marbles, as an excuse for gruff, world weary characters. The paycheck must have been good for Dench, who seems to despise every corny, nonsensical line she is forced to utter as the Head of Fairy Police and Holly Short’s mentor. Her presence brings a certain prestige to the picture, but it is clear that she is well past these CGI heavy roles and her tiredness shows in the performance. To his credit Josh Gad is the standout here, clearly going for something as the charmingly offbeat Mulch Diggums, a portly combination of Gimli from Lord of the Rings and Chris Pratt’s Star Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy. He is clearly having fun experimenting with the comedy here and whilst not all the choices pay off, his presence is a welcome distraction from the tedium of Artemis’ storyline.

What baffles me most about Artemis Fowl is the involvement of Kenneth Branagh in the directing duties. The film seemed robbed of all his sensibilities and style, an incredibly bland journey through a world begging to be a mash-up between Star Wars and Harry Potter and coming nowhere near the greatness of either of them. Branagh has said that he made numerous changes from the book and the finished product just doesn’t do anything to justify that decision, as we are forced to listen to huge chunks of exposition and fairy history at a time. He seems so preoccupied with the sheer scale and intricacies of the world that he has forgotten to actually adapt the book. Despite Josh Gad’s best efforts, Artemis Fowl is ultimately an incredibly boring and corny film that completely squanders the rich property it is based on and does nothing to bolster Disney+’s already scarce original content offerings. Do yourself a favour and avoid this one at all costs, unless you feel like a good 90 minute nap, of course.

Artemis Fowl stars Ferdia Shaw, Josh Gad, Judi Dench, Lara McDonnell, Nonso Anozie & Colin Farrell – Streaming on Disney+ now.

Tags Artemis Fowl, Colin Farrell, Disney, Disney+, Ferdia Shaw, Josh Gad, Judi Dench, Kenneth Branagh, Lara Mcdonnell, Nonso Anozie

TV & Streaming Reviews

Space Force – Season 1

Post author By Mark
Post date June 4, 2020

Space Force is the latest offering from television comedy mastermind Greg Daniels, superstar creator of shows that frequently enter the discussion for best series of all time including Parks and Recreation, animated classic King of the Hill and the US version of The Office. With such a prestigious back catalogue, the hype that surrounded his latest military-centric workplace comedy was more than warranted. If that wasn’t enough, Space Force assembled an amazing array of comedic talent as development went on including series lead Steve Carell (who co-wrote the show with Daniels), Lisa Kudrow, Ben Schwartz, Jimmy O. Yang, Fred Willard and the incomparable John Malkovich. All these excellent pieces make it all the more disappointing when the final product is as bad as Space Force is. When you can count the number of genuinely funny or even mildly chuckle-worthy moments on one hand you know that your comedy isn’t doing its job and it seems that the writing is to blame here, with Carell and Daniels unable to really decide on what Space Force is supposed to be. Is it a kooky workplace comedy like The Office? Is it a political satire, as the series’ Trump-inspired title and premise suggests? The answer is somehow both at times but mostly neither, with the resulting product a hellishly unfunny slog to get through. Strap me to a chair and force me to watch all of Adam Sandler’s Jack and Jill on repeat for 10 hours and I’d have a better time than one episode of Space Force.

Right off the bat the show seems like a misfire in its intent. Cracking a joke about Donald Trump definitely isn’t a new concept and many shows and movies have been doing it since his election in 2016 – to admittedly mixed results – because while the man is a ridiculously easy target, jokes need to still hit the right notes with some finesse to stand out. Space Force lives and dies on the idea that Trump’s admittedly silly idea to create a new branch of the military dedicated to conquering space is the funniest and most ridiculous thing anybody has ever said, enough that they felt the need to make an entire show to prove to the man just how ridiculous he is (as if he’s not constantly watching replays of himself on The Apprentice). Carell and Daniels have seemingly been so swept up in the absolute hilarity of this practical joke that they forgot to give any thought to whether Space Force actually works as a show. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t. It’s not clear if the assembly of its fantastic comedic cast is simply to double down on the joke (let’s get one of the best working actors in John Malkovich to do something in this Trump roast) or whether they were all very interested in the idea. Either way, they’re all completely wasted. But I digress; let’s get to the plot.

Space Force revolves around Mark Naird (Carell), a recently promoted 4 star General who has been tasked with heading up the newest eponymous branch of the military. To the other branch heads (Jane Lynch, Patrick Warburton, Noah Emmerich & Diedrich Bader), Space Force is a joke, a mockery of the military that will surely be the downfall of Naird, but the man himself is determined to turn the ragtag group into a legitimate military force on par with the Navy and Army. Surrounding himself with a cast of colourful characters including Chief Scientist Dr Adrian Mallory (Malkovich), Mallory’s assistant Dr Chan Kaifang (Jimmy O. Wang), Head of Social Media F. Tony Scarapiducci (Ben Schwartz) and his trusty assistant Brad (Don Lake), Naird deals with the day to day problems of not only getting to and establishing a base on the moon and but dealing with constant advancements by rival countries China and India. Add to that the added stress of being a single father to teenage daughter Erin (Diana Silvers) since Naird’s wife Maggie (Lisa Kudrow) is in prison for an undisclosed reason and you have yourself a tightly wound man (and remember this is supposedly a comedy) who is in desperate need of shenanigans.

Unfortunately for Naird, those shenanigans are awful. It’s plain to just about everyone with a set of eyes and ears that Donald Trump is something of a deviant, but a 3 episode story arc about the President incentivising Mark to catch a spy within his Force by inexplicably denying him a conjugal visit with his wife is just overkill. There’s no subtlety to it at all and that applies to just about every joke. There’s a joke about all Asian people liking K-Pop; a joke about Trump’s dislike for the African-American community and a joke about people from the South having learning disabilities; and believe me, I use the term “joke” loosely. More often than not, the show just forces these jokes down your throat without a punchline or any comedic value at all: a man from Alabama speaks in a stereotypical drawl and says some stupid things, implying people from the South (AKA Trump supporters to the writers) are stupid. It’s offensive and crass and perhaps worst of all: not funny. It’s simply ridiculous that the man who co-wrote and starred in The 40 Year-Old Virgin has written jokes this unfunny. Hell, the conjugal visit storyline is almost a cut-copy of that film, with Naird being separated from his wife for 6 months. Give me old good jokes rather than terrible ones. Daniels also struggles to produce anything special too, with the man responsible for some of the greatest comedies of all time unable to crack a smile let alone draw genuine laughs here. Sure, the first seasons of both The Office and Parks and Recreation weren’t spectacular, but they at least showed potential, whereas I will (thankfully) never allow myself to view this atrocity again.

It’s clear that everyone involved can and have done good things, and that’s not to say that anyone involved here isn’t trying. It’s simply that the show’s premise is such a huge misfire and everyone was so smitten with the idea that they forgot to write decent characters or jokes. Malkovich and Ben Schwartz are really the only standouts to be found. Malkovich simply can’t do anything wrong and brings a dry sarcastic wit to the Chief Scientist, with his exhaustion at Naird’s incompetence almost a surrogate for the audiences complete disinterest in the show itself. Nevertheless there are a few moments that attempt to flesh out Mallory’s character and Malkovich pulls them off with ease, making you feel ever so slightly for him as he is constantly shouted down and generally mistreated. Schwartz, who is now the voice of the highest grossing video-game film icon Sonic the Hedgehog, is clearly drawing on his other Daniels’ created character from Parks and Recreation: Jean-Ralphio Saperstein. The man simply oozes energy and charisma and no amount of terrible jokes can stop him from giving his all in the delivery, creating a few laughs simply from his actions and general body language, rather than the words themselves. He is a huge boon to the series and is criminally underused in the first season, however I would much rather see him lead his own series than return for the (unfortunately) inevitable second season.

From the preceding words you may have come to the conclusion that I hate Space Force and I’d have to say you’re pretty close. It’s hard to pinpoint another comedy series with this much potential and hype which has misfired so totally, so completely, that I’d rather scratch my eyes out than watch another frame. Steve Carell has graced us with easily his worst performance here, right alongside the abysmal Dinner for Schmucks and Daniels has unfortunately broken that winning television streak he has spent years cultivating. If there is a lesson to take from Space Force, however, it is surely that your central idea needs to come from a place of genuine love for comedy and a desire to make people laugh; not to aggressively and badly roast a political figure in a way that only serves to turn people off your work, rather than a man who half the known world already despises.

Space Force stars Steve Carell, John Malkovich, Diana Silvers, Lisa Kudrow, Jimmy O. Wang, Don Lake, Patrick Warburton, Jane Lynch, Noah Emmerich & Ben Schwartz – Streaming now on Netflix.

Tags Ben Schwartz, Greg Daniels, John Malkovich, Lisa Kudrow, Netflix, Space Force, Steve Carell

TV & Streaming Reviews

Defending Jacob

Post author By Mark
Post date May 31, 2020

In today’s television landscape it seems like there is a new streaming service almost every other week. The rise of streaming titan Netflix has seen the emergence of several competitors, some more successful than others, including Amazon Prime, Disney+ and most recently, Apple TV+. The latter has been treading water for a few months now and with its initial lineup offering little hype for the service, consumers have been left wondering just when we’d see some more genuinely exciting, must-watch content. Well that wait is over with the release of Defending Jacob, Apple’s latest crime-drama limited series starring none other than Chris ‘Captain America’ Evans in a role far removed from his super-hero alter-ego. Whilst it may not be the must-see series that turns people onto the service, Defending Jabob is nevertheless an engaging, if familiar at times, legal procedural/murder mystery which is raised above other similar series by stellar performances from Evans, Michelle Dockery, Jaeden Martell and J.K Simmons.

Defending Jacob begins as former District Attorney Andy Barber (Chris Evans) takes the stand to be questioned at a trial. The circumstances of the trial are not clear to us but the series of questions asked of Barber serve as the impetus for flashbacks retelling the main series of events. The book on which Defending Jacob is based, written by William Landay, utilises legal transcripts as a framing device to take the reader back to this trial. It’s an inventive concept in the medium of a book but in terms of a crime-procedural television series, it unfortunately doesn’t come across this way and feels clichéd given this device’s prevalence in the genre. Within these flashbacks we focus on the murder of a young boy named Ben Rifkin (Liam Kilbreth), a classmate of Andy’s teenage son Jacob (Jaeden Martell). Initially in charge of investigating the case, Andy is unceremoniously removed when Jacob is accused of the murder and taken into custody. From here on out we follow the Barber family, including matriarch Laurie (Michelle Dockery), as they prepare for a trial to prove Jacob’s innocence, uncovering a web of secrets and lies that haunt the Barber name and which threaten to destroy the peaceful Massachusetts community of Newton and the show’s well meaning, seemingly ordinary family.

Whilst the framing device of the trial might not be the most original, what differentiates Defending Jacob within the genre is the decision to focus not on the murder itself per se, but on the psychological aspect of committing a murder. How does one commit such a despicable act and do Andy and Laurie really believe that their son is capable of such a thing? It’s a fascinating route to go down and creator Mark Bomback and series director Morten Tyldum play with viewers’ expectations in giving you almost all the details of the case and the factors that are at play from the outset. The series doesn’t rely on cheap twists (for the most part) and instead presents a deep dive into each of the three members of the Barber family, making you question whether you really know any of them at all at one point or another. Evans and Dockery are fantastic (we’ll get to them later) but the central cog in the wheel here is Jacob himself, Jaeden Martell. He’s so perfect in the role as what some might consider the typical annoying teenager but he takes it a step further, switching gears constantly to make you feel for the terrified boy thrown in the deep end and facing life in prison but who also seems to be harbouring a darker side – just off-kilter and dark enough to give you serious doubts about his innocence. It’s a difficult juggling act to keep you so invested without making you feel he is completely innocent, completely guilty or so unlikeable that you don’t care anymore and the young actor pulls it off with a finesse that many veteran actors would be unable to achieve.

The series’ decision to let the story breathe and just sit with these characters for so much of the show might just be audiences’ biggest problem with it. While it allows for rich development of the characters, the series often introduces plot lines, seemingly to fill some of the air time, often leaving them unfinished and potentially leaving some viewers feeling cheated. The series doesn’t necessarily abandon these plot lines however, so much as it leaves them open-ended for interpretation. Take the characters of Ben’s parents for example: they have just lost their only son and are obviously struggling under the ridiculous weight of such a traumatic event. Tyldum and Bomback revisit these characters periodically throughout the show as an examination of how people cope with these situations and to illustrate the impact of the murder on the wider community outside of the Barber family. Other, less psychologically reflective storylines which are left unanswered can confuse and frustrate the audience, just as the characters in the series are confused and frustrated. This feels more like an intentional choice which works wonders to invest you and put you in the shoes of the characters, rather than to fill run time with unfinished storylines.

Despite its weekly episodic role-out, Defending Jacob is very much suited to the binge-watching streaming era, and this is the way I would recommend you watch it. Continuous immersion in the story and characters only deepens your investment and for a show that wants to make you think and potentially reflect on your own life, the longer it can keep you thinking that way the more successful and impactful it is. Whilst the ending may be polarising to some (no spoilers) it is very much in line with what has come before and your satisfaction with it will likely be elevated if you have continuously lived with these characters and their struggles.

The other key element which elevates Defending Jacob from a mundane crime drama is the phenomenal cast, led by Evans, Dockery and Martell. Evans is amazing here, given the chance to do something wholly different to Captain America: a suburban father with a dark past who has buried feelings of guilt and anger deep within himself and finds himself flung into the spotlight, forced to reflect on his life; bringing long buried emotions to the surface. It’s a quiet measured role, with Evans taking the full span of the series to unfurl Andy’s motivations and worsening emotions as the screws tighten around the family. Whilst his chemistry with Dockery isn’t anything particularly special, he is clearly in command of his own character and through his facial expressions and carefully considered dialogue we feel for the Barber patriarch, who is either undergoing a particularly bad spell of luck or is receiving his just desserts, depending on which way you look at it.

Dockery, similarly, is great; given more of a chance to show her character’s emotions outwardly, her response to certain secrets and revelations is truly heartbreaking and you feel that this is a woman in the terrible situation of having to confront the fact that she may not know who her son is; that he may be far more evil than she ever could have imagined given their seemingly enviable suburban life. Last but certainly not least is the great J.K. Simmons, who plays the small but integral role of Billy Barber, Andy’s incarcerated father whose involvement in the case is seemingly limited at first but comes to have more significance than expected. Simmons is outstanding as the slightly unhinged estranged grandfather to Jacob who has been absent his whole life. There is a sadness behind his eyes as his attempts to reconcile with Andy are batted away and Simmons displays an extraordinary ability to switch between that sadness and a blinding fury in the blink of an eye.

While it may not be enough on its own to entice you to subscribe to Apple TV+, Defending Jacob is nonetheless an outstanding slice of courtroom drama/crime procedural television which is given significant weight and purpose through outstanding performances from the entire cast, led by Chris Evans, and the director and creator’s willingness to deviate from the norm and explore an aspect of these stories that is often underdeveloped or forgotten about entirely. Despite some clichéd story beats which have become a staple of the genre and a lack of chemistry between Dockery and Evans, Defending Jacob is still an engrossing watch that will introduce you to a new side of Chris Evans, and if this is any indication of things to come, then the former star-spangled Avenger’s future looks bright.

Defending Jacob stars Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery, Jaeden Martell, Cherry Jones, Pablo Schreiber, Betty Gabriel & J.K. Simmons – Streaming on Apple TV+ now.

Tags Apple TV+, Chris Evans, Defending Jacob, J.K. Simmons, Jaeden Martell, Michelle Dockery, Morten Tyldum

Movie Reviews

Extraction

Post author By Mark
Post date May 9, 2020

Chris Hemsworth isn’t unfamiliar with action. As Thor he has seen his fair share of it. However it has never been as brutal as in his new Netflix film Extraction, which sees Hemsworth re-grouping with many members of the Avengers team, including veteran stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave – who makes his directorial debut here – and Avengers: Endgame co-director Joe Russo, who pens the script. Hargrave’s experience in Hollywood as a stuntman and stunt director on countless films is the film’s biggest strength here, outside of the popularity and likability of Hemsworth. The focus is really on the action and in that regard, it absolutely delivers, bringing intense, extremely well-shot destruction and hand-to-hand combat to the screen. Outside of that however, Extraction doesn’t have much else to offer from a narrative and character development perspective, relying on its extremely swift pace and endless madness to propel you through its 2 hour run-time. It’s a case of what you see is what you get, and if you’re in the mood for a good action flick that’ll keep you entertained, then look no further.

Extraction‘s relatively straightforward story follows Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth), a mercenary for hire with a troubled personal history and a pretty heavy drinking problem to boot. When a job comes his way to rescue Ovi (Rudhraksh Jaiswal), the son of an international drug kingpin in Dhaka, Tyler agrees, thinking it will be a stock standard procedure and a welcome distraction from his painful existence. Tyler’s world is quickly thrown upside down when he realises the importance of Ovi in an ongoing turf war between rival gangs in Bangladesh and Mumbai – including the terminator-like presence of Ovi’s former bodyguard Saju (Randeep Hooda) – testing his ability to trust those around him as he attempts to get Ovi to safety, leaving a path of destruction in Dhaka as he goes.

Let’s address the elephant in the room here: Extraction doesn’t have much depth to it. The story isn’t groundbreaking or particularly well done. It’s serviceable and given a welcome shot in the arm by the presence of Hemsworth. The man just oozes charisma and is a foreboding and charismatic presence, believably mowing down hordes of goons in his path to salvation, and I could watch him as this character for hours. It’s such a tonal shift from the character of Thor, less boisterous and jokey and more stoic and reserved. When things do hit the fan, Hemsworth goes into overdrive; a caged beast set free as his survival instincts kick in and the bodies pile up. There’s tremendous amounts of physicality to the performance and from reports of behind the scenes the film was much more taxing than any of his previous work, with Hemsworth performing a lot of the stunts himself (more on those later). The backstory to Tyler Rake, however, is about as bare bones and clichéd for an action hero as you can get, giving you just enough to feel for the man but not enough for you to really understand how he has processed the tragedy and channels it into his work.

Besides the brief flashes of Tyler’s history, that’s pretty much it in terms of backstory or development for the characters in the film. Stranger Things star David Harbour makes an appearance as an old friend (and co-worker of sorts) of Tyler’s who tries to assist him but who may also have his own motives. Harbour tries with what he is given – which admittedly isn’t much – but his presence and performance ultimately ends in a clichéd, forgettable footnote lost in the shuffle of the far superior, and thankfully more frequent, action scenes. Arguably the character who should have been given the most development besides Tyler is Ovi ,who spends almost the entire film attached to Tyler’s hip but who never really makes much of an impact other than an annoying whiny presence that distracts from the action at the worst of times and fades into the background at the best. There’s no attempt to dig into how Ovi deals with being the son of an international criminal or even if he is aware of his father’s business, with the story reducing the character to a series of visual tics meant to denote his fear and his eventual overcoming of them. It seems like a missed opportunity given the obvious potential for a more “buddy-cop” like relationship which could have brought some levity to the otherwise gritty proceedings.

No, what you come to and stick with Extraction for is the action, and boy does it fire on all cylinders, with Hargrave emptying his bag of tricks that he has accumulated over the years to create some of the most jaw-dropping, intense and realistic fight scenes in recent memory. Hargrave is obviously incredibly comfortable behind the camera, with long fluid shots that really allow you to see and appreciate the incredible stunt work in all its glory. There are no quick cuts here to simulate intensity; rather the intensity is brought through the expertise of the choreography, some of which is impressive in its length, with blurringly fast hand-to-hand fight scenes often going on for several minutes at a time. Of particular note is a 12 minute-long simulated “one-shot” scene, which follows Hemsworth as he weaves a car through the crowded streets away from the pursuing police, through to a high speed foot chase through a crowded apartment complex, encountering multiple adversaries along the way. It’s awe-inspiring stuff, and the behind the scenes videos of how they shot it are almost as impressive to watch as the scene itself. Hemsworth is present through almost this entire scene, performing most of the stunts himself, which makes it all the more immersive as he exhibits some serious gun-fighting and martial arts skills that would give John Wick a run for his money.

Extraction isn’t going to change the game for the action genre when it comes to story or character development, relying on many tried and tested clichés to get you through to the next action scene. The film really does shine when these scenes do hit, with Sam Hargrave showing a real aptitude for constructing intense, incredibly well-shot action scenes which keep you locked in and on the edge of your seat. Hemsworth does a lot of the heavy lifting, both physically in these scenes and story-wise, as he anchors the film and provides a charismatic leading man that the audience will follow. If you are interested in seeing some of the best action scenes put to film in recent memory or are just after an exciting flick to pass the time in quarantine, you can’t do much better than Extraction.

Extraction stars Chris Hemsworth, Rudhraksh Jaiswal, Randeep Hooda & David Harbour – Streaming on Netflix now.

Tags Chris Hemsworth, David Harbour, Extraction, Netflix, Sam Hargrave

TV & Streaming Reviews

Devs

Post author By Mark
Post date April 26, 2020

Alex Garland’s new limited series Devs asks some big questions. What is life? Do we really have free will? Do our choices in any way alter our destiny? It’s heavy stuff and as with his other work – 2015’s Ex-Machina and 2018’s Annihilation – Garland approaches it in a realistic, grounded way; choosing to ask these questions and analyse the results through strong, well rounded characters and a central story which slowly weaves its central mystery with high concept science-fiction until something truly special has taken shape. The format of television allows Garland to really flex his storytelling talents – building tension and creating a slow burn mystery that nails the payoff (in my opinion) – as well as showcasing all the usual hallmarks of his work on a grander scale: phenomenal sound design, an epic, haunting score from Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury and a unique visual aesthetic that looks more akin to a feature film than a television series. Combine that with outstanding performances from the entire cast including relative newcomer Sonoya Mizuno and a transformative Nick Offerman, who leaves his Parks and Recreation character of Ron Swanson in the rearview mirror, and you have a wholly unique 8 hours of television that feels completely unlike anything else around.

We begin our trip down the rabbit hole following Lily Chan (Sonoya Mizuno), an expert coder who, along with boyfriend Sergei (Karl Glusman), works for major tech company Amaya under the command of the enigmatic and mysterious Forest (Nick Offerman) – a dishevelled, bearded hippy version of Steve Jobs. When Sergei is selected to join the Devs team – working on a secret project with ramifications that could change the world – he gets a chance to meet and interact with the team closest to Forest, including the methodical and cunning second-in-command Katie (Alison Pill) and friendlier yet no less conceited developers Lyndon (Cailee Spaeny) and Stewart (Stephen McKinley Henderson). After Sergei mysteriously disappears, Lily launches an investigation of her own, determined to uncover what Sergei was working on before he disappeared, roping in ex-boyfriend Jamie (Jin Ha) for help. Her journey leads her down a twisting, ever changing path involving ex-FBI hitmen, corporate espionage and more secrets than she knows what to do with as Lily narrows in on the Devs program and their work, destroying her perceptions about herself and the world around her as she knew them along the way.

The choice to present the show as what amounts to an 8 hour film rather than a traditional 2 hour feature does wonders for the story here, allowing Garland to really flesh out his characters and dig deep into what makes them tick. This is most evident in the character of Forest, whose slow demystification throughout the series reveals a beaten down shell of a man who has experienced terrible tragedy and whose mental state in running a company, and more specifically the Devs project, should be called into question. Offerman takes Forest from this cold, unlikeable billionaire who seems completely removed from reality due to his high status and makes the audience really feel for him, to the point that he often steals the spotlight from Sonoya Minuzo, despite her great work. It’s a far more layered, nuanced role than his career defining Ron Swanson and a welcome change of pace, allowing Offerman to really showcase his range, from calm and withdrawn to fully unhinged, and its the kind of role I wish we saw more of from him. Right up there with Offerman is Alison Pill, who completely commands the screen in her own right as Katie. What begins as a stereotypical gruff second-in-command who sucks up to the boss quickly defies expectations as Katie develops into one of the shows most interesting and complex characters, constantly battling between her love for Forest as this god-like figure and her belief and adherence to the laws of nature and science that he is breaking. Its Pill’s best role to date and her scenes with Offerman are electric and, at times, heartbreaking, as she struggles with her feelings for this man who has given her so much.

That’s all not to say that the rest of the cast isn’t phenomenal, with Sonoya Minuzo approaching the character of Lily with a quiet calm that slowly unravels as she finds her understanding of the world around her lessening and the reality of the situation hits her. Minuzo plays the character as very introverted, skirting the line of the stereotypical quiet “computer person” and while some may find this a boring choice and struggle to latch onto her character, I found that Lily actually felt like a real person, with real human responses to the unfolding insanity. Similarly, Jin Ha plays the character of Jamie, Lily’s ex-boyfriend, in much the same calm way, albeit with more internal conflict between his desire to help Lily and his fear of being rejected again. The pair have a great chemistry that slowly builds as the boundaries between them crumble and they make a compelling on-screen pair thanks to their down-to-earth, calculated approach to the overwhelming odds facing them.

All of Garland’s work so far has mixed very high-concept science fiction with relatable human emotions and stories. Just look at Ex-Machina: an exploration of AI and the potential for it to overtake and subsume the human race combined with a somewhat familiar story of a man falling for a woman in a relationship with another man; albeit a deeply unhealthy relationship between creator and creation. Working within the medium of a standard feature film, Garland is forced to condense his ideas and subsequent exploration of them into the standard two hours, and he does this incredibly well; crafting a tense, deeply engrossing story that you should see if you haven’t already. Devs gives him the chance to really go wild and explore his interests here as far as this high concept sci-fi goes. In the broadest strokes Devs examines human will and free choice or the illusion of it; the possibility that each moment in all of our histories are pre-determined and cannot be changed. It’s lofty stuff that, in all honesty, I’m not sure I’ve quite fully grasped and will probably require a second viewing to really understand. Yet I’m totally fine with doing so as the human story at play is so engrossing and the mystery so enticing; an old fashioned corporate espionage narrative that understands its characters and never relies on tropes of the genre to get by. Your satisfaction with how it all wraps up may vary, I for one was satisfied but could have done with just a bit more to give things some finality, but it’s the journey, not the destination that matters and in that regard Devs absolutely delivers.

It’s also an astounding show from a technical perspective. I can’t remember the last time I was so enamoured with the sound of a show before, with the booming synths and gargled electronic sounds of the score cutting through the sterile almost computer generated silence of scenes, as if the sound is a glitch tied to Lily’s discoveries and the threat posed to Amaya. This almost computer-generated quality extends to the visuals, which look spectacular, the closest a show has come to resembling a theatrical film since Game of Thrones. The basic sets and locations are all incredibly aesthetically pleasing and well kept; from Lily’s perfectly manicured apartment to the Google-like grandeur of the Amaya campus. It’s the Devs building, though, that really impresses: a building from well into the future that inspires both awe and a feeling of foreboding; coloured completely bright, vivid gold with the central building suspended by electromagnets, it is a glimpse at the power that Amaya commands and the resources they have at their disposal – an immovable force that Lily finds herself up against.

Devs might just be Alex Garland’s best work to date. Drawing from all the strengths of his earlier projects, Garland has crafted a near-perfect slow burn show that allows him to explore the science fiction concepts he so clearly loves on a larger scale, combining it with an addictive human narrative and fully fleshed out characters that I couldn’t wait to check in with each week. Whilst the ending may be dissatisfying to some, the journey towards it is anything but boring, reeling you in and exposing you to concepts and ideas that make you think beyond the story of the show. With terrific performances across the board, particularly Nick Offerman, who delivers his best, most layered work yet, there really isn’t an excuse for you not to check out Devs as soon as you can.

Devs stars Sonoya Mizuno, Nick Offerman, Alison Pill, Jin Ha, Karl Glusman, Cailee Spaeny & Stephen McKinley Henderson – available to stream now on Foxtel in Australia and on Hulu in America.

Tags Alex Garland, Alison Pill, Devs, FX, Nick Offerman, Sonoya Mizuno

Movie Reviews

Code 8

Post author By Mark
Post date April 16, 2020

Superhero movies are everywhere nowadays. Every year we seem to be inundated with big budget releases from Marvel and DC; well made action films of a generally high standard (Suicide Squad not withstanding) which make boatloads of cash for the studios, prompting dozens more to go into development with higher budgets and effects. Enter the rise of the low budget superhero film. We saw it last year with Brightburn; an interesting spin on a decades old origin story that didn’t quite hit like it should have and now we see it done with much more success in Jeff Chan’s Code 8. Set in a gritty world where powers are despised by society and those with them are hunted, the film is less standard superhero film than it is a sci-fi heist thriller with a lot of heart. Whilst it borrows some concepts from other films and the plot loses its place in spots, the endearing lead performances from cousins Robbie and Stephen Amell combined with solid action, terrific world building and a swift pace make this one enjoyable, easy watch that I would be happy to spend more time with.

Set in the futuristic Lincoln City, built by the same superpowered humans that are now under strict restrictions, we follow Connor Reed (Robbie Amell), a down on his luck handyman working odd jobs to make ends meet and to provide for his mother Mary (Kari Matchett). When his mother’s cancer worsens, Connor is forced to look into other means to earn money for her treatment, taking a job with Garrett (Stephen Amell) – a high level enforcer for drug kingpin Marcus Sutcliffe (Greg Bryk) – and his team. Connor learns to embrace his power here as an “Electric” – allowing him to manipulate and create electrical fields around himself – forming a bond with Garrett and putting his morality at risk as they engage in increasingly illegal jobs for larger and larger pay checks. When the screws begin to tighten around the crew however, Connor must reassess the life he has chosen and take control of his destiny in order to save his mother.

Sound like something you’ve seen before? Code 8‘s story is not exactly the most original, sticking pretty closely to the standard hero’s journey, with a few twists and turns thrown in to mixed results. What pulls you in as a viewer is the world building: think a cross between the gritty, grounded world of Chronicle and the heavily regulated, robot police force patrolled streets of District 9 or Chappie. There is clearly a lot of lore here that the film teases you with, providing few answers as to the origin of the powered humans or the drugs pulled from their spinal fluid that now fill the streets. Rather than rely on exposition heavy dialogue the film finds creative ways for the audience to experience the world, with a montage of construction workers using their powers to assemble a house of particular note. It might not sound like the best use of budget, especially when there isn’t much to begin with, but it is just one example of a subtle way to show the world and is just plain interesting to see from a street level view – this isn’t Thor swinging his hammer or Iron Man blasting bad guys, it’s a real-life portrayal of these powers in an everyday setting. Speaking of budget, the film does a lot with a little; making the powers less flashy but more deadly brings real life consequences to using them and as a result the characters tend to rely on more traditional weapons, using the powers for utility. Most of the budget goes to the robotic police force of “Guardians” and drones which carry them and they all look spectacular, as if they had been plucked from something with Marvel’s budget.

Beyond the flashy world building and powers is an engaging story that hits with some powerful emotional beats, centered on two key relationships between Connor and his mother and Garrett. The mother-son relationship is central to the overall story, acting as the incentive for all of Connor’s actions throughout the film and Robbie Amell and Kari Matchett do a great job selling this bond. Connor struggles with the weight of compromising his moral code to help her, and her insistence that he let her go and move on with his life and Amell captures this internal tug of war exceptionally well. We see real conflict in Connor as he learns to utilise the powers his mother has insisted he hides, knowing they are the only thing that can provide him with the means to save her in time. This conflict carries over to Connor’s relationship with Stephen Amell’s Garrett, a man with whom he is fundamentally, morally at odds with, but who allows him to embrace his abilities and ultimately use them for good, even if it means using them for nefarious purposes first. The older Amell has cultivated an image for himself as the boy scout superhero Oliver Queen on the popular DC series Arrow and is clearly relishing the chance to play a heel for a change. Whilst Garrett is more of an antihero than a fully fledged villain there is some darker material to work with here and Amell more than proves he has the chops, making the action look easy with his stunt-heavy background on television.

Outside of these two central relationships however, things are bit more rough around the edges, with side plots thrown in centered around a detective (Sung Kang) hot on the heels of Connor and Garrett and a woman (Kyla Kane) with the ability to heal people who has been indebted to Sutcliffe and forced to keep him alive. The police investigation story doesn’t really go anywhere and doesn’t get the screen time to do so, with an attempt to flesh out Sung Kang’s character coming too late in the piece to really do much to endear him to the viewer. Similarly Kyla Kane’s character isn’t really given anything to do outside occasionally healing Sutcliffe and hurling abuse at Connor, with Kane’s performance coming across as boring and wooden. Greg Bryk does what he can with the character of Sutcliffe, giving him something of an energy reminiscent of a Miami drug lord, but without any of the swagger or charisma needed to really pop on screen. Thankfully the action makes up for these poorer aspects, drawing the story away from these less developed areas with some tight, focused scenes of brutal violence, utilising the powers in some inventive ways outside of the usual close quarters hand-to-hand combat.

Code 8 is a surprisingly engaging and effective spin on the superhero genre told from a gritty, realistic world set somewhere in the future. While it might not be the most original or nuanced film ever made, it hits where it needs to; with inventive world building, intriguing powers, solid special effects and a pace that keeps you locked into the story. Outside of a few meandering side plots the film fires on all cylinders, hitting all the right emotional beats with great performances from Robbie and Stephen Amell. If you’re looking for a fun, interesting flick to keep your attention as you while away the time in isolation you couldn’t ask for much more than Code 8.

Code 8 stars Robbie Amell, Stephen Amell, Kari Matchett, Kyla Kane, Greg Bryk & Sung Kang – Streaming on Netflix now.

Tags Code 8, Colony Pictures, Jeff Chan, Netflix, Robbie Amell, Stephen Amell, Sung Kang

Movie Reviews

Onward

Post author By Mark
Post date April 10, 2020

I get excited for a new Pixar movie. Almost everyone I know does. There’s something special about the studio that has created some of the best animated all movies of all time, something magic. Magic is certainly the name of the game with the studio’s latest release Onward – the story of two elf brothers living in a society where reality lives in harmony with fantasy, embarking on a cross-country road trip to retrieve a spell which can revive their father – and for the most part it succeeds, even if the story gets lost in some tropes and drags in the middle. Whilst it may not sit at the top of the pedestal of the studio’s releases, Pixar and director Dan Scanlon manage to bring enough heart and emotion to the story to carry you through the gorgeously animated environments. Combined with the terrific voice-work led by Chris Pratt and Tom Holland, clever pop-culture riffing jokes and that Pixar charm, Onward is a film more than worth your time; a solid addition to the Pixar canon, even if you won’t see yourself going back to it as often as some of their other classics.

Onward tells the story of Ian (Tom Holland) and Barley Lightfoot (Chris Pratt), elf brothers who could not be more different in their personalities. Where Ian is shy and cautious in his approach to life, struggling to make friends and really stand out in his world, Barley is loud and bombastic, constantly getting into trouble as he crusades for the conservation of magical artefacts left over from ancient times, believing that magic could still be as prominent as it once was if people just believed again. On Ian’s 16th birthday, the boy’s mother Laurel (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) presents them with a gift from their father Wilden (Kyle Bornheimer), who died shortly before Ian was born: a magical staff from yesteryear. Powered by the Phoenix Gem Wilden has entrusted his sons, Ian discovers he has the ability to wield the staff, attempting to perform a spell of his father’s own design which will resurrect him for 24 hours to spend with his family. When Ian’s inexperience causes the spell to malfunction and the gem to shatter, the boy’s are left with a pair of sentient legs belonging to their father, and a quest to recover a long hidden Phoenix Gem in order to finish the spell and see their fully fleshed father.

A huge strength for Onward lies in the world building. Within the opening 10 minutes you have a complete understanding and appreciation for this extremely original concept: the melding of reality with fantasy. Trolls and Elves live in Mushroom houses on suburban streets, driving cars and playing video games just like the rest of us. Raccoons raiding garbage cans are replaced with rabid Unicorns and children attend school in a castle, learning everyday subjects like Maths and Sociology. It’s a clever device that adds a ton of charm to an otherwise fairly clichéd road trip buddy movie. You’ve seen the story enough to know that the boys will encounter troubles along the way and their relationship will be tested but you don’t care because everything around that story visually is just so delightful and jaw-dropping to look at. This extends to the jokes too, which for the most part, play off the unexpected, such as dangerous bikers in the form of 3 inch tall Pixies. One joke that doesn’t pay off so much however, is the character of Wilden, the boys father, or rather his legs, as he is seen as throughout the film. There’s something inherently stupid about seeing a pair of disembodied legs flailing around the place that elicits a giggle, but it gets old quickly for the older members of the audience, who admittedly, the film isn’t for, but Pixar adds enough jokes in for the adults to keep a smile on everyone’s faces.

The story is a different, more complicated beast. The central relationship between Ian and Barley is amazing, a true highlight that will leave you weeping openly in your seat in true Pixar fashion. Based on Dan Scanlon’s own family dynamic, there is a real focus on brotherly love and the lengths we go to as a family to stick together and that relationship works here in large part thanks to the casting of Pratt and Holland. The two Marvel superheroes have tremendous chemistry, really selling the brotherly bond and love between them, as well as the insecurities that go along with growing up without a father figure. As Ian struggles to find his path he looks up to his big brother, who is also struggling to move ahead without his father to guide him. Both actors deliver top notch performances, giving the story a lot of emotional weight and proving that their on-screen chops can easily translate to the animated space. This extends to the supporting cast too with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Octavia Spencer turning in solid work as the boy’s mother and a fearsome restaurant owning Manticore respectively. While they are good in the film, the storyline they are given isn’t as high quality. Acting as a kind-of dull side quest to the boy’s mission, Laurel and the Manticore attempt to track the brothers to stop them from unleashing an ancient curse. There’s some good banter between the two and an attempt at fleshing out the mother’s devotion to her children but the storyline really just detracts more than it entertains, cutting away from the boys and causing the whole film to lose momentum as a result.

Onward isn’t a particularly original film for Pixar. It follows the studio’s tried and tested formula of encasing a familial bond within an engaging story and world and letting the lessons and emotion come organically. We’ve seen it done before with Woody and Buzz in Toy Story and Mike and Sully in Monsters Inc. and for good reason: it works. Whilst Onward doesn’t reach the levels of those films, what makes it stand on its own is the packaging of a realistic world merged with the fantastical. It is the film’s greatest strength outside of Pratt and Holland, disguising the shortcomings of the narrative with sheer charm and jaw-dropping visuals. When the time comes to hit the audience with emotional punches, Onward lands them, bringing the journey to a satisfying close and making you happy you stuck through the sometimes unevenly paced story. It’s a ride well worth taking and whilst the plot may fade from your memory, the emotions you felt and the Pixar magic never will.

Onward stars Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus & Octavia Spencer – Available to purchase digitally worldwide and streaming on Disney + in America now and in Australia on April 24.

Tags Chris Pratt, Disney, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer, Onward, Pixar, Tom Holland

Game Reviews

Final Fantasy VII Remake

Post author By Tydus
Post date April 10, 2020

For over 20 years, Final Fantasy VII has enjoyed a legacy as one of the greatest games of all time. The original 1997 release revolutionised the Japanese RPG genre, adopted by Western audiences unlike any of the entries that came before it – altering conceptions of an RPG with a fluid battle system, enormous 3D environments and a timeless soundtrack. At the same time, it was still decidedly Japanese when it came to much of the game’s characters, humour and overall atmosphere, resulting in a unique blend that not only secured Final Fantasy VII its incredible success, but also attracted one of the most devoted and die-hard fanbases in the entire gaming industry. So when the announcement came that a ground-up remake of the classic was coming after so many years, it was met with both resounding excitement and more than a little concern. Would it still be as epic and grand as we remember it being? What pieces of the adventure would have to be left behind? Will this remake do anything for those who never experienced the original? To quickly answer these questions and summarise the words that follow: the Final Fantasy VII Remake is incredible. While it may just be a piece of a larger picture at the moment, it is an experience brimming with tons of content, exciting combat and amazing personalities. After two decades we finally have the remake that not only does justice to the source material, but manages to push things even further.

For those uninitiated to the tale, Final Fantasy VII follows protagonist Cloud Strife, a military defector turned soldier for hire. Players join him as he begins a job with eco-extremist cell Avalanche, offering protection as the group prepares to destroy an energy reactor on the edge of the world’s largest and most powerful city, Midgar. The technological capital is completely controlled by the Shinra Electric Power Company, Cloud’s former employers and the entity that powers the city by siphoning and draining the Earth’s energy known as Mako. Believing that this practice is killing the Earth, Avalanche’s Barret Wallace has resolved to take the Shinra juggernaut down at any cost. Cloud is hired off the back of a tip from his childhood friend and fellow Avalanche member Tifa Lockhart, who finds herself becoming increasingly apprehensive as the group’s use of violence escalates. The opening mission also sees Cloud cross paths with Aerith Gainsborough, a local florist and healer that Cloud quickly discovers is far more than meets the eye. The general plot, characters and key moments all play out as they did in the 1997 original, and most of the above will be immediately recognisable to those with even a passing interest in the game. It’s important to note that this Final Fantasy VII Remake, as we have today, is not the complete adventure from the original – rather the opening events that occur within the city of Midgar. This is possibly the only point that detracts from the game overall, and it will really only hurt those who have taken the full adventure before. We know that there is so much more to the game outside the borders of this initial act – an enormous world littered with towns, caves, forests and people – so knowing that this world is cut off from us here can often be a bitter pill to swallow. However this first installment uses the opportunity to sharpen and focus its plot and features to such a point that you easily gain as much as you feel you may be missing.

First and foremost, the expanded character work included in the remake is phenomenal. Where the original presented us with blocky, emotionless character models and written dialogue, the 2020 version features fully voiced and realistic personalities with ample room to breathe. Each of the four main leads retain their basic archetypes from the original – Cloud as the cold, distant mercenary, Tifa as the calm yet powerful voice of reason, Barret as the fast talking brute and Aerith as the benevolent and confident free spirit. However it’s what this expanded adventure does with these characters that makes each of them so special, allowing for a far deeper look at how each interact with one other and the finer points of their own personalities. Cloud’s initial cold exterior is broken down here about as much as his entire arc in the original, with his actions later in the game designed to surprise both him and the player. Similarly, characters such as Barret who begin feeling stereotypical and predictable end up achieving far more character development and growth than you’d expect. Even side characters such as Avalanche’s Jessie, Biggs and Wedge are heavily expanded upon compared to the original, again subverting what you may expect at the outset. This is all in addition to the multiple new characters introduced in the remake, with some growing to be key figures in a game where they once never existed.

The expansion work within the Final Fantasy VII Remake is not contained to just characters, as the game’s world and features have also evolved to meet the new generation. Both the upper and lower levels of Midgar are now sprawling, bustling areas full of chatting locals, hidden paths and side tasks to keep you busy. Midgar is still quite linear when it boils down to it – with the remake being made up of many laneways and thin paths without ever really being ‘open-world’. However this is the same case as with the original, and the remake provides more than enough distractions to pull you from the beaten track. Fancy a game of darts? Perhaps some increasingly difficult colosseum battles? How about one of several side missions dotted throughout each of the major destinations? Participating in many of these activities will generally net you some useful items for the main adventure and completing groups of them will reward you with further plot and character moments as the story rolls on. While some new areas and missions can feel like needless extensions within an otherwise shorter game, most are well worth the time spent to soak up as much of the world as possible. Special mention goes to the events within the Honey Bee Inn, which – despite concerns that things would be toned down from the original – is an absolutely outrageous fifteen minutes that simply cannot be put into words. Exploring the sights and sounds is also helped immensely by how downright incredible the game looks, often turning even the most mundane slums or dimly lit streets into something special and memorable.

It’s worth mentioning that you won’t just be strolling through these lovely surroundings without a care, but rather tearing through them in a barrage of action, fire and gunshots. Enemies wander the roads and dark corners outside of landmarks, and there are no longer random encounters as there had been in the original. Battles in Final Fantasy VII Remake occur in real time, similar to how fights play out in both Final Fantasy XV and the Kingdom Hearts series. Each character has a basic attack which, after consecutive uses, charges a meter used to pull off more powerful moves and magic. Where the remake differentiates itself from many other similar games is in how specialised each character is. Cloud is a swordfighter that cleaves through enemies at close range with a variety of stances. Tifa is also a close range fighter, but instead fights with an incredibly fast and agile hand to hand style to overwhelm opponents. Barret quite literally has a machine gun grafted to his right arm, and so excels in picking off ranged enemies in a barrage of bullets. Aerith is heavily focused on magic, keeping the party alive and healthy while casting deadly ranged spells. You’re able to switch between active members of your group any time during battle to take advantage of these differences, or you can issue them orders on the fly as you continue an assault. Managing each of their strengths and weaknesses is key to overturning the odds in some of the tougher fights, and watching your crew cut through a group of enemies in a flurry of blades and explosions is always satisfying. For those looking to fight battles in a way more faithful to the original, there are classic battle options available and multiple difficulties on offer if you’re looking to mix things up – especially when you factor in the game’s chapter select and new game plus modes.

The 2020 Final Fantasy VII Remake is, quite simply, something amazing. Not only does it deliver on an enormous, decades old legacy, it also somehow manages to exceed it in multiple areas. The completely overhauled visuals, deep character development and broader plot growth are so huge that going back to the 1997 original now would just be a hollow experience. While it does sting slightly to know that this is just a taste of the full adventure, it almost works to build excitement more than it feels restrictive or disjointed. Excitement for what is to come for the rest of story that remains untold, and how extraordinary the following entries will be with the start we’ve been given here. An absolute must-buy for those interested or familiar with the series, and a great entry point for newcomers who want in on the hype. No snappy end quote, no witty conclusion, just get it. Play it. Love it.

Final Fantasy VII Remake is available now on PS4.

Tags Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy VII Remake, PlayStation, Square Enix

Game Reviews

DOOM: Eternal

Post author By Mark
Post date April 2, 2020

I have a love-hate relationship with Doom: Eternal, although it definitely leans more towards the love side. It’s a technically phenomenal first person shooter that makes you feel like a badass more than almost any game I can think of, ratcheting up the action and pressure from its predecessor, but lord did it make me almost hurl my controller through the screen. If there was one universal complaint about the 2016 Doom it was that it felt like something of an incomplete package, with a fairly short story and a multiplayer mode that seemed like an afterthought. Eternal goes in the complete opposite direction, stuffed full of almost too much content; with a 16 hour campaign filled to the brim with bloody battles and secrets to uncover, multiple difficulty levels to encourage repeat playthroughs and a far more fun, interesting multiplayer mode that shows that developer Bethesda has gone above and beyond fan’s expectations to deliver the game they wanted. Apart from a few repetitive levels and game mechanics and some lacklustre boss fights, Doom:Eternal is an absolute must-buy and one of the best first person shooters of this console generation.

Let’s get one thing out of the way first. You don’t come to a Doom game for a deep, emotional story. You come to murder demons in increasingly violent ways, splitting skulls and spilling innards as you progress deeper and deeper into the bowels of Hell coming up against bigger and more badass demons. Alas, the game must have a story to propel you forward and true to form for the franchise it’s kind of a mess, but that just adds to the fun. Doom: Eternal‘s story is epic, picking up 2 years after the events of the 2016 game, where the Earth has been all but conquered by the demon forces that were brought forth from Hell through the gate on Mars. As the hulking Doom Slayer, you are tasked with saving the Earth and sending these demon forces packing before they can complete their mission and completely decimate the planet. Seems pretty straightforward right? Believe me when I say that you haven’t seen anything. Any coherent plot line that might have been gets gutted just as quickly as one of the games many demons as your quest takes you across multiple locations including Earth, Hell and inter-dimensional demon planets. At these locations you will be tasked with collecting a myriad of endlessly powerful items that the game does its best to explain, but which ultimately ends up confusing the player more than it should. A lot of these levels seem like filler, as ultimately the conclusion of your mission does nothing to impact the overall threat facing you and causes the game to drag in a few stretches, relying too heavily on its excellent combat to drag you through the tedium. Ultimately the story is simply a means to an end for you to kill as many demons as you possibly can and in that regards it gives you almost too much content, with the story clocking in at around a meaty 16 hours.

The star of the show is undoubtedly the gameplay here. Doom: Eternal is just so damn fun to play and despite a few levels that just piled on what seemed like endless enemies, I happily sunk hours into the increasingly frantic and overwhelming demon slaying combat. Part of this is the movement of the Doom Slayer. He handles wonderfully, moving with a speed which seems completely unnatural for a man his size but which makes the combat far more enjoyable. The 2016 games physics were such that the double jump felt like such a breath of fresh air for the decades old franchise, with the lower gravity on Mars giving you a brief period of time to float above your enemies before delivering a crushing blow or blast from a shotgun. Eternal increases the flexibility of this movement with the introduction of a double dash – a move that can be chained in the air to give you previously impossible reach and manoeuvrability options – allowing you to zip behind enemies and pick them off before they even know you’re there. Of course that would be far too simple and the logical answer to this is to increase both the movement speed of enemies and their sheer numbers. The waves of enemies thrown at you are seemingly endless, quickly filling a room and forcing you to think strategically about where you jump and dash to in order to pick off the smaller villains first before focusing on the big baddies.

The enemy variety has also seen a big increase over its predecessor with upwards of 20 different types of demons to hunt you. These range from mere cannon fodder to mid tier terrors slightly harder to take down – like the fan-favourite Cacodemon or the jetpack-wearing Reaper – to hulking slabs of evil that start off as mini-bosses but who appear increasingly frequently to add another dimension of strategy (and pressure) to your late-game encounters – like the half-tank, half-demon Hunter. The highlight of these new enemies, however, is undoubtedly the Marauder: an axe-wielding, flame hound summoning behemoth, capable of destroying you at close range with his shotgun and from afar with his ranged axe attack. He is undoubtedly the most difficult enemy you will encounter apart from the main bosses and demands a combination of patience and fast reflexes in order to take him down; something you will find yourself in short supply of when you’re also surrounded by about 30 other enemies.

Fortunately you’re well equipped to quell the rising forces of Hell, with the classic Doom assortment of weapons returning in all their explosive glory. These range from your classic combat shotgun to the machine-gun-like “heavy cannon” to the trusty rocket launcher, all of which are fully upgradeable with extra features that change the way you use each weapon. Equip the combat shotgun with the sticky grenade mod and it becomes a low-cost grenade launcher that, if used correctly, can be one of your greatest allies. The Doom staple “super shotgun” also makes a powerful return with the inclusion of a meat-hook like attachment which allows you to fire it into enemies and hurl yourself towards them, adding another dimension to the movement based gameplay. While that sounds fun in theory, I found that the lock on for the grapple was somewhat unreliable and had a rather limited range, relegating the gun to more of a close quarters powerhouse. All told there’s 8 main guns and while it’s unfortunate that there’s no major new inclusion to the arsenal, what you do get is more than enough to offer a variety of ways to take down your enemies.

On top of this is the ever-present Chainsaw, which allows for close-quarters bloody kills (provided you have enough fuel), which spew ammo from the enemy. The Glory Kill feature from the 2016 game also makes a triumphant return, allowing for an instant kill to be performed on an enemy that has sustained significant damage and which causes health pickups to burst forth. The newest attachment to the Doom Slayer’s suit is the wonderfully named “Flame Belch”, a shoulder-mounted flamethrower which torches enemies and causes them to drop armour pickups. This creates another sub-layer of strategy in Doom: Eternal: resource management. On the normal to higher difficulties you will constantly find yourself struggling for ammo, health and armour and the careful, well-timed use of these support weapons on the litany of minor enemies which constantly respawn will often mean the different between life and death, adding an extra level of panic to a game almost overflowing with it.

In addition to the extensive single-player campaign, Bethesda has also spent considerable resources on revamping the disappointing multiplayer from the 2016 Doom, reassessing the format from the ground up. Gone are the standard death matches and map creator modes, replaced by a more modern, on-trend asymmetrical death match; pitting two player-controlled demons and their horde of minor demons against one slayer complete with their entire arsenal. It works surprisingly well, with each demon’s play style feeling fresh and adding a new dynamic to the proceedings. Whilst you may think the slayer has the advantage in his far more varied arsenal, that is not the case and both sides are fairly balanced and come with their own set of challenges. Choose the demon and you have a clear advantage in numbers, but without careful collaboration with your partner, the slayer will pick you off one by one, using the smaller demons as fuel to rain down fire on you. Pick the slayer and you need to use your movement incredibly well, traversing the maps quickly in order to cut the demons off from their partner and strike while they are weaker. Whilst it’s still not something I can see myself sinking hundreds of hours into, it is a marked improvement over the previous game’s multiplayer and something that should find something of a cult following amongst the game’s biggest fans.

Doom: Eternal builds on everything that made the 2016 refresh of the franchise great. The action is more hectic and fast paced than it has ever been, the weapons feel just as great with new mechanics and resource management changing how you use them, and the enemies you encounter constantly challenge you and force you to adapt your play styles and try new things in order to succeed. While the story doesn’t make a lick of sense and drags in some places, the sheer joy of the core gameplay loop delivers just enough adrenaline and satisfaction to keep you coming back for more. The multiplayer may not be for everyone but is nonetheless a welcome addition to the game that extends its playability until the inevitable sequel. Doom: Eternal is an absolute must-play game and one that you should experience as soon as possible. There just isn’t anything out there at the moment like the sheer intensity of being on low health with no ammo and gutting a towering 8 foot demon with a chainsaw to give you just enough health for you to take down his friend behind him. When his friend cracks you open like a melon however, just make sure you have insurance on your TV.

Doom: Eternal is available now on Playstation 4, Xbox One & PC.

Tags Bethesda, DOOM, DOOM: Eternal, Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox